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Google’s Bard chatbot confidently spouts misinformation in Twitter debut
Google’s Bard chatbot confidently proclaimed false information in a Twitter posted by Google.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite archer class?
I've never been one to gravitate toward bow-and-arrow classes in MMOs, although I've dabbled in them from time to time. I guess I fear that archers and their ilk are far too popular and feature mindless, straight-forward mechanics (shoot... one arrow at a time! Now two at a time! Now a whole bunch rapidly!). But if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Dungeons and Dragon Online's Bard. I equipped her with a heavy repeating crossbow, and being able to man the medieval equivalent of an automatic rifle was strangely satisfying. Plus, crossbows do not get a lot of play in MMOs for some reason. Do you have a favorite archer class, and if so, what was it? 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!
Make your own kind of music in Guild Wars 2
You could be forgiven for overlooking the new drum in Guild Wars 2's cash shop -- it's just a cosmetic thing for roleplayers who stand around town, right? Well, not exactly, and a developer diary from ArenaNet audio programmer Aaron McLeran aims to explain why you should care (and buy all the things). The drum actually allows players to select from two modes: a pre-set groove mode, which lets you auto-play several drum tracks solo or in time with other players' tracks, and user groove mode, which starts to travel into Lord of the Rings Online territory. Says McLeran, The first five skill buttons have five unique drum sounds respectively. Each sample can be triggered individually so the drum can perform like our previous instruments in free-play mode. The only difference is the drum will quantize beat events so that they always sound good to you – and in rhythm. If you push the sixth or seventh skill slot, you put the drum into "loop-record" mode. If this is the first time you've pushed it, you'll hear a nice little click-track (that only you can hear!) that gives you an idea of where the "global" pulse is. Think of it like a count off: "A one, a two, a one two three four!" Then, when you push the drum sample set skill buttons again, they'll actually loop back on themselves. You can build up ever more complicated and funky grooves. We just have one question: Where's our Bard class?
Brad McQuaid's Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen launches Kickstarter campaign
Ready, set, go: One of the industry's most notorious developers has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $800,000 or more for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. Visionary Realms head Brad McQuaid's super-secret project is labeled as "a group-focused MMORPG based on challenging gameplay and open world high fantasy." Pantheon takes place in a world where both gods and heroes roam and where players will be on a quest to reclaim their lost glory and power. According to the feature list, Pantheon will have a heavy social focus, an open and non-linear world, the ability to customize your class by "bonding with the spirits of fallen warriors," action combat, an emphasis on travel instead of instant ports, exploration as part of character development, and "designed downtime" as part of the game experience. While McQuaid is asking for $800,000 to add more employees and fund development of the game, his stretch goals continue to the $6.7 million mark. Will you help pony up the $3.2 million needed for a Bard class?
Exclusive: Aura Kingdom reveals caster classes
Last week you got a glimpse of the melee classes coming to the anime world of Aura Kingdom. But what if you eschew the face-to-face fighting style of melee and prefer to fling fireballs at your foes or offer friends succor instead? Then this week's caster class reveal is for you! If you enjoy raining magical mayhem down on the heads of your enemies, the Wizard class is right up your alley. On the other hand, if you'd rather be the one to save the day with your healing aid, you can delve into the role of the Bard. Can't quite decide between the two roles? Then become a Sorcerer and do a little of both! Have a look at these three classes in the gallery and then delve into even more details in the dev blogs below.
Perfect Ten: My favorite classes
Forget raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; a few of my favorite classes have nothing to do with such musical nonsense. Of course, now that I've started thinking about that song, my brain has to finish it before I can do anything else. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, yup. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, uh huh. These are a few of my favorite things. OK, can I move on now? Seriously, how boring was life in the 1940s that tied-up brown packages were worth singing about? I've played a lot of MMOs over the past decade or so, and in each of them I've agonized about which class I would make my main. Sometimes this resulted in me creating a wide selection of possible candidates, each vying for my affection while I cruelly sentenced the losers to permanent deletion. But in the end, here are 10 classes from 10 separate MMOs that tickled my fancy and totally kicked woolen mittens in the interest department.
Player-designed weapons arrive in Aion
Remember way back when (namely late 2012) when we learned of a couple of contests to design weapons for the new classes in Aion 4.0? Well those contests have run their course, and a winning design was selected for each class. And now, those weapon skins are finally available to players! Originally called the Mookie Gun, the winning Gunslinger weapon was designed by Liiga Smilshkalne, (a.k.a. Rakesh from the Israphel server). Now named Kippie's Nightmare, the final concept for the pistol "came naturally in the wee hours of the morning with the aid of a large cup of coffee," according to Smilshkalne. The winning harp design, created by Sergio Kishino (a.k.a Seey on the Tiamat server) was born from the loss of Internet. Without the game, Kishino drew an "outfit inspired by Guardian Commander and Kahrun, with a blue butterfly and golden details." Flutterlight Sonata, as the instrument is now called, completed that ensemble. As an exclusive reward, both creators received five of their winning designs. Others can get their own copies in the Black Cloud Marketplace. Be sure to check out the four new pieces of artwork in the gallery below.%Gallery-191538% [Source: NCsoft press release]
WoW Archivist: Blizzard's April Fool's jokes are more real than you think
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It all began in 2003, when Blizzard announced pandaren as a playable race -- for Warcraft III. This never happened, of course. The announcement was an April Fool's joke. But you know that someone at Blizzard back then really wanted to play as a panda. Nine years later, with the Mists of Pandaria expansion, we can all be pandaren now. When Mists was first revealed, the outcry from some in the community was fierce. Much of it centered around how "pandaren were just an April Fool's joke." Most of us, I would hazard to guess, have been won over by them in this expansion. With their incredibly deep history, love of life/beer, and gorgeous architecture, not to mention the amazing voice acting and animations that bring them to life, the pandaren have been a bigger hit for WoW than many ever imagined they could be. In 2004, a playable goblin tinker for Warcraft III was another April Fool's joke. An overwhelmingly enthused response for playable tinkers led to Blizzard adding them to the game. Given the origins of the pandaren and goblin tinkers, it's safe to say that any April Fool's joke that Blizzard has done over the years could one day spawn a tangible addition to the game, or perhaps a spinoff under the WoW brand. Let's look back at Blizzard's WoW-related April Fool's jokes to see which ones could be the next to become real -- and which ones already have.
The Road to Mordor: Six reasons why Minstrels rule
In the gaming world, you're either a bard person or you're not; there's no middle ground. For some, the concept of a character attacking with music and "inspiring" fellow adventurers with top 40 tunes is incredibly weird, even though armies used to employ musicians all the time for tempo and morale. For others, using music to help and hurt is a refreshing change of pace from fireballs and 70-pound impractical swords. Over the five-plus year adventure that I've had in Lord of the Rings Online, I've rolled many-a Minstrel, although I've yet to make one my main. I've always loved the concept of the class, especially within Tolkien's IP, where music fills an important niche in the books. Music has power in Middle-earth, and the Minstrel is the one with the skills to defeat Sauron with mad lute skills. As a tribute to this awesome class, here are six reasons why Minstrels rule -- and why you should try one out if you haven't already.
Design a weapon for Aion's new Bard class
Immortalize yourself in Aion! Previously, NCsoft gave players the chance to make their mark in Aion by designing a unique weapon for the Gunner class in the upcoming 4.0 update; now, it's the Bard's turn. So instead of guns, get those creative juices flowing for musically themed creations. Like the previous run, players should note that it is not actually a contest -- no prizes will be awarded either inside game or out. However, if your submission is chosen, you will not only get official recognition that your artwork will be incorporated in game, but you will also be able to participate in the naming process of your weapon. The non-contest is open to everyone and runs from now until January 3, 2013. To participate, designers need to submit an original work, either hand-drawn or computer-generated, along with an explanation of the concept and intent behind the design. For full details, read the official rules.
Aion's Bard class kills them softly in new video
What do dancing penguins, bubbly pop music, and pink-clad spellcasters with treble clef harp weapons have in common? They're all part of a new Aion Bard preview video, of course. The Bard is one of three new classes coming in the fantasy title's 4.0 update, and the one-minute clip after the cut is our first opportunity to get a glimpse of the archetype in action. And don't worry, it's not as wince-inducingly cute as it sounds, given that the Bard has plenty of nifty spell effects to go along with her combat and crowd-control abilities. Click through to see for yourself.
The Daily Grind: Should PvE crowd-control work in PvP?
One of my very biggest pet peeves about playing a Protection Warrior in World of Warcraft is the fact that taunt does not work in PvP. Some players argue that having platemail and a huge bar of health makes up for my losing a core class ability, but I say platemail and a huge bar of health is pretty useless when I can't force players to attack me. World of Warcraft is hardly the only game that nerfs core skills for PvP. Ultima Online, for example, offers music skills like Peacemaking and Provocation that can't be used on other players, rendering Bards ineffective Felucca-side. But it needn't be that way. Warhammer Online was a breath of fresh air; at launch, I ran around on my Ironbreaker, gleefully taunting other players and forcing their attention to me. Hit me, fools! Muahaha! Sure, I'd rather see more organic and tactical combat such that taunt as a mechanic isn't even necessary, and some players might say Guild Wars 2 does just that. But what about those games that can't just cut taunt from the skill roster? Do you think PvE crowd-controls like taunt should work in PvP? 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!
Enter at Your Own Rift: What Scott Hartsman's AMA portends for RIFT
The Trion team is nothing if not persistent. In an elaborate plot involving Dr. Pepper and a one-way locked office, the devs were able to finally get Trion CCO and RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman to participate in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. It was an engaging discussion that touched on a variety of topics, from up and coming titles such as End of Nations to Hartsman's journey from GM of the MUD Scepter of Goth to his time with SOE and his current endeavors with Trion. We learned that he's a pretty hardcore raider, that he plays incognito, and that his raid drink of choice is Grimbergen Blonde. But the focus of the conversation was RIFT, and while he didn't shed too much light on the upcoming expansion, he did drop a few hints about what we might see in the future. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll look at some of the highlights!
Mabinogi's new bard class highlighted in video
If you thought the only thing missing from the world of Mabinogi was a battle-mandolin-wielding bard, Nexon's news will be music to your ears: The Battle Maestro joined the line-up of available classes in the free-to-play fantasy game. This new bard class supports others with the power of music, using seven new skills to enhance and buff teammates or debuff enemies. The Battle Maestro is live and playable now. You can catch a glimpse of the bard in action in the video after the break. [Source: Nexon America press release]
Vanguard update brings new loyalty rewards for subscribers
As Vanguard straddles the line between its old subscriber-only business model and this summer's free-to-play transition, the team is still plugging away at minor updates to the game. Today's patch brings a smattering of updates and fixes as well as the May loyalty rewards for current subscribers. Active players will get to haul away five goodies from SOE, including a brown sloop ship, unique tack and barding, and a "Kamelott Overland Onslaught Life-Sustaining Exo-Skeleton" mount. Players can also pick up free supply crates and veteran's caches (the latter are available only for level 50+ characters) every 44 hours. The update also fixed a few small issues with quests, retweaked some skills for Rogues and Bards, and changed a couple of items to make them work properly. SOE will continue to dish out loyalty rewards until Vanguard goes F2P.
Wolfram Alpha now does literary analysis, breaks down the Bard's work
Literary geeks rejoice! Wolfram Alpha has given you the tools to examine the works of William Shakespeare in ways you've never cared to imagined. Ever wondered how many words are in the second act of Othello? Or what the longest word is in A Midsummer Night's Dream? The answers to such (largely unasked) queries are now mere keystrokes away, and not just for the Bard's writings, either. That's right, folks, computational analysis of the works from such luminaries as Melville, Dickens, and Twain are on tap, too. The folks at Wolfram Alpha are also looking to increase the number of supported titles, so head on down to the source link and let them know which ones you want to see.
Allods Online: Game of Gods coming February 15th
We knew that Allods' latest expansion was coming soon. We didn't know exactly when, though. Thanks to gPotato, we're now comfortable penciling in February 15th on our free-to-play fantasy calendar. Game of Gods is "the biggest expansion ever to hit Allods Online," and it will bring a new Bard class, objective-driven PvP arenas, and new raids to the table. New weapons and armor, new allods and astral layers, and some sort of loot-drop lottery card system are also on the way. That's not all, though, and the game's official website has a full listing of the patch's features and functionality. [Source: gPotato press release]
Allods Online cheekily promotes Game of Gods expansion
Say what you will about Allods Online; at least it has a sense of humor when it comes to its own publicity. While most MMOs would use the opportunity of an upcoming major patch for a serious, percussion-heavy trailer fraught with sword swinging and landscapes, Allods decides to go... another way. We don't want to spoil it, so suffice it to say that it begins with an epic confrontation between an ogre and a hermit crab that might well go down in history as one of the most nail-biting battles of the minds. The trailer is a promotion for Allods' upcoming Game of Gods expansion and includes brief glimpses into the update's new features -- including the not-at-all prancing Bard. (Bards rule, by the way.) You can watch the full trailer after the jump!
Leaderboard: Battle of the Bards
I have to say, I'm just always fascinated by Bards (and Bard-type classes) in MMOs. They seem so odd juxtaposed with steely warriors and mystic wizards that half the time I think they're a running joke that somewhere along the line people started taking seriously. I mean, pulling out a guitar in the middle of a gang gunfight in Chicago is a good way to ruin a perfectly good musical instrument, but in fantasy worlds this sort of thing happens and nobody even blinks. In some places, a fully decked-out hair metal band can wreck havoc on any raid boss. Bards appeal to the contrarian in us, with the attitude of "it's OK to be a jack of all trades, as long as you're rocking a sweet axe." In some MMOs their music is used to conjure up buffs, while in others their notes cause aural damage on the level of Ke$ha to monsters. Have family members who keep telling you to turn that racket down? Bards in games are constantly told to crank it up -- and play multiple songs simultaneously, if at all possible. Plus, Bards are not unknown to the ways of the sword, which always amuses group leaders who now have a squishy character charging into combat shouting, "Stab! Stabby stab!" Today is a first, as we're giving you more than one choice for Leaderboard voting. Please don't pass out. It's a Battle of the Bards, with most of the major MMOs reporting in for duty! Which Bard tops them all? Cast your vote after the jump!
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI classes, round four
One of the funny things about writing a regular column is that sometimes, when you start out writing a series of connected columns on a topic, you have a point you want to make. Other times, you find a point making itself as you go, and you realize that it's a pretty good point. After our first three columns covering the various classes in Final Fantasy XI, that effect is on my mind, especially as I move into the fourth installment. As before, the standard caveats apply. Nothing below is meant to debate relative power levels or overall worth; instead, I'll judge the class solely on its own merits -- how much does it offer other jobs, does it have a unique mechanical identity or not, and how cool is the darn thing. With that in mind, let's round out the advanced jobs from the core game with Beastmaster, Summoner, and Bard!
