The free-to-play Battlefield Heroes model is a new one in this hemisphere, at least with a major franchise like Battlefield. Companies have blamed piracy more and more for the reasons for more heavily enforcing DRM and shifting to console development. And it impacted the way Battlefield Heroes‘ model came about, but not in the way you’d think.

You might remember this trailer I posted about in late February that made a quip about downloading the game on BitTorrent. Speaking with DICE executive producer Ben Cousins, GI.biz asked about the joke and if piracy had any effect on Heroes.

If you look at Korea - and really the idea for Battlefield Heroes came from a business trip to South Korea that a couple of guys had a few years ago - Korea and China are markets which are basically killed by piracy on the console side and on the PC side.

As a result this free-to-play model kind of came because people were used to not paying for their games because they were pirating them.

The companies started offering them for free and started monetizing it with micro-transactions. I don’t know whether DICE has been driven by piracy in our games - it’s certainly a problem but we do quite well anyway. It was more the case that the business model itself originally came from piracy back in the old days.

In that movie [the Battlefield Heroes trailer]…I think it’s important - I wrote the script for that movie - that we address the fact the piracy exists and there’s no point in hiding under the carpet or just sweeping it under the carpet.

Piracy is out there and the industry needs to find ways of dealing with it, and one of the ways is free-to-play games.

I’m so excited to get my hands on Heroes. Everything about it fascinates me, from the business model to the gameplay. And you can’t go wrong with something that’s free.

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The Team Fortress 2-styled, free-to-play Battlefield game, Battlefield Heroes, is set to begin beta testing on May 6, according to Eurogamer. Registration will be conducted on the game’s official website, so keep an eye out for updates on that.

In case you missed any of our previous coverage, Battlefield Heroes is entirely free to play and will run primarily off of advertisements – although there will be no ads in the game itself. With a cartoony look and streamlined gameplay and low system requirements, EA is hoping to reach a broader audience with what is clearly a radical change for Battlefield on a number of levels. This isn’t, however, Battlefield 3, so diehard fans don’t need to worry – that’s still coming, even if EA isn’t talking about it right now.

As much as I like blowing up environments, I’m looking forward to Heroes much more than I am Bad Company. Luckily for me, I’ll be able to roll from the Bad Company beta right into Heroes, although I’m not exactly sure what will fill the gap between now and Heroes’ release in Q3 2008.

Ambiera has announced the release of Darkness Springs, the first large-scale flash based RPG which is playable directly in the web browser. Darkness Springs is free to play, although premium (paid) users have more features, such as a bigger inventory, more solvable quests, a bigger level limit, and more maps to explore.

Darkness Springs works on any PC which is connected to the Internet, without download or installation. It offers more than 60 maps to explore, dozens of quests to solve, more than 2000 items including magic and unique ones, 8 trainable skills, 4 trainable attributes, 30 magic spells and a lot more.

As the open beta has ended and server maintenance has been finished now as well, you can now get in on the fun by clicking here. The developers also plan to update the game with new quests and maps from time to time.

Storyline:  Darkness has fallen upon the lands of Enthpia, and the members of the guild of Tolsor have evoked an adventurer to find the reason for the sudden darkness. The player is playing this adventurer, and together with the mage of Traor, he tries to find a solution to the problems caused by the darkness in Enthpia, such as the appearance of wargs, goblins and even scarier monsters.

Via: Press Release 

The upcoming free-to-play Battlefield game will be launching with only two maps when the beta launches later this year, but DICE has every intention of supplying plenty more – and they’ll be free.

Speaking with Gamasutra, Battlefield Heroes senior producer Ben Cousins talked about a lot of decisions made with the game, including the decision to launch with only two maps – when series vets are used to seeing upwards of a dozen.

So, it’s interesting — what I was thinking about is, you talked during your presentation about shipping with two maps, and that implies to me that you’re planning to upgrade later — I mean, obviously, the game is not going to persist on two maps.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, what we did is, we come to this from two angles. The first one is that in every Battlefield game, we bust our asses making 50 maps, and then within six months of the game being released, everyone’s playing two maps. The two best maps. So, we just decided to make just the two best maps, and not the other kind of maps.

I understand the rationale, even if I don’t care for the way he made his explanation. 50 maps is quite an exaggeration when talking about Battlefield, and saying they’ll build the two best maps assumes they know exactly which maps the community will best respond to.

