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One Shots: You must first pass the test
Normally we likely wouldn't generally add in a 'screenshot' from a browser-based, primarily text MMO, but we're such huge fans of the Test of Literacy that we simply couldn't resist posting this Kingdom of Loathing screen that was sent in to us by Harmen. Here's what he had to say about this extremely funny screenshot - A One Shot of something completely different: Kingdom of Loathing, browser-based, stick-figures, is hilarious, free, really rather hard and even includes PvP. It has been running since 2003, and is still actively expanded. This is a screenshot of the 'tests' you need to pass when you want to enter the chat channel the first time. One of the tests is the difference between 'their', 'there' and 'they're'. Really, we think more MMOs should have literacy tests.If you're playing a funny, independent, off-the-beaten-path MMO, we want to see a screenshot and hear a bit about why you think this is a really cool game! Who knows - you may recruit some new players to check out your game. Just email those screens to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game, and whatever you'd like to say about the screenshot. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-9798%
id pushing hard for Quake Live on the Mac
Our good friends at Joystiq recently spoke to id games' John Carmack (the man behind games like Quake and Doom, and fervent supporter of Mac gaming), and heard that id's new product, Quake Live, is headed to our OS just as soon as they can get it there. Quake Live is a free, browser-based, multiplayer-only version of the popular first-person shooter, and it's Windows-only at the moment and packed -- I've tried to play, but have been locked out by thousands of people ahead of me in server queues. Even some of the developers at id are having issues. One of them (a Mac user, apparently) complains that even he has to jump into Boot Camp just to play his own game.A little more significantly, Carmack says he recognizes that while there are lots of other choices for PC gamers, a game like Quake Live could make a much bigger splash on Mac and Linux, where there aren't as many other developers and titles grabbing for attention. We've heard that before -- while developers claim there's not a big enough base for them on OS X and Linux, the truth is that some of your best and most loyal customers will use Macs.Good to see that Carmack recognizes there's an audience here who want to shoot each other online, too. Hopefully we'll see Quake Live running on our machines sooner rather than later.
F2P Earth Eternal gears up for 2009 launch
Here at Massively, we understand that free-to-play games are gaining in popularity lately. This is a trend that might just rise before it ever fades away. The business model of F2P makes sense to some (not all), and the icing on the cake for a casual player is a browser-based environment. Marry the two and you have games like RuneScape, but what if you're looking for something more... updated?Enter Earth Eternal. We haven't heard anything from the Earth Eternal team in awhile, but this game seems to have a lot to offer for a "younger" or more casual audience, in addition to escaping the tired old tradition of having humans as the main playable character. Although the game is not yet ready for prime-time, you can monitor its development over at their gorgeous new website. There's a video trailer, some screenshots, brand new forums and more to enjoy.
FusionFall Executive Producer explains the importance of accessibility
By this time, you've probably heard about Cartoon Network's FusionFall MMO. We've given our extensive first impressions here, and it's managed to create its own little buzz already. How much of a buzz? How about 2.5 million accounts created during beta?So what makes a game like this so popular? According to a recent interview with Worlds in Motion, Executive Producer Chris Waldron says it's all about accessibility. "From our experience with the Sneak Peek weekends, we realize that FusionFall is going to be the first MMO for a lot of players. We based a lot of our design decisions on that, and so far it's working out pretty well." Check out the entire interview for more from FusionFall's Chris Waldron.
FusionFall: Cartoon Network's browser-based MMO launches
Turner and Cartoon Network today launched FusionFall, the network's first foray into the MMO world. The game, which features re-imagined characters from CN shows including Ben 10, Dexter's Laboratory, Powepuff Girls, Samurai Jack and others, is browser-based and developed by Korean studio Grigon Entertainment.FusionFall offers a free-to-play area for users to get a taste of the action before deciding if the monthly subscription (which starts at $5.95) is worth it or not. In our admittedly brief time with the game's beta last year, we found the combination of Phantasy Star Online style combat and platform game elements surprisingly appealing. (Especially considering that the game is primarily aimed at kids and those in their early teens, i.e. not us.)For a deeper glimpse into FusionFall, our friendly neighborhood MMO gurus at Massively have put together a really swell guided tour of the game, which you can toon into by clicking here.
Zork to return in MMO form
If you're old like me, you may remember the classic world of Zork. It was a text-based adventure game (and series of games) created in the late 70s that was the inspiration for most, if not all, story-rich computer games of our day. Well, now it will be coming to an internet browser near you as a persistent MMO. Dublin-based Jolt Online Gaming is joining with Activision, who owns the rights to Zork, for a browser-based MMO centered around the world of the Infocom classic. "The Great Underground Empire has recently fallen and the land is in disarray," the game's website describes. "The stock market has collapsed, leading even mighty FrobozzCo International to fire employees from throughout its subsidiaries. A craze of treasure-hunting has swept through the remnants of the Great Underground Empire. It's a dangerous time to be a newly-unemployed traveling salesman, but it's also a great time to try a bit of adventuring."Check out the official website for more information and to sign up for up-to-date news on the development of this game.
No download, no problem: Browser-based MMOs
Not all of us have the high end computers to run graphics intensive games like Lord of the Rings Online. Others players may just not want to take the time or bandwidth to download a whole MMO client just to find out that it's not worth it. Plus, maybe we want a game that we can play easily from any computer -- something that we can access while on the road. What could be the solution?How about a good browser-based MMO? While we here at Massively tend to concentrate on the more mainstream titles, Dean Sherwin over at MMOHub has written an article in the defense of browser based MMOs, plus a list of some games that we can easily grab while on the road from any computer. Things like RuneScape, Adventure Quest, and many others are all listed easily on their website.
zOMG! beta reaches half a million players
Gaia Online's latest title, zOMG!, has attracted over half a million beta users, according to Worlds in Motion. This cutesy, anime-looking game was named by the players back in July of this year and has enjoyed tremendous success even this early in its life cycle.zOMG! is a Flash-based browser game marketed primarily to children and teens. Players earn Gaia Gold by interacting with the Gaia website and can then spend said gold to customize their avatar. If you're interested in trying the beta or just looking for more information on what it's all about, check out our First Impression of zOMG!.%Gallery-38996%
The Daily Grind: Have you played a Flash MMO?
At GDC way back at the beginning of this year, an MMO was all the rage that a lot of hardcore players probably haven't even heard of. The game was called Sherwood, and it was a hugely successful 3D game made only by two people. This was possible because it was built on the Flash platform.Cheap and quick development means that underdogs like Maid Marian (the company behind Sherwood) can produce something profitable, and in theory it would mean they could try something new -- although they rarely do. Millions of people have played browser-based games, many of them Flash-based, but have you? If so, do they provide the basic gameplay you demand from an massively multiplayer virtual world, or were you left wondering why you even bothered?
Online gaming on Google's Lively to take on "corporate mentality"
Kevin Hanna, creative director of Google's Lively, said at AGDC that he hopes that Lively will become an online gaming platform that will challenge the status quo in a game industry he says is currently dominated by a "corporate mentality" that is "sucking the life out of what should be the most creative and innovative medium out there."He said that game developers and publishers seem eager to be "first to be second." That is, they have no interest in creating anything genuinely new. They just want to capitalize on ideas that have already been proven. His hope is that Lively will lower the barrier to entry so would-be developers ("passionate startups and kids in college") can experiment with new ideas with less risk.So far, the aspects of Google's vision for Lively as a game development platform that we've seen have looked like a greatly scaled back, poor man's version of MetaPlace; just the tools for creating simple arcade-like games, without any of the loftier purpose. But Hanna's comments suggest that at least some folks on the Lively team have grander ambitions after all.
Big Fish Games snags $83 million for expansion
In what is touted as the the largest investment of venture capital for a U.S. online gaming company, Big Fish Games has recently secured $83.3 million in funding from VC firms Balderton Capital, General Catalyst Partners and Salmon River Capital. This is all in addition to the $8.7 million they received in 2005, making this developer one of the most heavily-funded out there.You may remember in November of last year when Big Fish acquired MMO developer Thinglefin which was founded by Jeremy Friesen and Ryan O'Rourke, formerly of Monolith and Sony Online Entertainment. These industry vets have previously worked on The Matrix Online and Asheron's Call. This new MMO from Thinglefin is described as a free-to-play, browser-based MMO, and is currently still in development.
Turbine opens dynamic forum sigs for LotRO players
The integration from game client to browser-based media is becoming more popular and accessible these days, so Turbine decided to implement a recent update to their Lord of the Rings Online account-linked forum sigs for all players. Any LotRO player can now generate a graphical signature with information about any of their characters over level five. This is for characters on any server, PvE and PvMP characters included.This is very similar to browser-based character information available in other games, but of course there are some limitations currently. The portrait displayed in the sig is a general representation of race and gender only, so at the moment, it's not highly customizable. Also, there's a known issue regarding officer and member ranks not displaying correctly. It seems like this could be a step in the right direction towards getting more detailed character or kinship information in a web-based format, much like we have already in World of Warcraft, Dungeon Runners and more.
Raph Koster on the Metaplace idea
After a recent question from a Metaplace forum member last month, Raph Koster decided to sit down and explain to us just where exactly the idea for Metaplace was born and how it has evolved into what it is today. He begins by explaining his MUD roots and how much that influenced him in the multiplayer online space. He explains that he'd had ideas for web-based sandbox worlds ever since then and had frequently toyed with the idea to create his vision, but finances and other limitations restricted that. Now that he has the resources, this vision he's had for so long can finally be put into action with a team of professionals, instead of just him working on it in his spare bedroom. It's an inspiring little story and certainly worth a read if you're interested in Raph's work or the potential future of MMOs in general.
PAX08: Twin Skies interview
Twin Skies is a brand new MMO still in development from Meteor Games, which is fronted by two of the co-founders of the wildly-successful Neopets. Despite the fact that Twin Skies is still in its early stages, their presence at PAX08 seemed to be well-received by gamers. This was the first public showing of the MMO that was only first announced a month ago from a company that was introduced to us only two months ago!So we took this opportunity to sit down with the CEO Adam Powell and Lead Designer Aaron Matthew for a bit of an exclusive look at what this game is all about. Despite the fact that the surrounding PAX booths were competing for attention all around us, we were able to get some great information on this upcoming game.Follow along on our exclusive tour of Twin Skies>>
Gaia Online's MMO is actually called zOMG! (and it's in beta now)
The closed beta test of Gaia Online's much-anticipated MMO has officially begun. Here's the kicker: it has a name! And that name is zOMG!. No, really. The name of the MMO is actually zOMG!. Previously, it was called Gaia Battle. That was rather generic, so this is probably a step up. The name was chosen out of hundreds of submissions from Gaia regulars. Said Senior Producer Dave Georgeson to Wired: "it captures the spirit of our users." Those users are mostly teens. Until now, Gaia Online has simply been a casual games portal and forum community. zOMG! is an MMO built on that foundation.If you're not familiar with Gaia Battle -- err, we mean zOMG! -- it's a browser-based game that will run on any computer that plays nice with Flash. Gameplay involves combat -- which centers around upgradable magic ring items -- and minigames. Social networking type stuff is laced in as well.%Gallery-27139%
Cartoon Network announces browser-based MMO
Today at Comic-Con, Cartoon Network has announced the release of the first-ever MMO for kids which will be entirely browser-based. Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall is a futuristic adventure set during an alien invasion of the Cartoon Network universe. This means that players will not only be able to team up together to defend the universe from this alien invasion, but the game will incorporate all of Cartoon Network's most popular characters including stars of Ben 10: Alien Force, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls and more!This game will consist of 60 play areas and utilize the Unity Technologies game engine. This engine has been the cutting-edge choice for several gaming projects such as Freeverse, Shockwave.com, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Flashbang Studios and more. Look for FusionFall to release later this fall.
E308: Social networking and web-games in Free Realms
For a game that's not actually browser-based (though it will only require a small download and stream content in the background, Free Realms is a client-based game), Free Realms will have an unprecedented amount of browser-based content. Free Realms will have all of the web content you would expect from a modern MMO... and some of the web content you would expect to see in a social networking application like Facebook. Each player will have an online player profile listing all of their in-game friends (with links that will launch the game client and take you right to your friends' location) and newsfeeds that give you information about what's going on with your character. Not even Free Realms' game elements are restricted to the client. Many mini-games will also be playable via the web -- and give you in-game benefits for doing so (as long as you're logged on). So if you played the Bejeweled-esque mini-game via the web during your lunch break, your character in-game would gain ore and experience.In-game, characters will connect through a non-traditional guild system. When we asked Lead Designer Laralyn McWilliams about guilds at E3, she informed us that SOE is "exploring other kinds of social arrangements, like different types of friends. So you could have your BFFs, your regular friends, and your family." They're also exploring a "club" system. McWilliams said, "Guilds are exclusive -- so we'd like to really recognize the fact that someone might want to be in the gardening club and the dog-lover's club and the ninja club. Those would all have collections associated with them because Free Realms is ultimately a collection. There's a collection of jobs, a collection of clubs... we're all about letting you collect things in the game and show off your achievements."%Gallery-27758%%Gallery-27753% Interested in Free Realms? Then check out all of our E3 coverage of SOE's latest free-to-play online game!
Browser-based Pirate Galaxy announced
Just how massive can free-to-play MMOs be when there seem to be just as many of them as there are people living on Earth? This we wondered when we learned of yet another new browser-based game. This particular game is called Pirate Galaxy, and it's under development by a German company called Splitscreen Studios. The company employs some folks who used to work at Bigpoint, a leading name in browser games that's also based in Europe.Players of Pirate Galaxy pilot starships which can be upgraded both by things acquired through normal gameplay and through -- you guessed it -- an item mall. Splitscreen's press release stresses that the game's big selling point is how easy it is to pick up and play. "The swift registration process, streamlined interface and seamlessly integrated turorial ensure that the game appeals to beginners and experienced gamers alike," it says.Pirate Galaxy is slated to release later this year. Oh, and it's 3D. Splitscreen claims the graphics "push the envelope in the browser-based games segment." That's not saying much, but of course gameplay is what matters. Unfortunately we don't know much about that yet.
Estiah: Text-based MMO adventures?
Who needs pesky graphics and immersively realistic environments anyway? Estiah is a new browser-based MMO that is completely free and approaches the usual online gaming experience from a bit of an "old school meets new school" angle with the fact that it is mostly a text-based adventure. Aside from the battle animations which take on a card game feel, and the world map, the rest of the game is strictly text-based.Now you may be wondering why we would cover something like this here at Massively, but let's take a look at just a few of the game elements to determine how massively multiplayer it really is. PvP: Check! Battle other players in your daily traveling adventures, or head out to the arena looking for a fight. There's even an achievement ladder. Auction House: Check! You can travel between cities to buy and sell goods to other players. Raid Grouping: Check! You can actually join up with your friends to take on dungeon raids for that very best loot.
PMOG launches, websites gain a surge in visitors
PMOG, which we've covered before, has launched today, coming out of a 10-week beta phase. It's ready for everyone to jump into, leveraging the power of constant site-surfing into a rather unique interactive experience for anyone with a Mozilla-compatible browser. Interestingly, PMOG isn't taking advantage of the opportunity for extra revenue by allowing websites to pay to be included as special landing areas, where players could receive additional badges just for visiting. This both reflects well on them and makes the inner capitalists in us cry out in agony. Sign up for PMOG today!
