Bringing It All Back to the Community

A GenCon Indy 2008 Interview with Warhammer Online's Bob Mull

Bob Mull, Director of Community Management

One of the hardest working but least recognized guys on the Mythic staff, Director of Community Management Bob Mull, was my first stop at GenCon Indy 2008. Bob looks after the international community management teams serving not only Warhammer Online, but also those hardcore hangers-on playing venerable titles like Dark Age of Camelot and Ultima Online. But with the launch of Warhammer Online only about a month away, it's not surprising that WAR is foremost in Bob's thoughts.





Bob just returned from Dublin discussions about the game's worldwide launch with GOA, WAR's publisher in the key market of Europe, and my first question dealt with the European reaction to the recently announced class and capital city cuts. As popular as Games Workshop miniature properties e.g. Warhammer Fantasy are in the US and Canada, it's by all accounts something of a national obsession in many parts of Europe, especially Great Britain. %26ldquo;I lived in England for a while, and it's hard to go anywhere without running into a Games Workshop,%26rdquo; Bob noted.





Though admitting that the class cuts were met with similar levels of apprehension across the pond - apparently Brits were particularly fond of the Dwarf Hammerer - in the end it was all met with the same grudging acceptance in Europe as we saw in North America. %26ldquo;Mark [Jacobs]' office is a few doors down from mine, and he took a lot of heat over the class stuff. A lot of players don't realize that that was a really difficult decision for him... If you're following our game for a couple years and looking at the Blackguard and decide that's what you want to play and now it's gone, I expect that someone would be upset about that. And there's really nothing I can say. I can talk about how it's better now - how we want to avoid placeholder classes - but we really don't want to have to do it.%26rdquo;





With the only real downer of a question out of the way, we continued on to the more optimistic topic of what WAR is doing for us gamers lately; namely open beta. As we sat at a crumb-covered table in the not-so-aptly-named %26ldquo;quiet area%26rdquo; at GenCon, Mythic was quietly working towards opening the floodgates on open beta downloads (starting on August 18th) for those that had received a code at one of Mythic's Games Days or otherwise. But before open beta opens, I learned that Mythic has a special preview weekend planned soon for folks who can't fly to Leipzig GC this week or PAX next week to catch the game in person. The upcoming preview weekend is in effect the game's first real stress test and a celebration of the end of closed beta; with Mythic's goal to beat up the servers with you and 100k of your closest friends. When will it be? We know that open beta begins on September 7th, so feel free to speculate on which weekend the preview will fall on prior to that date.





That's far from the only bit of excitement Mythic has planned for the month leading to WAR's launch. The %26ldquo;Realm War%26rdquo; is here to stay (and will be ready by launch, at the latest, for Europe, Bob confirmed) and the ramp-up campaign %26ldquo;Road to WAR%26rdquo; are two web-based efforts that players can start delving into now.





So what exactly is Realm War? Bob offered me the clearest, most concise explanation I've seen anywhere outside of Ten Ton Hammer's Interview with Scott Stricklin. But here's a quick overview with some clarification added.





Realm War has four components:





1) Character search - Get ganked by some greenskins or singed by a sorceress? Look them up on Realm War and see what gear they're wearing and the stats of their items. Though more hardcore players might prefer to keep their equipment choices on the down low, Bob was quick to note that no tree choices, morale abilities, etc. will be displayed. Even so, players won't have the ability to turn off these listings at launch. %26ldquo;We really felt that this was one of those things where as soon as we would allow some players to turn off this feature, it would become pretty useless to everyone,%26rdquo; Bob explained.





2) Leaderboards - See how your renown and all time kills stack up against other players with this feature of Realm War. Stats will be updated weekly, and though no tome info will be available for comparison at launch, Bob stated that this was definitely something Mythic wants to add on to as time goes by. %26ldquo;What we want to do is just keep adding feature after feature... we'd rather roll out one thing at a time and execute very well than roll out a bunch of things and have to fix them all.%26rdquo;





3) Guild Search - With information auto-populated by choices your guild makes and individual player stats, this is the place to get the skinny on a potential new guild or gather info to get sweet revenge on a rival guild.





4) Realm War - This is basically your window on the Warhammer Online game world. See real-time info on who controls the various RvR tiers of outposts, keeps, fortresses, and the cities as the forces of Order and Destruction vie for total domination.

The WAR Booth at GenCon Indy 2008

Also under Bob's purview, the Warhammer Online Herald will continue Mythic's long-standing tradition of keeping players in the know. Bob explained that while the game's landing page is for those relatively new to WAR. The Herald is just for active players of the game, highlighting community resources and offering in-depth interviews shining the limelight on the most influential members of the community.





To lead up to the title's September 18th launch, Mythic is also running the %26ldquo;Road to WAR%26rdquo; campaign. Though it sounds like Bob explained that Road to War allows players to declare a side and raise armies to %26ldquo;fight%26rdquo; for control of real-world territories. The outcome will have some in-game consequences as well, such as titles and achievements for individual players as well as the ability to affect the starting state of the opposing city (%26ldquo;But not in a way that affects balance,%26rdquo; Bob clarified). More details will be provided as we head toward PAX in just a couple weeks, which is the last fan event before WAR is released.





We closed with a quick discussion of some of the recent impropriety issues involving customer service personnel in several top-tier MMORPGs, and though we agreed that it's hard to stop humans from being human, Bob feels that Mythic's policies and proven track record will help nip any CS misbehavior in the bud fast. %26ldquo;It's a select few that have the power to change anything, and everything is logged... If something happened, I'd go ballistic,%26rdquo; Bob underscored with a smile, %26ldquo;but I'm really not worried... I tell those guys all the time that they're working on a one-to-one level. They're the front-line troops... almost everything else we do is one-to-many.%26rdquo;

The Digital Continuum: Memoirs of a WAR beta tester

I've given my thoughts on the Dark Elf section of Warhammer Online, but now that the whole NDA is lifted I can finally speak about my experience with the beta as a whole. I've been in it for a long time. A really long time, in fact. We're talking about, well, since the thing started. Which gives me something more to say than the typical tester talking about this game. In my time interacting as a member of the beta community with Mythic -- concerning Warhammer Online, of course -- I think I've seen more progress made on any MMO in the span of about a year than I have in any other in beta. And I've been in a lot of them.





So what's the big deal? New MMOs are always facing the issue of going up against World of Warcraft's several years of polishing. Everyone has always wondered what it would take to deal with that issue, too. Mythic seems to have decided it will take raw, unadulterated determination. The kind that a child displays when presented with the opportunity to have a new toy. It also helps to have a license that Blizzard themselves once attempted to acquire because of its depth. Ironic? Only if WAR really does take a big chug out of the World of Warcraft milkshake.





Then again, that's implying that the MMO market is like a piece of food, that it's finite. It certainly is not. If anything, the MMO market is more like a kid going through school looking for cute girls to date. The girls in this metaphor are subscribers and much like girls in school, they become more varied and available throughout different levels of schooling. It's not a perfect metaphor, but you get the idea. It's a progressive industry, with more milkshakes than can be drank.





Anyhow, back onto my experience with the WAR beta over the last year plus. When I first got in, I wasn't writing as a part of the excellent team at Massively. I was however a long-time gamer and lover of MMOs, as I still am today, obviously. When I received the notification email, my heart lurched back as if it were placing itself into a slingshot, then fired against my ribcage and exploded into billions of tiny joyous heart pieces. It was, for the lack of a more interesting word: shocking.





Like I said before, I've been in a lot of MMO betas, but never this early on. It was only June of oh-seven, this beta practically just started! So I made my account and began downloading the client right away. It took some time, but I managed to download, install and patch it. Keep in mind that I'd played some Greenskins and Stunties at PAX06 before this, so I kind of knew what to expect. Or so I thought, at least. I sort of forgot that about eight months had passed since I last played the game. The build they were showing in here was already much, much further along than the PAX demo.





One thing I really want to stress is how impressed I've been with Mythic's willingness to show their game early and often. If you had went to an event Mythic was booked at, you probably would've seen WAR running. A lot of developers don't want to do this for various reasons. The biggest being graphical prejudices before the game even ships. It always makes me feel more secure in being excited for a title when a developer allows the public to get its grubby hands on the controls. In this case, my dirt-caked hands. Not that I eat dirt, I just, uh... it's useful.





So I played a few times a week for several months. Progress was made, we got to start trying out the Chaos and Empire content after a couple months of Greenskins and Stunties. I was anticipating playing the Dark Elves soon, although wanted to also get back to the Greenskins, also. You see, Mythic likes to be very focused with their testing. I've been in various betas where a developer just continually adds content, but leaves the old stuff. This often ends up in the overall game feeling uneven. You'll notice WAR doesn't really have that problem. The polish-level is pretty high across the entire game, with a few exceptions here and there. I'm hardly claiming perfection, but merely consistency.





Eventually we got to play the Elves, but we only had access to some of the classes. In fact, throughout the entirety of the beta I never got to play the Black Guard. So when Mythic says they couldn't get the Black Guard to be fun or to feel right, it wasn't due to player feedback as far as I know. I'm not upset at them for pulling those classes (at least not anymore) but I do think they need to get them back into the game, stat. We'll get to my thoughts on that a bit later, though.





So, there was a short break in the beta, at the end of last year. It was to give the team some time to dig in, make changes and also take a break for the holidays. Mythic works really hard, but they don't seem to deny their employees contact with their families. They're not the Men in Black or anything, after all. Well, maybe Paul Barnett is one of those guys. He seems like he knows something that he's not telling us about.





(Barnettoid: It seemed pretty apparent that some of the in-game voices during beta where from Paul Barnett. I could be wrong on this, but they sounded so uncannily like him at times that I really have to question it.)





When the beta did come back last January, I went through the whole download process again since the build was completely updated. It was astonishing what the people at Mythic had done in just a couple of months. The game was leaps and bounds better than whatever it was I played previously. I put down my reserve down the next day.





I don't claim to be a fanboy of any game or developer, really. Well, except most games made by Valve, but this is the wrong venue for that. However, when it comes to WAR, Mythic may just have me considering carrying one of those pointy baseball flags for them, or something to that extent. Every month or two after the beginning of this year the game continued to make leaps in different areas. Class balance, RvR changes, graphics, performance, user interface. You name it, Mythic improved it substantially. I can't tell you how many times I'd see worries posted online about certain aspects of WAR not being lived up to, only to be able to say nothing to refute them. And while many bold concepts were dropped from the game, plenty of things were delivered upon.





Avatar aspects slowing changing as a character leveled? Gone. No Orcs getting bigger each level, which was too bad since that was a very cool idea. Black Guard/Knight of the Blazing Sun? Gone, they were mirror classes and I really loved their individual flavors. (Please bring them back, Mythic!) Choppa/Hammerer? Gone, too. I uh, really just want the Choppa back. Sorry, Stunties. Now, as far as the four cities go, I can actually understand the choice to hold off on them after playing a bunch of the current cities' content. The cities are incredibly full of delicious content meat. If a city in any other MMO is a song or two, then a city in WAR is a small album complete with an overarching story throughout.





I want to end this with a hopeful thought. While the current lack of some really cool classes does indeed suck more than mutated leech on a eyeball, they could be back sooner than we think. With the launch of the game, Mythic's team has to focus on supporting the live game through bug fixes and maintenance. However, I'm hoping that they don't slow down their content churn, quite possibly the most important aspect of live support. At least not until they add previously cut content back into the game. If they keep up with the pace they've had for most of the beta, then we're talking Black Guards and Choppas in before years' end ... possibly. I also think we could see more people flock to WAR than expected. After all, the amount of sales Age of Conan saw in its first month proved that people are looking for something to replace WoW right now. Then again, Wrath of the Lich King is coming sooner this time around. It's really all conjecture, but I think Mythic's determination -- if kept up -- will surprise a lot of people wondering where the game will plateu.

Updating to Gracia - Part 1

There are several methods available for updating to the Gracia - Part 1 update. Read on for more information about getting started in The 2nd Throne - Gracia - Part 1.

Best of GC: The Best New Products at the GC - Games Convention 2008 Are Now Known!

For the sixth time, the Leipziger Messe has awarded the title of %26ldquo;Best of GC%26rdquo; to the most innovative new products at the GC %26ndash; Games Convention. This year's winners in nine categories were announced yesterday evening. A total of 29 exhibitors at the GC %26ndash; Games Convention had submitted 122 hardware items and software titles (2006: 85) for the award.





The happy winners were:





In the category Best PC Game:





SPORE %26ndash; Electronic Arts





In %26ldquo;Spore%26rdquo;, Will Wright lets players create their own species and send them off on a journey through five billion years of evolutionary history. In the process, he succeeds in combining elements from casual, strategy, role-play and action simulations into a single game %26ndash; and opens the door to a games galaxy in which all living elements are designed by the players themselves. %26ldquo;Spore%26rdquo; is at the same time both complex and comprehensible and will have an inspirational effect on video game development for many years to come.





In the category Best Xbox 360 Game:





MIRROR'S EDGE %26ndash; Electronic Arts





%26ldquo;Mirror's Edge%26rdquo; sends its title heroine %26ldquo;Faith%26rdquo; off into a modern police state full of contrasting colours and vertiginous architecture. The special achievement of the action adventure is to cloak the player particularly closely in the skin of his or her avatar. Acrobatic leaps, fierce close combat and the character's increasing exhaustion are almost physically perceptible.





In the category Best PSP Game:





RESISTANCE: RETRIBUTION %26ndash;


Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland





This makes it official at last: shooters for out and about can be fun. With outstanding visuals, in %26ldquo;Resistance: Retribution%26rdquo; neither the small console nor the gamer can take a breather till Europe has been liberated from an extraterrestrial fleet of invaders. It also includes a multiplayer setting for up to eight players.





In the category Best PS3 Game:





LITTLE BIG PLANET %26ndash;


Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland





Sony brings new life to an old genre, the laterally scrolling platformer. It also adds both a social and a creative element to the console world: the gamer community becomes the developer community. %26ldquo;Little Big Planet%26rdquo; comes with a convincingly vivid backdrop and almost unlimited possibilities with entertaining level structure.





In the category Best Wii Game:





SKATE IT %26ndash; Electronic Arts





The Wii Fit Balance Board can do much more than just aerobics and yoga: by shifting weight and skilful use of the Nunchuk, the player carries out the most amazing tricks in (four) virtual roles. A genuine skater feel is created on the run through half-pipes and over ramps. %26ldquo;Skate it%26rdquo; gives an authentic and original recreation of the trend sport and benefits from the special features of the Nintendo console.





In the category Best NDS Game:





SONIC CHRONICLES: Die Dunkle Bruderschaft %26ndash; SEGA





What looks at first like a colourful jump'n'run, turns out after only a few minutes to be an atmospheric RPG. Thanks to the exciting story, the amusing dialogue and the tactical fight system, older Sonic fans will also find this very entertaining. BioWare has given the DS an epic adventure all about the blue hedgehog.





In the category BEST MOBILE Game:





PES 2009 %26ndash; Konami





Smoothly animated mini-players, a passing game and runs into the centre %26ndash; it's all possible, even on a small mobile phone screen. Depending on the type of phone and with a certain amount of practice, the one-button control makes even complex game moves possible. %26ldquo;PES 2009%26rdquo; for mobile phones even allows for multiplayer games by Bluetooth and is much more than just a stopgap to pass the time.





In the category Best Online Game:





Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning %26ndash; GOA GOA (developed by Mythic Entertainment)





The creators of the online RPG legend %26ldquo;Dark Age of Camelot%26rdquo;, still so successful today, are back with %26ldquo;Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning%26rdquo;. GOA squares up to the alpha male %26ldquo;World of Warcraft%26rdquo; with spectacular visuals, innovative play modi, neat control and an enormous, appealing fantasy world.





In the category Best Hardware:





PlayTV %26ndash; Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland





The PlayTV enables users to record, play back and pause for playback of TV programmes received in DVB-T format. This is the first time that a game console serves as a hard drive recorder. The remote function is particularly impressive, making it possible to watch recorded TV shows or live TV programmes on the Playstation Portable (PSP).





In the category Best PS2 Game:





As there were too few entrants, no award was made in this category.





With the %26ldquo;Best of GC%26rdquo; title, the GC %26ndash; Games Convention awards the computer and video game industry's most outstanding product achievements every year. Exhibitors at the GC %26ndash; Games Convention had until 1 August 2008 to make submissions in the category hardware accessories as well as in the categories Best Game PC, Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, NDS, mobile and online. All companies exhibiting at the GC were eligible, if their products could be played in the public area and had not been published before the fair.












Contact for the press:


Torsten Anke


Phone: +49 (0) 341 / 6 78 - 81 98


Fax: +49 (0) 341 / 6 78 - 81 82


e-mail: t.anke@leipziger-messe.de





Contact for Exhibitors:


Peggy Sch%26ouml;nbeck, Project Director


Phone: +49 (0) 341 / 678 - 82 81


Fax: +49 (0) 341 / 678 - 82 82


e-mail: p.schoenbeck@leipziger-messe.de





Internet: http://www.gc-germany.com

Kotaku's Hands-On Preview of Aion

Kotaku was one of the first members of the press to get a hands-on look at Aion today and they were left extremely impressed. Here's what they had to say in the preview: %26quot;But when I sat my skeptical self down for some hands-on time with NCsoft's Aion: Tower of Eternity, I was surprised to find that I actually wanted to keep playing when it was time to pack up and go.%26quot; Kotaku also published a bunch of new screenshots to back up their praise.

By Cody “Micajah” Bye, Managing Editor

WAR is upon us. Hundreds of thousands of players wait at the gates of Mythic Entertainment's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, eager to jump into the fray, cut down their enemies, and build a pile of bodies larger than that of their opponents. Blood will fly as gamers scramble to snatch up their weapons and leap at each others throats. Long lines will form outside of local computer stores as gamers vie to be the first to take a copy of the celebrated game home to their computers and binge for a few hours before passing out in a sugar and caffeine induced coma.





That moment won't be occurring until September 18th, 2008, and gamers still have a little while to wait before they officially wage war upon their friends and neighbors. But what about those players that are still hanging on the fence? While around 800,000 individuals signed up to be a part of the Warhammer Online, there are certainly thousands more players that are interested in the game yet don't know exactly what WAR is about nor whether or not they should be excited about this upcoming game.

Over 800,000 people have signed up for the WAR closed beta test.

That's where the Ten Ton Hammer staffers step in. Throughout the rest of this article, I will try to paint you a solid picture of what to expect in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Don't expect me to be overly critical of any aspect of the game; the game is still in the beta phase after all. However, I will try to be realistic with my views on the gameplay and hope to answer any questions that %26ldquo;undecided%26rdquo; folks may have. These are pure observations generated from time spent in the Warhammer Online beta test. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to talk about them on the forums.





Sticking to the Formula





Unlike the developers at Funcom and their recently released MMOG Age of Conan, the crew at Mythic Entertainment seemed to hold to a very simply strategy throughout their development of Warhammer Online: Evolution rather than revolution. Although many of the %26ldquo;veteran%26rdquo; MMOG players complain about the lack of creativity when it comes to the combat mechanics and character advancement within MMOGs, the formula that was originally constructed by MUDs (and later adopted by EverQuest and World of Warcraft) really works for online gamers. Most gamers that have had any sort of experience playing a previous MMOG will feel totally at home in Warhammer Online.





However, there are a few differences in the way Warhammer Online operates. First, Mythic has really focused on making sure the combat in WAR feels like it's actually happening underneath your fingers, even while the game still uses the auto-attack / hot key methodology. As I took my High Elven Swordmaster into my first RvR battleground, I couldn't help but feel a little tingle at the way my sword sliced through my opponents. With cooldown times that are in the single digits for many of the abilities, most gamers will be actively using their hotkeys to try to carve up their enemies; this isn't a click and wait sort of game.





That said, a number of the classes have actually adopted some mechanics from earlier games and actively evolved them to work with WAR. One of the most profound moments I had in the beta was when I discovered that the Chaos Chosen could %26ldquo;twist%26rdquo; their Aura abilities, much like what the Bards in EverQuest can do. While the Chosen is definitely more bad-ass than any Bard, it's still a cool mechanic for those of us who used to specialize in twisting Bard songs during combat.





The starting experience for Warhammer Online %26ndash; and the general PvE combat that I've engaged in thus far %26ndash; has been highly enjoyable, to say the least. Most of the quests seem finished and complete, and I've yet to see any truly immersion-breaking bugs or discrepancies in any of the environments. While some of the abilities still need some fine-tunings (and I imagine Mythic will continue to tweak well into post-release), each of my solo characters was more than capable of taking out low level monsters and completing the introductory quests.





However, the whole introductory experience is a bit more... hostile in Warhammer Online. Although the tongue-in-cheek humor is still all around the players as they march through the landscape, the sheer anger that many of the NPCs hold for their opposing race / faction is almost visceral. It's certainly a different dialogue style, and one that I did enjoy, even without the fancy voice overs that are seen in EQ2 and AoC.





Nothing Like a Good Punch in the Mouth





As Paul Barnett and Jeff Hickman have stated over and over again, WAR is everywhere. While that may be uncomfortably true in our real world, it's also true in the world of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. From the very moment you touch down among your chosen race, you'll be pushed towards passionately believing in the enmity between the races of Order and Desrtruction. Although there was a definite hostility between the Horde and the Alliance in World of Warcraft, it pales in comparison to what you see in the battle between Order and Destruction in WAR.

RvR is definitely a high point for Warhammer Online.

For example, the very first quest I received from an NPC in Warhammer Online was to help gather bones in order to fire a Hellcannon %26ndash; a dreadful weapon of mass destruction that was to be turned against the races of order, specifically the humans in the Empire. You see, I was one of the Chosen, a class that specifically comes from the Chaos race whose hatred for the Empire has seeped into their very core. From there on out, almost every quest I received was written in that particular style: %26ldquo;Do this to help kill our enemies in the Empire.%26rdquo;





Now I know many of you are asking: %26ldquo;But why is Warhammer Online so focused on the conflict between these two factions (Order and Destruction) and why should I care?%26rdquo; By engendering this sort of hostility towards the various other races in Warhammer Online, the developers are hoping to really inflame the passion of gamers worldwide. They want them to have a favorite faction. Even in their online advertisements, EA asks players to %26ldquo;Declare Your Allegiance%26rdquo; and then points them towards one of the two factions. Just like sports fans with their favorite teams, players with their favored faction will be more than willing to stand up for that %26ldquo;team%26rdquo; and defend them in any way necessary. And that is exactly what the developers at Mythic are hoping to achieve. This hostility strikes at the very core of what Warhammer Online is all about, and that is Realm versus Realm combat and competition.





Realm versus realm combat %26ndash; or RvR as it is typically called - isn't your standard take on player versus player combat. It's all out war. Rather than simply jumping into a scenario to try to take out opposing players or randomly ganking a newbie from some hidden vantage point near a new player city, gamers in Warhammer Online are encouraged %26ndash; from the very beginning %26ndash; to enter into contested areas of a map and fight to the death with players from the opposing faction.

Maintenance August 26, 2008

A regular maintenance is scheduled from 10am-1pm PST on all Ragnarok servers. During this time access to the game servers will be unavailable.





For details on what is being updated during this maintenance please visit the Forums.





Thank you


Gravity Interactive, Inc.

