Oort Online demonstrates the extreme advancement in technology pushing a more advanced Voxel system than seen before.
Oort Online Beautiful Voxels Trailer
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Yearly Archives: 2014
Oort Online Introduction Trailer
Turbulenz Games introduces the concepts that set Oort Online apart from other Voxel MMOs in the making.
Elite: Dangerous Beta Trailer
Frontier Developments reveals the beginning of Elite: Dangerous beta testing with a flashy new trailer.
Rail Nation First Impressions: Run Your Own Railway Company
By Mohammad Abubakr
Every once in a while we all like to move outside of our usual choice of game genres and try something else. I spend most of my time playing MMORPGs and ARTS games but I decided to try out a browser based strategy/simulation game. Developed by Travian Games, Rail Nation is a browser based strategy game aimed at train lovers. Players must run and manage a railway company by carrying out tasks such as upgrading trains, constructing trade routes, and developing their own station.
While the game is advertised as a strategy game, it is not real time, meaning that you simply manage your company and it will run in the background. This is similar to games such as FarmVille where you choose your tasks and let the game carry them out over some time. The same applies in Rail Nation. Actions such as researching new technology or running trade routes can take many hours. You just need to login every few hours to plan and queue your next task.
These kinds of games cannot be played for hours on end, but simply require you to spend a few minutes a day to maximize your production and profit. These games have the ability to get you hooked simply because you do not want to miss out on some profit. Even if it gets very repetitive it can be hard to quit because of all the time you invested into the game. It is just like Animal Crossing: while you don’t play it for hours on end, you pick it up for 10-15 minutes a day, do your daily tasks, and wait until the next day.
When you first begin playing Rail Nation, you must select which server you would like to play on. You would not expect to do so in such a game but it is necessary in Rail Nation due to timed rounds. Servers are not synced, meaning that some servers could be ahead of others in time. This is because Rail Nation is not like your traditional browser strategy/simulation games. Your company does not go on forever.
The avatar creation is simply choosing multiple images that are joined together…
Every 14 days a new era begins on each server. These eras unlock new trains and technology, similar to the era system from Civilization where you progress from the Stone Age all the way to the future era. After six eras, the game moves onto the end game phase where players compete to have the best railway company on their server. Each game round takes 3-4 months to complete after which the server is reset back to the first era. You can play on multiple servers if you would really like to keep yourself busy and increase your chances of being the best on a server.
After selecting your server, a tutorial guides you through beginning and managing your railway company. At times this tutorial did get a bit annoying because it treated you like you knew nothing, but that could be necessary to ensure that there is no confusion. Due to the user interface being designed well, you can get into the game without too many instructions. I was very pleased with the interface in Rail Nation.
On the other hand, the game looked a little dead. The map does not have any life and you only really see your trains moving in between their scheduled locations. Since you are playing online with other players, I would love to see the actions of other players playing out on my screen. This design decision might have been made to avoid too much clutter on the screen. It is not necessary to show all the trains on the server, just animate players’ trains to make the game feel like it is online and not just another single player game. Other elements such as the animals and water could also be animated to give more life to the game. The game is still in beta and I did see options to enable cloud and water animation but they did not do anything. Maybe after the conclusion of the beta the map will begin to look more alive.
Players can customize their own stations to increase their rate of profit.
Once you get past the dead look of the map, you can see many industries available to be profited from. You must construct tracks between these industries and schedule your train engines to transport goods. Different goods require different types of wagons so in the beginning you might be limited on cash and not be able to make use of all the industries. Simply clicking on a train engine lets you schedule routes which generate income. These schedules run in the background and you do not need to be present or even have the game open.
It would be boring to just let the trains run 24/7 and come back in a month with millions of dollars. To address this issue, trains have durability which goes down over time and must be repaired. This mechanic forces players to check in daily to update their schedules in order to keep their train engines in good shape. Different goods change in demand meaning that dedicated players must also check in daily and move around their schedules to maximize profit.
There are many train engines to choose between and they are locked to specific eras. Obviously as time goes by, more advanced engines become available. These engines can be further upgraded by researching add-ons. Researching simply consists of using research points which are gained over time. Even with researching, you must check in daily to keep up as there is a cap on how many unspent points each player may have. There are currently 48 different goods, 36 engines, and 48 kinds of wagons in the game. Couple this with the research options and you get a great game for train lovers.
There are a lot of options when it comes to upgrading your train engines.
While your company may be able to make money with your well-thought train schedules, the developers still need to make some return on their game. Being free to play, optional cash shop purchases are available to make the lives of players easier. This premium currency can be used to purchase upgrades, speed up construction, offer free repairs and many other features letting the game be more autonomous. There is definitely an advantage for paying players over those that play for free, and it can affect the leaderboards. However, for a game like this I do not see many other business options if it wants to remain free to play. Normally I recommend just selling cosmetics, but due to the graphics and design of this game, I do not think that would sell well enough for the game to stay alive. Free players can earn cash shop currency by playing the game, although at a very slow rate.
Using premium currency can make your life easier.
Conclusion: Great (for train enthusiasts)
In conclusion, due to the various options available in Rail Nation, it is a great game for train enthusiasts. I often see the chat talking about different kinds of engines and it goes to show that the people playing this game really love and know trains. There are still a lot of changes that can be made to further polish this game and I hope these issues are addressed prior to official release. I hope to see this game actually feel like you are playing online instead of by yourself.
If you like trains and enjoy strategy/simulation games, I would definitely give this game a go.
Elite Dangerous: Beta 1 now available
Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) has released the first phase of the Beta development process of its forthcoming space epic Elite: Dangerous as planned. Beta 1 increases the number of playable star systems in the game by a factor of 10 compared to Premium Beta, and covers a greatly expanded 38,000 cubic light-year volume of Elite: Dangerous’ accurately modelled Milky Way galaxy centred around the Boötes constellation familiar to Premium Beta players.
The greater volume of Beta 1 space has an increased variety of celestial bodies, trading economies and star ports, and plays host to a large number of additional features and enhancements which together provide a richer gameplay experience over the whole expanded volume of space.
Significant Beta 1 additional features include:
· 55 star systems covering 38,000 cubic light-years
· Initial online mission system functionality (to be further developed through Beta)
· Player-to-player communication by text and voice
· Friends management and matchmaking
· Private Group play option
· On-line single player option
· Overview trade route mapping
· The concept of fuel consumption
· Docking computers to automate safe star port landings
· Additional Viper heavy fighter and Lakon Type 6 medium trader ships
For more info, visit http://elite.frontier.co.uk/
APB Reloaded: ‘Open Conflict’ update now available
Reloaded Games today announced the launch of “release 17” of APB Reloaded, a top Free2Play® online action game featuring unparalleled character and car customization. The “Open Conflict” update introduces the revolutionary anti-cheat solution FairFight, a new Open Conflict game mode, new matchmaking options and several general game enhancements.
Key Features of the Update:
- FairFight is the revolutionary server-side anti-cheat solution that now protects APB Reloaded. Players can now feel safe knowing that their opposition is being actively monitored for mischievous activity, just as FairFight also protects other top games like Titanfall and Battlefield 4. FairFight works in conjunction with existing anti-cheat systems, and publicly broadcasts and shames every hacker it bans in real-time. FairFight employs advanced algorithmic analysis and cheat detection methods far beyond the capabilities of other solutions and its server-side approach means that it can never truly be bypassed by hack programs.
- Open Conflict is a new matchmaking mode that means quicker matchups, more play time and fun. Open Conflict selects your opponents based on availability rather than skill, leading to more entertaining and unexpected firefights than previously permitted.
- Character settings are now persistently saved in the cloud for player convenience. This means that if you play from another PC, your account settings will conveniently move with you.
For more information, visit www.apb.com
Blood Bowl: Available tomorrow on mobile tablets
Blood Bowl, Cyanide Studio’s adaptation of Games Workshops famous Fantasy football board game inspired by the Warhammer world, will be available tomorrow on iPad and Android tablets. From now on, the fierce matches of Blood Bowl will follow you, wherever you travel!
Players of Blood Bowl on PC will also be pleased to hear that they will be able to connect with their account, and play with their teams whose races match this handheld version (Humans and Orcs for the base game, and Dwarfs, Skaven, Wood Elves and Chaos as additional races). Even better, the game is cross-platform compatible, so players on tablets will be able to compete in matches against PC players!
In Blood Bowl on iPad and Android tablets, assemble your team from among six fantastic races in the Warhammer universe. Each race has its own strengths, weaknesses and numerous opportunities to develop which will lend an immense tactical depth to the game. Immerse yourself in single matches in Solo Player mode to enjoy fun, fast games, or set off to conquer the Blood Bowl in the extensive Campaign mode. Develop your team and players by gaining victories and experience as you progress in the game.
For more info, visit http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/
Path of Exile: ‘The Karui Way’ Issue #1 Now Available
In conjunction with comic book and graphic novel publisher Dynamite Entertainment, Grinding Gear Games, developer of the critically-acclaimed action role-playing videogame Path of Exile, today announced that The Karui Way, the first issue of the official Path of Exile comic series, is now available for purchase.
The Karui Way reveals backstory from an upcoming, unannounced expansion, weaving elements from the existing in-game narrative with an entirely new and gripping conflict. Currently offered in ePub, PDF, Mobi, and CBZ (Comic Book Reader) formats, The Karui Way is available as a digital download on the Path of Exile website at www.pathofexile.com/comic, and next week via Dynamite’s online storefront, Amazon.com, and Dark Horse Digital. A special bundle is also on offer, which includes the first issue as well as the exclusive Lioneye Helmet Effect and Kaom Helmet Effect – two cosmetic in-game items not offered anywhere else.
The next three issues are scheduled to release monthly following the first issue’s debut, and the entire series will ultimately be compiled as a full-color, printed graphic novel, which will be published by Dynamite in early 2015. Additionally, each issue will be available as part of an optional bundle containing an exclusive in-game bonus for players of Path of Exile, such as cosmetic armor effects, among other surprises. The standalone issues and bundles will be priced at $4.00 and $20.00 USD respectively.
For more info, visit www.pathofexile.com
Oort Online: New sandbox game revealed
Developed by former Lionhead and EA veterans, Oort Online is a multiplayer sandbox game set in a massive universe… In the Oort Online universe, you’ll be able to explore huge numbers of different worlds, each with unique appearances, resources, real players and their creations.
Each planet is populated by vicious and varied creatures known as The Protectors. Fight them alone or with friends to be rewarded with experience and loot. Everyone plays in the same universe. You can build anything, anywhere, from Portals to Palaces, and keep your creations safe using Beacons.
Step through a Portal and find other players, their creations, monuments, shops, cities and guilds. The whole universe is open for you to explore.
For more info, visit oortonline.com
Neverwinter: Coming to Xbox One in 2015
Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leader and publisher of widely-acclaimed free-to-play MMORPGs, announced today that Cryptic Studios is bringing popular free-to-play MMORPG Neverwinter to consoles. Available first, free-to-play with Gold* on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Neverwinter – set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe from Wizards of the Coast – is the first free-to-play title from Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios that will be launched on both PC and console platforms.
Players in North America and Europe can expect Neverwinter for consoles in the first half of 2015.
“Neverwinter is our premier title to bring to console players,” said Perfect World Entertainment CEO, Alan Chen. “Consoles are a perfect fit for action-oriented MMORPGs like Neverwinter, and we are thrilled to be one of the first publishers to bring premium free-to-play titles to leading next-gen platforms. Being able to bring Neverwinter to the Xbox One is a critical achievement for Perfect World. It is our first step taking our games beyond the PC market.”
Entering its fourth module on August 14, 2014 with Tyranny of Dragons, Neverwinter continues to provide authentic Dungeons & Dragons narratives and gameplay opportunities since launching in Summer 2013, and continues to grow with the D&D fan base.
“The addition of the new platforms is another piece of exciting news for Dungeons & Dragons fans in this pivotal year,” said Nathan Stewart, Dungeons & Dragons Brand Director. “We continue to work closely with Perfect World and Cryptic Studios to bring exciting new stories to players around the world.”
For more info, visit http://www.PlayNeverwinter.com