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Valiance Online is coming soon to Steam early access
Great news for Valiance Online, as the fledgling superhero title announced recently that it has been voted onto the Steam Greenlight program by the community. This means that Valiance Online will "soon" be available to play through the digital platform via early access. The team said that it still discussing its release and pricing plan, although fans can currently access it in the open pre-alpha test going on right now. Valiance Online is making good progress as a City of Heroes spiritual successor and even picked up a former artist from the sunsetted superhero game in December.
Gloria Victis plays host to Santa
Over this past weekend, Santa Claus had the opportunity to visit the in-the-making Gloria Victis and delight testers. In the newest pre-alpha patch, Santa appeared on Stoneholm Island and regaled listeners with his... rather unusual adventures. The patch also implemented a new gathering system, animations for said gathering, added in a few new locations, and buffed bow-and-arrow attacks. The team also had a special message for the game's supporters: "Thanks to all of you who put your trust in ourselves. You gave us the chance to continuously create the project of our dreams. You are our everyday Santa Clauses and support the Gloria Victis developing in any possible way." [Thanks to Chrysillis for the tip!]
Gloria Victis is all up in your beeswax
In yesterday's pre-alpha patch, Gloria Victis shattered all sense of boundaries and decided that it was going to make your beeswax its business. Yes indeed, we are finally living in an era when beeswax has been added to beehives in an MMO, and life will never be the same again. (Actually, my editor informs me that Ultima Online has that as well because it has everything.) Other changes with the patch included global buffs for capture-the-flag winners, cattle horns as "by-products of [the] animal skinning process," a buff to gear durability, a higher change to get weapon drops from humans, and a rework of the mob spawning system.
Gloria Victis pre-alpha patch adds weather system
While it's still very much a work in progress, a weather system (with clouds!) has come to Gloria Victis with the advent of pre-alpha patch v.0.1.1. The new patch isn't solely about additions that make Weather Channel fans geek out, of course. The title added an item decay and repair system, updated the world map, included more music, improved mob AI, and further optimized performance. Still, if gorgeous sunsets and foggy days are the sort of eye candy that gets you excited about an MMO, the weather may be the biggest addition yet to Gloria Victis.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen previews an upcoming dungeon
The volunteer team behind Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is apparently hard at work following the release of the game's most recent update video. A new dungeon preview is available on the game's Facebook page, showing off a single in-progress screenshot and discussing the design principles behind Amberfaet, the Kingdom Underneath. It's not mentioned exactly what it's underneath, which leads to the inevitable conclusion that it lies buried deep below the ancient drive-in movie theater. Or some surface ruins; who knows. Amberfaet is proudly held up as a sprawling dungeon containing content for mid-level players all the way to max-level raids, with a great deal of time within dedicated simply to navigating the crumbling ruins up and down. OSHA compliance is apparently not a standard feature in the Kingdom Underneath. There's a bit more information on the official preview, if you're so inclined. Pantheon began collecting donations through Patreon in November following the collapse of its initial funding and paid development team last spring.
Gloria Victis implements dialogues and other improvements
The Gloria Victis pre-alpha is getting a bit more chatty today with the implementation of the dialogue system in the most recent update. Said update also contains the first implementation of bow-wielding NPCs defending cities, the addition of buff and debuff descriptions, and various bugfixes and improvements -- all good things unless you try to open a dialogue with a bow-wielding NPC and get an arrow in response. The design team promises that this is just the beginning of major changes, however, with the next patch slated to add the first pass of the questing system into the game. Territory capture mechanics are also coming, allowing an entire nation to benefit from captured lands. So onlookers can enjoy a more robust rollout in the coming weeks as the game adds more features in.
Camelot Unchained 'in great shape' following first pre-alpha test
Camelot Unchained's first pre-alpha test wrapped up after running this past weekend, and according to reports from the devs, the MMO saw strong server stability and performance. Mark Jacobs reported that a "vast majority" of testers approved of the detailed character creation system and up to 200 players were able to duke it out in the same battleground area. "It is safe to say that, considering where we are in development as compared to other games Andrew and I have worked on, that we are in great shape. Especially since we are building almost the entire engine from scratch," Jacobs said. Camelot Unchained will continue to run pre-alpha tests, with the devs promising "at least one testing day" every week or two.
Camelot Unchained is a go for pre-alpha testing
Camelot Unchained takes another big step forward today toward launch with the release of its pre-alpha test for founders. The test is actually starting ahead of the original schedule, to the presumed delight of the game's fans. In late August, City State Entertainment announced that it was pushing back its alpha and beta tests in order to bring on more programmers to the team. Details of the alpha test were sent out to backers in emails yesterday. The test will run today, Friday, and Sunday. The studio spent an hour the other day discussing this test in a livestream that you can watch after the break.
Gloria Victis pre-alpha adds recipes, buff system, and potions
Crafters in Gloria Victis got a special treat in the September pre-alpha update for sandbox: The patch added a slew of new new recipes. In addition to collecting over over 500 recipes, players will also recover some of the resources used in crafting attempts. Other updates include a new buff/debuff system, an expanded map with three additional islands, and working potions that can be purchased or looted. Testers will also notice that upon resurrecting, characters will have a small safe zone to protect them at the respawn point. According to devs, the next things players can look forward to are sailing, an improved UI, and the end of the NDA. You can read up on the full details in the update notes.
Camelot Unchained celebrates new website and forums
Camelot Unchained is now boasting a shiny new website and player forums, according to the game's second newsletter. That's only the tip of the wordy newsletter. A brief community question and answer section addresses a few in-game topics, such as boat travel and caravan details. Then it dives right into a treatise on world game design and how the team is still attempting to figure out how large Camelot Unchained's landmass should be and how quickly players will be able to traverse it. "In our case, we are making what is essentially a medieval fantasy war game conquest map, which means things like territory and resource control, logistics, and force projection are extremely important considerations, but things like good quest flow are less so," the team said. The art department also piped up to say that it's working on the Tuatha Dé Danann race, the Arthurian Storm Rider, and pre-alpha testing support.
Kickstarter project aims to revamp galactic sandbox Chosen Space
Not every Kickstarter fundraiser is for a brand-new IP; some campaigns are launched in an effort to fund a more fully realized version of an existing property. And so it is with the browser-based galactic sandbox Chosen Space, which launched in 2006 and is now asking for funds to be reborn as a far better version. Developer MMO Lab is attempting to secure £5,400 to finish the previously self-funded project. The new Chosen Space: Relaunched will feature improved graphics, new features, and additional features. "We've developed our own game engine called MMO Lab which will allow us to finally make the Chosen Space we've always imagined, and which the players have always deserved," the studio posted. Chosen Space is a "living" sandbox that balances strategy and RPG elements as players customize ships, explore the galaxy, and engage in trading and conquest. The new version is preparing to go into alpha testing at the start of the new year. We've got the crowdfunding pitch video after the break for your edification.
McQuaid says a playable Pantheon will happen 'in a matter of months'
Brad McQuaid is back with a mammoth 3,200-word update (treatise?) on Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, specifically to rebut misinformation about the project without returning to his former "evangelist" mode. What's most interesting is how he indicates that there will be a playable build much sooner than anticipated. Pantheon is now "truly client-server," he explains, allowing users to log in and explore the game's single zone, Halnir's Pass, while the database saves persistent information. McQuaid said that the team is revising the game lore and working on a world map. The plan is for Pantheon to have nine playable races and three starter cities when it launches. "Our goal is to make adventure, exploration, and combat working pre-alpha," McQuaid wrote. "We're going to be grouping up, exploring, and killing mobs in a matter of months, not years." [Thanks to Kirsan for the tip!]
Shards Online opens up a public weekend event
Does Shards Online sound interesting to you? Well, then, why not play it? Starting at 4:00 p.m. EDT today and running through the weekend, anyone can download the game's current client and jump in on the pre-alpha servers for free. Moreover, anyone can just as freely discuss what they see in the game, with no NDA in place (not that having one would make much of a difference here, obviously). The only caveat is that this is a pre-alpha preview, which means that the version of the game that you'll be seeing is still in a very rough and unfinished state. But if you've been curious about the game's Kickstarter campaign but reluctant to donate without seeing the game in action, here's your chance to get in the game and find out more for yourself. We'll also be streaming from inside the game on Saturday, if you'd like to watch but don't have the time to jump in yourself.
Pantheon returns to 'full development mode'
In a post on the official site yesterday, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen lead Brad McQuaid revealed that the project is moving ahead after some setbacks. "We are back in full development mode," McQuaid announced. He went on to say that the team is working on client/server network code, laying out the zones, and preparing to create characters to explore them. McQuaid promised weekly updates going forward and said that the studio is building up the team quickly. "We have more talented people willing to help out and dedicate themselves to the project than I would have ever imagined," he said. "We continue to be a bit overwhelmed, but this is a good problem to have." One position that he's looking for is a CEO for the studio to allow him to focus on the creative side of things.
Destiny digs in for the final pre-launch stretch
Commenting that it is on "final approach" for Destiny's September 9th launch, Bungie posted an article last Friday articulating the mood of the team at this time. "This week at Bungie, our inboxes were flaring up with status emails about every facet of the experience," the team posted. "According to the big green font at the top of each page, we are ON TRACK. Those two simple words in repetition are packed with emotion, and even a tiny bit of relief." The post goes on to say that press thoughts on pre-alpha builds will be shared with the public soon, and from there Destiny will progress into serious alpha and beta testing runs.
Sci-fi sandbox Proven Lands goes roguelike on Greenlight with demo
Berlin-based indie developer Thesetales launched a Kickstarter project and Steam Greenlight page for its roguelike game Proven Lands this week. The third-person sci-fi game is available to check out in its pre-alpha state in a proof of concept PC demo. Proven Lands features an optional five-episode main story arc in which players control Teruo Nakamura, named after a real-life soldier of the Japanese Imperial Army "who did not surrender until 1974." The game also includes an AI-driven story engine that generates a "one-off adventure" based on randomly-generated elements. Thesetales cites Don't Starve and Starbound among its inspirations, which is readily apparent in the hunt-and-gather style gameplay shown in its Kickstarter pitch video. A recent update on the project's crowdfunding page notes plans for multiplayer modes in some capacity as well. Thesetales is seeking £299,000 ($497,177) by April 12 to bring Proven Lands to PC in the first quarter of 2015, followed by Mac and iOS in the second quarter, then Linux and Android at a later date. Those that pledge roughly $15/£9/11 euros will receive a digital copy of the game when it launches. [Image: Thesetales]
Carmageddon shifts to Steam Early Access on March 27
Carmageddon: Reincarnation will arrive on Steam's Early Access service on March 27, Stainless Games announced. The UK developer also offered a pre-alpha trailer for the vehicular destruction game, which focuses on damage tech for the reboot. Carmageddon: Reincarnation is the result of a successful Kickstarter project in June 2012 during which the indie developer earned $625,143. The developer earned a total of $3.5 million in funding for the game as of March 2013 thanks to the investment of Bullfrog co-founder Les Edgar, bringing the game to Xbox One and PS4 in addition to PC, Mac and Linux. Since the developer first unveiled its plans for an alpha-level launch on Steam in September, it stressed that all of its Kickstarter and PayPal backers who pledged at least $15 for a copy of the game will also get every piece of Stainless Games' DLC "for the rest of time." [Image: Stainless Games]
Gloria Victis needs your Steam votes
After its first day on Steam Greenlight, Gloria Victis is already in the top 100 and is hoping for an even better showing. Black Eye Games is heavily promoting the indie medieval MMO as it goes through the Greenlight gauntlet with the eventual goal of being offered through Steam's digital platform. Steam users can choose whether or not to vote for Gloria Victis to be greenlit. Currently the game is in pre-alpha testing with regular patches and expects to lift its NDA in the next few weeks. Gloria Victis features sandbox crafting, plenty of PvP, non-targeted combat, a feudal social system, and a harsh world. Its storyline is being written by The Witcher's Jacek Komuda and Maciej Jurewicz.
Gloria Victis rebuilds animations and database as alpha approaches
Updates on Gloria Victis have been sparse recently, but according to the development team, that's because a lot of behind-the-scenes work has been getting done. The team has just finished polishing off two major projects, starting with a complete rework of the game's database structure to allow for easier updates and improvements. The downside is that it doesn't make much difference in play; the upside is that it will allow the team to easily change and update the game with less futzing about. Black Eye Games has also reworked the animations for combat as well as the mechanics, and different sorts of weapon will now interact with armor in a more realistic fashion. The team is working on a video to show off the improvements, though it's not quite ready yet. It's a bit of an invisible update, but it means that development is still continuing, and when the game finally launches into alpha testing it should be that much more engaging. [Source: Black Eye Games press release]
The Soapbox: Enough with selling alpha tests already!
The dam has burst, restraint has been cast off, and caution has been thrown to the wind. Seemingly overnight, game studios all over the place have thrown the doors open to the general public to get in on alpha testing, usually as a reward for loyalty and financing. Steam has an entire Early Access section that's dominating the sales charts, offering players a chance to hop right into an anticipated game while it's still in the middle of development. Kickstarter games routinely offer alpha and beta access to their financers as part of their reward structure. Trove, Elite: Dangerous, Shroud of the Avatar, Star Citizen, and EverQuest Next Landmark are among the vanguard of upcoming MMOs that have promised alpha or early access to players willing to shell out a few bucks right now. It's not enough to covet and chase after a beta key these days; all of the cool kids are in the alpha, apparently. The willingness of developers to wield alpha access as a reward and the enthusiastic acceptance by gamers to literally buy into it has me very concerned that this could poison the industry, the community, and the future of our games.
