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Pitchblack Games' Dominus abruptly shutting down
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but sometimes it's just unavoidable. Sanya Weathers, Director of Community for Pitchblack Games' in-development sandbox title, Dominus, posted on the forums today to inform players that, effective immediately, Dominus is no more. Weathers states that the team "simply cannot deliver the game [players] deserve with the resources [the studio has]." She goes on to apologize vehemently, adding that the forum is now read-only, though the game's Facebook page will remain open long enough for players to say their last goodbyes. Sanya signs off by thanking the players for proving that "there is a market for a game like [Dominus]." She concludes, "I will miss you all, and I know we'll meet again." Here's to hoping. Best of luck to the folks over at Pitchblack; we look forward to your next endeavor.
Dominus reveals its bounty hunting mechanics
We're not sure what it is about bounty hunters that makes them cooler than cool, but there's no denying the appeal of a profession that characters like Boba Fett, John Marston, and Rick Deckard call their own. Dominus is hoping to capture some of that badassery in a bottle via its bounty hunting system, and a new update on the game's official website has all the details. In a nutshell, players are able to place bounties on four of their enemies at a time, and the only other consideration is the amount of money you're willing to put toward your revenge. Hunting a bounty involves accepting a contract via an NPC, and you'll be alerted as to your target's zone location if he's online. After you make the kill, you'll be paid on the spot, and any other players who accepted the same bounty contract will find it removed from their mission log. There's more, but you'll need to head to the Dominus website to read it.
Dominus December beta invites delayed [Updated]
Those of you itching for a three-faction PvP MMO with a sci-fi twist will have to endure the discomfort a bit longer. Dominus has announced a slight delay in its beta testing program due to a new game engine that is currently in need of some tweaking. "The content is basically fine. But the animations are borked, and the lighting is all off, and everything needs to be re-optimized," explains Pitchblack community manager Sanya Weathers on Dominus' official forums. The bad news is that those players who were promised a spot in the December wave of beta invites are out of luck for the time being. The good news is that the spots aren't going anywhere, and you'll be able to do your part in Dominus' testing phase when new player acceptances resume after the new year. [Update: We've corrected our erroneous references to Dominus' old title.]
Prime: Battle for Dominus undergoes a quick name change
There's a lot in a name, for MMOs as much as anything. You want your name to be recognizable, distinct, and perhaps most importantly something that isn't going to be mistaken for the name of a different game or product. Prime: Battle for Dominus has already been establishing buzz about itself, but its name was a bit cumbersome with the subtitle and a bit generic without it, so the game is shortening itself down to simply Dominus from here on out. Confirmed via an official tweet, the name change is hardly the first time that a game in production has undergone a shift in title (the most recent MMO example being RIFT and its multiple sobriquets). Nothing else appears to have changed for the title, although it's quite likely that the official site address will be changed and the current site will be used as a redirect. And it will be a lot easier to remember the name, since Dominus doesn't come up frequently in other conversations.
Pitchblack releases Prime Battle for Dominus trailer
Gentlemen (and ladies), start your three-faction PvP engines! Pitchblack Games has released its first official teaser trailer for Prime: Battle for Dominus, and it's a heart-pounding race through some of the game's open world environments. The clip runs a smidge under a minute and a half and features a good look at combat, character models, and more. In addition to the aforementioned factional trinity, Prime also boasts 18 classes, an extensive economy with player-created items and item decay, and a futuristic sci-fi setting. We've got the full trailer for you after the cut, or you can watch it courtesy of MMORPG.com.
Pitchblack shows off Prime beta footage in latest dev chat
If you missed the latest Prime: Battle for Dominus dev chat this past Friday, fear not! Massively has you covered via the video embed after the cut, and it's chock full of juicy sci-fi pseudo-sandbox goodness (as well as a bit of gameplay footage). The whole presentation runs just upwards of 50 minutes, and the in-game footage features video captures from the current beta build. Ranged and melee combat is evident, as are several different environments. The devs call attention to the game's three-faction PvP elements, and though the brief clips show relatively small groups of combatants, that will eventually change in favor of large-scale engagements. Pitchblack also says that it's getting ready to release a few official combat videos, so stay tuned to Massively for the latest and greatest Prime: BFD news and views. [Thanks to Bartillo for the tip!]
Prime: Battle for Dominus gets professional with new crafting details
A few months back, we got our first look at Prime: Battle for Dominus' profession and crafting system, but it was a bit scant on details. Thanks to the game's updated profession page, however, we're absolutely drowning in details. Drowning, I say! To recap, for those of you just joining us, the available professions are Armortech, Weapontech, Biotech, Chemist, Inventor, Harvester, and Soldier for Hire. Players can partake of any and all professions, but they can only choose to specialize in a single one. In order to create an item, players require schematics, which can be acquired in one of a few ways. Schematics can be learned from trainers, or they can be gained by reverse-engineering an item to discover what makes it tick. If you're the sneaky, saboteur type, you can even steal schematics from other factions and turn the enemy's own tools against them. The page features myriad details on all of the available professions, but perhaps most interesting is the new information about the oddball Soldier for Hire. The Soldier for Hire is not a crafting profession in the strictest sense but rather is more like a bounty hunter who can sell his services through an in-game interface. The new page reveals that players will have good reason to hire a Soldier for Hire over some random schmuck, as the Soldier will have access to gear and weapons exclusive to the profession. For the full details on the game's various crafting professions, head on over to the Prime: Battle for Dominus official site and have a look.
Prime: Battle for Dominus shows off crafting and professions
Pitchblack Games has been steadiy releasing new tidbits of information on its upcoming PvP-focused MMO Prime: Battle for Dominus, and today we've got some spanking new information on the game's crafting and professions systems. In addition to their main classes, players will be able to choose one of seven crafting professions. These professions are Harvester, Armortech, Weapontech, Chemist, Inventory, Biotech, and Soldier for Hire. Most of these professions are fairly straightforward; Harvesters harvest crafting materials, Armortechs and Weapontechs craft armor and weaponry, Biotechs craft biological augmentations to enhance players' abilities, Chemists create "powerful enhancements that can turn the tide of any battle," and Inventors appear to invent new schematics that other crafters on their faction can use to create new and more powerful items. But what about the black sheep of the bunch, the Soldier for Hire? That's where things get interesting. Perhaps you're the sort of player that would rather make a living destroying things than creating them. If so, the Soldier for Hire is right up your alley. You work as a mercenary, protecting other players, with your payment worked right into the game mechanics. The full details on the rather in-depth crafting system can be found on the game's official site.
Prime: Battle for Dominus shows off new gameplay videos
Fresh from yesterday's Pitchblack Games dev chat, we have some new gameplay videos from the studio's upcoming sci-fi MMO Prime: Battle for Dominus. The two five-minute-long videos feature pure, delicious gameplay to tease fans as they await the release of the PvP-oriented title. The first video walks players through Prime's character creation and gives a sneak peek at what can be expected from character customization. The second of the two videos focuses on actual gameplay as the devs take a new character out into the world of Prime. Any Prime fan should definitely take a look at the full videos past the cut, though we can't say it'll make the wait any easier -- we just ended up wanting even more.
Prime: Battle for Dominus releases new game info, dev chat coming tomorrow
Yay, sci-fi MMO news! If that doesn't twirl your beanie, how about this: Three-faction sci-fi MMO news! Yes, Pitchblack Games has sent out a new press release, and we're here to tell you that it features some pretty spiffy stuff. First up is a bunch of website updates for Prime: Battle for Dominus, including backstory and info on the game's 11 explorable worlds. Pitchblack has also put together a combat update, and juicy details include info on the game's death penalty, looting, targeting, and more. Last but not least is the first official Prime dev chat, and the shindig is scheduled for this Friday, July 15th, at 3:00 p.m. EST. The chat will be available via live stream and will feature co-designers Warren Weems and John Kennison. Head to the official Prime website for more.
Prime: Battle for Dominus announces classes and abilities
Pitchblack Games has released the first of what it promises to be a series of many "infodumps" regarding its upcoming PvP-focused MMORPG Prime: Battle for Dominus. Today the spotlight is on classes and character progression, which is as good a place to start as any. Each faction will have six classes available to it, making for a total of 18 classes overall. New characters in Prime will begin the game with five basic skills, though they'll gain access to newer and more class-specific abilities as they progress. Each class will ultimately end up with a total of 15 skills. Progression is skill-based, with players earning skillpoints as they level. These skillpoints can be allocated amongst the character's various skills as they so desire (though Pitchblack did point out that it will not be possible to max out every ability with the amount of skillpoints granted, which will force players to prioritize). Another point to note is that Prime will not be permanently tying players to a given build. Pitchblack President Warren Weems says, "We don't think players should be permanently tied to choices they made when they were still learning about the game. We also want people to feel free to experiment." As a result, skillpoints will be "relatively easy" to reallocate if players feel the need for a change of pace. For more information, and for the full class and ability listings, warp on over to the official site!
PitchBlack Games announces Sanya Weathers as new Director of Community
PitchBlack Games announced today that it has a new addition to its team in the form of former Mythic Director of Community Sanya Weathers. This is certainly a promising announcement for PitchBlack, coming hot on the heels of the official announcement of the studio's first project, Prime: Battle for Dominus. In regard to Weathers' reasons for choosing to join up with the Prime Online team, she says, "The opportunity to direct community for a PVP MMO at a startup couldn't be refused. The team at PitchBlack also shares my ideals when it comes to customer communication and service, and I look forward to seeing what we can build together." Given her history with Dark Age of Camelot, we're not surprised to see her working on yet another three-faction, PvP-focused MMO. We here at Massively wish Sanya the best at her new gig and look forward to seeing what she and the team at PitchBlack come up with. To round out this new announcement, we also have three pieces of concept art for each of the game's three playable races, which you can see in the gallery below. %Gallery-126763%
PitchBlack Games announces Prime: Battle for Dominus
PitchBlack Games has officially unveiled its new upcoming title, Prime: Battle for Dominus. The game takes a departure from the omnipresent high-fantasy genre, opting instead for a futuristic science-fiction approach. Built on the HERO engine, Prime is named for the element that is the key source of contention in the game's world. This so-called "prime element" is used to power all of the game's advanced technology, and players will find themselves fighting tooth and nail for control of this precious commodity. Players can choose to join one of three playable factions: the Humans, the genetically modified Rodon, or the young race of the Salent. Developers boast that the game will include 11 seamless, fully explorable worlds, each with its own secrets for players to uncover. Players can establish control of these worlds by constructing bases from which to push back invaders who will come in search of precious prime. As one might guess, PvP looks to play a large role in the game, with each faction fighting for dominance over valuable resources with which to advance its own ends. Players looking to make a profit can take up the mantle of the bounty hunter and sell their services to the highest bidder. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the game, however, is GM-run events. Prime will offer live events to provide an unprecedented level of player engagement. If you want to find out more about this promising new title or apply to test the game, head on over to the game's official site.
Pitchblack Games seeking testers for new HeroEngine MMO
Want to get in on the ground floor with a new HeroEngine sci-fi MMORPG? No, we're not talking about Star Wars: The Old Republic beta access but rather the opportunity to test an as-yet unnamed title from Pitchblack Games. The company's website has a suitably dystopian far future feel to it, but there's not a whole lot of info on the game itself beyond a piece of concept art. Pitchblack has informed Massively that anyone and everyone can sign up for testing, though, so jump in and see for yourself. The HeroEngine originally powered Simutronics' Hero's Journey MMORPG before being licensed by BioWare for its upcoming Star Wars opus. Head to the official Pitchblack website for more.
