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Podcast Description
Rift Watchers is a fan podcast hosted by the authors of RiftWatchers.com covering all of the latest news and hot topics confronting the Rift community.
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Rift Watchers – Episode #17: “The Final Show” | Featuring: Chris, Jeremy, Adam, Gavin, Ryan Kenward, and Arithion. Also thanks to Katabri and Shyntyrr for keeping the chatroom rocking! Hi Everyone, As we mentioned in our last post, this is the final episode of the Rift Watchers podcast. We had the whole crew on during this recording, with Gavin joining us midway through, and a special appearance by Arithion of the RIFT Podcast towards the end. Special guest this time is Ryan Kenward, the head of the Vagary TV network, good friend of the show, and recent RIFT convert. We spend the hour talking about the history of the show and our time with RIFT, as well as our favorite parts of the game and what we think makes it so special. There’s no news here, just fans and friends talking about a game they all still love and what it’s done for them. It is, without a doubt, one of the best episodes we’ve produced. We hope you enjoy it. Before we end, we’d just like to offer our thanks to you one final time for making this a podcast worth doing. You guys are the best. Subscribe to iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download or Listen to the show | 8/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #16: “A Day in the Life of a Patch” | Guests: Cindy “Abigale” Bowens, Erick “Zann” Adams, James “Elrar” Nichols, and Amanda “Amary” Fry Update: Blah! We owe a BIG apology to Mark Litchfield who submitted the great cleric segment at the end of the show. Two names with ‘M’ and one over-tired editor make for silly mistakes. Sorry Mark! Welcome to another episode of Rift Watchers! This episode really stands out to us as one of the most special we’ve done. The excellent community team over at Trion Worlds sat down with us with a simple theme in mind: A Day in the Life of a Patch. Simple in concept but wonderfully deep to explore. If you like to get behind the scenes, this is the episode for you. We track a patch from inception, to delivery, to maintenance, and everything in between. Ever wonder how Trion decides what feedback to take? They tell you, right here. We were joined again by our good friend and frequent co-host Adam Trzonkowski. His insights are always welcome and he made a great addition to this show. Remember to stop in and say hi at his home base, Epic Slant! Thanks Adam! Following the interview, we also have a special cleric segment submitted by Mr. Michael Bartok of the H2MMO website and podcast Mr. Mark Litchfield, as well as our very own cleric round table. Give it a listen to find out how clerics changed with this latest patch and some great information for players already enjoying the class. As always, if you enjoy what you hear, consider giving us an iTunes review. It only takes a second and goes a long way towards expanding our show to a larger audience. Enjoy the show! Subscribe to iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download or Listen to the show | 7/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers Episode #15: Exclusive: Cameron McNeil on Patch 1.3 and Beyond | Here at Rift Watchers, we strive to make a quality show and bring you discussions on the latest happenings around Telara. This week we bring you an exclusive interview with Cameron McNeil, Senior System’s Lead for Rift. We chat with Cameron about how 1.3 is being received, some of the stuff we can look forward to, server transfers and more. That isn’t all though! We still have the commentary that you have come to love right after the interview. Chris leads us into a discussion of Cameron’s answers, while Jeremy and the chat room make fun of Gavin for not realizing Rift had days and nights. Rift Watchers is also looking at possibly doing more shows like this in the future. We have no intentions of becoming a full time interview show (we enjoy talking too much) but we would like to bring you more content from the people at Trion Worlds. Let us know what you think of this episode and if you would like to see more like it. Enjoy the show. Thanks for listening! Subscribe to iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download or Listen to the show | 7/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers Episode#14: “Rogue Round Table” | Once again, Rift Watchers is back to help you drown out the boredom and slack off at work. Joined by rogues Krystal, Matt, Jeff, and Agathorn, Gavin hosts the rogue round table. Topics we Discuss Souls Leveling Builds Playstyles Gearing PvP PvE and more. A few of the many builds they shared with me: Agathorn: This build is always being tweaked, but I find it works real well. The points can be slightly shifted depending on your gear and whether you need more DPS or Defense, butwith this build I can take down level 50 elites for dailies, I can take on entire packs of mobs with ease, including standard (non elite) invasion groups and the roaming patrols in Stillmoor with the Elite captains. I can solo minor rifts through bonus stages 90% of the time. It isn’t a min/maxers dream, but its a lot of fun to play. http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MpVN.VcbIhq0o.E0dAosRMGdz Jeff: Lately I have been doing a lot of spec’ing, respec’ing, and testing on the target dummy. Below are the two current main melee builds I use, one for Raid/T2 DPS, and the other for daily questing/open world PVP. Raid Melee DPS: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=1MMVi.0Vkcxob.VV0Azsoo0b.VhxzhoR Matt: Here is a build I’ve dinked around with on the test shard it has decent aoe/survivablility with bladedancer and maintains good damage from the assassin soul. http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MVMf.xVdVhRM0Mbz.hGMfx0fVdb Krystal: Here Bard spec Bard/Nightblade/Saboteur Thanks for listening! Subscribe to iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download or Listen to the show | 6/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #13: “Patching Against the Wind (Guest Starring: Casey Tigue)” | Afternoon all! Another week’s gone by and that means another Rift Watchers! This week we were honored to be joined by Casey Tigue from the Player Versus Rift podcast. We had a great time breaking down everything we know about 1.3 and found ourselves laughing even more often than usual! No official notes this go-round but discussion includes: Massively’s hands-on with Patch 1.3 The massive PvP changes coming next month (valor updates) The Hammerknell E3 walkthrough (spoilers!) These forums topics: Interview: Trion’s Debut Rift Closes In On 1M Sell-Through Dear Pro-Addon Crowd Gearscore is Already Up at RiftUI! Don’t forget to stop in and say hi to Casey! We thank the crew over at PvR for sharing him with us Saturday night. CONTEST: Don’t forget, we’re giving away two great Enjin plans to kick off our new partnership! All you have to do to win is one of the following: 1) Leave us an iTunes review; 2) submit a Build of the Week (with explanation); or, 3) Submit a segment to be included with the show! Here’s the catch. We have both an ultimate and advanced plan to give away. We’re putting the most creative entries in line for the ultimate package. So, get crackin’ with a fun review and you might win! For an example of what you can do with stock options on an ultimate plan, click here to view our guild’s website. Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here | 6/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #12: “Cleric Roundtable” | Hi Everybody! Welcome back to another week of Rift Watchers. We have a very special episode for you this week: Our first class roundtable! Jeremy and I were joined by four expert clerics and had a great discussion of all things pious. Guests include: Adam Trzonkowski, Mark Litchfield, Michael Bartok, and Sonny Woods. They were excellent guests — informed, charismatic, and a lot of fun to talk to, so show them some love. We broke this show into five basic parts: PvE (Leveling, Endgame), PvP, and Listener Emails. Our main goal with these is to inform and entertain. I think we did that here. Let us know what you think in the comments section! During the show, we talk a lot about builds. Here are some of the most noteworthy: Adam: Group: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00Gjx.E00E0Ldqz.E0Ebbczco Purifier (34) / Sentinel (32) / Templar (0) Raiding: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00jGx.E0x.EgkEItdqz Purifier (51) / Sentinel (15) / Templar (0) Mike: Leveling: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=10rnj.VuRsmee0oo.Ved00M.V0x Justicar (38) / Shaman (18) / Sentinel (10) Dungeon Healing: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=10jeG.E0Excsxco.xE.E Sentinel (41) / Warden (15) / Purifier (10) Mark The “Duracell” Spec: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00rnd.euMo0f0z.Ved0t0shk.Vxkb Shaman (21) / Justicar (31) / Inquisitor (14) Chris AoE Spec: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00der.VekbMt0az.tEbzo.Vuz Inquisitor (31) / Warden (20) / Justicar (10) Sonny Single Target Casting - http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00dje.EEkVgx0qz.V0x.E Inquisitor (46) / Sentinel (10) / Warden (10) AoE - http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00djo.EvobMx0qz.V0x.VxVV Inquisitor (36) / Sentinel (10) / Cabalist (20) Melee - http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00and.VVcVG0qoz.Ex00t0s.Vx Druid (31) / Shaman (25) / Inquisitor (10) Tanking - http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=00roG.EuRsVeezoo.EzA0z0z Justicar (45) / Cabalist (21) / Purifier (0) Jeremy – Coming Soon! As always, we thank you all for the kind words and 5-star iTunes reviews. We’ll be back to our normal routine next week. Enjoy! Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here | 5/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #11: “Putting the Pert Back in Expert” | Hey Gang, It’s been an awesome week in the world of RIFT and we break it down in this week’s Rift Watchers. In case you were on vacation, RIFT got patch 1.2 and all of the tweaks and changes that accompany such a large patch. I’ve been loving playing my cleric with the updated combat pacing. Adam (playing the role of Jeremy until, well, Jeremy plays Jeremy) and Gavin have a lot to love, but also raise some questions about the LFG tool and how it’s changed experts and plaque rewards. While the entire chat room disagreed with them, I have to say, Adam makes a pretty strong case for why many players will receive fewer plaques now. What do you think? As always, we fill this show with lots of laughs and lots of ribbing. We also have a special audio segment at the start of the show. Some of our… erm… fans called in to let us know how they feel. Here are some highlights: The Best and Worst Parts of 1.2 Experts: Are They Too Easy and Why Does That Goblin Keep Eating My Face? New Marketing That Uses the Word “Horde”?!?! Blizzard’s tinfoil hats are-a ringing, Ma! Oh and it’s cloudy with a chance of fire. And much, much more! Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here | 5/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #10: “Fond Farewells to McLovin” | Welcome back to another episode of Rift Watchers! As you know, this is where RIFT players come to talk, and this week we’re joined by Sarc of Lagwar.com and the WASD podcast. You may also remember him from several of the great emails he sent in to the show. This week was a real treat. The conversation was great, the laughs were flowing, and I can honestly say it’s one of the best we’ve done. I hope you all like it. On the topic docket are: Patch 1.2 and the Spoils of War prequel The masses of additions to the 1.2 patch notes Doth thou believe in ArRrRPeEeE? (Or RP name enforcement INC!) Like every week, we also go over some great community posts in Forum Watch and highlight what the fansites are up to in the Community Spotlight. Remember: We’re looking for your builds to highlight in our Build of the Week segment! Send them in to us with a brief description of how and why you use it, and we may discuss it on the show! We’re also looking for a couple more clerics to join us on the Cleric Roundtable we’re planning for March 21st! Don’t be a slouch, join in and have fun! And with that out of the way, join us after the cut for the full notes! Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here Introduction: Welcome to Rift Watchers, I’m Chris, I’m Jeremy, and I’m Gavin, and this is where RIFT players come for their Dragonegg Shells. We’re happy to welcome back our friend Sarc to the show. What’s going on with us in RIFT? News/Discussion: 1.2 is set to hit the servers on May 10th. Mini-Event – Spoils of War LIVE now. * Special reward packs for completing these new quests offer chances for uncommonly seen artifacts, rare and useful crafting materials, platinum and more. Reward packs also have a chance at containing a limited-time companion pet! What is it, what do players have to do, what do they get? Our thoughts on it. Feeling greedy for corrupted coins – players forming large lines. (fixed on the test server) Additions to the patch notes. Trion has been adding on to an already large list of updates coming in Patch 1.2. We wanted to touch some of the big -additions- here. RIFTCONNECT * The optional social network integrations in RIFT have been combined and expanded under the heading ‘RiftConnect’. * Settings for Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube can now be accessed via a button on the lower left corner of the patcher as well as the Settings menu in-game. * Facebook sign-in status can only be changed from the game patcher. * In-game recorded video now has options for Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook sharing. * The commands used to post updates from in-game are: - Facebook: /fb, /fbpic - Tumblr: /tumblr, /tumblrpic - Twitter: /tweet, /tweetpic - To send out to everything you’re currently logged in to: /blast, /blastpic LOOKING FOR GROUP * Players vote-kicked from an LFG group will be prevented from being picked again for re-queues by that group for 15 minutes. Players put on ignore will not be selected for your group ever * You must wait 10 minutes after your LFG tool party forms before being able to vote-kick a member. * Reduced the amount of Planarite awarded by individual Invasions and Footholds during zonewide events. Slightly increased the amount of Planarite awarded in general from Rift content of levels 10-14 to keep it in line with the 15-19 range. * Increased Planarite cap from 30,000 to 60,000. Trion Introduces Legolawls as a raid boss, promptly kills him. In a forum post from Executive Producer, Scott Hartsman, Trion revealed this week that they will start enforcing naming policies on RP servers. Scott made a point to emphasize that Trion intends to be understanding but firm and laid down some basic guidelines, such as: 9. Comprised of partial or complete sentences that are obviously out of place (e.g., [...] | 5/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #9: “1.2 Problems But a Patch Ain’t One” | We are back with another episode full of audible pleasure for all you Rift fans! This week we go over a few of the responses to the event and quickly dive into the rough 1.2 alpha server features. Things like a new LFG Tool, appearance slots, and some improvements/additions to the zone and world invasion systems. This is a great show and marks our first officially weekly episode. As always don’t forget you can tune in to participate with us as we record via Our Livestream Saturday nights at 8:30PST/11:30EST. It is a great time and allows for you to see what happens behind the scenes here on Riftwatchers.com! Full show notes just past the break. Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here Introduction - Welcome to Rift Watchers Weekly! News - Massively’s Hartsman Interview/Patch 1.2 Patch Notes Launch/Success He said that back before launch the team whipped up projections of how the post-first month landscape would look — how many people would stick around and resubscribe and how many new folks would be purchasing the game — and right now RIFT is greatly exceeding those projections. “All the indicators of things you’d want to go good are going better than anticipated,” Hartsman said, noting that Trion is hiring people like crazy in order to meet the current and future demand. He also said that the digital sales of RIFT are definitely greater than the retail sales: “It makes us incredibly glad that we have a ton of digital partners, retail partners and our own digital downloads shop so that people can get the game the way they want.” World Event The two biggest areas of concern were the compression of time and space. “If you compress a world event in too small of a space or too short of a time, it’s not an experience that people find fun,” Hartsman admitted. So while the first world event was in full swing, the team behind the next event was already evaluating these problems and adjusting future attempts to learn from these mistakes. So players should expect to see world events that spread things out over a longer time frame and across a larger space so that more people can participate in them. Hartsman said that the devs noted players valued more being able to participate in a time and place of their choosing rather than being able to say “I was there” at a specific point. LFG Tool One of the biggest improvements with the update is the addition of a Looking for Group tool. Expert Dungeons Trion’s tweaking the daily dungeon quests so that you can either do one per day or let them pile up so you can knock out a bunch at once. Hartsman said that this caters to the “weekend warriors” who want all of the special rewards of daily dungeons but can only make time for them once a week. The game will store up to seven daily dungeon quests for you at a time. Slivers One of the new types of level 50 challenges coming in this update is the addition of “slivers,” 10-man raids that can only be seen in the world if you’ve used an Ascended Power that reveals them. The first sliver is called “Gilded Prophecy” and will have you fighting Golden Maw cultists from another reality amid a huge sandstorm. Zone Events The team’s created three additional types of zone-wide events for high levels, including a “tower defense” event where you have to control strategic locates, an “escort” event to protect moving resources, and an event in which players can summon their own Colossus to defeat the Colossus of the enemy. Low-level zone-wide events have also been improved and increased, so players of all levels will be able to engage in more epic battles than ever before. Wardrobe System WARDROBE SLOTS * Wardrobe slots are now available for you to customize your character’s look! * All characters have access to the first wardrobe set (all arm[...] | 4/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #8: “Alsbeth Plays Peek-a-Boo” | Welcome back to another episode of Rift Watchers! Sorry for the week late, we had some technical problems, but we’re back and better than ever. This week we’re joined by Adam “Ferrel” Trzonkowski, author of the Guild Leader’s Companion and the Epic Slant MMO blog. We spend some time talking about: The River of Souls Event Is it your responsibility to fill multiple roles – (preview: Chris says yes, Gavin says no) The hacked GM account LFG systems And much, much more! We had a lot of fun recording this episode and to make up for the delay, we’re going to be releasing Episode 9 next week! Is this our first step towards becoming a weekly ‘cast? Maybe! If you like what we’re doing, remember to leave us a 5-star iTunes review so we can highlight it on the show! We also welcome your emails and phone calls. Email us at: riftwatchers@gmail.com or call at: 773-669-RIFT (7438). Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here Anyways, click past the cut for the full notes. Introduction: Welcome to Rift Watchers. I’m Chris, I’m Jeremy, and I’m Gavin, and this is where RIFT players come to talk. Introduce Adam – talk about his book and his MMO history News: RIFT Dev Log – Berenger Fish Free Trial Weekends Mobile Authenticator Released RIFT appears on CNN GM Gets Hacked Discussion: Patch 1.1 – World Event – Thoughts, how did it begin and where is it now, how-to on the quests, experiences, rewards? Is it your responsibility to fulfill multiple roles? Forum Watch: Lot of complaining about queues and, as a result trial players. Please Give Us an Appearance Tab (50 Pages) Do you have a responsibility to fill multiple roles? (41 pages) Make weekends free to play (2 pages) Feedback: Hi, my name is Meurig and I’m from the Rasmolov server and am the coleader of the super casual guild Vindication. First off I’d like to say that I really enjoy this podcast. I listen to it while at work driving from delivery to delivery… Sadly it doesn’t last the whole week… Make a 6 hour podcast to remedy my issue. Thanks! Anyways my question is do you guys really think that rift is the cure all for altitis. I can’t quite remember if you guys covered this in a previous podcast or not but I’ve listen to a few others and I think I have a valid point behind this. I know I had a very bad case of altitis back in my wow days. I had a max level pally, shaman, dk, and all my other character slots were filled up with level 40′s or higher. In DAoC I had a max level merc, theurgist, necro, cleric, and friar with a few more on their way. My point is this… I don’t feel that altitis was cured at all, just glorified. With my rogue in rift I plan on having a healing/tanking hybrid for rifts, dps for when I’m running with my cousin, and pvp spec when in a warfront that is all bards though my last role being a saboteur just because they’re so damn cool. With those 4 roles filled and not wanting to respec I feel I’ll have to make another rogue just to even enjoy assassin. What do you guys think? Enjoy the show, thanks again! Meurig Rasmolov Vindication ——————— Heyo! Wanted to chime in on the viability of a ranged warrior spec in light of the recent nerfs. first a history lesson – Flamespear used to have a DoT component so it didnt make sense to spam in its original form.. They removed the DoT and upped the damage a bit which is why it became spammable, it really was a 2 button ranged class with 2x 15 second cooldown additional ranged attacks. the cooldown timer or re-implementation of the DoT was a necessary change. Paragon is the other ranged warrior tree, a pretty decent ranged spec emerges when you combine the two trees, stronger in melee but viable. In a competitive min/max raid environment its not optimal[...] | 4/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #7: Swimming in a River of Souls | Hi Everyone, Wow, this was a jam packed episode! Trion went to the well and came back heavy since our Hartsman interview. We have tons of news on Patch 1.1 and the River of Souls event (starting tomorrow!). We also are joined by our friend Muzzey who gives us a new and insightful perspective on the current endgame of RIFT. If you’re wondering what waits for you at 50 and what those experts are really like, this is the episode for you. Big thanks to Muzzey for coming on and being a great guest. As usual, there is tons more, including how to get the best title in the game: Dances with Squirrels. This week, we’d like to put the call out for endgame comparisons. If you’ve played the endgame – heroics, raiding, skirmishes, what have you – in another MMO and are now taking part in RIFT’s, send us an email to let us know how they stack up. We’d love to hear it. Before we go, I’d like to talk for a second about release schedules. If you’ve checked out our iTunes reviews and comment sections to our show posts, one of the most common sentiments is that, well, you want more. We hear you. The guys and I sat down to talk about ramping up our pace a little bit, in no small part because Trion blindsided us with the shear amount of stuff to talk about. For the moment, we’re a bi-weekly show, but we’d like to change this. As soon as we can, we plan to go weekly. Stay tuned. Without further rambling from me, click past the cut for full show notes! Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here Episode #7: Swimming in a River of Souls Intro: Welcome to Rift Watchers, I’m Chris, I’m Jeremy, and I’m Gavin, and this is where RIFT players come to talk. WOW – what a busy week! TONS to talk about – and we’re lucky enough to be joined by our officer, PvE leader, and resident expert runner, Muzzey! Big News: March 30th will see RIFT’s first major world event – 30 days out and a world events are coming! Dubbed a “fully dynamic conflict event” players are referring to as the River of Souls event Unprecedented Invasions & Exclusive Rewards Alsbeth the Discordant will lead massive invasions across every zone in Telara [...]participating players of any level fighting these invaders can earn hundreds of new items including exclusive rewards, such as a Spectral Horse and a transmogrifying disguise that turns Ascended into the rotting undead. But be warned: once the rifts are sealed, these items are gone forever. Raid Zone: River of Souls If Ascended are successful in their efforts to drive back the invasions, they can journey to the “River of Souls” 20-man raid zone at the edge of the Plane of Death where Alsbeth the Discordant is reanimating the recently departed and recruiting them into Regulos’ army. Guardian and Defiant heroes will have to wade through these decaying hordes to reach Alsbeth and make her account for her abhorrent crimes. Patch notes for Patch 1.1 hit the Alpha Server The Endless Court Event? Yeah, they’re all up in your Telara, killing your mans. Not cool. You can now report AFK teammates in a Warfront. Rift events no longer track player contribution against other players. You are checked for participation in the event and given rewards appropriately. It’s still important to participate in as many stages of a Rift or event as possible to receive the best rewards. Many quest fixes and Class rebalancing Respecs due to talent tree changes: Pyromancer, Bard, Reaver, Infiltrator [PVP], Saboteur, Vindicator [PVP] Warriors – Getting nerfed: several DPS cuts and stun time reductions Mages - Generally getting buffed, knockbacks on non-healing abilities have been reduced; Pyromancers are getting a full respec due to having talents moved; new ability: Burning Shield – Consumes the mage’s Ground spe[...] | 3/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #6: A PAX East Interview With Scott Hartsman; LFG Tool to Be Single Server Only to Start; PvP Balanci | How’s that for a long post title? We decided to go with that so you’d get a good idea about what’s included in this special edition of Rift Watchers. As you might know, gamer convention extraordinaire took place over this weekend and Jeremy had the chance to sit down with Scott Hartsman for an impromptu interview at a local pub. We got lots of great information and, more importantly, more insight into the creative minds behind the game. Scott was a great interview: candid, charismatic, and conversational, so I think you’re really going to like what you hear. Fair warning, this interview took place in a bar, so it’s a little bit noisy. We’ve done our best to clean it up, but the recorder was on the bar, so you’ll hear background noise and a couple of bumps as drinks were set down and so forth. Thank you again to Scott for sitting down with us! Here are a few choice quotes I pulled out: Jeremy: It’s been noticed that the team with the most healers wins right now… Obviously you’ve the PvP players who are really hardcore that are blowing it out of proportion, then on the other end you’ve got the exact opposite, but do you feel that as more people hit 50 and people start getting their PvP gear and PvP souls, that this is going to balance out a little bit? Scott: I think the gear will help a lot, but also us continuing to balance the game will help a lot. One of the things we’ve noticed – and we’ve noticed this through multiple betas, this isn’t unique to RIFT – people, by and large, do not bring their A-game in betas. They don’t because it’s not real, it doesn’t count yet. … And so, now that we’re live, people are truly bringing their A-game, this is when we can get to real balancing as opposed to gross balancing, which is as good as you can get in beta. Jeremy: Are you guys looking more to balance the PvP souls for PvP, than you are all the souls? Scott: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Not only that, but we also have the ability to balance individual PvP effects, also. So we have the ability to impact PvP balance without impacting PvE. Scott: By the time we get gear and balance worked out, I wouldn’t expect a team of ten healers to succeed too terribly well. Jeremy: I know that it’s a work in progress, I’ve read the stuff on it. In your opinion, do you think [the LFD tool] will be server only or cross-server? Scott: When we go out, whatever we do first is going to be server-only, you know; it’s going to be single-server, and we’ll see how it works. Here’s what I’d rather do: I’d rather launch something and try to keep it single-server – and again, I’m talking a real Looking For Group system, not only Looking For Dungeon. Like, “I want to find dude to help my with whatever-arbitrary-noun” whether that’s a dungeon, or a rift, or whatever – and so I’d rather we start with that and see how it works, because you can always add cross-server later, as opposed to going cross-server first and then having it take too long. Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here | 3/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #5: “QueueQueue” | Welcome to another episode of Rift Watchers! This one was really fun to record. We’ve launched, taken off, gone skyward… and we’re here to talk about how it’s been. We also spend a good amount of time breaking down the contribution system, record breaking server numbers, big game updates, and more. Enjoy the show and remember, if you like it, drop us a review on iTunes or a line any of the ways below! Participate in the show by: Sending us an email at: riftwatchers@gmail.com Or leaving us a voicemail at: (773) 669-RIFT (7438) Follow us on Twitter: @riftwatchers Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download/Listen Here Jump past the cut for full notes! News Discussion: Launch! An exciting time. Players have already hit 50 and started tackling the expert dungeons. Since Launch there’s been a slurry of hotfixes, daily, most of them quality of life stuff. Bug fixes, quest adjustments, and more. Dungeon zone quests fixed so that repeat completions do not reward the full first-completion value. Fixed a bug causing mobs significantly higher than a player’s level to reward far more experience than they should be. Improved AFK kicking in Warfronts. Greenscale’s Blight: Lockout timer has been changed from 3 days to 1 week. Players can no longer reset Expert or Raid instances that are locked to their party. Runebreaking disabled/re-enabled New Lore and Screenshots for Greenscale’s Blight Discussion: Headstart/Launch Recap – What was it like, what were we doing. 99 servers, 2 more added – setting new records? WoW – 88 servers, WAR – 95 servers, Aion – 24 servers, LotRO – >32 servers Community Spotlight: The State of RP Servers at Launch – RIFT Herald Dungeon Guide: Darkening Deeps – HorRIFTic Intentions Low Level PVP/Rift Gear Guide – Rift RVR Leveling Guide and Zone Level Map – Rift Junkies (they’re also asking for help to keep the lights on. Please consider helping one of the best RIFT resources out there.) Forum Watch: We Will Add RvR if the Players Want It (332 pages) and Part II (54 pages) – 3847 responses! Tank in our Group Got Kicked – Why is This Okay? (68 pages) The “Things I Wish I Had Known Sooner” Thread – (19 pages) Feedback: From Tod: ive been a wow player for few years now and am really interested in getting more information on rift. ive been watching trailers and reading forums thats actually how i got your email from http://www.riftwatchers.com/2011/01/05/why-rift-is-the-first-real-answer-to-world-of-warcraft/ but anyways as we both know as gamers these only take a person so far. is there any word on a possible trial? or any way to actually try the game before spending $65 to even start? i dont want to seem cheap in any way but as a college student every dollar has to count for something lol. Two Voicemails What’s New on the Site: Tramell’s Cleric Guide Rift: Breaking Records Already? What’s the Deal With Queues? Wrap-Up iTunes Shoutouts: Scared Poptart, Keith Howard, Esormaj, Superscoty, Edragor (who wrote a review in china-jap-korean-ese), Grakulen, and [gb]tephlon Participate in the show by: Sending us an email at: riftwatchers@gmail.com Or leaving us a voicemail at: (773) 669-RIFT (7438) Follow us on Twitter: @riftwatchers | 3/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #4: On The Precipice | Special Guest: Draegan of Rift Junkies Hello again, everyone! This past Sunday we had the pleasure of getting together with Draegan of Rift Junkies to record our final episode before Rift officially hits store shelves. This was an extra special episode; for those that don’t know (are you out there?), Rift Junkies is the most enterprising Rift fansite out there. Not to mention the fact that Draegan just returned from a trip to Trion’s studios and he has a lot to share! Join us as we pluck his brain, talk some open beta, our plans for launch, twitter, end-game, dungeon finders, and much, much more! Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Direct Download Jump past the cut for full notes! Introduction - Welcome to Rift Watchers Pleased to be joined by Draegan of Rift Junkies.com! Discussion - Weekly recap; We get to know Draegan a little bit. Open Beta: Souls changes, quest changes, and other masses of good stuff. What have we been up to, what are our impressions of Beta 7? Twitterific! PvP Buffing Ad Break: We’d like to take a moment to thank our sponsor. The following portion of the show is brought to you by Go Daddy. Use the code RIFT10 to get 10% off your order at checkout. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com. Trion Visit Interview Quick Hit News: Greenscale Lore Spotlight (short story); Rift adds a PvP page, PAX Par-tay; Raid Walkthrough Our Plans for Launch Community Spotlight - Rift Junkies – Draegan lets us know all that is new at RJ. There is lots: Freemarch, Scarwood, Scarlet Gorge, Silverwood, and Stonefield puzzle guides; Gloamwood and Scarwood Reach location maps; the Build and Spec Library; and two contests – one for a free month of game time and one for a free digital CE! Welcome Tank Telara to the fold! RiftCore has a nice article up discussing tab targeting. The Rift Podcast has two great shows up. Episode #30 guest stars the always interesting Berenger Fish and focusing in on raiding and endgame. Episode #31, on the other hand, gives us a front row seat to the Trion Visit roundtable interview with Scott Hartsman and Russ Brown. It’s so good, it’s like you’re there! Remember, you can get all of these and more by checking in with our friend Kabniel at Rift Herald. His excellent Friday Round-Ups have helped us many-a-time. Forum Watch The Dungeon Finder is a Good Thing and Easily Avoided for Those of You Opposed to it. (31 pgs) … You have similar odds of picking up bads through an automatic tool as you do spamming chat channels. Addons you would hate to see in RIFT (57 pgs) Armor for Girls (132 pgs) Roles Trivialize the Soul System (35 pgs) I’m never giving up anything, I don’t have to sacrifice x for y. It completely sucks the fun out of having this incredibly robust class system. Female Gamers, Armored Bikini’s, and Chafing. A Proposal for the Dev Team (56 pgs) … My solution to this … would simply be to add one additional checkbox. The modesty checkbox. What’s New On The Site - Guild Concept (now good to go) Marketing Win A Dungeon Finder is Coming to Rift Rift: Breaking a Busty Trend Close - iTunes Shoutouts: Fackster, RiftCartel, Riverwitch, Scarybooster.com, LoreWriter.com, Cgraves45, and b_dubya Email us at: RiftWatchers@gmail.com Leave us a voicemail at: 773-669-RIFT Follow us on twitter at: @riftwatchers Visit Draegan and Win at RiftJunkies.com! | 2/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #3: “Defining the Game” | Update: Fixed! Hi Everyone, We’re happy to present Episode #3: Defining the Game to you today. On this episode we talk about the changes to invasions over betas five and six, the updates racials, the new ancient wardstone system, and lots more. In segment two, Jeremy and I have a little debate over the proper definition of Rift: is it a PvE game, PvP, or something else entirely? We also go through our usual forum watch, which we’ve dubbed the “Aren’t We Ornery” segment for this week. Guild Giveaway: Lagwar and Vagary are teaming up to give away 6 guild forums. We’ll set you up with a password protected area just for your guild, with all the sub-forums you need. The first six guilds to respond will get these forums, free for your use. Just send us an email at the address below. Email Call Out of the Week: What type of game do you see Rift as: PvE, PvP, or something else? Send your emails to riftwatchers@gmail.com and we’ll talk about them on the next show. iTunes Shoutouts: We would like to thank: Trammel Hawkins, Lots of Coins, RemmyT, and the 3 anonymous 5-star voters. Remember, reviews are how new people will find us. Help us grow the show by leaving us a 5-star iTunes review. Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Direct Download Click past the cut for links mentioned on the show! Relevant Links: Dragonchasers A Partnership with Team Fortress 2 Forum Watch – Aren’t we ornery today? Server Rule-set; FFA PVP, Full Loot, No Safe Havens Physical CE Pre-Orders Get Nerfed? No UI Mods, No Damage Meter – [Official Response Rift and Add-Ons] Anyone Else Finding This Offensive? Are the Female Characters Supposed to be Flat Chested? Community Watch: Rift Junkies – Giving away a free month of game time with an awesome contest. Also have a Deepstrike Mines, Realm of the Fae tutorial, and a Black Garden PvP map. Rift Podcast posted episodes 29 and 30 Contact Information: Email: RiftWatchers@gmail.com Sites: Chris – Game By Night, Jeremy – Jmo’s Gaming Blog, Gavin – Flex Your Geek Twitter: Chris – @GameByNight, Jeremy – @_JWGoodson, Gavin – @GavinFYG | 2/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers – Episode #2: Interview with Rift Lore Leads | This episode of RiftWatchers was originally intended to be part of episode 2, but was changed after review of length and time. Look forward to the commentary from the writers at Riftwatchers.com this week on episode 2b. This episode we sit down with Rift Lore Leads Morgan and Nick to discuss how lore is made and gain a little insight into the minds behind Rift’s amazing story. We discuss writing backgrounds, theater, the challenges of writing lore, their influences and much more. We hope you enjoy the show! Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe to the Site Download Direct | 1/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rift Watchers Podcast – Episode #1 – NDA-Free is the Way to Be! | Rift Watchers is a fan podcast hosted by the authors of RiftWatchers.com and covers all of the latest news and hot topics confronting the Rift community. Rift Watchers is a bi-weekly show. | 1/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 17 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Off to a great start!
You guys (along with The Rift Podcast) are setting up a nice foundation for the Rift community to build on. Thanks guys! Keep it up and I can't wait to hear more.
Simply the BEST!
Out of all the RIFT podcasts I've listened to, this is by far the best. They have interviews and they most knowledgeable out there. I can't wait to listen to more of RIFT Watchers. Keep up the great work!
PS. If you are interested in a great interview with 2 of the lead Lore Devs, listen to #2. Awesome podcast!
Great Info and Doing our Riftdrawals
The guys always cover a topic, give overiews of personal experience, and connect out to the larger RIFT community. A must listen for me as I suffer from Riftdrawal.
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