Transformers Universe (Jagex)

The name or term "Transformers: Universe" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, seeTransformers: Universe (disambiguation).

Transformers Universeis a cancelled free to play browser based massively[sic]online tactical action game, or MOTA, developed byJagex.^[1]First unveiled at Botcon 2011,^[2]closed beta testing began a year later in 2012^[3],with Jagex announcing they had indefinitely paused development of their MMORPGStellar Dawnto focus onTransformers Universe.^[4]Closed beta then ended sometime in 2013. In 2014 Jagex announced the change to from MMO to MOTA^[5]and closed beta registrations began again. The game entered open beta testing onJuly 4,2014.^[6]It was to be set in analternateversion of thePrimeportion of theAligned continuity family.Gamers could choose to be anAutobotor aDecepticon,obtain different warriors, and pit them against one another in various challenges and battles to gatherRelicsandEnergon.

The gameplay was somewhat similar to other multiplayer battle arena games such asDota 2orLeague of Legends;however, there were no lanes or creeps, and the game was played from a third person perspective. Players picked from a roster of warriors and went head to head in battles to capture points or to annihilate the other team. Although the game featured severalPrimecharacters in minor roles, new introductions to thePrimemythos such asProwlandSwitchbladetook center stage.

It was announced onDecember 16,2014 that the game would begin a phased closure immediately, fully closing onJanuary 31,2015, without ever having left beta testing.^[7]

Contents 1Synopsis 2Gameplay 2.1Game modes 2.2Classes 2.2.1Known classes 2.2.2Unknown classes 3Featured characters 3.1Unused characters 3.2Vague characters 4Gallery 5Notes 6See also 7References 8External links

Synopsis

According to creative directorAlex DeRakoff,the main story involvesOptimus Primegoing missing, with the otherAutobotstrying to keep his location a secret fromMegatron,who is travelling across the galaxy with his associates to track down Prime.^[8]

In the Autobot and Decepticon trailers as well as the new tutorials introduced, an additional segment of the plot was revealed: TheDecepticonshave intercepted and shot down the Autobot spaceshipArclight(which was on its way to Earth to refuel due to the Autobots having stocked up vast amounts of energon on Earth during the war on Cybertron), causing the surviving Autobots crash-land onEarth(mostly theUnited States) aboard escape pods. The debris from theArclightrained across the North America continent, while the Decepticons' ship, theLeviathaninvadedCentral Cityand the Decepticons began attacking to the humans in order to draw out the Autobots and Optimus Prime. This incident prompted the president to order "a national state of emergency and the total evacuation of eleven major cities." Optimus Prime contactedGeneral Freeman,who provided these Autobot refugees with abase of operations.In return, the Autobots vowed to protecthumancivilization from the Decepticon threat.

In a leaked video called "Episode 1 War Room"^[9],Megatron greets his 'generals' (Tomb,Swindle,Switchblade,Flamewarand an unnamed Decepticon) onboard theNemesisin space. Switchblade reveals to Megatron that he has helpedMakeshiftsecure a position among the Autobots, however Prime's location remains unknown. When Switchblade expresses his opinion about Prime's intentions, Megatron quickly silences him by threatening him with his fusion cannon. Swindle, upon questioned about the production of Megatron's armada, informs Megatron that the they are behind schedule due to the expansion of operations but before he can continue, is fired upon by Megatron. Megatron orders his generals to fetch him when it's time for war, and quickly departs the room. In an updated version of the video,^[10]featuring voice acting fromFrank Welkeras Megatron andSteve BlumasSwitchblade,the unnamed Decepticon and Tomb are replaced by two of the game's original characters,MismatchandContagion.

In another leaked video^[11]called "Episode 2 Digging For Trouble", General Freeman warns the Autobots (Optimus Prime,MeltdownandShowdown) that their attempts to findtechnetiumare attracting too much attention, furthermore he states there is nothing of value to the Autobots in the desert.

In a leaked screenshot of one of the short story videos, Swindle attempts to access a vault.^[12]

Gameplay

Game modes

There were six playable game modes:

• Eliminationpits Autobots against Decepticons. The first faction to reach 20 kills wins the match.
• Meteor Storm(also known asKing of the hill) has both sides try to capture Energon meteor landing sites. The first team that gains 1000 points wins.
• Crisisis a player-vs-environment mode where teams fight hordes ofTerrorconsand gather Energon before fighting a final boss.
• Dispatch(also known asIncursionorFree Roam) is another player-vs-environment where players can partake small missions or mine for energon in the outer base area.
• VR Training Simulator(also known asBattle SimulationorTraining Program) is an unreleased mode which allows Autobots or Decepticons to train with comrades against holomatter enemies.^[13](This mode was to be included as one of the hangar entrances had been replaced with an entrance to this game mode however due to the game's early closure, it never made into the game itself.)
• Recon(also known asCapture The FlagorCapture The Intel) is another unreleased game mode in which Autobots and Decepticons must capture their enemies' "flag" and carry it to their "base". (This mode was also to be included as the keybinding showed keys for dropping the flag and picking it up.)

An additional "Challenge" mode was added were players could prearrange an Elimination match. However no rewards are given (not even experience points) and skill score remains unaffected. The "backfilling" game mechanic is disabled in this mode, and player statistics are not recorded.

Classes

There were a variety of classes to chose from. Although many of them could be grouped together (e.g. Mechanist and Medic, Demolisher and Suppressor).

Known classes

• Demolisher (previously known as Assassin in closed beta) - Demolishers employ offensive equipment to deal devastating amounts of damage, at the expense of their defenses or utilities.
• Medic - Medics have traded their offensive capabilities in favor of defense and utility, allowing them to fulfill the role of primary healer, and keep themselves alive at the same time.
• Soldier - Soldiers are all-rounders, possessing an even spread of offensive and defensive weapons and equipment.
• Hybrid - Hybrids carry a balance of offensive and defensive systems, and a limited repairing capability. They are most effective when supporting allies.
• Mechanist - Mechanists surrender their offense in favor of strong defenses, their function being to keep themselves alive as they draw enemy fire. A bonus is that they can also repair their allies
• Interceptor (previously known as Demolisher in closed beta) - Interceptors are highly-destructive bots whose weapons and equipment are optimized for offense, making them effective at hit-and-run strategies.
• Suppressor - Suppressors are attack-orientated bots whose S-Techs favor offensive abilities.
• Controller - Controllers specialize in utilities. Their skill with buffs and debuffs is unmatched, using them for a wide variety of positive and negative effects.
• Guardian - Guardians trade in their offense & utilities in order to absorb enemy damage away from their allies.

Unknown classes

In the store there are a couple of classes shown in the filter search for warriors. It's unknown what each of the classes did as there were no descriptions in-game.

• Hotfixer (also known as Sentinel)
• Physician

Featured characters

Unused characters

A number of characters were either only used in the closed beta or revealed but not made available in the game before it was shut down.

Autobots Bombast Bulkhead Cameo Clear-Cut

Pitstop Mayday Stiletto

Decepticons Backlash Barricade Breakdown Breakneck

Contagion Flood Rollcage Tomb

Vague characters

There are some characters that were believed to be in development, but little information about their existence is available.

• Onslaught(Model artwork found on Artstation and portrait found in the game files)
• Boo-Ya(found in the game files)
• Adhoc(concept art found on Artstation, a small icon of his face appears on the official website, leaked video shows his transformation animation^[15]and leaked gameplay showing his helicopter mode^[16])
• Lockbox(mentioned briefly in the dev insider to Anomaly video and featured in the 2012 beta)
• Tyrant(mentioned briefly at Manchester Comic Con 2014)
• Crackshot(mentioned briefly at Manchester Comic Con 2014)
• Vigilant(mentioned briefly at Manchester Comic Con 2014)
• Nightstalker(mentioned briefly at Manchester Comic Con 2014)
• Rend(mentioned briefly at Manchester Comic Con 2014 and mentioned in the game files)
• Vindicator(mentioned briefly at Manchester Comic Con 2014)
• Hemlock(mentioned briefly at Insomnia52)
• Hawksight(mentioned briefly at Insomnia52)
• Riot(included in the 2012 beta)
• Roadblock(included in the 2012 beta)
• Decepticon Brawler (Seen inconcept artand labelled as a Tier 2 Brawler at New York Comic Con^[17])
• Scattershot(Concept art found onTheo Stylianides'carbon made page)
• Grimlock(Concept art found onTheo Stylianides'carbon made page)
• Warpath(Concept art found onTheo Stylianides'carbon made page)
• A049 (Concept art found onTheo Stylianides'carbon made page)

Gallery

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Notes

• Two known builds of Transformers Universe were developed. The "2012" version (which never left closed beta) and the "2014" version which went into Open Beta. The 2012 build used an upgraded version of RuneTek 6^[18]as their game engine while the 2014 build used Unity as its game engine. Further differences included the 2012 version having a 8v8 mode called "Capture the flag"^[19]as well as 8v8 Team Death Match.^[20]Furthermore characters such as Lockbox, Riot, Roadblock and more were never included in the 2014 build. Starter bots for the Autobots in 2012 were Catapult, Meltdown and Frontline (who is now known as Macro) while in the 2014 build starter bots for the Autobots were Overclock, Monsoon and Triage. Many other details about the 2012 build are lost due to the NDA never being dropped.
• BotCon 2012attendees were able to reserve their in-game name at the convention.
• The game went through a couple of genre shifts. It was initially slated to be released as an MMORPG with multiple classes and conventional character creation, but thedifficulty of customizing robotswas cited as part of the reasoning in changing it to the quickly expanding MOBA genre. Right.^[21]It was then declared to be a massively online, tactical action game by Mark Gerhard, CEO/CTO of Jagex.
• The November 2012 issue of Edge revealed both an early version ofFirebreakerandMacrowith the descriptors "Oppressor" and "Guardian".^[22]
• On April 25th, 2014, Founders Packs were revealed, along with founder exclusive bonuses and new characters.^[23]Each increasingly expensive pack, from Bronze to "Cybernite",was to grant a three day head start to play the game and various in game bonuses, in addition to season passes of various lengths of time and exclusive warriors. The most expensive at $449.99, the Cybernite pack also offered a limited edition ten inch diorama figurine showcasing Showdown and Shellshock in combat. Yeesh.
• Someone namedVectoriumis quoted on Anomaly's page on the Transformers Universe website, referring to the green toxic youngster's capabilities in shock. Considering the pattern of the other Transformers Universe bios, all of whom quote pre-existing characters of the same faction, Vectorium is likely another Autobot. Meanwhile, Decepticon Diabla's page quotes a previously unknown Aligned continuity version ofSnow Cat.
• Between June 6-7th, 2014, five unreleased playable characters (Firebreaker,Contagion,Outsider,Cameoand Swagger) were leaked by some TFW2005/TFU forum users who toyed around with the generic link for model images of playable Autobots and Decepticons alike.
• On July 4th, 2014, Transformers Universe reached the Open Beta stage and the NDA was lifted. Additionally, more Bots, such asRollcage,^[24][25]and others (without names) were leaked.^[26][27]
• A veritable cornucopia of information came out on September 5th. Officially announced on that date were a new challenger system and playable characters Outsider and Pandemic due that month along with updated maps. Flamewar and Chromia were revealed to be coming out in October with a new game mode, Recon.^[28]In addition, a vast number of character models were found by a dataminer, including early versions of released characters, unrevealed new characters, models with pre-existing character names as placeholders and character models for cast members of Transformers: Prime. New characters includedBombast,Clear-Cut,Backlash,Flood,Stiletto,Pitstop,Pandemic,Breakneck,andMayday.Prime cast membersKnock Out,Bulkhead,Wheeljack,andBreakdowngot models, and the in-engine appearance ofBarricadewas confirmed, turning into an SUV.^[29]
• Recon was set to be released with the addition of Flamewar and Chromia on October 2014,^[30]however in a later developer update, the Transformers Univese team stated "We need to spend more time looking at the balance of the characters and the game mode, as well as continue to polish the relevant features.".^[31]Chromia, Flamewar, Recon and defense (an unannounced gamemode) can still be found in the game files.
• Defense (a gamemode) can be found in the game files which involves the use of a photon cannon.
• On December 16th with the announcement that the game would close at the end of January 2015, still in beta,^[7]Jagex announced that all Founders Pack, relic bundles and starter packs would be refunded. No specific reason has been given as to the reason for the closure.
• Various artists for Transformers Universe have uploaded concept arts as well as models of Transformers Universe characters on Artstation including artworks of Arcee, Onslaught, Perceptor, Adhoc, Bombast, Clearcut, Flamewar, Chromia, Warpath, Bumblebee, and many others.
• Although the set date for the closure was Saturday 31st January at 10AM (GMT), the game servers and the website were still online even after this date and time. However on the 1st of February at 4:30PM (GMT) attempts to access the official website was redirected to theTransformers section on the official Hasbro website,but theforums from the TFU websitecould still be accessed showing the official site was still online, as well as theservers.The game servers went offline on the 28th of February along with the forums.
• Makers and Innovatorscreated several 'comic-like' episodes to promote the game. After Transformers Universe was shut down, they posted 2 of these episodes on their website, but they were shortly taken down. According to MI, they made 10 of these episodes in total^[32].
• Intel (US chip manufacturer) listed Transformers Universe among the popular playable games that can run on Intel HD 4000^[33]
• Transformers Universe's multiplayer was made possible by muchdifferent's unitypark suite. In fact muchdifferent had Transformers Universe listed on their gameshow case as being in closed beta well into 2015, after it had already both entered open beta and been closed down.^[34]
• Throughout Transformer Universe's lifetime several tournaments and competitions were held to promote the game. In early 2014 beta (during February and March) players who gained the most amount of kills or assists or healing points or most damage taken in one life, were awarded with any free playable warrior of their choice at the time. To celebrate Open Beta a skill score competition was held with double XP and $75,000 prizes.^[35].At Manchester Comic Con a tournament was held where anyone could sign up a team and compete for the top prize of £5000. At EGX London another Tournament was held where yet again anyone could compete for prizes and founder pack giveaways.^[36]
• Adhoc,an unreleased character, is the only Transformer with a known working flight-capable alternative mode in the game.^[37].

See also

• Transformers Online,the game'seven moreshort-lived counterpart for Asian markets.
• War for Cybertron,a store-bought game with online multiplayer gameplay.
• Fall of Cybertron,the above's sequel.

References

External links

• Official website
• Video interview

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