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Forget guild housing -- Spirit Tales is bringing guild islands

MJ Guthrie — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser

Because there are so many free-to-play games to choose from, developers who come up with something unique have an edge in attracting players. That's exactly what KoramGame Ltd. did with the guild island system in its upcoming title Spirit Tales. Why settle for just a house when you can own an entire private island?

"Guilds have had a long standing tradition in most MMORPGs, but never has there been a feature this extensive and dedicated to guilds. We're convinced that our Guild Island system will not only add to the traditional guild experience, but also take it in an exciting new direction," says General Manager Yann Wang

When guild members need a break from battling creatures and capturing magical pets, they can relax on their very own customizable guild islands, where they can access special buffs and content. Amenities that can be constructed on the islands include hot springs that provide power buffs, statues to immortalize guild members, a throne room meeting hall, a warehouse to store additional guild gear, and a buff vendor to access unique buffs.

If you want to get a glimpse of guild islands live and in action, join the Spirit Tales livestream event on April 13th at 5 p.m. EDT. There will even be prizes!

Forget guild housing -- Spirit Tales is bringing guild islands originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Super-hero, Aion, Anarchy Online, City of Heroes, Darkfall, Dofus, EVE Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Final Fantasy XI, Flyff, Lord of the Rings Online, PlanetSide, Ryzom, Wurm Online, Opinion, Second Life, Star Trek Online, Ultima Online, Vanguard, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Virtual worlds, Mabinogi, Mortal Online, Wizard101, Runes of Magic, DC Universe Online, RIFT, Xsyon, Family, Post-Apocalyptic, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox

If you are perusing this column, chances are you are a fan of virtual worlds and the sandbox genre. Join the club! (Dues will be due on the third Tuesday.) The aspect that compels many aficionados to delve into a game is the ability to make an impact on the world in some small respect instead of making them into Hive Member 1593072 running a static, predetermined gauntlet. How that impact is accomplished, however, varies; there are multiple features that can facilitate it, and which ones are considered most important depends on the player.

With the loss of one of the best sandbox games just last month, some players may be feeling a void. Others still are looking/hoping for the "ultimate" sandbox that contains nearly every virtual world feature. Certainly, there are some upcoming games that make some drool-worthy promises, but what about playing something now? There are actually games out on the market that have at least one aspect of the genre, if not more.

To start off the new year, Some Assembly Required looks at some of the top features of virtual worlds and lists games that incorporate these features. While this list isn't exhaustive (considering the sheer number of games when you include all of the smaller free-to-play titles, I'd run out of column space!), it is a comprehensive enough overview to point you toward some games worth playing that perhaps you hadn't considered before.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup

Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reid on Reddit: SWTOR fans ask him anything and everything

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Community Q&A

"Ask me anything." That's a dangerous command for anyone to issue, nevermind the community manager of the hottest new MMO on the block. Yet that's just what Stephen Reid said today to the Star Wars: The Old Republic community on Reddit, and the length of questions and answers would make for a mini-novel if packaged as such.

While Reid certainly hedges on issues that BioWare is not quite ready to address, he doesn't shy away from direct answers when applicable. The compiled Reddit thread lists dozens and dozens of Q&As, including the much-asked-for guild housing ("on the list for future development"), the ability delay issue ("we'll talk about it publicly soon"), and an upgraded Galactic Trade Network ("improvements will come to the GTN in time, definitely").

In response to the request for non-mechanical (read: animal) mounts, Reid said, "Maybe -- it's a technical challenge, I've been told." He's most excited about the upcoming legacy system reveals, but he's not allowed to talk on it just yet.

Amidst the probing questions of the newly launched title is a personal query about what it's like for him to be at the helm of SWTOR community management. "What's it like?" Reid responded. "Bewildering and overwhelming and exciting and demanding, all at once, all day long (and often into the night). I had some idea what I was getting into, but it was bigger than expected. I'll stay as long as I'm wanted."

Reid on Reddit: SWTOR fans ask him anything and everything originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Which MMO supports guilds the best?

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

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

In my opinion, guilds are the backbone of the social component of MMOs. Without them, games might as well be flopping on the ground, unable to move and in severe pain. Ever since MMOs first came on the scene -- and even before -- players have naturally gravitated to guilds as part of their gaming experience. At Massively, we love guilds so much we dedicate a weekly column to exploring their intricacies.

