https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4jQPJFS6sE

*1. What have you been up to since last we spoke?*

Since we last met I’ve been working on new material very intensively. I am working towards an EP to be released early next year and in the meantime 4 songs have been produced and recorded and are now in the final mastering phase. I am still working on two other songs for this EP that I also plan
to finish soon.

*2. Have you made any more videos?*

After the release of Fire Breathing Dragon I have mainly been working on the new songs and the concept for the upcoming EP. Now that a batch of songs is done, I can start on the video in the very near future. First I just want to make sure that the songs themselves are as good as they can be.

I have a lot of ideas for very cool videos in my head, so now I will have to pick the best song and match it to the best idea and start planning the whole thing so we can shoot it soon.

*3. Will it be a fantasy-styled video like the last one?*

I love the fantasy theme in videos because it speaks to people’s imagination of what another world or time period could look like. I would love to work with some CGI or cool effects in the next video. You’ll have to wait and see! I am working on a whole new concept for this EP release, including a new website and new visuals, so there will be a lot to show.
*4. What is the message you want to convey with this upcoming EP?*

For me the message I want to put out there is still the same. I wrote a lot of these songs in a time when I needed to remind myself that I am strong enough to move on and go for it. Nothing or no one can hold me back. It is a shout-out to all those who doubted me through the years to show them that I will make my dream come true and that is also my message to the fans: Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it and keep going, whatever anyone else’s opinion may be!

*5. What is it about music that brings out this passion in you?*

Music means everything to me and I believe it does to a lot of people.

It is a vicious circle: the music you play is determined by your mood and your mood is determined by the music you play. You use it to get high or to get low.

Music is life, it is the rhythm of our souls and it holds the everyday truths that we never say, but only sing, coming from deep inside our hearts.

*6. You mentioned two tracks that would be made towards gaming last time. Can you tell us the status of those? *

When all the songs are finished they will definitely be pitched towards a few of the big fantasy companies out there. I cannot say for sure any of them will be picked for a new game, a film or TV a series, but I certainly hope so. I was actually in New York City during the ComicCon in October but was unable to attend because I was doing some intensive vocal studio sessions for the EP. I am planning to do appearances during my promo tour for the release next year though so watch out for me.

The post Raven: Fire Breathing Dragon Interview 2 appeared first on GameOgre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4jQPJFS6sE

In other words, a very talented performer from Belgium known as Raven is looking to bring fantasy music videos to the forefront of popular music with a very impressive debut video known as “Fire Breathing Dragon”. We at GameOgre.com would love to see the Fantasy genre expand into exciting areas so we would love to see how far this exciting niche can go.

With this in mind, we sat down for a Q&A session with Raven from Kingdom of Raven to discover what she thinks of fantasy music videos and their amazing potential.

1. **How long have you been a singer/songwriter?*

I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. At every get-together with friends or family, I would insist on singing something and I’d make my cousins join in as background singers. When I was 9, I joined The Young Artists School, which provided me the opportunity to perform on various television programs that were broadcast nationally in Belgium, including one of the top rated shows in the country at that time. Now I’ve also been writing songs for the past 15 years. They used to be more like little poems but now I can say they’re actual songs I can be proud of.

*2. What was the motivation behind the song “Fire Breathing Dragon” music
video?*

It’s a dramatic interpretation of empowerment, breaking free of the chains of life and overcoming those things that have held us down. Do not forget, that we are born with the sheer unlimited potential to grow, adapt and succeed, so the message is to not postpone pursuing our dreams out of fear or insecurity but to explore and realise them.

My goal is to bring power back to the people, not with religion or politics but through music, by boosting their self-esteem from the inside out. Whether they have felt criticized or rejected, neglected or not fitting in… it is never too late to shift gears and outgrow these patterns. Sometimes it just takes the example of someone living their dreams to regain the trust in your own unlimited possibilities.

*3. Are you planning more fantasy music videos in the future?*
Yes! I have a very vivid imagination and I insist on bringing something special to the table visually as well as musically. A different angle or a surprising take on an old subject can give a whole new dimension to the story. I also really like to challenge myself and do things I’ve never done before or try things on another level. There’s not a lot out there that scares me, be it animals or extreme sports, anything is possible! Also technology never stops and imaging is getting more and more realistic. I follow all that closely so I can get new inspiration and come p with state of the art visuals.

*4. Gaming is a good match for the fantasy theme of this video, have you thought about possibly writing songs for video games in the future? *

There are actually two tracks in the making that will be pitched towards the gaming industry specifically. They will also be available on my upcoming album and one of them might be released as a single too.

I want people to listen to my music and feel strong and capable to tackle life head-on! Going back to musical roots and baring my soul, like people did in ancient times, triggers that in me. I like to incorporate tribal
elements in the form of war drums, forgotten instruments, chants, anything that takes the collective memory back to the time of our ancestors when we crawled out of the mud.

*5. What are some of your goals for this exciting niche?*
I would love to cosplay at some cool ‘con’ somewhere and entertain.I think it’s a very special atmosphere where people come together to enjoy an alternate universe of dragons, ogres and huge swinging hammers, together and without negativity. It’s a form of escapism from daily (and mostly boring) life where the routine of providing, doing errands and chores can leave you feeling tired with no purpose. The prospect of “going in” and meeting up with your pals while giving a bunch of elves a good bashing without even having to leave the house is invigorating to say the least. It gives people the opportunity to “be elsewhere” but in a safe environment.

*6. Any possibility of covering Ogres in a future song or a video:)?*
Challenge accepted! Not an easy word to slip into the latest pop tune, but I’ll certainly give it a good try, so be prepared!

The post Interview with a Fire Breathing Dragon from a Fantasy Music Video appeared first on GameOgre.

GameOgre.com recently had a Q&A session with Battle of Immortals. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

1. Let’s start with the big question what sets Battle of the Immortals apart from other Fantasy MMORPGs?

There are a lot of different things that are going to make Battle of the Immortal really stand out; my favorite and what I think is the coolest is the gear. Each gear set is amazingly detailed and many have passive animations. For example one set of armor has an eye on the shoulder. That eye isn?t static; it rotates about looking at its surroundings and blinking. Daggers turn and flip like switchblades fist weapons extend and retract shields open and close. Just the level of effort that went into the gear is amazing. Beyond this the top gear?Soul Gear?will grow and level with the player.

2. What can you tell us about the PvE? How many quests does the game feature?

There is a strong PvE aspect to Battle of the Immortals. There are instanced dungeons with some epic bosses. Some of the rarer drops will help you continue to upgrade and become stronger. I don?t have the exact number of total quests in BoI but between daily quests dungeon quests and reputation quests there?s definitely enough to keep players busy.

3. MMORPGs and MMOs in general tend to have a lot of grinding. Have you guys done anything special to help ease the grind?

We?ve actually done a lot. We?ve tweaked the monster AI in order to make them more aggressive and give players a stronger sense of action. We?ve also readjusted the leveling curve and experience required in order to make the game less ?grind-tastic?.

4. What can you tell us about the pet and mount systems? Are they tied together at all?

The pet system is unique in the fact that any monster in the game can become your pet. As you kill monsters throughout your adventures they?ll have a chance to drop themselves. This creates an interesting dynamic when doing dungeons because players aren?t just hoping that the boss drops some cool gear they?re also hoping that he drops himself as a pet.

The pet and mount systems aren?t directly tied but they?re both very useful and important in BoI. Pets will be a valuable ally as you journey both in and out of battle. Our mounts will give you extra skills and increased movement bonuses?check out more about our mounts at our blog.

One thing that is similar about our mount and pet system is that both will change and evolve as they level. If you look at that blog post you?ll see how a mount changes from level 1 to level 2 and beyond. You?ll see that in both the pets and mounts.

5. How does the Soul Gear System work?

Soul Gear ties into Battle of the Immortals story actually. As a result past bloody war between the Gods called Ragnorak relics from that battle fell to earth. With these relics players can craft themselves Soul Gear to become as powerful as the Gods.

Players will receive Soul Gear as rare world drops or from dungeons/instances. You can also improve each individual piece using Soul Gems which are also attained through natural gameplay.

Something that?s interesting about the original version of BoI is that Soul Gems used to be exclusively available via the Cash Shop. This has changed completely for the North American version making the evolution of your gear more focused on gameplay and less on how thick your wallet is.

6. How does the Zodiac System work?

The Zodiac System allows players to attain pets and complete quests associated with their Zodiac symbol. For example Zodiac Pets will only be available during certain months of the year.

7. There seems to be a lot of ways for players groups and guilds to compete against each other. What can you tell us about the PvP?

This is definitely a game for PvPers. Of course there is standard PvP dueling. As mentioned before there?s several PvPvE elements including group battles while in a boss instance. There will be a Territory War system for guilds to compete for rare resources and relics which of course means the best upgrades! As a PvP centric game there?s a little something for everyone.

8. You guys have announced 5 classes. What more can you tell us about those 5 classes?

To recap the five classes are the Bezerker Champion Magus Heretic and Slayer. The Berzerker packs a punch with a focus on dealing physical damage. They have decent defense but the title of tank must go to the Champion. Champions have massively high defense and have an effective arsenal of AoE taunts to keep that aggro on them.

The Magus is an elemental mage class with a lot of fire and ice elemental damage and perfect for crowd control. The Heretic is also a mage class but with a focused on light and dark magics. Former religious fanatics the Heretics have defensive buffs and healing magic. The Slayers are the assassin class with high critical strikes and the poison elemental damage.

9. End-game content is becoming very important for keeping players interested through out the life of a game. What can you tell us about Battle of the Immortals’ end game content?

Battle of the Immortals? end game is focused on two primary activities: Attaining and upgrading Soul Gear and participating in daily and scripted events. As players complete their sets of Soul Gear they?ll find a deep system in place to help them evolve and level up their gear. Consequently these users will become more and more powerful greatly influencing their impact on battlegrounds dungeons and PvP.

Back To MMORPG Interview Section

The post Battle of Immortals Interview appeared first on GameOgre.

Outspark is the Western leader in publishing premium micro-trans MMOs. Based in San Francisco the company has published numerous successful MMOs such as Fiesta and Secrets of the Solstice and is currently introducing Divine Souls and Fists of Fu.

Recently I had the chance to speak with Outspark CEO & Founder Susan Choe and their VP of Marketing Aaron Burcell about Divine Souls. We also touched on their other games Fists of Fu and Fiesta.

Divine Souls

Divine Souls is a new free-to-play Action-Fighting MMORPG from Outspark with unique character classes imposing weapons and non-stop action. To transform into a Divine Soul an enlightened one players must master an impressive array of combos skills and weapons in battle.

Players can partner up with friends to take on Cursed Souls in a massive multiplayer adventure or take on enemies in high-octane Player vs. Player (PvP) combat. Protect the Divine Matter or fight to control it. Be Powerful. Be Vengeful. Be Divine.

The background story for Divine Souls starts with the Zeplar Engine and the discovery of the Divine Matter that made it possible. Aaron Burcell describes it as

?A classic theme of technology gone awry. A mad doctor who introduces technology that allows people to transform into divine souls. That was the goal that was the effort and it goes horribly wrong. There?s a good vs. Evil struggle that?s at the core of the challenges and so you have your classic hero type; your brawler your mage your slasher and they go to town. They work together. You can go on individual quests. There?s some awesome PVP where you have 8 on 8 action both in a fire-lit dungeon environment sort of arena ?like or you can do it in a couple of the other instances.

The big thing here is that it?s online free to play console quality remarkably fast paced and awesome aerial combos that are easy. Its got the micro-transaction and pvp element too. Its very easy to forget that you’re playing F2p on a PC. I think that?s largely in part to people playing with gamepads and psp’s. We?re building in support for nVidia 3d graphics. In future versions you’re going to be able to wear your glasses and play in 3D.?

Divine Souls has three major character classes. They are the Fighter Slasher and the Mage. Fighters are grapplers that like to fight up close and personal. Slashers are extremely agile and quick on their feet. Most monsters never get the chance to face a Mage in singular combat. Mages are experts at weakening opponents before the fighting even starts.

Aaron added to this by saying

?When you look at a Brawler his aerial combos are different and really easy to pick up. When you look at a mage she can right now in this instance cast spells from her hand she can throw necrotic spells. She can freeze people. That weapon that she carries is as interesting as any weapon that I?ve seen in the last 3 years on any game. It has the ability to itself cast spells to hammer people knock them down and execute them via those staff moves. At the same time it converts into a hand-cannon so it really improves her range and attack.

That kind of stuff is where we spent a lot of time in this class of game. Those kinds of things are really important in terms of creating and distinguishing experience. You can pick up any flavor of game for the console and have your standard class characters; you know your brawler mage slasher and just go to town killing people for as long as you want. What makes it fun and interesting is putting together combos and using weaponry and your skills. That makes it interesting and creates you know that learning rewards system people actually get out of games.?

The best part of Divine Souls is its gameplay. I asked Aaron about the games unique makeup. The game itself is part steampunk part brawler and part co-op and even part traditional MMORPG. He offered this

?I think when you look at this game and you play it for the first 15 mins you get a feel for maybe Dynasty Warriors and a lot of games; like that little flavor of almost a bit of Tekken in there and certainly in pvp mode.

You can definitely see there is a rich legacy of games that sort of touch this class but aren?t f2p mmo’s – they are more traditional console games. That really comes through in various points of the game. The characters definitely represent basically a large body of previous work. Divine souls is a homage to a class of games that really have perfected; even though they are not updating and people are moving away from the consoles what works in terms of creating a sticky experience for play.

We definitely want to recognize those other games because our partners certainly are influenced in them. To a large degree this is the same talent that did SUN. This group of developers has done massively popular hit games all over Asia. I think when you look at it it?s a beautiful game and it really acknowledges a rich legacy of games in this class.

It?s exciting because as I?ve heard more than a few players tell us “Wow. Free play has really grown up” and in a lot of respects this game really represents the natural process of free to play. The target audience for this is not kids. Its not the 13-16 yr old kids who we do love who do love our portfolio of games. This is a different type of customer. This is really the console player who loves this game. Our early previews we did in silent beta CB1 we met with a lot of PC game writers and we really shocked them. They literally were like “Yeah okay this is free to play I understand.” I think this game is potentially with another class of games like Vindictus really the first viable persuasive effort in bringing f2p in to meet a console players expectations in what a game is capable of delivering.?

What can you expect when you start the game? Well as soon as the game begins players will have a chance to try out the combat system by attacking a group of portly goblins. Attacks are performed by hitting the mouse buttons and certain keyboard keys. Players pan the camera simply by moving the mouse which gives the game a live-action feel often lacking in MMORPGs.

Players won?t simply be trading blows in Divine Souls. Each attack must be aimed and enemy strikes can be dodged. The developers may have gone a little overboard on the hit radius of player attacks. Hitting multiple opponents with a single attack looks cool but being able to knock down everything in front and to the sides of the character with a single attack reduces the game?s difficulty considerably. The crazy Area of Effect (AoE) attacks definitely add to the ?arcade? feel however. Even low level bosses require some strategy and more evolved tactics and team work are required in the later stages. Fortunately it doesn?t take long to clear a dungeon.

PVE and PVP are well balanced in the game when I asked Aaron about the pve and pvp he replied

?I think they are both equal. When we’ve done our beta tests somewhere around day 2 people started to discover PvP and it takes off. In recent surveys everyone loves them equally. This game tests incredibly high. Not quite as high as Fists of Foo but Fists of Foo is a sleeper. Divine Souls tests very high. There?s no sort of preference. The players who play PVE migrant to PVP very quickly and they bounce back. They don?t get stuck and drop off which you can sometimes see in gameplay. We don?t have that problem. I think that?s a credit to the game designers and our team here who works to executive produce the game.?

Stages themselves are broken down into a series of rooms connected by portals; players must defeat all enemies in a room before moving on to the next. Loot mechanics are designed to keep the action rolling players simply hit ?R? near gold or item drops to automatically pick them up.

Divine Souls makes heavy use of instancing. Cities camps and other locals that stock quest NPCs and merchants make up the persistent world where players meet and greet. Portals are scattered across these locations that open up regional maps and allow players to enter the dungeons or stages in that area. There are dozens of stages available but players will find themselves repeating them many times.

Quests help speed up the grind and offer a sense of progression but the best way to stomach the repetition is to find other players to group with. The level requirement for each stage is displayed on the map but each stage comes in three difficulty modes. Players must clear a dungeon on easy to unlock medium and clear it again to unlock hard mode.

The persistent city plus instanced game world model was first championed by Guild Wars but stage based MMORPGs like Lunia and Divine Souls have done a great job adopting it for their own purposes.

Since this game had also been previously released in the eastern market I asked Aaron about any changes they may have made to better suit a western market. He answered

?I think the things that we do very well in executive producing games for western markets are making sure that people get to the points of satisfaction in that game and progress at a pace that is appropriate for western players. When you see the games and you see the mechanics there?s a lot about flanking and speed and easy on the combos you understand the adjustments that we have played on the game. If we had just brought the Korean version into the US people would say it?s a grinder. We do a lot of those refinements but at the same time some of the things that we do we focus on with our partners. This is more of a generalization but certainly true with Divine Souls. It?s creating distinguishing elements of the game that people grow attached to.

In the western market weaponry is one of those key instances. So when you look at weapons in Slashers you see some really inspired ideas in terms of the whip sword. I know a few games that have done that. The whip sword is really interesting in this instance – the way it whips what its range is the way you can lock on and hook a player and flip them around much like you’d have with a whip. Those things are interesting; those are fun and memorable.?

Divine Souls is a fast paced action MMORPG that has great visuals and genuinely fun gameplay. Repeating instances can get frustrating but Divine Souls makes it easy to switch between PvE and PvP to keeps things exciting. The game is pick-up and play friendly but the combo system requires dedication to master.

The game takes the MMO genre to new heights with high quality 3D graphics fluid gameplay and an extensive list of combo attacks that players must pull off manually. Gamers looking for a MMORPG with a more involved combat system should look no further than Divine Souls.

Fists of Fu

Next Aaron and I spoke about Fists of Fu. Fists of Fu is one of Outspark?s new free-to-play hilarious side-scrolling Arcade-Action MMORPG featuring a beat-em-up multiplayer storyline anime style graphics that mixes a fantasy themed persistent world with instanced dungeon stages and an immersive 3D environment.

Aaron described Fists of Fu as

?Fists of Foo is a sleeper. It is a lot of fun. I don?t know if you’re into side scroller; little big world or Maplestory or any of those games. A lot of people tend to dismiss them because they look like childs play. But the shocking thing that we’re seeing is that this game really resonates with the 30+ crowd because it?s reminiscent of some of the early console games that people played. Plus it’s got that nice 3D engine and the pivots and the twists of different camera angles which are fun. A lot of people tend to dismiss that game because of its Anime look and because Foo is so childlike in its initial presence and it certainly is a character driven game but Foo is a lot of fun. People love playing this game.?

Fists of Fu has 3 starting character classes: Magician Archer and Fighter classes. And the Fists of Fu gameplay is remarkably similar to other action games like Dragonica Online. In this game players don?t simply employ ?point and click? game style but requires players to actively use their controls in order for them to interact in the game which includes movement attacking and using skills.

Players can battle against enemies in Fists of Fu through instanced dungeons located outside of town. Unlike other games Fists of Fu?s has only instance dungeons outside of Towns. There are no enemies to kill outside of these dungeons so in a way the game is similar to Lunia.

In Fists of Fu instanced dungeons can be complete in three difficulty settings: Beginner Expert and Hardcore. As the difficulty of the dungeon increases so is the rewards players will yield in completing the dungeons. In order for the player to complete a dungeon players will need to defeat the boss in the Final Room. Each dungeon has its own unique boss which adds some depth and difficulty to the game.

Players can chose to venture alone or party up with other players when taking up these instanced dungeons. The game features a convenient system that enables players ease in finding party members that are working on the same dungeons.

Fists of Fu unfortunately is very linear. Players need to complete the first dungeons in order to progress to the next ones. In some instances players have to repeat a dungeon level numerous of times in order to unlock the next dungeon level.

Aside from level grinding and instanced dungeon questing players can also craft upgrade and enchant their items at the blacksmith. Players can also sell their items to other players by setting-up a personal shop in the game?s Plaza.

Fists of Fu also offers a compelling PvP system that is worth checking out. Fists of Fu currently have three PvP game modes that can support up to 8 players in each game: Team Competition Team Death Match and Survival.

Players can enter the lobby-based PvP area after reaching a character Level 3. In Fists of Fu unlike other games players can begin enter PvP area right away whether the player?s character is Level 5 or Level 50. The game has a unique system of automatically equalizing characters so that players will have largely same stats. Despite this higher level characters will still have the advantage since it will have an access to a large queue of skills it has already unlocked that lower level characters haven?t. Players are rewarded with PK Points for performing well in matches which can be exchange for Rank badges as well as other items in the PvP item store.

Despite being linear and unable to offer something new to the MMORPG genre Fists of Fu is still a fun action packed MMORPG game worth to be played. You can also expect exciting things in the future for Fists of Fu as Aaron explains

?We’re going to look and see what people like doing and start introducing things that support what people like to do. Basically when you ship a game you have an idea; a basic strategy of what people and going to want to do in the game and you start to introduce things to foster usage. F2p is all about people playing. It?s about engagement marketing. So we will certainly initially play to that. I think it?s a game of chores. The audience size grows and then what you see are opportunities to introduce things like Soulja-Boy dance moves. We have a very good relationship; I?m sure you’ve seen a lot of our efforts that come out of the virtual goods relationship.?

Fiesta

Even though Fiesta in one of Outspark?s oldest games it is one of the most successful MMORPGs and also still has exciting things to come. Fiesta features a dynamic fighting scenario that includes PvP Battlefield Instance Dungeons and Kingdom Quests.

Fiesta has a rich and long background story which you can read on their website. To summarize it; Fiesta is a fight between good and evil. A new power has risen in the north and the battle between Angels and Demons escalate. It is up to the players to fight for whoever they want to side on. Are their hearts pure enough to follow the path of Light? Or are they destined to fall into the clutches of darkness? It is up to the players to decide. Fiesta offers the players 4 different classes each with unique play styles.

One of the features that made Fiesta different from other MMORPG is the Kingdom Quest. Kingdom Quests are unique group battles in Fiesta and let as many as 15 players work together to battle tough monsters and earn experience. Plenty of challenging adventures and treasure waits in a Kingdom Quest and they are a great way to help player?s character make friends and level up.

One of the best things about Fiesta is their touches of mainstream Pop Culture. In the past they have added updates that included the Soulja Boy Dance that all characters could emote and even Tila Tequila fashions.

I asked Aaron if this trend of mixing fantasy and modern pop culture would continue and he replied

?We’re working on potentially introducing more of that stuff even into Fiesta this fall and bringing back some new dance moves. The GM is literally sitting outside of this office giving me the stink eye for telling you this. We’re going to have a lot of fun with Fiesta.

The 3rd anniversary of Fiesta is really something that everyone is excited about. Not many games make it 3 years and to be making it 3 years and have the game as popular as it’s ever been even more-so is really interesting. We’re doing all of the things we need to do in terms of prioritization.

Making sure that we fix the things that people think are not right about the game like balancing the archers. But when you look at the game we know historically what has worked from an events standpoint from an introducing mainstream culture artifacts standpoint; we’re going to be doing more of that. We’re going to do more of that this fall.

You can start to see it now and I think if you pay attention to the community posts we’re even talking about which dance moves we’re going to introduce and when the next dance party is going to be. As you know being a player Halloween is always a big event for us and that?s I think right around the time we’re going to celebrate our 3rd anniversary.

We’ve worked hard to make the game a priority with the developer. Fiesta is a game that is massive worldwide… It is a game that certainly occupies a lot of our time and energy in terms of creating a quality experience in terms of being responsible to customers and generating a content roadmap that expands on the existing aspects that customers like. I hear the community on the events and I hear the community on the dance moves and the little things we can do on the interaction layer.

We learned a lot coming out of spring with the success of World Cup. I saw just an avalanche of UDC numbers of national jerseys that were donned during the month of June that was awesome to see. The game has an ability to reflect what is going on in terms of current events and because it is social.?

