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LotRO treasure hunt event returns to Middle-earth
Treasure hunters, prepare your picks! Folks who have been awaiting the return of Lord of the Rings Online's minigame treasure hunt event should head to The Treasure Field in Ered Luin quickly. The event is now live on all servers but will last only until September 23rd. According to Turbine's latest patch notes for the 7.4 update, there are also new rewards to be found buried deep in the ground. Players who don't want to take the time to ride out to the field on their own can travel via the special festival announcer NPCs located in West Bree, Michel Delving, Thorin's Hall, and Celondim. More information about the event can be found in the Road to Mordor's treasure hunting guide.
Pangya Tomahawk players can win in-game rewards in Treasure Hunt event
Pirates are cropping up everywhere, even on golf courses. Players of the free-to-play golfing game Pangya Tomahawk have the opportunity to win rare in-game rewards like a pirate costume by participating in a special crossover event called Treasure Hunt. For a limited time, players can take part in this online board game that could net prizes such as rare costumes, premium golf clubs, and in-game currency. Joan Kim, Pangya producer, stated that SG Interactive wanted to treat players to something a little different. The result? A board game powered by the golfing gameplay in Pangya. Players can earn chances for Treasure Hunt dice just by playing either nine or 18 rounds of golf on any of the game's courses, then use the dice rolls to move the caddy around the online game board. Every space on the board has a chance at winning in-game rewards, but there is also a chance of losing progress if defeated in the mini-games lurking on some spaces. Check out the gallery below for a look at the prize outfits. [Source: SG Interactive press release]%Gallery-162625%
Allods Online prepares players for patch 3.0.2 with a new mini-site
Allods Online's mascots are back for another humorous video, as Troll and Crab try their hands (claws) at making potions. It doesn't quite go as expected, but it's hard to blame Crab for what happens (he's just an earnest little guy). This is all to promote the game's newest update, patch 3.0.2, which promises to be a savory concoction for players to quaff. Over the weekend, gPotato opened up a new mini-site to promote the update and has since posted several new articles highlighting the changes. Some of patch 3.0.2's big selling points include a revamp of the Alchemy profession, the ability for pets to do the looting, a neat-sounding mentor system, a new skirmish called The Deserted Farm, a free-for-all treasure hunting space, a new raid boss, and better questing. Before you head over to see all of the patch changes, make sure to catch up on the latest episode of Troll and Crab after the break! [Thanks to Alex for the tip!]
The Road to Mordor: Treasure hunting!
It's not been an insignificant week for Lord of the Rings Online, as Turbine rolled out its big holiday patch: Update 5. With it came all manner of goodies, from an instance finder to another book in our epic quest across Middle-earth. Cooks got coffee (have you had a cup of joe yet?), and I reveled in the ability to expand my sorely taxed wardrobe beyond 100 slots. But amidst all of the excitement and analysis of the new features slid in something surprising. The night of the update, Turbine opened up its long-promised treasure hunting mini-event for a sneak peek. I joined the throngs of curious lookie-loos who made a beeline for Ered Luin and some mysterious patches of glowing soil that promised riches galore. Treasure hunting was originally supposed to hit the game much earlier this year, but for reasons unknown, Turbine pushed it back until a later date. Personally, I was psyched that another non-combat event was on its way, so when I saw that there was an actual sneak peek of the event, I cast aside all of the shiny new content of the update to see what this was all about. While I came away with favorable impressions, it was with a slight bitter aftertaste of something not quite palatable. What could it be? Well, you're just going to have to keep reading these here fancy words to find out!
Perpetuum planning tourney, treasure hunt for first anniversary
Perpetuum turns one year old this week, and the devs at Avatar Creations are celebrating in style. A new blog entry brings word of an anniversary weekend complete with a competitive PvP tournament and a not-so-competitive treasure hunt. The tourney happens on the weekend of December 3rd, and it's open only to corporations (few solo players could afford the 10 million NIC entry fee anyway). In terms of format, the event is a 16-team ladder elimination affair, and the first 16 corporations to mail in their registration fee will be accepted (the deadline is November 27th). If your group isn't up for bloodletting and robotic mayhem, you can join in the PvE treasure hunt and obtain plenty of loot rewards for your trouble. Check out the official Perpetuum website for more details and the full list of tourney rules.
