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WildStar's latest AMA features the Warrior
Carbine hosted an AMA session earlier today focused on the Warrior class for its upcoming WildStar MMO. Representing the dev team was lead combat designer Chris Lynch, class lead Hugh Shelton, Warrior class designer Marc Matzenbacher, and senior community manager David Bass. The talk ranged from protective abilities to taunts to underwater and zero gravity gameplay situations. If you're interested in more Warrior-centric info, you can read the whole AMA via the links below. And don't forget about Carbine's Warrior livestream on November 9th at 3:00 p.m. EST.
You asked, ZeniMax answered: Another TESO AMA is here
The folks at ZeniMax Online have posted another edition of their Elder Scrolls Online Ask Us Anything blog feature, this one tackling topics from equipment progression to lycanthropy. Information revealed in the post? Gear will not level, skills will morph only one time, campaigns last for three months and have persistent consequences, guild stores will be accessible by players of the same alliance, and book/chest spawns have some elements of randomness. The ZeniMax team also dodged hard answers on a couple of questions. According to the post, veteran system rewards may or may not remain cosmetic-only and players who become werewolves or vampires may or may not be able to cure themselves and switch sides. Make of that what you will.
The Elder Scrolls Online opens a grab bag of questions
Sometimes questions don't fit together in a nice theme. The Elder Scrolls Online often bunches questions together with an overarching element, but the most recent round of questions is a real grab bag. It covers everything from resurrection and PvP environments to mixing and matching armor, from weapon styles to disguises. So there's plenty to unpack, in other words. The discussion of Veteran Points and the corresponding Veteran Ranks is probably the most meaty part, shedding light on a system that's only been discussed in brief elsewhere. In essence, Veteran Points serve as a new form of leveling after a character has reached max level, awarded for tasks completed rather than simply slaying enemies. While players still gain stat increases for improving Veteran Rank, the major benefit is the continued acquisition of skill points, allowing players to broaden their abilities even after reaching the apex of power. You can read the full set of answers on the official site.
This week's ESO AMA is all about the lore
It's time again for the folks at ZeniMax Online to answer questions from the Elder Scrolls Online mailbag, and today's Ask Us Anything entry revolves primarily around the lore of ESO and how it ties in with existing Elder Scrolls canon. According to the post, famous Elder Scrolls landmarks like the Adamantine Tower and the city of Orsinium are present in the world of ESO, though they may appear different than they did in previous games. The post also discusses why orcs, normally isolationist in nature, would want to join the Daggerfall Covenant. Apparently, doing so is the orcs' best shot at establishing their own state. One interesting gameplay tidbit is also revealed; ZeniMax had this to say on the subject of Manes: The selection and accession of a new Mane is, in fact, one of the key events in which players can get involved in northern Valenwood and western Elsweyr. How is a new Mane chosen and accepted? You'll get to see for yourself. If you're a fan of Elder Scrolls lore, the full post is worth a read. This is the 20th Ask Us Anything ZeniMax has posted; previous AMAs have covered everything from stealth mechanics to PvP. New AMAs go up every two weeks.
Latest ESO AMA talks titles, Shadowscales, and sieges
It's time again for ZeniMax Online to field community questions about The Elder Scrolls Online, and this week's Ask Us Anything post covers a wide range of topics from lore to PvP to raw game mechanics. Included in the entry are details regarding three-faction warfare, access to guild stores, the details of becoming an emperor, and plans to balance between factions. ESO players will be able to participate in open sieges on controlled keeps, with the option for two competing factions to team up against the controlling faction or to battle the whole thing out in open warfare. Fans of smaller-scale PvP will be happy to hear that ESO will offer "lots of chance encounters" for open world combat and big-picture strategists will likely welcome the news that factions disadvantaged by numbers will receive special bonuses to help keep resource capturing fair. Smaller details are also discussed; titles are still in consideration, achievements will exist for large quest chains and other feats, and Shadowscales will show their reptilian faces in various ESO locations.
Elder Scrolls AMA talks stealth mechanics and more
Now that the furor of The Elder Scrolls Online's business model announcement has died down, ZeniMax can get back to its regularly scheduled content drip. Wait, who are we kidding? Fans are still frothing at the mouth over TESO's launch subscription, but fortunately none of that discourse makes its way into this week's Ask Us Anything post. Instead, the devs focus on topics like character roles, magic, the UI, and stealth mechanics. This last one is particularly interesting given ZeniMax's description of how the tactic will function in PvP. "If you are in stealth, you will be invisible to enemy players unless they detect you. It will take more than just a casual look in a stealthed player's direction to uncover them," the post explains. "During a recent playtest, one of our developers was ambushed by a hidden enemy. It was a very effective tactic; the ambusher took advantage of the fact that his target wasn't being cautious and using the Magelight ability, which would have thwarted the ambush."
Escape for Google Glass brings casual gaming to explorers (hands-on)
You know what's not new? Android games. You know what is new? Games for Google Glass. There has been the odd attempt so far, but french-based game developer AMA is porting one of its bonafide titles over to the small screen for real. Escape! is a simple puzzler, the sort that we're all familiar with on our phones, that is being squeezed into the wearable format. While games on the hardware might be something of an inevitability, we managed to get our eyes inside a pair to take a better look for ourselves. Head past the break to see how it worked out.
The Elder Scrolls Online answers questions about its livestream
If you're a fan of The Elder Scrolls Online, you were probably glued to the livestream earlier this month. But a single stream doesn't give you nearly as many answers as you'd like to have. So the development team took the opportunity to answer questions that potential players had about the stream, from game mechanics to elements as innocuous as UI components. And even if you were watching the stream with rapt attention, there are probably details that you missed. For example, the answers reveal that the game no longer includes a minimap, using a compass instead to encourage more player exploration. The party seen in the dungeon was also roughly level-appropriate, meaning that the healing and damage on display was roughly indicative of what players can expect from actual combat. Several of the animations shown were more or less finalized, but other elements (such as first-person mode) are still being tweaked. You can catch a few more tidbits from the full set of answers on the official site.
ZeniMax publishes dungeon-focused Elder Scrolls AMA
Have questions about dungeons in The Elder Scrolls Online? ZeniMax has answers, at least to a few of them. The firm has published a new Ask Us Anything on dungeons that gathers together various community queries in a single post. Hit the links below to learn the answers to things like whether or not ESO dungeons will be linear like most of their single-player Elder Scrolls counterparts and whether players will be able to wander into solo encounters in the multiplayer game. As for this last bit, ZeniMax says that the answer is basically yes, after a fashion. "Certain rare locales will just be for solo players, and some dungeons are meant for groups made only of people you choose to go in with. Most locales, however, will be accessible by everyone." Also of note is the decision to dispense with dungeon lockout timers. "We don't currently have any plans to use lockout timers. You can run through a dungeon as often as you like," the company says.
Elder Scrolls Online elaborates on crafting and exploration
ZeniMax scooped up all of the questions that fans had after seeing The Elder Scrolls Online's crafting and exploration video, and answered several of the most pressing of them in a new post. TESO will feature five crafting professions: weaponsmith, armorsmith, enchanter, alchemist, and provisioner. Of these, players are able to train in two fields so that a robust economy will develop between crafters. While there aren't any recipes in the game, players have multiple avenues to combine ingredients and make the same item. The studio indicated that those who have played previous Elder Scrolls games might have an advantage in knowing familiar plants and crafting ingredients and how they interact. Other topics in the AMA include fishing lures, how big your library can get (there's no limit, basically), the use of Mundus Stones, and the difficulty of lockpicking. "Your lockpicking will automatically improve as you level, gradually making chests that were once very difficult to open a much easier prospect. Though your lockpicking skill will increase as you level, the chests you encounter in higher level areas will also be more difficult," ZeniMax explained.
Camelot Unchained unveils new video, Mark Jacobs visits Reddit for AMA
The Camelot Unchained information deluge continues with the release of a new video and a Reddit AMA by Mark Jacobs himself. The video is a half-hour-long affair in which Jacobs provides fans (and prospective Kickstarter pledgers) with an in-depth look at the lore of Camelot Unchained and the myriad features that the game is bringing to the table. Also, as it happens, you can check it out after the cut. Meanwhile, on Reddit, Jacobs stopped by /r/IAmA to answer questions from the communit. Suffice it to say, questions range from the standard, "tell us about the progression system" to details on server structure, maximum player population, and much much more. Surprisingly, however, horse-sized ducks don't appear to be mentioned even once. To check the full Q&A session out for yourself, head on through the source link below.
Learn about PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online's latest AMA
The Elder Scrolls Online team waded through an AMA about PvP recently. Are you ready for some knowledge? Because we are so about to drop some. Alliance Points will be tied to the PvP ranking system. Siege weapons can be obtained and created by anyone who has enough Alliance Points to purchase them; there are no other resources necessary to buy and deploy them. Players can effectively starve out an enemy area by depriving them of resources from surrounding lumber mills, farms, and mines. Seizing those resources before laying siege has a double advantage of also switching off various enemy patrols. Villages in Cyrodiil are Alliance-neutral, but if you control nearby keeps, you'll have NPC patrols in their surrounding villages and towns. The team isn't quite ready to talk about some features like territory ownership perks and large team sizes. You can delve into full detail over on the official post.
PSA: Bill Gates accepting questions now in Reddit AMA (video)
Ever wonder who made the call to not pursue the Courier? Or, why did Microsoft kill off the Kin so quickly? Maybe looking for someone who can tell you whether the post-PC era is really a thing? Here's your chance. Bill Gates is currently doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, which, as the name implies, gives you the chance to get your questions answered. Get your best inquiry prepared and hit up the source link -- but don't get too excited. In just 45 minutes Gates' post has already received 4,400 responses, meaning you might have a bit of a wait before he gets to that most important question: yours. Update: Video of Bill answering the first few questions added after the break.
American McGee apologizes for EA 'trick' comment
Alice and Alice: Madness Returns creator American McGee clarified comments he made yesterday about EA's marketing strategy. McGee, who said EA wanted to 'trick' people into perceiving Madness Returns as hardcore horror, apologized to the publisher on his blog today. McGee does maintain the publisher is somewhat at fault for the game's poor sales."Allow me to expand on my original post," McGee wrote, "while at the same time making a correction (call it a retraction if you like). 'Tricked' is the wrong word. I take that back. Apologies to EA and anyone else whose feelings were hurt. Electronic Arts doesn't trick customers into buying things. They carefully apply proven marketing techniques to achieve the desired customer response. If they were bad at this sort of thing they'd have been crushed by their competitors long ago and you'd be playing Madden Football from Activision or Atari or something."McGee then noted that, while Madness Retuirns does include a lot of what's in the trailers in question, the developer felt its marketing didn't portray the Alice character correctly, and made out "blood and guts" to be the game's primary selling point. However, he conceded all of the blame can't be placed at the publisher's doorstep."I can't and don't fully fault them or their marketing for whatever the Alice games might or might not have done sales-wise. As a developer, do I grumble into my beer about how it could have been different if only...? Sure do! But I also recognize my own faults, and actions which are to blame for things not being 100 percent... or for inadvertently igniting firestorms."
The Elder Scrolls Online answers queries about the Daggerfall Covenant
The word "Daggerfall" has special significance to the Elder Scrolls community, which is perhaps why the Daggerfall Covenant has received considerable interest among those following the development of The Elder Scrolls Online. ZeniMax has a brand-new player Q&A that covers the lore and history of this faction. The Daggerfall Covenant encapsulates the Bretons, Redguard, and Orcs, and is symbolized by a lion. A significant question is why the Orcs would join forces with the other two races. The devs responded by saying that the race feels inferior to others and is trying to get established as an Imperial province, although it's "an alliance of convenience." The developers also talked about the variety that's going into the Alik'r Desert, a plague of werewolves that's a significant part of the game, what towns we'll be seeing in the region (Bergama, Camlorn, and Lainlyn), and how the alliance between the races overcomes their religious differences.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Ascended gear in Guild Wars 2
It's time to take a look at the new Guild Wars 2 item rarity: the Ascended tier. The first bits of Ascended gear came in with the Lost Shores patch, but we've been a little busy since then, have we not? Anyway, ArenaNet's Chris Whiteside took some time (like, the better part of a workday -- and then he went home and kept on taking time) to do an Ask Me Anything on Reddit, which largely focused on the question of Ascended stuff and what it means for the game. So let's get into it, shall we?
Guild Wars 2 staff tackles the ascended gear controversy head-on
It's been a rough couple of weeks for Guild Wars 2, following the news that ArenaNet would be implementing a new tier of gear to the game. Studio Design Director Chris Whiteside and President Mike O'Brien took to Reddit today for an Ask Me Anything (AMA), accepting the brunt of the blame while denying that the team had gone against its stated design manifesto. Whiteside said that the addition of ascended gear was not meant to add a necessary grind to Guild Wars 2, but to fill in a necessary gap in gear that the team identified early on. "It's an exciting problem," he wrote, "but one that has been poorly communicated and handled. And for this I take responsibility and apologize." O'Brien chimed in to address the many comments levied about the design manifesto: "We're left with a balancing act. Some progression is OK, but pushing players onto a gear treadmill isn't OK and isn't what the game is about. I don't think [the ascended gear] invalidates the fundamental concept that GW2 can have gradual stat progression without being a gear treadmill game." The AMA didn't merely dwell on the ascended gear issue; Whiteside fielded questions about the game's approach to future events, a desire to reduce grind across the board, the potential fracturing of the community, and ArenaNet's definition of grind ("Repetitive game play that is not fun," is the official answer, in case you were wondering).
The Elder Scrolls Online grapples with questions of race, story, and setting
You have questions about The Elder Scroll Online (probably many questions, yes?), and ZeniMax has a few answers in return. The developers took on a half-dozen queries from the community, many of which were concerned with setting and story, not to mention why typical adversaries are working together all of the sudden. If you're concerned that the three factions will offer thinly veiled copies of each other's quests, the devs have good news: "Each Alliance's content in TESO is as varied and dynamic as the Alliances themselves are -- your adventures an Argonian in the Ebonheart Pact, for example, will be quite different than those of a Bosmer in the Aldmeri Dominion." Another player asked how similar places will be that are covered in both the single-player titles and the MMO; the devs replied, "The stories and events that unfold in these areas during The Elder Scrolls Online will be different than those in past Elder Scrolls games. The people living in these familiar places won't be too different from their brethren in later times; however, they will have different views and tales to tell, based on the current events that are impacting their daily lives."
Roberts talks Star Citizen boarding parties, customization, and more
Can't get enough Star Citizen news? We can't either, which is why we cajoled Chris Roberts into joining us on this week's Massively Speaking podcast to talk about his new labor of love. That's later today, though, so in the meantime you'll have to content yourself with a transcript of Roberts' recent AMA session on Reddit. There's a lot to digest, as Roberts talks up features including ship boarding parties, private real estate, ship customization, and more. Don't forget to check in with us this afternoon as we ask the Wing Commander and Privateer creator about his Star Citizen investors, crowd-funding, the economy, and PvP!
ArenaNet programmers field Guild Wars 2 questions on Reddit
If you're an aspiring game programmer or a Guild Wars 2 fan, you might want to check out the transcript of a recent Reddit session that features most of ArenaNet's programming team. Technical Director Cameron Dunn, Engine Programming Team Lead Chad Taylor, and Gameplay Programming Team Lead Braeden Shosa are just a few of the folks on hand answering in Reddit's signature ask-me-anything format. "It's worth pointing out upfront that we're programmers, not designers," ArenaNet's intro says. "So if you want to know why your favorite skill was changed or when you should sell all of your hoarded butter to maximize gold return, we probably won't be able to help." [Thanks to pcgneurotic for the tip!]
