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Massively Exclusive: Battle of the Immortals Titan update lore blog
Perfect World Entertainment's Battle of the Immortals -- which hit its one year anniversary just last month -- is gearing up for its upcoming Titan update. Precious little information about this upcoming addition to the game has been released (all we know right now is that two new instances will be introduced, along with updates to the game's existing features), but today PWE has treated us to an exclusive tidbit of lore to fill players in on the events leading up to the update. Unfortunately, that's about all we have in regard to this brand-new update, but be sure to check back with us from time to time because we'll be keeping you up to date on all the freshest information on Battle of the Immortals and its Titan update as the news drops. So without further ado, head on past the cut for the first lore blog post from Battle of the Immortals' Titan update.
The Guild Counsel: Odds and Ends
With summer approaching, school coming to an end, and summer travel right around the corner, I find that this is a good time of year to step back, take stock, and reflect on things. It's easy as a guild leader to put the blinders on and get on the treadmill of day-to-day management. But it's worth pausing every now and then to consider the bigger picture. In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll do just that. Read on for a few thoughts on some of the odds and ends of guild management.
EVE Evolved: Force projection and jump bridges
When EVE Online's Dominion expansion launched, we expected to see large empires contract into smaller areas of space and smaller entities move in to fill in the gaps. High sovereignty maintenance fees were meant to keep alliances from claiming systems they didn't intend to fully use, and smaller territories were meant to localise wars to only an alliance's immediate neighbours. Unfortunately, almost the exact opposite happened. Large alliances continued to group together into massive mega-coalitions, collectively owning huge regions of space and preventing smaller organisations from staking a claim on their own. Dominion failed to achieve its stated goals, and in the years since its release CCP has been reluctant or unable to revisit the sovereignty mechanics Dominion overhauled. In that time, the face of EVE's nullsec warfare has changed drastically, with most large alliances now flaunting dozens of once-rare supercarriers and titans. Starbase jump bridge networks, titan jump portals and jump-drive enabled ships allow alliances to project force over immense distances, letting them support a war on the other side of the map. With the recent announcement of changes coming to jump bridges, the force projection debate has once again taken center stage in forums and blogs. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the problems associated with force projection, examine the jump bridge changes and weigh in on the debate.
Newest Vindictus patch goes big time
Size matters. It's practically a law of nature -- the bigger something is, the better loot it drops. Well, all right, maybe that's not a law of nature, but it is a law of MMOs and certainly a law of Vindictus. The game's latest titantic update has just gone live, bringing with it the appropriately named Titan raid boss. And the enormous boss is certainly a big part of the newest update, but there are other ways for characters to live large in the patch even without facing the Titan. Resenlian's Labyrinth has been added to the game, allowing players a chance to face off against a variety of foes including the deepest fears within each character for sizable rewards. Evie's staff skills have also received a big improvement, and the new merged dock system will allow for a massively easier time when it comes to travel. Vindictus players can check out all the details on the gargantuan patch from the patch notes, as well as see the upcoming events for the game.
Vindictus is making a Titanic Shift!
The team at Nexon practiced the Galactic Empire's way of handling situations when devising the next upgrades to its action-MMO Vindictus: Make it bigger! The creators promised on their website today that Titan would be the biggest raid boss to hit the free-to-play MMO. "Only the bravest and strongest mercenaries will come out victorious," claim the developers in the announcement. This colossal boss can easily smash the bones of anyone who opposes him. Then, the creators ask if you will be the first to escape Resenlian's gigantic labyrinth. An evil alchemist filled the tunnels with gruesome creatures, and until now, no mercenary has ever escaped it. Next, Evie's staff has grown larger... in stats, that is. The new functionality of her staff allows her to perform better as a caster. Lastly, the docking system is wider. The devs have heard your pleas; they are revamping the docking system so that you may access more docks at one time. This means less wait-time assembling a party. This Titanic Shift patch goes live on April 20th! Hop over to the official website for more super-huge (OK -- I'm running out of words for big) information about this update.
Blizzard pro-cannibalism: Diablo 3 could eat into World of Warcraft audience
While Blizzard cofounder Frank Pearce is unexpectedly bullish on EA's prospects with its Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO – and of course Blizz's own next-gen, untitled "Titan" MMO – he sees another potential product that could cannibalize his massive World of Warcraft audience. "I think even a shorter-term concern is whether or not we might see cannibalization of WoW players from Diablo 3 when we launch it, because it's a similar type of experience," Pearce told Gamasutra. "Not exactly similar, but it's that RPG feel." While Diablo 3 currently has no release date – it's possible it may not make it out this year – Pearce said "it's better we cannibalize them ourselves than let someone else do that, because if we cannibalize them ourselves, they're still a Blizzard customer." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is maybe the only kind of cannibalism that we can endorse.
Blizzard COO: We hope Titan will still be growing in 20 years
Finding (or developing) the first real World of Warcraft-killer is something of a holy grail for MMO fans and developers alike. The extraordinary success of Blizzard's fantasy title has set the company and its flagship product on a seemingly unreachable pedestal in terms of financial success and subscriber numbers. Conventional wisdom says that's unlikely to be duplicated any time soon, if ever, but Blizzard COO Paul Sams isn't so sure. In a new interview with Gamasutra, he talks a bit about Titan, the code name for the as-yet-unannounced followup to World of Warcraft. "I believe [it's] the most ambitious thing we've ever attempted," Sams told Gamasutra. "And I feel like we have set our company up to succeed on that. We have some of our most talented and most experienced developers on that team. Many of the people that built World of Warcraft are full time on that other team." Will WoW's 12 million subscribers jump ship and make Titan the raging success that its predecessor was? "The thing that we hope will happen is that it will not stop World of Warcraft but we believe it will eclipse it," Sams said, before adding that he expects Titan to be an industry force over the next two decades.
The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The vet
Space: the final frontier... except for 4chan, which is a lot scarier to explore. These are the voyages of the Starship Massively. Its five-year mission: to explore strange, new worlds; to seek out new life and blow it out of the sky; to boldly exploit trade routes like no one has done before! Erp, better stop there before I begin infringing on the Captain's Log's territory! In any event, we at The Game Archaeologist Institute for Fuzzy Nostalgia continue to forge ahead with the Earth & Beyond dig, carefully dusting off memories and screenshots to preserve in a blog-shaped museum. It's one thing to talk of a game, but another to speak with one who was there at the time, so I went on a hunt through the dark recesses of the internet to find seasoned Earth & Beyonders. This search took me about two minutes before one of my associates practically opened the floodgates of fanboy gushing to drown me in his enthusiasm for this title. One interview, hundreds of screenshots and an Electronic Arts dev bible later, and we at the institute knew that we hit the motherlode. Join us for a civilized discussion with an Earth & Beyond vet as he shares with us crumpets and recollections.
Blizzard speaks (briefly) about new MMO plans
"To break the mold, sometimes you have to start over," says Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime. Apparently the monolithic development firm's next MMO won't be a World of Warcraft sequel, and In fact, the company expects the two titles to co-exist for a number of years. "We're really trying to leverage all the lessons we learned through the years. Some of which we were able to address in World of Warcraft and others that maybe because of the design decisions we've made, you just can't address. So we're kind of taking a step back with all that knowledge to make something that's completely new and fresh," Morhaime said yesterday while speaking at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas. Specific details were nowhere to be found of course, but Morhaime did hint at the social aspects that Blizzard sees as defining characteristics for the future of gaming.
Activision: At least two Blizzard titles coming in 2012, if none released this year
Speaking during a financial earnings call today, Activision COO Thomas Tippl said that if we don't see any games from Blizzard this year, the publisher expects to see them next year. "Because Blizzard Entertainment has not yet confirmed the launch date for its next global release," Tippl told investors and press, "our outlook at this time does not include a new game from Blizzard in 2011." But don't worry, Blizzard fans, Activision's got a whip it's not afraid to crack: "Should we not release a major title from Blizzard this year, we would expect for planning purposes to launch a minimum of two Blizzard titles in 2012." Presumably, those two titles would be Heart of the Swarm (the Zerg-based expansion for Starcraft 2) and the long-awaited Diablo 3. Blizzard president Mike Morhaime joined the call after Tippl spoke and promised that more information was coming about both. Blizzard's developers, he said, are hard at work on Heart of the Swarm, and we'll hear more "in the coming months." Additionally, Morhaime said that he would talk about Diablo 3 "and the upcoming beta on the next call," in about three months. "Until we get to beta and have the community help us test the game," he later said, "we're not going to lock in a release date." Blizzard is also working to get both World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Starcraft 2 out in China, but had "no specific updates to share at this time" about those releases -- or the "Titan" MMO, for that matter. Morhaime did plug both the upcoming BlizzCon and Blizzard's twentieth anniversary this year, and closed by saying that "the games we have in the pipeline represent the best and widest slate of games we have ever produced."
Massively's EVE CSM interview: Incarna and nullsec PvP
In part one of our interview with EVE Online's player-elected Council of Stellar Management, we asked council member Deirdra Vaal about EVE Gate, the upcoming forum revamp, CCP's microtransaction policy and other topics discussed at the December CSM summit. In three meeting sessions, CCP and the CSM tackled some hard-hitting issues, the biggest of which were Incarna and nullsec PvP. Most of the details on Incarna are currently locked under NDA, but that didn't stop us from asking the CSM about it. Nullsec PvP has also been a hot topic recently with the revelation that levels of PvP have actually been declining since the Dominion expansion. Dominion was intended to open up nullsec for smaller entities, but we still see EVE's political landscape dominated by massive coalitions of alliances spanning several regions. Massively: The CSM expressed significant concerns about the Incarna development plans it had access to. Does the CSM think that CCP is heading in the wrong direction with Incarna? Deirdra Vaal: We feel that the approach taken to Incarna is the wrong one, and we emphasised this to CCP. However, CCPs general idea to set Incarna as an "off the grid" environment where we go for shady deals is something the CSM is reasonably happy with. It's just that so far we haven't really been shown any compelling gameplay. So we think they might be heading in the wrong direction, if they are lazy about it. They might also be heading in the right direction, but so far we haven't seen compelling gameplay that would support this assumption. Skip past the cut for the rest of our interview with EVE's CSM on Incarna, nullsec PvP and the future of EVE.
Blizzard confirms 'Titan' as 'next-gen MMO'
In an interview with Destructoid, World of Warcraft producer Frank Pearce finally confirmed "Titan" as at least a codename for Blizzard's new MMO project. "The media is not supposed to know anything about [Titan]," Pearce said with a smile. "It's our next-gen MMO, and we've only started talking about it in a limited fashion because we wanna leverage the fact that we're working on something like that for the purpose of recruiting, getting some of the best talent in the industry on that project." Does "we made WoW" not work well enough for recruiting developers? The name "Titan" most recently appeared on an alleged Blizzard release schedule that had supposedly leaked, but Blizzard has declined to verify its authenticity. These documents also contained details about two additional WoW expansions, as well as expansions for Diablo 3 and StarCraft 2.
New Blizzard MMO project is confirmed to be Titan
Blizzard has kept its newest MMO project under tight wraps despite some corporate leakage earlier this month. However, Destructoid seems to have a confirmation from World of Warcraft's Executive Producer Frank Pearce that Titan is the name of the company's next big project. Pearce told Destructoid, "Titan... the media is not supposed to know anything about that. It's our next-gen MMO, and we've only started talking about it in a limited fashion because we wanna leverage the fact that we're working on something like that for the purpose of recruiting, getting some of the best talent in the industry on that project." However, Titan may only be an internal title for the -- obviously -- massive project. The title is not meant to replace WoW, according to Blizzard President Mike Morhaime. "We think that World of Warcraft can continue co-existing with our new MMO," he said in a GameTrailers interview at BlizzCon 2010. Massively will be sure to keep you informed as more news becomes available. [Thank you to Merketh for the link]
Analysts speculate on leaked Blizzard release schedule
Last week's leak of a series of internal documents detailing Blizzard's upcoming products has taken a turn away from tabloid headlines with reports of a full investigation underway at the gaming behemoth's China offices. The leak, brought to light by MMOGameSite.com, may be linked to the recent resignation of Ye Weilun, Blizzard China's general manager. Among other things, the leaked documents indicated that Blizzard could be releasing Diablo 3 and something Starcraft 2-related (dubbed "Phoenix") in 2011. The 5-year roadmap also shows two new World of Warcraft expansions and Blizzard's long-rumored WoW followup, an MMO code-named Titan. While much of the information surrounding the leak should be taken with a grain of salt (Blizzard has yet to officially confirm any information relating to the story), several analysts and industry reporters have speculated that the scenario seems entirely plausible.
WAR40K throws down the gauntlet
Other MMOs are predictable, lazy and lack the real "feel" of combat -- or so says Vigil Games' founder Dave Adams. In a recent PC Gamer article, Adams and Creative Director Mike Maza share their vision for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online -- and it's all about bucking the industry standard. Adams had a few strong words for Vigil's competition: "A lot of developers see that as an opportunity to cut that corner because there's so much to do on an MMO. They think people care about X, Y and Z. They don't really care about the feeling of the combat... Our goal is when some guy's walking past DMO they won't instantly know it's an MMO. That depends on a minimal interface: it's not a full FPS but it looks more 'actiony'." The devs confirmed that there would be a wide range of combat features in this action-based title, including fierce melee brawls, intense ranged firefights -- and no action bar icons of which to speak. The team is working hard to recreate the tabletop's iconic world into a virtual one, designing guns (stubber and bolter firearms) and player-controlled vehicles (Titan mechs and Predator tanks) to look deadly, used and WAR40Kish. The game will kick players into the fight almost immediately. "There's scenarios that introduce you to your character class. We'll throw you into your very first instance, to get a feel for a very player directed experience. Then you'll go to your trainers and merchants, then drop down onto the over-world from orbit," Maza said. You can read the full article at PC Gamer.
Facebook about to launch a Gmail-slaying Titan?
Oh no, Facebook's hosting another event? But it's so soon after the last one, we've barely had time to recover from all that excitement. The invite to this new shindig is adorned with some pretty obvious visual hints at mail and messaging, which (along with a few well placed sources) has led TechCrunch to speculate that Zuckerberg and crew are about to unveil their Project Titan email client. Rumored to have been in the works since at least February, this "full-fledged" webmail service -- replete with @facebook.com personal addresses -- is reportedly referred to as a "Gmail killer" internally. We struggle to imagine anything dragging us away from Google's versatile mail offering, but competition's never a bad thing -- even if it comes from another company that has more information about us than it should.
The gods have their day: Legend of Edda hits open beta on October 14th
Are you lacking weekend plans? It's OK -- Massively has you covered. It turns out that Legends of Edda is sprinting into open beta this Thursday, October 14th, and everyone who wants to give this mythological MMO a spin can do so! Legends of Edda is a free-to-play MMO loosely based on Greek mythology -- you know, where all of the gods of the pantheon are like soap opera characters who have access to divine dynamite. Players choose to follow Olympus or Titan upon character creation and then follow a unique storyline that will see the two factions butt heads in RvR in a quest for supremacy. The game also includes an interesting mix-and-match class system that should provide a lot of compelling options for personal playstyles. The open beta includes a lot of recent additions to the game, including a new level cap of 40, high-level dungeons, and an equipment upgrading system. If you're interested in participating, you can sign up for the open beta at the Legends of Edda website, and then log in any time after 10:00 a.m. EDT on October 14th.
Leica introduces M9 'Titanium,' limited to just 500 luscious pieces
Can't afford anything that's been introduced at Photokina so far? Unfortunately for you, there's hardly a chance that Leica's newest limited edition product will be the one that slips under the budget. At the outfit's exclusive press preview this evening in Cologne, a gallery of executives from Leica and Volkswagen (who chipped in on the design) formally unveiled the M9 'Titanium.' For all intents and purposes, this is just a souped-up M9, but there's plenty to love for those who fancy high-fashion. You know, like a trim that uses leather "typically reserved for the interiors of Audi's premium automobiles." According to Leica, "anything that looks like titanium, is titanium." It's also coated with a fingerprint-resistant overlay, and the bundle is slated to include the camera itself, a 35mm Summilux F/1.4 prime lens, lens hood, a new carrying concept (just a single hook for a carry strap), a newfangled electronic illumination system and a fanciful cardboard box made somewhere in the Black Forest. Just 500 of these kits are being produced and sold for an undisclosed amount starting in November, and chances are all but one or two have already been claimed. Good luck getting in line, and you might as well forget scoring the four millionth Leica camera to be produced since 1923 -- a specially-stamped M9 'Titanium' -- as that one's being given away to someone far more important than us tonight. %Gallery-102807% %Gallery-102808%
Big Brother UK invaded by Titan the robot (video)
First off let's be clear: we're not talking about an invasion of the UK surveillance society (this time), instead, we're talking about the Big Brother TV show which, apparently, is still on the air. Enter our old friend Titan the Robot, the 7-foot 3-inch tall, human-operated "robot" from Cyberstein Robots. The flatmates found him hiding in the shower a few days ago before he set off ordering them about. We're sure everyone will be safe, at least until some skank "glamour model" decides to nickname it "chicken." Watch the rather mundane video of the robot-as-answering-machine after the break. Hey, its the best we've got until some desperate-for-stardom flatmate coaxes Titan into bumpin' servos, Bjork-style, on live TV. [Thanks, Wayne Y.]
Diagram shows real-world cost of losing ships in EVE Online
Whether you play EVE Online or not, the chances are you've read a lot about the harsh, cut-throat universe of New Eden. Alliances routinely clash over territorial disputes, spies work to destroy organisations from the inside and death is an inevitability. While dying in most MMOs means respawning at some far-away camp and having to repair your gear, death in EVE is a somewhat more vicious affair. When your ship is destroyed, whether it's by NPCs in a particularly tough mission or pirates hunting in a low security system, it's gone for good. While insurance will provide a sum of ISK to help with the loss, you'll need to re-buy a new ship and all the equipment that went on it. This would be like having to buy a new set of armour every time you die in World of Warcraft; a scary notion. For the denizens of New Eden, losing a ship is a strictly in-game financial loss but for those that don't play EVE the scale of those losses can be hard to grasp. Jump On Contact tackled this issue head-on recently with a handy chart showing the rough value of EVE ships in both ISK (the in-game currency) and US Dollars. The prices show the sheer scale of the losses incurred in large battles and are based on a player buying game time codes for cash to be sold in-game for ISK. A fully geared battleship, one of the most common types of ship for players to own in the game, comes out as being worth approximately $10 US Dollars. Most ships fall somewhere between $1 and $13 but perhaps most shocking is the price of a fleet-ready titan, which is estimated at $7600. The next time you hear about a titan being killed or a fleet of capital ships being wiped out, perhaps this chart can help show the sheer scale of that loss.
