Nov 16, 2011

Magicka: The Stars Are Left trailer zaps Cthulhu with magical lasers

PC Gamer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdVzcZaaoc8&feature=player_embedded

Rock Paper Shotgun have spotted a trailer for Magikca's new expansion, The Stars Are Left. It promises, in typical Magicka style, the chance to 'kick Lovecraftian butt' in a new campaign. Time to get those ARSE mines ready, they are the only thing cosmic horrors truly fear.

Along with the paid expansion, there'll also be a massive free patch that addresses a number of issues with the game, improves the visuals and makes the whole thing far more user friendly. Full patch notes inside.

Fairy familiar added, revives characters after death occurs in solo campaign
Checkpoints now save progress even if game is quit
Chapter select added to replay previously played chapters
Several improvements to the server browser
Physics and collision detection improved - less falling through the floor
Frame rate stuttering - should be less noticeable for some users
Extended particle system with particle lights
Improved light performance
Several minor bug fixes, game balance, and tweaks

Will you be picking up Magicka again for the new expansion?

Nov 16, 2011

Crafted With Love: Magicka’s Expandening

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Jim Rossignol)

Paradox and Arrowhead have put out a trailer for the forthcoming Magicka paid-for expansion, The Stars Are Left, and you can see it below. The trailer comes with a huge list of tech improvements that will be applied in the additional (free) update, including the vital “less falling through the floor”, which is a patch note that could be added to any game and receive a thumbs up from us. The tweaks are mostly visual improvements, however, so killing those Lovecraftian monsters – including giant pink spiders – will be less likely to send you insane. Something like that.

(more…)

Nov 16, 2011

Magicka summons 'massive tech update,' Lovecraftian DLC trailer

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

Magicka has cast a mighty spell, summoning not only an update with heaps of tech improvements and fixes, but also a new trailer for its eerie upcoming Lovecraftian downloadable expansion 'The Stars Are Left.'

The patch, already out through Steam, brings checkpoints remembered between play sessions, a fancier particle system, stuttering fixes, server browser improvements, and heaps more.

Steam has the full changelog, but here are the highlights:

Fairy familiar added, revives characters after death occurs in solo campaign
Checkpoints now save progress even if game is quit
Chapter select added to replay previously played chapters
Several improvements to the server browser
Physics and collision detection improved - less falling through the floor
Frame rate stuttering - should be less noticeable for some users
Extended particle system with particle lights
Improved light performance
Several minor bug fixes, game balance, and tweaks

And now, witness the unspeakable horrors of The Stars Are Left. It'll rise from the depths of the space, time, and madness this winter, with new enemies, levels, magicka, items, and more. As with the Vietnam expansion, only the player hosting will need to have bought it.

Nov 15, 2011

Magicka Update Released

Product Update - Valve

Patch 1.4.3.1 Changelog 2011-11-15

• Added saveable checkpoints. Checkpoints will now save your progress up to that point.
• Added an automatic-revive fairy for single player games.
• Added an option to revisit old chapters in a campaign.
• Fixed decal limit graphics option.
• Added additional graphical options for particle effects.
• Improved server browser usability.
• Improved body collision detection and overall physics.
• Frame rate stuttering should be less noticeable for some users.
• Extended particle system with particle lights.
• Added bleed status effect, similar to the poison status effect it can be removed by healing.
• Added a stunned state and stun damage property, when a character is stunned they're unable to act for a character specific amount of time.
• Added gamepad rumble when a player character is revived.
• The seven day cruise achievement will now display its achievement progress.
• Level restart will now properly reset any active particle effects.
• Both confuse and fear particle effects will now properly stop when a character drowns.
• Fixed a gamepad issue in the campagin menu, where a user could reach invisible menu items.
• Improved etherealize network synchronization.
• The space robe's now use the correct portrait.
• Characters with grab abilities will now properly play a grab-intro animation.
• Increase life/arcane beam range.
• Fixed a bug in the loading screen where it sometimes wouldn't render properly.
• Fixed a bug in the credits, if a user changed language in the same game session, then the credit language would not be updated.
• Charm will now properly affect other enemy players.
• Collision between a projectile and a spell mine will now properly cause the mine to detonate.
• Pure water barriers no longer causes push damage, earth-water and ice-water barriers still do though.
• Decreased Fear range from 10 to 5 units.
• Decreased aura and buff intensity and details to reduce the graphics clutter.
• Casting a lightning spell within an area shield will now properly target the closest target.
• Overkilled frozen characters will now properly explode.
• Overkilled frozen characters will now properly spawn frozen gibs.
• Fixed some minor colouring issue on the health bars.
• Marginally increased the health bar height on player characters.
• Damage numbers caused by status effects will now properly display for network clients.
• Fixed an issue which incorrectly set the players team in non-versus games.
• Fixed an issue where non local characters could get stuck in casting self animation.
• Beastmen will now properly crouch before jumping.
• Fixed user input control when feared or panicking.
• Fixed a small bug in the AI, enemies should now be more responsive.
• Fixed arcane bolt when used by the rogue robes, it will now properly shoot the projectile like with other robes.
• Fixed Chapter 4 scene 2 (inn) fade to black bug.
• Changed the resolution of:
"Content\EffectTextures\ParticlesC.xnb"
"Content\EffectTextures\ParticlesD.xnb"
"Content\UI\HUD\CounterAnimation.xnb"
This resolves the "Texture Width/Height too large" error and renders the "http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1989214" fix obsolete.
• Fixed proper removal of status effect light source when a character is burning and killed.

Oct 28, 2011

Magicka: The Stars are Left expansion incoming, “we make fun of Minecraft this time” say devs

PC Gamer

Ah Magicka, with your completely bonkers expansions. Joining this year’s Vietnam is The Stars are Left, a ‘spandey based on H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos, spotted over on RPS. Scheduled to launch this winter, it includes a new adventure campaign, which is one of the most requested features for the co-op spell ‘em up.

Like Vietnam, only the host player needs the expansion for others to join in - an act described by developer Arrowhead Studios’ colleagues as, “More insane than a black goat with a thousand young.” We don’t believe for one minute that anyone actually said that.

It also makes fun of Minecraft. Magicka is rapidly becoming the Naked Gun series of computer games.

Here are some bullet points, if you’re into that kind of thing:

An all-new adventure, several levels long, allowing players to get lost in space and time
2 new challenge maps
2 new robes
2 new bosses
5 new achievements
7 new enemies
Considerably more than 2 new items and Magicks
Also, we make fun of Minecraft this time

Oct 27, 2011

The Next Magicka Expansion Taps Lovecraft, Pokes Minecraft

Kotaku

The Next Magicka Expansion Taps Lovecraft, Pokes Minecraft Goodbye, Vietnam. Paradox Interactive's acclaimed and comical multiplayer wizard computer game will be getting an expansion called The Stars Are Left. It will pit up to four players against monsters in "a horror-mystery inspired byt he Cthullhu Mythos." So says the PC-gaming champions at Paradox. They say that the expansion, made by the Magicka madmen at Aarowhead, will be out this winter.

Sold? They say the game will include the following features. Note the final bullet point from Paradox's press release for the expansion:

An all-new adventure, several levels long, allowing players to get lost in space and time
• 2 new challenge maps
• 2 new robes
• 2 new bosses
• 5 new achievements
• 7 new enemies
• Considerably more than 2 new items and Magicks
• Also, we make fun of Minecraft this time

The first crazy Magicka expansion brought the sorcery game to Vietnam. This isn't as nuts, but, well, there's still hope.

Ph'nglui Mglw'nafh Cthulhu Magicka Wgah'nagl Fhtagn [Paradox Interactive]

Oct 27, 2011

Magicka 'The Stars Are Left' DLC announced

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

Eldritch horrors from beyond the stars are to invade the cheery world of Magicka in 'The Stars Are Left,' a downloadable content campaign inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, announced today by publisher Paradox.

The multi-level adventure will bring seven Lovecraftian enemies to smash, two new bosses to conquer, extra spells to zap them all with, two challenge maps, and new items and robes to murder your co-op partners over. "Also, we make fun of Minecraft this time," Paradox notes.

Magicka: The Stars Are Left is due to launch this winter. There's no word on how much it'll cost but, as with previous Magicka DLC, only the game host will need to own it for everyone to play.

While the horrors developer Arrowhead intends to unleash upon us are doubtless unspeakable, you can get a peek at them in the first screenshots and announcement trailer:

And as the saying goes, if you can remember it without jerking erect and screeching "Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!" in an unearthly voice, then you weren't really there.

Sep 20, 2011

Get a Little Half-Life, Day of the Tentacle in Your Magicka

Kotaku

There's a new piece of downloadable content for PC co-op shooter (spellcaster?) Magicka called the "Gamer Bundle". Normally I don't look twice at a pack offering mere player skins, but these are no mere player skins.

The three new robes for your wizards are heavily inspired by three of the best PC games ever made. One gives a headcrab and crowbar from Half-Life. Another decks them out like a World of Warcraft character. And the third, and most awesome of the lot, dresses a little wizard up like a Day of the Tentacle cosplayer.

The pack is $2, and is available on Steam.

You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.