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The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty
We all know what side of the law I fight on in Age of Wushu: the bad guy side. However, there's a marked difference between being a professional criminal and an indiscriminate mass murderer. Being a criminal means that you need to be more discreet in which targets you kill. If I don't have a bounty, a kill that doesn't get me a bounty is pointless. Infamy is a resource, and if I ramp it up too much, I could be looking at jail time without even getting a bounty. Nothing is more frustrating than having to idle for hours in some out of the way place because my infamy shot up over 2000, but it's pretty easy to get there. Being selective in whom I kill helps prevent those kinds of mistakes.
The Art of Wushu: Rewarding good and bad deeds
Last time, I mentioned that I might talk about the new school instances in Age of Wushu's Infinite Scrolls expansion, but the truth is that very little is known. I haven't done them (I'm guildless and I'm not really looking), and the guilds that have done them are very closed-mouthed about what is in the dungeons. I've heard they're pretty easy, if it's any condolence. However, I do have something more fun to talk about, and that's killing other people. You guys may have noticed, but I like PvP a lot. Infinite Scrolls released a new system called Big Jianghu that rewards people for open-world PvP. I have wanted more consequences for PKing for a long time, so I was really excited about this feature. Unfortunately, as with many things in the new expansion, I was bound to be disappointed.
Conquer Online adding new 'hardcore' PvP features
At the beginning of the month, NetDragon's F2P fantasy title Conquer Online received a large new update in the form of the Invasion of Pirates expansion, but the team isn't done yet. The devs are now adding a number of new (surprisingly hardcore) features to the Gale Shallow PvP zone. While players will receive no PK points in this zone, the chance of plundering a fallen enemy's armor will be tripled, meaning that life and death are a matter of great consequence. And finally, to top it off, a number of powerful mobs in the zone will grant players high-level dragon souls should they prove themselves worthy in combat. For more information on the upcoming update and to get in the game yourself, just click on through the link to Conquer Online's official site. [Source: NetDragon press release]
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Ultima Worlds Online: Origin
Two months ago, we heard a rumor (which has since gone quiet) that a new Ultima Online sequel might be in the oven in Electronic Art's kitchen. As with any rumor, it was important to take it with a grain of disbelief, although a pinch of hope seems appropriate in this case as well. After all, Ultima Online's been begging for a sequel ever since the hit MMO started facing stiff competition in the form of 3-D worlds like EverQuest and Asheron's Call. For some of us gamers, word of a UO sequel feels like deja vu, and rightly so. This wouldn't be the first time that EA embarked on a project to make a more modern Ultima Online, nor would it be the second time. Indeed, the saga of Ultima Online's canceled sequels is as torrid as it is steamy and lusty. Ignore the words in the previous sentence, as those are just to up the hits on search engines. In our continuing series on the "what ifs?" of axed MMOs, we're going to head into a two-parter full of savage truth, dangerous decisions, and full-frontal nerdery. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the saga of Ultima Online 2.
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online
I had so much fun walking down the halls of "What if?" last week that I thought I'd keep the streak going for the rest of the month (if you'll allow for some summertime indulgence). It's not that I necessarily wanted MMO history to turn out differently than it did, but it's always tantalizing to wonder what the field would look like with different games out there. Would they have proven more popular than our current crops? Would they have pushed the envelope of innovation? Of course, it's easy to project greatness onto never-released titles, bemoaning that "if only MMO X had launched, we would've had the perfect game!" What ifs are interesting but should never be taken as absolute fact. This week I wanted to look at a project that's related to an MMO near and dear to my heart. As most of you know, I'm somewhat of a Lord of the Rings Online nut here at Massively. Sure, the rest of the staff is upset that I smoke pipeweed inside and never wear shoes, but that's just how far I go to understand the game. But even my LotRO isn't immune to a massive what if. Known to some but not to all, Turbine wasn't the first MMO studio to take a crack at Tolkien's license -- no, for that we have to travel back to 1998 and revisit Sierra On-Line. It was this company that had a brief but memorable run designing Middle-earth Online, aka "What if LotRO had permadeath?" It's a fascinating glimpse into an entirely different approach to the IP, and even though it died a fairly early death, it's important to be remembered. Frodo lives!
E3 2011: First look at Wizardry Online
"One of the aims of Wizardry Online is to create a true experience of exploration like in classic MMOs," Headlock Games' representative said as he began this E3 presentation. "And to that end, you won't find a linear path funneling you through the dungeons, and your minimap won't show the exact location of your next objective." This set the tone for the company's first reveal of this up-and-coming MMO. Wizardry is a long-running RPG franchise that dates back to 1981, although this will be the series' first steps into online multiplayer. And while the series enjoyed modest success in North America, it's been a phenomenon in Japan, where it's seen numerous spinoffs and sequels. Wizardry's always been known for its open-world exploration and party-based combat, and it seems as though the MMO will continue this legacy as well as retain the hardcore approach that the devs feel has been lost to most modern games. "As this skeleton can attest, life is not so easy in Wizardry Online," the rep said with a smile. Hit the jump to read more about this first look at the game as well as get a peek at the game's first screenshots and trailer!
The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: The R-Team
The Game Archaeologist is a lazy adventurer-slash-professor who dons his trademark cap for a weekly expedition through some of the most famous MMOs of the past few decades. Each month he chooses a different title to examine its highlights, talk with its developers, and invite its fans to share their experiences. They come from all over the world just for one shot to be the elite of the elite. After a rigorous selection process, the survivors undergo months of hardcore training. Fingers aching from the strain and eyes itchy with sleep deprivation, these ripped warriors emerge to battle evil wherever it rears its ugly head. Budapest, probably. Or Easter Island. They loot with wild abandon, they craft with purpose, and they aren't afraid to jam on the caps lock button to make their voices heard. So if you need their help -- and if you can afford them -- maybe you can hire the R-Team. As we continue our month-long RuneScape safari, it's high past time that we hear from the R-Team members themselves. Four past and present RuneScape players graciously laid out the case as to why this MMO rocks socks off. To make a good thing even better, Jagex sent in five new screenshots for your enjoyment. So what are you waiting for? Hit that jump like you mean it!
