patches posts

It's almost the end of the year, time for us to evaluate what we're doing and consider dropping our bad habits. And... well, sometimes your favorite game becomes one of those. Sometimes your most-played class gets hit with the nerf bat so hard you can barely walk any longer, or the game's updates are constantly dropping more and more content you find boring or don't even get to play. You might have loved the game for a long time or even just a little while, but time isn't aging it well and you're increasingly dreading logging on.

Today, we ask a sad question: when is it time to shake your head and decide that enough is enough? Does one major power-down on your character of preference tell you that you're not really wanted, or do you stick around until everything has been drained dry? Are you the sort who gives the game time and chances to win you back, or do you leave and never even glance back at where you came from? Or do you never say goodbye and just keep playing in the hopes that things will turn around and you'll be glad you waited?

It's been a dance of extremes on Warhammer Online of late, mixing up good news and rather unsettling news -- but did you come to the game to bite your nails and be nervous? Or did you start playing to lay waste? Assuming the latter, there's some good news to be had in the near future, as two mass playtests are scheduled to occur within the next week on the public test server, Warpstone. Both are testing features slated for 1.3.3, which implies that this patch is not so far off on the horizon.

Both tests will start at 8 PM EST (that's 5 PM for those of you on the other coast). December 1st will see the test of the War Report, which was explained in the November newsletter to be a new service helping players see what was taking place nearby and jump immediately to the conflict. Two days later, December 3rd will be the kick-off of a mass battle stability test, also featuring the new graphical improvements slated for 1.3.3. The announcement also mentions the possibility of winning an Enslaved Manticore or an Imperial Griffon Mount, although details are not given. Whatever the future holds for Warhammer Online, it's nice to get a chance to test out the new features before they go live, so clear away some room on your schedule next week.

The Imprudence project has released version 1.2 of their Second Life viewer. Imprudence is one of our favorite after-market Second Life viewers, and after some months in beta (and a couple of false starts), the latest release version of this viewer is available.

There are some user-interface changes this time around, the ability to backup and restore your own intellectual property, an improved radar/minimap, improved third-party simulator support, RLVa support, optional vertical IM tabs, double-click go-to and teleports, more world map data and a host of other tweaks and features.

A new patch for an MMO is a bit like a present. At best, it can provide a number of new opportunities for fun and enjoyment. At worst, it can break several things you already liked and now have to replace. Aion has recently deployed the new patch 1.5.1 and, as could be expected, fan reaction is somewhat split on whether it's a nice present or the immortal pairing of socks and underwear. Certainly there isn't a major content influx, and the often-requested reduction of the game's grind has yet to be implemented, but there are still a number of nice updates and additions.

Leaving aside the bugfixes and optimization with only a mention that they should help the game play more smoothly all around, several instanced dungeons have been adjusted somewhat. Nearly all of these changes look beneficial to players -- reductions in difficulty and increases in reward, as well as added UI displays for important objectives. They've also added stealth-detecting NPCs to starter areas and increased several NPC health totals in an effort to curb destructive PvP tendencies. Quest experience at mid-to-high levels has been adjusted upward, rewards have been slightly improved on several quests, and level-difference experience penalties have been reduced. Last but not least, there's now more incentive to hold a fortress in the Abyss and work to defend it, as rewards are offered for defending players. Aion's fans aren't all happy about the changes, but it's best if you take a look at the changes yourself. Just remember that even if you don't like it, this present is unreturnable.

What's more dangerous than an interdimensional prison in which malevolent creatures of immense power plot the destruction of the entire Champions Online world? That same prison being taken over and used as a lair by your hero's Nemesis and the dangerous Shadow Destroyer. After hints and the surprise playtest event, the official site has unveiled a preview of the upcoming Nemesis Confrontation, which looks like an interesting jump forward in the content offered by the game.

Obviously, the Lair in question is the highlight of the update, which features combat against alien gladiators as well as a collection of powerful villains. There are other rewards to be earned as well, however -- ranging from a number of different hero enhancements to costume pieces in the vein of the enemies fought within the lair. If you can't wait to run the lair in order to get the costume pieces (perhaps you have a perfect character concept to start with), the preview promises that they will also be available in the C-Store. Champions Online isn't going to make players wait long for the event, either, as it's launching on the 24th. It should give players quite a bit to be thankful for -- when they're not battling extradimensional alien gladiators, at least.

Demon Busters in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online are now enjoying a fresh content update, which includes motorbikes courtesy of the Shinjuku Babel mechanics. This new mode of transportation in the game allows players to travel between zones quickly and in first person perspective. Atlus has also introduced alchemy, a crafting system where players can create new objects with unusual properties. Runes that boost abilities for your demons or potions that augment your own abilities are a few possibilities with the new item mixing system. They've also released more PvE content in the form of demon friend quests, provided your friendships with the infernal powers-that-be are at the appropriate levels.

Perhaps the biggest content addition to Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online is the Team Battle system. The title's publisher Aeria Games writes: "Gather your allies and friends to crush your enemies in fast-paced, high intenseity group versus group combat for glory and god-like gear. Choose to fight solo in sided matches against other solo players, or combine your strength with others to demolish the competition in team versus team battle."

MMOs change. A lot, in fact. There are always new updates or new developments, always something that's being improved or altered, added or removed, whatever. But even with all of that, there are certain things that don't change after all. If you've been with your current favorite game for a couple months or several years, there are usually fixed aspects that weather the changes and can server as comforting touchstones. Sometimes it's that certain classes always have the same role, sometimes it's the way the game plays, sometimes it's even just the look of a very familiar area. Whatever it is, there are constants that don't move even as the rest of the game does.

We ask you today: what part of your preferred MMO has stayed the same for you? What feels like a bedrock portion of the game, something that you'd miss immeasurably if it was removed or altered? No matter how silly or serious, there are things we use as fixed points of commonality, so what serves that purpose in your game of choice?

Well, maybe we should just be happy the Summoner updates went live now. The much-discussed November version update for Final Fantasy XI was released today, but it's lacking something that had just recently been announced -- namely, the entire evolith and synergy system that was promised to be dropped along with the version update. Square-Enix officially stated that the change is coming in another version update past mid-November. And, sadly, it gets a little worse before it gets better -- one of the promised ranger changes, reduced threat from ranged attacks at longer distances, has been nixed.

But let's not dwell on the negatives, really. After all, the crafting is coming soon enough, and it's not as if this update was sparse on content to begin with. There are a pile of new quests available, new improvements to the Moblin Maze Mongers service, and all the other updates and job changes we've covered previously. Not to mention that the add-on scenario A Shantotto Ascension is ready to play, something likely to produce at least some joy and spontaneous fits of rhyming. Take a look at the list of official patch notes for all the details, and don't fret -- there's enough content that you're sure to find something to do until mid-November.

The latest additions to Aion's 1.5.1 patch notes illustrate the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" reality that is MMO development. They also show a potential communication disconnect between the game's players and developers or possibly even unrealistic expectations. Upon reading the pages and pages of player comments on these patch note additions, the general opinion can be summarized as such: "These changes don't address our major complaints."

There's no doubt that 1.5.1 will greatly improve Aion (less grind anyone?), but players seem to be sticking on a few major points that aren't yet in the tentative patch notes. Most of the players commenting on these notes seem to feel that Aion's first big patch should tackle the crashing fortresses issue (crysys.dll), flying spiritmaster pets, better UI customization, and a number of other issues (less grind included). There also appears to be resistance to a new debuff that will be added to aether extraction. Players will now be randomly debuffed when gathering, but can quickly remove it by typing a captcha. This change is obviously aimed at bots, but many state this will become an annoyance for everyone.

Check out our summary of part one of the patch notes and AionSource's interview with NCsoft's Lani Blazier to get a comprehensive view of the situation.

At the rate we're getting swamped with information about the upcoming Final Fantasy XI version update, we'll soon be finding out that the update is also adding two new jobs and a level cap increase. Well, maybe not, but Square-Enix has released yet more news about the upcoming November version update. Already we've heard about new gear enhancements, new crafting, job updates, and a reward for content-minded players. The most recent information involves some of the more miscellaneous activities of Vana'diel's inhabitants, including chocobo racing and fishing.

Chocobo races are being changed over to a new schedule system that keeps races running on a consistent real-world schedule to make coordination easier for players. The system is also adding new purchasable items that will have a variety of bonuses for the devoted race enthusiast. Of course, the new items won't be cheap -- nothing in Final Fantasy XI is -- but first through third-place winners in each race will be receiving a much larger amount of chocobucks for their placing, which should make affording things much more fesable. On top of that, there's a promise of more fish to turn in for the popular "In the Belly" quest, with the hint of new equipment. Keep your eyes peeled, as we might well have not seen the last of the additions to this now-massive update.

We've been seeing a great deal of news and information coming out from Final Fantasy XI -- which probably means the end times are coming, but be that as it may. Just the other day we found out about the upcoming Evolith system, with its cryptic mentions of the integrated "synergy" system and a promise of more details shortly. Sure enough, we already have an idea of what synergy will look like when it drops alongside the rest of the filled-to-bursting November version update. And it promises to be quite a deviation from the status quo for crafting right away -- it's an art practiced not by one person, but by a full six-person party.

