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Massively's Easter event roundup

Jef Reahard — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Cabal Online, EverQuest, Final Fantasy XI, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Black Prophecy, Vindictus

Our ears invariably perk up when it comes to seasonal MMO events, and with a long Easter weekend in full swing, we figured it'd be a swell idea to collate the various holiday-related goings-on in our favorite virtual worlds.

While many of you are no doubt gorging on chocolate-covered bunnies and/or hanging out with your families, just as many are taking advantage of the weekend festivities in your favorite MMOs. Whether it's anniversary celebrations in Lord of the Rings Online or Easter-themed shindigs in Vindictus and RuneScape, there's something for everyone. Hop past the cut for more details.

Continue reading Massively's Easter event roundup

Massively's Easter event roundup originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lord of the Rings Online posts Echoes of the Dead patch notes

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play

It's almost here: On Monday, March 21st, Lord of the Rings Online will release its next big content update, Echoes of the Dead. Containing a warehouse worth of fixes, features and new content, Echoes of the Dead is looking quite fine indeed.

Although we have to wait for the weekend to pass to get our hands on this update, Turbine did go ahead and release the full patch notes for our consumption. Of course, if you've been following along with the many, many developer diaries that Turbine's released over the past few months, you're probably up to speed on all of the major points already.

As usual, Turbine's snuck in a few funny notes amid all of the technical details, so it may be worth your while to hunt for comedic Easter eggs in this batch. Our favorite: "The Minstrel's 'Armour of the Silver Voice' set that is obtained in Mirkwood was renamed to 'Armour of the Hopeful Melody.' This sudden change was enacted when the creators of the Helegrod 'Silver Voice Armour' set sought to sue for copyright infringement. As far as we know all charges have been dropped, though Skirmish vendors everywhere intend to keep a very close eye on the Mirkwood barter vendors in the future."

Lord of the Rings Online posts Echoes of the Dead patch notes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: Halloween MMOs

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Fallen Earth, Events, in-game, Warhammer Online, Wurm Online, Hellgate: London, The Secret World, Humor, World of Darkness, Perfect Ten

We're only a few days away from Halloween, and already the Massively office staff is dressing up in anticipation. Shawn's post-apocalyptic gear is at odds with Rubi's tastefully modest Guild Wars Elementalist outfit. Greg's Squig is in the corner battling it out with Larry's Chewbacca. Bree is dudded up as a giant red corrective marker; Jef's free-to-play outfit requires microtransactions to view in full; and Kyrstalle is photographing it all with her Poloroid One-Shot camera. I think Eliot showed up in full plate armor and riding a mechanical bull, but that just may be his normal work attire.

So as everyone else is goofing off in the spirit of the holidays, it remains to me, your lovable intern, to hack out a top 10 list in honor of All Hallow's Eve. It's the least I can do since they're paying me in candy.

While every MMO incorporates horror at some point (even, yes, Hello Kitty Online's Cat-Tastrophie zone), and it's nearly impossible to escape a clutch of giant spiders in any game you visit, I've picked out 10 MMOs that best deliver a slice of October 31st. Some are old, some new, some canceled and some yet to come, but these are 10 of the spookiest MMOs in the world.

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Halloween MMOs

The Perfect Ten: Halloween MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO Easter egg?

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Easter eggs have always struck me as weird. On one hand, the bunny keeps hiding them, so I guess he doesn't want you to find them. But then he makes them brilliantly colored, which blends in with nature not at all. So which is it, Easter bunny? Do you want us to find your eggs or not?

In a similar fashion, some MMO Easter eggs are cleverly hidden, undiscovered by most who run on by. Those eggs tend to reward the observant, the meticulous and the just plain lucky. Then there are the eggs that the developers all but shove in your face as if to say, "Hey! Look at this! It is wacky and out of place and breaks the fourth wall!" Those eggs are available to all, usually whether you want them or not.

So what are your favorite Easter eggs in MMOs? Are they oblique references to pop culture hidden in item description text? A remote area that's almost inaccessible unless you know the exact trick to getting there? A secret buried inside a quest that unveils itself if you know just where to look? What makes you gurgle with delight when discovered?

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO Easter egg? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages

Larry Everett — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future," were Yoda's words from The Empire Strikes Back, but contrary to the Jedi Master's belief, most of the time there are clues to what our future holds. Like the smell right before a rain storm, or little ticks of involuntary action that give away when someone is bluffing in poker, or that face your mother used to give you which said you were in trouble, clues to what the future holds are everywhere. Star Wars: The Old Republic is no exception. Clues to what the game holds are hidden all over its website.

Alyssa Gobelle is the web designer for SWTOR. She has done a beautiful job of constructing a site that is entertaining as well as interesting to look at. Although the busy lettering, Aurebesh, entices the eyes, it also gives away secrets to the game. In April, Gobelle was interviewed by the Holonet Project fan site, where she revealed that the messages are totally intentional: "When they first brought me on, our first major task was to design the HoloNet. We wanted the HoloNet's voice to be as much 'within the lore of the game' as possible so we planned to add some generic Aurebesh to start. But we also wanted to add some hidden teases and notes for you guys to devour and ponder upon and play with. Give some more fuel to the speculation festivities."

Continue after the break to find out what some of these "hidden teases" are. Perhaps you can help me figure out what the rest of them mean.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages

Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Forum diving

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, The Road to Mordor

[Special note: Obviously, the news that LotRO is going free-to-play hit after this article was already written, so stay tuned as we dissect what it means for existing and potential new customers next week!]

Lately, it feels like we're in a holding pattern for Lord of the Rings Online. The last major content patch, Volume III: Book 1, is fading into distant memory, and we're pushing into summer without definite news of the next update -- or better yet, the next expansion. Players are also nervous about any changes or new directions the game may take after the recent acquisition of Turbine by Warner Bros., and the silence certainly doesn't help any.

However, there's always hope in the darkest places of Middle-earth, and the same can be said for the game itself. The Summer Festival should be around the corner, and as for new news, Sapience handed out a bit of vague encouragement on the forums: "You guys know we're preparing an announcement. I can't give you a specific date as to when we'll make it, but I can say I just ran into Adam Mersky coming out of an E3 planning meeting and he was pretty stoked!"

While we continue the wait for the next step forward for LotRO, I thought it'd be a good idea to head over to the official forums and do a little diving for some of the more interesting topics and discussions bouncing around the LotRO community today.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Forum diving

The Road to Mordor: Forum diving originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How do you like your references?

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor

We gamers do love our nods to other media. From the earliest days of gaming and software, the easter egg has been a staple, something hidden without mention in the recesses of code. These days, we're as likely as not to have entire areas devoted to a drawn-out reference, or in some cases an entire element of gameplay added mostly as a long-standing joke. Some games have elevated the art of reference almost to an art form, with major storyline characters introduced as a sort of extended cameo from their original media.

Of course, that's also the problem with references: it can sort of cheapen the game you're playing if it's subtle, and it destroys immersion if it's mind-shatteringly overt. So what do you think? Do you like little snuck-in references to books and movies, or do you like your world to be totally consistent? Do you prefer it when the inspiration is kept under the radar, or would you rather just have the whole thing out in the open? What's your favorite instance of a game calling back to something else?

The Daily Grind: How do you like your references? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runes of Magic Spring contest: Can you find the eggs on our site?

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Runes of Magic

Didn't get quite enough exposure to eggs this weekend? Let us help you out a bit with a brand new contest held by the good folks at Runes of Magic. Starting today, Massively readers will have the opportunity to participate in a unique competition to help celebrate RoM's Spring Event.

The basics of the rules are simple: check out our Runes of Magic category page (multiple pages) and hunt down small Rune Eggs of various colors. Count up the number of blue, green and red eggs hidden on the page and report them on an official form for this event. These eggs will be hidden throughout the category pages, in images, posts and anywhere else we could sneak them in. This contest ends on April 19th, so get moving! Read below the cut for complete details.

Continue reading Runes of Magic Spring contest: Can you find the eggs on our site?

Runes of Magic Spring contest: Can you find the eggs on our site? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: I wonder what this does

Krystalle Voecks — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Warhammer Online, One Shots

The easter eggs are myriad in Warhammer Online, as we've seen from several screenshots sent in to us by various players. There are portals, places that reference other games, and more. Today's One Shots, sent in to us by one of our regular Warhammer Online contributor Snacky, shows off another such find. Here's Snacky with the details: In my search for further easter eggs, I have found numerous "secret plungers" located in difficult to access locations. This one is located near the Dwarf capital. I will leave what happens once you click it to future adventurers. We haven't run across this one as yet, so we've no idea what happens when you hit this one. Hmm.

Are you an easter-egg fiend, intent on exploring the worlds you play in? Perhaps you just like finding a gorgeous view that few have ever seen before. If you've got a view, an egg, an achievement or the like that you'd like to share, we want to see your screenshots! Send them in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a quick description. Your screenshots and tales keep the story going here at One Shots, so send some in today!

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: I wonder what this does originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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