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Exclusive: Lucent Heart's Scaena zones and bosses
If you were looking for something a little more "traditional fantasy" after Lucent Heart's music-and-dance routine video last week, then today's dev diary will suit your tastes. In it, the folks at Gamania have delivered to us an exclusive preview of the upcoming Scaena update's zones and bosses. The world of Acadia is being enhanced with the Witch's Cliff on the continent of Cropolis; the level 65-69 Heart of Fire in the lands of Fostyre; the crafting hub Minotsize, City of Industry; and the continents of Edea and Aislan. The dev diary also highlights two of the opponents that players can expect to encounter: the formidable God's Advocate in Mount Destiny and the scorpion-riding Medea in the Witch's Cliff. Hit the break for the full scoop, and check out screenshots of some of the bosses and zones in the gallery below.%Gallery-130977%
City of Heroes previews First Ward
It's important for City of Heroes players to remember that Issue 21 isn't just bringing City of Heroes Freedom -- it's also bringing several pieces of new content, including the foreboding First Ward. The official site has just put up a preview of the new region, the site of Emperor Cole's first attempt at making his perfect society... and the site of his greatest failure in that goal. Because First Ward was the start of Praetoria, one that ended in destruction and death despite everything. Protected by a prototype system of sonic fencing which would later be used around Praetoria proper, First Ward was able to repulse the Devouring Earth for quite some time. But Hamidon had a secret plan to burst up from within the city, leading to widespread death and destruction across the landscape. The city remains as a place where the veil between dead and living has been weakened to near the breaking point while the Devouring Earth stalk the streets, and while something may be blossoming within the city, it's certainly not Cole's dream. City of Heroes players can check out the official site for the full details on what has happened to the city.
The Daily Grind: What game has your favorite instanced PvP?
In some ways, it's much easier to design an open PvP environment than an instanced battlefield. All one needs for the former is a world wherein anyone can attack anyone else, but creating an instanced map requires a set of objectives for players to fight over, an interesting layout to create diverse battles, and a balance so that every side within the instanced map will have a fair chance out of the gate. It's similar to creating a solid map for a first-person shooter, but with far more variables at play and much wider ranges of abilities for all participants. Despite the obstacles, the instanced PvP map has become one of the most common features of games with any sort of PvP system. So which games offer the best instanced PvP experience? Is it Warhammer Online's diverse and varied Scenario maps? RIFT's balanced Warfronts with specialized PvP-only character builds? What game makes instanced PvP feel the most vibrant and interesting 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!
The Daily Grind: Which zones are you happy to see destroyed?
When City of Heroes announced that the game's new starting experience will include the wholesale destruction of Galaxy City, there were some players who were sad. There were many more who were happy at the thought of Galaxy City being smashed into rubble and twisted metal, and there were even a few volunteers to help wreck it before the update hits. There are zones that we like in any game, yes, but there are also zones that seemingly nobody enjoys. Fortunately, the nature of MMOs ensures that the zone you hate today could be getting an extensive makeover via demolition tomorrow. So what zones do you think deserve a big dose of a cosmic wrecking ball? Are they zones that have already been destroyed, such as World of Warcraft's long-loathed Darkshore, or zones you just can't wait to see destroyed (such as Galaxy City)? Or are there even zones that show no sign of going anywhere that you'd just like to see wrecked? 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: Would you like more exploration options?
Let's not mince words -- when you hear about a new location in any MMOs, you know it's being added so you can go in and kill its inhabitants. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, especially seeing as every new level brings MMO characters new ways to dice, filet, and otherwise demolish said inhabitants. But as many players have noted, it would be nice if there were occasionally other options, such as the puzzles and traps that Dungeons and Dragons Online places in some of its adventures. So would you like to see more exploration options in MMOs? Would you enjoy the chance to have a new location where you had to puzzle your way past traps and not draw your sword (or gun or electrical magic or whatever)? How about exploring a landscape without certain knowledge about what was on the other side? Or do you feel that's a thing of the past and so long as answers and guides are freely available online that exploration can't quite be replicated? 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!
Hellgate shows off its new Duel Areas
No matter how bad the environmental conditions might be in Hellgate, that's no reason to eschew one of the time-honored traditions of MMOs everywhere: PvP. But the game's relaunch won't just be including the original PvP elements, and one of the newer additions has just been highlighted -- the Duel Areas. This new addition allows players to face off against one another on specially designed maps, complete with dynamic elements on each map to keep battles unique. With four different maps to choose from and a number of pre-fight variables, the Duel Areas are limited at the moment by the fact that only deathmatch games are available within. Killing opponents will reward players with PvP experience, leading to valuable rewards for future PvP matches. Check out the video previews for two of the new arenas just after the break, something that should be enough to get Hellgate players excited as the game moves toward release.
E3 2011: A look at Runes of Magic's upcoming Redhill Mountains
Runes of Magic is on the floor at E3, and the team behind the game is showing off the goods for the upcoming Lands of Despair expansion. GDC saw a preview of the earliest zone for the new chapter, but E3 is focusing on the new Redhill Mountain zones, spanning from level 65 to 68. Players will be tossed into the center of a war between the Fireboot Dwarves and the rhino-like Kaylo race. And at the center of everything sits the dungeon of Sardo Castle, a font of undead and villainy. The centerpiece of the Redhill Mountains is the Battlefield of Steel, where the Dwarves and Kaylo take part in an ongoing war of aggression that's stretched out for 10 long years. Players will be tasked with investigating both sides of the issue and uncovering the sinister motives behind the conflict, with the true villain waiting at the heart of the Sardo Castle instance. Runes of Magic fans should take a look at the special preview gallery below, showing off the zone and instance in elaborate detail. Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered! %Gallery-125722%
The Tattered Notebook: Five zones that deserve a revamp
Recently, EverQuest II developer Kyle "Kander" Vallee tweeted his followers asking for input on the following question: "What #EQII zone would you love to see revamped into new heroic content?" That's a tough but really fun question. Over the years, EverQuest II has added so many overland and instanced zones that there's no shortage of choices. A quick glance at the dungeon list at EQ2i shows well over 100 major heroic instances and open dungeons for groups. If you add in the list of minor instances, like the Splitpaw adventure pack instances or the Fallen Dynasty trials, it's easily over 120. In fact, there are so many group zones that it's nearly impossible to level up and see them all (I vote for a new in-game dungeon listing for the next UI revamp!). I've played through a good chunk of these zones and put together a list of the top five dungeons that deserve a makeover. Read on for the full list!
Angels Online welcomes us to the Primordial Paradise
Yes, it did hurt when we fell from heaven. Why do you ask? Ohh. You're trying to hit on us! We have more details concerning Angels Online's Primordial Paradise expansion, which is already available in the game. The world's key-uuuutest MMO is adding several new areas to the game, an ancient skill system, and tougher challenges for experienced veterans. Honestly, we dare you to go into a biker bar and declare yourself an "Angels Online veteran." We'll even buy your drinks. The new areas in this expansion include the bone-littered Lost Cove, the hidden paradise of Boulder Village, the rough-and-tumble Hoca Village, the training grounds of Rex Point, the resource-laden Raven Riverpoint, the appropriately named Hunter's Ridge, and the cutthroat vista of the Shilly Desert. It's in this latter area that cherubs can test their mettle in the Dino Arena. If the cross appeal of angels and dinosaurs is enough for you, then head over to Angels Online to check it out!
The Daily Grind: Would you like to be under the sea?
The ocean is one of the only alien environments left on our slowly turning planet, and even though it's all around us, it remains a frontier. Which makes it odd that with the number of MMOs focused on creating new worlds, there's virtually nothing that takes a dive beneath the waters. Champions Online and World of Warcraft both have extended areas in which players explore beneath the waves, but as a setting the ocean remains largely underutilized. And it could very well be a ripe ground for ideas, settings ranging from steampunk to science fiction beneath unfamiliar waters. Of course, the obvious reason is that human beings are generally not very good at exploring the ocean depths, due to our lack of gills and inability to withstand crushing water pressure. But it's still worth asking -- would you play an MMO set largely or completely underwater? Would you enjoy the change of atmosphere and environment that comes with such a radical shift in setting? Or do you think it's an idea that sounds neat but would ultimately be far more trouble than it's worth? 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: Guide to Aion's Esoterrace instance
Massively's exclusive Aion info is back for another encore, and today we've got an in-depth walkthrough of the new Esoterrace instance for your viewing pleasure. Esoterrace is a level 50 dungeon coming to the live servers with next week's 2.5 update, and we've teamed with NCsoft to bring you the instance's first complete guide. The dungeon is designed for full groups and is accessed via a rift inside the factional fortresses of Gelkmaros and Inggison. Players will only be able to enter Esoterrace if their faction controls one or more of the Balaurean forts, so get out there and take the fight to the Asmos (or Elyos) when the patch drops next Wednesday. Esoterrace is a large zone featuring windstream transportation, a number of challenging mob types, and a final boss, Kexkra, who can be fought in either normal- or hard-mode. The zone also features a number of easter eggs and hidden treasure chests, so head past the cut to start your preparations.
New zones and artifacts in latest Perpetuum devblog
Perpetuum has been stomping its way along after its fairly recent launch, doing its level best to prove that everything really is better with giant robots. While the development team has been a bit quiet the past few weeks, the newest devblog entry explains some of the reasons behind the silence. A lot of the team's focus has been on adding new zones to the game for players to explore, with six new zones in development -- three of them remaining safe and three allowing for the unrepentant robot warfare that drives the core game. The game's artifact scanning minigame is also nearing completion, and while the blog entry states outright that the mechanics will be fairly similar, it sounds like a good way to pass some time while there's nothing for your robot to shoot at. There's also official support for an emulation platform on Linux and OSX, which makes the game available to a wider range of potential players. Perpetuum players should take a look at the full entry for all the details. [Thanks to Roy Ary for the tip!]
EverQuest devs talk progression server on new Live Cast
Ladies and gentleman, start your time machines! Today marks the launch of EverQuest's Fippy Darkpaw progression server, and SOE has a trio of new Live Cast videos with the dev team available for viewing on its YouTube channel. The discussion is hosted by Eric "Piestro" Cleaver and features lead designer Adam Bell, designer Ed Hardin, and lead programmer Steve Klug. Topics covered include the hows and whys of a progression server, the world and zone revamps, and the XP curve (which the team says will be slowed down quite a bit relative to the live game). "There are no 'hell levels,' but it will still be slower than it is on a normal server," Hardin says. The team also talks about how certain races and classes, and even the game's tutorial, won't be available from launch, as they're locked to certain expansions and will only become available as the progression server ages. Speaking of progressing, the devs have implemented a brand new voting system with a dedicated in-game UI in order to afford players the opportunity to choose when the server should move to the next expansion. As far as who gets to vote, Bell says that "you'll need to be on the progression server and at least level 30 in order to vote to unlock the next expansion, and we may raise that level as the expansion unlocks continue." Head past the cut to view the entire Live Cast in three parts.
RIFT looks at Scarwood Reach
Whether or not you're looking forward to RIFT, it's hard to deny that the game makes great use of setting. The latest region revealed, Scarwood Reach, is haunting and evocative in both backstory and current events. Once an enchanted forest covered in the majestic granitewood trees, the woods have been logged to their demise, with only scattered pockets of trees remaining as a testament to what once was. But the servants of Greenscale seek to undo the damage in the only way possible -- by opening a portal to the Plane of Life that might swallow Telara whole. Aside from the abandoned shrines and local creatures harmed by the mad rush for wood and the abandonment of old traditions, the explosion of unfiltered Life at the heart of what was once forest is equally toxic. Even apart from the rifts that occasionally blossom, the forest is beset by creatures unseen in this land, coupled with crawling roots that bring searing and unwelcome new life to the barren landscape. Take a look at the gallery for a quartet of preview images, a fine preparation for the maddening environment that RIFT's damaged forest remnants are poised to deliver. %Gallery-101448%
Cataclysm 101: Zone and instance progression
If you're sitting there at your keyboard right now violently coveting your upcoming Cataclysm experience and daydreaming of all the places you'll go, we here at WoW Insider would like nothing better than to aid and abet you in your wacky escapades. And since Cataclysm is launching on International Matthew Rossi's Birthday, who better to help you figure out where you intend to stream like an unstoppable torrent of locusts? Well, there may be lots of better options, but I'm doing it anyway. Cataclysm has several new zones to experience and quite a few new dungeons to crawl through. Let's take a look, shall we?
