10.) Star trek Online
Star Trek Online, often abbreviated as STO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Cryptic Studios based on the popular Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry. The game is set in the 25th century, 30 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Star Trek Online is the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game within the Star Trek franchise and was released on February 2, 2010. At launch, the game required a game purchase and a recurring monthly fee. On January 17, 2012 it relaunched with a tier of free-to-play access available. However, due to it being transferred to free to play, the game is no longer available as a retail game and can be downloaded from Perfect World Entertainment or Steam.
In Star Trek Online, each player acts as the captain of his own ship. Players are able to play as a starship, controlling the ship's engineering, tactical and science systems by keyboard/mouse or using an on-screen console. Players can also "beam down" and move around as a player character in various settings with access to weapons and specific support and combat skills relating to their own character's class. The two combat systems are intertwined throughout the game: away-team missions feature fast-paced "run-and-gun" combat, while space combat stresses the long-term tactical aspect of combat between capital ships. Both are offered in concert with the Star Trek storyline and emphasize ship positioning to efficiently utilize shields during space combat, as well as the player's away team's positioning in consideration of flanking damage and finding various weaknesses to exploit during ground combat. (Source: Wikipedia)
In Star Trek Online, each player acts as the captain of his own ship. Players are able to play as a starship, controlling the ship's engineering, tactical and science systems by keyboard/mouse or using an on-screen console. Players can also "beam down" and move around as a player character in various settings with access to weapons and specific support and combat skills relating to their own character's class. The two combat systems are intertwined throughout the game: away-team missions feature fast-paced "run-and-gun" combat, while space combat stresses the long-term tactical aspect of combat between capital ships. Both are offered in concert with the Star Trek storyline and emphasize ship positioning to efficiently utilize shields during space combat, as well as the player's away team's positioning in consideration of flanking damage and finding various weaknesses to exploit during ground combat. (Source: Wikipedia)
In the ancient times, there was the Goddess Etain and the three races she created: the Dragons, the Nordein, and the Dumianas.
The Goddess Etain found faults in the Nordein and cast them into the soil. In their arrogance, the Dumianas questioned the Etain's power and authority. The Goddess was weakened by their disbelief , and the Dumianas killed her. Her soul was torn in two.
The death of the Goddess left Teos out of balance and unprotected.
Other Gods sought to take over Teos and created monsters to invade and destroy.
When the dust settled, there were two new Goddesses overseeing Teos.
The Dragons hid themselves from the world. The remaining Dumianas were split into two factions; one for each Goddess.
These two races, the Elves and the Vail, find themselves in constant conflict with each other. Age old tensions fuel their aggression. Soon after, the Humans joined forces with the Elves while the Nordein re-emerged as the "Deatheaters" and allied with the Vail creating two factions: The Alliance of Light and the Union of Fury. Not only battling the monsters that still roam the lands, these two sides wage a never ending war over the control of Teos. (Source: www.aeriagames.com/wiki/)
8.) Runes of Magic
The game has very few differences from World of Warcraft, one of the differences being the "multi-class" feature, which allows the player to choose up to three classes. At Level 10, the player may choose a second class. At Level 20, the player may choose a third class. Each 66 combinations of classes has sets of Elite Skills, which make each class combination unique, such that a Warrior/Priest has completely different skills from a Priest/Warrior. As of the current version of the game, there are 10 Elite Skills for each class combination, with the first given when two classes are Level 15. The subsequent Elite Skills would be give when both classes gained an additional 5 levels up to 50/50, then every 10 levels after that another Elite Skill is given, up to 70/70.
The game features Player versus Player combat in the form of dueling and battlefields. Players may obtain their own houses, and guilds can buy castles that grant benefits to members of the guild. Siege combat is available between guilds called Siege War, which is under open beta-testing, available to all guilds.
Another feature of the game are the collectible "Monster Cards", which slain foes leave behind, which provide specific attribute points alongside the usual monster information. These cards act as trophies for players but also provide attribute bonuses. Each type of monster has a card that provides bonuses to character stats, but not every monster drops the cards.
Players can also obtain magical pets, who accompany the player and may participate in combat under certain conditions regarding the pet statistics, i.e. loyalty. Pets are obtained by using traps to catch a Magic Cavy which are sometimes dropped after defeating an enemy monster. After catching the Magic Cavy, the player will be randomly given a Pet Egg, from which the player can summon a pet to assist in the player's adventures.
Through the use of real-money transactions, a player is able to exchange cash for in-game currency referred to as Diamonds. Players are able to buy in-game items using Diamonds through the Cash Shop interface in the game client. Buying items in the Cash Shop using Diamonds also awards Rubies, which can also be used to buy items in the Cash Shop. Diamonds can also be used to gift other players items for cash or fun.
A new marriage system feature was added in early July 2010. The marriage system is relationship system that allows two players to commit into a partnership. Depending on the relationship, players will then be rewarded with special in-game bonuses. Special Items have been added too such as Love and Friendship letters.
For each character, they will be provided a residence and a basic housekeeper. The residence may be decorated with furniture items bought from the Cash Shop or created with some recipes. Furniture may provide storage for items, bonus experience and talent points. They may also buy additional housekeepers, who unlike the basic housekeeper, can also provide free buffs, food, and potions after the initial purchase. To buy a housekeeper, the player requires only in-game gold, the primary currency of the game.
Players may collect Item Sets, gear sets from all over the game, from which Item-Set Skills can be extracted to provide additional versatility to the player. Pieces of each Item-Sets are typically dropped from instances in various parts of the game. (Source: Wikipedia)
The lead writer of the game is Brian Michael Bendis, who has written a number of major Marvel Comics. The plot revolves around villains, with the main antagonist as Doctor Doom, and heroes in various conflicts.
Gameplay is very similar to that of the action role-playing game Diablo II. Marvel Heroes is free-to-play with micro-transactions used to fund and support the game. Players will not need to spend money to access the full game.
As characters gain levels, they gain a passive stat increase for stats that help that particular character and gain power points, allowing the player to further define the abilities of that character. Each character has three power trees that they can spend points. Each of the trees generally focuses on a certain mechanic or play style, such as Iron Man's shields, Hawkeye's trick arrows, or Deadpool's guns. As the character gains levels the player has access to more skills to spend points on and is able to put more points into existing skills. Each skill has a level cap, so more points cannot be put in a skill until a certain level is reached. End each skill has a maximum of 20 power points and a maximum of 40 points can be reached from gear bonuses. Currently, the game has a maximum level of 60. The majority of the game is dedicated to obtaining items, but there are other things you can do while in-game. There is a crafting system to upgrade gear and costumes, combine/split crafting materials, and craft consumables and artifacts. There is also player vs player combat that is in beta testing. (Source: Wikipedia)
6.) Wizard101
Wizard101 is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game created by KingsIsle Entertainment.
Wizard101 also has a sister series in Pirate101.
Players take on the role of students of Wizardry to save the Spiral, in which the games is played, and battle a variety of creatures by casting spells using a turn-based combat system similar to collectible card games.
The fiction universe of the Spiral is divided into several worlds, each of which has multiple areas. Upon character creation, only some areas of Wizard City are opened to access. As the player progresses, more worlds become available that they can quest in, until they reach the max level of 90. These worlds are each have their own templates and story-lines. They are listed in order of the player's access. They are first granted access to Wizard City, Krokotopia, Marlybone, MooShu, Dragonspyre, Celestia, Zafaria, Avalon, Azteca, and the upcoming Bunaria There are also optional side worlds which can be accessed at predetermined levels by players. Players advance in the game by accepting quests to learn new spells, gain equipment, and collect gold.
The game holds a rating of "Everyone 10+ (E10+)" from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board for crude humor and mild fantasy violence. Although its target audience is 8 to 14-year olds, the game appeals to all ages.
At the beginning of the game, the player controls a level 1 novice wizard. That wizard joins the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, a school of wizardry located in a fictional world called Wizard City. Rather than traditional role playing game character classes, Wizard101 allows players to choose one of seven schools of magic (Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, Death, Myth, and Balance) as their focus school. There are also 3 Astral Schools of magic (Star, Sun, Moon), which are schools that aid your performance in battle by boosting the power of your spells, or by giving you different abilities. See Schools of Magic The highest level to which a wizard can advance to as of 2013 is 90 and will increase to 105 when Bunaria is test and live.
According to KingIsle Entertainment's press releases, the game has experienced a steady growth in the number of players: 2 million in April 2009, 5 million in September 2009, ten million players by June 2010, 15 million by January 2011, and 30 million by July 2013. In terms of reception, the game currently scores an average of 10 (out of 10) from ratings on IGN.com's GameStats. GameShark reviewer Toni Dimayuga noted the game's overall ambiance and graphic setting as well as the overall fun nature of Wizard101 in the pro column, while the combat (in particular defeats) and the restrictive (at the time of the review) nature of chat were seen as the major minus points. (Source: Wikipedia)
5.) Pirate101Wizard101 also has a sister series in Pirate101.
Players take on the role of students of Wizardry to save the Spiral, in which the games is played, and battle a variety of creatures by casting spells using a turn-based combat system similar to collectible card games.
The fiction universe of the Spiral is divided into several worlds, each of which has multiple areas. Upon character creation, only some areas of Wizard City are opened to access. As the player progresses, more worlds become available that they can quest in, until they reach the max level of 90. These worlds are each have their own templates and story-lines. They are listed in order of the player's access. They are first granted access to Wizard City, Krokotopia, Marlybone, MooShu, Dragonspyre, Celestia, Zafaria, Avalon, Azteca, and the upcoming Bunaria There are also optional side worlds which can be accessed at predetermined levels by players. Players advance in the game by accepting quests to learn new spells, gain equipment, and collect gold.
The game holds a rating of "Everyone 10+ (E10+)" from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board for crude humor and mild fantasy violence. Although its target audience is 8 to 14-year olds, the game appeals to all ages.
At the beginning of the game, the player controls a level 1 novice wizard. That wizard joins the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, a school of wizardry located in a fictional world called Wizard City. Rather than traditional role playing game character classes, Wizard101 allows players to choose one of seven schools of magic (Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, Death, Myth, and Balance) as their focus school. There are also 3 Astral Schools of magic (Star, Sun, Moon), which are schools that aid your performance in battle by boosting the power of your spells, or by giving you different abilities. See Schools of Magic The highest level to which a wizard can advance to as of 2013 is 90 and will increase to 105 when Bunaria is test and live.
According to KingIsle Entertainment's press releases, the game has experienced a steady growth in the number of players: 2 million in April 2009, 5 million in September 2009, ten million players by June 2010, 15 million by January 2011, and 30 million by July 2013. In terms of reception, the game currently scores an average of 10 (out of 10) from ratings on IGN.com's GameStats. GameShark reviewer Toni Dimayuga noted the game's overall ambiance and graphic setting as well as the overall fun nature of Wizard101 in the pro column, while the combat (in particular defeats) and the restrictive (at the time of the review) nature of chat were seen as the major minus points. (Source: Wikipedia)
Pirate101 is family friendly, but challenging enough for players of all ages. This game is very fun and fast paced. (Source: pirate-101.wikia.com)
4.) DC Universe
The basic concept of the DC Universe is that it is just like the real world, but with superheroes and supervillains existing in it. However, there are other corollary differences resulting from the justifications implied by that main conceit. Many fictional countries, such as Qurac, Vlatava, and Zandia, exist in it. Though stories are often set in the United States of America, they are as often as not set in fictional cities, such as Gotham City or Metropolis. These cities are effectively archetypes of cities, with Gotham City embodying the negative aspects of life in a large city, and Metropolis reflecting more of the positive aspects. Sentient alien species (such as Kryptonians and Thanagarians) and even functioning interstellar societies are generally known to exist, and the arrival of alien spacecraft is not uncommon. Technologies which are only theoretical in the real world, such as artificial intelligence or are outright impossible according to modern science, such as faster-than-light travel, are functional and reproducible, though they are often portrayed as highly experimental and difficult to achieve. Demonstrable magic exists and can be learned. The general history of the fictional world is similar to the real one (for instance, there was a Roman Empire, and World War II and 9/11 both occurred), but many fantastic additions exist, such as the known existence of Atlantis. In recent years, stories have increasingly described events which bring the DC Universe farther away from reality, such as World War III occurring, Lex Luthor being elected as President of the United States in 2000, and entire cities and countries being destroyed. There are other minor variations, such as the Earth being slightly larger than ours (to accommodate the extra countries), and the planet Saturn having 18 moons rather than 19 because Superman destroyed one. (Source: Wikipedia)
DDO is an Action role-playing game presented in Real-time tactics combat. The camera follows behind the player and can be adjusted to view surroundings. The camera view can be changed to a first-person perspective. The game is controlled either by keyboard or gamepad. Every action in game can be remapped to suit the player, even controller buttons. Within a toolbar on screen, items and action abilities may be placed and activated at will. Exploration and battles are real-time; characters move in 3D with directional keys and may dodge long range attacks.
A party system places emphasis on multiple players joining together in groups. Joining a party or creating one is accessed by the Grouping panel. Players interact with screen chat windows, or by voice chat among party members. (Source: Wikipedia)
The Lord of the Rings Online was developed and is maintained by Turbine after Jeffrey Anderson secured the rights from Vivendi. Originally subscription-based, it is free to play, with a paid VIP subscription available that provides players various perks. It launched in North America, Australia, Japan and Europe on April 24, 2007. Four expansion packs have been released as of 2013. The most recent expansion, Riders of Rohan, was released on October 15, 2012. In 2010, the NPD Group reported that the game was "the third most played massively multiplayer role-playing game" with Turbine citing their free to play model as the reason for the growing subscriber base. On April 24, 2013 Turbine announced its Helm's Deep expansion set to release in fall 2013.
The game's milieu is based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. However, Turbine does not have rights to any other works in Tolkien's legendarium, such as The Silmarillion or The Children of Húrin. Much of the gameplay is typical of the MMO format: The player controls a character avatar which can be moved around the game world and interacts with other players, non-player (computer-controlled) characters (or "NPCs") and other entities in the virtual world. Camera angles can be switched between first-person and third-person options. Characters are improved by gaining levels. A character's level increases after it earns a set amount of experience points through the player versus environment (or "PvE") combat and storyline adventures. Characters' abilities are improved by increasing in level, but character skills must be purchased from specified NPCs after gaining a new level.
The main storyline (also known as the "Epic Quest Line") is presented as a series of "Books", which consist of series of quests called "Chapters". There were initially eight Books when the game was released, with new books added with each free content update.
Tolkien's Middle-earth as represented in The Lord of the Rings Online implements magic in a different manner than other MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. There are only five "wizards" in the fictional world, none of which are player-controlled. Instead, there are active skills which require "power" (the equivalent of magic points). Some skills behave like magic (like healing or throwing a burning ember at an enemy), but are based on "lore". In addition, objects and artifacts are used to create effects similar to magic.
As opposed to other role-playing video games, the equivalent of health or hit points in LOTRO is morale and can be raised via food, rest, music and battle cries. The game also places a fair emphasis on cooking and farming in its crafting system, in consistency with the characterization of Hobbits in Tolkien's writings.
Other features include a fast travel system and a detailed quest log with tracker and history.
Player versus player (PvP) combat can be done by inviting another player to spar one-on-one, or in the major gameplay form called Monster Play or Player vs Monster Player (PvMP).
Monster Play is unlocked when a player's character reaches level 10; players can then play a level 85 monster. Only one type of monster player is available for free players; others can be purchased individually, or completely unlocked by purchasing a subscription. These monster players (also known as creeps) have their own quests, titles and deeds, and fight the Heroes (player characters of level 40 and above, and known as freeps, a portmanteau of the words "Free Peoples") in the Ettenmoors. Both heroes and monsters fight for the control of various keeps in the Ettenmoors, of which 5 are able to be taken. When one side holds two outposts (after a period of time the outpost will return to the NPC forces), they are able to go into the Delving of Frór, a dungeon area beneath the Ettenmoors. Outposts are smaller versions of keeps and require fewer people to overtake. As of the expansion Mines of Moria and Siege of Mirkwood the amount of outposts required to enter the Delving of Frór has dropped to two, so that both the freeps and creeps can enter the delving of Frór simultaneously (5 outposts overall, 2 required to enter).
Both monster players and Heroes gain ranks in the Ettenmoors through defeating the opposing side. Monsters receive infamy for killing a Hero, and Heroes receive renown for killing a monster player. There are 15 achievable ranks, starting at Footman, and ending at Captain-General (for Heroes) or starting at Tracker and ending at Tyrant (for monster players). Gaining ranks allows the player to purchase specific equipment and armour (for Heroes) or core upgrades, like health, armor and power (for Monsters).
Another aspect of character development is the inclusion of Destiny Points. Destiny Points are awarded for leveling and completing quests and can be used to temporarily increase some of the player's abilities or skills. As a creep, destiny points are used to buy skills and traits. These points can also be earned through combat in Monster Play. Monster players earn destiny points for controlling a keep, killing 'freeps' (the player controlled Heroes) and completing quests. A player's destiny points are shared across all their characters, whether heroes or monsters.
Many players rely on raids or groups to gain Infamy or Renown for their character. In a raid or group the points gained are divided between the different members, so while killing more quickly each player will gain less per kill. Often during a raid there will be one leader who gives directions to the rest of the raid over a voice program or the in-game voice application. Raids are most commonly found on larger servers, but exist on all servers. (Source: Wikipedia)
Although BioWare has not disclosed development costs, industry leaders and financial analysts have estimated it to be between $150 million and $200 million. If accurate, this would make it the most expensive video game ever developed. The game had 1 million subscribers within three days of its launch, making it the world's "fastest-growing MMO ever". However, in the following months the game lost a fair share of its subscriptions, but has remained profitable. The game has since adopted the hybrid free-to-play business model with remaining subscription option.
Players join as members of either of the two main factions – the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Although each faction is led by a benevolent or malevolent leader, it is emphasized that an individual member may possess a morality at any point along the light/dark spectrum. The project's key focus is to differentiate between the player's faction and morality. For instance, a member with ties to the Galactic Republic may belong to the Dark Side while attempting to achieve their own ends, which may be misaligned or dissimilar from the Republic's vision.
Player advancement occurs by a combination of mission completion, exploration, and defeating enemies. New skills, unlocked by level, are taught by trainers and can be learned in game at a multitude of locations. Heroic missions exist that require the cooperation of multiple players to complete objectives, and can be repeated normally on a daily basis.
While each class in The Old Republic favors a certain play style (ranged/melee damage, healing or support skills, or tanking), customization combined with companion characters allow for a class to be able to tackle many different situations, with or without the support of other player characters, and without requiring specific other classes in order to move forward.
A view of the conversation wheel with a dark side response highlighted
Players' choices permanently open or close storylines and affect players' non-player character (NPC) companions. It is intended that the game should provide more context for characters' missions than any previous MMORPG. Every character in the game, including the player character, features full voice dialog to enhance gameplay, and interactions feature a dialogue system similar to that used in the Mass Effect series. Players are able to choose from a variety of NPCs, although spending time with a single companion will help more in developing story and content than dividing time among several, and may even develop a love interest. It is possible for players to "blow it big time" if they fail to meet NPCs' expectations. Players also have access to several planets, including Korriban, Ord Mantell, Nal Hutta, Tython, Coruscant, Balmorra, Alderaan, Tatooine, Dromund Kaas, Taris, Belsavis, Voss, Hoth, Corellia, Ilum and Quesh, and the moon Nar Shaddaa. The planet Makeb was added in Patch 2.0, along with the Rise of the Hutt Cartel Expansion.
Every player receives their own starship, which was announced at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010. Footage of space combat was released at Gamescom. The short clip provided by BioWare revealed that space combat would be a "tunnel shooter." A tunnel shooter, otherwise known as a scrolling shooter or rail shooter, is a flying game where the player is on a predetermined track. Game play includes moving right and left on the X axis and up and down on the Y axis; however, players do not have control of the speed of their space craft. Jake Neri, LucasArts Producer, told PC Gamer in their October 2010 issue that their goal was to "capture the most cinematic moments that we can create. We want players to get in and feel like they're in the movies. It's about highly cinematic, controlled combat moments ... very heroic, action-packed, exciting, visceral and dangerous encounters that'll make you pee your pants."
Species
A range of playable species are available for the player to choose from, some limited to their factions. Both sides can play Human, Cyborg (human-based), Twi'lek or Zabrak (whose appearances are initially depending on which side the character is from). The Republic-only races are the Miraluka and Mirialan, while the Empire-only races are the Chiss, Rattataki and Sith Pureblood. Humans and Zabrak can pick any class available, while the other species are restricted to limited choices of classes by default.
More playable species are said to be available in the future through major updates and the Legacy system and able to use other classes abilities through this system. The Cathar has been added to the game during Patch 2.1, and is available to all players who unlock the species through the Cartel Market.
The release of the expanded "Legacy" system in April 2012 allows for species to be able to play all classes (both Empire and Republic) by unlocking that species with an infusion of in-game money or by levelling a character of that race to level 50. Under this system, for example, a Chiss - which by default can only choose the non-Sith classes - could choose to become a Sith, or a Sith Pureblood - which by default can only choose the Sith classes - could choose to be a non-Force user. Along the same vein, both species, which are restricted to the Empire, could even choose the option of fighting for the Republic, including training as a Jedi. By the same way, unlocking the Zabrak species allows to play both appearances regardless from which side the character is from. (Source: Wikipedia)
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