Monthly Archives: November 2014

Gloria Victis: End of Year Updates

Gloria Victis

Straight from the Gloria Vicitis team, they’ve updated their main page with some new details regarding the current state of their sandbox MMORPG:

During the last months Gloria Victis development was focused mostly on polishing the core gameplay mechanisms and increasing the game’s performance to allow lifting the NDA off. Now, as the most of the fundamental systems have been implemented and polished, is the time to extend the gameplay and game’s content.

The most important feature of the last update is implementation of dialogues system. This is a great progress in developing Gloria Victis content – it will allow not only to introduce a player into the game world, co-created with screenwriters of one of the best cRPGs. It also allowed the developers to start creating quests, so implementing them can be expected soon.

It is also worth to mention about both equipment and combat mechanics rebalancing, choosing the starting armor during character creation process and recent upgrade of crafting system, giving the players more than 500 available recipes – but it is only a tip of the iceberg when compared to upcoming updates. One of them will be implementing of new effects affecting the player’s character and alchemical recipes.

Also the territory control system will be expanded – soon players by capturing strategic location will gain bonuses for their whole nation, buy fortifications or hire the guards who will defend those places. In future those mercenaries and NPC enemies will also be able to use ranged weapon, just as the city guards do it now. Game world will be modified too – models of mountains will be replaced with open terrains so players will be able to achieve the highest peaks. It will not only improve Gloria Victis performance and visuals but also make the world much more open and will allow to develop the game in the sandbox direction.

But that’s not all – in upcoming weeks there will be a Pre-Alpha invitation contest. Everyone who wants to win a key should keep an eye on Gloria Victis Facebook page and official forums.

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

Block N Load – Alpha Impressions

By Tyler Wood (Zelus Craft), Tech Wizard

Earlier this week we had an alpha hands-on session with Jagex’s new blocky FPS: Block N Load. Block N Load is the spiritual successor to Ace of Spades, a Minecraft and Team Fortress 2 styled hybrid game released by Jagex in 2012. Like Ace of Spades, Block N Load features fully destructible blocky environments and class-based team play.

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At Block N Load’s core is 5v5 objective-based game modes, such as enemy base destruction and capture points, and ever changing destructible maps. Block N Load partially deviates from the tried-and-true character weapon loadout system and gives block-based building and defense items a try, thus differentiating the game from others in the FPS space.

 

Currently, six character classes are planned for launch, and all of them were playable at the alpha event we attended. Characters, for the most part, fit the typical team-vs-team dynamic with offensive, defensive, and support types, but it’s worth noting that they could all place blocks for offensive and defensive purposes. Each character exemplifies exaggerated personality traits, which in turn gives them a theme for their loadout. Tony, for example, is a construction worker who focuses more on defensive play with turrets while Cogwheel, a menacing and angry looking robot, is more adept at offensive play with artillery and chainguns.

 

Creative Director Alex Horton explained at the event that player progression would be on a per-character basis rather than an account basis, and there would also be a ranked ladder. Though we could not experience either of these at the event, we’re glad to hear that they’ll be in the game at a later date as they’ll certainly add longevity to the title.

 

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Better hide when these guys come ‘knocking.’

 

Right off the bat Block N Load improves on Ace of Spades’ gameplay by adding a three-minute building and planning phase before the game actually begins. One of the more criticized aspects of Ace of Spades was the building of fortifications being rarely worthwhile, but in Block N Load it’s possible to build meaningful defenses and maintain them throughout the game. Each character can place down up to six different types of blocks from a selection of about ten, and some of these blocks are shared between different classes. Unlike Minecraft, players cannot use blocks they destroy directly; block destruction and player kills are rewarded with currency that’s used to place down blocks selected in the character loadout.

 

Visually, Block N Load is charming and the environments and textures live up to the aesthetic goal of being similar that of Minecraft, however, the un-blocky nature of the characters themselves makes them feel a little… off. The characters are cartoony, and they have personality, but they feel a little too distinct compared to the rest of the game world. Of course, it makes sense to have detailed characters such that they are easy to distinguish from a distance, but we’re sure it’s possible to more closely match the character design to the general aesthetic while keeping characters recognizable.

 

Like Ace of Spades, Block N Load is intended for the more casual demographic and fits into the beginner and intermediate FPS realm. While playing we noticed very few high-level movement options with the exception of air strafing around corners at the edge of the map and wall climbing while playing as O.P. Juan Shinobi (the Mexican ninja).

 

In our play sessions we found that the Tony, the engineer class, was the cornerstone of defensive play with his turrets. In general, we felt like it was easier to defend than to attack; the defenders advantage is strong and it’s only balanced by increasingly long respawn times. For offensive play it was clear that digging under or around the map and placing forward spawn points was the best way to poise or to surprise the enemy team on the way to destroying the objective, called the Cube. Very few games today have fully destructible environments, so defending against tunneling enemies takes some getting used to. It’s not an entirely new mechanic, but it’s still fresh and interesting to fight against.

 

Block N Load’s game feel is a bit rough in its current state; it doesn’t quite have either the Minecraft or Team Fortress 2 friction, movement, or animation quality down yet. While playing, it felt our characters were getting caught on every little thing around them and the aiming felt a little sticky – hopefully this is just an alpha thing that will be improved upon. Hit detection, sprinting, and iron sights worked well enough though.

 

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The battlefield can be a pretty hectic place, and it changes all the time.

 

Some block placement mechanics from Minecraft, like pillaring, are absent and melee range block placement and destruction feels shorter than it should be. Some things from Minecraft like scroll wheel and number key block selection and the two-block character heights are intact and feel natural. Like in Team Fortress 2, character stacking and switching is allowed on respawn.

 

We noticed Steam was already integrated into the alpha client we were using, so we’re hopeful that some form of Steamworks will be available so players can submit custom skins and visual customizations to be approved or used in the game on custom servers. Regarding custom servers, dedicated servers will not be an option, but custom and private games hosted on Jagex’s servers will be available.

 

Block N Load is planned to be a Buy-To-Play retail title priced at $19.99 with a $29.99 special edition option that includes season pass access to major updates. Though we do not yet know when the game will be released, a beta period is planned to start before this Christmas, so keep your eyes out for it. If you’re a fan of Ace of Spades then you’ll certainly look forward to this game’s release.

 

Overall, Block N Load is a neat game with a few rough edges; the core gameplay is there and well established. Despite the lack of higher level FPS mechanics being present, we still had fun in the frantic blocky world. Remember: Alpha is alpha, beta is beta, and everything is subject to change.

Jagex Announces Block N Load

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Jagex Games Studio today announced a new online multiplayer first-person shooter, in which brains are as important as bullets. Block N Load combines first-person action with strategic construction that sees teams competing to build defensive and offensive emplacements, before tunneling, leaping and charging into the enemy’s base.

 

Block N Load features destructible arenas that get explosive makeovers as teams meld tactical action with strategic creativity. To aid them in their objectives, combatants can initially select from six heroes who each offer unique combative and tactical advantages such as Cogwheel, an unhinged weapons obsessed robot; O.P. Juan Shinobi, a deadly Ninja that players won’t see coming; or Doctor Eliza Doolally, who shuns ethics in favor of applied chemistry. In addition to active and passive abilities, each player will also have access to an array of weapons and blocks such as mines, force fields, bounce pads, glue tiles, turrets and giant bombs.

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All these elements, and more, combine to create an explosive experience that demolishes preconceptions of first-person shooters.

 

Block N Load is currently in development for PC and is scheduled to launch on Steam in 2015. Registration to enter this December’s beta test is now open at the official website: www.blocknload.com.

KEY FEATURES

  • NO GAME THE SAME: An ever-evolving game world throughout every match, as players shoot and build towards enemy positions and victory
  • CHARACTER VARIETY: Maverick heroes offer a robust mix of roles for full combat, defensive and supportive team strategies
  • FAST-PACED YET STRATEGIC: Every game has a blend of intelligent and creative tactics fused with strategic shooter action
  • BE A MASTER OF CONSTRUCTION: Creative use of the build phase in game can result in deadly and devious constructions able to tear down any enemy plan

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“We’ve been building Block N Load for a while now, and we’re immensely excited by how the game is shaping up. Block N Load represents a true departure from the type of games that Jagex is known for; it’s not browser-based, it’s not free-to-play, and it’s not an MMO,” said David Solari, VP of Block N Load at Jagex. “We’re thrilled to finally announce it to the world, and hope that people enjoy taking part in the upcoming beta. The team is eager to receive feedback and is looking forward to working closely with players to ensure Block N Load is the best game it can possibly be.”

Learn more with our hands on alpha preview!

Double Action Boogaloo

Double Action is a free multiplayer game. Dive, flip, shoot, and slide your way into 90’s action movie style mayhem. All of the gameplay elements are purposefully extreme and dramatic, with plenty of excessive gunfire and explosions to keep things interesting.

Features:

Action-Packed Gameplay:The action in Double Action Boogaloo is fat-paced and well over-the-top. Everything is taken straight from the 90’s, with classy one-liners, diving gun fights, and even helicopters. Things are meant to be a bit crazy and fast-paced. Try to keep up!

Steam Multiplayer: Jump straight into the action using Steam supported multiplayer. Start up games with your friends, local or distant, or jump into a game with strangers. The game receives regular, full support from the development team, to make Double Action the most pick-up-and-play friendly multiplayer game possible.

VR Support: The game is designed for full support of Oculus Rift and other comparable VR devices. Don’t just dive off of a building while shooting at someone, dive off of a building while shooting someone, while completely immersed in the fact that you’re falling to your death!

Level Editor: The level editor means that enterprising players will be able to take full advantage of the game’s potential by designing limitless numbers of new arenas and features. Want to try your hand at crafting the perfect murder playground? Go for it. The level editor, like the game itself, is completely free.

Lost Saga Strikes Back with Massive Content Update

Lost Saga Angel Battle

Nexon Europe is pleased to announce a fight-tastic new content update for the beloved online brawler, Lost Saga. The update adds yet more diverse characters to the scores of intergalactic, mythical characters, both great and small, already in place, as well as the Gear Designer feature that fans have been dreaming of.

Rare heroes are the very top category of playable characters, with capabilities beyond that of the normal and premium classes. Available starting today, new rare heroes include Michael, the archangel leader of God’s army and vanquisher of Lucifer. Michael’s manoeuvres include a limited time of invulnerability while flying to set up for a perfect attack, summoning a host of angels to take out enemies and heavenly meteors smashing to the ground. Continuing the deific theme is Skadi, Norse god/goddess of winter, mountains, and hunting. Skadi commands the power of winter and ice. Like all other heroes in Lost Saga, Skadi and Michael are available in either male or female form.

New premium heroes to be added starting on 26th November, as part of an SNK King of Fighters special, include the swift and skilful ninja master Mai Shiranui. Also from the legendary beat-‘em-up comes Kusanagi Kyo, manipulator of fire and flame. These will be joined by premium characters May, Yumira, and Trinity on 3rd December.

On top of this, the long-awaited addition of the Gear Designer feature will occur on the 26th November, letting players customise the appearance of their heroes with clan insignias, autographs, and more.

“Choice, variety, and attention to detail are some of the key pillars in creating a tough brawler,” said Jay Park, Product Manager at Nexon Europe. “We have great heroes with awesome attacks and the ability for players to really make them their own. We also look forward to players joining us for one of the many upcoming events!”

Last but not least, a Welcome Back gift is offered for returning players in the form of two hours with a premium hero, a free gift just for logging in. Additionally, Developer K, the scourge of players everywhere, returns. Claiming victory against Developer K at a specific time will result in a hefty reward. Players who haven’t logged in for 90 days can enjoy the Welcome Back gift by returning to the game on 26th November.