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World of Warcraft previews cosmetic class accessories
What's the immediate visual difference between a Warrior and a Paladin in World of Warcraft if they're not using abilities? There's not much of one. Which seems a little odd, seeing as these are two classes with immense difference in lore. That's why the art team is showing off a preview of things to come in the form of cosmetic class customization. The idea is that classes should have bits of visual flair to distinguish them without being tied to stats. The preview shows off potential accessories for Rogues, Hunters, and Paladins, accessories that start off simple and get more elaborate over time. The design blog also points out that this is not something likely to be in for launch of Warlords of Draenor, although whether it might be included in a later patch or the next expansion altogether is somewhat ambiguous. Check out the full design preview for more details about what the designers envision.
PAX East 2014: Landmark's current tools and future crafts
We've all seen what gamers are capable of making in Minecraft. A quick search online turns up replicas of everything imaginable, sublime works of art, even inexplicable cat fountains. According to Dave Georgeson, this is exactly what led to the creation of Landmark, and by his own admission the development team owes Notch a Christmas card solely because of that. Without that limitation, Landmark wouldn't be what it is now, nor would it be developing into what it will eventually be. At this year's PAX East, Georgeson explained to me that as much fun as Minecraft is, it lacks something crucial: a way for players to see all of these creations. Landmark, by contrast, is designed from the ground up not just to allow that sort of interaction but to actively encourage it. And that's only the beginning; the game's current status as a sort of super-Minecraft is the simplest core expression of the game's promise. By the time it's done, the whole point is to make a game that can be anything, a game for all seasons and tastes.
The Mog Log: Pushing back on Final Fantasy XIV
Among the things I'm reluctant to talk about early when it comes to Final Fantasy XIV are the live letters from Naoki Yoshida. There's always a thread rapidly updating players on what is said during those letters, but that thread is filled with quick translations that may or may not be accurate, and I'd prefer not to analyze and speculate on information that may have been misconstrued. The man speaks in dense blocks of information. To my surprise, this week we got the full translation of the latest live letter, and something that struck me was how much of the game we're still being told is just over the horizon. This is not to say that I don't believe in Yoshi-P; Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 showed that if he promises something, it will be delivered. But there are a lot of things being held back for later, and honestly it's a little disconcerting for someone waiting eagerly for the game to come out.
Massively Exclusive: A preview of Champions Online's newest hero and new vehicles
You're kind of a big deal in Champions Online. No, don't be modest. You've beaten up tons of criminals, arrested countless villains, and schooled a variety of ne'er-do-wells. So why are you still stuck walking from one mission to the next like some kind of animal? You need the very latest in personal transportation, a symbol of your power, prestige, and love of engineering. In short, you need a totally sweet ride. It's no secret that the game is adding vehicles, but we have a first look at some of this hardware as well as the new hero Nighthawk. Vehicles are kind of Nighthawk's bag because he's also kind of a big deal, so the two previews go together like peanut butter and a spoon to hold your peanut butter. Check out the trailer just past the break, and keep your eyes peeled for more information about how you can get your own lowrider of justice in the game. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] %Gallery-17946%
More details on Diablo III's real-money auction block
It's controversial, it's unique, and it's still not actually running in the game proper. It's Diablo III's real-money auction service, and it's getting a new wrinkle added: In order for players to use the service, they'll need to have an authenticator attached to their accounts. This is being done to help ensure that the auction house is as safe as possible for all players. It also means that players will need to accept a new set of agreements when the feature finally goes live. Community manager Kaivax has also chimed in on the real-money auction house, noting that it's possible that the feature will launch with only item-trading functionality rather than allow players to buy and sell commodities. This is largely based on trying to ensure that the latter market remains active and fair for all players, and if the team decides to go this route, the commodity functionality will be added at a later date.
New Darkfall blog talks optimizing interaction and offline leveling
Darkfall has always had a reputation for being a very hardcore game, but Aventurine has been hard at work trying to improve the in-game experience for all players -- both the well-known PvP audience and the more PvE-focused crowd. In the most recent official blog, Tasos Flambouras calls the team's focus "optimizing interaction," a convenient catch-all term for an overarching goal of making the game world and the interface easier to work with and more meaningful to players. Flambouras mentions the previously discussed offline skill leveling -- in short, you will pay gold to meditate on a skill to advance it while you're offline. The feature will be limited to a few skills when first implemented, but if it proves not to cause any balance issues, more skills will be added to the roster. There's a lot of information about where the Darkfall development team is placing its emphasis, so take a look at the full article for a peek inside the team members' head.
Everquest II lets you become an in-game author
In terms of in-game originality, EverQuest II should probably win a prize. They're implementing a new feature in GU52 which will let players pen their own stories and distribute the books to other players. Think Lulu but with an EQII twist. Granted we're not talking War and Peace here but for anyone who has dabbled in fantasy fiction or would love nothing more than to pen tales of their character's exploits then this is definitely a feature for you.Rothgar (aka dev Greg Spence) has put up a post explaining how the whole thing works - as well as sharing the first page of his masterpiece, Death of a Dragon. Essentially the process is simple: nip to your local crafter and buy a blank book. Once you start writing, that book becomes tied to you the author. According to Rothgar, there's no limit to pages but there is to words. For example, this screenshot shows 16% of the book has been used up which probably means around four pages of text.
