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The Crew's customization trailer puts giant offroad tires on a Mustang
If you've ever wanted to see how a late model Mustang looks when fitted with giant offroad tires, Ubisoft's latest The Crew trailer is for you. It takes you through two minutes of visual and equipment changes on Ford's venerable pony car, including Performance, Dirt, Raid, and Circuit specs. The trailer also serves as a window into The Crew's sprawling game world, which includes cityscapes, rural highways, and race tracks across the United States. Click past the cut to have a look.
Norrathian Notebook: EQ Next's 'workshop collaborations'
Last month we embarked on the journey of corralling the remainder of the EverQuest Next Round Tables for you, adding the fifth installment to the previous four. But that last roundup did not quite bring us up to date. Why? It wasn't just a matter of space: There was a fundamental shift in the round table discussions that I felt warranted a separate Norrathian Notebook. The next section of round tables were focused on the collaborative efforts of the devs and the community in building and shaping EverQuest Next. While there is a smattering of other topics sprinkled in, the bulk is dedicated specifically to the Norrathian races and building collaboration. As such, many of the polls were more time-sensitive; some have closed, and some were just more relevant to determining design direction during the specific The Workshop Show series. However, the information is still valuable, and opinions can still be shared on a number of the proposed questions. If you have an opinion on coloring, racial mounts, and architectural styles, this is the collection of inquiries for you.
Star Trek Online: Delta Rising exposes androids and isolationist aliens
We're mere weeks away from entering the delta quadrant in Star Trek Online, but there is so much more left to learn about this new space and its inhabitants. Cryptic posted an intelligence briefing today about two additional races that one might encounter in Delta Rising: the Automatic Personnel Units and the Turei. The APUs are androids built by a long-dead civilization to wage war by proxy. The androids turned on their creators, continued fighting with each other, and searched for a way to reproduce (pro tip: Newegg should have some in stock). In contrast, the Turei are reptilian, isolationist aliens who use the Underspace corridors to traverse the delta quadrant. They're kind of jerks but have been known to engage in trading in their journeys.
Allods Online provides a new Priden trailer
The next major update for Allods Online is on its way, and version 6.0 is bringing with it a brand-new race. The Priden were first seen a while back on the game's Russian servers, and they're going to be going worldwide in the near future, starting off as a neutral race before choosing a faction after reaching level 20. Want to see the race in action? You can get a sense for what they're about in the trailer hidden just past the break. In short, they're a race of warriors, first and foremost; the members live by a rather simple credo of "dare or die" and seek to have their deeds recorded in memory. If you want to play something a little bit different, check out the trailer and see if the Priden are your cup of tea.
The Daily Grind: Which ArcheAge Firran do you prefer?
I've been poking about in ArcheAge recently, but it's nothing too serious until Trion announces a launch date (or at the very least, a no-wipe date). I'm still trying to figure out a main, and all four races have something to recommend them. The Elves are probably my least favorite, followed by the humans. The Firran are slick, but to be frank I preferred them before they were westernized or whatever you call it. What about you, Massively readers. Do you prefer ArcheAge's earlier feline folk or the new models? 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!
World of Warcraft shows off revamped Tauren ladies
As Warlords of Draenor approaches release, the art team behind World of Warcraft continues finishing the revamped models for the game's races. The latest race to get a revamp is the female Tauren; while male Tauren have been in the beta client for quite some time, players have until now seen only quick shots of what the new female model would look like. Now you can see her in all her glory, and even at a glance it's a massive improvement. The original model was extremely angular and low-detail due to the technology available when the game was first made, but the revamped model has much more definition in her fur and body shape. The only big silhouette change is a shrinking of her hands, with the official design blog calling the original model's hands "out of control." Take a peek at the official preview for more details on the updated ladycows.
Neverwinter unveils the Dragonborn Pack
Were you worried that Neverwinter's fourth major update, Tyranny of Dragons, would feature too few dragons? We're not sure how you could have been worried about that, but the good news is that you can bring even more dragon into your play experience by playing a Dragonborn. No, not that kind of Dragonborn; the kind that's literally half-dragon. Or all dragon, but... humanoid dragon. You get the idea. And you can play one. Buying the game's Dragonborn Legend Pack unlocks the new race as well as a set of cosmetic armor for your new man-dragon, the special Heart of the Red Dragon artifact, and a variety of other rewards including a race change token. The pack is on sale until August 18th, allowing players a chance to get in on the race at a discount. Whether you want to just one-up roleplayers claiming to be half-dragon or can't get enough lizards in your gameplay, you can pick up the pack now if it's your sort of fun.
Leaderboard: Which ArcheAge race will you pick for your main?
I am so damn excited for ArcheAge! And with closed beta starting this week, it seems like an opportune time to translate that excitement into a Leaderboard poll. I'd like to ask which class(es) you plan to play, but that might prove a bit cumbersome since there are over 100 choices. Instead, let's talk about the game's four races. Which one will you roll as your main? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
E3 2014: The Crew launches November 11th, is totally an MMO
While a lot of attention has been focused on The Division, not as much discussion has gone on surrounding Ubisoft's other MMO-ish title, The Crew. According to a recent development blog, though, the game is totally an MMO, even if you're not necessarily taking all of it on as a group. The game is based around an asymmetric multiplayer model in a persistent world, and there are even different classes of cars for players to specialize in depending on preference. Of course, you won't have to rely upon the word of the developers about that for much longer. The game has been given an official release date of November 11th, with beta starting on July 23rd. There's also a trailer past the break that shows in-game time-lapse footage of driving from Miami to LA, covering the entire United States during the trip. Check out the development blog regarding customization, game mechanics, and the game's MMO nature as well.
A new beastmen race is headed to Allods Online
Earlier this month, Russian developer Mail.ru announced the new Praydenov (Praiden) race for steampunk MMO Allods Online. Though we don't know for sure when or whether English-speaking players will get to play as these beastmen, Russians will be rolling up the furry creatures this fall. There's scant English news on the race so far, but at least according to the Mail.ru site, the race is a mixture of a wolf, lynx, bear, marten, and fox. Tipster tandarighttanon (many thanks for the translation!) tells us the Praiden are a "neutral race that you can play till level 20, then you must choose your faction." The official site includes a gallery of additional mounts and critters destined for the game in the same patch.
World of Warcraft shows off the 'redesigned' female Draenei
For far too long, Draenei have existed as bastions of unassailable beauty and elegance in World of Warcraft. We're told the race has fallen to the depths of the Broken and the Lost Ones, but you don't really see that in the game. Fortunately for fans, the new redesign to the female Draenei shows a closer connection between the various subtypes of the races, while simultaneously emphasizing the roots of the game's resident space goats. (Those roots would be "space" and "goat," incidentally. Truly.) Among the major changes Blizzard threatens to make to the model are the addition of fur, a slimming of the lower legs and hooves, and the removal of the ridiculously long tail from the model. The eye design also speaks to the ways in which this ancient and mystical race sees things in a way that most of Azeroth's residents can only imagine. It's a bit more of a departure from the existing model than the other redesigns, but take a look at the full diary for a closer look. And then remember what day it is. You don't need to reroll your Shaman as a Dwarf. We promise.
I'm so bored with the Horde
This isn't a rant about how the Horde is bad, or how you should feel bad for playing them, or anything. If you like playing Horde, I'm not arguing that you're wrong to do so. I know that's a subjective thing, and some folks just plain like specific Horde races better. This is more about how, after Mists of Pandaria, I'm completely exhausted as a player with Horde stories and the Horde/Alliance conflict. I'm not inherently opposed to Horde/Alliance conflict. In fact, I think it made Mists of Pandaria a very strong expansion, with a strong and interesting story. I especially liked patch 5.1, and played both the Horde and Alliance storylines. And frankly, that was the last time any of my Horde characters got any serious play. Since 5.1 I've felt myself shifting away from the Horde. Part of that was going back to raiding on my draenei warrior, of course. But a bigger part of it was simple ennui, and a general culture shift in the Horde that left me feeling totally unable to connect to it. When I rolled my first Horde characters (an orc shaman and tauren warrior back in vanilla days) there was a real, concrete tone shift when I played them vs, when I played my Alliance characters. A sense of desperate odds, of outcasts banding together to stand against a hostile world, facing off against a monolithic power. That's gone. It's probably gone forever. Even after the events of Mists of Pandaria, it's impossible to view the faction that banded together from the events of Warcraft III as the same entity anymore - over the course of two expansions, the Horde went from underdogs to aggressors. And while I've heard many players say things like "the orcs are not the whole Horde" to attempt to distance ourselves, fact is, my tauren did the quests in Twilight Highlands. My blood elf led the charge onto Pandaria's shores, and he stole the Divine Bell so that Garrosh could make use of it. Up until patch 5.3, if you played Horde, there was no real way to not aid Garrosh's cause - you were complicit in everything that helped make the Warchief's plan work. The orcs may not be the whole Horde, but what excuse does that give your pandaren or forsaken, when they're the ones who delivered the keys to the kingdom into Garrosh's hands?
Taurokians are Pantheon's sixth playable race
Even though Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen isn't slated to arrive until 2017, Visionary Realms continues to update its website with various featurettes. The latest such focuses on the Taurokian, a "planned playable race" that is known for its "strength, speed, and frenzied charging ability" that is often used "to gore large formations of troops." If you're counting at home, Taurokians are Pantheon's sixth playable race, and you can read all about them by clicking below.
No new class, no new race, no problem
This is one of those title says it all posts, but I'll elaborate: the fact that there is neither a new class nor a new race in Warlords of Draenor isn't a problem. First up, there's the obvious fact that we're getting redesigns for the eight original races plus draenei and blood elves. In terms of art design, that's an incredible amount of work, far more than designing one or even two new races. Racial abilities for each race are also being redesigned, meaning each will play differently. Moreover, by not introducing a new race or class, we don't need to have a starter zone designed for them, meaning that content design can focus on content for the 90 to 100 player, especially since thanks to the level 90 boost, it can be assumed that anyone who picks up Warlords and wants to play it can. As has been said elsewhere, new races and classes are not content in and of themselves. They consume time and development resources to create them, and often they have content associated with them, and that content is usually only playable when you create one of them (although the monk did not actually get that treatment - save for one location in Pandaria that offered monk only quests, as a kind of home base, monks didn't see the death knight starter zone style experience) but by themselves a new race or class is just a different way to experience content. This is not to say they are not important. New classes offer new gameplay options, new abilities and spells, and sometimes new roles for players who did not enjoy, say, tanking or healing on previous classes. But I think it's fair to say that World of Warcraft doesn't need the added complexity of three new specializations to balance right now. There's going to be a lot of work needed to balance out new spells and abilities, adjust item levels, change the way healing works while ensuring it does still work, implement entirely new gameplay like garrisons without also figuring out how to keep another class in the mix with the other 34 specializations we already have. Similarly, while I mourn for my alliance ogre paladin and horde arakkoa druid, do we need two more groups of racials to balance out?
Meet Pantheon's undead minotaurs and be gored by them
You know the saying: You can't keep a good berzerking minotaur down. And in the multiverse of Pantheon, you won't have to. In a Pantheon dev blog posted today, the team introduced the Taurokians, giant, fearsome minotaurs plucked from their home planet and put on Terminus to survive: "Their martial prowess originated from their culture that was steeped in brutal warfare and ritualistic dark arts. They learned to master the secrets of steel and iron, forging some of the finest armor and weapons ever wielded on Terminus." While they did fine for a while, their small numbers coupled with a battle gone sour resulted in the Taurokians' extermination. But magic being what it is, the minotaurs came back as hulking undead skeletons looking for more fights.
Pantheon Kickstarter updated with info on two stretch goal races
Brad McQuaid and Visionary Realms have updated the Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Kickstarter project. The latest post dives deeper into the lore behind the T'Jinn and the Vrilaska, both races that will be included with the game should it reach a stretch goal of $2.5 million. For reference, Pantheon is currently sitting at $382,298 raised of its $800,000 funding goal with nine days remaining. For what it's worth, the T'Jinn are magic beings composed of arcane particles who were previously bound into servitude by mages but earned freedom thanks to the efforts of a goddess. The Vrilaska are reptilian humanoids of great agility and strength who were among the first to arrive in Terminus. The Kickstarter campaign for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen ends February 22nd, 2014. [Thanks to Josh for the tip]
Pantheon summons the spirit of the Shaman class
Each new day brings new information on Brad McQuaid's Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen in addition to pushing the game's Kickstarter campaign slightly closer to its February 22nd funding deadline. Today's update covers the Shaman, a healer/debuffer/support class that utilizes the spirits to enhance the power of his group while weakening enemies. The Shaman has two specializations from which to choose. Ritualist enables the Shaman to dance and chant in order to summon spirits that can be commanded to action, while Spirit Warden gives the Shaman the ability to buff teammates with the power of his spirit. Shaman players can choose between Ogre or Dwarf; more options may be made available if the game reaches one of several stretch goals that involve adding new races. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is currently at $365,667 raised of its $800,000 funding goal with 10 days remaining.
Pantheon talks 'The Gnome,' 12 days remain on Kickstarter campaign
Mysterious, diminutive creatures that love magic are standard fare for fantasy MMOs, and Brad McQuaid's Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is no exception. Visionary Realms, which is attempting to raise $800,000 via Kickstarter to develop Pantheon, has posted an update diving deeper into the game's race of tiny "secretive sorcerers." Originating from the world of Aruska, gnomes are creatures whose mastery of magic has made them "one of the more proficient crafters of magical items and allowed them to unlock the arcane potential of even the most mundane of items." According to the lore, Pantheon's gnomes are slightly antisocial creatures with a penchant for hoarding who destroyed their magical troves after a conflict with a tribe of humans. The locations of the new troves are unknown, even to the gnomes left behind. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has raised $360,000 of its $800,000 funding goal with 12 days remaining. Gnomes (and halflings) will only be added if Pantheon reaches $2,000,000 in funding, which at this point is starting to look like a serious long shot.
Pantheon reveals class/race combos
If you're pulling for Pantheon, then you might be daydreaming about what class/race combination you'd want to play if the game is made. Visionary Realms hears you (it's inside of your head), and it released a chart showing the classes available for each race. Some of Pantheon's races are at an obvious disadvantage when it comes to the total number of available classes at the moment, as Humans have six while Dwarves and Ogres have three apiece. However, Ogres do get an exclusive class -- the Shaman -- and can use that to boost self-esteem if needed. The Kickstarter project also revealed a new stretch goal: the Halfling race. Halflings will be added to the game alongside Gnomes if Pantheon races $2 million or more. [Thanks to Josh for the tip!]
What do The Elder Scrolls Online's racial abilities mean for endgame?
The Elder Scrolls Online faced significant controversy when it announced that players will be able to roll a character of the Imperial race if and only if they upgrade to the Imperial Collector's Edition of the game. At the same time, ZeniMax revealed that players who preorder the game will be able to play any race in any faction, adding to player angst. In the following video, Massively's ESO columnist Larry Everett examines the skill trees and the racial abilities of two different races to see whether there is any substance to these concerns.
