darkfall

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  • DarkFall's expansion set to launch today

    by 
    Rubi Bayer
    Rubi Bayer
    12.03.2009

    We've been hearing quite a bit about niche MMO Darkfall lately, including a clever marketing strategy (depending on your point of view), and an upcoming expansion. The expansion, titled "Conquer the Seas" will go live today, after a few brief delays. A developer post on November 18th set the expansion for "late next week", but a week or so of delay is almost certainly worth it for a bit of extra polish on the expansion. This is the largest patch that Adventurine has ever released, and more ambitious projects are certainly more subject to bumps along the way. Today's developer post says "We're getting ready with the expansion as we speak," and notes that the EU servers will be down for the patch and could possibly be down for 24 hours. The NA1 server will remain up during that time, then experience brief downtime for its own patch. Developer Tasos emphasizes that EU players will be reimbursed for their downtime.

  • Darkfall's newest expansion to release next week

    by 
    Eliot Lefebvre
    Eliot Lefebvre
    11.19.2009

    Darkfall is among the most specialized niche titles available now, but like many niche titles it fills a void that just can't be simulated anywhere else. That void might be confined to a certain frequently-reviled but very vocal sort of player, but it's still there. And if the promise of bonuses for recruiting new meat for the grinder wasn't enticing enough, fans of the game have even more to be happy about now -- the game's next free expansion is slated to release late next week according to an official developer post. Conquer the Seas was originally slated to be released a bit sooner, but as developer Tasos explains, the expansion contains a larger number of bug fixes and minor updates than they had originally intended. It's a good sign that Aventurine is willing to take the extra time for development to produce something better in the end, and Darkfall players certainly should enjoy the new update. If you don't play the game... well, did we mention that any friends you have that do play can get some extra cash if you sign up? Just try not to read too much into the look of glee on their face at the time.

  • Sell Darkfall to your friends, get paid and get more n00bs to shank

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    11.18.2009

    You ever wish that you could get paid for recommending games to your friends? Well, if you're a Darkfall fan with an active subscription, now you can with the Darkfall Community Publishing Program.How does this new program work, you ask? Simple, my awkwardly insultingly named hardcore PvP friend! Go over to the Darkfall community forums (AKA, ForumFall), read the instructions, and sign up using the NA or EU server links. They'll give you a special link to the Darkfall store that will give you credit when a game is sold.For each game client sold, you'll make 20% of the sale in commission. Right now, as the Darkfall box is still going for 50 dollars, so that means you'll get 10 dollars every time you sell a copy of Darkfall. High selling users will be offered better commission rates and may be invited to work with the Darkfall publishing team.Is this anything new? Well, it is if you haven't seen EVE Online's affiliate program. However, it is certainly a smart use of the very passionate and eager Darkfall fan base.

  • Spouse Aggro explores Darkfall's self-imposed limitations

    by 
    Rubi Bayer
    Rubi Bayer
    11.10.2009

    Beau Turkey from Spouse Aggro took a look at Darkfall yesterday, a game he checked out earlier this year, and had an interesting perspective on the game and how it's painted itself into a corner with regards to its player base. "[...]the game really deserves more praise than it gets. It is fantastic looking, is very immersive and so far the developers have proven that updates will be frequent enough and great.", says Beau. So what's the problem? Whether it's a problem or not really depends on your perspective. Beau explores the combination of open PvP, hefty system requirements, and no ongoing free trial period and how they combine to aim toward a very specific target audience: young, male, and aggressively PvP-centered. What this means is that Darkfall is unlikely to enjoy the huge player base that WoW or similar games like EVE Online do. As Beau points out, EVE Online is similar in several ways, but gives players the option to get away from PvP areas/turn the graphics down and still enjoy them/use a free trial, which potentially opens the game up to many more paying customers. The entire post can be read over at Spouse Aggro.

  • Darkfall gets its own analog of EVE University: Newborn on Agon

    by 
    James Egan
    James Egan
    10.30.2009

    The settings of Darkfall and EVE Online are worlds apart, but there is some common ground between the titles. PvP combat permeates both sandbox games, and given a potentially hostile environment when starting out, it's always good to have a helping hand. EVE Online players have training corps like EVE University to show them the ropes in what can sometimes be a brutal game. Darkfall now has an analog of EVE University called "NEW" which Syncaine recently pointed out on his blog, Hardcore Casual. NEW is short for "Newborn on Agon", a North American server clan that provides training in most any facet of the game for those willing to learn. Although Darkfall can be harsh to newer players, NEW provides a (comparatively) safe environment where players can spend 30 days learning what interests them, or developing the skills to succeed in the game once it's time to move on. The clan is politically neutral and owns the city of Hammerdale, contributing to NEW's potential to become a haven for new players. Also, some of Darkfall's major alliances support the idea of NEW which could be beneficial in the long run. It's great to see things like this happen in sandbox MMOs, and hopefully Darkfall will continue to see its players establish lasting institutions in the game.

  • The Daily Grind: What's your favorite indie MMO?

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    10.09.2009

    There's never enough credit given to the indie MMO developers. These are the teams that usually put it all on the line with the hope of making a darn good MMO for people to play in. They don't have the budgets that the big teams do, and sometimes they don't have the graphics, but what they always have is the soul and innovation to put out their title.So today's Daily Grind is dedicated to the independent teams out there. And, in honor of them, we ask you what your favorite indie MMO is. You've got lots of choices, from Love to Face of Mankind to Neocron to Fallen Earth to Ryzom to Istaria to Darkfall to A Tale in the Desert to many others. We could keep going, but you'd probably get bored of us naming off all of these games.So tell us of your favorite indie MMO! For good measure, tell us some stories about your indie MMO of choice! Go go go!

  • Aion gets reviewed: Let the drama begin?

    by 
    Brooke Pilley
    Brooke Pilley
    09.25.2009

    If there's anything that gets MMO fanboys and trolls engaged in a cacophony of epic proportions, it's an official review followed by a score. Oh, and +1 drama if it comes from Eurogamer after that whole Darkfall / Ed Zitron hullabaloo. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer recently reviewed Aion based on his open beta experiences, giving it a 7/10 or 'Good' score. It's not as controversial as a 2/10 or "it has no soul," that's for sure!Oli basically sums up his Aion experience with a string of key-presses: "2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 2, 3, 4, 5." We guess he didn't figure out how to make a one-button macro to simplify things even more! Actually, many players are saying this same criticism can be applied to almost all MMOs.In terms of pros, he found the world beautiful and polished but in terms of cons it was quite grindy and the focus on PvPvE might not appeal to everyone. It seems we're experiencing a bit of an MMO conundrum since World of Warcraft gained such international popularity: Make an MMO too similar and you're dismissed as derivative; Make it too different and you're not mainstream enough to be accepted. One wonders when the paradigm will shift and MMOs will be judged by their own merits; or at least compared to a new benchmark.

  • Darkfall balances game in preparation for October expansion

    by 
    James Egan
    James Egan
    09.04.2009

    The most recent patch deployed earlier this week in Darkfall lays the foundation for the PvP-centric MMO's October expansion. Darkfall's developer Aventurine has revamped the game's magic spells, with faster advancement in spell schools, reduced mana and ingredient costs, but reduced area of effect damage done with magic. They didn't stop there though. There's a shopping list of changes made to crafting, AI, and the user interface. The patch introduced a number of new weapons to the game, chiefly one-handed clubs and elemental bows. But the patch also sets the stage for Aventurine's future plans with naval combat. The changes seem aimed at making ships more vulnerable to damage while also making (most of) them cheaper to produce. Have a look at Darkfall's September 2nd patch notes for more on the changes Aventurine has made to the game.

  • Massively gets the low down on Dawntide

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    08.25.2009

    The last we spoke of Dawntide, the new sandbox MMO from Danish developer Working As Intended, we were covering the start of their closed beta application process. Information is still scarce on the title, or, should we say information was scarce!We got the chance to sit down with Christian Hummeluhr, Dawntide's producer, and drill him for info on the upcoming game. From races to world size and from combat to skills, we got a lot of useful information about the game that you're sure to be interested in. Especially if you're a fan of Ultima Online.So come on and follow us after the break, and learn more about what Working As Intended has in store!

  • The Daily Grind: FPS 'mah MMO?

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    08.21.2009

    Combat systems are always an integral part of games, as they provide the main source of conflict and challenge for most players. Lately, however, we've been seeing a change in how our MMOs handle combat. Traditional systems have always been based on click targeting and skill usage, but a number of MMOs have opted to utilize new technology and integrate aiming and elements of first-person shooters into their systems. PlanetSide has been one of the first (as it's built to be a first-person shooter MMO, obviously) but other games like Darkfall, Face of Mankind, Hellgate: London, Huxley, APB, and others have embraced the aiming concept. Our question to you today is what do you think of this shift? Do you like having to aim in your games, as it presents a new level of skill-based gameplay, or does the aiming just not work for you, as lag and other factors can give some players a hefty disadvantage? Take your thoughts, pull them out of your head, smash them against your keyboards, and let them land on our webby page. We're used to these sort of things.

  • Redefining MMOs: Pesky Persistence

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    08.14.2009

    Here in Redefining MMOs we've been over terminology, working with lore, the place of soloing in our online games, players acting as developers, and attempting to get away from the carbon copy feel of the genre. With all of that in mind, where could we possibly head to next? Well, how about dealing with persistence?One persistent world holding thousands of players simultaneously, a world that continues even when you log off. That was the dream, wasn't it? Having an insane number of players all occupying the same game space? Having you and 100 of your closest friends (or perhaps enemies) battling it out over loot, bosses, pvp, and anything else the game had to offer? Persistence has long been one of the central aspects of the MMO genre, where "one continuous world" rules over all. So is persistence what defines an MMO or is it not that clear cut? Perhaps persistence is nothing more than a pesky piece of unpleasant pie and maybe we shouldn't define our genre by it as we do now.In this issue of Redefining MMOs, I'm going to tackle the thorny issue of persistence, from its definition down to what we perceive the word to mean. I'm also going to include a discussion on two very different games -- 1 vs. 100 and Chromehounds -- and put both to the MMO persistence test. Then, as the article all comes together, I'm going to tackle the biggest question of them all: "Does persistence matter?" If you have an opinion on this week's subject, feel free to leave a comment on page 3 or even write your own "Redefining MMOs" blog post and leave a comment with the URL.

  • Skill-based MMOs: Passive vs. active gain

    by 
    Brooke Pilley
    Brooke Pilley
    08.13.2009

    There are two main progression models in MMOs: Level-based and skill-based. In level-based MMOs, you kill things and complete tasks to earn experience. This experience leads to new levels and the new levels generally lead to newer and more powerful skills. In skill-based MMOs, it isn't you who "levels up," but your skills. The more you use a particular skill (e.g., swimming, shield-blocking, axe-slashing, etc.) the better that skill becomes. At a basic level, both models are just different interpretations of the "experience point" system.While traditional, level-based MMOs don't usually allow you to earn XP while logged off, some skill-based systems do. EVE Online, for example, has a passive skill-leveling system, where players choose a queue of various skills that level up in real-time whether they are logged in or out. On the other hand, Darkfall uses an active skill-leveling system. The more you slash with a one-handed sword, the better your skill with one-handed swords becomes. If you switch to a two-handed hammer, you won't be as good until you start using it more.Syncaine has started an interesting discussion on his blog about the pros and cons of passive versus active skill gain in MMOs. While the original article favours one over the other, the comments really show both sides of the argument.

  • The Daze of Darkfall epilogue: The Siege of Andruk

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    08.10.2009

    So I thought I was done with my whole "month long investigation of Darkfall." Best way to end out the series was to include some PvP being lead by Wardragon Drow (*gasp*, a last name, and I'll get to that in a second) and then close it off there.Well, sadly, Darkfall had one more surprise left for me. Or, should I say, the Blackrock Clan had one more surprise for me. A siege.A complete accident lead me to logging on during the first contestation of our city, the orc themed Andruk. A siege stone had finally been dropped, sides were quickly formed, and our first war was on. No more drills, no more pathetic defense attempts -- this one was for real. We liked our city and we were not interested in losing it.But with the siege came a conundrum. If I report the siege, it will be pretty obvious who I've joined up with. It doesn't take a genius to look at all of the sieges and come up with, "Which one was at an orc city?" So, as this is truly the last article in the Daze of Darkfall series -- the one where I get to participate in what many say is the capstone of the Darkfall experience -- I think it's time to drop the worries and be specific. This is my view of the Battle of Andruk that took place between the Blackrock Clan and the Brotherhood of the Spider.

  • The Daze of Darkfall epilogue: The Siege of Andruk pt. 2

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    08.10.2009

    The keep, the keep! "Fall back to the keep! Fall back to the keep!" called General Zodd Drow over Ventrilo. The outer walls were abandoned as everyone began rushing back to the keep to make a stand. While this would normally sound like suicide, as we'd leave our citystone undefended, we had placed the keep perfectly next to the stone. From there, people on the roof of the keep could easily fire downwards and destroy anyone who would come close to the stone, while the stairs inside served as the world's best choke point. Think 300, only with less spartans, more lolz, and inside of a keep. From there our most armored men began to hold the steps while I stayed up top, picking off people's mounts and keeping casters at bay with my bow. We had an impressive grouping of archers and spellcasters, all doing their part to keep people below at bay or injured as they entered the keep. Meanwhile, in the keep, the enemy losses accelerated while our losses dropped. Fighting was packed into close quarters with shields and one-handed weaponry becoming the focus. I peeked my head down to see what was going on and only found chaos. Attempting to shoot a bow in all of that was more dangerous than good, so I found myself back up top firing downwards. Then, oddly, people began spilling out. Enemies began to retreat, firing one last wave of spells as they left. Our forces ran out after them, chasing for the moment as they left our city. Everyone relaxed on Ventrilo, happy over our win for the time being. The second assault -- not as interesting as the first Sinister relayed a message to us -- "We don't like to retreat." I'd feel that way too if I had just gotten halted inside of a keep and I was paid lots of money by a clan to make sure they won the battle. Plus then there's that whole reputation thing... eh... yeah, I'd be angry. Half an hour later, they came again. There was one hour left in the battle as they came up the hill, and we were better prepared for what they had to offer this time. We also had a plan -- do the same thing we did before, but now in complete unison instead of panic. They rounded the walls and started in on the wall towers, but we held faster this time around than last time. The force seemed smaller to me, but I couldn't truly tell with all of the insanity going on. When the walls looked too overrun, we moved back inside the keep again, doing what we did before. It worked a second time, and perhaps even better than the first. The attackers backed out of the keep, fearing a repeat, and began to stick to the towers. That was, until, our forces rushed the towers. It was a bit silly to watch from my archery perch above. Three of our people ran in, then 10 of theirs would all rush out the other side. I filed it under, "things that made me laugh and shake my head." Soon enough, they were driven back for the second time. It was at this point that our generals got word from Sinister that they wished to thank us for the challenge and the fun battle. The other clans stayed silent, for the time being. There was still 45 minutes left in the challenge, and we still remained prepared. Finally, the clock slowly rode down. Our guards began to loosen up and joke -- more talking over Ventrilo and silly conversation. Then, as the clock hit zero and the game displayed "DRAW" in huge letters on our screens, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Air guitars were played (you can type /air_guitar to make your avatar play the electric guitar, yay anachronism) and congratulations were swapped over Ventrilo. The siege was done. One final look back I sat atop the keep for a while more as everyone disappeared, talking with some of the others about writing this up as a final feature for Massively on my time in Darkfall. I was trying to get a handle on the whole moment, as it came so unexpectedly, and I was still trying to decide if I liked it or not. The siege felt like a giant game of deathmatch, not really a siege. It felt uneven at times, as when I got caught in a fire AoE I almost died via that one spell. It felt fun, of course, as everyone dodged around and was being assaulted on all sides. There wasn't any lag or hangups, save for a few spikes here and there. The game performed to expectations regarding performance, but I'm just not sure how I felt. I didn't stand up and cheer, I didn't feel awe struck. I felt successful, but I didn't feel like a winner. It's hard to explain, so I don't think I will attempt it. I will simply leave the question, "Is it fun?" to you, the readers, as I have in the last column. It's not my place to tell you what you enjoy, and I don't think I'm about to start now. As for me... I owe Kend Drow some warbanding, so if you see Seraphina Azureveil, have the decency to wave before shooting an arrow through my heart.Update: Apparently, Scarce Xrul has uploaded parts of the siege in his YouTube video, convincing his friends to join Darkfall. You want to watch exactly what happened? Well, now you can, and in HD!

  • The Daze of Darkfall week 4: The terror of Agon pt. 2

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    08.07.2009

    The second hamlet: Wherein we learn that fire is hotWe rode onwards to our next target when suddenly a fireball roared towards Wardragon, barely missing him. The next hamlet had already seen us, and a fire mage was casting spells from atop the main keep. We rode onwards, splitting up our formation to avoid the incoming fire (literally.)Once again, we quickly cleared the hamlet of everyone, except the fire mage, and three of our men started to clean out their quarry and their farm. The other three of us played an annoying game of cat and mouse with the fire mage who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, keeping his interest while we cleaned them out and put their stuff into the bank.Once again successful, we jumped on our mounts and rode towards the sea. The last hamlet was on an island out from the mainland, so we reached the beach and jumped off of our mounts to swim across. It was here that our trailing 6th man reported that he was being followed by the people from the last hamlet. They were apparently angry, and concerned about the security of their shit.Wardragon noticed a smaller, desolate island on the map that was close to us, and we used that ground to make our stand. Initially we had counted 6 men in the force... then that was 8 men... then it was 12 men. Arrows were being flung from all sides as we darted between broken buildings. I peeked out from around a corner only to catch a sword to my chest from... Pluto Nash?Hamlets one and two had teamed up to end our reign of theft and tyrrany -- combining their forces to out-man ours. I danced around on the beach for a while with Pluto, who was now wearing a very nice sword and a full set of banded armor, jumping and parrying his blows while I asked for help over Ventrilo. Wardragon came to my aid, but it was too late. With one last slash I fell over onto the ground while Wardragon picked up where I left off.The end of an eraWhile I lay on the ground, coughing up blood, I thought back on all of the things I had seen and done in Darkfall. All of the harvesting, and then more of the harvesting, and then all of that time grinding PvE mobs, then more harvesting, then killing newbies, then more harvesting, then admiring my city, then AFKing on the bloodwall, AFKing on the bloodwall, AFKing on the bloodwall...Dying here was actually more fun than most of the things I had done in Darkfall. There was more action in one 30 minute stretch than my entire playing experience, and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that. Plus, as I lay there dying, I was about to lose most of the work that I had done during those long stretches of playtime. Darkfall is an interesting game that varies between an intense grind and a game of cat and mouse. It is competitive and brutal in its nature, where only those with large amounts of time or a willingness to cheat the system prevail. On the flip side, however, when it all comes down to a battle or a clash of forces, Darkfall gets to be quite fun. I guess what remains is a very Machiavellian question -- "Do the ends justify the means?" Is it fun if the culmination of hours of tedious gameplay is an extremely fun sequence? Dear readers, I'm not touching that question with a 30 foot pole. As for that battle, I'm sure you're wondering about the outcome. Did Wardragon and his men win the battle? Or did they die horribly like I did? Well, I don't know much about that, but I can say that I love my new set of banded armor. My compliments to the designer -- Mr. Pluto Nash.

  • The Daze of Darkfall Week 4: The terror of Agon

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    08.07.2009

    It's the last week already? Well that went fast! It seems like only yesterday when I woke up in a daze to find my computer had "Thank you for purchasing Darkfall, n00bcakes!" splashed across its screen. Yet, here we are, four weeks later! My clan's city now looks like a real place of habitation instead of a pile of smashed rubble, combat is starting to become more commonplace than one attack every week, and I'm actually wearing armor instead of being naked most of the time. Amazing how things change over time.This week's events seem to all come down to one sentence: "Are you concerned about the security of your stuff?" (NSFW) You should be concerned, as my clan's warbands were taking what they wanted from cities and hamlets, all with me in tow. What happens when I get exposed to "hardcore PvP?" Well I guess you'll just have to read and find out.

  • The Daze of Darkfall Week 3: Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', yeah pt. 2

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    07.29.2009

    Lucky for me one of my clanmates ran along and saw me, quickly reviving me. I jumped up, put on my polearm, and ran pretty aimlessly into combat. Two polearm swings later, I got shot in midair while jumping. I fell over dead (again) and was ganked this time. Awwww. My game reloaded and I found myself back at the bindstone, but I was in quite a predicament. Remember the bloodwall? Yeah, well, our invaders had killed everyone on there pretty easily, as they were obviously AFK. Well, they too had respawned at the bindstone... and I spawned in the middle of them. You can't clip other people in Darkfall. You can't push them (except with certain weapons) either. I was trapped in a pile of AFK meat, unable to actually get out. "Sera, where are you at, why aren't you defending?" one of my guild leaders asked. I took the moment to explain to him how I was unable to defend as I was stuck in a pile of AFK people. Really, really, stuck. "If I could compare it to another MMO, I'd say it's like PlanetSide's combat crossed with EVE's rules." "I'll be the judge of that," he gruffly responded, as if he didn't believe me. He walked over to the bindstone, found me jumping up and down in the middle of an AFK pile like an idiot, my purple hair barely making it over the heads of the many orks and mahirim (wolf people) and then lowly said over Ventrilo, "Sera's exempt from defense until we get her out..." But not all is bad and stuck in a pile of corpses After things had calmed down and I had been freed from the corpse pile, however, we were attacked three more times. Out of those three times we had won twice -- succeeding in driving the offenders off or killing them all. We were obviously getting better at this stuff, and it provided an interesting experience for someone like myself. To be honest, it feels like a deathmatch, except without guns. The enemies invade and you pelt them with arrows and/or magic. They get close and you pull out two-handed weaponry or a one-handed weapon with a shield. You attempt to gang up on someone and kill them, while they attempt the same. Then, one side gets obviously defeated while the other side quickly overruns. It's all very predictable. If I could compare it to another MMO, I'd say it's like PlanetSide's combat crossed with EVE's rules. Fighting is focused on cities (or bases) where you attack or defend to hold/steal what's there, except losing hurts and there's no fancy recall into combat. PlanetSide is snappy when it comes to combat because that's PlanetSide's focus -- Darkfall focuses on outcomes, like EVE does. Therefore, combat is not snappy in Darkfall, it's a brief experience punctuated with death and loss. I did survive for one of the battles where we won, if that's what you're wondering. I did archery (I like archery) and even got down and dirty with my polearm. I didn't gank anyone, but perhaps I'll get that honor another time. One more week Well, we're winding down. There's only one more week left in The Daze of Darkfall. I can't speak too much on the clan's activities and plans, but I can say this: There will be raids. Lots and lots of raids. Perhaps now I get to see what it's like on the other side of this thing.I know what you're looking for -- week 1 and week 2. Well, look no further than here!

  • The Daze of Darkfall Week 3: Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', yeah

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    07.29.2009

    Hey there avid Darkfall readers! It's week three of The Daze of Darkfall, and that means we only have one week left in our feature! Time sure does fly when you're getting your butt kicked in defense of your city!And that is totally what I did this week! Yes, that's right, it's time for a real look into "hardcore" PvP and raiding! I was out in the PvE sections killing skeletons, I was defending our city against enemy invaders, and I was working with others in harvesting camps.So this is it. This is the cream of the Darkfall crop. This is what people say is the most amazing part of this game. Is it? Will it live up to the hype? Skip along with me after the break, and we'll go through week three, step by step.

  • The Daze of Darkfall week 2: AFK your way to fame and fortune pt. 2

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    07.21.2009

    Battles abound and a city under siegeOut in the wilderness with my clan, we wreaked havoc on newbie towns. Oddly enough, an unarmored newbie weapon carrying player is no match for four people in chain armor wielding crafted weapons. Who would have thought? Also, if you're AFK and auto-harvesting something, you suck at PvP. Just letting you know.In all of this madness, however, my party was lucky enough to stumble upon a person farming herbs. She too was AFK and felt our wrath, but what made this encounter so absolutely hilarious was the presence of a steedgrass on her person. One steedgrass lets you call a mount, so we effectively denied her a mount. Whoops.If that's not painful enough, another one of my colleagues reported that he had killed an AFK newbie, only to find a deed to a cottage on their corpse. He had just stolen a house from someone AFK. A house. I bet you never stole an entire house before.Later on that night though, I got my first real taste of PvP action. One of our members yelled that he spied an incoming force of about 15-20 people to our city, causing everyone to quickly rally. Of course, when I say "rally" I mean everyone stripped their armor and pulled out their staves. (Yes, I too feel as if I live in bizarro world.)As they ran up the side of our city, we began pummeling them with magic missles. I have to admit, the sight was pretty awesome to behold. 25-30 people all casting magic missiles at the enemy as they rode towards us on mounts was pretty fun. I can only imagine what it was like from their perspective, looking up to see this wave of blue bubbles flying at their mounts.Once they reached the city, however, everyone did what they could... while naked... to defend what we had. It wasn't a serious defense, as they didn't have a challenge against us for the city, so many deaths while naked were had. If we had been out somewhere, sure, we would have been wearing armor. But when someone comes in to our city trying to get stuff from our bodies, why give them the pleasure?It's at this point that I'd like to say we drove the enemy away with the stalwart defense of our territory, but it really came down to them getting bored killing naked people. Who can blame them, especially when we killed one or two of their people. We lost nothing (except our pride) but we gained everything (and by everything I mean two sets of armor and weaponry.) What lies in wait for next week? Things are starting to get heated in the clan. The generals want everyone combat ready, including the crafters. Plans are being created, swords are being sharpened, and our evil scowling practice is really coming to fruition. (No one can deny that the evil scowl is absolutely essential in battle.) This week looks like it's going to be a week of blood, and I'll make sure to report all of the lost limbs to you faithful readers next week.No time to go searching? Check out week 1 and week 3 without digging through the category!

  • The Daze of Darkfall week 2: AFK your way to fame and fortune

    by 
    Seraphina Brennan
    Seraphina Brennan
    07.21.2009

    Confused as to why this isn't in Anti-Aliased? Well, "The Daze of Darkfall" month long feature has moved to a new home as a standalone feature! Isn't that grand? Now I can talk about my adventures in Darkfall while still unleashing my biased opinions upon you in Anti-Aliased. It's a win/win situation, if you ask me.So what's in the picture above? Well that's me AFKing my way to hardcore status in Darkfall. All you need is an old college textbook and a comb cleverly placed on your left arrow key and you too can get to max run skill with just a few nights of AFKing! Forget running into walls, this is the future! I like to call it "hardware macroing."But this isn't all, dear readers! I have lots more fun inside of this week's Darkfall report! Come, continue reading and enjoy the insanity of Agon, where AFKing is better than playing and naked is the new armored!