pre-launch
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Ubisoft dismisses doubts about The Crew's launch, releases launch trailer
Are you worried about the launch of The Crew being plagued by server issues, instability, and other issues? Don't be! None of that's going to happen at launch! Who said that? Ubisoft, of course! It seems trustworthy. In the wake of Ubisoft's launch issues this year (Assassin's Creed: Unity), not to mention other high-profile online titles that have been plagued by server issues, lead designer Serkan Hasan has stated that The Crew's beta testing has adequately prepared the game for launch. He also promises that the game's console versions will perform well on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Crew launches tomorrow, December 2nd. The studio has not shown any advanced previews to media on the basis that playing the game before launch would involve sub-optimal play conditions. [Update: We've included the launch trailer below.]
The Daily Grind: What are you doing in your pre-launch MMO?
So I'm in ArcheAge's alpha. Woo, I guess. It's not that the game sucks. On the contrary it's pretty solid fun. But I'm treading carefully so as not to spoil it all for myself come release. See, this isn't beta, so none of the progression matters. From my perspective, the only reason to be here this early is to learn the systems and scope out some land for the inevitable launch-week land rush. What about you, alpha and beta buyers? Whether it's ArcheAge, Landmark, or one of those Kickstarter MMOs that's starting to let people in, what exactly are you doing in your pre-launch game of choice? Are you actually testing or are you looking to get a leg up on launch newbs? 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!
WildStar releases its server list
Head start for WildStar starts on Saturday, but where will you be creating your character? How can you know without a server list? You can't. So it's a good thing that the official server list has been released for both US and EU servers. A grand total of 22 servers will be available, with equal numbers for both regions and at least one PvE, RP-PvE, and PvP server for each. US PvE servers are Avatus, Caretaker, Mikros, Thunderfoot, Orias, and Stormtalon. PvP players in the US can choose between Widow, Pago, and Pergo, while roleplayers will be on Evinora. There's also an Oceanic PvE server available, Myrcalus. Meanwhile, English-speaking players in Europe will choose between Ascendancy and Eko for PvE, with Hazak for PvP and Lightspire for RP. German players get Ikthia and Kazor for PvE, Progentior for PvP, and Toria for RP. Last but not least, French players have three servers: Stormfather (PvE), Treespeaker (PvP), and Triton (RP-PvE). So you can start making your plans about where you want to go; the servers are all right here.
WildStar reveals its last pre-launch trailer
It's the last week before WildStar's launch. Head start kicks off on Saturday. And Carbine Studios wants you to buy the game, if for no other reason than the simple fact that the developers would like the game to do well so they can continue to pay their rent. So if you've been on the fence, if you're not sure about the game, or you seriously haven't heard about it until just today, the last trailer is for you. After many years of trailers, DevSpeaks, and various other promotional bits, this trailer just lays it all out on the trailer, showing off the game's many features in total and what you can expect from the game. Whether you need a refresher course or just want to see what the game will look like before the head start, um, starts, you can check out the full trailer past the break. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
The Nexus Telegraph: Preparing for WildStar's launch
When you read this, dear reader, you will be less than two weeks away from early access to WildStar. Unless you've come here just to let everyone know you don't want to play the game, in which case you might want to find slightly more joyous hobbies? Just a thought. The obvious thing to do pre-launch, of course, is to reserve your name, but that didn't work out for everyone so well, and I'm betting that if you were going to do that by now, you would have done it. (Still have a little time if you haven't, though.) What else can you do? Open beta is over. It's just getting into the meat of the game and maybe taking a day or two off of work first, right? Obviously not; there's more stuff you can do to prep yourself for the launch psychologically and otherwise. So step into my metaphorical office, and I'll give you some suggestions about things to do before the game starts and once early access kicks off.
The Nexus Telegraph: WildStar's pre-launch ups and downs
We're in the home stretch before WildStar's launch now. If you haven't pre-ordered, you should do so. For all intents and purposes, the launch game is what's being used in the weekend test sessions. All that's left is the actual gameplay, and if you're an RPer, hunting down the roleplaying community to see what's acknowledged as the unofficial community roleplaying server because beta servers certainly do not have those all-important RP tags. What? I know what side of the bread my butter's on. A bit of discussion with a friend the other night reminded me that I can't think of a single game over the past four and a half years that I really thought launched at the right time; either they launched a bit too early or a bit too late, at best. So today, with launch less than a month away, I'd like to talk about the things that make me most displeased about the game... and the bits that make me the most hopeful.
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.
The Daily Grind: When should a game lose the 'beta' defense?
There are people who will cry that a game is "just a beta" right up until the day before a launch. There are also people who will proclaim that a game should have been ready for prime time as soon as players were let loose in the playground, even if release is a day away. There appear to be no methods to counteract these two stances. But there is a happy medium somewhere, isn't there? Final Fantasy XIV launched largely clear of bugs despite its brief beta; Cataclysm had a normal beta but still arguably launched in a mid-beta state. Realistically, if a game is suffering from glaring performance issues or enormous bugs when it's a month from launch, these things will not be fixed in time for launch. The few games that have tried to do launch-day patches (such as Champions Online) rarely go over well. But it's hard to know how much work fixing something will take. So when does a game lose the defense of "it's just a beta"? When release is announced? When there's one month remaining? Two? Does it depend on the size of the bug or the issue? 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!
The Daily Grind: When has a game worried you before it came out?
I make no bones about how much I love WildStar. At the same time, I recognize that my love is based entirely upon a few preview images and trailers. It's possible that when I finally get to play the game, I'll find it to be the worst thing I've ever experienced. Not likely, but possible. This is not unusual. We all fall in love with games based on early previews without knowing just what we'll get. It's the risk inherent in watching previews about new titles and finding out bits and pieces until we can finally get our hands on betas -- the game might look great while playing badly. We can only hope that we wind up playing the game of our dreams rather than one of our nightmares. But sometimes you start seeing previews months after the game was announced that make you wonder if the game you've been looking forward to is going to leave something to be desired. So have you ever been worried about whether or not you're cheering for a game's release that you might not wind up enjoying? 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!
PlanetSide 2 Command Center airs its last episode before launch
Can you believe that PlanetSide 2 is launching next week? It seems like just yesterday it was only a beautiful idea in the minds of many fans. Games grow up so fast. But even with the impending November 20th launch, there are still a few days until the game goes live, and that's why Matt Higby and Tramell Isaac have returned to sit in front of the camera in the final pre-launch episode of the PlanetSide 2 Command Center. The episode kicks off with an update on the pace of the beta, with Higby explaining how the data from the latest round of beta has been applied to map balance and mechanics as well as bug fixes. There's also a chat with several developers, a look at the music of the game, a recap of this year's SOE Live event, and of course a glance at fan mail and the best fan YouTube videos. Take a look at the full episode past the cut for all sorts of nuggets to chew on before the game's launch next week. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
Sprint flipping the LTE switch in Boston and Chicago on September 21st?
Last we heard Sprint was prepping to launch its LTE network in 100 cities in the "coming months." Well, a tipster just sent along a some info that seems to indicate that Chicago and Boston will be online before September is out. According to the leaked memo, towers in the areas surrounding those cities should start lighting up soon, with both metropolitan centers set to become "discoverable" on September 21st. Now, that doesn't mean LTE will officially launch in those cities on that Friday, merely that 4G capable devices may start picking up the signals. From that day forward Sprint will be in pre-launch mode in Boston and Chicago, as they build out infrastructure to support the shift to a new wireless platform. [Thanks, anonymous]
Guild Wars 2 gears up for yet another stress test
And you thought you weren't going to get to play Guild Wars 2 until this weekend! ArenaNet has just announced one more round of stress testing prior to the prepurchase launch. On Tuesday, August 21st, from 3 p.m. EDT (noon PDT) to 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT), players who have prepurchased (not just preordered) the game will be able to log in and beat up on the Guild Wars 2 servers in the hopes of helping ANet make them nice and shiny for the real deal come Friday. You'll be able to access your existing beta characters, but the team reminds everyone that it is "actively working on the game during the event, so you might experience connectivity problems or discover features that are not working as designed." While you wait for Tuesday, why not check out the official launch schedule, region clarifications, and gem store items revealed today?
Guild Wars 2 pops another stress test tomorrow
The mini-stress tests keep on coming for Guild Wars 2 in its final pre-launch days, and ArenaNet has announced another such event taking place tomorrow afternoon. This new stress test will span just four hours, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EDT. As with the previous quick stress test, ArenaNet makes no claims as to flawless performance: "We will be actively working on the game during the event, so you might experience connectivity problems or discover features that are not working as designed. Any issues you experience are a result of the rigorous conditions of the stress test, and are in no way representative of the state of the game at launch." For those of you who have gotten attached to beta characters, the word is that they will not be wiped for this test.
TERA ramps up for launch with a video, an offer, and an address
TERA's launch is just around the corner, and if you're not excited yet, En Masse Entertainment is going to throw as much new stuff at you as possible to get you psyched up. That starts with a developer journal by Senior Producer Brian Knox, who talks about the road to launch and the growth of the studio. As you'd expect of a producer bringing a game to market, he's quite excited to see what players will do with the game once it's live. Not interested? Perhaps you'll be more interested to know that the studio has extended the inaugural subscription rate deal; have an active subscription to the game by May 31st and you'll wind up with long-term discounts on the subscription price. Or perhaps you'd rather kick back and watch the final installment of the race videos, this one highlighting the familiar human race. It's a variety of updates to keep your energy up for the launch next Tuesday, assuming it wasn't up already.
WAKFU puts out a call for (paying) pioneers
With WAKFU's launch rapidly approaching later this month, the information is pouring forth fast and furious from this free-to-play title. One of the biggest questions that players have at this stage is just how a game is going to make its money, and in the case of WAKFU, Ankama is certainly hoping that the experience is fun enough to warrant a regular subscription. If you're already on board with the WAKFU philosophy and wish to subscribe for a premium membership, then Ankama has a few great pre-launch offers for you. By signing up for three, six, or 12-month plans, you can net yourself plenty of in-game items as well as the esteemed title of "WAKFU Pioneer." Ankama has also published a helpful chart illustrating the differences between the F2P and subscription plans -- such as whether or not you can become an eco-terrorist (we kid you not). Other differences include the ability to own a home vs. set up an in-game shop, how many professions you can master (six vs. 16), and whether or not you can run for office. [Thanks to Derek for the tip!]
Stay on target: SWTOR's guilds begin to align with phase 2
Star Wars: The Old Republic's release may feel like it's always going to be in a "galaxy far, far away," but at least BioWare is giving guilds something substantial to do in preparation for launch. Following up the first phase of guild formation, today the studio announced that guilds can now progress into the second phase: alignment. During this phase, guild leaders can establish up to three guilds as their Allies or Adversaries (depending on the target guild's faction). Not only will this help to cement friendships and rivalries, but BioWare says that these connections "will have the highest chance of being placed in the game together, allowing these guilds to coexist on the same server." This won't happen if the guilds have chosen different server rulesets, however. Another new feature that's come with this phase is the ability for leaders and officers to begin inviting people to the guild by email. The SWTOR website has a helpful FAQ for all three phases of guild preparations. The third phase, deployment, is scheduled to occur shortly before launch and will begin placing guilds on servers if these guilds have met certain criteria.
The Guild Counsel: Pre-launch pitfalls
There's nothing more enticing than that new car smell of a soon-to-be-released MMO. And it's no surprise that many players make the decision to either bring their guilds over or build a new one from the ground up. It's exciting, but forming a pre-launch guild comes with plenty of potential hazards, and all too often, those months before the game goes live are the best and happiest months of a guild's life. In this week's Guild Counsel, let's look at some dos and don'ts when it comes to building a pre-launch guild... and hopefully keep the good times rolling long past launch day.
Nintendo rolls a 3DS Demo Pod across US, gets gamers salivating for March 27th launch
The perks of living in a big city, eh? Citizens of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco are being treated to some three-dimensional March madness from the guys and gals at Nintendo. For the remainder of this month, Ninty's 3DS handheld will be available to try and play in so-called Demo Pods (see above) at strategic locations in each marquee city. The Mii Maker app, nintendogs + cats, Madden NFL Football, Aslphalt 3D, and a selection of other games will be preloaded and waiting for you, letting you have a taste of what's to come on March 27th. See Nintendo's PR after the break for the full details.
Sprint renames the HTC 7 Pro the Arrive, launching it tomorrow
Punch sprint.com/arrive into your address bar and the above is what you shall find. Not a generic error marker but a URL-specific "coming soon" message that would seem to confirm the existence and indeed near-future arrival of the HTC Arrive. Beyond that bit of web sleuthing, we also have ourselves a proven tipster informing us that this will be a carrier-branded version of HTC's 7 Pro and confirming that it will be launched tomorrow. A tweet from Sprint earlier this week, intimated heavily that it's about to introduce a Windows Phone 7 handset on the 24th, which we surmised to mean exactly the long-awaited 7 Pro QWERTY slider. Already available in Europe, this device will serve as the first CDMA representative from the WP7 stable, meaning that you'll soon be able to Glance and Go on the Now Network of alliterative advertising slogans.
One Shots: Antici...pation
With the RIFT preorder head-start beginning this Thursday, some people opted to back off from the beta and instead let anticipation build. There again, we've also heard of some other people who are using their time to knock out work and chores early so they can enjoy a slacktastic weekend of guilt-free gaming! Today's gorgeous One Shots comes to us from our friendly neighborhood Mr. Angry, who has also opted to step back and wait for the pre-launch. He writes in: "Mr Angry here. I figured I'd send you a screenshot from RIFT Beta 7. I made a Cleric and am having so much fun with the soul system. It is liberating to not be confined to just one role. This was the last screenshot I took before I decided to log out prior to head start. I am looking forward to playing an Elf in release as well. Trion has done a great job realizing the world so beautifully and creating a new high-water mark for game performance, artistic design, and dynamism in what would otherwise be a fairly linear MMO! High hopes for RIFT!" Would you like to share some images of your recent adventures? We're always on the hunt for more screenshots of the many different MMOs out there -- but we need your help. Email your screenshots in to us at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in! %Gallery-112285%
