Fallen Earth: Improvements (Now in beta)

[Mrbloodworth]

In the wake of the Shiva Virus, a wide variety of mutants emerged to claim the world of Fallen Earth, ranging from the massive and deadly sandworms to the voracious porkupine. Some have been utilized as sources of food or materials for survivor settlements, such as the prairie chicken, whose meat has become a staple food in many diets. Other creatures, such as the vicious pack hunters known as blight wolves, are a constant threat any time you step outside the walls of a settlement. Worst of all are the Shiva’s Favored and the Cult of the Dead. Shiva’s Favored are mutants from deep in the wastelands who seek to spread the radiation and toxins they need to live across the fertile Grand Canyon Province, while the Cult of the Dead are parasitic mutants who must consume the flesh and blood of humans to survive. Not all the mutants of Fallen Earth are hostile; the vast majority are none too friendly.

Link and more screen shots

[Mrbloodworth]

Oh, also : Fallen Earth Alpha Tester Recruitment Through Gamespot

[Mrbloodworth]

Fallen Earth Character Improvements

Before:

After:

[Nebu]

Isn't a before/after shot much more compelling if... you know... use the same shot before and after improvement?

Too many variables for me to make any sense out of it or notice an impressive change.

[FatuousTwat]

GET IT? PORKUPINE? LOLOLOL 

In all seriousness, I've never heard of this game, but it does look semi-interesting... I'll have to read up on it.

[Xerapis]

I think I like the before picture better.

[schild]

The before picture has some kind of soul in the art. The after picture is just bad design. That said, I think they wanted to show off the normal mapping and such and it's not indicative of player design. I don't know why I'm talking since the game will probably be dreadful.

[UnSub]

I don't want to join Gamespot just to try to get into Alpha.

[schild]

I don't want to join Gamespot.

Could've stopped right there.

[UnSub]

I don't want to join Gamespot.

Could've stopped right there.

Very true.

[Mrbloodworth]

Isn't a before/after shot much more compelling if... you know... use the same shot before and after improvement?

Too many variables for me to make any sense out of it or notice an impressive change.

The originals lacked technical execution, unlike the new ones. IMO. They were not supposed to be a 1 to 1 comparison, but you can tell, the models flow better, textures and use of various mappings are more thought out and optimized. Just all around a large improvement.

The original models looked like they were riped from poser, and normal maps applied at random, with low texture resolutions on all texures.

Thats my take on it anyway, from what i can see. Personal ascetics aside.

Click the link for more comparisons, but don't try and look at it as "This combination before and after" they are all diffrent models and "equipment" attached ETC...

[Mrbloodworth]

Fallen Earth New Player Experience

In recent months we’ve completely revamped the new player experience in Fallen Earth, rebuilding the tutorial from the ground up and restructuring many of the starter towns. These screenshots show some of the work that has been done in the tutorial, which now takes placing during the Fall of Hoover Dam and introduces the player to some of the more advanced parts of the game, such as vehicle operation and rocket launchers. The player will face everything from White Crow commandos to genetically engineered super-soldiers in the tutorial, and will interact with the six main factions. After the tutorial, players will be able to select what town they wish to start in, each of which has a different focus (crafting, combat, support, PvP).

[HaemishM]

Hope you can skip that tutorial when you reroll.

[kildorn]

It's nice to know that after the apocalypse, we'll still always have enough hairspray for those punker styles.

[Mrbloodworth]

Who said that was hairspray.......









 

[kaid]

Do it up old school with animal fats hell if you are a mutant enough human fats.

[Moorgard]

Fallen Earth Character Improvements

What a betrayal! I had already orchestrated my backstory as a blood-soaked hippie slacker who enjoys a game of hacky sack when I'm not brandishing my M16.

Now, I guess I'll just be a space marine. 

[UnSub]

What the hell does "revamped the new player experience" mean in a game that hasn't even hit closed beta?

[schild]

Fallen Earth Character Improvements

What a betrayal! I had already orchestrated my backstory as a blood-soaked hippie slacker who enjoys a game of hacky sack when I'm not brandishing my M16.

Now, I guess I'll just be a space marine. 

Are you calling it derivative? Didn't Curt say you all were making a fantasy game?

[Mrbloodworth]

FALLEN EARTH ANNOUNCES ALPHA TEST

CARY, NC – August 12, 2008 -- Post apocalyptic MMOG Fallen Earth announced today it will
officially begin Alpha testing on Thursday, August 14, 2008. The test is scheduled to run through
early 2009, immediately followed by Beta testing to begin in 1Q09.

Fallen Earth Project Manager Colin Dwan said, “During the Alpha test phase, testers will be
focused into specific towns so we can have miniature stress tests each week. They will be able
to experience all of our game systems including missions, combat, crafting, scavenging,
economy, and vehicles. We are extremely excited to move from general content creation to
game balance and bug fixing.”

Fallen Earth is a post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game that mixes first person
shooter and role playing game style mechanics. The game is set in 2156, one hundred years
after the world is brought low by a plague known as Shiva that killed 99% of the population. The
game takes place in and around the Grand Canyon, one of the few habitable places left on Earth,
which makes it a place many are willing to kill to control. Our world is one where mankind teeters
on the edge of extinction, clinging to the bones of the old world while trying to recover their lost
secrets. It's a world of scavengers and desperation. The players are those who choose to rise
above the hardships of this new world and work toward a better world, or decide the old world
was corrupt and all signs of it must be erased completely.

Gamers who are a GameSpot subscriber can apply for the free Alpha test at
http://www.gamespot.com/event/codes/fallen-earth/. Gamers who are not GameSpot subscribers
can go to http://www.gamespot.com/signup/index.php and sign up for free. Participants will be
chosen based on qualifying criteria, applicant numbers, and testing schedules. If accepted into
the Alpha test, gamers will receive a key code and can download the file immediately.

Fallen Earth, being developed using the Icarus Studios Tools Suite platform, will be showcased in
the Icarus Studios booth 307 at the Virtual Worlds Expo in Los Angeles, CA, September 3-4,
2008 and in booth 316 at the Austin Game Developer Conference Expo, September 16-17, 2008.
For more information, players can visit www.fallenearth.com.

# # #
Media Contact:
Doug Mealy, Online Marketing and Public Relations, at dmealy@om-pr.com.

Link (PDF)

[schild]

They're going to get an AWESOME beta pool from gamespot.

[Mrbloodworth]

I imagine there is something in it for the Fallen earth crew.  ($$)

[schild]

Not. Likely. Odds are THEY had to pay to be on gamespot.

[Mrbloodworth]

Oh. 

[Mrbloodworth]

Being introduced to Icarus Studios’ newest game “Fallen Earth”, I half-heartedly expected to see the same rehashed "oh-my-gosh-the-world-is-ending” MMORPG game. I mean, honestly how many times can we save the planet and do it in new and interesting ways?

As I sat down with Lee Hammock, Fallen Earth’s lead game designer, I surveyed the landscape in front of me: the remains of what was once a zoo filled with families and alive with laughter. It now sat in ruin, the reptile house full of cobwebs. I asked him what made Fallen Earth different.

“Imagine building combat robots..” said Hammock.

Ok, you have my attention!

No class here!
Fallen Earth is designed as a classless system, where each player allocates advancement points in order to advance their character’s stats. You want to be average in all forms of combat and skill? Spread out the advancement points over several skills. You want to be kick ass with a rifle? Put your stats into dexterity and perception. By allowing the player to specialize in certain skills they will be able to shine in a particular area, but at the cost of limiting their abilities elsewhere.

Factions (no..not that other game!)
Players may have the total freedom to select the skill set they want, but where they will be required to commit themselves is in selecting a faction. Players will not be required to join a faction immediately and in fact are discouraged and prevented from doing so until they’ve experienced the game a bit. The designers wanted to ensure that players are able to make good informed decisions about the different factions before they pledge themselves to one over another.

Pledging to a faction is no light choice. Each of the 6 factions (Chota, Techs, Vistas, Enforcers, Travelers, Lightbearers) will have two factions that they are allied with and one that they are sworn enemies. As a player explores the world and complete quests they will be able to raise faction with allies or enemies. If you are the type of player that would like to be “friends with everyone” you will have serious issues trying to maintain neutrality here.

Each faction will have bonuses to a particular skill set and will have specific game content only available to that particular class. Each faction can learn all skills, but some will learn faster than others. In fact, of the 800-1000 hours of total game content available to a player, remaining true to only one faction the player will experience only about 500 hours of content.

Now before you get up in arms about missing out on 50 percent of the game, the designers have it covered. You can effectively change your faction by doing quests which will raise your standing with that particular faction or their allies. As you level further in the game, you will find that as you head further down a path, changing faction will grow increasingly more challenging and time consuming. “Essentially you can work your way around the wheel of factions and experience all factions,” said Hammock.

Equipment: You have been killed by a baseball bat!
Each character will have 22 equipment slots for various items; 6 of those dedicated to weaponry. With slots available on a player’s back, belt, and thigh, characters will have more than enough room for weapons such as knives, swords, rifles, and yes..even a shovel!

Particularly interesting was the inclusion of dynamic clothing. Ski masks that can be rolled up or down, baseball hats worn either forward or backward, and jackets that can be zipped up or open were just a few of the ways that players could further ensure that their characters were in fact unique representations.

The best gear will be player made (of course!) and due to the fact that armor and weapons will have a set durability, crafters will be kept busy! To help entice those who enjoy collecting salvage materials and crafting items, players will have the ability to level their characters exclusively through crafting. This is good news for those players looking to hold the next monopoly on killer robot batteries!

Character Customization
In addition to the endless options for equipment customization, players have the option to wear war paint, facial tattoos, have body piercings and wear facial hair. If someone should look down regretfully at that skull and cross bones tattoo they got in a drunken night of partying, have no fear! Players can visit the local in-game tattoo parlor which will remove that virtual ink in a jiff!

PvP? In an apocalyptic setting? Say it isn’t so!
Yes, the game will have 800-1000 hours of PvE game content, but you can’t have ruins, a wasted earth, and chaotic civilization without having some sort of conflict with those left behind! About 1/3 of the game world will be dedicated PvP areas. Beware of hunting in these areas, as there will be no safety, even from friendly fire.

“So, you mean to tell me that if you drop a grenade into the middle of your group and set it off…you can kill your entire group?” I asked.
“Yes.” Responded Hammock. Cool!

Have Tank..Will Travel!
As far as the size of the game, the map area available to players will be approximately 7500 square miles. Hearing that figure, I was thinking “I really hope that quests won’t make me drag my apocalyptic butt from one end of the map to the other!”

The designers have taken into account the fact that players have, more often than not, been subjected to endless quest runs. Quests will be centered around certain areas and then slowly push players out to other areas to complete quests in a new region. As far as transportation to get from point A to point B? There will be vehicles, but don’t hold out for motor homes just yet. “I really want to have a tank” said Hammock with a gleam.

Link to Stratics chat.

[UnSub]

Not. Likely. Odds are THEY had to pay to be on gamespot.

We are talking about Fallen Earth here, who has official forums supported with Google Ads (and often WoW / EVE gold selling service ads at that).

By going to Gamespot, they are both promoting their otherwise unheard-of MMO to the masses and getting access to a large pool of people they don't have to manage. I'm sure they paid, but it has helped them cut corners.

At some point I need to go over to the FE forums and see how the fanbois - you know, the kind with 5000 forum posts on a game that looked like vapour - are taking having to sign up for Gamespot in order to even be considered for alpha.

[UnSub]

Irony. Hopefully they didn't pay Gamespot that much.

Hey all,

We had a number of technical issues come up today which have forced us to push back the Alpha registration process until approximately noon Wednesday (Eastern Standard Time for those who are curious).

I know a lot of folks on the forums are frustrated at this, if not outright angry. I know the feeling. After working on something for forty plus hours a week for almost three years, every little stumble is painful. We want this to run smoothly and to get good, solid testers into the game as painlessly as possible. Sadly the process has not been smooth or painless. While y'all are looking at a game you would like to play (hopefully very much like to play) as it keeps getting taken just out of reach, imagine how I feel, seeing my baby get tousled around.

We apologize. We are getting it done as quickly as we can. Please bear with us; we want this as badly as you do.

Lee Hammock

[Nonentity]

Is this link still up for the codes?

It's all terribly confusing.

I am so tired.

[Mrbloodworth]

Is this link still up for the codes?

It's all terribly confusing.

I am so tired.

See UnSub's post. There was a delay.

Seems like the application went up, and in a matter of moments, was out of keys. Judging by the forum posts. Ill keep my eye out for any clarification. Sadly, even camping the page..... I didn't get one, never even seen the button.

[UnSub]

So, with no beta alpha keys available, a lot of fanbois are very disappointed. Especially since they thought following a MMO for 6 years, or post count padding on the official forums for 1.5 years, might engender them some special treatment. That's an important life lesson right there.

FE's specs:

Required System Requirements

Processor: 2.4Ghz dual core processor
Video: 3D hardware accelerator video card supporting Pixel Shader 2.0 or later and 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible. Minimum 256MB video memory. NVidia GeForce 7800GT or better or ATI Radeon X1800 or better
OS: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista (32 or 64 bit)
RAM: 2GB RAM (3GB for Vista)
Disk Space: 4GB of available disk space
Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

[CharlieMopps]

Is it just me, or if you changed that punk guy into a dwarf wouldn't that pic be identical to the Sewers under Qeynos in EQ2?

[Mrbloodworth]

Its just you. 

[UnSub]

It's a generic enough screenshot that it could be for anything with minor tweaking. Example:

[Mrbloodworth]

lol.

[Ghambit]

Where's the Remora?