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Firefall video previews Amazon Warzone
Listen up grunts, did you honestly think you'd live forever? Well, you won't. No sir, you're going to head back to the front lines of Firefall with its upcoming patch and probably die. Then we're going to drag your corpse back to the base, jolt it with enough juice to make you glow in the dark, and send your reanimated wimpering frame into even more harm. But that's the fun, eh? Firefall's posted a new video that highlights the big upcoming patch. Features incoming include the Amazon Warzone, the big game hunt, the reputation system, and improvements to loot and ranged weapon modules.
Red 5 tweaking Firefall's reputation system
Firefall's latest news blurb concerns reputation. It's not all about grind and 20 different currencies that will clog up your inventory, though. In fact, Red 5 says that the work-in-progress rep system will ultimately feature reputation points that function like experience. Which, OK, is still about grind. But yay for inventory space! The devs are also enthused about the future of the rep system, which they say will make use of Firefall's NPC corporations that "aren't much more than flavor" in the current build. You can read all about rep at the official Firefall website.
Firefall is prepping an all-new crafting system
Good news for those disillusioned with the state of crafting in Firefall: Red 5 is preparing an "all-new crafting system" to replace the current setup. New crafting dev Gortok spoke a little to this on the forums over the past month, saying that as a person who's designed four such systems for MMOs, he finds Firefall's crafting both pointless and grindy. Fortunately, Gortok has ideas to make it all much, much better: "It will take some time, and my plan is to actually rip out the existing recipes and research, replace the entire thing from scratch, and implement an entirely new system for the actual act of crafting. There are a lot of great things that we lost, and I want to bring some of those feelings back without the complication and confusion" Some of the changes include restructuring research, consolidating recipes, crafting in batches, and making thumping "more desirable" again. [Thanks to Eri for the tip!]
Firefall's getting a LFG window, better crafting
Want to know what's coming in the next Firefall patch? Head to the sci-fi shooter's official website, then, and read all about it. Red 5 has apparently taken crafting feedback into account, as it's drastically reducing the high costs of participating and it's giving players the ability to choose prefixes on crafted items. A new looking-for-squad window will also debut in the next patch, as will a large open-world boss battle, campaign reward tweaks, and more!
Firefall's hosting another Chosen Offensive on Dec. 7
Firefall fans, it's time for another Chosen Offensive event. It's all happening on Sunday, December 7th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. "For the duration of the event, Chosen encounters will spawn throughout Coral Forest and Sertao including Chosen Incursions, Chosen Thumpers, Chosen Death Squads, and more," Red 5 explains via its website. "In Devil's Tusk, Chosen Encounter spawns will be ramped up above their regular rates, and Darkslips will appear and lay siege to the area's POIs. In addition, Firefall developers will be taking the form of powerful Chosen bosses to spread terror and destruction through the world."
Firefall update 1.2 goes live today, makes facial customizations free for all
Firefall fans are eagerly anticipating the release of new content patch Together Toward Victory later today. Along with more open-world encounters and improvements to the Broken Peninsula PvP continent, this free update includes the shooter's first five-man instance, Operation: Miru. Set in a molten cavern, the operation tasks players with putting a stop to the Chosen's plan to release a colossal monstrosity on the Accord. The open world encounters include battling to protect the supply lines at Accord Skydock and repelling multi-stage enemy assaults on the watchtowers. Broken Peninsula now offers missions via the new job boards so players can contribute to their faction. Need something to help set the mood for battle? Check out the propaganda-style clip below. What's more, Red 5 Studios is changing up basic cosmetics by making all hair, facial hair, and head cosmetic choices available to all players for free. And that's permanently, folks, not just for a limited time. Anyone who's bought any of those cosmetics within the last three months will receive a full Red Bean refund for the purchase price. In addition to all this, players will be able to try out the Rhino Dreadnaught frame -- with its increased mobility and firepower -- for free from Friday, November 21st, at 7:00 p.m. EST until Monday, November 24th, at the same time.
Firefall is offering bonus rep this weekend
Firefall's offering up a reputation bonus weekend starting Friday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m. EST. The promotion runs through Monday, November 17th at 7:00 p.m. EST and includes a 25 percent boost to all collected rep vouchers. Visit the official Firefall website for more details.
Firefall teases update 1.2
An update is coming to Firefall, and it promises to be a big one. A brief overview of the game's next major update has been posted on the official site to show off some of what players can expect, starting with the new Operation: Miru. This is endgame instanced content designed for five players at level 40, featuring a combination of mechanics and gunfights that heretofore have not been present in the game. The update will also feature a new piece of open-world content via the Accord Skydock, a new form of watchtower content, and a new live event. Broken Peninsula has also received updates to make it less broken from a mechanical standpoint rather than a geographical one. You can read up on all the sketchy details here, and keep your eyes peeled for more hard information as it becomes available.
Firefall's having another devs-vs.-players event this weekend
Firefall's having another devs-vs.-players live event this weekend, with the former controlling bosses in the sci-fi shooter and the latter getting a shot at various in-game prizes including titles, currency, glider wings, and more. The official Firefall website has all the details including a list of rewards. Just past the cut we've got the full press release and a dev-produced Q&A with Scott Rudi, Red 5's director of design.
Mark Kern starts new studio, raises $1M for VR MMO
Ex-Red 5 CEO Mark Kern has been a busy little bee since his departure from Firefall. Kern established a new studio called MEK Entertainment with associates from Red 5 and Blizzard, raising $1 million in seed funding for his next project. While it doesn't have a name, this project is reportedly an MMO designed for the Oculus Rift. It will use retro-style pixel art and depend heavily on "creative contributions" from the game's community. "We can't build it alone," Kern said. "I've been looking for a way to let more gamers and modders realize their own virtual worlds, and I think we found it." Kern cited inspiration from other titles such as the SNES, Terraria, Starbound, and (of course) Minecraft. You can watch a teaser for the MMO after the break.
Firefall patch 1.1 brings elemental destruction
A major new update has gone live for Firefall, bringing with it new types of weapons and weapon damage types. As the name suggests, Patch 1.1: Elemental Destruction is all about ways to unleash different elements upon enemies to bring about their ruin. The update's newest weapons are the plasma flak cannon and bio injector, however even older weapons can get new modifiers to change their damage type. The additional weapon modifiers include thermal, flaming thermal, bioactive, virulent bioactive, electrical, charged electrical, beam, laser beam, microplasma, and emissive microplasma. Even grenade launchers have gotten love with new ways to throw out explosives in a spread or cluster. Patch 1.1 also adds five dynamic encounters, two new ARES job boards, and a hardcore version of Kanaloa the Destroyer. Check out Massively's previous in-depth look at the new weapon types of Patch 1.1.
Exclusive: The weapons of Firefall's Elemental Destruction
In the wake of Firefall's announcement of its September 16th Elemental Destruction launch date, Red 5's RudiKazootie returns with another dev diary about the update, this one focusing on the new elemental weapons, new weapon modifiers, and new primary archetype weapons arriving next week. Enjoy!
Exclusive: Firefall's Elemental Destruction update launches September 16th
It's official: The newly revitalized Firefall is due to release its first major update, Elemental Destruction, next week -- on Tuesday, in fact. The patch is bringing new dynamic encounters in addition to abilities and weapons. And if you're a Firefall nut, then today is your day because Red 5 Design Director RudiKazootie has penned an exclusive dev blog discussing in detail the five new dynamic encounters being introduced with the update. Enjoy the full read and new screens below, and keep an eye out for Friday's edition too.
Firefall gets a Chinese publishing deal
It's been a long road to Firefall's release on its native shores, but the game has more places to go just the same. Red 5 Studios and The9 have entered into an agreement with System Link Limited to publish the game in China for a five-year period. This will result in at least $160 million being paid to The9 for licensing fees and royalties. System Link Limited is itself a joint venture formed by The9 and Qihoo 360 Technology Corp, so it's a fairly dense nest of interrelationships. It can only be hoped that the game's release will be met with open arms in China. [Thanks to SolaRSaphire for the tip!]
Choose My Adventure: Firefall as it stands
As I noted in the first week of this month's truncated Choose My Adventure, Firefall is finally an honest to goodness real-life video game. The extended extended beta is over, the launch trailer has released, and the game has been cut loose into the world. One might argue that Red 5 is now officially out of excuses; if something isn't satisfactory in Firefall, it must be unsatisfactory by design. We have stepped beyond the point where "it's a beta" is a fair explanation of the game's rougher edges. Because what we're dealing with is theoretically intended to be a full retail product, it's not useful to talk about what Firefall used to be, nor is it useful to speculate on what Firefall might become. The only honest evaluation of the game, if evaluation is the goal, must center on the current iteration of the product, the one that Red 5 considered complete enough to release as the finished version of its vision. Is Firefall, in its current state, worth playing? Does it offer enough content to keep players engaged? Is it finally delivering on the promise we have glimpsed in its systems? For the first time since my initial encounter with the game in early 2013, I'd say the answer is yes.
Choose My Adventure: The distraught wives of Firefall
"There is no problem in this world a gun can't solve." These words, to my knowledge, are never explicitly stated in Firefall. There's no wise-in-his-grizzledness war veteran to rub his stubbled chin, frown into the distance, and impart such wisdom upon the player. But make no mistake, Firefall's world is one in which most tough situations are resolved with the thunderclap of gunfire. In Firefall's New Eden, violence really is the answer. In last week's Choose My Adventure column, I asked you to help guide my path through this dangerous world, to give my character an identity, a role to play, and a purpose to fulfill. Votes were cast; suggestions were made. I've since created a new character and blasted my way through the re-re-re-re-designed tutorial/opening experience. And while I am, as always, having a wonderful time, I still can't get over my one recurring Fireball criticism: I'm shooting a lots of stuff but I don't care or know why.
Choose My Adventure: Firefall is finally a real game
Forgive me, Massively readers, for I have sinned. It has been six months since my last Choose My Adventure. Luckily, absolution is readily available via a 50-pound desktop computer, a mostly stable internet connection powered by one of the most hated companies in the United States, and three or four Hail Proudmoores. In summary: I have stared into the face of an eternal offline purgatory, clenched my teeth, and growled, "Not today." No, today I'm going to play Firefall. And you're coming with me.
Firefall Engineer battleframes get 25% XP boost this weekend
Are you thinking of playing the Engineer battleframe in Firefall? If so you'll want to log in between August 15th and August 18th to take advantage of Red 5's Accord Engineer Battleframe Weekend. You'll get a 25 percent XP boost and you'll get to goof around with all those spiffy deployable devices. The "Engineer excels at locking down an area and providing a safe location for its allies to resupply, " according to Red 5's announcement post.
The Daily Grind: Has Firefall grabbed you for the long haul?
I played a little Firefall over the weekend, and while Red 5's colorful shooter has definitely improved, the ultimate verdict was the same as it was when I test drove it a couple of years ago: fun in spurts but probably not something that I'll play consistently. What about you, Massively readers? If you've come back to Firefall now that it's launched -- or even if you're completely new to the game -- has it caught your attention for the long haul? Why or why not? 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!
Firefall launches its referral program
Are you playing and enjoying Firefall? That's great, but if your friends aren't, the game might be just a little bit more lonely. You could abduct your friends and chain them in front of a computer with the game already loaded, but that seems a bit extreme, not to mention really illegal. Maybe you'd be better off just taking advantage of the game's referral program to drag your companions into the game. That's legal, and it offers some nice benefits. If you refer someone who creates an account, you get night vision goggles, as pictured above. Score one for you! Meanwhile, if said friend goes on to purchase some Red Bean, you both get 10 extra Red Beans. So if you have friends who aren't yet playing, send a mail and see if you can't get them to sign up after all. It's cheaper than buying chains and secondary computers, too.
