Mortal Online: Taking the Plunge?

I follow a ton of games because I'm a nerd and as its release nears, I've been reading more and more about "Mortal Online," an indie game by a wittle Swedish developer called Star Vault AB:


The game supposedly looks and plays like "Oblivion," and if the official trailer truly is composed of in-game footage, it might be one of the sexiest games I've seen in a while. (And that's before I see any full frontal e-peens that are being promised. Ohhh yeah.)

And then of course is this swanky PowerPoint presentation they prepared to lure suckahs like myself in:

http://www.mortalonline.com/files/presentation/MortalOnlinePresentation.rar

Biggest selling points for me:

• Sandbox MMO with seamless world
  
• Skill vs Level based leveling
• Crafting system (reminiscent of pre-CU SWG)
• Player Housing
• Customization up the hairy nekkid butt
• Gory and large scale battles

It just seems too good to be true, and you know when things SEEM too good to be true...they end up in the same discount bin as Vanguard and AoC. (Yes, I was way too excited about both these games at one point and paid with bitter sweet crocodile tears.)

Now the game itself boxed seems kinda pricey. $120 bucks for the LE Pre-Order and around $75 for the regular box of a game by a dinky, unproven company. But the digital download just became available for approximately $50 and I'm really considering plunking down the cash for it because...I want to believe!! Mount taming system? OohhHhh yeaaahhh!!

The game is currently in closed beta, though pre-orders are receiving access! You can learn more about the game at the official Mortal Online website, and also pre-order it there. And you can bet your ass I'll be watching this even more closely as release draws near...or will it be closed beta for me?

Hmmm.

Huxley: Beta Sign Ups!

Go go go go!

http://huxley.ijji.com

They will announce who gets in at the end of May, and beta testing will begin at the start of June.

Good luck everyone!

Tabula Rasa: 3 Day Trial for MMORPG.COM Members

In case you were still curious about Richard Garriot's "Tabula Rasa," MMORPG.COM is offering some 3 day trials:

MMORPG.com is very pleased to announce that we have teamed up with NCsoft to bring you a limited free trial of Tabula Rasa, the newest MMORPG from NCsoft featuring action-packed combat in the planets of Foreas and Arieki!

* Offer only valid while supplies last.

GOLD SPAMMERS BEWARE: You will not be able to use trial accounts to advertise to any Tabula Rasa players.

NOTE: This trial is only valid in North America. Our European visitors should visit this link to get a trial: http://eu.rgtr.com/en/news_article/new_trials_available_now.

About Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a massively multiplayer online action game that takes you into the heat of battle at the frontlines of an epic war between a xenophobic alien race bent on galactic conquest and the coalition of rebel soldiers who've traveled across the galaxy to stop them.

Combining the action of a first person shooter and the immersion of a role-playing game, Tabula Rasa takes the player on an intergalactic adventure where the individual has an opportunity to significantly impact the pace of battle on a global scale. Players enter the game as rebel soldiers wielding a variety of futuristic weapons, potent demolitions and the mystical power of "Logos". It is up to each individual to use their stealth, ingenuity and skill to assist a ragtag coalition of rebels in their efforts to stop an enemy known for its intelligence and unyielding determination to enslave the Universe.

Features:

• Go to the frontlines of a futuristic war in a massively multiplayer war game that combines the character growth of an RPG with the action of a shooter.
• Players will participate in large scale battles with NPC allies against an intelligent enemy known as The Bane for control of entire planets.
• Players will go behind enemy lines in missions that directly impact the war effort, either solo or with teammates.
• Rich storyline and fictional universe features Richard Garriott’s signature creative vision and attention to detail.
• It's not all guts and guns; a mysterious power known commonly as "Logos," allows players to harness the very fabric of the cosmos to offer rebel forces an advantage against an overwhelming foe.
• Simplified game interface is complimented by built-in voice chat technology to create a seamless cooperative gaming experience.

Benefits

• Role-playing game fans will enjoy a game design that focuses more on depth than complexity, with an immersive story and rich character growth driven by player choices.
• First person shooter fans who crave a richer gaming experience will appreciate a massively multiplayer game that is reactive to player choices and allows for a broad range of character movement. They'll also find FPS standards including explosions, vehicles and big guns.
• Massively multiplayer online game fans will enjoy being able to garner rare collectibles and inventory, a large community to interact with, and frequently updated content to both the game and the storyline.

Registering with MMORPG.COM is free so don't worry, you've nothing to lose (except for precious precious time.)

