empire-building
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EVE Evolved: EVE needs real colonisation now
MMOs have absolutely exploded in popularity over the past decade, with online gaming growing from a niche hobby to a global market worth billions of dollars each year. Once dominated by subscription games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft, recent years have seen free-to-play games take centre stage. Global MMO subscriptions have been reportedly shrinking since 2010, and EVE doesn't appear to be immune to this industry-wide trend. Though February 2013's figures showed EVE subscriptions have technically grown year-on-year, those numbers were published just after the Chinese server relaunch, and CCP hasn't released any new figures since. Developers have done a good job of catering to current subscribers and polishing existing gameplay with the past few expansions, but the average daily login numbers are still the same as they were over four years ago. EVE will undoubtedly hook in plenty of new and returning subscribers when its deep space colonisation gameplay with player-built stargates and new hidden solar systems is implemented, but time could be running out on these features. Hefty competition is due in the next few years from upcoming sandbox games such as Star Citizen, EverQuest Next, Camelot Unchained, and Elite: Dangerous, and CCP will have to release something big soon to bring in some fresh blood. In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether CCP should focus on new players and suggest plans for two relatively simple colonisation-based expansions that could get EVE a significant part of the way toward its five-year goal in just one year.
Massively Exclusive: Uncharted Waters Online sails to China
This past month, the captains and admirals at Uncharted Waters Online have made an incredible discovery: a brand-new continent called El Oriente. This update expands the game world to include China and Taiwan, additional trade goods and dungeons, and plenty of Oriental-themed ships. To uncover all of El Oriente's secrets, Tecmo Koei's Director of Production Takeda Tomakazu has a look at the update and the real-world history behind it. Hit the jump for this exclusive dev diary!
EVE Evolved: Building a better empire
It's often said that EVE Online is 99% endgame, with only the tutorials and epic mission arcs really providing directed gameplay. Once you get out into the open world, the game is dominated by sandbox laws and social interaction. This is most clear in the lawless nullsec regions where alliances war over territory and build their own empires in the void. Last week I looked back at the early days of nullsec industry and examined the problems industry has developed over the years. With a massive nullsec revamp scheduled to begin this winter, I went on to speculate on how the game could be changed to bring back the glory days of nullsec industry. Although adequately incentivised local mining and production could transform player-created empires, those aren't the only areas of gameplay being revisited. Sovereignty mechanics, fleet warfare, small gang warfare, exploration and small-scale territorial control will all eventually be redesigned as part of the massive iterative overhaul. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the history of EVE's empire-building and territorial warfare mechanics, some of the problems faced by the sovereignty system, and how those aspects of EVE could possibly be changed for the better.
Moonlight Online launching by the end of 2011
All right, fang gang, prepare to get your vamp on -- Moonlight Online is coming to a PC or coffin near you by the end of 2011. Moving to capitalize on the final Twilight films, IGG announced that Moonlight Online will be launching its own version of vampires and werewolves before too long. Moonlight Online isn't just about well-worn horror concepts, but fresh ideas as well, such as strategic empire building, epic love stories, combat on the move, and fantastic creatures. According to the forums, there will also be dynamic weather patterns that will shape the game world, throwing zones from a blizzard to an idyllic summer day as the seasons progress. If you haven't already, make sure to sink your teeth into our dev diary, which gives a good overview of the game. We also have our very first look at in-game screenshots of Moonlight Online, which you can view in the gallery below! %Gallery-107318%
Battle Dawn Galaxies takes the franchise to the stars
Going from a scrappy start-up to Lord Emperor of the Universe would make your resume seem paltry, would it not? And while we have no doubt that you'll make it happen for real once your homemade starship is able to break orbit from your back yard, Tacticsoft has an easier solution: Try out Battle Dawn Galaxies, a new galaxy-spanning strategy MMO. Battle Dawn Galaxies hands you the keys to a small space station and a dream -- a dream to become the biggest, baddest, savviest leader on the map! Over the course of this free-to-play title, you'll build up your station, create a battle fleet of ships, take over new territory, establish alliances with other players, and fight against all those who oppose you. The game already has over 10,000 daily active players and is the latest in the Battle Dawn franchise, which begun back in 2006. Tacticsoft CEO Michael Rosen thinks the sky is the limit for this title: "The Battle Dawn brand has grown in popularity over the past five years and our players have been asking for a sci-fi universe based on the core mechanics of the original game. With Battle Dawn Galaxies, we bring strategic space combat to new heights in the browser." You can watch the trailer for the game after the jump!
IGG reveals new Moonlight concept art
Not enough vampire-themed MMOs in your life? Take heart, as IGG is looking to fill that particular niche with a new free-to-play game called Moonlight Online. The title has been under development for the last three years, and according to a new press notice, the development team is aiming pretty high. "The game will prominently feature themes of romantic renaissance and gothic apocalypse, from moving, epic love stories to spectacular seasonal landscapes," enthuses the press release. IGG is also pointing to the game's realistic 24-hour timekeeping system and its "strategic empire building and property management" functionality as harbingers of incredibly diverse gameplay. While we don't have any screenshots or video footage as of yet, IGG has released a couple of new concept art shots that serve as atmospheric barometers (and they're appropriately gothic and creepy). Have a look courtesy of our Moonlight gallery below. %Gallery-107318%
Jagex preparing to conquer the world with 8Realms
"What's next?" is the question on everyone's lips when it comes to successful MMO studio Jagex. The RuneScape developer has many projects in the works, including Stellar Dawn and Transformers Online. However, the company is hoping that you'll also take notice of 8Realms, its social empire builder that lets you cultivate a civilization from scratch and conquer the world with your cunning. As 8Realms entered closed beta this past week, Lead Developer Claire Blackshaw spoke with CVG about the game's focus. "Our approach is always a strategy first and social second," she said. "Though I do think the most appealing aspect of games such as Diplomacy is the social element." She thinks that the game can challenge genre favorite titles like Civilization and Total War while remaining accessible to the lunch break strategist: "8Realms can fit into your day, firing it up at lunch to launch a few attacks or make sure your research is going as planned. Also because of the social element you have wars break out which get you very worked up." The team is also proud of how far it has advanced the capability of browser-based games alone. "We made current browser tech jump through hoops, and using our own server-side technology pushed what's possible in terms of scaling," Blackshaw said.
Starjack Online open beta begins
Sci-fi MMORTS titles are a rare breed, and so it's with keen interest that we note the beginning of Starjack Online's open beta phase. The free-to-play title from Limbo Game Studios has been in testing since August of 2010, and has finally thrown open its doors for the public. If you're unfamiliar with Starjack, Limbo bills it as a "4X, real-time strategy, massively multiplayer game." What exactly is 4X? It stands for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate, and you'll be able to do all these things in real-time (i.e., no turns) in a constantly changing persistent universe. Starjack is also unique in that nearly everything in the game is player-created, including ships, fleets, troops, colonies, and resources. If it sounds like a lot to digest, don't worry, as Limbo assures us that the game is as accessible as it is deep. To that end, Starjack allows players to automate various empire management tasks, "removing the tedium and the need for micromanagement." You can learn more at the game's official website, where you can also create an account and grab the beta client.
Uncharted Waters Online releases new Aztec-themed update
The team at Tecmo Koei is wasting no time getting a jump on the new year, as it's already released a brand-new update to Uncharted Waters Online. The new content, titled Aztec Update: The City of Golden Culture Revealed, is centered around Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the Aztec empire. The patch adds a new city-building mechanic and allows enterprising architects to experience the new player-driven economy and construct a city from scratch after choosing from five categories (frontier city, city of culture, commerce city, armed city, or central city). The update also features a new level quest, a docking system that allows player ships to be anchored, and new player recipes, all of which look to add quite a bit of depth to the empire-building MMO. Learn more at the official Uncharted Waters Online website.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me find iPhone simulation games
Dear Aunt TUAW, Finding games (or any app) for iPhone, or iOS in general, is a series of hit and misses. Let me be frank. It's mostly misses. I was wondering if you knew of any good Empire Building or (preferably) Company building games out there. Any help would be most appreciative. Thanks, Your nephew Mike E.
Forsaken World readies first closed beta test
Perfect World Entertainment, the prolific publisher behind free-to-play games such as Battle of the Immortals, Jade Dynasty, and Perfect World International, is adding another title to its all-star roster in the form of Forsaken World. Formally known as Project EM, Forsaken World is ready for its first closed beta phase and, thanks to a limited number of keys available on the official website, you are invited. The testing is currently scheduled to begin on October 27th. The title makes use of Perfect World's proprietary Angelica graphics platform, and focuses on empire-building and expansion as one of five unique races. Eight classes are available, with an unusual vampire option added to the usual fantasy suspects such as warrior, assassin, and priest. You can grab a beta key and find out more information from the official Forsaken World website. Also, don't forget to browse the human assassin screenshot gallery below. %Gallery-102381%
Putting "non-MMO" gameplay into an MMO game
Massively's own Michael Zenke just doesn't seem to quit thinking about MMOs-- not only is he writing for us here, but he's also posting very intelligent stuff on other sites about MMOs, and even over the Christmas holiday, on his own blog, he's turning out insight about MMO design. His latest post is about a game I love, Viva Pinata for the Xbox 360, and how developers can use the lessons learned in both casual and more complicated "empire-building" or "garden growing" games like that to inform MMO gameplay.The thing that Viva Pinata does best, in my opinion, is that it creates a living breathing world easily and with a relatively transparent interface. Create some worms (sorry, "whirlms"), give them a house, and all of a sudden you get birds. House the birds, and more animals appear-- there's the sense that you're not so much playing as interacting with a real world around you. And that is something that is very easily translatable to MMOs-- I feel like I keep bringing it up, but Pirates' concept of "stored labor" gives me that same sense of "waiting to push the button" that Zenke talks about. And he also mentions the achievements and the gift system that extend VP's gameplay, and it's definitely true that those kinds of things can push MMOs forward as well.It's probably true that the next big MMO won't draw their influence from an MMO at all-- it'll be the kind of game that brings not only hacking and slashing to the massively multiplayer table, but these other kinds of deeper gameplay as well.
An empire of new features for Vice City Stories
GTAPortable.com has been keeping an eye out for everything Vice City Stories-related, and they've uncovered a plethora of new information for this highly anticipated PSP exclusive. Golf is now a playable mini-game. It will be played using only one button. "Empire Building" mode allows you to act like The Godfather and invest in businesses throughout the city. Depending on how much you've invested, and how the business is doing, you can make a fair sum of money... so long as you provide the proper protection. You can hire bodyguards, and when the business isn't being hit, it acts like a Safe House for you to save at. Taking a page from Sim City, you'll be able to place the businesses throughout the city, and proper placement can lead to the mad profit (an example cited by GTAPortable.com is a drug extortion business nearby an airport). Spanning over thirty buildings, this mode seems to add a hefty amount of gameplay to an already massive game. Business types can include protection, extortion, and prostitution, with many more to come. Like in Liberty City Stories, there will be load times between the major islands, but surprisingly this time around, the loads will be even shorter, according to TotalVideoGames. Not only can you ride around in helicopters, you can ride around in jets, according to an IGN preview. Although there is no infrstructure multiplayer, there will be more multiplayer modes to compete in. And unfortunately for German and Australian players, the game will be censored, according to Gamepro.de. This really does seem like it's going to be one of the best games of 2006, not only on the PSP, but across all platforms. The depth of this game is incredible, and the fact that it's on a handheld is even more amazing. The game comes out on October 30th for $50.
