Massively Speaking

The Tattered Notebook: An Appeal for PLEX

Karen Bryan — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Economy, Game mechanics, Opinion, Legends of Norrath, The Tattered Notebook

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. There I was, sporting my Santa Glugg hat and all set to merrily report on all the Frostfell news, when the following two questions were posted on the official EverQuest II forums: Am I going to get banned for trading platinum in exchange for Station Cash items, and can we get platinum on the marketplace?

Surprisingly, Senior Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson replied to both. Read on to see what he said and why I think it's time for EverQuest II to follow EVE Online's lead and add purchasable, tradable game time or PLEX.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: An Appeal for PLEX

The Tattered Notebook: An Appeal for PLEX originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tattered Notebook: Never leave home without it

Karen Bryan — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: EverQuest II, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath, The Tattered Notebook

This week, I decided it's time to dump the bag. My characters often accumulate items at such a rapid rate that my bags quickly resemble those of a typical teenager at the mall. Any time I resign myself to plunking down at the bank to sort my inventory, I end up shocked at some of the stuff I bring home. However, there are some items in EverQuest II that are lifesavers, and others that can really be handy in a pinch. Let's take a look at a few items that you should never leave home without.

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The Tattered Notebook: Never leave home without it originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively wishes you a happy Halloween

Alex Ziebart — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, Aion, City of Heroes, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Lineage, Lineage 2, Warhammer Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Exteel, Free Realms, Champions Online, Runes of Magic, Legends of Norrath

Halloween is probably second only to Christmas in terms of holiday popularity. Ask just about anybody what their favorite holiday is, and they'll probably list one of those two (if it fits the culture). Naturally, as MMO players, we have fun celebrating it in our virtual worlds just like we do in the real world. And boy, this year, do we ever celebrate. Just about every active MMO out there had (or has) something going on. The 2009 lineup included:

Most of these events last a few days into November, so if there's any one in particular you're dying to experience, you might still have a chance if you have a subscription laying around. If you're not able to visit any of these in person, we have screenshots from many of these events in the gallery below. Enjoy!

Gallery: Halloween 2009

Massively wishes you a happy Halloween originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thrice the Halloween update hath patch'd

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Guild Wars, Lineage, Lineage 2, Culture, Events, in-game, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, Runes of Magic, Legends of Norrath

We are well into that time of year - Halloween is almost here and a quick look into nearly any MMO out there will show it. We've been talking about quite a few games out there and how they're celebrating, but they're certainly not the only ones putting jack-o-lanterns in their windows. Follow after the jump for a look at how some of our other favorite MMOs are celebrating.

Continue reading Thrice the Halloween update hath patch'd

Thrice the Halloween update hath patch'd originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EQ's producer discusses new Legends of Norrath-gated instance after player concerns

William Dobson — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Business models, Culture, Forums, Legends of Norrath

Although the Legends of Norrath digital trading card game can be played completely separately from EverQuest, the two games have a lot of ties to each other beyond just lore. The former can be launched from within the latter game. There are also "loot cards" which not only function in LoN but can be redeemed in EverQuest for certain bonus items. Some people that play EQ but not LoN may have been upset in the past at missing out on a few of these loot card items, but it's doubtful that anything has caused as much of an outcry as is currently occurring over an upcoming loot card. The card in question is the Dragon Brood Crypt Key Card, and the resulting EQ reward will be the only way to access a brand new dungeon instance.

Continue reading EQ's producer discusses new Legends of Norrath-gated instance after player concerns

EQ's producer discusses new Legends of Norrath-gated instance after player concerns originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gen Con 2009: MMOs in the E-gaming area

Mike Schramm — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Trading card games, Roleplaying, Free Realms, Champions Online, Legends of Norrath, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Massively was at Gen Con 2009 yesterday in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while most of the (gigantic) convention was involved with more traditional types of gaming, from dice and board games to collectible card games and RPGs, MMOs made their own splash in the "e-gaming" area. Sony Online Entertainment probably had the biggest presence -- in among huge posters of Free Realms and Star Wars Galaxies, they had demos running of all of their current games (though we didn't see any previews of DCUO or The Agency running). A costumed model posed for pictures in front of a large Legends of Norrath poster, while over in the CCG area, SOE held tournaments of the game for players.

