The Funeral of WoW Gold

For those of you who frequent our site, you may have noticed that there’s always something here posted about 2029 Online, the upcoming MMO, RTS, RPG, dungeon crawling action game. Before the game officially starts its alpha-test, we thought we would ask the Product Manager for IGG’s MMO, Edwin Huang, a few questions about the game first.

Blend Games: Based on what has been shown in the screenshots, 2029 Online looks a little bit like Dark Eden Online, gameplay wise. Insofar of the actual gameplay, does 2029 Online share any of the gameplay likenesses of Dark Eden?

2029 Online: Actually, Dark Eden Online is a MMO based on a vampire story. 2029 Online is a Sci-fi based MMO. The storyline in Dark Eden Online is about vampires engaged in enslaving all humans, while 2029 Online is about the conflicts between races representing a highly industrialized culture. As for the computer graphics style and views, its 3D computer graphic techniques are adopted to deliver the playing environment closer to reality than Dark Eden Online. What’s more, it is just a mix of Diablo and World of Warcraft

. So, as you said, players who enjoy grabbing up tons of items and weapons, customizing their player and staying engaged with hours of dungeon crawling quests, 2029 Online just might be your kind of game.

Blend Games: In some of the press sheets we’ve been informed that the game will feature RTS elements. Exactly how will it work and how much control will players have with commanding units and resources?

2029 Online: Well, the RTS elements make the combats in 2029 Online the most realistic, tactical and operational product, to simulate the circumstances of real time operational warfare and military tactics. The fun of RPG and the intensity of RTS are well blended in combat, which will help the player reap more engaging fun when playing this game.

Players can make decisions about the race and profession of their characters. Also the Refinery system and Corsair DIY in the game will allow our players to possess their dream gear and corsair.

Blend Games: It’s mentioned in the press releases that 2029 Online will feature the option to attack other player cities and resources. Does this mean that there can be as many cities as there are guilds?

2029 Online: Not actually, in the game, players can attack cities that have been taken possession of by other players. But it does not mean we have the same number of guilds and cities. Only limited cities in the game are available for attack and control. Guilds can make applications to take part in siege war fare without any limits on their membership numbers, which also means that only the best guilds can win. Players from the defeated guilds must do their best to make their guilds become prosperous once more and help them to stand out in the next siege war fare.

Blend Games: Leveling up skills and grinding has always been an important part of the MMO model. Often times, though, the grinding can become tedious and boring. What is being done to ensure that level grinding is both fun and challenging?

2029 Online: Exactly, it is really an important part. In 2029 Online, it is easy for players to hit level 10. When beginners start out their game play, the system will give them hints to complete their quests. Players will develop their character by completing these quests. When they hit level 15, their further character progress will become much harder and slower. Quests in the game are designed to give players fun playing hours. Players will receive prizes for completion of quests. All main quests will push players closer to the final chapter of plots against them and the best adrenalin pumping adventures. If players are not qualified to enter the higher level maps; then the main quests will not be available for them.

Besides, these action packed mainline quests, players are also given some hot rhymes and racy actions by taking part in our branch quests and quests triggered by random events. We help our players to calculate how many quests they have completed via our Quest Count. They can check their quest completion process by toggling on the function of Track. If they are in a team, they can share quests with their teammates.

Blend Games: What are some of the skills players can learn and how many skills are expected to make the final cut of the game?

2029 Online: In the game, each race will have four types of skills available for players to learn. For example, players with a Human character can learn: Gun, Assistant skills, Grenade and Rifle; Players with an E. Elf character can learn: Fire, Electricity, Magic and Ice. And, players with a Dryad character can learn: Fistfight, Assistant skills, poison and cannon. For each of the Dryad characters, they can not only use cannon to wipe out their enemies but also a sword to chop their enemies’ heads off. So, they can get access to various skills. Maybe, there are more skills as the development. So, just let’s wait. Our team will not let you down.

Blend Games: The Armored Fighting Vehicle is an integral part of the game, it seems. Do these vehicles only support one player, or are there vehicles that can house multiple players at once?

2029 Online: Yeah. The Armored Fight Vehicles are also called Corsair in the game. Corsairs play an important role in players’ gaming experience. Only one player can ride on each Corsair. If players are in a team, they can select one player to lead them and take control of all of their Corsairs. It’s pretty cool to hang around with a fleet of showy Corsairs.

Blend Games: While we’re on subject of the AFVs…How many different vehicle parts and vehicles will players have access to?

2029 Online: AFV is really cool thing. Isn’t it? In 2029 Online, players assuming different roles at different levels in the game will have diversified options for Corsairs. To begin with, we will give our players a low level Corsair. Players will be granted limited access to power up their Corsairs. When players are at a higher level, they will receive much cooler Corsairs. Players can customize their Corsairs by adding little gadgets to upgrade their attack power, defensive force or movement speed. These little gadgets like Corsairs can be upgraded to add to the overall power. As for players who enjoy the thrill of racing, then the racing system is just waiting for them to take it for a spin.

Blend Games: How many players can join on a team and how many players can do battle in the PvP areas?

2029 Online: Err, only six players are allowed in a team. But there are no limits to players’ population in PVP arenas, in this way we can enable more players to go straight into the thrilling massive PVP combats against overwhelming odds. It is better for them to team up and fight against players from the opposing realms. The teams who win all PVP combats must be teams formed by players of different races, each of whom is of high team spirit. I want to make it clear to our players that they can’t view mini maps in the PVP arenas. The best bet for them is to be familiar with the map before entering the combat zone, which will help them to avoid any unnecessary losses. We recommend that all of our players take part in PVP once they have hit the higher levels.

Blend Games: We’re looking forward to playing 2029 Online here at Blend Games. Did you have anything else you would want gamers to know about 2029 Online before the alpha test begins?

2029 Online: The first official Beta for 2029 Online will be released on March 17th. Bugs in the Alpha version will be fixed before the launch of Beta version; where new maps and tougher Bosses will be waiting for our players.

We appreciate the concern and detail you paid to our game and are happy to find that so many players are giving us such positive feedback about this game. The Alpha version will be out for testing purposes in middle of March. We have been holding many events (http://forum.2029.igg.com/viewthread.php?tid=234&extra=page%3D1) to give out more Alpha Keys.

Events posted there are for players to participate in and win Alpha Keys. We recommend players log into our official site for more game info before receiving an Alpha Key.

We also want to suggest our testers have a basic understanding about the overall story, race info, maps, newbie guides and features in the game to gain a better start. We are waiting for testing it with all players.

Can free games pay?

It’s a fallacy to think this is a new model. Kid/casual gamer-orientated free MMOs such as Puzzle Pirates, Neo Pets and Maple Story have amassed vast userbases and not insubstantial profits over the last couple of years. What’s new is that the old guard of the gaming industry is sitting up and taking notice.

This year, we’ll see the likes of EA with Battlefield Heroes, Sony with Free Realms and id Software with Quake Live all flex some free gaming muscle. Meantime, a new generation of independent developers are making a name for themselves with bold, inventive free titles – and the smaller teams (often just one or two people) means the potential to earn good cash is that much higher.

“I make most of my money from sponsors,” says independent developer Edmund McMillen, co-creator of the award-winning Gish and currently working on Super Meat Boy for Wii and PC. These commercial outings are a rarity for him, however – mostly he designs experimental (and often controversial) free games.

That’s not to say he doesn’t make some money from them. “I could potentially make what some would call a living off of free games, but I’d still be stuck in this poverty line hole where I can’t afford health insurance and a new car if my truck dies on me. I’m not the most business savvy person, but I usually find a sponsor I respect that’s willing to drop a few K to basically put an ad for their site in the intro of the game as well as the title screen.

“Aside from the sponsorship, ad’s do pay a little here and there, and there is always the prize money you get from NewGrounds and Kongregate [big free gaming portals]. I’m at a point where I feel like I have enough experience when it comes to game design to ‘play with the big boys’ when it comes to making downloadable console games.”

Then there’s Flashbang Studios, who’ve been delighting gamers recently with high-concept, high-polish games like Velociraptor Safari and Minotaur China Shop (must-plays for anyone with a sense of humour and a love of gaming).

Their reasoning for free gaming is a little different, as their designer Steve Swink explains: “Flashbang as a company has three faces: technology contractor, casual game affiliate and game developer. Arguably, game developer is the main face and is definitely the emotional glue holding the company together.

“We’re all here because we love making games first and foremost. Unfortunately, that face has never been substantially lucrative. It is because of our contract work and our involvement in affiliate programs that we have financial stability. We can continue to survive making free games as we have been, provided we keep our other revenue streams open.”

“As it turns out, keeping these revenue streams open crushes our fragile creative souls, so there are definitely plans in motion to monetize our games and position ourselves to focus solely on them. The plan is to set up a subscription service where players can pay a small amount to get extra features on our portal and within our games.

“The games themselves will remain free to play for the wild webs, but subscribers will get access to the maximum awesome.”

It’s that model that’s behind Battlefield Heroes, EA’s rethink of its best-selling team shooter series as a browser-based, casual gamer friendly cartoonish war. It’ll be free to create an account and play whenever you want, but that way your character will look pretty bland and have only basic abilities. To change that, you pay. “Maybe you want the gold helmet and a huge moustache, or something like that”, suggests DICE’s developer Ben Cousins.

Alternatively, you can improve your character: “Let’s imagine that the two of us are playing the game, and you’re playing the game every night for four hours, you’re levelling up your guy really fast, but I only play the game a couple of evenings a week. So maybe I’ll buy an item which gives me double the experience points for a couple of days.”

The trick is finding a balance between something that makes the folk who pay for it feel sufficiently special and also ensuring the folk who don’t want to pay don’t feel like they’re on a back foot. They may not be paying, but there absolutely has to be a big, happy, word-spreading community in order to attract new players who might pay.

Sony’s attempting a similar thing with upcoming MMO Free Realms, currently in closed beta. It’s a colourful fantasy world aimed at children and casual gamers – while it might have the levelling and stat-boosting of something like World of Warcraft, it largely constitutes a series of mini-games, such as fighting, racing and match-3 puzzles.

It’s a massive playground full of distractions, essentially, and its high polish, high customisation appearance could pull in a huge crowd. To fund itself, it’s trying every trick in the book – adverts on loading screens, free bonus items sponsored by brands such as Best Buy, a paid subscription to unlock extra content, a real-world collectable card game and comic and, of course, micropayment items, notably character customisation stuff like haircuts, clothing and pets.

Is add-on content the only way forward?

Sony promise the free game will be high-quality and full-featured, but the sheer number of ways it’ll be prompting people (kids, specifically) to spend money brings up a fundamental concern about free gaming in general.

Do free games have to noticeably badger its players to buy extra content in order to survive and, if so, at what point do they become annoyed or uncomfortable about it? On the other side of the coin is Quake Live, id Software’s free, browser-based relaunch of its classic multiplayer shooter Quake III.

For now, it has in-game billboards and that’s it. That’s the sort of thing you see in paid games, so it’s hard to balk at them. There are more plans in the offing, reportedly – paid-for character models and your favourite level maps from days gone by are the most likely bets. The question there is at what point a player thinks, “well, I can buy Quake III for a fiver and then download the other bits for free”.

This is a very young form of gaming, and no doubt we’re in for several years of trial and error before the perfect balance is found. Until then, traditional paid games aren’t going anywhere - there’s still something to be said for knowing your £30 buys you a complete experience. Then again, we’re increasingly seeing 360 and PS3 games offering additional, and often very desirable, content for a few quid - so getting the initial game for free, even if it’s a barebones experience, starts looking appealing again after all.

One additional hurdle for free gaming is the name, and the negative connotations thereof. “Our hope - and the basket we’re putting our eggs in - is that ‘free’ will soon be disassociated with ’shallow’ and ‘cruddy’,” says Flashbang’s Steve Swink.” For Edmund McMillen, ‘free’ is very much a positive concept:

“True creative freedom is the biggest appeal about doing freeware games. When you step into console dev, no matter how much you want to think you’re totally indie, you’re not. You’re still at the whim of your publisher, they have the final say and if they don’t like something you’re going to have to change it to get it published.”

So even if publishers turn free gaming into a distasteful minefield of paid bonus content and advertising barrages, there’ll still be developers embracing the absolute freedom it offers. Free gaming, one way or another, is here to stay.

For accurate amorous gamers, the actualization of multiplayer online role-playing amateur such as World of Warcraft, <a href=http://www.wowgoldprice.org>wow gold</a> was added than welcomed. They were able to body up their character, casual through some astonishing and yet acutely air-conditioned adventures, involving monsters and difficult pursuits. Today, the bulk of wow players have added and every day added and added Internet users ascertain their affection for such games. The altered acquaintance and amusement comes from the actuality that anybody has a claimed arena style, authoritative use of the altered assets and abilities in a characteristic way. Still, one of the lots of important things about wow is accepting abundant gold and that is an accepted point for all players out there.

Fill out the adjustment form, pay through Pay Pal and acquire your wow gold in about 30 minutes. These are the three accomplish that you will be appropriate to chase if you adjudge to buy wow gold. The adjustment anatomy includes several data including: branch or server name, faction, gold bulk appropriate and the in-game character. Keep in apperception that the analysis footfall is acutely important and you will be accustomed a 5% account if you acquire the verification. Also, be abiding to accord your name and email address. The best affair about such casework is that you account from all the advantages of the online technology. You acquire bargain wow gold in a abbreviate aeon of time, getting at the aforementioned time promised an acquaintance in case you are not annoyed additional you can ability reside chump abutment whenever you need. How about abundant account alms you the exact gaming acquaintance you need?

You ability accept a lot of questions or apropos at this point: “You idiot, blooming items are no best accepted with Walk back you can get all of your nice items from quests!” Or you ability be thinking: “well, how the heck do I apperceive what to buy and sell” or “what if I acquirement all of the items that I ambition to resell and some idiot decides to put his items (that he had sitting about in a bank) on the Auction House just a few gold cheaper afterwards seeing my prices and acumen the potential”. Well, at atomic now I got you cerebration and application your brain! Let’s see, what do banking admiral acquaint your mom and dad about advance their money? “Play it safe, DIVERSIFY” This is actual True. Just like the absolute world, in the apple of WARCRAFT (no pun intended) a astute broker accept to alter a part of altered investments. Don’t just buy out one affectionate of an item. At this point you apparently accept even added questions…

All of this sounds wonderful, but I artlessly don’t accept any gold because I’m akin 5!

Answer: Good for you, I fabricated a lot of my affluence on a akin 3 appearance who I happened to run to Storm wind from the newbie zone. Like I said, alpha small, move assimilate bigger things. Nobody becomes a millionaire in absolute activity after aboriginal demography some abate accomplish (unless they are ability and I am absolutely not one). There are some actual affluent humans in Wow but they didn’t get there over night, in actuality they apparently formed their butts off to be area they are. I fabricated over 5k + all sorts of top akin enchants for my approaching characters on a akin 3 who could almost annihilate anything. Now anticipate of a akin 80 and the abeyant there. The added gold you can get to play about with, the bigger toys you can buy!

 remember when Warhammer Online came out last September. It was the greatest thing to ever hit the PC MMO world, and World of Warcraft

was not long for this world. At least, that’s what everybody was saying then. After a very successful few weeks in retail, WAR sales started to dwindle down, and now, nobody but the 300,000 current subscribers care about it. 300,000 usually isn’t anything to balk at, but considering that WAR had been in development for several years, and it sold 1.2 million copies, it’s pretty scary.

Due to the dwindling populations, Mythic Entertainment and EA have now shut down 63 worldwide servers, according to an article on TheGameReviews.com, bringing their active servers down to 15. For those keeping track at home, that’s about one-fifth, or twenty percent of what it used to be. And that doesn’t even guarantee that these servers are full. First Age of Conan closes almost all their servers, and now WAR, it’s a dark day for any MMO not called World of Warcraft.

I’d be really interested to see how much money is involved with keeping an MMO up and running. If each of the 300K subscribers is paying $
15 a month to keep playing, that’s $4.5 million dollars, per month. Of course, that’s the gross dollar amount, but even if it ended up being only $3 million, that’s nothing to balk at. However, these numbers mean nothing to us until we realize how much is being spent to keep WAR up and running. Not only do they have server fees, but they have employee wages to add into the mix. Mythic did just lay off a bunch of QA people, however…

Even though it’s still making more money than I can imagine, maybe Warhammer Online is in trouble. More populated servers are always a good thing, seeing as how they’re the main draw of an MMO, but firing your QA team and then shutting down 80% of your servers can’t ever be a good sign. If they don’t do something drastic to bring in more players, not just keep the ones they have, they’ll be going the way of Tabula Rasa before the end of the year. Mythic’s giving away a free 10-day trial on their site, maybe you’ll find some enjoyment out of it.

I’ve e-mailed EA to get their take on the server closure, and ask what they’re doing to attract new players, but I have yet to hear back from them. Stay tuned to Blend Games to see if they respond.

China appears to be stalling the launch of the expansion to “World of Warcraft,” if reports out of
China are to be believed.

According to JL McGregor & Co., a China-focused research firm, the Chinese government has rejected the “Wrath of the Lich King” expansion because the game contains skeleton characters and a Death Knight undead hero class.

“The government has rejected two applications by the second expansion for The9’s licensed MMORPG World of Warcraft, “Wrath of the Lich King,” since China’s Spring Festival (January 25 - February 1), reports Sohu quoting unnamed sources,” the firm reported. “The applications were rejected due to content that didn’t meet requirements, including a city raid and skeleton characters; the submitted version did not contain WLK’s Death Knight first hero class, said the insider.

“WoW game developer Blizzard Entertainment recently deleted a link on the game’s North American site to the site’s simplified Chinese version, said the report.”

In December, Blizzard announced that its WoW subscriber base reached 11.5 million people worldwide. The “Wrath” sequel sold 2.8 million copies on its first night alone, a one-day record.

Blizzard representatives declined to comment specifically on the reports. However, Blizzard reportedly already had to change alter the first “Burning Crusade” expansion to alter the appearance of the undead Scourge, apparently to eliminate any suggestion of the occult.

“As a matter of practice, we don’t comment on rumors and speculation,” a spokesman said in an email. “We can, however, confirm that World of Warcraft continues to operate as normal in mainland China, and we’re continuing to work with our local partner, The9, toward the launch of Wrath of the Lich King in there. An official announcement will be made once it’s ready to go.”