Massively Speaking http://massively.joystiq.com This is the Massively podcast http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Massively SpeakingJoystiqMassively Speaking<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: Learning the basics of combat]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/the-art-of-wushu-learning-the-basics-of-combat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/the-art-of-wushu-learning-the-basics-of-combat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/the-art-of-wushu-learning-the-basics-of-combat/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu Learning the basics of combat
Many readers balked when I said Age of Wushu had the best combat in an MMO ever back when I did my first impressions piece. I admit, it was a bold claim. However, even after playing Guild Wars 2, TERA, and numerous other games with "deep MMO combat," I stand by what I said back then. Age of Wushu's PvP combat is the best in any MMO.

If you're coming from a mostly MMO background, combat in Age of Wushu is a bit daunting at first. It's really nothing like combat in any other MMO. It has a bit slower pace than a typical action-MMO, but it is the first to really employ tempo control. Attacking recklessly is a patch to a quick defeat, forcing players to make tough tactical decisions.

If you're like me and came to MMOs from a fighting game background, things readily click into place. Baiting common reactions and punishing them, punishing actions on reaction, and getting in the head of your opponent is better-rewarded than in any other MMO combat system. I don't want to badmouth games like GW2 that have great combat, so don't get me wrong; many other games have excellent combat. Age of Wushu's battle system is just even more fantastic. When I win a fight against an even-leveled opponent (or higher level, though that's rare) without taking an unblocked hit, I feel like a total beast.

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MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Learning the basics of combat originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushubasicsbest-combat-everbest-combat-in-an-mmo-everbest-mmo-combatchinachinesechinese-mythologycolumncombatduelduel-guideduelingfeaturedkung-fumartial-artspvprock-paper-scissorssandboxsnail-gamessnail-games-usawushuwuxiaWed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: Understanding the Meridian System]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-art-of-wushu-understanding-the-meridian-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-art-of-wushu-understanding-the-meridian-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-art-of-wushu-understanding-the-meridian-system/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu Understanding the Meridian System
Age of Wushu is not the most accessible game. It is full of confusing systems that are hard to decipher, and a large part of the "skill" in the game is being able to wade through the mess of gameplay elements and produce an optimized character.

Meridians are one more extremely confusing system to handle. There are nine meridian lines, advanced characters can activate four of them, and even training them at all is pretty confusing. Training the correct ones adds another layer of complexity to an already confusing game.

I'm not a huge fan of the system -- it causes a number of metagame problems, particularly due to the increased HP inherent to everyone who trains a meridian line. However, it's there and we have to make the best use of it. How do we do that? Read on!

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MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Understanding the Meridian System originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushuchinachinesechinese-mythologycolumnconfusingfeaturedguideguideskung-fumartial-artsmeridianmeridiasopinionsandboxsnail-gamessnail-games-usastatstat-guidestatswushuwuxiaWed, 08 May 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: The war for server time [Updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/the-art-of-wushu-the-war-for-server-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/the-art-of-wushu-the-war-for-server-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/the-art-of-wushu-the-war-for-server-time/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu The war for server time
Scheduled events are a huge part of Age of Wushu. While each player has the option of enjoying the game at his own pace, scheduled events mark the major ways people can have an impact on the world at large. Because these events have to occur at a specific time, their placement will always be convenient for some and inconvenient for others.

Recently -- and without warning -- Snail changed the server time in response to complaints about various events being inconvenient. This time change was influenced by a vote thread on the official forums, but was otherwise invisible; there were no warnings in the game's launcher or via in-game announcements until days afterward. The lack of communication about the time change was bad enough, but unfortunately, listening to the vocal minority had much larger, far-reaching problems for players. [Please see the end of this article for Snail's appended response to these arguments.]

I was going to talk about meridians this time, but addressing this topic was something you requested. You came to the Massively tip jar. You emailed me directly. You messaged me in game. You even came to my house and said, "Hey man, you should write about how messed up the time change is." You asked, and this is my reply.

Continue reading The Art of Wushu: The war for server time [Updated]

MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: The war for server time [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushuchinachinesechinese-mythologycolumndev-mistakedeveloper-mistakeentitledentitlementfeaturedguild-warkung-fumartial-artsopinionprotestsandboxscript-stealingscriptssnail-gamessnail-games-usatime-changetimezonewhiningwushuwuxiaWed, 24 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: Launching into Age of Wushu]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/the-art-of-wushu-launching-into-age-of-wushu/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/the-art-of-wushu-launching-into-age-of-wushu/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/the-art-of-wushu-launching-into-age-of-wushu/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu Launching into Age of Wushu
Age of Wushu just launched publicly today, and as you read this, thousands of players are getting into the game for the very first time. For a lot of you first-time readers, you might be wondering what the heck is this game, why should you play it, and what are some of the community resources for the game?

Age of Wushu is an open-world PvP sandbox set in a fictional Ming Dynasty China where traditional MMO elements like sorcery and character levels are eschewed for martial arts and proficiency in a wide variety of different skills. I'm fond of saying that Wushu is "like EVE in China." Many of AoW's features are similar to EVE's systems, including an emphasis on leveling breadth versus depth, a true player economy, and social maneuvering and backstabbing. At the same time, Wushu is a fundamentally different creature, with skill-based gameplay and a much clunkier interface. It's also a bit simpler than EVE, but the barrier of entry is still pretty high.

The Art of Wushu column is about lowering that bar a bit, and I'm simultaneously proud and sad to say that the English fan-made wiki still currently provides much less in-depth information than this column does. If you're already playing the game, check out some of the previous articles as they are pretty useful things that I link people to regularly. If you're not a new player yet, well... this one's for you.

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MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Launching into Age of Wushu originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushublue-dragonchinachinesechinese-mythologycolumnfeaturedhands-onkung-fulaunchlaunch-daylaunch-day-patchlaunchesmartial-artsmeridianmeridiansminers-are-best-pvperspvpsandboxsnail-gamessnail-games-usastare-into-eternitywhite-tigerwhy-play-age-of-wushuwushuwuxiaWed, 10 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: The right stats for each style]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/the-art-of-wushu-the-right-stats-for-each-style/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/the-art-of-wushu-the-right-stats-for-each-style/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/the-art-of-wushu-the-right-stats-for-each-style/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu The right stats for each style
There are a few questions I answer on a very regular basis in Age of Wushu. "How do you make money?" is a pretty common question, but I think we've answered that. "Can you annotate my book?" happens rather frequently, too. However, the most common question I answer is "what stats should I get?"

The answer for this question is anything but simple, and I end up spending hours explaining it to individuals. If I went back through my chat logs, I could probably fill this entire column just by copy-pasting because I've answered this question so many times.

For the first time, this information will be available as a public resource. Instead of spending hours of my time explaining it to people, I can just link it! Even if you think you know what you're doing with your stats, this is a must-read.

Continue reading The Art of Wushu: The right stats for each style

MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: The right stats for each style originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushuchinachinesechinese-mythologycolumnequipmentfeaturedgeargear-guideguideguideskung-fumartial-artssandboxsnail-gamessnail-games-usastat-guidestatswushuwuxiaWed, 27 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: Winning in market PvP]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/the-art-of-wushu-winning-in-market-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/the-art-of-wushu-winning-in-market-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/the-art-of-wushu-winning-in-market-pvp/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu Winning in market PvP
Last time on the Art of Wushu, I promised I would write on how to sell production crafts. Crafting is a big deal in Age of Wushu, so it seemed like a reasonable topic to cover. However, I realized doing so would probably be a mistake. Why?

If you followed my advice from two weeks ago, congratulations. You probably noticed a huge nosedive in a few markets: hemp, ramie, iron, and mint all took a huge hit. It's a bit flattering to see how I can write a post on what to sell and readers like you guys take it to heart, flooding the market with supply and crashing the value of these commodities. If I gave advice on production crafting, the same thing would happen.

Instead, this week I'm going to talk about real market strategy. Pointing out things that sell doesn't help you if the market takes a nose-dive. Understanding supply and demand curves, market equilibrium, and the importance of market diversity are all long-term tools that will help you regardless of what you're selling.

Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Winning in market PvP

MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Winning in market PvP originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushuchinachinesechinese-mythologycolumncraftingdemandeconomicseconomyfeaturedguidekung-fumarketmarket-crashmarket-equilibriummarketingmartial-artsprice-checkingpricespricingsandboxsellingsnail-gamessnail-games-usasupplysupply-and-demandwushuwuxiaWed, 13 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: Making silver through harvesting]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/the-art-of-wushu-making-silver-through-harvesting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/the-art-of-wushu-making-silver-through-harvesting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/the-art-of-wushu-making-silver-through-harvesting/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu Making silver through harvesting
I got a lot of backlash over the last installment of The Art of Wushu. While the issues over pay-to-win are understandable, an overwhelming number of you seemed to disbelieve the amount of silver I was able to produce daily. Some of you protested my 1D/daily figure (which is on the high side), while others questioned whether I could make even 500L per day. My email was flooded with people asking me to share some of my secrets.

I was going to talk about movement and parkour this time, but because you guys asked, you'll get an answer. "How do I make money in Age of Wushu," you ask? Let's cover the easy ways to make money. These are methods that literally any player, regardless of subscription status or level, can take advantage of. This time we're going to cover harvesting -- what sells and what doesn't. Let's get started.

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MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Making silver through harvesting originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuage-of-wushu-guideage-of-wushu-guidesart-of-wushuchinachinesechinese-mythologycolumnfeaturedfishinggatheringharvestinghempherbalismincomekung-fumaking-money-in-age-of-wushumartial-artsminingmoneymoney-makingmoneymakingpoison-makingsandboxsellingsilversnail-gamessnail-games-usavendingwushuwuxiayou-can-harvest-weed-tooWed, 27 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: Paying doesn't mean winning]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/the-art-of-wushu-paying-doesnt-mean-winning/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/the-art-of-wushu-paying-doesnt-mean-winning/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/the-art-of-wushu-paying-doesnt-mean-winning/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu Paying doesn't mean winning
Age of Wushu has come under a lot of fire as a pay-to-win game. There are ways to get in-game power for out-of-game money, so there are a lot of reasons to assume that real cash can turn you into one of the top fighters in Jianghu.

Fortunately for the dedicated players (and to the chagrin of cash shop whales), the truth is a bit more skewed. There are varying degrees of pay-to-win cash shops, but Age of Wushu's cash shop provides very few outlets to directly buy power. The main culprit is the simple fact that spending real money can give a player silver to spend on anything he or she wants.

Silver is king in Age of Wushu. The entire player market revolves around silver, and the largest source of it comes from the cash shop. Does this mean you need to pay to have a chance?

Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Paying doesn't mean winning

MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Paying doesn't mean winning originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushucash-shopcash-shopschinachinesechinese-mythologycolumncultivationepic-mountfeaturedgoes-fasthorseinternal-cultivationkung-fumartial-artsmartial-trainingmountneigongopinionpay-to-winpay-to-win-debatesandboxsnail-gamessnail-games-usatangmentangmen-goes-fastwushuwuxiaWed, 13 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: Gathering and crafting]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/the-art-of-wushu-gathering-and-crafting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/the-art-of-wushu-gathering-and-crafting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/the-art-of-wushu-gathering-and-crafting/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu Gathering and crafting
Life skills are the central point of Age of Wushu's player economy. All useful equipment, food, and most of the useful consumables are only available through crafting, and equipment requires lengthy production chains and an injection of tradable silver in order to make it effective. This process is fairly daunting to a new player, and even experienced players go for a long time without taking advantage of the many advantages present from trade and crafting.

In Age of Wushu, life skills represent a character's day job. You'll go to work gathering materials to sell or to craft into goods to sell, and then use the money from those sales to purchase things other people make and food to sustain yourself. Because we have a limited amount of space, this column will focus on production skills and production chains so that you can make the best choice about which type of goods you want to craft.

Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Gathering and crafting

MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Gathering and crafting originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wushu-craftingage-of-wushu-crafting-guideage-of-wushu-guideblacksmithchefcookingcraftingcraftsmanday-jobfeaturedgatheringharvestingjewelcraftinglife-skillspoison-makingpoisonerproductiontailoringtradeskillsweaponsmithWed, 30 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Wushu: The right martial arts school for you]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/the-art-of-wushu-the-right-martial-arts-school-for-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/the-art-of-wushu-the-right-martial-arts-school-for-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/the-art-of-wushu-the-right-martial-arts-school-for-you/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Art of Wushu The right martial arts school for you
Normally at Massively, we start off a column by linking to relevant community sites and information resources for a game. Things are a bit different with Age of Wushu, however. Aside from the main community site and the wiki currently under construction, there isn't much information about the game available in English.

Running biweekly, The Art of Wushu will help you navigate the sprawling Wushu sandbox. This week, we'll be looking at the various martial arts schools in the game and which schools to select in order to fit your preferred playstyle. While we can't go over each school's intricacies in depth, we'll do our best to give you a brief primer on what you can expect as a member of a particular school.

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MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: The right martial arts school for you originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuart-of-wushuasiabeggars-sectcharacter-creationchinachinesechinese-mmoclass-choiceemeifeaturedfighting-stylegpotatogvgjet-lijinyi-weijinyiweikidnappingmartial-artsming-dynastypvproyal-guardssandboxscholarsschoolschool-choiceschool-selectionshaolinsnail-gamessnail-games-usatangmenthe-art-of-warthe-art-of-wushuwanderers-valleywudangwushuwuxiaWed, 16 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST