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Darkfall Unholy Wars video details the Fire Mage
Fire School is in session! Aventurine has released a new video that shows off the skills of one aspect of Darkfall Unholy Wars' Elementalist role, and casters and and pyros-at-heart will enjoy a look into the Fire Mage. Feel like swimming through a bubbling lake of lava? Cast a self-buff and dive right in! Like to lob flaming balls at others and watch them catch fire? Then Fire Mage is the class for you! Like its name implies, this particular mage uses an arsenal of fiery tricks to best opponents. The class focuses on medium- to long-range combat and incorporates knockbacks and area effects into many of the spells. For a demonstration of Dragonbreath, Magma Bomb, Heat Stroke, and other skills, check out the sizzling video after the break.
New Darkfall dev diary vid talks art direction, Unholy Wars changes
So Darkfall 1.0 has come and gone, as Aventurine has officially closed the servers in preparation for the Unholy Wars reboot. The firm has also released a five-minute dev diary video featuring creative lead Adam Oikonomopoulos, who talks at length about the game's art direction updates and AV's expanded creative vision. The video boasts a bunch of fly-through shots that show off Agon's new textures, higher polygon counts, and improved shaders, many of which are a marked improvement over the originals (that date back to the game's genesis in 2002 in some cases). Oikonomopoulos also mentions that Unholy Wars and the original Darkfall are set "several hundred years apart," which accounts for some of the changes in both the landscape and the game's architecture.
Darkfall Unholy Wars launch pushed back to December 12
Fans who were counting down the days until Darkfall's rebirth as Unholy Wars will have to wait longer than expected. Instead of launching November 20th as planned, the reboot will debut on December 12th. Aventurine producer Tasos Flambouras posted the announcement this morning, citing a combination of external factors, last minute issues, and final testing feedback for the decision. Although the launch date is delayed, the development schedule is not; players will lose access to Darkfall on November 15th when the game goes offline as originally planned. Apologizing to fans for the inconvenience of the postponement, Flambouras committed to using the extra three weeks to improve the release version.%Gallery-139865%
New Darkfall Unholy Wars video demonstrates gameplay in HD
With the launch of Darkfall's brand-spanking-new incarnation Unholy Wars right around the corner, Aventurine has released a short HD gameplay video to show off what players can expect in-game come November 20th. Starting with serene music and players slipping quietly through the water, the video breaks into a burst of battle scenes from various vantage points. Besides showing off a few melee, ranged, and magic combat arts, viewers are also treated to some beautiful environmental graphics. Take a look at it after the break.
Aventurine clarifies concerns about safe areas in Darkfall
If there's one thing that carries across every game in every genre, it's that players excel at abusing systems. With that knowledge in mind, it's only reasonable to expect that certain fans of Darkfall expressed concerns when they were told about the no-PvP "safe zones" that will be part of the game's large-scale revamp to Darkfall Unholy Wars. Aventurine has taken the time to address some of those concerns. It "will not be possible" for people to exploit the border of no-PvP zones by switching in and out of safety as they please, because of the timer that kicks in upon entering and exiting the PvP zone. That timer controls whether or not a player is protected: Players will remain unprotected for a short while upon entering no-PvP zones and will stay protected for a short while upon exiting them. This protection prevents damage both to and from other players. Players will not be able to stay in protected areas to farm materials and skip the excitement of looking over their shoulders for a foe every time they pause to harvest a resource node. Safe zones will have relatively common resource and "next to no rare resources." The rarity and value of resources will go up depending on how dangerous the locale is, so players will have plenty of incentive to move away from safe zones. Get the full word on safe zones and how they're totally not going to be even a bit exploitable at all on the official forums.
Rise and Shiny: Darkfall
I've played Darkfall several times since launch, and each time I've remembered how good the game can be and how bad it sometimes is. Good and bad, I thought it a good idea to record the Darkfall that exists now so that I can compare it to the Darkfall that will be open after an upcoming relaunch, one that promises to change quite a few key features. Will it be a better game? I hope so. Either way, during my week with this free-for-all PvP MMO, I was able to hook up with a newbie-friendly clan relatively quickly but spent most of my time running to the city where the clan took up residence. Same old Darkfall, really, but there were some truly hilarious and truly fun moments all the same.
Darkfall: Unholy Wars turns its sight to the Deadeye
Still having a hard time trying to decide what you're going to roll when Darkfall: Unholy Wars releases next month? Well, here's another candidate for your approval: the Deadeye. The Deadeye is a sub-class in the Skirmisher role that focuses on ranged damage. A trusty bow is all the Deadeye needs to bring the pain to single and multiple targets. Some of the class' skills include an unstoppable arrow, a ranged debuff, a salvage of arrows, an exploding arrow, and a dead-on Trueshot attack. Check out the Deadeye in action after the break!
Rise and Shiny revisit: Dark Age of Camelot
About once a year I like to take a look back at Dark Age of Camelot, the classic PvP MMO by Mythic Entertainment, just to reassure myself that older MMOs are still some of the best around. Dark Age of Camelot comes from that older crop of titles like Asheron's Call and EverQuest, games that still shine despite their age. Of course the next logical question is, "If these games are still so good, why aren't more of us still playing them?" There's an easy answer, really. First of all, we don't spend time sitting around listening to our favorite albums or watching our favorite movies constantly, but we still appreciate them, possibly more than we did when we first found them. Next, all games are finite for us as individuals. There is no MMO that offers endless content if we take away the endless player-made content that comes from roleplay or exploration. No matter how good a game like Dark Age of Camelot was and still is, many of us have already experienced it quite a bit. It's only human to become slightly bored with something we've played with time and again. But once again, I've spent a week in a game that shows it's always a good thing to check back on our favorites. They just might surprise you all over again.
New video shows off the role system of Darkfall Unholy Wars
The large-scale revamp to Darkfall is on the horizon, but players looking forward to Darkfall Unholy Wars have gotten information in drips and drabs regarding how the game will play after the revamp. Luckily for those players, an official development blog has recently been posted detailing the new version's system of roles while showing off a bit of the gameplay in a new video. Every player will choose a role, and will then choose two schools from within that role: one as a primary and one as a secondary. Both schools have four abilities and an Ultimate ability, but the Ultimate is only available from the primary school. The secondary school abilities will also be a bit more restricted in their use. Want to see some of this in action? Then check out the video just past the cut, showing off some of the abilities of the Baresark school from the Warrior role. If you like hitting things with a large weapon, it's your sort of school. [Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Darkfall temporarily goes F2P before Unholy Wars launch
In preparation for Darkfall's upcoming Unholy Wars relaunch, Aventurine is giving all players past and present the chance to play the game entirely free from October 17th through November 15th, when the servers will shut down in anticipation of the relaunch. On November 20th, Darkfall: Unholy Wars aims to redefine what the three-and-a-half-year-old MMO has already done for the genre by rebooting entirely. You can find out more on what this relaunch will mean for the game in our recent interview with Aventurine. [Source: Aventurine press release]%Gallery-139865%
The Daily Grind: Does your MMO need a reboot?
MMO reboots, revamps, and pseudo-sequels seem all the rage these days, from Global Agenda 2 to Darkfall: Unholy Wars to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Sometimes it makes sense to start over and take developed assets and lessons forward to a much improved version. Once in a while, the first launch of an MMO is so disastrous that only by hitting the reset button does the game have a chance for the future. But what about your favorite MMO? Is it in sore need for a massive overhaul or a big reboot? Did it fail to gain a significant audience the first time around? Does it need the push of additional development and media coverage to succeed in its second chance? If so, let us know what you'd recommend developers do if they rebooted your game. How could they feasibly make it much better and perhaps take a slightly different course than what exists today? 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!
Aventurine on Darkfall's new UI, possible payment models, and more
So Darkfall: Unholy Wars is a few weeks away, and we've managed to corral Aventurine for a quick interview on the state of Agon. The development firm has been pretty tight-lipped about its fantasy sandbox reboot in recent months, but as the November 20th launch date draws nearer we're starting to see some new info. Join us after the cut as AV General Manager Tasos Flambouras talks about an updated GUI, possible microtransactions, and more.%Gallery-139865%
Rise and Shiny: Mortal Online
There are so many issues and subjects to cover this week, thanks to the limited time I spent in Mortal Online, a free-for-all PvP sandbox by Star Vault. I've played my share of MMOs that are similar to Mortal Online, games like EVE Online, Darkfall, Ultima Online, Wurm Online, Salem, and others. Essentially the idea is to set players loose in a massive, open world that is closer to "realistic" than standard themepark MMOs. Players might spend time farming or fishing or hunting down other players or mobs. It's generally a good idea to prepare yourself for a lot of running around, hiding, and slowly figuring out what to do when playing a FFA PvP sandbox. Games like Mortal Online provoke questions like "Why is nudity an option at all?" and "Why is there stamina (and other realistic features) alongside magic and no permanent death?" I've learned to forget those questions and just take each specific FFA MMO as it is. Mortal Online stands alone in many ways. Unfortunately, being known as a buggy mess is one of those. I've played many buggy MMOs in my time but have enjoyed myself immensely in some of them (remember, I hosted an early Vanguard: Saga of Heroes podcast!), so I wasn't scared of jumping into an MMO that was supposed to be rough to say the least. What did I find? Well, I found a ton -- and I mean a ton -- of bugs. But I also found a pretty cool community (yes, I just said that) and some grand adventure. Let me break it down. %Gallery-167722%
Aventurine confirms character wipes for Darkfall reboot
Aventurine has finally answered a couple of long-standing questions regarding its Darkfall: Unholy Wars reboot. First off, yes there will be a character wipe and no, you won't be seeing your original Darkfall avatars in the new game. "These are different games and the DFUW character system is incompatible with the old characters. These are two completely different worlds, there is a different skill acquisition system, different skills, different stats, all the way down to the story-line; everything makes them incompatible," explains producer Tasos Flambouras. Interestingly, he mentions that the old characters will be preserved in some fashion, possibly for "Darkfall-related side-projects we are considering." Finally, the Unholy Wars client will be free of charge to everyone who has ever purchased the original game. Read more at the official Darkfall blog.
New Darkfall Unholy Wars screenshots released
With the new incarnation of Darkfall -- dubbed Darkfall Unholy Wars -- launching November 20th, fans have been interested in seeing what changes the game has undergone. Unfortunately, as of yet no real in-game footage has been released. However, to give players a visual taste in stills, Aventurine has released five landscape screenshots of the world of Agon. Check out the new images in the gallery below. Players interested in returning to the game or checking it out for the first time can do so at a discounted sub fee during Darkfall's Ultimate Promotion. The promotion, which also includes increased drop rates and skill gains, ends when Unholy Wars launches.%Gallery-139865% [Aventurine press release]
Darkfall Unholy Wars 'in the final stretch for launch' [Updated]
OK, Darkfall fans. Aventurine has made it officially official. Darkfall 2.0, formerly known as Darkfall 2010, is now known as Darkfall Unholy Wars. It's basically a brand-new game born of the dev team's frustrations with trying to update the original title and realize the full scope of their vision for a PvP-centric fantasy MMO. "We're in the final stretch for launch right now," says AV's Tasos Flambouras. "We're testing the game internally and it's in a very playable state." AV has released a new video interview detailing the new title. The clip runs for approximately six minutes and shows off behind-the-scenes footage as well as a few talking head interview snippets. There's also a glimpse of the new game's GUI, the original version of which was a long-standing thorn in the side of Darkfall fans since the first game's 2009 release. See for yourself after the cut. [Update]: A new AV blog post confirms the Unholy Wars launch date as November 20th.
Why I Play: Mabinogi
How do you define a sandbox MMO? In my opinion, sandbox MMOs are often described in ways that are much more complicated than they deserve. To me, they are simply MMOs that allow players to play how they want by providing systems -- real, game-impacting systems -- that foster unique character growth. These systems can be represented in a lot of different ways, however. You might grow a unique city in an MMORTS or customize an avatar in a social sandbox like Second Life. The general rule is that there are no rules in a sandbox, within the limits of the particular game, of course. Even then, sandbox players can be some of the most stringent rule-makers and followers. Just ask a Darkfall or EVE Online player how to get the most DPS and she'll rattle off a series of rules, essentially providing a class cheat-sheet. In other words, sandboxes are much like their themepark cousins, only with many more choices for character development. The themepark rules might be left out of a sandbox, but the sandbox communities often fill the void with new guidelines. Mabinogi provides so many systems to grow a unique character with that it's ridiculous. I can easily log in and spend an hour just decorating my avatar, crafting goods, exploring new areas, flying around in the hopes of stumbling across trouble, or growing my character by leveling any one of the possible hundreds of skills. However you describe a sandbox, Mabinogi should be one of the first on the list of examples. Let me show you three reasons why.
Why I Play: Glitch
As I began to write this column, it struck me that there are some people who do not actually want to play Glitch by Tiny Speck. I wanted to change the usual title of this column to "Why, of course I play Glitch!" but then I thought about my editors glaring at me from across an email. I guess I should explain my love for Glitch, the type I normally reserve only for certain wonderful titles like RuneScape, Dark Age of Camelot, Mabinogi, Wurm Online, Ryzom, MilMo, or even World of Warcraft years ago. I apologize, but it's a bit hard to explain something that seems so obvious. Some people probably consider Glitch a game for younger players or for players who are not as serious about their digital lifestyle. Why Glitch would not be taken as seriously while a game like Darkfall or (ironically) World of Warcraft is considered a more serious gaming venture is beyond me. But then, I think all gaming is silly... that's why it's wonderful.
The Daily Grind: Should MMOs have something for everyone?
Triple-A MMOs in the days of yore always seemed to have one goal: to be everything to everyone, to provide a little something for every imaginable player and rope in as many people from as many gaming styles as possible. Even if a game wasn't explicitly a sandbox, it still tossed in crafting, dungeoning, exploration, PvP, or zones that blatantly pandered to players of different nationalities. Nowadays we have a lot more choices, and modern games seem more willing to embrace niche design. Star Wars: The Old Republic is story, story, story. The Secret World focuses heavily on puzzle gameplay. Outside of AAA titles, the shift is even more brazen: Glitch eschews combat in favor of economy, while Darkfall features open PvP as the centerpiece of its world. It's not that these games have nothing else; it's only that they do one particular thing really well and aren't necessarily trying to hide it. They wouldn't turn down players with opposing playstyles, but they're not exactly working overtime to lure them in, either. So what do you think? Should MMOs keep aspiring to provide something for everyone, or should they just try to do one thing well? 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!
Darkfall kicks off its ultimate promotion
Whether you're currently playing Darkfall, a former player with interest in the state of the game, or an onlooker curious about the game, today brings you good news. Today is the start of the Darkfall Ultimate Promotion, an event slated to run until the game gets its major version 2.0 upgrade. That means that new players can start off playing the game for just the price of a month's subscription and all players can enjoy the discounted subscription rate of $9.95. The promotion isn't limited to the subscription fees, however; the game has multiplied skill gains by 20 as previously reported. Global loot drops are quadrupled as well, giving players plenty of opportunities for major rewards. If you've got any interest in Darkfall, today is probably the day to go back or head in for the first time, as these benefits will fade as soon as the game launches its major reboot.
