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The Game Archaeologist: When sequels attack!
Sequels are both the bane of and a fact of life for movies and video games. Well, "bane" is a strong word, and you're probably thinking of Batman right now anyway, but personally, I'm always willing to give the benefit of doubt to any continuation of a favorite franchise. While we don't see sequels pop up as often in MMOs, they do exist and have significant effects upon the original title that bears the same name. It's here that MMOs diverge from movies and other video games. With those, the original is not in any sort of danger, other than the perception of having its legacy dragged down into the muck (Caddyshack II, anyone?) and perhaps overstaying its welcome. An MMO sequel, on the other hand, can cause serious consequences to its ancestor. Here at Game Archaeologist, we look at classic games that have often seen their time come and go. But what happens to one of these titles when a sequel attacks? Almost anything, it turns out.
Aventurine details Darkfall's Primalist role
Aventurine has released a smidgeon of info on the Primalist, one of four new roles in Darkfall Unholy Wars' rebooted character progression system. The Primalist is "the healer and protector of his group and can help turn the tide of any battle with his interventions," according to the company's latest dev blog. The posting lists various Primalist skills that fall under the Life and Law schools, and you can read all about it on the official Darkfall website.
Darkfall adds salvaging, prowess point progression
Aventurine has broken a bit of its silence relating to the Darkfall Unholy Wars reboot. While the FFA PvP sandbox has been in beta for a while now, it's still not in open beta, and thus news of all the changes has been slow to reach fans who are watching from the sidelines. Fear not, though, because it's Tasos Flambouras to the rescue with a pair of forum posts detailing the new game's salvaging and prowess point character progression systems. Salvaging is basically the reverse of the crafting process, and players may salvage crafted equippable gear and broken items which drop from Agon's monsters. Prowess, on the other hand, is gained from all "meaningful interactions" with the game, which includes harvesting, crafting, PvE, and PvP. Skills and attributes are then raised via the prowess system. Aventurine notes that crafting skills are not raised via prowess. "Due to the effect crafting skills have on the economy we felt we should exclude them from the prowess-based system," Flambouras writes. "All crafting skills can be raised by creating items."
Darkfall's fourth anniversary arrives, Unholy Wars doesn't
Several months ago, when the Massively braintrust asked me to pen an anniversary piece for Darkfall, I said, "Sure, that sounds like a great excuse to jump in and see what's changed since I played last." Little did I know that I'd still be stuck looking at Darkfall: Unholy Wars from afar on the game's anniversary date because Aventurine still hasn't gotten around to launching its sandbox reboot just yet. Huge delays are par for the course with this game, and I suppose the latest pales in comparison to the decade-long development cycle and the interminable Forumfall buffoonery that fans of the game suffered through prior to its original 2009 release. And yeah, I could link my old account and my new account and go beta Unholy Wars, but 15 years as an MMO fan has cured me of any impulse to test these games, particularly ones that I'm likely to enjoy post-release. Anyhow, that's a pretty long-winded intro that essentially boils down to "join me after the cut for an anniversary recap of Darkfall's past 12 months."
Darkfall shows off its mad crafting skills
When Darkfall eventually relaunches as Unholy Wars, it's bringing with it a robust crafting system that apparently deserves a preview video set to a stirring theme. The video throws out plenty of tantalizing numbers to demonstrate Darkfall's crafting diversity: 98 different harvestable materials, 17 crafting skills, 12 crafting masteries, 75 unique crafted materials, 410 unique crafting recipes, and 626 unique craftable items. And it ends with a player casually tossing out a fully crafted boat from his inventory for him and his friends to sail. Give the video a look after the jump and let us know: How important is crafting to you in a PvP-centric MMO?
Link your Darkfall and Unholy Wars accounts for discount, beta access
Got questions about linking your old Darkfall account with your spiffy new Darkfall: Unholy Wars account? Aventurine's got answers, and you'll find them in a new customer support video published yesterday on the game's official website. Why would you want to link your accounts? Firstly you'll get the new UW client for half price ($14.95). You'll also get access to beta and the ability to reserve your character's name. You can view the video after the cut.
Ask Massively: Developers, players, and respect
Welcome back to Ask Massively We're pleased you could join us on the deck of the Massively yacht for today's edition. You should really try a mojito. It's the best. In between drinks today, we're talking about respect -- the earned kind, not the given kind. Don't worry; I'm not talking about respect you have for us or even for each other. (We all know that's non-existent.) I'm talking about the respect game studios have (and don't have) for MMO gamers in general.
Darkfall dev diary video details the world of Agon
Darkfall Holy Wars' new world of Agon is front and center in today's developer diary video hosted by World Lead Nikos Kasolos. In it, he describes the intense graphics update that was required to bring Agon to life, including textures, lighting, and even the ability to hide in the shadows now, thanks to a new darkness improvement. As for new content, Agon launches 50 holdings, 30 cities, and 20 hamlets all "built from scratch." You can find out much more about this new update through the six-minute video embedded after the cut.
Some Assembly Required: Six reasons to love sandboxes in 2013
What a difference a year makes, amirite? This time twelve months ago, I was licking the wounds brought on by Star Wars Galaxies' unceremonious and premature departure from the MMO scene. It was bad enough that a profitable title was sacrificed in order to clear a path for one of 2012's biggest disappointments, but it was worse that said title was the premier sandbox in the genre's history. Frankly, the last few years have been abysmal for fans of non-linear MMOs and player-generated content, but thankfully, 2012 righted the ship and gave us more than a bit of hope for 2013.
Darkfall delays beta due to loot-eating bug
When you've repeatedly delayed the launch of the new version of the game, what's there left to do? You know you shouldn't have asked that because now you made the Darkfall beta go back in hiding. It was just waiting for someone foolish enough to ask that question. While Darkfall Unholy Wars' beta was scheduled to begin today, Aventurine decided to hold back on starting it for the time being. What's the hold-up? According to Producer Tasos Flambouras, a nasty bug's floating around that can, well, have an adverse affect on gameplay: "To simply describe the bug in question: It's a persistence bug. Some players, sometimes, will lose all their stuff." The team is attempting to reproduce and eliminate the bug but said that it will go ahead with the beta after a "few hours" whether or not it's found.
Darkfall video offers walkthrough for clan management system
Darkfall: Unholy Wars is one of those games that can be described as best enjoyed with a clan, so clan management is an important topic. In that vein, Darkfall is giving clans a consolidated interface with a variety of features to find, create, and manage clans. Players searching for a clan are given access to information about possible choices such as how much dominion the clan has accrued, leader names, the charter, and how many members are in it. Once you find a match, you can apply directly from the interface. Can't find what you want? Clans can also be created on the spot from this window, as long as the player has 2,000 gold in his or her backpack. Other features available through this interface are an accounting of clan members' PvP kills ranking, and dominion earned for the clan. Leaders also have the ability to grant clan permissions on an individual basis as well as review and accept or decline applicants. There is also a special politics tab that includes a clan kill-on-site list. Take a look at all these details and more in the video after the break. [Thanks to Bartillo for the tip!]
Darkfall Unholy Wars pre-orders available tomorrow
Aventurine has posted a brief update on the state of Darkfall's Unholy Wars reboot. The firm is "currently working on putting together the beta build," and there will also be some beta forums launched on Friday, December 14th. Pre-orders will also be available beginning tomorrow, and they'll set you back $14.95 if you're a former Darkfall customer. If not, you'll need to part with $29.95. In either case, you get automatic beta access and 30 days of free game time when Unholy Wars finally goes live.
Ask Massively: Why isn't this news?
Welcome back to Ask Massively, the part of Massively where you ask us random things, we give you answers, and you yell incomprehensibly at us. natecantbefound asked: Why are you guys reporting this crap [a League of Legends video] when Darkfall has a new video out? Short answer: Perspective.
Aventurine apologizes for Darkfall delay
Darkfall fans have good reason to be disgruntled at the news yesterday that Aventurine announced a major delay in the relaunch of the game. The studio has posted a brief explanation as to why the announcement cut it so close to the anticipated release date. "We want you to know that 55 people fought until the last minute to make that announcement unnecessary," Tasos Flambouras wrote. "This is not a matter of lack of respect towards the community; it's a matter of unfortunate timing." Flambouras apologized, saying that the delay allows his team "to do what's best for the game and for [its] players" and that Aventurine is not using Darkfall's transition onto Steam as an excuse.
Darkfall Unholy Wars delays release and opts for pre-order testing
Darkfall Unholy Wars developer Aventurine is notorious for running a bit long on projects, so it's probably not going to surprise longtime fans that the game is missing its revised release target tomorrow. Developer Tasos Flambouras informed players that the launch will be delayed most likely until January, although a firm date has not yet been established. He also apologizes for the last-minute announcement, citing a need for several different bits of cross-communication before the decision was final. To mollify those who just can't wait to start the game, a beta will be kicking off on December 17th for any pre-order customers. Returning players can pick up the game at the normal subscription price, while new players will still be able to get a discount by ordering. Flambouras promises that all pre-order players will receive a full 30 days of free time when the game goes live, as well as access to the beta during its duration. If it sounds like something you can't wait to jump on, keep your eyes peeled on Friday for purchasing details. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Darkfall Unholy Wars dev diary addresses changes to the clan system
Another Darkfall Unholy Wars dev blog hit the interwebs today, this one focusing on the many changes to the clan system that will be coming with the game's reboot. One of the largest tweaks to the system is in the way that clan ranks will operate. Previously, a player's clan rank (and corresponding clan privileges) was determined by the number of enemy clan members killed. This will no longer be the case in Unholy Wars, which will instead allow clan leaders to set the ranks and privileges of each member, therefore allowing more control over who has the ability to invite new members, access the clan vault, and so on. The old clan rank system will still exist but will be known as military rank and will have no bearing on a player's privileges. In addition, the founder and leader of the clan are no longer tied together, so the clan's creator can easily transfer leadership to another member. Aventurine also wants to "give clans a greater sense of ownership over the world," so the studio is implementing a system that will "link villages to nearby clan holdings." By improving the rewards for village ownership, the team hopes that clans will consolidate their power thus creating more border conflicts as clans attempt to extend their reach. Aventurine realizes that villages "have always been hot-spots for PvP activities," however, so a resource-stealing mechanic is also being added. This will allow any player to steal resource rewards from a clan-controlled village, which means that clans will have to keep close watch over their domain to ensure that they receive all of their rightfully earned resources. For further details, check out the video below.
New Darkfall video previews the Elementalist role
Aventurine has unveiled another teaser video for its Darkfall Unholy Wars reboot. This time we're treated to a look at the Elementalist role, which features the Air School staples of wind and lightning. The clip is narrated by Al Stellakis, who also serves as Darkfall's lead writer. Stellakis has two and a half minutes' worth of class information to disseminate, so click past the cut to get started. Don't forget that you can look forward to downloading Darkfall on Steam in the near future, as the game has been greenlit by Valve's community.
Darkfall Unholy Wars hits Steam Greenlight, debuts shiny new video
Aventurine is making a bid to get Darkfall Unholy Wars on Steam, by way of Steam Greenlight. You can now vote (provided you have a Steam account) for the game to be a part of the ever-growing Steam stable. Because just one blog post a day is for the weak, the Aventurine team also put out a new video, which takes a good look at the Brawler School. Brawlers are part of the Skirmisher role and are equipped with skills to increase their efficiency, sprint speed, leap, evade, and reflexes. If covering dizzying amounts of ground and controlling battle through movement sounds like your thing, you might consider checking out the video. We've included it below the cut because we're just that nice. [Thanks to savvy webizen Bartillo for the tip!]
Newest Darkfall dev blog shows off Unholy Wars' streamlined UI
In any game, a clunky, unintuitive UI can hamper players' ability to enjoy a game. But in a game like Darkfall where mere moments can be the difference between life and death, a bad interface can be a deal-breaker. In the latest dev blog, Coordinating Designer Tork Shaw explained some of the changes coming to Unholy Wars to give the game a fast-paced UI that won't impede combat. The video portion of the blog demonstrated some of the new features, including the new radial menu, which Shaw called "a whole new way to interact with the game." He said, "It allows for much more action-based combat, so players who are familiar with FPS games or action-combat games will be much more at home playing Darkfall." The new UI will allow also players to switch between the different roles, such as from warrior to caster, at will. The dev blog also offers more details on the feat system (which rewards players for acts of bravery, skill, exploration, or development) as well as the new personal and clan currencies. You can read more on these changes in the dev blog and preview the new UI in the video after the break. [Thanks to Bartillo for the tip!]
Darkfall posts a new preview of the Battle-Brand role
You should know your role in Darkfall Unholy Wars. After all, your role determines a lot of what you're capable of doing at any given time, so it's pretty important. The newest development blog on the game gives a preview of one of the updated re-release's new roles for the Warrior, the defensive school known as the Battle-Brand. This is not a role for going out and making people miserable; this is a role for ruining the days of those trying to make you miserable. The Battle-Brand's abilities include two self-buffs to reduce magical damage taken and reflect a portion of damage taken back to the source. It also features Foebringer, an AoE pull for all nearby enemies, and Bandage, a self-healing spell to keep the Warrior up longer. Last but not least is the ultimate ability, Stoic Defense, which makes the Warrior entirely immune to damage for a short time while consuming mana and stamina. Take a look at the role's abilities in action in a preview video just past the cut. [Thanks to bartillo for the tip!]
