San Paro ATLAS

Tagging Videos Available on Youtube

2011-08-20T03:35:00.000-07:00

While we remain closed and our maps are gone, our videos remain on Youtube.com at http://www.youtube.com/user/SanParoATLAS#p/a.

We have 84 videos, mostly detailing tagging location walkthru's still available and a link to the Music Studio Guide which is probably the best guide created for it, though credit for that goes to wowfony.

Enjoy the mayhem on the streets of San Paro!

District Maps

2011-08-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

While the ATLAS may be closed (and all of our own maps gone), we still wanted to share two excellent maps sent to us by our friends at http://vk.com/apb_funs, a Russian (we think) fansite. These maps are wonderfully done and so much better reflect the city than the traditional in-game maps.

Below are both the Financial District and the Waterfront District.

The ATLAS is Closed

2011-07-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

SanParoATLAS.info is now officially closed.

Our maps hosting has expired and are gone from this site. We had intended to relaunch, but a number of factors (and competing projects) got in the way of that.

The site will remain for a limited time under the address http://sanparoatlas.info. Upon expiration of the paid URL, it will revert back to http://sanparoatlas.blogspot.com and will remain available indefinitely.

We hope that you enjoyed this site and wish you all the best on the streets of San Paro.

San Paro is ALIVE!

2011-01-05T03:20:00.000-08:00

San Paro ATLAS is set to relaunch shortly. We are currently getting 'our shit in order' to relaunch with news, guides, updates about beta and more.

We are ecstatic that our beloved APB is returning to live again in the world we have come to love.

We look forward to bringing you all the news you can use, but till then, be sure to check out the officialish temporary blog here for the latest blog updates.

See you all soon!

APB has new OWNER!

2010-11-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

After months of speculation, down-and-out MMO APB finally has a new owner.

K2 Networks is it. GamesIndustry.biz reports that a sum of around £1.5 million sealed the deal.

Who? The outfit that takes Asian online games like War Rock and 9 Dragons and localises them for the West.

K2 also operates global free-to-play platform GamersFirst, which makes a micro-transaction model seem likely for APB in the future.

An official statement is coming next week.

APB is a modern-day cops and robbers MMO. It was to be Crackdown creator Realtime Worlds' - and GTA creator Dave Jones' - masterpiece.

But two-and-a-half months after a July launch, Realtime Worlds had collapsed and the plug had been pulled on the APB game servers.

Read more here.

APB website & servers offline

2010-09-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

It appears that the APB.com website, Realtimeworlds.com & the APB patch servers have all been taken offline.

From a posting on the launcher, it even appears that the remaining staff don't even know what's going on, but at least appear to have access with logins to make such posts. We kind of suspect that they have been shown the door but have been doing what they can while they still have access.

=== 20/09/2010 ===
Looks like the patch servers have been taken offline now.

If anyone has any additional information, please post in a comment below.

REGARDING THE FUTURE OF SANPAROATLAS.INFO:

We currently have no plans to shutter this site and it will remain open and accessible through May 29, 2012. At that time the website will revert to it's native domain http://sanparoatlas.blogspot.com.

We do not plan on providing any support or updates for this site unless something significant changes with APB.

All of the flash elements may however shut off on July 19. 2011. This includes all the flash maps and clothing directories we have created. Depending on other future projects, this may remain after that time if we renew our hosting for those other projects.

We recommend user visit http:sanparopost.com for more regular updates on APB.

The LAST APB Has Been Issued.

2010-09-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

RTW today announced the shutdown of the APB today.

APB has been a fantastic journey, but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end. Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone's best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close. It's been a pleasure working on APB and with all its players.

Together we were building an absolutely amazing game, and for that, we thank you. You guys are awesome!

From all of the Realtime World staff we thank you for your continued support.

The servers are still up, so join the party and say goodbye!

- Ben 'APBMonkey' Bateman (Community Officer)

We are saddened by this announcement greatly and wish everyone the best in their future gaming.

I remember for everyone.

San Paro Yellow Pages

2010-09-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

Work in Progress.

ANGRY APE - Clothing Brand by Ninjette. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

ASSAULT KINETIC - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Praetorian.

BARNHAM COLLEGE - Institution. College of Medicine located in Waterfront District. Popular with Prentiss Tigers.

BARRET - Pet tiger of Sniper Fly, the 90's TV action hero. Barret appear from season 3 onwards. "Sniff 'em out, boy".

BIRTH - Clothing designer. Anti-establishment designer. Preferred by G*Kings

BORN DEAD - Clothing Brand. Popular line include "Psycho". Terri Quan commissioned several custom items. Preferred by G*Kings.

BRECHT - Persona. Quoted in the San Paro Effigy in an ad for the Belt of Mystery as "Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life. Preferred by Blood Roses.

CABRA BARA - Clothing Designer. Preferred by Blood Roses.

CHIRO'S TATTOO PARLOUR - Tattoos by Chiro. Branded T-shirt available. Preferred by G*Kings.

CONFLIKT - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Praetorian.

DONJON - Clothing Brand/Sports Equipment. Preferred by Blood Roses.

DROIT DE SEIGNEUR - European Clothing Designer. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

ELITE - Clothing Brand. Popular for its' Ophelia Customs line. Preferred by Praetorian.

ELIZA BATHORY - Clothing Designer. Preferred by Blood Roses.

EVERYTHING DIES - Clothing line by by Born Dead. Nicknamed Dead EDdie

F'N'G MAGAZINE - San Paro magazine. Preferred by Blood Roses.

FU - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

GK - Clothing Brand by Javez. Preferred by G*Kings.

GUTTERSTAR - Clothing Brand. Line features heavy embroidery. Preferred by G*Kings.

HARD TACKLE - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

THE HAZARD - Drift Racing Team. Sponsored by G*Kings.

HESTON MALL - Financial District Shopping Center. Preferred by Praetorian.

IN-FANNY - Clothing Brand. Imitator of Infamy clothing brand.

INFAMY - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Blood Roses.

INSIDE OUT - Clothing Brand. Popular for the Knight of San Paro line. Preferred by Praetorian.

IRON CANNON - Thrash Metal Band. Recently released new album 'Cannon Balls'. Miguel Estebano is a major fan. Preferred by the Praetorian.

JAVEZ - G*Kings persona. Designer of GK clothing line.

JEAN ZASOU - Clothing Designer/Nightclub Owner. Owns Club Gaijin. Said to be reticent and aloof. Preferred by Blood Roses.

KARMA DELUXE - Clothing Designer. Preferred by Praetorian.

KIKI MONROE - TV Celebrity. Featured on Star Power shirt by Birth. Preferred by G*Kings.

N3 - TV Channel. Featured That Danko Belt. Preferred by Praetorian.

NEW CROSS SKATE PARK - Skating Park. Preferred by G*Kings.

NINJETTE - Anime Clothing designer. Popular line include Angry Ape. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

OFFENSIVE LINE - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

OPHELIA CUSTOMS - Clothing line by Elite. Preferred by Praetorian.

PHAZE - Magazine. Cover model work Studly Belt by Xplore. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

PRENTISS ALL-STAR - Workout Center & Clothing line. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

PRENTISS HEATH CENTER - Boxing Club. Tony 'Scrap' Patchings established the Boxing Club.

RODEO RETRO - Fashion Trend. Wild West fashion style popular a few years ago. Trust Fund Guerrilla repopularized the Rodeo Retro look recently.

