The MMO industry moves along at the speed of information, and sometimes we’re deluged with so much news here at Massively Overpowered that some of it gets backlogged. That’s why there’s The MOP Up: a weekly compilation of smaller MMO stories and videos that you won’t want to miss. Seen any good MMO news? Hit us up through our tips line!
This week, Dark Age of Camelot tested a new RvR map, Perfect World International launched a new expansion, TERA released creepy cat mounts, EVE London is a go, and a ton of games dumped trailers at G-Star. Read on for the complete roundup!
Patches and tests
- Black Desert – The devs posted a sobering updated list of the countries and territories it will be servicing and those it will be IP-blocking. [Thanks, Thomas.]
- Perfect World International – PWE updated PWI with its War Front expansion. Expect the game’s first dynamic solo instance, cross-server nation wars, Treasure Island battle events, and several holiday events. (Video and pics are at the end of this article!)
- Xsyon – Welcome Stations arrived in a new patch; they “allow existing tribes to stage entrance areas for new players. New players arrive at these stations where they can find nearby quests and items for sale and where they can leave messages and apply for tribe membership.”
- Dark Age of Camelot – Broadsword introduced patch 1.119 to the Pendragon server, including major new RvR zone Ellan Vannin.
- Marvel Heroes – Magik is en route; she’s pre-orderable right now.
- Albion Online – There’s a new dev blog all about “nomming” — that is, farming, alchemy, and food! Even the icons look delicious.
Events and contests
- Ultima Online – Congrats to the winners of this player-run Halloween decorating contest.
- EVE Online – EVE London returns this year! Join up with this player-run meetup at Goodman’s Field Wetherspoons in Tower Hamlets, London, on Saturday, November 21st, from 11 a.m. local time onward.
- Champions Online – The Nighthawk event and mission tree has returned! MOP reader Mira reminds us that this event is a great way to pick up a sweet (and usually pricey) Batman-themed character for free. [Thanks, The Grand Nagus and Mira!]
- H1Z1 – Join Daybreak’s hand-picked player streamers for its Showdown event on December 12th. [Thanks, Kinya.]
Odds and ends
- Veteran MMO designer Raph Koster tweeted a graph he made based on Bartle test results. It’s mostly classic MMOs now, but still interesting! He also posted his Teaching to Fish talk from the Swedish Games Festival.
- The analysts at EEDAR have good news for those in the mobile business: The genre clocked in at $25 billion in 2015, with users rising to 1.5 billion players.
- Confused over the new gaming-related DMCA exemptions handed down last month? Gamasutra tried to sort it out.
- SOTA’s Richard Garriott spoke out on much-needed diversity in gaming design. “I would like to believe that my companies are very forward thinking, but most of our development teams are also white males.”
- WildStar PSA – Be careful when gifting! Posts on the official forums and Reddit suggest that items are going missing thanks to mailbox timeouts and won’t be reimbursed. [Thanks, Thor131 and Thomas.]
- War Thunder – Gaijin’s tank shooter will be included in the Alienware Steam Machine Bundle when it launches.
Videos
Late Show host and notorious geek Stephen Colbert made a few jokes at Actiblizz’s expense over its purchase of Candy Crush developer King. [via Kotaku]
TERA added new cat mounts to its cash shop. Very creepy ones.
Elite: Dangerous’ Horizons DLC is in beta!
Civilization Online brought a new trailer to G-Star. [via Steparu]
So did Arpiel Online. Its beta launches in South Korea on December 3rd.
And so did Master X Master – think of it as NCsoft’s Heroes of the Storm. Its open beta has been delayed into 2016.
More G-Star! This one’s from Hyper Universe Online. Steparu has even more vids.
Life is Feudal released a gameplay video and screenshot comparisons. Testing is on the way too! [Thanks, Robert!] The press release says,
More than just a visual upgrade though, the launch release also represents a tremendous leap forward in terms of gameplay, with the improved UI and crafting giving players better tools and knowledge to create, build, and become a vital part of the community.
As seen in the video, the physics-based combat of Life is Feudal: Your Own brings authenticity to the battlefield. Every swing and thrust, including the force of the attack, is controlled by a player’s movements, And, with no lock-on targeting, players must always be mindful of positioning; strategically maneuvering to out-flank opponents and maximize the momentum of attacks.
And don’t forget the aforementioned PWI: War Front; it’s got a launch trailer and new pics too.
