Enochian Frequency

It's the end of the world as we know it, so it's only fitting that the Frequenauts get together with The Secret World game director Joel Bylos to discuss changes to business models, Mayan demons, physics and PvP. We also get some exclusive information about upcoming issue #6! What made Funcom change The Secret World's business model from a subscription game to a model similar to Guild Wars 2's "box to play" and how will it effect the development of the game in the future? What can we expect from the end of days? What does Paul, the physicist of the crew, think of the viability of the Quantum Brace (and what's he hiding from us) and just how much influence from Indiana Jones will we see in issue #6? Also, which disease will ravage the earth while Joel sits comfortably in his bunker? Make sure you also read Joel's game director's letter over on MMORPG.com and show your love of Enochian Frequency by wearing our fancy t-shirt.

The Enochian Frequenauts have been out in the world, doing whatever it is they are doing, but finally, Enochian Frequency #8 is here! With it comes Joel Bylos, newly appointed game director of The Secret World, who nicely enough submitted himself to our questions. We also got a really cool in-game t-shirt for all of TSW's fashionistas out there! The subjects being tackled in the interview with Joel include everything from the troubled launch to how the team currently looks, from business models to upcoming changes to Fusang Projects. We also get to talk a bit about future quality of life improvements, some nice hints what kinds of auxiliary weapons we'll see in the future and answer some questions from Twitter. [caption id="attachment_47306" align="alignright" width="160"] CSICON T-Shirt[/caption] We have, mostly through our sister-podcast The Three MMOsketeers, been hinting at something really cool Enochian Frequency-related in the pipe-line and we can finally reveal the in-game CSICON/Enochian Frequency t-shirt (as seen on the right)! To get it, simply log in to your account management and add the code TSWCSICONTSHIRT. Then head to the item store and you'll be able to claim your shirt and be the hippest conspiracy theorist in the world. When the stars align themselves just right again, we'll be back with Enochian Frequency #9. Until then, wear the three eyed smiley with pride!

Gamescom came and went down in Germany during the week and Funcom was there to reveal some tidbits about the future of The Secret World, including the upcoming 10-man raid and Issue #2: Digging Deeper. With all that new goodness, of course the Frequenauts have to gather for a new episode of Enochian Frequency. This time things don't really follow the usual format, and our hosts actually start out early with discussing lore. Shambhala, an area in the game that turns up during the storyline and that contains a currently inactive battleground, is the topic at hand this episode. Expect a lot of talk about Madame Blavatsky, Theosophy and the fabled Secret Chiefs that according to some occult literature direct the evolution of mankind. Recommended reading this week is Karl von Eckhartshausen's The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary and Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled. After that, the Frequenauts dig into Issue #2: Digging Deeper, set to be released on August 28 (same date, it should be noted, as Guild Wars 2 officially launch and that World of Warcraft will get its pre-expansion patch in preparation of the Mists of Pandaria-release at the end of September). Our hosts also discuss what kind of sandbox-type of features they would like to see Funcom add to the game and Paul reminisce about his PvP-days in Age of Conan. If you want to see the hairstyles and new faces coming in Issue #2, check them out on Dulfy's site. She's also got a write-up on the new auxiliary weapon, the rocket launcher. If you want to get in touch, or discuss The Secret World with us, we are available on both Facebook and Google+!

It's time to once again turn on your HAM radios, or your Occult Attractors (if you work for the Orochi Group), and listen up as the Enochian Frequency is broadcasting once again! This week we got some bad news from Funcom, so what better time than to sit down and have a long discussion about The Secret World's business model? It's only fitting, especially since different hosts have completely different ideas about how to proceed from here. The whole thing then leads us into why we love the game as much as we do. What is it that Funcom has done that made people like us go as far as starting up a podcast about it? Then our hosts talk a bit about Peter Stormare and his upcoming role in the game, with some speculation about what the next play field will be and how parts of Nordic mythology is mirrored in the Algonquin Legends. You know those legends (that we've talked about before) connected to a certain Native American tribe known as the Wabanaki...? The plot thickens. If you want to get in touch, or discuss The Secret World with us, we are available on both Facebook and Google+!

With patch 1.1 out - and the chat bugs potentially/partially fixed - the Frequenauts return to the airwaves to discuss what has been going on in Funcom's MMO The Secret World since last week. This episode, our hosts also dig themselves down into what "Enochian" actually is and give you a quick overview of the story of John Dee and the angelic language he and his assistant worked with (and links between that history and the lore of the game). If you want to read more about it, recommended reading this week is Enochian Vision Magick by Lon Milo DuQuette (or Colin Campbell's The Magic Seal of Dr John Dee, if you're up for spending a lot of money). Of course there's a lot in patch 1.1 worth talking about as well, like the new missions or the bug fixes. Two things mentioned in the episode you might want to check out is the (work in progress) collection of all the weapon skins in the game and Dulfy's TSW-site. If you want to get in touch, or discuss The Secret World with us, we are available on both Facebook and Google+!

Scheduling is hard, especially when you live in three different time zones. That meant that Enochian Frequency's fourth episode got a bit delayed and sadly Paul couldn't make it this week. Even so, the show must go on and Petter and Rodney pushed on to discuss all things The Secret World. Chat bug, chat bug - how we loathe thee. It's still not fixed, in case you haven't noticed. But should current players get compensated? That needs to be discussed. The Frequenauts also take a look at Charles Godfrey Leland, whose legacy can be felt in the game, and how Fusang ties into the picture. Recommended reading this week is thus Leland's Algonquin Legends. Our scholar Paul is on that already, and we'll certainly have reason to come back to Leland in later episodes. The /reset command - and travel times and immersion - gets some attention as well before it's time to wrap up. If you want to get in touch, or discuss The Secret World with us, we are available on both Facebook and Google+!

Once again the Frequenauts bring out their Enochian Internet tablets to divine and talk about what has been going on in The Secret World over the past week. First up this week is patch 1.0.2 which was said to fix the chat bugs that the players have been complaining about since the game launched. The only problem is that it really didn't. Then there's the issue of assault rifles perhaps being a bit overpowered in PvP (or "imba", as the cool kids at least used to say) and the question if Funcom should change Stonehenge around. After all, it's not like it's a real place or anything and it's not like the battlefield map is based more or less exactly on the real thing, right? Also, magical underwear. Yes, you heard me. Then it's time for the lore-discussions! This week includes looking at an Egypt mission through the eyes of classic Banishing Rituals - like the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram - and Sam Krieg's existentialism. We also spend some time on the real history of the Wabanaki. All of the sudden, you can also find us on Facebook! If you like liking things on Facebook and like Enochian Frequency, it's like (no pun intended) a match made in heaven. We also have one of them Google+ things, so you can put nice circles around us and follow us there. Book of the week is The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker.

Time to once again tune into the Enochian Frequency and hear Petter, Rodney and Paul dive into the secrets of Funcom's MMO The Secret World. This week the Frequenauts reveal who wins in PvP, Paul or his wife (spoiler: it's not Paul), and take a closer look at the game's first upcoming content patch, dubbed The Secret World #1: Unleashed. They also discuss how the game handles story and the player's character, inspired by a post by Massively's Justin Olivetti over on his personal blog. Then it's time to once again delve into the lore of the game and this episode the trio analyze some of the graffiti at Insmouth Academy and its occult background. The Chaos Magic tree also gets the Enochian Frequency-treatment, and where the names of some of the abilities come from is revealed. To top it all off, our hosts also answer a question from Twitter and list a bunch of movies that are good to get into the proper Secret World-mood. Recommended books this week are Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter Carroll and Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine.

In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulu waits dreaming about more time to play The Secret World. Perhaps this first episode of Enochian Frequency, the brand new Secret World podcast, will cheer him/her/it up? What happens when you put a games journalist, a rock star and a physicist in the same MMO and then ask them to record a podcast about it? You get Enochian Frequency! In this inaugural episode, the gang tackles a whole bunch of subjects related to Funcom's new modern day, occult themed MMO The Secret World - with a lot of talk about the various highs and lows of the game, the three-way PvP area Fusang Projects and the three factions and how they relate to factual history (with some extra attention given to the Illuminati). Suggested reading of the week? Masks of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson and The Illuminatus! trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea.