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Rise and Shiny: The West
I've been on a browser-based kick, more so than normal. Thanks to my Chromebook series, I have been rediscovering the joys of all-in-one gaming. I'm so tired of messing with bloated, heavy machines that do nothing but suck up my money. The future of gaming is light, thin, and still capable of playing MMOs. I've had just as much fun now as I ever have on larger machines. One of the unique games I've rediscovered is The West, a browser-based sandbox set in the wild West days of the United States. Gameplay is simple yet effective, and I love how the game uses basic graphics alongside deep gameplay. Innogames, the game's publisher, has been offering a unique batch of games for a while, all available within the browser or mobile. Let me tell you what I found while crawling through the great vistas of The West.
New video shows off Kartuga's Mayan, Mediterranean, and Oriental locales
While last month's video highlighted one of Kartuga's classes, the Destroyer, the latest trailer shows off the visual diversity of the upcoming action-MMO's three different kingdoms. Players will be able to battle each other while dodging among the architecture and landscapes of the Mediterranean-flavored Ithosia, the Mayan-inspired Kartu, and the Oriental-themed Empire of the Sun. Within each locale are sectors divided into PvP or PvE mission areas. Kartuga will start with nine different sectors for players to explore. Philipp Arlt, game designer, stated, "We want to show that the wonderful world of pirates can be more diverse than what is out there now. Players can expect a lot of visual variety from Kartuga." Check out the stylings of the three kingdoms in the clip after the cut. [Source: InnoGames press release]
MMObility: The Chromebook 'All In One' project - Ten MMORTS titles
Last week I introduced you to my newest device, the Samsung Chromebook. Yes, that's the official way to refer to the newest $249.00 Chromebook, according to my contact at Google. I have pined after one for a while, but the price point finally became too tempting and I nabbed one at my local Best Buy. Why? Why didn't I just spit out a few more bucks and get a "real" laptop or netbook, one that runs Windows 7 or 8? Well, it runs silently and almost without heat. It's essentially a keyboard attached to an 11-inch tablet that runs Flash. The Chromium OS is very secure, and it auto-updates every six weeks. But you're here to read about games. This week I am going to talk about the MMORTS genre and why it works so well on the Chromebook. I'll list 10 of my favorites -- a drop in the bucket for all the MMORTS games out there, but these are easily some of the best and run well on the Chromebook. Stay tuned for future columns, where we'll look at even more Chromebook-friendly MMOs and pseudo-MMOs as well.
Free for All: The second annual Frindie Awards
It's time once again for the Frindie Awards, my attempt to shine some light on the best indie, browser-based, free-to-play, and unusual MMOs that are all-too-often ignored by press -- and players. This one is for the little guys! Well, mostly. It's also for those games that seem to have passed under the collective radar of Massively readers or that seem to be very misunderstood. Picking the winners this year is just as hard as it was last year, maybe even harder. 2012 was an incredible year for MMOs, so I would rather have just put together an article that highlights every single favorite. In the end, it's more helpful to make myself pick out a winner. It's a rare thing for some of these games to even receive a nod on a major website, something I still can't figure out. Either way, it's best to think of all of the MMOs on this list as my favorites from 2012. Anyway, let's get to the awards!
Massively Exclusive: Kartuga's first pirate class is the Destroyer
Earlier this year at E3, we got a hands-on taste of the sea-faring battles in the upcoming action-MMO Kartuga, where players engage in PvP as pirate ships. Today, we get to introduce you to the first of the three ship classes -- an agile, all-purpose weapon aptly christened the Destroyer. Built to be the aggressor in battle, the Destroyer deals massive damage while counting on speed and maneuverability instead of durability to avoid sinking when attacked. While there are only three pirate classes, players will be able to further customize each one by unlocking skill trees that branch into three different specializations. As Destroyers, players can become a Raider, a Ravager, or a Brawler. Raiders specialize in hit-and-run tactics, whereas the Brawler has the thickest armor and can wade into the battle. The Ravager, however, is best played from a distance, lobbing attacks from long range. Want to see what this class can do? Watch the trailer after the break. And if the game looks right up your fjord, head on over to the official site to sign up for a chance to participate in the closed beta planned for early 2013. [Source: InnoGames press release]
MMObility: Windows 8 and gaming in the Metro browser
So, you've heard about the recent Windows 8 release but aren't sure whether or not you should upgrade? How will the operating system affect your gaming, and are you going to go with any of the Microsoft Surface products? All of these questions can be answered in numerous ways, but I wanted to answer it from the standpoint of a mobile gaming fan. After all, it is my belief that mobile gaming will soon dominate gaming in the world... might as well be prepared! But how does Windows 8 affect a mobile MMO fan like yours truly? Well, Windows 8 does a heckuva lot. It offers a ton of flexibility and fun new ways to interact with your PC. But it can also be a very confusing new addition. I sat down to figure out some of these issues with the help of Ben Adams, CTO of Illyriad Games. He knows more about mobile tech than I do and was able to sort out the differences between the Windows 8 browsers for me. Let's get to it.
InnoGames claims over 100 million players served
You may or may not have dipped into the welcome waters of German browser-based MMOs lately, but if you did, you'd have plenty of company. F2P developer InnoGames announced that it's about ready to roll over to its 100 millionth player any day now. InnoGames' roster includes Forge of Empires, which accounts for five million of those players alone. The company hopes to add three more titles next year and grow its staff from 200 to 280 people. [Source: InnoGames press release]
Free for All: Casual is as hardcore does and the daily gaming list
It's always a lot of fun to compare casual players to hardcore players. We've all seen many articles and had our own discussions on the topic and it never seems to stop being entertaining. After all, how much or how intensely a player plays an MMO can help predict how that player might react to market changes or to new titles, so we can easily see how developers will always be interested in the information even when we tire of it. For me, personally, I would rather skip the whole discussion and just talk about how I play casually. I can list hours played and titles accessed, but I think it would be a better idea to sketch out a rough but typical day or week in my household to illustrate just how someone who considers himself casual is actually quite committed. Does that mean I am hardcore in certain cases? I don't care anymore, frankly. What I care about is seeing if how I play is completely alien or if there are other players out there who love to do what I do. Let's call it a cry for help... or at least information.
Free for All: Free-to-play and mobile at GDC Online, part 1
GDC Online was fantastic this year. Really, it's great every year, but I found more bits of goodness this time around than ever before. It's simply my favorite convention, possibly because it's aimed more at press and devs than at fans. There's a wonderful lack of loudspeakers booming dance music and only a handful of booth babes. In other words, GDC Online is quieter, smaller and more professional than a typical fan convention. For a grumpy old gamer like yours truly, it's heaven. I can actually talk to developers without having to scream over music. What did I find, and what excited me this year? A lot. We've already written up or recorded many interviews so far, but I wanted to take this week's Free for All and MMObility to recap the stuff that truly got me excited. Let's get to it... there's simply too much to see!
E3 2012: InnoGames talks pirate MMOs, strategy titles, and games for women
At this year's E3, we had a nice long chat with German studio InnoGames about its MMO repertoire. The company actually started out quite small with three college buddies, who released their first game only to their close friends. That game, Tribal Wars, and its original servers are still around, albeit with some updated graphics to keep things looking fresh, but we wanted to focus on the team's more recent offerings. While InnoGames has several titles under its belt, including Bounty Hounds, we focused primarily on Kartuga, a pirate-themed strategy MMO; Lagoonia, a social building game created by and aimed at women; and Forge of Empires, which is similar to the Age of Empires series. All three games are free-to-play browser games, and we even got a pinch of hands-on time.
Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online
The developers of Bounty Hounds Online recently invited Massively to join them in exploring their closed beta world. I am not the type to turn down an invitation like that, so I downloaded the client and logged in. While it did take a while to figure out which client to use and exactly how to log in to the test server so the developers could show me things that were not yet in the beta, the wait was worth it. If you've been curious about how the game looks, plays, and feels, click past the cut and join me for a preview! Bear in mind that I was given a very decked-out character, so combat was a breeze. Other than that, everything else was a normal tour through a very cool-looking world! %Gallery-134329%
Bounty Hounds Online coming in both boxed and digital versions
Bounty Hounds Online, an upcoming sci-fi action MMO, is going to give you a choice how you want it packaged: paper or plastic. Er, we mean "boxed or digital." The retail box will be released under the name Bounty Hounds Online Pro and will arrive in European shops this October. For the price of 10 Euros, players will get a leg up on this free-to-play title with exclusive content and in-game currency. Multiple language versions are planned for the box release as well. The game puts players in the role of mercenaries tasked with cleaning up an intergalactic war on a planet known as Clear Sky. You'll get to choose between five classes and four military companies before heading into the battle, not to mention the awesome-sounding CTU transformable combat pets. Recently out of closed beta, Bounty Hounds Online is slated for open beta on August 2nd. You can sign up by visiting the official website.
