MMO News

MMO News

Crystal Saga Gameplay – First Look HD

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 03:50 PM PDT

To Learn More About the Game Check out our Crystal Saga Page.

Crystal Saga is a 2D browser based fantasy MMORPG published by R2Games – the same company behind Age of Honor and Caesary. Gameplay wise Crystal Saga is set in an actual persistent world – the same way Eternal Destiny and Neverland Online are. Like Magic World Online, WYD Global, Godswar Online and several other MMORPGs – Crystal Saga featured an in-game bot which lets players level up while away from the keyboard. To learn more about Crystal Saga check out the official MMOHut Crystal Saga page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.

Star Trek Online going free-to-play

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:38 PM PDT

Star Trek Online has announced that it will soon be transitioning to a free-to-play game later this year.

The new model will not require players to buy a copy of the game or a subscription. “Gold Member” subscriptions will remain available for players at $14.99 a month. Free players will be restricted to two character slots, a maximum of 48 inventory slots, and limited chat. Certain features will only be available for free players via purchase.

Star Trek Online is published by Cryptic Studios, which also publishes Champions Online.

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Star Trek Online Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

STAR TREK™ ONLINE FREE-TO-PLAY IN 2011
Star Trek Online to Accommodate All Players. Closed Beta Begins Soon.

Los Gatos, CA (September 6, 2011) – Star Trek Online, the acclaimed sci-fi MMORPG, developed by Cryptic Studios, Inc. (“Cryptic Studios”), will be free-to-play in 2011. Players will be able to download and enjoy the game as they like at no cost.

A features matrix, FAQ, overview and various forums can be found on the official Star Trek Online website to better explain the nature of free-to-play to new and existing users.

To learn more about Star Trek Online free-to-play, please visit: http://www.startrekonline.com/f2p

“In addition to seeking out new life and exploring strange new civilizations, part of our continuing mission for Star Trek Online is to expand and improve,” said Jack Emmert, CEO, Cryptic Studios. “Transitioning to a free-to-play model is a natural way to share all we’ve built with a broader community of players and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Later this year, when Star Trek Online free-to-play launches, anyone can download and play the game for free without purchasing a retail copy or subscription. All players will be able to take advantage of Star Trek Online‘s many features for free, from customizing avatars, crews and the very ships they command, to exploring a galaxy filled with intrigue and danger.

Players will also be able to access additional features a la carte through a virtual goods store. Current players can become Gold Members by continuing to subscribe to the game for $14.99 a month. New players can also upgrade to Gold status for a set price of $14.99 per month. The differences between paying Gold Members and free Silver Players can be found at: http://www.startrekonline.com/f2p

Star Trek Online free-to-play allows players to get into the game and engage the Star Trek universe in a number of ways:

The Universe is Your Only Limit – Play as much as you like for as long as you like at no cost. No subscription is required, nor is payment of any kind required.

Episodic Gameplay – Experience new weekly episodes that feature story-based gameplay and put your captain’s ability to command to the ultimate test.

Your Captain, Your Crew, Your Destiny – Become a captain, seek out new life and new civilizations and encounter hostile beings as you advance to maximum level for free.

Familiar Places, New Experiences – Travel to Starfleet Academy, Deep Space Nine, The First City of Qo’noS and many other iconic locations and notable worlds from the beloved Star Trek universe.

Engage and Explore Your Way – A web and in-game virtual goods store provides players the option of purchasing gameplay upgrades or additional premium content as they like, when they like.

Taking place in the year 2409, Star Trek Online boasts extraordinary features and lets fans both new and old experience unparalleled adventures within the Star Trek universe. Players have the opportunity to become high-ranking Starfleet officers and participate in missions structured like episodes that take them into the depths of space, across exotic planets and inside other starships. All players are invited to explore strange new worlds and encounter new life in a vast, ever expanding universe!

Star Trek Online is a licensed product from CBS Consumer Products and developed by Cryptic Studios, Inc. For more information, please visit: www.startrekonline.com

TM & © 2011 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.

Rusty Hearts announces open beta

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:33 PM PDT

Perfect World Entertainment has announced that Rusty Hearts will begin open beta testing on September 13, in both Europe and North America.

The update that will come with open beta will include the removal of the game’s Stamina system, allowing players unlimited numbers of dungeon runs. Gamepad support will be enhanced with customizable button layouts. The open beta will also extend the level cap, and introduce a new quest hub and dungeons.

Perfect World Entertainment also publishes Forsaken World and Battle of the Immortals.

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Rusty Hearts Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

RUSTY HEARTS TO LAUNCH CONCURRENTLY IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA ON SEPTEMBER 13

September 6, 2011 – Foster City, Calif. and AMSTERDAM, Netherlands- Perfect World Entertainment Inc. and Perfect World Europe B.V., wholly owned US subsidiaries of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), today proudly announced that their much anticipated free-to-play hack and slash dungeon-crawling MORPG, Rusty Hearts, will be launching into open beta concurrently for North American and European players on September 13, 2011.

“Since acquiring the license to operate Rusty Hearts earlier this year, it’s been our great pleasure working with Windysoft on the game’s localization,” said Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc. “It’s been exciting to see the enthusiasm and support that players have shown for Rusty Hearts and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with Windysoft to bring this unique online gaming experience to our European and North American players. As we soon release the game into open beta, we are fully prepared to provide great services and support to the influx of Rusty Hearts’ players and we look forward to welcoming them.”

Based on user feedback, the open beta will feature major updates including the removal of the Stamina system and completely customizable gamepad button layouts. Instead of a limited amount of dungeon runs, players will now have unlimited access to storm the dungeons and players that play Rusty Hearts with a gamepad will have the ability to remap the controls to their own preference.

Besides an entirely new hub world containing unreleased dungeons and a plethora of fresh quests for players to explore, the extended level cap will take players through the progressing-difficulty levels and challenge them with intense combination attacks, as well as grueling enemy battles. Furthermore, players will gain deeper insight on the heroic characters and their eternal struggle between human and monstrosity.

Rusty Hearts is a multiplayer online game with fast-paced and highly-stylized brawling combat combined with a solo or team-based dungeon exploration experience. Based on a gothic inspired world and an ongoing battle between pure-blood vampires, half-vampires, and humans, players will be able to unleash devastating combo attacks, engage in a wide variety of epic monster battles, collect valuable loot, and become a unique hero.

For more information on Rusty Hearts and the upcoming events, visit http://rustyhearts.perfectworld.com/ or join the fan community here: http://www.facebook.com/RustyHeartsGame

Bounty Hounds Interview

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 05:02 PM PDT

Recently one of our editors B. Olivia sat down with Terry Torlao, project manager for the upcoming game Bounty Hounds Online. Terry was able to shed some light on the new Scifi MMO in the interview below;

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B. Olivia: So tell me a little about yourself and what you do at the studio?

Terry Torlao: Well you can say I’m a person who grew up with online games and is still an avid gamer to this day. In terms of daily operation, I’m the guy who is trying to make sure everything works together like clockwork. If something needs to get fixed or there’s an idea to pass to the developers, I’m the guy who sees that it gets fixed or the info gets passed to who it’s supposed to go to.

B. Olivia: Sounds like an important job! So what’s the official title, if I may ask?

Terry Torlao: It say Project Manager on the card so I’ll go with that

B. Olivia: Sounds good to me. So, having grown up with online games, what are some of your favorites?

Terry Torlao: I usually avoided anything and everything mainstream just cause being a kid with no money tends to affect what you played. But I’ll say I’ve played a large majority of the Free-to-play games out there. I think the major standout in my gaming history was ACE Online which we now host currently. I was playing that before we picked up the license to that. Although I have spent time in games like Lineage, Flyff, Ragnarok Online, and many many others

B. Olivia: Classic lineup. So, speaking of online games, I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz around our site about Bounty Hounds Online. Some people say it’s going to change the game a bit for F2P MMOs. Can you comment on that? Why might they be excited?

Terry Torlao: It’s a F2P title that pushes the bar in many areas. It’s graphics put it in the top echelons of the F2P arena as well as brings the untouched Science Fiction genre into the forefront of the otherwise Fantasy dominant genre. It’s a major change to the F2P spectrum

B. Olivia: Can you talk a little bit about the game mechanics? Anything that strikes you as interesting or fun?

Terry Torlao: The game is a bridge between action MMORPG’s and point-and-click games. Functionality and appearance wise it looks like a point and click but movement is actually more action based where players can freely move while attacking. Another unique tidbit is that as all characters can weild both melee and ranged weapons, it automatically switches types when you walk from melee to range and vice versa.

Terry Torlao: So you can run around monsters, slashing away and make a quick getaway firing your gun if things get a bit tricky. And this is pretty much seamless

B. Olivia: Sounds very dynamic. Is there a PVP aspect to the game?

Terry Torlao: The game becomes very PvP focused at the higher levels. There are even quests for players to hunt down other players so thats another element to the PvP. There is also plans to expand and change the PvP around so it’s gonna be a lot deeper and more dramatic than what it is at this time.

