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Wasteland Diaries: Clan wars
Clan wars were only added to Fallen Earth shortly after the 1.4 patch, so the system hadn't been extensively tested until this past weekend. Exile and Wolves of War clashed in three towns in Sector 1 on three separate days. These engagements were some of (if not the) largest PvP battles ever fought in Fallen Earth. The clan war system has proven to be a bit unwieldy and there were some minor bugs, but for the most part, it worked as advertised. This past weekend was also testament to the fact that the server can handle 40 or more combatants slugging it out in a crowded town with their mounts present. During the week both sides saw a heavy troop buildup in Sector 1, but it wasn't until Wolves of War massed a large band of Blight Wolf Cavalry in and around Zanesville that the battle lines were drawn. After the town was occupied by the Wolves, they fortified their positions and awaited the inevitable assault by Exile's troops. There will be a full After Action Report after the cut!
Wasteland Diaries: Rifleman's lament
Every MMO seems to have a build or class triad. The rock, paper and scissors system. Or tank, healer and DPS (damage per second). Armor, infantry and artillery. However you look at it, it seems like most MMOs are balanced using this rule of three. In Fallen Earth the triad consists of three weapon skills that define the basic builds. Though it is a classless system, characters are usually designed around their weapon proficiencies. Fallen Earth currently has a rock, scissors and rock-eating scissor-smasher. Prior to version 1.4, the flavor-of-the-month build was melee. Pistol builds have now taken the top spot. This, of course, is debatable, but not many can argue against the ineffectuality of the rifleman in Fallen Earth. Pistoleers have never been the weakest of the three; in fact (at least since open beta) they have been very viable and well-rounded builds. They are arguably, now, at the top of the heap and the balance has been shuffled leaving riflemen still at the bottom. The unbalancing has also caused an unbalancing of the factions as the pistol-using factions are clustered on one side of the faction wheel. For the most part, dual-wielding has always been much better than two-handed weapons, and that still holds true with melee weapons as well as firearms. But the rift between pistols and rifles has grown while the rift between melee and rifles has shrunk. One thing gets fixed while something else gets thrown out of whack. The next step is to balance the game. Continue reading after the break for a more in-depth analysis.
One Shots: They do look like ants from here
As if you couldn't tell, we love to get out and into the community in different MMOs. Thus far, we've invaded Guild Wars, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Global Agenda, and (as you probably guessed from the above screenshot) Fallen Earth. While today's One Shots doesn't offer much in the way of scenery, it does highlight one of the moments we had a lot of fun with -- our first-ever in-game developer chat and dance party! Apparently we weren't the only ones who had a ton of fun that night, as Nickelpat recently found this old screenshot of that event, taken from atop a giant storm drain nearby. He writes in: "It's not from the latest Fallen Earth/Massively bash (which I also attended and came out 6 items richer) but it is the first Fallen Earth/Massively/Post Apoc Radio bash. It was a Halloween Dancy Party and it was great fun. I hope to see more of this in the future. -- Your clone friend, Torey Scott" From big to small, we love all MMOs. If you'd like to send in a screenshot of your favorite place to spend time, we want to hear from you. All you have to do is email your image to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it on the site and give you credit. Couldn't be easier! %Gallery-85937%
Wasteland Diaries: Office Park PvP
The new Sector in Fallen Earth known as Deadfall is a fairly large area considering it is not a sector, but a part of Sector 3. For a large area it has an insignificant percentage of its land mass devoted to PvP. At first, this might sound like a bad thing. But it helps keep the PvP action localized to a more compact area. There are actually two PvP zones in Deadfall and both are small and minimize the hide and seek. Some of you might refer to this as "search and destroy", but to me it's hide and seek. Of the two PvP zones, only Office Park sees much action. There is a good reason for this and it all boils down to faction reputation. The Office Park PvP zone holds a unique resource: GlobalTech Circuitry. It can be harvested from GlobalTech Relic nodes which are only found at Office Park. It is also small, yet cluttered, with accessible rooftops. There are plenty of tactical options and cover and the fights sometimes wind up on the rooftops or inside the buildings. The first time I saw this zone on the Public Test Server, I knew it would be a hot-spot for PvP but I never would have imagined to what extent. This tiny zone sees more action than any other for a simple reason. Keep reading below to find out why.
