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Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 Bazaar of the Four Winds patch primer
In continuing with its two-week content release cadence, ArenaNet is set to launch the Bazaar of the Four Winds patch today in Guild Wars 2. Yesterday, we teased the new features, but today I want to talk more in-depth about my experiences during the preview event this past weekend. The Bazaar of the Four Winds features a ridiculously beautiful zone called the Labyrinthine Cliffs, where players can trade wares with some unusual and shady vendors. The Zephyrites have docked their floating airship, the Zephyr Sanctum, and seek terrestrial supplies from the land-dwelling inhabitants. Sun, moon, and lightning adepts are scattered around the new area and are eager to teach players special movement powers, which are locked inside sky crystals. These movement skills will allow players to reach special areas in a vertical scavenger hunt and compete with each other in a race called the Sanctum Sprint.
Massively's video preview of Guild Wars 2's Bazaar of the Four Winds
The Bazaar of the Four Winds content update for Guild Wars 2 will hit live servers tomorrow, and players will have a plethora of new activities and areas to explore. In addition to wandering through a new area called the Labyrinthine Cliffs, the denizens of Tyria can engage in a competitive obstacle course race, the aptly named Belcher's Bluff drinking game, a crystalline scavenger hunt, and Skyhammer, an asura-themed PvP map. The achievement system is also undergoing a major overhaul with a flashy new UI and a brand-spanking-new reward system, which will shower gifts upon the game's most dedicated players. Take a hop past the cut to witness all of the changes in our video preview of the Bazaar of the Four Winds.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Revamping rewards in Guild Wars 2
ArenaNet has improved the reward systems in Guild Wars 2 this year by adding new features such as world vs. world skill trees, laurel and guild merit vendors, and better loot for world boss encounters. However, many players still feel that there should be more tangible incentives urging them to log in each day and engage in the content that they enjoy. Fortunately, Colin Johanson agrees and has taken to the forums several times to tease an upcoming reward revamp for all areas of the game. This redesign involves adding rewards for hitting certain thresholds of achievement points, creating more uses for blue and green items, and making fighting champion-level creatures more worthwhile. This month, we should expect to hear more about ArenaNet's plans for the second half of 2013, akin to the road map laid out back in January. While we wait for the official word, check out the video edition of the Flameseeker Chronicles for some loot-themed speculation.
Director's letter for Age of Conan talks loot, merges, and dungeons
If you've not been happy with loot rewards in Age of Conan, you can take some succor in the fact that the designers aren't happy with them either. The latest director's letter discusses the problem of rewards in the first Dragon's Spine dungeon and explains that the team is trying to create interesting loot without creating a huge power imbalance between new and veteran characters at the cap. While the next few dungeons will fill out the loot sets that have been established, the team is actively working on long-term solutions. Beyond that, the game remains on-track for server merges in the summer, with older unplayed characters moving into "archival" status to make database merges less onerous. The tradeskill revamp and further dungeons are also in the works; Coils of Ubah Khan is nearing launch as the next dungeon. For more details on the updates and discussion of achievements, take a look at the full letter.
Take a tropical holiday in Star Trek Online
In Star Trek Online, both the Federation and the Klingon Empire face threats from within and without. The Romulan Republic is beset on all sides by enemies, forced to consort with one-time adversaries to ensure that the long-suffering people of the demolished Romulus do not fade into memory. The galaxy is filled with strife, suffering, and a need for brave explorers and defenders. This makes it the perfect time to toss all of your cares away and start relaxing on the luxurious beaches of the pleasure planet, Risa! The special Lohlunat Festival is approaching, and that means a chance for captains of all factions and races to come to Risa and enjoy the festivities. It also means that captains can get a shot at owning a Risan Corvette, a vehicle built for speed and comfort above all else. And how do you earn the Corvette? Through exploring the island, cutting a move on the dance floor, or taking part in special Floater races across the planet. It's just the thing to unwind after a long day of getting shot at by the Borg, and it means that your tropical vacation can end with a new ship instead of maxed-out credit cards.
The Daily Grind: Do you aim for beta tester rewards?
So, World of Warplanes is apparently gearing up for open beta, and I'm kicking myself for sitting on an alpha tester account that I've had for over a year. Why? Well because Wargaming.net is going to be giving away some sort of spiffy exclusive aircraft to beta testers. The catch is that you need to log 700 beta battles to qualify, and even if I were to somehow average 10 per day, it would take me... let's see, 700, divide by 10... 70! days to get there. Now, free-to-play open betas do tend to go on for-frickin'-ever, so maybe I have a chance. In any case, The Daily Grind isn't about my first world problems, it's about you and yours. So, do you aim for beta tester rewards, or do you just try to do your part to make the game better? 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 Soapbox: How to run a successful Kickstarter campaign
The past few years have seen an absolute revolution in the games industry, with an explosion of studios securing funding through crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. In a time when banks worldwide are tightening their belts, Kickstarter represents a lifeline for indie developers and a way for the bigger studios to work on their own projects free from the need for outside investors or publishers. But with the growing number of projects seeking funding each year, developers are facing stiff competition and the rising challenge of running a successful campaign. Most developers don't release all of their stats or write up advice and insights following a successful crowdfunding campaign, and those who do are often lost on obscure blogs that don't appear when you Google for advice. But I'm in the unusual position of both being a games journalist and having successfully Kickstarted a small game project (unrelated to MMOs and my work on Massively). Six months ago, I ran a campaign for my new sci-fi 4X game Predestination, and in the process I learned some valuable lessons on what works and doesn't work on Kickstarter. We've since published the campaign stats and gone on to help a few other campaigns hit their goals. In this article, I run down the lessons I learned the hard way during the Predestination Kickstarter campaign and give some advice for developers hoping to get funded.
Community Blog Topic: Should well-behaved players be rewarded?
Last time we talked about getting rid of funsuckers, but what about the many players who enhance our gametime? Should they be rewarded? How would you go about it? Perhaps we could have a dropdown box where you could report a player for being extra helpful or otherwise going above and beyond to make your day better. Perhaps someone answered your question politely in tradechat. Or a player asked if you were going for the mining node you were fighting on top of rather than just ninjaing it during your battle. Or maybe someone helped you fight a battle out in the wild that got out of control with adds. Once someone gathered enough reports of being helpful, what would the rewards be? I would think it would have to be something that doesn't affect gameplay. If it did, guilds may insist on guildies reporting each other has helpful just to skew the system in their favor. Perhaps it would just reward a series of titles. Unfortunately, guilds may still require guildies to report each other in order to get those titles just to collect.
Age of Wushu hosts a Royal Celebration
Party like it's 2013! Snail Games invites players in the world of Jianghu to join in a special Age of Wushu Royal Celebration starting today. This celebration will have various events sprinkled throughout the month, from earning rewards just for just logging in to chances to face and fight world bosses for their loot. And the rewards themselves range from gift packs to buff items to VIP bonuses. Want to earn a special gift pack? Log in for one hour a day and you'll get one for each day. Players who manage to spend at least two hours online every day for the entire week will earn a much larger reward that includes a 30-day mount and a number of buffs and bonuses. Gain even more rewards for leveling school inner skills and for being a VIP. The event is open to all players regardless of school or skills. For a full listing of the events and their accompanying rewards, check out the official event schedule. [Source: Snail Games press release]
World of Warcraft Rewards Visa is getting a rewards upgrade
Fans of free stuff -- and who isn't? -- will appreciate the news that the World of Warcraft Rewards Visa is getting an upgrade. Currently the program offers game time rewards, but the new Blizzard Maximum Rewards program will offer more standard credit card rewards (such as gift cards, merchandise, cash back, and travel rewards) and also "additional Blizzard merchandise," which we're hoping means you can redeem points for pets, server transfers, and the like. While Blizzard's own information hasn't been updated yet, we received this straight from account-holder Orkchop, who received a letter explaining the upgraded program. The program is due to start May 10th, so if you haven't signed up for your own World of Warcraft Rewards Visa, there's still plenty of time to get in on the action: head to Blizzard's website to apply. As is only fitting, you can choose from a number of geeky, Warcraft-themed card designs and even choose to immortalize your own character on your card. Any other questions? Check Blizzard's FAQ.
Rewards expand for backers of Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar
If you've been meaning to throw money at Richard Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter campaign but haven't yet, the good news is that there are now more rewards for people who pledge support to the game. The $50 reward tier now includes a special Immortality Fruit, a special title, and early access to your surname. At $60, you also get a special tunic, weapon, and pet. The new $80 tier adds in future access to episodes 2 & 3 of the game, an indestructible starter tool, and the ability to tame an elusive monster out in the wild (assuming the game reaches its stretch goal for the taming system). Those who have already donated will receive the rewards as well, but there are several more expanded tiers that might convince fans to bump in a few more dollars.
Guild Wars 2's February update gives players a bit more loot
Guild Wars 2 might sell itself as not being a loot-focused game, but let's face it: No one wants to pound on a giant for five straight minutes without getting a new sword. So players were more than a little annoyed when exactly that was happening. After extensive investigation, director Colin Johanson posted to the forums confirming that the team believes it's found the problem and will be fixing it with the large patch later this month. The short version is that the game has a set of criteria to determine whether or not a player gets credit for killing an enemy and whether or not said player gets loot. Unfortunately, the conditions for getting loot from a target, especially high-health targets like most Champions, were extremely restrictive and could easily result in players deserving of loot winding up empty-handed. The next major patch will correct this issue, with better criteria for determining loot drops and an assured blue drop from any Champion killed.
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's Foundry foibles
I hate writing about brouhahas in Star Trek Online mainly because they're usually just a passing event that either peters out with time or gets changed so quickly that by the time my column gets posted, everything becomes moot. However, this time around I'm pretty confident that a recent change with regard to The Foundry, the user generated content tool in Star Trek Online, may actually be just the tip of the iceberg. The Foundry has had more than its fair share of technological nightmares to overcome in the two years that it has existed in STO. It is an incredible tool, one that allows authors to create their own playable content, and yet it suffers from some of the most serious flaws in the game, flaws that became apparent when the tool was used with the intention of getting easy rewards instead of the personal satisfaction of play. So where will the Foundry end up in the future?
Officers' Quarters: Faster leveling through bribery
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. Rewards can be powerful motivators. But what is the right way to reward members for leveling the guild and earning guild achievements? This week, a new leader asks just that. Hey Scott, I'm a newly established guild leader with hopes of having a decently successful guild. You see I've had my hand in a handful of guilds ranging from the most casual to the semi hardcore and then in ranks ranging from your run of the mill raider to substitute guild leader. From what I noticed in my experience is that most guilds have tons and tons of members that either pvp or raid and it seems that only the few named personnel only show up to check raid times (if any) or to do the occasional battleground. What I want to accomplish with my newly establish guild is some sort of incentives for work towards achievements or overall leveling of the guild. My officers are just down right stumped and I am looking at you for a piece of advice maybe. I guess to sort of elaborate more on what our goals are is that I'm looking at just making a casual raid/pvp guild that not only rewards its players for achievements but for progress in leveling the guild. What do you suggest? Sincerely, Wet Behind the Ears GL
Mobile apps keep shoppers coming back to stores
Traditional "brick and mortar" storefronts are facing a difficult competitor these days; the consumer armed with a smartphone or tablet who buys products online rather than making the difficult trek from couch to physical store. AllThingsD blogger Lauren Goode wrote today about a way that store owners are fighting back using apps that offer "rewards, coupons and other incentives that can only be earned when you're physically in a store." Goode talks about this new trend to reward shoppers for coming into stores by describing two apps. First, there's Shopkick (free), which provides points (called "kicks") towards store gift cards that are earned by walking into a store or scanning a specific item in the store. You can earn points at any Shopkick partner store, including Target, GameStop, Starbucks, Macy's and Sephora. Goode notes that she'll now spend free time walking into stores just to get the "kicks" provided by the app, but that the app is "dangerous" since she ends up purchasing items in those stores -- exactly the thing participating retailers want to hear. Another similar app that is new to the App Store is Kapture, which gives users rewards by capturing a photo in a physical store. Once you've done so, you need to share the photo on your social networks. Goode says she's not thrilled about bothering her friends with photos of products, so she's probably not going to use Kapture that often. At this time, Kapture's only available in New York, severely limiting its usefulness. Would you let an app know when you're in a store, scan items to gain rewards or spam your friends with product photos to earn coupons? Let us know in the comments.
Star Trek Online reveals holiday rewards
If the sound of Q's Winter Wonderland returning in Star Trek Online got you excited yesterday, then just wait until you see the rewards. The developers posted on the bounty of goods that players can earn and win during this holiday event. To earn the rewards, players will need to accumulate collectables by participating in the various holiday activities. Those collectables can be traded with other players and cashed in to purchase Tribbles, winter jackets (now with stylish midriffs!), scarves, winter weaponry, and snowmen pets. Fleets can work together to build a Breen ship ornament in their starbase. However, the big prize of the event is a Breen Chel Grett Warship. The warship is free for the taking to captains who run the footrace 25 times out of the 35 days of the event.
Katamari and Canabalt creators make a game just for LA Game Space
LA Game Space has 10 days to reach its Kickstarter goal and is half way there, with $125,000 more to go. Today it's sweetening the deal for potential backers: Keita Takahashi, the creator of Katamari Damacy, and Adam Saltsman, the (running) man behind Canabalt, are teaming up to create a game just for people who back the project.Anyone who pledges $5 or more to the LA Game Space Kickstarter will get Takahashi and Saltsman's game – whatever it turns out being – for PC, Mac or Linux. This is on top of the reward for pledges of $15 and more, which offers 30 new games from prominent indie developers such as Hotline Miami's Cactus, Steve Swink of Scale, Ben Esposito of Unfinished Swan, and Adventure Time's Pendleton Ward in collaboration with QWOP's Bennett Foddy, among others. Check out the entire list on on the Kickstarter's main page.LA Game Space is looking to create a hub of game creation in Los Angeles, featuring development tools, pseudo classrooms, mentorship and networking opportunities, along with game development workshops streamed, for free, around the world. We interviewed co-founder Adam Robezzoli in a special episode of the Super Joystiq Podcast; give it a listen right here.
App Rewards Club reports on what going free can do for developers
App Rewards Club is an app and service put together by a few iOS developers to help their fellow app devs with user discovery on the App Store. Like the Free App a Day service, App Rewards Club highlights free apps every day, which benefits users because they can grab apps for free, and then benefits developers because they can grab users to monetize off of. App Rewards Club also offers a monetization service, teaming developers up with other promotions that let users earn rewards in apps. The club has been keeping a tally of how it all works when various apps go free, and they've posted a very interesting report over on the official blog, talking about that very subject. What's perhaps most interesting is just how organic the App Store is: The apps that ARC saw do best with a free period spent exactly zero marketing dollars on their sale, and were instead just propelled by being featured on the App Store or mentioned in the press. As ARC says, "some apps have a natural propensity to get attention and move downloads without getting a big marketer involved." That's a fascinating result, and it's likely one that Apple will be thrilled to hear, given that the App Store was designed to be a relatively open marketplace, where individual developers can compete up alongside much larger companies like EA and Activision. This study finds that a marketing budget doesn't matter so much as just how "sticky" the actual app is. Elsewhere, the company also found that switching from paid to free, while having an (obvious) negative immediate effect on revenue, will actually raise the average number of purchases after going back to paid. It's not by much, and downloads go very high when flipping over to free, but developers looking for a spike in app interest can definitely consider a temporary free giveaway to do so. There's a lot of interesting information here, and the company says it still has a lot to learn going forward. But the main takeaway here seems to be that, for now, growth on the App Store is still fairly organic. Some apps can do well when they get attention, regardless of how much money they spent to get it.
Warhammer Online unleashes the Daemonic Gifts of Khorne
Chaos in Warhammer Online is bad news. It's bad news for the more orderly people of the realm, but it's also sometimes bad news for the followers of Chaos, since the deities can be a bit unfocused when spreading madness. Case in point: the new event in which several of Khorne's daemons have broken through and joined the battles across the land by attacking every mortal within arm's reach. That means both Order and Chaos players will be able to take part in the event to push back Khorne's minions. Participation simply requires players to slay Khorne's minions as well as throw in some enemy player kills. Successful participation rewards you with several boosts, including a special binding scroll for a daemon and new pieces of jewelry. No word on how long this event will take place, but considering it's a manifestation of chaos, we think it might be best to jump in and take advantage before it vanishes.
Star Trek Online shows off the Azure Nebula event
Sometimes you can't help but feel a little blue. Maybe it's because you're overtired, maybe it's because you don't have as much money as you want, or maybe it's because you've been trapped in the Azure Nebula by Tholians. Admittedly that last problem is pretty much only applicable for Romulan ships in Star Trek Online's upcoming Season 7, but it's still relevant to players, since they'll be the ones tasked with rescuing the captured ships for fun and profit. The new event will be accessible via a queue system for players at Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General rank or higher. Several Tholian prisons have been set up through the nebula, and players will be tasked with freeing as many ships as possible within a time limit. Bigger ships mean greater rewards, but they're also guarded by more formidable Tholian warships. Success rewards players with both fleet commendations and new Romulan commendations, a fitting prize for making wayward ships feel a little less blue.
