Possibility Space
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Indie game studio Possibility Space shuts down, CEO blames leaks to reporter
Possibility Space, an independent game studio with employees distributed across the globe, was abruptly shut down today.
The Soapbox: The inevitable Mass Effect MMO
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. I don't know about you, but I've yet to play Mass Effect 3. This is not by choice, mind you, and now that I've returned from the wilds of last week's GDC, it's time to settle in for another 30-hour tour with Shepard and company. What does this have to do with MMOs? Well, nothing really, except that BioWare hasn't exactly closed the door on a Mass Effect title. On the contrary, the company's dynamic doctor duo have hinted at the fact that this, ahem, theoretical game would need to be somewhat different from the firm's maiden MMO voyage. At this point I think an ME MMO is inevitable, so join me after the cut to discuss whether BioWare can really break the mold with its second effort as well as what that effort could look like.
Warrior Epic officially launches today
As was announced just recently, today is the day that Warrior Epic will officially launch -- by 5PM PDT if things go to schedule. The client can be obtained here ahead of time in preparation for the launch. Bob Drobish, CEO of the game's publisher True Games Interactive, made a statement to mark the occasion: "During the closed beta, we worked closely with the community to deliver an immersive and challenging game play experience. Now as we pull the trigger on the launch of the game, our development team is committed to continuing to deliver new and exciting content as our community continues to grow."The launch will feature a few things that weren't around during the betas. For one, the item shop will be ready for business, offering things like potions and vanity pieces. A guild system will be in place, and new introductory sequences will greet players. A new Random Map Generator also made it in for launch day, and will do exactly what it sounds like it should do and create differing dungeons for groups of players to explore. Warrior Epic is a free-to-play MMO, so giving it a try when it launches today won't cost you a dime. Let us know what you think if you do.
Warrior Epic set to launch on the 19th
After going back into closed beta no less than three times to work out pre-launch bugs and continue to polish the game, the folks at Possibility Space have announced that the time has come for the launch of Warrior Epic. This free-to-play game will be available at 5pm Pacific on Tuesday the 19th for everyone to get their warrior fight on. Jeff Lujan, Founder and Chairman of True Games remarked on the launch. "Our beta testers have given us a lot of great feedback and we are confident that the game is now reaching a point where we can provide the Warrior Epic community an engaging and compelling experience." What we're waiting to see more of is this "intriguing death mechanic" we've heard about that will allow players to become free-roaming spirits that can be bound to weapons to increase stats. Should be interesting!
Warrior Epic enters closed beta today
Warrior Epic is a free-to-play fantasy MMO in development at the Austin-based studio Possibility Space. It seems that Possibility Space went back to the drawing board on some aspects of the game, hence another iteration of closed beta, but the influx of capital through their new publisher, True Games, has allowed them to add new classes and areas to the game that would not have been seen in earlier beta testing. We do have a sense of déjà vu in making this announcement but to the best of our knowledge, Warrior Epic's closed beta will go live today at 5:00PM PDT.
Warrior Epic goes into closed beta... again
The Possibility Space powered MMO Warrior Epic is about to open the doors to their closed beta later this month, offering players to visit their website and press the register button to apply for a chance to play the game.And if anyone's deja vu sensors are going off, you are indeed correct -- this is Warrior Epic's second closed beta. The change is the addition True Games Interactive, the brand new publisher backing Warrior Epic. The game has seen some changes since we last looked at it, like the removal of the Dreadnought and Vanisher classes, the addition of an Archer, and some name changing for the old Zambrano. Although, the Dreadnought's face is still lurking on the website (he's the background), so perhaps our tanky friend is just waiting in the wings for some action.The free-to-play title is also sporting a brand new eye-candy filled website, featuring new screenshots, concept art, and desktop backgrounds for the Warrior Epic faithful. We're interested to see how Warrior Epic has evolved from our first impressions on the game last year, and will be keeping up with any new developments with this title.
Closed beta invites and a new movie from Warrior Epic
Possibility Space is giving away 300 closed beta invites to Warrior Epic forum readers who post a photo of their favorite food. Since this began at 6 PM CST on the 11th, and it closes at 6 PM on the 13th, chances are they're already out, but if you're feeling lucky, do go ahead and get in those forums!In other news, there's a new movie available on their website, of a haunted mansion called the 'Faustus Estate', a name which is fraught with meaning. I love the look of the place -- it's so different from standard MMO fare, it's wonderful to watch going by. The colors are rich without being too distracting, the detail is exquisite, and the decor is downright eerie in places. I can't wait for this to open up![Thanks, Brice!]
Warrior Epic now in closed beta; accepting applications
We've been excited for this MMO for a while now, and now Possibility Space have announced that Warrior Epic is finally in closed beta. All you need to do to submit your application for inclusion is to go to their homepage and choose 'Apply for CB' in the control panel.There's also a new wallpaper available showcasing a new, previously-unreleased warrior class; check it out in the wallpaper section. Possibility Space is limiting this closed beta to 500 users, so if you want in, you'd better sign up right away. And speaking of possibilities, there might be an opportunity for a few lucky Massively readers to join the fun ... stay tuned to this channel for further developments!
Warrior Epic's intriguing game mechanics
We're watching the development of Warrior Epic with great interest. For me, part of the attraction is its unique visual set, which I've mentioned before. However, Brice Lucas, Community Manager for Possibility Space, the group that's developing WE, gave a few more intriguing tidbits concerning how WE will play that have me looking forward to playing this even more.First, while we're all familiar with the way death is handled in MMOs, WE offers something a little different. According to Brice, in addition to the standard resurrection of your character, you may also choose to leave him dead, and attach his spirit to another of your characters. Doing so will allow you to use a special spirit attack in battle that your dead warrior will activate. The efficacy of this attack will depend on the warrior's strength and level at the time of his death.
Warrior Epic team launches community forum
Possibility Space, the fine folks behind the upcoming free MMO Warrior Epic, sent us a note this evening letting us know that their forums have officially gone live, and that they're sending out a call for interested gamers to come take a look. As a bit of an incentive, community manager Brice Lucas is promising that the development team will be in constant contact with the posters on their forums, so if you're interested in getting involved in a burgeoning community at the ground floor, you'll want to jump on this sooner rather than later.Unlike the forums of bigger titles like World of Warcraft, where player concerns are buried under a deluge of ASCII memes, off-topic comments, and thousand-word flames, smaller forums tend to demand a higher degree of intelligence from their members, as it's harder to hide under the veil of anonymity. The downside, of course, is that they're considerably slower and it's not as fun to park yourself there while at work and hit refresh all day. Still, we've got the new forum bookmarked already and we advise all interested parties to do the same.
Warrior Epic gets new trailer
Our Chris Chester first posted about the upcoming Warrior Epic here, and Possibility Space's Brice Lucas has sent along word of WE's new trailer, available here. I have to say I'm excited by the artwork on display at WE's website -- there's a wide variety of creatures and characters, and as a whole the game looks unique. I could have used a bit more depth in the trailer, but these days we know enough not to go by marketing material in judging a game, don't we?[Thanks, Brice!]
Warrior Epic developer sits down for a chat
Only a year or so ago it seemed like like subscription-free MMOs were a fantasy -- what free titles we did get were either shoddy, based on cheap retail merchandise, or likely both. The last year or two has seen a deluge of new free-to-play MMOs that, while usually no challenge for their cash-laden counterparts, can still be pretty damn fun to play. In a recent interview, GameZone raked Possibility Space's Brice Lucas over the coals, trying to glean from him what it is that separates Warrior Epic from the growing crowd of other free MMOs.Lucas cites such features as unique player halls, casual-friendly missions, and soloability as the primary things that make Warrior Epic different, though we can't help but be skeptical, as that doesn't sound terribly different than what games like NCsoft's Dungeon Runners are offering today. Still, the game is early in development, so we're going to have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Warrior Epic will be going into closed beta within a few months, so you're encouraged to sign up on their website if you're keen on being among the first to get a good look at the title. I know I am.
