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The Daily Grind: Do you play MOBAs?
We joke a lot on Massively about how there's a new MOBA released every day, but let's be fair: It's more like every other day. The first MOBA I ever played was Demigod, and that was back before the term had really become popular, before League of Legends had launched, and long before the deluge of MOBA clones had hit us. I had fun, but I pretty much knew the genre wasn't for me. I like a bit more persistence to my PvP, and I really prefer larger-scale battles and worlds. This is why I play MMOs. But the MOBA genre is young and evolving. Some MOBAs even seem to be trying to attract MMORPG players with cosmetic gear and first-person perspectives and even something that still looks a bit like personal housing. So here's the question for today: Do you, as an MMORPG gamer, play MOBAs? What would it take to get you to play them? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Nival officially releases Prime World MOBA
Nival wants you to know that it has officially launched its Prime World MMO on platforms including Steam and Amazon. The game has been in open beta since fall 2013 and has been sampled by over 7 million players, according to the company's press release. "Prime World adds the best features of deep MMORPGs to a fast paced MOBA," Nival says. "It merges persistent hero development and character customization with PvP and PvE gameplay. In addition, the game features story-driven battles and castle building all within a competitive online setting." There's a launch trailer as well as the full PR blurb after the cut. [Source: Nival press release]
Prime World dishing out $38M of in-game currency to players today
Prime World might only be in "beta," but it's getting the star treatment from publisher Nival today in the form of a massive giveway. Over $38 million in cash shop currency will be distributed among beta testers today at 4:00 p.m. EDT. When the giveaway happens this afternoon, each registered tester will get 3,000 gold worth around $100 that can be spent in the cash shop as well as a free exclusive skin. We're giving you a heads-up because you can get in on this too as long as you register before 4:00 p.m. on the site or through Steam. Nival is hosting the giveaway to show off the game's progress, including a reduction in matchmaking queue times and the merging of the Russian and English populations of the game. [Source: Nival press release]
Prime World videos show off new heroes and new skins
If you wanted a fight in style with a new outfit for the holidays, Prime World has got you covered. Nival just released patch 9.12.5, bringing new skins, a new hero, and a new report system along with other fixes and tweaks to the MOBA-esque game. The skins offer a variety of looks for both male and female characters (Brawler/Meijin can be seen above). The new hero, Da'ka/Ha'ka, fills the role of protector and costs 850,000 silver to hire; players also need a level 36 castle to acquire him. Players will appreciate the simple new built-in report system that allows misbehavior to be reported more easily instead of taking screenshots, collecting battle logs, and sending complaints to technical support. Full details on this system and the other changes can be found in the official patch notes, but you can get a glimpse of the hero and the new skins in the videos below. And to learn more about the game, check out Massively's launch impressions. [Source: Nival press release]
Prime World launch impressions
So here I am again in Prime World. It's probably my first real "Facebook game" other than that thrones game, but this one has more substance than its more social counterparts. This is a game I've gotten to play with Russians and other westerners during beta, and I've seen the game grow quite a bit in that time, even through casual play. It's the only MOBA I've had motivation to play lately. It's not the best on the market -- it suffers from a lack of features that I consider key for any online game, let alone a MOBA -- but it still appeals to me a bit more as an MMO fan than as a MOBA fan. While studio Nival calls the game a beta, the Steam page lists it as released, so if you haven't tried the game yet, bear in mind that's it a bit of both.
Prime World defies gender stereotypes in latest update
In a stunning twist of irony, Prime World is now challenging gender stereotypes by adding effieminate males and burly females for the upcoming NA and EU release. Producer Marc Singer commented on the new customization options: "We want to give a lot of skin options that are not just hairdos and color changes. We want to completely shift them from one spectrum to the other. We want effeminate males and we want burly, bulky females. We want animal-style stuff and old women and young kids." Singer said that this was part of a game-wide effort to combat tired portrayals of sexy girls: "A lot of games nowadays are very over-sexualised or male-centric when it comes to character pools. When you have over-sexualised characters, when you have male-centric hero pools, that's not something that the Russians are concerned about, because culturally for them, it's not a big deal. And even in parts of Europe, it's not a big deal either. But in the US, it's a very big deal." This change is ironic because the MOBA is perhaps best-known for originally forcing gamers to play their gender and incorporating gender-specific abilities and buffs, including a team-wide defensive buff if a female was part of the squad. Nival later decided to (mostly) remove these features for the NA/EU release, although gender locking is still part of the experience.
Prime World introduces two witchy heroes with new videos
Just in time for Halloween, Prime World has introduced two new heroes to the MOBA that fit right into the witching-hour theme: Witch and Moira. While both ride a broom and are accompanied by an iconic black cat familiar, the two couldn't have more different beginnings; Witch had a life of privilege in a castle, whereas Moira had it rough from day one in a small Andornian village. How do these two enchantresses play? Watch these two gameplay videos for a look at each hero's various talents and skills in battle and to glean some hints and tips for playing these newest additions. [Source: Prime World press release]
Prime World devs tackle gender issues, hero prices
The folks over at Nival have posted a quick dev diary that addresses some of the biggest player concerns with its still-in-beta MOBA, Prime World. The studio wants players to know that matchmaking is being refined, an EU server should solve European lag issues, a report system is on the way, and hero prices are under review (though the team seems generally happy with them). Perhaps the most interesting tidbit is Nival's decision to nix all gender features from the game. Prime World has been the subject of some controversy due to its treatment of gender; male and female characters have different abilities that operate in relation to their gender and the gender of other heroes, and player hero choice is determined by the gender established either on the player's Facebook page or Prime World account. Nival explained that the decision to remove gender-specific features will soon be discussed in greater detail in a separate post. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Prime World patch slips you some skins
Call out "New skins! New skins!" to the MOBA crowd and just watch as they come a-runnin'. Nival's added a bunch of new skins for Prime World with its patch 9.10, giving additional looks (and gender options) to familiar heroes. Patch 9.10 has a ton of changes beyond just the cosmetic. There are talent and skill changes, of course, as well as a search feature for co-op challenges, challenge quests, and new monsters. The team also explained a rather major change to the battle start UI: "In the future, we plan to add new features, like playing against bots in other modes, as well as new modes. The interface in its recent state was overloaded, and it was not wise to load it even more with new elements. The new interface, however, will spare us many troubles in the future." [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Rise and Shiny: Prime World
Prime World, a combination MOBA and MMORTS-ish game by Nival, is a fresh take on what appears to be an ever-growing genre. Will vets of the familiar match-based games feel as though it goes too far into new territory, or will they appreciate the changes to their beloved gameplay? While I'll leave that question up to the experts over at Not So Massively, I can say that as someone who is more of an MMORTS fan than a follower of MOBAs, I appreciated the fact that Prime World gave me something to try in both. Better still, games like Prime World are enjoyable for a relative newcomer to the genre like yours truly because they encourage me to become better by being fun to play rather than by being brutal on newbies. Classic MOBA fans probably feel differently, however.
Returning to Prime World in its English open beta
Back in April, I had the opportunity to explore Prime World in its Russian beta. Now, the game is in open beta for English-speakers, so I wanted to update my impressions. Unfortunately, Prime World has developed less than I had hoped in the interim. For example, the screenshot above shows off my mate's Prime World home in contrast with the one I showed you last time. My friend is a bit of a nature lover, so I told her we'd try the red team this time. It's a lovely layout, but this playthrough marked the first time I've seen it because we couldn't see each other's bases -- just as in the old Russian beta. Playing with other English speakers this time instead of Russian players means I could have chatted about this with them about it but for the game's deafening loading screens (no, really, take off your headset when loading a match; volume control is mute or nothing). A lot of the non-MOBA complaints from my last review sadly still hold true, as do a few issues with the tutorial. While the new additions to the game greatly increased my satisfaction with the combat parts and I want to talk about the new game modes, I still must readdress my issues with the game that haven't changed at all.
The Daily Grind: Do you genderbend in MMOs?
I've complained about genderlocked classes in MMOs before, but the truth is, genderlocking is abnormal for MMOs. Barring anomalies like Prime World, in which you're required to play a character matching your account's declared gender, most MMOs let us choose, and choose we do. Some people prefer to stick to their own gender with their characters, maybe because they feel more comfortable when roleplaying or don't want to confuse potential teammates on voice chat. Others welcome the chance to don different shoes, possibly motivated by a wish to see the world through new eyes (or cast those eyes on a shapely rear-end... ahem). And players of Cube World (shown in the pic) are thinking the question is silly since there's hardly any difference between the genders anyway, and besides, frogmen. So what about you? Do you roll characters as the gender you identify with in the real world, or do you genderswap? Why do you do what you do, and has it ever caused you any problems or provided a new perspective? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
E3 2013: Prime World tones down gender issues
The MOBA-slash-city builder known as Prime World was an important stop during our grand E3 tour this year. We've been interested in hearing Nival's been preparing this Russian hit for a larger audience since seeing it in action in March. The game is currently in closed beta testing for a North American release. A Nival developer was on hand to give us an overview about what makes Prime World stand out as well as to answer a few questions about the sticky issue of gender choice (or lack thereof). Join us as we stroll through a brightly colored battlefield and consider where we'll set up shop when this title lands in NA.
Finding the 'world' in Prime World
Welcome to my Prime World castle! Enjoy the mountain air, the multiple residential buildings, the fountain and bench I decided I had room for, and the general atmosphere. No, really, enjoy them now because you sadly can't even see them in the game. While a few of my mates and I had the pleasure of experiencing Prime World via the English client on the live Russian server, there were a few oddities that popped up during our prime-binge, and I'm not referring to my Russian comrades. For those who haven't heard of Prime World, let me giver you a primer: It's set in a fantasy world where a new material called "prime" has revolutionized both the scientific and natural world. Players are tasked with building their own little base to gather resources, make friends, hire heroes, and fight for more prime against the other faction (unless your side currently heavily outnumbers the other faction, in which case the game allows you the option to fight other people of your faction in order to speed up the queues). Really, it's like StarCraft and League of Legends had a baby and asked Facebook to raise the kid, except that you needn't make use of the Facebook integration to play the game and can opt to use an email address instead. However, you'll still find a need for a social network when it comes to the non-MOBA part of the game.
Nival unveils new heroes for upcoming Prime World
If you're looking forward to Prime World, Nival's upcoming entry into the growing market of DotA-style games, you'll be happy to know that the game's developers have just released information on a new group of heroes. This week's reveals cover a lot of ground, from the stalker-style Phantom and Faceless to the ice spells of Cryo and Blizz and the pack tactics of Wolf Dancer and Jaeger. Phantom and Faceless focus on hit-and-run tactics to harass the enemy, with high mobility, low hit points, and a lot of quick damage skills. Their talents include damaging teleportation and a stacking buff to damage as battles wear on. Cryo and Blizz instead focus on control and damage at range, with the ability to lock opponents in place and blanket an area with biting winds. Last but not least, Wolf Dancer and Jaeger use their pets as miniature armies, overwhelming enemies with large numbers of vicious targets. Take a look at some early screenshots of these heroes in the gallery below. [Source: Nival press release] %Gallery-125703%
Prime World charges women less to play, 'protects' them in mixed groups [Updated]
It's ladies night at Prime World, and drinks are on the house. The upcoming MOBA is offering unique incentives to rope in real-world women to play, including discounted heroes and special buffs if girls team up with guys. The game is connected to players' Facebook accounts, so women looking for special treatment need to actually be a member of that gender. Nival's Creative Producer Larisa Nuretdinova hopes this will expand Prime World's potential audience: "The idea is to introduce the MOBA genre not only to hardcore players who already love it, but to their friends who might be more casual, and of course to their sisters and girlfriends who may not be as hardcore." To encourage both sexes to group up together, Nival has devised a special defensive buff that is only activated when a woman playing a female character is part of the team. According to Prime World's About page, "this bonus helps encourage beginning female players, who feel more helpful when fighting in a mixed group." Prime World offers six heroes for free, three of each gender; additional heroes can be purchased with actual money. It's here, too, that real-world women have an advantage, as Nival is offering a discount for the ladies who go shopping in the game. [Update: Kotaku reports that Nival later clarified that it is offering discounts for both genders purchasing the same gendered character.]
Prime World shows the glory -- and defeat -- of combat
For DOTA and League of Legends fans out there, Nival's Prime World shares a competitive spirit that's worth keeping an eye on as it goes through development. The Facebook-integrated game encourages players to build up their castles, band together to fight mobs, and face off against each other in battles of supreme strategy and bloodsplosions. Nival has released a new set of screenshots today showing off Prime World's combat in action. The studio is proud of the rich colorset and visuals it's created for the game, and the team is hoping that they will appeal to those interested in good-looking PvP. You can check out all of the action-packed screenies in the gallery below! %Gallery-125703%
MMObility: Just how mobile was E3?
E3 is a massive, loud conglomeration of lights, people, and stress. I spent most of my time there walking from one end to another, trying to find a certain booth or meeting room. Luckily for me, I am in pretty good shape and felt just fine the entire time, despite the fact that I had little to eat, and worse yet, little water. At home I drink water non-stop... no soda, no coffee. Still, it was a blast. Working like that really makes a tiny reporter like yours truly feel wonderful. Conversations with developers can be very, very interesting if games are what you love. And there were games. A ton of games. A bunch. A lot. Even then, I knew the feeling that was coming over me, the familiar feeling of stumbling into a toy store or comic shop to look for goodies. I was in hog heaven but needed to find my particular fix. I needed indie, tiny or strange games. Games that ran on a toaster but worked well, browser games that would impress me, or phone games that would continue to destroy the idea that immersive, fun gameplay cannot be done on a portable device. Did I find what I was looking for? Oh, hell yes I did. Click past the cut and I will tell you all about it.
E3 2011: Nival announces Facebook-integrated MMO Prime World
Nival may be a new player in the MMOsphere, but Prime World, its first big push into the fray, is looking to turn a few heads. Developed in the Unity 3D engine and promising an intense PvP experience inspired by Defense of the Ancients, Prime World hopes to break from other, similar games by integrating itself into Facebook. While elements of the social game can be played in a web browser, the PvP combat will require a downloadable client. Players will be able to construct castles and enjoy other social gaming features, and these elements will bleed into the PvP portions of the game and vice-versa. Well-designed castles will provide "meaningful benefits" to the PvP action scenes, and social networks can be exploited, helping players gain strategic advantages. Likewise, the spoils gained from successful PvP victories and other minigames can be used to customize your castle or be gifted to friends. Nival is expecting Prime World to enter closed beta late this year, but it released a teaser trailer to whet our appetites until then. Check it out after the break! Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered! %Gallery-125703%
