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Graphical upgrades en route for Age of Wushu

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Interviews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Age of Wushu

How do you feel about Age of Wushu's graphics? Do you think that they could really use an upgrade? It seems that they'll be getting one. Shi Hai, CEO of Snail Games, was recently interviewed in China, and a translation of that interview reveals that graphical upgrades are definitely in the works. While he declined to specify exactly what sort of upgrades would be coming, he did joke that the rumors about the Unreal 3 engine might well be true.

Shi Hai also commented on the potential of a subscription server for Age of Wushu, noting that while several free-to-play games have dabbled with the idea, they seem to inevitably wind up going back to the free-to-play model in time. He stated that the company is currently focusing on porting the game to home consoles rather than exploring the possibility of any sort of subscription server. You can read a few more translated statements at MMOCulture.

Graphical upgrades en route for Age of Wushu originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Titans to make use of Unreal 4

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, News Items, Crowdfunding

When a Kickstarted game clears its goals, you kind of expect to see more results from the team. But City of Titans has been quiet except for concept art. Why is that? Why haven't we seen more development shots? What's the Missing Worlds Media team doing? As it turns out, it's because the graphics of the game are going to get even better than what we've seen before -- the game is moving over in development to the Unreal 4 engine.

The team has been under NDA regarding the engine, but development has been moving assets over from Unreal 3 to the current version. Unreal 4 will allow the team to put in animated costume parts, capes, hair, fluid, and so forth with greater ease and more flexibility. Missing Worlds Media promises that there will be more updates next week from the technology team, hopefully showing off more of what the game's new underlying graphics core is capable of.

[Thanks to Byron and Celestial Lord for the tip!]

City of Titans to make use of Unreal 4 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaderboard: Do you play around with game development tools?

Jef Reahard — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Leaderboard

For some reason that I can't quite fathom, I now have the Unreal Development Kit installed on my computer. I'm certainly no developer, nor would I make much of a designer I'm afraid, but something nonetheless compelled me to download the toolset and muck about with its documentation and various tutorials. Call it curiosity, or boredom, or whatever you like, really, but there it is.

What about you, Massively readers? Do you play around with game development tools (assuming that you're not really a developer), or does your obsession only extend to finished games? Let us know after the cut.

Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

Continue reading Leaderboard: Do you play around with game development tools?

Leaderboard: Do you play around with game development tools? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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APB Reloaded survives GTA V, engine upgrade coming

Jef Reahard — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Real-Life, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, All Points Bulletin, Dev Diaries

Did Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online impact APB Reloaded? Well, of course. Rockstar's juggernaut affected the entire industry via its total sales and its mind-boggling ascent to the top of the all-time 24-hour sales chart. And that's "all-time" as in the history of all entertainment. Ever.

Anyway, APB Reloaded. There's a new blog post on the game's official site that addresses the GTA impact as well as the addition of community management veteran Diane "Tiggs" Migliaccio to the team.

Reloaded's Bjorn Book-Larsson also mentions the firm's plans for an APB engine upgrade. The game currently uses Unreal 3, which is basically the same engine that powered the 2008 edition of Epic's Unreal Tournament 3. Book-Larsson says that a "massive engine upgrade" has been in the works since July 2013 that will ultimately move APB to the same version of the Unreal engine that powers Epic's Gears of Wars 3.

APB Reloaded survives GTA V, engine upgrade coming originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Oct 2013 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neowiz releases new Bless intro trailer

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items

Unlike the most recent video releases showing off combat or the beauty of the world, the newest Bless trailer does not offer any gameplay footage. Instead, Neowiz released an official introduction trailer in HD to give a hint of the story. Unfortunately for those who do not speak Korean, the clip doesn't include any English subtitles, but the HD images can be enjoyed in any language.

The upcoming Korean MMO features 10 different races and eight classes, and will be powered by the Unreal 3 engine. You can watch the trailer after the break.

Continue reading Neowiz releases new Bless intro trailer

Neowiz releases new Bless intro trailer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Korean MMO Bless reveals English website

Jef Reahard — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items

Stop us if you're heard this one before: There's a new MMO coming out of Korea. It's drop-dead gorgeous, it's built on the latest version of the Unreal engine, and it features fantasy armor that doesn't leave much to the imagination.

No, it's not Aion or even TERA. The new kid on the block is called Bless, and though we told you about the game back in October, it's taken Neowiz a while to come up with an English website. That website is now live (though it does take forever and a day to load). The site features a trailer, a few screenshots and character concepts, and brief snippets of lore that seem to indicate two factions (Cosmopolis and Hierapolis).

We've heard a rumor that Neowiz has more than 150 developers working on the project, some of whom worked on Aion, TERA, and Lineage II. We'll bring you more on the new title as it becomes available.

New Korean MMO Bless reveals English website originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neowiz partners with Epic Games Korea for new Unreal 3 MMORPG

Jef Reahard — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items

There's a new fantasy MMO in town, and it goes by the name of Bless (for now, at least). And actually, when we say "in town," we mean in Korea, where Neowiz has partnered with Epic Games Korea to develop the former's first Unreal 3-powered MMORPG.

MMODen has the press release as well as the game's first trailer, and Bless features Eastern MMO staples like skimpy armor, feline anthropomorphs, and slick violence doled out with rather impressive weaponry. There's virtually no information on actual gameplay save that the title will feature 10 races, but we'll keep our eyes peeled and bring you the latest info as it develops.

Prior to Bless, Neowiz was best known for its Cross Fire and Alliance of Valiant Arms MMO shooters, and the new title boasts 150 dedicated developers who've been working on the project since 2009. Check out the trailer after the break.

Continue reading Neowiz partners with Epic Games Korea for new Unreal 3 MMORPG

Neowiz partners with Epic Games Korea for new Unreal 3 MMORPG originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Astronaut MMO may finally launch (pun intended)

Larry Everett — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, New Titles, Starlite

Just when Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond was about to be written off as vaporware, NASA has popped back on the scene to announce some commercial backing for the project from developers Project Whitecard, Wisdom Tools, and Virtual Heroes.

According to the first announcement over two years ago, the MMO aims for a demographic of players age 5 to 24, setting them up as astronauts who are training to explore deep into Earth's star system in the year 2035. Imagine Space Camp... but actually in space.

To assist in funding the project, the developers of the upcoming MMO have created a Kickstarter page that includes a four-minute video explaining what the game is about. CEO for Wisdom Tools Dr. Sonny Kirkley explains in the video that the game is meant to be fun, but at the same time the designers "want the learning to be authentic." To that end, NASA has granted the developers full access to the rich history of the space program so that a true sense of realism can be achieved.

The game has been developed with the Unreal Engine 3 to work on PC, iPad, and some yet-to-be-announced consoles. Look for the beta testing to start in December of 2012, and watch the full Kickstarter video after the break.

Continue reading Astronaut MMO may finally launch (pun intended)

Astronaut MMO may finally launch (pun intended) originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gamescom 2011: gamigo reveals Otherland trailer

Jef Reahard — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Miscellaneous

Prior to this week's Gamescom, blurbs about the Otherland MMO popped up once a year or so, if that. Now we're bringing you the second bit of news in as many days, courtesy of the trailer announcement that follows hot on the heels of yesterday's developer interview at IGN.

The video clip showed up on publisher gamigo's YouTube portal this afternoon with a curious action MMORPG label in tow. We say curious here because "action" isn't the first word that springs to mind when discussing Tad Williams' Otherland novels, nor is there a lot of action in the four-minute trailer. There is a lot of eye candy and appropriately bizarre cyberpunk trappings, though, and all of it is presented through the glossy stylings of the Unreal 3 engine.

The free-to-play title is scheduled to release sometime next year, and you can get a glimpse of what awaits you in the teaser after the cut.

Continue reading Gamescom 2011: gamigo reveals Otherland trailer

Gamescom 2011: gamigo reveals Otherland trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cyberpunk MMO Otherland launches game preview site

James Egan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles

It was only a few months ago when we first got word of a new cyberpunk/VR-themed MMO in development. Otherland is based on the the sci-fi novels of Tad Williams, which deal heavily with the interplay of the virtual and the real. Otherland is being built on the Unreal 3 engine by Singapore-based development studio Real U, a wholly-owned subsidiary of dtp entertainment AG in Germany.

The Otherland information page states the game will release in 2011 for PC, and it could potentially offer some interesting dimensions to MMO gameplay. The site states: "MMO fans can expect a fascinating gameplay experience. Based on the globally successful novels, the Otherland gameplay is distinguished by a unique narrative structure. Rather than retelling the story, players will experience their own individual stories within the Otherland universe and will encounter many of the familiar characters from the books. The game world will change dynamically around them during the course of the game."

Continue reading Cyberpunk MMO Otherland launches game preview site

Cyberpunk MMO Otherland launches game preview site originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cyberpunk MMO based on Tad Williams' Otherland announced

Michael Zenke — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, Casual

The German games publisher dtp Entertainment has made the surprising announcement that they'll be transforming sci-fi author Tad Williams' Otherland into a massively multiplayer online game. The title will be a mixture of several different playspaces, riffing on the series concept of competing virtual realities. One area in particular will be geared towards casual gaming and social interaction, a hub area to be called the Lambda Mall. Eurogamer has the story, along with a three-page discussion of dtp's plans and goals for this innovative title.

As you can see from the site's screenshot gallery, plans for the game include several different art styles to exist side by side. At its core the game will make use of an 80s/90s "virtual reality" theme, bringing to mind the Metaverse of Stephenson's Snow Crash or the old-style Matrix of the Shadowrun RPG. dtp plans to make use of the Unreal 3 engine for the project, ensuring that the impressive screenshots are likely to be even more eyebrow-raising in action. The game is currently slated for release to the PC in 2010.

Cyberpunk MMO based on Tad Williams' Otherland announced originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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