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Darkfall PvP tips contest results published
We've been giving Darkfall a lot of coverage lately, and deservedly so. The sandbox title from Aventurine is branching out beyond its boy's-club beginnings and becoming one of the more complete titles on the current market. The game isn't abandoning its PvP roots, however, and the world of Agon is experiencing an influx of new blood (or fresh meat, if you prefer) that could stand to be schooled in the ways of player vs. player. To that end, Aventurine recently held a contest in which veteran gamers were asked to come up with their best PvP tips. A panel comprised of experienced PvPers and newer players mulled over the entries and selected five winners, each of whom will receive a unique forum title and rare in-game items for their trouble. Check out the winning tips for yourself on the Darkfall Epic Blog, and have a look at all of the entries (over 100 of them) via the contest announcement post.
One Shots: Bark at the moon
As readers of Choose My Adventure know, our very own Jef Reahard is currently making his way through the dangerous lands of Darkfall, checking out everything that Agon has to offer a new adventurer. While out running around on his Mahirim, he captured this lovely screenshot in the dark night -- although he actually had to lighten it up just a bit so you could see the landscape! Jef explains it in today's note: "Here's an interesting Darkfall shot. As you can see, night in this game is actually dark, unlike the blue lens filters in a lot of MMOs. It's so dark, in fact, that I had to lighten this up a bit with Photoshop. In any event, this is Swiftsnout howling at the moon outside of his racial capitol. In Darkfall lore, the Mahirim race worships Theia, the second moon of Agon that they call the Ghost Moon. Oh, and yes that's some sort of luminescent butterfly floating above his head. It gets a bad rap, but Darkfall can be quite beautiful and, on occasion, relaxing." One Shots is all about what you're doing. As such, we thrive on your screenshots. If we don't have screenshots, we can't bring you the best of One Shots every day. If you'd like to help us out, dig out some screenshots and send them to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sharing your images and tales. %Gallery-85937%
Darkfall dev diary talks new UI, quest content, and more
Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras returns with another activity report on the Darkfall Epic Blog, and the focus is fairly broad. He touches on the dynamic quests and lore-driven events we mentioned last week, as well as upcoming world optimizations that include aggressive wildlife based on location and time of day, new monster families and epic mob encounters, and improvements to both player character models and monster animations. Those of you who haven't been able to get past Darkfall's unique user interface will also have reason to give the game a second look in the near future, as Flambouras states that Aventurine has decided on a new GUI framework and tools. "These should yield a vastly improved user interface. The next phase for the GUI is the architecture and adapting the current GUI functionality to the new framework," he says. Other notable items include the mention of a completely new environmental sound system as well as an in-game political map which will feature clan associations, vendor and bank locations, and various other resources. Check out all the details on the official Darkfall blog.
Darkfall dev blog hints at dynamic quests and events
Think Darkfall is all about crushing your enemies, driving them before you, and hearing the lamentation of their women? Well you're partially right, but Aventurine is also taking pains to highlight the game's inherent sandboxiness. While you can spend your entire Darkfall career ganking and being ganked, the game does offer a fair bit of PvE fun, moreso now after the release of the Hellfreeze expansion. In the latest Aventurine devblog, community liasion Laenih outlines plans to bring the game's lore to the forefront. Dynamic quests and events are hinted at, and it seems that knowledge of Agon's lore may help players solve tasks in the near future. At the very least, the updates will add a bit of context and flavor to the proceedings. Laenih uses a member of the Vargashi race as an example, and if you're wondering who or what the Vargashi are, the devblog also features conceptual artwork highlighting the new NPCs. Check it out on the official site, and also have a look at Darkfall's lore entries while you're at it.
Choose My Adventure: Swiftsnout theCrotchety
Aaaaaaooooooooooooo... er, sorry. I was just getting into character a bit early, I suppose. Welcome back, loyal readers and Aventurine subscribers alike, to Choose My Adventure. With the past couple weeks' worth of voting formalities behind us, it's time for the main event. As we speak, I'm rolling up a brand-spanking-new Darkfall character, the better to suffer at the hands of my new PK overlords -- and hopefully get a good look at the world of Agon prior to writing about it over the next six weeks. Join me after the cut to see the results of last week's voting and get a sneak peek at what I'll be doing first.
New Darkfall blog talks optimizing interaction and offline leveling
Darkfall has always had a reputation for being a very hardcore game, but Aventurine has been hard at work trying to improve the in-game experience for all players -- both the well-known PvP audience and the more PvE-focused crowd. In the most recent official blog, Tasos Flambouras calls the team's focus "optimizing interaction," a convenient catch-all term for an overarching goal of making the game world and the interface easier to work with and more meaningful to players. Flambouras mentions the previously discussed offline skill leveling -- in short, you will pay gold to meditate on a skill to advance it while you're offline. The feature will be limited to a few skills when first implemented, but if it proves not to cause any balance issues, more skills will be added to the roster. There's a lot of information about where the Darkfall development team is placing its emphasis, so take a look at the full article for a peek inside the team members' head.
Darkfall highlights dev team tasks, PvP tips contest
Are you curious about Darkfall but put off by the fact that the open-world sandbox title focuses on PvP? Fear not, as Aventurine is taking steps to make the world of Agon more accessible to a wider range of players. In addition to the recent PvE-focused Hellfreeze expansion, the Greek development firm is also sponsoring a contest designed to impart veteran PvP wisdom to newer players. If you've got PvP tips you don't mind sharing, submit them in the comment section of the contest blog post, and you could be one of five winners who will receive rare in-game ingots and an exclusive forum title. In other Darkfall news, Tasos Flambouras has given us a peek behind the curtain of the game's development schedule, courtesy of another blog post that outlines both the team work groups and their respective responsibilities over the next few weeks. Aventurine's staffers are currently split into 11 teams, all working to grow the game in terms of UI updates, server tools, offline skilling, and various other game mechanics. Flambouras' posting is an interesting look at a Scrum-based software development cycle, and you can check it out on the official website.
Darkfall prepping offline skill advancement
Tired of the lengthy skill-grind in Darkfall, as well as the perception that it will take newer players many months to be competitive with veterans? Aventurine has heard your concerns and is currently in the process of implementing a form of offline skill advancement for the PvP sandbox MMORPG. In a recent activity report on the Darkfall forums, developer Tasos Flambouras clarified the plans for offline advancement and was quick to point out that Aventurine doesn't intend for the mechanic to be used as a substitute for skilling up. "We're not looking to upset the game's balance by adding a convenience feature and this is why I mentioned there's a lot of thought and balancing going into this. So on offline skilling, we'll start with a small amount of skills and gradually expand it, and obviously many skills won't be included," he writes. Offline skilling is nothing new in MMORPGs, as EVE Online has used the system for years, and even themepark games like Age of Conan have gotten into the act. Whether Darkfall implements a similar system or tries something completely new, Massively will be there to bring you the latest.
Aventurine squelches Darkfall 2 rumors, for now
Darkfall news has been flowing fast and furious of late. Whether it's info on the newly minted Hellfreeze expansion and its patches, upcoming character model upgrades, or new lore, it seems like the little Greek MMO that could is gathering a head of steam. One bit of news that got blown slightly out of proportion was a reported mention of Darkfall 2. Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras briefly mentioned Darkfall 2 at a recent event, and some fans took that to mean the company was already working on a sequel to the sandbox MMORPG. In reality, Flambouras was speaking of reusable assets and the fact that the development firm is "keeping the future of Darkfall in mind while we work on this version of the game. It doesn't mean that we're working on a new game." In a post on the official forums, Flambouras reiterates that Aventurine's devs are not currently making a Darkfall sequel, and even if they were, "it would take years to complete and we would not stop full development of Darkfall 1."
Darkfall teases character model upgrades and more
The devs at Aventurine apparently never sleep, as releasing a major expansion and graphics revamp was the tip of the iceberg as far as what's happening on Darkfall's horizon. The team has generated three separate news items in the last week, all of them pointing towards exciting things in store for the world of Agon. First up is a design blog posted on the official website. In it, community manager Laenih gives us an inside look at the process of converting a quick design sketch into a finished in-game model. Due to the small size of Aventurine's development team, this process often means that quest designers take up paper and pencil (or the digital equivalent) in order to present modelers with a clear idea of their vision. Next up are some screenshots previewing Darkfall's new character models. While the world of Agon is often praised for its size, detail, and beauty, the game's character models have thus far lagged a bit behind the current MMORPG visual standard. Not to worry though, as an upgrade is in the works, and you can view photos of some of the new models on Darkfall's Facebook page. Last but not least are the patch notes from this past week, which address a few niggling issues related to the Hellfreeze expansion. Read all about it on the official boards.
One Shots: Every day is Halloween
It's been a while since we've had someone send in a screenshot from the dangerous lands of Darkfall. However, with the season of ghouls, ghosts, and goblins here once again, it's a great time to check in on this devilishly dangerous, PvP-centric MMO. Today's One Shots comes to us from The Format, who is an admirer of the game that Aventurine built. He writes in to tell us a bit more about this pumpkin-colored image: "I don't think I have ever seen a picture from Darkfall on Massively, which is why I took this picture. A lot of people don't think that this game has any beauty to it, but it really does, as shown by this picture. I was running through a forest when I saw the sun had started to come up. The sun rising over the forest made me realize more how the environments in this game are some of the best in any MMO." One Shots is always on the lookout for more screenshots. If you'd like to contribute something, just email it in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game that the image comes from, and a description of what we're seeing in the picture. You never know -- yours could be the next one we feature here on Massively! %Gallery-85937%
Massively's Community Detective, Issue #2: Darkfall and EVE Online
"We hope you understand that there's nothing we can do at the moment," says the support email we just received from Aventurine, developers of Darkfall. Not exactly what you want to hear from customer service, is it? Welcome to another issue of Massively's Community Detective, where we're primed and ready to take you into the trenches of MMORPG community and customer service. This week we've got full-blown battlefields complete with land mines, dismemberment, e-peen waving, and all the other things you've come to know and love about PvP. Yes, we're delving into the world of Darkfall, and if that's not enough for you, we'll also be heading for the heavens in a very different (but equally cutthroat) PvP sandbox called EVE Online. Join us after the cut to see how these two titles fared in terms of community and customer service support.
Darkfall teases new environmental sounds
Darkfall. The very name strikes fear into the hearts of PvE gamers everywhere. There may be a more wretched hive of scum and villainy in the MMO world, but you wouldn't know it from the comments generated whenever someone dares to write about the polarizing title from Aventurine. Ironically, the indie studio has released what can only be called a tranquil video composed of in-game footage featuring new environmental sounds. This may well be the first (and last) time you see a Darkfall video that isn't full to the brim with slaughter and mayhem, and the teaser's fly-through shots offer a great opportunity to glimpse the care and detail that went into bringing the world of Agon to life. Aventurine's Laenih, sets the stage for the video in a post on the game's official forums. "Environmental sounds in Darkfall will not only help with getting you more immersed into the game, they will also play a big role in tactics and strategical planning throughout your gaming sessions. In the future sneaking up on enemies will be either easier or harder depending on the environment you find yourself and your prey in," the community liaison writes. Check out the video after the jump. [Thanks to Paragus for the tip!]
New details revealed for upcoming Darkfall expansion
If you're not a regular Darkfall player, it's easy to have a one-sided view of the game as a nonstop PvP gank-factory. And while the team at Aventurine make no secret about their feelings on how casual gamers intersect with their genre, there's a lot more to the game than simply hunting other players. The upcoming free expansion is a case in point, focusing on the PvE aspects of play to make them more engaging. It's a far-reaching set of changes to the PvE side of things, at that. New monsters are being added along with new behaviors and tactics, meaning that players will have to think before engaging their enemies. Dungeons will be similarly improved, with monsters and quests added across the board to improve the experience of dungeon crawling. The full list of planned updates can be read here on the official forums, where we also find a preliminary launch date for the expansion of July 18th. Darkfall players should look forward to the upcoming expansion, as it promises to add many more play aspects to the already multi-faceted game. [Thanks to Bartillo for the tip!]
Surviving in Darkfall: A guide for new players
"Agon can be a rough, frustrating, confusing, and unfair place at times..." Truer words were never spoken. If you've heard of Darkfall, this is probably a good approximation of what you've heard. If you've played Darkfall, you've experienced it firsthand. This full-PvP niche game comes by its dog-eat-dog reputation honestly, and the players who love that sort of thing thrive in the environment. It can be pretty daunting for a new player, so a little hand up is always welcome. Syncaine over at Hardcore Casual provided that very thing with yesterday's Darkfall Online FAQ. The post is full of helpful hints regarding everything from character creation to long-term gameplay plans, and is a good resource for anyone new to Darkfall.