Guest Post: Azshara revamp ushers in new level range, epic stories
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. I would hazard a guess that a vast majority of WoW players have never even been to Azshara. Honestly, since Molten Core is no longer a major raid zone and the Runes of Fire Lords just put themselves out, there really isn't much reason to. Those of us who raided in vanilla made weekly trips there to pick up our Aqual Quintessence, and I was also an herbalist, so I would spend another hour or so out there looking for Dreamfoil because of needing a bag full of mana pots to raid in those pre-potion sickness days. Clearly, the zone was unfinished. There was one quest hub, if you could call it that, because there were only a very small number of quests there. Blizzard tried to bring people to the unused zone later on by adding in the level 50 class quests that led up to Sunken Temple -- but really, in the process of leveling, you could basically ignore Azshara and move on. I hated the original Azshara because it was out in the middle of nowhere and fairly poorly designed. It was hard to get to places because of all the rocky cliffs, and passages up and down from the beach to the cliffs were too few and far between. It could even be dangerous at level 60 before The Burning Crusade's stamina inflation; lots of mobs feared and or put debuffs on you, and there were elites wandering around over huge portions of the zone. Sadly the few fond memories I have of old Azshara are gone, as well. When Azuregos was up in vanilla, the entire zone would become a raiding guild, PvP fight zone as the top Horde and Alliance raiding guilds fought over who could tag him, killing flagged members of the group who got him, hoping to wipe them and inflict them all with the debuff. It could get fun and entertaining -- and one time, it even caused our server to be shut down. Well, that has all changed come Cataclysm.
Take an exclusive look at Chinatown in DC Universe Online
It's no doubt a bit disheartening for DC Universe Online fans to know that they'll have to wait until next year for the game rather than just until November. Still, that doesn't mean that the information has stopped coming about the game -- if anything, there's been more coming out of Sony Online Entertainment after the delay was announced. We've recently been granted an exclusive flyover of the Chinatown district of Metropolis, giving players as well as the vaguely curious a chance to see one of the game's zones in action. Not only does the video show off the visuals of the area, but it also demonstrates a bit of combat in the district's vistas, with what appear to be player-created characters fighting off some thugs in the Asian-inspired region. Take a look on past the cut for a closer look at one of the game zones, and keep your eyes peeled for more information about DC Universe Online as we approach the revised launch date for the game.
The Anvil of Crom: Gateway to adventure
I've been spending so much time in Khitai's Northern Grasslands lately that I'm starting to dream of wolves, 50-foot-tall golems, and crotchety warmonk bosses that mop the floors of their monastery with the remains of my asphyxiated assassin. As such, I figure it's time for a little change of pace, as well as a change of scenery. Ah hell, since I'm an incurable altoholic, let's go ahead and throw a change of character in there as well. Goodbye squishy 'sin, I'll miss you (not). Anyway, several alts are in the works, but rather than focus on the hows and whys of a new class (more on that in the coming weeks), we'll chew the scenery in this week's Anvil of Crom. Join me after the cut for a look at the majestic Gateway to Khitai, the latest stop on our tour of Hyboria's many and varied questing zones. %Gallery-102809%
Creative Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay System untethered from FCC
Here we go again. Another FCC filing of an unannounced product, this time in the form of Creative's Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay system. We're looking at a trio of new products including the MultiPlay Transmitter with its USB extension dock, a rather clunky looking Touch Controller (that we've seen before) resembling an old Sonos CR100, and Wireless Receiver. The idea here is to attach the transmitter to your PC and install the Creative Music Server software, connect the receiver to a pair of amplified speakers and then control the whole kit with the supplied controller. You can even push the audio out to Creative's existing wireless speakers or headphones as long as you don't exceed four devices in total. The transmitter and receivers pair automatically when turned on and you can attach additional audio devices (like an old CD player) for broadcast via a 3.5-mm stereo cable. Creative's pitching this as a multi-room solution with the ability to setup and then control zones of music throughout your house over a 2.4GHz connection. In other words, don't expect it to be very robust -- not when the user manual explicitly warns: "Refrain from doing large file transfers via the wireless internet or Bluetooth connection while you are streaming music." Expect it to be cheap though.%Gallery-101466%
Getting down to earth with Stonefield in Rift: Planes of Telara
The team at Trion Worlds has been stepping up its game of late with Rift: Planes of Telara, showing off more and more of the gameplay and zones. The preview of the Fire Rift was appropriately dynamic, but with the most recent preview at Rift Nexus, the game shows off a more grounded region in Stonefield. An early zone for the Defiant faction, the area features battles against both titans and undead for low-level characters on their way through the leveling process. The ancient Eth were responsible for bringing the titans to the land, using them as guards for the precious mines of the area... until the titans raised an army and engaged in a brutal war against their would-be masters. Now the titans are imprisoned within the earth, but their influence still spreads throughout the zone. It's quite possible they're behind the undead that are slowly spreading from Granite Falls, something players will have to investigate for themselves. The description alone doesn't do the zone justice, however, so click past the break for an embedded flythrough of the region. Rift: Planes of Telara doesn't yet have a solid release date, but it's shaping up nicely, especially if it continues to build upon such a solid foundation.