Trickster Online's Episode 6 woos players with magic!
The world's most epic love story is coming to a close, a treasure map is discovered, and celebrations galore are on the way. It's not a soap opera; it's Episode 6 for Trickster Online, which has landed on the servers today. Trickster's latest update features the final part of its current story arc as well as a heapload of new content for players to explore. The episode adds 23 additional areas to the game, 56 more quests, an escort system, and a treasure hunt for billionaire Don Cavalier's loot. SG Interactive's Chris Lee says to look at Episode 6 not as an ending but as a new beginning: "The new episode will put the finishing touch to our storyline while providing engaging contents for all players, from beginners to high level players. In addition to concluding the current storyline, this update marks the beginning of more new adventures in Trickster Online, and players should anticipate big celebrations in and out of the game coming soon." Be sure to check out the trailer for Episode 6: Songs of Love and Fate!
The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost
These are exciting times for Lord of the Rings Online, for sure. The Fellowship -- and hundreds of thousands of groupies following in its wake -- has moved south, and we are growing ever closer to Mordor and Mt. Doom. In a month, Middle-earth will grow significantly with the addition of Rise of Isengard, and level-capped players will suddenly have a whole new buffet of content to devour. It's also a good era for exposure for the game, as plenty of people will get to see the expansion at Gamescom and PAX, not to mention those already in the beta proper. While we haven't heard anything about the game's finances or player numbers lately, there's no reason to believe that it's not still going strong. That said, I want to take a step back today, as I sometimes do, and look at the larger picture. How is LotRO positioned against the current competition and the heavy-hitters yet to come? What does Turbine need to be working on over the next year or two? Are we just wandering aimlessly, or is the path laid out for journey for a long time to come?
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Traveler's Quest
Traveler's Quest is an oldie but a goodie in the App Store -- it's a GPS-based treasure hunting map that will send you searching around your own area for virtual treasure with a game layer on top of it. It's simple to play and learn, but there's an addictive quality to hunting down and finding a certain location with your iPhone's GPS that will keep you playing while out and about, whether you're wandering around a vacation spot this summer or just exploring your own neighborhood. The app just got updated to version 3.0 as well, and the new version adds a whole list of interface improvements, along with a "Message in a Bottle" feature (allowing you to leave virtual messages along with any treasure you happen to claim -- kind of like virtual geocaching, and very fun) and some new Game Center achievements to chase after. Great app -- Traveler's Quest is a free download on the App Store, with various features available for an extra in-app purchase price.
Through Turbine's palantír: Developers outline LotRO's future
In J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, characters would use magical orbs known as palantírs to see and communicate with far away places. While Massively's own palantír is at the shop, we had access to the next best thing -- a one-on-two chat about Lord of the Rings Online's future with Turbine's Aaron Campbell and Adam Mersky. A lot's been happening since LotRO's free-to-play version went online last fall -- the closest thing to a relaunch that this game is likely to ever see -- and both Campbell and Mersky have one important message for fans: We're just getting started. Even as the Turbine team gears up for LotRO's third expansion, Rise of Isengard, the devs want you to know that they're also dedicated to bringing a good amount of content between now and then. Everything was on the table during this discussion, from this weekend's anniversary celebration to next month's update to the new expansion. Join us after the jump for a look through the palantír to see what information we can pry from the future!
