https://massivelyop.com MMORPG news and opinions Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:01:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/activision-blizzard-q1-2023/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/activision-blizzard-q1-2023/#comments Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:35:13 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437352 Activision blinked: Activision-Blizzard wasn’t supposed to release its Q1 2023 financials until tomorrow after the bell, but it’s just done it this morning out of the blue, presumably attempting to ward off the sharp stock drop it experienced this morning after UK regulators moved to block its merge with Microsoft. So it’s here early, and let’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/activision-blizzard-q1-2023/feed/ 29 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/amazon-is-shutting-down-new-worlds-forums-next-week-in-favor-of-discord/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/amazon-is-shutting-down-new-worlds-forums-next-week-in-favor-of-discord/#comments Wed, 26 Apr 2023 13:00:56 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437243 Yesterday, I said in MOP’s work chat that the New World team deserved kudos for being one of the few major MMO studios pumping out weekly videos with the top devs. Well, I’m about to crush that goodwill for the core MMO audience, as last night Amazon announced that it’s shuttering the game’s forums in […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/amazon-is-shutting-down-new-worlds-forums-next-week-in-favor-of-discord/feed/ 45 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/uk-regulators-block-microsofts-buyout-of-activision-blizzard/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/uk-regulators-block-microsofts-buyout-of-activision-blizzard/#comments Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:00:06 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437247 Multiple outlets are reporting this morning that Microsoft’s buyout of Activision-Blizzard has been blocked in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority aka CMA determined that the merger of the two megacorps – to the tune of almost $70B US – would impede industry competition in the country, saying the move could “alter the future […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/uk-regulators-block-microsofts-buyout-of-activision-blizzard/feed/ 33 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/casually-classic-eight-legacy-mmos-to-satisfy-that-old-school-craving/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/casually-classic-eight-legacy-mmos-to-satisfy-that-old-school-craving/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436839 It was just five years ago in 2018 that MassivelyOP formally recognized an interesting and heartening trend in the MMO space: the rise of legacy MMOs and progression servers. Oh sure, they’d always existed, but we were rightly excited to see a huge uptick of studios work to deliver players a classic experience that rewound […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/casually-classic-eight-legacy-mmos-to-satisfy-that-old-school-craving/feed/ 13 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/wisdom-of-nym-we-dont-need-another-final-fantasy-xiv-we-already-have-one/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/wisdom-of-nym-we-dont-need-another-final-fantasy-xiv-we-already-have-one/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436862 First of all, this one’s for Bruno. He usually doesn’t read these, but maybe he’ll like this one. So we all know at this point that Final Fantasy XIV is an impressive financial success and a critical darling, and has been for several years. This is very good news for anyone who was hoping for […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/wisdom-of-nym-we-dont-need-another-final-fantasy-xiv-we-already-have-one/feed/ 23 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/vitae-aeternum-analyzing-new-worlds-disappointing-first-season/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/vitae-aeternum-analyzing-new-worlds-disappointing-first-season/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435940 It’s now been a few weeks since the launch of New World‘s first season, Fellowship and Fire. I wanted to give it some time to settle, but I think I’ve now had enough experience of it all for my opinions to crystallize, and overall, I am sorry to report I do feel more underwhelmed than […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/vitae-aeternum-analyzing-new-worlds-disappointing-first-season/feed/ 11 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/lotro-legendarium-making-sense-of-lotros-virtue-system/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/lotro-legendarium-making-sense-of-lotros-virtue-system/#comments Sat, 22 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436507 If you look at how your character gains power and progression in Lord of the Rings Online, you’ll see four major categories. There are levels, which automatically bestow stats upon you. Then there’s the acquisition of gear (including legendary items and essences) to bolster those stats. We can look to talents for additional ways to […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/lotro-legendarium-making-sense-of-lotros-virtue-system/feed/ 5 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/vague-patch-notes-if-theres-any-sort-of-metaverse-its-already-here-and-its-not-what-you-think/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/vague-patch-notes-if-theres-any-sort-of-metaverse-its-already-here-and-its-not-what-you-think/#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436387 