https://massivelyop.com MMORPG news and opinions Wed, 26 Apr 2023 18:26:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/perfect-ten-25-text-based-mmos-and-muds-that-are-worth-playing-in-2023/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/perfect-ten-25-text-based-mmos-and-muds-that-are-worth-playing-in-2023/#comments Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435150 Wanderlust hits even the most content MMO adventurer from time to time, and while there are worlds a-plenty to visit, sometimes it is easy to feel that one has “seen it all.” When those times arise and you’re feeling a little bit stale with current offerings, there’s always a different type of massively multiplayer title […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/26/perfect-ten-25-text-based-mmos-and-muds-that-are-worth-playing-in-2023/feed/ 8 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/massively-op-podcast-episode-419-dining-at-the-mmo-news-buffet/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/massively-op-podcast-episode-419-dining-at-the-mmo-news-buffet/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436859 Justin and Bree discuss Tarisland, NetEase, Throne and Liberty, Mad World, DCUO, and EVE Anywhere, with adventures in LOTRO and Fallout 76, plus mailbag topics on accessibility and special podcast guests.]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/massively-op-podcast-episode-419-dining-at-the-mmo-news-buffet/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-gos-may-lineup-embraces-niantics-bugs/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-gos-may-lineup-embraces-niantics-bugs/#respond Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436868 As I noted in my last Massively on the Go column, for the entire month of May, this column will not be covering Pokemon Go, as Niantic is continuing to refuse to address the ongoing trainwrecks in the community. My expectations are low, but I am hoping to use this break to at least help me reassess how […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/25/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-gos-may-lineup-embraces-niantics-bugs/feed/ 0 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/2023/04/25/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/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/2023/04/24/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/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/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/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/2023/04/22/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/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/square-enix-claps-hands-with-a-blockchain-game-platform-that-hides-web3-technology-under-the-hood/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/square-enix-claps-hands-with-a-blockchain-game-platform-that-hides-web3-technology-under-the-hood/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:30:50 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=436618 At this point, game publishers and developers are likely wise to the fact that the vast majority of gamers don’t want, like, or need speculative blockchain and NFT nonsense worming its way into their games. It’s likely because of this that Square-Enix has decided to enter a partnership with Elixir Games, a company that actively […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/21/square-enix-claps-hands-with-a-blockchain-game-platform-that-hides-web3-technology-under-the-hood/feed/ 30 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/four-winds-the-artist-has-become-my-favorite-support-class-in-lost-ark/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/four-winds-the-artist-has-become-my-favorite-support-class-in-lost-ark/#respond Thu, 20 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433385 Here’s a thought experiment: How would have Anakin Skywalker turned out if he had grown up on planet covered in paint rather than coarse, hateful sand everywhere? The answer will surprise you! He probably would’ve still turned out to be a Sith Lord, but he would also be an Artist main in Lost Ark. Star […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/20/four-winds-the-artist-has-become-my-favorite-support-class-in-lost-ark/feed/ 0 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/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/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/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/massively-op-podcast-episode-418-big-numbers-inc/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/massively-op-podcast-episode-418-big-numbers-inc/#comments Tue, 18 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435723 Justin and Bree discuss Mortal Exodus, Wayfinder, LOTRO, Elder Scrolls Online, Path of Exile, and Albion Online, with adventures in Fallout 76, City of Heroes, and LOTRO, plus a mailbag topic playing the hero vs. not in MMOs.]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/massively-op-podcast-episode-418-big-numbers-inc/feed/ 13 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/massively-on-the-go-splatoon-3s-eggstra-work-could-be-fun-if-it-entailed-less-social-work/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/massively-on-the-go-splatoon-3s-eggstra-work-could-be-fun-if-it-entailed-less-social-work/#respond Tue, 18 Apr 2023 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435675 Splatoon 3 players recently got to experience the first weekend of Eggstra Work, and it’s controversial to say the least. The very basics are that the mode is like Time Trials for Salmon Run, extended to five waves (up from three), but there is no online matchmaker. So for today’s Massively on the Go, we’ll go […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/18/massively-on-the-go-splatoon-3s-eggstra-work-could-be-fun-if-it-entailed-less-social-work/feed/ 0 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/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/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/the-daily-grind-whats-the-most-unique-weapon-in-an-mmo/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/the-daily-grind-whats-the-most-unique-weapon-in-an-mmo/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434885 