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Gamescom 2012: End of Nations trailer spotlights customization
Whether they're sporting traditional or tie-dye or polka-dots, players meeting on the battlefield in End of Nations won't have to worry about blending in with the crowd thanks to the variety of customization options available in the Armory. Trion Worlds released a trailer at Gamescom 2012 showcasing some of these available customizations in the upcoming free-to-play MMORTS. The customization in the Armory, however, goes beyond just a colorful outer shell; players also use this feature to set load outs, design and create companies, and modify units. Want different armaments? The Armory is where you get them. Check out the variety of options as well as some in-game footage in the trailer after the break. And players interested in experiencing the feature for themselves can sign up for the beta on the official site.
Trion showing off RIFT expansion, Defiance PvP at Gamescom
Gamescom is coming next week, and most major publishers are gearing up to make the trip. The latest announcement comes to us from Trion, which is showing its stable of games including RIFT, End of Nations, Defiance, and Warface. Next week's convention will mark the "consumer debut" of RIFT's Storm Legion expansion, and MMORTS End of Nations will be playable on a massive 24-PC setup. Defiance is bringing "previously unseen PvP gameplay" to the table, while Warface will be presented inside a giant helicopter-themed display arena. [Source: Trion press release]
End of Nations outlines Heroes and Mercenaries in a new video
End of Nations has a large number of units, and each of them has a relatively fixed role. You know at a glance what any given unit is meant to do and how it works with other units in the game. And then there are hero units, which are specifically meant to throw that balance off. Heroes possess multiple special abilities, generally ones that synergize well with other units, allowing you to pull out an unexpected set of abilities on an unsuspecting opponent. Some Heroes are willing to work for any side in a conflict, and these Mercenaries are arguably even more powerful. When you hire a company of Mercenaries, you acquire both a Hero unit and several sidekick units specifically tuned to complement the Hero's abilities. That means a full strike force tuned for maximum impact, one that might enable a strategy not normally available to your faction. Jump on past the break for the full video explaining Heroes and showing these powerful units in action. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Catch another End of Nations beta livestream tonight
End of Nations' second closed beta kicked off in the wee hours of this morning. To celebrate, Trion is hosting another livestream event designed to show off the MMORTS title's gameplay (and the changes that have been made since the first closed beta). The beta event itself happens today through Sunday, August 5th, while the livestream goes down tonight at 8:00 p.m. EDT on the EoN TwitchTV channel. Devs will be showing off new content, including a 4v4 base assault map called Blue Water and a 4v4 domination map called Resource Hog. [Source: Trion press release]
End of Nations second closed beta event scheduled for early August
This cold war... just got hot! Now that we've got cheesy movie poster taglines out of the way, let's talk about End of Nations' upcoming closed beta event. Trion Worlds announced that the event is scheduled for August 3rd, starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT and going until August 5th at 11:59 p.m. EDT. If you don't have a key for the beta yet, don't despair. You can sign up on the End of Nations beta page for a chance to get in, or watch Trion's social media for giveaways. Alternatively, beta access is guaranteed for those who pre-purcase the digital Founder's Edition. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Catch Trion's End of Nations livestream tonight
Want to see some End of Nations gameplay? Of course you do. Trion's upcoming MMORTS made a big splash at this year's E3, and now the devs are gearing up for the world premier live broadcast of the game on Trion's TwitchTV channel. Be at your computer around 8:30 p.m. EDT tonight and you'll get to see senior producer Chris Lena, community director Elizabeth Tobey, and community manager Lance James putting the game through its paces. Tonight's shindig is a preview of EoN's initial closed beta event, which kicks off Friday, July 20th. [Source: Trion press release]
End of Nations' elite units and 56-player battles
Trion Worlds is on the cusp of opening the doors for End of Nations' July 20th closed beta event, and its staff is busy talking up the free-to-play MMORTS to any and all who will listen. French Community Manager Franck Vacher spoke with ZAM about controlling a chaotic battlefield and how the game is developing in these late hours. While End of Nations has instanced battles as small as 2v2, the crown jewels of the system are its massive 56-player battles. Vacher said that the team is preparing to test the large battles and gives a good reason that players will want to do their best to take over the game world. "Usually you get some type of bonus -- for example, a loot bonus of, say, five percent -- because you control the territory," he said. "For some of the maps, it changes the objective. On the Bluewater map, you're defender or attacker, so your objective will be completely different." Vacher also commented on the new elite units that were recently added to the game. "It's hard to say [whether] they're overpowered or underpowered -- sometimes when I'm playing, I don't take any heroes because they don't fit with my other units. We'll be working more on balance in the beta, as our alpha's been more about the technical aspects of the game."
End of Nations beta starts July 20th, founder's edition guarantees access
What do Trion and Tears for Fears have in common? Not much aside from the title Everybody Wants to Rule the World, which will now be stuck in your head for the next couple of hours. You're welcome. Trion has co-opted the phrase in its latest press release for End of Nations, which reveals that the game's first closed beta event is coming on July 20th. The first event "promises both large and small player maps across a variety of different terrains, as well as a multitude of upgrade options and a wide range of units and battle tactics to deploy," according to the devs. You can either apply for beta and hope for the best or shell out $29.99 for the founder's edition and its guaranteed access. Details on both options are available at the official EoN website. We've also got a complete list of founder edition goodies listed for you after the cut.
New End of Nations Warfront episode looks back at E3, forward to release
If you missed E3 last week, then you also missed Trion's spectacular End of Nations booth on the show floor. Fortunately the firm has released a new episode of its Warfront series. The clip runs for about five minutes, which is plenty of time to take in the E3 sights, sounds, and a few brief interviews with Petroglyph devs who are hard at work on End of Nations. You should also check out Massively's EoN impressions if you haven't already, and stay tuned for further updates from Trion's foray into the MMORTS space.
E3 2012: End of Nations shows its MMO-ish roots
If there's one thing I love about game companies, it's their capacity to innovate. Trion Worlds and Petroglyph are teaming together to do just that with their new MMORTS End of Nations. I had the chance to demo End of Nations at E3 and talk a bit to the folks at Petroglyph, which is gearing up to launch a strong seller that is taking risks with experimentation for the RTS genre. A lot of questions come to mind when one ponders how an MMORTS will function. How many players are there? Will lag be a significant problem? Unit control? These MMORTS games are so new that experimenting in how the game mechanics work is key. The demo was entirely functional and entertaining to play. Let's dive into some details.
New End of Nations trailer shines some light on the Shadow Revolution
Last month, we got a look at the Liberation Front faction of Trion Worlds' upcoming MMORTS, End of Nations. Today, the company released a trailer highlighting the Liberation Front's enemy of war, the forebodingly named Shadow Revolution. Players of the Shadow Revolution faction have their choice of two classes: the Wraith class, which focuses on utilizing guerrilla tactics to strike quickly and retreat before counterattacks can be made, and the Phantom class, which takes advantage of cloaking devices in order to launch devastating surprise attacks that can cripple enemy forces before they know what hit them. To get a look at the Shadow Revolution's units in action, just check out the official trailer below.
End of Nations Liberation Front info and trailer
Trion's End of Nations MMORTS features two playable factions. One of them is the heroic Liberation Front, which is featured in the company's latest video release. The Front boasts two classes: the hard-hitting Spartan, who drives tanks and "other infantry units with high defenses and high damage output," and the Patriot, who specializes in multi-role support units. Both classes, as well as a number of selectable (and customizable) units, are highlighted in the new trailer, so take a look past the break and get a leg up on building your battle-ready company. End of Nations is a free-to-play strategy title that is currently in alpha testing. [Source: Trion press release]
Massively Exclusive: Trion previews End of Nations' armory
Trion's super-secret End of Nations is moving right along in its alpha cycle, and today Massively has an exclusive piece of news for you regarding the upcoming MMORTS. The game differs from traditional real-time strategy titles because it doesn't have base-building, but what it does have is something called an armory. Trion tells us that players will "set their loadouts, create companies, modify units, customize skins, and more" inside the armory. The dev team has just revamped the armory mechanics, and you can get a good look at the armory window in the image after the cut (click on it to zoom in!).
