meet-and-greet
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WoW Insider and Wowhead at BlizzCon's Meeting Stone
In addition to the party we'll be hosting with Wowhead Thursday evening, WoW Insider and Wowhead have a meet-and-greet session scheduled at BlizzCon. Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. you'll find us at the Meeting Stone between Halls B and C. Through the magic of convention scheduling, we'll be sharing the space with the Palapalooza, a meet-and-greet with members of the paladin community. Two of those paladins also happen to be members of our own staff. If you have a chance, swing on by!
SOE meet and greet at PAX East open to everyone
Want a chance to rub elbows with some of the movers and shakers in the SOE world? Then head to the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel on March 22nd for a meet and greet during PAX East. Don't worry if you don't have tickets for the convention itself; the event on Friday night from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. EDT is open to the public. Representatives from a number of SOE's titles will be there to chat, share stories, and even answer questions about the various games. You could discuss PlanetSide 2 strategies with Community Rep Maggie Krohn, discuss EverQuest's latest expansion with Sr. Community Manger Eric Cleaver, or even corner EQ franchise director Dave Georgeson and see what news about EQ Next he might let slip! Dragon's Prophet Senior Producer Todd Carson will also be on hand to answer your questions about, well, dragons. And rumor has it that the drinks are on Brasse! What's a con event without swag? Dragon's Prophet priority access beta keys as well as T-shirts will be given out on a first come, first served basis. EQ goodies might be had as well. Folks planning to drop by can RSVP on the official Facebook event page and follow updates on the various games' respective twitter accounts.
Guild Wars 2 schedules community meet and greet
If you're a fan of Guild Wars 2 and in a position to make your way to Seattle on March 1st, then ArenaNet has an invitation for you. The studio is hosting a community meet and greet on Friday the 1st in the evening at the Tap House Grill. The developers and CM team will be out in force to talk with fans, host a Q&A panel, and raffle off several prizes. There will also be refreshments for those who show up, although the event is limited to the venue's capacity and those 21 and over.
Hang with the Star Trek Online devs in Las Vegas
There are just over two weeks left until Creation Entertainment's official Star Trek Convention kicks off at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas! Last year, fans of Star Trek Online were treated to an off-site event called Dining with the Devs co-hosted by Massively, Trek Radio, and Priority One Podcast, but we've really ramped things up this time. This year the Q&A session has evolved into a formal panel in conjunction with the convention called Discussion with the Devs. The panel is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT) on Saturday, August 11th, in the DeForest Kelley Theater. We're also very happy to announce that Massively, along with Trek Radio and Priority One Podcast, and Subspace Radio, is gathering up the attending Cryptic developers for a casual get-together we're calling Hangin' with the Devs! If you are in the Las Vegas area and would like to spend a couple of hours talking with some of the developers behind Star Trek Online, you can join us at iBar in the Rio Hotel and Casino on Saturday, August 11th, from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT (5 to 7 p.m. PDT). Attendees of the Hangin' with the Devs event must be 21 years of age or older and will be responsible for their own food and beverages. Attendees of the Discussion with the Devs panel can be any age but must have tickets to attend the official convention for that day. If you have any questions about either of the Star Trek Online events at the convention, feel free to contact Massively's STO guru, terilynn@massively.com!
It came from the Blog: We met, we greeted, we scavenged
Last month's It came from the Blog event was our second scavenger hunt, with a meet and greet right before. We met in the Court of the Sun in Silvermoon City, enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty city. (A round of less lag for everyone!) Several WoW Insider writers showed up for the meet and greet: Megan O'Neill as Poneria Dawn Moore as Aurorarun Matt Low as Matticus Anne Stickney as Annephora Elizabeth Wachowski as Moocowski Robin Torres as Roblinator (Yes, I'm always there, but I answered a couple of questions too.) Our new and veteran guildies put the WI crew through their paces. Matt answered healing questions. Anne tackled lore and roleplay questions. Elizabeth made it clear that Around Azeroth needs more screenshot submissions. And there was much rejoicing.
Reminder: It came from the Blog scavenger hunt and writer meetup tonight
It came from the Blog events are fun. Scavenger Hunts are fun. Meeting WoW Insider writers is fun (even virtually). Mathematically speaking -- since fun is multiplicative -- we'll be having FUNx3 tonight. When: 10:30 p.m. EDT tonight (7:30 p.m. PDT, 8:30 p.m. server time) for the meet and greet and 11 p.m. EDT (8 p.m. PDT, 9 p.m. server) for the scavenger hunt Where: Meet near the fountain in the Court of the Sun, Silvermoon City on Zangarmarsh (US-PVE-H) Who: Any level Horde character. Gold will be provided to those who do not have enough. Tip: Mounted characters have an advantage, so making a death knight is a good idea if you are new to the server. What: Meet and greet with several of the WoW Insider staff, then a scavenger hunt through Eversong Woods for fun and prizes How: Ask any member of It came from the Blog for an invite, if you are not already in one of our family of guilds. The list of items will not be provided until just after the event starts. I will list them in /say and not repeat them for 10 minutes so that punctual participants will have an advantage. Your joining us is fun, by the way -- yes, I mean you particularly. So if you chat and hunt with us tonight, we'll have FUNx4. Obviously, you should join us. Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PVE-H) in It came from the Blog. All guild ranks can invite, so /whisper Roblinator or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
BioWare announces PAX 2011 plans for The Old Republic
Are you going to Penny Arcade Expo? Is the Force strong with you? If you answered yes to these questions, then holster your blasters for just a hot second while we give you the skinny on BioWare's plans for Star Wars: The Old Republic at PAX 2011. For those of you interested in just getting your nerf-herding hands on The Old Republic for some one-on-one time, all you have to do is swing by booth 914, where demos will be running that allow players to experience content from each of the game's four origin worlds as well as letting players drop into the Alderaan Warzone for some Republic vs. Imperial action. If you want to go more behind the scenes, don't fret! At 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 28th, BioWare and LucasArts will be overtaking the Paramount Theatre for a Star Wars: The Old Republic panel. New reveals! Question and answer sessions! Live demonstration of the endgame Operation, the Eternity Vault! All of this and more can be yours if you manage to weasel your way in. And lastly, if you're more of a social butterfly, BioWare will be hosting a community meet-and-greet at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel. The soiree begins at 7 p.m., so dress your fanciest and don't be late!
Perfect World offers gamers a shot at a trip to PAX Prime
Bummed because PAX Prime is sold out -- and your wallet's looking thin, anyway? Well, how would it sound if we told you that you had a chance to go to the mega-convention in Seattle next month for free, including round-trip airfare? Pretty good, huh? As part of its efforts to promote Rusty Hearts, Perfect World Entertainment is giving away a convention package to one lucky winner (and his or her best friend). If you register for the Rusty Hearts beta by July 27th, you'll automatically be entered to win these two three-day PAX passes. To make a good deal even better, the winners will have the opportunity to have dinner with the producers and developers of the game! Rusty Hearts Producer Mark Hill is flat-out psyched for the event: "This is a great year for Rusty Hearts to make its debut appearance at Penny Arcade Expo. We cannot wait to interact with Rusty Hearts fans on a personal level and we hope to get everyone as excited as we are by giving away these two passes to the otherwise sold out show. We have really been looking forward to bring Rusty Hearts to a gaming-centric consumer event, and I can't wait to see how the PAX crowd reacts to the game." Massively still has a number of Rusty Hearts beta keys to give away, and each of these comes with a special Massively Pack(TM) of in-game items!
Guild Counsel: The dreaded guild meet-and-greet
You've played together for months, even years, and now it's finally time to put a face to the name. Yep, it's the dreaded guild meet-and-greet. Summer tends to be a popular time for guild meet-ups, since the nice weather and flood of game conventions bring ample opportunity to get together. But meeting up with guildmates can be a hectic and somewhat stressful time. Even though online bonds can be as strong if not stronger than real-life ones, that final hurdle of meeting in person is daunting. You've probably seen the parody of The Guild's luncheon, with Tink surreptitiously sneaking in, Codex nervously trying to play host, and Vork passing out laminated copies of the guild agenda, but with some planning and thought, guild meet-and-greets can be a lot of fun. In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at some dos and don'ts when it comes to meeting your guild.
Celebrate City of Heroes' 7th anniversary with the devs!
Few MMOs make it to seven years, and fewer still retain a sizable, fanatical playerbase the way City of Heroes has. From its humble origins as a different type of online RPG through its growth in fame, power and two expansion packs, City of Heroes has mimicked the superhero archetype in more ways than one. The devs at Paragon Studios want to celebrate this seven-year milestone with the coolest crowd on the block: namely, CoH players! While there will be no in-game events this year due to content coming in May, the devs will be available for a meet and greet this Thursday, April 28th on the EU and NA servers. Check out the schedule to see when and where you can hang out with your favorite dev and perhaps unload a burning question or two. The team will also appear later that day in a special UStream live chat event. Stay tuned to Massively, as tomorrow our Mild-Mannered Reporter column will be throwing the confetti and blowing kazoos to mark this auspicious occasion!
More details on the last City of Heroes meetup for the year
Unfortunately, enormous war machines from a parallel Earth will not be in attendance at the City of Heroes meet-and-greet scheduled for this Saturday in California. (Although depending on how much you were hoping to get stomped, this might really be a net positive.) There will, however, be several members of the game's production staff on hand, and the Paragon Studios team has revealed details on just what fans can expect from this final gathering. As is tradition, the staff will be raffling off several prizes, including the recently unveiled wall prints to help decorate your home. There will also be a pair of roundtable discussions with the team regarding powers and costumes, as well as a short presentation by the senior design staff. David "Noble Savage" Nakayama will also be at the event to provide sketches of player characters chosen at random, encouraging players to bring a color screenshot of a character to the event. City of Heroes players in the area are encouraged to attend, as it promises to be a pretty fun chance to meet the team.
NCsoft offering wall prints starting with City of Heroes
Readers, look at your wall. Now look at City of Heroes. Now back at your wall. Now back at the game. Your wall is not the video game. But if you purchase one of the new wall prints being offered by NCsoft, your wall could look like the game. Or at least the box art for the games, which is almost as good. And if you don't feel like purchasing one sight unseen, you can take a shot at getting one as part of a giveaway. During the previously announced meet and greet for City of Heroes players, the team at Paragon Studios will be giving away a select few prints as raffle prizes. While the superhero MMO is the first game to get the wall print treatment, other NCsoft games such as Aion and Guild Wars will be receiving their own prints within the near future -- keep an eye on the Facebook pages for the other games to see when the wall prints will be available.
Paragon Studios hosting one more meeting for City of Heroes fans
While the convention season has come to a close for the year, the team at Paragon Studios isn't quite done with spending time with the fans of City of Heroes just yet. It's hosting one more party for both the developers and the fans, this last one taking place in San Francisco. And as with previous meetings, the team has arranged a treat for fans, this one in the form of a new costume power allowing players to take on the appearance of a Freakshow Meat Doctor. Having the opportunity to look like one of the slightly less-than-good doctors is special enough, but the meeting also promises to be unique in other ways, making use of the venue's large amount of space for presentations as well as socializing. Players in the San Francisco area should take a look at the full details and start making plans to meet the City of Heroes developers, as well as scaring anyone not fond of meat-doctoring.
City of Heroes has plans... PAX plans
If you haven't already thought about PAX Prime coming up in September, odds are good you're not going. But if you are going and you're a fan of City of Heroes, you'll be happy to know that the team from Paragon Studios will be making a showing at the convention. The team will be hosting a panel as well as a meet-and-greet event for the fans over the weekend, similar to what was done during PAX East in March. Players will also be rewarded with a new disguise power -- in this case, the Praetorian Police Department's duty outfit. Since the convention will take place after the release of Going Rogue, the panel's topic will be on the new expansion as well as the future beyond release, most likely covering the Incarnate system and the further future. The meet-and-greet, meanwhile, is happening off-site and gives players both the aforementioned costume code and an exclusive lenticular button for the game. Take a look at the full rundown of the events with the City of Heroes team -- even if you're not attending, we'll make sure to keep everyone up-to-date on the information.
Jumpgate Evolution will get you into E3 -- if you can get there
While it's no longer quite the circus that it once was, E3 is still kind of a big deal. Of course, the result is that it's even harder these days to get into the actual convention if you're not part of the press. For those of you who don't get the sheer enjoyment of working bizarre hours and frantically writing up press releases on three hours of sleep, the Jumpgate Evolution team is giving you a pass into the show. If you can get to the location, they'll get you in. The team mentioned that they wanted to run a community meet-and-greet a while ago, and NetDevil has taken care of procuring a few extra passes for the fans. Unfortunately, if you're not already a registered member of the Jumpgate Evolution forums, you're out of luck -- registering now won't make you eligible for the giveaway. If you are registered, however, and you can take care of getting yourself to E3, a simple message might get you into the convention for all three days -- and give you a chance to play this anticipated game. It's a win-win!
