WildStar is almost out and Carbine Studios/NCSOFT have been hosting the last Ops Week, where players can log in one last time in the beta servers before the release date. During this period, the developers “will be preparing for the launch and will be putting the final touches on everything.” This event should last until the headstart, on 31th May, and it doesn’t have any official opening dates, it’s completely random, as Carbine Studios explained:
We aren’t going to pre-announce the windows. As the teams decide that we need something tested, we will announce it on social media, and open up the servers for as long as we need in order to fulfill the testing. It will be completely random. We might be only up for 1 hour, we might be up longer.
This means if players pretend to play WildStar again before the official release dates, they must follow the game’s social networks closely, especially during the business hours for PDT. Ops Week is opened for everyone and it doesn’t involve any rewards or special prizes.
WildStar is an upcoming sci-fi MMORPG launching on PC May 31 (headstart for pre-orders) or June 3, 2014.
WildStar is entering its open beta test phase tomorrow and it will last ten days, starting on Thursday 8th May through 18th May. The launching will count with several development live streams with the main purpose to discuss the state of the game. Additionally, Carbine Studios wants to explain how “Wildstar is going to take the MMO category by storm.” The first live stream will begin 30 minutes before the open beta launch on May 8 (19:00 BST) and it will feature four Carbine Studios developers, Mike Donatelli, product director, Chad Moore, creative director, Stephen Frost, producer and voice of DevSpeak, and Matt Mocarski, development director. The second live stream will happen on May 9 (19:00 BST) and it will feature executive producer, Jeremy Gaffney, who will discuss the challenges being prepared for the game’s launch on 3rd June. Simultaneous, there will be a social media Q&A being held by Carbine through every social media platforms, developers will be taking questions from Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter, Forums, Twitch and Vine.
The open beta period will have an increased level cap to level 30, allowing non pre-order players to experience further in-game content. Pre-order players who have participated in previous closed beta will still be able to use their old beta characters.
WildStar is a sci-fi MMORPG that will be available for PC, on 3rd June, 2014.
Carbine Studios revealed that WildStar endgame content will be challenging, different, unique and hardcore. Additionally, the company ensured that all types of playing styles will be contemplated with respective features. In an exclusive interview to DealSpwn, Game Design Producer Stephan Frost talked about WildStar’s endgame content and all the upcoming features available at maximum level. For action lovers who prefer to fight other players, there will be several competitive options, including ranked battlegrounds, ranked arenas and WarPlots, a new and different PvP system, as Frost stated:
You like PvP. Well, fight 40 people with 40 people. It’s massive, different, it’s not just “here’s another battleground”. It’s more like you have a customizable death fortress that you can fight other people with.
For environmental players, raiding dungeons and taking part of group adventures will be challenging at all times. From trash monsters to bosses, enemies in WildStar are “quite aggressive and crazy”, as Frost said. They’re all unpredictable, so even normal quests can present tough situations that require strategy and reaction to succeed. The whole purpose is to keep players engaged at all time and maintain their levels of attention and interest, explained Frost:
We’ve been trying to keep it as hardcore as we can pretty much the entire time. What that means is that we have a few things in need to do, one of them is the environmental hazards, which are interesting and unique. (…) We wanted to make things challenging [enough to] make people actually pay attention and work towards getting something.
Finally, for casual and role-playing gamers, there will plenty of other interesting activities such as house decoration, mini-games, personal costumes and mount customization.
WildStar is a sci-fi MMORPG that will be available for PC, on June 3rd 2014.
Probably the most common and annoying bug in WildStar beta is the addon/UI crashing bug. Even though there are currently several temporary fixes, there doesn’t seem to be a stable and permanent measure to prevent the addon system from crashing. Fixing this issue requires plenty of persistence. Here’s what you can do to fix the addon/UI crashing bug:
1. Reload the UI System: If your addon has just crashed and things are not loading by themselves, then your UI system needs a manually reboot in-game (press ESC > Addons > Reload UI). This should fix the issue, at least for awhile.
2. Restart WildStar: If reloading the UI system is not working for you anymore, then restarting the game will certainly help you. This solution is quite bothersome but efficient.
3. Repairing WildStar: Some players have reported extreme cases of UI crashing. If your system is crashing every few minutes, then something is definitely wrong with your game. Repairing it should fix the issue.
4. Uninstall Addons: Certain non-official addons might cause the whole system to malfunction. Uninstalling those addons normally solve the recurrent crashing issues.
If none of those solutions were able to fix your addon/UI issues, then you should submit a ticket to WildStar’s support and request for official assistance.
WildStar beta is currently running and despite the countless bugs haunting the testing phase, there’s one thing that is truly irreproachable, the combat system. Fighting and moving in this sci-fi MMO feels completely natural, intuitive and fluid. Basically, Carbine Studios has developed a new character control system based on proficiency and reflexes. Unlike most traditional MMOs, players will be able to aim all their abilities, dodge all type of enemy attacks, break out of disables and even trigger special bonuses based on their accuracy levels. This seems like a dream come true for a MMO player like me, who has tried basically every MMORPG out there. I must admit, this combat system did impress me. It’s a huge step forward in terms of innovation and usability. It’s not just about casting skills in a specific order or executing a few dashes anymore. WildStar introduces a reactive system, where players can decide how they wish to play their characters in real time. Every decisions counts. Missing a stun-break might get you killed and landing a certain skill might earn you a victory. It’s interesting how every choice and reactive response might end up generating different results. I believe the next-gen of Action MMOs is here and it arrives this June.
Fast-Paced Gameplay: Goodbye Boredom
The combat system in WildStar is remarkably fast and spontaneous. Whether in PvE or PvP, hostile encounters are very flexible, dynamic and immersive. Everything happens really quickly, just as it happens in first-person shooter games and even the smallest details can become decisive. Each fight turns out to be a real challenge and a true test of skill. I normally get really uninterested while questing and doing PvE in general but in WildStar I could clearly say goodbye to boredom. For the first time (since Guild Wars 2), I felt a certain degree of enthusiasm and challenge in environmental fights.
Non-Target Cast: Expertise Required
Non-target systems are part of modern MMORPGs but the whole concept hadn’t been mastered to date. In MMOs like Age of Wushu or Tera, there were several skills that required aiming but target skills were still existent. However, in WildStar I felt like this skill-based system has finally been perceived as intended. All single abilities require aiming, unless of course it’s self-cast. Target-skills are nothing but a feature of the past and hopefully, the future will embrace this new reality.
Reactive System: Fight Back
Another creative feature in WildStar’s combat gameplay is the reactive/responsive system. While fighting opponents, players might find themselves disabled in any way. But unlike most games, there’s something players can do about it. Looking at your character and wait until the stun time is out is no longer the only possibility. Now, players can press a random generated key (a, w, s, d) to get out of a certain altered state. The fastest this key is pressed, the quicker players can snap out of it.
Innovative Mobility: Never Stop Moving
Mobility in WildStar couldn’t be any less enthralling. The game features a restorative sprint, two cool down dashes and a continuously double-jump. Besides, while journeying across planet Nexus players can experience a speed buff by traveling through the main roads. And since this is an action MMO, there are countless mobility skills, including blinks, withdrawal flashes and speed boosts. Moving is the key to success and the new insurance that your opponents won’t hit you as much as they should.
Advanced Skill Customization: Endless Builds
Finally, the skill customization system offers tremendous possibilities. With three role trees per class and a total of eight active skills at a time, players have an extended series of skill combinations. Mixing skills from different roles is also conceivable, allowing players to create their very unique and personalized builds. Furthermore, the AMP system extends this diversification model with multiple passive tiers and potential new skills.
The only issue and the major enemy of this system is definitely any sort of lag. I experienced a few moments of server lag during my PvP sessions and it was quite awful, since aiming and hitting your skills is basically impossible with even the smallest delay. Nevertheless, this system is totally flawless and a surprising innovation in the MMO world.
Carbine Studios announced today that the following WildStar beta weekend, 18th-20th April, will be accessible for everyone with a beta key. This means that WildStar’s pre-order is not a restriction for this event, as it happened in the previous beta weekends. To take part of this beta key event, players must pick a serial key from one the multiple gaming media sites, as Community Manager Mark Hulmes stated:
We have another Beta Weekend approaching and we wanted to provide a list of all the partner websites giving away weekend keys (so you can be sure they are legit!). If you know a friend who is still on the fence about pre-ordering WildStar, get them to grab a key from one of the sites listed and introduce them to the wonderful world of WildStar this weekend!
WildStar UI 2.0 Patch is arriving this week, so there will be plenty of new things to test in the upcoming event. Check the full list of WildStar’s partners and how to get your free serial key. This MMORPG will launch on June 3rd, 2014 on PC.
Beta Weekend approaching and we wanted to provide a list of all the partner websites giving away weekend keys (so you can be sure they are legit!). If you know a friend who is still on the fence about pre-ordering WildStar, get them to grab a key from one of the sites listed
