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The Daily Grind: Have you ever been scared in an MMO?
With the release of The Secret World, the topic of horror in MMOs has taken a sharp uptick in player conversations. For some, the title is creepy and spooky as all get out; for others, it's hard to get frightened with all these other people around and a solid shotgun in your hands. But The Secret World doesn't have a monopoly on scares in MMOs, as even the most benign titles may produce a moment or two that gives you the willies. It could be a monster that pops out of nowhere, a creature design that sincerely unnerves you, or a situation in which you feel utter dread and despair. I always felt that Fallen Earth delivered more than a few locations and moments that deeply unsettled me, and I'll admit to even jumping in fright once when I saw a giant wolf come out of the shadows in a darkened boiler room. So what about you? Have you ever been scared in an MMO, and if so, what happened? 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!
APB's Reloaded Games merges with parent company
Reloaded Games, the operator of the revived APB Reloaded, has merged with parent company K2 Network. The new company retained the Reloaded Games moniker and intends it to signify a move to running more cross-platform MMOs. This is a change from K2's old practice of merely importing Korean games. The new Reloaded Games covers both the GamersFirst platform (which includes, among other games, Fallen Earth) and Reloaded Productions studio. The studio will continue to be a subsidiary of the company. Reloaded Games CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson says that this is just the first sign of a bold new initiative by the company: "We have already signed contracts with independent developers to use our platform and portal for their free-to-play game distribution. We will announce those agreements in the next couple of weeks."
MMO Blender: Jeremy's unholy MMO concoction
Have you ever wished MMO developers could put away their checkbooks, pluck out the best bits of their respective MMOs, and weld them together to construct the megalopolis of MMOs? We do too! So today, we're launching a brand-new opinion column, MMO Blender, in which the Massively writers will mix and match their favorite features from existing MMOs for your amusement. But do our choices create a perfectly honed machine or a lumbering, speechless frankenstein of an MMO that deserves to be put out of its misery? First up: Livestreamer extraordinaire and Contributing Editor Jeremy Stratton with a potent, sandboxy blend of Fallen Earth, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and more. Wet your whistle after the break and look for more MMO Blenders from the rest of our staff in the coming weeks!
The Daily Grind: How do you kill off your characters?
Indie sandbox Origins of Malu plans to feature a very unusual PvP mode: a permadeath PvP duel system. Characters who voluntarily duel under this system -- and lose -- will be erased from the game. Forever! Massively's staff roleplayers are divided on whether or not this feature will ever see much use, though. While most of us think it's an awesome system that will provide some spectacular entertainment, others of us have argued that it takes a lot of courage for MMO gamers, so used to investing time and money into their avatars, to kill off a character permanently. It won't be easy finding another roleplaying duelist who's both capable of putting up a good fight and willing to risk his own hide. Plus, wouldn't it be weird if every single RPer who wanted to off a toon did so in a gladiatorial duel to the death? There are so many other dramatic ways to end a character's story! And that brings us to today's Daily Grind: How do you kill off your characters? Do you go for climactic in-game events? Do you field "can I have ur stuff" requests? Do you delete silently and never look back to avoid future temptation? Or do you cancel your accounts and let your characters slumber peacefully, awaiting your someday return? 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!
Fallen Earth receives a State of the Game update
For Fallen Earth players, May was all about the Global Territory Control update. But now it's June, and the game's developers have been rather quiet since then. The team is rectifying that in the newest State of the Game letter, letting fans know that it's just been a quiet month of balancing and addressing bugs from the patch. Now that those issues are addressed, the team can look toward the future again. Among the promised future additions are farms, meant to be the PvE equivalent of harvesters. The team wants to ensure that harvesters are providing enough of a reward for player effort to be worthwhile, so some more balancing is necessary, but the core idea is that the higher-risk actions of harvesters yield greater rewards than farms. There's also a promise of the development team trying to be more active with responses to players, something that should be a welcome start after a fairly quiet month.
Previously on MV TV: The week of May 26th
This week was another fun week of livestreaming for the folk at Massively. While I missed my turns at the mic, I still enjoyed checking out many of the killer moments that come from a typical week of MMO streaming. Be sure to bookmark our Livestream guide page so you can always be in on which games will be streaming and when. This week we have EVE Online, TERA, Diablo III, EverQuest II, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Fallen Earth and Aion. You know, your usual group of kick-butt videos! Click past the cut and tune in!
Ex-Fallen Earth designer compares in-game locations to real life
Fallen Earth fans probably know that the post-apocalyptic MMO is one of the few massive titles to feature a real-world location. Despite its bombed-out futuristic stylings, the game takes place in the American southwest, or more specifically, the Grand Canyon and surrounding territories. According to former Icarus Studios designer Joshua Peery, Fallen Earth's Grand Canyon isn't too far removed from the real thing. For starters, the devs used USGS satellite imaging as their world-building blueprint. Peery's latest personal blog entry says that driving through the real-world location leads to further appreciation for the work done by the game's artists and builders. "Driving through the 'real' Sector Three's Kaibab Forest was like deja vu, with the only difference being I was in my SUV rather than in an interceptor, dirt-bike, horse, etc.," Peery writes. Peery's game tourism odyssey was part of a cross-country trek to a new job at Carbine Studios, for which Massively offers a hearty congrats.
Fallen Earth team dwindles further, but the game still lives
Earlier tonight we got word of a rumor regarding Fallen Earth's development team dwindling down to three remaining content designers: a scripter, an artist and a game designer. Concerned over what has turned out to be a horrible week of layoffs, we shot an email to GamersFirst, which quickly responded: "We had a large contractor crew on FE and we are focusing on creating our own employee pool to manage the game. We did decide to not renew some of our contractors. As you probably know that we are going to focus on our own home grown IPs like APB Reloaded, Fallen Earth, Hailan Rising and Taikodom. We have already stopped servicing Knight Online and we will be stopping service of War Rock from June 1. As a result we will using our own pool of experienced staff to manage the complete operations of Fallen Earth. Key game design folks like Marie still continue to be at the helm in North Carolina. Fallen Earth has also been licensed in South America and we will close to licensing it in Russia, Turkey and Asia. We are absolutely committed to making it grow across the globe." While it appears that the game itself is not in trouble, we'll be sure to keep our eye on the situation for further developments.
One Shots: Lone wolf
Long-time Massively follower but first-time One Shots contributor Ilix sent along today's highlighted screenshot of Fallen Earth, which we think is quite timely, given the PvP revamp soon headed to everyone's favorite post-apocalyptic sandbox. He writes in, Fallen Earth is my top hard-RP MMO. Ilix, after three decades of isolation, attempted to fit in with a player-run town. But he was too rough-edged, too guarded, and still isolated in his mind, and he could not find joy among others. After several days trying to force himself back into what remains of humanity in the blasted terrain of the apocalypse, he admitted to himself that he could never return because he was too quick to anger, and he wandered off back into the desert. Irradiated scorpions haunt the land he wandered into, so he finds rest on the blade of a ruined helicopter's rotor, just out of reach of stingers. This shot defines the dual beauty and harshness of the life he resigns himself to. Ilix's gorgeous sunset is tucked behind the break along with two other One Shots shots!
Exclusive Interview: Going global with Fallen Earth's PvP
Two of the biggest cornerstones of Fallen Earth have always been crafting and PvP, and its these cornerstones that GamersFirst is enriching come patch 2.4. The patch, called Global Territory Control, is taking these elements and firing them up in ways that any PvPer or crafter should find exciting. We hopped on the phone with Associate Producer Asa Reed, Director of Operations Joe Willmon, and Senior Game Designer Marie Croall to talk about why 2.4 will be the patch that will change the wasteland forever -- and why you should anticipate it, whether you're a crafter or a player-killer.%Gallery-155670%
Spend a day as a Fallen Earth Premium Member on us!
