Monthly Archives: September 2014

Cannon Brawl: Now Available

Cannon Brawl

Cannon Brawl, a 2D action RTS with destructible terrain is launching its final release for PC, Mac, and Linux.

Featured as a PAX 10 selection, as well as having won the Activision Independent Games award, Cannon Brawl is the highly anticipated debut title from San Francisco based indie outfit, Turtle Sandbox.  The tiny team, comprised of Theresa Duringer and Peter Angstadt is proud to unveil version 1.0 of Cannon Brawl.

Players must think quickly to out-strategize their opponents in this real-time 2D artillery game.  Claim floating islands and drop war machines from airships to conquer completely destructible maps.  Carefully aim skillshots with each war machine, but don’t take too long – opponents retaliate in real-time!

The game is jam packed with a trove of war machines to unlock and explore, airships to pilot, and plenty of unique maps that will push players to figure out new plans of attack in defeating their opponents.  With unlockable weapons and defenses to discover throughout the campaign and in the Armory, players will find plenty of new strategies to invent for the most efficient victory.

“Cannon Brawl combines classic artillery play with the exciting pacing of an RTS,” said Theresa Duringer, co-founder of Turtle Sandbox, “There’s a tension between perfecting the trajectory of your next shot and keeping up your APM to maximize each volley of your onslaught.”

For more info, visit http://turtle-sandbox.com/website/index_stage.html

Elite: Dangerous Beta 2 Announced for 30 September

Elite Dangerous

Frontier Developments plc (AIM:  FDEV) today announced the release date of Elite: Dangerous Beta 2 as 30 September.

Elite: Dangerous Beta 2 is a major gameplay upgrade to the Beta:

  • Combat ratings from ‘Harmless’ all the way up to ‘Elite’.
  • Reputations per system and galaxy-wide that influence attitudes and prices offered to you.
  • Ability to discover and explore and scan new systems and sell the data on them.
  • Detailed system maps.
  • Around 500 additional star systems to explore.
  • Lakon Asp Explorer ships added.
  • Much greater variety of upgradable Life Support modules, Engines, Hyperdrives, Power Distributors, Sensors, Shield Generators and Cargo Racks for all ships.
  • Ships are subject to gradual ‘wear and tear’.
  • New weapons including mines and a new non-lethal missile-deployed cargo hatch disruptor for piracy.
  • Outposts (small, exposed ‘roadside café’ stations in remote locations)
  • Occelus starports, a version of which can move around for early civilization of new systems and space tourism.
  • Visibility of other ships in supercruise, and track others through supercruise and hyperspace.
  • Newsfeeds about events from the rest of the galaxy and player activity in your local system.
  • All backers names (from the appropriate crowd-funding reward tiers) have been added to the NPC naming database.

It also includes a host of other improvements and optimizations including additional rock, ice and metal planetary ring types, a lot more music and some optional ‘simulator’ tutorials.

SLI/Crossfire support allows play in 4K ultra-high definition (with appropriate hardware).

David Braben, CEO of Frontier said, “We are excited for people to start playing Beta 2 on 30 September – it’s another major step forward in development, and the team continues to work hard towards the full release later this year.”
Elite: Dangerous will be released in Q4 2014.

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

BlizzCon 2014’s Championships to be held at Burbank Studios

ESL

ESL TV Studios and Anaheim Convention Center to host Blizzard Entertainment’s year-end eSports World Championships

(Los Angeles, United States) September 19, 2014 – ESL, the world’s largest independent eSports brand, is proud to announce that they will be working with Blizzard Entertainment on BlizzCon® 2014’s World Championship Opening Weekend (October 31st – November 2nd), which will be housed in the ESL TV Studios in Burbank, CA (United States).

Set to feature the broadest selection of games to date, BlizzCon 2014 will this year see action played out across two weekends for the first time in the event’s history. Acting as a precursor to the main event, the World Championship Opening Weekend will feature qualification rounds for BlizzCon’s prestigious World of Warcraft®, StarCraft® II and Hearthstone® World Championships.

“Having worked closely with Blizzard Entertainment for many years now, we are very happy to host the BlizzCon World Championship Opening Weekend at our ESL studio,” said Craig Levine, Vice President of ESL America. “We’ve built a world class eSports venue and we’re excited to kickoff one of the biggest eSports events of the year!”

BlizzCon itself will be held at the Convention Center in Anaheim (CA, United States) from November 7th -8th. It will feature the best gamers from all around the world battling it out for a combined total of over US$750,000 in one of the most important eSports competitions of the year. In addition to the World Championship Opening Weekend, ESL will also move on to handle the production of the eSports stages at BlizzCon 2014.

For a breakdown of the eSports competition (both in the lead-up to and throughout BlizzCon 2014), please visit www.blizzcon.com

Space Engineers Creators Launch New Affiliate Program

Space Engineers

Keen Software House, an independent development studio based in Prague and creators of the PC hit Space Engineers, has launched a new “affiliate program” for fans, that will allow the community to share in the runaway success of the Company’s games. In addition, Keen has redesigned and re-launched the Company’s e-shop, bringing a fresh look and a fan-friendly experience to purchasing directly from the developer.

NEW AFFILIATE PROGRAM
The new Keen Software House Affiliate Program allows those with their own blogs or Youtube and Twitch channels to place a special link on their site that will track referrals and all resulting sales. Those users who refer a sale will receive 15% of the immediate purchase as well as 15% of all lifetime sales from that referred customer.

Keen Software House will provide affiliate members assets, such as artwork and banners, to help them get their programs up and running quickly and easily. Those interested in participating can visit the Affiliate Program web site at http://www.keenswh.com/affiliate-program.html.

NEW E-SHOP
To help support the new affiliate program, Keen has also re-launched the Company’s e-shop, featuring an improved interface and a better buying experience. To view the new e-shop, please visit http://shop.keenswh.com/.

Zombies Monsters Robots: Now Available on Steam

ZMR

En Masse Entertainment, a player driven publisher focused on delivering great games and exceptional service, today announced the launch of the Zombies Monsters Robots (ZMR) on Steam, making the over-the-top, anything goes, third-person shooter available to over 75 million active players. This significant milestone follows a successful Open Beta in addition to several major content updates such as Mercs vs. Monsters, Mummy See Mummy Doom, and Threshold Defense introducing new gameplay modes, maps, weapons, gear, and more fulfilling ZMR as the ultimate shooter playground.

“The response from players during our Open Beta has been fantastic,” says ZMR Producer at En Masse Entertainment, Matt Denomme. “We’re excited to introduce ZMR to a wider audience with today’s Steam launch but want to make it clear that this is still just the beginning. We’ve been delivering on our promise of monstrous content updates and have tons more in store for players.”

En Masse Entertainment is committed to providing the best experience for fans, and will continue to support ZMR with regularly scheduled content updates and events. More details will be announced soon.

To check out Zombies Monsters Robots on Steam, please follow the link below. The “Coming Soon” page will be updated to the official live product for Zombies Monsters Robots at approximately 10:00am (PDT) on Friday, September 19. http://store.steampowered.com/app/306830/

Wakfu – Now Available on Steam in Multiple Languages

Wakfu

ANKAMA today announces that the MMORPG WAKFU is now available on STEAM in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German and Thai.

WAKFU was first released in 2012 and rapidly developed a loyal global following that is still growing today. The anime-style universe of WAKFU is infused throughout with humor, from the charming interactions to its tactical combat, belying the complex political and economic systems at its heart. The game receives content updates every 2 months in average and is subscription free.

“We are proud to bring WAKFU on STEAM and give the opportunity to more and more players to discover this universe. We are starting with English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and Thai players but more will follow soon” declares Olivier Comte, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Ankama.

For the game release on STEAM, the game tutorial has been entirely reworked in order to provide a better game experience. Participants in the closed beta will receive a decoration as a reward for their contribution. Inspired by one of Valve’s famous games, this reward is the perfect item to symbolize the partnership between both companies.

In addition to the MMORPG on STEAM, players now also have access to the WAKFU anime through Netflix since the 15th of September. These releases will bring the WAKFU universe to a worldwide audience.

For more info, visit http://store.steampowered.com/app/215080/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1

Erebus 2

Erebus 2 – once known as Travia 2 – is a free to play action RPG, featuring PvP, party quests, and thousands of items to discover.

Features:

Easy to Play: Simple controls let you play with a mouse and basic keyboard use.

Massive PvP: Join in the battle in Area Wars and Guild House Wars.

Party Quests: Help your friends defeat the wicked King Rachhu and bring peace to the world.

Age of Wonders III: Golden Realms Expansion Out Today

AoW3 Golden Realms Leader

Triumph Studios, the creators of the Overlord and Age of Wonders series, announced today that Age of Wonders III: Golden Realms, the first premium expansion pack for Age of Wonders III, is out now.

Golden Realms expands Age of Wonders III’s empire building mechanics and introduces bucket loads of new content. These new features are used in random maps, new scenarios and a new story campaign, where Halfling survivors settle in a distant land filled with danger and treasures never seen before.

AoW3 Halfling City

New Content Includes:

  • The Halfling Race: The little folk are back, with new units, heroes and leaders. The jesters shoots fireworks which dazzle the enemy and the cleaver flinging brew brothers keep the Halfling armies fed while on the road. Halflings can be used with all classes and introduce the new Luck mechanic which allows them to dodge incoming attack while they’re in good spirits.
  • Golden Realms Campaign. In this three scenario campaign, you help the Halfling survivors of the Heartwood Massacre rebuild an empire in an exotic land and confront an ancient evil.
  • Exotic Map Locations: Capture the Naga Dwelling, home to serpentine queens and giant man-snakes, and discover new treasure sites such as the fabled Lost City to benefit your empire.
  • Over twenty new units: Encounter new exotic units such as the filth throwing Dread Monkeys, alluring Mermaids and the fearsome Glutton who can swallow whole regiments in one bite.
  • New Hero Items: The Golden Realms contain 50 new magical artifacts to discover and use. Wield the enigmatic Crystal Skull, or wear a stylish Witch Doctor’s Headdress to mix in with the locals.
  • Wild Magic Specialization: Unleash wild magic. Cause spontaneous mutations, warp equipment and turn orderly battles into a pandemonium where the lines of battle are violently warped.
  • Partisan Specialization: Use new skills for guerrilla warfare. Create concealed hide-outs and develop ambushing skills.
  • Two hand crafted scenarios:  Playable single and multi-player these new stand-alone scenarios are built around the new features of the Golden Realms expansion.

AoW3 Golden Realms Nagas

Features:

  • Mystical City Upgrades: Arcane treasure sites located in your domain unlock new unique upgrades for your cities, making the location and specialization of your cities more important than ever. Building a city near a Crystal Tree unlocks the Enchanted Armory which reinforcing your armored units.
  • Empire Quests: Achieve empire building goals before your rivals to unlock unique rewards for your realm. This introduces a new type of indirect competition between players. Examples are the Eternal City: be the first to build a metropolis and get an awe-inspiring Monument of Prime Good and Evil, where the first player to achieve full good or full evil alignment has a party of champions the respective alignment join at no cost.
  • Seals of Power: A new King of the Hill style victory condition where players must capture and hold the dangerous Seals of Power structures in order to achieve victory.  Don’t sit and hold back as broken seals attract extra-dimensional beings wanting to take the Seal back.
  • Defensive City Upgrades:  Each race has a unique city defense to build.  The Draconian’s Firestorm Pillar sets ablaze those who dare attack their city. Or the Bell Tower for the Humans which rallies the citizenry to shoot volleys at oncoming enemies.

All the new content and features mentioned above are integrated into the updated Random Map Generator.

Age of Wonders III: Golden Realms incorporates feedback from the community and coincides with a free update adding updated AI, balance, a new Spell Disjunction System, Steam Workshop and Cloud Saves for Steam Users. Golden Realms is set for a September 18th 2014 release and available via online stores such as Steam and GoG.