City of Steam: Indie Steampunk-ish MMO on the Horizon

[CoS_Dorian]

*To begin with, my grateful thanks go to John2k4 for talking with me on how I could go about presenting our new game here.

Hi everyone, I'm Dorian from Mechanist Games, an indie game developer that is about to release the alpha of our first title: City of Steam.

I presume some of you may already be thinking: ah, another shameless spammer. Ready to click on "Report" and leave the thread for ever. But I assure you I'm also here to talk about the game, answer some questions you may have and discuss suggestions even (being indie, we developers do actually listen to feedback).

So, a little about the game:

City of Steam is a browser-based industrial fantasy/steampunk-ish MMORPG, lightweight enough to play on even older computers and accessible straight from your browser. Even then, thanks to Unity 3D and a ton of in-house tools, we've managed to still make it look quite impressive, and all stored in mere megabytes of space!

For the setting, think "industrial fantasy or Steampunk", where although there are fantasy elements thrown in, everything connects to science and technology, which are prominent themes in the game. And this isn't just some average fantasy world with a few steampunk-ish elements thrown in, oh no! The entire world, called the World Machine, is a collossal mechanism of gears and spokes, with pipes and boilers as ancient as the world itself. Current civilizations are build upon the ruins of these; every aspect of daily life is connected to the World Machine. Races such as humans and elves do exist, but they live alongside dwarves that are part-machine, robotic toilers that roam the land, and both magical and mechanical monstrosities that threaten their existence.

What the World Machine looks like:

(Click here to see the World Machine in 3D animation)

Enough with the world setting, here's our new gameplay trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRR6ENSr780&lc

Edit: We have wrapped up the Alpha Test and commenced to polish up the game based on players' feedback we've collected in the Alpha Test and sifted through. We're also designing new contents to add to the game so as to get it ready for an appropriate Beta Test, which is aimed for November. For any interested in joining in, simply sign up to our newsletter to get priority on Beta keys, here: http://www.cityofsteam.com/ (On the bottom right of the page, just type your email in the robot's dialogue box and click submit)

Ok, I'll stop there, but if any of you are interested in knowing more, feel free to ask me (and yes, I'll be glad to answer!), or go check out our site here: http://www.cityofsteam.com/

Update: Hey guys, check out our "Power Steam Trailer" newly released on Youtube. It's on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsEwxqDL7eY

We've been really stressed out with getting City of Steam ready for Beta recently and this trailer was made just for fun (hat off to the original Powerthirst video makers) and for us to take a brief break from caffeinated days of developing. Feel free to share your thoughts here.

Update: With CBT drawing near (Nov. 16th, only 4 days to go from now!), key giveaway campaigns have been announced. Check out how you can nab a key here.

Dorian

 

[Jem.]

I subscribed to the newsletter for a chance at an early Alpha Key. Would love to try it out, very experienced in MMO's and just all sorts of games . Always down to give a new developer/team a chance too

I guess some basic questions I'll ask:

Do you feel that PvP is "best gear wins" or is there a lot of skill with landing moves?

Is it an open world? Or more like Dragon Nest where literally everything is instanced off except the towns?

World PvP?

 

[CoS_Dorian]

I subscribed to the newsletter for a chance at an early Alpha Key. Would love to try it out, very experienced in MMO's and just all sorts of games . Always down to give a new developer/team a chance too

I guess some basic questions I'll ask:

Do you feel that PvP is "best gear wins" or is there a lot of skill with landing moves?

Thanks for your interest.

Although players can test play dueling with the other players in the Alpha Test, I must say we still have a long way to go until we nail down a balanced PvP pattern. In the future versions (after our game is fully released) we'll have 1v1 dueling and 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5 arena modes. In these PvP modes, gear will play to-some-extent important roles, as is in almost all the other MMOGs. But we definitely won't make it like "gear is all that matters". Rather, strategies to use different skill combinations will play no less roles in PvP. However, as our developers are still balancing between gears and skills, I cannot say too much on this. Players' input will also have some effect on our future decisions, so feel free to present to us your ideas.

Is it an open world? Or more like Dragon Nest where literally everything is instanced off except the towns?

World PvP?

At the moment, all combats occur in instanced dungeons (like in Dragon Nest. I also played Dragon Nest for some time in the past). But the world in City of Steam is much larger than the one you've seen in Dragon Nest, and way more complicated, too. Although right now players can only accept/finish quests, buy and sell items, interact with the communities, etc. in the city, it's already on our to-do list to design more contents for players to explore outside the dungeons. As to the world PvP, I'm afraid we won't have it in the recent versions (Alpha, Beta) but we'll consider adding it in the future expansions.

 

[Jem.]

Oh darn. I think the most important part of an MMO is its social interaction with other players. I know Diablo 3 is NOT an MMO, but a lot of peoples complaints on that is that even public games aren't really inviting, and you feel no connection to the other players. I think a big reason Vanilla/BC WoW is highly regarded as the best MMO experience people have had is because there was so much social interaction in that game. Questing wasn't super easy, the popularity of big end game raids and needing to work fluently together. Just those sessions of gaming makes strong bonds even if you didn't know them in person. I felt a big flaw of Dragon Nest was the opposite of that due to how instanced it was. It always felt like I was alone questing (since I was..) and when I play an MMO I expect quests and gear and all that but really want a great social interactive experience with friends and players I don't know of.

That said, I did watch the gameplay trailer, and am excited to possibly have a chance to try it out and give honest feedback! And I do hope the game goes well for you guys :D

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Oh darn. I think the most important part of an MMO is its social interaction with other players. I know Diablo 3 is NOT an MMO, but a lot of peoples complaints on that is that even public games aren't really inviting, and you feel no connection to the other players. I think a big reason Vanilla/BC WoW is highly regarded as the best MMO experience people have had is because there was so much social interaction in that game. Questing wasn't super easy, the popularity of big end game raids and needing to work fluently together. Just those sessions of gaming makes strong bonds even if you didn't know them in person. I felt a big flaw of Dragon Nest was the opposite of that due to how instanced it was. It always felt like I was alone questing (since I was..) and when I play an MMO I expect quests and gear and all that but really want a great social interactive experience with friends and players I don't know of.

That said, I did watch the gameplay trailer, and am excited to possibly have a chance to try it out and give honest feedback! And I do hope the game goes well for you guys :D

Ah, Vanilla WoW, those blissful carefree gaming days! Yeah, I miss those days, although I've quit playing WoW for quite some time now - you know how much time everything in a full blown MMO like WoW tends to take and I hardly have time for them now.

City of Steam is more flexible in "play styles", though. We have solo and simple contents for casual players who only have 10 mins to play at some given moments, and we also have contents that may take you some hours to play or even require a good team to complete. Take factions for example. There are multiple factions in City of Steam for players to choose. Each represents the interest of a specific political entity and they vie for power and prestige on an array of merchantile, combatative (guild wars!) and social battlegrounds. Joining in factions will unlock epic level content for players, culminating in team raids, world-changing events and episodic encounters.

Sociability is a good element of browser-based games and we certainly won't leave it out.

 

[UltiMario]

This looks really cool. I never got dragged into MMOs too much before, but I love Steampunk and am interested in seeing how this evolves.

I signed up and I'll be watching to see if an alpha key hits my email. Can't wait.

 

[MysteryRevengerson]

As a fan of MMOs and someone without a very good computer, I'm will definitely keep track of this, and have definitely signed up to do just that.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

This looks really cool. I never got dragged into MMOs too much before, but I love Steampunk and am interested in seeing how this evolves.

I signed up and I'll be watching to see if an alpha key hits my email. Can't wait.

Have you played "Machinarium"? It's completely steampunk and most fun to play. This is not our game (neither an MMO) but I recommend it as a big fan. Here's a screenshot I found on the internet (I don't have mine on the computer I'm using now):

As a fan of MMOs and someone without a very good computer, I'm will definitely keep track of this, and have definitely signed up to do just that.

Lol. I played games with a low-configuration laptop for some years in the past and I know the feeling - especially when I played an MMO and was engaged in team raids or fights in battlegrounds the lagging and the screen getting stucked now and then could be most annoying. Fortunately as a browser-based game, City of Steam isn't that demanding on configurations so hopefully you'll have no problem playing it.

 

[UltiMario]

I actually have played Machinarium. Loved it to bits, but I got busy and never got back to it to finish it after I had some free time again... I should do that...

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Media sites are helping us give away the keys. Here are the links:

MMORPG: http://www.mmorpg.com/giveaways.cfm/offer/362/City-of-Steam-Alpha-Test-Key-Giveaway.html

N4G: http://n4g.com/user/blogpost/cat/520329

Gaming Climax: http://www.gamingclimax.com/giveawa...a-giveaways/city-of-steam-alpha-key-giveaway/

Now Gamer: http://www.nowgamer.com/competitions/1486911/win_city_of_steam_alpha_key_giveaway.html

Gotgame: http://gotgame.com/2012/07/17/city-of-steam-alpha-key-contest/

Lazygamerz: http://www.lazygamerz.org/forums/index.php?topic=8394

Reminder - 3 days and 22 hours left until the first weekend of City of Steam Alpha release, which starts at 7pm PDT on July 20th. You may not want to miss out on it.

As always, feel free to post your input here.

Edit: Updated the list of links as more pages have come out. Also, changed the release time from 9pm to 7pm PDT.

 

[John2k4]

I love waking up to find an alpha key!

Will be playing this later today when I'm back. =)

 

[CoS_Dorian]

I love waking up to find an alpha key!

Will be playing this later today when I'm back. =)

Wow, you'll be able to play City of Steam today? Really? I mean, reeeeeeeaaaally?

Kidding. The Alpha Test will be released in another 1 day 23 hours 58 minutes from now. Until then, you won't be able to log into the game to play. But we just had our landing page/key activation page up last night so you can register to redeem your keys there if you've already got one. Have fun.

 

[John2k4]

I noticed that; the email had hit my phone as I was leaving the house, so I didn't have time to check things out. =P

Found the forums there, too.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

I noticed that; the email had hit my phone as I was leaving the house, so I didn't have time to check things out. =P

Found the forums there, too.

Yeah. Saw your post in the "Introduce Yourself" thread there.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Reminder - 16 hours away from the Alpha release. Don't forget to redeem your keys on our key activation page.

 

[MysteryRevengerson]

I look forward to playing this weekend!

How long does a name have to be, anyway? edit: in-game name, that is

 

[CoS_Dorian]

I look forward to playing this weekend!

How long does a name have to be, anyway? edit: in-game name, that is

Oops, sorry for the late reply. Didn't realize that there was a second page until just now.

You may have known this now - your in-game character's name have to be at least 5 characters in length, and 16 characters at most (if my memory didn't fail me:).

 

[Kal]

Will it run in Linux? Since this is browser-based, I expect I would have no trouble running it in Linux. The gameplay trailer looks good, so I'm looking forward to giving this a try if I get an alpha key. Is there any word on what business model this game will use?

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Will it run in Linux? Since this is browser-based, I expect I would have no trouble running it in Linux. The gameplay trailer looks good, so I'm looking forward to giving this a try if I get an alpha key. Is there any word on what business model this game will use?

Oops, sorry. Though browser-based, City of Steam does require to install a small (4M-ish) plug-in called Unity Webplayer to play, which, most unfortunately, doesn't run in Linux environment. Does your computer have a second system?

 

[John2k4]

Could you get that to run through WINE, Kal?

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Second round of key giveaway campaign launched. This Friday, at 7 pm (PDT) on July 27th, we'll kick off a "Elves Elite" test weekend, when you'll get to play either as a a stylish and charismatic riven or a cautious and withdrawn draug or both.

To be sure, if you have already got a key for the first test weekend and has already redeemed it, you can still play in the rest test weekends (and if you have a key but hasn't redeemed it yet, not to worry, 'cause you can redeem it anytime throughout the entire Alpha Test session).

For those who haven't got a key yet but would like to give the game a try, here comes the chance. More media sites have joined us in giving away the keys recently. They are:

MMORPG: http://www.mmorpg.com/giveaways.cfm/offer/362/City-of-Steam-Alpha-Test-Key-Giveaway.html

Eurogamer: http://www.eurogamer.net/giveaways.php?id=87153

Incgamers: http://www.incgamers.com/2012/07/city-of-steam-alpha-key-giveaway/

MMOBomb: http://www.mmobomb.com/giveaway/city-of-steam-alpha-keys

Neoseeker: http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/586...g-city-of-steam-alpha-event-july-25-august-5/

MMO Attack: http://mmoattack.com/giveaways/city-steam-alpha-key-giveaway/

Keen and Grave's Gaming Blog: http://www.keenandgraev.com/2012/07/24/city-of-steam-alpha-weekend-giveaway/

GoozerNation: http://www.goozernation.com/video-g.../1663-city-of-steam-sneak-peak-codes-giveaway

BBGsite: http://contest.bbgsite.com/giveaway/city_of_steam/

If you need more than one keys for your family/friends/etc., post your request in this thread or send me a private message. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

For those who didn't get to play in the "Human Debut" test weekend, here's a WTF video made by TotalBiscuit for us on youtube, leading you through a spiced tour in the world of City of Steam. Check it out on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc0fWh0_Y28&lc

 

[Kal]

I'm dual-booting windows on my machine, so that won't be a problem. I just find it nice when a developer supports Linux.

Sorry for asking this twice, but what business model is this game going to use? Will it be free to play or subscription based?

Edit: nevermind, found it on the website.

City of Steam is a free-to-play game, but NOT a pay-to-win game.

Could you elaborate on how exactly you plan to turn a profit? What sort of things will be available for sale?

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Could you elaborate on how exactly you plan to turn a profit? What sort of things will be available for sale?

Our cash shop offers more convenience than power, and cosmetics, too. Some of the players may prefer to pay some money to shorten the time they generally need to spend on a certain item/quest/tour, etc. It's not like non-paying players can't get what paying players may get, but that they'll need to spend some more time to get it. Actually we were thinking to get some bosses to drop "electrum", which is what players spend to buy items from the Cash Shop. To name a few that you may possibly get from the cash shop - fascinating dresses, more optional hairstyles, a high-quality rocket that teleports you to the other regions in a blink of an eye, potions a little more powerful than what can be purchased from NPC shops, and such. However, a lot of this will be tested prior to full release so some of it is subject to change however we still firmly believe in not making this game "pay to win", so we intend to keep purchasable content as products that don't affect game balance between paying and non-paying players.

Btw, sorry for my oversight of your second question at first.

 

[Kal]

No need to apologize. I appreciate the response.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Hello guys. "Elves Elite" weekend is now open! Click here to play!

If you haven't got a key yet, try to grab one from our partner sites listed above.

Enjoy the ride!

Dorian

 

[Deleted member]

is this game good to those who have played

 

[CoS_Dorian]

is this game good to those who have played

Not sure about the testers in Smash Boards but we've received quite some favorable comments from media sites, facebook/youtube subscribers and forum readers.

To whomever has played City of Steam in the forum, we'd be glad to hear about your opinions, too. Compliments, suggestions, comments, even critiques, whatever it may be, bring them on. I'll answer them all. Thanks in advance.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Alpha weekend 3 - Goblin Incursion is coming up in 16 hours, with the addition of Goblins and a lot more entertaining new contents!

And there's going to be an Alpha 4! For more info, please read the announcement here.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Just a heads-up here: Alpha Weekend 4 , with the addition of the rest two races (Hobbes and Orcs) that haven't been debuted yet in previous weekends, will be up at 7pm PDT, Aug. 17th (this Friday) until Aug. 19th.

Anyone who hasn't got a key yet but would like to play in the Alpha can either post in the thread or send me a PM with your request. I'll get back to you as soon as I see it. Of course, subscribing to our newsletter always gives you priority to the keys.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Update:

First off, sincere thanks to those who have helped us test the game. Just in case that you haven't noticed it yet, we've announced a date for the Closed Beta Test. It is aimed for:

NOVEMBER!

Announcement can be read here.

More details will be released when we get closer to November! So stay tuned!

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Hey guys, check out our "Power Steam Trailer" newly released on Youtube. It's on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsEwxqDL7eY

We've been really stressed out with getting City of Steam ready for Beta recently and this trailer was made just for fun (hat off to the original Powerthirst video makers) and for us to take a brief break from caffeinated days of developing. Feel free to share your thoughts here.

BTW, is there a way to embed the video in the post? Neither "[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsEwxqDL7eY[/youtube]" nor "[youtube]MsEwxqDL7eY[/youtube]" worked.

 

[John2k4]

[yt]MsEwxqDL7eY[/yt]



Videos can only be embedded by mods; sorry about that. =P

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Wow, thank you so much for embedding the video for me! Really appreciate your help.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Heads-up, guys - Big updates on the CoS official site, featuring Beta date announced (starting on Nov. 16) and new Beta Collaborator Packs launched with heaps of awesome extras, which will be around only for Beta! Hop over to the site for detailed info! And feel free to drop us a line or two!

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Just a recap of what we have updated after two weeks of no update in this thread.

First of all, Steam-o-meter! Pushing up the points on this meter will help us reach certain goals that we intend to reach in this CBT and as such bonus contents will be added as our thanks to you for the help. That, and, a few humiliations for some of the devs...Right now we've got to the point that one of the devs, Gabriel (or Gab/Gaby as we call him) will dress up as FemGab (the female character that he so fancied playing during the Alpha Test)! More points, more bonus features for CBT, including the mechanic Dwarves, Steambikes, pets and all! Read this to get what you can do to help push it up.

Second, Beta Teaser Trailer up. You may watch it here.

Third! With CBT drawing near (Nov. 16th, only 4 days to go from now!), key giveaway campaigns have been announced. Check out how you can nab a key here.

Feel free to like us on Facebook, subscribe to the newsletter and drop us a line or two here.

 

[CoS_Dorian]

Hello, guys. Sorry for my absence on the forum for a couple of days. We have been so busy with collecting player feedback during CBT 2 (Summercrest) and such.

Just want to drop by and tell you guys that the Summercrest is now over and CBT 3 (Autumnwane) is coming on Dec. 14th, with even more contents unlocked in addition to a slew of fixes and updates. No data wipe has been planned for Autumnwane so far so you’ll be able to continue your journey in the game from what you left off in Summercrest.

Also, a big news has been announced on our site: WE ARE PHASING OUT THE DESIGN-AN-ITEM EXTRA FROM THE PARAGON PACK IN ANOTHER 24 HOURS FROM NOW (ON THE 5TH OF DECEMBER AT 11:59:59 PM)! We are very sorry to say that, since we are very close to the OBT and official release (in just a few months!), this won’t be available any more very soon, so get it while you can ! Like…right now!

Here are three samples of what Paragons have helped design in City of Steam:

(The crazy deaths-head Engine Scimitar; Metal Head!)

(The sleek and powerful Rin Insomnia Rifle!)

(The Von Foust Industries designed Fist Shield!)

Seize your last opportunity to design your own item in the game for the following 24 hours!