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Quirky indie MMOFPS Hunternet boasts 700-player battles
Indie developer Fernando Zapata of CPU Dreams is taking on a subgenre not often challenged by indies, the MMOFPS, but he doesn't seem daunted. In fact, his fledgling MMOFPS, Hunternet, can already handle 700 players on a map, more than PlanetSide 2 -- more "any other MMOFPS." The video below includes footage from a Hunternet network stress test, with "700 clients spread across the cloud connected to a single dedicated server," a server where "players are not limited in their interaction by network culling as done in other large scale MMOs that spread out players and limit when you can see other players." After two years in development, the game is in alpha, so placeholder art is seen throughout the tech demo video and screenshots. Zapata says he's revisited and rethought many genre tropes, like "controls, health, scoring, shooting, spawning, teamwork," along with more "mundane" bits like a scaling UI and integrated voice chat. The website welcomes tester signups from gamers who "embrace failure as an integral part of learning" and "value mechanics over aesthetics." Skip the signup, says the dev, if you think shooters must be ultra-realistic "big macho war fests." Check out the alpha assets below, and notice we didn't use the word Kickstarter.
Neverwinter resurrects its April Fools' Day event next week
Nope, it's not April Fools' Day, but it's going to look like it next week in Neverwinter. Cryptic is reintroducing Respen's Marvelous Game, its 2014 April 1st event, from November 13th to November 17th. The minigame turns your character into a tabletop miniature that slides around the tabletop skirmish map as you collect special dice currency and other rewards. Massively's Justin Olivetti included the event in his roundup of the top 10 MMO pranks of all time. The event's reprise leads into the launch of Neverwinter: Rise of Tiamat, which launches on November 18th. We've included pics of the event below![Source: Neverwinter press release]
Guild Wars 2's Echoes of the Past goes live today
It's release day for Guild Wars 2's Echoes of the Past update. The patch picks up "from a cliff-hanger ending that had the world of Tyria fighting the rise of the Elder Dragon Mordremoth," says ArenaNet. If the living world isn't your cup of tea, take heart because the update also features gameplay tweaks including the new Silverwastes locale. ANet says that "mysterious ruins in the area will provide key battleground locations in the ongoing war against Mordremoth's expanding armies. Players will fight to hold strategic locations, call in pact allies for aid and take a stand against the growing threat." The update also boasts new Bandit Crests, which can be vendored in exchange for recipes, materials, and armor pieces. Massively's Anatoli Ingram spoke to ArenaNet last month about the lore unfolding in these next chapters. Enjoy the new screenshots in the gallery below. [Source: ArenaNet press release]
War Thunder prepares to roll out Steel Generals
Do you enjoy being able to roll around on the ground in War Thunder while taking out anything on the business end of your tank's main guns? Good! The game's next update is giving you new ways to do just that. War Thunder: Steel Generals is due out by the end of the year and is aimed at spicing up the ground game with the addition of US military hardware to the game's lineup. How many pieces of hardware, exactly? Try 30 new tanks and AA units from the appropriate time period. It's exactly the sort of update that can appeal to players who like the game so far but feel it just doesn't feature quite enough tanks. No specific release date has yet been announced, but it's due out before the end of the year, so you won't have to wait long to get your US-based tank on. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
One Shots: Jolly pumpkins
Halloween may be over, but its spirit remains alive in MMOs! Alive, that is, as long as there are spooky locales to explore and a population that's more than willing to dress up in costume and face down the terrors that slip between the shadows. Our friend David here may be taking Halloween at face value in World of Warcraft, but can you really blame him? He and his demonic minion look to be having a heck of a time. Plus, there's a whole-hearted embrace of a pumpkin motif that will be all but extict come December. Enjoy it while it lasts! The rest of this week's player-submitted screenshots may not be creepy in the least, but they do all share the same jolly attitude that exists in this moment. In a world that brought back One Shots, really anything is possible!
Destiny's The Dark Below expansion launches December 9th
The Dark Below, Destiny's first expansion -- sorry, "Expansion I" -- releases on December 9th, Bungie announced today. What's in store for players? New weapons, armour and gear A new Light Level cap of 32 with 5 additional Bounty slots New story quests and missions revolving around a new character Eris and the Hive A new co-op Strike called The Will of Crota (with a second co-op Strike, The Undying Mind, exclusive to PlayStation gamers for a year) Three new competitive multiplayer arenas: Pantheon, Skyshock, and The Cauldron And a new six-player Raid called Crota's End. Bungie says the expansion will cost £19.99 standalone or £34.99 for a bundle that includes this expansion plus Expansion II. We've included a few of the new screenshots and concept art pieces below.
TERA announces Fate of Arun expansion
En Masse Entertainment has just announced Fate of Arun, the first-ever expansion coming to action-MMO TERA. And at least on paper, it actually looks like a classic MMO expansion, too, complete with a level cap bump and new zones. The mysterious continent of Northern Arun is finally open – and it's under siege by a soul-sucking bloodmage army. In Fate of Arun, players will explore this lost world, discover the home city of the Barakan race, fight for the freedom of the native Khirians, and take on a powerful new evil. Fate of Arun represents the first and biggest expansion for TERA to date, featuring a new level cap of 65 and the lands of Northern Arun to explore through a brand-new storyline, new quests, zones, dungeons, skills, gear and a new PvP battleground, in addition to vast systematic improvements to the gameplay experience. Producer Patrick Sun declates that "Fate of Arun will be, without a doubt, the biggest addition to the world of TERA new and returning players have ever seen." A launch date has not yet been confirmed. Enjoy the teaser pics and video below.
One Shots: Hitchhorsing
I'm learning new things about ArcheAge every day. For example, did you know that you can hitch a ride on a mount in that game? Jef even informs me that you can do so uninvited, although the driver may shove you off along the way. That's pretty cool, even if it lends itself to a very specific new form of griefing. Reader Sean demonstrates how one poor horse can handle two riders in our lead screenshot: "The picture is of my main, Kadrassius, and my wife's main, Keziah, as they take a ride through Marianople. I really liked this scene with the way the characters react when the horse rears up. Now I just need to get barding for my horse." Now if we can only get a college fraternity to all pile on the same beast of burden, then we'd be making progress in this industry!
One Shots: No airbags at 125 kph
So here's what I'm always wondering: Why do all science fiction worlds and technology look far, far more dangerous than anything we have in the present? Star Wars is horrible in this regard. Lightsabers should be lopping off users' appendages left and right, even if they have the so-called "Force." Walkways without handrails over bottomless pits are commonplace in space stations. And their trash compactors are full of metal-devouring monsters, whereas mine has but the faint odor of eggshells. Anyway, reader Joe's picture of his jaunt accross Tatooine in Star Wars: The Old Republic on a speeder made me muse about the safety issues of operating what is essentially a rocket-powered flying motorcycle in the middle of a canyon of jagged rock. Ain't no airbag on that thing that's going to save you when you dink into a wall, my friend. Safety issues are but the start of our journey through this week in player-submitted MMO screenshots!
Villagers and Heroes' latest update introduces subscriptions
Indie sandbox Villagers and Heroes' latest patch, Sands of the Equinox, landed last week. Of note, the patch adds a new all-level zone called the Oases of Anuk'Amon, where players can fight new bosses, collect new gear, and gather craft components. To address player complaints about the combat system, Mad Otter added a new optional dodging mechanic. And here's something you don't see a lot of indie F2P games doing well past their launch: With this update, Mad Otter implemented an optional subscription plan. Ardent Society Memberships, as the subscriptions are called, boost experience gained from most activities, grant unlimited travel hops and bonus consumables, eliminate house rent, and create extra shared storage. A month-to-month sub is $7.95. Massively last explored Villagers and Heroes in the wake of its April 2014 update and Steam launch.
One Shots: Because who wouldn't want a 12-story-tall killing machine?
What does this sight make you think of? Voltron? Pacific Rim? A convenient excuse to wet yourself in front of your fellow soldiers? Thank goodness it's not fully online and operational, or else we'd be facing down a mechanical killing machine that would take a million-person raid to bring down. "I call this one 'You're Gonna Need a Bigger Bot'," reader Bunglerm00se submitted. "Yes, that is a several-stories-high killer robot, and no, this one doesn't have that cute boy from Sons of Anarchy calling the shots in its brainpan. I was already pre-disposed to liking WildStar, but this is one of the visuals that sealed the deal." Wait... am I the only one who piddled in my bloomers? C'mon, guys, I thought we were in this together!
Exclusive: Zombies Monsters Robots launches T-Rekt update tomorrow [Updated]
En Masse's not-so-massive co-op online shooter Zombies Monsters Robots heard you liked dinosaurs, so it's launching a dino-themed update tomorrow. In the aptly named T-Rekt patch, "players will find themselves battling for survival against some of the most terrifying, prehistoric beasts that walked the Earth, including a T-Rex with a rocket launcher strapped to its back" because of course it's a T-Rex with a rocket launcher strapped to its back; the game is called Zombies Monsters Robots for skies' sake. The studio also promises three new co-op maps, three new competitive maps, and new gear in the patch. We've got the launch trailer as well as some fresh screenshots below. Enjoy!
One Shots: The sacred bosom dance
It's one thing to dance for the fun of it. But it's another thing entirely to dance to save lives. Apart from an exotic snake charmer who rescued me from a king cobra last year, I've never witnessed a boogie performed for someone's health. At least... not until now. Reader Jesse kicks off today's community screenshots with this silly-yet-serious jig from Guild Wars 2: "I am submitting this screenshot of my character and a few friends celebrating Pink Day in Lions Arch in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness. Here we are dancing around (and on) a podium." All she wants to do is... all she wants to do is dance, dance, dance! I wish that I was Jesse's girl! Now I'm dancing for my life!
Skyforge eschews gank PvP, teases PvPvE battles
"Fighting fair is the name of the game," say Skyforge's devs in a press release today, which is totally what the characters pictured here represent. (Sorry, that was a... low blow.) My.com says Skyforge will allow small-scale PvP in designated maps with varying team sizes; it will also include a matchmaking system to protect noobs and make it "almost impossible to gank someone." Large-scale PvP, known as Pantheon Wars, is another story, one the studio isn't telling just yet except to hint that it'll involve "complex PvPvE-battles where proper role assignment is crucial." Enjoy the new screenshots.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen releases new screenshots
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's Facebook page has been updated with new screenshots of zones currently under construction in the apparently still-in-progress MMORPG. The developers reiterate that they are still working on the game: As always, please remember this is work-in-progress, and that the different areas shown are at different points in terms of being finished. So, for example, lighting and sky will look better in some shots vs. others. That said, I think it shows our world building team is NOT fooling around and we are building the world of Terminus!! Pantheon failed to meet its Kickstarter goals last February, but team lead Brad McQuaid announced the game was back in "full development mode" as of June.
One Shots: Avian servitude
Birds? I don't hate them, but I don't trust them either. Anything that can travel passportless with impunity is something to be wary of, especially if it has access to flight without clearing it with the FAA. And ever since the bird flu scare, I'm quite sure that our feathered "friends" are out to eradicate our entire race. That said, I'm happy for reader Bill because he's finally putting birds where they belong: under us in full service of their land-masters. "Luck has found me again on RIFT patch day when this 'Lovely Budgie" popped out of a box. I can't help but think there is evil hidden beneath pink feathers and those big black eyes!" Bill wrote. Oh, but there is evil, Bill. No doubt about it. Hopefully the rest of this week's player-submitted screenshots will not reek of foul intent the way that this cute birdie does.
Exclusive: The weapons of Firefall's Elemental Destruction
In the wake of Firefall's announcement of its September 16th Elemental Destruction launch date, Red 5's RudiKazootie returns with another dev diary about the update, this one focusing on the new elemental weapons, new weapon modifiers, and new primary archetype weapons arriving next week. Enjoy!
The Siege of Neverwinter begins next week [Updated]
Perfect World Entertainment has just announced a new in-game Tyranny of Dragons-themed event for Neverwinter: the Siege of Neverwinter. Apparently, Justin was right not to trust those dragons. Those guys are always up to no good, trying to kick your favorite fantasy city in the knees. Are you going to take that? Are you? No. I didn't think so. From September 18, 2014 until September 25, 2014, players are tasked with defending Neverwinter from encroaching foes in the new Siege Battlefield area. Two new Heroic Encounters will challenge players with a variety of different battle types and assaults from furious dragons. Additionally, a new profession will enable players to craft defensive supplies and work to protecting the brave warriors who venture past the safety of the walls. Neverwinter promises "new fashion items, enchantments, companions, and more" for participation in the event.
Albion Online's closed beta trailer promotes player cities and maps
Ahead of the opening of Albion Online's alpha doors on September 15th, Sandbox Interactive has released a new gameplay video detailing what's inbound for testers and new founders. Specifically, the team has been hard at work on mounts (horses for you and oxen for your stuff), guild alliances, fast-travel via ships, the housing system, improved maps (like the slick and shiny one above), castle sieges, and the player-governed cities that serve as the foundation of the game's political content. Enjoy the video after the break -- we're still oohing and aahing over that shiny skill web.
One Shots: Taste the rainbow
You can't tell by looking at that header right there, but that is a proper rainbow with all sorts of vibrant colors. Trust me, it's quite impressive. You can't help but feel the entire emotional spectrum when you gaze upon it, which is why it's a shame that we have to tease you with a grayscale version right here. But persevere! Your patience will be rewarded. "Hooray! I just completed World 1 Zone 2 of the Super Adventure Box in Guild Wars 2 and collected my chest," sent in reader Silphead. "But this zone is special because completing it causes magical rainbows to appear, whether or not you're in Infantile Mode. So cheerful and fun." Ready for the full reveal? Go on -- you deserve it.
