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Scope out MechWarrior Online's high-octane action
It's one thing to hear about how exciting an upcoming game might be, but it's something else to see it for yourself. While we were certainly impressed with what we heard and saw about MechWarrior Online from this past week's GDC, we weren't able to show you how the game actually plays. Until now, that is! Piranha Games just released its first public video showing in-game footage of MechWarrior Online. In it, three 'Mechs -- an Atlas, a Jenner, and a Hunchback -- are duking it out in one of the game's wilderness arenas. While the video is short, there's plenty of sweet details to pick out, such as a barrage of missiles arcing toward a foe, battle-damage on enemy 'Mechs, and serious-looking warnings that pop up on the player's HUD. MechWarrior Online is slated for a summer 2012 release. You can check out the gameplay video after the jump!
GDC 2012: Locking on to MechWarrior Online
The notion of strapping oneself into a massive battle robot chassis and duking it out with other 'Mechs appeals to the inner child in all of us (or it should), so it's hard not to feel a tingle of excitement when the makers of MechWarrior Online promise that we'll soon be able to do just that. We caught up with the Piranha Games crew at GDC to become one of the very first non-studio witnesses of MWO's in-game footage and to hear why this is a title that should be on all of our radars. The team is filled with huge fans of the MechWarrior and BattleTech franchises, so the devs were eager to construct a proper MechWarrior title when Piranha got ahold of the license this year. The studio seized upon the free-to-play model early on as the best way to draw in as many potential 'Mech pilots as possible. It also snagged the CryEngine 3 to provide the best possible graphical fidelity for its product. Unfortunately, it's going to be hard to categorize MWO as "massively," as its non-persistent arena maps will host up to only 24 players in 12v12 fights. Setting-wise, MechWarrior Online begins in 3049, but that date will keep tempo with the real-world calendar (so tomorrow it'll be March 9th, 3049, and so on). As events happen in the story according to the game's canon, the game will change to reflect that in real-time. Read on to hear what the devs had to say about two of the game's four pillars: mech warfare and role warfare.
MechWarrior Online kicks off Mech Warfare Month
Driving a multi-ton battle 'Mech isn't like picking your friend up at the 7-11 in your dad's Prius; it's a massive, complicated war machine that has to be understood before it can be wielded against foes. So if you think that piloting one in MechWarrior Online will be as simple as hitting the WASD keys and the occasional 1 or 2, think again. This is why Piranha Games has launched Mech Warfare Month on the official MWO site, giving us a full run-down of how movement and combat is handled in the game. Concepts such as 'Mech "torso twists," jump jets, environmental obstacles, and heat management have to be taken into account from the onset. To bring down the hammer on enemy 'Mechs, players will use a balance of energy, projectile, and ballistic weapons -- and they have to keep track of ammo while doing so. Piranha wraps up the post with a lengthy list of keyboard and mouse commands that will be necessary to learn for safe 'Mech operation. While the full list of controls and HUD details may send some running for their nearest touch-screen device, this level of detail is exactly what attracts such a devoted fanbase to the franchise. We're speaking with Piranha Games at GDC this week, so stay tuned for an in-depth interview as to how this game is shaping up! [Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]
New Hawken gameplay teaser doesn't look like an indie game
Hawken, the free-to-play, first-person mech shooter from indie studio Adhesive Games, keeps looking better and better, especially now that its videos have lost the "this is a work in progress" warning. We guess raising $10 million will do that to a game. The latest teaser shows off gameplay during an intense battle from the inside of a mech suit that makes two things occupy our thoughts: rails guns and rockets.Watch the teaser above and enlist in the Hawken beta right here.
Hawken brings pretty multiplayer mech battles to the web Dec. 12
We're sure you watched thousands of YouTube videos last year, but we bet only a handful featured flying robots with guns, and just one of those was an explosive multiplayer mech battle built on Unreal Engine 3 -- yeah, that one, right up there. Hawken, the breakout title from indie studio Adhesive Games, is scheduled to launch on Dec. 12, published by Meteor Entertainment.Hawken will be web-based, free-to-play and feature fast-paced action in short bursts, styled after Call of Duty multiplayer, Adhesive co-founder Khang Le said. Players in Hawken will battle for survival and resources inside flying, rocket-equipped mechs in various regions of a barren industrial wasteland (or heaven, as we call it). Hawken is multiplayer only and will play in a session-based format similar to League of Legends, Le said.For a further glimpse at Hawken's universe, hit up the video after the break, which displays desert gameplay. If that intrigues you, sign up for the closed beta right here -- get three friends (enemies, strangers) to enlist and guarantee your spot.