Darkfall's Tasos addresses player feedback
Players often complain that development teams rarely address their feedback, or even listen at all. Aventurine's Tasos does both in a lengthy post over on the official Darkfall forums. He touches on a number of planned improvements for the PvP-focused fantasy MMORPG, including faster skill progression, diminishing stat returns, and improvements to the game's PvE options. "We agree that skill progression needs to be made more interesting, that special quests need to be introduced; unique mobs, unique items and many of your suggestions in this area are being looked at already. Furthermore as we mentioned, quests and dungeons are being revamped, the entire system is being made as to connect the dots and give more meaning to adventuring in the game," Tasos says. Check out the post and as well as player response at the Darkfall official forums.
Darkfall announces special pricing
Darkfall is approaching its first birthday, and the company is looking to bring some new players into the game. In February, they introduced a few new features designed to make the game a bit friendlier for new players. New player protection was introduced in order to give players a chance to get their bearings in Darkfall and a seven-day trial came about later in the month, allowing potential fans to take a look around the game. The latest offer may well tip the scales for those who have been interested in purchasing the game. During the month of March, players can buy the Darkfall client as well as three months of playtime for $59.99 (€49.99 For European players.) Existing players aren't left out -- the 6 month -30% subscription offer has been extended through the end of March, so you can still get in on that as well. The game can be ordered through the Darkfall site.
Darkfall introduces seven day trial for one dollar
Free trials are a growing trend in subscription MMOs. More and more, developers are realizing that if they expect players to spend a hefty sum to purchase a game as well as a monthly fee, they need to offer more than a website and a trailer video. Players want to know what they're getting into -- they're less inclined these days to drop $40-$50 (plus the cost of the second month's subscription, something most games require) on a game that they're not completely sure they're going to enjoy. With that in mind, Darkfall has jumped on the trial bandwagon. It's not a free trial, but it's a trial nonetheless. For one dollar (or one euro, depending on which side of the ocean you're on), you can download and play Darkfall for one week. It's the second "new player friendly" move in a relatively short amount of time, and seems to indicate that the Darkfall developers are looking to reach out beyond their current community. North American players interested in trying the game can access the trial here, while European players can access the trial at this site. [Thanks to all the tipsters on this one!]
Darkfall to offer new player protection
Don't you love it when you began a brand new game and emerge fresh from character creation, only to get one-shotted by a high level player? No? The creators of Darkfall agree that it might not be the best introduction and have plans to help out with that very soon. Darkfall will introduce New Player Protection very soon, an optional process that allows players to get their bearings in the game without fear of being used for target practice by any random Joe that happens by. It will be a short period of protection, lasting only a few hours, and is completely optional. (It's on by default when you begin the game, and can be turned off.) During that time, you can't harm or be harmed by other players -- you can only attack monsters. This feature could be introduced as early as the next patch. Until then, you can read up on it here.
One Shots: Boom, how ya like that
In a game like Darkfall, one never really knows what's going to happen next. One moment you could be out adventuring -- the next thing you know, a group has wandered into your town and it's time to head back for war. While Darkfall remains a niche title, that type of never-know-what's-next PvP action is just the thing its many loyal players like. Take, for example, today's action-filled screenshot sent in to us by Paragus, co-leader of Inquisition and fellow MMO blogger. He writes in to explain: One of the biggest PvP battles I have ever seen was in Darkfall over [this last] weekend. The "Vamesis" alliance tried to lay siege to the "Superfriends" alliance capital city of Aradoth. Almost every guild on the server was involved in this Friday night war in some way. Before long, we found ourselves on the defensive trying to protect VAMP's city of Dagnamyr from a relentless assault that lasted over 4 hours. Countless lives were lost on both sides, but we managed to hold onto this key city. While this picture can't do the battle justice, this video by Umberto from the 'Superfriends" alliance shows just how intense and epic this battle was from the the perspective of those trying to take down Dagnamyr. Want to show off your favorite MMO? It's easy! Just email your screenshot to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-9798%
