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TUG videos shows off new survival mode, more explorable biomes
If you've been looking forward to testing out TUG's persistent survival mode, it's now here; alpha update 0.6.2 introduced the first phase this week. The update also includes new biomes to explore, new resources to gather, an extended hunger timer, and more. The Proving Grounds, the game's traditional arena mode, is still available to play. To get a peek at all the new biomes and other changes, watch the videos below and check the official patch notes. Nerd Kingdom's Peter Salinas also shared with Massively what players can expect in the next update. Around July 11th, TUG will add "AI, goats to hunt and harvest for foods, cooking, farming, camp fires, and throwing spears." Players can get early access to the game on Steam.
TUG team releases behind-the-scenes video for Playtest Fridays
Ahh, making video games. It's all about just playing games all day, right? Well, actually, for Nerd Kingdom, that is true for Playtest Fridays. A brand-new video was released by the TUG developer today showing off a bit of light-hearted behind-the-scenes fun during the sandbox MMO's development. The indie dev team dedicates every Friday to playtesting the game to squash bugs and focus on player feedback. The video shows a glimpse inside the studio during meetings, play sessions, and more. So if you're into secret whiteboard scratchings and hidden codes on colored sticky notes, check out the video after the cut in slow-mo. [Source: Kickstarter]
Hands-on with TUG, The Untitled Game
In my youth, my father handed me nails, wood, and a hammer and told me to build whatever I wanted. I managed to create swollen fingers and a few tangled heaps of wood and nails. Nerd Kingdom is a lot like my father, but instead of wood, the studio is handing me TUG, or as I like to call it, everything. TUG is a sandbox RPG akin to Landmark or Minecraft, but something about TUG is different. Maybe it's the development team that contains working titles like Economist or Behavioral Scientist. Or perhaps it's the data-driven design philosophy, which claims to deliver a better experience by analyzing how we play. Regardless, it's clear that Nerd Kingdom is attempting to give us more tools to create, both for the players in game and the modders outside of it. My recent demo, interview, and hands-on session showed me how TUG will unlock the creator's imagination -- with fewer swollen fingers.
TUG is now available through Steam Early Access [Updated]
Do you have $9.99, a yearning for a unique open-world sandbox, and a tolerance for a not-quite-ready-for-primetime experience? If so, TUG is ready and waiting for you to explore it. Nerd Kingdom's MMO is now available through Steam Early Access for 10 bucks. The low introductory cost is due to the "unfinished nature of the game" and will be raised as time goes by. TUG currently features two modes, creative and survival, for players to enjoy. Developer Peter Salinas said that the title has made great strides through its alpha testing: "We've had such tremendous feedback and support from our players in our early alpha, and we can't wait to see all the amazing and creative things players will continue to do with the game. By looking at our community's play patterns and listening to their feedback, we can keep our development focused on what our players want." Massively has a hands-on look at TUG coming to you later this afternoon, so stay tuned! [Update: A message sent to Kickstarter backers assures everyone that the official launch date for the game is still January 2015 and that all backers will receive Steam keys early next week.] [Source: Nerd Kingdom press release]
TUG lead dev explains why crafting is 'vital to your survival'
TUG lead designer John Bearden has published the first in a series of dev blogs focused on the crowdfunded sandbox title. This first go-round focuses on crafting, which Bearden says is "vital to your survival." He goes on to detail the dev team's thinking in terms of designing the full system, and even shares some early mockups. Bearden also explains why TUG's crafting UI is minimalistic compared to some of its MMO predecessors. "We never wanted to have a full UI system for the crafting process. From the beginning, we have always wanted to keep it very natural and intuitive for the player," he explains. "Early crafting should capture the feel of a scavenger or early explorer gathering items and sorting them in a natural workspace for assembly." Nerd Kingdom is also featured in a new interview/video diary that you can view after the break.
TUG gets the greenlight on Steam
TUG might not have a real name (or does it?) but it's definitely going places in the world: The title was one of 50 games that got greenlit on Steam today. Fans voted that TUG should be offered on Steam's digital distribution platform and apparently Valve agreed. Of course, TUG had some help getting there: The creators had offered supporters several types of virtual goodies if they helped TUG pass the greenlight threshold. TUG is still in early alpha with an eye to release sometime next year. Steam said that it will work with the studio to offer the title as a release on the platform.
TUG's Steam Greenlight campaign is now active
TUG: The Untitled Game has just made its debut in the Steam Greenlight program. Fans and backers of Nerd Kingdom's upcoming MMO can now choose the game's Steam fate by voting on whether or not Valve should allow TUG to be offered through the Steam digital distribution platform. For those out of the TUG loop, Nerd Kingdom describes the game as being influenced by "classic survival sandbox games with more robust multiplayer RPG gameplay, offering simplicity of design and an emphasis on player freedom." The game is currently in alpha testing with a 2015 release window.
