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Not So Massively: Hearthstone's expansion, God of Destiny's greenlighting, and Dead Island's MOBA

Brianna Royce — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Expansions, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, Age of Wushu, Crowdfunding, Destiny, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Hearthstone

Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs.

Hearthstone's expansion, Curse of Naxxramas, launches in July.
Star Citizen topped 47 million in crowdfund money; we examined the game's complexity.
Stunlock Studios released a trailer for the Dead Island: Epidemic MOBA (below).
Dota 2's The International prize pool surpassed 10 million bucks.
The Oculus and ZeniMax legal smack talk heated up.
Snail Games announced King of Wushu, a MOBA based on Age of Wushu.
Elite: Dangerous entered its second round of premium beta.
MOBA SMITE added new playable god Rama and Fourth of July skins.
Destiny's COO outlined the game's 10-year-plan and business model and promised more work to come on the much-maligned voice acting.
ÆRENA: Clash of Champions updated with a new character and game mode.
The Orcs Must Die devs waffled over the role of toxic players.
CCP kicked off a DUST 514 contest; kill enough players and you'll get to win a weapon.
God of Destiny, another new MOBA, was greenlit on Steam. We've got the trailer below!

Continue reading Not So Massively: Hearthstone's expansion, God of Destiny's greenlighting, and Dead Island's MOBA

Not So Massively: Hearthstone's expansion, God of Destiny's greenlighting, and Dead Island's MOBA originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jun 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oculus slams ZeniMax in latest legal statement

Jef Reahard — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, Virtual Reality

The war of words continues between Oculus VR and ZeniMax. The latest salvo comes courtesy of a legal statement issued by the former in which it denies ZeniMax's claim that key tech was developed by John Carmack before he left ZeniMax for Oculus.

"By deliberately misstating some facts and omitting others, ZeniMax makes the incredible assertion that it, a videogame software publishing company for personal computers and consoles like the Sony PlayStation, invented and developed a virtual reality hardware and software system," the statement reads, in part.

It goes on to state that the Oculus VR headset tech was developed by Palmer Luckey and that the "lawsuit is nothing more than ZeniMax seeking to correct for a massive missed opportunity through the assertion of meritless litigation."

Oculus slams ZeniMax in latest legal statement originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Destiny's pre-orders, The Division's delay, and Heroes of the Storm's Murky

Brianna Royce — Mon, 26 May 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Massively Meta, Not So Massively

Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs.

Destiny announced pre-orders and pre-loading on the PS3 and PS4 and claimed to be reinventing the first-person shooter.
The Division team explained the game's delay into 2015.
Hearthstone's Americas Qualifier prize pool is a quarter of a million bucks. The game also unveiled a new Rebirth card.
Disney shuttered Star Wars Attack Squadrons.
Crytek revealed new MOBA Arena of Fate.
Perfect World is expanding its Arc platform to host Path of Exile and All Points Bulletin Reloaded.
League of Legends is getting a sound overhaul; the Daily Dot put together interesting stats on winning ranked matches.
Heroes of the Storm snagged a gigantic patch and a new playable hero: Murky. His vid's below!

Continue reading Not So Massively: Destiny's pre-orders, The Division's delay, and Heroes of the Storm's Murky

Not So Massively: Destiny's pre-orders, The Division's delay, and Heroes of the Storm's Murky originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZeniMax Media formally files suit against Oculus

Brianna Royce — Wed, 21 May 2014 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Legal, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding

Polygon reports that it has obtained a copy of the court filing showing that ZeniMax Media, familiar to MMO players as the parent company of The Elder Scrolls Online's ZeniMax Online Studios, has sued Oculus VR for misappropriation and commercial exploitation of "copyrighted code, trade secrets, and 'technical know-how'" in relation to Oculus' virtual reality tech.

ZeniMax Media earlier this month accused Oculus (by way of developer John Carmack) of using and exploiting "ZeniMax's technology and intellectual property without authorization, compensation or credit to ZeniMax." Oculus and Carmack strongly denied those claims.

ZeniMax Media formally files suit against Oculus originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 May 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: GTA Online's expansion, Reaper of Souls on console, and LoL's Braum spotlight

Brianna Royce — Mon, 12 May 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Horror, Trailers, Video, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Consoles, Crime, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Community Q&A, World of Tanks, Post-Apocalyptic, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Infinite Crisis, Path of Exile, Hearthstone, H1Z1

Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs.

GTA Online's High Life expansion lands tomorrow!
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will arrive on consoles this coming August.
We got a first-hand look at Transformers Online's MOTA gameplay.
Destiny is rumored to have cost $500 million. Beta will begin in July; devs toured the loot system this week via video (after the break).
We took a look at Rust and the emerging survival MMO genre.
Massively spoke to SOE's Jimmy Whisenhunt about the potential of H1Z1.
Infinite Crisis introduced Sinestro, while League of Legends spotlighted Braum. We've got both videos below.

Continue reading Not So Massively: GTA Online's expansion, Reaper of Souls on console, and LoL's Braum spotlight

Not So Massively: GTA Online's expansion, Reaper of Souls on console, and LoL's Braum spotlight originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oculus wants to build a billion-person MMO

Jef Reahard — Wed, 07 May 2014 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Virtual Worlds, Virtual Reality

Say what you will about the Oculus-Facebook marriage, but one thing the partnership doesn't lack is ambition. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe told a TechCrunch Disrupt audience that his firm is looking to build "an MMO where we want to put a billion people in VR."

