Massively

EVE Online: Inferno website goes live

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

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

Pay attention: The universe is going to war on May 22nd. That's awfully nice for the universe to schedule these things and give us a heads up, don't you think? If that isn't enough, the makers of EVE Online: Inferno have given us the official expansion website with an infolicious, nougaty center.

The brand-new website has information on EVE's 17th expansion, including details on the graphics update, the war declaration system, the mercenary marketplace, the unified inventory, and more. According to the website, "Inferno invites new players with a lower barrier to entry, empowers veterans with more control over their wars, and entices combatants of all types with advanced new weaponry."

Our own EVE Online columnist Brendan has been busy covering the expansion, with analysis on Inferno's mining system and the PvP revamp.

EVE Online: Inferno website goes live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Neverwinter releasing Q4 2012, opens French and German websites

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Neverwinter

Neverwinter was the unexpected surprise of PAX East for us, which is why we're psyched that it should be in all our hot little hands by the end of the year. Perfect World announced that its upcoming Dungeons and Dragons MMO will launch globally in the fourth quarter of 2012.

As part of the global efforts, Perfect World has opened up French and German websites to cater to the diverse European playerbase. Each localized website is just as informative and media-packed as its English counterpart.

Cryptic Lead Producer Andy Velasquez is quite excited to be working on the project and anticipates players' delight when the game finally arrives: "As a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, it's a rewarding experience to develop Neverwinter and contribute to the lore of the franchise. We're taking calculated steps to ensure Neverwinter will captivate players with its immersive storylines and beautiful artwork while being a fast and fluid action game."

[Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]

Neverwinter releasing Q4 2012, opens French and German websites originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR's official website receives a facelift

Larry Everett — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

At approximately 2 a.m. EDT, the Star Wars: The Old Republic website dropped offline for 11 hours to receive a much-needed facelift. The previous site had used the same look for nearly four years, focusing on a pre-launch presentation. But at noon EDT, a fresh new site was revealed to the world.

According to the SWTOR community team post, this new site, which was rebuilt from the ground up, will provide "the latest game updates in an easy to navigate way." The team expounds on what we should expect from the new site later in the article, "In addition to all of the latest news and information that is released, we're also going to give you much more information about in-game content." The first example of this is the breakdown of each of the 17 flashpoints.

Although the new site falls back on a more traditional look, the community team assures us that this will help to increase the site's overall functionality and allow for additional features such as guild support, skill trees, character profiles, and more.

SWTOR's official website receives a facelift originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: New tools for the community

Brendan Drain — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

Earlier this week, CCP Games released a much-needed complete overhaul of the official EVE Online website. Having been in operation for nine long years, the old website had become a mismatch of marketing information aimed at new players and tools for the existing player community. The overhaul split the page into two awesome websites, with a new community site to cater to existing players and an impressive new main page to attract future players.

The main page uses HTML 5 to deliver incredible interactive views of the EVE Online galaxy and dozens of in-game ships right there on the website. The community website houses all of the news, devblogs, knowledgebase articles, fictional chronicles, and support tools that existing players use, but with a much neater layout than the old website. In web developer CCP Alice's recent In Development video, she revealed that the team would be working on new community tools following the launch of the new websites. With the community site completely de-cluttered, there's now room to incorporate a lot of the tools players want or currently use, opening up some interesting possibilities.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I discuss the new EVE Online website and community portal and speculate on awesome new community tools we might possibly see in the future.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: New tools for the community

EVE Evolved: New tools for the community originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online jazzes up website, opens CSM application process

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world

If EVE Online's website were a teenage girl in a movie -- and we're not for a moment suggesting that it's not -- today is the day she'd go through one of those peppy makeover montages and ultimately reveal the beauty that was there all along (just in hiding -- stupid glasses). The new design is up for the world to see, sporting a sleek sexiness along with an interesting ticker relating the latest and greatest from the game. CCP is hoping that the redesign will come off as more "user friendly" for newbies.

In other EVE news, CCP will begin accepting applications tonight for the Council of Stellar Management (CSM). The process is quite involved: Players will apply until the 22nd, after which nominations will be pulled from the list and then community voting will commence. If you're interested in becoming a major voice of the community by advising CCP in EVE's development, then you'd do well to check out the list of candidacy qualifications and get your app in on time!

[Thanks to Xilmar for the tip!]

EVE Online jazzes up website, opens CSM application process originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What do you like to see on MMO websites?

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

During my time with Massively and as a gamer, I've visited scads of official MMO websites. And I can say, incontrovertibly, that no two of them had the same features and focus. Some were extremely easy to navigate while others were almost indecipherable without the Staff of Ra to guide me. Some were more about flash while others were loaded with content. And some, to my never-ending dismay, still lack an RSS feed which I cannot fathom in this day and age.

But enough about my journeys -- I want to hear about your own thoughts on MMO websites. What do you like to see when you visit one? Are the aesthetics important to you, or are you more concerned with specific features? Are these websites more for first-time visitors curious about the game or should they cater to players looking for news and updates about their favorite titles?

For bonus points, provide a link below to (in your opinion) the best-designed MMO website!

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 do you like to see on MMO websites? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog

Brendan Drain — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

EVE Online has undergone countless changes and iterations since its first release in 2003, with major graphics overhauls and new gameplay systems arriving every year. In contrast, the official EVE website hasn't changed much over the years. With background information, screenshots, video, forums and knowledgebase articles, the EVE website now juggles content designed for prospective players and existing community members alike. CCP aims to change all that with a complete overhaul that will split community tools like the forums, knowledgebase, and account management from marketing designed to attract players.

In a new video devblog, web-developer CCP Alice shows off some of the features of EVE's brand new website. Built using HTML 5, the new page will feature a full built-in renderer able to show prospective players the EVE Online universe map and interactive renderings of every ship in the game. "Now that we have a better eveonline.com, the focus after this one is to focus on the community," says CCP Alice, hinting that new community tools will soon be on the way. In a follow-up devblog today, Community Manager CCP Guard confirmed that players will soon be able to start their own corporation forums hosted on CCP's servers. Check out the full video after the cut.

Continue reading EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog

EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Female-only Queens Blade launches website, pubescent fantasies

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Previews, Free-to-play

Do you ever complain that video game females are too chastely attired, even when heading into major combat? Is TERA's feminine armor covering up completely unnecessary square inches of real estate? Then you're not only someone whom we'd probably inch away from in an elevator but the target audience for Queens Blade, an upcoming MMO that features six all-female classes -- and little female clothing.

One of the game's spotlight features is the ability for characters to transform into super-powerful versions via the Maximizing System. It both lifts and separates, we're told. Actually, the transformed versions of the characters are giant, hulking suits of armor with nasty weapons.

Queens Blade now has a teaser site available with loads of information, pictures, and videos of the game. There's an option to view the site in either its native Korean or in English. If you're interested -- and we're not judging here -- stay tuned as the game is slated to head into closed beta testing earlier next year. The official trailer after the cut gives a good glimpse into this colorful post-apocalyptic landscape and the women set out to tame it.

Continue reading Female-only Queens Blade launches website, pubescent fantasies

Female-only Queens Blade launches website, pubescent fantasies originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

38 Studios opens a website portal to Project Copernicus' world

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, Previews

While 38 Studios' top-secret Project Copernicus MMO lacks a proper title or most of its details, at least we can now visit the world that it and its single-player RPG brother, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, inhabits.

The studio launched a pair of websites devoted to the game world and its first game today. Over on Amalur, 38 Studios has unleashed its loremasters to share with you the stories, features, histories, and settings of this fantasy landscape. And while Reckoning is just a prequel to the eventual MMO, its website contains quite a few lore snippets as well as a world map to pour over while you're planning your future conquests.

As part of the twin projects, R.A. Salvatore has created over 10,000 years of fictional history for the world of Amalur, stretching from The Deep Gloam to the Age of Heroes. Reckoning takes place during the Age of Arcana, with Copernicus happening some time thereafter.

38 Studios opens a website portal to Project Copernicus' world originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

RuneScape sings, gobbles, and slays its way through November

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, Previews, RuneScape, Free-to-play

RuneFest, Halloween, and Bot Nuking Day may be over, but the RuneScape team is far from taking time off for good behavior. If anything, the devs' eyes are as big as their stomachs as they detailed plans for the game leading up to Thanksgiving.

Speaking of the holiday, a turkey invasion led by the fearsome Captain Turkerton is imminent and only the players will be able to negotiate a truce before the gobblepocalypse arrives. As incentive for participating in the event, RuneScape is planning to award Thanksgiving crests and turkey pets for the diplomatically savvy.

Jagex has a lot more on its plate for November, including revamping elements of the interface, overhauling the website design, and introducing the Slayer-centric Polypore Dungeon. Additionally, the November quest, "One Piercing Note," is a first for the game: a fully voice-acted experience that will incorporate singing and dancing into the story!

Following Bot Nuking Day and the resulting dip in population, Jagex has consolidated several servers into new multi-country European worlds. The team is also hard at work addressing some current issues with players having problems logging in and experiencing lag. A fix is scheduled for later today.

RuneScape sings, gobbles, and slays its way through November originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Eligium launches website and reveals... panda monks. Really.

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Free-to-play

Oh Blizzard, did you think you were the only company looking at kung-fu pandas for inspiration? Sorry to tell you, but panda fever is sweeping the globe, and Frogster's upcoming Eligium is going to cash in on that craze like nobody's business.

Today Eligium launched its official website, replete with a beta signup form, videos, screenshots, and forums. On top of that, Frogster announced two of the fantasy free-to-play MMO's races: Pandas and Elves.

The Pandas are described as "masters of the martial arts" as they harness their chi to unleash it on their enemies. At level 15, Panda players can choose between two skill specializations, including Fire Breather. The Elves, on the other hand, fit more into standard fantasy tropes, being experts at archery and trees. The race will eventually segregate into either a defensive or long-range attack skillset.

You can take a gander at Eligium's goodies and sign up for the closed beta over on the official site.

[Source: Frogster press release]

Eligium launches website and reveals... panda monks. Really. originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Battleships website leaves dry dock

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, New titles, PvP, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous, World of Battleships

Anchor up and full speed ahead, first mate -- the World of Battleships website is fully operational!

Wargaming.net's latest entry into the "World of" series is taking the battle to the sea, handing the wheel of classic 20th century battleships to players and waving liability insurance. The website allows us to get a better look at the fleet vs. fleet title, with information, videos and screenshots ahoy.

Wargaming.net's Victor Kislyi broke the champagne bottle over the website's bow: "We're excited to launch World of Battleships' website. We want to make it home for all those in love with naval battles and WWII-era warships."

The title was announced a month ago, and is the third entry in Wargaming.net's increasingly popular vehicle-based PvP MMOs.

Gallery: World of Battleships

World of Battleships website leaves dry dock originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek - Infinite Space launches website with stellar promotion

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Free-to-play, Promotions

We've been watching Star Trek - Infinite Space ever since eyeballing it at E3 earlier this year, and we're happy to say that Gameforge's upcoming title has taken the next step toward the final frontier by launching the official website for the game.

The site is somewhat bare-Bones right now, with a sign-up to receive more information, screenshots, the trailer, and a news blog. What's interesting is that Gameforge is offering players an incentive to enlist in Starfleet by offering the chance to reserve your name, get beta key priority, and receive an exclusive item once you enter your retinal scan (or, y'know, fill out the form).

Star Trek - Infinite Space is on display at this week's Gamescom, and we look forward to hearing more about this action-based free-to-play MMO.

Star Trek - Infinite Space launches website with stellar promotion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nexon unveils Vindictus' EU website

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Vindictus

European players eager to get their hands on Vindictus have a good reason to get pumped up today, as Nexon Europe has launched the Vindictus EU teaser site for the upcoming MMO regional release.

The gorgeous website boasts both English and German language options, has an overview of the game and characters, and is prepared to inject fans with screenshots, wallpapers and a rocking trailer to keep the excitement level high. Players looking to put in for extra credit may sign up for the game's newsletter and Facebook page as well.

Seeing as how incredibly popular Vindictus has been in both the Asian and North American markets, Europe should prepare to fall in love with the fast-paced action MMO. Vindictus will launch in Europe sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, and is prepared to make a splashy appearance at next month's Gamescom in Germany.

Nexon unveils Vindictus' EU website originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dark Age of Camelot launches new website

Jef Reahard — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, MMO industry, News items

It's extreme makeover time for Dark Age of Camelot's website, and it's a good thing too. The game launched in late 2001, and while its former web portal wasn't quite GeoCities-awful, let's just say it was time for an update in terms of aesthetics and layout.

The new version of The Herald is leaner, meaner, and much easier to navigate, though it does come with an "under construction" caveat. DAoC producer Stuart Zissu provides users with a brief introduction to the new site via an embedded video on the front page, and he also hints at the long-running title's 10th anniversary celebration currently scheduled for October.

Head to the official website to, er... check out the new official website.

Dark Age of Camelot launches new website originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

E3 2011: Neverwinter site goes live with a new trailer

Matt Daniel — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, News items, Miscellaneous

Praise Tyr! Cryptic Studios announced today that the official Neverwinter website has gone live. Neverwinter, for those unaware, is an in-development game from Cryptic Studios that brings players to the famous Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons & Dragons and particularly to the city of Neverwinter. In the game's timeline, the city has recently been razed by a volcanic eruption. Though it has been partially restored to its former glory, it's up to the players to defend the city and fully rebuild the Jewel of the North.

The site is full of information on the game, including backstory, planned features, an FAQ, and a peek at the game's content creation kit called The Foundry. It's also got some lovely concept art and early screenshots from the game, and of course, a news feed so everyone anticipating this new release can keep up on the latest updates. Lastly, be sure to check back with us Thursday for an interview with the folks behind Neverwinter straight from E3, and watch the new trailer after the cut.

Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!

Continue reading E3 2011: Neverwinter site goes live with a new trailer

E3 2011: Neverwinter site goes live with a new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

DAoC rolling out new website, allowing server transfers

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, Previews

As Dark Age of Camelot counts down to its 10th year anniversary in October, Stuart Zissu breaks out a few early presents by revealing four "big ticket items" in his latest producer's letter.

An upgraded new player experience is on its way for the game to help new and returning players get up to speed for epic RvR battles. Dubbed the "New User Journey," this extended tutorial will give pointers on everything from pets to crowd control.

The team's also hard at work on a new website for the game, which should be coming soon. Or "soon." The new website will operate in conjunction with the third big ticket item, which is a DAoC wiki. Zissu put out a call for players to help fill the wiki once it's up and running.

Finally, players on the Glamorgan cluster will be able to transfer to Ywain in the near future. You can read all of the nitty-gritty details of these items on the Camelot Herald.

DAoC rolling out new website, allowing server transfers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Top secret: Cryptic revamps website, hints at new project

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Star Trek Online, Champions Online

Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon of spun 1s and 0s, Cryptic Studios' website has transformed into a sleek animal. More than just a new look, Crypticstudios.com sports a few interesting surprises.

It seems as though the company is deep into "a least one" additional project on top of Star Trek Online, Champions Online and Neverwinter. This unnamed "top secret" project for Atari sparks our imagination. The studio's In Development page has this to say: "We're very excited about what we're working on. Like Neverwinter, our Top Secret work represents our continued commitment to diversify and reach beyond the boundaries of traditional MMORPG gaming. We can't wait to show you more!"

Continuing our tour of the site, Cryptic has posted a number of job openings on its Careers page. It looks as though the company is looking for several artists, a content game designer, a senior producer and several other positions.

Head on over to the company's website to check out Cryptic's new digs.

Top secret: Cryptic revamps website, hints at new project originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Don't panic -- Massively's getting a makeover! [Update #5]

Brianna Royce — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Events, real-world, Launches, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous

Blizzard isn't the only team around preparing for a cataclysm. The perceptive among you might have noticed a few subtle changes around Massively today and wondered what was going on. Is it the end times?!

Nope! In fact, we have exciting news! Tonight (Monday, November 22nd) and continuing through the week, we'll be rolling out our brand-new site. That's right, folks: Massively's getting a much-deserved facelift meant to bring the site in line with our community's needs and position us a bit more prominently alongside our sister site, Joystiq. We'll not only be easier on the eyes but easier to navigate, and best of all, we'll have a new and improved login and comment system. Rejoice! We'll get a new URL too -- massively.joystiq.com -- although www.massively.com will continue to redirect just fine to all the content you love, old and new.

Over the next week, Massively might be a little bit weird as our Gnomish Engineers scramble to get a site of this size into its new outfit, so please bear with us while we tinker. Just to quell any remaining fears -- we're not closing down, we've not been bought out, and we're not selling out to corporate overlords. We've always been part of the Joystiq network; it's just going to be a bit more obvious now. The same bloggers will still be bringing you the same MMO posts and features as before. We're just going to look a whole lot more stylish doing it. We'll keep you posted as the rollout continues!

[Ongoing updates are behind the cut! Last update was at 11:05 a.m. EST on Wednesday, November 24th. -Bree]

Continue reading Don't panic -- Massively's getting a makeover! [Update #5]

Don't panic -- Massively's getting a makeover! [Update #5] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lost Pages of Taborea: The Runes of Magic Database

Jeremy Stratton — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST

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

A long long time ago, I wrote about community resources for Runes of Magic. In that article is a handy resource that gathers collected data from RoM called the buffed database. Key personnel from buffed.de started a new venture called Playata to provide content services to game publishers. The point of this boring news snippet is that Playata, in conjunction with Frogster, has created the official RoM database. This shiny new official site could be viewed as getbuffed 2.0. The official version is streamlined, runs better, and has a few nice extras that the original never had. This week I put together a guide explaining what the database is, what you can do with it, and some of the extra fun stuff it offers.

Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: The Runes of Magic Database

Lost Pages of Taborea: The Runes of Magic Database originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rift gets new website, videos detail nightblade and shaman soul trees

Jef Reahard — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events, real-world, New titles, News items, RIFT

Rift: Planes of Telara made its presence felt at Gamescom 2010, and the folks over at RiftNexus.com have captured a couple of the noteworthy reveals on video. Both the shaman and nightblade soul trees were detailed at the event, and, for those new to the world of Telara, souls represent the game's answer to traditional MMORPG classes, albeit with several unique twists.

Trion showed off the shaman's skill tree, and the melee cleric is stocked with abilities including the requisite heals and attacks. The shaman soul also appears to have some debuffing capability, as evidenced by the Vengeance of the Frozen ability that reduces both the strength and the dexterity of a given target. RiftNexus also brings us a brief video of the nightblade's skill tree, and it's clear this particular soul owes much to the classic rogue archetype. You can view both videos after the cut or on RiftNexus.com

The Rift: Planes of Telara team has also been busy outside of the convention circuit, as a revamped website made its debut this week. Check it out for more information on the classes, world lore, and more.

[Thanks to Brennan for the website tip!]

Continue reading Rift gets new website, videos detail nightblade and shaman soul trees

Rift gets new website, videos detail nightblade and shaman soul trees originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Don't be surprised if your website is mentioned here

Larry Everett — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Podcasts, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

The Hyperspace Beacon is your guide through the various twists, turns, and barrel-roles of the yet-to-be-released game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is being produced by the super-duper developers at BioWare-EA.

As we all wait anxiously for the open scroll of Star Wars: The Old Republic, more fansites are donning their Jedi robes and igniting their lightsabers. Some have have been around for a while now, and others are just getting off the ground, but all these holocrons of SWTOR lore are finding their true destiny in webspace. Some of these websites stand out as potential Jedi Masters, and I would like to take a moment to take note of them.

A few months back, the first Hyperspace Beacon was launched. It recognized sites like Darth Hater and the Jedi Archive. Since then, more have proven to be beacons of light in the blackness of cyberspace. So, in an effort to keep the SWTOR community page up to date, I have explored the reaches hyperspace to find beacons of new hope.

Set your navicomputer to follow me after the break. As Matt from TOROCast may say: Don't be surprised if your website is mentioned here.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Don't be surprised if your website is mentioned here

Hyperspace Beacon: Don't be surprised if your website is mentioned here originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages

Larry Everett — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future," were Yoda's words from The Empire Strikes Back, but contrary to the Jedi Master's belief, most of the time there are clues to what our future holds. Like the smell right before a rain storm, or little ticks of involuntary action that give away when someone is bluffing in poker, or that face your mother used to give you which said you were in trouble, clues to what the future holds are everywhere. Star Wars: The Old Republic is no exception. Clues to what the game holds are hidden all over its website.

Alyssa Gobelle is the web designer for SWTOR. She has done a beautiful job of constructing a site that is entertaining as well as interesting to look at. Although the busy lettering, Aurebesh, entices the eyes, it also gives away secrets to the game. In April, Gobelle was interviewed by the Holonet Project fan site, where she revealed that the messages are totally intentional: "When they first brought me on, our first major task was to design the HoloNet. We wanted the HoloNet's voice to be as much 'within the lore of the game' as possible so we planned to add some generic Aurebesh to start. But we also wanted to add some hidden teases and notes for you guys to devour and ponder upon and play with. Give some more fuel to the speculation festivities."

Continue after the break to find out what some of these "hidden teases" are. Perhaps you can help me figure out what the rest of them mean.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages

Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Tanks splits site into two portals

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, New titles, News items, War, World of Tanks

As development continues on the upcoming heavy-metal explosion-fest, World of Tanks, the team at Wargaming.net has rolled out an update to their website, creating a nice two-pronged site for those curious about the game. The first half of the newly updated site is the promo site, which contains screenshots, exclusive video and trailers, and links to all manner of interviews from various news outlets focused on the MMOGsphere. This first half of the site will also eventually feature a fansite kit, and the "Tankopedia," which will give players all the details and art for the 150 different tanks that will be in World of Tanks.

Meanwhile, the second World of Tanks site is the community portal, offering a place to hang out for those who are already familiar enough with the general game, and are planning on heading towards the fields in their rolling fortresses. This portal is an updated version of the original, offering news, forums, polls, and the normal goodies one can expect in an MMO site. On this side of the portal, you'll also find a feed for contests, and the ability to address your questions directly to the folks at Wargaming.net.

So, if you've been waiting to hear more details, check out the two new parts on the World of Tanks split site -- then pop over to the forums and leave your questions for the developers!

World of Tanks splits site into two portals originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online server move delayed by database issues

Brendan Drain — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, MMO industry, News items

Last week, CCP Games announced that the EVE Online server was heading for a move and a bit of an upgrade. Hidden within a few cabinets in a single datacenter is everything that makes up the EVE universe, from characters and ships to planets and the market. The cluster of hardware has been expanded over the years and now exceeds the limitations of the hardware cabinets it occupies. Moving the cluster to a new location within the datacenter should help support future upgrades to keep up with the game's growing subscriber-base.

The shuffle began early yesterday morning at 09:00 UTC and was planned to be completed by 15:00 UTC the same day. Unfortunately, the transition to a new locale has had some unforeseen side-effects for Tranquility. After a long day of server work, final testing of the cluster revealed database issues that must be corrected before the game can go live. At 03:00 UTC this morning, the estimate for restoring Tranquility and the EVE website was mid-day today. With that time having now passed, CCP has released a new estimate of 16:00 UTC. If necessary, further delays will be announced on the official EVE Facebook page, the CCP Games Twitter page and the game's main website.

UPDATE: The server is now up and players can log in again. CCP has explained the reasons behind the long downtime and detailed their plans to reimburse players with skillpoints in a news post.

EVE Online server move delayed by database issues originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: A sneak peak at EVE Gate

Brendan Drain — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Some time ago, CCP announced their unusual plans to develop their own EVE Online social networking website. Their plan was to tie it into the game, giving players a site they could visit to stay in touch with their EVE contacts and corporation while not logged in. It was expected to be ready by Winter 2009 but never materialised when the Dominion expansion was released. Now named EVE Gate, the website has been rescheduled for the upcoming Tyrannis expansion on May 18th. Recently, CCP released an early alpha version of the EVE Gate website and have begun the slow process of adding features and working out bugs. Some of the features are not active and the site is not yet tied into the active EVE server. Nevertheless, the current alpha build shows what we can expect from the site when it launches.

In this article, I give a run-down of what features we can expect from EVE Gate at launch and what we can expect from it in future iterations.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: A sneak peak at EVE Gate

EVE Evolved: A sneak peak at EVE Gate originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively interviews PoxNora: Major updates and a website revamp

Kyle Horner — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, Free-to-play, Massively Interviews

It's been far too long since we first had the pleasure of introducing readers to PoxNora. So long, in fact, that we contacted SOE to see about speaking with the good people in Tucson, AZ about their strategy game that incorporates card collecting, online persistence and progression mechanics into a delightful cocktail of an online game.

There's a lot of changes coming to PoxNora, changes that for the first time will be revealed in this interview with SOE Community Manger Tony "RadarX" Jones. A new website, a new Rune Manager, a new Champions stat system, new maps and hints at the future of PoxNora are just a few of the topics covered beyond the break.

Did we mention all these updates are coming within the next few weeks? Oh, we've also got shiny imagery.

Continue reading Massively interviews PoxNora: Major updates and a website revamp

Massively interviews PoxNora: Major updates and a website revamp originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Official Star Trek Online website revamped

Kyle Horner — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

An impending MMO launch changes a many things, one of them being official websites. It's basically common practice to revamp a website leading up to a game's launch at this point. Don't get us wrong, we're not complaining, especially since the new Star Trek Online website is quite snazzy and promises new interactive ways to obsess about the game. It's just, well, it's not very surprising and we're disappointed in ourselves for no longer being able to revel in things like this like we used to.

While the site itself has been changed, there doesn't seem to be any drastic difference to the information or media available. Although we're certain that news, previews and interviews are soon to be pouring out of the main news feed over at Star Trek Online dot com -- yes, we spelled it out.

Official Star Trek Online website revamped originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Official Aion website gets a make-over (redux)

Brooke Pilley — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, New titles, News items

We bring you this breaking news from the cluttered desks at Massively headquarters: Aion has launched! Oh wait, you already knew that? Darn. Well, maybe you haven't noticed Aion's official website make-over featuring all kinds of never-before-seen goodies like official forums, character and legion (guild) search, server status/statistics, Abyss control, and player rankings.

The new look is clean, bright, and lightweight. NCsoft have updated their Powerwiki to include a number of player guides and lore articles (still no crafting info though). The official forums showcase the latest discussion on news, community, servers, classes, and technical support. Players can even show off a 3D model of their character including their latest gear/stats. The server statistics page is quite cool too, breaking down individual servers by race, class, level range, and the number of legions. Asmodians hold a slight advantage across most servers, but not by much. It seems NCsoft's strict balance policy is working decently so far.

Official Aion website gets a make-over (redux) originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dragonball Online opens main website, confirms that it is over 9,000

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Culture, New titles

Normally we don't cover the opening of games in far, far off countries, like Korea. They usually don't affect us very much, and we're usually not that interested. But how can you not be interested when a game's power level is over 9,000!!!!!!

Yes, that's twice we've used the same meme in the same article. We apologize. But Dragonball Online's website is finally up over at Netmarble's games portal. Akira Toriyama's artstyle has translated beautifully to the game, looking much like his signature style in Dragon Quest.

Continue reading Dragonball Online opens main website, confirms that it is over 9,000

Dragonball Online opens main website, confirms that it is over 9,000 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Welcome to the newly redesigned Massively!

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Massively Meta

Don't panic! If things here at Massively look a bit different, it's because we've recently implemented a complete site redesign. We're very excited about this updated look, to follow along with the recent redesigns of our sister sites Joystiq and WoW Insider.

So what does this mean for you, the reader? Well, we're hoping it means some improvements to your Massively reading experience. Posts and post images will be wider (as we eventually work our way into the newer posts), categorization is more defined and the posts themselves feature a cleaner layout. So we hope you enjoy the updated look and please be patient as we finish polishing up the edges, as some weirdness may occur during the transition.

Welcome to the newly redesigned Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mega-makeover for City of Heroes site

Adrian Bott — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains

Alex 'Lighthouse' Von Minden's cryptic hints of changes in the pipeline were unravelled yesterday when the brand new City of Heroes website was unveiled. The thorough revamp has resulted in a brighter, slicker site, similar in style to the Tabula Rasa page. The old site had used many images dating from as far back as launch, and was frankly getting stale, looking a bit dated next to the European site for the same game. The new-look website showcases many of the new powersets and costume pieces, and also has a completely new section on the game's signature heroes and villains - the kind of information a new player would be looking to learn about.

The new-look site brings an end to the days of separate front pages for City of Heroes and City of Villains, now that all players have full access to both. Devotees of the villain side still have their red-themed forums of evil, however; though we're not sure if this will continue once the forums switch over to vBulletin. We'd like to think that this merging somehow foreshadows the ability to switch sides in the game, though that's nothing but speculation on our part.

Mega-makeover for City of Heroes site originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pirates of the Burning Sea gets major website revamp

Samuel Axon — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, News items

Team members at Flying Lab Software have launched a totally new Pirates of the Burning Sea website. The changes are not merely aesthetic; there are substantial additions in terms of functionality. They include a game guide, featured forum posts, and other standards. The site was designed not only by your usual web development folks, but also by the game's UI designer and its art director.

There are also some more clever changes and community features, like widgets. The widgets aren't enabled yet, though. Still, it's an excellent set of changes (which have been listed and explained in a lengthy news post on the site) that represents another step in Flying Lab's attempts to strengthen and grow the community of a game whose sales performed below expectations.

Pirates of the Burning Sea gets major website revamp originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Asheron's Call web updates herald the new, memorialize the old

Samuel Axon — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Asheron's Call, News items

A couple noteworthy things recently happened in the Asheron's Call neck of the woods. The official website got a much-needed make-over. The new design is easier to navigate and it looks much more modern. When we spoke with community manager Andy Cataldo at the GenCon 2008, he told us that modernizing AC is the development team's focus right now. While the website is obviously not part of the game, updating it is a step in the right direction.

But since AC is in fact a very old game (it's coming up on 10 years now), not all of the focus is on the future. Case in point: the second nostalgia developer blog has been published. All too often people in this genre and industry have only a short-term memory. Since it's good to look back at where we've come from, we enjoyed the first nostalgia blog.

This second one was written by Matt Eliot, who worked as an artist on the AC live team. Like the author of blog #1, he was just another AC player before he applied to work for Turbine.

Asheron's Call web updates herald the new, memorialize the old originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

LotRO-Europe website gets a facelift

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Forums, MMO industry

Not that there was ever anything wrong with Lord of the Rings Online Europe's website to begin with, but they've recently decided to completely revamp their site to better accommodate the new expansion and future content.

Codemaster Online's new website now features a separate branch for Shadows of Angmar and one for Mines of Moria, as well as the obligatory CGI trailer, free trial info, competitions and a link to their e-shop. Separating the two volumes like this allows the company to present news, features and contests that are specific to a certain expansion, which will become more valuable as the list of expansions grows in the coming years. They also promise that the community section will benefit from the creativity of their designers soon, and will be brought in line with this new layout.

