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This week we talk about Firefall, Crowfall, various other “falls,” and trolls. Welcome to Casual Core Radio, where we talk about MMOs and we just spent all of our money on dyes!

MMO News

• Firefall – Arenas (Yay!) Coming, but Broken Peninsula not being fixed (Boo!).
  http://forums.firefall.com/community/threads/the-future-of-firefall-pvp.6138521/
• In business news, Patent trolls sue Blizzard. Planet yawns. Trade chat still sucks.
  http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/1174693.htm
• Daybreak layoffs… right after the split!
  http://www.gamewatcher.com/news/2015-12-02-daybreak-game-company-eliminate-positions-at-san-diego-and-austin-studios-will-not-affect-mmo-projects
• Black Desert makes $2 million in one week
  http://massivelyop.net/2015/02/16/black-desert-makes-2m-in-cash-shop-sales-in-one-week/
• Crowfall Info!
  http://massivelyop.net/2015/02/12/crowfall-will-be-buy-to-play-with-optional-sub/
  http://crowfall.com/#/news/voxel-farm-elken-stalkers
  http://crowfall.com/#/news/physics-double-archetype-drop
  http://crowfall.com/#/news/today-and-tomorrow

MMO Community

Courtney Woods promoted to Writer!
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8031080#edit8031080
http://www.swtor.com/blog/price-power
http://www.swtor.com/blog/one-night-dealer%E2%80%99s-den

If I Were a Dev

How would you handle gear customization (stats and cosmetic)?

JOE:

Imagine TSW and SWTOR had a baby.

• Gear should not be locked-in with its cosmetic appearance.
• Basic cosmetic groupings – head, shirt, hands, wrists, pants, shoes, belts, and cloak/coat/robe, plus jewelry (2x each ring, earring, bracelet, 1 x each eyepatch/monacle/glasses/shades) – NO STATS ON THESE, and sold in cash shop
• Twelve moddable slots (all with names like trinket, relic, lucky coin, etc.), each with three imbuements (aka mods you can craft or loot off mobs).
• Mod-pulling should be able to cost in-game or real-work currency (at the player’s option, and a ridiculously low amount of RW $ if that option is chosen… like 10 cents for an epic imbuement, so 30 cents per item), but it would ALWAYS be free to overwrite the mod with a new one.
• One craftable imbuement addition (aka WoW crafted gem slots, augments in SWTOR, etc.) per item slot.
• One “major” imbuement per character that also has a visual effect.

Shout out to @spunkykiki

DREW:

I take back all of the stats stuff with regards to gear. Gear grinds for 0.5% increases in DPS are boring. Utility is more fun, though.

I would use something like the Enhancements from City of Heroes, combined with how the signets work in The Secret World on Auxiliary weapons. You could have +damage enhancements, -recharge time enhancements, +crit chance or crit multiplier enhancements, and utility enhancements like roots or stuns.

Four gear slots only (Power Generator, Armor, 2 Weapons), but all of the skills in your limited action set have slots to modify (like in COH). Power Generator upgrades the skill powers, Armor upgrades defense and health, and Weapons upgrade offense with the weapons.

No way to break the system with stat stacking, easier to balance since you can focus only on the utilities and skills.

Podcast Shoutout

• Wildstar Radio
• Corellian Run Radio

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This week’s end music is Far Ahead the Road Has Gone from the Lord of the Rings Online Original Soundtrack.