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Tamriel Infinium: The true meaning of The Elder Scrolls Online skill lines
I have always thought it presumptuous to declare that anyone can know the true meaning of anything. However, I believe that players might be led slightly astray by the latest Elder Scrolls Online video. I don't think that the ESO creators were lying because I do believe that it is distinctly possible to take on nearly any role no matter the class or race choice. However, as in every other MMO in existence, only certain combinations will reign supreme, and unfortunately, I also suspect that if you wish to fill a specific role, you will have to pick specific classes. Thanks to some of the data fan sites have gathered from convention playthroughs, we can guestimate which combinations will fill which roles the best. In order to understand where I'm coming from, let's explore how the progression system works. The minimalistic user interface for ESO displays four components related to your skills. Your health bar depletes every time an enemy lands a hit. The magicka bar indicates the amount of spell-slinging power you have. The stamina bar depletes when you perform a physical action like dodging or swinging your axe. Then you also have the toolbar, which gives you five active ability slots and an ultimate slot. When you reach a certain level, you will be able to actively switch between two toolbars based on your weapon. Your weapon, armor, and skills determine which role you play in a group.
The Elder Scrolls Online shows off the process of building a character in a new video
One of the key features of The Elder Scrolls Online is building a character the way you want to play. It's been stated time and again that the game will allow you to build the sort of character you want rather than force you into a predefined setup. But what does the process look like in action? Well, why don't you just jump past the break and watch a new video showing off exactly how characters develop over time? When you choose a race and class at character creation, you gain access to one racial skill line and three class-based skill lines, but you also have access to a plethora of other skill lines so that neither race nor class forces you into a certain role. As you level, you gain skill points and attribute points, allowing you to customize your abilities as well as your individual distribution among survivability, magical skill, and weapon-based resources. Not to mention all of the other skill lines you can find over the course of play. For a more detailed look, jump on past the break to take a look at the full video.
The Daily Grind: Do you celebrate game accomplishments in the real world?
After many, many attempts, my free company finally downed Titan in Final Fantasy XIV on Saturday. That meant a relic weapon for me (followed immediately by relic +1) and a trip out for ice cream and celebration for my wife. Yes, all it took to encourage us into outside celebration was beating up an irritating fat man made of rocks. On the one hand, this was silly. Titan is just a boss; beating him is the equivalent of the rats figuring out how to run the mazes in those maze-based experiments scientists love performing. On the other hand, it was a major challenge that I had been grappling with for quite some time, because darn, this is hard. So what about you, dear readers? Do you celebrate major game accomplishments in the real world? Have you and your friends hit the bar to commemorate your first major boss kills in Star Wars: The Old Republic? Or would you rather stick to in-game celebrations for in-game accomplishments, if indeed you even need that? 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!
The Nexus Telegraph: Why WildStar's housing matters
A while back, I got a wonderful letter from a reader whom I'll simply call L for these purposes. L was curious why, exactly, I cared about housing in WildStar, not out of a desire to belittle but out of a genuine curiosity. From his standpoint, housing adds nothing to the game and takes development time away from features that do add to the overall experience. His question was an attempt to see if he was missing some crucial point, something that made housing more important than, say, another raid at launch. Partway through typing a response, I realized that this was a response that deserved more than just a letter; it deserved center stage because L is both right and wrong. In the strictest sense, housing does take away from development time that could go toward other features. For some players it's just not that interesting or relevant. But at the same time it also opens up avenues of design and play that just don't exist without housing in place, which winds up making the game as a whole better even if you don't want to play housekeeper.
Cryptic details Star Trek Online's latest fleet progression update
Another day, another Star Trek Online dev blog. Today's wall o' text is titled Fleet System Expansion: Spire Outpost, and as you might guess, it concerns the game's next fleet holding. "The Spire can be most closely compared to the Embassy in terms of it being more about providing high-end equipment than it is about providing fleet convenience and discounts," Cryptic says. "That being said, there are some excellent benefits for fleets that progress through the Spire holding's tiers." The Spire ultimately provides an additional progression avenue for STO fleets, complete with new rewards, a new social environment, and plenty of unlockable special projects. Read all about it via the links below.
The Mog Log: Straight on down the line of Final Fantasy XIV's endgame
Well, what do you know. Just before I was going to write a column about Final Fantasy XIV's endgame, the development changed the entire thing. And with such a little change, too. Before Tuesday, the endgame was pretty simple. You had two main instances to worry about and three primals, one of which was only really relevant for a single quest. If you were decked out from all that, you had another challenge to undertake. The actual makeup hasn't changed since Tuesday, but which instances matter and how they're run has, since you now have two ways of getting those all-important Mythology tomestones. For some of you reading, this is all stuff you don't even need to worry about yet. For others, it's the right here and right now that you deal with on a daily basis. So let's look at what the endgame is, what it was, and why I find myself oddly satisfied with it despite the overall sparse landscape.
Take down rivals in Need for Speed progression trailer and screens
The latest trailer and screens for Need for Speed: Rivals show the progression of goals players face as both cops and racers in the game. Some tasks have players drifting for 500 yards while others challenge players to take down at least six racers. Need for Speed: Rivals will launch November 19.
The Daily Grind: How do you handle your in-game projects?
I have an overarching goal in Final Fantasy XIV: be level 50 everything. All crafts, all gathering classes, all combat classes. It's a worthy goal, but it's also the sort of thing that's going to take me roughly forever to accomplish. So I don't tend to work on the big project; I pick little goals along the way, like getting one level on a specific class every day. When I get bored with one, I move on to another. Not everyone works like that. Some people would rather not have little goals, preferring one big goal to just push on. Get to the level cap with one class, then on to the next one, no breaks to risk distraction. So which do you prefer? Do you like to have sidelines or do you find them distracting? How do you handle your in-game projects, especially ones that you know are going to take quite some time? 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!
Drama Mamas: Progression vs. friends
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. I was going to embed this earworm because of this week's signature, but I just couldn't stomach it. I'm not a fan. So I've replaced it with a different earworm. Everybody clap and point now. Dear Drama Mamas: I am an officer and tank in a raiding guild with people I've known since mid Cataclysm. I took a break at the start of Mists due to getting a new job, and came back a couple of months ago to find the guild struggling on Horridon in 10N Throne of Thunder. I wasn't planning on returning to the game full-time and spent most of my time leveling and gearing an alt that I was using to fill a spare DPS slot when the guild needed me. I was eventually asked to come back as a full-time tank to help with progression, and since then we've slowly managed to clear normal T15, culminating in downing Lei Shen the first time a couple of weeks ago.
The Daily Grind: Does progression matter to you?
For some players, the game is all about the endgame. The reason to play the game is to wind up at the highest tier of content and get the highest tier of gear, and if you are not doing that, then you are fundamentally not playing correctly. That doesn't mean these players do nothing else; it just means that they're going to base their guild choice in Star Wars: The Old Republic on progress concerns before social ones. But then there's the other camp that doesn't care about all of that. Sure, progression is nice to a point, but these are players who derive more enjoyment from the social side of things. They have no interest in joining a guild focused solely upon the endgame; they want to be in a guild for roleplaying or social contacts or whatever. Progress is nice but secondary. So which camp do you veer toward? Does progression matter to you, or are you quite happy finding other ways to play the game? 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!
The Daily Grind: Why do you like character development and progression?
I dislike MMO progression. No, seriously. I dislike it mainly because it feels like a job and I already have a couple of those. If I could start every MMORPG at max level and just explore the world and/or enjoy the narrative I would do so without thinking twice about all the grindy, repetitive "gameplay" I'd be missing. See, I play video games to have certain experiences that I can't have in meatspace. I can't very well drive a GT40, hunt bounties in the Old West, or customize my own spaceship outside of gaming. But I can climb a career ladder toward a distant and theoretically rewarding end goal in real life, so I don't see the appeal of doing it in games. Obviously, though, some people love progression and character development. Heck, I'd go so far as to say that most people love them, at least in this genre, because almost every game uses them as a core mechanic. And assuming you're one of those people, today's Daily Grind question is for you. Why do you like character development and progression? 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!
The Nexus Telegraph: Talking tasks with WildStar's PvE
At a glance, there are far fewer problems when dealing with PvE content compared to PvP content. WildStar's PvE options are a bit better established, and besides, all you need to do is provide the enemies and a reason to fight them. It's not as if you have to deal with all of the differences that you find in PvP, after all. Toss out some dungeons, give players a daily hub, and everything will work out perfectly, right? The answer is no. Not even a little bit. Just as you need a variety of different things in PvP to serve a multitude of playstyles, you need a variety of different opportunities for PvE players. It's still a header that covers a broad field of different playstyles and preferences, and that means there are a lot of different things that the game needs to offer. Bearing in mind that we're talking about the level cap here, let's take a look at what areas the game needs to support.
WildStar discusses the state of the beta and big changes to come
Beta testing is like reviewing the first draft of a story. You read, offer suggestions, and then the writer gets a chance to make the story better for another draft. With WildStar's latest phase of testing at a conclusion, creative director Mike Donatelli sat down to explain some areas where WildStar will be changing mechanics based on feedback from both players and the community. Some of these might be a little more familiar, and some are more unique. Donatelli explains that the team hasn't been happy with either incarnation of the Milestone system and has assembled a new system for future testing. Players in testing had complained that neither of the previous incarnations was successful at giving players control over the development of their characters. Kill quests are also going to be changed with the removal of a set count and implementing a sliding progression scale based on overall experience earned. For a more thorough breakdown and a deeper look at beta feedback, take a look at the full community address in this WildStar Wednesday.
A look at the current endgame for Blade & Soul
If you're looking forward to playing Blade & Soul when it finally comes to this side of the pond, you probably want to know what to expect from the endgame mechanics. Fortunately for you, the game has just released its newest endgame dungeon, and a preview is available of the final boss fight within that dungeon as well as the process for gaining and powering up loot from bosses. Which is... ornate, for lack of a better term. The short version is that everyone present for the kill gets a loot box containing a weapon. You can either pay money to ensure that the weapon is right for your class, or you can buy an ordinary key and take your chances. Once you've gotten the right weapon (with the right stats) after however many trips, you can start leveling it up... but in order to really advance it, you'll need to get two more weapons and level those up. Take a look at the full preview for details on boss mechanics and the weapon upgrade process. [Thanks to Steparu for the tip!]
Some Assembly Required: Want a real living story? Try a sandbox!
I'm going to criticize Guild Wars 2 this week, or more accurately, ArenaNet. I know, I know. I might as well change the name of this column to How to Alienate Friends, Co-workers, and Commenters. As a qualifier, I don't play Guild Wars 2. I have in the past, briefly, but my criticisms today are mostly directed at ANet's marketing folks or whoever is responsible for the Living Story refrain that gets sillier and sillier every time I hear it.
Are you happy with Patch 5.3's story progression?
Frankly, as a solidly Alliance player right now, I find patch 5.3 satisfying. I get why some players don't, but frankly I don't mind spending some time exploring the Horde from an Alliance perspective, without having to faction switch or roll a new character. In fact, I hope it's something they hold onto for future content - I'd love to see a storyline where a group of Horde had to infiltrate Ironforge and work alongside some Dark Irons, or even a story that pit blood elf agents against their forsaken allies by using the worgen as catspaws. My point is, getting to directly interact with Vol'jin was pretty fun, getting to bring the war to the Horde itself while setting up the Darkspear to do the heavy lifting made sense to me, and in general I enjoyed all of the scenarios and quests I've done this patch. But just because I like something it doesn't follow that you all feel the same way. This patch's story is unfolding in interesting new ways - there's no reputation faction to unlock via daily quests, there are scenarios but no dungeons, and quests that don't repeat. It's quite possible to see much, if not all, of the storyline in one day. It's definitely a departure from what we've seen in previous Mists of Pandaria patches.
EVE Evolved: Fanfest 2013 video roundup
Last month saw the huge tenth anniversary EVE Online Fanfest, a three-day convention packed full of exclusive reveals, behind-the-scenes talks, and community events. This year's Fanfest was the biggest one yet, celebrating EVE's tenth anniversary with special guest speakers from the scientific community, the reveal of a new virtual reality dogfighter, DUST 514's launch, and details of the upcoming Odyssey expansion. Massively was there to bring you coverage of the big news as it happened, and CCP streamed some of the key talks and events live to viewers at home. This year's Fanfest sold out so quickly that many people who wanted to go didn't get a chance to, and only a select few talks were shown on the public livestream. With such a packed event schedule, even players in attendance couldn't be there for every interesting talk. Thankfully, CCP recorded over 30 of the most anticipated events and has now uploaded the videos to YouTube. Highlights include the Make EVE Real videos, the EVE keynote, the CCP Presents Keynote, and the talks on how DUST 514 integrates with the EVE economy. In this week's EVE Evolved, I round up all of the EVE Fanfest videos in a handy list.
WildStar's lead PvP designer on differentiation and dynamics
Wildstar features a huge world, a variety of wildlife, an in-depth housing system, a variety of questing mechanics... but for some players that's just not the interesting part. No, the interesting thing is finding out how you can take up arms against a fellow player. A new interview with lead PvP designer Jen Gordy sheds some light on the game's PvP mechanics and how the designers are using this side of the game to continue encouraging players to play the game how they want. There will be two PvP-centric stats on the game, one to improve damage to other players and one to decrease it. The development team is also including features like the ability to minimize the duration of a stun once you've been hit to avoid having PvP matches boil down to a race to incapacitate the other side. But both PvP and PvE are meant to still work toward the same whole -- things that you get on one side will be useful on the other, freeing you to explore the game aspects you find the most rewarding. Read the full interview for more details on how you can cut down your fellow players for glory and (presumably) profit.
Star Trek Online outlines the fine details of Romulan ship progression
The Romulan faction in Star Trek Online's upcoming expansion does not play like mirrors of the Federation or the Klingons. The race's ships are less diverse in some ways, but its cloaking devices that allow for stealth even in combat make it clear that this is a race about subtle manipulation and careful subterfuge. A new development blog outlines the fine points of ship progression including refit ships, retrofit ships, and small craft for the faction. In addition to the cloaking devices, all Romulan ships feature a powerful Singularity Core that allows access to a different tier of special abilities for each ship. As with other factions, refits and retrofits of lower-tier ships can be purchased from the game's cash shop, complete with new customizable skins and new consoles for these variants. Players interested in seeing the full details should take a look at the development blog and get ready to remind the galaxy why the phrase "warbird decloaking" is never a sign things are going well.
Firefall revamps progression system... again
Red 5 Studios has not been shy about making sweeping changes to its in-beta massively multiplayer shooter Firefall. Entire game systems have been retooled, revamped, and sometimes removed entirely as part of the developers' efforts to improve the game. The latest Firefall devblog has revealed that the game's progression system is back on the operating table for the second time, and it's going to get some more nips and tucks in the March 22nd milestone patch. Senior Game Designer Cameron Winston states that when the studio first overhauled the game's progression system (replacing the game's more traditional leveling system with battleframe-specific tech trees), the result was certainly for the best, but the change "came with some problems of its own," such as being "hard to understand... [with] arbitrary limitations that prevented players from exploring how they could customize their frames." To fix these issues, the studio will ensure that players will now have "far more flat access to the frames," meaning that there will still be different battleframe classes such as Assault and Recon, "but each battleframe will now have its own unique progression tree," which the developers hope will give more flexibility and customization options to players. Of course, the specifics of an entire system overhaul can't be adequately described in 300 words or less, so if you want all the fine details, head on over to Firefall's official site.
