Peter-Kang
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Tempest of Strife showcases Age of Wushu's weather events
With Tempest of Strife rolling out today, Age of Wushu players will be able to experience the sandbox in a whole new way. In fact, it is considered AoW 2.0 by the community. This expansion not only ushers in six additional factions (including a healing class and a group of scheming eunuchs) and their corresponding headquarters but also introduces the ability to change factions or belong to two at once. Additionally, dynamic weather will alter the environment, and special raid-type events will randomly accompany the weather changes. It all sounds pretty intriguing, no? Thanks to a recent walkthrough, I was able to get a taste of what players can expect when they log in to Tempest of Strife. And while the depth that the new faction features add is pretty impressive, the weather raids stole the show.
The Art of Wushu: Talking Mount Hua with Age of Wushu's Peter Kang
A day or two after writing about the Mount Hua expansion last time, I had the chance to sit down with community manager Peter Kang -- better known to the Age of Wushu playerbase as Earthquake -- and talk about the various changes in the expansion. We had a fairly long talk. Like true wuxia fanboys, we derailed quite a bit to talk about Legend of Condor Heroes, but we discussed where Wushu is, where Snail would like it to go, and the relationship between Snail USA and the dev team in China. It was pretty enlightening because he clearly plays the game and is acutely aware of the impact the company's decisions has on players.
DarkEden returns from the grave with Ignited Games' help
Long before recorded history, there was a race of vampires who were like, "Man, we should totally make a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game starring us!" Unfortunately, that wasn't to be the case for centuries until DarkEden came along in 1997 in South Korea, but even then North American players would have a while to wait to sink their fangs into it. After an aborted 2008 launch, Ignited Games is finally launching DarkEden as "the world's first free-to-play vampire MMO" here in the States. Ignited Games CEO Peter Kang hopes that the isometric MMO will appeal to those looking for a well-established throwback: "DarkEden offers online gamers a nostalgic journey to the classic era of MMORPGs. The game's macabre setting invites fans of vampire-centric movies and lore to experience the style of gameplay that launched an entire genre of online gaming." As part of the launch celebration, DarkEden is hosting several events and promotions including handing out starter packs to anyone who joins by January 11th, a "Bible War" contest, a Christmas Stocking Hunt, and a merry chase to capture Rudolph. Seeing as how the population of the game is made up of vampires, we are a little worried for Rudolph's eventual fate, but such is afterlife. Ignited Games did not wipe characters from the second closed beta, and those toons have already made the transition to launch.
NDOORS list the key features of new MMO WonderKing
NDOORS Interactive, the folks behind Atlantica Online and Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu, have chimed in with some details on their next free-to-play MMO WonderKing. They obtained the rights to bring the game to North America last year, and since we're hearing from them now, things must be on track for the intended release window of the second half of 2009. Here's a brief rundown of what WonderKing entails, from Peter Kang, CEO of NDOORS: "WonderKing is a 2D, side-scrolling MMORPG that takes players on an adventurous journey with story-by-story quests, much like a fantasy novel. Along the way, players will travel from beautiful beaches to murky marshlands and frigid snowfields as they battle to save the world." Kang also made mention of some specific game features, to highlight the fact that 2D does not necessarily mean a lack of gameplay depth. These features include a class-change system, "Castle Battles" that involve siege warfare PvP, mounts and vehicles, pets, private housing, and crafting. NDOORS confirmed that a beta is scheduled for this summer.
NDOORS CEO on Atlantica Online succeeding in the West
Massively multiplayer online games operating on the free-to-play business model are definitely a mixed bag in terms of quality. As such, they get a mixed reception in the West. Those who like more variety in their gameplay choices than the standard subscription model offers them tend to be more open to alternative business models. Staunch supporters of the AAA subscription model typical of the industry in Western markets have some serious misgivings about what the new crop of free-to-play titles could mean for the industry climate. NDOORS Interactive hopes to change some of these perceptions with Atlantica Online, their strategic turn-based MMORPG. Danny "Ralsu" Gourley from Ten Ton Hammer interviewed NDOORS Interactive CEO Peter Kang about Atlantica Online and how it fits into the industry climate in the West.
