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The Soapbox: Remembering that games are games
I think it's safe to assume that we all love games. If we didn't, I wouldn't be in this crowded, noisy coffee shop writing this and you wouldn't be blowing off some sort of important responsibility reading it. We're all here together, engaged in this somewhat-anonymous internet back-and-forth, because games have touched our lives. It sounds corny, but it's true. For many of us, games have a deeply personal and specific meaning. We like the games we like not so much for their craftsmanship or content but for the way they engage our minds and spirits. Games create incredible, irreplaceable moments infused with emotional resonance, and it's only natural we would feel some sort of personal connection when a piece of digital entertainment syncs just right. It is precisely this personal connection that leads many of us to act like total morons.
World of Tanks rolls out Chinese armor for Update 8.2
In today's installment of world-conquering updates to World of Tanks, Wargaming has announced details for a new line of Chinese tanks. Update 8.2 will bring to the game 17 armored vehicles (some that never saw production) plus the Chinese tech tree that will consist of modified versions of the Soviet, French, British, and American tanks. Because Chinese tanks were mostly modifications of existing foreign tanks, they represent the best traits of each, including the maneuverability of the Americans, the accuracy of the Brits, the rapid firing of the French, and sheer power of the Soviets. Update 8.2 will also bring an overhauled rendering and lighting system to four maps in addition to five new tanks to the American tech tree. Be sure to check out the gallery below with the tech tree, screenshots, renders, and artwork, and a video trailer after the cut.%Gallery-96260%
World of Warplanes CEO sees market as the 'Wild West'
Wargaming.net's Victor Kislyi is never short on words when it comes to either talking about either his studio's games or the advantages of the free-to-play format. In an interview with GamesIndustry, he said that the global market is a "Wild West" and offers unlimited opportunities -- if companies can find their niche, that is. "The market for such games is endless, it's a blue ocean," he said. "The beauty and the curse is you have to be very, very good, because you can't fool people." Admitting that World of Tanks "looked like crap" when it first launched, Kislyi said that the company worked hard to bring it up to par with the games of today, not of 2008. Wargaming.net has come to a point that it's not as concerned about raking in money. Kislyi noted that Japanese and Russian players were the most willing to spend money, while Chinese players tended to be more tight-fisted with funds. In regard to World of Warplanes, he talked about challenges of balancing fun, quick action with an accurate flight model. In fact, getting the controls right is the reason Wargaming.net is holding off from stating a release date: "We have two or three parallel control scheme groups developing their own variants. You need to make the controls perfect. You have to find the right balance between making the game historically accurate, and at the same time, fun."
World of Tanks Veteran's Day tournaments will support veterans charities
Recently, we learned of Wargaming.net's support of historic preservation; now the maker of World of Tanks is offering a special e-sport event to support veterans in honor of Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day. In November, WoT will host Veteran's Challenge, a series of three separate tournaments -- one each for tiers four, six, and eight. Winners of the top two tiers will receive cash prizes. How much? That depends on all of the game's players! The cash prize will start at $30,000 and increase for each player over 30,000 that logs in. But folks logging into the game will do more than just fill the coffers of a few tournament winners, they will also directly influence the amount donated to five different veteran-focused charitable organizations. Wargaming.net will take the number of concurrent users at its peak and convert it to a cash donation, splitting the amount between the organizations. One note: All tournaments will be run concurrently, so teams can only sign up for one of the three. For full details or to sign up, visit the official Veteran's Challenge announcement. [Thanks to RMS_Gigantic for the tip!]
Why I Play: World of Tanks
I am not good at video games. It's really no secret -- anyone who's ever tuned in for one of my livestreams can confirm that I spend much more time blown up and in the process of being blown up than triumphantly dominating the battlefield. That's just what happens when I'm responsible for my own survival. So you'd think that a game like World of Tanks, in which victory is based heavily on your skill with a massive gun, would be a turn-off for me. After all, where's the fun in sitting in a smoldering heap while your team attempts to make up for your buffoonery? What exactly is enjoyable about getting repeatedly reduced to scrap metal? Sit back a spell and I'll tell you. This is why I play World of Tanks.
World of Tanks patches in the Royal Tank Corps
Tally-ho, tank drivers! If you've had a stiff upper lip waiting for Wargaming.net to bring to you more British vehicular goodness, then today's the day that Jerry will rue your name! The studio announced that it's pushed World of Tanks' Update 8.1 out of the door, and with it a whole mess of new armored vehicles from the Royal Tank Corps. Update 8.1 introduces 22 new vehicles from the British, including heavy, medium, and light tanks. The British medium and light tanks have an advantage in speed, although they lack the punch of their contemporaries. Players will also find better-looking areas for several of the maps when the game finishes patching. The update is currently available for European players and will make its way to North America tomorrow. You can check out the update trailer after the jump! [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks claims Golden Joystick's best MMO award
The 30th edition of the Golden Joystick Awards is in the books. Yep, the venerable video game awards ceremony really has been around since 1982, and this year's event at London's Westminster Park Plaza hotel featured some big names from across the gaming spectrum. Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim opus walked away with the ultimate game of the year trophy, while best MMO went to Wargaming.net's World of Tanks.
PointMMO goes into open beta
Despite what the name may have you believe, PointMMO is not a game but a digital distribution service specializing in online RPGs. Today the site announced that it has transitioned into open beta for those looking to test out its system and features. Currently, PointMMO's library is rather anemic, with its most well-known titles being World of Tanks, Age of Conan, Anarchy Online, and Allods Online. Some of the game pages include mentions of special promotions for signing up through the service, such as an Anarchy Online leets giveaway. PointMMO claims to offer the fastest way to get into MMOs with its downloader and comes with several social options that are integrated with Twitter and Facebook. The service is currently available only in North America, although the company plans to expand into Europe in 2013.
Choose My Adventure: You decide the MMO and how I play it
It's finally time for my second round of Choose My Adventure. The last time I helmed CMA, Lineage II was top pick, and I had a lot of fun with it. I took tons of screenshots and video to keep you in the loop as to my progress, and you can expect the same, whichever game is chosen this time. MJ's turn with The Secret World was a lot of fun to read and follow. She even livestreamed some of her shenanigans... I mean, adventures. You can bet I'll be playing with one finger over the PrtScn button and livestreaming some of my adventures as well. I hope to make this a multimedia extravaganza of epic proportions. Take a look through your choices and vote, vote, vote. And make sure to get those votes in by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday the 21st!
GDC Online 2012: Flying high with World of Warplanes
Wargaming.net CEO Viktor Kislyi is a busy man in charge of one of the fastest-growing online studios in the world. Since the launch of World of Tanks and its rise to superstar status, Wargaming.net has grown to encompass 1,200 people in 11 offices around the world. Half of these are developers on the studio's three main projects, while the other half run support for the highly lucrative World of Tanks. With World of Tanks under their belts, Kislyi and his team are preparing to press the starter switch for World of Warplanes. If you haven't paid much attention to it yet, perhaps you should, particularly if you're a fan of flight simulators. World of Warplanes covers the early days of air combat from 1930s-era biplanes to Korean War jet fighters. We grabbed a few minutes of Kislyi's time at GDC Online this week to see how World of Warplanes was shaping up and whether there were any new surprises that the team was prepared to reveal at the event. Read on, flyboys and flygirls!
Security breached in PlaySpan hack, multiple games affected [Updated]
Some MMORPGs have been affected by a security breach at PlaySpan. User IDs, encrypted passwords, and email addresses for the players of multiple unconfirmed MMOs have been compromised, according to Develop. Upon detecting the breach, PlaySpan locked all accounts and closed the PlaySpan Marketplace. The company is asking users to reset their passwords while the firm investigates the hack; it also encourages folks urges folks to reset passwords on other websites as a precaution. A PlaySpan spokesperson stated, "We sincerely apologize for any frustration or inconvenience this incident has caused our customers. We know PlaySpan's business depends on consumer trust. Security is a top priority for us, and we are redoubling our efforts to strengthen PlaySpan's overall system security." [Thanks to Chris for the tip!] [Update: We've removed EVE Online, Guild Wars, and RuneScape from the list of compromised games as they were not affected as Develop originally reported. CCP has released a statement denying that it shares customer information with PlaySpan; ArenaNet has likewise posted that it does not use PlaySpan for its games. Turbine has likewise confirmed that contrary to rumor, "Turbine game accounts are not connected to the Playspan Marketplace".]
Hands-on with World of Tanks' patch 8.0
World of Tanks is one of the biggest MMOs in the world, boasting over 40 million registered users and a record peak concurrency of around 500,000 players. The game is simple on its surface: Two teams of tanks head out into a variety of battleground maps, then blow the heck out of each other until a base is captured or one team is obliterated. However, deep tech trees, customizable ammo and supply loadouts and dozens of tanks across five tank types make for an experience with plenty in the way of personalization and flexibility. Wargaming.net, the developer of World of Tanks, keeps players engaged with frequent content updates. Most of the time, these updates contain small tweaks. Other times, they reinvent the game from the ground up. The recently released patch 8.0 falls into the latter category, so I hopped into World of Tanks to see what changes Wargaming.net hath wrought.
World of Tanks' 8.1 patch to feature British heavy armor
Things are looking lively around the Wargaming.net offices. What with World of Tanks' recent 8.0 update as well as the news that 40 million people have registered accounts with the company, these are the salad days for the action MMO studio. Now comes word of WoT's next patch, and 8.1 is bringing with it a whole slew of British heavy armor. "The Brits invented the first tank, pioneering the evolution of the whole industry, and it's an honor for us to greet them in World of Tanks," says producer Mike Zhivets. The patch will allow players to master everything from the Vickers Medium Mk I to the heavyweight FV 214 Conqueror as well as the legendary Churchill tanks. No release date has been set as of yet, but you can learn more at the official WoT website. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks sets new PCCU record, boasts 40 million registered users
OK, let's start with the standard disclaimer. Registered users doesn't mean active users, and in today's free-to-play climate it certainly doesn't mean paying users. That said, 40 million of anything is a fairly staggering amount, and it just so happens that Wargaming.net has 40 million registered users for its World of Tanks title. The game has also set a new peak concurrent user (PCCU) record thanks to over 500,000 players simultaneously connecting to its Russian shard. World of Tanks recently released its 8.0 patch which brought about a physics and lighting overhaul. Head to the official website to check out the game for yourself, or tune in to Massively TV this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EDT to watch us play. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks rolls out improved physics and lighting
World of Tanks is getting a little bit shinier and a lot more realistic today. The game's new Update 8.0 includes an overhaul of the physics and lighting of the game. Wargaming is calling this the "most important upgrade since the game's release." In addition to more realistic physics and improved lighting, Update 8.0 is bringing in new optimization for the UI, better rendering, adaptive camouflage, and new minimap functions. Four new tank destroyers are gracing the branches of the USSR tech tree, and the Matilda Black Prince, the first premium British machine, is available for purchase in the in-game shop. Skip below the cut to see how the new physics engine will change your gameplay. [Source: Wargaming press release]
One Shots: Wings
Resident Massively Aion columnist MJ Guthrie could sum up the best reason to play her favorite MMO in just one word: wings! That's something reader Leandra plainly echoes in today's featured One Shots submission. She sent us this image of her character soaring through Aion along with this note: I've been toying around with Aion a bit and took my baby Chanter, Elanyne, for her first flight through the Abyss. I kept an eye out for Elyos, but thankfully (though somewhat disappointingly), I was able to quest in peace. I guess I'll have to level up more and then go looking to pick some fights! You red, you dead -- that's what I always say! Leandra's flight and a few other reader screenies are tucked beyond the break.
Previously on MV TV: The week of September 15th
Ah, what a week in livestreaming for the Massively crew! Luckily, no one was discouraged by the fact that I was unable to stream my usual amount because I was waiting on a new PC to arrive. What brave soldiers, what fearless souls! I begged them to go on without me, and... well, they did. Pretty easily, actually. Be sure to bookmark our livestream schedule page so you won't miss another! Anyway, what did we do on to stream? Well, tons of stuff. I took some of the very best streams from last week and assembled them in one easy-to-swallow pill. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and watch the wackiness! Like what? Like Richie taking on some more Guild Wars 2 in beautiful HD; MJ leaping bravely into The Secret World, EverQuest II, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, City of Heroes and Aion; and Mike PvPing in EVE Online and World of Tanks. I rounded things off with my one stream of the week: a look at IMVU, a social MMO for those who really, really like to go goth.
How Wargaming.net launched itself to the top
Wargaming.net got its real start the day IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer beat Garry Kasparov at chess. Viktor Kislyi, Wargaming.net's CEO, came to the conclusion that civilization had moved on and that computers were the future. His first game, made over the course of two years with his brother and played by only two other people on the planet, was Iron Age, a turn-based strategy game in the traditions of Risk and Civilization. After that, Kislyi worked on translating the miniature wargame De Bellis Antiquitatis to the virtual (but still historically accurate) world. After the success of DBA, Kislyi and those around him created the Massive Assault games, Galactic Assault, and Order of War. After that, development for World of Tanks began, although in the early days, it was a drastically different game. The game began as a "fantasy arena style battle game," but circumstances intervened, and eventually World of Tanks as we know and love it was born. Want to brush up on your history? PC Gamer has the full details of the rise of Wargaming.net. There'll be a quiz.
Previously on MV TV: The week of September 1st
This week I have quite the selection of tasty video tidbits for you to enjoy. What better way to spend the weekend than staying inside away from the nasty pollen and wasps, watching amazing gameplay videos hosted by yours truly and his band of fellow pixel-heads? That's right! You don't even have to buy MMOs anymore! By simply clicking on the "continue reading" link below, you step into an expansive world of MMO exploration, teeming with sights and sounds unlike you have ever seen or installed before! Why should you go through the trouble of standing in line, purchasing a box, spending two days installing it on your massive PC, pulling up that huge plastic chair, waiting for the game to patch, and attempting to make a character who doesn't look like a 17 year-old pop-punk band member only to find that you suck at PvP? The simple answer to your problem is to watch us play ALL OF THE GAMES! Which games, you might ask? Well, this week I have some Piggy action as he streams Fallen Earth, followed by Richie with some Guild Wars 2, Mike with some more EVE Online, World of Tanks and Tribes: Ascend. And I follow it all up with a trip through Wurm Online to view the mystery behind the Puzzles deed and then chat with Illyriad CEO James Niesewand about his game's new patch! Check it out!
Choose My Adventure: Beware the Bard edition
All the world's a game, and all the men and women are merely players. Shakespeare was really onto something there, even if he flubbed a word a bit. Folks who try to deny their participation in games are just fooling themselves! What are games, after all, but progression in a given world? Some people are just so boring that they stick to only one world. We know better, though, don't we? We choose ours from a myriad of options! Or, as in this case, you Choose My Adventure. I will admit, I have been in the wings, eagerly awaiting my next casting call. Twice now you've sent me on amazing adventures, and I've had a blast! And finally, it's my turn to take the stage again. So what will I star in this time? Will it be a military epic, a space adventure, or a flight of fantasy? My big comeback is in your hands! Peruse the list below and follow your muse to choose which world I will spotlight for the next six weeks. Just be sure to have your vote in by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday the 9th. And don't forget to stay tuned to the MV Guide over the coming weeks to watch the adventures unfold on Massively TV!
