Aion 2.5

Syrie · Monday , 31 January 2011 - 22h56

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3YdQjkFNnY#

graphics update in 2.5

Ashelia · Monday , 31 January 2011 - 23h12

It all looks very nice, but unless they've done some major improvements (and actually test them) to the way this game works, I'm not so sure if it's gonna work out very well for a big part of the community...

I'm aware that I don't have the newest and best PC anymore... But I also do know it can run far more demanding games with way better gfx than Aion with less problems.

Zeus · Tuesday , 01 February 2011 - 10h50

Quote from: Syrie on Monday , 31 January 2011 - 22h56
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3YdQjkFNnY#

graphics update in 2.5

Looks like they are utilizing some DX10 capabilities which the current CryEngine is more than capable of producing, so I still don't think it's a new engine. Perhaps the "bling" client will be DX10 and the regular still DX9 ... there will be 2 client versions from my understanding.

WhiteHorse · Tuesday , 01 February 2011 - 21h16

I already did a lot of digging on figuring out more about the aion engine details.

Basically it's a modified/evolved version of CryEngine 1.

Quick reference of engine = game:
CryEngine 1 = FarCry
CryEngine 2 = Crysis
CryEngine 3 = no launched game yet. Crysis 2 will have it (launch date: 25 March 2011).

Quick reference of engine = technology.
CryEngine 1 = Supports DirectX 9
CryEngine 1.2 = voxel and pixel shader 3.0 support added.
CryEngine 1.3 = High Dynamic Range (HDR) Lighting support added.
CryEngine 2 = Supports DirectX 9/10.
CryEngine 3 = Supports DirectX 9/10/11. Supports indirect lighting (objects being illuminated by light that bounces off from other objects).

Currently no game has CryEngine 3 still, so I don't know if Aion ever will.
As for Aion 2.5 I am still not sure of what is the case. If it is currently using cryengine 1.0 and jumping to cryengine 1.3 . Or if it is jumping from cryengine 1.x to cryengine 2. Even when comparing graphics of the 1.3 and 2.0 cryengines versus the vision trailer I am not able to be 100% sure. Although in the beginning I tough "for sure its cryengine 2" i am starting to think it's actually going to be a jump from cryengine 1.0 to 1.3. However NCSOFT did talk about a 64-bit version of the game in the future, which for cryengine that make me think of cryengine 2.0 so I am still to a lost. I've been using the tree's as comparison between cryengines 1.3 and 2.0 and altough the trees look like 1.3 in geometry/detail the visual effect of bluring things in a distance I only recall seeing it on cryengine 2 and Aion 2.5 is doing it. One needs to remember that cryengine 1.3 is somewhere in between the farcry and crysis looks, meaning that it has extra visual effects like better per pixel shader and light effects.
All in all, of course, the more the better. If we get cryengine 2 great. The upgrade will be welcomed even if its jumping to 1.3 (in case it's not 1.3 already).
So that you understand what i mean.

Farcry 1 (cryengine 1.0 DX9)

Crysis (cryengine 2.0 DX10)

Aion 2.5 background blur effect.

CE1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPwigoUMOZ4#

CE2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArOBQ2V4IEE#ws

CE3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kvl31g77Z8#ws

Viittu · Tuesday , 01 February 2011 - 23h07

ctrl - find ( look for - PVP improvements ) - 0 results.

WhiteHorse · Tuesday , 08 February 2011 - 19h40

WhiteHorse · Saturday , 12 March 2011 - 21h48

I confess that by now I am a bit surprised that 2.5 has still not been launched or mentioned even for the last weeks.
I assume that with the 2 new events till the end of the month means that such update will not happen this month.

In the meanwhile, new videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1abY7VYcKv4#ws

I am hitching for us to go around together with those legion clothes and for that Boss arena challenge for us. I suspect we need to be lv55 for it.
I am wishing 3.0 still this year also. Hopefully by august/september. I loved the horse.

Very very cool looking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WxoJaJzv3U#ws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lT7Rgt1ZqA#ws

Ashelia · Sunday , 13 March 2011 - 21h41

Looks awesome! I just hope it's as good as it shows here (which was a bit of a disappointment to me with the game itself). I still look forward to 3.0, but there's no telling how active I'm still gonna be till then.

What's that at 1:06-1:07 of first movie? Did they finally import WoW's rocket boots?

(sorry, couldn't resist saying it)

sakushi · Sunday , 13 March 2011 - 21h44

WOW... looks crazy... and sexy..PATCHE.. :p

WhiteHorse · Monday , 14 March 2011 - 02h15

Quote from: Ashelia on Sunday , 13 March 2011 - 21h41
What's that at 1:06-1:07 of first movie? Did they finally import WoW's rocket boots?
(sorry, couldn't resist saying it)

Those are part of the customizations to your character. In other words, beyond controlling the look of your char, you will also control the way it animates. On that case, the running animation was personalized already to have a "glide" feel.

Quote
User Interface
(...)
3. Added a new feature to allow some customization of characters' basic animations.
- The character information window has a new motion tab.
- The default options are stand by, run, jump, rest, and store. However,
- New motions will be available in the future via "motion card" items.

source: http://powerwiki.uk.aiononline.com/aion/Korean+PTS%3A+Initial+2.5+Patch+Notes

Ertha · Sunday , 27 March 2011 - 13h57

When i see all the things that are going to come in 2.5 and 3.0 than i also know why i absolute will stay in this game.
It will only get better and better^^

I hope my pc can still handle it when all this is going to come out.

WhiteHorse · Sunday , 27 March 2011 - 21h21

That was my sensation about Aion also, when i saw the vision trailer at the same time the game was launched with 1.0.
I imediatly understood there is heavy support and development on the way. That's why i am doing 1 year subscription already for the 2nd time.
A bit what happened with Wow, it kept growing and developing.

WhiteHorse · Wednesday , 13 April 2011 - 19h58

Quote
The Interview of the Month

Aion Producer Sean Neil and Aion Brand Manager Dominic Wai put their heads together and answered some questions from the community about the upcoming Aion 2.5 update and future Aion events.

Could you please tell us more about the visual effect upgrade that will come with Aion 2.5? Are we going to get what was shown in the Aion Vision trailer/movie?

Producer Sean Neil: The high quality graphics engine is exactly what we saw in the Vision trailer. I'd dare say the high quality graphic engine is even more impressive than what we saw there. Advanced texturing, deeper and clearer lighting and shadows, blooming, focus effects, sunlight effects, and a huge range of advanced options in your graphics settings will come to life when you take advantage of the advanced settings offered by the engine.

Players tend to complain about Aion being very demanding in terms of PC specs. How are you going to address this in the 2.5 graphics update? Will you release two clients, one with the graphics that we have today and one with the updated one for the enthusiast gamer?

Sean: The best part about the high quality graphics engine is that you aren't required to use it. The current graphics settings for the game will remain. Using the high quality setting is purely optional for those that have the machine to run with the advanced setting on. Once you choose the high quality engine, you are prompted to restart the game client, which then allows you access to the dropdowns and sliders associated with the new graphics settings.

Regarding content, what are the major new features that we can expect with 2.5?

Sean: The 2.5 update adds two new instances: Empyrean Crucible and Esoterrace. The Empyrean Crucible is an endurance gauntlet group instance for levels 51-55. You'll face several different bosses—some new and some familiar. Esoterrace is a huge outdoor Abyss Point instance that challenges you to cut off the Balaur supply lines. It's massive.

Brand Manager Dominic Wai: The Aion 2.5 update also incorporates some really nice new social features, including an increased maximum Legion level that gives you access to a brand new Legion cloak. The update also adds a new mentoring system that helps new players level up quicker with the help of a friend. PvP players also get all new eternal AP items to strive for.

Players have been very happy about the recent events, especially PvP. Do you have any plans that you would like to share with us? Can we expect more cool events with 2.5?

Sean: We recognise that Aion players fall into lots of different groups: PvP, PvE, casual, hardcore, solo players, and group/Legion players. We have plans to run a variety of different events that appeal to as many players as possible, but it's impossible to run an event that makes every player happy. We have been discussing this recently, and we decided to create some events that are very specific to the preferences of some of our players, including our PvP players. Our goal is to constantly engage you not only with new content, but with ongoing events—community events, in-game events, so-called microevents (like Behind Enemy Lines and Increased XP), and system events. Short answer: Yes! We're planning lots of cool events this year.

Dom: We're also looking forward to getting your feedback on how much you enjoy each event so that we can make sure to provide you with the right events on a regular basis. When you fill in the survey at the end of each event, you help us make sure we're making plans to provide the right gameplay environment for your needs.

Sean: One last thing I'd like to mention: We're shooting to have Aion 2.5 on our player test servers (PTS) at the end of April or beginning of May, so you'll all have a chance very soon to see it for yourselves!

full article available in:
http://uk.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=1354&page=

WhiteHorse · Sunday , 24 April 2011 - 10h31

European PTS 2.5 update:
28 April 2011 : PTS server goes offline for internal testing.
05 May 2011 : 2.5 update for PTS client becomes available.
12 May 2011 : 2.5 PTS server becomes available for gameplay.

source: http://uk.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=1382&page=

WhiteHorse · Monday , 09 May 2011 - 23h46

Aion 2.5 going to be launched on the european server (oficial, not pts) on 25-May.
With it, some events going to exist before and after it's launch.

Quote2.5 Empyrean Calling – Daeva-Palooza!
Greetings Daevas!
Update 2.5 Empyrean Calling is heading to the North American and European Live servers on May 25th! In celebration of this new update, the Aion team is hosting weeks of mini-events both prior and after the launch of Empyrean Calling.

May 11 – June 8:   Increased XP Event
May 11 – May 17:   'Behind Enemy Lines Rifting Event'
May 18 – May 25:   Increased Drop Rates Event
May 18 – June 1:   'For War and Glory AP Event'
May 25 – June 8:   'Gateway Getaway Event'
May 25 – May 31:   'Behind Enemy Lines Rifting Event'
June 1 – June 14:   'Atreian Artisan Expo'

The 'Behind Enemy Lines Rifting Event' is a recurring event we are currently hosting in Aion. During this rifting event, we'll remove the defensive buffs in Heiron and Beluslan. The defensive buffs will remain in place in Eltnen and Morheim.
Our 'For War and Glory AP Event' is a popular event that is focused primarily on abyss points. This event specifically, letting you get more AP and keep more. AP loss from PvP encounters in the Abyss and Silentera Canyon will be reduced by 50%, all other areas of the game will deliver the normal amount of AP loss. Additionally we will be increasing the amount of AP gain from monsters in the Abyss and Silentera canyon, giving you more AP per kill.
During this 'Gateway Getaway Event', we will introduce special entrance gates that allow your characters to enter instances despite fort ownership. You can enter a selection of the Upper Abyss fort instances and Divine's Abyssal Splinter from the home territories of Primum and Teminon, and access Silentera Canyon from inside your home base in the Illusion and Gelkmaros fortresses.
The 'Atreian Artisan Expo' is a popular event returning to the world of Aion. The Artisan Masters of Atreia have arranged for a two weeks devoted to accelerated skill-up in crafting, essencetapping and aethertapping!

source: http://uk.aiononline.com/news/announcements/25-empyrean-calling-daevapalooza

Details of 2.5 available here:
Patch notes --> http://gameguide.uk.aiononline.com/aion/Patch+Notes+2.5

News:

Aion 2.5