LotRO-Europe website gets a facelift originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Perfect World International's closed beta starts August 19th

Samuel Axon — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Perfect World International, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

The official English version of the Chinese-developed MMO Perfect World has been announced. It's called Perfect World International, and the closed beta will begin on August 19th, according to the new teaser website.

The game was originally subscription-based, but later moved to a microtransaction model. The publisher asserts that this "established a level of quality not found in other free-to-play titles." Visually, that seems to be the case, although we haven't spent too much time exploring the gameplay. We have spent a little, though; check out our first impressions from way back when if you're curious.

Features include most of the usual MMO trappings -- crafting, quests, world PvP. Chinese mythology-inspired setting. We don't get enough of that setting in microtransaction MMOs, do we? Oh, and apparently the game has like, a crapload of mounts.

[Via MMORPG]

Perfect World International's closed beta starts August 19th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Saga of Ryzom forums quietly come back online

Samuel Axon — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, MMO industry, Ryzom, News items

A couple weeks ago, the official website of The Saga of Ryzom mysteriously returned to operating status. The game was shut down back in February when Nevrax, the French company that operated it, experienced a financial crisis. When the site came back, nobody knew exactly what was happening. All we got was a splash page that said "Ryzom will be back soon."

Well, now we have more. The official forums have come back online -- including posts and accounts from before the shutdown. It's as if they had never gone. Community manager boroshi posted a rather short note promising that "everything else" will soon follow. Note that boroshi was around before the shutdown, so it looks like the people behind the game's return are at least some of the same folks who were running it before.

If you're an old Ryzom player, go ahead and reunite with old pals. Klients is back, too.

Saga of Ryzom forums quietly come back online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Amidst speculation, Blizzard VP implies completely new game

Samuel Axon — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Rumors

Blizzard fans all over the internet have worked themselves up into a frenzy over a vague splash screen at the company's website -- a melting wall of ice adorned with rune or sigil-like markings. Everyone's speculating. Is it Diablo 3? Maybe it's just a promo for Wrath of the Lich King. After all, the ice motif seems to fit, right?

Maybe not. During a Q&A session at GDC Paris 08, Blizzard VP Rob Pardo was asked to comment on "the new game." He replied saying, "So you want me to announce the game before the announcement?" That was a classic press conference or Q&A blunder; you're not supposed to accept the premise of an unwanted or hostile question!

Continue reading Amidst speculation, Blizzard VP implies completely new game

Amidst speculation, Blizzard VP implies completely new game originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Official website teases the return of Ryzom

Samuel Axon — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Rumors

The Saga of Ryzom met an untimely end in February. Its players were scattered around the MMO universe -- a diaspora of Ryzomites without a country to call home. History has shown us that not all MMO deaths are final, though, and Ryzom might be coming back.

The official website relaunched with the message "Ryzom will be back soon!" hastily typed in three languages (English, German, and French) over a screenshot from the game. Researching the site's domain reveals that the last known owner was Nevrax -- the original creator of Ryzom. Thing is, Nevrax no longer exists. It's likely that the whois data hasn't been updated yet.

A couple months ago, we reported that an organization called Spiderweb International Unlimited had placed a bit for the Ryzom property, and that fans of the game were trying to raise enough money to outbid them so the source code could be released to the public. We haven't seen any news since then, so we're not sure what ended up happening, but we'll let you know as soon as new info comes up.

[Via WarCry]

Official website teases the return of Ryzom originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Turbine launches promo game, is crushed by its own success [Updated]

Samuel Axon — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, News items, Browser

Turbine sent us a press release today, saying that it and Codemasters have launched a "new social gaming website" at unlocktheminesofmoria.com. Actually, that's the official website of the Mines of Moria expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online, and it's been running since the expansion was announced earlier this month, but fret not -- there is something new here!

The site has been updated with the first of its social games, called King Under the Mountain. It's a "tactical strategy game," and the schtick is that it's derived from a game played by the dwarf lords of Khazad-Dûm. It involves very Dwarven things like "caverns, gems, and fighting." You can play it alone or against your friends, and it's pretty cool.

Actually, we're just assuming the "pretty cool" part because unfortunately before we could check it out for ourselves, the site was shut down for maintenance. Apparently it was hosed "due to overwhelming response" from interested LotRO players. It'll be back up at some point though, if it's not already by the time you read this, so keep checking back if you're interested.

[EDIT: Site's back up. Enjoy!]

Turbine launches promo game, is crushed by its own success [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments