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Choose My Adventure: Starting out again in Defiance
For the month of May, I'll be playing in Trion Worlds' Defiance for this Choose My Adventure column. I played the game a bit at launch and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Since then, the MMOFPS has grown significantly, with five DLC packs added to its stable in only one year as well as another season renewal for the Defiance TV show on Syfy. But does all of this ultimately mean that the game is good? I'm going to take another look at everything while you guide my path a bit. This week, you'll be voting on how I'll spend my EGO points as well as my progression through the story.
Choose My Adventure: Defiance edition
A funny thing happened last week after I decided to play Trion Worlds' Defiance for this month's Choose My Adventure: Trion announced the game will go full free-to-play! Should I consider this perfect timing to show off the game a bit before the transition? Yes, yes I should. But before I can jump into the game, guns blazing, we have some work to do. Follow along after the cut to vote on how I'll play Defiance throughout the month of May.
Defiance will flip the F2P switch this summer
Trion Worlds has just announced that the PC version of its transmedia-synergistic wonder Defiance will go free-to-play on June 4th of this year, with the PlayStation 3 version to follow around July 15th and the Xbox 360 edition expected to switch over at an unannounced date. The game had been running a free unlimited trial since last December. The studio says that new players will have access to the Bay Area storyline, the original endgame content, and future missions for free. Gamers who pick up a new copy of the game earn 1,000 Arkforge (currency), four character slots, five loadouts, up to 75 Ark Keycodes, and a minimum of 70 inventory slots, as well as a month of "Paradise Patron" status come the F2P conversion. Existing players, fear not; Trion says that "these bonuses are also granted to all existing Defiance box or digital copy owners." Paradise Patron status grants character boosts (to skill, XP, scrip, salvage, and reputation gain rates), store discounts, and grab bags that include lock boxes and more boosts. Trion also hinted that we'll see new crossover storylines "in the coming weeks": The world of Defiance is rocked when the hope of Tranquility, the first Earthling-Votan hybrid on record, lies dying in Eren's emergency facility. As players track down the half-human and half-Irathient crossbreed's medical history, they'll quickly discover other forces are working to cover them up for a dark purpose. [Source: Trion press release]
Defiance's fifth DLC to release on April 15
Tax day just got a bit sweeter as Trion announces that Defiance's fifth DLC pack will release on April 15. Arktech Revolution introduces an EGO rating cap increase, new perks, new enemy difficulty tiers, dynamic event scaling, expert co-op maps, and much more. PC and Xbox 360 players can grab the DLC on April 15th, while PlayStation 3 players will only get it that day if they have a PlayStation 3 Season Pass. The DLC will be available in the PlayStation store on April 29th for North American players and April 30th in the European store.
Scourge: Outbreak infects Steam for PC and Mac
Third-person sci-fi shooter Scourge: Outbreak is now available on Steam, and is 10 percent off ($7.19) until Wednesday, April 9. Developed by Tragnarion Studios, the game first launched on Xbox Live Arcade in July 2013 after being announced in May 2012. The squad-based shooter features eight-player competitive multiplayer modes like Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag spread across five maps as well as a four-player cooperative campaign mode. Tragnarion Studios also launched the game's two DLC packs this week, the Blindside and Fan Packs. Both are currently 20 percent off ($1.59) until April 9. The Blindside DLC, an add-on that amounts to six versus maps, is packed in with a digital artbook and soundtrack in the Ambrosia Bundle version of the game, which is also 10 percent off this week ($8.09). [Image: Bitbox Games]
Defiance throws an extended anniversary celebration
Today is Defiance's one-year anniversary and Trion is pulling out all of the stops to celebrate... twice. Defiance will host a global boost to XP gain, skill gain, and loot drops from Wednesday, April 2nd, at 3:00 p.m. EST through Thursday, April 3rd, at the same time. The studio acknowledged that some people can't play during the week, so this global boost will be re-activated from Friday, April 4th, at 3:00 p.m. EST and continue through Monday, April 7th, at the same time.
Ex-Red 5 staffers blast Mark Kern's 'destructive' behavior
If you wondered what was going on behind the scenes of Red 5 Studios turbulent past year, then a new exposé on Game Front might illuminate you. Anonymous former employees of the Firefall studio allegedly came forward to spill the beans about mass layoffs, questionable decisions, and ex-CEO Mark Kern's erratic behavior. One person said that Kern's constantly shifting decisions caused severe stress on the team: "Months of work would be thrown out simply because he would change his mind, or he would have another 'revolutionary' idea." Another anonymous ex-staffer said that Kern was worse than that: "When he did get involved in the production of the game itself he was simply destructive. He would swoop in one afternoon and berate a series of features several teams had spent months on, declaring they begin again and LISTEN to what he told them to do. He'd be back in a few days to see if it was done. This crushed morale, and forced people into spontaneous, isolated crunch mode. He would shout and scream his perspectives." [Thanks to Dengar for the tip! Part three of the expose is now live as well.]
Defiance powers up weapons and enemies with Arktech Revolution
If you're playing Defiance, you could probably use a bit more gun. The designers certainly thought so. As often as not, higher-rated weapons just weren't worth upgrading to compared to your older weapons with lower ratings. But that's not true with the next major patch. Your EGO rating will be a lot more important than it was, and that means that higher-rating guns are going to become a lot more powerful and a lot more rewarding to use... which has some larger effects on the game as a whole. For starters, in order to compensate for bigger guns, there need to be larger enemies about that won't just dissolve into a red mist when you fire your gun. Players who still want to be able to get out and enjoy the world will also need some means of doing so, which is achieved by a dynamic scaling system which ensures that even lower-rated players can still take part in big stuff. For more details on the numbers and specifics, check out the latest development update at the official site.
Defiance's Arktech Revolution DLC beefs up progression and protagonists
Defiance announced its fifth DLC pack today, Arktech Revolution, and with it a host of changes to make good guys stronger and bad guys nastier. On the player side of things, Defiance will be increasing the EGO rating cap, adding in new EGO perks, scaling up weapon damage, modifying weapon damage types, and throwing in armor plates for added defensive capabilities. Over at enemy H.Q., mobs will become more difficult with new enemy difficulty tiers and skills introduced into the game. Arktech Revolution will also contain expert co-op maps, dynamic event scaling, and tweaks to how consumables work.
Firefall patch takes us to the kingdom of the Crystal Skull Pirates
A small update for Firefall is now live on the servers and with it comes a slew of small adjustments and additions including faster melee combat. Patch 0.8.1745 reduced the cooldown of melee attacks from three to two seconds, while also making significant tweaks to the Electron battleframe. Get your Indiana Jones jokes in while you can, because the team has included Crystal Skull Pirates with this update as well. The pirates are rare enemies that offer up a special helmet if you can track them down and deliver a plasma-laced punishment.
Defiance's Gunslinger Trials DLC is now available for season pass holders
Defiance's newest DLC, Gunslinger Trials, is now available for season pass holders on both the PC and Xbox 360. Forum posters are reporting that the DLC is not yet available for piecemeal purchase on Steam or the Trion store, but we presume it will be soon. Sorry, PS3 players; if you're not subbed with a season pass, you'll have to wait until March 24th to pick it up. The DLC boasts a new scoring system for events, improved rewards, and co-op arenas. Enjoy the official trailer after the break.
Trion Worlds introduces Glyph gaming platform
Trion Worlds is getting into the digital gaming platform business, as the studio announced today that it will be releasing its own "lightweight digital hub" called Glyph. Glyph was created to connect developers with audiences, and is purported to be friendly to use from both sides and DRM-free. The platform will take over the responsibility of being the launcher for Trion's titles, including RIFT, Defiance, and Trove (we'll believe ArcheAge when we see it). Trion says that the studio has already handled "more then 10 million gamers" in the past three years and that Glyph will be a great help to pair those players up with current and future titles. Glyph will also handle games from Trion's partners, as the studio has already begun signing on developers. It will launch shortly after GDC 2014. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
RIFT, ArcheAge, Defiance, and Trove acquire new community managers
Three weeks after the departure of Trion Worlds Director of Global Communications Elizabeth Tobey comes the news that Trion has appointed two new community managers to helm its core MMOs RIFT, Defiance, Trove, and ArcheAge. Evan "Scapes" Berman, whom gamers might recall from his days on the TERA community team, will take over the Defiance and ArcheAge communities, while Eric "Ocho" Cleaver of City of Heroes fame will defend Trove and RIFT players from waves of angry trolls. May the planar gods have mercy on their souls.
Watch a dev tour of Defiance's Gunslinger DLC
Defiance is going all Old West on us with its next DLC pack, and we've got an up-close look of the update to share with you. The Gunslinger DLC will take players on a trio of new mission arcs and deliver good-looking Western gear to go along with the theme. The DLC will also include nine additional co-op arenas and a new system of scoring arenas that gives incentives for teams that work together. Check out the developers' tour of this update in a 14-minute video that includes commentary, feature spotlights, and story missions in action.
Trion's Elizabeth Tobey departs
Trion Worlds Director of Global Communications Elizabeth Tobey announced today that she's leaving the studio to work for Smule. She also firmly squashed any speculation that her departure signaled that Trion is conducting layoffs: "Firmly no to downsizing; in fact, I've been working with our amazing team for quite a while to get some great people on deck for you." Tobey chronicled her history with RIFT and Defiance on her personal blog. "Trion's taught me a ton," she wrote. "I learned what it meant to run an MMO community (which, in comparison, makes anything I'd ever done before look like child's play). I also not only launched RIFT's first expansion but also helped it transition into (in my completely unbiased opinion) the best free-to-play MMO on the market." She also testified to the addictiveness of ArcheAge: "ArcheAge, you are going to blow people's minds. I could write an entire swan song on the awesomeness of raising livestock, charting the open seas, and hijacking my fellow coworkers as they try to complete trade routes, but I want everyone to experience that for themselves. Trust me, it's better than any blog post." [Thanks to Sanguinesun for the tip!]
Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials
Some of the early story threads from Defiance's launch haven't been addressed. The nature of the Biodyne Project and control of the Earth Republic are both questions with no answer, but that's all changing in March with the release of the game's next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials. Players will explore three new quest lines involving members of Von Bach Industries, leading to events that see both the revival of Biodyne and a look at the power gaining strength behind the scenes of the Earth Republic. The DLC content isn't limited to story developments, though. Players will also be taking on new four-person challenges in which a group of hunters struggle to reach the end of a course, killing and progressing as quickly as possible. And raw damage isn't all that matters; teamwork and coordination will play a major role in clearing the end. Gunslinger Trials is planned for release in March, so get your trigger fingers ready if this sounds like your sort of fun.
Defiance Q&A covers the 7th Legion's background
Trion Worlds posted a series of questions and answers today covering the upcoming 7th Legion DLC for Defiance. The 7th Legion is an old organization that was founded shortly after the Arkfall, whereupon campers in the Yukon saw the devastation and decided to follow the bushido code of Yoshida Hiro. It's a faction that's different than others in the game, deeply embracing the cyberpunk western motif as it navigates relationships with humans and aliens alike. If you want to learn more about the 7th Legion, give the Q&A a quick read! Players that purchase the DLC will be given a chance to enlist in the Legion and equipped with its signature gear and skills.
Why I Play: Defiance
As I did with RIFT when it was announced, sent to beta, and released, I gave Defiance a bit of a hard time. Sure, I dug the shooter aspect of it, but its attachment to the television show and (what I took as) promises of interactions between both the game and show had me giving the game the side-eye. Yeah right, I thought, this will be some sort of "revolutionary" game. Well, I was half right. That means I was also half wrong. The game is not really revolutionary in many ways, but it does do many things that have never been done before. The more I play it, the more I see that the game developers and producers of the show sold the entire thing the wrong way from the start, but "the show will grow on ya, don't worry" would not make for a good tagline, and "the game is damn fun and does away with all of that level-based stuff that plagues RIFT" would probably not look too great on the game's website. Either way, I'm glad I've stuck with the game and the show. The game, especially, has provided me with hours of entertainment. In order to illustrate how I enjoy the game, I think it would be easiest to detail a typical evening of play.
Firefall developer secures $23 million in funding
Bright skies might be ahead for Red 5 Studios: the Firefall developer announced today that it secured $23 million in additional funding. Red 5 said that it entered into share purchase agreements for the funding from Shanghai Oriental Pearl Culture Development Co. and shareholders. Red 5 Acting CEO James Macauley pointed to the influx of cash as a sign that the battle-worn company is moving forward: "This additional round of funding will offer us the means to execute on our plan for successfully launching Firefall in 2014. This is the year Firefall takes flight. The entire Red 5 tribe is focused on creating top quality content that will take Firefall to the next level and we are excited for this next stage of development." The studio has plans to create a new story campaign for Firefall, take the fight to the Chosen, and reveal some of the burning secrets that have been in the game. [Source: Red 5 press release]
Defiance previews 7th Legion DLC
Are you ready to join an elite group of bad people-stoppers? If so, then step up to your nearest 7th Legion recruiting center, or barring that, get ready to drop some money for Defiance's third DLC that's coming soon to the game. Trion Worlds has a brief overview of the features in this DLC up on its site. The 7th Legion is an E-Rep force that's making its way to the Bay Area, and by purchasing the DLC, players will be enlisted into its ranks. The DLC includes a 7th Legion uniform, a title, additional weapons, more synergies, hybrid shields, and a brand-new type of dynamic content called incursions. The 7th Legion update will also include an overhaul to the game's chat system and should arrive sometime next month.
