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Latest Defiance patch gives weapons an overhaul
It's been about a month since Trion delivered the most recent Defiance state-of-the-game address, which promised a number of sweeping improvements throughout the game. Players can now see the first step of those improvements on the live servers in the form of patch 1.105, which was released today. This particular patch is all about shooting things and, more specifically, the weaponry players use to do so. In a nutshell, the new patch has reworked the stats of all new weapons in the game, meaning that players should no longer find weapons with useless bonuses (like melee bonuses on a sniper rifle, for instance), and rarer weapons will be universally better than their lower-quality counterparts. The official dev blog goes into all sorts of detail that we couldn't possibly squeeze into the remainder of this paragraph, so any curious Ark Hunters should head over that way.
League of Legends aims for harmony with new Team Builder feature
MOBA golden child League of Legends has long been renowned for its incredibly hardcore community, which can make matters unpleasant for newer players and for those looking to learn a new character or try a new strategy. The folks at Riot Games are aware of this and are looking to do something about it. That "something" just happens to be making its way to LoL's PBE (Public Beta Environment) in the near future, and it's called the Team Builder. Riot's Lead Social Systems Designer, Jeffrey "Riot Lyte" Lin, stopped by the forums today to drop some knowledge on this upcoming feature. Essentially, the Team Builder allows players to designate their preferred playstyle and strategy, and then the system attempts to match up those with similar mindsets. This saves players the trouble of wondering who's going to play which role, who will be in which lane, and what the team's overall strategy will be, hopefully resulting in a much more harmonious gameplay experience. On top of that, the Team Builder will also include a "smarter matchmaking system that can dynamically account for your experience with a given role, position or champion," so players looking to change up their playstyle need not be afraid of invoking the ire of their teammates as they learn. For all the nitty gritty details on the Team Builder, check out the full post over at the League of Legends forums.
Hearthstone dev diary sets its sights on Rexxar the Hunter
Blizzard's latest entry into the money-printing franchise that is World of Warcraft, collectible card game Hearthstone, is currently chugging along through the closed beta stage of development, and many fans are clamoring for more information as the game nears launch. Well today you're in luck, especially if the animal-loving Hunter is your class of choice, because the devs have just released a new dev diary detailing Hearthstone's playable Hunter character, the legendary Rexxar. The dev diary dedicates the first half of its entry to the lore of Rexxar the beastmaster, a half-orc, half-ogre from Outland's Blade's Edge Mountains who eventually found himself in Azeroth becoming staunch allies with the Horde warchief Thrall. But let's be real here: We all want to know how he plays. Not to worry, the devs have that covered too. Rexxar's mechanics echo the playstyle of World of Warcraft's Hunter class. He has plenty of tricks and traps available to him, including classics such as Snake Trap and Misdirection. With his longbow in hand, Rexxar unleashes a barrage of ranged attacks while standing safely behind an army of his animal companions, making him a veritable force of nature on the battlefield. For more on Rexxar, click on through the link below.
New Repopulation dev blog gets down and dirty with harvesting details
You may remember that earlier this month, the folks behind upcoming sci-fi sandbox The Repopulation released a dev-blog that detailed part of the game's resource-gathering system which involved the ever-so-charming extraction of precious resources from your enemies' still-warm corpses. Thanks to the game's newest dev blog, we're now able to get some insight on the other half of the resource-gathering experience: harvesting. While extraction involves pilfering goodies from dead baddies, harvesting is the more uh... humane method of gathering resources from nodes such as ore deposits, trees, and so forth. Harvesting resources from a single node works in the same way as extracting resources from a corpse does, but harvestable resources are also available from rarely occurring resource clusters. These clusters "contain a larger stash of a single resource and [have] a better chance of yielding higher quality results." Up to four players can place a harvester at any given cluster, which will run dry after 2-4 hours, at which point the players can return to the cluster and pick up their share of the goods. This system, the diary mentions, encourages players to gather in groups or share the wealth with their hired help. If you can't wait to get your hands dirty and rob nature of her delicious bounty, you can find out all the details over at the game's official site.
Defiance dev blog covers common issues and cheater voyeurism
Defiance executive producer Nathan Richardsson is getting serious today in a very serious blog post uploaded very seriously to the official site, a post that discusses fixes already made and promises even more fixes for some of the problems that have plagued the game since launch. MMO launches typically go about as smooth as a rhino's hindquarters, but it's always good to hear official word that the team is aware and working on the problems. According to the post, the "big team" is working overtime addressing issues like PC server woes, general game server crashes, Xbox problems, and PlayStation 3 client patches. In happier news, the team promises that hackers and cheaters are being taken very, you know, seriously. The blog even admits that some cheaters are allowed to linger in the game for a while so the team can "enjoy" watching the scum. The team is also looking into the Case of the Disappearing Items, although it is admittedly a tough nut to crack. Future blog posts, Richardsson says, will cover player feedback on many of the issues since launch.
Final Fantasy XIV developer blog reveals chocobo-barding-in-progress
Today's Final Fantasy XIV developer blog is a bit on the light side, but it does provide us with a sneak-peek at the in-game model for some chocobo barding that producer Naoki Yoshida had teased in a previous Producer's Letter Live. The concept art was revealed in a batch of screenshots and artwork back in October, but now, thanks to the wily Fernehalwes, we have a shot of the barding model in progress (see above). Fernehalwes notes that the armor "appears to be lacking textures" while pointing out that "those horns have an uncanny resemblance to the ones found on a certain legendary beast... in a recent Final Fantasy XIV trailer." Gee, whom could he possibly be talking about?
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.
EVE Online maps out 2013 balance changes
With changes to Retribution ships scheduled to land in EVE Online on December 4th, the dev team is already casting its sights to 2013 for additional tweaks to other tiers of ships. In a new dev blog, CCP lays out its detailed plans for ship balancing come the new year. According to the team, battlecruisers are next in line for adjustments, followed by battleships. While the devs have a lot of changes in mind for the former, they're largely happy with the state of the latter and plan only small shifts in their current role. The post includes a handy chart which shows how all of the tech 1 ships will relate to each other when these changes are finalized. The post also elaborates on new skill requirements when all of this is said and done, as well as eventual plans to tackle tier 2 and 3 ships.
City of Steam offers players barrels of fun before beta
Primitive human beings didn't understand many things. They didn't understand quantum physics or literary theory or fine French cooking. But they did understand one important thing: Somewhere in the world, there were barrels and crates, and smashing those barrels and crates would yield items and riches. It's that primordial instinct that the development team behind City of Steam has tapped into, and with the devs' newest development blog about the joy of smashing barrels, they're inviting you to indulge it. You see, aside from just talking about the game approaching its closed beta testing phase, this particular developer journal contains an old gem from early internal testing: a minigame built specifically to allow the team to test barrel destruction effects. And wouldn't you know that you can now play with that same tool yourself in your browser? Go ahead and read for updates on development, but stay to wipe out a room full of barrels with an exploding barrel.
Glitch status report discusses the impending relaunch
Once upon a time, there was a game called Glitch. This game launched, and it made several people very happy, but it made its designers sad because it didn't feel ready for launch. So the designers called backsies on launch and took the game back to beta for more development and refinement. It's been nine months since then, and according to the latest developer update, the game is almost up to the point it should have been during its first launch... but not quite. The blog post explains that there were three core things that the design team wanted in the game before the official relaunch: a better introduction for new players, imagination and upgrades as a core advancement system, and a better land and housing system. While those features are in place, they've just brought on new challenges for the designers and new updates that need to be added. The overall takeaway is that if you're not playing now, you will be able to soon, as the game is almost as the designers want it, and then we can all live happily ever after.
Lord of the Rings Online dev diary discusses 'reincarnation' of PvMP
Today's Lord of the Rings Online dev diary begins by stating that "over the course of LotRO's lifetime, the Ettenmoors has been updated several times." It continues, "this is not one of those times. This is a new beginning; this is a reincarnation." Those are some bold words, so what about this new incarnation of the Ettenmoors is so revolutionary? Well, a number of things, according to the dev diary. The team is not looking for a "mystical silver bullet that magically makes everything better" but instead is looking at three primary areas to revamp. First, the team is taking a look at the many keeps, outposts, and the Delving. The current model rewards players for flipping control points to their faction's control, but there's no incentive to continue to hold them, so the studio aims to "shift the model to instead provide large benefits for having and keeping locations." Secondly, Turbine is analyzing Creep traits and skills for "usefulness, potency, and acquisition costs. Finally, all Creep classes will be receiving new skills and "an overall balance adjustment on... damage and healing" to ensure they are balanced with the Free Peoples. The full dev blog is far too in-depth to post the whole thing here, but if you're interested in the nitty-gritty of all the PvMP changes coming with Riders of Rohan, head on over to the full post.
Champions Online dev diary details Power Armor review process
After seeing a certain summer superhero film, some people may have been overwhelmed by the urge to fly around in an awesome high-tech armor suit that makes things go boom. Unfortunately, we can't all be Tony Stark, but Cryptic is here to help with a detailed post on the recent additions to Champions Online's Power Armor powerset. The post outlines the entire process behind designing and implementing the myriad improvements while highlighting some of the new abilities being brought to the table. The process begins with the gathering of community feedback, after which the developers sit down and hash out ideas based on power designer Matt Danuser's "vision for the set, including any new power or mechanic fixes... it needs." Then the designers, artists, and programmers kick into high gear by implementing the powers in the game, creating graphics for them, and making sure that there are no glaring imbalances in the mechanics. Then it's off to the public test shard for more community feedback. For Danuser's full blog on the subject, head on over to the Champions Online official site.
New Firefall dev blog discusses raising the skill ceiling
The other day we talked about Red 5 Studios' new development philosophy for its upcoming MMOFPS, Firefall, and its decision to take things in a direction that's more focused on player skill than levels or gear. Today, the studio has released a new dev diary that expounds on this philosophy by discussing how it plans to make the game "approachable and exciting to players of all skill levels," while ensuring that it remains rewarding to the truly hardcore. The post begins by taking a look at the game's core combat, which contains "a number of weapons and abilities that are lower-twitch and lower-skill," such as beam weapons, AoE abilities, and splash damage. The post goes on to discuss a number of potential solutions to these problems, such as changing the high-splash-damage plasma cannon into a gun that deals lower splash damage, but with devastating direct-hit damage. It's an interesting read for players who are looking for a bit more skill-based gameplay in their MMOs, and Firefall fans in general would do well to go check out the full post on the game's official site.
EVE Online overhauls factional warfare for cleaner systems and bigger consequences
Factional warfare isn't a part of EVE Online you hear about very often, and according to the latest design blog, that's partly because the system itself was a mess. The developers are hard at work overhauling the warfare system so that it will be easier to understand, will be more intuitive to use, and will have more substantial bonuses and penalties for factions actively participating in the war. The usability changes are small but significant, mostly centering around consolidating the system's important details under a unified naming schematic. Turnaround time for system control is being lengthened to roughly 30 hours, but the penalties for enemy factions are also becoming more severe. Enemy factions cannot dock at stations in occupied systems, and the faction in control will be able to spend Loyalty Points to gain special upgrades so long as the system is controlled. If you like going to war in your internet spaceship but aren't really a fan of the wild frontier devoid of security, it might be worth taking a look at the newest design entry.
ArenaNet focuses on community in latest dev blog
If you're reading Massively, we assume you're a player or fan of MMORPGs, but everyone has different reasons for playing. Some play for hardcore raiding progression, some play for role-playing, and some play just to wind down and relax, but there's one thread that ties all of these things together: community. After all, what's an MMORPG without the MMO? ArenaNet is well aware of this, and the studio has just released a new blog outlining its approach toward community-building with Guild Wars 2. Some may be surprised to hear that ArenaNet will be offering official forums for GW2. Some may be even more surprised to hear that the studio will not be offering "traditional fansite support." But don't panic! This isn't the death of community, it's the evolution thereof. ArenaNet realizes that "gaming and community management have evolved over the last six years," so the studio plans to change right along with it. When you consider the fact that the GW2 community spans multiple separate communities, such as fansites, forums, social networking sites, and outlandishly fabulous sites such as Massively itself, it should come as no surprise that the studio is aiming to bring these players together. The final goal, according to the blog, "is to create an environment that is respectful, welcoming, inclusive, and friendly." We're sure more details on the studio's community plan will be unearthed as the game approaches launch, but until then, ArenaNet is asking the community to be proactive by bringing community projects to its attention so that the studio can "[highlight] them for the broader community." So get to work, Guild Wars fans, and help to build a community that makes ANet proud.
Pathfinder Online goes time-traveling in latest dev blog
According to the venerable Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, time is an illusion, and lunchtime doubly so. MMO time is perhaps even more illusory, and that's the exact topic of today's Pathfinder Online dev diary. It's always tricky deciding on the ratio of real-world to in-game time. On the one hand, if time moves too quickly, it can be immersion-breaking; on the other hand, if time moves too slowly, it can lend a sense of stagnance, especially if other gameplay mechanics rely on the day/night cycle (such as mobs that only come out at night). In light of this, Goblinworks has decided on a 4:1 game-to-earth-time ratio. This means that four in-game minutes will pass in the span of one real-world minute, one in-game day will pass in the span of six real-world hours, and so forth. This will also influence the rate of travel within the game. The team is operating under the assumption that the average human moves at three miles per hour. In-game hexes are about three-quarters of a mile from edge-to-edge, which means that it would take a real person about 15 minutes to traverse one hex. When you take into account the game's chronological dilation, though, the same journey will take an in-game character less than four minutes (assuming he can travel in a straight line), which the team says passes a basic "sanity test when considering the travel times required to cross the zones in other MMOs." The full dev blog is chock-full of even more information than we can cram into this article, including details on how different variables (such as mounts, magic, and difficult terrain) will affect travel time and the perceived scale of the world, so if you're in the mood to have your brain addled by MMO chronomancy, head on over and give it a read.
EVE Online's latest devblog is on a big bunch of little updates
Little things can make a big difference. That's the topic of the newest EVE Online developer blog by CCP karkur, which covers all of the little changes coming to the game's UI with the next point release. None of the updates is a matter of life or death, but each little change is meant to help improve the quality of life for players in little ways, leading to a better overall experience in the game. And who doesn't want that? Among the more immediate changes are several additions to quickbar functionality as well as proper menus for the quickbar. There's also a revised blueprint folder, the ability to see at a glance what market stops are along your plotted route, a character display as you type an in-game mail... you get the idea. These aren't tools that will make it easier to undercut other players or blow up opposing ships; these are tools that make each step along that path just a little bit easier. It makes a big difference in the long run.
Lord of the Rings Online offering PvMP players some Commendation
Lord of the Rings Online has always had an interesting system of PvP, with players facing off against a specially designated group of players in the guise of monsters. It's also a system that's historically had some problems, ones that the developers are hoping to alleviate the new Commendation system coming with Update 6. While it won't fix everything, the new system outlined in today's developer diary should ensure that players will be able to focus their PvMP efforts toward PvMP rewards, making rewards more straightforward without forcing players into PvE to advance. The diary explains how Destiny, the previously intended PvMP currency, wound up being bloated and failed to serve its proper purpose. Commendations will be hard-capped at 100,000, and spending this currency will allow players to advance Creeps and acquire new equipment. The preliminary numbers are also included with the diary, with the understanding that there will be some tweaking after the system goes live. While players might be a bit miffed at having to use their Destiny quickly before it goes away, the new reward system will hopefully make advancing via PvMP far more viable.
MechWarrior Online fights with knowledge as well as lasers
In any combat situation it is key to be as well-informed as possible: to know where your enemy is (hopefully not right behind you), what resources you have on hand (dual Twinkies), what you're up against (spouse aggro), and so on. The makers of the upcoming MechWarrior Online have devoted their second dev blog to the importance of information -- or as they put it, "knowledge is power!" To aid with information warfare, the designers will provide to players a key tool called a BattleGrid, which will function like a pumped-up interactive map during in-game conflicts. Through the BattleGrid, players will be able to get a good idea of what's going on in the field quickly and what orders are coming through for the attack. The blog post also mentions the concept of "modules" that allow pilots to customize their 'Mechs, and it gives a brief overview of the line-of-sight targeting system and how players can work together to share battlefield information as well as how they can confuse the enemy. Hiding and seeking in the game will require a good combination of both detection and "spoofing" modules to keep your team alive while exposing the opposite one. [Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]
Yifan Lu jailbreaks Kindle Touch, uses a special MP3 file to do so (video)
We've seen a fair share of Kindle Jailbreaks over the past few years, but Yifan Lu's (evidently the first) for the Kindle Touch is certainly novel in its approach. As The Digital Reader points out, a sizeable chunk of the Touch's software is essentially a string of pseudo HTML5 and JavaScript webpages -- differentiating it from Kindles prior -- which led Lu to notice an exploit rooted in its browser. It's there where he found a function titled nativeBridge.dbgCmd(), which'll run any ol' shell command as root. Armed with that knowledge, Lu crafted the jailbreak by cramming his payload of HTML and JavaScript into the ID3 tags of an easily downloadable MP3 file. There isn't much to be gained from "playing" that MP3 just yet, but Lu's looking forward to developers using the tools needed to write programs for the device. Full details about the jailbreak can be found at source link below, but before you head off, you can catch the video proof after the break.
