Betawatch: SkySaga’s alpha is coming to a happy end (April 14, 2017)

betawatch

Massively Overpowered’s Betawatch feature chronicles the adventures and misadventures of MMOs in various stages of testing. You might also be interested in Make My MMO, which focuses on crowdfunded games in particular. [Follow this feature’s RSS feed]

Betawatch: SkySaga’s alpha is coming to a happy end (April 14, 2017)

April 14, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre Leave a comment

It’s very rare that this job allows us to use the terms “shutdown” and “good” in the same sentence, but the upcoming alpha shutdown for SkySaga is one of those rare instances. After all, the only reason the alpha test is shutting down is so that the game can move into its open beta, which will serve as a de facto soft launch. See? That’s a good thing.

Other betas were doing stuff this week, too, so that’s also a good thing.

Legends of Aria is completely rewriting the Shards Online combat engine, so it’s working hard to justify that name change.
Project Gorgon continues its relentless drive to add more weird and fun systems into the game with brewing. Now you can be a pretentious jerk who insists on drinking seasonal microbrews in the game! It’s really a brave new world.
What do you get when you combine the gameplay of Secret of Mana with the modern graphical roguelike hack-and-slash? You get Kingdom of Loot, which is now in early access.
How pretty are the special effects for Valiance Online? The answer is so pretty.
The Sea of Thieves technical alpha has a large number of players in the game and testing out how it works. But only on console; the PC crowd will have to just keep waiting.
Last but not least, if you’re interested in the mechanics behind Rend, you might want to check out just how the game is handling its class system. It’s all about options.

And we’ve got our full list of games just below if you’d like a more rundown-style update. As always, we appreciate it if you let us know what stuff has jumped to another phase of testing or might otherwise be erroneous; we do our best to keep up with changes, but we do miss things from time to time.

Betawatch: Secret World Legends is a very different game, probably (April 7, 2017)

April 7, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre 3 comments

If you were hoping that Secret World Legends was essentially just The Secret World, well, you were wrong. You were told that you were wrong when it was announced, but the first round of leaks have been coming out of the beta, and they paint a very different picture of the game. Of course, it’s still early enough in testing that fans are cautioned not to see anything therein as final, so… take all of that with a grain of salt, naturally.

And yes, there is other beta news! That’s not a secret. It’s a known fact.

Crowfall is offering players the option to customize skill loadouts. That’s new and it’s a real thing, unlike the development team’s recent round of answers for things which do not currently exist.
The Morrowind expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online has a closed beta on the game’s test servers. Essentially, you can only be invited to test the expansion content, but everyone gets to test the patch itself. It’s a bit odd.
If you want some drops in Albion Online, you’re going to need to make them yourself. Yes, there are plans for a system to ensure that even drops are made by players. Also a bit odd, but sort of cool.
There are two factions in Escape from Tarkov, but there’s also a third… well, not a faction, per se, but scavengers can run around and screw things up for everyone regardless of affiliation.
The latest update for Worlds Adrift doesn’t just make the game flow better, it makes it taste better. Metaphorically, anyhow. If you lick the part of your hard drive where the game is stored, you… actually, just don’t do that. Don’t even think about that.
Last but not least, Edengrad has launched into Early Access. That’s not odd at all! Just straightforward.

You know what comes next: I mention that there’s a list of games in testing below, I implore you to let us know if something jumped test phases, I sit and cry with four pounds of crispy bacon. I don’t actually eat the bacon, I just cry next to it. Also, I’m hoping by this point you’ve stopped reading. The best secrets are out in plain sight.

MMORPG
News

Betawatch: Destiny 2 is coming to the PC (March 31, 2017)

March 31, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre One comment

All the speculation and hopes turned out to be true; Destiny 2 will be coming to the PC as well as consoles, with a launch in September and a beta this summer. We haven’t yet had a confirmation that the sequel will allow you to ride on magical ponies or feature a third-person camera, but I’m sure that wishing hard enough makes things happen. Why not, at this point?

Other beta news with significantly less destiny did occur this week, naturally:

Mu Legend is soft-launching around the world this summer with an open beta, ensuring that you have some hacking and slashing to enjoy while you’re not in school… or while you’re still at work. Full-time employment does not usually include summer breaks.
Project Gorgon has introduced the Bard skill while also shrinking group sizes. This way, if no one likes your singing, there will be fewer people around to complain. It’s brilliant.
If you want an actual update for Project Genom, you’ll have to keep waiting. If you want to see what’s going on behind the scenes while the game itself isn’t updating, well, the designers have you covered there.
The post-apocalyptic Edengrad will be entering early access on April 4th, thus ensuring that players can look out upon a ruined world and ruin it some more. What does it matter to you? It was already broken.
Last but not least, if you’re still really invested in Johnny Depp playing a caricature of Keith Richards with a large hat, Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War is available for beta signups.

Oh, and there’s a list of stuff down below. What sort of stuff? Games in testing, mostly. Some of them might have jumped test phases without us noticing though, and if so, do clue us in down in the comments.

Betawatch: Pathfinder Online isn’t dead yet (March 24, 2017)

March 24, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre 3 comments

You could be forgiven for kind of thinking that Pathfinder Online was dead in the water, but it turns out that there’s still hope. A surprise announcement stated that the game is moving forward once more, that it’s going to be finished, and that there’s reason to be hopeful from here on out. So if you’re a big fan of the game or what the designers originally promised, don’t give up just yet!

Other beta news this week was… well, let’s face it, it was weird. What do I mean? See for yourself.

Chronicles of Elyria limited how many monarchs at the $10,000 backer level can rule over its lands, which is fine in and of itself (a $10,000 price tag is rather limiting to start with) except there are already more monarchs than lands. Clarifying the process didn’t exactly mollify those already upset.
Master x Master managed to ignite controversy around its next beta test dates by adding Statesman to the game. That was… there’s no good analogy there. NCsoft also showed off two other characters, but Statesman kind of dominated perception.
Now that The Repopulation is back online, the team is hard at work getting all old backers back online with the game… and fixing an apparent slew of bugs that have to be addressed before any further patches. Whoops!
Ever, Jane has added in horseback riding and carriages. That’s all. That’s just cool; we need some stories that are unambiguously good news.
A big patch for Conan Exiles has corresponded to a building and structure wipe on the official servers to compensate for exploits. Private servers are not obligated to join in. Which would be more brutal if not for the fact that the game is in early access, after all…

See what I mean, though? It’s been a weird week. Perhaps you can feel a bit better about the week by checking on the list just below, which has all sorts of games on it. Of course, some of them may have crept into a different test status without our notice, which is also weird, so please let us know in the comments if you spy that.

Betawatch: The Repopulation is back in the saddle again (March 17, 2017)

March 17, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre 2 comments

It has been an odd and not altogether happy ride for The Repopulation, but the good news is that the game is back into a playable state. It’s also the exact same game from when it got shut down, so if you were expecting some huge changes, you will be somewhat disappointed. And, you know, there’s the whole change in ownership that’s left a bad taste in many people’s mouths. Still, it’s online!

Other beta stuff also happened this week as it turns out. Which is good and hopefully will be less depressing. Let’s see.

Dark & Light is promising special mounts for faction leaders, so that’s pretty cool! That’s uplifting! And it’s also… delayed once again, this time until summer. So slightly less than uplifting. Darn it.
Shall we check in on SMITE Rivals? Perhaps that game will be more… oh, wait, that game’s development has been put on hold indefinitely, which doesn’t rhyme with “cancelled” but has a lot of the same syllables.
Even Dual Universe has managed to contract Disappointment Fever by pushing back its first testing until September, so that’s not fun.
Now, for some genuinely happier news: Trove has fully launched on consoles, allowing all of the pixel-esque building and blasting you could want on your television.
The first closed beta for LawBreakers has gone live with a massive patch, for all the shoot-shoot bang-bang you could want.
Paragon celebrated a full year of early access with a big patch and a new hero, as well. It’s almost like a normal anniversary.

Some of that still found a way to be sort of a downer, huh? Well, you can check out the full list of games in testing below, perhaps that will bring you more joy. As always, let us know if something hopped test phases in the comments! We’re trying to get rid of all the cash shops that take your money in supposed beta tests, but they’re remarkably resilient. Some of us suspect there’s a hive.

Betawatch: The soft launch of Revelation Online (March 10, 2017)

March 10, 2017 Bree Royce 4 comments

Get Revelation Online now

Revelation Online departs the hallowed halls of Betawatch this week, having emerged from closed beta into open beta. No more wipes are planned, and the game is now freely accessible, making the My.com import well and truly soft-launched. Fly free, my pretty! What else happened in the world of MMO betas this week?

Elder Scrolls Legends dumped the beta tag entirely and is now officially launched on PC.
Shards Online is getting a name change ahead of its planned Steam early access launch. You may now refer to it as Legends of Aria.
The Repopulation’s alpha is expected to resume this weekend under the new ownership. Welcome back, Repop! Don’t screw this up!
Gigantic just cannot catch a break: It laid off a sizable portion of its staff with the aim of “reducing the burn rate” until it can emerge from open beta and land on Arc later this year.
Project Gorgon tasked players with testing dungeon difficulty.
Camelot Unchained is still teasing its long-delayed beta one, but it sounds as if we’re inching closer now.
Albion Online is pushing out a big patch next week, heavily overhauling the beta.
Crowfall is working toward 24-7 test servers.
LawBreakers is planning a big beta weekend later this month. Breakin’ the law!

Follow along below for the complete list of all the games still on the grill.

Betawatch: Robocraft hits beta testing (March 3, 2017)

March 3, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre One comment

Life is weird. You would think that once Robocraft was a thing I would never have played anything else, simply because it’s a game about building your own robots and then making them fight. Yet it hasn’t really made it onto my radar before, although perhaps that will change now that the game has launched into beta. That’s a good thing for all who care for robots, really.

Other beta news? There was a bit, here and there!

Steam Early Access has added Cloud Pirates to its ranks; the game has been in general Early Access since February, but now it’s on Steam as well. Convenient!
Revelation Online has soft launched… for players with early access to the soft launch. The full soft launch isn’t until March 6th. Yes, it’s early access to early access. Development is crazy. You can catch up on your knowledge of the classes while you wait for general admission, if you like.
Ashes of Creation is still in its alpha stages, but it’s still letting you take a look at its gameplay, so that’s pretty cool. It’ll likely change quite a bit over time, but hey, first look!
The Darkfall resurrection project Rise of Agon is hitting launch on May 5th. That’s a few months away yet, but it still fits on the calendar.
Wondering about Crowfall’s current state of test crafting? We had a deep dive into it with a full hands-on piece, so if you missed it, you’ll want to check that out. The developers also showed off the upcoming Fae Assassin (who is a fae who assassinates, not an assassin of the fae).

Your quest now, should you choose to accept it, is to head into the comments and let us know about what betas you’re playing. There are more on the list below, you see. You can also let us know if something on that list has launched while claiming it’s still in testing, which is something that probably didn’t happen back in 2006, but who knows at this point? That was a while ago.

Betawatch: Albion Online announces its launch date (February 24, 2017)

February 24, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre 5 comments

After extending its beta well into 2017, Albion Online has announced its date for officially leaving that hallowed state: July 17th, 2017. Just a few months away! So if you were worried that “well into 2017” meant the fall, you can rest easy. The game has also looked at adjusting some of its open PvP zones, so that’s also a good thing.

Other news? Aw, of course, anything for you:

The Exiled has moved from totally-unambiguously-in-beta to the somewhat more ambiguous state of early access. So you can go hop in now, if you’re curious. (Feel free to let us know in the comments if you think it should still be on the list, while you’re at it.)
War Thunder will soon be on a boat, putting its players on boats and looking for testers to examine how well the boats… well, boat. (Is boat a verb? Let’s assume that it is.) The pre-beta schedule for naval testing is available now for boat fans.
The Repopulation should be repopulated very soon, as its new management wants to get the game back online in the next few weeks. Hopefully that will not result in the game soon being depopulated once again.
A new phase of beta testing has started up in Life is Feudal. It should be running for two weeks or so, which means that any progress you make may or may not be feudal but will definitely be futile in the larger scheme of things.
Ashes of Creation made a bit more noise with some long-awaited information about the game. It’s also leaning against a dungeon finder somewhat, but that decision has not actually been made just yet.
The second closed beta for MU Legend has begun, running until February 28th. As this is a closed beta, black-tie attire will be strictly enforced; play the game only in your finest clothes.

You can also find our full list just below, replete with all sorts of games which are in testing. Did something jump test phases without us noticing? That’s awful; let us know about it so we can fix it. Or just scroll down the list and look for what you’d be interested in playing, we’ll accept either.

Betawatch: Open season in sight for Revelation Online (February 17, 2016)

February 17, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre 2 comments

Those of you who have waited eagerly for the day when everyone can jump into Revelation Online won’t have to wait much longer, as the game’s open beta is starting up March 6th. Players who purchased one of the game’s founder’s packs will be able to get in a little bit earlier, to boot. The game also showed off its special skills, which is “break the rules” special rather than “riding a different bus to school” special.

Shall we cover other beta news this week? Yes! Why not? You may join us in a chortle.

The “kitchen sink” patch for Conan Exiles does not actually add kitchen sinks. It does, however, add a whole lot of stuff to the game just the same, so if you’ve been taking a break from the game after its launch you might want to go poke around again.
Another open test weekend is coming around for The Imperial Realm: Miranda, which we would like to note once more is an entire open-world strategy game developed and managed by a single person. That’s pretty cool right there.
The Shards Online development team has dropped the game’s NDA in preparation for the game’s Steam launch, which also comes with a server wipe. There’s also a community roundtable video in which the developers work to build up more hype for the game among fans.
Looking forward to Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen? The developers have posted a big state of the game update explaining how development has been going while also defending the game’s limited selection of class and race combinations.

Yes, that’s all a bit quiet, but the list down below can be raucous despite our best efforts to silence it. You can let us know if parts of the list deserve more consideration down in the comments, like if a title has slipped into launch without us catching it. We keep putting up nets but some titles slip through. I suspect there’s a hive.

Betawatch: Albion Online prepares for Sir Galahad the Patchly (February 10, 2017)

February 10, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre Leave a comment

The extended beta for Albion Online gives the developers time to add more to the game. For example, when the Galahad patch goes live, players will be able to explore completely revamped cities! Not partially vamped, either, they had no vamps before and now they’ve been re-vamped. (We might not know exactly what that means.) There’s also the upcoming expedition system, which is… instanced PvE dungeons, but don’t call them that, probably.

Other beta news? Oh, sure, we’ll do that for you. Because we’re friends and all.

The closed beta for Dragon Nest 2 is recruiting now, although there’s no word on when exactly it starts. Or much hope for onlookers from this side of the pond, as it really does require Korean players. But it’s moving forward, that’s something.
CBT3 for Revelation Online has come to an end, with the open beta around the corner. How far around the corner? We don’t know. Of course, considering that name reservations go live on February 14th, we can certainly speculate.
Crowfall was all ready to go with its Templar setup, demonstrating the animations and everything. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait a little longer, as the planned test on February 10th was cancelled. The sadness, she is overwhelming.
Want to see a bit of Ashes of Creation in action? You can check out the first glance inside one of the game’s dungeons right now. Per legal agreements, there will be no puns about how the ice-themed dungeon “looks cool,” intentional or otherwise.
Cloud Pirates is hitting that most special of all times, early access! It even includes a new gameplay mode, so you can’t be mad. (Is that how the rules work? You can’t be mad if you get extra stuff too? Someone should check on that.)

Rather calm week, yes? Don’t blame us, most of us were buried under snow. There’s still a nice full list just below, though, but you never know when some of these games might have hopped test phases without us realizing it. We do our best to track the offenders down, but if we miss someone, would you be kind enough to let us know down in the comments? Thanks.

Betawatch: Revelation Online stays revealed a little bit longer (February 3, 2016)

February 3, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre One comment

Good news, fans of Revelation Online! The game is still up for testing right now! Yes, the game is getting a bit more time in tests so that players can reach the level cap and really explore what it has to offer. You can also learn about guilds hitting one another to control territory, if that’s your thing.

Meanwhile, the beta news has rolled onward across the betasphere. Is that a term? It is now. Take a gander:

We bid farewell to Conan Exiles not being playable, as the game formally launched into early access. It’s still going to toughen up raiding, and it’s also laughing at everyone laughing about dongs. Draw your own conclusions there.
Interested in Dauntless? You can check out some footage of the game in action now. This is also true if you’re not interested in the free-to-play monster-smashing co-op title until you saw those words in sequence just now.
Life is Feudal is still in testing, but it’s eyeing launch in late 2017. Something to look forward to.
Crowfall has gotta go fast; it’s apparently stepping up the pace for its development updates as the year goes on. In theory, anyhow. It’s definitely giving the familiar old Knight a bit of additional love.
Can you not live without Cloud Pirates’ blend of MOBA gameplay and the presence of airships? You won’t have to, as the game is heading into early access on February 9th. You can wait a week, right? Please wait a week.

And naturally, there’s a list of games in testing down below. Exciting, yes? You can check out many of the games on that list, and you can also let us know if something on there has slipped to a new phase without us knowing. You can even test out the new comment system to tell us all about it. Fun for the family, assuming the family has a slightly odd definition of fun.

Betawatch: A city of City of Heroes successors (January 27, 2017)

January 27, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre Leave a comment

The loss of City of Heroes brought motivated fans together to rebuild it, or at least to create a spiritual successor to the game. Three of those games showed off some nifty stuff this week. City of Titans gave us a look at some gorgeous hair, Heroes & Villains explained how it’s handling seamless zoning, and Ship of Heroes brought out a full-on character creation video. Now if only they could team up to provide us characters with great hair and a seamless city. (We’ll add in some combat later.)

Oh, is that not enough for you? Fine! Have some other beta news, then.

Worlds Adrift attempted to make the fastest airship. It’s also bugfixing away in the latest test phases, although it has yet to fix the bug where the airships cannot exceed the speed of light. That’s got to be an early error.
The early access for Hellion was originally slated for this month, but it got bumped back to February 24th. So you’ve got a little while longer to wait.
We got a look at how you can travel around the world in Revelation Online in the hopes that maybe you won’t just exclusively fly everywhere. There’s also a preview of Akuta, the sort of storyline NPC you’ll probably be busy traveling away from.
You should be happy to know that Daybreak has not given up on a console version of H1Z1. Whether or not any players have not given up on it is another matter altogether and is left as an exercise for the reader.

Meanwhile, there’s an even lengthier list of games currently in testing just below. Did something skip to a new test phase without us noticing? Is there a game on there that has opened its cash shop and is letting everyone play without future data wipes? Should pigeons be allowed to eat chili? Let us know about any of the above or something else altogether down in the comments.

Betawatch: The Repopulation changes hands (January 20, 2017)

January 20, 2017 Eliot Lefebvre Leave a comment

The good news for fans of The Repopulation is that the game is coming back online. The bad news is… well, it’s completely changed hands, with Idea Fabrik (owners of the Hero Engine) taking the game and making it their own. Will it be as good as it could have been? Will it release and be stable? We just don’t know right now. But it’s coming back. The owners are also starting just by bringing the alpha back online, lest you expect a whole new game out of the gate.

And there’s more beta news! Oh, boy, is there ever more beta news.

Wild Terra is hosting a free weekend for everyone, which is perfect if you want to test the game but wish to do so without having to pay for it up-front. The testing is open until January 24th. It’s also looking into implementing some anti-grind measures.
You’ll be able to test MU Legend again on February 21st through February 28th, with a focus on improved localization. There will also be no data wiped from the first closed beta, so you can just jump in where you left off.
Pathfinder Online had a state of the game letter that alludes to sending the game off to another studio for further development, which is possibly good news after the game’s anemic and near-disastrous development up to now. Assuming, of course, that this is not a euphemism like sending a dog to a nice farm family.
Early access for The Exiled will start on February 23rd, thus allowing everyone to buy in and play the game. That means a live game that’s always available, rather than one with limited windows.
The third closed beta for Revelation Online has begun, with plenty of new content included and a promotion asking you to spend a bunch of money to get more money.

And yes, there’s a list, and it’s just below. Did we miss something in there? Let us know down in the comments. Do you want to share your opinions on this week’s beta news? Do so in the comments. Sharing feelings about betas? That’s what the comment section is for, folks, don’t let us stop you.

« 1 2 3 4 5 … 11 »