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Aion fail-proof manastone supplements available in the cash shop

Jef Reahard — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items

Hey Aion players, want to do away with the frustration inherent in socketing your manastones? NCsoft has answered your prayers with the new fabled and eternal felicitous socketing supplements. The catch? They're only available today through October 11th. The other catch? They're only available in Aion's item shop.

If you've never played Aion, here's a run-down: Socketing manastones into your gear grants considerable bonuses and is basically required for competitive PvP and PvE. Unfortunately, the random number generator that governs the process is notoriously unfriendly to players, many of whom have blown their entire in-game fortunes trying to socket a single suit of armor. Five of the new fail-proof supplements are also available as part of Aion's 24-month veteran reward package.

You can read the details on the new promotion at the official UK Aion website. NCsoft has not confirmed whether the promotion is also happening on the American servers. We'll update the post as that info becomes available.

[Thanks to Indeterminatus for the tip!]

Aion fail-proof manastone supplements available in the cash shop originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Subs and cash shops - Two great tastes that taste awful together

Jef Reahard — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Economy, MMO industry, 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.

Hoo boy, The Secret World. On the one hand, I was really looking forward to it. On the other hand, it's now joined the likes of EVE Online, pretty much every Sony Online Entertainment title ever made, Star Trek Online, Champions Online, and Funcom's own Age of Conan in my personal double-dipping doghouse.

Yeah, The Secret World is going to have a subscription model (hooray) and a cash shop (boo, hiss, and zomgwtf). This should surprise no one, really, since game industry devs have been going all Gordon Gekko on us for a while now, but it was nonetheless a disappointing reveal on several levels.

Equally disappointing are the folks who defend the subscription-plus-cash-shop model and erroneously refer to it as an example of consumer-friendly choice.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Subs and cash shops - Two great tastes that taste awful together

The Soapbox: Subs and cash shops - Two great tastes that taste awful together originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Would you play a truly evil faction?

Justin Olivetti — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST

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

You know what bugs me these days? How superhero movie villains have to be portrayed as sympathetic -- good guys, really, who have an understandable stumble into darkness. No longer do we see truly evil characters who are kicking puppies for the heck of it; no, a dog has to, like, eat his family and bark all night to turn this tortured soul into Dr. Doompuppy.

It also slightly bugs me that MMOs don't let you play as evil, not really. Sure, some titles like City of Villains or EverQuest II might offer an "evil" faction, but they're not really that much worse than the good guys, and they're downright saintly when pitted against the demonic forces that plague the game world. Darker factions are mostly for flavor and discounts at Hot Topic, methinks.

But what if an MMO allowed you to be part of a truly evil faction? Would you do it? Would you be part of the rampaging armies of death that are sweeping over the land? Would you be the name that all stouthearted heroes curse daily? And would you -- this is important -- kick puppies if you got XP for it?

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: Would you play a truly evil faction? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What motivates your faction choice?

Jef Reahard — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Super-hero, Dark Age of Camelot, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, DC Universe Online

Most MMOs have some sort of factional component, even if the mechanics and options aren't directly identified by a "faction" label. Whether it's heroes and villains in DC Universe Online, Alliance and Horde in World of Warcraft, or the Albion, Hibernia, and Midgard trifecta from Dark Age of Camelot, creating a character in an MMO usually requires some sort of alignment choice.

Often this choice boils down to a good or evil stereotype, and while roleplayers and lore enthusiasts may argue that "the Horde isn't evil" (or similar arguments from other games and factions), the fact remains that the Horde's visual palette is filled with imagery and concepts that have signified evil throughout much of human history.

In today's Daily Grind, we'd like to know why you pick particular factions, and if the visual or lore-centric baggage they carry influences your decision. Do you usually roll characters that are good? Evil? Neutral? Why?

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 motivates your faction choice? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Things that make you go kweh

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Lore, Opinion, Humor, Anti-Aliased

So this week wasn't an easy week for me. Darkfall seems to be slowly consuming all of my free time, because I sure as heck don't want to have Tasos Flambouras kicking down my door with his server logs and curses of inappropriate reporting. (Although at this point I'd love to see my server logs because they're probably long enough to trip him when he carries them down hallways.)

Anyway, that's not my point. My point is that I just couldn't think of anything to write about. Nothing would come into my head no matter how hard I tried. Then, last night, when I was munching on some Milano cookies, it finally hit me. (I'm totally being paid for that Milano cookies reference, by the way. The truth is coming out -- I'm rolling in Pepperidge Farm bribe money and I don't care who knows how corrupt I am!)

I should write a column on things that drive me batty about MMOs! Things that just, well, never quite made sense to me, yet we do them. There are lots of examples of this, of course, but let me show you some of the things that make it to the top of my list.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Things that make you go kweh

Anti-Aliased: Things that make you go kweh originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Why do people love to play the good guys?