And being the cynical bunch of gamers most people are, many people assumed that EA would simply charge for any and all future maps. However, Evil Avatar posted an update from Ben Cousins addressing that claim with an assurance that it simply isn’t the case.

…we have two maps to play at the open beta launch of the game later this year, and we already have another map quite far along in development which will be included in an update soon after launch.

We have no plans to charge people for maps. We want to keep the community of paying and free players together.

Just to re-iterate the business model here. We assume that 95% of Battlefield Heroes players never spend a penny on items. We will be delighted if 95% of players never spend any money on items. This is a free game, supported by advertising, with a small number of paying customers.

I’m glad to hear they’re planning on delivering free maps, as I’m very optimistic about the game’s potential. Let’s just hope Cousins is right and they make the two best maps right off the bat.

The newest video from Flagship Studios shows off not only the different races to choose from in their free MMORPG Mythos, but also goes into detail on three of the different classes to choose from.

The Bloodletter is your typical melee warrior, and if you like a character who is more hands on with their weapons and one that can get in the middle of a fight, then this will be the best melee class to choose. Bloodletters can also summon blood minions to help you do your dirty work in the heat of battle.

Pyromancers are basically wizards or magicians who can summon elementals to help them out in a pinch. Like most classes of this type, Pyromancers are best used at a distance when in battle, but if faced with a surrounding horde of enemies, they can still hold their own, but not as well as the Bloodletter.

Gadgeteers are also a class best used at a distance. Although guns and rifles are their primary weapons, the attacks are slower, and while more powerful the delay when using these weapons can cause an enemy to get close enough to attack. Gadgeteers will probably be better suited to standing in the back like a bowman or a hunter.

Mythos is shaping up to be a great game, especially for one that is free. The graphics are pretty nice compared to other free MMORPGs on the market and I have had a lot of fun so far with the beta. The third chapter was released on Monday and so far it is proving to be a highly entertaining game addition.

For more information on Mythos, check out our previous posts.

MORE SCREENS

NCsoft has released another promotional trailer for its new Exteel MMO. This free-to-play game features giant mechanaughts for all the MechWarrior and BattleTech fans out there. Exteel offers PvE and PvP combat with Team vs. Team battles as well. Take a look at the action in the latest trailer featuring the Pinket BattleMech.

You can download the client or purchase NCcoin to upgrade your Mechanaught on the Official Exteel website.
via FileFront

OGPlanet has announced the start of the U.S. open beta testing period for CABAL ONLINE, an action oriented MMORPG that already boasts nearly 1 million players in more than 12 countries throughout Asia and Europe . Open beta testing will begin tomorrow, Feb. 1st , and continue until the game officially launches on Feb. 21st. CABAL allows for combination-based fighting and PvP combat and it is free to play, with the option to purchase in-game items and features.

In CABAL ONLINE, players are called upon to protect the people of Nevareth from an evil entity known as CABAL. Centuries ago, the evil CABAL all but destroyed Nevareth, but the land was saved and rebuilt by seven great masters wielding the ancient abilities of Force Power. Nearly a thousand years later, CABAL has returned, and it is up to players to master the intricacies of the Force Power and use them to save Nevareth.

Set in an environment that includes ice temples, forgotten ruins, desert hideaways, mutant forests and volcanic citadels, CABAL has quests which are not the same old “collect 10 of something and bring it to me” variety, and more than 300 dungeons to explore. With 170 levels, CABAL is conducive to either constant or casual game play.

Additional CABAL ONLINE features include:

• An interactive combat system that utilizes combination attacks (precision and timing sensitive) to deliver blow after blow with NPC and PvP encounters.
• Six distinctive classes of characters-Warrior, Force Archer, Blader, Force Shielder, Wizard and Force Blader-each offering an entirely unique game play experience within CABAL.
• An in-game downloadable jukebox that allows players to download their own songs to play while they take on CABAL.
• A fluid fighting interface that brings intuitive and elegant motions to players’ fingertips. Different classes bring unique movements and actions to their character both in and out of the battle zone.
• All in-game items can be crafted into new items or enhancement.
• A dynamic character-creation tool with more than 200 options.
• More than 300 dungeons featuring highly original and challenging quest designs to explore.
• Magical and mystical unlockables enhance healing, attacking, crafting and shielding powers.
• Astral cycles and boards allow players to travel great distances in short amounts of time.
• Hundreds of weapon styles, ranging from blade, bow and arrow, guns, and magic, are available.
• Supports multi-player Server-Client.
• A state-of-the-art game engine delivers stunning, high-polygon-count 3D graphics at a sustainable high frame rate, even on low-end machines.
• Unparalleled special effects: dynamic lighting shading, Z-buffering, particle-based effects.
• An engine designed and built by a staff experienced with massive network traffic management to minimize any latency.
• Supports most popular 3D hardware accelerators.

You can download the beta by clicking on the badge below, and we also have plenty of more screens for you to view here, and some trailers here. If you decide to participate in the beta, let us know what you think of it!

A mini-backstory for CABAL ONLINE is posted after the break.

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Apparently, so many people have been playing the Mythos BETA that the folks over at Flagship Studios have added some hardware to the server cluster and if you log on tonight, this update should alleviate the lag spikes felt by some gamers. It is no wonder that so many people have been pushing the Mythos servers to the breaking point as cool as it is. I personally played a bit of the BETA some months back, and considering the fact that this game was created by the same people who helped create none other than Diablo, its no wonder it is so popular.

Watching the trailer, you get a great idea of the RPG gameplay mechanics that occur during the game, and if you are into the whole RPG scene, you should enjoy Mythoswhen it is finally released to the public; plus, for a free action RPG, Mythos looks fantastic compared to others in the “free-to-play” market.

Set in the land of Uld - a fantasy world arising from the ashes of an epoch-long war of darkness - players assume the roles of fantasy heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest through entirely randomized dungeons and environments. Being a standard point and click dungeon crawler, it is a great way for gamers who have shied away from MMOs in the past to be able to get on board with because you do not have time constraints as far as gameplay - if you want to play for 15 minutes or 15 hours, you can accomplish just as many feats either way .

For more information on Mythos, check out our previous posts.

Ntreev USA, the North American publisher for the English version of Trickster Online Revolution, have announced their latest release for North America, Grand Chase . This is a free-to-play MMORPG adventure game with PVP elements developed by KOG and will be entering closed beta around mid-to-late January.

Grand Chase follows the lives of different heroes from the Bermesiah continent in their fight against the evil Queen of Darkness. Characters will be able to fight alongside each other in several different game modes to defeat the evil queen of darkness.

Grand Chase will allow the player to have a competitive real-time multiplayer brawl with a combo system and link up combos, skills and items. Players will also be able to advance their characters through traditional RPG elements including leveling, jobs, and equipment.

Currently being serviced in Brazil,Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan each version is language and region specific. To check out some of the action you will encounter during gameplay, visit the official website for the teaser trailer they have posted. Check back often for forthcoming information as more details emerge. Game features are listed after the break.

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This Thursday, GameTap has added Sam & Max Season Two Episode 2 “Moai Better Blues”. While on vacation at Easter Island they soon realize that things are about to get hairy when a volcano eruption becomes eminent. Jonathan posted his impressions on this latest adventure for the crime-fighting duo this morning, so be sure and check it out.

Jewel Craft is also new to GameTap this week, and over on GameTap TV you can get an exclusive look behind the scenes at Harmonix and Rock Band with January’s Artist of the Month - Freezepop.

With over 73 games total the rotating selection of completely free-to-play games includes fan-favorites like Sam and Max: Ep. 4 (Abe Lincoln), Psychonauts and Tomb Raider: Legend. Black Tiger has also been added to the free-to-play roster this week, so head on over to GameTap and check out the entire list.

Via: GameTap Press Release

Every week this January Tales of Pirates will be holding an extra special Server vs. Server Monster Hunting Competition competition. Each player must band together with their Server Brothers to defeat the Demonic Hell Army of the evil Barborosa. Yes, I typed that right - promise. The Server group who is the first to send them packing will be declared the winners.

However dear pirates, Barborosa himself has never be known to take defeat lightly and he may well get the blood lust for revenge against the winners. But don’t be disheartened the prizes are plenty and what pirate can resist such booty like Baborosa’s own treasure. It may well be worth the risk ya landlubbers.For more information and a list of servers, click here. Yar!

Pirates of the Caribbean Online will be receiving some new content that will give players the opportunity to give their customized Pirate avatars a whole new look. Adding to the already extensive character creation system, the new customization options coming in February will really make your Pirate stand-out amongst the rest of the scurvy dogs.New clothing (coats, hats, pants), new hairstyles, tattoos, jewelry (earrings, nose rings, necklaces), are just some of the new additions coming your way in 2008. Disney Online has additional content planned which will include expanding ship customization, extending quest story lines, and adding more enemies and challenges. So, if you already play this game you have much to look forward to - if you don’t this may help persuade you to try it out.

For more information on Pirates of the Caribbean Online, check out our previous posts and the official site.

Via: Press Release 

Disney Online today announced that their MMO Pirates of the Caribbean Online has launched for the PC and Mac platforms. Allowing thousands of players to fully experience the adventures based upon the films and explore beyond these boundaries in a quest to become the most legendary pirate on the high seas, PoCO is now ripe for the plundering.

“The launch of Pirates of the Caribbean Online opens up an entirely new world of pirate adventures to thousands of fans who can now play alongside their favorite characters in a fully-immersive environment that builds on and goes beyond the epic stories created in the films,” said Paul Yanover, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Disney Online. “We believe the game’s focus on action and adventure, combined with many customization options will appeal to a broad audience of both gamers and fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as they set out on their own course to live the legend.”

In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, players create and customize their own pirate, captain their own ship, and assemble a crew of their fellow rogues in an effort to become the Caribbean’s most legendary Pirate. Along the way, players will interact with characters made popular by the films, like Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, and will also encounter a host of new characters and enemies unique to the game. To become the most notorious pirate, players must forge alliances, hunt for buried treasure, battle evil undead forces, and use cunning and strategy to outwit their foes.

Game features include:

• Create your own Pirate character – Players choose from over a million combinations to fully customize their own Pirate (body type, face, hair, clothing, names, etc.).
• Set sail on your own Pirate ship - Captain your own ship then recruit a crew of fellow players to set sail for the adventure of a lifetime.
• Quest for adventure and treasure – Embark on ship and land-based missions to locate buried treasure. Explore lush jungles, volcanic caves, and vast tropical islands but beware of traps, ambushes, and double-crosses which are an every day occurrence when keeping company with Pirates.
• Use advanced weaponry – Players engage in epic battles using a variety of weapons such as cutlasses, grenades, pistols and cannons and can unlock more powerful weapons as they improve their reputation as a fighter to be reckoned with.
• Become a legend – Master a variety of skills, including sword fighting, card playing, and treasure hunting to become the most notorious pirate in the world.
• Work your Voodoo Magic – Voodoo magic is used to heal, travel and cast curses on enemies.
• Get some Booty – Earn extra loot by competing in parlor games such as poker and blackjack.
• Build a notorious crew or guild – Players band together with others for expanded adventures and added power, forming a crew for quick battles or joining a guild for longer-term strategy.
• Grow your wealth with money and rare items – Hunt for buried treasure including gold, precious gems and mysterious artifacts.

Players can download the game directly and access additional information at the game’s official site. A portion of the game is available for free and players can get unlimited access for a monthly subscription fee. At launch, Disney Online is offering new players subscriptions to Unlimited Access for a first-month fee of $4.95 and continuing with a $9.95 fee for following months.

If this is not enough Pirate news for you, you can get the new webisode here, and some new screens as well by clicking here.

Codemasters has announced its RF Online MMORPG is now free-to-play. With the re-launch of the game and the release of Episode II, RF Online is now a free download with no monthly fees. RF Online, originally entitled “Rising Force” features Race vs. Race vs. Race battles.

RF Online is an epic mix of traditional fantasy and futuristic Sci-Fi set in the deep space galaxy of Novus where three races compete in an ultimate struggle for power and resource. Celebrating the games re-launch, new players can now also experience the all-new free expansion, Episode II: Pioneers of Novus available for free to all players of the game.

To download RF Online and experience the world of Novus for yourself, visit the Free to Play page to get your key here!

[Via Press Release]

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Albatross18, it is an MMO/casual golf simulation game that is free to play, although certain items can only be purchased with actual money. However, all characters are free, and an effort has been made to minimize the differences between monetary users and ‘free’ users. The game awards players with Pang Points, a currency that can be used to upgrade your character and your items which in turn will give you the upper hand as you play the game and its many number of courses.

I was lucky enough to have a chat with Jack Liu recently, who is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer from OGPlanet and I asked him a few questions regarding his latest endeavor Albatross 18 Season 3 Revolution. Readers will remember Jack from the previous interview we had with him back in August regarding Rumble Fighter.

Check out the interview after the break!

