Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Blizzard congratulates itself on Diablo III's anniversary]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/21/blizzard-congratulates-itself-on-diablo-iiis-anniversary/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/21/blizzard-congratulates-itself-on-diablo-iiis-anniversary/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/21/blizzard-congratulates-itself-on-diablo-iiis-anniversary/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Blizzard pats itself on the back for one year of Diablo III
Diablo III is a year old, and Blizzard's celebratory anniversary gesture is one of those mile-long infographic things featuring selected statistics designed to make you ooh and ahh.

Said statistics include 67.1 million characters created world-wide, 3.3 trillion monsters killed world-wide, and 22.4 million characters that have killed Diablo. Interestingly, Blizzard left off the number of hours lost to launch server login issues, nor is there any mention of D3's much-maligned real-money auction house. You can see the full graphic after the break.

Continue reading Blizzard congratulates itself on Diablo III's anniversary

MassivelyBlizzard congratulates itself on Diablo III's anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox Diablo III's Auction House ruined the game
After his departure from the Diablo III development team, Game Director Jay Wilson released a statement that the introduction of an auction house "really hurt the game." While players predicted doom the moment the Real Money Auction House was announced, Jay argued that the gold auction house was equally to blame for the game's fall from grace following an absolutely stellar launch sales. I don't normally agree with what Jay has to say on Diablo III, but in this case he does have a very valid point.

Diablo II was consistently popular for over a decade thanks to its immense replayability. At its core, D2 was a game about building new characters and gearing them up by any means necessary. Every enemy in the game was a loot pinata just waiting to be popped, and players farmed endlessly for a few sought-after unique items. You almost never found an item that was ideal for your particular class and build, but you could usually trade for what you needed via trade channels and forums.

Blizzard claimed that the auction house was intended just to streamline this process, but when Diablo III launched, it was clear that the entire game had been designed to make the auction house almost necessary for progress. The fault here lies not just with the concept of an auction house but with the game designers.

That's right: I'm here to argue not only that Jay Wilson was right about the auction house ruining Diablo III but also that it was his own damn fault.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Diablo III's auction house ruined the game

MassivelyThe Soapbox: Diablo III's auction house ruined the game originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's birthday, and Star Citizen's new website
Dota 2 celebrated the incredible sales of its world championship interactive compendium with free gifts for all players; the compendium has now sold over 266,000 units, raising the prize fund in The International to over $2,000,000 US. Third-person MOBA SMITE has recently entered the competitive tournament scene with two new weekly $1,000 tournaments. Rise of Immortals also announced its first competitive tournament since the Battle For Graxia update and revealed details of its hilariously-named ranged centaur character Murderhoof.

League of Legends revealed the new custom item set feature coming in Patch 3.7 and published a new champion spotlight video on classic ranged carry Ashe. Guardians of Middle-Earth also released its latest paid DLC character, The Mouth of Sauron, based on a character who was originally cut from the cinematic release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Diablo III celebrated the first anniversary of its release on May 15th with anniversary livestreams and a magic-find bonus for all players. The latest patch also raised the increments in which money can be sold on the Real Money Auction House to ten million in response to massive oversupply. Path of Exile revealed details of its upcoming Patch 0.1.1.0 that will add new party loot options and other features, and Star Citizen showed off its new website with a special e-commerce section in which players can buy ships for cash.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's birthday, and Star Citizen's new website

MassivelyNot So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's birthday, and Star Citizen's new website originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo 3 video talks us through developing console controls
Diablo III, as you (savvy, informed reader that you are) surely know, is being released for the PS3 and PS4 at some point. Bringing the game over to a new platform has been an exciting challenge for the devs, which they discuss in this shiny new dev diary video. The crucial part of porting the experience, they say, is the controller. It acts as your connection to the character and really your agency in the game world.

Skip below the cut to hear the devs talk about giving console gamers dodging, a quick equip option, and use of the touchpad.

Continue reading Diablo III devs talk about creating console controls

MassivelyDiablo III devs talk about creating console controls originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively Yet another D3 exploit, Star Citizen paytowin debate, and MOBA news
Diablo III was hit with yet another exploit this week as players discovered a way to duplicate gold via a bug in the auction house. Blizzard responded by shutting down the auction house but did not perform a server rollback to reverse the damage. Star Citizen clarified its stance on the lifetime insurance available to veteran backers amidst debate over whether it gives early adopters an unfair advantage over other players. Path of Exile also released a new Letters of Wraeclast lore feature in its latest update, and MechWarrior Online's update 15 added a new Misery mech.

Dota 2 began preparations for its biggest world championship tournament yet with the release of a new Interactive Compendium that players can use to stay up to date with the matches. Rise of Immortals has now officially launched its Battle For Graxia revamp, and Infinite Crisis officially entered closed beta this week with the release of new champion The Joker. Finally, Smashmuck Champions released its hilarious new community-designed champion that's half platypus and half unicorn.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Yet another D3 exploit, Star Citizen pay-to-win debate, and MOBA news

MassivelyNot So Massively: Yet another D3 exploit, Star Citizen pay-to-win debate, and MOBA news originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III restores auction house, donates duped proceeds to charity
Is there a light at the end of Diablo III's auction house woes? Blizzard is putting its best foot forward in an attempt to make it so. After a nasty gold duping exploit and the subsequent suspension of all services, the Diablo III auction house is back online -- and Blizzard is looking to save face with its return.

Production Director John Hight gave a lengthy explanation of what happened with the situation and why Blizzard responded the way it did. "Only a relatively small number of players had the billions of gold necessary to exploit the bug, and only 415 of those players chose to use this exploit for personal gain," Hight wrote. "We elected not to roll back the servers in the Americas and are instead working to remove duplicated gold from the economy through targeted audits and account actions (as indicated above) without taking away progress that our players rightfully earned."

Hight said that the studio is donating all proceeds from auctions conducted by dupers to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

MassivelyDiablo III restores auction house, donates duped proceeds to charity originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Screenshot -- Diablo III
Diablo III's auction house continues to be the stuff of legends.

You may remember that a couple of days ago, the Diablo III auction house went down for a time due to a gold duplication bug that was being rampantly exploited by players. Thankfully, a patch was deployed in a nice, timely manner, and everything ended up all right.

Or did it? Rather than performing a server rollback, which would set all Diablo III players back, Blizzard has decided to perform a complete audit of the transactions made on the auction house in order to find players guilty of utilizing the gold duplication exploit. Unfortunately, Blizz was a bit conservative in its estimate of how long the auction house would be down. While there's currently no new ETA for the auction house's return, a post by Blizzard CM Lylirra states that the studio anticipates the AH being down for "at least another 24 hours" while the audits are in progress.

MassivelyDiablo III auction house down for 'at least another 24 hours' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III gold dupe bug fixed with no rollback
Oh Diablo III's auction house, you are the stuff of legends.

Late last night, Blizzard took Diablo III's auction house offline to deal with a gold duplication bug that was discovered to be exploited by players. All gold trades were halted at the time, and Blizzard had a patch in place within 30 minutes.

But it's the later update that concerned many D3 fans as Blizzard announced that it wouldn't be rolling back the server, but instead, dealing with each individual offending account on a case-by-case basis. This is more time-consuming for the dev team, but has much less of an impact on the community as a whole.

MassivelyDiablo III gold dupe bug fixed with no rollback originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 May 2013 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively MOBA patch week, Star Citizen hits $9 million, and Diablo II ladder reset
This week is packed with MOBA news as almost every major title released a new patch. Infinite Crisis introduced new champions Poison Ivy and Gaslight Catwoman and announced that the game's closed beta will start in two days' time on May 8th. SMITE introduced new Norse god Fenrir the Unbound, and League of Legends released a champion spotlight on new Ice Witch champion Lissandra. Dota 2 also released new hero Elder Titan based on the original DotA hero Tauren Chieftain, and Heroes of Newerth released several months of balance changes at once in its colossal version 3.1 update.

Star Citizen celebrated hitting $9 million US in its ongoing crowdfunding campaign, and to celebrate, developers controversially gave all current backers free lifetime insurance on their ships. The title's success has also spurred EVE Online developer CCP Games to show off its own virtual reality dogfighter called EVR that uses the upcoming Oculus Rift headset.

Diablo III's first anniversary is just over a week away; details of any celebrations haven't yet been released. Developers confirmed that the PlayStation 4 version will not be getting mouse and keyboard support and that the PC version won't be getting support for analog controllers. For those of you up for some oldschool dungeon-crawling, Diablo II also announced that its ladder will be reset on May 14th this week and all players will start the game fresh again.

Continue reading Not So Massively: MOBA patch week, Star Citizen hits $9 million, and Diablo II ladder reset

MassivelyNot So Massively: MOBA patch week, Star Citizen hits $9 million, and Diablo II ladder reset originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 May 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
Details of this year's $1,600,000 US Dota 2 world championship have been released ahead of next month's qualifiers for the remaining three competitor spots. Heroes of Newerth began gearing up for its own tournament at DreamHack Summer 2013 with details of a qualifier tournament to determine which teams will face off at the event. Team Stay Green may be in with a chance if it enters, as the group just took home $32,000 US following a decisive win in the HoNTour grand finals.

A new Diablo III exploit that allowed Witch Doctors to farm XP by repeatedly killing their pets was discovered this week and promptly hotfixed. Riot Games released spotlight videos for newly revamped League of Legends champions Trundle and Sejuani, and CLG pro gamer Peter "Doublelift" Peng discussed his challenging road to success and heartbreaking family issues in a fantastic short documentary for Machinima.

Turbine released details of two new Infinite Crisis champions this week with video spotlights on hulking brute Doomsday and the gadget-wielding Gaslight Batman. Russian success Prime World let press into the English language beta for a first look at its castle-building and MOBA style gameplay. Rise of Immortals geared up for the official launch of its Battle For Graxia game overhaul with the addition of a new reputation system. And Star Citizen developer Chris Roberts revealed that he's been holding off on accepting investor deals because of the success of the game's crowdfunding campaigns.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World

MassivelyNot So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III preorder banner
Rumors of Diablo III coming to consoles have been around since before the game ever launched, and not long ago it was confirmed that the ever-polarizing action RPG would be making its way to the PlayStation 3. Well, the time has almost come for console players to set foot in the treacherous lands of Sanctuary. Blizzard announced on its official site today that preorders for the PS3 edition of Diablo III are officially open.

Players who preorder the game will be given a gift in the form of the PS3-exclusive Infernal Helm. Each character created on the PS3 version will start with this stylish chapeau that grants its wearer a bonus to experience gained. There's still no official release date for the PS3 edition of the game, however, and the studio states that it will announce the game's release date as launch draws nearer (in case that wasn't blindingly obvious). In the meantime, Diablo devotees can go ahead and lay down their preorders.

MassivelyDiablo III PS3 preorders available now originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
If you've been following the development of upcoming crowdfunded sci-fi sandbox Star Citizen with interest, Massively has a brand-new column you might enjoy. The Diablo III test realm hinted at upcoming boosts to life regeneration and the damage output of a few spells, but Blizzard also suggested that a nerf to the Wizard Archon Form might be on the way. Path of Exile started its second season of race events, with over 200 events to take part in and massive prizes to be won.

Third-person MOBA SMITE added the 34th god to its roster this week with acrobatic assassin Ne Zha entering the fray, and Guardians of Middle-Earth released new DLC character Kili the Dwarf. Rise of Immortals added support for game replays and introduced and interesting new White Knight feature that lets players take over from characters who have disconnected or quit in the middle of a game.

Heroes of Newerth announced a huge upcoming balance patch that may finally get rid of the paid-for early hero access and promises to rebalance much of the game's expansive roster of characters. Dota 2's streamlined abuse report update backfired when players discovered they could use the report feature itself to abuse other players. And Firefall may finally be edging toward release with the announcement of a date for the start of open beta.

Continue reading Not So Massively: New Star Citizen column, Path of Exile Season Two, and MOBA news

MassivelyNot So Massively: New Star Citizen column, Path of Exile Season Two, and MOBA news originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>abuseaction-mmoaction-rpgArmillary-Sashbalance-patchbattle-for-graxiabattlenetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcloud-imperiumcompetitive-gamingconsoled3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotadota-2dwarfe-sporte-sportseaearly-accessesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfire-batsfree-to-playgothic-fantasygraxiagrinding-geargrinding-gear-gamesguardians-of-middle-earthheroes-of-newerthhonhon-tourkilileague-of-legendslollord-of-the-ringslotrmeldingmiddle-earthmobamonolithmonolith-studiosmultiplayerne-zhanewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayeropen-betapatchpatchespath-of-exilepetroglyphpetroglyph-gamesplaystation-networkpoeps3psnpvpray-of-frostred-5-studiosreplayriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamessandboxsci-fistar-citizenterrauniverse-ringvalvevideowarner-broswhite-knightwhite-knight-queuewitch-doctorwizardwrath-of-the-lich-kingxboxxbox-360xbox-livexbox360Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Not So Massively: D3's patch 1.0.8, Dota 2 DDoS, and Prime World's closed beta]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/15/not-so-massively-d3s-patch-1-0-8-dota-2-ddos-and-prime-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/15/not-so-massively-d3s-patch-1-0-8-dota-2-ddos-and-prime-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/15/not-so-massively-d3s-patch-1-0-8-dota-2-ddos-and-prime-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Patch 1.0.8 was released to the Diablo III public test realm this week, adding some big multiplayer upgrades and fixing quality of life issues with the Wizard class, crafting and the auction house. Path of Exile published its first series of articles in a new Development Manifesto forum looking into the thought process behind upcoming game changes and features. And sci-fi sandbox Star Citizen tackled the age-old problem of letting players have unique names without breaking immersion.

The European Dota 2 servers experienced heavy disruption this week as what appears to be a DDoS attack interfered with the DreamHack Invitationals and the G-1 qualifier tournament. A research firm also claimed that the game had recently passed giant of League of Legends in peak concurrent users despite publicly released statistics to the contrary.

Following on from its huge success in Russia, castle-building MOBA Prime World officially entered its English-language closed beta this week. Newly announced DC Comics MOBA Infinite Crisis released a champion profile video on new hero Green Lantern, and Heroes of Newerth published a classic hero spotlight on fan-favourite Devourer.

Continue reading Not So Massively: D3's patch 1.0.8, Dota 2 DDoS, and Prime World's closed beta

MassivelyNot So Massively: D3's patch 1.0.8, Dota 2 DDoS, and Prime World's closed beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems as if everyone is jumping on the MOBA bandwagon lately and trying to cut a slice of the action for himself. Creative Assembly announced that the next game in the Total War series will be a MOBA with RTS elements named Total War: Arena. MMO developer Turbine has also thrown its hat in the ring, teaming up with Warner Bros. and DC comics to develop a MOBA based on the Infinite Crisis DC storyline.

League of Legends continued its plans to revamp old characters with overhauls to Sejuani and Trundle. Developers also revealed upcoming Ice Witch champion Lissandra, a crowd-controlling mage who can cast some of her spells mana-free. Guardians of Middle-Earth finally released Frodo Baggins as a DLC character, and Heroes of Newerth announced that the $60,000 grand final of HonTour Season One will take place later this month in Las Vegas.

In a new Diablo III developer journal, Blizzard discussed its efforts to get players into multiplayer and public games, including some gameplay improvements and a new matchmaking tag system. Path of Exile's Patch 0.10.5 went live today, adding three powerful new support gems, four new unique items, and several balance changes and bug-fixes. And Torchlight II gave modders a huge gift this week by releasing its in-house development tools to the public and officially adding Steam Workshop support to the game.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Jumping on the MOBA bandwagon

MassivelyNot So Massively: Jumping on the MOBA bandwagon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlizzCon's golden tickets going on sale in two batches
Grabbing one of the year's hottest tickets will be a tricky prospect, especially considering how fast BlizzCon typically sells out. However, Blizzard is giving everyone a fair chance at grabbing one of these tickets by announcing the dates and times that they'll be going on sale.

Dates plural? Yes indeed! BlizzCon tickets will be sold in two batches, first on Wednesday, April 24th, at 10:00 p.m. EDT and second on Saturday, April 27th, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. The tickets for the two-day convention are $175, although if you want to package in the Children's Hospital benefit dinner with the show, you'll be looking at parting with $500.

The studio also assured fans that it will once again be selling virtual tickets to BlizzCon, although specifics regarding these have yet to come. BlizzCon is taking place on November 8th and 9th at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

MassivelyBlizzCon's golden tickets going on sale in two batches originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III gets massive multiplayer improvements in 108
The Diablo III team has decided that its multiplayer co-op is in need of improvement. The game's 1.0.8 patch will be bringing in some changes to support and improve the system.

Matchmaking tags such as Questing, Full Act Clear, and Keywarden are being added to public games. Explicit bonuses will be added into mulitplayer mode, giving players XP, Gold Find, and Magic Find boosts. Additionally, monster health is getting dropped down from an extra 70% per additional player to 50% per additional player.

The UI is going to be working in favor of co-op, too. Whenever a player deals damage to or takes damage from Elite packs or Treasure Goblins, a notification will be sent out and the player's map location will be marked for easy regrouping. Private chat channels with up to 99 other users will be made possible.

You can check out the full list of updates on the official dev blog.

MassivelyDiablo III gets massive multiplayer improvements in 1.0.8 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's been a huge week for MOBAs, with several new characters being released and one game closing its doors for good. League of Legends finally revamped underused champion Karma and released new character Zac, a strange green blob who drops parts of himself all over the battlefield and can even revive after death. Dota 2 released classic hero Bristleback, a spined boar who slows enemies with a disgusting snot attack and slowly peppers them with spiked quills.

SMITE released god of music Apollo, who can deal damage by playing his lyre, sing enemies to sleep, and even power-slide like a rock star. Heroes of Newerth is in between hero releases, but its recent HoN 3.0 update has earned it the title of Best MOBA at PAX East 2013 by gaming website RTSGuru.

Warhammer-themed MOBA Wrath of Heroes officially closed its doors on March 29th, and its website has now been replaced with a message by producer James Casey. Finally, Diablo III's former Game Director Jay Wilson gave a talk at GDC 2013 in which he blamed many of the game's downfalls on both the gold and cash auction houses.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Release all the MOBA heroes!

MassivelyNot So Massively: Release all the MOBA heroes! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo 3's acution house 'really hurt the game'
Diablo III's joint in-game gold and real-money auction house has played a fairly major role in the game since its launch. Remember that one time when a guy used the real-money side of things to bank a cool $10,000? That apparently wasn't really what Blizzard foresaw when creating and implementing the auction house. According to former Diablo III Game Director Jay Wilson, the auction house "really hurt the game."

Apparently, Blizzard anticipated that very few players would make use of the auction house and that item prices would limit the number of transactions going on. That, uh, wasn't the case. Nearly every one of Diablo III's roughly 3 million monthly users make use of the auction house, and item trading has "damaged" the item rewards in the game.

Without giving up any juicy details, Wilson has mentioned that the team is working on a viable solution to the current problems posed by the auction house.

MassivelyDiablo III's auction house 'really hurt the game' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A demo of Diablo III running on the PS3 was shown at PAX East 2013 this week, and developers confirmed that the game is not necessarily exclusive to Sony. Many PC players have been enraged by the demo, which showed improved loot and singleplayer features developers had previously said were not possible. Red 5 Studios was also at PAX this week to reveal its ambitious plans for a gaming TV channel. The studio plans to expand its gaming video channel Stage 5 with several new high-quality shows about indie games, cosplay, and gaming tropes. Path of Exile also released information on three completely overpowered new support gems currently in alpha testing for its upcoming Patch 0.10.5.

In MOBA news, League of Legends officially launched in Italy this week with a huge launch ceremony in Rome. Several professional players were unrelatedly banned for boosting other players' stats artificially, and one team was given its final warning for using a DDoS attack during a match. Heroes of Newerth received new melee strength hero Prisoner 945, and Guardians of Middle-Earth released a free map update along with a purchasable spider character DLC. Upcoming MOBA SMITE was given a loose launch window of summer 2013, and Russian MOBA Prime World took a big step toward European and US launches with the translation of much of its Russian website into English.

Continue reading Not So Massively: PAX East 2013, D3 on PS3, and Firefall's TV channel

MassivelyNot So Massively: PAX East 2013, D3 on PS3, and Firefall's TV channel originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III console video sizzles, Blizzard hints at other platforms
Diablo III's console edition is the cornerstone of Blizzard's booth at PAX East this weekend (but by no means the only product on display), so it stands to reason that the team would have cut together a new trailer to promote the coming console conquest.

As we mull over the prospect of Blizzard winning over large swaths of the current console market, the PA Report discovered that Diablo III might not stop at just the PlayStation 3 and 4. In an interview, Blizzard did not want to make any official announcements but did state that the Diablo III console edition was "not necessarily a Sony exclusive."

You can watch the "sizzle reel" of Diablo III with the adjusted UI after the jump!

Massively's on the ground in Boston during the weekend of March 22nd to 24th, bringing you all the best news from PAX East 2013. Whether you're dying to know more about WildStar, DUST 514, or any MMO in between, we aim to have it covered!

Continue reading PAX East 2013: Diablo III console video sizzles, Blizzard hints at other platforms

MassivelyPAX East 2013: Diablo III console video sizzles, Blizzard hints at other platforms originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard showing off console Diablo III, 'something new' at PAX East
We're still getting over the shock that Blizzard is coming off the mount to attend PAX East this weekend, but we'll work through that to bring you some of the new details about the studio's appearance at the show.

Blizzard will be planting roots at booth #1036 in the Expo Hall and has promised to show "something new" in the Naga theater at 10:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning. If you're not there, don't worry; Blizzard is streaming the event on Twitch.tv as well.

The PlayStation 3 version of Diablo III will be available to check out via demo stations. This edition has been tailored to the console with a "reimagined" interface, new monsters, and different character controls. The team is also giving away lots of swag to those who pop by during the day.

Massively's on the ground in Boston during the weekend of March 22nd to 24th, bringing you all the best news from PAX East 2013. Whether you're dying to know more about WildStar, DUST 514, or any MMO in between, we aim to have it covered!

MassivelyPAX East 2013: Blizzard showing off console Diablo III, 'something new' at PAX East originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgbattlenetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcash-shopconconventiond3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiieventevent-coverageeventsexpofantasygothic-fantasymassively-event-coveragemultiplayeronline-multiplayerpaxpax-2013pax-eastpax-east-2013penny-arcade-exporoguelikerpgThu, 21 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Not So Massively: SimCity is not an MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/not-so-massively-simcity-is-not-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/not-so-massively-simcity-is-not-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/not-so-massively-simcity-is-not-an-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Doubts were cast on SimCity's always-online requirement this week when a player managed to hack the game into playing completely offline despite developers saying it wouldn't be possible. Maxis General Manager Lucy Bradshaw also caught a lot of flack from gamers this week for claiming that the game was in many ways an MMO. Petroglyph's Victory Kickstarter that we announced last week has now been cancelled, making the future of the game uncertain.

League of Legends revealed its plans to finally update two-year-old champion Karma and release new champion Zac, who is literally a pile of green goop. Guardians of Middle-Earth published iconic character Saruman as a new piece of DLC, and SMITE added new god Aphrodite, who heals and supports her teammates with hugs and kisses.

In addition to fixing some major bugs, Diablo III's recent patch 1.07a was shown to have nerfed many popular Wizard builds, including critical mass Energy Twister and Meteor builds. Path of Exile's latest patch added a new Cyclone skill that's reminiscent of the Diablo II Whirlwind skill and introduced three fun new game types for this season's upcoming race events.

Continue reading Not So Massively: SimCity is not an MMO

MassivelyNot So Massively: SimCity is not an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fresh from its work on End of Nations, developer Petroglyph launched a Kickstarter campaign this week for its own online RTS Victory. The campaign hit $19,574 in the first five days but has a long way to go to hit its $700,000 target. SimCity's always-online DRM backfired spectacularly as launch server capacity and stability issues left thousands unable to play what they thought of as a largely singleplayer game.

Diablo III revealed details of its upcoming loot overhaul that will make legendary items a little more legendary and rare items and good bit rarer. Path of Exile's patch 1.10.2 was deployed successfully, adding a few item mods and significantly improving the Duelist class area of the passive skill tree.

League of Legends celebrated its 100th Summoner Showcase with a look back at the community's best creative output and announced a brand-new comic contest that will see players voting for the winner. SMITE announced its $10,000 PAX East invitational tournament, and Guardians of Middle-Earth tempted players back with 75,000 free in-game gold in a new weekend event.

Continue reading Not So Massively: SimCity's launch fiasco, Victory's kickstarter

MassivelyNot So Massively: SimCity's launch fiasco, Victory's kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III plans itemization changes
Because Diablo III is such a loot-centric game, players pay attention when the developers start talking about making significant itemization changes in the upcoming months.

The first part of Blizzard's future itemization philosophy is to more strongly equate rarity with power. Legendary items will drop less frequently and become a lot more powerful, and there will be a greater amount of diversity across the board. "It will take time, but our goal is to try to provide players with compelling alternatives to trifecta items when talking about what items they want to acquire," game designer Travis Day writes.

Other changes include reducing the drop rate on rares, making gold sinks more exciting, and giving players better reasons to farm mobs instead of merely camping out at the auction house.

MassivelyDiablo III plans itemization changes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
It's been a huge week for MOBAs, with the release of several new characters, a ton of balance changes, and even a game closing down for good. League of Legends announced that it will start officially supporting Mac and released a new Smart Ping system designed to help players work together as a team despite language barriers. SMITE showed off its new crowd-controlling water god, Poseidon, and console MOBA Guardians of Middle-Earth released a new Survival game mode DLC.

We heard the unfortunate news that Wrath of Heroes will be closing its doors at the end of the month, and it's not the only game going out of business. Online FPS Bullet Run, formerly known as Hedone, is due to shut down on Friday, March 8th, in a big final event. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Dota 2 has hit another impressive milestone, passing 300,000 peak concurrent players. The first season of Heroes of Newerth's HoN Tour league is soon to draw to a close, and developers are planning a huge balance patch before the next season kicks off.

Blizzard enraged Diablo III fans this week with the announcement that the console version will not feature the controversial always-online DRM and can be played offline. Path of Exile detailed its next open beta patch, which is due to introduce a new fire skill, a 3v3 dueling arena, and significant Duelist class buffs. Online FPS Firefall produced a new trailer this week showing off its flight gameplay amidst criticism from fans over its lack of beta content. Finally, sci-fi sandbox Star Citizen gave fans a look behind the curtain of game development in its biggest development update video yet.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III's console constroversy and Wrath of Heroes' shutdown

MassivelyNot So Massively: Diablo III's console constroversy and Wrath of Heroes' shutdown originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III will play offline on PS3 and PS4
Thanks to last week's announcement, players already knew that Diablo III was headed for both the PlayStation 3 and 4 consoles. Now, Blizzard Production Director John Hight and Senior VP Chris Metzen have revealed that the game will not need an internet connection for local multiplayer games on either console.

In the video interview with GameTrailers, Hight also talked about new features, including a new evasion ability and having all four players in co-op mode on the same screen instead of spit onto four separate ones. Players eager to test the game out on the consoles can look forward to a hands-on experience at PAX. In the meantime, you can watch the full interview after the cut.

Continue reading Diablo III playable offline on PS3 and PS4

MassivelyDiablo III playable offline on PS3 and PS4 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
Blizzard revealed this week that Diablo III will be coming to both the PlayStation 3 and Sony's new PlayStation 4 console and will be shown off at PAX. Torchlight II developer Runic Games announced that the game will soon be localised to Japanese and Chinese for its upcoming release in Asia; a free DLC is on the way with three new Asian-themed pets. Path of Exile revealed the schedule for its first full season of ladder-style race events and announced new account security options along with its new policy to never restore items from hacked accounts.

League of Legends unveiled its new champion duo, Quinn and Valor, a dynamic pair of characters that work together as a single champion to dominate teamfights. Heroes of Newerth revealed its own new hero with a video spotlight on Saloman, a melee support hero who gains power from movement and can heal and shield his allies.

Dota 2 added a new Hero Build feature to its beta this week, giving players access to community-produced skill and item builds for all heroes. Console MOBA Guardians of Middle-Earth showed off its new goblin DLC character Snaga, and online FPS Blacklight: Retribution detailed its upcoming Onslaught expansion, which comes with three new game modes.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Path of Exile events, Diablo III coming to PS4, and huge MOBA updates

MassivelyNot So Massively: Path of Exile events, Diablo III coming to PS4, and huge MOBA updates originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III coming to PlayStations 3 and 4
Diablo III is slated to roar into the console market, Blizzard Senior VP Chris Metzen announced at the Sony PlayStation 4 event today in New York City. Metzen said that the action-RPG will be coming to both the PlayStation 3 and 4 and that the company is excited to show it off at PAX.

"Blizzard and Sony have entered into a strategic partnership, through which we will take over the world," Metzen said.

Bungie's recently unveiled Destiny will also be headed to the PS4. Bungie president Harold Ryan told the audience that the PS3 and PS4 editions will feature exclusive PlayStation-only content.

The PlayStation 4 is due out for the holiday 2013 season.

[Updated: Our sister site Joystiq reports that "Diablo 3 on PS4 and PS3 will feature all major PC updates." Joystiq's also nabbed a few of the very first screenies from the game on console.]

MassivelyDiablo III, Destiny coming to PlayStation 4 [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlizzCon returns in November
After skipping a year, BlizzCon is back, baby! The near-annual Blizzard convention is scheduled to take place on November 8th and 9th at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. The event will provide hands-on time with Blizzard's titles, an e-sports tournament, dev panels, and contests.

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime is looking forward to the return of the convention: "BlizzCon gives us a chance to connect with our players and share our latest projects in a very personal way. Members from all of our gaming communities have helped make this event bigger and better every time, and we look forward to meeting up and celebrating with them in November."

While tickets are not yet on sale, the official BlizzCon site has posted hotel info for those looking to make Anaheim their temporary place of residence come this fall.

MassivelyBlizzCon returns in November originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
Path of Exile released several patches this week, adding new map types and fixing a number of bugs. Developers also revealed that the schedule for upcoming open beta content additions will begin with the next patch. Diablo III released patch 1.0.7 this week, adding a new dueling mechanic to the game and a brand-new endgame farming task based around collecting Demonic Essence to craft powerful account-bound gear. The patch also included some much-needed buffs for popular Wizard and Monk abilities.

SMITE revealed its new ranged crowd-control god Neith this week; she manipulates invisible magical weaves to empower her attacks. And Dota 2 released classic hero Tusk, who can roll himself and his team into a giant snowball of death. League of Legends announced a series of buffs for Nasus, Akali, and Riven in a new Patch Preview video, in addition to changes to items with the cooldown reduction stat.

Heroes of Newerth's patch 3.0.2 fixed an exploit with the Insanitarius item, while competitive team Trademark eSports secured its fourth win in the Diamond division of the HoN Tour league. Finally, Star Citizen continued to break gaming crowdfunding records this week as its total funds raised passed the $8,000,000 US mark.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III launches patch 1.0.7, Path of Exile gets new content

MassivelyNot So Massively: Diablo III launches patch 1.0.7, Path of Exile gets new content originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-mmoaction-rpgakaliarchon-gearbattlenetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbuffscloud-imperiumcompetitive-gamingcooldown-reductioncrowdfundingd3demonic-essencediablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotadota-2e-sporte-sportsendgameesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playgothic-fantasygrinding-geargrinding-gear-gamesheroheroesheroes-of-newerthhi-rez-studioshonhontourinfernoleague-of-legendslolmapmapsMarquiseMarquise-gemsmobamonkmonk-buildsmultiplayernasusNeithnewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerpatchpatch-previewpatchespath-of-exilepoepvpriotriot-gamesrivenround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamessandboxsci-fistar-citizentusktuskarrvalvevideowizardwizard-buildMon, 18 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Path of Exile hands-on: The sequel Diablo II deserved]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/11/path-of-exile-hands-on-the-sequel-diablo-ii-deserved/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/11/path-of-exile-hands-on-the-sequel-diablo-ii-deserved/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/11/path-of-exile-hands-on-the-sequel-diablo-ii-deserved/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

First Impressions Path of Exile vs Diablo III
Like many gamers in their mid-20s, I spent countless hours in my teenage years smashing through dungeons and hunting for loot in Diablo II. The deep itemisation system made building effective characters a real challenge, and periodic ladder resets kept the loot-hunting economy fresh. Fast-forward 10 years and the highly anticipated sequel Diablo III was released to some serious complaints. The servers were unstable for weeks at launch, the always-online DRM caused a stir, and the endgame item grind was severely underwhelming.

Indie developer Grinding Gear Games aims to beat Blizzard at its own game with its new free-to-play action RPG Path of Exile. The game boasts a dark art style and an unprecedented level of character customisation that lets players build truly unique characters. Each skill is itemised as a gem that can be slotted into your gear and augmented with dozens of different support gems. The sprawling passive skill system is better described as a "skill octopus," with millions of different ways to build a character. I've spent the past few weeks smashing up monsters in the Path of Exile open beta and absolutely loving it.

Read on to find out why I can honestly say that Path of Exile is the sequel Diablo II deserved.

Continue reading Path of Exile hands-on: The sequel Diablo II deserved

MassivelyPath of Exile hands-on: The sequel Diablo II deserved originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
Path of Exile entered open beta this week as a peak of 56,700 simultaneous players piled into the servers to check the game out. Open beta brought with it the final character wipe, so for all intents and purposes, the game has now released. Upcoming first-person MOBA SMITE similarly opened its doors to the public last Thursday and released a series of new gameplay updates and graphical overhauls.

League of Legends issued permanent game bans to two extremely antisocial professional players, effectively removing Team Solo Mebdi from upcoming European competitive tournaments. Dota 2 moved to curb antisocial harassment behaviour this week by implementing new privacy features to stop players' stats from being tracked by third-party rating websites.

Heroes of Newerth announced some major upcoming graphical and gameplay overhauls with its massive Patch 3.0 update that will go live in just a few days. The update aims to revamp the map graphics and introduce bots for players to play against in a new co-op mode. Rise of Immortals continued development with the release of its new mage immortal Undine, and Blizzard announced that its upcoming MOBA Blizzard All-Stars is still in development.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Open betas, antisocial players and graphical overhauls

MassivelyNot So Massively: Open betas, antisocial players and graphical overhauls originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-mmoaction-rpgaiantisocialantisocial-behaviorbanbansbattle-for-graxiabattlenetblizzardblizzard-all-starsblizzard-dotablizzard-entertainmentchampionchampion-spotlightchampionscompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotadota-2dotabuffe-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playgothic-fantasygraxiagrinding-geargrinding-gear-gamesharassmentheroheroesheroes-of-newerthhonlaunchlaunchesleague-of-legendslolmobamultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerpatchpatch-3.0path-of-exilepermanent-banpetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespoepvpriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamesStunnedandSlayedthreshundinevalveVeigodxvideoMon, 28 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Not So Massively: Jay Wilson steps down, layoffs at Gas Powered Games]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/21/not-so-massively-jay-wilson-steps-down-layoffs-at-gas-powered/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/21/not-so-massively-jay-wilson-steps-down-layoffs-at-gas-powered/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/21/not-so-massively-jay-wilson-steps-down-layoffs-at-gas-powered/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Not So Massively title image
Gas Powered Games laid off 80% of its workforce this week as the studio's future became uncertain. CEO Chris Taylor revealed that if his Kickstarter campaign for new action RPG Wildman fails, the company will have to close its doors. Jay Wilson stepped down as Diablo III's Lead Game Designer to move on to other projects but assured players that the game will continue to be regularly updated. With less than a week to go until Path of Exile opens its doors to the public, two Massively freelancers recently tried the game and delivered their verdicts.

Rise of Immortals released its new All Random All Mid game mode that promises short casual matches, while Dota 2 revealed its new Least Played mode that forces players to pick heroes they ordinarily avoid. Heroes of Newerth's new ranged agility hero, Bushwack, hit the servers last Friday, and League of Legends announced early details of its upcoming support champion, Thresh. For those who've ever wanted to get into competitive League of Legends gaming, Riot Games also published an infographic this week showing the path to this season's competitive championship tournament.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Jay Wilson steps down, layoffs at Gas Powered Games

MassivelyNot So Massively: Jay Wilson steps down, layoffs at Gas Powered Games originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The truest sacrifice is taking a bullet when you don't need to.
When Jay Wilson announced that he was leaving his position as director of Diablo III, the forums were filled with responses. To the surprise of absolutely no one who has visited any forum in the history of the Internet, many of those responses were some variety of blaming Wilson for every issue the game might have or claiming that the game is clearly being abandoned completely. That didn't sit well with executive producer Rob Pardo, who took to the forums to tell players that if they want someone to blame, blame him.

Pardo explains that he's extremely proud of the game and that everyone remains dedicated to making it the best it can be. At the same time, he stresses that he was responsible for hiring and overseeing Wilson's work, and he takes full responsibility for the game as a whole. The odds of this actually defusing forum vitriol are still roughly nil, but it does ensure that at least in Pardo's eyes it will be directed in a more deserving direction, and it's a classy move no matter what you think of the game.

MassivelyBlizzard's Rob Pardo asks players to direct Diablo III blame to him originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgbattlenetblameblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcash-shopcommunitycultured3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiifantasyforumforum-culturegothic-fantasyjay-wilsonmultiplayerofficial-responseonline-multiplayerresponserob-pardoroguelikerpgsolidarityMon, 21 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo III's Jay Wilson steps down as game director]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/17/diablo-iiis-jay-wilson-steps-down-as-game-director/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/17/diablo-iiis-jay-wilson-steps-down-as-game-director/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/17/diablo-iiis-jay-wilson-steps-down-as-game-director/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Diablo III's Jay Wilson steps down as game director
It's hard to imagine working on the same game for seven years, but for Diablo III's Jay Wilson, that was his reality. The game director won't be making it eight, however, as Wilson is stepping down to move to another position in Blizzard.

"While it's been one of the most challenging and rewarding periods of my life, I've reached a point creatively where I'm looking forward to working on something new," Wilson wrote in his farewell letter. "The powers that be at Blizzard have been gracious enough to give me that opportunity."

Wilson stressed that the ongoing development of Diablo III will "carry forward as normal" and that he'll remain available to the team for consultation and advice.

He discusses the creation, launch, and development of the action RPG, ending with a sentimental wave to fans: "You are the most passionate, dedicated group of gamers a designer could hope to have. I wish you all the best, and want to thank you for making this an amazing experience for me."

MassivelyDiablo III's Jay Wilson steps down as game director originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
Several Diablo III players have recently been caught abusing the votekick feature to kill other players in public games. Undeterred, Blizzard announced details of upcoming patch 1.0.7's new Demonic Essence and PvP duelling system. Path of Exile called last orders on its crowdfunding campaign and revealed that 150 people have already bought the $1,000 diamond supporter's pack.

We interviewed Ironclad on upcoming MOBA Sins of a Dark Age, its new Realm Quest feature, and plans to support competitive gaming. Dota 2 completitive tournament website joinDOTA has had its YouTube channel restored following last week's unexpected and still unexplained shutdown. To add a bit more of a competitive spirit to its own game, Hi-Rez Studios published a list of SMITE's top 200 players and revealed new character Hercules.

With the League of Legends North American championship qualifiers underway, this week Riot Games revealed its new digital artwork contest and displayed the five gingerbread masterpieces that won its recent sculpture contest. Bloodline Champions celebrated its second birthday yesterday with a free gift for all players, but developers admitted that updates will be much less frequent from now on. Last but certainly not least, a new video has been making the rounds recently showing an upcoming 10-player World of Warcraft battleground suspiciously named Defense of the Alehouse

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MassivelyNot So Massively: Exploits, updates, and World of Warcraft's DotA battleground originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III lays out the welcome mat for patch 107 testing
You know that good feeling from an all-around patch that fills gaps, patches up broken supports, and leaves you with a stronger structure? Prepare to feel that when Diablo III's 1.0.7 comes to town. Currently the patch is in testing, although Blizzard has posted the contents of this "kitchen sink" update.

One of Patch 1.0.7's chief features is the addition of a dueling zone to the game. This anything-goes, just-for-fun area is called the Scorched Chapel, and it's there that groups of two to four people can hang out and go all fight club on each other. While dueling has neither score nor rewards, the studio figures people might want to do it just for the fun factor.

Other improvements coming with 1.0.7 include tweaks to Wizards and Monks, more crafting recipes, an increase to the amount of XP that the monster power system produces in Inferno mode, and an end to the increasing resurrection timer for consecutive deaths.

MassivelyDiablo III lays out the welcome mat for patch 1.0.7 testing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crap. Everyone else hates me so I just... froze like this. Could you demons stay put for a few seconds until we can get back to fighting? Or... yeah, rip out my viscera, that's probably better.
Playing Diablo III in Hardcore mode is a harrowing experience. No matter how good you are as a player, there's always the real worry that one careless move will mean the end of a character you've worked hard to level. Unfortunately, sometimes that careless move is simply playing in a public game, as griefers have been exploiting the votekick system to cause players to die and lose everything through no fault of their own.

As it currently stands, a player who has been kicked by popular vote will be rooted in place for 10 seconds while the character is ejected. Griefers have used this to kick players in the middle of monster-heavy rooms, resulting in 10 seconds of uninterrupted monster beatdowns with no chance of reprieve.

So how to fix this? Well, Blizzard plans to remove the 10 second lockout in the near future to ensure that a kicked player can still move and respond rather than get pointlessly murdered. There's no word on whether this will be a hotfix or rolled into a larger patch, but it's definitely on the horizon. Until it goes live, though, you might not want to have your hardcore characters on a public game.

MassivelyBlizzard to fix exploit with Diablo III's votekick system originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively title image
The League of Legends North American online qualifiers took place this weekend, with 32 teams competing for just eight spots in the upcoming offline qualifiers in Los Angeles. Dota 2's competitive tournament scene suffered a setback when tournament website joinDOTA had its YouTube account and channel inexplicably closed. Rise of Immortals is gearing up for its first official tournament, and Guardians of Middle-Earth has $5,000 up for grabs in its first console MOBA e-sports cups.

The Kickstarter campaign for Elite: Dangerous blasted through its goal in the final two days thanks to a huge wave of last-minute pledges. Off the back of the popularity of its own crowdfunding campaign, action RPG Path of Exile upgraded and battle-tested its servers to handle over 50,000 concurrent players.

Upcoming MOBA Sins of a Dark Age aims to add a twist to the modern MOBA with randomly spawned Realm Quests that add another tactical level to the standard 5v5 gameplay. Finally, Blizzard highlighted several player-made videos this week showing some of the optimum Diablo III farming routes for players on the race to paragon level 100.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Cash prize MOBA tournaments and crowdfunding success!

MassivelyNot So Massively: Cash prize MOBA tournaments and crowdfunding success! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Art of Blizzard prepares for debut
Blizzard has never been short on absolutely amazing artists, which is why we're quite keen on getting a glimpse of the new Art of Blizzard book coming out this month. The Art of Blizzard is a huge 350-page coffee table book full of hundreds of pieces of concept art and behind-the-scenes looks from the studio's entire library.

To celebrate the book's launch, Blizzard invites fans to travel to southern California for a reception and exhibition at Gallery Nucleus. The reception is on January 12th with the exhibition running until February 3rd, and players may be able to snag one of the early copies of the book there as long as supplies last. The studio is sending several of its artists to the gallery to meet fans and provide autographs.

MassivelyThe Art of Blizzard prepares for debut originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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