The July 17 Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures patch notes have been released and it looks to be the largest one yet. The patch drops the prices for basic mounts, has a ton of bug fixes, and much more. Head on over to the full article to check out the notes for yourself.

 Last month we saw QJ.NET's Beta tour impressions for Flying Lab Software's Pirates of the Burning Sea. This time around, however, we finally get to review the full version of the game after its magnanimous launch last January. You can check out this blogger's verdict of the game in the full article.

It's been a little more than a week since Flying Lab Software has opened its scurvy seadog of an MMORPG Pirates of the Burning Sea to the public and feedback for the game has been more than generous.

With the latest slew of comments collected from the players, Flying Lab Software Engineer Rick Saada took the time to respond to some of the feedback posted on the MMORPG.com forums. Read more in the full article after the jump!

 

In line with continuing interviews with WarCry, April Burba (AKA CuppaJo) spilled some beans on another aspect of Tabula Rasa that some of you "make love, not war" gamers might find interesting. TR's also got other activities that you can involve yourself in, more specifically social systems that allow you to spice up your gaming experience.

WarCry: We know there is lots of fighting in Tabula Rasa, can you tell us a bit about what else you can do in the game, for example what type of social skills are available in game?

April Burba: Besides fighting we have a crafting system, the hunt for Logos (collection), taverns (social RnR), and a Clan system (Guilds). These are just the first steps in these areas and I expect more social systems to show up in some of our major content releases. // The worlds themselves are also great for explorers who enjoy wandering. (Not all that wander are lost.) Unlike some MMOs where you can walk for an hour and see only some dried grass and a lion or two, the worlds of TR are large, but dense with points of interest.

Also in the interview, CuppaJo talks of how they were able to balance FPS aspects in an MMO. It's not only about FPS aiming, because more than that, you also have to consider factors such as which body part would do more damage when hit or even down to how "sticky" you want your reticle to latch onto your target.

More on instancing, Banes, and progress on the beta right behind the Read link below.

The WarCry network was able to have a quick Q&A with none other than CuppaJo herself regarding NCSoft's Tabula Rasa. One of the first topics they discussed was the format of raids. If WoW has their own system, how exactly will it go for TR? Besides, Garriott previously stated that WoW did them a great service in the MMO arena. So how different would raids be in this game?

WarCry: Raids! Some people love them, others hate them. Will there be raids in TR and how will they be handled? What do you plan to be the average size group in TR?

CuppaJo: So we have large instanced areas - but the max group size will be the same as all other groupings - 6. As for stuff to do with large groups of people, there are large enemy controlled bases which if players wanted to take them over would require working together in large groups. More like castle sieges.

Castle sieges? Right. Castle here being some sprawling base that's part metal and part laser security systems, populated with Banes and Thrax soldiers left and right. But more on these instances, an intriguing question popped up towards the end of the interview:

WarCry: You have said that Tabula Rasa will use Instancing. Could you explain how often we will see instancing, and what kind of things we can look forward to seeing in the instances?

CuppaJo: Instancing runs about 40% of the game at the start and then moves to about 60% towards the end. Instances are more like single player games - lots of story, lots of amazing things going on. Instances in TR blow me away. There is more thinking going on in instances with cameras, alarms, and interacting with your environment and it's just cool as hell.

You can click the Read link below to see the full interview.

To the many gamers who have been looking forward to HanbitSoft's latest production, Hellgate: London, here's a little treat to help with the waiting. Today, we have the latest cinematic trailer for this upcoming MMORPG title.

Set is 2038, 18 years after London has been invaded by beings from Hell, players will have to take on the role that the Knights Templar and the Freemasons have been fulfilling for centuries, and join the London Underground in the fight against demons as well as to stop these creatures from completing the process of hellaforming which would turn our world into a copy of theirs. In an era known as The Burn, players will be equipped with items and weaponry which fuse modern weaponry as well as arcane magic.

In Hellgate: London, players will be able to choose to either play alone or with a group as this game relies heavily on instancing, much like Guild Wars. Also, another key factor in this game would be the customizability of one's items and weapons. Each defender must be able to build, assemble or craft his or her own gear for maximum effect, and these can then later on be customized further in case the situation requires it. Running around with a cannon that would make pyromaniacs happy, but now finding yourself confronting a fire demon? Then it might be a good idea to slap on some other element in there for the meantime.

Still unconvinced? Then perhaps this trailer can help change your mind. Enjoy!

Avast there mateys! As promised yesterday here's the entire interview with Flying Lab Software, the guys and gals behind Pirates of the Burning Sea, enjoy!

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QJ: Pirates of the Burning Sea has been in development for quite a while, since before even the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out. What spurred you to begin work on a pirate game back then, and are there any pirate movies you look at as sort of inspiration?

Flying Labs: Our love of everything to do with pirates and the age of sail. There’s so much romance to the swashbuckling era, from dashing pirates wooing the governor’s daughter, to the stalwart naval captains leading their fleets into battle. It was a time of adventure, style and derring-do!

Of course, we look to a huge number of pirate, naval and swashbuckling movies as inspiration, from blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean series, Master and Commander, and The Mask of Zorro, to less known offerings, like A&E’s Horatio Hornblower, Sharpe’s Rifles and On Guard.

       

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Read the entire interview after the jump!

The debate now is "Contested Raids" (as in  Everquest) versus "Instanced Raids" (World of Warcraft).  While the former is more suited to solo players, the latter requires teamwork and the ability to muster allies into an "instanced" area.

According to one side of the debate, the problem with "Instancing" is that it promotes a type of "elitism," which excludes single players who may not belong - or wish to belong - to a guild. Instead of bringing folks together to enjoy interactions in the virtual world, it simply divides players into smaller groups.

On the other hand, it seems that MMO gaming is not as "player-driven" as it once was. Practices such as "Griefing" and "Botting" apparently have caused problems in open zones, forcing hundreds of players into "instanced dungeons" in order to escape. It seems that single players can indeed enjoy instances, undisturbed by other players whose goals may be the same. According to this argument, "contested" areas often require long camps that don't always end successfully. With the existence of instanced dungeons having lockout timers, camping becomes unnecessary. Players needn't worry about "kill stealing," or other players lying in wait for another's failure.

Those who advocate for "contested" raids insist that the problems with their preference are due to the actions of a few "bad apples."  Contested content, the insist, provides the "purest MMO experience.  By attempting to legislate game behavior through instancing because of a handful of cheats will lead to games in which everything is instanced and all players are segregated except for a few meeting areas. By this argument, its better to have and create even more contested content with more areas in the game in which the game excitement can be spread among a large population. Having only one or two "cool" areas in a game will - understandably - lead to congestion and frustration.

So...where do YOU stand on this debate? Weigh in below...