Global Agenda launched yesterday, to the delight of many fans — including our very own Shawn and Sera. However, that was just the beginning of the launch week festivities.
Conquest mode launches today, offering all players free access until March 3rd of this year. This is a great opportunity to explore this massively multiplayer feature, take part in some Agency vs. Agency battles, and see if it’s for you or not. The first zones opened today at 12pm US Eastern time, with two open zones (Obelisk and Echelon) in the UK and three (Sovereign, Citadel and Warlord) in the United States.
Because the workings of Conquest can feel a bit intimidating and overwhelming to new players, particularly with so much else to learn, Global Agenda is helping players make the most of their free time by offering the developer video diary we showed you earlier in the week with an overview of Conquest. Take a look at it to gain some helpful tips before you dive in, and be sure to check out the new exclusive AvA screenshots in our gallery!
gmaxwell MMOPRG News
Mortal Online’s open beta began yesterday, but closed beta players have been enjoying the game for a while now, right along with the development team.
The Mortal Online team has been collecting game footage from closed beta and working on a game trailer for the past few weeks. They’re drawing the suspense out by showing it to fans in parts, and part one was released today. They do warn us that it’s not super polished, as it was created using the then-current build of the game, but it’s still a great look at the world of Nave.
You’ll see a fair amount of players, as the video is composed entirely of in-game footage from beta, and Mortal Online sent out a big thank you to all the players who participated in the production. Take a look at part one of the trailer after the jump, and we’ll keep an eye out for the next two parts!
Castille MMOPRG News
We know that the development teams at our favorite MMOs work hard at game creation, but we’re equally aware of how much they love their jobs. It’s a dream job, and while development of a new game can be tough and stressful, more often than not it’s lots of fun.
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in the studio? What mishaps do the developers run across during the process, and what great ideas never make it to launch day? We talked to the team at Fallen Earth, and they generously shared some of their greatest bloopers and favorite ideas. Read along after the cut, and enjoy!
Read more…
Castillans MMOPRG News
IGG.com recently introduced their latest MMO, Altis Gates. Altis Gates is a turn-based fantasy game in which players battle in the continuing aftermath of a 300-year war, long after it was thought to be over and forgotten.
The game will begin closed beta at 8:00 pm EST February 2nd, and if you’re interested in giving it a try, our sister site Big Download is ready and willing to help you out. Big Download has partnered with IGG to offer closed beta keys. Just head over to their site to read up on Altis Gates, then download the special beta client provided. The file includes a unique “Closed Beta Activation Key” text file. Follow the instructions found in the file and you’re all set.
The offer is available to anyone who would like to try the Altis Online closed beta, so visit Big Download, get your activation key, and have fun!
Castillans MMOPRG News
The cat’s out of the bag! Or perhaps the spies are out of their hexes? Either way, Global Agenda has gone into official launch mode today! We here at Massively can’t help to celebrate by looking back at our past coverage of Global Agenda, as we watched the game go from a little team-based TPS to the MMORTS that it is today. If you like commanding, or if you just like shooting people with hi-tech guns, then this might be the game for you!
In any case, we promised you an event to go along with the launch! Tonight, jump in to Global Agenda at 8 PM EST to meet up with Shawn Schuster (Agent Name: Ampersand, Medic) and Seraphina Brennan (Agent Name: Seraphina, Recon!). Both editors will be commanding their own PvP strike teams and will be launching into the queues head first. By the way, don’t forget your headset — it makes team building so much easier. If you don’t have one, no worries, just be ready to play.
So, without any further delay, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look back at the best of our Global Agenda coverage…
Castro MMOPRG News
Massively has been following the development of the sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy very closely, and was pleased that the title’s developer Reakktor Media wanted to do a series of focused Q&As with us on several aspects of the game. Our last such Q&A started at the beginning with character creation, but in our second installment of the Black Prophecy interview series we discussed the game’s mission design. To that end, we posed some questions to Lorenz Dames, the Lead Game Designer on Black Prophecy.
Lorenz explained a great deal about how Reakktor is approaching solo content vs. group-oriented gameplay. He also told us how Reakktor Media is merging the completion of mission objectives with dogfighting your fellow players through PvP missions, where other players will try to counter your efforts to complete goals. Our interview should provide Black Prophecy fans with a solid overview of the game’s mission design, which will be an essential aspect of the sci-fi MMO’s gameplay.
gmaxwell MMOPRG News
Today’s the day that Global Agenda has officially launched, and if you’re still waiting for more information about this game before making that box purchase, we can help. Not only did we show you a round-up this morning of our complete coverage on the game, but now we want to show you what’s in the physical retail box, also referred to as the Collector’s Edition. That’s assuming people remember how to go buy physical boxes in stores, right?
Follow along through the unboxing gallery below for a piece-by-piece tour of the Global Agenda Collector’s Edition box contents.
Castillans MMOPRG News
When it comes to looking for new gaming ideas, there’s no denying Eskil Steenberg’s procedurally-generated art-house MMO, Love stands out. Now in beta, Eskil has been working hard at improving the game since the last time we looked at it. Today, we have a gorgeous One Shots from the beta to share with you. This came in with a report in from the front lines, courtesy of GamingLove’s iamacyborg, who writes:
This is a screenshot of a player settlement in Eskil Steenberg’s game, Love, on the UK1 server. We had the base set up on top of a few pillars, over a lake, with a force-field (that pink ball) protecting the important tokens. Here’s a video someone took of the settlement a little while after the screenshot was taken, once we’d set up a perimeter defence with some blaster turrets.
Are you playing something we haven’t seen before – or only see rarely? If so, why not take a moment and send some screenshots in? Just mail them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We’ll post it out here and give you the credit.
Castro MMOPRG News
The upcoming sandbox MMO from Star Vault, Mortal Online, is finally entering its awaited open beta on February 1st. While the game has been in testing for quite some time, getting beta access meant pre-ordering a copy of the game, which turned several people off from the idea. But not only is the game going to become easier to take part in testing starting on Monday, there are two carrots thrown in to help entice players.
First off, any existing beta characters will not be wiped upon the commencement of open beta. That means anyone already playing, whether in the closed beta or as part of the game’s recent stress test, will get to keep their character that they’ve worked on. Second, while in open beta the game’s price will be dropped by five euros (about $7), which means that if you like the game, it’s even easier to decide to make it a full-time home.
Downsides? Only one – as community manager Maerlyn points out, the testing will be based on a single server cluster in Stockholm, so their may be server caps or slight connection issues depending on distance. But that’s hardly enough to take away from the good news. If you’ve been waiting for Mortal Online, your day is almost here.
Castille MMOPRG News
While those of us in North America have been able to enjoy Mabinogi for some time, our fellow gamers in Europe haven’t had the chance to check it out. That is, until now. Nexon Europe have just opened up the beta for Mabinogi in Europe, so anyone who has been curious about this fun little world can now check it out.
To add to all the launch fun, the Nexon Europe team have put together a video featuring lots of in-game footage from the world of Mabinogi. Between the recently revamped starter areas, job systems, real-time combat, and fun things like the composing/performance skill, it’s worth a look if you like free-to-play games. Check out the trailer after the break, or pop by the Mabinogi site to sign up for open beta.
gmaxwell MMOPRG News
Earlier we got a small taste of what’s to come in Star Trek Online through the State of the Game feature, but already Cryptic is treating the community to a brand new “What’s Next” page that lays bare their free update plans for the next two months. While all the major points themselves are old hat, it’s the details of those major points that are in fact, new.
We’ve got a breakdown of the coming updates after the break, plus new screens in our gallery.
Read more…
gmaxwell MMOPRG News
The end of beta event for Star Trek Online was a crazy smorgasBorg of some pretty epic proportions. The invasion forces were everywhere you turned, and it seemed like no matter how hard players tried, there were Borg everywhere. Thankfully, we’ve gotten some great Star Trek Online screenshots from players that we’ll be showing off — like today’s One Shots! This one comes to us from Neville, who writes in: This was a shot taken from Sol (Earth Spacedock) at the Open Beta ending event. I hope the Borg aren’t claustrophobic!
One Shots is all about your experiences in your favorite games. If you’ve caught something awesome you’d love to share with the world, send it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we’re seeing. We’ll help you share it with the world — or at least the chunk of the world cool enough to read Massively, anyway.
gmaxwell MMOPRG News, Star Trek Online
Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov recently dropped some info about the company’s upcoming sci-fi MMO Earthrise, briefly mentioning the advantages and disadvantages of Exploration and Battle Modes in an interview. The Masthead Studio developers are following up with more on this topic in their latest installment of Question of the Week, “The Beauty of Speed”.
Players who aren’t wielding weapons will be able to move faster, potentially evading combat situations. Entering this “Exploration Mode” in combat can also impart some benefits, namely that enhanced speed couples with shield regeneration. That speed could allow a player to minimize the damage inflicted upon them by attacks but also leaves them open to greater risk of harm, should they take a direct hit. The tradeoff for that speed is lowered damage resistance. Earthrise will offer certain abilities that affect battlefield movement as well. Have a look at “The Beauty of Speed” for more on Earthrise’s combat system, and the related discussion taking place among the game’s community members.
Castro MMOPRG News
It’s an awkward time for Champions Online. After the last State of the Game post by Chronomancer, things were looking up. The latest patch was slated to fix Lemuria (colloquially known as Lagmuria, due to the extreme system hiccups), add more power to various power frameworks, nemesis changes, the addition of team looting, and changes to the crafting system. Furthermore, the same State of the Game post announced that Champions would be getting its first expansion — Vibora Bay.
However, with the deployment of the “kitchen sink” patch, most gamers have experienced more lag in all zones, some characters are locked in Lemuria, unable to log in, and there are issues with the crafting systems. If all of that wasn’t bad enough, Cryptic Daeke has confirmed that Vibora Bay will be a “paid expansion” which will add more content for levels 37 to 40 — a move which has sent many members of the community into what can only be described as “a frothing rage.”
Read more…
gmaxwell MMOPRG News
As if a world promised to be “100% rat-free” wasn’t enough to make you want to visit this strange new land, the folks at Perfect World Entertainment have released a shiny new trailer very much in the keeping of Kung Foo! This new commercial video shows off all manner of crazy things that you can look forward to when stepping into the world of Foo. That’s right — it’s just chock full of Foo, and all for you!
If you haven’t taken the time to find out more about Kung Foo!, then be sure to check out the trailer after the break. With the recent death of Dungeon Runners, we’re really glad to see another light-hearted MMO that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Koeningsmark MMOPRG News