The ultimate massively multiplayer online role-playing game news source
Archive for April, 2009
Lineage 2: Enter To Win A Limited Edition Statue!
Apr 29th
MMORPG.com and NCSoft are pleased to bring you an exclusive contest offer in celebration of their latest expansion for Lineage II – Gracia Final! Enter and you could win one of 8 Lineage II statues! From now until May 29, 2009 @ 9PM EST you can enter the contest.
As with all contests at MMORPG.com, the more days you login to our website the better your odds of winning! (see official rules for details)
TO ENTER THIS CONTEST CLICK HERE!
Happy Birthday City of Heroes!
Apr 28th
NCsoft and City of Heroes fans celebrate the fifth anniversary of the first and longest-running comic book-inspired MMO game. As part of the celebration, Paragon Studios has confirmed that development is underway on Issue 15: Anniversary!
Issue 14: Architect, which released earlier this month, marked the first time MMO players have been given the opportunity to create and share their own custom missions and story arcs. By todays anniversary, just weeks after Issue 14: Architects release, players have created and uploaded more than 120,000 user-generated story arcs. With the upcoming Issue 15: Anniversary, Paragon Studios brings fans a host of new features and content that include more options and more usability for the Mission Architect game system. From new mission options for both Villains and Heroes, to new costumes and faces, Issue 15: Anniversary further builds on the innovation and customization of the Mission Architect tool.
Players ready to celebrate the City of Heroes anniversary can engage in a number of special festivities. By logging into the game within one month after todays anniversary date, players earn an in-game Five Year Badge. Players can participate in a host of in-game events, and a handful of Paragon Studios developers and members of More >
Competition on Gamesource.it – Hyborian Adventures
Apr 27th
Competition on Gamesource.it
Italian gaming website Gamesource.it features a competition where you can win 1 year subscriptions to Age of Conan and virtual items.
<img
src=”http://community.ageofconan.com/conan/frontend/files/CONTENT/ship_okz_08_big.jpg” alt=”" class=”featureImage”
/>
All you have to do to participate in this contest is to register to the Gamesource.it forums and answer five questions. You can find all the details on Gamesource.it.
EverQuest II: User Written Books Coming to EQ2
Apr 23rd
The folks at EverQuest II have posted an article on one of the new features that will be coming to EQ2 with Game Update 52, player authored books.
One of the upcoming features for GU52 is a new system that will allow players to write and distribute their own books in the world of Norrath. These books look and act just like the current books in the game. You can hold them in your inventory or place them in your house or guild hall for other players to read.
These user-written books can be obtained from a crafter and will start out blank. Any player can write in a blank book, but as soon as you write the first word you become the author of that book. From that point forward, only the author may edit the contents of the book.
The book window will display an “Edit” button whenever you read a blank book or a book you have authored. Clicking the edit button will reveal controls that allow you to enter text and see the layout from page to page.
Read more here.
Global Agenda: Fiction: The Utopian
Apr 22nd
Hi-Rez Studios has released this new piece of fiction based on their upcoming MMORPG, Global Agenda. The Utopian is written by Nathan Knaack.
Steven made a conscious effort to awaken several minutes before his alarm sounded every morning, creeping out of bed as quietly as he could to peer out the window at the street a few stories below. The immaculately cleaned road had never suffered an automobile on its surface, as most of the traffic in Commonwealth Prime was airborne, clogging the skies above the incredible city in a perpetual jam of personal vehicles, public transportation, and security patrols. Ground level was reserved for pedestrians, with narrow walkways punctuated by neatly trimmed gardens and every imaginable shape of abstract sculpture. Thick nationalist banners hung from so high up on each towering skyscraper that the morning haze would obstruct their origins, making it appear that they hung from the clouds themselves, unfurling to broadcast their message of loyalty and pride. Steven wasn’t interested in any of that, not the cleanliness and beauty of the metropolis, or the eerie complacency and ruthless efficiency of each passersby. All he cared to see was the single hovering garbage collection drone that would visit the More >
Venture into Hyboria - Win a Gaming Computer on ZAM.com – Hyborian Adventures
Apr 22nd
Venture into Hyboria – Win a Gaming Computer on ZAM.com
ZAM.com holds a competition where you can win great prizes such as a gaming computer, copies of Age of Conan as well as several free subscriptions to the game ranging from 30 days to 1 year.
<img
src=”http://community.ageofconan.com/conan/frontend/files/CONTENT/cimmeria_okz_05_big.jpg” alt=”" class=”featureImage”
/>
To enter, all you have to do is writing a short back story explaining how your MMO avatar made it to Hyboria. It can be serious, funny, or silly.
You can find all the details and information about the competition on ZAM.com.
Final Fantasy XI: Tips for Beginners
Apr 22nd
MMORPG.com Final Fantasy XI Correspondent Thomas Winkle writes this look at Final Fantasy from the eyes of a beginner, trying to clear up some of the confusion that might surround early stages of this unique MMO.
As a newcomer to the Final Fantasy series, I know as well as anyone that Final Fantasy XI can seem a little bit intimidating at first. Most avid MMORPGers are used to some sort of learning curve, maybe a tutorial to teach them about all of the different features that they’ll be using throughout the game. It could be a small storyline-based mission, similar to that of Star Wars Galaxies, or a more straight-forward tutorial, that teaches you exactly how to do what you’re going to be doing. Most MMO players are also used to quest markers appearing above NPC heads to tell us who exactly is needing what, and where to go. So, as you can imagine, dropping into a realm with no tutorial and no marked quests can be a little intimidating and even frightening for the regular MMOer.
Read Tips for Beginners
Win Age of Conan Subscriptions and In-Game Items on Big Stage – Hyborian Adventures
Apr 22nd
Win Age of Conan Subscriptions and In-Game Items on Big Stage
Big Stage runs the ’Crown Yourself King Conan’-Contest, where you can win a share of $1,000 in Age of Conan subscriptions plus in-game bonus items.
<img
src=”http://community.ageofconan.com/conan/frontend/files/CONTENT/55_aqwarrior_okz_big.jpg” alt=”" class=”featureImage”
/>
All you have to do is use Big Stage’s technology to embed a digital version of you into Age of Conan pictures and videos. Using three user-provided digital images, Big Stage’s web-based technology creates a 3D "@ctor," which can then be customized with accessories, such as an eye patch.
To participate in the contest you then share your Age of Conan-themed avatar with as many people as possible. The contest starts April 20, and runs until May 17.
The details about this contest can be found here.
Runescape: Zanaris Area Improvement Diary
Apr 21st
In the first dev journal in a series looking at the revamping of Zanaris, Runescape’s fairy area, the game’s art director takes us through the revamp’s concept phase.
Hi guys, I’m Mod Joe, RuneScape’s Art Director, and I’d like to give a rough overview of one of our graphical improvement projects. This will hopefully give you insight into how we choose projects for improvements and also take you through the different art departments that will then produce the final game assets. In this first part, I’ll talk about the concept stage. In the second part, we’ll go through modelling of game assets, such as creatures and scenery, then, in the third part, we will give you an overview of what it takes to bring things to life through the animation process.
The art team works very closely with the rest of the content developers, and when I heard that Mod Ingrid had been given the final part of the Fairy Tale trilogy to start briefing, my initial reaction was that we’ve gotta improve that area first. Zanaris itself had already undergone one graphical improvement a few years ago, but I think it’s important not to understate how much both the engine and More >
SOE Player of the Year 2009 Contest
Apr 21st
At 2009 Fan Faire, in addition to meeting fellow gamers and the creators of your favourite SOE games, you’ll also have the chance to be honoured as "SOE’s Player of the Year". The contest will run from April 17 through May 10, allowing you to go online and nominate the most dedicated SOE player (including yourself) for the title. Who’s deserving and why?
Do you know someone who is the poster child for your favorite SOE title? So dedicated to the game, he or she walks around with bloodshot eyes, sleep deprived, wearing his or her favorite wrinkled SOE T-shirt? Does this player stand out as the first person to go beyond the call of duty to help fellow community gamers in and out of the game? If so, you may have the perfect candidate, and we want to know more!
To enter the contest, simply submit a 300 word (or less) letter or role-playing story by e-mail to SOEContests@soe.sony.com explaining why this exceptional player deserves to be honored as Player of the Year. You may also include a link to an image (screen capture, artwork, video, or photo) to go along with your entry. See the Official Contest Rules for More >