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The Repopulation update talks tutorials, testing
Development on The Repopulation is moving right along, and Above & Beyond Technologies has updated fans with a lengthy October recap. The lion's share of the work during the past month went towards preparing the sci-fi sandbox for testing, and the news blurb mentions a new tutorial system that focuses on repeatable training scenarios. While many sandbox MMOs have simply thrown players into the middle of the action and expected them to figure out complex systems as they go, The Repopulation looks to be placing a premium on educating new users before turning them loose. Also on the testing front, the devs are targeting "early 2012" for beta, and the exact date will depend on how quickly the team can develop content and stockpile enough of it "to keep players busy during the initial months." Finally, there are quite a few patch-note-style updates in this month's recap, and you can find the full post on the official Repopulation website.
The Repopulation influenced by UO and SWG
Searching for more info on the new indie sandbox called The Repopulation? If so, check out an interview with Above & Beyond Technologies' creator J.C. Smith at Quick Jump. The piece covers a lot of ground, and Smith talks about everything from inspiration for the sci-fi title to the current state of the cluttered MMO market. "I think this market still has room for growth, and that the main reason we see some of these titles as failures is due to elevated expectations and bloating budgets," Smith explains. What's going to set The Repopulation apart, then? That's a much longer answer, and portions of it will no doubt set sandbox fans' hearts aflame. "We probably drew more influence from Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies than we have from any other MMOs," Smith says. "To me, UO was what I expected from an MMOG."
The Repopulation adds action mode combat toggle, military system
Last week we told you about a new three-faction sandbox MMO called The Repopulation. Today we've got the very latest on the game courtesy of Above & Beyond Technologies' end-of-September progress report. As it turns out, some of September was dedicated to preparing for the game's initial announcement and piecing together the accompanying trailer. Other than that, though, the devs did make a bit of progress on gameplay proper. Action mode combat was the biggest addition, and the update describes an interesting mechanic that allows users to "toggle between action- or RPG-mode combat at any time during gameplay." The other big addition is The Repopulation's military system. In a nutshell, it's a ranking system that allows players to gain military XP while performing various duties for their nation's armed forces. Ranks, medals, and perks like armor, weapons, vehicles, robotics, and special abilities are among the system's rewards.
New Hero Engine sandbox to feature 3-faction PvP, deep crafting
Hey sandbox fans, here's another indie title to keep your eye on as we look toward the new year. Above & Beyond Technologies is working on a sci-fi game called The Repopulation, and the company has just released a new trailer filled with pre-alpha footage. The project is built on the Hero Engine (and if that doesn't mean anything to you, you'll surely recognize the tech's most famous implementation to date) and is described as a three-faction PvP game that allows players to join existing nations or create their own. Gameplay is purportedly skill-based, and there is a toggle between traditional MMORPG button-mashing combat and some sort of action mode. There are also "many non-combat activities" including an "advanced" crafting system. The video shows quite a bit of footage given its sub-two-minute running time, and you can get a glimpse of city building, combat, and the user interface after the break.
Activision's Death Drive, Above and Beyond outed
Judging by some recently discovered website listings, two brand-new Activision titles are in the works. First up is Death Drive, which has a GameFly page and not much else. The rental outfit lists it as set for the Xbox 360 and PS3 with a November 2010 release date. Superannuation, for its part, says this is not related to the new James Bond title. That game -- Bloodstone -- had its own GameFly page. Past tense. Meanwhile, over on the Australian Classification Board's website, there's a listing for a game called Above and Beyond. We've got even less information on this one -- apart from the fact that it's rated M for violence. In both cases, we've contacted Activision to try and see exactly what these games are all about.
