Monthly Archives: July 2009

Monato Esprit Officially Launched

Reality Gap, Inc., the creators of MetaTIX, a turnkey billing system for online gamers and virtual worlds, today announced that its upcoming Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), Monato Esprit, will launch commercially on Thursday, July 16th. Monato Esprit allows users to play the game and level their characters for free, with the option of using MetaTIX for player trades, premium content and in-game purchases.
Monato Esprit is a fantasy role-playing game in which players assume the role of winged Archons whose mission is to rid the Dreamworld of an invasion by nightmares.  As a unique component of the game, players control the economy by having the exclusive right to sell items in the stores, commanding non-player characters (NPCs) to charge tolls, and performing alchemy to create custom magic items.
“We are excited to be able to present gamers with the official launch of Monato Esprit,” said Michael Williams, CEO of Reality Gap, Inc. “However, players should remember that this is a living, breathing product, and one that will continue to evolve over time. The Dreamworld you see today will not be the one you see in six months. Fans will find new ways to master spells and combat abilities, complete quests, form guilds, as well as participate in the new and robust player-driven economy with MetaTIX.”
MetaTIX is a “virtual currency” players can use to pay for things in place of using real money. Players can buy tix, win tix, trade for tix, or receive tix through sponsorships.
Williams continued, “What makes MetaTIX so unique is that other online games and websites can sign up to use MetaTIX through Reality Gap’s affiliate program, basically ensuring that as more players and online games use this business model, the more valuable MetaTIX will become in the virtual and online world.”


AdventureQuest Worlds Reaches 9 Million

Artix Entertainment, creator of MMORPG AdventureQuest Worlds, announced today the game has exceeded 9 million registered players. Since its launch in October, AdventureQuest Worlds has grown an average of 1.1 million new players every month.
“The spectacular growth rate of AQW shows no signs of slowing down, and we find that very gratifying,” said Adam Bohn, founder and CEO of Artix Entertainment. “The game’s appeal – in addition to chat, real-time combat, wars, and live events – is enhanced by our releasing at least one new game update every week since launch.”
 
AdventureQuest Worlds provides players with exciting adventures battling armies of monsters in real-time combat and new weekly quests. Players can customize their characters with armors, capes, helms, and custom-crafted weapons from the Blacksmith’s Shop at any level. Players have the freedom to change among different character classes at any time, and can level-up all of the classes to the max to unlock new skills and specialty shops along the way.
 

Perfect World Review: Beauty in an MMORPG

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), Onrpg Journalist

Perfect World is a F2P MMORPG from Perfect World Entertainment, the company also handles games such as Ether Saga and Jade Dynasty

Perfect World revolves around the story of the three races created by a god Pan Gu which are the Human, the Untamed and the Winged Elves. An evil entity  has started manifesting in the lands of the Perfect World and the three races must then set aside their fight to face the oncoming evil.

Your part in all of this is to become a hero from one of the three races who work together, helping eradicate the evil that is brought upon by the lost race that Pan Gu has tried to erase by flooding the world before.

Character Creation

The character creation in Perfect World is the game’s main attraction. The game has one of the most detailed character customization features in any game, may it be F2P nor P2P. Aside from the usual choices of hair color, race and the other choices, this is a game where you can practically put your face up and make your in-game character look exactly like you.

You have full control on the facial creation of your character, and as an added bonus, the game system allows you to upload a reference picture that is set beside the face creation part of the game so that you won’t have to bother opening a picture in a separate program.

Races

The three races in Perfect World dictate what kind of job class is open for your character. For the Human race you have the option of becoming a Blademaster and a Wizard. For the Untamed you have the choice of becoming a Barbarian and a Venomancer. While for the third race, the Winged Elves, you have the choice of becoming an Archer and a Cleric.

Aside from the exclusive job class per race, there are also exclusive mounts that you can have that each race has.  The Humans and Untamed are allowed to carry flying mounts once they reach level 30 while the Winged Elves are able to fly since level one.

Humans Fly on Swords

Game Features

Aside from the character creation choices and the race specific job class, Perfect World has other features as well. Some of the game features include, an Auction House, Crafting, Marriage system and Territory wars.

Conclusion

Perfect World is an MMORPG that mixes beautiful landscapes and even a in-depth customization system that truly makes your character an avatar that you can say “this is me in a game!” The wonderful thing though about the game is that even if the people behind Perfect World know that the detailed customization would be the game’s prime selling point, they made sure that there are a lot of things you can enjoy.

A few quirky examples  is that your character can flirt with other players, kiss them and even lift them up and carry them wherever you choose to bring them. Of course the first and most important factor for these quirks is the entertainment you get (of course who wouldn’t want to kiss a foxy-fox lady if you know what I mean) some may even have practical use.  For example lifting other players up and carrying them could help in questing, especially for those quests where you would need to reach areas that normally are in accessible through normal means, you can practically bring the person in need to the area just by lifting the person up and bringing them to the designated place.

Carrying Other Players

Perfect World, even for a F2P game has taken into consideration most F2P MMOs has ignored which makes this game such a treat to play. Some of the level of the details aside from the quirks that I mentioned earlier, the details in the landscape the intricacy of the NPCs is just that breathtaking for an F2P game. Of course this would take its toll on the graphics engine of your computer. However I would be lying if you’d be disappointed on the visual treat that’s before you.

Aside from the stunning landscape, characters and monsters you have in-game there are other things that really make your Perfect World a fun experience. For example the crafting system is one of the things that really got me hooked in playing. As most crafting features any game has. Perfect World’s crafting is like a gambling match against the game’s system. It really is a rewarding experience when you the items you brought to the NPC would eventually become important equipment for your character.

