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MMObility: Find yourself in this updated list of location-based MMOs
Location-based MMOs have a long way to go. I can only imagine how the genre will appear in 10 or 15 years and how common it will be to load up a virtual world on our mobile devices. Even with the advances that still need to be made, location-based gaming is pretty darned impressive. Think about it: These are games that use the real world as a playing field. While most do not employ the literal square mileage of the Earth in exact scale, most of these games can boast a very large map. These titles can also utilize the weather and other events that happen on it at any given time, blending them with our real world so that it appears there is a secret, veiled world right beside us. I wanted to recap some of my favorite location-based MMOs for those who might need some advice on which ones to try. My favorites are marked with a "latest update" marker, but all of them are worth checking out. So pull out your phone or tablet and get to it!
MMObility: Free-to-play and mobile at GDC Online, part 2
Let's continue my look at how free-to-play and mobile gaming showed at GDC Online this year. If you missed the first part, you can check it out in my last Free for All column. There was so much to cover that I had to wrap it into a two-parter. I truly think this was the best mobile showing since I first went to GDC Online four years ago, so be sure to check out all of the games I mention. Mobile is growing, as is free-to-play, and it couldn't be more obvious than when we get to witness so many good games being developed. If I have anything to do with it, I will be playing these games ASAP. That means that you get to read what I think about them, and you get to play along as well!
MMObility: Finding the fun within the browser
Fun is an odd thing to define. I have to be honest and say that I don't often have fun when playing MMOs. I don't. I enjoy myself, sometimes to an amazing degree, but I don't have what I would call "fun." When I play a game like Wurm Online or Parallel Kingdom, I am not having fun but am having something closer to the feeling you get when you read a good book. You know the feeling: You're breathing deep, lying on the bed, possibly, very relaxed. OK, I understand how dirty that sounds, but you know what I mean. Playing a good MMO is often like playing chess. It's not really fun, but it is still a very good thing. Browser-based titles can often be enjoyable, but the normally limited graphics and sometimes click-and-wait gameplay means that I get more of a scratch-my-chin sort of feeling when I leap into Illyriad or other games. Of course, in-browser graphics are changing and becoming more and more like standard client-based MMOs. Thanks to Unity and other engines, we can play in immersive, three-dimensional worlds in our browser. Smartphones are becoming more tablet-like, and mobile games are quickly becoming more like standard gaming as well. So what do we play when we want to have simple fun?
MMObility: Mobile devices might breathe new life into older MMOs
One of the greatest things about the mobile market is the reappearance of older, single-player titles that are now being introduced to a new generation. Tablets and smartphones are quickly becoming go-to gaming devices offering not only more powerful processors and bigger screens but access to the internet and huge stores of digital goodies. Recently, I've been playing through titles I've missed, like Broken Sword, a point-and-click adventure game from 1996. Touch devices are proving to be perfect for many older-style games. We're simply replacing the mouse with the finger, and the move feels natural. When I interviewed the Ultima Online team during a livestream this week, I asked Producer Bonnie Armstrong about a mobile version of the game. After all, I've played games, like Conquer Online, that look almost identical to Ultima Online, so I know it can be done. Her answer? I would love to, personally. I think it would be pretty cool. I think somebody kind of joked around and said you know when somebody's 90 years old, they're going to be in an old folk's home playing UO on their phone. [...] That kind of sums us up. There are many MMOs that I could see offering a mobile version. Would it be better or worse for these classic titles?
MMObility: Data caps, throttled signals, and blocked sites
One of the main reasons I enjoy covering mobile MMOs is the fact that many gamers have access to a poor connection at best, and my articles might offer these fellow geeks a selection of games to play. I often take some of the things in my life for granted, like my healthy dogs or the one cup of coffee I have in the morning, but I never take my internet connection for granted, especially when I'm reminded every time I pay the bill just how much it costs me. It's an awesome 150/65 Mb/s, and I tend to get speeds pretty close to that. I often tell people that because my wife works at home with me, our internet connection is our "work vehicle." But many of my friends complain about having a really bad connection to the internet. Some of it is the result of location, but a lot is because companies can actually throttle the signal, providing unlimited yet barely workable internet. While there are several titles out there that are playable on almost any connection, throttling can kill gaming for many of us. So just how bad is it?
MMObility: Glitch's change log describes a very busy Tiny Speck
Glitch has quietly been working its way through beta, adding new content and tweaking exisiting content while many wanna-be players await their turn in the world of Ur. I love the fact that I can log out of the game for several days or a week and log back in to find some newer, better way to play. I'm a bit shocked that the game is taking as long as it has to "re-launch" because it has been a very wonderful and airtight experience for a while. I have a feeling the team at Tiny Speck is a bit on the obsessive side. How many updates have there been? If you aren't following @PlayGlitch (or @GlitchLog) on Twitter or reading up on the official blog or forums, now is as good a time as any. But I thought it'd be a good idea to round up some of the best for you.
MMObility: Project Theralon puts players deep in the browser sandbox
If you're a sandbox fan who's not familiar with the browser-based sandbox called Project: Theralon, become familiar with it. For sandboxers as well as browser-based MMO fans, this game will nudge the genre up in quality and help undermine the notion that browser-based gaming is limited, linear, and boring. In Project: Theralon, players will be able to make characters how they want and can eventually become dragon-riders, powerful characters who can fly through the environment causing havoc as they go. During my interview with the game's Associate Creative Director Sven Ehrentraut and Public Relations Director Piotr Pilich, I watched live as the game was loaded in a browser and a character mounted a dragon, flew through the landscape, and hopped off into a fight. The game has been in development for only six months, but there's already plenty to get excited about. Click past the cut and I'll give you all the details!
MMObility: Holding on to Arcane Empires
Kabam, maker of MMORTS titles like Thirst of Night and Dragons of Atlantis, is back with a portable title that can be found only on the Google Play market. I stumbled upon one night, installed it for free, and soon found myself recognizing those old Kabam earmarks. It's hard to find high-quality MMOs for mobile devices. They're out there, and there are more coming into the market every day, but I wonder exactly how Kabam intended on spreading the word about Arcane Empires without featuring it on the official homepage. The MMORTS publisher has always seemed pretty savvy about the genre's formulas and how to make a successful game, so I have a feeling it must know what it's doing with the first mobile-only title in the lineup. When I check out mobile titles, I keep in mind that I might be mistaking convenience for fun. How many of us log into a game every day or every week only because the shortcut is sitting right there on our desktop or because the game rests on our phone or tablet just waiting to be touched?
MMObility: Trying to find real MMOs on the app market
If you spend as much time as I do scouring your favorite app marketplace, you know just how frustrating it can be to quickly download a new "MMORPG" only to find out it's not really an MMORPG. Luckily, the Play Store makes it relatively easy to get a refund on a newly purchased games, and uninstalling is easy enough. It can still be very frustrating to become excited for a title only to find out it's nothing like its description. The fact is that there are a lot of great MMOs on the mobile markets. Most are available on both Android or iOS as well. I also search on Google a lot, but the results from the search giant can sometimes be more unreliable. When it comes down to it, the only way to know whether a game is a true MMO is to download it and try it out. Or, of course, keep an eye on columns like mine.
MMObility: How mobile devices avoid the PC upgrade curse
In a few weeks, I will drive to the official AT&T store, talk to someone behind the counter for 30 or 40 minutes, pay a small fee of 50 to 100 dollars, and walk out with a newer, shinier, faster smartphone than I came in with. Then I'll wait two years, pay the difference between the brand-new phone in my example and an even newer new phone of the future and go home to repeat the process. If you're a customer of AT&T or another large carrier, you are probably very familiar with the situation I am describing. Is it much different from upgrading a desktop gaming machine every two years? Well, it is and it is not. I've been thinking a lot about the way we spend money on electronics. In the room where I'm writing this, I have at least nine different devices that allow me to get online, check emails, communicate, and play MMOs. Have I spent too much money, or was I smart in my decisions? What happens to all of these devices after I'm done with them? Is the gaming PC the smarter path?
MMObility: MMO streaming services have a long way to go
I've been a huge fan of streaming technology for a while mainly because it gives players an opportunity to access more powerful and flexible devices from the convenient location of their hand-held tablets or phones. The tech has come a long way even since I started reporting on it, and it continues to impress me. What's the point, you might ask? Why not just sit down at a desktop to play MMOs like everyone else? Well, the truth is that moving around is sometimes more relaxing and can definitely be better for your health. Being able to get up, walk around, check in on a game from different locations, and just be mobile isn't just a neat gimmick. Some MMOs also work much better with a touchscreen device, especially MMORTS titles and games that require only a button press to perform an action. There are options for those who need a fully functioning joystick or control scheme, but they are not yet available to everyone. Let's go over the options we do have. Be sure to try out one or two on your tablet... you just might find that playing on a smaller screen is really fun.
Order & Chaos dropping subscription, adding PvP modes and mounts [Updated]
Gameloft's mobile MMO is entering a new phase in its lifecycle. The studio announced that Order & Chaos is not only due for a major update, but is dropping its nominal subscription fee to make it completely free-to-play. The update, which is slated to be pushed to iOS devices later this month, will contain important features for the pint-sized title. First up are PvP combat arenas, which come in 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 varieties. Next is the addition of four new mounts to the game: two horses and two giant wolves. Finally, Gameloft is adding the second part of the Salien dungeon for hardcore adventurers. Previously, Order & Chaos charged $0.99 a month or $2.99 for six months to access on top of the original app purchase price. Gameloft is also developing a spin-off title called Order & Chaos Heroes. [Update: Gameloft contacted us to clarify that there is still a fee for the game's download, but there is no subscription fee and current players will pay nothing extra.] [Source: Gameloft press release]
Shadowrun Online reveals world view and legwork videos
Cliffhanger Production's Kickstarter campaign for Shadowrun Online is entering the home stretch, which means it's time for new videos and information about the game! World views in Shadowrun Online allow players to access the information that matters most to them. A Hacker will receive and manipulate different information than a Mage, as each has skills and abilities geared towards different gameplay styles. Not only does this help tailor individual play, but it creates a more information-rich style of team dynamics when players can provide their allies with different information. The game expects players to be prepared for a given situation rather than running, guns blazing, into a room full of hostiles. "Legwork" means gathering information and having a plan to deal with security guards because unlike people in some (and by some we mean most) online worlds, people in Shadowrun tend to notice when they suddenly go missing. The team has scheduled a Reddit AMA for August 8th at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Skip below the cut for the two new videos.
MMObility: Stomping around the world of The Missing Ink
If there's one phrase that gets me excited for a new MMO, it's "cross-platform." I know that's not very slick-sounding, but when I hear those words, I envision playing the same game across multiple devices. I can sit at my PC, move over to my bar, take a seat on my patio, sit down in the bath (with the tablet carefully held over the side) and finish off a dungeon while I'm lying in bed. The Missing Ink is not only attempting to be a unique title by offering the type of access that we normally see only from Spacetime Studios or HTML5 browser MMOs but presenting a very unique-looking game, one of paper cutout figures and Burton-esque curly trees dotting a wavy landscape. There's also a building mode promised, although I haven't experienced it yet. But will this multi-platform approach work? Well, I took a look at the alpha and have enjoyed what I've seen so far, but I must warn you: This is not a review. It's hardly even a preview. It's just a peek into a strange, new game. The following opinions and gameplay bits are subject to massive, sweeping changes.
Shadowrun Online coming to Ouya and Linux
We don't know much about Shadowrun Online, but we do know that it's theoretically coming to the new Android-powered Ouya console as well as Linux-based PCs. We say theoretically because Cliffhanger's Kickstarter project has yet to reach its halfway point with 12 days remaining. Nevertheless, company co-founder Michael Paeck is excited about Shadowrun's cross-platform potential. You can "play the game on your tablet, switch to your desktop PC, and then later enjoy it on your Ouya-connected TV -- without ever having to switch your account or characters or suffer from restrictions based on your device," Paeck says. [Source: Cliffhanger Productions press release]
MMObility: Parallel Zombies is PerBlue's best game yet
I have to be honest: I'm sick of zombies. I know, I know, it's the cool genre that's sweeping even the evening news, but I'm as excited about new zombie games as I am about a pop in the nose. It's probably just a light case of burnout, though, because there are still some frightening (and fun!) zombie games, movies and stories cropping up occasionally. I will always reference my Western example: In a movie set in the old West, you can expect to see some guns, a few horses, and possibly a large hat or three. These common props do not always distract us from a good story. Zombies are props too. What the writer or developer does with the story or game is really what matters. PerBlue, maker of Parallel Kingdom, Parallel Mafia, and now Parallel Zombies, has steadily increased the production value of each one of its titles. This new one takes the design in an entirely unique direction, combining standard location-based gameplay with non-stop action.
MMObility: Glitch's beta grows, charging along the way
If you have been fortunate enough to be included in the Glitch beta, then you might be aware that the developer, Tiny Speck, has really been tweaking, twisting and pushing the game into shape over the last few months. Not only was housing recently redone, but fantastic new housing pieces have come along as well. You can now craft store booths, cash registers, and signage. This means that styling your personal space has become one of the most popular pastimes in the browser-based sandbox. There are new hairstyles, new skills, and ways of showing off your wonderful new profile, including "snaps" -- snapshots taken from in game to be shared, social-network-style. There's so much going on in the game, I am beginning to wonder a couple of things. First, why aren't they inviting new players in yet? Second, why are they charging for this "beta"?
Chinese MMO developer accused of plagiarizing Torchlight backs down
Faced with ongoing allegations that it stole assets from Torchlight, Chinese developer EGLS has now agreed to modify "some parts" of its mobile MMO, Armed Heroes Online. Our sister site Joystiq reports that while the mobile company continues to deny any wrongdoing, it will alter the game "rather than go on arguing." In a formal statement, EGLS said: "We did great efforts to do each modeling, mapping, bone construction and action by our own on our self-developed 3D engine . . . We want to make clear, if necessary, that we would like to submit the documents, files, and other materials related to the game developing to Apple to prove the originalities of the game and the efforts we devoted into the game developing." Torchlight developer Runic Games appears mollified by the outcome though not convinced of EGLS's innocence. "We're really just trying to get the thing pulled down from the App Store and to have them use their own assets," studio president Travis Baldree told Joystiq. (Apple has apparently removed the game already.) In happier news, Runic announced that oft-delayed Torchlight II is still slated for a summer launch, though Baldree joked, "The end of summer is September 25th or something like that, right?"
MMObility: Fourteen MMOs that you can play anywhere
I thought it'd be fun to make a list of go-anywhere MMOs this week. It's not really hard to find portable MMOs that run on laptops or netbooks. The real issue is locating MMOs that can be played on your desktop while you're at work (while the boss isn't looking, of course!), then on your phone at lunch, and then on your laptop while you sit in bed later that night. The technology to make constantly accessible MMOs is there, namely in the form of HTML5. Adobe recently announced that not only is it moving away from Flash for mobile devices, but it is also specifically targeting Android Jelly Bean. There is a new wave of web technologies coming that will hopefully, once and for all, put an end to the need for special lists like this one. Not all of my choices are HTML5-based, but I tried to keep all of them open for all devices. If you notice any oddities while playing them on a certain device, let me know in the comments section so I can note it. I get a lot of requests for lists like this, so I want to keep things tight. In the meanwhile, enjoy the list. There are others out there, but I wanted to pick out some that give pretty much the same result across whichever device you use.
MMObility: Developments in Gaikai, OnLive shine light on streaming future
Video game streaming software and systems is a hot topic. I've mentioned more than once that I think browser-based gaming (specifically MMOs) will be the main way we get our MMO fix within five years. Browser-based gaming is already responsible for a massive chunk of our MMO gaming. All it takes is one look at the number of players of games like RuneScape, Club Penguin, Travian, Spacetime Studio's collection, War of Dragons, Glitch, Evony (and its "nearly 30 million customers worldwide"), Grepolis, Bigpoint's stable, and many, many others to see that the number of us who play MMOs through our browsers is pretty staggering. Streaming content is next. TERA recently invited players to try out the game using a streaming client that is hosted by Gaikai, a streaming service that was recently bought out by Sony for a cool $380 million. While it does not yet stream MMOs, OnLive has been adding games to its collection for quite a while, embedding itself into televisions, tablets, and PCs and now offering a mobile desktop that gives iPad users access to a virtual PC desktop. I have successfully played many browser-based MMOs through that virtual desktop's browser. Big Fish games, a non-MMO developer that produces "a new game ever day," announced that it too will offer a streaming service this summer. I squealed out loud when I heard that one. Does this mean streaming content is closer to mainstream than I previously thought?
