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World of Warcraft's lead content designer on the future of the game and the franchise
World of Warcraft has had a tumultuous time. The past three years have seen the game shed about five million players, but it still counts 7.6 million subscribers, far more than its closest competitor. And the most recent expansion announcement has certainly generated plenty of interest. But lead content designer Corey Stockton explained in a recent interview that the game still has more places to go. He mentions exploring the recent trends toward user-generated content and procedural content to allow more variety at the top levels, something to ameliorate how quickly players consume the elaborately designed dungeons and raids of the game. Stockton doesn't see that sort of content ever replacing the core of the game, of course, but he does note that there's a persistent issue with new content not coming out as fast as players can go through it. He goes on to explain that the developers would like to have a new expansion out every year, certainly at a faster rate than the team's previous content releases, and that the current goal is to work several expansions ahead rather than focusing on the immediate future. For more details and talk about the potential for Warcraft IV, take a look at the full interview.
Report: Some Assassin's Creed 4 single-player content gated by Uplay passport
Those that pick up a brand new copy of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will notice that the game comes with a Uplay Passport, Ubisoft's version of an online pass. While the passport typically grants access to online sections in the game, in the case of Assassin's Creed 4 it also unlocks small pieces of social content. Game Informer reports that the online pass locks away the game's fleet management system, in which players add vessels they board in the game to their fleet and send the ships out on missions to earn additional money. Players with second-hand copies of the game that don't plunk down $10 for a Uplay Passport are unable to manage their fleet, and since real-life friends are able to provide assistance to fleets, the management system is not an offline-only aspect of the game, even though it falls into the single-player campaign. We've contacted Ubisoft for comment on the game's Passport and will update as we learn more.
Star Trek Online highlights its latest featured episode in a new trailer
Star Trek Online players have had to wait a little while for the next featured episode, but the wait is finally over. A new video is available to show off the start of the next episode, Sphere of Influence. It all starts on New Romulus as the Republic tries to activate a newly discovered Iconian gateway... a project that leads to a massive earthquake, trapping the players and others underground with no avenue of escape. Except, you know, the mysterious gateway that could lead almost anywhere. What follows next is less clear, but it involves players taking the controls of an ancient starship and joining up with both Klingons and the Federation to fight off some new opponents. It's the sort of exploration, danger, and adventure that you'd expect from a featured episode, in short. We have the video embedded for you past the cut.
Today's Guild Wars 2 update summons the Tower of Nightmares
Guild Wars 2's third content update of the month is set to release right on schedule today as the Tower of Nightmares hits Tyria. Players will join up with NPCs Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade to investigate the newest threat to Kessex Hills: the toxic krait and their powerful new ally. In addition to this new questing content, this update will also introduce rewards such as the Antitoxin Spray, a universal healing skill that cleanses players and nearby allies of poison, toxins, and other nasty effects. You can find more information on the update, including screenshots, desktop wallpaper, and a video, at the official site and our own previous coverage. [Source: Arenanet press release]
The Soapbox: What's my motivation?
If you play MMOs, odds are good that you're familiar with the classic "kill ten rats" quest trope. Kill quests are one of the most fundamental elements of traditional MMORPG design, and a great deal of modern and classic MMOs would have little to no content without them. Whether it's ten rats, ten wolves, ten bandits, or ten dragons, the basic gist of the quest is always the same: You, the seasoned adventurer, must eliminate animals or enemies for an NPC who for one reason or another cannot handle the task himself. MMOs are built on combat. It's difficult to design a full-featured MMO that engages players for years on end without some sort of PvE killing content; only a handful of MMOs have even attempted it. And while some would say the days of the kill quest are coming to an end, modern MMOs certainly aren't cutting back on killing in general. As a primary mechanic for advancing a character, slaying seems to be the most popular design choice. I don't have a problem with the bulk of my progression coming from throwing fireballs or bashing shields. I don't mind obliterating monsters in multiples of five. What I do mind, however, is being asked to kill without a good reason.
How will we take our content?
