developer-diary
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Lord of the Rings Online dev diary digs into Helm's Deep's epic story
Players of Lord of the Rings Online must certainly be looking forward to the continuation of the game's epic storyline in the upcoming Helm's Deep expansion. Unfortunately, they're going to have to wait just a little longer, but on the bright side, the folks at Turbine have released a new dev diary that delves into the next three books of volume III that will be added in the expansion, plus "some of the interesting challenges [the devs] faced while bringing this section of the story to life." One of the main issues that the devs must confront is the challenge of allowing players to play a significant role in the ongoing story while not directly interfering with the main narrative of the Fellowship. On top of that, there's the small detail that while many player characters are Hobbits, there were no Hobbits present at the battle of Helm's Deep. So how do the devs deal with these lore conundrums? Well, you'll have to check out the full dev diary to find out, so for all the tasty details (and a few teasers of upcoming content), just head over to the LotRO official site.
Diablo III dev diary delves into the history of Westmarch
Diablo III's upcoming Reaper of Souls expansion will take players to a number of new locales across the world of Sanctum, such as the kingdom of Westmarch, the subject of Blizzard's latest dev post on the game's official site. Long-time Diablo fans probably know Westmarch best as the home of the Knights of Westmarch, the order from which Diablo II's Paladin hails, but there is much more to the realm's deep lore. Westmarch's history is one -- as is expected in the Diablo universe -- steeped in blood and conquest. The kingdom was founded by the Zakarum zealot Rakkis after a crusade that drove him across the Twin Seas and over the bodies of legions of conquered foes, but there is a second, "secret" history to this place. Near Westmarch is a "sprawl of fetid marshes," littered with the ruins of an ancient Nephalem civilization said to hold the power to ward against angels and demons alike. It was to these ruins that the now-mortal Tyrael took the Black Soulstone, and it was there that the former archangel Malthael, at that point neither angel nor demon, stole the Black Soulstone from its hiding place. And that, of course, is where the tale of Reaper of Souls begins. If you're a lore junkie looking for all the details, check out the full post on Diablo III's official site.
Diablo III dev blog demystifies the Mystic
Diablo III's latest dev blog unveils more tasty information about a new artisan NPC, the Mystic, coming to the game in the Reaper of Souls expansion. As many Diablo III fans are undoubtedly aware, Reaper of Souls will mark the introduction of a set of features, known colloquially as Loot 2.0, which aims to rebalance Diablo III's loot and item systems in an effort to make loot more interesting to players. The Mystic is an integral part of this effort thanks to her unique skills of enchanting and transmogrification. Through Enchantment, the Mystic is capable of rerolling a single property on a piece of equipment, making her the go-to artisan for those items that are almost-but-not-quite perfect. While you can choose only a single property to reroll on each item, that property can be rerolled as many times as you can afford. Don't worry about buyer's remorse, though; if the newly rolled property is worse than the old one, the Mystic can reverse the process. The Mystic is also the number one stylist in Sanctuary thanks to her transmogrification ability which, as World of Warcraft players know, allows players to replace an item's visual appearance with that of a different item. To get all the arcane details on Myriam the Mystic, you can check out the full post on Diablo III's official site.
Pathfinder Online dev blog explores outpost raiding
Goblinworks celebrated its third major Pathfinder Online milestone with a detailed blog centered on the game's PvP raiding system. While the company was careful to note that raids are still in deep development and may change in scope and design, the blog dives into the rewards and risks of raiding along with the consequences to other players. Raids are short, small skirmishes initiated against player outposts. Since every outpost produces goods, there is always something worth stealing at any given outpost. To challenge an outpost, raiders must kill NPC guards in addition to any defending players. Raiders can stock up on an outpost's goods after its defenders have been bested. According to Goblinworks, NPC guards for outposts are "few and far between." Stealing items from outposts disrupts supply chains to local settlements. If raiders hold an outpost for over 10 minutes, they can then strip mine it. Strip mining increases the output of goods but deals damage to the outpost until it is destroyed. You can read more about raiding, strip mining, and how each affects your hostility rating over on the official post.
Albion Online trailer dives into cross-platform design
Sandbox Interactive today released a new trailer for Albion Online, a game the studio refers to as the "first true cross-platform sandbox MMO." In the trailer, employees of Sandbox offer details regarding the development of the game and the challenges of cross-platform design. Information revealed in the trailer includes the reason the team got rid of player leveling, notes on how the economy will function, an explanation of Sandbox Interactive's focus on social interaction as a gameplay requirement, and a brief glimpse of PvP. There's also plenty of gameplay footage on display in between snippets of various dev interviews. Check out the full video after the jump. Albion Online is due for release in 2014 and will feature territory control, corpse-looting, and other "hardcore" conceits along with crafting and class customization. [Source: Sandbox Interactive press release]
Champions Online nerfs dodge for the sake of diversity
Champions Online is looking to nerf -- er, re-balance -- its dodge mechanic for the sake of diverse builds. As it stands, Cryptic noticed that the too many players were stacking dodge for its passive ability that outstripped other forms of avoidance and tanking. A new dev diary explains that while dodge tanking will still be viable, the team is looking to reduce dodge rating, keep the chance bonuses flat, and make dodge proc off of active powers. A new power, fluidity, will be introduced as a block power to help superheroes avoid being hit. The team is also lowering the damage from critical chance in an upcoming build while raising the damage from offense to keep it from being lopsided. These changes follow significant tweaks to the game's alert system in the previous patch.
Star Trek Online dev blog outlines new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone
Members of the United Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Republic alike ought to be polishing their phasers and preparing their away teams because the best and brightest of all three factions are going to be needed to fight back the Voth in Star Trek Online's new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone. Which, as it happens, is the subject of the latest developer diary from the folks at Cryptic Studios. In this new adventure zone, which our own Teri Shull covered in her most recent column, players will board a massive Dyson Sphere in which the Romulan Republic has established a base of operations, but of course they're not alone. The Voth have brought in an armada of their own in hopes of claiming the Dyson Sphere themselves, and naturally it falls to the players to put an end to their nefarious machinations. Players can take part in a number of variable missions across the three major zones of the sphere in order to attain precious Dyson Marks and Commendations, which can in turn be taken to the Dyson Joint Command faction for valuable rewards. If you're looking for more intel on this vital mission, you can check out the full post over at STO's official site.
You asked, ZeniMax answered: Another TESO AMA is here
The folks at ZeniMax Online have posted another edition of their Elder Scrolls Online Ask Us Anything blog feature, this one tackling topics from equipment progression to lycanthropy. Information revealed in the post? Gear will not level, skills will morph only one time, campaigns last for three months and have persistent consequences, guild stores will be accessible by players of the same alliance, and book/chest spawns have some elements of randomness. The ZeniMax team also dodged hard answers on a couple of questions. According to the post, veteran system rewards may or may not remain cosmetic-only and players who become werewolves or vampires may or may not be able to cure themselves and switch sides. Make of that what you will.
Producer's letter details DCUO 'remastered'
DC Universe Online's Update 31 is on its way, and with it come some of the biggest changes ever implemented to the game's core design and appearance. Executive producer Larry Liberty today outlined the key points in a letter to the community, explaining to players what they can expect from Update 31 and beyond. According to Liberty, the bulk of Update 31 focuses on preparing DCUO for its impending PS4 launch. Changes include graphics upgrades like higher resolution textures and area redesigns, along with a "remastering" of the core leveling experience. Leveling from 1-30 has seen special attention; Liberty noted that new players should see a smoother progression of content with less chance of being stuck without a mission. Update 31 is tentatively scheduled for a November launch on PC and PS3. The game's PS4 release is still on track to match up with the console's release window.
Latest Defiance patch gives weapons an overhaul
It's been about a month since Trion delivered the most recent Defiance state-of-the-game address, which promised a number of sweeping improvements throughout the game. Players can now see the first step of those improvements on the live servers in the form of patch 1.105, which was released today. This particular patch is all about shooting things and, more specifically, the weaponry players use to do so. In a nutshell, the new patch has reworked the stats of all new weapons in the game, meaning that players should no longer find weapons with useless bonuses (like melee bonuses on a sniper rifle, for instance), and rarer weapons will be universally better than their lower-quality counterparts. The official dev blog goes into all sorts of detail that we couldn't possibly squeeze into the remainder of this paragraph, so any curious Ark Hunters should head over that way.
League of Legends aims for harmony with new Team Builder feature
MOBA golden child League of Legends has long been renowned for its incredibly hardcore community, which can make matters unpleasant for newer players and for those looking to learn a new character or try a new strategy. The folks at Riot Games are aware of this and are looking to do something about it. That "something" just happens to be making its way to LoL's PBE (Public Beta Environment) in the near future, and it's called the Team Builder. Riot's Lead Social Systems Designer, Jeffrey "Riot Lyte" Lin, stopped by the forums today to drop some knowledge on this upcoming feature. Essentially, the Team Builder allows players to designate their preferred playstyle and strategy, and then the system attempts to match up those with similar mindsets. This saves players the trouble of wondering who's going to play which role, who will be in which lane, and what the team's overall strategy will be, hopefully resulting in a much more harmonious gameplay experience. On top of that, the Team Builder will also include a "smarter matchmaking system that can dynamically account for your experience with a given role, position or champion," so players looking to change up their playstyle need not be afraid of invoking the ire of their teammates as they learn. For all the nitty gritty details on the Team Builder, check out the full post over at the League of Legends forums.
Hearthstone dev diary sets its sights on Rexxar the Hunter
Blizzard's latest entry into the money-printing franchise that is World of Warcraft, collectible card game Hearthstone, is currently chugging along through the closed beta stage of development, and many fans are clamoring for more information as the game nears launch. Well today you're in luck, especially if the animal-loving Hunter is your class of choice, because the devs have just released a new dev diary detailing Hearthstone's playable Hunter character, the legendary Rexxar. The dev diary dedicates the first half of its entry to the lore of Rexxar the beastmaster, a half-orc, half-ogre from Outland's Blade's Edge Mountains who eventually found himself in Azeroth becoming staunch allies with the Horde warchief Thrall. But let's be real here: We all want to know how he plays. Not to worry, the devs have that covered too. Rexxar's mechanics echo the playstyle of World of Warcraft's Hunter class. He has plenty of tricks and traps available to him, including classics such as Snake Trap and Misdirection. With his longbow in hand, Rexxar unleashes a barrage of ranged attacks while standing safely behind an army of his animal companions, making him a veritable force of nature on the battlefield. For more on Rexxar, click on through the link below.
EverQuest Next dev diary talks exploration
Today's EverQuest Next Landmark dev diary is all about globe-trotting, and no, we don't mean the kind that involves basketball trick-shots. In the latest dev diary video from the folks at Sony Online Entertainment, Creative Director Jeff Butler and Senior Art Director Rosie Rappaport sit down to give players a brief overview of why exploration matters in the upcoming reincarnation of Norrath. As you may already be aware, the world of EverQuest Next is made up of a number of procedurally generated continents, each with a number of diverse biomes to explore. While the motivation to explore in many MMOs is something to the tune of "kill things for XP and loot," the permeable nature of EQN's world adds a new layer of incentive. Each biome, as Butler and Rappaport explain, will contain a variety of different resources and materials that players can use to build their own structures within the world. The duo also addresses the existence of leylines, which, in addition to allowing players to travel around the world, give players the ability to travel between servers. And since players on each server will alter their world's landscape in different ways, there are plenty of opportunities for players to explore each server's unique version of the world. For more tasty exploration details, check out the full video past the cut.
The Last of Us developer diary characterizes Joel and Ellie
This developer diary video for The Last of Us shows the game's cast and crew elaborating on protagonists' motivations. Lead Designer Jacob Minkoff notes Ellie's unique perspective in the game, while voice actor Troy Baker reveals how one line from his audition helped shape Joel's character.
Soak up the world of Rain in new developer diary
This developer diary video for Rain explores the ways players will interact with and affect the game's wet environments when it launches this fall on PS3.
Beyond: Two Souls dev diary features a kingly Dafoe
Behind-the-scenes footage, production notes, and mocapped kisses await in this brief developer diary video for Quantic Dream's upcoming PlayStation 3 adventure game Beyond: Two Souls. As a bonus, you'll also get to see Willem Dafoe perched on a stately throne. An extended version of this video will be featured in the GameStop-exclusive Beyond: Two Souls Special Edition.
New Repopulation dev blog gets down and dirty with harvesting details
You may remember that earlier this month, the folks behind upcoming sci-fi sandbox The Repopulation released a dev-blog that detailed part of the game's resource-gathering system which involved the ever-so-charming extraction of precious resources from your enemies' still-warm corpses. Thanks to the game's newest dev blog, we're now able to get some insight on the other half of the resource-gathering experience: harvesting. While extraction involves pilfering goodies from dead baddies, harvesting is the more uh... humane method of gathering resources from nodes such as ore deposits, trees, and so forth. Harvesting resources from a single node works in the same way as extracting resources from a corpse does, but harvestable resources are also available from rarely occurring resource clusters. These clusters "contain a larger stash of a single resource and [have] a better chance of yielding higher quality results." Up to four players can place a harvester at any given cluster, which will run dry after 2-4 hours, at which point the players can return to the cluster and pick up their share of the goods. This system, the diary mentions, encourages players to gather in groups or share the wealth with their hired help. If you can't wait to get your hands dirty and rob nature of her delicious bounty, you can find out all the details over at the game's official site.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist co-op developer diary works together
This developer diary video for Splinter Cell: Blacklist explores the characters that players can use in the game's co-op missions. The game is coming to Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on August 20.
Resident Evil: Revelations developer diary discusses importance of viruses
Did you know that viruses are important to the Resident Evil series? Thanks to this Resident Evil: Revelations developer diary video, you do now.
Collision Physics takes the ice in NHL 14 trailer
EA Canada recently detailed NHL 14's Collision Physics in a developer diary video and blog. New to the hockey game this year are left stick hits, where the speed and momentum of skaters can cause big hits without the use of the right joystick. Right stick hitting controls are still accessible in the game. The Collision Physics system, which borrows from the FIFA series' Player Impact Engine, introduces more ragdoll reactions to players suffering hits, including the goalie. EA Canada says NHL 14 will also see less hip check spamming and more incidental contact due to the game demanding better player positioning. Likewise, the developer says the system will make better use of a player's individual attributes for keeping their balance and delivering hits on opponents.