B. Olivia: Interesting! So is that open PVP, or is it going to be optional? Or will it depend on the server?

Terry Torlao: In our CBT it’s currently an open PvP at the higher levels, although we are looking at more options based on the feedback we’ve recieved.

B. Olivia: And what about the PVE content? End-game?

Terry Torlao: There are a number of quests available for players, as well as instances for players to party up and take on powerful bosses. So there are already a number of things available and we’ll be expanding the number of instances very shortly so the game is definitely in a state of evolution. There are also special bounty hunting missions where a specfic target is announced and players have a set time to find and kill the target.

B. Olivia: Sounds like there’s a lot going on. So, going back to the sci-fi element for a moment, is there anything about the setting in Bounty Hounds you find especially interesting?

Terry Torlao: First off, it is a continuation of the world in the PSP title of Bounty Hounds so there will be some recognizable cameos. What strikes me the most is that the vast majority of Sci-Fi games emphasize a lot of the technology, equipment, ships and so forth. BHO, is more in line like many Fantasy MMORPG’s where the emphasis is more on the character and your experience in the world.

B. Olivia: So it’s more of a character driven sci-fi, like Star Wars, rather than “hard” sci-fi like EVE Online?

Terry Torlao: I would say that would be a pretty good comparison.

B. Olivia: A lot of players love pet mechanics. What will pets be like in Bounty Hounds?

Terry Torlao: The Pet System, or CTU’s as they’re called in-game, are robotic pets which assist the player throughout the game and they can be heavily upgraded and modified to become a major part of the team. However, upgrading them does require you to sacrifice other pets so it develops a very unique relationship between player and pet. In many ways the pet is the other half of your character.

B. Olivia: That is really interesting! Can you customize them in various ways? Appearance, function, etc.?

Terry Torlao: Appearance changes when they get upgraded more and more. Also what items you use in the upgrading will affect their stats so it is very much up to the player on how the pet grows.

B. Olivia: Very cool! Any other unique features you’d like to mention?

Terry Torlao: There are also item crafting and creation that utilizes many of the items and drops found throughout the gameworld. There is also item upgrading system which does not require the use of traditional random number generator to rely on “chance” to upgrade an item.

B. Olivia: Of course! How could I forget about crafting? Can you elaborate a little more on that upgrade system? If it doesn’t use chance, how does it work?

Terry Torlao: Items require effort to get stronger. As you kill monsters on the field you will recieve components which can be used to upgrade your weapons or armors. When equipment reaches a certain number of components added it will get stronger. You can say you’re levelling up the equipment.

B. Olivia: That’s really neat. So, is it possible for someone to use the same weapon or piece of armor indefinitely through constant upgrades?

Terry Torlao: There is a limit. Lower level gear may not even have the capacity to hold components. It does diversify at higher levels. There are plenty of strong stuff that cannot hold components but there are stuff that are slightly weaker that have a very high component limit allowing a lot of upgrades.

B. Olivia: Good to know. Now, this is a question that’s always important to me. How is the avatar customization?

Terry Torlao: When creating a character you will have the usual options to change the facial features, the hair, skin color and so forth. As for overall appearance, there are Blueprints and Costumes. Blueprints are pemanent appearance modifiers for equipment so they will change how they look. Costumes are items that affect the character and not the equipment so you can change how you look without permanently altering your gear.

B. Olivia: That sounds good to me. What about “races” in the game? Can you play as anything other than human?

Terry Torlao: You’re only human in this game. Although there are many other races you will encounter in the game. Intelligent CTU’s, and other alien races like the Tapirs and the Wildsanders are just a couple of examples of the races in the game.

B. Olivia: Are there opposing factions between players?

Terry Torlao: A player can select a faction when they’re starting the game and that is where much of the PvP is centered on. Faction vs Faction PvP. As for how many factions, that is currently under review based on the feedback we’ve recieved from our CBT.

B. Olivia: We’re coming up on the hour, and I don’t want to take up too much of your time. Any final thoughts you want to share with those following Bounty Hounds Online?

Terry Torlao: The game is a constantly evolving game and there is a lot of change in the horizon. Expect this game to become a wild ride once it’s out of beta!

B. Olivia: Thanks for your time, Terry.

Terry Torlao: Thanks for the interview.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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