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Age of Wushu merging servers next week [Updated]
If you reside on the White Tiger or Black Tortoise servers in Age of Wushu, you'll see a change in your world next week soon. When the servers come back up after the scheduled weekly maintenance on August 28th September 4th, only one of those two servers will remain; in order to improve the player experience, everyone from Black Tortoise will be merged onto a freshly reset White Tiger. To answer questions and help prepare players for the merge, Snail Games has created a FAQ post, which includes such tidbits as all school positions and guild territories will be reset. To help prepare the servers, there will be an hour-long special maintenance for those two servers only on Monday, August 26th September 2nd starting at 1:01 a.m. EDT. The merge will then take place on Wednesday when maintenance begins at 4:00 a.m. EDT. [Update: According to an edit made to the original blog post, Age of Wushu's server merges have been delayed until September 4th.]
Age of Wushu's Legends of Mount Hua expansion launches
Have you been eagerly awaiting the day you could dive into the new systems and features of Age of Wushu's first expansion, Legends of Mount Hua? Well, today's the day! Players are now able to get in and try their hands at the Youyun Sixteen Area Prefectures Battle Arena, a 40 vs 40 PvP battleground, and Yanmen Pass, an 18-man instance. Those with the urge to help out newer players will find the Martial Brothers system for mentoring helpful, while those who seek revenge on others will no doubt get use out of the Jianghu Gratitude and Revenge System. And the truly competitive of spirit can take part in the Mount Hua Competition. The new faction system and the Jianghu Heroic Playstyle and Treasure System will offer a variety of rewards. For a look at what's in store, check out the LoMH images in the gallery below and the official launch trailer after the break. [Source: Snail Games press release]%Gallery-195681%
Six new Age of Wushu faction trailers sighted in the wild
Age of Wushu's expansion is hitting the game's Chinese servers in a couple of days, bringing with it six new factions. MMO Culture has posted teaser trailers for all six, including one for the infamous Rootless Clan that features in-game castration as an entry requirement. There's also a seventh trailer for players who opt to remain faction-less. Click past the cut to see the new videos.
Age of Wushu Changing Skies trailer features new weather systems, lots of kung fu
Age of Wushu's Chinese server is getting a content update on August 8th. You don't have to wait that long to see it, though, thanks to a new trailer posted at MMO Culture. The patch, loosely translated as Changing Skies, will add new weather and day/night cycle systems. There will also be sandstorms that reveal secret locations, changing environmental sounds, and the new character selection screen shown above. Thus far Snail Games has not indicated when the new content will be exported to Age of Wushu's American or European servers. Click past the cut to watch the trailer.
Age of Wushu to feature castration mechanic
Want to join the new Rootless Clan that's coming to the Chinese version of Age of Wushu? You'll need to lose your virtual junk first, as the evil-aligned sect is basically an order of eunuchs that forcibly castrate initiates. And yes, it's in the game. MMO Culture has all the details, including a gameplay video if you're so inclined. In a nutshell, prospective Rootless monks must obtain a special daily quest and then undergo the castration process, which features a dedicated health bar. "After around two minutes, the process will end," the site says. "However, the success rate of castration is still considered low at this time. If it is unsuccessful, the victim will still sustain significant damage." Click past the cut to see a snippet of castration gameplay for yourself.
Snail announces Age of Wushu mobile and console titles, feature film
Snail Games has huge plans for its successful Age of Wushu IP. The firm has already announced an expansion for its wuxia-powered MMORPG, but now it's aiming at a console port, a mobile port, and a feature film set in the same universe. The company's press release offers no details on any of the new projects aside from promising more details "at a later date." As for the big-screen treatment, Snail founder and chairman Shi Hai says it's only natural. "The Age of Wushu game looks and plays like a major martial arts motion picture, so bringing the property to movie screens is a logical evolution," he explained. "Our goal has always been for the property to reach the widest audience so evolving to a feature film and expanding the experience to consoles and mobile devices continues our plan." [Source: Snail press release]
Age of Wushu's first expansion coming August 8th
If you were just thinking that all your summer needed to be perfect was to lose yourself in Age of Wushu's first expansion, you're in luck! Snail Games has announced that Legends of Mount Hua will be released in just a little over a month on August 8th. This expansion brings a number of new features to the martial arts sandbox, including a battle arena, a new story and instance, and the PvP Mount Hua Competition. Players will also have access to a new gratitude and revenge system, a treasure system, the Martial Brother System, and a Jianghu Status System to enhance their gameplay. The Martial Brother System allows lower-level players to increase their power quickly and offers discounts on skills. Using the Jianghu Status System, players can measure their standing with the world's NPCs and various factions, and improving or worsening their relationship with NPCs and successfully completing faction challenges will build Jianghu experience, which in turn can earn various rewards like items, titles, even quests and special battlefields. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Age of Wushu releases full feature list for first expansion
While Snail Games showed off a bit of Age of Wushu's new content at E3 this year, the studio has just released a detailed full feature list for its martial arts MMO's first major expansion. Age of Wushu: Legends of Mount Hua will introduce a special competition for the top players of each server, a new instance with five different stoylines, a MOBA-style battle arena, quicker training for low-level characters, the Jianghu faction system, and more. You can check out more on this new content and browse today's item shop additions at the official website.
Age of Wushu getting new factions and character trading in China
While you can't be certain about the future of a game in your country based on what happens in its native country, that's certainly the way to bet. So the good news is that Age of Wushu players can look forward to some neat stuff in the future, including new factions and schools. A recent preview highlights the Villa of the Beasts, a school deep in the wilds that focuses on hand-to-hand combat in nature. There are even rumors that the school will eventually allow for pet companions. The game is experimenting with a character trading service, allowing you to directly list characters for sale without having to sell your entire account and risk hacking. Whether or not the service on a whole is a good thing for the health of the game is an exercise for the reader. There's no timetable for any of this coming over to the game in the West, but in all likelihood it's just a matter of time. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
EU's Age of Wulin offers FAQ and early character creation for closed beta
The European cousin to Age of Wushu, the martial arts sandbox already released in North America, is finally cracking open its beta doors to let in select players next week. That's right: Age of Wulin starts closed beta on Monday, June 17th. But eligible testers needn't wait until then to make their characters; gPotato has enabled access to the launcher until the evening of the 15th to let players create their avatars and reserve their names. Players should note that CBT characters will be wiped for when beta opens to all. Got other questions about Age of Wulin's upcoming closed beta? If so, gPotato has some answers via its new FAQ. For instance, this closed beta will be short but all players will enjoy full VIP status. Another important item to note is that AoW will not have an NDA; players are welcome to talk about, review, livestream, and share their in-game experiences with others. And for those who haven't yet received a closed beta key, don't worry -- more were sent out today. While checking your email, catch the closed beta trailer after the break. [Thanks to mad283 for the tip!]
E3 2013: Snail Games' Black Gold and Age of Wushu
Snail Games showcased two new MMOs today at E3: Black Gold and Age of Wushu. The two games have more than their parent in common; Black Gold utilizes the Age of Wushu engine. Set in a fantastical steampunk world, Black Gold is a mish-mash of colorful fantasy elements and grunge-ridden steampunk inventions, as we found in our hands-on with the game earlier today. Each faction within Black Gold (fantasy or steam faction) has three races of its own. The steam faction holds humans, dwarves, and vampires (what steampunk MMO would be without vampires?), and on the fantasy side you'll find more humans, a cat-like race, and a shape-shifting barbarian race. It might be a little limited in race selection, but maybe character creation will be just as interesting for the players as it is in Age of Wushu.
Age of Wushu forecasts weather system
What's life without a little weather to keep things interesting and give socially awkward people something to talk about around the water cooler? While many MMOs have given up on including weather systems, Age of Wushu kindly disagrees. The title is preparing to roll out dynamic weather in a forthcoming update, and a new teaser trailer hints at the possibilities that it could present. The trailer shows a character running through a storm at night. Sheets of rain come down as the occasional bolt of lightning illuminates the surroundings for a few seconds. Check out the video after the break, and don't forget your poncho if you're heading into this title!
Snail confirms Age of Wushu dev layoffs
Earlier this morning Massively received multiple tips regarding layoffs at Age of Wushu publisher Snail Games. We contacted the company and were provided with an official statement by Director of Game Development David Baker. Yes, there were a handful of layoffs at Snail Games USA yesterday. After the launch of Age of Wushu the team size was corrected to meet the size of the game and the community. The Age of Wushu team was expanded before launch and the necessary contractions were needed post-launch. Snail Games USA values all the employees that worked on Age of Wushu and continue to work on the Age of Wushu upcoming expansion for July. Layoffs are a hard part of working in the game industry and are necessary when team size becomes larger than what the development team needs. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us.]
Snail Games to show off Black Gold, Age of Wushu expansion at E3
Snail Games has a busy lineup in store for next month's E3. The studio will use the expo for several reveals, including a steampunk MMO, a dance-off MMO, and an expansion for Age of Wushu. The steampunk title is Black Gold, which is set in a fantasy universe where industrial technology and magic are at war (yes, it has giant mechs vs. dragons). It will have six races and six classes, although the classes will also have subclasses to allow for interesting combinations. Black Gold is set to begin closed beta testing tomorrow in China and Taiwan. Age of Wushu: Legends of Mount Hua promises to deliver new content starting in July, although Snail Games has yet to go into specifics as to what that content might be. The dance MMO is called Music Soul and features nine game modes that pit boogieing players against each other. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Age of Wushu says 'I do!' to marriage, ultimate scrolls
If you haven't had enough to do in Age of Wushu yet, then you are one easily bored cookie. But never fear, Snail Games is here! The team has been frantically adding more systems to the game to flesh out the martial arts title, and now players can get married, gain ultimate scrolls, and try out a couple of new PvP modes. The marriage system in Age of Wushu is more complicated than in other MMOs. A dowry must be given, a wedding package purchased, and a special team task performed. The benefits for the happy couple are several, however, including rings that teleport each of them to their spouse. Players can now attempt to obtain the most powerful skills for their respective schools through ultimate scrolls. Unlike other skills, players are restricted to getting an ultimate scroll only from their dedicated combat school. These skills are good to take into the PvP battlefield, where death modes and faction modes await.
Age of Wushu hosts a Royal Celebration
Party like it's 2013! Snail Games invites players in the world of Jianghu to join in a special Age of Wushu Royal Celebration starting today. This celebration will have various events sprinkled throughout the month, from earning rewards just for just logging in to chances to face and fight world bosses for their loot. And the rewards themselves range from gift packs to buff items to VIP bonuses. Want to earn a special gift pack? Log in for one hour a day and you'll get one for each day. Players who manage to spend at least two hours online every day for the entire week will earn a much larger reward that includes a 30-day mount and a number of buffs and bonuses. Gain even more rewards for leveling school inner skills and for being a VIP. The event is open to all players regardless of school or skills. For a full listing of the events and their accompanying rewards, check out the official event schedule. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Drinking and fighting are encouraged in Age of Wushu
Sobriety is overrated. Sure, a lot of games give players the options to get characters plastered, but Age of Wushu takes it one step further by incorporating the pop culture notion of drunken fighting into the game. A character with a high alcohol tolerance won't just be able to fight after tipping back a few drinks; he'll actually be able to fight better due to an Evade buff granted after imbibing. Characters with lower tolerance, meanwhile, will just stagger and find themselves unable to react appropriately. That's not the limit of what you can do with liquor in a fight, though. You can also spray your opponent with spirits in mid-battle, hopefully intoxicating and disorienting the other fighter. Of course, if you attempt to use this technique on someone with a predilection for potables, you might find that you've just handed your nemesis a major advantage. Take a look at some plastered punching in the preview video just past the break.
Age of Wushu retail edition offers Jet Li training session
If you're up for dropping some money on the recently launched Age of Wushu, a new special retail edition is available both online and at Gamestop. This box version of the game goes for $20 and offers "more than $80 worth" of in-game goodies. These incentives include a special horse mount, in-game currency, 30 days of VIP access, reputation scrolls, fashion outfits, and boosts for experience and Chi. If that hasn't sold you yet, Snail Games is hoping that some one-on-one time with martial arts film star Jet Li will. Players can train with a digital Jet Li in a special instanced adventure that comes only with this edition. We direct the curious to the special retail edition trailer after the jump.
Choose My Adventure: Extreme DIY makeover edition
Life may be like a box of chocolates, but gaming is like a Do-It-Yourself project. It may not be as mouth-watering an analogy, but it is certainly fitting: MMOs are a giant construction zone where players build their own experiences in a virtual world using tools from the game and their own imagination. Each project is a unique undertaking, bearing the personal touches of the builder, whether the builder is an individual or a group like a guild. Some players prefer to build a single residence and settle in, while others enjoy moving from project to project, exploring new territory and testing new tools. Me? I tend toward the former; I'm the kind who tinkers around in one place over a long period of time. But all that's about to change. Again. That's right, folks; it's my turn to break ground on yet another Choose My Adventure! For the next six weeks I am leaving the comfy confines of my familiar surroundings and allowing you to direct my next MMO project. Yes, my dear Massively friends, you will be the foreman of this endeavor, determining every step of the construction, from where I'll build my newest experience to what tools I'll get to use.
Age of Wushu getting new PvP, PvE content
Snail has updated Age of Wushu's website with its immediate designs for the western version of the recently launched wuxia sandbox. The firm has grand plans to bring content from the game's Chinese server to North America including the Mount Hua PvP competition, new rage skills, and the new Yanmen Pass instance. Snail also implores gamers to "stop living in the close friend zone" by availing themselves of the game's wedding mechanics. The company has also published its official stance on gold sellers and gold spam, as well as its intention to ban both buyers and sellers. [Thanks Mikey!]
