war
Latest
Global Chat: Doom and WAAAGH!
It's time for our second edition of Global Chat, the column that scours the blogosphere (or blogorama if you prefer) for engaging insights, intelligent essays, and whoopie cushion goofiness. We had a good response to our first column, so I'm glad you all want to hear more about what bloggers are saying regarding MMOs! In this week's edition, we'll look at Warhammer Online's fatal flaw, adventure through Neverwinter's foundry missions, and speculate on the status of a certain Norrathian sandpark. Remember that it's not all doom and WAAAGH! in this community; it's excitement and cherished outings as well!
Firefall brings multiple raids to launch [Updated]
If you live and breathe big battles with lots of friends in MMOs, then you're going to be delighted when Firefall launches next week. The retuned sci-fi shooter will feature not one, not two, not four, but definitely three 20-person raids from the beginning. A new dev diary posted today talks about two of the raids, the titans of Baneclaw and Kanaola. Baneclaw is a giant scarab that will roll around and unleash little hellclaw minions at any intruders. Kanaola goes the "big lava worm" route due to its proximity with a volcano. This fight will get tricky as molten hot magma will be rising as the fight progresses. The raids will have some of the best loot in the game and will be on a seven-day lockout timer when beaten. These titans will become available when the playerbase works to gether up enough Dark Crystite to unlock the instances. We've got a video of the new raids for you after the jump!
World of Warships on board for Gamescom 2014
Fans of Wargaming's selection of multiplayer military games will be happy to hear that the naval battle MMO World of Warships will be available to play during Gamescom 2014 next month. This will be the game's first public debut as a playable demo for anyone in attendance. Gamescom will be held from August 13 - 17 in Cologne, Germany, and Wargaming aims to go big again this year with game presentations, talk shows, on-stage giveaways, and more on its 720-square-meter stage in Hall 8. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks delivers big Xbox 360 update
The Xbox 360 edition of World of Tanks has grown by leaps, bounds, and treads today with the sizable Rapid Fire update. This patch added two new maps to the game: Arctic Region and Erlenberg. In addition, Rapid Fire has introduced American autoloader tanks and a group of additional German tank destroyers. We've got the action-packed trailer for this update lurking right below the cut, so be careful!
Firefall reintroduces its open-world PvP
In the lead up to Firefall's official launch on July 29th, Red 5 Studios has released a new video outlining the game's open-world PvP. Formal PvP takes place in a separate zone called Broken Peninsula, where players are divided into corporate teams to beat the crap out of each other over resources, territorial bases, and a series of outposts and watchtowers that grant their holders special bonuses. NPCs called the Chosen do their best to interfere with players along the way. How soon can a newcomer participate? "Firefall's open world PvP is primarily intended to be end-game content," says the studio, but skilled lowbies can "make an impact" at their own peril. Check out the video after the cut. [Source: Red 5 press release]
Firefall to launch July 29
Firefall's extended beta will soon be over as Red 5 Studios has announced that the MMO shooter will be launching on July 29th. The free-to-play game has been gearing up for this launch with a series of dev blogs entitled Path to Launch that each spotlight a particular game feature that MMO shooter fans -- and general MMO fans -- may enjoy. "The update we are releasing for launch will be the largest update we have ever had," said James Macauley, CEO of Red 5 Studios. "It will quadruple the amount of world space in Firefall and add roughly 15-times the amount of content we have had previously in Beta." Be sure to check out our own early impressions of the game and take a look at the official press release for more info on what to expect at launch.
One Shots: Regrets, I've had a few
Staring at a sunset is a perfectly legitimate time to look back at one's day (and one's life) to muse upon victories won and defeats suffered. The regrets are then cast upon the sinking sun to be taken into the void of yesterday. Tomorrow? Tomorrow is a clean slate of possibilities. Reader Dynatos submitted this warm and fuzzy Final Fantasy XIV picture. "Here's another sunset, this time in Thanalan with my tanky Carbuncle. I kinda miss him after he was replaced." Regrets? We've all had a few. And if you don't read the rest of this column, you will regret it. That's friendly advice, not a threat.
Firefall introduces personalized missions-on-demand
With Firefall's official launch approaching, the devs are in a frenzy proclaiming the new features and systems that players will be seeing when that day arrives. In a new dev diary today, the team highlighted a personalized mission maker, called ARES. ARES Jobs allow players to create and launch dynamically generated quests during downtime. Players can choose from several story and gameplay options, and the system will pull together a mission that can be completed solo in the game world. The devs promise that ARES jobs will keep mixing it up with objectives and locations to avoid any danger of the missions growing stale. There are reportedly "hundreds" of jobs, and if a player so desires, he or she could level up exclusively through ARES. "ARES jobs also help to make the world feel more alive: in the current system, it is rare that you run into another player in the world by random chance," the devs wrote. "ARES missions take place in a number of predetermined locations, and dynamic events like tornados or crashed thumpers draw players to them in a predictable manner."
Oculus game teaches journalists how to survive in war zones
You're sat in the back of an armored personnel carrier when, suddenly, something hits you and the lights go out. Stumbling out of the darkness, you emerge onto the battlefield armed with just a video camera and a first-aid kit. Laying in front of you is a wounded soldier screaming for help, but would you know what to do? This is Stringer, an Oculus Rift title designed not as an alternative to Battlefield or Call of Duty, but to teach journalists sent into war zones how to survive.
World of Tanks' 9.1 update rolls out football mode and more
World of Tanks' 9.1 update will officially go live in North America on June 17th, states a press release issued today. Well, technically, it's already live in Europe, it's going live in Korea on the 12th, and Americans will see parts of the update on the 13th too, but by the 17th, you'll have it all. The update includes a World Football Championship mode (seriously), which boasts brief 3v3 battles on a a version of Himmelsdorf "transformed into a football field"; two legendary Historical Battles (The Siege of Tobruk and Bryansk Front) and a new winter map (Kharkiv); and tweaks to "iconic" maps including Arctic Region, Tundra, Komarin, Windstorm, and Northwest. The 9.1 video is tucked beyond the cut. [Source: Press release]
Military's 'Plan X' would put cyberweapons into the hands of soldiers
A soldier's natural home is on the battlefield. So what happens when to infantry when conflicts move online? It turns out that DARPA, America's mad science division, has a solution called "Plan X." The project is designed to make cyber-weapons as easy to use as a pistol, but also to use technology to turn soldiers into digital warriors. One of the more realistic aspects of the project is to equip marines with hardware that'll sniff out wireless networks that could be hosting booby traps.
World of Tanks Blitz coming to iOS on June 26th
World of Tanks Blitz, the mobile version of the popular online tank title, will be hitting the Apple app store on June 26th. Wargaming said that World of Tanks Blitz will be exclusive to newer iPad and iPhone owners. The game's been in a closed beta and soft launch in various regions, but will officially release later this month. In it, players will choose from 90 armored vehicles from USA, Germany, and USSR to fight in 7v7 matches.
E3 2014: Hands-on with World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz
If Wargaming.net is known for one thing, it's for being big. Nowhere is that more evident than E3, where displays for games like World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships typically dominate the show floor. Naturally this year's big reveal is the new Warships title. Although it's the third World of vehicles battler, gamers who haven't played the previous two won't be at a disadvantage. That said, it's the hands-on with World of Tanks iOS version that really got my attention.
The Daily Grind: What was your favorite Mythic memory?
It's been a little over a week since Mythic Entertainment went out with a whimper, and as a former Warhammer Online fan, I'm still feeling a little sad about it. I appreciated the studio's enthusiasm and vision, even if I wasn't as much into PvP as some of those devs were. But at least a couple of the studio's former charges live on -- as do our memories. So what was your favorite memory involving a Mythic game, the studio, or the dev team? Let's raise a virtual glass and give a fond toast to yesterday's tales. 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!
World of Warships unveils E3 trailer
Between World of Warplanes and World of Tanks, Wargaming.net has your need for mechanized warfare covered. Almost, anyway. Sure, you can shoot at other planes and other tanks, but how are you going to also blow up a whole lot of boats? You can't... until World of Warships comes out, anyway. Then you can blow up war machines pretty much anywhere you want. So when is it coming out? That's still something of a secret, but it's obvious that World of Warships is the next game to get a big push from the studio, starting with this year's E3 trailer embedded just past the break. While the trailer doesn't include any in-game footage, it does give you a clear picture of what you'll be doing in the game -- shooting at boats from other boats. Actually, you probably could have guessed that one without the trailer.
Firefall outlines progression on the path to launch
As Firefall approaches an official launch at long last, the game's design team is taking a look at the game as a whole and trimming up parts of the game that can be made better than they are. The newest development diary on the official site discusses doing just that with the game's progression system, a task accomplished by removing some systems, consolidating others, and generally making progress that much easier to understand all around. As players go out and fight things in a given battleframe, the frame will level up, with new abilities coming regularly as you level. Frames will visibly improve as you increase in level, unlocking perks as you level up that can be used across all frames, with new abilities and weapons containing module slots for customization purposes. The new frame core equipment replaces the more fiddly systems of before, making it easier to slot in effects for improved jump jets or the like. Check out the full diary for all the details on how progression will be more straightforward for launch.
Perfect Ten: The MMOs that influenced me greatly
Every one of us has an "MMO resume": a list of titles that we've played, whether briefly or extensively. Some of those are just games, casual flings that meant nothing. But others can take a more meaningful role in our lives, influencing how we experience and view MMOs. I would scarcely say that my resume is one of the most robust you'll ever see; I'm sure plenty of you have played more than I. However, I like to think that I've had a journey over the course of a decade or so that's shaped who I am as a gamer. Since it's my birthday today, I'm going to share 10 of those influential MMOs with you and what they've done for me. You're going to get me cake.
Mythic closes, 'end of an era' for former MMO studio
We saw this coming, but it doesn't make it any less regrettable: Long-time MMO studio Mythic Entertainment has been shut down by EA. "We are closing the EA Mythic location in Fairfax, Virginia, as we concentrate mobile development in our other studio locations. We are working with all impacted employees to provide assistance in finding new opportunities, either within EA or with other companies via an upcoming job fair," EA told Kotaku. Former Mythic lead Josh Drescher tweeted his reaction to the news: "Condolences to everyone at Mythic today. It's the end of an era, but you were all part of something amazing." Mythic shuttered Warhammer Online last December, while Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot, and many Mythic developers moved over to Broadsword Online Games this past February.
Armored Warfare accepting applications for closed beta testing
Guys, Armored Warfare is totally not a World of Tanks clone. Guys? Guys? C'mon, don't give me that look. It's not! Well, maybe it is a little bit. The question is, then, will it be better or worse than its competition? Armored Warfare is a "tanktical" (their words, not ours) shooter that features all sorts of heavy combat vehicles. One key difference between it and World of Tanks is that Armored Warfare's lineup is more current, ranging from the 1950s to present-era tanks and other armored trucks. Obsidian Entertainment is pushing Armored Warfare hard these days in preparation for its E3 showing. The title has begun to accept closed beta applications and has put out a new trailer that you can check after the break.
First World of Warships video diary released
Wargaming has released a five-minute look at the making of World of Warships. The firm's latest vehicle-based World War II battler includes aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. You won't see submarines, though, as developer Nicholas Moran says they "just don't fit with the gameplay." In addition to ship types, today's video diary also talks research and historical authenticity. View it in full after the break.
