massively-features
Latest
Gen Con 08: Turbine tells us what's in store for Asheron's Call
At Gen Con, we spoke with Turbine's Andy Cataldo, the Community Manager for Asheron's Call, about the future of this historic game. Cataldo told us a lot about AC's epic 100th update. The update is coming within the next few weeks, and it's a doozy. According to Cataldo, AC players will get a whole new faction system, three land areas to battle over, tons of new loot and spells, and various other improvements to the game, particularly to enemy AI.In addition to working its regular monthly event and patch schedule, Turbine is attempting to respond to player demand for a variety of new features in the 100th and all future updates. Particular emphasis is being placed on adding features common in modern MMOs, such as a quest tracking menu. AC has been around for almost ten years, so it has some catching up to do!Learn more about Turbine's big push to modernize the game, add lots of new content, and more in the interview after the break.
Massively catches up with Dungeons and Dragons Online at Gen Con
Gen Con is rolling along this weekend in Indianapolis, and Turbine is there showing off their upcoming release of Module 8 in Dungeons and Dragons Online. Massively dropped in on their show floor booth to see what they had to see and chat about the brand new character creation system coming to the game, as well as upcoming enhancements, including an increased level cap and maybe even a chance to see Khorvaire in DDO.Our interview and demo starts after the break, and you can check out the pictures we got of the new content in the gallery below. Good things ahead for D&D fans, especially new players to the game. %Gallery-29742%
The Gaming Iconoclast: Deity not included
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.- Judy Bloom(Hey, just be glad you didn't get another Neitzsche quote*)The fantasy-based worlds our characters inhabit are, almost without exception, richly steeped in legend and brimming with lore. This is doubly true for those that have come to parturition after having existed outside of the digital realm. Frequently, the book or books upon which they are based feature the prominent (occasionally bordering on overwhelming) presence, if not direct and outright influence, of the God or Gods the characters worship... or at least call upon to save their bacon once in a while.Having been so much a part of the lives of the inhabitants of these universes, at least before they found themselves to be at our command, the relegation of these heretofore great cosmic forces to the essential position of role-playing wallpaper at best is puzzling, the occasional trimming of an Elder God's Toenail notwithstanding. In all these worlds full of powerful wizards channeling arcane energies and hurling bolts of numinous fire at their enemies, or healers using their connection to the divine to aid their allies -- some of whom are called Priests outright -- where are the Gods themselves? And, more to the point, where is the role of religion in the characters' lives?
Last Week on Massively: WoW-related stories
Regular columns dominate this week's listing of WoW-related content on our sister site Massively. You can click on the links below or subscribe to a special WoW-only Massively feed.Behind the Curtain: Immediacy in PvPCraig Withers likes to PvP in a tabletop game, but not WoW. Why not? Read his current Behind the Curtain column to find out what's lacking in Blizzard's version of mortal combat.WAR vs WoW: Keen and Graev compare Keen and Graev's blog has started early in the comparison of World of Warcraft and the upcoming Warhammer Online. See what our own Kyle Horner has to say about what's sure to be a hot topic this year. Another rumor regarding Blizzard's love affair with consolesA recent demo of a new console game resulted in a comment leading to speculation: is WoW coming to a next-gen console near you?Behind the Curtain: More Plot PleaseHow much plot is needed to make an MMO enjoyable? Chris Chester poses that question, and his own answer in his weekly column, Behind the Curtain.Building a Better MMOusetrap: Adventures in babysittingGuilds are an essential part of every MMO. In his Building a Better MMOusetrap column, Dave Moss explores ways that Blizzard and other game developers can make guilds even better.As the Worlds Turn: Ramblings of a mad manAdam Schumacher uses this week's As The World Turns column to present his wish list to Blizzard and other MMO developers detailing what he'd like to see this year in MMOs.MMOGology: Keep it simple, stupidMark Nottke has been playing a lot of Dungeon Runner. In his weekly MMOGology weekly column, he compares the simplistic quest, interface and content to WoW's system and you may be surprised at his conclusions.
