State-of-the-game
Latest
Wasteland Diaries: New skills
Clones of the wasteland: We are heading toward uncertain times. The February State of the Game was announced last week, and there are some massive changes to Fallen Earth coming our way. The 1.4 patch changed the way we fought, and so did the 1.7 patch. This next patch, which will likely be 1.8 (if not 2.0), will probably be the biggest change to the game mechanics since launch (and 1.4 was no slouch). The uncertainty will not be allayed until we see the new system on the PTS. It's slated to hit the test server in "the middle of the month," so we may see it soon. In this post, I would like to analyze the SoTG and try to infer what kind of implications this new system will bring forth. There will be some pretty obvious changes but also some subtle changes that nobody will foresee. Although the new skills and mutations system isn't the only thing coming with the next installment, it will be the focus of this post. There is also a new area called Ruination on the way plus major economy changes and scavenger bosses, but I am more interested in the skill revamp. Fallen Earth will be a different (hopefully in a good way) game by the end of the month.
Fallen Earth state of the game letter details upcoming content
It's a new month, and that means it's time for a new State of the Game letter direct from the wasteland. Fallen Earth producer Marie "Aro Sei" Croall checks in on the official forums to let us know about the next patch coming our way from the folks at Icarus. All things considered, it looks to be a pretty substantial update, and nowhere are the changes more noticeable than in the game's skill and mutation lines. We're particularly excited to see how the Dirty Tricks and Escape Artist lines work out, since the descriptions dovetail perfectly with the cutthroat atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic world on the brink. The patch will also bring a new Scavenger Boss Area that serves as a preview for the new tech going into the upcoming Alpha County release. The area, called Ruination, includes several camps and encounters that showcase new creature behaviors and destructible barrels. You'll find it on the way to The Wall that serves as the Sector 4 border. Economic tweaks are also under way, as are a number of February events. Finally, Aro Sei concludes this month's letter with the answers to a few pressing community-generated questions. Check out all the juicy info on the Fallen Earth forums.
Fallen Earth state of the game letter previews economic fixes, new content
Another year dawns fresh on the wasteland, and Icarus senior game designer Marie Croall checks in on the official forums for Fallen Earth's latest State of the Game update. 2011 looks to be an exciting year for fans of new stuff, as the game will see a combat revamp, new high-level group content, and of course the new Sector 4 portions of the map. Icarus plans to release Sector 4 across four counties with the first one, Alpha, raising the level cap by five and bringing new gear, mutations, recipes, and abilities to the game. Look for it to debut on the live server in the second quarter of 2011. Why the delay? Croall explains that the team needed to address balance issues prior to rolling out new content. "There were several areas of combat that we needed to adjust before we could properly design encounters and instances as we moved forward. Additionally, our art team has been taking these past few months to make huge improvements that are necessary for the gameplay, story and setting. As important as it is to us to get the new content out, it's more important to get it out right," she says. Croall's letter also clues us in to the next patch, currently scheduled for February. In addition to skill and mutation balancing, the update will feature the new scavenger boss system (with new bosses and encounter areas) as well as the team's first crack at a round of economic fixes. Icarus is taking some of the concerns raised about Fallen Earth's economy to heart and is going to be addressing everything from supply and demand to drop rates, trading concerns, and general crafting fixes. "A thriving player driven economy should be a central part of our game and we're working very hard on getting it there," Croall writes.
Wasteland Diaries: New direction
The state of the game announcement for Fallen Earth was a bit vague, but it did contain some good news. It seems the game, now under new management, is headed in a new direction. Does new mean good? All outward indications say yes. I have never been accused of being overly optimistic, but I like where Fallen Earth is headed. Most of the big news is still over the horizon, and the combat changes are the first order of business. With new management comes new direction. It's nice to know what that direction might be. Of the three who were let go, I have nothing negative to say about any of them. Marie Croall has taken the reins at Fallen Earth, LLC and seems to have a clear plan. That's not to say there wasn't a clear plan before, but we are finally getting definitive answers on huge questions that we have been demanding responses on for quite a while. More details await you after the cut.
Icarus publishes latest Fallen Earth State of the Game
Fallen Earth fans have had a rough couple of weeks (to say nothing of the staff at Icarus Studios). The post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG was recently hit with a round of layoffs that impacted several key people and likely left subscribers wondering as to the future of everyone's favorite digital wasteland. Happily, Icarus senior game designer Marie Croall is here with a lengthy State of the Game letter that puts a few of our fears to rest and outlines a path forward. Though Croall doesn't directly address the recent layoffs, preferring instead to focus on the upcoming development schedule, it's clear that there are a lot of improvements incoming, which bodes well for Fallen Earth's fans and future. Croall talks about Sector 4, a level cap increase, and new gear, consumables, and recipes that will soon see the light of day. Graphical upgrades and physical combat changes are also on the way, with the latter being pushed to the test server before the end of the month. The Fallen Earth team will also be improving high-end group content, tweaking the serendipity system, and continuing to balance Progress Towns throughout December. Finally, look for long-awaited additional character slots to be available in the Fallen Earth store as early as next week. Check out the full letter on the official forums, and also look for the Fallen Earth devs on next week's Massively Speaking podcast with Shawn and Rubi.
Champions Online going F2P
reddit_url = "http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/26/champions-online-going-f2p/"; reddit_target="gaming"; Tweet It's a pretty wild day for fans of Champions Online. In a surprising move, executive producer Shannon Posniewski announced in his most recent State of the Game that Champions will be adopting a free-to-play model. This announcement isn't the only shocker for fans of the superhero MMO. New heroes in CO will be able to choose an "Archetype," a class-like build that streamlines the character creation process and makes the elaborate power selection mechanics a little easier to use. Existing superheroes and new fully-customized Champions will require a paid subscription, but the majority of the game's content, including the costume editor, the zones and expansion packs will be completely free. Cryptic has included a full list of all the various features that Silver (free accounts) and Gold (subscriber accounts) will be able to access. This is definitely a bold move by the game's producers, and only time will tell if it pans out for them. What can be sure is that it will get a lot of new users to take the plunge and try the game out.
Captain's Log: Is the state of the game good, bad or ugly?
Newsflash! This just in: Star Trek Online has endured a turbulent life so far. You had no idea, right? Except for the part where Captain's Log has discussed that very topic for the past two weeks -- and who here doesn't hang on my every word? (Don't answer that.) STO's rocky road also features prominently in the latest state of the game letter from Cryptic Studios. Executive Producer Daniel Stahl offers some visions for the future of the game and drops some hints of what to expect in coming updates. He also comes this close to sharing frank information about STO's performance. So what does Stahl's vaguenesses imply, and what does Cryptic have in store for STO?
Star Trek Online rethinks microtransactions in the latest State of the Game
Upbeat but still working hard: That is the motto of Star Trek Online's Dan Stahl in the latest state of the game. STO's executive producer strikes a positive note by saying that the game is enjoying a "healthy subscriber base" as well as an increase in the number of lifetime subs. The team is also proud to be releasing more frequent content in the form of weekly episodes. Stahl then tackled three of STO's biggest complaints: the microtransaction shop (C-Store), ground combat and skimpy Klingon content. For players who are rankled that some of the better ships can only be purchased via the C-Store, Stahl reports that this will be changing: "I'm happy to say that we have been evaluating your feedback and looking at our internal resources and finding ways to ensure that coveted items such as ships can be be obtained in game as well as via micro-transaction." Improvements to both ground combat and the Klingon faction are on their way, he promised, stating that the team has struggled with the Klingon's "identity crisis" since the first day of the game. While the faction's content will grow to become more robust, Stahl admits that the team doesn't have the resources to beef up the Klingon side to be on par with the Federation, especially since only a fraction of the playerbase fight on that side. You can read the full state of the game on the official STO site.
Fallen Earth's producer details upcoming patch
Fallen Earth producer Dave "Archangel" Haydysch popped up on the game's official forums yesterday to share his latest State of the Game post. In addition to touching on the Icarus team's experience at the recently concluded Pax Prime event in Seattle, Haydysch drops a few nuggets of exciting news regarding the 1.7 patch. Faction control points will add another PvP option to the wasteland, and will feature flags that players may capture throughout the world. Once in the player's possession, members of the conquering faction will have access to guards, buffs, and new harvesting nodes for as long as they maintain control and fight off would-be challengers. Speaking of fighting, combat is being rebalanced, and 1.7 will kick things off with mitigation and damage adjustments (as well as a free respec to help players cope with the changes). New encounter areas are also coming, and will be found near Old Kingman, Blaine, Gaia, and Deadfall. Following on from vehicle color customization in an earlier patch, social clothing updates are also included in 1.7, in the form of paint and dye kits that can be applied to jackets, pants, hats, and shirts. As if all that wasn't enough, Icarus is also phasing in a customer rewards program that will accrue Veteran Reward Points with each subscribed month. Points may be spent at in-game vendors for unique items and will also be retroactively added to current subscriber accounts.
Wasteland Diaries: Loyalty
In Fallen Earth you start out as a confused clone. You don't have any idea who you are or what to do. The answers are there if you choose to seek them out. But you may also choose to ignore your greater purpose and carve out your own little niche in the wastes. You may form bonds with other players during your journeys, and you might join a clan at some point. But there is another factor that might divert your moral compass from that of your colleagues: Fallen Earth's six factions. The factions add a bit of flavor to the game, but they also complicate matters for players who have formed friendships in Sector 1, before the factions had any sway. Sure, you may learn a little bit about the various factions during your adventures in the Plateau Province, but you won't choose sides until you get to Sector 2. You can always remain neutral, but that would be akin to playing the game blindfolded. You would be severely gimping yourself for no good reason. After the cut I will take an in-depth look at loyalties in Fallen Earth and how they might be torn between three different entities: factions, friends, and clans.
Fallen Earth producer talks major combat changes
Things have been pretty quiet on the Fallen Earth news-front lately. Aside from this week's patch and the announcement of an upcoming customer rewards program, the team at Icarus Studios has been rather scarce for much of the summer. Happily, a new State of the Game letter from producer Dave "Archangel" Haydysch outlines everything the dev team has been toiling away on behind the scenes. Haydysch kicks things off by mentioning Fallen Earth's fall update schedule, currently slated to begin with a major patch in late September. "This will be the beginning of several major patches in which we will roll out combat and faction improvements as well as many other new features," he says. What sort of features, you're probably wondering? For starters, the team will be adjusting combat formulas with the goal of creating a faster, more visceral overall experience. Significant tweaks will occur with regard to high-level mitigation, random damage spread, and statistical requirements on armor. Faction skills, mutations, and regular skills will also receive additional balancing after the major combat changes are in place. In addition to combat, Icarus will be adding content in the form of Progress Towns, as well as Faction Control Points, clothing color customization, camp improvements, and more. Check out all of the details in the State of the Game letter on the official forums.
Champions Online looks to its one-year anniversary and beyond
It might be hard to believe at times, but it's true: on September 1st, Champions Online will hit the one-year mark. The development team has been fairly quiet of late, but judging by the latest State of the Game address, it's just been focusing on several updates and improvements. The Summer Update, with several new costume pieces, bug fixes, and visual treats, is scheduled to go live on Monday, but there are even better things coming around the bend, including the game's second adventure pack. Dubbed the Demonflame and aimed at a late September release, the newest adventure is meant to incorporate several pieces of feedback from the Serpent Lantern adventure. The goal is to make the adventure less repetitive and easier to follow from point to point for all players. Beyond that, the team has a long list of issues they're looking into and planning to work on, starting with pet improvements and stretching to scaling instances and better difficulty slider integration. Champions Online fans should take a look at the full update, and while the first year has had ups and downs, the future seems to be on the upswing. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for our one one-year retrospective of the game around the anniversary, which should be coming right around the first of the month. [Thanks Clinton and Faryon for the tip!]
STO celebrates six months of interstellar conflict in the latest State of the Game
While Captain Kirk and the original crew of the Enterprise had an initial five-year mission to explore the cosmos, Star Trek Online players have had a mere six months to do the same. In this span of time, a lot has happened for STO -- some good, some bad, some controversial, and some radically different. As the game heads into its second six-month tour of duty, executive producer Dan Stahl threw open the doors for STO's Season 2.0 update, entitled "Ancient Enemies." In the latest State of the Game report, Stahl looks back at the additions, changes and accomplishments of the STO team since launch. The bullet point list he lays out is impressive indeed, listing 32 big ticket items that have been implemented into the game. He then looks at the immediate present with the launch of Season 2.0, which Stahl sees as a direct response to player requests and demands. "Season Two is filled with additional features and updates that you asked for, and in some cases even helped us design, specifically minigames," Stahl writes. Finally, the State of the Game looks at the future of the title and the many improvements that are slated for delivery, including an upgrade to ground combat, more ship options for both factions and rethinking exploration. You can read Dan Stahl's full State of the Game report over at Star Trek Online's site.
Wasteland Diaries: The end
When I first heard about Fallen Earth, the first thing that piqued my interest was the post-apocalyptic setting. The second thing was the FPS-style gameplay and the third thing was the factional PvP. I was delivered the setting in spades; I got a good, healthy dose of FPS action. I will admit, I got a good deal of PvP as well, but not much of it was factionally driven. The understanding I had of what to expect when I hit max level was enforcers and CHOTA squaring off for control of a town, slugging it out for hours on end. But in reality I got sporadic random battles or clan warfare. PvP was supposed to be the endgame material. At least that was the impression that I got. In this post I will look at the current state of Fallen Earth's endgame, and what we might expect to change from the information garnered from the recent State of the Game. Many people aren't sure what to do in the game once they hit the level cap. After the cut I will take a look at the state of Fallen Earth's endgame and where I expect it to go given the recent announcements.
Champions' State of the Game: Demons, high heels and super supergroups for all!
While the summer days are hot and those hammocks in the shade are inviting, Cryptic Studios is choosing to spend the season gearing up for hefty content releases. In the latest State of the Game report, Champions Online's Executive Producer Shannon "Poz" Posniewski outlines a number of features, fixes and fluff that's going into the next patch and beyond. For August, Champions Online plans to implement a number of quality-of-life improvements to the game. These include more supergroup features (such as a better UI and supergroup advertisements), overhauling pet powers, an improved C-Store, and giving Millennium City's Ren Center a much-needed visual update. They're also slipping in a few new costume options, so if you've been waiting for the latest in Champions high heel shoe fashion, then wait no longer! Moving on to the fall, Posniewski is excited to announce a new adventure pack entitled "The Demonflame." The pack is based on a Champions pen-and-paper module, and involves bad people opening portals to places better left alone. Check out the full point-by-point Poz poetry at Champions Online's site!
Fallen Earth state of the game: silent does not mean distant
The Fallen Earth developers have released the latest state of the game, and they may have been quiet lately, but they've been hard at work behind the scenes. Upcoming changes run the gamut from cosmetic items such as color customization on vehicles to gameplay-affecting additions like respec availability. Many of the additions and changes will start small and be upgraded and expanded over time. The respec injectors, for example, will begin as a merchant item, and eventually players will be able to craft their own. They didn't stop with colors and respecs, though. We got an update on the long-awaited addition of Sector Four as well. Rather than a huge expansion, sector four will be introduced as a series of counties over the next year. PvP is going to get a bit scarier in the future -- rather than having designated PvP zones, a player can flag for PvP anywhere he or she chooses. These few things are only the beginning. Housing, an improved auction house and a better leveling curve are just a few examples of the new content coming to Fallen Earth in the near future. Check out the full state of the game for all the details.
Shannon Posniewski talks about CO's plans for the summer
Not to be outdone by the recent launch of the Serpent Lantern adventure pack, Shannon "poz" Posniewski released a new State of the Game, outlining the final tweaks to the Serpent Lantern launch and what is in store for Champions Online over the summer months. The first thing on the discussion list is some big tweaks to supergroup functions, including a place to put news, a roster, and an interactive guild calendar that officers can post events on and players can leave feedback for. It's the first announcement for this new feature, and players are already excited. Poz also announced plans for redesigning the look and feel of Renaissance Center, giving the central player hub a needed facelift. Pet powers, also a major issue for many heroes, will be getting a look in the coming months as well. All in all, it looks to be a very exciting summer for heroes protecting the streets of Millenium City!
Star Trek Online warps to the next frontier in the latest State of the Game
Like dogged engineers in Jefferies tubes, Cryptic's crew have been working feverishly to tune up Star Trek Online to optimal performance. They haven't been quiet about communicating their accomplishments and intentions, either. As part of their ongoing efforts to keep players in the loop regarding STO improvements, a new State of the Game announcement was released yesterday to look at the past, present and future of the title. After listing their accomplishments so far, Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich runs down a bullet point list of imminent additions to the game. Season 2 is almost here, and with it new minigames (such as Dabo), the Federation Diplomatic Corps (non-combat missions), weekly episodes, a level cap increase to Vice Admiral 1 and ship interiors. Many other features that are "coming soon" include the Accolade feature and the Squad system -- the latter giving players of different levels the ability to temporarily adjust levels to facilitate grouping. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this already-packed State of the Game is a look at the not-so-distant future of STO, as Zinkievich teases a new faction (although no decisions have been made) and "user-generated content" of an unspecified nature. Read the full report and let Starfleet know how they're doing!
Forecast for Fallen Earth calls for fast travel, rare spawns and harsh weather
It may be the end of the world, but that's no excuse to stop striving for perfection in a Fallen Earth. Using the recent, successful Blood Sports patch as a springboard, Icarus have their eyes fixed on the horizon as they share up-and-coming content in a new State of the Game address. Dev "Archangel" highlights the three big improvements headed to Fallen Earth in the near future: rare spawns, a limited travel system, and weather. Once in place, the Serendipity system will spawn rare mobs with unique loot for the fortunate traveler who travels off the beaten path. The fast travel system, a much-demanded feature, will become available to players level 20 and higher after completing a quest chain. You can hop between major towns using bus stops at specific locations. Finally, atmospheric lighting and the addition of weather to the game -- in the form of rain, thunder, and lightning -- may not be banner features, but they've always been warmly welcomed in other MMOs, and there's no reason to think that'll be different in Fallen Earth. There's a lot more to this State of the Game, including crafting improvements and the formation of T.E.M.P.S. (we won't spoil the surprise), so head on over to the site for the full report -- but not before you hit the jump for an awesome new Fallen Earth trailer from IGN.
Champions Online powers up with patch notes, state of the game
A superhero's work is never done. To fight on the side of good means that you must be as diligent as evil is persistent, else the dark forces will gain sway and demand that you kneel before Zod. Fortunately, a shining beacon has appeared in the sky, signaling good news for the heroes of Champions Online -- a new patch, an upbeat State of the Game report, and a spiffy referral program. The new "Super Powers Patch," as it's being called (or patch FC.11.201000419.5, if you like to be formal) sports a host of additions and changes to the game. For starters, all characters will be granted a free retcon due to the enormous array of powers tweaks. The melee and supernatural powersets, in particular, have been overhauled to bring them more in line with the strength and flexibility of other types of powers. The patch also brings Unity 2 missions, weapons at the tailor, and teaming improvements. You can read the full patch notes here.
