Ballerium is a free-to-play MMO RTS from Majorem and Sleepy Giant. I will definitely be giving it a spin sometime in the new year.
Not that I expect much. The video on this page does not inspire a lot of confidence. Be awed by the path-finding through the forest. Count the number of times the player has to drag-select a group of units before they recognize the movement command. Cower before the music that overwhelms your senses while you try to make out the low res units on a tiny streaming video screen.
The wiki helps some. Seven unique races with unique whatchamacallits. The artwork is passable for a free game, and the idea of thousands of people playing on the same server is certainly intriguing.
If anyone gets to this before I do, feel free to pipe up with comments and impressions. Hell is other people, and doubly so in RTS multiplayer. But this will make an interesting test for the concept of base building focused MMO real time strategy games.
With a name like Ballerium I was expecting to see chicks in tutus battling it out to Tchaikovsky.
“In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only Swan Lake!”
On the subject of free MMOs any chance you’re going to be using your press credentials to score a beta spot with the HOMM game? I’m an abashed fanboi of HOMM (except for IV) and I’m really curious as how that will work, but not curious enough to buy the latest gold pack to get the code. :) So definitely looking to hear about how it actually plays from someone.
As a rule, I avoid using my meager press credentials to participate in betas. Betas are a deceptive beast. If you are in one from the beginning, you can’t help but be impressed by progress made from the start to the conclusion. So it makes all the much harder to be fair to the final product.
Conversely, if a beta is going poorly, there’s a temptation to report on that or having that color your impressions.
Best for all that I just steer clear and handle the gossip like any other gamer/reader.
Re Ballerium’s name, yeah, it’s terrible. I almost want Baryshnikovs and Nijinskys battling it out for control of the Magic Nutcracker +5.
Wasn’t Interplay involved with this at some point?
My artifact of choice:
+5 Vorpal Tutu of Flame — keeps the Baryshnikovs gelded and you don’t have to smoke as much to keep the weight off.
I think this is the first videogame preview video I’ve ever seen with lyrical symphonic metal music.
I concur, the name of this game makes me wish it had to do with Ballet, certainly not the Nightwish music that they have in their video. O.o
I hope they got permission to use that music.