Showing posts with label alpha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alpha. Show all posts

Review: Pony Club (alpha 1.5.4)

Pony Club is an interactive chat room evolved from the PonyDreamMaker app, developed by the (apparently) russian team ManeQuest Project. However, the developers intend to eventually build a full Pony-themed RPG, towards which PonyDreamMaker and Pony Club are the first and second steps. They’ve got a Patreon page if you wish to give them your support, which they most certainly could use.

Day Dreaming Derpy Demo v0.4 - The Scootaloo Update

We're once again a little slow on the draw (and a little slower than usual at that, admittedly), but that certainly does not and will not impede our enjoyment of posting a new Day Dreaming Derpy update! Keeping things short this time, the developer promises two new dreams to play around in, and as the title suggests, the inclusion of Scootaloo as a playable character, which also means that all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are now playable! They also note that this is likely to be the last major update before the release of the full game, as that's predicted to be just around the corner!
Download the latest update at the source above, or check back here later when we're able to update our downloadable mirror of the game. Sweet dreams, sleepy horses!

Day Dreaming Derpy Applebloom Update - Demo v0.3

Here we are again. Another update for the beautiful RPG Adventure, Day Dreaming Derpy has just been released. This time around we have reached version 0.3 with the Applebloom update.
It has been just about three months since the last update, the Sweetie Belle update, already extending this gorgeous demo with new characters, dreams, town areas, etc. A lot of water has run under the bridge and this new version is with even more content, stores, costumes, dreams, areas and so on, as well as providing a few bug fixes, like balancing the beatbox skill I recall being terribly overpowered. All the details are provided in the changelog provided below, as well as downloadables.

Day Dreaming Derpy Sweetie Belle Update - Demo v0.2

An update had recently been released for the charming JRPG affair, Day Dreaming Derpy.
This gorgious game received it's big 'Sweetie Belle update' just a few days ago, introducing a new dream area, a new awake area, new dreams, new uniforms, new followers, one of which you can probably guess from the title of the update, and a whole array of fixes.
What can I say without reiterating points in our previous post on the game?
This really is one of the biggest surprises we've had here for a while, A short sweet demo of a JRPG featuring everypony's favourite muffin enthusiast, exploring the dreams of her fellow ponies. Absolutely beautiful artwork, with only insignificant clashing styles. You wouldn't guess that it is a mere RPG Maker game just from looking at it, really breaking the cookie cutter style you usually see in those easy-to-use engines. Very approachable and simple combat and gameplay, unlike what you would expect when someone brings up JRPG's. Feels very stripped down, in comparison to your Final Fantasies, but never really lacking, unless you're going in expecting another overly complex grand RPG experience.
It is small, it is cute, it feels familiar and emotional and I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to give it a go. It puts a smile on your face, nothing less.
Check out the links below for a trip to the game's official page and our download mirror, authorized with permission of the developer.

The Pony Room MMO - First impressions

Adventuring in the latest entry in Pony MMOs
So about roughly a week ago, well, actually three weeks ago, we had a brief announcement about the open servers of a new recent MMO effort. Of course I gave the game a go as well, to get some impressions. Is it worth anything? Can it stand up against the likes of Legends of Equestria and Pony Town? I can’t say those really set the bar very high to begin with, but let us just see how this endeavour is gonna fare.
We will quickly get the technicalities out of the way. It is 2d game based off of Unity. How people manage to grind out 2d stuff from that engine is gonna puzzle me forever (Apparently Unity has a 2d mode now). It is still in a very early sort of alpha state. This entire session of the game has essentially been nothing more than a raw engine and server stress test and large scale debugging session. Even the name itself, Pony Room, is just a codename, to be replaced once the lead developer, FanatSors, comes up with a proper name for the game. Nor is there any sound, just small horses and small gameplay. Hence this is not gonna be a review in the usual sense, just a first impressions, get an idea of what this project has to offer in its current state. I can spoil it for you, that you can boop and hug your fellow ponies to your hearts delight in this game, so stick around and read on!

Pony Town

Ponytown is a recent viral affair, that has been buzzing around tumblr and the imageboards in recent months.
Ponytown is a social HTML5 experience. I hesitate to say game, as there are not anything outside of walking around the green fields and socializing with other players. There are an extensive amount of customization around the pony you walk around as, from gender and mane styles, to accessories and all the different colours you could wish for.
It's hard to recommend it for its sheer gameplay value, but in the case of socialization, it is an entertaining little thing. You can switch the tiled playing field between grass and dirt by clicking, but I wouldn't say that counts as gameplay. This is usually where the viral or memetic twist snuck its way in, with people having found their own forms of entertainment, drawing whatevers in the grass for people to behold.
As it is, it's still very much in an alpha stage, constantly getting updated and getting new stuff and features added as we speak. Trees and rocks here and there, a new login system, all small additions towards the right direction.
As mentioned, it is an HTML5 endeavour, so it should work in every major browser. Take it for a spin if you are curious, have some friends to hang out with. I've even seen people use it as a virtual meet-up spot, so that's a very possible option as well. There are both a safe and an unregulated server, so I'd assume it is suitable for all ages.

Equestria Jukebox's Alpha is Released

Screenshot of the Equestria Jukebox website.

 In January I wrote about Equestria Jukebox, the unusual pony creation utility/chat app successor to the Pony Avatar Creator, and its alpha client came out on this Monday. It looks pretty neat so far, although there's a distinct lack of manes and accessories for users to pick from and I was unable to save my abominations to the server, leading me to believe that they have gained sentience and are actively discriminating against ugly original characters. Do note that the userbase is fairly small at the moment, so if you do make a chat group it'll probably take quite a while to grow (unless the service undergoes a sudden growth in popularity).

There's always Lunasync as an alternative, of course, although nobody seems to use it ;~;

Another Fallout: Equestria Adaption


  A while back a group calling themselves Overmare Studios were working on a Fallout 3 mod with ponies, but eventually decided to move to the Unity3D engine and release a standalone game based off of the influential fanfiction Fallout: Equestria. Months of painstaking development lead to this video, showcasing the incredible, never-before-seen ability of picking objects without resorting to hands or magnetic hooves: magic (i.e. how Gordon Freeman picks up the can before he is given the Gravity Gun). Hopefully this will lead to HL2-like shenanigans such as tossing kitchen sinks at hostile wasteland inhabitants, but even if it doesn't there should still be plenty of fun to be had...hopefully.

 It's more than a bit early to form a real opinion on the game, although I do have doubts about the team's ability to create enough textures, given the probable size of the game.

Equestria Jukebox

Equestria Jukebox >>>

 Despite the infamous Pony Creator utility being the most commonly-used of, well, pony creators, there are still a fair amount of people who prefer the Pony Avatar Creator demo for various reasons (even if its pony model looks a bit off, and it doesn't have a really wide variety of manes or accessories). The creator could have kept it in its current state and simply added more stuff, but it seems he has other plans for it and is in the process of transforming it into a full-fledged web service called Equestria Jukebox, with chat rooms and whatnot.

 Will this take off? We'll see once the open alpha comes out, but in the meantime you can find an exclusive sneak peak of the service below the break.

Gates of Tartarus 0.3.1

Gates of Tartarus 0.4 - Absolute Power
Gates of Tartarus

 After his latest game received negative reception from us a week ago, Bhaalspawn finally decided that it'd be a good time to fix up his game after letting it sit for several months, and has released a new patch for it that apparently addresses most of my complaints from the review. I haven't tested it out myself, but if you were disappointed with the previous version, now might be a good time to give it a second chance.

Release notes below the break.

Review: Gates of Tartarus

Gates of Tartarus title screen
Gates of Tartarus

 Last year I reviewed Doomsday Ascending, a 2D RPG adapted from a mediocre fanfic by the same name. The game's creator, Bhaalspawn, has made a point of telling his followers not to submit his various works to Equestria Daily or other fansites, so until today I was not aware that he had later created another My Little Pony RPG under the name "The Gates of Tartarus". The game seemed to be in a decent enough state (although still in an unfinished state), so I downloaded it in hopes that it would be better than its predecessor...

 Does Gates of Tartarus manage to overcome its predecessor's flaws and become a decent game in its own right? Find out in our review after the break.

Legends of Equestria Stress Test Weekend Overview

Pictured: Partying at Sugarcube Corner on Chrysalis server

I've been playing this game for about an hour and a half (has it been that long?), and I figured I'd give you guys my first impressions before I dive back in. I think it's safe to say that even though the current version is in pre-alpha, it's one of the most impressive pony gaming projects I've seen to date.

Yes, you heard that right. More of me waffling, a couple of tips, and a bunch of screenshots after the break!

Legends of Equestria Stress Test


We figured that you would all like to know that during Canterlot Gardens, Legends of Equestria will be undergoing a little stress test. What does that mean for our readers? Well, it means that from September 28-30 LoE will be open to the general public! That's right, for a limited time only everypony will be able to give Legends of Equestria a spin (except for Linux/FreeBSD users, who will have to wait for the release of Unity 4), and we'll be able to see how far the dev team has come. Once my extremely slow 20-90Kbps internet connection finishes downloading the game I'll test it myself and give you my thoughts on the game so far, but don't worry! Since the developers openly admitted that it's still in Pre-Alpha and not a finalized product I won't be unfair and give the game a score, but only a "first impressions" post. That sound good to you?

Also, there's a torrent for the LoE pre-alpha over at http://www.legendsofequestria.com/LoEPreAlphastresstest.torrent, which we advise that you use if you can. Have fun!
- Tuxxy

Twilight Sparkle RPG (Working title) Video Demo and Public Alpha 1.0


This video is the third in the series chronicling the development of Fluttershy77's sandbox pony rpg. Although a ways from publication, the project shows promise - future development plans include a fully playable map of Equestria! Hit up the video above, and give the alpha a play to get a feel for the project. Then, if you're interested, give him a shout - he's on the lookout for spriters. 
- Arctic Lux

Ponymon Dawn/Dusk 0.3 Alpha Release



At long last, my favorite fan project returns! Yesterday, Flutteryay's team released the 0.3 alpha update of Ponymon Dawn/Dusk, allowing you to catch more of your favorite ponies than ever before! Here's a refresher on the project, for those of you who missed the last post:

Ponymon Dawn/Dusk is a fan project dedicated to producing ROM hacks of Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green. Battle, train, and evolve 151 ponies with custom move sets and their own type trump chart. More information can be found on their handy wiki, which also contains an faq for those unfamiliar with using emulators or concerned with updating their save files to the new version. The new version includes a ton of new ponies and new areas, and I really can't recommend it highly enough to Pokemon fans. Happy hunting!

- Arctic Lux

Daring Do Flash Game v.89 Alpha

Daring Do Flash Game ver 0_89 alpha

A couple months back we posted about a very promising Daring Do Sidescroller Demo, and never heard anything else about it afterwards. Unbeknownst (and unreported) to us was that the project was updating behind almost everypony's backs, and until today we had no idea it had even made any progress. But my, what progress has been made! The game has evolved from a simple (and very pretty I might add) framerate test into a full-fledged fangame with loads of levels, a couple bosses, beautiful graphics and a great soundtrack. While we can't provide a review yet due to the state it's in and the game's large size for a Flash game makes putting it on the Arcade a tough decision, we can say that this game is a must-play, and is undoubtedly the greatest My Little Pony platformer we've seen to date.
- Tuxxy

The Adventures of Pinkie Pie

The Adventures of Pinkie Pie

Most of the web games that we receive on Equestria Gaming are Adobe Flash, and although we do get the occasional Unity game I have noticed that HTML5 games are relatively rare. This is probably because of the somewhat steeper learning curve, the lack of full-featured engines (libraries, on the other hand, are in no short suppy), and the fact that usually you need your own web host to make it publicly available. So far this is only the second HTML5 game we have came across on our website, with the first being Pony Wings, and only the former was in a complete state. For indeed, The Adventures of Pinkie Pie is still in alpha and only contains a couple unfinished stages, but it seems rather promising and every game deserves a chance, right?

In case you're interested in following the game's development they have a website over at http://pinkamena.tripod.com/, and our arcade recently added the game if you want to check it out every once in a while and see if there's any new content.
- Tuxxy