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[City of Heroes lets low-level players go Drowning in Blood]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/28/city-of-heroes-lets-low-level-players-go-drowning-in-blood/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/28/city-of-heroes-lets-low-level-players-go-drowning-in-blood/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/28/city-of-heroes-lets-low-level-players-go-drowning-in-blood/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Okay, it's more like drowning in vines and gelatin, but that isn't as evocative.
Designing a low-level instance is a challenge that's rarely discussed. High-level challenges are of course the marquee elements of any game, but the low-level content needs love. How do you introduce the concepts to players? How do you make the rewards meaningful while still making room for later improvement? City of Heroes is tackling precisely those problems with the new Drowning in Blood trial, a level 15-30 trial in Bloody Bay coming with Issue 22.

In a recent developer diary, world designer Cord Carney explains how the team tried to balance both storytelling aspects and gameplay elements, keeping the second lower-level trial as engaging for new and returning players as the recent introductory trial Death From Below. Carney also explains how the trial will offer players a chance at obtaining a buff that lasts up to level 30, giving everyone a reason to participate with lower characters without unbalancing the endgame. It's an interesting look at making lower-level content engaging, epic, and fun.

MassivelyCity of Heroes lets low-level players go Drowning in Blood originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcoh-issue-22covcoxf2pfree-to-playissue-22low-level-contentlow-level-triallow-levelsncsoftparagonparagon-studiospatchestrialsupcoming-patchesupdatesTue, 28 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes' newest Incarnate Trial learns from past mistakes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/22/city-of-heroes-newest-incarnate-trial-learns-from-past-mistakes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/22/city-of-heroes-newest-incarnate-trial-learns-from-past-mistakes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/22/city-of-heroes-newest-incarnate-trial-learns-from-past-mistakes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

City of Heroes
Incarnate Trials have proven to be some of the most challenging -- and interesting -- endgame content in City of Heroes to date, and players who have enjoyed them are undoubtedly anxious for the latest one, Dilemma Diabolique, which is coming with Issue 22.

Senior Designer Chris Behrens wrote an informative dev diary in which he outlines five lessons the studio's learned from past Incarnate Trials and how these lessons will affect Dilemma Diabolique. These lessons include adding rest periods between fights, giving players clear information, keeping trash mobs from exhibiting super-powered (more so than usual) abilities, delivering attractive rewards, and tuning special mechanics so they don't overwhelm players.

Dilemma Diabolique looks to be a quicker trial than its brethren, although Behrens sees this as a virtue: "We feel that the faster pace of the trial for maxed Incarnates is reward in itself, since it makes accumulating Empyrean Merits for our most dedicated Incarnates a faster endeavor."

MassivelyCity of Heroes' newest Incarnate Trial learns from past mistakes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Chris-Behrenscity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdev-diaryDilemma-DiaboliqueEmpyrean-Meritsf2pfree-to-playincarnate-trialsncsoftparagon-studiostrash-mobstrialsWed, 22 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Anvil of Crom: A four-month F2P report card]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/the-anvil-of-crom-a-four-month-f2p-report-card/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/the-anvil-of-crom-a-four-month-f2p-report-card/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/the-anvil-of-crom-a-four-month-f2p-report-card/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Anvil of Crom angry man banner
Greetings barbaric faithful, and welcome to another installment of the Anvil of Crom. In between bouts of getting frustrated with the Isle of the Iron Statues dungeon this week (I know, I know, it's sooooo easy, and how bad can I be if I have trouble with it?!), I've been giving a fair amount of thought to Age of Conan's free-to-play experiment.

It's been nearly four months since the devs rolled out the freemium Unchained patch, and that's ample time for me to have formed a few opinions (and to have revised a few others). Join me after the cut for some discussion on what works, what doesn't, and what I hope to see going forward.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: A four-month F2P report card

MassivelyThe Anvil of Crom: A four-month F2P report card originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanage-of-conan-unchainedanvil-of-cromaocaoc-unchainedbusiness-modelscommentaryf2pf2p-report-cardfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfree-to-tryfreemiumlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrommo-industryopinionthe-anvil-of-cromtrialsturbineunlimited-trialSun, 30 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ask Massively: Early access pre-order hooray edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/ask-massively-early-access-pre-order-hooray-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/ask-massively-early-access-pre-order-hooray-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/ask-massively-early-access-pre-order-hooray-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

We could pretend that the important story of last week was something other than the launch of pre-orders for Star Wars: The Old Republic, but that would be a lie. I know I went straight down to pre-order my copy as soon as I was done with some work in the morning. As usual, it wasn't without controversy -- issues over staggered pre-order releases, limited quantities, and my personal favorite, the fear that it might include some sort of microtransactions in its business model. You know, like every other major subscription game on the market.

Before you ask, I got the regular edition. I'm not paying three times the price for a statue.

Anyway, this week's Ask Massively is pretty heavily tied into the pre-order talk, what with questions about release dates and the state of no-trial launches. As always, you can feel free to ask a question for a future installment of the column via mail to ask@massively.com, or you can just toss your question in the happy comment field below.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Early access pre-order hooray edition

MassivelyAsk Massively: Early access pre-order hooray edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-massivelybiowarebioware-mmobioware-mmorpgbioware-star-warsbioware-swtorcolumneaelectronic-artsfeaturedgame-trialslucas-artslucas-arts-mmolucas-arts-mmorpgopinionpre-ordersreleaserelease-datesstar-wars-gamestar-wars-mmostar-wars-mmorpgstar-wars-the-old-republicstar-wars-torstarwarsstarwars-the-old-republicsw-torswtorthe-old-republictrialsThu, 28 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Hyperspace Beacon: Ready to face the Trials]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/hyperspace-beacon-ready-to-face-the-trials/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/hyperspace-beacon-ready-to-face-the-trials/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/hyperspace-beacon-ready-to-face-the-trials/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

We are often inspired by the Star Wars: The Old Republic videos released on Fridays. I'm not exactly sure why the community team started these weekly treats, but I'm going to speculate that it's a way to show the future players that the team will be there for them when the game releases. It's a kind of comfort. Many newer MMOs have increased community involvement in post-launch game design. Maybe the SWTOR team is looking to tell us, "We want you actively involved in our game development now and after the game is released." Good for the team.

This week's video of Jedi progression definitely inspired my colleague on Gamebreaker, Gary Gannon, as evident in Sunday's broadcast. I thought he was going to jump out of his chair. I have to agree with him that there is a lot of stuff packed into that two-and-a-half-minute video; for example, we were shown some of the armor progression milestones for the Jedi Knight class. This inspired me to investigate the story side of Jedi Knight progression. After all, BioWare is all about story, right?

So follow me after the break as I set a side my conscious self and let the Force flow through me.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Ready to face the Trials

MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: Ready to face the Trials originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWaredaniel-ericksonEAElectronic-ArtsfeaturedinitiateJedijedi-knightJedi-MasterKnightloreLucasArtsMasterpadawanroleplayStar-Warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republicThe-TrialstortrainingTrialsTue, 29 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Issues 20 and Incarnates previewed for City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/09/issues-20-and-incarnates-previewed-for-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/09/issues-20-and-incarnates-previewed-for-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/09/issues-20-and-incarnates-previewed-for-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

If you were one of the lucky fans at the recent City of Heroes meet-and-greet, you were treated to a wealth of information from Paragon Studios about the future of the game. If you weren't, however, you still get a fair slice of luck with today's reveal on the official site about the Incarnate system, complete with lore illustrating the start of what promises to be a far-reaching storyline in the game. We've also gotten a look at the event's presentation on future content, which should give fans plenty to look forward to.

The Incarnate system is kicking off with the Alpha Slot in Issue 19, which will be focused on wide-ranging enhancements to all of a character's powers. Unlike Enhancements, Incarnate abilities can be slotted and removed without destroying them. Each slot will have several branches that players can explore as well, allowing for a great deal of character customization. Moreover, the most powerful Incarnate abilities allow characters to improve their effective level in battle past the cap. You can head to the official site for more details on the next major system of City of Heroes -- or you can take a look at the gallery for a preview of what's coming and the slides which give us a sneak peek at a new warehouse map, new costume pieces, and the trials of Issue 20.

Gallery: City of Heroes updates preview

MassivelyIssues 20 and Incarnates previewed for City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alpha-slotbackstorycity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxgalleriesgallerygame-mechanicsgame-updatesin-game-eventincarnateincarnate-systemissue-19issue-20loremajor-patchesmajor-updatesncsoftnew-contentparagonparagon-studiospatchespreviewsscreenshotscreenshotstrialsupdatesTue, 09 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Are free trials good for MMOs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/the-daily-grind-are-free-trials-good-for-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/the-daily-grind-are-free-trials-good-for-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/the-daily-grind-are-free-trials-good-for-mmos/#commentsFiled under: ,

A couple days ago we chatted about the nature of open betas, and whether or not any testing goes on in these periods. The overwhelming majority of respondents seemed to favor the notion that stress testing is the primary reason for open beta from a developer's perspective, while free trials and sneak peaks were the primary motivators for consumers.

When it comes to MMORPGs, trials are an interesting beast. Early in a game's life cycle, it seems to me that trials do more harm than good, as the goal of every developer is to move a lot of product and/or convert a lot of the tire-kickers into subscribers or cash shop patrons. Extensive trials actively work against these goals, especially when games are new, buggy, and light on content compared to how they usually look a couple years down the road. If stress testing really is the main reason for an open beta, and MMOs are almost always inferior products at launch, why then do developers not simply stress test in closed beta phases, selectively screening their applicants for actual testers instead of the folks who are only interested in getting a free look at the game?

What do you think, Massively readers? Have free trials (or open betas) saved you from purchasing an MMORPG? Do you think game companies are shooting themselves in the foot with open betas and early trials?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Are free trials good for MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>free-trialmmo-trialopinionthe-daily-grindtrialtrial-periodtrialsWed, 08 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Mog Log: Layers upon layers of questions]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/31/the-mog-log-layers-upon-layers-of-questions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/31/the-mog-log-layers-upon-layers-of-questions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/31/the-mog-log-layers-upon-layers-of-questions/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

There's a lot coming down the pipeline for fans of both Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI. And there are a lot of questions to be asked, even though not all of them quite mirror those of your beloved author. (Those questions are generally shouted at the sky, insinuating it can hear me and that it needs to give me a beta key.) But while I'm not busy staring at a harsh, uncaring sky, I can certainly offer you a fair number of answers.

hatri1181 asks:
"I scored really low on the benchmark, but my system beats the living hell out of the min specs. Does that make any sense to anyone else?"

Yes. The benchmark isn't totally accurate, as many people were screaming as soon as it was released, and it features several odd points. Points such as being sponsored by one of two major GPU manufacturers, and highlighting the most congested areas of gameplay with no options to turn settings down, only up -- the sort of things that have resulted in people being fully capable of running the benchmark and having scores telling them they could not.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Layers upon layers of questions

MassivelyThe Mog Log: Layers upon layers of questions originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems like every website I visit these days, from MMO-centric wikis to the LA or New York Times has adverts on it. This is no big surprise as it's the perfect way of making money on free content but what does surprise me is the number of adverts for MMOs like EVE and WoW. Coming across such adverts on gaming sites is understandable but I get a little shock whenever I see them on news sites or even on TV. I watch quite a bit of Sky (British satellite television) and I've noticed more and more commercials for games over the last few years but the first time I saw one for WoW, my exclamation of amazement sent my cat scurrying for cover.

But I wonder, constant readers, how much effect do such adverts have on people, especially gamers and folks who already play MMOs? Are you more likely to play an MMO if you see it on a gaming site or TV? Do the Flash ads offering 7/10/14 day trials entice you to defect, even temporarily? Have you ever seen one of the numerous WoW ads on the TV and been inspired to try the game? Do you think MMOs are just following the same trends as mainstream video games in order to attract players? Drop your thoughts in the box below.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Mainstream advertising originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertsadvertsingeve-onlinegame-trialsmmo-advertisingozzy-osbournethe-daily-grindtrialstv-adswebsite-advertisingworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online offers free game time incentive to recruit friends]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/eve-online-offers-free-game-time-incentive-to-recruit-friends/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/eve-online-offers-free-game-time-incentive-to-recruit-friends/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/eve-online-offers-free-game-time-incentive-to-recruit-friends/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It was just the other day that we noted a 21-day trial for EVE Online through Steam. CCP Games is following suit and offering their own 21-day EVE trial (a jump up from their standard 14-days). But more significant is the new incentive to bring your friends into New Eden: Active subscribers who bring their friends into the game through the Buddy Program (login required) will receive 30 days of game time for each of those trial accounts that become subscribers as well.

There are some rules and conditions that apply to the Buddy Program offer, so if this is of interest to you, check out the full announcement from EVE developer CCP Loktofeit, and be advised that this offer will expire on December 1st.

MassivelyEVE Online offers free game time incentive to recruit friends originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's latest expansion Quantum Rise is here. We've written a fair amount on this expansion thus far, but it's primarily been a multi-staged release that introduces some new features and enhancements to benefit EVE's industry-focused players. We just noticed EVE Online's Quantum Rise pricing on Steam -- it's $9.99, down from Steam's already reduced $14.99; the initial cost when directly dealing with CCP Games is $19.99.

Steam also offers a 21-day trial which trumps the standard 14-day trial you get from CCP Games. Based on these numbers, Steam certainly looks like a good way to go. However, none of us at Massively have ever gotten our MMOs via Steam to date. We're curious, have any of our readers done so, and were the the lower pricing and other perks worth going through Steam in your opinion?

MassivelyEVE's Quantum Rise on Steam at reduced price, 21-day trial originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesdigital-distributiondistributioneveeve-onlineexpansionsquantum-risesci-fisteamsteam-poweredsteampoweredtrialtrialsvalveSat, 15 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[An MMO showdown: City of Heroes vs. WoW vs. EVE]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/an-mmo-showdown-city-of-heroes-vs-wow-vs-eve/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/an-mmo-showdown-city-of-heroes-vs-wow-vs-eve/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/an-mmo-showdown-city-of-heroes-vs-wow-vs-eve/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


For some gamers born and bred with traditional first person shooters and console games, MMOs are a daunting prospect, with an appeal that's not fully understood. The stereotypes (which are sometimes true) that persist are that "MMOs are boring, MMOs are too slow, all it is is kill quests, item gathering, stat-gazing and crafting -- and all those things are boring, boring, boring."

Ludo and Dante from gaming-centric site Man vs. Horse refused to 'be slaves to those opinions' and put together a cleverly written MMO Showdown. They played the trials of City of Heroes, World of Warcraft, and EVE Online respectively and wrote about their experiences with these titles, having devoted roughly 7 hours of solid play to each game. Which MMO came out on top from the perspective of two experienced gamers, but MMO noobs? You might be surprised by the answer.

Continue reading An MMO showdown: City of Heroes vs. WoW vs. EVE

MassivelyAn MMO showdown: City of Heroes vs. WoW vs. EVE originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardccpccp-gameschampions-onlinecity-of-heroescryptic-studiosdanteeve-onlinefantasygroupingludoman-vs-horsemmo-showdownopinionsci-fitrialtrialsworld-of-warcraftMon, 22 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST