Betas

I thoroughly enjoy reading your comments, especially when the discussion turns to game design or suggestions for development. I decided it was high time that I sat down and experienced, even if just a little, how the design process goes. I've had plenty of peeks at different studios, but I wanted to know what it is like to actually make a game from basically beginning to end.

So for the next four weeks, I will be doing something special. I invited indie developer Dave Toulouse, maker of Golemizer and Star Corsairs, to help me in this journey. If you'd like to find out more about Dave, you can visit his official website, follow him on Twitter, or even read an interview I did with him a while ago. He really is the epitome of the indie spirit, and I am so thankful that he volunteered to do this with me.

The goal is to start with a basic idea and framework, and using input from our discussions and from reader comments, assemble a very basic working mobile MMO. So let's get started!

Continue Reading

This week, TERA revealed the details of its North American and European pre-orders and associated closed beta tests. WAKFU, still in beta but launching at the end of February, likewise unveiled its subscription plans, and Mythos Global officially entered open beta. Again.

Finally, Brick-Force, a Minecraft-inspired sandbox-shooter pseudo-MMO (say that 10 times fast) from German publisher Infernum, joined our open beta list.

Read on for the entire Betawatch roundup.

Continue Reading

Victory was originally picked up to be published by GamersFirst, but after three years of deliberation, Vae Victis decided to self-publish the title "to best fulfill each particular need it will have and finally create the best possible product for our beloved players." The official post goes on to announce the initiation of Victory Beta 1, which is "a new version of the game that offers dozens of new features and fixes," such as the addition of a matchmaking system, achievements, new game modes, the Pro class for experienced players, and much more. For the full details, head on over to Vae Victis' blog, and then click on over to the game's official site to get behind the wheel.

With WAKFU's launch rapidly approaching later this month, the information is pouring forth fast and furious from this free-to-play title. One of the biggest questions that players have at this stage is just how a game is going to make its money, and in the case of WAKFU, Ankama is certainly hoping that the experience is fun enough to warrant a regular subscription.

If you're already on board with the WAKFU philosophy and wish to subscribe for a premium membership, then Ankama has a few great pre-launch offers for you. By signing up for three, six, or 12-month plans, you can net yourself plenty of in-game items as well as the esteemed title of "WAKFU Pioneer."

Ankama has also published a helpful chart illustrating the differences between the F2P and subscription plans -- such as whether or not you can become an eco-terrorist (we kid you not). Other differences include the ability to own a home vs. set up an in-game shop, how many professions you can master (six vs. 16), and whether or not you can run for office.

[Thanks to Derek for the tip!]

When trying to describe the Muris, one of three races for Aeria Games' Lime Odyssey, the phrase "cute as a button" pops into mind more than once. The Muris are a diminutive, "mischievous" people who spread chaos and giggles wherever they go. Players who choose a Muris character will have access to all four of the game's classes, and will begin their journey in the town of Pripet in the Shimmering Island.

We have a treat for you today: the world-exclusive premiere of the Muris introductory cinematic as well as several new screenshots of these bite-sized troublemakers!

Lime Odyssey is scheduled to release sometime in 2012.

Continue Reading

Yesterday we told you about TERA's North American pre-order program and the associated closed beta dates. Today Frogster has released similar info for the European version of Arborea. Various Euro media outlets will be distributing beta keys over the next couple of days, and lucky fans will get a sneak peek at the game between 3:00 p.m. CET and midnight this Saturday and Sunday.

Euro closed beta tests begin on February 17th, and you can either take your chances by registering on the game's official website, or pre-order and get guaranteed access to all five events. Pre-ordering also gives you head-start access on May 3rd, name reservation privileges, and various special items depending on your retailer of choice.

The retail collector's edition features the game soundtrack, a world map, an art book, and more, and you can learn all about it at TERA's European website. Note that En Masse and Frogster are redirecting traffic based on your IP address, so if you're in America and you click on the links below, you'll be taken to the En Masse site. Before you go, click past the cut and have a look at the spiffy new pre-order trailer.

Continue Reading

Mythos is the MMO that almost wasn't, then was, then wasn't, and then was again. The free-to-play Diablo-esque MMO was in playable beta as far back as November 2007, but its release was plagued by problems you wouldn't wish on your worst enemies.

Mythos has somehow survived its entire original development team being fired, legal battles over the intellectual property rights to the game, and being kicked from publisher to publisher. Now in its third incarnation as Mythos Global, the game will soon relaunch to excited fans, and to curious gamers who didn't play it while it was live.

If you didn't snag one of Massively's keys for the closed beta back in December, your chance to play the game starts now! Mythos Global officially entered open beta today, with free registration available via its new publisher T3Fun.

There's still no word on an English-language version of ArcheAge, but that isn't stopping fan sites like ArcheAge Source from digging up lots of interesting stuff on the Korean sandpark title.

The site has a wealth of information covering several aspects of ArcheAge's fourth closed beta phase, including multiple skill guides, lore, and various videos. If that's not enough for you, there's also the latest beta patch notes that are available via Google translate. Check them out to learn more about siege ladders, the game's family system, and importing your own graphics for cloaks and ship sails.

[Thanks to Andrew for the tip!]

Dota 2 revealed its latest hero, Clinkz the Bone Fletcher, in this week's beta patch, while the Realm of the Titans beta was rudely interrupted by a security breach that saw thousands of passwords stolen. Blacklight: Retribution's fourth beta phase is now underway, and we have beta keys for those of you who haven't managed to get into it yet. Bloodline Champions celebrated the two-year anniversary of its first beta test this week, and developers revealed details of upcoming bloodline Headhunter.

League of Legends spilled the beans on its brand-new psychotic yordle champion Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert, this week with a full gameplay reveal, art spotlight and patch preview. Diablo III seems slightly nearer to release this week with the news that Blizzard has cancelled BlizzCon 2012 in order to focus on getting the game to release as soon as possible. Heroes of Newerth player Fatmilk set a new world record by playing the game for 76 hours straight and raised pver $3,700US for charity as a result. Finally, the Rise of Immortals developers discussed the latest immortal, Ukkonen, and other topics in the first part of a new developer podcast series.

Continue Reading

It's been a good week for beta-watchers: We've finally learned that Guild Wars 2, currently in a very hush-hush closed beta, will be making its way to our PCs in 2012. ArenaNet has announced that press betas and public beta weekends will begin in the coming months.

Anime MMO Spirit Tales joins our closed beta list this week, and we've also belatedly added mobile MMO Traveller AR and MMOFPS titles Repulse and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Online to the open beta list.

Finally, for those looking forward to Firefall, Red 5 Studios will be streaming some beta gameplay tomorrow, January 28th, starting at 2 p.m. EST.

Enjoy the full Betawatch roundup after the cut!

Continue Reading

If you're an FPS fan, you likely already know that open beta for Repulse has begun. Whether you've been checking it out since the January 23rd OB start date or it's still on your "I really need to find time to try that" list, we've got a little something to boost your gameplay.

Aeria Games has given us codes for an explosive booster pack containing seven days' worth of goodies: a Manta X, Torch Pack, and EMP grenades. Want one for your very own? All you have to do is get a code from our giveaway page at the link below. Then visit Repulse's Booster Pack redemption page and follow the instructions to receive your items.

Once you've done that, you're ready to hop into the open beta of Repulse and do some damage -- good luck!

Glitch is a wonderful game, but it can be a bit confusing. The sheer number of items, places, and ingredients can make navigating the world of Ur difficult. I decided I needed some assistance living in the world of the giants. It took but one post on the forums before the helpful community overwhelmed me with choices. The developer of Glitch, Tiny Speck, made sure that players and third-party developers can have a go at making applications or websites that connect to the game's information and characters. I had no idea how many people had created some sort of app or website so far!

I started to try them all out, and as of the time of this writing, I have barely scratched the surface. There are apps or websites for almost anything you can think of. I have already found some that I really like, and I wanted to share them with you. Feel free to let me know which ones you like, and why, in the comments section.

Continue Reading

It's Friday, and that means it's time for the traditional recap of This Week in MMO. What's that, you say? Why, it's the weekly videocast roundup over at Gamebreaker, of course.

Gary Gannon is your host, and he's joined by series regulars Mike B. and Mike Schaffnit. The trio discuss anything and everything relating to popular MMOs, including Star Wars: The Old Republic's Ilum-related troubles, Sony Online Entertainment's noises about selling user-generated content, and the upcoming Guild Wars 2 beta.

The guys also get around to talking about Blizzard's ongoing Titan project, and more specifically, the speculation surrounding in-game advertising. The full show is yours after the break.

Continue Reading

Charges of extreme cuteness have been directed at Blizzard ever since the company unveiled its Panda-themed expansion for World of Warcraft. If a new post on the Battle.net forums is any indication, that won't be an issue for Diablo III.

A Blizz community manager penned an update regarding D3's beta patch 10, and among the notes is the fact that the game's companion scrolls are going away temporarily. "The companion pets felt like they were mandatory to maximize play efficiency and some of the pets were too cutesy for the gritty, dark world of Sanctuary," Nethaera wrote.

The pets (and scrolls) aren't gone for good, as the devs have plans for "a much cooler system (both mechanically and visually)" in the future.

League of Legends revealed this week that 5% of Taiwan is now playing even though the game only launched there six months ago. We also got an in-depth look at new jungling tank champion Sejuani with a new champion spotlight video. Heroes of Newerth released its own new hero this week with ranged intelligence hero Gravekeeper, and Bloodline Champions teased fans with upcoming bloodline Headhunter.

The Diablo III beta saw some big changes this week to bring the gameplay back into the spirit of its predecessor, Diablo II. Wrath of Heroes began gearing up for its fifth beta session later this week, while Blacklight: Retribution explored the fine art of stealing your enemy's hardsuit in a new video release. Firefall announced its condemnation of the Stop Online Piracy Act this week, adding its name to the list of opposition to the proposed legislation. Finally, Rise of Immortals got a make-over this week with a brand-new logo, launcher and login screen.

Continue Reading