Guild Wars
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New Guild Wars Nightfall trailer
With Nightfall's pre-release bonus pack just one month away, NCsoft and ArenaNet have released a trailer for the next Guild Wars campaign. The video includes sweeping panoramas of the African-themed landscape where Nightfall takes place, as well as battle footage featuring the new paragon and dervish professions.For some tips on what makes a successful guild, the game's official web site has posted interviews with top international teams from the Guild Wars Championships.
Great PC games without hardcore hardware
If you've got more important things to spend your hard-earned cash on than PC hardware, GameSpot has compiled a list of ten best selling games that can co-exist comfortably with outdated rigs. Both Athlon test systems were equipped with only 256MB of memory, but one system used an AGP Radeon 9250 video card, while the other had a PCI Express GeForce 6200 installed.Games that you would expect to see on a list of low-tech wonders (by today's standards) are here, such as StarCraft and Half-Life: Counter Strike. However, I was more than a little surprised to see resource hogs Heroes of Might and Magic V and Civilization IV included, even at lowered texture and shader settings. Indeed, the review team experienced framerate problems with Heroes V on the PCI Express system. Still, each game performed admirably on at least one of GameSpot's test configurations, and with entries like Sid Meier's Pirates! and GTA: San Andreas included on the list, there's something for everyone. We'd like to hear which PC games (ancient and current) you've been enjoying on older setups.
Guild Wars Nightfall pre-release bonuses
The exclusive PvP preview event for Guild Wars Nightfall just ended, but fans of the series won't have long to wait for the game's pre-release bonus pack. NCsoft has announced Sept. 15 as the launch date for the pack, and the bonus content is too numerous to list here, but we'll mention the exclusive weapons for the two new professions. Should you choose the Dervish profession, the Icy Soulbreaker of Enchanting is yours to wield, while the Paragon will master the Firey Sunspear of Shelter. I don't have a clue what these weapons do, but they sound neat. How many Joystiqers have joined a guild?
Guild Wars: Nightfall announced
NCsoft has announced the third Guild Wars campaign, Nightfall, which will have an exclusive PvP preview for current members on July 28-30. Like its predecessors, Nightfall is a standalone module with a new continent to explore, and will only require the earlier games if you have characters to transfer. However, veterans might be tempted to start fresh with one of the two new professions -- the angelic Paragon or the scythe-wielding Dervish, both of which are previewed at GameSpot. Visit the game's official web site for more details on the Nightfall preview event, as well as updates on the Guild Wars Factions Championship.See also: Guild Wars goings-on NCsoft's E3 booth tour Guild Wars: character slots for cash coming soon
Guild Wars hits 2 million mark
Love it or hate it, Guild Wars -- you know that free MMO that is almost World of Warcraft's only competition -- has hit the 2 million units sold mark since its initial release in April 2005. It certainly hasn't reached the kind of astronomical numbers WoW has -- about 6.5 million active subscribers -- but, hey, it's a start. Piggybacking on NCsoft's announcement is the revelation that, according to a press release from the company, sales data from The NPD Group shows Guild Wars Factions as the number one selling PC game in North America for the month of May 2006. Pretty encouraging news, especially for future MMORPGs currently in development. Will developers continue to consider the subscription route or the successful freebie path that Guild Wars has chosen? I know MMOs aren't everyone's "thing," but considering the success of Guild Wars (not to mention the fact that it has no monthly fee), it seems like this is still the one to get initiated, so to speak.
Griefing and self-governance in online games
The Guardian has produced an excellent column that addresses the problem of "griefers", people that abuse, team-kill and cheat other players of online games, particularly MMOs. Griefing has always been a problem where real players compete against their peers, although with massively multiplayer online games the problem has become much more serious. Earning a battleship in Eve Online or crafting a special item in World of Warcraft can take weeks if not months of game time. On top of that, the recent trend for people to sell items on auction sites like eBay has meant that rare online items have a monetary value.The article cites several high profile situations where griefers have bent moral codes with the Guiding Hand Social Club's ruination of Ubiqua Seraph in Eve Online and the funeral crash in WoW being the two main examples. Solutions that companies have come up with to limit these types of situations from happening are also looked at with the Xbox Live points system and strong community measures (like guilds and friend lists) being top on the list of letting players self-govern the problem. Effective community governance is essential if companies want to keep players inside the game and so that the owners don't have to resort to more drastic measures, like Blizzard does with its periodic account banning binges.Update: fixed a couple of minor grammatical errors.
"RPG" missing from today's MMORPGs
Are you getting enough role-playing elements out of your MMO? Cari Davidson over at MMORPG.com thinks we could use a lot more, and feels that a true MMORPG with an engaging storyline has yet to be created. She refers to the current crop of online time sinks as "glorified chat rooms" that are big on player interaction, but void of entertaining narrative or character development. The type of experience Davidson longs for may not be possible in today's MMOs, and she acknowledges this, sort of. Initially, she claims "it's really not that hard" to create player interactions that blend well with role-playing, character development, and storytelling. But then she recants, "telling a story in a world populated by thousands of players is a big challenge." I would subscribe to the latter train of thought, and I suspect Dungeons & Dragons Online developer Turbine would as well. DDO favors the "meet and greet" party formation, and the system creates an instance of each dungeon for you and your co-players. This type of controlled gameplay experience allows for the possibility of more immersive storytelling, but its execution has met with little success. As a result, Turbine has added solo play to DDO, and PvP is on the way. Which means more lifeless, formulaic quests for those gamers who prefer a little more depth to their adventures.A happy medium has been around for the past four years in the form of Neverwinter Nights. It supports dozens of party members and, while not quite massive, is considerably larger than a typical Baldur's Gate or Diablo II session. Skilled modders have succeeded in prolonging NWN so successfully that BioWare has even hired some of them on -- maybe to work on the Canadian developer's new MMORPG.What are your thoughts on the current state of MMORPGs?
SUN is most anticipated game in China
According to the latest poll from Chinese gaming site, 17173.com, Korean developer Webzen's Soul of the Ultimate Nation is the most anticipated game in China. Other titles in the top ten include Guild Wars and Granado Espada (both will be operated by WoW host The9), as well as Kingdom of Warriors, Ragnarok Online 2, and Rohan. Analysts are predicting China's online gaming market will approach $1 billion in annual revenue within the next year, surpassing Korea. In response to this gaming boom, major publishers such as Electronic Arts, NCsoft, Take-Two, and Ubisoft have opened development offices in Shanghai. Webzen is currently putting the finishing touches on MMO-shooter Huxley for the North American market, but has also opened an office in Shanghai to produce Kingdom of Warriors.See also: Disney, Shanda bring online content to China
Guild Wars goings-on
The Europeans are currently dominating the rest of the field, while the Americans struggle to hold ground, and the Japanese and Korean teams scarcely put up a fight. World Cup headlines? Nah, we still have another week to go for that. How about a Guild Wars Factions Championship update?Europe's undefeated Esoteric Warriors won the latest qualifying round, and the European teams hold seven of the top ten spots. South Korea's The Last Pride, winners of the first Guild Wars World Championship, currently sit in fourth place hoping to add another US$50K to their earnings. Americans must be too busy playing World of Warcraft.See also: Guild Wars China to be operated by The9 Guild Wars Factions Championship details revealed
WoW Moviewatch: Guild Wars Vs. WoW
Ever wonder what it would be like if two big contenders in the MMO sweepstakes squared off against each other, MC Hammer-style? Yeah, me either...but it's pretty dang funny...
MMO players convene after E3
Those of us heavily invested in massively multiplayer games are part of a community, just as FPS clans have a brotherhood borne out of hours of playing together. Events like BlizzCon provide an opportunity for MMO guilds and players to meet up -- for the unknown to meet the infamous.E3 may have been over, but that didn't stop NCsoft arranging a player get-together last Saturday. Over 400 players signed up, some travelling from as far as Arizona for this one evening. While NCsoft had rented out a LAN centre for the event, players spent just as much time talking as they did playing, with a sizeable contingent of developers and community managers on hand to help the event along. NCsoft celebrities including Richard Garriott and Matt "Positron" Miller attended the event, showing a pleasing commitment to the player base.
Spectator sports: competitive MMOs
NCsoft is trying to establish Guild Wars as a competitive game as well as a more casual MMO, but appealing to such a diverse audience isn't easy. However, the crowds gathering at NCsoft's booth to watch two hardcore Guild Wars PvP teams duke it out seemed to enjoy the show.At this particular event, Team EvIL and Team PnH were going head to head. The commentator did an excellent job of both explaining the game and getting enthusiastic about the action. We're somewhat familiar with the Guild Wars mechanics, but the action was incomprehensible -- while it's fun to watch the truly skilled ply their trade, it's hard to follow the intricacies of MMO as a spectator.Guild Wars introduced an observer mode last December, but we'd have to spend a lot of time watching before tournaments like this became easily accessible. On the other hand, watching the pretty colours flash by is relaxing amidst the buzz of E3.
Guild Wars: Character slots for cash coming soon
Buying virtual goods with real money is becoming a trend these days, but this new Guild Wars announcement turns the game's small number of character slots (four) into a money-spinner: starting this summer, you'll be able to buy more slots for $9.99 each. The upcoming expansion, Factions, will also provide more slots, so the number of characters on a single Guild Wars account should be approaching that of other MMOs soon.Other virtual services that cost real money include realm-to-realm character transfers (EverQuest) as well as approved real money transfer (Second Life) -- micropayments for a little bit of database juggling are on the rise, though Guild Wars at least has an excuse for charging for extra functionality, as it has no monthly fee.
Guild Wars China to be operated by The9
Chinese online gaming powerhouse The9 can now add Guild Wars to its growing catalog of MMO offerings. Already the World of Warcraft host in China, The9 has reached an agreement with NCsoft to operate Guild Wars for three years on the mainland, although it doesn't specifically state if this includes the Guild Wars sequel, Factions. The9 also hosts Webzen's popular MU and will begin operating the Korean developer's Soul of the Ultimate Nation in Q4 of this year.[Thanks, billsdue]
I'm too sexy for my Guild Wars Factions armor
First, there was a World of Warcraft video featuring the trendy denizens of Azeroth dancing to the beat of Right Said Fred. Now, ArenaNet and NCsoft are playing dress up with the stars of Guild Wars Factions, or should we say, "Fashions"? The game's web site has 16 new screens of armor sets that will be available in the first sequel to the popular MMO. For the most part, these fresh battle threads blend in nicely with the Asian-themed continent of Cantha, where Factions takes place. All that's missing on this catwalk is a phone-wielding Naomi Campbell character class.[via GameBanshee]
Third Guild Wars title to make E3 appearance
NCsoft has announced they will be giving a sneak peek of the third installment of Guild Wars at E3 in May. According to ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain, this second sequel to the original game has been in development since November, and new campaigns are planned for release every six months. The first Guild Wars sequel, Factions, will be available April 28.NCsoft is also planning to use E3 for showcasing updated previews of Dungeon Runners, Exteel, and Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa.
Guild Wars Factions Championship details revealed
It's only been a few months since the first Guild Wars World Champions were declared, but NCsoft and ArenaNet are already preparing the next global event for the game's sequel, Factions. This second tournament will take place August 24-27 at the Games Convention in Leipzig, where rival guilds will again compete for over $100,000 in prizes.The first of three qualifying seasons begins today, and the winners of this opening round will win a trip to E3, courtesy of ArenaNet. Follow the link for more details.
3 million hours spent on Guild Wars Factions preview weekend
For most of us, the weekend is just 48 hours — plus the fleeting time before midnight Friday night. But somehow, Guild Wars fanatics squeezed 3 million hours into the end of week celebration. Some 500,000 players logged into the invite-only Guild Wars Factions preview opportunity this past weekend, eager to get an early look at the upcoming PvP title.Factions will be a stand-alone game, featuring the same great "no monthly fee" policy as its predecessor. Expect the 3 million hour tally to be trumped soon after Factions' release at the end of the month.
Free preview of Guild Wars: Factions
Fancy slipping into the shoes of an Assassin for a weekend? Or perhaps you're more the Ritualist kind? These two new character classes are part of the upcoming Guild Wars expansion, Guild Wars: Factions, and ArenaNet are offering a free preview weekend for anyone (existing player or not) to try out some of the expansion's features.The free weekend runs from midnight PST on January 20th to midnight PST on the 22nd, and a game key and downloadable client are available from the Guild Wars website. Guild Wars has frequently featured free trials, and this may be part of the reason it's attained such healthy growth; although it's still squarely in the shadow of a certain other MMO, the lack of a monthly fee and these trials make Guild Wars a lot more accessible to some gamers.
