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Here's part three of that Guns of Icarus post-mortem
Did you miss part one of Muse CEO Howard Tsao's ongoing post-mortem for Guns of Icarus? How about part two? All caught up now? Good, because Gamasutra has published part three. In the latest installment, Tsao shares lessons learned from two successful Kickstarters. "We realized that Kickstarter was amazing, and it would fundamentally change the relationship between developers and fans/players, but we couldn't have predicted how soon and how spectacularly," he writes.
Black Gold opens up preorders
Black Gold Online is launching as a free-to-play game, but there's no reason you should let that simple fact stop you from pre-ordering it! Admittedly, it's not so much the game you're ordering but a retail box that also comes with a variety of goodies contained therein, but still. Pre-orders are now open, letting you plop down $20 to unlock a variety of perks in the game when it goes live this summer. The pre-order package includes a special horse, special clothing, high-end crafting ingredients, and around $20 of in-game currency, which would serve to offset the cost of the boxed edition quite nicely. Aforementioned boxed copies will be shipping alongside the game's full launch this summer. If this is right up your alley, the game's official pre-order page will direct you to the retailers offering this deal; you can also check out the full press release just past the break.
Black Gold Online outlines its Guild vs. Guild systems
Guilds in Black Gold Online have plenty to do. Sure, there are the usual social aspects of guilds, but there's also a constantly amplifying race for technological progress combined with territory control. The latest development blog on the official site discusses how guilds can advance and grow in power, as well as the basic outlines of the territory control feature with characters fighting it out over energy wells. All guilds have a level of technology available to them, determined by the amount of eponymous black gold used to upgrade the guild. This can come from members, or it can come from energy wells, which can be fought over on both a factional and intra-factional basis. It's entirely possible for two guilds of the same faction to fight repeatedly over the same well. Take a look at the full article for more details about how you can send your forces to fight and die for that all-important energy.
Black Gold devs talk art design, 'clash of styles'
Snail's latest promotional post for Black Gold focuses on the game's distinctive visuals and art design. While there's little in the way of new gameplay information here, there is plenty of arresting concept art that melds fantasy, Victorian futurism, Wild West motifs, and of course steampunk.
The words hashtag, steampunk and selfie are now tired enough to go in the dictionary
There's something in the water over on lexicography boulevard. Just a day after Collins asked Twitter users to vote on a new word, Merriam-Webster has revealed which internet-born terms it now considers official. The 150 strong list includes crowdfunding, selfie and hashtag, all the way through to more cultural ones like catfish, tweep and steampunk. Just think, you can use all six of those words in a term paper and your teacher can't be mad at you, because, duh, they're all in the dictionary.
Guns of Icarus postmortem on post-publisher challenges
If you're a Guns of Icarus fan, an indie fan, or just a gamer interested in the creative process, you should take a few minutes to read the ongoing dev diary from Muse CEO Howard Tsao and co-authors Eric Chung and Tim Doolen at Gamasutra. Part two was published this morning, and it tackles the dev team's development struggles in the aftermath of part one's publisher debacle. "Designs on paper are rarely any good until they're tested in some form," Tsao says. "Ultimately, everything begins with low fidelity (cards, dice, paper, and role play) prototypes but sometimes jumping straight into digital prototypes is required. At the time, it was important to move fast and find results quickly and in this it case meant one person going from ideation, designing interaction flow, to digital prototype. A combination of flexible responsibility, knowledge, and Unity's low barrier to entry made it possible."
City of Steam teases patch 2.6 improvements
While its initial launch had some definite issues, City of Steam seems to be doing quite well for itself with new servers, new platforms, and a new patch on the way. That new patch shows off some of its new features in a recent development blog, starting with inter-server PvP between the top 20 players on each server. Yes, that means you'll need to muscle your way to the head of the pack in PvP before you get a shot at competing, but getting there means fantastic prizes. Patch 2.6 will also bring with it the Tower of Peril, rewarding players for how far they can climb and generally challenging any high-level high-intensity players. There will also be numerous improvements to in-game text, bugs, and the like. If that sounds like just what you want to see, you can take a look at the blog post for a few more details and then jump in and start playing right from there.
City of Steam opens new US, Euro servers
City of Steam has officially opened two new servers, one for eastern U.S. players and another in Europe. Mechanist Games says that it is "trying to bring in as broad a gaming demographic as possible" by presenting its steampunk MMO on Kongregate, Armor Games, and Steam. "More platforms will come in soon," the firm states. There are in-game events underway to help celebrate the additional shards. Check out all the details on the official City of Steam website.
Black Gold Online closed beta begins May 15th
In a press release issued today, Snail Games announced that the closed beta for its steampunkish MMO Black Gold Online will begin on May 15th. Says the release, Closed Beta participants will see large-scale battlegrounds with customizable 'Carriers' (large battle mounts for each faction) and can develop over 100 distinct carrier-types for battle. Black Gold Online also features true hardcore PvP, where players can fight against members of their same faction as well as opposing forces across a variety of battlegrounds, arenas and 'Chambers of Greed.' Finally, players can join even larger Energy Well battles as they form armies to fight for control of precious resources in large-scale faction and guild battles. The closed beta will also include revamped graphics and a refreshed interface. We've embedded the latest trailer below!
City of Steam getting new US and EU servers
Mechanist Games has announced that its steampunk browser MMO City of Steam is on the cusp of delivering a long-awaited European server. There's no firm launch date just yet, and Mechanist also notes that EU players who have been biding their time on the existing US servers will not be able to transfer their characters to the new EU shard. Electrum will be transferable, though, so there's that. The devs also said that a new east coast US server is in the works.
City of Steam patch optimizes and improves across the board
It's the big patch day that you've been waiting for! City of Steam: Arkadia has updated to version 2.5, and with it comes a slew of quality-of-life improvements for the game as a whole. In patch 2.5, City of Steam has added tutorial quests, included more offerings in the in-game store, refined elements of the interface, and optimized the quest tracking system. There are also new challenges and heroic dungeons for high-level players as well as a team-up boss raid. Check out all of the changes, additions, and bug fixes in the patch notes.
Black Gold's closed beta getting 'major changes,' new classes
Snail Games says that fans of steampunk MMO Black Gold Online can expect "a newer, smoother, updated version" of the title when closed beta testing starts "soon." The game's UI, graphics, battlefields, and vehicles will be tweaked, and Snail says that "major" combat system, quest line, and PvE changes are already happening. While there's no date on the closed beta just yet, today's press release reveals that it will feature four new classes. You can click past the cut to read the full notice. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Steampunk MMO Argo Online resurfaces with a new beta round
MMO vets might remember steampunk hybrid-MMO Argo Online from its 2011 debut on Alaplaya, but apparently it's now being run by Games-Masters.com on UserGames.com, complete with a refreshed testing period. In fact, the first round of beta testing is slated to begin April 10th, which gives interested parties a tiny window to sign up on the official site. According to the press release, beta participants will earn an exclusive bundle of launch items including a title and minipet. The game still boasts steampunk-flavored wearables and mounts, 16 classes, guild housing, a castle war siege system, and a "unique optional third-person shooter mode, allowing for fast, fluid, dynamic combat with smart-casting skills." We've posted the trailer below. [Source: Games-Masters.com press release]
Snail introduces Black Gold's Thaumaturge
Snail Games has added a new summoning class to its Black Gold Online steampunk MMO. The Thaumaturge "beckons dark spirits and miraculous forces for powerful long-range continuous damage casting," the company says. Thaumaturges may be played by characters from the Buvont and Lokemean races, and they use magic staffs, enchanted scepters, and mystic vials to do their dirty work. As you might expect, they also wear cloth armor. More details are available via the Black Gold website.
Snail reveals Black Gold's Gunslinger class
Snail has released another class update for its Black Gold Online steampunk MMORPG. This time the focus falls on the Gunslinger, a ranged DPS and support archetype who combines AoE, single-target attacks, and medium mail armor into one powerful package. Black Gold's Gunslinger special abilities include Ultra-loaded Barrel (heavy single target damage), Free-gun Spirit (a temporary boost to speed, health, and attack), and high explosive bomb (critical damage and slowing effects).
Black Gold's closed alpha starts today
Snail has announced that the closed alpha for its steampunk Black Gold MMO begins today. Eligible players will be able to test through March 30th. If you're wondering how to become one of those eligible players, it's as easy as registering a Snail account, filling out a survey, and hoping for the best. If that doesn't appeal to you, the company says it will be "distributing access keys on a wider scale as Black Gold Online approaches its Closed Beta testing period later this year." [Source: Snail press release]
Black Gold Online unleashes the Beastmaster
Snail Games has announced the new Beastmaster class for its steampunk-flavored MMO Black Gold Online. As you might imagine, the Beastmaster commands beasts and the power of nature. Its main role is that of summoner and crowd control, but with heavy mail armor and two-handed weapons at its disposal, the class can also do a fair bit of tanking. Special moves include Law of the Jungle, a stealth ability that increases critical hit damage; Thunder-crack, a spell that summons a powerful tropical storm; and Spirit Creature, an area-of-effect spell that causes damage to a wide area. Be sure to check out the official class announcement for more info and screenshots of this new class. [Thanks to Novas for the tip!]
Black Gold's Skycaller class designed for crowd control, support
If you're a fan of crowd control classes, chances are good that you'll like Black Gold Online's new Skycaller class. An update on the steampunk MMO's website says that the newly announced archetype is "capable of high-level single-target crowd control abilities plus excellent support." The Skycaller also boasts "long-range area attacks with light damage but crippling effects." Skycallers wear light armor, and they can be played by either the Kosh or Yutonian races. Snail has also provided a description of the class's special moves as well as a bit of lore, all of which you can read via the links below.
Black Gold's alpha starts March 20, keys still available
Snail Games has published a news post hyping its Black Gold alpha test that starts on Thursday, March 20th. The company says that keys are still available, but interested players will need to fill out a survey and then hope for the best, as Snail will select testers from "the pool of applicants based on their responses." Black Gold is a free-to-play steampunk fantasy MMORPG. The survey and account registration info are available via the links below.
Black Gold dungeons to feature 'consequential death,' traps, and more
Snail has updated its Black Gold website with a look at the steampunk title's dungeons and instances. The post highlights groupfinder functionality as well as several gameplay mechanics including "difficult maps with no clear path," consequences in the form of respawning at the dungeon entrance after a death, and "hidden perils" like static and dynamic booby traps. The update also features a few dungeon-centric screenshots, which you can see by clicking the links below.
