HI-REZ STUDIOS UNVEILS PALADINS, A TEAM-BASED SHOOTER WITH STRONG STRATEGY ELEMENTS
Early build playable by the public for the first time ever at gamescom 2015
MELBOURNE, Australia – Aug. 4, 2015 – Hi-Rez Studios, makers of the action MOBA SMITE, today revealed Paladins, their newest free-to-play game under development for the PC and current generation consoles. Paladins combines a rich fantasy setting with the fast action of a team-based first person shooter. In addition to the core shooter experience, Paladins also offers deep strategy and in-match character progression through decks of collectible cards, which amplify and augment a character’s core set of abilities.
Paladins will be playable to gamescom attendees at Hi-Rez Studios’ Booth A-051 in Hall 9, near the ESL main stage. Those not at the show can learn more and sign-up for the upcoming closed beta of Paladins at www.paladins.com.
“We’ve managed to keep Paladins under wraps for over a year now, so the dev team is really looking forward to receiving feedback from the hands-on demo at gamescom,” said Todd Harris, COO at Hi-Rez Studios. “We’ve focused on making something we find fun and competitive, and soon players will help us craft how Paladins grows from here.”
In Paladins, teams are pitted against one another. Each combatant enters the battle with a primary weapon, a set of combat and movement abilities, and a personal mount to carry them quickly from one fight to the next. Players begin each match with a customizable deck of skill cards which can be activated and evolved upon leveling up in-match for enhanced strength, defense or utility throughout the session.
“Paladins has been a passion project of ours from the beginning,” commented Mick Larkins, senior producer on the title. “We’ve dedicated a separate team from SMITE to work on it, and while we are still early in development, we know we’re crafting something very special. Paladins is extremely quick, with a great deal of depth in how it blends action, tactics, and teamwork, and we’re excited for gamers to start discovering all it has to offer.”
Paladins is coming to PC and current generation consoles in 2016. For the latest updates as they develop, please visit www.paladins.com
Late last year the OELVN Icebound was looking for help on Steam Greenlight and now in only a couple of days the title will be available for purchase on Steam. The developer has announced that Icebound will be released on August 5th and will feature both Steam achievements as well as trading cards. For those curious about what Icebound is, it is a PC visual novel and puzzle game set in a steampunk fantasy world that has fallen into the depths of a thousand-year ice age. Alchemy is a very real ability to manipulate the forces of nature and machines run using clockworks and steam. Humans have united under the Empire, a mighty continent-wide government that seeks to harness the power of alchemy, while the horned race of ferans lives in tenuous peace.
The story of Icebound follows a wandering alchemist named Dougal, and his icebat Familiar, Isaac, wind up in Isenbarr, an isolated frontier town that is about as cold as you can get. But, when he tries to get a job, he stumbles upon a mysterious challenge with a potentially priceless reward, and several other alchemists vying for the prize. He must use all the alchemical skills at his disposal in order to defeat the monster plaguing the town and prove himself worthy. Unfortunately for him, this seemingly straightforward task turns out to be anything but.
Those interested in picking up Icebound can still pre-order the title through Steam and those who want to see what else is on its way from Fastermind Games can check out their next project, Moonshot, here.
HI-REZ STUDIOS UNVEILS PALADINS, A TEAM-BASED SHOOTER WITH STRONG STRATEGY ELEMENTS
Early build playable by the public for the first time ever at gamescom 2015
ATLANTA and COLOGNE, Germany – Aug. 3, 2015 – Hi-Rez Studios, makers of the action MOBA SMITE, today revealed Paladins, their newest free-to-play game under development for the PC and current-generation consoles. Paladins combines a rich fantasy setting with the fast action of a team-based first-person shooter. In addition to the core shooter experience, Paladins also offers deep strategy and in-match character progression through decks of collectible cards, which amplify and augment a character’s core set of abilities.
Paladins will be playable to gamescom attendees at Hi-Rez Studios’ Booth A-051 in Hall 9, near the ESL main stage. Those not at the show can learn more and sign up for the upcoming closed beta of Paladins at www.paladins.com.
“We’ve managed to keep Paladins under wraps for over a year now, so the dev team is really looking forward to receiving feedback from the hands-on demo at gamescom,” said Todd Harris, COO at Hi-Rez Studios. “We’ve focused on making something we find fun and competitive, and soon players will help us craft how Paladins grows from here.”
In Paladins, teams are pitted against one another to capture control points and demolish the enemy’s base while defending their own. Each combatant enters the battle with a primary weapon, a set of combat and movement abilities, and a personal mount to carry them quickly from one fight to the next. Players begin each match with a customizable deck of skill cards which can be activated and evolved upon leveling up in-match for enhanced strength, defense or utility throughout the session.
“Paladins has been a passion project of ours from the beginning,” commented Mick Larkins, senior producer on the title. “We’ve dedicated a separate team from SMITE to work on it, and while we are still early in development, we know we’re crafting something very special. Paladins is extremely quick, with a great deal of depth in how it blends action, tactics, and teamwork, and we’re excited for gamers to start discovering all it has to offer.”
Paladins is coming to PC and current-generation consoles in 2016. For the latest updates as they develop, please visit www.paladins.com, Facebook or Twitter.
About Hi-Rez Studios
Atlanta-based Hi-Rez Studios was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment, and is now one of the largest video game studios in the Southeast United States. Its games include the squad-based shooter Global Agenda, the critically acclaimed Tribes: Ascend and SMITE, the Battleground of the Gods. www.HiRezStudios.com
I had a chance to check out Life is Feudal while I was at E3 this year. The game is an interesting survival, simulation, sandbox game with surprising depth. I had the opportunity to sit down with the CEO of Bitbox Ltd.; Vladimir Piskunov. Our conversation was quite interesting as it ranged from topics like player community management, Maslowe’s hierarchy of needs, and the alleged indiscretions that some online players had with his mum. All this and more can be found below…
How did you come up with the concept of Life is Feudal?
So that’s an interesting story, I believe, I’m a hardcore player myself. I’ve always liked RPGs more with free (for-all) PVP and loot. I’ve played Ultima Online, Shadowbane, EVE Online and back in 2010 I just decided ‘why not make the game of my dreams?’.
That’s it. I just created a post on a local game development site in Russia, looking for similarly minded-persons, and I managed to get an enthusiast team. It was a really difficult time as enthusiasm doesn’t always last long. So people were jumping in and jumping out but I managed to keep the core and we created a technical demo.
In November 2011, I managed to find a small local investor thanks to the technical demo. It already contained terraforming with tunnels and free-building. On our channel we have old videos of us building a castle and building tunnels underneath it and inside it.
Since 2011 and to now we’ve been working on the game.
That sounds good. You seem to have come a long way since then. There’s been a renaissance in the survival crafting genre with a lot of new titles coming out in recent memory. In particular, your game reminds a bit of the old A Tale in the Desert… but with less sand and more violence. So what makes your game different from other titles?
That’s a really good game with an interesting concept. That game is all about social interaction and building a society. There’s no combat. I would say it’s definitely one of the moderate inspirations for my game.
It’s one of the reasons why I’d say my game is not just another survival game. Survival is one of the aspects but once you get a small base and then a small village then you are fine. You don’t even need to really worry about other people.
But when you start developing your village further; you need to set up a farm, you need to set up a smelter, need to brew alchemy and all this other stuff… it’s where life begins!
It’s like… have you heard of Maslowe’s hierarchy of needs?
I have. That’s a psychological concept, isn’t it?
Yeah, so first of all you need air and food, shelter, then you need an occupation, then you need to be well regarded by people and so on. So food is just a basic part of the pyramid and we’re going to be going further up the pyramid. In other games, you can’t go up that pyramid as there aren’t any games which will let you. They’re just all about survival.
In our game, survival is just the first step in going further.
So what are the steps to achieving these other needs in your game?
By allowing our players to build and achieve something inside our game, not just surviving for a certain amount of time. We’re helping support players develop their own villages, their own friendships and communities. Helping them achieve good relations with other villagers and players. Or going the other way and letting them destroy other villages.
I mean, who would want to build a huge beautiful town and live there by themselves? I mean, it’s possible, in game master mode, and I know some solo players who love creating something in game master mode and sharing those creations.
Inside our booth here, you can see all the screenshots from our community and it highlights that our players don’t just want to survive but also want to create. That’s what we offer to players. We let them shape the world.
They can build towns, underground tunnels, and even underground cities. You can create and furnish rooms inside your city!
You can see from how Bill is playing (at the booth) that he’s built himself up as a blacksmith, but he has chicken coops and all this other stuff.
That’s what I find so cool. I really like that.
That sounds really good. To that end, have you put in anything mechanically to facilitate positive player interaction?
One of our central game mechanics is our ‘alignment system’. So you have to ‘pray’ everyday to increase your alignment and if you commit ‘sins’ like: assaulting someone, robbery, murder, knocking someone out, or even trespassing on someone elses land and your alignment will go down.
If you die with a lower alignment, you will lose way more skill points. So basically, you don’t want that to happen but you are allowed to do that. Nothing will go wrong with a low alignment… as long as you don’t die.
That’s definitely a factor we’ve found. It’s reduced the amount of griefing, wannabe player-killers, and overall it’s helped to create a more healthy community.
What’s more is that I know that some servers are just totally into roleplaying and they’re all friendly. I jumped in myself and I said ‘hi, I’m new. Can you help me?’. They send you off to the junior village and give you metal tools and give you time to decide whether you want to be a blacksmith or a farmer or a miner.
Maybe this was just my own experience but in some games I’d get shot after maybe one hundred minutes of trying to find my way all I learned was that a number of other players were surprisingly close to my mum… but I definitely didn’t learn how to play.
Ha! Well, it definitely sounds like you have a pleasant community around your game. I’ve heard that in addition to the private player servers, you’re also planning on creating an MMORPG server. Can you tell us more about that?
Sure. So that was actually the ideal from the start.
Back in 2014, we actually had a proper alpha test for an MMORPG map. It contained 21 by 21 kilometre of game world and one of our alpha testers needed three hours to cross from the South to the North.
All the land could be terraformed. You can build anywhere you want, chop down trees, plant them, and all that stuff.
So we had the alpha test to bug test… but I also think that the development of Life is Feudal: Your Own (private servers) are important. They’re in symbiosis because for players more interested in small-scale games, they’ll stick to these private servers and play with a couple friends.
But if you’re looking for massive battles and global politics and diplomacy and all that stuff, then you can jump on the MMORPG server. It’s up to you to decide where you want to go.
In October we’re planning on releasing the full version of Your Own and after that, we’re going to switch back to developing the MMORPG while supporting both versions. In March 2016, we’ll start Beta tests for the MMORPG version.
Cool! Thank you for your time, Vladimir.
If you want to read more about Life is Feudal, feel free to have a gander at my impressions here.
In recent memory, there appears to have been a deluge of survival games with players trying to survive everything from plane crashes to dinosaurs. Amongst contemporary entries we find examples like The Forest and Don’t Starve we see examples in which, although the style might be different, the goal is the same: to survive and thrive. Life isFeudal, developed by Bitbox Ltd,is a part of this deluge but stands out with some very interesting design choices and its depth of simulation. In fact, the game is highly reminiscent of an older title called A Tale in the Desert in which the game’s entire economy was completely player driven in a fairly in-depth simulation of Ancient Egypt.
I spent some time with one of the game’s fans, a man by the name of ‘Bill’, who would take me through the features of the game and explain its various concepts. The first thing that struck me (besides Bill’s enthusiasm) was the sheer scale of the gameplay. The world and the player’s capability interact with it is incredibly fleshed out and detailed. Trees that you cut down have a quality level attached to them which then affects the quality of the timber you harvest, which then further affects the quality of weapons that you might make with said timber.
In addition to the wood you’ll need to build a simple tool or weapon, you’ll need iron and possibly leather (for the handle) and these require further work. Although on some servers it is possible for players to become completely self-sufficient and build everything themselves, the game normally implements a skill cap on how many points a player can accrue throughout their production skills. Combat works in a similar fashion with different skills being open for the player to learn but an overall cap in place to stop them from excelling in everything.
This effectively means that players will have to work together and trade (or loot) to obtain the items that they would like. This promotes a play-style in which a player specialises in one skill and becomes a master at it to fill a niche in the game’s economy. Speaking with the devs, they plan on opening a mega-server to facilitate a huge amount of players in one world (currently you can have up to 64 on a server) and virtually create a space in which players can form their own feudal society.
Basically in this game, just like in real life, you have to find and pursue your calling to fit in… except there’s a slightly higher chance of death by bandit attack. It seems like a bit of an acquired taste but if you’re a fan of putting in long hours of blood and toil, you’ll probably have fun surviving and thriving in this little game.
I was also given the chance to talk to Vladimir Piskunov, one of the brains behind Life is Feudal, and you can read about it here.