RUINED - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Praetorian.

SAN PARO EFFIGY - Havalynd's newspaper.

SAN PARO STANDARD - Havalynd's newspaper

SHADOW STRIKE - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Praetorian.

SNIPER FLY - Clothing Brand. Based upon the 90's action show Sniper Fly. "Sniper Fly, Sniper Fly, Can shoot a needle through the eye. No sound, no sight, you merely die." See also: Barrett

STARPIG - Clothing Brand. Preferred by the Praetorian.

STREETGRIND - Clothing Brand. Preferred by G*Kings.

SUKI - Japanese artist. Appeared on Kiki Monroe show. Art featured on the Ruined Sleeveless shirt.

TONY 'SCRAP' PATCHINGS - Boxing Promoter. Established boxing club at the Prentiss Health Center.

TRUST FUND GEURRILLA - Clothing Designer. Re-popularized Rodeo Retro Style.

VANGUARD - Clothing Brand. Popular line includes "Praetorian Riotware" and 7Sins. Preferred by Praetorian.

VILLAINY - Clothing Brand. Preferred by Blood Roses.

WELFARE CASE - Clothing Brand. Preferred by G*Kings.

XPLORE - Clothing Brand. Couture designer known for being pun-heavy in naming its' clothes such as the 'Studly Belt'. Preferred by Prentiss Tigers.

ZASOU - See Jean Zasou.

ZOOSH - Boardhawk clothing brand. Popular with New Cross Skate Park patrons. Preferred by G*Kings.

Change your shirt - It stinks

2010-09-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Been wearing the same ol' rag since launch?

Phew! Better freshen up and some Febreeze ain't gonna cut it this time.

They don't stink.. well, not as much anyway.

Check out the handy-dandy list of Male Tops for all your T-shirt needs.

Pants falling down? Try a belt!

2010-09-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

Tired of your pants falling down while turning in all that smash-n-grab loot?

Tired of losing your drawers while arresting a criminal?

Now you'll never again have to worry about being pants'd.

Try the all new Belt! A miracle of modern technology.

View all Male Belts.

These shoes rule! These shoes suck!

2010-09-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

The ATLAS has completed another clothing directory... this time SHOES!

When you need your feet comfy and fashionable, we have got you covered!

Visit the Wardrobe: Shoes directory here.

APB Wall of Shame (NA)

2010-08-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hacking sucks. What sucks more is that it is oft perceived that RTW is not doing nearly enough to combat this.

A new fansite has launched most appropriately named. If RTW can't do their jobs, the community will improvise a solution.

BITCHES GET STITCHES
If you suspect/witness a person cheating/exploiting, do not hesitate in contacting us with evidence. If they have proved to be cheating/exploiting, they too will be nailed hard upon this wall of cowards. Please note, to protect the innocent in our community, all evidence must be made available to the public in order for the account to be placed on this wall.

Visit the site at: http://wallofshame.sanparo.org/
Comment at the official forum thread here.

New APB Music

2010-08-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

APB has introduced 5 new songs to the game and a bunch of new sound elements to play with in the music composer. These songs truly show the versatility of the music composer and how much can really be accomplished.

So check them out and start composing your own masterpiece!

Have an epic song? We'd love to feature it here on the ATLAS. Simply contact us with the link to the online song and we will happily advert it... well, if we don't think it sucks.

There are five new songs. To sample them, the ATLAS recorded them ingame (so yes, there are car sounds too), but it gives you a good introduction to the new possibilities unlocked.

Explore and enjoy!

Patch 1.4.1 Released

2010-08-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

The 1.4.1 patch brings with it a HUGE number of changes, including the new 'Ready system', driving and weapon balance improvements as well as Advanced Graphics options.

The patch also contains a number of changes that were not on the PTW build, but made as a result of feedback from the players.

GENERAL

Advanced Video Settings are now available!
Going live with this patch is the new ‘Ready System’, more info can be found here.
Players can no longer exploit certain roles to gain money.
New clothing items are available!
A crash when creating a new theme or song in the music studio has been fixed.
A large number of client crashes have been resolved.
Client no longer hangs when clicking on the Vault/Knowledge-base button in the locker on weapons.
The spray can effect now correctly displays on other player's clients.
An issue where players were unable to search for primary weapons on the marketplace has been resolved.
Upgrades can be removed while using the Field Supplier or Mobile Supply Unit.
A graffiti and vehicle display point in the in Social now display at the correct level of detail.

AUDIO

Audio display points will correctly be muted when entering the marketplace and the designer.
A bug where players could lose all audio has now been resolved.
Using 'Local Test' will no longer result in the loss of VoIP functionality.
VOIP now works correctly when after logging out and logging back in.
Local Test functionality now works whilst VOIP is disabled.
A large number of missing click/selection FX have been correctly placed.
Names added to songs in the rewards package.
Camera positioning will no longer affect positional VOIP.
Players can no longer hear locational VOIP while using the music studio.
The 'Add' button in the music importer no longer loses all functionality until the client is restarted.

LIVING CITY

LC paths in the waterfront adjusted to avoid new geometry.

VEHICLES

Both the Nulander Kurai and the Sungnyemun Moirai no longer have default number plates.
Patriot Vegas G21 is never unlocked while G22 is unlocked twice throughout progression.
Corrected the spelling error in the description of the Espacio 92 "Koga" criminal vehicle.
Nulander Kurai bumpers are now painted correctly.
Male Characters hands now align with the steering wheel of Nomad-Outland Kurai SUV
Fixed issue with vehicle fire effects.
Locked vehicles now behave correctly when blown up.
The criminal vehicle, Cisco 1804 "Zoosh", no longer has front enforcer lights.
Decals applied to rear of Nulander Kurai now appear correctly.
Paint is now applied correctly around Nulander Kurai taillights.
Graphical issues with the Patriot Vegas "Rugido" bumper have been resolved.

ITEMS

The “OBIR NFCP 3” which was previous unavailable through the achievement “I've Friends in High Places” should now be available.
- Players who have already gained this achievements will need to gain one more contact level from one of the 4 new available contact levels to receive the ability to purchase this item.
N-FA 9 now has a smaller clip size.
S-AS PDW has a smaller clip size (based on the feedback that these weapons were becoming more effective than other close combat primary weapons. Their smaller clip sized limits their potential).
JG-840 damage has been increased (compared to the PTW build).
New but locked clothing is no longer marked as 'New' until they are unlocked by the player.
The gun case crate no longer intersects a characters arm and chest.

CUSTOMIZATION

Male hairstyles no longer clip through any of the new hats.
The cowboy hat and the fedora hat no longer intersect when also wearing a hoodie.
An issue applying decals to the new hats has been fixed.
Decals will no longer appear incorrectly when placed near badges on Sungyemun Moirai.
Bloodroses tier 2 preset hockey mask can now be correctly unequipped.
The Male & Female Tier 2 G-Kings Preset (item 1) no longer have heavy colour bleeding.
Preset hockey mask now displays the character wearing the item when previewed.

GAMEPLAY

The mission 'The Ditched Riches' now has the correct number of stages.
The mission 'Button Mashers' now has a timer on the second stage.
Missions will no longer require players to steal a car and deliver it to the same location.
Time limit for "Constructive Criticism" Stage 2 has been increased slightly.
The mission "Piracy Purge" is no longer biased in favour of Enforcers or exploitable by Criminals.
The Criminal mission HARD ROCKS has been re-balanced.
“The Artistry of the Spraycan” mission now has more than one stage when unopposed.
“No Unaccompanied GKings” mission now has more than one stage when unopposed.
The mission, “Organ Grinder” can no longer be exploited by Enforcers and has also had the number of ‘lives’ added to display correctly.
“Not in My Backyard” no longer has an unnecessary break in mission on stage 5.
“Economic Recovery” now no longer ends after 1 round if unopposed.
The objectives in “The Inside Man” mission have been spread further apart.
The kill counter for “Middle Man Mayhem” has been fixed.
The time limits on “The Fast and the Incarcerated” are now realistic.
Some escape mission time penalties have been balanced.
The mission “Repo Racers” now has a realistic time limit on all stages.
The racing cars in the Nantego 520 Street Race are now more appropriate for racing.
Vehicles can gain access to the Enforcer contact "Grissom" spawn bay.
Stage 3 of criminal mission "The Ex Factor" is no longer biased towards the opposition.
The mission "Pimp My Crib" is slightly easier for the mission owner when opposed.

INTERFACE

The labels forApplied Facial/Body Hair items are no longer truncated within the persona editor.
Owner and Faction information are now displayed correctly in UI menu for statues.
New but locked clothing is no longer marked as 'New' until they are unlocked by the player.
The 'Star Badge (Chest)' tool tip now correctly displays on screen.
Long text will no longer bleed outside the UI in the search field of the Music Player.
Dropdown boxes are no longer misaligned when using the in-game browser.
The HUD UI Progress Circle no longer displays incorrectly on an arrest group member.
The Character upgrade icons are correctly updated when removing an upgrade.
Red text displayed while using the Video Capture feature is easier to read.
The correct controls are now displayed in the loading tips.
Players who are no longer in a mission are not removed or highlighted on the scoreboard.
The "NEW" text next to unlocked vehicle components no longer returns when exiting and re-entering the game.
The Group tab no longer remains highlighted after leaving a group.
‘Current Owner’ field is now displayed correctly on statues and graffiti points when viewed from another instance.
The 'close' (x) icon on additional chat tabs now displays correctly.
Icons: Arrested and Stunned icons no longer show through menu screens.
Achievement text for 'I'm Kind of a Big Deal' has been updated.
The mini Music Player HUD no longer occasionally disappears when changing tracks.
An issue involving map icons has been resolved.
The Front Enforcer Lights for the Packer Ceresco in the Garage now have icons.
Fixed an issue where tutorial messages were not being displayed.
Multiple Financial District Statue Display points now correctly display interaction info.
There is no longer debug text present within the Control Settings Interface tab.
Users are not informed that mission objectives of higher tier missions will take longer to complete.
The 'Select' button in the Capture Settings now works correctly and doesn’t force a restart.
A tutorial message related to resupplying ammo no longer contains unreadable text .

Guide: How to avoid Scammers

2010-08-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Originally published in the EU forums by connu1

A guide on how scammers do their tricks to scam you and how you should avoid it:

1: Background They start off with selling a weapon ( Often dvah or lvl 3 upgrades ) for UNDER the price its worth, yesterday a player was selling a Ntec with sav3 on it for "950k" , later I saw in chat that that girl scammed someone.

Solution : Pay that 20% extra tax on the ah, if they ask for 950k ask them to put it on the AH for 1.3mil

2: Background They will try to get you to send the money through the mail, or want you to send half first so you can feel secure about it, then they simply add you to their ignore list.

Solution : Pay that 20% extra tax through AH

3: Background Once you say you will pay like 2.5mil for a item worth 1.5mil they will say:
"A clan mate bought it" "Already sold it, sorry" "Nah, I''ve changed my mind" "I''d rather do it through the mail, its 20% tax ya know!" or, they will simply "Not notice" the AH suggestion.

Solution : Add them to ignore list immediately and inform your friends about it.

4: Background They say they are in a big trustworthy clan, they say their in a top 10 clan or top 10 players and they say you can believe in them since they don't wanna lose reputation.

Solution : Being in a top 10 clan, any clan, or being in top 10 players DOESN'T prove they wont scam you! A lot of players uses their alts to scam you NOT their main anyway!

Second Background They say they would immediately trust anyone from top 10 clan if you say that to them.

Solution : Ignore them, they are just trying to get you to respect them, making you feel small player.

5: Background They want to buy your precious Dvah with lvl 3 upgrades for 2.5mil through Auction House but want you to pay to refurbish before selling.

Solution : If it sounds too good, it is probably too good. They are just trying to get you to waste 100k on the refurbishing price and then they will say "Wc" "Nvm m8" or "I''ve changed my mind".

6: Background They want to sell you a big weapon and to prove they got it they want you to inspect them, and when you inspect them they got the Dvah / weapon equipped.

Solution : If they got the weapon equipped it means they haven't refurbished it, and aren't probably intending to sell it, they simply don't wanna waste 100k just trying to scam you.

Tricks to know how not to get scammed.
-Additional Information

1: Check their stats out: ( Go up to them and press V ( As with when you interact with F but with V ). Have they maxed bosses? Have they maxed organizations? Have they gotten any lvl 3 upgrades on them? Kills?

2: Proving they got the money: Ask them to put up the money ( Ex if they are buying a dvah with 3x3 upgrades for 2.5mil ) at the AH. Basically tell them to add a auction for buying RTW points, 2.5mil for ex 2.5mil rtw points. They will not lose money from canceling the auction either, and you will also see they got that 2.5mil.

3: Don't let them rush you, for example when they say "I'm logging off in 20min" or "A mate will buy it if you don' hurry up", under pressure you will makes mistakes. Its better that you've made no deal than a bad deal.

Information not everyone knows:
RTW will NOT recover your items if you get scammed, even if you record / take photos
They are NOT responsible for trades outside the AH ( Mails, in real world trades )
If YOU trade through the mail and get scammed, its YOUR fault, and it also becomes your responsibility to tell people about the scammer.

Tips on a successful trade:
-Use the AH and wait until RTW figures out that the 20% tax is just ridiculous and have them add a Trade menu also.
-Trade with your friends and clanmates you know ( Even if its your friends friend it wont stop him from scamming YOU since he doesn't know you and doesn't care about you )

Thank you for reading and I hope you will avoid getting scammed.

His name is Neil Castle

2010-08-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

The ATLAS would like to thank the mod formerly known as Toxico who was recently made redundant.

Toxico was the NA servers moderator. One of his last acts was to make the ATLAS an official fansite and for that we thank him and we wish him the best in future endeavors and hope he lands in a much better place.

I raise my drink to Toxico.

His name is Neil Castle.

One of the last tweets from Toxico

Add your own salute in the NA forums here.

Photo by TheRogueWolf

APB Official Manual Online Here

2010-08-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

The Official APB Manual is available online here exclusively on the ATLAS with the English version. All other versions (including English) can be downloaded as a zip file DIRECT from EA. We have provided a link to the zip file at the bottom of this post

Please note that our page numbering does not match theirs. We have numbered beginning with the cover page as page 1.

DOWNLOAD ALL LANGUAGE ZIP FILE HERE DIRECT FROM EA

The Zip file contains the following languages: CS, DE, en-GB, en-US, ES, FR, HU, IT, NL, PL & RU.

*This file remains copyright of RTW and is only published here as a convenience. This file was accurate at the time of publishing but may change in the future. SPA has no control over these files.

