armor
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Russian exoskeleton suit turns soldiers into Stormtroopers
In a bid to make its armed forces look even more intimidating, Russia has taken inspiration from science-fiction to create some futuristic-looking new combat suits. Developed by the state-owned Central Research Institute for Precision Machine Building, this very Star Wars-esque combat armor features a powered exoskeleton, ballistic protection from bullets and shrapnel and a heads-up display. While just a concept at the moment, the suit's designers hope it will enter full production in the next few years.
Smart body armor could gauge brain damage from explosions
Explosions are insidious. Even if a blast doesn't deliver a conspicuous injury, it can inflict brain trauma that might not be evident until much later. The US Navy's Office of Naval Research doesn't want medics to wait, though. It's developing Blast Load Assessment Sense and Test (conveniently, BLAST), a sensor system that could determine whether or not an explosion's shockwave is likely to have injured your brain. Tiny sensors in your helmet and body armor would record the blast pressure and share it with a scanner. When combined with a palm-sized neurological assessment tool (which stimulates your fingers to gauge your responses), the data would let medical teams quickly decide whether or not you're able to fight.
Range Rover's Sentinel SUV can survive virtually any attack
It's not uncommon for dignitaries and the super-wealthy to get armored vehicles, but Land Rover's new Range Rover Sentinel may be the protected luxury ride of choice -- especially if you're traveling through a warzone. The hand-built SUV looks exactly like the Autobiography it's based on, but has a slew of hidden upgrades that make it impervious to all but the heaviest attacks. On top of expected upgrades like bulletproof glass (it can handle armor-piercing rounds), the Sentinel has a high-strength steel passenger cell that protects against explosions from 33lbs of TNT from the side, and grenades on the floor or roof. That doesn't make it completely impervious, but it would take some deep, deep trouble to put your life at risk.
Play 'Zelda' IRL with this jug-busting, arrow-stopping shield
There are Hylian Shield replicas and then there are Hylian Shield Replicas. The one above fits into the latter and probably could've been used with a certain live-action Netflix series that sadly isn't happening. The team at Baltimore Knife and Sword makes all kinds of armaments for their YouTube series Man at Arms: Reforged, and their latest project is the perennial shield from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series, along with what NeoGAF posits is a Link to the Past-styled Master Sword. The level of craftsmanship is what separates this gear from what you'd typically see cosplayers brandish at PAX; the Triforce is made of amber and the shield can even withstand a barrage of arrows.
Here are the tier 17 armor sets non-PUG WoW raiders can loot in Highmaul
With the first raid of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor right around the corner, Blizzard has released a preview of the Tier 17 armor sets in all their glory. There are three variants of each set: the Mythic version (which has a unique skin compared to the others), the Heroic version, and the Normal version. Raid Finder raids no longer drop tier sets, thus reducing the overall number of available sets by one from the end of Mists of Pandaria. Player opinion seems to be somewhat split on whether or not the sets are good matches for the aesthetic of the expansion and the individual classes, as well as the split between the Mythic versions and the other versions of each set. The raid that drops these pieces, Highmaul, will be available starting on December 2nd for Normal and Heroic, with Mythic launching a week later on December 9th.
Camelot Unchained explores the designs of the Tuatha De Danann
Armor is not a fashion statement. Well, all right, it usually is, but it's not just a fashion statement. How a race looks in a given game often says a lot about what that race represents and what matters to the members as a whole. Camelot Unchained's latest update talks about the Tuatha De Danann, both a concept that the team may use for the realm's armor and the updated visual design of the Baen Sidhe. Unlike the design for the Baen Sidhe's previous more macabre appearance, the updated design is still ethereal whilst being less overtly malformed. The scars and wounds that led to the death of an individual Baen Sidhe's line still play into the designs via shadowed tattoos. Meanwhile, the Tuatha De Danann as a whole are so in tune with the seasons and the flow of the natural world that several concept designs for season-themed armors are shown. If you want to see how you can protect your character while still making a fashion statement, check out the full update.
Norrathian Notebook: Landmark's latest patch packs an armored punch
Wowsers! While we knew that September was a month of bug squashing and that meatier content updates would return to Landmark, this latest one seems extra juicy. It could just be that everything feels like a feast after a famine, but I think it's more than that -- and not just because it took multiple posts to announce the changes. Besides being tantalized with a bunch of new goodies right now, I get the impression that we are in for regular doses of content, content, and more content as the dev team revs up for open beta. And these changes are also glimpses into the ongoing development of EverQuest Next. Who doesn't love that? As it is, I am pretty excited to delve into this content update, Armor? Appearance slots? Additional weapon abilities? Ability to template the movers, flingers, and stuff? Lava?! Heck, yah -- serve it up.
Armor and new weapon abilities are just the beginning of Landmark's latest update
It's back to bigger updates for Landmark! After a September spent dedicated to mostly bug fixing, more content has finally arrived in today's update. Much more. From a third weapon ability to armor to new building textures, there's plenty for players to sink their teeth into. Changes were also made to the Heroic Movement system, the UI got tweaked a bit more, and an appearance slot was added. Combat enthusiasts will have a third ability for each weapon (accessed by pressing E) to get accustomed to in addition to facing the choice of which type of first-generation armor they want to wear: tank, DPS, or mixed. The Heroic Movement changes will also have an impact on combat; each ability is now assigned to a pair of boots, relegating players to only one heroic Movement at a time. On top of that, there is a slew of a new textures players get to use while building, including various stones, metal, and lava. Yes, that's right -- lava! Although not occurring naturally in game yet (and therefore not harvestable), players can use this oozy orange liquid by utilizing stone resources.
The US is getting Hollywood's help building a real 'Iron Man' battle suit
The US hasn't had much success building mechanized battle suits that move quickly and stop bullets, but Hollywood has been dreaming up these concepts for years. Don't they already know a thing or two about designing high-tech armor? Apparently, the US military thinks so -- it's enlisting the help of Legacy Effects, which has built suits for Iron Man and RoboCop, to shape its TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) project. The company is both designing and 3D printing prototype pieces that will give a feel for what the armor is like in the real world.
The Daily Grind: Do you hate model recycling?
I have one minor but persistent pet peeve across all of the MMOs that I've played, which is that it really bugs me to see armor and weapon models recycled over and over again. Yes, I know it's a silly complaint because it's just not realistic to expect artists to come up with an endless supply of unique-looking gear, but every time I get a drop with better stats that either looks identical to something I own or something I used to have, I give a deep inward sigh. I guess there are degrees of model recycling, depending on how many variants there are in the game, but I always wish there would be more. Do you hate model recycling, are you indifferent to it, or do you think I'm being a jerk to the art team by just mentioning this? Is the solution to crowdsource model art to the community, as is being done in some MMOs? 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!
Massively Exclusive: Camelot Unchained armor dev blog concludes with part 3
In the preceding installments of Camelot Unchained's three-part armor dev blog, you've seen the images Lead Concept Artist Michelle Davies and Concept Artist and Animator Sandra Pavulaan have provided on the Vikings, the Arthurians, and the Tuatha Dé Danann. Now, hear about the thought processes behind their work! This exclusive series concludes with these two artists joining Mark Jacobs to talk shop about the development of armor, ruminating on subjects like customizing armor pieces to accommodating non-human body parts and using different combinations of materials when crafting the armor. Oh, and it's got lots of early mockups to marvel at as well!
Massively Exclusive: Camelot Unchained armor dev blog, part 2
Monday, we brought you the first installment of an exclusive three-part series about Camelot Unchained's armor development. Today, City State Entertainment co-founder Mark Jacobs and Lead Artist and Animator Scott Trolan continue the discussion by introducing the looks of two more races. Where part one delved into the details of the Vikings, part two focuses on the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Arthurians. These two groups have very different approaches to armor and distinct looks, as seen in the included images by Lead Concept Artist Michelle Davies and Concept Artist and Animator Sandra Pavulaan. Read up on the ideas behind the art and see the sketches in part two of the CU armor dev blog series.
Massively exclusive: Camelot Unchained dev blog discusses armor, part 1
Currently in internal testing, work on the fantasy PvP sandbox Camelot Unchained continues rolling forward. But even with the plethora of news out there, there are still plenty of details unknown about the game. In the first of a new three-part series, creator Mark Jacobs reveals the artistic vision for CU's armor system with the help of Lead Artist and Animator Scott Trolan, Lead Concept Artist Michelle Davies, and Concept Artist and Animator Sandra Pavulaan. If you are hoping for dental floss-inspired metal bikinis, you're going to be disappointed; Jacob's vision espouses realistic ensembles befitting warriors who depend on their armor for survival. Read the team's vision and see some of the concept art right here in this first installment of this series, exclusively on Massively.
WoW Archivist: What has never changed?
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? With WoW's tenth anniversary fast approaching, one thing is clear: virtually everything in this game has been changed, updated, or replaced at one time or another. The UI, the stats, character creation, raid systems, class abilities, questing -- all have undergone necessary overhauls to keep the game relevant and modern. A question for the Queue last month asked a very interesting question: What in WoW has never, ever changed? You might think so, but no Many aspects of the game seem like they have never changed, but they have. The act of gathering: Sure, Blizzard added bonuses to the professions in Wrath such as the crit bonus for skinning or the HoT from herbalism. And as of Cataclysm, you can now earn XP by gathering. Gathering no longer requires tools. Yet the fundamental mechanics have always been the same: you right click stuff, get the stuff, and skill up so you can click on better stuff. Right? Back in classic, gathering actually had a chance to fail. Orange difficulty nodes would not cough up their resources to anyone who wandered past with the minimum required skill. Failing three or four times on a node before a successful gathering attempt was not unheard of. This led to some interesting "PvP" gathering scenarios, even on PvE realms. If two players converged on the node, the first to click it didn't necessarily get the goods. This situation sometimes led to a hilarious "duel" in which both players failed at gathering over and over again. It became a matter of luck, persistence, and rapid clicking. Mining was especially bad, because it used to take multiple strikes to clear out a node. Two players could spend minutes trying to outmine each other on a single rock. Racial bonuses, enchantments, and items that boosted gathering skills all mattered much more, not just to save time from the failed attempts, but to beat other players to the punch.
Elder Scrolls Online shows off heavy armor styles
In The Elder Scrolls Online, the aesthetics of armor and weapons that you find are determined not only by the item's stats and materials but by the race that designed it. ZeniMax Online today showed off three variations on heavy armor design, each one built to highlight the aesthetic tastes of each designing race. On display are new concept designs for Argonian, Orcish, and Kajiit armors, respectively. These join the previously seen Redguard, Wood Elf, and Dark Elf armor designs, as well as the High Elf, Nord, and Breton designs. ZeniMax noted that players will be able to craft weapons and armor in each racial style. Check out the full image after the break.
Shroud of the Avatar presents founder town home and female armor
If you wanted to be the envy of all of your virtual friends by living in the swankiest house in the neighborhood, chances are that you chipped in to become a founder for Shroud of the Avatar. Assuming that this is the case, the devs have a few impressive interior and exterior screenshots of the Founder Lord Town Home to show you. After all, who wouldn't want to live in a castle in their neighborhood? This latest update of the developing game also includes pictures of the Benefactor Edelmann Village Home and a sneak peek at what leather and plate armor looks like on female avatars. For once in a fantasy RPG, these actually look sensible instead of steel lingerie, so applause all around.
Bless blasts the airwaves with a trove of new trailers
What in seven trailers is that? Why, it just happens to be seven trailers. No, make that eight! Neowiz is definitely no stranger to sharing the HD visual beauty of Bless with fans, from tantalizing trailers to galleries galore. But this time around, the company is offering a look at many aspects of the game all at once, releasing a number of trailers showcasing special effects in combat, clothing and armor design, the real-time day/night cycle, the seamless world, the sky box, and more. Get a gander at the world of Bless in the combat and seamless world trailers after the break, then head on over to Steparu.com to see the rest.
Flameseeker Chronicles: A Guild Wars 2 anniversary wish list
Guild Wars 2 is doing very well. Even setting aside ArenaNet's announcement last week that the game is officially the fastest-selling MMO ever, GW2 has enough players who are dedicated to it and spending money on it to justify a content patch every two weeks, and the development team is showing no signs of slowing down. It's a success story in an unforgiving industry where successes are few and far between; while many other studios are restructuring and redefining their games -- or even shutting games down altogether -- GW2 is holding steady a year after launch. Happy birthday, GW2! I love this game. If I didn't, I'd be nuts to devote time to writing a weekly column about it, let alone play it almost every day. Even though I had nothing to do with its creation, I'm proud of it in a way, and I'm happy for the people who made it because they deserve success. Based on what's been talked about, I feel pretty good about what's coming up in the second half of the year. There are a few lingering nitpicks I have, though, that run the risk of becoming so entrenched that they hang out on the back of the priority list for years -- and they're at the top of my wish list for things I'd like to see before GW2's two-year anniversary rolls around.
SOE Live 2013: EverQuest Next's mechanics and more
Anyone who attended SOE Live this year heard quite a bit about EverQuest Next. Even if the upcoming sandbox was not the reason you came, you couldn't help but learn a thing or two. And for those who braved the crowds to attend multiple panels focused on the game, chances are you are still trying to sort through all the information and remember everything that was said! That's where we come in. After attending all the panels and sitting down with multiple devs, we've complied and summarized as much information as we can for you. Today's focus is on various mechanics (such as armor, combat, and classes) as well as a few other odds and ends we tossed in. So why are you still here? All that good stuff is after the break!
Square releases FFXIV fashion video
Square is teasing Final Fantasy XIV fans with a quick look at some of the game's armor sets. A new video called Eorzea Collection 2013 was recently linked on the FFXIV Facebook page, and it's basically an Eorzean fashion show with the game's various outdoor environments subbing for the typical runway. We've embedded the entire clip after the cut! [Thanks Brandon!]
