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Choose My Adventure: Beyond the walls of safety in Darkfall
Man up MJ, you said. Forsake the fetters of safety and wander the wilds of the world. Yes, folks, for the next phase of our Choose My Adventure project, you directed me to leave the confines of the starting cities and surrounding lands to explore and harvest in the unprotected areas in Darkfall Unholy Wars. That, and get familiar with the workbench for crafting. So said you all, and so I did. I ran little Emey Brokenclaw beyond the bounds of the safe zones and introduced her to the vast lands stretching across Agon. I enjoyed some exciting experiences as well as learned quite a few things during that journey, though not necessarily what you'd expect.%Gallery-187735%
Choose My Adventure: Framing my first foray in Darkfall
Break time's over! Now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get back to work building our latest Choose My Adventure. The first order of business is to establish the framework for the rest of our Darkfall Unholy Wars (mis)adventures. Of course, we can't just build willy-nilly; we need to follow a plan. And as with any major construction project, we couldn't really move forward until said plan was OKed by the planning commission. So while we waited for the foundation to set, we sought approval for which type of structure to base our continuing adventures on. And as is wont to happen with committees, there was trouble coming to a consensus; even though the proposed models were all pretty similar, disagreement arose as to which to pick. However, after some debate (one proposal won by only one vote!), we finally got the go ahead: The final word was to build a Mahirim Deadeye. I'm on it, boss!%Gallery-187735%
Darkfall Unholy Wars interview talks sandboxes, mounts, and content updates
The fine folks behind Darkfall Unholy Wars recently sat down with an Italian fansite to chat a bit about the game. They talked about how the new game stemmed from their desire to push the original Darkfall beyond the limits of its systems. There's no reason to scrap a good thing, though, so the developers have brought over a lot of the sandbox features from the original. The Demi-God bosses, naval combat, and mounted combat systems are all making a reappearance in some form, although the team has been trying to improve upon their original implementation. Additionally, the game is meant to support player-generated events, crafting without artificial barriers, a new dye system, and city vendor hubs. Presently, the team is putting in frequent patches with bug fixes while working on adding in features. Once the developers' current wishlist of features has been implemented, the team can focus on planning bigger patches and expansions for the future. You can read the interview for yourself here, but be prepared to scroll to get down to the English bit. Unless you're super pro and read Italian. [Thanks to moxious internetter Festano for the tip!]
Choose My Adventure: Pouring the foundation in Darkfall
It's relocation time! Although there were plenty of tempting properties spread around various locales to choose from, once the bidding wars began, Darkfall Unholy Wars grabbed the lead and refused to let go. So we're packing up our tools and moving to Agon to get this Choose My Adventure project started. And considering the whole neighborhood just went through a recent renovation, I'm sure we'll fit right in building our new retreat. Now, we just need... hm, where did we put those blueprints? Do we even have blueprints? No? Well, no matter; you can just give me the instructions as we go. Rome wasn't built in a day, and we've got five more weeks to work together to create this new retreat. I've got to tell you, I'm quite excited for this venture. One of the greatest things about the CMA series is that it forces us to finally dive in and check out games we've been wanting to but never quite "found the time." Once it becomes a part of your daily job, you have no choice but to make the time! Darkfall was always one of those games for me, and my curiosity and interest was piqued even more with Unholy Wars. So let's get this started. First, we need a foundation.
Darkfall Unholy Wars hits Steam as Valve introduces new subscription service
In a press release issued on Steam today, Valve announced that it now offers something of particular value to MMOs on the platform: subscription plans. Gamers can now subscribe to MMOs on Steam and manage recurring payments to those games using Steam itself. With Subscription Plans, Steam offers gamers the ability to sign up and manage payments for subscription-based games on Steam. [...] Steam customers may now sign-up for, manage, cancel or renew game Subscription Plans at any time, online directly through Steam. On the front lines of this new Steam feature is none other than subscription-based sandbox MMO Darkfall Unholy Wars, which relaunched just last week. Valve promises that "additional subscription-based games [will] follow" and posted a lengthy FAQ to ward off the tinfoil hat crowd.
Choose My Adventure: Extreme DIY makeover edition
Life may be like a box of chocolates, but gaming is like a Do-It-Yourself project. It may not be as mouth-watering an analogy, but it is certainly fitting: MMOs are a giant construction zone where players build their own experiences in a virtual world using tools from the game and their own imagination. Each project is a unique undertaking, bearing the personal touches of the builder, whether the builder is an individual or a group like a guild. Some players prefer to build a single residence and settle in, while others enjoy moving from project to project, exploring new territory and testing new tools. Me? I tend toward the former; I'm the kind who tinkers around in one place over a long period of time. But all that's about to change. Again. That's right, folks; it's my turn to break ground on yet another Choose My Adventure! For the next six weeks I am leaving the comfy confines of my familiar surroundings and allowing you to direct my next MMO project. Yes, my dear Massively friends, you will be the foreman of this endeavor, determining every step of the construction, from where I'll build my newest experience to what tools I'll get to use.
Massively's Darkfall launch week diary: Day three and recap
So yesterday I kinda rambled on at length about why I'm loving Darkfall Unholy Wars. I'm not really apologizing; after all, this is my launch week diary! Today, though, I figured I might tone it down a bit and just hit the highlights of my day three play experience. After that, I'll recap and give you some final thoughts on Darkfall as it stands in April 2013.
Massively's Darkfall launch week diary: Day two
I'm doing Darkfall Unholy Wars wrong. See, I'm one of those sandbox carebears who could not care less about PvP. I'll attempt to defend myself if attacked, and I'll add another body to the zerg if I'm in a clan or whatever, but I don't seek out conflict with other players. I mention this because that attitude obviously informs everything I write about Darkfall, which, at its core, is a great big high fantasy murder simulator. Yes, the game has crafting, harvesting, player housing, and better PvE than it's given credit for, but on some level all of this stuff exists to power the FFA PvP meatgrinder that in turn attempts to satiate the bloodlust of Aventurine's target demographic. And would you believe that despite that, Darkfall is still one of this carebear's favorite MMORPGs?
The Daily Grind: Do launch day hassles make you quit a game?
MMO launches have come a long way. While no MMO is bug-free, developers have made substantial strides in this department over the past decade. Similarly and for the most part, gone are the days when mile-long queues prevent you from playing on day one. And then there's Darkfall. Or more accurately Darkfall Unholy Wars. To Aventurine's credit, I can at least purchase and log in to the game unlike the catastrophe that passed for the original 2009 launch (and also to be fair, I'm a big fan of the game). It still took forever and a day to patch, though, and that was after I had to leave the client torrent download on overnight. So, how about it Massively readers? Do launch-day hiccups irritate you enough to move on to other games, or do you generally stick it out? 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!
Massively's Darkfall launch week diary: Day one
Darkfall Unholy Wars' April 2013 launch was quite a bit like Darkfall's February 2009 launch. For me, at any rate. One crucial difference was that this time I was actually able to purchase Aventurine's fantasy sandbox title even though I wasn't able to log into it. Four years ago, finding a digital copy of Darkfall was damn near impossible. Fast forward to the present and AV has improved its billing apparatus but certainly not its delivery mechanism. After nearly three hours, DFUW's patcher managed to pull down 90 MB out of 6487. I switched to the torrent download, and while it was faster, I still had to leave it overnight. So technically this is day two impressions even though it's day one for yours truly.
Darkfall Unholy Wars finally launches
The next iteration of Darkfall is underway! Aventurine today announced that Darkfalls Unholy Wars has finally released after several delays and a lengthy beta. The sandbox MMO is a complete revamp of the original Darkfall with several new features, and it requires the purchase of a client and a subscription fee to play. Aventurine General Manager Tasos Flambouras seems relieved to have reached this stage: "After five months of beta we are happy to launch Darkfall Unholy Wars. We are grateful to our playtesters for their contribution to the game and we're happy to have them with us as players today. Darkfall Unholy Wars is the best combat MMORPG experience and our pledge is that it will continue evolving and pushing the PvP envelope."
Some Assembly Required: Your guide to MMO sandboxes in 2013 and beyond
Welcome to Massively's guide to MMO sandboxes in 2013 and beyond. I've collected the essential details on all the major sandbox titles releasing this year and in the near future in one easy-to-reference article. If you're wondering whether ArcheAge forces you to PvP, or if you can't tell The Repopulation from Origins of Malu, this is your post. I'll be updating it as game features are added, removed, or revealed, so be sure to use the comments to let me know if I've overlooked a particularly noteworthy item. Finally, I want to point out that this isn't an exhaustive list because of the sheer number of sandbox projects ongoing. For now, I'm choosing to focus on the ones that will be playable in 2013/2014 as well as the projects that have a big-name developer attached.
Darkfall Unholy Wars to launch April 16
Any Darkfall fan can tell you that it's been quite a wild ride from the launch of the original game in 2009 through the waiting period for Unholy Wars to release. Just do a search on this site for the keywords "Darkfall" and "delay" and you'll feel their pain. But the wait is almost over as Aventurine has announced a final release date of April 16. That's 2013, folks! Sardonics aside, we imagine the dev team wants to make sure the game is done right this time, which is the whole point of Unholy Wars in the first place. New features like salvaging, Prowess Points, the Primalist role, and Steam integration will make for a fuller experience, and fans of the game can then judge if Aventurine's claim of creating the "best PvP MMORPG experience" will hold true. [Thanks to Robert for the tip!]
The Game Archaeologist: When sequels attack!
Sequels are both the bane of and a fact of life for movies and video games. Well, "bane" is a strong word, and you're probably thinking of Batman right now anyway, but personally, I'm always willing to give the benefit of doubt to any continuation of a favorite franchise. While we don't see sequels pop up as often in MMOs, they do exist and have significant effects upon the original title that bears the same name. It's here that MMOs diverge from movies and other video games. With those, the original is not in any sort of danger, other than the perception of having its legacy dragged down into the muck (Caddyshack II, anyone?) and perhaps overstaying its welcome. An MMO sequel, on the other hand, can cause serious consequences to its ancestor. Here at Game Archaeologist, we look at classic games that have often seen their time come and go. But what happens to one of these titles when a sequel attacks? Almost anything, it turns out.
Aventurine details Darkfall's Primalist role
Aventurine has released a smidgeon of info on the Primalist, one of four new roles in Darkfall Unholy Wars' rebooted character progression system. The Primalist is "the healer and protector of his group and can help turn the tide of any battle with his interventions," according to the company's latest dev blog. The posting lists various Primalist skills that fall under the Life and Law schools, and you can read all about it on the official Darkfall website.
Darkfall adds salvaging, prowess point progression
Aventurine has broken a bit of its silence relating to the Darkfall Unholy Wars reboot. While the FFA PvP sandbox has been in beta for a while now, it's still not in open beta, and thus news of all the changes has been slow to reach fans who are watching from the sidelines. Fear not, though, because it's Tasos Flambouras to the rescue with a pair of forum posts detailing the new game's salvaging and prowess point character progression systems. Salvaging is basically the reverse of the crafting process, and players may salvage crafted equippable gear and broken items which drop from Agon's monsters. Prowess, on the other hand, is gained from all "meaningful interactions" with the game, which includes harvesting, crafting, PvE, and PvP. Skills and attributes are then raised via the prowess system. Aventurine notes that crafting skills are not raised via prowess. "Due to the effect crafting skills have on the economy we felt we should exclude them from the prowess-based system," Flambouras writes. "All crafting skills can be raised by creating items."
Darkfall's fourth anniversary arrives, Unholy Wars doesn't
Several months ago, when the Massively braintrust asked me to pen an anniversary piece for Darkfall, I said, "Sure, that sounds like a great excuse to jump in and see what's changed since I played last." Little did I know that I'd still be stuck looking at Darkfall: Unholy Wars from afar on the game's anniversary date because Aventurine still hasn't gotten around to launching its sandbox reboot just yet. Huge delays are par for the course with this game, and I suppose the latest pales in comparison to the decade-long development cycle and the interminable Forumfall buffoonery that fans of the game suffered through prior to its original 2009 release. And yeah, I could link my old account and my new account and go beta Unholy Wars, but 15 years as an MMO fan has cured me of any impulse to test these games, particularly ones that I'm likely to enjoy post-release. Anyhow, that's a pretty long-winded intro that essentially boils down to "join me after the cut for an anniversary recap of Darkfall's past 12 months."
Darkfall shows off its mad crafting skills
When Darkfall eventually relaunches as Unholy Wars, it's bringing with it a robust crafting system that apparently deserves a preview video set to a stirring theme. The video throws out plenty of tantalizing numbers to demonstrate Darkfall's crafting diversity: 98 different harvestable materials, 17 crafting skills, 12 crafting masteries, 75 unique crafted materials, 410 unique crafting recipes, and 626 unique craftable items. And it ends with a player casually tossing out a fully crafted boat from his inventory for him and his friends to sail. Give the video a look after the jump and let us know: How important is crafting to you in a PvP-centric MMO?
Link your Darkfall and Unholy Wars accounts for discount, beta access
Got questions about linking your old Darkfall account with your spiffy new Darkfall: Unholy Wars account? Aventurine's got answers, and you'll find them in a new customer support video published yesterday on the game's official website. Why would you want to link your accounts? Firstly you'll get the new UW client for half price ($14.95). You'll also get access to beta and the ability to reserve your character's name. You can view the video after the cut.
Darkfall dev diary video details the world of Agon
Darkfall Holy Wars' new world of Agon is front and center in today's developer diary video hosted by World Lead Nikos Kasolos. In it, he describes the intense graphics update that was required to bring Agon to life, including textures, lighting, and even the ability to hide in the shadows now, thanks to a new darkness improvement. As for new content, Agon launches 50 holdings, 30 cities, and 20 hamlets all "built from scratch." You can find out much more about this new update through the six-minute video embedded after the cut.
