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Massively's hands-on with End of Nations' PvE and PvP
You know that scene in Contact in which Jodie Foster is looking out at the cosmos, telling the folks at mission control that they should have sent a poet? All the while I was playing End of Nations at Trion World's Gamer's Day event, I kept thinking, "Massively should have sent a StarCraft guru!" I initially felt very much out of my element. MMOs and RPGs are my shtick; I only rarely dive into turn-based strategy games. And RTS games? Forget it. They don't agree with me. If it doesn't have a pause button, I probably don't have time for it. I'm too easily distractible, too impatient, and too exhausted after a work-day of multi-tasking to spend my playtime multi-tasking even more. There's just no time for cooking meals, browsing lolcats, and chatting with the spouse when you're neck-deep in an RTS. RTS games are serious business; they require my undivided attention and concentration, and I don't like doing things halfway. And yet maybe that makes me just the right person to try out an MMORTS hybrid like Trion's EoN. Most people who give it a spin when it hits the market will probably have a lot in common with me -- they'll be loyalists to one side or the other, not to both. Maybe an RTS novice is just the sort of person who can test out the game, present it to MMO gamers, and explain just what the heck this game thinks it's doing playing around in our end of the pool. Or maybe I'll end up sobbing amidst the charred remains of my tank minions. You'll never know if you don't hit the break! %Gallery-99563%
New Soul Master trailer highlights battle
Soul Master has been in open beta for almost a week now, and the latest trailer gives us a more extensive view of battle than we've had before, while hinting at some exciting options for alliances. The game is designed to be an action-oriented MMORTS, and while there's certain to be an emphasis on strategy and planning, the gameplay we see in the trailer looks to be pretty fast-paced. There is talk of never fighting alone, units rushing to you in battle, and deadly attacks -- the blending of RTS and action seems to be coming along nicely. Follow along after the jump for the latest look at Soul Master.
Soul Master begins open beta
Soul Master bills itself as a "genre-bending, free-to-play MMORTS," offering players MMORPG-style control over their characters while maintaining a style of RTS gameplay. Can they deliver? Well, that's an answer that will vary from player to player, but the best way to find out is to try it for yourself. Current closed beta testers have been enjoying the game, but now GamesCampus is ready for the next step. Open beta testing begins for Soul Master today, so anyone who wants to give the game a try can sign up and join the testing. If you've been participating in the closed beta, there will be a character wipe, so this is your chance to start fresh and check out the new and improved version of Soul Master.
First Impressions: Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms
Browser-based games have come a long way. A few years ago, I would have never predicted that they would be as popular and varied as they are now. I wouldn't have believed that the quality would rise, while still being contained in the 2-D walls of your favorite browser. But, here we are, discussing Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms, another browser-based game that has raised that level of quality once again. It's a subtle difference, but the improvements should still be noted and enjoyed. First of all, I want to say that I am generally horrible at any type of PvP. I rarely think of conquest and would rather trade with my fellow players than attempt to murder them. Call me old-fashioned! So, when I signed up for a game that promised that type of epic conquest (and diplomacy as well, lest we forget) I was a little more than worried that the following First Impressions would consist only of the words "I SUCK." What I found, after giving in and joining the very first alliance that offered membership, was a game that is heavy on the chin-scratching and light on difficulty. And it's fun, too.
Soul Master entering closed beta tomorrow
Looking to mix up your MMO gaming, maybe with a dash of real-time strategy? Soul Master might be the game for you, and the free-to-play MMORTS hybrid from GamesCampus is entering closed beta on July 22nd. The beta period will last through August 4th, and you can grab a key at the official website. Soul Master features player-created structures, command units, and progression through various technology trees, all in service of a traditional persistent MMO character as well as team and FFA PvP. The game also features a robust itemization system that allows for skill and statistical bonuses to everything from the player's avatar, to their buildings, production capabilities, and RTS units. "The fast-paced combat in Soul Master combines the high-speed action of a character vs. character brawler with the tactical elements of squad-based RTS," says GamesCampus Marketing and Business Development VP David Chang.
Massively Exclusive: A Q&A on Trion's upcoming MMORTS End of Nations
One of Trion Worlds' upcoming games that we've had the chance to experience hands-on recently at E3 and earlier in April is the RTStastic offering, End of Nations. C'mon -- heavy machinery, a dystopian setting, RTS elements, high-explosives.... What's not to like? Well, when they offered us this exclusive developer Q&A on End of Nations, we couldn't resist. We knew we couldn't be the only ones interested in what they have in mind for the future of this fun title. (Editor's Note: They've written the questions and answers, not us. ~Sera) For those who, like us, hunger for a game that will involve large chunks of twisted metal and the ability to play RTS-style with a bunch of friends -- all at the same time -- then you'll definitely enjoy this batch of questions. From their plans for live world events to the burning question of why RTS players might be willing to pay a monthly fee for this game, the development team at Trion Worlds have given us a very solid first Q&A to read. You can check it out in full behind the break, or poke through the gallery of shiny screenshots offered for your eyes below. %Gallery-96732%
GamesCampus releases new Soul Master screenshots
The developers of upcoming free-to-play MMORTS Soul Master announced earlier this year that they were planning for a closed beta test "this summer." They've now narrowed that window down to July, so if F2P MMORTS is your preferred brand of gaming, you don't have much longer to wait. GamesCampus has given us a taste of what's to come in that first beta test with a new round of screenshots. The screenshots illustrate the tier 1-4 units of the three classes that will be available in the first closed beta test: BearCat, Knight, and Priest. Check out the gallery for a first look at these classes, and if you're not signed up for the beta, visit the Soul Master site to do so. %Gallery-93740%
[Update: Contest Closed] Win a in-game prize pack for Heroes of Gaia with Massively and Snail Games!
Good news everyone! It's Friday, and you know what that means? It means Sera has a reason to give stuff away! (Even though, technically, I have a reason to give stuff away every day.) This week we're running a contest for 10 special in-game prize packs in Heroes of Gaia, a browser-based MMORTS that we've been following for some time now. Heroes of Gaia is, as you would expect, a free-to-play game, so if you've been looking for something that's a bit more strategic, then you certainly can give this game a go. To make the pot a little sweeter, we've teamed up with Snail Games USA to provide ten in-game item packs for 10 lucky commenters. Awesome? Yes. Easy to win? Of course! However, you only have a single day to enter! Therein lies "the catch" as they say. Interested to know how to enter? It's as simple as dropping off a comment after the break, so continue reading for complete instructions! [Update: The contest is now closed! Thank you everyone for entering, we'll post the winners shortly!]
Trion reveals new End of Nations trailer
Civilization as we know it has collapsed. Anarchy reigns. People are dying in the streets. Things are looking desperate when the Order of Nations steps in to restore "security and basic necessities on a global scale." This powerful new organization seems like the answer to the crisis. Unfortunately, "peace comes at a price," according to the new trailer video for End of Nations, the upcoming MMORTS from Trion Worlds. Thanks to our hands-on with End of Nations back in April, we have a pretty clear idea of how gameplay will work, but this trailer gives us the story behind the game. Follow along after the jump to see what you'll be up against once End of Nations launches.
Mapping the way to the Soul Master closed beta
With tons of MMO options available, players are looking for fun and interesting mechanics that might well scratch their gaming itch. That's why the folks at Gamescampus are hoping that their shiny new action MMORTS, Soul Master, will catch players' eyes by offering lots of interesting new maps and challenges to differentiate it from your everyday hack-and-slash game. As the closed beta is set to start "this summer" we're guessing that players won't have too much longer to wait before we start to hear more about this upcoming title. With most of the mechanics sounding very similar to regular RTS games (creating your own defensive and offensive units, resource gathering, producing upgrades, etc.) and talk of MMO-style raiding thrown in, it's still a bit early to say just precisely where this will land on the MMO spectrum. Nonetheless, we do have a handful of shiny new images featuring different maps and monsters in the gallery below for you to check out. Alternatively, if you'd prefer a taste of the action up-front, there's also a video embedded behind the break for your viewing pleasure. In either case, if you're an RTS-fiend who wants to see just how far down the MMO rabbit-hole this particular game goes, you can head over to the Soul Master site and sign up for the closed beta. %Gallery-93740%
Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively!
How would you like to alpha test an MMORTSRPG? Yeah, that's what we thought. The amount of letters has distracted you. Our evil plan is coming to fruition! And, speaking of things coming to fruition, let's talk about Ensemble Online -- a new game from a small indie developer group. The game is incorporating aspects of a traditional RPG with elements of a real-time strategy game, all under an MMO flag. Retrieve resources, hunt monsters, build buildings, craft weapons, create empires, and wage war with other players in this 2D MMO. It's very ambitious, and ambitious things need testers. We've gotten 50 alpha keys to give away, and that means it's time for a contest! If we've caught your interest, jump with us after the break and we'll give you all of the relevant information. %Gallery-93695%
Orcs, elves, magic, and... pirates: Silverlode unveils Captains of DarkTide
Silverlode Interactive, the developer best known for fantasy MMORTS SAGA, has unveiled a project that's been in "stealth development" for the past year: Captains of Dark Tide. This pirate-themed free-to-play game is set in the SAGA universe, creating an unusual and potentially very exciting mix of fantasy and piracy -- the swashbuckling kind, not the software kind -- on the open seas. What this means is that players will be able to do things like crew their ships with dragon-summoning dark elves, create cannons that shoot fire or lightning, or bring the lich and his minions aboard to join you in your search for buried treasure. If it sounds like something that you'd like to try, Captains of Dark Tide is accepting signups for the US closed beta now. Only US servers will be available for the time being, but EU players are welcome to join the US servers. A EU closed beta will launch sometime in the future. If you're worried about not getting into the closed beta, don't: the servers will scale as beta progresses in order to admit everyone. You can sign up for closed beta on the main CoDT page, and be sure to check out the gallery below for a first look at Captains of Dark Tide. %Gallery-92743%
Massively's hands-on with Trion's End of Nations
Trion World recently unveiled a wealth of new information on three of their current projects, including the MMORTS that so many fans have been wondering about. End of Nations is the newly revealed title of this game, and Massively enjoyed a firsthand look at it. End of Nations promises to be a great blend of traditional MMORPG action play and MMORTS strategic play, something that could be tricky to deliver. Can they succeed in offering fans the best of both worlds? Follow along after the jump to see what we found when we played End of Nations.
Impressions: End of Nations
Last week, I got an early look at End of Nations, the latest RTS from Petroglyph, the developer of Star Wars: Empire at War and, more recently, Universe at War: Earth Assault. Founded by some of the principals behind the original Command & Conquer at Westwood Studios, the team is pouring its experience in the genre into End of Nations for publisher Trion Worlds. Due for release in 2011, the game is being pitched as the first "MMORTS" with a persistent game world, community features and player-vs-environment gameplay with support for 50 simultaneous players "and growing," according to the developer. End of Nations will undergo many enhancements and a lot of fine-tuning before release, but even in its current state, the game is unquestionably impressive. Specifically, the scale of the action is simply astonishing. The demo map I saw spanned many (virtual) square miles, featuring an array of locations and topography. One second I was seeing a skirmish in a burning forest, and in the next, several players were working together to bring down a massive Panzer Hulk (think: battleship with tank treads) at a heavily fortified construction facility. %Gallery-91784%
Trion Worlds 'Syfy Action MMO' likely coming to consoles; publisher shows off two additional MMOs
Four years and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment capital later, Trion World Network finally has a couple of "connected" games to show ... and a new name, to boot. Now known as Trion Worlds, the company held an event in San Francisco last week to take the wraps off of the Petroglyph-developed "MMORTS" End of Nations and its home-grown MMORPG Rift: Planes of Telara (formerly known as Heroes of Telara). End of Nations is the latest game from the developer of Mytheon, Star Wars: Empire at War and Universe at War, which hopes to break new ground in the RTS genre by introducing elements such as a persistent game world and player-vs-environment battles that support more than 50 players simultaneously. It's set in a near future where resistance fighters battle a totalitarian one world government that possesses superior technology, including battleship-sized tanks called Panzer Hulks. (Check out our End of Nations image gallery for a closer look at the title.) Shown at E3 last year, Rift: Planes of Telara has undergone more than a name change. The game's visuals have improved substantially and its new hook -- "rifts" that appear randomly and spawn creatures from other dimensions -- is something Trion Worlds is focusing heavily on, calling it "dynamic content" that only its server platform can deliver. (Peep the Rift: Planes of Telara image gallery here.) Both games are due out in 2011 and are expected to be playable at E3 in June. The company is also working with Syfy on a hybrid action MMO / TV series believed to be called One Earth. The project is not being shown just yet, but it was revealed that factions and players from the game will be written into the show -- should they emerge victorious in tie-in challenges. We were also told by a Trion World rep that the game, while currently announced only for PC, will likely be released for console platforms. Check out the first concept art from the game in the gallery below. %Gallery-91785%
Mytheon going dark for Earth Hour 2010
Fighting against the mighty power of the gods is no easy task, as Mytheon closed beta testers are discovering. But now Mytheon is asking players to help out in a different battle, by observing Earth Hour 2010 on Saturday. For one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 PST, the closed beta will go dark in honor of the global initiative to fight climate change. "As a company based in Austin, a city that has active policy that protects the environment, we feel a duty to proactively participate in saving the planet," said Jeff Lujan, CEO of True Games Interactive. "All of our titles, including Mytheon, are based on a strong belief in digital distribution of games-which means we do not have excess waste like retail packaging, transportation, etc., but we are willing to go one step further on Saturday and we call on others to do the same. Working together we can make a difference." You can read more about Earth Hour 2010 here, and sign up for this MMORTS closed beta over at Mytheon's website.
Omniverse Games announces closed beta of Excalibur Online
Omniverse Games has announced a new MMORTS set to go into closed beta soon. Excalibur Online is set in Britain shortly before the rise of King Arthur and Camelot, and players join the battle to "see for themselves if they have what it takes to unify Britain under their own banner, or if their exploits are doomed to be forgotten on the misty shores of Avalon." You won't be the only one chasing that goal, however. The other players are after the same thing, which means you're going to have to fight for it. One of the highlights of the game is the Battle for Avalon, in which player armies duke it out on the island of Avalon in the hopes of winning glory both in game and in the forums. Excalibur Online gives players the opportunity to build their armies and empires from the ground up by collecting resources, building their cities, and discovering new technology. Check out their official site for all the details. Closed beta begins March 18th.
Soul Master to be published in Europe by gamigo
gamigo, a leading publisher of FTP online games, announced its latest creation called Soul Master. "We are excited to announce that we will be the exclusive European publisher of Soul Master," says gamigo executive board member Patrick Streppel. "Soul Master provides a unique gameplay experience that combines strategy and role-play, fitting perfectly into our broad portfolio of free-to-play online games." In Soul Master, an entirely mission-based world, three factions duke it out for the right to rule all. Inside cities players will find a place to meet and to get quests, something the developer claims to have no shortage of. Besides just running through missions to build up a character, however, players will be attempting to capture resources that will aid them in building up a base and growing an army. There will be no lack of PvP, either, as players will be able to fight other Soul Masters in PvP battles and in guild wars that are going to be an "absolute highlight" of the experience. Expected to be released in the third quarter of 2010, Soul Master will be staying in the tradition of gamigo's other titles and remaining completely free-to-play. Join me after the jump for a trailer and some more game highlights.
The Daily Grind: What genres will never work as an MMO?
Lately we've begun to see the shooter genre creep into the massively multiplayer online game space. Titles like Global Agenda and All Points Bulletin are both equal parts shooter and MMO. Assuming the trend continues, we'll probably see more shooter MMOs in the coming years -- potentially even other genres, too. Obviously, this makes most of us wonder what other genres could hit the MMO scene. But, what we really want to know is which combinations you think are lost causes. Will there ever be a successful MMORTS? If not, why? Would anyone even want to play an MMO version of a fighting or racing game? The mind reels at the possibilities.
First Impressions: Global Agenda
Global Agenda. This game has been successful in causing quite a stir on our website. It seems almost every single story we do on the game anymore turns into the inevitable "this isn't an MMO" debate. We've even tried to give the MMORTS part of it more of a perspective in past articles, but that's neither here nor there. This article isn't about the game or if it's an MMO -- it's about how this game plays. So, is Global Agenda a worthy investment for the MMOer? Is it a worthy investiment for the FPS nut? Can a game that's a hybrid of so many genres work as well as its creators say it works? Those are all excellent questions and they're also questions that we're going to answer today. %Gallery-84790%
