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Mortal Online overhauls characters and armor visuals
Mortal Online has been hard at work performing comprehensive overhauls to character and armor, making them look better than ever. The character improvements for the game include visual passes, more natural animations, a new character creation system, and high-definition upgrades to armor. The visual improvements to crafted armor make up 90% of the game's wearable gear. The recent update also added in three new craftable armor sets and improved large-group performance for mass battles. Due to the character overhaul, Star Vault is giving a free recustomization option to all players. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: Do visuals change your opinion on classes?
I had a reasonably high-level druid whom I had completely abandoned in World of Warcraft simply because I didn't like forever being shifted into another form. Then I found that Glyph of the Stars exists, and suddenly I'm not only playing the class but enjoying it again. There's no practical mechanical difference, just that I can actually see my character now. And that might seem like a trivial thing, but the decision of how classes move and look can have a pretty big impact. Think about it -- the Engineer of WildStar could just as easily be summoning animal pets, but a big part of its visual appeal is the fact that it carts around robots. Mesmers in Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 have a mechanical identity, but the pink-to-purple spell effects and obvious illusions are meant to impress players with a genuine sense of style. Do visuals change your opinions on classes? Or do you look purely at the mechanics and not care about how the whole thing looks in play? 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!
Elite: Dangerous releases commentary on the most recent trailer
We live in a suspicious time for game trailers. You see a great trailer and your first thoughts aren't about how great the game look but about whether or not it was all just pre-rendered. Worry not, Elite: Dangerous fans: the recent trailer showing off an epic space battle was almost entirely rendered in the game engine. A new follow-up walks through the video and explains what was already in place, what was added specifically for the trailer, and how the video as a whole helped the design team. While almost everything rendered in the trailer was generated in the game engine, the ships involved were all flying along pre-determined paths. This might not sound like a big deal until you realize that it allowed the art team to examine everything from multiple angles, making sure that things looked right from various paths without having to manually test each element. But don't take our word for it, just check out the companion trailer past the break and find out about it yourself. [Thanks to Peteris for the tip!]
Touring La Noscea and Thanalan in Final Fantasy XIV
My time spent at the Final Fantasy XIV tour didn't just include a preview of the areas to be found in the upcoming beta. No, we proud and few got the chance to also explore some of the game's other iconic areas, areas closed off at the start of the beta but slated for opening later on in the testing process. I poked around both of these regions, touring both the streets of Ul'dah in Thanalan and the cliffs and plains of La Noscea. These areas were admittedly still a work in progress. While the maps were mostly finished, the enemies in many of the regions were placeholders, and it was clear that the client we were using had a version with these regions in a state that's not ready for prime time. Still, it was interesting to look at both and see things that had been changed, updated, and in a few cases removed altogether. Before I proceed, a note: All of the areas under discussion are still being optimized and improved, so some elements such as lighting and geometry may change by the time you get to play with them.
The Daily Grind: Are you a graphics snob?
When it comes to MMOs, looks are important. Kind of. Sometimes. Sure, you hear the argument from some that great content can overcome any visual limitations, but that's not true for everyone. There are those who must have the highest fidelity if they're going to grace a game with their eyes. They are the graphics snobs. Have you ever found yourself poo-pooing a game on its looks alone? Are animations and avatar appearances a make-or-break factor in your enjoyment of a title? Does it physically pain you to play earlier-era MMOs due to how crude they look? Do you work in the technical specifications of your graphics card into every conversation you have? Then you might be one of these... visually selective folk. It's OK. I don't judge. I've been known to shut down a game right away if it looks uglier than sin. So where does your visual tolerances lay -- and are you a self-admitted graphics snob? 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!
The Daily Grind: What simple things endear a game to you?
In the grand scheme of things, Guild Wars 2's guesting isn't a feature that will add new content or new ways to play the game. But it will allow you to play more easily with friends on other realms, and that's been welcomed by some players. Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming reputation system might just be adding titles, but more titles mean a lot to some players. Final Fantasy XIV allows you to jump, and if you played the game for a year beforehand, you'll be looking forward to that addition. Sometimes, what matters isn't the big things that get you addicted to a game but the little elements that improve your overall experience. Cosmetic flourishes, nice-looking equipment, convenience and quality-of-life upgrades -- none of them makes the game good or bad, but sometimes they bring a bigger grin than actual content or systems. So what simple things have endeared a game to you, now or in the past? 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!
Massively Exclusive: An interview with WildStar art director Matt Mocarski
WildStar doesn't look like anything else out right now. We're not just talking about the game's mechanics; the game's stylized graphics make it look distinct. There's a lot of unique visual elements in the game, from its opening cinematic to the most recent screenshots, and while you might not like the more stylized approach, you can't say that it lacks personality. This comes with its own set of challenges, though. After all, creating stylized graphics for a game means you're not just making the best-looking environments possible; you're also creating a whole new aesthetic and making environments that make sense within that style. We had a chance to ask WildStar's art director Matt Mocarski a few questions about the process of putting the game's unique look together, and he provided us some excellent insights into bringing the visuals from concept to reality. Whether you're a fan of the game in specific or stylized art in general, take a look at the full interview past the break.
Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR Terror From Beyond experience
Last week, BioWare launched its fourth major update for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Terror From Beyond. This new game content also happens to be the fourth operation (or raid) for the game. Eight to 16 players battle their way across the planet Asation, hoping to close or destroy a rift in hyperspace that has opened on this ancient Gree world. Along the way, many strange creatures and beings from other worlds attempt to stop the strike force from reaching its goal. Just like the other operations (Karagga's Palace and Explosive Conflict), Terror From Beyond continues the story of the Dread Masters. With each new addition to the story, the goal of these six Sith lords becomes more and more clear. Mechanically, this operation consists of five boss fights and a fairly linear path to the ultimate goal, a swirling vortex about a kilometer away from the starting point. Thankfully, none of the boss mechanics is a simple tank-and-spank ordeal, and the trash mobs along the way might cause a bump or two as well. This weekend, my guild ran this brand-new endgame addition to SWTOR in story-mode to get a taste of what it has to offer. I'd like to break down the experience into three major categories: aesthetics, boss mechanics, and overall impressions.
First impressions of PlanetSide 2 through the eyes of an FPS noob
Rather than give anyone the wrong impression, let me begin by saying that first-person shooters are far from being my thing. I don't pant in anticipation for the latest Battlefield or Modern Warfare game. I do, however, like my share of third-person shooters. Global Agenda and the Mass Effect series come to mind immediately. So what in the world would make someone like me interested in Sony Online Entertainment's latest craze, PlanetSide 2? RPGs are my thing, and I have always had respect for SOE as a developer. Despite some obvious mistakes the company's made when under the umbrella of large intellectual properties like DC Comics and Star Wars, SOE has handled its own IPs very well. It was also one of the first Western AAA studios to step into the world of free-to-play (with Free Realms, which continues to perform well). And now PlanetSide 2 proclaims that online FPS titles can not only provide exciting vehicle combat but do so in a persistent world. So when SOE invited Massively to join Game Designer Margaret Krohn on a guided tour of PlanetSide 2, I thought, "Why not? At least I'll get to shoot some people in the face."
Live2D drawing technology from Cybernoids adds a little 3D spice to your hand drawn images
While 3D graphics have been filling our eyes in cinemas and video games way before Nemo ever got lost, we've typically had to settle for computer generated artwork. Live2D from Cybernoids is a drawing technology that hopes to change that. The software lets animators and game creators give hand drawn 2D images rudimentary 3D qualities. In the video above you can see the character turn her head, and the image -- based solely on the 2D version -- twists and adapts in real-time. There are two versions of the software, one based on polygons, and the other vectors, and there is support for consoles and smartphones -- but no details on specifics at this time. The developers admit it's only suitable for limited movement, such as in dialog-based games, for now, but hope to have the tools to handle full 360 degree motions over the next two years. At least, for now, its way way further down on the creep-o-meter scale.
Choose My Adventure: The first week of TERA
I wouldn't be very good at handling Choose My Adventure if I didn't do my homework, and that's without even taking into account that playing a game kind of falls under the header of "homework" in this situation. So I knew full well what I was getting into in TERA when I saw that first a Castanic Warrior was winning the class and race polls, followed by an Elin Lancer. This intrigued me because this meant that the two tanks classes were first in everyone's mind. And I knew enough about the game from external research to know that these two classes are as different as can be, not to mention that the two races winning the poll are probably the two races most noted for the controversies mentioned in the first column. So I had an idea. If I couldn't get a clear picture of the game from just one selection, I'd get it from two. And thus were Higiri and Rielene created on Celestial Hills, an Elin Lancer and a Castanic Warrior, the top two results. And they really couldn't be more different.
Newest Ask Cryptic for Champions Online covers the flames of fashion
There are many components to making a great superhero game, but one of the key elements is ensuring that players can be astonishingly good-looking. So it's no surprise that the latest installment of Ask Cryptic sees several questions from Champions Online players about current, upcoming, and conceptual costume sets. That includes promises of more beast-oriented sets and a hard look at any powersets with major clipping issues (although minor clipping issues for certain poses are to be expected). Equally interesting to players will be the promise that the staff is hard at work trying to give players more options for power emanation points, such as staves or wands for magical characters. While some of the answers given will be seen as a bit disappointing, such as the fact that tattoos and scars will not be usable outside of the chest pieces already featuring them, overall the answers promise all sorts of ways for players to look as good as possible while fighting crime.
The Daily Grind: What's the coolest ride you've had in an MMO?
One of the universal aspects of MMOs is the fact that you have to cover some distance. And not just a few feet in any given direction -- no matter how instanced, you'll be getting from one end of the map to the other on a regular basis. In some games, such as Guild Wars, this is accomplished with easy teleportation, but most games give you some other way of getting from place to place. Sometimes it's a mount, and sometimes you ride a javelin from one point on the map to the next for a specific quest. Maybe you think the coolest ride you've had has been a mount, perhaps a motorcycle or a ravenous beast. Maybe it's been a form of static transport, like an airship or a boat. Or maybe you thought the coolest ride ever was something unique to a given quest, like riding a bomb down to a new quest area. So what's your choice for the coolest ride to be had in an MMO? 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!
MechWarrior Online to use the CryEngine
A game like MechWarrior Online positively screams for a good graphical engine. You want something that can show you every single scorch mark you leave on your enemy's chassis, after all. So if you're one of the many players looking forward to getting into the cockpit, you'll be happy to know that the game has just such an engine for its graphics. Piranha Games officially announced today that the game will be using the CryEngine 3 by Crytek. According to the company's president, Russ Bullock, the engine perfectly delivers the functionality that the team was looking for, especially in the realm of physics-based modeling. It's all but an assurance that whatever else might be right or wrong with the game, a salvo of LRMs will still produce an appropriately satisfying fireball and falling debris. Unfortunately, players will still have to wait some time to see the graphics in action -- but with any luck, they'll be worth the wait.
The Daily Grind: What games go overboard with effects?
It's not that I don't love City of Heroes, don't get me wrong. And it's not that I don't love the flashy and unique animations that every powerset gets to show off. But when you get in a full group of people exploding with various powers, the whole screen turns into a sustained burst of white light grouped around a red box that's probably your target. It's kind of overkill at best, and it makes it near impossible to see what's going on at worst. Maybe you don't mind the effects in the game. Maybe you find Final Fantasy XIV's dramatic spotlight for weaponskills or the constant beams crossing in Star Trek Online more obnoxious. Whatever the context, there are doubtlessly games in which you feel there's a bit too much going on in the midst of a battle. So what game do you feel goes overboard with effects when you want something just a bit more straightforward? 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!
The Daily Grind: Which environments tend to drain your interest?
The problem with fantasy settings is that the imagery is pretty well played out. You know there will be an area with a lot of trees, probably a desert, probably a set of rolling plains, and of course there will be caves. And the odds are good that at least one of those environments won't make you feel like you're off on an epic adventure; it will make you feel as if you're traipsing through the same environments you've traipsed through hundred of times. Until you just log off, that is. Maybe it's another promise of brown or gray caves winding about interminably. Maybe it's the thought of another forest, or another plain, or another rocky mountainous area. Or perhaps it's the more surreal and fanciful environments that make you roll your eyes and want to just stop playing. Which environments tend to drain your interest in the game? No matter how interesting any other part of the zone might be, what sort of regions just make you feel burnt out and bored? 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!
Anarchy Online 'heads' into the future with new screenshots
Is Anarchy Online's visual makeover project picking up steam? Considering that Funcom's posted two batches of improved screenshots within a month, we think so! Today Brad "Kintaii" McAtee posted four new pictures of Anarchy Online's upgraded looks. Two are high-definition renders of the city of Tir, one shows off the remodeled character heads, and one is a complete mystery for players to decipher. "Any guesses on what it could be?" McAtee taunts. The visual overhaul is "coming along swimmingly," according to McAtee. Last week Anarchy Online's Colin Cragg reported that the team is 90% done with remodeling over 390 heads for the game. "This has been a very long haul, but it is amazing to see the strides made every week now," Cragg wrote. "I am 'cautiously optimistic'...let's leave it at that." You can view all of the new screenshots in the gallery below. %Gallery-102015%
ASTA showing off its CryEngine3 visuals at Gamescom
If you were fortunate enough to attend this year's GDC, it's possible you caught a glimpse of ASTA, the new fantasy MMO from NHN. The title, formerly known as Project E:st, is powered by the CryEngine3 and boasts some of the more impressive visuals in the MMO space. Assuming you can make it to Cologne, Germany, for this year's Gamescom (August 17th through the 21st), you'll get another opportunity to see ASTA in action since NHN will be offering visitors "a first look at the captivating world [...] as well as the opportunity to chat with the developers and learn more about character development, guild evolution, competitive play, and many other features," according to a new press release. ASTA is being developed by Polygon Games (which includes a core group of designers who previously worked on Rohan: Blood Feud), and it takes place in a world inspired by Asian myth. Gameplay elements include realm vs. realm, PvE questing, raids, and crafting.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite use of heavily stylized graphics?
In the earliest days of gaming, games were by their very nature pretty much abstract in graphics. The Atari 2600 couldn't really handle photorealistic human faces, after all. But even though we're now in the era when realism is not that far off, many games still employ intentionally stylized looks. LEGO Universe people look nothing like actual human beings, after all -- but they're not supposed to, representing instead the ubiquitous minifigures given motion and character. Some players really don't like stylized appearances, feeling that they look cartoony or artificial. Others prefer them to realistic graphics out of a sense that the style makes the game stand out more. MMOs have run the gamut from the detailed and realistic humans of All Points Bulletin to the intentionally unreal graphics of Super Hero Squad Online. So what game has stylized graphics that you think really work? Whether or not you like the style overall, where do you feel they add to the game's atmosphere? 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!
The Daily Grind: What aesthetic should we see more often?
Possibly showing our skewed priorities, most of the Massively staff launched into paroxysms of cooing at the unveiling of City of Heroes' Steampunk Pack. It's an aesthetic that's sadly underused within the MMO space -- we have a few hundred games that feature a vaguely European fantasy world but a decided lack of games with thick smoke, oil, and clockwork machinery. But steampunk isn't the only design aesthetic and general setting getting short shrift within the games we adore. The modern "art deco" aesthetic of the 1950s. The lush jungle setting of South America during the reign of the Aztec and Mayan peoples. The bleak iron and hard edges of Soviet Russia. We've all got settings that we think would be a bit more interesting than yet another game with French castles and full-plate knights, so today we ask -- what would you like to see more frequently? 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!
