Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Bioware Page 7 of 9

The MMO Times: Issue 20!

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On November 8, 2011

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 20

Wow! I have made it to my 20th issue of MMO Times. Thank you all for reading. I’m excited that so many of you enjoy reading these posts. So here are the topics for the 20th issue; there are quite a few topics this time so I hope you enjoy!

More 4.3 Changes

The latest build on the PTR for the 4.3 patch has some interesting changes. They made some more changes to the World Map and the mini-map by adding additional tracking filters. They also made some more minor adjustments to the druid hurricane animation and I gotta tell ya, I like it. There is a video. Check out the post on MMO-Champion.
MMO-Champion post

Details on SWTOR PvP Warzones

GameSpy has some details about the PvP aspect of SWTOR. The comments are pretty harsh about Huttball. I think Huttball sounds pretty cool, and its a new type of PvP. Obviously most of the comments come from hardcore RP players. There is a video that explains how Huttball works. Take a look and see what you think.
GameSpy article

MechWarrior Online MMO

Yes, MechWarrior fans, Piranha Games has announced that there will be a MechWarrior MMO. They haven’t given too many details other than there is a tentative 2012 release. MMO Crunch has the article.
MMO Crunch article

Lineage II Going F2P

Another known name in MMOs will be going Free-2-Play. MMO Crunch, again, has the details on NCSoft’s announcement of Lineage II going Free-2-Play. It’s interesting to see the paradigm switching among the bigger names in the MMO industry. I still wouldn’t look for Blizzard changing their mind, they are holding their ground.
MMO Crunch article

A Zombie MMO!

I’m not joking, there is going to be a Zombie MMO. I am going to give you guys a minute to calm down from the excitement. GameDev has the details, it sounds like they are behind the development of the game.
GameDev post

Lego Universe Shutting Down

As a Lego fan growing up (and still a fan as an adult) it sucks to see this game going away. I was in the beta for it last summer and I found it only OK. So from a gamer perspective, I’m not surprised it didn’t survive. Massively has the article including the official press release.
Massively article

Aion 3.0 Trailer

Last issue I talked about the upcoming Aion 3.0 patch that included player housing and mounts. Massively has another post with a trailer for Aion 3.0 which includes not only how you can customize the player house but various mount options. It also includes scenes from the new zones, bosses and instances. Check it out at Massively.
Massively post

SWTOR Pre-Order Early Access Is …

So its the time all of us who have pre-ordered have been waiting for, how early will our “early access” to SWTOR be? This past weekend Bioware announced that, depending on when you redeemed your pre-order, your early access will be up to five days. I think that’s pretty significant; I mean you could be max level before the game officially launches. The article I decided to post from GameSpy also has an Imperial Agent character progression video. Enjoy.
GameSpy post

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The MMO Times: Panda Edition

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On October 30, 2011

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 19

Welcome back gamers! Issue 19 is brought to you by our new panda friends. We have a couple of interesting things to read in this issue but it is a little short. There is dated news in here so this issue needed to go out before November 1st. I hope you enjoy.

Aion 3.0 – Housing and Mounts

Aion is getting a huge patch soon and apparently it includes player housing and mounts. I guess the PvP players of Aion are none to excited about player housing the everyone else is. I guess there will be an armoire to store the variety of Daeva wardrobes (some of those costumes can be quite … interesting). The Wings Over Atreia post on Massively has a pretty good write-up.
Massively article

Secret Word Beta Has 500k Signed Up

I hadn’t realized there was so much interest in the upcoming Secret World MMO, and apparently Funcom was also surprised. They have already had half-a-million players sign up. I may have to check out this game to see what all the fuss is about. Speak up if you have an idea. Along with the link to the GameSpy article I have also provided a link to the games website where you can register for the beta.
GameSpy article
Secret World website

DC Universe Online Going F2P

Another MMO hops on the Free-2-Play bandwagon. SOE has offically announed that on November 1st (that is this coming Tuesday!) DC Universe Online will be Free-2-Play. I always find it interesting when another MMO decides to go Free-2-Play. I know it has to make things more competitive for other companies also trying to release and promote their titles. Personally I’m on the fence about Free-2-Play, perhaps a topic for a future post. Massively has the article.
Massively article

Diable 3 for WoW Players

I haven’t read this post in its entirety yet but I definitely will (that’s what the iPad is for), but I am definitely one of those WoW players that hasn’t played the first two Diablo’s but will be playing D3. I think a post like this is excellent for players, just like myself, to get caught up in the lore so we don’t feel so lost when we start playing Diabloe 3. Check it out on WoW Insider, it looks to be a good read.
WoW Insider article

Mists of Pandaria Developer Q&A

You can probably find the summary of the developer Q&A for the next WoW expansion everywhere, but I like the way MMO-Champion does it where its a transcript written like a blue post. You do have to scroll a bit to get there (there is a video of the Tyrael’s Charger mount for Annual Pass subscribers as well as a couple other PTR things). There is some good things covered but its a long read.
MMO-Champion post

[Shameless Plug] SWTOR: Bioware’s Launch Plans

One of the things I’m concerned about is how Bioware plans to handle launch. The way I understand it, and anyone please correct me where I’m wrong, is that Bioware plans to limit or control the number of players that can log in at launch… <read more>

I also provide The MMO Times in an e-mail. If you are interested in receiving the e-mail version please subscribe

SWTOR: Bioware’s Launch Plans

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On October 29, 2011

In Gaming, MMORPG, SWTOR

One of the things I’m concerned about is how Bioware plans to handle launch. The way I understand it, and anyone please correct me where I’m wrong, is that Bioware plans to limit or control the number of players that can log in at launch so they can manage the server traffic. I don’t know how the pre-orders fit into that plan as we are suppose to be allowed in early (though how early hasn’t been announced yet).

I understand why they want to control the traffic on launch. This game is one of the most highly anticipated MMOs, everyone will want to be able to log in on the first day, hundreds-of-thousands in the first hour. I remember when Aion started, the lag, the login queue, the crashes, it was brutal and Aion didn’t have nearly the following as SWTOR has. On the other hand, I know how upset players will be if they can’t get in right away on launch day. I’m really curious how Bioware plans to handle it.

The criticism will be harsh no matter what they do. Players who can’t get in will be complaining incessantly. If Bioware lets everyone in from the moment they stand the live servers up, then players will be complaining because of the latency and login queues. It’s probably a lose-lose for Bioware no matter what they try to do because gamers are some of the most impatient users.

The harshest criticism will come from people who haven’t a clue what its like to be involved with a major software release but are suddenly experts on the subject. I guarantee you that the developers, server administrators, and production support staff will have slept less than the obsessive gamers who will hit level cap within the first 3 days. As someone who has been involved with many software launches (some large, some small) I can tell you that the unexpected will happen. Murphy will make sure his influence is known. I admire Bioware for trying to create a smooth launch and I wish them luck because I hope it works.

I know we all paid for the game, and we pay monthly to play the game, but cut Bioware some slack during launch day and the first week. They want things to go smoothly just as much as the rest of us (if not more). Ripping on them because you aren’t allowed in right away, or because the lag is bad, or the server crashed or the million-and-one other things that could go wrong will not stop these things from happening nor will it expedite finding a solution.

Let them do their jobs because I assure you they will be losing years off their lives trying to get the software to launch and run smoothly right out of the gate and during the whole first week. Complaining only makes you sound impatient and ungrateful.

Cheers!

The MMO Times: Back For Blizzcon

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On October 23, 2011

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 18

Hello Gamers!! I didn’t think anyone still read these posts or still received the emails but I learned recently that some of you still do and do enjoy them. So, back by popular demand, is The MMO Times and what a better way to come back then with the cool stuff from Blizzcon. Enjoy!

Mists of Pandaria Trailer

I am only providing this video through the blog, obviously I can’t embed a video into an e-mail.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyeZ8khSEC0[/youtube]

Mists of Pandaria Recap

MMO-Champion has the best recap of Blizzcon 2011 including videos and and links to the all of the details around the new World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria. I will be honest, I’m not a fan of the name but some of the new features do have me a bit geeked out. So check out the link and see what you think (I also provided the Massively link, they have some good stuff too).
MMO-Champion article
Massively article

STO Creates Difficulty Modes

As all of you may know by now, Star Trek Online has gone Free-2-Play. It seems they are making more changes to their Strategic Task Forces by creating two difficulty modes, Normal and Elite. You can read more about it at Massively.
Massively article

Transformers Universe Q&A Recap

Jagex held a Q&A session at the New York Comic Con this year for the upcoming Transformers Universe. There were quite a few things discussed about it so check out the Massively article to read more about it. I haven’t looked too much into this MMO yet but I am mildly interested so I might try to see if I can get into a beta or something.
Massively article

A Look At SWTOR Editions

MMOMFG has a pretty good article that discusses the various editions that you can pre-order for SWTOR. There are three editions available, Digital Deluxe, Collector’s Edition (which I have already pre-ordered) and the Standard Edition. I thought a long time about just getting the Standard Edition but the more I played the beta the more I enjoyed the game and decided that, while pricey, I enjoyed the game enough to warrant paying the cost.
MMOMFG article

SWTOR Flashpoints & Warzones

In The Old Republic, Flashpoints are Instances and Warzones are PvP Battlegrounds and ars technica has an article with some decent details on these features. They also have the Signs of War trailer. I haven’t tried the Warzones yet, but I have done some Flashpoints and they are pretty fun and fit well with the storyline (though they haven’t integrated class storylines but I hope they plan on doing that).
ars technica article

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Bioware Has Blizzard Scared

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On October 23, 2011

In Gaming, SWTOR, World of Warcraft

So I have been watching Blizzcon to see all the new things Blizzard is introducing with their various gaming franchises. I think the biggest news from Blizzcon this year is the concept of the World of Warcraft Annual Pass where anyone who commits to keeping WoW for a year will receive Diablo 3 for free and a guaranteed entry into the Mists of Pandaria beta.

I thought that was a pretty bold move by Blizzard and then it occurred to me, I think this is a tactic to combat the release of Star Wars. I think Blizzard is actually scared about losing players to Star Wars. So much so that they want players to commit to playing their game for a year, and if you do, they will let you play their other game for free. I know that quite a few of the Blizzard employees are Star Wars fans, they have made many comments during other Blizzcons and there is the various Star Wars references in the game (ex: an NPC named Landoo). So I know they have been following the development of SWTOR just as much as the rest of us have been following (obsessively?) it.

I don’t know if any of you watched the in-depth coverage of Mists of Pandaria but some of the Monk abilities seem to have a Star Wars influence. The Monks have a Holy Power-like resource called Dark/Light Force and the Death Knights are getting a new ability called Asphyxiate. Asphyxiate is a new silence ability where the Death Knight chokes the target while lifting them in the air … seems blatantly obvious.

Perhaps Blizzard is trying to increase the Star Wars influence in the game to keep players from going to SWTOR. I’m sure that’s just wild conjecture but its hard to deny suspicion when some of these mechanics are “lovingly” ripped off from Star Wars.

Despite their best efforts, World of Warcraft will never be Star Wars. I’m sorry Bilzzard but no matter how close a Gamorrean is to an Orc, the two will never be the same. If Star Wars fans want to play SWTOR, they will play SWTOR regardless of the fact that a Death Knight can do a Force Choke.

Cheers!

SWTOR: Nearly There

By

On October 16, 2011

In Biggs On, MMO Times

A few weeks ago a new build was deployed which wiped out all of our characters, but two new servers were added. There is now a PvE, PvP and a server with high level pre-mades characters.

While the pre-mades were enticing, I decided to create a Jedi Knight on the PvE server and try out tanking (NOTE: I will be going Sith when the game goes live, thus why I am playing Jedi while in the beta).

This new build is much, much better. In fact the changes in this build have put the game much closer to completion, in my opinion. All the NPCs are fully voiced, which is great because the best feature of the game is the excellent voice acting and the writing. The responses are both humorous and witty which really helps add depth and a sense of RP to the game. Most of the bugs are quest bugs and UI glitches. I have experienced very little lag and framerate issues, although there are some (people in public chat channels) that have claimed to experience heavy lag.

Oh, have I mentioned how incredible the music is? In case I haven’t, its awesome! Definitely one of my favorite parts of the game.

Based on the issues that remain, I think TOR will definitely make its December 20th launch date.

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