Unfortunately, not all MMOs treat guilds the same; some receive a huge amount of support from the dev team, while others are given a skeleton framework and told to buzz off. Not every game has guild housing, guild ranks, in-game calendars, shared storage, perks, and other means of structure and support.

If one were to consider all of the features that help guilds form, grow, and function, what MMO would top the list? Which game treats its guilds as members of royalty instead as sewer-digging peasants?

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: Which MMO supports guilds the best? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TERA devs talk guild housing and more in Twitter chat

Jef Reahard — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA

In case you missed it, En Masse is hosting a TERA production chat via Twitter on the third Friday of every month. The transcript of last Friday's session is now live on the official TERA website, and there were a few noteworthy nuggets dropped by producer Brian Knox and community manager Evan Berman during the course of the event.

Among the interesting blurbs on display are the fact that guild housing is back on the dev team's radar, and the feature may yet make it into the game's spring 2012 launch. Also of note are a couple of general numbers relating to the size of the dev team (70 at En Masse and over 200 at Korea's Bluehole Studio, where the game is originating). Finally, there was a bit of a teaser for a big TERA-related announcement at next week's PAX community event, so keep your eyes and ears peeled!

TERA devs talk guild housing and more in Twitter chat originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Enter at Your Own Rift: A case for player housing

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift

Earlier this week we were treated to the news that Trion Worlds is going to offer free character transfers between "select servers" once Update 1.3 hits. Now, how useful this will be is anyone's guess -- as some have noted, this may just be a clever ploy to redistribute the population from high-pop servers to low-pop ones -- but generally it's been met with applause from the community. I remain impressed as a consumer with how fast and aggressive Trion is pumping out content, and the fact that this is a free transfer once per week is really cool considering how most other subscription MMOs charge for a similar "premium" service.

Whatever Trion's motive and however it'll play out, I do know this: The company needs to continue to bring the heat to the competition. It's vital that RIFT distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack in some way, whether it be polish, originality, speed, customer service, or innovation.

Today I'd like to make a case for what I think should be high up on Trion's development schedule: player housing. We know it's something the devs have discussed, with some very much for and some very much against, but I'm hoping it's gone past the brainstorming phase. Why should we care about what might seem like fluff? How could housing work in RIFT? Tune in after the jump, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel to find out!

Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: A case for player housing

Enter at Your Own Rift: A case for player housing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TERA Visions trailer sighted in the wild

Jef Reahard — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA

Kotaku's got the scoop on the latest TERA trailer, and the new four-minute video treats fans and curious bystanders to a lot of spiffy Arborean fly-through shots as well as some tough talk from En Masse Entertainment developers.

The dev dialogue snippets basically collate all of the talking points that En Masse has been hinting at in various interviews over the past year: There's the action combat, the size of the world and the way it caters to explorer-types, and the focus on the action instead of the UI. There's also a quick blurb about story from lead writer David Noonan, specifically the fact that TERA's story (and the world itself) is the dream of two ancient gods. En Masse VP Chris Lee even drops a hint about guild housing, which mitigates the fact that we've seen a lot of the footage in this video before.

There is some new stuff, though, so make sure to keep watching past the titles at the three-minute mark for additional footage. Click past the cut to check it out.

Continue reading TERA Visions trailer sighted in the wild

TERA Visions trailer sighted in the wild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Guild Counsel: My kingdom for a house

Karen Bryan — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous

You work hard in-game, so it's understandable that you'd want a place of your own, outside the auction house and hustle and bustle of city life. What better accomplishment than constructing your own guild home! On the surface, it seems like a great idea. But to quote Dr. Ian Malcolm, "Oh yeah, 'Ooh, aah,' that's how it always starts. But then there's running and... screaming."

In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at guild housing -- the good, the bad, and the "good heavens, what made you think that tapestry goes with that sofa?!"

Continue reading The Guild Counsel: My kingdom for a house

The Guild Counsel: My kingdom for a house originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flyff's Rise of the Muran expansion now live, complete with catgirls, achievements and more

Brendan Drain — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Flyff, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play

When it comes to the free-to-play business model, US-based early-adopter Gala-Net has certainly raised a few eyebrows with its light-hearted fantasy MMO Flyff. Also known as Fly For Fun, Flyff has now had its doors open for several years and is showing no signs of slowing down. The game's latest expansion, Rise of the Muran has just gone live, bringing players a whole array of new content and gameplay just in time for Christmas.

