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Land of Chaos Online celebrates first anniversary with free stuff

Jef Reahard — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS

Like presents? If so, Alaplaya is betting you'll like Land of Chaos Online, not to mention the one-year anniversary party that's going on right now. The festivities run through August 30th and include special anniversary gifts for all players as well as free hero cards from the AP shop.

LOCO blends action, real-time strategy, and traditional MMORPG progression together with third-person shooter elements and a matchmaking format similar to Defense of the Ancients. The formula is apparently working pretty well, as the game has attracted over 530,000 registered players in the past year, according to a new press release. More info on the game is available at the official website, and you can also download the client and start playing for free.

Land of Chaos Online celebrates first anniversary with free stuff originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jagged Alliance Online premieres new Gamescom trailer

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, War, MMORTS, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous

"They gave us a mission. They never told us what it was about."

So begins the newest trailer for Jagged Alliance Online, gamigo's turn-based tactical RPG that features mercenaries, guns, and plenty of strategy. The trailer begins with your typical action movie setup: Rugged heroes get involved in a mission gone bad and are hung out to dry by their superiors. Rather than to roll over to die, they pick up a few thousand rounds of ammunition and head out seeking a little revenge.

After the introduction, the trailer does show a few seconds of in-game footage from Jagged Alliance Online, as bodies fly when hit with bullets and explosions rule supreme.

Jagged Alliance Online will be at this month's Gamescom, and get a preview of the game's convention trailer after the jump.

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Jagged Alliance Online premieres new Gamescom trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wasteland Diaries: Don't give up

Edward Marshall — Fri, 06 May 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Game mechanics, PvP, MMOFPS, Wasteland Diaries, Post-Apocalyptic

In Fallen Earth PvP, there is a pretty wide rift between the haves and the have-nots. A novice will rarely fare well in Fallen Earth combat, but there are rare exceptions. There are some groups that fight so well that it might even seem like they are hacking or cheating in some way. Usually, this isn't the case. What they are doing, however, is using every advantage they can get out of the game mechanics. They are also working together like a well-oiled machine. This takes a bit of knowledge and a lot of practice. A well-trained and coordinated team will make short work of a rag-tag pick-up group.

In this post, I will lay out the basic knowledge that you will need to PvP. If you take these few pointers to heart, you will be more likely to understand what happens when you lose and what to do to correct it. Overcoming the learning curve in Fallen Earth PvP requires two things. The first and most important thing is patience. When you get knocked down, you have to brush yourself off and try again. The second thing you will need is a firm understanding of the game mechanics. If you understand the rules of the game, you will be more likely to figure out what you did wrong and what your opponents did right. I can't teach you how to be patient, but I can tell you a few things about the game mechanics that might help you stay alive. Even if you never plan to PvP (mobs can be vicious too), click past the cut to start your training.

Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: Don't give up

Wasteland Diaries: Don't give up originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's your least favorite sort of boss fight?

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

If you study a fair bit of literary theory, you'll come across the idea that there are only a handful of different stories at the most basic level. The same is true of boss fights in most MMOs -- while there are variants, you can generally break a fight down to its component elements. DPS races, gear checks, endurance fights, add management, positioning battles... from World of Warcraft to Lord of the Rings Online to City of Heroes, there are going to be fights where you have to avoid standing in things while killing the boss gradually.

Of course, each of these fights can bring different challenges, but not all of them are entirely welcome ones. So which set of mechanics do you find the least appealing? Do you find positioning fights irritating as they completely disregard character stats in favor of dancing? Do you dislike DPS races where everyone just brainlessly pounds on the keyboard? Are you sick of burning down non-entities in order to fight the actual boss? Or is there another mechanic altogether that gets your goat?

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: What's your least favorite sort of boss fight? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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gamigo announces new Elements of War MMORTS

Jef Reahard — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, MMORTS

There's a new MMORTS in the works from gamigo, and the upcoming Elements of War Online looks to give players the opportunity to take part in an invasion of the United States carried out by a coalition of Russian and European forces.

The game features eight-player (4 vs. 4) matches and requires a mixture of strategy, tactical prowess, and teamwork to control various sectors of a battle map set in the war-torn continental United States.

Player commanders choose and train their units to create the ultimate army, and can even make use of "experimental element weapons such as artificial tornados and storms [that] can make or
break a battle," according to a gamigo press release. Beta testing for Elements of War will kick off this quarter, and the game will feature 50 unique battle zones, 16 maps, two playable factions, 31 unit types per side, and destructible environments.

gamigo announces new Elements of War MMORTS originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP changes deep safe spot nerf due to player feedback

Brendan Drain — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Exploits, Game mechanics

On Wednesday, we brought you the news of CCP's plans to nerf deep safe spots in EVE Online. Deep safe spots are bookmarks far outside the outer boundaries of a solar system. Being several hundred AU from the nearest celestial body, ships in a deep safe spot are far outside normal scanning range. The spots have been created using a variety of exploits over the years, and with Tyrannis on the way they're headed for a nerf. The announcement of the change was met by strong opposition from some players on the official EVE forums, not about the nerf itself but the planned implemention.

