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The Daily Grind: Do layoff announcements affect your MMO gameplay?
Yesterday's Turbine layoff announcement wasn't particularly surprising, given the fact that the firm has tied its MMO fortunes to a couple of third-party IPs and has been giving away access to its games for the past few years. Regardless of whether or not we believe Warner Bros. "normal strategic alignment" statement, layoffs are layoffs and they reflect negatively on an ongoing game service to some extent. What that extent is varies from player to player, of course, and that's where today's Daily Grind comes in. Do MMO studio layoff announcements cause you to rethink the amount of time or money you spend on a given game, or is it just business as usual? 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!
Turbine suffers another round of layoffs
Gamasutra and Twitter are reporting that an unspecified number of Turbine employees have been fired today in a new round of layoffs. A Warner Bros. representative responded with an official statement: "As part of our normal business process, we're routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions. These are always tough decisions, which we don't approach lightly, but it's crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace." Massively has reached out to Turbine for additional comments.
Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Turbine has announced that the "champion of love," Star Sapphire, is coming to Infinite Crisis. Star Sapphire wields her namesake's ring, able to channel love and keep the Predator entity in check. In the game, she's a ranged damage dealer who's best kept out of immediate harm's way. She can choose to unleash the Predator to do damage or to keep it attached for a speed boost. Star Sapphire will be added to the game on February 26th. You don't have to wait until then to check out her moves, however, as we've got her champion spotlight video after the break! [Source: Turbine press release]
Dungeons and Dragons Online allies with Ed Greenwood to revive Haunted Halls of Eveningstar
Along with the names Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, Ed Greenwood is a keystone figure in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. It was from his mind that the Forgotten Realms and Elminster sprang, and it's to his mind that Turbine has turned to make DDO's next update something truly memorable. So to celebrate D&D's 40th anniversary, Turbine and Greenwood have collaborated to bring the players an online version of the classic Haunted Halls of Eveningstar module. Even if you've played Haunted Halls as a pen-and-paper adventurer, you'll be in for a new treat this time around. Turbine's created two versions of the dungeon, one that mimics the original module and an extended version that uses Greenwood's unpublished notes. Plus, for the first time in DDO, Greenwood himself will provide the narration and optional commentary as the module's DM. We sat down with Turbine to take a look at how Update 21: The Legendary Halls is shaping up and what players will be in for when the past of pen-and-paper meets the present of online gaming.
The Road to Mordor: How LotRO explores what it means to be a hero
Developers, journalists, and bloggers alike have spent gobs of time chewing on the concept of heroism in MMOs: what makes us heroes, how these games can be tailored to make us feel heroic, whether games should force us to be heroes, and whether heroism is a desirable trait for a gamer. What we can agree on is that, if nothing else, the term has been so widely used and abused that we don't even think about the fact that "hero" is often used synonymously with the term "player character." It's just accepted that we're all heroes in MMOs as a base characteristic. But am I a hero? At the start of an MMO, no, I am not. I am a blank slate. My character has no backstory inside of the game, no accolades under her belt, and no past adventures in which she showed herself to be anything out of the ordinary. That's another thing about heroes, apparently: They can't be ordinary. They have to become uber-elite and save the world, preferably on a weekly basis by beating something to death with an axe or immolating it with a fireball spell. Lord of the Rings Online and its dev team may not be innocent of trying to shove us into the roles of heroes and play to that allegedly universal fantasy, but what I do appreciate is that this game has made me truly consider what it is to be a hero and how most MMOs get it wrong.
Lord of the Rings Online community Q&A talks region revamps
The number 42 isn't just the answer to life, the universe, and everything; it's also the number of questions that Turbine addressed in a new LotRO community Q&A forum post. A majority of the questions had to do with upcoming content, in particular what's coming with Update 13. In addition to the revamp of North Downs, the devs are apparently working on retooling Misty Mountains and Trollshows, as well as adding "a small slice of new region content." A future Paths of the Dead update was teased as well: "You can expect to see the Paths of the Dead in some form. Aragorn's path through them is described rather specifically, but I think your character will have a different reason to enter and explore the Paths." So what other features are the team working on right now? It sounds as though Rohan housing might be a possibility as are catapults in the Ettenmoors. Kinships and housing will receive some cross-feature love, crafters could see a wider range of tradeskills, and mail and inventory are both being worked on at the moment.
Dungeons and Dragons Online announces 2014 player council
Dungeons and Dragons Online now shares one more thing in common with LotRO: its very own player council. Today, Turbine announced that the 2014 player council has been established with 30 hand-picked members. The player council members are listed by forum handles and will serve the studio and the community by providing feedback and testing for DDO throughout the year. According to Turbine, the council is representative of "a wide diversity of players and playstyles" and is under an NDA while serving. DDO also posted a FAQ about the player council and its NDA for those with more questions.
Lord of the Rings Online to revamp North Downs and more
With its focus shifting from expansions to regular content in 2014, Turbine has announced that one of its upcoming projects is a revamp of Lord of the Rings Online's North Downs. During a recent in-game event, Community Manager Rick Heaton said that North Downs will be one of several zones to receive love in a future update: "Update 13 will see a few zones revamped. A few of have been asked for by many people. You will get some more information in the 20 questions, but I'll spill the beans since you going to read it next week. North Downs will be getting a once-over." North Downs was widely rumored to be the next zone to be reworked several years ago following the major revamps of Evendim and Lone-lands.
Infinite Crisis travels to Russia
Russian-speaking DC Universe fans across the pond will be able to play Infinite Crisis in their native tongue thanks to the combined efforts of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Fabrika Online. The MOBA will be available in Russia, Ukraine, the CIS countries, and Georgia with full Russian language support. David Haddad, Senior VP of Digital Publishing at WBIE noted that this was just the first step toward delivering this competitive experience to gamers around the world. Regarding the collaboration with Fabrika Online, Haddad stated, "We are very excited about the launch of Infinite Crisis in Russian and are especially thrilled to be working with Fabrika Online. The company has a huge footprint in the local online gaming market with the ability to activate the community and provide customer support." The Russian closed beta is available now; interested players can sign up on the language's official site. [Source: WBEI press release]
The Road to Mordor: The ins and outs of LotRO's mithril coins
Even though mithril coins have been in the game for the better part of a year now, we haven't really had a discussion about them in this space. I think it's time to do that, especially considering how Turbine keeps expanding the reach and utility of this handy-dandy (and expensive-wensive) currency in Lord of the Rings Online. Mithril coins were added in March 2013's Update 10, and their purchasing power expanded in subsequent updates. Basically, the mithril coin was a new type of currency that offered a quick and clean solution to buying goods and services in the game without the player's having to go through the LotRO store. Think of them as video arcade tokens, obtained with real money and used on the entertainment that you desire. Turbine saw these coins as a way to streamline certain pay-for-service portions of the game that had their own separate currencies (such as revival tomes and stablemaster writs). One unified currency for a variety of uses. I haven't seen a lot of chatter on these coins as of late, leading me to believe that their inclusion in the game is more or less accepted now. Some people find the coins irritating and an abuse of free-to-play moneygrabbing tactics. Others find them very useful and welcome in the game. I have a foot planted in both camps, and today we're going to look at the ins and outs of using mithril coins.
Forces of Nature crash into Asheron's Call
Asheron's Call's January update is live, pitting player versus the wild in an event called Forces of Nature. The storyline surrounds a great magical tree that is under attack by darkness. Players will be able to help out through various tasks and three quests of the month. Other changes that came in yesterday's patch include tweaks to the Baishi Arena, a buff to the healing skill, a nerf to recall gems, and several player-killing adjustments.
Infinite Crisis reveals the Man of Steel as a champion
Modeling Superman in any video game is kind of problematic, since his whole schtick is that he's faster than anything, invulnerable, and strong enough to fling the moon into the sun if he really wanted to. This already presents some problems when balancing for a single-player game, but in a game like Infinite Crisis, how can you make sure that the Man of Steel feels like himself without making him massively overpowered? The video past the cut shows off Turbine's take on the character. In essence, each of Superman's skills gives him a damage shield, with subsequent skills improving the shield, making him much harder to take down. His iconic abilities are all in place -- super-speed, strength, heat vision, and the like -- all adding up to a character that hits hard while being difficult to take down. Take a gander at the video to see just how the Last Son of Krypton will perform in the arena. [Source: Turbine press release]
The Daily Grind: Do you like LotRO's mounted combat?
I realize that I'm like a year late to Riders of Rohan and Lord of the Rings Online's mounted combat, but I'm nonetheless enjoying it a fair bit. It's different, for one thing. And it's got customizable horses and plenty of room to ride them, for another. It lags a bit more than I'd like, even when there are no other players around, and that brings me to my point. I rarely see anyone participating in mounted combat, at least on the Landroval server around the Norcrofts, Wold, and Entwash Vale areas. It could be that everyone's at endgame and Helm's Deep, or it could be that I'm just playing at the wrong times. Or it could be any number of other factors, including the possibility that mounted combat isn't that popular with LotRO's playerbase. What say you, Massively readers? Do you like LotRO's mounted combat? 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!
