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Mortal Online newsletter announces launch delays, holiday discounts
We all know that launch dates for an MMO are loose targets at best and long shots in the darkness at worst. While it's disappointing when a game doesn't hit the target date, by and large players are used to it and all but expect it to happen -- it's part of the cycle. But it's still more than a little depressing to see that Mortal Online, the upcoming game from Star Vault, is going to be delayed by a month. That's the word in the latest newsletter for the game's fans, which is a bit of a depressing way to lead into the holidays, to say the least. The Limited Editions of the boxed game will also be seeing a slight delay, due to production issues with the artbook included. To compensate purchasers of the Limited Edition, an extra week of free playtime is being added to make up for the delayed ship. And to help take the sting off the entire sad process of delaying the game, Star Vault is offering discounts on both digital downloads and the last boxed editions of the game. Mortal Online's fans and beta testers are still likely to be sad about the delay, of course, but a few little bonuses never fail to take the edge off.
Curious about Mortal Online? Ask the developers your questions
Mortal Online is a game we've been following closely here at Massively. Developed by Swedish studio Star Vault, the game promises some features that are unique to the realm of fantasy MMOs. But we've heard that all before, haven't we? In a time when MMO gamers tend to be more skeptical about new offerings, it's good to see some concrete evidence and first-hand information on games that fly the "unique" flag. With Mortal Online's NDA lift last week, we figured this would be the best time to interview the development team before the game aims for an official launch. Following our recent tradition of gathering questions straight from the Massively readers, we want your questions! Email your Mortal Online questions to shawn AT massively DOT com before Thursday, December 3rd at 8am EST, and we'll gather up the ten best for Star Vault. Once they're answered, we'll post the complete Q&A here on the site.
Mortal Online lifts the NDA
Getting into a closed beta is usually good news for the player, with one unmistakable caveat -- the NDA. You can't talk about anything that's going on when you play the game, either the cool features that are encouraging to anyone on the fence about the game or the horrible problems that make it a miserable slog. Mortal Online has long been fairly quiet to the outside simply because of its NDA -- but that changes now. As of today, the NDA is lifted on the game and it can be discussed freely. Henrik Nystrom on the official forums explains that while the game is still undergoing more polish, the core features have all been implemented and tested, which means that the developers are comfortable having the game discussed and dissected elsewhere. The post also states that the release date might be pushed back a little, as well as the plans for the game to move into a fully-open free-to-play beta as they move on to the next phase of testing. It's certainly good news for people interested in Mortal Online who didn't want to purchase the game sight-unseen. So, if you've been playing the game in beta so far, what are your thoughts? You can tell us all about it now. [Thanks Mortal Online Radio!]
Mortal Online's beta starts rolling out more features
We still don't know nearly as much about Mortal Online as we would like, but the slow deployment of information we've been getting is certainly appealing. With promises of open PvP, long-term repercussions of actions rather than the usual respawns and resets, a crafting system encompassing nearly every item in the game... suffice to say it aims at being a niche game that knows its place and its peers. Unfortunately, as it's in beta and under an NDA, information is slow to be released. The October newsletter for the game has mercifully given us a few more bits of information, most importantly the next features being brought out in testing. November 1st (that's today!) will see the release of the next beta build, which carries with it the opportunity to start taming and harnessing mounts as well as building houses. The newsletter specifically mentions that building materials -- most likely the type of wood -- will be integral to the home's quality, keeping with the very detail-oriented approach the game has taken so far. There's also an in-game event promised for the patch, which should certainly be a nice bonus for the players lucky enough to take part. For those of us not yet in the testing, however, there's a promise that there are more lore and developer updates coming to the site in the near future. You can currently get into the beta by pre-ordering the game, which might be a bit of a risk for some players... but for the niche Mortal Online is aiming for, it might well be the sort of thing you can't get anywhere else.
Mortal Online devs appearing on MO-Radio
MO-Radio, the fan run Mortal Online radio show, has boasted some familiar names as guests on their Tuesday Night Talk Show for the past few months. Quite a few members of the Star Vault development team have visited, including concept artist Hannu Kokkonen, programmer Max Lindgren, and sound design dev Henrik Ekholm as well as a few others. The weekly show topics have covered some great details of Mortal Online design, and it's great to see the dev team being so involved with a fan endeavor. Their latest guest is Andreas Springare (level design). He will be appearing on tomorrow's show, titled "It's not the next level, it's the fourth wall!" While the show airs for the first time tomorrow, reruns will air three times on Wednesday for anyone who missed it. Take a look at the official show site for a full schedule, and on the Mortal Online forums for an overview of Tuesday Night Talk Show.
Mortal Online interview explains game's concept and design elements
Mortal Online is a new fantasy MMO, presently in beta, from Sweden-based developer Star Vault. While Mortal Online is a game we haven't learned a great deal about so far at Massively, we have gathered a few things about the title. We know Mortal Online has an emphasis on PvP, with comparisons being made between this title and Darkfall, but it would be inaccurate to say it's only going to be a game that PvPers will enjoy. MO has a deep crafting system as well; in fact, all game items can be crafted by players. Star Vault is also dispensing with some of the conventions typical of fantasy MMOs in favor of new or different approaches: no levels or experience points; no quests or instances; first person view rather than third person; combat that requires manual aiming/targeting; no NPCs that drop items they couldn't possibly have -- bears won't drop golden coins, for example. There's now some more info about the game in an interview at MMORPG.com with Mortal Online Creative Director Mats Persson. He explains some of the basic concepts behind the first-person sandbox of Mortal Online, and how it's "a niche skill-based fantasy game for a mature audience."
Mortal Online beta stage 2 opening August 3rd
Star Vault's Mortal Online seems to be progressing quite nicely as their second stage of closed beta is set to open next week. On August 3rd, 2,000 more players will be unleashed on the beta servers with even more to come in the following months. As previously mentioned, these blocks of beta players will be let in according to a schedule posted on their site. With 10k total slots available in the beta, players who pre-order the game are being allowed in every other week from July 20th to September 14th.If you're curious about this highly-anticipated MMO, check out their website or our recent coverage for more information on how to play and how to pre-order and secure your own spot in the beta.
Mortal Online's beta testing starts today
In a world where 2,000 people have entered, one man will... actually, I don't think I need the epic movie voice opening for this post. I think I'll go with the Kermit the Frog style opener. Mortal Online's closed beta has started today, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!This first block, beta block A, welcomes the initial wave of players into a cut-down version of the game to make sure that the back-end systems are working properly. Of these 2,000 players, 999 of them holders of the limited edition copies of the game, and one of them is the guy who paid 5,100 dollars for the first copy of the game to be made. The other 1,000 players are pre-order players according to the "first come, first serve" schedule.However, the sales of MO didn't go off without a hitch, as the overwhelming demand crushed their professional sales partner, GlobalCollect. GlobalCollect's servers were struggling over all of the intense pressure from buyers, causing the store to be temporarily closed while Star Vault collects the first sales information from GlobalCollect.But, for those of you who have gotten into the beta, enjoy the game while the rest of us sit outside, waiting for the shop to re-open.
Mortal Online pre-orders to begin Monday, July 13
Mortal Online is the upcoming massively multiplayer online game being developed by Star Vault, one that will have a deep crafting system in addition to a heavy emphasis on PvP. We've mentioned the details of the limited run of Mortal Online collectors editions and the subsequent delay of Mortal Online pre-orders. The second time's a charm though, we're hoping. It seems that Star Vault is on track to begin pre-orders on Monday, July 13th (at 20:00 GMT +1), according to the announcement in the latest Mortal Online news update. In addition to the pre-orders, Monday will also bring announcements from Star Vault about the game's first beta phase and Mortal Online's system requirements. You can check out the full details in Star Vault's announcement on the official game site.
Mortal Online pre-orders delayed by two weeks
We announced some details about the Mortal Online pre-order which was slated to kick off today in the game's online store. However the Mortal Online developers, Star Vault, announced there will be a two-week delay with the launch of the Mortal Online online store. Star Vault CEO Henrik Nystrom announced: "On the 25th of June we brought you some good stuff, but today we have to bring you bad news. We have been working very hard to get the shop up and for it to accept different methods of payment, however it's not obvious we have been too optimistic this time as we have encountered several last-minute problems.More information and a new schedule will be announced on the Mortal Online game store soon." (Thanks for the tip, Rhys)
The Daily Grind: Will you be picking up the Mortal Online CE?
When we heard about the all the goodies in the Mortal Online Collector's Edition - combined with the especially cool one that's up on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders - we were pretty impressed. Not only are Star Vault starting off on a great foot PR-wise with their special charity auction, but it sounds like the extras in their CE version are pretty cool - at least, if you were planning on buying Mortal Online anyway! So if you're one of the hardcore PvP MMO fiends, is this on your list of things to get? Are you frustrated by the extremely short notice? Or are you psyched to finally get some details on it - and chomping at the bit to get into beta?
Mortal Online limited edition available June 29, first game reviews are in
Mortal Online is the next MMO title on the way that will cater to the hardcore fantasy PvP niche, which is currently filled for some gamers by Darkfall Online. The Mortal Online developers, Star Vault, announced that two beta players were given permission to write "Combat Beta" reviews of the PvP-centric title, which can now be found on the game's official forums. One was written by Mortal Online player Lachrymose which looked at character creation, melee and ranged combat, while the other review by Shinzon looked at crafting and the game environment, as well as combat. That caught our attention and we think the reviews are worth a look, but the real news here is about the Mortal Online limited edition we mentioned recently -- there are only 999 copies of the limited edition which will go on sale on June 29th in the Mortal Online Game Store. Here's what you'll get with the limited edition: Everything in a printed jute bag Numbered and embossed metal box Collector's figurine: Draconigena Knight Collector's figurine: Thursar Barbarian Mortal Online journal with 24 concept art pages and poster Free shipment of all pre-launch updates on DVD Digital Download access Free access to 'Block A' beta "Free future digital updates and expansions" One month of game time (after the Q4 launch)
Star Vault reveals Mortal Online beta and pre-order details, launch info
Another competitor in the hardcore PvP niche in MMOs may give Darkfall Online a run for their money: Mortal Online from Sweden-based developer Star Vault. The game is presently in closed beta and is about to get its first test of the release build. The real news here is that Mortal Online has announced its open beta and release schedules. Pre-orders for Mortal Online will begin on June 29th via the official site, and the actual launch (with monthly subscriptions) is slated for Q4 2009. Anyone who pre-orders the game "in any of the formats available" will have access to all of the beta phases remaining until the title launches. The catch, however, is that the pre-orders are limited to 10,000 people.
Analyzing Mortal Online: Is it for you?
Mortal Online is a game that has piqued the interest of many bored or jaded MMO gamers lately, as it has a few features that promise to be different. What's that? You've heard it all before, dozens of times? Yes, but this time it's different! Seriously though, don't take our word for it (because none of us have actually played the game...), but as we get closer to the game's launch, we're still getting a lot of info on the game to possibly even excite us. Yes, even the jaded among us.In a recent feature article at IncGamers, they take an in-depth look at what the game has to offer, thanks to a recent presentation by Star Vault, Mortal Online's developer. "We would like you to please forget your preconceptions of MMORPGs." Star Vault begins the presentation by saying. "Mortal Online deviates from most modern fantasy MMO's, and although it contains a lot of elements from let's say World of Warcraft or Age of Conan, the playing experience is very, very different from those games." Check out the complete 3-page article to learn more about what Mortal Online has to offer. You might find it's just the game for you, if released with everything they claim.
MMO Roundup: Last week on Massively
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all MMOs, including WoW! Check out this roundup of the latest news from the wider MMO world. Games Day '09 coverageThis last Saturday was Games Workshop's Games Day celebration, and Massively.com was on site to get you the latest Warhammer Online coverage straight from Mythic Entertainment. Want to know more about Ultima Online's Stygian Abyss expansion? Curious about Land of the Dead? Interested as to the future direction of Warhammer Online? Do your favorite devs play on order or destruction? Find all of these answers and more in our full coverage of the event starting tomorrow, including our hands-on impressions of the new mega-dungeon, Land of the Dead! An overview of Warhammer Online's Land of the DeadYou've heard us talk about it, you've heard us discuss it, and it's now time for us to tell you exactly what it's all about. Land of the Dead is not your father's MMO dungeon -- it's a dungeon that is something more than just a dungeon. It's an entire zone filled with activities and sub-dungeons, all culminating in an epic instanced dungeon that features a face off with the first leader of the Tomb Kings himself, King Amenemhetum. Massively Speaking Podcast Episode 52: Answering your Champions Online questionsMassively Speaking Episode 52 returns this week with Shawn and Contributing Editor Kyle Horner to answer your questions about Champions Online's recent NDA lift for press. Kyle gathered questions from a recent The Daily Grind post and answers a handful on the podcast.
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. Of course, if you've been following the game you're well aware of that fact, and it's probably what has you interested. The PowerPoint serves its purpose of bringing all the information together in one place, but if you can't be bothered downloading it and want a quick way to learn what's up with Mortal Online, we've summarized the biggest points from the presentation after the jump.
Quick Mortal Online preview
Mike at MMOCrunch has a short look at Star Vault's Mortal Online, a Swedish MMOG still in development. He doesn't get in depth, but does a good job of summarizing the game's selling points. 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). What sticks out here is the Deva system: "There is a third type called Deva Skills," he says, "which is a skill that links all your created players. For instance, if you learned "Poison Making" and made this your Deva skill, any future characters you create will automatically have this skill so you don't need to retrain them."Mortal Online is due out sometime this summer, but given how quiet the official site is - and the fact the game isn't yet in beta (sign up here)- a summer release likely isn't in the cards.
Mortal Online reveals beta signups, new video, and well rendered buffalo
So you guys flooded our in-boxes with requests for us to cover Mortal Online's beta registration opening up. So, without further ado, Mortal Online's beta registration is open. Also, they have some new in-game footage on their front page.What? You were expecting something more? A few paragraphs at least? Ok, ok, you twisted our arms enough. Mortal Online is the new PvP MMO that everyone's squeeing about -- one that's set up to attempt to out Darkfall, well, Darkfall.Sporting game systems very closely related to Darkfall's, such as skill based progression and action based combat, Mortal Online is a PvP, action based, first person MMO being run on the Unreal Engine. From what we've been able to see from the in-game footage, MO will be a bit slower combat-wise when compared to Darkfall, but will feature more interactivity between the user and the environment through well placed camera angles and the ability to see your own body.The video shows horse riding, dungeon crawling with a torch in one hand and sword in the other, mounted combat, and even a peek at siege weaponry through the use of a ballista. If it sounds like something you're interested in, jump on over to their main webpage or download the official video through their torrent.[Thanks, Jonathan, Daniel, Amisch, and Brian!]
Star Vault announces new MMO: Mortal Online
Swedish developer Star Vault has officially introduced the world to its first game, an MMO by the name of Mortal Online. The game's official site has launched, and visitors are treated to the above trailer upon arrival -- and as far as first impressions go, we'll say that the graphics certainly do look good (a disclaimer at the start even promises that what we're seeing is real in-game footage). Higher quality versions of the teaser can be found here.Of course, it takes more than just pretty graphics to have a successful MMO, and from looking at some of the proposed features of Mortal Online it would appear that the developers are well aware of this. The game will be played in first-person, and one of the primary focuses will be hardcore PvP, with a real-time combat system. Couple this with the fact that there will be no leveling at all, and you start to realize that we're looking at a very different game here.
