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War Thunder aiming for 360-degree panoramic VR view with Project Morpheus
War Thunder's been on board the virtual reality train for a while now, given its compatibility with the Oculus Rift. Gaijin isn't stopping there, though, according to a new website posting that touts War Thunder on Sony's PlayStation 4 Project Morpheus VR prototype. There's no launch date just yet, but Gaijin promises "a 360 degree panoramic view of the battlefield."
War Thunder dev diary explains battle rank and more
Have you ever wondered what, exactly, the battle rank statistic governs in War Thunder? If so, Gaijin's latest dev diary video is worth watching. The clip is the first in a planned series called Developer Answers. It runs for nearly nine minutes and explains, in part, how BR is the average efficiency of a given vehicle in all battles as opposed to the efficiency of a given vehicle against another specific type. Various War Thunder devs explain how this relates to the WWII flight sim's matchmaking mechanics, too, and they also address several other questions pulled from community members and social media channels. You can watch the full clip after the cut.
Now you can get paid for making War Thunder content
Want to make a little real-world money from your War Thunder addiction? Now you can thanks to Gaijin's newly announced revenue-sharing initiative. In April of 2014, the devs released the War Thunder CDK which allows users to make their own content in the form of missions, locations, and vehicle skins. If any of these creations are selected by Gaijin for inclusion in the game's 1.43 update, the authors "will receive reasonable reward." You can read a more detailed FAQ on the initiative at the game's official website. We've also embedded a video dev diary with more details after the break. Elsewhere in the War Thunder universe, Gaijin is running a "Summertime Madness" promotion this weekend that features bonus RP gains and 30 percent vehicle discounts.
Meet PlanetSide 2's new producer, Directive achievements
It's important to know the development team of your game of choice, isn't it? SOE's David Carey recently took on the role of producer for PlanetSide 2, and he hopped on the forums to introduce himself, explaining to fans who he is, what he hopes to accomplish in the game, and what he hopes to receive from the community. Carey reveals that he has spent a long time working with Matt Higby and has plenty of experience working on other titles. His primary goal is to have an informed playerbase with a clear picture of why changes are being made, even in the event that the players and devs disagree. He also stresses the importance of constructive criticism over personal attacks and the team's need for open communication with the fans. If you're a regular PlanetSide 2 player, you owe it to yourself to check out the full letter. In other PS2 news, SOE has implemented a new achievement system called Directives. You can view the full press release after the break.
DUST 514 shuts down Oceania server
Oceania DUST 514 players have gotten an eviction notice from their home. CCP announced that it will be closing the game's Oceania battleserver this upcoming Monday, citing low population and player exploitation of those remaining. "Due to some players from other battleservers using Oceania battleservers as a venue for farming battles thanks to the lower population there, we will be shutting them down during downtime on Monday, 28th of July 2014. Any players in the Oceania region will be directed to either the Asia battleservers or the US battleservers, depending on their individual ISP routing," CCP posted. The studio said that Oceania players will be seeing "a slight increase in latency" due to the move. [Thanks to Ghural for the tip!]
PlanetSide 2 opens up double XP to celebrate new Hossin map
To help celebrate the release of Planetside 2's Hossin content, Sony Online Entertainment is opening up a Double XP weekend for all players from July 18th (today) through the 20th. This double XP can stack with other in-game XP boosts including VIP membership, Hossin continent lock, purchased consumables, and more. If you want to go a step further and track your XP gain in its newly doubled state, you can do so through the Planetside 2 Players site, the PS2 app, the Recursion Stat Tracker, or the DasAnfall Stats page.
SOE Live player panels include support for military gamers
SOE Live posted its list of player panels today for its convention, with topics ranging from supporting military gamers to fansite management. The full list is as follows: Friday, August 15 11:00 am - 12:00 pm -– EQ2U & Dragon's Armory 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm –- Live Together, Die Alone: Surviving H1Z1 as a Group 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm –- Inter-Outfit Operations in PS2 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm –- Become Your Character: Tricks and Tips for Cosplay 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm –- Military Gamers: Taking Care of Each Other Saturday, August 16 10:00 am - 11:00 am -– Social Media/Steaming & Fansites 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm -– Effective Guild and League Management 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm –- Improving Your EverQuest 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm –- DCUO – Advanced Raid Tactics 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm –- The New Conglomerate 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm -– Hardcore Decorating in EQII 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm –- EQII Game Macros, ACT Triggers, and You!
Battleborn melds the MOBA with a first-person perspective
Challenging the notion that all MOBAs must be played from an omniscient isometric viewpoint, Gearbox revealed its own MOBA, Battleborn, that takes place from a first-person perspective. Battleborn promises a wide array of character variety as heroes battle on an alien planet, including Elvish archers, steampunk riflemen, and minigun-toting heavies. The lore hook is pretty solid, too, with the good guys fighting to protect the very last star in the universe against a faction called the Varelsi. The MOBA will feature both a co-op campaign and multiplayer PvP mode, and will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC next year. You can check out the reveal trailer after the break.
SOE explains PlanetSide 2 patch scheduling
Have you ever wondered why MMO studios patch their games when and how they do? Well, wonder no more, at least in PlanetSide 2's case. SOE producer David Carey recently took to Reddit to explain why the MMOFPS' server downtime typically starts during European prime time. PS2 is a worldwide game, Carey says, and so bringing the EU shards down independently isn't feasible. "We can't have multiple client or server versions out in the wild at the same time," he explains. "Another reason is that we update once a week or more on average," Carey continues. "We need people to run the patches, so we really can't just say 'hey you guys are working overnight tonight and maybe two other nights this week, we'll let you know.' I mean, they have families and that's just not fair. So that rules out some time slots like 2:00 a.m. local other than for emergencies."
Kill lots of DUST 514 players and you'll get to name the weapon you used
Want to name a weapon DUST 514? Log in and start killing, then. CCP is hosting a competition to name the new officer variants of everything from assault rifles to mass drivers to shotguns in its EVE shooter sidequel. From now through July 21st, players with the most kills on a single weekend using a base prototype weapon will get to pick that weapon's name and will also receive 30 copies of it. Each weekend's score is tallied individually, CCP says. Full details are available at the DUST 514 website.
PlanetSide 2's Hossin update is live but not entirely done
PlanetSide 2 players are today logging into the Hossin patch, a major update with a new continent with more than 80 new bases in a new biome. The update includes the first phase of the new continent locking mechanic for territory control and perks for guilds -- sorry, outfits -- including new recruiting, decal, and capturing systems. Creative Director Matt Higby warns, however, that "Hossin is not finished": If we wanted to "finish" Hossin without sacrificing the quality level we've established, it would probably be 3 months before it was ready to go live - we don't want to wait that long, and we don't think you want to either. [...] Right now about 50% of the bases on Hossin are "done" to the point that we're completely satisfied with the quality of the level design and visuals, about 25% of the bases are first pass [...] and another 25% are [placeholders]. We expect these bases to function correctly, provide all the necessary utilities to make the game work - they're just not 100% up to our standards of level design quality quite yet. Higby calls this the "Early Expedition" approach and says the teams will continue work on the "beta" continent over the next few months. [Thanks, theKavorka.]
CCP aiming 'to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life'
CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson closed this year's GameHorizon conference with a 30-minute talk focused around EVE Online's history and its future. Petursson starts at the very beginning with CCP's 1997 founding and carries it through the present day in which the firm employs 400 people at studios ranging from Reykjavik to Shanghai to San Francisco to Atlanta. He doesn't shy away from what he refers to as the company's "turbulent times," but he also says that CCP's mission -- "to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life" -- will continue well into the future. You can watch the full presentation after the cut.
Norrathian Notebook: SOE says bye-bye ProSiebenSat.1, hello Landmark Player Studio
Double the pleasure, double the fun! SOE made two big announcements Wednesday that brought smiles to the faces of many fans. One said goodbye; the other said hello. But both were good news indeed, especially for Norrathians. Sometimes parting is just sweet, without the sorrow. Such is the case with the first bit of news: the departure of ProSiebenSat.1 from SOE. That's right, my European compadres, rejoice because SOE is bringing you back into the fold! The deal that quickly went sour for fans squished between the US company and the European partner is over, and SOE's titles are returning fully to its portfolio while region locks are being lifted. I can hear you all singing hallelujahs and dancing in the street! The second bit of news worthy of celebration was the launch of Player Studio in Landmark. Although it arrived later than anticipated thanks to the international tax registration processes, the wait was worthwhile because players from not only the U.S but also Canada, Sweden, France, the UK (yes, including Ireland), Germany, Norway, and Denmark can now submit items for sale to other players. That means that aspiring money-makers and non-builders who want to buy their cool items can finally find one another and do business. And that just paves the way for the system to work in EverQuest Next. As great as the announcements are, neither is without a few downs mixed in with the ups. Norrathian Notebook explores both bits of news to get you the necessary details.
SOE and ProSiebenSat.1 splitting up, account migrations coming
"Sony Online Entertainment and ProSiebenSat.1 have jointly decided to migrate all PSG accounts for PlanetSide 2, DC Universe Online, and EverQuest II back to SOE in the near future," wrote SOE's Linda "Brasse" Carlson on the company's forums. SOE and PSG originally joined forces in 2012 to the dismay of European gamers who opposed the forced transfer of existing player accounts and regional server restrictions that threatened to affect international guilds and sub-communities.
PlanetSide 2 players are invited to fight over new server name
Usually a server merge is a somber affair, but the team at PlanetSide 2 views the upcoming consolidation between Waterson and Mattherson as an opportunity for a cage match to the death. The prize? The right to retain the winning side's server name following the merge. SOE is planning a "ServerSmash" battle for Friday, June 20th, between the inhabitants of Waterson and Mattherson. Outfits can sign up to represent their server during the event. The studio acknowledged that this event might be a siren's call to griefers and asked for good sportsmanship: "We implore both the participating servers, as well as the community at large, to take the high ground and help us make this a fun, amazing event that we can all appreciate." [Thanks to OdinsPride for the tip!]
E3 2014: PlanetSide 2 PS4 demo showcases visuals, performance
While PlanetSide 2 has been out since the end of 2012 on the PC, it isn't due out on PlayStation 4 until later this year. At E3 2014, we got a hands-on demo of the game with lead game designer Luke Sigmund and executive producer Clint Worley to check out how the console version of the MMOFPS is coming along. And it's definitely coming along. Sigmund said that In order to get PS2 ready for release on the PS4, the team has been focusing a lot of attention on optimization and getting the controls feeling right. Currently, the team is doing daily playtests to get feedback on the look and feel of the builds. Sigmund emphasized, "The things we are focusing on for the PS4 are usability, new player experience, and optimization. For us, it's just a matter of getting it right. We don't want to put it out there and not be happy with the way it looks." So how does it look right now? Pretty darn good!
EVE Evolved: Growing the EVE Universe
For much of EVE Online's early history, the playerbase saw consistent organic growth with no end in sight and developer CCP Games was able to stay laser-focused on its single game. The EVE universe has even had to grow several times to accomodate the increase in players, most notably with the opening of the drone nullsec regions and Apocrypha's addition of 2,499 hidden wormhole systems. EVE has survived the launch of countless high-profile MMOs in its lifetime and even weathered the monumental industry shift toward free-to-play business models, but it hasn't been plain sailing. While subscriptions have reportedly grown year-on-year, EVE's average concurrent player numbers haven't really increased since 2009. The active EVE playerbase isn't really growing, so it should come as no surprise that CCP has been trying to expand the EVE universe on other fronts. Though the first attempt with console FPS DUST 514 was an unmitigated disaster, EVE players still seem quietly optimistic about its PC reboot as EVE: Legion. Dogfighter EVE: Valkyrie has also piqued the interest of the emerging virtual reality community and has the potential to introduce EVE to thousands of fresh faces. EVE's Creative Director Torfi Frans Olafsson even hinted during Fanfest 2014 that EVE Online, Valkyrie and Legion might all share a single login and that characters may eventually be able to switch between games at will. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at why I think a shared login could be a stroke a genius, and interview EVE's Creative Director and Valkyrie's Executive Producer to find out what the future holds for the EVE universe.
PlanetSide 2 launches an E3 PS4 trailer
PlanetSide 2 is expanding to the PlayStation 4 in the near future, and there's reason for fans to be excited. Not just for the momentary giggle when you realize that you're playing PS2 on a PS4. There should be more details available at next week's E3, but for now, you can feast your eyes on the game's console trailer just past the break. If you're expecting some heretofore unseen game mechanics, you'll be disappointed, but if you're looking forward to seeing the game in action, you'll be quite pleased. It's all of the large-scale science fiction warfare from the PC on a console, and it doesn't look half bad at that. If you own a PS4 and want a bit more territory-controlling shooting, jump on down to the trailer. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
War Thunder coming to PS4 on June 3
War Thunder is bringing its brand of World War II plane and tank mayhem to the PlayStation 4 on June 3rd. That date also "signals the global release of [the] Ground Forces" expansion, according to a Gaijin press release. "Cross-platform compatibility is coming very, very soon," the company says. Click past the cut to read the full blurb.
SOE adds implants to PlanetSide 2
SOE has added implants to PlanetSide 2, and the firm's latest press release says that implants allow players to "make additional strategic loadout choices to better handle various situations they come across in game." Implants have three tiers, and everyone gets a low-level Tier 1 enhanced targeting unlock for free. Additional implants can be obtained via gameplay drops and progression or purchased in PS2's cash shop. [Source: SOE press release]
