Yearly Archives: 2008

Three Rings announces Whirled is ‘Open for Business’

Indie MMO Leader Calls Upon Game Developers and Flash Designers to Hop Aboard the Whirled Platform to Create and Sell Virtual Goods, Custom Multi-player Games, Virtual Worlds.

Three Rings, a leading independent developer of casual massively multi-player games, has opened Whirled, its player-created virtual world, for business. A full suite of rich APIs, example code and a growing audience of players await monetization by skilled developers. Players can explore a rich catalog of games, customize social areas and begin uploading games and other content to the official Whirled homepage today.

“Whirled delivers a complete platform for Flash games and virtual worlds” said Daniel James, CEO, Three Rings. “Our proven infrastructure is now officially open for business and developers are making money. Join them!”

Whirled is an in-browser virtual world that is open to player creations and customizations; anything can be uploaded to the Whirled, from simple image furniture to mini-MMO games. Sophisticated avatars, pets, toys and games are coded to Whirled’s Flash ActionScript APIs, which support multi-player games with arbitrary numbers of players driven by client or server-side code.

“Three Rings is taking a ‘ridiculously open’ approach to Whirled by publishing metrics, transparent business terms and a large part of the code-base as open-source” said Michael Bayne, CTO and co-founder. “To kick-start creativity, Three Rings offers the source code and assets for all Three Rings’ original games and other content as examples for developers to explore and modify to their own nefarious ends.”

Whirled’s library of over 12 complete, multi-player example games includes the hit ‘Corpse Craft’ described by Penny Arcade as “… f*cking banging, and may even bang off the hook.” To learn more, visit wiki.whirled.com

Gamers play Whirled games to earn Coins, and may purchase a second currency, Bars for U.S. currency using credit cards, paypal, SMS, Target pre-paid cards and other payment methods. Whirled emulates aspects of the success of Puzzle Pirates: part of the power of the business model is that it provides a seamless exchange between player’s time and this cash currency, thus effectively monetizing virtually the entire player base, rather than a small fraction. Creators’ sales in the Whirled Shop accumulate a third currency, Bling, which can be cashed out for real-world money. Three Rings’ Whirled infrastructure is fully operational today: creators are making money from avatars, interactive toys, game items and level packs.

“Not only can you make money selling virtual goods, but also Whirled offers a lifetime revenue share on new players referred to the game – you can simply embed a game or Whirled room into your blog or website, or tell a friend, and we’ll take care of the rest,” added James. He pointed out that “hit content will generate revenue not only from initial sales, but developers will also continue to earn from the players they bring to the party. And here at Three Rings, we like to party!”

Today, Three Rings is also rolling out its Flash Game Developer challenge and the Whirled Game Developer Bonus Bling Pool. Flash game developers who create games using the Whirled APIs stand to participate in $25,000 of prizes each quarter, and share a monthly pool of $10,000 divided up each day according to hours of gameplay on the site.

“Join premier game developers like Brad Borne of FancyPants Adventures, Skunk Studios of QBeez, and others who see the wisdom of getting on board early,” urged James.

Voyage Century: Trade Around the World

Today the folks at Voyage Century are going to talk to you about trade.

In Voyage Century, there is a trade center for businessmen to trade with each other. During your stay in a city, you can not only learn about the special local products and culture, but also can spread the culture and special objects to your own country.
As a businessman, you probably need to shuttle among the cities to do business, so it’s very important for you to have a good understanding of the current trade market. The best fish is in Istanbul, the best bananas are in Athens, the best whiskey is in Venice, and much more…There are over 160 kinds of products at 10 different levels to choose from. It’s interesting to note that the design of the market environment is based on the history of that area.

Where is the most suitable place for newbie players to trade? There are actually many places where newbie players can earn some easy money without being disturbed by ferocious monsters and greedy pirates, such as Istanbul.

After you have saved a little bit of money, you should transform your little lugger into a merchant ship which can help you carry more goods. It’s also worth mentioning that as a businessman you should maintain a good relationship with the countries where you mainly trade, in doing so you will pay fewer trade taxes.

If you think it’s easy to trade in Voyage Century, then you are definitely wrong, because the market in Voyage Century is like a real market which can be very complicated. Most of you time will probably be spent figuring out which trade routes are best, which goods to sell as well as what product levels will bring you the most profit.

Let’s start our journey to fame, and more importantly fortune now!

CCP and Atari announce retail box distribution of EVE Online

Atari and CCP, one of the world’s leading independent game developers, today announced a partnership which will see Atari exclusively distribute boxed versions of CCP’s award winning PC MMOG, EVE Online. The game will be available in retail outlets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions beginning March 2009. In addition, Atari will provide trade marketing services to augment CCP’s consumer marketing initiatives for EVE Online. This venture will enable CCP to reach a wider audience and increase the visibility and awareness of the wildly popular franchise, which has grown steadily year-on-year since its release in 2003.

The establishment of a retail distribution channel for EVE Online comes at a time of rapid subscriber growth and technical advancements. The game has attracted nearly 250,000 loyal, active subscribers. Its single shard universe has evolved technically to support massive battles of 1,000+ players with minimal lag, due to CCP’s StacklessIO (TM) and EVE64 initiatives. In addition, CCP will enhance gameplay within EVE Online by rolling out a series of content rich free expansions in 2009.

“Intrepid pioneering is the very foundation upon which EVE Online was built and our digital publishing strategy is an example of how innovation has been a key factor in our success. With Atari, we have found a like-minded partner and a premiere brand that is not only strong globally but also shares our vision in how retail and online services can reinforce each other,” said Hilmar Veigar Petursson, CEO of CCP. “This partnership comes at a great time in the history of EVE where, through a series of technical breakthroughs, we are able to support a vast increase in the number of concurrent players in our single shard persistent world.”

“At Atari we’re working to grow our relationships with the world’s leading online gaming companies and to use our distribution strength to help grow the category for both consumers and retailers. This relationship with CCP is an example of how we can work commercially and creatively to expand the market,” said David Gardner, CEO of Atari. “I have spent time with the creative and commercial leaders of CCP in Iceland and they have built a world class group of dedicated internet game visionaries. I’m honoured that Atari is entrusted with the mission of expanding the CCP universe on earth.”

The boxed version of EVE Online will include the game client, 60 days of subscription time and exclusive extras. It will also include all nine previously released EVE Online expansions. All new expansions will be free of charge to all subscribers, continuing CCP’s release policies.

Launched in 2003, EVE Online has been available exclusively as a direct download from the Web since March 2003. Petursson officially announced the Atari partnership at CCP’s annual Fanfest event, which took place in Reykjavik, Iceland from November 6-8, 2008.

About EVE Online
Set tens of thousands of years in the future, EVE Online is a breathtaking journey to the stars, to an immersive experience filled with adventure, riches, danger and glory. With nearly a quarter of a million subscribers worldwide inhabiting the same virtual universe, EVE features a vast player-run economy where your greatest asset is the starship, designed to accommodate your specific needs, skills and ambitions. EVE offers professions ranging from commodities trader to mercenary, industrial entrepreneur to pirate, mining engineer to battle fleet commander or any combination of these and much more. From brokering business deals to waging war, you will have access to a diverse array of sophisticated tools and interfaces to forge your own destiny in EVE. Learn more and sign up for a free trial at.

Definition of Subscribers
EVE Online subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active electronic time code (ETC) to play EVE Online, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions and expired ETCs.

Myth War II: Computer Graphics In-Depth Overview

Myth War II, developed by Unigium, creates top-of-the-line game graphic designs that stand out from the rest. This ATB-based MMORPG has produced stunning graphic art with fantastic illustration to represent a world ruled by hatred and revenge, triumph and faith.

Today, the people from IGG Myth War Online team are going to give you an in-depth overview of how these eye catching in-game graphics are working out.

Unigium has taken a different approach to aim for realism with cartoon rendering to generate stylized animations in computer graphics. Graphic characters are made in the game with realistic character proportions and cel-shaded rendering. Cel-shading is a type of real time rendering that strives for hand-drawn animation in computer graphics, similar to the animation style in many Disney classics. The beautiful 3D graphics featured in the game have captured players imagination and made them believers in the quality of 3D.

The virtual environment in Myth War II Online is represented with 2D drafting and 3D modeling. Each scene has uniquely delicate designs to create a real-world model for players to discover. The crisp September days on the Sunset Plains and the setting sun in Outcast City are indulgences to be enjoyed for a moment before plunging headlong into the next scene. The game has established a standard of performance for motion graphic effects complexity and real time-based visual design.

On the other hand, the hyper realistic combat scenes generated by its computer graphics techniques will blow your mind. The halo around weapons wielded by Heroes are vividly stunning; the voice made by Sorcerer when casting spells makes you quiver with emotion; the crying when someone is killed by the Cyborg is so miserable it will haunt you for days.

To view the Myth War II graphics, please visit the Myth War II Screenshot Gallery.

Freaky Creatures Review

by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer

Freaky Creatures is a new MMO developed by Bandon Interactive Entertainment. It has recently been released in the beta phase, and is planned for full release in early 09. Without much released information of the game, it stands pretty unnoticed by many. In that respect, it is also in need of serious reparations and enhancement. Despite the many primitive MMO elements I had experienced while playing this game, I really felt as if something new to the market was being developed? something we have not seen before.

General Gameplay
This MMO was quite unique and more-or-less bizarre. As the game is extremely new, there is still much to be added without any major content left for testers just yet. I was able to fully customize a monster ?which was actually pretty fun; with many different body parts, weapons, wings… you name it! Undoubtedly, I had the most fun doing so. The rest of the game wasn’t too shabby, but it really starts to go down-hill from there on out. After creating a character, you have the choice to make a game, quickplay, join a game, or pick from another few game modes. These modes all amount to the same thing, indefinitely, which is basically joining a sort of lobby where you would meet other players online. Once you are in the lobby, and had enough of mindless running around, you can challenge other players to combat. From the small taste I had of the combat portion of the game, I’d say it needed some serious work. In basic terms, you equip your monster with acquired powers and abilities that are presented in the form of cards. Once that is done, you are ready to fight others in battles, which resemble a turn based card game. If a player wins a battle, he or she will receive a random creature part from their opponent’s selection, which they can use right away. Creature Credits are also acquired upon winning a battle, which are generally used to buy parts, powers, and other neat things for your creatures, and lastly, more health points and creature stats.

There are no quests featured in the game, as far as I know, but there may be plans on adding them in the future. I’d consider the game an extremely casual type, as there is no real material for a hardcore gamer. One could also fear of this game getting a little too repetitive, as well.

Graphics and Sound
I was at the same time impressed as I was disappointed in the graphics, for this title. Firstly, for a free MMO aimed for a younger audience, I wasn’t expecting fully 3D environments and interesting animations. The colors were strongly vivid, and the short animations were quite entertaining. However, having an average power computer, I experienced some serious lag in-game. I could not explore with my creature as I kept freezing into place. That was a true bother, but that was not all. The default camera angle is hideous! I could barely see, and I could not change the angle. Hopefully I just hadn’t discovered how, because I do not see this game getting any sort of fame with the camera angle I had experienced. Those few disappointments were the key factors that had kept me away from the game.

The sound was a different cup of tea. I didn’t honestly dislike what I heard, but it also wasn’t anything I’d keep listening to every time I played the game. I found it to be a little too childish for my taste, but seeing as their target audience is young; I admit they have done a good job with the sound. I believe their sound settings need to be more elaborate, though.

Personal Recommendation
This game was pretty difficult to review, seeing as it is just so very new and unfinished. However, I do have a few key points to base my perspective of the game on. Firstly, being a reason and a burden was the fact that there was hardly anyone online. In fact, most of the time, I was indeed the only tester online. I did play with a few others during peak hours, but otherwise I was completely alone. Sometimes I even played with game masters, as they were watching over the game quite carefully. It was extremely difficult to test a game that requires two players at the least to play… all by my self. I was still able to tweak with the creatures in creation mode, at the very least. Anyway, I also disliked the camera angle with a serious passion, and the same goes for the lag I experienced in the game the entire time. I was never given a break from it.

On the bright side, I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of the game, the graphics, the animations, the movement (you can even jump around!), and the various game modes. I know there is a serious need of improvement in almost every area, but that is the very reason why the game is still undergoing thorough beta testing. Gathering player feedback seems to be their main priority, as they are even running many fun contests and sweepstakes. I believe Bandon Interactive Entertainment to be very devoted to their game, and I am positive they will make something of this title. I think it will grow in popularity as it is advertised and fully released to the public. The interaction value is there, the game isn’t too demanding in terms of time, and the overall experience can be quite enjoyable if played with some friends. I suggest you give it a try as soon as their beta testing is over in the early New Year, when the game has been heavily revised for the public. This way, you will most likely not quit the game disappointed, but remember to play with a decently powerful computer if you dislike intensive lag? which I bet you do!

Pros

  • Unique concept
  • Great customization
  • Promising development team
  • Enjoyable movement

Cons

  • Currently unfinished
  • No players online
  • Very laggy
  • Mediocre combat

Free Realms Beta Registration is Open

Sony Online Entertainment’s Free-to-Play Video Game gets ready to let the first players in by taking Sign-Ups



Be one of the first to get a sneak peek at Free Realms, the highly anticipated free online video game from Sony Online Entertainment. Free Realms is currently in development and is close to giving players an early look at what it has to offer. The adventure packed, family-friendly game is filled with an art style and humor and contains enough to do to keep everyone in the family entertained.



For the opportunity to participate in the North America beta program, an important stage in the development process, go to the official Free Realms homepage to sign up. More information on localized European beta programs to follow.



When
Free Realms beta sign up is open now.



About
Free Realms allows you to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, in a lush, living, 3D world, filled with rich landscapes and fun wildlife. From pet raising to mini-games like soccer and racing, or battling giant spiders and adventuring with friends – there’s something for everyone! With weekly and monthly content updates, regular and special events scheduled, and even the potential player-created parties and celebrations there is always something new to see and do in the world of Free Realms.



Free Realms Features

  • Experience a vibrant new world that’s an exciting mix of real world and fantasy.
  • Be a wizard one day and a warrior the next without having to make a new character.
  • Join your friends in the game and adventure with them wherever they are, no matter how long they have been playing.
  • When you’re ready for some excitement, head out to the wilderness, and battle challenging enemies like giant spiders and forest trolls in fast-paced, strategic battlegrounds.
  • Play with or compete against other players in battle!
  • Explore, quest and collect items that you can wear, use or display.
  • Play a wide variety of mini-games to craft armor, weapons, potions, clothes, furniture and many other items.
  • Grab a root beer at the inn, and hang out with your friends while a rock band plays on the stage.
  • Interact with humorous and unique characters.
  • Raise a dog or cat, and teach it to be the kind of pet you want – shy, brave or funny.
  • Send links, share images and videos, and chat with friends from your own, personal, customizable social-networking page!

Angels Online: Golden Beach Monster Overview

Located to the west of Eden, Atlantis is a large scale sea with Puqi Island in the middle of it. With the release of the new expansion, some players have entered the new scenes led by the primary quests. However, players may be at a loss while they face these brand new scenes where monsters are of a higher level and possess high attack and defensive abilities. Players may be killed if they are not ready for these challenges.



Today, the Angels Online team is giving a brief introduction about Golden Beach monsters for all players.



Golden Beach is located to the west of Puqi Island. People live and work in peace and contentment here. The tropical thatched cottages can be found everywhere here. Go straight along the road in the middle of the dwellings, and players will find Golden Beach.



Players who come to the beach the first time may receive a warning from NPCs that they should keep away from the Puqi Crabs which possess outstanding attack and defensive abilities. If you are a Mage, it is better to begin a battle from a great distance. However, if you excel in melee, you had better organize a team with a Mage so that he can help you restore your HP.



Apart from native dwellers, Puqi Locals and Puqi Warriors live here as well. They are so rancorous that they even consider Angels from Eden as hells envoys. Players should be careful.



In addition, there are a great number of Color Crabs and Color Whelks on Golden Beach. Players can accept quests from NPCs in Puqi Village and then go to challenge the monsters. It should be easy for you to defeat them if you are Level 80+. However, be careful if you are around Level 60 because Color Crabs possess strong defense and attack abilities and Color Whelks are nuisances. Both Color Crabs and Color Whelks are aggressive and will attack players. It is better to organize a team including a Swordsman, a Priest, a Mage and a random DPS class player.