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Forsaken World Nightfall expansion is officially live
It's expansion time in the lands of Forsaken World, and Perfect World Entertainment wants you to know that Nightfall is officially ready for prime time. The content drop is the game's largest to date, and to celebrate, PWE is offering players a chance to obtain a rare phantom orb pet. Anyone over level 40 who logs in between March 28th and April 1st will be given a phantom orb chance box and a shot at the various goodies that may be inside. As for the expansion itself, it's got quite a bit of new content. Flying mounts are in, as are new areas like Nightfall Citadel which are full of quests and new exploration content. Players can now further customize their skill sets, participate in a new PvP arena season, and check out the new guild base system revamps. More details are available at the official Forsaken World website. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]
EverQuest II adds player wings, yes really
EverQuest II is one of the most feature-rich MMOs in existence. One of the few things it doesn't didn't have is the ability for players to sprout wings and take to the skies. Oh sure, there are some pretty spiffy flying mounts, and there is even a quest line that grants Fae and Arasai avatars the ability to use their faerie wings for something other than looks. Today, though, Sony Online Entertainment is raising the bar via new sets of wings that are available to any character (of any race). These aren't just crappy looking social add-ons, either, but slickly animated functional wings on par with those in Aion or Perfect World. The catch is that they're only available in the Station Cash marketplace, and they'll set you back 1,950 points (about 20 bucks). Check out the video after the break for a brief demonstration. Also keep in mind that you'll need a character of level 85 or higher to use them. [Source: SOE press release]
Aion's 3.0 update features extensive housing mechanics, mounts
Remember that really slick Aion "vision" trailer that NCsoft released in November of 2009? If you're a fan of the Daeva-centric fantasy MMO you've probably seen the nine-minute clip floating around the intarwebs (and marveled at its graphical upgrades, mounts, player housing, and various bells and whistles). While NCsoft has already implemented some of the visual tweaks in a previous patch, the housing and mounts have remained conspicuously absent. Now, though, new info leaking out of Korea confirms that the features (and the rest of Aion 3.0) are indeed on the way. Housing will be available at level 21 and will boast many different styles, customizable interiors and exteriors (including color and elevation), functional wardrobes, and a variety of furniture items that will be produced by crafters. Mounts will come in both flying and ground-based flavors, and will need to be hatched from eggs like most of Aion's other pets. Finally, it's worth noting that NCsoft has no official release date for 3.0, and the North American servers usually lag several months behind their Korean counterparts in terms of content updates.
The Tattered Notebook: A 'Top Gear' look at mounts
Previously, I've been writing about the weighty topic of free-to-play vs. live subscription servers in EverQuest II. This week, I'd like to switch gears, both figuratively and literally, to talk about speed. I've recently become a fan of the show Top Gear, a British program(me) that is completely devoted to the love of cars. I don't know why -- I'm not really into cars, and my Volkswagon Passat Wagon hardly qualifies as a car with a soul. But I was watching a recent episode, the one in which Jeremy was driving an Aston Martin across country, and I thought about how far EQII's mount selection has grown. Gone are the days when your choices ranged from a horse with brown spots to a horse with white spots to the really impressive horse with brown and white spots. The only unique mounts back then were the Paladin and Shadow Knight "fun" mounts. Today, there are dozens of different types of mounts that run, leap, glide, and fly. And they're not all just marketplace quick hits; several are easily attained from simple quests or live events. In this week's Tattered Notebook, I'll look at a few of my favorite mounts with an ode to Top Gear.
The Daily Grind: Are flying mounts bad for gameplay?
EverQuest II recently announced that flying mounts (or more accurately, gliding and leaping mounts) are coming to a sub-90 character near you. Predictably, the community reaction was one part "awesome" and two parts "zomg nooooo," both of which were also heard en masse when endgame flying mounts were announced in 2010. The naysaying consensus seems to be that flying mounts cheapen progression-based gameplay by providing an easy way around troublesome mob spawns. That said, there's no denying the lure of unrestricted flight in our MMOs, particularly in a world as large and as topographically diverse as Norrath (and players are of course free to ignore what is essentially a new form of fast travel). For today's Daily Grind, we'd like to know your thoughts on flying mounts. Specifically, do you like them or do you feel they add more negative than positive to the MMO experience? 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!
