LuckCatchers Is In Open Alpha, Offering Physical Prizes To "Best Players"

LuckCatchers is a skyfaring sandbox MMO from Russian studio DiP Online that is based on various steampunk novels by A. Pehov. The game boasts a "really huge world" with over 30 NPC-controlled cities and the ability to build your own settlements with castles, villages, and more. A skill-based progression system allows you to become whatever kind of character you want. Your skills will determine what ships you can and can't fly. You can mine and process various resources to make "weapons, ammunition, and flight equipment." Events will occur regularly—the examples given are "lottery, migration of dragons, [and] plane races."

A complex system of government will also be in place. Players can either conquer or use diplomacy to annex various territories. They can become governors and tax other players. A "flexible reputation system" will protect players and their settlements in safe zones, should they not want to take part in more intense conflict.

More importantly, though, the developers promise that it will not be pay-to-win. In one comment on the Greenlight page, the developers state, "We are not interested in developing of just another pay-to-win game. We want to develop really interesting game product with impressing freedom of actions. And donate option is just a little helper - not the ultimate thing." A complex player economy allowing players to trade for anything, including Premium Gold, will be in place to ensure balance. Players can even hire other players for jobs as part of the game's "real labor market." Furthermore, all players will receive five Premium Gold per hour of play.

If this interests you, you can sign up for and download the Open Alpha from the official website. The website is only in Russian, but another developer comment on the Greenlight page confirms that the game currently supports English and Russian, with French, German, and Spanish on the way. As an added bonus, the developers are offering various physical goods from the game, including a world map and coins, to their "best players" as prizes.

Should you like the game, don't forget to vote it up on Greenlight.