resource-management
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Time names Guild Wars 2 the top video game of 2012
What's the best video game of 2012? If you're Time magazine or are looking at the headline of this article, chances are you probably know the answer. Time's website counted down the year's top 10 video games, putting Guild Wars 2 at the top of the list. The author seems taken with the game's dynamic event system: "All those events and hundreds more play out in real-time -- with, as Bono would say, or without you -- lending Guild Wars 2 the feel of a living world, and the sort of compulsive anywhere-you-go playability other MMOs only dream of." Torchlight II also made it into the list at the number 10 spot, with the author saying that it delivered the same action-RPG rush of Diablo III at a third of the price.
Torchlight II might take some inspiration from Minecraft down the road
You like Torchlight II, right? Pummeling your way through waves of baddies, reducing those baddies to nothing more than piles of gold and items -- it's exhilarating, isn't it? But what if you could do more? Maybe like building a little house or planting a field of wheat? Max Schaefer, designer extraordinaire, hinted in a recent interview that that's the sort of future addition he'd like for Torchlight II. He said that his personal hope for the game would be "to get the building and resource aspects of Minecraft and put them into an ARPG, just so it's a little more than just wandering from one monster to the next and hitting them." Schaefer is a fan of this idea as a way to lend a sense of permanence to the game and a way for players to add to their game world. However, he's not the only person at Runic Games, which means his idea is just one of many possibilities for the future of Torchlight II. "We're a long way from exhausting the possibilities," he added. To hear about power creep, player mods, and how awesome a Minecraft-Torchlight II fusion would be, hit up the full interview.
iOS MMO Lords at War to launch this Friday
Veraxon Entertainment announced today that its new free-to-play iPad and iPhone title, Lords at War, will launch this Friday. The title is a resource-management strategy game that takes place in the World of Midgard, where a war between the factions of Alliance and Fury is taking place. Players will have to build up a city, raise an army, and go to war for their faction of choice. The title is available on iOS this Friday.
Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms crowns you king of the iPad
When you buy a fancy new gizmo like an iPad, you're probably looking for something to validate that expensive purchase -- we wouldn't know, we're not rich. Based on the trailer above, it seems that Ubisoft's Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms could fill that need. It's a free-to-play, massively multiplayer web-based game focusing on resource management and diplomacy in a persistent virtual world, called Ashan. You can form alliances with other players and wage war as you vie for supremacy. Sadly, the game's only available in the United Kingdom, Germany and France right now. If you live in one of those qualifying regions, you can download it now, free of charge. We've contacted Ubisoft to see if and when it'll be available in the US. We'll let you know what we hear back.
Blood Pact: Mistakes other people make
Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "So this is hell. I'd never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the "burning marl." Old wives' tales! There's no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is--other people" ~ Jean-Paul Sartre While I try not to read Arcane Brilliance if I can help it, I did notice that the one on January 16th had a lot of comments and an intriguing title. While I didn't expect Mr. Pants to actually start flaming mages I did hold out some hope for all those comments. Anyway, the piece inspired me to write a similar article. Not so much because there are a lot of warlocks that need improvement but rather they need a place to point others, so they may learn how to play with a lock. So here's a short list of things I see in groups and raids that could be improved and make the whole experience a lot smoother.
FAQ That: All about Global Agenda's Conquest mode
So what exactly makes Global Agenda cross the border from persistent FPS to full on MMO? Conquest, my friends! Conquest. And now that the NDA has been lifted, we're free to tell you all about this agency only mode. Global Agenda: Conquest mode is the game's take on a real-time strategy game versus an FPS. Your alliance of agencies can take ownership of the Global Agenda world and lay claim to valuable resources to build agent modifications, weapons of mass destruction, and even more fun little tools. But you must guard your territory carefully, as other alliances will have the option to siege your land, forcing you into battles for domination of the map. But how does Conquest mode work? What do you need to do to take advantage of this feature of the spy-fi shooter? Glad you asked! It's time for you to FAQ That!
Darkfall city construction guide at MMORPG
Paragus put together a comprehensive guide to Darkfall's city construction on MMORPG.com. Darkfall seems to be following the Shadowbane school of urban planning: Every city exists in the open world, and each building demands a substantial monetary investment from the city's future inhabitants. Just to get up and running, the average Hamlet-sized city, which Paragus owns, will run about 38,000 gold, not including the wood and stone players need to harvest. The majority of the cost goes toward modules, which act as building blocks for new structures. Here's a cost rundown for a basic Hamlet: A Clanstone, which allows you to claim land: 10,000 gold. The Construction skill, which one person in the guild must have in order to build cities: 5,000 gold. Ten modules for the Bank,which must be erected before anything else can be built: 2,500 gold. Thirteen modules for walls, which Paragus claims don't actually protect the city from invaders: 3,250 gold. Twenty modules for two buildings of your choice, which increase the member limit on guild rosters: 5,000 gold. Fifty modules for your first resource unit, like a farm: 12,500 gold. What's more, the modules weigh quite a bit; most player's can't carry more than two at a time. Paragus goes deeper into the entire process at MMORPG.com, but Darkfall is keeping its hardcore promise when it comes to putting down stakes.
