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The Road to Mordor: Inside Isengard
It's one thing to sit down during a beta and poke around on your own, making educated guesses about why what went where and who what is wherefore. It's another thing entirely to pick up the phone and go, "Hey Turbine? Drop everything -- no, not your pants! -- and take me on a tour of Rise of Isengard! Um, magic word? Oh! Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" The first approach is good, but I wanted to get a more in-depth look into the making of Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion from the people who actually made it. How does one approach fleshing out an area that received relatively little source support from the books? What is Turbine trying to do differently in its fourth year of LotRO development? And why should we be afraid of an old guy in a bathrobe who won't come out of his tower? See? These are good questions to ask, which is why I sat down with Bob Hess, Aaron Campbell and Adam Mersky, who graciously took me on a whirlwind tour of Rise of Isengard. I wanted to cut through the PR-speak and learn about the real stories of the making of the expansion and what we'll be encountering within, and the devs were happy to oblige. Hit the jump as we travel further down The Road to Mordor and take the Hobbits to Isengard!
Addon Spotlight: How to update GupPet and more
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. We have a couple of fun topics to talk about today on Addon Spotlight, mostly notably what to do with GupPet, my personal favorite mount addon that hasn't been updated in some time. It makes me very sad, you might imagine, that this robust beauty of an addon is sitting unmanned and not updated, requiring my own hand to make things right. In addition, we've got some questions about action bars and bags, both incredibly important topics. Let's get to it, shall we? Hi Mathew, Guppet hasn't been updated in some time and it doesn't recognize the Flameward Hippogryph. I was wondering if there is another add-on that does a similar function (i.e. randomizing mount selection). I have a ton of mounts across multiple characters and I like to just be surprised what pops out sometimes. Thanks a ton. Tiek GupPet is in a sad state of affairs. The addon is one of my favorites, period, for its robust pet and mount configuration. Not only can you set priorities and preferences for all of your mounts when you want to randomly call them, but auto-companion pet summoning is included, as well as a built-in collector's interface for finding all of the pets and mounts you are missing. One-button random summoning, 3-D model mount and pet preview, mage, druid, and shaman class support, and more is right there in the package. There's a problem: It hasn't been updated since January.
Lost Pages of Taborea: Lions and tigers and bears, oh... mounts!
Summer is starting to wane, and the cold winds will soon be blustering through the city streets. Kids with chattering teeth and blue fingers will be sitting in front of stoves or fireplaces, rolling their eyes as grandpa proclaims that he had to walk to and from school barefoot through snow uphill both ways. While our grandfathers fantasize about the pride of hardships, we can slip off to the computer and live in our fantasy worlds that provide mounts to make traveling a bit more fun. Runes of Magic has a wide variety of mounts that can run, hover and float over water. Some of these mounts are more rare than others, like those seen only on holidays or during special fundraisers, while some are two-seaters. From the sleek and vicious to the large and powerful to the just plain wacky, RoM has a mount for all occasions. In this week's Lost Pages of Taborea, I go over the mounts that are available, their rarity, their speed, and some ways to give your preferred mount a boost.
Breakfast Topic: That longing feeling
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the AOL guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Once upon a time in a distant land called Azeroth, a Night Elf druid was born. This little Night Elf was running around being its level 4 self, exploring the world and its purpleness (Teldrassil being the whole world for a level 4.) A hop skip, and a boat ride away, she found herself in Stormwind, city of the humans. "It's not nearly as purple here as it is back home!" Hardly two steps into the great city when all of a sudden the sky darkened and a deafening screech rose. At first startled and then in awe, the little druid looked up to see the silhouette of a great winged dragon. The best part about it ... it was purple! "I must own that dragon!" She thought. After a quick trip to the internet, the goal was set and the journey began, pushing through 80 levels of dungeons and deaths, beginning the rep grind, and finally obtaining the fruit of the efforts: a netherwing drake. Although I don't play that Night Elf druid as much anymore, I still remember the wonder and awe I first felt when I began playing. Have you had similar experiences? Did you ever have a goal that you once thought was unobtainable? If so, did you prove yourself wrong, or does your goal still elude you?
Frogster announces new Eligium MMO, reveals cinematic trailer
Most modern MMORPGs are all about making thousands of players feel like mighty heroes, but Frogster's newest endeavor is taking that concept to another level if the game's title is anything to go by. A new cinematic trailer for Eligium - The Chosen One was just announced, and the game itself will be shown off later this week at Gamescom 2011. The free-to-play fantasy title "challenges players to see if they have what it takes to be the chosen one and free the world from the invading demonic hordes," according to a Frogster press release. Eligium was actually developed by a Chinese firm called Shanda Games Ltd. (Frogster is serving as the publisher), and the title will be launching in the first quarter of 2012 to the English, German, French, and Polish markets. In terms of gameplay, Eligium features five playable race/class combinations (including panda fighters), extensive crafting and item upgrade options, and group instances as well as world boss battles. There's also a bit of PvP on offer and guild systems designed to bring factional warfare to the forefront. Frogster's press material also mentions player housing and a pet/mount-hatching system. You can glimpse the first official Eligium trailer after the break.
ArcheAge video shows off unusual transportation options
We've stumbled across another ArcheAge video, and unlike the last such that focused heavily on PvP, this time around we get a good look at some of the sandpark title's unique transportation alternatives. There are a gaggle of mounts on display, and with apologies to our Korean friends who will no doubt correct us in due time, we're just going to call them like we see them. Aside from your traditional horse and rider option there's also what appears to be some sort of spotted lion as well as a curious cross between a tauntaun and a bunny rabbit. We also get a glimpse of some city-based transport systems including a steampunk-esque horse and floating carriage (with some sort of mechanical contraption filling in for the horse), as well as the hang-gliding option we saw previously in the ChinaJoy trailer. Finally, there's more footage of the famous airship that's been featured in several previous ArcheAge clips. Head past the cut to see the sights.
Dragonica expansion bringing new race, class, and mountable pets
There's a new Dragonica expansion in the works, and gPotato and Gala Networks Europe have issued a new press release outlining a few details from the upcoming New Origin patch. The expansion launches this September, and looks to be the largest content update in Dragonica's history. What's the big deal? For starters, the patch will bring about a new playable race and mountable pets. Strangely, today's press release doesn't mention the new race by name, and instead says that it will "arrive with an entirely new player class" that uses summoning magic in some form, and "differ[s] significantly from [the] classes currently available." As for the new mount system, gPotato says that players may use their existing pets and may also deploy the mounts during battle. The expansion will include new pets as well, and we'll bring you more on all the New Origin content in the near future.
Win a free EverQuest II mount from Massively!
If you're an EverQuest II player, you've most likely noticed some cool new mounts running around this summer. If you thought they looked pretty cool and would love one for your own, you're in luck! Sony Online Entertainment was kind enough to share codes for Terrorbird and Storm Wind Komodo mounts with us, and we're passing them along to you! All you have to do to enter and win one is leave a comment here letting us know which one you'd like. We'll continue taking comments until 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 7th. Monday morning we'll choose winners and share codes. Make sure you read our contest rules, leave your comment here, and best of luck!
Hyperspace Beacon: Nuna bites
If you happened to be in San Diego this weekend then you may have noticed a large gathering of geekery known as Comic-Con. Usually, this mecca of nerdom focuses on comic book related publications. Although Star Wars: The Old Republic isn't exactly comic book gold, Dark Horse comics rose through the ranks of pulp royalty because of its vast library of Star Wars-related publications. It only seems right that TOR presents itself to this audience. Besides the panel in Comic-Con proper, BioWare developers hosted three separate question and answer sessions focusing on Star Wars: The Old Republic. As with most Q&As, the majority of questions asked have been answered already in the past. If you were hanging out in Darth Hater's Ventrilo server like I was during the live broadcasts, then you heard a lot of "We knew that already." That being said, there were some pieces of juicy meat tossed to the crowd that we had not heard before. I will call them nuna bites, and you can find your slice after the break.
BioWare talks Star Wars: The Old Republic vehicles and launches
Vehicles are cool. Not that having a trusty steed isn't cool in any game, but Star Wars: The Old Republic is a game emulating films in which every single vehicle was a character unto itself. In the most recent panel for the game at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, it's been made clear that the designers aren't limiting vehicles to simply spaceships for players and for ambient encounters. Landspeeders and speeder bikes will be available for players, with several styles shown off to the attendees. As always, iconic imagery is at the top of the priority list for development, up to and including the opening text crawl following character creation. A firm release date has still not been announced, but the team has once again reiterated that the game will be out for this year's holiday season. Frustratingly vague? Perhaps, but at least there's plenty of tasty information to chew on despite the insistent lack of clarity elsewhere.
ArcheAge video shows six minutes of scenery
ArcheAge fans have been aching for news updates since the close of the title's latest Korean beta last May. XL Games is presumably hard at work processing feedback and adding functionality, as we haven't heard a peep from Jake Song's dev team in quite some time. Fortunately, our friends at AAPortal are parceling out various bits of video footage captured during CBT3. Last week we got a look at an ArcheAge cityscape by way of a parkour clip, and today we're treated to a six-minute montage of the game's stunning scenery. The footage takes us on a journey across tranquil meadows, arid deserts, and rocky shorelines, and even along for the ride as a player chases an airship (and later boards it, leading to some spectacular high-altitude nighttime vistas). Head past the cut to check it out, and mosey on over to AAportal for the source post.
Scarlet Legacy mounts revealed in new screens and video
GamesCampus has released some new screenshots and video of its Scarlet Legacy title and frankly my dear, we don't give a damn. Er, wait... it's not that Scarlett, so we do give a damn. The reveal concerns the game's mounts, and since closed beta testing is rapidly approaching (August 4th to be exact), players would do well to get their in-game transportation arrangements in order. Scarlet Legacy is an action-oriented martial arts fantasy wherein players take on thousands of quests in an effort to save Princess Scarlet. A new GamesCampus press release highlights an "auto-pilot" fighting system that allows players to "jump straight into the fray alongside their friends" and dispenses with the need "to spend hours deciphering complex control combinations." The game also does away with targeting according to GamesCampus, and whether you're fighting hordes of enemies or controlling one of Scarlet Legacy's numerous beast and vehicle mounts, you'll be having a grand old time. Hit up the game's website to learn more, and cozy up to the trailer after the cut. %Gallery-122504%
WoW Armory now displaying mounts and pets
The World of Warcraft Armory/community site has been updated with a useful new feature showing players the mounts and companion pets they have collected so far. You'll be able to see where each pet or mount comes from or who drops them, a picture of each, and even a listing of not-yet-collected pets and mounts, making it easier to be an achievement hunter or collector. The armory has changed drastically from its original interpretation and implementation, adding features over time that give players a more cohesive out-of-game experience. What is most interesting are the potential tie-ins later on with the previously announced WoW APIs coming down the pipe in the near future; we are still unsure of the amount of data that developers will be able to access from the WoW armory. I would not be surprised to see collected pet and mount data also being part of that package. We've got a pretty full-featured armory at this point. What other types of data do you think the armory could or should provide? Perhaps next we'll see a tabard and title tab, showing players' collected tabards and a scroll list of titles earned. The sky is the limit, apparently.
Luvinia closed beta begins
Luvinia Online's closed beta is officially open, and Outspark has confirmed via press release that testers will be able to experience game content up to level 69. Three class archetypes (as well as six subclasses) are open for testing, and a number of in-game events are in the works. Players who reach level 40 will receive a panda rabbit mount after the conclusion of the beta period, and everyone can join in the fun to be had in the Luvster Race, weekly Bingo Society loot competitions, and an end-of-beta Graduation Celebration. The events tie in with the larger Festival of Sparks event series taking place across multiple Outspark titles, and participating players can earn summer sparks which are used to purchase in-game rewards. You can learn more about the Festival at the Outspark website, and don't forget to hop over and check out the Luvinia information while you're at it.
Recruit-a-Friend program comes to EverQuest
Sony Online Entertainment's Recruit-a-Friend program (otherwise known as the powerlevel-your-alts-with-multiple-accounts program) has been a hit in EverQuest II for quite some time now. It's only natural that the initiative make its way to the original incarnation of Norrath, and SOE's Piestro has posted a notice on the official EverQuest boards marking just such an occasion. Recruits and recruiters will enjoy a wealth of benefits including in-game mounts, bonus Station Cash, Legends of Norrath booster packs, a unique title, and of course, loads of bonus XP. Check out all the details on the o-boards, then hit up the official RaF page to get started.
Leapers and gliders swoop into EverQuest II
Slipping in under the cloud cover -- or soaring above it -- of a busy day for SOE is the news that leapers and gliders have landed in EverQuest II. These are special mounts for lower-level characters that allow them to get a taste of flight without the full thing, by giving them either the ability to "super-jump" or glide for a good distance. We first heard about these mounts at E3, where David Georgeson revealed how players as young as level 30 could start earning their wings (so to speak). As part of this update, ground mounts have had their speeds significantly increased, going from 65% to as high as 130%. Ground mounts are still faster than leapers and gliders on land, and players will have to stick to the same category of mount for alternate appearances (no flying rhinos, alas). EverQuest II has the details about where to get your spiffy new mounts, and don't miss our own thoughts about how these jumpers and soarers will change the landscape of the game!
Blizzard previews new rated battlegrounds PVP mounts
Blizzard is making another big push in patch 4.2 to get players engaged in rated battleground PVP action with the new Vicious War Wolf and Vicious War Steed for the Horde and Alliance respectively. Both new mounts look amazing. Alliance players go a little crazy with Horde heads hanging off the back of their spike-horse; Hordies get to roll around with the skulls of their former enemies dangling as a warning. The really interesting and cool part about these mounts are that they are awarded for 75, 150, and 300 rated battleground wins. That's right -- each time you reach one of those milestones, you are given another account-bound mount for use on one of your alts, with three mounts available total. That is an awesome change that potentially signals the beginning of more account-bound achievement items being earned and shared across players' accounts, as opposed to having to complete each achievement on each character. This is the first step in something bigger, I'm sure of it. Rated battlegrounds have been a touchy subject with Blizzard, since depending on who you ask they are either wildly successful or not being used enough. Gathering 10 people for coordinated PVP is sometimes just as much of a pain as doing it for raiding, and the time commitment can be just as large. With these new mounts, Blizzard hopes to get more people into the rated battleground system and start fighting it out for some cool new mounts.
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: True Fantasy Live Online
As an extremely amateur historian -- and an extremely attractive archaeologist -- I've always been fascinated with the "what ifs" of gaming's timeline. What if Blizzard had pulled the plug on World of Warcraft during development as it did for Warcraft Adventures? What if Hellgate: London had a lot more time and resources before it launched? What if North America had embraced the free-to-play model much earlier instead of the subscription model? What if Shawn came to his senses before he hired me? Life would've been a lot better. Or worse. That's the problem with counterfactual history: We can make educated guesses, but we'll never really know. While it's sad to see MMOs shut down due to underperformance, it's especially maddening to contemplate MMOs canceled before they even made it to the starting gate. In a new periodic series here at The Game Archaeologist, I'm going to look at a few of the "what ifs" of prematurely terminated MMORPGs. And to kick us off, I'm tackling probably one of the most frustrating, painful subjects that still linger amongst potential fans. I'm talking, of course, of True Fantasy Live Online, the game that could've shown the true potential of console MMOs. Or, y'know, not.
The Tattered Notebook: Leapers, gliders, and Beastlords, oh my!
E3 has come and gone, but EverQuest II fans are left with more questions than answers. Children of War has just launched, and already, players are wondering what's coming down the road. We do know about some of the more immediate changes, such as the rebuilding of the Dragon Ring and Spires live event, new mounts, and the Freeport Revamp. But there were some hints at much bigger changes down the road -- and few details on how exactly it would change the game. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll break out the crystal ball and speculate on whether EQII is growing closer to EQ2X and whether we might in fact see the arrival of Beastlords in game.
E3 2011: SWTOR flies to Alderaan
Alderaan is known mostly for being the homeworld of Princess Leia and being one of the first victims of the Death Star. However, the planet is rich with history even 3000 years before the events in Star Wars: A New Hope. The developers at BioWare have mentioned in the past that Alderaan would host one of the PvP Warzones for Star Wars: The Old Republic, but they did not mention anything about the PvE aspects of the world -- until now. A usurper by the name of Bauris Ulgo has forcefully proclaimed himself king of Alderaan, and the Republic has asked you persuade him to leave. Of course, this will not be easy, and it will require that you and your team take it back by force. Below we have some incredible screenshots of Alderaan, Tatooine, and player vehicles. After the break, we have SWTOR Lead Writer Daniel Erickson's livestream of Tatooine playthrough. And stay tuned here later this week as we bring you more information about the raid on Belsavis called the Eternity Vault and our impressions of playing on the open world of Tatooine. Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered! %Gallery-125684%