We’ve had a lot of fun here having a good little giggle about the whole saga (if you want to call it that) of the metaverse, the bugbear of so many half-baked projects that don’t seem to be really going anywhere. It’s also become the favorite talking point of a lot of people who insist […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/vague-patch-notes-if-theres-any-sort-of-metaverse-its-already-here-and-its-not-what-you-think/feed/ 5 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/rumor-throne-liberty-has-been-delayed-to-fall-2023-cbt-arrives-in-may/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/rumor-throne-liberty-has-been-delayed-to-fall-2023-cbt-arrives-in-may/#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:00:44 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436410 Korean media are reporting today that NCsoft’s Throne & Liberty has been delayed yet again, though of course since we’ve been waiting since 2014 and lost count of all the delays and renames along the way, it may not even shock anyone now, especially since analysts were already speculating about it a few weeks ago. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/rumor-throne-liberty-has-been-delayed-to-fall-2023-cbt-arrives-in-may/feed/ 5 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/perfect-ten-10-ways-world-of-warcraft-feels-like-a-dead-mall/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/perfect-ten-10-ways-world-of-warcraft-feels-like-a-dead-mall/#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436157 There was a time that I lived next to a very small mall that’s tucked kind of out-of-the-way in a part of my state. It was already kind of a low-rent location even when I went there in middle school, but as time went by it only got more dead over time. By the time […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/perfect-ten-10-ways-world-of-warcraft-feels-like-a-dead-mall/feed/ 109 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/pax-dei-elaborates-on-its-sandbox-housing-and-building-systems-check-out-the-new-video/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/pax-dei-elaborates-on-its-sandbox-housing-and-building-systems-check-out-the-new-video/#comments Tue, 18 Apr 2023 16:30:52 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436036 Pax Dei’s reveal at the top of March was a surprise of the welcome sort for fans of immersive fantasy sandbox MMOs, as studio Mainframe Industries – headed up by former CCP Games bosses – welcomed lookyloos to its fold. The studio has continued teases over the last few weeks, albeit largely in Discord. Most […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/pax-dei-elaborates-on-its-sandbox-housing-and-building-systems-check-out-the-new-video/feed/ 8 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/15/lotro-legendarium-is-the-burglar-lotros-least-loved-class/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/15/lotro-legendarium-is-the-burglar-lotros-least-loved-class/#comments Sat, 15 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435300 In most MMOs that I play, I confess a certain attraction — if not affinity — for seeking out the least-played and -loved class that title has to offer. It can be a lot of fun walking down the path less traveled, especially if it’s with a role that is underrated by most folks. For […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/15/lotro-legendarium-is-the-burglar-lotros-least-loved-class/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/wayfinder-delays-its-global-beta-to-may-and-its-early-access-to-summer/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/wayfinder-delays-its-global-beta-to-may-and-its-early-access-to-summer/#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:08:15 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435630 We’ve more than once expressed skepticism that Wayfinder might need a bit more time to cook and wouldn’t make its May early access launch, and as of today, Airship Syndicate has confirmed that’s exactly what’s happening. “We’re moving the global beta from April to May 10th,” the studio announced on Reddit this afternoon. “We need […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/wayfinder-delays-its-global-beta-to-may-and-its-early-access-to-summer/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/lord-of-the-rings-online-is-testing-major-new-customization-options-for-hairstyle-skintone-and-gobs-more/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/lord-of-the-rings-online-is-testing-major-new-customization-options-for-hairstyle-skintone-and-gobs-more/#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435538 Standing Stone Games opened up Lord of the Rings Online’s Bullroarer test server last night with multiple surprises for content and customization. “LOTRO is celebrating the uniqueness of every player!” the test patch notes say. “Our latest update celebrates individuality with additional character customization options for the Race of Men (humans) that let players express […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/lord-of-the-rings-online-is-testing-major-new-customization-options-for-hairstyle-skintone-and-gobs-more/feed/ 55 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/perfect-ten-10-reasons-new-world-deserves-a-second-look/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/perfect-ten-10-reasons-new-world-deserves-a-second-look/#comments Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432588 If you were one of the many, many players who skipped off New World after giving it an initial try, well, we don’t blame you. The launch was a bit of a mess, the subsequent months were a morass of unsteady development, the population plummeted, and an aura of uncertainty seemed to hover over Amazon’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/perfect-ten-10-reasons-new-world-deserves-a-second-look/feed/ 42 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/star-vault-says-newly-announced-sci-fi-mmo-mortal-exodus-wont-pull-resources-from-mortal-online-2/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/star-vault-says-newly-announced-sci-fi-mmo-mortal-exodus-wont-pull-resources-from-mortal-online-2/#comments Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:00:52 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435148 We’re not sure whether to raise our eyebrows or be impressed by the ambition shown by the fact that a small company with two live games (including a newer game that’s been plagued by issues) has just announced a third. Yes, last night developer Star Vault, which currently operates Mortal Online and 2022’s Mortal Online […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/star-vault-says-newly-announced-sci-fi-mmo-mortal-exodus-wont-pull-resources-from-mortal-online-2/feed/ 19 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/casually-classic-20-tips-for-surviving-the-wow-classic-communitys-hardcore-mode/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/casually-classic-20-tips-for-surviving-the-wow-classic-communitys-hardcore-mode/#comments Mon, 10 Apr 2023 16:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434658 “Just one more hour of WoW Classic. One more hour, then I’ll go and play something serious. Or be a productive member of society. Promise.” I’ve been saying a lot of this over the past few weeks as time and time again, I’ve been logging into WoW Classic to play the community’s highly addictive hardcore […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/casually-classic-20-tips-for-surviving-the-wow-classic-communitys-hardcore-mode/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/raph-koster-predicts-the-future-of-the-metaverse-is-a-virtual-machu-picchu-that-you-can-leave/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/raph-koster-predicts-the-future-of-the-metaverse-is-a-virtual-machu-picchu-that-you-can-leave/#comments Mon, 10 Apr 2023 15:00:50 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434843 If you’re not exhausted of seeing the word “metaverse” just yet, MMORPG developer Raph Koster has published a blessedly brief whitepaper on the evolution of online spaces like MMOs into metaverses – and by extension why we don’t have one yet in spite of billions of dollars wasted and endless babble from tech companies. In […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/raph-koster-predicts-the-future-of-the-metaverse-is-a-virtual-machu-picchu-that-you-can-leave/feed/ 60 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/05/amazon-games-hit-with-layoffs-but-the-new-world-team-in-irvine-will-grow/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/05/amazon-games-hit-with-layoffs-but-the-new-world-team-in-irvine-will-grow/#comments Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:09:19 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434377 Amazon is apparently continuing its mass layoffs, as this week the company slashed jobs even more relevant to MMO fans than Twitch: This time, the cuts include Amazon Games’ San Diego branch. According to CNBC, that brings the total layoffs from Amazon over the last few rounds to something like 27,000 people. MMO fans are […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/05/amazon-games-hit-with-layoffs-but-the-new-world-team-in-irvine-will-grow/feed/ 22 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/03/world-of-warcraft-is-releasing-the-first-major-patch-of-dragonflight-embers-of-neltharion-on-may-2/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/03/world-of-warcraft-is-releasing-the-first-major-patch-of-dragonflight-embers-of-neltharion-on-may-2/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:30:26 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433942 Despite the name, it has been a really long time since Neltharion was actively tending to anything in World of Warcraft’s Dragon Isles, so at this point his embers have cooled and they’re just ash. But the patch is still called Embers of Neltharion, it’s the first major patch of the expansion, and it’s going […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/03/world-of-warcraft-is-releasing-the-first-major-patch-of-dragonflight-embers-of-neltharion-on-may-2/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/03/ark-2-is-delayed-into-2024-original-ark-will-get-a-an-august-ue5-remaster-youll-have-to-re-buy/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/03/ark-2-is-delayed-into-2024-original-ark-will-get-a-an-august-ue5-remaster-youll-have-to-re-buy/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433702 The weekly newsletter out of ARK: Survival Evolved is arguably a tale of bad news, then interesting news, then worse news. On the bad news side, the sequel has been pushed back, but the good news is that the original game is getting a UE5 re-release, but that launch ultimately means a maintenance mode of […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/03/ark-2-is-delayed-into-2024-original-ark-will-get-a-an-august-ue5-remaster-youll-have-to-re-buy/feed/ 14 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/01/lotro-legendarium-eight-features-id-love-to-see-added-to-lotro/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/01/lotro-legendarium-eight-features-id-love-to-see-added-to-lotro/#comments