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Allods Online releases updated statement, solicits player input
You'd have to be hiding under a rock to not have noticed the brouhaha that's been going on with the Allods Online cash shop. Players have been in an uproar about the Fear of Death mechanic coupled with the $13.50 price-tag for perfumes; the $20 pricetag for an additional 6 bag slots; as well as the changes coming to the Russian version of the game on patch 0.7 with mounts requiring a cash shop item to go faster than walking. They gave us a public statement before, but many people felt that it was marketing double-speak that effectively said nothing at all -- at least if our comments section is any indication. When you add in the swirling rumors that the original developers had left the building and were no longer actively involved in helping to develop Allods Online, you can imagine the din. The forums were alight with people asking for some type of statement -- or just ragequitting. Last night, the folks at gPotato finally decided to respond to player concerns with a statement many in the player community seem to feel is a far better one than last time. This one not only answers the question as to whether or not the original developers are still on board (short answer: yes), but also addresses the cash shop pricing, and opens a thread where they're soliciting constructive player feedback. if you've been concerned about this, now's the time to head over there and have your say. Also, be sure to check out Massively Speaking tomorrow, when our Editor-in-Chief, Shawn, will be asking a representative from gPotato the hard questions about Allods Online. We're sure you won't want to miss that!
One Shots: Off into the wild blue yonder
As you're reading this, the servers for Allods Online are coming online for the 'soft' launch of the game. In terms of free-to-play MMOs, this Russian game developed by Astrum Nival and being released by gPotato has been gathering a lot of interest from players looking for something casual and fun that still has some depth and a more traditional Western feel. For today, we have this great screenshot and a huge note from Leonard E. who played Allods Online during closed beta and wanted to share his thoughts. As such, we'll turn it over to him after reminding you to send in your MMO screenshots to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. For now, on with Leonard's note; be sure to read the rest of it behind the break! I've been playing since CB3. and my character's name is Aselin. This is myself waiting for the ship to come by, and what caught my eye is how vast Allods space is. It gives that same feeling I had when I first played EVE Online. You can get an immediate sense on how much more you can do in this game. %Gallery-85937%%Gallery-9798%
Community Q&A: Ask Allods Online
Allods Online has just announced an extension to its fourth closed beta testing, with an open beta looming on the horizon. We've been giving the game some healthy coverage since it entered the early beta stages, and we're always excited to interact with the developers and publishers whenever we can. But now it's your turn! As with our previous Community Q&As, we want to hear from our readers on the pressing questions you have for the developers. Whether you've been enjoying your time in the game or not, we want to know what you'd like answered. So if you'd like your question considered, simply leave a question as a comment on this post by Monday, February 8th at 8am EST. Or, if you'd feel more comfortable with email, send one off to me at shawn at massively dot com. We'll gather up the questions and send the best off to the Allods team for the answers. Once we get the answers back, we'll post them here for all to see. Please remember to keep your questions respectful and your criticisms constructive. Beyond that, have at it!
Allods Online Closed Beta Test 4 key giveaway
Today marks the start of something very special for fans and players of Allods Online: Closed Beta Test 4. This stage of beta brings a raised level cap to 40, seven new contested zones, new instances, raids, Goblinball and Astral Ships. This all begins today at 11am PDT and runs until February 3, 2010. But the best part is, we have 5,000 keys for you! To grab one for yourself, head on over to our giveaway page, click the key claim button at the bottom and copy your key. From there you'll head over to the official Allods Online website to redeem your key and download the client. While your client is downloading, check out our pre-release developer tour of the new zones and Astral Ships, including a comprehensive video. Please note that if you've already acquired a key in previous stages of beta, you will not need one now. Good luck!
Exclusive Allods Online dev tour: Astral Ships and the end game explained
Earlier this week, the team at Allods Online were kind enough to sit down and walk me through some of the highest-level areas in the game. Knowing that I'm already an avid fan of the game, it was exciting for us both to "talk shop" for a bit. It was especially exciting to see some features of the end game that not too many North American players have seen up to this point. Of course, I'm talking about Astral Ships and the end game. With Closed Beta Test 4 arriving this coming Tuesday, January 19th, high-level players will finally be able to see real Astral Ship combat and how it all works. This article is meant to prepare you for the awesomeness and hopefully answer some questions you may have next week and into launch. Follow along after the jump for our complete write-up, a gallery of screenshots we took during the tour and a video to fully capture the epic win.%Gallery-83082%
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.
Massively's third closed beta key giveaway for Allods Online
Allods Online's third closed beta test is about to start, and we want to make sure you're prepared. With 5,000 keys to give out this time, more Massively readers will get their chance to see what the buzz is all about. This stage of closed beta will run from December 29th to January 11th and open up the level cap to 30. New content includes World PvP, four new zones, four new instances and approximately 500 new quests. Of course this is all in addition to all the content we've enjoyed in the first two closed beta tests. If you'd like to grab a key for yourself, head over to our giveaway page and follow the directions there. Since this giveaway is for the North American version of the game, you'll need to head over to allods.gpotato.com to redeem your key and download the game. Again, this beta won't open up until December 29th, but this will give you plenty of time to prepare! If you have a key from a previous beta stage, you don't need to grab another one this time; you're already set.
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.
Allods Online taking sign-ups for closed beta
gPotato has announced that Allods Online is just about to enter its closed beta phase of testing, and there is now a sign-up form available for those interested in getting involved. The upcoming free-to-play title is being developed by Russian studio Astrum Nival, who are responsible for localizing and publishing a number of online games for the Russian market, as well as developing Heroes of Might and Magic V (though they were known as Nival Interactive at that time, the core team is now part of Astrum Nival). With Allods Online, the team hopes to create a game that stands out in the free-to-play arena due to its high production values -- with a US$12 million budget to work with, they certainly have the opportunity to achieve this goal. It is based on a popular Russian single player RPG called Allods (or Rage of Mages internationally).So what's the game actually about? Here's the developer's rundown: "Allods Online is a free full blown MMORPG set in a fantasy space opera universe with player-built and player-controlled space battleships, creating a new dimension of co-operative game play. Join one of the 2 factions at war in the deep storyline by choosing from one of the 28 classes available." If this has you wanting to find out more, then make sure to visit the game's site and sign up for the closed beta. It's set to begin in the next couple of weeks, with further invites being sent out in waves after the initial batch. There are also some incentives for players who reach certain levels during the test. Head past the break to see a trailer explaining a little bit about the title's battleship gameplay.