Steam Treasure Hunt promotion giving away games for in-game accomplishments
Steam, the market's leading innovator for promotions to make you buy irresponsible amounts of their product, has struck gold once again with its current Treasure Hunt promotion. Here's how it works: Every two days, four "objectives" become available, requiring hunters to perform both out-of-game and in-game tasks for prizes. For example, current goals include setting up a Steam profile picture, or earning a ridiculously high score in Chime -- which, like all the other games with objectives on the list, is discounted during the two-day period. Anyone who accomplishes one of the four tasks will be eligible for a drawing at the end of each two-day chunk, through which 20 users will receive five games off their wishlists for free. Anyone who accomplishes 10 of the goals during the entire promotion will be entered to win the grand prize: 100 games of their choosing from the Steam platform. There are also exclusive Team Fortress 2 hats to be distributed to fervent hunters, which, let's be honest, is going to sell more games than all the other prizes up for grabs. People just love them some virtual hats. [Thanks, Zayd!]
Darkfall expansion delayed, treasure hunting in the works
Lots of stuff is going on in the world of Agon, and the weekend brought us a double-shot of news updates, one good and one not so good. Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras recently checked in on the official boards to announce a delay on the upcoming expansion. The delay appears to be primarily performance-related. "The expansion is forced back a short while longer, we hope no longer than a couple of weeks, in order to get the performance right, and everything in the expansion working properly and tested thoroughly so there's no repeat of the last setback with the terrain feature," he wrote. Aventurine has also been having trouble with its network service provider, and the post provides a few details along those lines as well. Now for the good news: treasure hunting is coming to Darkfall, courtesy of the aforementioned expansion. Players will be able to acquire map-reading skills from NPCs, make their own shovels to unearth various objects, and use treasure map hints to determine appropriate dig locations. "We are already planning on expanding this system, which means you can expect additional treasure hunt features being added on top of the one we talked about today," writes Aventurine's Laenih on the Darkfall forums.
Age of Conan director's letter details new content
Funcom executive producer Craig "Silirrion" Morrison has returned with his monthly development update, and the August edition features a fair number of juicy tidbits regarding new Age of Conan content coming this Fall. In addition to the Dreamworld game engine update, fans of Funcom's Hyboria can look forward to a new 12-on-12 PvP minigame, new PvE zones, additional raid content, and social/guild content. The new PvE zones will open up in Khitai's Pai Kang, and will take the form of two new districts in the imperial capital city. Raid content will include additional Tier 4 instances with three new encounters, as well as further additions that Morrison says may or may not make it into the Fall update package. Finally, new guild city NPCs will allow members to host social events including treasure hunts, demon hunts, and storytelling competitions. Players will also be able to sign up for horse racing, and top tier guilds will gain access to an exclusive area on the rooftops of Old Tarantia. Morrison's letter steers clear of more concrete details (as well as specific dates), but stick with Massively as we'll be bringing you all the latest Age of Conan news as Funcom starts rolling out new content.
UK inventor crafts remote controlled treasure hunting robot
Although John Corney's RC treasure hunter hasn't happened upon any $10 billion finds or unreleased iPhone knockoffs, the remote controlled truck has indeed scrounged up part of a Medieval Pilgrims badge which has now been donated to Warminster Library Museum. The off-roading machine is essentially a souped up metal detector on wheels (er, tracks) that has an on-board camera "to show its controller where it is going." The creator is already "qualified in remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) control," and has used his mountain climbing machine to land "hundreds" of old coins and medieval artifacts including a World War II medical badge. The project didn't come easy, however, as Mr. Corney has spent over seven years and £2,000 ($3,958) honing its skills, but apparently, he's hunting down VCs right now to help bring "Champion the Wonder Robot" to market.[Via Robot-Gossip]
The GPS games: more details revealed
The upcoming camera and GPS peripherals have been getting a lot of attention, most notably because they have the ability to extend the PSP's already impressive capability set, and interface with games in new, original ways. One of the more creative examples we mentioned earlier was Hot Shot Golf's communication with GPS that transforms the game into a personal golf assistant when you're actually on one of Japan's golf courses. According to IT Media, this can become the "golf tool of the new age." This will certainly bring in a very unique audience to the world of gaming: golfers, who might pick up a PSP just to get all the golf data they could ever want. (But we wonder, how many people will actually use this functionality? And: will it work on US golf courses?)Of course, Hot Shots Golf isn't the only game using PSP's GPS feature. Read on to see how other software is taking advantage of the device.
