Massively

Battlestar Galactica Online inches toward 10M players, hands out swag for anniversary

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Battlestar Galactica Online, Anniversary

Battlestar Galactica Online has quietly but surely expanded its reach across the cosmos, netting nearly 10 million registered players as the title hits its first anniversary. To celebrate the dual achievement, Bigpoint is dishing out goodies to all of its players over the next week.

From today through May 6th, Bigpoint is handing out in-game gifts and bonuses to players. Players need to log in each day to grab these prizes, however. In addition to distributing freebies, BSGO is increasing the daily merit cap and offering special deals for its item shop.

Bigpoint CEO Heiko Hubertz sees Battlestar Galactica Online's first year as both a success and the beginning of a great run: "We are thrilled with the tremendous growth of BSGO and how the game has performed over the past year. We're excited to move forward with this momentum, celebrate our achievements, and reward all of our players in the community who helped us get to this point."

[Source: Bigpoint press release]

Battlestar Galactica Online inches toward 10M players, hands out swag for anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RuneScape's mad, mad, mad, Mad May approaches

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser

With the virtual flowers in bloom and the birds and bees merging together to form a hybrid class (beerds), you should expect life and vitality springing forth out of your MMOs this spring. RuneScape is embracing the season by hosting an entire month of prizes called Mad May.

Taking place during the titular month, Mad May will dowse subscribers with bonuses and freebies. First up is an extra daily spin on the new Squeal of Fortune game, which offers players a chance to win a variety of prizes every day. Following that is a hefty 5,000 Loyalty Point boost for members. These points may be redeemed for a whole bunch of new items, including emotes and auras. Finally, Jagex will cap off the month by rewarding all subscribers with 250,000 XP on June 1st.

In addition to the Mad May bonuses, RuneScape will see the return of Wild Weekends during the month. Details about what the Wild Weekends will entail are forthcoming, as is a special behind-the-scenes look into the game's upcoming projects.

RuneScape's mad, mad, mad, Mad May approaches originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EverQuest: Veil of Alaris preorder bonuses announced

Matt Daniel — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Economy, Expansions, News items

EverQuest's 18th expansion, Veil of Alaris, isn't too far off, and Sony Online Entertainment has announced that preorders are now open. The game comes in two flavors: standard and digital collector's edition. The former includes Veil of Alaris and all previous EverQuest expansions along with an exclusive mount, house decoration items (two paintings and a Resplendent Sword Ornamentation) and a traveler's rucksack.

The collector's edition includes all of that, plus another exclusive mount, another rucksack, and more paintings and house decoration items than you can shake a stick at. If you preorder before November 14th, the standard edition will run you $39.99 while the collector's edition costs $59.99. After the 14th, however, the collector's edition price goes up to a whopping $89.99, so if you're planning on grabbing it, you better act quickly.

EverQuest: Veil of Alaris preorder bonuses announced originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Allods Online gives players a chance to choose their luck

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online

Luck is fickle. One moment you seem to be hitting a 20% chance for a critical hit every other swing, the next you're lucky if you can avoid missing. But Allods Online is giving the playerbase a chance to change its collective luck through pure will. Well, pure will and a helpful dose of popularity. The Choose Your Lucky Moment event has begun, offering everyone a shot at something bigger and better next week.

Currently, there's a poll available with a long list of lucky bonuses, such as increased experience gained from quests and better loot from the Astral. The voting runs until Friday, September 9th. Once the votes have all been tallied, the three bonuses with the highest number of votes will be turned on for the next week on both servers, running from September 10th until September 16th. It might not help you with that string of critical hits, but it's the best chance Allods Online players will have to turn their luck around by choice.

Allods Online gives players a chance to choose their luck originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion extends RIFT half-birthday bonuses because of Hurricane Irene

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, RIFT

"Trion, you should extend the birthday celebrations due to Irene," one East Coast player wrote on the forums.

"They did," came the next reply.

The many, many half-birthday bonuses that came with RIFT's kooky in-game party were set to end tomorrow, September 1st, but are now being extended until September 6th so that players affected by last weekend's hurricane can enjoy it as well. Subscribers are still expected to receive their in-game gifts tomorrow that include bonus potions and a reusable birthday cake.

James Nichols delivered the happy news: "We know many of you have been weathering out the storm on the east coast -- so we're keeping the subscriber bonuses turned on an extra week. You now have until September 6th to enjoy all the bonuses to XP, Guild XP, Favor, Prestige, Planarite, and dungeon & raid currencies. Have fun!"

Trion extends RIFT half-birthday bonuses because of Hurricane Irene originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's the most you'd pay for a collector's edition?

