Category: Ad Alternum

Posted on

Mini Story Pack “Secrets of Mugwood” Coming to OrbusVR: Reborn in April

OrbusVR: Reborn

If you’re looking for loads of virtual reality (VR) content in one convenient package then OrbusVR: Reborn has got you covered. The MMORPG has been around since 2017 and today developer Ad Alternum has announced its first DLC, a mini-story pack called Secrets of Mugwood which is due out this month.

OrbusVR: Reborn

Featuring all-new zones, NPCs, and questlines, Secrets of Mugwood lets players delve into the hidden microsystems of Patreayl to help a community of sentient lizards. Setting out from a quaint mushroom village, the journey will feature battles with belligerent bugs, spiders, monstrous plants and insect-infested tunnels to fight through.

Ad Alternum claims the story pack will include 10-15 hours of new gameplay across four mini zones. Players gain access to three new armour sets and two new weapons (per class), mounts, pets, Player House furniture and loads more. Suitable for solo or group missions, the mini-pack won’t offer players who purchase the DLC an advantage over those who don’t.

The pack will also add new climbing and Treasure Hunt mechanics, the former expanding the exploration possibilities while the latter has players using fragments of a map to find hidden treasure chests in the new mini zones. Secrets of Mugwood may introduce these mechanics but the studio plans on porting them into the main videogame in the future.OrbusVR: Reborn

“We are very excited about the possibilities Story Packs will open up for us,” said Robert Dutton, Producer at Ad Alternum in a statement. “With a small team, the Packs are a great way for us to balance available resources to meet the needs of the current game while building toward the future. They give us the best of both worlds. They will allow us to add more content for players and explore new mechanics while providing additional funding to work on performance improvement, bug fixes, and other issues in the current game.”

OrbusVR: Reborn’s Mini Story Pack #1: Secrets of Mugwood is scheduled to arrive on 28th April 2020, priced at $9.99 USD through the game’s cash shop. The videogame supports Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index, with a free demo available via Steam. For further updates on OrbusVR: Reborn, keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

VR MMO OrbusVR: Reborn Celebrates Two Year Anniversary With Winter Festival Of Strangers

This month marks the two-year anniversary of the first-ever true VR MMO, OrbusVR. Earlier this year it relaunched with a massive overhaul in the form of OrbusVR: Reborn and has received a staggering stream of updates ever since.

Kicking off last week, the team behind OrbusVR is currently running the Festival of Strangers, which is a massive winter-themed event running until January 7th, 2020. The landscape is dramatically altered for the festival with new quests, missions, and monsters — as well as “a few surprises” to discover. As expected, the new beasts are known as “The Strangers” and they’ve arrived by way of the dangerous snow storms. You can grab a quest to fight the Strangers from the Strangers Festival NPC outside the gates of Highsteppe.

Other additions for this update include new critters to capture, lots of wintery-themed decorations, and brand new furniture for player houses.

OrbusVR isn’t the most visually impressive VR game, it doesn’t revolutionize what it means to be an MMO, and it’s made by a small indie team, but that doesn’t make it any less of an accomplishment. The community is strong and friendly and the team works hard to keep the game updated and lively.

If you’re at all interested in checking the game out there is a very generous free trial that lets you go all the way up to level 10, which is a hefty chunk of content. There aren’t many dedicated persistent online games in VR yet, so OrbusVR certainly stands out in that regard.

Let us know what you think if you’ve given the game a try!

The post VR MMO OrbusVR: Reborn Celebrates Two Year Anniversary With Winter Festival Of Strangers appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

OrbusVR: Reborn’s new Demo is the Full Game, Just Capped in Certain Places

When gamers want proper value for money one of the best genres to look at is MMORPG’s. In the field of virtual reality (VR) that slice of gaming pie is dominated by OrbusVR: Reborn which left early access a few months ago. Now, in a bid to attract more players into its universe developer AdAlternum has released a free demo.

OrbusVR: Reborn

This isn’t just any normal demo either, which usually show a singular level or small portion of the core experience. For OrbusVR: Reborn’s demo you actually get the entire title, putting players in the same world as everyone else. Naturally, there is a catch. The Demo allows users to play up to level 10 on all eight of the game’s classes for free, giving hours and hours worth of gameplay.

They can continue playing once level 10 has been achieved but their characters won’t gain any additional XP, halting progress and restricting access to higher-level areas and activities. The demo also stops players from using the Auction House and trading with other gamers.

The release of OrbusVR: Reborn’s demo was in part due to Steam’s policy allowing users to request a refund if a title has been played for less than two hours. AdAlternum didn’t feel gamers would get a true sense of OrbusVR: Reborn explains Riley Dutton, Director, in a statement: “OrbusVR offers so much content that two hours isn’t really enough time to fully immerse yourself in the world and decide if you like the game or not. We wanted a way for interested players to be able to really check out the game and explore all it has to offer, and the Demo provides for that.”

OrbusVR: Reborn

If you sink loads of hours into the demo and want to continue expanding your character all you need to do is purchase the title, unlocking OrbusVR: Reborn’s full features without having to start over.

AdAlternum Game Studios claims that OrbusVR: Reborn features more than 100+ hours of content, with dungeons to explore, raids and side quests to complete, as well as new in-game activities including dragon racing, critter capture, PVP battlegrounds, and public events.

The demo is only available through Steam, compatible with Oculus Rift/Rift S, HTC Vive and Valve Index. At the moment OrbusVR: Reborn is on sale via Steam with a 30% discount. It’s worth noting for Oculus Rift users that if you play the demo on Steam then decide to purchase the videogame on Oculus Store you can still continue from where you left off. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

OrbusVR: Reborn Expansion has a Launch Date, Oculus Quest Support Confirmed

When it comes to virtual reality (VR) MMORPG’s, Ad Alternum’s OrbusVR has managed to fill that gaming hole since 2017. Then last year the studio announced plans for what it called its first expansion, OrbusVR: Reborn. As it turns out OrbusVR: Reborn isn’t just an expansion but a complete overhaul of the original title, which in turn will see the videogame leave Early Access.

OrbusVR: Reborn

In a press statement, Ad Alternum has said that: “OrbusVR: Reborn is a ground-up reimagining of the original game, featuring new enemies, new dungeons and raids, new classes, and much more.” Four new playable classes: Shaman, Paladin, Scoundrel and Bard will become available to players, bringing the total to eight, the artwork has been redone with all new assets and players will be glad to hear that there will be 100+ hours of content at launch.

OrbusVR utilizes a “buy once, play forever” model, so once you’ve bought the videogame there are no further fees to pay like many traditional MMOs. Which means the release of OrbusVR: Reborn will be completely free if you already own the title. Currently, the OrbusVR servers are offline (as of 1st April) as the studio fine-tunes the last few details prior to launch.

These include adding support for standalone headset Oculus Quest, which the studio confirms will be available for the device launch this Spring. “We’re very excited to be coming to the Oculus Quest. The Quest represents a huge leap forward for accessibility of VR. Our goal in 2019 is to get OrbusVR into the hands of as many new gamers as possible, and Quest will be a big part of making that a reality,” said Riley Dutton, Director in a statement.

OrbusVR: Reborn

OrbusVR: Reborn will include cross-buy support on the Oculus Store, so if you’ve purchased the title for Oculus Rift you’ll own it on Oculus Quest. The title will also feature seamless cross-platform play between Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and other OpenVR headsets to populate the world as much as possible.

OrbusVR: Reborn will officially launch on 23rd April 2019. Should any further details arise, VRFocus will keep you updated.

Posted on

OrbusVR Announces Early Access Release Date

Many fans of virtual reality (VR) have been eagerly awaiting a fully-featured MMORPG, in order to fulfil the fantasy of VR that has been presented by decades of science-fiction stories. As a result, there have been a sizeable number of people carefully watching OrbusVR and awaiting its release to see if it lives up to that promise. Those people will soon have the chance, with the confirmation of its Early Access release date.

Developers Ad Alternum have previously offered its OrbusVR community closed Alpha and Closed Beta testing, with over 450 players involved in the closed Alpha phase, playing a total of over 3,000 hours. Now the studio has announced that the title is almost ready for its Steam Early Access debut.

OrbusVR is described by the developers as the first fully-realised room-scale MMORPG created exclusively for VR. It is designed to feature a vast open world, hours of gameplay content, a absorbing storyline and interesting characters, along with social features to allow players to interact. Originally funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the developers have been working closely with the player community to build the title.

The Early Access version of OrbusVR will have a few features missing from the expected final version, but will be fully playable, featuring more than sixty hours of content. Players will be able to pick up and complete quests and level from 1 to 20, as well as run through five-man dungeons and engage in activities such as crafting and fishing. The developments team have confirmed that once the title leaves early access, character progression will be maintained, and there will not be a ‘wipe’ or progress reset.

Though the title will be fully playable, the development team at Ad Alternum are reserving some gameplay features such as hard-mode dungeons and end-game raids for the full release. Various other features will be refined and polished throughout the Early Access period, incorporating feedback from the player community.

The anticipated Early Access release will be on 15th December, 2017, for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed reality devices. A price point is yet to be confirmed. Further details and updates can be found on the Steam Store page.

VRFocus will bring you further news on OrbusVR as it becomes available.

Posted on

Indie VR MMO ‘OrbusVR’ to Launch in Early Access in December

OrbusVR, an upcoming indie VR MMO for SteamVR-compatible headsets, has seen several closed betas since it’s successful Kickstarter back in March 2017, but starting December 15th the plucky quest-driven MMORPG will head into Early Access on Steam.

Having garnered more than $34,000 from its Kickstarter and undergoing several closed betas (and an open weekend), OrbusVR is shaping up to be one of the first ‘native VR’ MMORPGs to combine traditional sword and sorcery elements like quests and dungeons in a cooperative, social VR space. While the genre persists unabated on traditional monitors, there simply aren’t any great examples in VR.

Created by six-person team Ad Alternum, the developers promise to deliver what they call “a huge open world with thousands of players, dozens of hours of quests following an intriguing story, interesting lore and characters, five-player group dungeons, world bosses, and more!”

OrbusVR is launching with a $40 pricetag on Steam Early Access.

SEE ALSO
Taking After 'Sword Art Online', Oculus Founder Wants to Make a VR Game With Serious Consequences

The game aims to make good on a number of features, including:

  • 20+ hours of Main Story and side quests as you embark on an adventure to advance your character from Level 1 to 20.
  • 4 major five-person dungeons, each with unique enemies and bosses with interesting mechanics
  • 9 overworld zones spanning more than 10 square kilometers, including the high-level Wilds zones where danger lurks around every corner and open world PvP can happen
  • 4 different and unique classes to play including the Ranger, Musketeer, Warrior, and Runemage
  • 2 crafting classes: Alchemy and Artificing, plus Fishing
    In-game voice chat, dungeon finder, fellowships, private messaging, and other socialization features to keep you connected to the world
  • Dedicated, collaborative development process with an indie dev team that cares about your feedback
  • Dragon pets, cosmetic capes, achievements, and much more!

We haven’t had a chance to go hands-on with OrbusVR yet, so we can’t speak to the game’s depth. One thing is certain though: creating healthy playerbases is notoriously hard in VR due to the relatively smaller number of users. While some of the most populated spaces in VR are generally free, launching a paid social game that necessarily relies on the first ‘M’ (massive) could be a dicey proposition. That remains to be seen though, so we’ll be following its development and wishing OrbusVR the best of luck as it heads into Early Access in the coming weeks.

The post Indie VR MMO ‘OrbusVR’ to Launch in Early Access in December appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

OrbusVR To Launch Open Alpha Testing At End of July

Despite popular fiction such as Ready Player One, Sword Art Online and Dot Hack popularising the concept of the virtual reality (VR) MMORPG, its existence in reality has so far proved somewhat elusive. That may be about to change as Ad Alternum Game Studios has announced the end of its closed Alpha of VR MMORPG OrbusVR and the upcoming date of its open Alpha phase.

There were over 450 players involved in the Closed Alpha testing, who played a total of 3,000 hours during the testing period. Bi-weekly tests would show off newly introduced features that were added to the game, such as new areas, story quests, dungeons and professions such as Alchemy and Fishing.

“We’ve had tremendous participation and enthusiasm from the VR community during our Closed Alpha testing period, and we’ve made some great strides in adding new features and improvements to the game,” said Riley Dutton, Lead Developer. “We’ve been hard at work getting things ready for everyone who’s interested in the game to check it out, and we can’t wait to see so many new faces in-game.”

The closed Alpha was only available to players who had previously backed the Kickstarter campaign, or pre-ordered OrbusVR on the official website were able to be involved. Despite those limitations, the developers were enthusiastic about the level of feedback and community participation from the Alpha players.

The Open Alpha stage of testing will begin on 28th July, 2017. Details on how to apply to be part of the open Alpha are available on the OrbusVR website. Developers at Ad Alternum are expecting the title to enter Beta testing in late August, 2017, with an expected release into Early Access at the end of 2017.

VRFocus will continue to bring you new on OrbusVR and other in-progress VR projects.