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Choose My Adventure: The final countdown
Your voices were heard! At least, I do hope those are your voices I've been hearing in my head... they are telling me to do things. And I listened. I am instructed to listen to the voices. The voices can't hurt me, right? Well, maybe not the voices themselves, but since they chimed in on experimenting with combat, I know I am about to get hurt some! This week concludes our foray into Xsyon for Choose My Adventure, but I dare say it does not end my time there. Although the game does not fit the standard mold of MMO fare today, it has been quite enjoyable and a great change of pace. I have kept myself entertained with my adventures in-game and I still look forward to logging in each time (minus the apprehension as the combat loomed closer). Take a (final) hike past the cut for the results of our look at combat, some final impressions on the game, and a sneak peek at your next CMA guinea pig.
Choose My Adventure: Making the world (a better place?)
Here we are, drawing closer to the end of our Choose My Adventure journey, and I feel like I have just barely gotten started in Xsyon! There is so much left to do; I haven't even scratched the surface of my goals yet. Since construction is a slow process and gathering resources is taking longer and longer each day (you should see the workout I get hauling logs!), my personal fortress is still just a few completed walls and one pillar. I also haven't managed to circumvent the lake, find any chalk, or convince anyone to let me be President/Supreme Ruler of the Lake. All right, maybe I haven't really tried hard at that last goal, but this week has seen your CMA correspondent meeting and greeting neighbors throughout the region, gathering resources, politely declining tribe invites (I will remain true to the vote throughout our adventures), and attempting to improve my skill in architecture. Also, I have enjoyed some relaxing fishing. As jaunts into the wilds for wood became longer each day, I kept watch over my shoulder with a touch of apprehension, always on the lookout for hostile folks and animals alike. There is always some question as to whether or not the elusive animals are in the game, but I have had a couple of run-ins with a mama and baby bear that ended poorly for me, so I try to never let my guard down. What else did I learn this week about life on the shores of Lake Tahoe? Hike past the break to take a look at this week's adventures in Xsyon and then vote on how we approach combat for our final installment of Choose My Adventure.
Choose My Adventure: I've been digging on the homestead...
All the live long day! Sing it with me now... There really is something to be said for creating your own world. How many of you gamers out there have just ached for a MMO game in which you could truly affect the world instead of rolling along on a predestined path that is the same for everyone? As I delve deeper into Xsyon, that is what I find -- a world where my actions have real meaning. A world where we can change not only the political and economic landscapes but the literal landscape. For Choose My Adventure this week, you, the Massively readers, decided that I shall work on my architecture skills and place a homestead (thereby allowing me to terraform). This really highlights some of the most unique features of the game. Although I dove into these new tasks with gusto, I now know why olden-day manual laborers sang songs during their work -- there is serious need of brain stimulation during long, monotonous labor. And building a new world from the ground up is seriously a long and slow process. If nothing else, Xsyon is not a game for the instant-gratification crowd. Which is all the better, in my opinion. For a deeper look at terraforming, crafting, and general life in the Tahoe Basin, build a bridge over the cut and check out where our adventures led this week.
Choose My Adventure: And so it began... again
Well, this week has certainly been interesting. And by interesting, I mean not really usual. Then again, if any of you know me very well, that really should not come as much of a surprise; normal and MJ usually do not coexist in the same stratosphere. I am also not one to shy away from the untrodden path, and I tend to take off on my own tangents. Who needs easy when you can have interesting? Perhaps this quality alone made me a decent match for tackling the world of Xsyon for this round of Choose My Adventure. That, and a measure of patience. In my first true week of playing Xsyon, I really didn't get to "play" much of anything. Not in any sense of the word that most MMO gamers would be familiar with. That isn't to say that I didn't have any fun; on the contrary, I really enjoyed the time I did get in, and I look forward to really digging my toes into that rich Tahoe soil. Well, my shovel, really. So what were the unusual circumstances surrounding my first adventures? Hike past the cut for a deeper look at the week and some helpful tips for anyone planning to jump into game come launch.
Choose My Adventure: It's ALIVE!
Alrighty folks! I have consulted the crystal ball (polls) and now have the answer we have been so anxiously awaiting: It was Mr. Green, in the study, with the candlestick! Er, wait... sorry, let me just dust it off a bit. There we go. Actually it's armed MJ in Secret Cove with a shovel! Go terraforming. Thanks to your votes, we have the backbone of the next Choose My Adventure guinea pig. For the most part, you Massively readers were pretty unified in your support; armed combat and terraforming led by a landslide, while Secret Cove and architecture also maintained significant leads. The only choice that was a close call was the second skill -- scavenging beat out hunting by a mere three votes. Although we had plenty of choices for our polls, they didn't come close to covering the choices that must be made when creating a character before we ever set foot into the game world. Age, birthday, stat points, and multiple choices to create skin color are just some of the other choices the greet a new player in Xsyon. Follow me past the cut to get an in-depth look at the creation process and to meet your guide/puppet/object of amusement in the land of Xsyon. Tahoe, ho!
Choose My Adventure: Destination - Apocalypse now
So my bags are packed (what exactly do you pack for an apocalypse? I vote toothbrush, regardless!) and I'm setting out for the Lake Tahoe region. Yup, our itinerary is set -- Xsyon has won the hearts of the readers for this next escapade in the Choose My Adventure series. I find this kind of exciting, as I grew up frequenting this area out here in the real world and look forward to seeing it represented in the game. Now, I have a confession to make: I watched the vote carefully. Too carefully. OK, I was obsessed with it! I don't think I can even tell you how many times I clicked refresh in one day; it was quite addicting to watch the numbers creep up as the readers cast their votes. And since six weeks of my life was on the line, I had a vested interest in the outcome. At least, that's how I tried to rationalize my maniacal refreshing. Xsyon commanded the lead straight off, but Pirates of the Burning Sea had a good showing and maintained a solid second place throughout the contest. Four games kept running neck-and-neck: DC Universe Online, Earthrise, EVE Online, and LEGO Universe. I admit to rooting some for the underdogs as well -- each game has special and unique features I would enjoy delving into. Think about it: Can you imagine life as a LEGO? But in the end, no one could topple the promise of a vast wasteland filled with mutants and an empty canvas for players to fill in. So now that we have the setting, all we need is the character. Unlike many games, Xsyon demands that you pick things such as your crafting skills at character creation, so please forgive the number of polls attached to this week's article. Head on past the cut to learn a bit about Xsyon and vote to make me build the CMA creature of your bidding!
Xsyon release moved to March 15th
Building sandboxes is hard. So hard, in fact, that not many of them get built. Those that do eventually see the light of day, like the upcoming Xyson from Jordi Grau-Davis' Notorious Games, often go through laborious birthing pains, buggy betas, and delayed releases. In a post on the official Xsyon boards, the game devs have announced the decision to postpone the official release by two weeks (the new date is March 15th) due to "problems with our servers and bandwidth" brought to light by the recent headstart launch and the sudden influx of warm bodies. The post details the forthcoming fix for the recent lag issues (a new download server) and also puts a positive face on things by bringing up the fact that the lag has caused a few hidden problems to surface. The Xsyon client and installer have also been updated, and pre-order players will have two weeks of free game time comped to their accounts.
Massively Exclusive: Jordi Grau Davis answers our Xsyon questions
With Xsyon's impending release date just around the corner, we thought it was high time we sat down and had a chat with the brains behind the indie post-apocalyptic sandbox. Notorious Games' Jordi Grau Davis was kind enough to answer a few of our questions relating to the game he's wanted to make "since I first sat at a computer," and he has a lot to say about Xsyon's unique features and how it differs from other PvP-enabled sandbox titles. Join us after the cut for all the details.
Xsyon launching March 1st
Though it's been some time since we've heard anything new from Notorious Games regarding its Xsyon MMORPG, there is some light at the end of the lengthy beta tunnel. Lead designer Jordi Grau Davis has sent word that the post-apocalyptic sandbox game is nearing release. March 1st has been confirmed as launch day, and the company is now taking pre-orders for a limited initial release called Xsyon: Prelude. The Prelude is set in an isolated basin somewhere in the American wilderness, where survivors of the apocalypse will carve out humanity's future in an open-ended sandbox that will evolve according to the actions of its community. Pre-order customers will receive immediate access to the game's final testing phases as well as two free months of game time and a limited edition in-game weapon.
Xsyon beta update adds architecture skills, revamps terrain
Yep, Xsyon's still around, and the post-apocalyptic sandbox MMORPG from Notorious Games continues its beta testing phase with a full client and server update this week. The patch has also wiped all your beta characters as well as the world terrain, making way for smoother texture revisions that should be visible as you read this. Other significant patch details include the architecture skill (which allows players to create walls and buildings), the masonry skill (designed to complement architecture), and various tweaks to combat and characters. Among these is a revision to the alignment system that flags both defenders and attackers. Finally, the new client boasts several bug fixes related to collision detection, memory leaks, and animation fixes. Check out the full list of improvements on the official Xsyon forums.
Xsyon updates ongoing, free-form inventory system discussed
You might have forgotten about Xsyon, the promising post-apocalyptic sandbox under development at Jordi Grau Davis' Notorious Games studio. While it's been some time since we've checked in on the title, we're happy to report that updates continue to flow at a steady pace. In a post on the game's official forums, the team tells us of a major move to new server hardware, expected to take place between September 15th and 17th. After the transition is complete, Xsyon's next update will go live. Included among its features are improved and expanded inventory management, player collision tweaks, character rendering and Speedtree optimizations, and several small bug squashes. The inventory tweaks are of particular interest, as Davis hints at a unique system that may happen in the future. "We've changed the way inventories and containers are saved. This will allow us to change to a more freeform container system (without slots) in the future if we choose to do so. This required some major changes that we are still testing," he writes.
Xsyon deploys extensive beta update
Notorious Games has updated Xsyon, its post-apocalyptic sandbox MMORPG. The pre-order beta client now boasts an extensive list of tweaks, fixes, and feature improvements. In addition to the changes, the developers have upgraded both the game and download servers. "Both the download server and the game server are now running from our new machines at a better location. This took a while to set up, but so far it looks like the switch was worth the bit of trouble," declares the update post on the game's official forums. "We've overhauled the server code and there are more changes to come. Hopefully the lag that was being caused by terraforming will be eliminated now, but this needs to be tested further. We are still in the process of optimizing the server code, but this build is a major step and has been our main focus over the past few weeks." The new patch also brings a number of changes to crafting, skills and actions, and interface tweaks. Check out all the details on the official site.
Xsyon launch delayed until August, further delays possible
The developers of Xsyon have have been working hard to make sure that they release a quality game when the time comes, but unexpected problems have led to the announcement of a launch delay. Notorious Games' Jordi Grau Davis has been maintaining regular communication with those looking forward to launch, explaining exactly what the team is working on and what this means for the community. The latest post announced the most current round of updates, as well as the news of the delay: "The official release is now planned for August 15th. We will reassess our progress every month and if we need to push this date further into the future we will. We do not want to force an unfinished release. Instead we are going to continue working as hard as possible until we can fully stabilize the server and finish implementing the planned game features. We're going to stick to our plan, it's just going to take longer than we hoped." He went on to detail what the team will be working on from here on out, and to ask that everyone bear with them as they make the needed changes and fixes. Take a look at the full forum post for all the newest information.
Xsyon pre-orders open, players show off in-game videos
Notorious Games' post-apocalyptic sandbox MMORPG Xsyon has officially opened its doors to pre-order customers, who have responded by filling a thread on the official forums with in-game video footage. Developers are allowing a trickle of players into the pre-order/beta phase in order to test systems and stability prior to the game's May 15 release target. If you pre-ordered but aren't sure how to access the beta, sit back and relax, as Notorious Games will be emailing pre-order customers instructions for downloading and installing the beta client as the need for more testers arises. In the meantime, enjoy the player videos, which include everything from character creation, to harvesting timber from trees, to laying down roads. Look for Massively's impressions on the Xsyon pre-order in the near future. [Thanks Nick!]
Xsyon working towards release
The last time we heard from the development team in charge of upcoming indie sandbox post-apocalyptic MMO, Xsyon, they had planned to let players in prior to launch in small groups. The primary reason was to allow the developers enough time to test, then let another group in, and repeat. Staggering the pre-order invitations to ensure they had bugs fixed sounded like a wise move to us. Now, in the most recent posting to that thread, the current plans are to let the remaining players in to get their hands on Xsyon starting this upcoming Wednesday. From there, they'll focus on fixing the last of the bugs and hopefully testing for two weeks. At that time, they intend to do the final wipe and then let players have their pre-order week.
Xsyon lead developer talks release plans
Notorious Games founder and Xsyon lead developer Jordi Grau Davis has responded to community questions with a lengthy forum post on the game's official boards. The unveiling of this forthcoming post-apocalyptic MMORPG caught many of us by surprise last month, given the extensive sandbox feature set and the rapidly approaching release date. Davis writes that development and testing are preceding as planned, and that pre-order players will be let into the game in groups of 20-50 as the programming team finishes up various outstanding issues including Speed Tree implementation, terrain optimization, combat tweaks based on forum feedback, and a number of other items. Davis also touches on the planned user load for Xsyon. "What are the numbers we are looking for? I'm guessing about 500 before April 15th [release day], building slowly to around 5000 active players by the end of summer," he writes. [Thanks Chris!]
New post-apocalyptic MMO Xsyon to release April 15
Fallen Earth, Global Agenda, Earthrise. As players suffering from orc and elf burnout search for something different, the post-apocalyptic genre is quickly becoming popular. One such title that's been flying well under the radar is Xsyon, an upcoming post-apocalyptic MMO from Notorious Games. The game is scheduled for an April 15 release, with plans to allow pre-order players to begin the game in mid-March. Xsyon's official site is very well done, offering backstory, screenshots, and extensive information about the game itself. The recently added forums rounded the site out nicely, opening the doors for discussion among players anxious for the game to arrive. While the graphics aren't as perfected as bigger name games, the features are where this game really shines. Xsyon will be released in a series of installments, growing in every direction (landscapes, skills, crafts, etc.) as players learn and explore farther. So this means players will directly affect the world and the direction of the game by their actions and choices. Xsyon is a game well worth looking into -- check out the official site for the full story.
