Earthrise
Latest
Huge Earthrise patch brings major combat tweaks, bug fixes
There are patches and then there are patches, and the most recent Earthrise update was definitely the latter. Masthead Studios has dropped approximately one gigabyte worth of changes on the world of Enterra thanks to the 18143 patch, and if the preliminary discussion thread is any indication, players seem to be happy with the tweaks. Many of the changes are found in the game's combat engine, with adjustments to core and special weapon damage as well as weapon ranges and substantial updates for assault rifles, precision rifles, flamers, melee weapons, and shotguns. AI line-of-sight issues have also been fixed, and several UI and party-related bugs have been squashed. There's also an interesting blurb in the patch notes regarding territorial warfare. Specifically, the notes say that "all bases and the environment around them are complete and standing by." While Masthead hasn't publicly confirmed that Earthrise's warfare system is complete and ready for prime time, it's encouraging to see some official progress.
Win a copy of Earthrise from Massively and Masthead Studios!
The Earthrise developers may be taking their time and making sure every detail is just right on upcoming patches, but they've promised fans it's going to be worth the wait. If you've been following the game's progress since launch and thinking about giving it a try, we've got just the thing for you! Masthead Studios has given us three digital copies of Earthrise to pass on to some lucky readers. Already an Earthrise player? No problem -- we've got you covered too! We've also got 10 spiffy Earthrise t-shirts to share. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment here before noon EDT on Saturday, May 7th. Let us know which prize you'd like to have (specify large or extra large if you're entering for a t-shirt), and Saturday afternoon we'll draw 13 winners! As always, take a look at our contest rules. Best of luck!
Earthrise patch coming soon, roadmap features delayed
Fans of Masthead Studios' Earthrise MMORPG have waited a long time between patches. According to producer Atanas Atanasov, the wait is almost over. A new post on the official Earthrise boards details what players can expect when the new version goes live toward "the end of this week, or early next week at the latest." The patch will include fixes for the inventory stacking bug and the problems with party experience gain. The game's shadow renders are also being tweaked, and AI attacks through walls and other solid objects are being addressed. Atanasov also tells us that the previously reported development roadmap has undergone a few revisions, and most of the items on that particular list are being delayed in favor of improving Earthrise's graphical performance. "Due to changes in our priority list you can expect [a] delay of some roadmap features such as vehicles, inverse kinematics, quest hints on the minimap, and item painting," Atanasov explains. "Our expectations are that you will see them in game in June/July 2011."
Masthead releases Earthrise vehicle concept art
What's Masthead Studios been up to lately? Aside from bug-fixing and putting out fires on the forums of its newly released sci-fi sandbox called Earthrise, the studio is finding time to iterate on future features for the world of Enterra. Player vehicles have been an oft-requested addition since the game's early beta days, and if two new pieces of concept art are any indication, the cries haven't gone unnoticed. Masthead has just published preliminary models for two types of single-occupant vehicles, both bearing the sexy lines and sleek stylings of a futuristic hover-bike, swoop, or insert-sci-fi-motorcycle-analog-here. While there's no word on when we'll see these new pieces of awesome in the game, we'll keep our eyes (and ears) peeled for further details. In the meantime, check out both images in our gallery below. %Gallery-48760%
Masthead releases two-month Earthrise roadmap
It's been nearly two months since the launch of Earthrise, and Masthead Studios is moving forward with long-term development plans for the sci-fi sandbox MMORPG. In a press release this morning, the Bulgaria-based dev team laid out a list of new features planned for integration in April and May. Citizens of Enterra will be getting some direction in the form of minimap quest hint indicators, alleviating the confusion that often results when searching for various objectives. Earthrise crafters will be able to produce paint that can be used on armor, weapons, and vehicles, and guild diplomacy mechanics will give leaders the ability to both declare war and cultivate allies. As a result of the February Choose Your Game Feature voting, resurrection mechanics will be coming to Earthrise, and player parties will also be able to share battle points and karma from defeated enemies. Finally, various technical and performance-related tweaks are in the offing, including customizable chat windows, a friends/ignore list, AI improvements, and shadow enhancements.
