MMO Updates

MMO Updates

RIFT founders receive free game client for friends

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 10:00 AM PDT

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RIFT founders, check your emails. Trion Worlds has sent out a new offer tied to its Ascend-a-Friend promotion. The program is geared toward early (and multi-month) adopters and their RIFT-less buddies, and aims to bring people together in the world of Telara for hours of adventure and progression.

The founder email features a code that grants your friend a free copy of the game client, and as long as your pal signs up under the Ascend-a-Friend program, he'll count towards your reward total. If you manage to convert three friends, you'll receive an Ember Steed which matches the speed of your fastest mount, and probably looks a lot nicer to boot.

Your friend isn't left out in the cold, of course. In addition to a free copy of RIFT, Ascend-a-Friend participants will get a unique in-game title ("The Chosen") as well as the ability to summon (or be summoned) to their referring buddy once every half hour.

MassivelyRIFT founders receive free game client for friends originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO's Rise of Isengard beta begins July 27th

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 09:30 AM PDT

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Feel like the road trip to Mordor isn't getting there as fast as you'd like? Good news, everyone -- Turbine's about ready to pull out of the gas station and truck toward Isengard! Today the studio announced that the beta program for Lord of the Rings Online's Rise of Isengard expansion will begin next Wednesday, July 27th.

Invites will be going out to select players across North America and Europe, although the NDA forbids participants from even mentioning that they're part of the program. Those who have pre-ordered the digital expansion will have "preferred access" to the beta, so that seems like your best bet if you're interested.

Rise of Isengard will release on September 27th, and contains a level cap increase to 75, three new zones and a 24-person raid against the dragon Draigoch. The expansion heads deep into the territory mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers.

MassivelyLotRO's Rise of Isengard beta begins July 27th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World of Warcraft coming to Brazil

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT

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A fully localized World of Warcraft is on its way to Brazil, complete with a Portuguese client and customer service platform. This marks Blizzard's ninth officially supported language according to a press blurb on the company's website, and the third supported language in Latin America (following the English and Spanish versions).

Blizzard is providing a full suite of payment options for Brazilian customers, with the base game (plus the Burning Crusade expansion) available for BRL 29.90, while Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm will retail for BRL 99.90 each. If retail boxes aren't your thing, the Brazilian version of WoW will also be available through Battle.net.

Finally, subscription plans come in 30-day, 90-day, and 180-day flavors, and 60-day time cards will be available in retail stores. North American players who wish to play on the dedicated Brazilian realms may install a language pack or purchase the Portuguese client, and Blizzard says that "additional pricing details and an official release date [...] will be announced closer to launch."

MassivelyWorld of Warcraft coming to Brazil originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare talks Star Wars: The Old Republic vehicles and launches

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT

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Vehicles are cool. Not that having a trusty steed isn't cool in any game, but Star Wars: The Old Republic is a game emulating films in which every single vehicle was a character unto itself. In the most recent panel for the game at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, it's been made clear that the designers aren't limiting vehicles to simply spaceships for players and for ambient encounters. Landspeeders and speeder bikes will be available for players, with several styles shown off to the attendees.

As always, iconic imagery is at the top of the priority list for development, up to and including the opening text crawl following character creation. A firm release date has still not been announced, but the team has once again reiterated that the game will be out for this year's holiday season. Frustratingly vague? Perhaps, but at least there's plenty of tasty information to chew on despite the insistent lack of clarity elsewhere.

MassivelyBioWare talks Star Wars: The Old Republic vehicles and launches originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aventurine releases new Darkfall dungeon video

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 07:30 AM PDT

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While speculation continues to swirl around Darkfall 2.0 and character wipes, Aventurine is staying the course by revealing new tidbits every week that serve as both a teaser for upcoming game goodness and a distraction from the larger issues.

Case in point is the new Yssam dungeon video. As the press release on the game's official blog states, "there's a little bit of new in quite a few things that you will see," including the new lair, a new lighting system, a new AI monster, and a new armor model.

There's still no definitive word on 2.0, though, and the when, why, and how of the huge upcoming reboot is by far the most important 'new' for denizens of Agon.

Continue reading Aventurine releases new Darkfall dungeon video

MassivelyAventurine releases new Darkfall dungeon video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes details new Paragon Rewards program

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 07:00 AM PDT

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Ever since the conversion was announced, City of Heroes players have been looking for new information on the Paragon Rewards program launching with City of Heroes Freedom. The update promises more rewards for players who have been with the game for a while, whether they've remained loyal subscribers or have taken advantage of the free-to-play model. Details have just been released, giving players a look at what can be expected when the new reward system goes live.

