Patches

The world of gPotato's long-running free-to-play MMO Flyff is about to change in a big way. In a press release today, the studio announced the upcoming July launch of Flyff Gold, which will add a whole slew of features and revamps, many of which have been requested by the community. According to the press release, players can look forward to "a fresh new look and dynamic interface," as well as features such as "achievements redeemable for item shop goodies" and a "set-and-forget consignment marketplace for easy trading," plus much more.

To celebrate the update's imminent release, gPotato is beginning "game-wide log-in and level-up events" that will reward players for, as the name would imply, logging in and leveling up. These events make for the perfect time for new players to jump into the game and get some shiny loot in preparation for the Flyff Gold release. For more details on the game's upcoming additions, you can go check out Flyff Gold's teaser site.

[Source: gPotato press release]

In a post on the official Diablo III forums earlier today, Community Manager Nethaera addressed a few of the concerns that have been brought up in the game's momentous first week.

Neth first linked to an up-to-date list of hotfixes that have been implemented thus far. For the spoiler-wary among you, be warned that if you haven't completed the game on Normal difficulty, some of the hotfixes might be spoilerific. Now that you're thoroughly warned that there may be spoilers, head on over to the list of hotfixes if you dare. Neth also advised players that additional server maintenance will be required in time and that there's a game patch inbound for sometime next week.

She also took the time to address the real-money auction house. Although Neth states that the service is "coming soon," it's been delayed due to post-launch difficulties. The team apparently needs "a bit more time to iron out the existing general stability and gameplay issues" before the real-money auction house is ready for launch. Players shouldn't expect the auction house to be ready in May despite initial plans for it to go online on the 22nd, and there wasn't a solid date to look forward to.

Neth went on to assure players that neither D3 nor Battle.net servers have been compromised, despite all the hubbub about security concerns that's been filling the air the last few days.

In all of the individual Diablo III-related compromise cases we've investigated, none have occurred after a physical Battle.net Authenticator or Battle.net Mobile Authenticator app was attached to the player's account, and we have yet to find any situation where a Diablo III player's account was accessed outside of "traditional" compromise methods (i.e. someone logging using an account's login email and password).

She reminded players to exercise constant vigilance by practicing smart password management, scanning for malware and viruses regularly, and generally being savvy.

When you look at KoramGame's über-cute free-to-play title Spirit Tales, revolutionary PvP probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. According to a new press release, however, that's exactly what the studio is aiming for in an upcoming update which will add 1v5 monster boss PvP to the game.

The feature is pretty much what it sounds like: One player takes on the role of a giant dungeon boss mob, and it's his job to stomp the everloving daylights out of the other five players who will be teaming up to bring him down. The victor of these 1v5 battles will be rewarded with "stronger, more powerful PvP equipment" with which to further dominate the battlefield. The update will be going live on June 6th, and players who take part in the new gametype between its launch and July 1st will have the opportunity to win fancy Tt gaming peripherals, so head on over to the game's official site and get ready to rumble.

[Source: KoramGame press release]

All Points Bulletin: Reloaded's patch 1.8 is now live, and GamersFirst is offering a special deal for players who want to jump in and experience some cops-and-robbers mayhem. Any APB players who log in within the next seven days will find a free one-day premium membership code on their accounts. These codes can be redeemed for, as the name would suggest, one free day of premium membership, which grants bonuses such as a 20% discount on the new cash-shop items.

The one-day premium bonus makes this the perfect time for veteran and new players alike to jump into San Paro and experience all of the new features of 1.8 and the recently released patch 1.7, each of which introduced a wealth of content such as fight club challenges, new weapon mods and skins, and more. To get in on the action for yourself, head on over to the game's official site.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is gonna get some mighty fine updates with the onset of patch 1.3. Game Designer Daniel Erickson had a chat with PC Gamer to shed some light on the changes in the upcoming patch.

Players in SWTOR don't like standing still. As Erickson says: "You can craft on the move, run [war zones] from anywhere, and basically never slow down -- except when looking for a group." To put an end to that difficulty, 1.3 will include a LFG interface that players can use to find a pick-up group to run with (except for Hard Mode Operations, which aren't really designed for uncoordinated PUGs). The tool won't work cross-server, but that's because the dev team is looking to move to servers with a much, much higher population cap in the near future.

The patch will add new perks to the legacy system, most of which are aimed at customizing the way players level their alts. With a high enough legacy and enough credits, players could use XP perks to skip side quests altogether, although Erickson points out that that there are perks for Bonus Series quests that may tempt players to visit planets they've previously left alone.

The last bundle of tidings of great joy for the patch is directed at gear. There's a fine balance between freedom of dress and the importance of visual distinction, and SWTOR aims to find it by allowing "social gear" to be worn anywhere. Additionally, "almost every single item in the game" will get customization options thanks to augment slots. Players can use augment slots on gear to add, well, augments, which will allow them to further customize their character and playstyle.