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  • RuneScape launches companion app

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    12.23.2013

    RuneScape's got a new way to stay in touch your with friends who are outside of the game: the Companion app. RuneScape Companion is a versatile web app that can be accessed by just about any mobile device, tablet, or PC via the companion web page. The app currently functions as a chat interface between you and your friends, clan, or private conversation partners. Jagex is looking to expand the app's functionality in the coming year. While the companion app works great on many devices, there are a few that have yet to be invited into the club, such as the iPad Air and all Windows phones.

  • Massively's winter holidays MMO roundup

    by 
    MJ Guthrie
    MJ Guthrie
    12.21.2013

    The holidays are here! That means the hustle and bustle of the season is in full swing, with gifts to get, treats to taste, deals to nab, and plenty of festivities to partake in -- and that's just in the MMOverse! Yes folks, there's a plethora of holiday celebrations out there -- so many, in fact, that it can be hard to keep track of them all, let alone participate to them! If you're trying to catch everything in your favorite games, we're here to help. We've got a round up of the various winter celebrations across the gaming sphere all bundled together right here for you. If something catches your eye, hop in and join in the festivities!

  • Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items

    by 
    Beau Hindman
    Beau Hindman
    12.04.2013

    I love things. Truly I do. Only specific things, though. Over the last year I have doubled my efforts to catalog most of the best things in my life, from pictures and artwork to writings and songs I have played on. It's a sort of meta-hobby. As part of the effort I want to organize many of my favorite MMO in-game items, simply because I have played MMOs for so long and they are such a part of my life. I have a lot of favorite items, but some tend to stick out in my memory like a favorite smell or place. After I finished an initial list of MMO items (it was well over 50 items in the beginning), I was surprised at how much variety there was in the items and in the games I listed. I think it reflects my character a lot, but also shows that I am a sentimental plod most of the time. I cut the list down to these 10, but I am sure I will wish to adjust the list again in the future. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section!

  • RuneScape opens 2013 Premier Club, donates $90K to charity

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    12.03.2013

    If you've got the cash and interest to spare, then RuneScape would like to convince you to invest in one of its 2013 Premier Club packages. Jagex has unveiled its new limited-time Premier Club membership tiers, which offer extra goodies in exchange for committing to a multi-month subscription. The bronze package is $23.50 for three months, the silver is $44.50 for six months, and the gold is $86.50 for a full year. Extras include exclusive pets, bonus spins on the squeal of fortune, and access to a VIP server. Jagex congratulated the community on donating in-game wealth via the Well of Goodwill that was translated into a real-world donation by Jagex to several charities. The studio split $90,838 between seven charities. RuneScape also just added a level 92 slayer, the Airut, for players to defeat.

  • The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs

    by 
    Mike Foster
    Mike Foster
    12.03.2013

    Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea. We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore. It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring.

  • EVE Evolved: Donate your old spaceships to charity

    by 
    Brendan Drain
    Brendan Drain
    12.01.2013

    The Philippines recently suffered its worst natural disaster in living memory when typhoon Haiyan made landfall on November 8th, leaving over half a million people displaced and millions without food and basic supplies. Countries and organisations around the world have been sending relief aid into the region, and gamers have once again proven to be a generous bunch. Several livestreamers have been running donation drives; the developers behind Luvinia Online even promised to donate 100% of the income from three new in-game items to the Philippine Red Cross. EVE Online has now also joined in the fundraising by reactivating its popular PLEX for Good scheme. CCP started the PLEX for Good scheme back in January of 2010 as a way for players to donate in-game assets and ISK to help people in the real world. EVE Online players have collectively donated over $150,000 US in aid following 2010's Haitian earthquake, tsunami devastation in Japan, flooding in Pakistan, and tornadoes in the US two years ago. Players hope to smash all fundraising records this time around with dedicated fundraising auctions, events, and liquidation firesales happening across the game. There are even ways for ex-players without active subscriptions to donate their idle in-game assets to charity. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the PLEX for Good scheme, the fundraising efforts players are using to help out a country in need, and how you can donate your ISK to charity even if you've long since quit EVE.

  • Sixteen games that ease the MMO level gap -- and how they do it

    by 
    Beau Hindman
    Beau Hindman
    11.21.2013

    There's nothing I hate more than logging into an MMO, running across a friend, and being hit by the wall of levels that separates us. She might act as if she's OK hanging out with a newbie, but the truth is that she'd rather be off doing high-level things with her high-level buddies. If only there were a way for us to jump into combat (or anything else) together from the get-go! In many MMOs, that level gap is not an issue. There are a lot of creative ways to get around the problem, and some MMOs meet players more than halfway. Of course, there are a lot of MMOs that force players into a level-encased tunnel of grind, but today we want to shine some light on some of the ways MMOs help salve the level gap sting.

  • Free for All: Five MMOs that deserve more of my time

    by 
    Beau Hindman
    Beau Hindman
    11.20.2013

    There's only so much time in the world for playing video games. Yes, yes, I know it pains us to admit it, but it's true: We really can't sit around and explore MMOs all day long. Well, we could, but it probably wouldn't be very good for our relationships or health or finances. For me, this means that I have to balance playing MMOs for work and playing them for the sake of the hobby. I typically take one of my weekend days to jump into any number of MMOs. I might even spend a good hour just updating them all. Let me tell you, it's plain painful to log into an MMO and realize just how much good content, events, and player interaction I have been missing. I'm sure this is a common issue though, right? In today's Free for All, I want to take a look at five MMOs that deserve more of my time.

  • The Game Archaeologist: Classic servers and you

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    11.09.2013

    Sometimes players don't want progress into the future; they want to regress into nostalgia. I've always seen this undercurrent of desire for classic servers run through the MMO community, manifesting in lengthy discussions about how cool it'd be to play a game the way it was "way back when." I also imagine developers reading those discussions with a combination of shared nostalgia and anxiety over the work required for such a project. I can understand this desire. We form attachments to MMOs based on several factors, not the least of which are when we started playing the game and what we remember most from it. While we generally applaud the change brought about by content updates, bug fixes, expansions, and the like, there's always a part of us that won't let go of the past. That's where classic servers come into play. Here and there, studios have recognized and responded to this desire for gaming the way it used to be by creating servers that deliberately call back to the past. It might seem to fly in the face of common sense, but I don't think it's that strange when you look at the larger video game community and how strong nostalgia gaming has taken root there as well. So what do classic servers have to offer you and where can you find them?

  • Jagex upgrades RuneScape infrastructure after DDoS attacks

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    11.06.2013

    If you've been experiencing disconnections or prolonged lag while trying to play RuneScape lately, it's probably not just you. Service disruptions have been ongoing for "over a year now," according to a post on the game's official website. Jagex and its browser-based fantasy title have been "the target of numerous DDoS attacks," CEO Mark Gerhard writes. The motives "tie closely with removal of bots and gold farming," Gerhard says, before explaining that Jagex has just "made a multi-million pound investment" in IT infrastructure upgrades and is also working with global law enforcement "to bring the people responsible for these attacks to justice."

  • Jukebox Heroes: RuneScape's soundtrack

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    11.05.2013

    How much music does the average MMO contain? It depends, of course, but I doubt that many games are able to reach the number that RuneScape does. Are you ready for it? It's 982 tracks. I'm dead serious. It's not just that RuneScape has been out since the beginning of the internet but that the team continues to add new music regularly. It's really insane -- just check out this list of updates. What's even neater is that RuneScape treats its music as unlockable content, just like other types of rewards. So while you start out with 70 or so tracks in your in-game music player, you'll have to go to certain places or perform certain feats to get the rest. Why have I never heard of this before? That's brilliant! So obviously, even if I had all 982 tracks on my computer (which I do not), I'm not going to take a week off of work to review them all for you. I love you, but that love has limits. Instead, I've listened to perhaps a tenth of that (including the new stuff by Composer James Hannigan) and chosen a few tracks to share that I feel exemplify this MMO's score.

  • RuneFest previews RuneScape's 2014 additions

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    11.04.2013

    Jagex hosted its third annual RuneFest gathering in London over the weekend, and among the festivities was a sneak peek at what's in store for RuneScape in 2014. There's an invention skill on the way, as well as a mobile app that will allow extra-game communication. Upgraded matchmaking skills are planned, as is the second World Event, a master quest featuring the return of Zaros, and something called The Church of You. This last bit looks to involve achievements in some form as fashion, as Jagex's press release says that players "can start to amass their own followers" who will apparently "worship their in-game achievements." [Source: Jagex press release]

  • Try Old School RuneScape for free this weekend

    by 
    MJ Guthrie
    MJ Guthrie
    11.01.2013

    Plenty of RuneScape fans -- one million to be exact -- have been enjoying the nostalgia of the Old School servers that opened up last February. And now those who aren't paid members can get in on all the fun; Jagex is offering free access to everyone from now through Monday, November 4th. This event grants players the full member feature set for the duration of the weekend, just in time to participate in the holiday events (like going for the black Halloween mask, the first new one since 2002). All progress made during the weekend will be saved and stored so players can continue their adventures if they purchase a membership anytime in the future. Also on tap this weekend are the RuneFest 3 festivities (which players can catch via livestream) and the launch of the new PvP worlds. [Source: Jagex press release]

  • Jagex livestreaming RuneFest 3 on November 2

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    10.30.2013

    If you can't make to London's Tobacco Dock for next week's RuneFest 3, Jagex wants you to know that you can still follow all the RuneScape festivities thanks to RuneFest LIVE. Heck, even if you can make it, the event is sold out, so unless you've already got tickets you'll want to tune in. RuneFest LIVE is a livestream that starts at 11:00 a.m. GMT on November 2nd. In addition to all the usual convention coverage, Jagex says you can expect some new gameplay announcements and other reveals during the stream. Head past the cut to have a look at the teaser video. In other RuneScape news, the title now features the Well of Goodwill, which enables community members to give to charity using in-game wealth. Full details are availabe on the RuneScape website. [Source]: Jagex press release

  • RuneScape winning war on gold farming

    by 
    MJ Guthrie
    MJ Guthrie
    10.29.2013

    Gold farming is a pervasive plague throughout the world of free-to-play MMOs, but RuneScape appears to have developed a cure. Jagex has announced that the recent introduction of Bonds (an in-game item that can pay for account-related and out-of-game benefits) has nearly eradicated gold farming in the game, reducing it by 81% in only one month. COO Riaan Hodgson stated, "While we anticipated that the launch of Bonds would impact the flow of illegal wealth into the game, we are thrilled the initiative has resulted in such a strong and immediate impact." The impact of Bonds, however, goes beyond just significantly lowering gold farming; Bonds have opened up more benefits to more players via the Pay-through-Play initiative. Additionally, more than 10% of RuneFest attendees have paid for their tickets to the November 2nd event at Tobacco Dock using Bonds. [Source: Jagex press release]

  • RuneScape players will choose cards in themed Top Trumps game

    by 
    MJ Guthrie
    MJ Guthrie
    10.25.2013

    What's in the cards for RuneScape players? The chance to select which monsters and villains will appear in the newly announced themed Top Trumps card game, Monsters of RuneScape. Today Jagex announced a partnership with Winning Moves to produce the first card pack based on the game, a move that Neil McClarty, Global Marketing Manager for RuneScape noted would "expand the RuneScape brand and bring the game to new audiences." Starting today, registered players can participate in 15 daily votes on the official site to select their favorite monsters to include in the game. Do you think Kalphite King or Kalphite Queen should wear the crown as best monster? Who deserves a place in Monsters of RuneScape more, Vorago or Nex? Make your choices known, then watch for Monsters of RuneScape to launch before Christmas. The card game will be available for purchase in the game's online store. [Jagex press release]

  • 'Old School' RuneScape grows to 1M players, opens God Wars dungeon

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    10.23.2013

    The "Old School" version of RuneScape has proven to be a hit with players, growing to over one million users. Jagex trumpeted the milestone along with a new update to the game bringing back the God Wars dungeon. Executive Producer Phil Mansell thinks that this shows classic servers have strong appeal for the community: "Seeing RuneScape Old School hit the million player mark so soon after launch is a great milestone for the game, and our players have joined the celebration by voting for the game's most epic update to date." Over 89% of the playerbase voted for the inclusion of the God Wars dungeon, in which groups will face-off against four bosses for a shot at a legendary Godsword and other shiny gear. You can check out the dungeon video after the break. [Source: Jagex press release]

  • Free for All: The other side of MMO leveling

    by 
    Beau Hindman
    Beau Hindman
    10.23.2013

    As I pointed out in last week's column, I am more fond of spending money to obtain a high-level character than I am grinding out levels to gain one. As usual, I put out my opinion without considering how many people might take it the wrong way. To set the record straight and to give some evidence to the pro-leveling side of the argument, I would like to list off some of the reasons leveling is important. (Also in my opinion, of course.) While I did refer to leveling as drudgery, my opinion does not automatically set some universal definition. What can be drudgery to me can be bliss to someone else, and so -- because it is gaming -- the impact of leveling can be felt differently by different people. It's not science; it's opinion. Besides, it's not all drudgery anyway.

  • RuneScape introduces new Halloween-themed questline

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    10.15.2013

    Jagex has announced a spooky new quest released today for RuneScape's Halloween event. Missing, Presumed Dead introduces players to a new area, new puzzles, battles against the walking dead, gods, mortals, and a host of new rewards to sweeten the pot. The quest will also set the scene for a brand new core storyline in RuneScape's lore. It can be played through the game's new Bonds system that allows players to purchase membership with in-game gold. Check out the behind-the-scenes trailer after the jump and the official announcement for more information.

  • RuneScape 3 launches player-designed conclusion to epic quest series

    by 
    MJ Guthrie
    MJ Guthrie
    10.03.2013

    RuneScape 3 is at the tail end of a long-running, episodic quest series and the conclusion is launching this week. Dubbed Birthright of the Dwarves, this grandmaster quest actually has many elements that were designed and voted on by the players themselves. Earlier this year, players participated in a competition to design two of the main NPCs as well as offered suggestions via the forums for other elements for the questline. The result: Birthright of the Dwarves will include both physical battles and mental challenges, and the fate of the Dwarven kingdom rests solely on the players. This questline is also available to all players through the game's new Bonds system that allows players to purchase membership with in-game gold. [Source: Jagex press release]