Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Runes Of Magic

February 16th 2010

Ahhh Runes Of Magic! Where to begin...well this game has been hailed as the free version of World of Warcraft and incorporates many things that WoW seems to have, including: Instanced dungeons, similar character classes and has PVP and PVE realms/channels.

Runes of Magic and WoW also have great differences, 1 major difference is the fact that Runes of Magic or RoM for short, is free and doesn't require the user to pay any sort of monthly fee. It features a completely different interface and incorporates many different things WoW would greatly benefit from such as the Auto Routing feature and the Duel Class system.

RoM's main feature is the Duel Class system, which allows players to select a second class while still being able to have their first original class. The player at their own house can swap between the classes at any given time. It further allows the player to unlock special duel class skills that can be used. So as many would say this takes away from having everyone play different classes and destroys the main aspect of partying because everyone would just make a fighter and duel class as a priest. This game features a lot of quests and other party related matter to keep even the most outgoing a person content for at least a few days.

Another thing that RoM has that WoW will probably never have is the feature to create your very own house and even furnish it with items; some people even throw house parties!

The last main difference between the two is the mounts. Within WoW all mounts are confined to their own race and faction (The Alliance or The Horde). With RoM however, you can purchase from the main city a horse for lease which mind you doesn't cost a heck of a lot really for a certain period of time and upon reaching that time will vanish. Pets in RoM do not serve any other feature then merely eye candy and do not take aggro from mobs.

It has many advantages but still lacks one fatal flaw, The GRIND! and as with most free MMO's they are heavily dependent on user input and the amount of time you spend to grind to level your character.

With careful planning and more updates RoM could possibly become a potential challenger to WoW and could even become the king of free MMO's. All in all RoM is great for anyone who loves a good adventure and loves to spend hours customizing their character =P

Happy Adventuring!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Jade Dynasty

24th January 2010

When someone asks me "what makes an online game great?" I stand there and ponder, is it really the gameplay? Or maybe its the community? Or maybe its even the quests? For me, Online gaming is what you make it. The producers and developers make the virtual world and you as the player then enter the world and do as you please with this virtual playground they have given you. Recently I've started playing Jade Dynasty, a martial arts online game developed by Perfect World International.
This game for me is quite interesting, it has many other features many games seem to lack. It has loads of great daily quests (that usually yield in large amounts of experience) and a strong community base. Jade Dynasty shines in one particular aspect, its in built botting feature; this aspect makes grinding so much easier. Within the game you get an esper, (an artifact that has a skill) it comes complete with a potion holder and a amount to set your HP at for when you want to use a potion. It's as if...the developers have realised, some people don't have time for online gaming anymore so they've incorporated something to attract people with a busy lifestyle. As some may say, the Espering/Botting function takes away from the community...you are wrong, Jade Dynasty features one of the strongest communities I have seen to date. I recommend anyone looking for a good game to play without really having to play much, give Jade Dynasty a go