FFXIV Open Beta Postponed due to Critical Bugs!
TERA's lag, security, and an M-rating
TERA is shaping up to be a huge hit with international audiences, and nowhere is this more evident than in En Masse Entertainment's willingness to reach out to fan communities outside the U.S. The latest example comes courtesy of TERAHispano, as they recently sat down with En Masse producer Patrick Wyatt for a round of questions regarding everything from microtransactions, to account security, to lag.
Wyatt has lots to say in the lengthy interview, and among the more interesting nuggets is the fact that En Masse expects TERA to ship with an M-rating. He also touches on performance issues, pointing to the Focus Group Tests as evidence that lag won't be an issue for the game's action combat system. "When we built the first Western servers for TERA, we selected a QA datacenter just a few miles from our offices in Seattle, which meant that European players who joined our Focus Group Tests were playing on servers over 5000 miles away. Based on the forum posts, polls, and informal surveys from those events, we didn't see lag problems," Wyatt says.
Finally, he reiterates that TERA will not be a microtransaction-based title, and also discusses GameGuard and alternatives to the intrusive anti-cheat software.
by Jef Reahard
Wyatt has lots to say in the lengthy interview, and among the more interesting nuggets is the fact that En Masse expects TERA to ship with an M-rating. He also touches on performance issues, pointing to the Focus Group Tests as evidence that lag won't be an issue for the game's action combat system. "When we built the first Western servers for TERA, we selected a QA datacenter just a few miles from our offices in Seattle, which meant that European players who joined our Focus Group Tests were playing on servers over 5000 miles away. Based on the forum posts, polls, and informal surveys from those events, we didn't see lag problems," Wyatt says.
Finally, he reiterates that TERA will not be a microtransaction-based title, and also discusses GameGuard and alternatives to the intrusive anti-cheat software.
by Jef Reahard
Rift: Planes of Telara gets a budget ‘over $50m’
Trion CEO Lars Buttler told "Develop" the game’s exorbitant budget - parly due to the engineering of Trion's own development platform - signals how serious the company is in entering the MMO space.
“Rift: Planes of Telara is already very ambitious because it is over $50 million in development,” he said.
“One of the first questions we asked before we started the Rift project was, ‘why cannot online games be of the quality of videogames?’
OK, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say " I hope this guy is right".
He got some stiff competition in 2011. We have got a ton of MMORPG hitting the market.
To name a few GW2, SWTOR, and many more. For his sake, I hope they bring there "A" game.
But, I highly suspect that as most MMO's these days it's gonna get the inevitable "WoW is Better" treatment.
I'm gonna wait on the sidelines for this game.
ArenaNet's GW2 "Necro Q&A !
Fear
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Q: Fear sounds like an unbalanced crowd control mechanic. Could you explain this mechanic in more detail? How often can you use it and can you remove it? Are there certain types of enemies that are immune to fear?
- Eric: Fear is a condition and is therefore removable by anything that removes conditions. How often fear can be used depends entirely on the skill that inflicts it, so it will vary from skill to skill. Boss monsters are currently immune to fear, but this is something that we are constantly balancing. Izzy: Currently, fear lasts 2 to 5 seconds in PvE and 2 seconds in PvP, but these are just the current numbers and we’ll continue to refine and balance them as we keep playing.
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Q: How will fear work in PvP? I don’t like losing control of my character, and it seems like fear may make my play experience frustrating and unenjoyable.
- Eric: As Izzy alluded to, we’ll have different balance for skills in PvE and PvP, so it’s very likely that skills that cause fear will function slightly differently in the two game types. Fear is similar to a knockdown or stun in the way it disables your character for a short period of time. In some ways, fear is less powerful than knockdown, since it’s a condition, and it can be effected by anything that affects conditions. Knockdowns, on the other hand, can only be affected by things that specifically affect knockdowns.
Death Shroud
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Q: Will the necromancer be able to slot in different skills for his Death Shroud abilities?
- Izzy: No, your Death Shroud skills are a special set of skills, but you can make improvements to your Death Shroud via traits.
