Monthly Archives: April 2015

TERA: Chakra Rising Patch Notes

TERA surprised us with news late last evening of a massive expansion hitting today. TERA: Chakra Rising hits us with a new Festival of the Dad event, new classes, and various improvements making this the largest update to ever land.

TERADayoftheDad

Patch 4.1.15 addresses the recent rise of pudgy players by introducing new fitness related classes, along with the Limber system replacing stamina. This introduces new yoga poses to counteract limber loss, as well as start-up stretches to keep your character one step ahead of a pulled hammy.

The Festival of the Dad seeks to reimagine the Island of Dawn as a paradise for all things your dad loves to tell you. Expect to see money growing on trees, NPC dialogue overhauls (and corny jokes to match), special dad costumes, and more. To limit this early boon in gameplay, all parties have been disbanded for players until they reach the level of 18, and don’t even think about not sharing loot just because you’re not partied.

For full details, head over to the monumental patch notes on the official site.

League of Legends: URF Mode Review

By Jason Parker (Ragachak)

 

Start
Morello Mode:

Did you guys really think that N.U.R.F. mode was going to be a thing? I heard so much of an outcry over it that it drove me near to madness! However, that was the big April Fools’ Joke.  Morello Mode was not real. Instead we get another round of URF mode! Huzzah!  Normally when I talk about a new mode I ask what it brings to the game, what sort of new techniques or game mechanics we are focusing on with it. However, URF is different. URF is Ultra Rapid Fire, a ridiculous mode full of overpowered, fast-paced, insane gameplay. Whether I win or lose, I always have fun with URF. Everyone wins in URF if you just relax, and enjoy the chaos.

Inyobase
However, there are also a few other little tidbits coming with the URF patch: April Fools’ Skins!  Urf the Nami-Tee, Order of the Banana Soraka, Archduke Nasus, Definitely-Not-Udyr, and Surprise Party Amumu! These skins are adorable, and range from 750-975 RP a piece. They bring lots of cool, attractive UI effects (my favorite being the Happy/Sad face on Amumu’s ult, depending on when he hits someone or misses) which will no doubt rake in piles of money for Riot. They already got some of my money. I would definitely implore everyone to jump into URF mode while it lasts, get the cool icon for playing, and relax! You’ve earned it; trust me.  I’d also like to take the time to thank a few players who were kind enough to join me in the craziness: Captain Kippy, Lady Foxen, cursidblessing, Thank you for letting me ruin your day with madness.

dabuffs

 

Two Tickets to Paradise:

Outside of Doom Bots, URF mode is probably the most popular extra mode that Riot has produced. The first time it was released, certain characters were removed from the start, or after about a week: Kassadin, Ryze, Sona, Hecarim, Kayle, Soraka, Nidalee, Alistar, Skarner, all of these were unplayable. In this iteration of the mode, EVERYONE can be played!  Each team gets three bans, and then it goes to blind pick, so mirror matches can happen. Are there certain champions that are ludicrously powerful in this mode? Of course!  100% mana/energy consumption reduced, 80% CDR, “Tons of Damage”, +25% Tenacity, Critical Strike, x5 gold gain?  Anyone can be strong with that buff.

EXPLOSIONS
I’m so glad that everyone can be played this time, too.  Granted, only a handful of the auto-removed champions were ones I actively played, but it gives more freedom to be able to play those champions. Sure, Sona is outrageous, and I two-shot several champions with her (including the enemy Sona!), but as soon as Akali pounces, I may as well get ready for the gray-screen-of-death.  It’s just good, wholesome fun.  There are people who of course manage to be toxic in this mode, or try strange, normally unplayable things but I think that even that is not so bad in URF.  I frankly, just had fun playing with people of all skill levels, whatever strange idea they had, I was on board for.

Death
It’s Not All Roses and Shaco Boxes:

Yes, Virginia, everyone is playable at this writing. URF will be playable for two weeks, and there are a few balance issues that are addressed.  Kassadin’s Rift Walk cannot be used infinitely and forever. At some point, he will Walk so many times that his maximum mana (humongous as it is in this mode) will  be lower than the cost of Rift Walk. You cannot use an ability if you do not have the actual mana to use it. It won’t go down, but it won’t be usable if you exceed that mana pool.  Teemo can only have 20 mushrooms, Shaco can only have six boxes.  Alpha Strike’s cooldown starts at the end of the ability (So no permanent Alpha Strikes, Yi players).

Boxes
There is something else added to URF mode to make it a little more fun. Heal Embargo: All direct healing effects are 50% less effective at the start, increasing as the game goes on (reaching 100% at 25 minutes~).  Shield Overload shields have been weakened as well. There are so many champions that can permanently have a shield up in this mode (Nautilus, Morganna, Janna, Karma, Sona, and more), and with that in mind, non-ultimate shields are lowered by 50%.   While the game continues to be  a non-stop asskicking/trolling festival, it is something everyone can enjoy, no matter your role or preferred champion. Even poor Urgot, almost forgotten, has a role to play in URF.

Wacky

Is It Worth It? 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.


URF Mode is probably the most detailed and intense mode offered up by the Riot developers.  I was delighted to see it again, since I did not get to play as much of it in the 2014 URFlympics. “Blind Draft” is a cool concept, where we get both modes, and the “New Ultra Rapid Fire” buff was so horrific that I knew it could not be real. +200% cooldown inflation?  +225 Movement Speed Reduction?  That had to be a joke. Now if it were a roaming debuff, that might be hilarious.  Sometimes, we just want to forget about ranked and rude players. We just want to put all the animosity aside that comes with being in the MOBA Community, and just have fun. That’s what URF is. Everyone can just forget about how much they don’t like each other and just explode one another.

Smart Watch and VR integration Announced For Call of Champions

MOBEE

Spacetime Studios, an innovator and leader in the growing mobile gaming market, is excited to debut Smart Watch and Virtual Reality integration with its unreleased game, Call of Champions. The Smart Watch will track out-of-game fighting movements, translating the literal heart-pounding action immediately into in-game abilities. Plus, with Virtual Reality, Call of Champions players will feel like they are directly in the combat, using a controlled amount of blinking and voice commands to guide their Champion through the arena. This will be the first and only Smart Watch and Virtual Reality combination that syncs directly into gameplay, redefining the category of the game into a mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Exercise Experience, or MOBEE.

“Our players are becoming more concerned about the health benefits of tapping on a screen throughout the day. The Call of Champions Smart Watch and Virtual Reality combination will help address those concerns and give people an incentive to do some crunches while battling opponents in real-time,” says Gary Gattis, CEO and co-founder of Spacetime Studios. “We are aware that there is no perfect fitness regiment, that’s why our Smart Watch will track a wide variety of biometrics including: blood pressure, heart rate, glucose levels, phosphoric levels in urine, blood toxicity, sleep irregularity, and bone density,  while our Virtual Reality integration will include blinking control and voice commands. Each metric is tied to in-game action, so if your blood pressure stays within a stable range, you get a haste bonus!”

Multiplayer Online Battle Exercise Experiences (MOBEE’s) are the Future

Spacetime Studios understands the importance of the emerging markets of virtual reality and digital wristband technology. The company is looking to capitalize on the growth of this sector and bring high-quality gaming experiences to these platforms. The newly announced virtual reality and wristband will help players:

  • Maximize fitness through a series of movements that sync up directly with Champion abilities.

  • Optimize champion control with voice and blinking commands

  • Understand yourself by visiting our online player management portal you will be able to see the interesting biometrics we’re collecting through the smart watch.

The Call of Champions Smart Watch and Virtual Reality combination has no immediate release date as it will not be launching. Happy April Fool’s Day! For more information about Call of Champions, you can visit the www.CallofChampions.com.

Waterworld of Tanks Announced

Wargaming, inspired by the interest in their upcoming naval team arena battler, World of Warships, has decided to take the next step and push their premier franchise where no tank has gone before: The bottom of the sea!

WaterworldofTanksRevealed

Waterworld of Tanks will float tanks through iconic locals in the Pacific and Atlantic ocean with all the tanks you’ve come to know and love, only now with fins and propellers to push them through the murky depths. Players can utilize cover including lazily swimming sharks and whales as they experience true to life reality with reduced gravity and 80% movement speed debuffs.

 

Waterworld of Tanks will be getting up close and personal as shell firing ranges have been reduced to 10meters (artillery 15 and must fire upwards!). This should lead to some slow and furious combat hyjinxs as players strafe circles around sharks and hit the turtle jet streams to find an opening.

 

For further details including a teaser of the upcoming Clam Wars, visit the official site.

DOMO: Major Update in time for Easter

DOMO Dancer

Wicked Interactive (Suba Games) has announced that it will launch a new update tomorrow, April 2, that introduces a new class and two maps to Dream of Mirror Online.

The new Dancer Class performs mystical dance moves to damage enemies or enamor foes to weaken them, and is a fan favorite among DOMO players.

The game will also reintroduce the Foggy Forest, north of Blakatoa, and Blakatoa Peak, which looms above the Foggy Forest.

Sci-Fi RTS Shallow Space: Insurgency Indiegogo Campaign Starting April 4th

Shallow Space Insurgency

Indie micro studio Special Circumstance Games, today announced that its debut release, epic 3D space adventure real-time strategy game Shallow Space: Insurgency, recently moved into alpha and is ready to initiate it’s Indiegogo campaign for the title. The 32 day Indiegogo campaign begins on April 4th, with the team looking to raise a minimum of $85,000 to help make Shallow Space: Insurgency a reality.

 

In light of this milestone, Special Circumstance Games have hired Vincent van Diemen the Producer behind Nexus: The Jupiter Incident as a Producer for Shallow Space: Insurgency.  Following successful funding, the team are on schedule to launch in Autumn 2015 on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam Early Access.

 

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Vincent into the Special Circumstance fold”, said James Martin, Founder of Special Circumstance Games, “with his experience of producing Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, his experience will allow us to take Shallow Space: Insurgency to the next level!”.

 

“For all you Nexus fans out there, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is”, said Vincent van Diemen, Producer at Special Circumstance Games. “I’ve been blown away by the incredible experience that the Special Circumstance Games team have built and believe it is the closest thing you’ll get to Nexus 2 for a long time to come.”

 

Starting April 4th, Special Circumstance Games will turn to crowdfunding and launch an Indiegogo campaign to finance the project. Supporters of the project can get involved by pledging as little as $1. Multiple perks are available for backers, including a 3D printed ship model, or even the opportunity to help with the design of an in-game ship model. The Indiegogo campaign will allow Special Circumstance Games to take their impressive tech demo to a much more fully-featured game. For a taste of what Shallow Space: Insurgency is about, the demo is available to download now.