Shawn Schuster
Articles by Shawn Schuster
Star Trek Online shows off this year's summer festival
Star Trek Online's summer Lohlunat Festival is approaching and we're treated to some new screenshots and details on what to expect this year. Last year's inaugural event in the Risa System showed off new assignments, missions, NPCs, and accolades for all players to enjoy. These new screenshots, included in the gallery below, show off a few of the more light-hearted aspects of the event, including swimsuit outfits, floaters, sandcastles, powerboards, monkey pets, the Risan Luxury Cruiser, and more. The Lohlunat Festival will run from June 5th through July 17th this year. [Source: Perfect World press release]
Untold Universe heads to Steam Greenlight
French indie studio Fenris Lair Studio has announced the Steam Greenlight campaign for its upcoming MMO, Untold Universe. Untold Universe is described as a cube-based sandbox MMO that lets players "shape and colonize a huge and uncharted universe." While the game is still in its alpha stage, Fenris Lair Studio is looking for more player feedback to help mold the MMO's direction. Planned features include the ability to build and trade designs, an infinite universe to explore, jobs created by player-run corporations, and more. You can check out early alpha footage from the game just after the cut. [Source: Fenris Lair Studio press release]
Lineage II classic server detailed
Lineage II will be opening a classic server to appease those players who miss the original version of the popular MMO. This classic server will be a hybrid of C1 and C2, offering everything from the old inventory system to the old party system to the old skill system, and more. The open beta for this classic server is going on now for Korean players and will end on June 3. After beta, the classic server will be pay-to-play.
Choose my Adventure: Goodbye Defiance, hello WildStar
In my final week with Defiance in this Choose my Adventure series, I want to talk about my overall impressions of the game as it stands. First off, I'm sad to say that I didn't reach my goal of a 1000 EGO rating, because seriously, what was I thinking? I am, however, happy to say that I had fun and experienced more of the game than I ever had before. But will I continue to play when it goes free-to-play next week?
First look at Civilization Online's beta
Civilization Online's first beta test is in full swing and Steparu has some impressions based on last night's initial test. First off, you need a Korean ArcheAge account to access XLGames' Civ MMO, but for now, we can live vicariously through Steparu, who describes the game as a "3rd person RTS with RvR mechanics." Be sure to check out the entire impressions article as well as an hour-long video that we've embedded after the cut.
ESO spotlights player-made Thunder Thief build
The folks at Zenimax and Bethesda are spotlighting particularly powerful builds created by Elder Scrolls Online players, and this week, a player named Ramon Paulino de Castro sent in a detailed build of his Sorcerer he calls the Thunder Thief. This build uses dual blades and medium armor, along with a focus on high damage in short bursts. Primary skills include Whirlwind for multiple foes, Surge for its lightning power, Mage's Fury to cause bleeding and recharge magicka, Flurry for a single enemy, and Lightning Form (with Thundering Presence) to resist damage. Take a look at the entire build in today's Battlemaster's Corner, and submit your own builds to community@elderscrollsonline.com.
WAR40K dev diary details customization and player-driven story
In this week's Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade production update, Game Designer Michael Chan describes a bit about what's going on behind the scenes with customization and player-driven story. "Taking over parts of the Arkhona landmass, each campaign lasts approximately a week and we will augment the usual territory control gameplay with additional goals and mechanics," Chan writes. "Through your accomplishments, campaigns are also where you, your squad and strike force can distinguish yourselves from others – receive peer recognition and look more formidable on the battlefield. Participating in campaigns is the best way to engage in the narrative; and by working together in story campaigns, you'll be able to create history on Arkhona. Imagine being able to point to major battles that took place a long time ago and being able to take credit for it. These will drive the narrative of our game." You can check out the entire dev diary at the game's official site.
Shroud of the Avatar announces Release 6 access for this weekend
Shroud of the Avatar's Release 6 access has begun today at 11:30 a.m. EDT for all who backed the game's Kickstarter at the First Responder level and above. This game access period will end on Sunday, May 25 at 11:00 p.m. EDT and will be the first in a series of once-per-quarter releases that focuses on polish and iteration. You can read the complete patch notes from Executive Producer Starr Long at the official site.
WildStar gears up for launch with ginormous beta patch [Updated with videos!]
As WildStar approaches its June 3rd release date (and pre-order head-start on May 31st), the dev team at Carbine is ramping up the bug fixes and game updates to make the launch as smooth as possible. This latest beta patch, released yesterday, is no exception to the rule. We have fixes to the launcher, enemy mobs, character creation, guilds, items, classes and more in this update. In fact, the patch notes are so lengthy, they span two forum posts! You can check out the complete notes on the official forum. [Update: We've got a couple of extra WildStar videos for you today! First, Carbine has posted a "WildStar Gives Back" video about a recent surprise trip to a fan's home in Indiana. And second, friend of Massively Richie "Bogotter" Procopio has uploaded to his YouTube channel the brand-new new character cinematics in the beta. We've got both after the cut!]
MechWarrior Online introduces new Champion and Hero mechs
MechWarrior Online has introduced two new mechs this week: the Firestarter Champion Mech and the Loup de Guerre Hero Mech. The Firestarter sports five medium lasers, twin AMS, and jump kets, while the Loup de Guerre trebuchet features jump jets that allow it to leap over walls, medium pulse lasers, SSRMs, and more. Both mechs are now available in the MWO store, and you can check out the Loup de Guerre in action via the video embedded after the cut.
Choose My Adventure: Week three in Defiance
In this third week with Trion World's Defiance, our adventure continues with my Irathient Outlaw as she just surpasses the 600 EGO level threshhold. Considering the fact that this is already higher than I got my original main character from launch, you can tell I'm having fun. As voted upon last week, I've been trying out a bit of everything I could get my hands on, from Incursions to Arkfalls and the main storyline to random side quests.
EVE Online infographic details what makes the game unique
A new infographic created by A Winning Personality blogger Merike Taal showcases EVE Online with a huge focus on what sets it apart from all other MMOs. "If you've never heard of EVE Online," the infographic states, "here's why you should start paying attention." With details on everything from the trifecta of alliance power to stats on the space MMO's largest battles, this infographic seems mostly to target those who are either unaware of or unconvinced of EVE's allure. You can check out the complete graphic after the cut.
PlanetSide 2 shows off PlayStation 4 graphics
Sony Online Entertainment is gearing PlanetSide 2 players up for the upcoming release on the PlayStation 4 by showing off a couple new screenshots with the PS4 graphics. These teaser images are photos of a screen (probably not the best way to show off new graphics to the internet), but of particular interest to fans is the inclusion of the PlayStation Vita in one of the shots. The strategic placement of the Vita and box hint that it's not accident, but we have no official word yet on the Vita's role in the game -- or a release date for the PS4 version either, for that matter. Check out the two new screenshots included after the cut.
Darkfall details Crafting Orders
If you're a particularly skilled crafter in Darkfall, you might be interested to hear more about the new Crafting Order system that allows you to create items for other players who place an order and provide you with needed materials. This changes crafting to a profession, "rather than something that everyone has to do," according to a post on the official forums. "Orders are anonymous and are processed in the order they were placed (first come - first served)," the post from Community Lead Unuldur states. "Crafting an order will provide a player with the same amount of skillup and prowess as if crafting the same item for themselves." This weekend also marks a special occasion to celebrate the upcoming prowess points respec with a Double Dye Drop Rate event and 2000 free prowess points for anyone with an active account as of May 31. Check out the official threads linked below for more info. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Choose My Adventure: Starting out again in Defiance
For the month of May, I'll be playing in Trion Worlds' Defiance for this Choose My Adventure column. I played the game a bit at launch and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Since then, the MMOFPS has grown significantly, with five DLC packs added to its stable in only one year as well as another season renewal for the Defiance TV show on Syfy. But does all of this ultimately mean that the game is good? I'm going to take another look at everything while you guide my path a bit. This week, you'll be voting on how I'll spend my EGO points as well as my progression through the story.
Ambitious new sandbox MMO The Far Reaches hits Kickstarter
The Far Reaches is a new one-man MMO project hitting Kickstarter for an extra long 60-day campaign. While Kickstarted sandbox MMOs are nothing new, The Far Reaches features some interesting Star Wars Galaxies-like mechanics that caught our eye. Touted as an open-ended sci-fi MMO, TFR aims to be different by offering a living, breathing virtual world. NPCs are detailed characters in the world that lead virtual lives that include crafting items, forming associations, working a day job, building new structures, spreading rumors and lies, and even maintaining relationships with the players. In addition, TFR features a skill-based crafting system, world PvP, detailed skill tree, and professions unlike any you've seen in a long time. Want to hunt down high profile criminal players? Become a Bounty Hunter. Want to create your own NPCs? Try the Roboticist. For more info, check out the Kickstarter page and the video included after the cut.
WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney praises ESO's marketing
In a recent thread on Reddit's Elder Scrolls Online subreddit, a user by the name of Nuclayer posted that he was curious about the approach ZeniMax and Bethesda are taking for the paid promotion of the newly launched fantasy MMO. "Maybe I just missed all the stuff about it," the user says, "but from my personal perspective [it] feels like they really didn't put that much into letting us know about this game." Because WildStar was mentioned in the post as a game that's doing marketing right, Carbine's Jeremy Gaffney jumped into the thread to offer his own opinion. "Elder Scrolls is redonculously huge as a franchise," the WildStar Exec Producer offers. "Skyrim sold, what, 16 million copies? So everyone knows about it in advance - check out the Facebook, TESO has literally 10x the likes. So Zen can be much more broad in their marketing." Gaffney goes on to explain quite candidly the marketing strategy for WildStar and how his studio is probably spending way less than ZeniMax did on ESO. He makes sure to give plenty of kudos to ZeniMax for what it's done so far with ESO. Check out the whole thread for more from the fans of both games. Spoiler alert: It's actually a friendly Reddit thread.
Yes, people still play Meridian 59
Meridian 59 may not enjoy the population numbers it did almost 20 years ago, but there are still a handful of dedicated players playing every day. A recent article at The New Yorker takes a more personal look at a few of these remaining players. "I've tried to leave the game many times over the years," admits Tim Trude, a 33-year-old player from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tim first started playing the MMO at the age of 15. "But I always return. Some of these people I've grown up with. We have been enemies or friends forever." The article goes on to quote other players and document a brief history of the game's development, including the source code release in 2012. Meridian 59 is looking to launch on Steam sometime this year, and its current code-maintainer is looking forward to the possibility of bringing in new players once again.
WAR40K's Miguel Caron on lore, immersion, and cloud computing
Miguel Caron is a passionate man. The former Funcom Canada CEO has moved on from The Secret World to lead the team developing Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, and he's not shy about showing the world what's happening behind the scenes. In fact, he recently showed off an impromptu video of a fan playing the pre-alpha build at Chicago's Comic & Entertainment Expo. Total transparency was the theme of our two-hour-long Skype chat this week as the Behavior Interactive studio head talked to me about everything from pleasing 40K lore fanatics to avoiding the "public quest curse" that plagued the original Warhammer Online MMO.
First wave of BlizzCon tickets sold out
Tickets for BlizzCon 2014 have sold out! Well, the first round of tickets have, anyway. It's estimated that this first offering sold out in five to 10 seconds, according to our sister site WoW Insider. Past BlizzCons have seen similar ticket sales, and this year is already showing that Blizzard's still got it. If you happened to blink at any time yesterday, you can still try for round two this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT).