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WildStar Wednesday showcases group combat
It's Wednesday, so you know what that means: another glimpse into the development and world of WildStar. In response to complaints that group combat hasn't been highlighted enough, this week's WildStar Wednesday features a video of a team of settlers working together to duke it out with robots and make their way to a dungeon entrance. Lead Combat Designer Chris Lynch narrates the video and talks about the way that freeform targeting, which was highlighted in last week's installment of WildStar Wednesday, comes into play for group dynamics and positioning. There's some serious laser action going on, so be sure to jump past the break to catch all the excitement.
WildStar's Senior Community Manager focuses on fun
Hot on the heels of yesterday's interview with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney, we sat down with another Carbine Studios rep: David Bass, the game's new Senior Community Manager. We stopped David from running around the studio like a madman for 15 minutes, forcing him to let us in on the secrets of why WildStar and Carbine Studios are worth watching. Granted, he couldn't tell us everything -- there has to be a bit of mystery, right? But David did reveal his in-depth plans for the WildStar community and what will set this community apart from any other MMO community you've seen.
Massively Exclusive: An interview with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney
Big releases from the WildStar development team at Carbine Studios seem to be few and far between, which is why the recent footage from early testing was such a breath of fresh air. Aside from showing off some of the game's role-based content for Settlers and Scientists, it also displayed new environments, new combat elements, and the unique graphical flair that attracted fans even before anything had been said about gameplay. We gamers are a curious bunch, though, and seeing a bunch of cool new stuff doesn't stop us from asking questions. Executive producer and design director Jeremy Gaffney recently hosted an AMA session on Reddit, but he was also kind enough to answer a few more questions from us here at Massively about combat flow, racial differentiation, and the usual character roles in MMOs. Take a look past the break at what the game will offer players when it finally goes live... which most WildStar fans agree can't be soon enough.
The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox
Earlier this year, I got to expose my musically nerdy side to you all in a one-two shot of MMO theme song countdowns. The truth is that I'm just a huge sucker for video game music, and as such, I've collected a wide range of MMO scores to bolster my MP3 player. I know that we players tend to be pretty vocal about turning off MMO music at some point, usually due to extreme repetition. Unfortunately, that seems to leave a bad association with this music in our minds, and I don't feel that reputation is deserved. MMO scores can be just as good -- if not better -- than their counterparts in film or other video games. So I've decided that every so often I'm going to devote a full Perfect Ten to sharing my favorite MMO music. I'm always open to suggestions, of course, so if you know of a track that you feel really should be in the next list, send me an email or leave it in the comments!
WildStar aims to be 'anything but WoW'
Carbine Studios Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney took the microphone at a recent Reddit AMA (ask me anything), where he addressed several burning questions that the community had about WildStar. Right off the bat, he was asked what sets this MMO apart from the pack. Gaffney had a laundry list in reply, saying that the largely ex-Blizzard team's motto is, "We just crunched for six years, we want to do anything but WoW." Layered content is a big buzz-phrase for WildStar, and Gaffney attempted to provide an example of the game's flexibility. "You're on a mission to kill alien jungle cats. You see one that's irradiated and start scanning it. Or it's too tough, so you scare some prey away from you into the cats, and they start attacking the prey, and then you jump in when everyone is weakened. They're tough, so you see a huntress and drag them to her to get her cheering on for rep -- you see a second huntress and now you're bouncing between them for double rep rewards." Other AMA topics included polish, microupdates, competing with World of Warcraft, bunny ears, the future of the MMO industry, and a hint at an unannounced race.
WildStar shows off footage from friends and family testing
Has your enthusiasm wavered at all for WildStar? The game has been a no-show at the most recent conventions, and with not much new to see, it's easy to start wondering if anything's been happening with the game. Fear not; the newest installment of WildStar Wednesday produces quite a bit for fans to watch and speculate upon -- it's four minutes of a guided tour of the content and mechanics currently in friends and family testing. One of the bigger elements being shown off is the evolving action mechanics of the game. The video explains how the more freeform targeting system is working and how players can interact with the environment to change up the battlefield. The Scientist and Settler paths are also displayed in working order, adding on to the previously seen Soldier and Explorer paths. And there are new areas, new monsters, and hints of more footage to come. So by all means, jump on past the break and watch the game strut its stuff for a while.
