developer-diary
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The latest Guild Wars skill balance explained
In the most recent skill balance for Guild Wars, we're treated to something we don't normally get: a full explanation on the reasoning behind the changes to each skill set for the classes affected. In most skill balances (for any game) we get news of the changes to the skills, but that's about it.For example, the devs make it known that they're aware of the ongoing player concerns with Ursan Blessing, yet they still don't feel a need to make any changes to the skill. They also hope to bring a little sword-love back to PvP, as well as quite a few changes to the Mesmer's energy-draining skills. There's also a clear distinction between the PvE and the PvP skills they're changing, and the reasoning behind both. Be sure to check out the source link below for a complete run-down of all skills changed this time around.
New LotRO Book 13 developer diary video is released
If you feel you've missed out on some of the features from the recently-released Book 13: Doom of the Last-king for Lord of the Rings Online, where the heck have you been? Well, not to fret because we have a new developer diary in video form starring LotRO's Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel. In it, he talks about their fifth major update since launch, and some of the new features that have been introduced.The details of their newest region is discussed a bit, including the new environmental effects and creatures you'll encounter there. Plus, now you'll know the proper way to pronounce Forochel without embarrassing yourself on voice chat! Fishing is also discussed, as is the new fellowship enhancements to the quest log and the mustering horn which is used to summon group members quickly. Be sure to check out this new video below for all the exciting information.
Erling Ellingsen describes AoC mounted combat in dev video
Videogamer.com is featuring a new developer diary for Age of Conan, presented by Erling Ellingsen, all about the mounted combat that will be found in the game. Rather than going into fine details about the system, Ellingsen elects to describe some of the cool things that will be possible when engaging in mounted combat.Players will get to either fight while on their mount, or actually use their mount as a weapon. With the former, the faster you are moving, the more damage you will inflict upon a target, making old fashioned drive-bys the order of the day -- Ellingsen says that you can lop someone's head off as you zoom past, if you're going fast enough. It will also be possible to make your mount attack, and these attacks vary depending on the animal you're riding. Check out the roughly two-minute video to see the mounts in action, rearing up and knocking crowds of enemies to the ground.
Matt Daniels talks about his role as WAR's lead writer
Writing a compelling game story is no easy feat. Now imagine being responsible for the innumerable and layered storylines in an MMO, constantly evolving and needing to fit with everything else -- sounds like a nightmare, doesn't it? Lead writer for Warhammer Online Matt Daniels would beg to differ. He has penned a new developer diary, in which he goes over his role in bringing the Warhammer setting to life, and it sounds like it's nothing but fun. A big challenge, but still fun.It seems we somehow missed the previous developer diary as well, which features content director Destin Bales talking about the roughly-ten-thousand pages of documentation that the content team has come up with for WAR. This covers a huge range of things, from the basic premise of the game, to very detailed content information. You'll even get to read an example of the work found in the content documents, with a full description of the "Mount Bloodthorn" zone pasted at the bottom of the article. Check out both Daniels' and Bales' dev diaries, and we'll be sure to keep our eyes out for the next one.
Age of Conan dev video diary 5: melee combat!
Melee combat. It's one of the main reasons that a lot of people have so much interest in Age of Conan, and it's definitely something that makes the game stand out next to other MMOs. Having thrown out the traditional "auto-attack" altogether, AoC plays more like an action game, and in the newly released Developer Video Diary 5, we get an explanation of some of the finer points of this combat system.
Alone in the Dark developer dishes delightedly
Hervé Sliwa, lead designer on Alone in the Dark, released a developer diary in which he gushes over the chance to work on one of his favorite games, and who could blame him? Whether or not you happen to like this particular title, the idea of being in his shoes -- and working on a new vision of something you love -- has to be exciting. In fact, the entire diary entry reads like a fanboy's dream come true; Sliwa swears he applied to Infogrames because of Alone in the Dark, because of the game's innovation and narrative. If nothing else, this gives us some hope about the remake. Sure, some may not welcome the level-skip function, and maybe everyone's not happy with the screenshots, but it certainly sounds as though the game is in good hands. As far as actual information goes about development, this entry is a little on the light side. However, near the end, Sliwa does mention that the sight of Central Park at night inspired the project. The contrast between the brightly-lit city and a particularly dark patch in the park just struck a chord, and the first idea for the new game slithered forth from the depths of night. While we'd love to get some down and dirty details on the game, or perhaps a video or two, it's nice to see the beginning of the process, particularly when the mind behind it is so enthusiastic. It's contagious, as well; in honor of Sliwa's excitement, we tracked down some new artwork and Wii-specific screens, and have tucked them into the gallery below, along with the older shots.%Gallery-10200%
Turning numbers into creativity with a new WAR dev diary
We usually don't think about the fact that our favorite MMOs have mountains of numbers and formulas behind all the eye candy, making everything work smoothly. If you've ever wondered just how EA Mythic (or any other developer for that matter) makes all the inherent numbers/formulas in their games into unique creativeness, then this new developer diary is just for you. Steve Marvin, Lead System Designer on Warhammer Online gives a few examples of how such concepts as the Squig Herder's ability to jump down the throat of his pet gets translated into actual gameplay mechanics -- but that's actually the easiest example.It's one of those jobs where the easiest sounding concepts become the biggest headaches. It's always interesting when a developer peels back the surface of their games to reveal how everything in the proverbial engine clinks together. We have to admit that the whole numerical process tends to go way over our mathematically-challenged heads, but it's an incredibly interesting read nonetheless.
New dev video diaries at official LotRO site
The Lord of the Rings Online team at Turbine are committed to keeping the playerbase in the loop on behind-the-scenes happenings with their developer diaries. Sometimes these are lengthy written diaries (as with the recent Book 12 Guardian changes entry) but there are also a lot of video diaries available to view. These tend to contain more introductory information, but are always well presented and worth a watch.Turbine has just announced that they have added a whole bunch of new developer video diaries to their video section, and are giving you the gentlest of nudges to go and check them out. Some of these videos existed before around the site, but they are now all located in one area for easy browsing, so there's no reason not to take a peek at what's on offer.
Turbine spills all the Champion update beans
Turbine has been concocting major revisions to the classes of The Lord of the Rings Online since launch. In the forthcoming Book 12 update (now titled "The Ashen Wastes"), the Guardian and Burglar classes will get full treatment, but Champions will see some boons as well. Those boons have been detailed in the latest dev diary entry.As we learned on the forums a while back, Champions will receive "Ardour," a new stance which strikes a balance between offense and defense. Previously, they had only the mostly-useless default and the haphazardly offensive Fervour stances until late in life. Glory, the defensive stance that they presently get at level 46, will be moved all the way back to level 30, because the 30s are arguably when Champions are most often called upon to tank.The class will also get some major revamps to its Legendary Skills. If you want all the minute details, Turbine reps went even deeper on the official forum. We Champs have a lot to look forward to!
Devs post hectic Spellborn combat video
The developers behind the long-delayed Chronicles of Spellborn usually put out an in-depth article about a specific system, like this one on balancing combat in the game. As usual, they offer up a lengthy discussion of the subject, taking pains to include everyone in their development process. For example, I can say that a certain basic damage attack should do 50 damage. The model will then show the amount of damage a weak attack should do or what amount a heavy heal should heal for. It will not only give these basic values, it will actually also reflect the effect of the use of consumables, sigils and attribute points by the player, so we can theoretically predict the outcome. Past taught us that these predictions are often far from the situation you end up with eventually, especially considering MMO's, but you need to start somewhere. As long as we keep updating the model to our actual findings and experiences, it will become more accurate as we progress. Near the end of last month in lieu of a diary they offered up a frantic video of their PvP stress test. It's a brief stress test of their combat engine in the level 1 areas, a place that won't normally allow Player vs. Player combat. The designers hopped in to hack away at each other, and it was so much fun they decided to FRAPS the experience and share it wiith us. The voice-over by the TCOS designers provides some more insight into what gameplay in the game will be like. They don't rely on auto-targetting or background calculations to control damage. If you swing and hit with a sword, you do damage. Just one of the many decidedly different elements that make Spellborn stand out from the crowd.
LotRO dev video diary: Raids
A new Lord of the Rings Online developer diary has been posted on IGN.com, under the title of Raids. Upon watching it, however, it seems that it is more about explaining the basics of Fellowships and Kinships, only touching on raids briefly. If you're an experienced LotRO player, this video won't contain too much to excite you, but it is a nice introduction to the game's partying and guild systems for any beginner. Fellowship Maneuvers are brought up, and this is probably the best nugget of information that anyone starting out in the game could take from the video.So if you feel like some informative light entertainment -- and aren't too busy decorating your new crib -- click below and let executive producer Jeffrey Steefel fill you in on LotRO's team features.
Haze Developer Diary episode one shows us some new footage
We love Haze. The look, the style, the potential, the jump-in-anywhere co-op. Yes, even the bright yellow uniforms. Haze is our upcoming First Person Shooter of choice for 2007. With this in mind, it's wonderful for us to be able to keep an eye on the development of the game through Free Radical's new developer diary.You can see the first episode above, or download the HD version from the official Haze website. In the video co-founder of Free Radical, David Doak, gives us some insight into the game. If you've been following the various interviews and bites of info that have been flowing out of Free Radical over the last couple of months, then you'll know most of it already. What makes it interesting, this time, is that as Doak discusses each aspect of the game in turn, it is accompanied by some in-game footage as an example. Some of which hasn't been released before.There's no word on how frequent these diaries are going to be, but the assumption is that there will be at least another couple before the game releases. Speaking of the release, Doak reconfirms the game will be on shelves this year, just in case you harbour worries that Free Radical had caught the highly contagious delay-lurgy.
