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SOE Live 2013: EverQuest II expounds on Tears of Veeshan
After so much attention has been given to the latest sibling in the EverQuest franchise, some fans have expressed concern about the fate of EverQuest II once EverQuest Next comes out. But anyone who was present at SOE Live had those concerns laid to rest; the passion and commitment of the development team is no less vibrant and palpable now than before the big reveal. Should anyone be worried that EverQuest II will be neglected and just fade away? No -- not if you heard all the upcoming plans for the title, both short and long term. Besides the revelations at the keynote address, EQII fans had myriad panels, events, and even special play-test sessions to attend to learn about the game. There was a focus on the new Tears of Veeshan expansion overall, a dedicated look at just the Channeler class, a panel just for new systems, and more. Players who missed the Q&A session missed out on learning some specific changes that are being added to the list for the future. Luckily, we've hit these all up and have the highlights for you right here.
Lord of the Rings Online answers 20 questions about Big Battles
As Lord of the Rings Online's storyline moves to Helm's Deep, the designers faced a problem. None of the game's existing models for content really fit the scale of the battle, and it just didn't feel right to have a large-scale war shoehorned in to skirmishes or raids. As a result, the team put together a new sort of content, tentatively named Big Battles, and has answered 20 questions about how this new format will play. Players will be able to participate in the content solo or in several group sizes, with each experience tailored for the specific group size rather than simply scaling health values for enemies. Rather than focusing on specific boss encounters, players are going to be part of a larger tactical environment, working toward a large objective instead of pursuing small ones independently. As this style will be replacing traditional instance progression, veteran Lord of the Rings Online players will want to take a close look at what the system entails and how they can work within it.
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.
The Daily Grind: How long do you wait before kicking an AFK group mate?
Yesterday whilst playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, I queued for a pickup group flashpoint to try and nudge my Sniper past level 40. Being a DPS class, it literally took an hour to get a group to pop, and then one of my three teammates decided to go AFK shortly after we entered the instance. After about six minutes -- yes, I timed it -- the group leader initiated a vote kick, which passed and sent our AFK mate packing. Right before the system removed him from the group, though, we saw his 'hi guys, I'm finally back' text in the group chat. The moral of today's story is that there is no moral. There is a Daily Grind question, though, and it is this: How long do you wait before kicking an AFK group mate? 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!
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.
Wings Over Atreia: A quick guide to Aion 4.0 dungeons, part 2
Do you want to know why you are wading into a particular instance and decimating all you see? Or are you more of a just-get-in-and-get-it-done kind of Daeva? Either way, you've come to the right place! Welcome to the second half of the handy dandy Aion 4.0 dungeon guide. From lore to location, this guide will aid you in your journey to lay the smackdown on the latest Atreian troublemakers that are so rudely keeping your new loot from you. In the first half of the guide we could cover only six of the new instances: Steel Rose, Kamar Battlefield, Danuar Mysticarium, Danuar Reliquary, Danuar Sanctuary, and Idgel Research Center. Today's part two introduces and offers a bit of insight into the five remaining Dark Betrayal dungeons spread throughout Aion's newest zones of Katalam, Danaria, and Idian Depths. Each of these instances is for Daevas level 65+ and for groups of six (unless otherwise noted).
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!
Continent of the Ninth Seal unveils the Demonisher
Playing a Shaman in Continent of the Ninth Seal just got a touch more interesting, as Webzen has unveiled the Demonisher, a new class advancement available to players who follow the shamanic ways. The Demonisher is a long-range and melee attacker who uses an orb to initiate magical attacks. Demonishers have a wide range of abilities at their disposal, including evasion tricks, powerful offensive volleys, and a transformation skill that increases movement speed and the power of some attacks. Demonishers also offer debuff skills for use in groups. The addition of the Demonisher isn't all that Webzen has planned this month. To celebrate C9's first anniversary, the studio will hold a number of special events on July 24th. These include in-game giveaways, massive online competitions for real-life peripherals, and the chance for new players to start a character at level 20. Check out the demonisher in action after the break. [Webzen press release]
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.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO dungeon?
I've been running a lot of flashpoint PUGs in Star Wars: The Old Republic lately, mainly because I'd like to finish my story quests but I can't bear to level via the usual FedEx-this-and-kill-that paradigm any longer. I've never been a dungeon crawler, but the SWTOR variants I've done thus far have been pretty enjoyable, mainly because of their nods to Star Wars lore. What are some of the dungeons you've most enjoyed over the years? Did you enjoy them due to the mechanics, the story, or both? What's your favorite MMO dungeon? 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!
Wings Over Atreia: A quick guide to Aion 4.0 dungeons
Last time, when sharing my initial impressions of Aion Dark Betrayal, I mentioned how the expansion was so big that there was no way one Wings Over Atreia could cover it all. Well, that's putting it mildly; there's no way two or ten can, either! in fact, I am still finding gems tucked away both in game and in the patch notes, so we'll definitely have plenty to discuss for a while. This week, we're going to try to make a dent in that pile of topics by grabbing one and just running with it. Up this week: 4.0 dungeons. Now, this guide is not going to delve deeply into tips, tricks, or strategies for Aion's newest dungeons. Instead, it's concerned with the who, the where, and the why, offering a synopsis of each new instance and a look at the lore behind it. Heck, with 12 new dungeons, that's about all we could fit in -- and only half of them at that! Check out six of these new dungeons now, and stay tuned for the second half of our guide next time.
Tattered Notebook: Are EQII mercenaries a solo-savior or group-killer?
A couple of events this past week brought my mind back to a subject I have pondered off and on since EverQuest II's standalone expansion Age of Discovery launched back in December 2011. The first came when a Massively TV viewer expressed amazement at how our little group could decimate the triple-up heroics (a con system designation meaning hard) in a dungeon. The second came when a colleague was lamenting the difficulty of finding a group to get into a dungeon. How are these two situations tied to Age of Discovery? By the tethers of mercenaries. Mercenaries, or mercs as they are more generally referred to, are available to all players who have purchased that particular expansion regardless of their level. Plenty of Norrathians, including me, are running around with these for-hire companions. But the question on my mind is, are mercenaries a boon or a bane to EQII? The answer depends heavily on your playstyle.
Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online is more than just dungeons and dragons
Although many fans of The Elder Scrolls cheered at the introduction of The Elder Scrolls Online at E3, the divisions within the fanbase since then have morphed into warring creatures like Godzilla vs. Mothra, and this column is Japan. Although all of our buildings are being smashed by the battling brutes, it makes for great entertainment. I'm cheering both sides on. I love a good debate. Despite diligently scanning my spam folder every day this week, I am still without a beta invite. I think ZeniMax is playing hard to get. I promised I won't divulge any secrets; I just wanna make my Khajiit Nightblade. Is it asking too much to get a chance to explore the Tamriel dungeons? Obviously, it is. However, we did get a taste of ESO dungeons in a blog this week. And it looks as if we have an exciting combination of RIFT-style classes and Guild Wars 2 combat to look forward to. Hopefully, it's the best of both without the flaws.
Explore the Cyclops Depths on Planet Calypso
At times it might seem that Planet Calypso is all about massive cash transactions, but that's not the case. There's also a planet to explore, a planet that's gotten a little bigger with the introduction of the new Cyclops Depths. Located beneath the eponymous Cyclops Volcano, the Depths are home to a variety of creatures including the species that originally inhabited the planet... a species that's not entirely happy to find out that an entirely new species has decided to colonize its home. The Mind Reavers had locked themselves away to wait out ecological disaster, but now they're coming back up. So high-level groups of players will need to go down there and negotiate, which means fighting through a large number of mutants and Mind Reavers. New players are welcome to enter as well, but the area is primarily meant for veterans well-equipped for the process of clearing out the depths. [Source: Entropia Universe press release]
The Daily Grind: Are group finding tools a necessity?
In Guild Wars 2, there's no interface for you to queue up and immediately flash over to a group from anywhere in the world. On the one hand, this means that you have to actually go to dungeons and interact with people willing to take on the challenges. On the other hand, this also means that you need to hurry up and wait in order to gather your fellow adventurers, a problem that's only exacerbated when something goes wrong and you all have to die and respawn. World of Warcraft's dungeon finder tool is sometimes seen as the greatest way to jump in and experience dungeon content, while at other times it's seen as an effort to tear apart server communities and trivialize the experience of working together to clear something. So today we turn the question over to you, our readers. Are group finding tools a necessity in this day and age, or would you prefer to play games without them? 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!
Star Wars: The Old Republic is looking for corporate troubleshooters on the test server
Sometimes, being a corporate troubleshooter means that your job is identifying weak points in a company and strengthening infrastructure. Other times, such as in the Star Wars: The Old Republic update available on the test server, it means that your job is shooting trouble. Seems that Czerka Corporation has sort of lost control of an important test moon, and that means that player characters will need to visit a new daily hub as well as two new level 55 Flashpoints. These Flashpoints aren't the usual fare; they feature both a Hard Mode and a Story Mode, with the latter allowing any combination of roles to clear the flashpoint for shorter queue times and a more relaxed experience. You've also got two new reputations to explore, one for the daily hub and one for the upcoming Bounty Broker event. If you've done all there is to do on Makeb, the patch means you'll have plenty more to do soon. There's also a new Companions 101 piece on Corso Riggs, but really, a new patch is a bit more interesting.
Have you ever been vote kicked?
Applied with discretion and thoughtfulness it's a useful tool, but in the hands of an overly snarky or bad-tempered group it can certainly be abused--we are talking, of course, about the group vote kick option. Most of the time when I run group content I don't even remember it's there, but occasionally there's that one person who won't stop butt-pulling adds before the tank is ready, or who just can't seem to resist spewing a never-ending stream of gross and offensive epithets, or someone logs off and just doesn't ever come back online. When that happens I'm very, very grateful for vote kicks. Sometimes, unfortunately, it gets applied less sensibly; I've heard of players being kicked for every reason from their choice of toon being disliked to not having "enough" heirloom gear equipped, and situations like that can be infuriating. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that I have never myself been kicked from a group. I'm sure this is mostly due to the fact that I'm not a huge dungeon runner, so I'm not in random groups very often, but also at least partially because when I do run group content I tend to play a healer. Kicking a healer, while sometimes necessary, can also occasionally result in a very bored group sitting around for a while waiting for a new one, which is no fun. Sometimes people don't believe me that I've never been kicked, but I've met plenty of players who also say they haven't, either, so I've never thought myself particularly unusual, but I still I count myself as being lucky in this respect. How about you, though? Have you ever been kicked? And, perhaps more importantly, was it deserved or were you the victim of a trigger-happy kicker? %Poll-83117%
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.
