Massively

SWTOR to get ability delay fixes but no Valor rollback [Updated]

Matt Daniel — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Oh, happy day! BioWare's Georg Zoeller has posted a new entry on the Star Wars: The Old Republic official site addressing the incredibly frustrating ability delay that has had players up in arms. Zoeller states that the team has found a number of issues, including abilities on cooldown being displayed as usable, unreliable instant abilities, and significant input delay in "certain game situations, most notably (but not limited to) fast-paced PvP."

The team has worked out the two former bugs and is scheduled to get the respective fixes onto the public test server in the next update. Work on the latter issue is in "the later stage of testing," and the team hopes to be able to roll it out onto the live servers "very soon." Here's to hoping that when Zoeller says soon, he means "soon" and not "soon[TM]."

[Update: A second dev blog, this one by BioWare's Jeff Hickman, explains the situation with Ilum PvP and why the team decided not to rollback Valor points in the wake of recent exploits. He does promise that the team will use game metrics to take action against the worst offenders if merited.]

SWTOR to get ability delay fixes but no Valor rollback [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR's 1.1 patch adds anti-aliasing, level 50 Flashpoint

Jef Reahard — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic's next big update is live on the game's public test shard. BioWare says that the 1.1 patch is chock full of bug fixes and is "the first of many content updates" for the sci-fi MMO.

New stuff includes a level 50 Flashpoint (Kaon Under Siege) and four new bosses for Operation: Karagga's Palace. Also of note is an anti-aliasing option in the preferences menu and a correction for the problems plaguing Kira Carsen's affection conversations. The full patch notes are viewable on the official SWTOR website.

SWTOR's 1.1 patch adds anti-aliasing, level 50 Flashpoint originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR goes bug hunting with 1.0.2 and prognosticates PvP improvements

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Patches, PvP, Star Wars: The Old Republic

With the abundance of bugs and glitches in Star Wars: The Old Republic, fans are looking to James Ohlen's promise of weekly patches to shore up the faults. Yesterday we saw patch 1.0.2 go live with some -- but certainly not all -- of these fixes, as well as an increase in the PvP lockbox rewards and allowing players to emote while mounted.

In addition to yesterday's patch, today BioWare plans to roll out an emergency fix to address a few important issues: players crashing to desktop at character select, a problem with the chat channels in which they would stop functioning for some people, and the now-infamous /getdown bug.

PvP Lead Gabe Amatangelo also emerged from the BioWare fortress to chat about plans for the future of the game's PvP combat. According to Amatangelo, the team is working on level 50 brackets for warzones, vastly improving open world PvP on Ilum, a new same-faction vs. same-faction warzone, team vs. team queuing, ranked warzone matches, and more. He says that to date, over a million warzone matches have been played, with 39% of those matches played being Huttball and the Empire winning 53% of every match fought.

SWTOR goes bug hunting with 1.0.2 and prognosticates PvP improvements originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BioWare's James Ohlen: Bug fixes coming weekly

Matt Daniel — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Any new MMO, even big-budget behemoths like BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, is often fraught with bugs and exploits that can keep the game from living up to its full potential. The Old Republic's game director, James Ohlen, recognizes this and has stopped by the official forums to let players know how the company will be handling the game's bugs, glitches, and exploits.

Ohlen states that "almost every week [BioWare] will be releasing a new patch." These pseudo-weekly patches will be focused almost entirely on fixing bugs, exploits, and glaring balance issues within the game. Ohlen does remind players, however, that bug-fixing is not always a simple task. "There are issues that we will fix immediately," he says, with the caveat that "these are rare and not every issue can be fixed in this manner. We usually reserve these 'emergency fixes' for bugs that are stopping players from playing the game or to exploits that could unbalance the entire game if not corrected." I'm sure players have a few things in mind to which an emergency fix could be applied, but we'll just have to wait for the next patch to see what the devs have cooked up.

BioWare's James Ohlen: Bug fixes coming weekly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Fallen Earth's December State of the Game talks F2P transition, new features

Matt Daniel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Bugs, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

It's finally December, which means that I can go into a store and not fly into a rage when I discover that it's already playing Christmas music. It also means that it's time for Fallen Earth's December State of the Game letter. This is the first State of the Game since the title's change to F2P last month, so can you bet your hide there's a lot to cover. Marie Croall begins by talking about some of the "less sexy but ultimately critical things" that the team has been working on since the transition. Lots of bug-fixing has taken place as the Fallen Earth team works to iron out some of the kinks that arose during the F2P transition.

Meanwhile, the town of Embry got a bit of a makeover. The art team went into the city and "replaced high-poly, high-batch buildings with newer ones that will improve performance and the overall aesthetic appeal of the town." The team is also working hard at developing new content and features, such as world events, farms, and the upcoming augmentation system. Croall closes out the post with some dates: Territory control, the revamped map, new world events, and New Embry will be added to the game in mid-December, while everything else will have to wait until next year. For the full details, head on to the game's official blog.

Fallen Earth's December State of the Game talks F2P transition, new features originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Newest test server pass for Star Trek Online aimed at cleaning up [Updated with F2P date!]

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:00:00 EST

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

Bugs and design issues are present even in the universe of Star Trek Online, ranging from irritating interface bugs on ship consoles to the apparently frequent bug that causes the holodeck to nearly kill everyone on the ship every few weeks. They also crop up in the game itself, of course, but as outlined in the latest Path to F2P blog, the development team is focusing in closely on trying to eliminate several bugs and design issues currently in the game.

Patrol missions, for instance, are being changed from a flat sequence of isolated system missions into a more freeform system that scales with level. Crafting changes are also being put in place, giving players "material blocks" to work with that are purchase via dilithium, thereby allowing fleets and groups of players to shunt crafting resources toward a single player. The entry also hints at an entirely new form of content coming to the test server over the next month, although players will have to wait to find out what that means.

[Edit: More details on the F2P switch have also surfaced, thanks to our friends at IGN.]

Newest test server pass for Star Trek Online aimed at cleaning up [Updated with F2P date!] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Istaria publishes September content update, looks to the future

Jef Reahard — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox, Dungeons

A few days ago we told you about some sandbox games that are worth your time, money, and in most cases, both. We're also ashamed to admit that we overlooked one of the more unique free-form MMORPGs in existence. That MMORPG is Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted, and the devs have recently dropped a pretty extensive content update on the long-running fantasy game.

Aside from the usual bug-fixing and quest tweaks, the September patch added a new high-level region called Winter Vale and a revamp of the game's portal system. That's just for starters, too, since the Istaria devs are hard at work on the new Helian's Tomb mini-dungeon and quest series as well as the return of seasonal events.

Finally, there are several network and game client optimization projects in the works, including new launcher functionality and character management options. In short, there's never been a better time to return to (or discover) the world of Istaria. If you're curious, the game client is free to download, and you can also partake of an unlimited 14-day free trial or a feature-limited free-to-play option. Oh, and did we mention that you can build your own town and play as a dragon?

[Thanks to Paul for the tip!]

Istaria publishes September content update, looks to the future originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vanguard goes on a bug bash with a new update

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Bugs, Patches, Vanguard

If you're rubbing your eyes in disbelief, fret not, you're hardly alone. After a sea of silence from the Vanguard team, the struggling MMO is getting its first update in a very long time -- since January 2010, as a matter of fact.

This "bug bash" update is precisely what it says: a patch dedicated to fixing a number of troublesome errors in the game. These changes will impact the UI, repeatable events, items, abilities, and quests.

While the patch itself would be seen as a routine update in any other game, the fact that Vanguard players are seeing something after all this time is cause to celebrate. A month ago Sony Online Entertainment promised the community that it hadn't forgotten about Vanguard, so hopefully this patch is an indicator that the company plans to make good on its promise to support and expand the game.

