MMO News |
- Star Trek Online celebrates second anniversary
- Nexon launches Hat Trick promotion
- Mythos Global begins open beta
- Cross Fire introduces Hero Mode X
- Tribes Ascend previews major update
- Maestia relaunches on Alaplaya
- Evony: Interview with Darold Higa, Lead Producer
| Star Trek Online celebrates second anniversary Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:05 PM PST Today marks the second anniversary of Star Trek Online, and to celebrate, Cryptic will hold an anniversary event until February 6. There are two activities players can participate in. A one-time flagship mission will grant a starship to players. There is also a daily Q mission (resets every 20 hours), which has you chase down some pests for Q at either Earth Spacedock or Qo’noS. The daily mission rewards either a Two Year Anniversary Part Popper, 500 Dilithium Ore, or a mystery box that may contain random green, blue, or purple quality items; high end consumables; a one hour skill point boost; or the One Year Anniversary Party Popper. Cryptic Studios also publishes Champions Online.  Star Trek Online Gameplay Screenshot
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| Nexon launches Hat Trick promotion Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:44 PM PST Nexon America is offering players a chance to win prizes in its newest multi-game contest, the Nexon Hat Trick. The event runs until March 15. Interested players must first join the event on its official page, and then obtain (or already have) level twenty characters in three Nexon games: Dragon Nest, Dungeon Fighter Online, and Vindictus. Players who enter and complete the Hat Trick by March 15 will earn about 20,000 NX worth of in-game goodies. Qualifying players will also be entered for a chance to win Karma Koin cards, an Alienware Aurora Desktop PC, and a “high-performance automobile.”  Alienware Aurora Desktop PC
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| Mythos Global begins open beta Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:16 PM PST Open beta testing has begun for Mythos Global, published by T3Fun. The release now allows European players, whose previous version of Mythos (published by Frogster) was shut down. Only players from the Russian Federation, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan remain IP blocked from the global version. Mythos features a Diablo-style gameplay, with four races (Cyclopes, Gremlins, Satyrs, and humans) and three classes (Bloodletter, Pyromancer, and Gadgeteer) to choose from. T3Fun also publishes Hellgate.  Mythos Gameplay Screenshot
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| Cross Fire introduces Hero Mode X Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:01 PM PST A new mode has arrived in Cross Fire, and it goes by “Hero Mode X.” The mode lets players control one of two new characters: Xeno, an electric alien, or Commando, who dual-wields kukris. This mode boasts three new ribbons for players to earn, and includes two maps – Mansion and Rooftops. The update also introduces six new weapons (Remington 870 shotgun, Rx4 Storm assault rifle, tiger-striped AWM sniper rifle, camo-skinned QBZ95, and alternate gold-skin MG3 machine gun), plus an assortment of other new equipment. Through February 5, players can also earn weapons and items just by playing. Cross Fire is published by Z8 Games. Cross Fire Hero Mode X Screenshots:       Source:
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| Tribes Ascend previews major update Posted: 02 Feb 2012 01:27 PM PST Hi-Rez Studios has revealed plans for the next major update for Tribes Ascend. The update will reduce the number of playable classes from twelve to nine, while increasing the number of available classes for starting characters to three (one Light, one Medium, one Heavy). Class customization and weapon customization will be improved to allow players to better tweak their loadouts, and the user interface will also be more polished. The goal of the update is to improve customization and retain game balance. Hi-Rez Studios also publishes Global Agenda.  Tribes Ascend: New Class Selection  Tribes Ascend: New Weapon Upgrades  Tribes Ascend: New Modify Class Source:
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| Maestia relaunches on Alaplaya Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:45 AM PST Alaplaya has officially relaunched Maestia, a fantasy MMORPG originally published by BigPoint. The relaunch included a launch of a new update, “Rise of Keledus.” The update revises all maps, dungeons, monsters, item drops, and some character models. New features include set effects for rare and expert dungeon equipment, new HDR graphics options, major skill readjustments for mages and rangers, improvements to group experience and options, increased hitpoints, new crafting and Maestones, and much more. Alaplaya also publishes ARGO Online and Florensia.  Maestia Gameplay Screenshot Source:
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| Evony: Interview with Darold Higa, Lead Producer Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:13 AM PST Evony has seen a large amount of success in the years since its launch, and has also faced a hefty amount of criticism. MMOHut spoke with Evony’s Lead Producer, Darold Higa, to get further insight into the history and future of this well known strategy MMO. It’s been a few years since Evony’s release – what are some of the major changes and updates that have taken place since gamers first set eyes on Evony?
Since we launched Evony: Age I a few years ago, we have launched Evony: Age II which introduced a number of new elements of strategy to the game. Age II also launched to enhancements and additions to the gameplay, including Historic Heroes, Historical Cities, Achievements, Stratagems, new Quests and enhanced graphics. We support both Evony: Age I and Evony: Age II through game tweaks and new items. We also released a toolbar so that you can keep playing the game and keep a watchful eye on your cities even when you are not actually on Evony.com. What do you think Evony has succeeded the best at since its release?
