|
|
 |
Archived News:
Tactical Simulations Interactive announces Seven Dragon Saga will be the
debut game from this recently launched developer formed
by SSI veterans, saying this is in the works for Windows, OS X, and Linux.
They back up their ambitions to live up to the classic Strategic Simulations
Interactive "gold box" RPGs by basing this on an original pen-and-paper RPG
system designed by SSI alumni Keith Brors and David Shelley. There may be more
on this soon, as the TSI Games website has a
countdown timer currently ticking off the seconds until midnight. In the
meantime, here's the announcement: Seven Dragon Saga takes place in a
high-powered fantasy universe, revolving around the Empire of the Seven Dragons.
Eschewing traditional RPG tropes, Seven Dragon Saga provides the player with
effective heroes right from the start, with TSI aiming to provide the next step
in meaningful player experiences in the same way that SSI's ‘Gold Box’ titles
did during the 1980s and 1990s.
This is not a tale of farmers or aspiring novices learning how to swing a sword;
Seven Dragon Saga is a tale about the use of power. Players will need to
assemble a brave troupe of adventurers “touched by the winds of the chaos”.
Known as the Touched, these brave adventurers will face the unknown, and embark
on a quest to discover hidden truths and determine the fate of the Empire.
It is the Emperor’s role to proclaim.
It is the Dragons’ role to command.
It is the role of the Touched to act, without hesitation and without regret.
David Shelley, Producer/Lead Designer, Seven Dragon Saga, said: “Seven Dragon
Saga provides a robust rules system and fresh campaign setting for us to draw
from. We’re adapting the pen and paper system as the seed to develop a
compelling game experience, creating the type of strategy fantasy game our team
is known for.”
Seven Dragon Saga sets a new standard for intricate turn-based combat that can
be adapted to your party's strengths. Explore a new high fantasy realm, recruit
powerful NPCs, and craft useful items during your party's quest to discover lost
secrets and transform the world. Key features include:
- Classic RPG / Modern Gameplay: Create a
full party under your total control right from the start. Venture forth to
uncover lost secrets in an original fantasy setting.
- Strategic Combat: Face challenges in
turn-based tactical combat, updated with modern design philosophies.
Carefully maneuver your party taking advantage of terrain and destructible
environments.
- Weigh Your Decisions: One group’s ally is
another faction’s enemy. Make meaningful social/political choices that
directly impact the world around you. Will you pursue duty and honor or
choose riches and adventure with little concern for the consequences?
- Proven Technology: Seven Dragon Saga is
built using the Unity3D engine (Shadowrun Returns, Wasteland 2, Shroud of
the Avatar).
The Steam page for The
Stomping Land still lists this as an early access title, but as reported
on Kotaku, the option to purchase the dinosaur-themed multiplayer survival
game is no longer offered. They say The Stomping Land game has not
received an update since June, though it's not clear if this is the reason it
was pulled, as neither Valve nor developer SuperCrit has not responded to their
questions about this. This has the potential to leave a lot of people
disappointed, as the game's 2013
Kickstarter campaign raised over $114K and the early access release was
listed as a Steam bestseller for three
straight weeks in June.
Thanks nin.
A PAX trailer for
Armored Warfare offers a first look at gameplay footage from Obsidian's
upcoming mechanized combat game. The clip features Rich Taylor explaining what
we are seeing. Here's word on the game: In Armored Warfare, players will
take on the role of private military contractors who are called into action
throughout a modern virtual world. Overseeing their own personal command base,
players will expand, enhance, and customize their headquarters, manage and
upgrade their military convoy of vehicles, and train and develop their crews
through a robust reputation and experience system. Dynamic environments in
Armored Warfare require players to change strategies on the battlefield at a
moment’s notice keeping them ever vigilant to the tides of battle.
Continue here to read the full story.
- Monster Loves You! on
Steam. Save 75%.
- Runers on
Steam. Save 25%.
- Turbo Dismount on
Steam. Save 60%.
- Wargame: Red Dragon on
Steam. Save 50%.
BattleGoat Studios announces Supreme Ruler Ultimate, which blends the
most successful elements of Supreme Ruler 1936 and Supreme Ruler 2020
to create what they call "the most ambitious and comprehensive" installment in
the strategy series. The game is planned for release on October 17th, and they
will be brining it to Steam
via early access later this month. Word is owners of Supreme Ruler 1936 will get
a special discount on the new game. Here's the deal: BattleGoat Studios is
proud today to announce Supreme Ruler Ultimate, the most ambitious and
comprehensive title in our Supreme Ruler strategy game series. With the
announcement of Supreme Ruler Ultimate David Thompson, Lead Designer and
Co-Founder explained, "Our recent release of Supreme Ruler 1936 has proven to be
very popular with our fans and strategy/wargame players as it revolves around
World War II, but one of the biggest requests we've received has been to blend
it with the near future game we released back in 2008, Supreme Ruler 2020. That
game provided players with the opportunity to make anything they wanted of our
modern world, from any starting nation, without any preconceived expectations."
Supreme Ruler Ultimate will incorporate the content from all of BattleGoat's
Supreme Ruler series, letting players take control of a nation from the historic
troubles of World War II, through the Cold War, and into the near future where
established relations are undermined by disorder and turmoil. Thompson went on
to comment, "With what is currently going on internationally and the intense
domestic polarization forming within various countries, it certainly is not hard
to imagine a spark spreading unparalleled chaos through our world." Thompson
indicated that BattleGoat will continue to add historic events and content to
the game for players that want to start in the 20th century, as well as updating
the near future storyline to incorporate new technology threads and to reflect
the new international crises that have developed.
Focus Home Interactive
announces the release of The Second Korean War, a new free DLC pack
for Wargame: Red Dragon, Eugen Systems' real-time strategy game. They
include word that the game is on sale
on Steam as a midweek
madness dealie, but the sale isn't actually live just yet, and
this announcement says the sale begins tonight. Here's word on the
DLC: Wargame is back with a second dose of free DLC for the
million-selling franchise's third installment, Wargame Red Dragon. In this new
expansion for the spectacular real-time strategy game from Eugen Systems,
which will patch automatically into the game today, 12 new units and an
additional full-length story campaign are added, which takes the war to
1992 charging an uchronical alternate-history narrative.
Fielding some of the most advanced military technology of the time, The
Second Korean War will see China, North Korea, and the Soviet Union pit
themselves against the might of the United Nations' coalitions. Armed with the
Patriot missile system, the USA buffs their anti-air defenses, as do the
Chinese with the JH-7. The South Korean K9-Thunder marches onto
the field, to the detriment of the USSR's elite Spetsnaz GRU infantry units.
In the all-new campaign, a coup against Mikhail Gorbachev succeeded in
1991, a year prior to the events of the narrative. The former guard succeeds
Gorbachev, and restores Soviet order, bringing them closer to the communist
leaders in Asia, as leaders in the West grow ever-distant from the Soviet
super-power. After a year of friction, the entire Korean peninsula is at war
as the Soviets and UN coalitions take their increasingly distancing ideologies
onto the battlefield.
And there’s more good news: Wargame is the MidWeek Deal on Steam!
This post
from Nate Downes has word from the president of Missing Worlds Media and member
of the City of Heroes community that the possibility exists that NCsoft
will allow a community-driven revival of City of Heroes, the superhero MMORPG
(thanks
Massively). This is the subject of ongoing discussions, and the plan may
change going forward, but for now Nate sounds guardedly optimistic: The
proposal as it stands right now (this is not a final form, just the current
proposal on the table) is this:
The CoH IP would be spun to its own company, to handle licensing. This company
would itself license the existing engine from NCSoft for the creation of a
maintenance mode, using a binary copy of the i23 server.
The existing user database and characters are not part of this arrangement at
this time, nor is the source code.
An arrangement is to be made to license the trademarks to the various Plan Z
projects, CoT, Valiance and H&V, to create a family connection, and to allow
each to drop the “Spiritual” portion of successor. This means they can make
references to the original game if desired, and to enable the expansion of
partnerships. This could be expanded for any of them, should the desire be
there.
An arrangement is also to be made for the Atlas Park Revival project. As part of
the informal agreement we have with them, they would be given an official stamp
of approval, and the CoT game build would be licensed to them, to create a kind
of “CoH 1.5” and migrate people off of the classic game engine before it finally
becomes unsuitable (we expect this to happen around when Windows 9 is released,
due to binary compatibility). This can be done because both APR and CoT run on
Unreal Engine 4.
By being its own firm, the licensing company can also pursue other avenues which
were unavailable before.
EA announces that The Sims 4 is now available, offering the latest
installment in the lifestyle simulation series. A day one patch for the game is
also now available, addressing a few bugs and crashes, a couple of which are
classified as "severe." Here's news on the release: It’s time to create
and control a new generation of Sims. Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)
announced that The Sims™ 4 is now available on PC in North America. The Sims 4
gives players the power to create Sims filled with personality and discover a
new way to play with life, where every decision opens up an ever-evolving world
of meaningful possibilities.
“Every Sim is unique in The Sims 4, your own individual creations that come to
life with big personalities and endless possibilities,” said Rachel Franklin,
Executive Producer for The Sims 4. “Who they are on the inside changes the way
you play. Your Sims embody the traits and aspirations you give them in The Sims
4, and playing out their charming, hilarious and crazy stories has never been
more fun.”
In The Sims 4, the Sims are smarter, more relatable and emotionally aware. Every
action is affected by who they are, what they’re thinking, and how they’re
feeling. Players control the mind, body, and now the emotions of these new Sims,
which brings their stories to life with richness and texture that has never
before been possible in the franchise.
One of the fundamental tenets of The Sims experience is the ability for players
to express their personal creativity – in both the Sims they create and the
homes that they build for them. Create A Sim and Build Mode have been completely
rebuilt to be more powerful and tactile than ever, featuring direct manipulation
and drag and drop functionality. Additionally, players can now share their
creations with other players directly in the game. In the all-new Gallery
players can upload or download Sims, houses and individual rooms, making it
easier than ever for players to populate their world.
New Sims with unique personalities and rich emotions, combined with powerful
creative tools and the ability to share via the in-game Gallery, come together
to provide an exciting new gameplay experience, empowering a whole new era for
The Sims.
2K announces details about the Season Pass for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel,
the upcoming installment in the first-person shooter series. This will include
four DLC packs, and the announcement touches on those as well as a preorder
bonus: : 2K and Gearbox Software announced today that Borderlands®: The
Pre-Sequel™ will offer four add-on content packs following the release of
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system,
Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC. The four
add-on content packs will encompass new characters, challenges, missions, and
experiences and each pack will retail individually for $9.99 on all available
platforms. As Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel nears completion and the teams shift
their focus to add-on content, additional details will be announced as
development progresses.
Additionally, the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season Pass* bundles the four
add-on content packs at a discounted rate. Priced at $29.99, the Borderlands:
The Pre-Sequel Season Pass includes access to all four of the add-on content
packs – a $39.96 value – and will be available for purchase when Borderlands:
The Pre-Sequel releases on October 14, 2014 in North America and October 17,
2014 internationally. Once purchased, the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season
Pass enables the download of all included add-on content packs as they become
available on the PlayStation®Network, Xbox Live online entertainment network
from Microsoft and PC.
Gamers who pre-order Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel from participating retailers
will gain access to the Shock Drop Slaughter Pit bonus content. Taking place in
an old Dahl facility on Pandora’s moon, players will meet TR4-NU, who once was
one of Dahl’s military recruiters until he went crazy. TR4-NU is now hosting the
Shock Drop Slaughter Pit and giving awesome loot to those who succeed against
the moon’s toughest enemies. The Shock Drop Slaughter Pit will not be included
in the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season Pass, but it will be available for
purchase at a later date, for those who do not pre-order Borderlands: The
Pre-Sequel. To pre-order Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, please visit
http://borderlandsthegame.com/index.php/retail/borderlands-the-presequel.
*Xbox Live, PlayStation®Network or Steam account and Internet connection
required. Copy of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel required for play.
11 bit launchpad announces development of Jameson: The Pilot, a space
simulation in development at Rezoner, which they call "a mysterious one-man dev
team responsible for every single aspect of the game." The
Jameson: The
Pilot website is online with screenshots and
a reveal trailer
showing off the game's 2D approach to outer space. Here's word on the game,
which is expected for early access this autumn: Jameson The Pilot is a
space sim in which the players can do almost anything they want. They can be
explorers, miners, traders, pirates or even… space bus drivers! Countless
possibilities and the extensive system of customizable ships, guilds and quests
create huge universe full of potential.
This universe is rendered beautifully with pixel art graphics and 8-bit music,
making every minute spent with the game a real pleasure. What really sets
Jameson apart from other games though, is its attitude. This is a game about
having fun, so don't expect huge SAVE THE GALAXY quests. What does it have
instead? Plenty of humor, pop culture references and rather cheesy jokes, that’s
for sure. It’s a game that will allow players to relax and just fly through
endless space.
Continue here to read the full story.
Kotaku Australia has word that Australians are ready to party like it's
2009, as the uncensored version of Left 4 Dead 2 has received approval
for release down under. They discovered a new R18+ classification for the game
from a couple of days ago and confirmed with Valve that the complete uncut
version of the co-op zombie shooter is coming to the region. "We are delighted
that the full version of Left 4 Dead 2 will be available to fans age 18+ in
Australia," explains Valve's Doug Lombardi. "We are making plans to deliver that
version to those who have already purchased the game. We will announce more
details on that soon." Thanks Darth Guybrush.
An
Open letter to the gaming community on Medium addresses the current hot
topic of gaming criticism and developer harassment, currently supported by
almost 2000 game developer and player "signatures" collected via Twitter. Here's
the body of the letter: We believe that everyone, no matter what gender,
sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion has the right to play games,
criticize games and make games without getting harassed or threatened. It is the
diversity of our community that allows games to flourish.
If you see threats of violence or harm in comments on Steam, YouTube, Twitch,
Twitter, Facebook or reddit, please take a minute to report them on the
respective sites.
If you see hateful, harassing speech, take a public stand against it and make
the gaming community a more enjoyable space to be in.
Thank you
Here's a new video
from Gratuitous Space Battles 2, using pre-alpha gameplay footage to show battle
effects in the game. Here's an accompanying description which touches on the
game's throwback business model: "GSB2 is a space strategy game that has
'asynchronous battles', so people can design a fleet of custom ships, upload
them, and let the rest of the internet attempt to crush them (or be crushed).
The game uses the 'pay to buy it' model that was so popular on earth in the old
days." Continue here to read the full story.
Just a couple of days until the NFL kicks off on Thursday, so please feel free
to jump into the Blue's News
ESPN - Pigskin Pick'em Group, the password is "bn" (don't think there's any
reason not to post that here)... Discussion of this can move to a non-news forum
after things get underway to keep from torturing non-participants too much, but
I want to get the word out to as many of you who are interested before things
get underway.
|
Twitter 
