Krystalle Voecks
Tampa Bay, Florida - http://wordnerdforhire.com
Has had a lifelong fascination for pill-bugs, thereby explaining her penchant for wearing all black, and living in dark cool places. She also shows a marked tendency for being able to roll herself up into a very small ball, although is not so successful at rolling away when threatened.
by Krystalle Voecks 
Nov 7th 2010 (1 hour ago)
EVE
CCP
When it comes to sandboxy MMOs,
EVE Online offers a rich and diverse set of things you can do -- so long as you're willing to tackle the learning curve and get into a good corporation. While some players may not spend any time thinking about how everything intertwines as they go about their daily space business, today's One Shots contributor Dal'afar, CEO of Arctic Takeover, took a moment to write up his recent musings on just that topic! As it is a bit longer than the normal note, we'll simply say that if you'd like to contribute, then email us at
oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and your tale. For now, on with Dal'afar's letter, which continues after the break.
"
Today, as I was wrapping up my game time in EVE Online -- docking at a station and unloading my ship's cargo -- one of the members of my corp asked me to help her learn how to trade. Trading is a common profession and a way to make cash fast. So I began to explain how to view the trade goods and told her the best items to trade. As I continued explaining the complex system of the market and how supply and demand are key factors in the in-game economy, I began to realize that CCP has created a very intricate system of buying and selling goods and materials."
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 6th 2010 (20 hours ago)
EVE
CCP
With the holidays coming up, there's a plethora of things a capsuleer could ask for: that shiny new T3 ship you've been eyeballing, a pile of PLEX, or perhaps a bargain at the
EVE Online store sale. But the savvy holiday shopper knows to save his cash for the upcoming Fanfest that is slated to be held in 2011. With
Incursion coming up,
Incarna to follow,
DUST 514 underway, and
World of Darkness recently announced, this year's party at the top of the world looks like it's going to be full of all manner of cool stuff to check out.
Thanks to a bit of internet digging, it appears that
IcelandAir has already released its travel packages for those looking to get the jump on the event and book in at the lowest rates. The travel site indicates that the dates for the upcoming Fanfest are March 24-26, leaving lots of time to get those vacation requests in early. Additionally, IcelandAir lists a
CCP dev-attended city tour and a party after the event that offer some idea of the festivities to come, although they're not included with the travel package itself. We've contacted CCP for additional information and will be certain to let you know when we hear more. For now, make sure your passports are in order and
get over to the IcelandAir site to get your package booked!
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 6th 2010 (1 day ago)
WAR
While some players are checking out the new RvR packs that were just released, others are taking the time to continue their adventures in the main world in
Warhammer Online. If you look
really closely, you might find some truly odd things, as today's contributor Taawa did some time ago. We'll let him explain this strange sight: "
In Warhammer Online there is a Chaos portal behind the arena floor in the Inevitable City. Entering the portal will temporarily send you to interesting and unique places [such as the one above]. Warhammer Online
is an excellent game for explorers in part because of these kinds of finds. The character pictured is my main: a Zealot named Lyram on the Badlands server."
If you're playing a game we don't see here often -- or perhaps have never seen here -- we definitely want to hear from you. There are tons of great MMOs out there that don't get nearly enough love, and we need you to send screens in of them. Just email them to
oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description. Your screenshot could be the next one we feature!
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 5th 2010 (2 days ago)
A couple of years ago at at E3, we got our first look at the Brazilian sci-fi space shooter,
Taikodom, which had been developed by
Hoplon Infotainment. What we saw there definitely caught our eye.
GamersFirst network had seen the potential in this fast-paced dogfighter as well, and were working on an English localization, as well as improvements to the game to make it the free-form twitch-based space combat game many have been asking for. At this last E3, we had the chance
to spend some time with the updated version, which once again had us dreaming of huge space battles.
As of this morning, emails are going out,
offering closed beta signups on the US
Taikodom site. Forum posts
indicate that closed beta
may be a few weeks off, and no official dates have been released as yet. Still, if you've been curious about the game, are willing to hunt bugs and provide feedback, then now is the time to head over to the GamersFirst site and
get signed up. If, instead, you'd prefer something a little more polished -- where your characters won't get nuked repeatedly -- then you may want to wait until open beta rolls around.
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 5th 2010 (2 days ago)
While
One Shots is generally full of bright, vivid scenery, some folks find other vistas can catch their eyes and fire up the imagination. Today's murky, shadowy area was captured recently by a reader who likely felt the oncoming storm offered visual interest and mystery. This image comes to us from Gabe C. who stumbled across this scene in
Final Fantasy XIV and writes in to tell us a bit more about it: "
[I] had just logged on to do some levequests on my little Thaumaturge. When I got to the camp, I was stunned by the site of Ul'Dah in the distance during a sandstorm. Everything in this game continues to amaze me."
If you'd like to share your adventures from time to time, we're always looking for regular contributors! All you have to do is email a screenshot to us here at
oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a note to tell us what's going on in the image. To become a regular submitter, just send your pics in every so often and keep us in the loop on what you're up to. We'll post your images out here on Massively and give you the credit for sending them in!
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 4th 2010 (3 days ago)
WoW
Blizzard
Soon we'll see
Cataclysm launch, and Deathwing will rip Azeroth apart in
World of Warcraft. While there are spoilers out there as to which bits will stay intact and which will be destroyed, some players are choosing to skip them and are instead taking their last chance to find favorite things and snap screenshots of them, lest they change. In the middle of all this exploration, other players are finding new things they haven't experienced, such as regular
One Shots contributor
Vendayn (or TheExplorer as he's known in comments here). He writes in to explain today's placid screenshot: "
I started up World of Warcraft again to prepare for Cataclysm and made a Night Elf Druid. Usually I play Horde, but I wanted a change of pace. As I was exploring Darnassus, I was met with this amazing view inside the Temple of the Moon. I think I've found my new favorite city in WoW
!"
We love to see MMOs from small to large, but we need you to send in screenshots of your adventures! Try as we might, we just haven't perfected a time machine so we can play everything we want to. If you'd like to help us out (with the screenshots -- unless you have a functional time machine, in which case we'd gladly take one of those too), send your images to us here at
oneshots@massively.com. Be sure to add in your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it up here and give you the love.
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 3rd 2010 (4 days ago)
GW
NCsoft
Here in the Northern hemisphere, it's that gorgeous time of year again -- fall! With crunchy leaves and chilly days, it's a perfect time to snuggle down and enjoy some gaming in the evenings. Of course, if you live in an area where it's just a little too warm for the leaves to turn colors, you can enjoy some beautiful fall weather in
Guild Wars! This image comes to us from Tammy M. who captured it recently in the
Eye of the North expansion. She writes in to explain this lovely scene: "
[Here's an image of] a beautiful waterfall in the Grothmar Wardowns. I was so happy with this screenshot that it is the wallpaper for my work computer, home computer, and iPod Touch. The level of detail the developers and artists put in to this game is just stunning."
Have you found a lovely area in-game that became your desktop background? We're always interested in breathtaking scenery from around the MMOGsphere. If you'd like to share, send it in to us here at
oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description of what we're seeing. Please try to make sure the image is at least 1024px wide with as little visible UI as is possible. Yours could be featured next!
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 2nd 2010 (5 days ago)
LotRO
Turbine
It simply wouldn't be much of a birthday celebration without a party. As such, while we're throwing a virtual party here at the Massively offices, today also seemed like a perfect time to show off a fun MMO party in
One Shots! This celebratory image was captured by our resident aficionado of
Lord of the Rings Online:
Justin "Syp" Olivetti, who writes
The Road to Mordor among many other things. We'll turn things over to him to explain the merriment: "
Both LotRO and Massively are known for their off-the-charts parties which often draw the attention of angry polar bears. Why is this so? It is the mystique of the party -- do not question it! In honor of Massively's third birthday, here's a shindig in front of the Shire's Party Tree. Can you feel the music? Sense the vibe? Then get out of your chair, put on your favorite tunes at top volume, and do a jig in the name of the Boogie Bear!"
Have you captured an image of a celebration in your favorite MMO? We're all about the parties. Send in your festive screenshots to us here at
oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. It could wind up being one of the next screenshots we feature!
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 2nd 2010 (5 days ago)
Three years! Three years we've been here at Massively, talking about all manner of things! Speaking as someone who has been here from the start, it's all been like
butter. Like butter, I tell you! Along the way, every morning, we've gotten up, grabbed our coffee and enjoyed some coffee talk here on
The Daily Grind. From simple questions about things like favorite music in MMOs to more in-depth discussion about systems, lore, character development, and more, we've given you over a thousand different topics so you could talk amongst yourselves -- like now, when we're a little verklempt.
There. OK. It's passed.
This morning, we thought it would be fun to give you the chance to ask us (and of course, the other Massively readers) something in honor of our third birthday as a site. Ever wanted to know what a day in the Massively virtual offices is like? Does Shawn
really have a post-apocalyptic costume? Does Eliot randomly say "kupo?" If you've got burning questions, we've got answers. Just leave them in the box below, bubeleh... and you know... we'll talk.
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!
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 1st 2010 (6 days ago)
EVE
CCP
It doesn't matter what MMO you play -- you'd had to have been hiding under a rock to not know that
the largest MMO PvP battle ever recorded recently took place in
EVE Online. For those of us who call New Eden home, the closest many got to the action was pulling up the map, hitting alerts, and marveling at the enormous red blob over LXQ2-T. Thankfully, one thoughtful pilot named riverini captured screenshots of the enormous masses of ships to share with us here on
One Shots! I'd note that I am also breaking slightly with format: Not only am I posting all of the images in one post, but you'll find the full-size images linked after the break. With that said, here's rivertini's note: "
[Here are] some shots from the epic pew pew that happened in the LXQ2-T; our FC ordered us to align in preparation for the Russian counter assault. The Northern Coalition and the Red Noise Coalition (Russian bloc) tested their prowess in the mother of all space battles."
Captured a picture of something epic in your home MMO? In the mood to brag about your accomplishments? Send your screenshots in to us here at
oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in to us!
