MMO Blog posts
MMORPG / PC

No Queue, No Overflow, No Play

Guild Wars 2's BWE2 is underway, but one issue in particular has hindered enjoyment for many.  Servers that are deemed too "full" are locked -- blocking people from choosing that…

45 Comments
June 8, 2012
Game Design / MMORPG / PC

GW2 Updates, Mini-dungeon isn’t Darkness Falls

Mike Ferguson updated the ArenaNet blog to explain how the Guild Wars 2 team has been working to improve the World vs. World (PvP) experience for the upcoming Beta Weekend Event #2 (tomorrow!).  Included are some fixes to issues I had with WvW like arrow towers needing shorter range, and longer cooldowns. The fixes to the chat system are also great in that they make a chat system work like one should.  Better chat channel functionality, chat bubbles, and UI improvements were posted two days ago as well.  I’m anxious to try out the changes to “a sense of hitting” — I thought the GW2 combat felt rather good compared to most games — to see what’s new.

While those little changes are good, and a real necessity, I’m mostly interested in performance improvements.  I have a system that falls somewhere in the ‘average’ range for bleeding edge gaming, and WvW is unpleasant when attacking or defending keeps because of frame rate issues.

I read on Reddit that the new dungeon is purely a “PvP dungeon” with no monsters.  I was thinking it was more like Darkness Falls, and I was totally wrong in that assumption.  The Mini-dungeon/Dark Room sounds more like an underground area to fight with a treasure chest acting as bait to get people down there skirmishing.  I was hoping for more.  That’s disappointing, but I’ll reserve judgment until I try it this weekend.

Last test, which was actually only a Monday stress test, I found a new love in the Elementalist.  Since I was so shocked by a class that I originally wrote off as ‘another mage’, I’ve decided to expand my horizons even further this time by playing the Ranger.  If you’d like to join me, and others from our forums, we’ll be on Ehmry Bay — a server that did alright for itself last beta weekend according to the BWE1 World Standings.

NA World Wins Losses
Sea of Sorrows 6 0
Maguuma 5 1
Ehmry Bay 5 1
Darkhaven 5 1

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12 Comments
June 7, 2012
Console / Gaming News / MMORPG / PC

38 Studios Employees: Thank You & Good Luck

To the former employees of 38 Studios,

I am distraught over the news that 38 Studios is no more.  I’m crushed over the thought that the screenshots I spoke so highly of this morning are most likely the last glimpse we will ever have of what could have been, what should have been, a great game from a passionate team of developers. We are both fans of Reckoning. Thank you BHG team for giving us over 150 hours of enjoyment in Amalur. Copernicus team, you had us excited by only an idea and a glimpse at what could have been. Your work will not be forgotten, and we remain fans of Amalur and your hard work.

To everyone formerly at 38 Studios, Graev and I wish you all the best of luck with whatever future adventures you embark upon.  We look forward to the excitement you’ll bring us when we have the pleasure of writing about your future work.

– Keen and Graev

For our readers, after the jump you’ll find the Copernicus screenshots released today as well as the fly-through of the world. Following games closely and being so excited for something, just to have it shut down at a moment’s notice, is the hardest part of being such eager gaming enthusiasts.  Such potential for something fresh or new is destroyed, but we’ll continue to see a new Call of Duty game released every year and a horrible MMO will see the light of day simply because it has a huge publisher.  So frustrating.

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25 Comments
May 24, 2012
Gaming News / MMORPG / PC / Random things

Graphics are Important, Copernicus Screenshots

There’s no secret to the fact that I love stylized graphics, and I’m a little bit of a graphics whore.  I prefer stylized over the ‘realistic’ approach for a number of reasons including: (1) My imagination works better with stylized, (2) I think they age better, and (3) Many more liberties can be taken in the design of a game when the graphics aren’t constraining you to reality.

If I had to identify my favorite look, the perfect look of stylized graphics in a game, it would be the graphics in this screenshot below from 38 Studios’ Copernicus. Yeah, yeah, I’ve been talking a lot about them lately.  Screenshots were leaked today, supposedly by some unknown person.  For all I know they’re fake (which I doubt since Curt linked to them via his twitter) but that doesn’t matter.  The images inspired me to write, and already my imagination is creating landscapes, places to go, and gameplay to experience based solely on the art.

Graphics need to excite my imagination.  I’m positive that they play a bigger role than I’ve given them credit in the past.  There’s a lot of “gameplay over graphics” argument out there, and I am 100% on board with the idea that if the gameplay sucks nothing else matters.  Once the gameplay is solid, though, the graphics must bring it home.

Anyway, what do you think (about graphics in general for you and the Copernicus screenshots)? I predict plenty of “Looks like WoW” comments, and to them I guffaw because even my untrained eye can see them as night and day, despite both being stylized.  I love the lack of texture on the horse contrasting the detailed brick work … sheesh I sound like those people I hate from back in my college humanities classes.  I’m done.  Your turn.

The other two Copernicus screenshots can be viewed after the jump. (more…)

23 Comments
May 24, 2012