Expansions

With just two days to go until EVE Online's exploration-focused Odyssey expansion goes live, players have been scouring the test server for information that can give them an edge. Some have been practicing moon surveying techniques for the upcoming redistribution of tech 2 minerals, and others are hoping to get rich quick by speculating on battleship price changes. Explorers are kitting out new exploration ships, theorycrafters are working on new setups for rebalanced ships, and pirates are setting up base in lowsec areas that are about to become fertile hunting grounds.

Odyssey isn't quite the Apocrypha-level expansion I've been hoping for, but it certainly seems set to shake things up. Changes to moon minerals will throw nullsec into chaos and hopefully ignite some big territorial wars, and battleship buffs may change EVE's popular fleet compositions. The Discovery Scanner Overlay will make exploration much easier for new players to get into, but will also give pirates another tool with which to hunt down explorers. A new co-operative hacking minigame will also make exploration more of a team sport. But how can you make the most of the expansion from day one, and what can you do today to prepare for it?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the new exploration system and other changes you can expect when you log in on Tuesday, and what you can do now to make the most of them.

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Could it be? Is that really... it IS! Your eyes do not deceive you; there really is a bonafide date set for the release of Aion's next expansion, Dark Betrayal. And I've got to tell you, it is such a relief to be able to share the news without the chance of that electric shock collar going off. You'll be able to spread your wings in Katalam and Danaria -- or just spread new wings period if you go for one of the new classes -- come June 26th. But here's the catch: If you still have things you want to get in order before the expansion hits (perhaps gain a level or two like some people we know), now you've got a deadline!

Luckily, for all those stuck in the position of needing to advance in levels a bit to experience all of what 4.0 offers, Aion's got just the event to help you out. Starting June 5th and going all the way to launch on the 26th, any and all Daevas -- meaning level 10 and above -- can participate in Code Red and receive special enhancements to aid in their adventures.

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Snail Games has a busy lineup in store for next month's E3. The studio will use the expo for several reveals, including a steampunk MMO, a dance-off MMO, and an expansion for Age of Wushu.

The steampunk title is Black Gold, which is set in a fantasy universe where industrial technology and magic are at war (yes, it has giant mechs vs. dragons). It will have six races and six classes, although the classes will also have subclasses to allow for interesting combinations. Black Gold is set to begin closed beta testing tomorrow in China and Taiwan.

Age of Wushu: Legends of Mount Hua promises to deliver new content starting in July, although Snail Games has yet to go into specifics as to what that content might be. The dance MMO is called Music Soul and features nine game modes that pit boogieing players against each other.

[Source: Snail Games press release]

Today's the day that the goddess Shilen unleashes her fury on the world of Aden in the form of her champion, the dragon Lindvior, Lord of the Western Winds. But Lineage II's latest update, Lindvior Goddess of Destruction, brings more than just this epic dragon boss to test the mettle of players. It also adds more Awakened classes (bringing the total from eight to 34), three new zones, and plenty of new armor and weapons. On top of that, players will have a new character customization system with over 100 new looks.

Gon Namkung, L2's development director, stated, "This is by far the most intricate challenge that players have ever faced in Lineage II throughout its long and storied history. The entire Lineage II development team is proud of this achievement and we are confident only the best players will defeat Lindvior." He continued, "We issue this challenge to all our players, who will defeat Lindvior first!?"

[Sourse: NCsoft press release]

It's time again for another enormous EVE Online expansion. This latest chunk of tweaks, changes, and updates, titled Odyssey and due for launch June 4, marks the 19th free content addition in the space-based MMO's 10-year history. And like the expansions that came before it, Odyssey promises to make a host of changes to the EVE universe -- some big, some small, and some even game-changing.

We sat down with CCP to get a look at Odyssey and some of its more major components, including a huge exploration overhaul, more user-friendly controls, and a dramatic change to the way in which resources are distributed across its vast, starry expanses.

Here's what we've learned.

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Last week Star Trek Online's much anticipated expansion, the Legacy of Romulus, went live after months of veritable hype. The launch was not without its problems, and some of those problems are still being ironed out.

In spite of all the server issues, I finally got to jump into the game and begin my first Romulan character and take my Vice Admiral character to the new adventure zone on Nimbus III to take a look around. Take a leap past the jump to see what's new in the Star Trek Online universe.

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EVE Online's Odyssey expansion is set to land in just over a week's time, kicking off the game's second decade with a focus on exploration, immersion, and resource rebalancing. Developers plan to shake up nullsec by redistributing the value of various moon minerals and buffing player-owned outposts, and lowsec will become a more tempting place to visit with the addition of valuable new tags to asteroid belt NPCs. But what's in it for highsec players?

In addition to new navy issue battlecruisers and immersive new jump and death sequences, players from all corners of EVE will find new exploration content in their back yards. A big part of the new exploration system is a complete redesign of the Hacking and Archaeology mini-professions, which have been in EVE for as long as I can remember and have remained relatively unchanged. Odyssey will add new sites for both professions and replace the boring old chance-based system with a new minigame that emphasises co-operation with other players.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the history of Hacking and Archaeology in EVE and what the new system brings to the table.

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After months of waiting, we can finally say that Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion is upon us! After yesterday's launch, it's now possible to play as a member of the new Romulan Republic faction. It's now possible to begin a Klingon faction character from level 1! There's a new adventure zone and a completely overhauled user interface.

We recently had the opportunity to ask Star Trek Online's Executive Producer, Daniel Stahl, some questions regarding the update. We were also given a lot of screenshots of the new material, and all are included in the new gallery below. There was a lot to cover, so let's get to it!

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Dungeons and Dragons Online's second expansion will not be like the first. In fact, Shadowfell Conspiracy might even be seen as a pseudo-sequel to DDO, a game-within-a-game that's offering players a fresh start in a favorite land. When the expansion hits on August 19th, players will be able to ignore all of DDO's Eberron content to start a new character at level 15 in the Forgotten Realms. Between the Forgotten Realms content that Turbine's added to the game in the past year and the new missions coming with Shadowfell Conspiracy, players could conceivably level solely in this setting.

It's obvious that Turbine's a little Forgotten-Realms-mad right now, although that's not a bad thing. The setting is a favorite among D&D fans, and while Eberron has its supporters, the studio obviously sees the Forgotten Realms as the future of this long-running MMO. While the expansion is still a couple of months away, today's Update 18: Disciples of Shadow update will serve as a prologue so that players can get started on their journey through this fresh land.

We sat down with DDO's team to talk about Update 18, the new races coming with Shadowfell Conspiracy, and the pre-purchase program that promises to give you head start. Read on, or else the wrath of the owl bear will be upon thee!

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The updated radial menu will be connected to the underutilized left mouse button and is confined to eight segments that will change depending on what the user is clicking. The studio wrote up a blog post on the subject, promising that the redesign is intuitive and will result in faster access to relevant commands.

Initially, the radial menu upgrade will be for ship flight only, although CCP is willing to expand its domain if players find it useful. This feature is currently available on the test server.

With today's launch of Star Trek Online's first expansion, Legacy of Romulus, players can boldly go where no one has gone before. (Not to mention it gives us a reason to use that iconic phrase!) From new species and ships to more Klingon content, this next chapter in the STO saga expands the universe for players to explore. Want to captain a new ship as a Romulan or a Reman? Can do. How about adventure in a new zone? Yup. Or maybe just revel in the bounty of new rewards? Go for it.

If, however, you're stuck in spacedock and unable to head out yet, you can check out the changes awaiting you in the guides, videos, news briefs, and galleries below.

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Just because you're playing a Romulan in Star Trek Online's first expansion doesn't mean every other Romulan is your friend. Empress Sela's Tal Shiar are a huge threat not just to the nascent Romulan Republic but to all sentient life throughout the galaxy, epitomized with their insectoid ships that fuse Romulan, Borg, and Elachi technology together. Needless to say, these ships are never good to see on the horizon. Unless you happen to open one in a lockbox, anyhow.

Yes, the newest lockbox in the game will give players a chance to earn the strange ships of the Tal Shiar, giving all captains a chance to fly some of the strangest ships yet seen in the game. The ships perform similarly to Romulan crafts with their built-in cloaks, but they exchange some of the active Romulan cloaking power for tactical weapons like Shrapnel Torpedoes. For more details on what awaits in the upcoming lockboxes, take a look at the full rundown of potential prizes.

It's a little strange to think that it's already been three months since the developers at Star Trek Online first teased us with the Legacy of Romulus expansion with the March Beneath the Raptor's Wings kicker at the end of the anniversary video. Even then there were many of us who sincerely doubted the teaser meant we would finally be able to play a Romulan character, let alone that the Klingon faction would be filled-out.

Yet here we are, on the eve of the release of Star Trek Online's first expansion and a flood of new material. Beware, I will be writing spoilers about the new content, but if you're not worried about that, feel free to join me as I touch on most of what we're going to see!

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Last month saw the huge tenth anniversary EVE Online Fanfest, a three-day convention packed full of exclusive reveals, behind-the-scenes talks, and community events. This year's Fanfest was the biggest one yet, celebrating EVE's tenth anniversary with special guest speakers from the scientific community, the reveal of a new virtual reality dogfighter, DUST 514's launch, and details of the upcoming Odyssey expansion. Massively was there to bring you coverage of the big news as it happened, and CCP streamed some of the key talks and events live to viewers at home.

This year's Fanfest sold out so quickly that many people who wanted to go didn't get a chance to, and only a select few talks were shown on the public livestream. With such a packed event schedule, even players in attendance couldn't be there for every interesting talk. Thankfully, CCP recorded over 30 of the most anticipated events and has now uploaded the videos to YouTube. Highlights include the Make EVE Real videos, the EVE keynote, the CCP Presents Keynote, and the talks on how DUST 514 integrates with the EVE economy.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I round up all of the EVE Fanfest videos in a handy list.

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