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CrimeCraft expansion to feature persistent territory control, quickplay options

Jef Reahard — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Crime, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft, Miscellaneous

Remember CrimeCraft? We do, and the tragically titled actioner is still alive and kicking (or shooting, perhaps).

We bring this up because Vogster is readying its second major expansion, GangWars, which is scheduled to launch on December 5th. The update adds more of a traditional MMO feel to what is otherwise a lobby-based game. New territory wars mechanics are the culprit, and they allow gangs to own and control sections of the game's persistent Sunrise City environment.

Curiously, Vogster is also implementing a new quickplay system which offers access to CrimeCraft's "core gameplay features through a simplified interface that lets you shortcut RPG gameplay and get right to the action." CrimeCraft boasts 20 unique maps and 11 gameplay modes. Learn more about the game, and sign up for free, at the official website. Before you go, though, check out the territory wars trailer after the break.

[Source: Vogster press release]

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CrimeCraft expansion to feature persistent territory control, quickplay options originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: CrimeCraft

Beau Hindman — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Crime, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

The first thing I want to do when hearing about a game's poor quality is try it myself. I've found that unless the complaints specify performance issues, the real problem is that the gameplay just didn't mesh well with the person issuing the complaint. Often, those folks talk in general specifics like "Everyone hates the skillsets" or "No one liked that last patch." Gamers are great at declaring what "everyone" likes or dislikes, as though they have access to information that not even the developers themselves have. A good rule of thumb is that the more a player mentions "everyone," the more he is probably wrong.

CrimeCraft is one of these games, but for different reasons. As I asked around about the game, most people I heard from simply complained about its resemblance to the original All Points Bulletin. And since APB had issues, surely CrimeCraft must as well. Players also commented on how they heard it was busted or that didn't play well at all or that it was just a really bad game.

So I had to dig in. What did I find? Click past the cut and I'll tell you.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: CrimeCraft

Rise and Shiny recap: CrimeCraft originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft's executive producer talks on the game's strengths

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, Interviews, PvP, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft

CrimeCraft may have launched with a bang, but that bang appeared to be less of a gunshot and more of a car backfiring. Vogster Entertainment's MMOFPS was met with somewhat mixed reviews, moved to a free-to-play model, and found itself banned in Australia. But the game persists, and executive producer Matt McEnerney recently sat down with Warcry to discuss issues ranging from the Australia ban to the game's focus.

In a rather refreshing moment, McEnerney flatly states that the game is not for everyone, going on to state that those players who fall under Bartle's classification of Explorer or Socializer will be less likely to enjoy the game. It's a positive mark of candor, and certainly helps strengthen McEnerney's points on what the gae is trying to do and what it's best at. The interview also covers the current endgame option, whiich focus heavily on PvP amidst the game's warring families of gangs.

On the Australia ban, the producer's statement is essentially one that the government can ban the game from shelves but not hard drives -- which strikes us as a little criminal, but when you're talking about a game called CrimeCraft, do you really expect much different? Those interested in the game should take a look at the full interview, which is a bit more honest in places than we've come to expect from the genre.

CrimeCraft's executive producer talks on the game's strengths originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft: Kingpin bowls over your iPhone today

Kyle Horner — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Free-to-play, Crime, CrimeCraft

Yes, bowling puns. We know not everyone appreciates a good cheesy joke, but today's a seemingly auspicious day for MMO iPhone and Facebook apps. It's hard to imagine what self respecting game doesn't have a tiny socially-networked counterpart. You can consume details on Kingpin over on its official page, although if you've played any of these "build a gang" type games before you probably know what's in store.

If you're wondering just why you should check out this app -- aside from the fact that it's shiny and new -- then be aware that the first 50 players to hit max level in Kingpin will earn a CrimeCraft AUG that offers an experience and a money bonus. Also in the wings are a limited number of CrimeCraft gold bar packages, the Valley Forge Federalist, an assault rifle with five "slots" and a five slot submachine gun, the R-Sys Smilodon.

CrimeCraft: Kingpin bowls over your iPhone today originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft banned in Australia

Rubi Bayer — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Crime, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft

Vogster's MMOFPS CrimeCraft hasn't had the easiest time, and it took another hit last week when it was banned in Australia. The Australian Classification Board refused classification of the game thanks to the availability of Boosts, drugs that give the player character various buffs. The reason given? "In the board's opinion, there is insufficient delineation between the 'fictional drugs' available in game and real-world proscribed drugs."

The board elaborated a bit on their decision, pointing out strong similarities to real-world drugs: "In addition, the names of boosts mimic the chemicals and colloquial names of proscribed drugs. Examples include K-Dust, Birth, Chimera, Majoun, Betadyne ResistX and Zymek Stim-Ex, as well as the anabolics Raze and Frenzy."

Australia currently does not have any sort of R18+ classification, so a game that would receive that rating is banned. Valve worked around this in October by submitting a censored version of Left 4 Dead 2, so CrimeCraft may not be entirely without hope.

CrimeCraft banned in Australia originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft heading for Facebook and iPhones

Kyle Horner — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, CrimeCraft

There's no doubt CrimeCraft has been seeing some tough times since its launch. Nevertheless, that's not stopping Vogster Entertainment from paving new development paths. They're currently working on CrimeCraft: Kingpin, which is essentially a way to interface with the game through Facebook or the iPhone application.

While details aren't clear at this point, Vogster is saying players will be able to complete missions, build gangs, buy weapons and equipment and develop rivalries in battles all while climbing up leaderboards. The top player will of course earn the rank of -- you guessed it -- Kingpin.

Integration into the PC game offers CrimeCraft: Kingpin an opportunity to stand out amongst the ever-growing crowd of Facebook and iPhone apps. Leveraging that advantage will go a long way to getting people interested in the newly free-to-play model of the game.

CrimeCraft heading for Facebook and iPhones originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft's digital download options and bonuses

William Dobson — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Launches, New titles, Crime, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft

CrimeCraft's launch date is just around the corner now, and if you haven't pre-ordered yet but plan on doing so, there really isn't a lot of time left! While the retail distribution of the game in North America and Canada is exclusive to particular stores (Best Buy for NA and Future Shop in Canada), there are a few choices when it comes to making a digital purchase. Future players will be able to buy and download the title from CrimeCraft.com, Direct2Drive (IGN), Steam and Best Buy Digital. All of the digital downloads come with a few in-game perks (different from each other), and all of them bar Steam offer some extras for pre-ordering. No matter which way you go, the suggested price of US$49.95 includes two months of premium subscription, including a ration of gold bars that are used for in-game microtransactions.

All of the information you need to know in order to make your choice is just past the break -- be sure to check it out if you plan on getting CrimeCraft digitally.

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CrimeCraft's digital download options and bonuses originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft open beta starts today

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New titles, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft

After a reportedly successful closed beta, Vogster's CrimeCraft is opening its beta to anyone interesting in trying the Persistent World Next-Gen Shooter (PWNS) before its launch on August 25th. The closed beta, which began in May, had ended on Monday in anticipation of this new open beta.

The doors open today at 5pm EDT to anyone who downloads the client and signs up at Fileplanet or IGN. If you were already part of the closed beta program, all you'll need to do is patch up and play. For more information on CrimeCraft, including interviews and event demos, check out our complete coverage.

[Edit: As pointed out in the comments, this open beta is for US and Canada only]

CrimeCraft open beta starts today originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MTV Multiplayer speaks with MMO devs looking to attract shooter fans

Kyle Horner — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, MMOFPS

Undoubtedly, the developers of games like All Points Bulletin, The Agency, CrimeCraft and Earthrise would like shooter fans to give their game a try. And with so many of these titles on the way, it can be a little difficult to know which one may be for you. So, MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John went out and got each developer's take on why they think shooter fans should look into their respective games.

Not all of these games take the same shooter mentality approach, but that's a good thing. Variety is of course the spice of life, especially when those things involve itchy digital trigger fingers. You can be sure we'll be bringing you even more information in the future so you can decide which of these games is for you.

MTV Multiplayer speaks with MMO devs looking to attract shooter fans originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC09: Our look at CrimeCraft

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Screenshots, Video, Interviews, New titles, Previews, Massively Meta, Crime, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, CrimeCraft

Vogster and CrimeCraft have enjoyed a period of calm before the storm during their development cycle, but at this year's Game Developers Conference, they were out in full force showing off their upcoming crime MMO. You may already know Vogster as the creator of a few games on other platforms, but they're actually a fairly large studio with offices in New Jersey, Chicago, Moscow and Kiev, Ukraine. During GDC, we were able to sit down with Casey Dickinson, Senior Marketing Manager, and Matt McEnerney, Executive Producer, for an in-depth look at what this game has to offer.

So what is CrimeCraft exactly? Well, in a nutshell, it could be considered more of a shooter wrapped in an MMO shell powered by the Unreal 3 engine. Or as they describe it, a Persistent World Next-gen Shooter (PWNS... get it). They recognize the fact that first and foremost, this game is a shooter. This is evident in the gameplay style and general feel of the game. So where exactly does the MMO part come in? That's precisely what we plan to uncover! Keep reading to find out more from our interview and demo of CrimeCraft.

Gallery: CrimeCraft

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GDC09: Our look at CrimeCraft originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft trailer gives a brief glimpse into the urban crime MMO

James Egan — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, New titles, Crime, CrimeCraft

The massively multiplayer online game industry will soon be getting an influx of space-based science fiction titles as well as earthbound post-apocalytic MMOs. Another new realm that is going to be explored by game developers like Vogster Entertainment is the urban crime MMO. Their debut massively multiplayer title will be CrimeCraft. We don't have many details on the game beyond the trailer they released and the info they've published so far on their site, but we do know that it's a persistent world 'next-gen' shooter built on the Unreal 3 engine.

We've found another glimpse into what Vogster has been up to, though. IGN Videos has a (very) brief trailer showing the CrimeCraft characters with narration explaining obtaining and modifying your weapons. We weren't inspired enough by the trailer to commit crimes of our own by stealing and embedding it for you here, so you'll have to head over to IGN to check out the video footage. We're hoping to speak with Vogster at GDC this week and find out more about this title, so keep your eyes open for more on this urban crime MMO.

CrimeCraft trailer gives a brief glimpse into the urban crime MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft impressions and screenshots

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Game mechanics, New titles, Crafting, Hands-on, Crime, CrimeCraft

Despite its unfortunate name, Vogster's CrimeCraft seems to be a promising contender in the crop of games launching in 2009, according to a recent review at Gamespy. First announced earlier last year, CrimeCraft boasts what they call a "persistent-world next-gen shooter", or PWNS for short. Can an MMO shooter work? Ask Planetside, Tabula Rasa and Huxley (if he ever shows up).

Unnecessary snark aside, the screenshots in this review article look gorgeous. The gameplay seems promising, with PvE, deathmatch PvP and a crafting system that is aimed at using some real sponsorship promotion (think CoH ads, but on clothes). Yet the one part that raised our collective eyebrows was the mention of a persistent world, yet it is said to include only persistent towns, much like Guild Wars and Diablo II. Granted the game isn't finished and is still in a closed beta at this point, but Vogster's senior marketing manager Casey Dickinson mentioned that they're thinking of ways to "liven up" the game's persistent lobbies.

CrimeCraft impressions and screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can a crime MMO actually work?

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Opinion, All Points Bulletin, Crime, CrimeCraft

A crime MMO might seem like a great idea, riding on the coattails of such gaming successes as the GTA series and Max Payne, but what about in the MMO space? Would killing the mafia boss or jumping your car over a moving train be quite as fun and translate as well if it were done as an online multiplayer experience? Well, so far we have two shots at it (pun intended): All Points Bulletin and the recently-announced CrimeCraft. Will these games, and the possible onslaught of copycat games be able to recreate the success of their single-player ancestors?

In a recent article at MMOcrunch, they take a look at these possibilities and break down the genre according to what most interests us. They make a very good point about how most of the fun in these games is usually the destructive environments and generally screwing with the AI by blocking the streets with burned-out cars and downed telephone poles. This would not work quite as well in an MMO setting, unless someone at Realtime Worlds or Vogster Entertainment can prove us wrong.

Can a crime MMO actually work? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vogster Entertainment introduces CrimeCraft

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Crime, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft

CrimeCraft, a "gritty, crime drama MMO", has just been announced by Vogster Entertainment for your enjoyment. Hopefully no company will have an objection to the name.

Vogster has yet to release in-depth information for the game, but their website points to a third-person shooter MMO that pushes cooperation via a fleshed out economy and territory control. They've already licensed out the Unreal Engine for the game, so we can expect some fun with physics and a polished graphics system.

Vogster has announced that CrimeCraft will include five classes and feature an advanced character customization system, as well as allow players to evolve their characters through special fighting skills. Gangs will be able to claim control of territory and defend their holds from rival gangs, all while running from the police.

Right now though, the game looks to be a version of All Points Bulletin except minus the police and with alot more dystopia. The game is set in a city where crime controls the streets and the cops can do little more than shrug and bunker down in specially sectioned off areas. Sounds to this blogger like someone needs to call out the tanks.

We'll be following CrimeCraft and giving you more information as it's released. Until then, enjoy their teaser site.

[Via TenTonHammer]

Vogster Entertainment introduces CrimeCraft originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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