As you know, Interplay has some legal issues with Bethesda over the Fallout franchise. These in-game screenshots, courtesy of The Vault fan site,  were (if they’re real) reported to be used in court as evidence that the game is in development. The screens look ok, although a little bit worse than Fallout 3, but remember, these are (if real) from an MMO title, probably in alpha stage. Rest of the screens and some new artwork (these are sure to be real) after the jump.

Hi,

We have posted our latest in-game screenshots under “Screenshots” . Please feel free to go through them.

Below is our latest video showcasing game play and interactive objects in the palace level.

If you are looking for  “The Legend of Vraz” wallpapers, you will find them under “Downloads” .We have wallpapers in various resolutions including those for Iphone.

Regards,

Team Zatun

Neverland Online Flash Game

A brand new flash game generation has been made. Neverland Online is one of the newest generation of flash game. It is the same as you try to play online games, but you don’t need to wait for the download.  Why? Because it is flash game type.

The gameplay like other MMORPG, you just need to levelling,  learn new skill, enchance equip and crafting,raise a pet, etc. There are 4 types of class differ by gender <each gender have different type of weapon>:

1. Ranger <like meele>
2. Assasin
3. Elementalist
4. Taoist

Every class has different build of status or skill. So be carefull !!

for more information just try this link :

http://neverland.hithere.com/

in.indonesia

Buat yang lagi cari web-based game baru tanpa perlu download, kini telah hadir Neverland Online Flash Game. Dengan nuansa main game ala MMORPG, kita tidak diharuskan untuk mendownload game. Tetapi untuk bisa memainkannya, disarankan memiliki internet dengan kecepatan yang bagus karena membutuh proses setiap waktunya.

In contrast to my blog last week regarding negativity toward advertising in video games, this week I will focus on a more optimistic tone from Microsoft’s in-game advertising firm, Massive. My tone, however, is not completely positive.

JJ Richards, Massive’s boss, boils down the state of in-game advertising to five facts. Essentially, in-game advertising is effective, contrary to what Kevin Slavin says. I’ll take Richards at his word because his numbers are convincing.

I do, however, take issue with a few other points.

First, he says in-game advertising is easy. While it may be true to take a game set in modern times and slap a billboard in it, what about the hundreds of other games where that won’t work? You won’t be seeing an ad for Pepsi in a game set in another galaxy or a Toyota in Soul Calibur because they’ll break the user experience, which Richards admits is key.

Because of the increase in in-game advertising, and because many games do not lend themselves to product placement, I believe we will see games intentionally curved toward a contemporary aesthetic simply to place more ads. Similarly, existing brands will easily fit into hypothetical futures. Take DOOM, for example. The basic story involves a future marine from Earth so it’s not inconceivable to create a new line of Doritos to place in the game that assumes Frito-Lay expanded operations to Mars. If the game is a hit and players “interact” with the Doritos bags enough, then it’s time to make the fake chips real.

Second, I can’t believe he claims that gamers like in-game ads. His argument boils down to the idea that because ads are omnipresent in real-life, if they are omnipresent in games, the experience is more authentic. This assumes people like seeing ads everywhere they go in real-life. Is he joking? In an ArsTechnica article, he sheds a bit more light on his rationale by stating:

“If you ask Americans if they like paying taxes, you’ll likely receive a resounding ‘no.’ But if you ask Americans if they like living in the US, where they have to pay taxes, the answer will likely be a resounding ‘yes.’”

We gather a few ideas from this statement:

1. Advertising is a necessary evil, like taxes.

2. Advertising in games is here to stay.

The first argument falls apart when you realize that mass-marketed games have gotten along fine without in-game advertising for over 20 years. We don’t “need” in-game advertising to support the production of a game like we need taxes to build roads. If that were the case, wouldn’t games be priced cheaper to reflect such support? Indeed, in-game advertising has had no effect on game prices thus far.

Not only does this make advertising itself seem like a negative process, it has no benefit to the consumer aside from claiming enhanced realism by including media they are already tired of seeing in the first place.

The only reason ads have any presence in games is that they make more money for the game publishers. And that is the sole reason the second argument is irrefutable.

Is Richards correct? Do you like seeing more ads or am I wrong in assuming you’d rather not see the Kool-Aid Man bust down a wall you just built in The Sims? Let me know what you think by posting in the comments section below.

I have just had about enough of people going “Oh my GOD, you’ve gotten very FAT!”

Here’s the thing, my weight goes from fat to not-fat like a friggin’ pendulum. When I lose weight, some people notice and compliment me for it but when I gain weight, hot damn, the whole world makes sure I never forget it.

So… yes, I’ve gotten fat again. Work and part-time has made me turn to food for comfort. Seriously, the only thing that keeps me sane in a terrible, terrible work day is chocolate. That, or a bag of chips.

But then of course I am blessed with a body that gains weight twice as fast as it loses them. So all those little snacks I stuff my face with during break time came out bulging in all the wrong places.

Sometimes I just wish I have always been fat. I hate the feeling of constantly surprising everyone I see. I’m fat. I have always been fat and will forever be fat. So please. I wish people would stop pointing out things I would not have wanted to hear repeated over and over until I’m pushed to try bulimia again. Haha.

—–

In other news, my best guy friend has recently started his own webcomic. First of all, I do believe in his artistic skills. He may be a crass, sarcastic jackass sometimes but he sure can draw! Though right now, he’s still practicing inking and coloring. Second, I believe wholeheartedly that he is funny. Just fuckin’ hilarious. I swear. I am not even trying to be sarcastic. He really is funny.

This webcomic he fondly called “In-Game” is a story about a bunch of people playing MMORPG. Think .hack//SIGN only humorous and light. It pokes fun at MMORPG culture and how players REALLY interact with each other in-game and how real people get so absorbed in the game they’re playing that it eventually takes over their (offline) lives.

READ IT AND LOVE IT: http://seraph.nagashiko.com/

Thank you guys. Please read it and encourage my friend by showering him with compliments. haha! But seriously, if you read Questionable Content, Octopus Pie and Anders Loves Maria (which I do, religiously) please give In-Game a chance.

Should you advertise in video games?

Advertising Age recently posted a video about the difficulty of advertising within video games. Game designer Kevin Slavin of Area/Code essentially says that the normal rules of advertising do not apply to games: traditional advertising wants its message out immediately, whereas games keep an idea just out of reach—otherwise there would be no incentive to play.

With this in mind, I present the top five ways to advertise in games:

5. Brand an item players use repeatedly

Most games require players use various tools to complete objectives, so why not claim one for yourself ? Use a real world product or something unique to the game (which you can bring into the real world if demand is high). The item should also be fun and integral to a player’s success. You don’t want just any “McDonald’s Big McClaymore,” but an item believable within the game that still conveys the messaging of your brand. Cell phone sponsorship in games is one simple example.

4. Create an extended portion of the game at your location

This could be great fun in games that employ advanced physics engines. Wouldn’t it be cool to stealthily break into Harrods to nab (or prevent the nabbing of) the Queen’s newly made jewelry? Augmented reality could be filled with interactive experiences of this kind: want to be like Sponge Bob and polish your grill skills at Burger King? How about doing a barrel roll over Niagara Falls without the hassle? Players will gain a sense of ownership with the location and may take a trip to show their friends where they blasted through your display window.

3. Sponsor a game

Take an existing game and add your own content to it. The latest example of this is Beatles Rock Band, though one of the best is the Def Jam fighting series, which took a great fighting engine and put popular hip-hop acts in to fight with. Be sure the game engine is good, or else you’ll end up with “A Boy and His Jell-O Mold.”

2. Make your own game

Sponsored games have always been littered with bombs like Yo! Noid and McDonald’s Kids. But even if they are bad, they still increase exposure to a fast growing market of game players. The Burger King value-priced games were poorly received but still helped increase profits 40%. The key is creating a user experience people will want to return to because they like the game and not have your copy smashed into their heads. Keep dangling those patties just out of reach and tease them with a ketchup packet after every mission.

1. Do it like Seinfeld

The greatest example of product placement has to be Seinfeld. Entire episodes were written with brands in mind yet were so well-written you don’t think of them as advertising. Pez, Junior Mints, the New York Yankees, Gore-Tex, PBS, Rudy Giuliani, Jon Voight, Bosco, Frogger and more were featured in episodes and made the action more believable. The episodes weren’t about the brands, but about the foibles of Jerry and his cohorts, who happened to do something hilarious while interacting with the brand. It made the brand fun. A character’s personality decided how a product was used—not the other way around. Put something in the game and let the player decide how to have fun with it. (See Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle for similar ideas.)

Advertising in games is a fairly new phenomenon with lots of great ideas waiting for implementation. Do you think mine work? What ideas do you have? Give some of your in-game advertising ideas in the comments section below.

]]> http://worldsofwordcraft.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/whats-the-deal-with-lotro-cutscenes/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:57:49 +0000 theophildentchev http://worldsofwordcraft.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/whats-the-deal-with-lotro-cutscenes/

by Theo Dentchev

LOTRO starts off with some beautiful looking graphics, and a cutscene in which Gandalf sits at a fire smoking some pipeweed, telling you a story. Good stuff right?

And then you start playing the game.

In the first cutscene you encounter you’re most likely going to miss at least the first few lines of dialogue before you even realize that you’re in a cut scene. Why, you ask? Because the “cutscene” is just in game characters with text above their heads or in the text box at the bottom left of the screen. Don’t get me wrong, the in game graphics are really nice, great colors, good animations. But they’re in game graphics. Would it have been too much to ask for some cinema-like cutscenes? Or at least some sound instead of having to read dialogue. I mean, using in game graphics makes it so that at times it is difficult to notice immediately that someone else has started talking, and by the time you look to see the text above their head they’re already on to the next sentence. You could of course look at the text box in the bottom left, but then you miss whatever limited visual action might be going on. All in all this provides for a relatively poor form of storytelling.

Then again, maybe I’m just biased. I’m not quite old enough to have experienced the text based rpgs of the early days of gaming. In fact, the issue of my age is compounded by the fact that I didn’t really start playing video games (outside of pokemon on the gameboy color) until 2003 – very recently. And even then I didn’t really play rpgs as much as I did action-adventure games. So I am accustomed to playing games where the cutscenes are cinematic and the characters actually talk. I guess both styles of story telling (cinematic cutscenes and in game cutscenes) provide the same information, and you could understand the story equally well either way, but the presentation makes a huge difference. I will be better able to appreciate a story which I can enjoy and which is easy to follow.

I’m no game designer and have no idea of how difficult it must be, but would it really be that much harder to incorporate cinematic cutscenes into MMOs? Even if it is harder than doing for console games, games like LOTRO are supposed to have a strong focus on storytelling, so wouldn’t it be worth the effort to tell the story better? It would enhance the entire experience of the game, making it more immersing and engaging.

- TD

P.S I just realized that I haven’t gotten very far into the game, and it is still entirely possible there will be other cinematic cutscenes in the future. However, I still condemn the lack of such cutscenes in general, and the use of in game cutscenes instead.

Behold our new logo! Yay! Everything cool was pretty much taken, except this awesome logo. Hope you all enjoy it! Everyone thank d3ath6 for gifting that logo to me. He made the logo possible. So thanks d3ath6!

We are showcasing two of our latest in-game videos of our game “The Legend of Vraz”.

The first video is for level 1 – the jungle level and the second video is for level 3 – the palace level.

Level 1 – Jungle level

Level 3 – Palace level

The new in-game footage videos showcase our new Menus, GUI, the particles and the new backgrounds.

Audio will play are huge part in getting the right mood for the game so we are making an extra effort to ensure we get the right audio which suits our game.

Thanks,
Team Zatun

Lleno de Spoilers y de Accion, Ezio y sus nuevas pato aventuras.

If the video did not excite you, maybe the ingame screen shots will? Thanks to MyApple.pl for providing all of us with the first gameplay screenshots:

This is a game of close combat, almost styled “Soul Calibur”. Among the features we have:

• 10 unique characters, each of which will be equipped with special weapons
• 10 different arenas that will be the scene for fighting
• 4 game modes: “Story,” “Arcade,” “Survival”, “Practice”
• Ability to play multi-player via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
• 2 Several methods of control

Extrañamos a Altair

Ya teníamos tiempo sin tener noticias de Ezio Auditore De Firenze, el nuevo protagonista de Assassin´s Creed II y claro descendiente de Desmont Miles. Esta vez Ubisoft nos trae un video in-game mostrando algunas de las obras de los amigos y aliados de Ezio, como Miguel Ángel y Leondardo Da Vinci, además de las habilidades que tendrá este muchacho casado, ya sea nadar, volar por los aire, escalar edificios o manejar carrozas haciendo crecer un poco más la expectativa de este  juego bastante interesante que además de tener la misión de redimir sus errores del pasado tiene que enfrentarse a un monstruo (llámese CoD: MW2).

Sin más aquí está el video, mas unas imágenes directo de la GDC09 y  también un link para verán video pop-block que muestra detalles que quizás no hayan notado.

[Fuente: Jostiq y GameTrailers]

Praying that it's only two weeks!

What do you want first: the bad news… or the worse news? Ok, we’ll start with the bad news. The Chiefs took a step back on Saturday night in a 14-10 loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks as shaky pass defense and special teams play were the theme of the night. The worst part? They lost the new face of the franchise for what is being reported as 2-4 weeks due to an MCL injury suffered on the third play of the game.

We new that Cassel was going to face tons of pressure with the swinging gate of an offensive line that the Chiefs are dealing with, but I don’t think many of us expected to see him get hurt this fast. Tyler Thigpen subbed in… and looked miserable. Matt Gutierrez was a nightmare as well. Not that I expected the Chieftans to win week 1 at Baltimore, but now it’s going to look really bad… I mean REALLY bad. The Ravens should, and probably will, stack 8 in the box on every down, and will have a defensive field day. Larry Johnson will once again want to quit or get traded, and Todd Haley will lose it on the sidelines. But, that’s enough of the negative talk…

The defense actually looks like they could be a somewhat respectable unit. Tyson Jackson seems to be developing, and there is no way this team will allow the huge chunks of rushing yardage that plagued the 2008 season. The 3-4 D seems to be sinking in… with one glaring problem. When the ‘backers have to drop into coverage we have been getting burned. Tamba Hali and Corey Mays have been pleasant surprises (mainly against the run), but have frequently been out of position when they are responsible for zone or man coverage, and the intermediate route has been a huge soft spot.

Hopefully, Page, Flowers, and the rest of the secondary are healthy for opening day because they are going to be in charge of some big time damage control.

-Dylan

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 es la revisión que están haciendo desde Tecmo del Ninja Gaiden 2 de Xbox 360. Esta versión, exclusiva de PlayStation 3, contará con diversos añadidos (entre ellos un modo cooperativo on-line, del que os traigo un vídeo), aunque a mi no me termina de convencer el hecho de que desaparezca el componente gore que caracteriza el original de 360…

Fuente: AnaitGames

[Run]
Can’t escape!

—————————————-

Aeryliss clutches a pillow, speaking quietly
[Aeryliss] says: Lanuria wants a baby. Varendil.. he just wants Lanuria. I’m a part of his past. And I’m ruining his shiny new family

[Zengu] says: And so you thought you were doing them a favor by leaving them.

Aeryliss nods silently

[Zengu] says: They still love you, Liss. They always will. You’re still family and they still care for you, even if a new member does come along.

[Aeryliss] says: But he wont leave her.

[Zengu] says: No. So why would you leave them?

[Aeryliss] says: Haven’t you ever known someone.. who you just didn’t want to be around? But you didn’t say anything because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings. But they wouldn’t stop bothering you
[Aeryliss] says: That’s me. I’m that annoying little girl he tried to get away from.. and then got lucky and found him again.

Zengu sighs. “Liss, I don’t think he was trying to get away from you. I think he was just… nervous and scared about being a father. Felt he wasn’t ready for it.”

Aeryliss is like, sobbing now
[Aeryliss] says: But I’m his daughter! I should have been enough. I should have been enough for him to overcome the fear.
[Aeryliss] says: .. what?

[Zengu] says: Sorry… just something I heard once from someone. “A child ruins everything in the nicest way”.

Aeryliss sobs in to the pillow
[Aeryliss] says: He never even looked for me. Not once.
[Aeryliss] says: He just wanted to forget about me

Zengu frowns at Aeryliss. “Maybe he was just… scared. Scared of how you and your… your mother might react if he came back.”

[Aeryliss] says: And now he wont even have a baby with Lan.. because he knows how it will make me feel. So I’m ruining Lan’s life, too. And I love Lan. But I hate her for being good enough when I wasn’t. And I hate her because I know he loves her so much more than me

[Zengu] says: Well, he is married to her… but you’re still his daughter. Of course he still loves you.

Aeryliss speaks in barely over a whisper. “You don’t understand. He left. And then he chose her. But he didn’t choose me. I just came back. He wants to have a life with Lanuria, and I’m the constant reminder of the woman he abandoned.”

Zengu sighs and gets up from his seat. “You really should stop telling yourself that you’re all of these terrible things.”

Aeryliss tilts her head up and stares blankly at Zengu. “I think I want to sleep now.”

Gimme my iPhone!

New iPhone comes out in two days. Can’t wait for the in-game iTunes payment system integration. App store games will be more fun, with more ways to gain instant gratification on levels, avatar appearance, powers, social connections, points, etc.

Gimme my iPhone!

New iPhone comes out in two days. Can’t wait for the in-game iTunes payment system integration. App store games will be more fun, with more ways to gain instant gratification on levels, avatar appearance, powers, social connections, points, etc.

Durante el E3 pudimos disfrutar de un vídeo in-game de este juego (del que, personalmente, cada día me gusta más el aspecto y las posibilidades que ofrece al dar una vuelta de tuerca más en la historia de Sam), y hoy me han llegado unas nuevas imágenes oficiales del juego.

Tras el salto tenéis las imágenes y el vídeo in-game presentado en el E3, durante la conferencia de Microsoft.

Where to start where to start?! Well, guess I should apologise for not writing another post for the CBT…I had plenty to say, just not enough time to write it. So here’s a quick summary of my time in CBT:

CBT gathering: Spot Nuglar!

I decided to play a Battle Mage/Wizard (what ever you want to call it), so levelling from lvl 1 again wouldn’t be so…repetitive. I also wanted to see how much it had changed since I last played it. If you can remember, I use to LOOVE BM (BattleMage), then it got nerfed, and lost some skills to acolyte. Its better now, but I just don’t get a connection with the class like I do on a Knight! So I played BM, then switched and tried the other classes (getting a few characters to level 10 to reserve my names). And well well well…what do you know? I stumbled across Warrior again! Got to level 10…and carried on. I had met my love again. ONLY for it to be wiped after the CBT ^_^

So here I am again, in OBT…playing warrior/knight. Unfortunately OBT has started at a really inconvenient time for me, some of my fellow moderators and guild mates. It’s in the middle/at the start of our exams! So alas, I’m unable to spend alot of time in game. However, that doesn’t stop me from sticking around the forum answering all your questions!

The naked guild! We sold everything to get the money!

When the servers first opened, I only had 2 hours to play before I had to head off to badminton (life calls!). My goal, to get TheAddicts set up in a personal best time! However due to patching problems…half the guild couldn’t actually get on… So I left the guild in the highly capable hands of Rucari, and the guild got created later that night As you can see in teh picture above, we sold everything to get the money! lol, yes…fighting after that was a bit difficult Thanks to all our donators… EiLrahc21, Rucari, 0Cloud0o, BurntMyPie, Klarity, AutumnSong and offcourse myself :p

Lag. Topic of the week. No wait…it hasn’t even been a week yet!

Gotta love lag!

The first day was SMOOTH! The only time I experienced any lag was when I was hanging around Rucari. It was like a bubble of lag surrounded her Other than that (<3 Rucari…really!) it was the best…cleanest Dragonica experience I have had so far! It was only on the second day when I started getting lag spikes. This is when the trouble started! And no…I don’t mean trouble for me in game…I don’t mind, it’s something that has to happen for the game to improve. No, the trouble was on the forum! But I won’t get into all this lag business here…to controversial! You can check up on all the haters and supports on the forum. Just look in the “new posts” and you’re bound to see a few threads

The PvP lag has gone as well! GREAT WORK IAH! In previous tests I have avoided PvP because of the lag…you end up fighting it instead of the other players! But now…it’s so minimal! I actually enjoyed PvPing!!! And I WON! Or more like KICKED ASS (compared to my previous beta matches). I even started taking people on 2v1…and still won! (Yes they were the around same level as me). I even had some guy swearing at me somehow…I don’t think he knew who I was *ponders*. If I sound like I’m bragging…I’m not, I’m just really happy that I can actually kill people in PvP now!

Double Kill (2v1)

It’s good to see so many enjoying themselves in game Its also good to see the community helping each other out on the forum! Makes our life as moderators alot easier Keep up the good work!
A big shout out to Crimson_Moon, Altessa, Eilrahc21 and Kenzai for sticking around the forum and keeping everyone happy! Not to mention all the admins for working through the night, keeping Dragonica up and running

See you all in game!
~Nuglar