Massively

Eden Eternal content update brings new races, Alpaca Coin system

Matt Daniel — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Races

A new update has hit the world of Aeria Games' Eden Eternal today, and it brought two new races along with it. The glyph-crafting Ursun and the minuscule Halfkin should both be welcome additions to the title's roster of playable races. But what if you want to play all five races? Don't worry. Aeria has raised the character limit to six characters per account.

The update also adds the new Alpaca Coin system to the game. The system "serves as a new quest mechanic," and it encourages players to collect Alpaca-emblazoned tokens that can be redeemed for rare and Aeria Point items. To get in on the alpaction (I'm sorry) yourself, head on over to the game's official site.

[Source: Aeria Games press release]

Eden Eternal content update brings new races, Alpaca Coin system originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Eden Eternal trailer reveals the Ursan and Halfkin races

Matt Daniel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Races

The ranks of Aeria Games' cutesy F2P MMO Eden Eternal continue to grow as the studio announces two new races making their debuts in the world. In the red corner, we have the fierce (but fluffy!) Ursun. And in the blue corner stand the diminutive Halfkin. These additions bring the total number of races available in Eden Eternal up to five, so players certainly won't lack for choices. For the Ursan and Halfkin announcement trailer, just click on past the cut.

[Source: Aeria Games press release]

Continue reading New Eden Eternal trailer reveals the Ursan and Halfkin races

New Eden Eternal trailer reveals the Ursan and Halfkin races originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Earth Eternal development on hold once again

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-play, Virtual worlds, Earth Eternal

It's been a tough ride for Earth Eternal. We first heard about the original developer, Sparkplay, only days after Massively came into existence in 2007, and we've been following the company ever since. Earth Eternal was voted one of Beau's top F2P games in 2010, as it was enjoying quite a strong run that year -- even to the point where Sparkplay mentioned creating more games outside of EE.

Well, that soon ended as the company ran into some serious financial problems that led to the game's hold status. Fast-forward a year, and the game was reborn with a new developer (TurnOut Ventures with OutBlaze)! It re-entered open beta status and looked to be on the road to recovery.

Well, the rollercoaster is back on the descent, according to the game's forums. It turns out Earth Eternal's development is once again put on hold until further notice. The servers are still online and the game is still playable, but the small development team at TurnOut has been relocated to other projects. So right now, it seems to be a completely free game with no cash shop.

We'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on any further news we hear.

[Thanks to Keith for the tip!]

Earth Eternal development on hold once again originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Eden Eternal update introduces Templar, player housing

Matt Daniel — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons

Aeria Games has been teasing Eden Eternal's latest update since late last month, and now it's finally live. Eden Eternal players get a smattering of new goodies with the new patch, from the Templar class to player housing. In addition, the level cap has been raised to level 60, and new maps and dungeons have been introduced to keep players entertained on the way to the top. To get in on the free-to-play action, head on over to Eden Eternal's official site.

[Source: Aeria Games press release]

Eden Eternal update introduces Templar, player housing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Eden Eternal update bringing new class, player housing, and more

Matt Daniel — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

Aeria Games announced in a press release today that Eden Eternal will be on the receiving end of a rather large content update sometime in early October. What gives this update such heft? Well, for starters there's the new Templar class, plus a level cap raise, and oh yeah, player housing.

If five new levels, a new class, and houses aren't enough for you, get this: You can throw parties! In your house! House parties! Anyway, also included in the update are a variety of high-level areas, alpaca coins (which can be found in high-level zones and redeemed for various prizes), and a new pirate invasion event! Shiver me timbers and all that, matey. To get in on the swashbuckling, house-partying fun, just head on over to Eden Eternal's official site and sign up.

[Source: Aeria Games press release]

Eden Eternal update bringing new class, player housing, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Exclusive: New Eden Eternal trailer teases new race, racial crafting

Matt Daniel — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, Professions, News items, Free-to-play, Races

To commemorate free-to-play MMO Eden Eternal's latest content update, Aeria Games has released a short trailer showing off some of the new features available to players. For starters, there's a new race: the amphibious Anurans.

Racial crafting has been introduced alongside the new race, allowing each race to ply its specific trade. For the full trailer, hop on past the cut, then head on over to the official site to download the client and register to play.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: New Eden Eternal trailer teases new race, racial crafting

Massively Exclusive: New Eden Eternal trailer teases new race, racial crafting originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

M-O-U-S-Eeeeeden Eternal releases new Zumi trailer

Matt Daniel — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Races

A while back we covered Aeria Games' announcement that some devilishly cute little rodent-people known known as Zumi would soon be making their way to the land of Eden Eternal. Now, we've got a new trailer that shows off the mice in action.

Don't be fooled by their precious ears and buckteeth, though; The Zumi are masters of the scientific, and they create all variety of gadgets and gizmos to help make the world a better place. Well, either that, or to make a quick buck. To see the Zumi in all of their animated glory, head on past the cut for the new trailer.

Continue reading M-O-U-S-Eeeeeden Eternal releases new Zumi trailer

M-O-U-S-Eeeeeden Eternal releases new Zumi trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Exclusive: New Eden Eternal Zumi race screenshots

Matt Daniel — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Previews, News items, Free-to-play

Last week we put the spotlight on Eden Eternal and its upcoming Zumi race. The adorable little anthropomorphized rodents seem to fill the game's "mad scientist inventor" niche, and we have some new pictures to show them off.

First off we have some renders of the precious wittle Zumi in a variety of class-specific outfits. Alongside the dress-up rats, we have some concept art of their dwellings, which are delightfully steampunk with all the brass gears and pistons. So scamper on to the gallery for all of the new art, and keep an eye on Massively for new information as it comes.

Gallery: Eden Eternal Zumi Race

Massively Exclusive: New Eden Eternal Zumi race screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

First Impressions: Eden Eternal

Matt Daniel — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Free-to-play, First Impressions

Hello, Massively readers, and welcome to my first ever first impressions article. Are you excited!? No? Well, feign interest for me anyway, and be gentle! Today, I've been asked to take a look at the currently-in-closed-beta Eden Eternal from Aeria Games, and you all have front-row seats for the grand tour. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I tend to be highly skeptical in regard to free-to-play games such as this one. I'm sure at least some of you know what I mean -- anime-inspired graphics, microtransaction-based, each with the same instantly recognizable website layout.

With this in mind, I wasn't expecting much when I first logged in to Eden Eternal. I was anticipating, at best, some limited character customization, poorly translated quests, and a whole lot of grinding that could only be alleviated by shelling out for upgrades in the cash shop. What did I find instead? Jump past the cut to find out.

Continue reading First Impressions: Eden Eternal

First Impressions: Eden Eternal originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Earth Eternal showing signs of life

Krystalle Voecks — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Earth Eternal

We'd heard about Sparkplay Media's issues with raising further funding to continue its independent anthropomorphic MMO, Earth Eternal. When the game and overall site dropped offline a few weeks ago without any further official statement, we figured that time had run out, and it was simply the sunsetting of another MMO. That's why we were surprised to see both the Earth Eternal Facebook and Twitter accounts light back up, if only to let us know someone's still there -- and that there's still hope.

The message on Facebook notes, "...our ISP pulled the plug for non-payment, which was expected. I wasn't able to give you any warning, unfortunately, because I was at Burning Man and completely out of reach for the week that it went down. Full backups of all the data exist and the company that is in the process of buying Earth Eternal will be starting it back up again in the nearish future." As to what company is seeking to purchase the game and how fast this process will be moving, we have no idea. However, we're certain that this nugget of reboot hope is welcome news to those who were enjoying this kitschy, yet fun, title. With any luck we'll be hearing something from a representative of Sparkplay before too long.

Earth Eternal showing signs of life originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Earth Eternal facing the prospect of shutdown

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Earth Eternal

There's incredibly bad news today about Earth Eternal, the free-to-play browser-based MMO from Sparkplay Media. Or we should say formerly from Sparkplay Media, as it appears that hard times have hit the company with resounding force. In an extremely sad letter, CEO Matt Mihaly has informed players that Sparkplay Media has been all but shut down, with only two remaining employees (including himself) taking care of closing down the company and trying to sell the game to another service provider.

Although the game is not currently being shut down, Mihaly is frank about its prospects: it entirely depends on whether or not another company will pick up the hosting costs of running Earth Eternal. For the time being, the game has made all of its microtransaction items free for all players, in hopes that whatever the game's ultimate fate, players can enjoy it for a little while longer. Our consolations go out to the team behind the game, and we offer our sympathies for what has no doubt been a painful process for the entire staff.

Earth Eternal facing the prospect of shutdown originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

One Shots: Walk softly and carry a big hammer

Krystalle Voecks — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Free-to-play, One Shots, Earth Eternal

Games like Earth Eternal which offer the ability to launch from a browser have piqued the curiosity of players -- we hardcore MMO geeks are all about interesting innovations. But it's not just the ability to launch from the browser that intrigues players -- it's the fun, stylized take on fantasy that keeps many coming to Sparkplay Media's free-to-play game. Today we have a picturesque screenshot from Massively regular commenter, Ripper McGee, showing off a view from an early area. He writes in to explain: "Here's a simple shot of my new clockwork knight, Django Fett, against the night sky and shattered moon in Earthrise, the final tutorial zone in Earth Eternal."

Are you playing a game we don't get a chance to see all that often? Why not share your experiences and views with us here on One Shots. It's easy to do. Just grab a great screenshot and send it in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it here for everyone to check out and give you the credit for sending it in.

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

One Shots: Walk softly and carry a big hammer originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 May 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Earth Eternal takes players Down Below

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New titles, Patches, News items, Earth Eternal

The team over at Sparkplay Media have been hard at work polishing up Earth Eternal as they move towards the game's eventual release. This dedication to the 'it's done when it's done' MMO development is certainly a great thing to see -- especially when it comes hand in hand with fun new content!

The newest patch, 0.8.5, adds a spooky new dungeon called The Down Below for players to explore. This area is an excavated ruin in Midland between New Badari and Grunes Tal that offers players 10 enormous new areas and 30 named mobs just perfect for groups of 5 level 33 to 36 players. There are also a bunch of fixes and updates in patch 0.8.5 that players of all levels will definitely want to read up on.

The Earth Eternal beta is open for any and all people who have been interested in the game, but haven't had a chance to try it out. So if checking out browser-based MMOs where you get to play animals, robots, or demons sounds like something you'd enjoy, head on over to the Earth Eternal site and get signed up to play!

Earth Eternal takes players Down Below originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

[Updated] Stress test Earth Eternal, get a cool hat

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, News items, Free-to-play, Earth Eternal, Giveaways

Are you a big fan of fantasy? Like exclusive items? How about helping to stress test games? If you answered "yes" to all three of those questions, then listen up! Our friends over at SparkPlay Media have sent over another shiny batch of 1,000 beta keys so those people who are interested can get involved with a new round of beta testing in Earth Eternal starting at 12:00 PM Pacific tomorrow. As a thank you for making it online, testers who are in at 2 PM Pacific (Saturday, September 26th) will get this special Earth Eternal hat that we think looks sneakingly like the stylish one worn by Tim the Enchanter. We're told the EE logo on the front sparkles too, so be sure to get there early!

All you have to do if you want in on all the fun is to head over to the Massively code-giving-out-site-thing, read the instructions, and click the button. Or click the button and then read the instructions. It's really not too terribly hard to do - and hey, it gets you in to the Earth Eternal beta! Then show up tomorrow at 12 PM Pacific (3pm Eastern) and hang around until 2:00 PM Pacific (5pm Eastern) to net yourself one of these funky hats. With your new hat, you can then run around warning everyone about those killer rabbits and their nasty sharp pointy teeth. Hopefully they'll believe you, unlike those who doubted the word of Tim.

[Edited to show updated times]

[Updated] Stress test Earth Eternal, get a cool hat originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Meet the Sparkplay Media team: Part Two, pg. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Browser, Earth Eternal, Massively Interviews

Massively: Is there any MMO that has influenced your work on Earth Eternal, and if so how did it influence you?

Ryne Anderson, programmer: Absolutely! One of the most enjoyable aspects in working with games is digging into the titles that you really enjoy and seeing if you can't make them a bit better by throwing your own unique spin on them. Of note, World of Warcraft has been my shining beacon throughout the project. The simplicity of getting a player into the action opened the floodgates to people who might have previously been intimidated by the stigma that MMO's were for 'hardcore' players. Earth Eternal aims to not only meet, but exceed the accessibility of the current 3D MMOs, by not requiring a monthly subscription or up-front payment to play- all within a very polished game world that you can play in a browser.

What Earth Eternal race represents you the best and why?

Ryne: Being a technical guy myself, it is without a doubt the Clockwork. First and foremost, his look is amazingly different from all of the other races in Earth Eternal. Secondly, let's face it: robots are awesome! (Unfortunately though, I can't be a robot ninja in Earth Eternal...yet.)

If you could pick out your favorite part of Earth Eternal, what would it be and why?

Ryne: As hinted above, I'm really into accessibility for any type of player. To me, if we can get a player, from seeing our webpage, to in the game killing monsters in five minutes or less, that's a huge win for both us and the player. I believe we have succeeded in this, as our intro area not only looks beautiful, but gets players into the action right away.

What has been the most difficult obstacle for you to overcome in your work on Earth Eternal?

Ryne: Making any sort of game is always a learning process, and sometimes simple issues turn out to be much larger when you try to lay out all the details. For me, the most difficult part of making an MMO is keeping the client and server in sync at all times. It's a trade-off between being responsive to the commands issued by the player and validating that they are actually allowed to do those commands on the server.

What are some of the limitations/problems you encounter when coding for both a client and a browser-based game? How have you guys overcome that?

Ryne: Honestly, getting the game running in the browser isn't a monumental task. It requires a bit of touch-up every time a new browser version comes out, but the plugin we have is fairly solid. The difference between the browser and client version are pretty minimal. Having said that, since we are running in a browser we want the game to be able to run on as many computers as possible, and optimizing for all sorts of different configurations is always quite a challenge.

Thank you so much to the Sparkplay Team for lending the time to answer our questions! If you're interested in Earth Eternal or would like to put your name into the hat for the closed beta, stop by their website!

Meet the Sparkplay Media team: Part Two, pg. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Meet the Sparkplay Media team: Part Two

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Browser, Earth Eternal, Massively Interviews

Yesterday we introduced you to the lead designer and concept artist from Sparkplay Media, the makers of the upcoming free-to-play MMO Earth Eternal. Today we have more behind the scenes action for you as we continue our "Meet the Sparkplay Media Team" feature and introduce you to the lead writer and one of the programmers that work so diligently on this new MMO.

In today's feature we get the inside scoop on the microtransaction store and story from Sparkplay's CEO and lead writer of Earth Eternal, Matt Mihaly. Plus we're also getting a peek inside what goes on during the coding of Earth Eternal with Ryne Anderson, one of the programmers.

Continue reading Meet the Sparkplay Media team: Part Two

Meet the Sparkplay Media team: Part Two originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO on Earth Eternal pt. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, New titles, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Earth Eternal, Massively Interviews

How have the launches of FusionFall and Free Realms affected Earth Eternal? Have you changed your development or goals in any way because of the success of those two games, or have you stayed the course and continued to build things your way, disregarding those two games?

Not really, no. Games like Runescape and Habbo have had more influence on our plans than either of those two games, simply because they're so much bigger. FusionFall and Free Realms have gotten a lot of press in the last year, but neither of them have achieved the level of success that games like Runescape and Habbo have.

Actually, nobody really knows how Free Realms is doing outside of SOE. Three million registrations doesn't tell you much about how many active players they have as you don't know how quickly players are churning out of the experience. With the massive dollars they spent on marketing too, it'd be surprising if they couldn't get a few million registrations. The challenge for them (and everyone else in this space, including us) is to convert that fleeting attention into long-term, loyal players.

"We're more in the vein of a classic fantasy MMO than a collection of minigames."

How will Earth Eternal separate itself from the growing free-to-play genre in America? What will make this game stand out?

We're a different kind of experience from FusionFall or Free Realms. We're more in the vein of a classic fantasy MMO than a collection of minigames. I think where we stand out is by offering the best browser-based fantasy MMO out there. We've made the decision to have no humans, elves, or dwarves (or gnomes, hobbits, or anything else too close to human), preferring instead to offer everything from humanoid lizards and falcons to the Clockwork and Yeti. We're definitely fantasy but we want to stay away from the pack, almost all of whom have the humans/elves/dwarves thing going on. We've also got an enormous number of races for players (unlike the two games you mentioned) - 22 at launch.

Considering all of Earth Eternal's development, what part of the game are you the most proud of? What is that one feature you can't wait to show off?

The number one thing I'm proud of is how much our team has managed to do on relatively little funding for an open world 3D MMO (about five million dollars.) As far as game features go the biggest feature I'm looking forward to showing off is our Groves system, which will be introduced at final launch, a few months after we go into open beta.

Thanks so much for your time, Matt!

Massively speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO on Earth Eternal pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO on Earth Eternal

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, New titles, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Earth Eternal, Massively Interviews

With Sparkplay Media's first game, Earth Eternal, going into beta, we got the chance to sit down with the CEO of the company, Matt Mihaly, and pick his mind on a variety of things related to setting up shop in the free to play genre.

Matt's no stranger to the massively multiplayer space, holding a strong background as the CEO and founder of Iron Realms Entertainment, a company dedicated to creating multi-user dungeons (MUDs) including Imperian, Aetola, Achaea, and Lusternia. If that wasn't enough, Achaea was one of the first games to introduce the sales of virtual goods, making him one of the pioneers of the base that free-to-play games now stand on.

So what's his thought process behind Earth Eternal? What are some of the things we can expect from the MMO that's sporting over 22 races? Hit the continue reading link, and find out!

Continue reading Massively speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO on Earth Eternal

Massively speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO on Earth Eternal originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sparkplay LF Community Manager, PST

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Earth Eternal

If you've been looking for a game that offers something off the beaten path - or a job in a gaming startup with potential in San Francisco - then you may be interested in the opportunity over at SparkPlay Media. According to a recent posting on their website, they're looking for a Community Manager for their upcoming MMO, Earth Eternal. They're looking for the normal medley of things for anyone who will work heavily as a liason between community and the internal customers; creativity, organization, communication, experience and excitement.

That said, if you're in the Bay Area, have games industry experience, and are looking for a way to get into the MMO side of things, be sure to check out their job posting. For the rest of us who are just a wee bit too far away for the commute, we'll have to content ourselves with a gallery of tasty screenshots from Earth Eternal for now.

Gallery: Earth Eternal

Sparkplay LF Community Manager, PST originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments