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Hi-Rez revamps SMITE's conquest visuals
Hi-Rez has updated SMITE to version 0.1.1682, and if those numbers mean nothing to you, consider the official patch notes. They include major visual changes to the game's conquest map. While the layout remains the same, the aesthetics have been "fully revised" to better fit in with the rest of the game's art direction. The new version also features some item and ability tweaks as well as a new spectator mode layout and associated functionality. Full patch notes are available on the SMITE website. You can click past the break for a video clip showing off the conquest changes.
SMITE's newest god Tyr lays down the law
Hi-Rez has released a new SMITE god to the masses. The deity of this particular hour is Tyr, also known as The Lawgiver. If that sounds intimidating, wait until you seem him two-hitting enemies, knocking them senseless (and into the air), and generally doing his best to remain impervious to stuns, taunts, fears, and mesmerize effects. There are some Tyr-related patch notes on Hi-Rez's official SMITE website, and the firm has also released a seven-minute video detailing the character's abilities and lore that you can view after the break.
Chang'e, Faerie of the Moon dances into the SMITE fray
Hi-Rez's latest SMITE patch brings a host of stuff to the game including skins, voicepacks, new ranked queues, and a variety of item and ability tweaks. Most importantly, the new update marks the entry of Chang'e, Faerie of the Moon into the SMITE arena, along with her adorable jade rabbit minion. Chang'e can purchase and sell items remotely by sending the jade rabbit to pick them up, similar to a courier in Dota 2 except that only one item can be carried at a time. All of her abilities are based in some way on dancing, and she receives a 25% movement speed bonus when using them. Chang'e is a support character, boasting evade mechanics, a stun, and ways to heal mana and hit points. Check out the Chang'e reveal trailer after the break.
End of Nations rebranded as a MOBA
Trion's End of Nations, which started its life as an MMORTS, is now being called a MOBA, according to the game's website and discovered by Eurogamer. The game suffered through some layoffs late last year as developer Petroglyph handed the game over to its publisher, Trion Worlds. All's been quiet on the EoN front since then, but the changes from the original game to a MOBA seem to already be underway as shown off by five hero vehicle images on the website. If you'd like to find out more about what Trion is calling "The first MOBA RTS," head on over to the game's official site and sign up for the beta.
SMITE's new deity Chronos is a timely addition
It's easy to feel that there aren't enough hours in the day to experience all of SMITE's gods in play. Still, the newest patch for the game adds a figure whose moment has come at last: Chronos, Keeper of Time. If you'd like to give him a spin, you'll find that he's made with a tightly wound arsenal of tricks, keeping his enemies on their back feet while he ticks ever closer to victory. Chronos' passive is the ever-spinning wheel of time, which stops when Chronos uses Accelerate to move faster and buff his attacks. He can also drop an area damage spell and slow his enemies to earn valuable seconds of safety. And if the situation turns dire and his hour has come at last, he can simply activate his ultimate ability to rewind time, giving him a chance to recover his abilities and take a second shot at victory. [Thanks to Don for the tip!]
SMITE throws a disco party with new update
SMITE's boogying down with a new patch today, so heads-up for all of you wanna-be deities out there because the pantheon of the gods is about to clash with 1970s pop culture. The update has made significant changes to the conquest mode, with wider lanes, jungle fog-of-war, a slimmed-down map, and adjusted camp positions. There are also two new XP camps to be plundered, so level up while you can! Some of the characters have received tweaks, particularly visual and vocal changes. Most notably, Aphrodite can now assume the "Afro-dite" skin, taking her back to a time when disco was all the rage in the MOBA world. The patch notes have the full scoop over all of the changes, including teleportation consumables, combat blink, and new rank 3 options. Alternatively, you can check out the patch highlights video after the jump!
Some Assembly Required: Five ways MMOs should support player events
Over the course of Some Assembly Required, we've covered a few player-run events out there that haven't been highlighted in their respective game columns. After all, we're all about PGC here, and you can't really get content more player-generated than that! But with all the the possible events across the whole gamut of games, there's no possible way to attend them all, let alone cover them here; there is only so much time in the day and space in the column. Of course, that won't stop me from trying! From Age of Conan to Warhammer Online, a few of the events I've been able to catch are festivals, races, plays, fishing contests, tavern storytelling nights, quests (yes, quests), treasure/scavenger hunts, trivia contests, arena duels, gambling nights, musical concerts, war games, horse races, weddings, dance-offs, terraforming challenges, auctions, jousts, fashion shows, tournaments, funerals, crafter fairs, and more contests than can even be mentioned. These examples aren't restricted to any one genre, either; creatively concocted events run the gamut and include themeparks like Aion, MOBAs like SMITE, and more -- and not just sandboxes. As you might have noticed, that's quite a bit of content, content that comes at no cost to the the studio! So why is it these events can be so hard to find? With so much free content at their fingertips, it would behoove studios to make it the norm to support and promote these events. And the tools they need to do so are already at their disposal.
SMITE unveils Hun Batz, the new monkey god
The most recent SMITE patch did not add a new god so much as it monkeyed around with an existing one. Sun Wukong has been removed from the game for the time being and replaced with the Mayan monkey god Hun Batz. While Hun Batz has a similar overall set of abilities, he's undergone some tweaks, so even veteran Sun Wukong players will still have to take the simian out for a stroll to understand how he works. Hun Batz features several abilities to close range and deal area damage, while his passive ability ensures that each strike after an ability is more vicious. He also inherits any skins owned by players for Sun Wukong, so you don't need to go bananas over lost cash. Whether you were a big Sun Wukong fan or are just happy to get that monkey off your back, you can try out Hun Batz now with the latest patch. [Source: Hi-Rez Studios press release]
Turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes enters open beta
If your primary complaint about MOBAs is that they move too quickly, Arena of Heroes might be something that lands a bit more in your comfort zone. Developed by Sneaky Games, Arena of Heroes is a turn-based, tactical MOBA that focuses more on strategy than on twitch-clicking hard skills. Essentially, you and another player square off in an arena (duh), each controlling a team of four heroes in a battle for supremacy. It's your basic MOBA fare, but with a smaller battle zone and a slower, more deliberate pace. You and your opponent receive two minutes each to make your moves, or you can try the game's asynchronous mode and play several games simultaneously, with up to two days being allotted for turns. Arena of Heroes has officially shifted into open beta, so you're free to check it out at your leisure. You can also read our hands-on with the game for a more detailed look at its inner workings. The free-to-play game will launch on PC, Mac, iOS, and, at some point, Ouya and Android. [Thanks to Venova for the tip]
SMITE wises up with Athena
How many gods are left in the universal pantheon for Hi-Rez Studios to exploit for SMITE? We guess at least one more because the team has patched in Athena, goddess of wisdom. Athena is a melee tank who uses a bit of magic to help her allies and herself out in a fight. While she primarily relies on shield and spear, her passive ability gives her a ranged attack after using a skill. She also can dash up to (and through) enemies, taunt with a shockwave, summon ghost soldiers to form a shield wall, and teleport to an ally while protecting that ally from 50% of damage for a short time. You can check out the Athena reveal, including her lore and abilities, in the video after the break!
Choose My Adventure: Put me in, coach
Every games writer must wonder, at some point in his career, whether he is in fact horrible at video games. Be the game Dota 2, EVE Online, or any of the other titles that make up my weekly play schedule, I worry I'm much better at having a good time than I am at actually manipulating game mechanics and making them perform the way I would want. But it doesn't have to be that way. Yes, dear friends -- I can change. I just can't do it alone. I need your help to become the most powerful, handsome, talented, handsome, elite-geared, handsome video gamester in all the world. It's up to you to Choose My Adventure and in doing so to decide which title offers me the best chance of becoming a golden gaming god and offers you the best chance to be my tough-but-fair coach who is totally a lovable teddy bear underneath all the swearing and yelling.
Dawngate beta starts this Friday
Last week's kind-of announced MOBA from EA entitled Dawngate is now ready to be a thing that people can clamor over. A new video exclusive at Machinima (also embedded below) shows off a bit of a behind-the-scenes explanation of what Dawngate offers to MOBA fans. Members of the Waystone Games team explain the game's rich lore, unique mechanics such as regenerating towers, resource gathering, RTS-style strategies, and more. Beta testing starts this Friday, and you can head on over to the game's official site to sign up.
New action combat MOBA Skara begins Kickstarter campaign
"Imagine an experience with the action of Street Fighter inside a story and land like World of Warcraft, all blended into a fast-paced Call of Duty style arena." That's how 8 Bit Studios describes its newest MOBA Kickstarter project entitled Skara: The Blade Remains. Skara looks to be high on the action with combat based on actual attack directions and multiplayer combos. This Kickstarter campaign has just begun, but offers some exciting rewards, including a digital copy of the game as low as the £15 tier. Check out the project page and the informative video -- featuring some pretty sweet dev facial hair -- just after the jump. [Thanks to Alex for the tip!]
EA to publish new Dawngate MOBA
"Dawngate is a new MOBA, built from the ground up to look and feel familiar while offering a whole new way to experience MOBA gameplay." These are the opening words of a new website for Dawngate, developed by Waystone Games and published by EA. Joystiq notes that the Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube links on the site are either inactive or private, leading us to believe that this game wasn't exactly meant to be public knowledge just yet. There is also speculation that Waystone Games is a dev studio reborn from the ashes of Dead Space 3's Visceral Games, which dissolved last year. You can register for the upcoming beta through your EA Origin account.
Hi-Rez reveals SMITE's Isis, the Goddess of Magic
Ready for the latest SMITE character reveal? Isis is here, and Hi-Rez has published a blog post and a gameplay video heralding her arrival. The Goddess of Magic is a sceptre-wielding mage -- no surprise there -- who relies on her Funeral Rites passive ability and spiffy attacks like Wing Gust and Spirit Ball. Hi-Rez has also tweaked SMITE's level system in the latest patch. God leveling earns you worshippers after every victory, which in turn translate to God Rank for a given avatar. The devs have also changed the old player level to something called Beta level. If you reach Beta level 30 prior to SMITE's official release, you'll get a free Ymir Cocadeamon skin. There's more info on all the changes at the SMITE website, and don't forget the Isis trailer after the cut. [Thanks Don!]
SMITE unchains the might of Fenrir
After many years, we finally have the answer to a rhetorical question: SMITE let the dogs out. Well, one dog -- Fenrir. But he's enough dog to count for all the others. If you hadn't guess, Fenrir is the newest deity added to the game, coming into the game with a full suite of melee abilities suitable for a wolf feared by the Norse pantheon. Fenrir's core mechanic is a stacking set of runes, with each of his abilities gaining a major buff when at a full stack of five. Normally, Fenrir can leap to do damage to an area, leap to do damage to a single target, or buff himself with increased damage and lifestealing. With a full stack of runes, his area leap stuns, his single-target leap becomes an AoE, and his buff becomes more efficient. He can also grow to a massive size, increase movement speed, and carry an enemy god around like a chew toy. Take a look at all of Fenrir's trick in the reveal video past the break, and read up on the full list of changes in the official patch notes.
SMITE unveils Ne Zha with a video preview
Are you ready to jump into SMITE's deific battles with a new god? Then you'll be happy to know that the game has just added its 34th god, Ne Zha. The Third Lotus Prince gets to show off his stuff in the video preview located just past the break. On the battlefield, Ne Zha acts as a melee assassin, with abilities to enhance his melee damage and pull himself to a distant target as needed. He also has a ranged ability to add a stacking resistance debuff and a passive ability that turns a dead Ne Zha into a healing beacon for nearby allies. As usual, the video closes out with some demonstrations of what Ne Zha can do in various combat scenarios. Ne Zha's addition also sees the inclusion of integrated streaming into the SMITE client, with a special skin available to players who stream more than 5000 minutes of the game. Check out the full list of changes on the official patch notes.
PAX 2013: Hands-on with Smashmuck Champions
MOBAs are all the rage these days, with dozens of the things cropping up like weeds in my neglected back yard. As a result, it can be hard for me to pay attention to all of them, and with new ones being announced on what seems like a monthly basis, it's hard to figure out which ones are worth keeping an eye on and which ones can be safely relegated to the realm of ignorance, so as a result I tend to just shrug and say, "Oh, another MOBA," and carry on with my life. But then came Smashmuck Champions. The bizarrely named game was probably my surprise hit of this year's PAX East convention, largely because I had absolutely no expectations when I walked up to the booth. "Another MOBA," I figured, "that's going to play the exact same as every other one (and that I'm going to suck at, also just like every other one)." Yawn. Man, was I wrong (about the first bit, anyway). Kiz Studios, the studio behind this new entry into the multiplayer online battle arena... well, arena, has taken the tower-attacking, top-mid-bottom-ganking, minion-farming genre made famous by games such as DotA and League of Legends and turned it on its head. Sure, the general MOBA feel is still there, but it's definitely not like any MOBA I've seen before. But as we all know, "different" doesn't necessarily equate to "good," so why don't you click past the cut and find out whether Smashmuck Champions is worth your time?
PAX East 2013: Hi-Rez Studios' Todd Harris talks SMITE, Global Agenda 2
SMITE just recently celebrated the release of its 32nd playable deity, Aphrodite, but she's far from the last thing in the wings for Hi-Rez Studios' borderline blasphemous MOBA. We got the chance to catch up with Hi-Rez COO Todd Harris at PAX East to find out what awaits in the studio's future. Obviously the studio's immediate focus is on its new golden child, SMITE, for which Hi-Rez (partnered with Twitch.tv) is holding a $10,000 tournament at PAX East over the weekend. Harris also mentioned that SMITE is looking to officially release once its roster reaches about 40 deities, which he says will likely be sometime this summer. And for those of you with itchy trigger-fingers, Harris also mentioned that Global Agenda 2 is, in fact, still alive and kicking, though right now further details are scant. What we do know is that the team is focusing on the game's PvP for launch, which may be somewhat disappointing to fans of the original Global Agenda's co-op PvE, but Harris says that the studio wants to put forth the most polished PvP experience possible before looking into expanding the game into PvE territory. Unfortunately, that's about all we know right now, so we'll just have to content ourselves with knowing that it hasn't been relegated to the realm of development hell. Massively's on the ground in Boston during the weekend of March 22nd to 24th, bringing you all the best news from PAX East 2013. Whether you're dying to know more about WildStar, DUST 514, or any MMO in between, we aim to have it covered!
Aphrodite joins the SMITE fight crew
If any character ever had a good reason to wear the skimpiest armor ever, Aphrodite would have full license to strut. Hi-Rez revealed the revealing goddess of beauty in its newest SMITE update. Aphrodite utilizes her feminine wiles to win over the competition as a support character tied to a "soul mate." Her hugs give mana to a soul mate and her kisses do double duty as buffs and stuns. No, really. That said, if things get too hot and heavy, she can use her Back Off! skill to knock enemies back. She can also call down doves for both healing and damage because apparently doves are the combat medics of the avian world. Check out Aphrodite's trailer after the jump before catching up on SMITE's latest patch notes! [Thanks to Don for the tip!]
