Love Open Alpha

By: Derek Yu

On: September 24th, 2009

My silence should not be mistaken for inaction, in fact the opposite is true. Today I start the first stage of the open Alpha for Love. At this stage you wont be able to log in and play but you will be able to see the engine run on your machine, giving you an idea of how well your machine will handle the game. This will let me work out any compatibility issues.

Some lovely new screenshots of Love here. (The characters kind of creep me out, though. In a Xenu sort of way.)

(Source: Jim Rossignol, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

Posted in MMOG, Previews, Windows | Tags: EskilSteenberg

http://0xdeadc0de.org Eclipse

Even the title before suggested something like a wild world to explore in coop, now both the art style and the title name doesn’t match the gameplay imo
Kinetic

Is simple as this: The aliens don’t fit with the overall art style and look and feel of the game. In fact they’re quite ugly, stereotyped and derivative. The game’s name doesn’t fit anymore too, it’s like “I’m playing LOVE and we are building a turret to demolish the xenu aliens fortifications” wth…
quack

These characters in the graphics look like Jim Leighy from Trailer Park Boys
http://geekspeak.creatrixgames.com jason

Why are people complaining that it’s not free?!

So this guy is supposed to pay for the servers out of his pocket because he owes you that since he put all this effort, time, passion and skill into it? Let’s simplify and ignore food, housing, and amenities like electricity and toiletries (those cost money, too, if you forgot).

Well, Captain Selfish, the magic server fairy doesn’t just float around and make online games work with MMO dust.

As for some of the harsh criticisms, I think we’re seeing reactions to the chasm between people’s expectations of the game and the reality of the game.

It’s like reading a book with great characters and then seeing the movie and feeling betrayed because the actors don’t look exactly how you imagined them. There’s gonna be a gap between what you know about the game, the info your brain creates to fill that gap, and the real game.
GC

He doesn’t have to supply servers. I’d rather pay for the game once, set up my own server, and play with my friends than pay for the game continuously and play with a bunch of random people from the internet.
People have been expecting the game for a while now, and there’s been plenty of hype. The continuous payment model was unexpected, and the hype amplifies the reaction.
Jotaf

GC: That works for games with a limited scope, but for a game where you’re supposed to build a world you must have reliable servers.

Actually, if there are guns it shouldn’t be called Love anymore hehe, but other than that I’m cool with it. The designer is realizing his vision for this game and you whinny asses can’t do anything about it :D
Jad

THE GAME SHOULD NOW BE CALLED ‘HATE’ CAUSE IT HAS GUNS!

: D It’s looking fantastic, even if the characters are the one visual thing I don’t agree with in an aesthetic sense, mostly because it’s so detailed yet detached, and the characters just have weirdly long necks and other stuff that just doesn’t work that well within the graphical style!

I still think the game looks rad, though, and would gladly pay to play it.
http://www.4colorrebellion.com hokku

I don’t get all the surprise surrounding these screens. Everyone who was an actual fan of the project could’ve done two minutes of research on the title and found out all this information months ago. It seems to me that the sort of person who would have a problem with these new screens is the sort of person who would’ve taken a quick look at the images shown a few months ago, praised LOVE for its look without bothering to learn anything else about it, and now are bothered and eager to vocalize their opinions still without bothering to learn the basic background on the title before doing so.
Mooseral

Yeah, so far as I saw, there are no new videos of game play or anything of that sort. Just some newer pictures of bald guys? I think they are new?

Still looking interesting, even if it is SO BALD, and WHY, and all that. Stuff.

I don’t think anything like this has been done before, if it is like the maker is describing. Which is usually a good thing.

Back to artzzz stuff and all that, I think that the black on the bald guys should be toned down, as that is the most conflicting visual element. But considering that there are radios in the game it sort of makes sense for there to be guns. And how else would you fight against the AI? Some kind of awesome sword that shoots magical lovebeams? I dunno.
–

Make love, not war.
Alar

For me, the interesting thing about this game is the incredible interactivity with the world: building in it, carving it up, generating electricity, powering devices, not to mention the innovative radio frequency business infrastructure that underlies the whole thing. There’s a vision there that’s unmistakable.

Why is it called Love, you ask, if it has guns? What does it matter? Love is what the game creator put into it and Love is what he wants to call it. He could have made up some gimmicky reason for the name, but there’s no need.

As for payment – why not? He needs to eat. How much did you shell out for that high-end games rig?

