Star Wars: The Old Republic–Patch 1.3 & Layoffs

Coming soon to a galaxy far, far away … Allies or Patch 1.3 for Star Wars: The Old Republic.  Allies patch will include a non-cross server group finder feature, Legacy Perks, character server transfers, and more.  Allies is designed to make playing with friends easier and more successful.

Server transfers will revitalize a great game.  The massive influx of players when the game released at the end of 2011 resulted in queues and full servers.  As the free game time expired and players returned to other games, server populations dropped off.  Character server transfers will allow players to move to servers that are more heavily populated and to do so without rerolling characters.

Legacy perks are going to allow the player to level up according to their play style.  So if you like PvP or space combat more than you like questing, the perk system will allow for that.  Of course, it comes with the already established Legacy requirement of one character being level 50 on that server.

The IGN interview with the lead developer has relieved some concerns from the playing community, there are no plans and no discussion about SWTOR going free-to-play at any point in the future.

There was also news today from Bioware announcing that there were layoffs from the staff of SWTOR.  While sad, they were foreseeable unfortunately.  We wish all those affected good luck and thank you for all your hard work.

Technorati Tags: SWTOR,Star Wars: The Old Republic,Patch 1.3,Legacy,Bioware

Kingsmouth Calling: Beta Weekend 2

So this weekend opened up some quests that were closed last weekend and allowed more players to experience the content than last weekend (far more sites gave away beta keys and were located in Europe).  We experienced no game breaking bugs or crashes and submitted one very detailed bug report.

However the huge plus for characters created last weekend, was the 10 million credits of in game currency you had when logging in this weekend.  First thing I did was run back to London and buy outfits! 

I will completely admit that I love the new outfits.  I get to run around in sweats and a t-shirt and fight zombies in “tank” mode.  No more plate bikinis or armor that looks so horribly mismatched I would not be caught wearing it ever!  No now I can wear what I want when I want.  So if I have Country music on I can slip on my virtual cowboy boots and stomp zombies or I can put something classical and look more classy.  I am eagerly anticipating spending oodles of time and cash on outfits in game.  Especially since the clothing options do not reside in your inventory but in their own slot in your character sheet and are automatically placed in the appropriate spot in inventory. 

Technorati Tags: The Secret World,Kingsmouth,beta weekend,cosmetic items,zombies

New Video: Combat Abilities and Skills

 

The kind folks over at Gamespot just posted the premiere official video on game play.

Technorati Tags: The Secret World,Gamespot,video,Funcom,combat

The Secret World: Beta Weekend 1 Final Impressions

 

Zombies on the loose, the dead walking the streets, and strange creatures from the sea and yet Pam the Clam stands faithfully there for all the tourists to stop and get the picture snapped with her!  Just one of the many and varied interesting things we saw on our weekend romp through the open beta this weekend.

There were good and bad aspects to the beta, with the good far outweighing the bad in our opinions.  So let’s break down the lists:

The Bad

• Character customization: limited in beta and the first item in the known issues for the beta.  So, I  was expecting it to be awful.  It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t pretty either.  As posted previously, character creation needs improvement greatly.
• Infinite log-in loop: happened for me whenever I had a character crash in London.  Logging that character back in would immediately crash the client again.  Many a character was prematurely deleted before their time as a result.
• Stability: Hubby had massive client stability issues resulting in hard locks of his system.  Once he resolved his driver issues and reduced motion blur to low his stability was rock solid. 
• Lag Spikes: my frame rate was a pretty solid 50 fps, and his around 60 fps.  However, every once in a while the game would hit a spot and lock up momentarily and then come back immediately.  During those spikes, frame rates would drop into the single digits.

The Good

• Questing: I cannot begin to describe how incredibly well written the quests are.  They are immersive and are far beyond mindless fetch and return quests.  Skipping dialogue and cut scenes in this game will hurt your ability to complete quests.
• User Interface: It is simple, minimal, and clean.  The screen isn’t cluttered with brightly colored objects which detract from the environment.
• Atmosphere: Kingsmouth is one spooky town and the music and graphics really capture that for the player.  Put your headphones on and the surrounding environment comes to life.
• Ability Wheel: First impression is that every skill is pretty much a duplicate of the other, and then you begin to build synergy between weapons and you realize it is far more complex than your first impression lead you to believe.

Is there room for improvement?  Yes, there is always room for improvement and Funcom is working on those issues.  Things like skill animations, jump animations, and the impact of combat are all issues that Funcom is aware of, working on, and the biggest complaint on the forums this weekend.

We are not cancelling our pre-orders and are both extremely pleased with the state of the game.  We both believe Funcom has a lot of long nights between now and Early Access on June 15th but there is every indication that they are working those hours.

The Secret World: Kingsmouth Calling Part 2

 

This just in … Beta Weekend 2 has been announced for this weekend Friday May 18th thru Sunday May 20th.  Adventurers will continue their exploration of Kingsmouth with more quests opened up and much more of the story line to explore.  For this weekend’s event, beta event keys are being handed out by various European sites.

Technorati Tags: The Secret World,beta weekend,Kingsmouth

Lord of the Rings Online: Update 7

Update 7 went live this morning for Lord of the Rings Online.  The official patch notes are located here.  A revamped Fornost is included, for both gameplay and graphics, much improved Moira experience, there are some class changes, and the necessary background implementation for another bag space!  Bag space is NOT extended by this update so don’t get too excited just yet. :)

Personally I am looking forward to my trip into Middle Earth this week.

Technorati Tags: Lord of the Rings Online,Update 7,middle earth

Kingsmouth Calling: more screenshots

 

Here are some more screenshots from this weekend’s open beta. 

 

Current character creation model, while she isn’t god awful to look at … it’s far to generic and far too few customization options.  I can live with limited clothing choices at creation, after all that can be replaced, but facial and body options are not replaceable without plastic surgery being implemented.  I want the ability to be short, fat, flat chest, large chested, old, aging, wrinkled, freckled, etc.  I don’t need to be the “same” as everyone else. 

The next two pictures show what the engine is capable of in the face of npcs, they are older, wrinkled, and fuller in face.  Ok, Norma (the older lady) has INCREDIBLY bad hair but then again almost all the hair is incredibly bad.  Hair is a HUGE deal for me, I will play the game with bad hair but I will always be mildly pissed off about it.  LOL

I’m not looking for “supermodel” beauty, I’m looking for imperfect beauty. You know what I mean the girl/guy next door look, the he’s “quite” the character look, or the person you walk by on the street and just know by looking at them that they have quite the story to tell. In other words, in a MMO set in the modern day I want variety and realism that I see in every day life.

Technorati Tags: The Secret World,beta weekend,character customization

Weekend Beta First Impressions of Kingsmouth Calling

Frist impression is incredibly positive.  Yes I have had bugs pop-up, crashes, and glitches however I expect those when beta testing.  Logging in and authentication errors have not happened for either myself or hubby.  Character creation is not everything it could be but I knew from the notes attached to the beta that there would be many more options at launch.  I will be very happy with character creation at launch if they allow for much more personalization and customization over things like weight, height, age, muscular features, etc. Hair styles, especially for women, need MASSIVE upgrades.

We are both running the client in DX11 with no major issues.  Frame rates are a pretty consistent 50+ for each of us.  There are times when that drops quickly but luckily those instances appear to be isolated.  No problems with cards over heating or processors cooking themselves.

 

I am quite liking the gameplay and I don’t mind the animations.  I honestly don’t get what everyone is complaining about when it comes to animations.  The ability wheel is going to be a very fun tool to try out amazing combos with as the game launches and grows.  It may completely, HA HA HA, eliminate the need for alts.

Tutorials and new player help are very well designed and thought out.  The combination of text and video based new player instructions is a nice change.  The map is truly impressive when you use it, especially for the direction impaired like myself.  It doesn’t make things stupid simple but it is a great graphical representation of the environment.  I can honestly say I haven’t gotten lost using it and for me that is a first.

Are there things I would like improved?  Oh yeah, the text in general is too small and poor colored for those of us over the age of 40 something (even with reading glasses on).  And the subtitled aren’t currently movable and often overlap chat box or ability bar which tends to get annoying. 

I’m off to go make a blade based character and test how it compares to the hammer character. 

Technorati Tags: The Secret World,beta weekend,Kingsmouth,framerate,texture,DX11

Anticipation is building…

Tomorrow morning the open beta for weekend testers for The Secret World begins and the registered number of beta testers has reached the 1,000,000 mark.  There is a definite buzz building about the game and the secret societies.  There is no non-disclosure agreement in place for the open beta weekend and there should be a plethora of screenshots, videos, and information leaked over the next 96 hours.  Personally, I know where I will be at 9AM tomorrow morning!

 

Technorati Tags: The Secret World,beta,secret societies,non-disclosure agreement

The Secret World: Kingsmouth Calling -- Beta Weekend 1 Details

Details on the open beta weekend have been announced!  If you have been invited to the open beta weekend, the download link will be available in you’re the Secret World account page.  The open beta client is different than the closed beta client, so if you are one of the lucky closed beta testers please be sure download the open beta client.

Open beta weekend begins Friday May 11 at 9AM PST, time zone conversion link here, and will continue until 11:59PM PST on Sunday May 13th.  For those of us living in the U.S., the 13th is also Mother’s Day so it might be a good idea to take a break and at least call Mom.

This weekend faction choices are limited to Templars, which has created a stir among the community.  However a mixed blessing a gamer might find this decision, every open beta player this weekend will get to experience the Templar starting experience.  London and Kingsmouth will be available for play this weekend and should provide hours of entertaining fun.

Funcom has also made clear that upcoming beta weekends will include the chance to play Illuminati in New York and the Dragon in Seoul.  There is no non-disclosure agreement in place for open beta weekends.  Feel free to take screenshots, videos, etc. and openly share and discuss your game experience with family and friends.

There is a posted FAQ in the announcement that covers everything from what is a beta weekend to what the beta weekend represents.  The FAQ also makes clear the minimum system requirements for the game:

• OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.4 GHz or better, or equivalent AMD CPU
• RAM: 2GB (Windows XP) or 3GB (Windows Vista, Windows 7)
• HD: At least 30GB of free space
• VIDEO: nVidia 8800 series/Radeon HD3850 or better, minimum 512MB VRAM

EDIT: The beta launcher has been updated to allow for the running of DX11.

Technorati Tags: beta weekend,The Secret World,Kingsmouth,Templar,London,Funcom

Video Games in Somali

In first world countries we view the benefits and detriments of video games with a jaded eye.  But today, in Somali, video games are keeping teenage boys off the streets.  When the Muslim militants took over in 2006, teenage boys and schools became a prime recruiting ground for militant Islamic teachings and the military government.    Six years later, teenage boys are now playing video games and behaving like first world teenage boys.  They now have a reasonable chance to grow up and avoid becoming combatants in an ugly and brutal civil war.  So next time we have the urge to tell our teenagers to stop playing video games and grow up, remember that somehow in Africa teenage boys stand silently in lines to pay 10 cents for 15 minutes of game time for a chance to better their futures.

Technorati Tags: video games,Somali,civil war,government

Rumors of Cheating in The Secret War

 

 

It all started last week, will back and forth on the forums about automating the Facebook game to deploy agents around the clock.  There were allegations thrown around about all three factions (Templar, Dragon, and Illuminati) engaging in such deplorable behavior, however all indications are that the Illuminati are the most clearly defined faction cheating.  Member of their own faction have come forth to announce they have been encouraged to cheat, how to do so, and then denouncing the practice openly on the forums  Illuminati members have posted their strategies in the forum.

Funcom immediately issued a forum announcement concerning the cheating.  Now that there is a weekly prize all factions seem to be drooling over allegations of cheating are once again running rampant on the forums.  Templars won the battle for territory on the 4th and 5th of this month and the Dragon have offered their thanks while the Illuminati are tossing allegations of cheating and game fixing by Funcom.

Somehow I think in the hyper-competitive spirit of the modern world, and the conspiracy setting of the game players of all factions and all ages have forgotten that it is a game and the prizes are meaningless in real life.  Just because your faction wins the week, it doesn’t instantly transform you or your faction into the be all, end all of the game. 

Technorati Tags: THe Secret War,The Secret World,Templar,Dragon,Illuminati,Facebook,cheating

Utterly Unimpressed

In an attempt to quell fan outrage over yesterday’s announcement, Bethesda and Zenimax have released the first trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online.  No game play, no cut scenes, just a voice over with some animated graphics.  In my opinion, it looks thrown together to give their angry fans something positive but it failed utterly for me.  My interest dwindles more with each tidbit that escapes from all involved.

Newsletter 14

The Secret World just released Newsletter 14 which contained an interesting tidbit of information.  The upcoming first Beta weekend will allow for the creation of Templar characters and the exploration of Soloman Island and Kingsmouth. 

The forums are expressing mixed emotions about the gated access to the Beta weekend and the lack of PvP opportunity.  However, it makes sense to me to limit Beta access to show off what the game can do and explore some aspects of game play while not allowing people to play the game for free without restriction prior to launch.  This is a very smart move given the marketing strategy of the Facebook game and the numerous forum threads which instruct players to use the beta to try it and then cancel if you hate it. 

Personally, betas, be they open, closed, or weekends, are about bug testing and mechanic breaking to ensure a smooth and successful completed project come launch day.  If you only want beta access to determine how polished a game is prior to release or so that you can play for free and never buy the finished project, then in the long run you are doing yourself and game companies a disservice.  Games cost money to create, maintain, and expand and let’s be honest, if you can’t afford the initial buy-in cost and monthly subscription rate perhaps you need to be focusing on making real life better for you and yours and not losing yourself in a make believe world.

200,000 Secret War Participants

 

Funcom’s latest press release for The Secret War Facebook game tie-in for The Secret World fills us in on the numbers so far.

200,000 initiates have participated in The Secret War sending out over 50 million secret agents!  Those numbers are impressive for a game with very little mass market advertising.  I know I haven’t been a fan of the whole Facebook marketing concept, but the numbers speak for themselves.

Aww Crap

 

Ok, this, The Elder Scrolls Online, is going to be truly amazing or truly awful an Elder Scrolls MMO.  I LOVED Oblivion and HATED Skyrim with a passion.  I’m very pleased to learn that the MMO is set a millennium before Skyrim.  That means the world created in Elder Scrolls will make sense and won’t be full of the dark, racist crap that was Skyrim.  I started gaming long after Morrowind was released and I tried to play it several times.  I can’t get past the graphics unfortunately, but I love the story.  Hubby played and loved Morrowind however. 

We both hated Skyrim after more than 30 hours of game play.  The Dark Brotherhood lost it’s focus, the Thieves Guild was pathetic, and the Nords turned into a community of xenophobes.  Heck even the Imperial were pathetic in Skyrim.  Hubby finished the game but I haven’t yet.  Killing the never ending stream of dragons was old and boring after a while, and no challenge.  And another pet peeve of mine … the OVER simplification and leveling in Skyrim was out of control.  Seriously, crafting gains you experience levels? 

So yes, I hate Skyrim and I love the Elder Scrolls franchise.  I’m hopeful that the developers, who thankfully are NOT associated with Skyrim, do not follow the mistakes made in the game.  At this point, despite it’s proposed release date of 2013, I’m taking a wait and see attitude.