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[Free for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/free-for-all-the-real-damage-of-botting-in-the-words-of-a-botter/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/free-for-all-the-real-damage-of-botting-in-the-words-of-a-botter/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/free-for-all-the-real-damage-of-botting-in-the-words-of-a-botter/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

RuneScape screenshot
I received an interesting email from someone the other day, someone who wanted to let me in on the lifestyle of a botter. Frankly I was a little embarrassed for the guy since he seemed to believe me to be naive about the entire process. The truth is that I have met plenty of shady characters and heard stories that would make your eyes bug out of your head. I've heard these stories from the developers and players themselves. There truly is some nasty stuff going on in MMO gaming.

The saddest thing is that cheaters honestly think that what they do cannot possibly result in much harm for the game they are botting in, cheating at, or hacking up. It's sad because the truth is that a cheater, as one person, might not have much of an impact on the game. Add up several thousands of these scam artists and the results are mindboggling. Drive by your local dump to see just how much trash can pile up, one person at a time.

I want to shine some light on just how damaging botting can be. Click past the cut.

Continue reading Free for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter

MassivelyFree for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beau-hindmanbotbotsbottersbottingf2pfeaturedffa-pvpfree-for-allfree-to-playftpgold-farminggreedhackershackingjagexmark-gerhardrunescapeWed, 02 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: Subs and cash shops - Two great tastes that taste awful together]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/the-soapbox-subs-and-cash-shops-two-great-tastes-that-taste-a/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/the-soapbox-subs-and-cash-shops-two-great-tastes-that-taste-a/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/the-soapbox-subs-and-cash-shops-two-great-tastes-that-taste-a/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Lion dislikes sub + cash shop
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

MassivelyThe 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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>business-modelscash-shopchampions-onlinechoiceconsumer-choicecostcryptic-studiosdouble-dippingeconomicseveeve-onlineevilf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfuncomgordon-gekkogreedgreed-is-goodjeff-strainmarketingmmo-industrymoneyopinionplayer-choicesecret-worldsoapboxsoapbox-jef-reahardsoeSony-Online-Entertainmentstar-trek-onlinesub-plus-cash-shopsubscriptionsubscription-basedsubscription-modelsubscription-plus-cash-shopthe-secret-worldthe-soapboxtswused-car-salesmenTue, 30 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Explore Faxion Online's seven deadly sins]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/11/explore-faxion-onlines-seven-deadly-sins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/11/explore-faxion-onlines-seven-deadly-sins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/11/explore-faxion-onlines-seven-deadly-sins/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Does the angel on your right shoulder take a lot of union-approved time off, so much so that you end up listening to the devil on your left shoulder more often than not? Then Faxion Online has a temptation that's right up your alley -- seven sinful zones, each revolving around one of the classic seven deadly sins.

Taking heavenly and hellish themes with a strong dose of humor, Faxion Online's world becomes a literal battleground for the soul. By taking each of the deadly sins and turning them into a zone to be fought over and conquered, Faxion has created a unique twist on the genre. If the forces of heaven take over a zone, it turns nicer, and if the forces of evil are triumphant, then there will be hell to pay.

UTV True Games' Frank Lucero says that the PvP over these areas will keep players transfixed: "These zones offer all of the competitive combat play that players desire including PVP, innovative territory control and an ability ranking system that will keep players engaged in the timeless struggle of good vs. evil."

Hit the jump to read up on Faxion's themed zones and see for yourself what your sins have wrought!

Continue reading Explore Faxion Online's seven deadly sins

MassivelyExplore Faxion Online's seven deadly sins originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>angelenvyfaxionfaxion-onlinefrank-lucerogluttonygreedheavenhelllimbolustpridepvpseven-deadly-sinssinslothUTVutv-true-gameswrathzoneTue, 11 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Which of the deadly sins have you committed in MMOs lately?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/24/the-daily-grind-which-of-the-deadly-sins-have-you-committed-in/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/24/the-daily-grind-which-of-the-deadly-sins-have-you-committed-in/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/24/the-daily-grind-which-of-the-deadly-sins-have-you-committed-in/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


You know the seven deadly sins, right? The "Devil's Most Wanted" that pop up in Morgan Freeman movies from time to time? If nothing else, the seven deadly sins are an instructional list of words like "sloth" that nobody uses on a daily basis.

Since we tend to take our real-world failings into virtual space, it stands to reason that our bad habits follow as well. So which of the seven deadly sins have you committed in MMOs as of late? Let's run down the list:

  • Wrath: Have you wigged out on your guild, engaged in nerd rage, or cussed out your PUG?
  • Greed: Are you never satisfied with your wealth and gear, but always need more, more, more?
  • Pride: Do people know you as "that player who's always waving around his or her e-peen"?
  • Lust: If there's a naked elf dancing on a mailbox, do you stop to look -- and take screenshots?
  • Sloth: Are you too lazy to get off your butt and finish that major project in game that you've been putting off?
  • Envy: Do you constantly find yourself on edge because other players have the cool uber-loot that you lack?
  • Gluttony: Have you played a little too much -- OK, way too much -- when you know you have other things to be doing?
Confess, my child. Confess and clear your virtual soul!

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Which of the deadly sins have you committed in MMOs lately? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cultureenvygluttonygreedlustmorgan-freemanopinionpridesevenseven-deadly-sinsslothtdgthe-daily-grindwrathWed, 24 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Being in it for the money]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/being-in-it-for-the-money/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/being-in-it-for-the-money/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/being-in-it-for-the-money/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We might fight a lot of enemies in our MMOs, but a number of players will agree that there's one enemy that is bigger than anything else: the company that makes the game. Blizzard, Square-Enix, Funcom, Bioware -- according to this branch of the playerbase, they don't care at all about the people playing their game. All they're concerned about is making money. They just want to get your money by any means necessary.

However, the people who claim that say that like it's a bad thing.

Nobody ever smiles and says "boy, I'm sure glad Sony Online Entertainment is in this for the money." Oddly enough, when you start to think about it, the fact of the matter is that it's not only transparent that these companies are in it for the money, it's a good thing. We should be happy that most of these companies are there to get our money by any means necessary.

Continue reading Being in it for the money

MassivelyBeing in it for the money originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>allodsallods-onlinebiowareblizzardchampions-onlinecity-of-heroescocohcontent-costddodevelopment-costdungeons-and-dragons-onlinefallen-earthfefeaturedfuncomgreedin-it-for-the-moneyjack-emmertmicrotransactionsmoneysquaresquare-enixThu, 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO MMOnkey: The greed game]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/mmo-mmonkey-the-greed-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/mmo-mmonkey-the-greed-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/mmo-mmonkey-the-greed-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Take a look at the world around you.
Tell me, why is there so much need?
Because of greed.
Because of greed.

Damien Dempsey, "Celtic Tiger"
(From the album Seize the Day)

Greed. Countries go to war so that the powerful can take land, gold, oil from the weak, can kill them and take their stuff. Greed. The richest 1% of the population of the United States control over 30% of the country's wealth as they clamor for and are given massive tax cuts by the government while, by the government's own estimates, roughly 12.5% of its citizens live in poverty. Greed. Corporate executives with multimillion dollar salaries lie, cheat, steal and commit fraud as they gut their companies and destroy the jobs, lives, retirement funds and futures of their employees. Greed.

No matter how much they have, they want more. No matter how little you have, they want more. Greed. It infests our countries, our governments, our corporations and businesses. It infests our favorite MMOs.

Continue reading MMO MMOnkey: The greed game

MassivelyMMO MMOnkey: The greed game originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredgeargreedjoystiqfeatureslootworld-of-warcraftThu, 19 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST