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Firefall extrapolates on its new progression system
Hot on the heals of its blog post about dynamic events, Red 5 Studios now hopes to change up the whole progression system in its third-person shooter Firefall. The development team revamped the existing mostly linear advancement system to a more dynamic (there's that word again) skill-tree system. And now, Lead Class Designer Dave Williams has posted that the team that the team wanted to "increase the number of choices that were available to players within their progression." Williams explains that players generally pick a battleframe based on their individual playstyles. With the skill trees, a player can break that playstyle down even further. He gives the example of a Mammoth Dreadnaught vs. a Rhino Dreadnaught. The Mammoth builds heavier defenses, whereas the Rhino packs a heavier punch. MMOs and other online games are trending away from the linear progression style to a more horizontal progression style. Firefall is heading in that direction, too. Will this be enough push Firefall toward being the next great online shooter? Red 5 hopes so.
appBlaster 2.0 gets friendly with Android handsets, brings new AR features
We're not sure how many members of the Google army asked for it, but the second-gen, Android-friendly appBlaster's now being delivered to all peripheral buffs. Obviously, one of the biggest improvements in v2.0 of the apptoyz accessory is its much welcomed compatibility with something other than iDevices via a new universal cage -- that said, there's also other fresh augmented reality features which, in theory, should make it a vast improvement over its predecessor. The appBlaster 2.0's only seen a slight price bump in comparison to the first-gen, with RED5 asking for £25 (around $40) for the add-on -- a small amount to pay when you consider all the attention you're going to get. And, well, we know you love that.
RED5 remote control plane can fly like an eagle, spy like one too
RED5's Spy Hawk might look like the stuff of a hobbyist's dreams, but it's not such an innocent craft. The remote control glider does precisely what its moniker implies, melding one part recreation with that other time-honored tradition: espionage. That's right, aspiring CIA-types can get a headstart gathering intel by relaying video captured with the nose-embedded, 5-megapixel camera to the transmitter's built-in 3.5-inch LCD screen. And lest that precious recon get lost, an included 4GB SD card will let you safely save it all for a rainy blackmail kinda day. There's also an autopilot stabilization feature to keep it upright in windy conditions, but temper your excitement, as the drone's 7.4v Li-ion battery is only rated for 15 minutes of uninterrupted privacy invading flight time. If you're spidey senses are a-tinglin' just knowing this sneaky toy plane exists, prepare to make peace with $305 (£249) and pre-order at the source below.
This Week In MMO: Night at the movies edition
This Week In MMO is all about movies: how some games compare to movies and which movies will be made into games. The BioWare doctors hinted at a Mass Effect MMO once again, but what does our panel of hosts think? Mike B, aka Fony of ZAM, believes that the Mass Effect intellectual property is very similar to the movie industry, such that Mass Effect can take a few years of downtime, then just like some movie remakes, bounce back even stronger as an MMO. What about movies becoming MMOs? Jasmine Hruschak, of Gamebreaker's The Sanctum, is scared of any movie becoming a game. Traditionally, these platform conversions are disastrous, according to IRLJasmine. However, Gary Gannon agrees with Avatar director James Cameron's sentiments and believes that the world of the Nav'i could one day be comparable to the world of World of Warcraft. Catch all this and more movie-to-MMO comparisons after the break on Gamebreaker.TV's This Week In MMO!
Massively's guide to PAX 2011
What can be said about PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington that hasn't been said already? Everyone knows that it is the largest public gaming event in North America. Attendance totaled 67,600 last year, not including press and exhibitors. And this year, even more gamers will descend on the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The latest and greatest games -- released and unreleased -- will be available for public consumption. Developers will mill around the showroom floor, answering your questions. Not to mention that no one will look at you funny because you play video games! This year, MMORPGs really stand out in the crowd. Seattle native NCsoft has a huge presence at the convention, borrowing a theater just to showcase its games. BioWare comes armed with its heavy-hitter, Star Wars: The Old Republic. And free-to-play titles like Firefall, Lord of the Rings Online, and Wakfu promise to strut their stuff at this year's PAX. Punch past the break as Massively outlines the must-see booths for MMO fans. And don't forget the panels, including a couple of MMO spotlights for PAX Dev, the gathering of fans and developers at Sheraton Seattle Hotel on the 24th and 25th.
Firefall blows up bugs in the new gameplay trailer
Gamers have asked for an FPS that they can play with friends in a persistent world, and Red 5 Studios is delivering. Firefall, the free-to-play brainchild of Mark Kern, showcases a world with hundreds of players contesting for resources in the virtual space of Fortaleza, Brazil 222 years in the future. IGN granted us a glimpse into this world of kill-or-be-killed with the Firefall gameplay trailer. The two minutes of pure action starts with dynamic squad missions, continues past player gear and abilities, and then launches you into epic world events. Blast past the break to experience the trailer for yourself, and don't forget to sign up for the beta on the official FireFall website. [Thanks, Dylan, for the tip]
Firefall's Mark Kern changes the perception of free-to-play
The third-person shooter Firefall has questioned nearly everything about what it means to be an MMO. In fact, CEO Mark Kern has mentioned to us at PAX East 2011 that the term MMO is not in the development vocabulary of his game: "If people want to call us an MMO, that's great. We aren't going to call ourselves an MMO, because we want you to think fresh thoughts along with us." These "fresh thoughts" extend not only to the game design, but they also extend to the game's subscription model. As a former team lead from Blizzard, one would think that Kern would totally support the monthly subscription model shared by Blizzard's flagship MMO, World of Warcraft. In the beginning, Kern admits that he was. He tells to the Escapist, "We felt that with a AAA quality game, a subscription was still the way to go. I was pretty skeptical of free-to-play five years ago." However, with the change in US economy and watching the success of F2P MMOs in other countries like China, the CEO changed his tune. "What I found surprised me; free-to-play wasn't just a successful model, it was an incredibly profitable one," Kern explains in the Escapist article. As the perception of F2P is changing in western culture, perhaps we will see more and more triple-A games beginning their life as free-to-play. The full interview with Firefall's Mark Kern can be found on the Escapist website. Let us know what you think of F2P for triple-A games in the comments below.
appBlaster iPhone accessory lets you kick AR alien butt, bubblegum not included
Gun accessories for your Wiimote or Move wands are old hat but, we can't help but be at least a little intrigued by this rifle-like dock for the iPhone. The appBlaster is an accessory from apptoyz designed specifically for use with the company's Alien Attack iOS game. Slide in your iDevice and fire up the AR shooter and you'll be treated to a bit of Piper-vision, exposing the invisible aliens in our midst. Pull the triggers and two capacitive pads touch the screen to fire at the invaders that only you can see. The appBlaster is available for pre-order now at RED5 for £19.99 (about $32) and will official hit shelves on July 7. Check out the PR after the break.
Firefall art lead builds battleframes
Firefall isn't being marketed as a traditional MMO, and in fact there aren't many traditional MMO staples in this Red 5 Studios creation. For instance, the class system is series of battleframes. These are armor sets that any player can wear, and they define what role he plays in a group. Another way Firefall is attempting to carve its own gaming niche is found in the art style behind this third-person shooter. Art Lead Adam McMahon takes a few moments in the latest Firefall dev blog to talk about the evolution of the battleframe design. Some of the original designs for the battleframes conjured up scenes from Alien or Starship Troopers. But the art team quickly realized that it was "making a game for the global market," and therefore, as McMahon explains, "the art needs to be special and it needs to appeal to that broad audience." At that point, the design took a totally different direction and eventually became the look you see in the promo art now and you will see in the game. If you'd like to read more about how McMahon and the Firefall team inspired the look of the game, be sure to read the whole developer diary. While you're there, take a moment to sign up for the beta. %Gallery-126195%
Red 5 Studios pulls the wraps off Firefall
Red 5 is no longer standing by, and in fact has launched its first salvo of proton torpedoes at a crowded MMO market by announcing the long-awaited Firefall title at last week's PAX Prime. The game, a massively multiplayer team-based shooter, will feature microtransactions and sport a free-to-play business model. Red 5 made headlines earlier this year by laying off 30 developers, but looks to be back on its feet after a $20 million cash infusion from The9, a Chinese MMO publisher best known for Atlantica and Soul of the Ultimate Nation. Firefall's developer roster features a number of Blizzard alums, as well as lead designer Scott Youngblood of Tribes and Tribes 2 fame. Check out the official website as well as a lengthy trailer after the cut.
Red5 sends recruitment messages that won't self-destruct
The adage usually goes "it's hard to find good help these days." And it's all too true in the gaming industry. While other industries may shun players of MMORPGs, game development companies are actively looking to recruit top-notch talent. Competition is tough to get the best developers, especially when the projects they might be working on cannot be revealed. So to break the monotony of typical recruiter phone calls, Red 5 came up with a unique way to get potential employees interested.Their Golden Ticket system sent 100 developers an unmarked FedEx box. Inside was another box, labeled 1, that featured art from the game under development and looked vaguely like it might have come from a Mission: Impossible set. Then, in a sort of modern Russian nesting doll manner, the potential employee uncovered the full group of five boxes. Within the fifth box was an iPod, personally engraved for that recipient, along with a code to enter on the Red5 website. The iPod, once hooked up with the site, played a personalized message inviting the developer to the Red5 offices to check out the facility and interview. Quite a unique, if paranoia-inducing, way to get new applicants.
