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Shroud of the Avatar adds multiplayer features for release 3
If you backed Shroud of the Avatar chiefly to play around with its semi-online functionality, the newest release of the game should make you happy. The third test release features several of the multiplayer functions of the game, including chat, emotes, and friend lists. Combine that with the addition of a crafting system and new merchants, and the whole thing is closer than ever to being a fully featured online-but-not experience. The third test session will also feature a village, Braemor, expanding the amount of land that players have to explore and work within. Obviously, this test will be available only to backers of the game, but you can still jump on that through the game's official site if it sounds like something you want to play. For more details on the improvements as well as how to get into the game if you are a backer, take a look at the full release notes. [Source: Portalarium press release]
PlayStation 4 friends list supports up to 2000 pals
It's getting down to the details now as we head closer to the next-gen console launches of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with Sony sliding in today that the PS4 will let users have a couple thousand friends on their buddy list. "The PlayStation 4 has party chat and, I can also tell you, that your PlayStation 4 friends list will let you have up to 2,000 friends," said Hollie Bennett from Access PlayStation in a video released this morning. Microsoft had previously stated the Xbox One will allow up to a thousand friends. Both consoles now shine a glaring light on how few friends we actually have and increase the desire to drown our sorrows in a pint of Chunky Monkey.
Guild Wars 2 wants you to play with your friends no matter what
"Whenever we design a new feature we always ask ourselves how it impacts our players' ability to play with their friends," ArenaNet's Eric Flannum stated about Guild Wars 2. In an interview focused on connecting players together, Flannum made it clear that the team was looking for every possible opportunity to pave the way for social hookups. Flannum addressed the specifics of how Guild Wars 2's servers work in relation to transfers. While there is a traditional paid transfer service (which can be used only every seven days), all players will have the ability to hop over to friends' servers as a guest. Player team-ups are further made possible by the dynamic level-adjusting system that scales players down to the zone they're occupying. This process is made easier by ArenaNet's decision to make friend lists and guilds account-wide instead of specific to a server. So while each guild has a home server, other chapters can exist elsewhere. Flannum also said that the team is carefully structuring its PvP system so that it will be free from potential abuse by server guesting.
Xbox Live friend limit to increase to 1000, Xbox Germany says [Update: Not in next update, says Major Nelson]
It looks like our brilliant plan to stop playing Halo 2 (which was helped along by Microsoft's removal of Live support for Xbox 1 games) worked! According to a deleted Facebook announcement from Xbox Germany, the friend list cap on Xbox Live is being boosted from a paltry 100 to a ridiculous 1,000. "How many friends do you have?" the (Google-translated) announcement read. "Not enough? Then you looking for new friends on the Finder tab!" (View the full announcement and translation after the break.) Strangely, neither the embiggened friend list cap nor the "Finder tab" are present in our preview version of the upcoming Dashboard update. We're still locked in to the smaller, more intimate, friend limit. We're checking with Microsoft now to determine when this update will roll out to you and the masses of people waiting to be muted by you. Update: It appears that the "Finder tab" feature refers to the "friend finder" on the Xbox Facebook site; not a part of the Dashboard. Update 2: Major Nelson tweets,"We will not be expanding the friends list as a part of the next Xbox Live Update." That's not to say the friends list cap won't eventually be tweaked -- merely that it's not one of the changes included in the pending fall update.
Open beta brings changes for Final Fantasy XIV
Players who have longed for a chance to play Final Fantasy XIV and haven't been selected for the game's beta yet can take heart. The open beta will begin on August 31st, and players are already able to begin downloading the client. (With the latest patch at 1.24 gigabytes, we do mean "begin downloading." It'll be a while.) That means that you can see for yourself whether the outraged reaction to the fatigue system is entirely deserved, along with any other questions you might have about gameplay. As has been the pattern for the game's testing, the newest build includes several updates to UI functionality and the implementation of further core features, although it's still unclear if this version is the same as the release version due out in a bit less than a month. Chat modes and friend list features have been implemented, as well as a further listing of emotes for various situations. FFXIVCore has put together a decent list of the beta changes, something that should be of interest to the many Final Fantasy XIV hopefuls due to start trying the game soon.
Global Agenda 1.1 patch released on test
Global Agenda isn't necessarily for everyone, but there's no shortage of people it is for, and their reception to the game thus far has been positive. Still, like any new game there are kinks to work out and things not quite ready for launch time. Both are making a showing in the game's 1.1 patch, which has just hit the test servers in anticipation of hitting live servers next week. Among the larger changes are the implementation of a Friend/Ignore list, further queueing improvements, and a widespread overhaul to crafting and blueprints to make upgrades easier to work with. The crafting overhaul is probably the biggest single gameplay-related change, with the randomness of crafting replaced with a more specific set of craftable items. Upgrades have also been streamlined and clarified to make it easier for players to identify what they want rather than manually searching through each item on a list. With a number of bugs also having been squashed, the patch is no doubt going to improve the lives of Global Agenda players significantly, so take a look at the full notes and expect for it to hit the live servers very soon.
Champions Online announces iPhone app: Champions Companion
It seems like these past two days have been "everyone gets an iPhone app" days. Developers, we love you, but did you all have to release your apps at the same time? Anyway, back to the original point, Champions Online is on your iPhone. Thanks to the Champions Companion app, you can take CO wherever you go. Much more than a simple "armory" application that lets you look at your character's stats and show your hero off to friends, the Companion lets you view the in-game news, view your friends list and friend activity streams, and even send and receive in-game e-mails. Companion is free for all account holders, so jump over to the iTunes store and grab yourself the app today. So, next time you're out at the mall and your best friend logs into Champions, you can shoot them an e-mail while you're sitting in front of the Express and waiting for your girlfriend. Be super, wherever you go.
