One Shots

Long-time Massively follower but first-time One Shots contributor Ilix sent along today's highlighted screenshot of Fallen Earth, which we think is quite timely, given the PvP revamp soon headed to everyone's favorite post-apocalyptic sandbox. He writes in,

Fallen Earth is my top hard-RP MMO. Ilix, after three decades of isolation, attempted to fit in with a player-run town. But he was too rough-edged, too guarded, and still isolated in his mind, and he could not find joy among others. After several days trying to force himself back into what remains of humanity in the blasted terrain of the apocalypse, he admitted to himself that he could never return because he was too quick to anger, and he wandered off back into the desert. Irradiated scorpions haunt the land he wandered into, so he finds rest on the blade of a ruined helicopter's rotor, just out of reach of stingers. This shot defines the dual beauty and harshness of the life he resigns himself to.

Ilix's gorgeous sunset is tucked behind the break along with two other One Shots shots!

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TERA isn't quite two weeks old, but it's already offering up some spectacular views. Kromic on the Dragonfall server paused while riding on his mount to take this shot. He writes in,

While doing some exploring on my trusty steed in TERA, I found a great view of the capital city Velika.

His screenshot is just after the cut, along with three more images of woodland critters doing their duty to spice up our MMO scenery.

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Massively reader Sharvis, a familiar name throughout our comment section, landed today's One Shots feature with a screenshot from the most recent Guild Wars 2 beta event for pre-purchasers. And it looks like he managed to figure out a way to see the Asura and Sylvari in NPC form, in spite of their absence from the test as playable characters. He writes in,

My Ranger, Leander Delmanos, overlooks the water beyond Lion's Arch in Guild Wars 2. He's accompanied by Snoots, his faithful bear companion, and two NPCs.

We've got more GW2 pics for this special One Shots edition after the cut!

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Massively reader Johanis delivered today's One Shots image, which features one of TERA's pegasi in flight. He tells us,

Here is a shot of Honeynut, my TERA Archer, who was exploring during last weekend's open beta. While flying from one destination to another, she suddenly warped through one of many travel gates, and it was gorgeous. She emerged into a beautiful land just waiting to be explored.

Enjoy Johanis' entry alongside a few others past the break!

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Massively reader Torch Light has a theory that someone at Paragon Studios is a Doctor Who fan, and I think he might be right -- and not just because the game boasts a Time Manipulation power set. Torch Light sent in today's featured image from City of Heroes' VIP testing servers along with this explanation:

The beta for Issue 23 of CoH has just gone live with a new parallel world of spookiness. While exploring around, I saw a familiar (yet strangely colored) police box. Looks like Paragon called in an expert to help fix those wibbly wobbly timey wimey problems.

The image isn't bigger on the inside, but it is after the cut alongside two more reader pics!

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EVE Online is one of those polarizing games that seems to spark debate at every mention, but even if you're not a fan of the game's mechanics, there's no denying that the game's visuals are breathtaking. Infamous EVE pirate Helicity Boson sent in today's highlighted screenshot with this note:

Today I come to you with an amazing screenshot taken during a joint operation with several of Shadow Cartel's friends who happened to have trapped an unsuspecting super capital pilot. The visuals were just... amazing. There are a few more on my site, machine9.net. I hope you'll share this with the world!

Helicity's screenshot and two more starship-themed pics are tucked behind the break!

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One Shots is making a tentative return in its new format and timeslot this weekend! Kicking off the screenshot-madness is Johanis, who's delivered a gorgeous shot of what looks suspiciously like a sparklepony in RIFT (and seriously makes me want to resub). He writes in,

I wanted to share a picture of Samya, my level 20 Mathosian Mage in RIFT. This particular shot was taken just as she had received her achievement awarded for climbing to the highest mountain in Silverwood. I had to climb quite a few mountains before I hit this spot, and the view made the climb worth it. Just beautiful. She was also quite proud to be riding her newly acquired Nebula mount, which she earned during the current Carnival.

Johanis' screenshot, along with a few other gems from this week, is just behind the cut!

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By now, everyone's figured out that today's One Shots revival was an April Fool's joke, but you guys have been such great sports about it that we're going to Bring Back One Shots starting next weekend as a once-a-week featurette. No... really. No joke!

So... do send your screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include all the usual details, like your name, the name of the game shown in the screenshot, and a little explanation of the scene. Large, colorful, clear, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images.

We'll pore over the submissions every week and pick out one that really sings to us to showcase, and then we'll see how it goes. If we get lots of submissions and the feature does well, we'll keep it around more permanently!

We've tucked our first entry, from Ehra, behind the break to cap off the April Fool's festivities!