ATLAS an 'Official' Fansite!

2010-08-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

The ATLAS has recently been listed as an official fansite! We are quite pleased that our efforts have been recognized (and not from a direct request, but from them coming across our work posted in the forums).

Our goal is simple: to ultimately document everything about APB. Sounds crazy huh? We think so too, but then we are crazy. What we've done thus far is to document with interactive guides:

Financial Tagging Map
Waterfront Tagging Map
All District Maps (see waterfront & financial tabs)
Content Progression & Bios
Wardrobe (WIP)

We are trying to make this site very inter-linked, so that anytime an item or person is mentioned, there is a link to another page. If you view an item in the Wardrobe and it's a reward item, a link should take you to that character's page. Of course, while this is being built, some things may look a little odd as the rewards are being added one by one... but eventually the rewards lists will be redone to make it all 'pretty', but that requires having all rewards documented too.

We hope you like what we have done thus far and we hope to have the level of detail in all future projects/modules.

Have a suggestion or comment or even an event to announce (or tell us about so we can advertise it), use our Contact the ATLAS form to let us know.

ATLAS Starts Wardrobe Guides

2010-08-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

The ATLAS has just embarked upon documenting all clothing in the game. We've started with the guys because we think they are way hawt sexy pixels.

We have male trousers and male underwear completed currently and will be working daily to expand out site. Please visit both those sites and future additions at the Wardrobe.

As always, please let us know of any mistakes or boo-boos so we can fix them!

RTW Subscription Plan Change?

2010-08-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

Recently a thread was posted on the NA forums about the 3-month and 6-month subscription options no longer being available. It is confirmed that these subscription options have been removed.

KAZGRUTA: I wanted to renew my subscription today, to a 3month subscription but when i came to buy i was only offered the 20hours and the monthly plans. I have enough RTW points (2409points) to go as far as a 6month subscription when it was still possible for me to get it. Have they been removed or is my subscription page bugged?

While we have no confirmation of what this change really means, Toxico did post a response:

There is no cause for alarm here folks don''t worry. I''ll have news on this topic soon.

There is definitely some speculation that a F2P format is being ushered in but while details are sketchy, another forum poster, Xanthias, summed it up eloquently.

A decision has been made about the subscription process. Whatever this change is, it will work for some, but may not work for others. Some people who do not like the new system and who have newly-purchased pre-paid subscriptions may want a refund for their unused portion. They took away the "deep" prepaids to remove the need for this for anyone else. The 1-month wouldn't have a refund due to the fact it is already in use.
How would I feel about F2P? I hate micro-transactions and would rather pay a fee. However, if this gets us a better game with more players...in the end, I'm for THAT even more. =-]

and the plot seems to thicken with APBMonkey's post about a launcher problem:

Just hit refresh, it''s working now. We we''re just testing something

5 Buddy Keys Available

2010-08-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

All keys distributed!

SanParoATLAS.info has 5 buddy keys to give away! We don't want them to go to waste so we are offering them here.

Thanks to popular demand, we have decided to extend the deadline for redeeming your Buddy Keys! It's now Sunday 15th August, giving you an extra week to get your Buddy Key and use it to create a trial account.
Remember, you will still get your full 7 hours/5 days no matter when you redeem your key, as long as it's before this new date.
Thanks,
The APB Team

Just use our CONTACT FORM to send us an email and we'll dispatch a key to you (NA only). First 5 only. One per person. Include your email address and that you are requesting a Buddy Key.

5 keys issued

0 keys remaining

Driving Tips for New Players (and you other idiots)

2010-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hi. Some of you suck at driving. You know who you are, don't pretend you don't. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Here are some tips to suck less.

1. PIT Maneuver: Stop ramming people like an angry, angry hippo. Use the noodle. Hit them precisely and you'll shut down a car chase quicker than Rosie O'Donnell shuts down an erection.

2. The J-Turn. Not to be confused with the store you buy your panties at. The J-Turn is an efficient method of turning a 2 ton vehicle 180 degrees in a few short seconds. No more eye-gouging moments of waiting for you complete your 60-point turn while the enemy gets all the way to Tijuana.

3. Points of Impact. Know where to hit a car. Like the PIT maneuver, precision is more important than bumper-♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ the enemy's ride and hoping they'll stop driving out of shame and embarrassment.

Here's a picture, because I know some of you have trouble reading:

Also. When you find yourself on two wheels. Here's how to recover without making a fool out of yourself:

Here's how you flip your car. Later on, if you're still alive, I can show you how to set your kitchen on fire, or how to electrocute yourself using nothing but a bottle of beer and a vibrating bed.

Here's how you do a bootleg turn. This is useful if you wake the ♥♥♥♥ up while you're driving, and realize you're going the wrong way. Use this when you need to execute a quick, impressive maneuver to convince the rest of your group you're not on your fifth bowl of the night. You ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hippie.

Some of you felt that these maneuvers were perhaps too mind-bogglingly advanced for the average player to comprehend. Instead, you've simpered about your basic driving techniques and rudimentary vehicle handling. I'm nothing if not accommodating. So in order to cater to the lowest ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ denominator - that's you - I've created another helpful ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ diagram for those of you for whom a driver's license is self-gratifying turning point in your distant future - marking the end of a long, and awkward puberty. Or it's a distant memory for the rest of you, having spent too many nights in a drunk-tank after smearing countless vagrants to your hood in fits of poorly planned vehicular debauchery. So, if you haven't driven before, or have earned the right to never drive again, please review the following simple diagram to help you in your travels through San ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Paro.

Comment on this guide on the official NA Forums here!

All content in this thread was created by Hellekran

1.3.1 Patch August 12, 2010

2010-08-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

The 1.3.1 patch for APB will be going live on Tuesday August 10th and features a plethora of exciting changes to weapons and missions. If you have yet to read about some of the upcoming changes be sure to scroll down and check 'em out.

Players who were unable to retrieve their monthly league rewards will be able to do so after 1.3.1 goes live, via the in-game mail system. If you are one of the unfortunate players whose mails have been deleted or expired, we will release more information on how to reclaim them on Tuesday.

The release of the patch will be accompanied by a period of maintenance lasting for four hours from 01:00 PDT / 04:00 EDT to 05:00 PDT / 08:00 EDT after which, players will be able to commence San Paros regularly scheduled urban warfare.

See you on the streets!

Patch Notes

As you now know, the 1.3.0 bugfix patch is imminent, and shortly thereafter we''ll be releasing 1.3.1 which contains a number of changes which we couldn''t quite get ready in time for release next week. 1.3.1 contains a number of small but significant changes which I thought were worth highlighting.

Changes to mission offers

As of 1.3.1, the following changes will take place:

* Criminal v Criminal matchmaking has been turned off

* System-generated bounties have been turned off - bounties can now only be entered into by witnessing unopposed criminals. This means that the chances of Calls For Backup being bounty missions will be greatly reduced, so those of you who have said that you generally avoid answering CFB because of the number of bounty missions should be able to relax a little and help out the poor souls who need your muscle.

Changes to weapons in 1.3.1

As ever, when we make changes to weapons, it''s not simply as a concession to people raising concerns on the forums. When weapon balance issues come up, we correlate these with feedback from our QA department and from team members who play regularly on the live service. After some discussion, we''ve decided to make the following changes:

N-Tec:

* Base accuracy has been reduced slightly.

* Movement penalty has been reduced slightly to compensate for base accuracy change.

