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Lost Pages of Taborea: Grouping basics
This week, I've been thinking a lot about Runes of Magic's ability to cater to players with different MMO backgrounds. Many players may never have played a subscription game from the West, while others may never have experienced the different mechanics found in Eastern F2P MMOs. What you get is a banquet of food and all the guests aren't sure of the proper etiquette or rules or when it's time to eat. If we stick with a food analogy, the group feature would be a main dish. Lots of F2P MMOs have been imported from the East, and they don't handle grouping in quite the same way as Western subscription-based games. In fact, the ideas of raiding, pick-up-groups, and instances that can be found in almost any Western MMO, don't exist in most F2P games. This article takes a look at some specifics of grouping in RoM, including the recruitment board, experience debt, looking for a group, and etiquette.
In-game items and real-world prizes abound in Runes of Magic's summer giveaway!
What's the one thing better than free in-game prizes? Free out-of-game prizes, of course! How could you turn down winning some neat stuff like an iPad, subscription to PC Gamer, and SteelSeries accessories? You can't, and it's as simple as that. Thanks to Frogster, we here at Massively are now hosting keys for the Runes of Magic Great Summer Giveaway! Grabbing and redeeming a key will get you access to the in-game Runesurfer's pack, which gets you a cool flying disc mount as well as a couple of in-game potions to temporarily enhance your character. And, when you redeem your key, you're also entered in a contest for a chance to win some great prizes! Hungry for more information, including what's in the pack and what you can win? Want to grab yourself a key? Then look no further than after the break!
Lost Pages of Taborea: Quick, cheap high-level armor upgrades
The armor enhancement feature in Runes of Magic is undoubtedly insane. Between being able to add rune slots, raise tier levels, burn stats, raise durability and boost power rating, upgrading becomes a game of its own. I've noticed it adds an incredible level of complexity that can be confusing when I decided to upgrade my character. Could I just buy a ton of Purified Fusion Stones and up the tier of what I currently have, is it better to burn six green stats, or is it necessary to do everything? I've been tackling these issues, as I find myself wanting to speed up the rate at which I can solo -- post level 50. I sifted through a lot of the same game chatter, when I asked my question about which direction I could go to improve my attributes. Many answers pointed me to spending an exorbitant amount of real cash on Purified Fusion Stones and combining them with yellow stats -- if necessary -- until I was good enough to start making repeat runs through Cyclops Stronghold. That seemed to be a straightforward route, if money wasn't an issue. If I had enough money, I could just as easily buy pre-upgraded equipment from players selling it on world chat, or bought any combination of Mana Stones from the auction house. Then I'd have all the components I'd need to make very well-geared equipment customized with the exact stats I wanted. Unfortunately, the dollar I planted in the back yard failed to grow, and I'm stuck with limited funds. The other issue was that I just wanted to be good enough to smooth out the high level experience curve. I wasn't looking to solo instance bosses my level. I was looking for the middle of the road with an equal time investment.
Runes of Magic touts Chapter 3 training program, bonus XP
Frogster, North American publishers for the hit free-to-play MMORPG Runes of Magic, has just announced a ten week training program designed to prepare players for the game's upcoming third chapter. The program, titled 'Expedition 60,' aims to assist denizens of Taborea to level up and gain access to high-level areas prior to The Elder Kingdoms expansion. "Recently Runes of Magic reached a significant milestone with the announcement of three million registered players in North America and Europe," said Andreas Weidenhaupt, Frogster CEO. "As the game community grows on a daily basis, Frogster is celebrating by creating a very special training program leading up to the launch of Chapter III – The Elder Kingdoms."
Runes of Magic releases new trailer with patch 2.1.6
"The time has come to confront the Demon Lord." Frogster released the latest update for Runes of Magic earlier today, a patch that added Demon Stronghold to the game. Demon Stronghold is a challenging new 12-man raid that reportedly brings some surprises to the table at its end, requiring players to think fast and fight even faster. We saw a nice array of screenshots recently, but if you'd like a better peek at the action before you head in, Frogster is happy to oblige. They released a brand new trailer for Demon Stronghold today, giving nearly two minutes of in-game footage from beginning to end. It's a fast-paced, but extensive trailer, giving a nice look at the dungeon as well as an array of the baddies waiting to take you on. To top it all off, the video's finale gives us a preview of the Demon Lord himself. This is one that you'll want to visit more than once in order to take in the surroundings -- but don't look around too long, Demon Lord Sirloth is waiting! Follow along after the jump for a look at the trailer.
The overwhelming power of community
"Without you, none of this would be possible!" While this saying is true for most things in the entertainment industry, it's mandatory for MMOs. A single-player game can make that initial retail box sale and never worry about keeping anyone happy after that, if they don't want to. Sure, most single-player game developers understand that they want their customers to be happy in case there's a sequel or future downloadable content, but for the most part, they can do alright with a relatively low maintenance developer-community relationship. Of course this isn't true at all for MMOs. The community makes an MMO. You can have the most immersive, gorgeous game with the perfect PvP and roleplaying capacities, but it still needs to appeal directly to a community. It doesn't matter what community, but it just needs to have a role and find that niche with people who are looking for that specific itch to be scratched. This isn't going to happen with advertising alone.
Win a Runes of Magic Winter Holiday costume set
If you're feeling especially festive, and you're a Runes of Magic player, we have a special treat for you today. The good folks at Frogster stuffed our holiday stockings with 900 item keys for their newest in-game costume for the winter holidays. There are male and female version of this set, from which you can choose when you redeem your key. To grab your key, simply head on over to our giveaway page and follow the directions there. You'll want to redeem your code at this link, where you'll choose between the male or female set. Click on through the jump below to see full screenshots of both costume sets. It's first-come-first-serve on these codes, so best of luck to all, and happy holidays!
Massively's Runes of Magic Golden Warrior armor giveaway
Massively's inbox is absolutely on fire with all the emails from people seeking the Runes of Magic Golden Warrior armor codes that Frogster was kind enough to give us. We're one of several gaming sites that Frogster reached out to for these exclusive armor giveaways, with each site giving away a piece of the complete Golden Warrior's set. But just because we've been tied up (literally) at Dragon*Con and PAX doesn't mean we've forgotten about you -- it's now time for Massively's Runes of Magic item code giveaway!What are we giving away to our readers? The latest exclusive armor type is the Golden Warrior's set for characters level 25 and higher. Massively has the Golden Warrior's Shirt and there are only 1000 of these in the game. Are you ready to claim yours? Follow this link to Massively's code giveaway page, and follow the directions you'll find there.That's it! Keep reading below for more information and details on the giveaway.
Runes of Magic players face toughest enemy to date with Demon Lord
As part of today's content update entitled Naga's Awakening, Runes of Magic players will have the opportunity to face the Demon Lord, who you might recognize as the namesake of the first chapter. He will be present in a public encounter that sees the city of Veranas in a strange "nightmare" version. This encounter allows any players -- up to 150 at a time -- to fight against the Demon Lord and his minions.This is especially important to players as it is said to be "the toughest challenge in Runes of Magic to date." with "outstanding loot for the victors." Follow along after the break for a detailed description of this new encounter, and your best strategy in beating the Demon Lord.
Runes of Magic's Elven Prophecy releases September 15, collectors items announced
Frogster has just announced a September 15 release date for Runes of Magic's next content update, Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy. The update will bring players into new zones, like the Savage Lands, in addition to adding a new race to Runes of Magic -- the elves. September 15 will also mark the release of a boxed version of Runes of Magic for Germany, France, and Spain (at a recommended retail price of €9,90). That boxed version will include a few collectors items: Manticore pet Printed manual Poster-sized world map of Taborea Time-limited mount: Thunder Wartiger
Runes of Magic offers surveys for diamonds
Frogster America has recently partnered with Peanut Labs Media to bring Runes of Magic players a new way to earn diamonds without paying money -- surveys! Yes, yes, we know, everyone hates surveys. Yet, you have to admit, everyone hates paying real money for virtual currency more. The surveys that Runes of Magic will be implementing are going to take between 5 to 10 minutes, will keep the user's identity completely anonymous, will reward diamonds on completion, and will be completely optional. Both sides are working to seamlessly integrate the survey option into the game experience without it becoming a barrier to gameplay or becoming hard to use.As long as this option remains simple to use and non-intrusive, it looks like a nice alternative for players who are looking to pick up some diamonds without having to commit their cash.
Runes of Magic to launch new PvP server, July 24
The free-to-play fantasy MMO Runes of Magic has already proven to be very popular in the rather short time the game has been running. This popularity is bolstered by Frogster America's steady stream of content updates, plus they've been firing up new servers to accommodate their players. Runes of Magic players were given a new PvE server on July 4th called Reni, in celebration of Independence Day. Frogster America announced they're also going to launch a new PvP server this week called Indigo. Indigo will launch on July 24th with in-game events similar to the Reni PvE server launch earlier this month, with contests, events, and discounted items.%Gallery-24476%[Via ZAM]
Runes of Magic opens new PvE server, will hold Independence Day celebration
It looks like Runes of Magic is getting in on the 4th of July MMO celebrations this weekend. Frogster America has announced that players can usher in Independence Day with bundles of fireworks (minus any fines or risk of bloody nubs), which they can pick up for 1 diamond in-game. They've also said the holiday celebration will bring specials in the item shop with prices on three Power Bundle slashed by 75%. Frogster America also announced they'll launch a new PvE server tomorrow, "Reni", and there will be other summer activities that kick off on July 4th as well: a community screenshot contest; item and prize giveaways; and a leveling contest for players and guilds on Reni. Be sure to see their full announcement for more details on the Runes of Magic Independence Day contests and giveaways.
Meet us in game for some Runes of Magic item codes
In our continuous goal to make this Runes of Magic in-game item giveaway more fun than just a simple button-click, we at Massively are thinking up more personal ways to get you your item codes. With so many to give away, it's great to try out new methods throughout the week.So for tomorrow, we're going to try something in-game. That's right, we're throwing ourselves into the world to personally hand over as many codes as we possibly can! Simply meet up with "Massiveshawn" at the designated times and places listed below, shoot us a PM and we'll respond with an item code. It's that simple! All of these will take place Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at the city of Logar. They will also be in Channel 1 of each server. Here's where you'll find us: Artemis: 6:00pm - 6:30pm EST Osha: 6:30pm - 7:00 EST Govinda: 7:00pm - 7:30pm EST Grimdal: 7:30pm - 8:00pm EST Is this something we'll do again throughout the week? Possibly, if all goes well. We'll also do these at varying times. You'll still see codes given away on Facebook and Twitter, but we thought we'd try something new for this one. See ya then!
Even more Runes of Magic item codes
Yesterday's Runes of Magic item code giveaway seemed quite a success as the codes were swallowed up quicker than we had imagined. If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook, you've seen even more codes distributed than on this front page. We gave away 460 codes in total yesterday, with 360 of them being through Twitter or Facebook.Today is only day two of the giveaway as we still have about 9500 of these codes left! As you can imagine, once we get closer to the final days, we'll ramp up the coverage a bit until every last code has been given away. Be sure to also check out this RoM forum thread for more information on other sites throwing similar contests for other pieces of the Jade Warrior Armor set.Click below to see today's new codes!
Frogster announces plan to stream Runes of Magic
IGN is reporting that Runes of Magic's publisher Frogster America have today announced plans to partner with BitRaider in order to steam the game and make it more accessible to players. The announcement was made at LOGIN '09 and means gamers will no longer have to wait hours for a game client to be downloaded and patched. Streaming will allow them to start enjoying the game while additional content downloads in the background. The BitRaider version of the game client will be made available in a few weeks time."The biggest barrier to even wider adoption of free-to-play online games is the time it takes from when you start downloading the game, to when you get in and play," Lars Koschin, CEO of Frogster America, Inc. explained. "We understand that people want to be able to get into a game as quickly as possible, and that is why we are working with BitRaider to make Runes of Magic the first free-to-play title to use the technology. We believe that by reducing the download and installation process to less than five minutes on most systems, we'll see a rapid increase in players coming to the game."
Frogster America gets a new CEO
No big company shake-ups here, folks. Although this is news nonetheless, as Frogster America -- publisher of Runes of Magic -- has selected Lars Koschin as its new CEO, replacing founding CEO Sean Kauppinen. The reason this isn't a big deal for the company is because Kauppinen's role was transitional in nature, and the appointment of a more permanent person was always the assumption.For those of you wondering who this Lars guy is, other than someone with an awesome name, let us point you to a little company called GameForge. Here is where Lars was previously in charge of such titles such as Ikariam and other yet-to-be-translated browser based online games were, um, forged. Sorry, we couldn't help ourselves.The move is an interesting one considering that Koschin likely had a firm hand in the creation and direction of several of these free-to-play titles. Runes of Magic continues to become curiouser and curiouser as time marches forwards.
Anti-Aliased: Five free to play MMOs that are ahead of the class pt. 2
#3 -- MabinogiYes, Mabinogi is one of our all time favorite free to play MMOs. This is probably obvious by now, but we're fans of the game. The design of Mabinogi really stands out when compared to all of the other free to play MMOs because it's so open. You can take up day jobs, gossip with townsfolk, make NPC friends, engage in a wide variety of crafting, go exploring for monuments, and even terraform the land to find buried treasures. And I haven't even mentioned combat once!It's this wealth of options that makes Mabinogi a gem for the free to play market. Certainly there is an amount of grind to the game, but the grind is not focused in just one area. This is a game where you will find yourself doing a wide variety of activities if you should choose. It's not all about going out and beating on the nearest snow wolf so you can gain access to the next dungeon (though you can if you want to.) If you don't want to do it, Mabinogi doesn't force you to do it. That's the beauty of it.Our downside to Mabinogi? The spam. Gold farmers like to infest this game for some reason, and it just gets to the point over overwhelming your chat box at times. We love the game, we're just not that keen about the farmers.#2 - Runes of MagicIt's a game that steals all the best aspects of every other game! And if you think I'm kidding, I'm totally not!No, really, Runes of Magic has gone around and pulled the best of the best and smashed it into a form of their original game. While this sounds kind of offensive at first, it actually comes out pretty nicely, especially as the game is free to play. RoM features very polished features similar to World of Warcraft. The game plays through completing questlines and killing monsters as you level up from 1 to 50. But, the game also features player housing, a dual-class system so you can have two classes instead of one, some awesome choices for character and weapon customization, and Warhammer-esque public quests. If you're looking for something to take the edge off of your WoW addiction for cheap, then you certainly want to check out Runes of Magic.#1 -- Free Realms If you didn't see this coming, then you need to drive your browser to the Free Realms site right now. Yeah, sure, it's targeted at kids. Yeah, sure, it's a little overly cartoony. But if you want a game that's going to hold your attention and provide more than an endless grind all for the low price of free, then this is the one. It has kart racing, mini-games, silly quests, and an enjoyable atmosphere. You can grab a variety of professions from brawler to cook and find quests for all of them. Yet, most of all, it's an enjoyable game. You don't have to worry about racing to endgame or drilling for the best items or trying to find someplace to have some fun. In Free Realms, you literally trip over fun at every corner. Inventive gameplay, a wide variety of fun activities, great graphics that run well on most machines, and it's free. You just can't argue with that. Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who doesn't want money to get in the way of good games. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through Massively, or through his personal feed.
Runes of Magic takes up the warhammer with their version of public quests
When dealing with a game that's already known for incorporating the best features of many different MMOs into its core design, it was only a matter of time until some aspect of Warhammer Online showed up inside of Runes of Magic. And now, that piece of design has revealed itself -- public quests in the form of new "public encounters." Runes of Magic has announced their first encounter, "Attack on Segarth Outpost," as a battle between the defenders of Segarth Outpost and the wolves of the forest. The setup for the encounter is a classic public quest setup featuring 3 waves of wolf attackers that concludes with the appearance of Axis, the wolf king. If players should be successful in destroying Axis, he will leave behind a treasure box filled with all sorts of goodies for players to collect.This is only the first of the public encounters, and Runewaker Entertainment's Tony Tang has hinted at more coming in the future, possibly even involving the Demon Lord himself!
Runes of Magic introduces horse racing
Frogster America has announced today the implementation of an all-new horse race minigame in Runes of Magic entitled Windrunner, allowing players to compete against seven others in an obstacle course on horseback. For the price of a few Phirius tokens (obtainable through the completion of daily quests), players will face "treacherous traps full of magic" such as slow-down effects, spider webs or even speed boosters. Winners will receive a pot full of Phirius tokens that can be used both in the game world and in the item shop. To enter, simply talk to the NPC Michelle Lang in Varanas City for complete instructions. Also be sure to check out the promotional video for the race over at the Runes of Magic main site. Best of luck!
