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EVE Evolved: Three years of EVE Evolved

Brendan Drain — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Contests, Culture, Massively Meta, EVE Evolved

A few days shy of three years ago, I joined Massively and published the very first edition of this column. Since April 27th, 2008, EVE Online players have received their weekly dose of EVE Evolved every Sunday at 6 p.m. EDT. I still remember the first few articles as if they were published only a few months ago, and three years on I'm almost surprised that the column is still going strong. I often worry about running out of ideas, but as the column's name suggests, EVE is continually evolving and providing new things to discuss. The column now houses over 150 articles on a huge range of topics, from in-depth multi-part guides drawing from first-hand experience to expansion speculation, opinion pieces and even stories.

As usual, I'm celebrating the anniversary of the column by running a competition for readers. With the column's readership having grown a lot over the years, I'll be expanding the prize pool this year by giving away three massive mystery prizes worth over 500 million ISK each to three lucky entrants. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment stating what your favourite EVE Evolved article this year was, what topic you'd like to see covered in a future edition of the column, or what in-game player or organisation you'd like to see featured in an EVE Spotlight interview. You will need an active EVE account to claim the prize, but there's no need to post your character name here. The winners will be contacted via email and their names will be announced in this post on Sunday the 1st of May.

UPDATE: Congratulations go to Uniqdragon, mdubs28 and Thorium88, who will be contacted via email to arrange receipt of their prizes.

In this week's retrospective EVE Evolved, I look back at some of the highlights from the third year of the column.

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EVE Evolved: Three years of EVE Evolved originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Waging WAR: White Lions ite domum

Greg Waller — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, PvP, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Humor, Waging WAR

This week in Waging WAR, Greg shows off the rather large chip on his shoulder and talks about one particular career in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Despite the following column, Greg wants it to be known that he does indeed love kittens of all kinds and does not condone harming them in any way, unless it involves several Doom Bolts and a few handfuls of Flickering Red Fire, in which case he enthusiastically gives his approval.

For the most part, I consider myself pretty easygoing when it comes to scenario PvP. I don't flip out when I die, I try to not take failure to heart since the next scenario is usually right around the corner, and DPS-healers don't bug me like they bug many other players out there (I used to play one, neener-neener). But recently, I've noticed a particularly aggravating trend growing among Order players on Badlands in the lower tiers. There is an inordinate number of White Lions being rolled, and objectively, it isn't difficult to see why. They're extremely mobile, they can cause outrageous amounts of damage in a very short time, and their pets represent more than mere harassment -- they actually hurt. Sadly, objectivity comes at a pretty hefty price these days. When it has run dry and all I find myself left with is the hot, bitter aftertaste of subjectivity, the result is something like the rant that follows.

Read along after the break and enjoy my rant about White Lions.

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Waging WAR: White Lions ite domum originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Waging WAR: On the distant horizon

Greg Waller — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Waging WAR

It's that time again! Yes, Greg's imagination has escaped its tiny 3x3 cell and is off spreading ruination and ruffling feathers across the countryside, armed with absurd notions and a not-so-surprising lack of reason and logic. This week's Waging WAR attempts to follow along in its wake as we take another look at the potential future of Warhammer Online: The Age of Reckoning.

WAR released with an impressive lineup of playable armies and careers, setting the stage for the Age of Reckoning with a 3v3, two-sided RvR layout. In the summer following the official release of WAR, we got our first free content expansion featuring the Tomb Kings in the Land of the Dead. Just recently, we finally, at long last, got our Skaven wishes granted. In the spirit of the holiday season coming up, I've decided to look ahead at what may come in the future as we approach new horizons in WAR. Even if we discount Brettonia as another flavor of civilized human (akin in many ways to the Empire), the Daemons of Chaos as being already represented in some form or another as a part of Tzeentch's Warhost, and the Ogre Kingdoms (and other assorted Dogs of War) as being more-or-less an NPC army, we're still left with some excellent offerings from Warhammer lore as far as where WAR can go in the foreseeable future.

Follow along after the break as I take another look at what's left on the table to play with for future packs and expansions for WAR.

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Waging WAR: On the distant horizon originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: LEGO Universe

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, Opinion, First Impressions, LEGO Universe, Kids, Family

Playing. It's one of our earliest lessons from childhood, and one that we as gamers hold on to with gusto. Let's face it -- in just about every gamer out there is a kid who, at least in some small way, refuses to grow up entirely. We love to play. It's that love, coupled with childhood memories of clicking tons of brightly colored LEGO blocks together, that has made the idea of LEGO videogames a huge hit. Now have a new contender to the LEGO gaming play-space: LEGO Universe. It's a game that has the potential to offer all the things we as MMO gamers would love: an open-ended world, a great known IP that reminds us of youthful days, and the social aspects many of us enjoy.

Aside from this, LEGO Universe also offers many things that parents of young gamers will value. As someone I spoke with recently asked: "What's stopping people from building offensive adult-themed content with LEGO bricks that my child might see?" The answer lies in LEGO Universe's moderation team, known as the Mythran (a shadowy group actually written into the lore of the game), which personally reviews personal free-build areas for compliance. The Mythrans also oversee character and pet names. When combined with a speedchat and whitelisted word chat system, it makes for a very workable solution to keeping kids safe online.

Curious about a look into LEGO Universe? Join me behind the break as I take a more detailed look at this colorful game, and be sure to check out the extensive gallery below!

Gallery: First Impressions: LEGO Universe

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First Impressions: LEGO Universe originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Waging WAR: Elitist alliances and RvR

Greg Waller — Sat, 29 May 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Guilds, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Humor, Waging WAR

No matter where you go in the MMO-verse, rivalries are bound to happen, and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is no different. In most cases, these rifts are the exception and not the norm; whether they manifest as a heated argument in scenarios, or a realm-wide feud between established guilds or alliances, there's always going to be some sort of drama. This week, Waging WAR takes a look at how the exception to the rule can affect the game as a whole.

A few days ago I was playing on one of my Tier 2 alts running around with an open warband in the Shadowlands. We were taking some keeps and battlefield objectives for renown and influence, since the Tier 2 High Elf elite influence item is well worth the effort. As it turns out, a few of my guildmates were also leveling in the same warband. We ran into a keep defense at Spite's Reach that we weren't really prepared for, but we managed to muster a decent siege in short order. The hot oil started pouring and some area-of-effect magic started to blanket the warband on the ground as we pounded on the door. One of the players in my guild, a dedicated veteran (though not an officer), refused to heal someone else in the warband. I asked him why and he told me that it was because the person was in another specific guild, with no real reason beyond that simple fact.

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Waging WAR: Elitist alliances and RvR originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does an MMO have to cost money to deliver fun?

Lesley Smith — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, City of Heroes, EVE Online, Perfect World International, Opinion, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

The MMO industry is split between games where you pay and those that are free. Some are pay to play, with subscriptions and the cost of the game while others are free to play but you still have to buy a license key. Some are freemium where the game is free to buy and play but you enhance it with micro-transactions using cold, hard cash.

Over the last year, the internet has been positively flooded by hundreds of free-to-play MMOs from Evony to Runes of Magic. While small fry compared to the likes of EVE, WoW and City of Heroes, they have their own playerbases, their own (albeit smaller) legions of fans who are as just as devoted to their MMO as any other fan is to their chosen title. But does a game that is free automatically make it worse than something you pay good money for?

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Does an MMO have to cost money to deliver fun? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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