MMO News

H1Z1 First Life Early Access Impressions
KingsRoad Announces Asian Themed Update with Tournament of Jade
Empyrean Rule Set to appear on Law & Order TV Show
Worlds Adrift Closer Look
League of Angels: Fire Raiders – New LoA Sequel Announced
Gas Guzzlers Extreme: Full Metal Zombie DLC Available Soon
Total War: ATTILA – Special Edition Hunboxing
Clandestine – Patch 0.4 & 0.5 Rundown
Evolve Official Tips: Hunter Strikes
Evolve Official Tips: Monster Sneaking

H1Z1 First Life Early Access Impressions

Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:39 PM PST

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor)

Years have gone by since the zombie apocalypse has taken over the games industry, and the plague shows no signs of slowing in 2015. The front runner in the MMO space was H1Z1, which hit a bumpy early access test in mid-January. I was invited among a small batch of press to give the game an initial test run. I have a bit of a reputation for getting sucked into these survival horror games and have been following the game ever since it was announced, so I entered the test with plenty of optimism that this was going to be my next guilty pleasure.

Still the past few stabs at this sub-genre have been a long ways from perfect. No developer seemed to have the funding or vision to get all the pieces of the zombie puzzle together in working order. Even DayZ, the most promising of the bunch and one of the forefathers of the online zombie world, remains full of bugs and looks like it's going to be doomed to be an alpha game forever. Obviously I don't want to mention DayZ a lot, but reviewing any zombie game these days without referencing DayZ is difficult. With all of its faults, DayZ is still the king of zombies in most gamers' eyes, so H1Z1 will need to live up to its benchmark to have any lasting community. Does it have a chance?

Obviously it is hard to compete with the trendsetter called DayZ. H1Z1 seems to have a find tactics up its sleeves to set itself apart rather than competing directly for the same niche. The most noticeable I feel is their push to be more of an MMORPG with massive servers and multiple server rule sets. The key difference this results in is it becomes a rare occurrence that a single group of friends will dominate an entire server, as there will always be that rival faction established far enough away to give them a run for their money (or gear as the case may be). The type of zombies and theme used obviously play a huge role in zombie survival games, but so far in most games the zombies are somewhat funky and rarely a real threat. In the end they just seem to be a nuisance interfering in an otherwise FPS deathmatch.

My first impression in H1Z1 was that there was a clear design decision to make the zombies an important factor in gameplay. The gameplay runs smoothly with quality controls focused on making melee weapon combat engaging, and the zombies act intelligently and with a bit more determination than veterans of the sub-genre might expect. I first spawned next to a small village consisting of roughly a dozen homes and a zombie population to match the quaint neighborhood. Since I only had my fists and a flashlight I didn’t expect to be much of a threat to these rotting monsters. Fortunately your fists can knock these walkers to the ground, buying you some time to escape. Killing a zombie with your bare hands on the other hand can be a precarious endeavor. Since I didn’t want to waste my time drawing in an undead audience to feast their eyes on my Mike Tyson impersonation, I tried to sneak and find some useful tools in the closest building to up my odds. After sneaking around the village I managed to find a few cans with delicious food, and a few water bottles that are very useful, both being key ingredients to keep alive another day.

In H1Z1 the best thing to do as a survivalist is know your surroundings, crafting takes a huge role in H1Z1 and at the start you are better off using the tools you can find the fastest. With just a few sticks, and your shirt you can make a bow very early on. Arrows aren’t hard to come by either and before you know it you are kitted out like Robin Hood, head-shotting zombies like you're Daryl Dixon. Since H1Z1 runs on the same game engine as Planetside 2, bullet drop is already implemented and with the starting bow your arrows will drop very fast due to the low acceleration of the projectile. It gets more time to become acquainted with the bow physics, but once you get the hang of it, the bow is your best possible craftable tool that you can start out with.

Once you have a deadly weapon capable of clearing patches of zombies in rapid order, it's time to clear out villages without sneaking around. Zombies are a threat, but range is their ultimate weakness. With some basic tactics and stealth, you should be able to remove a dozen or so of them from the area without a scratch. In most games like this, I wouldn't waste the ammunition to do so. Yet H1Z1 left me with a satisfied feeling in part thanks to the smooth combat and in part thanks to the actual skill required to do so. An added bonus was the realization that some of the zombies in town were packing items! After some further gameplay and studying zombies from a distance, I came to the conclusion that when you kill an enemy player but do not kill the zombies around him, the zombies will automatically pick his stuff up over a time. This can create quite the jackpot for a new player who is lucky enough to kill a fully kitted out zombie carrying a bunch of tools.

It didn’t take long before I found other people doing the exact same thing as me, getting to know my surroundings and finding out where the hell we were. Since the game takes place in a world that is supposed to resemble the United States, most of the buildings, vehicles and areas have that good ol' boy small town US feel. In most of the buildings you enter there is a bunch of furniture that you can open and hope for some goods, cars are also able to have something in them so make sure you check everything before you take off and head to another town. An overly large amount of time will be spent rolling the RNG dice looting random structures. Far more so than fighting for your life I found. As the echo of distant gunfire reminded me though, dropping your guard for even a second can be the end of your character.

I stopped wasting time at this point and quickly met up with two random people; one of them was also carrying around a bow and together we felt confident against any threats that might try to take us out. After clearing the town we went and followed a road, since our group had looted most everything around and supplies began to run low. After ten minutes of walking down the road, we came across a second village complete with a huge map plastered on a dilapidated bus stop. On this map we found exactly where we are and what was around us. We saw that a fairly big market was ahead of us so we decided to check it out and hope for some useful tools like a hammer, axe, or perhaps even a backpack to up our carrying capacity. Three people packing backpacks can bring a heck of a lot of goods with them. As it turned out luck favored us, as we managed the distance with few zombies and no signs of other players. Even the market itself was deserted, with piles of goods waiting to be looted. We both found a hammer and even a machete that is extremely useful if you want to kill the wildlife to gather some meat.

As I’ve said before, H1Z1 is really focused on the crafting element of the game. With a select few weapons such as a normal knife, or a machete you can gather meat from the wildlife. Currently deer, bears, and even wolves are scattered throughout the world, and can be even more of a threat than zombies. If you run into a wolf or bear without a proper weapon to defend yourself, you have a big problem on your hands. My new friends and I decided to hunt deer for the time being, and since we had bows we were able to take them down before they could run. Assuming we could get close enough to hit one with the physics drag. One of the things I must commend H1Z1 on is the animal animations; they are absolutely amazing, and you can definitely see from the numerous animation loops that a lot of work went into them. A deer really moves like one, and can be as versatile as one. The player models have a complete rework coming, so hopefully they are brought up to the same level as their animal counterparts. The alpha label on this game seems to be more than just a ploy to sell early access packs as weekly updates continually have improved gameplay since January.

After wasting around 50 arrows to bring down two deer, our group was fully stacked on both tools and supplies. Your character's efficiency is based on numerous vitals including hunger, energy, stamina, and thirst, and these bars drain rather quickly from regular gameplay. As such it's hard to accomplish anything meaningful if you're stuck running through blackberry bushes every few in-game hours to keep your guy going. After gathering the materials for a fireplace, we caught the attention of another survivor while cooking our venison. The four of us had a pleasant talk around the fireplace. We decided to add him to the group since more often than not other players are hostile in these types of games. Built in voice chat makes the negotiation process much easier, and you'll be glad you don't have to lower your guard while chatting with friends. After we cooked our food, we decided our group was ready to make a dent in H1Z1's largest city, Pleasant Valley.

Pleasant Valley is a sizeable industrial city, with plenty of office buildings, apartments and stores to loot. RNG is greatly in your favor to reward something rare and useful if you can survive in the city. We were approaching the town from a less direct covert route when we heard a new sound effect growing louder by the second. It sounded like a plane was heading towards us. After a few minutes we spotted the plane through the trees ejecting a supply box that slowly descended adrift on its parachute. Hoping these were supplies or even useful weapons we decided to follow the package and hope for the best. Since the plane was right above us and made a lot of sound, we knew we weren’t the only ones probably checking out the package, but since there were still a lot of friendly people around we hoped for the best.

Once we got close we noticed a few people standing around the box, and in the distance we saw more people heading towards it, we hoped for the best and my friends decided to head over. Since most of us had bows, we felt like we were well equipped to defend ourselves against any threat. But when my friends got close, they were met with some rather unfriendly people. These people were better equipped than us, and without asking questions they started firing towards my two friends. Since I decided to flank from the other side, I saw that the group around the airdrop was fairly large with a wide array of firearms. Without a clear line of sight to my friends, I decided to take my chance and flank the group in the hopes to distract the group, giving my friends a chance to find cover. I aimed with my bow and, thanks to the practice on deer, took the closest gunner down with a shot through his temple. The group continued firing in the other direction, as I dropped a second target just as he turned to face his fallen ally.

In the distance I heard one friend calling for mercy as another managed to reach the cover of a nearby office at the bottom of the hill. The voice of my friend ended with the bang of a shotgun. I took my chances and ran down the hill hoping to reunite with one or two members of my party before I was spotted. Just as I approached the threshold, gunfire rang out from the office building. Knowing no one in our group was packing heat, this was surely a bad sign. I snuck into the lobby silently, trying to make sense of the situation. Not much further inside there were multiple people discussing the loot from my fallen friends, and it was clear I was the last survivor in my group. Thankfully my vitals were all full, so when I took off for a mad sprint to leave the town, the human hunters weren't able or didn't care enough to chase me down. Overall Pleasant Valley proved to be anything but pleasant. Despite H1Z1's attempt to make zombies a larger threat, rival players remain the dominant cause of player casualties it seems.

Closing Thoughts

Obviously this is just a game, but the people I met that day were a bunch of good guys. That's a rarity in this sub-genre, and I imagine the community will continue to deteriorate as time passes. You can barely trust anyone anymore and over the last few days the game has already shifted towards an FPS deathmatch. Thankfully H1Z1 made the design decision to make guns a rarity, and matching appropriate ammo to a given gun is even more unlikely. As such bows are the weapon of choice for most players, and most hostile 1 on 1 confrontations tend to end with a few injuries rather than only one man standing. I have had an interesting adventure in H1Z1 so far, and the gameplay thus far seems more solid than any of its competitors. There aren’t many game breaking bugs, and even playing from Europe I suffered few lag issues.

So far this is definitely the most stable alpha zombie game I have played. And I fear for the future of a game like DayZ that is plagued by more bugs than features with each new patch. Sure an alpha is alpha, but having a well-established engine is a big plus when it comes to developing your game. H1Z1 is definitely not the best looking game out there right now, with its textures being quite dated. But if you are more concerned with gameplay than looks in your survival horror game, H1Z1 will fit the bill. Though there's no harm waiting out the early alpha to see how the monetization system shapes up when the game goes fully free to play.

Want more H1Z1? Catch our First Look video here!

KingsRoad Announces Asian Themed Update with Tournament of Jade

Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:19 AM PST

KingsRoad, the multiplayer action-RPG from Rumble Entertainment now available on iPad devices and browsers, is traveling to foreign and exotic lands in the game's next in-game event, the Tournament of Jade. Journey out of Alderstone to the eastern nation of Tojin to challenge the infernal Dragon Clan and seize the land's jade treasures.

Beginning Monday, February 9 and running until Monday, March 9, KingsRoad players will have access to the regions outside of Alderstone and the exotic treasures that hide in every corner. Those with the courage to begin their journey east into foreign lands will find themselves armed with special, event-only consumables including the Falcon Spawn summoning potion and stealthy Smoke Bomb as they battle for the coveted Jadestone Buckle belt.

KingsRoad recently became available on iPad devices and can be downloaded for free at www.appstore.com/kingsroad. The game is also available for free on browsers at www.rumblegames.com/kingsroad.

Empyrean Rule Set to appear on Law & Order TV Show

Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:03 AM PST

Empyrean Rule – Rise of the Ancients proudly announces its participation in the production of the 14^th episode of the acclaimed TV series Law and Order – Special Victims Unit, which airs on the 11^th of February 2015. Specifically, Empyrean Rule has been selected, among hundreds of other games, to be part of a scene, in which the detectives of the series visit a Games Fair to investigate a crime scene.

Inspired by the threats and harassment surrounding GamerGate, a controversy regarding sexism in video games culture, this episode is about a fictional developer called Raina Punjabi, who is abused, harassed and de-sexed by gamers.

Raina Punjabi solidifies the launch of her first game amid a stream of online insults, intimidation and death threats from the male-dominated gaming. When a female employee is assaulted at a gamer convention, Detective Tutuola (Ice-T) investigates the crime but Raina refuses to delay the launch, and the cops must “level up” to protect her.

For more info, visit: www.empyreanrule.com

Worlds Adrift Closer Look

Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:02 AM PST

Worlds Adrift promises sandbox MMO elements in a world where players can build and pilot their own air ships, featuring realistic physics powered combat.

League of Angels: Fire Raiders – New LoA Sequel Announced

Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:00 AM PST

GTArcade, the top browser game developer and publisher of 2014, is incredibly pleased to announce the release of its first mobile game: League of Angels – Fire Raiders! A highly anticipated sequel to the immensely popular browser game, this sequel sets out to change the way mobile games are played. We hope you are ready to experience something completely new!

Countless Heroes, Angels and Gameplays!

League of Angels – Fire Raiders is a strategy MMO card game featuring countless action-packed game modes such as cross-server arena battles, team dungeons, unique PVE and PVP modes and plenty of mini games! With over a hundred available heroes and angels, be sure to unlock the perfect ones for you. Train them and enhance their weapons in order to become the strongest player in your server! Build a mighty team of heroes, guided by a beautiful angel, and take your league on a journey where you will be pitted against evil forces, mighty bosses and other players. United Through Fire, your heroes will prove to be the most loyal companions you could ever ask for. The Angels, beautiful and protective, will do their best to protect them all along the way.

Power In Your Hands!
Prepare yourself for a revolution in mobile game strategy. The choices you make will have a huge impact on how you do in the game. There are many choices to make, beginning with which Heroes or Angels to recruit. Each team is unique, so finding the perfect combination will be the first step in forging a path towards victory. Once a hero or angel is recruited, there are many options when it comes to leveling up, learning skills, and upgrading equipment. But building a strong team isn't the only thing, you need to be diverse as well. Some enemies will be impossible to bring down if you use the same old combination of heroes every time. You have to make sure you adapt your strategy to that of your foe. In order to allow players to customize their tactics at will, they have the option to pick their heroes and angel formation before every battle, thus ensuring that every player has the chance to choose the perfect strategy when it really matters!

Make Friends and Win Together!
To Play League of Angels – Fire Raiders is to play a game that never ends. With weekly hot events, players from all over the world and constant updates, you can enjoy the action everywhere you go. Armed with the power of choice, your resources, battle level and recruited heroes will all play a crucial role in how you play the game. Only by assembling the right party and discovering the perfect strategy can you make it to the top! As an MMORPG, we also give you the opportunity to connect with thousands of players in the live chat and make new friends who will follow you throughout your journey, both through the good times and bad. League of Angels – Fire Raiders will soon be available in the App Store and on Google play. The game is completely free to play and there are many ways to take part in the launch festivities and earn yourself some very valuable gift codes. Don't forget to like us in Facebook to get the latest news and receive even more free gifts. Don't miss out on this one, it is sure to be one of the hottest mobile games of 2015!

Additional Information:
For more info, visit http://angelmobile.gtarcade.com/

Gas Guzzlers Extreme: Full Metal Zombie DLC Available Soon

Posted: 09 Feb 2015 10:58 AM PST

Veteran video game publisher Iceberg Interactive announced today that the all new gruesome zombie-filled DLC Gas Guzzlers Extreme: Full Metal Zombie is coming to Steam Monday, February 16. Gas Guzzlers Extreme: Full Metal Zombie is the second DLC for Gas Guzzlers Extreme, with its first DLC Full Metal Frenzy already released in May 2014.

Full Metal Zombie is jam-packed with an enhanced brand of zombie-crushing gameplay that stars a two-story high zombie monster boss, enormous, feral zombie animals bent on ramming your car, and hordes of flesh-hungry zombies determined to gnaw your vehicle to bits. The impressive level of new content is so big it's almost an entirely new game.

Gas Guzzlers Extreme: Full Metal Zombie takes place in a Zombie apocalypse that's taken over the hi-octane Gas Guzzlers Extreme universe. Armed to the teeth with high-powered weaponry, dangerous vehicles, and insane power-ups that litter each arena, players are more than capable of obliterating the hordes of the undead – but only if they're smart.

Full Metal Zombie plays like an entirely new game, introducing tons of new ragdoll physics, a wild array of zombie AI (slow, fast, human, animal, monsters, etc.), blood, and body parts flying around.

Gas Guzzlers Extreme: Full Metal Zombie Key Features:

A total of 22 zombie variants, from regular old zombies to ax wielding maniacs, to giant undead zombie animals packing explosives, to an enormous minigun-wielding boss
An all new arena: Warburg, a HUGE new city map
A new vehicle: the Nightmare RTS, a fast, iconic Japanese sports and drag racing car
Two new game modes: Defend the Base and Survival (both single and multi-player)
And a new military skin. Bust those Z's like GI Joe!

For more info, visit store.steampowered.com/app/277821/

Total War: ATTILA – Special Edition Hunboxing

Posted: 09 Feb 2015 08:27 AM PST

A special stunt-filled unboxing of Total War: Attila.