How MMO this MMO will actually be is at this point theoretical, and Iribe admitted that it's both far in the future and that it may end up as a number of separate worlds rather than a single one.

Oculus wants to build a billion-person MMO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 May 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Landmark's Georgeson 'hugely interested' in VR, Project Morpheus

Jef Reahard — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Sandbox, Virtual Reality

EverQuest franchise director Dave Georgeson is "hugely interested" in Sony's Project Morpheus VR headset, according to IGN. While Georgeson said that the PC pedigree of EverQuest Next and Landmark prevent the company from currently embracing the PS4-only Project Morpheus, he also said that he sees VR as "the future of gaming."

"We need to build the game, and then we can talk about virtual reality and stuff beyond that," Georgeson explained.

Landmark's Georgeson 'hugely interested' in VR, Project Morpheus originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP still 'excited for friends and colleagues at Oculus'

Jef Reahard — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items

News of the Oculus-Facebook buyout may have saddened gamers -- including Minecraft maestro Markus "Notch" Persson -- but EVE Online developer CCP is taking the corporate high road.

The company, which is polishing a virtual reality action title called EVE: Valkyrie that will be co-published by Oculus, put a positive spin on the future of the Rift without mentioning the $2 billion Facebook acquisition. "We're very excited for our friends and colleagues at Oculus," CCP told Engadget. "We share their vision about the future of VR and gaming and are looking forward to participating in the consumer launch of the Oculus Rift with Eve: Valkyrie."

CCP announced at last week's GDC that Valkyrie will also appear on the PlayStation 4 in conjunction with Sony's Project Morpheus initiative.

CCP still 'excited for friends and colleagues at Oculus' originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Elder Scrolls Online has been given (very) unofficial Oculus Rift support

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Culture, News Items, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription

If you're looking forward to playing The Elder Scrolls Online but want to really feel that you're in the game, your options are a bit limited. Odds are you don't want someone standing by to hack at your torso with an edged weapon during on-screen combat, for instance. But if you've got an Oculus Rift and want the full VR experience, that might be a bit more doable after all; a fan has hammered together unofficial support for the headset.

The video contained past the break shows about five minutes of footage -- nothing novel, but more than enough to get a sense of the game running on the Rift's paired screens. The fan in question is aware that this is breaking the terms of his testing agreement; however, he hopes that this will convince ZeniMax Online to add in native Oculus support before the game goes live. If you want a peek at what it looks like, feel free to check out the video past the break.

Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online has been given (very) unofficial Oculus Rift support

The Elder Scrolls Online has been given (very) unofficial Oculus Rift support originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE: Valkyrie to be co-published by Oculus

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items

It's fairly obvious to interested observers that EVE: Valkyrie is intimately tied to the Oculus Rift. Its biggest selling point is creating that feel of really piloting a nimble little starfighter yourself, after all. And it looks like that's obvious to the team at Oculus as well, as the studio behind the VR headset has announced it will be co-publishing EVE: Valkyrie along with CCP Games.

The net result is that Valkyrie will be an exclusive launch title for the Oculus Rift, making it one of the first AAA titles developed specifically for the device. Oculus is also reaching out to other development studios interested in potentially introducing more titles designed with the VR experience in mind. While there are still no firm details regarding launch dates for the title, expect to see more information about it as the headset moves toward completion.

EVE: Valkyrie to be co-published by Oculus originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Feb 2014 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Would you play a VR-enabled MMO?

Jef Reahard — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

So next month marks the release of the Oculus dev kit, and if you have no idea what I just typed, think of it as one small step for virtual reality gaming and one giant leap for virtual world fanboy dreamers.

While it's too early to say whether the Rift will catch on (or even function adequately), it's not too early to salivate a little bit and have a Daily Grind discussion or two. So, how about it? Would you put on goggles or a headset and play a VR MMO? Why or why not?

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: Would you play a VR-enabled MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Diablo III's endgame is fundamentally flawed

Brendan Drain — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Game Mechanics, Patches, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, The Soapbox, Diablo III

Diablo III was arguably the biggest online game release of the year, but its predecessor's decade of consistent popularity left some pretty big shoes to fill. Despite being the most pre-ordered PC game in history and selling more than 6.3 million units in its first week, Diablo III has started to seriously wane in popularity. I've seen over a dozen friends stop playing completely in the last few months, and Xfire's usage stats for D3 have dropped by around 90% since June. Guild Wars 2's timely release accounts for some of the drop, but there's a lot more going on than just competition.

The Diablo III beta showed only the first few levels and part of the game's highly polished first act, and soon after release it became obvious that parts of the game weren't exactly finished. PvP was cut from release, the Auction House was a mess, and Inferno difficulty was a poor excuse for an endgame. Poor itemisation made the carrot on the end of the stick taste sour, and the runaway inflation on top-end items is crying out for some kind of ladder reset mechanic. But there is hope for improvement, with new legendary items, the Paragon level system, and the upcoming Uber boss mechanic taking a few steps in the right direction.

In this opinion piece, I look at some of the fundamental flaws in Diablo III's endgame and suggest a few improvements that would make a world of difference.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Diablo III's endgame is fundamentally flawed

The Soapbox: Diablo III's endgame is fundamentally flawed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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