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Enjoying the spoils of progress
I enjoy a lot of aspects of World of Warcraft, and one of those aspects is the actual playing of the game. I like combat, whether I am tanking or DPS, the active working through of encounters and even the unfolding of trash pulls. I like learning what new mechanics do, how fights unfold and how they can be successfully completed. I love all of that -- but what I also love is the period after mastering content. I shamelessly admit it here. I love when content goes on farm. I was ecstatic as Firelands went from hard to easy. I love feeling my gear improve, seeing my DPS or health go up, looking at my avoidance and mitigation and realizing that yes, I actually can get passive unhittable just through gear. (I'll miss that when the two-roll combat system comes out.) I like going back, months down the road, and tearing Baleroc in half like wet tissue paper. Remember me? Part of this is simply because I like WoW best when I'm killing stuff. I don't like to sit idle in Stormwind or Orgrimmar, and I'm not terribly moved to stand around hawking my crafting wares or playing the Auction House. These are fine activities, to be sure, but they're most certainly not what I like to do in the game. No, the reason I played seven years ago is the reason I play now, because I like to hit things in the face with the largest possible things I can. And taking their stuff -- I mustn't forget how much I like taking their stuff.
Mists of Pandaria Beta: New loot frames roll into view
New loot frames! No more having to stare at your chat frames and scroll up and down to see which player won what item. Loot rolls are now condensed into a loot roll frame that appears in your screen. It lists the results of all the items that went up for grabs in the instance and who won them. If you look at the screenshot above, you can see the roll numbers next to each player and what roll types were used. The player who won the item is listed at the top. You can expand or collapse the menu to see the list of players who rolled and what roll type they used, such as need or greed. The only downside to this new feature is that I couldn't find a way to move the frame around. But hey, I'll take these new loot roll frames any day. What about you? It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Ghostcrawler explains spec-specific quest rewards in MoP
If you've been following the Mists of Pandaria beta at all, you may have heard that questing players discovered that they were only getting one choice for quest reward items. Many recent MMOs such as SW:TOR use this model; it's generally agreed that the system of multiple possible quest rewards is yet another "bad player trap," like Ghostcrawler described lots of talents pre-Cataclysm. Players can miss out on quest rewards accidentally, and since there's no in-game way of switching your quest rewards, well, that can be a headache (especially since reports say that GMs are no longer switching quest items for you). When asked about the issue on the beta forums, Ghostcrawler offered a pretty reasoned explanation for the change. He says that most quests with green rewards will only give you one choice (that matches your current spec). However, there'll also be vendors in every zone from whom you can buy sets of gear that aren't quite up to the item level of quest rewards in that zone, so you can fill in itemization holes or help bolster an off spec a little more. Quests that offer blue rewards will usually offer rewards for any spec your class can be, giving you some flexibility when it comes to rare rewards. Also, Mists of Pandaria questing is more non-linear than Cataclysm's, so you'll be able to hit up a different zone in the event that you need gear for a specific level range. Ghostcrawler's full response (and an image of one of the vendors) is after the break.
Dev Watercooler: Mists of Pandaria looting explained
Ghostcrawler is back on the blog with a comprehensive look at how the new loot systems are going to work in Mists of Pandaria. This newest blog post reads like a lesson in loot design and is valuable if you are interested in the development process of these systems. One of the most interesting things to come from the new design is that there will be no rolling on loot in the Raid Finder, eliminating the "callous jerk" problem. The game chooses who gets the loot, not any of the potentially trollish players (not to offend any actual trolls in the raid, taz'dingo, etc.). While rolling for transmog stuff is definitely an issue when the game decides who gets what, Ghostcrawler flat-out states that Raid Finder is not the place for vying for transmog loot. There are other places for that. This new personal loot system will be used for world bosses as well. Ghostcrawler also revealed the bonus roll system, where players will be able to earn tokens from various factions in Pandaria to spend on (among other things) a bonus roll when attempting to get loot off of a boss. This system will award tokens through tasks and dailies, giving people who prepare for Raid Finder a bit of an advantage if they choose to spend a token earned. Faction rewards, enchantments, epic items, and factional gear can also be purchased with these tokens. The valor points system is also undergoing a revamp, with points taking on a new role of upgrading existing gear, but the final system is not really ready for much discussion. And, yes, the explanation for AoE looting is priceless. Hit the jump for the full post.
Daily iPhone App: Battleloot Adventure tweaks turn-based RPG combat
When I first heard about Battleloot Adventure, it was being compared to the great Battleheart game on iOS. That's a fair comparison given the way the game looks, but I think I have a much better one: old-school Final Fantasy, with a focus on combat. As you might have expected, Battleloot Adventure pares down the old turn-based RPG genre to its core -- there's not a lot of story here, and your adventurers just sort of stumble across each other within the first few missions, as you're taught the mechanics of fighting with a party. But once everything has filled out, Battleloot Adventure does well using the iPhone and iPad's touchscreen to bring the old Final Fantasy-style combat system to life. You have four party members, and each one is assigned a color, each of which is strong or weak against certain enemy colors. You can simply attack with one group member per round, or you can expend energy by pulling in other members in the same around. And there are also special attacks that each character can use (that will go off automatically). Just like in Battleheart, the game takes place across a series of combat challenges, and it's your goal to beat the bad guys, earning XP and loot. The biggest drawback here is that because the combat system takes center stage, it's also very complicated. This wouldn't be an issue if the UI was a little clearer, but unfortunately, it's not -- sometimes it's very hard to determine exactly what color an enemy actually is, or why a certain character just sits there breathing annoyingly loudly rather than fighting when you tap on them. All the game does in the way of explanation is in the tutorial, so if you don't pay attention and learn strategy fast, the game's depth won't really make itself apparent. That's too bad, however, because there is a really fun and interesting combat system here. If you can work past the game's sometimes unworkable UI, you'll find a lot of fun. Battleloot Adventure is available now, for 99 cents on either the iPhone or the iPad HD version (they are not Universal).
Mythos Global wants you to play your way
Mythos Global has been on one crazy rollercoaster ride throughout its lifespan, and the latest incarnation of the free-to-play Diablo-esque dungeon-crawler has been in open beta for a little over a month now. But T3Fun wants players to know that there's more to Mythos than just dungeon-delving, and the studio has released a trio of new videos to prove it. Whether you're a loot fiend, an achievement chaser, or a master crafter, Mythos has something for you. As with most Diablo-alikes, Mythos features a plethora of randomized loot for players to hoard like there's no tomorrow, while the artisans among us can become masters of their trades with the help of the game's unique crafting skill tree system. And of course, achievements and titles abound for those who just love showing off their heroic accomplishments. If any of these playstyles tickles your fancy, just head on over to the game's official site to get in on the action for yourself. [Source: T3Fun press release]
DOTA 2 patch files hint at microtransactions, more
As is their wont, players have been rustling through some of the test build files for Valve's upcoming Dota 2, and they've found signs of some interesting (but still unofficial) features already. First and foremost, Valve hasn't yet determined exactly what the monetization model for the game will be, but it seems microtransactions will be a part of that model, as there are various announcers (including Half-Life's Dr. Kleiner), character taunts and skins, new hero items, and a few other goodies that may be purchasable either with an in-game currency, or with real money.There are also new kinds of couriers to buy (animal pets, basically, that will ferry items back and forth from your base), and there's one more consumable: Something called souls. A "Repentant Soul" will supposedly get players out of the "low priority punishment queue" when used, which suggests some sort of "pay or be punished" system. Gabe Newell mentioned just such a system last year, where he talked about Valve charging players "based on how much fun they are to play with." In other words, act stupid in game, get punished, and then you may have to pay your way out of jail.Finally, "treasure caches" are mentioned in the files. They'll probably work the same way that Team Fortress 2's crates do, where you get items that need to be unlocked with a key. This is all good news for those waiting for Dota 2 -- since Valve said it wouldn't worry about monetization until the fun was in there first, the game must be almost done, right?
The Perfect Ten: Types of loot that get me excited
Loot's not something that I see discussed much these days among MMO players. It's probably because loot's been around since the beginning of online time and is such a staple that we'd only really notice it if it went away completely or if the object in question were a major game-changer for us. Random loot from mobs is a reward mechanic that is bordering on archaic, having been supplanted by dependable quest rewards and barter vendors that give us the gear we so desire. Of course, now we've come around the weird circle to the point that dropped lockboxes hold interesting loot, but we've got to pay for the privilege of seeing what's inside. But let's not go there today! Instead, I'm going to share with you the 10 general types of loot that still get me excited while playing. They will shock, amaze, and radically reshape your life, as long as you've had a recent brain wipe and are awaiting brand-new neural instructions.
GDC 2012: Publishing heavies weigh in on F2P conversions
Like it or not, free-to-play is rapidly coming to dominate every corner of the gaming industry. While that's good on the surface, it also blurs the line between business and design, and it creates a lot of tension for both consumers and developers who are increasingly faced with the challenges inherent in separating monetary decisions from gameplay decisions. One of the more interesting GDC 2012 round-tables featured Sony Online Entertainment executive producer Dave Georgeson, NCSoft publishing director Steve Levy, Perfect World VP John Young, GamersFirst monetization director Joe Willmon, and Digi-Capital Limited managing director Tim Merel, all of whom convened for a mind-meld on successfully migrating subscription games to F2P. As you would expect, the panel was heavy on business-speak, but it also featured plenty of insight into the pricing phenomenon that has become the rule rather than the exception.
What type of loot system works the best?
Loot drama is most often the biggest and juiciest type of drama. Lots of different guilds handle loot distribution differently, though most either do need/greed rolls or use master looter paired with some sort of external system. Sigtyr on the official forums brings up the loot council method, where a few individuals in the know get to decide who gets what piece. Sigtyr certainly feels that, despite objections from the peanut gallery, this system works the best for his group. This discussion raises a good question: Is there such a thing as the "best loot distribution model"? When Star Wars: The Old Republic launched, Bioware seemed to have gotten a whiff of loot drama in games like WoW and even EverQuest (where anyone could loot anything, anywhere), devising a new system that is in use in its normal-mode operations (the SWTOR equivalent of a raid). There, most loot is auto-assigned based on class and spec. Personally, I've found that model to be frustrating because, among other things, it doesn't select against someone's receiving the same piece over and over again. Overall, I think that system fails because it takes the option away from the players and makes gearing up through operations as frustrating as needing on a piece of gear in the Raid Finder.
Breakfast Topic: What was your first world drop epic?
The video above is slightly NSFW-ish for some strong language -- but man, is it a hoot! Torrg over on the official forums posed a very nostalgic question: What was your first epic world drop? Sadly, my first purple was something I couldn't use. I was leveling my very first character to 70 during The Burning Crusade, a night elf druid, and I was doing some quests in Tanaris. I was just outside of one of the hives of silithid working my way in, sneaking around in cat form trying to avoid as many of those horrid bugs as possible, when I backed right into one of the suckers. It was an epic battle as I fumbled with keybinds, running around the mob trying to Shred it (OK, perhaps I wasn't the brightest druid out there). Somehow I came out on top -- and what do you know, the creepy crawler dropped a Gut Ripper. I was crushed when I found out that I couldn't use it, so I sold it on the Auction House for a couple of hundred gold. That kind of money is a decent chunk of change for a new player in their 40s, but with the daunting cost of flying mounts and training later on, it wasn't much more than a drop in the bucket. So what was your first Professor Plum?
RIFT details upcoming Expert Mode dungeon changes
RIFT's patch 1.7: Carnival of the Ascended is bringing with it some pretty neat things, such as in-game marriage, PvP improvements, and the eponymous Carnival of the Ascended. But long-time, high-level players are probably most curious about the changes coming to Expert Mode dungeons. Tier 1 and tier 2 Expert Mode dungeons are merging into a single Expert tier. What this means is that all players with tier 1 gear will keep that gear (which will be improved by item changes being introduced in the patch), but it will never drop again. The upgraded versions of tier 1 gear will drop in its stead. Previous tier 1 dungeons have had their difficulty increased to be more on par with tier 2 dungeons, and Trion Worlds has also "turned the dials up a bit higher on some encounters to keep things interesting with your flashy new gear." For the full details on all of the changes coming to the Expert Mode system and the endgame gear system, just click on through the link below to the RIFT official site.
New mounts, loot coming in Crown of the Heavens trading card expansion
Cryptozoic's newest expansion for the WoW TCG, Crown of the Heavens, is a Hyjal-based return to the peaks of Kalimdor with satyrs, dryads, demons, ogres, and more monsters than you can comprehend. The Alliance and Horde represent with new allies and celebrities as well, but it is the monsters that take center stage in this mountaintop brawl. With new trading card game expansions come new loot and mounts included as common, uncommon, and rare cards in expansion packs. The common loot card for Crown of the Heavens will be the Vicious Grell companion pet. This little satyr monster, who reminds me of key-toting Pusillin from Dire Maul, is a one-time use companion pet that can be given away to friends if you have an extra code. The uncommon loot card in the new set is the Magical Ogre Idol, which transforms the player into a two-headed red ogre mage for 5 minutes. The item has a 30-minute cooldown and reminds me of a fun archaeology find. The rare loot card for Crown of the Heavens is the Corrupted Hippogryph, a ground or air mount that can be traded in game if you do not learn it yourself, much like the Spectral Tiger. The deep green hippogryph is going to be a rare find -- see how many you can spot after the TCG expansion launches on Feb. 7, 2012. %Gallery-144939%
Cryptozoic shows off new cards and artwork from Crown of the Heavens
Cryptozoic, makers of the WoW TCG, is showing off new cards, artwork, and game systems from the newest TCG expansion, Crown of the Heavens. This set prominently features Hyjal and its guardians, meaning lots of dryads, ogres, and satyrs and more demons than you can shake a stick at. A demon stick. Monsters are still the name of the game, however, since we're in the monster block. Since Crown of the Heavens is a set based on Hyjal, there are bound to be a ton of familiar friendly (and not-so-friendly) faces showing up. What does that mean, you ask? It means awesome artwork done by Cryptozoic's amazing art team of some of your favorite characters. First, you should see some of the awesome new demon and satyr cards coming with Crown of the Heavens. Cryptozoic had a really cool writeup about the new monster heroes coming in the new set, including a Daughter of Cenarius named Arisella and Iso'rath, servant of the Old Gods. How cool is that? You can play with Iso'rath as your monster hero. %Gallery-144937%
The Daily Grind: Do you like need vs. greed loot distribution?
MMO gaming: It's all about the loot. OK, maybe not all about it, but there sure is a lot of thought and angst devoted to the items that fall from various AI-creature piñatas -- who got the best stuff, who didn't get any stuff, and how it's not fair that he got better stuff than you did. Different games may offer different methods of loot distribution, like a round-robin option or Guild Wars' pre-assigned drops, but need before greed is still a long-standing and familiar method. So what do you think? Does the system, which relies largely on players rolling fairly, still work well, or has its time passed? 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!
Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Eltnen
They're big! They're bad! They're da boss(es)! And they've got your loot! That's right: Lurking about all corners of Aion, powerful monsters beckon (lure?) Daevas with promises of tantalizing loot and illustrious glory. Who doesn't like the rush of downing a powerful foe or nabbing a coveted item? Previous tours of Heiron and Inggison scouted out said monsters and offered some tips as to who was worth fighting and who should be avoided when hunting alone. Those lands focused on higher-level players. However, with double XP weekends throughout January, there will undoubtedly be an influx of players in the lower levels. What better time to take stock of the bosses available to this crowd? This week, Wings Over Atreia takes a tour of Eltnen to expose the available bosses to treasure-hungry Daevas. Be warned, though: The opportunity to take on these behemoths may be short-lived during a time of double XP, especially when combined with mentoring. So before you move on to bigger, brighter lands, take a moment to stop and smell the roses -- or kill the bosses, as it were.
RIFT's 1.7 patch filled with content, coming soon
What's next for RIFT? Well, the 1.7 patch, for starters. The update is called Carnival of the Ascended, and if it sounds a bit festive, it is. Telaran weddings are in the offing, as Trion is introducing a marriage mechanic to its fantasy MMO. There's also the new River of Souls Chronicle, which the official forums bill as an "undead adventure for two." A new master mode dungeon is coming too, as is an expert dungeon overhaul with more options and better loot for endgame avatars. Finally, there's a free weekend coming your way on January 19th, and you can return to Telara (or check it out for the first time) for no charge through January 22nd.
Breakfast Topic: Have you ever caused loot drama?
Every so often, we tackle the subject of loot drama in the Drama Mamas column. Usually, it's a story about how someone else caused the kerfluffle and how to deal with that kind of situation. But recently, someone wrote in after causing quite a bit of loot drama himself. He didn't realize it, and the raid leaders definitely handled the situation poorly by not stating the loot rules at the beginning of the run and informing the player that he could only get one loot drop and allowing him to roll on another. So really, it was drama all around. Drama often happens when someone wins a roll and hands it over to a significant other, against stated loot rules. Have you ever done that? Is it just a token of affection? Or was there a threat of personal repercussions if the transfer wasn't made? Have you ever let a PUG or someone of lower rank in the guild roll on an item and then made up a rule on the fly if you don't like the outcome? Have you made a loot decision based solely on how much or little you liked the player? Have you rolled need on something you didn't need specifically to grief your group? Have you ever ninjaed an item and then quit the group?
New Eye of the Legion, Demon Hunter's Aspect are WoW TCG items
Thanks to @Proenix00 on Twitter, we now know that the new Eye of the Legion pet and cosmetic item Demon Hunter's Aspect are rewards from the WoW TCG. Datamined from the new patch 4.3.2 files, these new items have been fueling some talk as to whether Mists of Pandaria would include more Legion-inspired antics or if the launch events leading up to the new expansion would be demonic in nature. The Feldrake mount does not appear in the list of items in the screenshot we have, but it could be possible that the Feldrake mount will get subbed in. We do not yet know which TCG expansion that these items will be available in and whether or not the Feldrake is the equivalent to the Timewalkers Mount that is labelled [DNT] in the screenshot above. Hopefully, it will all be revealed to us soon. The Timewalkers Mount sounds to me like it might be more akin to the new chromatic dragon mount models found in the previous patch. At this point, we do not have concrete details. Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Drama Mamas: Loot lessons
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Loot drama rears its ugly head yet again this week. Good morning Drama Mamas, I was recently joined a guild run (not my guild) of Dragon Soul on my mage. I have never really had problems raiding on my alts. My main is in a semi hardcore raiding guild, and we were 8/8 in the first week of dragon soul. So on the off days I like to raid on my priest or mage. I really didn't think much of raiding with nine other people all from the same guild. It doesn't happen often, but guild runs typically go a lot smoother than complete PUGs. When I joined the raid no clear loot rules were announced. I typically just wait till the first boss is killed to see how loot works. So we killed a boss and a piece of loot dropped that I could use (a wand), and the master looter in raid chat said main spec roll and linked the piece of loot. I ultimately rolled the highest; however, I got a bit suspicious how long it took for the master looter to award me the loot. The guild didn't say anything after they gave me the loot and I said thanks. I am pretty appreciative when I receive loot.
