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Landmark Live showcases tool and template upgrades, offers sneak peek of water
As announced in the latest livestream, Landmark's weekly beta update was pushed out until Thursday in order to get new systems ready to deploy into the game. (Sadly, none of them includes water, although players did get a sneak peak of it!) Today, players will be able to utilize the new tool upgrading system, the new detailed template interface, and the claim gallery. The tool upgrade system adds a level of depth to crafting, allowing players to increase the stats of all tools made after the update launches. Unlike the initial craft that has elements of RNG dictating the final product, the upgrade system shows players exactly how the tool will be altered. The template interface provides many more details, including which and how many materials are needed for each build and which props are involved, and even it provides a screenshot for ease of reference. Also utilizing the screenshot feature is the new gallery section of the showcase; in or out of game, players will be able to search and view claims by tag or owner name, see where they are located, and upvote them. If you missed the special sneak peek of the first phase of water (oceans) or you want to hear even more details about the impending update or other tidbits (like upcoming changes to the EQ Worlds app, including Landmark-themed games and exclusive Jeremy Soule music), you can watch the entire livestream below.
Landmark's devs on crafting and item upgrading
SOE Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani and Lead Systems Designer Michael Mann present this week's Landmark roundtable video, this time focusing on one of the more detailed components of the sandbox's crafting system: item upgrading, which beat out reinforcing, imbuing, and refining among roundtable voters as the system most worthy of prioritization. Mann explains that item upgrading is intended to reduce the demoralizing effects of RNG; eventually, all crafted items will be created as green-quality items that are upgrade-able depending on player skill and statted according to player direction via relics. Dariani and Mann also hint that Landmark and EverQuest Next will share the same crafting-related back-end systems and that Landmark's crafting will ultimately "flavor" the crafting system in EQN. The full roundtable video is below.
ArcheAge boasts 120 class combinations
Forget MMOs that have a petty eight, 16, or even 23 classes; ArcheAge is strutting about with 120 builds thanks to its mix-and-match class structure. In a new developer diary and video, the team talks about the way classes are set up in the game as well as the crafting options at the player's disposal. Players construct their class by picking three skillsets at levels 1, 5, and 10, with the option to respec for a fee. Skillsets can be leveled up independently, allowing players to invest in far more than three of them, and those skillsets have certain synergies between them. The 10 skillsets in the game are Archery, Auramancy, Battlerage, Defense, Occultism, Shadowplay, Songcraft, Sorcery, Vitalism, and Witchcraft. ArcheAge wants you to know that you have the option to level to the cap entirely through crafting professions if desired. The 21 professions are leveled through a slowly regenerating resource called Labor, and eventually they hit a hard cap until the player chooses a handful for specializations. You can watch the dev video walk you through the intricacies of classes and crafting after the break!
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best economy?
I'm an incurable trader and merchant, maybe even more than I'm a crafter, so I'm forever droning on about the good ol' days in long-gone sandboxes where players, not raid bosses, delivered all the objects used in the world. Making stuff is great, and lots of MMOs, even themeparks, have that, but I also I like setting up shops, trading on auction halls, finding great deals, and knowing just when to buy low to sell high, which isn't always the type of creative PvP gameplay that modern MMORPGs enable, let alone embrace. But you can't trade in long-gone sandboxes, either, so today I want to tap the collective wisdom of the Massively readers: Which MMO has the most vibrant crafting and trading economy, right now, in a legally playable and living MMO? Specifically, where's the best MMO to truly be a player merchant? 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!
Trion hosting ArcheAge combat and crafting livestream tonight
If you're an ArcheAge fan and you're not in Trion's alpha, you'll want to set aside 45 minutes starting tonight at 7:00 p.m. EDT to watch the latest dev livestream hosted by producer Victoria Voss and community guru Evan Berman. The duo will examine ArcheAge's combat classes and crafting skills live on Twitch. Trion also announced its first official AA competition which takes the form of a caption contest. The prize is a spot in the sandpark's alpha, and you've got until April 23rd to work on your entry. [Thanks WNxArcticwolf!]
Tamriel Infinium: Seriously, you should craft in Elder Scrolls Online
I've come to the conclusion that Elder Scrolls Online is not a game you want run through quickly. If you fly past each town just running from quest marker to quest marker, you'll miss some of the most important things the game has to offer and burn-out comes that much faster. In the first day, we had a player reach max level in less than 18 hours. Of course, some players cry "exploit," but for me, that's not really the point. I would feel I was missing something if I rushed to the end. And because I didn't rush to the end, I can try out some parts of Elder Scrolls Online that I would not even think about trying in any other MMO, like crafting. I have a long-standing angst toward crafting in MMOs. I played Ultima Online, but I didn't really craft in that game. I didn't start to understand the importance of crafting until I played Star Wars Galaxies. As we know, crafting was central to the success of that game. But after ZeniMax announced that an auction house would not exist in ESO, I wrote off crafting as unimportant and ultimately a waste of my time. Then late in beta, a friend of mine crafted a set of armor for me. I was surprised. The armor she made was better than my looted armor. I had to find out more. I put this little primer together for those who want to get started making their own weapons and armor.
Fallen Earth nodes to get less 'willy-nilly'
Tired of node placement refusing to make a lick of common sense in Fallen Earth? There's a dev for that. Fallen Earth's new state of the game post for April has a word or two to say about how the team is moving around gathering nodes to fit the environment better. "What this will look like is an increase in hand-placed nodes that reflect the setting and environment better and fewer nodes scattered willy-nilly," said Producer Marie Croall. The post also talks about new armor suits and cosmetic gear recipes that are coming soon as part of the rewards for controlling the Outpost.
Diablo III's 2.0.4 patch makes resplendent treasure feel more resplendent
Blizzard has patched Diablo III to version 2.0.4 in the Americas. There are a decent number of class tweaks in the patch as well as an adjustment to the drop of unique legendary crafting materials. They've been "significantly increased," if you're wondering. There are a few itemization changes, too, including an adjustment to to treasure drops from resplendent chests. "The treasure from Resplendent Chests has been improved to feel more resplendent," Blizzard says.
Massively's Elder Scrolls Online launch diary: Day five - The (early) verdict
Is it Friday already? Huh. This launch week has gone by fast, which I guess is a good sign for ZeniMax since time flies when you're having fun. My fifth day in Elder Scrolls Online was a bit more subdued than the previous four. I'm currently floating around Glenumbra between levels 12 and 13, waiting on my healer and tanker friends to catch up so that we can run Spindleclutch, also known as ESO's first proper Daggerfall Covenant PvE dungeon. There are numerous public crypts available for exploration and pillage prior, but Spindleclutch is the first big-boy boss-based four-man. But I didn't feel like pugging it last night, so instead I started crafting.
Elder Scrolls Online's crafting is as easy or complex as you want it to be
Elder Scrolls Online's crafting was designed for all types of players in mind, ZeniMax posted in an article today. In the piece, the studio gave an overview of the system along with several helpful tips for newbie crafters. "We want you to be able to get something out of crafting even if you aren't making it your character's focus," the studio said. "And, conversely, if you want to invest a lot of time and effort, we want the rewards to be worthwhile." ZeniMax designed Provisioning for casual crafters, Enchanting and Alchemy for mid-core crafters, and Smithing for hardcore crafters. Players can choose as few or many of these to pursue as they wish, but the studio said that there will still be "interesting choices" while players are picking traits and doing the actual crafting. There are several more tips and facts in this article, including the confirmation of "secret crafting stations" hidden in the game that can bestow powerful bonuses.
Final Fantasy XIV shows off crafting and gathering improvements for 2.2
Final Fantasy XIV's second major patch is bringing plenty of things for people to fight and kill. But what about players who would rather gather and craft? They haven't been forgotten in the slightest. The latest development blog shows off what the Disciples of the Hand and Disciples of the Land are getting up to, starting with the inclusion of new crafting stations for housing. Crafters below level 40 can earn bonus CP from these stations, making it that much easier to produce high-quality items as you level. A plethora of new crafting recipes have also been added, including new crafting books that the most experienced crafters will be able to decipher and use. New main-hand tools will also be available in exchange for crafted goods and gathered materials, while gatherers will have access to new resources. Fishers aren't left out, either -- there's new sea life to be caught, fish so rare and unexpected that they were thought to be only legend. So if you don't want to start the next patch off with some fighting, you can take the time and just craft your days away.
Pokemon's Honedge brought to life
The folks behind the Man at Arms video series and makers of replica weaponry from games and films are at it again, this time with a Pokemon look-alike. The latest Man at Arms video shows the creation of the Pokemon Honedge, a new creature introduced in Pokemon X and Y that resembles a sword with a blue cloth attached to its hilt. While the Man at Arms crew chopped together a fine approximation of the creature (complete with a rather sharp blade, as seen in the ending demonstration), they did leave out Honedge's ornate sheath. Not that we'll be the ones telling them about the minor detail. They make swords, after all, so we'd hate to critique them. Led by master swordsmith Tony Swatton, Man at Arms' past work includes the energy sword from the Halo series, the God of War series' Blade of Chaos as well as swords from Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. [Image: Man at Arms]
The Elder Scrolls Online answers community crafting questions
The Elder Scrolls Online wants crafting to be a major part of your experience in the game. The latest set of answers to community questions makes this very clear, outright stating that the vast majority of crafted gear is meant to be superior to found equipment. Yes, certain items from the world might have unique boosts that you can't craft, but even those items can be upgraded and improved by dedicated crafters. Dedication is a key consideration: Since your pool of skill points is the same for both battle skills and crafting skills, choosing to advance your crafting abilities will potentially mean passing on more combat-oriented techniques. Other topics under discussion are the finding and use of style books as well as how set bonuses and crafted sets are designed in the game. Check out the full list of answers if you can't wait to make your mark in Tamriel by making things.