It always astounds me that some people would complain about missing out on a game in a world where thousands die each day from malnutrition, disease and war. Perspective is a funny commodity with us humans.
http://0xdeadc0de.org Eclipse

I’d rather glad a more normal look to go on that gameplay, or a more abstract gameplay to go with the look… a sci-fi game with bright painterly graphics, well, ruins both themes in my opinion
uhuruguru

I like the transition to nighttime when the fuzzy filter disappears and the stars come out. Compared to daytime it feels really peaceful. Somehow the fuzzy filter is very disturbing to me. Otherwise – Can’t wait to play this. Even with the filter.
raigan

As an aside, the “Rock Paper Shotgun” link at the bottom of the post seems to point back to TIGSource.. ?!
BANDWAGON WOOOO

wake me up for “fuck free beta”
Krux

this game works in WINE.
huh?

@nukeedit
thislooksmuchworsethanithoughtitwouldb: That racism post on his blog is indeed strange… I’m sure he meant no harm and somewhere in this thought might be a rather common sense view. But boy, it reminds me why famous people have PR advisers. But enough with that.

The graphics look amazing in real time (although the flickering effect is too much). I have to admit, though, the “war” theme too struck me as a strange choice for an otherwise so unusual project.
FLAMEBAIT

@Alar “Why is it called Love, you ask, if it has guns? What does it matter? Love is what the game creator put into it and Love is what he wants to call it.”
Astonishing and logical thoughtful argument for that. I didn’t realize that he put “Love” as a name because he wanted to. Also, I think i’ll put “Hard Work” to my next candy-pink-themed match 3 game.
Anthony Flack

No reason why a reasonably conventional design shouldn’t be presented in an arty way! That’s cool too. (Not that we even know whether this game will actually be conventional or not. Or whether it will play well or be boring or any of that. I think all promising-looking games should have the right to be considered awesome until proven shit.)

Well, I think it still looks pretty cool, anyway. It has that 70s sci-fi vibe for sure; more specifically it reminds me of the wild paintings you find on the covers of scrubby second-hand paperbacks, and I mean that in a good way.

Maybe the problem is just that the earlier, unpopulated screen shots brought to mind more abstract games like Archipelagos or The Sentinel.
Xeno

I would really like to play this game with its terrain-modding and technology linking engine in a competitive environment.. hope the server’s mod-able
shipwreck

I’m trying to stop drooling.
Alar

@Flamebait – “Hard Work” doesn’t sound too bad, imho ;) “Hard Time” sounds cool too, although possible it might be too erotic for a match 3 game. Mmmm… erotic match…
MikeK

Eclipse: Oh, I didn’t realize I said you couldn’t say your oppinon? Wait and lets check… nope, i didn’t! All i did was express MY opinion. Yes, there was a positive atmosphere surrounding the art and comments in this “thread” (sorry i dont know what to call it) up until yours. I like the art, and then i read your post and it saddens me – and that is my opinion on people who have to cry about other peoples (eskils) visions all the time. Snarky bullshit is a constant feature of your posting and its unconstructive and tiresome – just my opinion, nobody is stopping you.
Craig Stern

“i thought it was initially reported to be a multiplayer puzzle game involving building cities with other people in spectacular environments, with some sort of team gameplay going on.”

I was hoping that it would develop more in this direction as well, as more of an interactive world-building sim rather than an FPS. Oh well. This is the risk we take when we hype indie games based on visuals rather than gameplay.
Greg

It’s not a fucking run and gun shoot ’em dead FPS. Did anyone even watch the game play video? It looks like it’s going to be really complex, with all the tools and things you can build.
Craig Stern

You mean this gameplay video?

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/10/15/love-video/
nobody2

Is this what a Don Imus art game looks like?
http://www.klikscene.com Radix

I can’t say I’m a fan of the bald guys, but I thought we knew it was going to be something like this before now. I’m not surprised, anyway. I’m wondering how much of this reaction has more to do with shattered hype. It’s not really fair to give your own assumptions so much weight.
Alar

I think we’re lending too much hype to the bald guys. For all we know, they could just be a small degenerate cult in some grud-forsaken corner of the game world. Maybe everybody else looks normal. Maybe they look like cats. It’s all guesswork at this stage.
Balsey

When I play this, I’m going to terraform a penis mountain so big it’ll be visible from everywhere. And I’ll put lights on it and it’ll glow like jesus.
Jesus

It’ll have to be a goddam big mountain to out-glow me, mate.
http://0xdeadc0de.org Eclipse

ok MikeK, now you can officially fuck off, as you don’t know me at all ^^
My opinion is not only reasonable but widely shared in this thread, and it’s not because i’ve somewhat started a trend, it’s because those characters are creepy as hell and they kinda ruin the atmosphere, same for the “sci-fi war” gameplay possibly, I don’t know why if I post my opinion trolls like you needs to respond that way, next time just talk about YOUR opinion and keep the mouth shut about other people ones, even if you don’t like them
MikeK

Once again its about your attitude not your opinion. are you going to make me say it again? It was pointed out that they are creepy in the article to begin with!! That didn’t bother me now did it?

But your right. I like your second post about the clash of the 2 styles. That is a good comment and much more constructive.
But i guess i’m biased because i met Eskil in person at a bar once and given that he could come here for criticism – i was imagining you said what you said sitting right next to him at the bar – and it would truly ruin the atmosphere of the room. Other people on here said the chars were creepy and i know some of them know Eskil, but the difference is i can imagine them saying it to his face. But i believe you hide behind your Eclipse ;)….. and you can say anything how you want! go for it…
But I’m still going to hate YOUR character more than Eskils though if you know what i mean.

Also your right about leaving here! I never read the comments and only did this time because i was excited about the look of the game and also because i commented myself. You are right though. i belong here no more than i do a Klan rally, a Crip party, or given your over-use of curse words – wading through your shallow end of the pool. You win, its all yours.
http://0xdeadc0de.org Eclipse

instead of doing like that if you managed to read carefully my first comment you’ll be understand it was intended to be a sort of pun, as i used the same words as the author. Also I really can’t see how my comment could sound inpolite, as i just stated the fact that adding some xenu looking bald dudes with weapons in such a lust and peacefully environment was driving my attention away more than interesting me :
Greg

@Craig Stern

No, I mean the video he has on his site.
http://www.quelsolaar.com/love/gameplay_video.html
Some anon

Guys, calm down. This is TIGS. It’s not that hard to have a civil discussion on the internet. Give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes, instead of jumping straight to ad hominem when someone disagrees with you.

Less bickering and more LOVE talk :)
limtangdell

Some anon: Sure, “some anon.” How about you fuck off and stop using a sockpuppet name, asshole?

At least have the balls to use your actual name instead of trying to start shit under the guise of supposed anonymity.
Greg

fuuuuuuck
squiz

@toastie

An mmo with guns instead of the usual swords wizards and dragons etc, is actually quite unique. Very few mmos ever have guns.
http://0xdeadc0de.org Eclipse

@squiz: not really, every mmo that’s not fantasy have guns actually, it’s not something “quite unique”.. also Love is not a true mmo, so that includes in the list all the multiplayer fps out there too :P
nobody2

Uhhh.. the world’s largest mmo has a few hundred guns.

There’s about 6 other large MMOs I can name right off the top of my head with guns.
teschky

Isn’t this that MMO game that slowly erases all the files off your hard drive every time you play it? Gotta watch out. I heard it’s pretty good.
http://www.4colorrebellion.com Michael

I’m not sure how clearly Eskil explained all this before or how much coverage his statements got, but he’s been saying for a while now that LOVE is going to be a competitive FPS with a variety of weapons so it’s a shame people are upset by it having them. Even so, most of the game isn’t even about the fighting but about building a community, exploring the world, and discovering the weapons that the rest of your team can use. I’m not going for a shameless plug here, but here’s how he described the game in an interview I did with him a few months back:

â€œIâ€™ve called it a not so massively multiplayer online game, but I feel the MMO part has really been a mistake of mine. People to tend to think MMO as short for MMORPG and my game is not a role playing game. Not the sort of game you would associate with RPGs. I would say itâ€™s a collaborative adventure game. Maybe I would add first person.â€

Now here’s the shameless plug part. I kinda dropped the ball during the write-up part of the interview, but Eskil’s quotes are really interesting and give a ton of insight into the game:
http://www.4colorrebellion.com/archives/2009/05/29/4cr-interview-eskil-steenberg-love-pt-1/
hate

i’m not supporting a game made by a guy who is clearly racist
hate

whats next stormfront the game?
Half Empty

in the indiegame scene I associate the name ‘Love’ with one of the better platformers I’ve ever played. in short, I hope naming your game ‘Love’ does not become a trend.
love

@hate – i love you, no matter how small your pen is.
limtangdell

Some anon: sorry I was such a dick before. I got my balls crushed in a door while i was trying to f-ck the keyhole.
love2

@hate: He’s not a racist. He just doesn’t believe in superficial political correctness that tries to simplify and distort these issues, mostly in the US.
mesotes

btw go here :D http://www.quelsolaar.com/alpha/