“Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!”

That’s the headline for the Arenanet article, announcing the upcoming beta. A-Net has already started closed beta testing, and looks to expand upon it in the upcoming months. In February, select members of the press will be invited to test the game. In March-April, A-Net will “aggressively ramp up the size” of their beta events. They go on to say the game will release this year.

Mike O’Brien, president of A-Net, said this of the work put into the project, “It’s been an incredible adventure over the past five years, working with our community and our team of dedicated artists, designers, and programmers to realize this vision. This year, the seeds of that work come to fruition. We can’t wait to play the game with you.”

As someone who’s been playing Guild Wars since the alpha test back in 2004, the release of Guild Wars 2 is definitely on the top of the most wanted in 2012 list.

Also, Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! 2012 is the year of the dragon, which I think we can all agree is the best.

So, is the MMORPG people have been branding as the “WoW-Killer“, “Next step in the MMO evolutionary ladder“, and “fanboy wet dream“, living up to the hype? Up to this point, the answer is mostly yes.

I should note that this is an “early review“. For those who have played a MMO, it takes a long time to give a complete review as there are a plethora of features, updates, and fixes which will come in the weeks and months ahead. I simply wanted to share my first impressions, and provide potential players a glimpse into the world they’ll be adventuring through.

Now, on to the review!

Your first task upon selecting a server to play on is creating your character; which is probably the most disappointing aspect of the game I’ve experienced. There’s very few options and sliders to adjust when trying to create your unique character compared to what a lot of other RPG’s, MMO’s or otherwise have provided. There’s really no detail adjustment as you have 4 or 5 body types to choose from, with no individual sliders for separate body parts. If you wanted a character with a huge shoulder line, but a small waist, you’ll be left in the cold unless BioWare enhances the character creation in the future.

When creating your character, you can decide whether to join the Republic or the Empire. Your choice will then open up your class selection, and each side has different races as well.

Republic (Races) – Human, Zabraks, Miraluka, Mirialan, Twi’lek, Cyborg

Republic (Classes) – Trooper, Smuggler, Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular

Empire (Races) – Human, Zabraks, Sith, Chiss, Rattaki, Twi’lek, Cyborg

Empire (Classes) – Imperial Agent, Bounty Hunter, Sith Inquisitor, Sith Warrior

Each class has two specializations you unlock later, so the system gets deeper than what’s initially presented during character creation. There’s quite a few less selections when comparing this game to other MMO’s, however, once you load up the game you begin to understand why.

While character creation is a letdown, the beginner’s area and first world within the game is quite possibly one of the best first impressions I’ve seen in a MMO. Generally, you’re just trying to get through prologue and tutorial areas when you play a game of this type; not so with SWTOR. The moment your game loads, you’re provided with a story and a reason to enjoy this initial area. I should probably go ahead and mention that even during the first portion of the game, each individual class has their own personal story to play through. So, you could theoretically play through the starter area with each class and have a unique experience each time. Doing so would already provide you up to 16-20 hours of gameplay time depending on how much you explore each storyline and world.

There’s no soulless NPC handing you a “Kill 10 rats, and bring me their hides” quest, to which you go complete the task and simply move on. Each quest has its own insular story, which you communicate with the NPC and your character reacts to him/her as you see fit. The dialogue in this game is astounding, as having everything voice-acted really gives the experience a level of presentation I’ve never seen in a game of this type, or even most single-player RPG’s.

One major problem with most MMO’s is that they have very little emotional depth, and characters you use generally have no personality. This problem is fixed in SWTOR, where even in the beginning of the game you start to shape your character and make decisions which will have an impact as you continue playing. If you want to use a Han Solo like character who’s simply in it for the credits, you can do so. Coincidentally, this is the type of character I’m using. His name’s Aranas; a level 24 Smuggler Scoundrel who’s just wanting to make money and will generally take the easy way out when fixing a problem.

(Bounty Hunter dialogue, *spoilers)

The game keeps track of your moral decisions with a light/dark side meter, which will fluctuate as you decide to do the right or wrong thing. I haven’t really unlocked the full use of this meter, though later in the game you unlock exclusive equipment depending on your alignment.

Once you leave the first world, the game begins to really open up and it can be a bit intimidating at first. One of the first options presented to you is an instanced “Flashpoint“. These are self-contained areas which require you to group up with others to utilize teamwork. One of the concerns many people had, myself included is whether or not BioWare would be able to provide the ‘multi-player’ aspect which is required for MMO’s. My journey through level 24 has already had me pair up with many groups as you’ll come across standard quests which require 4-man groups to complete. There are already three flashpoints to play through as well, so there’s plenty of group content to enjoy.

While BioWare has provided a level of presentation that pushes the MMO-envelope, they really took the safe route when designing the gameplay. If you’ve played MMO’s before, you’ll be right at home with SWTOR. You have an insane amount of skills at your disposal, and I was surprised by the amount in the early levels. I don’t want to know how many skills I’ll have once I reach 50. If I had to describe the gameplay, it’s a mix between World of Warcraft and DC: Universe Online. The timing, animations, and strategies have a very WoW-like feel to them. Unlike WoW, however, combat feels much more engaging as there’s no auto-attack so battles require a bit more investment, which feels a lot like DCUO.

If I had to grade the gameplay, I’d give it a solid ‘B‘. While the system is solid, and the animations really have a great Star Wars feel to them, it just seems like BioWare didn’t really go above and beyond like they did in so many other areas of the game.

While on-the-ground combat isn’t amazing, I was pleasantly surprised with space combat. If you’ve ever played any of the Star Fox games, then you’ll instantly fall in love with space combat. It’s on-rails, the controls are tight, and the aiming is precise. The battles have an epic feel to them much like what you’ve seen in the movies. BioWare has said they plan to really expand on space combat, and has made general references to the X-Wing/Tie-Fighter space sims. If they open up the space combat, and add in more features, then they’ll really have something.

Another key area for MMO games is PvP, which I haven’t fully unlocked yet. Open-world PvP doesn’t occur until much later into the game, so if you’re someone who was looking forward to it early on, then you’ll be disappointed. However, there are PvP Warzones which are instanced scenarios pitting Republic and Empire players against each other. There’s Alderaan, Huttball, and Voidstar. All of which unlock at level 10.

All of which are PvP systems you’ve more than likely played through before. Alderaan is all about capturing nodes and protecting them from advancements, Voidstar is a offense/defense scenario based area, and Huttball is a capture-the-flag like map. Huttball has been my favorite map so far, as BioWare added elements which give a fresh lift to the traditional CTF setup. You can pass the ball, and there are obstacles in the way which require teams to really focus on layout and strategy.

I should note that my experience with PvP has been met with some technical problems. My PC rig is a behemoth, and I’ve been running Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the PvE areas of SWTOR on full settings without a hitch. The second I’m drop in a PvP Warzone, my FPS falls through the floor. If I turn everything off, and lower my resolution then it fixes it a bit. I’ve been researching the problem and many other players seem to be experiencing this as well. Hopefully, BioWare can get to the root of the problem soon.

Since I’ve mentioned all the major features so far, I should mention you obtain XP for everything I’ve listed so far. If you want to do nothing but play PvP, you can level up that way. Space Combat provides experience points, and you actually get more XP for initial space combat quests than you do for most on-the-ground quests.

Finally, if you’re someone who enjoys crafting and profession based work when they play a MMO then I think you’ll be happy with the system BioWare has implemented. Theoretically, you can always be crafting no matter where you’re at, because all of your profession work is handled by your companion character. These companion characters have a wide variety of functions; helping you in combat, crafting, and adding an occasional quip or two while adventuring. To be honest, I wish companions were a bit more involved as I found myself forgetting they were there unless they died or I was sending them off to complete a crafting task.

The crafting/professions system provides you with three different options; two gathering professions and a crafting option. I’ve never been much of a crafter, but I’ve found myself in the crafting menus and sending my companion out on jobs at a steady rate. BioWare definitely deserves an applause for their accomplishments here.

Verdict: Within the total package of SWTOR, BioWare has crafted one of the most ambitious and impressive MMO games I’ve played; judging from initial impressions. The minute you step into the universe, you get swept up in all the presentation and character building. If you’re a Star Wars fan then this game is a must, if you like RPG’s then I highly recommend the game as well.

For the more hardcore MMO crowd, I believe your tastes will be satiated as well. As I mentioned this is an early review, so many of the more important MMO elements are still off in the horizon. Such as end-game content, and open-world PvP. BioWare could have tried and changed up the traditional MMO gameplay recipe, but instead kept things a tad formulaic. When judging a game, this is the most important area and while everything is solid, nothing feels completely new either. So if you’ve been debating whether to drop the $60 and $15/month fee, this is something to consider.

Overall, I’ve been completely happy with my experience so far. This game really hit the trifecta with me, as I’m a huge Star Wars, BioWare, and RPG fan. So far, every fanboy bone has been tickled. Let’s just hope they can keep it up, and my full review sounds even more positive than this one.

So, for those of you who aren’t familiar with RuneScape, it’s a MMORPG, or in the company’s parlance, “an evolving world of remarkable depth and flexibility.”  Think of it as World of Warcraft for a younger set.  And, judging from LeeAnn Prescott’s latest numbers, it’s evolving into a very big world.  “RuneScape is by far the #1 site,” she wrote, “with 44% of visits to the category.”

RuneScape’s closest competitors owned the bragging rights on growth; “[w]hen comparing the weeks ending 4/29/06 and 4/28/07,” Prescott continued, “the market share of visits to Webkinz was up 1141%, Club Penquin up 545%, and Stardoll up 275%.”  In terms of overall market share, however, those sites fell far behind, with just 14.08%, 10.57%, and 5.89%, respectively.

Which leads us back to the Nielsen//NetRatings info – taken together, the reports seem to indicate that that kids pick up on things quickly and possess a long attention span.  (And lest any adult RuneScape players feel insulted, I should note once again that Hitwise was measuring virtual worlds for children and teens.)

According to Nielsen//NetRatings, then, “Games brands account for four of the top seven sites by average time per visitor – RuneScape, Electronic Arts, King.com and Adventure Quest.”  This qualifies these sites as “sticky,” and so, while that’s not the nicest-sounding term, RuneScape (and its players) should be glad that it applies.

The practice has been met with much scrutiny by the developers of these types of games, sometimes leading to the banning of accounts linked to the sale of virtual property.

The parent companies claim that, while the player is in virtual possession of said items, ownership of the property ultimately remains with the game developer.

IGE is a service that directly sells currency, items and other services to MMO gamers. The bulk of virtual property transactions, however, take place on the world’s most utilized auction site, eBay.

Blizzard Entertainment, makers of the insanely popular World of Warcraft MMO, have been putting pressure on eBay for some time to halt the sale of its virtual property. It appears that within the last month, those appeals have finally been answered.

According to a Slashdot article, eBay has begun taking down any auction pertaining to virtual currency or items associated with MMOs. A representative from eBay comments in the piece:

Of course, not everyone is in agreement that Blizzard (and other MMO developers) have a legal leg to stand on concerning the sale of virtual property. This commenter writes:

With eBay taking itself out of the picture, you can expect more sites like IGE to pop up across the Internet. Most of these companies, IGE included, have their operations based overseas (China in particular) so it will be difficult for U.S. based MMO developers to go after them in the legal arena.

This is a semantic issue, to be sure, and not one for the weak of heart. I expect a vicious tirade of litigation to ensue as the MMO industry is rapidly closing in on becoming a billion dollar business.

(Disclosure: I play World of Warcraft. A lot.)

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl

Joe is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

Crayon Draws MMO Advertising

The mutual exclusivity of the real world and virtual worlds appears to be diminishing like sand on a riverbank — methodically eroding away over time by the ever-present drag of marketing currents and the undertow of e-commerce.

Residents of Second Life in particular are beginning to see the turning of the tide in their virtual society. Companies such as Scion, Coca-Cola, Fox and Time Warner are slowly but surely making their presence felt in in the community.

B.L. Ochman notes the attitude of dissent rising within the community concerning some attempts at crossover marketing:

So echoes the crux of the virtual marketing quandary. How does a company market its products to a virtual audience in a way that is both relevant and effective?

That’s the question that Crayon is trying to help companies answer.

Crayon describes itself as a “new marketing” company, but its approach to relevancy within the virtual community of Second Life is what seems to be generating the most buzz.

Neville Hobson, VP of New Marketing for Second Life, outlines the company’s infrastructure, “We’re real, in the sense that all of us involved are physical, real human beings based in real locations, on the US east and west coasts plus me here in Europe.”

“We’re virtual, in the sense that our primary presence as a company is the three-dimensional online digital world of Second Life where we will conduct our business, our presentations, our brainstorms and our pitches.”

Click for Full Size Image

I had the opportunity to visit Crayonville Island and check out the company’s facilities.

The Crayon campus itself consists of a one-story building, which would seem to serve as a central traffic hub, with two multi-level office towers to the rear.

After all that walking, I was parched. Conveniently, there were Coke machines strategically placed to quench my thirst. The Coca-Cola Company, not suprisingly, is one of Crayon’s clients.

Click for Full Size Image

A little later, I decided to relax a little bit and take in a flick. At first, the choice of Rocky Horror Picture Show and A Clockwork Orange seemed daunting, but then I came to my senses. I mean, who can turn down anything featuring the directing stylings of Stanley Kubrick and an androgynous Malcom McDowell? But I digress…

The company’s marketing strategy seems to be one of total immersion. Crayon aspires to serve as a marketing portal connecting real world clients with virtual consumers.

Click for Full Size Image

“By maintaining real-time operations in the Second Life community, Crayon hopes to bring a sense of relevancy and legitimacy to virtual marketing that has, thus far, eluded companies looking to offer products and services to MMORPGers at large.

Second Life symbolizes the thinning line between the real and virtual worlds,” says Joseph Jaffe, President of Crayon.

Of course, immersion isn’t the only driving factor for the company’s approach of maintaining operations exclusively within the virtual world.

Jaffe elaborates, “With our team located in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, California and England, Second Life emerged as the perfect way for us to complement our dispersed geographic presence to meet and interact, not only with each other but also with our clients, vendors, and partners.”

Second Life, however, isn’t the only MMORPG community experiencing an influx of real world marketing. Sony Online Entertainment has been partnering with Massive Interactive to market products to players of both The Matrix Online and Planetside for some time now.

The concept of direct marking to a plugged-in, virtual audience is not new. Crayon has merely taken an innovative approach, attempting to become a conduit between real world products and virtual world consumers.

Click for Full Size Image

Will the venture prove successful? I can’t really say.

However, I’d be a liar if I said that checking out this Scion in front of the Crayonville Diner didn’t elicit the urge within me to go take one for a test drive.

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl

Joe is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

Congress is unsure, though, how exactly you tax zeroes and ones — or even if virtual assets can be taxed.

But you know, where there’s a bill, there’s a way.

Reuters’ embedded Second Life virtual reporter, Adam Reuters (is there an Eve Reuters?), is reporting that the so-called virtual economies of MMORPG games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest are booming. People buy and sell goods just like you would in the real world, except that the goods are imaginary, even if the money’s real.

“You could argue that to a certain degree the law has fallen (behind) because you can have a virtual asset and virtual capital gains, but there’s no mechanism by which you’re taxed on this stuff,” Joint Economic Committee’s senior economist Dan Miller told Mr. Reuters.

One day, they’ll find a way to tax profitable ideas – while they’re still in your head.

Maybe they can put that tax money toward social programs like MMORPG Anonymous, a future offshoot of Families Against EverQuest.

Or how about subsidized gym memberships?

Tanning bed vouchers?

Or maybe tax relief with the Get-A-Life tax credit. For every girl you can prove you talked to outside the basement, you can write off $5. Okay, $100, because that’s kind of scary. But your mom and your sister don’t count.

Don’t expect a resolution too soon, as lawmakers and economists are trying to wrap their heads around this virtual economy thing. They’ve approached Sen. Ted Stevens to inquire how, exactly, money is transferred through the tubes. Is that like at the bank drive-through?

Tag:

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Yahoo! My Web | Furl

Bookmark WebProNews:

Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games are all the rage in games right now. It’s becoming a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry and Disney obviously saw the figures from China from last year. At this point, pretty much all the games are aimed at teenagers or older. But the multimedia monster called Disney has gotten something a little more family oriented, Disney’s ToonTown Online. Disney got with Sony software publishing division and now they’re bringing it to stores.

The game should hit stores in the fall and is the first MMORPG aimed at a family experience. The price is more than reasonable at $19.99 that covers a two month subscription to the game service. Sony’s software publisher Platform Publishing also said this game will eventually be available for game consoles (yep, could quite well see them on the PS3 in hi-def).

“Platform Publishing is working with Disney Online to make Toontown available in the places where families usually shop,” said John Needham, chief financial officer and senior vice president of business development, Sony Online Entertainment.

“Toontown is a breakthrough game that has introduced MMOs to the online family audience. Now we will be introducing the game to a whole new audience who may not have downloaded it in the past. Additionally, we will begin working with Disney on the potential to create Toontown versions for online-enabled game consoles.”

“This is a great opportunity for us to partner with Sony Online Entertainment, a leader in the retail MMO space,” stated Steve Parkis, vice president of premium products, Disney Online. “We feel that our trusted brand and unique game offering that appeals to the entire family is a natural fit for the retail marketplace. And as the connected console marketplace develops, we want to be among the first MMO family titles made available.”

Players in the game create their own Toons and interact with other Toons to save the world from the Cogs, called “humorless, business robots” who steal the colorful happy world of Toontown and turn it inot a dark, colorless metropolis of “corporate monotony.”

Users can already go to Disney’s site and play around with the game. There’s a three-day trial version folks can play with. According to the press release, feedback says that many people are playing the game with their families. The game is aimed for ages 8-12. The subscription fee is $9.95. The game is rated E for Everyone.

John Stith is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

Right now Chinese gamers number more than 20 million and those gamers spent more than $500 million for online gaming last year. In case you hadn’t noticed that’s big time money. China’s looking for more foreign investment so they’ve been encouraging the growth of online gaming.

But China, being the warm government it is, has seen fit to limit game time so, once players hit the five hour mark, you will have a reason to quit. Once you’ve played your five hours, you’re done for five hours. You receive a warning and then your character essentially has a governor slapped on it and you become severely limited in what that character can do.

The BBC quoted Xiaowei Kou of the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), which regulates the online gaming as saying, “The timing mechanism can prevent young people from becoming addicted to online games.”

A number of games were included in the initial run including World of Warcraft, Legend of Mir II 3G, First Myth Online, Blade Online, The World of Legend and Lineage II.

Right now, China is number two in online access behind the U.S. They may surpass the U.S. based on sheer numbers sometime in the future as their middle class continues to grow and they continue to spend more time in online games and other Internet entertainment.

John Stith is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.