Masthead adds exploration rewards to Earthrise, hints at player-crafted vehicles
It's patch time for Earthrise, and the sci-fi sandbox from indie developer Masthead Studios is looking to put the hurt on a few of its early-release gremlins. The patch notes for version 17045 indicate that players should notice a substantial reduction in lag and an overall increase in server and client performance. The patch has also added keybinding functionality to the world of Enterra as well as animation tweaks for strafing and walking. Exploration rewards have also arrived in Earthrise, and players "will now be able to salvage materials and use them for either crafting or personal advantage." The dev team isn't stopping there, though, and producer Atanas Atanasov drops a couple of tasty hints regarding upcoming updates. "We are actively taking player feedback and requests into consideration for future releases, and have extensive developments planned for completion in the next few months, including the addition of territorial conquests and player crafted vehicles," he said via press release. %Gallery-48760%
GDC 2011: ARGO Online pits nature against technology
If imaginative fiction has taught us anything, it's that the fun doesn't really begin until the world ends. Post-apocalyptic games are all the rage these days, from Earthrise to Fallen Earth, so it's not surprising to see another company throw its hat into the ring. Burda:ic may not be a household name, but it's hoping that its upcoming MMO, ARGO Online, will be. Achim Kaspers, the managing director at burda:ic, was overflowing with information about ARGO's unique look and business model. ARGO is planned to be a free-to-play title, although Kaspers is well aware of the stigma that typically goes along with that. He admits that many F2P games are lacking in content or are grind-heavy, fates he hopes ARGO will avoid with thousands of quests, fluid combat animation and plenty of places to explore. Billed as a "post-apocalyptic steampunk MMO," ARGO features a futuristic Earth divided between nature and technology. The Noblians are all over cool-looking steampunk devices and vehicles, while the Floresslah have united with nature to become its champions. We've been following ARGO since last year, so we're excited to hear that the title is scheduled to start its open beta tomorrow. Hit the jump for more of the good word on ARGO from GDC as well as a special treat for Massively readers! %Gallery-118525%
One Shots: It's not all brown
When someone says "post-apocalyptic" to people, it can conjure up the idea of an irradiated, desolate landscape full of twisted wreckage and more shades of brown than you thought were possible. However, if you're one of the people enjoying Earthrise, you have a lush future full of all manner of flora. Never mind that a good chunk of it wants to go all Audrey II on you and chomp your face off. Today's lovely Earthrise One Shots comes to us from Atanas M., who didn't write much of a note other than to comment "cool area." Whatever kind of MMO you love, we're always on the lookout for great screenshots. Players like you make this column possible! So capture an image in your favorite game and email it in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. Your image could be the next one we post here on Massively! %Gallery-112285%
Global Chat: Behind the scenes edition
Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat! This week much of the community's focus was on what goes on behind the scenes. Our readers chatted about development decisions from launch onward; from the brand-new Earthrise to the reincarnated Gods & Heroes, "how it's done in MMO development" came under scrutiny. Each discussion of individual games branched into interesting insights regarding MMO development and mechanics in general, so follow along after the jump to see what everyone had to say this week!
The P-word: Earthrise first impressions
Prior to taking the plunge with Masthead Studios' new Earthrise MMORPG, ask yourself the following questions: Do you have patience? Do you like to read? If the answer to either one of those questions is no -- regardless of whether you consider yourself a sandbox fan -- the game's current incarnation probably isn't for you. Earthrise is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG featuring two human factions struggling to rebuild in the aftermath of a third world war. In this distant, dystopian future, nanotech, quantum engineering, and cloning are commonplace technologies, and that's a good thing for you since you'll be dying. A lot. If you're pre-disposed to sandboxes, excited by complexity, and not averse to a little ganking, the game might just tickle your fancy despite its rough-around-the-edges presentation and sub-par performance. We previewed the game a few weeks back over livestream, but today we add to that with a full hands-on with the game post-launch. Join me after the cut for my first impressions after 10-plus hours of gameplay. %Gallery-48760%
Earthrise launch day arrives, sandbox title available for purchase
Zomg it's a sci-fi sandbox! You'll have to forgive our somewhat subjective enthusiasm on this one, as it's an increasingly rare occasion when we're able to announce the launch of something other than a themepark with classical fantasy elements. Yes, Earthrise is here to (hopefully) save the day for the sandbox die-hards in the audience, and Masthead Studio's skill-based title is available for purchase in both a retail edition (which features a poster and map) and a digital download from Direct2Drive (which comes with exclusive Overdrive armor). "Our team has channeled years of dedication and hard work into Earthrise, and we are thrilled for those fans who have been following us this entire time, as well as those who are just now checking us out, to experience the world of Enterra. We are already working on updates and expansion packs to be integrated within the next few months, and are excited to continue to develop and enhance the world," says Masthead producer Atanas Atanasov. As of press time, the server has not come up, and a couple of us have been unable to enter our activation keys into the account page on the Earthrise website. Fear not though, as we've got plenty for you to do while you're waiting impatiently to check out the world of Enterra. Join us after the break for a launch-day roundup of all the recent Earthrise news, interviews, and videos to get yourself up to speed and ready for action.
