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The Repopulation adds gore, stampedes, turrets, and more
The Repopulation's end-of-the-month progress report is here, and judging by the sheer length of the thing, April was one for the books. The new update takes a high-level view of development and it states that since the majority of The Repopulation's features are complete, the dev team is now focusing on content creation and an enjoyable new player experience. Highlights from April's patch cycle include the new harvester system, player turrets, AI tweaks, stampedes, and gore options. Of course, that's just the tip of the iceberg, so be sure and read the full post for all the details. [Thanks J.C.!]
Name this Repopulation zone, win a $100 Kickstarter pledge
Want to leave your mark on Above & Beyond Technologies' new Repopulation sandbox? You can via a contest that will allow players to name a newly created zone in the sci-fi game. Entries must be submitted via a forum thread or Twitter, and finalists will go into a pool of five from which the winner will be selected by a poll. Said winner will receive a $100 Kickstarter pledge to the game or a bump if you're already an early adopter. Full details are available at The Repopulation's official site.
Some Assembly Required: Your guide to MMO sandboxes in 2013 and beyond
Welcome to Massively's guide to MMO sandboxes in 2013 and beyond. I've collected the essential details on all the major sandbox titles releasing this year and in the near future in one easy-to-reference article. If you're wondering whether ArcheAge forces you to PvP, or if you can't tell The Repopulation from Origins of Malu, this is your post. I'll be updating it as game features are added, removed, or revealed, so be sure to use the comments to let me know if I've overlooked a particularly noteworthy item. Finally, I want to point out that this isn't an exhaustive list because of the sheer number of sandbox projects ongoing. For now, I'm choosing to focus on the ones that will be playable in 2013/2014 as well as the projects that have a big-name developer attached.
The Repopulation needs you!
The folks at Above and Beyond Technologies are done playing jokes on you for April Fools' Day and are ready to show off their for-real content update for The Repopulation. Coming off of the player feedback at PAX East, the studio aims to increase its tester base and improve communication with all alpha testers. This will help the team achieve their beta window later this spring and shoot for a better playable demo at PAX Prime in August. Be sure to check out the extensive update notes for the latest alpha build as well as more info on how to become an early adopter.
PAX East 2013: Hands-on with The Repopulation
Ever since its successful Kickstarter campaign, The Repopulation has been progressing along at an impressive pace. And if PAX East was any indication, the game shows no signs of slowing down as it approaches beta and zeroes in on a launch date. This weekend, I had a chance to speak with lead developer Joshua Halls, who took the time to walk me through the sandbox MMO and give me an update on what's new and what's still in the works.
PAX East 2013: Repopulation's crafting detailed in 21-minute video
Earlier this week The Repopulation's dev team released a combat-focused trailer on the eve of its trip to PAX East. Today, Above & Beyond Technologies has another clip to share, this one a 21-minute dive into the game's crafting mechanics. Lead dev Joshua Halls walks us through crafting events, resource attributes and refinement, and shows off the general complexity of the tradeskill mechanics. There's a brief mention of the game's crafting achievement system as well, so be sure to check out the video after the cut. If you're heading to Boston for PAX East, you can see The Repopulation at booth 581 on Friday and Saturday.
The Repopulation gets a new gameplay trailer
The team behind The Repopulation has been releasing extensive monthly updates for a while now, but it's been some time since we've seen any video footage of the sci-fi sandbox. That drought is officially over thanks to a two-minute teaser designed to drum up interest in the game as the devs head to PAX East 2013. The clip shows everything from combat vignettes to the UI in action to furniture placement inside of The Repopulation's player-made structures. There's also a brief glimpse of some sort of underwater environment. Have a look for yourself after the cut.
The Repopulation's February recap emphasizes combat, crafting
The Repopulation dev team is gearing up for PAX East, but that didn't stop it from doing a bunch of work on its sci-fi sandbox MMO in February. The latest monthly update post features a laundry list of improvements and tweaks ranging from combat, crafting, and AI tweaks to to UI, audio, and itemization enhancements. Combat effects were emphasized in February, with particular attention paid to the game's action mode. "You can now hold your mouse button to continuously fire. You also now receive bullet splashes based on what you connected with," the team explains. "Firing into dirt will give a splash of dirt, while firing at something metal will spark. Like everything else in action mode, this is a client-side effect, and will not add to lag."
