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The Daily Grind: What dungeons do you hate in games you love?
Not every game has dungeons. It would be kind of silly to imagine a group of EVE Online starships traveling through moldy corridors and slaughtering orcs (but also kind of awesome). But the idea of having an area with paced enemy encounters and big bosses certainly isn't novel. World of Warcraft calls them dungeons, Star Wars: The Old Republic calls them flashpoints, Dungeons & Dragons Online calls them lots of different things, and they're all a chance for players to group up and enjoy some content. Sometimes it's not really enjoyable, though. The mechanics don't work or aren't fun. The fights require a lot more luck than skill. You don't have visual cues that are pretty much necessary to understand what's happening. If a game has dungeon, it always has some that aren't as good as the others. So what dungeons do you hate in a game that you otherwise love? Are they agreed by the community to be horrible, or are they usually beloved dungeons that you just can't stand personally? 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!
The Elder Scrolls Online's Paul Sage talks about dungeons and player experience
How closely have you been following The Elder Scrolls Online? Are you eagerly devouring every new piece of information that's trickled out following PAX Prime? Because there's a new video interview out with creative director Paul Sage that should provide you plenty to devour. Sage comments on some of the major changes made to the game for its PAX appearance (such as the implementation of the new compass and a more "weighty" feel to the combat) as well as the game's launch dungeons. He also mentions the Veteran Point system currently in development, a form of alternate advancement after your character hits the level cap. Of course, anyone eager for information has no doubt signed up for beta, which means you'll want to check your mail religiously today as a new round of testing invitations has gone out. Would-be players can also take part in an emote contest to win beta access as a grand prize. Or you can just check out the full interview video after the break. [Thanks to Jeff for the tip!]
PAX Prime 2013: WildStar dungeon preview
WildStar's dungeons won't be for everyone. They're a bit tougher, a bit wilder, and a bit longer than the standard MMO crop today. If you're looking for a breezy PvE experience, you might not even want to consider running one. However, Carbine hopes that you'll look past the increased difficulty and run-time to be intrigued by some of the most unique encounters and locales in the game. This was the word from WildStar Design Producer Stephan Frost at PAX Prime. Frost ran us quickly through a pair of dungeons -- The Ruins of Kel Voreth and Stormtalon's Lair -- to give us the lay of the land and an idea of what we'll be in for when we timidly step over these thresholds. These dungeons might not be everyone's cup of tea, but those who appreciate a challenge will find it and the rewards to match.
Trion teases new RIFT five-player dungeon
Trion has posted a blurb about a new five-player RIFT dungeon on the game's official website. If you're not up on the fantasy title's lore, good luck grokking what the heck is being said in the article's text. From what I could gather, the new content is called the Realm of Twisted Dreams, and I'm assuming that Maelow, Atrophinius, and Twyl are stage bosses. There's no release date mentioned, but there are some slick-looking screenshots. Hit the links below to see for yourself.
How to go from solo WoW to group WoW
It's finally time: you've been leveling on your own but now you've been lured into your first dungeon by a quest or the promise of gear. But running dungeons with a group of four other players is a lot different from soloing -- different enough to seem like a whole new game. When you enter a dungeon, you need to work as part of a team, and take careful consideration of the rest of your group before you make any moves. It's a very different mindset than what you're accustomed to as a solo player. Even if you feel like you know your stuff in World of Warcraft, the switch from soloing to grouping can be bumpy -- so how do you make the transition without looking like a newbie? Fortunately, we've been around the block a time or two and have some advice to help you get started, no newbie moments required.
Serpent Men abound in Age of Conan's new Dragon Spine dungeon
Age of Conan updates have slowed somewhat since Funcom restructured itself over the past year, but the dev team is still adding new stuff to its rendition of Robert E. Howard's Hyboria. The latest patch features a new dungeon called Coils of Ubah Kan which offers a "brutal challenge" for six-man groups along with appropriate loot and rewards. The instance is part of AoC's Dragon's Spine content, which became the title's second adventure pack when it released in early January, 2013. Players must fight their way into the ancient underground city of the Serpent Men in order to complete the new dungeon. Funcom says that "even more content will come to this area in the near future." [Source: Funcom press release]
EVE Evolved: Strategic resources for everyone!
