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[EVE Evolved: Incursion guide -- Combat strategies]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/13/eve-evolved-incursion-guide-combat-strategies/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/13/eve-evolved-incursion-guide-combat-strategies/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/13/eve-evolved-incursion-guide-combat-strategies/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

With the final release of EVE Online's Incursion expansion, Sansha fleets began invading constellations across New Eden. Hell-bent on revenge against the empire nations that rejected him, Sansha's unholy army of borg-like cybernetic soldiers is united in a singular goal -- to bring his disturbing brand of order to the galaxy. The incursions have been running for several weeks now, and players are quickly adapting to EVE's latest group PvE challenge. In last week's EVE Evolved, I began a series of guides to tackling incursions with an article on fleet composition and group tanking strategies.

Even with a well-composed group, it's still possible to fail encounters if the fleet doesn't exercise good target-calling and combat strategies. With some Sansha ships fielding remote repairers and others throwing ECM, energy neutralisers, and massive torpedoes at players, taking on an encounter isn't just a matter of tanking it and flinging missiles in all directions. Fleet commanders must be able prioritise the enemy ships in order of the danger they present to the fleet. Clear target-calling will help a fleet to focus fire and get targets down quickly, and good prioritisation of targets can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

In this week's second part of the EVE Evolved guide to incursions, I explain two popular target-calling strategies and look into prioritising targets in order to minimise the risk to your fleet. I end with a list of high-priority NPCs with special abilities that you'll need to keep an eye on.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Incursion guide -- Combat strategies

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Incursion guide -- Combat strategies originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>callingccpccp-eveccp-gamescommandingcoombateveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedfleetgroupgroup-pvegroupingguideguidesincursionincursionspveraid-leadingsanshasanshas-nationtargetSun, 13 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Nexon's Daniel Kim talks demographics, pre-paid gaming cards]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/07/nexons-daniel-kim-talks-demographics-pre-paid-gaming-cards/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/07/nexons-daniel-kim-talks-demographics-pre-paid-gaming-cards/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/07/nexons-daniel-kim-talks-demographics-pre-paid-gaming-cards/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Our friends at Joystiq recently spoke with Nexon CEO Daniel Kim about the runaway success that is the company's pre-paid gaming card program. While Nexon is a well-established gaming powerhouse outside of the U.S., the company's American market is nothing to sneeze at either, with 12 million users spread across its portfolio (7.6 million of them in MapleStory alone).

A big part of Nexon's American success is the pre-paid gaming card, an ubiquitous fixture at retail outlets including Target and 7-11. Kim tells Joystiq that a key factor in raising pre-paid card awareness among consumers was the implementation of an in-game quest designed to train users to head for the music section of their local Target superstore. "So three months leading up to the actual release of the card, we actually had a quest in-game to go get allowance from an NPC, go to the Target store, go to the music section, go find a CD card," he says.

Kim also provides a bit of insight into Nexon's customer demographics, stating that "our median age is really 17, 18, 19." Many of the company's users weren't previously online gamers, and Kim says the microtransaction model is the key to customer attraction and retention. "There's no barrier to entry. If they have a computer and an internet connection, they can download the game and play for as long as they want," he says.

MassivelyNexon's Daniel Kim talks demographics, pre-paid gaming cards originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>7-11business-modelscasualdaniel-kimf2pfree-to-playgame-time-cardsin-game-questjoystiqmaple-storynexonnexon-americapre-paid-cardretailtargetvindictusMon, 07 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Runes of Magic introduces diamond cards at Target]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/12/runes-of-magic-introduces-diamond-cards-at-target/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/12/runes-of-magic-introduces-diamond-cards-at-target/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/12/runes-of-magic-introduces-diamond-cards-at-target/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Runes of Magic is expanding their diamond trade to a black market. A black market of diamond and goods trade so black that their red ring logo demands fear and respect. They call this place... Target.

Odd movie introductions aside, Runes of Magic is offering their diamonds in new cash card form! For those of us who don't want to run out and throw a credit or debit card at the RoM website, we can now just visit Target and pick up some diamonds (the game's cash shop currency) in our next shopping run at the local strip mall.

Continue reading Runes of Magic introduces diamond cards at Target

MassivelyRunes of Magic introduces diamond cards at Target originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cash-cardcash-currencycash-shopdiamondsfrogster-interactiveitem-shopromrunes-of-magicrunewaker-entertainmenttargetMon, 12 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[First Impressions: Maple Story]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/first-impressions-maple-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/first-impressions-maple-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/first-impressions-maple-story/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Welcome to our First Impressions of the king of all 2D MMOs, Maple Story! If you haven't played it, consider this a dip of the toe into its cuter-than-thou madness. We're not divulging secrets here, this is not a guide of any sort; this is just a record of the way we found the game during our first hour or so of play. Caveat emptor!

First of all, please notice the banner ad at the top of this post. That should tell you everything you need to know about MS in a nutshell: Cute superdeformed anime-esque graphics, goofy-themed gameplay, and an engaging sense of humor about itself. Cyborg turkeys, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Don't forget, clicking on the following pictures leads to their hi-res versions. Read on, O brave audience!

