The week in Massively features

The 10 Commandments of EVE
EVE Online tends to appeal to MMO players who like the depth and complexity of a sci-fi game where players have the freedom to act as they wish in a vast galaxy. But that freedom comes with a price; EVE can be a harsh setting, particularly for newer players trying to get a handle on the game.

The Digital Continuum: Memoirs of a WAR beta tester
I've given my thoughts on the Dark Elf section of Warhammer Online, but now that the whole NDA is lifted I can finally speak about my experience with the beta as a whole. I've been in it for a long time. A really long time, in fact. We're talking about, well, since the thing started. Which gives me something more to say than the typical tester talking about this game.

Urban exploration in MMOs
Urban exploration and free running are activities normally associated with the real world. In recent years, however, MMOs such as Everquest 2, Age of Conan and World of Warcraft have become a digital stage for the arts. With entire new virtual worlds to explore, no risk of injury and no physical fitness required, it's understandable that many would-be free runners are going digital.

PAX08: WAR's Paul Barnett and Jeff Hickman interviewed
On the first day of PAX08, we sat down with Mythic Entertainment's Jeff Hickman and Paul Barnett to discuss several different topics concerning Warhammer Online. We've covered the game very extensively to put it lightly, so for this go-around our goal was to mix things up a bit for the dynamic duo of Jeff and Paul.

Basic team dynamics in City of Heroes
City of Heroes is still taking on players at a healthy rate, and remains one of the most well-loved games on the market. It doesn't work quite like some other games, though, and new players will find it useful to be aware of the differences. If you're used to games where the tank-healer-DPS trinity is dominant, then you'll have to unlearn, as the little green guy put it.

The Digital Continuum: Five attention-stealing MMOs
Throughout this year there hasn't really been an MMO released that's became a stand-in for my main game, which I actually don't even have as of right now. So with the summer's end nearing, I thought a look six or so months into the future releases would be an interesting topic.

EVE Visual Guide: Before you undock
There are a few essential things any pilot in EVE Online should do before they undock from a station and get themselves into a potentially hostile situation. Come to think of it, anytime you undock there's at least some chance of hostility. Keeping that in mind, think of this as a visual checklist you should go through before entering space, as you're not only risking your ship, but your skillpoints if you bite off more than you can chew. This happens all too often, to novice and veteran pilots alike in EVE. So to help you avoid this fate...

Ask a WAR Beta Tester: Laying the groundwork
Today we're going to take a first crack at what was asked last week. We're going to take care of some of the most basic questions, clarifying things like server balance, armor differentiation, and whether the game is any fun at all for non-Warhammer IP fans.

Massively's guide to the LotRO vanity pets
If you've ever seen one of those cute little vanity pets running around your Lord of the Rings Online server, following closely to their brave masters as their extreme cuteness contrasts against the bloody screams of battle, you may have been curious as to how they're obtained. That is, besides the Auction Hall, of course.

Making/Money: Economic Equilibrium is MIA
When I first started playing MMOs I was in college. I'd bounced from major to major but ultimately settled on Economics (from a starting point of Medieval and Renaissance Studies - how'd that happen?). Like other economists in games like EverQuest and Ultima Online, I was thrilled to find a lively economy and interested to apply classical economic models in the study of it. The most basic of these models is the typical supply and demand curve.

EVE Evolved: Setting up your overview, part 2
In part 1 of this guide, I examined the usefulness of the overview system in EVE Online and explained the various customisation options available to players. In this final part of the guide, I look at the best ways to set up your overview for PvP, mission-running and a few other tasks. No matter what you do in EVE, this guide should offer some helpful hints and tips on getting the most out of this useful tool.

Fan Faire 08: Exploring Hoth and the Star Wars Galaxies heroic encounters
SOE's Fan Faire had a number of excellent events and panels that had nothing to do with the new EverQuest expansions. One such panel was a chance for the makers of Star Wars Galaxies to lay out some background on the high-end experience for all players in the game: Heroic Encounters. These unique missions were added in Chapter 7, and feature some of the most 'Star-Warsy' moments players can experience inside the SWG game world.

News from the Wider MMO World: August 26, 2008
The MMO genre is more than World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online. Here's what's going on in the rest of the world.

Ask a WAR Beta Tester: Greenskins and Chaos and Dark Elves, oh my
The road to Wahammer Online's release has been a lengthy walk for everyone. We've all been through ups and downs, but now that it's almost here we're more than happy to answer whatever questions are floating about your minds. So, in our second installment of Ask a WAR Beta Tester, we offer up some insight into the cut careers, leveling time and other questions of intrigue.

The Hyborian Backpackers' guide: Wild Lands of Zelata
The Hyborian Backpackers have returned to guide you through another of Age of Conan's expansive zones. Last week we ventured across Conall's Valley, and for this next tour, we have moved to another of the game's earlier areas, the Wild Lands of Zelata. Flip through our gallery guide to see our snapshots of all the major locations, find out where to pick up your quests, preview some of the bigger and meaner monsters, and to learn what exactly a Zelata is.

Ask Massively: Second chances in MMO's
I'm feeling a bit cranky these days, so for this week's Ask Massively, I thought that I'd give you all my unvarnished opinion instead of kissing your collective backside in order to generate a few more page hits. Get your claws out for this one, folks. This nugget of truth is going to hurt a little.

First Impressions: Atlantica Online
Welcome to our First Impressions of NDOORS' Atlantica Online. Although it's in its third round of its closed beta, it's functional enough to talk about, and deservedly so. It's not the only MMOTBS -- massively multiplayer online turn-based strategy -- currently on the market, but it's got a high level of polish and a lot of potential. Let's dig in.

A sightseeing tour of the Imperious Task Force in CoX
When City of Heroes Issue 12: Midnight Hour came out, it brought with it a new co-operative Task Force that many players thought was the best yet. Its popularity hasn't waned at all; there are still groups running it at all hours of the day.

EVE Visual Guide: The Birth of New Eden
The backstory of EVE Online is one of the game's major strengths. Not all players immerse themselves in the setting, which is a shame as the backstory -- built up over years -- is rich. No epic science fiction tale is without a grand struggle, and the story of EVE is one of the corrupting interplay of high technology and the power it brings, generation upon generation.