tutorial
Latest
The Road to Mordor: Touring the fall's new content with Turbine (part one)
It just may be the dream of every MMO geek to command the attention of his or her favorite dev team, bombard them with questions, and be shown secrets previously kept behind closed doors. Well, my friends, today that dream came true for this geek, as Turbine graciously sat down with Massively for over two hours to conduct an all-access tour to the fall's hot new LotRO content -- including the details behind the controversial and anticipated F2P switch. Aaron Campbell (Producer), Allan Maki (Senior Designer), Elliot Gilman (Senior Designer), Brian Aloisio (Designer), Joseph Barry (Designer) and Jonathan Rudder (Lore Guru) were on hand to fly me through the new content -- and reveal a few big surprises. To say that I had questions is an understatement; I fear that I sounded a bit like a six-year-old who peppers parents with unending "Why?" queries. Expecting to hear "no comment" a lot (after all, this content is in beta), I was surprised when the Turbine team enthusiastically answered all of my questions and then some. This is a team who know this F2P move is bringing some apprehension and concern, and they're trying to assuage that with as much information as possible. So join me as we go through the first part of this tour, looking at an enhanced new-player experience, instance scaling and the addition of Enedwaith to Turbine's Middle-earth.
EVE Evolved: The game doesn't really start until...
While reading the latest Anti-Aliased, Seraphina Brennan's weekly opinion column here at Massively, I couldn't help but apply what she was talking about to EVE Online. Sera's opinion piece was centred on the idea that games should be fun right from the start. If there's a period of boredom or grind before you get to the fun parts of a game, the developers are doing something wrong. While this is most often attributed to theme-park MMOs, with their rush to endgame before the game really opens up, I can't help but think EVE falls into the same trap. Despite its open-world sandbox nature with no forced progression or crafted endgame, I catch myself saying "EVE doesn't really start until ..." all the time. Most often I'm talking about how EVE's core gameplay really begins with PvP, and how motivationally essential it is to join a good player-run corporation. I've always found EVE's social structures and PvP to be its two most powerful components. Over the years, I've watched players who get involved in them stick with the game for years, while others who don't quickly become bored. I find myself wondering whether anything can be done to bring those parts of the game to new players right from the start. In this opinion piece, I look at the idea that EVE doesn't really kick off for players until they get into PvP or join a good corporation. I go on to suggest a few changes to the new-player experience that might help bring these elusive endgames to new players.
WoW.com's guide to Ahune
Lord Ahune, the Frost Lord, hates fire. We, however, love fire! We're celebrating fire for two weeks, and this party pooper needs to go. The great Kinaesthesia, who created the excellent Marrowgar hard mode and Lich King tutorial videos for WoW.com, has made an excellent video guiding players through the Ahune fight. The Ahune fight isn't terribly complicated, but for newer players, players experiencing the Midsummer Fire Festival for the first time, or just people who love Kinesthesia's boss tutorials, the video is definitely worth a watch. Check it out!
One Shots: Do a little dance
Sometimes, a little time and distance from an MMO can completely change our opinion of a game. This appears to be especially true of our readers when it comes to Age of Conan. While many may not have cared for the game at launch, the polish and care that the Funcom team have put into the game since then is often remarked on by our readers. That's why we're not surprised to see a screenshot from the tutorial like this one from Mark. As his note is a bit long, we'll simply say if you'd like to join the fun, email your images to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a note about it. Now, here's what Mark had to say: "I had just loaded up Rise of the Godslayer and could not resist levelling a new Khitai character. While getting back into the flow of the game after nearly one year away, I started playing with the emotes to see what the new race had to offer fluff-wise. She seems to be having a good time dancing with her undead minions. Personally I think Jintana could give Lady Gaga a run for her money!" "I had forgotten how beautiful and rich the world was in Age of Conan. I am so glad I came back to the game after suffering from general MMO burnout. Even with loading screens now and then, it is for me the most immersive MMO I have ever played. Sometimes I can practically smell the sea air and the fires burning." %Gallery-85937%
Turbine bears proof of fan-power in LotRO
"Powered by our fans" is the well-known motto of Turbine, quoted ad infinitum by said fans, both as proof of a company that understands and a company that's fallen out of touch. While gamers debate this, the devs stand by the company's efforts to keep in touch with what their players want and to deliver it to them. In a recent post on the Lord of the Rings Online forums, "TheStormKing" challenged Turbine to provide clear examples of how player suggestions have made an impact on the game. The answer was a bit shocking and awesome -- Sapience came back with a massive list off the top of his head of changes made to LotRO because of demands and ideas by the playerbase. These included revamping mounts, housing, fishing, shared storage, new travel routes, being able to skip the tutorial, the quest tracker, UI customization, the Rift skirmish and a whole lot more. You can read the whole list here, and see whether it gives credence to Turbine's motto. And if you ever wondered whether devs played the same game the players do, Sapience sets the record straight on that as well: "Someone asked if I play. Yes I do (and have for a long time, even before I started working for Turbine). My entire family does. Between us we have almost every class to 65." [Thanks Lotro Weekly!]
Trio of Blur tutorials explain the value of fans
We understand the value of a good fan just as much as the next guy, whether said fan is reading our humble video game news site, or keeping us cool in the humid summer months. In Bizarre Creations' arcadey racer Blur, they're even more valuable, serving as the player's main form of character progression. In addition, fans will offer a few bonuses which will pop up in the middle of each race, including Fan Runs, Fan Demands and Fan Targets. Bizarre Creations recently released video tutorials for all three of these bonuses, posted above and after the jump. We'd suggest checking them out if you're planning on picking up the game when it gets released next Tuesday.
Iwata explains Super Mario Galaxy 2 tutorial DVD
In his presentation to investors, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed that Super Mario Galaxy 2 would include a bonus tutorial DVD, and that said DVD would be exclusive to Europe and Japan. Iwata called the "Super Mario Galaxy 2 For Beginners" video "a visual manual for first-timers for 3D Mario." It includes basic information about how to play Super Mario Galaxy 2, as well as "Super Play" footage showing advanced techniques for more seasoned Mario fans. He also addressed the obvious complaint about the DVD: "Some may feel this is unusual because Wii does not have a DVD playback capability, but given the wide penetration of DVD players at home, we have concluded that it is most useful for the players if they can confirm the contents even while they are playing with Wii and decided to provide the footage in DVD format." You can see a snippet of footage from the Japanese version of the DVD in the presentation. And you can see the latest trailer from Nintendo of America, featuring Bee Mario, after the break.
TUAW's Daily App: Powder
TUAW's Daily App spotlights one great App Store app, every single weekday. Powder probably isn't the most polished roguelike RPG experience on the App Store (Sword of Fargoal is generally considered to be among the best), but what it lacks in graphical quality, it makes up for in ease-of-use. The genre is sometimes tough to get into, but Powder, originally designed for the Game Boy Advance, uses easy buttons and icons to let you guide your turn-based RPG character through random dungeons, killing monsters, gaining XP, and drinking weird potions of various colors, all while trying to avoid cursed gear. It's still not easy (roguelikes are notoriously ruthless affairs, and permadeath is still the rule), but the controls are surprisingly intuitive, and the included tutorial makes an often steep learning curve much more gentle, even if you're new to the genre. Plus, Powder wins points from me for its flexible save state process; it's very easy to work your way through a dungeon floor, exit out to make a call or do something else on your iPhone, and then dive back in and pick up right where you left off. Best of all, it just recently went free; that makes sense, considering the other versions are free as well. If you still want to support programmer Jeff Lait, you can do so by donating on his Web site. Meanwhile, Powder is a free download in the App Store, and definitely worth checking out.
Infinite Space tutorial demonstrates how to skip parts of Infinite Space
There's a lot to learn about playing Infinite Space, as evidenced by the fact that Sega has made a second tutorial video for the Platinum Games space RPG. This video teaches one of the most important techniques in the game: skipping battle scenes. Every action in a ship battle is accompanied by a long sequence in which crew members call out what they're doing and prepare whatever kind of action is to be deployed. It's dramatic, and it lends the game a very "spaceship anime" feel -- but it also takes a long time. So, yeah, you can skip that after the first couple of times. The tutorial also covers crew battles and, strangely, recalibrating your touch screen.
WarioWare D.I.Y. intermediate tutorials: a micro-class on microgames
While you wait for the release of WarioWare D.I.Y., why not get your learn on? Following the beginner-level tutorials released last week, Nintendo has put together a series of intermediate guides to the microgame creation process. Study these and you should be able to hit the ground running, translating your ridiculous ideas to ridiculous games in no time. Actually, F.Y.I., D.I.Y. forces you through a tutorial when you first begin the game, so you'll be familiar with this material no matter what. But you might as well learn how it works now and start planning your game designs in advance!
Infinite Space puts two launch videos into orbit
Did you pick up Infinite Space yet? The DS spaceventure was released from its docking station by Platinum Games yesterday, and so far the reviews are actually better than we expected. We've got two more launch trailers to share with you: one above which seems to be the intro to the game (complete with Star Wars-style crawl and the weird narration we've come to expect from this game); and another after the break which will walk you through the game's battle tutorial. If you've tried the game out, let us know what you think below. The battle system seems different and the story isn't supposed to be too bad, either. You wouldn't think that an infinite void of open space would have that much going on, but maybe it's worth a shot.
MAG developers provide instructional videos on how to be better at MAG
What, you think the Joystiq Biomass, MAG's premier, S.V.E.R.-aligned clan will accept any greenhorn off the street to join its ranks? No, no -- we're only looking for cold-blooded, military-minded killing machines. If you're hoping to join our prestigious organization, you might want to give PlayStation.Blog's recently concluded MAG Developer Tips series a look-see. It provides helpful information on how to play each archetype, how to fill each leadership role, and to not get destroyed in the various gametypes. You'll find links to all of these lessons posted after the jump. Study up, and we might just reconsider your application.
A sneak peek at Fallen Earth's newest weapon
Do you like getting sneak peeks at new weapons in Fallen Earth? We hope so, because we've got one for you today in the form of the Slug Thrower, a new gun coming to the game tomorrow. No, it's not what you think. Sadly. However, it is replacing the previous starting weapon for new players. Before, you were given a slow-firing crossbow. Now? You get the Slug Thrower, a faster rifle-type firearm that uses the zip gun ammo, shared by pistols as well. As the type of players who enjoy getting fancy weapons early on in our character's life, this is a change we can fully support. Now, if only they'd make a gun that actually shot gastropod molluscs.
Planet Calypso debuts their new mission system with a bang
A literal bang, actually. Not only has Planet Calypso updated to version 2010|01 (their new system uses the year and update number, rather than version number) but they've also had a small volcanic eruption that's changed part of the map. Blizzard, eat your cataclysmic heart out. While the newly re-terraformed area of Cyclops has been visually improved by the team and patched in under the 'guise of a volcanic explosion, the version update also brings the anticipated mission system to Calypso. The mission system, which is in a public beta, more or less, is only currently offering 5 tutorial missions to newbies landing on Calypso for the first time. Once you complete those five missions, be sure to offer your feedback in the survey that pops up at the end. That information will be used to make more missions for higher level players, so don't be stingy! Also, there's fish. Remember those fish we showed last time? Yeah, those fish. If you value your ankles, you'll watch where you swim.
3D Dot Game Heroes' character editor explained
We've been looking forward to getting our hands on 3D Dot Game Heroes since before we knew it would be localized; however, we've worried that our complete lack of artistic ability would limit our proficiency with the game's character creator. Oh, sure, we'd pretend to be really clever: "Look guys, I'm a Tetris brick!" Don't be fooled, friends. We're just terrible artists. Fortunately, a recent post on PlayStation.Blog provides a pretty helpful tutorial on how the character creator can be used to make (and animate) slightly more complicated creations. Like, for instance, two Tetris blocks, smushed together to form an uppercase "T." Look, we're hopeless, alright? Go check out the tutorial so you can whip up some neat characters for us to play with once the game hits store shelves May 11.