The past four EVE Online expansions have mostly focused on adding small features and overhauling old game mechanics and content that were beginning to show their age. Crucible delivered dozens of small but highly-requested features and gameplay improvements, and Inferno and Retribution continued with overhauls of several aging PvP systems. Even Odyssey contained mostly small features and revamps, its biggest gameplay features being a new hacking minigame and a streamlined scanning interface. It's been several years since EVE has received a truly massive and game-changing feature like wormholes or a sovereignty revamp, but that may all be about to change! CCP recently announced its intention to start reaching for big ideas again, but this time set over a more realistic timeframe. If everything goes according to plan, the next five years could see the introduction of player-built stargates and true deep space colonisation. I wrote about the potential of this concept last week and looked at some of the big features we'd need to make it a reality, but I didn't really delve into my personal favourite idea for a potential future expansion: New strategic resources and player-created deadspace complexes. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at how strategic resources could be used to get even individual players invested in something worth fighting for, and how player-created deadspace dungeons could be a great way to introduce them.
Guild Wars 2 makes dungeons more profitable
Guild Wars 2 Lead Designer Isaiah Cartwright has a few (but just a few) words to say regarding the changes that ArenaNet is planning for its dungeons. Dungeon running should be more profitable, awarding additional currency for a successful run. The team is limiting full rewards for each dungeon path to a 24-hour timer in order to encourage players to try different paths. "Our goal is to make each and every dungeon path feel enticing and rewarding," Cartwright said. "We also want the rewards structure to encourage players to enjoy a variety of dungeon paths." ArenaNet is also giving champion mobs spiffy loot containers so that players can kill the creatures and pry the boxes from their clawed hands. These containers will be tailored to the type of mob they come from, giving players a strategic choice in choosing champions to slay.
Guild Wars 2: Living story to get more serious, more permanent, and more personal
An interview on US Gamer with ArenaNet Game Director Colin Johanson serves as an interesting follow-up to his Guild Wars 2 planning post from earlier this month. In it he addresses the direction that the living story is taking as well as his intention to overhaul many of the game's dungeons. Johanson said that the team is responding to feedback by working to make GW2's living story matter more to the player with more serious stories that will "blend" with the player's own personal story. He reiterated that ArenaNet has great plans to use the living story to shape the game's future: "There is now, and certainly will be a lot larger focus on ensuring that the content we're building is creating experiences that people can permanently have when they come back two years later. Instead of saying, 'I see something that happened two years ago but I can't experience it,', we want players to say, 'I'm playing this and I'm playing it as a result of something that happened two years ago.'" The game's dungeons are also fair game for shaping. Johanson confirmed that the team will be revisiting most of its dungeons to make them "more exciting, more fun, more compelling, and also more rewarding." He even mentioned the possibility of "blowing up" dull dungeons to replace with something better.
The Mog Log: The mandatory early dungeons of Final Fantasy XIV
You're going to be exploring at least three dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV no matter what, possibly more. Progression in the main story requires a trip through Sastasha Seagrot, the Tam-Tara Deepcroft, and Copperbell Mines. While I've talked a great deal about the ethics of including this grouping experience, what I haven't really discussed are the actual dungeons themselves, even though that's certainly a big deal. Let's be honest here: If this stuff isn't fun, all of the talk about the validity of forced grouping is kind of pointless. Even if you can, there are times when you shouldn't. Fortunately for the long-term viability of these dungeons, all three have more than just nice loot (which is apparently shared between them); they also offer a fun ride through regardless. So as you could probably infer from all of the text up to this point, let's take a gander at the first three dungeons in the game and the ones we know for a fact you have to clear right off.
