Several months ago, we reported that TQdigital, one of the largest game developers in China, together with UBI Soft was designing a very classical strategy game: Heroes of Might and Magic Online. Just a few days ago, TQdigital announced that the game was now in Open Beta stage in mainland China. It has a great impact for Chinese MMORPG market: 1st, HMM series is one of the most popular game types in China, just like warcraft III from Blizzard; 2nd, a MMO with SLG element fills up a gap between MMO and Browser Games (In china, browser games are normally SLG while client based games are MMO).

10 years has passed since 3DO released Heroes of Might and Magic III. TQdigital has spent almost 5 years, using its same old 2D map + 3D character engine to present the game to the world. To us, we think if TQdigital uses 3D engine, just like Heroes of Might and Magic 5, it will fail. 2.5 D is still the best engine for SLG type of games.

First Impression

We have to compare this online version with HMM3(Heroes of Might and Magic III). This online version of Heroes of Might and Magic inherted the best of the best in HMM3. Races, magic, skills, armies…they are almost the same to HMM3. The only difference are the images. But the online version has ripped off the low level of the armies. Take the human race for example, they have lv.1 spearman and halberdman. But in online version, we only have halberdman for human race.

Not like in other MMORPG, you are not playing a role of normal warrior. Every player here is a lord. Each one of them has their own castle and they can hire different soldiers from their castle. But the game also has MMO elements as well. You will find the game interface looks like Eudemons Online’s interface as well. You can also find a lot of settings inherted from Eudemons Online as well.

Online Version Creation

Since the game is an online version, the game designers bring a great communication system to the game. If you are a fan of TQdigital games, you will know that the chat part is a masterpiece of their games. When you are not in battle, you can trade resources with other players in market; you can also find important NPCs in the city to get new quests. Most important, when you are doing epic quests over lvl 30, you need other players to assist you to complete the quests – this is what we need for online version.

After creation, you are set for a race. But if you want to hire other races, what do you need? You need to create a new castle to hire different races’ soldiers. Of course, it will cost you a lot of time and money to do so – that is how the money will be generated from this game as well.

In HMM3, treasure can be hunted during battles. In online version, players can create different treasures themselves to enhance the power of the hero. Sure, real money is needed to purchase materials to create them.

PVP part

After you reach lv 40, you can PVP with other players. There are three modes for PVP: Duel, PVP and Brutal PK. In duel mode, you and your opponent will not consume a single soldier; In PVP mode it’s a real PK mode. Deaths within your army reducing your forces to 10% will be regarded as a failure.

Brutal PK is the most interesting part of the game. It is held in the Arena. When you reach lv 70, you can make a Brutal PK with other players over 70. If your opponent accepts your challenge, you will spend 30 minutes to complete the whole process of Brutal PK. The winner will gain Honor Points, which can be used to exchange valuable items in the Honor Shop.

Epic Quests

Epic quests are the core content of the online version. You can upgrade your heroes, gain materials and equipments in completing Epic Quests. There are three types of Epic Quests you can take: Single, Multiple and Unit. What’s the difference between Multiple and Unit? In multiple quest, all players are in a same map while in unit quest, players are scatterred into different maps to complete different tasks. Unit Epic Quest will cost players a lot of time to reach their goal, but it’s the most interesting part of the epic quests.

It’s very simple to start epic quests: Just like in other casual games, all you need is to create a gaming room, invite other players to join this room and start epic quests with you.

Conclusion

If you are a fan of Heroes of Might and Magic, you should have a try of this online version made by a Chinese developer. It will remind you of the days you spent on Heroes of Might and Magic III. If you want to say something, feel free to comment and if you want to have a try on the game, we can make accounts for you.

Official website: http://yx.91.com

310,000  current users with 43 game servers – that is an outstanding performance of the newly released cartoon style MMORPG – Luvinia Online, published by Simo tech in mainland China. Of course, the figure is from the “Official Website” and we doubt that always :p.

Before we get into the game details, let’s gossip about the company. Everyone knows that SNDA, largest game company in China has bought Aurora Tech in Chengdu. The rumor says that the leader of Aurora Tech has “escaped” from SNDA and made a new company called Simo Tech and they started to publish the new game called Luvinia Online.

