icarus-studios
Latest
Wasteland Diaries: Faction interaction
The factions in Fallen Earth are a diverse bunch, each one bent on dominating the other five. They all have their reasons to want to impose their will upon the inhabitants of the Grand Canyon Province. They are all also very narrow-minded in their approach to rebuilding society. They are all very intolerant of the other factions and will impede and harass them at every opportunity. Some factions (those on the opposite side of the wheel) espouse downright hatred of their diametrically opposed faction and kill its members on sight. The factions also have sub-factions which usually straddle the beliefs of an allied faction. Each faction in Fallen Earth has one arch-enemy, two enemies, and two allies. The two allies are sometimes called the shoulder factions due to their position on the faction wheel. The allied factions, however, are enemies to one another. This can complicate relations in multi-factional task forces. It can sometimes lead to fighting one allied faction to appease the other. Sometimes the ally of yesterday becomes the enemy of tomorrow. Yes, it makes for some intriguing politics and some excellent canonical roleplaying situations. But when players are interjected into the politics, it can get downright confusing. After the cut, I'll describe the faction mechanics in more detail and the players' effect on the wheel as well.
Fallen Earth partners with Alienware, offers exclusive Xenogun
Older gamers in the audience might remember Alienware as a custom-PC manufacturer known for its outlandish case designs prior to being acquired by Dell Computer in 2006. Nowadays, the company is equally (in)famous with MMO players due to the "Alienware is the best" meme that all too often rears its silly head in global chats everywhere. As of today, Fallen Earth players have another reason to get familiar with the company, as Alienware has joined forces with Icarus Studios to offer an exclusive in-game item to wasteland survivors. The item in question is called a Xenogun, and it's "a custom Alienware-branded weapon that comes with a valuable tech manual, allowing players to rework it every ten levels so they never have to leave it behind," according to a new press release. What's the catch? Well, you'll need to sign up for the Alienware Arena gaming portal, a web destination that offers competitive events and exclusive items for a variety of popular games. Read all about it on the official Fallen Earth website.
Wasteland Diaries: Hardcore mode
So during your wait for Sector 4, have you conquered it all in Fallen Earth? You've overcome every obstacle and achieved every achievement? You've amassed wealth beyond dreams and have become a king among men in the wastes? Maybe not, but let's assume you have. What do you do now? Well, I've got some terrific news for you. Fallen Earth has a hardcore mode. It's a realism mod of sorts. But the catch is: Nothing is changed on the server side. All modifications will be made client-side (and they will be made legally). This mode will take a large amount of self-discipline. It will be very easy to cheat. Many of the rules that will be imposed on you will also be enforced by you. In order for it to be considered truly hardcore, apocalyptic-realism, you can't cheat. Even Fallout: New Vegas has a hardcore mode. Of course, I played it in hardcore mode and still found it too easy. I had to impose rules on myself to keep it challenging (like no V.A.T.S. allowed). I also found that the ability to save right before a big decision or fight also alleviates some of the difficulty. Of course, I could impose further restrictions on myself to make the game more difficult. With that in mind, after the cut, I'll show you how to do just that with Fallen Earth.
Wasteland Diaries: Choose your weapon
The new Fallen Earth combat system is sweet. I really don't have much to complain about. But there is a serious lack of balance between the weapon types (I almost said classes). I like the fact that when I shoot someone in the head with a shotgun, I see results -- not the kind you'd expect to see in an ultra-realistic tactical FPS, but very tangible results for an RPG. The focus on weapon damage (aka white damage) has made the combat system more intuitive and user-friendly. But it has also (despite a decent increase in everyone's health) made combat much more decisive. Making a shooter with firearms and melee weapons is a daunting balancing act. If you make the firearms too powerful, nobody will use the melee weapons. There will always be those who use the under-powered weapons, but in the competitive world of PvP, most PvPers will opt with the most powerful ones. The pendulum of balance has been swinging since Fallen Earth launched in September 2009, but more often than not, one weapon type has come out on top every time. In fact, one weapon is very popular and has been since launch. Oddly enough, that weapon isn't even a 180 weapon; it's a 164. That's right, you can be dual-wielding the most deadly weapons in the game at level 45. Most of you seasoned vets know what weapon I'm talking about, and after the cut I'll confirm your suspicions. If you are a new player, you should also read on.
Buy Fallen Earth and get double the apocalypse
How do you double the end of the world? It seems kind of final. But there's apparently a way to do just that -- specifically, by purchasing a copy of Fallen Earth from the official store before January 13th. No, it doesn't make the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the game any more apocalyptic, but it does mean that you can get a free copy for a friend to buddy up alongside you for the low price of just $14.99. The limited-time offer drops the price of each copy below eight dollars while simultaneously giving players a free month of game time. And the recipient of the free copy receives all the same perks, including the special in-game item (either an ATV or a very fetching hat). So if you've been itching to try out Fallen Earth and want to have someone at your back while you explore the wasteland, now is the perfect opportunity.
Fallen Earth state of the game letter previews economic fixes, new content
Another year dawns fresh on the wasteland, and Icarus senior game designer Marie Croall checks in on the official forums for Fallen Earth's latest State of the Game update. 2011 looks to be an exciting year for fans of new stuff, as the game will see a combat revamp, new high-level group content, and of course the new Sector 4 portions of the map. Icarus plans to release Sector 4 across four counties with the first one, Alpha, raising the level cap by five and bringing new gear, mutations, recipes, and abilities to the game. Look for it to debut on the live server in the second quarter of 2011. Why the delay? Croall explains that the team needed to address balance issues prior to rolling out new content. "There were several areas of combat that we needed to adjust before we could properly design encounters and instances as we moved forward. Additionally, our art team has been taking these past few months to make huge improvements that are necessary for the gameplay, story and setting. As important as it is to us to get the new content out, it's more important to get it out right," she says. Croall's letter also clues us in to the next patch, currently scheduled for February. In addition to skill and mutation balancing, the update will feature the new scavenger boss system (with new bosses and encounter areas) as well as the team's first crack at a round of economic fixes. Icarus is taking some of the concerns raised about Fallen Earth's economy to heart and is going to be addressing everything from supply and demand to drop rates, trading concerns, and general crafting fixes. "A thriving player driven economy should be a central part of our game and we're working very hard on getting it there," Croall writes.
One Shots: Our house in the middle of our street
As another day ends in the post-apocalyptic wastelands of Fallen Earth, many adventurers head for what's left of the cities, or the new towns, looking for a place to shelter for the night. If you're a particularly keen shot, you can even secure a spot for yourself, as we see in today's picturesque screenshot sent in to us by Scott T. He writes in to explain this scene: "Who says there is no player housing in Fallen Earth? I had a mission to go into this building, but I went into the wrong one because I wasn't really paying attention to my map. I noticed the sunset and stopped to eat some grilled giant rabbit. I then shot bandits out of the window and yelled 'get off my lawn!'" We love MMOs of all shapes and sizes, and thanks to readers like you, we have managed to keep One Shots running for 3+ years now! If you haven't sent in a screenshot of your own, what are you waiting for? Just email your image in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. It could wind up being the next one we feature here on Massively. %Gallery-85937%
Wasteland Diaries: To-do list
You would think that someone who had four characters that have been sitting at the level cap for months would be out of things to do. It's simply not so. I have plenty to do, and much of it isn't even directly related to PvP. I have been keeping myself quite busy in Fallen Earth, especially since I have been in-game so little these past few weeks. The time I have been logged in has been well spent. A lot of my time is spent crafting consumables like food, drinks and medicine to support the PvPing, but thanks to the magic of offline crafting, it doesn't matter. Most of it takes place while I sleep. It's the chips and materials that require interaction on my part. By saying I'm staying busy, I'm not referring to the new "golden age" of PvP revival we are currently experiencing in and around Haietta (and even Park City, to some degree). I'll spare everyone the PvP-oriented post this week and concentrate on some of the more carebearish things I've been doing lately. So if you are thinking about coming back, or you're wondering what else to do once you hit level 50, maybe this post will give you some idea of what you could be doing. After the cut I'll let you know what I've been up to in Fallen Earth when the PvP is waning.
Wasteland Diaries: The battle of Haietta
There are new PvP objectives in Fallen Earth. Well, the objectives are the same, but the means of achieving those objectives are now different. Conflict towns remain largely unchanged, but the taking and holding of one is now dramatically different because of a few subtle changes. No longer are the non-timed towns captured by doing repeatable missions. Timed conflict towns haven't changed at all. But the other towns had a silly mechanic: having the PvPers do PvE missions to control a town. The attackers and defenders would roam about doing missions and possibly run into one another and fight. More often than not, there was little fighting. The new system concentrates the action on a certain point -- actually, three points. The Faction Control Points (FCPs) are placed near or in the town. They are now the key to controlling the town. Of course you can still do it the old-fashioned way, but it's much quicker to control all three points at once. Controlling all three points will give the controlling faction a steady stream of faction points toward its cause. Each tower held contributes 2500 points to the controlling faction about every five minutes.If you've ever done the missions in a conflict town, you know this is a much faster method. PvP is rampant in Fallen Earth right now. Well, in Haietta, it is. After the cut, I'll give a first-hand account of what I've seen on the front lines.
Community Detective Issue #15: 2010's best (and worst) case files
Hi kids, it's your friendly neighborhood Community Detective and I'm back with the final issue of 2010. Next year looks to be an exciting and somewhat scary time for MMORPG communities and customer service. Not only are we staring down the barrel of four new hugely anticipated AAA titles (RIFT, TERA, Guild Wars 2, and The Old Republic), but there are also quite a few existing games that I've yet to visit in an official capacity, as well as a couple that have undergone drastic changes and merit another review (the F2P conversion in Lord of the Rings Online and sweeping server merges in Aion and EverQuest II, for example). Prior to moving forward, however, it's always fun to take a look back (particularly at this time of year). Join me after the cut for a year-end recap of 2010's most memorable case studies.
Wasteland Diaries: Patch day mayhem
In Fallen Earth, patch day is always a happy day (for me, at least). But this most recent patch (1.7.4) brings in some sweeping changes. The changes that came with this patch were far-reaching enough to get us another full respec. I don't forsee myself using one yet, but they are nice to have. I actually still have my injectors that we got with the 1.4 patch. In fact, this patch changes so much that I spent the past couple of days preparing (in-game) for it. I haven't had time to even grab all of the new skills that all of my clones will now have available to them. An Enforcer rifleman with Fitness? Yes, among other things. Everyone in Fallen Earth now has more health, but it gets taken away much faster. Combat seems more intuitive with reliable damage from weapons. Without glances and extreme damage variance, combat feels crisper and less clunky. It's going to take some getting used to. The PvE combat has changed the most. There is actually an element of danger involved when fighting mobs, especially large groups. I find myself actually using contingencies and heals during combat with NPCs. I never really had to before, but now the mobs rarely miss (rather than rarely hit). While I didn't get to see everything we got with this patch, I did get some hands-on PvP action (and broke a tradition that had lasted some 292 days in-game) under the new system. I'll give up more about that after the cut.
Updated: On the third day of giveaways, Icarus gave to me...
[UPDATE: All winners have been selected and contacted. Congratulations!] On the third day of giveaways, Icarus gave to me... three months of gameplay! On the second day of giveaways, Hi-Rez gave to me... two gift packages! On the first day of giveaways, Turbine gave to me... a lifetime VIP! Today we continue Massively's 12 Days of Giveaways! During this 12-day event, you'll find presents galore, courtesy of some of the best MMOs out there. Every day until December 24th, we'll post a new contest for you to enter. We've got a huge pile of goodies to give away, so they're going to be fast and furious -- you'll have 24 hours from the time the contest is posted to enter. Don't worry, though, because we're going to do our best to accommodate everyone -- you'll simply have to leave a comment to be entered in the random drawing, and we'll be posting each contest at a different time of day. Today's holiday gifts are courtesy of Icarus Studios, the developer behind Fallen Earth. This post-apocalyptic sandbox game has been through some staff changes lately, but that hasn't prevented the team from planning some fun holiday events. The devs have included Massively in on the fun, so peek behind the cut to see what we have for you!
Fallen Earth preps new patch, roach pet
If your wasteland abode is feeling empty this holiday season, the team at Icarus Studios is here for you. Fallen Earth's 1.7.4 patch is on its way, and with it comes a pet sure to please the gross-out fan in all of us. Yes, you can now snuggle up to your very own roach, the better to help you cope with all the changes the update has in store. For starters, 1.7.4 is adding an AP spent cap, a new random AP system, world PvP updates, and a rebuilt Boneclaw. Significant combat updates are also on order, and Icarus is gifting all current characters with a Pristine Recombinant Injector (which grants a full respec) for their trouble. You can read about all the changes in detail via the testing patch notes as well as get an early look at the update by heading to the public test server.
Wasteland Diaries: A brief history
Fallen Earth has a relatively short history, as far as the power struggles on the server. Yes, in case you didn't know it, Fallen Earth is a single-server game. Everything I'll discuss in this post occurred on that single shard. The power struggles in the wastelands, be they between factions or clans, have been ever-changing. It seems that no one group retains power for very long. They say that history is written by the victors. And they could be right, but since we lack clear winners, I'll write it. There isn't really a way to assert dominance in Fallen Earth in any kind of overt way. But there are subtleties that player groups can control. In some cases, they can even hold a resource with which to extort the playerbase. In the future we may see a true struggle for resources in an apocalyptic wasteland, but for now we will have to be content with simply crushing our enemies. After the break I'll chronicle the past year or so and outline how the power struggle evolved through that time period. Not everyone will agree with my perception of the events, but I'll do the best I can to remain unbiased.
One Shots: Luck be a lady tonight
When the world has gone spectacularly to hell, and you've already lost everything save what you've managed to cobble together from the wasteland, what's a poor clone to do? Well, if you're regular One Shots contributor, Twarsong, you could always spend an evening enjoying the vices that Fallen Earth has to offer -- and lose a little more, in the form of chips! That said, he seems to be in relatively good spirits, or perhaps that's just the spirits he's had to drink talking. He writes in to give other clones some tips he's gleaned from his time at the virtual tables: "There are many vices on our Fallen Earth. All of which can be avoided by spending a night underground in a bunker bar. There are three painful rules that experience has taught me. Follow them and you are sure to have a good time at the working video blackjack machines in the game." "Rule #1. Never chase after bad money with good. Rule #2. Make the dealer beat that 17. Rule #3. Never ever chase after 10 chips with a 20,000 chip bet!" Have you snapped a picture of your recent travels? We're always curious to hear what suggestions people have regarding things in their favorite video games. If you'd like to dispense some friendly wisdom, then send in a note along with a screenshot to illustrate your point to us here at oneshots@massively.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of the game as well. You never know, your luck may win out, and you could be featured next on One Shots! Also, note -- as of Monday, we'll be moving One Shots to a new timeslot at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, so be sure to look for us then! %Gallery-85937%
Fallen Earth Holiday Apocalypse Challenge starts today
Want some wasteland in your Christmas stocking? Icarus Studios has just the thing, and it's called the Fallen Earth Holiday Apocalypse Challenge. Aside from managing to put the words holiday and apocalypse in the same sentence, the contest gives you a chance to win a custom PC, an iPhone 4, and various and sundry additional goodies. Enter for your chance to win (and check out the phat lewt) via the official contest website, and make sure you log in to Fallen Earth as often as possible from today through January 7th. Each day you log in earns you an additional contest entry. Also be sure to use the email address associated with your Fallen Earth game account when entering the contest. Finally, if you're not currently subscribed, Icarus has temporarily extended the game's trial to 30 days, so what are you waiting for?
The Perfect Ten: MMO cataclysms
Today sees the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which represents a destructive "reboot" button on the world of Azeroth. The old has been made new by virtue of fiery explosions that have rent the very earth in twain, and WoW gamers will have to find their footing all over again. As you might imagine, it's made one big-ass mess, which is compounded by the fact that there are no janitor classes in the game to sweep it up (the next hero class, perhaps?). However, the notion of an in-game cataclysm is hardly the sole domain of Activision-Blizzard; on the contrary, large-scale apocalypses pop up all the time in MMOs. After all, nothing grabs the attention like the end of the world (but hey, you still feel fine)! In a list that in no way is meant to capitalize on any expansions that may or may not be on the market, we're going to strap on our Kevlar suits, slather our arms with 1000 SPF sunblock, and take a brief tour of 10 worlds that have dated cataclysms -- and lived to tell the tale.
Wasteland Diaries: Tester-day
I spent an entire day on the Fallen Earth Public Test Server (PTS). I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with what I saw. The development team over at Fallen Earth, LLC is making some sweeping changes to the game. I wasn't just impressed by the new artwork and the smoother game mechanics; I was also impressed with the amount of communication the Fallen Earth dev team is giving to its testers. And why not? We pay the devs to test their product. While there is a lot of new stuff to check out, I spent the majority of a day trying to digest as much of this new content as I possibly could, and I didn't really even scratch the surface. I spent a good eight hours on the server, though about four of those hours were devoted to testing the combat system. I did a few bug reports, but aside from grenades being totally broken, most everything seemed to be in order. After the break I'll give you some first-hand accounts of what I've discovered. You could just read the patch notes, but it just isn't the same.
Fallen Earth 1.7.4 patch detailed
Fallen Earth's 1.7.4 patch is on the test server, and Icarus Studios' GM Carlin has your introduction to the laundry list of tweaks, fixes, and additions. The update includes significant changes to crafting components, a reduction of the critical damage modifier, and improved NPC melee AI. 1.7.4 also brings several new merchants, missions, and trainers, as well as a completely redesigned Boneclaw. In story terms, the town has been sacked by Alec Masters, allowing Icarus to improve both the content and the layout. The patch also features several improvements to Fallen Earth's visuals and sound suite, and you can find the complete list on the official forums. Also be sure and check out the Massively Speaking podcast featuring Fallen Earth's Marie Croall and lots of discussion about the new patch.
Wasteland Diaries: New direction
The state of the game announcement for Fallen Earth was a bit vague, but it did contain some good news. It seems the game, now under new management, is headed in a new direction. Does new mean good? All outward indications say yes. I have never been accused of being overly optimistic, but I like where Fallen Earth is headed. Most of the big news is still over the horizon, and the combat changes are the first order of business. With new management comes new direction. It's nice to know what that direction might be. Of the three who were let go, I have nothing negative to say about any of them. Marie Croall has taken the reins at Fallen Earth, LLC and seems to have a clear plan. That's not to say there wasn't a clear plan before, but we are finally getting definitive answers on huge questions that we have been demanding responses on for quite a while. More details await you after the cut.
