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The Road to Mordor: The coming LotRO class apocalypse and how you can survive it
Out of the four primary goals that the Lord of the Rings Online team has stated for 2013, the promise of class revamps has proven to be the most nerve-wracking -- and intriguing -- among the populace. After all, when you say that "significant changes" are coming to classes and don't follow up with any sort of significant details, speculation and worry is going to run amok. Last September I argued that classes did need a shakeup. While the whole structure isn't without its redeeming (ahem) virtues, I believed that it wasn't intuitive for new players, that there wasn't really any growth in the abilities or builds of characters post-Moria, and that much of the deed system was simply too grindy. That's why I'm cautiously optimistic about the "coming class apocalypse" in 2013 -- I'm tired of the status quo. LotRO has an opportunity to cut the dead weight and make leveling interesting all over again. Let's take a look at a few statements by the dev team to deduce what we'll be looking at when it happens.
LOTRO confirms player skill trees, expansion in the works
While it didn't take much reading between the lines to realize that Turbine has an expansion in the works for Lord of the Rings Online this year, the team confirmed the terminology in a dev chat. The devs hinted that the full announcement would come around the game's sixth anniversary next month. Players had many questions regarding the promised but vaguely detailed revamp coming to characters. Turbine revealed a few more details in the chat: "Three trees per class. Some degree of blending at a higher cost than sticking with a pure build. Bonuses granted based on an early-level specialization choice that grows as points are spent. You can have multiple specs. You can respec." Other interesting nuggets to chew on from the Q&A session include the news that player housing will include crafting facilities, virtue acquisition may see a significant change, and that applications for the player council will begin tomorrow.
MapleStory Adventures scores 3 million players -- before it even launches
The Facebook spin-off of MapleStory has hit a big milestone today -- a very big one indeed. Nexon announced that MapleStory Adventures crossed the three million registered player threshold. This feat is more incredible when you consider that the game is still in open beta. MapleStory Adventures is Nexon's first Facebook game, and it is soon to be joined by the company's second: Wonder Cruise. Nexon's been making strategic moves into the social gaming market this year, including a recent partnership with developer 6waves Lolapps. The company saw an impressive 59% increase in revenue last quarter. MapleStory was an obvious choice for a Facebook conversion, considering that the title was already in 2-D and has a mass-market appeal. While MapleStory Adventures is similar in many ways to its predecessor, some elements have been simplified for the platform, such as the number of classes and skill trees.
Global Agenda patch 1.4 goes live today
It's patch day for Global Agenda, and Hi-Rez Studios is re-working several aspects of its massively multiplayer third-person shooter. Version 1.4 kicks off the new Free Agent branding, and players can now experience all 50 levels, as well as every bit of the game's content, for no charge. The long-awaited Dome Defense Raid makes its first appearance in today's patch, and agents level 40 and above can team up to protect Dome City against a nasty invasion of Recursive Colony bots. Global Agenda's Demolition PvP mode is also undergoing a makeover. The game type has been re-dubbed Acquisition, and teams will now need to cross the map and pick up their robot from the opposing team's base, then return it to their own. Additionally, the robots have been upgraded with a new sprint ability and a heat ray weapon. Finally, agents will notice that their skill points have been reset, as the game's skill trees have been tweaked to address balance issues and encourage specialization. Head to the official Global Agenda website to learn more and download the game.
New ArcheAge Q&A translated on official site
Here at Massively, we've been obsessing over ArcheAge for many months (see our exclusive interview with lead dev Jake Song from last fall). The upcoming sandbox title from XL Games almost sounds too good to be true for virtual world enthusiasts due to its focus on non-combat activities (cultivating, crafting, and sailing, to name a few) as well as its territorial control and PvP aspects. While ArcheAge news is scarce in America and Europe, the game is undergoing extensive beta testing in its native Korea, and a recent developer Q&A has popped up on the title's official website. Though brief, the blurb contains a couple of nifty insights, chief among them the existence of 10 skill trees as well as confirmation of the game's seamless open-world design. You can check out the source article (in Korean) or the translation for more details.
Still clicking: Our exclusive interview with the Mythos dev team
Considering Mythos' stormy post-Flagship past and its relatively low profile over the past half year, we were pleased to see the team at Redbana unveil a website revamp last month, complete with a slew of vibrant new screenshots to tease the upcoming closed beta. The infrastructure revealed in the images suggests that the game has come a long way since we last checked in with the team; although many players might once have pigeon-holed Mythos as "just another Diablo clone," it's now maturing into a hybrid MMORPG that seems to have as much in common with Blizzard's other fantasy game as with the click-fests of yesteryear. Curious, we commandeered the team at Redbana in order to ask about the progress of the game. Meet up with us after the break as we discuss the transition to Redbana, overcoming the Diablo stigma, camera perspectives, map travel, character customization, and the likelihood that Mythos will be free-to-play. Oh, and did I mention you can play satyrs and cyclopes?!
Former Titan Quest devs announce Grim Dawn
Crate Entertainment is a company made up of the old Iron Lore team that worked on Titan Quest, arguably the most popular of the Diablo clones to come out in the past few years. Crate has finally announced its latest project, and it's Grim Dawn, another action RPG (it even namedrops Diablo in the description) set in the world of Cairn, where two forces have "decimated human civiliation" and are "warping the very fabric of reality." Sounds appropriately epic, though as long as there's plenty of loot, we're not too bothered. Five classes? Check. Skill trees? Check. A crafting system and co-op multiplayer? Check and check. Considering that even the same Titan Quest engine and toolset are being used, Grim Dawn doesn't sound too far off the hack-and-slash loot-hunting reservation. But that's not a bad thing -- we'll have to see if it plans to mix up the tried-and-true formula as it moves toward a planned digital release in 2011.
