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Take a tour of Final Fantasy XIV's monsters
It's no secret that Final Fantasy XIV will host quite a number of monsters. Some of those are already familiar to players from both the beta weekends and from the original game, but there are a lot of monsters even after you count those. The team behind the game has put together a new trailer showing off the various monsters and humanoid enemies that players will encounter on the fields of Eorzea. Some of these will be familiar, such as spriggans and coblyns. Some will be unfamiliar in Eorzea but familiar to fans of the series, such as the behemoth and the tonberry. And others are imported from other games or are completely novel. So whether it runs, flies, crawls, swims, or portals through the void, you can see it in the video embedded just past the break. And then you can spend the next week before testing guessing at how you're going to kill it.
Select pet types may receive new passives in Pet Battles
Blizzard community managers Nakatoir and Crithto have recently announced potential changes coming to Elemental, Aquatic, Critter, and Magic passive abilities in the Pet Battle system. The Pet Battle system is still relatively new compared to the 8-year-old World of Warcraft and very much in flux. As pets and their abilities are buffed and nerfed, the system as a whole needs to adjust to accommodate those changes. The short version of these proposed changed are as follows: Elementals will lose their immunity to weather, instead taking reduced damage on their first round in play Critters will become completely immune to crowd control rather than reducing their duration to one round Magic pets cannot be dealt more than 35% of their health in one attack, changed from 40% Aquatic pets will reduce damage taken from Damage over Time effects by 50%, up from 25% Crithto and Nakatoir's full posts can be found behind the cut below.
Breakfast Topic: I met the critter guy
It was BlizzCon 2010. I was sitting outside the exhibit hall at the Anaheim Convention Center, pecking out a text message on my phone, when I heard someone say, "Oh hey! You work for WoW Insider!" His voice was so excited that I was a little surprised when I looked up and realized the young man in front of me wasn't just another general attendee of BlizzCon 2010 but an actual employee of Blizzard. "I love you guys!" He exclaimed as I boggled over his official staff shirt and badge. Was this really happening? Wasn't I the one who worked for a fan site? Shouldn't I be excited about him? He didn't notice my cognitive dissonance and motioned to the empty space on the bench next to me. "Can I sit down?"
The Daily Grind: Are you a critter-killer?
You're all alone in the woods. You're stalking your prey. The wind rustles the leaves in the trees. The sun's beams dance on the water. You could be off grinding for epics or mining ore, but no. This target is elusive and notorious and a threat to life as we know it. You're after... the critter. What did that bunny ever do to you? Does the thought that a baby deer might be roaming the forest without a care in the world weigh heavily on your conscience? How dare that level 1 penguin show his cute little face in your leveling zone! Adorable miniature turtles in your heroic dungeon must be smashed with a large warhammer; crit numbers must be pasted in chat with glee. You'll endanger your instance-mates and risk aggro to flatten that newbie rat the devs added for atmosphere. Forget cow-tipping: You won't be satisfied until you've slaughtered the entire grey-con bovine population and seen that sweet, sweet achievement pop-up. Does this sound like you? Are you, in fact, a critter-killer? And what drives you to such action? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite in-game wildlife?
The general rule of MMOs is pretty simple to understand -- if it moves, either get a quest from it or kill it. Natural critters other than enemy soldiers exist mostly so that you can occasionally kill ten rats rather than killing ten beastmen. But from the chocobos of Final Fantasy XI to the elementally affected critters of RIFT, there are a plethora of different creatures that roam the land that you aren't necessarily meant to kill -- or at least those that serve a purpose in the world's ecology. In some games, such as the deep space setting of EVE Online, you're not going to find much in the way of wildlife. But in the games that do feature animals meandering about, which ones are your favorites? What local fauna catches your eye, either because it reminds you that the game takes place in a living world or just because it's so alien and bizarre? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Enter at Your Own Rift: Creature comforts
I've got a problem that nine interventions and three bouts of electroshock therapy have yet to cure: I'm hopelessly addicted to collecting non-combat pets (aka vanity pets) in MMOs. I don't know why that is, exactly, although I've always had a fondness for "fluffy" elements on online games. In my opinion, a lot of what we work for in MMOs is cosmetic anyway -- a really good-looking set of armor, a top-of-the-line mount -- with some piddly stats occasionally making a cameo. (Comment bait? Oh yes, I'm evil that way!) While adding nothing to my combat power nor helping me advance in the game, pets still hold purpose. They are fun to display, particularly if you have rare critters that others haven't seen, and they can give you a feeling of virtual companionship during your journeys. Unlike many collection items, pets have a use -- you can actually do something with them instead of tucking them away where they'll sit collecting pixelated dust. I was pretty pleased to discover that RIFT wasn't going to leave us high and dry when it came to non-combat pets, although it's interesting that they're somewhat harder to come by than in, say, World of Warcraft. If you're like I am, you're scouring the game looking to expand your menagerie, so it might be frustrating to be well on your way to 50 with only a paltry pair of pets to your name. Where is everyone getting all of these? How can I snag a few more? Join me after the jump as we examine six ways to collect crazy critters!
The crazy, hidden critter plateau
In northwest Mulgore, right on the border to Stonetalon Mountains, there is a small plateau area that is chock-full of prairie dogs, rabbits and mice. At first glance, this would appear similar to the icebergs in Northrend that were home to entire colonies of our small, suited companions. That is not the case here though, as these small critters house a deep, dark, and evil secret. At random intervals, the critters will mutate, growing to several times their own size, and will don weapons and armor in order to do battle or exterminate the competition. The prairie dogs get spiked pit helmets that they clearly stole from Commander Schnottz and break out daggers to run their enemies through! Rabbits break out the axes, clearly having spent way too much time with orcs, and holding them between their teeth charge for their enemies! The mice, however, seem to be the most prepared, wearing helmets made from the skulls of the dead and dual wielding shotguns. I don't know about you, but I would hate to walk around the streets of Ogrimmar only to be greeted by a gang of shotgun-wielding mice. If you want to go check it out, don't be dismayed if nothing is going on right when you get there. It takes a few seconds for them to mutate and start fighting, and you don't have to do anything but sit back and enjoy. Don't worry about them wanting to attack you; they are perfectly content to sit and war with themselves and ignore your presence. It's interesting to see little quirky things like this that made it to the live version of the game. The area is only accessible through flying, so one has to wonder what other things are hidden in the world for us to find. Special thanks to my friend Dan for letting me know about this place! World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
Arcane Brilliance: News and notes for mages from PTR patch 4.0.6
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, a magical journey awaits ... a fantastic voyage through a mystical realm. I speak, of course, of the Public Test Realm, and the wondrous patch notes that dwell therein. Now before we begin, I should make it clear that mages aren't getting anything even remotely earth-shattering in patch 4.0.6. It's not like Blizzard is letting us autofire while moving or anything. But a patch is still a patch. Things are going to change, and though mages have been left largely un-fiddled-around-with (at least in comparison to many other classes), we do have some incoming alterations to be aware of. So with our expectations in an appropriately subdued state, let's peek beyond the jump for an annotated look at what be happening, yo.
Officers' Quarters: Critter Kill Squad tips and tricks
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available now from No Starch Press. Strangely, the guild reward that players seem most excited about in the early days of Cataclysm is not the Kor'kron Annihilator or Golden King but the Armadillo Pup. We all have a long way to go to earn the mounts, after all, but we can all help earn the pup whether we're running Heroics at 85 or leveling a new character. This noncombat pet is unlocked by earning the achievement Critter Kill Squad and getting exalted with your guild. Ending the carefree lives of 50,000 critters seems like a monumental task, but smart guilds can take advantage of some special tactics to earn this achievement in no time. Let's take a look at how you can earn this adorable pet for your guild.
A random pet macro for your noncombat buddies
This is pretty simple (I know there are a few versions floating around), and just a few minutes with the macro API will probably get you something just like this (or probably better), but if you, like Bornakk, have so many noncombat pets that you don't know what to do with them, this macro that a guildie gave me a while back might help. Plug this text into a macro, save it as "Critter" and throw it on your toolbar./run CallCompanion("CRITTER", random(GetNumCompanions("CRITTER")))As you've probably surmised, it'll choose a random critter from your noncombat pets and bring it out for you to play with. As I said, this is super-simple -- you could add /dismount on to the front of this and use it as a one-stop "dismount and summon pet" macro, or I'm sure our commenters (who are much better at this macro stuff than I am) will have lots of other ways to play. We posted a more complicated one a while back, and you can still replace CRITTER with MOUNT, but this one's even easier than that.But like Bornakk, I tend to collect way too many noncombat pets and I can never choose which is my favorite. A random macro like this helps pull out a friend I haven't seen lately.