Gallery: First Impressions: Maple Story

Select world/channelSelect character screenCreate character screenTraining campThe training grotto

Continue reading First Impressions: Maple Story

MassivelyFirst Impressions: Maple Story originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2dbowmeneaster-bunnyfeaturedfinal-fantasyfirst-impressionsgameplayhands-onjoystiqfeaturesLegomaple-storyopinionplatformertargetFri, 15 Aug 2008 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Shopping list: Milk, bread, MMO game time cards...]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/28/shopping-list-milk-bread-mmo-game-time-cards/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/28/shopping-list-milk-bread-mmo-game-time-cards/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/28/shopping-list-milk-bread-mmo-game-time-cards/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Let's face it, getting time cards for your favorite game is a necessity. It's up there with the milk, bread, and eggs that you need for your daily survival. We have enough stories about MMO withdrawal to fill a shopping cart, so why not sell our addiction where we can easily grab it?

NCsoft got the message and is pushing their time cards out to the masses by partnering up with Target, Rite Aid, and Best Buy. Now you too can literally walk down the street to the drug store and pick up your favorite addiction -- more play time. More importantly, if you're a subscriber to City of Heroes/Villains, grab yourself a time card because it will unlock an in-game jet pack for you to use.

The approach isn't anything new, as Nexon has already been providing their cash cards to customers of 7-Eleven convenience stores for some time now. What all of this does show is a marketing push by more game companies to get their cards into the mainstream market of consumer products.

Lastly, as a friendly reminder, when you're running out to get those "essentials" at Rite-Aid or Target before that "big storm" hits, remember your desktop computer doesn't work when the power is out.

MassivelyShopping list: Milk, bread, MMO game time cards... originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>7-117-elevenbest-buycash-cardcity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovexteell2lineagelineage-2maple-storyncsoftnexonrgtrrite-aidseven-eleventabula-rasatargettime-cardtime-cardstrMon, 28 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lost Colony discovered, late for launch]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/lost-colony-discovered-late-for-launch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/lost-colony-discovered-late-for-launch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/lost-colony-discovered-late-for-launch/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Sometimes things come to you through unusual circumstances. An article popped into our inbox today along with others, discussing how indie-developed MMOFPS Lost Colony was in talks with an unnamed publisher to sell copies through retail chains like Wal-Mart and Target. However, the referring article was dated October 14, 2007. How did it get into our email as the latest news?

The article goes on to say that the LC team was shooting (no pun intended) for a March 2008 release. Having found this under-the-radar MMO, we looked at their website, which makes no mention of a release date. Apparently they were accepting pre-orders right up until January 15th of this year. It's now May, and there's nothing in the news about this title, though apparently there's a beta in progress. The forums contain a post entitled "March Update", in which the author writes "Our company and our fans have high expectations. Quality assurance needs time, and we are not in a hurry to rush something out the door. When its ready, it's ready."

A slipping release date needn't necessarily be a pronouncement of doom, as we all know, but taking care of PR is important to mitigate both public awareness and publisher anxiety. Hearing the term 'lost colony' immediately brings to mind the Roanoke Colony project of the 16th century. Will this Lost Colony also disappear, or should we be expecting an announcement shortly?

MassivelyLost Colony discovered, late for launch originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>launch-datelost-colonyroanoke-colonytargetwal-martFri, 23 May 2008 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Did you give the gift of a hacked account this Christmas?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/17/did-you-give-the-gift-of-a-hacked-account/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/17/did-you-give-the-gift-of-a-hacked-account/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/17/did-you-give-the-gift-of-a-hacked-account/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Do you even know? Many digital photo frames sold at Best Buy, Target, Costco and Sam's Club have a particularly insidious trojan embedded in them - one designed to thieve your account information for a variety of online games.

One of the primo geek gifts of 2007, variations of these devices were bundled with darn near everything gadgety during the holidays. Some percentage of these contain a professionally written and very stealthy little gremlin that Computer Associates has dubbed Mocmex that is apparently capable of robustly concealing itself from many detection engines. This isn't an amateur-night special, by all reports. This is professional nastiness, with multiple variants.

Continue reading Did you give the gift of a hacked account this Christmas?

MassivelyDid you give the gift of a hacked account this Christmas? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best-buybreakingcomputer-associatescostcoinsigniamaxtormocmexsams-clubsansseagatetargettrojanuniekvirusSun, 17 Feb 2008 00:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Maple Story invites retailers into the game world]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/04/maple-story-invites-retailers-into-the-game-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/04/maple-story-invites-retailers-into-the-game-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/04/maple-story-invites-retailers-into-the-game-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,



Hot on the heels of the announcement that Nexon's MapleStory would be invading 7-11s, the company has passed on word that retailers are now being invited into the game world. In a twist that sounds almost too hilarious to be true, Nexon is going to be sending Maple players to virtual versions of the mega-retailers on themed quests that will promote both the retailers and the availability of Nexon Game Cards in these stores. The special quests will prompt users to complete various tasks and visit any of these chains to earn their own virtual Nexon Game Card, which will provide Maple Points, the in-game currency of MapleStory.

"We're now able to provide a new and unique avenue for major businesses to reach consumers," said John H. Chi, CEO and president of Nexon America. "Nexon creates the exclusive, branded content, retailers receive a powerful, direct line of communication and our players get a new, rewarding gameplay experience. High visibility through new content and interactive rewards makes it a win for everyone!"

While this may seem something like a joke, this is definitely news worth taking seriously. Best Buy and Target don't just hand around their brands to anybody; it's a testament to Maplestory's growing cachet here in the US that this partnership is going forward. For more on Nexon's virtual sales practices, Min Kim's keynote at this year's Austin Games Conference might be helpful. Next Generation has a close look at the American approach to Nexon's business model. The technical term? Microtransactions.

MassivelyMaple Story invites retailers into the game world originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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