Yearly Archives: 2010

Star Trek Online Jumping On The F2P Bandwagon?

Star Trek Online Jumping On The F2P Bandwagon?

 

Daniel Stahl, Star Trek Online‘s new Executive Producer, has dropped an interesting bombshell on his community:

Daniel Stahl, Star Trek Online Executive Producer “I could easily see STO going into a hybrid model similar to what Lotro is doing. In that model, subscriptions stay as is – but you allow people to play for free but heavily limit what they can do – which in essence creates a robust way to demo the game and then if you want to keep playing, you either pay for every little thing you are interested in, or you subscribe and don’t have to worry about it.

Turbine seems to have some interesting plans and looking at how DDO has turned around, its worth taking note.”

Yes, it’s certainly worth taking note! As Star Trek Online has gone through a couple of marketing disasters in its short lifespan already (need I remind you of the skillcap problems?) it will be interesting to see how the small but loyal Star Trek Online community will react to this.

(Thanks for the tip Tully!)

Guild Wars 2 Activities and Travel Q&A

Guild Wars 2 Activities and Travel Q&A

Blogpost from Arena.net Answered by: John Stumme and Ben Miller, Designers

Guild Wars 2 designers John Stumme and Ben Miller answer player questions about the newly revealed activities, maps, and travel.  Will GW2 activities have balls?  Will the game of Polymock return? How big are those racial capital cities, anyway?  Read on for answers to these questions and more!

Mini-games


Q: Will some of the mini-games you’ve created use balls; for example in polo?
John: Only the manliest games! There, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I can say with a straight face that the answer to this question is yes, we have activities that use balls (you’ve actually already seen the art for one of those activities) and the equivalent of balls. For example, we’ve got an activity in Hoelbrak that’s basically a norn interpretation of basketball, so you’ve got passing, shooting, etc. The only difference is that the ball in this case is a heavy keg of ale. Norn are such lovable scamps.

Q: In there a chance that the Guild Wars holiday events (e.g., Wintersday, Halloween) will return in Guild Wars 2 as mini-games?

John: We aren’t planning on abandoning our old holiday traditions; it’s something we’ll definitely carry forward into Guild Wars 2. As you might expect, there are going to be some differences in our holidays – for example, the snowball fight is a year round activity, not just one that will be available during the Wintersday event.

Guild Wars 2 Village

We’ll also be updating the holiday festivities to take advantage of the new tools we have at our disposal, so I hope you’ll be looking forward to them. Personally, as a fan of Halloween, I’m hoping that the Mad King will make a triumphant return to Tyria – and that after 250 years, his jokes will have managed to get even worse.

Q: Will Polymock come back as an activity in Guild Wars 2?

John: The original version of Polymock was one of those instances where we had something that we really wanted to be able to do, but we weren’t able to see it fully realized in Guild Wars. Polymock was one of Colin Johanson’s side projects during Eye of the North. He envisioned it as something that was fully turn-based, a very different game unto itself. It would have played up the collectible element, and the meaning to bringing different pieces into the game. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something we were able to do at the time with the resources we had, but it is something we can do with Guild Wars 2. So if you see Polymock making its return, it will be in a more robust implementation, to reflect what we had always wanted it to be.

Q: How developed is the player-created music system you mentioned, and how far will we be able to go with it?

John:I believe that this question is in reference to the One-Man Band that we have in Divinity’s Reach, the human capital. The One-Man Band isn’t a system for players to create their own music per se – it’s more like a giant festive jukebox. Players can select songs from it and have them playing within the square, and it’s pretty entertaining to watch. I’m not sure how musical instruments that large are able to shoot out that much confetti, but I’m happy that they do, because it’s a great bit of ambiance to absorb while you’re walking through Divinity’s crowded streets.
As for a system of generating music, it isn’t something that we’ve discussed, and I’m not sure that you’ll be seeing it in Guild Wars 2. The fact that I would personally use it to spam people with “The Final Countdown” might have something to do with that.
Maps and Travel

Q: Since you mention the fee for waypoint travel is small, why have one in the first place?
Ben: It allows us to establish a balance between exploration and convenience. It also provides a minor, but highly repeatable way to drain money out of the economy. You don’t HAVE to use them, and in some cases it’s better to save your cash and just enjoy the run through the countryside.

Q: How many waypoints and asura gates will the map have?

Ben: The real answer would be “As many waypoints as it takes to make the map awesome.” Currently any normal map has between 10 to 20 waypoints. Asura gates are in the major cities and some other story-specific areas. Right now that feels about right.

Q: Cities seem to be big since you mention travelling inside cities. Are cities divided into multiple zones?

Ben: Yes. All of our cities are quite large and divided into different thematic areas, with some special places you can instance into. The actual Divinity’s Reach map has different sections that reflect the different social groups, sections devoted to the six human gods, a large carnival area, and several instanced areas like the Queen’s Palace or the headquarters of the Seraph that are their own smaller maps.

Guild Wars 2 Shadow in the alley

Q: Do you know how big (in km^2) the GW2 map is?
Ben: This is always an interesting question in terms of big open world games, and MMOs in specific. In most cases it’s not a very cool number. You’d be surprised at how small most game worlds literally are when compared to how big they “feel.” We haven’t sat down and calculated the literal land mass for Guild Wars 2 yet, but on average the maps are larger than Guild Wars maps, so the game world you experience is much larger.

Thanks John and Ben!

Source: Developer Blog

Eudemons Summer Events

Eudemons Summer Events

 

The lovely folk over at Eudemons have sent us an overview of their summer events!

Starting on July 16th, there will be four unique events during the months of July and August that you’re sure to make you feel the heat!

These Summer Events will consist of four daily quests: Picking Berries (10:00-11:00), Crazy Turkey (14:00-15:00), Secret Park (18:00-19:00) and Treasure Quest (22:00-23:00). You can do these 4 quests each day, and you will earn Flower Cards that can be traded in for great new things like Eudemons, Items, Garments, and more!

Eudemon Summer Events Calender

These events will be coming soon, so get those sunglasses ready! Come on and sign up for the 2nd Flying Mount Tournament, and all the other great events they have lined up while you enjoy your summer with Eudemons Online!
 
Quest 1: Picking Berries
Duration: 10:00 – 11:00 everyday, from July 16th to August 31st.

Charlotte’s berries are finally ripe! During the event time, and help her pick the berries, then she will pay you with Flower Cards, as thanks for the help.

Quest 2: Crazy Turkey
Duration: 14:00-15:00 everyday, from July 16th to August 31st.

The Crazy Turkeys keep stirring up trouble between 14:00 and 15:00 everyday, during the Summer Vacation (from July 16 to August 31). Get yourself suited up and drive them away from the city!

Quest 3: Secret Park
Duration: 18:00-19:00 everyday, from July 16th to August 31st.

During the event time, take as many Random Portals as you can, and then find the NPCs to enter the Park.

Quest 4: Treasure Quest
Duration: 22:00-23:00 everyday, from July 16th to August 31st.

Mysterious chests will appear in Cronus. The chests contain treasure maps to long forgotten treasures. Find the NPCs to get the keys to the chests.

Stay tuned for more news on Eudemons!

