Massively

Dark Legends launches on Apple devices, hits 500K players

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Launches, Free-to-play, Mobile

The tortured souls of the underworld Apple users have twiddled their thumbs and sharpened their canines for over a month now, a month that Android and Chrome users have played Dark Legends to their hearts' content. After that long wait, iOS owners can stop penning brooding poetry on Livejournal and start playing the game proper: Spacetime Studios has released Dark Legends on the App Store.

Apple users can now joining the 500,000-plus Dark Legends community by simply downloading the game from the store and getting their vamp on. Edward-wannabes have a daunting task in front of them, however, as all of the darker fantasy forces are out to be a serious pain in their neck.

Dark Legends follows in the wake of Spacetime's enormously popular Pocket Legends and Star Legends. It's available as a free download with optional in-app purchases and can be played over wifi, edge, 3G, and 4G networks.

Our own Beau is livestreaming Dark Legends today on Massively TV, so be sure to see what he thinks of the game!

[Source: Spacetime Studios press release]

Dark Legends launches on Apple devices, hits 500K players originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple releases Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles to the app store

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Free-to-play, Mobile

It's been a long time winding its way through the Apple approving process, but Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles is now available for iOS devices. The game, which is free with optional microtransaction purchases, is a universal app, so it will play on the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.

Apple users have had to wait significantly longer to get their hands on Star Legends than Android players, as the Android version was released much earlier this month. Spacetime Studios promises gamers that a "majority" of the content of the game is completely free-to-play, and characters can reach the level cap without having to pay a dime.

If you're interested in our impressions of this sci-fi blastathon, check out our Rise and Shiny Recap of Star Legends!

Gallery: Star Legends

Apple releases Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles to the app store originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shadow Cities launches on iOS App Store

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 31 May 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New titles, Free-to-play, Mobile, Post-Apocalyptic

Technomages, today is your day! Rise up and cast off the fetters of boring society to claim your kingdom! All it takes is one free download of Shadow Cities, which has finally arrived at the Apple App Store.

Taking the best parts of real world alternate reality games (ARGs) and MMOs, Shadow Cities casts you in the role of a mage who is fighting dark forces while simultaneously striving to control chunks of territory. Instead of staying home, players are tasked with traveling physically to different places around their neighborhoods to cast spells against other players and NPCs. Players can join one of two factions that struggle for ultimate domination amid an unsuspecting populace.

Shadow Cities hit the top of the charts in Finland when it was released there, and Grey Area hopes that it will do the same worldwide. If you'd like to learn more about this immersive title, make sure to read up on our Shadow Cities tour from GDC!

Shadow Cities launches on iOS App Store originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DOFUS: Battles available in the App Store

Jef Reahard — Fri, 13 May 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dofus, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile, Casual

What's more fun than using the word DOFUS in a sentence? Using the words DOFUS: Battles, of course. Happily, the devs at Ankama have given us ample reason to do both thanks to the newly released iOS title called, you guessed it, DOFUS: Battles.

The strategy game is available in the App Store today for both iPhones and iPads and is an interesting blend of RPG, RTS, and tower defense mechanics, all tied to the game world of the wildly successful DOFUS MMORPG. Players will manage an army consisting of 12 heroes and a dragon, and the new game borrows 12 classes from its parent MMO and spices things up with 28 levels, three minigames, and more than 170 unique equipment items.

DOFUS: Battles currently comes in four flavors: a free version with battle and class limitations, the full version, and two corresponding HD versions for higher screen resolutions. You can learn more at the game's official site.

DOFUS: Battles available in the App Store originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 May 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yslandia hits player milestone, goes free-to-play

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, Free-to-play

As mobile MMOs are taking off in popularity, Yslandia is proving that a smaller platform doesn't necessarily mean a smaller playerbase. The pocket-sized MMO just announced its 100,000th player, and to celebrate the milestone, Moving Player is making the game free-to-play with in-game store purchases.

Since its release last fall, Yslandia has grown to include four island zones, 300 quests, and 18 classes. Players on iOS devices can log in and play solo or with friends across this cute world. The game has a customizable UI and features spirited PvP battles as players wage war for territory.

Previously, Yslandia was a $0.99 purchase from the Apple App Store. Check out what our own Beau Hindman had to say about this title in a recent edition of Free for All!

Yslandia hits player milestone, goes free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2011: Grey Area's Shadow Cities redefines mobile MMORPGs and immersion

Jef Reahard — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, Events, real-world, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile, Miscellaneous

How does being the main character in a techno-cyberpunk fantasy MMORPG grab you? And when we say "you," we really mean you, as opposed to a digital avatar or a pre-made character archetype. While we're at it, how does playing said MMORPG in the real world, specifically your home town and any cities you may visit, sound?

If you answered "pretty freaking awesome" like we did, keep reading.

We sat down with the guys from Grey Area at last week's GDC to talk about the firm's slick new location-based iPhone MMO called Shadow Cities. We came away with the feeling that while many MMO companies talk a good game when it comes to innovation and driving the genre forward, this small Finnish startup is actually walking the walk.

Continue reading GDC 2011: Grey Area's Shadow Cities redefines mobile MMORPGs and immersion

GDC 2011: Grey Area's Shadow Cities redefines mobile MMORPGs and immersion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEGA's Kingdom Conquest hits iPhone and iPod Touch

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Launches, New titles, War, Free-to-play

Game studios have been eying Apple's pocket prodigies as a platform for MMOs for some time now, so it's no surprise that SEGA has stepped up to deliver its own hybrid strategy/RPG MMO in hopes of gaining a foothold on this market. It's called Kingdom Conquest and should feel familiar enough to both the MMO dungeon crawling crowd and the Facebook strategy app fans.

Kingdom Conquest is split into two modes that work in synergy with each other. In the kingdom building mode, players will construct a city from the ground up, form alliances with other players, build armies and wage war to control territory. This is augmented by the action mode, in which anywhere from one to four players may group to tackle dungeons, which not rewards them with not only armor and weapons but items to use in their cities.

While it bills itself as a free-to-play title (and it is certainly free to download), Kingdom Conquest makes no bones about its reliance on microtransactions. Players looking to create an edge for their city and alliance can spend real money on buffs and shorter building queues to boost their progress ahead.

If you want to check it out, it's one quick trip to the iTunes App store away!

SEGA's Kingdom Conquest hits iPhone and iPod Touch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: A community guide to EVE Online

Brendan Drain — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Guides

Some time ago, Massively started up a whole slew of new weekly columns, each covering a specific MMO. Each week, they bring guides, editorials, interviews and community news in a similar way to what I've been doing with EVE Evolved over the past two years. Each of the new columns started with a definitive community guide showcasing handy links to useful websites, blogs and tools. This week it's my turn to give EVE Online the community guide treatment. This article will be updated periodically with new links as they make themselves known. If you have a useful EVE link you think would belong in the community guide, leave a comment with it.

Skip past the cut for a breakdown of some of EVE's most important community links.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: A community guide to EVE Online

EVE Evolved: A community guide to EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: Pocket Legends

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Hands-on, First Impressions

On paper, Pocket Legends is just one of many free-to-play fantasy MMOs that litter the gaming landscape, a little blip that is otherwise drowned out by the noise of its peers. On paper, Pocket Legends is skimpy in standard MMO features: only three classes, no customizable avatars, completely instanced, and a maximum of four skills on your hotbar. On paper, it might be a passing diversion, except for one little detail: Pocket Legends is the first truly successful 3D MMORPG for mobile devices.

And that makes all the difference, my friends.

Several of us here at Massively have been devouring Pocket Legends since it was released this past week, first for the iPad, then for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The general consensus is that for what it lacks, this micro-MMO has the most important quality of all: it's genuinely fun and addictive. Hit the jump for more detailed first impressions!

Continue reading First Impressions: Pocket Legends

First Impressions: Pocket Legends originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively looks at Capsuleer 2.0, an iPhone app for EVE Online part 2

James Egan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, PvP

I was dreading having to manually enter that long API string linked to my EVE account, but Capsuleer's system made it quite easy. Can you tell me about the Import Control System?

Roc: The Import Control System was Sam's brainchild. Nobody wants to manually enter that string, myself included, but I also don't like applications "scraping" my game login data from the EVE Online website. The entire point of an API is to be able to access it without using your game login credentials. Since the iPhone doesn't do copy/paste (prior to OS 3.0), Sam came up with this method for effortlessly and securely importing your data to your device.

Sam: As Roc said, the API is all about security. CCP introduced it so that 3rd party applications didn't need your username and password anymore. It's a secure and simple way to provide access to a limited subset of data without exposing the credentials needed to log into your account. My initial prototype had you typing in the big long API key, and man I don't think I got it right more than twice in a row. I knew that we needed a better alternative. That's when I came up with the Import Control System. We have been foiled a bit by a few email clients that don't like the evechar:// url syntax that we use (they try to validate it and can't because they don't recognize the prefix), but with 2.0 we have an alternative http:// based url that can be used as well, so that should hopefully clear up the issues that people ran into.

Continue reading Massively looks at Capsuleer 2.0, an iPhone app for EVE Online part 2

Massively looks at Capsuleer 2.0, an iPhone app for EVE Online part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively looks at Capsuleer 2.0, an iPhone app for EVE Online

James Egan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Massively Interviews

The newest generation of smartphones has begun to deliver on the ideal of having continual access to your data on the go with persistent web connections. As such, the iPhone is becoming ubiquitous, helped no doubt by its ease of use and the ever-growing number of apps available to users. In the relatively short time the iPhone has existed, it's already begun to have an impact on the gaming world. Given how stat-centric massively multiplayer online titles are, it was inevitable that there would be some steps made towards a marriage between the iPhone and our games; some developers are creating iPhone apps that extend certain aspects of MMOs beyond the game client.

This can be especially useful with a game like EVE Online, where players typically have a number of things going on, even while they're not logged in to play. While the EVE iPhone apps don't act as game clients, players can, for instance, check in on the skill progression of their characters, check their wallet balances as market transactions and contract sales take place while away from the client, and in general keep tabs on their virtual involvements in New Eden.

Capsuleer 2.0 is one such iPhone and iPod touch app for EVE Online that aims to be a portal into New Eden for whenever players are away from their computers and on the go; in some respects, it's a persistent real-world analog to EVE's in-game Neocom used to keep tabs on your characters. Capsuleer 2.0 was approved by Apple just this week, so Massively caught up with its two creators to find out more about what they've been up to. Marcus Dickinson is known in EVE as Roc Wieler and is likely a familiar name to many players from his Roc's Ramblings blog. The other half of the Capsuleer duo is Chris Whiteford (PyjamaSam in EVE Online), and they were both kind enough to take some time out to speak with us about their work on Capsuleer as well as their plans for its future. Read on for Massively's Capsuleer interview and our impressions of the app in a brief visual tour.

Gallery: A look at Capsuleer 2.0

Continue reading Massively looks at Capsuleer 2.0, an iPhone app for EVE Online

Massively looks at Capsuleer 2.0, an iPhone app for EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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