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ICYMI: Jedi sword fighting, Chrysler car hacking and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A Chrysler with a smart entertainment system was proven to be hackable and the company is releasing software to patch it. A martial arts company in Singapore is teaching swordplay with light sabers. And a new MIDI device for musicians will let them sync work over Bluetooth.
Blade & Soul raid boss looks grumpy at its future prospects
Blade & Soul will soon have a new 24-person raid boss to fight, and if a teased poster is any indication, the big bad doesn't look happy at being at the bottom of a pile-on. However, it does look competent, as evidenced by all of the dead bodies at its feet. MMO Culture reports that the raid will be tailored to include the upcoming Warlock class, although there are no other details or specifics to absorb at the moment. Until we know more, content yourself to gaze into the eyes of madness after the break and know that this beast holds the key to all of your loot dreams... at least if you're in Korea. The rest of us are still impatiently awaiting the game in the West.
Age of Wushu previews new school abilities after server merge
The fifth inner skills for each of the eight schools are arriving in the next Age of Wushu update, and if you're a player, you'd probably like to know what they do, wouldn't you? I mean, one of them might instantly kill everything in a seven-meter radius, and the other might summon a moderate quantity of breadsticks and marinara sauce. That seems unlikely, though, as the preview of these new abilities mentions neither sort of talent. They do include attack buffs, HP drains, and major defensive buffs, though, so that's good. You'll be able to show these skills off to a wider range of players after the game's server merges from yesterday. The Golden Kirin and White Tiger servers have been merged into the Blue Dragon server; players whose names will need to change should receive name changing scrolls within the next few days. If you weren't able to log in yesterday and aren't sure about how the merge went down, you can double-check the quick guide to the process.
Age of Wushu: Transcendence coming on January 14th
Is one of your new year's resolutions to become a martial arts master? Then you'll want to take advantage of the unveiled teachings of Age of Wushu: Transcendence when the patch lands on January 14th. The content update will unlock the fifth level of inner skill and make high-level manuals available, transforming players into formidable fighters. Players can use these new abilities to tackle the three additional forbidden instances coming to the game: Hell King's Dungeon, the Jinling Incident, and the Qiandeng Crisis.
One Shots: Water-walker
What MMOs will be releasing this year in the west? It's hard to say, exactly, although there are those who hold out hope that Blade & Soul might finally make the leap to the Americas and Europe. If pictures like this are any indication, we are missing out. "I've recently stepped back into the game with the Chinese release and while I'm not very far along into the game (it's a little tough when I don't understand the language!) I'm completely in love with the art style and combat mechanics," reader Dynatos said. "I don't usually go the cute fluffy look, but I wanted to create a Summoner character to play with the mechanics of the class. Here he is gliding gracefully through the air after learning the first Qing Gong. Next up -- running on water!" Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!
Age of Wulin officially releases in Europe alongside a major update
It's a big day for Age of Wulin, as the martial arts sandbox is both officially releasing in Europe and pushing out a new content patch. The update, Chapter 3: Wisdom is a Journey, marks the end of open beta for EU's counterpart to Age of Wushu. Wisdom is a Journey includes a new internal skill, a higher skill cap, team activities, titles for divorced characters, and PvP tournaments. For those who crave the game's open world PvP setting, there is now the option to become a "Jianghu treasure assassin" and kill all rivals who are out for the same glorious rewards. You can read up on the patch notes for Chapter 3 as well as get an overview of the update's features on the official site.
Warlock class welcomed to Blade & Soul with new trailer
The eighth class for Blade & Soul was formally revealed at Tencent Game's annual Carnival (TGC2014). Together with NCsoft, the studio announced that the Warlock is joining the lineup and revealed a trailer to give a hint of the class's abilities. Similar to a Summoner, the Warlock calls various companions to his side in battle and uses a variety of spells to inflict damage and erase buffs on enemies. An interesting Warlock ability manifests itself in PvP: They can steal the abilities of enemy players and use said abilities against them. The Warlock will be available on the Korean server this December and will arrive on the Chinese server at an undisclosed future date. Want a small taste of what's to come? Check out the action in the clip below.
Blade & Soul teases a new Shaman trailer, gives us a sad
Have you got 35 seconds? Good! Because 35 seconds is all you'll need to watch this new Blade & Soul trailer featuring the Shaman class, whose pistols and magic cards are probably not what most western fantasy fans think of when they think of Shamans, that's for sure. Then you can feel free to spend the next couple hours moping because we still don't know whether the game will ever land on our hard drives. Enjoy!
Server move delays Age of Wulin Chapter 3 until December 2nd
European Age of Wulin players may be disappointed to hear that the release of Chapter 3 will be delayed a week until December 2nd -- until they hear the reason why, that is. Webzen has announced that the Golden Dynasty game server will be moving from Ireland to Frankfurt, Germany, on November 25th. The move is to address the issues of server stability that players have long noted, and aims to provide enhanced server security, stability, ping, and server security. Because the server move had to be pushed back a week, the studio also moved the launch of the next chapter in order to ensure better connectivity and stability during the launch period. Webzen invites players to share their thoughts on the server move on the official forums.
Blade & Soul and Aion mobile games announced
While mobile MMO development seems to be at an all-time low in the West, it might be up to our Asian friends to pick up the slack. Ahead of G-Star-2014 this week, NCsoft has announced that both Blade & Soul and Aion will be getting mobile spin-offs in the near future. Aion: Legion will be a tactical RPG with plenty of strategy, tactics, and raids. It's being planned for both iOS and Android devices and should run fine on phones and tablets even a couple of years old. Then there's Blade & Soul: Mobile, which will boast a cuter look and a love-story focus. There have been no release dates or windows announced for either title. We've got the G-Star trailers for both games after the break, so let us know if they get you revved up!
Snail Games sued by former director of development on Age of Wushu
Breaking up is hard to do, especially when you're dealing with an international corporation and it's less a matter of "breaking up" and more a matter of "being terminated, then filing a lawsuit." David Runyan, former director of game development at Snail Games USA during Age of Wushu's development, is suing the company's founder and CEO Shi Hai on the grounds of unfair termination and racist practices during his year with the company. Runyan claims that Shi Hai made frequent and capricious change to the staff of Snail Games USA, spoke in racist terms about the Americans he was working with, and then ultimately fired Runyan due to a medically approved period when he was working from his home. Snail Games has yet to make any comment in response to the lawsuit. Offers to settle this matter via an honorable duel in Age of Wushu were apparently not entertained.
Age of Wulin to finally release in Europe
Age of Wulin, aka "the European version of Age of Wushu," is preparing to leave the kiddie pool of open beta for the adult swim of an official launch. Webzen announced that Age of Wulin will be officially launching in EU on November 25th. This launch will coincide with a major game update, Chapter 3: Wisdom is a Journey. In the update, characters will get additional class skills and a level increase for several current skills. Players will also be invited to tackle current dungeons on a harder mode and fight in two new PvP tournaments. [Source: Webzen press release]
Choose My Adventure: Closing off our time in Swordsman
I've spent quite a bit of time in Perfect World Entertainment's Swordsman this month. Thanks to the unique layout of October 2014, Swordsman ended up getting an extra week compared to most Choose My Adventure endeavors. And while I'm ready to move on to the next game, it was nice to have some extended time with Swordsman before sending it to that magic hard drive in the sky. Sometimes a few extra days can give you time to see things in a game you didn't see before. Swordsman is definitely a game that grows on you. The experience continually improves. If you're willing to stick through the slow opening and limited early experience, there's a pretty interesting game waiting to be discovered.
New King of Wushu video showcases graphics, awesome hair
Snail Games wants you to know that its MOBA, King of Wushu, is not some chucked-together, low-poly, button-mashing spectacle -- it's a Cryengine 3 game with style. It's got Dynamic Flowing Hair and Cloth, people. At last week's Nvidia Game Festival, the developer revealed a new trailer to show off its graphics, and we think you'll agree that the character's lush mane is totally dynamic and flowing. And hey, the martial arts play is pretty spiffy too. Revealed last June, King of Wushu is based on Snail's MMORPG Age of Wushu. The MOBA is destined for a 2015 launch. Check out the video below.
Swordsman ventures into the Gilded Wasteland
Capture the Flag? That's PvP for little babies who need changing every two hours. Now, Capture the Lion -- that's a game for grown-ups with hair on their chest and thickening inner ear fluid! Capture the Lion is but a sliver of the new content update that's hit Swordsman today. The Gilded Wasteland patch has raised the level cap to 94, improved the leveling curve, and added a slew of regions, dungeons, and PvP modes. Curious about the game? Our own Mike has been exploring the ins and outs of Swordsman in his Choose My Adventure series as of late. [Source: Perfect World press release]
Choose My Adventure: The once and future Swordsman
For the last three weeks, I've been whipping and kicking every bad guy I can find in Perfect World Entertainment's Swordsman in the hopes of understanding this peculiar wuxia MMORPG. My Choose My Adventure experience thus far has been mixed; I've enjoyed Swordsman's theme and setting, but its mechanics and hard-to-follow narrative have made the experience a touch less manageable. Swordsman from 1-30 seems at best like an extended tutorial and at worst like a game that plays itself. That's not just my opinion. All of the feedback I can find on the game seems to point in one direction: Swordsman's early levels aren't the main attraction. The real Swordsman exists in PvP (unlocked at level 30), guild quests (unlocked at level 35), and instances (unlocked at 15 -- not bad). Last week's combat discipline discovery at 25 further cemented the idea that Swordsman is a game designed to reward players who stick through the initial grind. I didn't have much time to play this last week, but I did get a chance to sit down with PWE product manager Gabrielle Heiland to talk about Swordsman's first expansion, the future of the game, and how Perfect World feels about the game's current "wait and see" design.
Choose My Adventure: Clicking around in Swordsman
Three weeks into our Choose My Adventure adventure, I'm not sure what to make of Perfect World Entertainment's Swordsman. The game boasts a deep literary pedigree and markets itself on its wuxia themes and combat-oriented design. It has a rich, beautiful world that is dripping with powerful design cues and historical influences. Like all PWE games, it is slick and easy to pick up and play. Swordsman is a well-made MMORPG. It is mechanically sound and conceptually solid. So why am I so bored?
Swordsman's Gilded Wasteland launches October 23rd
Swordsman is expanding on October 23rd, according to a new trailer from Perfect World that's releasing, oh, right about now! The content drop is called Gilded Wasteland update, and it adds new regions and new battlegrounds to the wuxia-powered MMO. There's a level cap increase as well (from 89 to 94) as well as "leveling adjustments combined with a multitude of optimization changes [that] will streamline the Swordsman experience for both veterans and new players," according to a PWE press release. You can click past the cut to view the trailer, and don't forget to follow along with Massively's Swordsman-flavored Choose My Adventure series.]
Choose My Adventure: Cracking whips in Swordsman
In last week's Choose My Adventure poll, I asked two simple questions of the Massively community: Which gender should our character be in Perfect World Entertainment's Swordsman, and what path should that character take among the game's 10 available schools of combat? The result was a resounding win for the female-character-exclusive Five Venoms school (probably because whips) and for the creation of a female character. Since the polls closed on Saturday, I've created our character and spent a little time with Swordsman's intro sequence, tutorial missions, and the earliest chapters of its main storyline. I've whipped a bunch of dudes, summoned giant frogs, and set a few horses on fire. And while it's early yet to declare Swordsman a success, failure, or mediocre in-betweener, thus far I would describe the experience as decidedly mixed.
Age of Wushu: Winds of Destiny releases on October 15th
It's happening, just like the headline says: Age of Wushu's next major update is launching next week, giving you just a few more days to prepare for everything that's coming. That means new areas, new gameplay, and a whole host of new challenges for experienced masters and relative novices alike. The update looks to build player bonds and alliances with the new Companion system, which allows players to establish a mutually beneficial partnership via the game's existing offline occupation system. There are also new areas to explore, like Delightful Isle and Lingxiao City. You won't have to wait long to go through all of this for yourself, though; it's just a little over a week until the patch goes live.
