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SOCOM spiritual successor H-Hour gets pre-alpha trailer
Pre-alpha action for H-Hour: World's Elite was shown off in trailer form today. The developer, SOF Studios, stressed that the tactical shooter hasn't been tuned or polished yet, so the smaller details seen in the teaser video are best viewed in a more forgiving light. The game comes from former SOCOM Creative Director David Sears, who earned $252,662 on Kickstarter in July 2013 to develop what he called a "spiritual successor" to the series. H-Hour: World's Elite is a team-based PC and PS4 game, and as such it will feature community and clan management support. The multiplayer shooter is currently aiming to enter its beta program in July 2014, launching in full on PC in January 2015, according to the reward tiers on its Kickstarter page.
The Daily Grind: Do you like staggered or modular launch schedules?
Regardless of your feelings toward Kickstarter or crowdfunding in general, you have to admit that it's starting to have an impact on the way games are made. More specifically, two of the larger crowdfunding projects -- Shroud of the Avatar and Star Citizen -- are doing away with a traditional launch date in favor of a staggered release schedule. Star Citizen has already released a playable piece of pre-alpha content, and just yesterday we learned that Shroud of the Avatar's initial client will be available as early as next month. What do you think about these newfangled rollouts? Do you like the opportunity to see games in their raw, pre-beta states, or do you prefer to wait on a more traditional or feature-complete release day? 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!
Gloria Victis shows off latest update in screenshots
The last Gloria Victis update expanded the landmass for adventuring. And now the newest update makes that land more interactive than ever. Not only can players harvest crops (including picking mushrooms), but they can also use doors, gates, and levers -- actions that will be integral to utilizing castle traps and siege machines. There are also revamps to structures and character creation. You can get the full scoop on the forums. In addition, the new website -- with more in-depth information about crafting, lore, combat, and nations -- is almost complete. A teaser for the site is seen above, and the new screenshots of the game are in the gallery below. [Thanks to Liting Zhu for the tip!]
Gloria Victis doubles playable land area in August update
The fantasy MMO Gloria Victis has released notes on a new pre-alpha update last week that not only doubled the land area for players to explore, but also added a new town that most fans of the game have been anticipating. Aside from sound and game performance improvements, the team at Black Eye Games says the focus for August will be polishing mechanics rather than developing new content. And if you have an itch to be a virtual star, the team is looking for in-game actors for the game's upcoming promotional videos. Be sure to check out the gallery of nine new images below and head on over to the forums for info on the update.%Gallery-188901%
Gloria Victis releases its first pre-alpha trailer
Gloria Victis has been slowly unveiling new bits of information to fans, mostly focusing on screenshots. But screenshots don't show the world in motion, which is kind of a big deal -- a game can look wonderful in stills but move stiffly, or it can look nice in motion and be boring in static pictures. So fans should be quite happy to see the first trailer from the game showing off four minutes of gameplay, UI, and animations. If you haven't been interested in Gloria Victis before now, you still might want to take a look at the trailer, since it's narrated with an explanation of the game's design principles and overall goals. It's definitely meant to be more on the low fantasy end of the scale, focusing on freeform attacks and player skill over gear progression and the like. If that sounds like your thing, take a look past the break and check out the full trailer. [Thanks to Liting for the tip!]
Gloria Victis pre-alpha screens show forest updates
Black Eye Games updated its Gloria Victis Facebook page over the weekend. The occasion was a pre-alpha feature push that saw plenty of new stuff make its way into the fledgling sandbox. "The forest is now filled with life," the post says, including boars, foxes, wolves, and plenty of raw gatherables like bark, timber, hops, flax, and sunflowers. Black Eye has also enlarged the game world proper and added humanoid mobs. There are screens of all this stuff and more behind the links below. You'll also find some Massively-exclusive screens behind the break. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us!]
Gloria Victis teases with more screenshots, talk of alpha two
Black Eye Games' brand-spanking-new MMO Gloria Vicitis is promising a lot; realistic weather effects, day and night cycles, and NPCs that don't just stand there are all on the game's agenda. Although an original attempt to crowdfund the game was unsuccessful, it looks as if the team isn't giving up as testing marches on. Only a small number of testers are currently in the pre-alpha test; test number two is apparently not far beyond the horizon. The developers are also opening up crowd-funding to increase server capacity for even more testers. The studio is calling its game "paradigm breaking" and "realistic," which seem like pretty heavy words, but a new batch of pre-alpha screenshots does hint at its potential. What do you think? %Gallery-184960%
Embers of Caerus newsletter updates beta development
Embers of Caerus' second monthly newsletter is out, and the various department teams are eager to share their progress in it. The landscaping is coming along, especially in regard to the quality of the trees. Populating the world is a different matter, however. The creatures have moved on to the modeling stage, and the concept team is also working hard at building up the city of Thaal. Lore, audio, and even ocean wave simulations are all in the works as well. The newsletter also contains a link to the recent game livestreams as well as a note about Gamer Safety Week. [Thanks to Flint for the tip!]
Embers of Caerus team puts out December newsletter and development update
Embers of Caerus has an ambitious feature list, a dedicated development team, and a long road to walk before the game is ready for public consumption. But as the year closes, the development team behind the game has produced a brief newsletter and a development update to let fans know where the game is now and what can be expected as we move into 2013. It's also a first look at the in-game environment, starting with the first major city of the game and its surrounding environs. The development update makes it clear that the programming team is hard at work integrating middleware solutions while getting the game servers to full functionality, while the art and lore team continues to flesh out the lore and models. Along the same lines, the newsletter mentions that the developers are moving toward working in a less volunteer capacity, establishing a central office and working for more than just a love of the project. If you're keen to see what the fruits of the game's Kickstarter project have been so far, take a look at the full rundown in both dispatches. [Thanks to Dave for the tip!]
Asteroids is joining the ranks of MMOs
Ever wondered what some of those fun arcade-style games of yore would be like as an MMO? We'll soon find out because Wildbunny is converting the classic game Asteroids into mmoAsteroids. Not surprisingly, the game involves dodging or blasting asteroids that tumble through the two-dimensional space around you while opposing players try to gun you down. By visiting the site, players are given the actual chance to try their hand at the game with the embedded pre-alpha tech demo. Players are placed on either the red or the blue team. Those wishing to participate in the open pre-alpha testing can register on the site, which allows progress to be saved automatically. The entire enterprise is being undertaken by a single developer, Paul Firth. To further the game's development, he is offering players the ability to purchase a choice of special, limited-edition in-game avatars that will not be available when the game launches. More information is available on the official site.
Undead Labs on making a believable zombie apocalypse
In their gory, gruesome office, Undead Labs' devs are hard at work figuring out the best way to disembowel you and turn you into a walking nightmare. So far it's going well, according to a new Q&A by CM Sanya Weathers. Weathers sheds some light on the difficulties of creating a zombie-infested world, particularly in relation to spawn points, mob density, and artificial intelligence. "It takes surprisingly smart AI to make zombie behaviors that are believably dumb," she writes. According to her, Undead Labs' Class3 will boast "thousands" of zombies, all of which will be able to react to sounds, light, and explosions. Weathers says that the game is in the final stages of pre-alpha production and we should be seeing gameplay footage from it soon. Other topics covered in the Q&A include player weapons, how to attract zombies, types of zombies, and a fast food joint called the Swine & Bovine.
WildStar aims to be 'anything but WoW'
Carbine Studios Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney took the microphone at a recent Reddit AMA (ask me anything), where he addressed several burning questions that the community had about WildStar. Right off the bat, he was asked what sets this MMO apart from the pack. Gaffney had a laundry list in reply, saying that the largely ex-Blizzard team's motto is, "We just crunched for six years, we want to do anything but WoW." Layered content is a big buzz-phrase for WildStar, and Gaffney attempted to provide an example of the game's flexibility. "You're on a mission to kill alien jungle cats. You see one that's irradiated and start scanning it. Or it's too tough, so you scare some prey away from you into the cats, and they start attacking the prey, and then you jump in when everyone is weakened. They're tough, so you see a huntress and drag them to her to get her cheering on for rep -- you see a second huntress and now you're bouncing between them for double rep rewards." Other AMA topics included polish, microupdates, competing with World of Warcraft, bunny ears, the future of the MMO industry, and a hint at an unannounced race.
City of Steam dev diary embraces Goblins
City of Steam is a strange world indeed, filled with the bizarre as well as unexpected twists on familiar fantasy tropes. The team penned a dev diary to talk about why City of Steam's Goblins are far more interesting than the cannon fodder you dispatch in other MMOs. As one of the nine playable races in this upcoming game, Goblins are attempting to make their way in the civilized world, but they suffer from discrimination by those who hate all greenskin races. They are, however, far more refined and savvy than their Orc relatives and have garnered a positive reputation for being able to repair almost anything. Goblins have large families, are almost fatally curious about the world, and can eat almost anything. Goblins are best wielded as either Arcanists or Gunners and have the manic energy to back either of those professions. Because Goblin families are so important, the devs have put a large emphasis on family in the race's questline. The player will begin her experience as Goblins by traveling to the city to help her recently widowed uncle in a variety of tasks.
The Repopulation seeks Kickstarter funding
Sandbox fans are probably feeling the pinch on their wallets of late with the surge of Kickstarter projects. The Repopulation is joining the trend with a project that's just kicked off to secure funding for further development. That means incentive rewards, stretch goals, and of course, new information about the game as it moves through development. The funding goal is set at a fairly modest $25,000 and includes several noteworthy incentives for backers. In the lower tiers of funding, players can enjoy such benefits as extra cash in the game when it goes live, early access to the game, and special tokens to unlock unique rewards. Players who have plenty of money to donate can move on up to having character names attached to game objects and custom-generated content. It's a nice set of rewards, and if you're interested in the game's future, you've got plenty of time before the Kickstarter closes. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
The Repopulation broadcasts its first public gameplay footage
Drips and drabs of information about the sci-fi sandbox The Repopulation have been coming in, but as with any title in early development, it's never enough to satiate the masses who want the whole scoop. So consider today's bounty of the first gameplay footage and a lore piece as an appetizer to tide you over until the main course. The gameplay video demonstrates one of the core features of The Repopulation: its city-building system. During the 12-and-a-half minutes the video runs, fans can check out how cities are put together piece by piece using a wide variety of tools and fellow player cooperation. The devs also take this opportunity to discuss the UI, controls, and how alliances work in the game. The team also posted a lore piece called Leesa's Story on the site. The vignette introduces the titular character, a cook who also happens to be a cook, and her misguided adventures going duck hunting. The Repopulation is currently accepting signups for its alpha testing, which begins in June. You can watch the full video after the break. [Thanks to J.C. for the tip!]
More Star Wars: Battlefront 3 footage from 2008 hits the tubes
The above version of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 was canceled and will never truly exist outside of the YouTube time portal, but sometimes it's nice to get a glimpse of what could have been. We can learn from its failings, reanimate its successes and keep talking about how great the old days were, forgetting that one day right now will be the "good old days."All premature nostalgia aside, the video above is reportedly a pre-alpha version of Free Radical's vision for Battlefront 3, shot in 2008, and it covers the menu, character creation, general gameplay and a few flight scenes.
Embers of Caerus dares you to go dungeon diving in the deep dark
While the indie Embers of Caerus might not even be in alpha yet, the developers wanted to give fans and followers a Christmas present in the form of a special preview of one of the Forsaken World's dungeons. If you're expecting a brightly-lit funhouse full of dizzying sights, you may want to prepare for a shift in perspective. Once we enter the cave mouth, we're plunged into darkness with the occasional flickering torchlight -- and creepy cackle -- as our only points of reference. The video takes its time poking through the bowels of the earth, discovering more creepy sights and sounds the deeper it goes. And while it might not be packed wall-to-wall with mobs -- this is a very early glimpse into the game, after all -- there is a terrifying surprise laying in wait at the end. You may need to go get your security blanket in preparation, especially if you watch it with the lights off and headphones on. You can watch the full video after the jump! [Thanks to Ron for the tip!]
Get an eyeful of Salem with an hour-long tour
Ever since we heard about Salem, the crazy mash-up of sandbox tools, crafting, colonial setting, and permadeath, we've been understandably curious about just how the game will pan out. While it's still in the pre-alpha stage, Paradox Interactive hosted a Twitch.tv broadcast yesterday, during which a trio of devs showed off the game while talking about its features. If you missed it, you're still in luck: The broadcast was recorded and saved for posterity. In it, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen, "Code Gnome" Frank Tolf, and Senior Producer Gordon Van Dyke want to give viewers a feel for how the game functions and feels. It's important to note that the demonstration doesn't begin for real until the 14-minute mark, so unless you really like elevator music and waiting, you might want to skip ahead to there. You can watch the full video after the jump.
MeeGo for handsets makes its first appearance
As promised, Nokia and Intel have revealed the pre-alpha version of MeeGo for handsets today, supporting the Intel-powered Aava reference phone and the Nokia N900. What's most interesting at this early stage is the UI, which appears to have taken a big Nokia-influenced step away from the Intel-designed MeeGo netbook and tablet UI -- and we're definitely detecting some hints of Android and webOS here and there. Seriously, just check out that task switching interface. Of course, MeeGo is open-source, so we're sure Nokia has some deeper UI customizations in store -- like homescreen widgets, which are notably missing here. On a deeper level, this build of MeeGo includes the base MeeGo APIs, including Qt and the MeeGo touch frameworks, the Firefox-based browser, a photo viewer, and some basic UI elements like the status bar, app launcher, and virtual keyboard. There are pre-built images for the Atom-based Aava handsets available now, but N900 owners will have to do a little building until someone makes an image available. Be warned, though: there's a long enough list of known bugs, and while that's totally fine for pre-alpha code, it might not be too fine for your device. That's not going to stop us from installing this thing, but you be careful, alright? And let us know how it goes. Video of the UI after the break. P.S. Given that the N8 is destined to be the last Symbian N Series device, we can't help but feel it's being overshadowed by MeeGo before it's even out. Can we pre-pour one out? Is that a thing? It is now.%Gallery-96645%
Nokia: pre-alpha release of MeeGo for handsets coming June 30th
We've already gotten an early peek at what's in store for MeeGo on handsets courtesy of some leaked UI guidelines, and it looks like folks now won't have to wait too much longer to try it out for themselves -- Nokia has confirmed that the pre-alpha release will be available on June 30th. That will be followed by the "fully productized" version sometime in October, which should also coincide with the release of some actual MeeGo-based handsets. No further details beyond that just yet, but N900 users should be the first to get a taste of a true MeeGo handset experience -- despite Nokia's lack of official support.