New Albion Online dev video details classless system
In Albion Online, you are what you wear, and a new developer video delves into exactly how that works. The multi-platform fantasy game touts a classless system in which players' equipped gear determines their role, putting the power to create traditional roles or experiment with new ones in the hands of the players themselves. And the number of possible armor and weapon combinations is limited only by the number of items in the game. The type of equipment is not the only form of customization in this system, either. Player-crafted spells are added to each piece of gear, further personalizing the individual items that make up each player-concocted set. Check out an early demonstration of the spellcrafting and hear more about the classless system in the video below. [Source: Sandbox Interactive press release]
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Free for All: Villagers and Heroes adds bells, whistles, and more sand
Villagers and Heroes is a favorite of mine, but let's be honest: The game looks old. When talking to Damon Slye, President of Mad Otter Games, I found that many people agree. According to Slye, it's one of the most frequent concerns he hears from potential new players. The engine that the game currently uses is old and needs to be upgraded big time. And that's just what the developers are doing with this large patch and expansion that should be due in early March. I sat down with Slye, Associate Designer Cameron England, Head Writer Sarah Skibinski, and Head Artist Adam Alexander to discuss just how different the game will be once the patch goes live. I was given access to a test account loaded up on gear, cash, and other goodies. Even though I found my backpacks full, I mainly wanted to look around the game and explore. Fortunately, the difference between the original client and the new one is literally night and day.
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MMObility: A newbie's look at the fantastic Therian Saga
I'm tired today. I was up too late playing The Therian Saga, a new browser-based MMO by Studio Virtys. It's a seemingly simple game and might even appear to be easier than it is, but I have found these last several hours of play to be more immersive and satisfying than much of what I have played over the last several months. Essentially, the game is an in-depth representational game, meaning that most of the time you will spend your time giving commands and watching -- or waiting for long periods -- for the commands to work out. Think of the gameplay sort of like Words With Friends with some real-time combat. No, you won't be spelling against your enemies, but the pace is definitely casual with optional, faster combat.
TUG lead dev explains why crafting is 'vital to your survival'
TUG lead designer John Bearden has published the first in a series of dev blogs focused on the crowdfunded sandbox title. This first go-round focuses on crafting, which Bearden says is "vital to your survival." He goes on to detail the dev team's thinking in terms of designing the full system, and even shares some early mockups. Bearden also explains why TUG's crafting UI is minimalistic compared to some of its MMO predecessors. "We never wanted to have a full UI system for the crafting process. From the beginning, we have always wanted to keep it very natural and intuitive for the player," he explains. "Early crafting should capture the feel of a scavenger or early explorer gathering items and sorting them in a natural workspace for assembly." Nerd Kingdom is also featured in a new interview/video diary that you can view after the break.
Field Journal: Picking up the pieces of Fallen Earth
I was introduced to Fallen Earth way back in the mists of time, around when I first started reading Massively. It was one of the earliest Choose My Adventures, and I was so impressed that I made my own account and joined in on the fun part of the way through. My character even made a few cameos in the column later on. I have a lot of fond memories of the game, and a significant part of that is due to the crafting system. There are some really good ideas in there, even if the execution has always been a bit flawed. Despite those flaws, I wouldn't trade my early days with the game for anything. Well, other than a better version of the same game.
The Elder Scroll Online showcases crafting in new blacksmithing video
Fans wanting to get a taste of crafting in The Elder Scrolls Online can watch a new dev play session video that highlights blacksmithing while describing crafting as a whole. In ESO, crafters will control not only the the type of materials an item is made out of and its level but its innate properties and look as well. Regardless of profession, all players can pick up any kind of resource in the world; however, only crafters who spend points in the skill Keen Eye will see the materials highlighted. Additionally, raw materials can be salvaged from loot and other items. Crafting is also tied into exploration in more ways than just gathering. Instead of having to travel to cities in order to create goods, crafters have specific locales throughout the world that allow them to make special set items with bonuses unique to each locale. And in order to put specific traits on an item, a crafter must have already learned said trait by studying (read: destroying) other items with it. Check out all the details in the video below.
Epic Space Online presents space without borders
Let us introduce you to Epic Space Online, an MMO so epic, it says so right in the title. This indie game was developed by the Alpha Company and is currently available, although it's trying to get voted into the Steam Greenlight program for wider recognition and distribution. Epic Space Online takes place in a single shared, procedurally generated universe without any borders. Players can vie over territory, mine ore, deploy stations, make ships, trade goods, and even command giant carriers staffed by other players. The devs have promised weekly updates and features to keep things lively. You can check out the trailer after the break.
