Legions: Overdrive Officially Launched
First of all, thanks to all the players who have helped us test over the weekend to find various bugs and problems we've found with the game. We've managed to squash a bunch of critical bugs after a stressful few hours, and various other problems over the past 2 days.
As our public preview weekend was successful and most of the major issues have been solved, we've decided that Legions: Overdrive is now officially launched! We consider this to be our open beta release - things aren't perfect, but we're letting you play it.
For all new players, please register at our account registration page, and then download the Legions Launcher to get going.
Patcher update
Anyone who has downloaded the patcher over the weekend, please download the latest version of the patcher. Various bugs have been fixed related to username/password problems, double launching, and a few other bug fixes. Eventually we'll be blocking access to older versions of the patcher, so make sure your version is updated.
This is just the start...
As I'm sure you're aware, there are things which are missing from the game. Currently we've only got CTF up and running, with just a limited selection of maps. Team registration is currently disabled, so that means clan tags aren't available just yet. There are other little things missing, but I'm sure you'll be aware once you get playing.
We didn't want to delay the launch until everything is absolutely perfect, as with live development we can fix bugs after the release. So over the next few days/weeks, we'll be aiming to get the old maps back in, game types, and various other things which we didn't have the time to finish. Some of them might take a bit longer than others, but eventually we'll have them back. After this we'll be able to start pushing new content which you haven't seen before.
There are still likely to be bugs, so if you encounter something which hasn't been reported, please make a post on our bug report forum.
Thanks for your patience over the past few weeks, we'll see you ingame!
Early Preview Begins!
Hurrah!
For those of you eligible for the early preview weekend, it has officially begun.
Please note that there will be bugs and you should report anything you find in the Bug Forum.
You can download the launcher by clicking here. (Note: Those ineligible for the preview CAN download the patcher, but will be unable to log in)
Early Preview Weekend
Almost there.
We're now nearing the final hurdle before the public launch, and this is where we need help from those early adopters who wanted to be involved with private testing, but were not selected. As a refresher, those applicants who signed up for private testing before Thanksgiving were automatically eligible for the Early Preview Weekend.
The purpose of the Early Preview Weekend is to squash any major bugs, stress test the servers, and basically ensure the public launch goes as smooth as possible. Since all the private tester applicants were interested in helping test Legions: Overdrive in a more incomplete and rough state, it makes sense to select from this pool.
While the game itself probably won't be ready until early tomorrow morning (or really late tonight, depending on your view), our Account Registration systems are in place. Eligible Early Preview Weekend players will receive instructions in their e-mail shortly detailing how to register their account.
Going forward, after this initial Early Preview Weekend, all major test updates will be open to all users, not just beta registration applicants. So, no need to feel obligated to sign up for private testing to enjoy these future public testing events.
If you are not eligible for the Early Preview Weekend, fret not! this is one of the final stages before the public client launch, and we anticipate launching the public client shortly after this preview weekend.
Team Registration and Clan Tags
Thought this would be a good time to detail one of the new features being integrated into Legions: Overdrive. This feature has been asked for in the past multiple times, so we're pleased to announce the ability for you to register teams and show your clan tag in-game.
Team Management
A player can choose to be a team leader and officially register their team. The team leader can choose their team name and assign a clan tag to their team. The leader can then send invites to other players to join his team (which they need to accept), or even kick members if they no longer want them to be part of the team!
Clan Tags
For those who are not familiar with 'clan tags', they're a shortened version of the team name that is added to a player's name. Basically, an identifier stating that they belong to a specific team.
In Legions: Overdrive, it will be the team leader that chooses the design for their clan tag, and this clan tag will appear in-game either as a prefix or a suffix (ie: VoidSeymourGore or SeymourGoreVoid). This clan tag will appear in a different colour from the player's name to quickly identify it as a clan tag. Regretting the choice of clan tag or think it needs an update? No worries, the team leader can modify this clan tag anytime.
In the account management site, there will be a special area where you can choose your clan tag (or if you belong to different teams, switch between tags). Likewise, you can choose to disable your clan tag if you want to solo play for a bit (then enable the clan tag when it's time to represent your clan).
We hope to have these features available for launch.
New Concept Art, PT Updates
Ahoy hoy, Legionnaires!
It's crunch time here with the Legions: Overdrive team, and even though they're currently grumpy and nasty, Seymour was able to snag some tidbits of information from them.
New Concept Art
Our art team has been creating some impressive art assets for Legions: Overdrive, and I was able to snag this concept artwork for a new base structure to be included in one of the new maps, entitled Gorge.
While I can't reveal too much information about the new map, expect a similar size and feel to Frostbyte (perhaps with a surprise or two).
PT Updates
As things are moving fairly quickly with development, we've added a few new private testers to the mix. All who were chosen have already been notified by the Legions: Overdrive team. No worries if you were not chosen, more private testers will be added as they're needed.
Thanksgiving Special
Happy Thanksgiving to our American Legionnaires! Hope everyone's able to spend it with family and loved ones (or at least in IRC with Seymour). Unfortunately Seymour's not able to hand deliver any turkey to the L:O Community, but he is able to provide some information and clarification!
Now some of these next features have already been announced, but we thought it would be a good idea to detail them a bit better and also answer (or at least try to answer) questions related to these topics.
Standalone Legions, The Patcher, and Public Test Events
Legions: Overdrive will be a standalone program, meaning that there is no need for additional software, web browser, etc. The code itself is being cleaned up by our Code Lead, Mabeline, so Legions should run better than you remembered. While it's not quite ready yet for public consumption, we're getting closer and hope to have a release date set for you soon.
There will be a patcher program that opens when you start Legions: Overdrive. This program will be familiar to many of you, as it's fairly commonplace now with modern games. Basically what it does is checks to see if there's any new L:O content (ie: new patches). It's pretty smart, and won't necessarily redownload the L:O client each time a new patch is released, instead it will update only the files that it needs to (so it's fairly quick).
It will also be from the L:O Patcher that you select whether you're playing the standard game (most recent public version) or opting to participate in a Public Test Event (which will be announced beforehand).
In order to further involve the community in the testing process, we will be running weekend public testing events where for 48 hours, you will be able to test new and upcoming content. These events will be available to everyone, no restrictions on geographical location. They will likely begin on a Friday and last until the Sunday of that weekend. After the public test event, we'll be gathering your feedback, correcting any found bugs, and begin work finalizing the patch release.
Early Preview Weekend
Thanks to everyone who applied to be a private tester. While we will be selecting only a small portion of you to be private testers (these selections will happen in several waves), all of you who have signed up for beta up until this point will be given access to the Early Preview Weekend before we release the game to the public. The Early Preview Weekend event will give you exclusive access to Legions: Overdrive before the general public, allowing you to hone your skills and get a head start on your enemies!
Note: While there's no release date yet for Legions: Overdrive, this Early Preview Weekend will happen before the full public launch. So, you early birds will get in first to help us stress test and squash those final bugs. You will also enjoy a headstart reclaiming your unused Legions skills (it's been what, a couple months now, right?) Hohohohoho!
Ah, okay, Seymour will extend the deadline. By an hour. Starting now.
Alright, time's up! Now go enjoy some turkey (or tofurkey).
Staff changes, Private Tester Update
Staff Changes
There has been some recent staff changes within the Legions: Overdrive project that we'd like to inform you about.
Due to time constraints, AelxProter will not be able to devote the time needed for the Legions: Overdrive project. Alex was a great contributor to Legions and it's sad to see him go. The Legions: Overdrive team would like to take this time to thank AelxProter for his contributions to Legions, and wish him all the best in his career.
In more positive news, the Legions: Overdrive team has grown. Please welcome the newest members to the team.
Fixious*: Many will recognize this name and we're proud to have him on our team. He will be acting as a liason between the private testers and developers. Basically, this unpleasant fellow will be keeping private testers in line through intimidation and violence.
*Update: So, as most are probably aware now, Fixious chose to not accept the position after realizing he was not a right fit for the role. So I would like to take this time to announce his replacement, Darklord. Another recognizable name to the Legions: Overdrive community, we're sure his experience and knowledge of the game will make him an asset for the private tester's group. Best of all, he's nearly as unpleasant as Fixious.
only1bravo: Another recognizable name to the Legions community, only1bravo will be replacing AelxProter's role in Level Design/Environments.
gtb: Please welcome gtb to the developer's group. He'll be helping with coding and other nerdbomber-ish stuff that Seymour has no idea about.
Private Tester Update
An update on private testing: We've currently selected a handful of experienced Legions players, and if you were not chosen. Fret not! As this project grows we'll be selecting more and more Private Testers to join the team.
Also, do not forget about public test events. These will be a sneak peek for upcoming patches, and a chance to squash as many bugs as possible before the public launch of the patch. Best of all, they're open to everybody!
Remember to bookmark this blog, as soon as new information is released, the Legions: Overdrive Blog will be the first place we're going to announce it.
Official TeamSpeak 3 Server
We have just launched our community voice server using TeamSpeak 3 technology. Join the server to talk with your fellow community members. You can find more information including the server address and rules by visiting this this thread.
Beta Registration Now Open
Legions is about to enter Overdrive, and we need you!
We're looking for active, mature community members who will work directly with the Legions: Overdrive developers to help test out early builds, work on squashing bugs, and many other exciting tasks.
If you're concerned you don't have the technical knowledge or availability to help out the Legions: Overdrive team, but still want to contribute to Legions: Overdrive development; Don't fret! There will still be public test events that everyone will be invited to participate in.
To apply, please fill out the beta application form.
Legions Returns!
Welcome to the brand new LegionsOverdrive.com.
Over the past few months we've been working with InstantAction to bring back Legions, and today we're ready to announce - Legions is coming back!
A team of dedicated community members including new and old faces have been given the source code and permission from InstantAction to continue developing and distributing Legions as a standalone game. No browser will be required! The game will be free for everyone to download.
At the moment we're still busy working away getting everything ready for the big launch. Over the next few weeks we'll be giving more details on what's going on, but until then you'll probably want to check out the Frequently Asked Questions.