So it turns out that those crazy/awesome/crazy awesome people at In The House decided that they would start off their newest screening season with the anime classic; Akira. Needless to say, I was excited to see Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark film in a cinema as I unfortunately missed the film’s original theatrical release in 1988… largely due to the fact that I wasn’t born yet.
The screening itself started off to a late start (due to traffic caused by an accident) with MCs Anthony Kierann, David Quinn, and Ardella doing their best to pump up the crowd. I particularly enjoyed Quinn’s little tidbits of trivia about the film and it’s clear to see that he has an earnest passion for the film.
Story
The story takes place in an alternate timeline in which World War 3 broke out and the city of Tokyo was destroyed in a huge blast which was assumed to be a nuclear weapon. The city has been rebuilt as ‘Neo-Tokyo’ in the thirty years which have passed since the war and is now a metropolis once more. Tensions arise in this state of affairs as corrupt politicians, religious fanatics, and political dissidents push the city to breaking point.
The narrative begins by introducing us to the two ‘bōsōzoku’ gang (fancy motorbike) protagonists; Tetsuo Shima and Shotaro Kaneda. On this particular night, they fight with a rival gang called ‘the clowns’. Carnage ensues on the streets and highways of Neo-Tokyo as these gangs fight each other as they ride at high speeds.
At the same time; an infiltrator is trying to escape military authorities with a small, child-sized, blue person by the name of ‘Takashi’. He is what is called an ‘esper’ and possesses psychic abilities. They attempt to make use of some protests as cover for their escape but the spy is ultimately gunned down. Takashi escapes and continues running into the ruins of old Tokyo.
The two storylines collide (literally) when Tetsuo accidentally crashes into Takashi. From this encounter, Tetsuo begins to develop mysterious mental powers and the rest of the gang (including Kaneda) being arrested by the military. Things develop further from there as the gulf between Kaneda and Tetsuo widens both emotionally and physically.
What I found interesting was just how quick and effortless the film transitions between various themes and scope. The first act is a stylish cyberpunk thriller with motorcycle gangs. The second act is a supernatural monster movie with Neo-Tokyo being the urban playground. The third act is a Cronenbergian horror and exhibits body-horror galore.
These changes aren’t without their drawbacks however as my friend who saw the film with me was not quite able to keep up with what was happening in the story. A lot of what goes on in Akira, happens without explanation and the audience is to draw out much from what little the movie gives them.
Largely, the film is quite adept at explaining what is happening visually and we get a sense of the world through images rather than exposition. That being said, the last act (and especially the last shot) will confuse most people who have not read a synopsis of the film beforehand. Luckily, this humble writer did read a synopsis beforehand and I was able to mightily enjoy the screening.
One aspect of the film’s narrative I found to be quite disturbing was the character of Kaori. Do not get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with anything she says… but rather that she doesn’t anything and instead gets some pretty nasty things done to her. Her entire on-screen existence can pretty much be summed up as being a passive victim of (sometimes sexualised) violence. I’m not entirely sure what purpose she had to serve in the story beyond, perhaps, shock value for the audience.
Visuals
The thousands of frames of animation in this film are beautifully hand-painted. The use of lighting particularly provides for some interesting visual design during the early scenes with the fighting biker gangs. The images are all animated and directed with such a frenetic energy to them that it’s hard not to be drawn into the action on the screen.
Equal parts disturbing and beautiful; I particularly enjoyed the scenes where surreal, supernatural events are depicted as Tetsuo goes through his psychic transformation. I’d liken it to horror by way of Dali or google’s ‘deep dream’ program given life although some of it could also be quite disturbing nightmare fuel.
Audio
The soundtrack is, without a doubt, absolutely amazing. Composed by Tsutomu Ohashi (under the pseudonym of Shoji Yamashiro), it is an eclectic mix of which features chanting vocals, drumbeats, organs, and more. The sound this creates feels suitably ethereal to match the surreal moments throughout the film. These aren’t exactly tunes which you’ll be able to sing-along to, but they are distinctive enough that they’ll stick with long after the surreal experience is over.
Overall
As you might already be able to tell; I love this movie. The story might be a bit confusing, but the action will no doubt help see most people through. The animation is brilliant and the audio compliments perfectly. It was an absolute pleasure to watch this film up on the big screen.
For other films which In The House is screening, feel free to check out their schedule here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Logitech have unveiled their latest advancement in technology for individuals in their everyday work life, the MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse. The portable mouse is defined by its extraordinary features, with an advanced Darkfield Laser Sensor that tracks on virtually any surface, dual connectivity and Easy-SwitchTM between 3 devices, hyper-fast scrolling, advanced power management and customisation options for Window and Mac users.
Kit Williams, Mice and Keyboards Senior Product Manager at Logitech ANZ stated, “The Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse is our mobile version of the award-winning MX Master Wireless Mouse and delivers the best combination of connectivity, size and comfort. It is designed to work wherever you do, and it’s by far the most versatile portable mouse that we offer today.”
The Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse will be available soon in August, for the suggested retail price of $129.95. For further details on product specifications, please head to the official website of Logitech here.
Start August off on the right foot with a ton of doujin themed indie games. The 71st Indie GalaEvery Monday Bundle has nine games + DLC’s this week for a low low price of only $1.99.
Bionic Heart 2– The fight against Nanotech continues for Tanya and Tina; but Tom, Luke, and Helen are now on Mars to start a new life.
Tokyo Hosto– Jayson Traish is the newest employee at the host bar, where he’ll do everything from keeping women company to cleaning the toilets.
Quantum Conscience – Like any hero with superpowers, you have some serious responsibilities to go with it. Use Blaire’s telepathic abilities for good or evil, it’s up to you.
Step into the Rift – First Person Exploration Virtual Reality Adventure, P.O.L.L.E.N, Coming to PC, Mac, Linux, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation 4 Morpheus in early 2016
Inspired by Science Fiction Classics Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey, P.O.L.L.E.N Coming to Desktop and VR Headsets
Helsinki, Finland – 3rd August, 2015 – Virtual reality studio Mindfield Games today announced that its first person virtual reality exploration game, P.O.L.L.E.N, will be coming to PC, Mac and Linux in early 2016 and will support HTC Vive, OSVR and Oculus Rift in the launch. Later in the year P.O.L.L.E.N will also be available for PlayStation 4 Morpheus.
“P.O.L.L.E.N is a new breed of exploration and storytelling in games“, said Olli Sinerma, Co-founder of Mindfield Games. “Virtual reality is about freedom to do whatever you like and everything in the gameworld has been made interactive for the player to experiment with. All the objects can be examined or operated – just like in real-life and it’s the player actions which define how they uncover what has happened in Research Station M”.
Inspired by science-fiction classics Solaris, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Moon, as well as adventure games Gone Home and The Dig, P.O.L.L.E.N places the player inside the space suit and helmet of a space mechanic in a fully interactive world where each object has a functionality and action.
P.O.L.L.E.N is a first-person space exploration game set on Titan, the sixth and largest moon of Saturn and the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere and vast liquid seas, where life may exist. In P.O.L.L.E.N the player is sent as a replacement for the space company Rama Industries mechanic who was lost on this moon in a work related accident. Once there he is to join the four remaining personnel of the research station M to continue their work with the unknown object they have discovered below the Titanian crust. Inside the research station each step forward leads to new discoveries about the fate of the crew and the secrets that they have uncovered.
Mindfield Games is an eleven person company from Helsinki, Finland that focuses on virtual reality. The team consists entirely of game industry professionals with a background on PC, console and mobile game development from companies such as Remedy, Rovio, Housemarque and Redlynx/Ubisoft.
Mindfield Games first title, the first person exploration adventure game P.O.L.L.E.N. will be released for PC in Q1/2016 and is optimized for Virtual Reality.
MangaGamer has a bit of good news for fans who fall into two different categories, those who want a good story to go along with some of their hentai as well as those who simply want to see how strange things can become. First of all, the company has announced that they have released a demo for Kara no Shojo 2, the sequel to Kara no Shojo and Cartagra. While the current release window for the PC game is sometime in Fall 2015 fans can experience a small portion of the new mystery that awaits them in the game as the demo serves as the prologue to Kara no Shojo 2 and features content that will not be included in the standard retail release. Those wanting to check out the demo can download it on the game’s official page (18+ Only).
As for the other camp, MangaGamer has also announced that they are now accepting pre-orders for Warrior Princess Asuka: The Final Chapter which is set to be released at the end of this month for $9.95 though those who pre-order will be able to save 10% off that initial price. Featuring plenty of tentacle sex, body modification, and various different kinds of sex, those who want to pre-order the title can do so on MangaGamer’s website here(18+ Only).
