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'World of Horror' brings MS Paint terror to Steam on February 20th
World of Horror, the "unsettling cosmic horror retro RPG" created by a dentist using MS Paint arrives on Steam Early Access February 20th. A full launch date for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and Steam for PC and Mac OS X will be announced in late 2020, says publisher Ysbryd Games.
Co-operative horror shooter ‘GTFO’ hits Steam Early Access
After it was first announced three years ago, co-operative horror shooter GTFO is now available through Steam Early Access. If you haven't heard of this one before, it attempts to scratch the same itch as titles like Left 4 Dead, pitting you and three friends against hordes of monsters inside of an oppressive and dark underground facility. 10 Chambers Collective, a studio that includes several designers who worked on the Payday series, developed GTFO.
First Impressions: H1Z1 is more boredom than terror
What would video game purgatory look like? After spending an afternoon wandering aimlessly across a mostly-deserted countryside, I'd have to say that H1Z1's early access build fits the description of limbo perfectly. I even smacked into a wall of grey nothing that bordered the eight square kilometers of play space and wondered whether it might be more interesting in that haze than back among the living dead. H1Z1, as SOE will emphatically tell you, is not anywhere near to being done. Features are missing, placeholder art is everywhere, and there isn't a female character to be seen. It's only just playable on a larger scale, and yet the studio felt fit to open hundreds of servers (and take in thousands of dollars) so that the early crowd could sate its curiosity. There's no NDA, either, which means that the studio definitely wants people to chat the game up, whether good or bad. I'm happy to oblige.
Xsyon kicks off season of in-game events
Why settle for one measly event when you can have a whole host of them? That's the approach that sandbox MMO Xsyon is taking with its event season. The season, which begins today, will feature a slew of in-game events on different days. These include treasure hunts, timed battles, navigation competitions, capture the flag games, and a Valentine's Day event. The team is scheduling the events on different days and times "to accommodate players from every time zone." A calendar of upcoming events is on the official website. Xsyon is fresh from its debut on Steam's early access, which began earlier this month.
Tell me, Muse, when The Next Penelope launches on Steam
The Next Penelope, an interstellar spaceship racing game from Arkedo co-founder Aurelien Regard, is due out on Steam Early Access on January 22. The Early Access version includes a complete single-player campaign for PC, Mac and Linux. The Next Penelope is also confirmed for Wii U, with other consoles "likely." The Next Penelope is a fast-paced racer with weapons and boss fights, and it will eventually feature four-player local multiplayer and extra-hard missions. Its story is based in Greek mythology, but placed in a futuristic world – Penelope, faithful wife of the famed adventurer Odysseus, travels a neon-tinted galaxy as Poseidon's evil threat grows, managing suitors and taking out baddies. Arkedo, the studio behind Hell Yeah! and Big Bang Mini, is now a one-man operation: Co-founder Aurelien Regard is responsible for the code, art and music of The Next Penelope. Arkedo closed shop as a studio in February 2013 under "good conditions." See the Early Access trailer for The Next Penelope below.
The Daily Grind: Do you Kickstart MMOs for the donation or the reward?
I hope it goes without saying in 2015 that Kickstarter really, really isn't an investment; it's a donation. There are no safeties, assurances, or returns on the sums you hand over to indie developers on crowdfunding platforms, even if they promise (without using that word) you a game or a t-shirt at some point. Even with Steam early access games, there's no guarantee you'll ever get the finished product. Some developers take your money, shrug, and move on to the next project, ignoring the comment fury from "backers." That doesn't stop most of us from gambling that the $20 we plunk down now will morph into a $50 game at some point down the road, though, does it? That's how I think of it, anyway, though I've seen some of you folks, particularly the big-spending backers, really become personally and financially invested in a game's development, such that you give way more than you need to to cover the cost of your copy. You're clearly in it for the dream, not the t-shirt or the art book. Let's do a headcount: Do you Kickstart MMOs for the sense of having contributed to an original work of art or for the shiny, tangible reward at the end of your pledge? 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!
Under construction: Who benefits from MMO early access?
On its Early Access page, Steam posts a manifesto of sorts praising this radical new type of development in which players get in on the alpha or pre-alpha stage, saying, "This is the way that games should be made." Is it? I'm not so sure. Early access -- and all of the other similar names for the same concept -- appears to be the latest trend that's sweeping not just MMOs but video games in general. Both Steam and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter are largely responsible for promoting early access, and it has been a popular attraction for players who previously had to sit on their hands and wait for a game to get, y'know, finished. Now we can indulge instantly and run around the structure even as it's still under construction. I was talking about early access with Bree on the podcast the other day, and both of us were expressing distaste and an increasing uneasiness with the early access trend. Popular as it may be, is it really the way that games should be made? Will it result in better titles in the end? And who is getting what, exactly, out of it? It's this last question I want to address today.
Xsyon enters early access on Steam
Want to play Xsyon but hate the mere concept of not being able to play it natively through Steam? Then we have good news! The game is now available on Steam as an early access title, so if you don't already own the game, you can start playing there. If you're wondering how the game could be considered early access when it's been launched and playable for some time, well... that's a good question. Sharp thinking! If you're already an Xsyon player and want to have the game on your Steam account, you can shoot off an email to a special account requesting a Steam key for no extra cost. Everyone else who's already playing will just want to look forward to the hopeful influx of new players enjoying the game for the first time. [Source: Notorious Games press release]
Natural Selection 2 dev's 'Subnautica' dives into Steam Early Access
Natural Selection 2 developer Unknown Worlds launched its latest game on Steam Early Access this week, Subnautica. In it, players submerse themselves in an "alien underwater world" with brightly-colored creatures and environments, such as coral reefs and volcanoes. Fighting to survive, the swimmers also hunt for resources to build new gear and submarines, allowing them to further explore the aquatic areas. Subnautica is currently 10 percent off ($18) until December 23 and supports virtual reality headsets such as Oculus Rift. Unknown Worlds handed development duties for Natural Selection 2 to a group of dedicated fans in June, after announcing Subnautica one year ago. Head past the break to see a trailer for Subnautica, showing some of the pretty (and some of the ferocious) creatures in the Early Access game. [Image: Unknown Worlds]
Zombie sandbox MMO Immune enters early access on Steam
If you can't wait for H1Z1 and want to slay some zombies this Christmas, perhaps isometric post-apoc sandbox Immune will suffice. Billed by developer Vidiludi Games & Entertainment as an MMORPG, Immune launches into early access today and is pushing for Steam greenlighting. "Immune is a humorous early access sandbox survival MMORPG with PVP and PVE, in which you scavenge, hunt, and even grow your own food to survive. Inspired by classics such as DayZ, Rust, and Stalker, Immune takes place in a post-apocalyptic world following an outbreak of a devastating pandemic leaving only a handful of survivors. But beware of the gasmask wearing NPCs doing everything in their power to avoid the infection by shooting everyone sick or immune in the face!" The game is currently $10 US on the developer's website, half off as a holiday promotion.
Molyneux: Kickstarter, Early Access can be 'destructive'
Peter Molyneux's Godus earned £526,563 ($852K) on Kickstarter in December 2012, yet the designer recently admitted that he would delay the funding campaign entirely if he could go back to the game's pre-planning stages. In an interview with TechRadar, the Fable series designer deemed Kickstarter and Steam Early Access as "very destructive to the final quality" of games that aren't particularly far along in their development stages. In the case of Godus, 22 Cans' spiritual successor to Populous, Molyneux said supporters had a "view of what the game is going to be like" based on the Kickstarter project, which differed from what the "invest to play" game wound up becoming. "I'm not saying I would never do Kickstarter again, but if I was to do Kickstarter again, I would say 'look, we've done half the game, you can download this demo, you can play the game,'" he said. "'You know what the game's going to be, now we're going to take it from this point to this point.'" Godus is currently available on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam as well as iOS and Android. [Image: 22 Cans]
Shroud of the Avatar unleashes a community update
Do you want to venture into a dark mine filled with kobolds? This time it will be different because it will be taking place in Shroud of the Avatar once the game patches Release 13 to a live release. But that's hardly the only point of the game's most recent update for the community, which comes hot on the heels of the game's overall success on Steam's Early Access service. This most recent update also includes several player-made screenshots and guides as well as the community event schedule running through the weekend for Release 12. A 12-hour telethon is also planned for December 1st, starting at 11:00 a.m. EST; the development team will be live to answer questions and interact with players through the broadcast. Check out the full dispatch here to catch up on community news and get a peek ahead.
Shroud of the Avatar preps for Steam launch
On November 24th, Shroud of the Avatar will be launching on Steam's Early Access service. Backers of the game should already have their Steam keys. Once the game is launched, the development team wants to keep the game's servers on at all times, leading to the current state of the game. In this round of testing, contrary to past tests, players can this time access the game servers according to the game's most recent development update. The newsletter also highlights the ominous Tower of the Shuttered Eye, a rather unpleasant place that will be added to the game with the next major patch scheduled for release on November 20th. There's also a post-mortem on the launch of the game's most recent test patch, which saw a big increase in numbers over previous events. Take a look at the full update for a clearer picture of how the game is doing and what's just around the corner.
Spacebase DF-9 players get Hack n' Slash free, and vice versa
Double Fine is issuing free copies of its hacking-themed PC puzzler Hack 'n' Slash to players who purchased Spacebase DF-9 during its Steam Early Access phase, and Hack 'n' Slash owners will likewise receive Spacebase DF-9 free of charge. The giveaway follows up on recent criticism players leveled at Spacebase DF-9 after it prematurely wrapped up development, scaling back or eliminating many promised features in the process. The game was originally set to evolve over a period of several months via Steam's Early Access program before its developers made the decision to polish up and complete the game in its existing state. The final version of Spacebase DF-9 is now available for purchase via Steam at a 40 percent discount through November 3. [Image: Double Fine]
Shroud of the Avatar Release 11 helps prepare for Steam debut
With Shroud of the Avatar's launch on Steam Early Access next month, the team is eager to test crucial systems to prepare for a wider playerbase. As such, Release 11 has gone into testing from today through Monday, October 27th, and will allow backers to access a Steam-specific test as well. Release 11 patches in a character advancement system, major combat improvements, crafting additions, and a big change to the game's overworld map. "We are also moving towards each of these maps being visually distinct (albeit similar when part of the same area)," the team posted. "The result, we feel, is a map that is MUCH easier to navigate and coordinate with other players. We know this is slightly different than what we have presented in the past, but we feel this is the right direction for the game." Shroud of the Avatar will go live on Steam Early Access on November 24th. The video guide on how to install the Steam test is all yours after the break!
Life is Feudal reports 100,000 copies sold in the first month
After a month of availability on Steam and via its own website, Life is Feudal has apparently sold 100,000 copies. Bitbox has clarified to Massively that the current build of the game "is a 64-player version" and that the "thousands of servers [...] are all persistent." Producer and project lead Vladimir Piskunov attributes the early success of the title to the freedom allowed for players to build while emphasizing that these sales will help fund the development of the game's full MMO experience. No specific target date for the game's MMO incarnation has been set. [Source: Bitbox Ltd. press release]
Sunless Sea update goes 'steel' with major combat changes
Sunless Sea's "Steel" update is now live for all players, and brings a major change to the game's combat. The roguelike seafaring RPG previously featured turn-based combat, deemed "tiresome" in our time with the Early Access game in July. As demonstrated in a video provided by Failbetter Games after the break, the Steel update brings combat out of the game's menus and into the same top-down overworld in which players pilot their ship. The new real-time combat system still relies on players charging weapons and keeping enemies within range, though the latter is now represented by a red arc that circles their ship. Failbetter also "made some changes to the way the map is laid out in terms of balance and variety" and recommends that players start the game over with a new captain and chart to get the most out of the Steel update. The update entered a beta phase late last month. Sunless Sea is available through Steam Early Access and DRM-free on the developer's site for $18.99. [Image: Failbetter Games]
Life is Feudal sells 65,000 copies on Steam early access
Things are going swimmingly for Life is Feudal if Steam early access sales are any indication. Indie studio Bitbox Ltd says that it's moved 65,000 units of its flagship title since September 19th. If you're a fan of fantasy MMOs and sandboxes, you might want to take a look at the game's latest promo trailer that we've embedded just past the cut. [Source: Bitbox Ltd.]
Derek Smart responds to Line of Defense early access mishaps
So guess what happens when you flag a game as both early access and free-to-play on Steam? Apparently, everyone can get in and play with or without buying the founder's packs that your game is selling. That was the lesson that the Line of Defense crew learned last week when that exact scenario took place. Some players were a little miffed by that turn of events, which led to Derek Smart's penning an explanation and response to the situation. Smart lambastes those who peppered the game's store page with negative reviews based upon the unexpectedly revoked access, claiming that those who did not own the game but submitted negative reviews were violating the terms of service for Steam. He stresses that the game is currently still very much in testing and access is not being given away to any form of media simply because the game is far from feature-complete at this time. You can read the full update on the official site.
The Long Dark ventures to Steam Early Access
Hinterland Studio launched its first-person exploration game The Long Dark on Steam Early Access this week, making the in-development survival simulator available for PC and Mac users for $20. Set in the pacific northwest, the game forces players to scavenge for resources and survive the threat of starvation, wolves and more. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston joined the developer earlier this month. Rolston adds to a well-credited crew at Hinterland, which includes Far Cry 3 Narrative Director Raphael van Lierop. The Long Dark's journey took off with its success on Kickstarter in October 2013, at which point the developer earned $248,899. Those that want a taste of the game should revisit Joystiq Streams' archive from July, in which Hinterland took us through the dark woods for an hour. [Image: Hinterland Studio]