On May 18th, all ships and objects over 10AU further from the system's star than the outer-most planet were scheduled to be deleted. Any ships or items inadvertently left there would be gone and any pilots logged off in these locations would log in to find themselves without a ship. In response to player feedback, CCP have decided to rethink their plan to delete objects in deep safe spots. These objects will instead be moved to the outer edge of the solar system. In the new announcement, CCP took the time to clarify what objects will be moved with a handy diagram. The announcement was rounded off with some interesting statistics, showing that there are currently about 345 ships without pilots abandoned at deep safe spots across EVE. As these ships will eventually be moved to within normal probing distance, some lucky players may find them unexpectedly.

CCP changes deep safe spot nerf due to player feedback originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deep safe spot nerf coming to EVE Online

Brendan Drain — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP

Any EVE Online player that's spent time in nullsec or lowsec will know the importance of safe spots. By creating a bookmark while in warp, you can warp to areas of space several AU from any celestial objects. Although other players can still see your ship on the directional scanner, they'll need to narrow down your location with combat scanner probes to warp in on top of you. You can be stay relatively safe from hostile players by continually warping between multiple safe spots, an old and intended part of EVE's tactical gameplay. The creation of deep safe spots several hundred AU from the nearest celestial object, however, has never been an intended game mechanic. Over the years, several different bugs and oversights have allowed players to create them. Unfortunately for players that have been using deep safe spots, this particular tactical tool is going to change when Tyrannis hits on May 18th.

Continue reading Deep safe spot nerf coming to EVE Online

Deep safe spot nerf coming to EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics, part 2

Brendan Drain — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

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EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics

Brendan Drain — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE, EVE Evolved

Although EVE Online's combat isn't twitch-based, the outcome is often swayed by strong tactical and strategic influences. Whether you're running missions, battling Sleeper AI in a wormhole site or engaging other players in PvP, chances are you've pulled off a few fancy tactical maneuvers. Over the years, we learn these little tricks and teach them to each other. From mundane ways to avoid damage from NPCs to the cat and mouse games we play with other players, tactical maneuvers are a big part of EVE's gameplay. In this short article, I look at a few of the tips and tactics players use to gain an edge in combat.

Angular velocity:
If you've ever used a turret-based ship and found yourself missing enemies a lot, there are a few tricks you can do to even the score. Open the overview settings menu and under "column" select "Angular Velocity". This shows the transverse velocity of enemy ships relative to your own in radians per second, which is the same measurement your turret tracking score uses. By checking the show-info pane on your guns, you can look up the maximum tracking speed of your guns. Ships with an angular velocity greater than your turret's tracking speed will be practically impossible to hit so having this information on-hand means you can avoid picking targets that will just waste your time and ammo. Another useful trick to do is to match your course and speed as closely as you can with an enemy ship rather than just approaching it. This will decrease their angular velocity relative to your ship, allowing you to hit some fast ships you otherwise wouldn't be able to.

Skip past the cut for four more interesting tactics and tips. Do you have a particularly useful tip or a clever tactical maneuver you use a lot? Leave a comment and let us know what it is.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics

EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earthrise videos show game mechanics and zones

James Egan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Earthrise

The post-apocalyptic MMO title Earthrise from Masthead Studios has caught our attention, perhaps even moreso since we heard of their involvement with the much-rumored Fallout MMO. Massively ran a fairly comprehensive look at Earthrise from our meeting with them at GDC 2009 and the game seems to be coming along rather well in terms of development. We came across something else interesting today over at MMORPG.com that might interest our readers. Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov gave MMORPG.com a demo of Earthrise which they captured in video in two parts.

The first video introduces some of the core aspects of playing Earthrise, with the system of skills, abilities, tactics, and stances explained briefly while moving about in a starter zone. The second bit of in-game footage focuses on Earthrise's zones. It shows off the contrast between the utopian Eastern Gardens and a devastated region, once a city and now a buffer between the game's civilized areas and the wasteland. Both videos are worth checking out over at MMORPG.com.

Earthrise videos show game mechanics and zones originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC09: Massively previews Earthrise

James Egan — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Previews, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Earthrise

The futuristic game Earthrise is one of the upcoming sci-fi massively multiplayer games that we can see on the horizon. It's the first MMO developed by Sofia-based Masthead Studios and features the post-apocalyptic setting of a world divided between utopian idealism and revolution. Massively had a chance to sit down with Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov at the Game Developers Conference 2009 where he gave us a walkthrough of Earthrise, shedding some light on what this new title may bring to the MMO world.

Gallery: Earthrise

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GDC09: Massively previews Earthrise originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An insider's account of galactic warfare in EVE Online

James Egan — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion

Prolific games journalist Jim Rossignol is an avid EVE Online player, who has made regular contributions to Eurogamer focused on this particular sci-fi MMO. His latest piece, "EVE Online: Battle Reports", is a brief account of how his PvP-focused corp (EVE's version of a guild) fared in a conflict against some steep odds.

His aim is to explain a bit about how the game works while telling his story, hopefully holding appeal for those who don't play the game as well as those who do. "Because of the open structure of the game world, player-versus-player battles happen in all kinds of contexts and situations, and the sheer number of variables means they can make for a great story," Rossignol writes.

Continue reading An insider's account of galactic warfare in EVE Online

An insider's account of galactic warfare in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Elves of WAR: Disciple of Khaine levels 11-15

Kyle Horner — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, Warhammer Online, Massively Hands-on

Levels 11 through 15 for the Disciple of Khaine --much like the other classes -- give you your three first Career Tactics. These passive abilities allow you to slightly alter the way your class functions in combat. However, at this level you're only allowed to slot one Career Tactic at a time. One of these first Tactics increases your survivability by improving the effect heals have on you by 10% -- it's shared between the other Dark Elf classes, too. However, the other two Tactics are aimed at increasing your damage output in two very different ways. Divine Fury boosts your overall damage by 25% at the cost of reducing your healing effectiveness by 20% and Khaine's Blessing bumps up your auto-attack speed by 50% every time you land a critical hit.

Your rank 2 Morale is much more interesting, though. It hits every enemy around you for 80dmg and then heals your entire group for the total amount of damage dealt. Having no range, you only need to make sure you've got a nice bulk of targets in the near vicinity. Combined with the Divine Fury tactic, you can actually heal a bit more than normal with this particular attack, too.

Continue reading The Elves of WAR: Disciple of Khaine levels 11-15

The Elves of WAR: Disciple of Khaine levels 11-15 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Speed rebalanced

Brendan Drain — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved

In a previous article, I examined the nano craze and how speed-fit setups were taking over EVE Online's PvP landscape. In a recent devblog on the issue, CCP developer Nozh makes it clear that the nano craze will soon be coming to an abrupt end. In his blog post, Nozh outlined the current problems with speed setups and laid out his plans to address those issues. The proposed changes cover everything from stasis webs and microwarpdrives to warp scramblers and nanofibres.

The nano solution?:
The essence of the nano problem is that speed fittings allow some larger ships to perform the roles of smaller, more specialised ships. Heavy assault cruisers are routinely spotted using their speed as a complete defence, something ordinarily reserved for fragile interceptors. One of the core design goals of the change is to eliminate this ability entirely, forcing pilots that want high speed to use ships that were designed to have it. As was the case before the nano craze took hold of EVE, the new kings of speed will be interceptors and frigates rather than expensive heavy assault cruisers and recon ships.

With this potential solution to the nano problem on the horizon, PvP in EVE is facing some major changes. In this speculative article, I analyse how the upcoming changes will affect PvP if implemented.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Speed rebalanced

EVE Evolved: Speed rebalanced originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speed kills

James Egan — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Forums, Game mechanics, PvP, News items

EVE Online has evolved into a game where being fast and agile allows you to choose your fights, dictate range and thus control the course of the battle, disengage whenever you choose, and often move so quickly that you're largely unassailable. However, the era of the nano craze will soon be coming to a close, according to EVE Online developer CCP Nozh.

His latest dev blog addresses the insane velocities achievable, even by previously lumbering battleships, with combinations of speed modules, rigs, pirate implants and performance-boosting drugs. (For those less familiar with EVE or its more deviant aspects, you can in fact use and sell drugs in the game.) CCP Nozh outlined the dev team's design goals in stemming the speed crisis:

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Speed kills originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMO MMOnkey: Comparing active attack and auto attack

Kevin Murnane — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, Game mechanics, PvE, Opinion, MMO MMOnkey

In the opening sentence of a previous column I compared Age of Conan's active style of combat in which the player must instigate every attack with a keypress to the auto-attack combat common to most MMOs. I characterized auto attack as a go-make-a-cup-of-coffee type of combat which, as one commenter pointed out, was a bit of hyperbole designed to accentuate the difference between active and auto attack but which offended several other people who thought their combat skills were being denigrated.

