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Xsyon creature migration system unveiled

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game Mechanics, News Items, PvE, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox

As part of making a dynamic, living world, Notorious Games unveiled Xsyon's unique new creature migration system. Unlike worlds where mobs are static, this sandbox will ensure that animals don't just hang around one place. Instead, as animals breed and the populations expand, they will move from regions with higher populations to areas with lower ones.

Different species will also exhibit different tendencies when migrating. Smaller, tamer critters will congregate toward the shores of Lake Tahoe and civilization, whereas the more dangerous creatures will migrate toward the mountains away from people. The wild animals that venture too close or into the toxic mist will mutate and return to wreak havoc upon the denizens of the land.

[Source: Notorious Games press release]

Xsyon creature migration system unveiled originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A look at the Norn events of Guild Wars 2

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Races

Norn Week continues for Guild Wars 2, and while that may sound a bit like Shark Week, it's not quite the same deal. The Norn are a bit more personable, for one. They're also the center of a new piece on designing and redesigning events on the official blog, penned by Jeffrey Vaughn. Focusing on the event design of the Wayfarer Hills (the starting area for Norn characters), the article covers both the general design procedure as well as the specifics for new Norn.

As Vaughn puts it, one of the centerpieces of the area's design is the four shrines to the Norn totem animals -- Bear, Raven, Wolf, and Snow Leopard. Originally all four were slated to be attacked by the Dragon-worshipping Sons of Svanir, but those events felt mechanically identical, resulting in changes being made to each shrine's event. Guild Wars 2 players can enjoy a slice of the Norn's Nordic flavor and lore with the latest installment of the week.

A look at the Norn events of Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Hartsman answers RIFT player questions

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, Endgame, News Items, RIFT

RIFT's launch is getting ever closer, and that means more and more questions for players to start wondering about. Scott Hartsman recently took part in an interview responding to several player questions, ranging from guilds and dungeon grouping to the disruption the eponymous rifts can wreak upon a questing environment. As Hartsman puts it, the large-scale changes that can happen as a result of the dynamic spawns can shut down questing, but that's part of the goal, and it's tuned so that an empty zone will never be subjected to a cascading series of unbeatable enemy invasions.

While the game isn't set to have any sort of group-finding system in place on launch, Hartsman is of the mind that it's better to wait and launch an excellent tool than to simply put in a half-hearted attempt. He also expands on the varied high-end content available to players beyond simply raids as well as what players can expect for content releases down the line. While RIFT still has about half a month until release, the information already available is painting a fairly cohesive picture.

Scott Hartsman answers RIFT player questions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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