Tobold's Blog
Saturday, February 07, 2009
 
A strange endorsement

I read some good things about Runes of Magic. Apparently it is quite good for a free-to-play game, and you can play it from start to level cap without spending a single dollar on it. Of course there is a way to spend real world dollars for game stuff, and of course that game stuff is nice, like mounts, bags, or furniture for your house. But none of it is strictly mandatory, and there will be a way to buy the "diamonds" required for that stuff from other players with ingame currency.

But the strangest endorsement for Runes of Magic I read came from The Common Sense Gamer. Darren says he isn't playing Runes of Magic because it is exactly like World of Warcraft. Hmmmm. Exactly like World of Warcraft and free? Sounds like a winning combination to me!

Anyway, you can check out Runes of Magic in the current open beta version, or do like me and wait for the official release date of March 19. As the release version is as free as the open beta, there is no need to play the unfinished version now and get your character deleted in 6 weeks.
Comments:
Well after briefly checking out their web page I can safely say that they stole WoW's design and just altered it slightly. :)
 
All characters from beta are staying, they're not deleting anything.
 
I wonder how's conversion between cash and diamonds.
100 diamonds = ??? dollars (or euro)
 
Darren says he isn't playing Runes of Magic because it is exactly like World of Warcraft.

But...it isn't. It is a cheap knock off with a few differences stolen from other MMO's (housing, dual classing..).
Bad animations and sounds, overall boredom from kill millions of foozle quests.

This is a good game for those laid off though! Free never hurt anyone.
 
It's definitely worth checking out.

The bigger question in my mind is that that Tobold hints at: If the *only* significant difference between games is the business model, what would keep people from switching to a business model that fits their budget better? Could WoW inertia (and living in a mental rut) keep people from trying even a free game?
 
Could WoW inertia (and living in a mental rut) keep people from trying even a free game?

Almost certainly yes would be my guess. As others point out often, when they have friends, characters, etc. invested in an MMORPG, it's quite hard to switch to another one. (Plus runes of magic would need to be marketed well, or at least get well known in some way, to attract people from WoW.)


(Also, wow what a stereotypical fantasy name.)
 
Last time I dipped my toe into Runes of Magic 100 diamonds was either 7 pounds or 7 dollars. It escapes me but I remember it costing between 400 and 700 diamonds to buy a permanent mount.

Personally I found the game lacking, bland and unimaginative. There was no magic to capture me. Nothing to hook me in or make me go "ooooh!" It was just... bleh. It's like Vanilla flavoured ice cream.
 
having played Runes of Magic, in closed and open beta, i'd recommend *not* playing it - it's the least fun i've had playing a game for a long time. altho there *is* crafting, which is rare for free-to-play MMOs. i've read that there won't be a character wipe, just fyi, but that's no reason to play it :)

if you want to play a free-to-play MMO, with content (but no crafting, and crazy pricing) i'd recommend Rohan: Blood Feud - altho unlike Runes od Magic, you cant avoid the pvp.
 
"It's like Vanilla flavoured ice cream."

Sort of like vanilla WoW, then?
 
Runes of Magic does feel a little soul-less and 'vanilla', but for a F2P fantasy MMO it's actually a very solid title. Is it a triple-A MMO that's going to give WoW a run for it's money? No, of course not. But if you like WoW's style of gameplay (and apparently there are millions who do) but are tired of paying money for WoW, Runes of Magic isn't a bad choice. The dual-class option you get at level 10 and the ability to take every crafting skill on a single character are probably the things that most set it apart from WoW. The way you improve your spells and abilities is also interesting.

I'd say DOMO is a more creative and visually appealing free MMO, but Runes of Magic is done in a very WoW-traditionalist style that should be familiar to the western gamer.

Oh, and as others have said, there will be no character wipe at the end of beta, so if that's your only reason for not checking it out, you might as well take a look.
 
Just had a good experience with http://www.waroftherealm.com, a turn based strategy game. Check it out if you have time.
 
i'll be interested to see how much content it launches with. But I downloaded it this weekendand going through the game features was like checking off the list things me and my old guildies used to say they should add to wow.

You can level all professions to a point before you pick your master craft. Guilds can declare war on each other. Housing is available. There is a Dual class capability. Mounts are available at level one. you start with 60 bag slots. Potions stack beyond 20 in oneslot. They have runes that work like Gems in wow. But you get socketable gear from the beginning. The Sliders give you a bit more customization options at character creation. If you don't want to grind for pets or mounts you can buy them right off the bat.

It's got to be the Blizzard engine. I suspect blizzard will lose a lot of the kiddie accounts initially when parents realize thier kids can play free there. But if they keep thier promise and patch in new content every 3months I think blizzard might have a problem. It's really just the wow engine cleaned up and with different content.

I've said for 2 years now if someone figures out most of those casual gamers don't want innovation they just want new content that would be the next big thing. If they keep thier promises and the microtransaction model generates enough revenue this might actually dent WOW.
 
is there anyway I can buy these stuff without using a credit card? my parents strictly forbid using credit cards online
 
Which is probably a good idea from your parents, assuming it is *their* money on the credit card. :)
 
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