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ArcheAge CBT5 emphasizes use of the sea with new features
From Kraken hunts to deck-side skirmishes, previously released videos have shown that combat on (and under) the high seas is a given in the upcoming sandbox ArcheAge. At this year's Chinajoy convention, XLGAMES revealed that the seas will play an even bigger role than just a pirate's playground; resources acquired from the sea will be an important part of the game. Players will be exposed to PvE and PvP battles organically while trying to gain control of these resources and battleships will become more vital. And players who prefer a life at sea can forgo living on the mainland as aqua farms and houses at sea can be built in a designated area. XLGAMES announced the addition of specific Chinese content as well, including Chinese-style castles and medium-sized homes. The studio also announced a new reinforcement feature for siege warfare but didn't release details. Players will be able to try the system out for themselves during the fifth Korean closed beta next week. As always, we will keep you updated with more details as they surface!
Some Assembly Required: Four sandboxes we need right now
Hello folks, and welcome back to Some Assembly Required. I've been thinking about sandboxes quite a lot lately, and while this is nothing new, a couple of those I've been thinking about are flying pretty far under the radar. As much as I've been enjoying The Secret World in recent weeks, it can't quite scratch that open world, free-roaming, full-blown economy experience that I've been missing since the days of Star Wars Galaxies and Ultima Online. There are a couple of titles in the pipeline that may recapture those experiences, though. Join me after the break and see whether you agree.
New ArcheAge video shows new styles for next closed beta
XLGAMES has been showing off more and more of ArcheAge's goodies in preparation for the games' upcoming fifth closed beta test. After a story teaser trailer and a video introduction to new areas last week, it's time to see some of the shiny in store for your characters! This newest video highlights some of the new armors and weapons available in CBT5. Each gorgeous armor piece and weapon is shown in fine detail, presumably to make people not in the closed beta even more jealous than they already were. Check out the video after the cut for some very snazzy outfits accompanied by a brief interlude in a room with a sleeping woman and half-naked man.
ArcheAge CBT5 video shows off new areas
With ArcheAge's fifth Korean Closed Beta Test getting closer, XLGAMES released a video highlighting the new areas that will be introduced to testers. And those lands are beautiful! Realistic water flowing over falls, lush greenery, and fluffy white clouds apparently ambling across the sky are just a few of the visual features to feast your eyes upon. The video tour takes viewers through multiple areas, including swamps, a river and falls, weathered ruins, beaches complete with frolickers, a quiet mountain valley, and a waterfront community on stilts in crystal blue waters. Each area shows off the high-level of detail in the game. Keep those fingers crossed for a North American release sooner rather than later and immerse yourself in the vibrant world of ArcheAge in the video after the break. [Thanks to Chris for the tip!]
XLGAMES reveals first ArcheAge story teaser trailer
Fans of the upcoming Korean fantasy sandbox MMORPG ArcheAge already know about a number of the features that will entice them into playing the game if/when it comes to their region, but what about the story behind the world? To draw players into the story, XLGAMES has released a poster and short story teaser video about Orichidna, one of the key characters to change the world of ArcheAge. In this clip, Orchidna asks an unseen arrival, "Why so late?". Perhaps the arrival will be revealed in the next installment as XLGAMES will be releasing the story trailer movie in a series. Check out the video and the poster after the break.
ArcheAge's fifth Korean closed beta coming in August
ArcheAge fans have something to look forward to next month: Thirteen thousand testers will be invited to take part in ArcheAge's fifth Korean closed beta test scheduled from August 16th through the 31st. XLGAMES also announced that the engine merge has completed and CBT5 will be presented on CryEngine3. XLGAMES is calling CBT5 a "grand rehearsal for the open beta"; the open beta is currently planned for the end of the year. The company is looking forward to hearing testers' feedback on housing, marine content, and updated quests in this beta session. [Source: XLGAMES press release]
ArcheAge sends invites for next closed beta, earns Mature rating in Korea
As if to test out the official site after a maintenance, XLGAMES doled out a double dose of ArcheAge news. First, players were informed that the first wave of invites for Closed Beta Test Five have gone out to players who met two requirements: CBT4 stress test participation on February 17th and hitting level 25 in CBT4. Others who have applied to test will still have a chance to get in to CBT5 during more invitation rounds based on a lottery selection method. The second news posting explains that XLGAMES received and accepted a new rating of Mature in Korea for sexual content, blood and gore, and drug abuse. The company indicated that new and future sandbox features in the game would probably have disqualified the game from a Teen rating eventually. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Some Assembly Required: Six essential ArcheAge videos
Now that we know ArcheAge is in fact heading West at some point, I no longer feel bad about discussing the game at every opportunity. Prior to E3, any mention of XL's sandbox and its ginormous feature list felt a little like twisting the knife, you know? Happily, though, that's no longer the case, and I've spent the last couple of days gorging myself on some of the best ArcheAge footage the web has to offer. Some of these clips you may have seen already; some may be new to you. All are worth a(nother) look, though, if only to see just how much gameplay is coming your way courtesy of the genre's most exciting new sandbox.
ArcheAge seeks info on Western demographics with survey
For sandbox fans in the Western part of the globe, watching the development of ArcheAge is a bittersweet experience: sweet that a game with so many coveted features is being developed, but bitter that the game is only launching in the East for now. But XL Games has indicated that a Western launch is not so much an "if" as a "when." With that in mind, the fan site ArcheAge Source is seeking fan opinion and information on North American and European demographics through an unofficial survey posted on Facebook. (No Facebook account is needed to take the survey.) The information garnered from responses may be used to shape decisions concerning ArcheAge in the NA and EU markets, but it is mostly for the fan site "to have some statistics to show at Gamescom 2012 and whenever else we have need for them." [Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: Should localization delay a great game?
At E3 this year, we were thrilled to learn that mega-sandbox ArcheAge is headed Stateside at some point in the future. We were less thrilled to realize that's probably a very distant future. As the devs told us, critical game systems like crafting aren't yet finalized let alone implemented, never mind the long and grueling process of localizing the Korean game for Western audiences, a process that involves a whole lot more than mere translation. But do you actually want an MMO to be tooled to your nationality's supposed preferences if that means long delays? Sure, garbled language and typos drive me insane (ask the writers!), but we suffer them in Western-made games already. And I'm not convinced that Western and Asian audiences are so different that any game requires a multi-year conversion. Some days, I just want the game, localization be damned. What about you? Do you think proper localization is enough of a justification to delay an otherwise-amazing MMO? 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!
ArcheAge to feature extensive maritime gameplay, housing
Fan site ArcheAge Source has unearthed a new interview with ArcheAge creator Jake Song. The translation from the original Korean is a little rough, but there are still plenty of fascinating nuggets awaiting the patient reader. The forthcoming beta phase will see the existing game world "complemented by huge expanses of ocean." This isn't just for show, as Song says that eventually "oceans will allow players to find new employment, for example extraction, preparation, and delivery of seafood." Sea battles are also mentioned, as are "player-built maritime residences." How this relates to the previously announced underwater gameplay isn't clear, nor is it a given that we'll see all of this in CBT5, but ArcheAge's sprawling open world certainly looks to be putting the "massively" back into massively multiplayer. There's more to the interview, including bits on action combat and a clarification on Song's previous remarks regarding console games. Hit the link below for the full translation. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
E3 2012: XL COO on ArcheAge, CBT4, and coming to America
This is one of those good news/bad news ArcheAge articles. The good news is that XLGAMES' sandpark title is absolutely coming to the West. The bad news, though, is that we still don't know exactly when. XL didn't have an official presence at this year's E3, but the firm was kind enough to set up a private interview with COO Suk Woo Choi away from the hustle and bustle of convention ground zero. We talked at length about CBT4, game systems, and the challenges inherent in localizing ArcheAge for Europe and America.
ArcheAge market expands to Japan, hopes rise for more globalization
Although the publishing agreement with GameOn for the service of ArcheAge in Japan was actually signed in 2009 (according to February 25th's press release about Simplygon), details of the company's plans for the game just recently became clear: GameOn's parent company, NeoWiz, aims to distribute and support ArcheAge using a revived social gaming platform called Pmang combined with GameOn. It's not exactly the announcement Western ArcheAge fans want to hear most, but the news that the game will be published in Japan is definitely a step in the right direction; adding yet another country gives hope that the market will continue to expand, perhaps finally to North America and Europe. Also fanning the flames of hope is talk that NeoWiz may take the platform worldwide. We have our fingers crossed! [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
New ArcheAge video shows improvements to Rainbow Fields
ArcheAge's CBT4 ended a couple months ago, and XLGAMES has been busy putting the information gathered to use. To showcase changes and improvements made during the break between CBT4 and CBT5, the studio has planned a series of videos. The first video in this series highlights the transformation of one starting area, Rainbow Fields; once described as empty and flat, this region is now populated with more buildings, has a more diverse landscape, and sports improved weather effects. Although there is still no official word on ArcheAge being released to the western market, sandbox hopefuls can check out the latest improvements after the break. [Thanks to Sandboxer for the tip!]
New ArcheAge video makes western audiences sad
Tencent Games has released a new ArcheAge trailer that's one of the more enthralling clips we've seen in a while. It runs for just under two minutes and it features a plethora of fly-through landscape shots, boss monsters, a wee bit of combat, and a stirring soundtrack. Why Tencent Games instead of XLGAMES? Because Tencent is publishing the fantasy sandbox in China, and the aforementioned trailer is meant to endear the game to the huge number of MMO players that make up the Chinese market. European and American release plans for ArcheAge are still unknown, so commiserate with us by gazing wistfully at the full clip after the cut.
XLGAMES teases ArcheAge soundtrack download
Well, the bad news is that there's still no sign of ArcheAge coming to the western market anytime soon. The good news is that you can now treat your ears to a portion of the fantasy sandpark's soundtrack. ArcheAge's official Korean website has made nine tracks available for your downloading pleasure, including several of the game's racial themes as well as the music from a few different in-game locales. A helpful chap on the ArcheAge Source forums has posted translations for all the track titles, and while this certainly isn't all of the music available in XLGAMES' sprawling fantasy epic, it may just tide you over for a bit.
ArcheAge to feature Chinese-themed city, additional content
XLGAMES' new fantasy sandbox is a big deal in its native Korea, of course, but it's also looking to turn a few heads in the Chinese market. ArcheAge has a strong presence at this week's Tencent media event, and XL has revealed that its devs are working on a new "main city" that features Chinese culture and architecture inspirations. Additional Chinese-themed content is coming in the "near future," according to MMO Culture, and it will include costumes, dungeons, maps, and events. ArcheAge recently closed the book on its fourth Korean closed beta test; XL's upcoming CBT5 phase will coincide with the first Chinese beta.
ArcheAge evaluates CBT4 and revs up for CBT5
After 95 days of intense testing, ArcheAge has put an end to the game's fourth closed beta and is evaluating the results in preparation for the next round. XLGAME's Jake Song said to the press that over 2,000 pieces of feedback were gathered from the event and most all of them were directly addressed by the team. ArcheAge's fourth closed beta test expanded the game significantly. Three land regions, four sea zones, siege warfare, pirates, an auction house, the Kraken, and the new Hariharan race were added for players to try out. The team also improved the look of the Ferre race and clarity during character creation. During the event, XLGAMES incorporated a Footprint system into the game that would "mark" a trespasser who attempted to steal another player's resources, such as cutting down trees. One new feature was removed, however. The team had a combustible liquor barrel in the game but yanked it when griefers threw it into the middle of a wedding ceremony and killed everyone. As the devs put a wrap on closed beta four, Jake Song says that they're hard at work preparing for the fifth test. Before that happens, however, the team will attempt to fix many of the bugs that popped up during the last test, improve client downloading speeds, and incorporate instant dungeons and housing improvements.
XL lowers the curtain on ArcheAge CBT4, releases stats
ArcheAge's fourth Korean closed beta test is officially in the books, and XLGAMES has released a few noteworthy numbers from the three-month event. The test began on December 8th (that's a whopping 95 days ago if you're counting at home) and saw the creation of 173 guilds, the building of 3,400 houses, and the planting of 2,200,000 trees. Players also bought (and sold) 130,000 livestock, 750,000 pine trees, and 660,000 strawberries, according to Korean news site ThisIsGame. CBT4 featured over 40 patches that introduced several new systems to the ArcheAge client, among them siege warfare, the family system, the pirate system, and aquaculture. "We deeply appreciate the testers who participated [in] the long test of [an] incomplete game," said XL's Yong-Gon Kim. "Later schedule[s] [will] be announced as soon as we finish reviewing the test." Western fans are hoping these upcoming announcements will include some sort of English-speaking beta but thus far XL has been silent on the matter.
ArcheAge fan site features lots of CBT4 info
There's still no word on an English-language version of ArcheAge, but that isn't stopping fan sites like ArcheAge Source from digging up lots of interesting stuff on the Korean sandpark title. The site has a wealth of information covering several aspects of ArcheAge's fourth closed beta phase, including multiple skill guides, lore, and various videos. If that's not enough for you, there's also the latest beta patch notes that are available via Google translate. Check them out to learn more about siege ladders, the game's family system, and importing your own graphics for cloaks and ship sails. [Thanks to Andrew for the tip!]
