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GamersFirst talks APB core game changes
Fans of All Points Bulletin are in for a treat this week as GamersFirst has dropped a ton of new info about the game in its latest APB Reloaded blog entry. Zak "Qwentle" Littwin (former QA Lead at Realtime Worlds and current designer at GamersFirst) devotes a lot of virtual ink to APB's closed beta tweaks, and also hints at "much more extensive changes" in store for the game's open beta and release clients. Littwin teases a new game mode called Turf Wars as well as APB's first proper expansion which will feature a new district for the city of San Paro. First things first though; the meat of the blog entry concerns core gameplay adjustments that GamersFirst wishes to test in the closed beta. These include cheat detection (via Punkbuster as discussed last week), weapon modifications, and sweeping changes to the old game's progression curve. A few of the game's vehicles have also been modified. The original version of APB received a fair bit of criticism related to its driving mechanics, and GamersFirst is looking to rectify this in part by "giv[ing] each vehicle a lot of individual personality and specialisation and unique benefits, rather than everyone rushing straight to the Cisco/Bishada/Jericho/T25." Finally, Littwin touches on premium accounts and the challenge inherent in differentiating them from free-to-play services without unbalancing the game. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and read all about it at the official APB Reloaded blog.
Could EA's history make investors wary about SWTOR?
According to a report on Gamasutra, investors have been slow to support Electronic Arts in its latest MMORPG endeavor, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The article released today cites Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey as saying, "We believe many investors are betting against SWTOR achieving market success, provided the company's (Warhammer Online from Mythic) and industry's track record at releasing successful new MMOs." WAR and of course All Points Bulletin being the latest MMOs from EA could make a potential investor a bit gun-shy about placing his money into another game of the same genre. Investors are not just concerned with the initial sales of SWTOR but also the long-term success of the game. The article uses the sales trend of WAR as an example. The first week's sales of WAR topped at 500,000 subscriptions, which is impressive for any MMO, yet subscriptions did not stick as customer satisfaction plummeted. If an investor is not familiar with BioWare's past successes or if he happens to view BioWare as a rookie in the MMO genre, then his wariness is clearly understandable. Today, Mike Hickey is calling Electronic Arts a "buy," but that may change if investors continue to see EA as a risky investment.
New APB Reloaded dev blog outlines aimbot policies
This week's APB Reloaded dev blog is live, and GamersFirst CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson gives way to Aphadon, a former AI engineer on the Realtime Worlds version of APB who is currently overseeing the anti-cheat systems for the new incarnation of the game. Aphadon details the original implementation of PunkBuster in APB (and the performance and connection-related disasters that it caused for players in the beta), and states that it eventually was able to detect "every single commercially available aimbot." Due to the financial problems at Realtime Worlds, the APB team was never able to ban the thousands of cheaters that were identified in the original game. For chapter two, Aphadon states that the problems with PunkBuster have been ironed out, and anti-cheat measures will be enabled from the start of APB Reloaded's closed beta. GamersFirst is also planning a hard line approach when it comes to dealing with aimbotters. Aphadon says that first-time offenders will be immediately kicked and their accounts (and PCs) banned temporarily. A second offense will result in a permanent account and PC ban.
GamersFirst to preserve old APB customizations
Good news is in the offing for APB fans, above and beyond the fact that their favorite game is rising from the dead. GamersFirst CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson has checked in with his weekly APB Reloaded blog entry, and while the piece is shorter than what we've become accustomed to over the last couple of months, the discussion is quite interesting. First up is an official confirmation of the fact that the new version of APB will let players keep all of their customizations from the Realtime Worlds version of the game. Book-Larsson acknowledges the fact that this might lead to some weird pairings (i.e., players may have items that fall outside of the new progression systems), but he supposes that most veterans will be OK with that. "You will basically be unique thanks to you having played the game "back in the day," and our goal is to make sure your many gazillion hours of investment do not go to waste," he writes. The second item up for discussion is endgame PvP. Book-Larsson indicates that this is an ongoing challenge for the GamersFirst devs, and as such, the new system(s) probably won't show up in the closed beta. The goal is to give high-level players something to do after they've survived the grind and to eventually turn APB Reloaded "in to a platform for many different unique experiences."
APB Reloaded beta signups detailed
If you've been wondering how to sign up for APB Reloaded's upcoming closed beta, you'll want to check out GamersFirst CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson's latest blog post. For now, the process is pretty straight-forward, and basically entails registering with your preferred email address and creating a GamersFirst account. As the beta date draws nearer (currently the devs are eyeballing the first week in February), you'll receive an email asking for your DxDiag and personal info. Book-Larsson says that after the data has been verified, you'll receive a beta key. He also mentions that approximately 20,000 people have registered thus far, and GamersFirst expects to make use of 6,000 to 8,000 closed beta testers (with 800 online during peak hours). Finally, Book-Larsson hints at a unique beta tester reward as well as the fact that no pre-existing characters or accounts from the Realtime Worlds version of APB will be carried over to the beta. Hit up the official APB Reloaded blog for all of the details.
