artix-entertainment
Latest
Free for All: What a Memoria MMO might look like
There are a few styles of gaming that we just don't see much of anymore, and point-and-click adventure games has been one of those. The good news is that compared to other older styles like text-based or email-gaming, point-and-click adventuring is making a comeback. Thanks to the mobile market and its resurrected titles like Broken Sword and amazing newer games like The Walking Dead, adventure-lovers have much to do. Personally, I find adventure gaming to be a thrilling experience because they generally allow a player to use her brain more than her reflexes, and the experiences are usually quite beautiful too. Memoria is Daedalic Entertainment's latest adventure game set in The Dark Eye universe. It's often described as "the German Dungeons and Dragons." I'm not sure that the description gives either IP full credit, but The Dark Eye is one interesting universe. As usual, though, my mind wondered how the game could be worked into a multiplayer version. A massively multiplayer version. I've asked the same question of other games before, so let's look at how Memoria might make a killer MMO!
AdventureQuest Worlds releases its first two action figures
Action figures are a great accessory for any video game. Sure, most of us have passed the point when we would use them to stage elaborate battles in the backyard, but it's nice to have something on hand to play with during load times. That's part of the reason that AdventureQuest Worlds is getting into the market with its first two figures, representing Artix and Sepulchure, available in Toys'R'Us stores nationwide starting on May 23rd. Even if you're not normally the sort to buy action figures, Artix Entertainment has sweetened the deal by making sure that each figure comes with a special in-game house, special armor and weapons, and five playing cards for the game's tie-in card game. If you don't want to wait for them in stores, you can also purchase them directly from the company's online store starting May 18th. The team put together a small stop-motion animation piece as well to celebrate the upcoming figures because honestly, if you've spent this much time thinking about buying an action figure, don't you deserve a toy commercial to cap it off? [Source: Artix Entertainment press release]
While waiting to rez, please see this word from our sponsor
When your character dies in your favorite MMO, have you ever thought, "Gee, I'd sure like to see an ad right about now"? MMO developer Artix believes that death ads are the way to go, as they've introduced special advertising that will show up only when a character dies in their game AdventureQuest Worlds. According to a recent interview with [a]listdaily, CEO Adam Bohn says that response has been good so far. The game network's 12 to 13 million users are happy with the ads because Artix likes to keep them fun for a younger audience. Despite the fact that this has been done before in games like Shadowbane, and the deceased Dungeon Runners to a lesser extent, Bohn believes the ads are a good idea that they'll eventually build upon. I think if nothing else, it will make us want to die a whole lot less.
MV Guide: August 8-14, 2011
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During livestream events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's scheduled for this week!
Rise and Shiny recap: AdventureQuest Worlds
Each week Rise and Shiny asks you to download and try a different free-to-play game, chosen by me, Beau Hindman. Some of the games will be far out of your gaming comfort zone, and some will pleasantly surprise you. We will meet each Tuesday and Friday night at 8 PM Central time, followed by this column the Sunday after. I welcome any suggestions for games, either in the comments or at beau@massively.com. Making games for younger players has to be a very difficult undertaking. Think about today's informed youth, especially compared to my generation. When I was 13, I made forts and had BB gun fights, but modern 13-year-olds carry cell phones in their pockets and have constant access to the internet. Gaming is winning out, though, by being provided with a massive (and growing) audience of willing players. When you are making a game for this savvy audience, you had better have all your digital ducks in a row. AdventureQuest Worlds is designed well enough to satisfy a large range of age groups and levels of experience, and for that, Artix Entertainment should be proud. Still, there is plenty that could be changed about the game to make it even more friendly.
Artix Entertainment acquires EpicDuel, starts test of master account system
Artix Entertainment (soon to be Battle On Games), the team behind the easily addicting AdventureQuest series of games and the AQ Worlds flash MMO, has recently announced their acquisition of another flash-based pseudo-MMO -- EpicDuel. The EpicDuel team has been completely integrated into the Artix Entertainment staff, keeping them in charge of their own game while still allowing them the expanded resources and technology that drives the Artix Entertainment products. To celebrate, EpicDuel is getting a complete overhaul, including adding hips (which was a whopping 3,500 frames of animation changes alone), a new player housing system, changes to the battle system, and more. All of this comes with the new test of the Artix master account system, which will unify accounts across all Artix Entertainment games with a master login. This will, of course, include AdventureQuest Worlds, our specific title of interest here on Massively.
AdventureQuest Worlds wedding attracts 11,000 guests
How many people would you choose to attend your wedding? Some go for a smaller and more intimate setting with just a handful of people. Over at the other extreme, some folks shell out for 1000+ of their closest friends to enjoy their special moment. Want to take it even further? You could be like the couple from Missouri that just tied the knot and had 11,000 people sitting in on the ceremony. Of course, the catch is that the wedding took place in AdventureQuest Worlds, and their guests attended virtually. Their private wedding room was cloned, which allowed for thousands of gamers to experience the celebrations along with then.The event was a success overall, and undoubtedly a lot easier to organize than a wedding of that scale would be in the real world. Weddings are notorious for the meticulous planning that comes before them, and equally for the little (hopefully inconsequential) things that tend to go wrong on the day. If we had to make a list of things we'd like not to happen during a loved one's wedding, "Troll raid" would be somewhere near the top. As fate would have it, Trolls did show up to raid the AQW wedding, but thankfully the guests took it in their stride, and cake was enjoyed by all.
