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[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Trolls]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-spotlight-on-the-trolls/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-spotlight-on-the-trolls/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-spotlight-on-the-trolls/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

A Mild-Mannered Reporter header by A. Fienemann
The low-level gangs that heroes face in City of Heroes follow a pretty set pattern. At the absolute bottom are street thugs with a little bit of superhuman muscle at the very top, just enough to remind you that you are in a city swarming with mutants and magic and all of that fun stuff. One step up, however, and you start to find gangs that are just a little more vicious, ones that genuinely couldn't thrive at all outside of the superheroic milieu. That's where the Trolls sit -- as a group of legitimately superhuman street thugs mostly kept in line by their own issues.

The Trolls are most likely the first villain group out of the starter areas that you'll encounter in numbers, if for no other reason than the simple fact that they're swarming the Hollows. You're also likely to start running into them if you deal with the Skulls long enough because the Skulls are what keeps the Trolls up and running. Trolls aren't like their lower-level counterparts -- they suffer from a disease, and feeding that ailment is the source of their power and reputation.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Trolls

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Trolls originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backgroundcity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxenemiesfeaturedgangslorencsoftparagonparagon-cityparagon-studiosthe-hollowsthe-trollstrollsWed, 24 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[CrimeCraft prepares for a conversion to free to play, announces first content update]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/02/crimecraft-prepares-for-a-conversion-to-free-to-play-announces/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/02/crimecraft-prepares-for-a-conversion-to-free-to-play-announces/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/02/crimecraft-prepares-for-a-conversion-to-free-to-play-announces/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


The newly(ish) launched MMOFPS CrimeCraft made a bombshell of an announcement today, revealing that they were dropping their current subscription/boxed product model in favor of a free-to-play model.

CrimeCraft, which retails for 40 bucks at Best Buy and FutureShop, will be unleashing an "unlimited free trial" for their game along with a content update at the end of this month. Users who participate in this "unlimited free trial" will have the option to upgrade to a subscription based account in one of two flavors -- a 4.99 a month subscription or a 9.99 a month version. The difference between these two subscriptions comes down to customization, number of available skill slots, and the speed of experience gain.

So what about those people who paid the 40 dollars for the software? Well, you'll be getting an "Original Gangster" tag and icon for your character, a third free month of the 9.99 subscription plan, exclusive access to upcoming content, and more unannounced in-game items.

Continue reading CrimeCraft prepares for a conversion to free to play, announces first content update

MassivelyCrimeCraft prepares for a conversion to free to play, announces first content update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingcontentcrimecraftf2pfree-to-playgangsmmofpspwnsshootersubscriptionunlimited-trialvogster-entertainmentFri, 02 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[And they RAN, they RAN so far away... into open beta]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/21/and-they-ran-they-ran-so-far-away-into-open-beta/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/21/and-they-ran-they-ran-so-far-away-into-open-beta/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/21/and-they-ran-they-ran-so-far-away-into-open-beta/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Yes, we had to make that the title. We apologize for the puns, really. (No we don't. Never apologize for bad puns!)

Now, if there's any setting that could be called a unique setting for an MMO, we think this one may just grab it. RAN Online isn't another free-to-play fantasy game. It's not a sci-fi game. It's not superhero, and it's not horror. It's a game about school kids. School kids involved in a bloody school vs. school war that makes gang violence seem simplistic. Think back to the Dreamcast's/PlayStation's Rival Schools, and you'll have an idea as to what RAN Online is all about.

But, the schools are graduating out of closed beta and are setting their sights on open beta. Class will be in session starting September 23rd at 9:00 AM (GMT+9, making that 8 PM ET tomorrow.) This is the global release of RAN Online, so only a select number of countries won't be able to participate.

MassivelyAnd they RAN, they RAN so far away... into open beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fightinggangsopen-betaran-onlineran-worldreal-liferival-schoolsschool-warfareMon, 21 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Wormhole piracy 101]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/16/eve-evolved-wormhole-piracy-101/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/16/eve-evolved-wormhole-piracy-101/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/16/eve-evolved-wormhole-piracy-101/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


If it seems like I've gone wormhole crazy lately, that's because I have. The wormholes that arrived with the Apocrypha expansion have infiltrated and enriched many different aspects of EVE Online, from exploration and corporate goals to small gang PvP and piracy. In previous articles, I looked at preparing for an expedition, untangled the mystery of the Sleepers and told the story of a tense week for Total Comfort alliance in the Sleeper's den. After a week spent hunting wormhole-dwellers for fun and profit, this week's EVE Evolved is dedicated to the fine art of being an interstellar cut-throat as I delve into the world of wormhole piracy.

Wormhole piracy is one of the few professions where small gang warfare is most prevalent. While many pirates have already begun including wormhole systems in their roaming gangs, our corporation (and I'm sure others) have come across a much more effective method. By setting up your own pirate staging base inside a wormhole system, your corp can use its regular outgoing wormholes to wreak havoc in systems all across EVE. Using this method, it's possible to spring attacks on people without anyone even seeing you coming. Whether you're planning surprise attacks on 0.0 systems or hunting in the 2500 new unknown sleeper systems, wouldn't you like to run your own pirate way-station?

Read on for an informative guide on using wormholes to wreak havoc around EVE and make a profit in the process.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Wormhole piracy 101

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Wormhole piracy 101 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesemergentemergent gameplayengineereveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedfourth circleFourthCirclegangsguidejoystiqfeaturesminersnyphurpillowsoftpiracypiratePOSpvpsleepersleeperstipstotal comfortTotalComfortwormholeSun, 16 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC09: Our look at CrimeCraft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/30/gdc09-our-look-at-crimecraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/30/gdc09-our-look-at-crimecraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/30/gdc09-our-look-at-crimecraft/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,


Vogster and CrimeCraft have enjoyed a period of calm before the storm during their development cycle, but at this year's Game Developers Conference, they were out in full force showing off their upcoming crime MMO. You may already know Vogster as the creator of a few games on other platforms, but they're actually a fairly large studio with offices in New Jersey, Chicago, Moscow and Kiev, Ukraine. During GDC, we were able to sit down with Casey Dickinson, Senior Marketing Manager, and Matt McEnerney, Executive Producer, for an in-depth look at what this game has to offer.

So what is CrimeCraft exactly? Well, in a nutshell, it could be considered more of a shooter wrapped in an MMO shell powered by the Unreal 3 engine. Or as they describe it, a Persistent World Next-gen Shooter (PWNS... get it). They recognize the fact that first and foremost, this game is a shooter. This is evident in the gameplay style and general feel of the game. So where exactly does the MMO part come in? That's precisely what we plan to uncover! Keep reading to find out more from our interview and demo of CrimeCraft.

Gallery: CrimeCraft

Continue reading GDC09: Our look at CrimeCraft

MassivelyGDC09: Our look at CrimeCraft originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crimecrimecraftfeaturedgangsjoystiqfeaturesshootervogsterMon, 30 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Virtual gang violence turns real in Russia]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/virtual-gang-violence-turns-real-in-russia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/virtual-gang-violence-turns-real-in-russia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/virtual-gang-violence-turns-real-in-russia/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Russian news outlet Russia Today is reporting that a clash between two Russian clans bled into the real world, and led to the brutal beating and murder of a young man from Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia. The two clans, Coo-clocks and Platanium, were reportedly engaged in a bitter in-game struggle that developed to the point where the two groups agreed to go toe-to-toe. The victim's sister was quoted as saying, "I think they have confused the game and reality. And after we buried him on December 31, they continued to threaten us"

It's not clear from Russia Today's account exactly what game the two groups were playing, though they did include a Lineage 2 screenshot. Regardless, it seems clear from the details we have that any link between the violent acts and the games that the two groups were playing is circumstantial at best. That the two groups agreed ahead of time to engage in a fight away from the game speaks to their character. Game or no, these young men were bound to get themselves into trouble. It's unfortunate that their conflict led to the death of a young man, but blame in this case doesn't have anywhere to go but to the participants.

[Via PCWorld]

MassivelyVirtual gang violence turns real in Russia originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingclancoo-clocksgangsmurderpcworldrussiarussia-todayviolenceThu, 17 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST