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Shocking revelations in the newest City of Heroes developer diary
It's fair to say that Going Rogue is going to be a fairly big shock to the system of City of Heroes -- especially if the control-oriented archetypes have anything to say about it. The fourth powerset included with the expansion, Electrical Control, hasn't gotten quite as much press time as Kinetic Melee, Dual Pistols, or Demon Summoning. But it's got just as much spark as the others -- more, in fact -- and a new offsite developer diary by Floyd "Castle" Grubb and Keetsie Braz da Cunha focuses on both the visual and mechanical design of the powers. As Castle describes it, the powerset wasn't originally designed for player use, but as a testbed of several concepts to see how they would play out in the game engine. It was converted to a player set when Going Rogue approached, however... which required a re-design of several parts of the set. The visuals were a hurdle as well, seeing as the set had to feel visually distinct from the many other electricity-themed powers the game already possesses. Take a look at the full diary to see how the problems were solved, showing City of Heroes players another peek at how the development team is conducted.
Massively exclusive: The lore of TERA's Castanics
When it comes to upcoming MMOs with gorgeous graphics, TERA is definitely up at the top of many people's lists. However, as anyone who has been in the MMO scene for a while knows, graphics aren't everything. A really great MMO offers not only great looks, fun mechanics, and lots to do, but a believable world that people care about and want to learn more about. Thankfully, the team at En Masse Entertainment understand that adding in an interesting, well-designed story is equally as important as adding all the fancy graphics -- and are hard at work with Bluehole Studios, making the world of TERA come alive. To add to that, they've also sent us an exclusive two-part tale, which they say "describes a pivotal moment in Castanic history, namely the death of Balder at Lok's hand. This caused not only the arcane scars on the Castanics bodies (which persist to this day, sort of a Mark of Cain) but caused them to abandon their home in Shara and make their way to Arun (where we find them today)." Curious for more tasty lore? Then join us behind the jump for this first installment, titled Fates Be Damned. Also, be sure to check out the outpouring of TERA eyecandy in the gallery below! %Gallery-98895%
Global Agenda's Todd Harris on the newly added open zones
Global Agenda has been making some changes of late. That almost goes without saying -- very few MMOs exist in a static state, after all -- but very few implement sweeping system changes and zone additions so quickly after launch. One of the largest additions with the newest phase of the Sandstorm patch is the Sonoran Desert, an open and persistent PvE zone for players to enjoy. In a new video developer blog, executive producer Todd Harris explains what the zone means for the game and how the systems within work. The desert, which is aimed at providing a complete experience for players between levels 5 to 15, will be familiar in many ways to long-time MMO players. It's not that the idea of quests picked up from an NPC is new, but it's certainly new within the context of the game. Take a look past the cut to see the zone demonstrated in depth, and if the look strikes your fancy, it would be fair to point out that Global Agenda is subscription free.
LotRO dev diary dishes on scaled instance rewards
Do you have a lot of questions about the upcoming scaled instances in Lord of the Rings Online? Good, because Turbine has a whole truckload of answers for you! In the second of a hefty five developer diaries devoted to the subject, LotRO's Joe "jwbarry" Barry tempts players with sweet, sweet candy. Metaphorical candy, that is, taking the form of instance rewards. The greatest problem that they had with rewards, Barry shares, is that itemizing a dungeon across a huge level range became a massive headache, requiring them to make "a prohibitive" amount of items. Instead, the LotRO dev team is taking a cue from its successful skirmish system, and reprogramming the scaled-instance mobs to drop tokens instead of loot. Players can then use these tokens to purchase armor sets, cosmetic items and even legendaries. Barry spends the rest of the article discussing the stat-tracking feature (again, similar to stat-tracking functions with skirmishes) and how the team went back through the dungeons to raise the quality of the entire experience where needed. You can read the full dev diary over at Lord of the Rings Online's site.
Newest LotRO dev diary explains instance scaling
The skirmish system in Lord of the Rings Online brought a lot to the table, but one of the most popular new features was scaling. It was a big hit, and the developers are now adding it to the rest of the game in the form of instance scaling. If you're curious about how it will work, Content Designer Joe "jwbarry" Barry has written out a developer diary explaining the system. One concern was making these instances available to the widest possible number of players, while still maintaining quality, challenging content. Joining instances like you would join a skirmish was another detail to be worked out, as was the overall method of scaling. The full developer diary provides some great insight on how instance scaling will work, as well as the thought process behind the design -- it's a must-read for anyone interested in trying instance scaling.
Global Agenda's newest video diary details Defense Raids
Global Agenda 's Sandstorm patch is pretty sizeable, and the Hi-Rez team recently produced a video developer blog that provided an overview. The newest video follows in that same vein, but is a bit more specific. Executive Producer Todd Harris and Lead Artist Chuk Vinson sit down to explain Defense Raids, 10-man raids in which you are tasked with the protection of your dome city. Every now and again, the city's alarms will go off to indicate that an attack by robots is imminent. High-level players can work together to prevent it from happening by trying to keep the enemy from breaching the defenses and destroying the power core. If you succeed, you get a big boss fight and big loot at the end. Follow along after the jump to see the video firsthand.
Exclusive video diary of the souls of Rift: Planes of Telara
You could be forgiven for not catching it immediately from our E3 hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara, but there are some unique things going on with the game's class system. It's hardly the first game to allow you to change classes, but the game also goes into combining them, shifting aspects, interplay between multiple class types... it's a maze of inter-relationships. Luckily, we have an exclusive video developer diary from the staff at Trion Worlds that discusses the whole setup at length, giving future players a much clearer overview of how the system works. When players start, they choose one of four Callings -- Warrior, Rogue, Mage, or Cleric -- which determines the player's core playstyle. As they level, they gradually acquire Souls, and it's there that the bulk of a character's abilities come from. It's a fusion of the talent tree system popularized via World of Warcraft with something much more interesting, and the possibilities for mixing the different Souls together can give rise to all sorts of interesting theories. But don't take our word for it -- watch the exclusive developer diary just past the cut.
Need For Speed World offers new video
You can always tell when an MMO is getting ready to release -- the information (some will say hype) machines get cranked up to 11. What you don't always see, though, is the developers of the game in question sitting down to not only tell you about their upcoming game, but to soundly kick each other's butts in-game; a treat we get to see from the Need For Speed World team. In this latest edition of the Need For Speed World video diaries, we're treated to a look at some of the various buffs that players will have a chance to use on their cars during play. The options range from more obvious things like nitrous for speed, to something called "traffic magnet" which is a bit low on specific details, but we gather is quite handy for getting ahead of the pack. With the release coming soon, we're sure more details will continue to pour out in coming weeks -- hopefully with more devs smack-talking each other! Until then, you can check out all the action in the newest video, just behind the break.
Moonlight Online releases developer diary and art
There's been quite a bit of curiosity regarding IGG's upcoming vampire MMO, Moonlight Online. The original announcement came at the end of March, and that was all we heard until now. IGG has released a developer diary detailing all sorts of game creation details which serves as an overview of what the game will be like. The diary includes information on basic game mechanics such as camera rotation and UI control as well as gameplay-oriented details like the differences between humans, werewolves, and vampires. The historical look depicted in the accompanying artwork seems to indicate that we're safe from anything with a sparkly Twilight feel to it, so follow along after the jump for the Moonlight Online developer diary.
Exclusive: The moral genesis of City of Heroes: Going Rogue
While the Praetorian areas designed for Going Rogue are new, the actual concept of Praetoria has been in City of Heroes for quite some time. Of course, as it existed in the game prior to the upcoming expansion, it was simply the Mirror Universe ported over to the game world: all the good guys were now bad guys. (Presumably the inverse was also true, but we never found out one way or the other.) Yet Praetoria, as it's being billed now, is a region of contrasts, where good and evil aren't so easily conveyed. So how did we get from one to the other? How did the simple moral inversion become a question of totalitarian safety versus dangerous anarchy? The best answers come straight from the source, and they're right here. In an exclusive developer diary by John "Protean" Hegner, designer and mission lead for Going Rogue, we get a peek at the process that went into fleshing out the limited view we had of the alternate Earth. Entitled "Shaving the goatee off the Praetorians," it's excellent reading for any City of Heroes fan, so take a look on past the break.
Dungeons and Dragons Online devs explain guild renown
As the release date for Dungeons and Dragons Online's update 5 approaches, the guild renown system is gaining more attention. We've gotten a look at what can be earned at each level of guild renown, but the method of earning renown was a bit of a mystery until now. The latest dev diary over at DDO explains how guild renown works as well as the reasoning behind some of the mechanics. In short: do stuff, get renown trophies. The trophies can be found almost everywhere: random chests, loot drops from monsters, even as quest rewards. The more difficult the challenge, the more likely it is that you'll earn renown. Once your guild reaches level 26, renown decay becomes part of the equation -- you must maintain your guild's reputation or it will fade away. It's a fairly simple system, but explained well in the dev diary. Take a look for yourself, and start planning your guild's trip to the top of the renown ladder.
Online freedom highlighted for Need for Speed World
If you're looking forward to the pending release of Need for Speed World -- a release which is only a bit more than a month away -- you probably have all sorts of ideas about what you could do in the open environment. The good news is that the developers did as well, and they took the time to chat about it. There's a new video developer diary for those looking forward to the game, and it's embedded just past the cut. Aside from talking about the new elements brought in via the game's online experience, such as a world that players can drive in without ever seeing the boundaries, the video also shows off some footage of the game in action. Everything from hairpin turns to smashing through police barricades seems to be here, and it's all true to what players have come to expect from the franchise. Take a look at the video past the cut, and keep your eyes peeled for more news as we edge closer to the summer release of Need for Speed World.
Exclusive City of Heroes developer diary on the design of Dual Pistols animation
Even if you hate the ranged powers in City of Heroes with the heat of the sun, it's impossible to deny how stylish the animations for Dual Pistols look. The amount of movement in every single power makes the set feel organic and action-oriented, regardless of any other mechanical elements. But what went into making one of the marquee power sets for Going Rogue look so fluid and interesting? Nelson Tam, an animation artist for Paragon Studios, was the mastermind behind the gun-fu on display for heroes and villains alike. In our exclusive developer diary, "How John Woo Inspired my Gun Fu," he explains how the animations came to life, from the earliest point of conception to the finished product that players can enjoy. City of Heroes players have clamored for the set nearly since the launch of the game, but as the diary explains, it wasn't necessarily quite so easy to get it to look right in the game. Click on past the cut!
City of Heroes launches first video diary for Going Rogue
The time of Going Rogue draws very close for City of Heroes players, and we've still only scratched the surface of what there is to know. It's always a tense time when you're getting close to a new expansion, especially one that's rewriting some of the most fundamental rules about the game. While the first in a series of new video developer diaries from Paragon Studios won't necessarily make the time before release pass any faster, it will help give us a clearer picture of what's coming around the bend. For players who have never played the game before, the diary helps give an overview of where the game is and where it can go from here -- including the realm of the Super Lumberjack. (We can only assume that making one allows you to also be super okay.) Veterans can enjoy a solid look at Praetoria, as well as what can only be described as glowing costume pieces. Once the veteran players finish squealing in delight, they can take a look on past the break for the first City of Heroes video diary for Going Rogue, which is targeted for release in July.
Latest Atlantica Online dev diary details new patch
Atlantica Online's latest developer diary brings welcome news to players: details of the latest major patch. NDOORS have made changes and adjustments to both the PvE and PvP sides of the game, so no matter where your gameplay preference lies, you're sure to find something new that interests you. Many of the changes are small on the surface but will bring some important conveniences to fans. PvP players, for example, don't need to worry about finishing a competition with a full inventory. They'll now receive any items that don't fit in their inventory by mail. PvE players will find some updates to old quests as well as one completely new one. We've included the full Atlantica Online developer diary entry after the jump, so follow along for all the details.
The Voss: SWTOR's exception to the rule?
Furry walking carpets are actually tree loving warriors. Cocky gunslingers are from a planet staunch in its independence. The desert planet of Tatooine used to be a thriving jungle world. These are all tidbits of information the movie goer or gamer would never know by watching their favorite film or playing an MMO. However, Daniel Erickson, the Principal Lead Writer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and his crew consider these types of thing for every planet, species, and character. Very few people, even game designers who work for LucasArts, get to add to the Star Wars canon. Bioware is in this exciting position, but like any good writing team they have to consider the existing universe. "Now to be clear, the first thing we do when we decide to add a "new" world to the vast Star Wars mythology is to do our research and see if there is a world that already exists and will fit our needs. Is it the right type of climate? The right place in the galaxy? Does it have next to nothing written about it? Awesome, it's ours," says Erickson. Enter the Voss. This species of Mystics lives outside the Republic or the Empire. The Jedi find them dangerous, and the Sith cannot deceive them. The Voss's story explores the fringes of politics and religion: The exception to the rule. Read more about how Daniel Erickson combs the depths of storytelling in this week's SWTOR Developer's Blog: Creating Worlds
You are cordially invited to the Asheron's Call wedding
Asheron's Call is getting up in years. That's not an insult, just a statement of fact: at eleven years old, the game has been around for an astonishingly long time. But the fine folks at Turbine haven't forgotten about the game; and they've put together a very special event for May: a wedding. Not a wedding of death and destruction, not a wedding rife with some sort of horrible beasts attacking. It's a wedding between two of the game's longstanding NPCs, and everyone in the game is invited to attend. Of course, there's more in the latest update besides just the wedding... but the wedding really is the centerpiece, and lo and behold, they've put together an entire developer diary explaining how the event went from the concept to execution, and how everything fits together. And how unusual it is, even from the developer perspective, to have the centerpiece of an event be just a wedding. Take a look at the release notes, the developer diary, and the screenshots of the celebrated event -- and if you're an Asheron's Call player, you can take a look at the wedding in person.
Gameplay on parade in newest Battle of the Immortals video diary
It's a big day for Battle of the Immortals, as the open beta has finally started on the most recent Perfect World Entertainment game. Closed beta was quite successful, with the development team rolling out requested features like improved access to the high-end Soul Gear and improved keybinding (complete with standard WASD movement schemes). To celebrate the occasion, and to give players who haven't been following the game too closely an idea of why they might want to start, the game has released its fourth video developer diary today, this time focusing on the content found within the game. Jon Belliss, Product Manager for the game, focuses on the game's dungeons, starting off with one dubbed Knight's Jail. Everything from gameplay to rewards gets covered, complete with a semi-snarky reference that "you can complete it in ten to fifteen minutes, as long as you have a group that isn't full of idiots." He goes on to discuss the later Dragon Emperor Catacombs, which can switch between a low-level "easy mode" and a more rewarding "normal mode," and Spectre Island even beyond that. Take a look past the cut for the full diary, and keep your eyes open for more news on the open beta for Battle of the Immortals.
Warhammer Online talks more about the design of RvR Sieges
If there's a part of Warhammer Online's upcoming patch 1.3.5 that should excite veteran players -- and there is -- it's the shift of city sieges to an RvR-designed focus. One of the central selling points of the game has always been the strength of its PvP, and as the game works to shore up its weaknesses one of the major foci has been enhancing the PvP experience. Content developer Keaven Freeman has penned a developer diary explaining the issues, pitfalls, and ultimate results of the design process and the shift in ethos. As Freeman puts it, the sieges haven't moved completely to PvP only, simply because it doesn't feel quite right to have the capture experience feel equally inviting in an enemy city or an allied one. But the PvE elements exist, from the sound of it, simply to focus attacks on things other than players at times, rather than to give hordes of NPCs to fight. In addition, the diary talks about the cascading control point system, which builds a network of control allowing players to spearhead an assault into the heart of the city. For Warhammer Online players looking forward to answering the call of their respective faction, the diary should be both enlightening and interesting.
Newest Tales of Fantasy developer diary explains wings
The Tales of Fantasy closed beta test is moving right along, and players are becoming familiar with the basics of the game. As they do, they're beginning to turn their attention toward more detailed aspects. One such aspect is the presence of wings in the game. While winged characters aren't a cutting edge new feature these days, they're still pretty popular, and they've proven to be a hit in Tales of Fantasy. The developers of the game offered up some hints on acquiring and using the wings in their latest developer diary. While the wings themselves have a few different functions depending on type, getting them in the first place is the focus of this diary entry. Just handing them out to starter characters right off the bat would make them less special in the opinion of the developers, so they opted to make them a little harder to get. Check out all the details on this fun feature over at the Tales of Fantasy blog.
