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Wasteland Diaries: Long-term goals
So you're a brand-new clone in Fallen Earth, dressed in your snappy LifeNet ensemble? So far you've managed to get yourself blown to bits inside the bowels of the Hoover Dam. Remember that awesome scoped battle rifle you were using? Well, forget that. The weapons you will be using for the time being will be a bit more primitive and a lot less deadly. Luckily for you, Elena Winters was able to respawn you safely away from the dam. After being led around by the nose, you're no doubt ready to begin making some of your own decisions. I'm going to tell you that you aren't quite ready to do that. Not just yet. Before you go off on your own, there are some important things you need to know. These things I will tell you will save you a lot of trouble later on. I wish someone had given me all the information I'm going to give you, but I learned it the hard way. As they say: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This also holds true in Fallen Earth. Now that you're in a safe place, I'll get that handy information to you after the break.
One Shots: Live to ride
Every day in the wastelands of Fallen Earth is a challenge to survive. Sure, you're a clone, and even if you get your face eaten it simply means that you'll respawn in the nearest cloning facility. However, there's something about getting taken down by a bunch of mutant chickens that look like someone stapled rubbery mannequin hands to them. Not the kind of tale you want to tell at the local bar, you know? Well, amidst those moments of challenge, there's a barren beauty to be found in the lands of the Grand Canyon, such as the beauty we see in the image today from Muttonchops of the Plague clan. He writes in to explain the scene: "I was riding through Toro Bend back to Trumbull after getting badly pummeled by some nasty mutants. I couldn't help admiring the new lighting effects just added to the game since the last patch, so I had to send in a pic of the sunrise over the wasteland." One Shots needs your images of MMOs from off the beaten path! If you find yourself wandering a landscape we don't often see here, we'd love to hear from you. Just email in your screenshots to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in! %Gallery-85937%
Icarus publishes latest Fallen Earth State of the Game
Fallen Earth fans have had a rough couple of weeks (to say nothing of the staff at Icarus Studios). The post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG was recently hit with a round of layoffs that impacted several key people and likely left subscribers wondering as to the future of everyone's favorite digital wasteland. Happily, Icarus senior game designer Marie Croall is here with a lengthy State of the Game letter that puts a few of our fears to rest and outlines a path forward. Though Croall doesn't directly address the recent layoffs, preferring instead to focus on the upcoming development schedule, it's clear that there are a lot of improvements incoming, which bodes well for Fallen Earth's fans and future. Croall talks about Sector 4, a level cap increase, and new gear, consumables, and recipes that will soon see the light of day. Graphical upgrades and physical combat changes are also on the way, with the latter being pushed to the test server before the end of the month. The Fallen Earth team will also be improving high-end group content, tweaking the serendipity system, and continuing to balance Progress Towns throughout December. Finally, look for long-awaited additional character slots to be available in the Fallen Earth store as early as next week. Check out the full letter on the official forums, and also look for the Fallen Earth devs on next week's Massively Speaking podcast with Shawn and Rubi.
More jobs cut from Fallen Earth
It's always heartbreaking to hear of a company's being required to lay off staff, especially so when it's in a game one really enjoys. Fallen Earth, long a favorite with a handful of the staff members here at Massively, has just laid off three very well-known and well-loved members of its team. The impacted members who have been laid off today are Producer Dave "Archangel" Haydysch, Marketing Director Jessica "Circatrix" Orr, and Director of Content Development Wes "Canticle" Platt. We reached out to the team over at Fallen Earth, LLC/Icarus Studios for an official statement about the layoffs, considering we saw the last round of layoffs and restructuring in April this year. While there are no greatly illuminating details to the reply, today's announcement, coupled with the prior layoffs, doesn't generally bode well for this gritty indie MMO. For those curious about the team's reply, we've posted it behind the break.
Wasteland Diaries: Flag up
Since the addition of the open world PvP flag to Fallen Earth, I haven't seen it being used often enough. There are only a handful of players, including me, who stay flagged for PvP 24/7. For a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Fallen Earth is a pretty safe and cozy place for most. The majority of the game takes place in relatively civilized areas where clones can't harm one another. PvP zones are optional, and many players simply avoid them. With the well-guarded towns, sporadic and weak mobs that are always right where you left them, and the resilience of player characters, there isn't a huge element of danger out there. I know a lot of these issues are being addressed with the combat changes, but today's wasteland isn't too frightening. I drive into PvP zones and almost breathe a sigh of relief, because everyone around me is on an even keel. When I roll into a crowded town, that is when I'm really on my guard. I appear to go about my business normally, but I'm looking over both shoulders. You never know who in the crowd might have it in for you or might just attack you on a whim. Truth be told, it's not so bad. Most people won't pay you any mind. After the cut, I'll take a look at the past month I've spent PvP-flagged and try to explain why I think it's the only way to play.
Fallen Earth and Best Buy team up for Blood Sports discount
Icarus Studios has a Halloween deal for you in the form of a $10 discount on copies of Fallen Earth. Head to your local Best Buy or visit online to pick up your box copy of the game. The discount runs for a limited time -- October 31st through November 27th, to be exact -- so don't delay. Blood Sports features the latest game client version including the titular update that added a ton of new PvP content to the wasteland. Head over to the official website for more details, and don't forget to check out all of our previous Fallen Earth coverage to see what you've been missing.
Wasteland Diaries: Faction control points
Faction control points are the newest PvP draw in Fallen Earth. They're still in their infancy, but I have already seen an increase in faction control point PvP. Factional warfare has always taken a backseat to clan warfare in Fallen Earth. At least for as long as I can remember. Right now, clan warfare vs. factional warfare is dividing the FE community. A rift between omni-clans and single-faction clans has resulted in more clan warfare, with factions completely disregarded. Faction control points were an effort to add some meaningful faction-based PvP to the game. In some ways it succeeds and in some ways it fails. I was able to get in there and test these faction control points this week. I died plenty, but I also slew more this week than I had in a long time. I was able to test them exhaustively alone and with a group. I was able to witness the dynamic of six different warring factions in one small town. If that wasn't confusing enough, there was also a layer of clan politics muddling things up even more. After the cut, I'll give you the low-down on faction control points (FCPs for short), detailing my personal experiences with them, and how they have changed the face of FE so far.
Fallen Earth takes part in NaNoWriMo
November, for those of you unfamiliar with the concept, is National Novel Writing Month and host to an annual challenge -- write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It's a tall order that not everyone can manage, but the Fallen Earth development team contains at least one hopeful. Director of Content Development Wes Platt is working on his novel, and he's looking to the game's players to help make it a collaborative effort every step of the way. With an official thread on the forums, Platt is both posting his progress as he goes and taking suggestions from players as to where the story should head next. He also has posted his NaNoWriMo profile page so that players also taking part in the contest can track his progress and cheer him along. Fallen Earth fans would do well to take part in the crafting of the story -- it's not just the first novel for the game, but a novel written in a month's time.
Wasteland Diaries: Weapons
Those that say "violence never solves anything" have never been thrust into a post-apocalyptic future. Violence solves just about everything in Fallen Earth. And the cornerstone of violence, since man threw the first stone or hit his surly neighbor with a stick, has been weapons. Killing and incapacitating others is a lot of hard work, so leave it to mankind to devise a more efficient method. In Fallen Earth, weapons range from everyday household items and tools, all the way up to military-grade engines of destruction. One of the tough decisions you will need to make in Fallen Earth will not be whether or not to use weapons. It will be to decide which weapons you will use. Weapons in Fallen Earth are divided into three main categories, those being melee, pistols and rifles. While it is possible to specialize in all three types of weapons, it is ill-advised. You would be better served to specialize in one type of weapon and use any additional AP to boost other skills and mutation lines. After the cut, I will discuss the ins-and-outs of each weapon style for PvP and PvE to ease your decision-making process.
Welcome to Fallen Earth-Mart, how may Icarus help you?
It always amazes us just how resilient the economy is. Drop a few nukes, unleash a plague, dig up a tomb of zombies -- no matter how you end the world, the survivors will always emerge to find a merchant who's set up shop. In the spirit of post-apocalyptic commercialism, Icarus Studios has stocked the Fallen Earth store with a number of new items this week. Now available are the Scavenger t-shirt (which -- obviously -- boosts your scavenging skill), the Fallen Earth ATV and Badland Rider mounts, and a Clone Psychoactive Shot that increases your XP rate for an hour. For players who have stocked up on reward points, the in-game vendors will be featuring a buffed-up array of goodies come Monday, October 25th. Vendors' inventories will include increased vault storage space, the Weak Nitrous Booster, LifeNet Collar Hacks, and harvesting tool buffs. Does this all mean that Icarus is gradually preparing Fallen Earth to go to a free-to-play/microtransaction model, or is the company simply seeking additional revenue streams? In any case, the anemic store and vendors are now looking mighty beefy and potentially attractive for players looking for a leg up.
Wasteland Diaries: What's next?
There isn't yet a known release date for the next Fallen Earth patch. The 1.7.1 patch will make some fundamental changes to the combat system. These changes will be far-reaching, but they will not alter gameplay drastically. Mainly, we will see an increase in damage dealt across the board. This will make combat in Fallen Earth seem a bit more dangerous than it is now. PvE just doesn't quicken my pulse like it did when I was a new player in Sector 1. The patch will also address this. It will also add the faction control points. The main focus of the patch is the combat re-vamp and the control points. The Armor Use skill and the Dodge skill have been redesigned, and the way that damage mitigation works is a bit different in version 1.7.1. The faction control points will give the clones a reason to fight, and the victorious faction will reap far-reaching rewards. I'll go into more detail about these tidbits and more after the break, so without any further ado, let's move on.
Form and function in Fallen Earth's latest state of the game
There's been a lot of excitement in the Fallen Earth community over the upcoming combat changes, and in producer Dave "Archangel" Haydysch's latest state of the game address, he assures everyone that the anticipation is worth it. "As I mentioned," Haydysch writes, "this is the FIRST iteration... we will use your feedback to make further adjustments and improvements to the system until we feel the system is ready to go live." He urges players to participate on the public test server, where numerous systems are being tested, including these combat upgrades and the upcoming Faction Control Points, which should add spice to the PvP play in the game. Looking at future patches, Haydysch reports that the team will be revamping combat skills and mutations relating to each of Fallen Earth's six factions. The team is also working hard on bringing additional visual improvements to the wasteland, which "will improve the look and feel of the world as a whole." These improvements are scheduled to hit the game at the same time as the next live event, which is so far a mysterious mystery shrouded in mysteriousness. Finally, Haydysch acknowledges additional selections will become available in the Rewards Store, including (drum roll please) more space for inventory-starved adventurers. You can read the full state of the game report over at Fallen Earth.
Operation Combat Upgrade coming to Fallen Earth
Fallen Earth subscribers are about to see some pretty big changes coming to their game. The team at Icarus Studios has been putting the final touch on the first phase, and Operation Combat Upgrade will arrive on the PTS this week. While these aren't as flashy as some of the recent cosmetic upgrades, they're going to have a significant impact on overall gameplay. According to the Fallen Earth developers, these upgrades will focus heavily on physical combat values. The changes run the gamut from armor requirements to high-level dodge and armor use combinations to NPC behavior, so you'll notice tweaks throughout the game. The Fallen Earth team has provided a complete and detailed list of the upcoming changes, so follow along after the cut to take a look, and watch for them on the PTS later this week!
Wasteland Diaries: Combat overhaul
Merging a roleplaying game (RPG) and a first-person shooter/third-person shooter FPS/TPS seamlessly can be difficult to say the least. I can only think of a few examples of games that have been done well in this manner. But none of the examples I can think of is an MMO. Granted I haven't played every game in existence, so this is by no means a definitive assertion. I'll call Fallen Earth an MMO/FPS in this post, for the sake of simplicity, even though it's an MMORPGFPS/TPS, but that's a mouthful and it looks like something an Enigma machine spit out. The Fallen Earth combat system is a mix of two very different game types: an MMORPG and a shooter. Some of my detractors insist that Fallen Earth is an MMORPG with "manual targeting," but I respectfully disagree and consider it as much of a shooter as games that run on the Quake 3 engine. Just because it doesn't have "bullet-drop" physics doesn't mean it's not a shooter. There is a combat revamp headed our way this month, so I thought I would do an in-depth analysis of the FE combat system. After the break I intend to pop the hood on the combat system and take a close look at its mechanics, then try to surmise what changes might be incoming (even though I've seen some of them).
Fallen Earth offers $9.99 box copy, prairie chicken mount
Still thinking about checking out Fallen Earth's wasteland charms, but looking for a little prodding to send you over the edge? If so, Icarus Studios' latest promotion -- announced today on its official website and via press release -- is for you. For a limited time (through October 22nd to be exact), customers who purchase Fallen Earth through GameStop retailers -- either online or at traditional brick and mortar outlets -- will receive a boxed copy of the game for a paltry $9.99. In addition to the $20 instant savings, players will get an in-game prairie chicken mount for their trouble. You can learn more at the official Fallen Earth website, or locate the nearest GameStop.
Wasteland Diaries: Sector 1
In the past few weeks in Fallen Earth, I've been spending a bit of time in sector 1 -- the Plateau Sector. I have to admit, it's still my favorite sector. It's the epitome of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The other sectors (possibly excluding Deadfall) look a bit too lush and green for my tastes. Of all the sectors, it is also the busiest. It holds the most missions, towns and bonus AP. Even though it looks like a sparsely populated wasteland, there is plenty for a new clone (or an old one) to do. In this post I will take a look at Fallen Earth's sector 1 in all its glory, from the starter towns to the capital. I've visited them all, and they all have a distinct place in my earliest memories of Fallen Earth. I was most amazed at how different the entire sector looks now, after all the graphical enhancements. I was looking at some old screenshots from last year, and everything looks so much better now. I'm not saying that an apocalyptic landscape can be a beautiful thing, but I sometimes stop killing whatever it is that I'm killing to admire the sunset. So, without any further ado, let's take a look at sector 1.
One Shots: A regular day in the wastelands
The funny thing about the wastelands of Fallen Earth is that a clone never really knows what he or she will run into. Take today's One Shots sent in to us by Twarsong for example. When he first arrived here, he sent us this picturesque image along with the following note: "As the world pulls itself from the edge of destruction, it was a significant moment to come across new construction in the Grand Canyon Province. I hope the lands beyond are enduring The Fall just as tenaciously." However, after Twarsong spent a little while at this locale, he realized those signs of life weren't the ones he'd initially thought they were: "Closer inspection revealed this to be an abandoned construction site now inhabited by giant, mutated ants, scorpions and stinkbugs. I am sure I heard the scream of all three queens from deep within the hotel's recesses." We love to know what you're up to. If you haven't sent in an image for some time, snap one this weekend! Email it 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 (or two). We'll post it out here for everyone to check out and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-85937%
Wasteland Diaries: A year? Already?
Has it been a year already? I guess it has been. Fallen Earth launched on September 22nd, the same day as Aion. But by launch day I was already working my way to Sector 3. I pre-ordered and got to start playing on the 9th. My performance at work suffered that first week as I tried to keep up with the power-levelers. Ultimately, I couldn't. But on launch day I was nearly level 30 and still, to this day, I couldn't tell you why I was rushing. I made it to the level cap of 45 a couple of weeks after the official launch. My next three trips through the wastes would be more slow-paced and lackadaisical. While Fallen Earth is still the same game, it has changed drastically since launch day. Drastic change can be good or bad, but in FE's case, it's all good. The game has gotten nothing but better. Sure, the developers have added some mediocre content, but overall the game has been improving by leaps and bounds. And there seems to be no end in sight for these improvements. Let's take a look back at Fallen Earth's transformation from buggy, beta-like MMO to a first-rate gaming experience. After the cut, I'll break it down by patches.
Fallen Earth patch 1.7 goes live with in-game events
Happy birthday, Fallen Earth! Today is the one-year anniversary of Fallen Earth's launch, and Icarus Studios is celebrating in style. Patch 1.7 is live on the servers now, with a huge list of bug and cosmetic fixes and over 50 new missions for wastelanders to participate in. This patch also kicks off the Customer Rewards Program, and an FAQ is on the site to guide players through this new feature. If a pile of new content isn't enough to keep you busy, this special day also brings two in-game events. At 1:00 and 8:00 p.m. EDT today, an in-game event will take place and every wastelander is needed to help. Details of the event are sketchy, but we know that villain Aro Sei is planning revenge for what happened at the Hoover Dam. All the available details are on the Fallen Earth site now.
Massively's Community Detective, Issue #8: Fallen Earth
Welcome to another installment of Massively's Community Detective. This week, I pay a visit to a region decimated by economic and environmental collapse, widespread ignorance, and social anarchy run amok. No, it's not 21st century America but rather the fictional future-world of the Grand Canyon province as depicted in Icarus Studios' Fallen Earth. Travel forward in time with me to 2156 as we dodge plagues, mutated animals, and a big bit of nasty called the Shiva virus that lurks in the dark and dusty corners of the American southwest. What exactly does this grim future hold? Is there hope for mankind? Have Facebook and American Idol died horrible, well-deserved deaths? Are Cool Ranch Doritos still available? Who cares about all that, we just want to know whether MMORPGs have great communities and good customer service, right? Fortunately, Fallen Earth fits both bills, even though each institution has its quirks. Find out what's good, bad, and ugly about the game's social elements after the break.
