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AionSource shutting down
It's been a good eight-year run for one of Aion's longest fan sites, but that run is over now. AionSource, a fansite operated by Curse, is shutting down over the next few weeks, first going into read-only mode before being shut down altogether. The site's current administrator has set up a new site for the community members who would like to migrate. No reason has been stated for the shutdown; the site is not the only fan site that Curse has shut down in recent years, most likely due to a lack of cash flow. Users are encouraged to back up forum posts and the like before the shut down, while site administrators attempt to copy over some of the most useful community guides. Our best wishes to the community organizers attempting to keep the group together through the move. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
ArcheAge fansite compiles the game's current problems
It's hard out there for an ArcheAge fan in the USA; the game still isn't out here, seems to be getting no closer to release, and is getting an official release in what seems like every other possible country. So one of the biggest ArcheAge fansites is trying to make the localization job for Trion Worlds just a little bit easier by explaining exactly what the game's major issues are, with a specific eye toward its most recent patch. Essentially, the complaints in the thread focus around the idea that the game continues to reduce the effectiveness of open PvP while adding in far more standard themepark elements, including a heavy reliance on daily quests near the level cap. If you've played the game's Korean version, you can feel free to jump in on the thread and add your own views. No word on how much this will be heard by the localization team, but it's a good snapshot of what the community likes about the game and what could be improved. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
The Secret World community guide
Today marks the beginning of the end of the world -- you know, if you believed in that conspiracy theory stuff. And if you so happened to buy into all that, then you probably are pinning your hopes on a few stalwart souls to wedge themselves between you and the forces of the apocalypse. Those brave people are beginning to wage war in The Secret World as of today (if they have early access and a copy of the necronomicon, of course). As per tradition here at Massively, we want to give everyone a fighting chance by putting as much information at your fingertips as possible. So presented for your approval is our community guide to TSW. Because information is power -- now more than ever.
Cats invade Star Wars: The Old Republic in this week's Fan Friday
The community of Star Wars: The Old Republic did not quite make the Twitter and Facebook goals, so the developers decided to punish us by announcing another species that we will not be able to play. (Just kidding, it wasn't punishment.) In addition to spotlighting fan art and video, this week's Fan Friday column mentions Cathar as being another species players of SWTOR will bump into on their travels across the galaxy. The feline species from the planet bearing the same name was first mentioned by name in Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, but gamers are probably more familiar with it from the other BioWare game, Knights of the Old Republic. Although the devs did not say where or how the players will run into this highly anticipated species, fans are hoping for a Cathar companion character. As mentioned above, the social media goal was not reached. Even so, the community team did give the fans some gifts. The Fan Site Kit has been updated with more digital goodies. New avatars, screenshots, and biographical images can now grace your SWTOR fan site. Not to mention, the team has included six new desktop wallpaper images straight from the exciting "Hope" trailer. Be sure to check out all of this and the amazing new fan art on the official SWTOR site.
Wasteland Diaries: Fansites
Finding your way through Fallen Earth can be daunting at times, but there is help out there. Sometimes the people in the game might not be the most knowledgeable or helpful lot. I said sometimes. Luckily for us, even though Fallen Earth has a relatively small community, it is populated with knowledgeable and helpful people. If something has you stumped, and you just can't seem to find anyone in-game that can help you, there are alternatives. Most of your simple problems can be solved in the help channel by a HazMat Team member or by other players in region chat. Some of your more complex problems may require a bit of research. Researching can be quite fruitless if you don't know where to look. After the cut, I'll give you several resources that you should bookmark immediately if you haven't already. Some of these resources are more up-to-date than others, but even out-dated information is still better than nothing.
Fallen Earth releases new fan assets
A number of our readers at Massively have been playing MMOs for years, but of course this means that some people out there have had their fill of the fantasy genre. There are more genres to be explored in the coming years, one of which should please fans of games like Fallout 3: post-apocalyptic MMOs. Perhaps chief amongst these upcoming titles is Fallen Earth, a Mad Max-like take on a post-apocalyptic setting... but populated with mutants and factions of zealots. Some gamers like the idea of playing in a very different kind of setting from what we've seen in MMOs thus far, and the Fallen Earth team's latest announcement is for those post-apocalyptic fans out there. They've put out a fansite pack, with all the art assets (new screenshots, wallpapers, textures and backdrops) you'd need to build your fan site. This will lead up to their Fallen Earth Official Fan Site Program, where approved sites will be eligible for "special site promotions and early access to Fallen Earth news and updates." If you find this appealing, you can grab the zipped assets (66mb) linked in the announcement over on the official Fallen Earth site.
Petopia back in action
As many of you pointed out through numerous, apprehensive e-mails, our favorite Hunter pet resource was down for a while. As Mania pointed out, however, she was aware of the issue and was working actively to get the site back online. It seems like she's knocked the right heads, too, because Petopia is back on its feet again, supplying us with all the Hunter pet information we could ever want. So as unsettling as Petopia's disappearance was, especially in light of another favorite WoW resource closing its doors, there's no need to panic. Whew.
The geography of WoW space
World of Warcraft has seen the rise of a massive community of diverse players. Most of us do not simply log into WoW, but visit a number of news sources, fan sites, and web-bases resources to stay on top of new developments in the game. Tim Howgego has created a map of the virtual WoW community. In this image he has categorized some of the most popular spaces that players visit outside of Azeroth. His map is divided into several areas:
