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Trion shuts down ArcheAge APEX purchases again
Good news, ArcheAge fans! APEX purchases have been disabled again following reports of another exploit! Wait, did we say good news? That's not good news. That's bad news. Familiar bad news, but bad news. Community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman addressed a thread calling attention to the exploit on Sunday, stating that the development team was looking into the issue to determine whether or not an exploit existed while disabling APEX purchases as a preventative measure. This is hardly the first time APEX purchases have been disabled due to exploit issues; the same problem was being dealt with last Wednesday, with various hotfixes rolled out to prevent the issue. No ETA has been provided for when APEX purchases will be reinstated, nor have any declarations of rollbacks for characters been made at this time. [Thanks to Siphaed for the tip!]
Hartsman addresses ArcheAge APEX exploit: 'There isn't a dupe bug'
ArcheAge has been having a bit of trouble with bugs and exploits since its launch, if you haven't noticed. Trion Worlds head Scott Hartsman has weighed in on the APEX bug that has been affecting the game; specifically, he's said that the bug is not a dupe bug. Players were rather upset as soon as this announcement was made, pointing out that the bug is a known issue that has been affecting the game and the playerbase since it was first discovered. Community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman clarified that the bug in question is not, strictly speaking, a dupe bug; rather than duplicating an item multiple times, the bug was allowing players to continue to reap the benefits of an item without consuming it as intended. APEX are still unavailable as more hotfixes are put into place to prevent further abuse of exploits, with action already being taken to both patch out the issue and remove funds accumulated by abuses of the exploit.
E-thugs are actively attacking Trion's stable of MMOs, ArcheAge open beta 'going forward as planned'
Trion Community Manager Ocho has just posted an announcement to players of RIFT, ArcheAge, Defiance, and Trove that the studio is currently under a denial-of-service attack affecting some game services. He writes, Following last night's ISP maintenance, our overnight team has confirmed a DDOS that is currently aimed at Trion's services. We're actively working with our ISP partners and the authorities on both mitigating its effects and ensuring this group gets caught. Our live games are up and ArcheAge's open beta is going forward as planned. While the attack persists, there may be some effects on network stability and some website unavailability. You also may need to use the Resend Code option for our login security and RIFT's Coin Lock if the email doesn't reach you at first. We'll keep you informed as the situation evolves. If I'm bored of writing about the lame antics of script-kiddies, I'm sure MMO studios are livid about being forced to divert resources to combat them.
ArcheAge bans 16k spam accounts in alpha
Ahh, spammers. They are the mosquitos of the MMO world if mosquitos could email and send global chat messages. Trion is no stranger to spam-squashing and as Community Manager Evan "Scapes" Berman demonstrated in a recent post, the studio is bringing out the big guns against ArcheAge's spammers who have been plaguing the alpha test. According to the post, over 16,000 spammer and gold farmer accounts have been removed from alpha already, and Patch 1.2 (arriving next week) will have even more tools to fight the "general asshats." Scapes encourages players to keep reporting those illegal accounts and contact support if you discover that your account has been compromised.
ArcheAge launching with patch 1.2, Trion 'eager to maintain sandbox nature'
Trion has announced that it will launch ArcheAge with XLGAMES' 1.2 patch already applied. Trion community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman explains on the game's North American forums. Initially released in Korea, [the 1.0] update has been the source of no small amount of concern from our ArcheAge community since we announced the game was coming to North America and Europe. Upon seeing the behavior of the patch's changes in the wild, the game's developer, XLGAMES, agreed that ArcheAge's balance and feel had shifted in an unintentional direction. Behind the scenes, we've been carefully following public feedback over the past few months, and had a chance to exhaustively test out the update on our own internal servers. While there are a number of gameplay improvements, we agree with their conclusion. Both Trion Worlds and XLGAMES are eager to maintain the game's sandbox nature. Berman goes on to say that 1.2 adds over 70,000 words to translate, which will shift ArcheAge's beta schedule "by a few weeks."
Trion hosting ArcheAge combat and crafting livestream tonight
If you're an ArcheAge fan and you're not in Trion's alpha, you'll want to set aside 45 minutes starting tonight at 7:00 p.m. EDT to watch the latest dev livestream hosted by producer Victoria Voss and community guru Evan Berman. The duo will examine ArcheAge's combat classes and crafting skills live on Twitch. Trion also announced its first official AA competition which takes the form of a caption contest. The prize is a spot in the sandpark's alpha, and you've got until April 23rd to work on your entry. [Thanks WNxArcticwolf!]
Trion CM confirms F2P ArcheAge coming to Americas and Europe this year
Trion community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman has announced that ArcheAge's western alpha will expand in the weeks following GDC. In a post on AA's early-adopter fansite ArcheAge Source, Berman explained that pre-launch beta packages will be offered which grant closed beta access, and he confirmed that the fantasy sandbox will feature a free-to-play business model and launch "in the Americas and Europe this year, 2014." While he didn't address the controversial and game-changing 1.0 patch that developer XLGAMES has already pushed live in Korea, Berman did emphasize ArcheAge's sandbox features. "Both Trion Worlds and XLGAMES want ArcheAge to be a free-to-play sandbox that fits our 'no tricks, no traps' vision and will make development decisions to achieve that goal in Trion's territories." Finally, Berman said that Trion plans to offer cash shop items that "provide solid value and fun, while earned and crafted items are objectively superior." [Thanks Zenaphex and Oskar!]
RIFT, ArcheAge, Defiance, and Trove acquire new community managers
Three weeks after the departure of Trion Worlds Director of Global Communications Elizabeth Tobey comes the news that Trion has appointed two new community managers to helm its core MMOs RIFT, Defiance, Trove, and ArcheAge. Evan "Scapes" Berman, whom gamers might recall from his days on the TERA community team, will take over the Defiance and ArcheAge communities, while Eric "Ocho" Cleaver of City of Heroes fame will defend Trove and RIFT players from waves of angry trolls. May the planar gods have mercy on their souls.
TERA publisher En Masse hit with layoffs [Updated]
En Masse Entertainment community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman has tweeted that layoffs are underway at the publisher responsible for bringing TERA to the western market. "Layoffs have occurred at En Masse. I was hit," Berman wrote. TERA launched on May 1st in North America and May 3rd in Europe after an extensive "westernization" development cycle that tweaked the native Korean client. Massively has contacted En Masse for an official statement and we'll keep you posted as this story develops. [Update: En Masse has responded to our comment request with a statement from publishing vice president Chris Lee. We've placed the statement behind the break.]
En Masse 'communicating directly with retailers' over TERA pre-order blunders
Those of you who've been waiting to pull the trigger on a TERA pre-order because of the uncertainty over retail collector's edition versions of the game will have to wait a little longer. En Masse Entertainment's Evan "Scapes" Berman posted an official statement on the TERA website a short time ago that basically says the company is aware of the problem but has no time-table for fixing it. In a nutshell, the En Masse website has been advertising physical collector's edition packages for the better part of a week, but when gamers go to the various retail partner websites listed on the page, the CEs are nowhere to be found. Some TERA fans are a bit anxious because pre-ordering guarantees a slot in the fast-approaching closed beta period, and the only alternative thus far is to buy a digital version of the game directly from En Masse.
TERA podcast highlights convention news
Episode five of the official TERA podcast is in the can, and it's also available for your listening pleasure on the TERA website. The show finds En Masse community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman talking with producer Chris Hager and COO Patrick Wyatt for approximately 20 minutes. The subject? Convention season, of course, and the gang talks about everything from the TERA Gamescom demo to the preparation necessary to convey a certain message to members of the gaming media. The trio also mentions the challenges inherent in answering difficult questions on stage at a major convention, and Wyatt even chats briefly about his experiences working on Blizzard's seminal StarCraft RTS.
TERA play diary takes you to the Oblivion Woods
TERA news has been at a premium lately, and aside from yesterday's BAM reveal, it's been all quiet on the Arborean front for some time now. Luckily, En Masse has graced us with its latest TERA community play diary, and our intrepid hosts -- Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and Evan "Scapes" Berman -- are back to guide us through the upcoming title's fantasy dreamscape. This time, the pair are causing all sorts of trouble in and around TERA's Oblivion Woods, and there's a bit of discussion about new spells (including AoE heals and a crowd-control ability known as Ishara's lullaby). As per usual with the community play diary series, there are also several gorgeous screenshots to be had, so head to the official TERA website and have a look.
TERA's PvP features light death penalty
The TERA news beat has fairly quiet recently. Aside from the Korean server merges, there hasn't been a whole lot new to report regarding the exiled realm of Arborea. Fansite TERAPvP to the rescue, then, courtesy of an interview with En Masse community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman. The interview is brief, and if you've been the following the game closely, you've probably heard most of this before. For casual fans, or those just getting wind of all things TERA, there are a few interesting PvP nuggets that might be worth your time. First up is the question of character transfers between PvE and PvP servers. TERAPvP points out the balance issues inherent in allowing players to level (and gear up) their characters on a PvE server before moving them to a PvP shard. Berman doesn't give a definitive answer as to whether this will be allowed or not, saying that it's something En Masse will "have to evaluate for TERA." Friendly fire is also a no-go in TERA's PvP combat, and there is no experience loss or item degradation. As Scapes says, "items in TERA do not have a durability mechanic."
TERA community play diary visits Velika
It's time for another entry in En Masse Entertainment's community play diary series, and this week finds Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and Evan "Scapes" Berman exploring the human city of Velika and its outlying provinces. Velika is one of the initial stopovers for new characters after leaving the Isle of Dawn, and the city serves as a quest hub, a place to learn about TERA's crafting system, and a vast fantasy-scape rife with exploration opportunities. The city is so vast, in fact, that Scapes points out the city teleporter, "a rotating contraption made of gears and magic that will port you to distant corners fo the town for a small fee." The diary goes on to mention the crafting introduction quests, during which players may choose from the weaponsmithing, armorsmithing, tailoring, leatherworking, or alchemy disciplines. Scapes and BrotherMagneto also stumble across Velika's dueling arena before collecting their quests and setting out for Lumbertown. Read all about it at the official TERA website.
TERA play diary visits the Isle of Dawn and the Tainted Gorge
TERA's Community Play Event may be over, but the Community Play Diary is still rolling right along. For those of you who haven't checked it out yet: The diary is basically a running commentary on the fantasy MMO's newbie experience (at least until narrators Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and Evan "Scapes" Berman move on to some higher-level play fields). The En Masse community management dynamic duo is back with the latest diary installment, which finds the pair finishing up its tour of the Isle of Dawn and moving on toward the Tainted Gorge outpost. Along the way, we're treated to random nuggets of advice and commentary relating to gathering and ranged aiming as well as a few mentions of noteworthy quests in the area. There are also some accompanying screenshots that are worth a look, and you can view the piece at the official TERA website.
TERA play diary talks world size, combat timing, and more
The Isle of Dawn may be the proverbial newbie area when it comes to TERA, but if En Masse Entertainment's recent Community Play Diaries are any indication, the locale is anything but a smallish tutorial zone. En Masse's Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and Evan "Scapes" Berman are back with another diary entry that aims to give readers a glimpse into everyday play sessions involving the upcoming fantasy MMO. The fact that the dynamic duo are still on the Isle of Dawn after several weeks worth of diaries speaks to the sheer size of the place. "The Island of Dawn feels big, and when you look at the game map, it's really just a tiny blip. One of these days, I'm going to have to do a run-across-the-world adventure and time myself," Mical writes, while also hinting at the vastness of Arborea proper. This week's diary sees Mical and Berman carving a path through the Isle's numerous mobs toward Leander's Outpost. Along the way, they find time to discuss the finer points of TERA's action combat, and more specifically, the way that timing, motor skills, and repetition will determine your success -- as opposed to RNG and better equipment. "Since this is my alt character and I haven't played AnungUnRama since last week, fighting the terrons and noruks feels a little sluggish, and it's not hard to see why -- my timing's all off," Mical explains.
En Masse releases new TERA Community Play Diary entry
TERA may have had a relatively laid-back showing at this year's GDC, but development continues apace for the folks at En Masse Entertainment. Community director Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman have returned to give anxious fans another peek behind the curtain, courtesy of the latest installment in the ongoing Community Play Diary series. This week's episode, dubbed Learning the Ropes, sees our intrepid hosts showing off a few of TERA's more unique tutorial aspects. Activities include bomb-throwing and climbing along with more traditional NPC interaction and UI familiarization fare that takes the form of story-based quests from the perspective of a raw Valkyon Federation recruit. Read all about it on the official TERA website, and check out this handy forum thread if you've missed any of the previous series installments.
TERA community play diaries detail character creation
We talked briefly last week about TERA's upcoming community play test, an event designed to give TERA fans the opportunity to see and discuss the game's latest build prior to the start of North American beta activities. As a prelude, En Masse Entertainment community team members Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and Evan "Scapes" Berman have penned a couple of Community Play Diary blog entries to whet our collective appetite. Mical's In the Beginning piece focuses on character creation and offers a bit of commentary on the new build, new character options, and the author's roleplaying background. There's also a couple of nifty screenshots including one from the new introduction cinematic that shows a freshly created character flying to the Isle of Dawn. Berman's A Labor of Love entry gives us the low-down on the En Masse employee guild as well as a few anecdotes from staffers who spent time grouping and questing together in the new build. Scapes goes into a good bit of detail regarding customization sliders and also notes that he spent 54 minutes perfecting his character's look. You can read both play diaries in full at the official TERA website.
TERA polling community for development ideas
En Masse Entertainment's Evan "Scapes" Berman has checked in on the official TERA forums with a brief note that details a new community outreach program for the fantasy MMORPG. Velika's Voice will attempt to glean the collective community feeling for a particular in-game subject via a poll question and the resulting forum back-and-forth. "We will use the results and subsequent discussion harvested from these polls [...] to assist in the development of the game," Berman writes. While the skeptic in us feels like this might simply be a pro marketing move designed to keep TERA in the public eye, it will nonetheless be interesting to see some of the community responses and note whether the feedback does in fact influence the final product. Be sure to read the announcement and take part in the initial poll offering.
TERA screens take you to Arun's emerald shore
You can almost set your watch by En Masse Entertainment's weekly dose of new TERA screenshots. Yesterday was no different, as the ninth edition of the Screenshots of the Week featurette took us to the emerald shores of southeastern Arun. "Towering trees sprouting canopies of bright flowers sway in the warm scented breeze as glowing vines and luminous insects cross the cerulean night sky. The central feature of this chromatic forest is the shimmering Lake of Tears above which rests the town of Pora Elinu within a mighty trunk," writes En Masse community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman. You can view the new Arun images on TERA's official website, or browse them in our gallery below. %Gallery-96720%
