Todd Harris has confirmed that Tribes: Ascend will enter beta on November 4th. They had been aiming for a beta in September, but it was pushed back due to alpha feedback and the addition of a character progression feature. The beta is set to include four multiplayer maps, two game modes, three vehicles, and 12 playable classes. Harris lists disc jump strength and chasing flat-cappers, along with overall game speed, as points of alpha feedback that needed tweaking. He also reveals that they’re still choosing beta testers, so don’t worry if you haven’t received a key yet.
This video shows the latest version of the NS2 beta, which was released on Friday. Build 186 had a huge change log, fixing a ton of bugs and adding a few new features. The beta gets more fun with every release, and it is already in a pretty fun and playable state. Spots are still available in the beta for those that pre-order.
Natural Selection 2 is a first person shooter cross real time strategy game being developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, a small ~6 person team in California. It is a stand alone sequel to the popular Half-Life modification Natural Selection.
The game is currently in beta, and is available to purchase for US$35. Purchasing the game gives access to the beta and the full release when the game is finished. The beta is patched regularly, at a minimum every two weeks.
NS2 pits the human marine Frontiersmen against the varied alien Kharaa. The two teams, of up to 16 players each, vie for control of strategic points of large and small maps, with the goal of wiping each other out.
Each team has a commander, who views the game from a real time strategy perspective. The rest of the team plays from a first person shooter perspective. Players may seamlessly enter and exit commander mode throughout the game. Teams may build a large variety of structures to aid them in controlling territory, upgrading equipment, and unlocking new lifeforms, weapons, abilities, and support units.
I decided to fire up Tribes 2 for the first time in a while. Was glad to see there are still a good amount of players and servers. I recorded a full round for no particular reason. I really cannot wait for Tribes: Ascend.
While Operation Metro is the only “official” map available in the Battlefield 3 beta, there are a few servers running the 64-player Caspian Border map. Yes, that’s the one from the trailer, complete with jets and tanks. Unfortunately, all of the servers are password-protected with constantly changing passwords. I was able to jump on to one of the servers for a few rounds. It is a bit difficult to play and record at the same time due to the low framerate, but I still managed to record some decent footage. Hopefully they will open this map up for everyone soon. While Operation Metro is fun, it lacks the scale and vehicles that really define a Battlefield map.
Battlefield 3 is currently in open beta, and is set to release on 10/25/2011
The gameplay presentation below was shown behind closed doors at E3 this year, but it was just released to the public on SEGA’s blog. The video is narrated by Randy Pitchford, CEO and president of Gearbox Software (Brothers in Arms, Borderlands), although I wish he wouldn’t. I have to say it looks good, and it almost makes me want to go back and finish playing Aliens vs. Predator… almost. Lets hope they do a much better job then Rebellion did with that game.
