Tagged News: mmorpg

In this week's update, we answer questions from the community. There were also many questions on the public beta and release dates. To this I can say now, that during a planning meeting we determined that our launch date will be...

Click for more!

Mitra's Method is giving you the opportunity to ask your questions about Age of Conan!

"The NDA has been lifted for press members, so if there is anything you desire to be answered, then be sure to submit a question!"

'Read More' to find out how to submit your question, and the steps you need to take to do so.

You can quit your nail-biting now, Issue 12 Open Beta is now a go! You can connect to the Test Server by following the instructions provided here.

The Issue 12 Open Beta announcement and details can be found here.

Click Read More or follow this link to read the full patch notes.

Jim Moreno tackles the difficult task of roleplaying a merchant in this edition of RoleCraft: "Even roleplayers are known to struggle with this cookie cutter gameplay, and with keeping their characters from looking and acting just like every other character in game. What to do? One sure way to avoid the pitfalls of routine is to realize that there are many other classes in game besides adventurer. It's time to become a professional roleplayer!"

The second instalment of my 'Age of Conan' beta journal entries, where I eagerly share my experiences wandering through the streets of Old Tarantia and lock horns with another eager PvPer:

"It wasn't long after I stepped off the jetty in the region of Bushbur in the Khopshef Province, that I noticed, what I assumed was a level 20, soldier-class character only a matter of yards in front of me... We stopped and stared at each other for a while, but it wasn't long into admiring the artwork in the armour pieces he was wearing that he actually drew his sword (which also looked spectacular) and shield and decided to rush at me. It was here where the PvPer within me uttered a loud primordial 'Yawp' and grinning, I said to myself, 'It's on like Donkey Kong!' Okay, so this is open PvP; so be it!"

Don't just sit there drooling over your keyboard; read the whole thing!

Sean Bulger's periodic community column today looks at the concept of Open PvP (player vs. player) and what it does to games and their communities.

A while back we talked about conflict between players and what sort of a role that it can play in a game and for communities. During this, it was noted that player competition can be implemented in numerous different ways. This week, I would like to revisit this discussion and talk about one of those particular methods: the open PvP world.

Open PvP is one of the more controversial topics in MMO circles and plenty of people have fairly strong opinions one way or the other on the subject. That said, I would like to explore both the positive impacts and negative ones on the player community. Open PvP has the potential to help bond a community fairly tightly, but it also has the potential to truly tear it apart as well.

Read more after the leap.

Cryptic Studios, Producers of Champions Online has released 3 new screen shots for their upcoming title. The new screenshots show three characters in different action poses.

You can see all the screen shots over at the Champions Online website.

Last week, Jonathan Steinhauer's column looked at the design of outdoor areas in The Dangerous Wilderness, Part 1. In Part 2, he continues his thoughts on the basic challenge most every MMO faces.

The easiest solution, though it avoids the root of the problem, is to disperse the ground spawns to a more realistic population level. There are areas where one would expect to encounter monsters, and that is where the heavy concentrations should be. Hard core hunting should occur in the fortresses and camps of the various villains, monsters, and animals that are the bane of the adventurer, not every time you step off the path. This opens up the wilderness for travel and casual hunting while giving players the kind of combat that exist in epic stories: battle in the lairs.

Read more after the leap.

We're giving away some beta keys on Monday, but to tide you through the weekend, we have two new and exclusive screenshots from Funcom. Enjoy!

Spellborn International, the Dutch MMO company behind The Chronicles of Spellborn, has released a new video to show off their combat system.

The Chronicles of Spellborn just released a new combat overview video, featuring extra explanation of the PeP System (Personal Experience Point). PeP is different from Fame, which is used for leveling up. PeP is achieved through PvE combat and grants status buffs to characters, making them faster, better, stronger. This is, of course, if you don't die in the process. Once a character dies, the PeP rank is reset and all bonuses are lost.

View the video after the jump.