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DCUO's War of the Light Part II now available
SOE wants you to know that War of the Light Part II, the 12th DLC pack for DC Universe Online, is available now. The update allows players to travel to Zamaron, otherwise known as the home of the Star Sapphires. New content includes four- and eight-player operations, a four-player alert, a two-player duo, a single-player challenge mode, and new open world solo missions. New gear is available, too, as are six additional skill points, new collections, new feats, and new base items. Don't forget the new trailer after the break! [Source: SOE press release]
The Daily Grind: Should EVE Online add manual flight controls?
On Friday, developer CCP Games stunned us with the news that EVE Online will be adding manual flight controls in December's Rhea update. Gamers have been asking for twitch controls since EVE launched in 2003, but the idea has always been shot down as infeasible because it would put the server under extremely heavy load. CCP mentioned its interest in twitch controls during Fanfest 2013, and I speculated on a possible server-friendly implementation in an EVE Evolved article shortly after, but the fact that the feature is about to be released still comes as a huge surprise. The new controls will be optional and quite limited. Ships will be able to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise and pitch their ships up vertically up and down, but we won't be able to do loops or rolls like in a dogfighting game. Developers also want to add joystick support soon, but so far there are no plans to add manually targeted ship weapons. Many players are excited for the new controls, and some of them are already asking for further features like the ability to lock the camera behind their ships for a more hands-on flight experience. The announcement has prompted debate in the EVE Online community, and not everyone is convinced it's a good idea. Some have complained that twitch controls don't suit EVE as the ships are supposed to be massive starships with full crews rather than single-pilot fighter craft. There's also some cynicism over whether the feature is only being worked on now due to the growing popularity of Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous. EVE could be positioning itself as a viable alternative for any players who are disappointed with the new space games, a strategy that has worked in the past to help it absorb players from games like Earth & Beyond and Star Wars Galaxies. What do you think? Should EVE add manual flight controls, and is this an attempt to appeal to the mass market? 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!
Report: Planetside 2 beta to reach PS4 by end of 2014
It's been some time since we've heard anything about the PlayStation 4 version of Sony Online Entertainment's massively multiplayer shooter Planetside 2, but according to creative director Matt Higby, the game will debut this year as a playable beta test. While Higby expects player skepticism, he wants to assure players that the delay is simply a matter of the development team having lots of work to do to ensure that the PlayStation 4 game can stand alongside its PC counterpart. "As much as it sounds like we're blowing smoke, we're working hard to release a game that feels like a full-on console experience and not just like a port," Higby told Eurogamer. [I]t's taken us quite a long time to re-jigger our user interface and our controls. There's a lot that needs to get done." "[O]ur goal is at the end of the day to have our launch on the PS4 feel like a great PS4 native console game. Not just a PC port," Higby added, noting that while his team is aiming for a game that runs at 1080p and 60fps, the true goal is to produce a version of the multiplayer shooter that offers players a smooth framerate. "[I]f we go to 30 it'll be because we want to maintain a completely solid 30fps. But that's the optimization we're working on right now." Higby offers no word on when the Planetside 2 beta test might launch, but with a month and a half remaining in 2014, it will have to appear soon for Higby's claims to ring true. [Image: SOE]
Landmark update adds keywords, flight on claims
Today's Landmark update is bound to make many players smile, starting with an optimization pass that should improve framerates and help out lower-end PCs. But it's the addition of the keyword system that is particularly noteworthy, as it will give more depth and purpose to gear. Keywords will "allow items and abilities to communicate with each other," mostly to share bonuses and passive effects. Weapons now have a specific damage type (such as water), and armor now contains cool bonuses like increases your critical strike to 100% when your armor is reduced to zero. The team also announced that players can fly over claims (as long as they have permission) and can snag even more claim expansions as the limit has been increased from five to eight.
PlanetSide 2's PS4 beta is expected by the end of the year
The PlayStation 4 version of PlanetSide 2 is still on track for beta before the end of this year, SOE says. SOE's Matt Higby told Eurogamer that the nearly-two-year-old MMOFPS sandbox has been slow to arrive on the PS4 because SOE didn't want it to feel like just another cruddy console port. "As much as it sounds like we're blowing smoke, we're working hard to release a game that feels like a full-on console experience and not just like a port. So it's taken us quite a long time to re-jigger our user interface and our controls. There's a lot that needs to get done." The PS4 edition will also sport a slightly different business model in that microtransactions will be purchased with Marketplace Cash (as in DC Universe Online) in place of Station Cash. More details, Eurogamer reports, are expected in December at the PlayStation Experience event.
