MOGS

SWG / SOE and what they’re doing now…..

So most of you probably know about all of the trouble Sony has had with the PSN and SOE system. It was hacked.

As part of their “Make Good” program, every active SWG account is receiving a Boba Fett Slave ITM miniature ship model. They are also running the Bonus Everything Weekend from now until the Tuesday after Memorial Day!

I also checked the TCG and found that i had 3 free booster packs and 1 choose any loot card pack. I of course chose the Ionized Tibanna Gas Display. It looks like a lot of people did.

Thats the hard one to get!! NOW ITS FREE!!

SWG Galactic Civil War 2 – Space Update

We all know that space has needed some help in SWG for a while. It’s still reayyl awesome but it needs more. It looks like they’re working on it, and it looks good.

In addition to new GCW scenarios in space, they are also introducing the ACE Pilot System where you can battle against some of the best pilots from classic Star Wars™ lore. How would you fare against Wedge Antilles or other famous Star Wars characters? Find out in the GCW2 Space Update coming soon to a galaxy near you! I cant wait!!

Being able to fly against Wedge or maybe even Anakin, what a hoot that would be. He was supposed to be one of the best!! I’m interested to see these new scenarios they have lined up for us and there better be more than 1 for each faction.

Mark SWG Guru

DC Universe Online – Hack n Slash fun

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has launched their latest MMORPG this week, but if your looking for puny goblins or really annoying pygmys waiting to be slaughtered for daily quests, your definitely in the wrong universe.

DC Universe Online is set in, you guess it, the DC Universe. These are some iconic figures we are talking about here. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern.. and.. well… honestly I never really got sucked into comics, but there’s a ton of other important looking people standing around giving me stuff to do, and lets face it.. if your friends with Superman you got something going for you.

First Impressions

At first it reminded me a little bit of Champions Online, just re-flavored and smoothed out by a better development team. The graphics are pretty awesome when you stop to look at the scenery, some of the texturing and shadow work are amazing and there is a lot of little details.

Players will choose a mentor for their character (such as Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman for heroes and Lex Luthor, The Joker, or Circe for villains). Their starting location, principal quest rewards and mob loot will be influenced by that decision. The starting zones are either Metropolis or Gotham City, for both heroes and villains. Heroes get access to the Justice League Watchtower, while villains can enter the Legion of Doom headquarters. Other zones can be reached by teleporters from the two faction headquarters.

Character Creation

The character creation options in DC Universe Online are more limited than say City of Heroes or Champions Online, and the game uses a more traditional equipment system – so as you level up you will get new armor and accessories which will alter how your character looks. This is something that most regular MMO players are used to, but the thing that sets it apart from some of the other Armour systems is you can “lock” appereance items so no matter what item you equip you can maintain a certain overall theme for your character with little effort. This is one of those things I wish Blizzard would wake up to, my rogue wants to raid in his vanilla High Warlord set rocking glaives.

Overall as far as Character Creation goes, there are enough options available to keep everyone from looking like Batman, but compared to games like COH/COC where you can customize everything down to your spell effect colors, DC:UO could use some patch updates as far as character creation options go.

I’m not going to get into much about the class creation, because to be honest there’s so many options and specs and talents and spells it just makes my brain hurt. Essentially you can mix and max pretty much any power from the DC universe or comics in general and create a copy of your favorite hero or create for yourself the hero you always hoped you would be.

You can see my first character below, Kungfu, a duel sword wielding acrobatic ice ninja. I tend to enjoy melee characters so the duel swords was a no brainer, and the ice line of talents is awesome for tanking and has some good abilities for locking opponents down in PVP. There are so many different options though I’m sure as long as my interest is held in this game I will be rerolling alt’s to find the powerset the fits my playstyle perfectly. Right now there just isn’t enough information available so there is a lot of guess work.

Interface

The interface is built with console players in mind, but is slightly easier to navigate on a keyboard because of direct shortcuts. On the controller simple tasks like checking the map or activating missions requires navigating menus on a directional pad. Otherwise as a whole the interface felt a little clunky, much like the combat I wouldn’t say it was “bad”, it just feels like something is off.

Movement

Maneuvering is well controlled, but with a few flaws. Flying sometimes feels tight and you may get disoriented while flying inside small buildings. Superspeed is great when you’re running straight but poses some difficulties in tight areas. You may be turning a corner at one minute to find yourself halfway up a wall and turned around the next. Acrobatics is the other movement type in DC Universe and controls virtually without any problems but isn’t quiet as fast when navigating the city as the other two and has a small drawback in pvp combat against flying opponents. All three control rather well with a controller and only present an issue when moving fast through tight areas.

Combat

The problem for me, and personally it’s going to be the “deal breaker” if I can’t get used to it, is the combat. The basic combat should be familiar to MMO players. You have a range of abilities, some of which have cast timers, and some of which have cooldowns. Some abilities can be blocked, some can break blocks, and some can be interrupted. In low-level PVE you can get away with simple casting and a bit of blocking and movement, but I can imagine that you’ll need to make use of roles, and be more judicious with the block/stun/blockbreaking abilities at higher levels. The combo system feels a little cumbersome on the PC – remembering (and correctly performing) mouse click/click and hold combinations is annoying compared to pressing certain keys in a certain order.

For example, my Duel Sword Wielding Frost Ninja (sorry I just like saying that), has a attack called Ultra Flurry. They could have called this thing “Whirlwind of Death” and no one would argue. The problem is that in order to perform this attack, you have to click your left mouse button exactly 9 times, and then hold the button on that 9th click. If you accidentally click 10 times, you perform a completely different attack. So unless your a Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter god, or at least have an xbox controller you can plugin, you might find the combat system to be a little frustrating at first. It’s all about chaining attacks together, blocking, and interrupting blocks.

To try and make playing DC Universe Online a little easier I hooked my computer up to our monstrous 56″ Display, plugged in a wireless XBOX controller, and went to work. Personally it made playing the game a lot more fun. The square and triangle button are your primary close and ranged attacks, then abilities and consumables are assigned to the four buttons when you’re holding either the R2 or L2 buttons, effectively giving you 8 slots to assign. Attack combos begin very basic but can be upgraded to different combination’s of square and triangle as well as holding the buttons for different effects. That said, it never feels too much like an action game. Damage is still listed as “damage per second” and combat always comes down to how fast you can wail on the attack buttons, just like other MMOs. This all leads to a system that boggles expectations. Don’t go in expecting Batman: Arkham Asylum combat controls, but don’t expect standard PC MMO controls either.

Overall

Overall I think it’s a fun, casual game. It’s not going to affect the warcraft core player base, but I think a part of the warcraft community that is tired of the elitist attitude and hardcore mentality that has been taken to the extreme might find DC Universe Online to be a nice change of pace. It’s not going to be for everyone and it does have some issues that need to be worked out in order to make gameplay as smooth and polished as we have come to expect. I’m still not sure if it was worth the $50 bucks or whatever, we will have to see what the current “endgame” content looks like. However, if there is one thing that gives me hope in this game, it’s what my future tank set looks like:

Leaked Blizzard Product Slate

For a company who never likes to give solid time tables for release dates, it is pretty shocking to see all their major titles laid out neatly over the next 5 years. Assuming this is real, (which no one noes for sure) I am guessing the aim of such a document would be to show the companies executives where their revenue will be coming in from, quarter by quarter.

If you look closely, Blizzard barely misses a beat, having a release planned for every quarter except for three, before “Titan” (alleged to be an MMOFPS, and Blizzards next big thing) comes out. Not satisfied with missing these three quarters, Blizzard triple stacks Q4 2011 with Diablo 3, Starcraft 2X1 (first Starcraft expansion), and SC2 Phoenix (which no one seems to have info about).

It looks like Diablo 3 will be the next full-fledged Blizzard release, and should drop in 2011. I do not know if this should worry or excite me as it is listed as as a Q4 release. If Blizzard is as grossly inaccurate in its estimates to execs as it usually is with us, we may not see it until 2012. new info on Diablo 3 seems to come every few weeks, with PvP Arena’s being the last big announcement. Since Arena’s are my favorite part of WOW, I am glad to see their inclusion. A D3 expansion is planned for 2013 and 2014.

WOW makes up most of this chart, with a 4th expansion planned for Q2, 2012. A Trading card game expansion is planned for Q3, 2012. And in case the world ends, Blizzard has conveniently put the WOW Movie and Q4 2012, so we all get to experience it. Pending the apocalypse, we will see the 5th WOW expansion in Q4 2013. Trying to find more information online for Project Titan has proved fruitless thus far, but I am sure we will have lots of speculation on it soon due to the inadvertent release of this product slate.

GamersFirst to resurrect APB: Reloaded as a free-to-play title

The saga of All Points Bulletin has become one of the dominating MMO stories of 2010, with its buggy launch, premature shutdown, hunt for a new owner, and rescue by free-to-play publisher GamersFirst last week. Displaced APB fans who are wondering what plans GamersFirst has in store for the game should find themselves bouncing with glee today: The publisher is definitely planning to bring back the game, now entitled APB: Reloaded, as a F2P version.

GamersFirst’s Bjorn Book-Larsson sees the move as a win-win for both the publisher and players: “APB was a game that had several exceptional features and some brilliant ideas, even though it was plagued by some initial balance and monetization issues. We want to take all the unique features of this title, such as its unparalleled character, weapon and car customization systems, and convert the game to a true free-to-play game. We are deep into the planning and early execution stages for this next chapter of APB and we will share more details in the near future.”

The purchase of APB’s assets means good news for ex-Realtime Worlds employees, who will now receive any outstanding wages and promised holiday pay.

APB: Reloaded should be coming back online in the first half of 2011.

Crysta points are now available for Final Fantasy XIV

Crysta is a new payment method that can be used to purchase playtime for Final Fantasy XIV and other Square Enix online games. The intent is to provide a secure method for paying for subscriptions and security tokens. The points will be available for purchase in the US, EU, and Japan.

In the future, Squre Enix plans to let customers use Crysta for additional goods/services. Crysta can be purchased online through sites such as Paypay, and at physical locations like Gamestop. Here is a table of the conversation rate for Crysta.

• 500 Crysta – $5/£-€ 5/€5
• 1,000 Crysta – $10/£10/€10
• 2,000 Crysta – $20/£20/€20
• 3,000 Crysta – $30/£30/€30
• 5,000 Crysta – $50/£50/€50
• 10,000 Crysta – $100/£100/€100

One issue Square Enix customer’s are raising is that the Crysta is being sold without doing any currency conversation. You get the same amount of Crysta for $1 as you do for £1. Also, you can only buy it only in increments of 5, and a month of FFXIV costs $12.95. Thusly, you would have to buy 200 extra Crysta just to purchase a month of playtime. This should be less of an issue when Crysta can be used to purchase additional goods/services.

Jake@MOGS

APB shuts down after 3 months.

Yesterday Gaming Studio, Realtime Worlds, announced that they would be shutting down servers for All Points Bulletin after a struggle to keep the game going ¹. Less than 3 months after it was initially launched, Ben Batemen, APB’s community officer, wrote on the game’s now-shuttered forums, “Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone’s best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close.” The game, a massively multiplayer online shooter that pitted heavily armed cops against street-racing robbers, a little like an online variant of GTA IV, met financial failure upon its launch on PC, in June this year. Said to cost over $100 million (about £63 million) to create, and with a lengthy development period of five years, it was a risky game to put out in a troubled economic period.

Worse still, reviews lambasted the game for being plagued with broken systems, outdated play mechanics and being generally unfinished. Gamers, too, weren’t impressed with extra-money making systems, on top of the monthly fee, like audio adverts over the voice chat. Now, with the game’s servers switched off, the developer’s office has been emptied of its last few staff members. Only seven employees, out of the 250 who made the game, remain on a temporary basis to completely close down the game and studio, then turn the lights out and shut the door.

APB has been pulled from both retail and digital shelves but Paul Dounis, joint administrator of Begbies Traynor (the businesses rescue agent dealing with Realtime Worlds) said that disappointed players should contact their retailer for a refund.

1. source: Wired – MMO Shooter APB shut down after 3 months  ↩

Guild Wars 2 Necromancer

Guild Wars 2 just released its newest class, the Necromancer. This class shows how combat has evolved since the original. While other classes remain prone on the ground when they have zero health able to use only their downed skills, the Necromancer goes straight into Death Shroud which is just as powerful as their normal form.

You can also activate Death Shroud at any time, by using your Life Force, a special power you collect through enemy deaths, skills, and items. When using Death Shroud, you become a spectral shade, the screen darkens and you gain access to a new set of abilities. For example, you are able to summon a Shadow Fiend minion to assist you.

Your regular form abilities will consist of Bone Minions, Life Siphon, Grasping Dead, Locust Swarm, Putrid Explosion, and even a Fear. It almost sounds like a mix between a WOW Warlock, and and Diablo II Necromancer. So far, the other classes that have been released are Ranger, Warrior, and Elementalist. The game will launch around November 2011.

Jake

Passive income exploit to be removed from EVE Online

There are a lot of different ways to make ISK in EVE Online, spanning from running missions, ratting, to market trading and research. Some methods, like mission running, are a very active process and the amount of ISK you make is directly proportional to the amount of time spent playing. Other methods, like trading or moon-mining, are pretty much passive and it’s something your pilot can do to make money even when he’s actually offline.

A remotely newer method that has been around since the tech 2 invention system was launched is datacore collection. Players with specific skills trained in the science field and high enough standings can sign up to do research with various Research and Development agents throughout EVE. These agent’s automatically grant pilot’s research points every day for free, that can be turned in later for datacores you can turn around and sell on EVE’s heavily player driven economy.

Datacore collection is a intended game mechanic, it’s completely acceptable to sell these on the market instead of using them yourself, and that’s not something that will be changing anytime soon. The current exploit comes into play when you take into account the fact that characters on expired accounts will continue to build up research points every day, subscription or not. By using this “ghost-research” loophole, a number of players have been setting up accounts with three research characters each, then letting those accounts expire.

Several months later, they will go in and re-activate these accounts for a single month, and go through harvesting all the datacore’s gained through the passive point buildup, gaining a significantly unfair advantage over active pilots. In a recent devlog ¹, CCP Soundwave explained that this issue came from a list of important player-voted issues that was presented to CCP by the Council of Stellar Management. This unintended loophole will be close in a hotfix coming in the near future.

1. source: CCP Devblog – the end to science from beyond the grave  ↩

SWG TCG City Invasion (Update)

With SWG’s latest patch on 8-19-10 (today) SWG has changed how the city invasions will work. Now instead of having 3 invasions all at once on 3 different planets, there will be 1 invasion every hour. The first will be in Bestine on Tatooine.

The second will be in Keren on Naboo.

And the 3rd will be in Dearic on Talus, then back to Bestine.

Now I don’t know about you but some of the people that i know really like these invasions and now with them being every hour , i think maybe there are going to blow a gasket trying to keep up with all of their GCW. all in all I think its a great idea and i cant wait to get home to do a little PvP’n.

Until next time, SWG-Guru, OUT!!

Mark@MOGS