WorldAlpha designer Michael Koehler explains his vision for an MMORTS within the browser setting.
Monthly Archives: August 2013
WorldAlpha Review – Simulate a New Life!
By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF)
WorldAlpha is an MMORTS that gives you control over a single unit, or “citizen,” in a virtual world. You will need to keep this unit healthy while advancing him through society, joining a country and choosing a city to live in. Essentially, you will be living a second life within WorldAlpha where politics and economics play a major role in the game. It’s up to you if you want to be a cog in the machine, a savvy businessman, an elite solider, or perhaps even a politician.
Customization
Unfortunately, there is no visual customization in WorldAlpha. Well, you can upload an avatar but that’s it. The upside is that this is a skill-based game, and you can level-up individual skills to improve their effectiveness. For example, early on I needed to make some money so I started to do mining. Now I have a very decent mining skill and can make my employer a lot of money, which means they want to pay me a lot of money. So you’re free to do whatever you like all the while powering up various skills – be it mining, or writing in a newspaper, or even filling an administrative role in your city.
Graphics
Being a traditional browser-based MMORTS, WorldAlpha doesn’t really have “graphics” so much as a user interface. You won’t be watching units marching off into battle, but instead you will be watching count-down timers. It does have fairly good art, and a functional user interface, but there isn’t much there to keep it from being a fairly static experience. The only downfall that I’ve been able to find to the otherwise solid experience is that when clicking on something, it can often take a maddening amount of time for the page to reload with the updated info.
Controls
What I mentioned about the user interface is also relevant in this section of the review. The game is “controlled” by the mouse, and that’s it for now. No hotkeys as far as I could find. Usually, this type of control scheme for a browser-based game is OK and I have no problems with it. However, in WorldAlpha, I guess the game isn’t hosted on servers with great internet connections at the moment, as I noticed long load times whenever I clicked on something. On top of that, the game is pretty old school in that no flash or java was used, so the page reloads each time you do something. That, combined with the load times (which honestly aren’t too bad, but are slow enough to be noticeable which is hard to cope with these days), means it can get on your nerves if you aren’t a patient gamer.
Community
WorldAlpha is all about community. A large portion of the game, similar to games like EVE Online, is spent not actually playing the game, but making plans and scheming. This means you’re going to be dealing with your fellow citizens, business owners, and politicians frequently. Whether you just want to have a nice chat on IRC, or are making plans for World War III with your fellow leaders of state, you will be interacting with other players often. An example of this is when you take a job; it’s been my experience that you often get a PM from your employer that helps jump-start communication between you two so that he can make the most money off of you, and you can make as much from him.
And while not all communication between the community is nice (I’ve seen a few IRC-based arguments since I started playing), it’s mostly kept within the context of the game and is fairly civilized. Veteran players seem to jump at the chance to help newbies out, too. When I first logged onto IRC to chat and learn about the game, I got so much help from a person that I decided to join the country he lived in. Even those that were openly hostile towards certain countries were still friendly towards citizens of that country. I never once had any negative experience with the community during the time I reviewed the game.
Gameplay
WorldAlpha essentially tries to be a simulation of reality, or as close to one as you can get on a browser-based game. Similar to other games of this type, such as eRepublik, people start their own countries, cities, and businesses. You start out as a lowly worker and build up an income and skills until you can branch out into business ventures, politics, or the military. It’s trying to make your way in this world, advancing yourself as far as you can go, which makes the game fun. There are a lot of options on what you can do, be it produce materials or manufacture items for others to use.
When your character is created, you are dumped into the starting country where you will follow a tutorial to learn about the game. You will spend your first days researching the other countries and doing manual labor – mining, farming or manufacturing. After you’ve gotten your starting money, your next goal would be to get into the more advanced sections of the game. As you work, you will begin leveling up skills that can be used to start up your own company, which will (hopefully) get you more money. Starting your own business requires a decent amount of start-up capital, plus the proper permits that will cost you Earth Bucks, which is the cash shop money.
Thankfully, each time you level up a skill, you will get a number of Earth Bucks equal to the new level of the skill. So, if you reach level 9 mining, you will get 9 Earth Bucks. Keep in mind that there are a bunch of skills, and doing an action will often level up more than one. So, the Earth Bucks will pile up fast. For example, within three days of starting, I had enough Earth Bucks to buy a tier 1 incorporation permit.
When I say there’s a lot to do in the game, I mean it. There are mines, farms, and factories. Each of these requires that someone work them, someone manage them, someone at some point built them, and the materials required to build them had to be gathered and manufactured by other people. Everything in the game is created by your fellow players. As in real life, you will need entertainment and comfort, so it’s not just food that is made but computers, beds, and even smartphones.
If labor isn’t your thing, you can start up a newspaper or TV Station to inform your fellow players on what is happening in the world. Or maybe you’ll just use it to further your political agenda. A lot of people choose to go the route of politician, while others choose to start their own countries (as you can imagine, this is a huge investment). Sometimes they will start with something smaller, though, like a city. There are a lot of options in WorldAlpha, which is something I appreciate.
Conclusion: Good
WorldAlpha does a great job providing players a never-ending list of gameplay options. You can be just another cog in the machine, or you can be the operator of that machine. Unfortunately, the slightly laggy website makes for some frustration. But this is OK, as a large portion of the game actually takes place outside the game – making plans, discussing politics, and interacting with your fellow players. Overall, I had a great deal of fun with WorldAlpha and I will be continuing to play it for a while.
Features: 3/5
Customization: 2.5/5
User Interface: 4/5
Community: 5/5
Overall: 3.5/5 – Not as amazing as it can be, but luckily there is an active developer to improve it.
WildStar Devspeak – Crowd Control
Carbine Studios reveals the latest unique mechanic at Gamescom 2013 to add to WildStar‘s plethora of advanced gameplay!
Eudemons Online Love Update Growth Pack Giveaway
OnRPG is teaming up with TQ Digital to celebrate the new Eudemons Online Summer of Love update with plentiful Growth Packs! The further a player levels with these packs, the more rewards you’ll unlock.
Eudemons Online is a stunning Free-To-Play, Fantasy MMORPG, which combines a gorgeous western style with oriental aesthetic perspectives into a place of monsters and magic. Whether you choose to be a Warrior, a Mage, a Paladin, a Vampire or a Necromancer, there are over 100 distinctive Eudemons to assist you along your epic adventure! Select and train them wisely to uncover the secrets of the land of Cronus!
The Growth Pack offers much to unlock including:
1. Treble EXP Potion
2. God’s Blessing
3. Star Blessing
4. Moon Blessing
5. Super Weapon
6. Super Hat
7. Super Bracelet
8. Super Necklace
9. Super Boots
10. Super Armor
Note: If you have claimed the prizes for a certain level today, you need to claim the following level prize on the following day based on server time!
To get your key you have to follow these instructions:
- If you are not yet a member of OnRPG please sign up here.
- Enter your OnRPG username and password below to get your key.
- The key will appear at the bottom of the page. Copy & paste it to a safe place as you may not be able to retrieve it once closing your browser!
To Redeem your Key:
- Sign up and create a new account on the event page.
- Download and install EO and then create a character in any server.
- Input your code and account information and then click CLAIM NOW for a Growth Pack. (You can only claim it once per account, per IP.)
- Claim your pack in-game from Prize Legate: Lorraine at (Cronus 214, 607)
Dragon’s Prophet Gamescom 2013 Trailer
Dragon’s Prophet offers one more epic trailer as the game nears its September launch.
Riot Games Suffers Security Breach
Earlier today Riot Games, publishers of the world’s largest MOBA, League of Legends, heads announced a breach of account information across their North American servers including approximately 120,000 transaction records that occurred between the game’s launch and July 2011. Appropriate measures are being made to prevent future incidents and a mandatory password update is being sent out within the next 24 hours to prevent further damage.
Full information can be found on the official post here.
Guild Wars 2 Celebrates the Queen’s Speech Update
What surprises and excitement await you among Queen Jennah’s most esteemed guests at the Crown Pavilion today in Guild Wars 2? The Krytan Queen is preparing to address the celebrants and emissaries attending her royal jubilee, but someone else has plans for the Queen’s speech!
Here’s some of what to expect in today’s The Queen’s Speech update:
New Events
Developer Livestream – Take an inside look at the features in the release – 20th August
The Queen’s Speech – Don’t miss history in the making – Begins 20th August
Guild Wars 2 Anniversary Bash – First ever Anniversary Bash and Invitational Tournament – 31st August
New Rewards
Birthday Gifts – all characters created at the launch of Guild Wars 2 will receive gifts
New Features
World vs. World XP and Point adjustments – the World XP rate is increasing
World vs. World Trebuchet Mastery
The End of Culling in PvE – the limit on the number of characters players can see on screen is being removed
My Lands
My Lands: Black Gem Hunting is an international browser-based strategy game. With strong similarities to Heroes of Might and Magic, My Lands features two server types: military for PvP play, or mining for PvE play. Players may choose to play as a Demon, Dark Elf, Elf, or Human, and then gather resources to build up their cities and armies. Finally, players can earn Black Gems, which can be cashed out for real world money straight to PayPal.
Features:
Classic Strategy RPG Style: Styled after Heroes of Might and Magic, My Lands offers a classic resource, city, and army management system.
Choice of PvE or PvP Play: No forced PvP in MyLands – you can choose to play with other competitive players, or stay in a friendly world without worrying about your defenses.
Multiple Mission Types: Go on both military and non-military missions to expand your kingdom and gain valuable resources.
Earn Real Money: Find and earn Black Gems, which can then be converted into cash through a PayPal transaction (if you have a subscription).
Gravvit LLC
Gravvit LLC
War Thunder Gamescom 2013 PS4 Gameplay Trailer
War Thunder has just been revealed as a PS4 launch title at Gamescom 2013.