EQII's Georgeson talks GU60, low-level flying mounts
It's a pretty safe assumption that Sony Online Entertainment's MMO developers and its IT security staff are separate groups of people, and that begs the question of what EverQuest II's coders were doing during the recent 12-day downtime. Perhaps an impromptu vacation or some quality time with other games (or hobbies) was in the cards? Not so, according to producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson, who says that the team was hard at work on Game Update 60 (and 61). EQ2Wire's Feldon has a breakdown of various and sundry Smokejumper quotes gleaned from the official EQII forums, and there's a lot of ground to cover. Topics range from GU60 testing to update notes and updated abilities to potential flying mounts for lower-level players. "Also, the mysterious flying mount thing I promised to explain... well... I don't want to build it up too big, but it's aimed at lower-level characters also," Georgeson says. Hit up EQ2Wire for more details.
EverQuest II's Georgeson mentions free max-level toons, community foams at the mouth
EverQuest II producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson recently touched off a firestorm of controversy by asking the fantasy game's community how it would feel about a win-back promotion featuring free max-level characters. Predictably, the howls of protest are still reverberating around the internet, and EQ2Wire has a bit of analysis regarding both the discussion and the high-level flying mount portion of the game's latest expansion that led to it. Despite the fact that Georgeson was clearly engaging in a bit of speculative thinking with the community (i.e., there are no plans for EQII insta-90s), and despite the fact that Guild Wars has been offering max-level PvP toons since 2005, the EQII discussion quickly turned hostile and demonstrated the minefields that developers must occasionally navigate when engaging their playerbase.
gPotato prepping Iris Online Tears of Arcana content update
Crafting is often the red-headed step-child of newer MMOs, so it's always a happy event when we can report on a title that adds it, improves it, or otherwise takes it seriously. One such game is Iris Online, and the free-to-play offering from gPotato is gearing up to introduce a new forging system that allows for the crafting of epic items as well as a slew of other features. What kinds of features? How about an accessory upgrading system, flying mounts, three new maps, and an increased level cap (65)? All of these bells and whistles are included in the forthcoming Tears of Arcana update, which is currently scheduled to take a bow in the month of May. In the meantime, gPotato is showering its Iris Online faithful with leveling perks, free items, and various celebratory events. First up is a double XP gig (April 18th through the 22nd) followed by an Easter shindig featuring quests that could lead to exclusive mounts and head pieces. Check out the Iris website for more event details.
King of Kings 3 Dragon God Resurrection expansion features dragon taming
April is a big month for gamigo's King of Kings 3. The free-to-play fantasy title will be unveiling its first expansion over the next few weeks, and the new Dragon God Resurrection patch looks to add a slew of content to the game. For starters, the level cap is being raised to 140 and a second level of specialization is being unlocked (which will increase the game's class total to 27). Crafting is also being expanded, with the available equipment now scaling to 140 alongside the new level cap. Seven new boss monsters have also been added, and each drops powerful artifacts that players can use to create valuable weapons. Finally, what's a Dragon God Resurrection expansion without dragons? King of Kings 3 has them in spades, including the big nasty boss monster variety as well as tamable dragons that may be used as flying mounts. "Dragon Knights can even raise their own dragons, nurturing a baby dragon into a fully grown flying menace" according to a gamigo press release. The expansion is also adding a good number of new items, quests, and dungeons, and you can read all about it on the game's official website.
The Tattered Notebook: Week one in Velious
It's been a very busy week since EverQuest II's Destiny of Velious launched! Despite a few server issues, the launch seemed to go smoothly, and there were plenty of players running around in otter illusion form by the end of the first day. I happily welcomed the return of the Kael Giants, the Coldain Dwarves, and even the Tizmak! After battling the void for so long, I found them to be a refreshing change. In this first week, I set out to raise and train my flying griffon mount and began to tackle the new content. Read on for highlights of my past week, including public quests, my stubborn baby griffon, and a mysterious guide quest involving Kael Drakkel.
The Tattered Notebook: More on flying mounts, public quests, and prestige homes
SOE has been slowly getting new information out about Destiny of Velious. As part of an ongoing promotion to showcase the upcoming expansion, Senior Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson and Greg "Rothgar" Spence took part in the second installment of the Destiny of Velious webcast. They took the opportunity to elaborate on topics from the first show and also revealed some exciting new features. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at the highlights of last Friday's webcast. Read on to hear more about flying mounts, prestige housing, and public quests.
Breakfast Topic: Has flight ruined the adventure?
I have very strong opinions about video games. Even when I love a game with all of my heart (like WoW), I still enjoy discussing the little things I think could have been handled differently and arguing them with absolute brutality. Matthew Rossi and I spend hours debating game design every day. Every single day. My latest pet topic is flying mounts in World of Warcraft. Personally, I think flying mounts removed most of the feeling of adventure, danger, and discovery in WoW. Once you're able to jump on your first flying mount, the dangers of the world are no longer an issue. You no don't have to stop for a moment to figure out how to scale rough terrain. The world doesn't hold secrets from you anymore, unless they're hidden indoors or underground -- you can merely mount up and fly to anything in the world. If you wanted to, you could fly from one end of Twilight Highlands to the other and see everything the landscape has to offer with no effort whatsoever. It doesn't matter how intimidating and oppressive Blizzard's artists and designers make the terrain of a zone. It's a distant, fleeting threat. You can essentially remove yourself from the world with the click of a button. Fly high enough into the sky, and you can close yourself off from all of Azeroth. I don't hate flying mounts; I actually quite enjoy riding a bone dragon. I just think that there was a lot lost in the process of integrating flight. I would like to take this topic to you, dear readers. Do you think flying mounts have taken the adventure and discovery out of Warcraft? If so, how do you think it could be fixed? Do you like things just as they are? %Poll-57450%
Cataclysm Beta: Old weather flying will cost 250g
In a stunning (not really) move, Blizzard has announced that players will have to purchase a Flight Master's License for 250g. This skills allows players to fly on Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdom continents, including the new level 80-85 zones, and is trainable at level 60. Zarhym -- New Flight Skill We've added a new flying skill called Flight Master's License. When World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released, players who purchase the expansion will see this skill available from flight trainers for 250 gold once they reach level 60. This new skill is required for flying around all Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms zones, including the new level 80-85 zones. source Zarhym -- New Flight Skill The cost for this is 250 gold. The name has also changed. I've updated my original post with the new information. :) source Previously, during the Twitter Dev Chat in April, the developers responded that more than likely, players would be able to fly from the beginning without purchasing the tongue-in-cheek "Old Weather Flying." As for why Blizzard is now adding such a skill, I have no idea. I don't mind ponying up the gold, considering the rate at which gold is earned in Cataclysm feels much faster than in the original game. My best guess is that Blizzard still wants flying in the old world to feel special and be a goal players will strive to reach for rather than stumble across. Also, it appears that if you do not have the Cataclysm expansion, you will not see this ability as trainable -- if you want to fly in the old world, you'll need the new expansion. What do you think about the Flight Master's License?
The OverAchiever: Pimp thy ride
As you've probably already read, players will be able to purchase 310 percent flying speed from trainers in Cataclysm. While this is good news for people who hate raiding, think arena was shat into existence by the most sociopathic among the development team, or spent School of Hard Knocks trying to drown themselves in the nearest body of water, the bad news is that buying your way to super-fast flying will run you a cool 5,000 gold. Outrageous, says this dyed-in-the-wool cheapskate. For anyone else who'd rather die than part with a centavo of hard-earned gold, the good news is that having even a single 310 percent flyer in your stable is enough to get you the skill free. Fortunately, there's plenty of time to snag yourself one of these coveted mounts before Cataclysm hits, and just as fortunately, each mount is the reward (or subject) of an achievement. Strategy guides for obtaining each of the remaining 310 percent mounts is definitely beyond the scope of this article (although I'll probably devote an edition of OverAchiever to nabbing the Rusted Proto-Drake, above) but we can take a visual tour of the fast flyers that any hard-working player can still get in Wrath of the Lich King.
