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Snail venom provides a new way to treat chronic pain
The Conus regius' venom is bad news for its prey, and it's been proven harmful to humans as well. For instance, a 2009 clinical case describes a diver who had trouble moving his arm for 12 hours after an attack. However, scientists from the University of Utah see hope in the ocean dweller's powerful venom. In fact, research suggests it could be used to develop a new treatment for chronic pain.
Black Gold's water-themed Bloodied Tides DLC arrives next week
Snail Games has today announced that a huge new update will land in Black Gold on November 24th. Bloodied Tides, the steampunk MMO's second DLC since its soft launch last summer, will up the level cap as well as add Aurek Brute and Upyrian Vampire races, a brawler class, a new 4v4 arena, tweaks to the time vial system, and a weapon engraving system. There's also a ton of water-themed content in the form of underwater dungeons, underwater maps, naval warfare, and aquatic battle carriers, which had better be as cool in practice as they sound, darnit. We've got the update's teaser video embedded for you below.
Blizzard fights Snail Games over panda design
Fresh off of a win with its Hearthstone lawsuit, Blizzard is jumping right back in to the legal waters with a fight against Snail Games. What did Snail do to anger the glacial giant so? Apparently, the developer is coming out with a mobile game named Taichi Panda that features a panda, and you can already see where this is going. Blizzard and its Chinese partner NetEase claims that Snail's panda design is far too similar to those seen in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. NetEase also has an issue with Shaman and Goblin art styles in the mobile game. NetEase is requesting that Apple take down the mobile app, while Snail is defending its design choices.
Black Gold's Campaign of Ashes arriving a week early
Earlier this week Snail announced that Black Gold's first major update would debut on September 10th. As of this morning the firm has changed its mind, according to a press release that says Campaign of Ashes will instead release a week prior on September 3rd. The update features a new skill surge system, new high-level gear, new battle carriers, and more.
Black Gold Online announces its first major content update
The first major update to Black Gold Online is going live on September 10th, and it's not going to be all sunshine and lollipops. The name alone kind of makes that obvious; a title like the Campaign of Ashes doesn't bring to mind pleasant undertakings. It brings to mind a new region of the game, plenty of new open PvP, and new missions and quests for players. Which, as it turns out, is exactly what the update will provide. Of course, that's not the extent of what the update is offering to players, who can look forward to a higher level cap, a new "Skill Surge" system, more equipment, and more content across the board. The update also ushers in an improved interface and a variety of performance upgrades, making the game run more smoothly while being that much easier to play. It's only a couple of weeks until the update goes live, so active players should get ready now.
Snail's King of Wushu MOBA gets a new trailer
Snail Games' newly announced King of Wushu MOBA is still something of a mystery, but the company has unveiled a new trailer at this week's ChinaJoy 2014. The clip features six playable heroes and some pretty visuals. King of Wushu is powered by CryEngine 3 and currently slated for the Xbox One and PC platforms. Click past the cut to view the vid!
Black Gold bumping level cap, adding cross-server PvP and more
Black Gold is entering its second month of open beta, and Snail Games wants you to know that significant changes are on the way. Said changes include a level cap bump to 45, a new tier of skill upgrades, cross-server PvP functionality, and more. How much more? Well, you'll just have to click past the cut and read the full press release, won't ya? [Source: Snail Games press release]
Snail Games reveals King of Wushu MOBA based on Age of Wushu
Snail Games has unveiled the website for its upcoming martial arts MOBA King of Wushu. As you could probably guess, King of Wushu is based on Snail's Age of Wushu MMO, and is said to feature both RPG and TPS elements. This new teaser site already includes forums and a point system for interested players. According to gaming site 2P.com, King of Wushu is likely to be shown at ChinaJoy 2014 in Shanghai later this year.
Black Gold Online enters open beta today
Snail Games is opening up the coppery patina doors to open beta for its steampunk MMO Black Gold Online today. Interested players can hop in at 5 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. PDT) for a chance to win exclusive in-game items. You can choose to play as either the mechanized Kingdom of Isenhorst or the magic-based Erlandir Union in a war to gain control of a crystallized energy known as Black Gold. "The open beta lets anyone join who is eager to explore and battle throughout our unique bilateral land of steampunk and fantasy," says Jim Tsai, VP of Snail Games USA. "The open beta's massive activity data and player feedback will be leveraged to put the final touches on one of this year's most anticipated MMORPGs prior to its launch later this year." You can find out more about the open beta events and in-game items on the official site. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Black Gold opens up character creation before open beta
Are you looking to start playing Black Gold Online's open beta? The servers open up completely on June 20th, but veteran players will be able to access the character creator starting today at 5:00 p.m. EDT. That means that you can just jump right in on the 20th, and you can earn a few extra prizes along the way for starting early. All players who make a character early will have access to a special gift pack to help jump-start their adventures in the game. They can also take part in a contest to create the most attractive character, the best likeness of a celebrity or other real individual, and the most hideously ugly character possible. Everyone who's not a veteran will have to wait until the 20th and won't be eligible for these special rewards; if you've been involved in the game's testing up until now, you'd best get in and start creating today.
E3 2014: Hands-on with Black Gold's PvP
It can be hard to demo an MMO at E3. Some studios stick a bunch of journalists together and have us try an instance, which can be fun or, if the worst of us ends up taking a key position, it can be rather frustrating. Other studios let you into a questing area but, to be brutally honest, these usually feel pretty stale compared to the nearby console games that let you do more than kill 10 goblins. Snail Games broke from the mold by letting us PvP in its upcoming Black Gold Online MMO, and while there were some issues, I felt a bit more confident about the title than I did last year.
Black Gold Online brings mechs to PvP battlegrounds
When you head to the PvP battleground in Black Gold Online, don't be surprised if you're the only chump walking around on two legs while everyone else is lording over you in mobile fortresses of steel, iron, and beastial flesh. In a new dev diary, Snail Games elaborates on the Battle Carrier system in Black Gold's PvP. Players will be able to choose and customize their own walking mech or creature out of over 100 models. The Battle Carriers come in five varieties -- Raid, Assault, Siege, Aerial and Anti-air -- and each of them are strong against some and weak against others. Producer Kee Zhang promised that no one Battle Carrier will dominate the landscape in PvP: "The idea of using a battle mount, with its own damage and attacks and such, came into the mix pretty early. The real light-bulb moment came when we thought of this 'Rock, paper, scissors' assortment -– every Carrier has advantages and attack bonuses over certain other Carriers, and in turn is vulnerable to another. It makes teamwork and strategy a must."
Snail Games announces mobile titles, Black Gold Online open beta date, E3 lineup
Snail Games has announced its lineup for this year's E3, and along with the expected expansion to Age of Wushu and showing off some Black Gold Online, the publisher is also revealing three new mobile titles. Heroes of Gaia, Puzzle Heroes Saga, and Taichi Panda are all set to release on iOS and Android platforms at a yet-to-be-announced date. Age of Wushu's fourth free expansion, Tempest of Strife, is now available but will be showcased at the Snail Games E3 booth as well. And then there's the highly anticipated Neo-Victorian steampunk MMO Black Gold Online which will begin open beta on June 20. Watch for our own coverage of Snail Games and all other MMO goodies from this year's E3 next week. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Massively's first impressions of Black Gold Online's beta
Do you prefer a steampunk or fantasy flavor in your MMO? With Black Gold Online you don't have to choose! And for those who vehemently dislike one or the other, you're welcome to express that distaste on the battlefield; Snail Games' upcoming free-to-play game features realm versus realm warfare that pits machine against magic. With these two different genres represented, the game looks to please a broader spectrum of players than the traditional single-genre titles that populate the MMOverse. The question is, will it succeed? Even though we've perused available news and watched a variety of videos about everything from the various classes and different races to action combat to guild vs. guild systems, nothing beats getting into the MMO and experiencing it for yourself. Closed beta for Black Gold Online began mid-May, so I jumped in to get a taste of what awaits players when the game hits open beta this summer. What I found is that while the game excels in some areas, it comes up short in others. Here's a run-down of my first impressions.
Black Gold opens up preorders
Black Gold Online is launching as a free-to-play game, but there's no reason you should let that simple fact stop you from pre-ordering it! Admittedly, it's not so much the game you're ordering but a retail box that also comes with a variety of goodies contained therein, but still. Pre-orders are now open, letting you plop down $20 to unlock a variety of perks in the game when it goes live this summer. The pre-order package includes a special horse, special clothing, high-end crafting ingredients, and around $20 of in-game currency, which would serve to offset the cost of the boxed edition quite nicely. Aforementioned boxed copies will be shipping alongside the game's full launch this summer. If this is right up your alley, the game's official pre-order page will direct you to the retailers offering this deal; you can also check out the full press release just past the break.
Black Gold Online outlines its Guild vs. Guild systems
Guilds in Black Gold Online have plenty to do. Sure, there are the usual social aspects of guilds, but there's also a constantly amplifying race for technological progress combined with territory control. The latest development blog on the official site discusses how guilds can advance and grow in power, as well as the basic outlines of the territory control feature with characters fighting it out over energy wells. All guilds have a level of technology available to them, determined by the amount of eponymous black gold used to upgrade the guild. This can come from members, or it can come from energy wells, which can be fought over on both a factional and intra-factional basis. It's entirely possible for two guilds of the same faction to fight repeatedly over the same well. Take a look at the full article for more details about how you can send your forces to fight and die for that all-important energy.
Black Gold devs talk art design, 'clash of styles'
Snail's latest promotional post for Black Gold focuses on the game's distinctive visuals and art design. While there's little in the way of new gameplay information here, there is plenty of arresting concept art that melds fantasy, Victorian futurism, Wild West motifs, and of course steampunk.
Black Gold Online closed beta begins May 15th
In a press release issued today, Snail Games announced that the closed beta for its steampunkish MMO Black Gold Online will begin on May 15th. Says the release, Closed Beta participants will see large-scale battlegrounds with customizable 'Carriers' (large battle mounts for each faction) and can develop over 100 distinct carrier-types for battle. Black Gold Online also features true hardcore PvP, where players can fight against members of their same faction as well as opposing forces across a variety of battlegrounds, arenas and 'Chambers of Greed.' Finally, players can join even larger Energy Well battles as they form armies to fight for control of precious resources in large-scale faction and guild battles. The closed beta will also include revamped graphics and a refreshed interface. We've embedded the latest trailer below!
Black Gold's closed beta getting 'major changes,' new classes
Snail Games says that fans of steampunk MMO Black Gold Online can expect "a newer, smoother, updated version" of the title when closed beta testing starts "soon." The game's UI, graphics, battlefields, and vehicles will be tweaked, and Snail says that "major" combat system, quest line, and PvE changes are already happening. While there's no date on the closed beta just yet, today's press release reveals that it will feature four new classes. You can click past the cut to read the full notice. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Snail introduces Black Gold's Thaumaturge
Snail Games has added a new summoning class to its Black Gold Online steampunk MMO. The Thaumaturge "beckons dark spirits and miraculous forces for powerful long-range continuous damage casting," the company says. Thaumaturges may be played by characters from the Buvont and Lokemean races, and they use magic staffs, enchanted scepters, and mystic vials to do their dirty work. As you might expect, they also wear cloth armor. More details are available via the Black Gold website.
