Entropia Universe is totally different! This is a game with tons of great aspects of virtual worlds, where designing is not just for the developers of the game, but for the players too. Hear the creators about their concept.
Yearly Archives: 2008
Dreamlords content video
This sweet looking MMO RTS invites you to fight against the nightmares.
Drift City Content
Cool racing game by Ijji, with hot cars and some great tracks. This video shows how to race, get extra points, create a car, and more!
Dream of Mirror Story
An exciting tale within Dream of Mirror online, of a warrior defending his love.
MMO Games and the Language Barrier
By Kelvin Cheung
It is a known fact that every country or region has its own individual Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) servers. Usually, these servers block players from outside regions for isolating the players from meeting players from other regions, preventing lag, or stabilizing issues. Given that fact, it is also known that the region also uses its native dialect as the default language for the people of the region.
However, the following lies to be asked, what happens to the foreigners visiting or living in the country? To demonstrate this situation, during July to August 2008, I happened to visit China for family. However, all of my MMOGs that I happened to play were either IP blocked or had terrible ping. In other words, the gameplay online was lagging. Because I was raised in the United States, and had no knowledge in reading the native language, I could not play Chinese MMOGs. During the whole stay, I tried to find an MMOG to play that was in English, but whenever downloading a game, such as Sword of the New World: Granado Espada, the download initially goes fast but then crashes; it has no speed whatsoever after five minutes prior to starting. In some countries, particularly China, some torrent sites are blocked, file-hosting sites do not have the server for the specific country or have their IP blocked, and/or usually a proxy might be required for the download process. The point is, unless the foreigner knows the language, he or she may very well not play MMOGs in the certain country unless a set base knowledge of the native language is learned.
Yet, many would ask the basic question, Why would you play an MMOG when you should have fun in the country you are in? From my perspective, what make MMOGs tick are the addiction and the fun factor. Granted, everyone that has played MMOGs and enjoyed them has had an addictive feeling towards them. After all, there are many qualities of MMOGs that make them stand out. Is the game action packed, cute, or grindy in a good way? Is the game eye-candy enough to attract the player for a short or long amount of time? Is the skill of the players in the MMOG great enough that they want to stay in the game longer? Or are there many quests that allow the players to fully enrich themselves with the story of the game? These factors show that MMOGs possess many qualities in different genres to allow players have fun and get addicted.
The theme of this topic is rather simple; should a game contain universal languages or a built-in translator for MMOGs, particularly free to play (F2P) MMOGs? What I mean to say as a universal language, what if a game had different language versions of the same game? For example, Maple Story Europe has a built in feature where if you change servers according to the country, you get the language of the mainland. For example, if I were to choose France as the server, the language becomes French, and vice versa with Spain to Spanish and England to English. The other option is adding an automatic translator into the game, where languages can be translated through a built in translator. Using this feature, languages can be translated to certain degrees.
So why do most FP2 MMOGs not have the time to implement these features? To my thoughts about this matter, it could be the lack of support or a miniscule amount of foreigners that need these features. Perhaps the translation of the game was poorly done and probably was scrapped, like in some MMOGs. Or it could be the amount of people that speak the universal language in that country is very few. To my thoughts on this matter, it depends on the effort placed on the company to develop such a tool/feature to allow players from different countries for easier access.
I do have doubts when a company attempts to support multilingual features. Usually when rough translation is done, there is usually confusion in which is the correct meaning. For example, when Maple Story had news of the fourth job advancements, there was a divide of rough Japanese fan translations whether or not it was Night Lord or Night Road, the fourth job advancement of the thief-tier class. The funny portion of the story was that it was either/or due to pronunciation issues. Of course, the Nexon, the official company, used Night Lord as the official dub.
Another flaw in destroying the language barrier of MMOGs in foreign countries is the ability to create a working translator. Google and Babelfish, the people use these tools to translate a foreign language to their native language. However, is it often reliable? I do understand that professional translators are hired to translate the game, but what of the chats in game? Translators obviously are not available for use 24/7, but using automated translators pose a gamble of whether they can translate the whole text or utterly fail.
Aside from doubts, I believe convenience is a matter of utmost importance for MMOG players when traveling to foreign countries. To be lost in translation in a video game is to be lost in translation in tourism of the real world. However, I stress that under the companys firm direction can the language barrier be demolished. Otherwise, it will just be a third rate buggy fan translation of a video game script. After much experience in Chinas language barrier firsthand, the language barrier in MMOGs must and should be taken down.
Writers Feedback
The writer did regret searching and downloading MMOGs while in China. Although he did feel the addiction, it was rather a waste of time looking for a suitable game to play. The writer strongly suggests that if you are going to a foreign country, you should enjoy the sights, or install the game(s) before you leave the country. That way, you do not feel the agony of searching and downloading while finding a proxy list that does not work.
New Quests Added to Pirates of the Caribbean Online; Retail Game Cards Now Available!
Disney Online has announced the addition of new quests to Pirates of the Caribbean Online as well the availability of Unlimited Access Game Cards at select retail stores across the country!
New Quests and Pirate Gear:
This month, Disney Online introduces three new Quests to Pirates of the Caribbean Online that will give Unlimited Access Pirates a chance to suit up in some prime Pirate gear.
Players can stop by the tailor shop on Port Royal and start the Pirates Life Quest after which they can earn a new five-piece outfit that includes a red and white polka-dot bandana, yellow shirt, short buckle boots, belt, and patched pantaloons. In addition, after completing the Clothing for a Pirate Quest, players will stand-out from the crowd in a new unique six-piece outfit. Lastly, players can also now imitate the infamous Pirate Captain Barbossa with a new outfit (including his famous feathered hat) after completing Adorias Family Quest.
Each outfit is available for Pirates of varying Notoriety levels (one basic Level 10+, one intermediate Level 15+, and one advanced Level 25+).
Game Cards Now in Stores:
Unlimited Access Game Cards for Pirates of the Caribbean Online are now available for purchase. Sold as 30-day and 90-day game passes, the Game Cards give players Unlimited Access to all that the Caribbean has to offer. Cards are now available at select Target and Best Buy stores nationwide, with more retail locations coming soon.
Disney Online has additional content planned for the game including the addition of new enemies. Click here to view concept art of these new foes.
ISSUE 13: ARCHITECT FEATURE LIST
City of Heroes® Issue 13: Architect
Mission Architect:
First the City of Heroes Character Creator set a new standard for player creation and customization. Now, Issue 13 takes another giant step, allowing players to design their own missions and story arcs to share with the entire City of Heroes community. Using an intuitive interface similar to the games detailed Character Creator, players can create missions from the ground up. Players will determine details ranging from environments, mission objectives, and enemies, to written fiction and character dialogue; giving their stories nearly infinite depth and personalization.
Among other rewards, authors and architects who create the most extraordinary content will garner acclaim and reputation. Community feedback will be paramount and some missions will elevate in status unlocking new rewards and benefits for their creators.
Day Jobs (Offline Character Progression)
Scholar? Caregiver? City Official? Now when players log out of City of Heroes / Villains theyre just getting started! A characters day job is determined by the actual in-game location from which he or she logs out. If players log out from a University their day job is considered to be a Scholar. If they log out from City Hall they’re a City Official. The benefits are thematically appropriate to the location. For example, a City Official earns extra Influence, a Scholar is granted Salvage, a Caregiver is granted Health Regeneration Buffs, etc.
Once characters have accumulated the required amount of time for each Day Job, they are rewarded with the appropriate Day Job Badge and Title, increasing their earnings for that job. Multiple Badges can be combined to unlock Accolades and the ability to accumulate additional new rewards. Almost every location within Paragon City and the Rogue Isles has an associated Day Job, resulting in a wide selection of jobs and rewards!
New Powersets
New Cimerora Missions New Hero and Villain story arcs expand upon the history and lore, and delve into the players and politics of Cimerora.
The Merit Rewards System is a new game system that allows players to earn tokens by completing Trials, Task Forces, Strike Forces, Raids, etc. The most challenging and time consuming tasks grant the most reward tokens, which can be redeemed throughout Hero and Villain zones for recipes, enhancements, salvage, costume pieces, badges, inspirations and other game items.
Other features include new Invention Origin Sets, new Costume Sets, a Patron Power Respec, Zone Refinements, and more!
MATT MILLER ANNOUNCEMENT OF ISSUE 13
Good morning Players!
I wanted to be the first to let you all know that the primary Feature list for Issue 13: Architect is now live! That said, Id like to take this opportunity to talk to you about some of the new features, more in depth.
First off is the issue name, Architect. I liked the correlation that the name has between some of the improvements we are making to bases (in the way new things are purchased for them) and to our Mission Architect feature. Players can now be architects of their own story arcs that other players can play. When I first mentioned this system in the 4th Anniversary post, I had no idea how wildly popular that single concept would be. The thread that followed that post had a plethora of ideas of how such a system could, and should work from a players perspective.
