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Enter at Your Own Rift: How to tell a great story in an MMO
My character still hasn't (ahem) ascended to Nightmare Tide levels yet, so today's RIFT story will instead be about Storm Legion. I had been working my way through the Eastern Holdings in Brevane when I encountered a quest chain that floored me with brilliant storytelling that showed exactly how MMOs can utilize this platform to tell tales in ways that other mediums cannot. It is audacious, bold, and incredibly dark, especially for RIFT. And I cannot praise it enough, especially in light of long-held claims that RIFT is often weak on story. I have two caveats before we go through what made this quest chain so great. First, I'm going to spoil it from start to finish, so if you haven't played it and want to remain innocent, just bookmark this column to read later on. Second, there are some truly edgy themes in this recap. Got it? Let's go!
Trion sheds some light on RIFT's PvP dimension development
PvP dimensions have been a much-requested feature for RIFT ever since the dimensions feature debuted with the game's Storm Legion expansion in November of 2012. Yesterday brought some good, if vague, news for players waiting on PvP dimensions: They're still in development, but no ETA is available. Trion Worlds's Pithos (of the RIFT development team) explained via the game's official forums that the release date depends on "how many features [the team] want[s] to launch with, and how often other tasks take priority." He also explained that the team has a very basic version working that includes start points, graveyards, and respawning. Make of that what you will.
Massively's exclusive sneak peek of RIFT 2.6: Dreamweaving, Fae Yule, and the state of the game
While we're descending into the insanity and fun of the holiday season, Trion Worlds is looking ahead to 2014 and its road to RIFT's 3.0. We hopped on the phone with RIFT's team earlier today for a sneak peek (sneak listen?) of the game's 2.6 content update and how it will tie into the expansion later next year. RIFT 2.6 -- there is no official title as of yet -- is a ways out still. Trion is targeting early February for its release, primarily because so many employees are taking time off for the holidays to be with friends and family. That said, 2.6 should arrive on the public test server in January, and the devs promise that it will be well worth the wait. So what's coming with 2.6? Dreams, crafts, and conclusions, my friends! Let's dig into it.
RIFT 3.0 will increase level cap, possibly introduce PvP dimensions
Excitement is building for RIFT 3.0, the unnamed second expansion for the game. While we've known that it will include a combat pet system, new souls, and better item advancement, today we have gotten official confirmation of two additional key features: a level cap increase and PvP dimensions. Rift Junkies translated a video from buffed.de in which Trion Worlds Senior Design Director Simon Ffinch dished out the juicy details. He confirmed that players will have five new levels to add, increasing the level cap to 65. He also revealed that the team is working on PvP player dimensions, although it's not clear whether this will be finished in time for 3.0. These will allow players to customize and operate their dimensions for PvP deathmatches. Ffinch said that while RIFT 3.0 is an expansion, it will only be offered digitally. It will also be free except for the new souls which, as with Storm Legion's souls, will be sold through the in-game store.
The Queue: Untitled
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. Insert introductory text here. HadenHenderson asked: Whats going to happen to the MOP scenarios when the next expansion hits? Has Blizzard said anything? Will my higher level character be able to Q for them? Will they still be level 90?
RIFT guild creates Star Wars tableau
No, this isn't Star Wars Galaxies revived from the dead. It's actually one of many screenshots of a Star Wars-themed guild dimension in RIFT, painstakingly created for visitors to enjoy. We've seen plenty of creative examples of player housing in RIFT since Storm Legion added the feature, but this may take the cake. The dimension, which exists on the EU server of Icewatch, includes an Ewok village with AT-ST, a Dewback, an X-Wing, an AT-AT vs. landspeeder, the Millennium Falcon, a Star Destroyer, and even a little Yoda cave. The detail and ingenuity that's gone into this is impressive... most impressive. The bar has been raised for housing design. Your move, other players.
A look back at RIFT on its second birthday
"Once upon a time in a land called Telara, 573 Guardian players were minding their own business in a region called Silverwood. They were frolicking and levelling, and levelling and questing, and looting and laughing, collecting and crafting.... Ah! What a peaceful time it was. "And then, the world exploded." That's how former RIFT executive producer Scott Hartsman described the Prince Hylas event from Beta 2, and for me, it will always be one of my favorite MMO memories. Telara was instantly transformed into a hellish quagmire, with invaders stacked on top of each other at every foothold in Silverwood. It's hard to believe that two years have already gone by, but it's even more amazing how the game has evolved since that unforgettable beta event.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Song of a superhero
When it comes to fantasy MMOs, we've been there so long and done that so often that we hardly think about the framework that supports these worlds and our assumptions about them. This is doubly the case when it comes to who we are: We are always talented warriors or wizards who are out to do noble good deeds and get all, like, awesome and stuff. But we are mortal. We are people, just the best of people. We have adventuring spirits. Except that this doesn't quite apply to RIFT. When you really look at it, our characters in RIFT aren't generic adventurers. Who we are is not only clearly stated time and again but made an integral part of the game and its story. It's an important distinction that's worth examining. We are Ascended. Another word for that is "superhero."
Second Wind: RIFT's Storm Legion
Trion Worlds' RIFT is still a relative newcomer to the MMO space, released a mere two years ago in March 2011, but in that time it's made quite a name for itself as one of the premier AAA titles on the market today. Since the game's release, Trion has built a reputation for putting out frequent, quality updates, and in the time since launch, RIFT has continued to grow with the addition of new features and content. Last November, Trion released Storm Legion, the game's first expansion pack, which bumped the level cap up to 60, tripled the size of the in-game world, and brought player housing to the masses in the form of dimensions. For my part, I used to be an avid RIFT player, but despite the game's unique soul system, there just wasn't enough to differentiate itself from the myriad other similar MMOs on the market, and I never managed to make it to max-level before I let my subscription lapse out of boredom. So for this edition of Second Wind, I picked myself up a copy of Storm Legion and jumped back into the world of Telara once again to see just how far it has come.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Goodbye Scott, hello 2.2
If I was to make a list of the top, oh, five or 10 MMO developers whom I admire, Scott Hartsman would be on there. It's not just that I appreciate that he's one of the few human beings who is shorter than I am, but that he's had a remarkable career full of accomplishments that I respect. EverQuest II and RIFT both owe a great debt to the leadership of Hartsman, which is why it was a sad shock to hear that he was leaving Trion Worlds for unknown pastures. And thus we begin a new year of RIFT, teetering between uncertainty and promise. For as severe as Hartsman's departure will be felt in the development of the game and in its community, we're also looking ahead to the title's third year of operation and a new update that looks to add even more delectable treats on top of this fantasy buffet. So today we're going to say goodbye to Scott and hello to Update 2.2 as we look at the recent state of the game post.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Dungeon review, part 1
I don't hide the fact that as an MMO gamer, I probably fall into the "casual" category by many of your definitions. Even so, I probably go dungeon diving in RIFT more than in other MMOs because of the game's silky-smooth LFG interface and the generally quick pace of the instance runs themselves. Hitting a dungeon while you've got one or more counters on the reward page is added incentive because you're at least guaranteed a solid loot drop of your very own (or plaques). I'm still getting a feel for Storm Legion dungeons, but when it comes to the core game, I've run those instances more times than I can count. I figured I might as well share my thoughts on the first four dungeons you're likely to run in the early and mid-game to see if they pass muster. While I'm at it, I might tell a related story or two from my runs. Gather 'round, children, as Papa Olivetti smokes a stogie and tells you a tale you're unlikely to forget.
Enter at Your Own Rift: The burden of leveling
I've seen a lot of positive comments about RIFT: Storm Legion so far, many of which are praising the expansion's zone designs, the new classes, and especially the Dimensions housing system. However, it seems that there's another comment that pops up frequently that's not as kind: It takes way too long to level from 50 to 60. For some of you, this may be moot. You might already be level 60, have multiple 60s, or have been 60 since the day after Storm Legion came out. For others who aren't even level 50 yet, the expansion might sound a bit intimidating because of the hefty XP requirements to move that level marker up one number. In any case, I think that a good number of us can agree that it's definitely a slow process that detracted from rather than added to the experience of Storm Legion. I've got several thoughts about how leveling in RIFT has become a burden instead of a blessing, how Trion is reshaping the XP game, and what this might portend for the future of the title.
Enter at Your Own Rift: My 2013 wish list
The end of the year and the beginning of a new one is the traditional time to take stock of the past and make plans for the future, no? I thought RIFT had a banner year, especially in pushing out a great expansion less than two years after launch. Trion Worlds has continued to get those meaty content updates out, fleshing out the now-annual celebrations and growing the game in new and often-surprising ways. Really, we have such a wealth of options and content on which to feast, so you'll really have to excuse me as I ignore everything the studio's done to date and talk about what I'd like to see done, changed, or added in the new year. Yup, it's time for a RIFT wish list in this Fae Yule season, straight from my fingers to Santa Crucia's home at the Death Pole!
Enter at Your Own Rift: What the Trion layoffs mean for RIFT
It's been almost a week since we first heard about the layoffs at Trion, yet there are still more questions than answers about the depth and scope of them. How many people were let go? Were they all from the RIFT team? And why was it timed just a few months after the expansion launched? It's hard to read about the layoffs and not see it as a bad sign for the game, but there may be other factors to consider. So what does this mean for RIFT? Let's consider that question in this week's Enter at your own Rift.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Build to win
We've arrived at the point in RIFT's post-expansion launch cycle when I'm genuinely embarrassed to admit how slowly I've progressed. While many of you are probably 60 and living the high life in the endgame, I'm still (mumbles) 51. I have many excuses for this: a newborn at home, flip-flopping interest between my Rogue and Cleric, a lot of experimentation in Dimensions, and Storm Legion's generally slow leveling pace. But perhaps my greatest excuse stems from one of the core features of the game. I keep making new builds and experimenting with them. Is that my fault? After all, with just one the addition of one new soul per calling a legion of new builds arose. Pun intended. Players on the forums are crunching numbers, fiddling with old builds, and magicking new ones out of thin air. I've become fascinated if not addicted to testing out these player-created builds as of late. Some promise the world and are sadly lacking, while others have shown me synergies that I didn't realize were possible.
Try RIFT's Storm Legion expansion for free
If you're feeling underfunded this holiday season, you'll be happy to know that you can check out RIFT's first expansion for free. There's a catch of course, and it's that you must be a former subscriber. The Storm Legion trial period is only available for a limited time, so mark your calendars for December 14th through the 18th. Trion also wants you to know that RIFT Lite players can now take part in the Fae Yule world event as well as build in private, public, personal, or guild dimensions.
Enter at Your Own Rift: A peek at Update 2.1
It's been only a few weeks since RIFT's the Storm Legion expansion has launched, but believe it or not, update 2.1 is coming already. It's like that feeling you get when you've just overstuffed yourself with turkey and suddenly Grandma appears with a tray full of dessert. Bits of the update recently hit the test server, and since some of it is Yule-themed, this update is probably due to hit the live servers soon. There's a surprising amount of new content and game changes, especially considering we're fresh off the heels of the expansion. As much as I love Crucia constantly screaming in my head, I ventured to the test server to check things out. For this week's Enter at Your Own Rift I've rounded up some of the highlights. Let's take a peek!
Enter at Your Own Rift: Finally facing the Storm Legion
RIFT's Storm Legion finally arrived last week, and with it came a series of new questions to be answered. Will Crucia succeed in taking over Dusken and Brevane? Will the Guardians and Defiants cooperate to drive back the Storm Legion? And why does it seem as if Queen Miela is in 20 different places at the same time? Armed with a two-handed staff and a foliage disguise, I set off to check things out now that the expansion has gone live. How well did I weather the storm?
Enter at Your Own Rift: Storm Legion is a go!
Earlier this year I celebrated my 36th birthday. While some of you were negligent in getting me that pony I've always wanted, Trion Worlds stepped up and delivered one of the best presents ever: the announcement of Storm Legion, its first expansion for RIFT. That happily coincided with my return to the game a week earlier and set me on a course of adventure and excitement all summer long. And now it's here. By the time you read this, Storm Legion will have gone live on the servers and Telara as we know will be forever changed. New continents, souls, dungeons, raids, rifts, stories, player housing, dual-faction cities, and more will wash over us and leave us floundering in its wake. What to do first? What to see and experience? I have huge hopes for Storm Legion. Trion's smartly releasing it after the crazy rush of most of the big fall expansions, and if the expansion lives up to even part of the hype, it could cement RIFT's reputation as a premium MMO worth the subscription. Heck, I'll just be happy to see an influx of returning players and new souls (so to speak) because this is a title worth supporting and enjoying. My head is a jumble of thoughts and plans, so excuse me while I gibber about anything and everything in today's column.
RIFT video heralds today's Storm Legion launch
RIFT's long-anticipated Storm Legion expansion has officially launched, and Trion Worlds has also released a new trailer and screenshots to mark the occasion. The update brings with it a host of things for players to enjoy, from new continents to housing to an increased level cap (60). As Ascended prepare to dive into all the new content, Scott Hartsman, RIFT Executive Producer and Trion's Chief Creative Officer, took a moment to thank the players for their part in shaping the expansion. He stated: "Storm Legion is a labor of love, and we dedicate it to our incredibly amazing players. Their feedback and critique throughout the expansion's development really pushed it over the top, making it a truly special experience. Thanks to them, Storm Legion is huge, dynamic, and incredibly fun to play." For even more on Storm Legion, head to Massively's launch day guide. Then check out the new screenshots in the gallery below and watch the trailer after the break. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]%Gallery-161264%
