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Put your Age of Wushu avatar to work while you're offline
When you log off from your favorite MMO, does your avatar dream? Maybe, but when you log off from Age of Wushu, your character continues to be an active participant in the wuxia-drenched fantasy world. Many of the NPCs that you see milling about the game's cities and towns are in fact offline player characters going about their business. Your offline avatar can be a fire-breathing street performer, a cafe owner, a blacksmith, or one of several other professions depending on where you log out. There are both risks and rewards inherent in the the game's offline systems. The former include the ability to be kidnapped (and to subsequently log in to an unfamiliar location) while the latter allows you to collect money and items earned from various tasks. Read all about it at the official Age of Wushu website.
Age of Wushu sharpens up informations on edged weapons
Many of the combat forms in Age of Wushu are fully capable of inflicting grievous bodily harm without a weapon, but that doesn't mean you can't hack at people with sharp bits of metal. And there are a lot of variants on the core principle of "sharp bit of metal," as displayed in the latest development blog examining three linked types of weapon. While swords, blades, and daggers all have the same core design and function, they're very different just the same. Blades are the largest and most savage of these one-handed weapons; they are tools, meant to end lives as quickly as possible without any concern for elegance. Swords, meanwhile, are weapons and statements both, associated with grace and elegance in movement. Or you could opt for the short and concealable dagger, favored by duplicitous fighters everywhere. Even within a fairly narrow range of weapon types, variety abounds if you know the details.
Age of Wushu introduces the Meridian system
What do needles and MMOs have to do with each other? Hopefully, normally, thankfully nothing. However, Age of Wushu has drawn inspiration from the Chinese technique and philosophy of acupuncture to draw up its character-building Meridian system. Meridians are sort of like talent trees that can be charged up with "chi," a resource that's accumulated through battles. Each of the nine meridians offers ways to boost abilities, lower skill cooldowns, and change skills. All but one meridian are tied to one of the game's combat schools. Snail Games says that it is possible with a lot of hard work for players to master all nine meridians on a single character.
Embrace your maniacal side with Age of Wushu's Jianghu system
How do you know where you stand in relation to your fellow players? You may call some of them your friends, but words are wind. Thanks to Age of Wushu's Jianghu system, however, you'll soon be able to neatly track your relationship with others. You can partake in several relationship types, such as being Close Friends, Acquaintances, or Blood Enemies. Friendship is measured by Intimacy, which can be earned by teaming up and giving gifts and decreased by killing or kidnapping. Players can choose to add others to their Enemy List after being killed or kidnapped, and things just go downhill from there. But wait, there's more! Along with defining your relationship status, you will also be able to act in such a way as to earn the tag of Heroic, Maniacal, Evil, or Sinister. Players with a higher Chivalry than Guild rating will be named Heroic, while players with a higher Guilt than Chivalry rating will fall to the dark side.
Age of Wushu explains battle arrays
If you're going to be taking part in group combat in Age of Wushu, you need to know about battle arrays. Despite the name, these are not organizations of various battles that serve as an index of information. Rather, they're a type of buffing formation that players can enter to improve a group's overall effectiveness in conflicts. A new article on the official site goes into detail about how battle arrays work and what players can do to maximize their effectiveness. Arrays vary in strength and scope, with the simplest array requiring only three players to execute. There are six arrays in the game without any school requirements and several more in individual schools, allowing for a variety of group-wide buffs that provide several effects in combat. And if one of the people in the array happens to be a skilled Weiqi player, arrays only get better. To get a clearer picture of these group-based buffs, dive into the full article.
Age of Wushu to launch on April 10th
If the launch delay of Age of Wushu caused you to sad-emoticon all over the internet, then it's time to break out the colon-and-capital-D keys: Snail Games announced that it is releasing the martial arts MMO on April 10th in North America. Content Generation Lead Tyler Rawlins says that the extra beta testing has done a world of good for the game: "The beta has been a great way to connect with the player community and introduce a real world of Wushu to the Western audience. We received and incorporated an abundance of player feedback during beta and can now announce an official launch date for Age of Wushu." Age of Wushu was originally slated for a February 1st release in North America. It currently boasts over 10 million player registrations in China alone. You can watch the high-flying launch announcement after the jump.
Age of Wushu elaborates on crime and punishment
While it is true that Age of Wushu has an open PvP world, that doesn't mean that players can wantonly sashay about inflicting mass murder upon others without consequence. And as beta has progressed, Snail Games has refined AoW's crime and punishment system. The color of names denoting wanted players has changed; names will first change from white to orange after players add to their infamy by performing murderous deeds. Name colors will then escalate to red and finally to purple if the killing continues. Other players can still place bounties on murderers at the orange level, and either NPC police or player constables (there can be up to 1000 per server) can collect on them. Depending on the severity of an offender's actions, different options are available once jailed. The lowest tiers -- orange and red -- can wait out the sentence, pay a hefty bribe to wipe their slate clean, or place wagers on a dice game to try and win their way out. Of course, they can also attempt a jailbreak with friends. The worst offenders (purple) are slated for death row and will be publicly beheaded if they can't afford the bribe or manage to escape. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Video demonstrates random encounters in Age of Wushu
Just as life itself is full of surprises, so, too, is life in Age of Wushu. Along with the expected, such as combat, questing, and crafting, Snail Games has also tossed in some of the unexpected by way of random encounters. While carrying on with their planned adventures, players in AoW may be surprised by various vignettes including fighting, solving puzzles, or just talking with NPCs. Although players may stumble upon these encounters, they can also seek them out and try to discover their initial triggers. Want to see one unfold? The following video, which hails from an earlier AoW test version according to Snail, shows the progression of one of these random encounters that ultimately leads to acquiring a new skill. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Age of Wushu gets a UI and localization overhaul
North American players and fans of Age of Wushu are in for a treat. In response to player feedback from the closed betas, the development team has been working on a major overhaul of the game's localization and UI. The localization and UI changes are among the updates that kept the game from its original February launch date, but Snail Games is placing more emphasis on a smooth experience at launch than pushing the game out the door as quickly as possible. These updates are in their final testing stages and will make their way into the ongoing beta soon. [Source: Snail Games press release]
PlayStation Vita arrives in Ice Silver for Asia, starting on February 28th
Good news: Sony has revealed a new PlayStation console! But it's not what you think. Instead, there's an Ice Silver edition PlayStation Vita reaching Asian countries from February 28th onwards. The new hue is attached to a WiFi model and marks the fourth special color we've seen in just over a year since the Vita hit shops, joining the more ostentatious blue, red and white shades from 2012. Hong Kong residents will pay HK$2,280 (US$294) to stand out from the crowd on the 28th, with launches also known to be coming later to Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. There's no word on if or when silver might reach other parts of the world, although Sony might not want to wait too long for any further expansion -- it's likely that a color addition will be the last thing on gamers' minds in a few weeks' time.
'Ice silver' Vita hits Asian markets on March 6
Asia will get an "ice silver" PlayStation Vita on March 6, Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong announced. While those dwelling in other regions contend with fits of jealousy, remember that Sony has a "PlayStation 2013" event scheduled for February 20, during which the Wall Street Journal said the PS4 will be announced.In the meantime, Western players still have a referral program to take advantage of, which grants trend-setters $20 for convincing a friend to buy a now less-exciting black Vita system.[Thanks, Mohammed!]
Age of Wushu delays launch to 'spring 2013'
Time to put on your lemon faces, folks, because this news is going to make you pucker up: Snail Games has announced that Age of Wushu is delaying its launch. The release, which was originally scheduled for February 1st, has now been moved to a more nebulous "spring 2013." The studio says that the delay is the result of testing: "Based on player feedback and data from the second closed beta, we have decided to revise the launch timing to spring 2013. This will allow us to better address community feedback and continue to update the game. When a more precise update on the release timing is available, we will share that information."
Apple's Chinese New Year sale begins Jan 25
Apple has announced its annual "Red Friday" Chinese New Year sale. The sale will take place this Friday, January 25th from 12:01AM to 11:59PM SGT. The sale is valid at Apple's online store in Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. The Asian market -- and China in particular -- is of increasing importance to Apple and its Red Friday sale, which originated last year, is a sign of that. There are no details yet as to what deals will be had, but last year the deals included 8 percent off iPads and 10 percent off iPod touches, plus a HK$770 discount on MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros and iMacs. The term "Red Friday" is derived from the term "Black Friday," which originated in the United States and is the Friday after Thanksgiving when holiday sales have traditionally kicked off. Chinese New Year -- or the Lunar New Year -- is as big a holiday as Christmas in many parts of Asia. This year Chinese New Year takes place on February 10th. Apple launched a Chinese New Year gift guide earlier this month.
PSA: Retro City Rampage crashes into PSN in Europe, Asia
Retro City Rampage brings its retro looting allure to Europe and Asia, available now for one price, £8.99 (€11.25), on Vita and PS3 with Cross Play.Retro City Rampage made its way to PS3 and Vita in the US back in October, and it hit XBLA on January 2. A WiiWare version is scheduled to launch this month. We think the PS3 and Vita versions represent "the perfect game for gamers, an experience carefully executed to appeal directly to them." And, of course, the game has "hilarious writing." Trust us.
The Art of Wushu: The right martial arts school for you
Normally at Massively, we start off a column by linking to relevant community sites and information resources for a game. Things are a bit different with Age of Wushu, however. Aside from the main community site and the wiki currently under construction, there isn't much information about the game available in English. Running biweekly, The Art of Wushu will help you navigate the sprawling Wushu sandbox. This week, we'll be looking at the various martial arts schools in the game and which schools to select in order to fit your preferred playstyle. While we can't go over each school's intricacies in depth, we'll do our best to give you a brief primer on what you can expect as a member of a particular school.
Age of Wushu CEO talks localization, cash shop, and more
Massively weighed in with its multi-headed opinion on Age of Wushu's public beta a couple of weeks back. We also had an opportunity to forward some questions along to the sandbox title's dev team, and we're happy to report that Snail CEO Shi Hai took the time to answer them. Head past the cut to hear what he has to say about localization issues, a customizable user interface, possible Western cash shop changes, and more.
New Age of Wushu trailer highlights game's eight schools
One of the first major decisions a player comes to in the free-to-play martial arts sandbox Age of Wushu is which of the eight different schools to join. Have a penchant for panhandling? Perhaps you'd prefer the Beggars. Maybe the muses inspire you; then Scholars would be the best bet. Or if you prefer poisons, you'd fit in with the Tangmen. If none of those tickle your fancy, you can belong to the Wudang, Royal Guards, Wanderer's Valley, Emei, or Shaolin. Still undecided? Snail Games has released a trailer of the schools, giving players get a glimpse of each one. Take a peek after the cut.
Age of Wushu early access beta extended
Age of Wushu fans, Snail has some good news for you. Originally the company planned to power down its servers on January 9th at the end of the game's second closed beta test. According to a new forum post, though, this is no longer the case. Snail's fantastical version of Ming Dynasty China will continue "until further notice." The beta test is essentially functioning as an early access period for pre-order customers since all game progress will carry over to the martial arts MMO's official launch. Age of Wushu was originally scheduled to launch on February 1st in North America.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite non-combat feature?
Non-combat features don't get a lot of love in popular MMOs these days, but there have nonetheless been some interesting experiments in this department over the years. From RIFT's housing to Star Wars Galaxies' Entertainers to Lord of the Rings Online's music system, several genre titles have strayed from the straight and narrow of violence and character progression. Upcoming titles like Age of Wushu and ArcheAge are adding new wrinkles as well, so for today's Daily Grind we'd like to hear your thoughts on non-combat MMO features. Specifically, which one is your favorite? 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!
Upcoming Age of Wushu wedding system detailed
Looking for something to do in Age of Wushu besides kung fu fighting, crafting, or PvP? You could always get married. MMO Culture has a brief look at the wedding system that just made its way onto the game's Taiwan server. The marriage mechanics include a proposal, some sort of engagement process, a dowry, and a wedding banquet. Apparently there's also an NPC who handles proposals and functions as the Ming Dynasty equivalent of a singles website. It's worth noting that Shaolin players can only propose after they've obtained the Secular Disciple title. Thus far there's no word on when the marriage system will show up on Age of Wushu's western servers.
