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Game of Thrones: Ascent studio developing strategic mobile Star Trek game
Disruptor Beam, the developers behind Game of Thrones: Ascent, announced the development of Star Trek Timelines today. Published by CBS, Star Trek Timelines is a story-driven strategy RPG for iOS, Android and browsers in which players explore galaxies and resolve conflicts through diplomacy, combat and science. Players will build a starship and crew and go on missions with characters from the many series of Star Trek TV shows and movies. The studio's CEO, Jon Radoff wrote a blog on the developer's site detailing its vision for the multiplayer game, comparing it to Game of Thrones: Ascent. While Radoff said the game will be familiar to Game of Thrones players, Star Trek Timelines will feature a "more immersive exploration system" as well as "a more detailed tactical system" for conflict resolution. Disruptor Beam currently doesn't have a release schedule for the game. [Image: Disruptor Beam]
Game of Thrones: Ascent coming to iOS, Android
Game of Thrones: Ascent, which was chosen as one of the best Facebook games of 2013, is headed for iOS and Android next. Developer Disruptor Beam's CEO, Jon Radoff, told Gamezebo that the move will conclude "in the near future." Those who started the game on Facebook will be able to link their accounts for cross-platform play, or start on mobile from scratch. Game of Thrones: Ascent casts players as nobles in the popular world penned by George R.R. Martin. A new Game of Thrones title was also announced by Walking Dead developer Telltale Games last month. That series is planned to begin sometimes this year, hopefully before winter. Because, y'know.
Game of Thrones Ascent launches alliance vs. alliance
Last August, Disruptor Beam announced plans to enhance endgame in Game of Thrones Ascent by adding alliance vs alliance combat. Players looking forward to the large scale battles and diplomatic dealings of AvA can now jump in and have at altering the balance of power in Westeros as the system is now live. The post explaining the new system is quite lengthy, but here's the idea in a nutshell: Alliances will earn victory points by establishing and fortifying camps as well as attacking or assisting other alliances, and to the victors (the ones with the most points) go the spoils (special rewards). After a period of time, a new phase will begin and all points and camps will reset. The system, which is meant to evolve, will offer different rewards, different goals, and potentially different ways to earn victory in different phases. For an in-depth look at AvA, check out the devs' detailed guide. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Game of Thrones: Ascent to introduce item enhancements and alliance PvP
Big changes are headed to browser-based social MMO Game of Thrones: Ascent. In a lengthy and detailed developer blog, studio Disruptor Beam outlined the challenges it sees with keeping players engaged in GoTA at the endgame point and how it plans to address those challenges. The main problem, it appears, is that there currently isn't enough to do after finishing volumes one and two of the story. Disruptor Beam determined that the lack of options upon the completion of the story leaves players with no reason to play, noting, "There needs to be something more to our endgame." The studio has a two-part plan to keep players engaged. The first is item enhancement, which allows players to modify items to adjust their attributes and unlock new abilities. Improved items can be made permanent so they persist through reincarnation. The second part is alliance vs. alliance combat and diplomacy, which enables players to create alliances of up to 500 members and declare war (or form peaceful bonds). Alliances will be able to own camps and use those camps as launch points for attacks against other alliances. According to Disruptor Beam, both of these features are still in the deep testing phase. The studio hopes to have them rolled out in the next few months. In the meantime, it appears as though Game of Thrones: Ascent is growing more and more into a fully featured MMO every day. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip]
Zynga inks distribution deal with Game of Thrones Ascent developer Disruptor Beam
Zynga announced that it has established a partnership with Boston-based social game developer Disruptor Beam to bring the studio's popular Facebook game Game of Thrones Ascent to its player base at Zynga.com. Since its open beta launch in February, Game of Thrones Ascent has attracted more than 500,000 players to its strategy-focused take on the world of Westeros. As part of the agreement, Zynga will handle distribution of the game on Facebook and its own web portal, and will work closely with Disruptor Beam through its Zynga Partners program. Starting with HBO's third season of Game of Thrones, additional Ascent content will be released after each new episode airs, resulting in what Disruptor Beam CEO Jon Radoff calls "a unique transmedia experience that is not currently seen in any other social game."
Game of Thrones Ascent ties updates to Season 3
Watch out, Defiance: You're not the only transmedia synergy wiz-kid on the block! Game of Thrones Ascent announced that it's started to release weekly updates that will tie into the previous night's broadcasted TV episode. As the first episode of Game of Thrones' third season premiered last night, the first episode of Ascent's new content went live today. It's titled Episode 1: Valar Dohaeris and adds "dozens" of new quests, multiplayer alliance challenges, a power leaderboard, and a siege workshop. Developer Disruptor Beam released some stats for the title (which is still in beta!). The studio says that 43% of the players so far have pledged allegiance to the Starks, 25% to the Targaryens, and 15% to the Lannisters. More players choose to fight (35%) than any other action, and the Neck is the most popular destination in the game world (16%). [Source: Disruptor Beam press release]
Rise and Shiny: Game of Thrones Ascent
There are several things that Game of Thrones Ascent, a social game by Disruptor Beam, does right. At the top of that list is the way the game works as a vehicle for easily digestible content, content that comes from some of the densest reading material in modern fantasy. For the record, I still haven't read any of the books that the Game of Thrones television series is based on, but luckily I have a wife who will simply burst with excitement when she reads some new tidbit... unless she tells the nearest person (me). It must be hard making a game based on such a popular piece of fiction. The fact is that I didn't expect the little-known developers to do much good. I thought players would be smashing through a game that served as nothing but a cheap commercial for the HBO series. I was very wrong.
Slaughter your frenemies on Facebook with Game of Thrones Ascent
If there's one problem with Facebook, it's that there isn't nearly enough backstabbing and politics. Game of Thrones Ascent aims to fix that appalling lack by bringing users into Westeros, where they can wage war alongside some of the most beloved and reviled characters from the popular book and TV series. Game of Thrones Ascent has just launched its Facebook open beta. All game content is currently open to players, and Disruptor Beam has plans for adding new and player-requested features as time goes on. You'll have the opportunity to start and rule your own house, give your loyalty to one of the Great Houses from the series, stockpile resources, and jockey for position. There's room for cooperative and decidedly uncooperative maneuvers with other players. There's no word yet on whether or not House Targaryen players get a bonus for recruiting siblings. Skip below the cut to check out the game's trailer. [Source: Disruptor Beam press release]
Game of Thrones Facebook title in the works
HBO's Game of Thrones is getting the online gaming treatment for the second time in the space of a calendar year. First it was Bigpoint's free-to-play browser MMO, and now it's a Facebook game called Game of Thrones Ascent, which is being developed by Disruptor Beam, a social gaming company headed by former GamerDNA CEO Jon Radoff. The company says that players will "lead the life of a noble during the time of upheaval as portrayed in the books and the series thus experiencing a new type of game that unites both story and strategy." Precious little info is given on the title, including a release date, but we'll bring you the latest as it becomes available. [Source: Disruptor Beam press release]
