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Hey look, it's another ArcheAge closed beta event
ArcheAge's fourth closed beta event starts Friday, August 22nd and runs through Wednesday, August 27th. Trion expects the event to be "twice as large" as CBE3, and the company notes that you're not automagically eligible for this shindig even if you participated last time. Trion is making keys available through its usual partner suspects, while ArcheAge alpha and founder account invites do carry over. New to CBE4 is multilanguage support on every server including English, French, and German.
ArcheAge's second closed beta event is live right now
ArcheAge's second closed beta phase is officially underway! This time around, you can play through 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 4th. If you played CBE1, you don't need to download the client all over again, but you will need to update your build to 4.3 via the 161 MB patch. You may also be pleased to note that all of your CBE1 progress will carry over, including your crop timers and taxes. Trion says that CBE2 is expected to be "three times the size of the first."
Trion CM confirms F2P ArcheAge coming to Americas and Europe this year
Trion community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman has announced that ArcheAge's western alpha will expand in the weeks following GDC. In a post on AA's early-adopter fansite ArcheAge Source, Berman explained that pre-launch beta packages will be offered which grant closed beta access, and he confirmed that the fantasy sandbox will feature a free-to-play business model and launch "in the Americas and Europe this year, 2014." While he didn't address the controversial and game-changing 1.0 patch that developer XLGAMES has already pushed live in Korea, Berman did emphasize ArcheAge's sandbox features. "Both Trion Worlds and XLGAMES want ArcheAge to be a free-to-play sandbox that fits our 'no tricks, no traps' vision and will make development decisions to achieve that goal in Trion's territories." Finally, Berman said that Trion plans to offer cash shop items that "provide solid value and fun, while earned and crafted items are objectively superior." [Thanks Zenaphex and Oskar!]
Hands-on with ArcheAge's Japanese open beta
So Japan recently had it's ArcheAge open beta, and the Massively crew was kind enough to allow me to write a bit about my experience. As a close follower of the game and someone who played a little in the closed Korean beta, there is a lot I could write about, but I'm going to try to limit this primarily to Japanese localization and what that may mean for westerners. While the game has gotten a lot of coverage for an imported MMO that only recently started western beta recruitment, I feel like some readers have missed important details about AA that I'd like to address. This may build or break hype, but I've thought long and hard about what I'm about to say, and I think it deserves mentioning: ArcheAge is to sandboxes what World of Warcraft was to themeparks.
E3 2013: ArcheAge beta signups are live [Updated]
Zomg, ArcheAge beta signups are live! In the West! How cool is that? It's so cool that I could really just stop writing this post now and leave it at that. Seems we have this acceptable word count thing, though, so let's see. ArcheAge is a fantasy sandpark that's been in development for nearly six years by Korea's XLGAMES. Lineage creator Jake Song is the brains behind the game, and Trion Worlds is publishing the title for the western market. The game's feature set is too long to list here, but it includes open PvP, sieges, extensive player housing, hang-gliders, sailing ships, steampunk tractors, and a whole lot more that you can learn about via our ArcheAge category and dedicated column. Don't forget to look for our ArcheAge E3 interview later this week. [Update]: We've added the ArcheAge teaser trailer shown to the media at this week's E3. Watch it after the cut. [Thanks Soren!] %Gallery-191137%
ArcheAge's Korean open beta starts January 2
After six years of development and nearly two years of closed testing, ArcheAge's Korean open beta is nearly upon us. XLGAMES has revealed that the final tuneup phase prior to launch will begin on January 2nd, 2013. Korean players will be able to download the client on December 17th, and there's also an early bird character creation phase that runs from December 19th through December 30th. Steparu has posted a brief CG trailer for the open beta as well as a collection of gameplay videos to whet your appetite. Check out a couple of them after the cut. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
E3 2012: XL COO on ArcheAge, CBT4, and coming to America
This is one of those good news/bad news ArcheAge articles. The good news is that XLGAMES' sandpark title is absolutely coming to the West. The bad news, though, is that we still don't know exactly when. XL didn't have an official presence at this year's E3, but the firm was kind enough to set up a private interview with COO Suk Woo Choi away from the hustle and bustle of convention ground zero. We talked at length about CBT4, game systems, and the challenges inherent in localizing ArcheAge for Europe and America.
