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Gamescom 2014: Guild Wars 2 outlines convention plans
Are you ready for a week of gaming news from Germany? Of course you are. Were you worried that Guild Wars 2 might not be part of the festivities? Of course it is. Yes, ArenaNet has gone to Gamescom 2014, complete with chances for fans to win plushies, shirts, and Collector's Editions of the game. The Gamescom events will also include the All-Stars Tournament event. If you're not attending the convention in person, you can still watch the matches on Twitch and follow the developers on Twitter to get in on the giveaway action, assuming you're not too busy with the latest part of Living Story content to notice.
Red Steel Rain is coming down to World of Tanks on the Xbox 360
It seems incomprehensible, but World of Tanks on the Xbox 360 is about to get even tankier. I mean, the game already has a high concentration of tanks, but there will be even more tanks. It will be tanked up to the next level. How is this possible? Well, the Red Steel Rain update adds in 15 new vehicles, including the Soviet Artillery line, thus ensuring that you have an even wider variety of tanks to tank about with. Do you not need more tanks? That's all right. The update also includes two new maps with weather conditions as well as the new Platoon battle format. The former gives you more places for your tanks to do whatever tanks do (arrange decorative flower garlands), whilst the latter offers a chance for organized team play with pre-made groups, a mode that the developers will be watching closely to determine the optimal size. Red Steel Rain goes live on August 12th. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
Massively Exclusive: Grand Chase goes live on Steam tomorrow
Grand Chase is pursuing its way onto Steam on Thursday, July 17th, and you know what that means: welcome events. After all, when a free-to-play game shows up on a popular digital service, there will be a lot of new arrivals. New players can look forward to the Welcome Heroes event, which provides a free bundle of prizes to any one character on a player's account. They can also take advantage of the Character Jumping event, which allows everyone to kick a character straight to level 70 (the current cap is 85). A Steam-specific stat-boosting title is also available to everyone, along with new item packages. These packages include a new set of equipment with stats and a new pet, both of which have never been available elsewhere. If you're a long-time Grand Chase player or just can't wait to get a free-to-play brawler on your hard drive, take heart because the game will be available tomorrow. [Source: KOG Games press release]
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.
Transformers Universe demos its MOTA gameplay
I have high hopes for what Transformers Universe could be. The game has changed a great deal from its original inception, going from an MMO tying into the then-current Prime series to a MOTA under the Generations banner. And you know that things have gotten at least a little odd when a game makes up an entirely new term to identify itself. What is a MOTA, anyway? From a look at the recent press preview event, I'd say it's World of Warcraft battlegrounds with League of Legends champions and some World of Tanks elements. Sort of. There might be more. As the above implies, we recently had the opportunity to take a look at some preview footage explaining how the game worked and what the actual play would be like. The game is certainly looking nice, especially when you consider that it's a free-to-play browser game built in Unity. But the proof is always going to be in the gameplay, and while it's hard to say for certain how well it delivers from mere preview videos, it's certainly intriguing.
DC Universe Online launches Amazon Fury Part I
While a Wonder Woman movie still seems about as likely as the Earth transforming into a giant robot, DC Universe Online is giving the heroine star billing in its latest DLC. Amazon Fury Part I is the first of three DLC packs focused around the Amazon Civil War, with an emphasis on Wonder Woman, her mother Hippolyta, and her nemesis Circe. The new DLC includes two solo Iconic Visions in which players take the role of Circe or Wonder Woman, walking through the start of the war now raging. Two new Duos and one new four-player Alert are also available, taking players through Themyscria's palace, port, and warehouses. A new open area dubbed Gotham Under Siege ties in as well, with the divided Amazon forces rampaging across an alternate phase of Gotham City. Members are able to download the new content now at no additional charge, while free players can purchase the DLC separately if they'd like to jump in. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
John Smedley discusses H1Z1 monetization
Player characters in H1Z1 won't be concerned with money, seeing as how they'll be busy trying to fortify themselves against hordes of shambling zombies. Sony Online Entertainment, however, does indeed want to make money off of the game. President John Smedley took to Reddit to share the details of the team's first monetization meeting, and while it's not a decisive list of how the game will make money, it serves as a preview. The early list contains character slots, wearable items, crates with random selections of wearable items, and emotes. The team also intends to allow players to loot wearables from other players, but looted cash items will degrade over time rather than being perpetual acquisitions. Smedley makes it clear that resources like food, water, and ammunition will not be sold, nor will any boosts to those resources, since acquiring these assets makes up the core of the gameplay. Take a look at the post for the details and the community response.
EverQuest Next looks to players to improve the new play experience
Sometimes, existing players don't really know what new players need. But EverQuest Next Landmark is still very new, and everyone who's in the game is still very much learning what can be done. So the development team at Sony Online Entertainment has turned to the players to ask what can be done to make the new user experience for players that much easier. As the thread opener from lead designer Darrin McPherson explains, sometimes as a developer it's hard to see what a game is missing simply because you're too close to the game. You know how all the systems work; you built most of them, after all. Players, on the other hand, can find holes in explanations that might otherwise be unavailable. If you've been playing around in the test and want to add your thoughts, head over to the official thread and let the team know what's intuitive and what isn't.
AionSource shutting down
It's been a good eight-year run for one of Aion's longest fan sites, but that run is over now. AionSource, a fansite operated by Curse, is shutting down over the next few weeks, first going into read-only mode before being shut down altogether. The site's current administrator has set up a new site for the community members who would like to migrate. No reason has been stated for the shutdown; the site is not the only fan site that Curse has shut down in recent years, most likely due to a lack of cash flow. Users are encouraged to back up forum posts and the like before the shut down, while site administrators attempt to copy over some of the most useful community guides. Our best wishes to the community organizers attempting to keep the group together through the move. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
New class rises to join Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
The second class revealed for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen isn't the hero that the world of Terminus needs, but it's the one the world deserves. The Dark Knight is exactly what it sounds like on the tin: Aside from striking fear into the cowardly and superstitious lot of Terminus' monsters, it's a fusion of melee abilities and destructive spellcasting that draws upon unholy might. It's a class with plenty of toys to mix with extensive martial training, and it serves nicely as a peek at the conceptual space of Pantheon's classes. Dark Knights have access to several choices of both weapon and armor, generally focusing on heavy plate armor along with two-handed swords, shield, and axes. They also possess the ability to drain life and strength from their foes, apply diseases, summon necromantic minions, and possibly hang upside-down from gargoyles. There's a bit more lore to be found in the official reveal; keep your ears open for more classes so that you'll be properly prepared.
World of Warcraft to award instant level 90 characters with Warlords of Draenor pre-purchase
It's easy to kind of get stuck in the pre-expansion doldrums in World of Warcraft right now. Yes, you really want to have one more character up at the level cap, but you can't bear the thought of leveling any more. So what are you going to do? Well... you could just pre-purchase the expansion and get your instant level 90 character immediately, thereby saving you any more work leveling through the expansion and letting you just catch up a bit before its launch. All right, you can't do all of that right now, but the development team has confirmed that digitally pre-purchasing the expansion will give you your instant 90... instantly. No word yet on launch dates, but players can opt in for the beta testing right now via the Battle.net account management page. The company is also testing the idea of adding in the level 90 boost to the game's store, allowing you to bring as many characters as you want up to the cap without any fuss.
Take a gander at Black Desert's combat in a new trailer
It's been about a month since the upcoming sandbox title Black Desert talked about its approach to melding action combat with a sandbox environment. At the time, all anyone could do was speculate on how that would look in action, but as of today you can catch a glimpse of it in full force. Embedded just past the cut is a minute-long trailer showcasing several individuals and monsters locked in vicious combat. It's important to keep in mind that this is only an early trailer and may not be indicative of the final game, nor is there yet any word on the game being released in the US. That having been said, the trailer certainly looks like quite a ride, with plenty of dodging, rolling, and flying projectiles all about. Even if you haven't been interested in the game up until now, you might want to take a look. [Thanks to Tor for the tip!]
And He said unto them: "Rename The Bible Online"
While it hasn't made quite the impact one might expect from the subject matter, The Bible Online has been soldiering along since it was first announced earlier this year. Unfortunately, the game's developers have found that the free-to-play browser-based game has a problem one would never think to be a real issue: the name isn't distinctive enough. Specifically, the name doesn't lend itself well to any sort of search engine optimization, and for a browser-based game, that's a pretty serious drawback. As a result, a contest is being held to rename the game with a more catchy (and search-engine-friendly) sobriquet, complete with a special prize being offered to the three best entries. Although the official announcement doesn't mention what the prize will be, it will most likely be some form of special in-game item or title. If you're playing The Bible Online or just interested in the name of the game, it might be worth throwing your hat into the ring.
LEGO Universe lets pre-order customers start extra early
Anticipation for LEGO Universe has been building ever since the foundation was laid for the game. Considering the way in which players have assembled for the game's release, it seems no surprise that the team behind the game has put together something special for launch. We had known that there would be an early access event to allow players to start piecing things together, but now it seems that an even earlier release is being opened up for "Founders" to start playing -- one that starts this weekend. Starting at 10:08 a.m. EDT on Friday, October 8th, the pre-order customers known in community terms as "Founders" will be able to log in and start playing the game, allowing them full access over the weekend. If you can't wait until then and still haven't pre-ordered, however, you aren't out of luck yet, as the official announcement encourages players to visit the nearest LEGO store to pre-order the game and get a special mini-figure. LEGO Universe players will have to keep their eyes peeled for further instructions, as the end of the week is quickly approaching, and it promises quite a set of experiences.
Star Trek Online open beta dates announced
According to a press release put out today, Star Trek Online will hold its open beta from January 12th through January 26th. There are some preorder deals that will give you an open beta key, and there are bound to be numerous opportunities to win one at various spots around the net. Star Trek Online is currently in closed beta, which began last month. Champions Online six-month and lifetime subscribers have been told that they'll be in the closed beta before the end of the year, so those folks should get at least a month of beta access before the game hits the retail shelves on February 2nd, 2010. Once the open beta begins, you'll likely see a flood of information and guides about STO since the NDA will have been lifted. This will provide everyone with key information as to the finer details of the gameplay mechanics.
Night Elf Druid bear forms revealed
Thank heavens for Twitter. Twitterer @kreeoni tweeted a scoop detailing the Night Elf Druid bear forms following the exciting revelation of Tauren Druid bear forms yesterday. And oh boy... do they look spiffy. I particularly like the fellow on the lower right, with the Spike-like white stripe and matching sideburns. Our girl Allison is already jumping up and down from excitement (or is it envy? I can't tell with Tauren females...), probably impatient that we don't have the cat forms yet. But here you go, savor the first look at these new Druid bear forms with nastier growls and face paint. Man, Druids get excited over the tiniest things...UPDATE: Apparently, Allison was jumping up and down from, uh, being underwhelmed. She's kind of weird that way.ALLISON UPDATE: Hey, I am totally whelmed here. Maybe they're less a shock to the senses after the initial change to Tauren bear form!
Arenas to be reset
Along with the many bugs of Patch 3.0.8 was the undocumented new Arena matching and rating system which, similar to the Wintergrasp brouhaha, created disastrous results. Many teams skyrocketed to 2200 ratings, with wins garnering up to 30 points and losses resulting in... nothing. As you can imagine, this newfangled system which Blizzard didn't bother to tell anyone about until after the fact sort of trivialized Arena Achievements such as The Arena Master. Bornakk reveals in that post that the new system may exhibit "some odd behavior" but expects that things should "straighten out fairly quickly."I'm sure that Blizzard didn't intend odd behavior to mean teams skyrocketing to 2k ratings with ease, with none of the risk involved in competitive ladder play. Straightening out also ended up as being the complete disabling of the whole system while Blizzard investigates "current rating calculation discrepancies." However, Zarhym posted earlier today on the forums that Blizzard will be bringing Arenas back up and all ratings rolled back to pre-weekly maintenance status. All items (and Achievements) gained "illegitimately" will be removed, Arena points refunded, and all gems and enchanting materials returned. As far as that 50 Gold tip you gave to enchant your gear is concerned, however, you're out of luck.
New items show up in Patch 3.0.8
While we've gotten a glimpse of the two new Kirin-Tor rings that Adam gushed about, more items have shown up on the PTR for Patch 3.0.8, such as the promised Sigils for Death Knights. One, in particular, is the much-needed tanking Sigil. Death Knights, who have no shields for mitigation, thirst mightily for Defense, many even going to the point of looking for Burning Crusade enchants such the Enchant Bracer - Major Defense. The Sigil of the Unfaltering Knight should help relieve that need, and is available for fifteen Emblems of Heroism.Notable changes include the availability of rare Northrend gems from pimp daddy Harold Winston in Dalaran, purchaseable with ten Emblems of Heroism. PvP gear will finally become available with 3.0.8, as well. Savage, Hateful, and Deadly Gladiator gear purchaseable from various sources, from the Arena vendors in Dalaran to the Honor vendors in capital cities. More interestingly, new boots and helm pieces, as well as trinkets will be available in Wintergrasp for Wintergrasp Marks of Honor. Prior to 3.0.8, the Marks were purely cosmetic, but the new patch will allow players to buy account-bound Honor as well as gear. A comprehensive list of the items can be viewed over at World of Raids and MMO Champion,
