Massively

RIFT pre-orders rewarded with exclusive Team Fortress 2 unlocks

Brendan Drain — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, RIFT, Promotions

Through regular closed beta events and frequent information reveals, Trion Worlds has really been pushing the word out on its upcoming fantasy MMO RIFT. The game's marketing campaign has taken a bit of an unexpected turn today with the announcement of a promotional partnership between the upcoming MMO and Valve's Team Fortress 2. Steam users who pre-order RIFT during the month of February or who have already purchased the game through Steam, will be given two limited-edition weapons in Team Fortress 2.

The "Sharpened Volcano Fragment" and "Sun-on-a-stick" are exclusive melee weapons available only to RIFT pre-order customers. In return, Valve is adding a new achievement to Team Fortress 2 that unlocks an exclusive item in RIFT. The Riftwalker achievement will grant TF2 players a code, which can be redeemed through the RIFT account management page. An exclusive headcrab-based headpiece, the "Well Spun Hat," will then be delivered in-game during RIFT's headstart period for pre-order customers on February 24th. This unusual promotion has left many of us here at Massively scratching our heads in confusion, but with the popularity of Valve's Team Fortress 2, it could prove to be a very successful move.

RIFT pre-orders rewarded with exclusive Team Fortress 2 unlocks originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's your favorite non-MMO genre?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Long before we had the soaring crafts and grand interstellar vistas of EVE Online, most games that involved spaceships were of a very set type. They usually involved one small ship, a horde of other ships, bullets flying everywhere, and a number of lives that were expressly designed to eat up as many quarters as possible. The gaming field has changed quite a bit since then, but scrolling shooters in the vein of Darius or R-Type can still eat up hours on end... much like most MMOs, although without as much emphasis on virtual worlds. And there's little denying that for fans of the genre, they're as effective at reducing stress.

Today, we ask our readers: what's your favorite game type that doesn't fall under our header? Do you prefer traditional console RPGs? Do you veer more toward fighting games, or strategy titles, or is it a mishmash of different things that appeal to you? You could argue the elements of Team Fortress 2 or Borderlands, but they generally fall under a different aegis than Champions Online or EverQuest II for most players... so what about you? What do you like to kick back with when you aren't on your MMO of choice?

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite non-MMO genre? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: Summertime MMO alternatives

Kyle Horner — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Opinion, The Digital Continuum

You, much like myself, may have had summer MMO plans a month or so ago. But like many things in life, circumstances changed and both Champions Online and Jumpgate Evolution were met with delays in their schedules -- making any plans to play them over the summer null.

It's a bummer, but not all is lost. Another thing I'm certain we all share is our love of gaming in general. I've been thinking of a list of games I plan to play through this summer in lieu of shiny new MMOs to delve into, with an emphasis on filling the void left by a lack Cryptic's and NetDevil's still forthcoming titles. I'm sure I'll play more than just three, but these are the ones I'll definitely play the most of overall.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Summertime MMO alternatives

The Digital Continuum: Summertime MMO alternatives originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Anybody home?

Elizabeth Harper — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Massively Meta

Guys? Hello? Is anyone home? I was thinking about getting together a group for Moria. Guys? Anybody home? Why are you all flagged away on IM? What MMO has this "spy" class you're all talking about? Guys?