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

When you look at MMOs like World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, and Aion*, you'll find that the "good guys" are usually the most popular. The primary conflicts in these games are between Alliance vs. Horde, Order vs. Destruction, and Elyos vs. Asmodian and it seems that more people choose to play on the side of good than evil. That "evil" is actually more of a "misunderstood" in two out of the three games I mentioned, yet the perception seems to stick.

Is it because we were all raised on fairy tales that hammered strong values and good morals into our heads? Maybe it's because the general trend in storytelling predominantly focuses on heroes of virtue? There are even stories about anti-heroes. Flawed though they may be, these protagonists still manage to absolve themselves of their sins and save the day most of the time.

I usually choose to play the villain in MMOs because I see them as the underdog. It isn't something I consciously think about but maybe there's part of me that wants to see the bad guy shine for a change. That doesn't mean I root for the latest serial killer on the nightly news, but in a fantasy world I want to escape from my normal role as a model citizen and cause a little mayhem in a place that doesn't hurt anyone.

* Aion Korea, where the game is actually released.

The Daily Grind: Why do people love to play the good guys? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Not a bad place, if you ignore that evil thing

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

Guild Wars fans seem fairly split on the few teaser pieces of art for Guild Wars 2, but they're all pretty similarly fond of the many beautiful areas of the current incarnation of the game if the One Shots mailbox is any indication! Take, for example, today's gorgeous Guild Wars One Shot from Jen!

Hi! My name is Jen, and this is a shot of the lonely, forgotten city of Fahranur, The First City which is located on Istan. Tragedy struck the first inhabitants of this city, leaving behind only ruins. it's a quiet spot, and probably my favorite place on Istan. Well, if you ignore the stirrings of Abaddon deep in the ruins...
Do you have any strange, funny, or otherwise off the wall screenshots you've taken in your favorite games? No? Well, snag some screenshots from your favorite game anyway and send those in! We're looking for lots more submissions - and with summer here, we know more folks are playing. Send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com, and be sure to tell us who you are and what we're seeing in the screenshots. Yours could be next!

One Shots: Not a bad place, if you ignore that evil thing originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raph Koster on whether torture in videogames is evil

James Egan — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, Quests, Opinion

Debate over what is considered 'right' and 'wrong' in terms of behavior in a videogame has become commonplace in recent years. Virtually any mass media commentary on the myriad evils of Grand Theft Auto or the 'Debbie Does Dallas in Space' view of Mass Effect drives this point home -- everyone has a different mindset in terms of what's acceptable to them. While gamers easily dismiss many of these notions as being uninformed and taken out of context, now and again something comes to light within the gaming community itself that sparks debate. A good example has been the recent (and heated) discussion of torture in games, stemming from the views expressed by Dr. Richard Bartle. He argued his points on the questionable existence of torture in "The Art of Persuasion" quest in World of Warcraft, which set off a flurry of responses from gamers and peers.

MMO industry luminary Raph Koster weighs in with his own views on the matter in a post titled "Are games about torture evil?". Specifically, Koster addresses this comment at his website: "... please explain to me again why killing NPCs in games is fine but sticking them with a cattle prod is evil." However, Koster seems less concerned with arbitrary notions of right and wrong as he is with the game design that leads us down this path in the first place.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

Continue reading Raph Koster on whether torture in videogames is evil

Raph Koster on whether torture in videogames is evil originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why is Destruction more popular than Order?

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Classes, Culture, PvP, Warhammer Online, Opinion

There exists an interesting theory concerning gamer preference of good vs. evil. It is said that in World of Warcraft, as in many other games, the "good" seems to be the most popular choice. Most people want to be the pretty human character, save the princess and become the hero.

Enter Warhammer Online, where the majority of players have flocked to the Destruction side. This isn't simply the 'darker' side, this is the burn-down-your-house evil side. This is the stuff-a-dwarf-in-a-barrel-and-toss-him-off-a-castle-wall evil side. So why do players relate more to this type of bad guy persona? Relmstein has some theories about this over at his blog, which include the fact that Mythic focused much of their hype on the Destruction side. Check out his post for the rest of his five reasons why Destruction is more popular than Order, and let us know what you think.

Why is Destruction more popular than Order? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The return of Evil in Guild Wars

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Culture, Guilds, PvP

When a competitive MMO has been around as long as Guild Wars has, there tends to be certain legacies that have evolved over time. A perfect example of this is the guild EvIL, which had dominated the GW PvP tournament scene during the game's infancy. Over the years though, the Korean guild had broken up due to life issues and players simply moving on from the game.

However, after taking a few years off, a few of the founding members are back with a vengeance to form a new guild called The Return. Their goal is to return to the top of the tournament ladder and dominate as they once had. The team is participating in 2-3 daily tournaments and are spending close to seven hours per day gearing up for future tournaments. Recently, they practiced 16 hours straight just to qualify for a monthly tournament, then played another seven during the event itself. This type of dedication from a group of players who were in on the earliest days of the Guild Wars beta just goes to show that the game's competitive allure is still going strong after all these years.

The return of Evil in Guild Wars originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Evil Shadow Hunter!

Krystalle Voecks — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:05:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

Today's One Shots comes to us from Rellia from the Moonglade EU server who wanted to show off just how overpowered Hunters have become in World of Warcraft. Rellia writes, "I just wanted to show you my newest spec - voila, a Shadow Hunter!" Of course we know that there is no such thing -- this effect having been caused by an engineering transporter malfunction that turned her "evil" instead. There again, Shadow spec, evil... kind of the same thing in our book!

Do you have a screenshot of something wacky that happened to you in your favorite MMO? How about some screenshots of interesting screen glitches or funny temporary effects? Whatever the case, we want to see your screens! Just send them over to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Your screenshots could be next!

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: Evil Shadow Hunter! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 May 2008 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Real Villains: Westin Phipps

Adrian Bott — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Villains, Guides, Lore, PvE, Opinion, Roleplaying

City of Villains is full of avatars of comic-book evil. They have skull motifs and spikes and scowling faces. They sport names with 'dark' in them.

But the most despicable being in all the Rogue Isles is a weaselly, bespectacled little man with thinning hair plastered across his scalp; a man who is regarded as a public benefactor, a champion of charity. His very ordinariness is what makes him so dreadful, as it is much easier to recognise the evils of the real world in him than in a comic character like Lord Recluse.

In our brief tour of the contacts in CoV who have the most authentically villainous content, Phipps's missions are the final stop. Some people have found them disturbing to play; the mission writer, Constellation (no longer with the CoX team) wondered if he might have gone too far. Some players have even wished for side-switching after playing Phipps's missions, and now that player generated content is on the horizon, players are proposing custom missions in which you get to beat Phipps to a pulp.

So, what is it about this content that provokes such guilt and remorse?

Continue reading The Real Villains: Westin Phipps

The Real Villains: Westin Phipps originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Real Villains: Peter Themari

Adrian Bott — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: City of Villains, Guides, Lore, PvE, Opinion, Roleplaying

Continuing our series in which we look at the most authentically villainous content on offer in City of Villains, we're stopping by Peter Themari.

Themari's a very different kind of villain from Doctor Creed. He's cadaverous, decadent and concerned with nothing but indulging his own vile nature. He can be found in the Haven sector of Cap Au Diable, and is available between levels 10-14. You'll need to carry out three newspaper missions and succeed at a Mayhem Mission before your broker offers you Themari as a contact.

Themari's the first contact in CoV who is actively evil. Other contacts have had their own agendas: Fortunata Kalinda is an Arachnos lackey, Mongoose a snake hunter, Burke a mercenary and Creed a deranged scientist. Each one engages your services for reasons of their own. But Themari wants to do wrong for its own sake, and assumes you'll want to as well.

Continue reading The Real Villains: Peter Themari

The Real Villains: Peter Themari originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Real Villains: Doctor Creed

Adrian Bott — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lore, PvE, Opinion, Roleplaying

"What I really delivered was a City of Heroes experience with a slightly evil twist."

So spake Jack Emmert on City of Villains, as he perceived it with the benefit of hindsight and (one may add) the perspective of not being involved with it any more. It's not an uncommon complaint, either. CoV players can have trouble finding content that gladdens their black hearts with the joy of sheer, arbitrary evil.

It doesn't help that some content is blatantly hero content with the numbers filed off, the most brazen of this being the 'kidnap' missions in which you have to retrieve a hostage who is being held captive by other villains. If you think this sounds a lot more like a rescue than a kidnap, then congratulations.

But that doesn't mean there isn't genuine evildoing in City of Villains. There's plenty, if you know where to look for it and have the stomach for it. And now that so many of you are pounding away at the levels in the hope of unlocking a Villain Epic Archetype by the time Issue 12: Midnight Hour rolls around, we thought you'd like a few hints.

Continue reading The Real Villains: Doctor Creed

The Real Villains: Doctor Creed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Curtain: Save our bosses

Craig Withers — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Lore, Opinion, Behind the Curtain

Without lore, MMOs as we know them wouldn't exist. Lore means different things to different people. Some of us embrace it, some of us let it define who we are and what we do in-game, and some of us ignore it as best we can.

Lore plays an important, central part to any MMO. Central to that lore is the creation of solid, entertaining bad guys - evil, despicable, wicked bad guys that we all take for granted, call out as 'on notice', and sweat blood to chalk up world-first kills for. But you've all been so busy running around taking down bosses left, right and center that it probably never occurred to you that if you're not careful, there's every chance we could run out of bosses to kill.

There's a reason that Blizzard aren't removing old world content from WoW, and it's not because they feel bad that the old bosses don't have anything to do with their time it's because they're scared. Scared of what might happen if there were no more bad guys for us to kill. New content only lasts so long when we've got guilds like Nihilum burning through new content in a matter of days (attracting controversy as they go), and as good as the Blizzard developers are, it's not like they're churning out patch-worthy content every week, is it?

Continue reading Behind the Curtain: Save our bosses

Behind the Curtain: Save our bosses originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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