I'm trying out the staged build of Demigod off of Impulse right now on my work machine.  Hopefully this will help players walk through what it's like.

I'll be updating this as I go along...

Installed. Running.

Into the game

My fresh install of Vista doesn't seem to cut it with the base nVidia drivers.

So I run dxdiag:

--------------- 
Display Devices 
--------------- 
        Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM) 
     Manufacturer: NVIDIA 
        Chip type: GeForce 7950 GX2 
         DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC 
       Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0294&SUBSYS_035B10DE&REV_A1 
   Display Memory: 776 MB 
Dedicated Memory: 504 MB 
    Shared Memory: 271 MB 
     Current Mode: 1920 x 1200 (32 bit) (59Hz) 
          Monitor: Dell 2407WFP (Digital) 
      Driver Name: nvd3dum.dll,nvapi.dll 
   Driver Version: 7.15.0010.9686 (English) 
      DDI Version: 9Ex 
Driver Attributes: Final Retail 
Driver Date/Size: 11/2/2006 05:46:12, 3022848 bytes

Wow. My drivers are over 2 years old.

So time to update my drivers...

Back to Impulse...

I click on Community and click on the nVidia tab and get my driver updated...

Once my drivers are updated, I re-run the game.

Ah, much better.

Remember to update your drivers!

... Game Play ...

These flags will become increasingly important over the betas. In the engine test, it's basically just about overpowering your enemy.  But over time, the way to do that will be through making strategic choices over which parts of the map you control.

This particular flag gives me access to better creeps who come out of the portal.  But other flags may provide all kinds of other interesting advantages.

This is the UI for beta 1.

On the left side are your 4 primary powers for your Demigod.  On the right side are 3 active item slots as well as your achievement slot.  The achievement slot is currently reserved for special items purchased with achievement points (these would not necessarily be available in skirmish games for those who want absolutely "equal" start ups).

The "1" button you see means I've gone up a level the right side is my player info.

This is the BETA 1 skill tree.  We plan to expand on this immensely over time. Our main goal for beta 1 was to settle on the UI.  Beta testers are free to suggest powers they'd like to see Demigods have (that is one of the benefits of being in the beta).

Keyboard commands:

• Use the SPACE BAR to control the view camera (i.e. hold space down while moving your mouse).
• Use the T key to have the camera track on your Demigod.
• Use the QWER keys to activate your abilities.