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Tabula Rasa Enters A Holding Pattern

The Tabula Rasa Website has word from Starr Long that this upcoming MMORPG from Richard Garriott’s Destination Games is going to miss its target launch date of October 19, in spite of it having been declared gold almost a month ago. The new target launch date is November 2, with the head start for preorder customers to begin on October 30:

Many of you have heard my mantra for game development: “Stable, Fast, Fun. In that order.” We need a little more time to make that happen.

To this end we are moving our Pre-Order headstart date to 10/30/07 and our commercial service start date to 11/2/07. This short but critical amount of time will give us time to address several issues including stability and balance as well as allowing our players to test the continent of Ligo (L38+) and our major changes to crafting for a few weeks rather than a few days. Our entire development staff feels this extra time is needed as does our beta community. We feel confident that this extra time will make a difference on launch day.

That said we are excited about launching the game and moving into a “live” environment where the entire future of the AFS is ahead of us. Expect more posts from Richard Garriott, Paul Sage, and other dev staff over the next few days as they discuss plans for elder content and content updates both long and short term. One of us will also be posting to the website every Friday in order to directly address your feedback, which you can submit via the Feedback Form found here on the RGTR.com website.

See you in game as we wrap up this final leg of testing and get ready for the end-of-beta blow out!

You can Dance Online in 2007

Acclaim Games adds all new features to the Free to Play multiplayer online
game “DANCE! Online” including 30 new song titles from Warner Music Group
artists including Ashley Tisdale, T.I., Paris Hilton and many more. The
latest game update will provide players with a massive amount of new songs
and game content to add new and exciting challenges to the game. Players
will be able to choose from a variety of musical styles to dance to such as
pop, rock, hip hop, reggae, punk, techno, and more! DANCE! Online is
directed by video game industry superstar David Perry.

DANCE! Online already has over 350,000 registered players and counting!
The game is in Open Beta testing so anyone who registers for an account can
immediately play for free. For more information, please visit DANCE.

For all you dance lovers!

Sins Of A Solar Empire Beta 3 Begins Thursday

Stardock Entertainment and Ironclad Games announced today that the upcoming Beta 3 of Sins of a Solar Empire, which begins on September 20th, will introduce multiplayer functionality and a host of other new features to the RT4X space-strategy game. Gamers who pre-order before September 26th will gain immediate access to Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 3, allowing them to vie for galactic supremacy with their friends via LAN and Ironclad Online (ICO). Players can pre-order Sins of a Solar Empire now via the digital-distribution service, TotalGaming.net.

Scheduled for release in February 2008, Sins of a Solar Empire is one of the year’s most anticipated PC games. Hailed by GameSpot as “remarkably original” and “an elegant take on space strategy,” Sins of a Solar Empire puts players in charge of one of three distinct factions as they explore star systems, expand their empire, exploit conquered planets and exterminate their rivals, all in an intuitive real-time environment. The game’s unprecedented scale allows players to zoom from a view of multiple solar systems right down to a single fighter in the midst of a massive space battle, while the sophisticated interface ensures they’re not overwhelmed by their vast empire. Stunning visuals and remarkable artificial intelligence are among a massive number of features that help immerse players in this innovative strategy game that had PC Gamer warning its readers to “Expect to play into the wee hours of the night (and enjoy it).

Features of Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 3 include:

• Multiplayer for up to 10 players via LAN or Ironclad Online (ICO), as well as 14 custom maps to accommodate various multiplayer game types
• New artifact/planet exploration system allowing players to spend resources to have analysts and scientists survey a planet’s geography, indigenous wildlife, and core industries to determine how best to exploit the natural wealth of the planet
• Introduction of the ominous Pirate Base, all new pirate ships and new pirate behavior allowing players to influence pirate factions by economic means through new additions to the Bounty System
• New environmental features, including space anomalies, a new planet type and planetoids that factor heavily into players’ tactical choices and overall strategies
• The revolutionary Smart Zoom to Cursor camera, upgrades to the cultural system that allow players to intimidate enemies with capital ships, improved research mechanics, tons of new artwork, and many more improvements, updates and fixes

Harmotion Wins Intel Multi-threading Game Demo Contest

Bottomless Pit Games and their online multiplayer game Harmotion  have taken 1st Place in the Intel Multi-Threading Game Demo Contest. A 3D top-down shooter designed in the classic shoot-em up style, Harmotion is an action packed game about blending light, color, sound, and music; a game for all your senses. Reminiscent of old favorites like Galaga and Space Invaders, Harmotion updates that old genre with online multiplayer play, eye-burning visual effects, and player directed music and sound effects.

Harmotion won the competition by implementing advanced multithreading support for next-generation processors. The Harmotion Engine is a bleeding edge engine built for the next generation of online multiplayer shoot-em up games. It was architected to network up to 1,000 projectile collisions on the screen at once! All of the engines subsystems (including shader, particle, and collision effects) fully utilize multiple cores to offer faster, more dynamic breathtaking experiences.

Harmotion is free to play and still in the beta-testing check it out.

2 million dollar prize for the Fury Challenge Beta

Here’s a batch of Fury screenshots to celebrate the Fury Challenge with the challenge prize fund reaching 2 million dollars. The competition weekends begin next week so you better get signed up if you want a piece of the $2M pie.

“During Fury Challenge we’re capping player Ranks at an easily obtainable level,” said Adam Carpenter, Fury Creative Director. “Since this is an Open Beta event, it is critical that new players become competitive quickly while avoiding the complexities that a max level, fully unlocked character would bring. This ensures the Challenge is all about player skill and teamwork, not time played, and this is what Fury’s gameplay and design is all about.”

Fury Challenge is a ladder based competition where players compete in 3 different game types either solo or as part of a Clan. There will be 2 practice weekends (Sept 14-16 and Sept 21-23) and the Ladders will be reset in preparation for the two competition weekends (Sept 28-30 and Oct 5-7). Players can either download the client from one of our sponsors or pick up a pre-order disk from participating retailers.

Hellgate London Beta Next Week

The beta for Hellgate London will officially start next week, according to a press release EA sent out. How do you get in? By pre-ordering the game. “We’re excited to get our most passionate players into the early Beta test, and to reward them with a special look once the game goes live on Halloween,” said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. “The Founder’s offer is designed for those die-hard fans that will have had time to really get to know the game during the Beta phase and plan on spending a lot of time with us online.”

Here’s what you get when you pre-order, and/or decide to take the $149 plunge:

• A key to an exclusive Beta starting next week and ending October 7, 2007.
• One of four exclusive dye-kits1 that will give your hero’s gear a cool color theme right off the bat when Hellgate: London officially opens on Halloween.
• Eligibility to take advantage of the Hellgate: London Founders Offer, giving hardcore players a chance to purchase a lifetime subscription2 to Hellgate’s premium service for $149.99.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Beta For UK

Activision, announced today that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer beta will launch via Xbox LIVE in the UK and Ireland on Friday 7th September. Users can visit www.cod4beta.co.uk for details on how to obtain their token and the opportunity to experience some of the maps and modes available in multiplayer before the game hits store shelves on November 9th

The beta will enable players to experience the most advanced and powerful arsenal of modern day firepower in customizable multiplayer battles from the world’s most treacherous hotspots. Players will be able to customize their experiences by utilizing new features including create-a-class, player-ranking and the new perk system. Gamers will also be able to ease seamlessly into multiplayer matchmaking with the party system or even join games in-progress. New recruits will enlist for battle across a series of action-packed maps and dynamic game modes to test their mettle in the ultimate multiplayer gameplay arena.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Tonight on xbox Live!

Activision, announced today that Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer beta will launch via Xbox LIVE on Monday, August 27 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Users can visit Charlie Oscar Delta (www.CharlieOscarDelta.com) at noon for their chance to receive a Token and experience some of the maps and modes available in multiplayer before the game hits store shelves the week of November 5th.

The beta will enable players to experience the most advanced and powerful arsenal of modern day firepower in customizable multiplayer battles from the world’s most treacherous hotspots. Players will be able to customize their experiences by utilizing new features including create-a-class, player-ranking and the new perk system. Gamers will also be able to ease seamlessly into multiplayer matchmaking with the party system or even join games in-progress. New recruits will enlist for battle across a series of action-packed maps and dynamic game modes to test their mettle in the ultimate multiplayer gameplay arena.

“From day one we’ve set out to make Call of Duty 4 the best multiplayer experience ever,” said Grant Collier, Studio Head, Infinity Ward. “We’re excited to bring to our fans around the world this early look at Call of Duty 4 multiplayer. The gameplay possibilities are limitless from leveling-up and utilizing perks, to creating-your-own class and matchmaking. We’re only days away, so get ready!”

You can go to www.charlieoscardelta.com for the latest information about the worldwide beta including how to become a part of it, specifics on perks as well as the eventual end date of the beta. Entry to the beta and availability will vary by territory. U.S. residents will able to log on for a chance to receive a token on a first come basis.

Tabula Rasa Pre-Order Bonus Pack With Beta Account Ships to Retailers

NCsoft, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announced that the pre-order bonus pack for Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa has begun shipping to retailers. The pre-order box offers customers several perks, including exclusive in-game items and a three-day head start when the product launches this fall. Customers will find the pre-order bonus pack and digital pre-sale availability at various retailers in North America and Europe, as well as the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com. Richard Garriott is best known for creating the Ultima series, including Ultima Online, one of the first commercially successful massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) in North America. Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, which is one of the most anticipated PC titles of the year, is set in an epic science-fiction story where players will be challenged by dynamic and fast-paced adventures on unique alien worlds.

Players who purchase the pre-order for Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa not only get a three-day head start on the live service, they also receive exclusive character emotes, exclusive in-game pets to accompany their characters, access to the beta test, and a DVD with the game client, bonus wallpapers and art.

“There is an amazing amount of anticipation for Tabula Rasa’s launch within our development team and the player community,” said Richard Garriott, executive producer. “The player feedback at this point has been extremely helpful and we’re putting the final touches on the game. This pre-order release truly marks the final stages in developing this epic adventure, and since owning the pre-order allows players beta access, it is a great way to try Tabula Rasa out before we launch the game.”

Please contact your local retailer for details on when Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa will be available on the shelf, or download it from the PlayNC store beginning Friday, August 10

Warhammer Online beta Wants More

EA Mythic sends word that some 300,000 people have signed up so far to play the Warhammer Online beta and I think they want more:

EA Mythic today announced that more than 300,000 players have signed up for the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR) closed beta test. In little more than a month, EA Mythic’s highly-anticipated Warhammer Online has amassed a growing army of willing participants in Europe and North America, making the beta one of the most popular in massively multiplayer gaming history.