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Mortal Online - All News

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Tuesday - September 08, 2009
Friday - June 26, 2009
Sunday - June 07, 2009
Monday - May 18, 2009
Tuesday - May 12, 2009
Thursday - March 19, 2009
Thursday - January 22, 2009
Friday - October 17, 2008
Tuesday - October 07, 2008
Sunday - August 31, 2008
Wednesday - July 09, 2008
Friday - June 13, 2008
Monday - June 09, 2008
Monday - April 14, 2008
Box Art

Tuesday - September 08, 2009

Mortal Online - Interview @ MMORPG

by Myrthos, 23:23

Mats Persson, the Creative Director and Game Designer of Star Vault's upcoming MMORPG Mortal Online, chats with MMORPG.com.

MMORPG.com: Are you concerned that as an independent development studio looking to break into the MMO market that your game will be overshadowed by big studio games?

Mats Persson: No. Mortal Online is a niche game and we don't see ourselves as competitors to the big names out there. To be big you have to have mass-appeal, and to have that you will have to cater to casual players, in turn meaning lowering the difficulty of everything from combat, PvP and crafting, and introduce a whole dimension of solo-play features such as quests and story progression, not to mention easy-to-understand concepts like levels and classes. And that's the opposite of our game.

Instead we hope to attract a core audience and grow slow but steady by delivering something different, and I come to think of EVE Online that I have very much respect for. I do think we will have an initial inflow of players (small for the other companies but big to us) from other games wanting to test our game, but I honestly think most of them will go back to whatever it was they played before. We hope to be able to keep those who are looking for sandbox game play, PvP based on player skill, or simply something genuinely different - but those who just want another cookie-cutter MMO with different graphics (this time set in first-person) will probably be disappointed.

Friday - June 26, 2009

Mortal Online - Beta Previews & Limited Edition

by Myrthos, 14:45

For Mortal Online a limited edition will be made available, and limited means a total of 999 copies. The first one will be auctioned out on eBay during this weekend. it is a special version as it gives you besides the goodies of the limted edition a life-long free playing time and a night of free beers with the devs.

Furthermore two beta previews made by beta players have been made available on the Mortal online site here and here

Weapon creation at the moment is impressive. Crafting itself hasn’t been unlocked to players, but NPC crafters allow us to choose which type of material to use for each piece of a weapon (handle, core, blade, etc). In addition, when creating armor, not only do you choose which type of material to construct the armor out of, but you also choose how much material to use when creating the armor. Using less material obviously makes the armor lighter and less cumbersome, but it also provides less protection.

Needless to say, there is a seemingly endless amount of combinations to choose from, but the trick is to determine which combinations are most effective, as some combinations just aren’t very practical. For instance, attaching a great blade to a dagger handle will result in a strange looking and ineffective weapon, and although creating a sword made out of pure gold certainly looks fashionable, it will do little damage and require the majority of your stamina to swing it (if you’re able to swing it at all, that is). The amount of options given to the player is incredible and really adds to the involvement of player skill, as players will have to determine the best gear compositions for their particular playstyle.

Sunday - June 07, 2009

Mortal Online - Beta News

by Myrthos, 01:14

Mortal Online is in closed beta at the moment and the developers came with the following feedback on it:

The closed Combat Beta is going as planned, we’ve been inviting players from the community each week since beta started. If you haven’t got an invitation yet please be patient, so far we are doing this in a relatively small scale.

The test phases have been great for Mortal Online; we are getting a lot of good feedback on combat, movement, crafting, balancing, latency and stability. We are very happy with the stability of the server and the clients.

Even though our movement prediction system is not yet in place we have also got very good test results from US players on our EU server. We didn’t expect US players to actually be able to compete in our real time combat system, but they have shown it’s very possible, so far.

We’ve had some great testing sessions, and it’s been lots of fun for us to see what kind of crazy gears/weapons people come up with on the battleground. We’ve also had our a* kicked by some real skilful players. Here’s some screenshots from the beta.

Within the next few weeks we are going to switch to our release build, which is the next step in our testing phase. As this build contains the complete prediction system we will soon have some information about what kind of ping players will need to be able to compete at the same terms as the rest in our real time combat.
Don’t forget to still sign up for the beta if you haven’t done so yet, it’s not too late to be part in the different beta phases.

