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Guild Wars goings-on
The Europeans are currently dominating the rest of the field, while the Americans struggle to hold ground, and the Japanese and Korean teams scarcely put up a fight. World Cup headlines? Nah, we still have another week to go for that. How about a Guild Wars Factions Championship update?Europe's undefeated Esoteric Warriors won the latest qualifying round, and the European teams hold seven of the top ten spots. South Korea's The Last Pride, winners of the first Guild Wars World Championship, currently sit in fourth place hoping to add another US$50K to their earnings. Americans must be too busy playing World of Warcraft.See also: Guild Wars China to be operated by The9 Guild Wars Factions Championship details revealed
New Tabula Rasa gameplay vid
NCsoft has released a new gameplay video from Tabula Rasa, the forthcoming MMORPG from Richard Garriott's Destination Games. You'll want to crank up the brightness, as this is one dark and muddy looking featurette. Watch it on GameSpot, or download it from File Front. See also: Joystiq E3 impressions: Tabula Rasa, Lord British to receive lifetime achievement award
MMO players convene after E3
Those of us heavily invested in massively multiplayer games are part of a community, just as FPS clans have a brotherhood borne out of hours of playing together. Events like BlizzCon provide an opportunity for MMO guilds and players to meet up -- for the unknown to meet the infamous.E3 may have been over, but that didn't stop NCsoft arranging a player get-together last Saturday. Over 400 players signed up, some travelling from as far as Arizona for this one evening. While NCsoft had rented out a LAN centre for the event, players spent just as much time talking as they did playing, with a sizeable contingent of developers and community managers on hand to help the event along. NCsoft celebrities including Richard Garriott and Matt "Positron" Miller attended the event, showing a pleasing commitment to the player base.
NCsoft's E3 booth tour
NCsoft's booth was mostly about the games, with banks of PC stations set up for passers-by to play at. There were plenty of knowledgeable staff on hand, and plenty of t-shirt giveaways. However, the booth's main attraction was its stage -- when we visited, The Mutaytor was helping to create the post-apocalyptic atmosphere appropriate to Tabula Rasa. At other times in the day, Guild Wars tournaments took centre stage, with large crowds gathering to watch top PvP teams face off. Between this and the pyrotechnic dancing, we really managed to get a feel for the atmosphere of NCsoft's game offerings, something which few other booths managed to convey.
Wanna try a MMO? The first hit's free
We know that MMOs can be a little addictive. So do developers and publishers. That's why some of NCsoft's new offerings are at once a stroke of brilliance and absolutely terrifying. Aimed at new MMO players as well as existing ones, the PlayNC portal invites players to try its games by putting them at an irresistible price -- $0.The money, of course, lies in areas like micropayments -- while a great portion of each game is free, features like new items or character slots will come at a price. Some games may only offer lower-level gameplay for free, meaning that players are enticed into purchasing the game once they have become invested in a character. Two games from the PlayNC portal were playable at E3: Dungeon Runners and Exteel.
PC impressions: Aion
We spent some time with Aion, an upcoming MMO from NCsoft. The gameplay is immediately familiar -- we've been here before. Floating exclamation points, a variety of quests and skills and a fantasy setting all combine to make a surprisingly uninspiring cookie-cutter game.Aion has some beautiful environments -- we saw a range of lush, green settings. Combined with fairly realistic faces, the game certainly looks good, but the pretty mask hides a reinterpretation of standard MMO features with little to differentiate it from the crowd. Combo-style skills -- execute a main hand attack, then an off-hand attack, then a followup -- make combat a little more varied than in other games. A quest system with a detailed breakdown of goals helps navigation.Ultimately we saw nothing about Aion that seems to appeal to anyone other than those currently engrossed in fantasy MMOs. If that's your genre of choice, you'll likely love Aion for its graphics and good-vs-evil setting, but anyone else will have to look hard to find anything special about the game.
PC impressions: Tabula Rasa
Tabula Rasa is a sci-fi themed MMO from NCsoft. Among its arsenal of features are: party-based voice chat, instances and open battlegrounds, a range of weaponry and an interesting cloning system. The class system is branching, and players can clone their character at any time -- change your mind about a class, and you can just dust off the clone and try again, rather than re-roll at level one. Playing the game, it comes across as the crazy lovechild of a MMORPG and MMOFPS. Combat is fast-paced and loud, with a big focus on guns and special abilities. Aiming isn't the FPS-style twitch-based shooting, though, and players progress through levels and missions much like in other MMOs. Being able to zoom into first-person view makes Tabula Rasa play almost like a straight-up FPS at times, but without the response and accuracy that FPS games are used to.
Spectator sports: competitive MMOs
NCsoft is trying to establish Guild Wars as a competitive game as well as a more casual MMO, but appealing to such a diverse audience isn't easy. However, the crowds gathering at NCsoft's booth to watch two hardcore Guild Wars PvP teams duke it out seemed to enjoy the show.At this particular event, Team EvIL and Team PnH were going head to head. The commentator did an excellent job of both explaining the game and getting enthusiastic about the action. We're somewhat familiar with the Guild Wars mechanics, but the action was incomprehensible -- while it's fun to watch the truly skilled ply their trade, it's hard to follow the intricacies of MMO as a spectator.Guild Wars introduced an observer mode last December, but we'd have to spend a lot of time watching before tournaments like this became easily accessible. On the other hand, watching the pretty colours flash by is relaxing amidst the buzz of E3.
Ad critic: Auto Assault MMORPG
This edition of our ad critic series is coming to you a day late. Sorry about that. All the excitement over Nintendo's big announcement has left us with little capacity to discuss anything else. Now that the hubbub's died down a wee bit, we ask you to focus your critical energies on this ad for NCSoft's Auto Assault MMORPG found on the back cover of the May 2006 edition of Computer Gaming World. (Click the thumbnail to view a high-res scan of the ad.) Does this advert work? How would you compare the quality of the concept and execution to other gaming ads? We already spy a bit of a mistake in this ad. Can you spot it? Also, what's with the Dell logo? Finally, for those of you who've played the game, does this ad capture what's best about the game, from your perspective (in other words, is there a disconnect between advert and experience)? See also: Ad Critic: Oblivion , Ad Critic: Tomb Raider, Ad Critic: Hitman.
Guild Wars: Character slots for cash coming soon
Buying virtual goods with real money is becoming a trend these days, but this new Guild Wars announcement turns the game's small number of character slots (four) into a money-spinner: starting this summer, you'll be able to buy more slots for $9.99 each. The upcoming expansion, Factions, will also provide more slots, so the number of characters on a single Guild Wars account should be approaching that of other MMOs soon.Other virtual services that cost real money include realm-to-realm character transfers (EverQuest) as well as approved real money transfer (Second Life) -- micropayments for a little bit of database juggling are on the rise, though Guild Wars at least has an excuse for charging for extra functionality, as it has no monthly fee.
MMO design: the job of creating worlds
Decisions over how long burning rivers should stay aflame for can have a profound impact upon the atmosphere and enjoyment factor of a virtual landscape. This, and many other decisions like it, is how Richard Garriott spends his time these days -- as executive producer for Tabula Rasa, he has to help craft a variety of planets. World-building isn't a new hobby; fantasy authors and tabletop GMs have been facing questions like this for years, and often throwaway comments cause a lot of trouble for those making film adaptations or video game versions of the world. Creating a world from scratch for gaming means that all the important questions need to be answered at once, however, or the players will ask them. It doesn't stop at the design stage; game companies are providing governments, too, by creating laws and rules on the fly.Universes created primarily by users, like the world of Second Life, still operate within boundaries and constraints set down by the developers and providers of that world. If the Metaverse idea is really the future of online gaming, there's going to be a lot of influence exerted by some early decisions, just as early networking protocols and standards still influence today's Internet.[Via Walkerings]
I'm too sexy for my Guild Wars Factions armor
First, there was a World of Warcraft video featuring the trendy denizens of Azeroth dancing to the beat of Right Said Fred. Now, ArenaNet and NCsoft are playing dress up with the stars of Guild Wars Factions, or should we say, "Fashions"? The game's web site has 16 new screens of armor sets that will be available in the first sequel to the popular MMO. For the most part, these fresh battle threads blend in nicely with the Asian-themed continent of Cantha, where Factions takes place. All that's missing on this catwalk is a phone-wielding Naomi Campbell character class.[via GameBanshee]
Third Guild Wars title to make E3 appearance
NCsoft has announced they will be giving a sneak peek of the third installment of Guild Wars at E3 in May. According to ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain, this second sequel to the original game has been in development since November, and new campaigns are planned for release every six months. The first Guild Wars sequel, Factions, will be available April 28.NCsoft is also planning to use E3 for showcasing updated previews of Dungeon Runners, Exteel, and Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa.
Guild Wars Factions Championship details revealed
It's only been a few months since the first Guild Wars World Champions were declared, but NCsoft and ArenaNet are already preparing the next global event for the game's sequel, Factions. This second tournament will take place August 24-27 at the Games Convention in Leipzig, where rival guilds will again compete for over $100,000 in prizes.The first of three qualifying seasons begins today, and the winners of this opening round will win a trip to E3, courtesy of ArenaNet. Follow the link for more details.
3 million hours spent on Guild Wars Factions preview weekend
For most of us, the weekend is just 48 hours — plus the fleeting time before midnight Friday night. But somehow, Guild Wars fanatics squeezed 3 million hours into the end of week celebration. Some 500,000 players logged into the invite-only Guild Wars Factions preview opportunity this past weekend, eager to get an early look at the upcoming PvP title.Factions will be a stand-alone game, featuring the same great "no monthly fee" policy as its predecessor. Expect the 3 million hour tally to be trumped soon after Factions' release at the end of the month.
Apocalyptic Auto Assault competition
Are you prepared for an apocalypse? That's the question asked by this promotional site for upcoming car-combat MMO Auto Assault, and like other promotions before it, there's a competition involved. By taking photos or video of your apocalypse prevention methods, you could win copies of the game and 6-month subscriptions.Hopefully there will be a gallery of submissions available later, to demonstrate whether this attempt at viral marketing works or not. It's an interesting premise, but the disaster-prevention-spoof theme might prove too realistic for some people.[Via Broken Toys]
NCsoft opens Shanghai office
South Korea-based NCsoft (Lineage, City of Heroes, Guild Wars) is continuing their Asian expansion with the announcement of NCsoft China. The new Shanghai-based office is a result of the MMO maker's 51% equity stake in NCsoft Sina, a joint venture with the popular Chinese Internet media company. NCsoft China will publish new games tailored to the Chinese market, in addition to providing localized services for the company's existing game offerings.NCsoft also has offices in Europe and the U.S, and will be releasing Auto Assault and Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa later this year.
Massive Auto Assault in-game ads announced
Several Joystiq readers are anticipating NCsoft's upcoming cliché-busting MMO Auto Assault, but this news might come as a shock. NCsoft have teamed up with in-game advertising firm Massive Incorporated, who will be bringing "real-life advertising" into the post-apocalyptic world of Auto Assault.While NCsoft's Dorothy Ferguson seems confident that the ads will fit within the game environment, the futuristic feel of the game doesn't immediately strike us as a suitable setting for modern-day adverts. No word has been released yet on this partnership's effect on pricing; it may drive the monthly subscription cost down, but don't bet on it.For those interested in experiencing the world of Auto Assault ad-free, there's an open beta (US link) (European link) this weekend, marking the final phase of beta for non-preorder customers.
NCsoft sued over identity theft
In South Korea, people whose identities were stolen and used to register accounts on Lineage and Lineage II plan to take legal action against NCsoft. Despite the theft not originating with NCsoft, lawyers appear to have found a convenient target for the blame.The lawsuit doesn't appear to be taking off, with only 100 plaintiffs paying the $1 fee to join; the suit is being filed on behalf of more than 230,000 people. It looks to be more scare-tactics than a valid lawsuit, but with $230m at stake, if it gets going it may become frightening indeed.[via digg]
DICE: Garriotts predict MMO industry's future
Brothers Robert and Richard Garriott outlined their visions of the MMO industry's future at DICE today. Richard, aka Lord British, sees a shake-up on the cards: he predicts that within three to five years, many of the startups will drop out of the market, leaving only five companies playing the MMO game.It's an interesting vision to have, and presumably the Garriotts are hoping that NCsoft will be one of the five. However, with the recent growth of some niche MMOs, it seems there is a place for smaller companies and startups; as players become bored of the more popular titles, they may seek out similar experiences elsewhere, boosting the popularity of titles that may not have the international resources of Sony Online Entertainment or NCsoft.