MV Guide: January 31 - February 7, 2011
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of games to take a look at. During Livestream events, you can participate in the live chat to learn about the game, ask questions, and spend some time with Massively staff and readers. If you missed out some of our Livestream events from last week, check out our on-demand videos to catch up at your leisure. We had a busy week! Karen and her guild did some raiding in EverQuest II, Rubi and the Massively Overpowered guild did some damage in Guild Wars' Factions campaign, Larry played some DCUO, Krystalle took to the skies in Black Prophecy, Beau treated us to some Asheron's Call, and Shawn explored some of the awesome features of Champions Online. Do you have a game you'd love to see on our Livestream channel? Let us know in the comments section. For now, if you're looking to check out some new games or see your favorite game from a new perspective, follow along after the cut for this week's installment of MV Guide!
[Update] Get a head start on Earthrise with our closed beta key giveaway!
[UPDATE: All keys have been claimed -- good luck in beta!] If you follow Massively on Twitter or Facebook, you've probably noticed our oh-so-casual mention of some Earthrise beta keys. The February 4th launch date is looming, and we've been waiting patiently for the go-ahead from Masthead Studios to distribute our stock of keys. With the green light given this morning, we're happy to present 1,000 closed beta keys for you, all located on our handy giveaway page! Redeeming the key is pretty simple. Once you have your code, go to Earthrise's beta page and create an account. Then download the torrent using this link, install, and enjoy. Thanks for your patience, and we'll see you in Earthrise!
One Shots: Linked to the future
With the NDA down on Earthrise's beta and the game set to launch on February 4th, we're somewhat surprised that we haven't gotten a great flood of Earthrise screenshots for One Shots yet. Thankfully, Cavadus has stepped up and decided to give those of us who didn't make it into beta a little sample of what we can expect to see in-game. He writes in: "[This screenshot is part of] a virtual tour of Sal Vitas, capital of Enterra and the Continoma faction. It's really quite beautiful. I hope you enjoy the picture!" He also enclosed a link to a gallery of the other tour images, if you'd like to check those out. Are you in the mood to show off something cool you've seen recently? Perhaps you're also in a beta whose NDA is down? If you'd like to share, then email your screenshot to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit for sending it in. Couldn't be easier! %Gallery-112285%
[Updated] Earthrise launch roadmap reveals a commitment to continued development
We've known for some time that Masthead Studios' upcoming single-server sci-fi sandbox Earthrise was planned for retail release on February 4th. Until now, however, we haven't known exactly what would be in that initial release and what features won't make the final cut. In an announcement today, Masthead Studios revealed not only a list of key features they'll be guaranteeing to provide at launch, but also a roadmap for further development and releases throughout the year. The announcement confirms Earthrise's release in less than two weeks time on February 4th, with a substantial commitment to continued development on specific features in the following months. The list of key features promised for launch is as follows: A unique post-apocalyptic setting where the cloned remnants of mankind battle to survive and rebuild. Highly customizable characters with over 100 different skills, abilities and tactics. No artificial imposed "class" restrictions. Fast-paced, action-packed combat featuring dynamic targeting, adaptive power armor and hundreds of high-tech weapons. Sophisticated player-versus-player (PvP) mechanics that let players fight for the established order, join the revolutionary underground, or carve their own bloody path as an independent criminal. Character progression that keeps players advancing in their development with no limits. An advanced market-based economy with in-game supply and demand based on player activities and interactions. Deep crafting mechanics that enable players to design and manufacture unique items from blueprints and raw resources. Skip past the cut for a look at Masthead's development schedule for 2011 and a first look at what we can expect to be introduced throughout the coming year.
Earthrise shows off the feel of the game in a new cinematic trailer
The feeling of personal possession, of place. A sense that your character's goals are your own. A wide-open world to explore and make a place in. Anything we're forgetting about the intended feeling of Earthrise? Well, we're sure it'll come to us eventually. In the meantime, Masthead Studios has released a brand-new cinematic trailer for the game, showing off the elements that players can expect from the sandbox game slated for release on February 4th. Putting the viewer right in the heat of events, the trailer follows a young man with a high-powered shotgun speeding across a wasteland with a keen eye toward his destination. The trailer is only a couple minutes long, but it nicely captures the feel of a sandbox game, even with only a few lines of dialogue and the barest exploration of the game's backstory. If Earthrise can deliver the feel it advertises in the trailer just past the break, there are going to be a lot of happy sandbox players next month.
Masthead Studios reveals Earthrise's European box art
It's almost here! It's almost here! Ma, get the kids in the cellar! Pa, grab that shotgun and prepare for the apocalypse! Lassie, Timmy's stuck in a well, so... get on that already! That's right -- Earthrise's February 4th release date is right around the corner, and we're betting that quite a few of you sci-fi sandbox fans are eagerly waiting for its launch. While we cannot speed up the flow of time (yet -- Shawn is working on that, but he's a busy man), we do have one new tidbit to share with you: the European Earthrise box art. While the centerpiece of the box is the same saucy blue/white-haired lady looking over her shoulder as if to say, "I saw you looking at my... guns," it's interesting to note that the background silhouette seems to resemble an atomic cloud. Indulge in a bit of culture today by visiting the Earthrise art museum after the jump.
Masthead reveals new Earthrise beta video
Launch date for Earthrise is drawing near, and those curious about Masthead Studios' sci-fi sandbox now have a bit more information to chew on thanks to the release of a new beta video. The clip features PvE and PvP gameplay, and also offers a glimpse into several locations around the world of Enterra, including the Cascade Mountains, Seyenand, and Sal Vitas square. New equipment is also on display during the combat portions of the video, and you'll be able to see a T5 core flamer, a shielding bubble, and other equipment in action. The Earthrise beta is also taking on new testers according to Masthead CEO Atanas Atanasov, so head over to the official website to sign up if you haven't already. "We are adding new testers every day, and our team continues to take all the feedback and suggestions from players into consideration as we progress toward launch in February," Atanasov said.
The Daily Grind: Do you recycle character names?
So the next couple of months are shaping up to be rather busy here at the Massively offices (that aren't really offices). Aside from the usual news gathering, column writing, and convention prepping, there's a veritable smorgasbord of MMOs releasing in short order that are going to be demanding lots of our collective attention. Between now and March 1st, we've got DC Universe, Earthrise, RIFT, and Xsyon, and if there's ever been a swath of games that cater to a wide variety of tastes releasing one after the other like this, we'd love to hear about it. With new games comes new characters and for some of us, that represents a bit of a conundrum apart from class or skill choices. Character names are all-important, and for folks that play a lot of MMOs, it might be easier to simply pick one and use it across multiple games. Roleplayers, on the other hand, probably shudder at the thought of recycling character names (and possibly personalities) from game to game. What about you, Massively folk? Do you have an MMORPG handle that you're prone to using in each new title, or are your character names unique? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Earthrise server located on US east coast
The folks behind the Earthrise sci-fi sandbox made headlines a couple weeks ago with announcements that the game would launch on February 4th and that players would be grouped together on a single worldwide shard. As it turns out, the server is located on the east coast of the United States, which is a somewhat surprising move given the European pedigree of the game's parent company and the title's Europe-centric retail plans. Masthead Studios community manager Kuliani has compiled a short list of frequently asked questions about the impending release and published it on the game's official forums. In addition to the server location announcement, he confirms that the Earthrise digital download will be available via the game's official website (as opposed to third parties like Steam or D2D) and that new forums will be introduced on launch day.
