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Moonlight Online reveals concept art for its starting cities
Earlier this year, IGG announced they had begun work on an MMO based in the Moonlight universe. Moonlight Online takes place in a dark world where werewolves and vampires war for supremacy. Since the announcement, IGG has been regularly pumping out concept art to give people a feel for the style the game is aiming for. We've been shown some werewolf and vampire characters, a dark armoured horse and a few buildings inspired by medieval and gothic architecture. New art has now been released showing the game's three starting cities: Castle Williams, Fort Traster and Wolfsburg Bastion. Castle Williams is a dark, gothic castle where all vampires first begin their journey. Home to the humans, Fort Traster is a municipality with a strong focus on teaching magic. As expected, werewolves start their adventures in Wolfsburg Bastion, a wild and untamed stronghold. IGG continue to release concept art on the upcoming title regularly, and updates can be found on the official Moonlight Online forum. %Gallery-107318%
Final Fantasy XIV releases new Gridania assets
With only a few days left until release, Final Fantasy XIV has lifted the shroud surrounding the third of the starting city-states for new characters. Gridania, nestled in the Black Shroud, is a city built into the very structure of the wood around it, filled with reverence for the spirits and creatures that dwell in the environment. The newest pictures have been put together in a gallery showing off the environment of the city -- as well as a hint of the Garlean Empire. A city of warm earth tones and expansive wooden buildings, Gridania manages to carry its own distinct feel from its sister cities, especially with the stained-glass architecture that dominates the adventurer's guild. While the preview images lack the callbacks that the recent Ul'dah reveal carried, they still show off an environment that is both engaging and alien. Take a look at the full gallery, and keep your eyes open to see if Final Fantasy XIV has any more secrets to reveal prior to next week's launch. %Gallery-102406%
NHL 2K11 riding in an RV across the US this summer
Ah, the July 4th weekend. The perfect time for grilling hot dogs, setting off fireworks, jumping in the pool, and ... hockey? That's what 2K Games wants you to think about -- it's sending an NHL 2K11 recreational vehicle on the road this summer, giving you a chance to play the new game in a town near you. The RV started at E3 a few weeks ago in LA, and after a quick stop in Santa Monica next week, it's off to the wild roads of the United States and Canada (the full schedule is after the break). Ryan Kesler has a tour of the vehicle over on 2K's website, and it looks like a fine conveyance. For now, anyway. Sorry, Philly and New York -- after a couple of months on the road, that shower might not be quite so pristine.
The United States of Apple
Also note that Apple fans tend to stick to urban areas for the most part -- there is a nice big oasis of Mac fans in Colorado and Nevada, but we wonder if the lower population density in those places makes the results a little weird. Also notice the lack of Apple ownership in the south -- Louisiana is not Mac country, apparently. You can check out the full list of all 206 cities here. You'll need to register to download the results (PDF), but it's worth the look. For those of you who don't want to wait, the top five Mac-centric cities are: San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA; Boston, MA; San Diego, CA; New York, NY; and Washington, D.C. And since it's my second-home, I'll list the sixth, too: Chicago, IL.
GDC09: Interview with The Secret World's creator, Ragnar Tørnquist pt. 2
So, with expansions, you said that you'll be starting out with New York, London, and Seoul, right? Yes. Those will be the first cities, the hub cities, available at the start of the game. Now, the gameplay takes you beyond that, yes? Oh yeah, absolutely. We're not doing all New York, or all of London, or all of Seoul. We are actually doing very tight and very constrained neighborhoods there. That's where you'll start your gameplay, but they won't be the large, huge open zones where you have tons of gameplay or tons of monsters. That will be left to areas like Egypt and New England, which will be more expansive and include more open-world mechanics and other things that we're not revealing quite yet. We will also be including more instanced and team-based areas as well. Regarding expansion packs, yeah, we're going to expand beyond what we already will include. It's not like we're going to run out of content, the world is a big place. Yes, I was going to ask if it will expand into more locations and cities throughout the world. Yes, it certainly will, but it won't be limited to just that. We have more interesting locations but they won't be limited to just our world. We will be including locations throughout time and space itself. I want to emphasize that this won't be something like Grand Theft Auto with magic, with a focus on huge, huge open cities. They are reasonably small places where you will start out and take the adventure from there. But one very important thing to note is that this sounds like a very fragmented world. London, New York, Seoul, those cities are a long way away from each other. But we are creating, or at least trying to create, a pretty seamless world. This means there are ways of getting from London to New York very quickly, and we are focusing on that. You won't be just walking up to a plane, clicking on it, and getting a red line that quickly points to where you're going and boom, you're there. You will