Brendan Drain: My final university exam is this weekend, then it's time to relax with some Team Fortress 2 and some PvP in EVE Online. Once the exam is over, I'll also finally have time to step up my writing and get some new articles done that I've been putting off for weeks.
Colin Brennan: Trying out hanging with a roleplaying group I found in Second Life who seem to be pretty active and silly, and also doing some Star Wars tabletop roleplaying this weekend. I get to be a sith apprentice! Wooo hooo! I'm sprinting to the dark side!
Dan O'Halloran: Will be getting in some time in LotRO's Mines of Moria Friday night before heading out of town for the weekend. Just fought my way to Orc Watch for the horsepoint, but want to tackle the quests north of the 21st Hall before I venture deeper into the mines. I am continually impressed with the use of vertical space in the Moria expansion. You go down so deep to get to Orc Watch only to discover it's on the ledge of an even deeper, larger cavern. Great stuff!
James Egan: I'll be playing two games this weekend, which are my usual two -- EVE Online and Team Fortress 2. As to the latter, I'm loving The Ambassador pistol for the Spy, which came out with the class update. I was having so much fun I just refused to stop, and ended up playing all night. I'm not sure if I should feel guilty about this or what, but I don't. Not in the least. :D
Krystalle Voecks: I expect I'll spend some time reading the copy of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies I got for my birthday the other day, getting last-minute details nailed down for E3, and playing some EVE. If I can manage to get all the work taken care of, I'll probably head out to my favorite club and get my dance on. 00ntz 00ntz!
Kyle Horner: It's all about the Sniper/Spy action this weekend in Team Fortress 2. Yeah, it's like a disease.
Lemuel Pew: Team Fortress 2, Sniper/Spy update. That's pretty much it.
William Dobson: I'll be continuing my re-rolled character from last week in Warhammer Online. I'm on one of the more populated servers, but there are still large chunks of the day where RvR and Scenarios are completely dead, which is disheartening. I expect that this will be less so in Tier 4, but getting through Tier 3 could be painful.

So, dear readers, now tell us -- what are you playing this weekend?

WRUP: Anybody home? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 May 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hi-Rez Studios executive producer Todd Harris on Global Agenda's gameplay tiers

James Egan — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMOFPS, Global Agenda

One of the new breed of sci-fi MMOs that crosses a first person shooter with an MMO is Global Agenda from Hi-Rez Studios. For those fans of class-based FPS games like Team Fortress 2, Hi-Rez Studios has emphasized that TF2 has been a major influence on Global Agenda's development. While the game's release date hasn't been announced yet, Hi-Rez has been fairly active in terms of promoting Global Agenda. Hi-Rez Studios executive producer Todd Harris has written a dev blog for MMORPG.com titled "A Minute To Learn, A Lifetime To Master", a motto which is very much the spirit behind Global Agenda's game design.

Harris breaks down the major tiers of Global Agenda's gameplay as: Action/shooter mechanics and reflexes; RPG/build; Team tactics and cooperation - per mission instance; and Domination strategy and coordination - per alliance vs. alliance campaign. Harris goes into detail in each of these facets of the game, and explains how these tiers have played out with the roughly 1000 Global Agenda alpha testers. For more on the game design decisions Hi-Rez Studios has made with Global Agenda, see "A Minute To Learn, A Lifetime to Master" at MMORPG.com.

Hi-Rez Studios executive producer Todd Harris on Global Agenda's gameplay tiers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 May 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Valve jokingly tips hat to MMOs in latest Team Fortress 2 update

James Egan — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Humor

Team Fortress 2 from Valve is one of the more MMO-like first person shooters running. It's only played online, is class-based, has achievement unlocks which open up new gear possibilities, and after the last update there's a backpack with room for 50 items and mention (read: unconfirmed) of tradeable items. In some ways, TF2 is an FPS for MMO lovers -- or just those who use way too many acronyms.

The comparisons between Team Fortress 2 and MMOs aren't lost on some of the more inventive TF2 players out there like goldenhearted who's made Garry's Mod mockups of a fictional "Team Fortress 2 RPG". Valve also got in on the fun in a slightly sneaky way in the latest game update. Steam users found this programmer's tip of the hat to MMOs in the game code:

Continue reading Valve jokingly tips hat to MMOs in latest Team Fortress 2 update

Valve jokingly tips hat to MMOs in latest Team Fortress 2 update originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 May 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Agenda influences include City of Heroes and Team Fortress 2

James Egan — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Guilds, New titles, Previews, PvP, Global Agenda

Global Agenda is an upcoming 'spy-fi' shooter MMO that's garnering a fair amount of attention as it gets closer to release. It's the brainchild of Erez Goren, an entrepreneur who channeled his successes in the IT industry (including Point of Sale systems with game-like interfaces) into his own dream project, becoming its founder, CEO, and lead designer. Global Agenda will be the first game to be released by Hi-Rez Studios.

The title is a blend of sci-fi shooter and MMO where player actions can impact the game's world. Goren tells PC Gamer's Evan Lahti: "We were inspired by the fluid, action combat feel of [Tribes and TF2], but wanted even greater diversity of classes and devices and set our game within a persistent world of player-driven conflict where the results of combat matches really affects the world."

Continue reading Global Agenda influences include City of Heroes and Team Fortress 2

Global Agenda influences include City of Heroes and Team Fortress 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The spirit of WoW in Resistance 2's co-op gameplay

James Egan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Classes, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry

Much has been said on the influence of World of Warcraft on the MMO industry, but comparisons between other games and WoW don't end with massively multiplayer online games. The multiplayer cooperative mode of Resistance 2, a Playstation 3 exclusive from Insomniac Games, bears some similarities in its design to the ubiquitous Blizzard fantasy title in terms of class interdependencies.

Insomniac Games co-op lead designer for Resistance 2, Jake Biegel, recently gave an interview with Christian Nutt from Gamasutra on the development of multiplayer cooperative gameplay, and the games that influenced its creation. Of course, the class-based Team Fortress 2 was cited as an influence, but Insomniac Games also looked to World of Warcraft for further inspiration. "We looked at experiences like Team Fortress 2, in which there are dependencies on classes, and games like World of Warcraft, in which there are large amounts of people working in tandem, creating this kind of epic synergy to overcome these encounters that wouldn't be overcomeable as an individual," Biegel says.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

Continue reading The spirit of WoW in Resistance 2's co-op gameplay

The spirit of WoW in Resistance 2's co-op gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E308: A glimpse into The Agency's guilds and classes

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Classes, Guilds, Interviews, New titles, The Agency, Spy, MMOFPS

In our recent talk with Matt Wilson at E3, we were given a lot of really illuminating information about classes and guilds in the upcoming SOE title, The Agency. It would seem that the Agency crew is doing a very good job of listening to many of the frustrations of MMOG players, while taking the time to study popular games like Team Fortress 2. If you've been wondering about the different classes and abilities, as well as social structure in this upcoming MMOFPS, then you'll be interested to hear what's in the works.

Massively: What are the classes or archetypal roles in The Agency?

Matt Wilson: Our four primary classes are basically Combat, which is the ability to have weapons and have high defenses. Stealth, which is more of a high-DPS, sniper rifles and other things that you take into battle, [Undercover] Stealth which is very important, which is sneaking around and distractions. And finally, there's the Support classes like your Medics and Field Techs. Field Techs are about defense, turrets, other cool things like that. Medics are more about supporting the team, being able to support med stations while you're out in the field, heals, that kind of thing. Those are the general archetypes. Then we have specialties that fall out of those, allowing players to specialize further in each class.

Continue reading E308: A glimpse into The Agency's guilds and classes

E308: A glimpse into The Agency's guilds and classes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E308: PvP in The Agency

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, PvP, The Agency, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage

One of the many things people have been looking for in an MMOFPS environment is the ability to engage in some hardcore PvP. Shooter fans seem to absolutely love the thrill of fragging others straight off the map. While we weren't able to nail down all of the specifics from our talk with Matt Wilson, Executive Director of Development from SOE Seattle, we did manage to wrangle a few juicy tidbits from him. Some of the answers we got regarding the things they are considering for The Agency may prove to be welcome news to FPS PvP devotees.

Massively: Is The Agency going to be open to a PvP type of environment?

In the example we see in the video, the only thing you can do is actually blow up the bombs and kill yourself, that kind of thing. In PvP we'll have to flag friendly fire on or off -- if you want to shoot your team, you can. If you don't, you won't. In PvE, we're really focused on friendly fire being off most of the time because of players joining ad-hoc groups. We don't want to make the game a griefer's paradise.

Continue reading E308: PvP in The Agency

E308: PvP in The Agency originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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