alpha-testing
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Tribes Universe looking for a few good alpha testers
Earlier this week we reported on Hi-Rez Studios acquiring the Tribes license for the purposes of making a Tribes Universe MMOFPS. We also sat down to talk with company CEO and lead designer Erez Goren to get the inside scoop on the game. The original announcement, as well as our interview, indicated that alpha testing would initially be restricted to level 50 Global Agenda players. Happily, Hi-Rez has opened the process up a bit, and any interested parties can apply at the game's official website. Alpha testing is currently scheduled to begin in early 2011, and the team is looking for experienced testers and FPS players. "Because the game will be focused around huge battles on huge landscapes, we need a solid group of very dedicated testers that can help us from the game's earliest stages to validate the scalability and performance of the game, while also helping tune and refine gameplay," said executive producer Stewart Chisam.
New video highlights character creation in Final Fantasy XIV
The funny thing about Final Fantasy XIV is that even though it's going to be notably different from its predecessor, most of the previews we've seen have focused on points of similarity to Final Fantasy XI. But the most recent new release of information should help silence some of the comparisons -- it's a video of character generation. While accompanied by something of a silly spy motif, the focus is clearly on creating a character -- and even just with a single Mito'qe, the creator clearly has a great deal of power. Some of the hairstyles on display will be recognizable to veterans of Final Fantasy XI, some will not -- but the comparisons end there. Characters have a number of different values to adjust, ranging from the obvious (hair styles) to the subtle (you can have separately colored highlights for your hair, if you wish). The YouTube video is embedded after the cut, and it should be an entertaining seven minutes for anyone anticipating Final Fantasy XIV.
Want to sink your teeth into a vampire MMO? Massively can help!
With the recent popularity of movies like Twilight, it seems that the folks at Ohai have timed the announcement of their new vampire MMO just right. City of Eternals is a browser-based MMO set in the world of modern vampires. It is completely free-to-play and is currently in its private alpha testing stage. According to the developer, "You can choose your Vampire look and fighting style, explore a massive city with dozens of story quests, combat instances, and standalone missions. You will learn to harvest valuables and craft useful items, customize your own home, and choose your path to becoming the ultimate Vampire." If that genre appeals to you, and you'd be interested in alpha testing the game, head on over to their invite page where they have 100 invites reserved for the Massively readers. Each person who gets into this alpha will receive 100 "ohais", which are their own form of virtual currency in the game that will cost real money once the game launches.
Rumor: Wrath of the Lich King closed beta to start on July 3rd
July 3rd, 2008. This will either be a blessed day for a lot of us WoW addicted folk, or one of some major disappointment. According to the German site allvatar, they spoke with Blizzard's German assistant community manager Gnorog. He reportedly said that the community managers now had permission to announce the Wrath of the Lich King closed beta as starting on July 3rd.Now before you go and tell your friends and family what really is important to you (because lets be honest, WotLK beta > 4th of July, right?) you need to consider that this is nothing more than a big ol' rumor.This information came from Gnorog when he was at the World Wide Invitational in Paris this past weekend. I know that Gnorog exists and is a German community manager, but I can't confirm that he was at the WWI (although I'm sure he would have been). We get a good amount of beta and release rumors every day here at WoW Insider, and half the time they refer to people that aren't even real. So this rumor gets +10 for referring to a real person.
Mages in WotLK: I'm re-speccing frostfire
As you are likely already aware, the internets exploded yesterday with what is apparently leaked details from the friends and family alpha of Wrath of the Lich King. Arguably the biggest part of this news was that we apparently have access to very early versions of the new talent trees for several of the existing classes. Being the responsible, conscientious Mage columnist that I am, I immediately pored over the Mage talent trees, devouring this very premature, more than likely never-to-see-the-light-of-day info like a starving man would tear into a steak.Of course, as we all know by now, information coming out this early is almost guaranteed to differ radically from what actually makes it live. Still, it serves a purpose. Even if none of these spells and talents reach the live servers unmolested, at least we're getting a glimpse into Blizzard's development process, and possibly seeing the direction they intend to take our beautiful class in.We like Blizzard around here, and since they made it clear that they do not want us posting the new info directly, I won't be specifically listing the new Mage talents here. You can find those on the WotLK information Wiki, so click away. When you're done, come on back and join me after the jump, where I'll give my take on what the expansion appears to have in store for Mages.