There's a conspiracy afoot: Funcom and EA co-publishing The Secret World
The Secret World went dark a few months ago -- no doubt to hatch nefarious, world-ending plots that involve brain leeches and alien zombies -- so it's good to see Funcom's sinister child poke its head up for some solid news. It turns out that Funcom's been involved in a conspiracy of sorts: The company has signed a pact with EA Partners to co-publish The Secret World. EA Partners is a division of Electronic Arts that co-publishes third-party games such as Crysis and APB's first incarnation. Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas sees this as a way to propel the company's MMO to world domination: "We are tremendously excited to be working with what is undoubtedly the world-leading games publisher for the past decade, and it is also a great testament to the fantastic work of our development team. The experience and the knowledge that Electronic Arts brings to the table will be instrumental in allowing us to realize the full potential of The Secret World." Funcom's had a rocky few years with its finances, which is why some doubted if The Secret World would ever make it to launch. Fortunately, this co-publishing deal seems to ensure that TSW will go the distance with two companies supporting it. We still have no word on the beta or release date, but this is at least a step toward the MMO seeing the light of day -- or the gloom of the night.
APB Reloaded blog talks new client, closed beta date
Anxiously awaiting the (re)launch of the new free-to-play version of All Points Bulletin? You're not alone, as the folks at GamersFirst are as well. To that end, how does a projected late February closed beta date grab you? Bjorn Book-Larsson drops that particular hint in the latest APB Reloaded dev blog, and also says that the beta application details will be forthcoming in the next week. Book-Larsson goes on to talk about why it's taking GamersFirst a bit of time to turn the lights back on for the resurrected MMO crime opus, and two of those reasons boil down to a new game client and a new company network. While this week's blog is a little light on client details, Book-Larsson does indicate that more info is forthcoming. "The exact config of the client will be the focus for each update in each of the next several weeks, so at the moment all I will say is that the closed beta client will be a little bit smaller than the original shipping client. It will have a basic premium system built in, various balance fixes, and we might be able to turn on the chaos rule-set," he writes. The remainder of the lengthy blog entry focuses on techie details relating to GamersFirst's new network, and for those of you who are prone to glazed eyes at the thought of techno babble, Book-Larsson invites you to tune in next week when the discussion will turn to in-game features.
One Shots: Our top 10 of 2010
It's been a crazy, busy year here at Massively. While there weren't nearly as many Western MMOs that came out this year compared to some other years, One Shots had an excellent year, with some truly first-rate images submitted by our fantastic readers! As such, I wanted to take a moment to run down some of the top picks in terms of MMO images that we've received in 2010. First up, we have this ridiculously awesome image that reminds us of the potential that the All Points Bulletin character creator had. While we never did find out just how long it took Crabtree and his friends to create their 1970s-era Trek group, we do know that this particular screenshot got a lot of positive comments from readers and was one of the ones we heard about the most. Hopefully with GamersFirst rebooting the game as APB Reloaded, we'll once again see creative entries like the above image coming in to One Shots! Curious as to the other nine in our top 10 for 2010? Join me after the break!
GamersFirst's predictions for the video games industry in 2011
While end-of-the-year predictions are quite commonplace amongst game industry bloggers and journalists, it's a bit rarer to see prognostications coming from game-makers and executives. GamersFirst bucks that trend with a press release outlining its forecast for online gaming in 2011. Unsurprisingly, the free-to-play publisher sees its preferred business model "taking over the video game market," as well as a massive shift to mobile gaming and digital distribution. Closer to home, GamersFirst senior vice president Rahul Sandil says that 2011 will be a banner year for the company that recently acquired 9Dragons and APB. "We are poised to make noteworthy contributions to the future of F2P online games. We look forward to expanding client-based and web browser F2P MMOs throughout Turkey, Europe, South and North America," he says. Check out the full list of GamersFirst industry predictions after the break.
APB Reloaded blog talks hackers and cheaters
Bjorn Book-Larsson has a lot to say about APB Reloaded, the forthcoming reanimation of APB's corpse, courtesy of free-to-play publisher GamersFirst. Book-Larsson, the company's COO/CTO, has been blogging about the resurgent title for a few weeks now, and veteran players and prospective newbs alike will want to take a gander at his latest entry. The blog focuses on APB's anti-cheat protections and, while it doesn't go into great detail for obvious reasons, Book-Larsson does make a decent case for APB Reloaded's level playing field. First off, he points out that the server-driven game is "more resilient to cheaters than most other F2P MMOs" due to the fact that F2P titles generally don't spend the same kind of money on infrastructure in comparison to your average P2P title. "In APB we are going to run a giant experiment to basically determine if hardware costs/specs have progressed far enough to make F2P server-driven games financially viable," he says. Book-Larsson goes on to discuss the aim-bot problem, as well as various denial-of-service attacks that GamersFirst has dealt with over the past few years. It's an interesting read for anyone curious about APB Reloaded or MMO security, and also offers a humorous bit of insight relating to the over-reporting of cheaters.
The Daily Grind: Will you be playing APB Reloaded?
Corpse rezzing is nothing new in the MMORPG space. Most of us do it, or have it done to us, several times a week on average. Reviving the smelly carcass of a dearly departed game is not quite as trivial, as death in the corporate world is usually more permanent than the inconvenience experienced by our avatars. All Points Bulletin is currently undergoing a reanimation process of its own, and while the verdict is still out on how well the transition to GamersFirst will go, several Massively staffers are excited about the prospects of a return engagement in San Paro. Today's Daily Grind question is an easy one, but feel free to expound on it if you wish. Will you be playing the new (and hopefully improved) version of APB? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
APB: Reloaded blog chronicles the resurrection of an MMO
If you're as fascinated with the saga of All Points Bulletin's death and promised resurrection as we are, then buckle up, hang on tight, and cling to clichés like there's no tomorrow. We've already talked with GamersFirst about its tentative plans to tweak and reopen APB next year, but there's far more to the story than that. On the APB-Reloaded blog, GamersFirst's Bjorn Book-Larsson decided to chronicle the journey from acquisition to relaunch with a series of weekly posts. In the first such post, Book-Larsson makes the humorous observation that his company has been called the "Crazy Cat Lady" of MMO publishers due to picking up "strays" and nursing them back to health. He then dives into the challenge of balancing the game's content and play against its new free-to-play structure. This transitions to his second post, which examines the company's plan for premium (i.e., paid) players. "The goal then becomes nudging the most hardcore players into 'Premium' account status, in order to help pay the bills, while also letting people lease weapons and perform micro transactions for other items," Book-Larsson writes. So far, the blog is proving to be a great ongoing read of this high-profile situation, so head on over and check it out for yourself!
The Perfect Ten: The sadistic shopper's list for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
With the holiday shopping season upon us, gamers are hot for great deals and cheap entertainment. As my wife's logic goes, if something is 80% off, you buy it, even if you didn't really want it in the first place. It's the principle of the thing, an automatic 80% dose of smug satisfaction at being a savvy shopper! Not every deal should be pursued, however. Although most video games are playable for years and decades after release, not so with MMOs that have had their service shuttered. It's recently come to my attention that even though these games are completely unplayable -- rendered nothing more than a few cents' worth of a DVD and cardboard packaging -- online retailers haven't kept up with the times and keep these products on the virtual shelves long past their expiration dates. That's not to say you should avoid these products at all cost, because studies show that a large percentage of Massively readers have a sick and twisted sense of humor. What would make a better gift this Christmas than a multi-million-dollar-budget MMO that died a horrible death years before? So don't be the typical gifter who settles for a Blu-ray player or an iPod -- give a package of misery, disillusionment and broken dreams! Hit the jump for 10 items that absolutely belong in your shopping cart if you wish to be feared!
This week on The MMO Report
This week on The MMO Report, Casey takes us on a free-for-all ride through the MMOGverse, scratches an itch in Uncle Casey's Mailbag, and shares a timely lesson just before World of Warcraft: Cataclysm launches. Listen and learn, for lo, there is wisdom to be had on this mythical (and not-so-mythical) topic. This episode starts off with a look at All Points Bulletin, which has been pulled back from the grave by GamersFirst, and hopefully will get more of the features it was supposed to actually have when it launched. Moving on from there, Casey touches on the recent opening of Ministry of War as a browser-based MMORTS. Some of the staff here dig it, being a bunch of Civ fiends. Mind you, if we start seeing boob-infested flash ads for the game popping up everywhere, we're going to deny ever hearing its name. In other snark news, Casey takes a look at the continuing saga of the Final Fantasy XIV free trial, which is being extended yet again in an attempt to keep fans happy. Looks like Square-Enix will have a title out for the holidays* -- which might be when this one actually becomes fully playable. Finally, the last bit of news wraps up with a mention of DC Universe Online's new trailer showing off a police station which is strangely devoid of donuts. Guess glazed pastries just don't mix with skin-tight spandex. You can find this week's episode behind the cut and of course every week at G4TV. * Note: 'Holiday' is used here to refer to any/all holidays in a given calendar year. Could be Christmas, could be Arbor Day. Who knows?
