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Trion sheds some light on RIFT's PvP dimension development
PvP dimensions have been a much-requested feature for RIFT ever since the dimensions feature debuted with the game's Storm Legion expansion in November of 2012. Yesterday brought some good, if vague, news for players waiting on PvP dimensions: They're still in development, but no ETA is available. Trion Worlds's Pithos (of the RIFT development team) explained via the game's official forums that the release date depends on "how many features [the team] want[s] to launch with, and how often other tasks take priority." He also explained that the team has a very basic version working that includes start points, graveyards, and respawning. Make of that what you will.
City of Titans wraps up Kickstarter project with over $675,000
When a company shuts down your favorite game, what do you do? Raise more than half a million dollars in funding to build a spiritual successor, apparently. City of Titans, the fan-conceived inheritor of City of Heroes' legacy, has finished its Kickstarter campaign with a grand total of $678,189 raised. That means several stretch goals unlocked, a huge pile of additional content for the game at launch, and a lot of fan expectations about what the game will contain. As a quick recap for those who have not followed the game's stretch goals, the net result is that the game will launch on both PC and Mac, with iOS and Android versions of the character creator available as standalone apps. The game will also contain wings, extra costumes, and more powers beyond the base version that was budgeted for $320,000. It's quite an accomplishment for the team at Missing Worlds Media and a testament to how deep the passion for a City of Heroes revival remains.
MechWarrior Online looks forward to the next month
Are you ready for another month of MechWarrior Online? The team behind the game certainly is. Creative Director Bryan Ekman took to the forums to outline what players can expect from the next month of updates, including items for players who purchase one of the game's Phoenix packages (aside from the Saber tier) before October 15th. That includes bugfixes, new content, and of course new 'Mechs to enjoy. Slated for release this month are the Locust, the Hero Atlas, and the Champion Spider, along with the Shadow Hawk, Thunderbolt, and Battlemaster 'Mechs for Phoenix package owners. The game will also drop a new map and a new paint pattern. Meanwhile, the team is working hard on optimizing game performance and UI accessibility. The letter closes by examining where several proposed pieces of the Community Warfare are in the development process. Dedicated MechWarriors will want to take a careful look at what's coming up next and probably start blasting away in preparation.
Ask Massively: Trailers, emulators, and 'skill caps'
It's time for a grab bag edition of Ask Massively! A reader named Nicholas is up first: I was wondering if you could help me remember a game studio that was developing a new Korean action- MMORPG game engine (and it wasn't Bless, Blade and Soul, or ArcheAge). In the tech demo, no environment was being shown; it focused on the combat aspect of the engine. All the combat took place against a white background, and it was combo-based and reactive to hits. I remember a slow motion scene with an NPC being punched in the face and the face distorting. At the time, there were no announced games using the engine; the video was just showing what tech the game studio had developed. If it helps any, I remember the comments saying that the engine was just going to be vaporware. I think we might! Massively's Lis pegged it as NetEase's Dragon Sword trailer. +1 to Lis.
EVE dev video talks customer relations and server nodes
As part of a refocusing on developing EVE Online, CCP Games has recently taken us on a video tour of its art, features and core technology departments. This week it's the turn of the customer relations and Virtual Worlds departments as CCP Guard finds out what makes EVE tick. In his visit to the den of GMs, he finds that important stuck queue petitions are answered on average in 15 minutes, a response time much improved compared to a few years ago. Guard chats to several people from CCP's Virtual Worlds department, which is responsible for keeping all the EVE server clusters online and improving performance. CCP Hunter discusses what goes on during EVE's daily downtime and reveals that the once hour-long period has been reduced to only nine minutes per day. We also find out about recent hardware upgrades and the infamous "supernode" deployed for large-scale nullsec wars. Skip past the cut to watch the full video in HD.
EVE dev video shows work on engine trails, custom ship skins and more
If you're a fan of EVE Online, I apologise in advance for the funny looks you get when you jump out of your seat yelling "HELL YES!" while watching the latest In Development video. In this second part of CCP Games' new video devblog series, CCP Guard takes a live hand grenade into EVE Online's art department to show us just what's going on behind the scenes. We've already seen the impressive nebula effects and new Raven model due for release in the winter expansion, and today CCP showed off some massive shadow improvements, but those upcoming additions pale in comparison to what's planned for after the winter period. The latest In Development video shows that CCP is currently working on engine trails, custom ship skins, a new cyno effect, a new warp tunnel, and graphical upgrades for every single ship in the game. It's a tall order, one that's unlikely to be fulfilled in the winter expansion despite developers' recent laser focus on delivering new features. The video gives a sneak peek at the models for the Amarr and Caldari tier 3 battlecruisers, which were selected from fan-submitted entries to last year's design contest in a similar manner to the already revealed Minmatar Tornado and Gallente Talos. Read on to find out why custom ship skins are more work to implement than most of us realise and to watch the new video in HD.
LucasArts job listing hints at in-development 'open-world RPG'
Lucasfilm's recruiting website says the studio is hiring a developer for "an open-world RPG." The mid-level gameplay designer position will work on code and engines for an upcoming (and presumably unannounced) role-playing game set to take place in an open-world environment. Other than that, the listing is unfortunately vague, asking only for a talented and experienced individual to work with artists and designers to put code together. There's no mention of online or multiplayer features at all, and no hint of what platforms (other than PC) the game might be built for or run on. It does seem like LucasArts is working on putting together some kind of RPG, possibly based on one of its current properties, in an open-world setting. That's intriguing news on its own.
New Origins sandbox MMO wants your creature concepts
There's a new indie sandbox in town -- or at least in development -- and the team at Origins is looking for a few good fan submissions to help them populate the game. Actually the devs are looking for one good submission, but that didn't have quite the same ring to it. Anyway, the Origins website was recently updated with a new Create a Monster contest, and the lucky winner will get to see his design incorporated into the gameworld (and the lore) of Burning Dog's upcoming MMORPG. Submissions should be in the form of artwork, images, or text, and are limited to a single entry per person. You'll also need to like Origins on Facebook or follow the game's Twitter feed prior to submitting your work. The contest is currently accepting entries and it runs through September 14th, so don't delay if you think you've got what it takes to make your MMO mob concepts a reality.
Top secret: Cryptic revamps website, hints at new project
Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon of spun 1s and 0s, Cryptic Studios' website has transformed into a sleek animal. More than just a new look, Crypticstudios.com sports a few interesting surprises. It seems as though the company is deep into "a least one" additional project on top of Star Trek Online, Champions Online and Neverwinter. This unnamed "top secret" project for Atari sparks our imagination. The studio's In Development page has this to say: "We're very excited about what we're working on. Like Neverwinter, our Top Secret work represents our continued commitment to diversify and reach beyond the boundaries of traditional MMORPG gaming. We can't wait to show you more!" Continuing our tour of the site, Cryptic has posted a number of job openings on its Careers page. It looks as though the company is looking for several artists, a content game designer, a senior producer and several other positions. Head on over to the company's website to check out Cryptic's new digs.
Undead Labs answers fan questions
Undead Labs has published a list of reader questions (and a few select answers) regarding its zombie-themed console MMORPG currently in development. New community manager Emily Diehl checks in on the official Undead Labs website to bring us a wrap-up from the queries submitted on the game's forums. The topics range from the title's shooting and aiming mechanics, to vehicle implementations, to its persistent qualities. Regarding this last bit, Undead Labs seems intent on putting to rest any notion that the game's console nature will result in anything less than a traditional open world experience. "This may seem like a no-brainer, but we're building an actual world. We want it to live, breathe, change and evolve over time, responding to the choices you make while immersed in it," the studio writes. Check all the questions and answers on the game's official site.
E3 2010: Our exclusive interview with Final Fantasy XIV executive producer Hiromichi Tanaka
In the world of Final Fantasy XIV, Hiromichi Tanaka is kind of a big deal. In fact, he's kind of a big deal in the franchise's history as a whole, having worked on the design for several games and having been the lead developer on Final Fantasy XI. It seems fitting that one of the designers from the original game 23 years ago is now hard at work crafting the newest installment of the series -- one that promises to be many things to many players while retaining the core features that have captivated fans for years. Square-Enix have made a big push for their newest game at this year's E3, and we were lucky enough to have a few minutes of Mr. Tanaka's time to ask him about the game as a whole. There's a lot more still to be learned about the game, but from what we've seen in both the interview and our hands-on experience, it already has quite a bit to offer.
New Star Trek Online patch structure looks forward
While you can fault the team behind Star Trek Online for some things, failure to plan is certainly not one of them. The development team has been very public about their plans for testing and release, which made a few people rather curious when Season 1.2 launched in early June rather than late May. What would that mean for Season 1.3 and the following Season 2 patch? The most recent Engineering Report on the official forums tackles precisely that, explaining that the team has adjusted their schedule slightly and will roll 1.3 straight into the Season 2 patch. That leaves us with an enormous list of features for Season 2, which is aimed at July. Ship interiors and a raise in level cap to 51 are the two most obvious changes, with the former offering a choice from several layouts and the latter promoting a player to the rank of Vice Admiral or Lieutenant General. There's also the addition of minigames, weekly episodes, officer trading, new episodes for the high-level band, a new fleet action, and a general surfeit of improvements to the game. Star Trek Online players are encouraged to check out the official thread and offer any feedback to the proposed changes.
Warhammer Online's 100% RvR city siege outlined in development notes
Since its inception, Warhammer Online's greatest strength and selling point has been its Realm vs. Realm (RvR) gameplay between the forces of Order and Destruction. With the upcoming 1.3.5 patch, RvR is poised to claim its rightful birthright with 100% RvR city sieges (in the past, city sieges have been a mix of RvR and PvE). Yesterday, Mythic posted a slew of "In Development" notes pertaining to 1.3.5, specifically outlining their plans for the new edition of city sieges. WAR's new city sieges now have a maximum battle time of two hours, feature a respectable 24v24 population, and offer plenty of rewards, including a PQ-style chest roll for the winners. Once a player joins the fray, they'll be automatically put into a warband and pointed toward the battle. City sieges take place over three stages, each with specific objectives and a time limit. In stage one, the invaders will attempt to breach the palace gates while the defenders try to stave them off. This is accomplished on both sides by waging war over linked control points that function as a tug-of-war between the forces. Moving on to the second stage, each side has the win condition of either escorting their warlord to the palace gate or defeating the enemy warlord. Depending on how stage two ends, stage three will take place either in the palace or at the city's gates, and involves killing the enemy's king. One of the neatest parts of this final stage is that four players on each side will be chosen to be "Champions" -- highly buffed characters with a special new ability. The new city sieges sound streamlined, dynamic and -- dare we say it? -- a bloody good time for all. You can check out the proposed development notes for this patch on WAR's forums.
There's a... er... Twilight MMO coming...
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Twilight_MMO_on_the_way_ummm_sure'; Because absolutely no license goes unturned these days, we've gotten word that there will, indeed, be a Twilight MMO.Details are pretty sketchy right now on what exactly this whole experience will entail. It will be a virtual world where you get to play as either a human, vampire, or werewolf -- that much is pretty known. The game will also be an open, non-linear world set around the town of Forks, Washington, that will let the player roam freely.Of note is the functionality of the game's journal, which is said to work not only like a novel, but also as a way to teleport back and forth through time to experience the events written inside of it.The game is still early in-development, so we'll keep an eye on it for you as more information is released. Now where's our Harry Potter MMO, hmmm? We want a wizarding war!Update: Apparently, this MMO isn't as official as it seems.[Via Twilight Source]