EverQuest's 21st expansion, Darkened Sea, is now live
EverQuest's 21st(!) expansion is now live, quite a feat for the 15-year-old MMO. The Darkened Sea raises the level cap to 105, adds six new zones and two re-imagined ones, and features the usual assortment of new quests, items, and raids. SOE describes the storyline: On a mission to restore balance to Norrath, heroine Firiona Vie travels to Katta Castrum, a city in the Buried Sea, to heal the Combine Emperor, Tsaph Katta. However, a corrupt splinter faction of the Combine, along with the treacherous Lanys T'vyl, attacks the city and kidnaps the Combine ruler. It is up to the heroes of Norrath to track down Lanys and her compatriots, rescue the Emperor and put an end to whatever designs Lanys has planned for Norrath. Check out the new screenshots below. [Source: SOE press release]
EverQuest II: Altar of Malice goes live
Everyone must be drawn to the magical allure of "11/11" as a release date, for here's another one for you: EverQuest II's expansion, Altar of Malice, is now available to play. Altar of Malice adds the new playable Aerakyn race as well as bumps the level cap for adventurers, tradeskillers, and guilds up to 100. There's a gob of more stuff in this expansion, including an additional 29 zones of various types, an increase of prestige abilities to level 100, gem sets for armor, over a hundred new quests, and spiffy PvP gear. And since Altar of Malice is the new expansion on the block, free players can now access Chains of Eternity without paying. To help you jump into the expansion, we have not only the patch notes but also a preview and an interview about Altar of Malice's controversies for you to read while you update!
EverQuest II documentary on the way
EverQuest II turned 10 over the weekend, and SOE is apparently putting together some sort of documentary retrospective to celebrate. EQII Wire has published a teaser featuring various developers reminiscing about the long-running fantasy title. Click past the cut to have a look!
Norrathian Notebook: Talking EverQuest II's 10th anniversary with Holly Longdale
The big 1-0. EverQuest II has just joined the ranks of games in their double digits; today marks the 10th anniversary for the fantasy game. And while that's a pretty impressive feat in itself, just growing older isn't all that has happened to EQII in the past year. There have been plenty of content updates (and a change in how those update occur), holiday celebrations, and major news happenings during the course of the past 12 months. However, instead of just highlighting the major events and changes of the year in a standard retrospective piece, I'm going to do something a little different this year. On top of wandering down memory lane, I've pulled in Senior Producer Holly Longdale to answer a few questions and address some current concerns on the minds of players. Longdale talks about the high price of both the Altar of Malice Collector's Edition and the new Aerakyn race as well as shares some fun facts about who's been working on the game since the beginning.
Touring DCUO's War of Light Part II before next week's release
The DC universe is a big one, and DC Universe Online has multiple storylines involving various heroes and villains playing out through its DLC trilogies. So far, however, only the first part of each trilogy has been available to play. But that's all about to change! Starting next week, players finally get to sink their teeth into the continuation of one when the second part of War of Light, which premiered earlier this year, finally releases. Members will be granted early access to War of Light Part II on November 11th while everyone else gets the DLC on the 18th (with the exception of European players who will get it on the 19th). But thanks to a tour with Creative Director Jens Andersen and Assistant Creative Director SJ Mueller, we didn't have to wait until next week to see what's in store.
DCUO gets new skimming movement power
DC Universe just got a new movement variation, and Skimming represents the first such addition since the superhero MMO's 2011 launch. Skimming allows players to "swoop, glide, and soar on Aero Discs like Mister Miracle," according to SOE's press materials. Skimming also shares a skill tree with Flight, meaning that they both "have the same aerial traits and abilities as well as feats, races, and trophies." Members get Skimming for free, while free-to-play gamers can purchase it in DCUO's cash shop. Game Update 42 is also live, and you can read all that via the official DCUO website. Don't forget to click past the cut to view Skimming in action!
EverQuest: The Darkened Sea officially launching on November 11th
While All-Access members are currently enjoying EverQuest's newest expansion, The Darkened Sea, non-subscribers are still twiddling their thumbs waiting to get in on the fun. The good news is that the wait will be over soon, as the expansion will officially launch on November 11th for all who purchase it. To help drum up excitement, SOE posted a brief story dev diary to set the scene for the expansion. "The Darkened Sea hides many secrets," the team teased. "A coral castle, enchanting sirens, watered-down dwarves, and even dinosaurs! On a remote island in the vast ocean is a mysterious city with an intricate citadel floating above it." For a full grasp on what The Darkened Sea has to offer, check out our in-depth look into the game's 21st expansion.
EverQuest II's Aerakyn race is spreading its wings November 11th
A few weeks ago we peeked into EverQuest II's impending Altar of Malice expansion with Senior Producer Holly Longdale and Creative Director Akil Hooper. In addition to touring the zones and basking in the beauty of the artwork while weaving through dinosaurs, I also got a glimpse of the newest race coming the game and gleaned a few interesting tidbits about these scaly, winged creatures. Although not technically a part of the expansion, Aerakyn will become available to players for purchase on the same day that AoM goes live for All Access members: November 11th. Be a dragon! With a new race incoming, some players are already trying to determine whether they will bump an alt or just buy a new character slot. It's not just the opportunity to be what is arguably the first real dragonkind in the game (sorry Sarnak!) but the chance to experience the game as one of the very few flight-enabled races. The Aerakyn, like the Fae and Arasai introduced in a previous expansion, utilize their wings from day one. Of course, the actual flight mechanic cannot be obtained until the appropriate level (85), but the wings still work and the race can glide around. Unlike the Fae and Arasai, however, the Aerakyn will get to use their personal wings as all three advanced mount types.
H1Z1's audio is a key part of its immersion
When done right, you hardly ever consciously acknowledge a game's sound, but when it's missing or done poorly, it can jar a player out of desired immersion. In a dev diary posted today, H1Z1 Technical Architect Greg Spence talks about the sound of the game and demonstrates a few tests. "So much goes into making these sounds seem realistic beyond just choosing an audio file to play," Spence explains. "Taking into account your surroundings, whether you are inside or outside, what type of ground you are on, time of day, and even weather can play a big part in the final thing you hear." Spence discusses sound effects, environment sounds, and, of course, music. You can check out the audio test videos after the break!
The Think Tank: Fixing the Landmark-EQ Next perception problem
Not a Landmark post on Massively goes by without at least one commenter essentially telling SOE to talk about EverQuest Next or shut up. Massively's MJ Guthrie, who writes our EverQuest franchise column, has herself explained until she's blue in the face that Landmark is EQ Next's foundation, and SOE has talked plenty about EQ Next independently too, but for some reason, the explanations aren't sticking with the MMO populace, so the same complaints are voiced in every thread. So what gives? Has SOE been too confusing with the Landmark/EQ Next co-branding? How can SOE dig itself out of this persistent perception problem? That's what I asked Massively's writers in today's Think Tank.
EverQuest: The Darkened Sea expansion is live today
We got our first glimpse of EverQuest's 21st expansion back at SOE Live, with its impending new features, a slew of new zones, and the promise of the return of two classic characters. For the past month, some folks have even been testing these things out in beta. Now with launch finally just around the corner (as in today!), Designers Jonathan Caraker, Alan VanCouvering, and Doug Cronkhite joined Producer Thom Terrazas and Creative Director Akil Hooper to talk shop while zipping through the newest zones of The Darkened Sea on a tour of what players will get to dive into. The Darkened Sea actually builds upon a previous expansion, The Buried Sea. "We have some stories and characters... that we liked back then that we wanted to continue," Terrazas explained. "So we're bringing back some familiar characters that have been off the grid a little bit the last few years." The story itself also takes place in the Buried Sea, starting off on a little tucked away island called Tempest Temple.
SOE provides Halloween makeup tips
File this under "No, we are not making this up." The team at Sony Online Entertainment has put together a series of five instructional videos to show you how to use makeup to look like your favorite in-game characters this Halloween, including EverQuest's Firiona Vie and an H1Z1 zombie. We've got all five videos after the break, although by the looks of some of them, you'll probably best be served by having a professional makeup consultant from a special effects company on hand -- and a lot of cold cream for afterward.
DC Universe adds Green Arrow to Legends PvP
SOE has plucked Oliver Queen from the mean streets of Star City and plunked him down in DC Universe Online's Legends PvP mode. That's right, you can now fight as Green Arrow and if you're keeping score at home, this release marks the first time a bow user has been made available for Legends play. You can see Green Arrow in action via a recent SOE livestream that we've embedded past the cut. [Source: SOE press release]
Norrathian Notebook: Remembering that Landmark is in beta
An interesting thing happened on my way to pay upkeep. It hit me full force that Landmark is indeed in a true beta. I know, I know -- I have said this before. And I know that I know it. Yet sometimes that fact still sneaks up and wallops me in the face! I mean, it's pretty obvious the game is incomplete (hurry to me, AI editor!) and that there are definitely bugs to squash. But for the most part, I have not be too inconvenienced by bugs, so I guess the fact that it's a beta just floated to the back of my mind. That all changed this past week. I encountered a bug so big that it squashed me. In fact, it was so intense that it effectively prevented me from continuing my gameplay. That's when it hit me: After eight months of playing and enjoying Landmark, I had forgotten that this can actually happen. But it is important to remember, to keep this fact at the forefront of our minds. Why? It's not to be a defensive rallying cry for why something isn't in game/isn't working as intended; it's so we can get the game we want, sooner! How? By doing our job as beta testers.
EverQuest Next video talks about Ogres and Dwarves
When you talk about basic fantasy races, Dwarves and Ogres are up there as the classics. But which do you find more interesting to learn about in EverQuest Next? The latest episode of the game's Workshop Show is available now; art director Rosie Rappaport and creative director Jeff Butler are joined by lead content designer Steve Danuser to show off the style and lore of both races while players vote over which one should be the next workshop focus. Dwarves, for their part, are fairly familiar to anyone who has played EverQuest or EverQuest II (or pretty much any fantasy game from 1967 to the present): short, stocky, bearded, ancestral, and traditional. Ogres, meanwhile, have changed a lot, with a renewed developer emphasis on making the race more appealing to players in general whilst offering a wider range of available style options for players. You can watch the full show past the break, but be forewarned: It's a long one.
