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Jumping out an airlock is a legitimate mode of travel in Line of Defense

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries

Contrary to many of Derek Smart's previous expansive computer titles, Line of Defense will be "streamlined" to focus on a small corner of the galaxy. In a new dev blog, Smart outlines the scope of the MMO's territory and how it connects to his previously established game universe.

Line of Defense consists of four space regions, each with its own planets and moons. The regions are connected by jump gates in the Sirius/Barnard's Star systems pathway. However, when the game first launches, players will only have access to the planet of Lyrius, with other planets and moons coming afterward.

Players can teleport from base to base on planets using Dynamic Jump Pads or can transfer to a station via a carrier. Jumpgates, however, will allow players in vehicles to traverse entire regions. But probably the most interesting mode of transportation is to let loose with an orbital drop from a space station down to the planet surface below.

The one thing that Line of Defense won't have, however, is the ability to seamlessly transition between planets, bases, and regions without loading screens.

Jumping out an airlock is a legitimate mode of travel in Line of Defense originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's the coolest ride you've had in an MMO?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Virtual worlds, Miscellaneous

One of the universal aspects of MMOs is the fact that you have to cover some distance. And not just a few feet in any given direction -- no matter how instanced, you'll be getting from one end of the map to the other on a regular basis. In some games, such as Guild Wars, this is accomplished with easy teleportation, but most games give you some other way of getting from place to place. Sometimes it's a mount, and sometimes you ride a javelin from one point on the map to the next for a specific quest.

Maybe you think the coolest ride you've had has been a mount, perhaps a motorcycle or a ravenous beast. Maybe it's been a form of static transport, like an airship or a boat. Or maybe you thought the coolest ride ever was something unique to a given quest, like riding a bomb down to a new quest area. So what's your choice for the coolest ride to be had in an MMO?

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 the coolest ride you've had in an MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lost Pages of Taborea: Lions and tigers and bears, oh... mounts!

Jeremy Stratton — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Lost Pages of Taborea

Summer is starting to wane, and the cold winds will soon be blustering through the city streets. Kids with chattering teeth and blue fingers will be sitting in front of stoves or fireplaces, rolling their eyes as grandpa proclaims that he had to walk to and from school barefoot through snow uphill both ways. While our grandfathers fantasize about the pride of hardships, we can slip off to the computer and live in our fantasy worlds that provide mounts to make traveling a bit more fun.

Runes of Magic has a wide variety of mounts that can run, hover and float over water. Some of these mounts are more rare than others, like those seen only on holidays or during special fundraisers, while some are two-seaters. From the sleek and vicious to the large and powerful to the just plain wacky, RoM has a mount for all occasions. In this week's Lost Pages of Taborea, I go over the mounts that are available, their rarity, their speed, and some ways to give your preferred mount a boost.

Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: Lions and tigers and bears, oh... mounts!

Lost Pages of Taborea: Lions and tigers and bears, oh... mounts! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ArcheAge video shows off unusual transportation options

Jef Reahard — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox

We've stumbled across another ArcheAge video, and unlike the last such that focused heavily on PvP, this time around we get a good look at some of the sandpark title's unique transportation alternatives.

There are a gaggle of mounts on display, and with apologies to our Korean friends who will no doubt correct us in due time, we're just going to call them like we see them. Aside from your traditional horse and rider option there's also what appears to be some sort of spotted lion as well as a curious cross between a tauntaun and a bunny rabbit.

We also get a glimpse of some city-based transport systems including a steampunk-esque horse and floating carriage (with some sort of mechanical contraption filling in for the horse), as well as the hang-gliding option we saw previously in the ChinaJoy trailer. Finally, there's more footage of the famous airship that's been featured in several previous ArcheAge clips. Head past the cut to see the sights.

Continue reading ArcheAge video shows off unusual transportation options

ArcheAge video shows off unusual transportation options originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Dead men don't fly

Jeremy Stratton — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Galleries, Screenshots, Free-to-play, One Shots

I thought I'd travel off the beaten path this week and see how Requiem: Memento Mori is doing. I couldn't find my old character, but I started a new one and took advantage of a months worth of premium time. I also think there's a bonus XP event going on right now.

This is my level 26 Battle Mage taking a trip from Zakate to South Watchtower on a Wingrider, the mode of transport between hubs.

I always enjoyed Requiem's graphics and the areas between Kurt and Zakate both feel open and diverse. It's like one giant zone, but with individual areas all styled differently.

All this week, we Massively writers are spotlighting some of our personal favorite One Shots. What exciting stories revolve around our screenshots? Stay tuned to find out. Next week, after staff picks week, will be free-for-all week for you, our readers. Send any eye-catching, beautiful, scary, or generally epic screenshot to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll pick the best of the best for next week's One Shots!