I played TR in closed and open beta quite a bit, but I think I might have been a little too hard core for the game (seeing that my friends and I made it past 30 in a couple days). For casual, sci-fi loving player, I think, there's enough to keep a person occupied for about a month or two (like you out there, waiting for the WAR open beta.) And FPS enthusiasts, despite it's designation, it's sticky targeting (i.e., I can look at that tree growing in Brooklyn and still hit shit...at least when I was playing that is.)

It's not a bad game, just not incredibly good, and I found it kinda' boring after a while. I don't think it was worth it's original price tag or the monthly fee, but right now you can purchase the whole game with the 1st month free for under $20 if you know where to look.

p.s. Yes, I am guilty of being a disgruntled Engineer. :(

Call of Duty MMO in the Works?

w('o')w

Would You Play a Call of Duty MMO?

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick floats the idea at an investor conference.

by Ryan Geddes

March 4, 2008 - Speaking to a group of investment analysts today, Activision CEO (and soon to be Activision Blizzard president and CEO) Bobby Kotick said the company is considering turning its Call of Duty franchise into a massively multiplayer online game.

Kotick briefly touched on the idea in answer to a question at the 2008 Morgan Stanley Technology Conference about how merging Activision with Vivendi Games might open up new opportunities for both companies.

Before closing its deal with Vivendi (which owns Sierra and Blizzard), Kotick said Activision looked at five years of data on U.S. publishers' attempts to break into the MMO market. Most resulted in failure, cancellation or low profit margins. By teaming up with Blizzard, which has proven its online mettle with World of Warcraft, he said Activision can not only pull in WoW's subscriber base to strengthen its balance sheet but also to learn from the company's veterans how to undertake new projects.

That could include tapping Blizzard talent to figure out how Activision might take Call of Duty in an MMO direction, Kotick said. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, developed by Infinity Ward, was a huge hit for Activision in 2007 and routinely appears at the top of Xbox Live's weekly list of most-played games.

Kotick only touched briefly on the CoD MMO idea and went on to discuss the future direction of the Guitar Hero franchise, which will likely see user-generated content and more tie-ins with Vivendi's Universal Music Group going forward.

Let the rumours fly!! FLY~~~~~!!

Mail Call: Hellgate London Stongehenge For Your Face!

This arrived in the mail for me today:

Hellgate for the Holidays

Fellow Hellgaters,

The leaves have long since fallen, snow coats the ground, and the temperature is cold enough to freeze Sydonai's tentacles off. The master of Earth's Burn is not pleased. But we sure are! How could we not be? This is our first post-release newsletter!

Below, please find the latest HG:L happenings.

Multiplayer Patch 0.7

As the players who participated in our Test Center server found out earlier today, the 0.7 content update will be launching for both the Shulgoth (US) and Sydonai (EU) servers this week.

Big additions in this patch include a massive memory usage fix, Nightmare difficulty rebalancing, and a new "Looking for Group" interface.

A number of notorious bugs were also squashed in this build. Impassible maps and quest monsters that refused to spawn are a thing of the past.

With 0.7 subscribers can enjoy additional content in the form of the Transmogrifier -- an item used for extra inventory and recipe crunching -- and twelve new unique items.

Bill & Stonehenge

Curious about Hellgate: London's first major ongoing content release for subscribers? It's what we call the Stonehenge Expansion and Bill Roper is here to fill you in...

"We've decided to take the time necessary to make our first major content patch right. If there is one lesson we've learned from launching Hellgate: London, our releases should be a question of "what" and not "when."

We were pushing to get Stonehenge released before the end of the year, but we realized that we wouldn't be doing the right thing to push it out before it was ready and properly tested. We're still on our schedule and meeting our original promise of providing a major quarterly update. We just felt that we would be doing everyone a disservice to push this out before it was right.

We are, however, going to have the first in our continuing Hellgate chronicles, entitled Stonehenge, into Test Center before the holidays. This is so we can get a lot of people finding the issues and getting us feedback over their holiday breaks."

-- Bill Roper

If all goes well, you'll see the Stonehenge Expansion hit the Test Center this week, with the full release scheduled to launch in January.

Subscription Details: Here

Single Player Patch 0.6

Hellgaters who prefer solo play have been eagerly awaiting this news... SP 0.6 is now available. Some major fixes include issues with the mini-game, quest items, and unique drops. Fresh content includes rebalanced skills, more chests in secret areas, and user interface tweaks. These adjustments match SP to MP 0.6 and shall greatly improve your single player experience.

So Long! From everyone here at Flagship Studios (yes, even Sydonai), we wish you all the best this holiday season and we hope 2008 sees you all safe and well. See you online!

I'd rather have a bunch of Shulgoths pulling my sleigh along though. (And with the holidays coming up I'll probably need three of 'em to pull me out of my food coma.)

HGL: Stonehenge Incoming?

Check out this page from FSS's Korean friends courtesy of Sixstar, a HG:L forum member:

Hanbit Hellgate: London

It takes a sec to load and then there's a bunch of Korean. Scroll down a bit and you'll start to see some artwork for the Stone Henge area that is supposedly (according to some interview Roper did with Hanbit) is coming out before this Christmas.

My subscription runs out January 2nd so that should give me ample time to finish it up before turning my attention to "Pirates of the Burning Seas"'s pre-order period (starting 1/7/08).

Stone Henge Screenies

Also some more tidbits from Sixstar (forum person) regarding the Roper interview:

Bill Roper gave important Clue in korean press conference

---

today there were press meeting about HGG Open Plan in Korea

Bill says (just have translated this to refer korean forum. sorry for my poor english)

1. Q : when will u open new class n Stonehenge patch in US server?
Bill : We will update Stonehenge patch on test server before X-mas. New class Not yet. We r focusing Stonehenge patch.

2. Q : We look for upcoming Transmogrifier Cube. is there another hidden stuff like cube?
Bill : well. It is more better to reveal by player himselves. but if I can give simple n BIG Clue, it is this. don't miss Character creation(selection) window n Phone Booth.

ya. these all. let's check Character Creation Window n Phone Booth.

Okies, time to go check!

HGL: Updates Incoming

I haven't touched this game since I finished the game and then COD4 & PW came out, but I've still been keeping tabs on it for new content due December 2007:

Patch 0.6

---

Hello everyone!
We hope our U.S. players had a great Thanksgiving holiday and that everyone had a fantastic weekend of playing Hellgate: London. We kept working through our cornucopia of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and American football games to get some more fixes done and ready to push out this week.


Patch 0.6 has one very notable fix – the invisible group member bug has been slain. This was a crafty, fierce thing with rows of nasty sharp teeth, but we believe it has now fallen into the mists of legend. We’ll stay vigilant in case it raises its ugly invisible head again.


We’ve also made great strides on the Engineer Drone issue where items become unequipped. There are some cases where Drones (as well as players), will still have items unequip. The main cause of this is when players “ladder up” the equipment on their Character or Drone by using items with statistic bonuses. This results in the Character or Drone being able to use a better overall set of gear than they normally could, and thus causes issues if the items are not equipped in a specific order (or used at all). We’re continuing to work on this one, but it is better with this patch.


As always, we’re reading the forums, getting your feedback, and seeing your desires for Hellgate. The biggest issue we’re currently working on is the client-side memory usage issue. This is very complex and involved, and we also know that it’s a major issue for users. We’re pouring all of our energies right now into working on the game, so if you don’t see us reply to your posts it doesn’t mean we aren’t listening. It just means we’re working hard to make Hellgate: London a better and better experience.


Full patch Notes...



General:
Fixed a bug that caused group members to be invisible to other group members.
Fixed a texture memory leak that occurred when inspecting armor items. This will improve long-term memory usage, especially for players that frequently buy, sell, and analyze items.


Chat:
Increased the number of players in global chat.
The chat window no longer overlaps the Crafter merchant UI panel.
Fixed a bug that prevented the user from interacting with the chat panel via the mouse when the Buddy List or Guild Panel is open.
System messages are now displayed in all chat tabs.
The scroll bar on the Guild Panel should now function properly.


Items:
Items dropped in the world now have slightly lower overall feed requirements.
Analyzers now work as expected on stashed items.


Engineers:
Fixed a bug that caused items equipped on an Engineer Drone to be unequipped when the Engineer summoned the Drone after changing levels.


World Movement:
Fixed a bug that caused players to be randomly teleported under certain circumstances.

Patch Notes Disclaimer: We make every effort to include all upcoming changes in our patch notes, but please be aware that occasionally changes are unintentionally omitted.


Finally, work is well underway on Patch 0.7! This patch will address more of your issues, as well as some surprises for our subscription members. For more details, keep a watchful eye on www.hellgatelondon.com and look for announcements when you launch the game.


Thanks again for playing, and we’ll see you online!


The Hellgate: London Team

SUPRISES!!? Me likey surprises. I hope I can get a Santa Hat for my Cocomoko or Carnagor. That would be sexah.

And if it's more like a let down, then it's time for me to end mah subscription until moah content.

Hee hee hee.

Hellgate Hotties (........Not really.)

They're not the best looking Asian bitches I've seen, but enjoy their cosplay:

Here

...As if cabalists didn't look stupid enough in the game, they look even dumber on a real person.

HGL: Beta Grace Period Extended to 11/21/07

Longer Grace Period

Brave saviors of London,

If you are still participating in the Hellgate: London beta, the grace period for playing the game without entering a retail registration key is almost up. On Wednesday, November 21, 2007, we will require that all accounts have a registration code in order to play.

To continue playing, you need to enter the registration key from your purchased copy of Hellgate: London into your existing account management page. You do not need to make a new account. You also do not need to be a subscriber to continue playing from where your characters are in-game. Simply log into your account and enter the retail registration key into the registration key field found on your account management page...

Account Management – [LINK]

Previously, we had intended to end the beta grace period on November 14. But, we don't want to cut your game off prematurely, so please make sure you enter your retail registration key as soon as possible.

Again, no beta players without registration codes will be able to login and play Hellgate: London after November 21, 2007.

See you online!

So if you haven't entered your retail key yet, get a week extra game time!

Hellgate London: Interview

Bill Roper, stop the lies!

It's all about loot grinding. Psssh. I'm a semi-fangoi (?) for the game and I knew that.

Now if only COD baddies dropped some precious uniques and legendaries...

Hellgate London: Get Your Free Wasp Dye Kits & Founder's Eligibility

If you can read German, it's even easier to do!

Some of our intrepid forum goers have posted the following:

Go to http://www.electronic-arts.de/publis...en/lcodes.html
Click on register account (above spiele finden in the left hand column)
Enter your details.
Go to http://www.electronic-arts.de/publis...en/lcodes.html again
Log on (next to register)
Go to http://www.electronic-arts.de/publis...en/lcodes.html yet again
Under the photo of the 3 hellgate chars you will see a highlighted "heir", click on that
It will send you a preorder code to your email address.

This will also allow you to become eligible for the Founder's Offer so if you didn't pre-order, here's your chance!

It works!

Hellgate London: Some Visual Goodness From Across the Pond

Hellgate London: XFIRE All Hallow's Eve Transcript

Can be found at the link below:

Here!

Some notable quotables:

Bill Roper: Question: Lachlann: Come on, sneak this one in right before we are done: "How do you get to the Cow level in Hellgate London?" =)

Answer: Well, I haven’t seen anyone post about the hidden gem activation yet, so I guess you haven’t looked hard enough…

[Flagship] Guy Somberg: Question: radu12345: Are you planning on implementing special events with prizes, like Halloween and New Year's Day events ingame?

Answer: Yes, we're planning on doing themed content! Halloween content runs for this week, and then we've got a fun set of activites for Guy Fawkes Day. Other stuff is still in the planning stages, but keep an eye out for fun side-quests and items that you can do (or get)!

[Flagship] Kaiser: Question: [gamona]Thomas: What are your plans to integrate guilds and guilding feature into

Answer: We have lots of different things planned for the game. Guilds were introduced with Patch 0 (which is now live), and we'll be adding more and more functionality to it as time moves on. We have a lot of our own ideas, but we'll definitely be listening to all of your comments as well, and incorporate whatever works best for the game.

Hellgate London: Take Mah Money!

It is certainly not often at all when I scream at an account management page to take my money. But as one of the folks enjoying the game, I think Flagship deserve it for all the entertainment they provided me through Alpha/Beta and inbetween, despite the first (technically second) day server woes.

But alas, the subscription page is down (still), and I've got too much loot to carry! (!!!!!!1!!1111twelve!!) Plus, Cocomoko needs a new friend (I managed to snag a coveted Zombot Ticker last night before crashing both in game and into bed--damn you Temple Station--why you not fixed yet!?)

So, time to do a little work and hopefully, when I'm done, I shall be able to lootsalotamus some more.

Pics of me and Cocomoko coming soon!

Oh yes! Sexiness!

Happy Halloween!!

Some early morning nuts for you!

Anyhoo, I played a lot of HGL yesterday and neglected my manta whoring. But oh well not enough HGL if you ask me!

Must...be strong!

Unfortunately I have to work now. :( <-- Me.

But soon my precious! Soon!

I <3s it!

Hellgate London: Beta Jump Start!

ATTN Beta Players! UPDATED

Hey everyone. Sorry for the short notice, but in the next 15 minutes or so at 1:30PM PDT, you'll be able to hop into the game and start creating characters. At 5:00PM PDT, the game will open up to everyone else. This goes for both the US and EU servers. Get to it!

More updates to follow...

Posted by: Kaiser on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 19:52 Talk About This Story!

WOOT!

Let the games begin!

Hellgate London: Subscription Details

These seem to be the official subscription details for Hellgate: London and you bet your ass I'll be subscribing until AOC or TCOS comes out to entertain me. Nothing really new from the previous release regarding details with exception of various clarifications to some of the goodies you'll be receiving:

SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS

Ongoing Content

We’re always making TONS of new content for our subscribers that extends and changes the way Hellgate: London can be played.

This includes:

* New Levels to Explore
* New Monsters
* New Weapons
* New Skills and Spells
* New Quests and Storyline
* New Character Classes

Themed Events and Items

These are events, areas, monsters, quests, pets and rewards that are available for limited periods of time throughout the year. Some are recurring while others may only happen once, so keep a sharp watch for announcements on upcoming events!

Hardcore Mode

Characters have one life, and ONLY one life, to give for the cause. There is no resurrecting your downed hero in Hardcore mode, so different tactics, skills and items rule the day. For the gamer that wants the ultimate test, try playing an Elite Hardcore character!

Guild Creation and Management

By purchasing a Guild Herald, a character can form a new guild. Characters can only be part of one guild at a time and should a Guild leader decide to abandon their post, they can pass leadership of the Guild to another subscribing guild member.

Achievement Rewards

You’re earning big points for completing long-term goals and insane tasks. Along with the notoriety and sense of accomplishment, there are also rewards to spend those points on!

PvP Modes and Rewards

New ways to fight against other players, both alone and in teams. Your reputation in this arena of combat will also net you special commendations and rewards!

Larger Stash

Each character gets an extra 6x8 section in their storage locker, making the hording of all sorts of goodies that much easier. Pack rats rejoice!

Hellgate London: Last Push

Last Push

It's coming... Hellgate: London is but days away from retail. In preparation for the imminent launch, Flagship and Ping0 have disabled the official website login, forums, and beta servers. Such downtime is necessary to ensure a smooth, explosion free day one.

We know, we know... Downtime sucks. But what must be, simply must be. So, as we tinker to the last minute, tightening bolts and working to minimize sporadic employee electrocutions, you might be able to occupy yourself with various Hellgate previews and reviews.

Try checking out aggregate sites for the latest compiled details:

# Game Rankings.com – [LINK]
# Game Stats.com – [LINK]


The live servers will be up early next week in preparation for launch. Of course, when that happens the website and forums will once again be operable. Remember, if you're a beta player, you'll be able to login then and reserve your character names.

Cheers!

Must...reserve...crappy...names...!

Just two more days!

Halo MMO Gossip!

I'm a sucker for gossip because well...I'm stupid and speaking of gossip, according to Gaming Target:

EGM predicts FPS-MMO from Bungie?

The Rumor Mill page of EGM's December issue may have just revealed what Peter Jackson's Halo project is all about OR another seperate Halo FPS-MMO all together:

"Microsoft may start a war--word is they're making a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter for 360. Hmm, wonder what Bungie is up to?"

We know for a fact that Bungie isn't done with the Halo universe yet and that the newly independent developer is in on Peter Jackson's Halo project. Since his secret game's genre is still undefined, it's definitely possible that it could be an MMO title. Granted, Microsoft has gone out of its way to refer to Jackson's Halo project as "interactive entertainment" as opposed to a "video game," so this may be an entirely new adventure in the Halo universe. But, having an unlimited amount of Spartans fighting each other is what I would call interactive entertainment, too.

Furthermore, what better way is there to introduce the MMO genre to legions of console gamers than to have Halo spearhead the effort? Whether this MMO is part of Peter Jackson's project or is an all-new game, look for the Halo FPS-MMO in the future.

HmmmMMmmm. Hope it's not for the XBOX.

Hellgate London: TTTT Trailer!! RAMPAGE!!

One of newest official trailers I think:

Gotta get pumped up! Must get sexy Zombot and Cocomoko action going on Halloween!