https://massivelyop.com MMORPG news and opinions Thu, 27 Apr 2023 02:32:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/world-of-warcrafts-ion-hazzikostas-discusses-mythic-keystones-reputation-and-communication/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/world-of-warcrafts-ion-hazzikostas-discusses-mythic-keystones-reputation-and-communication/#comments Wed, 26 Apr 2023 22:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437403 After today’s surprise unpleasantness with the latest Activision-Blizzard financial report, it might be a touch surprising to see World of Warcraft’s game director Ion Hazzikostas running a friendly Q&A with handpicked influencers and fan creators. But it happened, and Wowhead has a summary of the interview available now. Hazzikostas stresses to the group that Blizzard […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/world-of-warcrafts-ion-hazzikostas-discusses-mythic-keystones-reputation-and-communication/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/the-stream-team-breaking-the-weapons-in-final-fantasy-xiv/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/the-stream-team-breaking-the-weapons-in-final-fantasy-xiv/#respond Wed, 26 Apr 2023 17:55:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437166 While MOP’s Chris has experienced a lot in his time in Final Fantasy XIV, there are still some things he hasn’t seen yet. For example, the Sorrow of Werlyt quests that feature fights against the three Weapons. It’s another series of new-to-him Trials against immense warmachina today at 2:00 p.m. EDT! What: Final Fantasy XIV […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/the-stream-team-breaking-the-weapons-in-final-fantasy-xiv/feed/ 0 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/the-daily-grind-is-the-age-of-superhero-mmos-past/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/the-daily-grind-is-the-age-of-superhero-mmos-past/#comments Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436833 Is it just me, or does it seem like nobody is that hot to trot for superhero MMORPGs these days? A few years ago, it felt as though there was a lot more enthusiasm for plugging into the City of Heroes rogue server or lapping up any details of upcoming projects. Even DCUO was (and […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/the-daily-grind-is-the-age-of-superhero-mmos-past/feed/ 20 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/old-school-runescape-outlines-sailing-skills-upcoming-multi-month-player-feedback-steps/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/old-school-runescape-outlines-sailing-skills-upcoming-multi-month-player-feedback-steps/#respond Tue, 25 Apr 2023 22:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437088 Regular fans and followers of Old School RuneScape already know that Jagex likes to design new things by committee – aka through reams and reams of player polling – and the upcoming Sailing skill is definitely no exception as the devs have offered several polling steps to gather feedback and make the skill come to […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/old-school-runescape-outlines-sailing-skills-upcoming-multi-month-player-feedback-steps/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/cliff-bleszinski-is-apparently-interested-in-a-lawbreakers-revival/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/cliff-bleszinski-is-apparently-interested-in-a-lawbreakers-revival/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2023 18:30:39 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437173 For three blissful years now, no one has had to give any thought to LawBreakers outside of those of us who remember this bizarre industry. Cliff “Cliffy B” Bleszinski had last brought it back to our memories back in 2020 when he tried to claim that it failed because it was “too woke,” which gives […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/cliff-bleszinski-is-apparently-interested-in-a-lawbreakers-revival/feed/ 19 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/final-fantasy-xiv-opens-up-its-special-site-for-patch-6-4-the-dark-throne/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/final-fantasy-xiv-opens-up-its-special-site-for-patch-6-4-the-dark-throne/#respond Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:00:36 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=437160 It’s going to be late May before players can dive into the next patch of Final Fantasy XIV, The Dark Throne. But why wait until then to find out about the new features contained within the patch? There’s no reason for that at all, especially when you can also take a look at the special […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/final-fantasy-xiv-opens-up-its-special-site-for-patch-6-4-the-dark-throne/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/choose-my-adventure-endgame-in-neverwinter-nearly-rocks-my-bards-face-apart/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/choose-my-adventure-endgame-in-neverwinter-nearly-rocks-my-bards-face-apart/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436812 So as that headline suggests, I made it to level 20 in Neverwinter. That’s not really too surprising to regular players, I imagine – the leveling curve in this game has been smoothed to the point of being a pinball – but it did mean that I got to see just how well my favorite […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/choose-my-adventure-endgame-in-neverwinter-nearly-rocks-my-bards-face-apart/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/the-daily-grind-how-could-blizzard-make-world-of-warcraft-more-appealing-to-former-players/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/the-daily-grind-how-could-blizzard-make-world-of-warcraft-more-appealing-to-former-players/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2023 12:00:09 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436927 Eliot’s column about World of Warcraft feeling like a dead mall struck a chord with our commenters, many of whom agreed with the feels – and were pretty sad about the situation. In the comments of that article, some players even offered suggestions for how Blizzard could salvage the game and make it once again […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/the-daily-grind-how-could-blizzard-make-world-of-warcraft-more-appealing-to-former-players/feed/ 75 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-takes-aim-again-with-ice-inteleon/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-takes-aim-again-with-ice-inteleon/#respond Mon, 24 Apr 2023 23:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436864 First we had an archer Mightiest Mark ‘mon, but The Pokemon Company and Game Freak are turning things up by upgrading to Ineleon, the secret agent-themed pokemon with the (finger) gun for the next tera raid event in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Akin to the last Bond’s icy blue eyes, Inteleon’s gone Ice-type, but since […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-takes-aim-again-with-ice-inteleon/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/final-fantasy-xi-prepares-for-the-feast-of-swords-final-fantasy-xiv-prepares-for-a-feast-of-cosplay-at-fan-festival/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/final-fantasy-xi-prepares-for-the-feast-of-swords-final-fantasy-xiv-prepares-for-a-feast-of-cosplay-at-fan-festival/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2023 21:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436986 Starting this Friday, April 28th, Final Fantasy XI is offering players all the swords they can eat. Oh, you might say that the number of swords you can eat is a nice round zero, but the event that’s starting up is called the Feast of Swords, so you should at least taste one to be […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/final-fantasy-xi-prepares-for-the-feast-of-swords-final-fantasy-xiv-prepares-for-a-feast-of-cosplay-at-fan-festival/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/red-cross-launches-an-initiative-that-challenges-fps-players-to-follow-real-world-humanitarian-laws-of-war/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/red-cross-launches-an-initiative-that-challenges-fps-players-to-follow-real-world-humanitarian-laws-of-war/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2023 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436763 It can often look like the opposite is true, but in wartime, many countries theoretically follow a set of laws known as the International Humanitarian Laws, which are intended to ensure armed conflict harms no innocent people, offers care for wounded on both sides, and keeps prisoners free from undue cruelty. It’s these laws that […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/red-cross-launches-an-initiative-that-challenges-fps-players-to-follow-real-world-humanitarian-laws-of-war/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/mad-worlds-early-bird-release-sees-bugs-cash-shop-currency-delays-and-emergency-maintenance/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/mad-worlds-early-bird-release-sees-bugs-cash-shop-currency-delays-and-emergency-maintenance/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:30:18 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436973 Last week saw the “hell-made” multiplayer ARPG Mad World kick off its launch for those who bought in to the game ahead of its planned April 27th launch. Naturally, that means it’s time to see how Jandisoft handled itself over the past few days, and the answer might not instill a whole lot of confidence […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/mad-worlds-early-bird-release-sees-bugs-cash-shop-currency-delays-and-emergency-maintenance/feed/ 2 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/world-of-warcraft-discusses-goals-and-plans-for-mythic-affixes-and-dungeons/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/world-of-warcraft-discusses-goals-and-plans-for-mythic-affixes-and-dungeons/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2023 14:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436751 The Blizzard developers who make up the team behind World of Warcraft’s Mythic+ dungeons took an hour out of their day to hold a discussion with the player council last week, with most of the talk focusing on the effects, changes, and plans for Mythic+ affixes in May 9th’s Season 2, among other dungeon-related matters. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/world-of-warcraft-discusses-goals-and-plans-for-mythic-affixes-and-dungeons/feed/ 5 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/new-worlds-latest-server-merges-are-happening-tomorrow/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/new-worlds-latest-server-merges-are-happening-tomorrow/#respond Mon, 24 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436796 When New World announced plans for another round of server merges affecting several servers for players in the Americas and central EU, one of the questions left twisting in the wind was “when.” That question has now been answered as Amazon Games has presented timing details. Merges for these servers is scheduled to start on […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/new-worlds-latest-server-merges-are-happening-tomorrow/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/the-daily-grind-do-mmo-studios-manipulate-their-playerbases-with-trolling-and-tribalism/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/the-daily-grind-do-mmo-studios-manipulate-their-playerbases-with-trolling-and-tribalism/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433908 A few weeks ago, MOP Chris and I were discussing Star Citizen’s antics – remember the video with the coffee? – and it was so bizarre that I asked Chris whether he honestly thought Cloud Imperium is trolling everyone with these videos, doing it on purpose for hate clicks. “During the coffee machine demonstration, CIG’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/24/the-daily-grind-do-mmo-studios-manipulate-their-playerbases-with-trolling-and-tribalism/feed/ 42 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/the-stream-team-a-dose-of-dailies-in-destiny-2/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/the-stream-team-a-dose-of-dailies-in-destiny-2/#respond Sun, 23 Apr 2023 17:55:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436776 MOP’s Chris is back on the grind in Destiny 2 as he looks to clear out some missions, earn some gear (hopefully), and continue to climb the power levels in Destiny 2. Tune in today at 2:00 p.m. EDT for some definite shooting and some possible looting! What: Destiny 2 Who: Chris Neal When: 2:00 […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/the-stream-team-a-dose-of-dailies-in-destiny-2/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/battle-bards-episode-224-a-return-to-the-music-of-everquest-ii/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/battle-bards-episode-224-a-return-to-the-music-of-everquest-ii/#comments Sun, 23 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436191 It’s been an almost egregiously long time since the Battle Bards turned their attention to the EverQuest II soundtrack — but now that wait is over. Join Syp and Syl as they comb through the expansions for all sorts of delightful musical morsels to enjoy! Battle Bards is the world’s first, best, and only MMO music […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/battle-bards-episode-224-a-return-to-the-music-of-everquest-ii/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/one-shots-the-spice-must-flow/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/one-shots-the-spice-must-flow/#comments Sun, 23 Apr 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436564 Feeling antsy because Funcom’s Dune Awakening isn’t here yet? Utakata has a decent substitute for you in Tower of Fantasy, apparently. Nothing like a leisurely stroll across a sandy wasteland, avoiding underground worms while geeking out on futuristic tech! Let’s keep this going, because after all… the screenshots must flow. “I have nine homes in […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/one-shots-the-spice-must-flow/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/the-daily-grind-how-often-do-you-change-guilds-in-your-mmos-of-choice/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/the-daily-grind-how-often-do-you-change-guilds-in-your-mmos-of-choice/#comments Sun, 23 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436379 Some people joined up with a guild years ago, and since then that has been The Guild I Am In. No changes. But today we’re not talking about certain editor-in-chiefs that you might be familiar with, we’re talking about you and your own guild habits. Because there are a lot more people who drift from […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/23/the-daily-grind-how-often-do-you-change-guilds-in-your-mmos-of-choice/feed/ 19 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/the-stream-team-seeking-out-strange-sights-in-no-mans-sky/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/the-stream-team-seeking-out-strange-sights-in-no-mans-sky/#respond Sat, 22 Apr 2023 17:55:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436723 Today’s Sandbox Saturday is featuring No Man’s Sky once again, but this time MOP’s Chris is taking the flight stick controls for the time being as he continues aiming himself in random directions in the hopes of finding the weird, the wild, and the weirder still. Join him today at 2:00 p.m. EDT as he […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/the-stream-team-seeking-out-strange-sights-in-no-mans-sky/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/wrup-the-show-must-go-on-edition/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/wrup-the-show-must-go-on-edition/#comments Sat, 22 Apr 2023 14:00:48 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436727 They hurt you, and they left you afraid, and then they simply left you. And that’s where you were at the moment that something began to change. It was the first of many transformations. At the time, it was difficult to articulate in any coherent fashion. You saw yourself as failing. But you were learning […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/wrup-the-show-must-go-on-edition/feed/ 19 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/the-daily-grind-does-cel-shading-help-or-hurt-an-mmos-appeal-and-reputation/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/the-daily-grind-does-cel-shading-help-or-hurt-an-mmos-appeal-and-reputation/#comments Sat, 22 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435788 With titles like Tower of Fantasy on the market and Blue Protocol on its way for later this year, I thought it would be a good time to talk about cel shading as a graphical design choice. It’s a style that I’ve seen pop up in as widely diverse titles like Zelda, Borderlands, and even […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/22/the-daily-grind-does-cel-shading-help-or-hurt-an-mmos-appeal-and-reputation/feed/ 22 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-stream-team-time-to-return-to-adventurequest-3ds-oversoul/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-stream-team-time-to-return-to-adventurequest-3ds-oversoul/#respond Fri, 21 Apr 2023 23:55:50 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436694 It may be springtime in Lore now, but time runs — and stops — differently in AQ3D’s Oversoul. And that’s where Massively OP’s MJ is returning to finish up her adventures. After all, she can’t expect Dage to live as a weakened sword the rest of his days, right? Join us live at 8:00 p.m. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-stream-team-time-to-return-to-adventurequest-3ds-oversoul/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/star-citizen-releases-alpha-3-18-2-as-players-express-surprise-at-a-partial-wipe-and-outline-several-build-bugs/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/star-citizen-releases-alpha-3-18-2-as-players-express-surprise-at-a-partial-wipe-and-outline-several-build-bugs/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436601 Yesterday saw another Star Citizen patch go live as alpha 3.18.2 hit the PU with nothing more in its notes beyond “general stability and bugfixes” and a lengthy list of known issues. This release was followed shortly after by three more patches that tried to further shore up stability, fix bugs, and kick off Jumptown […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/star-citizen-releases-alpha-3-18-2-as-players-express-surprise-at-a-partial-wipe-and-outline-several-build-bugs/feed/ 5 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/overwatch-2-addresses-fighting-cheaters-curtailing-toxicity-and-adjusting-matchmaking/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/overwatch-2-addresses-fighting-cheaters-curtailing-toxicity-and-adjusting-matchmaking/#respond Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:30:11 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436640 Overwatch 2 has kicked out multiple dev blogs this week, and they touch on matters that are likely important to a vast swath of players, as they talk up the ongoing fight against cheating, making the game more inclusive, and refining the latest season’s matchmaking processes. The first blog recounts Blizzard’s efforts to ban accounts […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/overwatch-2-addresses-fighting-cheaters-curtailing-toxicity-and-adjusting-matchmaking/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-stream-team-kicking-the-tires-of-the-new-storm-blaster-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-stream-team-kicking-the-tires-of-the-new-storm-blaster-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:55:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436545 The Homecoming rogue servers of City of Heroes are testing out a new Blaster powerset, and MOP’s Chris is eager to throw the weather at a bunch of foes! Join him today at 2:00 p.m. EDT as he takes a quick look at this newly created storm-slinging set for himself! What: City of Heroes: Homecomings […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-stream-team-kicking-the-tires-of-the-new-storm-blaster-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/global-chat-black-desert-is-the-mmo-sandbox-to-beat/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/global-chat-black-desert-is-the-mmo-sandbox-to-beat/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435791 Those who wrote off or skipped by Black Desert on the way to other MMOs may be missing one of the best sandboxes on the market today. If you need some good word-of-mouth convincing, check out Mailvatar’s overview of a wide spread of personal in-game activities. “Since I first picked up the game in earnest […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/global-chat-black-desert-is-the-mmo-sandbox-to-beat/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/champions-onlines-cryptic-says-itll-start-exploring-more-inclusive-customization-options/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/champions-onlines-cryptic-says-itll-start-exploring-more-inclusive-customization-options/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:00:48 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436611 Over the weekend, a Champions Online player tipped us off to a conversation on the game’s official forums in which players are chronicling their multi-year efforts to convince Cryptic to add more diverse, ethnic, inclusive, and POC-friendly hairstyles. Apparently, having been instructed to post these requests in the game’s suggestion thread, players have submitted 127 […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/champions-onlines-cryptic-says-itll-start-exploring-more-inclusive-customization-options/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-daily-grind-what-are-the-best-and-worst-horizontal-progression-systems-in-an-mmorpg/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-daily-grind-what-are-the-best-and-worst-horizontal-progression-systems-in-an-mmorpg/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 12:00:47 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431699 This morning, I want to talk about horizontal progression systems in MMOs, of which I am generally a fan! And I’m gonna start with the one I like least, which is rep grinds in every single MMO. Nobody likes rep grinds. Nobody cares if the NPCs like us. They aren’t even pretending to be advancement; […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/the-daily-grind-what-are-the-best-and-worst-horizontal-progression-systems-in-an-mmorpg/feed/ 28 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/massively-overthinking-what-should-mmos-do-when-guild-leaders-vanish/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/massively-overthinking-what-should-mmos-do-when-guild-leaders-vanish/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:14 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435850 Last week, we covered that wild story about a “heist” in EVE Online that allowed the perpetrators to make off with trillions of ISK in cash and assets, amounting to a value of something like $22,000 US. And when you look a little more closely at the story, you realize it wasn’t really a heist […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/massively-overthinking-what-should-mmos-do-when-guild-leaders-vanish/feed/ 8 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/albion-online-knightfall-testing/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/albion-online-knightfall-testing/#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436426 Yesterday, Sandbox Interactive dropped patch notes for Albion Online Knightfall midseason patch, and it’s a doozy with a long list of tweaks. When the test servers are live tomorrow, players can expect per-character caches in mob camps to stop chest swiping, a new Mists dungeon called Knightfall Abbey, new Brecilien standing items, a gender swap […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/albion-online-knightfall-testing/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/ccp-games-is-already-sunsetting-eve-anywhere-after-just-a-year-in-the-wild/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/ccp-games-is-already-sunsetting-eve-anywhere-after-just-a-year-in-the-wild/#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:00:12 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436438 Back in 2021, CCP Games made a big to-do over a browser client for EVE Online called EVE Anywhere – essentially a cloud-hosted version of the game that denizens of New Eden could play from, well, anywhere (except for all the countries they couldn’t). It hit beta in 2021, expanding to multiple browsers and countries, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/ccp-games-is-already-sunsetting-eve-anywhere-after-just-a-year-in-the-wild/feed/ 10 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/new-world-prepares-to-merge-11-servers-and-open-transfers-from-fresh-start-worlds/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/new-world-prepares-to-merge-11-servers-and-open-transfers-from-fresh-start-worlds/#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436391 Before the launch of New World’s first season, Amazon devs has promised that they would revist the server population situation, and now they’ve made good on it. In a post issued late last night, Amazon announced the merging of 11 servers in Central EU, US-East, and South America. There’s no hard timeline for when it’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/new-world-prepares-to-merge-11-servers-and-open-transfers-from-fresh-start-worlds/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-thing-to-farm-in-an-mmo/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-thing-to-farm-in-an-mmo/#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436384 Some MMOs, as we all know, have actual farms. Literally, just a place where you put farm goods and you farm things. But that’s not really what we mean when we’re talking about farming; we’re talking about when you go out into the world and spend your time repeatedly gathering something, or killing something or […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-thing-to-farm-in-an-mmo/feed/ 