I think Evony has had two big successes. First, our gameplay has been an important reason why so many people play Evony, and why we have players that have been playing this game since launch. Having a game that has the depth and complexity to engage players for years is one of the defining characteristics of the Evony game experience. The second and perhaps the most important aspect has been our passionate, tight-knit player community of Ladies and Lords. Evony is a game where the players create the story through acts of heroism and deception, friendship and treachery. Our player community is literally the driving force behind the game, and the community that has built up around the game makes the game experience what it is.
Why did Evony decide to make Age II, and what makes it so different? Age II was an opportunity to expand our existing game experience, adding a number of new features and new ideas to the already complex gameplay of Age I. By putting the complex combat system of Age I into the hands of so many players we learned a number of things. Information warfare, which was already quite complicated, could be made even more exciting by adding a wildcard element to the game in the form of Stratagems. Stratagems are very similar to special cards from a collectible card game, allowing players to add deception and intrigue to tip the tide of battle. A new class of city, known as Historical Cities were added to give Alliances a focal point for their struggle to control regions. We also added new Quests and Achievements, to give players tangible goals to aim for, helping to guide them beyond the early stages of gameplay and prepare them for "endgame" battles. Historical Heroes are another big feature we've added to the game, featuring real world historical figures as new and powerful units to lead your forces. Overall, the goal of Age II was to enhance the core Age I gameplay experience without changing the core mechanics. The result is a similar game with a very different feel.  How well has Evony adapted to Facebook? Will it continue to reach to new platforms like the iPhone? Players continue to be more social than ever, and we've added special bonuses that players can give to their friends when they play via Facebook. Facebook has made it even easier for us to connect with players and get more feedback. The great thing about the browser is that it brings us that much closer to truly ubiquitous gaming. Our game client is very complex, and it pushes the limits for what is possible in a browser game client. We're really excited in improvements in mobile technology, and we're hoping that our brand of browser based gaming will find its way into the hands of mobile users in the future. Where do you think Evony still needs to improve? Like any persistent online game, we're always looking to streamline the experience for players and minimize any downtime or technical issues. We've made great improvements here but are definitely looking to do more. Is Evony prepared to make an Age III, updating again in the future to adapt to new playerbases? We currently reach and cater to quite a variety of strategy fans with Age I and II. We've been able to make the game enjoyable for both the hardcore and casual player. We have quite a few ideas churning for things we can add to the game, but we haven't announced any plans regarding an Age III. Evony’s early advertising campaigns drew a lot of publicity, much of it negative. Do you think Evony has since “cleared the air”? Have you added new strategies to draw in new players? The ad campaign you're talking about was run two years ago by our affiliate network. The method used the same kind of advertising gimmicks that products outside of gaming use. I really feel like that was a turning point in the game industry, because prior to that game advertising was directed at the core gaming community (licensed properties excepted). That being said, for the past two years we have run advertising that is very gameplay focused. Browser based gaming has really required a different kind of advertising from traditional retail gaming. In retail gaming the goal was to get players to purchase the product, and the advertising stopped there. That meant that advertising was brief, intense and very flashy. For free to play browser based games, advertising is there to get your product noticed so that a player spends some of their precious time to try your game. The real advertising comes from the quality of gameplay. If a player tries our game and gives up on it, then we haven't succeeded. I think the quality of our gameplay and the rich game experiences that players get has been our most powerful advertising strategy, and it is something we will never deviate from.  What work is Evony doing to address concerns about botting? We've unleashed what we like to call Operation Cerberus, our frontline attack on players that we've identified to be using third-party tools or cheats to play the game. We take botting very seriously at Evony, and while I can't divulge our secrets to discovering a player abusing the rules like this, we work very hard to identify and take action against these players. Evony has been a leader in the browser-based strategy game arena, leading to many similar games or “clones” in the market. What do you think makes the Evony game model so popular? I really take a lot of pride that so many studios have worked so hard to emulate the success we've had with Evony: Age I and Evony: Age II. I honestly believe the most important aspect of our game model is that we didn't limit ourselves to making a browser game. There are so many companies, some rather large ones in fact, that approached browser gaming by simplifying games for the masses through limiting player interaction and limiting player options. We took the opposite approach. The browser wasn't a limitation; it was just a platform to deliver the game vision we had. We pushed the limits on what a multiplayer browser game is all about. We made a massive, multiplayer, real-time game with full symmetrical gameplay, player communication and organization tools. Massive real-time battles? Cut-throat player versus player dynamics? Alliance tools? Sure! Our success and the success of our clones just prove that you don't have to "dumb down" games for the masses. What message would you like to pass on to players who haven't yet played Evony? I've played a lot of online games, but to date, some of my most memorable gaming experiences have come from hand wringing online battles with dozens of cities and millions of troops all on the move in real-time. The early phase of the game is engaging as you build your cities, research technology and build up your economy and military, but the game really shines once you have built up your forces and engage in large-scale conflict. Most important is to join an alliance! Friendships (and even a marriage, we've been told) grow from the close bonds you forge battling it out with alliances. All I can say is give the game a try! Make sure to also check out our exclusive developer tips from Evony! |
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