Fallen Earth is a post-apocalyptic MMO that always seems to be on that short list of games that everyone means to try out one day. And when people try it, positive praise usually follows. To help celebrate the upcoming 2.4 patch, we're giving you a chance to play the game as a top-tier premium member for one day, complete with massive XP, crafting, and PvP currency buffs, the Commander's Aura stackable buff that allows you to spread the benefits among your party members, a 20% marketplace discount, and more. In addition, we're giving you the Light Slugthrower, an advanced version of the starter rifle, which features higher damage output than its little brother. There's no giveaway page and no key codes on this one; if you want to grab this nifty one-day package for yourself, simply enter the promo code "MASSIVEEARTH" either in-game or by clicking the Redeem Code button on the Fallen Earth website. To access the Marketplace in-game, click on the "$" button on the bottom of your minimap. The code expires on June 1st. Have fun!
Fallen Earth 2.4 patch to feature territory control, automated harvesting, and more
GamersFirst has formally announced its next update for Fallen Earth. The Global Territory Control patch, or 2.4 if you're counting at home, will bring quite a bit of new functionality to denizens of the game's Grand Canyon wasteland. As you might expect given the update name, territory control plays a big role. The devs are adding new outposts and settlements throughout the game world that can be conquered by each of Fallen Earth's six player factions. Capturing a settlement grants sole property rights to the controlling faction, which in turn provides valuable mineral extraction capabilities. The 2.4 patch also features a new 50-plus PvP zone called the The Foothills, new player-crafted prospecting and harvesting technology, and various quality of life tweaks like bulk purchasing, merchant buyback, and faster mounting. Check in with Massively later this week for more exclusive info on the new patch as well as an interview with the devs. [Source: GamersFirst press release]
Fallen Earth trimming up the game experience for new players
Fallen Earth isn't a cumbersome game, but it can be hard to approach at first. The game has a lot of complicated systems playing off one another, and as a result, trying to jump in can leave a new player confused about what to do next. Luckily, the development team is well aware of the problem, and a recent development blog outlines the steps being taken in the next patch to help streamline and improve the experience for new players. The change that will have the biggest impact on everyone in the game will be the consolidation of several gear slots, meaning that players will no longer have to scrounge for corresponding pieces when starting out. The addition of sector chat and a beacon leading toward the nearest garage will help players find others and receive aid as needed. And the team is looking ahead to future improvements as well, all in the hopes that your first moments in Fallen Earth are fun enough to convince you to stay.
Fallen Earth's May State of the Game letter showcases new Foothills PvP zone
Roamers of Fallen Earth's post-apocalyptic Grand Canyon province have long been awaiting the final release of the game's Global Territory Control update. Thankfully, the wait is almost over. But meanwhile, today's GamersFirst dev blog post aims to shed some light on some of the latest additions to the system. The spotlight of the post is set on the new PvP conflict area known as The Foothills. The zone is an abandoned settlement situated between Los Alamos and Citadel that "never quite made it." As a result, the various factions of Fallen Earth have taken to fighting for control of the area in order to further solidify their foothold in the region. The Global Territory Control patch is set to go live next Wednesday, so keep an eye on the official dev blog for more details as the update gets closer to launch.
The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life
Maybe I'm alone in this, but my jaw just dropped when I came home this past week to see that Massively posted the news that Shadowbane is coming back to life. Granted, it's only going to happen in China, but still, that's pretty incredible. Shadowbane's been in the ground for three years now, and if I had to pick an MMO that deserved resurrection, this particular one would be farthest from my mind (no offense if you liked the game; it's just that there are so many others that are even more worthy). But how can this not give you hope? Many of us have lost an MMO we loved or at least had a decked-out character populating the character select screen, and the thought of that game coming back against all odds is a goosebump-rising one. It may also smack of justice served, as some MMOs fail not because of faulty gameplay but because of mismanagement by the studio, complex legal wrangling, or bad marketing. Today let's look at a few examples of dead MMOs that were brought back to life and what this may mean for the future of the industry. Zombie MMOs! Not, you know, MMOs with zombies.
Fallen Earth dev blog details Haven revamp
It's been a month or so since we've heard from the folks working on Fallen Earth. Today, that news drought ends courtesy of a dev blog by one Ninjanomics. The update is all about the changes in store for the town of Haven. Given the fact that the town is one of the more prominent features of the Northfields area, and given that it "had a confusing layout, was cruelly prohibitive to framerate, and didn't well reflect the serenity of the Lightbearers as a faction," the devs thought it was time for an extreme makeover. Ninjanomics (also known as GamersFirst's art ninja) walks us through the rebuild process and details both the stylistic and the layout changes to the town. The original design had "no logical flow to speak of," which led G1 artists to divide Haven into two sections: the town proper and a grove area. As a result, the new Haven experience is markedly smoother for weary wasteland wanderers and fans of Fallen Earth's free-to-play sandpark ambiance.
The Road to Mordor: Ride to ruin and the world's ending!
Mounted combat's been on my mind a lot lately, particularly when I was galloping around Dunland and various clansmen knocked me off my horse. It was then that I wished I had a skill called "Trample to a Bloody Pulp -- For Rohan!" and that Turbine would finally earn that AO rating it's always craved. Barring that skill, I would just love a massive war horse that would send enemies fleeing from me instead of making a beeline for my knees (which are a prime target for arrows). I'm both excited and nervous about the mounted combat system coming in Riders of Rohan. I'm excited that it will open up a new style of gameplay in this five-year-old game and nervous that it'll drag Lord of the Rings Online down if it's not done right. Whatever type of horseback combat we might envision will surely be different than the final product, and that uncertainty leaves me feeling in limbo. More than anything else, Riders of Rohan is about mounted combat. Turbine's centering the expansion around it, dedicating an entire zone to it, and developing loads of assets and skills for it, and the company will undoubtedly be hyping it strongly over the course of the summer. It's a bold step to take but a necessary one as well, as the IP and nation of Rohan are steeped in mounted combat, and it's been a little weird that we've had to dismount to swing a sword ever since leaving the shire. So will mounted combat prevail, fail, or muddle in the middle?
Fallen Earth's March state of the game gets territorial
Another month is upon us, and Fallen Earth is bringing some changes to its Global Territory Control system. While players wait with bated breath for the new features to hit the PTS at the end of the month, GamersFirst has put out a new blog post outlining what players can expect from the next round of updates. We've covered the basics of Global Territory Control previously, so if you want to get up to speed, go on and have a read. Don't worry; we'll wait. Caught up? Good. So what's new this month? The buffs granted by controlling territories have been changed. Now, each town and keep is worth a given number of points. The faction that has the most points will receive a buff that "improves crafting and harvesting speed as well as Random AP, Death Toll, Faction, and Experience gains." Meanwhile, the faction system is getting a revamp that "will see the elimination of shoulder factions." Completing tasks for your faction of choice "will only affect the specific faction you completed it for and its opposite on the faction wheel." This really only scratches the surface of the myriad changes coming to Fallen Earth, so to get the full details just head on over to the game's official site.
Performance tweaks coming to Fallen Earth
We announced just last week that popular post-apocalyptic sandbox title Fallen Earth had been released on Steam. Well, opening that can of worms seems to have taken its toll on many of the game's more populated areas, causing performance issues and crashes for some players. Needless to say, GamersFirst is not about to let that fly. In fact, GamersFirst's Napalm stopped by the game's official forums earlier today in order to notify players of some small tweaks that are being made to the game in order to solve these performance issues. For starters, Embry Crossroads and all starter towns are being moved onto "much, much beefier hardware," which "will have an immediate impact, and should decrease the amount of lag that players are seeing in those areas." Improvements are also being made to server memory management, and the studio is even upgrading to a "more capable branch of the xScape engine" that should hopefully allow the game to handle a higher number of players in any given area. For the full details on the improvements, just click on over to the official announcement below.
Fallen Earth entices Marketplace shoppers with first-time purchase package
Studies have shown that if players make the big step to buying something -- anything -- in an online game's cash shop, then they're much more likely to do it again. Ergo, studios are coming up with all sorts of methods to sweeten that first deal, such as GamersFirst's new Fallen Earth "first time purchaser package." The package is a bundle of 13 items, unlocks, and abilities that will be sent to the character of your choice once you make your first purchase in the Fallen Earth Marketplace. It's a very tempting deal, especially for free players, as it increases character slots to four, adds access to global chat, removes the chip limit, unlocks the core wardrobe slot, and tosses in a couple of mobile garage/stable managers for those too lazy to walk back to civilization after an accident. It's not clear whether this package applies to players who have made a purchase in the Marketplace before today.
