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One Shots: Can't see your hand in front of your face
Normally, when it comes to One Shots, we prefer to leave them exactly as they're received. However, in the case of today's Wurm Online One Shots, if we didn't lighten it up a teensy bit, all you'd be able to see is a tiny pink moon and some shadowy outlines. Indeed, if you haven't taken care of building a torch in the game, you're likely going to land in a world of trouble -- or get stuck on a fence that's right in front of you and never know it. That said, Wurm Online is currently all the rage with a bunch of Massively staff and readers, such as Dan K. aka Tazuras, who writes in to explain this image: "After a perilous journey from The Hollow I finally arrived at Massively's village, Hindmania. After a long evening of framing my house and building a wooden fence, I stopped to admire the view looking down on the harbor." Are you exploring new lands? If so, we'd love to see screenshots of your adventures! Just send those to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing in the picture. Be sure your image is at least 1024px and has no visible UI elements. It could wind up being the next one we select and showcase here on Massively! %Gallery-112285%
MV Guide: January 3 - 10, 2011
Welcome to MV Guide, a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week the Massively staff will be logging in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel, visit. We'll have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of games to take a look at. During Livestream events, you can participate in the live chat to learn about the game, ask questions, and spend some time with Massively staff and readers. Worried about missing out due to your schedule? Don't worry, because we'll be Livestreaming at various times during the afternoon and evening both weekdays and weekends, so you're sure to find something great up and running at a good time! So if you're looking to check out some new games or see your favorite game from a new perspective, follow along after the cut for this week's installment of MV Guide!
The Daily Grind: What are your goals in a sandbox MMO?
One of the main attractions to sandbox MMOs is the wide freedom of choice, of exploration, and of goals that you can accomplish. In games from Wurm Online to EVE Online, players have reveled in the ability to make their own stories and carve out a slice of the world for their own use. So if you've ever played a sandbox MMO, what were your goals? What do you try to do when you set foot in a brand-new one? Do you quickly dive into crafting or strike out on bold adventures? Do you become a feared bandit of the forest or an avenging savior of the helpless? Do you see whether you can find the edge of the known world and then cross it? And if you've never experienced a sandbox MMO, what would you hypothetically do in one if you played it? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Free for All: The Immersion Project, a standard
In preparation for this week's article, I thought I would play through a few games to compare which ones might fit into the Immersion Ruleset. Instead of listing off several games and how a "normal" player might apply the rules to them, I decided to share a few examples of some of the best games that force immersion onto a player -- whether he likes it or not. Of course, this doesn't work for all people and all times. It might be a good idea to discuss how forced systems affect the game as compared to optional systems. As much as it pains me to say so (I am the biggest believer in allowing players to choose), forced immersion really does make a difference. When there is a standard, all players must abide by it -- no shortcut will do away with it. So, here are a few games that force a player to immerse himself into a game through a combination of systems, environment, and setting. Of course this might or might not be a good thing, depending on the player.
The Soapbox: Actually, it IS a land of rainbows and unicorns
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. My neighborhood is a perfect representation of the general MMORPG community. I walk my dogs around the block twice a day, so I have seen probably much more than any other community member would ever guess. You'd be surprised how much you miss if you don't get out and walk around the block. The cast of characters is always there: there are the old men who rise at precisely Retired o'Clock only to stand on their front lawns with hands in pockets, griping about the price of milk. I walk by and I can tell they want me to participate. Sure, they'll mention how pretty my dog is and might even ask how I'm doing -- but I know what they really want to talk about. Misery might love company, but frankly I think drinking milk is disgusting. There is one nimble old man, however, who jogs around the entire block at least twice a week. He's tall and lanky, but that doesn't stop him from flapping around the area in his too-old-for-those shorts. Let me be honest: Every time I see him, I fantasize that he is holding up his middle finger at those gripey old men as he passes them by. Meanwhile, most people are in their houses, laughing at the television and eating dinner. They are happy with life but busy living it. They don't say much and rarely leave the house.
Wurm Online adds new tutorial, hybrid F2P/P2P server
Wurm Online, the Java-based sandbox MMORPG from OneTwoFree AB, has undergone a bit of a Thanksgiving makeover. The game itself features a shiny new tutorial, while players now have access to the new Freedom server, a shard that integrates both paying customers and F2P types into a single space. Wurm features two account types, basic and premium, both of which may be created for free at the game's official website. Basic accounts function as an extended trial and feature limits on characteristics and skills (20) as well as faith and fervor (30). Basic accounts also cannot access The Wilds PvP server. "We think that it is best for the game if new players can play with the more experienced ones to learn the game and see the possibilities, and we have been taking a lot of precautions in order for this to work," says CEO and designer Rolf Jannson.
Rise and Shiny recap: Dark Age of Camelot
I wanted to start this week's first impressions of Dark Age of Camelot with a clarification. I want to make sure that everyone knows exactly what I mean when I say, "I did a first impressions on that game." You'll notice that most (if not all) of the time I use the words "first impressions" instead of "in-depth review." We don't do those here on Massively; even our weeks-long Choose My Adventure series isn't a traditional review. We don't assign numbers or use any sort of scale. And from the very beginning of this column, I have maintained that premise -- I take a look at a game for a week and report on what I experienced, not on what I read about or was pressured into experiencing. I'm keeping that premise alive with Dark Age of Camelot. Yes, I know about the RvR. Yes, I'm aware that it's crazy good and it's what the game is "all about" according to readers. Did I experience it during my week in the game? No. While I'm sorry to disappoint already-familiar fans of the game, my job is to cover the initial experiences of the game for those who have not experienced it. This is not a trip down memory lane as much as a request for players to try the game out. So, what did I think? Let's take a look.
The Perfect Ten: Halloween MMOs
We're only a few days away from Halloween, and already the Massively office staff is dressing up in anticipation. Shawn's post-apocalyptic gear is at odds with Rubi's tastefully modest Guild Wars Elementalist outfit. Greg's Squig is in the corner battling it out with Larry's Chewbacca. Bree is dudded up as a giant red corrective marker; Jef's free-to-play outfit requires microtransactions to view in full; and Kyrstalle is photographing it all with her Poloroid One-Shot camera. I think Eliot showed up in full plate armor and riding a mechanical bull, but that just may be his normal work attire. So as everyone else is goofing off in the spirit of the holidays, it remains to me, your lovable intern, to hack out a top 10 list in honor of All Hallow's Eve. It's the least I can do since they're paying me in candy. While every MMO incorporates horror at some point (even, yes, Hello Kitty Online's Cat-Tastrophie zone), and it's nearly impossible to escape a clutch of giant spiders in any game you visit, I've picked out 10 MMOs that best deliver a slice of October 31st. Some are old, some new, some canceled and some yet to come, but these are 10 of the spookiest MMOs in the world.
Free for All: How much for a ten-spot?
In this week's Free for All, I decided to check out some cash-shop games to see what I might get for 10 U.S. dollars. For the record, some games can be subscription-based and still have cash shops, and some games can have cash shops that have been redesigned and tweaked so that they do not fit into the same old "cash-shop" model. For clarity, I stuck to cash shops that normally pop up while you're in-game -- usually inside their own window. Sometimes, though, the cash shops might be accessed or found on the games' main websites, as well. It was hard to choose, being that I generally don't buy from cash shops any more. It takes a very special product (like Wurm Online's currency) to get me to pay, namely because I do not spend as much time in a single game as I used to. Actually, let me rephrase that before someone starts to write a comment based on that statement: I still spend a lot of time in certain games, like anyone else, but my pace has slowed. Most of the cash-shop items out there are convenience items -- simply time-travel devices that allow the player to speed up his experience. Since I have all the time in the world because of the free nature of these games, speeding up is not something I am interested in. So, let's look at a few cash shops to see what piqued my interest!
Wurm shows off post-summer update, teases epic server
Wurm Online, the free-to-play Java-based sandbox from OneTwoFree AB, has undergone a good-sized game update according to a news posting on the official website. The client has been tweaked to feature new graphics, sound, and code, all with the aim of polishing the game experience. In an email message sent out to players, the Wurm team also dropped hints about the forthcoming Epic server project. "It may be a good idea to return and wipe some rust off your RL skills before we open the Epic server since we expect something of a land rush and a mass return of old players. The release date is still to be announced, but make sure not to miss that event," says the message. Be sure to check out the full list of updates on the official Wurm website.
Free for All: Island of misfit games
Call me naive, or perhaps call me stupid. To be honest, I am not sure which one applies to me more. Perhaps I am a glutton for punishment, or at least I am very forgiving. Either way, I have a lot of fun exploring the edges of MMORPG gaming. I live to dig through websites, searching for a title I haven't heard of. Often I am a little more than surprised when I find a brilliant world tucked into one of the many gaming forums I visit, and I think "Why didn't you email me? Didn't you know I was looking for you?" I try to act as the filter that these tiny games couldn't afford. It's hard to get a well-written press release out of a team whose community budget consists of hardly enough to eat out for the weekend. Don't worry, I tell them, let me come to you. Someday, if I have anything to do with it, that tiny game will have enough players to pay for more patches and updates. See, I like misfit games. I like to give them a chance.
Free for All: Knowing my limits
I'm a 36-year-old gamer. My eyes, ears and lungs are not what they used to be. The decline started with art, something I have been doing since I was a small child. Then I added on heavy drumming for the last 23 years. Next, throw in gaming for the last 10 or 12 years. For good measure, add in a small case of asthma. For all intents and purposes, I have enough nerd cred to keep me in the club for life. Still, I would love to get rid of the migraines from eye strain and the aching tennis elbow. The asthma takes care of itself -- through exercise and avoiding smoking. Since I started writing for Massively, though, my eyes take on a lot more strain than they should, especially considering how defective they already are. So I've had to take steps to ensure that I'll be able to continue to write, and that I will be able to continue to write for a long, long time. Read on, and I'll tell you what I do and what games work for me.
Free For All: Ten misconceptions, two opinions -- part two
Recently I had an idea to send my MMORPG.com counterpart, Richard Aihoshi, an email requesting his input into my column. He has been very helpful and informative, and I am glad to say that he has taught me a few things. We ran through some ideas and decided to discuss 10 common (and undying) misconceptions about free-to-play games. He posted the first half of the discussion in his weekly column which can be read here. He has also written for Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine and is the former editor of RPG Vault. After the jump you will find the rest of the discussion points. I would like to highlight that, while the following points are commonly brought up to both Richard and me, more and more players seem to be accepting free-to-play as what it is: an option, and nothing more. These points are not an attack on subscription-based games or their developers, but are simply an attempt to butt two heads together in the hopes of clearing out the fog a bit. After all, we both receive many comments and emails regarding these misconceptions, so this list was shockingly easy to make.
Free for All: A sit-down with WURM's Rolf
If there is one thing I have had to grow accustomed to over the last year or so, it's my ever-increasing independent game snobbery. While some people maintain a beer-snob lifestyle and spend their time recommending way-too-pricey ales that simply taste like dirt, I spend my time trolling around forums and fan blogs looking for the next tiny game to spend my time in. I want the game to be duct-taped together, I want it to have a long history of tests and reboots, and I want it to come out shining on the other end -- a testament to the good ole' nerd drive to make a world both large and virtual. WURM Online is my current indie poster-child, an example to flaunt in peoples' faces when they insist on boring me with discussions of the same old classes and mechanics that have been used since the dawn of, well, '99 or so. I love to puff my chest and tell people about my virtual survival stories, forcing them to pretend to be riveted by my tales of farming, sawing lumber and getting lost in the woods. WURM, and its creator Rolf, are my version of Elvis Costello and Donnie Darko: an independent badge to wear proudly on my pocket protector. Join me past the jump for a brief history of the game, and some words from Rolf himself.
Free for All: A game for every mood
At any given time, I have between 30 and 40 different MMORPGs sitting on my desktop, waiting for me to click their shortcut. There have been moments when I would stare at them while suffering from "gamer overload" and then end up getting up from the desk to go watch Adventure Time instead. Usually, though, I am making progress in a certain game or area and will log into that world to complete a few more steps or will log in to do some maintenance such as farming fields, pruning auction house items or loading AFK shops. This lifestyle is not suited for the weak of wrist, or for those who want to do the same thing in the same game, over and over. It's also not for those who think that a monthly fee will somehow inspire you to play more out of obligation. Contrary to what you might think, this nomadic gaming lifestyle is not the result of too many boring games and one bored gamer, but instead is the result of too many fantastic games and one overexcited nerd. That's what I love about the world of free-to-play: the sheer variety and accessibility of so much great content.
Free for All: Introducing my trade route
There isn't a game in existence that will perfectly match every type of player. I have found that even my favorite games of all time could do with some tweaking, which is not the fault of the developer. No game-maker can read our minds, and there will always be limits on technology that will hamper the MMO creative process. But let's not forget the tools that are provided by developers, even within simple games. In almost every game I play, I try to apply some section of the Immersion Rules, a set of guidelines I made a few years ago that dictate how I interact with the world and other players. It's not a rigid set, though, and I am always bending it to a particular game or style. Lately I've been determined to assign my characters, in all my games, some sort of job to make money with. It could be an adventurer, a collector, or in the case of Mabinogi, a trader. This week I wanted to show you how I do it, so that you might find some inspiration to assign your own character a task or two!
Free for All: My top five F2P games
You know, I think I have a pretty clear mission here at Massively. I want to do my part to point out anything different or fresh to help keep this special genre of entertainment going in a good direction. If I can introduce 20 people to five new games, then I think I did a pretty good job. It can be a pretty rough trip, sometimes, as I wade through horribly designed websites and illegible fonts to fish up some independent gem or two. Over the last few years, I have discovered that my playstyle has changed to meet the demands of my curiosity. The games that I enjoy the most allow me to come and go, like a faithful dog that meets me after a long days work. They have to meet certain criteria, and even then have to be flexible enough to bend to my MMO ADD. So, here's a short, very short, list. This is the hardest list to write, not because it is hard to fill, but because it is almost impossible to cut off. Read on and see if you agree with my top five favorite free-to-play MMORPGs. (In no particular order.)
PC Gamer's reader poll honors EVE as the #3 PC game of all time
Reader polls always tend to be an exercise in popularity, bucking conventional wisdom and surprise upsets -- and perhaps never so much as a recent annual PC Gamer poll that asked readers to rank the top 100 PC games of all time. EVE Online scored a surprising #3 spot on the list (falling from last year's #2 position), behind only Fallout 3 and Half-Life 2. This certainly is a testament to EVE's devoted and outspoken fans. Several other MMOs appeared in the top 100, including World of Warcraft (#10), WURM Online (#20), World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (#25), Lord of the Rings Online: The Mines of Moria (#31), Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (#36), RuneScape (#45), Guild Wars (#72), World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (#97) and EverQuest (#100). Of course, reader polls should always be taken with a grain of salt (mmm... salty goodness), as large organizational efforts and promotion from one studio or group of fans is often enough to create a skewed result. Still, it's a decent list, and terrific to see so many MMOs given the top honors.
Free for All: A look at WURM Online
WURM Online is no ordinary MMORPG. Sure, we have seen some systems like this in a few other games and are seeing more games come out that promise features like this, but WURM has a charm and a community that make it second to none. Essentially it is a game of survival, pitting the player against themselves. There are many ways to die but those can be avoided if you use your head and practice some patience. I have a short history with the game, recently playing it with my social network site and for my blog, but after a few months break I decided to check out some of the changes that came along. There have been some tweaks to character models (which are essentially slightly animated dummies) and improvements to performance (the game runs in JAVA) but it was nice to see some of the same buildings still standing and to hear the familiar sounds of sawing and wolves howling.
Wurm Online releases rockin' trailer
Last month we reported on a contest thrown by the developers of Wurm Online regarding lyrics needed for the racial theme songs. If that competition didn't quench your inner bard, head on over to their main site and check out the game's new trailer just released this weekend. It shows off some of the features in the game including grouping, building, fighting monsters and generally lots and lots of landscape panning. Plus, you'll have that theme song in your head the rest of the day, whether you want to or not./airguitarDespite the release of this trailer now, the game has actually been around for awhile. Earlier this month they celebrated their two-year anniversary. This feat is highlighted by the fact that it is basically run by one person and a team of global volunteers. Their funding comes almost entirely from premium subscribers (there is an option to play for free), but their low overhead has helped the game thrive for this long.
