Monthly Archives: November 2014

Guild Wars 2 to Launch Major Updates to PvP

GW2

ArenaNet, developer of the acclaimed Guild Wars franchise, today announced that it will be releasing  significant updates to player vs. player (PvP) mode in Guild Wars 2. The studio is adding and overhauling game features in the MMO that are meant to pave the way for more high-level competitive play.  That includes big upgrades to areas such as matchmaking, player ranking systems and map selection, giving players more opportunities to find level opponents and hone their skills. The updates are slated for release on December 2.

The release marks one of two major milestones in early December for ArenaNet and how it’s embracing the increasingly popular competitive play modes in Guild Wars 2. On December 5, ArenaNet and KongZhong, publisher of Guild Wars 2 in China, will host the inaugural World Tournament Series (WTS) Championships in Beijing. Top teams from North America, Europe and China will vie for $50,000 USD in prizes during the live event, which is being televised on Chinese video game network GTV and livestreamed globally on Twitch.  Fans around the world will watch the first-ever Guild Wars 2 global PvP champions crowned in the same week that they’re given better-than-ever building blocks to try their own hand at becoming high-level competitors.

One of the biggest building blocks they’ll get is an overhaul to the matchmaking algorithm. When the updates launch in December, PvP matchmaking in Guild Wars 2 will use Glicko2 ratings, a widely accepted player skill evaluation method, in addition to other factors such as player rank and team party size. The updates also introduce a dishonor system, where behavior such as quitting matches mid-stream will affect a player’s rating. With these changes affecting leaderboards, ArenaNet will launch a new Ladder Formula and conduct a test season in mid-December, an exercise that could be a step towards organized league play.  Other big changes coming with the update include new PvP modes that encourage practice skirmishes, such as an unranked “Practice” mode where players can hot-join to quickly sharpen their skills.

ArenaNet is publishing a series of blog posts starting today through the end of this week detailing each PvP update as well as outlining the upcoming Ladder Formula Test Season at www.guildwars2.com.

In today’s announcement blog post, John Corpening, Associate Game Director on Guild Wars 2 at ArenaNet, said: “We are very excited to bring you all of these updates to PvP because they further enhance the experience and commitment to competitive gaming that makes Guild Wars 2 stand out among MMOs.”

“This year we worked with our community to bring you the ‘Tournament of Legends’ as a path to Legendary weapons, the ‘Tournament of Glory’ to earn unique skins through skill based play in PvP, the ESL GO4 tournaments where players can earn weekly cash prizes and an even bigger monthly cash prizes, and the World Tournament Series, where the very best players of each region can become legends on the international stage,” Corpening continued.

Announced in August of this year, the WTS is the first cash-prize tournament for Guild Wars 2, with $150,000 at stake over the course of three championship tournaments planned for 2014-2015 in China, North America and Europe.  The event in Beijing represents the first championships and is the culmination of months of competition that began with an open tournament inviting all players. The field was whittled down to four finalists after WTS Invitational Qualifiers in October – two teams from the host region China and one team each from North America and Europe.

Details for the 2014 Guild Wars 2 WTS Championships in Beijing are as follows:

December 5, 2014

  1. 1:00 a.m. PST / 9:00 a.m. UTC / 5:00 p.m. China Standard Time

Finalists

  1. North America: The Abjured – Phantagram, Wakkey, Magic Toker, Ostrich Eggs, Five Gauge
  2. Europe: The Civilized Gentlemen – Helseth, Tage, Sizer, ROM, Denshee
  3. China: Team Prime – Fuctin, Maw, Red, Elf, Dong Cheng
  4. China: Team SALA – Nocturne, November, Honeyzz, Crazythree, Jiazi

Livestream:  www.twitch.tv/guildwars2

More information is available on ArenaNet’s official page for the World Tournament Series at: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/events/world-tournament-series/.

Orcs Must Die! Unchained Closed Beta Update 1.7 Introduces the Apprentice

OMDU Apprentice

A new Hero has entered the arena following today’s update to the ORCS MUST DIE! UNCHAINED™ closed beta. Meet the Apprentice. Fans may have heard whispers of this unpredictable firecracker, and now she’s ready to make her debut. The spunky adolescent – known for accidentally blowing up turkeys – is the War Mage’s first (and probably last) protégé. Though bursting with elemental power, the Apprentice finds herself lacking in focus and control, including which magical element she uses, which is both awesome and terrifying. Like her mistress, her loyal familiar, Feebee is also a creature of chaos. This shape-shifting firebat will change elements to match the magical mood of the Apprentice.

