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Massively's Valentine's Day roundup
When a mob hits your eye with a big sharpened spike... that's not really amore! In fact, it's downright painful. But it's February -- a time when love is in the air, hearts are aflutter everywhere, and pink and red festoon your favorite MMOs. So in the spirit of the season, go ahead and give that mob an extra-hard love tap, right from... er, to the heart! And don't forget to collect whatever treasures it had for you because we all know Valentine's Day isn't all about the love; no, it's about the loot! Want to know where to get your hands on something special for this holiday? There are plenty of celebrations throughout the MMOverse offering a plethora of events and goodies. Check out some of the various Valentine's events and specials going on now.
Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials
Some of the early story threads from Defiance's launch haven't been addressed. The nature of the Biodyne Project and control of the Earth Republic are both questions with no answer, but that's all changing in March with the release of the game's next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials. Players will explore three new quest lines involving members of Von Bach Industries, leading to events that see both the revival of Biodyne and a look at the power gaining strength behind the scenes of the Earth Republic. The DLC content isn't limited to story developments, though. Players will also be taking on new four-person challenges in which a group of hunters struggle to reach the end of a course, killing and progressing as quickly as possible. And raw damage isn't all that matters; teamwork and coordination will play a major role in clearing the end. Gunslinger Trials is planned for release in March, so get your trigger fingers ready if this sounds like your sort of fun.
SOE opens 2014 G.I.R.L. scholarship submissions
SOE has begun its 7th Gamers in Real Life Game Design Competition, inviting aspiring game developers to apply for a possible $10,000 college scholarship and a 10-week job as a paid intern at the studio. To apply, you'll need to be enrolled in an undergraduate program that has something to do with video games, have a 3.00 GPA or higher, be 18 or older, and be a legal resident of one of the 50 United States or District of Columbia. The application includes concept artwork, captions, and an essay. Interested participants need to submit their application by March 19th. We interviewed the 2013 winner, Esther Wu, last October about her experience with the competition, which is worth a read if you're interested in participating.
SOE's Higby on bringing PlanetSide 2 to the PS4
PlanetSide 2 creative director Matt Higby stopped by ShackNews for a quick interview this week. The piece focused on fan feedback as well as the upcoming PlayStation 4 version of SOE's MMOFPS. Higby says that "designing the UI/UX to be more console-friendly and figuring out ways to better contextualize the massive scale combat for players who are used to more arena-style FPS gaming has been the most challenging" aspect of development thus far. "This is something we encounter with the PC version of the game, too, so we're used to thinking about it, but bringing this game to the console market puts an extra layer of importance on these goals," he explained.
Defiance Q&A covers the 7th Legion's background
Trion Worlds posted a series of questions and answers today covering the upcoming 7th Legion DLC for Defiance. The 7th Legion is an old organization that was founded shortly after the Arkfall, whereupon campers in the Yukon saw the devastation and decided to follow the bushido code of Yoshida Hiro. It's a faction that's different than others in the game, deeply embracing the cyberpunk western motif as it navigates relationships with humans and aliens alike. If you want to learn more about the 7th Legion, give the Q&A a quick read! Players that purchase the DLC will be given a chance to enlist in the Legion and equipped with its signature gear and skills.
Why I Play: Defiance
As I did with RIFT when it was announced, sent to beta, and released, I gave Defiance a bit of a hard time. Sure, I dug the shooter aspect of it, but its attachment to the television show and (what I took as) promises of interactions between both the game and show had me giving the game the side-eye. Yeah right, I thought, this will be some sort of "revolutionary" game. Well, I was half right. That means I was also half wrong. The game is not really revolutionary in many ways, but it does do many things that have never been done before. The more I play it, the more I see that the game developers and producers of the show sold the entire thing the wrong way from the start, but "the show will grow on ya, don't worry" would not make for a good tagline, and "the game is damn fun and does away with all of that level-based stuff that plagues RIFT" would probably not look too great on the game's website. Either way, I'm glad I've stuck with the game and the show. The game, especially, has provided me with hours of entertainment. In order to illustrate how I enjoy the game, I think it would be easiest to detail a typical evening of play.
Firefall developer secures $23 million in funding
Bright skies might be ahead for Red 5 Studios: the Firefall developer announced today that it secured $23 million in additional funding. Red 5 said that it entered into share purchase agreements for the funding from Shanghai Oriental Pearl Culture Development Co. and shareholders. Red 5 Acting CEO James Macauley pointed to the influx of cash as a sign that the battle-worn company is moving forward: "This additional round of funding will offer us the means to execute on our plan for successfully launching Firefall in 2014. This is the year Firefall takes flight. The entire Red 5 tribe is focused on creating top quality content that will take Firefall to the next level and we are excited for this next stage of development." The studio has plans to create a new story campaign for Firefall, take the fight to the Chosen, and reveal some of the burning secrets that have been in the game. [Source: Red 5 press release]
Defiance previews 7th Legion DLC
Are you ready to join an elite group of bad people-stoppers? If so, then step up to your nearest 7th Legion recruiting center, or barring that, get ready to drop some money for Defiance's third DLC that's coming soon to the game. Trion Worlds has a brief overview of the features in this DLC up on its site. The 7th Legion is an E-Rep force that's making its way to the Bay Area, and by purchasing the DLC, players will be enlisted into its ranks. The DLC includes a 7th Legion uniform, a title, additional weapons, more synergies, hybrid shields, and a brand-new type of dynamic content called incursions. The 7th Legion update will also include an overhaul to the game's chat system and should arrive sometime next month.
PlanetSide 2 gets an updated development roadmap
SOE has updated PlanetSide 2's roadmap website. What does that mean for you? It means that you can get an idea of what the devs are planning to push live between now and June. New stuff in the works includes the continent of Hossin as well as continent locking, which "will hopefully enhance the feel and depth of PlanetSide 2's overall metagame significantly." Outfit recruiting functionality is also getting a revamp, and top contributor outfits will also get some recognition in the form of "belonging" labels on captured bases. [Source: SOE press release]
Choose My Adventure: Back in the saddle again edition
Yeeehaw! Now that Mike has finished his ride, they're lettin' me back in the saddle for another round of rootin' tootin' Choose My Adventure fun! And the opportunity has come not a moment too soon: I've had my spurs on and been raring to go for weeks now. As you know, this ain't my first CMA rodeo, and I'm sure as shootin' excited for this next wild romp through a new world. Of course, I won't be doing this alone. This ain't a one-woman show, and you ain't just spectators. I'm the rider all right, but y'all actually have a hold of the reins and will be leading me through the adventures. I'll wrangle up some options each week, and y'all will make the choices for what we do, where we go, and how we get there. Our first choice: which game we're going to tame! I've corralled a herd of titles that ain't seen their time in the spotlight yet (or at least, not for a long, long time). We've got an assortment of breeds to choose from -- some I've the barest hint of experience with; with others, I've none at all. Look 'em over, size 'em up, and then tag the one you want us to spend our next six weeks in. Y'all have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, January 25th, to make your selection. Then we rope the winner and get this ride started.
Jukebox Heroes: Firefall's soundtrack
There's something about militaristic science-fiction shooters that brings out the piano in the composer, isn't there? That's what I was thinking when I first heard one of the Firefall themes. Not that the track was bad, just that it made me wonder why these simple piano themes have been linked to such games. Oh, it's probably because of Halo, but I'd like to think that there are greater reasons than that. So this week we're going to be taking a crash course on the Firefall soundtrack. As far as I know, composers Michael Bross and Boon Sim's score isn't available to buy or download anywhere, so the avid video game score collector is going to have to do a little digital yoga to coax those files out of the library. I think it's worth hunting around for it, as Firefall's music is an obvious labor of love and a desire to create a quality product. "Initially, we experimented with something that was mostly synth-driven and atmospheric," Bross said in an interview, "but then there was a desire from the team to have something that leaned toward the orchestral. Over time, though, we settled into something that combined both orchestral and modern elements that lend very well to an epic but atmospheric feel."
Defiance chat upgrades coming with February DLC
Trion's latest Defiance dev blog talks up changes to the sci-fi shooter's chat interface. Creative lead Trick Dempsey says that "one of the most frequent requests" from players since the game's launch has been chat improvements, and Trion's in an obliging mood. In a nutshell, the UI is simpler and "free of the commands/emotes/etc., that bloated the viewport in the previous iteration." When can you get your virtual hands on this fine new chat system? Sometime in February, Dempsey writes. Keep your eyes peeled for the 7th Legion DLC which will feature the chat improvements and "even more steps to improve quality and ease-of-use for Defiance."
Smedley expounds on benefits blunder and SOE's philosophy
When SOE first announced the membership changes coming to some of its titles, the company stirred up a storm that was completely unexpected, according to CEO John Smedley. After listening to the community, the studio reversed parts of the proposal and unveiled an extra benefit: a $14.99 All-Access pass. But even after a few extra posts explaining the changes and the reasoning behind them, there were still some unanswered questions and remnants of confusion from the quick succession of announcements. Why were some titles in SOE's arsenal listed part of the pass but others aren't? Which membership gift is actually the one going forward? When will these changes take place? And what about the European players? I sat down with Smedley to answer these questions and get some added clarity on these changes,
Firefall getting 'rare legendary weapon drops,' lots of other stuff [Updated]
Did you catch Red 5's dev round table on Twitch earlier today? I didn't either, but fortunately the Firefall Twitter account susses out several of the more interesting tidbits. The team mentioned the MMO shooter's revamped progression curve, which has changed to the point that "you will feel the difference." In-game mailboxes, separate chat channels, "rare legendary weapon drops," and clicking-on-player-names-to-whisper are just a few of the features in the works. The game's HUD is now drag-and-droppable, and the crafting UI has a new and less confusing layout. There's more where that came from, too, so click through the links below to read all about it. [Update: The official site has updated with a dev blog outlining the Q&A!]
Weekly updates coming to PlanetSide 2
Would you like your favorite game to update more often or less often? Odds are you're prefer the former; barring the occasional update that badly breaks something, updates are a good thing. That's why creative director Matt Higby took to the PlanetSide 2 forums to break the happy news that the game's update schedule will be increasing to weekly patches. Yes, that's weekly, starting next Wednesday and continuing through the remainder of the year. Higby explains that the new schedule will have several benefits, starting with the team no longer requiring frequent hotfixes to take care of minor bugs and performance issues. It also means that each individual update will be a bit smaller, resulting in fewer moving pieces and a lower chance of introducing bugs with any given update. Larger features are still being developed, and they'll be moved into the new weekly schedule, but players will be able to expect at least something once a week.
Rumor: Ubisoft employee says The Division's 2014 release date 'feels laughable'
Remember The Division? If not, then let us remember it for you: It's a pretty slick-looking MMOish shooter thing that Ubisoft unveiled at E3 2013. First it was console-only, then the internet cried, then Ubisoft caved and said, OK, we'll make a dedicated PC version, too. Apparently development on the game isn't that far along, at least according to a source inside Ubisoft Massive. "The game engine works well, it's not done but works well. The actual game development has barely started, however," the source told GameReactor. "The fact that Ubisoft has gone public with a 2014 release date feels laughable to be perfectly honest, we will never be able to release The Division this year. It's a large project, and we have very far to go."
Defiance getting third DLC in February
Hot on the heels of Arkbreaker's release, Trion has announced the third DLC coming to Defiance. Dubbed 7th Legion, this update will hit the sci-fi game in February. Although more specifics won't be released until later this month, the studio did offer a snippet of lore from the Defiance Blog to help whet fans' appetites: When the world fell apart, one group kept their courage. Guided by the teachings of the Code of Bushido, the soldiers of the 7th Legion marched across Canada gathering survivors as they went. From one outpost to another they marched until finally they found a city which did not fall: Manhattan. There, they made their stand against the darkness, and Commander Yoshida Hiro called an end to their long journey. Now they have come to Paradise. What dread news could this herald? [Thanks to Swag for the tip!]
Norrathian Notebook: Are membership changes a benefit to EQII players?
While I had another, happier topic all ready to ring in the new year, SOE surprised us with a questionable decision this week that I felt necessitated an immediate response. So today we'll focus on this hot topic instead: All change is not good. And SOE's announced change in membership benefits for EverQuest II is really not good. Previously, with the removal of the remaining free-to-play restrictions, EQII subscribers saw their benefits whittle down to essentially a buff to mount speed and coin, AA, and XP accumulation (basically what was offered during the Gold Rush event) and the monthly 500 Station Cash allotment. While that seems as if players lost most of their advantages for subbing, there wasn't too much murmuring because at least we were happy that our comrades had the freedom to choose the classes and races they wanted and enjoy the game better. And besides, we still had the 500 SC, so we still had some worthwhile benefit. Well, now that's changing. SOE has decided that this last benefit must be retooled from 500 SC that accumulates until you use it to the ability to buy one single item for up to 2000 SC per month. While it may sound like a better deal on the surface, it's not -- not for SOE or for its customers.
Sony Online Entertainment changes benefits for subscriptions
It's a fairly common model for free-to-play games that offer a subscription -- subscribers get an allowance of cash-shop currency in addition to other benefits. It's how Sony Online Entertainment's games have worked for as long as they've had the model. But EverQuest II and PlanetSide 2 subscribers are seeing a new version of subscriber benefits, one that removes the usual Station Cash allowance and replaces it with an item worth the equivalent amount or more. Every month, players are given a choice between one of several items worth up to 2000 Station Cash. This item must be selected on a monthly basis, as benefits do not carry over from month to month. While the net amount of rewards should be functionally identical, it will mean fewer options about what you acquire on a monthly basis, especially as Player Studio items are listed as exclusions from the list. If you're unhappy with the change, you've got time to say so, as the change is not going into effect until February 3rd. [Thanks to Balsbigbrother for the tip!]
Mark Kern addresses his departure from Red 5 Studios
Using a mixture of geek culture references, former Red 5 Studios CEO Mark Kern posted a brief statement on MMORPG.com to address his departure from the Firefall studio. Kern referenced the event as his "Kobayashi Maru test" and insinuated that fans shouldn't fully believe what they may have heard. "While there have been rumors about whether I was demoted, terminated, or maybe even corporately executed, I will only say this: Remember that Han always shot first," he wrote. Kern said that he had fond memories of his time with the company and wished the studio success in the future. Mark Kern was let go from Red 5 on December 19th and replaced by acting CEO James Macauley. [Thanks to ArchDevi for the tip!]