Wasteland Diaries: Salutations to mutations
The Fallen Earth players that are close to making the jump to Sector 2 have a few things to consider. Of course, the biggest question is always that of faction. Faction choices can be influenced by mutations, since certain mutation lines are only available from certain factions. Some will just prefer to "flip the wheel", and I really can't give a good reason not to, but that's another story. When posed with the choices of mutations and factions, the choice can be overwhelming at first. Mutations are also tied to particular attributes, and mutation lines that will benefit from high intrinsic attribute scores will be most effective. Factions won't make much of a difference after the mutation line is unlocked, however. Upgrading and using the mutations are independent of your current factional allegiances. You can have someone who is allied with the faction in question purchase mutagenics books or injectors for you. Or you could get them from the Auction House as a last resort. In order to make this decision a bit easier I will attempt to describe the mutations in layman's terms. For the hard numbers, check the TAOWiki. For a more simplified breakdown of the mutations available to you in Fallen Earth, keeping reading below.
Fallen Earth launches the new achievement system
While they're not universally loved, achievements in a game add a sense of accomplishment to almost everything, even if it's just as simple as being one step closer to the "Kill 1000 rats" benchmark. Fallen Earth didn't suffer from lack of an achievement system at launch, but it certainly stands to benefit from the addition of one. And with the system now live, if the other elements of the recent patch 1.4 aren't enough for you, you can start hunting down the most obscure accomplishments the game cares to list. As further detailed on Curse, the system is split into five general categories. Crafter and Explorer both are self-evident in terms of how they're earned. Mercenary achievements require players to get into the hard reality of the PvP scene and take down some opponents, Survivalist achievements measure use of abilities and reputation with factions, and Wastelander achievements come with exploring the plotline of the game. There are more details available, but we're betting that most Fallen Earth players are already well on their way to getting their new marks of survival in the wasteland.
Wasteland Diaries: One point four, baby!
Fallen Earth patch 1.4 hits today. This is a big deal. I can't overstate how insanely important this patch is. The combat system has been revamped, and we get the requisite respec. There's Blood Sports in which clones are pitted against one another for glory and Death Toll. You will no longer lose Death Toll for dying, and will receive some just for showing up. Death Toll is now a type of currency which can be spent on gas, ammo and gear. There are new mounts and pets. There is a new area called Deadfall which lies west of Deadfall Point and Warhall. Clan wars are now a reality. The battles will spill out of the conflict towns and into the more civilized areas. We will have an achievement system that chronicles our adventures in the wasteland. The level cap will be increased to 50 and we will get all the new stuff that comes with it. This will all be happening today. Also, today May 7th, 2010, Massively and Fallen Earth will be holding the Blood Sports Brawl in Embry Crossroads. Come on out and say hello with bullets and knives. You must be at least level 5 to take part in the actual Blood Sports, but all levels are welcomed to the party in the bunker bar. Want more information on today's patch? Click the "read more" button.
Fallen Earth's Marie Croall takes on player questions
Curious about the folks behind the meticulously-assembled wastelands of Fallen Earth? Despite the recent layoffs, there are still a lot of personalities involved with the game's development, and it's always good to know as much as possible about the team behind your favorite games. This week, Senior Game Designer Marie Croall takes the opportunity to answer player questions on the forums, answering a bevvy of largely personal questions with a few game questions added to the mix. Although veteran Fallen Earth players might not find a huge amount of information on upcoming patches, there's something to be said for learning things about the designers other than when they'll give you a pony. If you're staunchly part of the "ponies only" crew, however, there's still hope. Questions will be collected and answered from the main thread all week, which means that if you have something more you want to know, you've got the chance to ask it. Head on over to the official forums and get typing!
One Shots: A (glitchy) public service announcement
While there are undoubtedly bugs and glitches galore out there in the MMO landscape -- and many of them are funny -- we don't often see them used as a form of public service announcement. That is, until today when we opened up the Massively One Shots mailbox and came across this image snapped in Fallen Earth by Joe H. who notes, "I took advantage of the fact that you can walk right through other players' mounts and vehicles to make this PSA screenshot." (If you can't read the text in the image above, just click the image to see the embiggened gallery version.) If you've found something funny in your world, or used a glitch to silly effect, why not grab a screenshot of it and email it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Be sure to include your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. Also, please make sure your image is at least 1024 pixels wide and has as little visible UI as is possible. Your image could be the next one featured here on One Shots! %Gallery-85937%
Wasteland Diaries: Blood Sports and PvP
I took it upon myself this week to log into the Fallen Earth Public Test Server and check out some Blood Sports. I was not disappointed. It was reminiscent of Quake 2 Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. Regretfully, there is no BFG or rocket-jumping, yet. I didn't get a chance to play Survival. All in all, I think it will be a great success, as there is nothing to lose and rewards to be had for simply participating. I think it will re-invent the "casual PvPer", which has all but vanished from Fallen Earth because of the steep learning curve. But, there is room for improvement. It is very convenient to queue yourself up for a match anywhere in the world, and jump right into the action. But on the test server it can be tough to get enough people in the proper level range to trigger a match. It shouldn't be a problem when Blood Sports goes live on May 7th, given the population on the live server versus the population on the test server. The 1.4 patch will undoubtedly breathe life into Fallen Earth PvP. There are several reasons why I think this and after the break I will explain.
Fallen Earth devs planning to get their Tweet on
While The Bearded One is no longer on the Fallen Earth team, it appears that the new team in charge of continuing to make the post-apocalyptic wastes awesome are wasting no time in getting in touch with their players. How so, you wonder? Well, it appears that they are planning a mass-invasion of Twitter on Thursday at 3pm (GMT -4) to tweet it up with the playerbase. (For those who aren't following them yet, you can catch their official account over at @FallenEarth.) Anyone interested in following the chat only needs to set up a filter on their favorite Twitter client looking for the hashtag #FEchat, or pop over to Twitter's search site and search for that hashtag. Of course, it's not half as much fun if you can't participate, so the Fallen Earth developers will be soliciting questions from everyone. Sure, the 140-character restriction may make for some short answers, but there's something to be said for being able to tune in to a dev chat via text message or mobile Twitter client.
Wasteland Diaries: Try not to be such a noob
Fallen Earth has a steep learning curve. It's not hard to die a horrible death in Fallen Earth because you simply didn't have even the slightest clue what you were doing. But life doesn't have to be short and brutal in the wasteland. In fact, you can eke out a decent living and make quite a name for yourself. There are a few things you can do to minimize the bewilderment you will face once you emerge from the LifeNet pod for the first time into the unforgiving desolation of the apocalypse. After reading this guide, you are likely to be heard saying things like: "Y'know what? The apocalypse isn't all that bad." and "I wish this place were just a little more dangerous."
Massively Exclusive: Fallen Earth about to be invaded by Blight Wolves
The wastes are a hard place to survive and thrive, but for those who have managed to do so and are waiting patiently for the opening of the Deadfall area, we have a treat for you! The above image is the first-ever glimpse of the dreaded (or highly coveted, depending on which end of the jaws you're on) Fallen Earth Blight Wolf mount! With that noted, those who want this awesomely dangerous mount will have to get extremely friendly with some of the ugliest folks currently roaming the wastes -- Shiva's Favored. Apparently somewhere in their twisted history, the Favored figured out a method to tame the enormous blight wolves, turning the snarling beasts into somewhat tame mounts. But don't expect to get access to this super-awesome travel companion for rolling up in their camps and saying hi -- it's going to take some time to earn that kind of trust. For those who want to check out the first-ever look at these powerful beasts, we've managed to secure an exclusive video that we've tucked behind the break -- gotta protect people from those teeth, you know. Add in 130 new missions, new settlements, and more on top of this cool mount and you can see why we say it sounds like this is a great time to live in the post-apocalyptic lands of Fallen Earth.
Fallen Earth pushes Patch 1.4 onto the test server
It's an exciting time living in the wastelands of Fallen Earth these days. Not only have clones been graced with a new dueling system and the first stage of a town revamp, there's now the opportunity to have a mangy flea-covered slobbering creature follow you around placidly. (Which isn't all that unusual if you're friends with a CHOTA, but bear with us.) There are still bigger things on the horizon, however, and Patch 1.4 promises to bring even more PvP and other violent goodness. While it isn't live quite yet, it has gone live on the game's public test server. Aside from the PvP matchups of Blood Sport, the update promises new mounts such as the Blight Wolf, new crafting recipes, and expanded war between clans. To help facilitate testing (which is implied to be on deck for "the next couple of weeks"), the official forums are posting both specific systems to be tested and large-scale testing events. While this doesn't mean we'll certainly be seeing Fallen Earth's next major content patch in a couple weeks, it's certainly a strong argument in that direction... and if you can't wait another minute, you can hop on the test server and see it now.
Wasteland Diaries: What's on the horizon?
Fallen Earth's Patch 1.4 was originally going to include the Deadfall area, item fatigue, pets and new mounts, item overcharging, dueling, New Gallows revision, and raising of the level cap to 50. That, in itself, is already worth the price of admission. But now we are getting even more! The 1.5 patch was originally slated to have the PvP enhancements, such as clan warfare and arena PvP. We will be getting it all in the upcoming 1.4 patch. The release date is Q2, but that's better than "when it's done" if you ask me. Luckily for us, with the Public Test Server, we can check some of this stuff out early. So if you simply can't wait, jump onto the server and take a gander at some of it, at least. The test server has copies of your characters as they existed on February 25, 2010. If you are a new subscriber, you may have to make new characters. There are also special development tools available to you, so that jumping in and testing this stuff is much easier.
One Shots: Sleeping with the enemy
Ever just have one of those days where it doesn't matter how well you prepare, things just seem to go wrong? Worse still when you've had a rough day, jump into your favorite MMO for some stress release, facing off against a monster only to somehow die anyway. Today's Fallen Earth screenshot comes to us from occasional contributor Azzura, who tells us a tale of woe -- or joy, depending on your point of view. "A surprise attack by a nasty scorpion -- it was a fierce battle. In the end I was victorious, and was quite amazed I killed it. I knew the victory was short lived as I saw 'Poison 5', 'Poison 5', 'Poison 5' float up the middle of my screen, and we all took our final dirt nap. But, there is a happy ending -- I'm a clone with a do-over ring around my neck! I returned to drain some Weak Toxin from my kill and save my poor horsie." If you're playing an MMO, we want to see your screens! From big to small, all of them are welcome. Just drop them in an email to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post them out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Wasteland Diaries: Spinning the wheel
Every game has a group of number-crunchers that want to get the most out of a character build. Whether you call them min-maxers, power gamers or munchkins, they are intrinsic to any RPG system ever made. They are the direct antithesis of the roleplayer, and often referred to as roll-players. There is a very clear-cut process to maximize your character's power in Fallen Earth. This process is called "Spinning the Wheel". When I use the term "wheel", I am referring to the faction wheel. While some do choose to spin the wheel, most players usually flip the wheel. I'll explain the difference later. So what does the wheelspin do for you? It gives you about 30 extra AP and unlocks all the mutation lines. The important thing here is that you will be noticeably better than those who don't bother to do it. Why would you do it, and how do you do it? Read on.
Wasteland Diaries: Fallen Earth's first six months
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a new clone emerging from the LifeNet Pod in Zanesville; it was early access launch day: 9/9/09. I have never, and likely will never again, see Zanesville so crowded. Fallen Earth had been live for only a few hours, so I opened the social window to see how far behind the power curve I was. Someone was already level 8. Egad! Better get moving. My first goal was to get rid of my LifeNet garb, so I didn't look like such a noob -- not that I didn't fit right in. My second goal was to craft myself a horse bridle, as walking everywhere can be tedious. Back in those days we didn't get an Old Nag, we had to earn our first horse -- uphill, both ways. Fallen Earth, while not an entirely different game, plays out a bit differently than it did then. These days, new players are brought up to speed in a more instructive manner. They have a new expanded tutorial and new missions in each starter town to get the players acquainted with crafting and other gameplay subtleties. The game has a steep learning curve, so more instruction for new players was a step in the right direction. But some people just aren't cut out for the grim reality of post-apocalyptic life, no matter how easy you try to make it for them. Being a new player in Fallen Earth used to be pretty rough. Now, starting with a Crude Slugthrower, which is essentially a zipgun rifle that shares ammo with your zipgun pistols, makes things a bit simpler. Couple that with a 200% damage bonus for headshots (with a floating text feedback message) and life isn't as rough as it once was. How different is it today?
Wasteland Diaries: Wasteland travel guide
Fallen Earth takes place in a vast wasteland. There are a lot of distances involved that you definitely don't want to traverse on foot. That's where mounts come in. "Mounts" are a bit of a misnomer however, because Fallen Earth also has vehicles. I like to refer to them collectively as "go-fasters." But, whatever you call them, they are a necessity. Each mount is classified by its type: either cargo, combat or alternate fuel. Each fulfills its particular role better than the other types at a sacrifice in the other roles. Read on to learn more about pros and cons of each type.
Fallen Earth gets a Mac client
Perhaps you've watched Shawn's recent Fallen Earth exploits in Choose My Adventure, or heard all about the post-apocalyptic fun on Massively Speaking. Well, the team at Icarus Studios have heard the call from the Apple-loving contingent for a client of their own -- and have just announced that they have a beta Mac-compatible client ready for you to download and try out! The new client is made possible thanks to the open-source project, Wine, which helps to create cross-compatibility for different platforms. The Fallen Earth Mac beta client works on Intel Macs, and is optimized for systems running under OS X 10.5 Leopard or later that have dedicated graphics hardware. No word on a Linux client at this time, but a connection with Wine is certainly a very positive first step if they do choose to open up further cross-compatibility to Linux users in the future. "The Mac OS X compatibility project is something we've been excited to see implemented for quite a while," said Brad Lineberger, Chief Technical Officer of Icarus Studios. "Our goal for the project is to allow Mac users to run all of our existing and future games in their native OS." All you have to do if you'd like to get in on the Mac beta is to head over to the Fallen Earth site and check out their beta FAQ page. Of course, you have to have an active Fallen Earth account, or sign up for a 10-day trial first, but for post-apocalyptic loving Mac fans, this is certainly some great news.
