Drew Karpyshyn is living proof of how a strong narrative can be the heart and soul of role-playing games. He’s been bringing us unforgettable tales since he first joined BioWare at the turn of the century to help finish Baldur’s Gate: Shadows of Amn. Quickly recognized for his abilities, Karpyshyn was picked to work on Throne of Bhaal, Neverwinter Nights and Jade Empire, later being promoted to lead writer for KOTOR and the Mass Effect series. Yes, this man is a seemingly inexhaustible fountain from which our most memorable moments in gaming have flowed.

Today, BioWare has revealed the title to Karpyshyn’s newest work, which ties certain events of the KOTOR series to the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. Officially announced, “Revan” explores the events surrounding the mystical Sith lord after the conclusion of KOTOR,  following his path to the time period in which SWTOR takes place. How has this legendary figure managed to hold on to power for so long?

Karpyshyn recently sat down for a quick Q&A session at the BioWare website; here are a few things that he had to say:

Q: How much time do the events of Revan span? And where does it sit in relation to the other Star Wars: The Old Republic novels?

A: The story picks up right after the end of the first Knights of the Old Republic and continues through and beyond KOTOR II — a span of roughly five years. There are allusions to the events of KOTOR II, but my focus was on the story taking place before, between and after the games — I didn’t want to rehash a story fans already knew.

Because we’re set in the same time period as the KOTOR games, we’re roughly 300 years earlier than the other The Old Republic novels… though the events of this book have a major impact on shaping The Old Republic universe.

Q: What other characters from Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II might we expect to see?

A: You can’t tell a story about Revan without also exploring his companions; they were such a key element of the KOTOR experience that it wouldn’t feel right without bringing some of them back. Of course it would be impossible to include all of them in a novel in a way that would make a cohesive and fulfilling story, so I focused on those who felt most directly relevant to what happened to Revan after the KOTOR games. I don’t want to give too much away, but Canderous, T3-M4, the Exile and Bastila Shan all have significant roles to play in the novel (along with some significant characters who appear in Star Wars: The Old Republic).

Check out the full post for more remarks from Drew Karpyshyn and further details on the upcoming Revan Star Wars novel.

“The War for the Future has Begun”, says the official press release for ARGO Online‘s official release. Coming out of Munich, Germany, burda:ic has taken a fresh angle on the Steampunk genre by bringing it into the MMO environment. Success in both the closed and open beta testing phases have paved the way for a smooth and polished release (we hope).

The game will be released on the alaplaya platform, making it the ninth title to do so. Other popular titles include Chaos Online">Land of Chaos Online (LOCO), S4 League, Florensia, and Forsakia. ARGO Online has launched in five languages in both Europe and North America.

Here’s a snippet from the game’s backstory:

Survivors of World War IV, a perilous and destructive conflict that brought the Earth to its knees, banded together and learned to survive in the harsh conditions that covered the planet. Over time, these inhabitants divided into two groups, the tech-savvy Noblian and the nature-loving Floresslah, each advocating their own method to reclaim the Earth. Divided by their differences, Noblian and Floresslah have now separated completely, each looking to control the planet’s ultimate resource: Earthdium. Only time will decide which side will prevail.

Click past the cut for a list of the game’s more prominent features…

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Turbine sure has a lot going on these days. Except at their billing department, I suppose. Having gone free-to-play, both Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online have been faring quite well in the sea of free. The rapidly growing F2P market means that Turbine still has stiff competition to defend against, even after dropping the subscription fees.

In celebrating LOTRO’s 4th anniversary, Turbine has brought plenty of Spring festivities to Middle-Earth, including a new hedge maze and “Stomp-a-Shrew” event. Master Brewers will delight in the formation of the Ale Association by the Dwarve’s of Thorin’s Hall. For more information on the Spring Festival, head over to the official site.

Over in Dungeon land, Turbine has released a brand new adventure pack with Update 9. The pack, titled Harbinger of Madness, has players hunting for missing townsfolk and exploring uncharted sewers (yum) near Stormreach harbor. According to the press release, “Update 9 will also introduce updates to Crafting, new attack animations, boosted spells and more prestige Enhancement lines, among other updates.” For a closer look into DDO’s newest update, drop by the official site.

Trion Worlds has announced their partnership with CJ E&M Games in bringing Rift to South Korea. Having only been released last month, Rift is already making leaps and bounds past many of its competitors. Coupled with a smooth-as-butter launch, the accessibility of the game has put it on the map in a way that few have done since 2004. Trion and CJ E&M have come to an agreement on a multi-year localization of Rift in Korea, marking a new age in both companies’ evolution.

Lars Butler, CEO at Trion Worlds, shares his vision:

“We take the Korean market very seriously as it is driven by innovation and growth in the online gaming space…By working with CJ E&M we are able to bring deep, immersive online gaming experiences to the east, and continue delivering quality games to gamers worldwide.”

We also heard that March’s NDP report placed Rift: Planes of Telara as the top-selling PC game of the month in North America. Digital sales exceed box sales by a wide margin, but that’s to be expected in today’s market. Rift’s strong retail performance paves the way for more international publishing deals down the road.

“Blood and fire! Prepare yourself for the coming of the charr legions – Charr Week has begun!”

And so it has. ArenaNet has announced a week of behind-the-scenes information on the “ferocious feline” Charr, one of the game’s five playable races. Today marks the first segment of lore, art, audio clips, fiction, and interviews to grace the internet (check below for the full schedule).

Today, Content Designer Devon Carter takes us into the making of the Charr starter map — an area known as Plains of Ashford. Like the Defiants of Trions Worlds’ Rift, the Charr value technological progress above all else …except a good fight, of course. Carter emphasized the need to evoke a sense of the Charr culture by providing a rich environment that conjures said culture without relying largely on dialogue or cutscenes. The atmosphere of Smokestead — the first village that new players will encounter — didn’t seen to create the effect that Carter and ANet were hoping to achieve. So they sacked it. It’s been made clear that Guild Wars 2 is a no-compromise title, meaning that ArenaNet has no qualms with completely redesigning an area of the game if it doesn’t meet their expectations. This is certainly good for us as paying customers, and it allows the developers to approach the game from different angles until something clicks.

This is just a fraction of the information provided by Devon Carter, so head over to the blog post for the full spread. Here’s the official schedule for this week:

• Monday – On the blog today, designer Devon Carver explores the Village of Smokestead, a key location in the charr starter area and explains the iterative process behind this map’s creation.
• Tuesday – In this blog post full of audio clips of charr chatter, writer Scott McGough will show how writing and sound design come together to create a compelling, immersive environment for players.
• Wednesday – We’ll talk to the artists responsible for the visual look of the charr – Katy Hargrove, Kekai Kotaki, and Kristen Perry.
• Thursday – We’re updating the charr page at the Guild Wars 2 website with new charr background text by Jeff Grubb and a video tour of the charr homeland.
• Friday – Lore and Continuity Designer Ree Soesbee illustrates the ferocious, competitive nature of charr society in this loreful charr blog post.

There’s a lot on the agenda for Hi-Rez Studios’ troubled shooter MMO. Well, troubles no more (hopefully). Hot on the heels of their latest Free Agent announcement, the Georgia developers have dropped patch 1.4, the first version to offer Global Agenda sans subscription fees. With Global Agenda free-to-play, players of all income levels can enjoy fast-paced combat that utilizes the Unreal 3 graphics engine. On top of that, all play styles are catered to, with a diverse set of mission content including OpenZone, PvE, PvP, and Agency vs. Agency.

Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios’ COO, has much to say about the game’s future and the company’s outlook:

“Today Hi-Rez Studios delivers exceptional class-based shooter combat for free…To a free-to-play audience tired of click and wait fantasy MMOs, or unbalanced pay to win shooters, we think that the advanced sci-fi visuals and balanced combat of Global Agenda: Free Agent will be very refreshing. We’ve seen a very positive response from our announcement and have invested in server capacity to handle the increased demand.”

Free Agents should check over at the official site to learn more about signing up. Keep an eye out for Global Agenda’s new web-store, which offers XP boosts, credits, tokens, and loot. Here are the updates coming with version 1.4:

• New revised skill trees for Recon, Assault, Robotics and Medic classes to encourage specialization and build diversity.
• New repeatable missions from Operative Vanik and Ava Lockhart in Dome City.
• New end-game content, Dome Defense, added as a Raid challenge for players level 40 and above. Dome Defense requires a highly skilled and coordinated team to maintain the health of the hero NPC Dalton Bancroft while defending Dome City from waves of Recursive Colony robots.
• Mercenary PvP matches for players level 30 and above now grant separate and better rewards. Increased drop rates for Epic items as well as increased drop of Crescent Jetpack. New Tier-5 Dyes now drop from 30+ Merc PvP.
• PvP game-type Demolition has been re-implemented as Acquisition in which one team must capture a robot from the enemy and take it back to their base; our Global Agenda version of the classic Capture the Flag game-type.
• Many PvP and PvE instance maps have been adjusted to fix exploits and promote more varied and balanced gameplay.

It’s a big one. Gargantuan, even.

I’m talking about the almighty Titan, appropriately named, who waits for level 60+ players brave enough to enter his lair via the Rocheste Battle Quest Dock. The spoils of this battle are great, as Titan carries high-end crafting materials and unique armor, among other things. Watch out for ballista spears that cannot be blocked by any shield, and get the heck out of his way when he goes into his furious rage!

Nexon continues its April content update with the Labyrinth dungeon. A level 23+ undertaking, the Labyrinth offers objective-based progression and the opportunity to face your own evil doppelganger. Special titles and equipment sets await those who would step beyond the Exploration Dock in Cohen.

The press release goes on to explain the updates made to Evie’s staff:

Evie’s staff has been completely improved and revamped. She is now more caster-like, both in her combat while wielding a staff and with her corresponding skills. Her basic attack is now a magic arrow, and she can protect herself with Mana Amber. A new Concentration system allows Evie to unleash deadly damaging and healing abilities.

To polish off the April goodness, Nexon has given Vindictus a new and improved dock system. Finding a group will be even more effortless, and players will have greater access to their favorite dungeons. Drop by the official site to sign up for this high quality free-to-play experience.

Alpha County is on the horizon, but it ain’t here quite yet. No need to worry, though, since the wastelanders at Icarus Studios have been making timely and incremental advances towards the big release. Meanwhile, Fallen Earth is getting its shoes polished with regards to Progress Towns, the center of player-driven content in sectors 2, 3, and Deadfall.

The terrain and environmental effects are getting some love as the developers work to make the atmosphere of Alpha County fit the overarching lore therein. Not content with recycling the same artistic style that dominates the wasteland, Icarus is starting from the ground up with improved tools and and a close eye on how the environment interacts with players as they progress through the story.

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This week, Sony Online Entertainment hands over the pitchfork with the implementation of farming activities in Free Realms. As a game that caters to an increasingly wide audience with varying age levels, Free Realms makes a genuine effort to combat the specter of tedium that hangs over every massive title. To that end, the game has been quite successful; the official site gives new players an idea of the assortment of activities at their disposal:

Decorate your house, then invite your friends over for a party! Teach your pet a new trick or dress them up in a sweet costume! Battle enemies as you search for lost treasure or duel other players, mine for gold, cook up a meal, or race your car!

With this update, players will receive a free “Wilds Farm” instance, where they can cultivate and customize crops, chase vermin, and – as always –  invite friends to join the fun. As you level your farm up (there are 20 levels), the acreage will increase, along with seeds, tools, items, and quests. However, free players will only be able to reach level 5 before they will need to convert to a paid account. As of right now, the farming feature is completely available to all players — all you need to do is log in! Below is a full list of the features coming with Free Realms’ farming update:

• New Wilds Farm instance for every player
• Use farming tools to keep farms clear of weeds, obstacles, and pests
• Harvest crops in the overworld and convert them to seeds for planting
• Plant, water, and grow a wide variety of crop types and be sure to chase away the critters
• Experiment with the Farm-O-matic machine to create new hybrid crops
• Harvest crops and trade them in the Farmers Market for rewards
• Play mini-games and convert harvested crops into coin
• Visit friends’ farm to earn more coin
• Cool items available in the marketplace to boost farm production

Latest to jump on the F2P train is Global Agenda, Hi-Rez Studios’ futuristic MMO shooter. By mid-April, the devs will release update 1.4, otherwise known as Free Agent, which will enable free access to all of the game’s content. Global Agenda has never had a subscription fee, with the only source of direct income coming from digital & physical box sales. With Free Agent, this $19.99 purchase price will be eliminated, allowing players to download, install, and log-in to the game without reaching for their wallets.

Up until the release of Free Agent, prospective players will still need to shell out the cash for Agenda, though they may choose to do so in light of the promised perks. When update 1.4 rolls around, any player that has previously purchased the game will receive an automatic upgrade to “Elite Agent” status, a rank that brings a laundry list of goodies:

• Earn End-of-Mission XP at twice the rate of a Free-to-Play user
• Earn End-of-Mission Credits and Tokens at twice the rate of a Free-Play user
• Earn End-of-Mission Elite Loot upon winning an instanced PvE or PvP match
• Choose which PvP gametypes you would like to play when queuing for Mercenary PvP.
• Access the Auction House
• Access In-Game Mail
• Less restrictive chat capabilities
• No ads for in-game voice
• Ability to create Agencies
• Higher Login priority

Players who choose to play as Free Agents can look forward to the following features. Click past the cut to check them out!

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