3000ad posts

It's been a little while since we have checked out Line of Defense, the upcoming sci-fi shooter from developer 3000AD. Today the game's official web site got a new developer's diary from creator Derek Smart along with a boatload of screenshots showing off one of the game's bases, Nightbridge.

Smart states in the diary that these screenshots, good looking as they are, do not do the actual look of the game justice. He also says that the map is huge, saying "We're talking nearly 2km x 3km massive. And that's just the base extents." Even with 128 players on the map, Smart says, "... that is still a heckuva lot of space to run around in."

He also hints about things to come including what the space portion of the game looks like. That includes four space stations and the huge GCV-Starguard space carrier base. He says, "... we're building a base out of a 350m long carrier ... out in space and which is just as detailed as the planetary bases; complete with bridge, useable armory, various rooms etc." He adds that while the ship is a non flyable derelict, he adds, " ... you can land on it and even use a DJP (Dynamic Jump Pad) to move between it and the planet below. We expect firefights within these stations and carrier bases to be chaotic – and absolutely claustrophobic."

The latest game from the mind of Derek Smart and his 3000 AD development team has just been announced. It's called Line of Defense and like a previous 3000 AD game All Aspect Warfare it's a sci-fi action MMO game set in the far future that combines planetary conflict with space battles in orbit above planets.

The game is being described as a pure Player Vs Player game (no single player quests here) as players fight on one of two factions. Each faction is trying to take control of territories on various planets. Players will gain experiencen and access to weapons as well as land and air vehicles. While 3000 AD is developing the game, Quest Online is handling things like the game's billing, server database and other support features (Quest Online is the developer of the fantasy MMO Alganon which had its development taken over by Smart in 2010). Line of Defense is currently scheduled for release by the end of 2011.

Earlier this month, 3000AD head Derek Smart surprised most people by announcing he was taking over as President of the game developer Quest Online and would revamp the previously launched fantasy MMO Alganon. Now our sister site Massively has posted up a chat with the ever loquacious Smart about how he came on board the game and his plans for Alganon.

Smart reveals that his involvement with the game and Quest Online actually started in late 2009 and that it was his decision to make the game a free-to-play title after Alganon launched as a subscription based game on December 1. Smart says that they are still planning to relaunch the game on April 8 although he adds, " . . . if something comes up, I will delay it." The interview is full of info and humor and is a must read if you are at all interested in this game.

One of the more controversial folks in PC game development is Derek Smart. Founder of the development studio 3000AD he's best known for the space-based games like Battlecruiser, Universal Combat and others. He's also known for his rather frank and open opinions about the PC game industry and other subjects. More recently he has turned to making smaller downloadable sci-fi action games like All Aspect Warfare and Angle of Attack, both of which were released in 2009.

Now Smart has a new gig to flex his muscles. This week, in a bit of a surprise, Smart has been brought to be the new President of Quest Online, an Arizona-based game developer that has been trying for the past few years to launch a fantasy MMO called Alganon. In fact, as our sister site Massively reported, the game actually launched last December. However issues with the game itself and its switching over from a subscription-based model to a free-to-play model have cause the game's dev team to retroactively change their launch date to early April 2010 (December was just a "soft launch). It will be interesting to see if Smart's extensive experience in making games will turn this MMO around. According to Quest Online's web site he will still be president of 3000AD where his current project is a space-based MMO called Galactic Command Online.

3000AD released two sci-fi action games earlier this year via download and now the indie developer has announced that one of them, the sci-fi combat shooter All Aspect Warfare, will be getting a free expansion pack. The expansion, titled Escape From LV-115, is due for release sometime in the first quarter of 2010.

The expansion pack will continue the single player storyline from the main game as its cast of characters have to get off the planet of LV-115 (hence the title). Of course it won't be as easy as just taking a ship and lifting off. You can also expect more multiplayer deathmatch missions in both planetary and space settings around LV-115.

[Via Blue's News]

As promised earlier this month, 3000AD has officially announced their plans for Galactic Command, a space-based MMO that's basically the natural evolution of the developer's space sim titles. The game's web site has an extensive FAQ along with its first screenshots.

According to the web site Galactic Command will have 12 player races with 8 different careers to choose from. The space-based action and combat will be twitch-based and feature player owned ships, bases, cities and more. Look for seamless action in space and on planets and a massive number of space ships to pilot, from shuttles to massive capital ships. The game is due for release in late 2010/early 2011.

Indie game developer 3000AD recently released two downloable sci-fi action games, All Aspect Warfare and Angle of Attack. Now comes word that the developer has set up a pretty bare bones teaser site for their next project, Galactic Command. Apparently more info is coming on October 15 and the teaser site states that "The MMO Competition will have a lot to worry about. We return to our playground."

3000AD and its founder Derek Smart are perhaps best known for their Battlecruiser space simulation series that later evolved into the Universal Combat series. Presumably Galactic Command is some kind of space-based MMO, at least based on the teaser message.

[Via Blue's News]

The folks at Steam are apparently not waiting until Thursday to spring some sales on their customers. The PC game download service has launched three separate sales that will last from now until October 5. One is for 25 percent off Angle of Attack and All Aspect Warfare, the two recently released sci-fi action games from developer 3000AD.

Yet another sale has three strategy titles from Kalypso Media (Officers, Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge and Grand Ages: Rome) on sale for 50 percent off their normal prices for the next week. Finally the recent FPS MMO title CrimeCraft is on sale for 25 percent off its normal Steam price until October 5.

These six tutorial videos teach players how to play All Aspect Warfare, ranging from basic infantry to aerial combat. The video above shows basic infantry movement and the rest can be seen after the jump. You can put these techniques to the test right away by download the demo and demo patch.

If you end up liking the game, you might also want to try out the spin-off game, Angle of Attack. The Angle of Attack demo and demo patch are available for download.

Download HD All Aspect Warfare Basic Infantry Training Video (208 MB)
Download HD All Aspect Warfare Infantry Combat Training Video (488 MB)
Download HD All Aspect Warfare Adv. Infantry Combat Training Video (172 MB)
Download HD All Aspect Warfare Fighter Air Combat Training Video (318 MB)
Download HD All Aspect Warfare Gunship Air Strike Training Video (280 MB)
Download HD All Aspect Warfare Team Command Video (191 MB)
Download All Aspect Warfare Demo (242 MB)
Download All Aspect Warfare Demo Patch (31 MB)

Not one but two downloadable PC games from 3000AD are due for release this week along with a sequel to a "M" rated adventure game.

All Aspect Warfare: 3000AD's downloadable sci-fi shooter comes out this week, featuring six character classes, tons of weapons and items, lots of vehicles and support for 32 player multiplayer modes. There's even support for controlling NPCs in battle.