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Massively Interview: Piranha Games' Russ Bullock talks MechWarrior Online
Is there anything more fun than massive suits of mechanical armor smashing into one another and firing lasers all over the place? MechWarrior Online, the free-to-play MMO-like set in the MechWarrior universe and developed by Piranha Games, would argue that the answer to that question is pretty obvious. Piranha has just today announced the addition of a new Command Hero Mech, christened Death's Knell. The mech is tiny by MechWarrior standards, weighing in at only 25 tons, but it packs four powerful lasers on each arm and is quite fast to boot. Piranha also confirmed the addition of the familiar Bitching Betty startup sequence, which should give longtime MechWarrior fans a jolt of nostalgia straight through the eardrums. We sat down with Russ Bullock, president of Piranha Games, to talk mechs, MMOs, and the future of MechWarrior Online. Check out the full interview and a video of Death's Knell in action after the break.
Spider mech infests MechWarrior Online ahead of Double XP weekend
It may not have eight legs or carry hundreds of thousands of its young around on a moist, throbbing abdomen, but MechWarrior Online's new Spider mech is the game's "most maneuverable and agile of all Light Mechs," according to the press release tucked away after the break. The game's new mechanical jam is already available in its store and can also be seen in the gallery below.Since jumping around is universally the most fun thing you can do in a giant robot, we're expecting to see a lot of the Spider during MechWarrior Online's first ever Double XP weekend event, which starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday, January 18 and ends at 1 p.m. Eastern on Monday, January 21. The event's double XP bonuses stack with other XP buffs, so those with Premium accounts will get even more of a boost than they already do.%Gallery-176465%
MechWarrior Online creeps you out with the new Spider mech
OK, so MechWarrior Online's new Spider mech may not look particularly creepy in screenshots, but when you see it in action, you may have a flare up of the old arachnophobia. The Spider is "one of the most maneuverable and agile of the Light Mechs" complete with eight jumpjets and an unmatched turning radius. In addition to the new mech, Piranha Games and Infinite Game Publishing have announced the game's first double XP event running from Friday, January 18 at 10 a.m. PST until Monday, January 21 at 10 a.m. PST. Previous XP bonuses are stackable with this event, so gather together those Founder benefits and premium game time boosts to get the most out of the weekend. Also be sure to check out our MechWarrior Online gallery below, complete with five new screenshots of the Spider mech and two of the upcoming Commando Hero Mech known as Death's Knell, available on January 22.%Gallery-154551% [Source: Piranha Games press release]
Mechwarrior Online 'Conquest Mode' update is massive
Mechwarrior Online's final update of 2012 is Conquest Mode, allowing players to capture locations in the Inner Sphere. The update brings three new mechs, including the Twin Dragons in the above video, the River City Night map and some New Year's goodies. See the pics and video right in here.
MechWarrior delivers whopping update with twin dragon 'Mechs
Right in time for the holidays, Piranha Games has delivered a whopping gift for all of its players in the form of the year's largest content update for MechWarrior Online. Let's tick off the list, shall we? First up is the brand-new conquest mode, which allows players to capture and hold five different locations. Next is the addition of three new 'Mechs: the Twin Dragons and the Stalker Assault. Following that, players will enjoy an economy update, a bonus to currency acquisition for new players, a night map of River City, new ways to customize a 'Mech's look, and cool holiday items. Finally, the team's throwing in plenty of bug and performance fixes free of charge. If you give one of the new 'Mechs a try, definitely let us know how it handles! We've got the trailer for this update after the cut. [Source: Piranha Games' press release]
MechWarrior Online and Penny Arcade team up for game promotion
Geek favorite webcomic Penny Arcade and developer Piranha Games have a deal for you, but be warned: Space Ostriches might be involved. Piranha announced that players now can grab a free one-day premium time upgrade for their MechWarrior Online accounts. This premium time awards players with 50% more experience and 50% more C-bills while it lasts. The Penny Arcade team penned a two-page pilot safety manual with crucial tips for the game to go with the promotion. Comic co-creator Jerry Holkins said that he took the project partially because of his lifelong interest: "I used to play BattleTech at lunch, when I was in high school. There's a lot of meat in MechWarrior Online, a lot to know, and we wanted to see if we could cover some of the basics in a way that could help people get the most out of it." [Source: Piranha Games press release]
Today's MechWarrior patch features 8v8 matchmaking, Ilya Muramets, lumps of coal
If the thought of running around 8v8 maps in a giant robot exoskeleton blowing up other players in giant robot exoskeletons makes you go "oh cool," then you'll probably want to continue reading this post about MechWarrior Online. Today's patch introduces a custom matchmaking feature, new electronic countermeasure functionality, and a new hero mech called the Ilya Muramets CTF-IM Cataphract (say that three times fast). And yes, there's definitely a Santa bobblehead available for your cockpit. You'll find it in the cash shop along with an elf, a lump of coal, and some Christmas lights, all of which may used to pimp out the dashboard of your favorite mech. Check out the new Ilya via the screenshot gallery below or the video after the break. [Source: Piranha Games press release]%Gallery-154551%
MechWarrior Online gives players control over their looks
Maybe you want your machine of choice to have a careful camouflage pattern to make it harder for your MechWarrior Online opponents to spot you at range. Maybe you just want to cover it in inherently terrifying clown patterns. However you like to decorate your multi-ton 'Mech, you're now able to do so with the release of the game's new Camo Spec patch. This patch adds paint shop functionality to the game and allows players to enjoy a variety of external decorative options as well as cockpit decorations. Not enough for you? The patch also adds the classic battle announcer from the original MechWarrior computer games as well as the option for Premium players to choose the start date of their enhanced play time. Only a few decorative options are available at launch, but players can expect more in the future, both earned and (presumably) purchased in the game's cash shop. [Source: Piranha Games press release]
MechWarrior Online gets 'Mechsgiving' update
MechWarrior Online finally went into Open Beta late last month, and the team isn't wasting any time updating the game with new content. They're asking players to celebrate "Mechsgiving" later this week with a new mech called the Cataphract, which features a solid offense combined with jump jets and plenty of armor.The update introduces the "Frozen City at Night" environment, along with new modules for targeting and the Beagle Active Probe, which can increase a mech's sensor range.The folks at Pirahna Games will show the content live on Twitch.tv tomorrow, November 21 at 6pm PST, and invite players to jump in with them during that time. Pictures of the Cataphract (and its four variants) are in the gallery below.%Gallery-171458%
MechWarrior brings out a new 'Mech and new events
Sometimes you want to give thanks for the many positive things happening in your life. Other times, you want to give thanks that you're the one piloting a 70-ton marching tank and the other guy isn't. MechWarrior Online is celebrating the latter feeling with the introduction of the Cataphract 'Mech, a heavy unit available with four different loadouts in the game's latest update. In addition to the new machine, the game has also added a new map, the Frozen City at Night, featuring large shooting lanes and patches of shadow to hide within. There are also two new modules and a new piece of equipment, all of which should help keep a better lock on your target even as they dart around the battlefield. Last but not least, the development team is hosting a live event tomorrow at 9 p.m. EST on the official livestream channel. If you're a player and want to see how your 'Mech skills hold up against those of the designers, be prepared to throw down with some autocannons tomorrow night. [Source: Piranha Games press release]
MechWarrior Online assault class training starts in this trailer
MechWarrior Online, which has been in open beta since October 29, is making sure systems are nominal for its full launch in the first quarter of next year. Here's a pair of devs showing off the game and, more specifically, the assault class mechs available now.
MechWarrior Online celebrates open beta with a new trailer
MechWarrior Online has been in open beta testing for a week now. What better way to celebrate than with a snazzy new trailer? (There is no better way.) If you're a fan of MWO and its franchise, you're probably part of the open beta already. If you're not already partaking, consider this your official reminder that this is likely the best way to get a sample of the game -- and you'll be helping the team make the game better at the same time! And if you're not a fan, perhaps this trailer can entice you. Skip below the cut to see the video in all its mech-on-mech glory.
MechWarrior Online: The story of how one MMO got crowd-funded without Kickstarter
Kickstarter is kind of A Thing now. Oodles of companies are turning to it for all their crowd-funding needs, to varying levels of success. MechWarrior Online has distinguished itself by raising over $5 million in crowd-funding without touching Kickstarter. If not Kickstarter, where could all that money have come from? Fans, of course! MWO has the advantage of belonging to an existing franchise with fans, and those fans bought over 70,000 of the game's Founder's packages. The Founder's program allowed fans to buy in at any of three price levels ($30, $60, and $120) with varying perks at each level. Nick Foster, CEO of Infinite Game Publishing's parent company 7G Entertainment, explained some of the rationale behind this approach to funding. "The product will be a lot better for players because of the crowdfunding. It's allowed us to maintain a higher level of ongoing development in the product than if we were waiting for momentum to build immediately after going live. In the next few months, we'll be able to release a lot more features." MWO hit open beta today, which means you have the perfect opportunity to see for yourself whether they put fans' funds to good use. To read more about MWO's road to funding, check out Gamasutra's full article.
MechWarrior Online stomps into open beta October 29
Infinite Game Publishing (IGP) expects MechWarrior Online's internet-based systems to be nominal for an open beta beginning October 29. Interested pilots can head on over to mwomercs.com to reserve their pilot name now.IGP and developer Piranha Games recently announced thier multi-tier pre-order program achieved $5 million in sales before the game's launch.%Gallery-155258%
MechWarrior Online launches open beta on Monday
After a bit of a delay last week, MechWarrior Online has announced that it will be entering open beta -- for real this time -- on October 29th. The delay decision was made after beta player feedback presented concerns for the studio. Lag issues, new player tutorials, balance tweaks, and more have been improved for this open beta launch. To help boost the game's production, over $5M was raised through the game's pre-order Founder's program since July. MechWarrior Online is set to launch in Q1 2013. [Source: Infinite Game Publishing press release]
MechWarrior Online made $5 million off 'Founders Program'
Infinite Game Publishing (IGP) and Piranha Games achieved $5 million in sales off the MechWarrior Online "Founder's Program." Since July, the multi-tier pre-order program gave those interested in the game the opportunity to play early and provide feedback."The success of the Founder's Program reinforces IGP's vision to help independent developers build exceptional games with the right economic model for the global marketplace," said IGP CEO Nick Foster. "We are in a unique position to be able to deliver a pipeline of high quality, innovative content for online game players."That pipeline includes the coming MechWarrior Tactics and Sins of a Dark Age. There's still no definitive date for when MechWarrior Online will be nominal and enter open beta.
Mechwarrior Online secures over $5M in funding from preorders
Despite the fact that Mechwarrior Online's open beta has been pushed back, the teams at Piranha Games and Infinite Game Publishing are still showering us with new info to keep us excited about the game until we can get our hands on it. One exciting bit of news released today revolves around the game's Founder's Program, which allows eager fans to preorder the game at different reward tiers. Since the program launched in July, the game has earned over $5M through Founders' preorders, with 500,000 registrations in the closed beta alone, according to the studio. Interestingly enough, the top tier, Legendary, had the highest number of registrations with over 26,000 players dishing out $120 each. The Founder's program has closed this last weekend in anticipation of the pending open beta, but it's important to note that Founders will be able to choose exactly when their rewarded premium time will start. Check out our impressions of Mechwarrior Online for more info. [Source: Piranha Games press release]
MechWarrior Online open beta delayed
Looking forward to jumping into MechWarrior Online's open beta tomorrow? You might want to rein in those expectations. Citing issues with MWO's stability, Piranha Games announced that there will be a "short push back" for the start of the open beta until a better build is released. The devs cited feedback from current beta testers in making this call, and addressed other concerns that players have expressed. The team said that it is working on lag issues, a better match making system, new player tutorials, and general balance tweaks. Players who have paid for a premium account will also have the option to decide when they want to start using the benefits from the bonus. There is no word as to when the open beta for MWO will commence. [Thanks to John for the tip!]
MechWarrior Online Founders' Program ends soon, open beta next week
Joystiq got to see MechWarrior Online in its closed beta at PAX Prime a few months ago, and the game was coming along nicely: a little light on the fast-paced shooter action and heavy on the MechWarrior-based customization options and battle mechanics. Infinite Game Publishing and Piranha Games have announced that MWO is headed into an open beta next week.Players interested in playing can sign up on the MechWarrior Online website to reserve a name right now, and anyone looking to spend a little money on the free-to-play shooter (based, of course, on the tabletop strategy game) can join the Founders' Program, which offers various tiers of premium rewards. The Founders' Program will finish up on October 14, with the open beta following soon after.
MechWarrior Online open beta starts October 16th
Thanking fans who have helped test MechWarrior Online, president of Piranha Games Russ Bullock stated that the high-quality feedback during its closed beta run has helped bring the game to the point that beta can be opened up to all fans. Commencing October 16th, the open beta period will put all interested players in the pilot seat of giant war machines and pit them against each other in PvP battles. The Founder's program will officially end on October 14th, two days prior to the start of the open beta. Details about the Founder's packages can be found on the official site. [Source: Piranha Games press release]
