Chris and Ben delve into the different relationships we’re seeing in Defiance and all the tips you absolutely must hear before launch.

INTRODUCTION

Greetings Arkhunters!

Introducing hosts by name, then a short recap of the last episode.

 

DRAMA IN DEFIANCE

Watch the first 14 minutes of Defiance on Hulu or Showcase for Canadians <link>

BEN’S IMPRESSIONS

CHRIS’ IMPRESSIONS

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  Hate the buggy. The ark ships have more realism to them than that damned buggy.

  
  
  
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  A lot of commenters on Blastr, Hulu, and io9 agreed that they can do without the singing, but I think it establishes the love and chemistry this father/daughter duo have.

  
  
  
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  The interior of the ark debris really does hold that Indogene design. I can’t wait to see what other influences the other Votans leave on this world.

  
  
  
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  Is an ark spire really that small?

  
  
  
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  Ouch, he said he was indebted to Varus (of Soleptor Industries Varus). I wonder if that’s something the gamers know more about. One of those “nods†to the players…

  
  
  
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  I love that top hat and goggles look on the Irathient who looks a lot like Alex Baldwin from Chuck and Firefly fame.

  
  
  
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  WTF ARE THOSE!?!? These have to be a mutation of some kind as I have yet to see them in-game or mentioned prior to this.. like the Pows.

  
  
  
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  Aww, its done.  WANT MOAR!

  
  
  

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  Like the dynamic between Joshua and Irisa. I think they clicked right away, especially after the “grumpy teenager bitâ€

  
  
  
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  Felt very game like. Did I recognize that pistol he was using from in-game?

  
  
  
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  Arkfall mechanics seems to fit nicely in the show, as it does in the game.

  
  
  

[FEATURE] Meet the Tarrs and the McCawleys <link>

Here we have the Tarrs and the McCawleys, two families from NOT TOO DISSIMILAR backgrounds who hate each other. On the one side we have Rafe McCawley who was raised by a tough-as-nails father, who fought in the Pale Wars against the Votans (obviously), and brought his family home to a terraformed St. Louis. Datak is Castithan and therefore subject to their VERY harsh ways and social system. He grew up in the slums on Casti and found himself on an Arkship despite his low standing. Both have hard upbringings and less than pleasant experiences in life, both end up in Defiance only trying to provide for their families, all the while striving for power. The only differences are that Rafe is distrusting of Votans and Datak wants legitimacy and respect, like Rafe.

 

Get to know Alak Tarr (Jesse Rath) & Christie McCawley (Nicole Munoz) through the eyes of the actors who play them. <link>

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  The inevitable Romeo + Juliet romance that was naturally born out of the Tarrs-McCawleys family feud.

  
  
  
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  Christie is a young, passionate, free spirited girl who is ready to be on her own.

  
  
  
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  Alak is loud, confident, and head strong like his father, but without the bite to back up his bark… yet.

  
  
  
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  Its a love born out of a teenage rebellion (both fathers despise each other and neither would approve of the relationship), the excitement of a taboo interspecies relationship (humans and votans are already on shaky grounds post war. While Defiance is a symbol of peace and tolerance, it was founded over a blood soaked battlefield), and secret, personal intentions (rationalizing a relationship to drive their personal ideals and desires. He wants something clean and pure to cling to in his seedy and back alley life. She wants peace and harmony between humans and votans and probably rationalizes this relationship as the first step).

  
  
  
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  Sure we don’t have a gang of Tarr and McCawley supporters brawling in the streets or  “biting their thumbs†at each other (as far as we know), but we do have our Tybalt in the form of Christie’s brother Quentin, who we see all over this featurette trying to “protect†his little sister from the dirty Castithan.

  
  
  

 

[Show Predictions]

Ben – From the snippets of the show I’ve seen in all of these Making Of Featurettes, I predict a wedding. A marriage between Alak and Christie to either bring the Tarr and McCawley’s together, or drive a wedge deeper between them. My guess is that Christie, in her hopes for unity and the allure of the new and wondrous, will be taken in by the Tarr family, leaving her father behind. Also, in true shakespearean fashion, Tybalt dies, so while I hope we don’t have a death so early on, I think we lose young Quentin.

Chris – I think that the relationship between Alak and Christie will be put in jeopardy by Irisa. She’ll become a part of a new love triangle.

 

Remember folks, Defiance is set to have its world simultaneous release of it’s 2 hour premiere on Syfy, Monday, April 15, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 p.m. Central.

OFF THE SET

No PAX presence this year, but a visit to SXSW instead <BizBash link> <Defiance-Central link>

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  Syfy has had a presence at comic con for over a decade, but this year was its first to attend SXSW. For those of you who don’t know, SXSW is a music, movies, and interactivity festival held annually in Austin, TX

  
  
  
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  Syfy created a hybrid hotel/gathering/gaming  space inspired by its shanty town vibe found throughout their show and game

  
  
  
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  They set up a series of shipping container “pop-up†hotel rooms a few blocks from the convention center which included hdtv, internet access, 24-hour concierge service, and a few amenities like robes, towels, and slippers

  
  
  
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  they also had a blogger station for plugging in and charging up, a food truck, an advanced play area for defiance hands on, and a NeedWant “social†bar where people could tweet their needs and wants to syfy to win swag and tacos.

  
  
  
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  Ben – During their half hour panel, there was a bunch of rehash and a couple new things that were interesting

  
  
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    Both Syfy and Trion worked with a JPL scientist who explained how it was possible to have this low orbit field of debris raining down junk to the earth in sporadic moments.

    
    
    
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    No horses in this western frontier setting for Syfy because Trion had trouble putting those in game, and no Futuristic flying cars for this sci-fi setting because it was too expensive for Syfy to create, so there was compromise.. and Dodge.

    
    
    
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    it has been confirmed that if you buy the game after the initial start of the series, you DO miss out on some “episode quests† as its important for the crossover episodes and the game to evolve in real time. Is there a chance to “relive†episodic missions during the offseason/reruns? most definitely!

    
    
    
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    you should not HAVE to know anything about the game to watch the show and you should not HAVE to know anything about the show to play the game.

    
    
    
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    Season 1 is wrapped since November and the REALLY big changes that happen to the world in game will cross over to Season 2 in bigger ways.

    
    
    
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    NO END GAME- its an open persistent world

    
    
    
  
  
  

 

More of Grant Bowler awesomeness! <link>

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  “It’s actually the opposite of what you’d expect. The pervasive world is the game … and we’re [the TV show] actually piggy backing the game.â€

  
  
  
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  Grant Bowler is a scifi fan who has his own personal kind of internal litmus test on the quality of the shows.

  
  
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    He is not keen on a show that uses a device (literal or figurative? or both?) to hinge on.. (Revolution anyone?)

    
    
    
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    wants a pervasive world to work i that will last beyond what is shown

    
    
    
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    has been on lost (6 seasons) and true blood (6 seasons), both of which have had long running shows

    
    
    
  
  
  
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  He has never worked on a heavily CG show before but found it fun and wonderful

  
  
  
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  Grant had a HEAVY hand filling out Joshua’s backstory

  
  
  
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  As far as his gaming habits, he had this to say:

  
  
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    While filming, he doesn’t play his MMOs.. said its too much work and upkeep to maintain when he has 15 to 17 hour shoots. He has to shelf games to get sleep, or, as he admitted, he will stay up all night to play.

    
    
    
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    He will play a bit of Sid Meier’s “Pirates†when there is time, but when work and the kids are away, the MMOs come out to play

    
    
    
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    Right now he is OBSESSED with World of Tanks.

    
    
    
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    He has played and will continue to play Defiance after launch.

    
    
    
  
  
  

NEWS FROM THE BAY AREA

[What we did in game] PAX and Final BETA weekend!

Ben – I streamed gameplay most of Friday, got through all of Mount Tam (all 6 pursuits) and most of Madera, and played around with the Defiance storefront.

Chris – Uhm, I went to PAX.. BUT the little I did get to play I mostly explored the EGO system, trying to figure out how I’m going to play at launch.

 

4 more days until launch as of recording this episode guys!!!! Time to plan for a Clan?

//oh god I hope we don’t go with <DRP> as its too close to DERP!

 

Explaining Player Progression – Slade “bwar†Saertsky

http://www.arkfalls.com/getting-to-know-defiance-understanding-progression/

//Thanks to Arkfalls.com’s Slade “bwar†Saertsky and James “Caffrey†Hall for their wonderful and informative site.

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  Progression is broken down into three areas: EGO Rating, EGO Points and Weapon Experience

  
  
  
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  EGO RATING:

  
  
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    EGO Rating is what most gamers will consider the “level†of the player.

    
    
    
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    EGO Ratings are progressed by completing missions and pursuits, gaining EGO Points and Weapon Experience, and finishing various perks.

    
    
    
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    EGO Ratings unlock perk slots and more content (said to be matchmaking and instanced).

    
    
    
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    New perk slots unlock at the following EGO Ratings: 20, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000. I have confirmed 20, 50, 100, and 250 during BETA weekend, but this can all change before release.

    
    
    
  
  
  
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  EGO POINTS:

  
  
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    EGO Points are really the traditional leveling system in disguise. As you gain XP for kills, discovery, mission completion, world events, etc, EGO Points are gained to spend on perks in the EGO Grid.  So EGO Ratings are used to unlock Perk slots and EGO points are used to buy and level up perks to put in those slots

    
    
    
  
  
  

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    Tip from Arkfall.com: Don’t be too concerned with getting EGO Points at the start of the game.  The points will come over time, it is much more efficient to focus on increasing your EGO Rating and progressing the main storyline.

    
    
    
  
  
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  WEAPON EXPERIENCE:

  
  
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    This is exactly what is sounds like. The more you use a weapon type, the more proficient you get with it.

    
    
    
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    Each weapon also has its own experience cap associated to it, so if you’ve maxed a weapons XP progression, its time to find another weapon.

    
    
    
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    As you level up a weapon type, you unlock perks for these weapons, like increased damage, bloom, or decreased reload time, recoil, etc.

    
    
    
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    I have not yet been able to do this myself, but it is said that you can reset the weapon experience through the salvage matrix. So if you REALLY like your gun, you don’t have to get rid of it.

    
    
    
  
  
  
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  “There is a synergy between the three areas of progression but each area should be considered as its own entity.  For the most part all three will increase steadily as you play the game no matter what your playstyle is but, if you really want to get the most out of your Defiance experience, take the time to understand how the three types of progression differ and how you can best optimize your play experience.†– Bwar

  
  
  

 

Weapon Customization

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  There are literally THOUSANDS of options in game to create a weapon that makes you want to name your gun and clean it every night!

  
  
  
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  There are 14 types of weapons out there:

  
  
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    Pistols

    
    
    
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    Combat, Pump and Sawed-Off Shotguns

    
    
    
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    Submachine Guns

    
    
    
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    Light Machine Guns

    
    
    
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    Assault Rifles

    
    
    
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    Semi-Auto and Bolt Action Sniper Rifles

    
    
    
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    Detonators

    
    
    
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    Rocket Launchers

    
    
    
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    Infectors

    
    
    
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    BMGs (Big Magnetic Guns)

    
    
    
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    and something that allows you to punch the ground and defend against projectiles, though you don’t get to keep it.

    
    
    
  
  
  
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  There are up to 4 upgrade slots for most weapons, with the ability to add more mod slots until the weapon has its max 4 slots with the Salvage Matrix, a bit of salvage, and some time.

  
  
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    Stock – Mostly helps with recoil, bloom, melee DMG, and link range for BMGs

    
    
    
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    Barrel – Mostly deals with damage, Crit DMG, and Crit Multipliers

    
    
    
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    Magazine – Mostly deals with Reload speed, Magazine size, and Effect Triggers

    
    
    
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    Scope – Deals with Aim and Movement Accuracy and Lock on times for launchers and detonators

    
    
    
  
  
  
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  Mods are specific to their slot and weapon, but are numerous and can affect anything from the Accuracy of your pistol to the Aim and Hip Damage of a shotgun

  
  
  
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  Mods are dropped or bought from a Mods store for script (500 for commons)

  
  
  
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  Higher tier mods (colored) can have more than one perk, like a stock with extra melee dmg AND an effect.

  
  
  
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  The salvage matrix allows you to modify any weapon in the following ways:

  
  
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    Add Mod Slots – Adds a random mod slot previously unavailable for a nomimal fee of salvage (1500) and a lenthy cost in time (10min)

    
    
    
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    Attach Mods – has no costs in time or currency, but does require an appropriate mod

    
    
    
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    Retrieve Mods – The weapon is lost, costs a nominal fee of salvage (1,500) and minimal time (2min)

    
    
    
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    Remove Mods – All mods are lost, costs a minimal fee of salvage (75) and nominal time (5min)

    
    
    
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    or Breakdown to salvage

    
    
    
  
  
  
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  SYNERGY MODS! Not really talked about much yet, but these mods are SET mods that have stacked effects when you mod a weapon with more than one.

  
  
  
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  Right now the only way to get synergy mods is through a Lock box for the price of 16 keycodes and 1500 script

  
  
  

 

Tips for new players at launch

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  Concentrate more on upping your EGO Ratings rather than your EGO Points so you can unlock your EGO perk slots.

  
  
  
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  Work on your pursuits! Each one completed adds to your EGO RATING

  
  
  
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  Complete side quests as they are available. As you progress on your main quest, more side quests become available and your map can get quite crowded. Plus it counts towards your pursuits.

  
  
  
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  Complete the trials with silver or better to count for your persuits

  
  
  

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  Just go explore and have fun! There is no end game, there is no rush to hit max,

  
  
  

Still Scrounging around for codes? MMORPG.com <link> and Joystiq <link>will give you 10 codes each to help you get started or finish up. Trion did confirm on their SXSW panel that they are killing off the arkfall code hunt at launch, so get your codes in soon.

LAST MINUTE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Demand a free screening of Defiance in your city!

http://eventful.com/campaigns/defiance2013

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  Top three cities will get  a movie-sized screening of Defiance

  
  
  
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  So far NYC, LA and St. Louis is in the running (would have been cool if St. Louis and San Francisco won this).

  
  
  

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  Event ends 04/04/2013

  
  
  

 

If you didn’t get your hands on an Ultimate Edition from Gamestop, guys, don’t worry! There will be an unboxing video uploaded to MMOReporter.com shortly after launch! Keep your eyes on @MMOreporter or @DEFIANCEpodcast on twitter!

 

CONTACT US!

Email: defiance@mmoreporter.com

twitter: twitter.com/defiancepodcast or @defiancepodcast

site: http://mmoreporter.com/category/podcast/defiance-reporter/

Voicemail: 616-666-6778 (and our new widget on the ride hand side of the page)

youtube: youtube.com/user/mmoreporternetwork

 

Ben: twitter.com/nebsinsane

Chris: twitter.com/almazar