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New Darkfall blog post addresses reactivation weekend, upcoming patch
Last week, we reported that Darkfall would be hosting a reactivation weekend with increased skill-up rates and loot drops. Head-honcho Tasos Flambouras stopped by the official site today to announce that the festivities will be beginning on Friday, November 18th, and that they will last through the weekend until the 21st. He warns, however, that the team is also busy preparing a patch, which -- understandably -- takes priority over the reactivation weekend. As such, it's possible that the event will be postponed. The patch itself includes a number of bug fixes and other adjustments, "more specifically addressing emotes cutting off animations and sounds." The team is also working to combat some of the game's exploits such as using the trading system to bypass over-encumberance. For the full details, head on over to the Darkfall official site.
Darkfall announces reactivation weekend
Are you a Darkfall fan who just never got around to giving the game a shot? Or maybe you're a former player who's been waiting for the right time to make a return. Well, the Darkfall team has an opportunity for you. In two weeks, Aventurine will be hosting a free reactivation weekend. All previous accounts will be reactivated for a weekend full of accelerated skilling and shiny loot. So mark that one down on your calendars, Darkfall fans, and go give the game another whirl.
Darkfall dev blog talks armor system updates, roles, and PvP viability
The latest Darkfall dev blog update has an interesting new Q&A session dealing with the game's armor system (and ongoing attempts to balance it). Aventurine devs collected a sampling of related questions from users on the sandbox title's official forum, and Tasos Flambouras has a pretty lengthy list of answers that should be of interest to Agonian veterans and newbs alike. Aventurine's goals for the upcoming revamp are threefold: more diversity in terms of the number of combat roles available to the player, a reduction of the time it takes to become viable in PvP, and retaining the ability for players to freely select, combine, and change roles at any time. Flambouras also spends a bit of time explaining Aventurine's stance on Darkfall physics, particularly bunny-hopping. "It's a fun way of using physics," he says, "but we never intended for players on foot to be able to keep up with mounts." Head to the official Darkfall website to see the changes coming to Agon in the near future.
Aventurine looking for feedback on Darkfall siege revamp
Aventurine is in the process of revamping Darkfall's siege system, and the devs are in need of your assistance. A new entry at the Darkfall Epic Blog fills in the details, and perennial coolest dev name contest winner Tasos Flambouras has published a snippet of an internal design document in order to give players a better understanding of why some changes are necessary. Flambouras lays out four key points of particular interest to Darkfall's devs, and interested players are invited to leave feedback via the blog's comment system. Topics up for discussion include minimum numbers of active clan players, win conditions, timer issues, and automatic vulnerability. Head to the official Darkfall blog to make your voice heard.
New Darkfall video offers GM perspectives on Agon
Darkfall's two-year anniversary may have come and gone, but the game continues to inspire awesome video productions celebrating its unique blend of sandbox-style mayhem. The latest such is the pet project of Aventurine developer Tascha, and the clip offers up some unique flyby perspectives on life in the world of Agon. Tascha witnessed many an epic battle and GM event, virtual camera in hand, and the resulting montage is an unofficial love note to Darkfall and its loyal players. The clip runs a tad over four minutes and features everything from heart-pounding cavalry charges to individual PvP scraps to gargantuan player ships and scary PvE mobs. See for yourself after the break.
New Darkfall video highlights environmental sounds
Asking a room full of MMORPG enthusiasts what the word Darkfall brings to mind isn't likely to net you many serene responses. The game and its associated tomfoolery certainly don't trigger tranquil thoughts or conjure idyllic fantasy scenes complete with beautiful deserts, atmospheric forests, and stoic mountain terrain. No, the sandbox title from Aventurine is most famous for its cutthroat FFA full-loot PvP implementation, which makes a new video designed to show off the game's stunning environmental soundscapes all the more curious. This isn't the first time Aventurine has experimented with environmental sounds, but it is the very latest iteration of how Agon is seen and heard. The clip runs for over five minutes and features a multitude of characters traversing many of the terrain types found in the huge game world. The trailer also highlights the upcoming tweaks that link Darkfall sounds to specific locations as well as the continuous randomization of environment sounds and 3-D emitter effects. Immerse yourself in the world of Agon after the cut, or head to the Darkfall Epic Blog to learn more.
Darkfall patch brings major alignment tweaks
Significant alignment tweaks are the order of the day in the latest Darkfall patch, and Aventurine has updated its website to help Agonian residents wrap their heads around the system proper. Today's patch divides the world into lawful and lawless sections, the latter of which boast no alignment penalties upon entry. Clan cities remain under the control of their owners when it comes to alignment decisions, so even if the area surrounding your fort has shifted due to the update, city visitors will still be subject to the prevailing clan interpretations regarding alignment and consequences for aggression. Today's patch also introduces a few smaller gameplay tweaks in addition to the alignment changes, chief among them an increase to loot drops while fishing and various changes to the fish box on player ships. The Darkfall Epic Blog has all the details.
Darkfall siege revisions, dungeon reworking, and more
Aventurine has posted its most recent Darkfall activity report, and it covers quite a bit of ground. The first highlight is on the studio's worldbuilder team and its recent work remaking dungeons and clan cities and testing a new lighting system which should allow you to see yourself getting ganked in a brand-new light (rimshot). The art team, meanwhile, has completed numerous new assets including some truly towering trees, flags and banners, and ruins. On top of this, Darkfall players will have some new enemies to slay in the form of newly created monsters like the Imp. To finish this off, players will soon be able to pretty up their characters with the addition of fabulous new hairstyles. The key piece of information offered is about the new siege system, which has been entirely revamped and is ready for testing. For the full onslaught of information on all this and more -- including interactive map changes, blood spatter behavior (oh boy!) and racial/capital quests -- head on over to the full piece on Darkfall's official site.
Aventurine discussing major prestige class revisions for Darkfall
Aventurine is looking for your feedback on Darkfall, and while there's no official survey, there is a lengthy list of bullet points that the developers are debating internally -- as well as an ongoing discussion in the comments section of the Darkfall Epic Blog. Topics include the possible implementation of lawless/lawful areas, clan vendors, capital city tower buffs (which would essentially turn Darkfall's starting areas into safe zones), and a recycling component for the game's crafting system. Producer Tasos Flambouras also addresses some huge theoretical changes to the game in the form of the prestige class system. "We're working on an improved concept to prestige classes where players get to make 'class'-based selections which can lead to the ultimate specialization, especially combined with the right equipment. The philosophy behind this is that while the armor system limits, the new 'class' system extends a player's specialized powers to new levels. [These] are major changes to the game to say the least," Flambouras writes. Head to the Darkfall Epic Blog to make your voice heard.
Darkfall blog details PvE tweaks, hints at big PvP changes
Exciting things are afoot in the world of Agon, and Aventurine's weekly Darkfall activity report is here to fill you in on all the grisly details. Whether you're keen on seeing one of your personal weapon designs imported into the game or curious about the ongoing PvE and AI updates, this week's entry makes for interesting reading. To kick things off, Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras gives us the low-down on grungrocs, and these gnarly boar-like bipeds are bent on ruining every adventurer's day. There's also talk of boss fight tweaks, and Flambouras writes that there are "significant changes" coming to high-end PvE content including damage cap adjustments, fight tuning, and loot table changes. Darkfall's PvP is getting some love as well, and new land-based objectives (similar to the game's sea fortresses) are in the works. Flambouras also hints at a new "Arena" project and "a lot more we're doing with PvP" that will be revealed at a later date. Finally, all Darkfall accounts have been gifted with 25,000 meditation points (the game's offline leveling currency) to celebrate the title's second anniversary. Check out the full presentation on the Darkfall Epic Blog.
Darkfall's development history detailed in lengthy blog post
Sandbox MMOs attract a certain type of player. They also attract a certain type of developer, and one such former Darkfall programmer has penned a lengthy retrospective piece examining the history of the fantasy title from 1997 to the present. Yes, we said 1997, as that's when Darkfall was originally conceived. Ricki Sickenger writes about everything from the bursting of the dot com bubble (which affected Darkfall's investor relations during the Razorwax days) to a 1999 issue of Game Developer Magazine -- and a John Carmack quote -- that inspired Darkfall's devs and prompted them to use Java for the game's logic. Sickenger's blog post is technically oriented, and non-programmers may experience a bit of glassy-eyed indifference when he goes into the details of the team's unique approach to Java and C++, but it's nonetheless a fascinating report from the front lines of one of the more successful indie MMORPGs in recent memory.
Darkfall tempts sandbox vacationers with special pricing deals
Are you looking to get away from it all? Does your themepark day job leave you dreaming of sunny sandbox beaches and skill-based progression at your own pace? Do you yearn for long days filled with crafting and exploration and steamy nights where gank-or-be-ganked is the commonly heard call of the wild? We didn't think so. But if you did have these base cravings, Aventurine's new Darkfall second anniversary promotion would likely be right up your alley. If you're a former subscriber, you've probably received an email outlining all the details. If you're an Agonian virgin, head to the Darkfall Epic Blog for more information on the special $9.95 client pricing and the $24.95 three-month subscription deals. Hurry up though, as the sandbox vacation deal of the decade ends on April 1st!
Terrible twos? A look at Darkfall on its second anniversary
It's hard to believe that two years have passed in the lands of Agon, but passed they have, and Darkfall is celebrating its second anniversary this week. Aventurine's FFA PvP sandbox title has turned out to be one of the more resilient MMORPGs in recent memory, surviving a disastrous launch and a lingering (and undeserved) reputation as a haven for parolees, sociopaths, and griefers. It's also managed to grow its dev team, release three expansions, and carve out a respectable niche for itself in an increasingly competitive massive industry. What's the secret to the game's success? Can Aventurine become the next CCP and ride the coattails of a non-linear MMORPG to indie greatness? Is Darkfall, purportedly the hardest of the hardcore PvP games, really a fantastic PvE sandbox in disguise? Join us after the cut for some thoughts on these topics as well as a peek at the highlights from Darkfall's first two years.
Darkfall dev diary talks new info interface, crafting skills, and meditation
A new Darkfall dev blog update has been sighted in the wild, and Aventurine is apparently hard at work on a number of Agonian fixes despite a case of the flu taking up residence in the company's office. Darkfall players can look forward to crafting skill gain adjustments in the next patch, and Aventurine is also aiming to get stats into the game's offline meditation system in the near future. Darkfall's new info interface will debut in March, and Tasos Flambouras writes that it will "give you a detailed information overview having to do with a great many activities like politics, clan activities, vendor information, etc." Flambouras also mentions the ongoing work on the game's new UI, as well as upcoming lore-related events tied into the title's second anniversary (and a forthcoming website and forum revamp). Be on the lookout for a full run-down regarding the new info interface in an upcoming dev diary, and check out all the other details at the Darkfall Epic Blog.
Darkfall activity report hints at game-changing expansion
It's been pretty quiet in Darkfall land since the first of the year, and whether that's because the devs have been hunting wabbits or hard at work on the game's next patch is a question that is addressed in the latest Aventurine activity report. There's a new patch in the works, tentatively scheduled for sometime next week, and it's bringing "significant changes" to the offline leveling system that was introduced late last year. How significant? For starters, additional skills will be available for meditation and the overall gains will see a substantial increase according to Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras. Aside from the patch, the dev team continues to forge ahead with Darkfall's next expansion, and it is shaping up to be (quite literally) a world-changer. Flambouras outlines the team's high-level approach which "involves a complete overhaul and dramatic streamlining of the world and complete redistribution of all its features," as well as a "completely level playing field for all players." Details on these sweeping statements are vague at this point, but Darkfall will clearly be undergoing some huge changes when the expansion debuts in the second quarter of 2011. Finally, the activity report touches on long-standing issues like the grind, character progression, endgame content, and the alignment system. If that's not enough for you, there's also a hint about a drop rate increase on books, scrolls, and stat potions, leading us to conclude that big things are afoot in the world of Agon. Stay tuned.
Choose My Adventure: Christmas in Agon
Oy. Well, if I had to do it over again, I'd have scheduled this whole Choose My Adventure thing in such a way as to avoid the December holiday rush. Last week was rather hectic from an out-of-game perspective, and this week is shaping up to be even more so. That's not to say there wasn't any time for Darkfall, though, and I did manage around 20 hours of in-game activity for the week. As a testament to the title's staying power, there simply wasn't as much time as I'd have liked. The fifth week of my Agonian ramble-on was filled with low-level PvP, a bit of questing and crafting, and more exploration than you can shake a candy cane at. Join me after the cut for a recap of the week that was. %Gallery-111744%
Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game
Welcome back to Massively's Choose My Adventure. As I'm gearing up for the fifth week of my excursion through Darkfall and the lands of Agon, I've settled into something of a groove based on my own personal playstyle and the schedules of folks that I've met in the game. Aventurine's sandbox is a game that sucks you in in a number of different ways. It's a game that you can (and really should) play a lot, and it's not a game that I'd recommend to folks who are dabblers and game-hoppers or those who have a ton of additional demands on their free time. This isn't solely because of the skill grind, either, but also because of the large degree of freedom a player has to choose his own goals, path, and endgame. Ultimately, Darkfall is a pretty large middle finger in the face of the popular notion that MMORPGs are casual games. In fact, Aventurine said as much several months ago, and this attitude informs just about every aspect of Agon. Though some might consider this a negative, I've thus far found it to be quite a bit of fun as well as a refreshing change from the vast majority of the disposable MMOs I've played over the past half decade. Join me after the cut for a look at time management in Agon as well as my weekly recap. %Gallery-110478%
Darkfall offline leveling goes live
It's patch day in Agon, and Aventurine's servers are slowly coming back to life after some prolonged downtime earlier this morning. What has the new update wrought? The biggest change is the much-discussed offline leveling system. The Darkfall Epic Blog has the details, which basically amount to spending in-game gold to purchase meditation points. These points can then be distributed amongst skills that you've already purchased, and the journal interface displays how many meditation points are required to level the skills to 100. You can also view the time it will take to train if you start meditating. Aside from offline meditation, the patch notes indicate a few subtle tweaks such as ammo stacking, friend-specific system messages, and the addition of a dice rolling mechanic to the game's chat system.
The Daily Grind: Do you have enough bag space?
I used to laugh at the fact that I could carry 50 or 60 items in the hip pocket of my Star Wars Galaxies avatar. These weren't comlinks or stolen Death Star plans either, but rather big, bulky armor sets and crates of crafted consumables. It seemed rather immersion-breaking at the time, and despite the enormous convenience afforded by SOE's inventory system, well, it simply bugged me. Fast forward a few years to the juggling act that I go through every time I want to quest or craft in Age of Conan, and I'm left to wonder what has changed more, the games or my tastes. Bag space is at a premium in Funcom's Hyboria; I'm forever throwing away stuff, making trips to my bank (which is also stupidly small), or otherwise finding work-arounds for the fact that I'm equal parts pack rat and collector. Most other MMORPGs are similarly stingy with their item space and in fact, it's only been in my recent excursions into Darkfall that I've found an inventory system that I absolutely adore. What about you, Massively readers? Is bag space at a premium in your game(s) of choice? How would you do MMO inventory mechanics differently if you could? 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!
Choose My Adventure: Singing the skill grind blues
Well, here we are folks, smack dab in the middle of our Darkfall run for Choose My Adventure. With three weeks down and three weeks to go, I have to be honest: I feel pressed for time. There's so much to see and do in this game that six weeks simply isn't enough to really do it justice (to say nothing of the fact that it's not nearly enough time to build a competitive character in terms of the skill grind). In any event, I'll do what I can to give you an accurate read on the game, and as my first couple of columns have admittedly erred on the side of fresh-faced enjoyment, today's entry will touch on a few of the game's less than savory aspects. In addition to that, I'll recap a few of my gameplay highlights from the past week. Join me after the cut for a look at my Darkfall present and future as well as a video diary of my adventures thus far.
