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style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">Top
Ten
Free-to-Play Games

Week
of Feb 21 - Feb 28, 2010




1. Dungeons
and Dragons
Online: Eberron Unlimited
href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">

2.Runes
of Magic
target="_blank">

href="http://everquest2.station.sony.com/"> style="text-decoration: underline;"> style="text-decoration: underline;"> href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">3.  href="http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp"
target="_blank">Atlantica
Online
target="_blank"> href="http://us.runesofmagic.com/us/index.html"> style="text-decoration: underline;"> style="text-decoration: underline;">

4.  target="_blank">FreeRealms style="text-decoration: underline;"> href="http://www.freerealms.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;"> href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">

5.  href="../../../../DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/www.global.4story.com"
target="_blank">  href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">Allods Online href="http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp"
target="_blank"> href="http://cabal.ogplanet.com/Reloaded.html" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">

6. target="_top">Silkroad
Online
target="_blank"> href="http://rappelz.gpotato.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">

 7. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2433"
target="_blank">Aika href="http://heroesofgaia.gpotato.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">

8. target="_top">Mabinogi

9. target="_top">Perfect
World International
href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank"> style="text-decoration: underline;">

10. target="_top">2Moons href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/581"
target="_top">

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/581"
target="_top"> href="www.global.4story.com" target="_blank">

style="text-decoration: underline;">


When we talk about the best of
free-to-play games, it is
typically done so in a comparative manner, matching the games to their
closest
subscription based double.

Recently though, the genre has moved
away from its role as a
provider of the poor man’s versions of established titles and into the
role of
industry innovators, especially as the big studios shy away from
anything that
doesn’t directly model the big boys. Considering that so many of the
subscription titles that have ventured away from the WoW formula
failing
recently it seems that more of them would have followed the
microtransaction
model for a better shot at success.

Kudos go out
this week to Dungeons and Dragons Online:
Ebberon Unlimited
for href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81509" target="_top">surpassing
the 1
million user mark after their daring move to drop their
monthly fee.
While DDO
has gone a long way to garner the public’s trust in cash shop games,
another
highly anticipated title may be quickly eroding it. Allods
Online
was gaining a full head of steam as it rolled towards
release and it looked as though nothing could prevent it from easily
becoming
the most popular free-to-play title to date, but a highly href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81217" target="_top">unpopular
decision
regarding the game’s death penalty, and the pricing of the item needed
to
remove it, may derail this train before it leaves the station. gPotato
has been
quick
to state
that neither pricing nor game mechanics are set in
stone, so
hopefully the developers can reach a compromise that keeps everybody
happy.

 

One new innovator in the free-to-play
market that has flown
under most gamers’ radars is an addicting little browser game called style="">EpicDuel. This side scroller, from Artix
Entertainment, centers around 1 vs. 1 or 2 vs. 2 player battles and
offers a
flash game like no other currently on the market. Ten Ton Hammer was
able to
sit down for an interview recently with the creative force behind the
game,
Jonathan Duran, and get the inside scoop on what makes EpicDuel
tick. We are proud to present the interview in its entirety
in today’s Microcosms, so keep reading and look for it after the
Microtransaction of the Week.

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style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">Microtransaction
Highlight of the Week  

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80160"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/81597"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 180px; height: 113px; float: left;"
alt="">
Sony Online Entertainment has
consistently found new ways to
make FreeRealms
fun and interesting and in that tradition the developer
announced new mounts.

alt=""
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 180px; height: 113px; float: right;"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/81598">

The newly added mounts come in two
varieties, a
ground
based T-Rex and a “flying” Dragon. The mounts allow players to travel
at up to
150% of their normal speed and they come in your choice of three colors
each.
You can purchase them from special vendors throughout the game or
directly from
the Station market menu. At this time the mounts are restricted to
members
only. 


Microcosms Interviews EpicDuel’s Jonathan Duran



Ten Ton Hammer: Can you
give us a brief overview of EpicDuel for the uninitiated?




Jonathan Duran:
EpicDuel is a free-to-play animated MMO with a focus on
player-vs-player battles. The game takes place on the post-apocalyptic
world of Delta V. Players compete for achievements, fortune, fame, and
a spot on the leaderboards.



EpicDuel started as a class project while I was in college in 2007. My
business partner and I formed Epic Inventions LLC to develop the game
full-time in 2008, and the game finally went public in March of 2009.
After a ton of late nights and literally gallons of coffee, EpicDuel
was introduced to a massive audience in December 2009 as part of the
Artix Entertainment family!



Ten Ton Hammer: Where did
the idea for the game come from?




JD: I grew
up playing games like Kings Quest and the Legend of Zelda. Later on I
got into more complex RPG- and RTS-style games like Diablo and, one of
my favorites, Warcraft III. In college, I stumbled upon one of Artix
Entertainment’s first games, AdventureQuest. I was encouraged by the
fact that here was a game produced with minimal staff, yet capable of
reaching a massive audience. AdventureQuest made me believe that
EpicDuel could succeed, but I knew we needed a unique touch. To
standout, I developed a fun battle engine unlike anything in the realm
of Flash-based gaming!



Ten Ton Hammer: How many
classes are available?




JD: EpicDuel
features three unique classes: brutal Mercenaries, mysterious Tech
Mages, and lethal Bounty Hunters. Each class has a skill tree of eleven
skills and the ability to equip class-specific items.



Ten Ton Hammer: How can
characters be customized each time they gain a level?




JD: With
each level, players earn 4 stat points and 1 skill point. Stat points
may be distributed among health, energy, strength, dexterity,
technology, or support. Skill points can be used to upgrade existing
skills or unlock new skills. Also, as new levels are achieved, better
gear can be purchased and equipped to give players an edge in battle.
The EpicDuel forums are packed with topics devoted to different builds
and strategies for all classes at all levels.



Ten Ton Hammer: Is there
any way to change the look of your character once you’re in the game?




JD:
Absolutely! EpicDuel offers a ton of ways to customize your character
in game. Players can create custom color schemes, choose new
hairstyles, purchase new armors, and equip up to three different weapon
types to become a walking arsenal in battle. The art team has created a
ton of unique designs to give players loads of flexibility. I love
logging in and seeing the awesome custom looks our players create for
their characters!



Ten Ton Hammer: How does
the new player level up? Are there NPCs to battle as well as player
duels?




JD: Players
level up as they earn experience points in battle. The amount of
experience players earn varies based on the level of the opponent;
lower level players earn more experience for defeating higher level
opponents and vice versa. Players can also earn experience by battling
a myriad of challenging NPCs found all across the EpicDuel world. Their
advanced AI and diverse skill sets make them just as challenging as
some human opponents.



Ten Ton Hammer: Can you
pre-form your 2v2 team, or is it luck of the draw?




JD: At the
moment, 2v2 matches are automatically determined by the EpicDuel
matching engine, which will select players within a level range and
adjust the teams to provide fair matches. Partner selection is a highly
requested feature and is under development for future releases.



Ten Ton Hammer: How do
Factions and Legions work?




JD: Our
players are really getting into the Faction War. Factions function like
guilds and clans in other RPGs. When creating a Faction, players may
choose to set their alignment to serve the noble Exiles or the
tyrannical Legion. Faction founders can create a flag, color scheme,
recruit members, promote officers, and even define custom titles for
all of their members. Factions have their own leaderboards and
constantly vie for domination of Delta V.



Ten Ton Hammer: How
important is the social aspect of the game?




JD: EpicDuel
is primarily PvP, so developing a large, active community is essential.
We’re currently enhancing the Faction system to improve player
communication and increase team-based competition. The Faction War
encourages players to battle alongside their allies to secure strategic
capture points for their respective factions.



Ten Ton Hammer: What is
the role of player housing in the game? Is there a benefit to real
estate?




JD: Right
now we offer three different styles of housing and plenty more will
come soon. Players can jump to their homes for to privately talk battle
strategy or just hang out. Factions use them as temporary meeting
places (until Faction Headquarters arrive.) In the near future, players
will be able to decorate their homes with furniture, posters, and
useful items such as shelves to display achievements and item
dispensers that offer discounted health and energy packs.



Ten Ton Hammer: What else
should we know about EpicDuel?




JD: This
journey has been truly epic! I am extremely grateful to our players and
Artix Entertainment for making this dream possible. EpicDuel constantly
evolves based on player feedback, so be sure to sign up on our forums
and let us know what you would like to see next in EpicDuel!



We want to thank Jonathon for taking time out of his schedule to answer
our questions about this up and coming game. You can check it out for
yourself at www.EpicDuel.com, where you can catch the latest news,
create and account and play the game. Just make sure to block a couple
of free hours--you’ll need it!




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style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">
 Taunt your opponent for maximum enjoyment






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style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">Hot
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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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