buy to play

‘Buy-to-play’ is a term that refers to games that have box or download fees associated with them but do not incur a mandatory subscription. Some have optional subscriptions and are more properly referred to as hybrid B2P. Most have cash shops and microtransactions.

We don't mean anything bad!

Vague Patch Notes: Crime and punishment and intent in MMOs

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Last week, we saw Blizzard explain its philosophy behind why some World of Warcraft bugs in which players got to get more stuff than...

Interview: ArcheAge Unchained’s Merv Lee Kwai on housing, RMT, and the future of the game

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The announcement of ArcheAge Unchained and its buy-to-play, no-pay-to-win ruleset has been one of the big surprises of the season for the five-year-old MMORPG...

Massively Overthinking: MMOs, challenge, and flow

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A couple of weeks ago, MMO developer Mark Kern tweeted a controversial claim about how challenge and interactivity is the point of games (and...

Elder Scrolls Online on the ‘class identity’ that informs its upcoming combat and balance changes

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If you're looking at the headline here and thinking oh no not class fantasy, then be aware: ZeniMax knows it's a loaded term and...

The Stream Team: MOP experiences Guild Wars 2’s new prologue, Bound by Blood

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There is more content ready to be explored in Guild Wars 2, and Massively OP is up to the challenge! How dangerous could a...
The vestibule.

Destiny 2 prepares for its Steam jump with maintenance and preloading

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It's almost time for Destiny 2 to enter the verdant fields of Steam, and you had best believe that comes along with some maintenance times....

The Daily Grind: What constitutes a ‘classic’ MMO to you?

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Earlier this week, a job posting on Blizzard's career site made it clear that the company considers Diablo III one of its "classic" games....
Hello, art discussion prompt.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 239: Astellia ascending

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Justin and Bree discuss Astellia, Guild Wars 2, ArcheAge Unchained, WoW, LOTRO, PlanetSide Arena, and Project Gorgon, with a mailbag topic on making gaming more productive (or not).
Well, I had fun.

The Daily Grind: Do you appreciate MMOs and games that challenge you mentally?

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MOP reader and backer Avaera proposed an interesting Daily Grind topic recently about challenges in MMORPGs - and no, "challenge" doesn't refer to boss...
I got your thing.

Fight or Kite: Guild Wars 2 PvP – where good intentions and stubbornness meet

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Earlier this month, Guild Wars 2 Game Director Mike Zadorojny had an interview with PCGamesN in which he discussed a number of items - most...

The Daily Grind: Has a class spec or overhaul ever saved an MMO character for you?

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Thieves and rogues and backstabby stealthy types don't usually do much for me in MMORPGs. Oh sure, I play a stealth thief in literally...
Pictured: Deep hurting.

Battle Bards Episode 153: Elder Scrolls Online Summerset

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Gryphons, Elves, and gobs and gobs of singing people — that’s Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset for ya! The Battle Bards return to Tamriel to...

The MOP Up: League of Legends’ future looks bright

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Don't let games like Fortnite and Overwatch make you forget that League of Legends is still a thing. In fact, Riot Games' MOBA saw...

One Shots: Tossing virgin gamers into volcanoes

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The great volcano god Kenny is angry (again). Kenny's got a temper like you wouldn't believe, and he goes off on every perceived insult...

Here’s where Frontier stands on Elite Dangerous’ September patch bugfixing

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In the wake of Elite Dangerous' September patch, which ostensibly added a new newbie tutorial and revamped the cash shop to use a new...

Massively Overthinking: Is the age of the $15 subscription coming to an end?

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Massively OP's own Justin Olivetti penned a blog post this week in which he muses on the lifespan of the $15 MMO sub fee,...
Oh my!

Funcom’s running a free-play weekend for Conan Exiles, Conan Unconquered, and Age of Conan

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Conan fans, this unlikely weekend is your moment to shine, as Funcom's making all the things free free free. First up is Conan Exiles, normally...

Leaderboard: Astellia Online vs Archeage Unchained

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I keep seeing these "should I play Astellia Online or ArcheAge Unchained" threads pop up across Reddit, and at first, I thought it was...

Bungie’s latest video talks up Destiny 2’s Shadowkeep and the plan for Year Three

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Another "ViDoc" from the folks at Bungie is, as one would expect, chock-full of Destiny 2: Shadowkeep hype. In this latest sizzle reel-cum-documentary, players...
happy birthday to me

Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 just lost another great dev in Bill Freist

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Not a week ago, we reported on the loss of two developers from Guild Wars 2 studio ArenaNet, a lead game designer and a...

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