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Wizardry Online prepping for 'major code update'
SOE's Wizardry Online website has updated with a post outlining an upcoming "major code update." The patch will bring the western client "one step closer to all the advanced features of the Japanese version of Wizardry Online," the company says. Advanced forging and the game's socketing system take up most of the space in this particular blog entry, but there's also a mention of new skills for each class as well as a skill reset NPC.
Rise and Shiny: Revisiting Salem
A few months ago, I dived into Salem, a hardcore sandbox MMO that promises actual permadeath. That means if your character is killed while in game, he or she stays dead and loses everything. Not of your possible scores of skills are passed on, all items are lost and your homestead -- similar to a deed in Wurm Online -- can be destroyed. Heck, your homestead can be destroyed even if you're not dead. People can literally block your path, call you names, and attack you over and over. It makes me cry! Nah, it's not as bad as it sounds. It never is. If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it's that you should really try a game for yourself before you believe everything you hear about it. Don't worry about trolls or griefers because the worst that can happen to you is that you end up leaving the game to find a better one. That's why we're called gamers. Salem is actually about 50% killer and 50% silliness. I don't want to describe the killer part as "bad" because there is something the game is offering that so many others are not, and that's real danger and actual permadeath.
Wizardry Online compensates players for performance issues
For those put out by Wizardry Online's performance issues as of late, SOE has posted assurance that the worst is behind everyone: "Our engineers have been working tirelessly to address the issues and we're confident that you will have a better experience now." The studio is offering compensation for the inconvenience starting with a 300 Station Cash credit to players who logged into Wizardry Online before today. SOE is also handing out free seven-day Dimento Medals in the game. Finally, players who subscribed before March will see a seven-day membership credit added to their accounts.
Seatribe handing out Salem beta keys
Want to get a free look at Salem, the scary hardcore permadeath crafting MMO from Seatribe and the devs responsible for Haven & Hearth? Head to the official Salem website and score a beta key while you can. There were 140 of them when we checked a few minutes ago, so make it snappy! You can also read through Massively's multiple hands-on impression pieces to see if Salem is up your alley. [Thanks to Nick for the tip!]
Star Citizen's death mechanics to create 'a sense of mortality and history'
Chris Roberts has revealed the death mechanic for his upcoming Star Citizen sandbox. In a lengthy missive on the game's official site, he outlines his plans for "a universe where time progresses, characters die, and new ones come to the front." He also talks at length about the the sense of accomplishment that's missing from games that let you save every five seconds. As such, the single-player portion of SC known as Squadron 42 will function much like Roberts' old Wing Commander and Privateer games in terms of death (i.e., you'll need to survive and complete missions, with no mid-mission saving, to advance). The persistent version of Star Citizen calls for a different approach, though. Roberts acknowledges the immortal pod pilot lore and mechanics of EVE Online, calling CCP's method "clever" but ultimately saying that he's "not interested in making EVE 2.0 with cockpits." He stops short of calling SC's mechanic permadeath, but he does note that every "death" will affect your avatar. "Eventually, after too many deaths, your character's body will just give out," he explains, "and instead of waking up in a med bay, you'll be attending the funeral of your fallen character from the eyes of the beneficiary you specified when originally creating your character." There's much more to it, of course, including plenty of "death" examples and a FAQ, but you'll need to read Roberts' full blog entry for further details. [Thanks to Eric for the tip!]
Wizardry Online launch-day roundup
If you've been waiting to get your fill of fantasy in the no-holds-barred setting of Wizardry Online (and then waited some more when the launch was pushed back), your patience is about to be rewarded. The time is finally at hand; the hardcore game sporting permadeath and friendly fire launches today. Curious about what lies ahead in the wilds of Wizardy Online? Get a glimpse of dungeons and death along with a taste of the adventures that await you through our hands-on experiences, gallery, videos, and news bytes after the break.
SOE webcast to celebrate Wizardry Online's launch
Wizardry Online has conjured more than a few different opinions from our staff during its beta, and we're happy to say that the game is finally launching tomorrow! To help celebrate the launch, SOE is hosting a special webcast on Thursday, January 31 at 7:00 p.m. EST on its Twitch.tv channel. Host and Senior Global Brand Manager Omeed Dariani will be joined by Senior Producer Todd Carson and Associate Producer Rod Haza to discuss the game's features and what we can expect in the future of the game.
Wizardry Online adds high-level dungeon for launch
While we remain on standby for Wizardry Online's delayed launch, the team at SOE has used the time to shoehorn in an additional feature for release: the Underground Dragoon Ruins. The Dragoon Ruins is a high-level dungeon full of nasty creatures and even nastier traps. We've got a video featuring combat and exploration of the ruins after the break. It's got a warrior beating up ghosts, giant rock monsters, and -- most insidiously of all -- little glowy lights. A little glowy light once killed that warrior's whole village, and she's sworn revenge over it. That's all you need know.
Wizardry Online launch delayed until Jan 30th
If you had plans to skip work tomorrow to play on Wizardry Online's launch day, you should probably go ahead and earn a paycheck instead. SOE announced that it's moving the release date for the hardcore MMO from January 16th to January 30th. The delay of two weeks was a necessary step, according to the company: "As we head into final preparations for launching the game, we have decided to move the launch date in order to allow us extra time to ensure we're delivering the most epic gameplay experience possible to our players." Community Manager Piestro elaborated on the delay later in the announcement thread. "The transition from beta to live requires integrating with a good number of other systems. We are also planning to launch on Steam which complicates matters and requires other sorts of implementation work. Specifics aren't necessarily meaningful to those who aren't familiar with our internal systems, or particularly valuable. That being said, we aren't wasting this time and are definitely looking to see what else we can accomplish. More news later this week I'm suspecting."
Wizardry Online launching January 16th
Don't have enough vitamin hardcore in your diet? Then make a new year resolution to try out Wizardry Online. SOE announced that the permadeath-happy fantasy title will release on January 16th. Wizardry Online is the latest in the long-running Wizardry series and features many mechanics not typically seen in modern MMOs, such as the aforementioned permadeath and friendly fire. Massively previewed the title at SOE Live and more recently got to take it for a more extensive test drive. SOE will be talking about Wizardry Online's release date and other launch details in its webcast at 7:00 p.m. EST this evening. You can catch the webcast on Twitch.tv. [Source: SOE press release]
Wizardry Online adding tons of info to official wikia
If you've had questions about some of the nuts and bolts of the upcoming free-to-play fantasy game Wizardry Online, the incoming update to the official wikia might just give you some answers. From controls and settings to shops and dungeons, this update will offer more information on a variety of game mechanics and features. Did you know that you can pick up the body of a fallen player to be deposited at the Quopaty Temple once you travel back to town and pay a fee to increase the odds of revival once there? Or that you'll need entry permits to enter dungeons? Or that shopkeepers will identify items for adventurers? You will when you read through the details of this substantial wikia update! You can also learn more about Wizardry Online by checking out Massively's hands-on experience. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
Wizardry Online explains permadeath specifics
Our knowledge of SOE's upcoming Wizardry Online is growing by leaps and bounds. A little later today, the official wiki will be rolling out a huge info update that will include specifics on many of the game's systems, including the ever-so-popular permadeath and PvP. Some of the interesting tidbits that we've learned include the fact that resting in inns is essential to leveling you up, enemies can and will attack specific parts of your body, the game has a pretty traditional skill tree, and you'll be unable to move if you exceed your carrying weight capacity. Permadeath can happen only if your character meets several criteria: You've reached soul rank two or higher and you've failed two revive attempts in a row. Likewise, the game's free-for-all PvP might not be as harsh at it initially sounds. If you're killed in PvP, you have a much greater chance of being revived, and player killers (PKers) will become criminals who can have bounties placed on their heads. If you're curious about Wizardry Online, why not read our hands-on with the title?
Yup, you're dead: Hands-on with Wizardry Online
Wizardry Online, an upcoming fantasy-based MMO from Sony Online Entertainment, is a "hardcore" MMO. I know this because the word "hardcore" shows up on the game's official beta sign-up page no fewer than three times (once in all caps). The website promises that thanks to Wizardry Online's "insane difficulty," my "greatest challenge" will be found somewhere in its universe. Perhaps in one of those "complex mazes" packed with "unrelenting mobs." Now, I'm not one to back down from a challenge. In fact, I love a good fight, especially if it can potentially end in my suffering an embarrassing and expensive defeat. So I hopped into the brutal world of Wizardry Online to tempt fate and see just what this game was all about. As it turns out, it's about dungeons, permadeath, and missed opportunities to make either worthwhile. %Gallery-125949%
Wizardry Online revealing class and chat info this evening
If you have more questions about Wizardry Online than have been answered to date, hopefully you'll start to fill in those gaps come this evening. The devs are preparing to release a post on the official Wizardry Online Wiki that will shed some light on the various classes as well as the in-game chat system. The classes set to be revealed are the melee Fighters, healer Priests, hard-hitting Thieves, and ranged Mages. The studio is giving each class a difficulty and survivability rating, as well as the alignment and requirements to roll one. It looks as though Wizardry Online will handle its game population through automatic world instances called channels. New channels will be created when the number of players demand it, and players can choose a specific channel, a type of channel, or the first available channel upon logging in. Keep an eye on the wiki for the dev blog to go live at 6:00 p.m. EST tonight. [Source: SOE press release]
Meet Heroes of Evermore, Dungeon Runners' spiritual successor
Almost three years ago, a quirky and charming MMO died. It was NCsoft's Dungeon Runners, a Diablo-like action title that had a wicked funny streak running through it. We were genuinely sad to see it go away, but perhaps not as sad as its producer, Steve Nichols. In fact, Dungeon Runners was such an influence on his life that when he moved on to a new studio, he brought with him the idea of creating another MMO in the same vein. Today we caught up with Nichols to talk about that project, called Heroes of Evermore. Heroes of Evermore is currently in pre-alpha but is pushing hard to make strides in 2013 toward release. What would the spiritual successor to Dungeon Runners look like? You're about to find out!
Wizardry Online is the subject of next SOE webcast
Wizardry Online is a peculiar beast. One one hand, you have the familiar IP of Wizardry to bring in any and all old school fans, and on the other hand, you have that infamous feature known as permadeath. SOE is looking to take the Wizardry franchise and make it into a seriously hardcore MMO next year with beta now in full swing. But we're sure you have questions about the game, aside from those answered in our own recent in-depth coverage. Luckily for you, SOE will be hosting a live webcast with Senior Community Manager Eric "Piestro" Cleaver interviewing Senior Producer Todd Carson and Senior Global Brand Manager Omeed Dariani. It all goes down this Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 7 p.m. EDT on SOE's Twitch.tv channel.
SOE Live 2012: Getting to know Wizardry Online
There's probably no better way to sum up Wizardry Online than with the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for." If you've been yearning for a game with permadeath, you have reason to celebrate. At this year's SOE Live, the Wizardry Online team showed off the game, and it's every bit as hardcore as promised. If you're looking for an old-school challenge, you'll want to check out the highlights below.
The Daily Grind: What's a hardcore feature you'd like to see more of in MMOs?
While there's a lot to be said about the virtues of user friendliness and consequence-lite gameplay, I think it's important not to throw out the entire library of hardcore features just because games happened to be too grindy or corpse-runny way back then. Through titles like Day Z, EVE Online, and WURM Online, players have shown an affinity to features that promote a more realistic sense of world. For some, that creates a sense of immersion that no fancy graphics could ever accomplish. So let's boil it down to just one feature today, one hardcore feature that you'd like to see more of in MMOs. Would you use your one wish to grant every game a permadeath server for those who prefer that lifestyle? Could you see getting into an MMO where you had to monitor your avatar's hunger, thirst, and stamina constantly? Does the idea of a character aging and scarring make you thrill for the journey? Let us know your idea for a great hardcore feature that would spice up MMOs! 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!
SOE alters ProSiebenSat.1 deal to include EQ, Vanguard, and Wizardry Online
After months of insisting that the deal with ProSiebenSat.1 was locked in, SOE announced that it is expanding the library of titles that the European operator will take over and run for the region. In addition to the MMOs and other titles included with this past February's announcement, ProSiebenSat.1 looks to take over EverQuest, Vanguard, and Wizardry Online as well. All in all, it gives ProSiebenSat.1 the exclusive license to operate these titles in 40 European nations. SOE President John Smedley said that this is nothing but good news for European gamers: "ProSiebenSat.1 is the ideal partner for us to reach an even broader audience in Europe. We are confident that the combination of the media power provided by ProSiebenSat.1 and our expertise in developing high-quality online games will appeal to players in a new and captivating way, creating the perfect prerequisite for achieving great success with our games in Europe."
Taking a deeper look at Salem (and living to talk about it)
We recently sent San Francisco freelancer Emil Vazquez to a demo of Salem, the upcoming colonial-styled, permadeath MMO from Paradox Interactive. This is Emil's impressions of the game; the opinions might not reflect those of Massively as a whole. I was mildly disappointed that I didn't get to personally play Salem at this demo session until I saw the complexity and depth that was par for the course in publisher Paradox Interactive's new crafting-based sandbox. Had I been put behind the wheel of my very own little gothic pilgrim, it would have looked a lot like a beginner's first few hours in EVE Online and been about as productive. Instead, game designer Bjorn Johannessen took me on a tour of Salem's Lovecraft-inspired re-imagining of 18th century America, complete with farms, smithies, and chthonic earthworms.
