As I started prepping for this week’s Indie MMO Spotlight, it seemed like it would be a light news week. Considering the first IMS only had seven entries, the 16 items (including two new games) I gathered up aren’t so bad after all. While some news items aren’t very beefy, I keep adding them to give these indie titles as much visibility as possible. Sometimes less can be more, so let me know in the comments whether you’d like the Spotlight to keep pumping out all the small happenings in the indie space or stick to just the more important news items. Anyway, let’s get started with this week’s Indie MMO Spotlight.
Dual Universe
You asked, and Novaquark has responded. This week, a new DU vlog was posted to answer all of the community questions submitted about the upcoming Demeter update. If the follow-up discussion on the forums is any indicator, the vlog generated as many questions as it answered.
Ember Sword
Behind every great MMO is a great story, and behind every great story is a team of writers. This week’s Ember Sword Podcast covers that very topic. Narrative Designer Sam and Senior CM GameMaster share their thoughts on worldbuilding and writing.
Gloria Victis
Weekly Update #295 is live. Instead of adding another new progression system, the primary focus for the update was making terrain improvements. Hundreds of spots where the terrain was uneven have been smoothed out. Inconsistencies, where visuals suggested players could walk on unpassable terrain, were also fixed. And a new puddle system has been added. There have also been adjustments to server accessibility that affect the buffs and debuffs triggered by under and overpopulation.
Haven & Hearth
Even though it’s getting colder outside, things are heating up in Haven & Hearth. With the latest patch, there are now more fruits, seeds, and seasonal foods to go along with new planting mechanics. Read about all the changes in the patch notes.
Ilysia
Many people, myself included, believe the next major evolution of MMOs will be the move to VR. If you haven’t kept up with the progress of VR tech and software development, that may sound crazy. This short video I found on the Ilysia Twitter will surely change your mind.
Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a good week so far! We've decided to post just a regular, totally not special at all, video for you to watch. #VR #indiegame #indiedev #gamedev #MMORPG Check it out HERE! ?? pic.twitter.com/OkB5S2il2N
— Ilysia (@ilysiavr) November 9, 2021
Mad World
Last week we mentioned that Jandisoft had hinted at another Closed Alpha coming for Mad World in December. Although the date still hasn’t been announced, signups for the Alpha event are now open on the Mad World site.
Mist Legacy
If the turn-based combat of Broken Ranks looks interesting, you might want to take a look at Mist Legacy. I came across Mist Legacy for the first time this week, but it has been in early access on Steam since early October.
Profane
A Profane Twitter thread goes over the fifth Primordial Element, Mind, that permeates the universe in Profane. Mind, along with Light, Shadow, Instinct, and Life, can all be harnessed in your pursuit of power and wielded for both good and evil purposes.
Prosperous Universe
In case you missed it, here’s the link to Development Log #310, which is mainly about the mobile UI launch.
Realm of the Mad God
The 18th playable class in RotMG was revealed this week. Say hello to the Kensei. If you want to get an early look at the new class, the Kensei is available to play on the test server.
Reign of Guilds
Reign of Guilds doesn’t make its way into the Indie MMO Spotlight very often, so it’s nice to see that they had a decent-sized update this week. You can read all about it on their news post.
Remote Knights Online
I’m always looking for projects to follow, so here’s a new one for you. I really haven’t had a chance to delve too deep, but Remote Knights Online looks to be a faction-based PvP MMORPG. Let me know what you think about it.
Soul Kingdoms
Soul Kingdoms had its first playtest on Tuesday, and the second test is scheduled for today at 5 pm EST. If you missed the chance to join in the first test, Power Proc Studios posted a short gameplay video of some of the action.
Star Sonata 2
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Star Sonata 2 is having an in-game event. From November 12 through November 23, players will be able to reap the benefits of multiple bonuses. Players will also be able to collect Visage Kits each day of the event. You can read all about the event here.
A Township Tale
ATT received a new patch this week, which made some significant improvements to client-side impact. You can read about that and all the other changes in the update log posted on Reddit.
Zenith: The Last City
Okay, so I mentioned earlier that VR might be the next big thing in MMOs. Then I came across this short video of the cooking system in Zenith: The Last City, and now I’m second-guessing myself.
Loose Ends
Starbase - A large patch at the end of October enabled Company Ships and many other updates and fixes.
