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Camelot Unchained moves on to its third pre-alpha test
The bad news of the most recent Camelot Unchained update is placed front and center of the latest development update: Some of the features once slated for inclusion in the second pre-alpha test have been kicked back to the third pre-alpha test. This also counts as good news, though; because of the small number of features remaining on that particular checklist and the progress already made on the third checklist, the team decided to just go ahead and shift the items to the new checklist whilst moving on to the third test. Got all that? Good. Pre-alpha test #3 will contain the first pass of the game's building system, among other updates. While it has yet to be fully fleshed out, the core building blocks are working. So if you're a big enough backer to take part in these initial rounds of testing, you'll have the chance to start trying your hand at making new things when the test dates roll around.
TUG rolling out new features and blocking Proving Grounds
The latest update on TUG is both good news and bad news. The good news is that the game is getting ready to roll out a major update that will include a lot of fun stuff for players. Like what, you ask? Like hunting, and farming and all the goats you can ask for. Even if you ask for a lot of goats, you can have never have enough goats. So what's the bad news? Well, it turns out that the team kind of broke Proving Grounds on the way to adding in new features. Rather than delaying the update, the current stopgap solution is to block off Proving Grounds and simply add it back in during a later update. You can read the full update if you need some specifics; the hope is that players won't ultimately be surprised when the update goes live for everyone.
City of Steam teases patch 2.6 improvements
While its initial launch had some definite issues, City of Steam seems to be doing quite well for itself with new servers, new platforms, and a new patch on the way. That new patch shows off some of its new features in a recent development blog, starting with inter-server PvP between the top 20 players on each server. Yes, that means you'll need to muscle your way to the head of the pack in PvP before you get a shot at competing, but getting there means fantastic prizes. Patch 2.6 will also bring with it the Tower of Peril, rewarding players for how far they can climb and generally challenging any high-level high-intensity players. There will also be numerous improvements to in-game text, bugs, and the like. If that sounds like just what you want to see, you can take a look at the blog post for a few more details and then jump in and start playing right from there.
Guild Wars 2 improving guild and LFG systems in April
The last few announcements about Guild Wars 2 changes have been big. And with good cause, as roughly no one should be unhappy about the final destruction of the much-maligned town clothes mechanic. But there are smaller significant changes coming along as well, as detailed in a new post outlining a few changes coming to both the game's LFG tools as well as guild management systems. They won't rewrite the game, but they should make it a little easier. Guild leaders, for instance, will be able to see when members last logged in. The LFG tool will allow filtering via language and for WvW groups, making it that much easier to find a group that you can communicate with and has the same goals as you. There are also improved mechanics for guild-based groups in the system. Sure, it's not a complete trait overhaul, but if you're enjoying your time in Tyria every little improvement is a good one.
Wurm Online pushes update 1.2 live
Are you ready for wagon time? Because that's what you'll be able to explore in Wurm Online's newest update. Patch 1.2 of the game is adding in plenty of wagons as well as boat carriers, giving players a variety of wheeled transport methods to bring stuff all over the self-made world. But that's only the smallest part of today's update. Players can also look forward to an improved crafting interface, new enemies, new rugs, a new invite function, and new crates. There's also a new system of maps that allow for personal annotations, making it that much easier to find your way around and move from village to village. The update notice promises that development will continue on the game, but players are going to have plenty to do with this update as it is. (Largely wagon-based things.) [Update: It seems that someone decided it would be fun to DDoS the game right at the launch of this update. So Wurm is currently offline until further notice.] [Thanks to Tom for the tip!]
Camelot Unchained dishes out details on alpha testing, combat, and player interaction
So, are you a backer of Camelot Unchained? Are you wondering when you'll be able to get your hands on the game in a playable form? The earliest build will be available to players in August, but just what will that early alpha contain? In an interview with Eurogamer, Mark Jacobs has stated that at a bare minimum, players should be able to get large-scale battles going in the game. Progression will be there but will not be fully tuned or adjusted, and the earliest stages of building systems will be present. But what will that large-scale combat look like? In an interview posted today by Keen and Graev, the game's development team confirmed that the game will be avoiding an action-based engine, since it's not in keeping with the old-school ethos of the design. The interview also discusses the social features in the game, including a chat client that will allow players to talk even if they're not in the game. We'll know in August how many of these early concepts make it into testing and whether they work out on the road to release.
Armories arrive in DC Universe Online
So you're max level in DC Universe Online, and you have a lot of different options available to you. You have a setup you like to use for dealing damage, a setup for healing teammates, even a setup for when you absolutely need to get across an entire zone in less than three minutes. Swapping between those is a bit more taxing, though. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just instantly swap between a full loadout and appearance with just one click? Yes, that's exactly what Armories do: they allowing players to save an alternate build that can be accessed out of combat instantly. A free armory slot is given to every character following a quest, with additional slots (for additional builds) available in the marketplace for $6 (or less if bought in bulk). Each player base can hold four slots for a grand total of 16 Armory slots, giving you plenty of space to store all the alternate builds you could ever want.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's horse year
As I steadily collect another set of holiday hats for little reason other than an inexplicable need to collect these things (and I'd really like to be able to store my Usagi Kabuto while I'm at it, thanks), it's a fair time to look at the next year for Final Fantasy XIV's development. The game launched well, has made some missteps, and the next year is really going to determine how well it can manage over the long term. I'm not pretending that I have a picture-perfect roadmap for the game over the next year, but I do think there are some pretty obvious things to be addressed. There are gaps to be filled in, systems that could stand to be improved, and more systems that would have a positive effect on retention and play. So let's look at what the next year will hopefully bring other than equine headpieces.
The Repopulation improves housing and inquiries in November
November is a time to go home, see your family, and quite possibly remember why it was you left home and avoid seeing your family for the rest of the year. The result is that it makes a lot of sense for The Repopulation to focus on things like hearth and home over the month of November. A status update for the last month has just come out, and it includes the usual array of incremental improvements along with some big new features. For example, the game has a new UI for placing structures within houses and nations, allowing objects to be rotated and scaled as the placer desires -- and there's the option to save the rotation and scale settings for easy cut-and-paste placement. A new calendar system was also introduced, and the inquiry system has been expanded to allow players a chance at tracing the source of an NPC's problems via the Diplomacy skill. Players looking forward to the sandbox title should take a look at the full rundown of November updates.
TUG begins building networking and third-person models
TUG is a game with big goals and a small start, but that's just more stuff for it to work up to over time. The latest update for the game's backers shows how far the game has already come even in its early stage, though, with the game already beginning to build upon and improve its overall infrastructure. The latest update highlights that third-person models are now partly in place, with first-person animations and some third-person animations working correctly. The game's networking is also in place, but at the moment it's only a bare-bones implementation; players can host servers but no central server architecture yet exists. The update warns that it's also largely untested, since that is part of what the testing environment exists to facilitate. There's also new biomes, new crafting, and physics -- a far cry from the initial exploration demo. It's still small, but every update makes the game just a little bigger.
New video explains exactly what WildStar is
What is WildStar? A dance sensation that's sweeping the nation? The answer to life, the universe, and everything? An upcoming MMO from Carbine Studios? All right, you in the audience probably already knew that it's the last one on the list, but you probably still have questions about the game. The newest video won't answer all of those questions, but it will give you a full picture of what the game plans to be right from the ground up. It's all here in the trailer: Both factions, all four paths, player-built houses and PvP fortresses, active combat, and an evolving in-game story. But if you're not convinced that the game can pull off everything it promises, you're welcome to swing by PAX East this weekend to get your hands on the game on the show floor. So if you're already heading to the convention, you've got something else to put on your itinerary... and if not, you can just enjoy a characteristically narrated piece on the game.
The Daily Grind: What great feature do you think deserves more publicity?
No one talks about The Secret World's stealth missions. A few people do, but by and large if you asked a random person about the game they'd mention investigation missions and then stop. Which is a shame, because while the stealth-based missions aren't on par with Metal Gear Solid or points related, they're incredibly clever and universally fun to play through. They're also a great way to bring in some of the sense of horror and danger that the game wants to create. It's hardly surprising that an MMO would have some features that get more or less advertisement; after all, there are a lot of moving parts in any given MMO, and it's easy to miss one or two things along the way. So today's your chance to rectify that. What great feature in a game do you think deserves more publicity? Is it a type of quest, a combat system, or even just a minor bit of visual customization? 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!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: DC Universe Online in review
One of the things I like about my job is the part where I have to play a lot of different games. This is not my default state -- I will happily latch on to games that I like and play them into the ground. The 100-plus hours I've clocked into every Mass Effect installment is proof enough of this. But playing a wider variety of games has given me several opportunities to see things in games, nod my head, and exclaim, "Yes! This is what people should be doing? Why do more games not do this?" DC Universe Online had me saying that about a lot of elements. And every time I figured I was good and done, I found another one. A month boomeranging back and forth between lower levels on both factions isn't enough time to get a sense for how the game shakes out over the long run, but it does provide a fairly good overview of the game as a whole. And there's a lot of elements in the game that I found astonishingly clever. It didn't offset the parts that I found somewhat tedious or broken, but it did make the game as a whole interesting on multiple levels.
WRUP: What would you eliminate?
This week, we asked our writers what "feature" in WoW they'd like to remove. Heck, it seems like everyone has a pet peeve or an annoying game dynamic they're eager to see go away. So let's round it all up in one place and get it over with. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) I'm playing catch-up with writing and other projects, and more raiding on Sunday. And if I have time, maybe I'll squeeze some Mass Effect into there because I miss the sci-fi. As for killing features, I'm pretty sure that lockouts on heroics in TBC and Wrath don't really need to be there anymore.
The Daily Grind: What simple things endear a game to you?
In the grand scheme of things, Guild Wars 2's guesting isn't a feature that will add new content or new ways to play the game. But it will allow you to play more easily with friends on other realms, and that's been welcomed by some players. Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming reputation system might just be adding titles, but more titles mean a lot to some players. Final Fantasy XIV allows you to jump, and if you played the game for a year beforehand, you'll be looking forward to that addition. Sometimes, what matters isn't the big things that get you addicted to a game but the little elements that improve your overall experience. Cosmetic flourishes, nice-looking equipment, convenience and quality-of-life upgrades -- none of them makes the game good or bad, but sometimes they bring a bigger grin than actual content or systems. So what simple things have endeared a game to you, now or in the past? 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!
Star Wars: The Old Republic's guide to the group finder
In a perfect world, all Star Wars: The Old Republic groups would be composed of several friends working together. But sometimes your friends aren't online or just have other things to do, and for those times, there's the Group Finder tool. But why is it that you can select a role you can't perform? Why do you queue up as healing or damage but always get picked for healing? How does the whole daily reward work? For answers to these questions and more, production team member Toni Phillips has put together a rundown of some of the Finder's more esoteric features. Phillips explains that daily rewards require you to complete the final step of the Flashpoint mission rather than simply clear the last boss, which usually involves clicking on an object at the end. Role selection, meanwhile, is determined by what your advanced class can do rather than what you're currently able to do, and if you select multiple roles, the finder will tend to pull from the rarer roles first. For more information and a more thorough breakdown, take a look at the full guide.
Lord of the Rings Online lets you add a game wallet by lightening your real wallet
If you're a Lord of the Rings Online veteran, you've probably accumulated a large number of different barter items for various upgrades. Skirmish tokens, regional tokens, festival tokens... all vital to getting various gumballs, all clogging up inventory space that could go toward other items. The development team has heard your cries for a solution, and thus, the improved barter wallet has come into existence. Unfortunately, this upgrade comes at a price -- just about $10, specifically. Needless to say, some players and subscribers will be rather galled by the fact that this feature is being sold. On the other hand, player testimonials indicate that the upgrade works wonderfully, and it's a single account-wide purchase for all of your past, present, and future characters. Whether or not you prefer to grab the account-wide upgrade or wish to abstain on matters of principle is a personal decision, but there's no denying that the freed inventory spaces are certainly appealing.
The Secret World's engine takes center stage
Unified engines for MMOs have long been a rarity, simply due to the time needed to develop a game and the number of different companies developing separate products. The Secret World manages to buck this trend, using the same core Dreamworld Engine as Funcom's Age of Conan. A recent interview with lead programmer Øystein Eftevaag discusses the way that the engine interacts with the newer game, how the unified engine helps both games, and what special features the game is using in a technical sense. Eftevaag explains that the Dreamworld Engine benefits chiefly from cross-pollination; improvements made in terms of optimization for Age of Conan can be imported to the engine on The Secret World with minimal extra legwork. The engine also uses a series of dynamic equations to determine what player characters should be able to see, subsequently leaving obscured areas blank to save on processor cycles. It's an interesting look under the hood at the technical side of Funcom's upcoming conspiracy and horror title, even if this particular dream world is tilted toward a nightmare.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Matter of pact
We're back online in this neck of the woods, and that means that I can catch up on all of the things that I missed over the past week. And even within the fairly focused sphere of City of Heroes, there was a lot going on -- a headstart for subscribers, the removal of leveling pacts, more details on the rewards you can uncover for Signature Arcs, and the lowdown of the Seed of Hamidon event. Interesting stuff, all around, but it was the pact removal that first jumped out at me. One of the things that CoH has been loath to do over the years is remove things. That's part of why the game has become so all-encompassing for so many players -- every new system has built upon its predecessors, adding new options, moving in new directions. So the removal of one of the game's interesting features struck me as a little odd just because it's something that's nearly without precedent in its lifespan.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite post-launch feature?
Single-player games can occasionally get major DLC or expansions to change the face of the game, but for the most part MMOs are the field where a game can change between two patches. Champions Online recently made a major change with the addition of hideouts, adding in a form of housing to the game that hadn't existed at all when the game launched. It's a recent example, but it's hardly the only time that a game or a expansion has gone live and later had a major addition to its features list. Sometimes features are added in shortly after launch as promised features not quite ready at the time the game went gold, but far more frequently an entirely new feature is developed and added. So what's your favorite feature that was introduced after the game's launch? A player-generated content system a la City of Heroes or Star Trek Online? The addition of instanced PvP such as World of Warcraft's Battlegrounds? Let us know! 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!
