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 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[MechWarrior Online previews BattleMech upgrades and pilot skill trees]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/mechwarrior-online-previews-battlemech-upgrades-and-pilot-skill/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/mechwarrior-online-previews-battlemech-upgrades-and-pilot-skill/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/mechwarrior-online-previews-battlemech-upgrades-and-pilot-skill/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Concept Art -- MechWarrior Online
A couple of days ago, Piranha Games -- the studio behind the upcoming MechWarrior Online -- gave us a look at the role-based warfare and character progression we can expect from the robot-fighting title. As we reported last week, players in MWO will fall into of four roles: scout, assault, defense, or command. Today's update on the game's official site gives us a closer look at the various ways that players can earn XP and on what they can spend it. For instance, every 'Mech will have an upgrade tree, which is divided into tiers. Players must spend experience in order to purchase all of the upgrades on a given tier before they are able to access the subsequent tier.

To get a look at the various abilities and skill trees through which players will be progressing when they finally find themselves in the cockpit, just click on through the link below to the official MechWarrior Online site.

MassivelyMechWarrior Online previews BattleMech upgrades and pilot skill trees originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assaultbattlemechbattletechcharacter-progressioncommandcommanderdefenderdefenseexperiencef2pfree-to-playmechwarriormechwarrior-onlinemodulesmwopiranha-gamesprogressionrolerolesscoutupgradesxpFri, 03 Feb 2012 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Overhaul to skills coming to Star Trek Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/overhaul-to-skills-coming-to-star-trek-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/overhaul-to-skills-coming-to-star-trek-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/overhaul-to-skills-coming-to-star-trek-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Not pictured: Astrometrics.
The core of progression in Star Trek Online has always been the game's sprawling skill system, but it's also proved to be something of a weakness. Not only were several of the skills difficult to understand at a glance (Astrometrics offers benefits not instantly apparent, for instance), but the higher-tier skills were often prohibitively expensive in terms of skill points. That's why in addition to all of the other changes going live with the game's free-to-play conversion, the development team is working on a major skill overhaul so that players can know what each skill does and so that everything feels worthwhile.

A list of the new skills and their effects are included with the newest installment of the Path to F2P blog, with the changes allowing players to more easily switch between ship types and weapon types without feeling unduly penalized. In addition, skills are now clearly separated into buffs to click abilities or passive benefits, rather than having them tied together in several cases. It's a wide-sweeping set of revisions but hopefully one that will help make the system more transparent for all players.

MassivelyOverhaul to skills coming to Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>character-progressioncrypticcryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosf2pfree-to-playgame-mechanicspath-to-f2pplayer-skillsskill-revisionsskillsst-onlinestar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestotrek-onlineFri, 04 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[PAX 2011: Funcom discusses The Secret World's PvP, ARG, and more]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/31/pax-2011-funcom-discusses-tsws-pvp-arg-and-more/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/31/pax-2011-funcom-discusses-tsws-pvp-arg-and-more/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/31/pax-2011-funcom-discusses-tsws-pvp-arg-and-more/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Screenshot -- The Secret World -- Stonehenge
Funcom had an impressive presence at PAX Prime 2011, and along with that presence came a wealth of information about its upcoming horror MMORPG, The Secret World. In addition to showing off the Polaris five-man instance, the team also highlighted a new solo mission demo and revealed some new information about the title.

From missions to PvP to character progression, the team had a lot to say. For the full details on both small- and large-scale PvP, skill progression, and the game's ARG and puzzle elements, head on past the cut.

Continue reading PAX 2011: Funcom discusses The Secret World's PvP, ARG, and more

MassivelyPAX 2011: Funcom discusses The Secret World's PvP, ARG, and more originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alternate-reality-gameargbattlegroundscharacter-progressiondynamic-lightsel-doradofeaturedfuncomlarge-scale-pvppax-2011pax-prime-2011persistent-battlegroundspersistent-pvppuzzlespvpshambhalaskill-progressionstonehengethe-secret-warthe-secret-worldtswWed, 31 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Agency under the scope, RMT not a part]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/13/the-agency-under-the-scope-once-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/13/the-agency-under-the-scope-once-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/13/the-agency-under-the-scope-once-again/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Genres are a sticky thing when it comes to gaming. On the one hand, they help us categorize and succinctly describe a hitherto unknown game. Simply referring to a game as an MMO, for instance, instantly conjures up a number of elements like a persistent world, large sharded player base, and character progression. While that sort of pigeon-holing is effective for most games out there, occasionally a game comes along that really defies our best efforts at categorization. In this blogger's mind, The Agency is a perfect example of that.

In a recent preview of the game, we're treated to details of the ways in which The Agency is both more than and less than a traditional MMO. A lot of the usual elements like persistence and character progression are there, but they're twisted in interesting new ways. None of this is especially new information per say (we spoke with the lead designer ourselves not long ago), but it's another new perspective on the game, and we can't help but gobble it up. Also out of the Eurogamer camp is a reiteration of the point made last month at ION that The Agency will not be using an RMT system for weapons, operatives, or anything else that would give one player an edge on another, which we're happy to see as well.

MassivelyThe Agency under the scope, RMT not a part originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>character-progressioneurogamernpcspersistencepreviewRMTsoesony-online-entertainmentthe-agencyFri, 13 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Earthrise gets two new wallpapers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/03/earthrise-gets-two-new-wallpapers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/03/earthrise-gets-two-new-wallpapers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/03/earthrise-gets-two-new-wallpapers/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The brand new MMO on the block -- Earthrise, from Masthead Studios -- has a couple new wallpapers for anybody interested in something new to look at on your desktop. We always appreciate it when wallpapers come with a widescreen resolution option.

Since we were already on the Earthrise website, we took the chance to check out their "About Earthrise" page and found a handy bullet-point list of features to expect in Masthead's upcoming game. One thing that stood out to us more than anything else was a feature towards the bottom of the list that says, "Character progression that keeps you advancing in your career even when you're not logged in." As far as we're aware, EVE Online is currently the only MMO that allows for character progression out-of-game -- it should be interesting to see what they do. We think the whole conceptual feature-list for Earthrise is super-interesting.

[via MMORPGdot]

MassivelyEarthrise gets two new wallpapers originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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