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League of Legends announces the start of Season Two with new video

Matt Daniel — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA

The time has finally come, League of Legends players: Season Two is upon us. And to commemorate the occasion, Riot Games has released a video recapping the events of Season One and introducing players to what they can expect in Season Two. Season Two's tournaments, for those not in the know, will reward players with 5 million USD in prizes, so if you've got the skills, there's money to be made. To check out the full video, just click on past the cut.

Continue reading League of Legends announces the start of Season Two with new video

League of Legends announces the start of Season Two with new video originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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League of Legends announces ranked team system

Matt Daniel — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA

Changes are coming to League of Legends' ranked team structure. Riot Games announced today that it is going to be introducing a brand-new feature: ranked teams. Players can form a premade 3v3 or 5v5 team, give it a name, and track its progress as they work their way up the ladder. Team ratings will operate independently of the members' individual ratings, thereby making the new system a true "measure of you and your friends' ability to work together in a competitive environment." More information will be made available closer to Season 2's launch.

League of Legends announces ranked team system originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Competitive tournaments and bluescreen grenades

Brendan Drain — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively

It's been a quiet week in the land of MOBAs, with preparations underway for DreamHack Winter 2011 in Sweden later this month. Bloodline Champions will be running its $10,000 US Alienware tournament, and Dota 2 joins in with the $15,000 Corsair Vengeance tournament. Heroes of Newerth is due to host the conclusion of its $30,000 MSI Beat It tournament at DreamHack, and signups begin tomorrow for the $3,000 Kingston HoNor challenge.

League of Legends' second competitive season approaches, and with it comes a series of summoner spell changes designed to encourage a more aggressive playstyle. Unused summoner names from season one were deleted as part of a database cleanup, opening 460,000 old names for registration. Firefall celebrates Halloween this week with a pumpkin-carving community roundup special featuring a giant carved pumpkin made in Minecraft. As Blacklight: Retribution continues its closed beta, developers discuss the game's high-technology battlefield and introduce a grenade that makes your opponents bluescreen.

Read on for this week's top news stories from popular MOBAs and other online games that aren't quite MMOs.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Competitive tournaments and bluescreen grenades

Not So Massively: Competitive tournaments and bluescreen grenades originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: Trickster Online's Songs of Love and Fate

Brianna Royce — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Lore, News items, Free-to-play

Heads up, Anime fans: SG Interactive's Trickster Online is on the verge of releasing what it's calling "the largest episode in the history of Caballa Island." The cutesy, free-to-play, 2-D isometric MMO out of South Korea aims to launch Episode VI, the grand finale of its second season of content, on October 6th. The episode, titled The Songs of Love and Fate, includes a new escort system, 18 new characters, 23 new maps, 17 new monsters, 15 new normal quests, and 41 new scenario quests. And as you might guess from the title, the update will tell a love story rather than focus on the mysteries of the island itself. Who says a game has to be 3-D to tell a good story?

Past the cut, we've got an exclusive teaser video with the highlights from this upcoming content patch. Enjoy!

Continue reading Exclusive: Trickster Online's Songs of Love and Fate

Exclusive: Trickster Online's Songs of Love and Fate originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cryptic discusses user-generated content and future improvements for STO

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Patches, Star Trek Online

As Star Trek Online concludes its shakedown cruise of the recent Season 2.0 update, players have turned their eyes to the future and pondered, "What's next?" Coming to their aid is STO's executive producer Dan Stahl, who fields a large number of questions about upcoming features and works in progress in the latest Ask Cryptic article.

One of the inquiries covered was user-generated content, which Stahl confirmed would be coming -- at least in beta form -- with Season 3. "We aren't discussing our specific plans just yet, but we do want the tools to be easy to use so that players can begin to create their own missions and episodes," he said. "This may or may not be the big secret project we are working on."

Other questions into the future development of Star Trek Online included customizable ship interiors, the PvP system, bridge officer promotions, expanding the Sol System, the ability to play as a holographic character, and bridge officer voices. And for those standing at the edge of their captain's chairs, eager to sit down, don't fret: Cryptic is hard at work on the long-awaited "sit in chairs" feature. You can read the full Ask Cryptic over at STO's website.

Cryptic discusses user-generated content and future improvements for STO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Stahl highlights more of Star Trek Online's future direction

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Patches, News items, PvE, Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online's Dan Stahl has been fairly vocal since he took the executive producer post at the beginning of last month. We had our own chance to speak with him recently, where he discussed everything from the then-upcoming Season 2 content to the rumors about the game adopting a free-to-play model. His most recent interview at ZAM covers several of the same pieces of territory, but as one would expect with the time elapsed and the release of Season 2, there are several new pieces of information within.

The weekly episodes are one of the major points of discussion, with the first one premiering in late August. Stahl discusses the episodes focusing around the Deferi, a race with ties to both the Federation and the Klingons, but not explicitly allied with either. He also discusses plans for an overhaul to exploration, likening the current system to "a small box where you fly around and go through random doors," something that the team is planning on changing for Season 3. The full interview is well worth a read for what it contains -- nothing earth-shattering, but more signs that Star Trek Online's direction is getting progressively stronger.

Dan Stahl highlights more of Star Trek Online's future direction originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STO celebrates six months of interstellar conflict in the latest State of the Game

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Star Trek Online

While Captain Kirk and the original crew of the Enterprise had an initial five-year mission to explore the cosmos, Star Trek Online players have had a mere six months to do the same. In this span of time, a lot has happened for STO -- some good, some bad, some controversial, and some radically different. As the game heads into its second six-month tour of duty, executive producer Dan Stahl threw open the doors for STO's Season 2.0 update, entitled "Ancient Enemies."

In the latest State of the Game report, Stahl looks back at the additions, changes and accomplishments of the STO team since launch. The bullet point list he lays out is impressive indeed, listing 32 big ticket items that have been implemented into the game. He then looks at the immediate present with the launch of Season 2.0, which Stahl sees as a direct response to player requests and demands. "Season Two is filled with additional features and updates that you asked for, and in some cases even helped us design, specifically minigames," Stahl writes.

Finally, the State of the Game looks at the future of the title and the many improvements that are slated for delivery, including an upgrade to ground combat, more ship options for both factions and rethinking exploration. You can read Dan Stahl's full State of the Game report over at Star Trek Online's site.

STO celebrates six months of interstellar conflict in the latest State of the Game originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our interview with Star Trek Online's executive producer Dan Stahl

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Game mechanics, Interviews, Patches, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Star Trek Online

There's a lot going on with Star Trek Online at the moment. Not only does the game have a major update fast approaching and the occasional microtransaction controversy popping up, but it's also recently been given a new executive producer. Daniel Stahl has had the reins for a little under a month, but that's still enough time to have a notable influence on both the direction of the upcoming update and the overall direction of the game.

We recently had a chance to sit down and talk with the new executive producer about his work on Star Trek Online, the game's strengths and weaknesses, and where development is headed for the future. There's a new direction in store for the game, or perhaps it'd be more apt to say a new focus. If you're interested in the game's past and future, or even just in the various rumors that started flying about the game going free-to-play, take a look past the break for the full interview.

Continue reading Our interview with Star Trek Online's executive producer Dan Stahl

Our interview with Star Trek Online's executive producer Dan Stahl originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More details on weekly episodes in Star Trek Online's Season 2

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Patches, News items, Star Trek Online

If you're playing Star Trek Online, odds are good that you've come by your affection for the game via a prior love of the series. While we haven't had a new show on television in several years, almost every fan has fond memories of sitting down each week for the latest installments of the story. According to a new 10-question interview with Daniel Stahl, that's exactly what the team hopes to replicate (pun intended) with the weekly episodes that are coming along with Season 2. Each one is meant to give players something new to look forward to on a weekly basis, ranging from first contact with an alien race to placing your ship in perilous situations.

Speaking of first contact, there's more information on diplomatic missions, which seem as if they'll not simply be standalone ventures but also components of existing content. (The once-dreaded planetary aid missions, for example, fall under their aegis.) One of the rewards for progressing through the diplomatic ranks is the chance to make first contact and define the first impression the Federation makes -- something that any fan of the series will tell you is an important event. Star Trek Online players eager for more information on Season 2 can read the full list of questions, which include a preliminary target of the last week in July.

More details on weekly episodes in Star Trek Online's Season 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Preview made available for Star Trek Online's Season 2

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online

If the Season 1 patch for Star Trek Online pushed forward huge improvements to the game's engine, Season 2 looks to expand into several areas players have complained were lacking. Cryptic has just released a preview page detailing several additions, including added Klingon PvE play and six additional levels. The new levels let players reach the coveted rank of Vice Admiral in the Federation and Lieutenant General in the Klingon Empire, bringing improved versions of Tier 5 ships to coincide with the new maximum ranks. While it's not explicitly stated, it's implied that the new ships won't be mandatory upgrades, but rather options for players who want to fly some of the most iconic ships in the franchise's long history.

Even with no other additions, the changes would bring new aspects of play, but the update also sees the launch of the Federation Diplomatic Corps (a separate leveling track of negotiation and social interaction) and a new minigame associated with anomaly scanning. Currently a passive form of resource gathering, scanning will be changed into a simple wave-matching game to help gather additional resources -- making it somewhat more interesting than walking to a node and pressing a button. That's still not getting into the special weekly content due to start arriving in August... there's a good reason Cryptic has made a large page to summarize it at a glance. Star Trek Online's second major patch is targeted to hit later this month, with a first impression from testing available from West Karana.

Preview made available for Star Trek Online's Season 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online bringing in old favorites and old unknowns

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online

The Star Trek Online team has gone through some shakeups recently, not to mention a touch of controversy regarding the most recent addition to the game's microtransaction store. But the newest Ask Cryptic should buy them a little bit of good will, considering that they've announced the upgraded ships for Vice Admirals -- specifically, a Galaxy-class that can separate, an Intrepid-class with ablative armor, and a Defiant-class with a cloaking device. It's the sort of stuff that any fan of the series would be hard-pressed not to grin about.

Most of the other questions are equally concerned with the upcoming Season 2, which promises to bring in the Federation Diplomatic Corps as well as the ancient enemies of the klingons, the fek'ihri. The latter hasn't been seen or mentioned prior, which suggests that there might be some very interesting story explanation for why the race has been absent if they share an old rivalry. Take a look at the full list of questions for more bits and pieces on Star Trek Online's future, up to and including Facebook integration. (Optional integration, that is. No one's about to start up the mess of the week again.)

Star Trek Online bringing in old favorites and old unknowns originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Star Trek Online patch structure looks forward

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online

While you can fault the team behind Star Trek Online for some things, failure to plan is certainly not one of them. The development team has been very public about their plans for testing and release, which made a few people rather curious when Season 1.2 launched in early June rather than late May. What would that mean for Season 1.3 and the following Season 2 patch? The most recent Engineering Report on the official forums tackles precisely that, explaining that the team has adjusted their schedule slightly and will roll 1.3 straight into the Season 2 patch.

That leaves us with an enormous list of features for Season 2, which is aimed at July. Ship interiors and a raise in level cap to 51 are the two most obvious changes, with the former offering a choice from several layouts and the latter promoting a player to the rank of Vice Admiral or Lieutenant General. There's also the addition of minigames, weekly episodes, officer trading, new episodes for the high-level band, a new fleet action, and a general surfeit of improvements to the game. Star Trek Online players are encouraged to check out the official thread and offer any feedback to the proposed changes.

New Star Trek Online patch structure looks forward originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newest Ask Cryptic for Star Trek Online highlights gaps between series and game

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, News items, Opinion, Star Trek Online

The trouble with making Star Trek Online is that there are a lot of parts that work great in a dramatic television series that don't necessarily work as well in a game. As much fun as it might be to have your bridge officers get together for a poker game, there's a dearth of useful ways to integrate it into gameplay in a meaningful sense. That having been said, the team at Cryptic is clearly interested in trying to add as many iconic elements from the series as possible, as spotlighted in the most recent set of Ask Cryptic answers on the official site.

A prime example are individual bridge officer stories -- they want to add them, but there are so many variables that the effort winds up feeling more generic instead of more personal. However, there are ideas and hopeful plans for adding more personalities to bridge officers, as well as the potential to respec your officers (although that also runs into minor problems). There's also some information about the upcoming Diplomatic missions to help spice up exploring the nebulae around the galaxy. Star Trek Online players are encouraged to take a look at the full list of answers, which covers quite a bit of space in both design and lore.

Newest Ask Cryptic for Star Trek Online highlights gaps between series and game originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online warps to the next frontier in the latest State of the Game

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Previews, Star Trek Online

Like dogged engineers in Jefferies tubes, Cryptic's crew have been working feverishly to tune up Star Trek Online to optimal performance. They haven't been quiet about communicating their accomplishments and intentions, either. As part of their ongoing efforts to keep players in the loop regarding STO improvements, a new State of the Game announcement was released yesterday to look at the past, present and future of the title.

After listing their accomplishments so far, Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich runs down a bullet point list of imminent additions to the game. Season 2 is almost here, and with it new minigames (such as Dabo), the Federation Diplomatic Corps (non-combat missions), weekly episodes, a level cap increase to Vice Admiral 1 and ship interiors. Many other features that are "coming soon" include the Accolade feature and the Squad system -- the latter giving players of different levels the ability to temporarily adjust levels to facilitate grouping.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of this already-packed State of the Game is a look at the not-so-distant future of STO, as Zinkievich teases a new faction (although no decisions have been made) and "user-generated content" of an unspecified nature. Read the full report and let Starfleet know how they're doing!

Star Trek Online warps to the next frontier in the latest State of the Game originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ship interiors planned in the near future for Star Trek Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, PvE, Star Trek Online

It's been an interesting process to watch the growth of Star Trek Online over the past few months, with Cryptic clearly making a concerted effort to pack a great deal more content into the game as fast as possible. They've stated prior that they would like to go no more than three months between major content updates, with smaller updates happening on a monthly basis. In the most recent Engineering Report on the official site, we get more details about what's being planned and worked on for the near future -- and the many players eagerly awaiting ship interiors don't have to wait that much longer.

The report outlines the rough plan for the next three months, for the Season 1.2 patch, the followup 1.3 patch, and the Season 2 update planned in July. 1.2 is aiming at adding a "sidekick" system a la City of Heroes, new playable races, and social improvements. 1.3, targeted for June, is adding Dabo, the option to trade bridge officers, and weekly episodes. And as could be expected, Season 2 is packed to the gills with new features -- including Klingon episodes, "neutral" episodes for all factions, and ship interiors. Take a look at the full report for more looks at what's on the table and being tested for Star Trek Online.

Ship interiors planned in the near future for Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dabo, Klingon missions, and diplomacy heading for Star Trek Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, Patches, Star Trek Online

There are a lot of things to expect out of Star Trek Online, including things that weren't in the game at launch which made some people rather unhappy. The game has passed its three-month mark, however, and seems to be doing fairly well for itself with updates coming at a steady clip. Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich recently sat down for an interview in which he discussed some of the upcoming content for the game, including the ever-popular pastime of any Deep Space 9 occupant: Dabo, the nebulously-defined gambling game that involved large sums of money and attractive Bajoran attendants.

Beyond that, the staff is working on Memory Alpha and tweaking the difficulty of the special task forces, which they felt were just about right for the high end and a bit too difficult for the average player. They've also got the beginnings of plans for Season 2, including a raise to the skill point cap, Klingon Episodes, and a Federation diplomatic corps. The next update is tenatively scheduled for July. For more details on what the future is currently slated to hold for Star Trek Online, take a look at the full interview.

Dabo, Klingon missions, and diplomacy heading for Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Attending the 1 vs. 100 season premiere?

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

It's massive. It's multiplayer. And it's adding achievements! 1 vs. 100 is back again on Xbox Live, and the live version of the online game show where you can win real prizes is starting up again on November 19th.

While the game doesn't exactly generate a cash cow of news, it is a lot of fun to play. Plus, you know, it is free if you have yourself an Xbox Live gold account (which almost every Xbox 360 owner does, otherwise you're doing it wrong.) So we want to know are you going to be there? Will you be jumping in with your friends online, or are you assembling yourself a 1 vs. 100 premiere party? Are you going to be aiming for prizes, or are you going to be shooting for all of the achievements you can grab?

Dropping your thoughts in the comment box below and clicking send is way easier than pushing A, B, or X on your Xbox controller! (Ok, so maybe it isn't, but you should really do it anyway. It's fun!)

The Daily Grind: Attending the 1 vs. 100 season premiere? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Season 3 in World of Warcraft grinds to a halt

Matt Warner — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events, in-game, PvP, News items

Season 4 begins Tuesday, June 24th, leaving World of Warcraft players one last day before the ultimate PvP time-sink resets. What comes with it is a brand new ruleset that makes the grind for gear a lot more competitive and inaccessible to the battleground bots because many of the new battleground items that are purchasable with honor will require an Arena rating also.

As for the soon to be obsolete Season 1 gear, Gladiator's items will be moved to Sun Reach's Harbor on the Isle of Quel'Danas and will no longer be purchasable with honor but with Tier 4 tokens instead, ironically these are acquired by PvE raiding. The idea was recently introduced in the 2.4 patch and you can also turn in Tier 5 tokens for Season 2 gear. Speaking of Season 2, the Merciless-Gladiator's gear will be the new clearance epics purchasable with honor points and have no arena or personal rating requirement.

Continue reading Season 3 in World of Warcraft grinds to a halt

Season 3 in World of Warcraft grinds to a halt originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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