MechWarrior Online unveils the classic CN9-A Centurion BattleMech
Giant robot fans everywhere are getting pumped up for Piranha Games' upcoming MechWarrior Online, but what's a MechWarrior game without lots of badass BattleMechs? Boring, that's what. Fortunately, however, there's plenty of giant robot lovin' to go around in MWO, and today the team is revealing the newest (though we use that term loosely) addition to the roster: the Centurion. The CN9-A Centurion is a long-time favorite of anyone who has hung around in the MechWarrior universe for long enough, and it's easy enough to see why. Armed with weapons suitable for any range, the Centurion is a force to be reckoned with no matter where he is on the battlefield. Whether it's launching LRM-10 missiles across the battlefield or wrecking someone's day personally with its AC/10 autocannon and medium lasers, you can bet the Centurion will be making a triumphant return in MechWarrior Online. For the full details on the newly revealed BattleMech, just jump on over to the game's official site. [Thanks to nimzy for the tip!]
MechWarrior Online fights with knowledge as well as lasers
In any combat situation it is key to be as well-informed as possible: to know where your enemy is (hopefully not right behind you), what resources you have on hand (dual Twinkies), what you're up against (spouse aggro), and so on. The makers of the upcoming MechWarrior Online have devoted their second dev blog to the importance of information -- or as they put it, "knowledge is power!" To aid with information warfare, the designers will provide to players a key tool called a BattleGrid, which will function like a pumped-up interactive map during in-game conflicts. Through the BattleGrid, players will be able to get a good idea of what's going on in the field quickly and what orders are coming through for the attack. The blog post also mentions the concept of "modules" that allow pilots to customize their 'Mechs, and it gives a brief overview of the line-of-sight targeting system and how players can work together to share battlefield information as well as how they can confuse the enemy. Hiding and seeking in the game will require a good combination of both detection and "spoofing" modules to keep your team alive while exposing the opposite one. [Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]
MechWarrior Online rolls out the '12 Catapult
Some people like to drool over car statistics, with their V-8s and turbo-injections and rearview adjustable mirrors. Others like to fawn over every last detail of fictional battle robots as if they were coming soon to a dealership near them. Both, in our opinion, are acceptable. If you're in the latter category, then you're going to love MechWarrior Online today, as the devs revealed the latest in the 26th century lineup: the CPLT-C1 Catapult. This heavy 'Mech may be a tad on the slow side, but it more than makes up for it with firepower and 10 tons of armor. The two-legged Catapult boasts missiles, lasers, and jumpjets, although it can only go a little less than 65 kph on the battlefield. The Catapult will be available to the Terran Hegemony and seems suitable for those who prefer slow, powerful brutes to quick, nimble machines. If walking piles of death metal are your thing, make sure to catch up on our preview of MechWarrior Online.
Previewing the nuts and bolts of MechWarrior Online
MechWarrior Online might just be one of the most exciting titles to be announced in recent times. If you have ever played any version of the game or have ever enjoyed stomping around in the Battletech universe, you'll be happy to know that, yes, the new online game is actually being made. While the IP will soon turn 30 years old, it's still very popular. Some of us remember painting metal figures to place into our tiny lances, while others have fond memories of jumping and shooting, jumping and shooting, jumping and shooting. Massively joined the press roundtable for the game this week and snagged some juicy information. We talked with Piranha Games' President Russ Bullock and Creative Director Bryan Ekman about how the development process is going, how their philosophies influence design, and how the game will actually play. Click past the cut, and watch out for heat!
Randall Bills talks about shaping the future of MechWarrior Online
For die-hard MechWarrior fans, it must be a relief to know that the upcoming MechWarrior Online is in good hands of people connected with the board game. One pair of hands in particular belongs to Catalyst Game Labs' Randall Bills, who is deeply involved with the MechWarrior and BattleTech franchises, and he emerged to participate in a very lengthy interview about the game and his love of multi-ton mechs. Currently, Bills says that he fills two roles on the team: continuity editor and fiction content manager. In the former, he helps to inspect what the developers are working on and give them feedback and notes from his well of expert knowledge on the subject. In the latter, he's spearheading the team responsible for writing the lore behind the online game universe. So what would Bills like to see happen in MechWarrior Online? Orbital insertions ("That's a level of action and immersion that would take MechWarrior Online to a whole new level.") and physical attacks ("It shouldn't work very well and be hard to pull off... but when you do pull it off it should be a move everyone in the game talks about for some time to come."). As for what he's most excited about in the upcoming MMO, he's just glad that he'll be able to emulate the board game in a virtual environment: "To know that I can jump in a light 'Mech and do exactly what you can pull off in the board game (and just as important, what the fiction depicts for the universe) with a true melding of multiple tactics to achieve victory... that'll be a truly spectacular geek-out moment to experience." Look for our own upcoming interview with the MechWarrior Online team coming soon.
MechWarrior introduces the DRG-1N Dragon BattleMech
MechWarrior Online's steady media drip continues today with a short lore piece introducing the DRG-1N Dragon BattleMech. This particular 'bot is a result of the work of the Draconis Combine, and through the flavor text, we can pick out a few details about the new addition. The 'Mech is described as a "long-range focussed 'Mech capable of handling threats at all ranges." The Dragon comes armed with "a Telos DecaCluster LRM-10, an Imperator-A Autocannon/5, and two Victory 23R Medium Lasers." The brief states that "the Dragon will be able to bring down most foes before they even get into the range of its two Victory 23R Medium Lasers" through the use of the long-range Autocannon/5 and the "indirect-fire capabilities" of the DecaCluster. To get the full details on this new 'Mech, just head on over to the game's official site.
Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online
The developers of Bounty Hounds Online recently invited Massively to join them in exploring their closed beta world. I am not the type to turn down an invitation like that, so I downloaded the client and logged in. While it did take a while to figure out which client to use and exactly how to log in to the test server so the developers could show me things that were not yet in the beta, the wait was worth it. If you've been curious about how the game looks, plays, and feels, click past the cut and join me for a preview! Bear in mind that I was given a very decked-out character, so combat was a breeze. Other than that, everything else was a normal tour through a very cool-looking world! %Gallery-134329%
Perpetuum doubling world size, offering free trials
What's new in the world of Perpetuum? Well, free trials for starters, as Avatar Creations has officially introduced a 15-day grace period for each newly created account. Trial players will not be able to trade items or currency, and they also will be prevented from joining corporations in order to safeguard the game's economy from exploits. Perhaps the biggest update in the world of Perpetuum is, well, the world -- or rather, the world as it will look in an upcoming patch. Avatar's official dev blog details plans to effectively double the size of the planet known as Nia in a patch "planned for about a month from now." The new territory will include six new islands (three of them safe zones and three free-for-all areas). All of the zones will boast infrastructure, NPCs, and materials, and Avatar plans on introducing missions shortly after going live with the update.
The Game Archaeologist goes PlanetSide: The fansite
Famous PvPer George S. Patton once said that "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other n00b die for his." We here at Game Archaeologist University applaud that line of thinking, especially when we want to be entertained. This perhaps explains the long-lasting appeal of PlanetSide. Another working theory is that Sony Online Entertainment is into witchcraft. For an MMO I never gave much of a thought past "Huh, that's still around?" PlanetSide's surprised me with such a loyal -- and literate -- playerbase. Ever since starting this column, I've never received so many emails about an MMO. Memories and fearless love run strong in this community, and that intrigues me. What have I overlooked? Has PlanetSide proven that our ancestors' DNA contained the hybrid FPS/MMO gene, a gene that was passed down to a select group of winners? In my quest to unwrap the formula of cult success, I first paid a visit to the folks over at PlanetSide Universe, one of the most established PlanetSide fan sites on the web. Hit the jump to have your mind blown -- and your internal organs donated against your will by a rocket launcher!
Gears 'n' glory: MapleStory unveils the Mechanic
Nexon's MapleStory has been to the brink of the world's end and beyond with its Big Bang overhaul. Spread out over three significant updates, Big Bang started out with a game mechanics renovation in phase one and a pair of original classes in phase two, not to mention the addition of several new zones. Today, Nexon is happy to announce the onset of the third and final phase to this literal game-changer. In phase three, titled "Birth of the Mechanic" in honor of the newest class in the game, MapleStory is rolling out one of the more unique MMO classes in the genre. Mechanics are pirate tank-drivers who ride into battle on their trusty mech steeds, unleashing robot minions and throwing out long-range damage while retaining the ability to heal themselves. Mechanics can also hit multiple targets at once, making the class an AoE-lover's dream. Players wishing to honor the valiant Mechanic can raise their wrenches high on January 22nd and log into the game at precisely 2:00 p.m. PST to receive an SP Reset Scroll and a chance at a few other goodies. Hit the gallery below to check out the Mechanic in all his high-tech glory, and get caught up on Big Bang with our Crystin Cox interview! %Gallery-16709%
Perpetuum dev blog talks new features, Interference system
Wondering what's going on in the world of Perpetuum? Wonder no more, as the official Perpetuum dev blog has been updated with news of today's patch as well as a number of both client and gameplay tweaks. First on the agenda is the fact that Avatar Creations is now offering two new languages for its sci-fi sandbox, and we're sure both the Slovenian and French-speaking communities will appreciate it. The patch also features the introduction of a new heavy mech robot (the Lithus), which "can be thought of as the big brother of the Sequer, and will satisfy all your hauling needs" according to Avatar's BoyC. Next up are a couple of additions to the character screen in the form of trophies and losses followed by the coup de grace of this particular patch: the Interference system. In a nutshell, Avatar is attempting to address the fact that players are clustering together in PvP and one-shotting opponents due to a mass of concentrated firepower. The designers intentionally avoided implementing friendly fire and robot collision detection in Perpetuum, and the Interference system "simulates the effects safely fighting in a close group would have on the combat effectiveness of the group in the real world. Basically members of the group would have to be more careful not to shoot any of their comrades, and thus be slower to fire and would have to devote a lot of their attention to working together with their unit."
Perpetuum devs working on new mech, combat log, and more
It's been pretty quiet on the Perpetuum news front since the game went live towards the end of November. The indie sci-fi title is moving right along, and the developers at Avatar Creations are hard at work collecting player feedback and iterating on possible future additions. Quite a few new features are coming down the pipe for the mech-based sandbox, including robots that damage their surroundings when they die, a new freight-transport mech, and an oft-requested combat history log. Mancs, an Avatar dev and the personality behind the official Perpetuum blog, writes about these and other upcoming tweaks in the column's holiday entry (dated December 26th).
Prototype Pleo motion capture exoskeleton up for grabs: $2,400 OBO
Still haven't nailed down the perfect Christmas gift for that special someone in your life? Shame on you. Just kidding. But on the real, if you've got $2,397.99 and a lust for robotics, there's hardly a better buy available right now than this. The concoction you're peering at above isn't apt to go on sale to the general public again anytime soon, as it's a rare prototype motion capture exoskeleton that was used by (the now-defunct) Ugobe in the creation of Pleo. Word has it that this suit was vital to the R&D efforts surrounding the first edition of the outfit's robotic dinosaur, with one Caleb Chung fitting in and hulking about as computers analyzed and recorded movements. So far as we can tell, all of the circuits and wires are still here, meaning that you actually could use this for R&D of your own provided you had the right equipment to read it. Unfortunately, it'll cost a small fortune to ship a 350 pound crate anywhere outside of the continental US, but for those of you currently living overseas... well, here's your excuse to relocate. [Thanks, Colin]
Perpetuum officially launched
Gear up, mechheads -- Perpetuum has officially launched. As of yesterday, November 25th, Avatar Creations' massively multiplayer sandbox is open for business. Early access accounts have been disabled, and you'll need to pony up for the $9.95 subscription fee in order to continue carving out humanity's destiny on the planet Nia. Newly created accounts will receive two weeks' worth of extension points (the game's skill point currency) for free, though a press release on the official website states that this offer will be for an "undetermined period." Perpetuum features time-based character development, real-time asynchronous combat, dynamically changing environments, and a single-server persistent universe. Register for your account at the official website, and we'll see you on the surface of Nia.
Perpetuum devs talk design inspiration, post-launch plans
You've probably heard of Perpetuum Online, the new mech-based title from indie developer Avatar Creations. What you may not know is that the sprawling sandbox is the result of a tiny 10-man development team. In a new interview with the devs over at Game Reactor, we also learned that even though the UI and certain gameplay elements resemble EVE Online, most of the Avatar team never played CCP's famous MMORPG and instead looked to the real world for design inspiration. "When designing the crafting system we looked at how humanity would react when faced with new and alien technology and built crafting around those core ideas. The idea of a complex sandbox single-server world might be very similar, but most of the Perpetuum team never played EVE," Avatar says. The interview also drops a few interesting nuggets including player beta reactions, post-launch development plans, and a peek at the dev team's stance on equalizing veterans and newbs. "Newcomers in any well designed game won't have a chance against seasoned veterans," Avatar states. Check out the full interview at Game Reactor and don't forget that Perpetuum launches November 25th.
