APB: Finally, I Can Be A PUNK!

[stu]

Or "Brush your teeth and do your homework."

The positive reaction for this upstanding title bodes well for my own game in development, Date Rape Online.

Sounds fun in theory, but the quest objectives are bound to be repetitive!

[Johny Cee]

What sly said.

Also, there may be no "killing x mobs for level +1" 'grind' but unless you're able to instantly carry your "rep" and be an 'expert' as soon as you switch factions, there's still a 'grind' associated with fllipping teams.  Just doing away with an XP bar doesn't mean there's no advancement grind cock block.   That will be there in ANY game with advancement/ 'character development' that is done per-character instead of per-account.

In reality,  most of DAoC's servers experienced drifts in which side was winning (in relic count, DF access or RPs earned) over the years. 

The most important pvp grind in any game is the social grind to get in with the top players/clans/guilds, or to build up your contacts with good players who will play specific roles.  It does no good to be able to switch sides instantly if you're forced to always group with mouth-breathers or people who won't work together.

In any non-sport MMO, leadership cadre is probably much more important than anything else.  That can take months to both build up your leaders,  and sell the rank and file into actually listen to and follow said leaders.

[WindupAtheist]

I say screw the GTA thing and give me an 80's action buddy cop movie MMO.  Lethal Weapon Online.  Fuck yes.

[Phildo]

Aren't you getting too old for that shit?

[cmlancas]

Aren't you getting too old for that shit?

/eddiemurphyon Ah he he he he /eddiemurphyoff

[dr_dre]

Even friends of mine are talking about this game.
And they don't like the mmo genre but they do get attracted to these kinds games.

Im having high hopes for this game.

2 thumbs up :)

[Special J]

I can't wait to see what the demographics are like on the 'gangsta' side.

[HaemishM]

I can't wait to see what the demographics are like on the 'gangsta' side.

I'm going to guess it'll skew whiter than the Republican Convention.

[TenaciousMike]

I can't wait to see what the demographics are like on the 'gangsta' side.

I think they example gang (of nerdy video game devs) was amusing.  Maybe do a Nerdcore gang.  Rob, rape, steal, and 187 some cops.  But be home in time for Battlestar Galactica.

[Simond]

I will only play if I can customize my character as the type of neon leopard print spandex, leather and spikes wearing gang member that was portrayed in such 80's classics as Double Dragon and Final Fight. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this.

Alternatively: "Warriors! Come out to plaa-aaay!"

Edit: Just thought of a fun twist which might help out the balance of sides: Gangmembers could be PvP+ to everybody (both cops and other gangs), Cops only PvP+ to gangmembers.

[Velorath]

Realtime Worlds secures $50 million in funding.

Dave Jones, not the slimy pirate from the movies but the creator of GTA, recently spoke to Develop Mag where he targets APB for a 2009 launch. APB is the highly anticipated street style MMO developed by Realtime Worlds, the developers who recently made action shooter Crackdown for the Xbox 360. Following the recent news that Realtime Worlds has secured $50 million in funding, Jones believes APB can 'significantly' increase the company's earnings.

Jones seems extremely optimistic about APB as he compares it to World of Warcraft, Blizzard's massively popular MMORPG which features over 10 million players, "If we have a big success with APB on the scale of, for example, World of Warcraft, then we could be looking at hundreds of millions of pounds. It just depends what happens after we launched it," said Jones.

It's one thing to dream about being as big a success as WoW, but you really aren't supposed to say it out loud.

[Nonentity]

Pounds, heh.

Look at how cute he is, inventing a currency.

[Phildo]

How can this NOT be as succesful as WoW, drawing as it does on established successes and years of lore?

[tmp]

How can this NOT be as succesful as WoW, drawing as it does on established successes and years of lore?

Yeah, wtf is that GTA thing, anyone heard about it?

[Furiously]

I think Jack Thompson spoke about it once, so I never played it.

[UnSub]

Yeah, wtf is that GTA thing, anyone heard about it?

I played the songs in it backwards and they told me to respect both women and authority.

[TripleDES]

I hope the damn PC version will be released in 2008, as the Xbox version was promised for this  year too.

Also, not quite MMOG, since it appears that you'll be limited to 100 or something people per city quarter, whatever that means.

[DarkSign]

Wonder if that means that cop vs. thug numbers will be rationed out in some way. Persistent characters but assigned to a random city area?
There's some real opportunity here for PvP events to have a larger meaning for the game as a whole...but I'm sure that would take too much effort for the developers...they're too busy turning an engine that has no business being used for an MMO into an MMO engine for they hype it will bring.

[Velorath]

On a slightly related note,  at the beginning of the most recent 1Up Yours podcast, Shawn Elliot had some funny stuff to say about playing the GTA multiplayer mods on the PC.  In particular, playing on the RP servers some people have set up.

[tmp]

Rockstar (possibly) takes notice:

Last month, Realtime Worlds bought back the rights to APB from Korean company Webzen, who were originally scheduled to publish the game. Why the buyback? Eurogamer are reporting that, according to "a credible industry source", it was so they could turn around and sell the game to Rockstar, who could then rebadge it as a GTA MMO. Realtime are keeping quiet on the rumours, saying only that they bought back the rights to their game to "give themselves some options".

http://kotaku.com/388768/crackdown-creators-bought-their-mmo-back-just-to-sell-it-to-rockstar

[angry.bob]

Rockstar (possibly) takes notice:

moneyhatzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[tazelbain]

Didn't Rockstar have plans to make their own.  Seems like I remeber hearing that around San Andreas.

[NiX]

I like how every news source skipped over the part where RTW said they were considering maintaining the service themselves or looking at someone else to support the service. Which pretty much puts the RockStar rumor out the door.

[rk47]

Pounds, heh.

Look at how cute he is, inventing a currency.

[TripleDES]

According to Ars Technica, this form is a beta sign-up for the game:

http://www.realtimeworlds.com/index.php?id=399&pid=3

[schild]

If they rebadge it, they'll redo the characters and ugly-tize it. I'm really hoping they don't. APB looked to have a bit of punky weird charm. GTA is just meh.

Oh, and yea, that's the "beta" signup.

[Mrbloodworth]

According to Ars Technica, this form is a beta sign-up for the game:

http://www.realtimeworlds.com/index.php?id=399&pid=3

You get directed to that page from here: http://www.apb.com/

Clicking on that "Click to register interest" chat bubble takes you there. Doesn't really say what it is.

[sam, an eggplant]

That's why we broke the code earlier on in the thread. It's a beta signup.

Don't expect to play before fall 2009, but might as well fill it out.

[TripleDES]

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-apb/50103

  me want

[Signe]

At the very least, I want to play in their character creation! 

[Falconeer]

 

Definitely a game I could buy just for the character creation tool. Everything more than that is bonus goodness.

[WayAbvPar]

This might be fun.

[Pennilenko]

I will play it.

[01101010]

I will play it.

same.

however, stated in another thread, if Paul starts moonlighting for it, i may have to form a brute squad before things get too

[Sky]

The shift key. It's right there.