Lord of the Rings Online renews license through 2017
Turbine has secured the license for Lord of the Rings Online -- for a few more years, at least. Community Manager Rick Heaton confirmed the license renewal on the official forums today: "I just wanted to drop in and address the concerns surrounding the license, again. We have said as far back as July of 2013, we plan to support LotRO for many years to come. I really want to be as clear as possible on this subject to avoid any further confusion or misunderstanding. The license was renewed." For more on the issue of LotRO and the license to Tolkien's works, you can check out last year's Road to Mordor column on the subject.
The Daily Grind: Are player councils a good idea?
Turbine recently announced a new Player Council for Dungeons and Dragons Online. The company previously put together a similar panel for Lord of the Rings Online, but thus far we've not heard much in the way of initiatives or results. Back in the day, Star Wars: Galaxies had its own version of player representation that never seemed to actually accomplish anything. EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management has been meeting for years now, and it's probably the most impactful of the ones listed here, though whether that's due to the actual CSM or the fact that EVE is one of the few MMOs permanently affected by player action is up for debate. The question I'm coming to is this: Do you think player councils are a good idea? Would you like to serve on one? Why or why not? 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!
LotRO not working on new dungeons, has no plans to merge servers
Lord of the Rings Online Community Manager Rick Heaton spent time answering various player queries during a recent "Take the Hobbits to Isengard" event, and an enterprising player recorded the salient details to pass along. Heaton said that despite demand from players, the team is not working on creating any new traditional instances, raids, or Rohan housing. He did comment that one of the older zones is a "possibility" for a revamp during 2014 and that there are no plans to merge servers. For players looking to jump from the old Codemasters servers to the other ones, Heaton reported that a "significant technical issue" has kept this from becoming a reality. If you're curious about how many people are playing the game, well, you're going to be curious for a long time to come. "Unless we can say we have 10 million players and are bigger than World of Warcraft, what's the point?" asked Heaton during the event.
The Road to Mordor: My 2014 wish list for LotRO
A lot of us Massively writers like to take the first column of the new year to lay out a wish list for our favorite MMOs. Of course, the other writers are total copycats because I've been doing this for years now and I think that they owe me royalties. Lord of the Rings Online faces a challenging year in 2014. We already know that it's going to be an expansion-free year with a different focus on development. In April, the game will be seven years old, which certainly puts it into middle-age in MMO years. And with some uncertainty over the future of the game's IP rights, some disgruntlement over the store and aging character models, and no word as to how populated or profitable LotRO is, it's made a few folks nervous. But it could be a tremendous year as well, full of possibilities for Turbine to make good choices. I'm still as in love with this game world as ever. I wouldn't be playing LotRO if I didn't find tremendous fun and value in it, and I have hope that 2014 will see the game get its second wind and strengthen as a whole. So without further ado, here is my wish list from last year to see what was fulfilled and what was denied, along with my 2014 wish list for features and changes that I'd like to see.
Turbine announces DDO Player Council
Want to make your mark on Dungeons and Dragons Online? Then you'd best apply for the newly announced DDO Players Council. Like its counterpart in Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online, and like EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management precursor, the Council "is a group of players selected to provide targeted feedback and valuable suggestions to the DDO Team." Applications are due by January 20th, and Tubine hopes to launch the Council during the week of January 27th. [Thanks Ehra!]
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MMO Mechanics: Lowering the barriers to entry
In the increasingly competitive MMO genre, games have to do all they can to keep you as a customer. MMOs have traditionally been quite difficult games to really get into since they typically require a considerable time and money investment and we tend to play them for stretches of several months to years at a time. The gameplay in MMOs is inherently social by nature, forcing you to relate to others, and there are some even more fundamental barriers that get in the way of new players signing up. I'm sure we've all enthused and rambled to our friends in the hope that they might check out our most recent gaming crush, only to see a repulsed look on their faces when they realise it's an MMO. The classic subscription model is a substantial paywall for the average gamer, and this is what has traditionally kept MMOs niche. The early game can be daunting to those who aren't familiar with the genre, and developers pour a lot of effort into easing newcomers into that gameplay. In this week's MMO Mechanics, I'm going to look at how some MMOs manage to break down these barriers through the use of clever mechanics in order to open up MMO gaming to more people than ever before.
Infinite Crisis adds Atomic Poison Ivy
A new villain has joined the Infinite Crisis lineup, and she uses her nuclear-imbued powers to protect friends and entrap her enemies. Atomic Poison Ivy, created when a nuclear fallout withered and mutated her world's plant life as well as transformed her into a human/plant hybrid, is none-too-happy with humanity for causing the destruction. Her skills, Poisoned Earth, Bramble Rapture, and Wall of Thorns, deal power damage. Atomic Poison Ivy's passive, Toxic Growth, marks opponents for additional damage and her ultimate, Secrets of the Forest, provides an AoE stealth and power armor buff for allies. Check out all these skills in action and get a few tips and tricks for playing Atomic Poison Ivy in the video below. [Source: Turbine press release]