Vanguard goes on a bug bash with a new update originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ultima Online begins testing Publish 71.0

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Ultima Online

You'd think that an MMO well into its golden years like Ultima Online would slow down to take advantage of senior citizen menu options, bingo night, and yelling at youngsters to get off the lawn. But, no, the dev team is instead running like they've never run before, as a new update on the test shard Origin can attest.

Yesterday, the highly anticipated Publish 71.0 was pushed to the test server for players to tinker around and explore. The patch notes tell a tale of many, many balance changes and tweaks, along with plenty of brand-new buff icons. Fishing's also been treated to somewhat of an overhaul with the patch, as additional trophies are being installed and schools of magical fish will begin to move around in order to keep you guessing. There's even a special sea encounter with Charybdis that is only available to dedicated fishermen.

To check out all of the nitty-gritty details and bug fixes that are coming with 71.0, head on over to Ultima Online to read the notes!

Ultima Online begins testing Publish 71.0 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Perpetuum dev blog talks player influx, bug fixing, and new features

Jef Reahard — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Perpetuum, Dev Diaries

Avatar Creations has come up with a new Perpetuum dev blog, and it looks like the little sandbox that could has turned a bit of a corner when it comes to server stability and accommodating its expanding community.

Avatar's Dev Calvin explains how the team had to allocate most of its resources to dealing with an influx of EVE Online refugees. The scramble was a successful one, but "the development plan for the first two weeks [of July] was ruined," he writes.

Going forward, Perpetuum players will be seeing the long-awaited storyline PvE missions in short order, as well as tweaks to beta outposts and a large helping of what Avatar calls "industrialist love." Calvin does point out that new features will be taking something of a backseat to bug fixes, though, so a little patience is in order. "The influx of players brought light to a lot of glitches, imbalances and dysfunctional mechanisms in the game, so instead of rushing forward and pushing out new features in the next few weeks, we are taking a step back and making everything that is available in the game better," he said.

Perpetuum dev blog talks player influx, bug fixing, and new features originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Prophecy patch brings new missions, fixes

Jef Reahard — Tue, 03 May 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Black Prophecy

Black Prophecy's first monthly patch is here, and today's update brings a bit of new content to the free-to-play sci-fi title -- as well as a number of smaller improvements. The content additions take the form of 10 new missions now available in the game's open sectors, and there are a variety of mission levels ranging from four to 35 according to the patch notes.

Aside from that, Reakktor has made a number of performance tweaks, HUD and graphical fixes, and adjustments to everything from damage distribution across ship components to repair kit durability. You can learn more, as well as download the game, at the official website.

Black Prophecy patch brings new missions, fixes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Soapbox: Somebody should do something about all the problems!

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Culture, Game mechanics, Patches, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Bugs. They are the scourge of gaming, crawling and chittering their way through lines of code, turning what would have been a sure win into failure, making otherwise useful abilities worthless, crippling quests and destroying playtime. And so the clarion call goes out every time a new bug emerges that the developers should fix it -- a reasonable request, given that we are paying these people every month. (Or, on several occasions, we would be paying if the game weren't such a mess of bugs that they should be paying us.)

Yet months roll by, and despite countless lovingly assembled bug reports, these issues do not get fixed. And it's not just bugs, either -- balance issues go untweaked, content goes unfinished, features get rolled back or sometimes removed altogether. What the heck are we paying for? Why in the world doesn't the development team just fix these problems?

Continue reading The Soapbox: Somebody should do something about all the problems!

The Soapbox: Somebody should do something about all the problems! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

DC Universe Online Update 2 is on its way!

Larry Everett — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, News items, DC Universe Online

We know you've been anxiously awaiting new content from DC Universe Online -- so have we. A couple of weeks ago, Creative Director Chris Cao talked with us about the "chance" content of the latest update. The Penguin and Two-Face are the villains of choice this time around, and we'll even see a special appearance from Mister Mxyzptlk. Naturally, we're are all excited about the new update -- now when is it coming out?

We finally have the answer. On the official forums, Community Manager Tony "RadarX" Jones told DCUO fans that the update will be coming next week! He also took some time to explain that multiple exploits have been fixed, many mission bugs have been squashed, and the social UI has been overhauled.

For more information about the update, don your cape and cowl, then head over to Krystalle's interview with Chris Cao. If SOE keeps to its normal update schedule, we will see the new content on Tuesday (if not Thursday). To the Batcave!

DC Universe Online Update 2 is on its way! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chris Cao: DCUO's Update 2 is all about "chance"

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, Previews, News items, DC Universe Online

We heard some tantalizing details of what Sony Online Entertainment has planned for DC Universe Online's March patch a few weeks ago when Game Director Chris Cao and Art Director and Mark Anderson sat down on the Stickam chat to offer a teaser of what players could expect. Following up, we had a chat with Cao to find out some more specific details on what exactly our superheroes can expect coming in March.

According to Cao, the primary theme for this update is "chance," which is reflected both in our chance to face off against The Penguin as boss and in the addition of Two-Face/Harvey Dent in Legends PvP play and as an instance character. That fifth-dimensional trickster Mister Mxyzptlk is likewise being introduced to the game as part of a holiday event themed around St. Patrick's Day. We knew most of this from the Stickam chat; that's why we went digging deeper for the scoop on DC Universe Online's development. Check it out behind the break!

Gallery: DC Universe Online

Continue reading Chris Cao: DCUO's Update 2 is all about "chance"

Chris Cao: DCUO's Update 2 is all about "chance" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XI's February mini-patch dated

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles

Fans waiting expectantly for the Final Fantasy XI February update are going to have to wait a little while longer. But not too much longer... just until the 14th, at which point it will go live and bring accelerated experience and improved storage functionality for all. That's one of the major takeaways in the newest set of questions and answers from the development team, a steady feature since December that's helping to give players a clearer voice in the game's progress than ever before.

While the date of the patch is good to know, there are a lot of other interesting tidbits in the rundown, including a chance for players to suggest new prizes for future Mog Bonanza events. The team is also looking into addressing the issue of the most popular Notorious Monsters, storage for less-armor-related items that players tend to acquire in large quantities, and of course the squashing of troublesome bugs. Final Fantasy XI players should look at the full rundown and get ready for a number of improvements going live in just a few short days.

Final Fantasy XI's February mini-patch dated originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Xsyon beta update adds architecture skills, revamps terrain

Jef Reahard — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Bugs, New titles, News items, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic

Yep, Xsyon's still around, and the post-apocalyptic sandbox MMORPG from Notorious Games continues its beta testing phase with a full client and server update this week. The patch has also wiped all your beta characters as well as the world terrain, making way for smoother texture revisions that should be visible as you read this.

Other significant patch details include the architecture skill (which allows players to create walls and buildings), the masonry skill (designed to complement architecture), and various tweaks to combat and characters. Among these is a revision to the alignment system that flags both defenders and attackers. Finally, the new client boasts several bug fixes related to collision detection, memory leaks, and animation fixes.

Check out the full list of improvements on the official Xsyon forums.

Xsyon beta update adds architecture skills, revamps terrain originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Love's developer requesting player input for bug fixes

Rubi Bayer — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Bugs, Love

Eskil Steenberg is a busy man, but that's not stopping him from retaining his title as the world's only One Man Traveling MMO Development Studio. Hey, he should get that trademarked!

For those following the progress of Steenberg's Love MMO, you are fully aware that the man stays on top of constant improvements to the game. His Twitter followers are fed a regular dose of update notes and he's not shy about appearances in his own Teamspeak channel.

This week, as he returns to the states for Siggraph 2010, he asks his loyal fans for their input on bugs that need squashing. The compiled list will be addressed this weekend, with another aim at a Teamspeak visit as well. Check out his most recent forum post for all the details.

Love's developer requesting player input for bug fixes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online's Season One gets a booster shot

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST

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

It's been three months since the launch of Star Trek Online, and the developers haven't been sitting on their hands in the interim. With the large Season 1 patch still fresh in player's minds, the team has made a quick turnaround on the followup Season 1.1 patch. While not boasting the wide-reaching expansions that the prior patch did, this patch addresses several quality of life issues, including death penalties, mission difficulty, and the dreaded "commodity missions" receiving an overhaul.

Players will have three difficulty options for battles -- Normal, Advanced, and Elite. Normal is unchanged from the present, while Advanced and Elite get progressively harder, incorporating the game's death penalties and strengthening enemies in exchange for more drops of higher quality. As a boon to players who prefer the current difficulty, Normal challenges are still free of any penalties for death.

There are also improved spoils from badge vendors, and a buff to the reward and procedures of missions asking you to ferry supplies. With an extensive list of bug fixes, balance tweaks, and small improvements, any Star Trek Online player is sure to get some benefits out of the latest patch.

Star Trek Online's Season One gets a booster shot originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Allods releases Patch 06: Edge of the Astral

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online

When it comes to free-to-play games, one of the ones that draws a ton of attention is Allods Online. Today, gPotato has released the newest patch -- Patch 06: Edge of the Astral -- to the servers. As such, players will have a chance to get their hands on all that new content and find out how the tweaks and modifications will affect them.

If you haven't checked Allods Online out recently, this patch brings in new raid content where players will face off against War'kaz the Mindreaver, a massive Astral demon who now lurks in Gorluxor's Tower. Of course, if the idea of raiding isn't really your thing, there is also The Arena of Death in Yazes Shard -- a PvP arena that will allow players to pit their skills against each other for bonus Combat Glory. There are also adorably evil customizable goblin pets like the two seen above if neither of those areas appeal.

As to the bug fixes, tweaks, and other game improvements -- there's an enormous list. Some of the ones that immediately caught our eyes were splitting items in stacks, a hotkey for whispers, and more. This patch also holds more changes to the Fear of Death mechanic -- namely the removal of priest rez avoiding FoD -- but we suspect that change is not among the ones welcomed by players.

Be sure to pop over to the Allods Online forums on gPotato's site for the full patch notes.

Allods releases Patch 06: Edge of the Astral originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Allods Online introduces developer diary

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online

It's been about a month since we heard anything from Allods Online, and even longer since we heard anything that didn't include the words "cash" and "shop."That's been remedied thanks to the addition of a brand new developer diary, and the first entry was posted late last night.

Associate Producer Darren "CHOMP" Allarde kicked off the diary with "What does the Allods Team do," a look at the day-to-day routine of the team and their communication with players. Additionally, there's a clear explanation of exactly who Gala-Net is and what they do, versus who Astrum Nival is and what they do: "We don't fix bugs, we report them. We don't program and work on new in-game features, we hear what you have to say, tally it up, and communicate to Astrum Nival the feedback that makes sense for the game in our region."

The developer diary is off to a good start, giving some important background information about who does what. For the full entry, take a look at the official site.

Allods Online introduces developer diary originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Peek inside Lord of the Rings Online's QA team

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Bugs, Game mechanics, Patches

Working on a QA team is simultaneously one of the more important and least glamorous parts of any game's development. On the one hand, QA has the important job of trying to make sure that everything plays smoothly and correctly; on the other hand, a QA team has best done its job when there's very little that the player notices as missing. Lord of the Rings Online has recently posted a QA team diary, with Amanda "Brynhildr" Cosmos discussing the process involved in testing the recent Volume III update for the game.

Contrary to some popular beliefs, testing generally doesn't consist largely of playing the game -- it's more about finding areas of the game that might be a bit weak and straining them to the breaking point. As the diary points out, it's also about investigating the smaller areas of gameplay that might not be immediately apparent from looking at the big picture. Travel routes, pricing on small-scale consumables, and minor text quibbles aren't easy to spot unless you're looking specifically for places that can be shored up. The full diary is worth reading not just for Lord of the Rings Online players, but anyone interested in seeing what the QA teams are actually responsible for in an MMO's production.

Peek inside Lord of the Rings Online's QA team originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

STO's 'Look out, Sulu's behind you!' state of the game

Kyle Horner — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

There's a lot to absorb in the new Star Trek Online official "State of the Game" but we'd like to focus on some key points found in the update from Cryptic. Akira Sulu? Yeah, he's on the other side of the Admiral's quarters, behind the other desk.

We kid, but really, he's there. There's a bevy of future bug fixes, UI improvements, exploration and combat tweaks coming soon to open beta, which will soon see a level cap removal as well. That means DS9 and Memory Alpha will open up as well as the higher tiers of ships -- just keep in mind you'll need to re-do much of that work when the game goes live. Also well worth mentioning is that the open beta has had a huge turnout, which explains the stability issues. We kinda had a feeling that was the case, but it's nice to hear it from the horse's mouth.

The near future sounds bright for Star Trek Online, and we can only imagine the first bouts of content updates the team is putting together already.

STO's 'Look out, Sulu's behind you!' state of the game originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Champions Online GM journal: Where we've been

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Bugs, Game mechanics, Champions Online

Champions Online has a brand new dev blog out from lead GM Noel Holmes: "I wanted to take some time to let the community know what we were up to, and what's been keeping us busy for the last few weeks."

The Champions Online dev team has found plenty to keep themselves busy lately, working out the bugs and updates that are part of rolling out a new game. Things like restoring deleted characters and rolling characters back are no longer just wishful thinking.

Of course, dealing with the problem of an unresponsive Nemesis was a big issue on the table. Fixing the issue obviously isn't just a matter of a few keystrokes in such an involved scenario, and Holmes takes some time to explain how they went about taking care of this.

It's not all bug fixes and putting out fires, though. The dev team has been paying close attention to player feedback in these first few months, using it as a guide to future improvements.

The full entry can be read here.

Champions Online GM journal: Where we've been originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Scott Jennings discusses fixing bugs in live games

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion

If there's one thing that MMO gamers all agree on, it's the short list of things we almost universally hate: cheaters, gold (or equivalent currency) farmers searching for your credit card, and bugs. Oh, the dreaded bugs. They do so much damage to your gameplay experience, why doesn't the company just fix them? The inimitable Scott Jennings tackles this question in his latest column on game design, explaining that the main reason bugs don't get fixed faster is because doing so is much harder than it seems.

As he points out, the architecture of an MMO is a tricky thing at the best of times, frequently only held together with the coded equivalent of a wing and a prayer. Some bugs are so massively detrimental to the game that they get to jump to the head of the class, but others are annoying and bad but not at the highest priority. Or -- as sometimes happens despite everyone's best efforts -- fixing the bug would require doing so much damage to the rest of the game that it's better to work around it. If you're wondering why your favorite company hasn't fixed a much-hated bug, this article should prove an interesting read.

Scott Jennings discusses fixing bugs in live games originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nate Levy explains WAR's action point fix

Brooke Pilley — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Warhammer Online, News items

Mythic developers just fixed a major bug ~~that has been~~ in Warhammer Online ~~since launch~~ and it's having a big impact on players. Action points (AP) are the one-size-fits-all resource used to cast spells, perform damage attacks, and tank. Suffice to say, a change to the way AP works affects every class in the game. This bug fix makes it take a little longer for AP to regenerate as originally intended.

Many players claim that the time-to-kill in beta was much higher than it turned out at release, and while a dozen or more variables play a part in this (e.g., better gear, higher crit rates, newer strategies, etc.), AP regen can be counted among them. You see, after ~~the game released~~ game update 1.3.1 came out, players had a nearly limitless AP pool. In fact, AP regen potions were useless aside from getting a quick boost after sprinting. This led to many players getting in the habit of button-mashing their abilities without fearing a complete AP drain.

Now that the issue has been corrected, there's been a bit of an outcry from players who have become accustomed to playing WAR not as intended ~~for over a year~~. Mythic stresses that this change is for the better but will continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly. Check out Nate Levy's developer diary for all the details.

Update: This bug was discovered in 1.3.1 but we are unsure of when it originally made its way into the game. We apologize for jumping to conclusions based on our own experiences.

Nate Levy explains WAR's action point fix originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online mini expansion Apocrypha 1.5 deploys Thursday, Aug 20th

James Egan — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Bugs, Expansions, Exploits, Game mechanics, Patches

Tomorrow, EVE Online will launch Apocrypha 1.5, which CCP Games has dubbed a "mini-expansion." The Apocrypha expansion was released in March and introduced a slew of new features to the game, but there were more changes in the works that didn't make it into that first release. The 1.5 changes slated to roll out tomorrow are numerous and will introduce a few new aspects to EVE Online, more than a typical patch would, but cannot be considered a full expansion release either.

[UPDATED]: The maintenance window has been extended "due to delays earlier in the deployment process" per CCP. Tranquility is expected to come online at 16:30 GMT (12:30 PM Eastern).

Read on for Massively's highlights of what Apocrypha 1.5 will bring.

Continue reading EVE Online mini expansion Apocrypha 1.5 deploys Thursday, Aug 20th

EVE Online mini expansion Apocrypha 1.5 deploys Thursday, Aug 20th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Future Vanguard update to fix the players' choice of bugs

William Dobson — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Bugs, Patches, Vanguard

An upcoming patch to Vanguard has been designated as the "Player's Choice" update, and recently the players decided that it should be focused on bug-squashing. The next phase of this process is now underway, and players can submit their choice of which bugs to fix at this thread. There are a few guidelines for people planning to put in their two cents, the most important being that each person can only submit one bug, and they should do their best to avoid repeating previously suggested ones.

The thread will be open for two weeks, and after that time, a poll will be created for forum-goers to vote on Vanguard's worst bugs so that they can be targeted with priority. When one player asked why the devs wouldn't simply work off the bugs submitted by players with the "/bug" command, Salim "Silius" Grant replied, "This way we are hoping to get the most high profile bugs that the players want fixed right away. Digging through /bug does not tell us just how important or how many people are seeing this problem." If the whole thing goes to plan, a bunch of really irritating bugs should be eradicated when the update rolls out.

Future Vanguard update to fix the players' choice of bugs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

AoC grinds out the fixes

Adrian Bott — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Bugs, Patches

By Mitra, is it Thursday already? That should mean a new patch for Age of Conan - and true to their word, FunCom are keeping up the relentless assault on AoC's bugs. Mounts come in for some more attention, Necromancers get a round of buffs, a host of quests are fixed or revamped, some of the sluggish female animations are addressed, and in short, we're impressed. AoC has had its teething troubles, but nobody can say FunCom aren't putting in the hours to get them sorted out.

Also true to emerging tradition, the players are compiling their own set of unofficial patch notes, one in the EU and one in the US, collating everything they've found that wasn't documented. Good news for all players: it looks like the promised alteration of outdoor bosses' loot tables has made it in, along with an overall increase in blue loot drops. The not so good news is an apparent nerf to the Bear Shaman's Untamed Regeneration feat. According to the unofficial player-created patch notes, 'The stamina, mana and health regeneration on the ability "Untamed Regeneration" has been reduced by approximately 40%. Additional damage received has been increased from 10% to 15%.' Nerf or bug? We're waiting to find out.

AoC grinds out the fixes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Fury announces Age of the Chosen content update

Michael Zenke — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Fury, Bugs, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Free-to-play

Just this morning we discussed the latest Fury newsletter, and Auran's plans to save their new but ailing game. They've now announced even more ambitious plans - the first free content update to the game, a patch they're calling Age of the Chosen.

This update appears to be a formal package for some of the bullet points discussed in the game's first newsletter, but there are a few new concepts to this update:

New Abilities
New, update-specific Equipment
NPC consolidations
An Improved Interface
A new 1v1 duel type
The 'Carnage' game type, pitting two teams of players vs. a bot team.

Fury announces Age of the Chosen content update originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments