alganon
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Anti-Aliased: We put the no in innovation
So, yesterday I was browsing our site, and I was happy to see that our community interview with David Allen had gone up, as I didn't get the chance to read it. We had lots of great questions sent in, and I think the ones that Shawn chose were really some hard, direct questions, that I felt someone really had to ask.Reading David's answers left me thinking, however. David is a person who I certainly admire, as he was the brain behind Istaria, and he really presented some very innovative gameplay mechanics in that game. Alganon, however, is not innovative nor is it cutting edge. It is, quite frankly, another World of Warcraft. Something that, in my opinion, this genre does not need another of.David's rationale as to why Alganon looks and plays like Warcraft is the part of the interview where I was left in thought. While I understand he wanted to make a game that players could easily adapt to... did it have to resonate of Warcraft so strongly? Furthermore, are we, as a genre, stuck in a rut?Editor's Note: (As always, if you wish to comment on this edition of Anti-Aliased, please do so on page two of the column. Thank you!)
Alganon community interview: Your questions answered
Last week, we reached out to the Massively readers for questions to ask the team at Quest Online regarding the upcoming Alganon MMO. David Allen, president and co-founder of the studio, stepped up to answer the ten questions chosen for him by us. In addition to this Q&A -- found after the jump below -- Alganon is also announcing their open beta that kicks off today. So if you find David's answers interesting and think you might want to try the game out for yourself, head on over to this link and check it out for yourself.
What do you want to know about Alganon? Ask the CEO!
After our Alganon Q&A fell flat on its face yesterday, we decided to lick our wounds and proceed with something we've been planning to do for developer interviews anyway: let you ask the questions! We ran the idea by the folks at Quest Online, and they're up to the challenge. So if you have something you'd like to ask the Alganon developers, send an email to shawn AT massively DOT com by Friday, November 6th at 8am EDT with the subject line "Alganon questions." Questions asked as comments to this post will not be considered. We're going to pull 10 of the best questions from the bunch and toss them at the Quest Online team. We're looking for thought-provoking questions, not just general bashing or praising, so be constructive. Negative or positive, they are ready for what's on your mind. Once the answers are back, we'll post them on the site as a reader-submitted pre-launch interview. So don't be shy! Get those questions in.
Alganon open beta announced for November 11
If you were disappointed to hear of Alganon's recent delay until December 1, this news might cheer you up. We just received word that Alganon open beta is set to launch on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. This is a great opportunity to check out the game for yourself rather than taking other peoples' opinions for it. The client can be downloaded from a number of places including Direct2Drive, Fileplanet, MMORPG.COM, Curse, and the Alganon and MyAlganon websites. If our previous closed beta key giveaways are any indication of the interest in this new title, open beta should receive a hefty amount of player attention. If you're already in the beta, Quest Online seems to have made a number of improvements across the board that should make for a better gaming experience. We recently caught up with president and co-founder, David Allen, for an interview, so feel free to give it a read while you wait until next Wednesday.
Massively's pre-launch interview with Alganon
After a newly-announced launch delay, we now have just under a month before Quest Online's Alganon releases to the public. Now in its beta stage, Alganon has enjoyed mixed reviews since the NDA was lifted two weeks ago. We thought we'd take this opportunity to ask some of the questions floating around about this new fantasy MMO, and how it sets itself apart from existing fantasy MMOs. Quest Online's president and co-founder, David Allen, was kind enough to answer our questions, which include everything from those of PvP content to his thoughts on being compared to World of Warcraft. Keep reading below for the complete interview.%Gallery-70834%
Alganon decides to wait a month
Are you excited about Alganon? Excited enough, perhaps, that you might have chosen to take a couple days off from work in anticipation of its scheduled launch on October 31st? If so, we've got some kind of bad news for you. It's not coming out then after all. As a matter of fact, it isn't going to release until December 1st, according to community manager Tork at the official site. What's the reason for the delay? The official post is shy of concrete reasons, but it mentions that the decision was reached in order to test on a larger scale as well as refine the game further. It also mentions that they're looking forward to running more contests and improving their visibility -- both excellent aims. Community response has been surprisingly positive and moderate, which might be a good sign in advance. If you are one of the people who pre-ordered, however, the announcement isn't just bad news -- everyone who pre-ordered the game by October 31st will get a free month in compensation. Actually playing Alganon will have to wait for a little while, but an extra month certainly helps take the edge off.
Alganon to be exclusively distributed through Direct2Drive
Alganon fans, you're going to want to make sure you're keeping an eye on Direct2Drive, as Quest Online has announced an exclusive partnership to sell the game solely through the online digital distribution service.Pre-ordering the game before the launch date of October 31st will net you a variety of incentives, including beta access, study bonuses, mounts, family heirlooms, and more! While we don't have any exact information to offer on what those items are, it still sounds like a nice plethora of stuff for buying the game early.Of course, partnering with D2D means partnering with IGN, and that means that Alganon's beta will be conducted exclusively through Fileplanet. Those guys over there will be the keepers of the Alganon beta keys from here on out, so look to them if you're interested in the game's upcoming open beta.
Win a key to Alganon's private beta with Massively
In early August of this year, we offered 20 beta keys for the upcoming fantasy MMO Alganon. If you missed out on that one, we're giving you another shot as the folks at Quest Online have teamed up with Massively to provide 20 more keys into their private closed-beta. This is your chance to get into the game early, and experience what Alganon has to offer, before its official launch on October 31st.To enter, simply leave a comment (one per user) to this post before Monday, October 5th at 8am EDT. At that time, the 20 winners will be selected randomly from the pool of commenters and awarded their keys immediately. Good luck to all participants![Edit: Comments are now closed and the winners will be contacted today. Thanks for the entries!]
Alganon devs field questions on the studies system, crafting, and high level content
We now know that Alganon is set to release in October of this year, which is pretty darn soon. Chances are you still have some questions about the game, seeing as we really only started noticing it a few months ago. Recently the game's developers Quest Online gave members of the community a chance to send in some queries for a Developer Roundtable. The results of that Q&A session are now in, with the team tackling four questions: How does the studies system help casuals from being left behind in progression and/or power? (link) Will we be able to use SMS to do things like queuing up studies while not in-game (same link, further down page) What plans are in place to keep players in the higher levels entertained while they wait for new content to be released? (link) Is crafting actually going to be useful or is the primary source of new gear going to be new drops like most MMOs? (link) Some quick takeaways from the answers given: the studies system can significantly lessen the gap between hardcore and casual players under some circumstances, SMS functionality isn't in place now but may be later, and high-end crafted gear is intended to be as powerful as raid gear. The devs are already collecting questions for the next roundtable, so if you've got any burning questions ahead Alganon's launch at the end of next month, head over to the thread and hit them with your best shot.
Alganon sets October release date
Alganon is an upcoming fantasy MMO that we here at Massively have our eyes on. It is said to integrate more of an expansive social network than we may already be used to, as well as a new look at on and offline skill advancement.But the real news here is that Quest Online, the makers of Alganon, have announced a launch date of October 31 of this year. In preparation for this launch, the forums have been completely revamped. Preorders will also be taken later this month, featuring a digital download option and special preorder bonuses, to be announced later. Check out the official Alganon website for more details.
Massively's Alganon beta key giveaway: Round 2
Earlier this month, we gave away 20 exclusive keys for the Alganon closed beta test, going on right now. The popularity of that contest was so great, that the folks at Quest Online decided to give it another go with 20 more keys (and an exclusive screenshot, above) for Massively readers. To enter, simply add a comment to this post before Friday, August 28th at 8am EDT. Next week, 20 random names will be selected from the pool of commenters and contacted by us. These winners will then need to register on the MyAlganon site and provide us with their registered username. Those 20 winners will be the first to receive beta keys directly from Quest Online when the next batch is released. Best of luck to all the participants![Edit: Comments are now closed, winner will be contacted soon. Thanks!]
Massively's Alganon beta key giveaway
We're happy to announce a new giveaway this week for an exclusively small private beta. The game is Alganon, from the folks at Quest Online, and we have 20 keys to give away. This makes it quite special if you're looking to get into the early stages of a small beta.Alganon is a fantasy MMO with features such as Families you can join to complement guilds, offline character advancement, an in-game social network called MyAlganon and much more. Be sure to check out their official website for more detailed information on what the game will offer.So how do you win a beta key? Simple. Just leave a comment on this post any time from now until the end of the week (one comment per registered member). On Friday, August 14th at 8am EST, 20 random names will be selected from the pool of commenters and contacted by us. These winners will then need to register on the MyAlganon site and provide us with their registered username. All 20 will then be given a beta key on Monday, August 17th directly from Quest Online. Best of luck to all the participants![Edit: Post comments are now locked, winners will be announced on Monday]
Fantasy MMORPG Alganon to hold public beta in September
This is our first post about Alganon, so we've gone and done a bit of digging to find out more about it. If the game has flown under your radar too, the results of our research might be of some interest to you: It's a fantasy MMORPG with seven classes of the sort you might expect, but each class will be able to slightly alter their capabilities at will to better fit different group situations. This is known as the "Dual Role System". The "Studies" system will allow for offline progression, to make it easier for casual players to keep up with those that are more active. MyAlganon is a social networking site linked to the game for in-game data, communication with other players, guild hosting and (currently) beta information. It also links to "The Library", which is a repository of game knowledge and a place to view various leaderboards. The game is currently planning to use a subscription business model but this may change later on. These are but a few of the features that Alganon has -- you can see more on their About page (you also might want to have a look at their FAQ). If you've read through the information and think you might want to get involved with the game, you'll be pleased to know that a private beta test is currently underway and a public beta is scheduled to launch in September. To get into the tests, register at MyAlganon and then make a post in this thread.
