wildstar-wednesday
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WildStar takes aim at the Spellslinger
There's a definite space western aesthetic at work within WildStar, the sort of thing that almost demands a character class who can stand out, one with two guns, a nice hat, and possibly the ability to teleport around. You know, exactly like the Spellslinger, the latest class to be (re)revealed for the game. But Spellslingers aren't just about shooting people and twirling around a bit, they're a magical class with a variety of options to take down enemies and look good doing it. Spellslingers supplement their guns with teleportation and sigils. The former works just like you'd expect, allowing a Spellslinger to jump to alternate dimensions, blink about the battlefield, and even phase partly out of reality for protection. Sigils, on the other hand, are symbols that the Spellslinger places to heal allies, swap places with enemies, lay traps, or otherwise mess with the flow of the battlefield. You don't have to take our word for it, though; check out the full DevSpeak on the class just past the break. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
WildStar offers cross-realm play
Don't stress too much about what server you initially pick for WildStar, since the game will feature several cross-realm options to keep the larger community in touch with each other. Carbine Studios revealed a few details as to how this will work in this week's WildStar Wednesday. In the post, the studio talks about how it's supporting cross-realm play through three primary features. Players will have the ability to talk to anyone on any realm using the chat system, they'll be able to group up with friends through the party system, and they'll be able to meet random strangers through the group finder. The cross-realm play does have a big limitation, however. Cross-realm parties will not be able to hang out on the landscape, but can only enter instances, battlegrounds, or arenas, and these parties will not be able to trade items between each other. Players who are not interested in cross-realm play will also have the option to toggle their account to group with only members of their server.
WildStar discusses the state of the beta and big changes to come
Beta testing is like reviewing the first draft of a story. You read, offer suggestions, and then the writer gets a chance to make the story better for another draft. With WildStar's latest phase of testing at a conclusion, creative director Mike Donatelli sat down to explain some areas where WildStar will be changing mechanics based on feedback from both players and the community. Some of these might be a little more familiar, and some are more unique. Donatelli explains that the team hasn't been happy with either incarnation of the Milestone system and has assembled a new system for future testing. Players in testing had complained that neither of the previous incarnations was successful at giving players control over the development of their characters. Kill quests are also going to be changed with the removal of a set count and implementing a sliding progression scale based on overall experience earned. For a more thorough breakdown and a deeper look at beta feedback, take a look at the full community address in this WildStar Wednesday.
WildStar Wednesday details player-created addons and mods
You may remember that earlier this year, our very own Bree Royce had the opportunity to attend a WildStar press event where she got a nice, tasty scoop on Carbine's hopes of fostering the creation of user-developed UI mods within WildStar's community. Well in today's WildStar Wednesday, Jon "Bitwise" Wiesman takes a closer look at the addon development tools players will have at their disposal and also highlights the first-ever WildStar mods to come out of the game's closed beta. Players will have access to a development tool known as Houston, which allows players to "easily create [their] own addons to extend WildStar's UI," as well as providing "full access to all of the Carbine-authored source code." A player by the name of PacketDancer has already put Houston through its paces, and she has the honor of being the developer of WildStar's first UI mods, which range from a group-finding tool to a roleplaying mod library. The WildStar devs are obviously thrilled to see the community embracing the addon tools this early in beta, and we have to admit we're looking forward to seeing what other craziness WildStar players dream up. In the meantime, though, check out all the addon development details over at the game's official site.
WildStar gets the band together for a game jam
You don't get into a video game career to make huge stacks of money, you do it because you love games. That means that the idea of Game Jams can actually make sense. What's a Game Jam? Well, it's the event on display in the latest WildStar Wednesday, and it's also a way for the Carbine Studios team to relax from the stress of a work week by coming in and working for another eight hours on something crazy. No, that's really the idea. As explained in the article, Game Jams consist of people coming into the office, deciding on a task, and splitting off into small teams to make a playable build of something within eight hours. It's a chance for designers, programmers, and artists to all stretch their legs a bit more, possibly exploring aspects of the game that they're not normally involved in on a day-to-day basis. And a chance for people to relax from work by doing more work, that's also a thing.
WildStar's devs break all the things in the latest stress test
If you participated in WildStar's first stress test, aka The Stressening, or hope to jump in with its sequel, The Stress Continues, then this week's WildStar Wednesday is for you. Carbine Studios community director Troy Hewitt, live producer Craig Turner, and senior community manager David Bass penned the latest blog entry to discuss how the stress tests are going and what, exactly, the team managed to break this go-round, starting with instances capping improperly and names being distorted. (This last bit is probably a blessing for those testers running around named Legolas and Tyrion Lannister. You know I'm right.) Bass specifically addresses the challenges of herding gamers who are "used to the usual 'STRESS TEST WEEKEND WOOOOOO!' hype," which is, you know, pretty much all of us. "The problem," he wrote, "was that we needed to do an actual stress test... one where we kept adding more and more players until something broke so that we could see where our weaknesses were." Like Bass, we're sure the "promise of a future beta invite" soothed any grumpiness.
Wildstar Wednesday: Caste, ritual and the ascension of an emperor god
WildStar is set in a dangerous and unpredictable universe where anything goes, but that doesn't mean some of the game's inhabitants aren't just dripping with class and old-money tradition. This week's WildStar Wednesday outlines the history of the Luminai, an Eldan-human hybrid race that currently walks the halls of power in the Dominion -- and has its eyes set on the conquest of Nexus. The story of the Luminai is deep and intriguing and hinges on some familiar themes. There's a lauded leader who reigned over 300 years of peace, an elite tier of people who named themselves as gods, a caste system forged by an emperor's decree, and an ongoing tussle for power between competing houses that often results in bloodshed and betrayal. Heck, there's even a forced coup and a "dark reign." Click the jump to get a closer look at Myrcalus the Vindicator, the current emperor of the Dominion and the man-Eldan who swears to bring Nexus under its rule. And keep a lookout for the Luminai while you're in WildStar. They are, after all, your gods.
WildStar sneaks a peak at Stormtalon's Lair
Making a new discovery on Nexus is always sort of a double-edged sword. The good news is that the Exile Academy of Science has discovered all sorts of fascinating details about the Thundercall Pell race living in the south of Galeras. The bad news is that some of this has come about as a result of discovering strange energy readings emanating from the caverns known as Stormtalon's Lair and the loss of a science team investigating the region, meaning that WildStar players will have to go in and deal with whatever ate the team that went in the first time. The latest WildStar Wednesday sheds some light on this early dungeon, explaining the motivations behind the inhabitants of the Lair and some of the mysteries still surrounding them. Players will be tasked with fighting their way into the depths, stopping the Thundercall High Priest from awakening the eponymous Stormtalon. Which means you'll probably arrive just in time to fight Stormtalon before it gets free, because really, how else could this end?
WildStar begins beta testing [Updated]
Saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words," the WildStar team has posted a picture of the team with the caption of "IT HAS BEGUN" in obvious reference to beta testing. Yesterday, the team foreshadowed the onset of testing by tweeting, "We had Chinese food for lunch today, and our fortune cookie read: The person that keeps an eye on their spam filter will surely be rewarded." Players interested in participating in WildStar's beta can sign up on the official site. Update: A representative of Carbine Studios emailed us saying, "We have already seen a phenomenal response from our fans and are looking to continually add thousands of players throughout closed beta test 1 to come check out the great content we've been talking about for months. Our closed beta testing process is not a typical weekend event, but instead it will last for several weeks, giving players ample time to come in and check out the factions, races and classes they may choose to play when WildStar launches later this year."
Carbine unveils five-minute WildStar gameplay video featuring Deradune
In yesterday's WildStar Wednesday post, the kind folks over at Carbine took us on a textual tour of the savage wilds of Planet Nexus's Deradune zone. But while words are nice, we know that seeing is believing, so the studio has released a five-minute video showing off some Dominion gameplay across a number of Deradune's locales. Follow along with some Dominion adventurers as they explore the beautiful Deradune landscape and mercilessly slaughter its inhabitants. The video features some combat, some platforming, and even a showdown with fan-created monster Metal Maw. So what are you waiting for? Head on past the cut and feast your eyes, and be sure to look for more on Deradune in the future, since Carbine has announced that the zone will be playable at PAX East next week.
WildStar gives a briefing on Deradune, land of the Great Hunt
Deradune is a zone that's been one of WildStar's most-viewed zones during Carbine's press viewings (heck, we've seen it enough to call it a second home by now!). Today's WildStar Wednesday gives more attention to the area by focusing on the story, key players, and descriptive landmarks that players will encounter. While striking many as reminiscent of World of Warcraft's Barrens, WildStar's Deradune sets itself apart by populating the region with tribes focused on hunting. Er, hm. Anyway, players will embark upon a "Great Hunt" if they want to join the Drakens of Bloodfire Clan, and oh boy do you want to be a part of this exclusive club! The article references a terrifying creature known as Metal Maw, which may be the end goal of the hunt.
WildStar Wednesday: The return of Tester Man
This week's edition of WildStar Wednesday wraps up the tester tell-all that started last week. The anonymous Friends and Family tester made a heroic effort to answer another round of questions. He states that Nexus feels like a place ("albeit a semi-hostile one") rather than simply a video game location. He said that while leveling, it's difficult to want to rush through things, given how engaging the story and environment are. "While you can ignore content and proceed through the zones," he says, "I would feel like I missed out on something if I did." With refreshing honesty, he said that not all of his expectations have been met ("YET") but that he's been pleased with how some features are "way better than [he] had even imagined." He also said that the level of communication between testers and developers is "unprecedented." Tester Man's favorite class and race were both redacted. To let him speak for himself, go ahead and read the full Q&A.
WildStar tester talks about his experiences
Don't worry, this isn't some hideous NDA breach -- it's this week's WildStar Wednesday! Way back in the long-lost time that was known as 2012, WildStar fans were asked to submit questions for Friends & Family testers. This week we've been treated to part one of the responses to those questions, courtesy of one intrepid tester. The anonymous tester says that his favorite part of the game so far has been "delving into the mystery that is Nexus," while his least enjoyable experience has been on the Settler path. He's finding the double jump feature challenging due to its general finickiness. According to this tester, while mobs' telegraphs will tell you where you need to not be standing, knowing the best response to telegraphs comes with fighting the creatures and getting to understand them. When asked about any one thing he would like to see improved, Tester Man called out the map interface. "In a world where space travel is possible, control on what and when you see things on a map should be a given."
WildStar Wednesday: Carbine's community team goals for 2013
Welcome to 2013, settlers! Carbine Studios' community team has big plans for WildStar this year -- resolutions, if you will. To begin with, the team is committed to bringing the conversation to players' turf. That means being active and engaging on social media, gaming forums, "or even your guild's website." The team's second goal is to give players a voice in game design, which will involve stuff like turning livestreams into design discussions. Resolution number three is to experiment with new ways to interact with an MMO community. That will mean, to be specific, "trying new things." Finally, the team's planning to use beta testing as a safe environment for useful feedback, rather than releasing a beta when the game's too late in development for meaningful changes. We noticed that "launch the game" wasn't among those resolutions, but the team did finish off the post with a call for 2013 to be "the year of WildStar," so maybe all hope is not lost.
WildStar Wednesday looks at the state of the game
What is the holiday season all about if not thoughtful introspection? We reflect on our lives and how we've changed and grown, and we look forward to our hopes and dreams for the future. WildStar's Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney recently got into the spirit of the season with a look at the state of the game. Raid playspaces have been getting some attention as the team goes through to make sure that the areas are big enough for the large amounts of people they'll be playing host to. Friends and Family testing has been ramping up in preparation for closed beta tests in 2013, while "small scale" PvP tests of up to 24v24 have been going on. Races and classes that are still under wraps have been getting love and care to make sure they'll be ready for the public eye. Most importantly, the game now has flamethrowers. 2013 looks like it'll be a busy year of testing, announcements, and excitement. Hop on over to the official blog to read the full state of the game.
Get a heaping helping of lore in this week's WildStar Wednesday
This week's WildStar Wednesday is a bit of a history lesson -- a tale of refugees, daring rescues, and fragile hopes. As the exiled races came together to hide from the Dominion's watchful eye, they found themselves increasingly short on food, water, and functioning ships. As every good sci-fi/fantasy fan knows, it's in the darkest moment that a glimmer of light appears (after which it is no longer the darkest moment). Just as the members of the Exile Fleet began to lose all hope, Dorian Walker brought glad tidings of a planet where they could settle and start anew: Nexus. The announcement would mean nothing if the races couldn't all band together. You'll have to read the official post to see whether they could put the past behind them for the greater good. (Spoiler alert: They could and did!)
From mind to ear: The journey of sound creation in WildStar
A rustling of brush behind you. The click of a gun safety switching off. A low growl off to the side. While seemingly minor details, even the smallest of sounds give us important information about the world around us, especially when we're playing our favorite MMOs. Two weeks ago, WildStar's weekly dev blog delved into the pairing of sounds to actions in-game. Today, WildStar Wednesday revisits the realm of audio to discuss the actual process of building the sounds that bring the sci-fi game to life and enhance the player experience. So how do the distinct in-game sounds come about? They start with an idea. WildStar Audio Director Charley Lanusse detailed how the team members move from idea to reality: They take smaller sound bytes from a large collection of sounds, manipulate them, and then arrange them together to create the more complex and organic soundscapes. He also explained how the game engine will rearrange the sounds into different orders to change how the sound effects play depending on the exact real-time situation in game. You can read up on more details -- as well as get a few hints from Lanusse if you want to break into sound production yourself -- in the blog.
WildStar Wednesday spins the sad yarn of the Aurin
For players who are considering the Aurin as their WildStar race of choice or just anyone who loves a bit of lore, Carbine Studios released the bitter tale of this nature-loving people and why they ended up on the fleet of Exiles traveling to Nexus. It turns out that the Aurin, much like the Ewoks, lived in harmony with the big trees of their homeworld. Their new friendship with the Humans had a pretty severe downside, as it brought down the wrath of the Dominion upon their heads and their land. Before long, a bulk of the Aurin had to evacuate in order to avoid extinction, and thus joined the Humans on their star trek. Of course, that's the short version; for the full-length soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture version, you're probably going to want to read Carbine's chief storyteller's efforts.
WildStar explores the nuance of sound
Sounds aren't often something you think about within a game. A one-second audio clip that plays when an ability activates isn't a major draw of your attention. But it's also more relevant than you might think in the long run -- that sound is what draws your attention, lets you know what's going on, and creates the illusion of the world around you. It's also a very complicated process to build sound effects for a game, as demonstrated by WildStar's Senior Sound Designer Greg Meader in this week's WildStar Wednesday. Meader uses a specific ability to walk through the process of making a sound to fit the on-screen action, in this case an ability deployed by the Skug Queen. The process starts by identifying individual sounds that fit the overall theme, then layering them together and adding additional effects as needed until the whole package sounds right. For all that it's easy to miss in the midst of the action, it's clear that the designers are paying a lot of attention to what you hear during battle and elsewhere.
WildStar Wednesday - Shade's Eve
WildStar may be a ways off, but that's not stopping the team at Carbine Studios from participating in traditional end-of-October MMO festivities. The devs have released a spooky lore entry for this week's Halloween edition of WildStar Wednesday, and it seems the sci-fantasy title has its own spin on the holiday called Shade's Eve. As the story goes, the original settlers of the planet Cassus became infected with a virulent spacer's plague that decimated their population. The plague has since been personified as the sinister Jack Shade, and the young girl whose blood was used to make a vaccine became known as the Angel. Read the full story after the cut.
