Yearly Archives: 2010

Funding MMORPGs – What Are The Options?

Funding MMORPGs – What Are The Options?
Neil Kewn (Murxidon), OnRPG Journalist

 

Developers are known to implement cash shops, power ups and other premium features to fund their free MMORPGs. After all, how can you expect games that give a huge chunk of their content away for free to survive? Today, subscription numbers are falling on many of the more popular pay-2-play MMORPGs. Is it time for even well-known publishers to begin including additional money making systems into games for a much needed cash injection?

 

In game advertising

I know some have a deep hatred for in game advertising; especially in fantasy MMORPGs were the suspension of disbelief is obligatory. Some may find an advert for Coca-Cola plastered over a town hall notice board too distracting, or thirty second promotions playing before they can login frustrating. From a business standpoint, there are many unique and dynamic ways ads can be incorporated into persistent worlds, and not all of them necessarily have to prove a detriment to the gameplay experience.

 

For example, could you imagine seeing a banner ad pop up below your quest log promoting a new fantasy movie about to hit cinemas? Aiming at the perfect target means it would undoubtedly garner interest.

 

Questlog Advert
Would this bother you?

 

Anarchy Online offers free accounts for players who don’t mind the odd advert. Movie trailers and commercials play on virtual billboards, and rarely seem to be a detriment to the gameplay experience, nor do they hamper the ability to become drawn into the game world. As the MMO is set in a futuristic corporate ecosphere, it wouldn’t be unusual for promotional material to pop up every now and again on the streets of Rubi-Ka.

 

Less “in-your-face” advertising methods could include sending promotional e-mails to your in-game mailbox. Having to clear out spam from your virtual inbox each morning is a small price to pay to play a game you’re not actually paying for.

 

It is unlikely that indiscreet in world advertising in P2P MMORPGs will be well received, though. Players are already coughing up $15 to experience a product, logging in one day and finding an advertisement for half price pizza concealing your action bars would undoubtedly cause uproar. Yet, free MMORPGs could benefit greatly from integrating ads into their game world. Anarchy Online has sustained a respectable player base for over six years now using this technique, coupled with premium items and expansion packs.

 

Promotions and Campaigns

EverQuest II ran a short promotion enabling players to order pizza from popular food chain Pizza Hut whilst in game. Hungry adventurers could bash “/pizza” into their chat box to bring up a browser window with an online order form. It is a dynamic and impressive scheme to gather Pizza Hut customers, whilst providing Sony Online with a slice of the commission.

 

Advertisements like these won’t prove to be a distraction for the player, nor do they have an influence on the game world in any way. Using well-known MMORPG mechanics to get players to part with their cash was dependant on how seamless and natural the process would be. If it detracted or removed the player from the game world for an extended period of time, it is unlikely that many adventurers would have bothered with the offer.

 

EverQuest Pizza
Appetising, but not intrusive

Trials

Most MMORPGs provide a trial of some sort for new players, unlocking a portion of the game to new players before they commit to any payment plan. In every trial, the character created is barred from being accessed once the trial expires until the player purchases the full game and extra play time.

 

To combat this, the unlimited trial has become a popular marketing drive for many P2P MMORPGs. Both Warhammer Online, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures and EverQuest II give new players the chance to experience the game for as long as they are so inclined without parting with any credit card details.

 

I can imagine this being particularly effective with long-time F2P MMORPG players, when 10-day free trials provided by other games experience severely hamper the gameplay and lock them out of the game world they’ve spent over a week becoming accustomed to. Using this scheme, gamers can play at their own leisure and experience what the game has to offer in their own time, before upgrading to the full version.

 

Eliminating Buy-2-Play

B2P games usually go hand in hand with P2P games, requiring that players pay a fixed price for a copy of the game before subscribing to a recurring monthly fee. This is quite discouraging for customers new to MMORPGs, and gives the impression that these types of games are overly expensive.

 

One way to save bump up player numbers could be to eliminate the Buy-2-Play aspect of some MMORPGs. Give players the option to download the game client from the official website and play the game by committing to a $15 a month sub. There is little sense in forcing new players to part with $30 just to own a CD key, or to “activate” their account.

 

Aion Order Form Funding MMO
£34.99 for a serial code?!

 

Eliminating Pay-2-Play

On the other end of the spectrum, could eliminating the Pay-2-Play aspect encourage a lot more players to congregate in a developer’s game world? Guild Wars has proven that B2P alone works, with many players not willing, or able to commit to recurring billing. Making a P2P game F2P (with in-game advertising, cash shops, promotions or otherwise) may jumpstart growth in an otherwise ailing investment.

 

Although some vendors have added “unlimited trials” (giving players access to limited content with an irritating nudge to upgrade), making a game completely free-2-play is sure to incite droves of gamers to try it out. The question is whether or not the implementation of other funding methods will be enough to sustain the game once the guaranteed monthly cash pool is no longer being replenished?

 

Developers Need Gold Too!

There are a number of alternative ways to fund both free and P2P MMORPGs, some of them more risky than others. Closing down servers on P2P titles or bumping up the price of cash shop items can only do so much, and if the cash reserve dries up, content development is slowed and players begin to look elsewhere.

 

When cash shops irritate players and server merges infuriate them, it’s definitely time for developers to bring new and dynamic funding methods to the table. Countless more MMORPGs are finding space in an already convoluted online world game space, is this the only way they can avoid closure and avoid becoming indexed in the annals of MMORPG history?

Business Tycoon Online Launches 18th Server

Business Tycoon Online Launches 18th Server

 

After five months of massive success and building up a huge player base, DOVOGAME has announced the imminent release of its 18th server “Red Square” in Business Tycoon Online.

The fun begins on the “Red Square” on June 24th at 05:00 PDT.

Business Tycoon Online - Server 18 Red Square opens

The massive player base is definitely one of the main attractions to the game, but props must be given to DOVOGAME for keeping and attracting the players to the game with the vast amount of exciting new events and activities regularly introduced. Another highly successful and fun event is the new Arena, released to coincide with the start of the World Cup.
 
Each server has their own full tournament, and various rewards are on offer to players. In response to this massive player rush, DOVOGAME has announced that they will be releasing more new servers in the near future. This will surely create more buzz around the game, also giving newer players a fairer chance at shooting up the rankings!

Blade Wars Open Beta Begins Thursday June 24

Blade Wars Open Beta Begins Thursday June 24


During E3 ChangYou.com proudly announced the start date of Open Beta for Blade Wars.

“You can create and personalize your own kung fu combos, making your character more versatile and able to handle any situation you may encounter,” explains Blade Wars co-producer, Angie Canary. “This means that even within the same class, no two characters are likely to fight using the same tactics and skills.”

Blade Wars - Open Beta Starts

Additional features of the game include an inventive mini game called Maestro, a music mini game that allows adventures to earn experience points for creating and performing custom musical numbers. “Our players & testers had a ton of fun grouping up and playing in a band together in Closed Beta,” notes Canary. “There are a lot of fun surprises in Blade Wars.”

Blade Wars Open Beta begins Thursday June 24, 2010 at 4:00 PM (PDT). As this is open, no keys are required to join! Just download and play. This is the worldwide English release and will serve players from around the globe.

A Deeper Look Into LoTRO Going F2P

A Deeper Look Into LoTRO Going F2P
After Turbine succesfully moved Dungeons and Dragons to a Free to Play model they have now announced the same for Lord of the Rings Online!

Let’s have a deeper look at how they intent to set this up: 

Is this the same model you used with DDO?

It’s very similar in a large number of ways. The basic structure is the same with some changes made to support LOTRO’s different game world and wide-open environment. Customer levels, the LOTRO Store, and other aspects of LOTRO Free-to-Play are all very similar to those of Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited.

For people that already subscribe to LOTRO. Is there any benefit to staying a subscriber?
Of course! Once the game goes live you’ll keep all your current privileges, and also accrue 500 free Turbine Points per month to spend as you wish. We also have a set of Loyalty Reward Special Offers just for our veteran players – as long as you maintain your subscription in good standing you may be eligible for up to 3,000 points. If you stay active over the summer you will also earn an additional bonus of 500 Turbine Points per month until launch!

Lord of the Rings Online - Epic Skirmish


What will Free-to-Play mean for people who have a I have a lifetime subscription to LOTRO?
As a lifetime subscriber to LOTRO, you will keep all of your membership privileges and are automatically upgraded to VIP status. You will receive 500 Free Turbine Points every month like the other VIPs, but you do not have to pay a monthly fee since you are a lifetime member. All you have to do is keep playing the game and visit the LOTRO Store to spend your free Turbine Points. Lifetime members may also qualify for a special one-time Loyalty Reward of 1,000 Turbine Points.
And what about the LOTRO Founders?
As a LOTRO Founder, you automatically become a VIP and will keep all of your membership privileges as long as you pay your monthly fee. You will automatically receive 500 Free Turbine Points every month and you can spend them at your leisure in the LOTRO Store. Founding members may also qualify for a special one-time Loyalty Reward of 500 Turbine Points.

Will there be a Free-to-Play Beta and when will it start?

Yes! The Beta will start in the very near future. We’ll begin accepting signups immediately at www.lotro.com/betasignup!
 
When does LOTRO F2P go live?
Free-to-Play will go live when Volume 3, Book 2 releases this fall.
Is Free-to-Play the only thing to look forward to for Volume 3, Book2?
No! Volume 3, Book 2 will continue the Volume 3 Epic Story as the Rangers head south. An all new area, Enedwaith, will be available as well as some exciting new features and many updates to the game including DX11 support! We’ll have more information about Volume 3, Book 2 as we approach launch.

Pet Forest

Pet Forest has been announced as PlayOMG’s first Facebook game. This is a brand new browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game together with Social Network Game features.

Different from other simple browser games, Pet Forest presents awesome graphics and smooth gameplay based on Flash technology. Characters are able to move around freely throughout areas of the wonderland. The game won the “Best Role Playing Game of 2008” in the Web-Games Summit Awards. This fabulous game now comes to English version in Q1 2010 and Spanish version in Q2 2010 by PlayOMG.

Pet Forest features MMORPG elements including avatar system, gear crafting, weapon reinforcement, living skills, numerous quests and much more. In the game players will take up the role selected from the following: Warrior, Mage, Ranger, and Priest. The game employs active time battles with assistance of various pets. There are series of cute pets with unique looks and personalities for players to choose from. Given a considerate gaming experience, players are able to switch the battle between manual and automated modes. The off-line training function allows players to take care of characters and pets without having to worry about death caused by temporary absence.

Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer Review

Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer Review
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

It’s been a while since I’ve heard of any major update from Funcom and Age of Conan so I was surprised to hear that the game finally released its first expansion pack, Rise of the Godslayer. This update piqued my interest so I dredged up my old account and went back into AoC.

 

Khitai! Khitai!

Rise of the Godslayer opens up the eastern country of Khitai, the Hyborian age’s version of the Far East. Before I jumped into the game I read a little about the lore behind Khitai and, from what I read, I expected Khitai to give off an eastern medieval feel and I wasn’t disappointed. Upon arrival at Khitai I saw a lot of familiar eastern architectural designs that are really close to historical designs. Being an Asian myself I liked how Funcom designed the update to really appeal to eastern players.

 

Age of Conan Rise Godslayer Female 

 

Khitai is supposed to be a haven for players of levels 20-40. So players who reached 80 are kind of left out in terms of the quests in Rise of the Godslayer. The expansion does provide a few game system updates that would in fact serve for level 80 players, but I would elaborate on them later on.

 

Mounts

Two new mounts were included in the expansion which are totally different from the others you can acquire in the game. The biggest difference is that these mounts can either be turned into damage dealing pets or you can use them as your mount.

 

Through a series of quests, you are given a wolf or a tiger cub and train them from pup into either a full grown attack companion or an alternate steed for your character. A series of quests will allow your chosen cub to grow and eventually be useful to you.

 

These two new mounts are in fact intimately tied to another expansion update which will eventually shape how you play AoC, the faction system.

 

Faction System

To acquire the two pets, you need to swear allegiance to either the wolf pack or the Tamarin tigers to get hold of the cub. Actually, there are more factions included in the game aside from the two I mentioned. Each faction you will see in Khitai has its own back-story and its own series of quests where players can accomplish to gain honor and fame within its ranks.

 

Age of Conan Jump

 

The factions you get to see in the game are in fact tied deeply into the lore behind Age of Conan. I liked how Funcom made each faction possess a distinct character unique in itself that makes the expansion more than just a system update but also a content filled add-on to the Conan lore.

 

Gameplay wise, choosing a faction will make your character an enemy to some and a friend to others. Factions are also handing out faction specific tier armors from the each faction vendor representative. However you can only have access to these armors when you are high enough in the faction’s ranks.

 

The Alternate Advancement System

While the game’s content may be targeting the mid-level characters of AoC, there’s an added Alternate Advancement System that’s suited for players from level 20-80. This is a new way of progressing through the game by earning new combos, abilities, spells and passive increases.

 

Age of Conan Talents

 

Without going into details (because I truly believe discovering something is half the fun) the alternate advancement system provides veterans with a whole new tree to unlock while newbies are given a lot more things to handle with the addition of more skills they can use in the game.

 

Random Encounters

There are two ways for players to reach Khitai, there’s the usual way of paying through the fare and the other more scenic route. You can be hired as a guard for the caravan headed to Khitai, and along the way you may experience random encounters. The encounters you experience vary from collecting supplies for the ship to taking down a kraken that attacks your ship.

 

The random encounters add color to your trip to Khitai. This keeps things upbeat and exciting especially for players who are more into the whole Conan experience rather than just playing.

 

Current Feel

As I traveled the new world I encountered a lot of players that quit the game for as long as a year to return to Conan just because of this expansion. I personally liked the expansion because it added more than just a new area for players to venture into, it gave the game more depth. The lands of Khitai are so vast that players really have a lot of area to travel just to enjoy it fully. The small things such as the half-naked dancing women who’ll sacrifice themselves for their religion to how the eastern armor designs and even the food are all based on actual eastern products gives Khitai more color than you would expect from it.

 

Age of Conan Caravan

 

However, there are still problems facing Age of Conan and some are as old as the game itself. One big example is the lag issue in AoC. Though I personally haven’t experienced lag while traveling in other lands it was definitely felt upon arrival to Khitai. There are some players who were complaining about the lack of quests for a level 36 character for a mid level update, although they still agree that this is an update long overdue.

 

Rise of the Godslayer actually gave Age of Conan the second wind it needs as competition in the MMORPG race is really getting tougher. Though high level characters are left hanging in terms of content, there are still enough content in the mid levels for players to go around. The one thing that bothered me is the amount of content the game still needs to put into servers. This means the servers needs to go down more than usual because there are still kinks in the game but I personally think that by the time servers are stable, players will definitely enjoy this expansion.

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online

Super Hero Squad Online is your chance to fly a mile in the boots of Marvel’s greatest heroes. Team up with your friends in exhilarating combat, show off your collection in its interactive world, collect thousants of items and explore awesome environments based on over 70 years of Marvel comics and movies.