TUG project update details alpha and beta plans
Developer of the Kickstarter-funded sandbox MMO The Untitled Game, Nerd Kingdom, has announced a new update regarding the status of the game's alpha and beta, and it's a bit of good news and a bit of not-so-good news. The not-so-good news is that the developers have "decided to push back calling the game's current state a 'beta' and keep it in the alpha phase." The good news, though, is that many of the systems the devs were hoping to implement are ready to go live, and "[the devs have] had a chance to refine many things for this next major milestone." In the update e-mail, the devs tell fans that they are entering a "new phase of development" that will require the community's help to spread the word about the game and expand the game's fanbase. In addition, the devs are making a push to open more lines of public communication with the community, such as public updates on the game's tech development, more dev blogs and vlogs, and "a stronger presence with a bunch of [TUG's] YouTube content creator friends." On top of that, the devs announce they are planning to drop the price of alpha access while also working with the internet-favorite Humble Store to "allow for a much smoother purchasing process for everyone who is supporting [the game]." Last, but not least, TUG's devs are "preparing to launch a Steam Greenlight campaign on January 29th," so fans will have the opportunity to help bring TUG to everyone's favorite online game-delivery platform. "This year is certainly going to be our year," the e-mail closes, "and we could not be more excited or grateful to have you guys here to help push us." [Source: Nerd Kingdom press release]
TUG gets a new website
What's new in the world TUG? Why, that spiffy website over yonder, that's what! Nerd Kingdom has published a new and newbie-friendly destination designed to draw attention to the fantasy sandbox's unique feature set. The devs are still updating the project's Kickstarter page, though, so don't delete it from your bookmarks just yet. The latest news includes patch notes, a three-part dev interview, and the availability of a TUG newsletter.
TUG shows off survival mode in new video
If you've ever felt as if games spoiled you too much by giving you luxuries like tools and weapons when first starting out, you should check out TUG's survival mode. Nerd Kingdom's latest gameplay video highlights this alternative mode in the upcoming sandbox; players start off with nothing but their empty hands and must seek out and gather simple resources in order to make their first tools and weapons -- all hopefully before someone else with a weapon finds you first! The clip, seen below, also demonstrates gathering and crafting as well as the day/night cycle (add making a torch to your to-do list) and a quick burst of PvP. Enjoy!
TUG suffers from DDOS attack
"Relentless" attacks against fledgling sandbox TUG are being addressed by the team and its security measures, Nerd Kingdom wrote in a forum post yesterday. Players noticed something wrong when they couldn't log into the game yesterday, and a developer confirmed that a DDOS attack was in the works and was being combated. She said that there is no ETA for a fix but that players who have applied for testing keys need not worry about losing theirs due to the issue. "Yeah, the attacks started during the weekend and they've been pretty relentless. Luckily our security measures are working. We just need to do some tweaking now," developer Dee posted. "While it sucks that it's happening, it's better to have these things happen now, while we're in the alpha stage when stuff's supposed to break, than later when it might've been much more of a problem to iron out." [Thanks to Sounder for the tip!]
Trion officially reveals Trove: Endless adventures through endless worlds
Even with its recent "regroup and reorganize" strategy, there's no doubt that Trion Worlds is an ambitious company that enjoys having its fingers in many pies. But what about that yummy voxel Minecraft pie? So tempting... so trendy... so full of antioxidants. Well, Trion's baking one of those up too, and it's called Trove. So what is Trove, exactly? It's something radically different for Trion, though it's plainly drawing upon lessons learned from the studio's other titles. Trove is a multiplayer universe of worlds where creation, destruction, and adventure go hand-in-hand. It's a sandbox, an RPG, a toolset, a public space, a private space, a free-to-play experience, and according to CEO Scott Hartsman, a passion. We spoke with Hartsman to get a handle on what Trove will bring to MMOs and how it's looking to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack. So take one last look at the cute bug above and prepare yourself for an endless adventure through endless worlds.
TUG begins building networking and third-person models
TUG is a game with big goals and a small start, but that's just more stuff for it to work up to over time. The latest update for the game's backers shows how far the game has already come even in its early stage, though, with the game already beginning to build upon and improve its overall infrastructure. The latest update highlights that third-person models are now partly in place, with first-person animations and some third-person animations working correctly. The game's networking is also in place, but at the moment it's only a bare-bones implementation; players can host servers but no central server architecture yet exists. The update warns that it's also largely untested, since that is part of what the testing environment exists to facilitate. There's also new biomes, new crafting, and physics -- a far cry from the initial exploration demo. It's still small, but every update makes the game just a little bigger.
