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Justin and Lis are packing their bags and setting out on Tyria Cruise Lines for destinations unknown! Even dedicated MMO players need a vacation once in a while, so why not abandon the life of slaughter for a respite on a beautiful beach somewhere? That always sounds good, of course, until one starts to wonder if that crab over there will drop any good loot...

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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Final Fantasy XIV does not encourage players to have multiple characters. Even disregarding the game's somewhat strange pricing structure, you're expected to have one character because that one character can level every class and clear every quest. All that having another character does is slow your overall progress -- you'd only be doing things twice.

By contrast, Star Wars: The Old Republic all but insists that you make alts. The game's Legacy feature encourages you to level several different characters, and the fact that chunks of the game's story differ depending on your choices means that a single character doesn't see the whole game. Having another character enhances both characters to the point that filling your character slots is almost expected.

Most players fall somewhere away from either extreme on the sliding scale of alts. But let's assume you have a game that gives you only the two options -- have one character or have all the characters. Which would you prefer: a lone character who can do everything or an army of characters that collectively do everything?

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At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

If you ever wanted to see what a geek supernova looks like, you only had to pay attention to the internet as Disney announced this week that it purchased LucasArts and is making several new Star Wars films. Of course, MMO gamers are certainly wondering how this might impact the several Star Wars-themed properties we enjoy (or have enjoyed). Will this added focus on the Star Wars franchise be the shot in the arm that SWTOR needs on the verge of free-to-play?

The rest of the week's top MMO stories are beyond the cut.

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Yes, it's Massively's anniversary, and... wait, what? Darn it, that header was supposed to read "Front row at the Massively anniversary celebration and zamboni championships." Well, at least we can... oh, wait, apparently the zamboni drivers already started. They weren't supposed to go on until after we'd done our thing for the anniversary.

I mean, I'd say something to them, but they've already started. Driving a zamboni is hard work. I think. I've never actually driven a zamboni. Maybe if we're really nice to them they'll let us play around on the zambonis afterwards. Only we shouldn't say it like that, because then they'll think that we think zambonis are just toys. That's insulting to them and us.

Look, let's just move on to WRUP for the moment. There we can all talk about our favorite memories from Massively's five years, and also discuss what we here at the Massively staff will be playing over the weekend. Once the zambonis are done, we can do the full anniversary thing. What does a zamboni championship actually entail, anyway?

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It's that time again, a time that comes but once a year -- the anniversary of this site! Yes, as of today Massively has been around for five years, and just like every year we don't want to spend our time talking to you about what it's been like for the past several years. We want you to tell us your stories as our regular readers, whether you've been coming to the site for the whole time or just now realized this place existed.

A lot of things have changed since those first posts in years past. We've gained and lost columns, games have launched and shut down, staff members have come and gone (and occasionally returned to us). So on this anniversary, what sticks out in your mind? What columns have you particularly enjoyed? What feature do you wish we'd bring back? What anecdotes do you have about our half-decade of operation?

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!

Never accuse us here at Massively of being prejudiced against dinosaurs. We love them. Sure, they're scaly, bitey lizard/bird/demon monstrosities, but they do make great mounts and steaks. Oh, and MMOs. We desperately need more dinos in our MMOs, which is why we applaud Wizard101 for doing so this week.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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Ahhh, nothing like coming home after a long stay in Vegas. No, really! At home, there is nothing to keep you from watching all of your favorite streamed games on Massively TV. In Vegas, all those crazy lights and karaoke bars are quite the distraction! And don't forget imbibing dwarves.

So now that the latest gaming convention is over, you should all be settled at home, ready for the next week of streams. And here is what The Stream Team has lined up for you, live and in virtual person this week! Mark your calendars, and don't forget to offer your two cents (if you have any left after Vegas) in the poll at the end.

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At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, Massively's commentariat embraced a bit of schadenfreude as an EVE Online player apparently lost in-game assets worth over $6000 US. In the aftermath, some player sleuths suggested that the losses may not be as high as originally suspected -- if the kill even happened at all. Intentional hoax or API mishap, this surely won't be the last wild story emerging from the infamous space sandbox.

The rest of the week's top MMO stories are beyond the cut.

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Those of you who read my bizarre introductions to articles have done very well. You have learned almost all of what I have to teach you. Now, as your final test, you have to turn into a duck. Just... you know, go over into the corner and turn into a duck. Then you will be ready to learn the secret of making electric guitar sounds with nothing more than a drinking glass and a nasal congestion problem.

Wait, that's not what you were here for? Oh. You probably were just looking for WRUP, which is where the Massively staff talks about what they're planning for the weekend. Also, this week we talk about our most hated zones. Yeah, that's much more interesting to those of you not interested in the duck thing, you can just jump on past the break and share your weekend plans in the comments. The rest of you, though, had better be making with the duck transformations pronto.

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Every six weeks, another Massively writer takes over Choose My Adventure, a column that asks readers to vote in polls to determine what the writer will play and do within the reader-selected game. The columnist bravely plunges into the role you design, even when you sadistically vote that he or she play a naked blue Gnome who fights in melee with guns and is forbidden to leave PvP battlegrounds except to craft cookie dough. That doesn't usually make for the best showcase of a game, which you're quick to tell us when the writer has a scattershot experience at your bidding.

Today's Ask Massively is all about the Choose My Adventure series and finding order in its chaos.

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MMOs come and go. They get popular and sink to obscurity. Expansions can give a suffering MMO another chance, make an average MMO the popular kid on the block, or change the industry completely. No matter which MMOs come and go or what expansions push an MMO into the sunlight for a spell, many MMOs will keep on running with a larger community than there were votes on this poll. Not to mention people who aren't playing but want to see someone else play! Guild Wars 2 and Allods were initially close enough in the poll to leave a little doubt as to who might win, but GW2 swept ahead and held on to the end.

So before I let you vote on what you want me to do in Guild Wars 2, let me tell you a bit about my playstyle so you can make your decision. You'll find all of this week's polls at the end!

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Yesterday, Gamespot broke a story about an executive producer for zombie MMO The War Z who took to his game's forums to rant about gankers in the beta test. The developer, Sergey Titov, used a homophobic slur to describe those beta testers, which caused some commenters to erupt in a fury. He later altered his comments and issued an "apology" for the rant, expressing astonishment that anyone would take his homophobic slur as a homophobic slur. "I don't know where they [are] coming from," he wrote, "but I used it as a curse."

The sad thing is Titov's probably right: Far too many gamers think nothing of careless insults based on gender, race, and sexual orientation. But to see it from a developer and then see it dismissed by the game's supporters as something trivial and all good in fun between bros is embarrassing for the community. I'm glad he (or more likely, the game's PR) rescinded the slur, but I also know that subconscious and conscious bias seeps into gaming at the design, culture, and corporate levels, and I'm far less likely to pony up for a game whose developers just don't seem to get that the MMO demographic stretches beyond the privileged straight white male 20-something stereotype.

So today I'm wondering how you hold devs accountable when they say something that exposes their prejudices or blind-spots or just poor business sense. Do you expect heads to roll? Do you vote with your wallet and pick games where customers aren't subjected to unprofessional tirades by devs, or are you resigned to the suspicion that most studios are saddled with this mentality?

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!

Today we have a Very Special Guest Star for a Very Special Episode: That's right, it's TV's Blossom, who's here to talk to us about the wonderful changes the human body goes through during puberty. No, that's next week; this week we have Wing Commander's Chris Roberts, the driving force behind the upcoming Star Citizen. Lock 'n load, listeners!

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue Reading

I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I can game again...

Have you ever had to sing the can't-get-my-MMO-fix blues due to travel? Whether caused by a short weekend jaunt or a long vacation, the inability to log into your favorite games can be a hard thing to bear. But even if you don't have access to your games, access to the internet will help you keep your withdrawls at bay since you can watch The Stream Team.

That's right folks; we are here for you! Hook on up to Massively TV and let the IV of vicarious gaming drip into your system. There are plenty of doses this week. You'll even notice one stream teammate is queuing up to play the game you requested last week! And of course, if you feel you need more medicine, add some of extra streams to your treatment regime.

For an added laugh (another worthy cure-all!), read some of the weird places folks have logged in to get their MMO fix. And don't forget to share your own!

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