MOGS

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

Addicted Gamer Sues NCsoft

A Hawaiian man is suing the creators of Lineage II for the monetary damages made to his life by the addictive nature of the game ¹. Craig Smallwood claims to have played Lineage II for approx 20,000 hours over the course of five-years between 2004 and 2009. He claims that he would not have begun playing the game if he was aware “that he would become addicted to the game.”

A federal judge is allowing a negligence lawsuit to proceed against the publisher of the online virtual-world game Lineage II, amid allegations that a Hawaii man became so addicted he is “unable to function independently in usual daily activities such as getting up, getting dressed, bathing or communicating with family and friends.”

Ncsoft asked him them to please toss the claim, but Judge Kay’s ruling came Aug. 4.

1. source: Wired.com – Addicted Gamer Sues Game-Maker  ↩

Aion’s Next Expansion can come with Kittens!

Aion’s next expansion, Assault on Balaurea, comes out September 7th. It is a free expansion, but NCsoft is also releasing SKU combing the expansion with the main game, and inside each copy will be a retailer-exclusive pet, along with a speckled Ailu (Panda), a premium Pack pet which increases a player’s warehouse by 12 slots. ¹

In Aion the pets that may seem cosmetic in many other popular games have abilities that can help your character.

Pets in Aion are split up into five groups initially. Companions adventure alongside their owners. Signal pets alert their owners to nearby enemies. Pack pets add inventory slots. Fortune pets give their owners presents after being well-fed. And Purebred pets combine multiple functions into one pet. That’s important, for while characters will have 100 pet slots, only one can be active at a time.

So grab a new Aion pet with your expansion Sept 7th! They look pretty adorable.

Jon@MOGS

1. source: Kotaku.com  ↩

EQ II set to launch a Free to Play version, dubbed “EverQuest II Extended”

In the near future, Sony will be take a page from Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings online, by launching a Free to Play version of Everquest II. The Free to Play version of the game will be completely separate from the subscription based service. Players will have a limited access to game features, with an option to purchase more characters, levels, quest slots, races, etc.

The entire point behind the move is to introduce a whole new group of players into the game. Players who would have otherwise never been able to experience EQII. These free to play gamers will be restricted to a “Bronze Membership”, which will give them access to eight character classes, four races, and will be capped at level 80.

A one time $10 fee will upgrade you to a “Silver Membership”, which will give you more gold per level, an additional character slot, and access to the auction channel. Paying the standard $15 a month will give you access to almost everything the game has to offer, except that you will have to purchase additional races an levels.

This seems like a good idea to transition casual gamers into EQ II. They can access as much, or as little of the game as they want, depending on how much time/money they have to sink into the game. Why pay $15 a month for end game content, when you are simply leveling a character? EQII Extended provides an alternative to that dilemma.

Jake@Mogs.com

DC Universe Online – Comic Con Demo

The beta for DC Universe Online will be starting soon, and the official release date is Nov. 2, 2010. It will be for PC and PS3. You will be creating your own superhero in this game, akin to City of Heroes. The cool part though, is that you will be able to interact with the established DC heroes and villains.

However, the difference between this game and City of Heroes is that you will start with your super powers, and leveling helps to tweak them. Also, if you freeze someone in place, they will turn into a block of ice, rather then just be ensnared with a small “root” visual. You can then pick up and throw the player. This is interesting, because in utilizing special powers, the game is dynamically creating objects, rather then just using visual effects.

In the playable demo at Comic-Con, you had to protect the Batcomputer in the Batcave from the Joker and Harley. You fight along side Batman, and lose points when the computer is damaged, or you or Batman are knocked out (which only incapacitates you for a short time).

Aion 2.0: Assault on Balaura Release Announced

Aion’s first expansion, Assault on Balaura was first hinted at back in May and fans of the game have been digging through the patch notes ¹ ever since, but one big question has remained unanswered until now: When?

Well, my feather-winged friends, it looks like the drop date for North American and European players will be released both digitally and boxed on September 7th, 2010. European players will see their full game boxed copies (along with the exclusive in-game pet found in the North American release) hitting store shelves on September 10th. The in-game pet found in the boxed retail version of the game will be something of a newer variety than we have seen with pet’s in the past, considering now there are “functional characteristics” added into the game, although it’s still unannounced what the exclusive pet’s functionality will actually be at this time. However, all pets will now have a unique function added, and more new pets are being added into the game.

• Decorative: Unique appearance, no game play value. Standard non-combat pets for looks (ala Warcraft)
• Alertive: Warns its master when an opposing race character approaches within a certain range.
• Productive: When you feed it, you may receive an enchantment stone, manastone, Aether, Balaur materal, ore, jewel, dye or hairpin.
• Warehouse: Owners can use a warehouse-type storage space while it is the active pet (6 slot/12 slot/18 slot/25 slot)
• Multi-type: A pet with more function.

In Aion: Assault on Balaurea, the exciting new chapter of Aion, characters have the ability to align together to launch massive counter assaults against the invading Balaur on their homeland while experiencing new and updated instances and zones, an increased level cap, new weapons and items, new skills and added flight mechanics. Characters will not be alone as they explore the new areas, as Aion introduces functional pets equipped with in-game benefits.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online gaming experience where flight offers much more than just a way to gracefully explore the landscape – it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will use flight to dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save and control a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. ² For more information about Aion and Aion: Assault on Balaurea go to http://www.aiononline.com.

Jason@MOGS

1. Korean PTS Initial 2.0 Patch Notes: http://powerwiki.na.aiononline.com/ ↩
2. source: http://na.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=330 ↩

“Real ID” on Forums Cancelled

It looks as though the people have spoken. As quickly as Blizzard announced the new “Real ID” system that they’d like to implement, the amount of dirt it stired has caused Blizzard to decide to not implement the system into the online forums. Nethaera came back and explained that the Real ID will still be used in game for the cross-game communication.

Personally, I think this is a very nice step towards cross-gaming communication. Although I feel there should be various settings that each player can manage that controls what ID you are known by cross game. Whether it be your real name to some individuals while your player ID to the rest of the group. I’m sure the Real ID system is going to go through a plethora of changes, and hopefully it is streamlined to allow the best cross-game communication while keeping privacy and security settings strong.

- Jon@MOGS

SWG Pets

Hello everyone time for some more SWG info. i have been playing around with the new pets in game, the Reek and the Nexu. i don’t have any Vorpal Durni DNA yet. The Nexu has to be my favorite its a cat so it has all of the specials that a feline can use. so far with my Commando/BM setup its been really good in PvP. Tons of DPS. I find myself going back to my Rancor though when im in a big battle because the area snare the Rancor can do will keep the Imperials from moving to fast and helps them stay together so my AoE’s can hit them all. I suggest to all of you out there that play SWG to try the BM line in your profession. its a BLAST!!!

Mark@MOGS
SWG Guru