The Daily Grind: What games are you shocked to find still running?
When Alganon soft-launched nearly a year ago -- no, really -- many people suspected that it wouldn't make it halfway through the next year. As it turns out, the game is still running and has just recently received a fairly major update, a far cry from dead. The same cannot be said of All Points Bulletin, and if you look at both games, the fact that Alganon is still running and updating might be almost incomprehensible. You might have tried the game once and found it lackluster; you might have just seen early videos and assumed the game was dead in the water. But sometimes you look back and find that the game you wrote off as a definite failure is still going after all, and you just stopped hearing about it at some point. What games are you surprised to find still running? Were they games with rough launches, or ones that just dropped off your radar for a while? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
APB: Reloaded's Rahul Sandil expands on development plans
Yesterday's announcement that GamersFirst is planning to launch APB: Reloaded was an exciting one. Fans of the game's previous iteration are simultaneously excited to see it returning and a little anxious about how well it will go. We at Massively are just as interested as you are, and now that the initial announcement has made the rounds, we want to know more! GamersFirst SVP of Global Markets and PR Rahul Sandil took some time from his busy schedule to chat with us about what's in store for the game. Follow along after the jump for all the latest on APB: Reloaded!
GamersFirst CTO talks about APB: Reloaded
While news of All Points Bulletin's impending resurrection is a few hours old at this point, it's still worth taking a peek at one of the better interviews on the subject. Our friends at Joystiq got to talk about the upcoming F2P APB: Reloaded with GamersFirst's Bjorn Book-Larsson, and the CTO/COO had some interesting thoughts on the subject. "We think of it as an opportunity. It's worth our effort to take it and combine it with all of the user data we have and let the game take its time to reach its full potential," Book-Larsson said. He goes on to touch on APB's potential popularity in non-traditional markets, particularly South America, and also illustrates how it complements the company's existing WarRock FPS. As for changes to the Reloaded version, Book-Larsson says the major one will be the fact that all the game's action districts will be accessible without a fee. As with most F2P titles, the ultimate goal is to get the player in and hooked "because at some point you're going to run into a situation where you'll want to spend money," he says. Check out all the details at Joystiq.
APB: What it was and what GamersFirst hopes APB: Reloaded will be
With the news of APB rising from the grave as APB: Reloaded, Joystiq spoke with GamersFirst's CTO and COO Bjorn Book-Larsson. The company is a free-to-play publisher which maintains a steady following and, as you can imagine, we were left with plenty of questions following the announcement -- the biggest being: why? APB was largely seen as a failure, both commercially and critically. It was called "ambitious" by some, which may have been its biggest problem. But for Book-Larsson, it's all about opportunity. "We think of it as an opportunity," he told Joystiq. "It's worth our effort to take it and combine it with all of the user data we have and let the game take its time to reach its full potential."
APB acquired by GamersFirst, relaunching as APB: Reloaded in the first half of 2011
The earlier reports are true: Reloaded Productions Inc., a subsidiary of GamersFirst -- which is, in turn, part of K2 Network -- has purchased the presumed-deceased MMO, APB, from its creator Realtime Worlds. The publisher plans to relaunch the game sometime in the first half of 2011 as APB: Reloaded, a free-to-play iteration utilizing the micro-transaction model. Come back later today for an interview with GamersFirst's COO and CTO, Bjorn Book-Larsson, for an answer to the most crucial question: Why?
GamersFirst to resurrect APB: Reloaded as a free-to-play title
The saga of All Points Bulletin has become one of the dominating MMO stories of 2010, with its buggy launch, premature shutdown, hunt for a new owner, and rescue by free-to-play publisher GamersFirst last week. Displaced APB fans who are wondering what plans GamersFirst has in store for the game should find themselves bouncing with glee today: The publisher is definitely planning to bring back the game, now entitled APB: Reloaded, as a F2P version. GamersFirst's Bjorn Book-Larsson sees the move as a win-win for both the publisher and players: "APB was a game that had several exceptional features and some brilliant ideas, even though it was plagued by some initial balance and monetization issues. We want to take all the unique features of this title, such as its unparalleled character, weapon and car customization systems, and convert the game to a true free-to-play game. We are deep into the planning and early execution stages for this next chapter of APB and we will share more details in the near future." The purchase of APB's assets means good news for ex-Realtime Worlds employees, who will now receive any outstanding wages and promised holiday pay. APB: Reloaded should be coming back online in the first half of 2011.
