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Choose My Adventure: Against Allods
Last week's Choose My Adventure poll turned out to be something of a landslide. A couple of tweets and forum posts were all it took for gPotato's Allods Online to emerge the very clear winner of a race that included titles like Guild Wars, Champions Online, DC Universe Online, and Defiance. And now, with the winner chosen, it's time to leap into the fray and start smashing things in the face with fireballs or mallets or whatever it is one smashes with in Allods Online. But of course, this is a community activity. I can't simply create a character and start questing. No, dear readers, I need your help in deciding where and how this adventure begins. So let's get it started.
Choose My Adventure: The weather outside is frightful
December is here, which means it's about time to throw some logs on the fire, grab every blanket in the house, and collapse under the mantle in a freezing, sobbing heap. This week's arctic blast has left the United States feeling a lot like Northrend, but for those of us in certain parts of the country it's just the beginning of what's sure to be a long, hellish winter. However cold it may be outside, there's always a warm, toasty inn waiting in our favorite games. MMOs also provide sunny vistas, hot deserts, and steamy swamps, all of which make great places to escape nasty real-life weather. Even when it's cold in an MMO, it's still warm at our desks. In this edition of Choose My Adventure, I'm depending on you to help me hide from the snow that's piling up outside of my window. You don't have to send me somewhere warm, but I'd appreciate it if you send me somewhere fun.
Allods Online unleashes the Wind of Changes today
Come gather, you players of Allods Online; at 4:00 p.m. EST it's patching time. Accept it that soon there'll be new battle lines. If the game for you is worth playing, then you'd better get ready to adapt to the climes, for the winds they are a-changin'. Seriously, you can't title a major update Wind of Changes and have the wind remain the same; it's right there in the title. Bob Dylan-inspired introductions aside, what's actually changing with this update? Plenty. The game is adding a new mail system and a variety of new mounts, along with major revamps of the Dominion system and the new Scarlet Bastion PvP map. There's also the new Class Change system and Astral Modifiers to ensure that you really feel how much the environment really is, well, changing. But you don't have to take our word for it; you can watch the trailer just past the break.
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Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items
I love things. Truly I do. Only specific things, though. Over the last year I have doubled my efforts to catalog most of the best things in my life, from pictures and artwork to writings and songs I have played on. It's a sort of meta-hobby. As part of the effort I want to organize many of my favorite MMO in-game items, simply because I have played MMOs for so long and they are such a part of my life. I have a lot of favorite items, but some tend to stick out in my memory like a favorite smell or place. After I finished an initial list of MMO items (it was well over 50 items in the beginning), I was surprised at how much variety there was in the items and in the games I listed. I think it reflects my character a lot, but also shows that I am a sentimental plod most of the time. I cut the list down to these 10, but I am sure I will wish to adjust the list again in the future. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section!
Allods Online revamping its Dominion PvP
Dominion battles will get a lot more interesting -- and fair -- when the December update hits Allods Online. The Wind of Changes update will feature a top-down reworking of the Dominion system in order to keep large guilds from constantly, er, dominating. Now there will be two stages that will take place on a weekly basis: All against all battles will pit champion groups against similarly ranked enemies, followed by an auction for the privilege of fighting in a raid vs. raid melee. With the patch, Allods Online will be tossing in two new Allods, Enoch and Koch Itzmahl, to keep Dominion fresh. The dev team's also tweaked the tabard system to give guilds better chances of finding matched opponents.
Allods Online debuts class change coupons
If you're feeling stuck in a rut in Allods Online and think changing up your class might freshen things up, today's announcement from Webzen might be the news you've been waiting for. The studio has just unveiled a new in-game item that allows you to instantly change your character's class and try life on the other side of the fence. Here's how it works: Once per week, core morpher coupons will appear on the Allods auction house. Only one coupon per class will be available. If you win the auction, you'll be able to grab the coupon out of your in-game mail (for subscribers) or redeem it via the item shop (free players). Once in your inventory, the core morpher coupon enables you to switch to a new class while keeping all of your equipment progress through a system that gives you class-appropriate items that match the rarity and power of the items you currently have. Webzen advises that you mull the decision carefully, as you may change classes only once per month and you'll be competing with many other players to win your class's weekly auction.
Newest producer's letter discusses the next major Allods Online update
Allods Online is the first game that launched free-to-play and then launched a subscription server. How did that go? According to the latest producer's letter, it went. Not perfectly, and it's not as popular as the option to play the game for free, but it serves different customer types. But that's just the smallest hint of the changes coming to the game, which could include a merge for the American and European regions in the future. The game's next major update, appropriately titled Winds of Change, is currently in the works. It promises to bring new features such as an asymmetrical 6v24 PvP challenge. The small team will be tasked with infiltrating a large facility and retrieving the flag deep within, leading to a different approach than the usual clash of armies. New mounts, new class features, and more are due along with the update, which should go live in early December.
Ditch F2P with Allods Online's new subscription-only servers today
Have you ever really enjoyed a free-to-play game but hated the trappings of F2P? Would you rather ditch the lockboxes and the cash shop and just get the entirety of the game with a subscription? With Allods Online, now you can! Fans of this formerly only-F2P game can now play on the new Smuggler's Paradise server (North America) or Goblin Republic (Europe), servers only for subscribing players. With no cash shop, lockboxes, Runes, Patronage Rank 5, strongbox bonuses, incense, or cursed items, what will Smuggler's Paradise have? How about a 30% increase in leveling speed, twice as many stat points per level, bigger bags, mounts that don't need to be fed, a second earring slot, and more. Players will also be able to use in-game gold (earned in game!) to customize their character, guild, and ship as well as redistribute stats, talents, and rubies. Sound good to you? If you are looking to jump on this deal, your gPotato currency can be converted into subscription time. Want to know more? Even more details about the server can be found on the official site. [Edit: Added EU server] [Thanks to Scott for the tip!]
Allods Online's Everlasting Battle update is now live
Today's a big day in the world of Allods Online. Webzen has launched the game's Everlasting Battle expansion, and with it come huge changes for Allods players. For starters, the expansion creates a new subscription option for Allods; players can move from the item shop model to a "subscription-based" server. The sub server allows players to earn in-game items by completing quests, killing bosses, or purchasing those items with in-game gold, in lieu of buying the items via real-life cash. As for the game itself, Everlasting Battle introduces a new friends system that enables mount sharing and ability boosting, along with major overhauls to the Mage and Summoner classes. Additionally, guilds with more than four groups waiting for PvP battles will have the option of participating in a Dominion Raid, which pits up to 48 players in a battle for guild superiority. Finally, German, Polish, English, and French servers have been merged into one enormous European server. Players will be able to use the existing game client to access it. [Source: Webzen press release]
New Allods subscription server detailed
Remember earlier this month when developers for Allods Online announced that the free-to-play fantasy MMO would be opening a subscription-only server? Well, it wasn't a dream, as the team has now added a page to its website detailing the shard's ruleset. Among the changes are a lack of runes, incense, and cursed items. Experience gain also gets a 30 percent boost while stat points are awarded at twice the customary clip. There's also, of course, no item shop, and you can now earn mounts "by taking part in game activities." It's crazy, we know! In other Allods news, gPotato says that the game's Everlasting Battle update is scheduled for September 4th.
Choose My Adventure: The loser's circle
None of the games you are about to read about is a bad game. Don't let the title of the article fool you; these are all great games, but so far none of them has won a poll during a Choose My Adventure run. What is Choose My Adventure? Well, you wonderful readers will pick the MMORPG for me. and over the next several weeks you will also vote on what I will do in the game, which faction I will pick, which class I will have to roll, and so on. It all depends on the game -- and you. So you and I have some work to do. It will be a long road but hopefully a scenic one. With your help, I will be able to keep up the tradition of putting a Massively writer through six weeks of joy, frustration, pain, and loot. A lot of loot.The list of losers is potentially long, but I decided to keep it relatively short and sweet. If you see your favorite game on the list, go tell the game's community. Get out the vote! Or have some fun torturing me! I normally go with indie or games that do not normally get much coverage, but these losers just begged me for a chance at winning CMA.
Allods Online Q&A covers new subscription server
Bucking the trend of going from subscription to free-to-play, Allods Online is doing the reverse when it comes out with its new subscription server later this year. There's a lot of questions swirling about this alternative way to pay and play the game, and so gPotato has put out a handy Q&A to cover the subject. Apart from paying a standard (yet "to be determined") fee to play on this server, the subscription server's main difference will be the absence of an item shop and currency exchange. Everything on this server will be either quested, crafted, looted, or purchased with in-game currency. Players also won't be able to transfer a character (and its goods) from a F2P server to the subscription one. The studio hopes to have the new server out around the time of the next expansion. It has committed to a subscription server for Europe, although it may nix the North American one due to lackluster interest from the community.
The Perfect Ten: Literal kill 10 rats quests
Webster's Dictionary describes "kill 10 rats" as "something nerds do, now shut up and read a few intelligent words." I think the editors are getting a little lazy there at Webster's, but that's nothing compared to the OED crowd that routinely slips in paragraphs of cut-and-pasted Hunger Games fan fiction just to pad the volumes. Anyway, we all know that "kill 10 rats" is a derogatory term for those quests that make you slaughter a certain number of things to make life happier for the quest giver. Why that quest giver has a very specific number in mind has always fascinated me, but never mind. It stems from a long-standing RPG tradition by which lowbie characters typically start their career by doing a little rodent culling in the basement of a tavern. That's how all great people got their start, Abraham Lincoln included. With "kill 10 rats" already being a trope, developers have this habit of trying to be coy and meta by actually putting quests in their MMOs where you, yup, kill 10 rats. I get the feeling that they think they're doing something clever and cheeky, even though practically all of their competitors have done the same. So here we go: ten literal "kill 10 rats" quests that you can find in your games today.
Webzen puts Arctic Combat on ice
Longevity in free-to-play games is odd. Some seem to last forever while others barely make it to one year. Arctic Combat was well on its way to the one-year mark after launching in December of last year, but Webzen has announced that the game will be closed completely as of September 2nd. The gradual shutdown started on August 2nd, with the item shop and downloads disabled, but service will continue for players still in the game until September. Players looking for compensation will receive money for use in other Webzen titles and are eligible to pick up special compensation packs in several other titles, including MU Online and Allods Online. Direct refunds are not offered. Our consolations go out to all players and staff members affected by this shutdown. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Subscription server bound for Allods Online
A lot of games have gone from subscription to free-to-play, but that's generally been a one-way street. Allods Online is walking in the other direction. After the game opened a subscription server in Russia a while back, the most recent roadmap for the game reveals that a subscription server is due for release over here after the game's next expansion. That presumably means a lot of the perks from the cash shop will be simply available in-game for a flat monthly rate. The letter doesn't mention an exact timeframe or what players can expect from the subscription server, but it's quite clear that the development team has heard the demand and is moving forward on the project. There's also talk of hosting a convention for the game's community in the real world, which would be a first for the title. Allods Online fans should stay alert for more news on both the next expansion and the new server type in the coming months. [Thanks to Mikey for the tip!]
Allods Online celebrates Needle Eye Day
"Raise those fabric scissors in the air like you just don't care," the Allods Online team soberly commands. This comes as the call goes out for tailors to celebrate Needle Eye Day (well, more like 10 days, but who's counting?). Needle Eye Day is a special in-game holiday for folks who have specialized in tailoring. Tailors participating in the event can earn several new items, including a peaked cap, festive suit, and a tailor's bag. The festival will take place from July 18th to July 27th. Just as a reminder, please do not run with those fabric scissors like you just don't care, because it's dangerous. Massively loves you too much to see you succumb to scissor wounds.
Jukebox Heroes: Expansion themes
Main themes seem to be a strong favorite among video game music fans (and even the casual set), but I've talked about them a few times already. So instead of puttering around with main MMO themes, why not give expansions some of the credit? Not every expansion gets its own theme tune, of course, but plenty do. We've covered a few of them in this column so far, including Riders of Rohan and EVE Online: Apocrypha. What we haven't done is spend an entire week looking at these upstart themes and see how they compare to the originals. So strap on your headphones and prepare for symphonic excellence. Here are six great MMO expansion themes that deserve a few minutes of your time!
Allods Online updates guild vs guild rules of engagement
Starting today, warriors in Allods Online's guild versus guild territory battles will have new mechanics at their disposal. These new battle mechanics include the ability to set a battle time to improve the organization and coordination of military campaigns as well as a new tournament-based league for sectors. Additionally, a new matchmaking system aims to keep things balanced and fair by using an improved battle points calculation that allows guilds to challenge others with similar power and skill levels. On top of those changes, players with their own allod can now create a dungeon to hide their treasures in a customizable maze that plunderers will have to successfully navigate. Need another reason to log in and check things out? How about this: Allods Online is offering a special event called A Gift a Day. Starting today, each day a player logs in, s/he will receive a gift. Prizes can include exclusive new costumes and a brand-new wolf mount. If you need any more coaxing, check out new images in the gallery below and the update's trailer after the cut. [Source: Webzen press release]%Gallery-91331%
Second Wind Roundtable: Allods Online
Hello again, kind gentlefolk, and welcome to the latest installment of the Second Wind Roundtable. This time around, I coerced, extorted, and otherwise blackmailed the wonderful Bree and Eliot (and Lis, though she was unfortunately unable to join us for the Roundtable chat itself, but she was there too!) to join me in a few rousing sessions of gPotato's aether-sailing free-to-play title, Allods Online. We laughed, we cried, we nearly died from rage-induced aneurysms. But despite all that, we all survived to tell the tale. So buckle your swashes, raise your sails, and join us past the cut, won't you?
Obsidian and Allods team up to create Skyforge
If you've ever been curious about what would happen if you mixed the Allods Online team with Obsidian Entertainment, wonder no more! The two forces announced their partnership at the Russian Game Developers Convention where they unveiled their upcoming MMORPG, Skyforge. The game is planned to release for the PC in 2014. More details are available from the devs themselves in the video after the break, if you speak Russian. For those who don't, you can catch a few snippits of game video between the interviews and a stretch coming just before the seven minute mark.
