As grumpy as I was not being able to create a character for a week, then being unable to play anyway... this isn't the first we've been burdened by launch hiccups, honestly, I don't think Square Enix have done a half bad job relatively speaking. Now that things are back on track they face the next hurdle, they have released details of PlayStation 4 Beta Testing, more on that follows.
Tomorrow TERA: Rising, the free-to-play game from EnMasse Entertainment, is receiving a massive update with 4 new dungeons complete with new game modes, mechanics, epic bosses and elite gear! This update, referred to as Dungeon Assault, will add content for various party sizes and allow players to upgrade the Conjunct, Visionmaker and Bloodrave armor sets.
Back in early July, ArenaNet announced the unthinkable – Guild Wars 2 would be updated every two weeks. This wouldn’t be a barrage of random content either; with game designer Colin Johanson explaining that the team wants to deliver a truly living world.
Since then, the Seattle-based studio has been good to its word. Story updates featuring in-game elections and jubilee celebrations have arrived alongside new features like the currency wallet. But, in order to work at such a high speed, ArenaNet has needed to radically reorganize itself.
Two months into the Living Story mission, Talk Azeroth host Olivia Grace and I caught up with lead game designer Isiah Cartwright, art director Daniel Dociu and game designer Matt Wuerffel, and asked them how – and more importantly why – they switched to this approach.
The guys at NeoJac Entertainment have created a proprietary server engine, Atavism, which provides building tools that allow users to create an online world and accompanying storyline faster than ever. All that’s left now is to create a game that shows off what Atavism is capable of – enter Neo’s Land. This high-fantasy MMORPG will use Atavism for the server work and the Unity3D engine on the client side so all that’s really left is for the players to get in to the world and begin to build it.
Michael “Ragar” Branham had the opportunity to ask some questions of Jacques Rossouw, NeoJac CEO and Patrick Hamilton, NeoJac Chief Security Officer.
Lord of the Rings Online kicked off Helm's Deep beta on Friday, September 5. A wave of invites along with a reminder to not talk about beta were sent out the day prior. Helm's Deep will be the fifth expansion for the game and is expected to launch in Fall 2013.
One of the changes coming to Helm's Deep is to the Trait Tree (pictured here). According to Sapience, the LotRO Community Manager, "The skills on the left unlock as you progress through the trees. They're not gated by Turbine Points."
With class changes incoming, a Developer Diary entry was released regarding the Burglar class. RockX discusses how he focused on making the three roles unique with focused gameplay. Head over to the official site to check out all of the Burglar class changes.
Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @Cyliena
For a limited time, you can receive a Ghost Hellbug mount, Votan Fragger weapon transmog, and $5 in RIFT Store Credits when you purchase and register a physical copy of Defiance! This offer applies to Standard and Collector's Edition boxed copies of Defiance on PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3, and is valid while supplies last.
You can learn more about Defiance or register your physical copy with Trion.
Holly "Windstalker" Longdale released a new Producer's Letter today. In it we discover that the next expansion, Tears of Veeshan, has moved to a mid-November launch date and that its beta is expected to start on October 15th. She mentioned how the team is continuing to work on Heroic Characters (insta-85 chars; details on these is still very limited).
In the letter, Holly also announced that Free and Silver players will be given the Destiny of Velious zones for free (no ETA stated), while Age of Discovery and (presumably) Chains of Eternity remain pay-to-unlock content. The Age of Discovery features will be sold individual, which includes the Beastlord class, Mercenaries, Tradeskill Apprentices, Dungeon Maker, and Reforging. No prices are available at this time for the AoD features.
Continue reading the entire Producer's Letter below or head over to the official forums to give your feedback!
RuneScape's month of challenges continue this weekend in their exciting Super September event. Go schmooze, do some soul searching, or much more as you work toward earning bonus XP (x2 XP or x1.25 XP for Dungeoneering) and milestone rewards. The first reward is available for those that have completed a mere five daily challenges!
Each super challenge is only available on its given day and cannot be made up later. The event is only available to members, so make sure you subscribe if you haven't yet.
Super September concludes on Monday, September 30th at 23:59 GMT. Remember to login every day to prove your mettle!
Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @Cyliena
Each week, Chris "Syeric" Coke gives his unfiltered thoughts on the MMO industry. Taking on the news and hottest topics, Chris brings his extensive experience as a player and blogger to bear in Experience Points. This week he breaks down frustrating aspects of the industry, including the recent launch of Final Fantasy XIV.
Yesterday, for the first time since the game's release, I was able to log on to my guild's Final Fantasy XIV server. After eight days and one miracle patch, Square Enix finally seems to be making headway on an issue that never should have happened in the first place. See, this genre has a problem – a few of them in fact. One of them is launches. Another is the publishers and companies running these games. Today I want to look at what, in the words of Peter Griffin, really grinds my gears.
Blizzard is just days away from flicking the switch that makes Patch 5.4: Siege of Orgrimmar go live, and so now is the time to take a look at how you can prepare for the coming changes.
It is important to note that ilvl 489 gear previously available from faction quartermasters for Valor Points will be purchasable with Justice Points instead. Not only that, but the reputation requirements for those items are being removed. The higher ilvl Valor gear previously available from the Shado-Pan Assault is still there, but selling at a discounted price.
