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Otherland plans a new character type to experience an upcoming short story by Tad Williams

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Tad Williams, the author of the original Otherland quadrology, has written a new novella in that world. What does this mean for players of Otherland? Well, part of the novella will be available in the game. Obviously, the entire thing can’t be present there, but some of it is; the official post on the matter explains that it’s a bit like the short story which would eventually grow into the novella. And yes, that means it’s a new story about the game world in the actual game world.

But there are going to be fans of the books who aren’t necessarily interested in playing the game, and thus the developers are planning to introduce a new “Social” character type to the game. These characters have no combat abilities or progress, but can bypass all of the usual starting zones to simply start the treasure hunt for the story; players can later convert these characters to normal characters if so desired. Not a bad cross-promotion all around, really.

Source: Facebook

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Crowfall improves performance by changing terrain

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It’s far too early in Crowfall’s testing to worry about optimizing the game’s frame rate and overall performance, but there’s a difference between “optimizing” and “improving.” The latest change made to the game exists precisely in that space, as the game should now perform better just because the game’s terrain is now being rendered using custom-built meshes instead of built-in Unity meshes. That… had a pretty distinct improvement on the rendering and overall performance!

Why? Well, the game’s engine no longer has to convert from default options before rendering things, which cuts down on processing power and results in terrain that should look identical but just render more smoothly. There’s also a new way of handling the grass rendering that significantly cuts down on processing as each chunk of the landscape is rendered. All of which should result in an improvement you see in terms of frame rate, but the game itself shouldn’t look different… which is a performance upgrade for you, really.

Source: Official Site

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Overwatch is performing a little surgery on its healers and planning another free PC weekend

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Healers are important in Overwatch, but they also have the potential to get out of hand. Sure, it’s good to be able to patch up your teammates, but it’s not fun to play a match where you can’t actually damage the other team; at the same time, it’s not fun to play as a healer and watch your options be “slightly slow down team deaths.” In order to avoid these hypothetical scenarios, Blizzard is adjusting most of the game’s support heroes in the next patch.

Ana’s ultimate will get a healing component, Lucio gets additional shields and range, and Moira gets additional resource regeneration, all of which should help cover blind spots in these character toolkits. By contrast, Brigitte’s Shield Bash is getting its cooldown increased and Mercy is having her healing beam very slightly lowered in potency, which already has people on the forums happily explaining that Mercy is now completely useless. (Which has happened with every Mercy adjustment ever.) Check out the exact numbers and developer philosophy on the forum thread.

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Darkfall: Rise of Agon looks forward to big new systems like dynamic housing

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The last patch for Darkfall: Rise of Agon had a whole gaggle of stuff in it. There’s even a video walking through all of the stuff contained therein below, if you want to check it out. But that’s all in the past now, and so the developers are looking ahead to future additions and improvements for the game. First on the list? The Relic system, which will allow players to pick up powerful Relics and attune to them, thus building characters in new and interesting ways and differentiating individual playstyles further.

The team is also hard at work on building the game’s dynamic housing system, allowing players to drop houses anywhere they’d like within the game world. That ties into expanded territory control mechanics in the game, as well as the upcoming Clan Platinum currency for purchasing clan-related things like siege weapons. So when you’re done enjoying the newest features the patch has to offer, you can start peering into the game’s future and get excited about that.

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Crowfall’s latest patch notes from the future video reads off 5.7 notes

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The latest edition of Crowfall’s regular Patch Notes from the Future is not looking very far into the future. It’s actually close to looking into the present because patch 5.7 is very close to deployment. And since there’s been some time with 5.7 in development, a lot of the patch notes had already been read off before the most recent show. But it is available in archive form (you can watch it just below) and it does contain new stuff because apparently patch 5.7 just keeps getting bigger.

For example, the crafting disciplines and associated stats are being rolled into the game with the patch. The systems to alter those stats are not being included, but the stats will be there as part of the game’s UI to explore. There are also elements like decay rate and mega deeds slipped into the workings of the patch, but why take our word for it? You can see the whole rundown in video format just below.

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DC Universe Online adds the Teen Titans storyline Judas Contract today

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It’s time for a new story in DC Universe Online, and this time the game is taking a spin with one of the universe’s more popular teams with the Teen Titans. Since Cyborg is leaving the Titans to work with the Justice League full-time, there’s a hole in the Titan roster. Players of the heroic persuasion are eligible, and players of the villainous bent are sneaking in anyway… but there’s another infiltrator sent by Deathstroke, and players will need to ferret out who it might be.

The patch includes new duo content, new raids and elite raids, and a new alert as part of the overall story arc. There’s also the new Augment system in the game, replacing the old R&D system and equipping various Augments directly to your character. Check out the full patch notes to know what you’ll be diving into, and then go hang out with a bunch of teenagers.

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Worlds Adrift updates players on progress in the midst of a heat wave

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So it turns out the developers behind Worlds Adrift have all melted in the midst of a London heat wave. It’s very sad, as they point out on the latest development entry on the official site. You may wish to stop reading this post and play an appropriate song on the bagpipes. Despite being reduced to a liquid, however, the team has continued working on the game and is hard at work finishing the new creature refactor while completing the loot accumulation on island for patch 0.24.

Work is also progressing on fixing the resources dropped by creatures across multiple biomes, as well as things like chat functions working properly on new servers and fixing various bugs. You can see the full rundown of things being developed on the official site, with a fair number of fixes and improvements slated for 0.24 and a few more features expected further in the future. Assuming that the now-melted team doesn’t evaporate, anyhow. (It’s a real risk.)

Source: Official Site

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Final Fantasy XIV plans its next major patch for September with a crossover in August

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Ready to hunt monsters in Final Fantasy XIV? Not just in general, but as part of a crossover with Monster Hunter World? You’ll get your chance starting on August 7th according to the most recent live letter, as the crossover event starts then and treats players to two versions of the trial against the great beast Rathalos. It also represents a new sort of challenge as it’s available in both normal and Extreme modes, but the former is an 8-player challenge while the latter is limited to 4 players. Of course, that also marks the arrival of the next part of Eureka, so players will have plenty to do on August 7th regardless.

Those who take part in the event will be able to earn a new mount (Rathalos himself), a new armor set, and new minions and outdoor furnishings for completion. So that’s reason enough to take part.

Of course, players who are more interested in the next part of the story and the next set of dungeons will want to hop along until September, when patch 4.4 is scheduled to release. That will contain a new trial against Suzaku, a new pair of dungeons, the conclusion of the Omega series with the Alphascape, and all of that lovely new storytelling. Check out a gallery of shots for the live letter just below, and keep your eyes peeled for more information in the coming weeks.

Update: we’ve added the new trailer for the crossover event just below.

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First Life is Feudal content update unites the worlds, introduces PvP arenas, and adds clergy and slavery

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Bitbox recently released the first major content update for its medieval sandbox survival game Life is Feudal, and it brings with it a slew of new features, including the uniting of the game’s numerous worlds, a PvP arena, the slavery system (really), and the clergy system. And to celebrate the new update’s release, Bitbox is granting all players a set of “God’s Favor” currency, the total amount of which is valued at over $2 million US.

With the new united map, players can now travel “freely” (i.e., with subscription-based restrictions) between the game’s worlds as well as trade between worlds via trade posts. For those who want to test their combat prowess against other players, the update introduces new PvP arenas, which pit up to 20 players against one another in free-for-all battles, with the top three players in each match taking home prizes of coins and PvP ranking points.

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Skyforge revamps PvP with the Gods at War update

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The newest update for Skyforge is now live and changes a lot about the way PvP works. Before, PvP had gear scaling to the point that it was almost irrelevant while walking in, but now gear scaling has more factors affecting that scale. It also introduces the new PvP-based Honor stat, which affects your overall stats and how much damage you’ll deal on balance. Players who wish to accomplish a lot in PvP will want to stack on Honor via stat adjustment. There’s also the new Happy Hour system, which encourages you to take part in PvP at set times for increased rewards across the board.

Speaking of increased rewards, the game is also rolling out the myLoot Marketplace as a means of getting more stuff for myCoins. Taking part in events and purchasing items earn myCoins, and said coins can be used for purchasing items in the marketplace, a sort of “here’s your extra for buying something” reward. Check out the full rundown if you’re looking for more details on the new system.

Source: Patch Notes, Official Site

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Twin Saga patches in a new class, new zones, and new chibi companions

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At a glance, Twin Saga does not seem like a game that would be replete with firearms. It does not look like a setting in which you gun down your foes. Yet the new Cannoneer class is all about blasting things to pieces, so we must conclude that looks can be deceiving. It’s one of the big new additions with the newest patch, but it’s hardly the only one; players will also be able to explore two new zones in the northeast of the map, Black Hill and Moonlight Valley.

Players can also take on a new dungeon, Boreas Tower, whilst picking up two new Senshi (those are the cute little chibi things in the header, for reference). Add in new story quests and a new level cap of 80, and players will have plenty to do with the latest patch. Including blasting adorable monsters and scenery into bits with cannons, if necessary.

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Black Desert takes nodes and conquest offline for a new ruleset

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When Black Desert updates on July 18th, new rules for Node and Conquest Wars will be getting rolled out along with the other changes. In order to facilitate this, the developers are ending the current battles for conquest on July 14th, which is this Sunday. The conflict will remain unavailable until July 22nd, when players can once again resume the fine art of smashing one another in the face to gain control of the landscape.

The official announcement does not mention what these changes will be, but as an international game players already suspect that it’s going to be the ruleset Korean players have been dealing with for some time. The down side is that these rules are almost universally reviled on the Korean servers, so the thread is full of people begging the developers to not make this change. So this may not be a case of players eagerly anticipating the wars resuming on July 22nd, in other words.

Source: Official Site via MMORPG.com

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World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth pre-patch arrives on July 17

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Say goodbye to your artifacts and hello to War Mode, because World of Warcraft’s expansion pre-patch is almost here. When July 17th rolls around, players will no longer be able to earn artifact power or have access to artifact traits; the plus side will be that your artifact will automatically power up for new characters leveling through Legion. Players can also access War Mode, benefit from PvP talents, and even start exploring some new content that’s meant to be time-limited until the launch of Battle for Azeroth. Onward!

Of course, one subgroup of players will be a little more negatively affected by the change, as it turns out War Mode will disable the /follow command and make multiboxing less viable in PvP. Those of you who don’t multibox will likely be unaffected, but it’s useful to note that this is a notable change when Blizzard has previously been fine as long as it’s not automated. New policy, or just a War Mode-specific quirk? We’ll see over time.

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