Jef Reahard — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Star Wars: The Old Republic

So the year's most inescapable MMORPG has officially made it to the pre-order stage. Not only that, but BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic opus has also pulled the curtain back on its collector's edition treasure hoard (which will dent your wallet for the princely sum of $150.00).

While both the in-game and real world goodies are quite appealing to Star Wars fans, the price tag is one of the most expensive in the history of MMOs. Today's Daily Grind is all about your reaction to said price tag. Are you going to shell out twice what a normal CE costs for SWTOR? If not, what's the most you'd pay for a collector's edition?

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

The Daily Grind: What's the most you'd pay for a collector's edition? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Digesting E3

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, Massively Event Coverage, The Road to Mordor

Instead of being hit by one huge Lord of the Rings Online bombshell at E3, as some predicted, we were treated to a series of smaller yet gripping reveals that are sure to have a major impact on our gameplay in the future. We assumed that E3 would be all about Rise of Isengard for LotRO, and sure enough, it was.

Weeks like this are what we live for as fans. It's crazy to get a glut of information that we're expected to digest all at once, and it's so much fun too. I think Turbine probably has a few more reveals tucked up its sleeve about the expansion -- we still have four months to go, after all -- but this is a good start to the ramping-up period before Isengard releases.

So enough dilly-dallying; let's dig into it! What can we make out of all of these revelations? What does the pre-order mean for you? What were the highlights and what were the disappointments? Hit the jump and we'll take you on a legendary ride all the way to the gates of Orthanc itself!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Digesting E3

The Road to Mordor: Digesting E3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Blood Lord has come to Vindictus, and he brings... football

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Trailers, Video, Events, in-game, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Vindictus

Perhaps you've been enjoying Vindictus but thinking the whole time that something is missing from the game. Something that would really make all of the fantasy action click together for you. Something like, say, footballs. If so, well, we don't know what to tell you except that your dream has come true. Coinciding with the arrival of the Blood Lord is the addition of footballs throughout missions, as well as special football-themed costumes for players to unlock by using the pigskins as a weapon of war.

Essentially, defeating bosses with creative use of the football will net players coupons that can be redeemed for football jerseys, which combine with football helmets (available in the cash store) to unlock special bonuses for players. It's certainly apropos of the current playoff season, albeit in a setting where it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Still, if you're looking to meld ferocious fantasy violence with the thrill of kicking the winning field goal, the video past the cut makes it clear that Vindictus has you covered. (Oh, and there's a vampire lord.)

Gallery: Vindictus Blood Lord preview

Continue reading The Blood Lord has come to Vindictus, and he brings... football

The Blood Lord has come to Vindictus, and he brings... football originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Each answer is the end of a question

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Welcome to this week's edition of The Mog Log, in which we answer reader questions about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV while staying as far away from the drama of this past week as possible. Seriously, the sky is not falling here, folks. It seemed like such a nice week overall, too, with lots of great news coming out the whole week long. And for the record, there's also a special announcement at the end of the article, so by all means read through to the end in the unlikely event you normally don't.

Roughly ten million people asked or said: "What the heck is the deal with the fatigue system?"

I'm really hoping that by the time you're reading this, the full translation has mollified people somewhat regarding the system. But I'm going to write on the assumption that it hasn't, and believe me, it's at the top of the list for things to talk about next week. And it certainly does put a strict limit on what players can do in the game, much like guildleves and their infamous two-day turnaround.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Each answer is the end of a question

The Mog Log: Each answer is the end of a question originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More details on the Final Fantasy XIV collector's edition

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Previews, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Promotions

We've been treated to a deluge of information about Final Fantasy XIV over the past couple of days, which coincides nicely with the fact that the collector's edition releases in just a little over a month. The obvious bonus to that special edition, of course, is the fact that it releases a week before the standard edition. But there's more inside the box than just an early game disc, and Eorzeapedia has had the chance to take a look closer at some of the contents.

The Square-Enix security token included in the box certainly goes a long way to alleviating the price of entry, as it normally costs $10 alone and will work with both Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI (indeed, having both on the same account can provide distinct advantages). Also worth noting are the special documents mailed to players for characters they create -- a physical commemoration of your character, with designs unique to each home nation. Combine that with the travel journal full of concept art, and there are plenty of bonuses even without the early release. (Not that said release isn't excellent.)

More details on the Final Fantasy XIV collector's edition originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Subscribing to both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV gets you bonuses

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Business models, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Promotions

Players have been wondering for some time if there would be any reason to continue subscribing to Final Fantasy XI after the release of Final Fantasy XIV. Not that the two games are wholly interchangeable, but the audience for both is likely to be similar. Square-Enix seems to have considered this and, as a result, players subscribing to both games will get three bonuses for playing both games. The first is the most significant from a material standpoint -- the base cost of a subscription to Final Fantasy XI will be discounted to $7 a month for an account with both games linked.

