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EverQuest II's 8th anniversary: Celebrating a pivotal year
What a difference a day makes. And what a difference 365 days make! Every EverQuest II anniversary retrospective notes a number of changes, tweaks, and additions to the lands of Norrath, but none can boast the depth and breadth of changes that have happened over the previous 12 months. Between adding brand-new systems and altering the very landscape itself, Sony Online Entertainment has changed how players relate to -- and even access -- the game in fundamental ways. What's new? For starters, new lands, new sandbox features, a new payment model, and a new class have all appeared over the course of this past year. But that's not all; no one can accuse SOE of just sitting on its laurels because the changes keep a-comin' at seemingly ever increasing speeds. Not only does this anniversary sit literally on the cusp of even more major dramatic alterations (the dust's hardly settled from SOE Live and the ninth expansion, with all of its content, launches in just five days), but two innovations have slid in right under the wire! Whether you've been away or you just want to reminisce, let's take a moment to look over the past year in EverQuest II before we lose ourselves in Chains of Eternity.
Previewing RIFT: Storm Legion's Dimensions and dungeons
We're less than a month from the release of RIFT's first official expansion, Storm Legion. The content add-on promises to dramatically expand on RIFT's existing universe, both in terms of mechanics and story and in terms of the raw size of the game world. With beta in full force and the NDA officially lifted, we hopped on the Storm Legion test server to catch a glimpse of what's on the way for dedicated RIFT fans. What we discovered was a massive expansion packed with potential and more than enough new content to keep even the most hardcore of RIFT players busy for a while to come. Here's what you need to know.
The Queue: Glory to the Alliance
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. Stop making a mess of our flags, you jerks. BlazeNor asked: With this farming aspect added to the game that seem to be done with phasing, do you think this could open the door to housing? For example allowing players to own a piece of land and building on it though reputation and dailies.
RIFT drops Storm Legion NDA, livecasts player housing tour
As RIFT enters its second beta weekend for Storm Legion, the team at Trion Worlds announced that the NDA for the expansion is now lifted. In addition to all of this craziness, the devs took players on a livestream tour of the new player housing system. In the livestream, the dimensions of Granite Falls Inn, Faen's Retreat and Dormant Core were shown off. Players are able to have multiple dimensions, with the first two available for free. At the launch of Storm Legion, there will be 250 objects included in the system with more to come. Dimensions can be set to either private or public, with the latter being able to hold up to 200 people at once. Public dimensions have a rating system, may be joined randomly, and can have the option to allow visitors to add their own creations as well. You can watch the full dimensions video after the jump, and stay tuned for Massively's hands on with the beta!
SOE Live 2012: Dragon's Prophet trailer, website released
Sony Online Entertainment hinted at Dragon's Prophet during last night's SOE Live keynote. Now the firm has released the game's first official trailer as well as a new website destination. The class-based free-to-play fantasy MMO is a collaboration with Runes of Magic developer Runewaker, and it boasts some curious features like extensive player housing and frontier systems. The site says the housing system allows for the construction of "epic structures that defy imagination," while the frontier mechanics grant guild leaders the power to build a kingdom complete with citizens and a powerful military. Check out the gameplay trailer after the cut.
RIFT dimensions video asks, 'What will you create?' [Updated]
We don't know about you, but the folks here at Massively are downright salivating over the upcoming flexible housing system in RIFT: Storm Legion known as dimensions. With little over a month to go before the expansion, Trion Worlds is highlighting its answer to player housing with a visually stunning video. In the video, houses are made and destroyed in a matter of seconds, showing how many options are available to creative players who piece together elements to make something greater. In addition to houses, the video shows a longboat and tree fort being built, all with dynamic lighting and complete customization. Check it out after the break and let us know what you think! [Update: RIFT's Storm Legion Beta 2 will run from Friday, October 19 at 10 a.m. PDT through Wednesday, October 24 at 8 a.m. PDT]
The Repopulation's September update discusses housing and grouping
If you're wondering what's been changing for The Repopulation through the month of September, look no further than the just-released September update from the developers. Last month saw the introduction of two major features for the game: instanced housing and a new auto-grouping system. The latter is fairly straightforward, allowing players to automatically group with others when entering an engagement area instead of competing with other solo players for content. Instanced housing, on the other hand, is meant to cater to solo players and those who aren't interested in open PvP via the nation wars system. While your own personal housing lot won't have as many options as the full city interface, it will provide an option for players who do still want to enjoy some of the fun of building up a settlement. The past month has also seen updates to the game's armor system, loot distribution mechanics, and missions. If you want to know all the particulars, take a gander at the full rundown.
Black Desert's housing system detailed
Curious about Black Desert's sandbox pedigree? We are too, and it looks as if the newly announced Korean import from Pearl Abyss isn't skimping when it comes to player housing. The game's Facebook fanpage revealed that players will be able to purchase all of the houses in the game's cities and towns. That's not all, as you can also turn part of your humble abode into a shop or a crafting area as well as create furniture and cabinets to store your valuables. Pearl Abyss seems to be aiming for lively cities and towns, as it will not allow players to build houses anywhere in the open world, though temporary tents are an option.
RIFT: Storm Legion targets November 13th, begins pre-orders
The last big unknown of the fall's releases has just set a date for destiny. Trion Worlds announced that it will be releasing RIFT's first expansion, Storm Legion, on November 13th. The expansion contains two new continents, four additional souls, player housing, and more. Along with the news of the release date comes the ability to pre-order the expansion. While those who sign up for a year's subscription to the game will get a complimentary copy of Storm Legion, players may elect to pre-order one of the two expansion editions separately. Both pre-order editions offer special bonuses, such as early access to one of the expansion's dungeons. It's interesting to note that players new to the game can pay an additional $10 on top of the expansion price to get the original game and 30 days of play time as well. Finally, Trion's released a new expansion trailer called Features of the Storm, which highlights Storm Legion's bullet-point attractions. Take a gander after the jump! [Thanks to Marc and Memphis for the tip!]
PAX Prime 2012: RIFT's Storm Legion approaches
The Storm Legion is coming. Even now, those touched by Crucia are preparing to unleash her will. But RIFT's Storm Legion expansion is bringing more than just dragon minion foes. A new soul for each calling, player housing instances, new continents, new dungeons, and new raids are all part of the bundle. We caught up with the Trion team at PAX to catch a glimpse of what the oncoming storm will bring.%Gallery-161264%
Enter at Your Own Rift: RIFT's upcoming housing boom
Have no doubt, it's been an absolutely barnburner of a week or so for RIFT. As Trion Worlds chugs toward the unknown release date for Storm Legion, we've seen the reveal of the first new soul (the Harbinger), a special annual subscription offer, a tour of several areas of the expansion from Gamescom, and oh yeah, news that Trion's all but eliminating factional barriers. And with all that, do you know what everyone's jabbering on about in the forums? Housing. Housing, housing, housing! It doesn't surprise me; as a long-time proponent of player housing, I know full well the powerful attraction and appeal housing has when done right (emphasis on the last three words there). Housing gives players a sense of attachment to the game world, an outlet for creativity, and a personalized place to socialize. And finally we've heard the first concrete details (with video footage!) of RIFT's dimensions. There's no avoiding it; there's going to be a huge housing boom in RIFT come this fall. So what will it look like?
Gamescom 2012: DayZ stand-alone to have instanced building [Updated]
Rock, Paper Shotgun caught up with Arma II modder Dean Hall at this week's Gamescom. The braaaaains behind the zombie-centric DayZ mod revealed that player-driven construction is in the works for the mod's eventual stand-alone client. Hall says that the feature will probably take the form of underground bases accessed via portals (think a grate in the ground). He's leaning toward having players dig out the space, pour concrete, set up hydroponics, and possibly even have the structure collapse around them if it's a particularly gruesome day. DayZ's stand-alone client will also feature a revamped Chernarus that features more buildings you can actually enter as well as more detail and "entirely new areas." [Update: There are also talks of the game coming to consoles.] Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from the MMOs at the show!
WildStar Wednesday sheds light on the game's social design
WildStar, like every other MMO, wants players to enjoy the company of other players. The team behind the game wants players invested in the community and in participating with one another. Victoria Dollbaum, the Social Systems Designer for the game and the writer of this week's WildStar Wednesday, explains that the team wants to create the sort of community feel of older games without including the same sort of brutal systems that made constant community involvement a necessity. Dollbaum explains that the main goal of social design is creating incentives for players to group up rather than punishing them for playing solo. Housing is a prime example, as the game's housing system rewards players of all types: raiders can collect raid trophies, crafters can grow and harvest resources, and roleplayers can run events in their houses along a set theme. Or players can completely ignore the system if they'd prefer. It's a design all about letting the players do what they want and offering the appropriate carrots, and housing is just the tip of a carrot-flavored iceberg.
The Road to Mordor: Six smashing ideas for LotRO's player housing
Some days I wonder whether Turbine truly regrets creating housing for Lord of the Rings Online. It's one of those game systems that you really can't do halfway; it's all or nothing, and once you begin, players are going to want more and better things for it. Except for the admittedly steady stream of housing items that enter the game and the occasional promise that a housing revamp (or whatever you call it) is on the team's radar, housing in the game has more or less been the same since it first came into being. It's not a system that all players use possibly because there isn't much use to it, which makes for a strange catch-22, and Turbine has to be constantly evaluating how to spend its limited resources to impact the greatest number of people. Still, a Hobbit can dream, can't he? After hearing the wonderful news this week that WildStar will ship with a robust housing system, I couldn't help but think back on LotRO's current setup. Ideas formed in my head, ideas to make housing in Middle-earth not only relevant but downright engaging. What could get us to go "home" a little more often? Just hear me out.
WildStar shows off its housing system
Carbine Studios' WildStar has yet to leave the starting gate, but already this filly looks to have legs. The studio announced that not only will the sci-fi fantasy title have a housing system, but it will be a major component of a player's experience in the game. According to Carbine, WildStar's housing is "more than a house and a plot of land, it is a destination within the game that they can make their own and use to their advantage." Housing will be available for all classes and paths. We have both a video and a FAQ concerning this exciting system after the jump! [Source: NCsoft press release]
Massively Interview: Allods Online talks health, housing, heroes, and horizons
Allods Online takes a lot of flak for its early direction, particularly over its F2P model, so we weren't entirely surprised when last month the game downsized to a single North American server. But when just a few weeks later gPotato opened a new server and then announced what looks like a whopper of an expansion (complete with the Allods-equivalent of player-owned housing!), we couldn't help but be intrigued. What the heck is this game up to? That's where gPotato Production Coordinator Aaron "Condulus" Biedma comes in. Biedma graciously stepped up to answer in detail our frank questions about the health of the game, the new expansion, the cash shop, and what lies beyond New Horizons. We even sneaked in a question about sexism in the lore. It's all after the cut!
MMO Blender: Bree's big-budget sandbox
Writing MMO Blender feels like getting three wishes from a magical lamp and having to think very, very carefully about what you ask for. You have to word it just right and ponder the consequences of each wish on the others because you just know that Genie's going to screw with you. If I were stronger, I'd reject the wishes (here, the 1000 words) outright, knowing they're a trap, but I just can't resist a turn at this column. I want a new sandbox. A good one, not one made by gank-obsessed fanboys on a shoestring budget. I don't think sandboxes are dead; I just know it takes money to make money, and modern indie sandboxes are forgetting that rule. Fortunately, I don't need money for this column. I'll take my MMO Blender wishes and build a sandbox that's more than just a pile of sand and an empty box.
Hyperspace Beacon: Nine years of Star Wars Galaxies
As you might have guessed from the title, I'm taking a tiny break from writing about Star Wars: The Old Republic this week. Although it might seem like odd timing to change the pace of my articles with Update 1.3 releasing today, I figured that the update will be here next week, but Star Wars Galaxies' birthday comes around only once a year. Last weekend, the first Star Wars MMORPG would have celebrated its ninth year in service. Being the first Star Wars MMO will always be an honor Galaxies will hold. But that's not the only thing that drew so many people to the game. I often find myself thinking back wondering what could have been. Besides my love for Star Wars, that game held a lot of significance in my life. It was my first serious MMO and my first step into MMO roleplay. If Star Wars Galaxies were still around, would I still be playing? More importantly, what would I be doing in that game that I really can't do in the current Star Wars MMO?
MMO Blender: Jeremy's unholy MMO concoction
Have you ever wished MMO developers could put away their checkbooks, pluck out the best bits of their respective MMOs, and weld them together to construct the megalopolis of MMOs? We do too! So today, we're launching a brand-new opinion column, MMO Blender, in which the Massively writers will mix and match their favorite features from existing MMOs for your amusement. But do our choices create a perfectly honed machine or a lumbering, speechless frankenstein of an MMO that deserves to be put out of its misery? First up: Livestreamer extraordinaire and Contributing Editor Jeremy Stratton with a potent, sandboxy blend of Fallen Earth, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and more. Wet your whistle after the break and look for more MMO Blenders from the rest of our staff in the coming weeks!
Some Assembly Required: Desert homes of Vanguard's Qalia
Player housing. Now there's a topic you don't hear from me much. Oh, come now, I talk about other topics, too... sometimes... once in a while! You have to admit, it's hard not to talk about housing. It's by far one of the best canvasses for showcasing player creativity available in MMOs. And Vanguard has top-notch player housing. Back at the inception of Some Assembly Required, I took you on a tour of housing on Vanguard's island of Kojan. Of the three continents, Kojan was an easy first choice; from the very beginning I wanted a house there to soak up the unique flavor of the area. However, Kojan is by far the smallest continent with the fewest housing plots; contrast its six housing isles to the 22 chunks with housing available on Qalia and you can see that more opportunities abound to find the perfect home-sweet-home in the land of Arabian nights. By the sheer volume of plots involved, you can see that touring Qalia is quite the undertaking! Not one to shirk my duties of bringing demonstrations of player creativity to you, I forged ahead to highlight the advantages of Qalian living and compile this gallery of amazing ingenuity -- including a Foosball table!%Gallery-158807%
