Summer is almost behind us now, but the development of our beloved indie MMOs is far from over. More and more developers are announcing and pinning down exact dates for their fall updates and betas, so this week’s Indie MMO Spotlight is full of Devlogs and videos.
The Cycle
Yager has announced that they will be holding another Closed Beta Test for The Cycle, their PvEvP Battle Royale. Anyone who tried their luck on Fortuna III during previous tests is already signed up, and new Prospectors can sign up now on either Steam or the EGS for the test that runs from September 30 through November 1.
Dual Universe
The Dual Universe Ares Update is almost here. Although Novaquark still hasn’t given an official date for when we can expect Ares to hit the live server, they did release it on the public test server so players could get a chance to take a peek behind the curtains. They also released not one but two devlogs covering the major changes players can expect with Ares. Part One gave more information on Core Combat Stress, Shields v2, and PVP fixes, while Part Two shed more light on the Warp Improvements and the Docking and Boarding Revamp.
For all of you that enjoy using bugs and exploits while you play DU, there was also a quick post clarifying Novaquark’s stance on the matter. The post detailed several scenarios occurring within the game and noted which were allowed and which were not allowed.
Ember Sword
Many MMOs have to implement a queue system when they launch but have you ever heard of one that needed to add a queue to their website? Well, it happened this week with Ember Sword when the website was swamped with people checking in to see the results of July’s Land Sale. Hopefully, all 35000+ applicants have found out if they were awarded a plot by now. It will be interesting to see just how many of the applicants actually follow through with their purchase when the plots have to be paid for (September 30 - October 14).
Fractured
If you liked the Fall Alpha Spotlight video that we covered in last week’s IMMOS, then you’ll be super excited to know that the Fractured Fall Alpha has an official start date of September 22 at 10 am EDT. The PvE-focused Alpha will allow players to check out over 40 new abilities, discover new world events and points of interest, and take on 20+ new monsters. That’s just part of what Dynamight Studios has in store for the Alpha, so be sure to check out their latest blog post to learn more.
Gloria Victis
For the first time in the history of the Indie MMO Spotlight (11 weeks for those who are counting), there isn’t a weekly update to share with the Gloria Victis fans. Black Eye Games needed a little more time to test all of the changes included in the patch, so you can expect to see the update on Monday.
Into the Echo
MMORPG’s new News Editor, Christina Gonzalez, beat me to the punch with her coverage of the new Into the Echo teaser trailer. She even mentioned that you could sign up for the pre-alpha test on the ItE website. Wait, does this mean I’m out of a job?
OrbusVR
OrbusVR had a new blog post this week announcing an upcoming update. Scheduled for Tuesday, September 28, the patch will have two major changes. First, you’ll be able to go for that perfect look for your avatar as more than 40 new hairstyles, eyes, mouths, and noses are being added. The second update is the addition of facial animations. Your avatar’s eyes will now blink, and their mouth will move when you are talking. There will even be different animations depending on how loud you are talking.
Profane
Profane took to their Twitter this week to show off the work of one of their VFX artists. It’s still a work in progress, but the Dev Friday thread highlighted Victor Natan and his work on bringing footsteps to life in Profane. I guess progress in MMO development really is made in baby steps.
Prosperous Universe
Michi had a lot to cover in the weekly PU Devlog. Along with the 2021.4 maintenance update, he mentioned that they are still tweaking the Market Makers they recently introduced. His big news, though, was that he was helping out with the mobile UI project. On that topic, Martin mentioned that the UI software was “done” but not quite “ready to hit the public.” You can read all about it in Devlog #302.
Trials of Ascension
Not wanting to be outdone by the Human Gameplay Video from a couple of weeks ago, the Dragons got their own gameplay video this week. Something tells me we can expect a third video to highlight the Raknar, the third playable race in Trials of Ascension, in the coming weeks.