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Q: Does damage done to the necromancer in Death Shroud decrease the life force meter?
- Eric: Yes, when the necromancer is in Death Shroud state, any damage they receive decreases their life force.
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Q: Will there be ways to spend life force outside of Death Shroud? If not, would you consider adding some utility skills that would do this?
- Izzy: We want to keep these concepts simple, so skills can only add to your life force pool.
Minions
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Q: The necromancer article seems to imply that you can only have one minion of each type active, since summoning it swaps the skill out for a minion bomber skill. Is that true?
- Izzy: Some skills such a Bone Minions can give you three minions, plus an additional two using traits. You can also have a Blood Fiend and a Bone Fiend. Keep in mind we haven’t revealed all the necro minions yet!
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Q: If I’m out of combat and switch out one of my minion skills, do I lose the minion I have already summoned on the field?
Izzy: Yes, anytime you unequip a utility skill you lose all benefit from that skill – including minions.[/a]
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Q: Are minion models tied to the spell used to summon them (like in Guild Wars) or to the type of corpse that it was raised from?
- Eric: Minions in Guild Wars 2 are not raised from corpses, so the type of minion created is determined by the skill used.
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Q: Do minions have natural health regeneration?
- Eric: No, minions do not currently regenerate health.
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Q: Do minions have levels and do they vary in size or shape depending on the life force?
- Eric: The level of the minion is based upon the level of the necromancer that created it. They do not vary based upon life force.
Wells
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Q: Since wells originate from the caster herself, and not from a corpse, do they follow you around or stay at the location where the skill was cast?
- Eric: Much like wards in the original Guild Wars, wells do not move.
General
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Q: Would you consider some PvE only tweaks to further spice it up, like making necros slightly more powerful during in-game nighttime than in bright sunlight?
- Eric: We wouldn’t want to do anything to make a player feel like they should only play a particular race or profession in a limited set of circumstances, so I don’t think we’d do this sort of thing. That being said, we do have items that act differently at night versus during the day. The key difference is that item choice is a much more short term choice whereas race and profession are long term choices.
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Q: Is there any limit to how many marks I can place?
- Eric: When you place a mark, the skill switches to an “activate mark” skill. This means that the number of marks a necromancer can have active is limited by how many individual mark skills he brings.
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Q: Can the Life Siphon skill be maintained by holding the skill button down until either the enemy is dead or your energy runs out?
- Eric: Life Siphon is a timed skill that drains life for a short period of time, and then recharges. It can be interrupted by moving.
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Q: Are the scary and dark sound effect we can hear in the skill video permanent sound ambient effects for the necromancer, or were they used for the video only?
- Eric: Some of them were generated for the video and some of them are in the game. We tend to use the videos as sound concept tests though, so it is very likely that you’ll hear many of those sounds while playing the game.
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Q: Can necromancers swap weapons?
- Eric: Absolutely. Like other professions, necromancers can swap between two weapon sets (which is the current maximum for any profession).
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Q: Reading up on Ghosts of Ascalon, I wonder if what some of Killeen did in the book will somehow manifest itself in the game, or if that was simply a loose literary translation of necromancer abilities?
- Eric: Some of what Killeen does in the book will be reflected in the game (quite accurately). However, some of what she does is a pretty loose interpretation of in-game necromantic capabilities.
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Q: What is that brilliant-looking skill used at the beginning of the Life Siphon video?
- Izzy: That is a skill called Life Blast, which is skill number four on the focus item.
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Q: You mentioned bleeding in the skill Grasping Dead. How does bleeding stack in Guild Wars 2? Is it just additional duration, or is it an additional health loss per second?
- Izzy: You can have up to nine bleeds on a target and each does some damage per second.
Flameseeker Chronicles: What we know so far!
I had originally planned this week's Flameseeker Chronicles to be a detailed overview of Gamescom and the necromancer. By Friday afternoon, I decided that the subject had been done to death and that more words on it would just be repetitive clutter. There's enough of that on the net already, thanks.
Instead, I took my thoughts in another direction: the extreme hype of Guild Wars 2. Guild Wars 2-interest is at an all-time high, thanks in large part to Gamescom and PAX, and more people are beginning to take notice every day. The majority of those people are unfamiliar with Guild Wars and ArenaNet, and they've got a lot of questions.
Most of them are the same questions that veteran fans feel like they've answered a hundred times, and since I covered the basics of Guild Wars a few weeks ago, it seemed only fair to give the same kind of attention to Guild Wars 2. I love my fellow crazed-fans, and I promise that next week's column will contain all sorts of treats from PAX, but this week is for the newbies.
If you are new to ArenaNet's world and wondering what the deal is with Guild Wars 2, welcome -- I'm so glad you're checking this game out. If you've been around for a while, pass this on the next time you see someone asking what the deal is. There are several good -- and very detailed -- informational sites for the game in existence, and I'll wrap up with a bit of info on those. This one is intended as a starting point to cover the basics, complete with links for proof where needed, because the really extensive ones can get a bit overwhelming.
Follow along after the jump and let's get you started.
When is this game released?
Ah, the eternal question. Don't feel bad for asking this, and don't listen to those people fussing at you for asking it. While it's a simple question, it tends to get buried under the waves of new information and discussion that come out every day. Guild Wars 2 does not have a release date. "Yes it does, it's coming out November 2nd of this year!"
No, it's not. I promise you that the release date you have seen is not correct. Community Manager Regina Buenaobra has stated that the date you have seen is merely a placeholder created by retailers. When there is a launch date announced, you will know. It will be plastered all over the Guild Wars 2 site. If you happen to miss the news there, the giant frenzy in the Guild Wars 2 community and on MMO news sites will clue you in.
"I promise you that the launch date you have seen is not correct." |
OK, but what about beta? How do I sign up for testing?
Right now, you don't. For now, there is very limited information on any sort of Guild Wars 2 beta testing. What you need to know for the time being is that this is a joke, this is a scam, and as with the release date, you will definitely know if and when beta signups are available. Right now, there is no way whatsoever to apply for beta testing, and if you hear otherwise, don't buy into it.
From time to time you'll hear ArenaNet mention thoughts on beta testing during interviews, but for now, the official word is, "Although we publicly beta-tested the original Guild Wars while it was still in early development, with Guild Wars 2 we will commence beta testing closer to the game's release."
Will Guild Wars 2 have subscriptions, or will it be free-to-play?
The short answer is "neither." Guild Wars had an unusual business model that has worked very well for the past five years, and ArenaNet will be using the same model for Guild Wars 2. You will purchase the game, then that's it. No subscription fees, no game time cards, no paying to unlock premium content, nothing like that -- your purchase of the game gets you full access to everything. Any future expansions will work the same way.
There will almost certainly be microtransactions, but we don't know what they will be. So far in Guild Wars, ArenaNet has restricted store items to "fluff" content: permanent access to extra storage, cosmetic items like costumes and makeovers, and shortcuts like skill unlock packs. Those items could be considered a preview of the direction microtransactions will take in Guild Wars 2, but again, there is no official word from Arenanet.
Okay, this sounds great! I want to know more and talk to more fans, but there are almost 12 million results on Google and it's confusing and everyone is saying something different and and...
Yeah, I know. Like I said, the hype is huge right now and everyone's got something to say. Now that I've answered the most basic questions, let me give you a few links that won't completely bury you in minutiae while you're just trying to get your bearings. The official Guild Wars 2 site is kind of a given, and it's one of the most well-laid-out, user-friendly MMO sites I've ever seen. The FAQ there covers a few more details, and is a good next step.
On the fansite front, GuildWars2Guru is the main fansite for English-speaking fans, but hold on there. If you just run in and start browsing the forum I can promise you that you'll be confused and overwhelmed in about 15 minutes -- it's pretty huge. Introduce yourself, check out the Q&A forum, and look over the main forum list to see what catches your eye. Things move pretty fast there, but it's maintained well and if you take a bit of time to get acclimated you should find it a valuable resource.
Finally, check out my Guild Wars 2 community guide. If you are looking for a podcast, social networking sites, or more forums for GW2, you'll want to bookmark this and hang on to it.
So, there you go. Now that you've got the basics, and access to the next step, let me welcome you again to the future of Tyria! Watch for Flameseeker Chronicles next week -- I'll be at PAX in Seattle and I'll have plenty to tell!
Lord of the Rings Online: Frugal free-to-play!
One of the highlights I'm anticipating is all of the new (and returning) players giving LotRO their time due to the multiple payment options, including F2P bliss. I'm always a huge fan of options in my games, and I truly feel that the implementation of this free-to-play model will benefit a wider range of players than the current subscription core. Mmm, that Kool-Aid tastes great!
If you're thinking about heading into LotRO in two weeks but are unsure how much "free" will come with your F2P, when you'll be hit with the big catch, or whether you'll be forced to subscribe at some point, I have some great news for you. There are a variety of routes you can take to experience a good chunk of Lord of the Rings Online without denting your bank account. Read on for five valuable strategies to save a buck while saving Middle-earth!
Strategy 1: Pay nothing
I totally understand the mentality of never wanting to pay a dime for a game you're playing, especially if you have limited interest in it, tight finances, or are still feeling it out. Unlike the publishers of most other F2P titles, Turbine actually provides its free players with avenues for earning content through play, which opens up the possibility to unlock higher-level quest packs and character options for doing nothing more than playing strategically.
Of course, if you go the totally free route, you will have to live with several restrictions on your character and the fact that you'll probably never be able to earn enough Turbine points (TP) to unlock all that you want, especially if you have your eye set on leveling all the way to the cap. You can earn TP by doing deeds in the first three zones that come with F2P (Ered Luin, the Shire, and Bree-Land) -- there are 720 potential TP to be farmed from these areas, although some of the deeds (particularly the reputation ones) are probably beyond most players' grasp. That said, you can roll characters on multiple servers and repeat the process, and even delete and re-roll characters to farm more TP. So there's a potentially unlimited source of free TP in the F2P section, although how much of it you can earn depends on how much time and patience you have to do the same content over and over. Start saving now, as expansions cost well into the thousands!
It's also completely possible to level up to 50 without purchasing any zone quest packs. Turbine's not stopping you from traveling to progressively higher-level zones and grinding your heart out, it's just that questing adds more variety, doles out more rewards, and speeds up the progress overall. However, I'm sure we'll see a hardcore contingent accomplish this, and hey, more power to those folks. At least Turbine's gracious enough to offer four skirmishes as well as the epic quest line for free. The latter shouldn't be discounted, as the rewards and XP from finishing each epic book are considerable.
If you take a look at Turbine's plan comparison chart, it's plain to see that there's an advantage to be a premium player over a completely free one. You get two more character slots, an increase in your gold cap, higher login-priority, and better community features. Multiple characters, after all, equal more free TP via deeds.
Happily, it's not hard to become a premium member: It just takes a one-time-only purchase of TP. This not only grants you premium status, but gives you a few more TP to spend. If you wait until Turbine offers a deal on TP (as it often does in DDO), you can nab more points for your dollar and be able to unlock a bit more content than before.
Strategy 3: Sub now, downgrade later
One of the very cool parts of this payment model is that Turbine is making it incredibly flexible, so that you can upgrade from premium to VIP (subscriber) and downgrade as you like. If you want to be a long-term free player, it actually behooves you to sign up for at least one month of VIP access.
What I would do is enter the game as a free player and level up through the beginning zones until I hit around level 25ish (that's where the free quests peter out). Then I'd subscribe for one month, which unlocks all the content up to level 50, and level like a madman before the month runs out. It's important to note that a lot of what you accomplish during that month won't be taken away from you, for the most part, and that includes deeds (even ones you start but haven't finished) and unlocked virtue and trait slots. A Casual Stroll to Mordor has a great list of what you get to keep when downgrading from VIP to premium. Also, whatever zones you level through during that month are ones you don't have to worry about buying later for that character, since you've already passed through them, so you save some TP that way.
Plus, when your subscription ends after 30 days, you will not only get premium status, but 500 additional TP to spend. Not too shabby, overall!
Probably one of the best long-term strategies -- and the most economical -- is to get your grubby mitts on a boxed copy of Mines of Moria. Why? Because you get all of the content in that section of the game with a single glorious purchase. Considering that Mines of Moria cost 2495 TP in the beta ($25, more or less, depending on the exchange rate), it's prudent instead to simply drop $7.95 on one of the remaining box versions and save yourself a huge chunk of dough. Don't forget that any boxed purchase automatically gives you 30 days of play time, 500 additional TP, and premium status as well!
Unfortunately, the same option doesn't exist for Shadows of Angmar (I confirmed this by reading through the forum FAQ and a follow-up call to Turbine), and Siege of Mirkwood never came in a boxed version. SoA gives you a month of unlocked content and the 500 TP, but it won't leave the zones permanently unlocked thereafter. However, acquiring Mines of Moria is a definite boon to any free player for the 10 levels, legendary items, Moria zones, and two additional classes.
By applying this strategy, you could theoretically level all the way up through Shadows of Angmar without purchasing any of the content packs (I'd recommend spending earned TP on expanding your virtue and trait slots), then jump into Moria around level 48 and be golden until you're 60.
Strategy 5: A la carte
Of course, Turbine certainly doesn't want you to pay a pittance once and never again, which is why there's this balance between time and convenience in the F2P version. The system is designed to suck you in with the free goodies and gradually make you feel comfortable with paying here and there for the content you want. This is called "a la carte," a system in which you buy items you want and ignore the rest.
While advancing to the stage where you're willing to make more than a one-time purchase can seem prohibitive, it can actually be a better option for retaining your sanity. Of course, if you're being frugal, there's no need to go nuts and buy everything; you should only unlock enough content to get you leveled up. Mmorsel Guides has a series of leveling plans for F2P gamers that is worth checking out, especially since the writer advocates certain quest packs over others as you advance through Shadows of Angmar:
If I were following this strategy, I would probably purchase the following quest packs: North Downs (levels 21-34), Evendim (27-40), and Forochel (44-50). It's not complete coverage, but grinding, deeds, skirmishes and epic book quests would easily take me through the gaps. However, at level 50 I'd either have to pony up for the two expansions or start a new alt.
I hope this helps, especially if you're considering whether you can handle LotRO on your budget. You've got two weeks left to decide. Two weeeeeks!
THQ reveals the dark engine powering Warhammer 40K!
...but fortunately, Games On Net cornered David Adams, Vigil Games' GM, and pumped him for further details. While Adams was reluctant to go into the specifics of gameplay, he did open up about WAR40K's engine, which is the same one the company used for Darksiders. The engine is being tweaked for the MMO, although Adams testified that it was already great with portraying a seamless world, which should be perfect for WAR40K's needs. DirectX 11 is also slated for inclusion.
So will the graphic requirements be low enough that the game could run on a toaster, or will it be a high-performance-only excursion? While Adams admits that the necessary graphic options will take a decent machine to run well, he's hoping to have as many visual toggles as possible so that WAR40K can reach a wider audience. He wouldn't say how many characters he expects the engine to handle in a certain area, other than to claim: "Big, it's 40K, it's all about big giant battlefields."
You can watch the full video over at Games On Net.
Final Fantasy open beta date announced, new trailer released!
Square Enix promised to grant that wish for everyone very soon with open beta, announcing that it would begin in early September. It looks like things are ready a bit earlier than anticipated, as the latest news from FFXIV has an open beta start date of August 31st. For those of you without access to the official beta forums, fansite FFXIVCore has everything summarized nicely.
News of the open beta isn't the only thing coming from Square Enix today. The company released a new pre-release trailer as well, featuring "Answers," the official FFXIV theme song. Follow along after the jump for the trailer, and we'll see you in open beta!
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