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Champions Online looks back to look forward in January State of the Game
It's a new year, and many game studios are stating their revolutions for the coming months. Cryptic Studios is joining that club with Champions Online's first State of the Game post for 2012. Rob Overmeyer, the game's Executive Producer, takes some time to reminisce on CO's progress throughout 2011, which included the title's jump to a F2P business model as well as a number of content updates. After that little stroll down memory lane, Overmeyer gives players a glimpse of the future as he addresses the features of the game's next major update. These include an entirely overhauled itemization system, a new enhancement system, alerts, and more. For the complete details, click through the link below to Champions Online's January 2012 State of the Game.
Star Wars: The Old Republic highlights upcoming Kaon Under Siege flashpoint
Despite only having launched about a month ago, Star Wars: The Old Republic is already gearing up for its next content update. As BioWare ramps up to release the update, it wants its fans to be getting excited for it as well. In that vein, the studio has released a new video highlighting Kaon Under Siege, one of the new flashpoints in the upcoming patch, The story behind this flashpoint continues the game's current storyline, this time giving players a glimpse at the Tion Hegemony sector of the galaxy. Prior to the flashpoint, the Rakghoul plague has spread across multiple world in the system, killing the lucky and transforming those less fortunate into Rakghouls themselves. A few lucky survivors on the planet of Kaon have managed to hold out against the Rakghoul menace, and of course both the Empire and the Republic wish to rescue these survivors, eradicate the Rakghoul plague, and ultimately negotiate an alliance with the Tion Hegemony. For the full video preview of Kaon Under Siege, just click on past the cut.
Hellgate reveals 2011 stats, hints at 2012 updates
T3Fun has released a few statistics designed to keep Hellgate Global in the public eye. Included in the data are interesting nuggets like the gender breakdown for characters created (60/40 in favor of the guys), the most-played class (Marksman), the least-played class (Guardian), and the class with the highest growth rate in terms of character creation (also the Guardian). We're not exactly sure what that last bit means, but we can tell you that Hellgate's devs have a few new wrinkles planned for 2012 (assuming the world doesn't end in a hail of apocalyptic demon fire first). Among the improvements slated for the new year are "improved services, deeper guild engagement [...] and greater challenges for the most motivated players [via] some of the biggest events yet." Hellgate Global is free-to-play, so there's really nothing stopping you from moseying over to the game's official website and downloading the client. [Source: T3Fun press release]
Star Wars: The Old Republic is keeping a close eye on World of Warcraft
From the interface to the design, many people have commented that there's a certain degree of similarity between Star Wars: The Old Republic and World of Warcraft. So it probably comes as no real surprise to learn that Electronic Arts is studying WoW when it comes to SWtOR's upcoming launch -- but not in the way you might think. The company isn't concerned as much with the mechanical side of the equation, but with the question of what happens post-launch and how to increase player retention. This might not seem like terribly relevant information, but a lot of attention is being paid to the game's content release schedule, the speed at which experienced players will go through new content, and the game's post-launch foci. It also extends to an emphasis on smooth networking code to ensure that players can log in and experience the game quickly rather than having to fight off latency. It's no secret that WoW is influencing other games, but SWtOR seems to be designed with an eye toward more than just gameplay.
Road ahead mapped out for Final Fantasy XI
It seems that Final Fantasy XI's development team is revealing all of its major plans in one large rush -- and what a rush it is. Yesterday saw the unveiling of the team's plans for the anniversary of the game, and today has seen the posting of the roadmap for the game over the next year. Among the biggest and most surprising reveals are the plans for a public test server, a feature that's been long-requested but heretofore unseen in practice. Slated for release between July and September of this year, the test server will mark a change in the version update release cycle as well as the rate of content releases. As for actual content, while no expansions or addons were unveiled, the current plan includes a new battle system dubbed "Voidwatch," which is meant to help breathe life back into older areas of the game. The final level cap increases to 99 are also on the table for the next year, along with several job adjustments, two new battle systems with only preliminary names, and the cryptic but enticing promise of "new adventurer growth elements." Final Fantasy XI fans have a lot to look forward to over the next year, and while the game is getting a bit older, it's got plenty of life left in it.
Lord of the Rings Online releases Update 2
If you've been waiting for the next installment of the epic story behind Lord of the Rings Online, today is your day. Update 2 is now live, containing among other things the beginning of Book 3 for the current story. Along with the revisions to make the preceding Volume II much easier to solo, players who love delving into the game's story and lore will have plenty to be happy about in this update. But there are improvements for the endgame as well. Aside from the previously mentioned removal of radiance, the update features two three-player instances, two six-player instances, a new 12-person raid, and three new scaling skirmishes from the depths of Mirkwood. Add to that the revisions made for monster players, class revisions for Hunters, Burglars, and Minstrels, and a variety of improvements to quality of life, and the most recent Lord of the Rings Online update should bring plenty for everyone. %Gallery-9579%
Star Wars Galaxies puts up producer's notes from Fan Faire
The big showstoppers at Sony Online Entertainment's Fan Faire this year were the presentations on the EverQuest franchise and DC Universe Online, without a doubt. But to neglect Star Wars Galaxies is unfair to the game's long history, as well as to the fact that the game had quite a presentation at the celebrated event. In a recent producer's note, Teesquared shared several photos from the event as well as the notes from the Galactic Gathering panel, outlining everything planned for the game in the not-too-distant future. While the photos are nice for fans who missed it, the notes are the meaty part of the announcement, discussing everything from the next major content update to future event plans. The Witches of Dathomir is the next planned major content push, with repeatable content and a number of new clothing options for players. Big plans are also on the horizon for the Galactic Civil War, including invasions in space with capital ships and integration for player-created cities. It looks to be an interesting ride for the future of Star Wars Galaxies, so players are advised to take a look at the full notes for a hint of what's coming.