* Number of shots before accuracy degradation is applied has been lowered (becomes less accurate faster).

* Maximum level of inaccuracy the weapon can reach has been slightly increased.

* Benefit gained via Marksmanship mode has been slightly reduced.

OCA-EW:

* Minimum damage percentage at max range has been increased slightly.

* Base accuracy has been reduced slightly.

* Max Range has been reduced by 5m & Effective range reduced by a further 2m.

* Number of shots before accuracy degradation is applied has been lowered (becomes less accurate faster).

* Magazine capacity of the weapon has been reduced from 34 to 28 rounds.

Both of these changes are an effort to reduce the effectiveness of continuous full-auto fire.

NL-9:

So I guess this is the hot topic. After some considerable discussion, we have decided to remodel the NL-9 to behave the way it looks - as a Less Than Lethal shotgun. The NL-9 has been reworked to behave almost identically to the JG-840 shotgun - short range, two-shot stun, with a pellet spread.

Free Clan Website Hosting

2010-08-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

Looking for free webhosting for your APB clan? We are happy to bring you a solution that doesn't have those restrictions or advertising that other sites do.

As always, use your best judgement when selecting a host, but this offer may appeal to some groups who are looking for options.

The following was posted on the EU Forums.

Hey everyone,

First off, this is my first posting and it''s good to be here.

I noticed a lot of the clans are using free webspace/forums and some carry a lot of advertising and restrictions.

I''m a web designer by day and I rum my own servers.

If anyone''s interested, I can set you up completely free professional standard web hosting under the domain http://your-clan-name.sanparo.org. This is a domain I''ve set up for the sole purpose of giving APB clans a safe and secure hosting platform.

I can also set up as many personalised email addresses as you need under your clan web address.

Plus, there is no restrictions as to how much you can upload or how much traffic your site can receive.

I always think it''s cool to give something back to the community!

If you''re interested pm me or email me on webmaster@sanparo.org (preferred as I can check it any time!)

Please note that there is only webspace on offer - you will be responsible for your own content. I can help with seting you up (databases, email accounts etc) but as for building your site - that''s up to you!

Any questions welcome too.

Hope to hear from you soon...

Havdale

____________________

To make things easier for me till the request form is up and rinning, can you either email me on webmaster@sanparo.org or PM me on this forum with the following information (in this standard format)

clan name:
desired address: eg yourclan.sanparo.org

your name
contact email

mysql database req? Yes/no

furthermore i can still offer redirects to your existing website - letting you still make use of the sanparo.org name.

Thanks in advance!

Havdale

He can also provide redirects.

* Note: The ATLAS is in no way affiliated to this offer

Financial Tagging Map Now Available

2010-08-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

We've finally completed the Financial District Tagging Map! It really is a ton of work being as thorough as we are trying to be, but we'd rather not skimp even if it means somewhat slower updates.

We hope you find it useful and hope you also let us know if we've missed any. If you find any missing ones, please post on the map comments and we'll be sure to update it promptly.

Try the Financial Tagging Map!

NL9ageddon | August 7-9 Arrest League Event

2010-08-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

ALL SERVERS

APBArrests.com, APB's Premier Arrest Image Gallery is hosting APB's first Less-Than-Lethal Event from Saturday 7 - Monday 9 August

Submit your unique arrest screenshots at APBArrests.com, and be in with the chance to win a number of exclusive prizes, including RTW points, vehicles and clothing...

Entry requirements are as follows:

Arrest images will only be accepted with the in-game HUD visible.
Arrests must be timestamped. Screenshots with no evidence of arrest will be rejected.
Only arrests achieved whilst using the Stabba NL9 are acceptable.
We can only count each unique arrest - we cannot accept multiple arrests against the same criminal.

Criminals, don't feel left out! You too can win prizes. If your name appears 3 or more screenshots, we'll send you a free t-shirt!

Do you have what it takes to be crowned King of the NL9?

Read More & Ask Questions HERE!

NL9AGEDDON IS SPONSORED BY CLAN MUTINY, APBARRESTS.COM, WASP INC

Don't have the time to take part in NL9AGEDDON? Don't worry, new events coming from APBArrests.com soon! __________________
APBArrests.com The home of criminal humiliation

Event: San Paro Grand Prix (Zombie)

2010-08-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

ZOMBIE SERVER

This Saturday on August 7th, come join the first San Paro Grand Prix taking place in the Waterfront District on the Zombie Server sponsored by Singularity Gaming.

This event is open to all members of the APB community to celebrate our launch. The event will start promptly at 9 PM EDT (GMT-5) with registration starting at 8 PM EDT (GMT-5). There will be three cups that are up for the taking with which come fame, glory, and prizes!

To register please respond to this thread or get in touch with Vincenzo directly in-game to register with the following information:

Gamer Tag:
Car:
Cup(s):

OCA Cup:

Prizes:

Grand Prize: 1 tier 3 upgrade of your choice (picture of character and car on Singularity Gaming)

2nd place: 1 tier 2 upgrade of your choice

3rd place: $10,000 APB

Rules: No nitro qualifiers then finals with 5 or 10

Valid Cars:

Charge Cisco

Bishada GX 8800

Charge Mikro

Patriot V20 Jericho

OSMAW Cup:

Prizes:

Grand Prize: 1 tier 3 upgrade of your choice (picture of character and car on Singularity Gaming)

2nd place: 1 tier 2 upgrade of your choice

3rd place: $10,000 APB

Rules: No nitro qualifiers then finals with 5 or 10

Valid Cars

Seiyo Espacio

Nulander Pioneer

Packer Ceresco

JG Cup:

Prizes:

Grand Prize: 1 tier 3 upgrade of your choice (picture of character and car on Singularity Gaming)

2nd place: 1 tier 2 upgrade of your choice

3rd place: $10,000 APB

Rules: None

Valid Cars

Any cars!

*note: details are subject to change
______________________________
To sign up, visit the official forum thread here.
Visit Singularity Gaming here.

Financial District Base Maps Added

2010-07-31T19:24:00.000-07:00

We have recently added all the basic maps from the Financial District.

We are moving on to mapping the Financial District tagging points and then it's on to social!

Awesome APB Jump

2010-07-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

Originally Posted on the EU Forums by Simmy

We wanted some fun for a change instead of the serious business of missions, so we decided to set up a special ramp to try and get on to the big roof to the west side of the map. We managed to do it on the second attempt, with a security van at the bottom, and a dumper truck dropped on top of it at such an angle that it catapulted cars up on to the roof! When people started to realize what was going on, more and more people came to look, and it just descended into chaos from there.

At one point there were about 30+ people on the roof, never laughed so hard at a game before! Was just something truly epic, we never thought it would go from 3 people to 30+.

_____________________

Editor's Note: While it's great to have fun, do not use this for exploiting missions. Toxico posted:

We''re aware of the dump truck ramp exploit with this building. It''s a very creative use of vehicle physics but could turn out to be a serious exploit. We already have the issue in our system.

Congratulations to Simmy & the team for creative gameplay! Watch the Video!

Photos by eMiKorean & Simcut

1.3.1 Release on August 3, 2010

2010-07-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Changes to mission offers

As of 1.3.1, the following changes will take place:

Criminal v Criminal matchmaking has been turned off
System-generated bounties have been turned off - bounties can now only be entered into by witnessing unopposed criminals. This means that the chances of Calls For Backup being bounty missions will be greatly reduced, so those of you who have said that you generally avoid answering CFB because of the number of bounty missions should be able to relax a little and help out the poor souls who need your muscle.

