World War II
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World of Tanks beta statistics announced
The devs at Wargaming.net aren't shy about sharing player statistics, and why would they be when the studio's flagship World of Tanks title is cranking out some pretty impressive numbers. In a press release dated this morning, the company said that approximately 700,000 tank drivers took part in the year-long beta testing throughout Europe and North America, and those 700,000 players participated in 5.6 million battles. More than 115 million virtual tanks were bombed into oblivion courtesy of 1.7 billion shells, and World of Tanks surpassed 25,000 peak concurrent users. Closed beta testers (registered by 0:00 UTC 27/01/2011) with 1000 or more battles under their belt will be rewarded with an M4A2E4 tank to acknowledge their contribution to the game's development. World of Tanks is officially releasing on April 12th, and Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi is advising players to get their real-life affairs in order. "You still have a couple of days to spend with your friends and families before the war breaks out, so spend it the right way," Kislyi says.
World of Tanks offers pre-order packages that come with your very own toy tank
Unless you're very, very rich or a movie kid powered by a montage, chances are you'll never have a tank to call your own in life. Fortunately, Wargaming.net is getting ready to hand us the next best thing: keys to a virtual tank when World of Tanks launches on April 12th. Fans looking to stock up on goodies for launch should be interested in World of Tanks' pre-purchase program. While the game itself is free-to-play, it will be funded by microtransactions via in-game gold. Until April 12th, players have the opportunity to shell out for one of three pre-order packages to get a good discount on the cost of gold (around 10%) as well as snag a unique tank that comes with special abilities. The "heavy" package will feature the American M6A2E1 tank, the "medium" package has the German Pz. Kpfw. V/IV, and the "light" offers the Soviet A-32 tank. North American players can look over the pre-order packages here, while the European gamers must travel afar to a completely different website. In the meantime, check out 12 brand-new World of Tanks screenies below! %Gallery-96260%
World of Tanks launching April 12th
After nine straight months of intensive beta testing, the end (and the beginning) is finally in sight for fans of Wargaming.net's World of Tanks. The World War II-based action MMO is officially launching in both Europe and North America on April 12th, and die-hard testers "who did a long way from [closed beta] to release will get some bonuses" according to a post on the game's website. World of Tanks looks to blend the fast-action gameplay of its squad-based modes with the large-scale strategy of the clan wars mechanic to create the definitive heavy armor MMO title. The game features destructible environments and authentically rendered combat vehicles from a variety of nations, and it's all wrapped in a free-to-play package designed to allow curious gamers to try before they buy. "Our team has been working really hard to create a unique blend of action, strategy, simulation, and RPG in World of Tanks, and now the moment all fans across the globe have been waiting for is right around the corner," says Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi.
World of Tanks Clan Wars signups begin
Since our GDC sit-down with Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi, we've been quite anxious to get our hands on the World of Tanks Clan Wars mechanic. Happily, the system is just about ready for prime time, and the company has put out a press release announcing official clan signups for both European and North American servers. The Clan Wars action takes place on a global map that is divided into several provinces. Each province features its own particular revenue stream, and Wargaming.net intends for hundreds of clans to duke it out for territorial control rights. Clan Wars will also feature economic and diplomatic systems, making it an entirely new play option for fans of World War II-based armored conflict. "Clan Wars is not just a new game mode, but rather a separate gameplay layer or meta-game designed to provide years of fun and action for those fond of strategic thinking, politics, alliances, and intrigue," Kislyi explains.
Massively Exclusive: Cornered Rat talks longevity, simulations, and the future of Battleground Europe
It's P-Day across Battleground Europe, as today marks the official introduction of World War II Online's 1.33 patch. The update is something of a milestone for Cornered Rat's stalwart MMOFPS simulation, and Massively sat down with the game's high command to chat about the past, the future, and of course the spiffy new infantry models that 1.33 brings to the table. Join us after the cut for an exclusive interview with producers Steve Daniels, Al Corey, and Dana Baldwin, as well as Cornered Rat president Jim Mesteller and community director Amy-lynn Smith. %Gallery-119028%
GDC 2011: Joymax weighs Karma
Imagine a world where World War II -- also known as "That War With All Them Movies" -- never ended. Imagine that while the conflict raged, weapons development continued to advance well into the 1950s. Now imagine that this war-ravaged landscape is your new virtual playground. Joymax, the studio behind Silkroad Online, revealed at GDC that its next MMO will take place in such a world. Code-named Karma Online, this massively multiplayer online first-person shooter will attempt to provide the ultimate PvP battleground for players sick of bows and arrows and futuristic plasma rifles. Karma Online seeks to meld the best of both RPGs and FPSs by introducing a skill tree system that allows soldiers to specialize in preferred weapons and tactics. Although we're not quite sure what Joymax means by this, the studio promises more immersion by requiring the use of both hands for combat instead of just the mouse. The game will also come with the popular Call of Duty-style zombie mode if you want to switch up player-killing for undead slaughter. The shooter is scheduled to go into closed beta this May. Hit the jump to see Karma Online in action and get the skinny on Joymax and WeMade Entertainment's other projects-in-progress! %Gallery-118470%
The Daily Grind: Do betas give you bragging rights?
This may come as a shocker, but people on the internet like to brag. I know! Surprised the heck out of me too, but there you go. We like to feel important, and when we're not important, we like to prop ourselves up through importance-by-association. Sure, maybe I wasn't part of the invasion of Normandy in World War II, but my grandfather was, so doesn't that make me a hero in a way? It seems as though the only use for betas once they are finished is for bragging rights, as if being there somehow made some people superior to the rest of the plebeians. "Back in '04? Oh, I was part of the great World of Warcraft beta," they say with a distant look in their eyes. "Oh the times we had... the perils we faced... the bug reports we overlooked. Now you may honor me by giving me your gold and prostrating yourself at my feet." Have you seen this happen? Does being a part of an MMO beta automatically give you bragging rights in the form of seniority and experience? Or do people just think it does while the rest of us roll our eyes? 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!
World of Tanks open beta starts January 27th
Ladies and gentlemen, start your tank engines. World of Tanks is officially rolling towards release, and Wargaming.net has just announced that open beta will kick off on January 27th. The World War II-based heavy armor MMO has been undergoing closed beta for the past six months, and the devs have decided that after 260,000 players (20,000 of them concurrent) and 40 million bombed-out vehicles, it's high time to kick the tires and light the fires. "We've been very pleased to get such a response from our players, that means the direction we are moving in goes in line with the views of our community," says CEO Victor Kislyi. World of Tanks features upwards of 150 authentic American, German, and Russian vehicles, all designed for action-packed 15 vs. 15 battles featuring a mixture of action, strategy, and simulation. You can learn more at the official site as well as sign up for the beta.
World of Tanks rolls out American armor
The World of Tanks beta just got a bit bigger, as Wargaming.net has released a good-sized update that features tons of new vehicles as well as two additional battlegrounds. The Monastery map boasts both rural and urban landscapes, while Sandy River shows off desert terrain. The patch also introduces American tanks of various classes including light, medium, heavy, and super-heavy units, plus artillery that offers new options for expanded gameplay and tactics. "The tanks that we have in the game at the moment form the backbone of the American armored fleet that will gradually grow bigger and stronger. Such legendary vehicles as the Pershing, M10 Wolverine, and M18 Hellcat are already in development and will join the ranks soon," says Victor Kislyi, Wargaming.net's CEO. Check out the gallery of new armor below as well as a trailer after the break. You can also sign up for beta on the official website. %Gallery-96260%
World of Tanks releases two new maps
Wargaming.net's World of Tanks MMO keeps rolling right along, as the development studio announced the release of two new battle maps earlier today. The World War II-based action title features a plethora of historically accurate tanks for players to collect and control and, thanks to the update, also features the Komarin and Cliff locales. Komarin is a small Eastern European village and Cliff is inspired by the shorelines and rock formations of the infamous Normandy coast. Nick Katselapov, Wargaming.net producer, is excited about the new maps and their tactical gameplay possibiliies. "[These] maps will encourage players to apply even more teamwork and cooperation because they require a totally different tactical approach than any battlefields that World of Tanks has had to offer so far," he said in a press release. If you're wondering where you can get a piece of this heavily armored action, head over to the game's official website and enlist in the closed beta.
GDCO 2010: Interview with Victor Kislyi about World of Tanks
World of Tanks has recently launched in Russia, where it has seen quick success, already growing to 200,000 players. In the West, the game has about 110,000 active players and that number is growing every day. It's currently in closed beta, but the company has plans to move to open beta in about a month, aiming for a launch of Q1 next year. At GDC Online 2010, we had a chance to catch up with Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming.net, to talk about the game's success and how it all works, exactly.
First Impressions: World of Tanks
World of Tanks is one of those games in which you have to wonder how large the target audience is. An MMO revolving around tank combat seems like it would only appeal to hardcore WWII enthusiasts or military hardware geeks. Aesthetically, the tank theme might not appeal to everyone. However, WoT is remarkably easy to get into and enjoy, even if you have no idea what PzKpfw stands for. At this juncture, I would hesitate to call World of Tanks a true MMO. Wargaming.net is focusing on the gameplay elements for the closed beta, so Westerners have yet to experience the clan war political system that will be in the final release of the game. I'll be honest, though -- I don't really mind. The game is that fun to play all on its own. %Gallery-96260%
Players get to start placing objects in WWII Online: Battlefield Europe
WWII Online: Battlefield Europe is getting a bit long in the tooth, but that certainly hasn't meant development has ceased on the game. Quite the opposite, in fact -- the old-school MMOFPS has recently rolled out a massive patch aimed at a system-wide overhaul, one that we had a chance to talk with the development team about, and they're going even further with new additions via player-placed objects. Referred to as PPOs for short, the objects will allow characters to start altering the landscape they're fighting in via new temporary structures. It started with the addition of a Field Reinforcement Unit -- essentially a stationary version of the game's trucks, useful for reinforcements and freeing up the actual trucks for other tasks. With all the coding that went into making that function, it was a short step to making PPOs that allow infantry to reinforce their position via cover and temporary shielding. The full rundown of the feature, including a loose idea of what benefits will be provided (albeit without hard numbers) can be found here, which should provide many happy dreams for players of WWII Online: Battlefield Europe.
World of Tanks reloads with more beta keys
Did you miss out on the World of Tanks closed beta key giveaway? Are you sad that it's not tank time at your house? Well, cheer up, because we've loaded up another round of beta keys thanks to the fine folks at Wargaming.net. If you want to give the game a try, we've got 3,000 more keys -- plenty to go around. Just head over to our handy giveaway site to claim your key. Follow the instructions on the site, set up your key, and you're ready to start shooting! If this is all new to you and you'd like to find out more about the game first, take some time to look at our E3 coverage of World of Tanks, then grab your key and have some fun.
Score yourself a World of Tanks closed beta key here! [Updated]
You know what time it is? It's tank time, the best time of the day! How could any other time beat tank time? Answer: it can't. With the weekend rapidly approaching, you're going to have some free time on your hands -- free time that you should turn into tank time. Lucky for you, we've scored 3,000 World of Tanks closed beta keys, so you can make all of your weekend time into tank time. The closed beta keys, and the corresponding instructions on how to redeem said closed beta keys, are lurking just beyond the break. So hit that continue-reading button and don't disappoint me, soldier! [Update -- the closed beta doesn't begin until July 8th. You can claim your beta key now, and enter it into the registration site, and even download the client, but it won't be operational until July 8th.]
Exclusive WWII Online: Battleground Europe team interview
As we mentioned last week, WWII Online: Battleground Europe is still going strong. In fact, Playnet and Cornered Rat Software are on the verge of a massive update for the game. Update 1.31, currently in open beta, has been in the works for many months and is set to overhaul the graphics of this old-school MMOFPS. It might even give newer games a run for their money! We were lucky enough to sit down with several members of the Battleground Europe development team -- Amy-Lynn Engelbrecht, Dana Baldwin, and Geof Evans -- and fire off some questions about the visual overhaul, as well as a few questions about the weather -- that is, the game's new weather system, which will actually affect land and air conditions in PvP! Click past the break for our exclusive interview with the team!
New World of Tanks teaser video and screenshots
The big question with World of Tanks is really simple and yet daunting: will they feel like proper tanks? Slapping treads and a turret on something that handles like a Toyota Corolla isn't really going to work in terms of developing a properly tank experience. (A Ford Crown Victoria is getting closer, but still not there.) Since we have yet to get our hands on the actual game for any playtime, most of what we have is speculation, but a bevvy of new screenshots and a new trailer at least start in the direction of answering the questions. Pictures of the game continue to impress, with the tanks having an appropriately worn look and a sense of weight. The city layouts seen in this gallery also suit the era of the conflict nicely. The trailer, on the other hand, gives a strong suggestion that the game is edging closer toward preserving the "feel" of tanks rather than a strictly simulation approach -- probably a good thing, since actually playing three characters cramped in a metal box wouldn't be quite as much fun. Take a look past the break for the second World of Tanks teaser trailer! %Gallery-89571%
A look at leveling in World of Tanks
World of Tanks is in a class by itself -- if you want to play a vehicle-based MMO focused around motorized armor units, there simply isn't another option available. And while there were more than a few jokes at the time of its announcement, successful games with a strong vehicle focus exist already. But the core of a game like this is going to be the vehicles themselves, both their diversity and their interesting traits to set each one apart from its peers. The developers have released the access trees for all three main nations in the game -- Germany, the USA, and the USSR -- giving hopeful players an idea of what they can use to thunder about the countryside. Spanning the period between World War II and the Korean War, the list is fairly exhaustive, showcasing the diversity of tanks on the battlefield. The German progression path even includes the Maus, an experimental tank of absurd size that should please fans of bizarre WWII machinery. And if rolling around in a two-story tank doesn't get you excited, well, you're probably not the target audience. All three progress charts can be found on the official site for World of Tanks.
World of Tanks rolls onto the MMO battlefield
Who needs a human avatar when you can just roll around in a tank all day? That's the idea behind World of Tanks, a new MMO wargame simulation that's putting players behind the pedals of over 130 tanks in World War II. While the game has just been announced, their website is already featuring a swath of in-game screenshots and their first contest -- design your own tank motto. Players can submit mottos for the tanks at large, or for specific models. If their motto is chosen, they'll win an unspecified gift from the World of Tanks crew. The game appears to be another hybrid title, meshing a tank simulation with an RPG, as you can upgrade and modify your tanks to your heart's desire. Up to 60 players can roll across an instance at once, and the game will feature a territory control system that sounds like Global Agenda's conquest mode. For all of your tank information, check out the game's main website. Also, because no post on tanks isn't complete without a bad pun, "Tanks for reading Massively.com."
Infinity Ward: Activision didn't want Call of Duty to go Modern
Activision's always been a company with a finger squarely placed upon the pulse of the gaming culture. It knows what we need -- and what we need is more World War 2-based first-person shooters. Call of Duty's part-time developer Infinity Ward struggled with that notion for years according to a recent Official PlayStation Magazine interview with Ward's Vince Zampella. If Activision had its way, Zampella explained, Modern Warfare probably never would have happened. Whoa, did anyone else just get a really weird chill down their spine? Zampella said Activision "thought working on a modern game was risky," and went so far as to conduct "market research" supporting its fears to quell Infinity Ward's desire for modernization. We're not sure which market Activision surveyed, however, as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare moved over 14 million units. We bet the publisher talked to WWII veterans. "Yeah, our war was the coolest! Kids today with their AC-130s. That's not fightin'. That's just flyin' a big, bomb droppin' robot kite."