Tutorials as you like them with N.E.D. and its family
Nonlinear Educating Inc., has been selling tutorials on a wide variety of subjects for years. Their catalog of 146 video tutorials cover just about everything from all the programs in the Adobe CS4 Suite, to iLife 09 and iWork 09, or virtually anything you could want to learn about Mac software. To get a tutorial from Nonlinear in the past, you would buy it, download it, and play it on your computer. Things have changed with the introduction of new ways to buy and watch tutorials. Nonlinear now gives you three ways to learn on any Mac or iPhone/iPod touch running OS 3.0, using three N.E.D. (Nonlinear Education Device) products. Now along with buying individual tutorials, you can subscribe to their streaming library, giving you access to tutorials on demand either from the web using The N.E.D web player, or N.E.D.i [Free iTunes Link], an iPhone/iPod touch app. The idea of total flexibility is wonderful, but the complexity of all the subscription and purchase options are a bit daunting. The tutorials are excellent. The few I had a chance to go through were totally professional, complete and entertaining. The trainers are some of the best in the field, including Jim Dalrymple and Maria Langer. The tutorials are broken down into many 1-4 minute movies that progressively teach you the software. I'm not going to review the tutorials here, since I feel that they are just about perfect. The only problem I had with the catalog is that some courses are really quite old. The Mac OS X 101: Mastering Your Mac course was released in April of 2006 and deals with OSX 10.4.5. While it's true that a good deal of the information is still valid, there have been a lot of changes in the last two years and a new course for each major OS software release would increase the value of the instruction. The description of this US$29.50 course did not tell which OS version was addressed and I had to dig into the videos to find out.
The problem with 'exciting' starting zones
We love it when game designers make an observation that sometimes escapes us, like Dusty Monk's insightful post about the issue surrounding starting zones -- specifically in Cryptic Studio's last three games. His problem stems from the way in which the developer is responding to gamers' demands of a starting zone experience that doesn't involve a newly minted character thwacking sickly rabbits with a twig. It's an old -- almost passe -- gripe that was well founded back in the first half of the 00's. As many of you no doubt know, City of Villains, Champions Online and Star Trek Online tutorials all begin by inundating the character with chaotic immediacy, and information. Dusty's problem is the combination of these two elements. He posits that any sense of urgency is killed immediately upon the opening of a substantially novella-like text window. On the flip side of that problem, he contends that it's tough to learn a new system(s) while a Hollywoood blockbuster is taking place around you. And like any good person with an opinion, he's got a solution for the problem, too.
Phasers set to fun, sit back and bust out the popcorn
Got a couple hours to burn? Love Star Trek and subsequently find yourself enjoying Star Trek Online? Well, we've got a couple videos you may want to watch, for entertainment purposes as opposed to tips related purposes. Giant Bomb has two -- although the "parts" aspects suggests further entries -- videos of a few guys sitting around playing Cryptic's upcoming Trek MMO and, well, basically being silly dorks. They start at character creation and hit the ground running, all while providing the kind of commentary that quite possibly could make you want to have on headphones if you're on a lunch break at work. It's fun stuff, and if you've got some time to kill the videos will most certainly help make time fly by more quickly. You can find the two videos embedded after the break.
Masthead Studios addresses player questions about Earthrise
Ah Earthrise, you keep dropping tiny breadcrumbs of game info for us each week. We hoard these little morsels and keep them in a jar, slowly trying to piece it all together. This week is no different and Earthrise developers Masthead Studios addressed questions from the playerbase on a few different topics. The main thing they discussed is how the game's tutorial will allow players to experiment with skills. In RP-terms, players in the tutorial will make use of "mnemonic adaptation kits" which imprint memories. The Masthead devs state, "Simply put, it lets you test drive certain skills - such as using weapons, crafting, etc. - before you dedicate yourself to development of those skills." Those kits, however, can't be used outside of the cloning facility and won't make their way into the game beyond the tutorial zone.
Finding your place in Fallen Earth
Back just before the holidays, Fallen Earth joined the ranks of many other games on the market in offering a free trial. That's all well and good, but that leaves one to face the slight problem the game has. Once the tutorial is over, you get rather unceremoniously dropped off with a line pointing you toward... well, nothing. Like any true post-apocalyptic survivor, you have the clothes on your back, a couple of weapons, and no real goal handed to you beyond "don't get killed." While Andy Breckman's advice is certainly a good overall goal, something specific is better. That's why Bio Break has recently compiled a list of tips on finding your place once you get done with your tutorial. The condensed version is simple enough: scavenge everything you can, because it can all be used to craft something, and buy nothing unless you absolutely have to do so. It's also recommended that you avoid spending any of your character's AP early on, instead saving it until you have a clearer picture of what you want to do. The list also includes some links to fansites that can provide excellent data for a first-time player, so if you're diving into the tutorial, it's a handy resource.