New Critter-related achievements in 3.0.8
Critter killing is a favorite past time of many a WoW player. Some would even say it comes close to bordering on obsession. You may know someone like this, or even be that someone. You have a rank 1 Moonfire or Arcane Shot hot key just for taking out critters. Your critter killing has been known to fake out the tank, making him think you're pulling early. You let neither wind, nor rain, nor snow, nor DPS meters keep from killing a critter. Some people call you unbalanced, but you know you're just dedicated.If you've been thinking of jumping into the wide world of obliterating small fuzzy creatures in WoW, now is a good time to start, because since 3.0.8 went live, it's official: killing critters is cool. Pest Control is a new achievement introduced with the patch that gives you credit for killing the creepiest and crawliest of critters on Azeroth, the insects, arachnids, snakes, and other such vermin. You've probably accidentally killed these fellows with a stray Fan of Knives or Pestilence or what have you anyway, but next time that happens, you'll get credit. If you're a critter lover and need to assuage your guilty conscience, have no fear. You can always do To All The Squirrels Who Shared My Life while you're killing the pests. That way there's some sort of balance. You can be a lover, a killer, or both. Rather zen of Blizzard, don't you think?
How to find your way to all those loved squirrels
"You love Rat." "You love Chicken." "You love Rabbit." I have to admit, before the achievements came to the game, I was a critter-killer -- I usually ended the lives of any critters I came across, because this is war and the world is no place for them. But since achievements appeared, I've gone around loving every little animal I could -- I haven't gone at To All the Squirrels I've Loved Before with a plan, just emoted towards everything I found.But Random Ravings isn't quite as random -- they've got a terrific list of where to find every single critter you need. Only two are actually in Northrend (I thought there was more), and the rest seem to be in muliple places around the world, so it doesn't seem too bad at all. The hardest might be the wild parrot -- that one seems to be only in Un'Goro, but brave the dinos down there, find the bird, and you're all set.Nice list. Anyone ready to head up to Borean Tundra and just grab the last two? BBR says they're also working on a list of all the books for the reading achievement -- can't wait to see (and eventually run around and do) that one either.
Tabula Rasa's Community Coordinator leaves NCsoft
Here we are once again, saying goodbye to yet another talented NCsoft employee as they pursue a greater opportunity outside the company. And once again, we're saddened by the news, yet excited for their broadened horizons. This time it's Amy "Critters" Crider, former Community Coordinator for Tabula Rasa.Crider took over the community role earlier this year from April "CuppaJo" Burba, when she left for the Dungeon Runners team. Since that time, Crider has won the respect of the TR community through her work with in-game events, fansite interviews and more. Taking her place will be Dane Caruthers, who you may remember from our PAX08 interview earlier last month. We wish Dane all the best in his new role, and Amy continued success with her new venture.
Cases Critterized
Most DS Lite cases are themed on something. These particular cases are themed just fine, but it's nothing we've seen before. Etsy craftsperson filmfatale has gone for a generic "critters" design. Someone might filch the idea and use critters in an upcoming game ... which would spawn a disturbing merchandising cycle. Coming soon from a developer near you -- Critters: The Case: The Game: The Case.Some materials used here are none other than recycled clothing (among other suitable fabrics). That's a pretty good idea. In fact, anyone with a leftover surplus of puffy shirts or parachute pants should probably get to work, because homemade cases are all the rage. Check out filmfatale's store for more stock!
Tabula Rasa to get emote-tional at Comic-Con
With all the flaws we've seen in Tabula Rasa over the last eight months, one thing we'd never criticize the game for is a lack of creativity from the community team. They've consistently done their best to keep their community engaged, despite the fact that said community is disbursed around the internet due to the lack of an official forum. Their support team has pulled in similar praise in the past as well.Continuing their reign of awesomeness, the Tabula Rasa community team is going to be spear-heading a new event at this year's Comic-Con. Critters and co. will be setting up a booth giving away free Tabula Rasa goodies, an exclusive Lumin pet, and filming fans performing their best real-world emotes. They'll take the footage back to their Austin offices and vote on which one is the best, and actually recreate it in-game. It's a pretty neat contest, and we recommend you check it out (booth #5209) if you're headed to Comic-Con this year.