Gallery: One Shots: 2011

One Shots: Dead men don't fly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newest Vindictus patch goes big time

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Endgame, News items, Free-to-play, Vindictus

Size matters. It's practically a law of nature -- the bigger something is, the better loot it drops. Well, all right, maybe that's not a law of nature, but it is a law of MMOs and certainly a law of Vindictus. The game's latest titantic update has just gone live, bringing with it the appropriately named Titan raid boss. And the enormous boss is certainly a big part of the newest update, but there are other ways for characters to live large in the patch even without facing the Titan.

Resenlian's Labyrinth has been added to the game, allowing players a chance to face off against a variety of foes including the deepest fears within each character for sizable rewards. Evie's staff skills have also received a big improvement, and the new merged dock system will allow for a massively easier time when it comes to travel. Vindictus players can check out all the details on the gargantuan patch from the patch notes, as well as see the upcoming events for the game.

Newest Vindictus patch goes big time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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November brings updates to Final Fantasy XIV's travel and questing

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

The Final Fantasy series as a whole has been marked by a surfeit of crystals, and Final Fantasy XIV's Aetheryte is heir to the tradition. Floating just above the ground, these crystals serve as both a nexus of quests and a point of transportation. Both of these functions are getting a distinct boost with the pending November version update set for the 24th. Teleportation costs are being reduced for both the major cities and three player-selected "favorite" camps, allowing players to zap from place to place faster. Return costs are also being reduced to 1 anima, allowing players who are either lost or in a dangerous region a quick option to get to safety.

Meanwhile, levequest functionality at crystals is being improved, with players able to scale the difficulty of a given levequest downward once the quest has been started. This goes hand-in-hand with adjustments to the strength of enemies found in guildleves and improvements to the rewards of leve-linking, giving players more incentive to try to push themselves to the limits of what they can accomplish. The changes should be welcome boons to Final Fantasy XIV players, allowing easier movement and questing under all circumstances.

November brings updates to Final Fantasy XIV's travel and questing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Answering unasked questions

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Game mechanics, Launches, New titles, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Sometimes, you wind up with what amounts to a perfect case of convergence. After a busy and stressful week, there's nothing I'd like more than to have an opportunity to relax with an enjoyable game -- and gee, Final Fantasy XIV came out on Wednesday. Seeing the release means a lot to me for a variety of reasons, but the most immediate reason is it means I have something to do from the moment I wake up Saturday to the moment I go to sleep Sunday. I couldn't be happier about that.

Of course, a certain amount of confusion is going to go hand-in-hand with that, so I'm slightly cheating on our regular format, helped by the fact that this month has been a little light on normal questions. The last Saturday of the month always covers questions and answers... but this month, I'm going to be covering the questions that come up most frequently while playing Final Fantasy XIV that don't fall under any of our prior articles on the game. So yes, it's another week without much Final Fantasy XI love. I beg your forgiveness, but I will stay the course.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Answering unasked questions

The Mog Log: Answering unasked questions originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still more Japanese leaks for Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles, Races, Final Fantasy XIV

There are male mito'qe and female roegadyn in Final Fantasy XIV. There's no word currently on whether or not they'll be playable, but the latest information put out via Famitsu indicates that they are there, at least.

For some players, simply knowing that the somewhat awkwardly monogendered races from Final Fantasy XI will be reaching the wild shores of sexual dimorphism will make the latest bits of news palatable. Others would rather hear about the actual mechanics of playing the game -- and luckily for everyone, that's included with the information as well. It's confirmed that zone transitions are seamless, as is the background music (most likely with careful crossfades). There are stat differences between the much-discussed clans, but they're not a huge deal -- a far bigger difference is every class getting early access to teleportation and warp spells to make transportation less problematic.

We even get a bit of meta-information telling us that testing on the Playstation 3 should be coming in another couple phases. While there's nothing world-shattering, the picture being paiinted is increasingly alluring, and it's hard to argue Final Fantasy XIV isn't learning a lot from its predecessor. The full list of leaked facts can be found here.

Still more Japanese leaks for Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's your favorite mount?

Rubi Bayer — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

From horses to motorcycles to flying carpets, mounts have been a standard feature in the vast majority of MMOs for a very long time. The few games that don't have them are specifically structured to not need them.

Mounts are such a common thing that the existence of them in a game isn't enough to make the game stand out, and in the crowded MMO market, standing out is exactly what a game needs to do. So a logical step for many developers is to try and come up with a mount that is unusual in some way. They'll often strive to come up with the quirkiest, funniest, coolest, fastest, anything-est mount, just as long as it doesn't get lost in the herd.

So what's the best one you've come across? Did it have some ability or feature that caught your eye, or did it just look cool? Click the little button and let us know!

