End-of-Beta
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The Beta ends with snails and Firelords
It was as chaotic and unstable as you could ask for, really. The end of the Beta test for Warlords of Draenor is upon us. And as you might expect it ended with a host of powerful foes descending upon Ashran, Orgrimmar and Stormwind. Iron stars, snails, Firelords, Huolons, Varian Wrynns, all manner of dread monstrosities are raining down upon the hapless inhabitants of the beta realms. Born to test, they shall now be tested to destruction. How many Jaraxxus' were there? All of them. And the beta realms were not prepared to face that many Jaraxxi. (I assume that's the plural of Juraxxus.) Enjoy what screenshots I could get of the chaos before it became impossible for me to stay connected. Truly, the heroes of Azeroth cannot prevail against such might.
World of Warplanes takes off into official launch
If you've been anxiously awaiting the day that World of Warplanes would shed its lingering beta title, today is the day. After a brief delay the game has officially opened its doors for everyone, letting all players download to start dogfighting immediately. If you've played World of Tanks you have a solid idea of the core game concept, but instead of focusing on lumbering land weaponry this is all about high-speed planes engaged in aerial arenas. If you already play World of Tanks on a regular basis, the new title hopes to entice you with the new unified account system for both games, allowing you to enjoy some premium bonuses in both titles rather than just in the one. While there's no direct integration between the two (your plane can't fly in and strafe some tanks, for examples) it's still an incentive to get players into the same cockpit that 4.5 million beta testers sat in. So take to the skies, would-be pilots! Then shoot everything else up there that moves, including ducks. Especially ducks. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
Diablo III punches things up with a new Monk video and the end of beta
Diablo III is still putting together more previews as the game ramps up for its launch on May 15th. The latest reveal is for the Monk, a melee class that takes a very different approach from the already revealed Barbarian. Rather than attacking with massive weapons and overpowering rage, the Monk uses careful combo attacks, swift movements, and inner energy. Unleashing a Monk's spiritual power after a long chain of melee attacks can produce all sorts of effects, from area damage to dashing out of combat quickly. This reveal coincides with the announcement that the Diablo III beta will be coming to a close on Tuesday, May 1st. Character information will be wiped at that time, and players will be able to post on the official forums only in the event that they have pre-purchased the game or they have an active account for another Blizzard game. If the Monk reveal makes you anxious to play one and you're in the beta, you'd better get on that quickly or be prepared to wait for launch.
Hyperspace Beacon: End of beta impressions
I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. Oh no! Something did happen! Beta testing for Star Wars: The Old Republic ended. A full nine days without SWTOR -- I think our lives are over! (Hopefully, you noted the sarcasm in the last statement.) Yes, it's true that our favorite beta came to an end at 1:03 a.m. EST Monday morning. Appropriately, the last thing posted to general chat was "Keapen bids everyone farewell." We all know that this isn't actually the end; it's truly the beginning of the game. I count myself among the lucky people who were able to play in the beta for an extended period of time. I played through the origin world of all but two classes, and three times I leveled my characters past level 20. (I usually stopped about level 28 so that I would not ruin the ending of the story.) I wanted to get a good feel for all the class stories, so most of my characters got to about about level 15. Once I found out that the beta would end well before early access began, I decided to take in all the classes I could so that I could give you a well-rounded opinion. Follow me beyond the break as I navigate the asteroid field of SWTOR.
Magic Campus beta a success, gamigo announces
gamigo's new Magic Campus MMO has "passed the beta stage" according to the company's latest press release. The title is a tactical browser-based affair, and gamigo says that players will take on the roles of magicians in training and beast tamers bent on capturing the hundreds of critters that populate the "colorful anime world." The game boasts six classes, turn-based battles against both monsters and other players, and guild and crafting systems designed to offer an alternative to combat. Magic Campus is free-to-play, and you can find out more about it, as well as download the client, at the official website. [Source: gamigo press release]
The Daily Grind: Do betas give you bragging rights?
This may come as a shocker, but people on the internet like to brag. I know! Surprised the heck out of me too, but there you go. We like to feel important, and when we're not important, we like to prop ourselves up through importance-by-association. Sure, maybe I wasn't part of the invasion of Normandy in World War II, but my grandfather was, so doesn't that make me a hero in a way? It seems as though the only use for betas once they are finished is for bragging rights, as if being there somehow made some people superior to the rest of the plebeians. "Back in '04? Oh, I was part of the great World of Warcraft beta," they say with a distant look in their eyes. "Oh the times we had... the perils we faced... the bug reports we overlooked. Now you may honor me by giving me your gold and prostrating yourself at my feet." Have you seen this happen? Does being a part of an MMO beta automatically give you bragging rights in the form of seniority and experience? Or do people just think it does while the rest of us roll our eyes? 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!
DC Universe Online closes its beta with a bang
With release just a scant week away, DC Universe Online has a loose end to tie up -- specifically, the still-ongoing beta test. In the grand tradition of betas, of course, it won't be with a simple message to buy the game and a server shutdown. No, players will get to take part in something epic in the tradition of the source material, with a grand battle involving iconic characters of the universe as well as player characters. Each of the closing events involve two iconic DC figures going head-to-head -- either Superman against Lex Luthor or The Joker versus Batman. Players will have the opportunity to fight alongside the iconic villain or hero depending on character alignment, with times varying based on the server. And in the event that you can't attend, the team will be helpfully posting status updates on each iconic battle, as well as possibly introducing a few new wrinkles to complicate the event. DC Universe Online testers should still do their level best to be present for the battles -- after all, who wouldn't want to close off a beta by teaming up with Batman?%Gallery-112847%
Square-Enix outlines pre-launch steps for Final Fantasy XIV
The beta test for Final Fantasy XIV has come to a conclusion as of Sunday, leaving fans of the game with two days to fill until the collector's edition goes live. Fortunately, Square-Enix has filled that gap by giving players plenty of homework before the launch. Well, not precisely, but there are preparations to be made before the game goes live, as outlined in an official dispatch from the company. Those planning on picking the game up on Wednesday are advised to create their Square-Enix Account prior to the service launch, as well as taking care of linking any Final Fantasy XI accounts and registering for bonuses. Beta testers are also advised to remove the beta client from their computer prior to installation, and check the official player site for any further updates. The player site is currently only accessible to participants in the beta test, but will be unlocked in full on Tuesday for all Final Fantasy XIV players to get ready for launch.
Reminder: The destroids are invading!
Citizens of Millenium City, take up your arms! Dr. Destroyer is attacking the city once more, but this time he has sent in legions upon legions of robots, including new Mega-Destroid! The robots are all over the city, but the Champions have been dispatched to fix the crisis, along with countless other heroes!If you want to get in on some Dr. Destroyer smashing action, then you have to act today! It's the last day of the Champions Online beta test, and they're going out with their usual bang. All you have to do is log in, visit Millenium City (available from the Canadian or Desert helipads) and then speak with the cop on the helipad who's waving his arms about in the air. Once you do that, you'll be leveled up to 40, given all the powers you ever wanted, and you'll have a shot at taking down some Mega-Destroid. Destroids will be attacking until 3 AM ET, 12 AM PT this evening, when Cryptic switches off the lights.Those who take down the Mega-Destroid will be given a special perk for their accomplishments (although the perk is kinda borked right now) and a special Mini-Destroid action figure for the live game! Kinda cool, and cute, in a destructive kind of way.
Free Realms launches Tuesday
In what is quite possibly the shortest 'closed' (public) beta ever, Sony Online Entertainment has decided to bring their free-to-play family fun game of clicky-addictiveness Free Realms live - tomorrow! Yes, this means just a few days past two weeks after those from last year's Fan Faire were given beta access to the game, SOE now feels that the game is ready for prime-time. According to a post on the Free Realms forums from Jason "Pex" Ryan, Community Manager, the servers will be going down this morning at approximately 8:00 AM Pacific, and will remain offline all day today while they push their final patches and run internal tests. They note that they will also be deleting all beta Free Realms characters as well. Now, the good news for those who participated in the beta test is that the SOE team will be giving all testers a unique in-game item as a way of saying thanks for helping to test the game - although they didn't say what that item might be. (We're hoping for a booster pack of rare cards or a special pet, personally.) Also, they will be bringing memberships and the Station Cash Shop online when the Free Realms servers come on line, welcome news for those who wanted to pick up pets or try out members-only content but were unable to. It will be interesting to see how demand goes for memberships, and just how many decide to opt-in for the paid model. But for now, we wish a hearty congrats to the Free Realms crew, and look forward to seeing the finishing touches tomorrow!
WotLK beta rides off into the sunset
It's all over. Now we wait. After decades (ok, so it may not have been that long), the Wrath of the Lich King beta has finally ended this morning at 2am EST. According to the official announcement released last night, "In preparation for the launch of the game next Thursday, November 13, we will be bringing down our beta realms at 12:00 AM PST. Thanks again, and see you soon in Northrend! "This last minute announcement inevitably rubbed a few people the wrong way. Why was there no end-beta event? Why wasn't there more advanced notice? Does Blizzard even owe the players anything more than they gave? It is a beta, afterall. These are all questions flooding the forums today, and we'd like to know how you feel about it. Let us know in the comments below!
PotBS end of beta events to kick off today
It's almost time for the Pirates of the Burning Sea beta to come to a close, with the game's scheduled release date not too far ahead. Flying Lab Software has updated the official PotBS page to announce the timing of some end of beta events that they previously hinted at.Depending on the server you play on, the events will commence at different times of day. Black Bart server's event will begin at 12:00pm PST, Rackham at 2:00pm PST, and Blackbeard at 4:00pm PST. Each of these times are preceded by the word "about" on the official site, so there's no need to sit around tapping your pocket watch impatiently if the festivities haven't started precisely on the hour.As of the latest build of the game, the level cap has been removed, allowing the maximum of 50 to be attained, and the auction houses have been packed with useful items like XP books (that speed the rate of experience gain) and ship deeds. To help buy these goodies, every player will receive 1 million doubloons upon logging in. It has been said that if all the items on the auction house get bought, FLS will be able to restock them. It looks like they really want to end this thing in style.
Intercepted missives from Pirates of the Burning Sea
Something is afoot in the Pirates of the Burning Sea beta. Intercepted missives have begun to surface hinting at a major event that may occur as early as this weekend. Are you the intrepid seafarer who will be able to put the pieces together? To help you along, Massively has managed to acquire a copy of one of these messages, sent from Admiral Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, reprinted below.
Tabula Rasa end of beta event
As the game nears it's launch date, Tabula Rasa is planning an all-out war to end their beta. The dev team will be playing this Friday, October 26, 2007 between 10 PM and midnight central time, and players will get the chance to frag away at those that designed the game. I can't imagine it will be easy to do, but even Richard Garriott (they're calling him General British on the TR dev floor now) will be there fighting along with his troops.If you have not gotten a chance to try the game yet, beta keys are no longer available, I'm sorry to say. But cheer up. The game itself will soon be out, and you only have to wait until November 2nd for soon to become now.
