kingisle
Latest
Free for All: A few tips for the indie developer
I am no developer, nor do I have dreams of one day becoming one. I absolutely love having the ability to write about what I like and to interact with those who enjoy (or hate) what I write. Developers have their hands and tongues tied much of the time, and often the indie developer gets no credit whatsoever. Granted, if artistic release or programming is your thing, I say go for it. But I will absolutely admit to wanting attention most of all -- it's what I like to do. Over the years, I have visited more independent MMO sites and played more independent MMOs than I care to recount. Still, not a week goes by when I do not find a new one to look at, and so I file it away for future use. I am often amazed at some of the mistakes indie developers make -- such obvious ones, too. I try to remind myself that the garage-coder is not always the best choice for graphic designer, so sometimes the websites and logos of these tiny companies look like they were hosted on Geocities. I decided to have some fun and throw down some general rules that I apply to indie developers. Take them or leave them, but I think that they are based on quite a bit of observation. Feel free to add any of your own. Click past the cut and let's get to them!
Kingsisle predicts Wizard 101 expansion release date
Much to the delight of their fans, Kingsisle posted a hopeful -- and specific -- message about their long-awaited Celestia expansion for Wizard 101: "Test Realm Last Chance! We're on the home stretch and what you see in the Test Realm is almost ready to be moved in to the Live Game! Please take the next 24 hours to madly test as much as you can in Celestia, and if all goes well, we'll be putting Celestia and all the other features up to the Live Game on Wednesday October 27th!" While "..if all goes well" seems pretty concrete, we all know how many things can not go well. Still, it's finally a solid date for those players that have been actively playing through the expansion on the test server. It looks like all their homework will be graded soon enough! Players can expect to see 10 additional levels, three new secondary schools of magic, new underwater zones to explore, game-changing mechanics like crit and block and more. And, oh yeah, turning into a gobbler. We wouldn't want to forget that.
Wizard 101 announces new update
KingIsle Entertainment has announced its latest update to Wizard 101, its free to play MMO aimed at younger players that also has an option to subscribe or purchase access passes in order to unlock additional content. Wizard 101, which recently passed a million players, has been receiving frequent updates including a new PvP area and the addition of voice to many characters.Highlights of this update include new high end spells available for players when they reach level 48. There is one spell for each of the seven schools of magic in the game, which are available through a quest. Another welcome feature is the ability to buy back a character's training points using Crowns, the game's micro-transaction currency, to allow them to be reused on new spells, which allows players to correct any choices that they are not happy with and try out new ideas. There are also new rewards for PvP, including a new pet to collect, and the friends list has been expanded to allow you to mark friends as "best friends."
Massively interview: KingsIsle on Wizard101
We recently had the chance to check up on KingsIsle and talk to them about their three-year conjuration, Wizard101. We sat down with the studio's director, Todd Coleman, to discuss what's in store for the tween-centric wizard school MMO. We also got some extra hands-on time with the game, so be sure to look out for something written about that soon. Read on after the break for the full article.%Gallery-23433%