The earlier column had nothing to do with styles of combat but all the combat-related comments got me thinking about some of the differences between active and auto attack. The two types of combat appear to have few, if any, important differences for the experienced player at the operational level (deployment of unit or squads in raids) or the strategic level (player-controlled access to important game resources as in EVE Online, Dark Age of Camelot and possibly Warhammer Online). When we look at game mechanics and individual unit tactics, however, important and potentially interesting differences begin to emerge.

Continue reading MMO MMOnkey: Comparing active attack and auto attack

MMO MMOnkey: Comparing active attack and auto attack originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The nano problem

Brendan Drain — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Forums, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved

Whether certain tactics and ship setups are balanced is a topic that's been constantly debated on the EVE Online forums for as long as I can remember. The argument itself is as old as EVE and is repeated daily on the forums like some kind of popular EVE Online screen play. The script of this play doesn't always follow the same format but the same roles are always filled by the players participating. On one side, we have people who think a certain tactic is unbalanced and should be fixed by CCP in a balance patch. On the other side, we have people who rely on the tactic being discussed that are afraid it might be changed. Everyone else with an opinion falls somewhere on the spectrum between these two extremes.

Not so long ago, the arguments were about nosferatu used on a Dominix being unbalanced and remote sensor dampeners being too powerful. Discussions about of these led to some re-balancing to help level the PvP playing field. The latest argument is about nano-fit ships and nano-gangs. The "nano" craze is a PvP ship fitting style and fighting strategy that favours speed over all else. Ships like the Sacrilege and the Ishtar which might normally be fitted with heavy tanks are instead fitted for high speed and agility. Rather than resist and repair damage, a ship with high speed and agility can evade enemy fire altogether. A nano-fit ship can orbit an enemy so quickly that the enemy's turrets can't track them and missiles deal tiny amounts of damage.

With some pilots claiming that viable counter-maneuvers exist to combat the nano craze and others calling it "easy mode for PvP", it's hard to know what to think. Read on while I delve into this controversial issue and draw some important conclusions.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The nano problem

EVE Evolved: The nano problem originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 May 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW a breeding ground for bio-terrorists?

Chris Chester — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Exploits, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Academic

Evidently, there is more to learn from World of Warcraft's infamous "Corrupted Blood" epidemic of 2005 then many had originally surmised. While it was originally thought to merely have limited epidemiological relevance, some are now considering looking at what it might may say about terrorist behavior and the use of biological agents. According to Charles Blair, deputy director for the Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies, the deliberate spread of the disease by some players offers a unique perspective that can't really be simulated by computer models, due to the decision-making input of hundreds of independent, free-thinking individuals.

For our part, this all seems like a bit of a stretch on the part of the article's author. While in-game terrorist tactics with biological weapons do reflect their real life counter-parts in many ways (e.g. hitting big population centers, focusing on travel hubs to maximize spread, etc.) , we're not sure what sort of insights this sort of comparison could glean for people who are already experts on the topic. Moreover, when the most prominent group of pan-MMO cyber-terrorists are motivated by "lulz," it becomes evident that there's a profound disconnect with reality that has to be accounted for.

WoW a breeding ground for bio-terrorists? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Are death penalties overkill?

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind

This is one topic that never fails to wind up as a huge discussion any time we get together with gamer friends. Some of us who have been around since the early days of MMOs remember the harsh death penalties that many of these games included. If you died in EverQuest, you would lose experience -- lose too much, and you could lose levels. You also had to run back to your corpse either without any gear on unless you could find a friendly player to rez you. Ahh, the memories.

Nowadays, death is disposable in games like World of Warcraft. You get killed by another player in front of Karazhan? No big deal. Just rez and head back. In games like WoW, death is less of an impact than it is an annoyance. It represents a whole 30 seconds you're going to have to spend running back from the conveniently-placed graveyard. Of course, you also resurrect with all your gear on you.

And then there are they hybrids like City of Heroes; you don't ever lose enhancements or inspirations, but you do lose some experience when you die. Some people feel like this is a good solid trade-off. It teaches you to be less of a loose-cannon since death does have some impact on your character. On the other hand, it's fairly easy to work off debt in CoX, and you never have to chase down your corpse to either resurrect, or to retrieve your items; you just start in the hospital or your SuperGroup's base.

So what do you think? Are the newer no-guilt, no-penalty deaths best, or were the older ones the best? Do you think death penalties teach players to think over strategy before rushing in, or do you think they'd do that anyway? What do you think of the hybrid systems that cause you to lose experience, but not gear? Which game has the best system in your opinion?

The Daily Grind: Are death penalties overkill? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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