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Swordsman trailer introduces poison cultists and kung fu masters
Tell me, do you prefer poison or ice with your martial arts? Either way, Perfect World has you covered with the upcoming Swordsman. The publisher posted a trailer today highlighting the next three classes in the game. There's the Shaolin, a kung fu master; the Five Venoms, a cultist who idolizes poison in all its forms; and the Zephyr School, a fighter that uses ice control and air defense for the win. You can check out the trailer after the jump to see if any of these are a perfect match for you! [Source: Perfect World press release]
Norrathian Notebook: Jump in, the water's fine in Landmark!
The drought has finally ended: Water has come to the parched shores of Landmark. After a day of torturing fans with some not-so-subtle teasing on Twitter involving beach songs, links to life vests, and musings on slow garden hoses, SOE Director of Development Dave Georgeson finally outright admitted that the first phase of water was indeed headed into the game. And as of yesterday's update, the long-anticipated liquid is a permanent part of the landscape. No more shall players stare off over the edge of their islands, eyes skipping over the sand whilst seeking just a hint of moisture. No longer must the faithful beta testers dream of the day the sun's rays would reflect off the rolling waves. Oceans are here! And while there's no need to grab a towel on your way to the beach (you can't actually get in the water), players are still rejoicing. Why? Because it finally feels like beta, baby!
WildStar's open beta is live along with a story trailer and new music
There's been a pretty consistent tone to most of WildStar's promotional materials -- not strictly comedy, but certainly irreverent. The developers obviously enjoy getting a good nudge and a laugh. But with the game's open beta test going live today, a new trailer has been unveiled, and this one isn't funny at all. If you've played the previous betas, you know the game has more story than just witty snark, and this trailer is all about that. You can check the trailer out just past the break, and the game's beta servers are open now through May 18th. The team is also planning on hosting a livestream today on the official WildStar channel at 2:00 p.m. EDT, as well as another longer stream on Friday starting at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Or you can just jump in on the servers now if you want to see how the game plays out. [Source: Carbine Studios press release] [Update: Composer Jeff Kurtenacker just let the Twitterverse know that the open beta music is live now on SoundCloud!]
WildStar open beta patch adds levels and a dire warning
Are you ready for WildStar's open beta tomorrow? Then you're going to need the latest patch to get the fullest out of your experience. Also, you can't play unless you patch up. It's just a fact of life. The open beta patch raises the level cap to 30, adds the journeyman tradeskill tier, and bumps up the path level cap to 20. The devs are obviously anticipating a low-level crush of players, which is why Build #6670 includes an overflow system for additional zones. Other improvements coming with the patch include German and French language options, a redesign of the video options menu, a fix so that the launcher will run on 64-bit operating systems, and optimization of the guild UI. Also, the patch notes bear a dire warning for a particular item: "Players who hold the Moodie mask for too long... will pay ever-so-dearly for their affronts to the great Moodie Spirits. The player who dared mock the sacred oath of the mask carrier will have fiery vengeance rained down upon them, dealing a blow so powerful it will rip away their precious life force several times over. The Moodie spirits shall not only destroy the mask carrier's body, but will also place a curse on their VERY SOUL FOR ALL ETERNITY... or until the spawn timer runs out, whichever comes first." In other news, WildStar has added an option to upgrade from the standard to the deluxe version of the game for $15 on its store page.
WildStar's Stephan Frost on using the subscription model
Launching with a subscription fee in the current MMO market isn't a winning proposition; pretty much every newer title that has done so has moved over to free-to-play before long. A recent interview with WildStar's design producer Stephan Frost saw him liken the subscription fee to the extra fee for viewing cable stations such as HBO. People pay the extra money every month because the channel produces good content, and a subscription MMO has to do the same thing to justify that ticket price. Frost goes on to state that players should see new content in the game roughly every 28 days, with a vague mention that the team may do an expansion at some point but is mostly concerned with justifying the subscription price. It also ties into the CREDD system, which he states helps to cut down on gold-selling practices while also creating some parity between players with more real money and those with more real time. Time will see if the game justifies that subscription; you can try it out for yourself when the open beta goes live tomorrow.
World of Warcraft takes you on a tour of Spires of Arak's art
The art team at Blizzard is proud to present and pontificate on the creation behind one of Warlords of Draenor's new zones: Spires of Arak. "When we started working on Spires of Arak, we only had some basic ideas: tall rocky spires jutting out of a dense forest," Senior Art Director Chris Robinson said in today's dev blog. Spires of Arak is what later on becomes World of Warcraft's Terokkar Forest, but the team had to create its own individual look which included working on "large spiky rocks." The art team detailed the journey that went into choosing the style and making it happen and included a video of this creation process that you can watch after the jump.
ArcheAge player sentenced to 13 hours in jail by peers
ArcheAge's court system came into the limelight yesterday when a player in beta was sentenced to over 13 hours of in-game jail time by a jury of his or her peers. Players who break the various laws in the game and then die have a choice to either accept a short prison sentence or go to court and plead their case to a jury of five other players. These players then vote on the defendant's guilt or innocence, and in the case of the former, sentence the defendant to prison. Prisoners can wait out their sentence, play soccer in the jail courtyard, or attempt to tunnel their way to freedom. This particular player had over 100 criminal charges, which incurred a high amount (770 minutes) of jail time. If you want to learn more about ArcheAge's criminal justice system, check out the video after the break!
Landmark updates testing blueprint
EverQuest Franchise Lead Dave Georgeson critted Landmark testers with a wall of text late last night, updating the community on the plans for the game's features rollout over the next four months. To sum up the huge list: Early May: The addition of oceans, cave networks, Player Studio, and some quick fixes to help new players catch up such as a progression path diagram and the placement of basic crafting tables at the Hub. Late May: The team will add customer service tools, "crafting 2.0," treasure chests (and loot!), voice chat, underwater effects, map improvements, a minimap, and lots more music from Jeremy Soule. June: June will see a personal interface for Player Studio put in, the advent of glass and water as a building material, a revamp to the claim system, improved character creation, resource swapping, a death system, shields, recipe books, achievements, "chat 2.0," the fog of war on the map, and a "surprise feature." July: By the middle of summer, Landmark will introduce ensemble outfit pieces, the combat system, pathing, craftable abilities, physics, monsters, SOEmote, and bodies of water other than oceans. August: The last month on the blueprint will contain (for now) building tool refinements, mounts, and dynamic water.
Come sail away with this ArcheAge ship preview video
It seems as though there is a lot of buzz around ArcheAge's watercraft, although this impression may be caused by Massively's Jef running up and down the halls screaming, "They have rooooowboaaaaats!" on the half-hour. However, if you haven't seen what this upcoming title has in store with ships, check out the following video preview that demos several types, from small to big. Aly and The Professionals say that there can be a lot of fun on these "party boats;" however, "you should be aware that parties on the sea include being jumped by sea creatures, pirates, and over-excited guildmates who take full advantage of character collision by pushing you overboard." Give these crafted ships a watch after the break!
Elite: Dangerous goes in-depth on trading
Elite: Dangerous' 20th newsletter is out, and the team has dedicated the lion's share of its space to talking about the upcoming space sim's trading game. The developers explain how Elite's thousands of systems will help to create a huge economy once the MMO goes live: "Each star system has a different basic type of economy –- for example agricultural, industrial, hi-tech, extraction, refining or service, and some have a mix of these basics –- such as extraction and refining are often (but not always) in the same system. From a commodities perspective all but a service economy produce items for consumption. This creates an active trade network." The newsletter also gives a sneak peek at planetary rings, informs fans that today is the last day to buy into alpha access, and says that the game will update its galaxy configuration based on any major discoveries that may occur in our world. Give the newsletter a read and check out a video of the trading system after the break!
ArcheAge's founder packs will run you $49.99 to $149.99; closed beta to start in June
While Trion Worlds is still being coy about a release date for ArcheAge (the official line is still "2014"), the studio announced today during its livestream the details behind a trio of founder's packs for the upcoming fantasy sandbox. Here's what each of the packs contains: Silver ($49.99): Beta access, four-day head start, Founder title (with stats), 30-day patron pass, experimental hang glider, and 2,500 credits. Gold ($99.99): Beta access, four-day head start, Traveler title (with stats), 60-day patron pass, 10 evenstones, 10 hereafter stones, glass phoenix hang glider, desert assassin platemail, and 7,500 credits. Archeum ($149.99): Alpha access, beta access, four-day head start, Trailblazer title (with stats), 90-day patron pass, Daru Chests, 10 evenstones, 10 hereafter stones, glass phoenix hang glider, desert assassin platemail, Founder's cloak with customizable logo, personalizable crest, 10 pet healing potions, and 11,250 credits. We spoke to Trion earlier this week about these founder's packs and upcoming closed beta test expected to begin in June -- read on!
Black Gold Online closed beta begins May 15th
In a press release issued today, Snail Games announced that the closed beta for its steampunkish MMO Black Gold Online will begin on May 15th. Says the release, Closed Beta participants will see large-scale battlegrounds with customizable 'Carriers' (large battle mounts for each faction) and can develop over 100 distinct carrier-types for battle. Black Gold Online also features true hardcore PvP, where players can fight against members of their same faction as well as opposing forces across a variety of battlegrounds, arenas and 'Chambers of Greed.' Finally, players can join even larger Energy Well battles as they form armies to fight for control of precious resources in large-scale faction and guild battles. The closed beta will also include revamped graphics and a refreshed interface. We've embedded the latest trailer below!
War Thunder introduces closed beta tank events
Gaijin Entertainment posted today that it's launching tank events for War Thunder's closed beta participants. Prices of tanks and associated purchases have been slashed by 90% to facilitate this test phase; accordingly, Gaijin warns, everything will be wiped once again before the WWII combat sim's open beta begins. The studio also recently announced its intention to launch War Thunder in China in 2014 via Tencent and revealed its Elo-based rating system for squadron battles.
WildStar springs another 'bonus' beta weekend for all
Carbine's limited four-part WildStar beta weekend run leading up to release is now in danger of becoming a Friday the 13th-sized franchise, as the studio announced today that it will hold another bonus beta weekend starting on Friday. Anyone who has signed up for the beta will be given a code for the weekend, so there's no reason not to check this game out if so inclined. The bonus weekend begins on Friday the 25th at 10:00 a.m. EST and will conclude on Monday, April 28th, at 3:00 a.m. EST. The team is raising the level cap to 25 and giving everyone a hoverboard to enjoy. Each day of this bonus beta weekend also counts toward accumulating "boom boxes" full of goodies that will be delivered at launch. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
Breakfast Topic: Do you play betas?
Though there's always a lot of excitement when a new Blizzard game goes into alpha or beta testing stages -- both Heroes of the Storm and Warlords of Draenor are currently in an early alpha stage -- actually playing games at this point is sometimes less than fun. Alpha and beta games are meant for testing, which means they're full of bugs and prone to changes. But the worst of it, for me, is the fact that none of my character progress is kept -- anything I do in an alpha or beta version I'll have to do again later when the final game goes live. It's completely understandable that Blizzard -- and other game developers -- need to wipe progress made while the game was still being tested, but for me it kills a lot of the fun because on launch day the starting content is already becoming a repetitive grind. The end result is that while I enjoy reading early news about betas, I don't tend to play them for fun. But what about you, readers? Are you already looking forward jumping into the Heroes or Warlords betas -- or would you rather wait for the finished product?
The new player experience in EverQuest Next and Landmark
In this week's EverQuest Next roundtable video, Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani and Lead Designer Darrin McPherson tackle the new user experience in Landmark and EQN. The pair say they recognize that developers don't always see the game the same way players do and that players need to be caught early by the game, especially a free-to-play game, or they'll leave. "In both games, we won't have a lock-step approach to a tutorial... we definitely want to have something more free," McPherson explained. Learning the game will be a set of achievements. For example, when you equip an axe, the game will tell you you can chop wood with it, and when you chop wood, the game will tell you how to craft, granting achievements along the way without forcing players to complete any one element of gameplay to proceed. Enjoy the full dev video after the break.
ArcheAge FAQ mentions testing plans, optional subscription, and housing limitations [Update]
Trion Worlds has published a new FAQ for ArcheAge today that concentrates on testing plans and core features of its upcoming Western version. The team said that alpha testing is imminent and will be followed by beta events leading up to launch, still set for sometime in 2014. While fans can sign up on the site for a chance at a key, Trion said that soon-to-be-revealed founders packs will guarantee beta access. ArcheAge will be adopting a hybrid F2P model including an optional subscription. This subscription will be necessary if a player wants to own his or her own house in the game, as the "limited real estate" will be earmarked for paying customers only. Trion addressed its level of control over the title in its relationship with developer XLGAMES and indicated that the Korean 1.0 patch changes will not be coming to the West: "We work with XLGAMES to understand and new features that are added to ArcheAge in the East to determine how well they will be accepted in our regions, and then offer feedback. XLGAMES has been fantastic in addressing that feedback as best as they can. In situations where a feature is added that we don't think will be appropriate for our audiences, we work with XLGAMES to modify or remove that feature from our version." [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
WildStar bonus weekend begins Friday morning
Carbine has just announced an extra special bonus beta weekend for its upcoming sci-fantasy themepark, WildStar. Says the forum post, Starting tomorrow, Friday 3/28 at 7:00am PDT, the servers will be live and the party ain't stopping until Sunday night! Also, the level 17 cap is gone and is now being replaced with a level 20 cap. My quick math skills tell me that's an extra 3 levels! This bonus weekend is a way to get more testing time for us, awesome, as well as more game time for all of you, double awesome! This is our way of gathering the feedback we cherish and saying thank you to all of our loyal testers. Which is why we would love it if you logged in this weekend, enjoyed the extra 3 levels and the bonus game time because it will greatly help us be that much more prepared come launch day June 3rd. That's 10 a.m. EDT tomorrow for those of you on the East Coast. Have fun, and don't forget that logging in gets you mystery boxes with special loot! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
World of Warplanes video goes over aircraft specs
Flying a fighter in World of Warplanes isn't just jerking on your joystick; you'll need to have a little know-how regarding the important technical specifications that keep your tin cannister in the air and in one piece. Wargaming has posted a new "flight school" video today covering the five main aircraft technical specifications: durability (hit points), firepower, airspeed, maneuverability, and altitude performance. There are several sub-parameters in each category as well, and by being aware of these, a pilot can use his or her vehicle to its strongest potential. These specs can be compared favorably or unfavorably to other planes' specs on a similar tier while the plane is in the hangar. You can watch the full video after the break.
Meet Civilization Online's four civs
XLGAMES announced its four civilizations from Civilization Online today, although sadly the Mole People were absent from this list. The four civilizations are China (led by Qin Shi Huang), Rome (led by Julius Caesar), Egypt (led by Hatshepsut), and Azteca (let by Montezuma). Civilization Online will be going into closed beta testing within the next few months and is slated to launch in Asia in 2014.