The Daily Grind: What do you do when you're out of content for a game?
I've subscribed to Star Wars: The Old Republic since launch, but right at this moment I'm running a little low on things to do. I've got almost every class story completed; my high-level characters have explored all the content I care about. There are still a few more things here and there, but the newest patch can't come soon enough. And that raises the question of what you do when you just don't have as much to do any longer. Some people switch to exclusively roleplaying. Some people farm. Some people log in to chat with guildmates, and some just don't log in any more at all. What about you? What do you do when you're out of content for a game? Do you want to explore all the content first, or do you just explore the bits that interest you and then decide you've seen enough? And when that happens, does it mean it's time for a break or time for you to leave? 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!
ZeniMax publishes dungeon-focused Elder Scrolls AMA
Have questions about dungeons in The Elder Scrolls Online? ZeniMax has answers, at least to a few of them. The firm has published a new Ask Us Anything on dungeons that gathers together various community queries in a single post. Hit the links below to learn the answers to things like whether or not ESO dungeons will be linear like most of their single-player Elder Scrolls counterparts and whether players will be able to wander into solo encounters in the multiplayer game. As for this last bit, ZeniMax says that the answer is basically yes, after a fashion. "Certain rare locales will just be for solo players, and some dungeons are meant for groups made only of people you choose to go in with. Most locales, however, will be accessible by everyone." Also of note is the decision to dispense with dungeon lockout timers. "We don't currently have any plans to use lockout timers. You can run through a dungeon as often as you like," the company says.
DDO: Shadowfell Conspiracy screenshots highlight new dungeon
What's more iconic to Dungeons & Dragons Online than dragons? Why, dungeons of course! And this latest batch of screenshots introduces players to the a new dungeon joining the game when the Shadowfell Conspiracies expansion launches in August. Dungeon-divers will have to plumb the depths of Friends in Low Places (yes, that is the name) to find ways to protect the citizens of Wheldon from the criminals who are planning to attack Harvest Hall, all while food supplies dwindle. Check out the 10 new images showcasing Friends in Low Places in the gallery below. [Source: Turbine press release]%Gallery-190160%
Dungeons & Dragons Online shows off A Lesson in Deception
If you can't trust the mastermind behind a gathering of criminals, whom can you trust? Dungeons & Dragons Online seems to imply you can't trust the mysterious benefactor uniting the criminals of Wheloon in the upcoming Shadowfell Conspiracy expansion. Calling the dungeon A Lesson in Deception doesn't imply that you'll reach the end and find out that everything is perfectly awesome... even if you'll be doing most of the deceiving early on by posing as a new recruit and infiltrating this den of thieves. If you're reading this and immediately want to get down and dirty with the infiltration of said thief-den, you're still going to have to wait. But you can examine several new screenshots showing off the dungeon, which looks to be ranging across quite a bit of territory in the city. So get ready to play cutpurse on August 19th and enjoy the preview until then. [Source: Turbine Entertainment press release] %Gallery-190160%
Baldur's Gate pulled from the App Store
Dungeons and Dragons fans may be dismayed to hear that Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition was removed from the App Store yesterday. Peter Cohen of iMore reported that Overhaul Games pulled Baldur's Gate due to some contractual issues that need to be resolved. If you previously purchased the game, you can still download and play it though. An available patch to Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition cannot be released to users until the resolution of the legal issues. Trent Oster, President of Beamdog and Overhaul Games posted an apology to users and assures us that once the situation is remedied, the game will be reposted.
City of Steam dev journal discusses game events
With a name meaning the center, you'd expect City of Steam's Nexus to be a happening place even in beta, right? That means plenty of events for folks to get in on. Well, it just so happens that there are two general events already in game and a third on the way, and Mechanist Games gives players the lowdown on how to get in on the action in the latest dev journal. Unlike temporary in-game events, events in CoS are permanent instances you queue for. Of course, victory promises reward. Of the two current events, the Arena is all about survival of the soloist as waves of mobs crash into you whereas Tesla Defense is a five-man tower defense. When patch 1.3 releases, the PvP-based Siege of the Spire will join the event lineup as a MOBA-inspired arena that includes mobs, turrets, and team bases. Players can join the regular events as well as daily and weekly events with larger rewards. For more details, check out the official site.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Challenge Mode titles for fastest clear times
In patch 5.4, Challenge Mode players who have already earned gold will have a strong reason to continue running them. Players who earn the fastest clear times in a Challenge Mode dungeon will receive a title specific to each dungeon. As long as players hold the record for the top time, the title will remain. A permanent Feat of Strength will also be earned upon reaching the fastest time. However, there is a caveat: the Challenge Mode group must have at least 3 players from the same realm to earn the titles. Patch 5.4 Challenge Mode notes Players who obtain a realm-best time in a Challenge Mode dungeon (group must contain at least 3 people from the same realm to qualify) will receive a temporary title specific to each dungeon (e.g. Siegebreaker for Siege of Niuzao temple, Darkmaster for Scholomance, etc.). This title will persist for as long as a player retains the top time on the realm. Holding a realm-best time at any point will also confer a permanent Feat of Strength to record the accomplishment. source It's not enough to go for the gold anymore. How far will you go for the titles and Feats of Strength?
Neverwinter dares you to conquer the Caverns of Gauntlgrym
When Neverwinter officially launches on June 20th, those players who are already congregating at the level cap will have a new challenge to overcome: the Caverns of Gauntlgrym. Cryptic posted a new article to highlight the level 60 dungeon that offers both PvP and PvE content. Promising "something for everyone" with Gauntlgrym, Cryptic will dare players to jump into the dungeon and pursue the Dwarf King's treasure. What's interesting about the instance is that not only does it offer both PvP and PvE modes as players fight for a faction, but actions taken or missed will affect each phase of the journey. Tier 2 rewards lie in wait for the winning team, although tier 1 rewards will be given to all teams that make it to the end. The dungeon is for level 60 players who are in a guild, but that's the only qualification to enter; there is no gear score check for Gauntlgrym. We already saw the trailer a few days ago, but this article gives more concrete details about what to expect.
Unicorn poop, beer cans, and housing dungeons: WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney preps us for closed beta 2
"This is going to be the best game most of us have built in our lives," Carbine Studios Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney said bluntly. The game in question, of course, is WildStar, and it represents Gaffney's 10th or so trip through the beta development chute on the way to release. There's an undeniable note of pride and calm confidence in his voice as he talks about the baby that's growing inside Carbine's womb right now, and he was definitely not shy in opening up about all of the decisions and work the team's made as WildStar heads into its second trimester... er, closed beta test. Before that, however, Gaffney provided a recap of the first closed beta test. He said that it was pretty limited, with only 2,000 players testing out the lowbie Exile zones. The team moved some of the elder game content down in level so that people could test it out, and developers spent some time doing impromptu Q&A sessions with players in the field. As a result, Carbine is ready to shift over to the Dominion side and greatly expand the beta in size and content. Read on for the full scoop on what the next step will entail.
A guide to Guild Wars 2's Molten Weapon Facility dungeon
Massively's Richie "bogotter" Procopio is concerned for you. He's concerned that you might not have tried out Guild Wars 2's Molten Weapon Facility dungeon, the latest installment of the game's "Living Story" arc Flame and Frost: Retribution. He's equally concerned that you might have missed the memo about just how temporary this dungeon really is: It's over on May 12th, meaning you don't have long to check it out before it's gone. Forever. But it's all good because Richie has put together a brand-new video guide to the dungeon, so you can either watch it and get a jump on playing through the zone yourself this weekend or just live vicariously through him, which would certainly involve less death. Enjoy his walkthrough after the break! (Dead goat sold separately.)
