The Secret World

A few weeks ago The Secret World offered musicians the chance to weave their original melodies into the fabric of the conspiracy-laden game. Many heeded that call and over 300 submissions were received, some containing multiple compositions.

Instead of the originally intended five, 11 selections were chosen for inclusion in TSW. The winning music -- with titles like When Scouts Go Bad, I'll be the Death of You, Save Me, and The Zombie Stare -- will be introduced in Issue #7. Players will hear these pieces played on different radios throughout the game, such as those at The Ravens Knock and Susie's Diner in Kingsmouth, PC Bang in Seoul, and London's The Crusades nightclub. Congratulations to all the winners!

[Thanks to Samantha for the tip!]

Talk about timing.

Recently, you all voted that I continue my adventures on my Templar. The timing was impeccable because right in the middle of that vote, The Secret World's next issue was announced. And where will this update be focused? Why, in Egypt -- right where my Templar just so happens to be! Fortuitous for me, to be sure. So I have been (mostly) happily blasting my way through the desert with a shotgun at my hip and a rifle slung across my back, enjoying new-to-me content and anticipating the upcoming new-to-everyone goodies.

But not all timing has been good. As mentioned, I've been mostly enjoying my tales in the desert. Why the caveat? There's a bit of an infestation in Egypt, and I am not talking about the beetles that want to devour Said. The place is crawling with bugs! Besides swarming with giant locusts and their tentacled proboscises, Egypt also appears to have a higher prevalence of glitches. I have never encountered so many bugs in all of TSW as I have in a couple of days in that zone. And all at a time when the dev team is dealing with relocation and hasn't been able to jump right in and douse the area with a giant can of Raid.

The timing is particularly bad because it's unfortunately right when all eyes are turning to Egypt on the eve of Issue #6. How this release plays out will have lasting affects on the game and how folks view it.

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When Issue #6 Last Train to Cairo was announced for The Secret World, a new PvP ranking system was briefly touched upon. In today's dev blog, system designer Tim Donks goes into more detail about this new feature as well as the matchmaking system.

In response to player requests for PvP rewards, Issue #6 is introducing Battle Ranks. By gaining PvP experience (which is shared among all group members who are present and alive at the time of the enemy kill), players can climb the ranks of PvP prowess, earning special tokens along the way to spend on various PvP rewards, including uniforms that are automatically equipped when entering PvP. An important note about PvP experience: Less XP is earned for each subsequent kill of the same player within the battlegrounds, Fusang, and the fight clubs until nothing is gained. This diminishing rewards system resets for each new trip into a PvP zone.

Once the update hits, players will also be able to queue for multiple battlegrounds at the same time. Also expected in Issue #6 -- or shortly thereafter -- players' wins and losses in PvP matches will be tracked to improve the matchmaking mechanic.

Funcom has announced that The Secret World creative director Joel Bylos is now the creator director for all three of the firm's MMORPGs. This includes TSW, Age of Conan, and Anarchy Online. Bylos has penned letters from the game director for TSW and AoC, while AO's Dave "Ilaliya" Williams passes the torch via a forum post.

Bylos' TSW letter talks additional content plans up to and including Issue #12 (the live game currently sits on Issue #5, with #6 scheduled for early March). Bylos has a special place in his heart for AoC stemming from his time as the lead designer on the Rise of the Godslayer expansion, and his initial game director letter reflects on both coming home and the opportunities for expanding Hyboria. He also talks a bit about the pros and cons of having a single production team working on three live titles.

Finally, outgoing AoC producer Craig "Silirrion" Morrison recaps his four years at the helm and hints at a "new opportunity within the MMO world."

[Thanks to David for the tip.]

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It was a pretty close vote there at the end, with folks rallying to their factions, but the Templars ultimately won out. I have to say, I am kinda pleased with the result. It's not that I was rooting for any one faction over the others; I was quite sincere in requesting direction in my The Secret World adventures. It's just that with Issue #6 The Last Train to Cairo coming out, my Templar is my only character in Egypt and in the perfect position to partake in all the new stuff. And am I excited for the new stuff! Among the new missions, the veteran reward system, and the PvP ranking, my all-time favorite weapon is coming to game. Squeee!

Join me in eagerly anticipating these new adventures and offering the devs a round of applause.

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Oh hush, all you negative Nancys! No, this isn't an article about my jumping ship and leaving The Secret World. Far from it; there's still so much to do in there that I haven't gotten to. I know, I know -- there is a horde of you who have played through all the zones, completed all the quests, and filled out the entire ability wheel (earning yourself one snazzy outfit in doing so). But not me. In fact, I have countless play sessions of new content still ahead. The problem is, I don't know whom to do everything on! In this world of secret societies, I don't know who I truly am. Hence, my crisis of faith.

I am at a crossroads with my decision about which faction to really play. I used to have one clear main character who did everything, but thanks to Choose My Adventure and streaming, my little alt is nearly caught up and my main has stagnated. Should I continue with the brash little blonde Illuminati who was voted to life during CMA, or do I return to the steady trigger finger of my red-headed Templar? Or do I revive that first soul I created, the fiery-eyed, raven-haired Dragon? Whom should I devote my time and attention to? Does it really even matter?

Perhaps you, too, have experienced this same quandary, so let's find some answers together.

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Last week, I explored transportation as one avenue of making The Secret World even more of a living, breathing world. Today, my focus is on that one aspect that really can make an MMO a home: actual homes!

It's no secret that I love housing; I've written about it on multiple occasions and livestreamed tours in various games as well. But this isn't just about fulfilling a personal wish list. Adding housing goes beyond making my gaming experience more immersive (though it most certainly does that); it's a method for increasing the longevity of the game. Housing is one of those features that, when done well, binds players to a game, giving them a reason to not only stay in game longer during a play session but stick with the game long term. And I definitely want that for The Secret World.

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Ah, nothing like a pile of rotting stiffs to start your day off right, I always say! So nice of considerate readers to send me such pictures in my email. Maybe it's a somber commentary on the fragility of life and the tragedies that go unnoticed around us daily. Maybe it's somebody trying to gross me out. I'm good either way.

Reader Volska clues us in: "Talk about morbid. Here's a screenshot of some piles of corpses from the Guardian starter area in RIFT. No happy welcoming party here."

With a start like that, what other pictures will we have to share? It's a wild and wooly One Shots, and it all starts after the jump!

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It makes sense that while I am spending a week traveling about in this world, my mind turns to the subject of travel within The Secret World. Thankfully, some aspects of transportation in reality are not a part of our online world; I don't know if I could stand being stuck on a tarmac out at the Kingsmouth Airport! But with all the trappings of various vehicles littered all about the landscape, it's difficult to not want to snag one for personal use.

The desire to add these mechanical mounts isn't even about the need for speed; folks already have various speed boosts, and the world doesn't need to get smaller by our traveling each zone at an even quicker pace. It not about getting somewhere more quickly; it's about the feel of a living, immersive world. How many of you have come upon a bicycle or a scooter in TSW and had the instant urge to hop on? Or what about the slick motorcycle, sitting there, begging for a rider? I'm certainly not one to say, "Pfft, forget those sweet wheels; I prefer hoofing it when evading zombies." Having to walk on by is an immersion-breaker in a game where ambiance and immersion are two of the defining features.

So if the goal is to enhance immersion without making the zones seem even smaller, how would mounts work? I'm glad you asked!

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From suspenseful music to creepy background noises to the crackling of tunes on a radio, sound is a key element in the ambiance of The Secret World. And now, players have the chance to add their own music to the atmosphere of the game thanks to a new competition. Folks can get together with friends or record a piece solo and submit it for consideration to be included in TSW.

Entries to this music contest will be accepted from today until February 19th, 2013. All submissions must be the entrant's own composition or sent with the consent of the creator. Simon Poole, Funcom's audio director, will evaluate all submissions and choose the winners. For full details on how to submit your musical piece, check out the official guidelines.

It's a conspiracy, I tell you!

It has to be; every time The Secret World manages to better secure its footing, the ground starts shaking underneath again. This time, the upheaval comes in the form of the relocation of Funcom's development teams for its three MMOs to Raleigh, North Carolina. Of course, TSW isn't the only game affected by this restructuring, but after the other turbulence buffeting the game in its so-far short life (layoffs, insider trading accusations, changes in key roles), it's hard not to think that the game just can't catch a break. And dangit, it deserves one!

Initially, I had other thoughts to share for for today, but after that announcement last Friday, my mind has mostly been on this topic (along with a slew of related "re-" words). How much will this affect the game I adore? Who all will be lost from the team? And what, if anything, can I do to help support the game during this transition? Join me as I explore these questions and possibly discover a solution or two.

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Funcom has published game director letters for all three of its MMOs this morning, and one of the topics on everyone's mind is of course the studio's reorganization. As it turns out, the dev teams for The Secret World, Age of Conan, and Anarchy Online will all be operating out of the company's Raleigh, North Carolina facility which was previously the sole domain of the Funcom customer service team.

TSW's Joel Bylos notes that the move will cause some "development turbulence," and that the game's DLC and update schedule will slow down temporarily as a result. He has more details on both the game's Issue #6 update and veteran rewards in his letter. AoC's Craig Morrison says that the fantasy title isn't going anywhere, although he also acknowledges some staff turnover due to the relocation. He also notes that having the game's dev team and community team in the same building will be a huge benefit. Finally, Anarchy Online's update echoes the first two, but game director Dave "Ilaliya" Williams writes that the engine upgrade, server migration, and new player experience are all still on the table.

[Update]: Funcom has also published an update on the restructuring process on its main website.

[Thanks to David for the tip!]

Cash shops can be the bane of an altoholic, but The Secret World is aiming to ensure that your alts get all of the benefits your main already enjoys. Starting today, pets you unlock via the store will be unlocked for your account rather than one character, with the development team planning to move this functionality to outfits as well. That means that if you buy some cosmetic frippery once, it's yours forever on all your characters.

The game is also going to be putting together a veteran rewards program for subscribers. Each month of subscription provides Veteran Points, awarded at the same time that the subscription awards bonus cash shop points. Veterans can then spend the points on a variety of items, including new consumables, outfits, pets, and training dummies. It's always nice to have some extra benefits to being a long-term fan of a game, so if you're already enjoying deciphering conspiracy, there's extra incentive to keep at it.

[Thanks to Elania for the tip!]