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Rise and Shiny: UFO Online
I really enjoyed taking a look at UFO Online a few years ago at E3, but the game has been stuck in what seems to be that standard gamigo tunnel of time, where games go to be semi-released. What do you get when you start playing? Well, if turn-based, squad-based combat is your idea of a good time (mixed with doses of factional control), then you will enjoy the game. Unfortunately it's still a bit rough around the edges and could really use a pass with the text and control brushes, but I'll cover that in a minute. First, let's talk about why folks enjoy squad-based gaming so much.
MMObility: The Chromebook 'All-In-One' project: More games
This will be my last week using the new Chromebook Pixel, at least here on Massively. I will continue to look at its techier side of things on my personal blog, just as I did with the original Chromebook All-In-One project. The shorter time frame for this series can be explained by the fact that Chromebooks do admittedly cut out a lot of the browser-based MMOs out there by not allowing the usage of Unity or other plugins. Flash is allowed, but Adobe and other companies' recent disapproval of the use of Flash for mobile platforms came with a reason: It's often hard to run. Once HTML5 becomes more standard thanks to publishers like Jagex, I'll be able to comment more on that. It's also important to note that the Pixel is really just a nicer Samsung model, so you can refer to the older posts as well. I want to encourage everyone who is interested in Chromebooks to check out the Samsung ARM-based Chromebook I talked about last time. It's very inexpensive and quite literally does everything that the Pixel does, albeit on a much smaller screen that is attached to a weaker device that has a much lower build quality. Still, my time with the Pixel has amazed me with a wonderful, touchable screen, but the Pixel has also convinced me that the Samsung should be the flagship device for Chromebook, hopefully kept at the same price range while slowly improving in quality. Now, let's talk about the games. I found a few that run much better on the Pixel's beefier stats, but please refer to my Samsung coverage for 30 MMOs that run on both machines. The following list is especially good for touchscreens.
Daily iPad App: Sid Meier's Ace Patrol is an excellent game sold badly
My birthday was last week on May 6, and Firaxis must have heard about that because in recent weeks they've released not one, but two great turn-based strategy games. First, Haunted Hollow was released as a great, original free-to-play title, and now the legendary Sid Meier (of Civilization and Pirates) has released a game called Ace Patrol, available as a free download on iOS. Ace Patrol is excellent -- it's a turn-based dogfighting game, where you manuver pilots in WWII around a battlefield, climbing, diving and swooping around into position all while trying to accomplish certain goals or take out the other side. Progression in the game is marked by "maneuvers," so pilots who have leveled up have access to more and advanced moves. Weapons fire for free, but you've got to line up closely to the enemy, preferably behind them, to avoid any incoming attacks. Unfortunately, as good as the game itself is, Firaxis really missed the mark on this one's freemium plan. The in-app purchases on Ace Patrol are just plain confusing -- you can play through a number of missions for free, but then when you spend some money to unlock the rest of the missions, you (currently -- I'll bet this is fixed soon) don't get to keep your progress. Additionally, while in-app purchases give you access to other nations, you also sometimes need to pay to get your lost pilots out of being captured. Fortunately, there are "superpacks" you can buy (which essentially open up the game's content), but the whole scheme just isn't well-thought-out. Haunted Hollow's IAP was clear and well-designed, but the same care hasn't been taken here, unfortunately. Still, Ace Patrol is an excellent game, a very well-designed set of battles put together by a master game developer. There are quite a few of these turn-based battle simulations to go around (Leviathan Warships is another recently released variant, though that one takes place on sea and is more complicated than Ace Patrol), but Ace Patrol does an excellent job of combining really deep strategy with easy and accessible gameplay. Grab this free download right away for sure.
Daily iPhone App: Wizard Ops Tactics offers well-made tactical battles
Wizard Ops arrived on the App Store a couple of years ago -- it was a wild and wooly take on magical combat that played more like a shooter than a fantasy RPG. Developers Phyken Media have now returned to the world of Wizard Ops, though not the genre, with a new title called Wizard Ops Tactics. As you may have reckoned from the title, Wizard Ops Tactics is a turn-based strategy game, where you move various wizards and combatants around a 3D board, casting spells across various terrains to beat the other side. Just like the original Wizard Ops, the graphics on this one can get a little goofy, but also like the original game, the depth of gameplay is very impressive. Each turn consists of a planning phase and an action phase, and while you can use as much time as you like to plan your turns, lining up the right moves in quick succession can get you combo bonuses and even allow you to get a nice advantage over the other team. Wizard Ops Tactics is great fun, offers lots and lots of content (you can play through a full campaign or get involved in turn-based multiplayer, all while unlocking new units and customizing your current ones), and it's completely free to download and play. Even if you didn't try the first Wizard Ops game, but are looking for a great example of turn-based strategy, go pick this one up today.
UFO Online lands in open beta today
It's been a little while since we've heard about about UFO Online; the last time we checked in, open beta was slated for August 2012. But whatever hurdles Gamigo's alien-invasion title faced to get to the open beta point have apparently been surmounted as the doors are being thrown open today for all to join in. Launch is expected to follow shortly. During the extended course of closed beta testing, the studio reworked and added quite a bit. On top of a comprehensive tutorial to introduce the game, UFO Online has new task and mission systems, expanded research and upgrade systems, an improved UI, and improved effects graphics. The turn-based game also offers more tactical depth to giving hit zones varying degrees of armor. To jump in on the open-beta fun, just visit the official site (but be sure to have Google translator ready!). [Source: Gamigo press release]
Free for All: Ecol Tactics Online has a fun story but weak combat
I took a look at Ecol Tactics Online not so long ago and mostly enjoyed what I found. When the game recently launched into open beta, I knew I had to check it out again. It's possible that the game I experienced before the open beta would be vastly different from the one I'd find later on, but everything felt familiar even though I was given access to higher-level play and cash shop. I enjoyed the storyline and quest text much more this time around. Last time, gameplay appeared pretty standard, but now that I know what to expect with combat and performance, I can enjoy the story a bit more. But a player can ignore the story completely and still find the game enjoyable. That's an issue with many MMOs in general. A lot of the time the story has no bearing on a player's character. This time I slowed down and read up most of the quests I came across and discovered some pretty cute tales and toons. The combat is still fun as well. Of course, turn-based combat is what this game is all about.
Witching Hour adds multiplayer into Ravenmark Mercenaries
Last year, Witching Hour Studios (a team that's grown to about eight people now) released Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion, a turn-based strategy title that felt way bigger than the little iPhone's screen it played on. The gameplay is complex (there are lots of units to control and every unit counters and is countered by another), but it's also very impressive, featuring big-scale battles and a story to match. Ever since Ravenmark arrived, fans have been clamoring for multiplayer, and last week at GDC I met up with Witching Hour to see Ravenmark: Mercenaries, a new entry in the series that adds the ability to play against other humans, along with lots of other very impressive features. The multiplayer is obviously the headliner here. The Witching Hour guys say the first game was really "stepping blocks" leading up to a multiplayer game, so obviously it was front and center when they started work on this one. It plays out just like the standard Ravenmark match, with players getting to field two different armies, and taking turns two at a time, passing them back and forth. As the guys showed me during the GDC meeting, moves are made almost simultaneously asychronously, and you can rewatch turns as much as you like to see how the battle is going down. In addition to the actual battles, each player gets to make their own battle standard flag, which is then carried by an actual unit in the multiplayer skirmishes. That's a fun touch -- not only does it provide a bit of customization, but it adds strategy as well, as the battle standard carrier conveys a number of extra powers and benefits (while he's alive, at least). In addition to the multiplayer options, there's also another long singleplayer campaign to play through, and units can now be leveled up. Players can also gain commander levels, which add new abilities to the mix, and give player commanders a little bit of personality ("Cold-blooded" or "hot-headed" are two of the commander attributes players can earn). And if the full campaign and all of the multiplayer isn't enough strategic battling for you, there will also be "contracts" to play out, which are daily skirmishes available against a certain enemy. Finally, Witching Hour is planning to deliver this content in a few different ways. Much of the buzz around mobile titles these days says that free-to-play games are the way to go, but that's not what Witching Hour found with Ravenmark. After releasing the first game both as a full package for a premium price of $9.99, and a free-to-play version with episodic content, the team found that more users wanted to simply go for the whole-package premium version. In fact, the team says they even saw a lot of users downloading the free version, and then buying the full version rather than picking up all of the same content episodically. So the same deal will probably be available with Mercenaries. In addition to a standard premium game, the team is also thinking about offering a "collector's edition" version, with extra content for an even higher price. And they're convinced that their biggest fans will be willing to pay for it, just because their most dedicated fans love the game so much. We'll have to see how that plays out. Ravenmark is a very impressive series, and Mercenaries looks like a more than worthy addition to Witching Hour's work so far. It is expected to be ready for purchase sometime this summer.
MMObility: The Chromebook 'All In One' project - Ten pseudo-MMOs
So here we are at the second-to-last installment of my Chromebook All-In-One experiment. This will be the last time I give you a list of games that work well on the Samsung Chromebook, but always keep in mind that some of the other Chromebooks, especially the Samsung 5 550, have more power and do not use an ARM-based chip. What does that mean? Well, some services like NetFlix will not work on an ARM-based machine yet. Spacetime Studios' cache of browser-based titles will not work on this Chromebook yet as well. Don't worry, it's coming soon. Imagine the ARM Chromebook as a tablet with a keyboard attached... it's not a normal netbook or notebook. I also wrote up my wife's take on the Chromebook over at my personal blog. Be sure to check that out. She has been the perfect guinea pig as she pushes devices to their limits, and so the Chromebook has been getting heavy use from her and working wonderfully. Next week, my last installment of this series will be a video and article combo that covers the good and bad of the device, along with my final thoughts. Until then, though, click past the cut and enjoy my list of pseudo-MMOs. These are games that don't quite fit into the MMO category but have a multiplayer aspect to them!
MMObility: A look at the location based MMO Life is Magic
I've been looking forward to checking out Life is Magic since I first took a peek at it during GDC Online 2012. The art style, slick presentation, and location-based gameplay drew me in, but I've had it for only a short while since then. I've now been able to snag enough time to get a great idea about what the game holds for players, and so far I can say that there's definitely a polish to the game that I haven't found in many mobile MMOs. So what is so special about this one, especially compared to other location-based MMOs like Fleck or Parallel Kingdom? There are several differences, most of them focused on the art style, unique world map, and cool collectible card game-ish system that ends up being the best part of the game. %Gallery-173874%
First Impressions: WarMage Battlegrounds
WarMage Battlegrounds, by developer Burst Online Entertainment, is as simple game that pops up in a window and requires no large downloads. At first, everything about the game is simple, from the character creation to the layout of the map. However, after spending some time in the game tweaking my army loadout, and worrying about how to get my WarMage's mana pool to refill faster, I have to say that there is quite a bit of in-depth strategy packed into this unassuming indie title. You play a WarMage, a caster-type who has been set into the world to defend and conquer other WarMages. Your weapons consist of a small army, creatures, and a hotbar filled with scrolls, artifacts, and spells, and you battle it out with other players and NPCs on sometimes large (but always manageable) maps. If you have played Pox Nora, a turn-based title from Sony Online Entertainment, then you will be familiar with WarMage Battlegrounds. But WarMage Battlegrounds does some things that are well ahead of Pox Nora, things that take strategy gaming to newer heights.
City of Steam reveals journey from turn-based to real-time combat
The saga of City of Steam's creation continues to grow more impressive with a new behind-the-scenes story. In it, the devs tell the little-known tale about how the game used to be turn-based. This was originally due to a very limited team and budget, although the devs further justified the decision by saying that the MMO was based on a turn-based pen-and-paper game anyway. City of Steam managed to make the transition to real-time action with the help of some surprise financing prior to alpha. Over 90% of the code had to be reworked to make it happen, but the team pulled it off prior to the game's alpha and any actual players' eyes. It might be easy for us to take for granted how studios can whip up real-time combat in MMOs, but this post illustrates how incredibly complicated it can be, especially for teams with limited resources. City of Steam heads into beta next month.
Battle for the high skies: Hands-on with Pirate101
Her name is Reckless Roslyn Ramsey, and she is a pirate. She sails a ship, loots treasure, hangs out in seedy bars, and fights anyone who stands between her and the fame and fortune she so rightly deserves. You wouldn't be lying to say that young Ms. Ramsey has swashed a fair few buckles in her time, and the pink and white, panda and crossbones flag under which she and her crew sail is feared the world over. Such is life in Pirate101, a family-oriented MMO created by KingsIsle Entertainment and due to launch today. Placing you in the role of a young pirate at the beginning of his or her quest for glory, Pirate101 asks you to carve your own path, gather cunning crewmembers, and discover the hidden mysteries of The Spiral (a fantasy world the game shares with smash hit Wizard101). I hopped in on the Pirate101 head-start over the weekend to get an idea of what this colorful MMO has to offer and to see whether its kid-friendly design hinders its ability to be fun for those of us jaded gamers who expect a little blood with our sword slashes. What I found was an accessible game with a clear slant toward younger players as well as a robust and fun MMO with plenty to offer grown-ups seeking to step away from the grim, dark worlds of more traditional fare.
Daily iPhone App: Summoner Wars is a complicated mix of virtual board and card game
I took a trip down to Tampa Bay, Fla., for my sister's wedding last week, and before I headed for the airport, I loaded up my iPhone and iPad with a few new apps to check out on the way. Honestly, Fieldrunners 2 HD ended up taking most of my gaming time, but Summoner Wars was a very impressive choice as well. Summoner Wars is a complicated, intriguing game that combines tactical strategy, good old fashioned dice rolling and even some deckbuilding card game elements. You're fighting on a board pushing around cards as units. With each turn, you can either use your cards (as spells or actual heroes) in the battle, or save them as mana to summon more units on your next turn. There are plenty of deep strategical choices here that fans of complicated board games will find satisfying. Unfortunately, all of that complexity makes the game tricky to pick up. There is a tutorial, but even it only explains the mechanics of the game, and leaves you to figure out strategies completely on your own. But I appreciated that, especially on a long plane ride where I needed plenty of distraction from the crying baby behind me and the talkative gent across the aisle to my left. Summoner Wars is completely free-to-play, too, so if you want to check it out, you've got no excuses not to. If you like it, you can unlock everything in the game for US$7.99, or pick up individual card decks or card packs individually.
Massively's first impressions of Pirate101
If you've been following the MMO industry for a while, you've probably been watching in near astonishment as Texas-based developer KingsIsle Entertainment grew a little-known MMO called Wizard101 from the level of "just some kids game" all the way to a very successful world for all ages. So when we heard about a new title in the works, we wondered whether it was possible for the KingsIsle team to duplicate its earlier successes. Well, after trying out new kids on the block Pirate101, I can say that it might even dwarf the success of its predecessor. Why do I say that? Well, there are many reasons. The game is in only a beta stage, but it's aiming for a launch this year. And even though it's still in beta, the current Wizard101 fanbase is going nuts over the game. If that, combined with the unique selling points of the two titles, is any indication, KingsIsle can count Pirate101 as a huge step forward. One that will make a lot of money, I'm sure. %Gallery-162820%
Daily iPhone App: Outwitters is the new app from Tilt to Live creators
Tilt to Live was a fairly early hit on the iOS App Store. It used the iPhone's accelerometer to make a frantic but fun and addictive shooter. Now, developer One Man Left has released a very different game called Outwitters. We first saw the title at GDC earlier this year, and the final release version is just as nice as the one that was in development. The game offers up asynchronous turn-based strategy combat, in the same vein as Robot Entertainment's great Hero Academy. But there are a few big differences, the first being that the board is much bigger, and allows for a few new moves and turns. The backend is also built out a lot more. In addition to the usual games with friends and random players, there's a whole matchmaking league system, so the best players have a huge, well-run ladder to climb. There are three different races (one is free, and the others you'll need to buy), each with its own units and resources to deal with. In short, the game is gorgeous, perfectly designed and offers much turn-based action for players (like me, ahem) who really enjoy moving units around a board like this. Outwitters is a free, universal download, and everything in the in-game store is on sale right now for a limited time.
Radiated Wasteland mutates into an MMO
The post-apocalyptic MMO genre is about to be one title richer, as Pixel Pandemic announced the creation of Radiated Wasteland. Radiated Wasteland will be a browser-based free-to-play title that is also being developed for Facebook. According to the game's backstory, the world has gone up in a cloud of nuclear smoke, and the only survivors have to fight mutants while struggling to survive through any means necessary. Movements, action, and combat will take place in a turn-based system, and players will be able to customize their characters with gear, skills, and perks. Pixel Pandemic describes Radiated Wasteland's world as "an ever-evolving organic virtual world consisting of thousands of tiles." The studio says that the game will offer co-op play in such a way that Facebook has yet to attain. [Source: Pixel Pandemic press release]
Baby Monkey devs Kihon get involved in Dojo Danger
It might be embarrassing to say, but I am a big fan of Kihon Games' first title Baby Monkey (going backwards on a pig). Yes, it's a silly game based on Parry Gripp's song of the same name, and yes, it's a pretty typical endless runner title. But I like it nevertheless, and so when Kihon offered to show me their second iOS title last week at GDC, I gladly assented. Turns out Baby Monkey was a trial, more or less. Kihon is a fairly new company (they've got seven employees so far) that was looking to dip its toe in iOS development, and Baby Monkey was the first result. Now that the water's been tested, however, they're ready to jump in, and they'll do that with a second title called Dojo Danger. Dojo Danger is a little more complicated than Baby Monkey was, as you might imagine. The game is turn-based strategy, and plays somewhat similarly to The Game Bakers' Squids -- you get a team of players pitted against another team (in this case, it's ninjas vs. zombies), and during each turn, you use a little slingshot mechanic on each round player to fling them across the board and try to do as much damage as possible. Though the basic mechanics are simple, Dojo Danger will have a huge amount of content: There will be 50 level campaigns for each of the two factions, and fifteen different units for each as well. Those units won't just vary in strength -- some will have healing abilities or other special functions, and there will also be consumable items used to boost up the troops (and sold via in-app purchase, of course). There will also be multiplayer available, both pass and play, and online asynchronous, where you'll be able to set up a dojo of units, and then your friends will come and try to take it down with their various armies. Maps vary as well -- some are just open battles, while others are a "Capture the Duck" variant (where you try to throw a duck into a goal on either side of the map), or have troops "frozen" on the field that need to be broken out of their ice blocks before being used. Finally, Kihon's business model for this one should be interesting -- aside from the standard freemium purchases, the company is also planning to release new units as often as possible, and sort of borrow the League of Legends model from Riot Games, where players will need to pay real money if they want to use those heroes right away. That should be interesting; obviously, balance will be an issue, but hopefully Kihon can make the profit they need without requiring players to buy specific units to win. Dojo Danger definitely looks interesting -- it's gearing up for a beta test right now, and expected out later on this year from Kihon.
Free for All: How I'm preparing for the release of Wakfu
I'm not your typical fanboy. I get excited about an upcoming game, but generally I will not believe in its greatness until I play it. Usually I can get my hands on the game before it comes out so I can see what the fuss is about, but I never find myself that ramped up until release day. Then, and only then, will I really pay attention. Wakfu is one of those games I know is going to at least be different from its rivals. I have already played a bit in all of the betas and now know that it is far from your typical MMO. The classes are different and fun; the lore and artwork is amazing. It runs on almost any PC. The game doesn't insult the player with hand-holding and non-stop popups. It really does walk that fine line between a sandbox and a more linear game. So how am I preparing for the release of this unique game?
Daily iPhone App: Hero Academy
Honestly, I'm not very good at Hero Academy. It's a deep game, slow to develop (asychronous multiplayer mode dictates the pace) and tough to learn. Still, I've enjoyed it. It's the first iOS title from Robot Entertainment, the company behind the Steam and console hit Orcs Must Die! (In fact, most of Robot's developers came from the old Ensemble Studios camp that made Halo Wars and Age of Empires). The game's both casual and tactical. You are given a certain number of characters or power-ups to play with per turn, and you can use your limited action points to do things like deploy soldiers on the grid-based battlefield, power them up with more attack or defense, move them around, and of course attack the enemy soldiers. Both teams have gems on the battlefield in different places, and the goal is to destroy the enemy's gems while defending your own. The game's depth comes from the various classes. Warriors, mages, archers, priests, and rogues offer several different characters to play with, each with unique abilities and specs. Archers move fast and strike quickly, but go down easily. A priest can hang back and heal others, keeping them in the game. Unfortunately, the game doesn't exactly explain all of this very well, but Robot's working on telling players how it all works, including with a tips video like this. My biggest complaining with Hero Academy is the game's ads. Robot uses a freemium model, which is fine, as you can spend money on in-app purchases for more teams to play with, extra custom colors, or completely optional "taunts" you can send at opponents. Some players have had issue with the in-app purchases, claiming that they're unbalanced, but that's actually not true. Robot's made sure that spending money all goes towards optional customization, not anything that affects gameplay. The ads, however, are a problem for sure. If you don't buy the second team, you're left with very distracting ads in the game menus. Plus, you're forced to watch ads on every turn you play. If, like me, you're playing about 15 or 20 games at a time, that's a lot of really annoying ads to watch. I ended up buying the second team just to get rid of them, which was actually the wrong thing to do. I probably shouldn't have rewarded Robot for annoying me so much. I also wish the title had used Game Center for its login instead of Robot's own clunky system. But despite all of that frustration and the confusion over how the game itself plays, I will say that there is a really nice, well-made game here once you get it. The turn-based battles offer up an excellent mix of deep strategy in very casual and easy-to-control bites, and the game's balanced enough that you can turn the tide of a close battle with some clever moves. Hopefully Robot will work out all of the issues with the game, and balance out those in-app purchases and ads to a point where they support the title instead of overwhelming it. The bonus, of course, is that Hero Academy is a free download, available right now.
First Impressions: Jagged Alliance Online
A short time ago, I posted my thoughts on UFO Online, one of the most exciting titles I found while at E3 this year. While I was there, I was given a tour of Jagged Alliance Online during the same sitting. Both games were thrilling in a "tiny army" sort of way, and both seemed to finally get what makes tabletop gaming and strategy games fun. UFO Online was more complex in some ways, and I found the beta to be further along than Jagged Alliance Online's, but I have had fun in both so far. I'm hoping that gamigo, the publisher of both titles, keeps getting them both right. I still had some issues with Jagged Alliance Online, but it's hard to say whether these will be corrected during one of the following betas. So while it is my duty to report to you these issues, I want you to bear in mind the state of the current game. Fortunately the title seems far enough along that I got a real feel for what is coming. War is coming. Click past the cut and I'll give you the details.