Feedback Friday aims its sights at Snipers
Perhaps it was a bit naive of us to have assumed that the Destination Games crew was going to fix all the problems with Tabula Rasa's Sniper class on the first pass in patch 1.6. Despite the increased rate of fire more than compensating for the nerf to Torqueshell Rifle damage, Snipers as a group still felt like their DPS wasn't up to snuff and their role as a "one shot, one kill" nuker was compromised by confusing or underwhelming buff mechanics.In a spin on the usual feedback format, this week Critters picked the brain of developer Lee Ridout to ask him how he goes about playing his sniper. He goes through everything from what he feels the best Sniper builds are, to how he sets up his toolbar trays, to what situations he uses Shredder Ammo. This blogger has a feeling that some Snipers will take affront to this sort of pandering, but it could be a pretty handy guide for people only just cresting that Tier IV milestone.
TR Sniper problems addressed
Critters and the TR dev team have used this week's Feedback Friday to address the recent uproar that's risen up over the change to the Torqueshell rifles in patch 1.6. In line with our hopes, it seems like the development team has seen the light, and has decided to cede a little room to player feedback. They're working on another build for the test server that will change the nerf in Torqueshell damage from the 55% wollop that it was originally down to only about 75% of the pre-patch damage. With the increased rate of fire from the change in the shooting mechanic, this comes out to a far more favorable DPS number in the end.Critters goes on to explain how the development team's vision for the Torqueshell weapon and the Sniper class is one where players really have to know their class and have all their buffs and abilities in order to be able to achieve the one-shot one-kill scenarios that most Snipers have been clamoring for. The increased speed of attack also means that players will have more maneuverability and capacity to adapt during battle, instead of standing static waiting for their shot to go off.
Experience buffs planned for TR patch
Another Friday, another Feedback Friday brought to you by the folks responsible for Tabula Rasa. Critters and crew have come out swinging this week with a genuinely bitching preview of some of the changes we can expect to see in patch 1.6. Chief among those is a change to the experience modifier that will see the maximum modifier go up in a tiered manner based on level. The maximum multiplier in the game now is set at 250% of the base experience, but with the patch it will go as high as 6x base experience at the highest levels. Players will also get significant experience boosts based on group size.In addition, they'll be offering an item to boost experience gain by 50% (stackable with the multiplier and group XP buffs) as part of the cache of items that you can buy by accumulating Global CP tokens. They will join the respecs we've mentioned previously along with a stock of other goodies to choose from like the old-fashioned weapon modifiers. With all these buffs to experience gain, it looks as though getting to level 50 in Tabula Rasa may change from the near-impossible test of patience and stamina to something a lot more amenable. We'll have to see for ourselves when patch 1.6 hits the PTS.
NCsoft fires one back across the bow
A few days ago I wrote about an article in the Korea Times that took aim at NCsoft's 2007 fiscal report by calling Tabula Rasa a "financial disaster." The ensuing explosion both here at Massively (the comments section) and abroad (a direct reply from the Korea Times writer himself) was akin to the Bane dropping a mortar round smack dab into the middle of our little virtual compound. Other sites reported on the Korea Times article in the same manner. And Amy "Critters" Crider, TR's official Community Coordinator, even issued a public warning about said reporter and said article. But NCsoft didn't stop there. David Swofford, head of NCsoft's North American PR department, fired off a response via a statement given to the gang at Crispy Gamer. It's a doosey! Swofford said, "The Korea Times English edition story is full of inaccuracies... No one at NCsoft said the product is a financial disaster." He comments on a great may things, including the cost of the sci-fi MMO: "The TR development did not cost $100 million... I don't know where that came from."Ah... justice is served. If you've been following this situation here you owe it to yourself to click on over to the Crispy Gamer site and check out their full article. It's got more searing rebuttal from Swofford (kudos to them for scoring this by the way). Then come on back here 'cuz we so want to hear what you have to say about this!
Tabula Rasa not in the dumps after all?
Earlier this morning we posted an article from The Korea Times that -- on the surface -- seemed to herald very bad times for NCsoft and Tabula Rasa. After talking with our contacts at NCsoft, things may not be nearly as dire as the writer of that article made it seem. The cliche "take things with a grain of salt" was coined for a reason, and as you'll see... this appears to be one of them. According to what we were able to uncover this very same Korea Times staff writer has earned a reputation for writing sensationalized articles about NCsoft. In the last year he apparently has "reported" particulars from conferences that he never actually attended.Here are a few nuggets of knowledge that Cho Jin-seo "forgot" to mention:
