Atlantica Online releases Western Hemisphere content expansion
Filed under: Historical, Events, in-game, Expansions, Patches, Academic
NDOORS Interactive’s Atlantica Online has just released its first major content patch entitled Next Frontier where players will have the opportunity to play in the American Old West and Aztec lands. Previously, the game was only playable in the Eastern Hemisphere, but Next Frontier brings players some Western Hemisphere content such as a bar room brawl in Dallas or a new guild dungeon on Alcatraz Island. This expansion also raises the level cap from 100 to 120 and introduces two new B Class Mercenaries: the Spartan and the Sailor. A Christmas event has also been added with this free patch,…
Atlantica Online releases Western Hemisphere content expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time.
Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches, Professions, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, EVE Evolved
A little under five years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a new online game he was playing called EVE Online. A key part of his pitch was that the game was less than a year old and I should get in on the ground floor. My friend correctly anticipated the massive success that EVE would be and that it would be good to get involved as early as possible. Over the years, that decision to start playing EVE in early 2004 has afforded me a lot of opportunities, not least of all being able to contribute to EON magazine and finally become a columnist here at Massively.
Getting in on the ground floor:
Five years down the line from EVE day one, it’s easy for new players or those that want to sign up to feel like they’ve missed the boat and can’t achieve what the older players have. In the same way that my friend introduced me to EVE, it’s my turn to try and convince people that they can still get in on the ground floor of something new and immense. With two major expansions coming soon, including the revolutionary “Walking in Stations” expansion, I firmly believe that right now could be the best time in five years to get in on the ground floor of the incredible on-going journey that is EVE Online.
In this article, I discuss the reasons why EVE will continue to endure for the foreseeable future and how getting involved now could be just as good as getting involved from day one.
Continue reading EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time.
EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time. originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time.
Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches, Professions, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, EVE Evolved
A little under five years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a new online game he was playing called EVE Online. A key part of his pitch was that the game was less than a year old and I should get in on the ground floor. My friend correctly anticipated the massive success that EVE would be and that it would be good to get involved as early as possible. Over the years, that decision to start playing EVE in early 2004 has afforded me a lot of opportunities, not least of all being able to contribute to EON magazine and finally become a columnist here at Massively. Getting in on the ground…
Continue reading EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time.
EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time. originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Warhammer developers explain their expansion/new content philosophy
Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, Warhammer Online, Massively Interviews
A few days ago Mark Jacobs offered up the heartening news that the Mythic Entertainment developers are focused solely on supporting the Warhammer Online live game. While the devs have had some discussions about expansion content, for the foreseeable future the company is going whole-hog on supporting and advancing the existing game. We spoke with Adam Gershowitz and Associate Producer Josh Drescher about Mark’s statement, and got some deep insights into their philosophy on new content. Offered Josh Drescher, “We want to reward player loyalty, we want to show we’re dedicated to the ongoing…
Continue reading Warhammer developers explain their expansion/new content philosophy
Warhammer developers explain their expansion/new content philosophy originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
MMOGology: Can Wrath keep us entertained?
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Expansions, Endgame, Opinion, MMOGology
My World of Warcraft guild is fairly casual - so why do we already have level 80s? Pre-Wrath of the Lich King we farmed Karazhan. Gruul’s Lair and Zul’Aman were regular runs, but we never tackled Black Temple or Sunwell as a guild. We leveled alts, crafted, PvP’d and told bad jokes in guild chat. Despite our relatively casual nature, five of our members hit 80 just two weeks after Wrath of the Lich King’s release. There’s already talk of running Naxxramas in the not too distant future (perhaps next Sunday A.D.).
I know that’s not record speed, but holy crap! If my guild of casual players is quickly level capping, a good percentage of WoW players must also be nearing the end game. There were at least forty of them on my server late last night. It took Blizzard nearly two years to release Wrath and it seems like a lot of people are already prepping for end-game raids. How in the world will this expansion hold players’ attentions past Christmas, much less until the next expansion? How long before we hear cries of, “There’s nothing to do!”?
Continue reading MMOGology: Can Wrath keep us entertained?
MMOGology: Can Wrath keep us entertained? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Mythic putting off Warhammer expansion work to focus on live game
Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, Warhammer Online
In a lengthy thread over at the VN boards, players began offering up a number of thoughts about what they’d like to see in the first expansion to Mythic Entertainment’s Warhammer Online. They had a couple of great ideas, too, with thread-starter DiscipleofWar suggesting it focus on the fabled Land of the Dead. That would allow players to come up against the forces of the Tomb Kings, fun objective-based gameplay for each faction, and even the introduction of a new third ‘Dogs of War’ army that will allow players to play ruthless mercenaries. Surprisingly, Mark Jacobs dropped in to add his own…
Mythic putting off Warhammer expansion work to focus on live game originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
The New York Times logs back in to World of Warcraft
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture
The online gaming industry — actually, the world — has been changed by World of Warcraft. The game has become a cultural phenomenon played by 11 million people, so it’s gotten quite a bit of mainstream media attention — that is to say, it’s not just a geek thing.
The New York Times has often dedicated a word or two to MMOs like WoW and EVE Online, but it seems that NY Times writer Seth Schiesel was away from the former nearly a year. Like just about everyone else, though, he’s been lured back into the world of Azeroth by the recently released Wrath of the Lich King expansion. He wrote a touching piece about the all his feelings when he returned, nothing the expansion’s relatively casual design and describing the experience of connecting with old friends after a year of change. He went into it with trepidation, but it ended up being a homecoming.
But perhaps we can read something else into his return. You might look at it as a sign that the appeal for these games will never fade. Everyone can get hooked on the social experience World of Warcraft and games like it provide, and Wrath’s success might be evidence that this young form of entertainment has its best years ahead of it.
The New York Times logs back in to World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Turbine marches to the beat of its own drum, continued yearly expansions
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, News items
Executive producer for Lord of the Rings Online Jeffrey Steefel doesn’t seem to have any interest in mimicking his companies competitors. He recently told gamesindustry.biz, “We have been driving our content strategy based on our game and our audience,” adding, “What other folks do is driven by their needs.” You really do have to appreciate a company that knows where its livelihood lies.
So players can expect the same amount of book updates and further yearly expansions, which sounds like it can only be a good thing for a game that at launch was often tagged with the, “Not enough to do at end-game” complaint. It doesn’t seem like that’s ever going to become a problem again, however.
Check out our latest episode of Massively Speaking, featuring a discussion with none other than Jeffrey Steefel himself!
Turbine marches to the beat of its own drum, continued yearly expansions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Turbine marches to the beat of its own drum, continued yearly expansions
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, News items
Executive producer for Lord of the Rings Online Jeffrey Steefel doesn’t seem to have any interest in mimicking his companies competitors. He recently told gamesindustry.biz, “We have been driving our content strategy based on our game and our audience,” adding, “What other folks do is driven by their needs.” You really do have to appreciate a company that knows where its livelihood lies. So players can expect the same amount of book updates and further yearly expansions, which sounds like it can only be a good thing for a game that at launch was often tagged with the, “Not enough to do at…
Turbine marches to the beat of its own drum, continued yearly expansions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Square Enix announces three downloadable expansions for Final Fantasy XI
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, MMO
Diehard Final Fantasy XI players who’ve not been beckoned away from Vana’diel by the siren call of World of Warcraft or Warhammer Online will be pleased to know that three “scenario expansions” for Square Enix’s MMO were recently announced at VanaFest, a FFXI fan event in Japan. The three add-ons will be downloadable from the PlayOnline Viewer over the course of 2009, each going for “around $10.00.”
The expansions won’t be adding any new locales to Vana’diel’s geography, but will attempt to “deepen the storylines running through pre-existing areas by ushering in all-new plots and intrigues.” The three scenarios are titled A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing (which will be available next Spring), A Moogle Kupo d’Etat - Evil in Small Doses and A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born (which will be available in the months following the first expansion). Brief synopses for the scenarios, which were explained in a recent press release, are available after the break.
From a Square-Enix press release:
A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing
One day, a giant crystal appeared in the skies above Jeuno, triggering a series of unexplained happenings across the land. Now, adventurers will set forth to unravel the mysteries of this primordial crystal that holds the secret of Vanadiels past.
A Moogle Kupo d’Etat - Evil in Small Doses
It all started with an innocent drop of rainwater and a rickety, ramshackle Mog House desperately in need of repairs. Little did anyone suspect that this was only the beginning of a harrowing nightmare unheard of in the annals of moogle-kind.
A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born
The eccentric Professor Shantotto returned to Windurst one day after a mysterious, unexplained absence, shocking her colleagues with behavior so outrageous it put her old self to shame! When she goes so far as to proclaim herself ruler of her own empire, adventurers set out to discover the truth behind her alarming shift in personality.
Square Enix announces three downloadable expansions for Final Fantasy XI originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
