chinese
Latest
Choose My Adventure: And the winner is...
Choose My Adventure is a funny column to write. At some point, you as the author know which game will likely win, but you also know that at some point everything can go wonky. I've seen games that seemed to be the sure thing get knocked off by a lone wolf or underdog. I like to poke the developers who are running the games that are in the polls in the hopes that they let their community know about the column and get the polls heating up. There's nothing like a good vote to get people excited about MMO games, and that's the way things should be. Even though I watched the poll go a few different ways, it was relatively obvious what title was going to pull it off. I started to prepare by updating the top titles and reading up on some of their systems. Choose My Adventure is not a light undertaking; it's a real adventure -- hopefully -- through an unfamiliar world. I knew I would need the community's help in deciphering the winner. And what a winner!
The Art of Wushu: Talking Mount Hua with Age of Wushu's Peter Kang
A day or two after writing about the Mount Hua expansion last time, I had the chance to sit down with community manager Peter Kang -- better known to the Age of Wushu playerbase as Earthquake -- and talk about the various changes in the expansion. We had a fairly long talk. Like true wuxia fanboys, we derailed quite a bit to talk about Legend of Condor Heroes, but we discussed where Wushu is, where Snail would like it to go, and the relationship between Snail USA and the dev team in China. It was pretty enlightening because he clearly plays the game and is acutely aware of the impact the company's decisions has on players.
Jukebox Heroes: Age of Wushu's soundtrack
You're probably not going to catch me in Age of Wushu any time soon. I mean, don't get me wrong, kidnapping and castration are definitely the innovative features we as an MMO community have been begging for, but "PvP sandbox" is like spraying a game with anti-Justin repellent. But I will gladly listen to Age of Wushu's soundtrack because it is simply wonderful. I was really just expecting very generic Chinese music -- you know, the kind you might hear as muzak in your local take-out restaurant. Instead, this is a score worthy of a movie adjacent to Jet Li's presence. Perhaps that's why he's shilling for this game. I couldn't track down the composer for this, so if any of you know, drop me a line and I'll make sure to give you credit. What I do know is that it was a great pleasure to listen through this entire score, and picking out just six tracks to highlight proved a challenging task.
Age of Wushu merging servers next week [Updated]
If you reside on the White Tiger or Black Tortoise servers in Age of Wushu, you'll see a change in your world next week soon. When the servers come back up after the scheduled weekly maintenance on August 28th September 4th, only one of those two servers will remain; in order to improve the player experience, everyone from Black Tortoise will be merged onto a freshly reset White Tiger. To answer questions and help prepare players for the merge, Snail Games has created a FAQ post, which includes such tidbits as all school positions and guild territories will be reset. To help prepare the servers, there will be an hour-long special maintenance for those two servers only on Monday, August 26th September 2nd starting at 1:01 a.m. EDT. The merge will then take place on Wednesday when maintenance begins at 4:00 a.m. EDT. [Update: According to an edit made to the original blog post, Age of Wushu's server merges have been delayed until September 4th.]
The Art of Wushu: Climbing the Mount Hua expansion
I always have misgivings when I'm covering an expansion early. I rarely have enough time to really delve into the various features. You guys should know by now that I really like writing in-depth stuff, and since Age of Wushu's first expansion has been out for only a few days, I really haven't had enough time to make a solid opinion on it. But either way, the expansion is out and I have to talk about it. It includes a new, cool PvP battleground, some new features I'm not really fond of, and some other features I really like. It also had quite a bit of controversy at launch, and the player response was... interesting, at least.
Age of Wushu's Legends of Mount Hua expansion launches
Have you been eagerly awaiting the day you could dive into the new systems and features of Age of Wushu's first expansion, Legends of Mount Hua? Well, today's the day! Players are now able to get in and try their hands at the Youyun Sixteen Area Prefectures Battle Arena, a 40 vs 40 PvP battleground, and Yanmen Pass, an 18-man instance. Those with the urge to help out newer players will find the Martial Brothers system for mentoring helpful, while those who seek revenge on others will no doubt get use out of the Jianghu Gratitude and Revenge System. And the truly competitive of spirit can take part in the Mount Hua Competition. The new faction system and the Jianghu Heroic Playstyle and Treasure System will offer a variety of rewards. For a look at what's in store, check out the LoMH images in the gallery below and the official launch trailer after the break. [Source: Snail Games press release]%Gallery-195681%
Six new Age of Wushu faction trailers sighted in the wild
Age of Wushu's expansion is hitting the game's Chinese servers in a couple of days, bringing with it six new factions. MMO Culture has posted teaser trailers for all six, including one for the infamous Rootless Clan that features in-game castration as an entry requirement. There's also a seventh trailer for players who opt to remain faction-less. Click past the cut to see the new videos.
The Art of Wushu: Being a master or an apprentice
Fun facts for fans of the Art of Wushu: I wrote three articles about Age of Wushu for this week. I started off writing something lame, but I scrapped it because I didn't like the topic. The second is one about reaction times, perception, and brain chemistry. However, I realized somewhere in the middle of writing it that I used terms about "skill levels" that I have never really defined, and I figured it would be a good thing to do that before I went any further. So this time, we're going to talk about skill levels and what they mean. All of them are fairly discrete, and they are pretty universal, whether you practice swordsmanship or carpentry (or do either in a video game). I have probably used the term "expert player" over 9000 times while writing for Massively, and I've held an opinion on what an intermediate player is since long before I was blogging. This is a good way to identify where you and others stand, which is how you'll know what kind of advice you need to get to the next level.
Age of Wushu Changing Skies trailer features new weather systems, lots of kung fu
Age of Wushu's Chinese server is getting a content update on August 8th. You don't have to wait that long to see it, though, thanks to a new trailer posted at MMO Culture. The patch, loosely translated as Changing Skies, will add new weather and day/night cycle systems. There will also be sandstorms that reveal secret locations, changing environmental sounds, and the new character selection screen shown above. Thus far Snail Games has not indicated when the new content will be exported to Age of Wushu's American or European servers. Click past the cut to watch the trailer.
Age of Wushu to feature castration mechanic
Want to join the new Rootless Clan that's coming to the Chinese version of Age of Wushu? You'll need to lose your virtual junk first, as the evil-aligned sect is basically an order of eunuchs that forcibly castrate initiates. And yes, it's in the game. MMO Culture has all the details, including a gameplay video if you're so inclined. In a nutshell, prospective Rootless monks must obtain a special daily quest and then undergo the castration process, which features a dedicated health bar. "After around two minutes, the process will end," the site says. "However, the success rate of castration is still considered low at this time. If it is unsuccessful, the victim will still sustain significant damage." Click past the cut to see a snippet of castration gameplay for yourself.
More details and video emerge for Age of Wushu's Legends of Mount Hua
What to do while waiting for an expansion? Learn as much as you can about it, of course! And thanks to the latest info from Snail Games, players anticipating Age of Wushu's first expansion can delve even deeper into the inner workings of the new systems coming in Legends of Mount Hua. In the Jianghu Gratitude and Revenge System, players have the opportunity to gain enough reputation with an NPC to convince him or her to fight alongside their character. On a darker note, players can also use that reputation (and a little gold) to hire an NPC to exact revenge upon another player. How far will the punishment go? That all depends on how much the player is willing to pay. The Jianghu Hero and Treasure System, on the other hand, focuses on rewarding players for defeating Jianghu martial arts experts in duels to the death. These earned treasures are a new type of equipment with powerful stat bonuses, varying in power ranks and benefits. How does one come into one of these duels? By catching the eye of the experts by defeating certain enemies. Players can also get a glimpse of the conflict that awaits them in Yanmen Pass, a new instance where players will choose which story to complete, in the trailer after the break. [Source: Snail Games press release]
The Art of Wushu: Preparing for group PvE
I will be perfectly frank when I say that I tremendously dislike PvE in Age of Wushu. It's not that the PvE is bad compared to other games; it's that I feel that the point of the game is ultimately PvP, whether that comes in the form of economics or direct combat. I play Age of Wushu because I like the PvP, and I don't see the point in spending hours in co-op dungeons to get rewards that I could just buy on the market. However, the playerbase pretty much disagrees with me. Most high-level guilds focus heavily on PvE. There seems to be a very fixed mindset in place with MMO players that encourages them to go for "endgame" PvE content, even though it is really just one path of many in Age of Wushu. Therefore, I feel obligated to cover it. If you are interested in learning more about forbidden instances, I advise you to get into a high-end guild and ask questions. I can give you the basics of what to expect and how to prepare, but there are a lot of specifics and everyone does things a little bit differently.
Snail announces Age of Wushu mobile and console titles, feature film
Snail Games has huge plans for its successful Age of Wushu IP. The firm has already announced an expansion for its wuxia-powered MMORPG, but now it's aiming at a console port, a mobile port, and a feature film set in the same universe. The company's press release offers no details on any of the new projects aside from promising more details "at a later date." As for the big-screen treatment, Snail founder and chairman Shi Hai says it's only natural. "The Age of Wushu game looks and plays like a major martial arts motion picture, so bringing the property to movie screens is a logical evolution," he explained. "Our goal has always been for the property to reach the widest audience so evolving to a feature film and expanding the experience to consoles and mobile devices continues our plan." [Source: Snail press release]
The Art of Wushu: Exploring China with true parkour
I'm a bit spoiled by Age of Wushu's flying skills. Parkour in Wushu is one of the most satisfying things in any game, as heroes can truly go anywhere and do anything. When I was first playing the game in beta and was unsure about everything else, I said with certainty, "Any game with airdashes can't be bad." As it turns out, the parkour in Age of Wushu stands head and shoulders above the travel in any other game. Other games have jumping puzzles that are awkward, and some games have flight or other Z-axis travel that allows players to freely go wherever they like. In Wushu, it takes effort to get to hard-to-reach places, but the feeling you get when you climb the highest heights and explore places no one else might ever see is truly satisfying.
Age of Wushu's first expansion coming August 8th
If you were just thinking that all your summer needed to be perfect was to lose yourself in Age of Wushu's first expansion, you're in luck! Snail Games has announced that Legends of Mount Hua will be released in just a little over a month on August 8th. This expansion brings a number of new features to the martial arts sandbox, including a battle arena, a new story and instance, and the PvP Mount Hua Competition. Players will also have access to a new gratitude and revenge system, a treasure system, the Martial Brother System, and a Jianghu Status System to enhance their gameplay. The Martial Brother System allows lower-level players to increase their power quickly and offers discounts on skills. Using the Jianghu Status System, players can measure their standing with the world's NPCs and various factions, and improving or worsening their relationship with NPCs and successfully completing faction challenges will build Jianghu experience, which in turn can earn various rewards like items, titles, even quests and special battlefields. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Age of Wushu releases full feature list for first expansion
While Snail Games showed off a bit of Age of Wushu's new content at E3 this year, the studio has just released a detailed full feature list for its martial arts MMO's first major expansion. Age of Wushu: Legends of Mount Hua will introduce a special competition for the top players of each server, a new instance with five different stoylines, a MOBA-style battle arena, quicker training for low-level characters, the Jianghu faction system, and more. You can check out more on this new content and browse today's item shop additions at the official website.
Age of Wushu getting new factions and character trading in China
While you can't be certain about the future of a game in your country based on what happens in its native country, that's certainly the way to bet. So the good news is that Age of Wushu players can look forward to some neat stuff in the future, including new factions and schools. A recent preview highlights the Villa of the Beasts, a school deep in the wilds that focuses on hand-to-hand combat in nature. There are even rumors that the school will eventually allow for pet companions. The game is experimenting with a character trading service, allowing you to directly list characters for sale without having to sell your entire account and risk hacking. Whether or not the service on a whole is a good thing for the health of the game is an exercise for the reader. There's no timetable for any of this coming over to the game in the West, but in all likelihood it's just a matter of time. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
The Art of Wushu: The truth about mind games and timing
Once upon a time, I was teaching a friend how to duel in Age of Wushu. She was easily frustrated by things, and she expressed to me that she felt as if everyone had superhuman reflexes compared to her. Because she was a beginner, I couldn't just convey all the complexity of mind games to her. Explaining all the different options (beyond the basics), weighting them, and explaining the opportunity costs of each was not really an option. She was having trouble even with slightly advanced stuff (which is totally normal), but she also lacked some of the natural "killer instinct" that allows some of my other friends to duel. At the same time, I had been fighting Zyden, one of the most skilled duelists in English-speaking Age of Wushu. He actually does have near-superhuman reflexes. Earlier that day, though, I had hit him with a very slow-animating feint that he normally interrupts with a stun. Normally, his reactions are superhuman, but there are some times when they aren't. It's not a matter of "off day," either. He just wasn't prepared for me to do what I did right at that moment. I told my friend, "Outside of a moment, you can only react." Immediately afterwards, I realized just how important those words were.
Tianhe-2 supercomputer claims the lead in Top 500 list, thanks its 3.1 million processor cores
As predicted, Chinese supercomputer Tianhe-2 (also known as the Milky Way-2) has now been crowned the most powerful supercomputer in the world. Arriving years ahead of schedule, and packing 32,000 Xeon processors alongside 48,000 Xeon Phi accelerator processors, the supercomputer can manage a quadrillion mathematical calculations per second (33.85 petaflops), double that of last year's king (and closest rival), the Titan. In this year's results, 80 percent of the Top 500 used Intel processors, while 67 percent had processors with eight or more cores -- as clock speeds stall, supercomputer development has now focused on processors running in parallel. Top 500 editor Jack Dongarra adds that "most of the features of the [Tianhe-2] system were developed in China, and they are only using Intel for the main compute part," meaning that you can expect to see more Chinese entrants (and possibly champions) over the next few years. For now, however, the US still claims the majority of the Top 500, with 253 top-ranking supercomputers.
EU's Age of Wulin offers FAQ and early character creation for closed beta
The European cousin to Age of Wushu, the martial arts sandbox already released in North America, is finally cracking open its beta doors to let in select players next week. That's right: Age of Wulin starts closed beta on Monday, June 17th. But eligible testers needn't wait until then to make their characters; gPotato has enabled access to the launcher until the evening of the 15th to let players create their avatars and reserve their names. Players should note that CBT characters will be wiped for when beta opens to all. Got other questions about Age of Wulin's upcoming closed beta? If so, gPotato has some answers via its new FAQ. For instance, this closed beta will be short but all players will enjoy full VIP status. Another important item to note is that AoW will not have an NDA; players are welcome to talk about, review, livestream, and share their in-game experiences with others. And for those who haven't yet received a closed beta key, don't worry -- more were sent out today. While checking your email, catch the closed beta trailer after the break. [Thanks to mad283 for the tip!]