The expansion raises the game's level cap to 139 and includes a new third job evolution system, introducing eight new classes to the game. Players can now take on the roles of Templar, Slayer, Harlequin, Crackshooter, Force Master, Seraph, Mentalist, and Arcanist. Also included for players is a new guild housing system, in which high-level guilds can bid on huge shared buildings. As if that wasn't enough, Rise of the Muran opens a new area of the game for exploration -- the lost region of Kaillun. It's here in the safe city of Eillun that a new race of friendly cat-like creatures known as the Muran live. With all the new content to explore, new classes to try out and a brand new achievement system coming in, there's sure to be a lot for Flyff fans to do while wrapped up warmly in their houses this winter.

Flyff's Rise of the Muran expansion now live, complete with catgirls, achievements and more originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Best player housing?

Jef Reahard — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Maybe it's because I've been playing too long, or I'm getting too old, or I'm just too cynical. Whatever the reason, I'm rarely taken aback by MMORPGs nowadays. Many of them are quite enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but it has been quite some time since I've had a "holy insert-expletive-of-your-choice-here" moment.

Last night, however, brought just such a moment (actually an hour's worth of moments) courtesy of the guild housing in EverQuest II. I've played nearly every game in the genre that features housing, and while Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies remain favorites for sentimental reasons, I have to say that EQII's guild halls make them look rather silly and ineffectual by way of comparison. It's not just the sheer scale (immense), but also the myriad ways that players are allowed to place items and build virtual spaces.

The screenshot above, an interior of the publicly-viewable Destiny guild hall on the Lucan D'Lere server, captures a small slice of the creativity on display in homes throughout Norrath. What about you Massively readers? Which game do you feel has the most impressive implementation of player or guild housing?

The Daily Grind: Best player housing? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neverland Online introduces guild hall system

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guilds, Free-to-play

Second icon to the right, and straight on till morning, or so the log-in instructions for Neverland Online go. For fans of the MMO, OPI Games is pleased to announce a new guild hall system that not only offers housing, but a communal focus for building the structure. Guilds will need to work together to complete three different types of quests to contribute to their guild activity, which may then be used to increase the size and function of the guild hall.

Ordinary quests are free to pick up, and require the standard "kill 10 rats" objectives that MMO players are used to doing. If guildies want to increase their activity levels, they can fork over silver and gold for Important and Mystery quests, respectively, for a bigger bump in contributions. Once the guild hall is upgraded enough, Neverland Online players can purchase gear from the guild mall that they can't find anywhere else.

The guild hall system comes on the heels of a whole slew of game updates that landed last month.

Neverland Online introduces guild hall system originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DDO State of the Game released

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

In our interview with Fernando Paiz last week, he mentioned that a state of the game address was coming for Dungeons and Dragons Online. The address was posted today, bringing news of exciting new updates coming to DDO. Guild housing, another update, a new race, bug fixes and more: DDO players have a lot to look forward to.

Update 4 is scheduled for release in April, and is currently available on Lammania for preview. "Sentinels," the adventure pack coming with this update, will take players back out to Searing Heights as well as into House Deneith. You'll encounter undead and pirates. While this pack starts at level 7, Epic mode will be unlocked right out of the gate for high level players, so everyone will be able to enjoy it.

The new adventure pack is exciting -- we all love new content -- but this time it's not the only big news by a long shot. There are new items coming to the game, guild housing (which is being implemented as a reward for guilds to work for), and even a new race. If you've ever wanted to play a half-orc, it's your lucky day. The list of additions to the game is extensive and promises to keep players busy for quite a while.

Check out the state of the game address for the full story.

DDO State of the Game released originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All Points Bulletin podcast #12 delivers community Q&A

Kyle Horner — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, New titles, News items, All Points Bulletin

All Points Bulletin's 12th video podcast sees the conclusion of the Mark Rein walkthrough and an informative Q&A with the game's design lead, EJ Moreland. Some of the questions are things we already knew but bore repeating, like that the game is going to be PC only for its first release.

There's new information in there, too. Like the fact that a car you design cannot be stolen from you while driving it, unlike a car you steal from a pedestrian. There's also talk about player and clan housing as future additions to the game.

