Betas

The thing about Final Fantasy XIV's crafting is that it's always been an odd mixture of wonderful and terrible, much like the game as a whole. You had crazily interconnected crafts that could be frustrating to level, the simple difficulty of trying to find the items you need, and a minigame that made mass production maddeningly slow. But you also had a real sense of personal craftsmanship, and the complex interplay between quality, durability, and progress meant that your successes or failures were truly your own.

None of these elements has been removed from the beta phases, but each has been streamlined and largely improved. The test phases allowed us to explore the two crafting classes based in Gridania, Carpenter and Leatherworker, and so I got to really dive into the heart of working with wood and dead animal hides. It was a lot more fun than that summary might imply.

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This has been quite the week if you're interested in hearing about what's going on behind the curtain. Destiny offered everyone a new trailer, WildStar gave us plenty of information to chew on, The Elder Scrolls Online talked crafting, and Final Fantasy XIV announced a definite date for its relaunch with a new video. Tons of stuff behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Eldevin quietly moved into its second phase of closed beta. Oh, and Neverwinter's economy completely collapsed, which is either bad for the beta or bad for the game's launch depending on how you see the game's current state.

How do we see it? Well, you can take a look at our testing list for an idea. In fact, you might want to take a look at the list anyway just to see what's out there. If you notice something erroneous on there, feel free to let us know so we can take a look ourselves.

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The scrappy little Kickstarter sandbox, Face of Mankind, sees its journey from conception to completion as an odyssey worth sharing. That's why the team has put together a talking head documentary video that chronicles the game's development since 2001.

The video itself is long on developer and player anecdotes, although it is short on actual in-game footage (this is probably not surprising considering that the team is rebuilding the engine from scratch). If you have 15 minutes and want to see how an indie MMO is made, check out the documentary after the jump!

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Were you hanging on the edge of your seat after watching the first episode of Marvel Heroes' Chronicles of Doom last week? Hope you haven't fallen to your doo...mise because the second installment is now available.

The episode tracks the sinister Victor von Doom as he makes a devil's deal with Dorammu to gain power and YouTube likes. The Chronicles of Doom is a four-part motion comic series written by Marvel's Brian Michael Bendis, and it can be seen as the prequel to the game itself.

Watch episode 2 after the jump!

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Trion Worlds Lead Game Designer Bill Fisher has announced that RIFT won't be allowing raiders to use item store tokens to boost ultra-rare currency gains.

In a forum thread titled RIFT is officially pay-to-win, Fisher addressed the concern over the upcoming item shop's impact in the raiding game. The specific beef was with item store tokens that offered a substantial boost to all currency gained in the game over a period of time. Trion has since nerfed the token's potency (from 100% currency bonus to 80%) as well as removed the ability to gain extra Frozen Eclipse Stones from it.

Fisher explained that he decided to remove the token effect because he felt it was crossing the line of what is and is not acceptable from a cash shop. "I don't want you to have the perception that to take part in that section of the game you are going to be forced into buying something," Fisher wrote. "RIFT doesn't win the race by trying to be exploitative of any given group -- yes, it has to make money to continue getting updates, and I know everyone out there understands that."

If you have heard the news about RuneScape 3, you fall into one of two camps. You're either really excited and cannot wait for this new version of one of your favorite games or you really don't see what the fuss is all about. It's possible there is a third category for those who are interested but have played the game only once or twice. I easily fall into the first category, and I think the announcement of RuneScape 3 isn't important because it represents a new version of a long-running and very successful browser-based title; it's important because it will represent a massive shift in mobile technology and in how people perceive MMO gaming on a mobile device.

So many people seem to think that tablet or smartphone gaming is different from gaming on any other device. It is different in the way we interact with the game, in the way that we actually hold the tablet or touch the screen, but the device itself is just a smaller version of the ever-familiar PC, the personal computer. RuneScape 3 could prove that a tablet or smartphone is just as good as any other delivery system -- and in many ways, it might be superior.

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While still technically beta, Neverwinter joined the rank and file of MMOverse three weeks ago with a soft launch. Since then, the game has experienced its share of issues, bugs, and exploits. To address those, as well as give players a heads-up on what's incoming, Lead Producer Andy Velasquez shared the fantasy game's first State of the Game address.

Velasquez jumped right into discussing the bugs and exploits that have affected the game since open beta started and outlined the fixes that were implemented to squash them. He went on to talk about the top issues that the team was working on currently and then reveal what players can expect to see in the next few weeks. A Public Test Shard is coming to Neverwinter (to hopefully catch bugs and exploits before going live), as is new endgame raid PvE/PvP content called Gauntlgrym. Other new content includes updates in the Foundry and new companions, zones, mounts, mechanics, Paragon Paths, and a new "ranged" class.

We hope you like metaphors because Bungie is bringing a whopper of one to you through the magic of a Destiny official trailer. The trailer is framed by a father reading to his son The Law of the Jungle at bedtime, mentioning wolves and packs in such a way that we totally aren't thinking of The Hangover whatsoever.

Of course, there's a bit of the game setting in there too, with masked, cloaked soldiers pulling out big guns and showing the enemy the business. The trailer concludes by stating that there will be a worldwide gameplay reveal for Destiny at E3 on June 10th.

Check out the savage trailer after the jump and let us know what jungle animal guides you in space!

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It's a running joke on Massively that some readers believe our lives are glamorous and that we sleep in beds made out of free video game swag. The truth is that video game bloggers are working in this field because they love the job. At least that's how it is around here. Or maybe writing in our pajamas is too posh to pass up. But people still believe we are loaded with perks just because we get to wear fancy hats that say "PRESS." Just kidding. There are no hats.

Here's a recent example from a reader named Will6:

Lucky you, getting to test drive the game. Everyone knows the press get instant invites because they are a free way [for studios] to advertise their game and get the word out.

It's time for "everyone" to be disabused of that notion.

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Even as a mere mortal, Billy Batson stood up to injustice. And now, thanks to the powers granted him by the ancient wizard Shazam, Billy can turn into a mighty lightning-infused warrior to fight against injustice, evil... and whatever opponents happen to queue against him! Joining the pool of available champions in Turbine's upcoming MOBA Infinite Crisis, the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel (name officially changed to Shazam in 2010) hails from the Prime Universe and brings the power of lightning front-and-center as a melee enforcer.

Want to catch of glimpse of Shazam's powers and abilities like Speed of Mercury, Power of Zeus, Lightning Field, and Mystic Power/Defense? Then watch the champion reveal video after the break.

[Source: Turbine press release]

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So funny story: In planning out in advance what I wanted to talk about in this biweekly Neverwinter column, I had selected something that recently caught my eye about the game and made me happy. That something was the Neverwinter Gateway, a web portal that allows out-of-game players the ability to fiddle with their character sheets, auctions, professions, guilds, and mail. I thought -- and I still do -- that this was a nifty service that deserved a day in the sun.

As I was getting set to write that column, Neverwinter's economy exploded and then imploded over the course of a weekend, thanks to a nasty exploit that involved, yup, the Gateway. Suddenly my topic had to shift from "isn't this a neat tool?" to "check out what the tools are doing with this tool." Seeing the economy effectively destroyed in a matter of hours and how Cryptic Studios dealt with this PR nightmare might be old news at this point, but it's definitely worthy of reflection, analysis, and speculation as to how trust can be rebuilt in this fledgling title.

Let's get cracking -- we have a lot of ground to cover!

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Square Enix has announced today that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is set for release on August 27, 2013 on both PC and PS3.

According to previous reports, the third phase of the relaunched game's beta will begin some time next month. This phase will be the first time A Realm Reborn will be open to PS3 players during this beta.

Click past the jump for complete details on pre-order bonuses and the Collector's Edition box contents as well as the new video.

[Source: Square Enix press release]

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What's in a website? Quite a lot when your game is based in a browser client, as it happens. With RuneScape 3 around the corner, the team at Jagex is hard at work putting together a new and improved website, and a new video from the development team shows off just what players can expect. Which is quite a lot.

For example, one of the centerpieces of the revised design is a series of six buttons front-and-center on the page. The trick is that three of the buttons can be customized by you, allowing you to immediately jump to the most useful parts of the page for your particular playstyle. The team is also revamping the high score pages to incorporate weekly high scores, meaning that newer players can still have a shot at the top. There will even be rewards for people who do well in a given interval. For more details, check out the full video past the break.

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Watch out: It's an unholy fusion of addictive trading card games with addictive massively multiplayer online roleplaying games! The clinics will be overrun and crime will run rampant as police will be too captivated by the bleeps and bloops of their computer boxes to do anything about it.

That's the dire future that Kings and Legends Global could usher in. Or it could just be an interesting title that mixes CCGs with MMOs to create a novel experience. The cards themselves can be customized, crafted, and traded by players and then used to battle in PvP and PvE environments. Knights and Legends will have four classes, seven races, an auction house, guild halls, a crafting system, and plenty of deck building to keep folks interested.

GameFuse is tempting potential fans into registering by promising a free starter pack to those who sign up. You can do so on the website and then check out the game trailer after the break.

[Source: GameFuse press release]

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So who wants to hear some cool stuff about WildStar? Thought so!

Massively's Gavin Townsley recently attended a WildStar media event in San Francisco, at which he was treated to a hands-on look at the upcoming sci-fantasy MMORPG's Scientist path and Esper class. He also chatted with Carbine Studios executive producer Jeremy Gaffney, who pulls a Gaffney (I'm coining that) and can't resist leaking a bit of new info about tradeskills while filling Gavin in on how endgame will work, why we should play the Settler path, and whether talent trees are passé. If you think making 10 pairs of cotton space pants sounds boring, then yeah -- you're going to like what he's got to say.

Enjoy all three articles plus the brand-new path videos we've embedded past the cut!

	Hands-on with WildStar's Scientist path and Esper class There is something exciting about taking your first steps into the mysteries of a new planet. I was anxious to mingle with the locals, analyze artifacts, and even pick a few plants -- that is, until I saw a flower burst from the ground as a giant vine-like beast.
	WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on the Settler path WildStar's Settlers don't just build bonfires for sappy Explorers to sing around; these titans of construction will save you time in dungeons, establish bigger outposts, and open up new realms of quests for everyone.
	WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on progression, tradeskills, and endgame Jeremy Gaffney divulges the beautiful details on essential parts of the game: character progression, tradeskills that don't suck, and life in the elder game.

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