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Who dares attempting to pass? You? Are you trying to pass the Great and Terrible White Wizard? Well, please don't. He wouldn't like it very much. In fact, he might become so put out that he'll cast a spell with his +5 staff of mockery and turn you into another piece of coal for his suit.

For years I have wanted to pass by this snowman in Lord of the Rings Online but chickened out each and every time I came under his glare. Just look into those eyes and tell me that you don't feel your will melting away and your feet frozen into place. Back away, my friend. Back away slowly and never return.

Do you have a picture of a favorite MMO anthropomorphic pile of snow? The very first thing you should do is not send it in to us at oneshots@massively.com, along with your name, the game, and a description of the scene, and we won't publish it. Bring back One Shots!

This is a screenshot of one of the most amazing things ever seen in any MMO. When I first saw it, I couldn't believe that it was actually happening. Is it a glitch? An easter egg? Has some disgruntled developer thrown this in to get back at his boss just before leaving the industry for good?

Unfortunately, my character stepped in the way at the last second, but that shouldn't matter, right? Oh well. It was amazing, I swear!

Do you have a picture of the one that got away? The very first thing you should do is not send it in to us at oneshots@massively.com, along with your name, the game, and a description of the scene, and we won't publish it. Bring back One Shots!

This is a picture of a plant in Fisherman's Haven in Guild Wars, one of my favorite zones for accessing my storage vault when I'm /invisible and hiding out from my friends, who are probably trying to drag me along to vanquish zones or do Zaishen dailies or something. I mean, seriously guys, I think you forgot that MMOs aren't supposed to be about fun. They're supposed to be about spending $60 and then complaining on the forums and quitting in a huff.

Behind me is a beautiful vista with gentle waves swirling on a beach nestled in an exotic cove, but you can't see any of those things because I chose to focus on this plant, darnit. It's my very favorite plant. I stand next to this plant while accessing the storage vault referenced earlier. I don't have to comport with your oppressive "beautiful screenshot" paradigm. This plant has deep meaning. Deep. Meaning. Something about standing alone in a wasteland of sand. It's about the very essence of MMOs, see?

Do you have a picture of a favorite MMO plant? The very first thing you should do is not send it in to us at oneshots@massively.com, along with your name, the game, and a description of the scene, and we won't publish it. Bring back One Shots!

You made your voices heard and now we're listening. That's right, One Shots is back after enjoying a bit of a self-discovery period in the tropics with its secretary, and we're proud to kick off the screen-shotty goodness for you today.

Throughout the day today, you'll see several entries from the new One Shots series. Be sure to let us know what you think of the new format!

Ask Massively is apparently the mouthpiece through which Massively communicates its reasons for unpopular decisions to you, the reader. And by "Massively," I of course mean "Eliot," since I'm the only person who writes this column (and have been for over a year, apparently). So instead of my usual somewhat flippant tone in opening off a column, I'm just going to be direct and say that we're discussing one of the site's long-running and beloved features that's finally shuffled off this mortal coil.

You probably all know what I'm talking about already, so go ahead and jump past the break for the explanation and a bit of discussion. As always, your questions are welcome in the comments or via mail to ask@massively.com for inclusion in a future installment of the column, hopefully one in which I go back to posting public domain artwork as the header before rambling on about elephants. I like those introductions better.

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We bid a final farewell to One Shots yesterday, but we couldn't let almost four years and 1,500 reader-submitted screenshots go without a little nod to some of our favorites.

First up, of course, is the first-ever One Shots entry. Liz Harper had this to say about the image:

I wanted to start our daily screenshot feature on Massively off with something, well, massive. A memorable, recognizable, and important scene from MMO history... and while you may all argue with me about what makes this particular shot important, it was the first thing that came to mind. Here we see a group of City of Heroes players gathering at City Hall in Atlas Park to "salute the memory and inspiration that is Christopher Reeve on the 2nd anniversary of his death." It's rare to see an in-game event that brings players together for a cause other than slaying dragons and similar.

Ready for more? Follow along after the jump for more of the best of One Shots!

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Our last reader submission for One Shots comes from Xarrin, Massively reader and Star Wars Galaxies fan:

I'm pulling this screenshot out of some forgotten folders to commemorate One Shots' passing. This is Ockom, my favorite Star Wars Galaxies character, standing outside of his newly purchased and placed home on Naboo.

Although there were other homes in the vicinity, the neighbors who never failed to show up were wandering fambaas like this one. Thanks for running One Shots as long as you have, guys. It's been a joy.

We'll be wrapping things up tomorrow with a final look at One Shots -- we'll feature some of the best submissions from the past four years, so watch for that and thank you all for your screenshots!