Massively

City of Steam goes into alpha testing this July

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

City of Steam's been building up some strong word-of-mouth in the community, and we've been quite eager to get our hands on this steampunk MMO. The good news is that we just may have that chance come July, when City of Steam enters alpha testing.

Mechanist Games recently announced that work on the game is progressing to the point that it's ready to undergo player testing. While there isn't an exact date yet, it's certainly enough to know that July will be a special month.

"We're actually quite pleased that quite a few of those who participated in the sneak peek test told us that the game was already looking like an alpha build," the team writes. "Thanks and we would like to say we're quite proud of that fact."

City of Steam goes into alpha testing this July originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Repopulation broadcasts its first public gameplay footage

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, Previews, Sandbox, Crafting

Drips and drabs of information about the sci-fi sandbox The Repopulation have been coming in, but as with any title in early development, it's never enough to satiate the masses who want the whole scoop. So consider today's bounty of the first gameplay footage and a lore piece as an appetizer to tide you over until the main course.

The gameplay video demonstrates one of the core features of The Repopulation: its city-building system. During the 12-and-a-half minutes the video runs, fans can check out how cities are put together piece by piece using a wide variety of tools and fellow player cooperation. The devs also take this opportunity to discuss the UI, controls, and how alliances work in the game.

The team also posted a lore piece called Leesa's Story on the site. The vignette introduces the titular character, a cook who also happens to be a cook, and her misguided adventures going duck hunting.

The Repopulation is currently accepting signups for its alpha testing, which begins in June. You can watch the full video after the break.

[Thanks to J.C. for the tip!]

Continue reading The Repopulation broadcasts its first public gameplay footage

The Repopulation broadcasts its first public gameplay footage originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stick it to the world in The Missing Ink's open alpha

Matt Daniel — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox

If you like your MMOs a little bit sandboxy, a little bit quirky, and 100% indie, then RedBedlam's upcoming title The Missing Ink might be right up your alley. The game puts players in control of a 3-D world which they can mold to their liking and also provides MMO mainstays such as combat, PvP, exploration, and more. The game is still in the alpha testing phase, so players should expect more than the occasional bug or glitch. But if you want to help an indie developer iron the kinks out of its Unity-based sandbox MMO, then just head on over to the game's official site to sign up. There's no selection process; just sign up, jump in, and shape the world.

Stick it to the world in The Missing Ink's open alpha originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test

Brendan Drain — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, News items, Dungeons

A decade ago, Phantasy Star Online brought the special multiplayer magic of the emerging MMO genre to console gamers around the world. Sega celebrated the game's 10-year anniversary with the announcement of a sequel due to hit the shelves in Japan this year. No word has been given on whether there will be a US or EU release, but that hasn't stopped international fans of the game from getting excited. PSO2 officially launched its second alpha phase yesterday, and foreign game review website Steparu managed to get itself an invite.

Fans of the original game's online play will be pleased to know that party gameplay has been given some much-needed improvements. There's no more need to make sure everyone is on the same quest; instead, the party leader picks a mission and the whole party gets it automatically. Mini-quests can pop up randomly during a dungeon, and completing them grants bonus experience. Boss fights are just as deadly and hectic as in the original, with fast-paced action and team members dying repeatedly throughout the fight. Steparu has published a comprehensive review of the early alpha, with videos of everything from dungeons and boss kills to furniture arranging. We've embedded a few of those videos after the cut.

Continue reading Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test

Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Firing Line: Tribes impressions and a visit to Hi-Rez

Jef Reahard — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Business models, Classes, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, MMOFPS, Massively Hands-on, The Firing Line

What's up folks, and welcome to The Firing Line. We've been branching out our coverage lately, first with MMO-specific columns and then with Not So Massively and MOBAs. Now we're doing something similar with online shooters. This genre is positively huge, and while there's a lot of room for debate in terms of what constitutes an MMO shooter, there's also no denying that all of the games hovering around the periphery of that designation are a lot of fun.

So what will we be talking about in The Firing Line? Well, this is the part where I rub my hands together in anticipation! Naturally we'll spend a lot of time with the genre's big guns (sorry, I had to use that at least once), so I'll be playing huge amounts of PlanetSide 2, DUST 514, Firefall, Global Agenda, and the semi-obscure free-to-play titles crowding the market -- all in an effort to bring you the very best news and views from the world of pew pew.

Continue reading The Firing Line: Tribes impressions and a visit to Hi-Rez

The Firing Line: Tribes impressions and a visit to Hi-Rez originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ensemble Online wants you for alpha testing!

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, New titles, MMORTS, Giveaways

Longtime Massively readers will remember a giveaway we had last year for Ensemble Online alpha keys. Ensemble Online has been under construction since then, and the small indie studio creating it has grown as well. The developers -- now operating under the SemiFormal Studios moniker -- are preparing for alpha test phase II, and you're invited!

SemiFormal has given us 50 alpha test keys to share with you, so if you'd like to see how far the game has come since alpha test phase I, head to our giveaway page and pick up a key for yourself. It's an alpha test, so don't forget to report all those little bugs and glitches. Even more importantly, don't forget to have fun!

[Sorry, all codes have been claimed]

Ensemble Online wants you for alpha testing! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara's dynamic content

Brianna Royce — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Classes, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, RIFT

Just a few weeks ago, I was invited to attend Trion Worlds' Gamer's Day in San Francisco to get some hands-on time with a couple of the company's upcoming titles, including Rift: Planes of Telara. If Rift seems to have come out of nowhere, that might be due both to the acquisition of EverQuest II veteran Scott Hartsman to head the project as executive producer, and to a clever name change meant to reflect the team's shift in development focus.

In fact, that shift in development focus is precisely what I was at Trion's studio to test -- I got to check out the Rifts themselves in all their glory, in the context of the greater dynamic content system that the developers are so excited about. Massively's writers have been able to play and report on character creation and the starting areas of Rift several times over the last year or so, including earlier this summer at E3. But until today's embargo lift (coinciding with the reveal at Gamescom), no one had quite seen the fabled planar invasions and takeovers in action.

Now we have.

Continue reading Massively's hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara's dynamic content

Massively's hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara's dynamic content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Dengeki translations highlight the experience of playing Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Previews, News items, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

If you've been following the leadup to Final Fantasy XIV's release faithfully, you can no doubt rattle off a surprising amount of information regarding the systems and the world's lore. But unless you're lucky enough to be in the alpha, you can't say much about what the experience of actually playing the game is like. While there are certainly plenty of us in the same boat, the most recent alpha test article from Dengeki seems aimed at precisely that -- rather than focusing on the facts of the game, the editors have focused on the actual feel of playing in the game's world.

Translated by FFXIVCore, the newest information gives some facts we hadn't heard before, such as the specifics of setting the difficulty on Guildleves based on party strength and the time limits involved. For the most part, though, it's focused on the actual moment-to-moment experience of taking part in gameplay, and the overall impression seems to be a positive one. There's no real antidote for not yet being involved in the testing of Final Fantasy XIV, but reading the translations does help take the edge off.

New Dengeki translations highlight the experience of playing Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Translated interviews offer more insight into Final Fantasy XIV's world and playstyle

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Interviews, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

We're just coming off of a holiday weekend here in the US, and Japan had their own recent stretch of holidays, so news on Final Fantasy XIV has been a little bit slower of late. But a recent group of interviews in the June 11th issue of Dengeki have been translated thanks to the team over at FFXIVCore, and they cover topics from materials of armor to the game's not-always-praised battle system. The first part of the interview talks testing and systems with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuai Komoto, while the second part discusses visuals and worldbuilding with planner Kenichi Iwao.

Tanaka and Komoto confirm that the next phase of testing is set to begin soon, as well as dropping the news that the next test will likely feature an almost totally redesigned battle system. It's even hinted that players were never meant to experience the current system, that it was there almost as a placeholder. By contrast, Iwao discusses the lore and visual aspects of the game, talking about how items will be made from different materials, and how players who want to play a male Mito'qe shouldn't give up hope just yet. All Final Fantasy XIV fans are encouraged to read both interviews, since there's a lot of information available in both -- just the thing for the post-holiday doldrums.

Translated interviews offer more insight into Final Fantasy XIV's world and playstyle originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively!

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, MMORTS, Giveaways

How would you like to alpha test an MMORTSRPG? Yeah, that's what we thought. The amount of letters has distracted you. Our evil plan is coming to fruition!

And, speaking of things coming to fruition, let's talk about Ensemble Online -- a new game from a small indie developer group. The game is incorporating aspects of a traditional RPG with elements of a real-time strategy game, all under an MMO flag. Retrieve resources, hunt monsters, build buildings, craft weapons, create empires, and wage war with other players in this 2D MMO. It's very ambitious, and ambitious things need testers.

We've gotten 50 alpha keys to give away, and that means it's time for a contest! If we've caught your interest, jump with us after the break and we'll give you all of the relevant information.

Gallery: Ensemble Online: Alpha Test Screenshots

Continue reading Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively!

Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 May 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV interview highlights breadth of feedback

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, New titles, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

While testing for Final Fantasy XIV has continued, the huge gush of news that we got at the beginning has slowed to more of a trickle. That's to be expected to an extent -- after all, we knew that not everything would be equally accessible from the start. Still, there are player questions about both the login issues plaguing the test and the necessary wonder about how much the developers are actually listening. A recently-translated Famitsu interview with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto goes into detail about the login issues as well as the feedback from various regions of testing.

The latter is pretty surprising, as Tanaka claims that there were roughly 50,000 reports submitted via Japanese testers compared to 250,000 by American testers -- despite both groups having the same number of players. Some of the reports are about new issues, but some of them also address elements the design team had misgivings about in the first place. They apparently underestimated the interest in testing as well, contributing to some of the login and stability problems. Take a look at the full interview for more looks at the development process of Final Fantasy XIV from behind the stage.

Final Fantasy XIV interview highlights breadth of feedback originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tales of Pirates II set to begin alpha testing

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Tales of Pirates II

IGG is all ready to roll out their latest offering for alpha testing and your participation could win you some cool new toys. Tales of Pirates II is "a new adventure game set in the age of the Vikings - a time of exceptional freedom and great brutality. Roam the seas of northern Europe, and engage in intense sea battles, using technological superiority and magical power to determine who will claim ownership of the seas."

Alpha testing begins April 15th and will last eight days. If you're interested in participating, you can get an alpha key from the Tales of Pirates II site. The client is not available for download yet -- clicking the download button gives you a "coming soon!" message -- but you can get your alpha key now in preparation. Participating in the alpha test will automatically enter you in a drawing for prizes including an iPod nano, game coins from IGG, and a list of other prizes.

Check out the trailer after the jump, then visit the site to claim your alpha key!

Continue reading Tales of Pirates II set to begin alpha testing

Tales of Pirates II set to begin alpha testing originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IGG introduces mounted combat and more with Tales of Fantasy

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Tales of Fantasy

The folks over at IGG.com are hard at work lately with so many new titles, and have just announced another one this morning: Tales of Fantasy. Alpha testing for the game is scheduled to begin soon, but plenty of information is already available.

Tales of Fantasy, the story of warring civilizations Ashland and Bohren, promises advanced graphics and several new features to entice players. Mounted combat will give players the ability to attack without dismounting, and a "myriad" of creatures are available to tame and mount. A story of "lost wings" hints at the ability to earn in-game flight, and players will be able to create and enhance their own gear as well. The game will even offer real-time horse racing, in which you can compete against other players on a racecourse, earning an in-game title that will add to your character attributes.

While the game is still in early stages, it definitely has potential. Check out the current information on the official site, and we'll keep an eye out for more information.

IGG introduces mounted combat and more with Tales of Fantasy originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Love opens up logins for alpha testers

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Launches, New titles, News items, Virtual worlds, Love

A while back, we mentioned that the Love alpha client was available for download, so you can run the engine on your system and help the one-man-developer, Eskil Steenberg, with gathering data for his server. Eskil has gotten done that portion, however, and has now opened the anticipated game for alpha testing audiences.

Eskil has stressed on his website that much of what Love is now may not be what the game is in a few months or years, and that alpha will be chock full 'o bugs. Things may have been going really well for him, but he is giving no one any assurances on how well the alpha will function.

For those interested in Eskil's project, the open alpha will cost you 3 Euros (about $4.50) so Eskil can pay for the servers and bandwidth. Eskil has also posted the full information on what the account creation page does, which can be found in the middle of his information on Love's alpha test.

Love opens up logins for alpha testers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC Europe '09: Igg.com debuts Dreamland Online

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Casual, Dreamland Online

Looks like IGG.com, now penned as "I Got Games," is adding another free-to-play MMO to their portfolio -- Dreamland Online.

Dreamland is a side scrolling 3d rendered MMO with enough sugary cuteness to bake 20 cakes and have enough sugar left over to give to your neighbor. The game is currently hiding behind closed doors until the third test of the Chinese client. After that testing phase is complete, IGG.com will be releasing the alpha test of the English language client. So until it comes out in China, looks like we're all stuck waiting for more information.

Dreamland Online will be making its debut in American and European markets this fall. Until then, you're just going to have to do with these small glimpses into the game, or you could always go jump in on the forum discussions!

Gallery: Dreamland Online

GDC Europe '09: Igg.com debuts Dreamland Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Insider plays host to leaked Lich King screenshots

Michael Zenke — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Classes, Events, in-game, Expansions, New titles, Previews, Rumors

If you've been waiting for more news on Blizzard's in-development Wrath of the Lich King expansion, you're pretty much just like everyone on-staff here at Massively. We hope you'll join us, then, in our open-mouthed appreciation of these leaked screenshots for the next addition to World of Warcraft's Azeroth. Our sister site WoW Insider obtained them via various clandestine internet meetings, and ran them past the same source that let us know the expansion was already in Alpha testing.

According to Deep Murloc many of the screenshots currently out there are faked, but the images hosted on WoW Insider are verified (by the source) to be legit. They're essentially identical to what the friends-and-family Alpha testers are experiencing right now. We're told that eventually the site will offer up some of the faked shots for comparison, so make sure to check back later this week!

The real images show several different scenes from life around the Utgarde Keep area, including what appears to be a killshot for a boss named Ingvar the Plunderer. For your first glimpse of Death Knights in action, dead expansion bosses, and what appears to be a very angry Ram, click through to the gallery.

Gallery: WotLK Leaks

WoW Insider plays host to leaked Lich King screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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