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Faience's adventures in Outland: Elites? What elites?
I'm sure we're all familiar with the elite quests scattered throughout Azeroth. Or if not familiar with the particulars of each and every one of them, at least aware that there exists such a thing as quests that are flagged "elite" that involve killing more powerful "elite" monsters. Well, in the Burning Crusade you won't be seeing any of those. And, no it's not because Blizzard has decided to remove elites from the game. Instead, Blizzard has dropped the "elite" flag from quests and replaced it with a "group" flag, which I first noticed when questing on my new level 12 Blood Elf. Curious about the above Anok'suten quest, I located a partner and headed out to complete it immediately -- in the end it involved killing a single level 11 elite, surrounded by non-elites of around the same level. I might have been able to solo it -- but the suggested players hint is appreciated.And this trend continues into Outland -- only the elites are a bit bigger.
Puzzle Quest producer spills the beans
Andy Pan, producer on the upcoming puzzler Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, recently spoke about the game with Siliconera. The game has caused many to raise an eyebrow in question of its goal to combine puzzle and RPG gameplay into the perfect hybrid. Andy explains some of the battle pieces on the board:"The battle system takes place on a puzzle board in an 8 x 8 grid. There are 8 elements on the puzzle board – 4 mana gems (fire, water, air, earth) as well as experience (the purple icons) gold (gold coins) and skulls and finally, the wildcard."The game is turn-based, with the goal being to completely wipe your opponent's hit points before they do the same to you. Obviously, before you can deal out the damage, you need to gather the appropriate mana pieces to cast spells. Or, you can match 3 skulls, which will also do damage to your opponent.
Japanese hardware sales, 4 December - 10 December: Terminator edition
Listen to me. I've been sent from the future, sent to warn you about the impending destruction of the human race. There were so many, we just couldn't ... we were overwhelmed within weeks. Humans now live in scattered clusters, fearful of the raids, desperately clinging to life. We need to stop it. They're gaining power.Surely, you've seen the signs. They're infecting homes, complacent, waiting for their chance to strike. Soon, their numbers will be unstoppable, and you're allowing, nay, helping their cause. Every week they grow stronger! They added what will be their strongest general, Dragon Quest, to their arsenal quite recently. Yes, surely you see it now: within two months, the DS Lites will become sentient. They'll launch a attack on the Pentagon and all major military bases in the continental United States, removing our defensive capabilities. From then on, it'll be inevitable ... Judgement Day.From their seat of power in Akihabara, Japan (the new capital of Nitro, their self-proclaimed worldwide empire), they will launch wave after wave of attack on the remaining humans. We're led by the one man who might rally us from defeat ... Reggie, of course. He sent me here, to prevent it, but now I see that it's already too late. February 13th is the day, gentlemen. May Iwata have mercy on your pathetic souls.- DS Lite: 309,630 132,729 (75.03%)- Wii: 85,439 264,919 (75.61%)- PS3: 50,171 18,735 (59.6%) - Xbox 360: 35,343 31,290 (772.02%) - PS2: 30,460 7,345 (31.78%) - PSP: 28,930 5,013 (20.96%) - GBA SP: 1,896324 (20.61%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,555 303 (24.20%) - Gamecube: 569 252 (30.69%) - DS Phat: 167 27 (19.29%) - GBA: 17 5 (22.73%) - Xbox: 6 5 (45.45%)[Source: Media Create]
Lesser Known Quests: Tooga
I'm classifying this quest as lesser-known, as I have just finally come across it after 2 1/2 years and 5 level 60's. Yes, you may call me ignorant and tell me I'm not paying attention in the comments.Tooga is a giant tortoise who's lost and roaming somewhere in southern Tanaris. I found him just south of the Thistleshrub Valley, wandering aimlessly in search of dinner for his wife.As far as escort quests go, Tooga's Quest is remarkably simple and rewarding. Instead of chasing across the desert like some other quest I know, Tooga is actually quite happy to follow you, giving you a 30-minute timer to take him to the coast just south of Steamwheedle Port.Given that Tooga will actually help you in combat, it's a bit like you get a level 50 turtle pet for 30 minutes who then hands over the experience and loot.I won't give away the entire dialog here, but let's just say that even though you get 5900xp and your choice of great shaman bracers or a druid ring, you almost feel bad for Tooga as his wife Torta treats the poor fella like a baby treats a diaper.If you're out and about in Tanaris, take some time to lead Tooga to the shore, killing mobs along the way. You could run straight to the shore in 10 minutes, but take the time with this pet - he makes for a good tank.If you've done this quest, let us know of your experience with it, and if you used Tooga as a combat pet or just ran him straight home.
Dragon's Quest IX gameplay snippets
So, Dragon's Quest IX was announced for the DS recently, and though your classic J-RPG senses tingle, they may in fact go quite unsatisfied. As the mainstay series moves to a portable platform, there will also be some significant shifts in the classic DQ experience.DQIX seems to be leaning toward the action-RPG end of the role-playing spectrum, as the traditional random battles have been replaced by a Chrono Trigger-style "see the enemies in the field of play" approach. As all four characters' motion and actions are controlled independently, Square-Enix is pushing a four-player cooperative mode (via Wi-Fi? We still don't know) into the game. The players need not stay together; for instance, one player could journey into a nearby cave in search of treasure, while another can head back to town to pick up some much-needed curative supplies. Sounds simple, yet cool.Stylus control will be implemented, though details remain sketchy; Dragon's Quest IX will be released in 2007, and details remain awesome.
Dragon Quest IX financial news report footage
As the most-watched video today on You Tube, the embedded video footage covering some of the financial backlash of Square's announcement that Dragon Quest IX is to be a DS exclusive shows some of the past entries in the franchise as well as some footage of the upcoming Wii-based title. More importantly though, is the footage of the unveiling of the title, something that sends shivers down our spine in anticipation for the game.
Japan set to implode: Dragon's Quest IX is a DS exclusive
You heard it, folks: at Square-Enix's annual Jump Festa event, they let the bomb drop: the next entry in the venerable Dragon's Quest series, entitled Dragon's Quest IX: Defender of the Stars (another silly "DS" subtitle) will be coming exclusively to everyone's favorite little handheld. This is huge news: this franchise is second only to perhaps Final Fantasy in Japan, and still one of the most respected names in gaming worldwide. Having the title being developed exclusively on a Nintendo system is a clear show of faith from SE (they're also releasing a Final Fantasy XII sequel, Revenant Wings, sometime next year), and hopefully, even more Wii and DS support will follow.Development of the game is being passed over to Level 5 (also working on White Knight Story for the PS3), and it'll feature a four-player co-op mode as well. Of course, there's no definite release date, but the team mentioned that they'd like to have it out sometime in 2007.Let this news wash over your Tuesday, and make it full of glee and joy. Bring on DQIXDS![Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and GoNintendo for the pic!]
Breakfast Topic: Favorite quest chain
There are so many great quests in the game, but some of the most intriguing ones are the longer chains. And while the quests themselves may be annoying hunts for rare drops, sometimes the entertaining quest text in between is all worthwhile. My absolute favorite chain in the game has to be the one given by the charming Apothecary Lydon in Tarren Mill. He has such amusing dialogs that I can't help but giggle whenever I get a new Horde character into the 20s and run off to do those quests. He's such a charmer, with lines like:There we go! Ah, nothing brightens a gloomy day in these miserable foothills like bringing a little suffering into the world.So do you have any favorite quests chains in the game? Things you go out of your way to find whenever you're playing a new character?
Quest rewards in the Burning Crusade
This lone screenshot has spawned a lot of excitement, by presenting us with a glance of what sort of itemization we can expect to see in the mid-60s. If you're already decked out in epic gear, these items might make you cry, but if you aren't, they might make you jump for joy. (My thought is that they never should have allowed Goblins to name these things.) The items in the screenshot, for those who can't bother to click on, include the following...QR 9977 2H AxeTwo-Hand Axe221 - 333 Damage Speed 3.40(81.5 damage per second)+31 Strength+30 Agility+45 StaminaQR 9977 Caster StaffTwo-Hand Staff92 - 162 Damage Speed 2.10(60.4 damage per second)+45 Stamina+31 IntellectEquip: Improves spell critical strike rating by 30.Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 85.QR 9977 DPS DaggerOne-Hand Dagger74 - 139 Damage Speed 1.70(62.6 damage per second)+13 Agility+19 StaminaEquip: +26 Attack PowerQR 9977 Feral StaffTwo-Hand Staff144 - 253 Damage Speed 3.30(60.2 damage per second)+31 Strength+30 Agility+45 StaminaEquip: +298 Attack Power in Cat, Bear, Dire Bear, and Moonkin forms only.QR 9977 Fist WeaponOne-Hand Fist Weapon109-204 Damage Speed 2.50(62.6 damage per second)+13 Agility+19 StaminaEquip: +26 Attack Power.QR 9977 Healer MaceThe screenshot, for some reason, does not include a mouseover of this mace. However, later in the thread, someone comments that the mace has "160ish +healing and some other stats I dont recall."
"Epic" RPGs: too time-consuming for casual gamers?
A recent editorial at GamersInfo suggests that RPGs featuring vast, open-ended worlds are produced with only hardcore gamers in mind. The author argues that with RPGs such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, there are no mechanics in place to attract more casual gamers, and keep them interested for short periods of time. These types of RPGs are intended to provide dozens (if not hundreds) of hours of gameplay, but because they fail to offer "accessible distractions" within the first few hours of exposure, gamers with less time on their hands may quickly abandon the adventure -- and never return.What this person is looking for are more minigames that still allow you to progress through the main game, but can be digested in periods of a half-hour or less. To illustrate, the author points out the limited utility of horses in Oblivion and wonders why developer Bethesda couldn't have mixed in gameplay elements from other genres: "Why couldn't I collect and corral other horses (Pokemon)? Why couldn't I breed different horses together in order to cultivate desirable traits (Jade Cocoon)? Why couldn't I use my horse to plow a field outside of my house so I could grow my own Alchemical resources (Harvest Moon)? Why couldn't I cross breed my horse with another creature in the game (Monster Rancher)?"The author's self-admitted rant might be just that, but it raises an interesting point. Should the value of a role-playing game be measured in number of quests, map square miles, and other "super size" features? Or, should open-ended environments present immediately accessible minigames each time you load up your last save point?See also: Single player RPGs are alive and well "RPG" missing from today's MMORPGs
Breakfast Topic: Easy to Miss Quests
There's been a thread making the rounds on the forums about the game's easy to miss quests, which started me thinking about the game's questing system. For the most part, quests are difficult to miss - NPCs in need of help stand around with large yellow exclamation points over their heads that are hard to ignore. In a game that's so intentionally user-friendly, what indeed is the point of hard to find quests, that few may ever see? Having played the game through to level 60 on both Alliance and Horde sides, I'm always amused to find some bit of game content that's previously escaped me. But as to the point of these hidden quests - is their benefit in adding replayability to the game? In rewarding the persistent explorers who may find them? And how do you like your quests - straight up and in the open or a hidden gem in an obscure place?
An Epic Journey of Epic Proportions
Last night, my raid leader was looking for fools -- ahem, volunteers -- to undergo an "Epic Journey of Epic Proportions", as he called it. I love the random and offbeat things that one ends up doing in WoW (from random Molten Core pick-up groups to helping out guildies with crazy quests), so I signed up. The epic journey in question? Infiltrating four dark, dastardly dungeons in order to "Steal fire! Become men! Obtain red (absolutely not pink at all) wisp minions!". With the Midsummer quests ending soon, and a sudden desire for rare pets, an adventure was on the cards.
Holidaying with another self
What do you do when the pressures of endgame all become too much? When the PvP grind gets you down, and raiding just isn't doing it for you any more?Spend some time away from it all, in an exotic location where everything's new again -- make an alt. Preferably a cross-faction alt.It sounds idyllic, in principle. Start life from scratch again, in a town where nobody knows your name. Learn new skills! Have fantastic adventures! Spend four hours killing wolves and only regain a fraction of your former power! (Eh?)