In keeping with the extant nature of Final Fantasy XI's crafting, synergy doesn't promise to be simple. A number of reagents and elemental energies are dumped into the pictured "synergy furnace," at which point the entire part must begin carefully modulating and controlling the flow of elements therein. Crystals can be used to help alter the elemental composition, but will not be absolutely necessary from the sound of things. A failed synthesis can cause the whole mess to blow up in your face -- literally -- while success yields both slotted items and "cinders" that can be turned in for equipment to help boost your skill at the craft. There's a lot to digest here, so take a look and get ready for the most mold-breaking crafting yet seen in FFXI.

The November version update for Final Fantasy XI is going to contain a number of new and improved features -- for many of the game's players, just the changes being made to several jobs will alter the game significantly. However, the just-revealed Evolith system is going to add even more wrinkles to the gameplay, allowing players to insert powerful stones with a variety of properties into equipment. Not only is the system based around a new form of synthesis -- in essence an entirely new form of crafting -- but it promises to allow further customization and equipment improvement.

In order to obtain the Evolith stones themselves, players will need to hunt down notorious monsters as part of a new set of "hunt regimes" (which seem as if they'll likely be similar in nature to the Fields of Valor training regimes and enhancements). Equipment can both have new slots added to it via synergy, and then have the Evolith attached to the slots based on elemental properties. Original? Not precisely. But it's a new way for players to improve their abilities and their equipment, and it's a pretty large change for a regular patch. Take a look at the full article for more details and for a sneak peek at what some of the stones will offer.

It's a kind of disconcerting time to be a Warhammer Online fan, let's face it. Patch 1.3.2 had a lot of people muttering quietly (or loudly on the comment threads of posts related to it) that the game is floundering for direction and trying to latch on to something to keep it afloat. This is one way to view things, but hardly the only way. Bio Break has an interesting take on it -- they're not floundering for direction, they're working hard to regain their footing. The game that was meant to go toe-to-toe with World of Warcraft didn't quite make it there, but Mythic hasn't been letting the game sink and falter.

The post is specifically addressing the contorversy that came around regarding the shift to unlimited free trials within tier one, the game's introductory content. It sounds a bit fishy, but as pointed out, the shift to "unlimited free trial" has done wonders for Dungeons and Dragons Online, boosting its revenue by a fair amount. While Warhammer Online hasn't yet gone down the same road, it's clear that they're continuing to push forward with the game and find new ways to expand the gameplay experience. If you are one of the many fans whose complaints about recent developments have been less than optimistic, you might want to think about this, as the game hasn't given up the ghost just yet.

The last of Final Fantasy XI's add-on scenarios is coming out in just about a week, but that's not all that's coming with it. Players who have purchased all three of the mini-expansions (A Crystalline Prophecy, A Moogle Kupo d'Etat, and A Shantotto Ascension, all of which have small flash sites) will receive a special in-game item following the next version update. The fact that it's a cape may not sound like much, but veteran players would be rather interested in the item's special enchantment: it allows you to teleport.

Players who haven't experienced Final Fantasy XI might not realize just how difficult and frequently dangerous transport through the game can be. Most leveling is done by working your way to a dangerous location, surrounded by monsters that can easily slaughter a lone player. The Nexus Cape reward will transport the user instantly to the party leader's location, thereby enabling easy movement from one spot of relative safety to another. It's only usable once per day, but it's a nice added bonus for those who've grabbed all of the additional scenarios. If you're holding out for the Ultimate Collection due on the tenth, don't despair -- as it contains all three add-ons as well, players with the collection will also receive the Nexus Cape. More details on its mechanics are available on the official announcement.

We'll freely admit that yesterday's Daily Grind was a bit... how should we say it... pessimistic. Certainly MMOs and their associated industry aren't always sunshine and light, and we'd never pretend that they are, but that doesn't mean we can't occasionally perk things up a little bit. So today, we're shifting to the other side of the coin.

Because let's be honest. We don't stay in this hobby to complain -- that's just a fringe benefit. There are bits and pieces here and there that fill us with joy and a sense that all is right with the world around us. Sometimes it's something as little as finding out that long-awaited features are going to be added to a game, sometimes it's the promise of a much-wished sequel to a well-loved game, and sometimes the mere presence of an expansion makes us get all dizzy with glee.

Today, readers, we ask you: what sort of news makes you happy? What stories do you have about bits of information that made you instantly exclaim how cool something was going to be? Little moments like that are what keep us interested, so let's celebrate them a little bit. What news do you think of as great news?