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Camelot Unchained Kickstarter update offers a look at the Tuatha De Danann
Camelot Unchained finally threw its hat into the Kickstarter ring three days ago, garnering a quick outpouring of support from the community in the form of $411K in just four hours. Two days later the amount pledged nearly doubled, jumping to over $815K of a $2 million goal. Last night, Mark Jacobs posted an update that included additional concept art for the Tuatha De Danann race, or TDD. Also included is a short video where lead artist Scott Trolam discussed that early art and demonstrated a 3D version. Check out the art in the gallery below, and head to the official Kickstarter page for a look at the video.%Gallery-184595%
Hey humans, check out this video that shows the making of Defiance
Defiance has been slowly working its way up the hype ladder lately. We here at the Massively offices are wondering whether it will be a smash hit or just a head-scratcher, but either way, you can color us intrigued. In a recent developer video, we learn about the Votan races, a general term for the different aliens who now inhabit the war-torn Earth. Remember, these are the creatures we have to get along with, so it's good that many of them are described as the "supermodels of the Votan races." That certainly helps relations run more smoothly. We also learn more about the Irathients, the sort of misfit toy race of the universe. Although they're described as violent and ferocious, they're also known to be very spiritual. That seems to us to be a prescription for trouble. We see the Indogenes as well, a smooth-faced batch of aliens who are obviously the brains behind the operation. There are even more races that we can mention here. Does that all make sense? No? Well, check out the video after the cut and maybe it will make more sense after.
Neverwinter beta Half-Orc character creation video preview
Are you looking forward to playing Neverwinter but uninspired by the racial options that were available in the first beta weekend? Does the idea of creating a mundane Human or diminutive Halfling fail to get your adrenaline pumping? Is the potential of the dour disposition of the Dwarves ruined by their short stature? Would a passing thought of playing a delicate Elf be enough to unravel the very core of your being? If you answered yes to all of these questions, then you'll be happy to hear that Half-Orcs are now in Neverwinter! Want to see them in action? Enjoy Massively's Half-Orc character creation preview video after the cut.
Camelot Unchained is all about pride
When you play Camelot Unchained, Mark Jacobs wants you to be proud. Not just about your decision to play his game, but about every individual choice you made in playing that game. He wants you to have pride about your race, pride about your server, pride about your guild, possibly even pride about your choice of keyboard. That's the entire point of the latest development blog post: pride and the elements that build up to player pride. Jacobs argues that there are two sides to making every part of a character a source of pride. In many cases, such as with races and factions, it's important that the lore be appealing and resonant with players. In other cases, such as classes, it's more important that each feels powerful and unique while still feeling as if it needs something more. The entry goes into detail on several points about pride, ranging from factions to servers, and if you're eyeing the game in anticipation, it's worth looking through the points of pride.
Massively Exclusive: A closer look at WildStar's Mechari
The Mechari want information. They want to protect the Dominion. They want to ensure that the center of the empire remains whole and unmolested. In WildStar, they serve as the omnipresent arm of the Dominion, the inscrutable Eldan-built enforcers of the government's will. And since they're cool-looking robots, they're naturally the sort of race that pretty much everyone will have plenty of questions about beyond what was revealed in the recent post giving players a chance to meet them. We had a chance to speak with lead narrative designer Chad Moore regarding all three of the Dominion races announced thus far, and the Mechari are the last on deck. This does not mean that they're the least interesting, as you probably guessed. So if you're interested in playing the role of a robot living in an organic world, it would behoove you to find out a few more tidbits about them. And the bright side is that you don't have to ask the Mechari any questions. They like to be the ones asking the questions, after all.
Massively Exclusive: A closer look at WildStar's Draken
The Draken of WildStar are not inclined to talk about themselves. It's a simple matter of practicality; there's a hunt to be undertaken, and talking doesn't actually help with that. So today's opportunity for fans to meet the Draken doesn't have a whole lot about the bigger picture but does have a lengthy recounting of the individual Draken's major achievements, which include hunting and killing an astonishing number of things. That's all that there is to them, right? Otherwise we would have heard more. As it turned out in our interview with lead narrative designer Chad Moore, there's quite a bit more to the Draken as a whole; they're just disinclined to discuss it in any real detail. Thankfully, Moore is more concerned with lore than chasing down something and killing it, so he was able to shed more light on the Draken as a whole when you get past their love of the hunt.
The Nexus Telegraph: Now that the Dominion has your attention...
So let's unpack the Dominion a little, shall we? Because we've just met them. When WildStar first announced the existence of the Dominion in a roundabout fashion, I honestly didn't expect they would be playable. As I've seen more and more hints about them, I've grown progressively more interested in their outlook. Here we have a faction that has done unquestionably awful things and is completely evil as far as one faction is concerned... but what do they think of themselves? What is the Dominion like on the inside? As it turns out, WildStar has hit exactly the notes I was hoping for. The Dominion doesn't come across as being terribly pleasant at first glance, but the sheer amount of character in the factional intro video makes it clear that they could not care less about how they come across to you. They are refined, they are elegant, and at the end of the day, they represent everything the Exiles are fighting against. So let's talk Dominion.
Everyone's a potential traitor... even you: WildStar's Dominion faction
Last week, we revealed WildStar's Exile faction -- a Firefly-esque group of rebels, pirates, and vagabonds. Today, we're finally able to put our eyeballs on the game's Dominion faction, including three of its four races, plus a newly unveiled class, the Stalker. My instinct was to assume that the Dominion faction was meant to be a parallel to Firefly's Alliance -- space cowboys versus authoritarian aristocrats. But having explored them in more detail, I saw a lot more of Star Wars and Allods Online than I expected, and that's brilliant. Allods also has two factions, the "evil" one of which is a unique blend of Imperial Russian industrial dieselpunk and high-society technocracy. Blend that with Human High Culture propaganda from the Star Wars Extended Universe and maybe a dash of Brazil's dystopian humor and you've got WildStar's Dominion. But don't take just my word for it. Let's have a look at the videos!
Massively's video guide to Neverwinter character creation
Are you impatiently waiting to get your Dungeons and Dragons on in the upcoming Neverwinter beta events? Then we're sure you have already planned out what your character will look like. No? Well then, let us help you. Yesterday, we previewed the character creation tools for Cryptic's upcoming MMO, but we didn't showcase all of the customization options for every race. Today we remedy that with not one but six videos showing off all of the hairstyles, faces, scars, and tattoos for both genders of every race! Enjoy the previews after the cut.
You can't take the sky from me: WildStar's Exiles
You can't dip into a setting like WildStar's without hearing the familiar chords of Firefly's opening theme, and it's no accident; the game's two factions were surely set up to mimic that IP's rustic space cowboys and refined imperial aristocracy. Today, the embargo drops on a truckload of information, screenshots, and videos about the Exile faction (the Dominion faction, I fear, won't be fully revealed until next week).
Forsaken World kicks off its latest expansion, War of Shadows
If you're a stalwart fan of Forsaken World, your winter holiday of choice came early this year. The game's latest expansion, War of Shadows, has just gone live, bringing with it an entirely new race for players. Lycans can transform from their normal humanoid state into hulking wolf-creatures, providing a variety of new abilities and upgrades while they remain transformed. Other races have also seen several adjustments to bring them in line with the new kids on the block. Even if you're not interested in new races or balancing old ones, the expansion features a new zone (Eclipse Hollow) and new dungeons (Ancient's Battleground and Hell Road), which provide new quests and challenges for players. Take a look at some screenshots of the expansion in our gallery, look at the full trailer for the expansion just past the break, and then get on in and start running around with your new wolfman. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] %Gallery-107517%
The Elder Scrolls Online on Elf cannibalism and the lineage of cat people
The Elder Scrolls Online spotlight has shifted away from the Ebonheart Pact faction and is now shining most brightly on the Aldmeri Dominion. The first part of a new community Q&A peppers the devs with questions about this player faction and how it differentiates itself from the others. The playable races of the Dominion are the central focus of several questions. Players have the choice of the Wood Elf, High Elf, and Khajiit races. The latter feline humanoids may prove to be quite popular, although the devs say that there will be only one subset of the race -- the Suthay-raht -- available at launch. The team isn't avoiding the issue of the Wood Elves' cannibalism, saying that players should find mentions of it while exploring. Both Elf races will be getting plenty of story love: "We've made sure that this kind of lore about the Elves will be included in the game -- in plenty -- in all the classic ways cultural lore is delivered in the Elder Scrolls games: quest dialogue, conversations with NPCs, lore books of all kinds, music, item crafting, and so forth." The lands covered by the Dominion are touched on in the Q&A as well, including the vast jungles of Valenwood and the stunning beauty of High Elf cities.
Learn about the races and cultures of Defiance
Defiance is continuing its march to release with another making-of video. This time, the subject is the culture, makeup, and languages of the inhabitants of Defiance. While this deals with the town of Defiance in the TV show Defiance, it has some bearing on Defiance the MMO. You're not likely to have to learn an alien language to fully enjoy the game, but a little insight into the lore and world-building is always a good thing, right? Skip below the cut to learn about the different races and how to say "that's all folks" in a made-up, alien tongue.
WildStar rocks out with the Granok
Stone is patient, stone is durable, and stone hurts a whole lot when applied to someone else's forehead. WildStar's Granok follow a philosophy they call the Way of Stone, and all of those principles apply to the race as a whole. The latest installment of WildStar Wednesday takes a look at the slate-skinned giants, explaining the race's culture and how they went from their isolated and primitive existence on the planet Gnox to being starfaring mercenaries. The Dominion originally approached the Granok hoping to use them as durable shock troops and laborers, but the Granok as a whole refused the offer, prompting a war with the superpower that the Granok quickly began losing. It was only when a leader emerged willing to fight dirty that the tide began to turn for the Granok, setting into motion their eventual exile from Gnox. Take a look at the full article for all the details on these stony soldiers of fortune and the war for their planet, one that ended with a victory almost as bad as defeat.
Star Wars: The Old Republic previews new planet, new challenge, and new species
Star Wars: The Old Republic has irons in the fire. Not just the business model switch taking place in November, either; there are a lot of other pieces of content being developed, some of which the development team is previewing at Gamescom 2012. The newest trailer for the game is focused on other previews, however, covering on the upcoming new Operation, a new planet, and a new species for players to run around as. The addition of Cathar to the list of playable species has been known for some time, but this video shows a Cathar Smuggler in action. It also shows a small taste of what players can expect from the upcoming addition of the planet Makeb and the Operation Terror from Beyond. It's a brief trailer, to be sure, but it shows off plenty to look forward to, whether you're a long-time fan or you're just waiting for the business model switch in the fall.
All races will be playable by everyone in patch 5.0.4
In a stunning move, Blizzard has decided to make all races playable --including pandaren-- in the pre-expansion patch, while the pandaren will be available to all after launch. Even if you only have vanilla WoW or The Burning Crusade and even if you don't plan on getting Mists of Pandaria, you will be able to roll a character from any race. With the release of patch 5.0.4, we're making all the races of Azeroth playable by anyone, no matter which version or expansion of World of Warcraft they own. This includes the enigmatic pandaren, who will become available for play when Mists of Pandaria is released on Tuesday, September 25. We want the entire World of Warcraft community to be able to embrace their inner goblin, blood elf, worgen, draenei, or pandaren from the moment they step foot into the world of Azeroth. Now, the only hard part will be choosing a name. Who will you be next? source The upper levels and their accompanying lands will still only be available to those with the appropriate expansions, of course. I think this will be especially good for new players, as well as those you bring in with the Scroll of Resurrection or Recruit-A-Friend. Update: Pandaren won't be available until after Mists of Pandaria is released but will still be playable by anyone, regardless of latest expansion owned. Full clarification by Zarhym is after the break.
City of Steam begins third alpha weekend tonight
The Human and Elven races have already flocked to the declining metropolis of Nexus in City of Steam's first two alpha weekends. Tonight, the steampunk MMORPG kicks off its third alpha weekend at 10:00 p.m. EDT. Regrettably, not all of the greenskin races will be available in this alpha weekend as previously planned. On the plus side, the Goblins, one of the most anticipated races, will be featured. If you were really looking forward to either the Orcs or the Hobbes, take heart: The studio has announced there will be a fourth alpha weekend, which will include all nine races, more daily quests, and even more content. Supporter packs are still available on the official site for those wanting priority admittance to the alpha. [Source: Mechanist Games press release]
Latest City of Steam dev journal highlights the Ostenians
Although the people of Ostenia aren't getting much attention from City of Steam's alpha players at the moment, developers have shined a spotlight on the fun-loving, romantic Ostenians in the game's latest dev journal. So what sets these folks apart from other people on the Mechanism? Perhaps most notably, the Holy Kingdom of Ostenia is strongly influenced by the Church. The people are seen by outsiders as zealous and preachy, but not just about their religion. In fact, Ostenians are highly opinionated and considered preachy on any subject, even mundane topics like cooking. But the religious distinction is just one part of Ostenia. The kingdom is home to one of the richest and most diverse cultures on the Mechanism due to the fact that the nation is actually created from the uneasy alliance of two distinctly different lands: Ancien Royaume, an inland feudal kingdom, and Nuovo Regno, sacred church-run lands on the coast. If our summary piques your interest in the people, be sure to check them out during City of Steam's alpha weekends.
A look at Guild Wars 2's Sylvari cinematic
How do you introduce the Sylvari in Guild Wars 2? It might seem like a simple question, but this is a race that's completely new to Tyria. Every element of introduction is up to the opening cinematic. All of the other four races can call back to Guild Wars, but the Sylvari are a blank slate. As Ree Soesbee explains in her rundown of the process for the trailer, this made the Sylvari opening especially challenging for the designers. At the same time, being able to introduce the race with no preconceptions freed up the creative team to make the fundamental elements of the race comprehensible right from the start. That means covering the Dream of Dreams that all Sylvari share as well as the nature of a race whose members are born as fully developed adults. How well did it work? Jump on past the cut and decide for yourself.
City of Steam schedules debut of a new playable race each alpha weekend
Players anticipating alpha testing City of Steam have only a few more days to wait before diving into the steampunk world as this weekend begins the first of three alpha testing weekends. Each weekend will focus on different aspects of the game and will debut a new bundle of playable races: July 20th through 22nd will introduce four types of humans, July 27th through 29th will bring two types of elves, and August 3rd through 5th will have the three greenskin races. Fans who do not yet have an alpha key but want to participate need to sign up for the City of Steam newsletter on the official site. The keys are limited, so the sooner you sign up, the better your chance. The developers are also offering a guaranteed way to obtain a key by purchasing collaborator packs filled with City of Steam swag.
