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Defiance’s First DLC Coming August 20th

Trion is finally ready to release the first content pack for Defiance. Officially launching on August 20th, Catithan Charge Pack is Defiance’s first paid content update, available for individual purchase or via the season pass. Players who buy the pack will have access to the Castithan race, either by creating a new character or changing their existing character. The content pack will also unlock a horde-mode single player mini-game which in turn will unlock a story mission line, the Castithan charge blade weapon, and more. Players on the 360 and PS3 will also have access to additional trophies and achievements.

Regardless of purchasing the pack, however, all players will have access to new charge weapons, a siege mode where creatures invade major mission locations, a new arkfall event, dueling, a capture and hold PvP map, and updates to improve the game’s in-game map, chat window, and more. If you haven’t picked up Defiance yet, you can find it at the all time low price of $9.99 on Steam.

(Source: Trion press release)

Grand Theft Auto Online Reveal August 15th

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Rockstar Games has officially announced Grand Theft Auto Online. Expect more details August 15th.

(Source: Rockstar Games)

Nab Alpha Access To End of Nations

Raptr has teamed up with Trion Worlds to give alpha access to End of Nations, the company’s upcoming MOBA title. If you aren’t already acquainted with the program, Raptr is a program that tracks achievements and playtime, not to mention serving as an instant messenger and a place to congregate and discuss your favorite games with other people who play them as well. As many of you have seen here before, Raptr often partners with developers to promote their games and throw up some free stuff for users, including in-game items, free copies of games, and more. There is no payment required (or even possible), and the giveaways generally entail obtaining a specific rank in related games.

The giveaway for the End of Nations is a little different than past promotions. Rather than requiring that users be above a certain rank, Trion has asked for the requirements to be below a certain rank. In this case, users must be the rank of dedicated or below in specific MOBA titles in order to qualify. If you have a MOBA of choice that you are already ranked Elite in, all you have to do is download another game from the list and boot it up once to reach amateur rank and qualify. Trion’s reasoning is that they want players newer to the MOBA genre to get in and get a feel before they open the doors to the professionals.

But don’t fret, players who are ranked Hardcore or Elite in their chosen MOBA will be able to retrieve a key starting August 15th, so just a few days from now. The list of qualifying MOBA titles is as follows:

Arena of Heroes
Dota 2
Heroes of Newerth
League of Legends
Smite

(Source: Raptr)

RuneScape Launches Death of Chivalry

With the launch of RuneScape 3, Jagex has thrown the world of Gielinor into turmoil. The Gods are returning and they all want a piece of the dead god Guthix’s power. Today’s update introduces the quest Death of Chivalry, the first quest to be fully set in the new evolving story. Players will team up with the White Knights under orders from the god Saradomin himself to infiltrate the Black Knight’s headquarters and uncover a mysterious artefact to aid in the ongoing battle between the multiple gods and their followers.

According to a press release sent out by Jagex, players will need to be careful in the decisions made during the quest as their impact will be felt “far and wide.” The quest will be available for everyone, including non-subscribers, and while it is designed for players of all levels, those with higher combat skills will be happy to know that the quest scales its difficulty to the player. Death of Chivalry goes live later today.

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

Who Needs Proper Forums? Hi-Rez Has Reddit

I know what you’re thinking: “Omali, forums are for casuals. Hardcore developers prefer to use social networking sites who risk suddenly becoming irrelevant and unpopular.” I know this because that message is tied to a rock and thrown through my bedroom window once or twice a week (email is for casuals). Luckily, Hi-Rez has a close connection to the needs of their community, and not just because their software apparently watches everything you do. Giving twenty four hours notice, Hi-Rez deleted its official forums, directing players toward Hi-Rez’s multiple Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit pages in order to discuss everything from suggestions, show their videos, ask for tech support, shoot the breeze, and more.

And why? I don’t know, Hi-Rez is claiming that this will allow them to better connect with the community and listen to feedback on a level that is impossible with traditional forums. In one post, HiRezDuke states that there is more freedom on Reddit than the T-Rated official forums, begging the question as to why Hi-Rez didn’t simply alter their rules instead of burning the house down. You can check out the Reddit pages for Tribes, SMITE, and Global Agenda. Unless you are reporting bugs in which case you head here. Unless you need tech support in which case you need to contact Hi-Rez directly. Unless you’re reporting hackers on Tribes in which case you have to do it here. And you can find patch notes now hosted on Google Docs.

See? Neat and orderly. Who is to say that this will make Hi-Rez look unprofessional and disorganized, or that it makes the company unappealing to new players, or that it isn’t conducive to maintaining a long term community?

Xsyon Boosts Wildlife In New Patch

One of our favorite aspects on Xsyon here at MMO Fallout is the fact that wildlife actively moves around and repopulates. In a recent content update, Notorious games has given the rambunctious little critters a shot of adrenaline and hormones. Populations will see a growth in numbers, as well as taking a migration path that results in a more balanced wildlife distribution. Creatures that win fights with other animals or against players will level up and become more powerful and dangerous, and species with dwindling numbers will take some extra time for the old child making.

That said, don’t hide under your bed just yet. Creature health has been reduced somewhat, allowing newer players to jump into the fray without being completely steamrolled by a squirrel, no matter how vicious those critters are known to be. Older creatures will also drop more materials when they die.

(Source: Xsyon Press Release)

Trion: Hartsman Returns, Branch Closed

It is Christmas time, right? Trion has welcomed back Scott Hartsman as CEO. Some of you may remember back in January that Hartsman resigned from his position as Executive Producer on Rift, which some speculated had to do with disagreements over the then-rumored plans to make Rift free-to-play. If the move was to try and secure a higher position at Trion, then it was a success.

With all good news comes bad, however. Trion has also confirmed to Massively that the company has shut down its San Diego branch, moving operations to the Redwood City Studio. Many of the staff from the San Diego studio are expected to make the transition over to Redwood City.

“As part of this transition, we are working hard to ensure that a number of great people will be making the move from San Diego to the Bay Area and continue their work at Trion,”

Now about ArcheAge…

(Source: Massively)

Look At Civilization Online, Don't Touch

Civilization Online sounds like an amazing game: Players take the role of citizens in one of four civilizations and work together in order to achieve victory status for their respective faction. A mixture of A Tale In The Desert in a procedurally generated world, with sandbox elements and an emphasis on cooperation and exploration.

You can watch, but you cannot touch. According to the game’s developer’s, XL Games, there are no plans to release the game outside of Korea at this time.

“Civilization Online is developed by South Korea-based XL Games in partnership with 2K, and will be available first in Korea. No release date has been set. There are no plans for a North American release at this time.”

(Source: PC Gamer)

Look At Civilization Online, Don’t Touch

You can watch, but you cannot touch. According to the game’s developer’s, XL Games, there are no plans to release the game outside of Korea at this time.

“Civilization Online is developed by South Korea-based XL Games in partnership with 2K, and will be available first in Korea. No release date has been set. There are no plans for a North American release at this time.”

(Source: PC Gamer)

Have You Seen Arctic Combat's Reimbursement Plan?

Okay, I will admit. I came into the announced shuttering of Arctic Combat with my usual schtick: Another low quality renaming of another failed game imported from Asia shuts down in the west, blah blah blah you already know how I feel about those games and the whales that keep them healthy just long enough to call it a launch and get away with the profits without having to put in any long term support. Or did I just say that again? Anywho…

Arctic Combat is Webzen’s first person shooter, better known as the previously shut down Battery Online. Arctic Battery Combat Online is a lobby based first person shooter that is free to play with a cash shop, it is shutting down in September likely because the popularity and revenue weren’t meeting expectations. What caught my eye was the compensation. I assumed that a game like Arctic Battery Combat, at best players could expect a stipend of cash and some items for other games.

Webzen is refunding W Coins/gPotato currency spent based on tiers, starting at $50 and moving up to $100, $300, and $500. Your reimbursement is the lowest end of your tier, so if you spent $75 your reimbursement is $50. If you spend $450 you will receive $300. It might be fake currency, but Webzen is dropping some serious cash to keep their players in good graces. It isn’t as good as a real-money refund, but it is a welcome change when you consider the number of recent games to shut down without giving their players much more than a goodbye and a suggestion to buy their next product.

On the other hand, one guy on the comments section mentioned that Arctic Combat is being shut down because it is too successful and Webzen apparently can’t handle all of the money. Either way, you don’t see the possibility of 1:1 compensation all that much, so kudos to Webzen.

(Source: Webzen)

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