The Repopulation's crafting is serious business
See that flowchart up there? That's a recipe visualization of a single crafted item in The Repopulation. The dodge fitting that it represents is one of the most complex items in the upcoming sci-fi sandbox, and while not all of the game's craftables are equally complex, the fitting serves to illustrate that the devs are serious about a meaty crafting system and a heavily player-driven economy. In addition to gathering the necessary materials and producing all of the sub-components, crafters will also need to take into account the potential quality of the final dodge fitting, which is affected by recipe mastery, resource quality, sub-component quality, skill level, and luck. The Repopulation dev team explains it all in greater detail on the game's official website.
The Repopulation adds seven new creatures to its bestiary
When preparing to set out in a new world, it's not a bad idea to have at least some idea of what you will run into. To give players a peek at some of the wildlife in The Repopulation, seven new creatures have been added to the game's bestiary. Here, players get to learn a bit about the six-legged hokfig, a large, slow herd animal with a hornlike plate on its back, and the nacoot, a small lizard with chameleon-like properties that ambushes its prey. Other creatures include the brachura with their massive spiked claws, the cliff-scaling okolat, the annoying little birdlike t'seef, and the aptly named scavenger. But animal wildlife is not all players will encounter when venturing out of the safety of civilization: The sentient lesoo are not only intelligent, but are stronger and larger than the humans. For more details about each of these creatures, check out the official site.
Some Assembly Required: Kick(start)ing the sandbox genre
Sandbox aficionados are known to reminisce about the "good old days." You know, that time long lost in the past when the greats of open-world play like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies (pre-NGE of course) enjoyed their heyday. Many a lamentation has also been heard about how things have never been the same, or how nothing has filled that void. Of course, the sandbox never died. In 2012 we started the year off with a guide to games sporting sandbox features to scratch a variety of virtual world itches and we ended with a look at some promising upcoming titles for 2013. With plenty of choices abounding, why are sandbox fans still decrying the lack of a home? It could be because they want one home for everyone to settle in together, basically one game to rule them all. But how realistic is that? Even with the plethora of offerings now, many folks want to play their ideal sandbox, and everyone has their own idea of what the perfect one would be (and conversely, what would kill it). Perhaps the answer, then, is to forget about a single universal home that accommodates the masses and actually create a number of niche games where people find exactly what they are looking for. Wait, that's already happening? Enter Kickstarter.
The Repopulation expands dev team, publishes January update
It's a new month, which means it must be time for a new end-of-the-previous-month update from the team behind The Repopulation. January saw quite a few changes made to the sci-fi sandbox, including a new GUI, a military perks system, new mission types, a stealth revamp, and more. The dev team also expanded to include a lead musician, a new character artist, and a new level designer. Full details are available on The Repopulation's website. [Thanks to J.C. for the tip!]
The Repopulation to feature instanced, open-world, and player city housing
MMO player housing usually comes in one of two varieties: instanced or open-world. The Repopulation, on the other hand, will feature both as well as a third option tied to player-owned cities. The instanced housing will be available to everyone, though players of different factions will be restricted to different housing neighborhoods. Open-world housing will be limited, of course, but players will also be able to buy and sell the plots. Player city housing will feature a similar plot system that is administered by the owner of the city in question. Above & Beyond Technologies has authored a new blog post explaining The Repopulation's housing systems in further detail. Read all about it at the game's official website.
The Repopulation's new crafting attribute system detailed
Above & Beyond Technologies has updated its website for The Repopulation with a new article focused on crafting. The dev team recently augmented the sci-fi sandbox's tradeskill mechanics with a new attribute system, so now is as good a time as any to get familiar with how the whole thing works. There are no levels in The Repopulation, and as such there are no artificial restrictions handcuffing your capabilities as a crafter. There are over 70 independent skills, though, and some of them are devoted to crafting items, fittings, vehicles, stems, and more. The new attribute system basically allows for more flexibility in the game's fitting system. There's a lot more to it, of course, and we suggest you check out the full article for all the details.
The Repopulation beta coming this spring, launch near 'the end of the year'
Last year was a big one for indie sci-fi sandbox The Repopulation. Between alpha testing, a successful Kickstarter campaign, a GDC reveal, and a couple of engine updates, the game made plenty of progress in 2012. This year more players will get a chance to see that progress for themselves, as Above & Beyond Technologies will kick off The Repopulation's closed beta sometime in the spring. The team also plans to release more game information to the press as well as put in an appearance at PAX Prime over the Labor Day weekend. Finally, The Repopulation's official release is "tentatively scheduled for the end of the year," according to today's lengthy 2013 preview post.
Leaderboard: The Repopulation vs. Origins of Malu
So last week we asked which upcoming sandbox you'd most likely play, but as was correctly pointed out by an astute commenter, we inadvertently omitted a couple of promising indie projects. First up is The Repopulation, a game that features extensive city building, an entertainer skill set, and a bunch of other stuff that will probably remind you of Star Wars Galaxies. Next is Origins of Malu which boasts scary stalker AI, a gorgeous sci-fantasy aesthetic, and interesting takes on PvP and, gasp, possible permadeath! Today's Leaderboard asks which of these upcoming indie sandboxes you'll support. Cast your vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
The Repopulation upgrades to Hero Engine 2.0
The Repopulation isn't slowing down for the holidays, as Above & Beyond Technologies announced that it's upgraded the core of the game to Hero Engine 2.0. The more powerful engine offers the title a lot in terms of visual improvements and capability (HDR lighting is now supported, for example), and the devs are quite excited to have it up and running. The team broke the news in its December update post. Along with the improved engine, The Repopulation has seen a lot of progress in the areas of dens, crafting, and vehicles. Small additions, such as six action bars and the new Rhinoc species, are going a long way to fleshing out this game. The devs promised that a look at the team's 2013 plans will be coming soon.
The Daily Grind: What obscure mechanic should become a standard MMO feature?
Over the weekend we learned that The Repopulation will be implementing some sort of Entertainer skill set that is at least partly inspired by similar mechanics in Star Wars Galaxies. SWG's signature non-combat profession is still unique in MMO annals, though, and we got to wondering if there are other nifty mechanics that should be revisited in newer games. What do you think? Is there a particular class, system, or MMO mechanic that you'd like to see become an MMORPG standard? 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 Repopulation adds entertainer skills, PvP tweaks
Did you hear that? It was the sound of cheering, as thousands of Star Wars Galaxies fans rejoiced at the news that another MMORPG is finally riffing on its one-of-a-kind Entertainer profession. The MMO in question is The Repopulation, a sci-fi sandbox that just released its end-of-the-month update. Chief among the interesting additions for November was the Entertainment skill line, which grants players the ability to be the life of the party via music, storytelling, dancing, crowd motivation, "and other means." The system grants long-term buffs to entertained players provided that said entertaining happens in social/resting areas (think pubs, inns, theaters, etc.). Players may also make temporary wilderness camps that act as social areas. There's quite a bit more to this month's update, including PvP tweaks and the usual beta balancing adjustments. Full details are available at The Repopulation's official website. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
The Repopulation's monthly update details multiplayer vehicles
The Repopulation's end-of-the-month update is here, and October marked more forward progress in terms of feature completion. The team at Above & Beyond Technologies worked out a few kinks in the sci-fi sandbox title's complex vehicle system, and players should see them for the first time in next week's alpha patch. Vehicles can carry multiple players including a driver, gunners, and passengers. You'll be able to upgrade and customize your vehicles with regard to things like speed, steering, shields, armor, and weapons. The update also features blurbs on performance and world scalability issues, as well as the usual laundry list of bug fixes and tweaks. Check it out at the official Repopulation website. [Thanks to J.C. for the tip!]
