MMO News

Red Stone Global Launch by L&K
SMITE Dreadbeard Poseidon Skin Reveal
SMITE Season 2 Patch Notes Previewed
Age of Wulin Comic Book Now Available for Free
Creativerse Early Access Impressions
Dying Light Global Launch Dates Confirmed
Dying Light – Devs play co-op in new promo video
Rustbucket Rumble makes PAX South announcement
Dying Light Devs Play Zombie Mode
Demon Crusade Character Creation Trailer

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:21 PM PST

L&K Logic Korea has announced the grand opening of the global Red Stone Online server this week, taking over direct publisher servicing of the title as the original developers of the game.

The game publishing company, OGPlanet, took the rein of servicing Red Stone in North America back in 2007. Since then, Red Stone quickly penetrated the global community to be included in the 2008 and 2009 World Cyber Games (WCG) as the official title for competition.

Since the expiration of the partnership with OGPlanet back in November, 2014, L&K Logic Korea immediately took over and launched an open beta service in a preparatory step to establishing a more fluid service for offering faster content updates and more responsive customer service.

The story of Red Stone begins in the fantasy world of Prandel as players go on an adventurous quest to search for a mystical red stone that fell from the Celestial World. With rich story line rooted in the title, Red Stone offers unique features such as CP system and transformation system, loved by players for over a decade.

Red Stone's official facebook fan page (https://facebook.com/LnKREDSTONE) offers a primary place for community communications, offering update news and addressing player concerns.

For more information on the update or to download the game, visit their official site.

SMITE Dreadbeard Poseidon Skin Reveal

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 02:23 PM PST

SMITE reveals the latest pirate skin, Dreadbeard Poseidon.

SMITE Season 2 Patch Notes Previewed

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 02:20 PM PST

HiRez Studios has just concluded a livestream showcasing key changes to itemization and a few god buffs and nerfs coming with the start of Season 2 of SMITE.

Key points include:

No protected recall.

Hunters more focused as decimating single targets than aoe power.

Cupid share the love – 50 mana, gains more mana than loses. Longer stun on ulti.

Hou Yi takes damage while jumping through air.

Neith 1 boost, no longer reduced scaling damage. roots full power even on later targets.

More obvious animation for Nox ult.

Sobek boosted protections on passive. Ultimate ranks up to offer more aoe slow.

In addition, multiple item reworks, new items, and 3 new actives were previewed. See shots of them all below or catch the full patch notes HERE.

Age of Wulin Comic Book Now Available for Free

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 12:15 PM PST

Age of Wulin reveals a free comic book viewable online. Download it now.

Creativerse Early Access Impressions

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 11:10 AM PST

By Jaime Skelton (MissyS), Senior Editor

I can't imagine why any sane developer would decide to create a new sandbox voxel game. It isn't a question of needing a different selection of games in the genre. It's an issue of facing off against the behemoth that is Minecraft and its community. Like many other popular games, Minecraft has created a fiercely loyal and often defensive player base, and it is their words that carry heavy weight in the genre. If a Minecraft player claims a game is just a "Minecraft clone," few people will question the claim.

So when I discovered Creativerse on Steam in December 2014, I was intrigued. Here was a developer (Playful Corporation) who was brazen enough to make a product they believed in, knowing full well what they were up against. On top of that courage (or foolishness, depending on your point of view), the game's goal was clearly to launch as free to play. It didn't take me long to reach out to Playful directly so that we could get a first-hand look at this young game.

But First, A Word About Pachyderms

Once in a while, a game comes along that's so hulking, so epic, so popular, it becomes the standard to which all others in its genre are compared. For MMO gamers, that monster has been World of Warcraft, the yardstick to which many MMOs have been compared. For trading card games, it's Magic the Gathering. And for sandbox voxels – games in which you explore a cubic world and are able to shape and craft it to your whim – it's Minecraft.

Physics works like this, right?

Just because a game has become a community's standard, however, does not mean it is flawless: only that it has become the best measure of a complicated and subjective formula of success. To be a critical gamer, we must be willing to see the faults in our favorites. We must also acknowledge that games do not stand isolated from each other: our entire library of video games has been a product not only of creating new ideas, but on making old ideas better. It is how human society, as a whole, progresses, from science to art. In short: we must accept that examining similar games in a genre is almost always a more complicated argument than "it's just a clone."

I will make comparisons to Minecraft as I continue. These comparisons are not made to determine Creativerse's status as a clone, but to serve as a common point of reference. While core gameplay mechanics are similar, I believe that Creativerse is a truly different game.

Yeah they both have pigs. But this one has a raccoon tail and can knock you off a cliff.

A Fresh Experience

The new player experience in Creativerse can be a little disorienting, even for Minecraft veterans. After the world is generated, your character is spawned in a random location in the world with only two hints on how to progress. The first of these hints is a small note in your inventory that suggests you should find shelter before the end of the night if you're to survive. The second of these hints, though it may go unnoticed at first, is a gear icon on your compass. If you do follow this beacon, you'll find yourself at the nearest crafting station, where you should build your first little shelter before night falls.

This is a pretty good start, for day one.

From there, you're on your own. Thankfully, unlike Minecraft's PC version, Creativerse's crafting stations include the recipes of items you can craft. Because of this, a new player's lifeline becomes their first crafting station. It's here players must discover what they need to forage in the world to make their first items, from simple torches and armor to mining cells and processors. For those less intuitive types, the Steam forums offer starting guides to make it easier to learn what next steps to take.

It's been a fun experience so far in making my way through Creativerse, mostly blind (peeking only at the forums when I was simply stumped). The further I go, the more I'm finding I can't always apply my Minecraft knowledge and experience to making it in Creativerse. While I have a general idea of how to progress – dig deeper, find new materials, make better stuff – I'm finding new challenges that Minecraft never offered. There's simply no blitzing your way to end game from scratch, that's for certain.

Torches can be hung from the ceiling. It’s the small things, readers.

A simple example: building a mine. Typically, in a new Minecraft game, I'm quick to build a staircase straight to the deepest layer of bedrock, and then start digging and exploring there for the best materials. There's no real point of working through the strata below the ground sequentially, and the game's mining pick system lets you drill your way down with no obstruction. In five minutes on a fresh world, you can have everything you need to make your way down to the best materials (pre-Nether) in the game.

So when I looked at my gear and progression in Creativerse, I decided to use the same strategy. I hadn't gotten very deep before I hit a wall: I could no longer mine or remove the stone in front of me. Instead, I had to go back with the stone I'd found, collect materials, and craft a new mining cell that would let me go further. And further I went again, to hit the same issue: new types of stone blocking my way until I crafted the next mining cell.

Where do extractors go when you’re done with them? Such fickle technology.

While my first mining cells were made of wood and stone, my next was made of Obsidian. This is the first real 'ore' of the game, but in Creativerse, ore is rare and requires extraction. Extraction is a process that uses a special "Extractor" that, when placed on an ore block, will process it over time to provide you with the ore it contains. It's like a different mining pick, except for several key differences: it can only be used on ores, it automatically processes ore on its own time without your input, and it is destroyed on use. Yes, that's correct: ore is a precious commodity in Creativerse and requires additional resources to obtain. I found it to be a nice element, however, that encouraged exploration and helped pace the game.

Discovery Isn't Just a TV Network

It is unfortunate that many games do not reward exploration and discovery. There's a true thrill when you wander into uncharted territory and find something unexpected or rare. It encourages and rewards players to look beyond the most direct progression path. I'm sure there are many gamers who prefer the direct path, but I've never been able to have as much fun in a game where everything was laid out for me like a trail of breadcrumbs. I like having freedom and choices.

You’ll know what this means after one night outside.

Creativerse is, as sandboxes should be, a game that welcomes discovery. This isn't just about stumbling upon a random wizard tower in the wilderness, though. Many of the games' rare and powerful recipes are found randomly in chests throughout the world. While a solid number of essential recipes are always available for you to discover through standard gameplay, it requires further exploration to hunt down these items. Chests can also contain little notes and fragments, which offer tiny pieces of the puzzle that is Creativerse's story. In order to have a complete game experience, you must take the time to look for these elusive items.

So far I have yet to discover a recipe, though I have found a torn note, and I'm left with mixed feelings about this system. On one hand, in a single player game and on my first play through, I love that mission of 'go and find it.' On the other hand, I can see this discovery system becoming frustrating in the long term, especially for players who play across multiple worlds or servers. It also introduces the possibly unsavory element of RNG. It is an element of the game that cannot quite be judged this early in the game's development, but one that bears serious consideration.

Let's Talk Business

So I've hopefully established how Creativerse differs from current sandbox voxels, except for that last hanging factor (the other elephant in the room): the words 'free to play.'

I think we all get crabby when discussing F2P now.

Playful's decision to make Creativerse free to play on release is a bold one, and the reasoning the developer cites is their desire to make the game available to as many people as possible. It's a fair choice for both gamers and business – it allows players the chance to enjoy a free sandbox voxel (which are scarce) and the company to build a larger player base and gain priceless word of mouth. F2P business models, however, do carry some heavy stigmas and concerns that few developers have really conquered.

In fact, Playful has already made a blunder with the model. Though the game's cash shop currently is disabled, its first incarnation caused a community outcry. The shop included the ability to purchase recipes with real cash, plus a super extractor item that was not available in game. However, the developers are active in the Steam community and pulled the cash shop, promising to revise it so that only cosmetic options will be available and that no pay wall will exist. This is, as far as I'm concerned, a good sign. While free to play games do carry the inevitable burden of microtransactions, a developer that is willing to adapt and redesign their monetization because of the game's community is on the player's side. If Playful sticks to those values, they're in for long term success.

Might want some better furniture if you’re settling in for the long haul, though.

Early Verdict: Looks Promising

There are a number of things that I haven't mentioned about Creativerse, little details that add to its uniqueness. Combat, for instance, is more engaging in that creatures become deadly at night, and that each has its own unique ability to counter. The game will be integrated with Steam to make it easier than ever to connect to public and private servers, including playing with your friends. Oh, and there's the fact it's not built in Java.

They have thatched roofs. Thatched. Roofs.

Still, I'm cautious about preaching Creativerse conversion just yet. Plainly, it's still too early to make a true judgment call about how well Creativerse can hold up long term, although I see many community members still enjoying their games after hundreds of hours played. And while it's certainly a different game than Minecraft, fully enjoyable in its own right, the differences between the two games are not as great as those found between, say, Terraria and Starbound. Creativerse has a lot of time and room to make something not only better, but different. This is definitely a title to keep an eye on if you're a fan of the genre.

Want to see more Creativerse? Catch our First Look video!

Dying Light Global Launch Dates Confirmed

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:58 AM PST

Techland announced today the updated global launch dates for Dying Light. The game will have a worldwide digital release on PC of January 27, 2015. In North and South America, the digital release and physical copies for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will be available at the same day.

In Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia, Dying Light will have a digital release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One of January 28, 2015. Physical copies of the game will be released in these territories on February 27, 2015. Additionally all of the physical preordered versions will include two DLC packs, Cuisine & Cargo and Ultimate Survivor Bundle, free of charge.

Subsequently, the "Be the Zombie" multiplayer mode, where players take control of the Night Hunter and can invade others' games, will be now be available for free on all platforms everywhere.

For more info, visit http://dyinglightgame.com/

Dying Light – Devs play co-op in new promo video

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:57 AM PST

The developers from Techland sat together for an intense co-op session of Dying Light. Lead devs Tymon Smektała and Maciej Binkowski along with brand manager Paweł Modliński, and assistant producer Marcel Mitraszewski created a tight team of survivors, showcasing several more advanced gameplay tactics as well as a few less fortunate encounters with zombies. The players can watch their struggles and get the taste of the game's co-op mode in the just released gameplay video.

Dying Light features seamless drop-in/drop-out co-op for up to 4 players. The multiplayer is fully integrated with the campaign and allows the players to complete quests together, explore the quarantine zone, and take part in special co-op challenges.

The game features also asymmetric PvP multiplayer for up to 5 players (4v1) thanks to the "Be the Zombie" DLC mode. You can also watch the first official "Be the Zombie" Twitch stream of Dying Light on January 24^th, 10 AM (PST)/6 PM (GMT) at Twitch.tv/Techland

Rustbucket Rumble makes PAX South announcement

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:56 AM PST

Reactor Zero, founded by Descent co-creator Matt Toschlog, today announced that its 2D, team-based, robot combat game Rustbucket Rumble™ is in development and now available for gamers of all ages to cast their vote on Steam Greenlight.

Scheduled for release in late February, Rustbucket Rumble finally answers the age-old question of what it would be like if robots ruled the world: a fast-paced, game of "capture the robot"! Rustbucket Rumble starts not too long after life on earth as we know it ends and the robots that once dutifully served their competing corporations, Robotic Engineering Depot and Blucom, are bored. Eager to establish dominance over the complete rust-bucket that earth has become, their epic robot battle ensues!

In Rustbucket Rumble, players must choose from one of six robots with varying abilities and weaponry, and join the RED Team or the BLUE Team in a three-on-three, arena combat game like no other. Combining classic run-and-gun gameplay with more modern, class-based, multiplayer shooter gameplay, robots chase, fight, and stun their opponents, ultimately capturing them in order to carry them back to base. And that's just the beginning.

"Making Rustbucket Rumble has been a blast in large part because we have been building it for release through the Steam Greenlight community," said Reactor Zero founder Matt Toschlog. "We took inspiration from some of our favorite games over the past couple decades to create a game with old-school, pick-up-and-play appeal but enough depth to keep discerning gamers like us coming back for more. And we have robots galore. Big ones! Now please go vote for us on Steam! I swear the game is super fun. If you don't believe me, come play it at PAX in booth #1681."

Vote for Rustbucket Rumble on Steam Greenlight! YesonRustbucketRumble!

Dying Light Devs Play Zombie Mode

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:20 AM PST

Dying Light devs showcase the 3vs1 PvP mode where one person takes on a superior zombie to crush his foes.