As we wait for the APB: Reloaded open beta to launch on May 18, Producer Jon-Enee "Neume" Merriex has kicked off a new weekly blog series on the game's Facebook page called "Neume Speaks!" As Merriex puts it, this blog will focus on the "day to day madness" surrounding the development of the MMO.

In his first edition of the blog, Merriex talks about the 3 "P"s of open beta: Polish, Performance and Punkbuster. You can read his entire entry after the jump. Also, that image to the right is of a new preset car that will be added to the game in the future.

If you'd prefer to read about the technical aspects surrounding the development of APB: Reloaded, check out GamersFirst CTO and COO Bjorn "TechMech" Book-Larsson's latest dev blog entry. He talks about some issues that the team is working on leading up to open beta.

If you've been itching to dive into the free-to-play APB: Reloaded, it looks like your wait is almost over. GamersFirst just announced that the open beta will launch on May 18, which means all players will soon be able to swarm the streets of San Paro without an invite.

If you really want to play the game in the next two weeks, GamersFirst plans to progressively permit access to most people before the launch of open beta. All you need to do is make a GamersFirst account and submit the corresponding e-mail on the APB: Reloaded page. Once you do that, there's a good chance you'll get in before May 18.

GamersFirst recently stated that it hoped to get APB: Reloaded version 1.5 up and running this week, and it turns out they met that goal! Version 1.5 is now live in closed beta mode, and players can expect small patch updates over the next few days "in preparation for inviting A LOT of people next week."

For more details on version 1.5, check out the lengthy patch notes. They include the return of witnessing, improvements to the spawning system, changes to weapon and vehicle leasing and more.

The latest APB: Reloaded dev blog entry is packed with information, but here's the main point: closed beta version 1.5 will hopefully launch this week and wipe all characters and progression, followed by mass invites being sent out to everyone who applied for the closed beta.

If you applied for the closed beta back in February and still haven't gotten into San Paro yet, it looks like you may get to try out the game this week. Just to be clear, version 1.5 isn't officially the launch of open beta. The team covers that topics and more in a brief Q&A, which can be found after the jump. You can also check out the full dev blog entry for details on critical changes coming in version 1.5.

If you've been following the APB: Reloaded dev blog, then you know that critical network components for the EU datacenter have been stuck in customs for about three weeks. Well, it looks like the team finally received the parts because the European servers are now live for closed beta participants!

The European servers currently feature build 1.4.3 of the game. According to the recently released open beta checklist, GamersFirst should be launching closed beta build 1.5.0 soon, which will wipe all characters and progression.

GamersFirst CTO and COO Bjorn "TechMech" Book-Larsson's latest APB: Reloaded blog entry provides a complete roadmap of what needs to happen for the game to reach open beta. If all goes according to plan, here's the upcoming schedule:

• Release build 1.5.0 in closed beta and wipe all characters and progression. You will likely be able to recover your characters later.
• Bring the EU servers online.
• Mass invite at least another 25,000 players to closed beta, then invite all remaining eligible applicants.
• Give all closed beta players a temporary Premium account for 24-48 hours, followed by enabling monetized content.
• Formally enter open beta.

Of course, any of these steps is subject to change. Book-Larsson said the team plans to be in monetized open beta until August.

GamersFirst CTO and COO Bjorn "TechMech" Book-Larsson is currently on the road, but he took the time to post a brief dev blog entry to make a few quick APB: Reloaded announcements. He said the progress toward open beta is continuing at a "blistering pace" and he'll post an update soon on the EU server equipment that's been stuck in customs for a couple weeks.

Perhaps the most noteworthy part of the short post includes Book-Larsson's comments on the next version of the game, also known as APB 1.5. He said it will feature "big changes from the current version (including spawning and progression, and later also the new skill-rating methods)." We'll keep an eye out for more details as they're revealed.

Why drive around in a tank when you can annihilate your enemies with a poweful dump truck that comes with a mounted rocket launcher? APB: Reloaded Producer Jon-Enee Merriex announced today, April 1, that dump trucks are getting a major overhaul:

• Significantly increased ramming damage.
• Acceleration is being increased.
• Armor has been increased.
• Improved turning and cornering.
• Added mounted rocket launcher.
• Replaced starter vehicles with dump truck.
• An upgraded version of the dump truck can be purchased on the Armas Underground (cash shop) for the low, low price of $1,337 USD.

We're hoping APB: Reloaded changes its name to World of Dump Trucks. We'll keep you posted if they run with our suggestion.

Do you want a chance to get into the APB: Reloaded closed beta without worrying about beta keys and applications? All you need to do is become a fan of the game's Facebook page for a shot at instant access!

Every day through April 7, GamersFirst will be inviting Facebook fans to participate in the closed beta. The more fans on the page, the better your odds of getting an invite. For example, the page currently has 21,258 fans, which means 21 people will get invites today. If the total number of fans balloons to 50,000, then 50 players will get invites every day.

Long story short, become a fan of APB: Reloaded on Facebook. Good luck!

The APB: Reloaded dev blog has been highly focused on closed beta invites lately, but the newest entry changes gears and shines the spotlight on a specific gameplay topic: the matchmaking system. GamersFirst CTO and COO Bjorn "TechMech" Book-Larsson points out the flaws of the original All Points Bulletin skill-rating system and says that players can expect it to get better in open beta.

Basically, GamersFirst wants to implement a matchmaking system that uses a variety of characteristics from numerous rating systems. Also, the team plans to create some "skill-level districts" to protect lower rated players from being quickly annihilated in combat. Of courser, lower level players will be able to volunteer to join a higher rated district to play with their friends.