End of Nations closed beta to start in spring, open beta in summer
If you're a fan of the underrepresented MMORTS genre, you've likely been waiting for news from Trion Worlds regarding the upcoming End of Nations. That makes today quite a good day for you because the team behind the game has just revealed the plan of attack for the game from this moment forward. Beta testing is barreling toward potential players (who are encouraged to register for an upcoming slot), with the game opening up sometime in the spring. Not in the mood to wait for a closed beta slot? Hoping for one but not trusting your luck? That's all right -- open beta is set to start in the summer, giving everyone a chance to get in on the large-scale persistent tactical battles. Past that, players can expect the game to launch completely free-to-play, most likely sometime in the fall. The announcement video just past the cut also promises that players can look forward to a lot more in the way of news updates, something that should help contribute to the overall good feeling of any MMORTS fans. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Hands-on with End of Nations
Real-time strategy games aren't exactly in vogue at the moment. The genre is far from dead, but modern RTS games, with the notable exception of StarCraft, don't tend to appeal to as broad an audience as do MMOs. Trion Worlds and Petroglyph's proposed answer to genre stagnation is the upcoming MMORTS End of Nations. In fact, Trion thinks that what's really lacking in the RTS genre is a persistent world, one filled with robots and post-apocalyptic fascism. The team behind End of Nations has some serious industry cred. Publisher Trion Worlds is notable for its remarkably smooth-launching MMO, RIFT. Developer Petroglyph's pedigree is no less respectable (if a little dated), with titles like 1992's Dune II (widely credited for having inspired the Warcraft series of RTS games) and the original 1995 Command and Conquer under its belt. My time with this game was spent during the alpha testing phase, and many things might change between now and launch. Still, the bones of the game were there, and I'm happy to share my findings with you, discerning readers. From what I saw and experienced, End of Nations just might have what it takes to become the first "triple-A" MMORTS.%Gallery-96732%
Origin PC launches new 3D gaming laptop: two graphics cards for three dimensions
Hot on the heels of its dimensionally-average predecessor, Origin's revealed a second, 3D-capable, desktop-replacing laptop; stereoscopic gamers, rejoice. This EON17-X3D utilizes a pair of overclocked GPUs, with 3D panoramas provided by a pair of NVIDIA's 3D Vision 2 wireless glasses -- although you'll have to buy them extra. Hardware-wise, it's a similar story to the EON17-X, with a back-lit keyboard and the same-size 17.3-inch display -- the 3D function is actually a customization choice for the original model. Build options for this chunky gaming beast also include up to 32GB of quad channel memory and two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M GPUs in SLI on the priciest custom build. The basic model will set you back around $3,030, but an eye-catching paint job? That's going to cost a little extra.
Origin PC's EON17-X laptop assures gaming glory, regular chiropractor visits
For all you hardcore gamers who refuse to sacrifice performance but demand quasi-portability, prepare your eyes for the EON17-X from Origin PC. The laptop is based on Intel's X79 platform and delivers a significant bump from the original EON17. Insane customization options include the Core i7-3960X Extreme CPU and two overclocked 2GB GeForce GTX 580M GPUs in an SLI bridge -- just for note, this particular configuration requires two 300 watt power adapters. It'll also accommodate up to four hard drives and 32GB of memory. If that's not enough to impress, the beastly creation also features a backlit keyboard with two lighting zones and seven customizable colors, along with a 17.3-inch 1080p display. Of course, all this power doesn't come without sacrifice. The EON17-X starts at $2,818, weighs over 12 pounds and measures over two inches thick. Those undeterred can place an order for Origin PC's latest gaming rig today. You'll find a few more tidbits in the PR after the break.
Origin PC boosts Genesis factory clock to 5.7GHz, reveals new EON gaming laptop design
Origin PC has been spitting out 5.2GHz Genesis desktops for a few months already, but apparently some people wanted more. Thanks to a new 'Phase Change' cooling system that'll be available from late Q1, they're about it get it: a Core i7 2700K system factory clocked to 5.7GHz. Cooling controls and temperature displays will help you to establish the proper balance of power and pollution, while lifetime technical support (which now applies to all Origin PCs in the US) is just a phone call away in case you need to share the rush. There's even an X79 mobo inside, offering scope for a Sandy Bridge E upgrade, plus NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 580 in four-way SLI. Origin has a little something for portable gamers too: a refreshed A-panel on the EON17-S and EON15-S laptops to help you strike the right note of grinning malice in front of your LAN victims. It's not yet clear how these updates will affect pricing, but there are plenty of clips on YouTube that'll show you how to smear thermal paste on your credit cards. Full PR after the break.
End of Nations Warfront 03: Interrogation edition
It's time for another episode of End of Nations Warfront, and this week, Cole Marshall takes players' questions from last week's warfront and interrogates Community Manager Myll_Erik, also known as Lance James. James answers players' questions as best as he can, speaking on PvP tournaments, tutorial videos, and life at the Trion Worlds offices. He also discusses the challenges of being a CM and details how the forums will be handled when the trash talk begins. For the full video, just click on past the cut and have a look for yourself.
End of Nations' Warfront 02 details large-scale battles, new comic
In this week's End of Nations Warfront, Cole Marshall takes a close look End of Nations' massive scale and the new End of Nations comics from DC. It even gives the community an opportunity to interrogate Community Manager Myll_Erik. Players are given a glimpse at the large-scale battles of End of Nations as Marshall talks about massive, planet-wide battles. He then announces the release of End of Nations #1 from DC Comics. The issue can be bought in stores or online at Comixology, and readers can pick up a small teaser issue, End of Nations #0, for free online. To top it off, the community is given the opportunity to "interrogate" Community Manager Myll_Erik. So head on over to the game's official Facebook page and interrogate away, but first, click on past the cut for the full video.