 

Participants in the ORCS MUST DIE! UNCHAINED closed beta can also look forward to new Hero skins, including Soul Thief Ancestor, Forged Fury Temper, Snake Charmer Ball-and-Chain, Gold Rush Prospector, and School Daze Apprentice. In addition, regular updates for balancing purposes to traps, Heroes, Gear, Bots, Minions, Guardians and more continue.

 

For complete update notes and details on new features, improvements and updates to the ORCS MUST DIE! UNCHAINED closed beta, please head here: https://forums.orcsmustdie.com/discussion/2593/patch-1-7-notes-releasing-november-18-2014

Action MMO MU Classic Launches Today, Special Events Revealed

Mu Classic

NGames, a leading online games publisher, is thrilled to announce that MU Classic – the anticipated rebirth of classic MMO ‘MU Online’ – is launching today, November 18th, 2014, on the Game321.com portal.

MU Classic combines next-generation browser-based technology with the classic old school gameplay of MU Online. The free-to-play action-MMO is fully updated for the modern era, sporting beautiful 3D graphics, stunning skill effects and new maps to explore.

The timeless adventures of the MU Continent are ready to be experienced again, with updated visuals and sound design to bring the blood-curdling Lorencia, snowy Devias and magical Atlans to life. Seek the Red Dragon Sets of the crimson swordsmen, release Hellfire in Atlans, tackle the Lost Tower with friends…nostalgic ‘MU Online’ fans are invited to revisit glories past while carving a whole new adventure on the MU Continent from today.

Exclusive Launch Events

To celebrate the launch, publisher NGames has announced a host of special events and rewards for early MU Classic adopters – including Double XP for the first three days after the server goes live.

Early warriors have the unique opportunity to strike fear into other players by becoming the first winner of the PK Lord Tournament, earning the victor the intimidating PK Lord title and a special Enhancement and Wings pack.

After completing the level 3 main quest, players will unlock a special Return Pack featuring a huge XP boost and a new equipment sets to make further levelling a breeze. Players will frequently receive items and reward packs for levelling and evolving characters in MU Classic, earning new goodies all the way up to level 120.

NGames hasn’t forgotten about your pets either. Enhancing animal friends through synthesis will guarantee additional gift sets at certain ranks, with rare ‘pet pieces’ on offer for raising Hawks, Faerie Dragons, the powerful Pegasus, and the incredible Fire Phoenix.

Want some extra team-based competition? Players can get their hands on Awesome Wing sets for leading their guilds to victory in a Castle Siege. The classic competition is back and as fierce as ever, and guilds from all factions can join for free. The winners of the Castle Siege will also unlock access to the Land of Trials, where more prizes lie in wait.

NGames is serving a feast of rewards to players topping up their account with diamonds too, from a ‘First Top Up’ pack featuring a Panda-inspired treat, to daily goodies, equipment sets, Royal Gems and more.

DC Universe Online’s War of the Light Part II DLC Available Now

DCUO War of the Light II Launch

Sony Online Entertainment LLC today announced that the continuation of  DC Universe™ Online‘s (DCUO)  War of the Light  trilogy,  War of the Light Part II, is now available for the PC, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®4 system. In the game’s 12th downloadable content (DLC) pack, players continue to unravel the mystery behind the loss of the emotional entities and their connection to the Emotional Spectrum.

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • For the first time in DCUO, players will travel to Zamaron (home of the Star Sapphires) and Qward (center of the antimatter universe)
  • This DLC marks the debut of Carol Ferris and the Star Sapphires in DCUO
  • War of the Light Part  II features a plethora of new single and multiplayer content:
    • 8- and 4-Player Operations
    • 4-Player Alert
    • 2-Player Duo
    • Single-Player Challenge Mode
    • Open-World Solo Missions
  • Players now have access to a variety of new gear and styles, including:
    • Larfleeze-inspired gear for Villains
    • Saint Walker-inspired gear for Heroes
    • Manhunter-inspired gear for all male characters
    • Star Sapphire-inspired gear for all female characters
  • Includes six new skill points, new Collections, Feats and Base items

STORYLINE: The fate of the entire Emotional Spectrum hangs in the balance of an uneasy alliance between Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Sinestro in  War of the Light Part II. Feeling that love has been endangered by this relentless war, Carol Ferris and the Star Sapphires have also come to Earth to restore their own entity and stop the strife … and all who get in their way.

JENS’ TAKE:  “The introduction of Larfleeze and the Star Sapphires in  War of the Light Part II adds a lot of depth to the story. And, with nearly all the Corps now part of this epic trilogy, players really get to dig deep into Lantern mythology. They’ll also get to see their favorite iconic characters like Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn infused with the mystical mists, which adds even more interesting elements to the story.” – Jens Andersen, Senior Creative Director,  DC Universe Online.

Entropia Adds Universal Auction System

Entropia Auctions

Entropia Universe AB, the largest Massively Multiplayer Online Real Cash Economy (MMORCE) game, announced today that its latest update, Version 15.1, will remove planet-specific auction sections. This change will result in a single unified auction, something that many participants have requested and something that Entropia Universe believes will result in a more efficient and dynamic interplanetary economy.

After 15.1 buyers will have three options when winning an auction that was listed from a planet that differs from that of the buyer:

 

  1. Pickup at Origin – Items won from auction will be placed into the buyer’s inventory on the planet of origin (the planet where the auction was created). Buyer must then travel to the planet of origin to retrieve the items from storage.
  2. Normal Delivery – Items won from auction will be transported to the buyer’s storage at the buyer’s current location after a specified period of time (TBD, approximately 1-4 hours). This option will incur a small transport fee based on item weight.
  3. Instant Delivery – Items won from auction will be transported immediately to the buyer’s storage at the buyer’s current location. This option will incur the same transport fee as Normal Delivery, along with an extra convenience fee.

 

The transport fees collected for the Normal and Instant Delivery options will be held in a special transport fee pool. In a subsequent Version Update, transport missions will be made available that can be claimed by spaceship pilots via a queue system that incorporates the available transport fee pool, pilot skills, time limitations, and ship cargo capacities.

 

Those missions will take the form of cargo boxes which must be delivered to a destination in return for a PED reward funded by the transport fee pool. Cargo boxes are at risk of being looted by other participants in cases where the transporting ship is defeated in space combat; the looted cargo boxes can then be delivered to the assigned destination by the looter to claim the original transport mission reward.

 

Entropia Universe believes that this new Galactic Transport system will result in increased activity and efficiency in the interplanetary market for goods and materials, along with more accurate and informative market history data that will benefit participants on all planets. It will also make for a much more exciting and engaging gameplay experience in space and pave the way for further development of space systems including combat, hunting, transport and resource gathering.

Heroes of Atlan

In Heroes of Atlan, players will take on the role of heroes rising up to fight the returning darkness of the evil demon king, Beelzebub. Gather your allies and keep your enemies at bay, as the world has plunged into an age of darkness unlike any known for over a thousand years.

Features:

Custom Party: Customize your ideal party by taking from a wide selection of heroes. Cunning archers, centaurs, sorcerers, monsters of all kinds, and just about anything you can imagine can be brought into your fold, tamed, trained, and turned into a tight-knit, brutally efficient fighting-force. The only limit to your power is your own skill in arranging the perfectly complimentary team.

Spectacular Airships: Take to the sky in grand, powerful airships that will ferryyou from objective to objective. Ride in style, customize and personalize, and look down upon your lessers from high above. In your own airship, you are truly the sole ruler of all that you survey.

Guild Warfare: Joining a guild will only magnify your power and potential. Take on massive bosses with dozens of your guildmates, and tackle challenges that would crush those striking it out on your own. With the help of your guild, you can achieve heights unknown, and earn rewards and loot unique to your challenges.

Weekly PVP Tournaments: Every week, you’ll have the opportunity to test your mettle against other players. Do you believe you’re the best of the best? Prove it by bringing your highly-trained team into the tournament and throw down against others just like you. Will you crawl to the top of the charts, or be cast aside? Only your skill will decide.