When the system launches, existing Veteran Rewards badges will be converted into Paragon Rewards tokens, along with an additional token for each 12 months of subscription time. Further tokens will be earned at a rate of one per month, with an additional token for every year subscribed and for every $15 spent in the Paragon Store. Rewards are unlocked in a tiered structure, with Tier 9 offering the best rewards to veteran VIP players and lower tiers offering account-wide unlocks such as access to Mission Architect. While the details of moving through the tiers haven't been elaborated upon, players should still have quite a bit to look forward to with the rewards unveiled so far.

MassivelyCity of Heroes details new Paragon Rewards program originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's the most you'd pay for a collector's edition?

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT

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So the year's most inescapable MMORPG has officially made it to the pre-order stage. Not only that, but BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic opus has also pulled the curtain back on its collector's edition treasure hoard (which will dent your wallet for the princely sum of $150.00).

While both the in-game and real world goodies are quite appealing to Star Wars fans, the price tag is one of the most expensive in the history of MMOs. Today's Daily Grind is all about your reaction to said price tag. Are you going to shell out twice what a normal CE costs for SWTOR? If not, what's the most you'd pay for a collector's edition?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's the most you'd pay for a collector's edition? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Guild Counsel: Fan Faire 2011 guild leader panel

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 08:00 PM PDT

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As you know from this column, I'm a big fan of guilds. So it's probably no surprise that I went to Fan Faire with a special goal of meeting up and talking to guild leaders from a variety of SOE games. Last year, I teamed up with Adam Trzonkowski, my former podcasting co-host and author of the book The Guild Leader's Companion, and together we recorded a show with several guild leaders from EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies and Free Realms. This year, we met again, and had a chance to catch up with a few returnees as well as some new faces. Joining the discussion this year were leaders from DC Universe Online, EQ, EQII, and RIFT.

Judging by the turnout, you could say that guilds are like snowflakes. We had Rick Hall and his juggernaut guild Heroes, the oldest guild on the Luclin server in EverQuest. He's carrying a roster of hundreds, and regularly raiding 54-man raid content. Added to the list of "long in the tooth" guilds were Legion of the White Rose in EQII, led by Kendricke, and Iniquity, who has moved from EQII to RIFT, and is led by Adam. The league Absolute Justice in DCUO, led by Arctic Titan, is not only playing in a different genre of MMO, they're on a completely different platform, the PS3. Twilight Company, led by Megera in EQII, is mainly a tradeskill guild, which set it apart from the others in attendance. And last, but not least, is Revelry and Honor, my guild from EverQuest II, and now led by Maesyn, Nauralea, and Andaraiel. Read on for a peek at what has led to their success, and some amazing war stories along the way.

Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Fan Faire 2011 guild leader panel

MassivelyThe Guild Counsel: Fan Faire 2011 guild leader panel originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Massively: We do in fact have rules edition

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 07:30 PM PDT

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I feel that right now would be an excellent time to refer everyone to a bit of supplemental reading that should be really fun -- our Code of Conduct! Yes, we have a set of rules that we expect everyone to follow, and no, we are not stupid. If you spend months trying to skirt those rules very carefully, we will be watching hawk-like for the moment you step out of line. And when that happens? There is cake.

Moving right along, it's time for another edition of Ask Massively. This time, we're discussing issues of balance and overall character depth as brought on by recent developments within the world of Darkfall. If you'd like to have a question answered in a future edition of the column, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments afterward. Or use the comments to discuss something else; that does seem equally likely.

Continue reading Ask Massively: We do in fact have rules edition

MassivelyAsk Massively: We do in fact have rules edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV launches patch 1.18

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 07:00 PM PDT

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Final Fantasy XIV players have been waiting for patch 1.18 to drop for quite some time, but the wait is finally over. Players can finally access the variety of updates and improvements that the newest patch has promised, including a large overhaul to the combat system that ushers in auto-attack functionality and the addition of the new Grand Companies. While the former is just the first step toward making a more thorough overhaul of the game's combat engine, the latter will give players rank 22 and up new missions to participate in while attempting to safeguard Eorzea.

Other improvements include a streamlining of the enmity system complete with in-game warnings, improvements to repair functionality, and a general streamlining and adjustment of the guildleve system. All told, it's quite a large change to the existing elements of the game, something that Final Fantasy XIV players will no doubt want to devote a fair chunk of time to exploring.

MassivelyFinal Fantasy XIV launches patch 1.18 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jade Dynasty's Imperial Citadel update goes live

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 06:00 PM PDT

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Perfect World Entertainment has announced that Jade Dynasty's Imperial Citadel content update went live today, and the patch brought a healthy chunk of new features with it. For starters, the update introduces a new dungeon known as the Shura Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is a dungeon made up of an "even more twisted version of Shura," a previous game zone. The only way out of the warped dungeon is to go in further. Hooray, paradoxes! For each wave of the gauntlet that players complete, they'll be rewarded with increasingly powerful items.

There's also the Imperial Citadel, which has been reworked for Ascended Vitalized players, and gives them the opportunity to test their mettle through a series of "Imperial Tests." These tests will reward success with Chroma Beads, and they can be completed multiple times per day for players who want to roll around in a never-ending pool of beads. On top of this new content, the update also brings with it a couple of new daily quests and an improved item store. Head on past the cut for a shiny new trailer to commemorate the update.

Continue reading Jade Dynasty's Imperial Citadel update goes live

MassivelyJade Dynasty's Imperial Citadel update goes live originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney Interactive Media Group appoints Bill Roper as Vice President, Marvel Franchise

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 05:00 PM PDT

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Fans of Marvel Comics have been on the edge of their seats ever since the announcement that Disney had acquired the comic publishing giant, and they're surely anxious to know that their beloved characters will be in good hands. Well, thanks to a press release from Disney Interactive Media Group today, we now know exactly whose hands they will be in.

DIMG has appointed Bill Roper, former VP of Blizzard North and former Chief Creative Officer of Cryptic Studios, as Vice President, Marvel Franchise. Alex Seropian, Senior Vice President and General Manager says of the appointment, "We are pleased to have Bill join our team. With 17 years of experience in the worldwide gaming industry, we are confident that Bill has the creative vision necessary to help guide the next wave of development and product for DIMG's Marvel Games." It seems like Disney has big plans for the Marvel franchise. What those plans are remain to be seen, though Roper will obviously play a large part in Marvel's future in the gaming industry.

MassivelyDisney Interactive Media Group appoints Bill Roper as Vice President, Marvel Franchise originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GamersFirst talks Fallen Earth account changes

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT

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If you're a current Fallen Earth subscriber, you'll want to head over to the official Fallen Earth dev blog to get the skinny on the upcoming account shenanigans scheduled to take place on August 1st and beyond.

In a nutshell, Fallen Earth's acquisition by GamersFirst has necessitated that all users acquire a GamersFirst account to log into the game. Never fear, though, it's a free account, and it's just another step in the changeover process. In fact, GamersFirst's Joseph "Linus" Willmon writes that the account gymnastics are part of "phase two, where we fully integrate Fallen Earth into the GamersFirst publishing platform." Phase one has already been completed, and it involved a lot of behind-the-scenes hardware moves and the like.

This week's Fallen Earth dev blog contains a complete rundown of the rest of the changes scheduled to occur in phase two, including payment and subscription tweaks.

MassivelyGamersFirst talks Fallen Earth account changes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New interview with Undead Labs' Jeff Strain covers technology and fun

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT

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Console MMO fans, rejoice. We have a new interview with Undead Labs' Jeff Strain on the studio's upcoming Xbox 360 titles. The two titles, code-named Class3 and Class4, are an Xbox Live Arcade title (which will allow the studio to test their technology and give players a taste of what's to come) and an open-world MMORPG, respectively.

Throughout the interview, Strain touches on a few important subjects, such as Class3 and how it is helping the team develop and prepare for Class4. He also mentions that the team's concern with Class4 is not with the fact that it's a server-hosted online world, but ensuring that said server-hosted online world is fun to play. Although it's a somewhat short interview, it's certainly worth the read for any zombie fan anticipating Undead Labs' upcoming titles.

MassivelyNew interview with Undead Labs' Jeff Strain covers technology and fun originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: All together now

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT

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Although I've migrated on to different superhero pastures, City of Villains holds many of my fondest memories, including today's episode of One Shots. The strangest thing about this particular screen is that I am not in the screenshot at all; instead, this almost looks like promotional art for the game's mystic villain group, the Circle of Thorns.

Instead, what actually transpired is that I fell into a cave room with my brute, and made a magnificent faceplant against this formidable group. While it's probably failure on my part that I died here, the good news is that my camera was obstructed in just the right way to allow me to take this screenshot.

All this week, we Massively writers are spotlighting some of our personal favorite One Shots. What exciting stories revolve around our screenshots? Stay tuned to find out. Next week, after staff picks week, will be free-for-all week for you, our readers. Send any eye-catching, beautiful, scary, or generally epic screenshot to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll pick the best of the best for next week's One Shots!

Gallery: One Shots: 2011

cov-circleofthorns

MassivelyOne Shots: All together now originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Mask: The truth about healing

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT

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One of the main reasons I decided to cover the Inferno archetype a couple weeks ago was because I felt I should showcase the importance of a self-heal for all characters. In Champions Online, freeform characters can select any powers they want, and the most important powers to choose are heals. Why?

There's a lot of core elements of CO's design that correlate well with having healing powers. In any game, self-heals are effective, and unless they perform poorly, they tend to be highly valued. When a hero can select any powers, heals just naturally gravitate to the top of the list. But there are a few other things that make this pattern more significant.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: The truth about healing

MassivelyBehind the Mask: The truth about healing originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wicked partners with Alienware for Bounty Hounds Online North American launch

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT

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Wicked Interactive has partnered with Alienware Arena for the North American launch of Bounty Hounds Online. Players may recognize the game as a sequel to the 2006 PSP title Bounty Hounds. BHO is a free-to-play MMORPG that allows players to delve deeper into the Bounty Hounds universe, which is set centuries in the future after a devastating third World War.

Players choose from five different mercenary classes (Trooper, Agent, Bioengineer, Artillery, or Scientist) and select a Mercenary Company to align themselves with. Each mercenary is also given a CTU, or Combat Tactical Unit, which is a robotic pet that assists players in combat. Players are able to build their CTU to their liking in order to further increase its combat acuity. And to round it all out, we have some lovely screenshots in the gallery below and a trailer after the cut.

For more information on this sci-fi MMORPG, such as how to get in on the beta test which begins July 29, head on over to the game's official site.

Gallery: Battle Hounds Online core gallery

Continue reading Wicked partners with Alienware for Bounty Hounds Online North American launch

MassivelyWicked partners with Alienware for Bounty Hounds Online North American launch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Hartsman says gold farming hurts our games more than we know

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 11:30 AM PDT

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Gold buying is one of those aspects of MMO culture that is seemingly universally denounced, yet enough people partake in the practice to keep the wheels of this grey market activity going. Scott Hartsman may be saying the obvious when he denounced gold farming and selling to Gamasutra, but apparently it is still something we need to hear.

The Trion Worlds general manager shared a glimpse of just how hard these activities hit games, and how concerned he and other studio execs are about the proliferation of credit card fraud that results: "It's those kinds of things where people laugh and go, 'Oh, that never happens.' No. It happens. It happens a s**tload. To the point where, over the last three or four years, I would dare anybody to ask an exec at a gaming company how much they've had to pay in MasterCard and Visa fines, because of fraud. It happens a lot."

According to Hartsman, the more these events take place, the more money studios spend on paying fines and dealing with them instead of reinvesting funds into the games themselves -- all because of the "jerks" perpetuating the crimes.

MassivelyScott Hartsman says gold farming hurts our games more than we know originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Captain's Log: The reverse slingshot effect

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT

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Captain's Log, Stardate 65056.3...

Hello, computer (and players)! The slingshot effect is a maneuver, shown throughout the Star Trek franchise, which allowed starships to move back through the time continuum. By traveling at a high warp factor towards a star with a large gravitational pull, the ship would whip around it and time travel. While this seemed to only exist within the realms of the IP, it looks as though Star Trek Online's Executive Producer Dan Stahl took us on a reverse slingshot course, giving us a glimpse into the future of the game. Before we returned to the original timeline, he made sure to write up everything we saw along the way for those who couldn't make the trip.

In layman's terms, for those of you who missed the news earlier this week, July's Engineering Report has been released. While this is a monthly publication that contains the development pipeline for STO, including some items that have been featured in past issues, there are always a few bullet points added that seem to spark a healthy amount of debate -- one of these includes the ability to auction off your in-game Emblems, a form of currency, for C-Store points that have been paid for with real money. For information on this, including a response from Cryptic's PR department, and more, read ahead past the jump for this week's Captain's Log entry.

Ensign, warp 10! Let's pull a slingshot maneuver of our own...

Continue reading Captain's Log: The reverse slingshot effect

MassivelyCaptain's Log: The reverse slingshot effect originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Order & Chaos Online now available on Facebook

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 10:30 AM PDT

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Order and Chaos is branching out from its iOS roots, as Gameloft has brought the mobile MMORPG to the Facebook social networking platform. The title is free-to-play through level 10, at which point users will need to fork over Facebook credits in lieu of a subscription fee. A Gameloft press release details the pricing structure as follows:
  • 1 day: 1 FB Credit
  • 1 month: 10 FB Credits
  • 3 months: 20 FB Credits
  • 6 months: 30 FB Credits
If you're wondering, 50 Facebook credits equals approximately $5.00, so you're looking at a pretty sweet deal when it comes to accessing a game that has been labeled the mobile equivalent of World of Warcraft. Order and Chaos features four races (Elves, Humans, Orcs, and Undead), as well as over 1000 skills, 2000 unique equipment items, and 500 quests.

MassivelyOrder & Chaos Online now available on Facebook originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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