By Nathan Grayson on November 2nd, 2012 at 4:00 pm.
Yesterday, I said that no one’s really carried Descent’s excellent anti-grav combat forward into a modern game. Now, of course, what I meant to say was the not totally-wrong thing: that Miner Wars 2081 has not only paved over our simplistic notions of “up” and “down” with the fuuuuuture, but it’s also brought in some brilliant-looking features of its own. For instance, fully destructible environments, a persistent procedurally generated universe, and survival elements, among others. And now, finally, it’s adding another fairly key feature to its roster: existence. Next month, Miner Wars will be a real thing. You’ll be able to buy it and everything.
Before December 1st rolls around, however, there’s still a beta test to wrap up. In celebration of the release date announcement, the Miner Wars team updated the beta with “31 missions, 100 hand-crafted space cities, and billions of procedurally generated sectors.” Yes, that’s right: billions. In case you’d forgotten, videogames are kind of totally amazing sometimes.
And now, here’s some fairly recent co-op footage to mostly whet your appetite. And by “mostly,” I mean oh god why won’t the quest introduction dialogue stop? So much restating and meandering and restating. The rest looks great, but I really hope people, um, shut up sometimes. Otherwise, I know which volume option I’m immediately disabling as soon as I start the game.
02/11/2012 at 16:10 Dilapinated says:
Yeah.. I’d like to see some combat gameplay (I realise that’s not an official trailer, though) and the voice acting and writing sounds like it needs some work. But it’s a promising concept.
02/11/2012 at 16:14 aamosnyc says:
Looks pretty much like combat to me? Or do you mean more like, erm, hand to hand melee or something?
02/11/2012 at 18:21 Dilapinated says:
I saw them shooting some rocks, then some barrels, then some more rocks. After a few minutes I skipped forward a bit, and they were still shooting rocks, and the guy was still talking.
Were there things that fought back later? If so, I retract my statement.
02/11/2012 at 18:49 Tei says:
War, war never changes.
03/11/2012 at 13:59 Caiman says:
This shows the opening single player level: http://youtu.be/CZFdtX_bDbM
02/11/2012 at 16:11 Barnox says:
Last time I looked at Miner Wars there was claims of ‘no DRM’, yet it worked by using the server for all the calculations.
Is that still true, or did they phase that out?
02/11/2012 at 16:18 Finarfin Greenleaves says:
I too am very interested if they are really going down the always-on-DRM route. Would be really sad. I am a very early follower and backer of MW and this whole DRM non-sense is disappointing.
02/11/2012 at 19:33 Duke of Chutney says:
Last time i signed in to try the beta (about two or three months ago) there was always on DRM. Or at least thats what it looks like to me, i could be technically incorrect. I had to be online and sign in at any rate.
03/11/2012 at 00:01 ostermei says:
Unless they’ve failed to update their site, they’re still peddling the bullshit doublespeak:
Emphasis is theirs. So in other words, if you have a compunction against this sort of crap (as RPS themselves seem to when it’s Blizzard [edit: or Ubisoft] pulling it but not when anyone else does), AVOID THIS GAME AT ALL COSTS.
03/11/2012 at 00:34 Finarfin Greenleaves says:
That is not possible anymore. I preordered it shortly after this option became available. Guess it is only myself who is to blame.
Ironically there is no broadband available where I currently live and I write this from a very shaky UMTS connection. Seems I just have to suck it up and play it after I moved again.
02/11/2012 at 16:12 SkittleDiddler says:
I think at this point Miner Wars has been in “pre-order phase” longer than Dungeon Defenders ever was.
02/11/2012 at 16:24 Love Albatross says:
I think I paid into the beta or alpha way back when this was first announced, am I right in assuming that means I’ll get access to the full version??
02/11/2012 at 16:40 SquareWheel says:
Yeppers. And if it was early enough you’ll get access to the MMO as well once (if) that’s released.
02/11/2012 at 16:27 mikmanner says:
I just bought it, now I need someone to play coop with. Compulsive!
02/11/2012 at 16:51 Arkadion says:
Wait what screen do I look at ARGH
02/11/2012 at 16:54 KDR_11k says:
Oh, look, it’s space nazis. Again.
02/11/2012 at 20:12 AngoraFish says:
space nazis ftw!
02/11/2012 at 17:09 kikito says:
How can they hear the explosions if there is no atmosphere? :/
02/11/2012 at 17:27 sinister agent says:
Because they have imaginations, the lucky devils.
02/11/2012 at 19:05 lasikbear says:
The first thing you learn in Miner school is how to make really good explosion noises with your mouth.
02/11/2012 at 19:55 Tin_man_Tex says:
Electromagnic sensor >> audio?
02/11/2012 at 22:00 Poliphilo says:
Motion and heat-tracking laser-microphones, of course, duh, essential for the budding cockpit-jockey who wants a bit more feel to his space combat.
Also, shut up.
02/11/2012 at 20:27 Scilantius says:
Whoa, wasn’t this supposed to be an MMO? Or am I confusing Miner Wars with Miner Something, the MMO? Either way, I’m chuffed it’s not an MMO, and even more giddy that it’s coop!
02/11/2012 at 20:40 fooga44 says:
Online DRM kills this game, you have to “login” to play it. No thanks.
02/11/2012 at 23:12 Hmm-Hmm. says:
Looks rather disappointing. Personally it was the fact that they shot up everything inside the npc’s little homebase while said npc continued chatting on without changing his tune which bothered me most.
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03/11/2012 at 14:57 Vitruality says:
In space, everybody can hear your insipid badly-acted dialogue.
03/11/2012 at 15:11 Citrus says:
“For instance, fully destructible environments”
Wow, fully destructive environments in a game taking place in space? Floating walls your ship can take cover behind.
But seriously though, except for ships and asteroids, what else is there to destroy in space to be destroyed in the environment? Also, I remember destroying same things in Freelancer and Freespace as well. How is that a new feature? Do they at least have space-pirates? So many questions, so little interest in all these space games (probably cause I want a SP sequel to Freelancer dammit).
10/11/2012 at 10:49 rocketman71 says:
Was going to preorder, noticed the “this is not DRM but you need an active connection” and “we need to make the calculations in the server so it can’t be cracked” bullshit.
Won’t buy, and two friends that were going to where quickly appraised of the developer’s “niceness” towards gamers.