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Age of Empires Online posts first dev diary video
Cross an RTS game over to an MMO? Madness! Well, OK, maybe it's not madness at all, but this new video dev blog from the team behind Age of Empires Online is pretty crazy! In it, we're treated to an interesting look behind the scenes of this upcoming MMORTS title under production at Gas Powered Games. However, as we learn from CEO Chris Taylor, Producer Dex Manely, and Marketing Manager Justin Kirby, there's a lot of brainstorming and work that goes on when it comes to creating interesting video dev blogs for a game. With fun, stylized graphics, vividly colored environments, tons of action and a pedigree spanning several different popular titles, Age of Empires Online looks like it has a good start. For now, check out the video embedded behind the break, and if the game seems like your idea of fun, head over to the Age of Empires Online site to get signed up for a chance to beta test.
gamigo announces new Elements of War MMORTS
There's a new MMORTS in the works from gamigo, and the upcoming Elements of War Online looks to give players the opportunity to take part in an invasion of the United States carried out by a coalition of Russian and European forces. The game features eight-player (4 vs. 4) matches and requires a mixture of strategy, tactical prowess, and teamwork to control various sectors of a battle map set in the war-torn continental United States. Player commanders choose and train their units to create the ultimate army, and can even make use of "experimental element weapons such as artificial tornados and storms [that] can make or break a battle," according to a gamigo press release. Beta testing for Elements of War will kick off this quarter, and the game will feature 50 unique battle zones, 16 maps, two playable factions, 31 unit types per side, and destructible environments.
Starjack Online open beta begins
Sci-fi MMORTS titles are a rare breed, and so it's with keen interest that we note the beginning of Starjack Online's open beta phase. The free-to-play title from Limbo Game Studios has been in testing since August of 2010, and has finally thrown open its doors for the public. If you're unfamiliar with Starjack, Limbo bills it as a "4X, real-time strategy, massively multiplayer game." What exactly is 4X? It stands for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate, and you'll be able to do all these things in real-time (i.e., no turns) in a constantly changing persistent universe. Starjack is also unique in that nearly everything in the game is player-created, including ships, fleets, troops, colonies, and resources. If it sounds like a lot to digest, don't worry, as Limbo assures us that the game is as accessible as it is deep. To that end, Starjack allows players to automate various empire management tasks, "removing the tedium and the need for micromanagement." You can learn more at the game's official website, where you can also create an account and grab the beta client.
Picaroon heads into the open waters of open beta
Picaroon, the pirate MMORTS with an attitude (and a mild case of scurvy), has now walked off the gangplank into the depths of open beta. We've been following this title since last October when Picaroon announced its closed beta, and now it's available for all to check out, test and see if it be as worthy as a salty sea dog. Nice Technology's Toby Simpson thinks the game has a broad appeal: "We're excited about open beta and look forward to welcoming new members to our growing community of Picaroon fans. Picaroon has strategies for all: builders, attackers, defenders and diplomats." Set in a futuristic water world (no, not the Kevin Costner one) where empires clash over the few remaining patches of land, Picaroon tasks players with building up fleets and setting sail for adventures. Nice Technology has designed the game to include three modes depending on your time constraints: hour-long skirmishes, two-week struggles, and a persistent war. Fighting isn't the only way to victory, as Picaroon offers players the options for diplomacy as well. You can check out the open beta by heading over to Picaroon's site. %Gallery-116039%
Age of Empires Online gameplay, microtransactions detailed
New details on Microsoft's Age of Empires Online have surfaced at Gamasutra, with much of the information centered on the game's free-to-play business model and associated microtransaction offerings. The game will feature a Premium Civilization upgrade that unlocks all of a civilization's abilities simultaneously, as well as booster packs that add gameplay types, quests, and appearance customization items to the mix. Age of Empires Online will launch with Greek and Eqyptian civilizations, and will be the first entry in the long-running series to feature persistent gameplay (i.e., your city will evolve and earn resources even when you're logged off). The game also boasts PvP functionality as well as cooperative play on the vast majority of its quests. You can learn more about the game, as well as sign up for beta, at the official website.
A wrap-up of the Paradox Interactive MMO conference in NYC
If you're unfamiliar with Paradox Interactive, you could be forgiven -- it's never been a flashy studio. But it does have a very solid track record of producing historical simulations and strategy games, including the critically acclaimed Mount & Blade and the Europa Universalis series. So when the company's New York convention includes two upcoming online games, it's with a background of producing solid games with a strongly simulationist angle. Two titles, Dreamlords Resurrection and Salem, were both on display at the conference, with two very different foci but similar levels of polish. Dreamlords Resurrection is an MMORTS with an emphasis on player armies rather than on city building. Players take on the role of a newly awakened Dreamlord attempting to work with allied players to claim as much land as possible... with the caveat that the game's regular resets will keep any one group of players from becoming too overpowering. Salem, meanwhile, is a sandbox game that plans to include not only open PvP but the threat of permanent death, forcing players to hopefully band together and police behavior. Both sound like interesting takes on the genre that will give players plenty to mull over as they move through development.
Snail Games' next strategy: A Ministry of War expansion
Snail Games debuted its real-time strategy MMO in November of last year, making it a landmark browser-based game. Ministry of War allowed us to travel back in time to command the great civilizations of Rome, Persia, Egypt, or China. Since the game's launch, the developers have experienced great success and are extremely excited about the community's reaction to the features of the game. Today, the MMO developer is proud to announce the first expansion to Ministry of War: The Arcadian Ladder. This update, featuring a 50-level battle instance, will launch tomorrow, January 22, 2011. The Arcadian Ladder will debut on the new Rage server with the legacy servers receiving the update in early February. With this expansion, players will be able to trade via a newly developed auction house, gamble for a chance at rare drops in the Levers of Fortune slot machine, and experience a better battle view with a fresh user interface. This expansion also features 40 new shop items, online time rewards, experience capsules, and many other epic gear drops and experience rewards. Time-travel to the official website to find more information or try out the game for yourself.
War of Legends celebrating first anniversary with lots of cake
It's time for a War of Legends-style birthday party and you're invited (you'll also be the one getting the presents, in case you were wondering). Jagex's browser-based MMORTS is celebrating its first anniversary by giving away a limited edition in-game item and hosting various parties and community events. Each War of Legends player will receive a birthday cake that includes several items that speed up construction, assist in resource gathering, and equip your armies. You can also find more birthday cakes (filled with random reward items) in the wilderness over the next week, and there is no limit to the number you can acquire. Finally, the Jagex team is hosting a series of land-grab events as well as high level sub-cities waiting to be invaded and plundered for their valuable resources. War of Legends is free-to-play, and Jagex executive Oliver Kern says this isn't just a marketing term. "A number of our high reputation players have never spent a dollar and are still with us today, leading our biggest and best alliances. In War of Legends free-to-play really means free-to-play," he said.
Dawn of Fantasy MMORTS coming in June
RTS fans have relatively slim pickings when it comes to massively multiplayer versions of their favorite games. Dawn of Fantasy, a new MMORTS developed by Reverie World Studios, looks to add another option to that mix when it releases on June 3, 2011. The new title takes place in the war-torn world of Mythador and supports persistent economic, trading, development, and diplomacy systems, as well as three racial choices (elves, men, and orcs) and a detailed historical background. Dawn of Fantasy also features low system requirements but still manages to render thousands of units and objects during its large-scale battle scenarios. Players will also be able to design custom scenarios using the game's map editor. "In what we feel is an underrepresented genre, we're confident that Dawn of Fantasy will have what it takes to stay in the hearts of MMO, RTS and fantasy fans for a long time to come," said Ralph Pitt-Stanley of publisher 505 Games. Check out our Dawn of Fantasy gallery below and an older interview with Reverie World, and don't forget to view the new trailer after the break. %Gallery-79066%
GodStoria (formerly The Bible Online) to feature Sodom and Gomorrah arena PvP
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Bring the family on down to the Sodom arena for no-holds barred PvP deathmatch action! Yep, you read that title right, folks. GodStoria, the browser MMO formerly known as The Bible Online, is gearing up to bring you stylized action violence with a unique flavor (mmm, salty). German game publisher FIAA GmbH says this is just the tip of the iceberg for the Biblical MMORTS/RPG hybrid. "We would like to listen to player feedback and suggestions so that we can bring out additional PvP and daily quest updates in the official version of the Sodom and Gomorrah update," says FIAA spokeswoman Jane Lee in a press release from earlier today. GodStoria's PvP options are but a small portion of the Sodom and Gomorrah beta patch (which also includes new item sets). The update is currently scheduled to take a bow on December 21st.
This week on The MMO Report
This week on The MMO Report, Casey takes us on a free-for-all ride through the MMOGverse, scratches an itch in Uncle Casey's Mailbag, and shares a timely lesson just before World of Warcraft: Cataclysm launches. Listen and learn, for lo, there is wisdom to be had on this mythical (and not-so-mythical) topic. This episode starts off with a look at All Points Bulletin, which has been pulled back from the grave by GamersFirst, and hopefully will get more of the features it was supposed to actually have when it launched. Moving on from there, Casey touches on the recent opening of Ministry of War as a browser-based MMORTS. Some of the staff here dig it, being a bunch of Civ fiends. Mind you, if we start seeing boob-infested flash ads for the game popping up everywhere, we're going to deny ever hearing its name. In other snark news, Casey takes a look at the continuing saga of the Final Fantasy XIV free trial, which is being extended yet again in an attempt to keep fans happy. Looks like Square-Enix will have a title out for the holidays* -- which might be when this one actually becomes fully playable. Finally, the last bit of news wraps up with a mention of DC Universe Online's new trailer showing off a police station which is strangely devoid of donuts. Guess glazed pastries just don't mix with skin-tight spandex. You can find this week's episode behind the cut and of course every week at G4TV. * Note: 'Holiday' is used here to refer to any/all holidays in a given calendar year. Could be Christmas, could be Arbor Day. Who knows?
G-Star 2010: PS3 version confirmed for Kingdom Under Fire II
Rumors of a Playstation 3 version of Blueside's upcoming Kingdom Under Fire II MMORTS were confirmed at G-Star 2010 today. The game is a sequel to the Xbox-exclusive Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders, and gameplay for the new title will be similar to Blueside's previous RTS efforts (albeit with a fleshed-out MMO component that includes online castle sieges and huge battles). Players will control characters and combat from a third-person perspective and can also draw on many different unit types in order to adapt to various situations and multiplayer tactics. Blueside says that Kingdom Under Fire II "will not only inherit all the merits of the previous action RTS [games]... but will also feature an enhanced game system that will allow players to experience immense tactical game play and intense action on an unprecedented [battlefield scale]."
Snail Games launches Ministry of War
Snail Games USA has announced the launch of its new Ministry of War free-to-play MMORTS. The title is billed as the world's most advanced browser game and boasts a variety of features not commonly found in the genre including Contested Zone Wars, a massive world map, and a robust merchant and trade system. Contested Zones are territories fought over and controlled by player guilds and they're active each night from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. EST. Guilds can hold the territories as long as they're able, and even non-guilded players can opt to participate by choosing a side and fighting as a mercenary. "Ministry of War redefines the entire notion of a browser game," says Snail Games USA CEO Jason Katz. "It has eight different categories of combat -- everything from arena battles and lair raids to epic large-scale multiplayer battles like Contested Zone Wars and city sieges." Check out all the latest information, and start playing almost immediately, at the game's official website. [Update: Snail Games has contacted Massively and asked us to let prospective players know that they'll be flipping the live switch at 6:00 p.m. PST/ 9:00 p.m. EST]
Soul Master closing down for redesign, scheduled to return in 2011
Soul Master, an action MMORTS from GamesCampus, has announced that it will be joining the ranks of shuttered MMOs on November 16th. In something of a departure from your typical MMO shutdown, the notice on the free-to-play title's official website states that the game is tentatively scheduled to be re-launched in the summer of 2011 after it has been completely reworked. The current build is "not sufficient to meet our standards in both the direction we feel game development should go and the quality of the experience we feel is deserved by the player community," says the announcement. The statement also hints at Soul Master's resurrection in six to eight months, one that will apparently feature a more traditional style of MMO character progression. Check out all the details on the official website.
Snail Games launching Ministry of War MMO on November 17
We sure do like Civilization, but a browser-based, war-centric MMO with very similar sounding mechanics? That's something we could really get into. Lucky for us, Snail Games just announced that its free-to-play MMORTS Ministry of War, currently in beta, will launch next Wednesday, November 17. Like Civ, MoW takes human history and drops it into an interactive playground. "Imperial Rome, Persia, Egypt, or China" are all at your disposal for world domination against other folks online, and beta users get a reward for participation with a "special in-game item pack." Snail Games promises that no more server wipes will take place after next Wednesday's launch, so now might be a good time to start plotting your path to hegemony.%Gallery-107315%
New MMORTS Picaroon enters beta testing
If you are an MMORTS fan, Nice Technology has a new one for you to check out: Picaroon. Picaroon is a free-to-play, futuristic pirate-themed game, and the team's quirky sense of humor -- as evidenced in the developer blog -- should carry over nicely into gameplay. Picaroon is set to launch this winter, but if you'd like to check it out now and help shake the bugs out, you can visit the blog for beta keys. The developers will be releasing more groups of beta keys all week, so if you miss out on one batch, keep your eyes open. Once you get one, follow the instructions on the blog to get into the game, and have fun!
Ministry of War announces Vox Populi contest
If you're ever wanted to put words in the mouth of an MMO NPC (and who hasn't), now's your chance. Snail Games USA has announced the Vox Populi contest for its free-to-play MMORTS known as Ministry of War. The title, currently in closed beta, is a browser-based MMO that allows players to conquer territory as one of four ancient civilizations (China, Egypt, Persia, or Rome). To get in on the contest, and play puppet-master to your very own MMO NPC, head to the beta forums for the complete contest rules and requirements. Entering the Vox Populi competition also makes you eligible for a beta key, and you could be one of five finalists to compete for the coveted grand prize of having your quote spoken by an in-game villager.
The 11th Commandment: Thou shalt play The Bible Online
Tweet Blasphemy or Bible-tastic? The creators of The Bible Online hope that potential players will see their game as the latter. Announced last week, this MMORTS seeks to capitalize on both the world's most prolific IP and this up-and-coming online game fad. Currently in beta, The Bible Online is starting with the literal beginning -- Genesis -- for the first chapter of this possible epic. Players will follow the path of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as they travel the Middle East with their nomadic tribe. Standard RTS gameplay follows, as you'll collect resources, construct buildings and get into tussles with other tribes. FIAA certainly hopes to appeal to Bible believers, as the game is peppered with plenty of verses and quotes from Genesis. While the melding of the Word of God and MMOs may appear strange, the devs say that they have a lot more in common than you might expect: "There are also quests for users to experience Genesis according to the history of the Bible. For example, as it is written in Genesis 14:13-14, there is a quest for Abraham to lead 318 men to rescue his nephew Lot." You can check out the beta at The Bible Online.
Age of Empires Online promises not to nickle-and-dime players
Love it, hate it or meeky accept it, the terms "freemium" and "free-to-play" come with a lot of baggage these days, sometimes to the point of overshadowing the game itself. When Age of Empires fans heard that Microsoft was going to be releasing an online version of the hit RTS series, some of the fans' enthusiasm was tempered by the word that it would adopt the popular freemium business model. Microsoft Game Studio's Dave Luehmann was on hand at Gamescom to assure players that the company isn't out to nickle-and-dime fans to skip parts of the game they don't like. Joystiq reports that they won't be adopting the same strategy as other F2P models. "I don't like to pay for things I don't like to do, that seems kind of backwards," Luehmann said. "So how about we produce things that people actually want?" Instead of purchasing a lot of little items, the studio will simply put up large chunks of content as one-time purchases. These might include a new civilization or an area containing a plethora of quests. Microsoft is still feeling out a fair price point for the additional content, but it pointed to the fact that Age of Empires Online will ship with more than 25 hours of completely free entertainment to enjoy.
Get your MMORTS on because we have Ministry of War beta keys!
Look, we know that all of you have plans for world domination. That's nothing to be ashamed of. But what good are those plans when you don't have the chance to put them into action, right? Well, that's where Ministry of War comes in. Ministry of War is a browser-based MMORTS that lets you step into the shoes of one of history's great nations: Egypt, Persia, Rome, or China. From there, you'll build your empire humbly at first. You'll build structures, study war techniques, and prepare your army. Then, when your enemies on the game's huge world map least expect it, you can launch a strike into their lands! Here's where the game becomes less like Civilization and more like Age of Empires, as you'll find yourself commanding your units on an RTS battlefield. That's right, no more having battles decided for you -- you control the fight. The good folks over at Snail Games USA have allotted us 100 beta keys to give away to you fine folks. However, there is a catch: The keys will be distributed at random, much like one of our contests. Interested and want to know more? Charge after the break for all of the details and where to sign up for a beta key! %Gallery-99802%
