Today we’re pleased to introduce the Pet Store for World of Warcraft, a new way for players to obtain in-game pets to join them on their adventures in Azeroth. Two brand-new companions are now available for purchase exclusively at the Pet Store in the online Blizzard Store: Lil’ K.T. and the Pandaren Monk.

Make a Difference: Pandaren Monk Charity Pet

Enter the Pandaren Monk, ( Panda ) a martial-arts expert who’s here to help celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft. He may be cute, but he’s proof that even the softest of critters can overcome the hardest of circumstances. For every Pandaren Monk that finds its way to a player’s side between now and the end of the year (December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PDT), we’ll donate 50 percent of the $10 purchasing price to the Make-a-Wish Foundation in an effort to brew up a little hope, strength, and joy in a child’s life.

Lil’ K.T., the Littlest Lich

Lil’ K.T. is a miniature lich who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary lord of Naxxramas, Kel’Thuzad. But don’t let his diminutive stature fool you: Lil’ K.T. has a diabolical laugh and wields true power at his bony fingertips, randomly wreaking icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path. You can now buy this new pet for $10 on the Blizzard Store. (Lil’ K.T. )

In order to receive a purchased pet, you’ll need to merge your World of Warcraft account with a Battle.net account. For more information on Battle.net, please visit the FAQ.  For more information on the new Pet Store, visit the Pet Store FAQ.

As with any MMO, the first thing you do in CitesXL is create a avatar.  This is mainly pointless as your avatar just sits in a little window at the top of your screen watching you as you build your city.  You can take you avatar on a stroll through your city or other players cities, but again it’s very pointless.

Next we are taken to Planet mode, this is where we can select our location to build our city.  Each location on the map has certain resources such as fuel, water, food and holidays.  Holidays just means your cities resource will be tourism.  Most cities give you two or three resources and you have to decide what you want.

Cities XL City Building

Now we can finally get to actually building our city.  The game is a bit complicated and works off a different system than the SimCity series did, so I would definitely recommend taking the tutorials.  Cities XL works off a class based system, you have unqualified, qualified, executive and elite residence.  Unqualified workers require much less city services such as education, health, police, etc.   While elite residence require the best of everything which can make your city budget explode.

The class system is the biggest change that Cities XL brings to the genre as well as the best.  I always found in SimCity once you got over the initial hump of starting your city, the game became extremely easy.  With CitiesXL as you grow your city the game actually becomes harder making you really have to watch your budget.

Cities XL also provides mega structures that you can add to your city like the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and other famous structures as well as a blueprint feature where players can create there own mega structures.

Cities XL Trading

Another change is the trading system.  There are about a dozen or so resources you can produce in your city and it needs all of them to be successful.  However it is not possible for a city to actually produce all its resources so you will be forced to trade.

If you are playing solo there is a default corporation you can trade with, however you will not be able to bargain with them as you would with other players in online mode.

While innovative this is where my biggest grip with Cities XL is.

The way trading works is you don’t buy X amount of resources, you create a contract with a player that basically states I pay you $X each month and you give me X amount of resources.  While this doesn’t sound like it’s a big deal, it is.  City resources and budgets are constantly fluctuating which causes contracts to constantly break.

A month in the game is a few mins, so 5 mins from now I might not have the money to keep my contract going.   Contract breaks are not always your fault either.  The other person might not have the resource or money to pay you, so it will break because of them.  As you start getting further in the game you will constantly have the trading window open, which makes the game frustrating.

I would much rather work off a unit system where I buy 500 units of fuel, then once I start to run out I can buy more.  Not as realistic, but much less of a hassle.

Cities XL vs SimCity

Aside from the class system and trading, what separates Cities XL from the SimCity series is that you can build your city in any manner you like.  You don’t have to have industry, office building or huge highways if you don’t want to.  You can create ski or beach resorts, instead of a city, create farm land and provide food to other players.   Become a industrial power house and provide that to other players.  There’s more than one way to create a city with Cities XL which also provides more replay value.

Cities XL Subscription

While you can play the game offline, trading is an important aspect that adds another level to the game, plus it’s just fun to compete with other players.  However the current $9.25/month price is just not worth it in my opinion.  Even at the 3 month price of $6.32 it’s still too high.

Aside from trading and viewing other peoples cities there’s really no reason to pay a subscription fee.  I have yet to chat with anyone in game and most of the time I feel like I am playing a solo game anyway.  The price seems way to high just to be able to trade resources with other players.  I would consider $2/month, but it really should be free.

Overall the game is great, if you were a fan of SimCity your going to love Cities XL.  If you’re not keen on paying a monthly fee you’ll still have a blast playing in solo mode.  Hell you never know, with the recent switch of some MMOs to the F2P model, I wouldn’t be surprised seeing Cities XL as a F2P game sometime in the future.

This will probably be my last write up regarding Aion.  If you have been following my previous articles, I have detailed my play experience with the game by focusing on the 1-10 experience, 10-25 early Abyss, and the 25 and beyond.  This will be my last word on Aion for the time being because some of the game’s issues have forced most of my guild to step back from the game.

Now I am not one to make “I quit” posts typically, but all thing considered, I believe my assessment of the game in previous articles has be pretty fair and objective.  So what I would like to do here today is talk about some of the aspects of Aion that ultimately ended up turning us sour in a constructive and informative way.

The Grind

It seems you can’t read anywhere about Aion without reading about the grind, and this blog has been no exception to that.  That being said, it has to be mentioned because this is probably the first of several pitfalls that is going to be cause people to throw in the towel.

This is a graph that fairly accurately plots the experience points curve in Aion at each level that was made by a member of the community here.  As you can see by the graph, right around level 35 the amount of exp needed literally makes the graph look literally like a wall.  Often times when you read on various forums about people saying the grind is fine, make sure you put it into the context of what level they have made it to. Now to be fair, the amount of exp needed by itself is not necessarily the problem as you start to enter your 40’s, but the way in which questing starts to play far less of a role.

When I hit level 42, I quickly completed all of the new quests and looked down at my 60 million exp bar to see only about 10-15% of it had been filled, leaving the remaining 50 million to be obtained by pure mob grind.  Now I am well aware of an upcoming patch slated to increase the quest exp and mob exp, but I think the problem goes a bit deeper than that.  There is a real lack of quest content that becomes painfully obvious at the higher levels.  Quest content is very good at masking grind in other games, so the lack of it in Aion at this level range really only adds to the pain and tedium.

The best comparison I can make is for those who played Age of Conan at release and hit the wall around level 50 where the quest content dried up almost instantly forcing people into grinding cannibal caves for levels to get through the gap.  This problem only gets compounded more however as the exp needed to level continues to grow exponentially, but the amount of content does not.  This only helps feed the bot epidemic and will undoubted crush the will of non-hardcore players as they reach the higher levels.

One final note on the grind that really bothers me is that Aion seems to punish grouping.  As a ranger, I found in most cases I was able to solo grind far more efficiently than in a group killing elites a few levels higher than me.  I would highly recommend adjusting the experience modifier for grouping to make it more appealing to group.  So with all the above factored in, players struggling with the progression in the game are going to start to ask if it’s worth enduring for the sake of PvP.  Let’s take a look…

PvP

I like to break the PvP elements in Aion into pretty much 3 different categories.  First you have your rift PvP into enemy territory, then the fortress fights, and finally your small scale encounters that occur in the Abyss.

1) Rift PvP

A week or so ago, my guild got a group together to through a rift into the Asmodian level 30+ area to go cause some trouble.  I think it was a real telling moment to me personally when it became glaringly clear that at least half of the people we were killing in this zone were bots.  When attacked, bots would simply stand there or continue to attack their mob, and when killed they would run the same exact route back to the same spot literally upwards of 10 times.  Each time they would take the same exact route, to the same exact spot, and not even stopping or deviating when getting attacked.  Granted killing the bots was a good source of Abyss points, but the fun of the PvP leaves something to be desired when a PvE mob offers more resistance.  Again in all fairness, there were probably 50% real people mixed in who had guilds, who would react to being attacked, and change tactics after being killed or spotting us.

In this regard, I really have to say that NCSoft’s bot detection team or tools, or whatever they are spinning as is either completely worthless, or they think their customers are stupid.  Who the hell is in charge of the bot spotting team, Stevie Wonder?  Anyone with a working pair of eyes can see dozens of bots infesting the level 30+ area on both sides.  They are so blatantly operating out in the open that there is no way possible anyone could NOT see them.  Frankly when I read NCSoft press releases about how they have tools in place, it’s insulting to my intelligence.

2) Fortress Battles

I think most people can agree that the fortress fights make up one of the key elements of the PvP aspect of Aion.  In my last article, I touched on the fact that crashing seemed to be somewhat of an issue during some of the sieges.  Since then, I have had the chance to participate in many more sieges to see how much of an issue the crashing really is.  I can say with all honesty in almost every siege I have been in since then, the game crashed at some point during the sieges, except for one where the Asmos never showed up to defend and I had all of the character models turned off (Shift + F12).

This is a major problem for me on so many levels.  First of all my PC is pretty serious, and judging by all the posts on forums and conversations with most of my guild, people having this issue are a pretty sizable portion of the playerbase.  This is pretty much game-breaking because the fortress battles are the only way to get medals, and medals are needed to get the top PvP reward gear, so crashing during sieges pretty much makes is close to impossible for you to get the medals needed to pursue the endgame gear.  With the game being out so long overseas, and 4-5 rounds of betas in NA, I am somewhat confused how the game went live without anyone knowing about this being picked up, let alone not being hotfixed.  It’s even sillier when someone in the community posts a fix on the forums before your professional coders can do it.

Another issue is a flaw in the overall fortress system in general that also Warhammer Online suffered from, a lack of incentive to defend a fortress.  Medals are not given for a successful defense, and enemy fortress guards are actually a better source of Abyss points than most other mobs and players.  Killing a handful of guards seems to net more AP than running the instance you get access to for holding the fort.  So when you think about it, you are somewhat better off not defending because you will be granted a better source of AP, and a chance to earn medals when you go after it again later (assuming you don’t crash).

3) Small Scale PvP

Small scale PvP overall remains one of the game stronger suits to me personally.  The only zerging that really goes from what I have seen so far is during the fortress fights, which is completely understandable.  The rest of the time people tend to roam around solo or in small groups making for some pretty fun encounters.  A smaller group of players who play smart is capable of beating a larger group if the right tactics are used along with the right crowd control.

I think if there is anything I would change, I would make other players worth more experience points.  Although it wasn’t in the game originally, the amount of exp given for killing a player is so small that they pretty much may as well not give you any at all.  One other aspect is the fact that low level players give virtually no AP, but at the same time your enemy’s level is hidden.  This can be annoying when you opt to chase someone for quite a long distance only to be rewarded with 1 AP.  Had you known the person’s level you may have been inclined to not even bother chasing them extensively.  I also understand the benefit though of hiding levels, so it’s a double-edged sword I suppose.

Summary

The way I see it is that players will need to start asking themselves this question: Is worth enduring a steep and tedious grind that becomes exceedingly light in content for PvP that has 2 of out 3 aspects not meeting expectations?

The prospect of increasing exp sounds good in theory, but there is no mention of any much needed quest content.  NCsoft’s word is becoming losing a tremendous amount of value to players due to their inability to find the bots that every player with a pair of working eyes can see on a daily basis.  I can understand that many players may be willing to hang in there a bit longer given the game’s polish and small scale PvP, but at this point I have to say the answer to that question is “no” from me personally, but to each their own.

Paragus
Co-Leader of Inquisition
www.inqguild.com

In ages past the great Dragon Aspects worked alongside the night elves to forge powerful prismatic blades that could be used to thwart any evil that came into the world. They would become known as the blades of Quel’Serrar. One of these blades, which had become lost in time, was recently unearthed again by brave heroes of Azeroth. Now rediscovered, Quel’Serrar is revered once more as a mighty tool of raw power.

Its sister blade, however, has not been seen for many years…

The sword known as Quel’Delar was held by the group of kaldorei who would eventully become the high elves, and it was handed down from generation to generation. Most recently Quel’Delar was wielded by the valiant high elven warrior Thalorien Dawnseeker. Thalorien fought tirelessly in the Troll Wars to defend his beloved home of Silvermoon, the Sunwell, and all of Quel’Thalas. When the Scourge swept through the lands during the Third War, Thalorien was among the last lines of defense for the Sunwell. Despite the sword’s power, he was ultimately slain by the overwhelming might of Arthas and his legendary runeblade, Frostmourne. Quel’Delar was thought to be lost forever.

Following the destruction of their homeland, the determined blood elves began to regroup and rebuild. It was during this time that the battle-hardened warrior Lana’thel stumbled upon Quel’Delar, and soon afterward the greatest opportunity to use the blade presented itself: Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider raised an army and combined forces with Illidan Stormrage, who led them north to Icecrown on a mission to destroy the Lich King. Lana’thel readily followed her prince with one thought in mind — revenge against the Scourge — but only tragedy awaited her.

In the icy hills of Northrend, Arthas ultimately defeated Illidan and Kael’thas, and the expedition’s few survivors were scattered across the frozen wastes. One by one the Lich King sought out those who had challenged him, and Lana’thel found herself cornered. Using Quel’Delar, she struck at him with all her might… but Frostmourne’s evil powers overwhelmed her. Through his blade, the Lich King chose Lana’thel to serve him in undeath as queen of the San’layn, a group responsible for overseeing the Scourge’s operations across Azeroth.

Queen Lana’thel eagerly carried out her new duties, but every time she looked at her blade, maddening anger would swell within her as she remembered her former life. She could not afford such distractions, and with a scream that echoed throughout Icecrown, she shattered Quel’Delar and flung the fractured pieces as far as she could.

Now…

The champions of the Alliance and the Horde who confront the Lich King’s armies have but a slim chance of finding the pieces of this fabled blade. If they succeed, the heroes can embark on an epic adventure to re-forge Quel’Delar. They will require the strongest materials and a source of great power to make this shattered blade into the fearsome weapon it once was. Several classes can use Quel’Delar, and the sword can fit several different play styles. For any class that is unable to wield it, however, the Sunreaver blood elves and the Silver Covenant high elves will gladly take this relic of their history in exchange for a usable weapon.

The search begins soon…

A few months ago, we unveiled the Battle.net account, our new way for players to log in to World of Warcraft and future Blizzard games, sign up for upcoming beta tests, shop the online Blizzard Store, and more with just one username and password. This was just the first step in the rollout of the brand-new Battle.net; in the future, players will be able to use Battle.net to participate in cross-realm chat in World of Warcraft, create real-life friends lists, communicate across different games, and a whole more.

In preparation for the launch of these new features, on November 11, 2009, all current World of Warcraft players will be required to merge their World of Warcraft accounts with a Battle.net account in order to log in to the game. As our way to say “thanks” for taking a moment to go through the process, existing World of Warcraft accounts that upgrade to Battle.net (including those that have already switched over) will receive a brand-new penguin in-game pet — after you’ve merged, he’ll be waiting for you in your in-game mailbox the next time you log in.

 Starting on November 11, all World of Warcraft players will need to log in to the game using a Battle.net username and password, and anyone who wishes to create a new World of Warcraft account will need to start with a Battle.net account.

Creating a Battle.net account is simple and free. To merge your existing account with a Battle.net account, go here. For more info, check out the Battle.net site or read the FAQ.

Blizzard promised a revamped LFG system at this year’s BlizzCon, and the company is finally starting to deliver on the promise.  Players will be able to take the updates for a spin alongside Icecrown Citadel in Patch 3.3, instead of waiting for Cataclysm, World of Warcraft’s third expansion.

There’s a parade of changes to the system, some expected, others out of the blue.  Here’s the synopsis:

• Join as a Group or Solo
• Cross-Realm Instances/Grouping
• Instance Teleporting
• Smarter Group Matching
• Daily Random Dungeons
• Repeat Random Dungeons
• Choose Multiple Dungeons
• Vote Kick system
• Lovin’ the PUG Bonuses
• Looking For Raid
• Need Before Greed Updated
• Group Disenchanting

My personal favorites, PUG bonuses, Cross-Realm groups and Random Dungeons.

You can find the full breakdown at the official World of Warcraft website.

Today Dragon Oath enters its US open beta phase inviting players to sign up on the official site at www.dragonoath.com.

If your not familiar with Dragon Oath, it is a free 2 play MMORPG that has been runing in Asia for 3 years now and according to ChangYou.com Ltd, the games developer and operator, boasts 75 million registered players.  Although let me point out that registered players does not equal active players.  The Dragon Oath is the first game from ChangYou.com Ltd to enter the eastern market and the’re hoping for the same success they have had in the western market.  So if your interested in the Dragon Oath open beta, just go to the link above.

We also have some new screenshots of Dragon Oath for you.

State of the Game’s are a fantastic way for developers to tell players, and prospective players exactly what is going on in a given universe.  Cryptic’s Chronomancer, or Bill Roper, posted a wall of text over on the official forums.  The SotG covers everything from the list of free stuff for the Champions Online Halloween event to promises of new missions and the ability to share quests to party members.

Here’s a fun one:

Zombie Apocalypse

Although this was intended to be a high level event until after Blood Moon, we’re going to open it up to everyone during the event. This map will be available in the PvP queue starting at level 5! We also fixed a bug that prevented the score report from displaying when players click on the “report” button mid-game, so now you’ll be able to see where you stack up in that whole “who can survive the longest” competition (or how many non-zombie heroes you’ve taken down)!

Screenshots after the jump.