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Massively's hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara's dynamic content
Just a few weeks ago, I was invited to attend Trion Worlds' Gamer's Day in San Francisco to get some hands-on time with a couple of the company's upcoming titles, including Rift: Planes of Telara. If Rift seems to have come out of nowhere, that might be due both to the acquisition of EverQuest II veteran Scott Hartsman to head the project as executive producer, and to a clever name change meant to reflect the team's shift in development focus. In fact, that shift in development focus is precisely what I was at Trion's studio to test -- I got to check out the Rifts themselves in all their glory, in the context of the greater dynamic content system that the developers are so excited about. Massively's writers have been able to play and report on character creation and the starting areas of Rift several times over the last year or so, including earlier this summer at E3. But until today's embargo lift (coinciding with the reveal at Gamescom), no one had quite seen the fabled planar invasions and takeovers in action. Now we have.
New Dengeki translations highlight the experience of playing Final Fantasy XIV
If you've been following the leadup to Final Fantasy XIV's release faithfully, you can no doubt rattle off a surprising amount of information regarding the systems and the world's lore. But unless you're lucky enough to be in the alpha, you can't say much about what the experience of actually playing the game is like. While there are certainly plenty of us in the same boat, the most recent alpha test article from Dengeki seems aimed at precisely that -- rather than focusing on the facts of the game, the editors have focused on the actual feel of playing in the game's world. Translated by FFXIVCore, the newest information gives some facts we hadn't heard before, such as the specifics of setting the difficulty on Guildleves based on party strength and the time limits involved. For the most part, though, it's focused on the actual moment-to-moment experience of taking part in gameplay, and the overall impression seems to be a positive one. There's no real antidote for not yet being involved in the testing of Final Fantasy XIV, but reading the translations does help take the edge off.
Translated interviews offer more insight into Final Fantasy XIV's world and playstyle
We're just coming off of a holiday weekend here in the US, and Japan had their own recent stretch of holidays, so news on Final Fantasy XIV has been a little bit slower of late. But a recent group of interviews in the June 11th issue of Dengeki have been translated thanks to the team over at FFXIVCore, and they cover topics from materials of armor to the game's not-always-praised battle system. The first part of the interview talks testing and systems with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuai Komoto, while the second part discusses visuals and worldbuilding with planner Kenichi Iwao. Tanaka and Komoto confirm that the next phase of testing is set to begin soon, as well as dropping the news that the next test will likely feature an almost totally redesigned battle system. It's even hinted that players were never meant to experience the current system, that it was there almost as a placeholder. By contrast, Iwao discusses the lore and visual aspects of the game, talking about how items will be made from different materials, and how players who want to play a male Mito'qe shouldn't give up hope just yet. All Final Fantasy XIV fans are encouraged to read both interviews, since there's a lot of information available in both -- just the thing for the post-holiday doldrums.
Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively!
How would you like to alpha test an MMORTSRPG? Yeah, that's what we thought. The amount of letters has distracted you. Our evil plan is coming to fruition! And, speaking of things coming to fruition, let's talk about Ensemble Online -- a new game from a small indie developer group. The game is incorporating aspects of a traditional RPG with elements of a real-time strategy game, all under an MMO flag. Retrieve resources, hunt monsters, build buildings, craft weapons, create empires, and wage war with other players in this 2D MMO. It's very ambitious, and ambitious things need testers. We've gotten 50 alpha keys to give away, and that means it's time for a contest! If we've caught your interest, jump with us after the break and we'll give you all of the relevant information. %Gallery-93695%
Final Fantasy XIV interview highlights breadth of feedback
While testing for Final Fantasy XIV has continued, the huge gush of news that we got at the beginning has slowed to more of a trickle. That's to be expected to an extent -- after all, we knew that not everything would be equally accessible from the start. Still, there are player questions about both the login issues plaguing the test and the necessary wonder about how much the developers are actually listening. A recently-translated Famitsu interview with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto goes into detail about the login issues as well as the feedback from various regions of testing. The latter is pretty surprising, as Tanaka claims that there were roughly 50,000 reports submitted via Japanese testers compared to 250,000 by American testers -- despite both groups having the same number of players. Some of the reports are about new issues, but some of them also address elements the design team had misgivings about in the first place. They apparently underestimated the interest in testing as well, contributing to some of the login and stability problems. Take a look at the full interview for more looks at the development process of Final Fantasy XIV from behind the stage.
Tales of Pirates II set to begin alpha testing
IGG is all ready to roll out their latest offering for alpha testing and your participation could win you some cool new toys. Tales of Pirates II is "a new adventure game set in the age of the Vikings - a time of exceptional freedom and great brutality. Roam the seas of northern Europe, and engage in intense sea battles, using technological superiority and magical power to determine who will claim ownership of the seas." Alpha testing begins April 15th and will last eight days. If you're interested in participating, you can get an alpha key from the Tales of Pirates II site. The client is not available for download yet -- clicking the download button gives you a "coming soon!" message -- but you can get your alpha key now in preparation. Participating in the alpha test will automatically enter you in a drawing for prizes including an iPod nano, game coins from IGG, and a list of other prizes. Check out the trailer after the jump, then visit the site to claim your alpha key!
IGG introduces mounted combat and more with Tales of Fantasy
The folks over at IGG.com are hard at work lately with so many new titles, and have just announced another one this morning: Tales of Fantasy. Alpha testing for the game is scheduled to begin soon, but plenty of information is already available. Tales of Fantasy, the story of warring civilizations Ashland and Bohren, promises advanced graphics and several new features to entice players. Mounted combat will give players the ability to attack without dismounting, and a "myriad" of creatures are available to tame and mount. A story of "lost wings" hints at the ability to earn in-game flight, and players will be able to create and enhance their own gear as well. The game will even offer real-time horse racing, in which you can compete against other players on a racecourse, earning an in-game title that will add to your character attributes. While the game is still in early stages, it definitely has potential. Check out the current information on the official site, and we'll keep an eye out for more information.
Love opens up logins for alpha testers
A while back, we mentioned that the Love alpha client was available for download, so you can run the engine on your system and help the one-man-developer, Eskil Steenberg, with gathering data for his server. Eskil has gotten done that portion, however, and has now opened the anticipated game for alpha testing audiences.Eskil has stressed on his website that much of what Love is now may not be what the game is in a few months or years, and that alpha will be chock full 'o bugs. Things may have been going really well for him, but he is giving no one any assurances on how well the alpha will function.For those interested in Eskil's project, the open alpha will cost you 3 Euros (about $4.50) so Eskil can pay for the servers and bandwidth. Eskil has also posted the full information on what the account creation page does, which can be found in the middle of his information on Love's alpha test.
GDC Europe '09: Igg.com debuts Dreamland Online
Looks like IGG.com, now penned as "I Got Games," is adding another free-to-play MMO to their portfolio -- Dreamland Online.Dreamland is a side scrolling 3d rendered MMO with enough sugary cuteness to bake 20 cakes and have enough sugar left over to give to your neighbor. The game is currently hiding behind closed doors until the third test of the Chinese client. After that testing phase is complete, IGG.com will be releasing the alpha test of the English language client. So until it comes out in China, looks like we're all stuck waiting for more information.Dreamland Online will be making its debut in American and European markets this fall. Until then, you're just going to have to do with these small glimpses into the game, or you could always go jump in on the forum discussions!%Gallery-68589%
All things Wrath of the Lich King
Over the past week, particularly in the last few days, the crisp Internet air has been abuzz with news from the upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Fear you're out of the loop? Here's a quick round-up of all the information being released, along with analysis and opinion. Don't forget to keep checking back, as this page will be updated as information becomes available:Dungeons and raids An analysis on Arthas as a ten-manned event, including its impact on the 25-man raiding structure, as well an exploration of its consistency with the lore. Did you know that all expansion raids will have a 10-man setting, as well as a 25-man? Read through some of our initial impressions on the 10-man raiding set-up. We also wrote up a concise overview of the ins and outs of dungeons post-expansion, including a new token system, similar to [Badge of Justice]. The Nexus has been announced on the official site as one of the new dungeons. The WoW Insider Show discusses 10-manning Arthas. Zones, factions, and relevant lore Alex has written an excellent overview of the Grizzly Hills, a soon-to-be zone for low to mid-seventies. With old factions reappearing, along with other surprises, it's definitely something to look forward to! If news of the Dragonblight has intrigued you, you'll be pleased to know that more information has been made available. While we're brushing up on our lore and learning about new areas and factions, Alex thought it fitting to illuminate the lore behind Azjol-Nerub, as the Nerubians will have their own role in the expansion. Alex asks us about lore figures we'd like to see in the expansion. %Gallery-20386%
WoW Insider plays host to leaked Lich King screenshots
If you've been waiting for more news on Blizzard's in-development Wrath of the Lich King expansion, you're pretty much just like everyone on-staff here at Massively. We hope you'll join us, then, in our open-mouthed appreciation of these leaked screenshots for the next addition to World of Warcraft's Azeroth. Our sister site WoW Insider obtained them via various clandestine internet meetings, and ran them past the same source that let us know the expansion was already in Alpha testing. According to Deep Murloc many of the screenshots currently out there are faked, but the images hosted on WoW Insider are verified (by the source) to be legit. They're essentially identical to what the friends-and-family Alpha testers are experiencing right now. We're told that eventually the site will offer up some of the faked shots for comparison, so make sure to check back later this week!The real images show several different scenes from life around the Utgarde Keep area, including what appears to be a killshot for a boss named Ingvar the Plunderer. For your first glimpse of Death Knights in action, dead expansion bosses, and what appears to be a very angry Ram, click through to the gallery. Gallery: WotLK Leaks
Rumored hunter pet abilities
These new pet abilities on the Curse Gaming forums, if accurate, sound pretty darned awesome. As to their accuracy, several posters have noted that some of these abilities have been in the game (not available to players, but in the game) since beta, but never usable -- and that the final release of pet skills gave pets completely new abilities. To this, original poster Celebrimor notes that, in the Alpha release, these abilities now scale up to level 70, meaning they've at least been updated. (And why update them if not to make use of them in-game?) So are they real or just someone's idea of a bad joke? Read on and see what you think.
More Potential Burning Crusade Data
We've got yet more leaked data about the Burning Crusade! And perhaps I'm just being naive, but I'm tempted to believe there's at least some truth in all of these rumors. The Caverns of Time site has information on the druid, mage, paladin, rogue, shaman, warlock, and warrior talent trees as well as a large collection of interesting screenshots (including the Draenei mount). (Though, of course, the class about which I am most curious - the priest - is still conspicuously absent!) At any rate, check it out for yourself and tell us what you think.[Thanks, Nelson]
Possible Expansion Rogue Talent Trees
Whether this is legitimate or no, we may not know until there's an official announcement. However, this image has made its way out onto the net, displaying all three rogue trees and the tooltips for new talents. The talents don't look terribly unreasonable, and they contain some interesting things (and by "interesting" I mean "things I've never seen players discuss or ask for") that we've seen in other rumors - specifically the talent that increases the effect of healing on the player. But you'll have to decide for yourself if you think these are for real. A list of talents shown in the screenshot continues below.
