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APB Reloaded accepting some players in advance of May 18 open beta
Though the original launch of APB could be considered an extremely costly beta for the free-to-play APB Reloaded, GamersFirst is still working out the details of the new version, starting with a closed beta that began back in February. If you're ready to try the cops-and-robbers MMO again for the first time, GamersFirst is hosting an open beta starting May 18. You might actually play before that, as the company is beginning to let new players in now -- to "slowly turn up 'the heat' on our servers before going fully 'open,'" as GamersFirst's Bjorn Book-Larsson described it. You'll need to be 17 (18 outside of the US), have a GamersFirst account, and then sign up online using the same email address. Good luck to those of you trying to get in, and those of you trying to maintain the servers!
APB Reloaded beta version 1.5 is live
We've talked a lot about version 1.5 of APB Reloaded's closed beta client in our last couple of updates and today we're pysched to report that the patch has officially made its way onto the live testing shard. The APB Reloaded blog has the extensive patch notes courtesy of Bjorn Book-Larsson's latest post, and you'll want to grab a tankard of your favorite caffeinated beverage and block off some reading time. The notes feature quite a bit of info about everything from open world crimes and witnessing, to spawning and equipment leasing, to progression tweaks. There's also some space devoted to the environmental updates that GamersFirst has been working on, as well as a full listing of the default game controls that should come in handy for new testers. Head to the APB Reloaded blog for more info.
APB Reloaded blog details the matchmaking makeover
This week's APB Reloaded blog entry is a pretty lengthy one, and Bjorn Book-Larsson has a lot to say about the game's matchmaking system as well as a warning for the hackers who have showed up in the free-to-play title's closed beta. Matchmaking is a huge issue for GamersFirst's APB redesign, and Book-Larsson relates that "it was a bit of a shocker to discover that in spite of relying almost exclusively on computer-generated matchmaking... no real thought was made to create a decent skill rating system to feed those matchmaking decisions." Book-Larsson also provides some insight into how GamersFirst is tackling the problem, illustrating several approaches to matchmaking including algorithms founded on Chess ratings, Glicko, and Microsoft's TrueSkill system. Read all about these topics and more on the official APB Reloaded blog.
GamersFirst shows off new APB Reloaded driving footage
News of San Paro is coming at a fast and furious clip now that APB Reloaded is officially toodling around in closed beta mode. Last week we hung out with GamersFirst at GDC and got the low-down on how the team is overhauling APB for its new free-to-play incarnation. Over the weekend, GamersFirst uploaded a new gameplay video to its YouTube portal, and the footage offers a glimpse of the driving tweaks that producer Jon-Enee Merriex told us about at GDC. The footage focuses on the Macchina Calabria vehicle in a hair-raising romp through the streets of San Paro. While this is still a beta build, APB's driving controls already seem to be quite a bit more refined than they were at release, and there's also the requisite mayhem on display in the form of collisions (both vehicle and pedestrian) and a tiny bit of shooting at the clip's conclusion. Check it out after the break and let us know what you think in the comments. [Thanks to Connor for the tip!]