Is that true? We don’t know yet but let us just regard this as a little appetiser before we get into the details of Luvinia Online(Chinese: ????).

As you can see from the screenshot above, Luvinia Online’s interface is just like other MMORPG’s, copying WOW interface. If you look closely you will find there are a lot of similarities with the icons used in WOW. The game is made from a 3D engine while zoomed into 2.5D views. It has solved the dizzy problems for some players. The whole game style is like a mixture of European and Japanese styles. We can also see some elements copied from Ragnarok Online, especially the profession settings, the maps and town names.

We have captured a lot of high quality screenshots in our testing machine but we don’t have them at hand. We will upload them to the next article on this game and explain them in more detail. We have reached lv. 20 and we haven’t found anything exciting beside the beautiful interface and skill effects. NPC and characters are really cute and we think this might attract a lot of girl players and RO styled MMO fans. But overall, from the official website’s introduction, this game is pretty plain and simple, with average MMO settings and features and we haven’t found out anything unusual yet. But it’s definite a game with all of the current popular settings.

If you understand Chinese, as always, please visit their official website for more details:

http://www.star07.com/

Last time we were about to make a MMOCG list. But due to lots of reasons, the list is not made yet. But we will bring the list to our readers ASAP.

Today we have received a piece of news from Game Entertainment Europe. They told us their 2nd game, Hovorn, an action-packed racing game which you can play online with 8 players simultaneously, is now open beta! If you like racing games, and love cartoon styled games, do have a try!

Leipzig, Germany, August 21^{st –} Game Entertainment Europe announced today that the Beta version of Hovorun has been officially released for Open Beta. Hovorun (www.hovorun.com) is Europe’s first casual online multiplayer racing game. The open beta will be made available for gamers in the European territory including Russia and Turkey. Hovorun is currently available in English and will soon be followed by a Dutch, German and French version.

Hovorun is a 3D casual racing game developed by Korean game developer Lots Entertainment. The game is a Free2Play game and the game client (87MB) can be downloaded for free. The game has many interesting features such as a clan system, a shop with many different items for purchase, high scores tournaments, friends lists and an in game chat.

Users are able to buy GO (virtual credits) to obtain cool items in game for new avatars or to change their avatar with scarves, goggles, helmets etc. Users can also choose the Hovo mode to switch gears for the hovercraft vehicles to enhance their racing skills. And for those who are really good at playing the game, it is possible to use their experience points to buy exclusive items. When gamers start playing Hovorun,  they will receive one Hovo and avatar for free.

"Hovorun has a wide appeal to the  European target group who love to play casual games. With this Open Beta, we want to get  gamers in Europe to provide their feedback and help us  improve our services for the game," said Richard van Barneveld Hovorun, CEO , Game Entertainment Europe,

"A revolutionary feature of this game is that it includes a real time dynamically profiled advertising mechanism that can be controlled by the advertising handling companies themselves. Beside this feature it is possible to handle all kinds of advertising methods ranging from sponsored items to entire branded race tracks", said Jurriaan van Rijswijk, CCO of Game Entertainment Europe.

If you live in Europe, please feel free to download this game and have fun! Here are some screenshots for our readers.

Have fun!

PERFECT WORLD INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES OPEN BETA

September 2, 2008 – Redwood City, CA – Perfect World Entertainment Inc, a wholly owned US subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd., today announced the beta for its highly anticipated online game “Perfect World International” is now open to all gamers. As the closed beta comes to an end, new and existing gamers will be provided open access to “Perfect World International” where they can fully immerse themselves in the expansive world and create permanent characters that will remain in the game through launch and beyond. 

"With millions of players worldwide and a successful closed beta launch in North America, we are excited to now introduce an even larger audience of gamers to Perfect World International as it enters the open beta phase," said Dr. Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc. "We are confident that our premium content, skillful approach to game design, and excellent execution will redefine the free-to-play market in North America while establishing Perfect World Entertainment as a leading provider of interactive entertainment."