Gallery: MMOs at Gen Con 2009

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Gen Con 2009: MMOs in the E-gaming area originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get a sneak peek at SOE Fan Faire '09's in-game items

William Dobson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Events, real-world, The Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard, Free Realms, Legends of Norrath

E3 may be the show on everyone's minds right now, but SOE is doing what they can to make sure that people don't forget that they have their very own event later in the month. They've put up a preview of some of the digital schwag that attendees will receive for coming to SOE Fan Faire 2009, and the new rule this year is that you'lll be able to get one in-game item for each game you have an active account for -- no need to choose just one anymore.

The preview has pictures and some details about the items, and there's one in particular that will probably get the most attention: the Dianoga Dumpster for Star Wars Galaxies players will spit up collection items if fed once a week for a month, and besides that, it just looks kinda cool. Other neat items include a statue of Firiona Vie for EverQuest II, and a flying dragon mount for Vanguard, although, that one might divide people due to its bright pinkish-purple color. Registration for the fan faire is still open, so if you simply must have a pink dragon, now's the time to book.

Get a sneak peek at SOE Fan Faire '09's in-game items originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legends of Norrath championship qualifiers start 16th of May

William Dobson — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Contests, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Legends of Norrath

If you're a hotshot Legends of Norrath player and want to get into the 2009 World Championship Tournament at Gen Con Indy in August, clear your schedule for this coming weekend. The first of the Championship Qualifiers will begin on Saturday the 16th of May, and if you're in the top 16 players of the day, you'll be playing on Sunday as well. Both first and second place will take home some cash, and travel and accommodation for Gen Con Indy so that they can compete in the World Championship.

Of course, if the cards don't line up for you this weekend, there will be other opportunities to win your championship spot over the next few months:

Legends of Norrath 2009 World Championship Qualifier Tournaments

Dates:

Scheduled for May 16-17, 2009
Scheduled for June 6-7, 2009
Scheduled for June 20-21, 2009
Scheduled for August 1-2, 2009

There will even be a few spots to be won at the actual Gen Con Indy event for a handful of lucky late entrants. The eventual World Championship tournament boasts US$10,000 and US$5,000 first and second prizes, and the winners' likenesses will be put on new cards. Full entry details for this weekend's contest can be found here. We'll keep you posted on further qualifier news as it comes up.

Legends of Norrath championship qualifiers start 16th of May originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 May 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE wants to know what you want at Fan Faire

Krystalle Voecks — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: EverQuest, EverQuest II, PlanetSide, Events, real-world, The Agency, The Matrix Online, Vanguard, Everquest Online Adventures, Free Realms, Legends of Norrath, DC Universe Online

Looks like things over at Sony Online Entertainment are really gearing up for this year's Fan Faire in Las Vegas. Sure, you know something big has to be coming because it's the 10th anniversary of EverQuest this year, but to sweeten the deal SOE is looking for player input. Did you hate that you didn't have enough time for Q&A on your favorite SOE title last year? Would you have preferred to hear John Smedley sing something other than Guns & Roses at karaoke? Did you really enjoy the silly competitions that Brenlo held during dinner? Perhaps you'd like to suggest a whole new panel that they haven't considered doing yet? Whatever your reasons, be sure to pop by the Fan Faire forums and let them know!

SOE wants to know what you want at Fan Faire originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE hires crime fighting gnomes to fend off credit card worms

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: EverQuest, EverQuest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, PlanetSide, Interviews, The Agency, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard, Free Realms, Legends of Norrath, DC Universe Online

Online credit card fraud is big business and even MMORPGs aren't safe from it's far reach. We recently had a chance to sit down with Executive Director of Global Customer Service, Brad Wilcox, and discuss how SOE is dealing with gold selling and power-leveling services for their games. They are taking this war so seriously that they have put all transactional business under keen gnomish scrutiny.

Can you tell us how this fraud prevention task force came to be?

Brad Wilcox: Since the inception of EQ1, we always had components of a fraud prevention team. These were game masters and individuals tasked with looking at the game economy and making sure that people weren't exploiting. Since September 2007, we started to see a big increase in fraudulent activity in regards to stolen credit cards. That is when it was decided to put a few more resources specifically related to the fraud that was happening with accounts and subs being created with these stolen credit cards. That's when we formed what we call the NUGIT team, which stands for Norrathian Underground Gnome Investigation Team. As you can tell by the name, our employees enjoy having as much fun on the back end as we do on the front end of these games

Continue reading SOE hires crime fighting gnomes to fend off credit card worms

SOE hires crime fighting gnomes to fend off credit card worms originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Temperence

Michael Zenke — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Legends of Norrath

Our third and final Legends of Norrath preview card for the Ethernauts set is on display this morning. Ethernauts releases this Thursday, so this card brings our preview series for LoN Expansion 6. We've previously talked about several other 'card counter' mechanic offerings, including the personal attack card Vicious Assault and the pet buff Geotic Rune. Today, finally, we have a defensive card using the card counter mechanic; a quick flip of the wrist to get you out of a tight spot.

This past week we also took a look at some of the loot cards coming with this set. Those and all three of our preview cards are in our gallery for the set, below. Check them out, and get ready for the Legends of Norrath expansion's launch the day after tomorrow. Read on below the cut for a closer look at Temperence.

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Temperence

Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Temperence originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legends of Norrath Ethernauts loot card preview

Michael Zenke — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

We've been walking through some previews of the Legends of Norrath cards over the last two weeks, and now SOE has some more 'fun stuff' to show off. We have three brand-new loot cards to show off. Two are transformations for your EverQuest II character, and the third is a brand-new pet for your EverQuest character. Check out Allakhazam for even more EQ2 and EQ loot card hijinks!. Plus, keep your eyes on Massively for more loot card information soon, and another preview card through next week!

Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts loot card preview

Legends of Norrath Ethernauts loot card preview originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Geotic Rune

Michael Zenke — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

Last week we began our latest preview series for the upcoming expansion to the TCG Legends of Norrath: Ethernauts. Vicious Assault, last week's card, introduced the 'card counter' mechanic that is taking a bow in this newest expansion. This week's preview card, Geotic Rune, utilizes that same mechanic to provide an all-new level of power to a very traditional Mage deck build.

Another early-to-midgame card, Geotic Rune will increase the power level of all those 'pet decks' out there. It sounds in general like pet fans will be getting a few treats in Ethernauts, a topic touched on in this week's designer analysis. SOE-Denver's Evan Lorentz joins us once again to discuss how Geotic Rune fits into the new expansion to Legends of Norrath, and where you might end up using it in your decks.

Read on below the cut for full details.

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Geotic Rune

Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Geotic Rune originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Vicious Assault

Michael Zenke — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

We announced the upcoming expansion to Legends of Norrath just a little less than two weeks ago. Already the release date for the new card set is approaching, and for the next few weeks we'll be offering up a preview-card-a-week to familiarize you with the expansion's new game elements. The art for the new set meets the standard set by previous expansions, and this time around we'll be trying to include comments from card designers along with the actual art itself.

Today we're previewing 'Vicious Assault', an early-to-midgame ability that starts an avatar-on-avatar combat. SOE Denver's Evan Lorentz walks us through the card and its use; despite the ability itself being fairly straightforward, the new set offers up some different takes on tried-and-true LoN strategies.

Read on below the cut for the full card art and Lorentz's take.

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Vicious Assault

Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Vicious Assault originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legends of Norrath's next expansion, Ethernauts, incoming

Michael Zenke — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Expansions, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

The folks at Sony Online Entertainment passed us word that a brand-new expansion to their fantasy-themed TCG Legends of Norrath is coming very soon. Called simply Ethernauts, it will be the fifth expansion to the game since the game launched at the end of summer last year. It follows close on the heels of the Oathbreaker expansion, which came out in June of this year. While there are a lot of similarities with past expansions (280 new cards, 20 new loot cards, etc.) Ethernauts looks to be adding a few new bits of flavour to the pot.

Most intriguing is its deep tie-in to the upcoming Shadow Odyssey expansion to EverQuest 2. That connection was hinted at in our interview with LoN developers Kyle Heuer and Tom Lischke in June of this year. Players will take on the roles of ancient heroes, fighting against the darkness of The Void in the far distant past of Norrath. New gameplay elements will also be introduced, with all-new options for starter decks and deck building. We have the full release formatted below the cut, if you're interested. Look to this space in the near future for our typical art previews and promo art from the new expansion.

Gallery: Legends of Norrath

Continue reading Legends of Norrath's next expansion, Ethernauts, incoming

Legends of Norrath's next expansion, Ethernauts, incoming originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fan Faire 08: Liveblogging John Smedley's keynote

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Previews, The Agency, News items, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard, Everquest Online Adventures, Free Realms, Massively Event Coverage, Legends of Norrath, DC Universe Online

The buzz coming into this evening's Fan Faire keynote is palpable. All the players know something is going on, but nobody is quite sure what's in store for this evening's festivities. As a service to our devoted readers, both old and new, Massively is on-scene and we'll be liveblogging John Smedley's keynote this evening.

Curious about what SOE has in store for the future of their various MMOGs? Join us behind the break for the up-to-the-minute news from the front lines!

Continue reading Fan Faire 08: Liveblogging John Smedley's keynote

Fan Faire 08: Liveblogging John Smedley's keynote originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The SOE Fan Faire bag o' schwag

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, EverQuest, EverQuest II, PlanetSide, Events, real-world, The Agency, The Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard, Everquest Online Adventures, Free Realms, Legends of Norrath, DC Universe Online

What goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas -- unless of course you happen to be at Sony Online Entertainment's 2008 Fan Faire! We here at Massively are party-crashing this fun event bringing all the dark, dirty details to you straight from the heart of casino central!

For those who are unable to make it to this year's event (and those of you who are just curious about this kind of thing) we're bringing you the contents of the official SOE schwag bag for this year. So gather your courage, and dip in to the gallery for a first look at all the wonders contained in the 2008 Bag o' Schwag.

Gallery: SOE Fan Faire Schwag Bag

The SOE Fan Faire bag o' schwag originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LoN July Loot Tournament takes place this weekend

William Dobson — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Contests, Events, in-game, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

The next Legends of Norrath Loot Tournament is knocking at your door and offering sweet, sweet loot for your participation this weekend. For 10 Event Passes, you're guaranteed at least three boosters packs, as well as a unique promotional card (Talisman of Pure Chaos) and one of two loot cards (Cloak of Dark Energy for EverQuest II and Familiar of Warden Hanwar for EverQuest). Placing in the top 25 will mean even more booster packs.

Kicking off on the 19th of July, the event will be all wrapped up just one day later, so you'll need to get involved this weekend if you want those prizes -- only U.S. residents are eligible, unfortunately.

LoN July Loot Tournament takes place this weekend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legends of Norrath Living Legacy Photo Contest

Brenda Holloway — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

EverQuest and EverQuest II are getting the lion's share of the attention in SOE's Living Legacy promotion. But they are reserving something special for their massively collectible card game, Legends of Norrath. Win the Living Legacy Photo Contest, and not only will you get your picture painted, in character by artist Kieran Yanner for use on a Legends of Norrath card, but you'll be flown to the SOE Fan Faire this August. If you're an EverQuest player, your image will be made into a statue and placed into the guild halls of every guild in Norrath. If you are an EverQuest II player, your card will be made into a painting that can be hung in a place of honor in your apartment. All you need to do is to send them a picture that shows your passion for EverQuest. Find the complete rules on the Legends of Norrath web site. And good luck!

Legends of Norrath Living Legacy Photo Contest originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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