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Are other game studios taking countermeasures against RIFT? [Updated]
If you didn't know, today is the head start launch of RIFT and the beginning of many strained household relationships as players finally dive into Telara for real. While we've known for some time that Trion Worlds' creation was going to be a major player in the MMO field, it seems as though RIFT's release has caused other MMO studios to step up and take countermeasures. In the past 24 hours, there have been a few significant developments that seem suspicious in regard to timing, at least. The first is that Blizzard dropped World of Warcraft's next content update, Patch 4.1, on to the public test server in the middle of the night. Mortal Online's announced that its free 14-day trial program is now active for any interested parties. We've also received numerous tips that EA Mythic disabled the cancel subscription option for Warhammer Online. Although we obviously can't be certain that all of these events are due to RIFT, timing, as they say, is everything. Have you seen any other MMO studios stepping up their game today as a distraction from the new shiny? [Update: The Warhammer subscription option was a bug that should be resolved today, according to the devs.]
The Soapbox: Sandboxes and the fear of FFA PvP
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Guess what! Sandbox games are for roleplayers. I don't mean that in an off-putting or elitist way, but rather I mean to say that people who enjoy and seek out sandbox MMORPGs are roleplayers whether their testosterone levels allow them to self-identify that way or not. The corporate thieves, spies, and meta-gamers in EVE Online? They're roleplaying. The gankers and hyper-competitive PvPers in Darkfall? Yep, they're roleplaying too, even when their names are variations on Loves2spooge. The other day I was talking to one of my closest friends about MMORPGs, roleplaying, and PvP. The discussion rolled around to Darkfall, as most of my discussions these days do, and his ears perked up when I waxed on about the freedom, the skill system, and the huge world that invites you to go your own way and is remarkably unlike traditional themepark games in terms of immersive potential. Eventually I had to break the news that yes, Darkfall does feature FFA PvP, and if that wasn't bad enough, corpse looting. The horror!
The Daily Grind: Darkfall or Mortal Online?
Massively's been taking a long, hard look at Aventurine's Darkfall lately, but it's not the only free-for-all-full-loot-PvP-semi-sandbox game vying for the title of heir to Ultima Online's throne. StarVault's Mortal Online is in the running too, and despite a horrific launch and less than stellar reviews over its first few months, Mortal is still around and has nowhere to go but up. While it's debatable as to whether either of these games will ever achieve the gameplay variety that Ultima boasted in its heyday, the similarities are there, and there aren't a whole lot of additional choices for folks in search of a traditional 3-D fantasy sandbox MMORPG. So what'll it be this morning, sandbox fans: Darkfall, Mortal, or something else? Fight! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Anti-Aliased: I can finally stop playing Mortal Online now
A long time ago, well before Mortal Online launched, I was really looking forward to playing the game. The first-person only perspective made me drool, the Unreal Engine 3 powered graphics engine looked top-notch, the endless amount of customization of weaponry made me giddy, and the sprawling open world made me bow in awe. This was a game that sat at the top of my "WANT NAO" list, and I'm not even a person who's really huge into PvP. I just wanted an Elder Scrolls/Ultima Online inspired sandbox. Upon finally playing the game, however, all I found was a nightmare of errors, glitches, and missing systems. Mats Persson, one of the developers of Star Vault, was right: this game does lack polish, user friendliness, and many systems that could turn this sandbox into a true sandbox. Instead, all I found was a buggy, glitchy, never-ending, pointless deathmatch in an MMO world. Keep reading, and I'll be more than happy to explain every aspect of my time with Mortal Online. If you're interested in commenting on this article, then you have to trek all the way to page 3 this week. Just a heads up! %Gallery-100774%
Rise and Shiny recap: Global Agenda
PvP is a funny thing. Essentially, it is a glorified game of tag. There are variations on the theme, of course: freeze tag, Marco Polo, or Hide-and-Seek. Most of us have had the pleasure of spending a summer evening playing it with our friends. I know that when we played it, we added the dimension of The Woods (as they were known) and all that hiding in those woods on a dark summer evening implies. It was intense, I remember. Once, I hid under a pile of leaves for 40 minutes, scared out of my mind, while my buddy tried to find me. Good PvP can be like that, but bad PvP can ruin your evening. Bad PvP, like a rainstorm during a campout, usually ends with one or more participants taking the event way too seriously. But when you spend a few hours in good PvP, running around shooting at strangers, throwing mines at each other and getting shot down by automated turrets, your heart will race and you will realize that you have had a smile on your face most of the time. Global Agenda has that effect on me, like a good game of tag.
Mortal Online creates exclusive guild leader forum
It's no secret that certain members of MMORPG communities are quite determined in their push to influence a game's direction. Whether it's early adopters jockeying to get their ideas heard while a game is still in development, or the leaders of large and influential endgame-oriented guilds that garner developer attention via their content-clearing prowess, it's not uncommon to see small groups of customers attempting to rub elbows with decision makers. Rare individuals have even parleyed these relationships into professional careers. What is unusual is when a game company publicly endorses such behavior. Star Vault, the independent developers of the PvP sandbox title Mortal Online, has set up an invitation-only forum called the Council of Patriarchs, wherein guild leaders (and only guild leaders) can interact with developers regarding larger game matters. While it isn't unusual to solicit player feedback, it is interesting that the forum is not visible to most paying customers. Whether or not it was Star Vault's intention to open up an "us versus them" can of worms, discussion on the official boards is currently trending towards the divide between solo and group/guild players. Mortal Online isn't the first game to dip its toes into the exclusive forum club. Some of you may recall that Matrix Online had a private retreat known as the Champagne Room, which, while similar in catering to a small subset of players, was not publicly advertised by the developers.
The Daily Grind: How do you like your PvP?
Ah, PvP. Personally I kinda hate it, even on those rare occasions when I manage to emerge victorious. In small doses it's OK, but usually it consists of getting face-rolled by a player who knows the game systems much better than I do. That said, minigame PvP is quite enjoyable, particularly Age of Conan's variety, as well as the scenarios in Warhammer Online. For a carebear like me, the only way to make PvP even semi-palatable is to grant control over when and if it happens. Sure, we may still lose and provide a good belly-laugh to the seasoned killers who view us as their game content, but at least they're not barging in on an otherwise productive session of questing, crafting, or exploring. What about you, Massively readers? Do you prefer your PvP in spurts such as minigame instances or battlegrounds, or do you like the open-world FFA option common in games like Darkfall and Mortal Online?
The Daily Grind: Beta burnout, spoilers, and testing TOR
The recent hubbub surrounding Star Wars: The Old Republic's closed beta invites got me to thinking. Perhaps I should reconsider my recent policy against signing up for the betas of games that I'm planning on playing long-term, not only to get a sneak peak at the most anticipated title in years (purely for journalistic purposes of course), but also to help test and make my voice heard while the game is still somewhat malleable. Then, I recalled my experiences with betas ranging from Vanguard, to Mortal Online (alpha?), to The Matrix Online, all titles which at one point or another were at the top of my list of prospective "main" MMORPGs. In each case, the testing period soured me on the games before they even launched, and while each case was different, the ultimate outcome was the same: come release, I really had no desire to be there. That changed quickly with Vanguard, and I did ultimately end up playing the release client for quite a while, but as a result of the other burnouts, I've adopted a policy of signing up for betas of those titles that don't really interest me long-term. What say you, Massively readers? Are you prolific beta-testers who lend a bug-hunting hand to every title that comes down the pipe? Or are you more like me, selective and prone to avoiding those games you know you actually want to play at release?
Mortal Online launch day roundup
Ever since Star Vault initially announced Mortal Online back in 2008, we've been curiously awaiting the launch of the game. With the promise of lush graphics wrapped around a heavily sandboxed PvP game, it's looked like the niche game that many players have been hungering for. Now, after a handful of setbacks and decisions to hold the release date, players will have the chance to start playing Mortal Online in earnest -- and we've got a launch-day roundup that's chock full of some of the highlights from the last two years for you! Quick Mortal Online preview The game appears to hail from the open world school of design, offering open looting; real-time, Elder Scrolls-esque combat; and level-free advancement (it's still a class-based game). Mortal Online presentation puts all you want to know in one place The Mortal Online team decided to create a PowerPoint presentation (available here -- the .rar file is 100mbs and includes some videos) to explain to the world what their game is. As it turns out, the presentation begins with a list of what their game isn't. The short version is that they're trying to make a very different MMO experience.
Mortal Online enters final release stage
Mortal Online is on track for their June 9th release date -- the dev team has further confirmed that by updating their site with a countdown timer and a list of goodies for enthusiastic fans. There's now a fansite kit for those of you who are inclined to make such a thing, a new lore section, and several announcements of things upcoming. Before launch, the forums, EULA, TOS, and naming policy will all get an overhaul. Finally, they've added a hiring announcement to the site -- Star Vault is looking for a Project Manager, a Senior Programmer, and Graphic Artists. Check out the jobs page for contact information. One warning when you go to see all this: the new front page is set up for high resolution and does not allow scrolling. If you're running something smaller than 1600x900 you'll have to zoom out to see enough of the front page to navigate any farther. Mortal Online is available for pre-order now.
The Daily Grind: What are your summer MMO plans?
After too many snowstorms, blizzards, blizzageddons, snowmageddons, ice storms, dreary days, and martyred meteorologists to count, we've emerged from winter as timid fleshlings, blinking in the bright spring sunlight. It's hard to imagine that in just a few weeks, we'll usher in the summer season -- traditionally a dry spell of new game releases. Still, many of us will get off school or college, or enjoy a vacation away from work, and have a chunk of gaming time open up. So what are your MMO summer plans? Will you invest more time in your current favorite title? Are you planning on exploring old favorites, perhaps in preparation for upcoming patches and expansions? Did you miss out on a recently-released MMO, such as Star Trek Online, Global Agenda or Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, and are considering a one-month pass to check it out? Or mayhaps you're holding out for one of the rare summer releases, such as Mortal Online and APB? What are you going to do in MMOs this summer?
Mortal Online announces June 9th launch date
Mortal Online has seen its share of ups and downs this spring as Starvault worked through a rocky beta period, ultimately deciding to delay launch as they ironed out some major bugs. Fans of the game were left wondering what was going to happen, even as many of them applauded Starvault's decision to hold off the launch date until Mortal Online was in better shape. It looks like the team at Starvault thinks it's finally good to go: Mortal Online is scheduled for launch June 9th. According to the latest newsletter, they've solved the infamous desync issue (one of the most prominent issues during testing) with the help of a new engine build. Open beta testing is now over in preparation for launch, but you still have until Monday, May 17th to take advantage of the open beta discount. You can check out all the details in today's Mortal Online newsletter.
Mortal Online busting out tremendous banhammer on hackers
Hackers beware. The team at Star Vault have their eyes on you, and it's time to stop any and all shenanigans you've got going on in Mortal Online. Or else, you say? Or else the banhammer awaits you -- and according to their most recent update, it means an instant, permanent ban that could leave you staring at the login screen in frustration. According to a post by Maerlyn on the Mortal Online forums, there is currently no set date on when software monitoring will come into play, or even what method they'll use to monitor for third-party applications or changes in the game files that are being reported. A follow-up posting by Tazaterra in the same thread indicates that anyone who has modified game files needs to stop at this time. With the game still being tweaked pending release, we're glad to see the team at Star Vault is taking a proactive stance on this before the floodgates officially open. In a game where PvP is everything, players need to know that anyone using exploits, hacks, bots or the like to tip the game balance will be dealt with swiftly and before it causes game imbalances. [via TTH]
Mortal Online delayed another month
The world has shuddered to a halt today, as news of a delay for Mortal Online's impending launch hit stock markets and internet forums everywhere. Of course, perhaps it only felt like that to fans who have been eagerly awaiting this game for years at this point. Although the hardcore MMO was scheduled to launch in March, Mortal Online's Henrik Nystrom posted on the forums yesterday that technical issues were forcing an unfortunate yet necessary delay of an additional month: "As you know we have been working hard to solve our desync issue within the game to have a proper release of Mortal Online. We have made some progress but we think we have hit the limits on the current version of the network solution we are using. We believed we had the solution before end of March but we now see that this is not possible at the moment therefore we have to postpone the release for another month. We have been working very hard day and night now for some years and finally started to see the goal and release, we just have to put another gear in before we are going to release Mortal Online. Thank you for your feedback and support that helped us to take this important decision. We will announce a final release date at a later time." You can read the full announcement on the Mortal Online forums, and stay tuned to Massively for upcoming first impressions and a firm launch date of this PvP title. [Thanks Bartillo!]
One Shots: Don't go AFK in good gear
In some games, character physics can be a real pain in the butt. In old EverQuest, people stood in doorways, stopping others from getting in or out. In City of Heroes, NPCs walking by on the sidewalk can shove you out of the way -- no matter how super-strong you happen to be! Today's One Shots from Mortal Online may not immediately look like too much, but once you read the story that goes with it, you'll see why we mention crazy things that happen due to game physics. Xaan writes in to give us the scoop: "It was in the middle of the night (Starvault had recently added an amazingly realistic day/night system to Mortal Online) so me and a bunch of other players were socializing in the NPC shore city of Meduli. There was this guy who seemed to be AFK, so we dragged (or rather pushed) him outside of town and out of guard range and started killing him for his armor. Unfortunately, some of his friends came to his rescue and as a result we had this awesome night fight in the middle of the desert. Simply epic." From big to small games, we love to see all your MMO screenshots! If you'd like to take part, then send those in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. We'll post them out here for everyone to check out and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Mortal Online to launch this month
If you've been watching the development of Mortal Online, you may know that open beta has started at the beginning of February, and the guys at Star Vault have been hard at work improving and polishing the game. Players watching the progression of the game have been pretty curious to know when launch is. Well, we have our answer, and if you're in a hurry for launch to arrive you are going to be pretty happy. Word came to the Mortal Online site yesterday that the game will launch in March of this year. That gives Star Vault just over two weeks to finish all of the final touches, a situation that might make those familiar with the game so far a bit nervous about what to expect at launch. No worries, say the guys manning the controls:"The largest part of problems in the game right now is directly related to the desync between client and server. We are confident that with the next patch on Monday most, if not all of those problems will be solved." More details are in the official announcement, and there's a brand-new game trailer for you to look at after the jump!
One Shots: Famous last words
When it comes to sandboxy PvP games, people have been checking out the Mortal Online open beta. With a wide-open world where anything could happen, and often does, it's undoubtedly going to draw players. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the game is quite lovely to look at, such as today's Mortal Online One Shots from Xaan. He writes in to relate his recent experience in the beta: This picture shows my character, Xaan, overlooking the main district in the NPC shore city - Meduli. I had just killed someone's deer and in order to avoid someone calling the guards on me, I went into this butchery building where I found some stairs leading up to a balcony from which I took this shot. Right after I took the shot, I heard someone taking out a sword from behind me. I turned around and I saw this guy with some metal armor, pointing his sword at me. I waved at him, and he said, "you killed my Gazelle." With that, he finished our friendly conversation and cut my head off. If you're taking part in a beta you think is pretty cool (make sure the NDA is down) why not send us a screenshot? We'd love to see it. Just send it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. We'll post it out here for everyone to check out and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Mortal Online releases new game trailer
Mortal Online's open beta began yesterday, but closed beta players have been enjoying the game for a while now, right along with the development team. The Mortal Online team has been collecting game footage from closed beta and working on a game trailer for the past few weeks. They're drawing the suspense out by showing it to fans in parts, and part one was released today. They do warn us that it's not super polished, as it was created using the then-current build of the game, but it's still a great look at the world of Nave. You'll see a fair amount of players, as the video is composed entirely of in-game footage from beta, and Mortal Online sent out a big thank you to all the players who participated in the production. Take a look at part one of the trailer after the jump, and we'll keep an eye out for the next two parts!
Mortal Online's open beta starts February 1st
The upcoming sandbox MMO from Star Vault, Mortal Online, is finally entering its awaited open beta on February 1st. While the game has been in testing for quite some time, getting beta access meant pre-ordering a copy of the game, which turned several people off from the idea. But not only is the game going to become easier to take part in testing starting on Monday, there are two carrots thrown in to help entice players. First off, any existing beta characters will not be wiped upon the commencement of open beta. That means anyone already playing, whether in the closed beta or as part of the game's recent stress test, will get to keep their character that they've worked on. Second, while in open beta the game's price will be dropped by five euros (about $7), which means that if you like the game, it's even easier to decide to make it a full-time home. Downsides? Only one - as community manager Maerlyn points out, the testing will be based on a single server cluster in Stockholm, so their may be server caps or slight connection issues depending on distance. But that's hardly enough to take away from the good news. If you've been waiting for Mortal Online, your day is almost here. [ Thanks to Bartillo and David for the tip! ]
Mortal Online gearing up for stress test
The last bit of news we heard about the upcoming Mortal Online was the sad news that the launch had been pushed back to early this year. Luckily, today's news is significantly happier for fans of the game, even if you're not currently in the beta. The official word from community manager Maerlyn is that they're beginning a limited open beta early next week: specifically, a stress test of the game's servers. They want to get as many people online as humanly possible, and that means anyone with an account set up can log in -- beta tester or not. Maerlyn emphasizes that the event is not meant as an "entertainment" event, although it still promises to be fun -- most likely meaning that those of you hoping to run around unrestrained will be slightly curtailed. The stress test will follow the deployment of a brand new patch to the game, although the content and updates of that patch are as of yet undisclosed. Still, any Mortal Online fans looking forward to the open beta -- or to the release of the game -- should be more than a little excited. Keep a close watch on the official forums for the announcement of exact dates and times. [ Thanks to George for the tip! ]
