Episode 16: Blizzard is the New TSA

Beautiful Wildstar vista from https://twitter.com/lady_annieloy
Beautiful Wildstar vista from @lady_annieloy

 

This week we discuss Wander’s issues, Guild Wars 2’s issues, World of Warcraft’s issues, and other issues. Issues. That word has lost all meaning to me now. Welcome to Casual Core Radio, where we talk about MMOs and where our lore in stuck in their canon…

MMO News

 

Guild Wars 2
Heart of Thorns Preorder controversy: http://massivelyop.com/2015/06/18/why-guild-wars-2s-prepurchase-deal-has-the-internet-raging/
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/pre-purchase-community-address/
Specializations: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/specializations-part-one-a-primer/
Reward tracks and Elite Specs: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/specializations-part-one-a-primer/
Spec changes: http://dulfy.net/2015/06/16/gw2-june-23-specialization-changes/

Azeroth Do Not Fly list becomes a premium-air-experience feature.
http://massivelyop.com/2015/06/10/world-of-warcraft-to-allow-flight-in-draenor-in-a-post-6-2-patch/

TSW – $42 for ALL of it… amazing deal for a b2p game.
http://www.thesecretworld.com/news/the_ultimate_edition_is_here
http://www.thesecretworld.com/news/the_franken_chopper_is_here

Wanderlaunch and… Wandercrash
http://massivelyop.com/2015/05/28/explorer-centric-wander-launches-june-4th-with-new-hira-form/
http://massivelyop.com/2015/06/08/wander-struggles-with-bugs-crashes/

 

MMO Community

 

Flashpoint celebrates their 100th episode.

Ootinicast is over 200 (I was in Vegas that week I think)

@lady_annieloy

Xam Xam’s Lore post on Vitiate and the Fallen Empire
http://www.xamxamsays.com/?p=1766

I6: Ravenloft

Secretly Kephess:
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8256270

I want to to Believe:
http://ootinicast.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/I-want-to-believe-Kephess.jpg

 

If I Were a Dev

 

How would you handle content release cycles – how often and what level of content?

JOE: Monthly mini-updates (adventure-sized instances, not a full dungeon). Quarterly new dungeons. Bi-annual new raids. Foundry.

DREW: Quarterly. Don’t lie to the customer. No one has been able to make monthly updates work. Your customers make most of the content for a PvP game anyway. There will be monthly balancing patches, because you cannot let things get out of hand.

 

 

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This week’s end music is Deep Space Nine from Star Trek Online.

Episode 15: Betting on SWTOR and Wildstar

Green Ranger Thief in Guild Wars 2
Green Ranger Thief in Guild Wars 2

 

This week we discuss Wildstar’s F2P announcement, SWTOR’s expansion announcement, and some new Crowfall info. Welcome to Casual Core Radio, where we talk about MMOs and where we don’t spacebar through cutscenes…

MMO News

 

SWTOR
http://www.swtor.com/info/news/article/20150615
E3 announcement.
Everyone is “The Outlander”
All of the current content will be playable at the new level.
A free level 60.
New companions, with deeper story (and requirements) to get them
Massively Single Player Online RPG?
No new mention of new WZs or ops or class stories.
No new mention of updates beyond 3.3
Also, BadFeeling podcast PvP interview
Joe is Preferred until this launches. Unless they charge $75, it’s a win considering the dearth of content before then.
WILD SPECULATION HERE

 

Wildstar

http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/freetoplay/
So yes, the rumors were true. WildStar, free-to-play. Rewards. Loyalty. Currency…

 

Crowfall
http://crowfall.com/#/news/the-confessor-the-flame-of-truth
http://crowfall.com/#/news/ace-q-a-for-june

 

MMO Community

 

NCSoft Meet and Greet
http://www.mmo-central.com/2015/06/13/ncsoft-hosting-meet-and-greet-at-e3/

Dio Doo-Wop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR–PK4YOlk

Best Dressed of Nexus
http://www.anook.com/album/1461

Templars vs Confessors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Molay

Drew’s Green Ranger Thief (see top of page)

 

If I Were a Dev

 

How would you do cutscenes/story content? Fully-voiced, etc.? What voice actors would you really like to get?

DREW: In a PvP game, only source of story will probably be major cutscenes, but wouldn’t mind fully voiced personal story as well.

Because of pure versatility, would really like to get Bertie Carvel (Male Agent, SWTOR), Jo Wyatt (Female agent, SWTOR), Tara Strong (pretty much everything, but Risha in SWTOR), and Brandon Keener (Garrus in ME).

JOE: SWTOR’s new method: small side quests have Wildstar-sized, Twitter-sized quest descriptions. No spacebar required for “kill 10 rats” quests. Zone, overarching plots, and so forth would be fully voiced.

Tara Strong, Courtenay Taylor (Jack in ME), John de Lancie, Andrea Libman, Keith David (Joe mispoke and called him David Keith).

 

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This week’s end music is Kick Butt and Chew Bubble Gum by Jeff Kurtenacker from Wildstar.

Episode 14: High on Math

gw003
Cutscene from Guild Wars 2

 

This week we discuss Lego, Wildstar (and how it has to be going F2P soon), and the best and worst of SWTOR. Welcome to Casual Core Radio, where we talk about MMOs and where our crit chance is 100% but our hit chance is 0%…

MMO News

Wildstar Goes Wild
That whole reddit thing EXPLODED. Apparently the Carbine staffer in question proved their employment status with a redacted W2. Of course, they could be ANYWHERE on the totem pole. Interesting to watch unfold, though keep the tinfoil hats on. Also, could be easily forged… so who the hell knows.

New Wildstar Twitter Community
Joe is starting up a version of #SWTORfamily for WildStar, #WSFamily. Tweet or DM @joseph_foran if you’d like to be added to the lists.
https://twitter.com/swtorfamily

So, why am I back in WildStar?
Easier to just post a link: http://www.reddit.com/r/WildStar/comments/2vk4uo/just_saw_this_while_wildstar_website_is_under/coiybih

SWTOR
3.2.1 Patch released to the wild! Amazingly, servers don’t implode.
http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/5262015/game-update-3.2.1-patch-notes

Lego Minifigures Online (semi-MMO) changing its business model
http://mmoatk.com/mmo-news/lego-minifigures-online-adopting-new-financial-model-pay-play-fails-impress/

Zam lays off Staff
Can’t find link, just lots of tweets from staffers

Echo of Soul Gameplay video
http://www.mmoreviews.com/echo-of-soul-gameplay-commentary/

Neverwinter Upcoming Changes to ToEE
http://massivelyop.com/2015/05/14/neverwinter-outlines-new-and-upcoming-changes/

TERA most played MMORPG on Steam
http://massivelyop.com/2015/05/21/en-masse-says-that-tera-is-the-most-played-mmorpg-on-steam/

TERA releasing inactive character names
http://massivelyop.com/2015/05/27/tera-is-releasing-inactive-character-names/

 

MMO Community

Launch of MMO-Central
http://www.mmo-central.com/

H1Z1 Cheaters unbanned…if they are really sorry
http://www.gamesradar.com/h1z1-cheaters-will-be-unbanned-if-they-publicly-apologise/

Conan Witcher 3 bit
https://youtu.be/SfjLRuE1CLw

Bad Feeling Podcast
http://badfeelingpodcast.com/

Metalsucks Podcast
http://www.metalsucks.net/2015/05/27/this-is-what-master-of-puppets-would-sound-like-with-st-angers-snare-drum/

It’s a Trap Podcast
http://itsatrappodcast.com/

Ootinicast
http://ootinicast.com

 

Best and Worst of…

SWTOR

Best: Pre-60 PvP and Starfighter

Worst: Not-Pre-60 PvP (lack of content updates, world PvP)

Best: Story

Smuggler’s One-liners

Worst: Raid /Ops content release rate

Best: Legacy system, and banks

Worst: Slow response time on MAJOR bugs

Best: Travel

Worst: Fire and forget feature release (how’s that new Starfighter map coming, BioWare?)

Best: Companion system

Overall rating for the game: 4/5

 

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This week’s end music is Play This Way (a parody of Walk This Way by Aerosmith). Lyrics, guitars, and vocals by Drew Brandon, bass and drums from guitarbackingtrack.com.

PvP lover, always hiding undercover
In your guild till they try to say
They say “You wanna come raidin’
Best game you have played in
And you’re sure to be a-changin your ways”
I met the guild leader, was a real progression feeder
All the mats went straight to world firsts
But the best game playin’
Is when you are a-layin’
Waste to the other jerks, like this

Buff up, gear up, instill a good fear of us
They run away as soon as we load
Saying we are zerging, but we’re really iceberging
Cause we’re sinking all of their boats
So I don’t really care if you’re a carebear
If you mouse turn or use your keys
If you are backtracking
Then I’ll be attacking
And I’ll teach you your ABCs
You got to

Learn to Play