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Skyforge shows off the Paladin class

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, New Titles, Skyforge

After revealing the Cryomancer a few days ago, the Skyforge team is showing off the second class that was spotlighted during its GDC demo: the Paladin.

In addition to the usual fighter abilities you'd find with a Paladin, Skyforge's holy warrior wields a powerful artifact that is used to both inspire allies and threaten enemies.

"The Paladin is capable of performing devastating attacks and engage in prolonged battles with abilities such as the Righteous Blow, Seal of Light, Punishing Bolt and Celestial Shield," the forum announcement states. "The Paladin is one who not only inflicts damage on his enemies, but also protects his friends, making him an excellent brother in arms!"

[Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]

Skyforge shows off the Paladin class originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Nexon CEO: Mobile games 'letting consumers down'

Jef Reahard — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events (Real-World), Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, Mobile, Casual

New Nexon boss Owen Mahoney had harsh words for mobile game makers at last week's Game Developers Conference.

"A third of what we've done in the last few months is Flappy Bird clones. We're letting consumers down," Mahoney told Venture Beat. "I know that, because as a consumer, I really want to play a different kind of game than just a casual, short-format game. I want to play a more immersive experience."

Mahoney believes that mobile devices and PCs will eventually converge, and he said that Nexon is focused on developing games -- and acquiring a North American IP -- with that in mind.

New Nexon CEO: Mobile games 'letting consumers down' originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2014: Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida explains what tanked it and what saved it

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Interviews, MMO Industry, Patches, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription

There are many theories about what contributed to the spectacular crash-and-burn of the original Final Fantasy XIV, but perhaps the most insightful is the one from current Executive Producer Naoki Yoshida, who pinpointed the critical flaws that proved Square Enix's undoing.

At GDC this week, Yoshida said that the team had an "unhealthy obsession" with graphical fidelity above anything else and was stuck in the development mindset of Final Fantasy XI even as the genre had progressed. He said that A Realm Reborn's saving grace was the team's effort to establish an "optimal design flow" allowing for a rapid overhaul of the title.

It's also notable that Final Fantasy XIV has a new dev diary out today covering new gear and visual customizations called glamours that are coming with Patch 2.2.

GDC 2014: Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida explains what tanked it and what saved it originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2014: Ubisoft shows off its Divison-powering Snowdrop engine

Jef Reahard — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real-Life, Video, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Dev Diaries

Ubisoft Massive showed off a three-minute trailer focused on its Snowdrop game engine at this week's GDC event in San Francisco. The first title powered by the new tech is UM's MMO shooter The Division, which also features heavily in the clip's behind-the-scenes footage.

"Working with the engine is kind of like solving a puzzle," explains environment artist Jill Jarlestam. "The elements are already there so it's just a matter of how you combine them together."

You can watch the full video by clicking past the cut.

Continue reading GDC 2014: Ubisoft shows off its Divison-powering Snowdrop engine

GDC 2014: Ubisoft shows off its Divison-powering Snowdrop engine originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben

MJ Guthrie — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Events (Real-World), New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Elite: Dangerous

GDC 2014 in San Francisco is a great time to catch developers and ask them burning questions about their games. And that's exactly what one fan of Elite: Dangerous did, sitting down with Frontier Developments' CEO David Braben for a long chat about the upcoming MMO edition to the Elite franchise. The nearly 25-minute video interview includes information about the game, Braben's history in the gaming business, and footage of the interviewer playing the game using an Oculus Rift.

Braben revealed that "the original Elite was never conceived initially, in [his] opinion, as a space game." Instead, it was all about the freedom, being an open world. How did it come to be in space then? According to Braben, that setting was ultimately chosen because "it was easier to render." Hear more of his thoughts in the video below.

Continue reading GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben

GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2014: EVE Valkyrie coming to PS4, Sony's new VR headset

Jef Reahard — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Consoles, Sandbox

Sony announced its new virtual reality headset at GDC this week. The device is called Project Morpheus, and it seeks to turn your PlayStation 4 experience into something far more immersive than the typical couch and controller session.

Shortly thereafter, CCP announced that its New Eden-based EVE Valkyrie action title is coming to both the PS4 and Project Morpheus. Valkyrie was specifically designed for VR devices, and was previously announced for the PC and the Oculus Rift.

We've embedded the new trailer after the break.

Continue reading GDC 2014: EVE Valkyrie coming to PS4, Sony's new VR headset

GDC 2014: EVE Valkyrie coming to PS4, Sony's new VR headset originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What do you hope to learn from GDC?

Jef Reahard — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, ArcheAge, Sandbox

GDC 2014 starts tomorrow, and while I'm not making the trip this year, I still hope to learn a thing or two from all the news that's sure to follow.

Chief on my want list is some sort of ArcheAge announcement from XLGAMES and/or Trion. What about you, Massively readers? Are you hoping for anything in particular from GDC this time around?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: What do you hope to learn from GDC? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion Worlds introduces Glyph gaming platform

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, RIFT, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Defiance, Trove

Trion Worlds is getting into the digital gaming platform business, as the studio announced today that it will be releasing its own "lightweight digital hub" called Glyph.

Glyph was created to connect developers with audiences, and is purported to be friendly to use from both sides and DRM-free. The platform will take over the responsibility of being the launcher for Trion's titles, including RIFT, Defiance, and Trove (we'll believe ArcheAge when we see it). Trion says that the studio has already handled "more then 10 million gamers" in the past three years and that Glyph will be a great help to pair those players up with current and future titles.

Glyph will also handle games from Trion's partners, as the studio has already begun signing on developers. It will launch shortly after GDC 2014.

[Source: Trion Worlds press release]

Trion Worlds introduces Glyph gaming platform originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meander through Wander's new GDC teaser trailer

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Sandbox

Where most games only offer some percentage of activity options besides combat (from basically nonexistent on up), Wander eschews combat completely in favor of exploration and collaborative gameplay. Can't imagine how a game like that actually looks? Well you're in luck! The devs have released a teaser trailer that takes a short stroll through a lush part of the land. Of course, it's not quite the same experience as when players will be able to don Oculus Rift goggles, but it still offers a glimpse of the world that's built using CryEngine's FreeSDK.

See the clip for yourself below, and be on the lookout for an extended version expected to release at GDC 2014 in a few weeks.

[Thanks to Rachel for the tip!]

Continue reading Meander through Wander's new GDC teaser trailer

Meander through Wander's new GDC teaser trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Feb 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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