We think the video podcasts are a great way to clear the air of any misconceptions while simultaneously giving the community a chance to meet the people designing the game they so very much want to play. So hopefully we'll be seeing more of these in the coming weeks leading up to wider beta and eventually, launch.

Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading All Points Bulletin podcast #12 delivers community Q&A

All Points Bulletin podcast #12 delivers community Q&A originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Conan newsletter #16 covers the basics

Michael Zenke — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Age of Conan, New titles

The latest edition of the regular Age of Conan newsletter delves into the fundamentals of the game. Erling Ellingsen has offered up a pair of weatherman-style videos, talking prospective players through the title's realtime combat system and PvP combat (a video we discussed last month). Now that we're closing in on launch, the Funcom folks are uncovering and going deeper on higher-end systems. The official site has up a post on constructing a guild city, the game's constructible element. Those constructions, player-made buildings, are the topic of another piece explaining more of the high-end guild game. Another article gives some background on the Poitain area of Aquilonia, a fertile land of tall grasses and hardwood forests.

The newsletter also features a developer profile of gameplay designer Per Storløkken, a preview of the Age of Conan comic book (featuring the Stygian chargers pictured above), a fan-created comic, and screenshots of the aforementioned Potain area. Great reading material for a (hopefully) lazy weekend.

Age of Conan newsletter #16 covers the basics originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 May 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Is player housing overdue in WoW

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Opinion, Player Housing, The Daily Grind

It seems that while Blizzard is doing a good job of making sure that there's more than enough raiding content out there to satisfy the folks who have gotten to endgame. But what about those folks who are just enjoying the ride, and very slowly and casually getting there, or who have just joined? As our sister site, WoW Insider pointed out, unless you have The Burning Crusade installed, there's really very little for you in the new content patch at all. Enter the easy way for Blizzard to fix this: guild or player housing. Blizzard has mentioned adding it before, but it has yet to materialize. What do you think? Is player or guild housing overdue in World of Warcraft? Do you think adding another layer like that might help to retain members, giving them something else to do, as well as giving the game a bit more of a gold-sink?

The Daily Grind: Is player housing overdue in WoW originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO introduces Player and Guild Housing

Dan O'Halloran — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:27:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Guilds, Patches, Previews, Player Housing

The Book 11 content update for Lord of the Rings Online introduces more than Gollum's first appearance, a Balrog to slay and class revamps for Minstrels and Lore-masters. It also introduces player and guild housing in a unique way.

There are four different racially-styled homesteads. The architecture, neighborhood and decorations are unique to each. But players are not restricted to only buying property sold by their own race. Elves can move into the Dwarven cave-like housing and Men can squeeze into Hobbit holes.

There are many kinds of housing available, including 16 different styles of personal housing, 10 more styles for the deluxe housing and 4 different styles for guild housing. Each neighborhood has a mix of two dozen or so housing types. Every time all the houses are purchased, a new instance is created with all nebw housing for sale.

Continue reading LotRO introduces Player and Guild Housing

LotRO introduces Player and Guild Housing originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO Book 11 notes and early download available

Dan O'Halloran — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:10:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches

Book 11: Defenders of Eriador , the third free content update for Lord of the Rings Online, is arriving Wednesday morning. In advance of the patch going live, Turbine has released the patch notes two days early on the LotRO Lorebook, their official Wiki site.

There are no surprises since we saw these patch notes on the Preview server earlier this month. Still on track are all the major changes:

The introduction of player and guild housing in the Man, Elf, Hobbit and Dwarf cities
Four new level 40+ outdoor zones in and around The Misty Mountains to smooth out high level questing
The Rift, the game's second raid zone, a 12-man level 50 instance that pits your group against a Balrog and introduces new class armor sets
Class revamps for Lore-masters (new Lynx pet, new high level skills) and Minstrels (Warspeech, a new dps stance for faster soloing, new high level skills.)

Also, the introduction of Gollum to the game through a flashback instance. And the epic quest series that allows the players to help the Fellowship in its journey to Mordor has a new 13-quest arc. We're not sure yet how the new Epic Quest series plays out yet, but the title of patch could mean all the playable lands are in jeopardy.

The patch is currently available by Torrent and direct download. It will also be available through the patcher on Wednesday, October 22, 2007.

LotRO Book 11 notes and early download available originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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