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Written by Wossoo
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Friday, 13 August 2010 00:00 |
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As many of you that play on anything other than super-low settings will have noticed, the graphics aspect of Wurm has been changing, and changing for the better. This is thanks to the creative drive and determination of our Game Art Team, led by MrBloodworth. But what exactly has changed?
Perhaps one of the most noticeable improvements made in the last few months has been a complete overhaul of the tree models and textures, which are now taller and appear more realistic and higher quality. There have also been improvements made to the grass and steppe texture / sprites, which are now darker and more rustic. Crop / field textures have also been improved to show crop types and growth status.There have also been many further items which have been subject to graphics improvements.
Most wooden items in particular are now distinguishable by their wood type, and item damage is now visible on certain items, which now display signs of decay in their texture. Aside from aesthetics, this can be a very handy practical indicator that things need to be repaired.
Many items without models have also been taken care of, with the introduction of many new item models and textures. Indeed, many items with models also had those improved and optimised. A whole host of new icons have also been implemented to represent a greater range of in-game items in an effort to rid the game of question mark icons once and for all!
Not all of the improvements are, however, immediately recognisable. For instance, recently a new occlusion system has been introduced in an effort to speed up loading times and to save unnecessary resource usage.
 
 
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Written by Emoo
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Monday, 21 June 2010 12:59 |
A chorus of cheers could be heard across Freedom last week as the server celebrated it's milestone 1 year birthday. Many were excited and many dismayed that it had been 1 year already. For many it seems to have been yesterday that they sailed to the Freedom Isles seeking refuge from the wars that spilled over from wild, to settle in the awe inspiring mountains, vast plains and endless forests of this proud server.
As with any milestone event in Wurm there were Wurmians working hard away trying to make the day special. One such player was Berris who spent his day mailing out free enchanted tools to those who needed them. When I asked him about his charitable actions he had this to say;
"I like that the Wurm community has events like impalongs and treasure hunts where people give their time and items freely for the fun of others. I just wanted to do something like that, keep the spirit alive."
It would seem with many on Freedom the spirit has been kept, with many players joining the initiative and taking up hammer, carving knife and hatchet to make a difference in the lives of their brethren. Though there have been many notable community achievements over the past year including the Black Dragon Slaying and Cave Canal Project but certainly in my mind the Academy of Enlightenment has been one of the top ongoing projects.
The Academy has a proud history spanning back to Jenn-Kellon Home and under the wise leadership of Dannyiron has continued it's good work on Freedom over the past year. At the Academy new players can can learn learn the in and outs of the game under the watchful eyes of the teachers and elders there. The tireless efforts of Dannyiron, Elwood, Chjees, Slon and Freckleskitty to provide the necessary knowledge and resources to allow strangers to the land excel have made a huge impact.
The future for the academy looks bright too with teachers in training and the student count just surpassing 20 with new players arriving almost daily in the quest for knowledge. One such student is DragonHaart who has been at the academy for nearly 2 weeks now. I managed to corner him to find out about his experience in the academy;
"It's been excellent actually, I never intended to stay very long on first arriving. I soon found out that I didnt know much and have been here ever since. I've learnt alot, what you learn in GV really has no relevance over here. Elwood and Dannyiron are clearly the most helpful people I've seen since i got here, eager to help/teach and otherwise show you whats right."
So in the hands of these wonderful Wurmians we can look forward to another year on Freedom and have high hopes for the future. Happy Birthday Freedom! |
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Written by Rolf
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Monday, 21 June 2010 11:52 |
- It is now possible to destroy a lot more of the items that are left standing in old settlements such as forges, coffins and furniture.
- Allowing someone into your house using village or alliance settings now lets them sleep in the bed as well.
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Written by Guru Bear
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Thursday, 01 April 2010 09:04 |
So, there was I, wandering through Wurm, not really concentrating when it suddenly struck me how big everthing was. The cobbles were bigger (and closer), the trees were suddenly much higher and even the grass was proving to be a challenge. Next thing I know a chicken has just rushed past me carrying a shovel and there are three more chickens standing around asking a bartender for something to eat - seeds, I suppose. The world had gone mad! It was time to call for help. "ORACLE!!!!!" I called quietly. "Yes?" He answered from behind me. I turned round, but could not see the familier shape of our dear Head Game Master. I tried looking up, as I appeared to be stuck to my neck in the ground. But that proved a complete waste of time.
I tried looking round this tatty old rat that had wandered into view, but no, no flying Head GM to be seen anywhere. "You are a Rooster," the tatty rat stated flatly. " ! " I answered. "Yes, a rooster, complete with red feathers and a rather fetching yellow thing on your head - I think its a sun hat." I poked the rat experimentally. "Ow!" Said the rat, in a very Oraclish voice. "Er, Oracle, Have you looked in the mirror recently?"
"Is there any reason why I should?" Oracle asked, brushing something from his whiskers; I thought it impolite to ask what. "You are a rat."
It seems that the Lords of Wurm have developed an overnight sense of humour, and players have been transformed into an assortment of hens, roosters and, in Oracles case, a Rat. Happy April Fools, one and all! Well, this is Wurm, after all, and it just gets plain boring being a human sometimes. Though people keep treading on my tail feathers, which is rather annoying.
"Oh." Oracle considered his rat status for a moment. "Well, if you think we have problems, you should see Who!
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Written by Guru Bear
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Friday, 12 February 2010 13:36 |
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 Forget Second Life, Twinity or even Facebook! If you want a proper online community, then you should be building a village on Wurm.
Wurm has always been about community. From the very earliest days Wurm Online has offered the functionality of creating and managing villages where a group of players could band together, deed some land, recruit citizens and work and have fun together. Land on Wurm has never been the ridiculous extravagance it is on other games. For a start, you don't actually need a deed to build your own place, but owning a deed means you get guards to help keep it secure, decay of buildings and walls is very much reduced, you get an exclusive village chat, and everyone else knows exactly what belongs to you.
And on the Wild server, players take their villages to extremes - building huge earth walls, employing lots of guards and making their home as impregnable as possible.
At Wurm Online, we know these communities are incredibly important to the game. Players organise them selves to make sure that between them they have all the skills needed for the village - blacksmith, carpenter, weapons smith, priest, boat builder (if they are coastal), forester, and so on. This is so much more than many of the social networks can come up with. On wurm you can chat, share ideas, talk about last night's soap, make new friends, and all while you are building your house, farming your fields, fighting a huge scorpion or, on Wild, building your defences and training your fighters.
 A Brand New Deed System
To go along with all this, we have just launched a new and improved deed system. We have lowered the price of land so that you can build larger villages, we have made the system much more variable so that you are no longer fixed to just a few sizes, but customise to your own specs. And we have made the hiring and firing of guards more versatile so you can really just employ the guards you need depending on your situation.
It all goes towards making Wurm Online a more detailed and interesting place to spend your online time. And we will keep making developments, bring out new ideas, make things better or closer to reality, and offer more and more ways for people to interact with each other while they are playing their favourite game. At Wurm, we don't believe that gaming and networking are different things - and Wurm Online intends to prove it!
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