They also had the following to say about their shop that is opnening soon.

For several weeks the Combat Beta has been up and running on our first server with very good results, and now we're excited to announce the release plan for Mortal Online. On June 29 we will open up our shop for pre-orders of the game, also giving you access to the Beta Phases.

Our goal from the very beginning has been to develop Mortal Online with a close and honest connection to the community on our forums. With the Combat Beta showing good and stable performance we have reached the point where we feel it’s time to take the community interaction to the next level. It’s important for us as an independent company to know how many of you are committed to buy and try out the game, and we also want your feedback during the next crucial steps in development. All 10.000 users pre-ordering the game in any of the formats available will be given free access to the Beta Phases until the official launch of the game.

Please note that the Beta Phases will run on a server in Europe only. It’s fully possible to access this server from all countries; however we can’t guarantee the speed and performance over long distances.

Read more here.

Monday - May 18, 2009

Mortal Online - Analysed @ Incgamers

by Woges, 15:59

Bill Vaughan has analysed Star Vault's MO presentation.

The aim of the lengthy presentation is set out right at the beginning: to make it perfectly clear that Mortal Online is no generic MMORPG:

“We would like you to please forget your preconceptions of MMORPGs. Mortal Online deviates from most modern fantasy MMO's, and although it contains a lot of elements from let's say World of Warcraft or Age of Conan, the playing experience is very, very different from those games.”

We've heard this claim from plenty of other game developers in the past, and sometimes we've even believed it, until we find ourselves in the game looking at the same UI, same mini map, same taskbar and so on. However, as the presentation goes on it becomes clear that Star Vault isn't just full of hot air. For instance, Mortal Online has no levels, no experience points, no quests, no 3rd person view, no global chat, no minimap, no instances and no dragons that drop swords.

Tuesday - May 12, 2009

Mortal Online - Powerpoint Presentation

by Myrthos, 00:27

A lengthy presentation (100MB) from the Mortal Online team about their game can be found here. The presentation shows a lot of ambition, which in all likelihood won't all be there from the start as mentioned by the big fat disclaimer at the start.

Here is something about the key features of the game:

  • Player skill based, full PvP
    • Revolutionary MMO combat
    • True first-person view
    • Full loot, no PvP zones
    • No levels or classes, only skills
    • Active skill-training
  • Sandbox game play
    • Sandbox crafting and gear customization
    • A new take on items and gathering
    • Player housing
    • Blood mix system
    • Mounts and taming
  • A free, interactive world
    • Seamless world, over 64km2
    • Dynamic NPC behavior
    • Unique encounters, one-time events
    • World interaction

More information can be found in the presentation that includes a viewer and some videos as well.

Thursday - March 19, 2009

Mortal Online - Beta Signup and Footage

by Myrthos, 09:30

The guys from Starvault put out a message that you can sign up for beta on their site.

 Star Vault AB: Beta sign-up and in-game Beta production footage!


Today at 4pm Swedish time, the sign-up for Beta has been announced and in-game footage has been released on the Mortal Online web-site www.mortalonline.com


This means that gamers that are interested in participating in the Beta-phases can sign up and get registered for Beta testing. The number of Beta-testers is limited and the selection is made by the Mortal Online team. Depending on the number of gamers that sign-up the number of game-servers available at launch will also be calculated.

The Beta phases are the final testing-phases prior to launch. They are divided into separate stages for testing out different aspects of the game, and will end with the Open Beta. Directly after that the Launch phase will start.


"We are very proud to be able to announce the Beta sign-up today, as it is another milestone in our development of Mortal Online. We have also been working very hard on putting together some in-game footage from during the production, call it a trailer if you like, which will show the gamers around the world some of the features of Mortal Online. For all gamers that are interested in participating in the Beta-testing, please sign up!" - says Henrik Nyström, CEO Star Vault AB

 

 

Thursday - January 22, 2009

Mortal Online - Update

by Woges, 15:42

A quick news bit on the Mortal Online site illuminates that the game has moved into Beta development phase.

Beta development

We have a very hectic and interesting half year in front of us, as we now have entered into the beta development phase of Mortal Online. Due to heavy workload we unfortunately have very little time for releasing new information this month - the game must always be our top priority.

Community event

This month we were challenged by the Mortal Online community in the mod “dota” based on Warcraft 3, frozen throne. Dota is a team-based pvp game for up to 5 vs 5 players. We have accepted the challenge and the match will take place tomorrow, Thursday 22th of January.

There will be some nice prizes for the community if they manage to beat the development team. (Not that they will, but anyway.) Read about the rules and prizes here. The community team is complete, but there may still be time to sign up as a reserve if you are interested in participating in this match!

Ending notes

That´s all we have to offer this time. Don’t forget to check the forums for upcoming releases and other fun stuff. We developers try to be active on the forums whenever possible, to read or answer your questions and comments.

Friday - October 17, 2008

Mortal Online - October Update

by Woges, 13:05

New race info on offical site the Khurites, with The Tindremic Empire continued.

New Playable Race, the Khurites
This time we give you the facts about the Khurites, children of the Myrland steppe. Read about this nomadic people, seen as uncultivated barbarians by the Tindremenes, and decide for yourself if they deserve their reputation or not.

The Tindremic Empire continued
The description of the Tindremic Empire is completed in this update. It’s time to delve deeper into the Caste system, the government and law, science, magic, beliefs and culture of the Tindremenes.

Tuesday - October 07, 2008

MMOWatch Feature: Mortal Online Interview

by Dhruin, 13:27

Over at MMOWatch, we have an interview with Star Vault on Mortal Online, which takes an interesting approach to a few things.  Here's the opening question:

MMOWatch: According to your website Mortal Online advances the way an MMO game is played. Can you explain that claim?

Mats Persson: I would agree that Mortal Online is very different from most MMOs. It is first person and it is a sandbox game -- as opposed to a theme park game -- where sandbox stands for much more freedom in the world. We have chosen to have a truly action based combat. It reminds somewhat of a first person shooter in a different setting,  with a lower tempo.

Furthermore, we have no levels. It is entirely skill based - the skills that you train define your character,  not the levels. We also don’t have any regular classes; you don’t choose to be a warrior, priest or mage. You choose the skills you want to have and then you train your skills by using them in the game. As we have removed levels entirely from the game you won’t meet other players that are at a higher level than you are. You have to watch them move and act to learn what they are good at and by looking at how they use their skills.  The game is about the player’s personal skills and how they interact.

If you compare most MMO’s on the market with i.e. Counter Strike, then most people would say that counter strike is about your skills as a player, whereas in most MMO’s it is about what character you play, what skills and level you have.

Head here to read it all.

MMOWatch Feature: Mortal Online Interview

by Dhruin, 13:20

While at the Games Convention, Myrthos accepted an invitation to visit the guys from Starvault to talk a bit more about their MMO in development, Mortal Online.  Here's a sample from the start of the conversation:

MMOWatch: According to your website Mortal Online advances the way an MMO game is played. Can you explain that claim?

Mats Persson: I would agree that Mortal Online is very different from most MMOs. It is first person and it is a sandbox game -- as opposed to a theme park game -- where sandbox stands for much more freedom in the world. We have chosen to have a truly action based combat. It reminds somewhat of a first person shooter in a different setting,  with a lower tempo.

Furthermore, we have no levels. It is entirely skill based - the skills that you train define your character,  not the levels. We also don’t have any regular classes; you don’t choose to be a warrior, priest or mage. You choose the skills you want to have and then you train your skills by using them in the game. As we have removed levels entirely from the game you won’t meet other players that are at a higher level than you are. You have to watch them move and act to learn what they are good at and by looking at how they use their skills.  The game is about the player’s personal skills and how they interact.

If you compare most MMO’s on the market with i.e. Counter Strike, then most people would say that counter strike is about your skills as a player, whereas in most MMO’s it is about what character you play, what skills and level you have.

Read it all here.

Sunday - August 31, 2008

Mortal Online - Leipzig Games Convention

by Woges, 17:54

Latest news on the Mortal Online website is of their visit to the LGC.

The feedback on what was shown in our booth was very positive. A number of Mortal Online followers from our online forum showed up to visit us, and we got to meet a lot of new forum candidates and potential players. We also did quite a few interviews for magazines, radio, TV and web, both on- and offline. What surprised us most was the number of publishers interested in Mortal Online, and although we are still planning to release the game ourselves we look forward to have a closer look at their different offers.

All in all, the trip was over our expectations, but we’re happy to back home to continue working on the game.

For pictures of the Mortal Online booth, check out our new media section here

Wednesday - July 09, 2008

Mortal Online - Faithful to get Beta

by Woges, 00:14

 Forum faithful to be invited to beta according to their latest update.

Are you a member of our forums today?

If not, increase your chance of being part of beta testing Mortal Online by signing up on our forums. Dive in on our discussions and help us shape the world of Mortal Online!

We are interested in active members that stay onboard for a long time and give us interesting and helpful feedback regarding the development of Mortal Online. Please note that we won’t base our decision on “number of posts” (spamming won’t get you anywhere), rather the quality of your posts and the helpful critique we and other members receive.

There is no beta date set for Mortal Online yet and there is no guarantee that you will get into the beta test of Mortal Online by signing up on our forums. We will go through our forum members when it’s time to choose our Mortal Online testers. We have noticed that there are many mmo veterans on our forums and what could be better than having you guys into our beta test?

We will announce when the beta test will take place at a later time.

Friday - June 13, 2008

Mortal Online - June Newsletter

by Woges, 23:15

Star Vault have published their latest newsletter with infomation on 'Half Orch' (hopefully clearing that little typo soon) and their trips to be (Leipzig Games Convention and Epic Games.

Thieves, traitors, beasts. The fear of the half orcs has brought them many undesirable names. As sons and daughters of the unspeakable crimes committed in the wake of a war, the half orcs’ life stories are often stained by tragedies. The majority of the half orcs are doomed to roam aimlessly in a world where the full blood orcs look upon them as weaklings and the civilised world despise them as witless barbarians and fear their orcish heritage. However, few surpass them in strength and stamina, on the battlefield or in the arena, and the non-human heritage in their blood and mind make even veteran soldiers cautious.

Click here to read more about the Half Orc

Monday - June 09, 2008

Mortal Online - Attributes and Skills Overview

by Woges, 19:47

Official site posts overview of Mortal's skill system.

Classes in Mortal Online will work rather different than in most other MMORPG’s. You don’t begin the game as a specific Class, although you may choose from different presets to get some help along the way to become one. Classes are managed by special Guilds in the game (meaning “traditional” labor- or profession-guilds like merchant-guilds, blacksmith-guilds, thief-guilds and so on) where you have to apply and get accepted to get the specific Class-title. (You may choose whether to show the title publically or not).

Classes will have prerequisites in the form of skills, attributes or sometimes even things like reputation, social status or wealth. In essence, you will have to give up certain attributes and/or skills in favor for others, meaning your choice of skills will be restricted. In turn, you will benefit from certain Class-bonuses as long as you stay true to your Class by meeting the prerequisites. Whether it’s worth to make that sacrifice or not is of course up to you.

Monday - April 14, 2008

Mortal Online - Teaser

by Woges, 18:51

Just integrated this MMO into the database. You can check it (and it's new teaser) out here.

Mortal Online is a first-person MMORPG in a fantasy setting.

Mortal Online is a next generation PC MMORPG both in terms of graphics and gameplay. There are no PvP zones, only an open realistic world where you are free to choose your own path. Experience true real-time combat where you decide every move your character makes and where your personal skill really matters.

Build your own house, or set up a guild to build a keep. With enough power, violence or diplomacy, you and your allies will be able to rule an entire nation.

Choose from many different races and professions. You decide your own style of playing and whether to focus on PvP or PvE, both sharing the same game world. Devote your life to crafting, combat, magic or trading. Discover new skills, tools and resources. Or be the first to explore new areas to put your name on the map.

Information about

Mortal Online

Developer: Star Vault

SP/MP: Massive
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: MMORPG
Combat: Real-time
Play-time: Unlimited
Voice-acting: Unknown

Regions & platforms
Unknown
· Homepage
· Platform: PC
· Released: 2010-06-09
· Publisher: Unknown