Vogster Entertainment, the New Jersey based game developer and publisher, launched CrimeCraft in August 2009 and in the 19 months since then, they haven’t been afraid to make major changes to their flagship product.

Originally launched as a subscription-based game, Vogster quickly made the smart transition to free to play. As a subscription game, CrimeCraft was a middle of the road offering. But as a F2P, CrimeCraft is definitely close to the top of the heap.

CrimeCraft offers several different types of game play that are satisfying to many different types of gamers. It’s got fast-paced run-and-gun shooter action, a deep economy, crafting, a competitive tournament system and gangs. Character creation is a little disappointing as there aren’t many options to choose from. The male characters look like Eastern European gangsters and the women look like hookers. But hey, some people like that look.

Most of these systems are introduced to users through a thorough, involved prologue campaign that takes players from level 1 to about level 9. It’s a PvE intensive run through the Moat, a proving ground of sorts for wannabe gangsters trying to make their way into Sunrise City. There is a chance to do some PvP in the Moat with other low level players, but it’s mostly PvE.

Even the PvE is heavy on the run-and-gun action, and this is where CrimeCraft really shines. Built on Unreal 3, CrimeCraft offers a variety of weapons in four categories: light, medium, heavy and splash. These break down into pistols/SMGs, assault rifles/shotguns, light machine guns/sniper rifles and grenade launchers/rocket launchers respectively. Clothing provides resistance bonuses against the four categories and on top of that there are “boosts,” various drugs that improve combat performance. The weapon/clothing/boost triumvirate take the place of the traditional MMO healer/tank/DPS triad. There are no classes in CrimeCraft, allowing each user to experiment with a variety of gear and abilities to fit their personal playing style.

PvP game modes include Shootout (think team deathmatch), Riot (every man for himself), Robbery (two teams fight to steal money from each other’s banks to deposit in their own), Snatch-N-Grab (traditional capture the flag), Turf War (team battles over five map points) and Capture the Zone (similar to King of the Hill style matches). PvE game modes include Stockpile (kill baddies and grab loot boxes), Safeguard (protect a strongpoint from waves of enemies) and Headhunter (kill the boss). These are played over 19 well-designed maps.

I’ll take a minute here to talk about an additional aspect of the PvE. CrimeCraft has a lengthy, 10-part campaign that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a F2P game or even most subscription based games. Called the BleedOut, the campaign is a massive series of linked PvE encounters that challenge users with a variety of game types. Set up like a TV series, each episode has professional voiceovers and motion comic style cut scenes. There’s some really high-profile artists work in there including Tim Bradstreet, Nathan Fox, Ben Templesmith and more.

Unlike most online shooters, CrimeCraft has levels that gate abilities and gear. High level characters don’t get any more hit points than low levels, but they do have access to high-resistance gear and weapons attachments that increase damage and accuracy. There are some powerful combinations, but in most matches you will see a variety of weapons, clothes, boosts and abilities in use. There’s no super build that dominates in all match types.

Crafting and the economy are tied together tightly as the best gear in the game is crafted by users. Characters can choose from four professions, Engineering, Tailoring, Chemist and Gunsmith. Engineers craft attachments for weapons and special AUGs, some that give boosts in lobbies and some in combat. Tailors create the clothes characters wear for resistances. Chemists craft the boosts and medkits. Gunsmiths craft weapons and WMKs that change the appearance of weapons.

As a F2P game, users can also buy most of those items from the Black Market for Gold Bars, CrimeCraft’s real money currency. There are a few options to get Gold Bars; of course you can buy them through several payment options (credit card, WebMoney, PayPal and more), but you can also do surveys or special offers (like a Netflix trial) to add GBs to your account. Items sold in the Black Market range from purely cosmetic clothes and makeup to more useful gear. But other than the cosmetic items, there doesn’t seem to be much on sale for real money that you can’t get in the game through loot or crafting.

CrimeCraft offers daily tournaments to users where teams of four battle it out for in-game prizes. Currently the tournaments are played as Robbery matches on a variety of maps, but Devs have changed the game mode before and in a recent call with FreeMMOGamer.com said they would be changing it again soon.

Many of the teams that compete regularly in the tournaments are formed by gang members. Gangs are CrimeCraft’s version of guilds and they are very active. Recruitment is a regular theme in the game’s active in-game chat and most gangs can even set up private challenge matches for bragging rights and in-game cash.

For MMO players looking for a challenging PvP experience and online shooter fans looking for something deeper than a list of matches, CrimeCraft delivers a ton of game play in a fun, exciting package.

The Good: Run and Gun Game Play, Challenging PvP and Innovative PvE, Strong Maps and Fun Game Modes

The Bad: Some Balance Issues, Competitive Game Play not to Everyone’s Taste

Graphics: 9
Sound: 7
Game Play: 8
Story: 9
Final Score: 8.5/10

A side-scrolling MMO game or side-scroller is a Massively Multiplayer Online game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. If you’re looking for the top 2D and 3D side scrolling MMORPGs and MMO Games to play, you’ve arrived at the right place.

Though MMO Games switching from subscription-based (Pay to Play) to free to play is no longer entirely out of the ordinary, particularly since the successful relaunch of Dungeons and Dragons Online, EverQuest II, and the anticipated relaunch of Lord of the Rings Online MMORPG as free to play.

Darkwind, the multiplayer on-line turn based strategy war game has continued to push the boundaries of possibilities in on-line gaming with the integration of computer generated players who have improved their skills through cross breeding, natural selection, and learning from human behaviour. The game is one of an extreme minority to implement Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to breed new superior computer generated players who additionally can learn from the strategies of their human adversaries. Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques can make the behaviour of the computer agent more interesting, varied and believable as it has learned behaviours rather than rules being pre-programmed to determine behaviour.

Genetic algorithms use techniques inspired by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and survival of the fittest via natural selection: a population of individuals undergo selection in a system where variation inducing operators such as crossover of genes and ongoing mutations are present. The evolution starts from a population of individuals and happens in generations. In each generation the fitness of every individual in the population is evaluated and based on this multiple individuals are randomly selected and modified (recombined and possibly mutated) to form a new population. The new population is then used in the next iteration of the algorithm. A fitness function is used to evaluate individuals, and reproductive success varies with fitness. The results are the average fitness being increased with each generation.

GA evolved computer agents/drivers are being introduced in Darkwind for specific track/car combinations in the racing environment. Effective racing lines for these combinations are being evolved through the use of waypoints. Computer drivers use these waypoints during the game to influence their behaviour as they navigate static and moving obstacles on the racetrack. This provides an evolved understanding of the overall shape of the track.

The GAs have yielded an improvement of up to 30% in computer driver behaviour, but more importantly the use of GAs can make the behaviour of the driver more human like.

Darkwind players are varied, and while some prefer Player-V-Player conflicts, others prefer to team up against computer adversaries. The introduction of GA evolved computer agents benefits all players and increases the challenge for the most effective players.

AI is also being deployed in the wilderness area of the game for efficient path finding, obstacle avoidance and terrain navigation. The routes taken by human players over thousands of journeys per week as they navigate the wilderness are used as a form of route planning consensus by the computer agents in a similar manner to that of how ants use pheromones to mark their trail and guide following ants. If the trail is successful and more cars use it, the guidance becomes more intense and denser, whereas other trails fade out. This is much more effective than doing a cost-surface analysis where the computer agent makes a computational evaluation of the landscape around them as they traverse it, and therefore once again leads to more human like decisions and challenging opponents.

Artificial Intelligence in gaming: Q&A with Dr. Sam Redfern lead developer of Darkwind–War on Wheels:

Question: What is “Artificial Intelligence” and do all games use it?

Answer: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the engineering of seemingly intelligent machines or computer programs. An “intelligent agent” is a computer-controlled entity that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of succeeding in that environment. In its broadest sense, AI refers to anything that a computer does which, if done by a human, would require intelligence. So yes, any game that has computer-controlled opponents does have AI at some level.

Question: What is a “genetic algorithm” and how does this relate to AI?

Answer: Genetic algorithms are a form of evolutionary computation, which is a branch of artificial intelligence in which evolutionary approaches are used. They use techniques inspired by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and survival of the fittest via natural selection: a population of individuals undergo selection in a system where variation inducing operators such as crossover of genes and ongoing mutations are present. The evolution starts from a population of individuals and happens in generations. In each generation the fitness of every individual in the population is evaluated and based on this multiple individuals are randomly selected from the population and modified (recombined and possibly randomly mutated) to form a new population. The new population is then used in the next generation of individuals. A “fitness function” is used to evaluate individuals, and reproductive success varies with fitness. The results are the average fitness being increased with each generation. On the racing circuits in Darkwind, Genetic Algorithm- evolved computer agents/drivers are being introduced for specific track/car combinations. Effective racing lines for these combinations are being evolved through the use of waypoints. Computer drivers use these waypoints during the game to influence their behaviour as they navigate static and moving obstacles on the racetrack. This provides an evolved understanding of the overall shape of the track, which in turn yields behaviour which is both more human-like and effective.

Question: In addition to the Genetic Algorithms being deployed in racing circuits, you are introducing a different form of AI in the wilderness areas to improve path finding, obstacle avoidance and terrain navigation. Can you explain this?

Answer: The traditional approach to making a computer agent make a routing or “pathfinding” decision is based on computational evaluation of the landscape, for example the distance to get there by various potential routes. It doesn’t necessarily account for terrain, so for example, a computer agent may decide to drive up a very steep embankment, or around the edge of a cliff which a human player would be less likely to do due to the potential for car damage/death. Many of the subtleties of landscape navigation are computationally very hard to evaluate when you take into consideration factors such as momentum, wheel grip, and terrain types. These type of factors are not relevant in most computer games that require pathfinding, yet in Darkwind they are absolutely critical. Effective combat navigation is as much about mobility as it is about targeting weapons. Rather than making decisions based solely on a computational evaluation of the landscape, what we do is allow the computer agents to make use of the historic data recorded from humans playing the game. The agent doesn’t need to know why a large majority of humans took a certain route across a terrain: it just needs to know that they did so successfully. The computer agent is benefiting from the collective human processing of multiple data forms and is utilising the end results of this human behaviour. The routes taken by human players over thousands of journeys per week as they navigate the wilderness are used as a form of route planning consensus by the computer agents in a similar manner to that of how ants use pheromones to mark their trail and guide following ants. If the trail is successful and more cars use it, the guidance becomes more intense and denser, whereas other trails fade out.

Question: What makes Darkwind unique?

Answer: Darkwind really is a unique game overall, there are no other games very similar to it. This is because of a combination of rare and unique factors: It is the only turn-based car game that uses realistic physics. Having time to plan your moves actually makes for a more intense and controlled racing/combat experience (and allows for a much more detailed wargame-like combat system); It has ‘perma-death’ as well as long-term and permanent character injuries and ageing. This is very unusual in the MMO model and it is a strong part of the game’s flavour since it leads to a gritty, dangerous world where death has real consequences. It also leads to a game where the stakes are very high. Persistent-world turn-based strategy games are rare, especially in an MMO model; Many aspects of the game (travel, vehicle repair, healing, the economic simulations, character training) run to a real-world time scale. This makes strategic decisions about travel and trading important. You don’t just magically appear at a town you’re travelling to, you actually have to wait 18 hours in transit. Cutting edge computational AI techniques are being deployed which aim to improve the overall game experience for players rather than taking the standard basic approach to computer controlled agents.

These elements all facilitate Darkwind holding the niche position it has as many users look for challenging alternatives to traditional MMOs.

The MMO world is fairly similar to its predecessor offline RPGs, it’s all about character growth. Some gamers, regardless of what MMO it is, would want to level up their characters so fast to explore more of the game or feel a sense of achievement. Generally, it’s safe to say that all free MMORPG games have this certain speed in terms of leveling. However, some games have leveling systems that grow characters faster than the others. Below is a shortlist of those MMORPGs with such a fast leveling style.

With Your Destiny has an in-game automated combat system for the lazy gamers. Dubbed “CC (Combat Controller) Mode System,” players can choose from 3 settings: melee, spell and non-combat controls. Turning the CC Mode on enables the character to automatically attack monsters within range or buff and heal. However, players cannot toggle two options at the same time. But still, you can take a really long bath and return to find your character stronger than before.

You’d expect such a game to fall into obscurity. Instead, GodsWar Online attempts to rise to fame by adding the so-called “AFK System.” As the name implies, players can go AFK while their characters can auto-attack, auto-cast skills, auto-heal and auto-resurrect. It’s the game’s automated interface that makes it a breeze to level up your character. It still doesn’t hide the fact that GodsWar Online is a waste of time though.

Despite the appalling looks of the game, MWO alleviates this by adding a legal bot feature. Suffice to say, MWO is a bot heaven, and the persistent world is almost always filled with nothing but AI monsters and characters. It’s an easy way to level and hunt, and it’s worth mentioning in this top ten.

Jade Dynasty, one of Perfect World Entertainment’s lovechildren, has an interface that promotes laziness. Click on the map, and your character starts running to that point. Click on the quest details, and your character proceeds to the location of the NPC or the monster spawn points! Add that lazy interface with the numerous quests, and you’ve got a game that builds up characters in no time.

This MMORPG redefines the word “leeching.” ECO has a so-called “Possession” system that allows characters to literally possess another character’s weapon or armor item. The benefits of being possessed or possessing an item is that you gain experience higher than killing monsters on your own!

Ragnarok Online was one of the early proponents of tanking and leeching. Nowadays, it’s so easy to grind and tank novice players and reach level 99 in less than a week. Give or take another week to cap the level for the rebirth job, and reach the third job (implemented in Korean servers only). In addition, Ragnarok Online added more quests that give a ton of exp upon accomplishment. However, speedy leveling requires using overupgraded equips, and a support character at the very least.

The following top four are rated according to relative speed of leveling with the LEAST help from automated systems, grinding or leeching.

One of the most sought after MMORPGs, Runes of Magic makes its mark as the third placer in this top ten. We’d all love to say how extremely similar this game is to World of Warcraft. Despite such criticism, we can be thankful for the fact that Runes of Magic has also followed Warcraft’s footsteps in terms of quest numbers. There are almost a thousand quests to undertake, so there’s never a grinding moment in the game. Your character would easily cap the level in less than a month just by solo training.

Granado Espada gets another spot because of its relative speed of leveling without any automated help. Huge number of quests, the generous exp rewards from monsters, the multi-character system, and easy accessibility of strong skills for mobbing make the game a breeze to run through. If you’re dedicated enough, your characters can reach level 90 in less than two weeks.

Another award goes to Grand Chase for the sheer speed in powerleveling. The dungeons definitely reap huge exp and item rewards. Common item rewards also provide exp modifiers, and certain weekly events give out exp bonuses too. There’s no shortage of quests in the game, thus keeping players busy going through every dungeon and difficulty to reach the next level. Players can relatively reach almost level 50 in just one to two days. That’s only a few levels shy of the level cap!

The top spot goes to Dragonica! There have been documented events of players reaching the level cap in a very short time. Perhaps one famous instance was an archer/ranger class reaching level 60 in only two to three days (during the 4-day Valentine’s sneak preview event). Now on its open beta stages, more and more players are reaching the level cap in less than 5 days.

Article by kenny, Freemmogamer.com - Posted 9/3/09

The MMO industry has grown exponentially in the past years and we have witness tens of games coming out every year. A great number of these games are free MMORPG games. Some require you to buy the game then you are able to play for free. Others are free to download and play but, for those really interested in the game there are cash shop where you can use real money to buy exclusive items and bonuses. It is said that these free to play games are outmatched by any pay to play MMOs, but more and more companies are turning to the free model (Dungeons And Dragons Online, BattleForge, The Chronicles of Spellborn) since games like MapleStory, Perfect World and Runes of Magic are drawing a massive fan base. It is true that you expect a game for which you pay to have great stability, little lag and great value but there are a great number of games that didn’t survive. It is more than just stability that we desire in a game, it is an experience, a fun community or some amazing characters and equipment.

First and foremost when you ask someone did you like that game the first response you get is regarding graphics, because we have to face it, if a game looks good it will draw our attention. This does not mean we are shallow, we see pictures of cool looking graphics and think that if they put this much work into the graphics the game must also have had a lot of work put into the gameplay. Sadly most of the time creators put so much time into making a game look good that they forget the rest of it. Priston Tale 2 boasted great graphics for a F2P game (the Unreal engine) but upon entering the world you were faced with horrible lag, a tutorial that didn’t clarify any questions and by system requirements higher than Unreal 3. When looking for a game it is ok to look for graphics, they make the world come to life and provide a beautiful experience. With this in mind we must always remember that graphics mean system hog, aim for a game that matches your computer or you’ll be left playing a gorgeous game with the graphics turned down so low that it will look worse than your other games.

Moreover when you try the game out for the first time don’t get discouraged quickly. Usually most of the great features of the game are available to higher level players, such as mounts, and special items. Explore the world and interact with the players, see what sort of community this game holds since if you decide to play you will spend most of the time in their company. As you progress through the game you’ll eventually end up in a guild in order to survive and unless you enjoy the people you play with, the game up till there will account to nothing. Furthermore just as in real life you will have to deal with the community around you, their talking or even spamming, threats and PKs, it is important to make sure that you make sure this is a community you would like to be a part of in order to enjoy the game properly.

Furthermore always look at a game from a sum of its parts view. No game is perfect considering producers try to aim the game at a wide range of players and so it is common to find even in a really great game some parts that you might not like. Enjoying the game as a whole is important, sure you might find that there is too much grinding, or that a you might get disconnected from time to time, but as long as there are only minor inconvenience and you love the game why should you ruin this experience. Of course you can still look for another game, and that is what we all eventually do but in the mean time try to savor the game you are playing while it entertains you, who knows, in the end you might find that this was the best choice.

Looking for and choosing a game that you will dedicate some of your precious time to is a difficult task. There is plenty of content in most games that yearns to be discovered and the only sure way to uncover it is by playing. But is it really worth it to grind your teeth or fall asleep on your keyboard just because your friend tells you it’s going to get more fun as you get into it? In the end it comes down to each person to decide what they look for in a game. Maybe they enjoy a pretty game, maybe they use it as a social tool to make friends and have a good time online, even if it means killing a horde of creatures and a huge boss or maybe they just want to fill some time up until the next game comes out promising to be the pinnacle of MMO gaming. Either way, one thing is for sure, stop, look and try the game out, you don’t know what it may hold.

Article by Cosmin Uciu, Freemmogamer.com - Posted 8/29/09

Atlantica Online has wowed critics and players alike even from the beta phases with a new twist to MMOs. If you want to know why it’s such a great game play it, but just in case you’re not convinced here’s 10 good reasons why you should try Atlantica Online.

1. It’s free. Being free is a great incentive to play a game, even if you’re just taking a look at it, you download and play the game no strings attached. Atlantica is free to download and play and boasts a cash shop which lets players who want to spend money purchase various items and boosts to create a better experience.

2. It’s something new. Yes, finally something new, a turn based action MMORPG. Everyone should take a look at it for this sole reason, it’s something new to the MMO world and who knows if you’ll like it or not, you’ve never tried it. While players can move in real time over the map, when you encounter mobs or players you can attack them or they can attack you which sends you into the battle screen. Here each player takes their turn at slaughtering the opponent’s mini-heroes.

3. You can be a fighter-archer-wizard all in one. The game lets you create your character but as you go along you recruit various archetypes to help you along the way. They act out pretty much the same as your hero with the sole difference that your hero is a little bit stronger that the average mercenary. You get full control, you can change their names, control what skills they will learn, it feels like you’ve got more than one hero.

4. The most extensive gathering of classes. The mercenaries you can recruit are in great numbers, pirates, monks, fighters, vikings, archers, gunners and many, many more. It’s amazing how much the game can differ depending on the mercenaries you choose to play alongside you. They level up, you can equip them, you can release them and have them roam around the map and send you resources, indeed they are yours to command.

5. It’s never been so simple. Crafting that is. You can upgrade and craft equipment all by yourself, after learning the skill of course but it is simple. You level up your skills by crafting until you get promoted and if time and effort are put into these skills you can pretty much can craft all the equipment your party needs, and believe me they’ll need a lot of it. Upgrading again is straightforward, you get loads of enchant stones from drops and you use the same weapon your are upgrading as a sacrifice, straightforward and easy especially up to lvl 40. Getting a +5 glowy, shiny sword has never been easier and more fun since you’re the one doing it all.

6. It’s never been so simple II. Moving. Bored of left clicking or holding down w? Be bored no more for now at the mere click of the button you can travel anywhere, coordinates, towns, npcs, everywhere. Are you looking for a npc to increase your crafting skill, say no more, open the information screen look him/her up and you’ll just have to sit back and relax while you characters automatically goes there. It may not be fast but when you’ve no money to teleport it beats having to go there by yourself.

7. It’s never been so simple III. Questing that is. You can go anywhere. At a click of the button takes us further. Got a quest that needs finishing, look in the log book, click on the coordinates or npc and the computer will take you there. Don’t want to look around for those mobs, no need to worry, click on the coordinates and you’re there. The game takes out all the stress of walking around aimlessly looking for mobs, quest and reward givers.

8. There are loads to do. You’ll never stop questing, believe me, there are a lot of quests, a whole lot of quests, you’ll get the impression that there is no end to them but that is a good thing. They are connected, they give you great items and rewards, they progress you through the story and through the game mechanics so well that you never realized you learned it all. Then there’s challenges (PvP), ranked matches to win, items to be had and upgraded, new mercenaries to recruit, guilds to join and fight, contests, prizez….the list goes on.

9. It looks and plays great. The graphics are beautiful with an emphasis on characters and action. Even a basic sword attack transforms into a slew of flashy effects, and it looks right. Using a freeze attack actually freezes targets, character textures are finely crafted, the equipment looks great, it all comes together to provide a great looking experience. No one can complain to how the game looks that is certain.

10. Bored, ha, Atlantica does now know the meaning of the word. Easy to get into, difficult to get out of, huge map, loads of terrain to cover, auto move is here. Boring grinding in order to get levels….I don’t think so, quest are the way to go and if a fight is what you’re looking for think about this, even a new spell for your monk might make you change your formation and tactic, this turn-based system provide a lot of depth for those who are willing to explore it. Ranked fighting is available to all levels, plenty of content for all levels, plenty of content upgrades have been made, plenty more to come. Try it, and if you get bored the first 15 minutes are on me….did I mention it was free?

Don´t forget to check out "10 Reasons not to play Atlantica Online" also written by Cosmin Uciu!

Article by Cosmin Uciu, Freemmogamer.com - Posted 8/23/09

2. Quest while easy to complete take too long. At first quests are simple moving you back and forth between an area or two but when you get to quests that have you walking around different maps that’s when you’ll start to leave the keyboard and hope no one attacks you character while he automatically walks there.

3. Huge map. It is cool to have most of the world as your plaything but when you get to paying 30.000 gold just to teleport to a city it gets a little annoying. There’s always the alternative of auto-moving but guess what….big map….auto-move may take up to 20 min for some long walks.

4. You need a lot of money. A lot of money, a whole lot of money…seriously. If you want to craft, have the best equipment, potions or basically anything that is good you’re going to have to make a lot of money. Most of the items are sold by players who charge a lot, or you can craft them but that takes a long time as the better items require a varied array of materials.

5. Money balance. People who win the championship receive huge prizes and guess what, they’ll use the money to further upgrade their characters which in turn lets them win the next championship and so on, every now and then the champion changes but still some people rule the high levels.

6. Dependency on will. Teleporting, using books and some items uses up will. It is free and recharges automatically but when you want to recruit villagers for your town, read experience books and use healing items 100 will won’t be of much help.

7. Exploits. 2 monk builds, you probably don’t understand this but if you get to playing Atlantica Online you’ll learn to hate these people. The game allows you to take on whatever mercenaries you want but stacking monks in order to win just for the sake of winning is no fun, at least for all the people that just want to enjoy the game.

8. Graphics. Even with all the settings turned up to the max the game does not look too great. It’s better than most F2P MMOs out there but still it feels like the game could have used some improved graphics especially since the rest is pretty solid.

9. Level dependency. You have a wide range of mercenaries to recruit but there is a catch. The best mercenaries are available only after lvl 44 and I’m not saying all of them will be available right at 44, others will be available at 50, 77, 100 and so on. It is very infuriating since once you get a mercenary he starts with level 1. Your mercenaries gain experience by hitting and a level 1 mercenary won’t even hit a level 80 mob so you either buy experience books or go back to the lower levels.

10. Patches keep changing things not always in a good way. Hurray for patches, new content monsters, areas, mercenaries but what’s with all the minor changes to the classes and items. I understand that they want to balance the game out but at this rate it’s never going to be balanced because players can’t give feedback if every mercenary is changed in small amounts that players can’t notice.

Atlantica Online is indeed a great game, there are some small flaws here and there such as the ones pointed out above but in the end you get a great game, a lot of lore, innovative combat system, plenty of characters to choose from and a lot more at no expense to you since after all it is a free game. Go on, check the website out, have fun and see you in the world of Atlantica.

Don´t forget to check out "10 Reasons to play Atlantica Online" also written by Cosmin Uciu!

Article by Cosmin Uciu, Freemmogamer.com - Posted 8/23/09

Probably one of the most talked about sleeper MMORPG hits last year, Shin Megami Tensei: IMAGINE (SMT) is hailed as one unconventional game. Perhaps a complicated game for some, SMT is definitely a recommended game for players wanting something new and more “modern.” Gamers wanting to try this game should take note of a few things before diving into the adventure. Here’s a shortlist of things to remember that are essential for your survival.

1. Demons are integral
SMT’s demons are no ordinary run-of-the-mill pets. If you want to survive in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, you have to train a handful of demons in your arsenal. Going alone is virtual suicide. The wild demons wandering around are definitely stronger than humans, and you’ll need all the help you can get. And when I mean all, I mean every possible demon that you can cram into your available demon slots. You’ll need to exploit the weaknesses of your every target, and to do so, you’ll need the proper demon in hand.

2. Experiment with Demon Fusion
SMT isn’t your average Pokémon. At later levels and harder areas, you have to try catching and fusing different demons to get different results. Fusing stronger demons often pass their strong skills to the resulting fusion. Demon fusion also unlocks more entries in your demon compendium (much like a Pokédex). Be sure that your most frequently-used demon is within your alignment, or else summoning costs will be a pain. If you’re lucky enough, you might gain a fused demon that can do both offense and support.

3. Magnetites, Magnetites, Magnetites
As much fun as demon summoning is, you’re actually burning up a certain summoning cost called “Magnetites.” These items are uncommon loots from monsters and/or quest rewards. You can also find them being sold by other players in the local market. Stock up as many Magnetites as you can. You’ll need them if you have to continually swap demons in the field or in dungeons. It is also wise not to sell them off to other players. There are other ways of gaining money (Macca), to be frank.

4. Plasma Farming for money
Running short of Macca? Then try spending some time farming loots from the plasma orbs floating around the field. A lot of items sell for a hefty sum at the local NPC shop. Here’s what you can do: go farm all the loot you can grab from the plasma; see which items sell the priciest at the NPC shop; then on your next farm, stack only these pricey items. Make sure you have a lot of inventory space for those stacks to gain the maximum Macca your inventory can offer. Make this a habit and you’ll be rich in no time.

5. Decisions affect alignments
SMT has an alignment system that ultimately affects how you attract, battle, capture, summon and train demons. It also affects how your character interacts with other NPCs from different towns and cities. For important quests, you’ll often be given a couple of choices. Every choice you make tilts your alignment slightly to either chaos or law. There’s a third choice too for those wanting a neutral alignment. As an incentive for choosing a side, you can gain access to rare demons exclusive to the alignment you chose. NPC shops also give discounts or charge more for your shopping needs depending on the alignment you chose and the location of the shop.

6. Form over function
Since the setting is Tokyo, we shouldn’t be surprised at the fact that it’s a haven for fashion. SMT reflects Tokyo’s fashion through its variety in apparel. A word to the wise though, not all apparel have decent stats. Most of the suits and dresses you may loot or buy in the game may have bonuses and attributes at the lowest end of the spectrum. Make sure you’re fully equipped with decent armors and weapons before going Rambo against huge mobs.

7. Be versatile in combat
The good thing about the lack of a job system is the freedom to use any weapon available in the game. This is important when you’re considering the weaknesses of the target monsters. Monsters may be weak against a certain type of bullet or gun, type of blade, blunt weapon or magic. If you attack with the wrong weapon, you’ll need triple the effort in killing the monster or worse, it’s invulnerable to your constant battering. Employing this strategy doesn’t mean you have to master every single weapon in your skills list. You can opt to allocate the experience points in just one skill or weapon, like a sword or rifle, and turn off allocations for the other specialties, but still have access to a huge arsenal in your inventory.

8. A good defense is the best offense
Combat is certainly different in SMT. You need to charge up before attacking or firing. An effective way of battling monsters is to use and abuse the counter skill. This nulls any damage dealt to you and returns the damage back to the monster. But don’t get cocky though, since counter has a charge-up and cooldown time. The best way to survive the incoming barrage is to hit and run. Make sure you’re within ample distance away from the monster before casting Counter, and run away until the cooldown disappears. If you’re a gun user, fire some rounds at the target to slightly knock it back. If counter is a bad idea, try using block, or use your demon as a decoy before you land some hits. Don’t worry about your demon. Your survival is more important here, since you lose a decent chunk of exp when you die.

9. Assemble parties during important story quests
Almost every single chapter-ending quest in SMT requires a dungeon run. The completion of a chapter or a dungeon run often reaps a 6-digit exp reward at the bare minimum. As a bonus, the number of people in the party having that same quest becomes a multiplier for the exp reward. Example, if four people have the quest, that’s exp reward times four! If you have friends or guildmates, it’s better to be at the same quest or chapter in order to get this amazing incentive. Else, you can still join parties to help in previous quests. You still get the bonus exp they’re getting.

10. Grind, grind, grind…
As much as I don’t want to disappoint you readers, SMT is a grind game through and through. The quests come a dime a dozen, and are often difficult to accomplish without achieving a certain level. You’ll spend around 70% of your time grinding and leveling before you can be capable of accomplishing the story and side quests. More so, you might venture out to faraway maps with monsters 5-10 levels higher than you just to get decent exp. One major frustration in SMT’s grind is the difficulty of killing multiple monsters in one go. You’d often have to attack them one by one. Therefore, leveling is a painstaking task in SMT.

For those wanting to try SMT, I hope these ten pointers help you in your journey through post-apocalyptic Tokyo. Remember that, in any game, your survival is the most important priority. And SMT certainly does not falter in reminding us players of that notion. Happy playing!

Article by kenny, Freemmogamer.com - Posted 8/20/09

With the MMO industry booming more games are coming out each month both, free and subscription, demanding your attention and dollars. It can be a little overwhelming when trying to choose the right game for you. With each game bringing something different to the table, it can be hard to find the right one for you. The following will be a series of questions that you should keep in mind when looking to start a new game. Some can be answered quite easily just from looking around on the site, while others will be much tougher to answer or even not be answerable till after you start playing, but should be kept in mind during your first few hours of gameplay.

These first few questions are about the game's official site and what you can learn from just a little browsing.

When choosing a game, you should be able to quick find some vital information when looking at the official site. What general genre does the game fall under? When was the last update? Are the servers up or down? Where can I obtain more information about the game? Failing these marks a poorly designed site. While a poorly designated site doesn't mean a poorly designated game, it can be an indicator of one.
A game guide is very important for a site to have. When you start a game, you are a fresh faced newbie. Game play shouldn't be a complete mystery to you however. The game's official site should offer you clues or tips to play. Those who leaves it up to chance that you will stumble upon some fan site that will show you maybe not the best choice in developers to trust with your entertainment.
When looking at the site you will want to see at least a quick start guide that walks you though any special steps taken in the installation process. As well as, a overview of the game's interface and base game play. Finding additional information such as server status, easy to find forums, customer support, and news are all major pluses for a site.

Frequent updates to the official site shows that the game's developers are actively working on the game. You naturally wouldn't want to waste your time on a game that has became stagnant. While frequent updates are a positive sign, they are not the only sign you should look for.
Frequent fluff posts are almost as bad as no news what so ever. What you want to see is talks of development of game features or new content. For older games redoing some graphics and animations are also acceptable, but does not take the place of more content. Without consent refreshment content becomes stale rather quickly, becoming boring.

Item malls are very popular when it comes to free to play games. With some of the more obsessive players paying far more than the normal fifteen dollars a month, that most popular subscription based games costs, it more than pays for the free players.
Item malls can hold various items. From vanity items that bears no real impact on game play, to a sword that rivals the best weapons in game, or even experience boosters which falls somewhere in the middle. Knowing what the item mall has to offer should be a factor in your decision to play a game or not. If you're not planning on sinking money into a game, do you really want to be overshadowed by players who has sunk an entire paycheck into the game?
Also, look at the items that are bought with the paid for currency. Most of the time, when buying these items they are not yours forever. Instead, it is more of a rental where you gain them for a short period of time. How this time is determined should be kept in mind.
For games that are divided into rounds, item life is usually a set number of rounds before it expires. This is more beneficial to the gamer that doesn't plan to play the game everyday.
Others are a period of time, be it days, weeks, or months. These are a bit more iffy, rewarding the player to play more during that timespan. If you're not planning on playing everyday this maybe something to keep in mind.
The final type is per use of the item. I personally prefer this, but it is normally limited to only a few items, if available at all as an option. This lets you save that tool for the perfect time, even if you do not see that situation for months, or several hundred rounds.

While not always displayed on a game's site, it is important to keep in mind. A bustling community is a must for any MMO. Some games will even boast about their numbers, with typically milestones being in the millions. While knowing the community if thriving there are a few ways companies fluff up the numbers to make a game appear more lively.
Look for the words registered users, or players. These can be used to deceive you into thinking a larger player base is active than there really is. All registered users means is someone created the account, it doesn't even mean they ever downloaded the game, same can be said for players. Active players is a safer bet, but can be fudged as well.
While a huge community can be nice on the surface, if you typically play during peak times it could mean that you will have time finding somewhere to go, or having to deal with large amounts of lag. This can be remedied by playing on another server, if they offer it, or trying a less populated area in the game world but should be considered if these numbers are available to you.

The next two questions regards free to play versions of the game, in comparison with the payed version.

When looking at a game's official site they may talk about how many quests are available, their numerous maps, or how many classes you can choose from. What they normally do not bring up is how much is restricted to the paying customer.
Glancing through the updates on the official page is one way to tell rather quickly if they are still actively developing the free to play game. When was the last non-bugfix post made for the free to play game? Do they only talk about the member's section of the game? If so that is a bad sign for the longevity if you do not wish to be forced to pay.
The item mall is another place to look. Are there any quest or adventure packages? If so another bad sign. The selling of content such as that denotes that they expect you to buy in at some point to continue on your way. While it maybe only a couple of items now, it does show the mindset of the developers.
Finally glance at the page discussing the benefits to subscribing, if available. This usually gives an itemized list of features you would be paying to receive. If there is a limit on the free to play game you can find it here.
Another way some games get you is forcing you to buy into their currency to get a start, either for use in game or for their item mall. While not all games that has item malls makes it hard to play without buying in, it is far easier to buy something for five dollars than play twenty matches for the money. While it is possible to slowly start in these games without buying in, it can difficult to get a foot hold with a well developed community.

If you are looking for a game that you don't mind sinking a few bucks into, you may want to look at the payment plans.
Games with item malls typically have you buy chunks of their game currency to use in the mall. Normally they are as low as five or ten dollars but can have chunks of currency as high as fifty dollars.
Other games have the typical subscription model, paying a flat rate per month. This typically gives you access to higher level areas and disables ad support, if there is any in the game.
Avoid those who offer both an item mall with paid for currency and a subscription. These will normally expect you to double dip, having both the subscription and buying their currency for use in the mall. This leaves you paying far more for a game than you may otherwise wish to pay.
Player vs. Player combat is very popular these days. Some games are based solely around it, while others have it as a bit of spice to their game play. If you are playing a game to play PvP or not, finding out information on how a game deals with PvP is vital for your game choice.
With the increased focus on PvP combat, it has taken the spot light in some games. Some genres pretty much require competition between players. If you don't wish to compete with others avoid fighters, sports games, and shooters. This section focuses more on the MMORPG.

With pvp combat drawing so many, developers are scrambling to come up with new and creative ways to include this crowd. Not counting shooters, which are all one form or another of player vs player, RPGs handle it in a few different ways.
The most popular way player vs player combat is handed is by having some areas designated for it. In which you enter an area and become flagged, until you leave, as attackable by others. This has its benefits as well as drawbacks. The benefit is that you can completely avoid those areas to stay away from pvp combat, or stalk them to pick off a few easy kills. The draw back is that some games include the higher level content in pvp areas, forcing you into these places if you wish to continue with the game.
For other games, once you hit a certain level you become flagged as attackable. This can also be a special rule set on a server, so you really want to pay attention to server rules. These games force you into PvP combat at some point, leaving you little choice if you do not wish to take part.
The last type is a voluntary method, where you can flag yourself for PvP at will. This lets you pick and choose if you want to take part or not, without the restrictions of areas being off limits.
Looking in the game guide on the official site should give some insight into the pvp rules of the game.

PvP combat can be handled in three ways when it comes down to game progression. It can be treated as a side show with no real gain, it can be another path to progression, complimenting the PvE aspects of the game, or it can be the only path. This will be something that you may not be able to answer for sometime, but should be in the back of your mind when it comes to your play style. If you are looking for a competitive pvp game, with your game of choice treating it more of a side show than the main event. You may even up not being happy with how pvp is handed. Like wise, where you don't like pvp and have it be the only path for progression.
Looking at news updates can give a hint at how it is handled, as well as the type of game. If the game focuses more on warfare than exportation then you maybe able to eliminate the side show path for pvp. If a lot of news items revolve around balance issues, you can also rule out the side show path.
However, if you cannot find anything in the past handful of patches that brings up pvp, and you know for a fact that pvp is in the game, then it maybe just a little side show with no really merit in progression.

The final couple questions has to do with game play. These most likely will not be answerable until you are actually playing the game.

The reason you would want to keep this in mind is for several reasons. First of all, playing as a group means that you can only move as fast as the slowest member of that group. Thus others are dictating the game's pacing and what you are doing. While a solo effort allows you to pick and choose what you want to do. Second, there are times after a rough day you just want to throw in a game to relax. The last thing you would want is to deal with someone that cannot figure out what end of the gun the bullets comes out of.
Having a game that supports group content, yet allows you to go off on your own opens up game play allowing for many more opportunities. If you are stuck in a game where you must form a group, it will be rather boring waiting to be picked up.
When I say group, I don't immediately exude shooters in this case, even though most shooters are team based. How well you can function on your own without team support is very important. If getting separated doesn't mean certain death within minutes they can fall under the soloable, even with teams.
Looking at the site may help with this answer, but I think the only way to know for sure is the first few matches of a game.

With your busy life, it can be hard to fit in time for video games. With work, school, family, and ect. all demanding your time, a game's pacing and how quickly you can make some progress is a vital decision in should you play or pass.
For sports games, racers and shooters game play is normally broken up into rounds of some sort. After a couple rounds you will be able to quickly tell the time investment to play a few rounds. If each round is a minimum of forty-five minutes to an hour long, it maybe a bit harder to fit into your day than a game that goes thirty minutes max per round.
MMORPGs are the mystery once again, with having to be tackled nearly on a game by game basis. Granted, you can make progress simply by killing a monster every so often. Where this question comes more into play is concerning the late game content. This does go hand in hand with the previous progression question, but how much time must you put in to see any rewards? Looking for a light game that only offers multipliable hour raid content in the high end is a road to heartbreak. News can give some insight, but politely asking players at or near the cap maybe best for this answer.
Social games are an entirely different beast. With games such as Second Life allowing you to create your own businesses rather than kill things, I treat them as more of a chat room. If you can quickly find something interesting, or to chat with someone then they are great. However, if you are so bogged down that it takes forever to get anywhere then you may wish to skip the game.

In conclusion, these shouldn't be your only baseline when determining if a game is right for you. There are countless factors to consider when picking your perfect game. Some of the ones on this list maybe important to you, they may not. Only you can know all the questions that are important to you. This list serves as an example and baseline for your own discovery when you make the bold step into your next game. Just don't barrel in without thinking into a new game only to waste time. Take the time to stop and look, it will save you a lot of time and frustration down the road.

Article by James McKinley, Freemmogamer.com - Posted 8/5/09

If you’ve played an MMO, then chances are at one point you’ve thought about forming your own guild. Well today is the day to dust off those leadership skills because we’re going to tell you how.

DO think about whether you’re really up to all the work it takes to run a guild. You need to be someone who signs on more than twice a week. You have to be prepared to deal with the dreaded, but inevitable guild drama (“But that armor drop was mine and he ninja-ed it!”). You’ll be the first person that has to put up gold for anything the guild needs. You’re going to have to be the one to boot someone that refuses to be a team player. Haven’t scared you away? Let’s get on it with it then!

DON’T pick a “fad” name that you (and your guildmates) are going to regret in two months. Funny is okay as long as it is timeless. Generally in-game humor will last better than current out-of-game humor. Picture yourself explaining “Leave Britney Alone” for the hundredth time to a potential recruit. Stay away from political, religious, and lifestyle references. What you may find funny may very likely offend that healer your guild so desperately needs.

DO make a guild website. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just go with a free site where you can have a calendar for guild events (scheduled guild events/runs are very important!) and maybe post a screenshot of the first time the guild downed [insert big boss here]. The more your guild members feel part of a community, the less likely they are to leave.

DON’T send an invite to a random person without speaking to them first. It’s rude (yes MMO’s have etiquette!) and annoying and you’ll lose a lot of potential guild members with that method of recruiting. If you see someone running around town without a guild, go ahead and send them a tell. The best place to recruit is running a dungeon or a party quest. You can check out the abilities and personality of the recruit while they check out yours.

DO get your guild members involved. If you try to do all the recruiting/managing work yourself, you’re going to run yourself dry. Get the regular members to help scout out new guildies. Promote officers who are above all mature—people who can handle disputes when you’re not around, take turns being raid leaders, and generally work for the guild’s wellbeing.

Some Final thoughts: This guide caters to guilds that intend to do endgame raiding and group PvP and the like. Casual guilds are fun as well, but you should be prepared for a lot of players to “graduate” from your guild to do the content that requires a larger, more organized, more tech-savvy guild. If you’re very serious about the guild, you’re probably going to eventually need a voice chat program like Ventrilo or Teamspeak. The most important thing to remember to prevent guild failure is that having fun is just as important as getting gear. No get out there and start that guild!

Article by Marie Barnes, Freemmogamer.com - Posted 8/5/09