"Perfect World International" is the English-based, international version of Perfect World II, one of the most successful 3D MMORPGs worldwide. With its expansive feature set and unique artistic elegance, "Perfect World International" offers an immersive online world that players can enter free of charge, earning in-game currency to upgrade their character and further enhance their game play experience. The game features one of the most in-depth character creation interfaces seen in any game to date, numerous quests full of lore and depth, and an extensive selection of items and fashions. Unique MMORPG features such as Territory Wars will delight gamers and increase replay value as they explore and battle across the ever-expanding game world.

• Additional game features include:
  o    3 Unique Classes – Human, Winged Elf, and the Untamed, each with their own look, feel, and game mechanics. Each character class has different skill trees, which cater to the user’s visual tastes as well as their intrinsic needs as a gamer.
  o    Guild/Clan System – Guilds enable chat between members, creation of guild emblems, guild versus guild battles, and control of existing territories.
  o    Territory Wars – Guilds can own territories and battle for their control. Weekly battles support up to 80 vs. 80 and winners receive a virtual monetary reward determined by the amount of territory occupied.
  o    Mount System – Large selection of custom mounts, including flying mounts and the unique ability to mount and carry other players.  Players have the unique ability to fight while on their mounts both in PvP (Player vs. Player) and PvE (Player vs. Environment).
  o    Costumes – Players have the ability to fully express themselves through their in-game characters by customizing clothing, and creating fully personalized avatars. These customization items can be bought from the item mall or traded with other players in the game.
  o    Free Roaming Map – Large variety of terrains and scenery and no “zoning” or front loading when entering a new area.  
  o    Consequence – Character abilities change based on their decisions and their allegiance to good and evil as they align themselves with either side.
  o    Marriage System – Both players will have an online notice, and a wife/husband title. Marriage requires an item from the Cash Shop which is worth around 30$ in Perfect World item shop currency.
  o    Crafting System – Players can select and raise four different crafting skills. Blacksmithing (creates weapons), Tailoring (creates armor), Jewelry (creates various jewelry and arrows), and Pharmacist (creates potions and hierograms).
  o    World Events – Aside from day-to-day game play, players can also participate in World Events that regularly take place in the game and allow players to obtain unique items. These include treasure hunts, horse races, jungle ruins quests, etc.
  o    Exceptional Localization – Perfect World Entertainment has gone through great lengths to fully re-localize Perfect World into English, while at the same time ensure that the Chinese mythology and lore continue to enrich the end-user’s experience.

Players can find additional information on “Perfect World International” and gain access to the game by visiting: http://www.perfectworld.com.

After 2 months of Closed-Beta testing, the long-expected Open Beta of Magic World Online will finally begin on June 20, 2008. An MMORPG with some of the most fantastic new concepts and original game designs, MWO has already won over hearts of many players during its Closed Beta.

During the official Open Beta, players can experience some very exciting new features in MWO:

l While having a romantic relationship in game is certainly fun, but it might not be quite enough for some serious committed love birds. Why not have a beautiful wedding to make the ultimate commitment? In the Open Beta, a new Marriage System will be added to make this possible.

l An Official Position System will be introduced to allow players gain distinctions by contributing to their countries and fellow citizens. The honor and reputation gained from the Position System are not the sole purpose for players to fight hard, but, they certainly provide extra encouragement for the players.

l There will be a new expanded map named Hero Island for all the brave adventurers to explore.

l Furthermore, The 12 Evil Zodiac, the most dangerous instance ever in MWO history, will be opened to all players who are ready to face the ultimate challenge.

Other exciting and unique game features include:

• In Game Video Chat: Communicate with your in-game friends face to face
• House System: Own a multifunctional house that’ll meet your ever changing needs
• In Game Robot and Auto Navigation: GPS auto navigation in maps and auto-grinding
• Massive State War with thousands of players
• Growing Weapons that will upgrade together with you
• Raising special mount
• Infinite weapons and armors
• Multiple Living Skills
• Multiple Class Transfers: 16 ultimate classes

The client file of MWO Open Beta is ready for download at http://mwo.enjoymmo.com. Registration will be quick and easy at http://mwo.enjoymmo.com/register/. Both download and registration are absolutely free. All Closed Beta players will only need to update a small patch to be ready for the Open Beta.

A brand new server world will be open on the date of Open Beta for players who wish to have a new beginning.

Join MWO Open Beta?and start your new journey on June 20, 2008.