Kyle Horner
Vancouver, WA - http://
"Let slip the dogs of war."
And then, I blogged. Of course, not before taking my dogs out for a walk -- they get antsy.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 7th 2009 (3 hours ago)
NCsoft
You'd be forgiven for thinking
Aion would've fallen off the
Steam and
DIrect2Drive top ten sales charts, what with the fire hose blast of new PC releases. Fortunately for
NCsoft, that isn't the case as the game is still
clinging to said charts in the face of games like
Dragon Age: Origins,
Borderlands,
Torchlight and
Left 4 Dead 2. Boldness!
Actually, the game is pretty darn good -- if you don't mind your peanut butter with extra grind -- so that's not a huge surprise all things considered. It's always a good sign when an MMO can stay on the top ten after its launch, moreso when it does so against high profile, high pedigree releases. So, rejoice
Aion players, you've likely
got a strong community! (We could've just told you that, but now numbers vindicate said observation.)
by Kyle Horner
Nov 6th 2009 (18 hours ago)
WAR
Mythic
The endless trial has arrived in the land of
Warhammer Online, and it's quite the offer. Of course, we've
reported on the actual trial before but as of today (post-maintenance) it's officially enacted within the game. So if you've been waiting to go back and check things out but didn't feel like re-subbing or somehow missed out on all the excitement of the game's launch last year, then now is the perfect time to get in and take a look. If you're not sure what the heck this whole "endless trial" thing is all about, here's
a handy official FAQ to peruse.
We think it's a good if not bold concept, especially considering players only have to download 1gig of data before the game will dynamically stream the rest as they play. Hopefully it works out for
Mythic, who've been putting much blood, sweat and tears in trying to improve perception since its heady launch days.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 6th 2009 (21 hours ago)
It's been one whole successful year for
Atlantica Online in the US, and
Ndoors Interactive is ready to celebrate with special bonuses and in-game events throughout this November. The first of many celebratory specials offers players a 200% experience boost, something sure to make everybody pretty happy. Then, there's the weekend in-game events, followed by new in-game items, a special Thanksgiving event, a fan art contest and we're guessing a lot more.
So, to recap: oodles of extra experience and rare new items, along with fun holiday and anniversary distractions. Oh, right and even a fan art contest for the creatively inclined types. Yep, seems like
a particularly awesome month for
Atlantica Online players.
In fact, for more deets from Ndoors themselves, check out the official word on all the in-game events and such after the break.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)
STO
Cryptic
Do you have burning questions for the
Star Trek Online development team? We certainly hope so, because over the next several weeks we'll be issuing posts like this looking for your questions on a specific topic concerning the upcoming Trek MMO. This week? Ships! We want all your ship-related inquiries, whether they're about customization or weapon points; Federation of Klingon Empire.
We'll give you until 12pm Pacific time Friday, November 6th to submit your questions in the comments section below. Following that, we'll round up a cross-section of the most popular and most poignant questions and by next week we'll have your answers straight from the folks at
Cryptic. We're also open to suggestions on next week's Q&A topic, so feel free to throw your hat into that ring while you're typing 'em up.
Update: We'll be extending the time limit on questions until the end of Friday, November 6th, so keep 'em coming guys!
by Kyle Horner
Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)
Champions Online
Cryptic
If you're good with numbers or would like to obtain some understanding of
Champions Online's various systems, then
this new systems dev blog is right up your alley. There's plenty of math happening here, so when you start to feel confused don't worry so much -- you're not alone.
Actually, the basics of what systems designer Brian Urbanek discusses aren't too convoluted. At least, the part where he explains the percentages of what influences a character's power isn't too bad. As it turns out, equipment makes up for 42.5% of your overall power, while talents take up 15%, "base" is 2.5% and super stats fill the rest at 40%. What that essentially means, is that your leveling choices in super stats and talents (which effect stats as well) make up a large part of where your character excels. This is all shortly followed by equipment, but creates a slightly bigger focus on how you design your superhero.
Soon Brian will be discussing combat, which is sure to be a hot topic within the
Champions Online community. Until then, we're going to re-read this first entry in the hope that someday we can
grok it.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 4th 2009 (2 days ago)
In an interview with Hi-Rez Studio's executive producer Todd Harris, Ten Ton Hammer discusses
Global Agenda's Assault class at considerable length. For those looking for a simple analog, the Assault is like a meaty tank class wielding huge weaponry such as mini-guns. The interview covers such topics as ammo concerns -- as the aforementioned mini-guns chew up ammo like a man on a desert island drinks fresh water -- and several other matters that dig deep into the earth center of the class. Then again, if blowing stuff up is your preference, that's offered as well.
Much of what we've seen of the Assault class tells us that
it's going to be a favorite with players who generally enjoy inflicting damage in the most terrible of ways. And really, that's a whole lot of people; those who drool at rocket launchers and chain-fed ballistics weaponry.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 4th 2009 (2 days ago)
Turbine
Turbine has released a video for the Shan-to-Kor adventure pack, which is aimed at level four and above players. The dungeon -- which lies deep beneath the marketplace -- is nothing too grandiose or epic, certainly not on
the level of Dol Guldur, but these videos serve as a nice way for interested
DDO: Unlimited players to get a preview of content before they commit to buying it in-game through the
DDO Store.
We wonder if there's a way for Turbine to incorporate these videos into the actual game itself, or at the very least to offer an external link for easy viewing. That may be asking too much, although since they keep making these it seems pretty logical to us.
Check out the video after the break.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 3rd 2009 (3 days ago)
LotRO
Turbine
Turbine is stepping it up with their newest
Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood trailer, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur. The voice acting, editing, music, creatures and setting are all enthralling to a degree that goes beyond our standard expectations. We've no doubt this one will get people's blood pumping, and in a good way. Seriously, this is the kind of stuff you expect when a company adopts an important IP -- especially where the voice acting is concerned.
We can't wait to see what the future holds for Turbine trailers, especially considering the locales of Middle-earth the game has yet to expand into its world. Rohan? Helm's Deep? Minas Tirith?
Osgiliath? Thinking of trailers for all these places makes us tingle with anticipation.
Check out the trailer after the cut.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 2nd 2009 (4 days ago)
Turbine
Whenever an MMO hits the big ten-zero, we tend to get a little misty in the ocular slots on our heads.
Asheron's Call holds a special place in many a person's heart -- because everyone has a first -- and so this post is for all of you players both past and present who cherish and adore your little personal slice of gaming love.
Turbine has plans to run live events throughout the day
as part of their celebration, which includes bringing back some of the most loved (and feared) characters and villains. We hope the event is fun for all, and if any players happen to attend why not take some awesome screens and send them into our
One Shots feature? You can do so by emailing oneshots AT massively DOT com.
by Kyle Horner
Nov 2nd 2009 (4 days ago)
STO
Cryptic
Romulan and Klingon love anyone? That's what you'll find in our five exclusive
Star Trek Online screens, one of which you can see above in all its sleek sexy glory.
If space isn't your thing -- although if that's the case, you may want to reconsider your interest in space MMOs --
Cryptic is showing off
this view of a tropical environment that's making us long for warmer weather. Although, we're much more interested in shots that
feature the glory of the Klingon Empire. Well, okay maybe that last one wasn't exactly glorious insomuch that nobody was being blown up. Let's just pretend that all the rubble was the remains of a powerful enemy brought to its knees... yeah.
Check out all the new images in the gallery below. You'll find all new images at the end.