18 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/splatoon-3-announces-paranormal-science-splatfest-for-end-of-march-2/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/splatoon-3-announces-paranormal-science-splatfest-for-end-of-march-2/#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2023 23:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435958 Hot on the heels of Splatoon 3’s new (and slightly controversial) event, Eggstra Work, Nintendo dropped news of the next Splatfest, and it’s another crossover, this time with The Legend of Zelda, with the teams consisting of the three Triforce pieces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Nintendo’s going even bigger, though, as the Tricolor Turf War is getting […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/splatoon-3-announces-paranormal-science-splatfest-for-end-of-march-2/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/world-of-warcraft-previews-aberrus-the-shadowed-crucible-and-flight-in-zaralek-cavern/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/world-of-warcraft-previews-aberrus-the-shadowed-crucible-and-flight-in-zaralek-cavern/#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2023 20:00:23 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436332 You there! Are you excited for Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible in World of Warcraft? Or, as you more likely remember it being called if you are excited, Next Major Raid of Dragonflight? Well then you can feast your eyes on the new preview of the bosses within Aberrus, from the Forgotten Experiments (who are apparently […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/world-of-warcraft-previews-aberrus-the-shadowed-crucible-and-flight-in-zaralek-cavern/feed/ 2 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/the-stream-team-roguelike-gun-toting-crustacean-adventures-abound-in-crab-champions/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/the-stream-team-roguelike-gun-toting-crustacean-adventures-abound-in-crab-champions/#respond Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:55:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436147 Yes, that headline is correct: There is a game called Crab Champions, it is a multiplayer roguelike, you play as a shotgun-wielding crab, and MOP’s Chris is going to see just what this game is all about. Join him for a crab happy good time (hopefully) today at 2:00 p.m. EDT! What: Crab Champions Who: […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/the-stream-team-roguelike-gun-toting-crustacean-adventures-abound-in-crab-champions/feed/ 0 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/2023/04/19/blizzcon-2023-is-still-happening-blizzards-mike-ybarra-tells-twitter-fans/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/blizzcon-2023-is-still-happening-blizzards-mike-ybarra-tells-twitter-fans/#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2023 14:30:31 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436180 Blizzard’s fan-centered live event BlizzCon used to be one of the highlights of the year for the MMORPG genre – until COVID drove it out of Anaheim and to online spaces, and then Blizzard let it lapse entirely in 2022 after a rather weak online event at the top of 2021. But since July of […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/blizzcon-2023-is-still-happening-blizzards-mike-ybarra-tells-twitter-fans/feed/ 17 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-stop-to-watch-player-performances/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-stop-to-watch-player-performances/#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435627 Especially when you have limited time to game, it’s hard to ignore that “go go go!” voice in your head that urges you to make every minute count toward your player progression. Yet it’s also important to stop and smell the roses (1/10 smelled) when the opportunity presents. I try to do this anytime I […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-stop-to-watch-player-performances/feed/ 13 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/choose-my-adventure-rocking-my-way-to-max-level-bard-play-in-neverwinter/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/choose-my-adventure-rocking-my-way-to-max-level-bard-play-in-neverwinter/#respond Tue, 18 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435801 The journey in Neverwinter continues with pure, unadulterated focus on my Bard, as suggested by the voting public. And I promise, I won’t ask the same question a third time. No, seriously. I’m pretty much on-rails at this point, there is no divergence available to me, and I am bereft of choices for polls for […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/choose-my-adventure-rocking-my-way-to-max-level-bard-play-in-neverwinter/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/guild-wars-2s-arenanet-named-extra-life-partner-of-the-year-for-its-2022-april-quest-and-253k-fundraise/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/guild-wars-2s-arenanet-named-extra-life-partner-of-the-year-for-its-2022-april-quest-and-253k-fundraise/#comments Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435541 File this one under Massively Uplifting in the best way: Guild Wars 2 studio ArenaNet was named as the 2022 Extra Life Partner of the Year for its fundraising efforts last year. MMO players will recall that last autumn, ArenaNet partnered with Children’s Miracle Network to add a CMN Champion child, April Arellano, as a […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/guild-wars-2s-arenanet-named-extra-life-partner-of-the-year-for-its-2022-april-quest-and-253k-fundraise/feed/ 2 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/the-daily-grind-what-are-some-demonstrably-wrong-things-about-old-mmos-that-people-insist-were-true-anyway/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/the-daily-grind-what-are-some-demonstrably-wrong-things-about-old-mmos-that-people-insist-were-true-anyway/#comments Tue, 18 Apr 2023 12:00:15 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430928 A while back, there was a thread on the MMORPG subreddit arguing that “minmaxing an information abundance has ruined MMORPGs” and posited that devs had “stopped fighting it.” After the thread spiraled out of control, the mods probably wisely deleted it, though some of the conversation was intact. In a nutshell, the thread harkened back […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/the-daily-grind-what-are-some-demonstrably-wrong-things-about-old-mmos-that-people-insist-were-true-anyway/feed/ 36 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/the-cycle-frontier-issues-the-howlerbusters-challenge-through-april-30/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/the-cycle-frontier-issues-the-howlerbusters-challenge-through-april-30/#respond Mon, 17 Apr 2023 23:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435747 One of the many features that Yager hyped for the third season of The Cycle: Frontier was the addition of a flying monster known as the Howler. Now that this season has been released and players are likely familiar with this new threat, it’s time for them to take on the Howlerbusters Challenge. Between now […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/the-cycle-frontier-issues-the-howlerbusters-challenge-through-april-30/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/final-fantasy-xiv-brings-the-moogle-treasure-trove-around-again-on-april-24/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/final-fantasy-xiv-brings-the-moogle-treasure-trove-around-again-on-april-24/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2023 18:00:56 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435917 All right, by this point you know the drill. There’s a new patch on the way for Final Fantasy XIV some time in late May, but the developers want you to keep having stuff to do until that patch arrives. So what are they going to do? They’re going to bribe you, naturally. More specifically, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/final-fantasy-xiv-brings-the-moogle-treasure-trove-around-again-on-april-24/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/leaderboard-is-an-overlay-map-essential-in-oarpgs/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/leaderboard-is-an-overlay-map-essential-in-oarpgs/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2023 17:00:40 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435879 Is an overlay map critical to your experience in OARPGs? Blizzard apparently doesn’t think so, as it’s not planning on implementing one in Diablo IV in spite of the fact that it’s a pretty time-honored tradition in action RPGs and roguelike games that are about map-crawling and loot-collecting. The news was confirmed by Blizzard’s Rod […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/leaderboard-is-an-overlay-map-essential-in-oarpgs/feed/ 14 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/wisdom-of-nym-everything-is-broken-a-tale-of-final-fantasy-xiv-post-calamity/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/wisdom-of-nym-everything-is-broken-a-tale-of-final-fantasy-xiv-post-calamity/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435809 “Marise? Are ye up there, girl?” The answer was yes, but she didn’t much feel like answering. Actually, she didn’t feel much liked doing anything but sitting their scrunched up against the wall and waiting for tears to come as they resolutely refused to do so. So she sat there, and she scowled, and she […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/wisdom-of-nym-everything-is-broken-a-tale-of-final-fantasy-xiv-post-calamity/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/embers-adrift-defends-its-subscription-monetization-model-once-again-in-latest-dev-video/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/embers-adrift-defends-its-subscription-monetization-model-once-again-in-latest-dev-video/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435856 The most recent developer livestream from Embers Adrift began as most others, with the game’s community manager Elloa reading patch notes for March’s update and an April hotfix, playing the game, and highlighting a player guide. However, at one point she went into a self-described rant about complaints related to the MMORPG’s monetization model, defending […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/embers-adrift-defends-its-subscription-monetization-model-once-again-in-latest-dev-video/feed/ 8