Monthly Archives: August 2014

Perfect World International: Chill of Luneska Now Available

Perfect World International

Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher and operator of free-to-play massively multiplayer online games, announced that Chill of Luneska, the latest content update enriching the experience in Perfect World International: New Horizons, is now available. Chill of Luneska will have players journey forth into Luneska – a powerful empire that dominates the beautiful frozen lands to the east.

Chill of Luneska builds on the guild-based PvP modes by adding the “Territory Resource War” weekly events aimed to continue to deliver opportunities for players to interact with each other in Perfect World International: New Horizons. Guilds will no longer only fight for the rights of ownership of the land, but will be able to continuously battle for its resources and riches.

Also included in the Chill of Luneska update are new quest lines for high-level players to complete, new events for all players to participate in, and new systems designed to streamline Perfect World International: New Horizons player experience.

For more info, visit http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/pwi/news

S2 Games Announces Presence at PAX Prime

Strife

2 Games, developers of the free-to-play Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) Heroes of Newerth, today announced that they will share new content from their MOBA, Strife, with the community at this year’s PAX Prime expo in Seattle.

From August 29 – September 1, Strife will be available to play and team members from S2 will be on hand to discuss new game content and to conduct demos of the game at booth #3746. On Saturday, S2 Games will host a Cosplay contest. Cosplayers from all games are welcome. Winners will receive cash and prizes. More details can be obtained at cosplay.s2games.com.

Along with new game content, the booth will feature a large dragon for adventurous attendees to ride, and an opportunity to speak with Strife’s development team. Giveaways abound for those who stop by, including a plush toy version of one of the community’s most beloved heroes: Moxie.

For show-goers who want to spend more time with Strife, they should plan to visit The Strife Lounge and complimentary Cosplay repair station at Daily Grill located across the street from the convention center. While there, they’ll be able to take advantage of a special 20% off select Daily Grill offerings all-day. Fans should also mark their calendar for a special VIP event Saturday night at Daily Grill and follow @S2Strife on Twitter for more details.

Refusing to be constrained by typical MOBA genre norms, S2 instead focused their knowledge and industry experience on a collaborative, engaging, enjoyable team PvP experience. Strife offers a rich experience that rewards everyone on the team for their role in victory.

Strife will be available late 2014, promising a realm of conflict, competition and glory. For more information on Strife, visit www.Strife.com

SOE Live 2014 News Recap

SOE Live

Sony Online Entertainment’s 15th annual fan event, SOE Live, was once again packed with big announcements and reveals for SOE’s title roster: DC Universe Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, EverQuest Next, H1Z1, Landmark and PlanetSide 2. Here’s a quick recap of the news coming out of SOE Live:

DC UNIVERSE ONLINE

Currently the #1 revenue generating free-to-play title on PSN (with the PS3 and PS4 SKUs combined), DC Universe Online continues to grow. As of May 2014, more than 15% of PS4’s installed base had downloaded DCUO. Big updates from SOE Live include:

  • NEW DLC CADENCE: Rather than continuing to deliver big DLC expansions tied to a particular storyline, the DCUO team will start delivering more regular small updates throughout the year.
  • UPCOMING CONTENT:
    •  LEGENDS PvE: Players will be able to play certain missions as their favorite iconic characters, including Batman, Superman and Hal Jordan.
    • SKIMMING: A new variation on the Flying Movement Mode, Skimming lets the player experience disc flight, similar to how you might see Mister Miracle travel.
    • THREE NEW POWERS: Munitions, Atomic and Experimental Serums
    • NEW LEGENDS CHARACTERS: Blue Lantern Kyle Rayner, Red Lantern Guy Gardner, Green Arrow, Deathstroke, Flash, Gorilla Grodd, Shazam and Black Adam.
    • NEW UI for PC, PS3 and PS4 players
  • You can watch the DCUO keynote here: http://www.twitch.tv/soe/b/558481577.

EVERQUEST

Following the 15th anniversary celebration for EverQuest in March, the “Year of EverQuest” celebration continued at SOE Live. SOE announced the first details about the monumental 21st expansion to EverQuest, EverQuest: The Darkened Sea, which pays tribute to the game’s famous expansion from 2007, The Buried Sea.

  • EIGHT NEW ZONES (2 re-imagined, 6 completely new): Arx Mentis, Caverns of Endless Song, Combine Dredge, Tempest Temple and Degmar, The Lost Castle
  • LEVEL CAP INCREASE to 105
  • NEW LOOT SYSTEM & MOUNT KEY RINGS: allowing players the power to customize and streamline their looting preferences.
  • LAUNCH DATE: November 11
  • More updates and details can be found here: www.everquest.com/expansions.
  • You can watch the EQ keynote here: http://www.twitch.tv/soe/b/558465022.

EVERQUEST II

November is set to be a big month for EverQuest II. EQII will celebrate its 10th anniversary (Nov. 9) with the launch of its 11th expansion: EverQuest II: Altar of Malice on November 11th.

EVERQUEST NEXT

One of the most well attended keynotes of SOE Live, EverQuest Next did not disappoint. Updates include:

  • DEVELOPMENT UPDATE: SOE showcased how Landmark and the community are fueling the development of EverQuest Next by providing feedback to the tools (building, AI, etc.), building environments and more.
  • NEW PLAYER RACE: Dark Elf (Teir’Dal) joins human and Kerran as three (of many) player races in-game.
  • FIRST THREE CLASSES REVEALED: Cleric, Elementalist and Tempest
  • UPDATE ON COMBAT: SOE provided a new glimpse of combat, showing off the power of Cleric, Elementalist and Tempest classes in combat paired with the destructibility of the environment.
  • You can watch the EQN keynote here: http://youtu.be/MU6LzCBPlCU 

H1Z1

With Early Access for the highly anticipated survival zombie MMO around the corner, SOE revealed several big updates for H1Z1 at SOE Live:

  • PS4 CONFIRMED: Like DC Universe Online and PlanetSide 2, H1Z1 will also be available for consoles.
  • AIRDROPS: with players fighting for survival, intermittent airdrops that could contain food, water or other survival supplies will create tense (and potentially deadly) encounters between players. Check out airdrops video here: http://youtu.be/aIYyCaLercI.
  • UPCOMING FEATURES INCLUDE player character diversity (races, genders), new vehicles (including multi-passenger and non-motorized) and Player Studio integration.
  • You can watch the H1Z1 keynote panel here: http://www.twitch.tv/soe/b/558499040.

LANDMARK

Having tested the building tools, SOE is adding an entirely new element to Landmark: death. On August 27th, Landmark will no longer be a safe building world:

  • PvP COMBAT: introducing death, weapons, armor, players can now battle each other in Landmark (if they choose). Adding a new element for claim development in Landmark, SOE released the first game master items (game rule objects) to create unique PvP combat maps (deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture and hold, etc).
  • LANDMINES: the first set of hazardous objects added to Landmark, players can also booby trap their PvP claims.
  • INTERACTIVE OBJECTS: players can now build moving worlds using teleporters, flingers, moving platforms and more.
  • MONSTERS: explorers will need to watch their steps, as monsters will be added to Landmark in September.
  • NEXT UP: upcoming features to Landmark include AI Editing System (later this year) and more Game Mastering Skills.
  • For more information, you can watch the Landmark keynote here: http://youtu.be/WFKPLbSujb8

PLANETSIDE 2

With PlanetSide 2‘s PS4 Early Access scheduled for 2014, SOE Live allowed players a chance to test out the game play on PS4 in advance. Additional updates coming out of SOE Live include:

  • BATTLE ISLANDS: providing close-quarter gameplay, instanced versions of the Battle Islands will feature 48×48 competitive, objective-based combat.
  • NEW VEHICLES: including the Valkyrie (multi-passenger) and Empire Buggies
  • MISSION SYSTEM ITERATIONS will empower squad and platoon leaders with more control and help guide players to the type of combat they desire.
  • You can watch the PlanetSide 2 keynote here: http://www.twitch.tv/soe/b/558515822.

For more info, visit http://www.twitch.tv/soe

Knight’s Fable: Announcing New Monster

GTArcade, developer of Knight’s Fable, is pleased to introduce a new summoning monsters feature during Alliance gameplay. Sahlonax, once a typical dragon, has always been greedy by nature, collecting treasures and chasing after glittering things. One day Sahlonax discovered a beautiful, green gem and began to guard it. Little did he know that this gem was ancient and contained evil powers! After spending many nights and days guarding the gem, Sahlonax became an extremely irritable and aggressive dragon. Now any alliance leader has the power to summon this savage beast!

Knights Fable

When you summon certain items in your bag, your alliance will receive summoning material – Dragon Crystal. Once your alliance collects enough Dragon Crystals, the alliance leader will have the power to summon Sahlonax. If you have more crystals than required, all members will get more benefits while fighting with the dragon. All dragon crystals will be resey once the summoning is completed.

For more info, visit www.GTArcade.com

MU Classic Introduces New Equipment Gems and Upgrades

MU Classic

NGames, a leading online games publisher, has today released details of the magical new gems powering player equipment in MU Classic – a rebirth of a classic MMO coming soon to the Game321.com portal.

MU Classic combines next-generation browser-based technology with the classic old school gameplay of MU Online. Sporting beautiful 3D graphics, stunning skill effects and many maps to explore, MU Classic lets players re-experience the epic journey again – no browser plugins required!

MU Classic warriors live and die by their trusty equipment, so it’s important to develop a personal arsenal that complements a character’s attributes.

Swords, spears, axes, maces, bows, crossbows, staffs and wands can all be enhanced and levelled using gems, providing much needed boosts to power and magical stats. Armour can also be enhanced for extra protection against MU Classic’s massive monsters and epic bosses.

Equipment upgrades require gems, which players will find across the game’s fun dungeons and quest challenges. Gems come in many flavours and each offers a different upgrade effect, from boosting core attributes to unlocking new special abilities.

For more info, visit http://mu.game321.com/

ArcheAge Closed Beta 3: Blood & Bounty PvP Overview

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF)

 

 

 

ArcheAge Blood&Bounty

During the last Closed Beta event for ArcheAge, I created a small guide to the various sea-vessels within the game. This was because of the “Setting Sail” theme of the beta event. This time, the theme of the beta event is “Blood & Bounty” and as such, I’ve decided to throw together a bit of a guide on the various forms of PVP within the game. While this will not be the be-all-end-all guide to PVP in the game, it may help you decide if the PVP options currently in the game are what you’re looking for. Anyways, thanks for reading and don’t be afraid to ask questions in the comments.

 

 

ArcheAge Duel

Dueling

First and foremost, let’s discuss the most basic type of PVP in any MMO: Dueling. Just about every MMO currently has this feature. It’s a simple 1v1 battle testing your skill, twitch reflexes, and knowledge of your opponent’s tactics. Both parties must accept for the duel to initiate, and no one dies. You lose when your health points reach zero. Luckily, the game keeps you alive, but you will have to regenerate your health manually.

 

 

 

Open World

Next up is the Open World PVP. Some people love it, others hate it. Simply put, this is PVP that you have no say in when it comes to whether or not you participate. Of course, you can try to avoid it as much as possible – and there are plenty of ways to do that within ArcheAge. There are, however, zones where the only way to avoid PVP is to play a game of high stakes hide-and-seek.

Archeage OpenPVP

I had a blast while being an ass with my guildies Anthrar and Cirth, killing people trying to quests. Of course, they put together a lynch mob of twelve+ people to hunt us down, which was also fun.

 

Almost everyone will come into contact with Open World PVP when they play ArcheAge. This is mostly because there are several questing zones that also act as “Warzones,” where either faction can attack each other, as well as players of the same faction. These zones do have the occasional “peace period” but this is a relatively short break between the standard endless hostilities racking each zone.

 

Archeage WarZones

The war zones are represented in red on the over-map. The ocean is one giant war zone, by the way. And there is no peace.

 

There are also some Open World PVP events, such as the one in Halcyona. In the event, the two sides partake in a sort of capture-the-flag/siege battle. The major reason most people participate is for access to items such as a very good necklace. Once you’re in your 40’s or reach max level, it can be the source of a lot of PVP fun. If you watch any ArcheAge streamers on Twitch, you’ll often see them doing the event when it’s active.

 

 

Arenas

There are two types of arenas available in ArcheAge. There is the level 50+ 1v1 Gladiator Arena and there is the level 45+ 5v5 arena. Right now, the general consensus is that matchmaking in ArcheAge is fairly poor. This is because you will simply be put up against whoever is queued – there is no balancing or attempts to make sure your opponent is on the same level as you in terms of gear or ranking. The winner is whoever reaches two wins first.

Archeage Arena

It’s even worse in the 5v5 arena, as you’ll sometimes be given uneven teams, with your team missing a few members while the other team has some hardcore elites. What’s worse is that when someone of the opposing faction is put on your team, you can throw communication out the window unless you’ve learned their language. Every so often you’ll come up against good matching in five versus five, but those times are far and few between. The goal of the match is to attack the enemies’ crystal while protecting your own.

Archeage 5v5

 

Sieges

Last up, I’ll discuss sieges. This is something I don’t have much experience with. I only have what I’ve read, plus what I’ve seen on various livestreams. The end goal of a siege is to either successfully defend your claim crystal, or successfully take down the claim crystal. It depends on whether you’re the attacker or the defender.

 

Archeage Siege

These are just screenshots from official ArcheAge streams/trailers.

 

From what I’ve been able to find out, sieges are an instanced affair, where only a certain number of people per side are allowed to participate. So that means if you’re a zerg guild, it won’t matter so much. In order to initiate a siege, the attackers must place down a special item (however, I’ve also been told that it’s a bidding that takes place between potential attackers). I believe that the sieges are always held on Sunday at (for now) 5PM EST. The attackers also get a sort of siege camp where they cannot be attacked. From what I saw, this camp was a bit closer than I would think is balanced, as it allowed for a tactic of going back and forth very quickly, which is kind of broken in my opinion. But, as I have yet to participate in a siege myself, I can’t speak from experience.

Archeage Siege2

Siege equipment, such as tanks, can be used. But, it looked like it was quite possible for the attacker to take down walls without using them. To date, I’ve witnessed two sieges. One was between two large guilds that didn’t quite have a grasp on the tactics or mechanics of the game. The other was with an attacking guild that knew exactly what they were doing. The first was a bit of a mess, but the second was a very organized affair, making use of the game mechanics to their fullest – including that back-and-forth tactic I mentioned.

 

 

Conclusion

ArcheAge is a game that has all types of PVP from simple dueling to large fifty versus fifty sieges. Of course, some areas need a bit of work, but it’s an MMO and development won’t stop as long as the game is profitable. My personal favorite is the Open World PVP as, to me, it just never gets old. Anyways, if you’re a PVPer, there is plenty of opportunity for you within ArcheAge!