Runes of Magic Free MMOG Launches

[Andy Chalk]

Runes of Magic Free MMOG Launches

Frogster [http://www.frogster-interactive.de/] has announced that free-to-play MMOG Runes of Magic has completed beta testing and is now open to the public.

It was sort of open to the public before, I suppose, as the game's open beta attracted more than 500,000 players, but now gamers can officially leap into "Rise of the Demon Lord," the first chapter in the new game set in the fantasy realm of Taborea. Players who signed up during the beta phase can continue to use those characters but the full version of the game will feature a greatly expanded world with new quests, instances and content.

Runes of Magic features a dual-class character system and over 1000 quests set across an "enthralling background story." The game's seamless design means there are no zone boundaries to contend with, while both instanced and persistent dungeons are available. Rounding things out is an optional PvP and guild war system along with other standard MMOG features like unique mounts, an "epic" crafting system, an in-game auction house and much more. Although originally created by Taiwanese developer Runewalker [http://www.runewaker.com/], Runes of Magic is tailored to "western MMO standards."

Free updates and add-ons are planned for release every four to five months, and a new coastal area with a "distinctly pirate flavor" called Ravenfell is set to open soon. Sign-up information and the free Runes of Magic client can be found at runesofmagic.com [http://www.runesofmagic.com/].


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[Nimbus]

Sounds interesting. EvE was a dissapointment, so I guess I'll give this a shot. Downloading...

 

[Krakyn]

I've never played an MMORPG, so I think I'm going to give this a shot. The only problem I see, just by looking at their basic page, is that there's a serious ability balance problem with classes.

They promote dual classing, and the first thing that comes to mind is the simple fighter/wizard combo. Problem is, they have a Warrior class that gets no spells and apparently can't even wear the best armors, and Knight class that has very slightly less strength, CAN wear the best armors, and DOES have spells. It seems the Knight class is already a dual class on its own, and beats out the Warrior extremely easily.

I wonder if there will be any warriors at all when I get into the world; it seems kind of silly if there are. There's no point really when you can have a much better version right off the bat.

 

[Erana]

Looks boring and generic to me.

 

[Draxis]

All I want is an MMO where levels and equipment DONT mean everything, where the player is at least as important as the character - An MMO where a new character can jump right in and have fun, without having to hold down a second job for a month just to get to a high enough level to play with their friends.

But level-grind addicts and pack-rats (99% of the MMO population) would never touch it, so it wont happen

 

[Nimbus]

Looks boring and generic to me.

Could the same not be said about World of Warcraft? Hell, at this point, they're probably the definition of generic.

All I want is an MMO where levels and equipment DONT mean everything, where the player is at least as important as the character - An MMO where a new character can jump right in and have fun, without having to hold down a second job for a month just to get to a high enough level to play with their friends.

But level-grind addicts and pack-rats (99% of the MMO population) would never touch it, so it wont happen

You just described EvE Online.

Try it. Steam has a 21 day free trial.

 

[Krakyn]

Looks boring and generic to me.

Could the same not be said about World of Warcraft? Hell, at this point, they're probably the definition of generic.

Main Entry:
1ge·ner·ic Listen to the pronunciation of 1generic
Pronunciation:
\jə-ˈner-ik, -ˈne-rik\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
French générique, from Latin gener-, genus birth, kind, class
Date:
1676

1 a: relating to or characteristic of a whole group or class : general
b: being or having a nonproprietary name
c: having no particularly distinctive quality or application
2: relating to or having the rank of a biological genus
3: World of Warcraft

? ge·ner·i·cal·ly Listen to the pronunciation of generically \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
? ge·ner·ic·ness noun

Holy shi-

 

[Nimbus]

Holy shi-

Ahahahahah! Oh, I haven't laughed like that at a forum post in a long time!

 

[MiloP]

Looks boring and generic to me.

Could the same not be said about World of Warcraft? Hell, at this point, they're probably the definition of generic.

All I want is an MMO where levels and equipment DONT mean everything, where the player is at least as important as the character - An MMO where a new character can jump right in and have fun, without having to hold down a second job for a month just to get to a high enough level to play with their friends.

But level-grind addicts and pack-rats (99% of the MMO population) would never touch it, so it wont happen

You just described EvE Online.

Try it. Steam has a 21 day free trial.

No, I'm pretty sure he said he DIDN'T want a second job. When the guilds in EVE Online are called 'corporations', then you know you're in trouble.

 

[Ralackk]

Did these guys license the same engine WoW uses for this MMO?

 

[WolfLordAndy]

It sounds just like guildwars...

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Sounds quite fascinating indeed. If I didnt already play Guild Wars I would check this out!

 

[Ronwue]

Well... since I'm hopping to and from MMOs these days I'll give it a try. Might as well band and bond with escapsits while there. Any takers, gimme a call.

 

[Nikita89]

It's quite nice actually! I played the open beta 'till lvl 15. The problem were the quests, they were very much alike, but maybe they've sorted that out now!

EDIT: It's not like Guild Wars

 

[Nimbus]

Holy hell this is a slow donwload. Anyone getting above 50 kbps here?

 

[TsunamiWombat]

It's quite nice actually! I played the open beta 'till lvl 15. The problem were the quests, they were very much alike, but maybe they've sorted that out now!

EDIT: It's not like Guild Wars

Can you or anyone else give me a describe of it then? I tried out Perfect World and wanted to hang myself.

 

[Krakyn]

Holy hell this is a slow donwload. Anyone getting above 50 kbps here?

I'm not getting a slow torrent of it, but the freaking ClientUpdate program has taken at least an hour. It's freaking ridiculous. I don't know if it's patching or what, but I'm trying to be patient.

Well... since I'm hopping to and from MMOs these days I'll give it a try. Might as well band and bond with escapsits while there. Any takers, gimme a call.

I'll be playing, so if you want to trade info later, I'd be willing. We can maybe pick different characters and plan a little; never played an MMO before, but I'm guessing diverse classes working together is a good idea.

 

[Aqualung]

Holy hell this is a slow donwload. Anyone getting above 50 kbps here?

I'm not getting a slow torrent of it, but the freaking ClientUpdate program has taken at least an hour. It's freaking ridiculous. I don't know if it's patching or what, but I'm trying to be patient.

I'm watching oodles of videos of the game from Youtube, and it seems that people generally take 1-2 days to download the game.. Can't understand why, but it does look like a decent game. I'll be downloading.

 

[Krakyn]

I'm watching oodles of videos of the game from Youtube, and it seems that people generally take 1-2 days to download the game.. Can't understand why, but it does look like a decent game. I'll be downloading.

I have verified that, ridiculously, the problem is with updates/patches. Instead of also patching the downloadable game like any sensible company, they just left all the patches they've been doing over the history of the game to be downloaded afterward. Thus, I (think I) started at version 2.0.0.17. I'm now at version 2.0.0.1794 after a few hours.

I don't know what the final version number is...2.0.0.1795, knock on wood.