DImensions
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Lego's answer to 'Skylanders' and Amiibo arrives this September
Activision's Skylanders franchise has been a huge success, combining colorful toys with a video game platform that players can easily manipulate with their personal collection. Disney and Nintendo have followed with slightly different takes on the toys-to-life concept, and now Lego is jumping into the fray too. The company is partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Traveller's Tales, the publisher and studio responsible for most of the existing Lego games, to create a new series called Lego Dimensions.
RIFT plans improvements to dimensions and minions
Two of RIFT's more popular systems, dimensions and minions, will be getting some major dev love when Patch 3.1 arrives. In a new dev diary that went out yesterday, the team lays out a list of improvements for these systems. Dimensions will be getting a free-fly camera to allow for even more building precision, permissions options for visitors, ban lists, and -- prepare for this to blow your mind -- a bigger +1 button. As for minions, players will have even more options in how they deploy these hard-working followers. The team is adding minion stamina potions, the ability to shuffle adventures, and the option to link to minions in the chat window.
The Daily Grind: What's the best MMO housing system of all time?
WildStar's floating palaces, Star Wars: The Old Republic's strongholds, World of Warcraft's garrisons, and Landmark's... well, everything... are getting a lot of press lately, maybe because the MMO industry has been starved for such content for so long. Few games implement housing after launch, and fewer still launch with housing ready to go; those that do seldom aspire to the heights reached by RIFT's dimensions, let alone the amazing customizable homes of older games like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies. So let's resurrect a Daily Grind topic we haven't tackled since 2010. Which MMO features or featured the best housing of all time? 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!
Flameseeker Chronicles: I'd like to build a Guild Wars 2 home
Happy 2014, everybody! For the first time in a long while, Guild Wars 2 has gone without updates for a few weeks while the ArenaNet team took a well-deserved break. The next content release will drop on January 21st and will reportedly herald the beginning of the end of the Scarlet Briar story arc. I've been spending my free time reading through the latest collaborative development initiative thread on the official forums. A few weeks ago I wrote about horizontal and vertical progression in GW2 and the CDI thread related to it; at this time the discussion on the forums has narrowed specifically to horizontal progression and what players would like to see from it. After posting our top three priorities for horizontal progression, we were asked to further narrow it down to one, in order to develop a proposal. Since it's been such a popular suggestion in the thread, I think it's a good time to talk about a subject near to my shriveled, cold Necromantic heart: player housing.
Trion sheds some light on RIFT's PvP dimension development
PvP dimensions have been a much-requested feature for RIFT ever since the dimensions feature debuted with the game's Storm Legion expansion in November of 2012. Yesterday brought some good, if vague, news for players waiting on PvP dimensions: They're still in development, but no ETA is available. Trion Worlds's Pithos (of the RIFT development team) explained via the game's official forums that the release date depends on "how many features [the team] want[s] to launch with, and how often other tasks take priority." He also explained that the team has a very basic version working that includes start points, graveyards, and respawning. Make of that what you will.
Here's how RIFT's weather works
Have you ever wondered about the weather systems in RIFT, and more specifically in Trion's much-loved dimension system? If you answered yes, senior systems designer and meta-dimensioneer Lisa "Faratha" Boleyn has a blog post for you. Boleyn explains how RIFT's weather is determined by where your character is standing, and consequently how this presented a problem when coupled with the fact that the game's raindrops and snowflakes "neither have nor respond to collision" due to performance considerations. The solution for dimensional weather, then, is something called weather-blockers, which will be "brought live as craftable items" in RIFT's 2.6 update. Click through the links below to read further details.
Trion: Non-combat features 'provided a needed dose of RPG' in RIFT
RIFT's dimension system is one of the genre's better player housing implementations, and Trion has authored a dev blog designed to give players a peek behind the curtain on its development. It all started with the enthusiastic player response to the game's wedding features. "People didn't just show up; we saw a genuine spike in subscriptions. It was clear that we'd provided a needed dose of RPG in our MMORPG," the blog explains. Housing was the next logical step for non-combat content. Click through the links below to read about various development challenges and how Trion solved them.
Trion teases new RIFT souls, item advancement, and more
Yesterday's Trion livestream featured a number of big reveals focused on the firm's RIFT fantasy MMO. The newly free-to-play title will be getting a number of new souls (Support Cleric, Healing Warrior, Tanking Mage, and Healing Rogue) as well as companion abilities and levels. Trion is also looking at item advancement tweaks to include more customized weapon and armor upgrades tailored to specific playstyles. Finally, the devs announced that the game's 3.0 update will feature the plane of water, and they also hinted at some sort of increased interaction with regard to RIFT's dimension housing system. [Thanks Chris!]
RIFT invites players to move into a new dimension
Budding interior (and exterior) decorators, get out your throw pillows: RIFT has added a brand-new dimension to the game today. Moonshade Pools was chosen by players to be the next housing plot in the game, and features cascading pools with a far-out view. It costs 300 platinum to purchase and starts out with space for 250 items with the option to increase to 1000. The team will be livestreaming a couple of player-created Moonshade dimensions tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. EDT if you need inspiration for your own masterpiece.
RIFT celebrates the arrival of Moonshade dimensions
The development team behind RIFT is pretty happy with the new dimension being added to the game next week. In fact, they're so happy that they're kicking off a mini-celebration for players to get in on the dimensional decoration game. They're also giving a pair of ferns to any player who subscribes to the game's email newsletter, allowing you to make your dimension just a little bit prettier. (It's a big place, and there are only two ferns.) The first celebratory event is being held tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. EDT -- a Dimensional Thunderdome, where three teams compete to see who can make the most lovely dimension possible. At the same time on 4/19, the developers will be holding a special tour of two different takes on the new dimension, showing players just how much you can do with the region. So if you're ready to forge a new landscape to your will, just wait a little while longer.
RIFT guild creates Star Wars tableau
No, this isn't Star Wars Galaxies revived from the dead. It's actually one of many screenshots of a Star Wars-themed guild dimension in RIFT, painstakingly created for visitors to enjoy. We've seen plenty of creative examples of player housing in RIFT since Storm Legion added the feature, but this may take the cake. The dimension, which exists on the EU server of Icewatch, includes an Ewok village with AT-ST, a Dewback, an X-Wing, an AT-AT vs. landspeeder, the Millennium Falcon, a Star Destroyer, and even a little Yoda cave. The detail and ingenuity that's gone into this is impressive... most impressive. The bar has been raised for housing design. Your move, other players.
Enter at Your Own Rift: A peek at Update 2.1
It's been only a few weeks since RIFT's the Storm Legion expansion has launched, but believe it or not, update 2.1 is coming already. It's like that feeling you get when you've just overstuffed yourself with turkey and suddenly Grandma appears with a tray full of dessert. Bits of the update recently hit the test server, and since some of it is Yule-themed, this update is probably due to hit the live servers soon. There's a surprising amount of new content and game changes, especially considering we're fresh off the heels of the expansion. As much as I love Crucia constantly screaming in my head, I ventured to the test server to check things out. For this week's Enter at Your Own Rift I've rounded up some of the highlights. Let's take a peek!
Enter at Your Own Rift: Three terrific player dimensions that have to be seen to be believed
"Oh man, guys, I am going to go flat broke from Dimensions," I whined into guild chat. While it seemed like everyone else in my guild was sprinting through Storm Legion, hitting level 60, and gearing up for the new endgame, I was puttering around at level 51 in my brand-new home, trying to figure out the best place for a kitchen nook. Earlier that day I had blown over 100 plat to purchase a new Dimension and outfit it with one of every item that was on sale in the Tempest Bay canals. If you love player housing, then RIFT has got your next fix. It's flexible, it's insanely easy to use, and the possibilities are just about endless. I'm still fiddling around with ideas -- I think I'd like to make a haunted maze for visitors to enjoy -- so to get inspired, I started hopping around to other players' Dimensions and see what they whipped up. I'm pulling three examples out of the many that are already out there just to show off what this system is capable of doing.
The Road to Mordor: Sandbox features that would serve LotRO well
The tug-o-war in the MMO community between the virtues of sandbox vs. themepark designs looks like it's starting to result in a muddy heap in the middle: the sandpark. Personally, I think there are wonderful aspects of both designs (and drawbacks too), and a marriage between the two could offer more player freedom and creativity while keeping it structured and balanced. So I've been thinking about Lord of the Rings Online in regard to this and how it might benefit from a greater number of sandbox features in the future. I mean, on one hand we have one of the most "on rails" PvE games out there, but on the other hand there are seeds of great player freedom. Elements like the music system, the Winter-home theater, Hytbold, and the quite robust crafting system all serve to take us a step beyond the themepark. But what if LotRO took a few more steps toward sandboxy goodness? Seeing as how the original vision for the game was to make it a pure sandbox, I think that's not too farfetched a question. Here are several sandbox features that I think if married to the game would add to its appeal and variety.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Finally facing the Storm Legion
RIFT's Storm Legion finally arrived last week, and with it came a series of new questions to be answered. Will Crucia succeed in taking over Dusken and Brevane? Will the Guardians and Defiants cooperate to drive back the Storm Legion? And why does it seem as if Queen Miela is in 20 different places at the same time? Armed with a two-handed staff and a foliage disguise, I set off to check things out now that the expansion has gone live. How well did I weather the storm?
Enter at Your Own Rift: Storm Legion is a go!
Earlier this year I celebrated my 36th birthday. While some of you were negligent in getting me that pony I've always wanted, Trion Worlds stepped up and delivered one of the best presents ever: the announcement of Storm Legion, its first expansion for RIFT. That happily coincided with my return to the game a week earlier and set me on a course of adventure and excitement all summer long. And now it's here. By the time you read this, Storm Legion will have gone live on the servers and Telara as we know will be forever changed. New continents, souls, dungeons, raids, rifts, stories, player housing, dual-faction cities, and more will wash over us and leave us floundering in its wake. What to do first? What to see and experience? I have huge hopes for Storm Legion. Trion's smartly releasing it after the crazy rush of most of the big fall expansions, and if the expansion lives up to even part of the hype, it could cement RIFT's reputation as a premium MMO worth the subscription. Heck, I'll just be happy to see an influx of returning players and new souls (so to speak) because this is a title worth supporting and enjoying. My head is a jumble of thoughts and plans, so excuse me while I gibber about anything and everything in today's column.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Enjoying the finer points of Storm Legion
For the past two weeks, I've been sitting through panel after panel, keynote after keynote, and the constant message was about what the future of MMOs will look like. The big buzzwords from GDC Online and SOE Live were things like mobile gaming, user-generated content, emergent gameplay, and e-sports, but sometimes, it's the little things that make for a great MMO. I'm still cutting my teeth on RIFT's Storm Legion, but there are several things that already get me excited about the expansion. We've heard a lot about the big things coming to the game, but in this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, I'd like to talk about a few of the little things that will make this a well-received expansion.
Previewing RIFT: Storm Legion's Dimensions and dungeons
We're less than a month from the release of RIFT's first official expansion, Storm Legion. The content add-on promises to dramatically expand on RIFT's existing universe, both in terms of mechanics and story and in terms of the raw size of the game world. With beta in full force and the NDA officially lifted, we hopped on the Storm Legion test server to catch a glimpse of what's on the way for dedicated RIFT fans. What we discovered was a massive expansion packed with potential and more than enough new content to keep even the most hardcore of RIFT players busy for a while to come. Here's what you need to know.
RIFT drops Storm Legion NDA, livecasts player housing tour
As RIFT enters its second beta weekend for Storm Legion, the team at Trion Worlds announced that the NDA for the expansion is now lifted. In addition to all of this craziness, the devs took players on a livestream tour of the new player housing system. In the livestream, the dimensions of Granite Falls Inn, Faen's Retreat and Dormant Core were shown off. Players are able to have multiple dimensions, with the first two available for free. At the launch of Storm Legion, there will be 250 objects included in the system with more to come. Dimensions can be set to either private or public, with the latter being able to hold up to 200 people at once. Public dimensions have a rating system, may be joined randomly, and can have the option to allow visitors to add their own creations as well. You can watch the full dimensions video after the jump, and stay tuned for Massively's hands on with the beta!
Get a glimpse of RIFT's Storm Legion in new video and Dimensions livestream
If you've wanted to get a good look at Storm Legion, you're in luck! With only one month left until RIFT's upcoming expansion launch, Trion Worlds is indulging fan curiosity with both a new video and a livestream. The video, however, is not just some brief sneak peak! For over 32 minutes, players are treated to a tour of new areas, questing, combat, and even a housing demonstration. The expansion more than triples the size of the world, and devs have filled that huge expanse with 11 new zones, seven new dungeons, three new raids, a new sliver, a new chronicle, new conquest maps, a new capitol city, and more. If the video doesn't answer all of your questions about the new housing system (which resembles world-building more than housing), be sure to check out the special livestream preview of the Dimensions system on Friday, October 19th at 5:30 p.m. EDT on RIFT's Twitch channel. [Source: Trion press release] [Thanks to everyone for the tips!]