I’m sure we’ve done pieces on unusual weapons in MMOs over the years – we’ve done thousands of Daily Grinds, after all – but one popped on my radar last week that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before! I’m talking about Tower of Fantasy’s new character Icarus, who literally wields a magical yo-yo. And […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/17/the-daily-grind-whats-the-most-unique-weapon-in-an-mmo/feed/ 16 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/2023/04/15/the-daily-grind-are-you-a-half-hearted-mmo-crafter/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/15/the-daily-grind-are-you-a-half-hearted-mmo-crafter/#comments Sat, 15 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434882 Whenever we talk about crafting, I feel that we’re too quick to divide all players into “crafters” and “non-crafters” without considering that there might be a third category. Call them the “half-hearted crafters,” the ones who dabble with the best of intentions but don’t usually go the distance because of the effort and difficulty involved. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/15/the-daily-grind-are-you-a-half-hearted-mmo-crafter/feed/ 30 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/why-i-play-pokemon-go-and-why-i-shouldnt/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/why-i-play-pokemon-go-and-why-i-shouldnt/#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430063 I won’t lie: Many, many problems with Niantic often cause me to re-evaluate why I continue to play Pokemon GO, especially in recent weeks. Maybe it’s the sunk cost fallacy at work, but I think there’s more to it than that. In fact, at this point, I think it should be obvious that The Pokemon […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/why-i-play-pokemon-go-and-why-i-shouldnt/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/storyboard-when-is-an-mmo-story-real/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/storyboard-when-is-an-mmo-story-real/#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435542 So we’ve had some fun with talking about MMO stories that are player-driven and MMO stories that are pre-scripted. Both of them have advantages and drawbacks. But there is also very specifically something I did not mention as a benefit or drawback of either, and today I want to talk about that a bit more. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/storyboard-when-is-an-mmo-story-real/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/the-daily-grind-which-mmos-lore-makes-your-eyes-glaze-over/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/the-daily-grind-which-mmos-lore-makes-your-eyes-glaze-over/#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2023 12:00:46 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435316 Earlier this week, Blizzard posted up a brief in-universe timeline of the Diablo IP’s storyline, and in spite of my having played these games, I realized the dates and plotpoints mean nothing to me. Blizzard could’ve made all of that up as a joke and I would not know. Unlike MOP’s Tyler, who knows the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/14/the-daily-grind-which-mmos-lore-makes-your-eyes-glaze-over/feed/ 26 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/13/massively-overthinking-how-to-alienate-your-mmorpg-playerbase/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/13/massively-overthinking-how-to-alienate-your-mmorpg-playerbase/#comments Thu, 13 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434862 I am not a Pokemon Go player, but I can’t help but stare at its many trainwrecks thanks to the detailed coverage of our Massively on the Go columnist Andrew. And the latest trainwreck is one that I’ve seen play out in MMOs many times. I’ll spare you a full rundown of the gory details leading […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/13/massively-overthinking-how-to-alienate-your-mmorpg-playerbase/feed/ 21 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/13/the-daily-grind-where-have-you-met-your-best-mmo-friends/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/13/the-daily-grind-where-have-you-met-your-best-mmo-friends/#comments Thu, 13 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435336 Sometimes your MMO friends are good companions whose homes you visit and who you give gifts. Like holiday gifts, or parcels of lands, or four suckling pigs. (I don’t pretend to know how you live your life.) Other times your MMO friends are just… people you hang out with in a shared MMO and otherwise […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/13/the-daily-grind-where-have-you-met-your-best-mmo-friends/feed/ 19 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/pokemon-go-pulls-a-fortnite-by-opening-its-own-store-in-some-regions/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/pokemon-go-pulls-a-fortnite-by-opening-its-own-store-in-some-regions/#comments Wed, 12 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435124 As first reported by Pokemon GO Hub, Niantic has announced it’s opening separate out-of-game store for its MMOARPG Pokemon GO. Readers will recall that a similar issue saw Fortnite booted from Apple’s App store and resulted in a lengthy legal battle, but so far, Niantic has limited the news and the store to out-of-game advertising only. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/pokemon-go-pulls-a-fortnite-by-opening-its-own-store-in-some-regions/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/the-daily-grind-what-isnt-explained-well-enough-in-your-mmo/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/the-daily-grind-what-isnt-explained-well-enough-in-your-mmo/#comments Wed, 12 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433988 Your MMO can have the best, most flexible systems and the most robust options — but if nobody but your devs and elite players can understand them, then they do few people any good. All too often in our online games there are features and parts of the game that simply aren’t explained very well […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/12/the-daily-grind-what-isnt-explained-well-enough-in-your-mmo/feed/ 25 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/massively-op-podcast-episode-417-happy-compensation-day/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/massively-op-podcast-episode-417-happy-compensation-day/#comments Tue, 11 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434748 Justin and Bree discuss World of Warcraft, New World, Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, Amazon Games' layoffs, and Ghostcrawler's new MMO studio, with adventures in LOTRO and WoW Classic, plus a mailbag topic on problematic MMO speedrunning.]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/massively-op-podcast-episode-417-happy-compensation-day/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-typhlosion/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-typhlosion/#respond Tue, 11 Apr 2023 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434959 Good news for players who enjoyed the Hisuian pokemon typings in Pokemon Legends: Arceus: The next tera raid event for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has been announced, and it will be the original Typhlosion with the Mightiest Mark, but with a Ghost tera typing, making it somewhat like its Hisuian version. The bad news, though, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-typhlosion/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/choose-my-adventure-the-songblade-makes-neverwinters-bard-rock-even-harder/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/choose-my-adventure-the-songblade-makes-neverwinters-bard-rock-even-harder/#comments Tue, 11 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434784 Most of the time when I’m beaten over the head by an MMORPG’s meta, I tend to thumb it in the eye and tacitly ignore it. In the case of the Neverwnter Bard and the overwhelming player opinion of choosing the Songblade paragon path, I would have made the same choice and gone with the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/choose-my-adventure-the-songblade-makes-neverwinters-bard-rock-even-harder/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/wisdom-of-nym-this-is-how-final-fantasy-xiv-wants-you-to-play-even-if-it-doesnt-say-so/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/wisdom-of-nym-this-is-how-final-fantasy-xiv-wants-you-to-play-even-if-it-doesnt-say-so/#comments Tue, 11 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434982 It is not a surprise that Final Fantasy XIV wants you to play the game a certain way. There are mechanics in place to make that happen. If the developers do not want you to pull beyond a certain point in a dungeon, they know how to put barriers in place to ensure that you […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/wisdom-of-nym-this-is-how-final-fantasy-xiv-wants-you-to-play-even-if-it-doesnt-say-so/feed/ 25 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/the-daily-grind-which-mmos-have-the-least-fair-regional-pricing/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/the-daily-grind-which-mmos-have-the-least-fair-regional-pricing/#comments Tue, 11 Apr 2023 12:00:47 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434887 Last week, we got a letter from a gamer in Türkiye (hiya kaickul!) who was frustrated with Blizzard’s regional pricing for Diablo II Resurrected and Diablo IV. Apparently, Blizzard ran a Diablo sale in early April that appeared to specifically exclude players in some countries with problematic economies, including Türkiye, which some players have perceived […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/11/the-daily-grind-which-mmos-have-the-least-fair-regional-pricing/feed/ 10 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/the-daily-grind-does-it-bug-you-when-mmo-cash-shops-rotate-out-their-buyables/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/the-daily-grind-does-it-bug-you-when-mmo-cash-shops-rotate-out-their-buyables/#comments Mon, 10 Apr 2023 12:00:29 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=428946 One of my few pet peeves with Guild Wars 2 has been the design of its cash shop, which traditionally has rotated through its back catalogue, meaning that most of the things you could want to buy aren’t available when you are ready to buy them. The addition of the Black Lion Statuette vendor helped […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/10/the-daily-grind-does-it-bug-you-when-mmo-cash-shops-rotate-out-their-buyables/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/09/the-daily-grind-have-you-ever-had-an-mmo-that-serves-as-your-guilty-pleasure/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/09/the-daily-grind-have-you-ever-had-an-mmo-that-serves-as-your-guilty-pleasure/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434360 As a rule, I don’t do guilty pleasures. It’s not something that I personally believe in. Not in the sense that I’m unfamiliar with it, but I generally feel like if I’m guilty about something that I’m playing that’s probably a sign I shouldn’t be playing it in the first place. But, you know… the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/09/the-daily-grind-have-you-ever-had-an-mmo-that-serves-as-your-guilty-pleasure/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/08/the-game-archaeologist-pirates-of-the-caribbean-online/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/08/the-game-archaeologist-pirates-of-the-caribbean-online/#comments Sat, 08 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432733 In 1967, Disneyland opened one of its most iconic attractions: a dark boat ride called Pirates of the Caribbean. A large fandom surrounding the pirate-themed attraction sprung up, prompting the company to make several other copycats in its other parks across the world. The property was quite ripe, then, for a jump to the silver […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/08/the-game-archaeologist-pirates-of-the-caribbean-online/feed/ 4