APB Message Board older than one year ago

Review Diary

• Day 1: Welcome to San Paro
• Day 2: Enforcers, get enforcin'
• Day 3: Coming tomorrow
• Day 4: Coming Friday

This is part two of a four-part review of Realtime Worlds' new MMO APB. Yesterday, I talked about installing the game and creating a character. Today: the grind.

Life in San Paro is pretty simple. Rob as a Criminal, or stop Criminals as an Enforcer. I chose to be an Enforcer, and after a short tutorial level, fell into the standard MMO grind -- go here, pick this up, go there, rinse and repeat. Unlike most MMOs, APB plays like a shooter -- there's a reticule, and you've got to line it up on your target to get anything done. But its "missions" are definitely MMO fare -- they're standard, multi-step and pretty interchangeable: hold this point, deliver this item, steal this car.

But here's how APB sets itself apart: while you play the game, you're constantly being offered missions and being grouped with people on the same job, but the other side is getting offers too. When they're paired up in the same mission you are, an APB goes out, sirens flash on the screen, and then it's on, one faction against another.

APB developer suffers layoffs; Scales back new project.

Only one week out from the game's official release, APB development house Realtime Worlds confirmed today (via Develop) that "a small number of staff will be made redundant, and a second unnamed project will be downscaled." Oddly enough, the studio also announced that it's still hiring. Rather than commenting on specifics of the layoffs, Realtime CEO Gary Dale noted: "We now have to focus our efforts and resources on running APB as a 24 / 7 online live operations, creating new content and services for the future and ensuring the best possible experience for players."

Dale also assured that the restructuring doesn't have to do with the reception of the new MMO at retail, saying, "APB experienced a very smooth launch for an online dedicated game along with a great reception from consumers and we're immensely proud of the game the team has produced." We've followed up with RTW for more specifics, and we'd like to offer our consolences to anyone at the studio that lost their job.

#realitymarketing Cops and robbers MMO APB is world filled with grungy-looking criminals covered with tattoos and riddled with piercings. Now Realtime Worlds is letting fans vote on how they permanently disfigure a real human being with the Human Avatar Project. More »

Review Diary

• Day 1: Welcome to San Paro
• Day 2: Coming tomorrow
• Day 3: Coming Thursday
• Day 4: Coming Friday

Reviewing an MMO is a famously tough thing to do. The things that make a good massively multiplayer game (a strong update schedule, a solid community, and a mechanic that supports gameplay across a wide audience) are tough to quantify in a one-shot writeup. Many outlets avoid the task completely, leaving the judgment of newly-released MMOs to their own communities. If an online game floats, it's good, goes the conventional wisdom. If it sinks, it wasn't any good anyway.

But reviewing a game can shine a harsh light on its weaknesses, put a spotlight on its best features and help bring attention to lesser-known yet still deserving titles. Despite its differences from more traditional boxed products, don't MMOs deserve the same treatment?

So, in that spirit, we're presenting a review for All Points Bulletin, the latest game and first MMO from developer Dave Jones and his Realtime Worlds. MMOs are an evolving investment in both time and money, so rather than a simple writeup, I'll have a few posts over this week to look at all of the different aspects of the game critically. Today, I'll install the game and create my character. Tomorrow, I'll talk about the actual grind and how it works. Thursday will cover the game's community and customization options, and Friday will feature APB's current state and Realtime Worlds' future plans for the title, along with final impressions and the overall review score.

One Person, three weeks, total transformation.

There was a time when Realtime Words' APB was planned for consoles, but as it fights for survival on PC retail and virtual shelves, it appears it still hasn't found the right publishing partner for a console version. Realtime Worlds Creative Director Dave Jones tells Eurogamer that a console version won't happen until it finds a publishing partner and works out several other logistics, including pricing and "running dedicated servers for console" MMOs.

Jones mentions the company is going to remain "heavily focused on building upon" the PC version of APB. He also notes that a console version would require a redesign and that the studio's "immediate concern" is getting "new content out, updating the game and talking about what's coming next."

Best played in as little clothing as possible.

"Calling all Cars! Calling all Cars! Robbery in progress at the Old National Bank on 3rd and Vine. Three suspects, armed and extremely dangerous. Hostages taken. Please respond. Also, why not stop by Burger King for an order of juicy, fall-off-the-bone short ribs, available for a limited time this Summer. Ribs are filling and and extremely delicious, and go great with an order of Burger King's beloved fresh french fries. Repeat, delicious with fresh french fries."

An APB beta participant recently noticed a "VOIP Premium" option in his account management page, which promises to keep ads off of the in-game chat program in exchange for real-life monies. Developer Realtime Worlds was quick to clarify the terms of these ads -- they'll only play when traveling between Districts, and only if the player hasn't heard an advertisement in the last three hours. Sadly, surreal broadcasts like the one presented in the above paragraph will never come to fruition.

#apb Some APB fans have checked their account management pages and noted a paid subscription option that will remove ads delivered to the MMO's in-game voice chat, which of course, means the game will serve ads over voice chat. More »

#apb That's police-scanner speak for "Be on the lookout" for Realtime Worlds' E.J. Moreland and Chris Collins, discussing their cops-and-robbers epic APB on Kotaku Talk Radio, available now for download. Did we mention APB's also an MMO? More »

#podcast What do you want to know about Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds' new online cops and crooks game APB? Ask the game's lead designer, now, live! More »

#podcast What do you want to know about Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds' new online cops and crooks game APB? Ask the game's lead designer, who will be joining us on this week's episode of Kotaku Talk Radio, anything and everything. More »

Get an early taste of the action.

Between the recent "Keys to the City" open beta promotion and the impending launch of its online cops-and-robbers sim APB, Scottish developer Realtime Worlds is having one heck of a month. We got a chance to address a handful of our burning, pre-launch questions to the game's producer, Jesse Knapp, after trying our hand at the Criminal side of the game. Shortly after the interview, we stole Knapp's wallet, watch and car keys, because, well, we were in the mood.

#pc Upcoming cops-and-robbers massively multiplayer online computer game APB just kicked off their Key to the City event. More »

#screengrab Suicide Girl Dice on the hood of the APB mobile. More »

Any time a developer decides to charge a fee to let players access their game's online offerings, they're electing to enter into one of the most competitive fields in the video game industry. Subscription fees are a limited resource among consumers, much more so than basic retail expenses. In order to pull down a significant portion of this resource, their games have to evolve in new and interesting ways.

APB is full of little, awesome things that aren't present in any other offering in the industry -- online or otherwise. Many of these are small features which only serve to add more social functionality to the core game. However, the relationship between the Criminal and Enforcer factions which the online multiplayer is built around is one of the most clever innovations visited on the online action genre in quite some time.

#ea APB, the crime-themed MMO from Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds, is launching on PC in Europe and the US early July. But it will not be launching in Australia in early July. Why? More »

Direct2Drive.com and Fileplanet.com offer two ways to get in.

Realtime worlds and mPlay announce exclusive rights agreement.

Five hours in the city of San Paro.

#realtimeworlds Realtime Worlds' massively-multiplayer sandbox game APB finally has an official release date: June 29 in North America and July 1 in Europe. How much will players have to pay to play? More »

Attention, all units: EA will release Realtime Worlds' cops-and-robbers MMO APB on PC in North America on June 29, in mainland Europe on July 1 and in the UK on July 2.

The initial $50 game purchase, either through retail or by download, will include 50 hours of playtime, as well as "unlimited time" in APB's so-called social districts, where players can customize, chat and trade. When the 50 hours are up, players have the option to purchase 20 more hours for $7, 30 days of unlimited access for $10, or discounted 90- or 180-day passes. In addition, extra playtime can be earned through certain unspecified accomplishments, according to EA: "APB provides avenues for accomplished gamers or creators to earn rewards for their creativity and subsidize their ongoing costs with their in-game efforts."

Pre-order incentives, which are currently offered by APB.com, include access to the demo and early access to the full game, plus an assortment of bonus cars, clothing and character Emotes, some of which can be seen in the gallery below.

Realtime Worlds reveals when you can get some urban chaos.

Massively multiplayer urban chaos in action gaming's next big step.

Realtime World's David Jones on the genesis of action gaming's next big step.

Exclusive access to the EU beta for IGN and FilePlanet users.

The violence in this APB video is jarring. Staff from Realtime Worlds will be talking about one of the game's features, like character customization, and then the camera cuts to a few criminals casually interacting, in order to show off the variety of character appearances. Then, one of them pulls out a machine gun and starts spraying bullets. Were the other guys just wearing the wrong colors?

Aside from the juxtaposition of design discussion and graphic violence, this preview also introduces locations found in the game and fleshes out the Enforcers vs. Criminals gameplay.

#realtimeworlds APB, a game that can best be described as a massively-multiplayer Grand Theft Auto, is currently in beta testing. One of those testers has been kind enough to pass along some proper, in-game screenshots of the experience. More »