Jumpgate Evolution team plans meet and greet at E3
News about Jumpgate Evolution was scarce for a very long time, but we're finally seeing some hopeful signs. We got a large development update earlier this year, and now it looks like fans are going to get to chat with the NetDevil team in person during E3. There is a new poll on the Jumpgate Evolution forums asking for fan input on a meet and greet time, complete with an option for "I can't go and I hate you" (no, really). If you're going to be in the area, you definitely want to visit the poll and keep up on the scheduling, as the NetDevil crew will make it well worth your time: you'll be spending time with the NetDevil guys, of course, but you'll also get to play the game, see the very latest build, and come away with some swag. So what are you waiting for? Check out the poll and post your preferred time.
Friday night's all right for fighting with Champions Online developers
Champions Online, like any game developed by a smaller studio, is fundamentally produced by people who enjoy the game that they're making. So it's not exactly surprising when they decide to host a night for players to play directly with the development team. They've run a few in the past, but this time they'll be taking on the largest new piece of content in the game at the moment: the still-infamous mini-expansion in Vibora Bay. A couple of players are a bit surprised in the discussion thread that the developers are opting for PvE content rather than the PvP nights that had been fairly well-established. An official response was quick to come, explaining that while the developers also like the PvP encounters, they want to get a chance to play with the members of the community not necessarily interested in the PvP side of things. The event will be running from 4 PM to 7PM PST (7 PM to 10 PM EST), making it an excellent chance for Champions Online players to enjoy the game on Friday night with the team behind it.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Meet the PAX press
Compared to the other two City of Heroes events that I took part in at PAX East, the meet and greet almost seems like an afterthought from a news standpoint. And it's fair to say that no new information could be teased from the development team, mostly because they were far too busy laughing and chatting with fans. Not that any of the fans seemed too keen on asking big questions anyhow. It was, all in all, a big chance for everyone to relax, talk about what the state of the game was, and be pestered by me in the form of Mr. Not-So-Mild-Mannered Reporter. And it was a fun time, with a lot of different opinions and a very relaxed atmosphere. However much of an afterthought it might have been from the perspective of hard news, it was a great time for the fans, and that's what the column is really all about, right? So check on past the break for some of the highlights from the evening, not to mention my global handle. (Because people asked there and I blanked under pressure. Plus there wasn't room on the nametag.)
City of Heroes panel to appear at PAX East
We're just over a month away from PAX East, and those planning to attend have bought their passes and are beginning to think about itineraries. The event schedule hasn't been added to the PAX site yet, but City of Heroes released an exciting piece of news today. They'll be hosting a panel titled Re-Inventing A Super-Heroic MMO,where they'll discuss keeping their game interesting and fresh after all this time, and delve deeper into Going Rogue. For those who want to hang out later, the City of Heroes team is planning a meet and greet Saturday night for fans to visit with the panel members and possibly win some raffle prizes. The location and some other details are still coming, but the date and time are set, so CoH fans can mark their calendars for both the panel and the meet and greet. Check out the full details on the official site, and we'll see you at PAX! [Update: More details have been released on the meet and greet.]
Spy with the best: Join Massively for Global Agenda's launch! [Updated]
Readers, we're contacting you through an encrypted channel right now to deliver some very important information. Agent Schuster and Agent Brennan will be on deck for the launch of Global Agenda, ready to fight the Commonwealth at your side. Come Monday, log into Global Agenda and team up with Sera and Shawn to fight the good fight in both PvP and PvE strike teams. The dossier is still sealed on this mission, but keep an eye on this post and the encrypted T-Feed (@massively on Twitter) for the full information on how to link up with Apoc and Archangel on the day of the launch. We'll announce our play times and character names come Monday by updating this post, so just place a bookmark here and get your game all patched up. Take advantage of the early start while you're at it and get your characters leveled up for launch. This way our enemies will never know what hit them.
