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EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher

Brendan Drain — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, News items, Sandbox

As part of CCP's refocusing on EVE Online, the studio announced that work had begun on a new game launcher last November. Players with an out-of-date client currently receive a patch popup on logging in that requires the client to be restarted, and frequent optional patches to fix non-critical issues can force you to restart the client several times. The new patcher brings EVE up to the industry standard for MMO clients, pre-loading the game in the background and announcing when it's ready to launch.

The new launcher will go live tomorrow with the Crucible 1.5 update, but it's not the only thing getting some much-needed attention in the patch. All of the rookie ships have been visually revamped, three new 2/10 DED complexes have been added for newer highsec explorers, and the overview will now be more responsive. The patch also brings a whole host of user interface changes and bug fixes.

EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders?

Brianna Royce — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Every time I boot up Lord of the Rings Online or Dungeons and Dragons Online, I'm reminded that somewhere on my computer lurks Pando Media Booster. Ostensibly, Pando and software like Pando helps MMO players to download game clients, but they also spread out the load and track other information presumably of use to the game companies themselves. I've deleted Pando and similar software from my PC multiple times, but some games just don't function well without them. Players have been known to suggest the whole system of third-party installers and downloaders and launchers is nothing more than bloatware, or worse, malware and spyware.

Am I alone in loathing MMO patchers that are really torrents I can't disable, launchers that lump the entirety of a company's games together, and third-party download whatever-ware that won't go away?

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: Do you loathe third-party downloaders? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New launchpad coming to all EverQuest II users tomorrow [Updated]

Jef Reahard — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

EverQuest II's official site has updated with a news blurb heralding the launch of, er, well, a new launcher. Currently, Sony Online Entertainment's fantasy title has multiple access points including the streaming launcher, the retail box launcher, and SOE's station launcher.

As of November 30th, all EQII users will be migrated to a new launchpad.

What's new about it? Well for starters, it doesn't require Flash. It also boasts a "much faster patching speed" and a "general aesthetic upgrade." The migration process should be painless for the end user, as Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson says that all you'll have to do is point the new launcher at your existing EQII directory when prompted. There's a bit more info on the official site if you're curious.

[Update]: EQ2Wire has a great dev rundown on what exactly is coming with the new launcher.

New launchpad coming to all EverQuest II users tomorrow [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New EVE Online launcher will simplify patching

Brendan Drain — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

EVE Online developer CCP Games has dedicated this winter's expansion to small features, balance changes and small quality-of-life improvements. Most of the changes we've heard about so far have been gameplay features and graphical improvements, from starbase tweaks and blaster balance changes to magnificent new nebula graphics. In a new devblog, CCP Topknot shows off a brand new launcher program designed to simplify the patching process.

Currently, players launching an out-of-date client get a pop-up about the latest patch and have to restart the client. This becomes a nuisance when frequent optional updates are released. The new patcher will work like a standard MMO launcher, detecting which files aren't up to date and downloading new versions. "A big-ass progress bar will tell you what's going on and how much work is left," explains Topknot, "and an unnecessarily huge button allows you to play the game once it is ready."

The new patcher is currently on the test server and should be making its way to the main game with the winter expansion. In the future, the patcher will be able to download updates in the background and may be able to download content in stages, giving new players access to character creation while the game content downloads.

New EVE Online launcher will simplify patching originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCsoft pairs new launcher with City of Heroes, offers Wisp Auras as upgrade enticements

Jef Reahard — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, MMO industry, News items, Promotions

Bribery! Scandal! Shenanigans!

Well, OK, those last two might be stretching it a bit, but NCsoft is clearly engaging in a bit of customer coercion when it comes to its game launcher and the long-running City of Heroes MMORPG. You see, in order to get your superhero's hands on a shiny new Wisp Aura (which, for the uninitiated, is a type of cosmetic costume upgrade), you'll need to switch to the new -- and preferred -- way to download and patch CoX.

While the launcher application isn't new (Aion and Lineage II have been using it for many moons), NCsoft's desire to pair it up with City of Heroes is new, as the game has heretofore used its original stand-alone launchpad. The NCsoft launcher allows each of the Korean firm's games to update and start from a single application, and it can also be set to run in the background.

NCsoft pairs new launcher with City of Heroes, offers Wisp Auras as upgrade enticements originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Station launcher moves out of beta, adds voice chat support

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, PlanetSide, Launches, MMO industry, Patches, The Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard

So the beta launcher is finally un-betaed! Sony has officially pushed the Station Launcher into the "final version," dropping in voice chat, simplified menus, faster servers for downloads, and the ability to run the launcher without administrative rights as well.

The fun stuff, however, is really contained within the voice update. This new voice, dubbed "station voice," lets you communicate with friends from within the game or outside of the game. Creating a room from outside of the game is done with your in-game character, letting people who are on the station launcher join you, or people inside of the game join your room from the inside, no launcher required.

Plus, the other new features like the upgraded servers that will give more downstream bandwidth for game updates, are certainly nothing to sneeze at.

This doesn't mean that Sony is done with upgrading and changing the launcher, as they've already pledged to continue taking user feedback and pushing that into their product to constantly make a better launcher.

For the full patch notes, check them out on the EverQuest forums, located in this thread.

Station launcher moves out of beta, adds voice chat support originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patch 3.0.8 lands on World of Warcraft servers

Kyle Horner — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Patches, News items

It's finally here, the first post-Wrath patch-of-important-things for World of Warcraft. And by "important things" we mean changes like allowing players to create a Death Knight on any server, so long as they have a level 55+ character on at least one server. There are also a bevy of class changes, as well as a pretty nifty launcher update that's added plenty of utility plus style. Overall, the 3.0.8 patch was quite beefy -- now we just have to sit tight for the eventual Icecrown patch to slam onto our harddrives.

If you really want to get the low-down on all changes both big and small, WoW Insider's got you covered. And if you're an Arcane Mage, then count yourself lucky as Blizzard saw fit to give out candies this go-around.

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!

Patch 3.0.8 lands on World of Warcraft servers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC08: SOE goes voice chat crazy

Mike Schramm — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:45:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, Guilds, Grouping

Sony Online Entertainment has announced the most comprehensive voice chat plan ever, according to a press release dropped at GDC today. They've teamed up with a company called Vivox to not only bring integrated voice chat into all of their games, but also some features that MMO players have never even dreamed of. Vivox says they'll be able to bring voicemail into games, join raid chats via landline or cell phone, and even use voice manipulation over the connection.

Apparently the voice chat service will be also available just through Sony's Launcher, so you won't need to be in-game to use the applications. Gamers will have buddy lists, and games will all have volume controls and channel controls, but the other features they brag about apparently won't be available at launch-- while voice and guild chat channels will be available right away, the other features, like voicemail and "voice fonts," are only "anticipated" for later. Still, John Smedley, SOE President, is quoted in the release as being excited about bringing the two services together, so only time will tell how it will all work.

Time, and our interviews, that is. Massively has a few correspondents on the floor at GDC right now, and we are planning to speak with both Vivox and SOE before the end of the week. Stay tuned for more on these services and just what they'll entail for players in-game.

GDC08: SOE goes voice chat crazy originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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