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Wasteland Diaries: Wasteland travel guide
Fallen Earth takes place in a vast wasteland. There are a lot of distances involved that you definitely don't want to traverse on foot. That's where mounts come in. "Mounts" are a bit of a misnomer however, because Fallen Earth also has vehicles. I like to refer to them collectively as "go-fasters." But, whatever you call them, they are a necessity. Each mount is classified by its type: either cargo, combat or alternate fuel. Each fulfills its particular role better than the other types at a sacrifice in the other roles. Read on to learn more about pros and cons of each type.
Fallen Earth opens test server, details upcoming content
Icarus Studios has just announced the formation of a Public Test System for their post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG Fallen Earth. Interested players can download the test server client and "let the devs know what you like and what sucks!" Specifically, you'll get early looks at forthcoming game updates including item overcharging/decay, revisions to the conflict town of New Gallows, a new dueling system, and a new companion pet for those lonely wasteland nights. In addition to content sneak previews and the ability to make your voice heard, players will be able to "play alongside the developers...or kick their asses!" Check out the full announcement as well as the client download. Stay with Massively over the next few days as we'll be meeting up with the Fallen Earth team at PAX East in order to bring you all the juicy details.
Fallen Earth celebrates six months in the wasteland
Six months ago, Icarus launched Fallen Earth. Now they're at the midpoint of the first year and taking some time to look back on how far the game has come. They're celebrating the progress, and you're invited to celebrate right along with them. Characters created before today will find a special gift in their mailbox in the form of a Bottle of Fine Wine -- more specifically, "A dusty bottle of California Pinot Noir." We can guarantee it's nicely aged, but it's probably best not to think too hard about where it came from. While you enjoy your drink, take a look at the official announcement. It contains a rundown of how far the game has come in the past six months, from the social patch early on to the announcement of Facebook and iPhone applications. So enjoy your wine, enjoy the game, and let's toast the next six months being even better!
Wasteland Diaries: Roleplaying Beyond Thunderdome
It's the end of the world and I feel fine. Actually, better than fine. I feel flippin' fantastic! I'm free to pursue any course, achieve greatness, carve out my niche and kill things with impunity. And I'm going to pass the time getting together with other Wastelanders and put on a little community play for the locals! Wait, what? Wasteland Diaries is not always about the joys of mass murder and uparmored cars -- there's also a softer underbelly of this column that needs lotion and care. Fallen Earth is a terrific place to game, for sure, but it's also experienced a rise in an activity that many assume belongs strictly in the fantasy genre: roleplaying. This week I want to peek in on those rascally actors who are injecting the post-apocalyptic world with flavor and verve. Roleplay is not just for elves and fairy princes; gruff men and women sporting biker leather and a sawed-off shotgun have thrown their creative talents into the pot as well.
Fallen Earth St. Paddy's Day pub crawl
Those crazy leprechauns over at Icarus Studios have done it again. They're putting on a wasteland-flavored St. Patrick's Day pub crawl sure to please anyone who likes apocalypses, beer, the color green, or post-apocalyptic green beer. Log in to Fallen Earth between 11:00 am March 17 and 1:00 am March 18 and stop by any of the watering holes listed in the original press release to join in the tomfoolery. Be sure and take screen shots of any shenanigans you encounter, and send them to ssouthivorarat at fallenearth dot com by 12:00pm EST on March 19 for your chance to win special prizes. Rumor has it that including the apocalyptic leprechaun in your shots may boost your chances. Full details including sector locations, participating clans, and time slots can be found at the official site.
Wasteland Diaries: The darker side of Ranger Rick
If you are anything like me, then you were brought up with at least a rudimentary respect for nature: its beauty, its diversity, and -- most important of all -- the sheer breadth of ways that it can and most certainly will kill you. This is doubly true for all of our readers in Australia, who contend with the world's deadliest wildlife, as well as critters that just freak us the heck out, like bird-eating spiders. You can only imagine that it gets a whole lot worse when you dump radiation and mutation into the ecosystem, and as such, wanderers in the wasteland of Fallen Earth have to step lively to avoid unfortunate entanglements. (No, not Imperial Cruisers -- that's another game, dude.) This isn't nature according to wildlife preservation societies, where it needs to be loved and cherished; this is a brutal you-versus-them showdown that requires a firm hand and a .357 Magnum. Preferably two of them, if your crafting skill is high enough. So hit the jump and arm yourself with knowledge (it's half the battle) about the creepers and crawlers of Fallen Earth.
GDC 2010: Fallen Earth comes to the Mac, brings an iPhone app
Fallen Earth is a respectable postapocalyptic MMO -- I've never played it (one MMO is enough for me, and the gigantic World of Warcraft is still claiming my time), but it's grown pretty popular since release in September of last year. And now the game is set to pick up another chunk of audience, as the owner Icarus Studios has announced that they're releasing a Mac client for the game. It's currently in beta (and was made using Wine), but if you're interested in trying out a new MMO with a postapocalyptic twist, head on over, give the client a download (you'll need a game account, though there's a free trial available), and give the team a good Mac welcome. That's not all, though -- Icarus is also working on their very own iPhone app, and I got to play with it this week at their GDC 2010 booth. For Fallen Earth players, it'll be a must-get, but even if you're not currently a player of the game, the app is a shining example of what's possible with a "supplementary" game application -- it allows for all sorts of in-game functions directly from Apple's handheld device. %Gallery-88073%
Fallen Earth: Faction Wars set to storm Facebook
Fallen Earth is having a banner week around these here parts -- first was the in-depth tour into their new iPhone app, then came the news of a Mac client, and now we've received word that Facebook will be getting its very Fallen Earth game entitled Fallen Earth: Faction Wars. The announcement over on the site promises that this will be an application for those both new to the Fallen Earth universe and for current players of the MMORPG. Although it looks as though this will be separate from the MMO, it will still boast several aspects of its bigger brother, including crafting, PvP and character building. The core of the game revolves around the struggle for control over nine "conflict towns," each of which will fall under the jurisdiction of one of the six Fallen Earth factions. Whether you choose to be a CHOTA, Tech, Vista, Lightbearer, Enforcer or Traveler, you should find several friends to aid you in this down-and-dirty brawl for supremacy. After building their characters up through missions and crafting, players can duke it out through a simplified combat interface, perhaps similar to the fights of such Facebook apps like Mafia Wars. As more and more MMO studios are turning to Facebook to promote their titles through fan groups and social gaming, Fallen Earth should get a boost in visibility through this game. Expect to see Fallen Earth: Faction Wars soon, as Icarus Studios is hoping for a Q2 2010 release.
Fallen Earth gets a Mac client
Perhaps you've watched Shawn's recent Fallen Earth exploits in Choose My Adventure, or heard all about the post-apocalyptic fun on Massively Speaking. Well, the team at Icarus Studios have heard the call from the Apple-loving contingent for a client of their own -- and have just announced that they have a beta Mac-compatible client ready for you to download and try out! The new client is made possible thanks to the open-source project, Wine, which helps to create cross-compatibility for different platforms. The Fallen Earth Mac beta client works on Intel Macs, and is optimized for systems running under OS X 10.5 Leopard or later that have dedicated graphics hardware. No word on a Linux client at this time, but a connection with Wine is certainly a very positive first step if they do choose to open up further cross-compatibility to Linux users in the future. "The Mac OS X compatibility project is something we've been excited to see implemented for quite a while," said Brad Lineberger, Chief Technical Officer of Icarus Studios. "Our goal for the project is to allow Mac users to run all of our existing and future games in their native OS." All you have to do if you'd like to get in on the Mac beta is to head over to the Fallen Earth site and check out their beta FAQ page. Of course, you have to have an active Fallen Earth account, or sign up for a 10-day trial first, but for post-apocalyptic loving Mac fans, this is certainly some great news.
GDC10: Hands-on with the Fallen Earth iPhone app
Ever since hearing last November that Icarus Studios was working on an iPhone app for Fallen Earth, we've been starving for details. Count it as a road warrior's dream fulfilled, then, as Massively sat down with Associate Project Manager Dave Haydysch at GDC for a hands-on demo of this beefy application. "My goal was to make this mirror the experience in Fallen Earth as closely as possible without moving around in the game," Haydysch said. "Whatever is going on in the game right now, is going on in the background [of this app]." Designed to keep players connected with the MMO no matter where they may be, the app has an astounding array of functionality for Fallen Earth's players. After logging in through 3G or WiFi, the familiar Fallen Earth UI offers you several options to check out your character, crafting, maps, social, auction house, inventory and help. Hit the jump and we'll give you the skinny on each of these functions!
Wasteland Diaries: Action factions
The need to belong is inherently essential to the human experience, and that doesn't change even when the apocalypse lands. The decision to join one of Fallen Earth's six factions is not one to make lightly, unless you pretend that you're pledging a frat or sorority full of pistol-wielding maniacs. In this edition of Wasteland Diaries, we're going to turn a squinty eye to Fallen Earth's factions and see what makes them tick -- what their philosophy is, what they look like, what 1980's cartoon possibly inspired them, and what their counterparts may be in the current world. So get ready to be wooed by the sexy six, all after the jump!
One Shots: Just another day
They feel it all around, and feel it in their bones -- their lives are on the line when they're away from home. Of course, that's all one can really expect when living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, fraught with danger and crazed, mutated beings. Today's great screenshot from inside the lands of Fallen Earth comes to us from self-professed "noob", Mirin, who says only: another beautiful evening in the apocalypse. Are you one of the people playing Fallen Earth? Would you like to tell us of your adventures? We'd love to feature your tales and travels, but we need you to send your images in. Just email those to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a note. We'll post it out here for everyone to check out and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Choose my Adventure: Fallen Earth finale
This being the last week in Fallen Earth for the Choose my Adventure group, we decided to have our own grand finale. Holding true to tradition, we had you vote on the location and type of party this was to be. You ultimately chose to do some zombie hunting in Sector 2's Newton, which really proved to be a good time! How much of a good time? How does a flaming totem pole made of GMs sound? A flaming GM-kabob, if you will? How about zombie boxing? Yeah, I'd say we had some fun. Check out the gallery below for some of my favorite screenshots taken through the last few weeks in the game and keep reading after the cut for more on our last day in Fallen Earth.%Gallery-87018%
Apogee and Icarus Studios resurrect Sam Suede [update]
[iBase Entertainment] Apogee and Icarus Studios have announced a new "action comedy" game called Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure. No platforms were noted, but Icarus's past developments have all been PC-based (with the exception of Dexter on iPhone). In fact, nothing at all was said about the content of the game other than the title and a characterization as a "comedic twist on the action-adventure genre." If the title sounds familiar, you're probably an adventure game nerd. Leisure Suit Larry creator Al Lowe was working on a game with the exact same title, which was cancelled in 2006 when developer iBase Entertainment shut down. The fact that a new company has announced that it will complete the title should be encouraging to Lowe fans -- but the fact that the legendary Sierra game designer's name is mentioned nowhere in the announcement is probably not so encouraging. Update: Al Lowe told Big Download that "This is the first I've heard of it," wondering "who's going to finish the design and add the humor?"
Choose my Adventure: Technically Speaking
Thanks to your votes last week, our Choose my Adventure Fallen Earth character has chosen his faction: Tech. I was sweating it a bit since I already have a CHOTA and Lightbearer character, but I would have gone however the vote chose. While not all of the clan has decided to go Tech (or decided at all), we opted to do our group nights in Sunshine Corners and leave the faction quests as an individual thing. But now that our last week is almost upon us, it's time to decide how to end this edition of Choose my Adventure the right way. Follow along for the in-character journal, more on what we did this week and the final poll.
One Shots: The Burb
It goes without saying that the times in Fallen Earth are hard. What used to be a cheerful little town is now a jumble of burned-out buildings that have been cobbled back into some semblance of shape by survivors. As a new clone, players will undoubtedly pass through this area on the way to bigger, meaner things. This One Shots, sent in to us by TheExplorer (or Vendayn as he's known in Fallen Earth) shows off "a scenic view of North Burb and the surrounding land." At night it even kind of looks peaceful from the outskirts -- at least until a mutant prairie chicken shows up and tries to chomp on you. We love MMOs -- from fantasy to abstract; from big name to indie titles. However, we need you to send your screenshots in and show off the games you're playing. It's easy to do. Just email them in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post them out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937% %Gallery-9798%
Wasteland Diaries: Top 5 ways to kill yourself in Fallen Earth
This week, I figured I would have a little fun with the column. There are so many exciting and unique ways to die in Fallen Earth, my morbid sense of humor screamed at me to write this article and create the embedded video. Throughout my play time in the game, I've been jotting down some ideas as I come across them (and incidentally prove this list true). I also reached out to the Fallen Earth team for a few ideas of their own, which was fun! So follow along after the jump for my top 5 list and the accompanying video.
Choose my Adventure: Taking sides
I'm personally very excited about what's in store for us in this week's Choose my Adventure: Fallen Earth. With the last two months building up to this point, we're finally looking a faction decision right in the eye, and ready to leave Sector 1 behind us. Of course, before we do that, we have a tale to tell of the previous week's adventure in the Missile Silo and even the New Toro powerstation, just north of Trumbull. Sound like fun? Then follow along after the jump for the complete in-character journal, my impressions for the week and the long-awaited faction poll.
Fallen Earth clan hosting week-long Mardi Gras celebration
What does a little thing like an apocalypse matter in the face of a real party? Civilization as we know it may have crumbled in Fallen Earth, but one player clan isn't letting a small detail like that get in the way of their Mardi Gras fun. The Rapid Fire clan will be celebrating Mardi Gras in Sectors One and Two every day this week, hosting events such as scavenger hunts, fights, trivia games, and of course wrapping up with a parade Sunday. The party kicks off tonight with bare-knuckle fighting and a PvP demo in Boneclaw, and there will be prizes galore all week, including vehicles, weapons, armor, and more. Check out the official announcement and backstory here, get the schedule here, and don't forget to listen to Wasteland Radio for ongoing event coverage and announcements. There's no word yet on what you have to do to get beads.
Wasteland Diaries: Explaining Fallen Earth's patch 1.3
This week's patch 1.3 for Fallen Earth is the first in a long line of projected game-improvement patches slotted for the game's immediate future. I thought this would be a good time to talk a bit more about what is included with this patch to make it less confusing for those who may not want to read 16 pages of release notes. In addition to the site's official info and any press releases we get, I wanted to reach beyond that to a recent interview with Lead Designer Lee Hammock on the LifeNet podcast. Lee talked candidly about the changes that arrived with patch 1.3 on Wednesday, as well as more specifics on what's to come. So I'll dissect that interview for this week's edition of Wasteland Diaries.