With virtually no information to go on, some people very much underestimated what would be possible with the Mission Architect. Some got it spot on, and some people wanted features that were simply impossible to get into the system at launch. Even so, we are very proud of the system as it stands. Players can make their own story arcs using a customized version of the tool used by our mission writers, in some cases rivaling our own internal tools in ease-of-use. I am really looking forward to playing the stories you all create with this amazing tool!
I should probably take this moment to talk about what the Mission Architect is not meant for. It is not meant for easy leveling or badging or farming. Those are things that we specifically wanted the Mission Architect NOT to do. This may be a disappointment to some, I know. The goal was to give creative minds an outlet to tell the stories they have in their heads. We didnt want the system clogged with Farm missions, so actually finding someones story that they lovingly crafted became more a chore than it was worth.
To that end, the Rewards in the Mission Architect are something we, ahem, discussed with raised voices time and time again. How much was too much? How little was too little? What limits needed to be put into place to stop farming? Should we even have such limits? Etc. In the end, we have a system that we believe is the best suited for what Mission Architect was made for, and is not abusable. Time and testing will tell if that is really the case though. Like the Invention System, there will be many iterations on the Mission Architect to make sure we get it right before it goes to the Live servers.
Next I want to talk about Day Jobs. This started out as a kind of secret identity system, but we wanted to save the term Secret Identity for a system that fit that name better. Day Jobs works well because it is what your character is doing when not being a Hero or a Villain. Its their day job. A character who logs out in the Hospital is assumed to be working in a medicinal capacity, and they will receive a themed bonus when they log back in, that sort of thing. We even made it possible to have your characters Day Job to be On Patrol or Committing Crimes, just in case you couldnt envision your character having a normal life while you were not actively playing them.
There are plenty of other features in Issue 13: Architect as well, like the new powersets, including the much requested Villainous Version of Empathy called Pain Domination. Were also adding some great new missions to Issue 12s Roman Zone Cimerora, as well as a brand new reward system that will hopefully see the end of necessary Task Force farming trying to get that one specific Recipe you have been dying to get. The Issue 13 Feature List explains more about that. Well be announcing more specifics of each of these features between now and the beta testing for Issue 13.
Finally, I want to tell you about two Booster Packs that will be available in a month or so. Many players have requested the ability to buy the 30 day temporary jetpack that comes with the new City of Heroes Game Cards. Once the retailer exclusive period ends next month, we are making the same jetpack available for purchase for $4.99 (which is the cost difference between the one month game time and the $20 Game Card price). We are also excited to launch our Super Booster I: Cyborg Pack for $9.99. This pack has an awesome set of costume pieces, emotes, auras and a power. Well be sharing all of the details shortly.
So thank you players for the enthusiastic support and I cant wait to get these new features into your hands and to answer your questions about Issue 13 over the coming months and at Hero-Con in October.
Happy hunting!
Matt Positron Miller
Lead Designer, City of Heroes/Villains
Special Edition Goodie Bags on Offer
Gametribe.com, the premier destination for Free-to-Play games is pleased to announce that Dream of Mirror Online (DOMO), the Free-to-Play social MMORPG, has received its second content update for August. This amazing update contains 3 brand new Special Edition Goodie Bags which will be placed into the games shop for a very limited time.
These rare Special Edition Goodie Bags are only available until September 3rd; players can get their hands on an Ornamental Pet such as the heavily sought after Dorabimon alongside other rare items and cute helpers such as the handy Eggsploiter who will help you in battle or one of the Special Edition versions of the Alice or Mr. Rabbit Costumes.
The update also brings more new costumes and hair dyes into the shop, players can go down the rabbit hole and pick up a standard edition Alice or Mr. Rabbit Costume or change their hair colour to Orange or Green. A brand new Guild quest in which guild members need to protect the fabled Darkdale Mine is also included.
The new update will be available to players after the weekly Wednesday maintenance window.
DOMO is a Free-to-Play social MMORPG based on ancient Chinese mythology. Join with thousands of other gamers in an amazing anime-inspired world where you can socialize, form friendships, craft and master a variety of jobs, all within the underlying quest of trying to solve the riddles of the ancient myth of the Kunlun Mirror.
DOMO Trailer
A grand attack in the world of Dream of Mirror Online (DOMO). This really funny video shows all the aspects of gameplay and combat styles. It’s part 2 of a miniseries about DOMO. Can anyone rescue them? Find out soon!