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The Anvil of Crom: Ranting ranger is ranty (oh and some opinions on the dev update)
Yes, it's that time of the month again: It's time for another analysis of a Funcom development update. This time around, there's the added bonus of a new patch (2.0.7) to discuss, but for the most part I'll spend today rant... er, talking about Craig Morrison's latest monthly roadmap for Age of Conan. After two weeks of positivity, I guess the time is right to bring a little balance to the Force (or at least, to The Anvil of Crom), so join me after the cut as I break down the good, bad, and fugly in relation to where the Hyborian Express seems to be headed.
Dungeons and Dragons Online patch 1 released for Update 5
Patch 1 for Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 5 dropped this morning, clearing up a long list of problems that have plagued the game since Update 5 arrived. Issues large and small were taken care of, including several things that players have been dealing with since Update 5 released in the first place. Fog of War, for example, has been resetting immediately upon leaving an area. This was extremely inconvenient if you left an area for just a minute or two, because you'd come back to a completely black map. Thankfully that's not an issue any more. Guild renown got several fixes, including the return of the small guild bonus, an increase to the renown drop rate for monster kills, a fix to renown decay at level 26, and and adjustment to renown decay at level 26. Those are just a couple of highlights -- the full patch notes are available on the DDO site. Do you know about a problem the patch didn't take care of? Check out the updated Known Issues thread.
DDO Update 5: Massively's interview with Fernando Paiz
Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 5 has been out for a while now, and it came on the scene to mixed reviews. Some players were unhappy about the combat changes, bugs here and there caused problems, and there were a couple of hotfixes in the first few days. The new adventure pack and guild renown system balanced it out nicely, though. In spite of continued glitches they were viewed overall as a great addition to the game. We were curious about several aspects of the update and what Turbine has planned for the immediate future, so we posed a few questions to Executive Producer Fernando Paiz. Follow along after the jump to see what he had to say about DDO's Update 5.
Dungeons and Dragons Online introduces guild leaderboard
Updates to the new guild renown system in Dungeons and Dragons Online continue with the addition of a renown leaderboard. The leaderboard, which was added yesterday, is divided by server. You can adjust the list further by guild name (alphabetically), number of guild members, amount of renown, or guild level. There are still a few improvements to be made -- some of the guild links are incorrect or don't work, for example. The listing for number of guild members is linked to characters rather than accounts, and many players have requested that an account-based number be made available. Check out the leaderboard as well as the forums to see what everyone's saying about this new addition.
Exploring Eberron: First impressions of Update 5
Update 5 arrived on the Dungeons and Dragons Online servers Monday, making for a rough first half of the week. Guild renown, the underpinning of the much-touted airship system, was bugged to the point that it had to be completely turned off for most of Monday and Tuesday. The servers came down for four hours Tuesday afternoon for a hotfix. When they came back up, guild renown was fixed. Unfortunately, the auction hall bug was still hanging around, causing players with expired auctions to receive in-game mail containing nothing -- their items had disappeared into the ether. The auction hall was partially disabled Wednesday to alleviate the problem, and hotfix round two brought the servers down for a few more hours. This doesn't mean that Update 5 was a bad thing. Not even close. The rough start was only one facet of this update's launch week -- there is plenty to talk about after things settled down in that arena, and overall some great additions were brought to the game. Follow along after the jump as we look at the first week in Update 5.
Hotfix coming to Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 5
Dungeons and Dragons Online's latest update "Rise of the Guilds," had a huge emphasis on airships, airship amenities, and the guild renown system. It wasn't the only thing coming in the update by any means, but it was unarguably the feature most strongly promoted by Turbine. Update 5 went live yesterday, and many players jumped in to begin earning renown for their guilds right away. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. The guild renown system had some underlying issues that caused it to be completely shut down after only a few hours. It was a frustrating situation for both players and Turbine staff, as guild renown is the underpinning of the entire airship system and all the amenities that go along with it. Just a short while ago, Meghan "Patience" Rodberg posted an update on the DDO forums: "We are currently testing a hotfix to Update 5 that will restore the Black Abbot raid and the ability to earn guild renown. The DDO Game Servers are tentatively scheduled to be brought down on Tuesday, June 29 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Eastern (-4 GMT) to deploy the hotfix. We'll update this message with any changes to the schedule. Lamannia will remain up and available during the downtime. Thanks for your patience!" Keep an eye on the forum thread for any updates, and hopefully players will be earning renown and buying airships in no time.
Exploring Eberron: Is there a downside to the guild renown system?
This week's Dungeons and Dragons Online guild renown contest encouraged more players to visit Lamannia and check out the renown system. Turbine has been receiving a fair amount of feedback on these features and making adjustments every few days. Some functions -- such as the small guild bonus and renown in treasure bags -- have been removed for the time being, while others have been added. Renown can now be gained when hirelings make kills, for example. Tweaks and changes like this continue as the feedback comes in, and the updates to the Lamannia patch notes are continuing along with the forum discussions. It sounds like a great system, but is there a downside? Follow along after the jump as I take a closer look at the upcoming guild renown system and what it means to guilds of all sizes.
New screenshots for Dungeons and Dragons Online update 5
Update 5 for Dungeons and Dragons Online is just a few weeks away, and as we find out more about guild renown, airships, and all the accessories that come with them, players are anxious to begin experiencing the new content firsthand. Turbine has made the wait a little easier -- or even harder, depending on how impatient you are -- by providing some screenshots of guilds with their shiny new airships. The images emphasize the focus on guilds working together to unlock these items, so check out the screenshots in the gallery below, and begin rallying your guild to earn your own. %Gallery-94875%
Dungeons and Dragons Online devs explain guild renown
As the release date for Dungeons and Dragons Online's update 5 approaches, the guild renown system is gaining more attention. We've gotten a look at what can be earned at each level of guild renown, but the method of earning renown was a bit of a mystery until now. The latest dev diary over at DDO explains how guild renown works as well as the reasoning behind some of the mechanics. In short: do stuff, get renown trophies. The trophies can be found almost everywhere: random chests, loot drops from monsters, even as quest rewards. The more difficult the challenge, the more likely it is that you'll earn renown. Once your guild reaches level 26, renown decay becomes part of the equation -- you must maintain your guild's reputation or it will fade away. It's a fairly simple system, but explained well in the dev diary. Take a look for yourself, and start planning your guild's trip to the top of the renown ladder.
Dungeons and Dragons Online guild renown chart now available
Guild renown is one of the most interesting features coming with Dungeons and Dragons update 5. The system has caught everyone's attention -- particularly since it brings the ability to earn an airship for your guild -- but the actual details of it have been a bit of a mystery until now. Now that update 5 is live on the Lamannia server, quite a few players have taken the time to explore the guild renown system and make a list of each reward and its description. We all benefit from their work thanks to this guild renown chart on the DDO Wiki. The rewards begin with a simple guild chat channel which is unlocked upon guild creation, and move up to some truly impressive buffs and amenities on your airship. Experience bonuses, helpful NPCs, guild storage and more are all available as well as a global announcement when your guild reaches certain milestones. The method of earning renown is still a bit fuzzy on this chart, as is the cost of items once they're unlocked, but we'll keep an eye out for more information.
A look into Rise of the Godslayer's Northern Grasslands
The team at Funcom are hard at work on the new content coming to Age of Conan, like guild renown and raids, as well as the upcoming expansion Rise of the Godslayer. Thankfully, they managed to steal a few moments out of that time to send along some screenshots, concept art, and a great video of the exotic Northern Grasslands area that players will be adventuring through in the upcoming expansion. Players who pick up Rise of the Godslayer will be treated to beautiful yet dangerous locales, where they'll meet strange and fascinating new people, and then kill them. Just kidding! Well, not really. Mounted atop tigers, the Khitans will undoubtedly be a fierce fighting force -- and that shiny new armor certainly looks pretty cool too. (Thankfully, the red accents will hide the blood well when you strip it off your dead enemies.) Be sure to check out the gallery and the teaser video behind the break for all the latest from this future corner of Hyboria. %Gallery-72323% Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!
Age of Conan December community letter released
Age of Conan Game Director Craig 'Silirrion' Morrison posted the December community letter today, and he's clearly feeling very optimistic about the future. The 1.06 update cycle was the focus of most of the letter, with Morrison reminding players that it is currently up and available on the test server, and encouraging players to check it out (particularly the Guild Renown system). The Age of Conan team has put in quite a bit of work and are anxious for players to put it through its paces. Of course, the other big area of focus was the upcoming expansion Rise of the Godslayer and the excitement of the recent live beta broadcast. The letter also included a quick rundown of where progress on the expansion is right now. Players had some questions after reading the letter, particularly regarding PVP Towers, and Morrison was quick to step in and chat with the community in the thread, keeping them up to date on what is happening in that arena. The full letter (and thread) can be seen here.
Age of Conan Director's letter for October
The October Director's letter for Age of Conan has been released, and it looks like the AoC team is continuing to seek player support and suggestions for improvement. The increase in player questionnaires and surveys will continue in an effort to get feedback from fans, as will weekly updates from the community teams to keep players informed of what's happening. They're also working for increased player interaction by seeking more members for the volunteer program and continuing the recruit-a-friend program. The big news, as always, was the upcoming update. The 1.05 cycle is coming to an end and the 1.06 cycle is in the works, with the hope that it will hit the test servers in the next few weeks. The Director's letter gave a few hints as to what to look for in 1.06: "We are now focusing on the new Guild Renown feature and the new Tier Three raids encounters. We will be running several initiatives one the test servers during the testing to ensure you get your chance to have your say!" The full letter can be seen on the official site.
Craig Morrison's latest AoC letter discusses guild features in Update 6
As July is coming to a close, Age of Conan's game director Craig Morrison has weighed in with his letter to the community for the month. The biggest discussion point this time around is a new 'Guild Renown' system that will be introduced with the next major content patch, Update 6. This system will allow members of a guild to contribute to its reputation on two separate scales. A guild's Renown Level will be increased by members earning Valor points (from PvE activities like questing and killing NPCs), Glory points (PvP) and Artisan points (crafting). Higher Renown Levels will mean access to better guild city vendors and other bonuses -- even a brand new building type that Morrison does not elaborate on in this letter.