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Fans of Albatross18 can finally rejoice! The long awaited Albatross18 Season 3: Revolution launched today and you can download the full game client right here.

Albatross18 Season 3 Revolution brings a unique change to the game of gold by mixing elements of classic golf play with fantasy RPG. With Season 3, not only has the AI been enhanced and the graphic cleaned up a bit, but an all new user interface has been included. This time you can walk around the lobby and visit with fellow gamers, access all game options with more ease, take special new shots with your ball and clubs, and improve your game with many new added features. A new course and character has been added as well, and with Season 3, you now have a mascot that can carry an item for you - which means that the traditional mode of carrying eight items has changed to nine.

For more information on Albatross18 Season3 Revolution, read our interview with the creator Jack Liu, and also check out the official website - but before you go - be sure and click on the badge below so that you join in on all the fun!

Knight Online is a MMORPG game developed by the K2Network. This medieval fantasy adventure game gives you two playing options, depending on your commitment to your character - a free to play version and a pay to play version. According the official website, they have over 10 million gamers logging in worldwide, with “perpetual war servers operating with local language-support in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and North America”. Check out more official screenshots by clicking here.

The folks over at IGG have added a new expansion to their popular free MMORPG Tales of Pirates. The new expansion, “Mysterious Adventure”, inlcudes new monsters, bosses and maps; and a new area known as Treasure Bay will provide new adventure, bounty, and new opponents such as Deathsouls, Skeletar Pirates and Death Fleets. In addition, you can see the Black Pearl , which appeared in the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean? The Curse of the Black Pearl” in this expansion as well.

Content:

• 8 new maps of the Caribbean and 20 new relevant monsters. Meanwhile, 4 more powerful Bosses are waiting for you.
• Sightseeing Ticket of the Caribbean. You can directly go to the Caribbean Bay with it.
• 29 new quests for the Caribbean series.
• Players can exchange all new Level 75 sets and weapons.
• 2 band-new sets for every character.
• More Treasure Maps in the Caribbean.
• 27 New NPCs in the Caribbean.
• Upgrade the help system for new players.

Storyline for the expansion is available after the break. For more information on Tales of Pirates, please visit the following links:

FileFront - Tales of Pirates

Official Website - Tales of Pirates

Gaming Today - Tales of Pirates

via: Press release

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One of the most widely acclaimed online games in Asia, Dream of Mirror Online is a free-to-play MMORPG where players can choose between four races, six classes and six professions to gain experience through quests and missions. The game places a great deal of emphasis on teamwork, and the graphics provide 3D anime style with cell shading effects. Gametribe, the publisher of Dream of Mirror Online, announced that they have finally launched the closed beta for the game - but space is limited so if you want to get in on it, you better hurry. So stop wasting time and go to the official site to sign up. Softstar, the developer, has a great site with all kinds of information on DOMO ranging from the storyline, gaming features, character occupations, and a newbie’s guide to the game.

Storyline:

“Dream of Mirror Online is a world that features sacred artifacts. The sacred artifact Kunlun Mirror that created the world, like some other artifacts in Swdol Online - familiar to hard-core players such as the Swdol and Monster Buster Pot, was a sacred artifact from mythical ancient China. Those sacred artifacts all have the powers to create and destroy the world.

Among those sacred artifacts, the Swdol represents the power of culture; and the monster buster pot symbolizes the creation of the world. The Kunlun Mirror was originally created to record everything. In the world created by the Kunlun Mirror, there is another world in the mirror that reflects the real world; it saves a copy of everything in the real world in the Kunlun Mirror world. Time does not exist in the Kunlun Mirror world but only in memories. The managers of the Kunlun Mirror world, twelve Mirror Kings, are responsible for the operation of the Kunlun Mirror world.”

STORYLINE CONTINUES AFTER THE BREAK

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Rumble Fighter, the free to play casual action game focused on fighting from OGPlanet is now available for download on FileFront. Rumble Fighter allows a maximum of 8 players to battle it out in simultaneous, multiplayer action. Basic offensive attacks include hitting, throwing, and blocking, with advanced attacks such as combo attacks and counterattacks. The newly introduced “ExoCore” skill system will allow players to experience much more dynamic action through the ability to transform and morph.

For more information about Rumble Fighter, you can check out our previous posts as well as an interview with Jack Liu, the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at OGPlanet.

Click the Badge below to get in on the action.