King of Kings 3

King of Kings 3 is a free-to-play 3D online role-playing game with an emphasis on PvP and RvR. Discover a medieval fantasy world, splintered into seven unstable enemy realms after many long years of bitter war.Join one of these realms and create your own destiny. Found a guild with your friends and wage bitter war against other guilds. With your legions by your side, you can create a kingdom of your own. Conquer enemy armies to become the King of Kings!
What does King of Kings 3 offer?Multi-level, dynamic guild system – You start as a young lone warrior, but soon get the chance to band together with other to form an alliance. By rising to the daily challenges, your guild can thrive and prosper and be expanded to a legion. The stronger and larger your alliance grows, the more advantages and amenities it can offer its members. Once you have grown powerful enough and have learned to hold your own in battle, nothing can stand between you and the crown: become ruler of your own kingdom and secure your place in history.Housing and town building – Discover your inner architect! Design your own home and build it up from a simple log house to a sprawling villa. Build a fortress for your legion and an impressive capital city for your kingdom, tailor-made and built up with a variety of functional and decorative buildings. Houses and towns can also level up and be improved to offer higher bonuses.PvP with conquerable towns – Be it duels, spontaneous skirmishes, regularly-held events and battlegrounds or an all-out declaration of war on other kingdoms and attacks on their towns… King of Kings 3 has everything a PvP fan could wish for! Your efforts will also not go unnoticed: Look for your name at the top of the ranking lists.

Collect titles that will bring not just fame and glory, but also increased buffs. Strengthen your kingdom and increase your fortune. Teach your enemies the true meaning of fear and prove that you are worthy of the title King of Kings!

Flexibility and depth – King of Kings doesn’t just offer a wealth of features, but also has a depth never seen before in a game of this type. The detailed and elaborate game elements form a complex and multi-faceted world that – unlike in most other RPGs – is not static but rather can be changed by the player’s choices.

Digimon Battle Preview: Fangasm to the Extreme!

Digimon Battle Preview: Fangasm to the Extreme!
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

When I was still in High school I was a big fan of Pokemon and Digimon. The two were then in their first season and I was very into the whole monster craze. However, among the two, I was more of a Pokemon player because of the GBA Pokemon game versions and the Trading Card Games (I used to be a pure psychic Pokemon TCG player). The Digimon franchise only had very expensive Digivices which was a glorified Tamagotchi toy.

 

I still consider those toys up a hyped up version of Tamagotchi but that didn’t stop me from wanting them especially when tamers released their merchandize. Since then the only experience I’ve had with Digimon games comes from the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Back then I didn’t have any notion of MMORPGs and online games so it never crossed my mind to make an online game about online pets.

 

Then somebody told me about Digimon Battle.

 

Digimon Tamers
Digimon Tamers

 

Be a Digidestined!

It took a few years (about 5 seasons of Digimon) to finally make someone think of creating a game about kids who were transported into the net and have their Digimons, or digital monsters fight for them. The series reeked of MMO potential but nobody actually took notice of it, till now.

 

Digimon Battle is in fact a game that is very much rooted into the whole Digimon concept. You have your avatar take care of a Digimon, raise it till it reaches certain levels to digivolve (the Digimon version of evolving to another form) and fight other Digimons (owned or wild). However, in the series, the digidestined (or the chosen children) are bound by duty and are required in one way or another to do it. In your case however, you are just thrust into the world of Digimon without any story to follow.

 

Digimon Tamer Information 
Digimon Tamer Profile

 

Jump right at it

Digimon Battle doesn’t go through the usual MMO rituals of stories or plots that give you a reason to play the game. You just create an account. Afterwards you get to choose a character as your avatar based from the four series mainstays, Takato, Henry, Rika and Jeri and get one from the current roster of in-training Digimons, Gigimon, Viximon and Gummymon. Then you are given a beginner’s quest to understand how the whole game system works and that’s it.

 

Without any goal set, the game is more of a grindfest and a Digimon nurturing MMO. Actually I think it really works well because that’s what Digimon really is. You partner yourself with your Digimon and make it stronger to beat down the bigger Digimons. The game system is kept simple, with the mythos behind the game being backed up by the series on which is was based (season 3, Digimon Tamers) it’s the familiarity of the Digimons, the avatars and the whole concept of finally being able to play against other people without the need of a real life Digivice is what the game is all about.

 

PvP goodness

The game is PvP-centered, the tamer and Digimon record system makes it sort of a “requirement” for players to keep their Digimons in tip-top shape. The game controls are easy to understand, and the gameplay is similar to Final Fantasy 7. This keeps you glued to your seat during battles. There’s a variation in the number of Digimons you face in each battle. There are times when you face only one but there are other times that you need to defeat five Digimons all at the same time.

 

Digimon PVP Battle 
Digimon PVP Battle

 

Gameplay

The camera angle is in the isometric perspective both in battles and during traveling so there will be moments where you may find it hard to travel. Keeping the right mouse button pushed keeps you from consistently clicking through the places where you want your avatar to go.

 

Leveling in Digimon Battle is a mix of stat allocation and basic stat growth. You are given 2 stat points to allocate on your Digimon’s four stat categories and at the same time the base stats of your Digimon grow as it levels. Digimons also have attributes that are separated into three classifications. The classification works like an elemental system in other MMOs where one classification works better against the other and the other one works on the third and so on.

 

The game also allows you to capture Digimons and use them in your battles. You can switch them through battles much like how you can switch Pokemon during Poke battles. This concept goes way out of the original Digimon concept but it works quite well with Digimon Battles. It provides you an ace or at least leverage when you are faced with a Digimon or tamer whose attribute are  strong against your Digimon.

 

Digimon Skins
Use different digimon in battle

 

Other Features

The game also incorporates crests and Digieggs that boost your Digimon’s stats. In the series, the crests are earned by the Digidestined when they show exemplary character in situations while Digieggs are either passed or were found by the Digidestined. However, in the game, these two are earned through crafting.

 

Also, instead of just helping the Digimons evolve, the crests and eggs serve as a stat booster for your Digimons. Each crest and egg has its own stat affinity and this serves as the “equipment” of your Digimon in the game.

 

There’s also the card system implemented in the game. Much like in Digimon Tamers, the cards have a corresponding use and you can only use them if you equipped them before a battle. The cards provide you with a variation of tactics you can use and this keeps you on your toes during PvP.

 

Digimon Information
Digimon info sheets

 

What the Game Lacks

Overall I don’t really have much to complain about with the game because it has stayed true to the essence of Digimon while adding some elements that make it more interesting. However, I have two gripes with the game.

 

My first gripe is that the game has little to no customization features in terms of how you look. As I mentioned earlier, the avatars you can choose in the game are the main characters of the game. I personally would’ve liked the idea that we were given the choice to create a character that we can connect ourselves to, but then the game is relying on the familiarity of the third season, Digimon Tamers as its base so that’s quite understandable.

 

My second gripe with the game is that it uses  very dated game graphics. Digimon Battle’s graphics reminds me of Fairyland Online. This was my first and biggest disappointment with the game because I expected it to have a very crisp game look. Sadly, I was sorely let down.

 

The game’s redeeming quality is that Digimon Battle satisfied my Digimon game craving that the console games seemed to never fill. The game feels exactly how a Digimon tamer should feel and that’s the reason why players stick to the game regardless of the dated graphics engine. That doesn’t stop me from trying to get my Terriermon to reach the champion stage, so why should it stop you?

The Free-2-Play Myth?

The Free-2-Play Myth?
Neil Kewn (Murxidon), OnRPG Journalist

 

Maybe it’s just me, but being a thirteen year old without a credit card was excruciating. MMORPGs were spewing out left right and centre and my inability to cough up the subscription charges left me out in the cold. Six years ago, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the exciting titles everyone seemed to be hyping. The MMO boom was well underway, and I vaguely remember posting a “free MMORPG alternatives” thread on the OnRPG boards. Unfortunately, I soon realised that despite the enticing F2P tagline, adventuring into an online world for free does carry a price.

 

I began my online gaming fascination with RuneScape, a browser based MMORPG by Jagex. It is now the most popular free MMORPG in the world, with approximately ten million active accounts. I couldn’t afford to pay £10 a month on video game subscriptions (not much has changed five years on), so I was pretty ecstatic when I discovered that I could play one of these new-fangled persistent world things without coughing up a dime.

 

Naturally, browser based games do have their limitations. After trudging along the murky polygon rapture for two years, I decided to make the transition to desktop-based 3D games that had a little more resemblance to the pay-2-play behemoths that I craved, at least in terms of graphical ability.

 

It’s just like WoW!

Knight Online was my first fully 3D MMORPG that didn’t involve a web browser. First impressions were good; it certainly looked like those P2P games I sought after. I click on an enemy, hit an action bar button, a few seconds later it comically fell to the ground. I could loot it, equip what had dropped and move onto the next unfortunate creature. I remember spending hours of my seemingly endless spare time on that game, levelling my Warrior to something respectable in the process.

 

Knight Online F2P Myth
Premium Power Ups – Better than a cash shop?

 

I never once questioned why I was getting a fully 3D fantasy world to meddle in without paying a price of admission. It was only until I returned to the game several months later that I noticed an option for “Premium Power Ups” on the game’s homepage. This service allowed players to use real money for certain in game advantages, including a 400% experience increase, a 100% increase in the amount of coin dropped, a discount on item repairs, preferred server access and special premium items.

 

The Item Shop

Free MMORPGs usually rely on some form of premium service to sustain an income. Whether it is the aforementioned “Power Ups” or the more commonly seen Item Stores, these virtual shopping malls allow players to spend real money on virtual items, as opposed to the traditional method of spending in game money on virtual items.

Item stores have one fundamental flaw, though. Players who don’t upgrade their items by forking out cash for the improved counterparts are left behind. Players may spend hours building up and improving their gear, but there will always be someone who has a significantly better headpiece or polearm because they paid for that privilege. Not only does it undermine the whole concept of grinding for items, it creates a two-tier community.  Is it this class system that will prevent free MMORPGs from surpassing Pay-2-Play ones in terms of popularity?

 

F2P Myth Item Shop
Tempting, I must admit

 

Free MMOs that implement item shops are hardly flat lining, but they’re not showing exponential growth either. I’ve known gamers to skip free MMOs altogether purely on the basis they don’t wish to deal with a cash shop, which isn’t a good sign considering a lot of them rely on the humble store as their primary source of income.

 

Of course, it would be foolish to believe that MMOs could survive without constant funding (there are some exceptions), but should MMO developers be looking at incorporating different money making strategies if they wish to encourage a stable player base?

 

Adopt a system that is proven to work

As an avid player of RuneScape, I watched the game explode in terms of size and popularity. In my eyes, it’s one of the few games I actually consider to be a free MMORPG. Not because they don’t offer an item shop or power ups, but because the premium experience is kept mostly separate from the free one.

 

The members feature, as it is known, multiplies the content and feature set of the game tenfold, but players will have no real handicap if they choose not to upgrade. The reason for this is the inclusion of a “barrier” that is kept between free and paying players. The servers in the game are split between the two player types. “Free worlds”” are open to all players, whilst “Member worlds” are restricted to paying clientele.  Members are allowed to visit specific free worlds and interact with free players, trade specific items and chat to them.

 

RuneScape World List
RuneScape’s World select screen – F2P and members are separated

 

Could splitting the game work in other MMORPGs, too? It’s no secret that gamers love a freebie, so giving them a sizable portion of the game with an incentive to upgrade (but not necessarily being detrimental if they choose not to) could bring balance to a cash shop MMO.

 

Making things work

Not all item shops are “bad”, though. Some games choose to offer items that do not improve players standing in game, instead providing aesthetic enhancements or small gameplay boosts that hold no long term affects. MapleStory was heavily criticised for introducing a cash shop to supplement income, but it has seemingly turned out well for publishers Nexon. Most purchases expire after a set number of days, reducing the overall impact on the game and keeping players relatively balanced.

 

This isn’t the case for every free MMORPG though. The constant battle to keep such a huge undertaking profitable may push the quality of the game down, and it is fair to say that the balance issues that come associated with many item shop funded games can upset game play mechanics by isolating players. The micro-transaction payment system has been touted as the future of gaming, but players have yet to adopt. Until then, keeping buy-2-use items that are superior to those found in game may keep revenue up, but will it eventually drive players numbers down?

Runes of Magic Introduces Formal Relationships

Runes of Magic Introduces Formal Relationships

In an Internet era where the number friends on your Facebook accounts determines how popular you are, with its next update Runes of Magic will introduce a relationship system that allows two players to commit into a partnership. Depending on the relationship, players will then be rewarded with special in-game bonuses.

Lovers are at the centre of this new feature: players can now get engaged by sending a Love Letter, and finally even marry one another. Frogster will provide the two lovebirds, whether they are straight, gay or lesbian, all the necessary decorum for such an important event.

The union of marriage can then be celebrated in a romantic new wedding chapel, where they are going to walk down the aisle in one of two new wedding suits and exchange rings in front of all their friends and guild members.

The union of marriage can then be celebrated in a romantic new wedding chapel

Besides love and married couples, update 3.0.3 will implement several other types of relationships, including Family or Friendship. Two players can declare themselves family members or best friends simply by exchanging a special object that can be bought in Varanas, the capital city of Runes of Magic. A character can then link up to 20 other avatars through these relationships with, of course, just one marriage.

Relationships grant players bonuses when they are together in a group which can for instance raise one of their statistics or the chance to get a rare object when defeating monsters. In addition, characters bound together will be granted a special bonus when their counterpart’s health drops under a certain level. Family members will respectively see the damage they inflict increased, when two Friends will see a part of their health restored. These bonuses get more and more efficient as the link between the two characters becomes deeper, as defeating foes together grants them relationship points and help them to go through the ten different levels of this system.

Obviously, and as sadly as in real life, all links between characters can be ended very simply just by removing them in the Friends interface of the game.

Combat Arms Body Count Rising

Combat Arms Body Count Rising

 

Combat Arms eclipses 4 million registered users in time for its second anniversary and offers exclusive items to celebrate.

Competition won’t be a problem for Combat Arms, which can celebrate its second anniversary this month with another major milestone. Nexon America announced it now has more than four million registered users, and those Soldiers of Fortune are unloading their clips at an alarming rate.

To celebrate the birthday, Combat Arms is giving away exclusive permanent items for soldiers who log in during the celebratory period, which runs Friday July 9 to Sunday July 11.

Combat Arms Sniper

 

Nexon also uncovered some incredible data from the ongoing virtual war zones.
– More than 8.6 billion soldiers killed in action.
– More than 1.7 billion of those casualties were caused by headshots
– More than 99 million Nutshots have been inflicted since it was added to the title in April 2009
– More than 1.7 billion terrorists have been eliminated on the Desert Thunder map of Fireteam mode
– More than 55 million flags have been captured
– More than 350,000 clans have been created
– More than 336 million Gear Points earned in-game on a daily basis
– More than 8.8 billion EXP earned in-game on a daily basis

In the past year, soldiers have hoofed across 10 new maps, played six new game modes, faced six new characters, fired more than 100 new weapons and used over 20 new pieces of gear.

The game has also added major upgrades to the Clan functionality, a new user interface, frequent updates to maintain game balance as well as the new Rec Rules server and the option to purchase permanent weapons.

4Story Introduces New Minigame

4Story Introduces New Minigame

The 4Story development team introduced a mini game to celebrate their 4story 2 year anniversary. Players can win unpredictable prices playing Rock Paper Scissors! Not just in-game coins but also lucrative items and mystery boxes can be won.

Rock, Paper, Scissors in 4Story

 

“4 different type Rock, Paper, Scissors game machines have been added at the each capital castle and starter village. You can bet the money written on the top of the each machine and start to play. After the betting, money is debited and, Rock, Paper, Scissors will be displayed letting players choose one of them. The machine shows win, draw or loss.. If you lose, the debited money will not be returned and you have to bet additional money for next try. You keep trying on draws without additional betting until either win or loss comes. Upon 15 consecutive wins, Tons of mystery boxes will be yours.” said the Chief Development team manager of ZEMI Interactive, Hyun-ho Sin.