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Reakktor and gamigo release Black Prophecy tutorial videos
If you're having trouble sleeping at night, Reakktor and gamigo have a series of new Black Prophecy tutorial videos that just might do the trick. OK, that's mean, but the producers could stand to work on the monotone voiceover that drones throughout the entirety of three separate clips. Happily, the clips themselves are pretty informative, and they cover interface basics, advanced UI features, and basic game functions. If you're new to MMOs or new to the world of Black Prophecy, it's probably worth spending the 10 minutes required to check them out (and of course you can do so after the break). Just make sure you've got a Red Bull instead of a glass of warm milk.
More talk of an Avatar MMO surfaces from director James Cameron
Hollywood IPs don't have the greatest track record when it comes to making the transition to the MMORPG space, but celebrated film director James Cameron recently told IGN that he thinks his Avatar franchise is up to the task. In an interview that touches on 3-D entertainment, single-player gaming, and real-world themepark rides, Cameron also says that "Avatar is a perfect IP for an MMO." The massively multiplayer portion of the project seems to be in its infancy, as the director notes that the fictional universe established in the 2009 blockbuster needs to be fleshed out and expanded via the upcoming sequels before consumers can fully grasp how big Avatar really is. "The film is really just a leaping off point," Cameron says, "so we've got to create a rich and diverse world that lives well beyond the films." This isn't the first time that scuttlebutt about an Avatar MMO has hit the intarwebs. Cameron's producing partner Jon Landau floated the topic in early 2010, and UbiSoft originally planned to release an Avatar MMO in conjunction with the film's holiday 2009 debut.
Perpetuum removing character attributes, tweaking character creation
The end of the month is drawing nigh, and that means it's time to check in with the devs at Avatar Creations for the skinny on Perpetuum. The sci-fi sandbox is trucking right along, according to the latest dev blog, which outlines a few changes forthcoming in the near future. First and foremost is the removal of character attributes. If you're not familiar with the game, the change isn't as dire as it initially sounds, as attributes basically determine the cost of extension points, which in turn leads to skill specialization. Avatar says that the only problem with the current system is that it forces players to make critical choices early in their Perpetuum careers (when most don't have a clue how they want to build their character or how the game works). The attribute changes will also necessitate a character creation revamp, and you can read all about the tweaks on the official website.
Star Supremacy enters the closed beta event horizon
If you have been looking for a space-themed online real-time strategy title, Star Supremacy may be the thing to quench your intergalactic thirst. In the game, three human factions find themselves at odds in the depths of space, and only by engaging in all-out warfare can a victor be declared. It's free, it's browser-based, and it's at a closed beta near you. Star Supremacy announced that its closed beta program starts today and can be joined by any space pilot who happens to possess... the key. Where do you get... the key? It's actually not too hard, as the official site lists a slew of participating partners that will gladly give you one of their... keys. The game is also giving away in-game currency and items to players who participate in one of four beta events. These rewards are designed to be incentives for good beta testing behavior, as they lure players into submitting bug reports, providing feedback, and promoting Star Supremacy.
Some Assembly Required: Diving into details of Origins of Malu with an exclusive interview
"This will be the world's best game ever ever ever!" -Michael Dunham. You tell 'em! Honestly, we have heard it before: MMORPG feature lists that promise what our sandbox-loving hearts desire. Try as we might, we cannot escape those sneaky tendrils of hope that find the chinks in our +10 jaded armor of cynicism as we read about the return of a true virtual where actions have consequences, personal choices dictate gameplay, and individuality is a matter of principle. Sadly, time and time again those hopes are dashed by titles that either cannot deliver on their promises or never even survive until launch. The same is true for the developers at Burning Dog Media; they too have ridden the roller coaster of sandbox dreams and harbored in their hearts a vision of their ultimate game if only they had the wherewithal to produce it. The difference between them and us is... they do! Welcome to issue #6 of Some Assembly Required -- an exclusive interview with Michael Dunham and Dave Cruikshank -- Lead Developer and Art Director of Burning Dog Media, respectively -- who are in the midst of developing the new sci-fi/fantasy MMORPG Origins of Malu. Originally called just Origins (the change was to help avoid confusion with other projects that were cropping up with similar titles), this game previously teased sandbox aficionados with a glimpse at some hope-stirring features. Today, we have the privilege of expounding on "coming soon" and revealing more features that not only are planned but are for the most part implemented. So why should we check out Origins of Malu? And what tantalizing tidbits of sandboxy goodness can we expect? Grab onto that hope and dive past the cut -- if you dare -- to see what Michael and Dave have to share.%Gallery-134056%
Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond prepares to plumb the depths of space for adventure
While NASA's shuttle mission may be over and the International Space Station's future in doubt, there is one place that space exploration is moving forward: online. Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond is looking more promising by the day, especially now that the team has secured almost $40,000 via Kickstarter to help fund the project. So why did NASA agree to an MMO of all things? Daniel Laughlin, project manager of NASA's Learning Technologies, sees the two as having a lot in common. Talking with Universe Today, Laughlin said, "Based on the existing literature as well as my own experiences gaming, an MMO was the logical choice for a game project for NASA." While NASA is partnered with the development team, the space agency is not funding the game -- hence the use of Kickstarter to raise money for Astronaut. It takes place in 2035 as mankind is just starting to colonize the solar system, and it promises to use real physics and technology to simulate these efforts. Khal Shariff says that players should expect a lot of crafting, use of proper gear, and missions that flow together for a bigger storyline. Interestingly enough, it seems that even NASA has room for a few new heroes. "We have protagonists in the game, and I won't say much about them, because I don't want to spoil the opening scene of Chapter One," Shariff said. He hopes that players will enjoy the melding of science fiction with science fact: "We want you to sit down and curl up with one session and have a feeling like you had when you read the best short science fiction stories, especially like those of Clarke. There is plenty of adventure to plumb."
Innovating outwards: The joining of EVE Online with DUST 514
Even though the PC-using EVE Online and the PlayStation 3-playing DUST 514 gamers may be separated by platform boundaries, CCP fans in both worlds will be joined at the hip in an odd, first-of-its-kind symbiotic relationship when DUST 514 launches. It's an intriguing prospect, but fans are wondering just how CCP is going to pull it off and how the two games will interact in practice. DUST 514 producer Thomas Farrer sat down with Gamasutra to shed some light on the nitty-gritty details behind the auspicious plan. Farrer says that the buzz over DUST isn't as big as the team hoped, but he thinks this is due to the project taking a completely new angle on the industry: "Often, particularly in first-person games, games often look very inwards when it comes to how they are trying to innovate or move things forward. What we've tried to do is look more outwards." Farrer outlined how the two titles will share the same economy, corporate structure, and social features. He says that the already-constructed EVE Online universe was a boon to the team's plans, since the established setting provided a perfect backdrop to a persistent shooter MMO, and that the two teams are in constant contact with each other as the project goes forward. Of course, some computer players are put out that DUST 514 will be exclusive to the PS3, but Farrer acknowledges the slight possibility that it might not always be so: "Right now, we're pretty much just entirely focused on PlayStation. That's what we're going to remain focused on at least for the foreseeable future. But you know, who knows what happens in the future."
Bounty Hounds Online coming in both boxed and digital versions
Bounty Hounds Online, an upcoming sci-fi action MMO, is going to give you a choice how you want it packaged: paper or plastic. Er, we mean "boxed or digital." The retail box will be released under the name Bounty Hounds Online Pro and will arrive in European shops this October. For the price of 10 Euros, players will get a leg up on this free-to-play title with exclusive content and in-game currency. Multiple language versions are planned for the box release as well. The game puts players in the role of mercenaries tasked with cleaning up an intergalactic war on a planet known as Clear Sky. You'll get to choose between five classes and four military companies before heading into the battle, not to mention the awesome-sounding CTU transformable combat pets. Recently out of closed beta, Bounty Hounds Online is slated for open beta on August 2nd. You can sign up by visiting the official website.
The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: Final memories
The question that lurks deep in the recesses of most MMO gamers' minds -- the question that they never really want to ask -- is what will happen when the lights go out? When your favorite game is finally sent to its resting place in that server farm in the sky, will we still care about it, and if so, what will we be able to take away? While most of us have yet to face this, considering the longevity of most launched MMOs, it does happen, and it will certainly happen to us sooner or later. And while you won't be able to take your max-leveled, uber-geared character out of the game and into another one, you hopefully have the memories, the friendships, the screenshots, and the bragging rights. With many canceled MMOs, the shutdown is fairly abrupt following the official announcement, although some games, like Earth & Beyond, give players enough time to say their goodbyes and get in those final experiences before everything goes dark. Like many of the games we've been exploring in The Game Archaeologist, Earth & Beyond may not have enjoyed stellar popularity, but it certainly did have a remnant of dedicated fans who have yet to let the flames of their adoration die down. Today we've got a buffet of E&B goodness: the background story from the manual, final memories from a few fans, and a photo album full of concept art and nostalgic screenshots. Sound good? Let's go!
The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The highlights
For this month's Game Archaeologist expedition, I deliberately wanted to look at an older MMO that was -- for whatever reason -- no longer with us. After voting on a handful of these titles, Massively readers selected Earth & Beyond for March's focus, and I have to say that I'm intrigued. Personally, I prefer science fiction over fantasy nine times out of ten, even though most of the MMOs that grace my desktop (with the exception of Star Trek Online) are fantasy games. Sci-fi has had an awfully difficult time making headway into the field of MMOs, with plenty of underperforming or canceled titles littering the way. I've heard it explained that the fantasy genre is easier for the common person to grasp because it uses elements of our past -- primarily the medieval period -- to provide a familiar baseline, whereas sci-fi's futuristic setting requires world-building from scratch. Whatever the case may be, Earth & Beyond never really caught on the way that EVE Online did, and its miniscule population (GameSpot reported 20-25K subscribers six months before its shutdown) was not enough for Electronic Arts to keep it running. But between 2002 and 2004, Earth & Beyond reached for the stars and gave its own spin on how a sci-fi MMO could work. Let's take a look today at what made Earth & Beyond unique, what it gave the industry, and how it may help upcoming space MMOs avoid a similar fate.
Timescape Sci-Fi watch makes you work for the time of day, looks good doing it (video)
If you're like us, you don't mind working that grey matter to tell the time, especially if the watch your wearing looks and acts like something ripped from the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Timescape Sci-Fi watch, thus named for its cryptic time telling interface, sports a chrome exterior and uses a series of blue LEDs to illuminate a rectangular grid, giving you unique temporal readouts. Each line contains a series of dots representing minutes or hours, with the vertical lines displaying hours, the first three horizontal lines showing five-minute increments, and the last row offering exact minutes. Sound complicated? Well it is, but sometimes looking good takes a little work -- you think Uhura rolls out of bed looking like that? The Timescape Sci-Fi watch is now on sale exclusively from Gadgets and Gear for $70, but if you just like staring at shiny flashy things, we've got a video of the timepiece after the jump.
ARGO Online opens up closed beta signups
Looking for something interesting to play on your older might-as-well-be-steam-powered computer? How about a free-to-play MMO? What if I said it was a hybrid steampunk post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy free-to-play MMO? If that sounds interesting then grab your keyboard, as the closed beta for ARGO Online is gearing up and burda:ic is looking for all manner of testers. ARGO Online is a world torn by two factions -- the nature-loving Floresslah and the technology-based Noblians -- struggling to gain supremacy of what's left after dropping enormous bombs on each other. Among many of the things players can look forward to in the upcoming beta are classes like Bomber and Chaser, PvP challenges that will offer wide-ranging battles between hundreds of players at a time, a pet system, tradeskills, and more. The system requirements are also fairly low, which opens up the potential for more people to play. If you'd like more information or you want to sign up and lend a hand with testing, head over to the ARGO Online website and check it out.
EA confirms The Old Republic won't be launched before April 2011
It is a dark day for the Republic (and the Empire, for that matter) -- Gamasutra reports that Star Wars: The Old Republic won't be gracing our desktops before April 2011. Or, if you're a half-glass-full kind of person, EA did confirm that TOR will be launched during the company's 2012 fiscal year, which goes from April to December 2011. So there's that. EA CFO Eric Brown said that this was the first time the company's publicly stated a launch window for TOR, a game that is one of its most highly anticipated titles for next year. BioWare previously said that it is aiming for a spring 2011 release. The Old Republic has been deep in testing for months now, and with 2011 just a month away, the title's release doesn't seem so much of a remote concept as an event that's lurking right around the corner.
The Perfect Ten: Reasons why it's great to be an MMO fan today
After my last Perfect Ten list, I strongly debated creating a new one revolving around the issue of spiders and their relation to insects and gigantism, but my editor told me that that wasn't enough of an MMO topic to suit Massively's needs. So, bowing and scraping in apology, I must instead present to you my back-up plan: Ten reasons why it's great to be an MMO fan today. I can hear some of you grimacing right now: "But Justin -- if that is your real name -- are you really so doe-eyed and naïve? Don't you know that all MMOs suck, that it's all the same old crud, and that you have gray in your beard?" That's where I'm different, I guess. I'm not blind to some of the serious issues that plague the MMO industry, and I've had my fair share of burnout, disillusion and frustration with the games, but I can't bring myself to become an MMO cynic. On the contrary, I feel that part of being an MMO fan is that it's fun to look on the bright side and get excited about this hobby we all share. So in that spirit, I present to you 10 reasons why it's a great time to be an MMO fan right now more than ever before. And, yes, I'm still calling spiders "bugs." You can't stop me. I'm immune to all conventional weapons!
SPB TV brings streaming TV to the iPhone and iPad, if you aren't too picky
SPB TV Free is a little app that gives you more than 100 free TV channels for your iOS device. You get channels from 17 countries, including a few in the US. The only problem? You may not be interested in the television shows the app makes available. There are English language broadcasts from NHK in Japan, and other channels from Italy and Germany. I tried a local Florida station, and instead of the station I got a traffic camera feed. There are some Public Access stations, but I saw mostly city council meetings and water rate hearings. NASA channels are there, but NASA provides an app to see them anyway. There is a old Western channel and one with sci-fi, along with two US Christian-oriented feeds. While the app is free, it won't work unless you provide an email address. The developers promise they won't sell or use your info improperly. A static ad also plays before you start every video feed. The app works in landscape and portrait mode, and while picture quality is variable, it's certainly watchable. Playback does not require WiFi -- it worked just fine for me on a 3G connection. SPB TV is not a substitute for Hulu, but if you want to see a smattering of international news, and some rather mundane local broadcasts, this is the free app for you. It's just been updated to support the iPad, so give it a go if the channels available interest you.
Alien Anthology lays its eggs on Blu-ray October 26
Rumors have been floating around for some time that Fox would provide a boxed set of all four Alien films this year, and today IGN blew out the details of the release, and promotional tie ins that will show up at Comic-Con. sporting a $139.99 RRP (it's already up on Amazon for preordering at a more reasonable $98) it will fill six discs with more than 12,000 images and 60 hours of special footage including everything from the earlier Quadrilogy and LaserDisc releases. Beyond the four movie discs, which include a "MU-TH-UR Mode" for interactive access to special content, disc five is all about the making of each flick, while disc six holds a wealth of production info and featurettes from each movie. Fans can dig in to the list of special features after the break or check IGN for all the info, but expect to be quite busy this Halloween one way or another.
Sci Fi / SyFy switch takes effect tomorrow, still doesn't make any sense
We're still not sure what to make of Sci Fi Channel's decision to rebrand as "Sy Fy" but the time has come, tomorrow night when you tune in to peep the series premiere of Warehouse 13 (trailer embedded after the break) the channel guide should look a bit different. So, after a couple of months to settle in are you still reacting with pitchforks, torches and boycotts or just ignoring the switch altogether?
BSG: Complete Series Blu-ray set official specs: 20 discs, BD-Live, July 28
Finally, Universal has confirmed the rumors that Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series will arrive on Blu-ray July 28, packing the previously noted $349 MSRP for the 20 disc set. There's plenty of exclusive Blu-ray features planned, with U-control, DTS-HD MA soundtrack, an interactive guide to the ships and characters from the series, a BD-Live powered "Ultimate Battle" game, look behind the scenes with composer Bear McCreary and more. Not mentioned? Whether or not all that cash can buy a slightly better case design this time around.[Via TheHDRoom]
Battlestar Galactica Complete Series Blu-ray set ready for preorder on Amazon
Just like that, a couple of days after being confirmed, the Battlestar Galactica Complete Series Blu-ray set is up on Amazon for preorder. Sporting an MSRP of $349.98 (Amazon price: $244.99) it might make the wallet choke but we're pretty sure the three of you that didn't already click over, credit cards out, are the only ones not willing to shell out for what is (hopefully) the perfect way to catch every episode and the extended cut of Razor. Cylon pumpkin not included.[Via TheHDRoom]
Battlestar Galactica Complete Series Blu-ray release confirmed
Waiting for Battlestar Galactica to come home properly has been the source of heartbreak more than once so far, but the upcoming Caprica DVD appears to confirm rumors we'll be seeing a full series Blu-ray set sooner rather than later. Internet rumors have pegged the date as July 28, and on the prequel's DVD release a promo is included referencing the complete series coming soon on DVD and Blu-ray high def, so get your pennies together, while it will certainly be expensive this should be the one that's worth buying -- if they didn't get rid of the technology for disc packaging yet.
