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Intimacy of large-scale combat in War of the Roses
War of the Roses is an interesting prospect: a multiplayer-driven action game set in the Middle Ages with large-scale combat for (up to) dozens of players. And at its core, War of the Roses features a deep customization system ensuring each of the soldiers on the battlefield is incredibly unique. Battling other LAN-connected attendees at a recent event, I was given a taste of the the chaotic skirmishes featured in developer Fatshark's upcoming title. Before long, I was gleefully fighting with and falling under sword and spear. %Gallery-161340%
Impire, a new PC strategy game from Cyanide Studios, coming Q1 2013
Impire, a new strategy game from Cyanide Studios, was announced by Paradox Interactive today at the Paradox On Tour event.Impire stars Bjal-Abaddon, a demon imp who's out to reclaim his once-great status with your help. Bjal-Abaddon can "evolve into a powerful dungeon lord" while you customize his weapons and armor, build a dungeon and kill crusading heroes attempting to take down your army of darkness. Not all of it takes place underground, however, as Impire also lets you send raiding parties to the surface for loot.The campaign is playable both in single-player and co-op, and Impire will also have some multiplayer modes for up to four people (Paradox will share more on those later). Impire is slated to launch on the PC during the first quarter of 2013.%Gallery-161194%
PSA: War of the Roses beta now open for registration
War of the Roses is now open for beta registration, Paradox Interactive recently announced. The medieval combat game for PC went through a private alpha stage before hitting its beta test period, with the full game set to launch in Q3 2012.Those interested in signing up for the beta program can do so here. The entry form notes that by referring five friends to the program, you are guaranteed access to the beta version of the game. Show full PR text Paradox Lowers The Drawbridge For Beta Testing War of the Roses Medieval Multiplayer Accepting Applications for Early Access NEW YORK – July 6, 2012 – Paradox Interactive and Fatshark announced that, after recently completing a successful closed alpha, sign-ups for a chance to participate in beta testing for upcoming medieval multiplayer combat title War of the Roses has now opened to the public. Starting today, players can enroll to be a Knight in the King's army and help restore order to England by visiting the following link: http://www.waroftherosesthegame.com/ When signing up to guarantee their access to enter the beta, future knights will obtain a unique referrer URL from the King that can be shared across social media channels. When five friends use this player-specific link to sign up for the beta, the player who is linked to the URL will be granted a secure spot in the beta.
Leaderboard: Permadeath vs. no permadeath
Permadeath is one of those game mechanics that seems destined to forever be nibbling away at the fringe of the MMO genre than invited to the cool kids' table. Many players find themselves aghast at the notion of losing all their hard-earned progress with one untimely demise, and it seems like game developers agree with them: Very few MMOs have any sort of permadeath option. However, this most-severest-of-severe death penalties does persist. Some players elect to form guilds and meta-groups to pursue a permadeath lifestyle in their games. A few upcoming titles, such as Salem and Wizardry Online, have permadeath as a core mechanic. Even the recently released Diablo III has a "hardcore" permadeath mode for the brave at heart. The question we put before you today is yet another nibble that may never be noticed by the mainstream, but it's important to consider: Is permadeath worth including in MMO design, even as an optional mechanic or server, or should this brand of death penalty kick the bucket once and for all? Vote after the jump!
Some Assembly Required: I saw the wilds of Salem (and lived to tell about it)
I spent an hour romping through the woods of Salem last Friday with Seatribe head honcho Bjorn Johannessen. The tiny indie company (current dev population: two) is hard at work on its followup to Haven and Hearth, an acquired taste of a sandbox game notable for its no-holds barred approach that includes permadeath and the ability to summon (and kill) criminal characters -- even while their lulz-loving puppet-masters are offline. Publisher Paradox bills Salem as "the crafting MMO," and boy it's not kidding. Over the course of this particular dev tour, I saw crazy amounts of tradeskill functionality, all kinds of cool world-building stuff, and ultimately, more than enough reasons to spend time with the game when it launches later this year.
Salem sandbox MMO not for the faint of heart
Twenty minutes of gameplay doesn't seem like a lot when it comes to previewing an MMO, but PC Gamer is giving it the ol' college try with a look at Seatribe's new Salem sandbox. You know the Salem we mean. The one with... permadeath. Ooooh. Scary. Anyhow, the piece offers up a few interesting insights, like when creative lead Bjorn Johannessen admits that the devs "have almost nothing to do with what happens" outside the game's only safe area (a colonial-era Boston). Another noteworthy tidbit is the fact that Salem doesn't display avatar names. Instead, it prompts you to name other characters for yourself (or trust that someone is who he says he is). For more on Salem, check out the source below as well as our permadeath-flavored interview with Johannessen in Some Assembly Required.
'War of the Roses' and 'Chivalry' wage war without all the nonsense
Of all the games I played this year at PAX East, two unlikely contenders stood out. They weren't indie darlings or supported by the donations of Kickstarter enthusiasts. And they weren't first-person shooters, nor character action games set against historic backdrops. Both games – Fatshark's War of the Roses and Torn Banner's Chivalry: Medieval Warfare – are about as far from my usual radar as games go. That was until I played them, of course.Both Chivalry and WotR are set in (you guessed it) medieval times, though neither employs its setting much beyond a backdrop. The games are multiplayer-focused affairs; neither has any sort of single-player campaign. Given the backdrop, you might assume multiplayer to be of the Mount & Blade variety. You'd be wrong.Both games are vicious, fast, and, most importantly, accessible. These are not the sim medieval combat affairs of many Paradox Interactive-published games. These are arcade-style medieval combat games, presented in first- and third-person perspectives, and they're like nothing else I've played in the past few years.
Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles
A Mount & Blade MMO is something we've wanted to see for a long time. While that's not exactly happening, 250-player battles is probably the next best thing. Paradox has just released a new DLC pack for Mount & Blade: Warband called Napoleonic Wars. It brings the game's signature real-time combat to 19th century Europe and gives players the ability to use soldiers, artillery, and even battlefield musicians to wage epic multiplayer battles. Napoleonic Wars features five nations, a wide range of artillery pieces, over 220 new units, an Engineer class that uses barricades, trenches, and explosives. There's also a new commander battle mode for your squad-leader gameplay needs. The DLC pack will set you back $9.99. Oh, and don't forget to check out the launch trailer after the cut. [Source: Paradox press release]
Colonize the New World: Salem opens beta sign-ups
It's time to set sail for the New World with Paradox Interactive's upcoming free-to-play sandbox title, Salem. The studio announced today that beta sign-ups for the title have opened up, and anyone and everyone is welcome to jump in and give the team feedback. But remember, folks, the untamed wilderness of the New World is a harsh and unforgiving place, and death is not something to be taken lightly. If you don't play your cards just right, you could end up six feet under with no way of returning to the world of the living. Don't worry too much, though; the folks at Paradox have released a new video to give players a bit of a heads up on how to survive the wilderness. So after you're done with the "how-to-not-die-of-dysentery" primer, just head on over to the game's official site and get in on the test. [Source: Paradox Interactive press release]
Crime and punishment in Salem, New World-style
With all of the open world sandboxy goodness going on in Salem, one might wonder if Paradox Interactive is prepared for the level of griefing that can come with such games. Interestingly enough, the team has given this some serious thought and come up with an elegant system of crime and punishment in the game world. Player villages are protected by claims that set these areas apart from the rest of the world, and these claims can be expanded by building certain structures. Griefers who set out to do harm or mischief against villages within these claims will leave a "scent" behind that can be used to track them. There are certain skills, such as ranging and tracking, that players need to have to follow the scent to the perpetrator, however. This opens the door for players to specialize in becoming bounty hunters who protect the village by rooting out enemies. As for punishment, well, Creative Director Björn Johannessen expects players will take justice into their own hands -- and more than one perpetrator will pay the ultimate price for violating a peaceful sanctuary. You can watch the full discussion of Salem's crime and punishment system after the jump.
Some Assembly Required: Salem dev talks permadeath, griefing, and skill-based gameplay
Hello, sandbox faithful, and welcome to a special interview edition of Some Assembly Required. We recently had a chance to pitch some questions to the team behind Seatribe's upcoming Salem title, and creative director Björn Johannessen was kind enough to answer them. Salem is being advertised by publisher Paradox as "the crafting MMO," but it's also rife with throw-back mechanics including a huge amount of player freedom and a permadeath/punishment system similar to the one in Johannessen's Haven & Hearth.
Paradox to reveal Magicka studio's next game at GDC
Paradox Interactive plans to show off three unannounced titles at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next month. The publisher, which has the peculiar habit of using Kevin Costner films as codenames, has three new games based on brand new intellectual properties to reveal.Project "JFK" comes from Magicka studio Arrowhead Game Studios and is described as a multiplayer combat game with "a focus on killing your friends and looking cool doing it." Project "Revenge!" is by Critical Studio out of Brazil and is an "action packed action game in a world that can be described as death trap for heroes and children." Finally, Project "Silverado," from Zeal Game Studio, is a real-time strategy game meets shooter, with "a side order of a tabletop wargame and a sprinkle of sci-fi."The publisher will also have more on A Game of Dwarves, its fantasy management game, along with War of the Roses (again, NO, the game is not based on the amazing Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner divorce saga).
Magicka summons 1.3 million in sales, new expansion in the works
Cheeky co-op action title Magicka has hit another sales milestone, passing 1.3 million in sales, according to StrategyInformer. Paradox Interactive revealed the news during its recent convention in Sweden. Meanwhile, the various DLC packs have totaled over 4 million in sales and the "Magicka: Vietnam" expansion has topped 500,000 units. Paradox is also planning a new expansion for the game entitled "The Other Side of the Coin," which sees players taking on the roles of Magicka's enemies. More details on the expansion are expected later today.
Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A
Paradox Interactive's upcoming MMO Salem has garnered a good bit of attention due to the game's unique frontier-fantasy setting and the fact that it will feature -- gasp! -- permadeath. Of course, as with any mold-breaking game that comes along, there are bound to be a lot of questions about how the game's mechanics will work. Salem's Creative Director, Björn Johannessen, realizes this, and decided to stop by Reddit for an AMA session. For the uninitiated, AMA stands for "Ask Me Anything," and that's exactly what the fine Redditors over at /r/IAmA did. A wealth of information can be found over at the thread, whether you're interested in the game's influences, the way permadeath will work, the reasoning behind permadeath's inclusion in the game, or more. So if you're interested in Salem to any degree, head on over to Reddit and give the thread a look.
Get an eyeful of Salem with an hour-long tour
Ever since we heard about Salem, the crazy mash-up of sandbox tools, crafting, colonial setting, and permadeath, we've been understandably curious about just how the game will pan out. While it's still in the pre-alpha stage, Paradox Interactive hosted a Twitch.tv broadcast yesterday, during which a trio of devs showed off the game while talking about its features. If you missed it, you're still in luck: The broadcast was recorded and saved for posterity. In it, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen, "Code Gnome" Frank Tolf, and Senior Producer Gordon Van Dyke want to give viewers a feel for how the game functions and feels. It's important to note that the demonstration doesn't begin for real until the 14-minute mark, so unless you really like elevator music and waiting, you might want to skip ahead to there. You can watch the full video after the jump.
Salem livestream set for September 27th
Paradox Interactive is highlighting a new opportunity for fans of the upcoming Salem MMORPG to get a first-hand look at how game development is progressing. A live demo will be streamed over Paradox's Twitch.tv channel on Tuesday, September 27th, offering curious onlookers the first real glimpse of the game that bills itself as "the crafting MMO" while also featuring PvP and permadeath. Salem is a free-to-play browser-based MMORPG that takes place in a fantastical New England, and though the game has its share of "light-hearted gothic" elements and "a charming and cute art style," it also has quite a dark side in terms of hardcore mechanics and dangerous creatures based on colonial folklore.
'Project Postman' is War of the Roses, a medieval multiplayer melee actioner
"The focus initially is gonna be on the PC," Paradox Interactive senior producer Gordon Van Dyke told me in an interview last week about the next title from Lead & Gold devs Fatshark. "Project Postman," now known as War of the Roses, was announced earlier this year by Paradox head Fredrik Wester as a "dream game" for the collaborators, but we knew little else about it. That is, until this afternoon at Gamescom, where the Swedish publisher unveiled the melee-based title. "Absolutely, it's being thought of as a franchise," Van Dyke continued, though he's not yet sure how that will play out in terms of branding. "We've been looking into franchise names. It's actually really hard to find a name that has anything to do with combat in video games." As the name implies, the game set between 1455 and 1485 -- during the "War of the Roses" era in England -- though it's not necessarily steeped in Medieval politics. Instead, it focuses on the regular battles between English houses jockeying for control of the kingdom. %Gallery-130828%
Magicka sales near 800K, Vietnam expansion a financial success
Last we heard, Paradox Interactive's publishing deal for Magicka with Arrowhead Games was working out pretty well. This morning, just after a GDC Europe presentation by the niche Swedish publishing house, Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester further added to the game's history of financial success, when he told me that the title has now sold nearly 800,000 units. "It's gonna pass that [sales milestone] in the next week, week after or so," Wester said. "We're still doing between five and seven thousand a week, so it's a great sales number." He also added that Paradox hopes to pass the one million sales mark by the end of 2011 -- a major achievement for a small team like Arrowhead. As for the much-loved Vietnam expansion, I wondered if it had achieved the same success that both Paradox and Arrowhead had hoped for. "It's done a few hundred thousand, so the attachment rate is really high," Wester explained. With those kinds of numbers, it's clear why Paradox is interested in fostering and furthering the relationship with Arrowhead. Back in May, Wester told me that sequels for Magicka are a lock.
Magicka PvP patch dated for June 21
Arrowhead has finally conjured up a launch date for its proposed PvP patch for Magicka, details on which were previously reported. The patch is free and releases on June 21, allowing up to four mages to step into the arena and duke it out a test of willpower. Hit the jump for the press release and a new trailer showing off the dangers of locking four mages in a closed-off environment. Nobody puts mage in the corner!
Ex-Battlefield lead Gordon Van Dyke joins Paradox Interactive as senior producer
After exiting the dev battlefield of DICE back in 2010, Gordon Van Dyke recently left his second EA gig at Visceral Games in favor of a different Swedish game company: Paradox Interactive. Before wild accusations start flying, know that his reason for leaving was rather heartwarming. "During my time back in California [with Visceral], I married my girlfriend from Sweden and we had a baby. We decided it was best to raise her in Sweden," Van Dyke told Joystiq this afternoon. In the process of moving, a friend of Paradox CEO Fred Wester put he and Gordon in contact. The rest is Swedish history. "I got an email from a friend introducing me to Gordon. Two days later he was hired," Wester explained of his rapid hiring process. Van Dyke, unsurprisingly, had nothing but nice things to say about his new employer, explaining that the studio "offers me more room to explore, take risk, and work on creative niche IPs."