What’s more is that most of the materials you need are bought from NPCs and some are dropped by low-leveled monsters. The beauty with this kind of drop and craft system is that if you are lucky enough,  the item that you get to craft with low-level materials would eventually become the weapons you can use for about ten levels and above. That’s what I got when I played a Winged Elf archer and I got a crossbow that skipped a few weapon levels.

As a personal experience I can say that Perfect World has done a lot of things right. The most obvious of this is the visual and the customization freedom the game gives its players that most F2P MMOs fail to provide. However, as most F2P games are, there are still a lot that the game lacks, one example would be the lack of flexibility when it comes to the quests and the game should add more features because there are games that offer more features with a simpler graphic load.

Pros:
– The amount of customization allowed for players is in-depth
– Creating your own armors and items can be an addicting task
– Each race is has its own special attribute exclusively for each race.

Cons:
– The game would find it hard to run in less powerful computers
– The game may be too elegant for the taste of the general public
– Passing through densely populated areas can be too much trouble especially if they flock around important NPCs. 

WoW Player Sentenced To Nine Years Over ‘Kidnapping’

Thenewstribune.com is reporting the following news:
 
A troubled 14-year-old girl who regarded an older Alabama man she’d met online as a second father was in return treated as a sex object, a federal judge said Tuesday.
 
Morgan Douglas Jones initiated sexual contact with the Boise girl through their World of Warcraft game personas, then turned his fantasies into reality when he drove across the country to help her run away.
 
Over the course of six days, the pair had sex multiple times while Jones gave the girl alcohol and prescription pills. They ended up at a north Franklin County campground.
 
Those actions justify nine years behind bars, ruled U.S. District Court Judge Ed Shea.
 
(…)
 
Jones and the Boise girl met in 2007 through the internet game World of Warcraft.
 
After having a platonic online relationship for almost a year, Jones told the girl on April 21, 2008, that his wife had left him. Days later Jones’ game character gave the girl’s character a peck on the lips and fondled her, which led to an online sexual relationship. And within two days Jones was professing how much he loved the girl and arranged for the two to have an online wedding, according to graphic game logs as read by Shea and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter.
 
(…)
 
Once released from federal prison, Jones will be supervised for 50 years.


WoW Player Threatens To Blow Up Plane

According to WBIC in Indiana, an 18 Year Old was online playing World of Warcraft when he made a threat to blow up a commercial airliner. A Moderator noticed the messages and contacted the authorities about them. The person’s IP was found, traced and the FBI showed up at his door. He was interrogated and now may face federal charges.


Neo Steam: A New Horizon

Adventurers journey to a long-lost island in search of riches and new challenges! Atlus Online’s fantasy-steampunk massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent, has unveiled the elusive Rope Isle, an island wracked by war. Thanks to the clamor of Atlus Online’s members and a successful petition, the new map destination was opened, furthering the turbulent lore of the shattered continent.
 
 
“Our community spoke, and we always strive to listen,” says Alice Ly, Online Marketing and Portal Manager, Atlus U.S.A., Inc. “Rope Isle is an integral part of the game’s history. It was the epicenter of change and later became a key point of contention in the war to harness Neo Steam.  We agree with our fans that this map marks a powerful addition to Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent.”
Rope Isle, once known as Acydia, was the source of the catastrophic earthquake that split the continent of Chrysalis. As the landmasses began to drift apart, desperate inhabitants instinctively fashioned cables to keep their world together. Alas, the attempt was futile and left Acydia a tangle of ropes and chains – resulting in its fitting nickname. Rope Isle remains a central part of the struggle in the new world, as it houses vast amounts of the ore used to harvest Neo Steam, a precious resource necessary to fuel most progress, travel, and industry across the nations.    
The battle over Neo Steam takes place between two warring states – the Kingdom of Elerd and the Republic of Rogwel. From the onset, customization is key to each player’s experience, as they pledge allegiance to their homeland of choice and select from a number of specialized classes. As players battle to expand their nation’s resources and protect their borders from invasion, they must learn to harness steam technology to upgrade their equipment, learn new abilities, and progress in their chosen class. Adding to the immersive aspect of the fantasy-steampunk world in Atlus Online’s first MMO, the game also features various forms of steam-based machines and vehicles for faster in-game traveling.

 

Runes of Magic Chapter II

Frogster today revealed a new map outlining the areas from the forthcoming Runes of Magic “Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy”. The new areas are part of the game’s first free content expansion, which the company is calling chapters, which also feature new quests, items, storylines and epic encounters. More than 1.5 million registered players will gain access to Chapter II’s content this August and September as the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) continues to redefine the standard for free-to-play games.
The first territory that players will travel through is the already announced ‘Weeping Coast’ in north east Taborea. The ‘Savage Lands’ territory lies further to the west. The region is surrounded by a vast rainforest which serves as the home of the Elves. Their settlements lie at a dizzying height in the tops of the huge trees. But the Naga have also established themselves in several small supply outposts in the ‘Savage Lands,’ from where they plan their attacks on the Elves.
It’s hot in the far northwest of the continent. The ‘Aotulia Volcano’ is a massive volcano and also gives its name to the region. An ash-filled sky awaits players who venture into the shadows of the fire spewing mountain. In ancient lore, the mountain, which has been spewing fire and lava for 150 years, was also called ‘Claw of the Demon Dragon,’ hinting at a well-protected secret lying deep within the ‘Aotulia Volcano.’
A more peaceful place is the Elven Island, which is located far to the east off the coast of Taborea. It serves as a place for education of the young Elves. This is where they not only refine their combat skills, but also make diplomatic connections with humankind on the mainland. With the incorporation of the Elves as a playable race, adventurers will be able to set foot on the island for the very first time and in the new race’s starting territory, learn all that is required for a successful career as a hero.