Sat, 01 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433226 Opinions, as they say, are like social media accounts: Everyone’s got at least one and probably a dozen ready to ruin your life. This is especially true when applied to the field of MMOs that we play. I mean, it’s almost impossible to be engaged with a title not to form strong opinions about what […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/01/lotro-legendarium-eight-features-id-love-to-see-added-to-lotro/feed/ 14 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/e3-2023-has-officially-been-cancelled/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/e3-2023-has-officially-been-cancelled/#comments Thu, 30 Mar 2023 20:55:13 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433374 This probably isn’t going to come as a surprise to anyone, but it’s still a significant announcement. E3 2023 has been cancelled outright according to emails sent out by the ESA. It’s the sort of thing that was a long time in coming after multiple major publishers had already pulled out of the show, with […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/e3-2023-has-officially-been-cancelled/feed/ 27 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/vague-patch-notes-can-anyone-really-cover-games-objectively-when-theres-suffering-built-in-to-them/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/vague-patch-notes-can-anyone-really-cover-games-objectively-when-theres-suffering-built-in-to-them/#comments Thu, 30 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433202 In July of 2021, we started a roundup tag in our tag cloud that most of us probably didn’t expect to still be using nearly two years later. It’s just “blizzard-scandal,” but that kind of says everything we need to. I wrote about it at the time, but since then it has only gotten worse. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/vague-patch-notes-can-anyone-really-cover-games-objectively-when-theres-suffering-built-in-to-them/feed/ 46 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/grindark-mmoarpg-mad-world-is-finally-launching-april-27/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/grindark-mmoarpg-mad-world-is-finally-launching-april-27/#comments Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:00:47 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433214 Jandisoft’s tease of an announcement for the announcement has finally come to fruition as this morning the studio revealed an April 27th launch date for MMOARPG Mad World – a little earlier than folks had anticipated, since Jandisoft had previously said only that it’d arrive by June. This hard date should give Diablo IV fans […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/30/grindark-mmoarpg-mad-world-is-finally-launching-april-27/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/activision-blizzard-and-netease-split-up-over-long-brewing-disputes-and-alleged-threats/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/activision-blizzard-and-netease-split-up-over-long-brewing-disputes-and-alleged-threats/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:30:19 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433110 One of the biggest MMO and gaming stories capping off the end of 2022 and spilling over into the start of 2023 was the dissolution of the Activision-Blizzard-NetEase partnership that governed the publishing of Blizzard’s games in China. The companies’ inability to reach a new agreement at the end of their multi-year contract resulted in […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/activision-blizzard-and-netease-split-up-over-long-brewing-disputes-and-alleged-threats/feed/ 22 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/perfect-ten-10-features-that-take-star-trek-online-out-of-this-world/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/perfect-ten-10-features-that-take-star-trek-online-out-of-this-world/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430966 In returning to Star Trek Online after a couple of years away, I did something brand-new this time around: I brought my Star Trek-obsessed teenage daughter with me to experience the fun. For the first time, the two of us are playing an MMO together, and I’m glad to get to share with her the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/perfect-ten-10-features-that-take-star-trek-online-out-of-this-world/feed/ 11 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/not-so-massively-second-impressions-of-diablo-iv/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/not-so-massively-second-impressions-of-diablo-iv/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432949 My initial impression of the Diablo IV open beta was lukewarm at best, but I did hold some hope that the second beta weekend might change things. This second beta opened up two more classes, the Necromancer and the Druid, and those also happened to be the classes that most appealed to me on paper. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/29/not-so-massively-second-impressions-of-diablo-iv/feed/ 42 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/28/guild-wars-2s-super-adventure-box-and-part-of-an-unfinished-world-3-is-live-ahead-of-april-fools-day-2023/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/28/guild-wars-2s-super-adventure-box-and-part-of-an-unfinished-world-3-is-live-ahead-of-april-fools-day-2023/#comments Tue, 28 Mar 2023 17:10:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432770 Guild Wars 2’s Super Adventure Festival is live for the April Fools’ season as of today with all the usual features and tweaks. Players should take a peek at the patch notes to see what’s new; we spy new meta-cheevos, new armor pieces, a new weapon set, new guild deco, and more. ArenaNet has also […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/28/guild-wars-2s-super-adventure-box-and-part-of-an-unfinished-world-3-is-live-ahead-of-april-fools-day-2023/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/27/wisdom-of-nym-recurring-final-fantasy-xiv-systems-we-could-probably-get-rid-of/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/27/wisdom-of-nym-recurring-final-fantasy-xiv-systems-we-could-probably-get-rid-of/#comments Mon, 27 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432565 At this point, Final Fantasy XIV has had a long time to get into a pretty reliable cadence that has not changed substantially beyond the fringes. If you do not like alliance raids, normal raids, expert roulettes, trials, and frontline matches… well, at this point it’s just fair to accept that this is not the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/27/wisdom-of-nym-recurring-final-fantasy-xiv-systems-we-could-probably-get-rid-of/feed/ 39 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/23/casually-classic-how-permadeath-runs-are-revitalizing-wow-classic/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/23/casually-classic-how-permadeath-runs-are-revitalizing-wow-classic/#comments Thu, 23 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432214 While I don’t have any hard data on the subject, just observing the World of Warcraft Classic scene (and ABK’s financials) over the past couple years leads me to the conclusion that this massive phenomenon from 2019 to 2021 has started to slow. Enthusiasm is down, engagement seems to be following the law of diminishing […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/23/casually-classic-how-permadeath-runs-are-revitalizing-wow-classic/feed/ 24 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/23/wisdom-of-nym-what-will-a-new-producer-mean-for-final-fantasy-xi/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/23/wisdom-of-nym-what-will-a-new-producer-mean-for-final-fantasy-xi/#comments Thu, 23 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432154 So we were pretty surprised yesterday when Square-Enix announced Akihiko Matsui would step away as the producer of Final Fantasy XI after a decade working on the title. It’s a far cry from what happened the last time we had a new producer on the game; that was when Tanaka stepped away from the game […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/23/wisdom-of-nym-what-will-a-new-producer-mean-for-final-fantasy-xi/feed/ 2 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/22/perfect-ten-a-primer-on-10-very-basic-mmo-fight-mechanics/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/22/perfect-ten-a-primer-on-10-very-basic-mmo-fight-mechanics/#comments Wed, 22 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431762 When the first two humans decided to get into a fight, they were just pushing one another and telling the other person to quit it, that hurts. Then one of them had an idea. “If I hit him with this rock,” she thought, “it’ll hurt more and he’ll give up!” Then she hit him with […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/22/perfect-ten-a-primer-on-10-very-basic-mmo-fight-mechanics/feed/ 18 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/21/first-impressions-of-diablo-iv-resurrecting-diablo-ii-once-again/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/21/first-impressions-of-diablo-iv-resurrecting-diablo-ii-once-again/#comments Tue, 21 Mar 2023 15:20:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431485 If franchise media has taught us anything, it’s that sequels which take risks and aren’t universally beloved cause the parent company to panic and yank the next entry back to the original. Almost slavishly so. Think how Temple of Doom led to Last Crusade or Last Jedi to Rise of Skywalker. Make no mistake, this […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/21/first-impressions-of-diablo-iv-resurrecting-diablo-ii-once-again/feed/ 59 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/21/ccp-games-officially-unveils-plans-for-a-new-blockchain-game-set-within-the-eve-online-universe/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/21/ccp-games-officially-unveils-plans-for-a-new-blockchain-game-set-within-the-eve-online-universe/#comments Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:50:01 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431865 For many players, it was probably a matter of when EVE Online developer CCP Games would dip into the blockchain gaming space, not whether, especially since publisher Pearl Abyss cited a blockchain project in a Q3 earnings call and CCP Games itself has been dipping its toe into those waters several times over. While CCP’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/21/ccp-games-officially-unveils-plans-for-a-new-blockchain-game-set-within-the-eve-online-universe/feed/ 103 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/20/not-so-massively-diablo-ivs-beta-brings-the-horror-but-not-the-fun/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/20/not-so-massively-diablo-ivs-beta-brings-the-horror-but-not-the-fun/#comments Mon, 20 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431569 I have been pretty critical of the direction of Diablo IV so far, but franchise loyalty and professional obligation nonetheless led me to accept the offer of a press invite to this past weekend’s “early access to open beta” event. Based on Blizzard‘s recent history, I had expected D4 to have a very bland, derivative […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/20/not-so-massively-diablo-ivs-beta-brings-the-horror-but-not-the-fun/feed/ 58 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/18/diablo-ivs-first-open-beta-night-was-slammed-with-long-queues-disconnects-and-performance-issues/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/18/diablo-ivs-first-open-beta-night-was-slammed-with-long-queues-disconnects-and-performance-issues/#comments Sat, 18 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431459 The hottest ticket in gaming town this weekend may be more scorching than you can handle. Diablo IV kicked off its first open beta test yesterday, prompting a horde of action RPG fans to storm its hellgates and push its servers to the limits. This predictably caused lengthy queue times, disconnects from the server, and […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/18/diablo-ivs-first-open-beta-night-was-slammed-with-long-queues-disconnects-and-performance-issues/feed/ 38 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/destiny-2-players-mourn-the-death-of-lance-reddick-longtime-voice-of-commander-zavala/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/destiny-2-players-mourn-the-death-of-lance-reddick-longtime-voice-of-commander-zavala/#comments Fri, 17 Mar 2023 22:30:20 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431395 Just a few nights ago, my husband and I were chatting about how good Lance Reddick sounded as Commander Zavala in Destiny 2’s Lightfall. And now, I’m sorry to report, Reddick has passed away: Multiple outlets are reporting tonight that Reddick, who was only 60, died of natural causes at his home in LA today. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/destiny-2-players-mourn-the-death-of-lance-reddick-longtime-voice-of-commander-zavala/feed/ 8 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/diablo-ivs-paid-closed-beta-aka-early-access-open-beta-is-officially-underway/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/diablo-ivs-paid-closed-beta-aka-early-access-open-beta-is-officially-underway/#comments Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431247 Are you getting your early access open betas mixed up with your open betas and headstarts and actual early access and soft launches? We’re here to help, and you’re gonna need it, as Diablo IV’s “early access open beta” has just begun as of noon EDT – right when this post goes live. Now to […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/diablo-ivs-paid-closed-beta-aka-early-access-open-beta-is-officially-underway/feed/ 18 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/wow-factor-narrative-justification-for-every-missing-class-race-combo-in-world-of-warcraft/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/wow-factor-narrative-justification-for-every-missing-class-race-combo-in-world-of-warcraft/#comments Fri, 17 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431213 As I implied in a recent post about the most recent Ion Hazzikostas interview, the line about making sure that there was a narrative justification for adding “missing” class/race combinations in World of Warcraft irked me. Part of this is because it’s not like we had some important narrative justification for making Gnomes able to […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/17/wow-factor-narrative-justification-for-every-missing-class-race-combo-in-world-of-warcraft/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/16/vague-patch-notes-how-wildstars-first-dungeon-killed-me/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/16/vague-patch-notes-how-wildstars-first-dungeon-killed-me/#comments Thu, 16 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431080 This is the story of a girl who ran a dungeon in WildStar’s world, and while it looks all right in photographs, I absolutely hated running that. As much as I would like to be able to recruit Josh Hampton to write a new version of the song just for this column introduction, I am […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/16/vague-patch-notes-how-wildstars-first-dungeon-killed-me/feed/ 41 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/14/former-trion-boss-scott-hartsman-illuminates-the-rise-and-fall-of-rift/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/14/former-trion-boss-scott-hartsman-illuminates-the-rise-and-fall-of-rift/#comments Tue, 14 Mar 2023 16:30:21 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430830 Yesterday, we ran an editorial from MOP’s Tyler focused on his reasoning that MMOs are better off showcasing their own special attributes than tearing down rivals. Among the multiple examples he gave was one of the more famous in MMO history: RIFT’s “we’re not in Azeroth anymore” ad campaign. And now today, Scott Hartsman, the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/14/former-trion-boss-scott-hartsman-illuminates-the-rise-and-fall-of-rift/feed/ 27 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/13/wisdom-of-nym-final-fantasy-xivs-patch-6-35-content-is-a-mixed-bag/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/13/wisdom-of-nym-final-fantasy-xivs-patch-6-35-content-is-a-mixed-bag/#comments Mon, 13 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430551 So the patch is here! It brought a whole bunch of content! And the content is… actually kind of a mixed bag, if I’m going to be honest. I wouldn’t say that it’s bad by any stretch of imagination, but it’s definitely not all sunshine and rainbows for this particular mid-patch update for Final Fantasy […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/13/wisdom-of-nym-final-fantasy-xivs-patch-6-35-content-is-a-mixed-bag/feed/ 12 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/13/the-soapbox-hating-on-the-competition-is-no-way-to-promote-an-mmo/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/13/the-soapbox-hating-on-the-competition-is-no-way-to-promote-an-mmo/#comments Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430334 Recently, RIFT was back in the news, offering free subscription time to new and returning players. While I salute Gamigo’s generosity here, whenever the topic of RIFT comes up, I can’t help but think of the spectacularly ill-advised “we’re not in Azeroth anymore” ad campaign. In my opinion, RIFT was about as close to a carbon copy of […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/13/the-soapbox-hating-on-the-competition-is-no-way-to-promote-an-mmo/feed/ 31 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/10/wow-factor-everything-we-know-about-embers-of-neltharion-so-far/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/10/wow-factor-everything-we-know-about-embers-of-neltharion-so-far/#comments Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430207 So at this point, we actually have a remarkably clear picture of what’s going to be in the first major content patch for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. Well… it’s actually being pushed as the third patch, and it is the third patch this year, but we’re probably not getting this until May, which is a […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/10/wow-factor-everything-we-know-about-embers-of-neltharion-so-far/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/10/interview-the-wayfinder-team-on-group-size-customization-monetization-and-more/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/10/interview-the-wayfinder-team-on-group-size-customization-monetization-and-more/#comments Fri, 10 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430202 Perhaps you’re interested in Wayfinder because you like the idea of a small-group dungeon-running game published by Digital Extremes. (The studio made another game that’s pretty fun, after all.) Maybe you really like the other stuff Airship Syndicate has developed. Maybe you’re just a really big fan of Joe Madureira’s art, which is entirely correct. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/10/interview-the-wayfinder-team-on-group-size-customization-monetization-and-more/feed/ 29 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/09/vague-patch-notes-being-there-or-getting-there-in-mmorpgs/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/09/vague-patch-notes-being-there-or-getting-there-in-mmorpgs/#comments Thu, 09 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430073 Here’s an interesting fact to consider: It took me ages to hit the level cap in Final Fantasy XI. Absolute ages. And no, it’s not because the game was more challenging than modern MMORPGs (because it wasn’t, and there’s a whole column to be written about that some day), nor was it because I played […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/09/vague-patch-notes-being-there-or-getting-there-in-mmorpgs/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/08/tamriel-infinium-how-zenimax-should-fix-elder-scrolls-onlines-combat/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/08/tamriel-infinium-how-zenimax-should-fix-elder-scrolls-onlines-combat/#comments Wed, 08 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=428133 As much as there can be a consensus on anything in MMORPGs, it’s generally — but not universally — agreed that something is rotten in the state of Elder Scrolls Online’s combat. Whenever the subject comes up, which it seems to do quite frequently, certain terms are thrown around. It’s “janky.” It’s “floaty.” It simply […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/08/tamriel-infinium-how-zenimax-should-fix-elder-scrolls-onlines-combat/feed/ 59 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/08/perfect-ten-10-franchises-that-deserve-another-shot-at-an-mmo/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/08/perfect-ten-10-franchises-that-deserve-another-shot-at-an-mmo/#comments Wed, 08 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=429919 Some experiments are attempted once and fail, and it’s not hard to figure out why that didn’t work. We don’t really need to take another swing at Scarlet Blade to see why that didn’t work the first time. There’s no need to relaunch Hellgate: London on the assumption that this time it’ll work (even though […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/08/perfect-ten-10-franchises-that-deserve-another-shot-at-an-mmo/feed/ 47 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/07/greg-ghostcrawler-street-leaves-riot-and-the-runeterra-mmo-he-was-spearheading/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/07/greg-ghostcrawler-street-leaves-riot-and-the-runeterra-mmo-he-was-spearheading/#comments Tue, 07 Mar 2023 23:06:23 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=429901 Greg Street aka Ghostcrawler, formerly of Blizzard and World of Warcraft fame and lately of Riot Games, has apparently decided to leave Riot – as well as the League of Legends-themed MMORPG he was heading up for the studio. Street announced the move on Twitter this evening, telling fans that he’d made the decision after […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/07/greg-ghostcrawler-street-leaves-riot-and-the-runeterra-mmo-he-was-spearheading/feed/ 12