WildStar welcomes us to Gallow, teases big reveal
Carbine hosted a light WildStar Wednesday this week due to traveling to E3, and as such we've been given a slew of pictures to tide us over. The five screenshots are of Gallow, one of the towns in WildStar that is located in Algoroc. Gallow appears to be a frontier town with a handful of structures, including a rickety water tower. It sits nestled in a mountainous region marked by pine trees, lush grass, and jutting red buttes. If you feel a little robbed by this week's reveal, Carbine promises that next Wednesday will present a doozy: "Behind the scenes, the community team is working on a pretty major project that we'll unveil at next week's WildStar Wednesday, so stay tuned for an in-depth first look at something we've never shared about WildStar!"
Leaderboard: News dump vs. paced information
This week's E3 is on all our minds, and I know that I can't wait to hear what big reveals or juicy tidbits developers have to drop on us. Conventions, expos, and trade shows are great platforms to back up a dump truck full of information to the microphones in an attempt to grab the spotlight and deny it to others. But that makes me think of how there's really two methods that studios use for delivering information about their games' futures. The first is to store it all up for a single mass press explosion that floods players and the media with loads of new information. While that can be fun and get the headlines, it also means that there tends to be a lot of silence and waiting between said infodumps. The other method is to spread out the love with regular but smaller updates. Some MMOs, like SWTOR and WildStar, even go so far as to schedule a weekly info day so that fans know when to expect something new. It may not always seem as impressive when paced like that, but some players really do appreciate knowing that there is news coming at regular intervals rather than having to wait. So what do you say? Vote with your mouse and then sound off in the comments: Is it better to have big news dumps or to pace that information out?
WildStar Wednesday shows off Eldan technology
Players might be exploring the world of Nexus in WildStar, but it's not their world. It belonged to the Eldan, and while the race itself might not be present, its technology is still everywhere. The newest installment of WildStar Wednesday takes a look at some of the automated robots left behind by the Eldan. They're not directly malicious, but they're also not particularly friendly, pursuing ancient objectives and antiquated functions with single-minded devotion. While Probes are primarily meant for gathering information and surveillance, the floating eyes are equipped with shielding and directed-energy weapons to keep themselves safe. Protectors have a more direct combat function; the lumbering humanoid robots found gathered around important scientific sites. Last but not least, the Augmentors are rare but potent machines capable of injecting nanomachines into a subject to start a process of mechanical integration known as augmentation. Take a look at all of the machines on this week's installment of the preview column -- even if you don't necessarily want to blow these gadgets up, they don't have any such compunctions about you.
WildStar Thursday brings the Metal Maw action
Metal Maw, the brain child of a live drawing session conceived at last year's Gamescom, is featured once again in this week's WildStar "Wednesday" -- and this time he's not just some concept art or a 3-D model but a fully animated death-bringer! Along with a test video featuring the big guy in action, this week's blog post has some information about the team's considerations in bringing him to life. This destructive blue hulk is designed for about 15 level 6 players to fight at once and should give them about a three-minute battle. His abilities are designed so that things get steadily more interesting as the fight progresses. Now that the team's happy with the way he fights, Metal Maw's been put in a crate and shipped on over to the animation and effects team to get his final beauty polish before being totally ready for players in-game. Skip below the cut to see the big guy in action!
WildStar Wednesday discusses quality of life
Mobility is key when you're adventuring on an exciting frontier planet. Taking this to heart, WildStar developer Carbine Studios is building in some quality of life improvements to speed Settlers along their way. All players traveling on roads in WildStar will benefit from a speed boost, whether they're on a noble steed or going afoot. Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney mentions that, more than just cutting down on travel time, this allows developers to plan on players running into each other as they travel through the world as well as aiding in the design of exploration-driven content and proper timing of encounters. If players are really gung-ho about speed and being (profitable) good Samaritans, they'll have opportunities to add new taxi points to remote areas, pitch a vendor stall to sell mounts to lowbies, and set up speed-boosting machines at outposts, among other player-driven additions. Hopefully, this means that the more folks are in an area, the more luxuries are available -- or you can be the pilgrim running out into the wilds to spur on the advance of civilization. Speaking of running out into the wilds, we know no one likes doing that only to get called in 15 minutes later to pick up a new quest. Players' communicators are a big part of the accessibility of the world in WildStar. Many quests can be picked up and turned in via comm call, freeing players from the drudgery of having to actually track people down. To sum up, Gaffney listed the goals of this design approach. "Focus on the fun parts of the game. Eliminate tedium. Keep the challenge in there for advanced gamers. Overall, let you play the way you want to play."
WildStar to support and encourage addons
While some fledgling MMOs may act coy or hesitant about including user-created addons for their game, WildStar is going the opposite route and embracing them full-on. Lead Client Engineer Jon Wiesman penned a dev blog explaining why Carbine is enthusiastically supporting addons for the game from launch. Wiesman previously worked at EverQuest's Verant and is currently the driving force behind WildStar's UI engine. He reports that not only will players be able to change the look and layout of the UI from the get-go, but WildStar will support Lua to allow for addons and mods. He assures potential players that creating such addons won't be a frustrating experience devoid of proper instruction and support: "If you can program at all, I promise you'll be able to make an addon for our game. Our commitment is to make sure the process is documented, clear, and accessible. Promise." [Thanks to Bill for the tip!]
WildStar Wednesday showcases a rogue's gallery full of rogues
WildStar is shaping up to be a lot of things, but "peaceful" isn't one of them. Players watching the various previews already have an idea of what the more natural threats in the game world will look like. This week's installment of WildStar Wednesday focuses on a much more human element, however: three different criminal organizations that all have a decided interest in the region of Algoroc. As if the wildlife wasn't bad enough, you have to contend with all manner of criminals as well. Marauders are intergalactic pirates, the Darkspur Cartel is essentially an interstellar mafia, and the Crowe Gang is a group of smugglers and moonshine brewers. But all of them have an interest in Algoroc, and none of them are open to outsiders or anything law-abiding in the area. That means players are going to have to face off against all three, and from the looks of the preview, none of these groups will go down easily.
WildStar Wednesday tours Algoroc
Who doesn't fancy a trip to the wild and lawless frontier to try to strike it rich? Blue crystal fever has spread in Carbine Studios' sci-fi title WildStar, and galactic prospectors will have the opportunity to stake their claims in the new land of Algoroc. Complete with boomtowns, murders, slave-traders, rampaging killer security bots, and ancient ruins, this place sounds perfect, right? Shake off those civilized shackles and prepare for a gritty adventure. Adventurous types can head toward Tremor Ridge, a small mining camp in the western part of the land. Though the area was dangerous before, recent attacks by space pirates make the stay there just that much more exciting. Fancy a trip to a boomtown? Head east to Gallow, where the the peace needs to be kept after the local lawman was brutally murdered. Or if you prefer ancient civilizations to current ones, an Eldan facility is being excavated in the western mountains -- just watch out for the security system that the archaeologists accidentally triggered!
WildStar records score, dishes out free music
This week's WildStar spotlight takes the focus off the look of the game and puts it on the melodious strains of its soundtrack. In it, Carbine Studios Lead Composer Jeff Kurtenacker steps in front of the camera to talk about creating and recording the score for this upcoming MMO. "The recording process is pretty fascinating and pretty complicated, actually," Kurtenacker began. He said that the score starts with his recording basic MIDI tunes for use in the game's early testing. Following that, he assembles musicians to record the proper score, including "cues" (short pieces) and longer tracks. His favorite part of the recording day comes when there's silence right at the beginning and then the first notes fill the air. "That always to me is a fantastically amazing moment," he said. On top of the video, which you can check out after the jump, Carbine's provided two free music tracks to download and enjoy: Enemy Camp Battle and Rescue Mission.
Newest WildStar Wednesday talks about creatures like a boss
When you're out in the wilds of WildStar, you're going to run into some creatures strong enough to throw you to the ground. That's why this week's installment of WildStar Wednesday discusses the minibosses one can expect to find out in the Northern Wilds. Only three of the denizens are given a full writeup, but the triumvirate should be more than enough to give potential players a sense of what dangers lurk in the planet's unexplored regions. If you like your enemies with a thick carapace, the Xenobite Queen should be right up your alley, complete with vile poison and ravenous young. If you'd prefer to be pounded into the dirt by a mechanical emissary of the Dominion, the Ultrabot should provide you with all the laser-guided missile-flavored death you could want. Or you could face down a Frost Giant and enjoy watching a long-haired beast with poor eyesight hammer you into oblivion. It's all interesting flavor for fans of the game's development thus far, and it includes small factoids about the beasts that should prove completely irrelevant when fighting them. The more you know.
WildStar Wednesday highlights the deadly denizens of planet Nexus
WildStar's planet Nexus is a wild, untamed place full of various flora and fauna. It just so happens that a good chunk of said flora and fauna wants to eat your face. Thankfully, the fine folks over at Carbine Studios have decided to give players a leg-up on the competition by providing them with a bit of insight on some of the savage creatures they'll encounter in the dark corners of the planet. The spotlight today is on three species of things-you-don't-want-to-meet-in-a-dark-alley. First off, we have masses of sentient fungus known as rootbrutes, and if their name doesn't tell you everything you need to know about 'em, then we're not sure how to help you. If that's not enough to make you think twice about your next vacay to planet Nexus, maybe the Girrok will give you pause. These huge, stocky quadripeds are known to rip boulders from the earth for a rousing game of bowling, except players are their pins. To top it all off, we have the "barely sentient" Skeech. Despite their near complete lack of intellect, the Skeech are apparently accomplished cooks... of people. So if a Skeech says it wants to have you for dinner, it doesn't mean a dinner party.
WildStar Wednesday: Shiny hover bikes
Everybody's favorite extraterrestrial bunnyfolk make an appearance in this week's WildStar Wednesday. While the blog is light on text, it makes up for that with some lovely shots of a female Aurin tooling around on the hover bike we've all come to know and envy from WildStar's first cinematic. A couple of the shots show off the game's lovely scenery while the Aurin performs what would be a wheelie if the bike ever had two wheels on the ground to begin with. Dreaming of the day that you, too, can nab a joyride on this beast of a hover bike? Hop on over to the blog page to check out all the shots, or browse our WildStar gallery to get an eyeful.%Gallery-130867%
WildStar Wednesday examines redundancies in quest text
Can you really produce a meaningful set of quests while keeping each snippet of text down to 140 characters? The team developing WildStar certainly thinks so. In a previous installment of the regular WildStar Wednesday feature, fans were introduced to the concept, but this week's developer diary is all about explaining how you keep all of the flavor of a quest while trimming it down to the bare minimum necessary. It's not about stripping out flavor -- it's about exactly the opposite. Senior narrative designer Cory Herndon explains by example that a lot of quest text winds up repeating unnecessary facts or stating something that should be immediately clear. Herndon starts with a longer example of quest text and steadily pares it down to the most important bits of information, keeping all of the flavor while posting each bit of communication in quick and comprehensible bursts. Combined with the discussion of adding further bits of quest dialogue after important objectives are completed, the diary shows just how you can get a lot of flavor into the quests without quite as many fancy words.
WildStar unveils questing with a Twitter budget
Nobody likes reading quest text. Having to sift through five paragraphs of text just to figure out what you're doing isn't anyone's idea of a good time. The latest entry in the WildStar Wednesday series of developer blogs is all about how the team has tried to do away with mind-numbing and ponderous quest text. And the narrative design team does so by paring down quest text to a quick snippet no longer than a Twitter post. While there are ways to construct smaller entries, of course, the entry discusses how the 140-character limit makes for a good building block to keep players engaged -- it's short enough that you can read it quickly but not so short that it omits important information. In addition to showing a quest get brought down to a quick bite-sized snippet, the entry also talks about keeping control in the hands of the player and letting the story unfold organically, both things that should be of interest to WildStar fans eager for more information.
