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Massively's Best of 2013 Awards
It's nearly the end of the year, a time for merriment, camaraderie, and cynical evaluation of all the MMO triumphs and tragedies that 2013 provided us. Today, Massively's staff honors the best of the best (and the worst of the worst) for the year 2013. Every writer was permitted a vote in each category with an anything-goes nomination process. No MMO, company, or headline was off the table, as long as it met the criteria. Can WildStar make it to three years in a row at the top of our "most anticipated" pile, or did its delay dampen our enthusiasm? Can SOE repeat its win for best studio? Which MMO is most likely to flop next year? And just what constituted the biggest MMO screw-up of the last 12 months? Enjoy our picks for the best MMOs, expansions, studios, stories, and innovations of 2013... and our most-anticipated for 2014 and beyond.
Richard Garriott throws end-of-the-world party, world survives in style
If you've got the means and know-how to throw the world's best apocalyptic party, would there be anything from stopping you doing it? Nothing got in the way of Portalarium's Richard Garriott when he wanted to create one of the most cool- and insane-sounding end-of-the-world bashes on December 21st in Austin, Texas. "We thought this date shouldn't pass without an interactive soiree," Garriott explained. The creator of Ultima Online is famous for throwing strange elaborate parties, including a Titanic get-together where he sunk the boat with the party-goers on it. Garriott created a 30-foot Mayan pyramid as the centerpiece of the event. Around the pyramid were four apocalypse-themed tents, including an alien tent with a Sputnik replica and a hedonism display with naked zebra ladies prancing about. The $1,000-plus door charge for the party went toward the X Prize Foundation.
Breakfast Topic: The end of the World (of Warcraft)
Supposedly the world is ending today. If you're reading this, it means we've at least made it through the first eight hours OK. Just 16 to go! Granted, I'm not sure how this end of the world thing works with the international date line, since technically the Australians have already survived the end of the world. Anyway, assuming the world doesn't end today, how do you think the World of Warcraft is going to end? Let's say we digest a few more expansions and there comes a day where it simply has to end. What will be the reason? Will it be to lead into the next Warcraft RTS game? Or maybe the Warcraft film? Will Blizzard simply decide they need to upgrade the infrastructure and segue seamlessly into a new version of the game with a World of Warcraft 2? Do you think Blizzard would ever end the franchise, and would it end with WoW? One also has to wonder how it would end from a story standpoint. We already showed Deathwing what we do to major lore figures who try to destroy the world, so I sort of doubt Azeroth would ever be destroyed. But how else could Blizzard wrap the game up? Will it end once we've killed all the bad guys we haven't faced yet, like Sargeras or the other old gods? Or will it all resolve when the Horde and the Alliance finally find peace? Or who knows, maybe the game will end with the formation of a new, third faction? What do you think?
Exclusive: The Secret World's Joel Bylos vs. Armageddon
It's no secret that The Secret World's creative director Joel Bylos has been deeply affected by the most recent end-of-the-world predictions. He even started a video log to share his new-found convictions. In that first log, he advocated for the removal of subscriptions so that everyone would have the chance to enjoy TSW before the end came. Shortly after, the game indeed adopted the buy-to-play model. Then Bylos took off to begin preparing his survival bunker. But that video is over a week old. How has Bylos been coping with the impending Armageddon since then? I took a break from my Issue #5 adventures and caught up with the self-proclaimed end-of-days prophet to see how he's been faring, find out what he has learned about the apocalypse, and maybe get a hint on when the next video log will release!
Massively's Best of 2012 Awards
When game obituaries and studio layoffs start to pile up in the news, Massively can seem like a herald of doom, but the reality is that the MMO industry is stronger and richer than ever. We've got more features to try, more business models to play with, more studios (and indie Kickstarters) to vie for our favor, and more titles to play than most of us could possibly sample in our lifetimes. Today, Massively's staff honors the best of the best for the year 2012. We asked each writer and streamer to vote in each category with an anything-goes nomination process. No MMO, company, or headline was off the table. Enjoy our picks for the best MMOs, expansions, studios, stories, and innovations of 2012... and our most-anticipated for 2013.
Four apps to help you prepare for The End Of The World
Hey, you! Yeah, you. The guy everyone laughs at for knowing the truth. Sure, the majority of the "sane" people out there think you need psychiatric help because you spent your life savings building that end-of-the-world bunker at an undisclosed location in the Rocky Mountains, but you and I know better, don't we? We both know you aren't crazy and -- just like the Mayans predicted all those hundreds of years ago -- the world is really going to end on December 21, 2012. Sure, the US government, NASA and the Vatican are telling the world that nothing is going to happen on 12/21/12. But you know who else is telling their people that? The Russians. And who are you going to trust? Just yourself. And me, as I'm clearly as sane as you are. With that in mind, I've compiled a list of the four apps you'll need to get ready of the end of the world. 1. Amazon Mobile Look, there's only a week left until it all ends. Download this app and buy whatever you want. Why? Because who's going to be sending you that credit card bill come January? That's right: NO ONE. So go ahead and splurge on that tank you're gonna need for driving around the total wasteland formerly known as "the Earth." I just recommend you use Amazon Prime so you get all your goods before the impending demise of everyone and everything you've ever loved. 2. Countdown 12/21/12 Sure, you can probably tell anyone the exact number of seconds left until The End at the drop of a hat, but it's always nice to have a little back up reminder. This app even takes time zones into account. Just be sure to enable the "Death Clock" theme, because, let's face it, the end of the world ain't gonna be pretty. 3. iRegret Yeah, I know, it's the other people who are going to regret not listening as you preached about the wisdom of the Mayan calendar for the last 20 years. But still, I'm sure you have some regrets, right? Maybe you regret not going out and being part of the world instead of just preparing for its end. Maybe you regret learning how to turn dried goat intestines into a bota bag instead of following your dreams of becoming a novelist? Whatever your regrets are now, get them off your chest with this app. You can also see feeds of other people's regrets -- and let me tell you, come December 21 those feeds are just gonna be full of regrets saying, "I should have listened to YOU!" 4. Survival Guide We both know you're a master strategist who's stronger than Rambo, more thrifty than MacGyver and that with your firearm skills any gun battle you get into will be just like a choreographed fight scene from The Matrix. But still, extra pointers never hurt. The Survival Guide app is based on the US Military Survival Manual FM 21-76. It covers psychological survival training, medicine, shelter, water and supply procurement and more. You might as well read up on your survival technique while your iPhone still has power. So there you have it, brother. I'd list more apps, but there's not much time left. I've still got a hundred kilos of squirrel meat to dry into jerky and then need to begin the trek to my retrofitted missile silo. I wish you the best of luck. And just know that if Apple were to still exist after The End, you'd definitely be in their next Here's To The Crazy One's commercial.
Secret World creative director goes crazy, kicks off End of Days chronicle
As we creep closer and closer to December 21st, more people seem to be paying attention to the cries of "The world is ending!" instead of reveling in holiday cheer. One recent convert to the end-of-days hype train is none other than Joel Bylos, creative director of The Secret World. After a weekend of poking around and researching the subject, Bylos decided that the world will definitely end at 11:11 on that fateful date and started a video blog to count down the remaining time. In the first installment, Bylos gets wistful about the fate of The Secret World. Then he gets a brilliant idea to bring more players to the game to experience the conspiracies for themselves. Charging into a meeting room, he spouts his idea to eradicate the game's subscription requirements. After all, who needs money when the world is ending? Management, however, seems less than convinced. Don't believe me? Watch the video after the break and see for yourself! [Source: Funcom press release]
The Secret World ARG heralds the end of days
With the end of the world almost here (it's December 21st, don't you know), who else would be on top of the apocalypse than The Secret World? Funcom's conspiracy MMO is preparing to launch another alternate reality game (ARG) themed around the end of days and TSW itself. Players and visitors alike are invited to sign up for the upcoming game. At the very least, you'll need to surrender your email address, although Funcom would like your Twitter handle and cell phone number as well. While you're on the website, check out the creepy whispering going on. Could this be the first clue? While we don't have specifics about what the ARG will entail, we do know that there are several in-game rewards for participants. These rewards include a monk outfit, XP potions, a survival outfit, and an invitation to a special celebration event with the devs.
The end comes to Final Fantasy XIV
As of 1:00 a.m. EST today, the Final Fantasy XIV servers started the game's final event before the relaunch. At 3:00 a.m. EST, they shut down. Immediately following the shutdown, the last trailer for the game's current version was posted, showing the outcome of the final battle against the forces of the Garlean Empire by the unified Grand Companies of Eorzea. And if you've been following the game's story in any fashion, you'll probably want to see how it all ends. It's worth noting that the cutscene is both fairly long and lacking in context -- if you don't know the most recent lore of the game, you're not going to catch everything that's going on. But if you've been watching the final defense of the Eorzean city-states from inside the game or on the sidelines, you deserve a front-row seat for the last clash of armies. And even though you know how it ends, it's still going to pack a punch. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
The Mog Log: It's the end of Eorzea as we know it
It's not really a Final Fantasy game without a good apocalypse, and Final Fantasy XIV is getting just that. We've been watching the slow roll of the end of the world for months now, and as the last few days tick down before the shutdown, it's becoming amply clear just how bad the world is going to get. Everything will burn, everything will fall, and it's down to the last few defenders to fight for the ashes of Eorzea. And, well, it'll all get put back a couple of days later. But that's not the point. While the game has been flirting with the apocalyptic prophecies circling around the Seventh Umbral Era since launch, the announcement of A Realm Reborn and subsequent changes set the stage, and since then the game has quite happily pushed the idea that the end is nigh. Speaking as someone who was quite disappointed when similar changes just skipped from "everything's fine" to "after the end" in other games, I was curious to see what Final Fantasy XIV's implementation would look like. And while it's not quite over, I've seen enough to call it -- not perfectly, but very close.
Crowd-funded group building asteroid-mapping telescope, saving Earth (video)
Just when you're numbing to robot, zombie and nuclear apocalypse scenarios, some old-fashioned asteroid paranoia pops up to surprise you. The B612 Foundation, which gets funding from, well, anyone, has just announced plans to launch Sentinel, a space telescope which will wander the vacuum cataloging asteroids in our inner solar system. Their goal is to track asteroid orbits and predict large impacts up to 100 years in advance, giving us plenty of time to find a solution (or enjoy our final days). Construction doesn't start til late fall, with the launch expected in around five years, so it won't be any use in disproving the 2012 doomsday believers out there. You can find out more about the project and donate to the foundation at the source link, or jump past the break for a video explanation, Aerosmith not included.
SOE gears up for Star Wars Galaxies' closing events
A long time ago, in a game industry far, far away, there was an MMORPG called Star Wars Galaxies. It made a lot of people happy (and sad), hung around for eight plus years, and is now being forced into an early retirement by the next big thing. Before it rides off into the twin sunset, SWG is holding a series of farewell events. According to the patch notes for today's update, the Galactic Civil War score will be frozen on Wednesday, December 14th at midnight EST, at which time Jabba's event kicks off near the Sarlacc Pit in the deeps of the Tatooine desert Three more events will begin at server restart on Thursday, December 15th, sometime around 7:00 a.m. EST: one near the Research Outpost on Endor, one in the Nub Shanda zone of Coronet, Corellia, and one in the city of Theed on the planet Naboo. Massively's Karen Bryan and the rest of the SWG-fans among the Massively staff will be livestreaming the final countdown on the Starsider server on Thursday, starting at 11 p.m. EST. Join us as we reminisce about and salute this groundbreaking sandbox.
Enter at Your Own Rift: The little things
For me, it's all about the little things in life: the smell of a good cup of coffee, the enthusiastic hug of my two-year-old, an illicit pack of Lemonheads candy, or throwing punny tags into Massively articles. While big things are essential to have and get right, it's the little things I find that give life its unique flavor. So when I enter MMORPGs, I'm always on the lookout for little things. Oh, sure, PvP and raiding and overarching epic stories are all well and good, but it's from the little things that the soul and flavor of a game emerges. I'm often far more delighted when I stumble upon a funny little Easter egg in a game than if I win that roll for a purple piece of armor. Today I want to look at 10 little things in RIFT that I've come to appreciate and savor over the past month or so. Maybe these elements don't get all of the glory, and maybe they're even seen as superfluous to some, but without them the game would be far less to me. So while we rush between rifts and struggle with expert dungeons, I'd encourage all of us to take some time to reflect on all of the supporting cast of features that are just as important to the overall effort.
Ocean Empire LSV is the self-sufficient superyacht for the super-rich
It looks like your luxury extra-national seafaring utopia just got one step closer to reality. The Ocean Empire Life Support Vessel is a 144-foot Catamaran Superyacht manufactured by Sauter Carbon Offset Design, and it features not only "all of the hotel amenities of a luxury global voyager" but two hydroponic farms and fishing facilities and three sustainable power sources: a 400 square meter 70kw solar array, an auxiliary 80 square meter (200kw) automated SkySail that drives the ship to 18+ knots and charges her battery systems, and a Motion Damping Regeneration (MDR) system developed with Maurer Sohnes Gmbh that can produce up to 50kw of electricity as it steadies the ship on rolling seas. How much will it cost you to take yourself, nine of your closest friends, and a crew of eight to the sea -- and remain there indefinitely? About $17 million. Hit the source link to order a couple for yourself. The vessel is built to order and you can have it ready to go in about eighteen months. At least it's cheaper than Saddam's yacht!
WoW Moviewatch: End of the World (of Warcraft)
I never usually answer my phone when the number is blocked, but this time, I had a hunch. Swiping across the screen, the gravelly voice immediately came across the line. My eyes narrowed, grip tightening around the metal frame. "We have Gray. You know what we want." This time ... it's personal. Nymh and Sharm, two of the most prolific machinima voices out there, come together for End of the World (of Warcraft), a parody of R.E.M.'s awesome It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) . The vocals are on par with other Nymh offerings, and I did enjoy the lyrics, giving it a big "A" for effort. Some of the rhymes are there for filler purpose, but is pretty good for an R.E.M. parody. I am enjoying these refreshing reminders that WoW really is changing substantially in less than a month, and sometimes the gravity of that is a little bit lost on me. Enjoy. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Breakfast Topic: 101 things to do before the world dies
On the EU forums, a character named Redbranch from Thunderhorn came up with what I thought was a pretty nifty idea -- getting his/her fellow players to chime in on a list of 101 things to do in old Azeroth before Cataclysm hits. It's sort of the WoW equivalent of The Bucket List, and the responses range from the violent ("Slaying as many people as possible") to the nostalgic ("Go base jumping again in Feralas") to the practical ("Prepare plentiful supplies of gold"). Then Slorkuz chimed in with the following: Slorkuz Quote: The old world is changing forever. Let's compile a list of things to do before the end. 1) Play through all the starter zones, to give some idea if each race's lore. Visit the Shimmering Flats! source We already know that Thousand Needles is going to be mostly underwater in Cataclysm, but it was another nudge to the realization that the world we know is going bye-bye forever. Right now, my personal "bucket list" includes doing the dungeon set 2 quest line, but I'd love to hear from other players on how they're approaching the "end of the world."
Fallen Earth gets broken down
Lee Hammock, lead designer for Icarus Studios' Fallen Earth, recently gave a very nice, quick break down of what to expect in their upcoming "end of the world as we know it" MMO.There will be no classes; players will be able to allocate points however they want in order to advance their character's stats. Players will eventually have to choose which faction they want to belong to (Chota, Techs, Vistas, Enforcers, Travelers, Lightbearers) however, and it's a choice not to be taken lightly. Each character gets 22 equipment slots, six of which are dedicated to weapons. Armor and weapons have a set durability, and player generated content will be very popular. To help make your character unique, the game will include dynamic clothing (ski masks that roll up, baseball hats can be worn forwards or backwards, jackets can be unzipped, etc.) and an assortment of customizable options (i.e., war paint, tattoos, body piercings, facial hair).
Breakfast Topic: Doom! ... DOOOOOM!
A wizened old man stands here on the street corner with a cardboard sign held over his body, shouting at everyone who will (or will not) listen. He cries out: "The end is nigh! Prepare yourselves, for soon we shall witness with very our own eyes the end of the world!... of Warcraft!"Well... no. In all honestly that's very likely the last thing that will happen. When WoW is no more it will go out with a whimper, not a bang. Its players will have long since moved on to Universe of Warcraft, or Galaxy of Starcraft, or Unending Megaverse of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Online, or whatever is the next great games are. The shutting down of WoW servers will probably make some mention on the various gaming blogs before passing on into history at last. Some people have already been burned out for a long time now, while some people are only now wondering if maybe another expansion just isn't enough, while still others will never be burned out on WoW anymore than they could get bored of good old classics Uno, Chess, or Checkers. But it stands to reason that eventually the WoW that we play today will be no more, right? So now I put it to all you who have your fingers on the pulse of WoW. How many years has it got left? How many more years will you keep playing? Or is it actually still so young and vibrant that there's really no way to tell how long it's got? Perhaps we bloggers should stop being so negative? Tell us what you think.
