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The MMO Report: Good to the last drop edition
It's time once again for another freshly-brewed episode of the MMO report, where we can expect that the week's news will be roasted to a tasty, yet full-bodied finish. This week finds Casey Schreiner and the crew at G4TV touching on some of the most important -- and strangest -- news from the MMO world, as well as getting their caffeine on in Uncle Casey's Mailbag. First up, Casey reminds us why lawsuits are very silly things, and gives voice to the one thing we suspect many people fear about the legal bickering between Bethesda and Interplay over the Fallout MMO. Up next, the Blood Lord's rampage in Vindictus is on the radar (with a shout out to us here at Massively -- thanks!), proving you can't have slaughter without laughter. From there, it's on to Champions Online, and its move to free-to-play starting on January 25th, as well as news from APB's continuing free-to-play conversion. (We'd have something witty to say about those two, but we keep getting distracted by character creation. The next thing you know, hours have passed.) Finally, Casey rounds out this week's episode with a one-two punch of some truly weird news coupled with the usual dose of insanity in Uncle Casey's Mailbag, aided now with large amounts of caffeine. So grab your coffee cup, and join us behind the jump for all the best (and some of the worst) in this week's MMO Report. You can also catch it every Thursday on G4TV.
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.
This week on The MMO Report
This week on The MMO Report, intrepid host Casey Schreiner kicks things off with a bit about Duncan Jones' take on the World of Warcraft film, a story we mentioned earlier this week here on Massively. He also takes a look at the final class roster video for BioWare's Star Wars The Old Republic. The clip focuses on the trooper class, and Casey can't help but mention the "blaster inaccuracy and downright buffoonery" associated with the iconic white armor thanks to the original trilogy. Next up is a blurb about GamersFirst's plans for APB Reloaded, followed by a look at RIFT's release date and subscription options. Casey also touts the indie smash Minecraft as showing the world that "the MMO community is begging for a new kind of game experience" and asks developers to take note of what one man (Minecraft designer Markus Persson) managed to do sans a multi-million dollar budget. Finally, in the absence of reader mail, Casey turns the requisite mailbag segment on its head by reading his own personal letter to the audience. Check out all the shenanigans after the cut, and be sure to catch The MMO Report every Thursday on G4TV.
APB Reloaded closed beta to start in February
The official Twitter account for APB Reloaded, the free-to-play relaunch of the troubled MMO shooter by GamersFirst, says that the closed beta of the new version will begin as soon as next month. Information will reportedly be sent out to interested parties (presumably including former APB players, though you can sign up on the official site as well) this week. Then, in February, closed beta servers will come back online as the game gets its second chance to succeed. GamersFirst told Joystiq recently that its first priority is to "get the game up and live again" and then drop an unreleased patch, open up some of the zones originally locked to free players and, finally, institute microtransaction plans and offerings like premium accounts. The company also plans to target new markets with the game, specifically Brazil and South America. Here's hoping the second go-round turns out better than the first one did.
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.
APB's Book-Larsson talks story, game modes
Bjorn Book-Larsson is back! Forgive the exclamation point, but we had to accentuate the latest in the long line of developers with action hero names (and with apologies to Atanas Atanasov and Tasos Flambouras, Book-Larsson has vaulted near the top of the spiffy name list). In any case, the GamersFirst COO/CTO has updated his APB Reloaded blog with some interesting insights into the game's story. Yes, you read that right; we said story and APB in the same sentence, and before you think we've been brainwashed by the likes of The Old Republic, TERA, and other story-centric MMOs in the offing, consider Book-Larsson's assertion that APB was originally designed to facilitate the "open world-ish" nature of the Grand Theft Auto series. "APB actually has the beginnings of a lot of the elements that will make it a really successful game in the long term, and could in theory exploit (maybe complete) both types of interactions [story and shooter elements]; there is actually a giant backstory to the entire city (100 plus pages of it), there are deep anthologies of the various factions in the city, and there is even the foundation for a single-player mission mode," he writes. Whether or not players will care about APB's potential to grow beyond an ordinary shooter remains to be seen. After all, Global Agenda is a similar title with a fairly deep backstory (and one that is summarily ignored by 99.9% of the players fragging it up in AvA and merc matches). The fact that GamersFirst is even considering future additions to APB is relatively exciting news, and we'll be watching with great interest.
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!
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.
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.