Guk 鈥?A Great Place to Die!

%26quot;The thing I'm most excited about is how much of the atmosphere of the original Guk is captured in the new zones. From the zone art, to the effects, to the population and quests, Guk offers both a sense of nostalgia for longtime EQ players, and a new, haunting experience for those who have yet to enter its cursed halls.%26quot;


Paul %26quot;Cronyn%26quot; Molina, EQII Game Designer

Guk Concept art desktops:

Warhammer Vault: Disciple of Khaine Guide

Awesome guide if you are thinking about rolling up a DoK. I love the look of this class!

Introduction





%26ldquo;Few are the select chosen that survive the reveries of the Death Night. Fewer still are those who leave the Cauldron with eyes of molten brass, burning with the hatred of our Dark god. These true chosen are taken into the cult and trained in the most secret of rites, emerging as masters of death second only to Khaine himself.%26rdquo;








The Disciples of Khaine are the chosen dark priests of the bloody handed god and can be found on the frontline of any Druchii assault. Using wicked ritual blades, a Disciple harvests the essence of their enemy and offers it to Khaine in exchange for fell blessings and dark powers. These dark gifts allow the Disciple to tend to the needs of the Dark Elf host, mending bones, suppressing pain, and even raising critically injured warriors to fight again. The Disciple of Khaine is the shepherd of war, ensuring the bloody slaughter can continue in the name of their dark god.

Click here to check out the entire Disciple of Khaine Guide....





Massive thank you to Iarwin for sharing this guide with us! Have a Warhammer Guide you would like to share with the community? Send Swanny a PM!

Town Crier 8.26.08

A well worn traveler of the lands known as the Town Crier journeys lands near and far seeking out the latest in EverQuest II news and information. Join us once again as the Crier returns from his latest journeys, filled with news and information from all around those strange lands. One never knows what new secrets his stories will hold!

Fan Site Goodies!

Zam has some more Fan Faire coverage for everyone! Have a look at their Fan Faire: EverQuest II Guild Hall Preview, Love for Gamers, and the Three Questions With... series featuring: Tiffany %26quot;Amnerys%26quot; Spence; Emily %26quot;Domino%26quot; Taylor; Christie %26quot;Kiara%26quot; Renzetti; Jason %26quot;Pex%26quot; Ryan (FreeRealms); Linda %26quot;Brasse%26quot; Carlson (Dwarf At Large); Matt Wilson (The Agency).

Denmum has been working her little halfling fingers to the bone and brings us her GU48 Crafting Preview!

EQ2 Markets has over one million items and prices! Swing by their upload page to lend a hand with your game logs!

Bloggers Anon!

Hurikhan brings us the next installment of A Shadow Knight's Tale, where Hurk continues his mystical adventures!

Everyone is excited about the upcoming Guild Halls. Clockwork Gamer is no exception. As a matter of fact they've even cooked up a handy dandy cost calculator to help every plan out their purchases! They've also managed to compile a list of the possible amenities (not yet finalized) shown at Fan Faire so that folks can get an idea of some things that may be offered.

Stargrace tells us why Gaming in EQII has Never Been Better!

Who is Anashti Sul? Ogrebear does a little digging for us and finds some answers!

What would you do for pie? Find out what Tipa will do!

Food for Your... Errr... Ears?

That's right! It's Tuesday again! That means that EQ2'sday and Jethal are both broadcasting some yummy Onling Gaming Radio goodness for one and all.

And that brings us to the end of another riveting Town Crier! If there's anything of entertaining or informational note that our intrepid traveler may have missed, or if you simply want to chime in with your two coppers, please drop in and share on the EQII Official Forums! Dwarves are good for tossing and drinking game buddies... Oh and killing spiders.

Warhammer Videos: Rank 8 Zealot Nordenwatch

Adaar dropped off this awesome video of his Rank 8 Zealot rocking some RVR at Nordenwatch. Excellent Video Adaar! Thanks for sharing!

Got a video you want to share with the Warhammer Vault Community??? Drop Swanny a PM and share your work with the community!!

Warhammer Guild Database Updates!!

Long day at work for me, sorry for the lack of updates. I just went through our new Guild Database Updates. Our collection is getting HUGE!!!! If you are still looking for a guild you have time!





Stop by the Warhammer Vault Guild Database and check out all the amazing guilds!!

Have a guild thats not listed in our database?? WTF is all I can say to that!





Click this link to submit your guild!! DOOOOO IT!!!!!

Warhammer Vault Beta Movies!!

If you find yourself staring at your computer wishing you were still playing on the preview weekend I have just what the doctor ordered!! Warhammer Beta Videos!! Some of these are pretty massive in size, best bet would be to download vs trying to stream them. Some pretty awesome videos, please please have another preview over the holiday weekend!!!








Mordred Exiles -Preview Weekend








Disciple -Nordenwatch








Disciple in Praag





Big thanks to our Warhammer Vault Staffers who made these videos! Make sure you stop by our growing collection of Warhammer Vault Beta Videos!! we have a broad range of videos, something for everyone!

Summer Celebration!

For many the summer time is almost over and School and work call many back from their party moods of the past couple of months. But in Rune-Midgard the party never has to end!





For a full week starting on August 26, and ending September 2, we will be having a


200% experience and 150% drop event.





We will also be implementing some new fun items for the Kafra Shop, such as the first batch of Clothing dye.





And Sago Lauds is back, in Prontera, and checking to be sure that all world travelers are still prepared, for life`s challenges, with their towels. He will be staying from August 26 through September 9, 2008.





Remember no matter what life`s challenges bring, a good towel at your side helps in the cleanup.

Greenskins and Chaos and Dark Elves, oh my

%26quot;The road to Wahammer Online's release has been a lengthy walk for everyone. We've all been through ups and downs, but now that it's almost here we're more than happy to answer whatever questions are floating about your minds. So, in our second installment of Ask a WAR Beta Tester, we offer up some insight into the cut careers, leveling time and other questions of intrigue. All for the sake of satiating your burning desire to know more. Of course, we know that no matter how many answers are given there will be more questions asked. So if you've got something banging around in your brain that we haven't addressed, feel free to post a comment containing your question.%26quot;

Massively answers a few questions that might be lingering in the back of your head. Questions on the %26quot;cut-classes%26quot;, leveling times, and how long till I can play with my friends in a different zone.





Click here to read more.





-- sneaksz @ 8:54 PST








New Wallpaper from the VN Art Team! [ 17 Comments ]


Print News | Category: Wallpapers

Better late than never, right?!





Check out our newest wallpaper featuring the characters from that wicked Warhammer Trailer!

Late August Legends of Norrath Promo Weekend - 8/28 鈥?9/1

Look for two new Legends of Norrath promo cards in EverQuest%26reg; and EverQuest%26reg; II along with more booster packs, starter decks and combo packs all weekend long!

Galeth Veredeth (4P11) and Signus Boran (4P12) are the two promo cards for this event!

The Late August Legends of Norrath Promo Weekend is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. (PDT) Friday, August 29, 2008, and conclude at 6 p.m. (PDT) on Monday, September 1, 2008. Don't miss out!

BlizzCon Ticket Drawing Winners Selected

The winners of the BlizzCon 2008 Ticket Drawing have been chosen. We've sent emails to 1,500 randomly selected eligible Blizzard Account holders containing instructions for purchasing up to two tickets to the show. For your security, please note that in this email we are not asking winners to email us credit card information directly, nor are we asking winners to call Blizzard for any reason.

If we still have tickets remaining after this initial round, we will select more winners from the original opt-in pool. We will make an announcement on our websites once all tickets available have been sold. For more information, refer to the BlizzCon Ticket Drawing FAQ.

Labor Day Weekend Support Hours

Labor Day!

Labor Day marks the end of summer for those of us the in United States. SOE would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

Phone Technical Support will be closed on Monday, September 1st and will resume normal hours on Tuesday September 2nd. Email and Chat Support will be available on Monday September 1st from 10 AM PST until 7 PM PST. We will be offering limited in-game support during normal business hours.

Russian Migration Update and Realm Closures

Following the very successful launch of the Russian localization, the vast majority of Russian-speaking players have migrated over to the new Russian-language realms. Four English-language PvP realms in particular were largely populated by Russian-speaking players, so these realms now have low remaining populations. As such, we've decided to offer free character migration off these realms to join larger English-language communities. Once the migrations are complete, these realms will be brought down and prepped for the Wrath of the Lich King launch.

More information can be found on the forums.

portions of the PlayNC website

On Thursday, August 28 at 9:30AM Central Time (2:30PM GMT), we will be conducting database maintenance on portions of the PlayNC website.

Codemasters at GenCon UK!

Starting Thursday 28th August, Codemasters will be in attendance at GenConUK. With a host of machines showing LOTRO, DDO and ArchLord the community team will be there running a slew of fun and involving events. Join them for raid runs, spot contests, giveaways and even table-top games with a GM from Wizards of the Coast!





GenCon runs from 28th - 31st August at the University of Reading. For further details, please visit the official GenCon website. Deum, Liquilla and Dnote hope to see you there!

A Letter to Shadow of Legend Players

Thank you all for your continued support to Shadow of Legend (SOL), our 2D cross-platform MMORPG that proved the concept that smartphones can coexist with PCs as a serious online gaming platform. Since starting SOL beta test in April 2007, we have seen tremendous response from both the MMOPRG community and the mobile gaming community. Players from all around the world joined our beta test and provided a huge amount of valuable inputs that helped us make SOL a much better game than it was first released to public. We value everyone's input very much and we will continue to do our best to improve SOL.

As we added more content to make SOL a better game, we had realized that in order to make it competitive on PC, we would have to migrate to a 3D graphics engine, instead of the existing 2D one. Therefore, we had decided to develop a 2.5D version of SOL that is based on 3D graphics technology. The 2.5D version will have much better character customization features, better animations, the capability to zoom in/out, a reduced client size, as well as many other important improvements. Overall, it will provide SOL players a much more enjoyable gaming experience.

However, as we started porting this version to the mobile platform, we found out that the number of mobile devices that could provide the kind of 3D graphics capabilities we need is quite limited. As the result, at this time it is unlikely we can have a 2.5D cross-platform version that is capable of supporting a significant number of mobile devices. Based on this observation, we decided to temporarily suspend the development of the mobile version till we see better 3D graphics support on popular mobile devices.

With the fast technological improvement in the mobile industry and the advent of truly innovative devices like the 3G iPhone, we remain very confident in the future of mobile online gaming. We believe we will be able to resume the development of the mobile version of our games soon and we will let you know first hand when that happens.

Thank you again for your support. We hope you enjoy our upcoming 2.5D version of SOL.

Launch of a New Department

s you can read in the latest featured article, a community management department has been established inside CipSoft. In the community boards section you can now find two new boards, which are called Discussions and Events. The first discussions have been started and there is already an event waiting for you. Before you start posting on these boards, please have a look at the announcements there.





Please note that we had to make some adjustments concerning gamemasters and community managers. The changes are illustrated in the following picture:

Names of CipSoft employees you might come across can now be found on the About CipSoft site.


For further details, please have a look at the featured article.





See you on the boards!


Your Community Managers

What is Second Life?

Second Life^%26reg; is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe.

From the moment you enter the World you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.




You'll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow Residents. Because Residents retain intellectual property rights in their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other Residents.




The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the inworld unit of trade, the Linden%26trade; dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online Linden dollar exchanges.

Welcome to the Second Life world. We look forward to seeing you inworld.

usage of third-party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities.

We would like to report the termination today of multiple accounts held by players involved in the usage of third-party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities.





Based on the results of our investigation, around 5760 PlayOnline accounts were terminated while around 420 accounts were temporarily suspended.


Additionally, we have increased the number of mass bannings against certain PlayOnline violations in order to prevent illegal acts.





Details of the violations are as follows:





- Usage of tools that allow enhanced character movement.


Week of July 20, Approx. 240 cases


Week of July 27, Approx. 330 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 210 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 340 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 150 cases





- Usage of tools that circumvent game mechanics with respect to the timing of ability use, etc. in certain areas or at points where Notorious Monsters appear.


August 26, Approx. 20 cases





- Using cheats to automatically repeat a particular action.


Week of July 20, Approx. 160 cases


Week of July 27, Approx. 60 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 140 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 240 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 30 cases





- Gil and item exchange for real world money.


Week of July 27, Approx. 20 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 20 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 200 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 150 cases





- Instances of areas or monster monopolization.


July 24, Approx. 190 cases


August 7, Approx. 200 cases


August 25, Approx. 160 cases





- Usage of synthesis and auction houses for RMT activities.


July 22, Approx. 650 cases





- Involved in compromised accounts


Week of July 20, Approx. 420 cases


Week of July 27, Approx. 810 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 700 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 680 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 60 cases





The termination of these accounts has led to the removal of approximately 2.5 billion gil from circulation.





We would like to remind players that as well as adversely affecting game balance, the use of third-party tools or cheats can also have consequences that are not immediately obvious, such as introducing damaging viruses, and comprising the security of private account details. Usage of third-party tools will not be tolerated within FINAL FANTASY XI, and we will continue to severely penalize any players found to be in violation of the PlayOnline Member Agreement.





As we continue to ensure a fun and balanced environment for FINAL FANTASY XI, we hope that our players enjoy the game as it was intended and take care to avoid involvement in activities that violate the PlayOnline Member Agreement.





Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding.

Write a Wrath of the Lich King story, win BlizzCon tickets

And here's another BlizzCon ticket contest (see, we told you there'd be more). Pixelated Executioner got his hands on an extra ticket (though he's taking the goodie bag, but beggars can't be choosers, we suppose), and he's offering it up in a story contest -- to enter, you've just got to punch out an original Wrath of the Lich King-related story, at least 700 words, and send it over to him on his blog.





It's only for US residents, and you've got to find your own ride and hotel at BlizzCon -- you'll have to meet him at the gate to get in, and he apparently wants a picture (and to supposedly publish the story, so anyone who doesn't want to be in the spotlight can probably pass now). But after you say hi to him, the rest of the conference is yours -- if you're interested in hitting every chance to grab a BlizzCon ticket you get, better start writing.





The entry is due by September 14th, and PE's email is on his blog. Good luck to everyone who enters, we can't wait to read the winning story.

Chilton: We want "to outdo ourselves in every respect"

Gametrailers hit up Tom Chilton for an interview at Leipzig and here's the video. His main point is that Wrath is bigger and better than before -- more, better, cooler content. Intercut with lots of cool video from the beta (though some of it was seen as far back as BlizzCon last year), he lays down what's up with the next expansion.





He says that Wrath is meant for high-end players, but that there's lots for lowbies as well: recruit-a-friend was actually designed as part of the Wrath feature set, and Blizzard thought it was better to release it earlier. Inscription is also seen as a %26quot;whole-game%26quot; feature, since you can pick it up right at level one, and Achievements will work for everyone as well.





He also talks about how the new gameplay features Blizzard is building in let them do all kinds of things with quests and instances -- he specifically mentions one encounter in the Oculus where you'll get to choose a ride with different abilities, so it'll be a different experience than your normal class play. There's some great footage of air combat in there as well, and even a little tidbit about the official threatmeter. Nice interview, and it sounds like Blizzard is rolling right along with their progress in the beta.

EVE Fanfest 2008 - PVP Tournament and Jita

Yet again you will have the opportunity to blow stuff up in front of a big crowd at the Fanfest, as you read in a dev blog earlier, there is a new element to the tournament - mining! We have now put up the full set of rules for this year's tournament which you can see here.

usage of third-party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities.

We would like to report the termination today of multiple accounts held by players involved in the usage of third-party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities.





Based on the results of our investigation, around 5760 PlayOnline accounts were terminated while around 420 accounts were temporarily suspended.


Additionally, we have increased the number of mass bannings against certain PlayOnline violations in order to prevent illegal acts.





Details of the violations are as follows:





- Usage of tools that allow enhanced character movement.


Week of July 20, Approx. 240 cases


Week of July 27, Approx. 330 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 210 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 340 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 150 cases





- Usage of tools that circumvent game mechanics with respect to the timing of ability use, etc. in certain areas or at points where Notorious Monsters appear.


August 26, Approx. 20 cases





- Using cheats to automatically repeat a particular action.


Week of July 20, Approx. 160 cases


Week of July 27, Approx. 60 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 140 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 240 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 30 cases





- Gil and item exchange for real world money.


Week of July 27, Approx. 20 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 20 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 200 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 150 cases





- Instances of areas or monster monopolization.


July 24, Approx. 190 cases


August 7, Approx. 200 cases


August 25, Approx. 160 cases





- Usage of synthesis and auction houses for RMT activities.


July 22, Approx. 650 cases





- Involved in compromised accounts


Week of July 20, Approx. 420 cases


Week of July 27, Approx. 810 cases


Week of August 3, Approx. 700 cases


Week of August 17, Approx. 680 cases


Week of August 24, Approx. 60 cases





The termination of these accounts has led to the removal of approximately 2.5 billion gil from circulation.





We would like to remind players that as well as adversely affecting game balance, the use of third-party tools or cheats can also have consequences that are not immediately obvious, such as introducing damaging viruses, and comprising the security of private account details. Usage of third-party tools will not be tolerated within FINAL FANTASY XI, and we will continue to severely penalize any players found to be in violation of the PlayOnline Member Agreement.





As we continue to ensure a fun and balanced environment for FINAL FANTASY XI, we hope that our players enjoy the game as it was intended and take care to avoid involvement in activities that violate the PlayOnline Member Agreement.





Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding.

Chronicle: And To Live In Peace

Our new story is about murder, abduction and hard ethical choices. Which is why it's a farce.

This is a new EVE Chronicle. They are short-stories written by CCP Abraxas, published every other Monday, and intended to examine the various aspects of life in New Eden.

[Notice] Patch Notice v.177

The following changes will be included to the v.177 patch for August 26, 2008 maintenance period.





Monster Balances


- Xita Refuge


Adjusted Sikuku Elite Fighter spawn.





- Sikuku Underground Prison


Adjusted Executioner Kera spawn.


Executor Kera has also been added to the small middle room of the Sikuku Underground Prison.





- Some issues with monsters spawning inside of walls or objects has been corrected on the following maps:


Sikuku Underground Prison


Marsh of Ghosts


Mana Snowfields


Crystal Snowfields





- Junon Clan Field


Doonga Type Monsters have been removed from the 70-89 Clan Field and replaced with Krawfy Type Monsters.


Kaiman Type Monsters have been added to the 'Normal' Section of the 70-89 Clan Field.


Golem Type Monsters have had their spawn behaviors adjusted to provide an increased challenge.





- Reduced the attack power for all non-King/Boss Monsters under level 75 by 7~15%.





- Reduced the attack power for all Candle/Electric Ghosts by 20%





- Lowered the skill power and frequency of the skill for the Crack Fighter.





- Experience for monsters adjusted in Attack Power has been affected based on the changes above.





Quest


- Adjusted Stockpiling Quest so that it is now a set hunting amount and reward.





Skill Balance


Double Scratch


MP cost increased from 2 to 12.





Item Mall


Item Mall Berries are no longer able to be vended in a personal shop. Additionally, to prevent accidental loss they are also unable to be sold to the NPC.





Bugs


- various NPC, Item and Dialog updates and corrections have been made.





- Terrain and object adjustments made to the following maps for better mobility in certain areas.


El Verloon Desert


Kenji Beach


Canyon City of Zant


Magic City of Eucar


(Terrain discoloration will be corrected in a future update)

Last Hero Standing War Canceled

Hello Hero Online Players,


The Last Hero Wars will not count for this weekend due to an issue that we have recently discovered. We will be fixing the problem in a future maitenance. Thank you for your support.

SOL Tips: Five Interesting Jobs in SOL

SOL has sixteen classes branched off four archetypes - combatant, mage, monk, archer. So often we hear people asking: which class should I play锛焀ell, We can not tell you that because each class is unique on its own way, and each has its own weakness and strength, just like all of us:). However, we can share with you about five interesting classes in SOL.





Die unaware: Shadowy Errantry

They are Archers, except that they have extremely good speed, critical strike rate and excel at camouflage and blitz raid. For these reasons, they can easily snatch lives in shadow. So never try to fool around in front of them.

Die Stunned: Flaffer


They are combatants who are known for stunning. Even their normal attack could have stunning effect. One can't move or counter attack when stunned. Flaffers with high agility can even stun others until death. Therefore, it's wise to turn around whenever you bump into a Flaffer, as quickly as possible.

Die Depressed: Demon Hunter


They are archers, but unlike the Shadowy Errantry, demon hunters are more of defensive type, for they have the ability of increasing their stats and reducing damages, and their Bimanual Bladeedge skill can reflect damages to attacking opponents. For these reasons, it would be very difficult to kill demon hunters with high hp, and often time, you are the one who drop dead at the end.

Die Impossible: Telekineticist


The Telekineticist, being well-versed in transformation, can often crack people up in a moment of heat. A war is turned into a farce when Telekineticist changes an opponent into turtle and rabbit.

Die Framed: Shadow Hunter


They're experts in setting up traps, able to produce more than nine-fold damage with a fortified trap. The Devil Incendiary is even rumored to crush any magic and shut up the opponent, as well as enforcing massive damages. Don't mess up with them as long as you can.

One more tips: in SOL, you can change class with talent reset stone and super talent reset stone. Sweet, hah?!

The Tuesday Morning Post: Treadmills, Bambi, and keyloggers in space

Good Tuesday morning, everyone! Most of us will be getting away just a quick set of rolling restarts at 5AM PDT today, but there is a handful of servers that will be going down for extended maintenance from 3AM PDT to 11AM PDT. Those servers include Azjol-Nerub, Bloodscalp, Bonechewer, Boulderfist, Bronzebeard, Crushridge, Daggerspine, Darkspear, Draenor, Dragonblight, Dragonmaw, Dunemaul, Eldre'Thalas, Feathermoon, Firetree, Frostmane, Gurubashi, Nathrezim, Perenolde, Scarlet Crusade, Shadow Council, Shadowsong, Silvermoon, Skywall, Smolderthorn, Spirestone, Stonemaul, Stormscale, Suramar, Terenas, Uldum, Windrunner.

As always, for those who play on the affected servers, or those who are unable to play WoW at the moment, let me suggest some articles from the past week. There was certainly a lot of news to discuss, with build 8885 going up on the Wrath Beta servers and a good smattering of con news as well. Let's check it out:

Hot News and Features

If you haven't done your WoW Crossword for the week yet, it's a perfect way to waste time while waiting for your server to restart.





1-60 in 20 minutes? It's no joke. Welcome to the brave new world of WoW leveling, courtesy of Refer-A-Friend!





It seem like most retailers are expecting Wrath to come out on November 4th. Still, it's best to take any release date not officially announced by Blizzard with a huge grain of salt.





Ever wondered how much work it is for our characters to run everywhere in Azeroth? These folks hooked up a treadmill to find out for themselves.





Raid stacking will be getting a huge overhaul come patch 3.0.2. We're talking massive, game-changing stuff here. If you raid or plan to raid at the 10 or 25-man level in the future, you should check it out.





Breaking News: Bambi invades Wrath of the Lich King! We're serious.





Tons of new character titles are coming with Wrath of the Lich King.





Comcast has announced a bandwidth cap, it's true, but don't worry. It probably won't affect your WoW playing.

Maintenance Extension

Maitenance wIll be extened for one hour. Thank you for your patience.

Play Age of Conan with your XBox 360 controller

Blue Orb, creators of the intuitive SwitchBlade%26trade; application that allows gamers to play PC games with an Xbox 360 controller, demonstrated their latest Blade for Age of Conan at the Funcom booth during this year's Games Convention.

SwitchBlade is an easy to use application that brings a fully configured game controller interface and experience to any PC game. Once SwitchBlade is installed, it provides a console gaming experience for the gamer looking for a new way to play popular PC games. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is the latest PC game supported by SwitchBlade, and the application's preconfigured key bindings map the Xbox 360 controller buttons to the most commonly used Conan controls.





Key Features of SwitchBlade are:

Provides all the gaming functions of a mouse and keyboard

Brings Xbox 360%26reg; controller support to Age of Conan

Use one of the many richly pre-configured controller layouts, or...

Create your own customized layout

You find more information about SwitchBlade at http://www.switchbladegaming.com/aoc/where you can also download the application for free.

LoA Server Maintenance - 8/12 2pm CDT

The LoA server will be down for server maintenance on Tuesday, August 12th beginning at 2pm CDT / 3pm EDT / 7pm GMT. During this time, we will be working to improve server stability on this server. The estimated downtime for this maintenance is 3 hours.

Thank you!

Maintenance and Ataraxia

Hello Hero Online Players, Tomorrow (9-3-08) we will be having server maintenance from 5pm to 9pm pst.

We would also like to announce that the Ataraxia Quest and areas will be available after the maintenance.



Starting this Friday (9-5-08) players will also be able to gain Coupons from Event Manager Mae (Stackable with all exp items). These Coupons will last 3 hours and will give players another bonus of 10% Exp and Drop rate. The Coupons can only be gained once a day and can not be moved. (Ex. If a player already has a coupon they can not gain another until the following day.) If previous day's Coupon is still in the inventory then another Coupon will not be gained from Mae but you should finish it off before you get another one at that day, This event will last for 1 month as well as an additional Exp event that will be added soon.



If a player gains Coupons for 30 consecutive days Mae will grant them with a Sculpture of Sacred Tiger (Small)

** Level 100 players will be able to start the Ataraxia Quest at 50% Exp. Once the quest is complete the remaining 50% will be awarded to the player and they will become level 101 and transform into their Divine Status.

360 degree Screenshots on PanoGames

PanoGames offers 12 amazing screenshots taken in Age of Conan. What makes these pictures truly special is the fact that they show a 360 degree view of the scenery!





You find these 12 screenshots at PanoGames right here.

A Sneek Preview to Equip. Upgrade in 2.5D SOL

You're caught in the whirl of turmoil of Agnes, what to do? Try to be smart, rely on your virtue, or call for sworn brothers? Yes and no. These approaches can help, but will not work if you don't have a set of empowering weapons and armors.

On the Agnes land, you get equipments through purchasing, looting and crafting. No surprise, those sold at NPC are really banal and the looted ones are better only if you have the luck. Therefore, people rely on their hands to build dream weapons. SOL has an extensive crafting system for this purpose: players can craft five grades of armors and weapons distinguished by colors: green, blue, purple, orange, and still counting. Randomization is used for bonus attributes, which makes the process very interesting.

To make the crafting more interesting, 2.5D SOL is introducing a new equipment upgrade system, with which crafting ultimate equipments is made possible at all levels. This system upgrades equipments of all levels with increased defense and damage, up to 100%. The defense increase is applied to equipments of defense type, including hats, chests, pants, and shoes. The damage increase is applied to equipments of offensive type, including weapons, waistbands, and gloves. Upgraded equipments are ranked from 1 to 10 stars, with 10 stars being the maximum. That is, one can continuously upgrade an item until it is 10 stared. However, each upgrade may have a small chance of failure, in which case the equipment is 0-stared. No additional materials are needed but an Enhancing Stone for each upgrade.

Set-based bonus rewards are available for those who have done well. The rewards include increased hit rate and dodge, along with colored glowing on equipped characters.

2.5D SOL is coming at the end of September, with many new features and enhancement. Stay tuned:).

Lineage II Lookalike Contest

Do you think you bear a striking resemblance to your Lineage%26reg; II character? We want to hear from you! Grab a camera because now's your time to shine in the Lineage%26reg; II Lookalike Contest! Send us a screenshot of a Lineage%26reg; II monster, NPC, or your character alongside a photo of you for a chance to win some fabulous Lineage%26reg; II prizes!

Silicon Valley Icons to send DNA into space

NCsoft's%26reg; Operation Immortality%26trade; has added three of Silicon Valley's most celebrated minds to the growing list of notable names who are sending their digitized DNA into space. Kevin Rose, creator of the social-bookmarking website Digg, Robert Scoble, one of the world's most popular tech bloggers and Tim Draper, founder of the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, have agreed to send their DNA to orbit along with celebrated game designer Richard Garriott, who is traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) on Oct. 12.

Operation Immortality Extended!

Operation Immortality has really taken off, with some of today's top athletes, artists, and musicians signing on to have their digitized DNA preserved on the Immortality Drive. And now, there is even more time to join them!

Creative Ferment in Worlds That Never Were

THERE was a time not too long ago when creative ambition and commercial success seemed mutually exclusive in the video-game industry. Every year the same doleful procession of seen-that-before sports games and churn-'em-out Pokemon sequels dominated sales charts. And every year scattered motes of inspiration languished without sufficient support from publishers too myopic to see that games can appeal to everyone, not just some mythological slacker.

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Multimedia

Video

Trailer: Gears of War 2









Related

Video Game Review: Playing God, the Home Game (September 5, 2008)

Not now, though. Propelled by growing mainstream acceptance and by the maturing of both the audience (the average age of today's gamer is in the early 30s) and that audience's tastes, games are enjoying a moment of creative possibility not seen since the early 1980s.

It will all be on display this fall. Even though some of 2008's top games, like Grand Theft Auto 4 and Super Smash Brothers Brawl, have already been on shelves for months, the fall lineup appears both deep and broad. Here are some products to watch.

FALLOUT 3 It may not be everyone's cup of radioactive pekoe, but old-school gamers may savor Fallout 3 more than any other game this fall. The Fallout franchise, set in the wasteland of an America ruined by nuclear war, is one of the most illustrious, beloved role-playing series still in production. Bethesda Softworks, the series's new owner, is one of the few American developers still making single-player role-playing games. Put together, Bethesda and Fallout should be a fine combination. If they fall short, there will be howls of disappointment. To be released in October for PC, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

GEARS OF WAR 2 AND RESISTANCE 2 The first Gears of War was the high-octane science-fiction shooter Microsoft needed to provide an early tent pole for the Xbox 360. The first Resistance was the high-octane science-fiction shooter that Sony needed to provide an early tent pole for the PlayStation 3. Both games delivered, and the two games are more similar than either of their developers would care to admit. Much the same can probably be said of their coming sequels. As befit their roles as champions for their respective systems, they fill the same niche in the marketplace. Expect excellence but little risk-taking in their design. Publishers: Microsoft (Gears of War 2), for 360; Sony (Resistance 2), for PS3. Both to be released in November.

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR AND ROCK BAND 2 The battle of the bands continues in the genre perhaps more responsible than any other for enticing baby boomers and young professionals back into gaming: the rock %26lsquo;n' roll simulator. By now the concept is familiar: press buttons on a plastic guitar or tap a plastic drum kit in time with the riffs and snares in famous rock songs. Rock Band's big draw this year is an expansive menu of downloadable tracks, while the new Guitar Hero will include powerful tools to let players record and share their own creations. Most of those creations will be unlistenable. But rest assured that a few genuine YouTube stars will emerge. Publishers: Activision Blizzard (Guitar Hero World Tour), for 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii; MTV Games (Rock Band 2), for PS3, PS2 and Wii. Guitar Hero World Tour to be released in October. Rock Band 2 to be released this month for 360 and later this year for PS and Wii.

LEFT 4 DEAD Zombies are in this year, and it doesn't look as if any game will deliver the satisfyingly putrid stench of the undead better than Left 4 Dead. Valve is best-known for Half-Life, perhaps the premier single-player first-person shooter franchise. With L4D, Valve is trying to meld some Half-Life-style characterization with lessons gleaned from the popular multiplayer Counter-Strike and Team Fortress projects. That means that as you battle the ravenous zombie hordes, the game play will boil down to one concept: teamwork. Publisher: Electronic Arts, Valve Software, for PC and 360. To be released in November.

LITTLEBIGPLANET Thinking broadly, LittleBigPlanet is a bit akin to Spore (below) in that both games focus on allowing players to invent their own virtual creatures and share them with others. Granted, Spore tries to cover eons of evolutionary biology while LittleBigPlanet is about madcap animated beanbags, but you get the idea. As a sheer creativity engine, LBP may in some ways actually prove more robust because it allows users to make and share entire levels with other players. And unlike Spore, LittleBigPlanet includes a real-time multiplayer mode, so you can tackle challenges with friends. Publisher: Sony, for PS3. To be released in October.

SPORE Absent some hysterical sex or violence controversy, never has a game attracted as much prerelease mainstream hype as Spore, the latest creation from Will Wright. In this case it's warranted. Mr. Wright could have retired years ago, and his seminal franchises, SimCity and the Sims, would already have landed his face onto gaming's Mount Rushmore. In carrying out the journey of your own unique species from primordial soup-swimmer to interstellar hegemony, Spore really does have something for just about everyone. Publisher: Electronic Arts, for PC and Mac. Released Sunday.

WARHAMMER ONLINE Give Electronic Arts and Mythic Entertainment, Warhammer's developer, a lot of points for moxie. It takes a fair bit of gumption to go up against World of Warcraft these days in the massively multiplayer segment. But then to do so with a game that at least superficially resembles Warcraft in so many ways (high fantasy setting complete with orcs and dwarves, cartoony art style, similar server size, similar basic game mechanics) must be a supreme act of either lunacy or confidence. I hope the finished product bears out the confidence. To be released this month, for PCs.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT: WRATH OF THE LICH KING All right, so Activision Blizzard has not said that Wrath of the Lich King, the second major expansion pack for World of Warcraft, is definitely being released this year. The last expansion was released in January 2007, and that worked out fine, so it is quite possible that Wrath could slip past New Year's as well. No matter. Closing in on its fourth birthday, World of Warcraft remains the leviathan of the massively multiplayer realm, with more than 10 million subscribers. Almost all of them will buy the new expansion, no matter when it arrives. The big question is whether Wrath can attract a cadre of new fans and seduce the few ex-players who have conquered their Warcraft addictions (for now). To be released when Activision Blizzard feels like it, for PCs and Macs.

ZENG Han and YANG Changhong Soul Stealer

m97 Gallery Shanghai is pleased to present %26quot;Soul Stealer,%26quot; an exhibition of photographic works by Zeng Han and Yang Changhong. %26quot;Soul Stealer%26quot; is a mysterious four-part series of portraits and landscapes, evaluating a theatrical and spiritual connection of modern and traditional role play between characters in ancient Chinese operas and those of global popular culture. The Soul Stealer series are: Part I: %26quot;Landplay%26quot; (from Anshun, Guizhou Province), Part II: %26quot; Cosplay%26quot; (Shenzhen), Part III: %26quot;Mulian Opera%26quot; (Shaoyang, Hunan Province), and Part IV: %26quot;World of Warcraft%26quot; (Chongqing).


The images from Part I: %26quot;Landplay%26quot; depict local villagers from Guizhou province acting out traditional characters from the Chinese historical Dixi Opera, meaning Earth Opera or Open-Air Opera. In these traditional performances, local villagers and farmers perform not on stage, but occupy vacant land near a village while the audience watches nearby. Still performed today, Dixi Opera is considered to be one of the oldest operas in the world, and is said to be the %26quot;living fossil of opera art%26quot;. Part III: %26quot;Mulian Opera%26quot;, photographed in Hunan Province, illustrates the characters in this operatic troupe performing the legendary story of Mulian, who journeys through the trials and tribulations of purgatory in order to save his condemned mother. Dating back to the Tang Dynasty, %26quot;Mulian Opera%26quot; illustrates aspects of ancient society while also incorporating acrobatics and mythological religious lore.





In contrast, Part II: %26quot;Cosplay%26quot; and Part IV: %26quot;World of Warcraft%26quot; document the modern versions of costume-based entertainment. Cosplay originated in Japan as a role-play game based on manga and anime characters, while %26quot;World of Warcraft%26quot; is currently the most popular online virtual role-player fantasy game with some 10 million global online subscribers. As juxtapositions to Parts I and Parts III (%26quot;Landplay%26quot; and %26quot;Mulian Opera%26quot;) the %26quot;Cosplay%26quot; and %26quot;World of Warcraft%26quot; series of photographs are illustrations of modern-day avatars interconnected in a global popular culture beyond a specific time or local tradition. At the same time when viewing all 4 series of characters in role play, we realize there is a timeless desire of these performers to slip out of ordinary existence and embody other identities in a fantastic alternate reality. A direct reference to the book of the same title by sinologist Philip Kuhn, %26quot;Soul Stealer%26quot; is an invocation to the souls and spirits that come to play in all these timeless performances. It is also perhaps a lament for the erosion of the %26quot;soul%26quot; of ancient China, whose culture and traditions are left in the hands of the old generations while the young rush to urban metropolises awash in the latest trends of current global popular culture.





By using photography as a portal to another dimension, Zeng and Yang steal a glimpse of the soul of someone from another place and time, while documenting each character's personal transformation. For them, this body of work allows a platform where %26quot;time becomes mingled and under such conditions, ancient spirits can gather together from all different times, where the performers in these monumental characters find themselves being transformed into an invented being or spirit of heroic proportions.%26quot;

Open Beta,what's going on?

We have encountered serious problems with the authentication system since this morning, while the stability of the game servers, the speed of the patcher and the performance of the downloader have all been satisfactory. This issue, combined with an exceptional amount of traffic and a fault which was not identified during the extensive tests we ran on our platform has unfortunately limited the access to our servers to only a few of you along with our closed beta testers who had already been a part of the closed beta.

During the day, we have reconfigured authentication and database servers several times, both of which suffered under the huge number of simultaneous connections. The investigations and corrections we have done so far were essentially targeting the parts of the system which didn't require a complete stop of the writing process in the database. This means we preferred to keep the database turned on during the day to let it work on the huge number of accounts that were in the process of being handled. This operation will continue through the night and when complete, we will shut down the database and reconfigure it.

If the operation works as anticipated, we can once again give you access to the account page and let you register your code for the open beta. We expect the whole maintenance to be finished late Monday morning.

Naturally, we will keep you informed of the development of this maintenance and we expect to give you an update mid-morning.

We thank you for your understanding at this very impatient time and we sincerely apologize for the situation.

GOA'sCEO,Ghislaine Le Rhun on Sunday's events

Dear all,

I rarely address players directly, but I wanted to write you as too few of you have been able to access the open beta today.

As my team explained in the previous post, although we have opened the servers and corrected numerous issues during the last 24 hours but we have not yet solved the issue of saturated Open Beta key activations that we're currently experiencing. I am sincerely sorry for this, and I understand all the frustration the situation has spawned.

Today was a dark day. We expected a massive influx of players, but reality was even harsher.


I personally commit that we will communicate to you as clearly as possible on the resolution of these current issues. My goal is to give Warhammer Online the success it deserves. Be ensured that all GOA teams, with Mythic's support, are working hard to bring you the best possible game experience.

Best regards,


Ghislaine Le Rhun


GOA CEO