Gamasutra offers some insight from Richard Garriott during the 2007 Independent Game Conference. Richard was asked about the marketing of Tabula Rasa. While he feels the marketing was “fine,” he points out the real problem was himself and the development team by saying what hurt the game was the invitation of too many beta testers before the game was fun enough to be worth playing.
“We burned out some quantity of our beta-testers when the game wasn’t yet fun,” he said, adding, “As we’ve begun to sell the game, the people who hadn’t participated in the beta became our fast early-adopters.â€
He continued, “And the people who did participate in the beta, we’ve had to go back to and say ‘look, look, we promise: we know it wasn’t fun two months ago, but we fixed all that. Really, come try it again.’ We’ve had to go out and develop free programs to invite those people back for free before they go buy it. So the beta process, which we used to think of as a QA process, is really a marketing process.â€
Saga a new Free Massively-Multiplayer Online Real-Time Strategy (MMORTS) today locked in December 11th as the start of their final Beta. Players who joined in the Phase 1 Beta test will be the first to gain entry; others will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis.
Here’s a few changes from beta stage 1: The initial screens and user interface have been improved and completely rebuilt in an easy and intuitive format. A brand new storyline-based quest system has been added that includes epic boss battles for multiplayer strategy. The chat system has been renovated to enhance trading and guild communication. A tournament system will be introduced later in Beta 2 that allows players to win products as well as increase their ranking. In addition, Saga received a major graphics overhaul making the visuals spectacular.
NVIDIA has released new beta ForceWare drivers for its GeForce based graphics cards running windows Vista. The drivers 169.12 apparently fix one issue, “Fixes a resume from Sleep/Hibernate issue with GeForce 8800 GT.”
A new NVIDIA ForceWare beta driver version 169.09 is available today. This release promises “several game and application compatibility fixes,” and while this is a beta, the release notes also call this the “Recommended driver for Crysis.”
FURY is Gold and has shipped to North American retailers. Combining the fast paced gameplay of a first-person shooter with in-depth role-playing game elements, FURY is a Player versus Player powerhouse that wants you to waste enemies, not time. Rated T for Teen, FURY is available now on PC for an MSRP of $49.99.
With the success of the recent open-Beta tournament, The FURY Challenge, there have been many changes and improvements to both the gameplay and look of FURY. The revamped character creation/customization brings new meaning to the phrase “pick up and play.†New players will be given increased flexibility when creating their avatar to get them into the fight harder and faster than ever before.
FURY is free to play right out of the box, which means all players from casual to hardcore can join the battle right from the start. An optional “Immortal†subscription plan will also be available at $9.95/month, but all players will have unlimited access to the game. All abilities, weapons, armor and free content updates will be available no matter which subscription players choose.
All maps in the demo can be played locally against bots, or online against human opponents. Unreal Tournament 3 is currently slated to ship in November for PC.
HeatRay (Deathmatch): This battle takes place in a night-time urban setting. Players battle over who gets to use a Dark Walker super weapon after it is spawned by a passing drop-ship. If you manage to get it, be sure to rack up the kills quickly since everyone will be gunning for you. The Dark Walker is like a giant piñata — when it dies it drops a U-Damage and a Berzerk power-up. If you want to stay hidden from the Dark Walker keep an eye out for the Invisibility power-up.
ShangriLa (Deathmatch):A stark contrast to HeatRay’s moody setting, ShangriLa is a sunny, tranquil map set high in the IzanagiMountains. This map is designed in the traditional style of big Team Deathmatch maps, so it should please the most hardcore UT Deathmatch players. Fight over the U-damage in the central courtyard, or try to control the Shield-belt alley. You can find jumpboots in a vulnerable spot at the end of a dock, but the risk is worth the reward as they will go a long way toward helping you control the map.
Suspense (Vehicle Capture the Flag):A Set on a massive suspension bridge deep in Axon territory, this map is a playground of gameplay possibilities. It’s a favorite in Epic office playtests because you can find almost all the Axon vehicles, as well as the Redeemer super-weapon. Whether you are sniping from the bridge towers, camping with the tank, towing hover-boarding flag-runners from your Raptor, controlling the redeemer from underneath the bridge, bombarding from afar with Hellfire SPMA artillery, or doing fast attacks with Manta’s and Scorpions, everyone will find something they love doing in Suspense.
The Epic Games Forums have word from Epic’s Mark Rein to expect a beta demo for Unreal Tournament 3 this month, maybe as early as this week.
Just wanted to give you a heads’ up that we’re getting pretty close to releasing the Unreal Tournament 3 Beta Demo for Windows. The Beta Demo will allow instant action play against bots as well as online multiplayer. The purpose of the Beta Demo is to test the game on a large variety of hardware configurations and get gameplay feedback from the community. The development team feels they’re pretty close to being ready to release this so it could come out this week but for safety sake I’d say it should be out within two weeks.
We have a few fan sites in tomorrow to play the full game and I’m sure they’ll be sharing their comments pretty soon afterward.
Aeria Games announced today that the open beta for Project Torque has begun! Project Torque is one of the first MMORGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Racing Game) to hit North America. This game embodies the essence of competition and delivers all the fun of casual gaming. Tune your car, personalize it, and then show it off and race everyone at the track.
$1000 Cash Contest - In November, Aeria Games will randomly pick 32 people from our highest level players in Project Torque. These finalists will test their skills, luck, and mettle against each other in an all-out battle for the $1000 grand prize, a Philips amBX system, Logitech gaming equipment, and ultimate bragging rights!
We have a release date that we are working to at the moment, however we’re keeping it under our hats for the time being as many things may change as a result of testing before we hit that date. Be sure, there will be an announcement well in advance of our release date.
2. The Beta Test
2.1 How will I know if I’ve been accepted into the beta test?
The beta test for Kwari will run over several months, starting very small and build gradually. At each stage of the test we’ll bring in more players until eventually we hit open beta at which point all applicants will be invited to join.
You will be contacted by Kwari with details on how to take part in the beta in advance of that stage commencing.
2.2 Will beta testers need to use real money?
No.
All the money in beta testing will be simulated. Every player will have a fixed amount of beta cash to use (which isn’t real!) in order to test the game. At fixed intervals during the test every player’s beta cash will be restocked.
3. Playing Kwari
3.1 Will I be able to play Kwari without paying money?
Yes, Kwari will include a practise mode which will simulate the cash for ammo and game play. Every player who registers to play the game will receive enough practise cash to get to learn the game before playing for real.
When a player then joins the real game they will be credited with further practise funds so they can keep their skills sharp once playing for money.
3.2 Will team play be possible in Kwari?
Kwari has been designed to be a solo experience with every player playing it for themselves. As such it has been made as difficult as possible to identify other players in the game while playing it to avoid people who know each other working together. Kwari is a game which puts your individual ability to the test, not your ability to work as a team.
3.3 What’s to stop highly skilled players taking out new players for easy cash?
Kwari includes a bespoke skill matching system designed to pitch players against others of similar ability. The rating of your skill is not purely based on your accuracy, or the number of kills you’ve gained, the rating is built up from many areas of the game. To that end it is not a rating of how good you are at first person shooters, rather it is a rating of your competency at Kwari – it is entirely possible that you can increase your skill level without ever firing a shot!
This system will not, however, punish long term players. Your skill level will go down as well as up in order to ensure that you are always able to be in a game that you have a good chance of winning.
3.4 How does The Pill work?
The Pill spawns on every Pill mode map at a certain point within the round, these points can be identified by the unique mark on the floor of the level. The jackpot assigned to the Pill is split in two ways – the player who held the Pill longest, and the player who finishes the round with the Pill. If you fulfil both these criteria you win both parts of the Pill jackpot.
When the Pill spawns it will immediately be visible to all players in the level, and if you’re the one carrying it you can be certain it means that you’re a target.
The jackpot for the Pill is fuelled by several elements – self-inflicted damage, damage done by traps and costs associated to the pickups in game.
For every weapon, health pack and other optional pickup in the game a cost is attached, a percentage of this cost is then cycled into the Pill jackpot, as well as all the other prizes in the game. None of this pickup cost is taken by Kwari; it all goes back into prizes.
3.5 Will Kwari contain in-game advertising?
Advertising within Kwari is something that we’re considering, however for the initial release of the game it will not contain in-game advertising.
If at any point advertising is included in the game it will be in a manner which enhances either gameplay or the prizes available in game.
3.6 Kwari Winnings and Tax
Any money made through Kwari will be subject to the laws of your own country regarding taxable capital gains.
Tax in the case of large winnings will not be deducted by Kwari and it will be the responsibility of individual players to ensure they are abiding by their national taxation rules.
3.7 Is Kwari Gambling?
No, Kwari is a game of skill.
Kwari has been developed to ensure at all stages that success is generated by the ability of the player rather than luck in any fashion. This brings the game under the umbrella heading of being a game of skill and not a gambling enterprise.
Everything, from the exchange of cash due to shooting another opponent, to gaining the main map prize associated with the Pill, to winning a monthly key jackpot is down to the skill of the individual player. Nothing is decided through chance, it is the actions of the players in the game that dictate exactly who wins and how much.
Players are balanced in terms of their ability in the game to ensure that at no point should you ever be in a situation where you face someone who will dominate the entire match. As such every game of Kwari you play will see you on an equal footing to your opponents, it comes down to your skills, tactics and decisions you make as to whether you come out ahead or not.
3.8 How do Key Jackpots work?
Key Jackpots are generated over time from the cost of picking up weapons and power-ups in the game. Depending on the length of the Key Series attached to the Jackpot it will payout with a certain frequency, be that hourly, daily, monthly and so on.
The simplest way to explain how this system works is through example.
The Bronze Key Series is a Jackpot prize that pays out once an hour and is usually worth between K$50 and K$60 in value. In order to win the prize you have to be the first person of all active Kwari players to collect the entire Bronze Key Series, which in this case is 3 keys.
Keys are found in destructable crates in every Pill map in the game, and this is the only way to get them, however keys are not the only thing that can be found in crates. Crates also contain regular weapons and pickups, and cash prizes, which while often quite small can make the difference between a round in profit or not. There is a small cost for each one you destroy (the Kwari Corporation takes a dim view of people blowing up their containers!) However this charge will be minute and, as with other game charges, be cycled into more prizes you can win.
When picking up a key you won’t know which series it belongs to right away - maybe it will be the elusive last one you need for the week jackpot, maybe it’ll be another one for your collection toward the big 6 month prize. At any rate it’s always worth picking up as the biggest prizes in Kwari come from key jackpots!
Keys spawn in the every game on a constant basis, and there is no advantage to be had by playing at a certain level or certain game type - every player has an equal shot at getting all the keys first.
4. Money
How does Kwari make money? We generate money from the game purely through the sale of ammo. The price has not been finalised yet, but it will not be expensive - after all, charging too much to play the game would severely dampen the interest in playing it. The ideal that we’re working towards is that the cost of ammo will be significantly outweighed by a successful, profitable single match.
This ammo charge allows us to provide the servers and infrastructure for players to compete on as well as financing further support, development and improvement of the game after it has been released. How are prizes funded? There are several ways the game creates prize money; the first and most frequent being a cost assigned to all weapons and pickups. The exact price will vary between different games, but for the sake of the following example we’ll say that every item (weapon, health, power-ups and so on) costs 5 Kwari cents to pick up.
From this 5c the majority is immediately cycled straight into the map jackpot, a share of which can be won either by carrying the Pill for the longest time or finishing the map in possession of it.
The remainder of this charge is then pooled into the other prizes in the game, such as Key Jackpots, Trophy Rewards and Crate cash drops.
100% of this 5c charge is cycled into prizes, none of it goes to Kwari.
Crates also cost a small amount to destroy, as they are the only place to find keys and cash drops, but once again the cost of this is put straight into the total prize fund.
In the event that a prize is not won at the end of a match, the Pill being left entirely alone for the duration of a match for example, the money is put straight back into the prize fund so it can still be won. Once again, none of this prize money goes to Kwari, the only time Kwari makes money is when you buy ammo.
4.1 How does Kwari allow me to handle my money?
The first part of your account is your Bankroll. This account is the one you transfer money from your payment system of choice into and out of the game from. This account is never touched by the game unless you authorise it, unless you win a Key Series Jackpot, at which point your winnings are put directly into your Bankroll.
The second account is your Game Account, often also referred to as Game Balance. This account sits with you in game and collects winnings from shooting other players, the Pill, crates and so on. Any charges for pickups, fines for self damage or traps, or costs from being shot are deducted from this account. Each stake level (1c per health point, for example) carries a recommended minimum Game Balance before you can join. Transfers between Game Balance and Bankroll happen in the lobby area of the game. If at any point your Game Balance drops to zero while in game you will be ejected from the game.
Finally is your ammo, which while not strictly an account does tie to the others. Ammo can be bought in batches of 5000 (currently, this may be subject to change) from the lobby and in game, the charge for which (is being finalised - but won’t be expensive) deducted from your Bankroll.
4.2 Who is Kwari aimed at?
Kwari is intended to be playable and potentially profitable to anyone who can play a first person shooter. It is not just aimed at elite first person shooter veterans, although they’re as able to make a killing in the game as anyone else.
Through skill matching players will face off against players who have performed to an equal level of competence as themselves which means that in every match you have an equal footing to those you’re playing against.
A new player entering the game for the first time will find that within very few rounds of play they will be able to hold their own in the game and make a profit without it seeming impossible or even too difficult as they’ll be playing against players of their own standard.
Additionally, there will be several different game stake levels to play at and over time better players will choose to move to higher stake games to increase the amount they can win. Even then skill matching is in effect, so the lowest skill-ranked player can still find a way to game when playing for more money.
This system allows Kwari to be playable by anyone who can play a first person shooter, regardless of how good they are, and while in every game some players will come out ahead and others behind, the system is designed so that nobody should be on a losing streak for long.
4.3 How can I make money from Kwari?
Shooting other players – The most straightforward way to reap financial rewards is to point your weapon at choice at the nearest opponent and fill them full of lead/rockets/whirling blades/superheated plasma.
Any damage you deal to other players will instantly make your bankroll rise, you don’t have to kill a player to make money, just damage them. Obviously, everyone else will be doing the same thing, so make sure you inflict maximum damage while minimizing the damage you accrue.
The Pill – There are several strategies around the Pill, which you are well advised to review on www.kwari.com. You don’t have to hold the pill the whole time to win the map jackpot; just holding it for the longest or being the player that has it when the map ends will secure you 50% of the money. Of course, the ideal scenario would be to hold it the longest AND end the map with it in your grasp, but with 15 other players all thinking the same thing that is going to be a hard fought exercise.
Cash In Crates – Located throughout the levels in Kwari are destructible crates, which can contain anything from weapons to pickups to jackpot keys to money! Shooting a crate will make it explode revealing its
Jackpots – A complete explanation of jackpots is available on www.kwari.com
So there’s a broad spectrum of ways to make money in Kwari; from the instant gains from shooting players and finding cash in crates, to the strategies and tactics around the Pill, to the longer term goal of winning a Jackpot.
If you own Battlefield 2142 take a quick look at First Strike, an interesting and just-released Star Wars mod.
Most is not all FPS games get a Star Wars mod at some point and this one looks to be on the right track. First Strike looks to be a full conversion of 2142 turning it into the Star Wars we all know. With accurate detailing of Storm troopers, vehicles and locales and when its done it its going to be a great addition to the Star Wars world. The level of detail placed into the game right down to the guns is simply amazing.
Over all I give it a Must try (Download), but remember it is still in beta so there will be Bugs.
Well This is not the place to find them. But If you Think you can do a better job of posting or reporting on news stories? Prove it. OLGn is searching for talented writers to assist in the site’s daily news writing duties.
We are looking for smart, capable freelance news writers to lend a hand [...]
In case you haven’t heard, the word on the street is that Jeff Gerstmann, long time reviewer and current editorial director for Gamespot, has been fired for giving Kane and Lynch a mediocre, though very negatively worded, score. According to the rumor mill, Eidos got pissed and threatened to withdraw the huge amount of advertising [...]
Video Game Chartz has released the hardware sales chart for America for the week ending Nov. 10, and once again Nintendo’s Wii is first and Sony has come in last.
The Wii came in first for the week at 192, 482, followed by the Xbox 360 at 173,895 and the DS at 142,299. Sony’s PSP [...]
The Unreal Tournament 3 Beta Demo is now available, a little earlier than planned. The 741 MB download is available on 
