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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.
Second Global Agenda closed beta test weekend begins today
One of the upcoming games Massively is watching closely is Global Agenda, an amalgam of a sci-fi MMO and a shooter. Global Agenda's creators, Hi-Rez Studios, launched the first phase of closed beta testing roughly a month ago, with new players hammering their servers over the course of four days. The next round of closed beta testing begins today, August 21st, at 3pm EST (12pm PDT, 8pm GMT) and will last through 6am EST (3am PDT, 11am GMT) on Sunday, August 23rd. Where the first test was focused on the early levels of gameplay, Hi-Rez Studios will now focus on higher level gameplay. While we couldn't say exactly what that entails, it's a safe bet that gamers will have access to a wider array of devices and skills. On the topic of skills, our understanding is that this next round of beta testing will throw the alpha and beta testers in the same room for the first time... which should be brutal.
Champions Online NDA has dropped
Champions Online closed beta testers, please observe a moment of silence for your now-deleted characters. They died yesterday as part of the server wipe to make the world a better place for open beta, which kicks off today. The biggest news here is that the NDA is now lifted, and we're expecting there will be a flood of impressions about Champions Online in the coming days from people who've spent time in the game. The Cryptic Studios superhero MMO will enter open beta today at 10 a.m. PDT, and will last through August 24th at 10 a.m. PDT. Barring unforeseen technical issues, daily server downtime is scheduled from 1 a.m. PDT - 3 a.m. PDT. Aside from that, open beta testers have a solid week of gameplay ahead of them.
Karos Online announces closed beta dates and three playable races
It was only the other day when we first mentioned Karos Online, a fantasy MMO in development at Galaxy Gate, which will offer a twist on standard game mechanics with a dual dungeon system. Event dungeons will be limited to five players but battle conditions will adapt to player actions. Maze dungeons, on the other hand, won't have those player caps, and are essentially shifting labyrinths which add more difficulty the further players venture in.If that's caught your attention, Karos Online's publisher NHN released more info today about the game's closed beta test. The closed beta weekend event will begin on Friday, August 21 and last through Sunday, August 23. This first weekend event will let players choose from three different races -- Humans, Shadows, and Seroines -- and one of each race's sub-classes.
THQ*ICE's Dragonica Online to enter open beta on August 18th
THQ*ICE's version of Dragonica Online is all set to transition into its open beta phase of testing next week, on the 18th of August. There's always been a bit of confusion regarding the different versions of this game and their various states of readiness, so we'll be very careful about explaining which one this is: THQ*ICE is responsible for the North American iteration of Dragonica Online. The three English versions have each been attempting to lock down users that try to connect to the wrong service by way of IP blocks. An easy way to see which one you should be registering for is to check the game's Wikipedia entry, which lists all of its publishers worldwide. Also, the NA version is the only one with "Online" in the name.Phew! With that red tape out of the way we can return to your scheduled programming. Those interested in joining the open beta should head to the Open Beta Countdown page and sign up. The test officially kicks off at 2PM Pacific on Tuesday -- if you're too filled with Dragonica excitement to wait that long, then consider entering the "Craft a Dragonica Online T-Shirt" contest. The winning shirt will be made official, and the contest page promises a surprise for the creator: "The winning entrant will be immortalized in Dragonica Online history. Although we can't mention more on this at the moment, it's safe to say you won't soon forget winning!"
The Daily Grind: Is beta testing just free labour?
It seems 2009 is the Summer of Betas. There certainly are a lot going on at the moment: Aion, Cities XL and Champions Online are just three of the most popular currently going on but the sheer concept of beta testing is a bit of a bug-bear amongst players. There are basically two camps: those who lap up a beta and treat it is a chance to explore the newest games (and seems to include most of Team Massively) or the latest content months before anyone else. Camp number two is a little more pragmatic. For these folks, betas (while fun and exciting) are just an excuse for Company X to save some money by getting a few million free and eager quality assurance monkeys. After all they ask for detailed bug reports and the same kind of information that is asked of professionals who get paid minimum wage to play games for hours.So, readers, as you mull over your coffee and cereal this morning, I'm eager to know to which camp you see yourself belonging? Are betas just a cheap ploy to get a few thousand fresh pairs of eyes or a genuine attempt to gauge a new game? Drop your thoughts in the box below.
A Question of Quality...
I do indeed have a Three Month Rule. It isn't a staggeringly complex philosophy, and very literally means that I just wait for at least three months after the launch of an MMO, before even contemplating taking the plunge myself. It wasn't always this way mind you, and once I was a very keen early adopter, filling in beta applications with the rest and generally working myself up into a right old frenzy at the merest mention of something new and something shiny.Part of my current caution is definitely personal cynicism and a certain jaded worlds-weariness, but by no means all of it, and in many ways the Three Month Rule is very much a product of the MMOs themselves, a reaction to a regrettably lengthy succession of rushed and incomplete titles, often lurching out the door in a state of startled undress. Does the oft-repeated phrase 'It's an MMO, they're always like this' hold any water, or is there something fundamentally amiss with testing as we know it, when applied to the MMO?
DDO Eberron Unlimited beta now available to all active subscribers
It's beta madness in the MMO industry all of a sudden! Both Global Agenda and Champions Online are running some major beta events this weekend, and we've gotten word that Dungeons and Dragons Online has some news on the beta front as well with Eberron Unlimited (often simply referred to as "DDO Unlimited"). The beta for Turbine's free-to-play version of DDO is now open to all active subscribers. Turbine Senior Community Manager, Patience, writes: "We're pleased to announce that the DDO Unlimited Beta is now open to all players with active DDO subscriptions. If you have a paid DDO account in good standing you're no longer required to have a VIP key to access the Lamannia server or post on the beta forums! Your account will convert to VIP when DDO Unlimited launches."%Gallery-66994%
Global Agenda closed beta kicks off tomorrow, July 24
Global Agenda fans... it's almost here. The game's closed beta kicks off tomorrow, but a few lucky gamers in Hi-Rez's neighborhood actually got a head start today. Hi-Rez Studios Associate Producer Michal Adam just put up a dev blog over on MMORPG.com about the beta, and how some lucky gamers got first crack at the 'spy-fi' title. She explains the Hi-Rez Studios tradition of N00b day "New Tester Day", where some players are invited out to the game studio to test out Global Agenda. It's part of the company's outreach to high schools and universities in the area. Michal writes, "Today's 'noob' group comprises individuals who live nearby and register through the Global Agenda website for today's testing session. I'm not sure when they signed up they knew they'd be the first to get onto Global Agenda's beta, and I guess I should stop calling them 'noobs' because they are the highest ranked players on our beta server!"
Jumpgate Evolution hits 250,000 beta sign ups
The upcoming sci-fi title Jumpgate Evolution seems to be highly anticipated by the MMO gaming community, at least if the deluge of unique beta sign-ups is any indication. Jumpgate Evolution's developer NetDevil and publisher Codemasters announced today that they've passed 250,000 beta sign-ups. They added, "Everyone working on Jumpgate Evolution is ecstatic about the news, and we can't wait to begin allowing those who have supported us through this phase of development into Beta once it begins later this year." [Via WarCry]
Champions Online explains microtransactions, high level UNITY missions
Cryptic Studios has released a Champions Online State of the Game for July 15. Although it highlights some of the beta happenings of late, it's likely this won't affect many of our readers. However, the info they've dropped about microtransactions and high level content is definitely worth a read for any fans of the game, whether you're a Champions Online beta tester or not. Cryptic Studios writes, "Champions Online will support micro-transactions, but contrary to the concerns of some people, the game is not 'based' on them." They explain the basic scope of what will be possible in Champions Online using microtransactions, such as aesthetic changes and account-level management tools (like renaming your character). However, in the name of balance, they state, "any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play."
WonderKing Online closed beta kicks off Thursday, July 16
WonderKing Online is a new 2-D sidescrolling MMORPG from NDOORS Interactive that may prove to be a hit with gamers who enjoy titles like MapleStory. We've taken a look at WonderKing in recent weeks, in fact we've given away a ton of beta keys to our readers as well. While there are some similarities between WonderKing and MapleStory, both are free-to-play side scrolling games after all, the NDOORS title seems a bit more aggressive. This was confirmed in our interview with the game's developers who told us they're working to implement large scale PvP battles (Castle Battles), where guilds will fight it out to control castles and all that come with them, such as exclusive items and dungeons. That may not be in the cards for WonderKing quite yet, but all those readers we gave beta codes to will find out soon enough -- the WonderKing closed beta kicks off tomorrow, July 16th. For those of you that got in, we hope you have a good time in there.
Korea's Dungeon Fighter Online sets sights on the West
As graphics in massively multiplayer online games push ahead year after year, a few developers are taking a different approach to these games, some with a stylized 2-D look. "Different" is an understatement when it comes to Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online -- a blending of an MMO with an old-school arcade game which Massively previewed at E3 2009. Although the side-scrolling action is reminiscent of games like Street Fighter, Dungeon Fighter Online will have classes and subclasses, skills, and a level-based system of advancement as with the majority of MMO titles. The game has done very well for itself in Korea (where it's known as Dungeon & Fighter) and is coming to North America, with a closed beta on the way.
Mortal Online pre-orders to begin Monday, July 13
Mortal Online is the upcoming massively multiplayer online game being developed by Star Vault, one that will have a deep crafting system in addition to a heavy emphasis on PvP. We've mentioned the details of the limited run of Mortal Online collectors editions and the subsequent delay of Mortal Online pre-orders. The second time's a charm though, we're hoping. It seems that Star Vault is on track to begin pre-orders on Monday, July 13th (at 20:00 GMT +1), according to the announcement in the latest Mortal Online news update. In addition to the pre-orders, Monday will also bring announcements from Star Vault about the game's first beta phase and Mortal Online's system requirements. You can check out the full details in Star Vault's announcement on the official game site.
Fallen Earth staging a scavenger hunt contest for beta players
The team at Fallen Earth have announced a July 11th contest for beta testers of their post-apocalyptic MMO. Given the title's setting, you'd imagine they'd give out prizes like a lawnmower-blade boomerang or a tommy rivet gun. Fallen Earth's legal department felt otherwise. They've opted for less deadly prize giveaways, but no less useful: an Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 video card, Razer Death Adder gaming mice, and of course various bits of Fallen Earth swag. Fallen Earth beta testers who take part in the July 11 stress test (12pm - 3pm EST), for 30 minutes or more, are automatically eligible to win prizes. But they can also increase their odds of winning that gear by competing in the Scavenger Challenge, with details to be announced on the Fallen Earth forums on the day of the contest. Essentially, the devs will post a list of items that can be found in-game. Each item found will count as another entry in the contest. If you're a Fallen Earth beta tester, you can find more info and contest rules on their Scavenger Challenge announcement page.
Gatheryn casual games update brings minigame pavilion and location-based puzzles
The MMO industry seems to be stepping away from pure fantasy titles, and some new projects are taking a rather different approach to what we expect from massively multiplayer online games. Gatheryn from MindFuse is one such title, that blends steampunk and mini-games into an MMO that's a departure from the norm. Gatheryn is already a decidedly casual MMO, but that hasn't stopped the creators from identifying what works and running with it. In this case, they've opted to add more mini-games to Gatheryn's existing beta content.Gatheryn's Casual Games Update, which went live today, brings two new features to the steampunk-themed MMO. The Minigame Pavilion is a carnival where players can try out Gatheryn's numerous minigames, right off the bat, and without needing to pay silver to try them out. MindFuse has also introduced Word Safari, which they describe as "a series of location-based puzzles where players find special objects and match words according to their specific role and location in Elymia." This sounds like fun, and in some respects is like an exploration game as players learn more about the various areas to be found in Gatheryn. If this seems like your type of game, you can register for the Gatheryn beta over on their signup page.
Which version of Aion will be available at launch?
NCsoft is hoping that the pairing of flight and fantasy in Aion will prove to be a hit in both North America and Europe. Gamers who were accepted into the betas have been asking the Aion team about which version of the title the Western markets will see at launch. NCsoft has announced: "Aion is planned to release with version 1.5, the third major game update, bringing the content as up to date as possible. The Aion team strives to keep the game content consistent between territories, and releasing with this game version brings us one step closer to this goal." Our own Lesley Smith has been writing about her experiences with the game through Aion's various beta test phases, particularly the experience of becoming a Daeva as an Elyos or as an Asmodian; we recommend reading her hands-on series if you're interested in this title. Massively will continue to cover Aion leading right up to the game's September launch.
Mortal Online limited edition available June 29, first game reviews are in
Mortal Online is the next MMO title on the way that will cater to the hardcore fantasy PvP niche, which is currently filled for some gamers by Darkfall Online. The Mortal Online developers, Star Vault, announced that two beta players were given permission to write "Combat Beta" reviews of the PvP-centric title, which can now be found on the game's official forums. One was written by Mortal Online player Lachrymose which looked at character creation, melee and ranged combat, while the other review by Shinzon looked at crafting and the game environment, as well as combat. That caught our attention and we think the reviews are worth a look, but the real news here is about the Mortal Online limited edition we mentioned recently -- there are only 999 copies of the limited edition which will go on sale on June 29th in the Mortal Online Game Store. Here's what you'll get with the limited edition: Everything in a printed jute bag Numbered and embossed metal box Collector's figurine: Draconigena Knight Collector's figurine: Thursar Barbarian Mortal Online journal with 24 concept art pages and poster Free shipment of all pre-launch updates on DVD Digital Download access Free access to 'Block A' beta "Free future digital updates and expansions" One month of game time (after the Q4 launch)
Dragonica enters open beta in Europe
The free-to-play game Dragonica has entered open beta in Europe as of June 10th. Dragonica is a 3D side-scrolling MMO developed by Barunson Interactive and operated by gPotato (Gala Networks Europe Ltd.). The title is currently offered in English, French, and German languages and has very low system requirements, so it should run well on older hardware or even on netbooks from what Gala Networks Europe states.Just for additional clarification, this open beta is for the EU's Dragonica operated by gPotato, not to be confused with the North American version of the game titled Dragonica Online, which we previewed at E3 2009.
Star Vault reveals Mortal Online beta and pre-order details, launch info
Another competitor in the hardcore PvP niche in MMOs may give Darkfall Online a run for their money: Mortal Online from Sweden-based developer Star Vault. The game is presently in closed beta and is about to get its first test of the release build. The real news here is that Mortal Online has announced its open beta and release schedules. Pre-orders for Mortal Online will begin on June 29th via the official site, and the actual launch (with monthly subscriptions) is slated for Q4 2009. Anyone who pre-orders the game "in any of the formats available" will have access to all of the beta phases remaining until the title launches. The catch, however, is that the pre-orders are limited to 10,000 people.
