balance-adjustments
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Carbine's Donatelli and Moore on WildStar's population and philosophy
Two weeks ago, Carbine Studios offered us the opportunity to interview product director Mike Donatelli and creative director Chad Moore regarding the state of WildStar and what future updates would bring to the game. We have their thorough answers in their entirety for you today; Carbine assures us that there was no animosity or conspiracy in the delay, and we thank the studio for that. So let's get to it: Read on as the duo discuss WildStar's current population, business model, development strategy, and plans for the near future.
Newest test server pass for Star Trek Online aimed at cleaning up [Updated with F2P date!]
Bugs and design issues are present even in the universe of Star Trek Online, ranging from irritating interface bugs on ship consoles to the apparently frequent bug that causes the holodeck to nearly kill everyone on the ship every few weeks. They also crop up in the game itself, of course, but as outlined in the latest Path to F2P blog, the development team is focusing in closely on trying to eliminate several bugs and design issues currently in the game. Patrol missions, for instance, are being changed from a flat sequence of isolated system missions into a more freeform system that scales with level. Crafting changes are also being put in place, giving players "material blocks" to work with that are purchase via dilithium, thereby allowing fleets and groups of players to shunt crafting resources toward a single player. The entry also hints at an entirely new form of content coming to the test server over the next month, although players will have to wait to find out what that means. [Edit: More details on the F2P switch have also surfaced, thanks to our friends at IGN.]
Final Fantasy XIV launches patch 1.18
Final Fantasy XIV players have been waiting for patch 1.18 to drop for quite some time, but the wait is finally over. Players can finally access the variety of updates and improvements that the newest patch has promised, including a large overhaul to the combat system that ushers in auto-attack functionality and the addition of the new Grand Companies. While the former is just the first step toward making a more thorough overhaul of the game's combat engine, the latter will give players rank 22 and up new missions to participate in while attempting to safeguard Eorzea. Other improvements include a streamlining of the enmity system complete with in-game warnings, improvements to repair functionality, and a general streamlining and adjustment of the guildleve system. All told, it's quite a large change to the existing elements of the game, something that Final Fantasy XIV players will no doubt want to devote a fair chunk of time to exploring.
New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter covers balance changes, guildleves
Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida popped by the Final Fantasy XIV forums today to present the community with the latest Final Fantasy XIV Producer's Letter. The post deals with the game's upcoming patch 1.18 and the changes that it will bring. In particular, the letter addresses upcoming balance reforms, which will see Final Fantasy XIV's "shift from being a grind-centric game to one that offers enjoyment for all playing styles and circumstances with its ever-expanding variety of content." Yoshida also discusses the changes coming to guildleves, noting that at the game's launch, "it was stated... that guildleves [would] form the heart of the game." That claim has now been retracted, as Yoshida notes that central content "isn't a static thing" and that it's "new content that we continually develop for our fans' enjoyment, with no one item indefinitely bathing in the spotlight." All-in-all, the letter seems promising for the ongoing adjustments to the game. For the full text, head on over to the Final Fantasy XIV forums.
