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MV Guide: January 30-February 5, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. 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 titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Previously on MV TV: Week of January 23rd
Welcome to Previously on MV TV! Our livestreaming schedule has picked up a lot over the past few weeks, and our readers have busy lives, so we know it's impossible to watch every single streaming event live. Fortunately for you, we save all of our streams all for posterity on Massively's Twitch TV channel, so you can view them at your leisure. Even better, we've got a roundup of a few of last week's MV TV highlights from the livestream team. Follow along after the jump for the best of the best, and check out our full library of videos for the other games we've streamed last week as we begin to ramp up our streaming even more in February!
MV Guide: January 16-22, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. 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 titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
APB shoots down rumors of retail releases
APB has not had an easy ride, launching and shutting down in record time. But the relaunch at the hands of GamersFirst has proven quite successful for the game, which gives rise to certain rumors. Case in point, the rumor that had swirled earlier today about the game seeing a retail re-release at the hands of IGS. It was certainly a nice rumor, but according to Rahul Sandil, it's nothing more than that. In a statement released earlier today by Mr. Sandil, GamersFirst has been approached by a number of potential retail partners due to the runaway success of APB Reloaded. However, the company is still evaluating its options, and as a result they are not yet ready to announce any partnerships. Mr. Sandil also stressed that any retail partnership would not change the fact that the company is committed to free-to-play as a business model, which is doubtlessly good news for fans now enjoying the urban shooter free-for-all.
New APB Reloaded dev blog outlines aimbot policies
This week's APB Reloaded dev blog is live, and GamersFirst CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson gives way to Aphadon, a former AI engineer on the Realtime Worlds version of APB who is currently overseeing the anti-cheat systems for the new incarnation of the game. Aphadon details the original implementation of PunkBuster in APB (and the performance and connection-related disasters that it caused for players in the beta), and states that it eventually was able to detect "every single commercially available aimbot." Due to the financial problems at Realtime Worlds, the APB team was never able to ban the thousands of cheaters that were identified in the original game. For chapter two, Aphadon states that the problems with PunkBuster have been ironed out, and anti-cheat measures will be enabled from the start of APB Reloaded's closed beta. GamersFirst is also planning a hard line approach when it comes to dealing with aimbotters. Aphadon says that first-time offenders will be immediately kicked and their accounts (and PCs) banned temporarily. A second offense will result in a permanent account and PC ban.
GamersFirst to preserve old APB customizations
Good news is in the offing for APB fans, above and beyond the fact that their favorite game is rising from the dead. GamersFirst CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson has checked in with his weekly APB Reloaded blog entry, and while the piece is shorter than what we've become accustomed to over the last couple of months, the discussion is quite interesting. First up is an official confirmation of the fact that the new version of APB will let players keep all of their customizations from the Realtime Worlds version of the game. Book-Larsson acknowledges the fact that this might lead to some weird pairings (i.e., players may have items that fall outside of the new progression systems), but he supposes that most veterans will be OK with that. "You will basically be unique thanks to you having played the game "back in the day," and our goal is to make sure your many gazillion hours of investment do not go to waste," he writes. The second item up for discussion is endgame PvP. Book-Larsson indicates that this is an ongoing challenge for the GamersFirst devs, and as such, the new system(s) probably won't show up in the closed beta. The goal is to give high-level players something to do after they've survived the grind and to eventually turn APB Reloaded "in to a platform for many different unique experiences."
APB Reloaded beta signups detailed
If you've been wondering how to sign up for APB Reloaded's upcoming closed beta, you'll want to check out GamersFirst CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson's latest blog post. For now, the process is pretty straight-forward, and basically entails registering with your preferred email address and creating a GamersFirst account. As the beta date draws nearer (currently the devs are eyeballing the first week in February), you'll receive an email asking for your DxDiag and personal info. Book-Larsson says that after the data has been verified, you'll receive a beta key. He also mentions that approximately 20,000 people have registered thus far, and GamersFirst expects to make use of 6,000 to 8,000 closed beta testers (with 800 online during peak hours). Finally, Book-Larsson hints at a unique beta tester reward as well as the fact that no pre-existing characters or accounts from the Realtime Worlds version of APB will be carried over to the beta. Hit up the official APB Reloaded blog for all of the details.
APB Reloaded blog talks hackers and cheaters
Bjorn Book-Larsson has a lot to say about APB Reloaded, the forthcoming reanimation of APB's corpse, courtesy of free-to-play publisher GamersFirst. Book-Larsson, the company's COO/CTO, has been blogging about the resurgent title for a few weeks now, and veteran players and prospective newbs alike will want to take a gander at his latest entry. The blog focuses on APB's anti-cheat protections and, while it doesn't go into great detail for obvious reasons, Book-Larsson does make a decent case for APB Reloaded's level playing field. First off, he points out that the server-driven game is "more resilient to cheaters than most other F2P MMOs" due to the fact that F2P titles generally don't spend the same kind of money on infrastructure in comparison to your average P2P title. "In APB we are going to run a giant experiment to basically determine if hardware costs/specs have progressed far enough to make F2P server-driven games financially viable," he says. Book-Larsson goes on to discuss the aim-bot problem, as well as various denial-of-service attacks that GamersFirst has dealt with over the past few years. It's an interesting read for anyone curious about APB Reloaded or MMO security, and also offers a humorous bit of insight relating to the over-reporting of cheaters.