be moving in real-time from London to New York, just a lot quicker. There's alot of traditional MMO components that are around now. We're kinda in a new generation of MMO, and people are tired of World of Warcraft model and they're looking for something new. This is certainly in that realm. Are you guys trying to get away from traditional models, like crafting, and moving to something new? Ah, I can't really talk about crafting right now. What I can say is that while combat is a core focus, we really want other non-combat stuff in the game. We're just not going to be talking about them as of yet. But there will be gameplay that isn't all about fighting monsters or exploring. There will be other things that you will be able to do. Like you said earlier, like mysteries? That, yes, that also and there will be other ways for people to play in the game, to participate in the game, that isn't about traveling around the world. Exactly what that is, I can't say as of yet. Now, will there be a player driven economy? Well, I can't speak much about that now, but there will be ways for players to take part in the economy. Sorry for being so cryptic, but trying to keep this very focused and very narrow for now. And player guilds? Ah, we are going to have cabals, yes. There will be a point to making cabals, and it will play a very large role in the game, but exactly what that is I'm not going to say as of now. We are a game and we are focusing on the social aspects of the game. We are, in some aspects, a story driven game and alot of it you can play solo, but we really want to emphasize that it is an MMO. There will be stuff that will require you to team up with people in small groups and also in larger teams, without me going into deeper detail. I hate having to keep saying I can't talk about this stuff. Oh, so what about in-game factions? ...and I can't talk about that. *laughs* Ok, so what about the range between hardcore and casual? Yeah, well, we always say we're going to cover all of it, but the fact is that you can't the game for everybody. So I think we're leaning towards... *sighs* I wouldn't say the casual, because when you talk about MMOs and casual you usually end up at Club Penguin or something like that, and we're really not there. We're somewhere between halfway, I think. There's tons of stuff for the hardcore MMO players, like the whole skill based system and the tweaking that you do to those types of systems with numbers and all the items we'll have, and that will be a hardcore player's dream. But I think in terms of time investment and what's required of you, we're leaning towards the middle ground. It will be fun for MMO players, but it will be equally fun for someone who just likes the idea of a world that has a bunch of other people in it, is completely open, you can play it online, and you can chat, but doesn't feel so unfriendly and unwelcoming as other MMOs. So, would your target audience be someone who has played MMOs? I think a large part of our target audience is who are playing or have played MMOs. We want it to be different enough for them to come back or a game that is different enough to have them come to play it with their friends. In addition to action/adventure gamers who play games like Fable 2 for the Xbox 360 and just want to try their hand at something that's online and not feel completely eliminated and have something that's recognizable to them.We'd like to thank Ragnar for meeting with us at the GDC, and we're looking forward to more information on The Secret World!
GDC09: Massively previews Huxley: The Dystopia page 2
Quests and PvP You can pick up quests in the city. Those are either story quests or instanced quests where you can either go solo or group up to wipe the map of enemy NPCs. Huxley's cities are large and while a player can navigate on foot, it's much faster to take a hoverbike, or travel by tram or train. The quests themselves often bring a player outside of the city (via train) or beneath the city, where they need to fight against the hybrids in the sewers. While the game's quests can either be handled solo or in squads, players can also advance in Huxley through PvP. "With PvP you earn experience points as with quests, but you also earn rank points which let you level up your rank, such as private, sergeant, lieutenant, and beyond. The benefit of higher rank is access to the most powerful S-type weapons and bragging rights. People see the symbol next to your name and see what rank you are," like a title system, says Hong.
Blood, sweat, and valor in Darkfall
Paragus has continued his stories about adventuring through the Darkfall world on MMOCrunch, this time centering on the concepts of alliances and city sieges. While many aspects seem similar to EVE Online's corporation wars, Paragus's retelling of what it's like to be on the front lines of a siege battle makes Darkfall sound more like 300.His overall report is in Darkfall's favor, commenting on how well the game seems to be holding up when there are huge amounts of players fighting in the same area. Certainly there are still client crashes and disconnects, but the performance is overall very stable for mass combat.The only downfall to the whole system lies in the rules of the siege challenge. One of the rules states that if the attacking guild's leader drops offline at any time during the battle, the challenge is immediately lost. During Paragus's siege, the guild leader suffered a timeout, and the guild found themselves losing the challenge all due to connection problems.While Aventurine patches up all of the problems, the overall report of sieges is good, in Paragus's opinion. For the full details, head on over and check out his writeup of the event.
Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Anti_Aliased_The_Darkfall_prophecies'; Darkfall. Everyone talks about it. Our mailboxes get flooded with requests about it. Comments regarding the game are both frothingly energetic and intensely angry. Just writing a piece about it can get a writer wacked.So, let me paint a giant target on my back, cover myself in delicious meat, and walk right into the lion's den of MMOs. This column is dedicated to Darkfall's gameplay mechanics; presenting an analysis of what we know so far from released beta tester announcements and gameplay footage. This is, by no means, a comprehensive analysis of everything Darkfall has to offer. This is just one man's opinion column at work, looking at the ups and downs of what Darkfall might bring to the table.I'm doing all of this to answer one eerily simple yet dastardly complex question: Can Darkfall live up to the hype around it?
Warhammer Online's cities more than just a backdrop
Game journalist Alec Meer, well-known for his writing at Rock, Paper, Shotgun, recently contributed a Eurogamer piece on the "social and architectural heart" of Warhammer Online -- its cities. Meer looks beyond the RvR game mechanics, the classes, "man-slapping" and the other trappings that make Warhammer Online what it is, and focuses instead on the setting itself, as seen in The Inevitable City and Altdorf. When Meer looks at The Inevitable City, he points out how it's not just your normal MMO hive of activity and commerce, or a place to line up quests. "These are the reasons to visit it, but they're not its real purpose. What it really does is define what the Destruction races are, and what they're trying to turn the Warhammer world into... You only get an inkling of that in the main world," Meer writes.Contrast this with Altdorf. Meer writes, "Cobbled streets, chunky stone buildings - very European. This is what Order are fighting for. Well, except it's really dirty. Altdorf is not a picture postcard - it's grim and crumbling, full of squalor and fear - as much because of the ongoing war as because of the despotism and aggression of the Empire's rulers," Meer states. Do you agree with Meer that the cities of Warhammer Online are more than just a backdrop for your activities? Do you think the look of WAR's capital cities accurately reflect the conflict between Destruction and Order to reshape the world, each according to their own opposing paradigm? Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
E308: Warhammer's designers explain the career/city removal
Careers lead Adam Gershowitz and Associate Producer Josh Drescher were instrumental in making our Massively goes to WAR series a success. Our lengthy discussion with the two Warhammer Online designers resulted in our in-depth analysis of (at that point) every class slated for the game. Last week at E3 our discussion with the two gentlemen turned to the removal of four of those classes, as well as four of the slated endgame capital cities.The announcement of that content removal has been a sore point for some members of the Warhammer community, but Drescher and Gershowitz were adamant that it was the best decision for the game. We talk in-depth with the two about why the content was removed, how the decision was made, and what the designers are going to do with the time they've freed up for themselves. Oh, and they're firm: EA had nothing to do with it. "EA has supported us this entire time, and it's really not EA pressure that led to this decision. What you've got to realize is that we're making a giant game. It's very expansive and it has a lot of features. We could easily fall into the trap of 'forever making the game'."
Mythic offers FAQs for Warhammer's loss of cities, classes
The removal of four classes and four capital cities from Warhammer Online last week continues to reverberate through the fan community. In an attempt to answer prospective player questions in a highly visible place, FAQs have been posted to the official website. They tackle both questions related to the four classes and questions related to the removal of the cities. Essentially, the game's Realm vs. Realm combat works exactly the same. Players will now work through the tiers of content to reach the fortress outside of the three capital cities. To open up access to attack the opposing faction's city, two of these three fortresses must be sieged and captured. The document crows "it works out even better than we had originally designed."The classes FAQ is a also hopeful, noting that the developers will use the extra time freed up by removing these classes to good effect. Literally. Smoother visual effects will be added, as well as additional animations to smooth out the 'feel' of combat. The classes still in the game will receive additional polish as well, with new abilities and class-specific gear the result. Be sure to read both selections to gain more clarity on this somewhat-confusing topic.
Mark Jacobs clarifies the loss of Warhammer classes, cities
Yesterday's unexpected news of deep cuts into Warhammer Online's at-launch content is still sending shockwaves through the fan community. It seems like it's just been a whirlwind of WAR news of plate, with the announcement of the Guild Beta and the reacquisition of the Mythic Entertainment name close on the heels of the content losses. In the forums at the largest WAR fansite, Warhammer Alliance, Mythic VP and General Manager Mark Jacobs attempted to further clarify what prompted these dramatic announcements.Jacobs and WAR community coordinator James Nichols have been on the front lines of this discussion. Jacobs in particular has offered up two lengthy posts on the issue, providing Mythic's viewpoint on both the classes and cities pulled. On the class front, it sounds as though these offerings simply weren't coming together from a design perspective. Jacobs even goes so far as to say that new classes may be put in their place if they can't 'get them right' post-launch. The pulled cities, on the other hand, will probably be added to the game at a later date. For now, the team wanted to focus the energy of the players and the developers into two red-hot points. There's a ton of perspective on this issue in the forum posts - make sure to check them out.
WoW Rookie: Azeroth Reputations
WoW Rookie is brought to our readers to help our newest players get acclimated to the game. Make sure you send a note to WoW Insider if you have suggestions for what new players need to know. Grinding for reputation is a part of the game. Think of it as leveling up with different factions. Last week we looked at the levels of reputation. This week we'll examine some of the reputations that you encounter in Azeroth. Each of the major cities represent factions reputations that you can grind up with by completing quests and donating cloth. Increasing your reputation with the cities of your faction gives you the opportunity to purchase their racial mounts and tabards, in addition to discounts from vendors. For example if you play a Human, you can rep up to exalted with Darnasus in order to get a Nightsaber mount. Be warned, though because of scaling restrictions some models may not have access to all racial mounts.
Rumor: GTA IV DLC may include entirely new cities
We're vehement followers of the logic that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is -- still, in cases like these, that doesn't stop us from wishing and hoping hard enough to make our noses bleed. The latest, Microsoft-endorsed, Grand Theft Auto IV special edition issue of Computer and Video Games magazine suggests that the 360 DLC is to the perfect scoring GTA IV as "Vice City or San Andreas were [to] GTA III," and later, in simpler terms, "Rockstar is clearly hinting at new downloadable cities" for the title.While this infinitely awesome feature might be technically and fiscally possible, we must keep a firm grasp on our cynically-tinted monocles until official confirmation arises. Still, it's tough not to wonder what cities Rockstar could build knock-off replicas of to add to their latest title -- perhaps an Atlantic City clone? A geographically-appropriate rendering of New Jersey? A mock-up of the bustling metropolis of Mud Lick, KY? The possibilities are endless!
Question WAR devs on in-game cities
Whether it's Orgrimmar or Mos Eisley, some of the more interesting aspects of MMOs have to do with cities. They're usually areas steeped in quests and lore, they're traveling hubs for players moving across the countryside, and they've usually got lots of fun activities to partake in, either with other players or with NPCs. One of the neat things about Warhammer Online is that they're trying to give players a larger stake in the relative safety and security of their capital city by turning it into something that players can lose after a concerted effort by the enemy faction. Unfortunately, unless you're one of the lucky few who have been playing the beta, the specifics of the city gameplay are still a bit unclear.Fortunately, this is just the thing the Warhammer community team is looking to shore up. Missy Hatch put out a call on the Warhammer Alliance forums (which you should already have bookmarked if you're at all into WAR) this morning, calling for player questions pertaining to cities. They're going to take a select group of questions from that thread and answer them in the March newsletter grab bag. They're only on page 3 in the thread so far, so there's a good chance your well thought out question will make the grade.
Salt Lake City: Mormons, skiing ... and gamers
Word association time. We say Salt Lake City; what do you think of? Mormons? Skiing? The 2002 Winter Olympics? How about ... gamers?Yes, according to a report from Scarborough Research (PDF link), Salt Lake City, Utah, leads the country in proportional video game console ownership, with 32 percent of households in the city having a system. Note that this doesn't mean Salt Lake City has the most avid gamers, just the houses there are slightly more likely to have a video game system hooked up to the TV. For context, the 22 percent of New Yorkers than own a console would outnumber the entire population of Salt Lake City ten to one.Of the 96 major metropolitan areas in the study, the least likely to own a system were all from the balmy state of Florida -- Ft. Myers/Naples (15 percent of households), Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (19 percent), Tampa/St. Petersburg (20 percent) and West Palm Beach (20 percent). So, to recap: Cold, snowy cities = lots of console owners; warm, tropical cities = not many console owners. Who'da thunk it?[Via KSL, Thanks Jethro]Read - Report summary (PDF)
Countdown to Burning Crusade: Tale of Two Cities, Orgrimmar winner
We have the winning Orgrimmar screenshot from the Tale of Two Cities contest -- Nick Slabaugh sent the above shot of the moon over the city. Grats to Nick, who wins a Horde crest t-shirt in his choice of size. Check out the Ironforge winner, and click on for the Orgrimmar runner-up. Thanks to everyone who sent in your shots!
mycitymate: European City Notes for iPod
Here's a neat little tidbit for you iPod users out there who may be travelling to Europe in the near future. On mycitymate.com you can download a guide for select destinations including Berlin, London, Rome, and more.I downloaded and copied the Berlin guide (free with registration) to my iPod nano. The guide is well formatted and each subsection is organized by neighborhood or category. They're not exhaustive guides, but for a free (with registration) collection, the mycitymate guides are a great find. I especially liked the handy "Nearest Metro/Tube" note at the bottom of each entry. Snazzy![via iLounge]
