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Prime World defies gender stereotypes in latest update
In a stunning twist of irony, Prime World is now challenging gender stereotypes by adding effieminate males and burly females for the upcoming NA and EU release. Producer Marc Singer commented on the new customization options: "We want to give a lot of skin options that are not just hairdos and color changes. We want to completely shift them from one spectrum to the other. We want effeminate males and we want burly, bulky females. We want animal-style stuff and old women and young kids." Singer said that this was part of a game-wide effort to combat tired portrayals of sexy girls: "A lot of games nowadays are very over-sexualised or male-centric when it comes to character pools. When you have over-sexualised characters, when you have male-centric hero pools, that's not something that the Russians are concerned about, because culturally for them, it's not a big deal. And even in parts of Europe, it's not a big deal either. But in the US, it's a very big deal." This change is ironic because the MOBA is perhaps best-known for originally forcing gamers to play their gender and incorporating gender-specific abilities and buffs, including a team-wide defensive buff if a female was part of the squad. Nival later decided to (mostly) remove these features for the NA/EU release, although gender locking is still part of the experience.
Prime World devs tackle gender issues, hero prices
The folks over at Nival have posted a quick dev diary that addresses some of the biggest player concerns with its still-in-beta MOBA, Prime World. The studio wants players to know that matchmaking is being refined, an EU server should solve European lag issues, a report system is on the way, and hero prices are under review (though the team seems generally happy with them). Perhaps the most interesting tidbit is Nival's decision to nix all gender features from the game. Prime World has been the subject of some controversy due to its treatment of gender; male and female characters have different abilities that operate in relation to their gender and the gender of other heroes, and player hero choice is determined by the gender established either on the player's Facebook page or Prime World account. Nival explained that the decision to remove gender-specific features will soon be discussed in greater detail in a separate post. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
EVE Online releases its first Odyssey patch
Have you been exploring away like a good little capsuleer in EVE Online? That's kind of what the most recent expansion, Odyssey, is all about. While the first patch for the expansion doesn't contain anything new for players to explore, it does feature a variety of fixes and quality-of-life improvements that should make all that exploration a bit more fun. Especially for players in Russia, who can enjoy a greatly improved localized client after this patch. Aside from localization, the patch includes adjustments to energy vampire mechanics and mindlink strength, with the former receiving a noteworthy buff to ensure that it's no longer nearly useless. Medium turrets have also received some major updates, and several skills have been reorganized or renamed to make things a bit clearer for players. Yes, all of these changes probably mean that you'll spend a bit of time adjusting your ships before heading back out to the wilds of space, but self-exploration is a sort of exploration too.
First Defiance add-on content launches August 20th [Updated with trailer]
Trion Worlds announced today that the Castithan Charge Pack, Defiance's first big content addition, is primed for release. The pack includes a new playable species, new story missions, new weapons, and new game modes, with some content available even for those players who elect not to purchase it. Free content includes new charge weapons, sieges, a PvP map, duels, and the Monolith Major Arkfall, while the playable Castithan race, a horde mode arena, unique four-passenger truck and new achievements/trophies will be available only to purchasers. Other small tweaks include a new chat window and enhanced map. The Castithan Charge Pack launches on August 20th for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, and is priced at $9.99/800 Microsoft Points. Season pass owners will receive the add-on as part of their subscription. If you're curious about this first batch of DLC, be sure to check out our preview from E3 2013. We've also tucked the new trailer behind the break -- thanks to Gaius for that tip! [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
PlanetSide 2 update brings lattice system to Esamir
PlanetSide 2's Game Update 13 is now live, and with it comes a major overhaul to the way battles play out on the icy continent of Esamir. The lattice system, added in Update 9 to help direct the flow of battles and make it easier for players to strategize where and when to attack or defend, is now active on the continent's snowy tundras. Esamir's facilities have been enhanced and modified accordingly. Sony Online Entertainment's latest PS2 update also includes new premium weapons, Vanu weapon audio changes, a respawn screen chatbox and additions to the game's tutorial. Full patch notes from creative director Matt Higby cover the details. Implants, once planned for GU13, didn't make the cut. [Source: SOE press release]
SMITE's new deity Chronos is a timely addition
It's easy to feel that there aren't enough hours in the day to experience all of SMITE's gods in play. Still, the newest patch for the game adds a figure whose moment has come at last: Chronos, Keeper of Time. If you'd like to give him a spin, you'll find that he's made with a tightly wound arsenal of tricks, keeping his enemies on their back feet while he ticks ever closer to victory. Chronos' passive is the ever-spinning wheel of time, which stops when Chronos uses Accelerate to move faster and buff his attacks. He can also drop an area damage spell and slow his enemies to earn valuable seconds of safety. And if the situation turns dire and his hour has come at last, he can simply activate his ultimate ability to rewind time, giving him a chance to recover his abilities and take a second shot at victory. [Thanks to Don for the tip!]
Flameseeker Chronicles: Temporary content in Guild Wars 2
Dragon Bash hits Guild Wars 2 today, and if you haven't yet checked out our video preview of the festivities, what are you waiting for? Dragon Bash is a holiday event, so much of what we'll be seeing in this update will be temporary content. These limited-time events have been the subject of much conversation in the community of late and, consequently, they're the topic of today's video edition of the Flameseeker Chronicles. Let's get to it!
SWTOR Game Update 1.6: Ancient Hypergate goes live December 11th
Ready your PvP gear and strap on your lightsaber because Star Wars: The Old Republic pushes its sixth update to live servers on Tuesday, December 11th. Update 1.6: Ancient Hypergate focuses on the PvP warzone of the same name but also offers a few other changes to PvP. The latest warzone is advertised as an answer to the fans looking for death-match PvP. Combatants will score points by defeating members of the opposing team and causing a slowly creeping explosion to draw all players to the center of the map. Players can also look forward to earning new Elite War Hero PvP gear to show that they are still the best at PvP. And as our latest Hyperspace Beacon argues, this gear is a step toward slowing down the infamous power creep. The servers go offline at 1:00 a.m. EST and will return six hours later at 7:00 a.m. EST. Let us know what you think when the update goes live!
The Repopulation's September update discusses housing and grouping
If you're wondering what's been changing for The Repopulation through the month of September, look no further than the just-released September update from the developers. Last month saw the introduction of two major features for the game: instanced housing and a new auto-grouping system. The latter is fairly straightforward, allowing players to automatically group with others when entering an engagement area instead of competing with other solo players for content. Instanced housing, on the other hand, is meant to cater to solo players and those who aren't interested in open PvP via the nation wars system. While your own personal housing lot won't have as many options as the full city interface, it will provide an option for players who do still want to enjoy some of the fun of building up a settlement. The past month has also seen updates to the game's armor system, loot distribution mechanics, and missions. If you want to know all the particulars, take a gander at the full rundown.
TERA patch opens up GvG on PvE servers and improves daily quests
TERA has been out on American shores for just about a month now, and that means the game is due for a patch. While the latest update isn't a huge patch, it certainly does bring some big changes, starting with the addition of the guild vs. guild system to PvE servers. Guild masters will be able to toggle their guilds as pacifistic or battle-ready, and new players joining a guild will be informed if the guild is embroiled in war. Not up for the PvP road? That's all right -- there are a lot of other little additions in this patch. Daily quests for Hands of Velika have undergone some revisions, with slightly higher numbers required to clear but a greater individual reward. High-end BAMs now also drop Tier 13 crafting materials, with named monsters having a higher chance at drops. The patch also adds the ability to type custom emotes and several bug fixes, both of which should improve the quality of play in TERA.
Perpetuum rolling out Gamma Frontier tomorrow
Home is where you hang your hat, but in Perpetuum, home is also where you ensure that your mining operations remain stable with the aid of several high-powered turrets. The next major update to the game, Gamma Frontier, is all about making sure that your home is the best it can be. Player corporations will be able to make use of the game's new Modular Private Colony system, setting up static buildings and defenses for large-scale industrial operations, helped by the addition of 24 new teraformable islands. Obviously, player-run structures are a pretty big deal all by themselves, but the update also includes a new rendering engine for land and sky textures. There's also a new public test server available so that players can take the measure of future updates before they go live. If you're a longtime fan of the mech-based game, you can tide yourself over a little longer by taking a look through the several new screenshots of the update below. [Source: Avatar Creations press release] %Gallery-156617%
Final Fantasy XIV launches patch 1.22
Feel as if the last major Final Fantasy XIV patch just had too much to absorb at once? Well, you're going to be a bit stuck today if that's the case because patch 1.22 has just gone live and brought with it another host of improvements, updates, and changes. The good news is that this patch doesn't contain the same number of system changes as the previous patch, but that's because of the sheer amount of new content included. The patch adds another four ranks to the Grand Companies, another set of quests, the new Garuda battle, the first of the hamlet defense points, and more besides. Players will also be able to obtain new items from crafting, gathering, and victory in the Garuda fight, and they'll be able to see the first hints of what will happen to the world as the era draws to a close. Servers are expected to be back online later tonight, and players will no doubt have plenty to explore once they can log in again. [Thanks to Alex for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: What was the best patch ever?
There are three responses to every patch released by every game, no matter what the patch does or doesn't contain. There will be people who decry the patch as something horrible, those who act indifferent, and those who enthusiastically gush about how wonderful it is. But there are some patches that stand out as being real game-changers, from Star Trek Online's enormous Season patches to the various content-and-system upgrades doled out regularly for World of Warcraft. If you've been playing long enough, you can reflect on the patch history for your favorite game. What was the best patch that you can think of in terms of its individual impact? Was it one of the major overhauls introduced to Final Fantasy XIV? One of the story updates for Lord of the Rings Online? Or some of the large epilogues added to Guild Wars? What has your nod as the best patch ever, and why? 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!
PlaneShift releases patch 0.5.9
Ever played an MMORPG and thought that you could do a better job making it than the developers? PlaneShift is more or less completely built around that idea. It's an open-source, community-developed game that's still not at full "release" status but does allow players and developers alike plenty of participation in the process. While the development cycle is slow by necessity, the game has just recently released its 0.5.9 patch, bringing with it a large variety of improvements and refinements for the engine and the game itself. The game's art has received several sweeping overhauls; the biggest changes have been aimed at the game's engine in the form of fixing bugs and improving support for a variety of graphics cards. There are also updates to the game's AI scripting, allowing NPCs to act in a more organic and unified fashion. If you're an old hand at the game, the patch is no doubt worth checking out -- and if you've never heard of it, perhaps this is enough to pique your interest.
Newest letter from Naoki Yoshida outlines the plans for Final Fantasy XIV's next patch
Patch 1.21 has just gone live, but many fans of Final Fantasy XIV are already looking ahead to patch 1.22. And it's understandable -- the game is kicking into the final stretch before the major relaunch, and that means new conflicts and new quests as the era draws to a close. Producer Naoki Yoshida recently released a new producer's letter detailing the list of features slated for inclusion with this next update, including the hamlet defense feature that was trimmed from patch 1.21. This penultimate patch before version 2.0 will also see the conflict between Eorzea and the Empire escalate further, illustrated by the presence of a new Imperial stronghold for players to assault. There will be new Imperial weapons as a result, along with new quests and new Grand Company ranks. Currently slated for the end of April, this patch can be expected to deliver a number of improvements to the game, even if it may wind up being delayed a bit in the end.
Vindictus brings out a dragon with accompanying ink
In any fantasy game, downing a dragon is what you want. Sure, there might be other monsters that are technically stronger, but nothing else has quite the feel of straight-up slaying a dragon. Nexon realizes this, which is why the strongest foe in Vindictus' latest game update, is the massive dragon Elchulus. Players will need to have quite the team to bring down this massive foe, as a full raid of 24 characters at level 40 are required to slay the beast. The update also adds a lower-level raid for levels 20 and 30 as well as some brand-new tattoos to help signify your battle against the scaly menace. You can buy new tattoos, or you can face off against the new bosses and have a chance at winning one for free. Not quite convinced? Then take a look at the dragon in action just past the break, and see if you don't have a sudden urge to put a flying lizard in its place.
The Mog Log: Point two one
So patch 1.21 has finally come out, after what feels like a wait of several thousand years. It's the biggest patch since the last one, certainly, and headlining the whole thing is the introduction of the Job system. Final Fantasy XIV players the world over can finally experience the game as one of the iconic classes that have pretty much been the other shoe waiting to drop since the game's launch. But there's also chocobo barding, new dungeons, new functional improvements, private rooms... the usual confluence of many separate elements in a single patch. It's the biggest one since the last one, in other words. The problem this patch faces with its marquee element, of course, is that jobs are something players have anticipated for so long that there's no right way to do them. However jobs get put into the game, some players will be happy and some won't. The best outcome has never been a perfect implementation so much as an implementation that's done consistently and hits the right notes. And that's arguably what happened, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll agree that this was the best implementation possible.
Final Fantasy XIV unveils the full scope of patch 1.21
The time is now -- Final Fantasy XIV's sweeping patch 1.21 is going live. That means players can experience the new Job system, do battle in two new instanced dungeons, and relax in their new private rooms. The patch notes make it clear that as with most of the game's patches, there's a lot going on even beyond the headlining features for the update, including intra-city teleportation services, new achievement categories to explore, and new ways for players to spend guild marks. Patch 1.21 also brings along a revision to the food and medicine of the game, with food serving universally as a small long-term buff and medicines working as short effects or buffs with a big impact. The team has also revised accessories, doing away with the previous mechanic of slot costs. And that's not even touching upon new missions for provisioning from the Grand Companies, the introduction of chocobo barding, or any number of other smaller features added with the list. It's a lot of stuff to absorb, and it should keep adventurers happy for quite some time.
Vindictus has the beatdown, and so do other players
Vindictus has long given players a variety of ways to smash enemy creatures into the ground, and it's had plenty of players. But remarkably, the game has been missing ways to smash those players into the ground, an oversight that the game's new PvP patch is addressing through obvious means. Having just hit the live servers, the new patch allows for a variety of skirmishes between players as well as offers the obligatory rewards for settling disputes like violent, heavily armed men with poor impulse control. The game offers two options for PvP. Capture the Relic is... well, replace "relic" with "flag" and you probably have a good idea. Monster Brawl, meanwhile, pits two teams against one another with each team fighting alongside a boss monster -- keep your monster alive while killing the other team's beast and you win. Players can also unlock powerful rewards in the form of buff items, a nice incentive for those not already motivated by the simple joy of smashing another player's face in.
Blizzard continuing to make big mechanical changes to Diablo III
While there's still no release date set for Diablo III, it seems the release may be further off than some players were guessing, judging by the latest round of sweeping system overhauls. A new post by game director Jay Wilson goes over several major changes being made to the game, starting with the fact that Scrolls of Identify are gone. You have a short casting time to identify and item and that's it, with no need to carry around a separate item. The latest changes also remove the Mystic artisan, the Cauldron of Jordan, and the Nephalem Cube. The latter two were removed due to the inclusion of a Town Portal button, making trips back and forth far easier, while the Mystic artisan lacked a sufficiently defined role amidst other item modifications. There's also a major stat overhaul, which reduces the core attributes to Strength, Dexterity, Intellect, and Vitality. They're far-reaching changes, and only time will tell how much their impact might slow the game's release as the team tests the altered systems.
