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Breakfast Topic: Who's the new star of the expansion?
Even though Cataclysm signified death and disaster for many beloved NPCs, the expansion introduced many, many others to take their places -- like Mylune, pictured above. Mylune is pretty much my favorite new NPC this expansion, because you really can't do a quest for Mylune without cracking up at her quest text and reactions to your efforts to save all the beloved little animals of Hyjal. Mylune's not just a dryad -- she's got big personality that is reflected through every word of quest text. But she's not the only one. Take, for example, Johnny Awesome over in Hillsbrad Foothills -- or any of the three "players" you encounter during the Welcome to the Machine quest, really. All of them are reflections of us, in a hysterical, larger-than-life way. Or Lorna Crowley, who introduced herself in Gilneas City with a flower in her hair and a shotgun in her hands. Or Salhet, the weak link in the Tol'vir army who tries his best, even if he isn't amazing at hand-to-hand combat. There were tons of new NPCs introduced with Cataclysm, but Mylune stands out as one of my favorites, just because she makes me recall the first time I ever clicked on a dryad in vanilla WoW and was greeted with a cheery "Hi there!" in reply. Do you have a favorite NPC that was introduced with Cataclysm? Who stands out in your mind?
Breakfast Topic: What NPC do you miss the most?
While I was writing last Sunday's Know Your Lore, I started thinking about the world of Azeroth and how much it's changed with Cataclysm. I think one of the most poignant moments of the new expansion for me was playing through the new Darkshore, honestly. Darkshore was one of the zones I leveled in with my very first character way back in vanilla -- and to be perfectly honest, the zone totally stank. I hated almost every minute of it. The running back and forth was ridiculous, and please don't get me started about the Tower of Althalaxx or The Sleeper Has Awakened. Yet despite the pains of leveling up in the area, despite the soul-crushing annoyance of Deep Ocean, Vast Sea and other quests, I was sort of attached to these NPCs that were sending me on all these wretched missions. And when I played through Darkshore in Cataclysm and saw so many of those old faces dying or gone, it was almost heartbreaking in a way. Which I'm sure is exactly as intended, but there's a part of me that wistfully wishes I could see those old faces again. I think the NPC I miss the most is Mr. Smite from The Deadmines, pictured above. I mentioned it briefly in Know Your Lore, too. The Deadmines was the first instance I ever ran, and the moment I blew open the doors and first set eyes on a pirate ship in the middle of a mountain was one I really won't ever forget. Part of that moment was Smite's bellow of alarm and the subsequent rush of pirates. Plus Smite's encounter, in which he Warstomped and stunned players long enough to go dig up a bigger, better weapon for smushing, was one of the more memorable encounters from the vanilla instances. Is this something you've thought about? Are there any NPCs you were particularly attached to? In an expansion where so many are long gone and will never been seen again, which NPCs do you miss the most?
City of Heroes performs 'Death of a Statesman'
He's been the face on the package, the man on the cover, the big guy above all other big guys. But today, he is no more. Statesman, the most iconic hero in the City of Heroes lore, is going to meet his end, and it's time for everyone to say goodbye. Episode 5 of the signature story arc is live today, and while the titular question "Who Will Die?" has been answered, it's time to see what happens when Statesman does meet his end. There's more to do than just go play through the arc, however. A new issue of the Intrepid Informer is available in which Matt Miller discusses why the team decided that now is the right time to kill off the game's biggest hero. And if you need a little more help catching up with the story so far, the final vidoc on the arc is embedded just past the cut, giving players a recap of what the Freedom Phalanx is, what is represents, and what this death means for Paragon City.
Breakfast Topic: Would you vote-kick that NPC from your party?
Pokey-slow NPCs on escort quests have long been the butt of player jokes, but with more extensive NPC participation in the patch 4.3 5-mans, I've started wondering if things are going from bad to worse. Shortly after patch 4.3 hit, I wrote on Twitter that Tyrande, Illidan, and Malfurion in the Well of Eternity are all shining examples of players who would be vote-kicked from the average PUG. Really! Think about it: Tyrande runs out of arrows, still manages to pull aggro, and then stops DPSing entirely past a certain point during the Mannoroth fight. Illidan thinks he's leet and never shuts up, and he's also the archetypal Go Guy from Wowcrendor's How to win at PUGs and Gear Score. Malfurion goes AFK before the boss fight and then (conveniently enough) shows up while loot is being distributed. So does this mean that the average person with a bit of common sense is a better player than three major lore figures? I think it kinda does. This is not to say that all NPC participation in your questing or 5-mans is bad (Anduin Wrynn during the Alliance's pre-Twilight Highlands quests is pretty cool), but I hope this isn't a sign of more to come. Oh, and Thrall -- epic ground mounts are not expensive these days. You have no excuse.
The Daily Grind: Are there lore elements you feel don't get used enough?
Most MMOs have a pretty expansive list of lore characters and groups. It's not surprising, really -- the games cover entire continents and worlds, so there have to be a lot of different stories going at any given time. But sometimes an interesting group of villains or interesting story promises don't quite get the attention they deserve. You enjoy what's there, but it feels like a really interesting group or plot thread got dropped in favor of something else. Maybe you felt like the Scarlet Onslaught deserved more attention in World of Warcraft. Maybe you want more stories in Final Fantasy XIV centering around the individual nation conflicts. Perhaps you just wanted to see another series of missions in City of Heroes to wrap up some loose ends from Praetoria. Whatever the case, are there lore elements you feel don't get used as often as they deserve? Or do you think that most of the stories in your game of choice feel just the right length? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Know Your Lore: NPC evolution from Wrath to Cataclysm and beyond
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. Wrath of the Lich King saw the introduction of several elements that furthered the incorporation of lore into the game. Phased quest chains allowed players to actually see their effect on the zones. Cinematic cutscenes made it feel like you were playing through a movie. The faction leaders of the world were suddenly far more active than they'd ever been before. But those were the major, blowout moments that made the storytelling work. What most didn't quite recognize were the subtle efforts of the lowly NPC. In classic WoW, players literally had to walk up to NPCs and speak to them to engage them in conversation. In The Burning Crusade, that changed slightly -- NPCs now recognized players as they walked by, according to their reputation. In Wrath, suddenly NPCs were not only recognizing players, but they were whispering players, recognizing players. Prior efforts by a player were acknowledged, even if it was just a simple "I remember you." What Wrath of the Lich King began was a revolution in WoW gameplay that would spin into full-out overdrive with the launch of Cataclysm. The lowly NPC was no longer an unimportant figure; he was a comrade in arms, a fellow hero, or a taskmaster -- and he made certain to let you know it.
Know Your Lore: NPC evolution from TBC to Wrath of the Lich King
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. Last week, we talked about the evolution of NPCs from classic WoW to The Burning Crusade. It was a quiet beginning to the evolution, starting with just a few NPCs in classic WoW that spawned world-altering events like The Great Masquerade. But in The Burning Crusade, we not only saw major movements from major-name players like Thrall, who actually got off the throne in Orgrimmar and traveled all the way to Nagrand to visit his long-lost relatives, but also minor players. These seemingly minor players gradually won the hearts of the playerbase through storylines that progressed with each patch in the expansion. Characters like Cro, Jadaar, Asric and even the shifty Griftah weren't just NPCs. They were subtle reminders that those characters we barely interacted with had lives of their own, and it breathed a new energy into the game. Suddenly, the world wasn't just about you and whatever quest you happened to be on. It was also about Griftah's "unfair" persecution, or Cro's struggle to get that blasted fruit cart out of the way -- mundane, ordinary, everyday events, the sort of events we witness on a daily basis in the real world. Bringing the mundane to the game made Outland feel just a little more real, too.
Wasteland Diaries: PvE like a boss
Fallen Earth PvE can be anywhere from laughably easy to downright frustrating. I guess that's a good thing since you get a gamut of difficulty levels, but much of the leveling span leans toward the easy end of the scale. I tend to get bored with PvE combat fairly quickly in MMOs (not just Fallen Earth). Other people love to struggle against the environment. Some even refuse to do anything remotely akin to PvP. I'll only throw the term "carebear" at those who think all PvPers are maladjusted psychopaths. I'm not talking about them; I'm talking about regular hardcore PvEers: players who would rather play against the NPCs than against other players. Many of my posts center around PvP. If I didn't PvP (and since I'm not a big roleplayer), I doubt I would still be playing Fallen Earth. That's just what I spend most of my time doing in the wastelands. So I tend to write a lot about it. But all PvPers have to PvE. PvE has its own set of challenges for the player. Granted, these challenges are quite static, and once you find a way to overcome them, you are done. But they are challenges nonetheless, and knowledge is power as much in PvE as it is in PvP. In this post I will give you some tips and tricks that might help you get through that next tough mission. Much of this stuff is common sense, but it may not occur to you until it's too late. So click past the cut and let's get started.
Some Assembly Required: Issue #3 -- Building a base with SWG's Storyteller system
So... yeah, MMO story. It's a giant buzzword nowadays. Funnily enough, MMO story isn't a new concept. Dedicated MMO storytelling tools are quite rare, though, and the means to build story-related set pieces are rarer still. Enter Sony Online Entertainment and its seminal Star Wars Galaxies sandbox. There are many reasons to dig this particular game if you're a fan of player-generated content, but among the most important is the Storyteller system. Yeah, I know SWG is on borrowed time. There's still plenty of time to enjoy it though, and if you're a Star Wars fan, a sandbox fan, and especially a player-generated content fan, you're going to love it. Join me after the cut as I show you how to create your own makeshift starship base, complete with starfreighters, starfighters, Rebel pilots, and even a few Wookiee commandos thrown in for good measure. Oh yeah, this is all in the live game-world too. No instancing here. %Gallery-129431%
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Someone dies at the end, part one
So that doubled experience weekend sort of, um, didn't happen. In my defense, by the time we knew about it, it was Wednesday. That's when you read the column, but not when it's written. So I couldn't do much more other than shake my head and wonder what I was going to talk about when City of Heroes had inadvertently yanked my column topic away at the last moment as if it were a football. Instead, we're going to look at the rumblings about the first Signature Story arc, which asks us who is going to die at the end. Now, to be fair, "nobody" is a valid answer. But it's heavily implied that one of the members of the Surviving Eight will bite the big one, and that means a big shakeup in the game's status quo. So let's run down the big eight and see which one seems most likely to die, at least in comic book terms. (And yes, it's comic book terms. War Witch is already dead, and that hasn't stopped her from being in-game as a trainer, remember?)
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising releases new combat trailer
There's a new Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising video in town, and it's taking no prisoners. The new one-minute clip is centered on the game's combat mechanics, and there's plenty of whirling, slashing, stomping, and even a nifty hey-get-off-of-my-back move to whet your violent appetites. Though the clip is short, there's a good sampling of PvE mobs on display, all of them with a distinctly mythological flavor and all of them waiting to meet the business end of your weapon. You'll also get a glimpse of the game's minions (the Gods & Heroes version of the traditional MMORPG pet mechanic) as well as some nice-looking environments. The game has been selling well since its June launch, and you can check out the new trailer after the cut.
The Secret World showcases NPC backstories
Funcom has just updated its website for The Secret World, and the info drop encompasses the backgrounds of some of the NPC characters we've been hearing about lately. Last week's interview with lead writer Dag Scheve clued us in to the fact that Funcom won't stand for any of its NPCs being lazy and falling into old mission-dispenser habits, and today's reveal gives us some more story-related insight. We're introduced to the likes of a crazed journalist with a death wish, an assassin who didn't make the cut at Juilliard but did with the Illuminati, and a half-human half-demon member of the Dragon who serves a mysterious mistress, just to name a few. While we don't know how the stories of all these individuals are interrelated, it goes without saying that we're looking forward to finding out. Head to The Secret World website to start your own journey of discovery.
Massively Exclusive: The Secret World's Dag Scheve talks MMO story
MMO story has been getting a lot of press these days, and Funcom has thrown its hat into the ring with a couple of noteworthy developer blogs concerning narrative in The Secret World. The upcoming fantasy-horror MMORPG looks to combine its unique real-world setting and skill-based progression with a compelling narrative populated by memorable NPCs. We recently chatted with lead writer Dag Scheve to follow up on his NPC-focused dev diary with a few burning questions. Scheve also talks about the narrative and design challenges inherent in massively multiplayer storytelling, and you'll find all that and more in our exclusive interview after the cut.
Trion profiles RIFT's Alsbeth the Discordant
It's always a pleasure to learn more of the lore behind Trion Worlds' newly launched RIFT. The fantasy MMO is often lauded for mechanical polish, but its backstory is also well thought out (and generally presented via prose that's a cut above MMO PR norms). Today's reveal is no exception, and Trion has given us the skinny on a notable Telarian villainess known as Alsbeth the Discordant. It seems the former Alsbeth Rothmann has been a bit naughty -- so naughty, in fact, that she's risen to the rank of Regulos' right hand (no word on whether it's red or not, Nick Cave fans). Trion describes Alsbeth as "traitorous, malevolent, calculating, and brilliant," and if that's not enough to wet your whistle, how about the fact that she single-handedly doomed the city of Port Scion and "continues to rain terror down upon Telara, spreading pestilence across Freemarch, defiling the Iron Tomb, and heralding invasions from the Death Plane." Clearly she's the kind of girl you take home to meet the family, and we know you can't wait to read more about her after the cut. Don't forget the gallery below that features concept art and screen caps. %Gallery-101448%
Massively's exclusive TERA lore: Day in the Life - Kumas
Yesterday we got a glimpse of two new BAMs courtesy of En Masse Entertainment. Intrepid explorers ranging far and wide across the vast reaches of Arborea will no doubt run across a Naga or a Kumas in their travels, and today En Masse brings us a new Day in the Life lore snippet focused on the latter. Penned by Stacey Jannsen, Day in the Life -- Kumas takes you inside the one-track mind of the titular creature as he attempts to make a meal out of a wayward Popori and finds himself face to face with another (equally hungry) BAM with a similar goal. Head past the cut for more, and don't forget the three new screenshots in our TERA gallery. %Gallery-88481%
The Perfect Ten: The secret lives of NPCs
It is fun, I've decided, to overthink things in life. This is especially relevant in MMOs, where we've long since taken absolutely bizarre staples as the accepted status quo. Sure, it's all polite fiction that allows developers to merge necessary game mechanics with a veneer of credibility, but many elements of MMOs simply fall apart when put under the microscope. Case in point, the NPC. Is there a figure in online games that more symbolizes the thin barrier between the server database and user playerbase than the non-player character? NPCs exist to fill the world with warm bodies so that places don't feel empty, yet they also exhibit no more life than a mannequin with a tape recorder strapped to its back. These cardboard cutouts of the MMO scene are either reanimated corpses struggling to remember basic quest-giving instructions, or else they're prisoners of a foul witch who has struck the entire land with a paralyzing spell. So even though it's 2011 and you'd think that NPCs would be showing us more signs of life than swiveling slightly when we approach, I'm happy to jump in and offer my opinion as to the secret life of these figures. What makes them tick? What do they get out of helping -- and prodding -- us into action? Why don't they ever sleep or use the bathroom? Just who are these people we encounter and dismiss every day?
Final Fantasy XI developers answer more player questions
Let's face it, sometimes Final Fantasy XI players can be all "???" about the game. And that's not apropos of nothing, since the most recent developer dispatch talks about the multi-function "???" used for both Notorious Monster spawns and event triggers. While players had asked to see a change to distinct symbols such as a "!!!" for events, the technical effort required to make the switch wouldn't be worth the relatively minor functional update. The same rule goes for the /names command, which players would like to see toggle for NPCs or PCs selectively. The latest answers aren't all bad news, however, with one of the more interesting factoids being the roundabout announcement of official forums for the game. There's also news about updates to General Rughadjeen in response to his strange behavior following Protect V or Shell V, a problem originating from the fact that the spells didn't exist when Besieged was created. Final Fantasy XI players are encouraged to read the full list of answers.
The Daily Grind: What NPCs stick in your memory?
I'm not fond of a lot of the storytelling on display in the Prophecies campaign of Guild Wars, but I have to admit that, against all logic, I was happy when Gwen showed up again. I joked about her, I complained about her uselessness and her irritating habits, but the fact that she turned up alive again always tickled me on some level. When I think about the game, I think of her, and her trials and tribulations stuck with me long after Prince Rurik had all but vanished into memory. In an MMO with any sort of story, some NPCs are going to stand out to different people. Even beyond the signature characters of a game's box art, incidental figures wind up getting embedded in the consciousness of players. Maybe it's one of the recurring heroes in the City of Heroes tip missions, or perhaps it's one of the more amusing mission NPCs in Star Trek Online. Whatever the reason, what NPCs stick in your mind regardless of their importance or lack thereof? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
New video for DC Universe Online shows off Smallville
So you know DC Universe Online launched, but you might still be on the fence about picking it up. Or maybe you're already sold and just want an idea of what to look forward to in the game. Either way, the newest preview trailer from the development team gives a picture of one of the game's events -- the Smallville Alert, where players are tasked with fighting their way through the hometown of Superman amidst a spreading plague. Lex Luthor has released an agent in Smallville that's mutating the citizens into miniature replicas of Doomsday, leaving heroic players to rescue the town while villainous players try to cover up the event entirely. Culminating with a battle against Doomsday himself, the trailer shows off the many wrinkles to the encounter as well as the game's action in full swing. DC Universe Online fans or potential fans should watch the video to get a sense of what's rotten in Smallville.
TOR video talks crew skills and PvP
Ready for another look at crew skills and PvP in BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic? If so, G4TV has you covered in the form of a five-minute video featuring Daniel Erickson and extensive in-game footage. Erickson explains the gathering, crafting, and mission components that make up crew skills (which is basically BioWare's catch-all term for traditional MMO crafting). "Missions are something very different, and for missions to make sense, you have to understand the base concept of crew skills, which is that you are not the one doing this stuff. Your companion characters are the ones who are going hands-on and doing the crafting," Erickson says. In terms of TOR's PvP implementation, Erickson illustrates BioWare's goal of making the mechanic appropriately contextual to the Star Wars universe (as opposed to the kill-everything-moving-just-because mentality common to many PvP systems). He describes everything from slicing terminals to seeing turrets move in real time, painting a picture of an immersive PvP experience that makes sense within the framework of the license. Finally, Erickson talks a bit about the recently announced race/class combos, including the Sith pureblood. Check out the video after the cut, or at G4TV.