The Daily Grind: Will you be playing APB Reloaded?
Corpse rezzing is nothing new in the MMORPG space. Most of us do it, or have it done to us, several times a week on average. Reviving the smelly carcass of a dearly departed game is not quite as trivial, as death in the corporate world is usually more permanent than the inconvenience experienced by our avatars. All Points Bulletin is currently undergoing a reanimation process of its own, and while the verdict is still out on how well the transition to GamersFirst will go, several Massively staffers are excited about the prospects of a return engagement in San Paro. Today's Daily Grind question is an easy one, but feel free to expound on it if you wish. Will you be playing the new (and hopefully improved) version of APB? 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!
GamersFirst CTO talks about APB: Reloaded
While news of All Points Bulletin's impending resurrection is a few hours old at this point, it's still worth taking a peek at one of the better interviews on the subject. Our friends at Joystiq got to talk about the upcoming F2P APB: Reloaded with GamersFirst's Bjorn Book-Larsson, and the CTO/COO had some interesting thoughts on the subject. "We think of it as an opportunity. It's worth our effort to take it and combine it with all of the user data we have and let the game take its time to reach its full potential," Book-Larsson said. He goes on to touch on APB's potential popularity in non-traditional markets, particularly South America, and also illustrates how it complements the company's existing WarRock FPS. As for changes to the Reloaded version, Book-Larsson says the major one will be the fact that all the game's action districts will be accessible without a fee. As with most F2P titles, the ultimate goal is to get the player in and hooked "because at some point you're going to run into a situation where you'll want to spend money," he says. Check out all the details at Joystiq.
Codemasters denies picking up APB
If you were holding out hope that the defunct urban crime MMO All Points Bulletin would be resurrected courtesy of the folks at Codemasters, Eurogamer has a little bit of cold water to throw on your fire. David Solari, Codemasters Online general manager, minces no words in a recent interview. "We have not picked up APB, I can answer you definitively," he said. Rumors circulated that the publisher might be picking up the pieces of the shuttered MMO, left scattered by the closing of Realtime Worlds, when former RTW community manager Ben Bateman updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new job at Codemasters. Epic Games has also been rumored as a potential salvager, and Solari says that someone will inevitably pick up APB's assets, if only for the innovative tech. "If they don't pick up the game then they will pick up the technology for sure, because the avatar and character customisation technology is incredible. Something will definitely be done to preserve that," he muses.
Ben Bateman details the fall of Realtime Worlds and APB
Interested in an insider's view of the fall of All Points Bulletin and its development studio Realtime Worlds? Eurogamer takes a look at the last days of the now-defunct MMOFPS in a lengthy article that focuses on former community manager Ben Bateman. If you're looking for an in-depth exposé of why the game failed and who is responsible, you won't find that here, as the piece is heavy on the human interest angle and light on actual details beyond the plush (by game industry standards) working conditions. Still, it's worth a read, both for Bateman's perspective and his relentless positivity in the face of a uniformly bad situation. "They essentially said, 'here are the 50 people that we want to keep on. Please go to room X.' It was tough," says Bateman, recalling the Begbies Traynor administration meeting that sealed the company's fate.
APB's voice chat feature will contain advertisements
With launch day closing in, crime MMO All Points Bulletin has been getting its payment scheme in order. The game's pricing structure was revealed at the end of April, including several flexible pay-per-time and monthly subscription options. In addition, the game will have a currency called "RTW points," which can be used for character customisations or converted into game time. While looking through the payment options in his account management page early this morning, one APB forum poster spied a strange button that set off a few warning bells in his head. Marked "VOIP Premium," the option removes adverts from APB's in-game voice chat for 30, 90 or 180 days in exchange for payment. This was the first players had heard of adverts being inserted into their voice chat and speculation began to run wild in the game's pre-release forum community. Players feared the worst -- that right in the middle of their game, a radio advert would start playing over their speakers. Community Officer Toxico was quick to address concerns, explaining the exact circumstances under which the ads will be played. For an advert to play, you have to be entering a district and must not have heard an ad for the past three hours. This ensures that they'll never interrupt normal play and won't play in an irritatingly high frequency. While some forum posters are avidly opposing a premium VOIP service, most seem content with the explanation provided and the conditions under which adverts will be played. [Thanks for the tip, Kip!]
All Points Bulletin interview on the approaching release
The time leading up to launch for All Points Bulletin has been a bit rocky here and there, with hot spots of controversy regarding the game's pricing model and the review embargo set for a surprisingly late date. But still, with about a week left before the game goes live, there's plenty to be excited about. (We'd link you to our own first impressions, but you'll have to travel into the future to be allowed to read it.) Our sister site Joystiq had a chance to talk with producer Jesse Knapp about the game's state just prior to launch. There are several interesting tidbits in the interview, such as discussion about how the game allows for criminals to fight amongst themselves on the premise that the designers expected an imbalance in that faction. There's also talk about the decision to avoid a microtransaction model in favor of the currently variable spread of subscription options for players. While the developers are still a bit up in the air about the game's status as an MMO, we're sure we have more than a few readers who are anticipating All Points Bulletin and who will find some interesting tidbits in the interview.
All Points Bulletin still set for consoles, but in a different form
The longstanding search for a console MMO is ongoing, with All Points Bulletin coming up as one of the bigger hopes for the near future. It's been announced, however, that while the game is still slated for consoles, it's not going to be ported straight over from the PC version. That's the word from EJ Moreland, lead designer, who recently went on record saying that as the development of the game progressed, it became more and more obvious that the game wouldn't work as a straight port of the PC version. Before anyone throws up their hands in despair, however, the game is still planned for release on consoles. There's no specific timetable for it, as the team chose to focus on the PC version first, but it is still slated for release. As to how the game will be different, the only clue is the cryptic explanation that it will be in a form more suited to console play. What precisely that means is unclear, but every All Points Bulletin fan can only hope that the game will still hold on to its unique multiplayer experience.
PAX East 2010: Hands-on with APB
Despite the low saturation of MMO studios at PAX East last weekend, Realtime Worlds was in full force at their booth with EA to show off the upcoming GTA-style MMO, All Points Bulletin. There were eight stations set up on each side of a large stage, each showing the game as it was live on the North American beta servers. One side showed off the Enforcers and the other, Criminals. I had a demo appointment with community manager Chris Collins for the following day, but I had to jump in early and get my hands on Massively's most anticipated game of 2010.%Gallery-89311%
The Digital Continuum: Catching that All Points Bulletin fever
I knew it would happen. GDC 2010 came and went, leaving behind a brand new trial of All Points Bulletin information that's making me want to play it more than ever before. I've written about the game a few times before, each instance knowing a little bit more about the title. This year's GDC brought us hands-on reports, interviews, the news of a North American beta and even a nine minute video presentation via shakeycam. Now my knowledge feels mostly complete and aside from actually playing the game I've got a pretty good idea of why it's potentially going to be something no videogame fan -- let alone MMO fan -- will want to miss. So, let me share a few of them with you.
All Points Bulletin beta kicks off
It's been a while since beta sign-ups opened late last year, but All Points Bulletin is finally moving into closed beta, it would seem. Several people are receiving emails welcoming them into Realtime Worlds' persistent online world that's a cross between GTA and the ultimate set of customization tools for characters, cars and music seen, well, probably ever. Between video podcasts, interviews here on Massively and plenty of wishful thinking, it's been a considerably long wait. Our best guess is that the initial wave of invites is a fairly low number, as it usually is, so don't feel too distraught if you weren't invited. These things have a way of expanding over time, after all.
APB video podcast Ep. 17 talks more music creator and player
The last All Points Bulletin video podcast featured a pretty in-depth look at the music creator coming with the game, but afterwords the community still had several questions. So this week, community guy extraordinaire Chris Collins presents viewers with some more answers on the music creator from the game's audio lead, Roland Peddie. Plus, we get an in-game example of how the music player functions when driving or walking around San Paro. Between creating music and playing whatever you like while cruising around the city, we suspect All Points Bulletin will garner quite the creative following, and we're very excited to hear and see what comes of the game. Next week, we should be getting the final part of this "music trilogy" of APB podcasts, complete with a community Q&A. Find the full video podcast after the break.
The Daily Grind: GDC10 predictions?
With GDC 2010 officially beginning tomorrow, March 9th, we'd like to hear your MMO predictions. And remember, the wilder the better. Although, if you've got some inside info, we're always happy to receive hints via our contact form. Here are some of our predictions, see if you can figure out the wild crazy ones: Red 5 Studios minimally reveals the name of their first title. BioWare attends, but Star Wars: The Old Republic maintains a low presence. Realtime Worlds will be there showing off something awesome about All Points Bulletin. This particular blogger will obsess over not attending and missing out on seeing the game again. Massively Editor Sera Brennan will be dared and subsequently sing a most heinously embarrassing song. She'll later regret these events, as the very performance of said song will delay, at minimum, five MMOs set to release sometime within the next 24 months. Think you can do better? We agree, but would like to see proof, mind you.