Changes to weapons in 1.3.1

N-Tec:

Base accuracy has been reduced slightly.
Movement penalty has been reduced slightly to compensate for base accuracy change.
Number of shots before accuracy degradation is applied has been lowered (becomes less accurate faster).
Maximum level of inaccuracy the weapon can reach has been slightly increased.
Benefit gained via Marksmanship mode has been slightly reduced.

OCA-EW:

Minimum damage percentage at max range has been increased slightly.
Base accuracy has been reduced slightly.
Max Range has been reduced by 5m & Effective range reduced by a further 2m.
Number of shots before accuracy degradation is applied has been lowered (becomes less accurate faster).
Magazine capacity of the weapon has been reduced from 34 to 28 rounds.

Both of these changes are an effort to reduce the effectiveness of continuous full-auto fire.

NL-9:

RTW Progress Update | Communication

2010-07-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Following on from our series of gameplay development posts, Jericho updates you on the latest progress on some systems revamps.

This is just a short post to keep you up to date with what's been happening since we announced some of the areas of the game currently under redevelopment.

   Matchmaking
We've already made a fair amount of progress on developing the On/Off Duty system and had some internal playtesting on it last week. The playtest uncovered various issues which are being worked on at the moment. It also uncovered a number of problems with how the system is presented and explained to players, so we're also working on updating various UI elements to support the system and make it more intuitive.
Work is also proceeding with the Pure Skill district ruleset, and we're hopeful that we'll be able to release this along with the new matchmaking system, or very shortly thereafter.

   Vehicle Handling
The new pass on vehicle handling is now largely complete and has been through internal QA as well as a team playtest here. Overall the effect is considered to be a clear improvement on the existing system, with vehicles being much more responsive in most situations.

   Combat
We've been playtesting our new weapon values, complete with recoil, for a couple of weeks now and are close to the point of being very satisfied with them. The weapons feel more reactive and have much more individual character, and with the addition of new audio effects the overall experience is a lot more satisfying. There's still some work to be done on the camera and visual effects, but progress has been rapid and I hope that we can have a first round of testing on PTW in the very near future.

   Missions
I think I mentioned in the original post that we've already started prototyping and playtesting various changes to some of the contentious stage types to improve the way they play and reduce the imbalance and opportunity for exploits. The VIP-on-both-sides, which is the first of these, is already a much better play experience and leads to much more of a cat-and-mouse game than the current one-sided version. Prototypes for new versions of Checkpoint Capture and Item Capture using a bonus time system are underway and then we'll be looking at the most difficult of the bunch - Escape. As an aside, we're also looking to alleviate problems with vehicle delivery missions by removing the dropoff timer and making delivery instantaneous, so that crazy mad-dash deliveries will be much more viable.

That's the news in brief. More as it happens.

We Need Your Help | Spread the Word

2010-07-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Now that the SanParoATLAS.info has launched, we need your help to get the word out to your friends. Let them know there is a new fansite! While our maps are limited to the waterfront and the complete Contact Guide thus far, we are growing daily (even if you don't see it just yet).

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell your sluts! We don't care who you tell but tell someone! Wanna see what we've done? Check out our sister site at GlobaltechATLAS, a Fallen Earth fansite.

Love ya, mean it!

San Paro ATLAS Launches

2010-07-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

Though we have been online for sometime now, we have been focusing on building content. Now that we have two major pillars completed, the Waterfront District and the Organizational Contacts, it's time to launch!

Our goal is to be the 'go-to' fansite for maps and information about APB.

We also would like to welcome the community to help participate in the site by submitting player events. We are happy to publish any events the community comes up with to help advertise them! We also welcome any guides people would like to contribute... or if you want to write a feature, that's great too!

We hope you find the information here useful and while it is still basic, we will continue to add the Social and Financial Districts and a business directory among other features. We'll also be including a section on weapons and clothing all in good time. We hope you find the level of detail on the Waterfront Tagging map to be useful and aim for that level of detail in all our maps and guides.

Now with that being said, a word of caution... some links are still broken, so if you find one, just post a comment on the page the link is on and we'll fix it quickly. Some features are not yet enabled like the Events but are coming soon™.

RTW Addresses Missions

2010-07-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

Missions have always been an area which receives a lot of useful (and loud) feedback so we thought it would be good to let you guys know what we’ve been looking at recently.

There are a few mission types which have always been the most controversial, with strong opinions on both sides of the fence. We’re going to be looking at the most obvious types and dealing with the worst of the issues.

ESCAPE

Escape is tough to balance. The chasing player complains that it’s too easy to get in a car and simply run away. The escaping player complains that they’re penalised too strongly for every little thing (hitting a mailbox?). Both sides make legitimate points.

Our focus is twofold: firstly, try to discourage players from just running away (or rather – make that more difficult) in a way that doesn’t feel overly punishing. Secondly, to try and give the chasing players the tools they need to make chasing interesting and rewarding rather than just frustrating. We have a few ideas being tested right now, but we’d like to know whether you agree with our assessment and what you would like to see us doing about it.

VIP

VIP missions can be good fun when there’s enough action to maintain it. However, some groups simply get to the nearest camping location and hole up, making any attempt to get to the VIP frustrating and usually suicidal.

We’re already looking at some of the more obvious camping spots and trying to open them out a little bit. That’s a natural evolution of the district based on player habits and feedback, and your screenshots of the worst locations will continue to be helpful. We also have a couple of mission changes in mind. One thing we’re already testing internally is balancing the mission out by giving both sides a VIP to defend. Having to combine attack and defence makes the gameplay much more diverse and hectic. We also have a couple of other ideas ready for prototyping, so more on that as we have details.

ITEM CAPTURE

Item Capture missions can be fun and frustrating, often at the same time. For every player who gets the thrill of sneaking in at the last second and stealing the item, there’s another player who feels cheated that they’ve held it for so long only to lose in the end.

One suggestion that’s proven popular is to track who holds the item for longest – so the team who holds it longest, wins the stage. That could give an unfair advantage to the team who gets to the item first (that’s always a problem, and we don’t want to make it worse). In any case, we’d like to keep the excitement of those last few seconds, so we’re looking into ways to combine the best of both approaches. Again, your initial reactions will help us decide how and when we want to get this into play.

CHECKPOINT CAPTURE

Checkpoint Capture missions can also be enjoyable, but like Item Capture, it can be frustrating to hold a checkpoint for so long only to lose it at the death. Most matches of this type end on kills before this point, but some teams have started to exploit the rules and only make an appearance as the stage comes towards the end.

It’s likely that the solution to this will be similar to that for Item Capture – tracking overall time spent holding a checkpoint. Of course, the concerns with that approach are also similar, so we’re actively investigating alternatives. Whatever we decide, we want to deliver something that people want to play so inevitably we’ll be looking to test these different alternatives as we go forward.

Obviously, these are just four of the main types that have generated feedback, but we’re always looking to improve the missions right across the board. In addition to the ongoing tweaks to combat and level design, we’re continuing to improve mission balance and remove some of the larger exploits – for example, we’ve eliminated stages without time limits which can be exploited to score huge numbers of kills. Better matchmaking and reduced Bounties also help keep the focus on enjoyable missions that don’t become frustrating for either side, and of course the continued work on combat, upgrade and vehicle balance always helps to level the playing field.

This is an excellent opportunity to get involved, by listing specific mission types, or even specific missions, which feel consistently unbalanced or which simply aren’t enjoyable. We’ll be looking to fix individual missions as well as making more general changes, so feel free to tell us the name of any missions which appear to have problems, and we’ll continue to polish them.

APB Intel Pilot Episode

2010-07-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

A new program has been launched by Zanarkin from the North American forum.

APB Intel has launched is a mini-podcast to highlight some RTW news, events, forum happenings and items of interest (Hey, better mention us in the next episode!)

He has also contributed several different video guides under his twolow24 name on Youtube.com and has recently partner with Gamebreaker.tv as a correspondent.

Be sure to check out the episode below and his other tutorial videos as well!

Gamebreaker.tv's APB Intel:

http://youtube.com/twolow24
http://twitter.com/twolow24

APB Evolved Goes Offline

2010-07-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Recently published on the APB Evolved website was the following message.

APB Evolved is going offline...

APB Evolved was founded in early 2007 and quickly became the premier fansite for (APB) All Points Bulletin reaching over 10,000 registered users earlier this year. We have had the pleasure to work with Realtime Worlds for over 3 years during conceptual design, development, beta and launch. In the early years of development we were provided $1,000 in order to cover substantial web hosting costs as well as a full paid trip to their studio in Dundee, Scotland. I want to make it very clear that Realtime Worlds did everything they possibly could to keep this site online and for that I’m extremely grateful.

Unfortunately, post launch has dramatically impacted our website traffic decreased, new members slowed and we lost the sense of our community. This is mostly due to the fact that many of our previously active members are either now on the official forums or playing the game itself. Our team has attempted to strategize many different scenarios before launch to prepare many events for post-launch, but none of them seem as viable as we once hoped. Even though it’s not far after launch many members of the administration team are preoccupied with a number of other activities pertaining to real life. We all agreed that due to time restrictions, budget and the possible lack of community involvement it’s better for us to simply support the APB community through the official website.

APB is an incredible game and we can assure you the developers will be continuing development to further improve upon an already excellent platform. I would like to personally thank everyone who has helped make APB Evolved become the finest community I have ever had the time to create and it wasn’t without help from many others!

Thank you,
Stephen Lynch (Element)
Lead Administrator

Evolved Team:
Diego (Administrator) – retired
Rockdan (Moderator) – retired
Lokidevil (Moderator) – retired

Cyxult (North American – Administrator) – active
JaTochNietDan (European – Administrator) – active
Kuwaji (Moderator) – active
Omarbibz (Moderator) – active
Phate (Moderator) – active
Din (Moderator) – active

Special Thanks
Chris “Ulric” Dye
Chris “Deum” Collins
Ben “APBMonkey” Bateman
Dave Jones and the entire Realtime Worlds Staff

We plan to redirect the site to APB.com shortly once the message is heard. The site will redirect until September 1st, 2010.

The ATLAS would like to thank the team at APB Evolved for their efforts over the years. While we are the 'new kid on the block', we hope we can fill some of that void left in the community.

RTW Offers Buddy Keys

2010-07-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Greetings residents of San Paro!

In the continuing spirit of open communication, we wanted to let you all know about our imminent plans for a Buddy Key program.

The Basics

Participation allows you to invite a friend to temporarily join you on the streets of San Paro, for free. If they end up buying APB: All Points Bulletin we will give you 400 Realtime Worlds Points – equivalent to 30 days unlimited Gametime! The Points will get credited directly to the referrer’s account, with a minimum turnaround of 48 hours.

We will shortly be launching the first phase, which is open to anyone who has purchased additional Gametime. If you have paid for any amount of unlimited access (30/60/120 days) or 20 extra hours, expect an e-mail to arrive shortly (and don’t forget to check your Spam folder just in case).

And yes, this does mean that anyone buying Gametime DURING the first phase, right up until it ends, will also get a mail including a Buddy Key. But make sure your friend redeems it before the deadline of midnight GMT / 7pm EST on Sunday 8th August, or they’ll miss their chance!

In your e-mail will be a special key with instructions for redemption. Forward this e-mail to a friend, and he or she will be able to register for a free account, linked to yours, which gets 7 hours of Action District Gametime that can be used over a 5 day period. This is counted from the moment they redeem their Buddy Key. It’s a great chance for them to get a taste of San Paro’s fast-paced action!

The Nitty Gritty

During or after the trial period, your buddy can choose to purchase a retail copy of APB from the Store or other available channels, apply that retail key, and upgrade their account - meaning he or she gets to keep their character’s customization, progression, and all associated information, including remaining Gametime. As a bonus, if they convert to a retail account we will give you 400 RTW Points!

However, please note that a Buddy Key can only be used to create a new account, and cannot be applied to an existing account (including Closed Beta and Key to the City). A Buddy account cannot redeem any other type of product key (such as Points or Rewards) until they have upgraded to a full retail account. This offer is currently only open in North America and Europe.

Also note that participation in this initial phase will be tracked so that as we expand the Buddy program with additional benefits, those already participating will also reap the rewards.

Please look for more news about later phases of this program in the coming weeks.

See you on the streets of San Paro!

The APB Team

RTW Addresses Upgrades

2010-07-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Upgrades in APB are a really contentious issue. We see plenty of criticism from you guys in the community that they really unbalance the game. Some people think they should be removed entirely and others think the system is okay as it is and players should “just out-skill them”. We think we can come up with a few critical additions that change the nature of upgrades in the game so they are less overpowered and at the same time more useful.

The Problem

Upgrades and in particular combinations of Upgrades significantly alter weapon balance. The key culprits seem to be:

* ‘Savage’ and ‘Spray and Pray’ on the weapons.

* ‘Monolith’ and ‘Survivor’ on the characters.

Almost all characters that can, run with these Upgrades equipped. Not only does it create balance issues it also means some of the other Upgrades tend not to get a look in.

The Beta players will also remember the old values for Upgrades. They were much more powerful! We made them considerably weaker for launch and this has had a positive effect in retaining more game balance. It’s not solved the problem though as the feedback has shown. We need to do more. So what will we do about it?

The Proposed Solution

We are currently discussing grouping Upgrades together into several categories as well as adding in a more Upgrades to increase player choice.

Upgrade categories will prevent less desirable choices being made. You will have to choose between ‘Savage’ or ‘Spray and Pray’ but cannot equip both. This effectively lowers the advantage that can be gained through statistical increases. It also means players will get to choose Upgrades from the other categories which should promote a more nuanced, less power-hungry approach to Upgrade selection. The exact design of this system is still being decided upon although it’s likely we’ll include a couple of specialist categories and allow you to equip a number of generic Upgrades.

We are also coming up with a range of new Upgrades to add into the game. Our primary focus is to give our community new tactical tools rather than straight statistical benefits. These will fit into the group categories so that player choice will be more interesting still. Will you take the added power of ‘Savage’ or an Upgrade that enables you and your team to get the drop on your opponent? On top of this we’re looking at new Upgrades to deal with some common complaints around LTL weapons and new Upgrades for our jazzed up Combat experience.

We’ll continue to expand the range of available Upgrades in the future to allow players to further refine their tactical toolbox.

Other Concerns

What do we do with old weapons? At the moment we are considering a few options. Preset weapons will be automatically adjusted but the community have a large number of custom weapons already. Our current thoughts are along the lines of:

Grandfather them in so there will always be a pool of increasingly rare ‘uber’-guns available. This is obviously unfair to players without these guns but is the smallest change we could possibly make.
Pop out the upgrades back into the players’ inventory and let them rebuild those weapons. There are a number of technical issues with the Locker size that make this a tricky proposition and it might be a headache for you to do.
Remove all Upgrades from your customised weapons and give you the cash equivalent. This lets you re-buy the Upgrades that you actually need as well as purchase a few new ones. It also stops you being left out of pocket or forced into lots of fiddling about selling old Upgrades and buying new ones.

STOP (Collaborate & Listen)

2010-07-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

You have reached the end of the news section.

The posts that follow are all reference material that can be accessed from the top navigation bar.

Guides to APB

2010-07-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

The following guides have not been created by the ATLAS. We are merely collating them for convenience.

Text Guides

Visit the official forums for the most comprehensive list

Scamming Guide

View the guide here.

Video Guides

Music Studio Tutorial

View the video here.

Symbol Creator Guide

View the video here.

Wheelman's Guide

View the video here.

Indoctrinate the Masses Achievement

View the video here.

Beginner's Guide to APB

View the video here.

Beginner's Guide to Making Money

View the video here.

Guide: APB - Music Studio Tutorial

2010-07-25T13:51:00.001-07:00

Guide: APB Symbol Creation Tutorial

2010-07-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

Guide: APBIntel Criminal Wheelman Guide for APB

2010-07-25T13:32:00.001-07:00

Guide: APB Intel: Achievement Guide for Indoctrinate the Masses

2010-07-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

Guide: Beginner's Guide to APB

2010-07-25T13:27:00.001-07:00

Guide: APB Intel: Beginner's Guide to Making Money

2010-07-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Explore a District

2010-07-24T22:34:00.001-07:00

Waterfront District

2010-07-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Financial District

2010-07-24T22:27:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Social District

2010-07-24T22:23:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Waterfront Enforcer Vehicle Spawn

2010-07-24T22:13:00.001-07:00

Waterfront Enforcer Ammo

2010-07-24T22:03:00.001-07:00

Waterfront Enforcer Vehicle Drop-off

2010-07-24T21:12:00.001-07:00

Waterfront Enforcer Item Drop-off

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Waterfront Enforcer Contacts

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Waterfront Enforcer Spawn Locations

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Waterfront Criminal Spawn Locations

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Waterfront Criminal Vehical Spawn

2010-07-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

Waterfront Gas Stations

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Waterfront Criminal Ammo

2010-07-24T18:48:00.001-07:00

Waterfront Criminal Vehicle Drop-off

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Waterfront Criminal Item Drop-off

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Waterfront Criminal Contacts

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Waterfront Mailboxes

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Financial Tagging Locations

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Click the icons to view a location's detailed guide with video tutorial

Have we missed one? Let us know here!

Waterfront Tagging Locations

2010-07-24T14:27:00.001-07:00

Click the icons to view a location's detailed guide with video tutorial

Have we missed one? Let us know here!

Waterfront: The Blades Hotel #2

2010-07-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

Waterfront Tagging Area

Name: The Blades Hotel #2

Rated: Undesirable

Difficulty: Easy

Notes: Easy to get to but most traffic comes from the other direction so it's not so great for having your tag seen.

Financial Enforcer Ammo

2010-07-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Financial Enforcer Vehicle Drop-off

2010-07-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Financial Enforcer Vehicle Spawn

2010-07-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Waterfront

2010-07-23T18:47:00.001-07:00

Financial Enforcer Item Drop-off

2010-07-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

Financial Enforcer Contacts

2010-07-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Financial Enforcer Spawn Locations

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Financial Mailboxes

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Financial Gas Stations

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Financial Criminal Ammo

2010-07-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

Financial Criminal Vehicle Drop-Off

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Financial Criminal Vehicle Spawn

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FINANCIAL CRIMINAL ITEM DROP-OFF

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Financial Criminal Contacts

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Financial Criminal Spawn Locations

Name: Baylan Storage, Aspan Road

Rated: Meh

Difficulty: Easy, but long

Notes: Good view on a middle road but takes a while to get to. If you happen to be there, sure it's great, but not really worth the effort.

Waterfront: LaKota Auto, Warehouse 2

2010-07-10T01:31:00.000-07:00

Waterfront Tagging Area

Name: LaKota Auto, Warehouse 2

Rated: Undesireable

Difficulty: Easy

Notes: On the backside of LaKota Auto 1. It is hidden from traffic. Good spot to taunt criminals though.

2010-07-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Waterfront Tagging Area

Name: Baylan, Marshall's Yard

Rated: Undesirable

Difficulty: Pain in the ass to get to and not very visible to anyone.

Notes: Large sign, sucky location. Don't bother.

Tagging Videos Available on Youtube

District Maps

The ATLAS is Closed

San Paro is ALIVE!

APB has new OWNER!

APB website & servers offline

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Change your shirt - It stinks

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APB Wall of Shame (NA)

New APB Music

Patch 1.4.1 Released

Guide: How to avoid Scammers

His name is Neil Castle

APB Official Manual Online Here

ATLAS an 'Official' Fansite!

ATLAS Starts Wardrobe Guides

RTW Subscription Plan Change?

5 Buddy Keys Available

Driving Tips for New Players (and you other idiots)

1.3.1 Patch August 12, 2010

Free Clan Website Hosting

Financial Tagging Map Now Available

NL9ageddon | August 7-9 Arrest League Event

Event: San Paro Grand Prix (Zombie)

Financial District Base Maps Added

Awesome APB Jump

1.3.1 Release on August 3, 2010

RTW Progress Update | Communication

We Need Your Help | Spread the Word

San Paro ATLAS Launches

RTW Addresses Missions

APB Intel Pilot Episode

APB Evolved Goes Offline

RTW Offers Buddy Keys

RTW Addresses Upgrades

STOP (Collaborate & Listen)

Guides to APB

Guide: APB - Music Studio Tutorial

Guide: APB Symbol Creation Tutorial

Guide: APBIntel Criminal Wheelman Guide for APB

Guide: APB Intel: Achievement Guide for Indoctrinate the Masses

Guide: Beginner's Guide to APB

Guide: APB Intel: Beginner's Guide to Making Money

Explore a District

Waterfront District

Financial District

Social District

Waterfront Enforcer Vehicle Spawn

Waterfront Enforcer Ammo

Waterfront Enforcer Vehicle Drop-off

Waterfront Enforcer Item Drop-off

Waterfront Enforcer Contacts

Waterfront Enforcer Spawn Locations

Waterfront Criminal Spawn Locations

Waterfront Criminal Vehical Spawn

Waterfront Gas Stations

Waterfront Criminal Ammo

Waterfront Criminal Vehicle Drop-off

Waterfront Criminal Item Drop-off

Waterfront Criminal Contacts

Waterfront Mailboxes

Financial Tagging Locations

Waterfront Tagging Locations

Waterfront: The Blades Hotel #2

Financial Enforcer Ammo

Financial Enforcer Vehicle Drop-off

Financial Enforcer Vehicle Spawn

Waterfront

Financial Enforcer Item Drop-off

Financial Enforcer Contacts

Financial Enforcer Spawn Locations

Financial Mailboxes

Financial Gas Stations

Financial Criminal Ammo

Financial Criminal Vehicle Drop-Off