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Why I Play: EverQuest II

MJ Guthrie — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Humor, Sandbox, Why I Play

Because.

Remember back when this answer was lobbed at you as the definitive answer (often by moms tired of incessant "why"s or as a precursor to "I said so!")? But since I am not your mom -- and more importantly, the boss isn't about to pay me for a one word article -- let me elaborate, though, I warn you, you may regret it; once I get going I may not be able to stop! Seriously, they had to restrain me from taking over Why I Play. Obviously I broke free mwuahahahaha!

Simply put, I love EverQuest II. I log into it daily. Sometimes I don't leave for more hours than I am willing to admit. I can hum the guild hall music from memory. I have a list of things I want to do so long I can't possibly get it all done. All this after taking a multi-year break. Yes folks, I left the game for a long time -- a move I am still kicking myself for. But certain features pulled me back, and let me just say, I am so glad I came back.

So why do I play EQII? Where to begin...

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Why I Play: EverQuest II originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Icarus preps Fallen Earth soundtrack release

Jef Reahard — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, News items, Post-Apocalyptic

Once upon a time, we spent an afternoon ripping audio files out of the recesses of our Fallen Earth directory. This wasn't fun, or especially productive, but the end result was a collection of MP3 snippets strung together on a playlist labeled FE Soundtrack. The whole hackneyed effort served as a stop-gap measure for getting our daily dose of wasteland ambiance while waiting patiently on an official solution. Happily, this half-arsed attempt is about to become obsolete, as Icarus Studios is gearing up to release their Firefly-esque soundtrack to fans all over the Grand Canyon province.

The 20-track album will be available via the Fallen Earth website next week, and can be purchased for $13.99 US (or $.99 per individual track).

Shiny.

Icarus preps Fallen Earth soundtrack release originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you get game wanderlust?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind

We gamers are a fickle bunch. Perhaps you're a veteran player of Guild Wars and have always loved the game, even when you knew the sequel was coming. But you saw the recent Ranger reveal, and when you logged in you were suddenly struck by an overwhelming urge to play Guild Wars 2 immediately, not this crappy old game that you hate and is terrible. It's not that you're actually dissatisfied with the game, but the promises of new shiny things have left you feeling an urge to pick up and go somewhere new.

The allure of something new and good can be a powerful intoxicant, and it can bring people into strange new locations. Do you find yourself wanting to head off into a new game despite there being nothing wrong with your current main game? Are you tempted to try out newer titles on a regular basis, even if you know you'll end up going back? Or do you convince yourself not to go anywhere when you'll just turn around in the end?

The Daily Grind: Do you get game wanderlust? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making/Money: MUDflation IG vs. IRL

Alexis Kassan — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Economy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, Endgame, Making/Money

We have tackled the subject of mudflation tangentially a few times of late. It seems to have suddenly become the economic buzzword of MMOs. We have all experienced it. We have come to expect, if not accept, it as part of the games we love to play. And though Wikipedia, in its infinite wisdom, has dubbed it an in-game only phenomenon, I posit a different approach to looking at this occurrence.

Mudflation is an immediate devaluation of previously owned items due to the gain or release of newly available items. This is not unlike technological advance in that the release of the latest new toy makes all others somewhat obsolete. The differences here are the perceived need for the item, the amount of devaluation, and the time frame in which this occurs.

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Making/Money: MUDflation IG vs. IRL originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Preview EQII's Game Update 43

William Dobson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Patches, Grouping

It hasn't been long since the momentous Game Update 42 hit EverQuest II, but the update train has kept on chuggin', and we've now got a preview of what's coming in Game Update 43. Of course, it's nowhere near the magnitude of GU42, but was anyone expecting that after the amount of content that has just been added mere weeks ago?

The update is centered around looting, with changes to group loot options and looting "shiny" collectables from the ground. A much missed "Need Before Greed" group loot distribution method is being added, which many players will be familiar with from other games. A "Round Robin" will also be introduced, which distributes loot to group members automatically and in sequence . The other change makes it so that you have the option of leaving a shiny on the ground once you've harvested it and seen what it is. This is to help prevent looting the same worthless shiny over and over amd cluttering up your inventory. Alternatively, you'll be able to shove that worthless shiny on to your group, with the option to include these in group looting.

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Preview EQII's Game Update 43 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Perry on MUO cancellation: "huh?"

Chris Chester — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Interviews, MMO industry, Marvel Heroes

Eurogamer caught up with David Perry, former Shiny Entertainment big-wig and now localizer of many free MMOs for Acclaim to ask him, among other things, for his reaction to the recent news that Marvel Universe Online has been officially canned. Perry reacted with some surprise, pointing out Marvel is one of the biggest and most prolific mainstream intellectual properties on the market today, with all the money swirling around the box-office success of Spiderman, X-men, The Hulk, etc. He reasoned that if you take a team just as good as Blizzard and set them to work on a Marvel MMO, it'd be even bigger than WoW.

We take Perry's point, but there are a number of factors to consider with this story. First of all, there's a certain danger in developing an MMO for a console environment, especially at this stage in the system's life. The Xbox 360 launched in Fall of 2005, meaning it's probably closing in on the midway point in its life-cycle. In a genre where games like Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot are still making money, being halfway through a five year life cycle doesn't bode well for long-term profitability. And second, whose to say Shane Kim even related the full story? This whole affair could be far messier than we can tell at this juncture -- we may only find out what really happened with time.

David Perry on MUO cancellation: "huh?" originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dream of Mirror Online open beta incoming

Mike Schramm — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Classes, New titles, Consoles, Dream of Mirror Online

To be honest, I'm not sure if a game like this floats any boats here at Massively, but surely in our (growing) audience there's someone out there who cares for cel-shaded graphics and wacky Japanese RPGs with surfer swords and anime nose bubbles. For you, dear reader, we cover the news that Dream of Mirror Online (DOMO, for short), a very Japanese (and Maple Story-esque, I believe) MMO is finishing up closed beta and will have an open beta before the end of the year.

The open beta will also add Hunter, Mercenary, Musician and Wizard classes, and Gametribe promises more new content to come. I kind of like how bright and shiny the graphics are-- it's a good change from the dark and increasingly bump-mapped graphics of Western games. But I worry that the gameplay will end up as cutesy as the models are. Anyone excited about this one and want to tell us why?

Dream of Mirror Online open beta incoming originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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