vendetta-online
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Vendetta using Kickstarter to fund new expansion, iOS client
There's no shortage of sandbox MMO projects on Kickstarter these days, but how would you feel about a fundraiser for a game that's been live since 2002? That's the reality for Vendetta Online, as Guild Software has just announced a new pledge drive to help the game conquer Apple's iPad platform. Vendetta is already playable on PC, Mac, Linux, Android, and WinRT (and all of those space pilots play seamlessly on the same server, too), so Guild's next goal is integrating iOS users into its sprawling space-based sandbox. "We'll be thrilled to bring our intense brand of multiplayer space gaming to the iPad family of devices," says John Bergman, Guild CEO. "Our game offers a seamless transition between desktop and mobile, so players can easily switch back and forth between their iPad and their Mac without limitation." If successful, the game's Kickstarter project will also help fund a major expansion, which promises "enhanced player-owned capital ships and territorial conquest." Vendetta is a subscription-based MMO that features twitch-based space combat, extensive mining, trading, and exploration options, and a player-generated content system. You can check out an eight-minute gameplay video after the break, then head to the official website to sign up for a free trial.
Vendetta free for former subscribers through January 1
If you've ever subbed to indie MMO Vendetta Online, Guild Software is gifting you with the ability to return to the title for free through the new year. The devs have also updated the client to version 1.8.239, which brings a handful of bug fixes and niceties to the game world and login client. Vendetta is a space-based sandbox that features combat, mining, trading, and exploration. It's also available on a number of platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile, all of which feed their users into the same server.
Vendetta now available on Windows 8, RT
Have you upgraded to Windows 8 yet? Do you use Windows on a tablet? If so, Guild Software wants you to know that its long-running Vendetta Online sci-fi MMO is ready and willing. The indie outfit recently released the game to the Windows store, and as you'd know if you read one of Massively's multiple Vendetta impressions pieces, the game syncs seamlessly across PCs, Macs, Linux systems, and tablets, now including devices that run Windows RT. "Thanks to the scalability of our in-house NAOS Engine with native DirectX 11 support, we're able to deliver our desktop-grade MMO experience even on lightweight Windows RT tablets," explains Guild CEO John Bergman. Vendetta mixes combat, mining, trading, and exploration, and a free trial is available via the game's official website. [Source: Guild press release]
Rise and Shiny: Vendetta Online
For the record, Vendetta Online has been in development since 1998 and launched an alpha in 2002. EVE Online was released in North America in 2003. So although it might be too close to call or lost in the foggy details of gamer's memories, it's safe to say that EVE Online did not invent space, spaceships, speedy space travel, trading, or ship-to-ship combat. Still, feel free to post fill the comment section with "EVE-clone," a common phrase that pops up whenever Vendetta Online is mentioned or shown. Now that we have that out of the way, what is Vendetta Online? It's a multi-platform, twitch-based, science-fiction universe that offers free-form travel and character development. At least that's what I have read. So far in my time with the game, I have experienced only a smattering of what it seems to offer. I've traveled a lot, gunned down a few enemies, and read a lot of text. While I know I have touched but the tip of the iceberg, I still had fun this week. And yes, I pretended to "fly" my spacecraft by running through the house while playing on my Nexus 7 tablet. And yes, I provided the WOOSH and BRAKKA BRAKKA sounds myself. (That's how you know it's space.)
Previously on MV TV: The week of August 18th
Ah, livestreaming. It's not for the faint of heart. Streaming a favorite title requires knowledge of technology, a solid internet pipeline, and the willingness to have your noobnessocity pushed live for all to see. It's not a thankless job, however. We livestreamers get to show viewers our favorite titles or titles that the audience might not have seen before. For me, it's a challenge to find new and interesting games, while the other streamers tend to enjoy showing off classic titles or new parts of modern hits. Variety is the keyword when it comes to our livestream lineup! So what did we show off this week? Well, let's start with MJ running through The Secret World and EverQuest II, followed by our favorite little Piggy taking on an hour's worth of Champions Online. Mike followed up with an hour in his favorites World of Tanks, EVE Online and Drakensang Online. I steered into worlds unknown by streaming some Vendetta Online and followed that up with an exclusive (first!) livestream of Pirate101, KingsIsle's soon-to-be-hit. Check it out, but be sure to bookmark our livestream page so you don't miss a thing going forward! Feel free to add suggestions in the comments section while you're here. We get a lot of our ideas from readers and always love to hear more.
Rise and Shiny: Darkblood Online
If you are a fan of action-based MMOs like Rusty Hearts and Dungeon Fighter Online, then you might want to check out Outspark's new title Darkblood Online. Not only does it hand out the same bang for the buck, but it does so with a unique and flashy style that I haven't seen before. I spent the last week chopping up monsters, shooting demons, and conquering dungeons. I saw some of the weaknesses of the title as well, but overall it possesses an honesty about its intentions that helps to keep the good times rolling. There is definitely a persistent nature to the game. It's an MMORPG, so don't worry. It's not a MOBA or social game with multiplayer elements even though a player could spend much of her time soloing areas. The whole thing is balanced between an arcade grinder and a living world. But I'll try to not get ahead of myself.
Windows RT on Snapdragon S4 hands-on and Rob Chandhok interview (update: video)
We just got a hands-on demo of Microsoft Windows RT running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 development tablet here at Computex 2012 in Taipei. The verdict? It's smooth as silk on a 1.5GHz dual-core APQ8060A with 2GB of RAM, which means it's likely to be even more impressive on the company's quad-core offering. We got to see SkyDrive photo sharing between a Nokia Lumia 900 and the Windows RT device, showing that both WiFi and 3G connectivity are fully supported. Ditto GPS -- with Bing Maps purring along nicely. Most interesting, however, was a demo of Vendetta Online which ran without hiccups even when multitasking along with other apps. We asked about battery life and benchmarks -- especially when comparing Windows RT to Android -- but sadly Qualcomm doesn't have any numbers to share. The company's focus is clearly on working with Microsoft to streamline the new OS for the Snapdragon platform, and from what we saw today, things are making great progress. Take a look at our gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video and interview with Rob Chandhok, President of Qualcomm Internet Services.
Some Assembly Required: Ten years warp by for Vendetta Online
If I were to start describing a game where players have zipped about one persistent universe as one of three factions in customizable ships vying for wealth and territory by mining, dodging hostiles, fulfilling missions, blasting one another to bits, docking at stations, blazing trade routes, and pirating for the past 10 years, you would say... Vendetta Online, of course! Perhaps the longest-running epic space-based sandbox MMORPG, the game hit a milestone last week that few others can boast: It turned 10! Although its major retail distribution was in 2004, Vendetta Online marks its anniversary as the day it was spotlighted in Penny Arcade during the game's completely open and public alpha (which means it basically launched since everyone could dive in and play) and the population exploded! A truly multi-platform MMORPG, Guild Software's game can be played on Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Android, giving pilots the freedom to log in when and where they may, even to surreptitiously check the markets or maybe sneak an event in while at work via a smartphone. After all, who wants to miss an event just because employment gets in the way? Luckily for those of us without an Android, Vendetta Online celebrated its decennial anniversary with some developer-run in-game events over the weekend. Always willing to join the party, Some Assembly Required strapped into a shiny new ship and blasted right into the thick of things in order to share in the festivities.
Vendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content
Ten years is an eternity in the game industry, and MMOs that manage to hang around for a decade or more are few and far between. One such title is Vendetta Online, which originally released on April 20th, 2002 and is still going strong today. Guild Software is hosting a couple of celebration events this weekend. The company has also announced that its massive 1.9 patch is coming later this year, followed by an even more massive expansion in 2013. Vendetta is unique among MMOs for its twitch-based space combat and extensive trading, mining, and exploration gameplay. Large space battles, dynamic territory control, and player-generated content systems round out the feature set, all of which is coded and maintained by a four-man dev team. The single-universe game server is accessible from a number of different platforms that include Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. In March 2011, Vendetta became the first PC MMO to jump to mobile platforms, and it spent several weeks as the number one paid app on Android devices. Check out the game's official website for more info, and don't forget to sign up for the trial while you're there. You can also read Massively's latest game impressions in Some Assembly Required. [Source: Guild press release]
MMObility: The 16 MMOs in my pocket
I have a smartphone that is pretty much filled to the brim with actual, functional, persistent MMORPGs. Some of them are three-dimensional romps through massive worlds filled with dungeons and dragons; others are representational browser-based games that work through the phone's native browser; and the rest are hardly nothing more than a few dots on the screen and impressionistic gameplay. Still, they are MMOs. I love having access to them, and over the last year I have actually grown to love simple, clever design and basic artwork over almost anything else. Forget Guild Wars 2; we'll hear enough about that to make us choke. Sure, it might be a fun game, but I'm a tech guy from the Bizarro universe. I prefer to see how little tech I need to game with. I want to push the limits even lower. Anyway, it's springtime here in Texas, so it's time to clean out all sorts of crap from my life. I organize all of my hundreds of songs, films, movies and art pieces and get my digital life in order as well. This process includes tweaking my current line-up of basic technology and downloading any updates for the games that exist on those devices. It's time to cull the weak and glorify the wonderful.
Some Assembly Required: A look at Vendetta Online
The setup is pretty familiar. It's an MMO, it takes place entirely in outer space, and your avatar is your spaceship. There's a lot of trading, a lot of missioning, and PvP if you want it -- possibly even if you don't. Crucially, there's freedom to go your own way and precious little hand-holding. It's clearly inspired by Elite, and there's a fair bit of the X series in there as well. Nope, I'm not talking about EVE Online but rather Vendetta Online, an indie sandbox MMORPG that actually has more in common with classic space-trading sims than it does with CCP's New Eden.
MMObility: Two new MMOs, one tiny screen
You know what I love about discovering new mobile games? It's that moment when I realize they are actually pretty good and might give me some real MMO action on my smartphone. The biggest issue I have these days is separating the true MMOs from the social, multiplayer and singleplayer games that bombard the market. While I enjoy games from those genres, many of them arrive on my phone disguised as something else. Many of them even call themselves "MMOs" without having any real multiplayer interaction or persistence. So you can imagine how happy I am when I find real, persistent MMOs that are available for my HTC Inspire Android phone and iOS. Yes, there are more of them out there than you might think. Let's take a look at a couple of new ones that I have found.
Free for All: The first annual Frindie Awards
Welcome, fair readers, to the first annual Free for All Frindie awards. I'm hoping that these awards not only serve to point potential players to some great new games to try but illustrate my particular gaming tastes. Sometimes it's hard to explain to people just how I keep up with so many titles and still manage to stay loyal to my "home" games, games that I am simply in love with and return to pretty much every day. So as you read my choices, bear in mind that these are based on my opinions from my year of gaming and from my list of favorites. It's also important to note that not all of my favorites were released this year. Some of them are downright ancient games compared to the rest of the young MMO market, but as long as they released a significant amount of content in 2011, I considered them. To me, expansions and a series of patches can equal a brand-new release. Some games release so much new content per year that they might as well have been released again. So click past the cut to see my favorites from the market of free-to-play, indie and browser-based gaming. Be sure to leave your picks in the comments section!
MMObility: More mobile news and new titles
Another week, another batch of news for the mobile set. The mobile market, especially for tablets and smartphones, can be slow with the news. It's not that there isn't anything coming in; it just doesn't flow like a geyser like, say, browser-based MMOs do. When it does pop up, though, it tends to be some really good stuff. The mobile market is still so young, but it is growing up fast. The tech is becoming cheaper, faster and easier to come by. It's to the point that when I see a new piece of exciting mobile technology or read an announcement about a new game that pushes all of the mobile platform's boundaries, I can only think of the next wave. It's a sickness. This time I have some unusual up-and-comers and some that have not been released yet. Whatever you prefer, some of them will make your jaw drop. Click past the cut and let's get to it!
Vendetta Online to be ported to the Android OS
Google's operating system, Android, has had an odd genesis. It's been ported around for every flavor of mobile device, from phones to tablet PCs, but it's coming into a field already crowded with operating systems -- and the plethora of hardware running the system has hampered some efforts to port games to the architecture. Guild Software Inc. is making the push, however, adapting their indie MMO Vendetta Online to the Android system architecture. For proponents of the Droid over the iPhone, the good news is that it's the same operating system on your phone of choice. However, the port is specifically targeting the NVIDIA Tegra processors, aiming toward smaller netbooks and tablets rather than phones. In the official FAQ, the developers clarify that they're not currently planning to aim the port at any phones, although the door is open once the initial port is finished. It's still an exciting step for the Android architecture, however, and it continues expanding the network of MMOs available for mobile devices.
Space for a new style of MMO?
As you may know if you've read my earlier posts, I'm basically a Second Lifer, but in the interests of research and writing for Massively, I've tried Runescape, Dofus, Oberin, Vendetta Online and World of Warcraft. You may also have noticed a number of first impressions posts but relatively little follow up.This isn't entirely an accident. All of the games have failed to attract and keep my attention. Second Life has not. Come the end of my free month, I'm not 99% certain I won't be subscribing to World of Warcraft because it's doing the same things as the other games.
