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Heatwave announces Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising subscription plans
Launch day is coming for Gods & Heroes, and Heatwave Interactive has just announced its introductory subscription options for the North American market. The game, which debuts June 21st, will feature the standard month of free gameplay along with retail or digital download purchases. Subscription deals start at $9.99 for a monthly pass and include three-month ($27.99), six-month ($54.99), 12-month ($99.99), and lifetime options ($199.99). Gods & Heroes allows players to take on the role of heroic demigods battling mythical monsters, commanding squads of minions, and customizing their personal estates, all set against a backdrop of classical Roman mythology. You can learn more about the title, as well as check out pre-order bonuses and sign up for the ongoing beta, at the official website.
Gods & Heroes dev chat video details next beta patch, estate system, and more
The newest Gods and Heroes dev chat video is now available for your viewing pleasure. The devs gather 'round a table with beer and pizza -- which is frankly how any dev chat should be done -- and answer their internet audience's questions, which span a great variety of topics. They discuss the upcoming beta patch, which is said to be the biggest patch so far and includes the new quest guide, a full pass on the Mystic class, tweaks on the first 10 levels for each class, and some server-side changes to improve performance. In addition, the team discusses the mechanics of the fast travel system and the quest guide, which functions similarly to many quest-helper mods for other MMOs. An interesting twist, however, is the fact that if you choose to do the quest without asking for the quest guide's help, you receive a bonus. What this bonus will be hasn't been decided yet, but experience and money were both suggestions tossed around. The team also goes into detail about the game's estate system, which allows you to take a razed villa and rebuild it from the ground up, populating it with minions and customizing it to your liking. For the full details on all of this as well as answers to questions such as what the team most regrets not being able to implement at launch, whether the devs play their own games, and whether the game will support addons at launch, visit Ustream to view the recorded chat.
New contest for Gods and Heroes offering a toga getaway
To look at most of the screenshots for Gods and Heroes, you might think that life in ancient Rome was nothing but gladiators fighting mythical monsters and one another. But if you went to college (or watched Animal House at some point), the first element of Roman culture that springs to mind is the toga. Heatwave Interactive is capitalizing on just that by offering fans a chance to spend a weekend in Las Vegas with all expenses paid -- just for wearing a toga. Running until June 6th, the contest asks for players to don a toga, upload a photograph to the official site, and then take part in the voting to determine who looks best in a tastefully arranged bedsheet. The full rules are naturally a bit more elaborate than that for legal reasons, but the important point is that you can get a free trip just for dressing up in a ridiculous but appropriate outfit. That's something any Gods and Heroes fan can get behind.
Gods and Heroes announces launch date, preorder details
Heatwave International announced the launch date for Gods and Heroes today, so if you're interested in chopping up massive monsters and exploring ancient cities, you can do so on June 21, 2011. Not only that, but players who pre-order the game will have access to the it an entire week early, starting on June 14, 2011. That means that you can get in and reserve the name "Stabby McFeathertop" immediately -- lucky you! You'll also get a cool statue for your character's home and a Tunic of the Gods bonus power for pre-ordering at retail. There are some pretty cool systems built into the game right away. You can own your own estate that acts as a headquarters for the army of minions who will fight at your side. That estate can be decorated with not only your pre-order statue but also with different buildings that effect those minions. That way, once you go into battle you and your minions will be fit and ready for the action-based combat. Be ready to conquer ancient Rome come early summer!
Gods and Heroes offers up a new trailer and more closed beta keys
The newest round of Gods and Heroes closed beta testing has begun, and if you're anxious to see what changes and improvements Heatwave has made, you're in luck! We've got another batch of closed beta keys for you, so visit our giveaway page and grab one for yourself. Then download Gods and Heroes -- you'll create your account from the launcher itself rather than on the site. Once you've used the "create account" function on the Gods and Heroes launcher, log in on the site, verify your email, and input your beta key as prompted. (If you are asked to choose a payment method, select "Game Time Code." On the following screen, press the cancel button. A payment method is not required for you to play.) We've even got something for you to do while you're patching! Follow along after the jump for the brand-new Gods and Heroes trailer straight from the Heatwave studios, then enjoy the beta!
Catch the latest Gods & Heroes development team live chat today
Friends, Romans, gamers, lend me your USTREAM! In response to your questions, the Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising dev team has plenty of answers to satiate your curiosity. If you've been following the resurrected Gods & Heroes project, then you'll definitely want to get in on the latest dev chat that's taking place today from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EDT. Simply sign in to USTREAM and head to the Gods & Heroes channel to see what the devs have to say about the latest and greatest developments as the game plows through beta. Questions for the chat may be submitted via Gods & Heroes' Facebook page, Twitter account or the official forums.
Join the next phase of Gods and Heroes testing with our beta key giveaway!
Gods and Heroes is all set to begin its next phase of beta testing tomorrow. This round will last until April 3rd, so participants have just under one week to log in and go bug-hunting. If you want to be one of those testers, we've got you covered with our latest beta key giveaway. Visit our giveaway page to claim your key, then download Gods and Heroes -- you'll create your account from the launcher itself, rather than on the site. Once you've used the "create account" function on the Gods and Heroes launcher, log in on the site, verify your email, and input your beta key as prompted. (If you are asked to choose a payment method, select "Game Time Code." On the following screen, press the cancel button. A payment method is not required for you to play.) Once you're done, you're ready to jump into the closed beta of Gods and Heroes!
[Updated] Gods & Heroes developers preparing for another live chat!
[UPDATE: The Heatwave team has learned that the Ustream site is down for maintenance and may not be up in time for the live chat, so it's been postponed until next Tuesday, the 22nd, at 1:00 p.m. EDT] We've been hearing more from the Gods & Heroes team as development progresses, and now that the NDA has lifted, the devs are feeling chatty. Massively will be co-hosting a live chat with the developers on their Ustream channel, a chat similar to the one we did back in December. This time they'll have lots more to talk about, but they want to hear from you too! You can submit questions today through the Gods & Heroes Facebook page, through Twitter, or in the game forums, and the team will answer them during the live chat. Not sure what to ask? The developers will be talking about GDC, expectations for estates, social media features, and much more -- so use those topics to get some ideas and send your questions in today! The live chat begins tomorrow, the 15th, at 1:00 p.m. EDT on the Gods & Heroes Ustream channel. We'll see you there!
Gods & Heroes dev blog talks class balance, lifts NDA
Hot on the heels of its GDC updates, Heatwave Interactive has released a new dev blog detailing further aspects of Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising. The mythological MMORPG boasts four unique character classes (the Priest, the Soldier, the Gladiator, and the Mystic), and today's dev blog offers a look at a few class-specific issues through the eyes of senior content designer Todd Bailey. Bailey discusses how the Soldier and Gladiator differ despite the fact that both focus on close-range melee combat. He also talks about why the Scout and Nomad classes won't be available at launch. "The honest answer is that the Nomad was completely overpowered as a class and just felt like it was the catch-all for abilities that didn't go anywhere else," Bailey explains. He also says that combat tuning and balancing is an ongoing process, noting that the overall combat feel is much improved even though a few new wrinkles have been introduced during the tweaking process. Head to the official Gods & Heroes website for the full dev diary. In still other G&H news, Heatwave has officially dropped the game's NDA, so beta players can now freely talk about the title here and elsewhere!
GDC 2011: Gods & Heroes hopes to give its audience something unexpected
The in-game story for Gods and Heroes begins with a Roman general returning home after his time in war only to be thrust into battle again. The history of the game itself mirrors this journey: In October 2006, the original creators of the game, Perpetual Entertainment, shut down. However, in August 2010, independent developer Heatwave Interactive picked up the rights to develop and distribute the game. Our hero's journey started once more. Just as your character in G&H returns home to an estate in ruins and a craving for revenge, Heatwave developers are fighting back the old gods and attacking the game with renewed vigor. At GDC 2011, our editor-in-chief Shawn Schuster discussed the rise, fall, and rebirth of the game with CEO Anthony Castoro, Lead Designer Tim Schubert, and Community Manager Donna Prior. "I think a lot of people expected us to go free-to-play and microtransact the minions then put it out there. But in early alpha tests and beta tests, people really wanted a full game out of this and expect us to treat it a certain way. We are working really hard to do that," said Castoro, who went on to assure us that he is not just out to make money -- he hopes to deliver a great game too. Follow after the break to find out what is going to make this game victorious in the gladiatorial arena. %Gallery-118322%
Get your gladiator on with our Gods & Heroes beta key giveaway
If you've been wanting to check out the godlike powers and classes of Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising but haven't made it into the closed beta as yet, we've got a giveaway you're going to love! Heatwave Interactive has sent over 750 more shiny new closed beta keys for those seeking an adventure in historical-themed lands but who didn't manage to snag a key the last time we gave them away. All you need to do to snag your very own closed beta key is to pop by our Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising beta code giveaway page and click the button at the bottom of the page. From there, just follow the step-by-step instructions we've tucked behind the break to get your account started and download the game. After that, it's off for adventure in the MMRoman empire!
Gods & Heroes details classes and releases new screenshots
The devs at Heatwave Interactive have given Gods & Heroes fans a bit more information to mull over as they wait anxiously for the title's debut. In a press release dated earlier this morning, Heatwave detailed the game's four character classes and released an accompanying batch of screenshots. While the classes don't stray too far from MMORPG norms, it's nonetheless instructive to see exactly what the game has in store. First up is the Gladiator, who, as you might surmise, exists to do massive melee damage at close range. The Soldier is your basic tank archetype, responsible for juggling aggro and taking a beating for his friends. The Mystic is Gods & Heroes' answer to ranged DPS, while the Priest is, crazily enough, the main healer. You can get a full rundown on Gladiators, Soldiers, Priests, and Mystics at the game's main website, and don't forget to check out the new screens below. %Gallery-118322%
Gods & Heroes looking for a few good volunteers
Heatwave Interactive has released an internal Q&A session focused on the Praetorian Guards program surrounding its new Gods & Heroes MMORPG. What, pray tell, is a Praetorian Guard? Well aside from the poor bloke that Russell Crowe's General Maximus unhorsed during the first reel of Ridley Scott's Gladiator, a Praetorian is also an elite Gods & Heroes community member "who volunteers [his] time to role-play, [run] events, and coordinate dungeon runs and quests." Guard members also maintain the game's wiki and collect player feedback pertaining to their assigned roles. Sound interesting? Head to the official Gods & Heroes dev blog for a full listing of the positions available as well as the perks and membership guidelines.
Film yourself playing Gods & Heroes to be immortalised in a trailer
When Perpetual Entertainment closed its doors in 2008, it seemed all hope of the MMO Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising being released was lost. Thankfully, the game was taken up by Heatwave Interactive early last year, and the studio has been pushing it to completion ever since. The game's closed beta is already underway, and the Gods & Heroes team is now offering beta-testers the chance to be featured in an upcoming official game trailer. As part of her ongoing "First Friday" event series, Community Manager Donna "Danicia" Prior wants players to break out their webcams and film themselves playing the game. Rather than asking players to capture footage of in-game characters, the Gods & Heroes team wants to see what the player behind the character looks like. An official in-game meet-up is happening today in Rome at the Forum Romanum from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST to help players partner up and come up with ideas. If you don't make it to the event, the devs at Heatwave Interactive still want to see footage of the player behind your character. For full details on how to enter and the required video specifications, head over to the official Gods & Heroes First Friday announcement.
Gods & Heroes lead designer and art team hosting live community chat
Normally, pre-release fan communities are overflowing with questions for a game's developers. Whether they're specifics on combat, crafting, or any of the traditional ingredients that make up our favorite genre, queries and concerns abound during the information void that usually accompanies an MMO's beta stages. Gods & Heroes is looking to rectify this situation with a live Q&A event featuring the game's lead developer and members of the art team. Heatwave Interactive is hosting a USTREAM chat today at 6:00 p.m. CST, and the devs will be fielding live questions from the streaming audience as well as those submitted prior to the broadcast. Get in on all the action by visiting the Gods & Heroes USTREAM channel, and don't forget to submit your questions ahead of time via the game's forum, Facebook, and Twitter pages to increase your chances of being heard.
Gods and Heroes celebrates its first in-game event
Friends, Romans, gamers, lend me your ears; for in the early evening of Friday, December 31, 2010, doth the great Heatwave Interactive strike out with its first in Gods and Heroes in-game event. A new year is nigh, and the creators of the Roman mythological MMO would like to celebrate with the beta testers. If you are one of the lucky ones to have access to the game, you do not want to miss the opportunity to meet and greet the developers in this social event. The Gods and Heroes Community Manager Dancia (Donna Prior) will also be celebrating her birthday that evening, and she thought the best way to commemorate the day was to throw a party in game. The developers will be hanging out in Roma for a couple of hours starting at 5 p.m. EST. You are welcome to come wish Dancia a happy birthday there, just don't ask how old she is. That's rude. For more information on the event or to find out how you can join in the beta, be sure to visit the official Gods and Heroes website.
Gods & Heroes USTREAM: Your chance to chat with the devs! [Updated]
Are you curious about the current state of Heatwave's Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising MMO? Are you desperate for a new MMO world devoid of pointy-eared elves and blobby aliens from another dimension? Are you a classical civilizations anthropologist hoping to see your field of study desecrated in a glorious union of hack and slash? Then join Massively tonight from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST as we help host Heatwave's USTREAM chat about the game! We'll be moderating live and forwarding your burning questions to the devs... burning questions like, did Heatwave's Anthony Castoro really shave his head last weekend in response to G&H's stress-test turnout? Log in to the G&H USTREAM page at 7 p.m. EST tonight to find out! And if you have any last-minute questions, add them right here in the comments so we can pass them along! [Updated: The live chat is over, but you can still watch the show after the cut!]
Attend Gods & Heroes stress test, shave a CEO's head
How committed are you to your projects? Will you stay up late at night working? Give up weekends? Shave your head? Well, that's just how dedicated the Gods & Heroes CEO Anthony Castoro is to the upcoming stress test for the mythological MMORPG. The Heatwave Interactive chief offered a challenge to the fans and staff: If they are able to get 3000 concurrent players in the stress test, he would shave his head bald. (An artist's rendering is above -- oh, wait, that's a screenshot, never mind.) The stress test will take place this Saturday, December 18th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST. This MMO pits Roman warriors against the wicked Telchine gods to gain renown with the gods of Olympus. And if you're looking to get in on the beta action or just like to see people shave their heads, you can rush over to the Gods & Heroes official website to sign up. Email invites to the stress test are still being sent. Also, don't miss the Massively hosted chat with key member of this development team on Tuesday, December 21st 7 p.m. EST via Ustream.
Massively's hosting a live chat with Gods & Heroes developers
Gods & Heroes is the MMORPG based on Roman mythology being developed by Heatwave Interactive. This exciting MMO pits you against the Telchine gods, who have started a heavenly war with the Olympic gods. While defending Rome against this crushing fallout, you attempt to gain favor with the gods of Olympus. Highlight Tuesday, December 21st at 7 p.m. EST on your calendar. Massively is helping to host a developers chat on Ustream. Key members of the Gods & Heroes development team will be there to answer your questions. They only have an hour to talk, so we would like to give you an opportunity to submit your question ahead of time. There are a few ways to get your question in early so it is more likely to get answered: post on the forums, send a tweet via Twitter, comment on the G&H Facebook page, or simply comment below. For more information on the game itself or to sign up for beta testing opportunities, be sure to visit the official website, and we will see you on Tuesday!
Speak live with Gods & Heroes developers on Ustream
The Telchine gods have returned to enact revenge on their Olympian conquerors with the citizens of Rome caught in the middle. It is your place to take up the mantel of protector of the empire. Battle gods and monsters to gain favor with the Roman gods and test your drive to save the citizens of your country. You may join the fight in upcoming MMO Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising. We all would like the inside scoop on what's happening in our favorite game, and it's not often that developers have an opportunity to speak directly to the players. Heatwave Interactive would like to change that with a live Ustream event today (November 30th) at 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Get your questions ready because developers want to tell you what to expect for launch in 2011. If you like what you hear, you can then sign up for the closed beta by visiting the Gods & Heroes website.
