Realtime Worlds announces design decisions in All Points Bulletin newsletter
The folks at Realtime Worlds have begun what looks to be a series of monthly newsletters to the community, briefing fans looking forward to the based-on-real-life cops and criminals MMO All Points Bulletin. The September newsletter sets out the format by offering some general news from the game and the community, and (intriguingly) some insight into their development process. They lay out one design component that has already been implimented, one that's under consideration, and one they've decided won't make it into the game at launch.
This month they've announced that they've already put in an 'arrest' system, which seems logical given the cop component of the game. They're considering putting in a stealth system to APB, and they've decided not to implement individual classes. It sounds like play style will result in their 'class' being developed over time. Read on below the cut for the full newsletter, and tune in next month for more on this intriguing project.
September Update:
September has seen the APB project moving forward, with progress made on various parts of the project, so this month's update will cover this progress, along with what to expect from the team in October.
Game News:
In the middle of September we moved into the final phase of internal alpha testing with regular play tests involving 100+ employees enjoying the various elements of APB currently available. The aims of this phase are to tidy up the current experiences whilst we prepare to move out of alpha, in the future phases we will begin the tentative process of allowing others into the game. Initially this will be a very core, select number of trusted friends of employees, but does mark the start of what can be considered the 'Closed' Beta stage of APB. Whilst any dates for future phases depend on the progress made, we will keep you updated in our future monthly updates.
Via various fan sites and forums, we have been collecting up all the ideas you guys have put forward for APB. Moving forward we plan to focus on 3 ideas in each newsletter, to help give you folks an idea of the direction of APB and how your ideas fit with that direction. Each month we will highlight one idea which already exists in game, one which we have taken under consideration for the game, and one which has been rejected (along with explanations for each) so please keep your ideas coming.
Idea already implemented: Arrest / Capture system
Enforcers have an arrest system available to them which serves to take out a criminal player until they are freed or the arrest timer expires and they must respawn as if killed. This can reduce the criminal force for longer periods of time than killing them would unless freed by their criminal group-mates.
Idea under consideration: Stealth systems
We are currently working on ways of implementing "stealth" into missions, however details of how this will work are not yet finalised.
Idea rejected: Selectable Classes such as Detective or SWAT
At this time there are no plans for playable 'classes'. Instead a players 'class' is defined by their play style in game.
Community News:
We have this month agreed on the new official APB Logo which is designed to have a stencilled 'graffiti' feel. We believe it fits in well with the art style we are going with in APB and the overall theme of the game. Following on from this we have also been working on the final stages to finish and release our new teaser website at http://www.apb.com. This will serve to generate interest in APB until the fully integrated version of the website is ready (which will also incorporate our new official forums for the game).
The official forums will mark a key stage for the community team here at Realtime Worlds..........what's that? I hear some of you asking how I can call myself a "team"? Well that leads me onto the next bit of news. I'm pleased to announce that Chris 'Deum' Collins is joining the community team shortly and will be let loose on the new forums when they are released. He comes in with a big interest in APB, and I'm sure some great ideas/plans for you folks.
Coming up in October:
Here's a little teaser of what to expect in next month's newsletter;
+ More news on our use of Facebook as a major community tool
+ Update on the new teaser website and forums
+ Chris ' Deum' Collins' thoughts of his first month at Realtime Worlds
+ Updates on the APB game status
+ Announcement of our Facebook Art design competition winner
+ Lots more
Until next month,
Chris 'Ulric' Dye
Community Relations Manager