Despite some criticism on the unbalanced nature of character classes and the game heavily dependent on real cash for the game to progress smoothly Fiesta is still a great and fun game to play.

Finale

With so many games under their belt and so much planned for the future. I asked Aaron to tell me how Outspark really makes its games about the social aspects of gaming and their future plans and he replied

?Its real time communications it’s people building and extending relationships that they’ve had inside the game. If you look at the staggering number of marriages we’ve had inside of Fiesta; it’s fascinating to us. How the relationships build up how they grow what that means and the true value of community and social in our respects it?s different. It?s different that anything you see in what?s known as S&S games.

&

People initially come for the game – the attraction of the game but they stay for the community and we know that. These games are nothing without their audience and we’re fully aware of that. When you look at Fiesta it is not modern or up-to-date in any respect but the community is so rich and vibrant and reflects so much of the current pop culture stuff like the World Cup Halloween introducing new dance moves – maybe we’ll introduce Thriller dance moves.(By the way I think this is a big hint for Fiesta players!) When you look at what that game does and what people do in it – I don’t want to say it’s best in class but it’s an amazing community and we love them.?

The post Looking Ahead with OutSpark appeared first on GameOgre.

GameOgre.com recently had a Q&A session with Daniel James of the Puzzle Pirates team about this colorful MMORPG. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

Puzzle Pirates gives players a chance to play a portion of the game for free but the game is not completely free. Can you explain the various payment methods for the game?

Players can purchase Doubloons or a Subscription with credit card paypal Target pre-paid cards premium SMS in some European countries and a whole gamut of payment options through some partners.

Do you feel that Puzzle Pirates is more targeted towards solo players or grouping?

Puzzle Pirates is a ‘strongly grouped’ game in that membership of a Crew opens up the heart of the game Pillaging. However we have made pains to make it possible to enjoy solo play too.

When Puzzle Pirates was released in late 2003 there were no major pirate MMOs so what was behind the decision to make the game based around puzzles instead of a regular MMORPG with a pirate theme?

I had wanted to make a pirate game for a while but I knew that I didn’t want the core gameplay to be ‘wack-a-monster’ as I personally find that activity to be tiresome. When I hit upon the idea of combining Puzzle games which have a tight short-time period ‘fun loop’ with the long-term fun loop of MMO progression and community it seemed like an obvious marriage.

I’m surprised that five years on nobody else has copied the idea. It solves a lot of the problems with tiresome repetitive and ‘grind-based’ MMO gameplay.

What role does PvP play in the game?

It’s possible to attack player ships at sea but few people do it and there are strict rules against ‘ganking’. Lots of players enjoy challenging each other to swordfights and other puzzles including lots of board and card games on land. Every weekend there are blockades of islands often battles between coalitions of player Crews called Flags. Hundreds of simultaneous players will be sailing around on big ships (40+ players on each) puzzling away and sinking each other. There’s also a very competitive player-driven economy.

Which is to say that interaction and fun competition between players is a key part of Puzzle Pirates but it’s not usually non-consensual PvP in the traditional sense.

How much involvement do players have in the economy and how does the economy work?

Puzzle Pirates has a complex economy. Commodities are produced by islands and must be purchased and shipped to ports by player traders. Shops are owned by players and utilise player puzzling labour to convert commodities into finished goods often through a few stages (for example a weavery turns hemp into cloth using dyes an apothecary turns herbs into dyes and then a tailor takes the coloured cloth and makes finished clothes). Often players collaborate in running shops and some mighty trading coalitions have been formed!

How is your combat system different from other MMOs?

All the core activities in Puzzle Pirates; swordfights sailing bilge-pumping firing the cannons etc. are driven by skill-based Puzzle Pirates. So instead of a fairly predictable ‘click to attack select spell wait repeat’ combat routine battles are a gripping skill-based challenge.

Do you think your game appeals to the casual gamer or the hardcore gamer?

Surprisingly PP’s appeal crosses between casual and hardcore players — younger and older. It is unique as a skill-based MMO with substantial depth and lots of hardcore players love it as such but of course it has a casual look and feel and remains accessible to the occasional less-skilled player.

How often is new content added? Is there any type of schedule for updates?

We are always adding new stuffs. Although we have internal schedules we don’t promise release dates usually as things always take longer than we hope! However we try to get something new and juicy into the hands of the players at least every three months.

Unlike when the game was released there are now several different pirate MMOs like Pirates of the Burning Sea Pirates of the Caribbean and Voyage Century. What is the biggest advantage that Puzzle Pirates holds over other pirate games?

The community-oriented and ecoomy depth and unique puzzle-based aspects I alude to above put Puzzle Pirates in it’s own category. Quite simply I would say it’s more fun for both a casual player and a hardcore player who’s interested in their personal skill managing a group towards grand objectives or the economy. My impression of the other pirate games is that they tend to deliver a more traditional MMO experience (beating up on monsters etc.) or some new gameplay (sailing battles in PotBS) that tends to be more solo-oriented. That all said I think there’s plenty of room for lots of Pirate games!
Arr!

Are there any future plans for Puzzle Pirates that you would like to mention?
I’m afraid they are all top secret right now!

Thank you for your time!

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GameOgre.com recently had a Q&A session with the Last Chaos team about this free 3D MMORPG. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

What do you feel Last Chaos offers that other free MMORPGs don’t?

The best thing about Last Chaos is the community. The players in this game are great. In order to recognize this we have created multiple programs. There is the Karma system that rewards players for mentoring new players. There is the Game Sage program that recognizes the contributions of our more knowledgeable players. There is the

team that recognizes the real world contributions of our members in publicizing Last Chaos.

Do you feel that Last Chaos is more targeted towards solo players or grouping?

Last Chaos is solo friendly but it strongly encourages players to work together. We encourage our players to play together as a social experience is one of the major benefits of being online.

Can you elaborate on your personal dungeon system?

The “Personal Dungeon” is a private quest mode where players can go solo in an “arcade” style gaming environment. This allows players to experience parts of Last Chaos in privacy and at a more rapid and exciting pace without any death penalty. Players are also rewarded handsomely in experience and treasure!

Please explain your PvP system and how it tries to combine with PvE.

The Last Chaos PvP system is designed to allow players to fight each other but to create penalties for players that cause too problems. There are three classifications of players; Good (Blue) Neutral (White) Evil (Red). If a player attacks and kills a Neutral or Good player they get evil points. If a player kills an Evil player (as attacker or defender) they get good points. Evil points are removed over time as the player gains experience.

Players choose on login whether they are playing on an open PVP server or a Non-PVP server. They can make this choice each time they log in. In open PVP servers players may initiate combat at any location except for the cities.

How is your combat system different from other MMOs?

The combat system in Last Chaos offers both PVE and PVP elements in all open maps. It also has a unique system for players to solo in their ?personal dungeons?.

Do you think your game appeals to the casual gamer or the hardcore gamer?

Last Chaos appeals to both hardcore and casual gamers. Some of our gamers are truly hardcore and are focused on levels and equipment. The majority of our gamers are more interested in the social atmosphere of the game. They are not overly focused on the items or levels.

What role do guilds play in the game?

Guilds are a large part of the social foundation for the game. They also have a unique role in the weekly Castle Siege event. The Castle Siege is an event that pits a group of Challengers Guilds to storm and take a Castle defended by another Guild and their allies.

Are there any future improvements planned that you would like to mention?

We have just recently released Egeha a major expansion for the game. Egeha includes one new personal dungeon one outdoor map with all new monsters and quests new weapons new armor an increased level cap (from 65 to 80) increased experience and cash drops. Get ready for the biggest and toughest adventure in the Last Chaos history.

In closing is there anything else that you would like gamers to know about Last Chaos?

We believe that online games should primarily be about the communities. Aeria Games has made an effort to reach out to our community in many ways. We have a presence on Facebook we have also made a Ventrilo server available to our players so that they can socialize better while playing.

Thank you for your time!

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Below are a few questions asked by GameOgre.com to FreeWorld. The questions from GameOgre.com are in bold.

For starters why is the game called FreeWorld? Will it be free?
(Laughs) No FreeWorld will not be free. The name is FreeWorld because it gives players the freedom to do as they choose. FreeWorld is a classless game. Everyone can do everything they want to do like in real life but you are better at the things you do more of and get better as you use your skills. I hate games where I am a wizard and I can’t use a sword because of my class.

Yes City of Heroes is something like that. Very class driven.
Well….in FreeWorld you have the chance to do everything BUT if you do everything then your just a little good in everything but not really great in anything.

How is the combat in FreeWorld?
The combat is in real-time. Just like life also….there is no auto aim. There is NO point-and-click combat. You really have to land all of your hits.

Your character models are different than most other games right?
Yes we use segmented models instead of solid models. You know how in new MMORPGs the models are seamless. Well in FreeWorld our models are made in parts foot/leg/hand/arm and so on. These parts are then put together. The reason behind this is that .3ds format segmented models have real-time collision detection. This is to help with time hit detection. If I hit your finger for example you get hit. In most other MMORPGs you just have to click on a monster and hit the attack button.

Do you think it will be too hard that it turns off the casual gamer or are you just going for the hardcore ones?
Well……no. I don’t think we are just looking for a hardcore player. This game will be made for people that are sick of the normal boring MMORPG games. Click monster. Click attack. Kill monster. Go sell loot. That is bull. If you look at the US game market .most gamers here like FPS. I want to bring everything that is great about RPGs and add the excitement of real-time combat. Now I would have to say if someone is the kind of guy that gets off work and wants to relax and watch the screen while only clicking a few buttons then FreeWorld is not really for them.

How many players will be supported on a server and how many servers?
We plan to have the world on one server cluster. There will be many server machines but only one world. The server cluster will be able to support 40000+ people in one world at one time.

What will PvP (Player versus Player) be like?
On a lot of games you will see a non-PvP server and a PvP server. In FreeWorld we will combine the two where you can cross over from a PvP world to a PvE (players versus monsters only) world and back again. The two worlds will be 100% different. PvE players will not be forced to play in PvP. Also PvP players will not be forced to play PvE. However you will have the option to do both.

Any idea about when FreeWorld will be released?
There is no set date for FreeWorld’s release. When we promise features we want to make sure they are in the game and fully working. Too many games rush everything (for the love of money) and put out a product that is far from ready. I see a lot of MMORPG players defending games by saying “i know the game is not that fun now but they promise to make updates and add all the features.” To me if you need to make a excuse like this then the game is just not good and the game company was more worried about the money than the game.

Looking forward to it being released. Thank you for your time.

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GameOgre.com recently had a Q&A session with Terry Jin of the Talisman Online team. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

Congratulations on Talisman Online’s Second Anniversary. What all have
you done to celebrate this event?

To highlight a little bit I personally like the Share My TO Essay event a lot. From various articles I did experience a lot of emotions – happiness warmth of friendship most funny moments also there are regretful recalls sad feelings etc. All the feelings that one can experience in real life you can find that among our TO players. Real feelings right from the bottom of the heart that?s the most beautiful part to me?

What do you remember the most in the two years of operating the game?

A lot of moments were memorable.

About the Server Crash
When we initially started the game we just had 2 servers. Right then we experienced some unexpected server crash. Our team spent a whole sleepless night to fix that issue 5 updates was added in a row to bring back the server. We were so upset and worried how the players would feel about this. And we know some players were even as worry as we did. And finally it was in such a celebration atmosphere when we finally made it the next day.

Now when look back what matters most is not the way to solve the tech issue. Instead always thinking from the players? perspectives feeling what a player would feel is our core value.

About the Players
Originally we were also concerned about the difficulty of our new scenarios when designing and testing them we would worry how the players could conquer them as they look so difficult. But TO players really surprised us on this ? for each new released scenario there are always players that are able to complete the scenario with limited levels and equipments and in a very short time. They really finished mission impossible in our eyes.

Well we will always be back with a more difficult one?

About the Love and Marriage and the NPC
Once there were 2 young people met in TO. They started knowing each other when playing together falling in love and finally got married in real life. To make this more impressive they are physically from two different continents in the world.
We were so moved about their story that we decided to do something to memorize it in TO. Now if any player visits the east of Stone City you will see 2 NPCs sitting together on the game land and sharing their sweetness to the rest of players?.
To keep privacy that?s all we can describe about it. And we do hope to see more miracles to take place in this wonderful game!

What do you think Talisman Online offers that other free MMORPGs don’t?

This is my favorite question indeed. We always ask ourselves why a player would choose a specific MMORPG. Is it a game with fascinating visual and audio effects? Or is the game a great place to know people and play together? Or is the game providing a combined experience that brings many emotions to the players? TO is a combination of all above and we do feel there are more about this game.

1. Let’s start with high performance and low criteria ? TO is a 3D MMORPG with perfect visual effects. In the meantime TO is a game has minimum client end software (253MB) moreover TO has the minimum requirement on a player’s PC or laptop.

2. New Player Friendly ?TO is a game that you can learn to play in 10 minutes. I am not saying you will become an expert after 10 minutes but 10 minutes will make sure you have good understanding of the game terms and logics thus would enable a player to easily dig further. Also there is more consideration on rules in the game to ensure a nice environment for newbies.
3. TO community ? We have so many players and they are coming from every corner of the world. In our latest survey most of our players are taking great pleasure in meeting and making friends from all over the world. Many kinds of online and offline friendship were formed.

Do you think your game appeals more to the casual gamer or the hardcore gamer? Also do you feel that Talisman is more targeted towards solo players or grouping?

I would say everyone. We have a good coverage of all ages among players. And there are some interesting in-game teams formed by couples mother and son grandmother and grandson… Also we have expert level players who are able to give us consultation and advices on game features and we have casual players who just enjoy the pure interactive.

Please explain your PvP system. How much impact does it have on the rest of the game?

TO is not a game encouraging random PK. We have PK value along with red/yellow name mechanism. 1 random kill will make a player name yellow; 2 consecutives would turn his name red. As a punishment everyone else in the game is free to kill yellow name players without any punishment and the yellow name character will suffer further loss of experience energy and gold. Same thing would apply to red name character and the loss would be doubled. Also a character with red name would be forbidden to use the skills as well as being kept out in certain scenarios and arenas.

For players who request for fair PK we have dedicated PVP arena. Also a player could request for a duel with others if the request was accepted a “friendly match” would take place between players without anyone being punished.

For active players there are also group PK City Wars though organized ways. Guilds and player teams will be able to combat through set timelines and with restricted arenas. Everyone will get what they have been seeking for.

How is your combat system different from other games in the genre?

Talisman is all about the weapons. Chinese philosophy believes the perfect balance between heaven and man as well as the master and talisman tightly in one.

TO weaponry philosophy provides more alternatives for players to pursue the ultimate power the more time and efforts you spend on forging the talisman the more powerful weapon you get and you will be able to add many extra attributes to your own character.

Also players are able to develop duel magic skills. This would enable a player to practice 2 different magic in the same time isn’t that cool?

What role do guilds play in the game? What benefits do players get from being in a guild?

Joining a guild will mean a lot to players:

Much faster in levelling up the characters
You will be able to explore difficult scenarios with the help of senior guild members. Also you can learn from those guys to know the best way to practice your own character. Usually that kind of knowledge will just be open to guild members.

Nice equipments
You are not just joining a guild; you would also join a pyramid of optimizing item usages. There are always replaced items from the top level players those are not that useful in their original masters? eyes but it would mean much to newbies. Sometimes if you are lucky enough a well forget talisman will become yours without much efforts?

Shortcut to get famous
Want to get famous? Join a tough guild. Winning guild of the weekend city war will bring a crown for every member. Imagine wearing that on your own character walking along the street you will feel so proud to be a member in the remarkable winning battle.

What does the game have for end game content?

Well we do plan to raise the max level vertically there needs to be more challenges players just love that all the time.

Also we plan to expand the maps with new tasks and scenarios all the time; we hope our players will have more variety of choices in the game.

In terms of end game content we just wouldn?t use that term in our games. The game grows along with the players together. It?s a living thing in our eyes. We will manage the release frequency with a balance of the content for each new version.

Are there any future improvements planned that you would like to mention?

Our principle is to maximize the player experience without changing the in-game balance.
I would just list a few things in our plan:

New scenarios are underway.

New PVP updates will secure private room for PVP players.

Our Christmas task is going to be released soon. It’s not only a patch to simply fix problem new stuff will be introduced such as new mount.

And also to be fair enough to the monsters and bosses in the game some of them will be having new skills to protect themselves better.

In closing is there anything else that you would like MMORPGers to know about Talisman Online?
We hope you have fun in TO!

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GameOgre.com had a Q&A session with the makers of Chaos Online. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

What do you think separates your game from all the other MMORPGs on the Internet right now?

We have several unique features. First; we have the in game robot system. Unlike other MMORPG we open this function fully free to our players. The second one is that you can grow almost everything with your character in this game. You don?t need to change a new armor or a new weapon. Just a simple upgrade will increase the power of your equipment. The third one is the ?credit card? system. You don?t need to pay for the valuable items in the game. We grant different level players to get different amount of free Diamonds (which can purchase valuable items).

Will your community have a lot of say throughout the beta process?

Yes they do. We are always willing to listen to the players by the players and for the players. We have taken a lot of suggestions from our players and we will continue to do this during the closed beta period.

You have taken a drastic approach to getting GM’s in the game by taking applications from the community. Why do this instead of just using your own staff?

We believe that our players have massive amounts of knowledge and wisdom; and more important they love to help others so we decided to hold an activity like this. We believe that many players will gain a lot through this activity. We would like to see people starting to help each other and to make a better online society.

When do you predict the game opening?

We hope to release open beta in January or February.

Is it possible for the Robot feature to be abused?

A lot of players have asked this question. We would like to tell you that the robot features are not being abused due to a lot of other balanced settings. First of all; you can?t bot your char all day due to the durability problem. Second your backpack will be easily filled up if you want to pick valuable items. Third you will get PKed if your bot try to KS other player?s lol. So no matter how long are you botting it will not affect the game balance.

Please describe your PvP system.

PvP is not available for players who are lower than level 20. Once players reach level 20 they will learn a skill which could activate the PvP status. Basically warriors and hunters/gunmen are physical attack classes while paladins and mage are magic attack classes. Warriors have advantage with highest physical defense when they fight against hunters/gunmen. Hunters/gunmen are nightmare to those paladins and mages. Mages and paladins are big threat to warriors. It?s a definitely a free PK game. Watch your back!

How often will updates be made?

We will update the game according to the development plan and the community requests. Which functions should be released first which ones will be released later. It?s all the communities calls. We will also constantly add unexpected features to the game to make it a really ?chaotic? game. You will feel like: Am I entered the wrong game today? Lol?

What is the one feature of Chaos Online that you are most proud of?

That is a tough question to answer because we are proud of many of the feature within the game if I had to choose a feature it would be the easiness of the game. It?s easy to play the game but it needs wisdom to play the game well.

Any future features that you can tell us about?

We really have a lot of things to tell but due to the short time we would like to introduce the one which will be released soon that is called: Quality upgrade. As you may know now you can craft items and upgrade its level. In the coming patch we will release the quality upgrade which mean you can use a gem to upgrade your equipment from low quality (such as normal) to a higher quality (such as refined).

Any closing comments?

I would like to thanks all players who support us all the way. Chaos is a very open platform which you can present your thoughts opinions and suggestions here. We try to keep our community extremely friendly and invite everyone to have fun with us. With our efforts we believe that Chaos Online will become more and more mature and we hope more and more players will come and play this game. Thanks GameOgre.com for providing such an opportunity for us!

Happy New Year and wish you all the good luck in the coming 2009!

Thank you as well for your time!

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We are here today talking with “Vesuvius” who is the Project Leader of Etherea: Dark Genesis a new Fantasy/Mythical MMORPG in early development. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

What will set Etherea: Dark Genesis apart from other MMORPG?s on the market?

Etherea: Dark Genesis will have multiple aspects that set it apart from other MMORPG?s on the market; especially it?s developing team. The developers are very active in the community in participating in discussions and actually listening to the people in regards to the game. Also the game has some new features that haven?t been attempted by mainstream games due to fears especially fears regarding money. EDG is not centered on making money or paying back huge investors actually there are no huge investors; we are more concerned about making a really fun game that many will enjoy. I believe that shows itself by the fact that the game will be a free download with only a small monthly fee to pay for expenses like the server and future upgrades.

Will there be an active story line in the game?

Yes EDG will be host to a very large and immense story line that is not only very obvious but also very interactive. The story line will influence quests and the entire game itself; players will be able to mold the story line through various events and quests. Also since the game is being run off of a single server the players can permanently change the story line. The developers want the story line to be one of the highlights which keeps players feeling that they are apart of the story not just another player.

How will factions and Player Vs. Player combat be handled? Will PvP be limited to small areas or will it be a very active system?

Players can PvP in most areas in some areas it will be disabled like the peaceful ?central? city of Etherea and in some it will be enforced like the military forts for game play reasons. Players will find that PvP will not only be a great part of the story line and very interactive but meaningful and in-depth. PvP will have rewards for the players and the races as a whole. Instead of the normal two factions that you find in most games Ethereal: Dark Genesis will have four factions each race is it?s own faction. The races are constantly at war and will have a large amount to do with the story line; one of the only ways to access another race?s homeland is to destroy the Fort guarding the portal/entrance into the homeland through PvP. We want there to be rewards and point systems in place that make PvP not only fun but rewarding.

Will there be a place in the game for ?neutral? players and those who do not like PvP?

Of course the PvE aspect of the game will be just as large as the PvP aspect. PvE is also another huge key to the story line and especially character development. Those who wish not to participate in PvP will find that there is more than plenty to do in the game and still a huge portion of the story line for them to participate in. Even crafters will have quests and meaningful roles in the story line and game. Neutrals and crafters alike will find that there are not only story lines and quests for them to participate in but also reward systems and point systems for them as well.

How will character development be handled like leveling and skills etc.

From the beginning of the game players will choose a class they wish to play as they may change the class later on if they wish. After choosing a class the player will notice that there are not only Character Levels but also Skill Levels. Character Levels are normal MMORPG levels that you obtain that can raise your stats and make you stronger but you may only raise them through quests and participating in the story. Character Levels will not be able to be ?ground? out in the normal MMORPG sense. Skill Levels on the other hand are the levels that you obtain that unlock new skills or enhancements for your character. Every time you successfully use a skill and defeat your opponent you will gain Skill Level Experience. Once enough experience is gained you may learn new skills in your tree or even upgrade one of your current skills. Each class will have three skill trees that focus on different areas of the class and allow for different customizations and combinations of skills and abilities. A player will not have enough skill points to fill up all three of the trees thus character diversity will be fairly large and supplement different playing styles and strategies. We are also focusing a lot on endgame content for those who wish to take the game a step beyond normal game play I hate reaching the ?max? on my character and having nothing left to do.

Will there be player housing?

Yes players will be able to obtain housing within the cities to decorate and show off have a place to call home or to act as a workshop or storage facility. Player housing will be well developed and be very customizable.

How in-depth is the player economy going to be?

Very in-depth players will be able to make just about everything in the game. Players will also be able to own their own shops create a custom name brand line of their wares and use their crafting skills to help their race as well as take a part in the story line. Crafters will play a huge role in the game from making all the food weapons armor and etc. to repairing forts wreaked by PvP. I?m a huge crafting fan and believe in a strong player economy so expect it to be a very in-depth system.

Will guilds play a role in the game?

Yes guilds will play a very large role in the game including guild vs. guild combat and the combination of efforts and people to help run cities and conduct large sieges. I am also a huge fan of guilds as it is one of the most important aspects of any game; they promote unity and fun events in the game that developers cannot contribute. Many accommodations will be made for guilds including specific roles in the game for them.

Last question how do the readers go about getting involved in this game?

As I mentioned earlier the developers are an active part of the community and converse regularly with the community members. If you want to be kept up-to-date with the game it?s a great idea to join the forums and start having fun with the community. Also if you don?t have time for the forums right now or just don?t have the want we have a mailing list you can join on our site that will be used to inform people about the game beta and other events. Beta is still a good bit off but when it arrives we will be taking people from the community forums first.

Thank you for your time and I wish you the best of luck on this upcoming game!

Thank you and I hope to see you around Etherea soon!

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