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[April Fool's jokes streak across the MMO community]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/april-fools-jokes-streak-across-the-mmo-community/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/april-fools-jokes-streak-across-the-mmo-community/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/april-fools-jokes-streak-across-the-mmo-community/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

SWTOR
It may be the weekend, but that's never stopped pranksters in the past from pulling off truly epic April Fool's jokes. Many MMO studios, bloggers, and fan site operators are lining up to take a shot at the jester's crown today, hoping that their blatant (and entertaining) lies will at least amuse, if not trick, players.

It would be fool-hardy (har har) to try to round them all up, so suffice it to say that office clowns have been quite busy thus far. From Star Wars: The Old Republic's announcement of playable ship droids and City of Heroes' offer of ludicrous marketplace sales to Blizzard's focus on educational kids games and StarCraft 2's playable supply depots to SOE scaring visitors with Chatdy, the gags are flying fast and furious. We might be the most impressed with a deeply detailed wiki entry for a Guild Wars mission called Annihilator 2: Searing Day, during which players are sent into the past to save Gwen from the G-1000.

If you've spotted any other pranks, please share them in the comments!

MassivelyApril Fool's jokes streak across the MMO community originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all intend to be nice to the newer players, really we do. It's not as if anyone forgets that we were new at one point, not knowing our aft launcher from our elbow in Star Trek Online. And yet for some reason, after the right barrage of questions about how you loot things in Final Fantasy XI, where you can get travel powers in City of Heroes, or how to train pistols in Fallen Earth... well, eventually you just snap. You give someone advice that isn't just bad -- it's malicious.

Almost every veteran has done it at least once, ranging from assuring a player that the dragon is totally soloable to explaining that black dye is cheap and unwanted. So what's the worst thing you've ever pulled over on a new player? Was it something that got the character killed, or even worse, something that forced the player to throw away what could have been a long-term benefit? And in the unlikely event that you don't have a cruel sense of humor, have you ever been on the receiving end?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's the cruelest prank you've played on a new player? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advicebad-advicemalicious-pranksnew-playersnewbsnoobsnovice-playersplaying-prankspractical-jokesprankstdgthe-daily-grindMon, 30 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools' Day 09: Second Life users pull the other one]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-second-life-users-pull-the-other-one/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-second-life-users-pull-the-other-one/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-second-life-users-pull-the-other-one/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

April Fools' Day is quite the hodge-podge in Second Life. Linden Lab doesn't generally pull pranks on the user-population (some may disagree with us on that) but there are hordes of different groups and communities, and even a relatively low percentage of hoaxers lead to literally hundreds of hoaxes, almost all of which are spread by word-of-mouth.

We'll quickly round up some of the most common gags that are going around this year (a few of which are perennials).

  • Linden Lab is going back to charging for teleportation (the sum of L$1 per teleport). This one's formatted as a press-release, though the grammar is quirky enough to be a tip-off. Besides, this one came around the last two years as well.
  • Linden Lab has been purchased outright by [Microsoft/Activision-Blizzard/Electric Sheep/7-11/NCsoft/AOL/Worlds.com/IBM].

Continue reading April Fools' Day 09: Second Life users pull the other one

MassivelyApril Fools' Day 09: Second Life users pull the other one originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What could possibly top the Battle of Amon Hen "content upgrade" from last year's April Fools' Day in Lord of the Rings Online? How about another chicken-themed prank for this year? That's right, for today's festivities, players get the chance to participate in more Chicken Play activities with a small quest line entitled "The Fox in the Hen House".

The quest will start with a piece of mail you'll receive from a concerned farmer. You will then speak to a Town Crier to assume the role of a chicken and run yourself from Gramsfoot to Glan Vraig in the Ettenmoors. Once you've completed this task, you'll earn the esteemed title of "Fool". That's not all though. The day is sure to be filled with various other tricks, so be aware!

[UPDATE: Seems they've closed the quest, according to lotro.com: Due to the load on our servers caused by the April Fool's chicken session play, we are disabling the quest. Please note if you receive a mail, you cannot turn it in with the quest disabled. We hope you had fun while it was open, and we're sorry the quest bawked!]

MassivelyApril Fools' Day 09: Running afowl in LotRO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09chicken-playettenmoorshumorlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroprankspvmpturbineWed, 01 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools' Day 09: Guild Wars gets cute with us]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-guild-wars-gets-cute-with-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-guild-wars-gets-cute-with-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-guild-wars-gets-cute-with-us/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


ArenaNet has worked their magic once again with this year's humorous April Fools' Day prank in Guild Wars. Last year's prank may still be "sticking" with you, and the year before was arguably one of the best through the magic of gender switching, but this year got a pretty good chuckle out of us as well.

When you log in today, you may notice your character looking a bit shorter and much cuter. As part of the April Fools' celebrations, all characters appear as an anime-styled Gwen while in towns and outposts. Gwen, of course, has become the unlikely icon of the game, gaining almost a cult status.

As the day's pranks continue, you can bet we'll keep you informed on the best and most clever. Like for instance, this Guild Wars 2 trailer from ArenaNet's own Jeff Grubb. Ugh, seriously?! That's still going on?

MassivelyApril Fools' Day 09: Guild Wars gets cute with us originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09arenanetguild-warsgwhumorncsoftpranksWed, 01 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Pranks, busted]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/the-daily-grind-pranks-busted/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/the-daily-grind-pranks-busted/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/the-daily-grind-pranks-busted/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Afraid of April Fool's day? Concerned that every single site out there on the web will be spewing forth stuff you can't trust? Have no fear, folks - the Massively team is here! Our leaders have decided that much like last year, today we will use our powers for good. Rather than pranking our readership, we'll work along with you all to hunt down and chronicle any MMO pranks going on out there. Of course, if there's any real news that does somehow land out there today, we'll be sure to report that as well.

If you'd like to join the team for today's Prankbusting efforts, all you have to do is leave a comment here with any MMO game or site pranks you run across. That way we all have the chance to either check them out - or know to avoid them. We'll also be running down things going on in different MMOs so those who don't have subscriptions can still check out the silliness each MMO has to offer.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Pranks, busted originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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