Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Darkfall alignment changes incoming]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/21/darkfall-alignment-changes-incoming/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/21/darkfall-alignment-changes-incoming/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/21/darkfall-alignment-changes-incoming/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Alignment in Darkfall has long been a sore spot for the game's devoted playerbase. Aventurine's original implementation allowed for players to farm one another at will and basically offered no real penalty for doing so. According to a new activity report on the Darkfall Epic Blog, all that is about to change.

Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras states that "alignment changes are going in. Enough with killing other players, this won't improve your alignment any more." So just how does a bad Agonian man (or Mahirim) lose that negative alignment? The devs are implementing a new mechanic centered around Chaos Churches where players can "repent their negative alignment away."

Said churches are located in the game's neutral cities (i.e., those not aligned with any of the title's warring races). The activity report doesn't go into a whole lot of detail, but Tasos does indicate that there will be a spotlight feature dedicated to the new mechanic in the near future. Aside from alignment, this week's report also hints at fishing-related modifications, specifically those made to player ships to allow for scalable catches based on the safety of the waters, as well as additional protection against attacks from player swimmers. Finally, there's a bit more info about meditation tweaks and a mention of increased drop rates for books, scrolls, and attribute consumables.

MassivelyDarkfall alignment changes incoming originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activity-reportalignmentalignment-changesalignment-exploitaventurinechaos-churchchaos-churcheschaos-citydarkfallffafishingmeditationpvepvpsandboxtasostasos-flambourasMon, 21 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Darkfall activity report hints at game-changing expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/22/darkfall-activity-report-hints-at-game-changing-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/22/darkfall-activity-report-hints-at-game-changing-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/22/darkfall-activity-report-hints-at-game-changing-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's been pretty quiet in Darkfall land since the first of the year, and whether that's because the devs have been hunting wabbits or hard at work on the game's next patch is a question that is addressed in the latest Aventurine activity report. There's a new patch in the works, tentatively scheduled for sometime next week, and it's bringing "significant changes" to the offline leveling system that was introduced late last year. How significant? For starters, additional skills will be available for meditation and the overall gains will see a substantial increase according to Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras.

Aside from the patch, the dev team continues to forge ahead with Darkfall's next expansion, and it is shaping up to be (quite literally) a world-changer. Flambouras outlines the team's high-level approach which "involves a complete overhaul and dramatic streamlining of the world and complete redistribution of all its features," as well as a "completely level playing field for all players." Details on these sweeping statements are vague at this point, but Darkfall will clearly be undergoing some huge changes when the expansion debuts in the second quarter of 2011.

Finally, the activity report touches on long-standing issues like the grind, character progression, endgame content, and the alignment system. If that's not enough for you, there's also a hint about a drop rate increase on books, scrolls, and stat potions, leading us to conclude that big things are afoot in the world of Agon. Stay tuned.

MassivelyDarkfall activity report hints at game-changing expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activity-reportaventurineaventurine-sadarkfalldarkfall-expansiondarkfall-onlineexpansionfantasymeditationoffline-levelingoverhaulpatchpvpsandboxskillstasostasos-flambourasSat, 22 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Darkfall offline skilling coming this week]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/darkfall-offline-skilling-coming-this-week/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/darkfall-offline-skilling-coming-this-week/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/darkfall-offline-skilling-coming-this-week/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ready for offline skilling in Darkfall? Ready or not, it's on the way with this week's patch, according to Aventurine's latest activity report. In addition to the hotly debated advancement mechanic, the devs are also tweaking the sea fortress schedule and updating auto-stacking on equipped items.

The activity report, written by Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras, also makes mention of several important pieces of player feedback that the devs are working to address. Balance issues brought on by bunnyhoppers, one-man clans declaring war, and additional types of craftable ships are all on the internal discussion table. Flambouras also uses the activity report to clue us in to the importance of player feedback. "We're not talking about long-term hopes when we say we're looking into something or working on an issue. If we talk about it, there are developers assigned to it and community liaisons following up on progress," he writes.

MassivelyDarkfall offline skilling coming this week originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activity-reportauto-stackingaventurineaventurine-sacommunity-suggestionsdarkfalldarkfall-epic-blogdarkfall-onlineepic-blogfantasymeditationoffline-meditationoffline-skillingpvepvpsea-fortresssea-fortress-scheduletasostasos-flambourasSun, 05 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/17/jade-dynasty-goes-into-open-beta-supplies-new-trailer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/17/jade-dynasty-goes-into-open-beta-supplies-new-trailer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/17/jade-dynasty-goes-into-open-beta-supplies-new-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Perfect World Entertainment's new flagship game, Jade Dynasty, has pulled itself out of closed beta right on time and has jumped into open beta, swords and magic at the ready.

If you're looking to check out this new free-to-play MMO, or at least judge some of the controversial game options for yourself, you can head right on over to the Jade Dynasty website, sign up for Perfect World Entertainment's portal, and jump into the game with no beta key required.

With the release of the open beta client comes a new trailer, and we here at Massively have cleverly embedded the video after the break. If you want to see some high flying combat, just hit continue reading and enjoy the video!

Continue reading Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer

MassivelyJade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>afkbottingcontroversydreaminggliderinvigoratejade-dynastyjdmeditationperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentWed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Video games treat chronic pain better than drugs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/video-games-treat-chronic-pain-better-than-drugs-working-title/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/video-games-treat-chronic-pain-better-than-drugs-working-title/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/video-games-treat-chronic-pain-better-than-drugs-working-title/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


The last thing Merck or Pfizer want to hear is that their drugs aren't needed anymore. According to Diane Gromala, a Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) professor, that may just be the case. She bases her belief on the many experiments that consistently show people who suffer serious, chronic pain (which Gromala suffers from herself) often find more relief in virtual reality environments than drug-based treatments.

According to a CanWest News Service article, Gromala is currently working with doctors to learn why subjects who are distracted in virtual reality worlds report less pain than those using drug-based pain therapy. She believes that controlling pain through computerized VR and biofeedback mediation gives people ways to express, control, and keep track of their pain that pills can't. Video games have been shown to help patients in drug addiction therapy, why not pain management as well?

If her studies pan out to be true (we first learned about this story from the folks at FileFront) , it will most certainly help vidicate an industry that has otherwise been villified for everything from mass school shootings to creating a generation of slackers. A little bit of good PR for video games would be a nice change of pace.

MassivelyVideo games treat chronic pain better than drugs originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biofeedbackchronic-painDiane-GromaladrugsmeditationmmorehabilitationSimon-Fraser-Universityvirtual-realityMon, 17 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST