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Our interview with Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida
There are big changes on the horizon for Final Fantasy XIV, as revealed last Friday. After a year of free play, the game is bringing its extended free trial to a close and setting the stage for further large-scale improvements, culminating in the preview of "version 2.0" that will change the face of the world and the game forever. It promises to be a year filled with new content, time-limited events, and plenty for players to enjoy as the new version approaches. We were fortunate to have a chance to talk with the man at the head of all the changes, Naoki Yoshida, about the changes already put into place and the ones on the horizon. Past the break are Yoshida's opening remarks regarding the state of the game and the community as well as our questions, which covered everything from class balance to the end of the very extended free trial period.
League of Legends patch preview describes Dominion balance changes
Last week, Riot Games gave League of Legends players a sneak peek at upcoming ranged damage-dealing champion Graves. In a new patch preview video this week, Riot explains all of the balance changes and updates that will be released alongside the new champion. Skarner's crystal slash ability is having its mana costs reduced to ensure it remains a viable attack in late game, his autoattack speed will be increased and his ultimate will now last longer. Champion Corki's gatling gun is also being redesigned to give it more consistent damage output. A series of changes are heading our way for LoL's new Dominion game mode. Popular item Hextech Gunblade turned out to be far too powerful in Dominion games, and is due for a nerf. In addition to tweaking the item's stats, Riot is removing the ability to stack several of the item to multiply its spell vamp. The personal score system is being modified to better reward players for team-based accomplishments rather than just kills, assists and attacking points. Due to the popularity of late-game carries in Dominion, developers are adjusting the rate of XP gain to make late-game dominance of those champions less inevitable. Skip past the cut to check out the video and find out the full details of all the changes coming to League of Legends in the next patch.
EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion
Since EVE Online's release in 2003, CCP Games has been the center of one of the most interesting success stories in the games industry. Produced by a tiny indie development studio on a frozen volcanic rock, EVE was the perfect example of how to do things right. The game's publishing deal with Simon & Schuster allowed CCP to buy back the rights to the game several months after its initial release. With no publisher taking a cut of the profits, CCP ploughed subscriptions back into the game's development and grew the development team organically. As a one-game company, CCP worked closely with players to make EVE the best game possible for its loyal playerbase. In a recent letter to the players, CCP CEO Hilmar laments that somewhere along the line, things changed for the worse. The CCP of today bears little resemblance to the "little indie studio that could" of 2003, not just housing over 600 employees in offices around the world but also developing upcoming MMOs DUST 514 and World of Darkness. Resources are spread thin, and EVE Online has suffered for it. Last month I looked back at the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion and asked why every expansion since then has cut down on the in-space development players want. Hilmar's letter and its accompanying devblog answered that question this week with a solid plan for iteration on flying in space features during the winter development period. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look forward to the winter expansion and explain why each of the issues being tackled in the coming expansion is a big deal to players.
Fallen Earth's newest patch aimed at improving a life of crafting
Crafting has always been one of the major elements of Fallen Earth, and with good cause, really: you're in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and you can't just buy all your supplies down at the S-Mart. But that doesn't mean crafting is all roses and happy thoughts; some items are far rarer than necessary and others present in useless abundance. It's ripe for some revisions, and that's exactly what the game's newest patch, set for release on October 4th, is meant to address. Several recipes have been streamlined, with unnecessary parts removed from the equation to make a crafter's life easier. At the same time, craftable items are being removed from merchant inventories, encouraging players to seek out other players or assemble the items themselves. If you're feeling a bit leery of the changes, though, fret not -- you still have a couple of days left to stock up on materials.
The Soapbox: Why MMO combat sucks, and how BioWare could've made it suck less
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I hate MMORPG combat. It's not because I'm a carebear. It's not because I'm bad at it. It's not because I dislike parsing, being a min/maxer, or solving equations and comparing spreadsheets when I'm supposed to be having fun. OK, maybe it is because of those last four things. Mainly, though, it's because MMORPG combat completely and unequivocally sucks. MMORPG combat is not combat. It's high school math. And it's the same in every damn MMORPG. Twenty years into the genre here, guys, aren't we ready to grow up even a little bit?
The Mog Log: Point by point
Physical levels are leaving Final Fantasy XIV. We've all known that for a while, to the point that I even wrote a column speculating, in part, about what will happen to the whole bonus point system once that change goes live. As it turns out, what will happen for the time being is that it will be abandoned altogether, with character development going automated until at least 1.20. No more allocation of points to attributes any longer, and no word on what this will mean for the many traits designed to muck about with attribute distribution. This is going to result in a bit of a downgrade for some players (if you're physical 40 and leveling something at rank 10, for instance), but by and large it's also going to help correct a longstanding issue that the game has had. We've got a lot more options for playing around with attributes and abilities when it comes to FFXIV than we did in Final Fantasy XI, but the downside of the breadth has been the simple problem that no one knows what the attrbute values actually mean. You know the number, but the number itself is pretty much meaningless.
Gamescom wrapups for WildStar tease a few more nuggets of information
It remains to be seen what's going to come of it in the future, but WildStar certainly made an impressive showing during its debut at Gamescom 2011. Of course, outside of a trailer and some very early gameplay, potential players still know very little about the meat of how the game plays. But there are nuggets to be found in the wrap-up posts, a few interesting answers that should pique further interest in the upcoming title. The fact that the game will include PvP is almost a no-brainer, but the endgame has been stated to be diverse for all players. If you don't enjoy raiding, the game will still have a world story for players to explore and get engaged by. The world will feature both open areas and instances, as well, with a definite spread of different ways to ensure that players can experience the game with their friends. Last but not least, classes will be versatile and armor will be heavily customizable -- the game is being shaped to be something where each player can make his or her mark and have a unique look. If the game interests you, our own staffers will be getting a hands-on experience with WildStar on Friday.
The Daily Grind: Do you like optimizing your character?
In some ways, a character in an MMO is like a car. Some people are going to have one that's just plain bad, because they don't care about it and just want the bare minimum of functionality. Others will take care of it to an extent, helping it blend into the great sea of average. But just like with cars, there are people who will spend days and weeks tuning a character to the absolute limits of performance, working hours on end just to eke out another fraction of a percent of stat bonuses. Either way, you're pushing the limits of what the engine can manage. Of course, to some people, optimizing your character is the only way to play. To others, it's searingly tedious when all you want is to just log in and have fun. So what do you think? Do you like trying to tune your character to be the best? Or would you much prefer to just play the game and take a more casual approach? Are there certain things you have to be the best at and others you don't care about? 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!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Whose side is time on, anyway?
So last week I promised our next little enemy spotlight, but that was before I realized that this past weekend was that delayed double-experience extravaganza in City of Heroes. (I could have checked a calendar, sure, but I assume they're a form of witchcraft.) Based on past experience, this week should be a recounting of my time in the magical land of double or nothing, right? Well, not so much. Due to a perfect storm of circumstances, I didn't get any significant leveling in, and this weekend is also coming before a dump of several new powers rather than just after. So unlike last time, this time I mostly just took part in other activities. (If you really have to know what I was doing, tune back in on Saturday.) So instead, I'm going to take the time to talk a little bit about Temporal Manipulation, partly because I'd like a bit of a do-over for the past weekend, and partly because I'm not sure if I like it just from reading about it. It strikes me as a set that could be very good, but in its own way that might be kind of a bad thing.
The Anvil of Crom Extra: Silirrion on Turan, open-world PvP, and those pesky Funcom points
It's almost time for another Age of Conan content drop, and that means it's also time to catch up with game director Craig "Silirrion" Morrison to chat about it. This weekend I interviewed the Funcom executive producer about a range of topics, including all that's new and shiny with AoC's forthcoming Savage Coast of Turan adventure pack. As we told you earlier, the pack features a boatload of new material, from new solo dungeons to a new raid to 50 new quests and a large outdoor playfield. While that's quite a bit of stuff, Funcom isn't done yet, as the devs are also hard at work implementing the bullet points Morrison covered in his latest dev update. Join me after the cut as we explore Turan, combo-skipping fixes, the riskiness of AoC's new open-world PvP content, and the question of whether subscribers are getting a good deal in terms of point rewards.
Final Fantasy XIV's newest producer letter addresses balance and changes
Final Fantasy XIV underwent some major changes last week with the release of the 1.18 patch, ranging from mechanical changes to combat to the introduction of new mechanics with the Grand Companies. It's enough for players to feel just a little overwhelmed by everything, and so executive producer Naoki Yoshida has taken his most recent producer's letter to talk a little bit about the overhauls from the patch. He's proud of what it accomplished, but in his own words, it might have been a bit much to drop at once. The biggest topic of discussion of late has been class balance, as 1.18 also ushered in some minor drops to the power of spellcasters and Archers. Despite this, however, Yoshida is happy to see how people have received the upgrades to combat and the introduction to the game's instanced raids, both of which require a higher portion of strategy from the playerbase. He also finishes off by noting that the game's summer event will be rolling out in August, giving everyone a chance to earn the swimsuits previewed in the previous letter.
Ask Massively: We do in fact have rules edition
I feel that right now would be an excellent time to refer everyone to a bit of supplemental reading that should be really fun -- our Code of Conduct! Yes, we have a set of rules that we expect everyone to follow, and no, we are not stupid. If you spend months trying to skirt those rules very carefully, we will be watching hawk-like for the moment you step out of line. And when that happens? There is cake. Moving right along, it's time for another edition of Ask Massively. This time, we're discussing issues of balance and overall character depth as brought on by recent developments within the world of Darkfall. If you'd like to have a question answered in a future edition of the column, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments afterward. Or use the comments to discuss something else; that does seem equally likely.
Choose My Adventure: I da popular ork
Klurgind may not be the smartest ork in Warhammer Online nor the strongest one, but he's certainly a popular greenskin. What is it about him? That beady, penetrating stare? The way he eulogizes Squig Herders on the fields of Nordland? His sharply alluring green-blue skin and bright orange tattoos? Or just the fact that everyone knew he was my character, thus ensuring that every regular reader went out of the way to shower him with praise, advice, and adulation? I don't know. But I do know that special thanks go out to Tsavonglah for some excellent in-game advice and a veritable wall of information in the comments, Daswagga for a large pile of Strength talismans, and the many people who gave me a wave or cheer for bring a touch of Massively WAAAAGH to the game. So read on past the break for talk about my adventures in the twilight of Tier 1, the dawn of Tier 2, scenarios, open RvR, and the general stages of the Choppocalypse.
New Gamasutra feature looks to define fairness in MMOs
Buying power! Class Balance! Easy mode! We'd be willing to bet that those pharses invoke some pretty strong feelings in many of you. When it comes to MMORPGs -- especially those of the free-to-play variety -- fairness is often a huge concern. Whether it's in the form of class balance, content tuning, or buying to win, equality is a delicate subject. Mr. Simon Ludgate over at Gamasutra realizes this, and has put together an incredibly in-depth feature discussing the philosophy of fairness in MMORPGs. The feature is packed with star-power, with commentary from En Masse's Brian Knox, Trion Worlds' Scott Hartsman, Richard Garriott, and more. For the full, in-depth, and interesting feature, head on over to Gamasutra.
New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter covers balance changes, guildleves
Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida popped by the Final Fantasy XIV forums today to present the community with the latest Final Fantasy XIV Producer's Letter. The post deals with the game's upcoming patch 1.18 and the changes that it will bring. In particular, the letter addresses upcoming balance reforms, which will see Final Fantasy XIV's "shift from being a grind-centric game to one that offers enjoyment for all playing styles and circumstances with its ever-expanding variety of content." Yoshida also discusses the changes coming to guildleves, noting that at the game's launch, "it was stated... that guildleves [would] form the heart of the game." That claim has now been retracted, as Yoshida notes that central content "isn't a static thing" and that it's "new content that we continually develop for our fans' enjoyment, with no one item indefinitely bathing in the spotlight." All-in-all, the letter seems promising for the ongoing adjustments to the game. For the full text, head on over to the Final Fantasy XIV forums.
Faxion Online gets its wings... and some combat overhauls
Faxion Online has only been out a short while, but the staff at UTV True Games is hard at work trying to make the game better from the start. The newest patch for the game, 1.58, has just gone live, bringing with it a variety of improvements and the addition of two brand-new wing styles. But those aren't the centerpiece of the patch, which is instead focused (pun unintended) around a rebalancing of the Focus stat and some large-scale combat changes. The short version is that Focus was doing too much and has had some of its functions as a stat moved elsewhere. The long version goes into detail about how values will affect characters differently in the post-1.58 world. Faxion Online players can take a peek at the full list of patch notes right here, or they can just log on and start picking up some fallen angel wings post-haste.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Talking 1.3 with Hal Hanlin
Today we're on the verge of RIFT's third major update's going live. It's a doozy of a patch, too, with a little something for everyone: a raid for endgame players, guild banks for... well, guilds, character transfers for the antsy, and RIFT's second world event for one and all. With Patch 1.3, Trion Worlds puts its money where its mouth is by continuing with its streak of sizable, regular updates. It's a critical patch for some, as it seeks to answer the growing call for more endgame content while an increasing number of players hit 50. Fans of RIFT will most likely welcome the spread of the patch, but detractors will undoubtedly criticize why X was done instead of Y (and don't even get into Z; that letter is nothing but trouble). And above the noise, Trion sails on with apparent confidence and dedication. Even though we got to speak with Trion at E3, I got the opportunity for another pre-1.3 interview with Design Producer Hal Hanlin (which, by the way, is a superhero fake identity if I ever heard one). In this no-holds-barred discussion, we covered the selling points of 1.3, the accusation that RIFT is "dying," and the philosophy behind Trion's rapid stream of content.
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.
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition review: Yun-balanced
by Jared Rea Let me lay a hypothetical on you. Let's say that tomorrow, a major update is released for StarCraft 2, League of Legends, Team Fortress 2 or whatever your favorite, tightly balanced competitive online game may be. This update greatly reduces the effectiveness of many of your trusty techniques, but delivers a handful of overwhelming improvements to a select few others. It's fair to assume that the outrage over this un-balancing would be deafening, and that players would demand an explanation. "While we originally designed this title with strong competitive balance in mind," explains your favorite developer, "we've decided to purposely make these specific elements overly powerful as to manufacture a competitive experience amongst players." Sounds preposterous, right? After all, who would purposely sabotage their own title? Now for the Shyamalanian twist: That is precisely what is happening with the release of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. (Spoilers, I know). %Gallery-121023%
The Soapbox: Why inclusion matters in games
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. You know what's awesome? Feeling cool. And at the best of times, we get that feeling in our day-to-day life anyway. But that's one of the great things about video games, MMOs especially -- they give us a chance to feel cool. They give us a chance to look at ourselves standing over a pile of fallen enemies, wielding a weapon of unimaginable power, and getting that rush in the back of our head from being totally awesome. Especially if you're a straight white male. I wrote a column up a while back about the issue of gender as it affects MMOs, and it garnered a lot of positive comments from readers. It also garnered a lot of comments that proved some players didn't get why it mattered in the first place, and a lot of comments pointing out that women weren't the only group in need of some better representation. The funny part is that I think the former ties directly in to the latter -- and the former is also missing the point. Because it does matter, and even if you are a straight white male, it should matter to you.