The Tattered Notebook: Flying mounts and what's Next
Well, it's been quite the week and a half for EverQuest fans, with not one but two expansion announcements, a few more details on the upcoming EQII Extended service courtesy of various Fan Faire panels, and of course the speculation supernova surrounding the pseudo-reveal of EQNext (is it really a reveal though if we know virtually nothing about it?). You might think that here at the Tattered Notebook, we'd be quivering with excitement for more EQNext info, or salivating at the prospect of a return to Velious as well as gearing up to visit the House of Thule. You'd be right, but all of that pales in comparison to two very special words (no, not Station Cash): Flying frickin' mounts.
SOE officially announces EQII's Destiny
Not to be outdone by all the fan coverage of last week's Fan Faire 2010, Sony Online Entertainment has released its own smorgasbord of information on the next EverQuest II expansion in the form of an official press release. Destiny of Velious, flying your way in February, looks to expand the venerable franchise while simultaneously paying homage to its roots. The release will feature an all-in-one compilation pack with the base game, all seven expansions, and three adventure packs, allowing newbs and veterans alike to dive into (or back into) the world of Norrath. Speaking of diving, we've now confirmed that flying mounts will allow you to venture off the beaten path of pre-determined flight tracks, wheeling and soaring at will. Additionally, expansioneers can partake of 300 new quests (including four Heritage Quests), 10 new dungeon instances, a contested dungeon, Velious-themed PvP battlegrounds, two new overland zones, six new raids, and dozens of new armor sets. %Gallery-99169%
Destiny of Velious details announced for EverQuest II
This year's Fan Faire has been kind to fans of EverQuest II and EverQuest, with the announcement of new expansions and a mysterious further project for the franchise. The fine team at The EQ2 Wire sat in on a discussion of all of the new features and details of the upcoming expansion, Destiny of Velious, and they transcribed their notes from the event. While the notes are a bit disjointed, they should give players quite a bit to look forward to and a number of tidbits to munch on. If there has to be a downside, it's likely the fact that the Othmir will not be added as a playable race -- in fact, no race will be added to the playable roster. But there's a lot for fans to mull over even with the questions that the team declined to answer. Most interesting is that the expansion's release will be split into two parts, with part two possibly coming via update rather than a separate release. There are also plans for flying mounts in every overland zone of the game, rather than the "some" that was announced earlier. EverQuest II players should promptly take a look at the latest news, as it's going to be an interesting ride.
Fan Faire 2010: EQII flying mounts, EQNext art revealed [updated]
The EverQuest franchise looks to be the big winner at this year's Fan Faire event, as several large announcements regarding the games in the long-running series were featured in SOE president John Smedley's community address. EQ2Wire's Feldon has the details on the short presentation. In addition to restating the features coming your way when EQII Extended hits in mid-August, Smedley discussed the next EverQuest expansion, House of Thule, which adds several new dungeons as well as player housing and launches on October 14th. EverQuest II players will have a to wait a bit longer for their expansion, Destiny of Velious, which debuts on February 8th. The wait will likely be well worth it, however, as flying mounts will be introduced in many of the game's zones. Finally, Smedley revealed a presentation slide labeled "The Future of EverQuest" and preceded to show off the first concept art in-game art from the cryptically titled EverQuest Next, which you can view in our gallery below. He also hinted that more information would be forthcoming as Fan Faire wraps up this weekend. [Update: We received a note from SOE clarifying that the screenshot here is not mere concept art -- it's actual in-game art. Only makes you more curious, doesn't it!] %Gallery-98975%
The OverAchiever: Pure win
Every so often I get tired of the self-seriousness that infests some of (OK, most of) the other work I do here, and get the urge to write something purely for fun. After our series on evil achievements and the relentless misery of School of Hard Knocks, I'd like to spend some time on achievements that are nothing but an absolute joy from beginning to end. The following is an entirely arbitrary set of five achievements that I personally believe are a hoot. Eventually, I'd like to expand this in the same fashion as the evil achievements series, and I'd welcome any comments or suggestions on your own favorites. Namely, what makes certain achievements fun? Is there any achievement you've made a point of getting on each of your characters?
Refer-A-Friend rocket available starting tomorrow, Tuesday April 27
Zarhym has just posted to let us all know that the previously announced X-53 Touring Rocket, the only 2-seated flying mount currently available in game, will be claimable by qualifying Refer-A-Friend accounts starting tomorrow, Tuesday April 27. With this, the Zhevra mount will be retired, so if you want it, be sure to grab it tonight. The full announcement text is behind the cut.