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite mount? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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State of the ruined wasteland of Fallen Earth

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Game mechanics, New titles

There's definitely a developer communication theme running through MMOs these days. After one month of players being able to stomp around in Fallen Earth, the game has received its first State of the Game address from developer Colin Dwan, better known as "Ilkor" on the official forums. The address goes through some of the concerns players have had, some of the minor bugfixes and improvements, and what the developers are planning on introducing for patch 1.1 and 1.2. The former is slated to have a content improvement for levels 32-35, and the latter is intended to boost social content and group-oriented activities.

The address also takes time to respond to some issues that have come up on a repeated basis. Faster travel is on the list to be implemented down the road, especially once later updates arrive, but it will be expensive and between very strictly delineated points for thematic reasons. Respecs are also on the table, but again will be expensive and limited. As Dwan himself puts it, "[We] would like to help the people who spend a few points wrong and want to fix those mistakes, not folks who want to rebuild their whole character. The specifics are still up in the air, but it will be expensive, slow, and limited." If you're interested in the near future of the game and are curious about the overall developer plan, take a look at the whole address at the official Fallen Earth forums.

[ via WarCry ]

State of the ruined wasteland of Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth dev interview with designer Brandes Stoddard

James Egan — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Interviews, Crafting, PvP

We're keeping our eyes open for information dealing with the post-apocalyptic MMO title Fallen Earth in development at Icarus Studios. Netherlands-based gaming site MMOZONE got a hold of Fallen Earth systems designer Brandes Stoddard, asking questions ranging from the game's PvP system to design decisions as they relate to the title's ESRB rating.

Since there will be no classes in Fallen Earth, Stoddard explains what a typical group will look like -- a mix of melee and ranged combatants, he says, with others using their mutations to heal and buff. Stoddard also goes into how gear specialization will impart advantages tempered with drawbacks specific to those items in question. Mounts will also be a key aspect of Fallen Earth's gameplay. Since teleportation of any sort won't exist, characters will actually have to travel to visit other locations in the game's world. Despite the importance of these means of transportation (or perhaps because of it), it looks like it won't be possible to steal them from other players. Mounts, whether vehicles or animals, will be bound to their owners, and will require either energy or food to maintain. Fallen Earth's vehicles, in general, will only be available through player-crafting efforts.

If you're interested in hearing what else Fallen Earth's system designer has to say about the game, check out the MMOZONE interview with Brandes Stoddard.

Fallen Earth dev interview with designer Brandes Stoddard originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO patch notes for Tuesday, February 19th

Kyle Horner — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, News items

Several quick -- but arguably important -- fixes went out today for Lord of the Rings Online. A couple Book 12 quest fixes were implemented, one of them addressing a potentially annoying respawn issue. In Book 12, Chapter 5, Lozudurkh will now show up if a player in need of a key is nearby. Also, the LotRO team has locked the final phase of the quest chain "Seven Swords" -- but only temporarily. The quest was meant to be completed with a group and was apparently behaving like a solo quest instead.

Aside from those two changes, there are some more minor changes -- such as fixing the value of the Bree-horse and Bree-pony from multiple silvers to just a few coppers. We're always for saving some silver, you know.

LotRO patch notes for Tuesday, February 19th originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Forms of transportation

Krystalle Voecks — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind

No matter what game you play or virtual world you inhabit, one of the major points is how to get around. In Second Life, you can hit a SLurl and teleport, or if you're just exploring, you can fly around the landscape and check out what people have designed and built. In World of Warcraft, you can run around on different land-based mounts in "old" Azeroth, and enjoy lots of different forms of flying mounts in Outland. In EverQuest, you could take boats, books, portals, be transformed into a wolf, or just get a speed-buff in the form of a SoW. Perfect World allows you to pile a land mount on top of a flying mount, even!

It seems like with as varied as each game is, there are always preferences for one mode or another. I will admit that one of my favorite ways to get around is SuperJump in City of Heroes just because it's just so much fun to bounce into a group of bad guys, then bounce away. Today we thought we'd ask you what your favorite methods of getting around are? Do you have a Peep (the phoenix mount from WoW) or are you all about catching portals to save time? Do you like the city-to-city teleports offered in Guild Wars, or prefer to adventure with your noble steed in Lord of the Rings Online?

The Daily Grind: Forms of transportation originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Getting around in LotRO: a transportation guide

William Dobson — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Guides

Ahh, the beautiful lands of Middle-earth. Diverse and mysterious, from rolling green hills to foreboding swamps to lofty peaks, it all encourages you to just get out there and see it -- so pack your lembas bread and hit the trail! Oh, what's that you say? It's going to take forever to walk from one end of Middle-earth to the other? Of course it is! Thankfully, there are a range of options available for traversing the lands, and we'll go over them in this guide so that you can explore every nook and cranny that Lord of the Rings Online has to offer.

Continue reading Getting around in LotRO: a transportation guide

Getting around in LotRO: a transportation guide originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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