faunasphere
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Faunasphere shutting down on March 15th
It's a sad day when a game shuts down, especially one that caters to an unusual audience. Faunasphere, a game about cleaning up a pollution-riddled world while developing your personal animals, has announced its shutdown on March 15th. All subscription options have been removed, all subscriptions or microtransaction currency purchases after January 14th are being refunded, and the developers at Big Fish Games are working to make sure that the month until the closing is memorable and enjoyable for players. In a brief FAQ regarding the closure, the development team addresses several potential player questions, including the game's integration with Facebook (which kept the servers running for longer than would have otherwise been possible) and the issue of any outstanding funds sunk into the game. There's also a thread set up for players to exchange contact information, in the hopes that some of the community might retain its cohesion. Our condolences go out to the Faunasphere players and development team affected by the shutdown.
Free for All: Lessons from the world of indie and free-to-play
I'm no expert at anything. I'm sort of like the Mario of gaming -- not an ace in one particular area, but relatively experienced in all. Luckily, this has worked out for me. Name a title; I either have played it or know about it. Name a developer, and I can probably tell you something about it that sticks out. Granted, this ability might not come in handy when Twitter is exploding in the usual "Hey, we all love football" Sunday chatter, but look where you're reading this now. On this turf, being a well-rounded gamer has its advantages. Over the last 11 years, I've noticed quite a few trends and picked up on some unique ways that developers do business. I would never say that the information I have is 100 percent accurate, but it does come from a very open mind. I'll also not pretend that all these lessons will lead to massive piles of cash and free booze. Some of them are examples of what not to do. In fact, stop listening to me. Go read the examples right now, after the jump.
Facebook MMOgraphy: First impressions of Faunasphere
Every two weeks, Facebook MMOgraphy brings you the latest news, guides and analysis about MMOs on Facebook and Facebook apps associated with MMOs. In my last column I took a look at the Facebook vampire MMO, City of Eternals. One of the commenters on the piece turned me on to another Facebook MMO, the free-to-play, browser-based Faunasphere. This game is more like Free Realms than traditional combat-oriented MMOs. It is generally aimed at a younger demographic, one that wants to collect cute animal avatars and customize their virtual living spaces with an endless array of decorations and themes. Using both in-game cash and real-life money, players can create an oasis for their animal avatars to live in. There is no combat or PvP, no raids or skirmishes. The goals of this game is to clean up a toxic world with your animal avatar and transform it into an oasis for all life. If that's your cup of MMO-steeped tea, read on!
Faunasphere goes Facebook
We've received word today from the team over at Faunasphere that they're taking their game over to the land of Facebook, to show the "social gamers" what a MMO really is. Faunsphere Facebook and Faunsphere.com will be linked together into one large world, letting users from both realms interact with one another. The game will continue to run on the same microtransaction system, where users can buy additional items for their fauna and commission scientific tests to know more about the hidden skills that lie in their favorite animals. All we can do now is pray that this style of game catches on in Facebook, so when we ask our friends if they play any MMOs, they don't respond with, "Oh, yeah, Farmville!" Then, we won't feel the need to throttle people.
Fight smog with dogs in Faunasphere
Pollution is bad, mmmmkay? That's the general theme of Faunasphere, another flash-based MMO that takes a very different look at MMO gameplay. Faunasphere is all about protecting the environment and destroying pollution while evolving your fauna -- animals with specific skills that will aid you in completing quests in this scientifically advanced world. Some fauna can dig, others can swim, and others can track scents and more. Fauna can also be bred as well, letting you create new species of animals while increasing their stats. The flash based MMO also includes the ability to create your own world for your fauna to live in, awarding you items as you complete quests and level up. It's easy to pick up and play, and the animations are pretty cute as well. It's also free... did we mention that? Well, we did now. Give it a whirl, as it's a great MMO for when you're on the go and can't be bothered to install a big game.
Asheron's Call lead designer talks 10-Year anniversary, the MMO market, more
Not many MMOs last a decade, and this week marks 10 years since the launch of Asheron's Call, the fantasy MMORPG by Turbine Entertainment. Releasing several months after EverQuest, the game held its own and found its way to becoming one of the top MMOs of its time, providing fond memories for many players. "I'm very proud of Asheron's Call, even today," said former AC lead designer Toby Ragaini in an e-mail to Massively. "It really broke a lot of new ground and I still have people come up to me saying what a great time they had playing. That's a pretty wonderful compliment after 10 years." Ragaini, who has since worked on Sony Online Entertainment's The Matrix Online and is now working on a casual web-based MMO called Faunasphere, reminisced about working on Asheron's Call and spoke about what it's like working in the MMO market after 14 years of being in the biz.
