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Allods Online adding first major update
Allods Online has been working on updates and bug fixes since the game began open beta in February, and now the team at gPotato is ready to try its hand at something bigger. The first major update for Allods Online was announced today, with the highlight of the patch being the Arena of Death, a place for PvP combat "of the highest calibre." Players will be given certain tasks to complete in order to gain entrance into the Arena of Death. The Arena will offer faction battles and the opportunity for special buffs. PvP will also see improvements such as more policemen in camps and main capitals as well as an improved respawn timer. The update didn't end with PvP, though. Once players reach level 38, they'll have the ability to participate in Astral Ship training for a preview of Astral content. All players will find new quests as well as some additional polish to existing quests and instances. Finally, some graphical enhancements will give a little extra polish to the game overall. Check out our gallery for a sneak peek at some of the new additions to Allods Online! %Gallery-91331%
One Shots: Let the sun shine
When it comes to ridiculously cute character races, we have to admit that the Gibberlings from Allods Online are right up there on our list. As opposed to just getting one character, you get a gaggle of three Gibberlings that you get to customize and name, then start your adventure with. Today's One Shots shows off one such gaggle, sent in to us by Daire, who writes: "I caught this screen just after coming out of the void from the first allod in Allods Online. The true beauty of the moment can't really be given justice just by the screenshot, as the music really gave it feeling. The void gave way to the sunrise of my new adventure in Allods, & with my older brother and younger sister by my side, I felt ready to earn my place in Gibberling society." Have you had a moment in an MMO you've been playing that takes your breath away? If so, we'd love to see a screenshot of it. Email it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. Please make sure it's at least 1024 pixels across and has as few visible UI elements as possible. It might wind up as one of the next featured One Shots here on Massively! %Gallery-85937%
Free for All: The first sample is free
There is a common myth floating around the MMOsphere, and I will have to admit that I have done my part in spreading it. It's one of those half-truths that can be used on either side of the free-to-play debate, and could help or hinder the spread of high quality free to play titles. That myth? That free-to-play games are free. They are not, essentially, as is nothing in life. Someone has to pay at some point; either at the point of creation, the point of making a character or at the point of paying the electricity bills. Also the price to make the games keeps going up more, the last quality game driving up the stakes for the next. Free-to-play is steadily shaking off the stereotype of cheap and grindy, but soon enough they will face the same issues that subscription model games face. Being free does not mean costing nothing, even though many of us blissfully log in night after night without paying a dime.
One Shots: Come sail away
It's been a long time (if ever) since there has been a free-to-play game that has caused quite as much uproar as Allods Online has. From item shop pricing to death mechanics, there are a lot of players who think this game has real potential. The one thing that many really seem to like about Allods Online is the colorful, interesting locales you can visit in the game, such as this screenshot of a port sent in to us by Pedro. He writes in: In this screenshot i wanted to show the view from the port of the capital city allod, which is the name of the floating islands in the game. There are tons of interesting sights out there in MMO land, but we need you to make One Shots happen. So while you're out playing today, why not grab a screenshot of something interesting for us! Then all you have to do is email it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Gala-Net releases Allods trailer
Free-to-play publisher Gala-Net has released the official trailer for Allods Online, the company's newest MMORPG. Allods launched late last month amid a firestorm of controversy and fan outcry regarding high cash shop prices. The title, which features player-crewed flying ships and a soundtrack by renowned video game composer Mark Morgan (Fallout, Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment), was developed by Russian game maker Astrum Nival and is the largest video game project in the country's history. Check out the embedded trailer after the jump, and get a glimpse of Allod's motion-captured animations as well as its PVE combat and visual design. The trailer is also available on YouTube and the Allods Facebook fan page.
Allods announces cash shop price reduction
The last week and a half has been a wild ride for Allods Online on both the player side and the developer side. On February 19th, Allods Online debuted their cash shop, and the prices were universally considered unreasonable. (Unreasonable was putting it mildly, according to popular opinion.) Many players at first assumed there was a mistake and waited anxiously for the correct prices to be added. Word quickly came down that the prices were indeed correct, and the games were on. Angry players either left the game entirely or stuck around to protest. Eventually, the Allods Online team acknowledged that the pricing decision was a bad one and announced they'd be changing the prices soon. They have now released what we've all been waiting for: the updated price list. Follow along after the cut and take a look at the new (and certainly improved) prices for the Allods Online cash shop.
Allods Online announces changes to cash shop pricing
When Allods Online soft-launched on February 16th, it had proven just how much buzz a free-to-play game could generate in a short span of time. Three days later, it proved how quickly a game's reputation could plummet, as the release of the cash shop prices sent most players into a paroxysm of rage. The official statements (and interviews) were seen as amounting to "well, it's our game so pay up," and the crowd was quickly turning around and heading for the hills. So an age-old strategy has been employed: the powers that be are reversing their position The official announcement doesn't give any details, but it makes it clear that the community outrage has been heard, and the cash shop prices will be revised sometime this week. The structuring has been changed to make "participation in this element of the game" less onerous, and no doubt to try and reverse some of the animosity leveled against Astrum Nival and gPotato in recent days. It remains to be seen whether or not the turnaround will mollify players or if the changes will be too little too late, but it's good to see that the voice of the players has been heard all through Allods Online.
The Daily Grind: Soured on Allods Online?
Last Monday, everyone was looking forward to the soft launch of Allods Online on the 16th. This Monday, many of those same people are scowling and making their fair share of unhappy grumbling noises. What happened? Well, while no one expected that the anticipated free-to-play would lack an item shop, almost no one expected that the prices would be... well... for lack of a better term let's say "ruinous." No small portion of the blogosphere has piped up in rage, and the official response from the company succeeded in further angering players and potential players. Oh, and there's a bit of discontent about how this ties into the next patch, as well. As we survey the game's quick reputation shift, it's well worth asking where people stand on the issue. Has the entire brouhaha and ill-received response soured your opinion of Allods Online irrevocably? Would you be willing to try it if the prices were lowered, or are you now refusing to play the game solely based upon principle? Or are you willing to roll with the changes and write the entire thing off as a misunderstanding?
Allods opens cash shop, prices drive players insane
The Allods Online's community isn't happy with the game's cash shop prices. Currently, the cost of increasing your bag slots from 18 to 24 is $20, which is considerably higher than pretty much every other free-to-play game on the market. It's not entirely clear whether this is some kind of back-end mistake on gPotato's part or an actual pricing change. And looking at the general section of Allods Online's official forums reveals that, in fact, a lot of players are pretty upset over the whole fiasco. Some are proclaiming rage-quits while others are considering boycotts but nobody is happy about the news. Of course, some more level-headed community members are attempting to communicate with gPotato in order to get the prices changed to more reasonable prices -- something which is apparently true of the Russian version of the game. We'll keep you updated as the story progresses.
Allods Online set to enter open beta on February 16th
Allods Online surprised us last November, seeming to come out of nowhere and offering an extensive, polished game even in beta. The game has been cycling through several rounds of closed beta since then, adding more content with each round and allowing beta testers to further explore their world. Fans of the game who didn't manage to score a closed beta key during that time have something to be happy about today: open beta for Allods Online in Europe and North America will begin next Tuesday, February 16th. Not only that, but all characters created during the open beta will not be deleted. If you're curious about the game, check out our previous coverage and prepare yourself for the awesomeness the right way. [Thanks Kane!]
Being in it for the money
We might fight a lot of enemies in our MMOs, but a number of players will agree that there's one enemy that is bigger than anything else: the company that makes the game. Blizzard, Square-Enix, Funcom, Bioware -- according to this branch of the playerbase, they don't care at all about the people playing their game. All they're concerned about is making money. They just want to get your money by any means necessary. However, the people who claim that say that like it's a bad thing. Nobody ever smiles and says "boy, I'm sure glad Sony Online Entertainment is in this for the money." Oddly enough, when you start to think about it, the fact of the matter is that it's not only transparent that these companies are in it for the money, it's a good thing. We should be happy that most of these companies are there to get our money by any means necessary.
One Shots: A visit to the capitol
One of the names we keep hearing in terms of community buzz amongst the free-to-play titles heading for the market is Allods Online. People are comparing it to World of Warcraft, and with screenshots like the one above, we can understand why. The art, while not exact, is certainly very similar. The developers of Allods Online, Astrum Nival, have apparently taken the "if you can't beat them, join them" approach. We'll have to wait and see if it works. For now, we have this screenshot to enjoy, along with a note sent in to us from Pedro R. who writes in: [This is a] view of the main plaza from the League capital city. This game really has amazing graphics and [a] great storyline.Are you really enjoying a new title, particularly one we perhaps haven't had a chance to see as yet? Why not take a screenshot of something interesting and send it in to us? You can reach us at oneshots AT massively DOT com -- and be sure to send along your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here and give you the credit! %Gallery-9798%
Top 10 tips for Allods Online
Saylah from the Mystic Worlds blog is one of the many enthusiastic closed beta testers for Allods Online, and is making the most of her experience by learning as much about the game as she can. She's on her eighth character, having rerolled several times to learn the classes, and has provided a great rundown of the game so far, including the extremely useful "Top Tips for Playing Allods." Her list of ways to better enjoy your time in Allods runs the gamut from very general (take time to smell the roses -- explore the world) to the very specific (what gear kits to buy and where to buy them.) If you are a current closed beta participant and have not read through this list yet, you definitely want to. Even if you aren't in the game yet, Saylah's post is a nice starting point for anyone considering playing -- it gives a good feel for the game overall and is worth bookmarking for the day you venture into Allods.
One Shots: Necrosteampunkanomicon
digg_url = 'http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/one-shots-necrosteampunkanomicon/'; While many feel that Allods Online is teetering close to World of Warcraft in the art department, we'd like to note that while glowy green stuff was definitely present in the hometown of the Forsaken, you didn't really find characters that looked like the guy above. To our eyes, he looks rather like some weird undead steampunk Terminator thing -- kind of a scary idea in and of itself! Today's Allods Online image comes to us from Jason B. who writes in: Gotta love mechanized undead. Here's my Arisen Occultist from the Allods Online beta hanging out in the Imperial Square in Nezebgrad. Long live the Empire! Screenshots from large MMOs to small -- we want them all! Just email those snaps in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. Please make sure your images are at least 1024px across, and have largely no UI elements visible. We'll post them out here and give you the credit for mailing them in! %Gallery-9798%
Allods Online gears up for Closed Beta Test 3 with preview articles
The third closed beta for Allods Online starts tomorrow, which might seem like quite a ways off if you're one of the many people anticipating the game (or one of the winners of our recent beta key giveaway). Even if you weren't lucky enough to get into the beta testing, you can still be excited about the game and hungry for more information. As part of the ramp-up for this test, Astrum Nival and gPotato have posted a series of previews of the look and lore of some of the areas in the game. Starting with the dusty wasteland of the Orcish homeland (complete with Goblinball field) and the elven land of Tenebra, the preview moves on to contested territories and dungeons. Asee-Teph, one of the first contested areas, seems to have more than a few factional artillery pieces in place across this jungle-like area. Following that is Eljune, which seems to be the border between forest and tundra, as well as home to demons and ruins. The previews also include a handful of dungeons: the dark and forbidding Castle Blight, the industrial Lab Thirteen overrun with giant insects, and the ethereally gothic Darkblood Citadel. Allods Online has been generating some impressed reactions, and these previews help show why, even if it's only showing the impressive visuals.
The Daily Grind: What game are you looking forward to next year?
Okay, it's not quite the new year yet. But you've made your Christmas list by now (or your winter-holiday-of-choice list), you've probably gotten your pre-orders in, and you've hopefully narrowed down what you'll be playing next year. And it looks to be pretty packed, with an entry for both the Star Wars and Star Trek IPs, a new offering from Square-Enix, Allods Online in the free-to-play market, expansions for City of Heroes as well as some other fly-by-night game, and many more that would take an entire post just to list. So today, with the next year still a little bit away but not so far, we ask: what game or expansion are you looking forward to? Are there several different new games, several expansions, or a mix of both? Are you planning on moving away from your current game to play one that's launching next year, or are you looking forward to something else as a nice side game? Or are you on the opposite end of the spectrum, preferring to sit pretty with your current game and ignore the inevitable storm of releases next year?
The Daily Grind: Thanksgiving eating binge edition
Everyone during Thanksgiving Day asks you what you're thankful for. It's a logical if somewhat bland question, given the nature of the holiday. But today, we here at Massively would like to celebrate something equally integral to the holiday -- stuffing yourself until you can no longer move under your own power. Today, we want to know what game you're going to be gorging yourself on today and with any further time off you get in the near future -- what you're going to just play until your eyes roll back in your head. Really, what better way to celebrate a holiday where our biggest tradition is eating in excess? Perhaps you're going to enjoy some Allods Online in the closed beta, being lucky enough to be in the beta and enjoy a game that's getting some good press thus far. Maybe you'd prefer to wander the wastes of Fallen Earth and take in a full helping of niche gameplay and deep systems. Or perhaps you're just taking a spin through an old favorite like EVE Online and taking comfort in the familiar. When you have the time, what game are you devouring?
One Shots: A look at Allods
With not just one, but two rounds of Allods Online beta keys flying off of our Massively Codes site, we figured it would be a matter of time before we started to see some images from this interesting F2P game currently in beta. Today's image comes to us from Pingles, who said they've cleared the Allods Online players to send in their images to us. He writes in: So far the Allods beta is going great and we have their permission to submit screenshots! My player Pingles has just reached his capital town and I'm very impressed by both the design and the quality of the artwork. Thanks for sharing with us! Hopefully we'll see more as people get in there and check it out.If you've actually read this far, it means you must like One Shots, so why not send in some screenshots from your MMO gaming? We need lots more screenshot love, and you're the best ones to help us out. Just grab screenshots from your favorite MMO and send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a quick description. We'll showcase the screenshot and give you the credit for sending it along. You know you want to! %Gallery-9798%
The space after death in Allods Online
To be or not to be, that is the question -- whether 'tis nobler in Allods Online to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous aggro, or to take up arms against a sea of mobs, and by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep -- to sleep, perchance to enter Purgatory. Aye, there's the rub -- for in that sleep of death what penalties may come when we have shuffled off this mortal server must give us pause. The most recent bit of news out of Astrum Nival's upcoming free-to-play MMO Allods Online concerns the nature of death, and what better way to discuss that then touching upon Hamlet? Well, perhaps actually talking about it. The short version, however, is that the inhabitants of the game consider death as a fairly irrelevant situation altogether. Elves, for instance, view it as an opportunity to create a particularly beautiful moment of their lives. Orcs take it in stride, much like losing a match of goblinoball, in the sense that there will always be another match. The reason for this rather lackadaisical attitude toward that undiscovered country from which no traveler returns is detailed in the latest bit of news, as well as gameplay effects of passing on in the game. Though reading more is not an enterprise of great pitch and moment, lose not the name of action and take the time to read it.
Kick the goblin in the upcoming Allods Online
After a long day of grinding, there's nothing quite like the appeal of getting a chance to kick back... or perhaps to kick a hapless goblin across a playing field. Allods Online, the upcoming fantasy space opera from Russian developer Astrum Nival, has released some details regarding the sport of Goblinoball -- the national pasttime of the orcish race, and one of the game's forms of informal PvP. By way of introducing the players to the sport, they explain a great deal of the game's orcish lore, explaining the direct and warlike nature of the race and their inherent belief that only those strong enough to defend themselves are entitled to any rights. Goblinoball in the game's storyline has evolved as a way for orcs to settle their differences without necessarily killing one another, taking advantage of the plentiful and weak goblins of their homeland out of a sense of autocratic glee. The game is based in no small part off football (or soccer to the American audience), right down to the culture of screaming and violent fans, which suits the orcs perfectly. If the description of the event sounds fun to you -- or if you just like kicking around defenseless short things -- the game's closed beta is still accepting registrations. If you'd prefer avoiding the beta, however, you can rest assured that the game will be free-to-play and quite accessible after launch.
