Meteor strike hits

from the What's that in the sky? dept.

Meteor Games of Los Angeles today announced that they are building their upcoming MMO on BigWorld Technology. The title is in development in their stylish West Hollywood studio in California. Donna Williams and Adam Powell of Meteor Games are also the visionaries behind the Neopets franchise which sold for like, a squillion dollars a few years ago to MTV Networks/Viacom.

"BigWorld's technology provides us with an extremely powerful and highly flexible game engine, which can be tailored to the specific needs of our upcoming MMO," said Adam Powell, CEO and creative director, Meteor Games. "More importantly, BigWorld's game engine allows us to focus on game design, gameplay innovation and overall creativity rather than core technology development, thus ensuring our new MMO delivers an experience unlike any other."

The title of the game is under wraps right now - check back soon

TenTon Hammer Exclusive Interview with Futebol creators, Interzone

from the Kick them where they live dept.

Those steely eyed web vultures at TenTon Hammer have swooped on yet another exclusive in the BigWorld licensee space. Interzone's Jeff Lyndon lets loose some inside gossip on the currently beta soccer title.

Ten Ton Hammer: Opting to introduce Interzone Futebol in Brazil first is a tremendously different approach compared to the tact most MMOG companies take. Why did you decide to enter the Brazilian market first rather than Europe or North America? What sort of opportunities do you see there that aren’t available in those other markets?

An exclusive screenshot from Interzone Futebol.

Lyndon: When we decided to create the game we thought a lot about the people who would play it. We talked about futebol fans and places in the world where futebol was most popular. This all lead naturally to Brazil where “Futebol is Life.” We even went down to Rio and Sao Paulo to experience that culture first hand. It’s an amazing place and their appreciation and enthusiasm for the sport is not only unmatched, it’s infectious. Going to a World Cup game in Brazil is something everybody should do at least once in their life. It’s just… wow!

All this and more over at TenTon Hammer.

BigWorld releases v1.9

from the Of course you read it here dept.

The update contains new features such as an advanced terrain engine that enables support for unlimited texture layers, higher level of detail, and configurable height/shadow/normal/texture map resolution. In addition, the suite includes optimizations and improvements to patrol paths, web integration, skybox and weather systems, and its support for SpeedTree and Umbra partner technologies.

BigWorld Technology 1.9 also comes with support for Perforce, SVN, and CVS control systems. Both Mandarin and English languages are supported in the development tools user interface and art pipeline... [release]

Stargate Worlds Gameplay video on G4

from the So that is what it looks like dept.

Props to G4 for interviewing Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and Firesky on the upcoming sci-fi epic MMO Stargate Worlds. In-game footage from the early-on friends and family build can be seen below.

Futebol!

from the You kick I catch dept.

"CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 9, 2008 – Interzone Entertainment, parent company of Interzone Games and a BigWorld licensee, has announced its long-secret massively multiplayer online sports title, Interzone Futebol. The PC MMOG will first release in Portuguese for the Brazilian market, home to millions of avid futebol (soccer in the U.S.) fans and players, closely followed by international versions for worldwide release."

Another BigWorld licensee opens it's kimono this June with an MMO take on the little known athletic game - soccer. With so few real-world players of this arcane sports pastime, it is yet to be seen how this title will fare. A truly international development, with resources in sunny Australia, China, the US and Brazil all contributing to the game. Futebol!

Tianxia II Live - and videos to boot

from the I want to play it but can't understand it dept.

There are several newish videos available for viewers of TX2 who want to grok the game but unfortunately cannot read or write mandarin. For your enjoyment :

http://czdltx2.163.com/tx2/tx2_blood.rar

The original 2008 trailer, and

http://czdltx2.163.com/tx2/tx2zjj_video.zip

Weapons and skills across the TX2 classes, and

http://czdltx2.163.com/tx2/tx2szx_video.zip

Showcases the numerous fashion options in TX2.

That's all for the moment until someone let's up on some server numbers from behind the silk curtain. Good luck Netease and Mr Ding.

6.6.08 - TX2 in da house

from the Come on out we are ready to play dept :

No link as such, other than to announce that Tianxia II, the heavy mojo Chinese epic MMO from Netease launches today. Watch this space...