New TUG video gives lesson in physics and crafting
If you dropped a ton of rocks and a ton of feathers from the top of Nerd Kingdom's office, which would hit the ground first? It doesn't matter; the fun is in watching them fall! And you can watch a variety of things falling in TUG's newest video, from stools to rocks to torches -- even trees! The video gives a visual lesson on the physics of the world, with items rotating naturally in the air then bouncing and rolling around once they hit the ground or each other. Add to that some horizontal velocity as things are hurled through the air and the whole things feels very organic. The gameplay display continues with a course in resource acquisition and combination; the natural elements gathered nearby are crafted into a simple weapon/tool. Study these new elements for yourself in the video below, then class dismissed!
TUG prepares Survival Games servers
TUG's hardcore survival mode will get its first iteration of testing with the so-called "Survival Games" coming to the beta in January 2014. The team is preparing limited, focused matches on special servers to experiment, refine, and polish its PvP systems. The Survival Games servers are a prelude to TUG's survival mode in which players are thrown onto a map and challenged to be the last man or woman standing. In addition to straight-up combat, these maps contain enemy NPCs and crafting resources. The shrewd survivalist might be able to fashion a weapon or trap on the fly to help gain an edge. As players engage in the Survival Games, the TUG team will be changing the rules constantly and allowing players to implement their own mods in order to develop the best final product. "No name handles, no global chat, and dead is dead," the team described the servers. "Expect some serious trolling from us in these matches... FOR SCIENCE!"
TUG alpha moves closer to multiplayer, terraforming
It's been a little while since we've heard from TUG, the crowdfunded sandbox that moved from Kickstarter campaign to alpha testing in record time. But that doesn't mean that work hasn't been moving forward on The Untitled Game; in fact, there has been plenty of progress on the tech side of things. Devs released an update outlining the current systems being worked on -- namely, networking and multiplayer, a scripting sub-system, character and AI systems, and terrain modification tools. If everything goes smoothly, TUG alpha testers can look forward to playing together in creative mode in two patch cycles. Additionally, devs are "working on a host of fancy terrain modification tools, which will include things like chiseling, sculpting, odd shape blocks, etc." that will help TUG to lose that cube-only feeling. Hear all the details about these systems and more in the full progress notes.
Jukebox Heroes: TUG and crowdsourcing soundtracks
While I'm still reasonably wary of Kickstarter and the pie-in-the-sky promises that have come out of these fundraisers, I can't deny that there have been potentially exciting ideas out there, especially in the field of MMO music. For starters, we might one day see Anthymn, a fantasy MMO completely based around music. It's a notion so breathtakingly cool that I fear it might never see the light of day while thousands of been-there-killed-that titles trudge into existence. But talking with the creators of that game really drove home the fact that music is such an integral part of our lives and can hold a similar place of honor in our virtual worlds. And then there's TUG, another quirky Kickstarter prodigy, which demonstrated how music and sounds can be used as social glue to pull people together. It showed us this with a wordless video that got its point across perfectly. Now TUG's devs are throwing out a different idea concerning music: Why not outsource some of the game's soundtrack... to the fans themselves?
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding June 30 - July 13, 2013
The last two weeks haven't been quiet on the crowdfunding front. While Star Citizen takes the lead with the most news (from ever-expanding coffers to just "finding ways to make the game more awesome"), other titles had their own snippets to report as well. There's also some upheaval in our ranks: We gained a new MMORTS/MMORPG mix project but lost two others from our list when both Skara: The Blade Remains and Anthym didn't meet their goals. And yet another title makes its final appearance before moving on to Betawatch! That's right, folks; TUG is saying hasta la vista to Make My MMO in favor of alpha land. Curious as to what all else has transpired? Then check out the details after the break.
TUG to release first alpha on Monday
There comes a time in every crowdfunding backer's life where s/he questions when (and if) entrance to that magical new world will actually happen. For TUG supporters, the answer is next Monday! Nerd Kingdom has announced that The Untitled Game will launch alpha testing in the early evening hours of July 15th. At that point, all alpha backers will be able to log in and see firsthand what their funds are building. The studio invites those qualified to jump in and help find potential bugs for the development team to squash. However, it also emphasizes that this is early alpha, and as such there will not be any real gameplay such as combat or tree climbing (or any other terrain interactions) -- yet. Constant and regular updates are expected throughout the alpha testing stage, implementing new mechanics, functions, and systems. Oh, and plenty of bug fixes, too!
TUG puts out the call for fan-made music
The game of TUG is all about user creations. The entire concept behind the game is making a world in which players can shape land and social structures according to their desires. So it makes sense that the game is looking to see if the more musically inclined community members would like a chance to get their compositions into the game. Because even if the game has plenty of songs for play, there's always space to fit in some talented fan productions. Currently the team at Nerd Kingdom is gauging interest in the idea, which would play a random selection of fan-made music on the game's menu screen. The piece played would include the composer's name, the title, and a link to where more of the composer's music could be found. It's not payment, but if you think you'd benefit from the exposure, feel free to take a look and express your interest.