I do a podcast from time to time about World of Warcraft, and as a result I tend to talk about the game, instead of just play it or even writing about it. One of the conversations I've had about the game that I've never really sat down and explored is this - Mists of Pandaria has seemed like a gigantic experiment in terms of how we receive our content. From the original Golden Lotus daily questing hub, which in turn unlocked the Shado-Pan and August Celestials, to patch 5.1's daily quests that unlocked regular, one-off quests that further advanced the story, to patch 5.2's progression on the Throne of Thunder unlocked unique solo scenarios. Patch 5.3 brought us no dailies at all, but a short series of quests that led to an unlockable weekly quest that was, frankly, one of my favorite ways to get the Lesser Charm of Good Fortune in the numbers needed for my weekly raiding. Now in patch 5.4 we've lost dailies (the Golden Lotus have been pared back to a few in the west of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, now the Vale of Eternal Sorrows) and we've gained a content hub which is mostly about exploration and good old fashioned grinding in the Timeless Isle. Over the course of this expansion we've seen all sorts of delivery systems for content - scenarios, heroic scenarios, flex raiding - and we've even seen some complaints from players about older, tried and true systems like five man dungeons not getting the emphasis people might want. And this leads me to wonder what we've got in store for us down the road. How will the next expansion present itself to us? I expect there will be the usual leveling quests, they work pretty well overall and there's room for flexibility in their design, but what will the max level content look like?
What's the least fun you ever had for rewards?
Let's face it - we do stuff in game to get stuff in game. It's in our greedy little natures. So it isn't surprising to hear that players will do things they don't enjoy if they believe the reward is sufficient to warrant it, but it still has interesting things to say about us as players. Ghostcrawler tweeted the following and it got us thinking. @Baeloro1481 In fact the opposite can also be true: if we're not careful, players will engage in unfun things just for the power rewards. - Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) September 16, 2013 For myself I'd have to admit this is true - as just one example, I really didn't like the Isle of Quel'danas when it first came out (on my server at the time the area was extremely crowded) but my tauren needed a good shield and the expertise neck for his tank set. I didn't need the expertise proc, however, so I had to switch from Scryers (which I was exalted with) to Aldor (which I was not) at the same time I was also grinding Shattered Sun reputation to exalted. It was, frankly, agonizingly painful for me, but I did it. The best part was, of course I eventually got a better neck. But there was no way I was going to grind Scryers back up to exalted by that point, and so he remained exalted with the Aldor. So this leads to the question - what about you? Have you done something you didn't want to do or didn't enjoy purely for the reward at the end of the rainbow? Was it worth it? Or, like me, did you end up with a sour taste in your mouth (and a whole lot of trouble remembering which base in Shadowmoon Valley was safe to land in)?
A look at the current endgame for Blade & Soul
If you're looking forward to playing Blade & Soul when it finally comes to this side of the pond, you probably want to know what to expect from the endgame mechanics. Fortunately for you, the game has just released its newest endgame dungeon, and a preview is available of the final boss fight within that dungeon as well as the process for gaining and powering up loot from bosses. Which is... ornate, for lack of a better term. The short version is that everyone present for the kill gets a loot box containing a weapon. You can either pay money to ensure that the weapon is right for your class, or you can buy an ordinary key and take your chances. Once you've gotten the right weapon (with the right stats) after however many trips, you can start leveling it up... but in order to really advance it, you'll need to get two more weapons and level those up. Take a look at the full preview for details on boss mechanics and the weapon upgrade process. [Thanks to Steparu for the tip!]
Netflix releases trailer for Ricky Gervais' Derek, streaming begins September 12th
A few more of these, and it won't even be news. Netflix is going hard into the original content business, and judging by the outstanding results with House of Cards, we're guessing that it'll be aiming for similar results with a different demographic here. Derek, described as something of a comedy / drama mishmash, is fronted by the affable Ricky Gervais. The show actually aired as Dramedy over on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, so while it's not exactly a Netflix original, it's getting "original treatment." Per usual, the entire season will be available to stream at once on September 12th (overwhelming, we know), and if you're looking to decide just how much time you should set aside, the trailer is embedded after the break.
Lord of the Rings Online answers 20 questions about Big Battles
As Lord of the Rings Online's storyline moves to Helm's Deep, the designers faced a problem. None of the game's existing models for content really fit the scale of the battle, and it just didn't feel right to have a large-scale war shoehorned in to skirmishes or raids. As a result, the team put together a new sort of content, tentatively named Big Battles, and has answered 20 questions about how this new format will play. Players will be able to participate in the content solo or in several group sizes, with each experience tailored for the specific group size rather than simply scaling health values for enemies. Rather than focusing on specific boss encounters, players are going to be part of a larger tactical environment, working toward a large objective instead of pursuing small ones independently. As this style will be replacing traditional instance progression, veteran Lord of the Rings Online players will want to take a close look at what the system entails and how they can work within it.
Vietnam decree prevents social media posts from linking to outside news reports
Unfortunately, decrees such as the one just approved in Vietnam are seemingly becoming more common, not less. Similar outcries were voiced after both Iran and Belarus laid down draconian laws about how their citizens were to interact with the internet, and now Vietnam is being shelled by residents and outsiders alike for a new decree that essentially bars the sharing of outside news. The specific verbiage states that "personal electronic sites" (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) "are only allowed to put [sic] news owned by that person." In other words, sharing of information from "press organizations or government websites" is now outlawed, as is the act of providing "general information" on profiles and blogs. Exact punishments are apparently still being drafted, but whatever arises, you can bet that the Vietnamese government is going to take a huge amount of flack for crossing this line.
Some Assembly Required: Want a real living story? Try a sandbox!
I'm going to criticize Guild Wars 2 this week, or more accurately, ArenaNet. I know, I know. I might as well change the name of this column to How to Alienate Friends, Co-workers, and Commenters. As a qualifier, I don't play Guild Wars 2. I have in the past, briefly, but my criticisms today are mostly directed at ANet's marketing folks or whoever is responsible for the Living Story refrain that gets sillier and sillier every time I hear it.
MechWarrior Online discusses the state of the game and the road to launch
MechWarrior Online has already gone into open beta with a functional cash shop, but the game still isn't officially launching until September. So how's the road to launch looking so far? According to creative developer Bryan Ekman, it's going quite well. Despite summer traditionally being one of the slowest times for games like MWO, the community has been strong and growing. The development team is also thrilled that response to the game's first charity drive was immensely positive, with Sarah's 'Mech raising over $40,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society on the first day of release. So what comes next? According to Ekman, the development is currently split into two teams, one focused upon major features and the other on content. A revamped UI and the Community Warfare system are the two biggest elements for the feature team, while a new map, Terra Therma, is set to debut next week. Third-person mode is also in testing for those who prefer to see their multi-ton death machines from the outside. Players would be well-served to look at the full letter for more dispatches about the game's future as September creeps closer.
Champions Online previews upcoming Carrier Wave mission
Champions Online's heroes were instrumental in stopping an attempted hacking, but they're needed again once the source of the hacking attempt is discovered. The second mission in the game's current Fatal Error arc will be available on Thursday, and it sends players straight to the source: Cyberlord's carrier in Canada. Players are tasked with getting on the ship and stopping Cyberlord before he tries again, since that's much easier than just stopping his hacking attempts every single time for another few years. Needless to say, the mission will involve bashing through robots on the decks down to the core of the ship, with new perks and titles available for anyone who defeats enough robots. Players can also earn new Cybernetic Boots for taking part in the operation to prevent another hack attack. For more information on in-game action figures obtainable through this mission, take a look at the official preview, and be sure to finish the first part of the arc before the second comes out tomorrow.
The Mog Log: The mandatory early dungeons of Final Fantasy XIV
You're going to be exploring at least three dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV no matter what, possibly more. Progression in the main story requires a trip through Sastasha Seagrot, the Tam-Tara Deepcroft, and Copperbell Mines. While I've talked a great deal about the ethics of including this grouping experience, what I haven't really discussed are the actual dungeons themselves, even though that's certainly a big deal. Let's be honest here: If this stuff isn't fun, all of the talk about the validity of forced grouping is kind of pointless. Even if you can, there are times when you shouldn't. Fortunately for the long-term viability of these dungeons, all three have more than just nice loot (which is apparently shared between them); they also offer a fun ride through regardless. So as you could probably infer from all of the text up to this point, let's take a gander at the first three dungeons in the game and the ones we know for a fact you have to clear right off.
Support your candidate in Guild Wars 2's Cutthroat Politics
It's election time in Tyria, and the most important part of political discourse has already gripped fans of Guild Wars 2, as social media lights up with threads supporting one candidate and denigrating the other. But this election will not be won on the basis of whether Ellen Kiel or Evon Gnashblade get more upvotes on Reddit; it will come down to which candidate gets more adventurers to vote in-game. And as it turns out, there are a lot of ways to make sure your vote counts again and again. Players will receive one Support Token automatically and can acquire more through dungeons, PvP, and several special bits of content directly tied to the event, including the new Candidate Trials. Turning in a Support Token for one candidate or the other rewards you with a Representation Button, which counts toward several achievements. So get out there to be counted and vote for your preferred candidate with good old-fashioned adventuring.
The Daily Grind: What do you do when you're out of content for a game?
I've subscribed to Star Wars: The Old Republic since launch, but right at this moment I'm running a little low on things to do. I've got almost every class story completed; my high-level characters have explored all the content I care about. There are still a few more things here and there, but the newest patch can't come soon enough. And that raises the question of what you do when you just don't have as much to do any longer. Some people switch to exclusively roleplaying. Some people farm. Some people log in to chat with guildmates, and some just don't log in any more at all. What about you? What do you do when you're out of content for a game? Do you want to explore all the content first, or do you just explore the bits that interest you and then decide you've seen enough? And when that happens, does it mean it's time for a break or time for you to leave? 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!
Apple reportedly pitching ad skipping technology to cable companies
Tim Stevens, forever known as a bearded legend and a dignified gentleman in the realm of Engadget, once placed a small sum of money into a charity bet with Gene Munster. At question, as you'll likely surmise, was whether or not Apple would reinvent television before the end of the year. The outfit's CEO has since upgraded the Apple TV from a hobby to an "area of intense interest," and it seems that discussions are indeed in the works. Jessica Lessin, formerly of Wall Street Journal fame, has been known to break an Apple story or two, and she's recently published a report that puts Apple and cable companies at the table to discuss the premise of ad skipping. Simply put, Apple wants to offer consumers the ability to watch live and on-demand programming "over an Apple set-top box or TV" at a premium, with ads being skipped over and ISPs receiving a slice of the money. That money, of course, would seemingly have to trickle down to the companies who are getting (potentially) shafted when it comes to air time, but details surrounding that notion seem to be unclear. Of course, one could say that folks are already addicted to skipping ads, and if Apple's crafting an idea to make anything from a phenomenon that's already happening... well, you could certainly imagine one or two executives having a listen.
Todd Harris confirms no more development on Tribes: Ascend
If you've been a fan of Tribes: Ascend, we hope you're happy with the current state of the game -- or that you like SMITE just as much. In response to a user inquiry, Hi-Rez Studios head Todd Harris announced that there are no major updates planned for the game within the next six months. The studio's current resources are devoted first to SMITE, then to Global Agenda 2, and beyond that a full-on sequel to Tribes: Ascend is more likely than a major content patch. While Harris goes on to mention that there are additional maps being worked on, he states there is no definite date for release, if indeed these maps are ever released. While support for servers and the existing game is not in question, the long-term health of the community without further content is questionable. And with no developers working on a sequel, even that seems rather unlikely at this point.
Take a tour through the new daily hub of Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Czerka Corporation in Star Wars: The Old Republic isn't evil, just amoral and motivated by ill-considered greed. And sometimes, yes, that does mean that a facility goes completely rogue and outside help needs to be called in to try and salvage the situation. That's what happened on CZ-198, and if you're wondering what sort of daily tasks will be necessary to retake the facility, you can take a gander at the full rundown of the daily quests for the zone right now. The zone has four daily quests as well as a weekly component that includes both of the new flashpoints run on any difficulty. If the promise of earning credits isn't enough to get you into the daily routine, you've also got the requisite selection of rewards, including two new sets of adaptive armor and a new customization for HK-51. Even when its facilities get overrun and require large-scale intervention by paramilitary strike teams, Czerka Corporation makes your life better.