The other two bonuses are for veterans of the game, but equally appealing. Players with a character already created in FFXI will be able to import their character name to Final Fantasy XIV, with the character name being the given name and the server name as the family name. (So "Jejeune" on the Fairy server would be named Jejeune Fairy.) And as a last carrot, FFXIV characters will receive a special item on creation, the Hermes Shoes. So if you're planning on picking up FFXIV and already play FFXI, now would be the time to link the PlayOnline account.

Subscribing to both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV gets you bonuses originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rappelz offers player prizes for logging in

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Rappelz, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions

There aren't as many new MMOs coming out this year, but there are still plenty of games to compete for your attention over the summer months. The team at Rappelz wants their game to be your choice for the summer, and they've devised a straightforward way to encourage it: an event you enter via logging in. No random prizes, no ornate entries, nothing but the simple procedure of logging into the game's servers for prizes. And it makes sense that it would be called "Login to Win" as a result.

Running from July 7th to August 14th, the event will automatically award prizes to each character after you log in for at least an hour a week. If you log in for at least an hour for a certain number of days, you also get additional prizes, and characters who log in for a grand total of 35 hours during the promotion are eligible for a drawing from several nifty presents. It's a great way for Rappelz players to get a little added incentive -- after all, if you were planning on logging in anyway, logging in to win seems straightforward.

Rappelz offers player prizes for logging in originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Should early adoption bonuses be purchasable later?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Launches, Opinion, The Daily Grind

There's a bit of a kerfluffle going on in the Star Trek Online forums at the moment. Cryptic has announced their plans to bring some items into the C-Store, and while that always triggers a fresh round of unbridled rage, the items in question have brought out even sharper divides in opinion. That's kind of understandable -- they're a laundry list of pre-order bonuses, early-adoption bonuses for lifetime subscriptions, and other bonuses used to entice players into purchasing the game sooner rather than later.

Some of the players on the forums are pleased with the change -- they got these items earlier and cheaper, after all, and there's no real harm in letting others purchase them. Others are quite upset that what they had seen as a unique privilege is being distributed freely. There are always players who arrive late to a game and don't necessarily have access to the early bonuses. What do you think about making them purchasable after the fact? Does it discourage you from buying games early, does it cheapen the special qualities, or is it a fair chance for late arrivals to get some cosmetic additions?

The Daily Grind: Should early adoption bonuses be purchasable later? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Questions versus answers, no holds barred!

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Expansions, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled guide to playing a spider for a number of questions and answers, and possibly several comic book sound effects! (Okay, it's not exactly "interrupting" anything when I said that it would be here this week, but humor me.) As usual, the community has taken the opportunity to ask me a number of City of Heroes questions, and I have used my magical time-looker-forward tube to find the vast majority of the answers. So with that having been said, let's get into the down and dirty, shall we?

Superfan asked:
"Massively suspects the game has only 40,000 active subscibers right now?"

No, the quick math done by one Massively writer suggested it as a possible figure, based on some generous margins and assuming everyone's subscription is on a one-month-recurring basis as opposed to the plethora of other subscription pricing plans available. The goal was to create a vague idea of how many subscribers on an active basis the game might have at the moment, since we no longer get actual subscription numbers for the game.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Questions versus answers, no holds barred!

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Questions versus answers, no holds barred! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer has been dated

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Events, real-world, Expansions, News items

Yes, it's true, the first expansion for Age of Conan has been dated. Reports indicate that her father was exceedingly upset and... okay, yeah. Rise of the Godslayer, bringing us to the distinctly oriental lands of Khitai, has gotten an official release date of May 11th, 2010. That means it's only a couple of weeks away for anxious gamers, which is cetainly good news. And there's more good news for new players or returning members, as the expansion will be available by both digital means and boxed copies.

The boxes will contain not just the expansion, but the original game, allowing curious new players a chance to start new without doubling their investment. If that's not enough of an incentive, boxed retail versions will include a tamed puma pet which will be unobtainable through other means. Details have not been provided, but the boxes are set to contain other in-game items as well. Age of Conan's development team has been hard at work delivering the best they can with Rise of the Godslayer, and players willl only need to wait a little while longer to see the fruits of their efforts.

Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer has been dated originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Communicator offered with Star Trek Online Collector's Edition

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Launches, New titles, Star Trek Online

Are you the kind of person who goes around all day wearing a Star Trek uniform? We kind of hope not. But if you've ever secretly wanted to be able to do that with a legitimate excuse... well, we can't totally help you there, but you can at least have an opportunity to wear the badge for a bit. Shacknews has reported that the collector's edition of Star Trek Online from many retailers, including GameStop, will include a high-quality die-cast replica of the MMO's ubiquitous communicator badge.

For the few of you not familiar with the series, the insignia and communicator is a constant feature of the shows and films. Star Trek Online is sporting a new badge design, similar to the badge in the original series but with a slightly off-center bottom indent. Those of you not immediately familiar with the series, aside from being fortunate, can simply be amused at the prospect of having a rather unique souvenir for the upgraded purchase. The game launches on February 12th, 2010, so now is the time to decide if you'd like to be able to wear the badge.

Communicator offered with Star Trek Online Collector's Edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Order Fallen Earth via Steam and improve your attire

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, News items

Just because the world has come to an end and society is left to scramble around in the ruins doesn't mean you can't look dashing in the process. Fallen Earth has been on a bit of a kick lately of giving away clothing to purchasers of the game, starting with an astonishingly fetching hat, and now extending via the popular digital service Steam. Until December 3rd, those who purchase the game via Steam will receive a voucher good for a special t-shirt representing one of the game's factions -- CHOTA, Enforcers, Lightbearers, Techs, Travelers or Vistas.

Each shirt qualifies as a piece of level 10 armor, with other stats that are appropriate to the faction in question. (Expect the Techs shirt to offer bonuses to crafting rather than combat bonuses, for example.) The vouchers can be turned in at any time, and should the player later decide they'd prefer to represent someone else, a shirt may be turned in and exchanged for another shirt as well. It's nothing game-breaking, but yet another added incentive to pick up Fallen Earth and see what all the fuss is about. Still not quite as good-looking as the hat, of course, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Order Fallen Earth via Steam and improve your attire originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft's digital download options and bonuses

William Dobson — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Launches, New titles, Crime, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft

CrimeCraft's launch date is just around the corner now, and if you haven't pre-ordered yet but plan on doing so, there really isn't a lot of time left! While the retail distribution of the game in North America and Canada is exclusive to particular stores (Best Buy for NA and Future Shop in Canada), there are a few choices when it comes to making a digital purchase. Future players will be able to buy and download the title from CrimeCraft.com, Direct2Drive (IGN), Steam and Best Buy Digital. All of the digital downloads come with a few in-game perks (different from each other), and all of them bar Steam offer some extras for pre-ordering. No matter which way you go, the suggested price of US$49.95 includes two months of premium subscription, including a ration of gold bars that are used for in-game microtransactions.

All of the information you need to know in order to make your choice is just past the break -- be sure to check it out if you plan on getting CrimeCraft digitally.

Continue reading CrimeCraft's digital download options and bonuses

CrimeCraft's digital download options and bonuses originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's rumored 'Orca' ship unveiled

James Egan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Forums, Game mechanics, Crafting, Professions, News items, PvE

Behold, the Orca!

CCP Games developer CCP Chronotis unveiled the much-rumored Orca ship in EVE Online today, something industry-types have been looking forward to for a very long time. Chronotis said, "The development of the Orca has been unusual to say the least. With the introduction of the Rorqual last year Oveur immediately pointed out the remaining glaring gap in the industrial ship line and commanded us to fill it." The end result is a 'sub-capital logistical ship with a mining command focus'.

Read on below for a brief FAQ drawn from CCP Chronotis' dev blog as well as his commentary on the forums, which clarifies more about EVE's newest ship, the Orca.

Continue reading EVE Online's rumored 'Orca' ship unveiled

EVE Online's rumored 'Orca' ship unveiled originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay?

James Egan — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Crafting

One of the interesting features of EVE Online is that it has a drug trade in which players are actively engaged. Rather than merely being an illegal commodity, drugs -- called boosters -- enhance the performance of EVE's pilots, albeit with some potential side effects.

To understand boosters though, we'll need to look into the game's setting a bit first. The thing to remember is that as a player, you're a capsuleer. You're not standing on the bridge of your ship barking orders at subordinates. Rather, you're floating inside a metallic capsule deep within your ship. Your mind is interfaced with the ship you pilot via neural implants, thus your vessel is an extension of your body and its senses; you regulate the ship's activities merely by thinking about them. Not all people in EVE's setting of New Eden have the raw potential to become a capsuleer, making your character one of the elite. However, when faced with others of your caliber in combat, every possible edge you can gain over rival capsuleers helps. That's where boosters come in... they're your edge. Boosters augment aspects of your mental processes and thus provide certain bonuses when piloting your ship.

Continue reading Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay?

Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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