Your weekly look at the most interesting science stories in the ever-expanding universe. For more on the stories this week, you can read about Old Water, Broken Telescopes and Google's Gone Quantum.

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Filed under: Game Mechanics, Guilds, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

No matter how hard you try, you cannot defeat large-group endgame bosses with an awesome guitar solo. Big guilds offer you the people needed to tackle this sort of content. In some games, though, big guilds get even more. World of Warcraft guilds level faster with more people, and Star Wars: The Old Republic will be adding a bonus to guilds based on their overall sizes (although you'll easily get the bonus so long as no original members of the guild have left). In some places, size matters.

Should it matter? Organizing and maintaining a guild with 50 members is a lot more work than one with 15 members, so mechanical bonuses certainly give some incentive. Those bonuses also lead to guilds wanting to be bigger without necessarily getting any better; more live bodies, no matter the quality. And bigger guilds can already have advantages over smaller guilds. So should big guilds have a mechanical advantage over smaller ones? Or should the size be its own reward?

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!

The Daily Grind: Should big guilds have a mechanical advantage over smaller ones? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like Gordon Freeman, but without all the excitement.

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A majority, if not all, content from the quite hefty 1.2 update for Terraria on PC will be coming to its console versions as DLC.

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A majority, if not all, content from the quite hefty 1.2 update for Terraria on PC will be coming to its console version as DLC.

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Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Kids, Family, Pirate101

One of the bonuses of having Pirate101 set in the same world as Wizard101 is that the former can benefit from some of the latter's layout. KingsIsle has launched a big expansion for the game that includes some old favorites for veteran players, starting by sending pirate captains to the familiar land of Marleybone. Players will be investigating a war zone they helped inadvertently create while working up through another 15 levels of experience.

The update also adds the new region of Aquila, a new Bazaar system for players to trade goods, and a new tutorial to help players get accustomed to the game. There are also new bosses and transport systems to give players more to do while they sail across the oceans. Last but not least, new companions are scattered through the added regions, and old companions are learning some new tricks. Pirate101 players can log in and start enjoying the update immediately.

Pirate101 sets sail for Marleybone originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Source: Update announcement, Update notes

Watch the second part of Marvel Heroes' motion comic series.

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Filed under: Horror, Culture, Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox

Dean Hall has officially made it to the top of the world. The DayZ creator watched the sun rise from the summit of Mt. Everest on May 21st, according to a tweet released earlier today.

Gamasutra recently asked Hall about his Arma zombie mod's phenomenal success, and he pointed to the design's ability to trigger psychological responses to both ownership and loss. "I think the big thing was that it was this finely-crafted mix of permadeath -- which gave you a sense of value, because you could lose something -- and ownership," Hall explained. "Because it's persistent, it means that it's going to be there tomorrow. I think those two things mixed together meant that you had these really valuable stories that came from it."

Hall conquers Everest, talks DayZ's ownership and loss originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Source: Gamasutra

Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous

This has been quite the week if you're interested in hearing about what's going on behind the curtain. Destiny offered everyone a new trailer, WildStar gave us plenty of information to chew on, The Elder Scrolls Online talked crafting, and Final Fantasy XIV announced a definite date for its relaunch with a new video. Tons of stuff behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Eldevin quietly moved into its second phase of closed beta. Oh, and Neverwinter's economy completely collapsed, which is either bad for the beta or bad for the game's launch depending on how you see the game's current state.

How do we see it? Well, you can take a look at our testing list for an idea. In fact, you might want to take a look at the list anyway just to see what's out there. If you notice something erroneous on there, feel free to let us know so we can take a look ourselves.

Continue reading Betawatch: May 18 - 24, 2013

Betawatch: May 18 - 24, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rockstar Games announced details on the Special Edition and Collector's Edition of Grand Theft Auto 5.

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Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dungeons

Star Wars: The Old Republic senior producer Bruce Maclean has posted a summer development roadmap on BioWare's official game forums. The update outlines the 2.2 and 2.3 patches, with the former tentatively scheduled for June 11th and the latter penciled in for August 6th.

The first patch will feature additional guild XP bonuses based on membership numbers (up to a maximum 10% boost), the ability for crafters to make underworld gear, and Nightmare Mode for Terror From Beyond (along with new gear drops).

The second patch will feature "significant graphical upgrades," a new daily area, a new recurring event, and new flashpoints.

Lots of new content coming to SWTOR this summer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Source: Announcement
• Via: Darth Hater

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, MMOFPS, Crowdfunding

The scrappy little Kickstarter sandbox, Face of Mankind, sees its journey from conception to completion as an odyssey worth sharing. That's why the team has put together a talking head documentary video that chronicles the game's development since 2001.

The video itself is long on developer and player anecdotes, although it is short on actual in-game footage (this is probably not surprising considering that the team is rebuilding the engine from scratch). If you have 15 minutes and want to see how an indie MMO is made, check out the documentary after the jump!

Continue reading Face of Mankind releases development documentary

Face of Mankind releases development documentary originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix and Microsoft are joining forces to celebrate the new season of Arrested Development.

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Tell your favorite Neverwinter joke and win a prize.

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On this episode of The Instance, 5.3 is here and there is all sorts of stuff you could be doing, how did those Heroic Scenerios work out, the battle in the barrens, on the subject of losing subscriptions, DOTA 2 takes a shot at WoW on Raptr, Chris Warcraft no longer with the Vikings, don't forget loot spec, PVP sadness in 5.3, what to do with dragon soul, Hearthstone additions galore, and loads more!


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Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Video, Lore, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes

Were you hanging on the edge of your seat after watching the first episode of Marvel Heroes' Chronicles of Doom last week? Hope you haven't fallen to your doo...mise because the second installment is now available.

The episode tracks the sinister Victor von Doom as he makes a devil's deal with Dorammu to gain power and YouTube likes. The Chronicles of Doom is a four-part motion comic series written by Marvel's Brian Michael Bendis, and it can be seen as the prequel to the game itself.

Watch episode 2 after the jump!

Continue reading Marvel Heroes' Chronicles of Doom dives into episode 2

Marvel Heroes' Chronicles of Doom dives into episode 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft applied last November to patent an Achievements-style system for television.

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Bungie's Halo follow-up could see a PC release, to complement its newly-announced PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One incarnations.

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Travel is always a hot button issue.  Long have been the debates between convenience and seeing, or making people see, the world.  What is a waste of time and what builds character and all that. And opinion has changed on it over time. For example, in WoW, you used to have to go and find […]

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Browser, Casual, Dev Diaries, MMObility, Sandbox

If you have heard the news about RuneScape 3, you fall into one of two camps. You're either really excited and cannot wait for this new version of one of your favorite games or you really don't see what the fuss is all about. It's possible there is a third category for those who are interested but have played the game only once or twice. I easily fall into the first category, and I think the announcement of RuneScape 3 isn't important because it represents a new version of a long-running and very successful browser-based title; it's important because it will represent a massive shift in mobile technology and in how people perceive MMO gaming on a mobile device.

So many people seem to think that tablet or smartphone gaming is different from gaming on any other device. It is different in the way we interact with the game, in the way that we actually hold the tablet or touch the screen, but the device itself is just a smaller version of the ever-familiar PC, the personal computer. RuneScape 3 could prove that a tablet or smartphone is just as good as any other delivery system -- and in many ways, it might be superior.

Continue reading MMObility: Why a tablet version of RuneScape is so important

MMObility: Why a tablet version of RuneScape is so important originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-Play, RIFT

Trion Worlds Lead Game Designer Bill Fisher has announced that RIFT won't be allowing raiders to use item store tokens to boost ultra-rare currency gains.

In a forum thread titled RIFT is officially pay-to-win, Fisher addressed the concern over the upcoming item shop's impact in the raiding game. The specific beef was with item store tokens that offered a substantial boost to all currency gained in the game over a period of time. Trion has since nerfed the token's potency (from 100% currency bonus to 80%) as well as removed the ability to gain extra Frozen Eclipse Stones from it.

Fisher explained that he decided to remove the token effect because he felt it was crossing the line of what is and is not acceptable from a cash shop. "I don't want you to have the perception that to take part in that section of the game you are going to be forced into buying something," Fisher wrote. "RIFT doesn't win the race by trying to be exploitative of any given group -- yes, it has to make money to continue getting updates, and I know everyone out there understands that."

RIFT removes currency-boosting effects for raids originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Source: RIFT forum
• Via: RIFT Junkies

Three epic entries of the classic role-playing franchise have made their way DRM-free to GOG.

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Reports of Terraria's death have been greatly exaggerated.

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Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi believes the Xbox 360 can ship another 25 million units, while the next console generation will do even better.

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Despite all the recent talk about the end of the preowned games market as we know it, GameStop President Tony Bartel says Microsoft "realizes the value of the buy-sell-trade model" at retail.

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