Richard 'Jonric' Aihoshi has said farewell at RPG Vault after IGN canceled his contract, saying he thinks RPG Vault will stop publishing.  While the site has focused heavily on MMOs these last couple of years, in its hay day, Jonric was one of the premiere RPG feature writers and a daily trip to RPG Vault was mandatory to get the big interviews and developer diaries:

Today marks the end of a highly fulfilling period in my life. IGN has canceled my contract to work on RPG Vault, so this is my last day doing so. I've had a great run, starting back around 12 years ago when Vault Network was still an independent. I started writing about games as another way to enjoy them, with no thought of ever making a cent. So, I certainly didn't imagine that it would turn into a full-time career for a decade.

Best of luck for the future, Jonric.

Peek #8 in RPG Vault's Atlantica Online series looks at "licenses":

Licenses are special items you can use to give yourself additional abilities, perks and conveniences. You can pick them up in a number of ways, be it from traveling merchants, by questing, crafting them yourself or, of course, through the item mall.

Some of the most popular types provide subtle tactical advantages. A favorite among these would probably be the Health Check license, which can provide you that edge over your opponent that will secure victory in an encounter. Having this item allows you to see your enemies' condition and applied magic effects in battle.

Yet another Atlantica Online Peek at RPG Vault, looking at some of the sights in the game.  A bit on Rome:

The great city is divided into four districts. The Palatino Plaza is an ideal gathering place for players to meet, chat and even bet on gladiator matches. The Bazaar has many NPC vendors providing diverse services and wares. The Auction House is where the NPC Sotheby runs Atlantica's highest-stake market, and the aforementioned Colosseum draws warriors who seek to prove their might and prowess. There's certainly plenty to explore. At any given moment you can find groups of adventurers talking, crafting, practicing their combat moves and making use of all that Rome has to offer.

RPG Vault returns to Atlantica Online with their 6th Peek, this time looking at the economy:

An active and thriving economy is at the core of Atlantica. And at its heart is the open market. Just like in the real world, capitalism rules, and players are encouraged to participate in this unrestricted system so that they can benefit from it to the fullest. Many of the items that are available can only be procured from other players. Various tools and facilities have been incorporated into the game to support the financial development of all Atlantians, whether they are looking to start a business or simply want to get their hands on a shiny new Gilgamesh Sword.

PvP is the focus of RPG Vault's latest Peek at Atlantica Online:

In a previous segment of this series, we introduced some intricacies of Atlantica Online' mercenary feature in, which allows you to assemble a team of NPCs to join and fight with you in combat. We told you about the different classes that are available, and how each type's specialization plays a major role in determining your strategy, tactics and effectiveness in battle. Now, we want to look at the various opportunities for players who want to test their mettle against their peers in one on one encounters, or to be more precise, nine units per side.

Tournaments are a big part of player versus player combat in Atlantica. Our free leagues offer tournaments that take place eight times each day. There are two types of battles you can enter. One is for nine-character teams (a player's main character plus eight mercenaries), while the other involves slightly smaller engagements with seven per side.

The first part of an RPG Vault Focus series on the recent Leipzig GC sees diary-type entries from Swen Vincke form Larian and Matthew Rorie from Obsidian, describing the show from their perspective.  From Matthew Rorie, who was there for NWN2: Storm of Zehir:

So far as the Games Convention itself goes, it got started for me on Wednesday when I was asked to participate in Atari's press conference, which effectively acted as a roundup of our publisher's upcoming games, including Storm of Zehir. Each producer was supposed to speak for a minute or so, and I was by far the most nervous person in the room during the rehearsal. Luckily, I got my act together by the time I had to take the stage, and I think it went pretty well. I'm fairly used to being on camera at this point, but this was the first occsion I was called upon to speak in front of a large live audience. It'll take some time to get used to that.

Part 2 of Jonric's look at the Russian RPG market sees Nikolay Baryshnikov from 1C talking about his perspective.  I can't say there's anything revelatory but King's Bounty gets a second mention as the latest big thing:

Jonric: Within these genres, what Russian- made titles have been most successful and important in the domestic market? How much success have they achieved internationally?

One of the most impressive RPGs developed in Russia recently is Katauri's latest game, King's Bounty: The Legend. These guys have proven once again, since the release of Space Rangers II, that they are capable of delivering high quality and interesting games. There were some doubts that after creating a space game, it might not be easy to switch to fantasy. Moreover, many fans were demanding a third game in the Space Rangers saga, but the developers decided to choose another direction and create something really different.

After all it turned out to be another big success for them. The game was released quite recently in Russia, and it has gotten great ratings in the press (93-95%) and attained substantial popularity among gamers. It is scheduled for a September release in North America. You can also look at Heroes of Might and Magic V, part of a very popular franchise. It was developed by a Russian company, Nival Interactive... though it is not really an RPG, of course.

Russia has entered the MMORPG race pretty late, so we don't have any international achievements in this sector. Talking about the online market, it's also hard to compete with such monsters as World of Warcraft, although I suppose there is really no need of doing so right now anyway. We would rather occupy another niche and deliver games we are good at.

RPGVault does one of their focus feature articles on the importance of Russian game studios in the RPG genre, starting with a look at Nival (Rage of Mages, Silent Storm, Evil Islands, Heroes of Might & Magic V). They talk to Sergey Orlovskiy, President of Nival Online, about the state of business there now:

 Jonric: Within these genres[RPG & MMO], what Russian- made titles have been most successful and important in the domestic market? How much success have they achieved internationally?

Our Allods[Rage of Mages] series was quite popular ever since the first game was released in 1998. And we have high expectations from our Allods Online internationally as well. In 2006, the most popular game was our Heroes of Might and Magic V, which has some RPG elements. In 2007, it was STALKER, with some RPG gameplay as well, and HoMM5 was still number 2.

This year, the biggest hit is Kings Bounty: The Legend, which is kind of a HoMM-type game as well. Next year, we expect Allods Online to be number 1 title in the market, and the top Russian-made one internationally. As you can see, there is domestic release on top of the sales chart every year...

Jonric: How well do you feel Russian developers and publishers have done penetrating other markets such as North America, Western Europe and the Far East? Is this situation improving?

Russian developers are mainly working on PC games, which are not as popular in North America as they used to be. Among the latest hits, we can count HoMM5, STALKER, Timeshift, and King's Bounty. But to be fair, the success of such games is strongly dependent on the publishers' performance. As a positive point, I see that there are now more good Russian-made games being published by second- and even first-tier US publishers.

Jonric: What do you consider most notable about how the Russian development industry and market are evolving? How does your company intend to participate in and lead the changes?

The digital distribution and online gaming segments are growing. Console games are replacing PC titles on the retailers' store shelves. The weaker development teams are disappearing, and the strong ones are raising new funds from investors and other sources.

I think free to play MMOGs are the best way for the Russian game industry to catch up with west. That's why we have completely changed our focus to this model. In China, it is doing very well at the moment. To suit the audience here, we need to combine the eastern business model with more western content...

RPG Vault's latest feature is called Focus: Action RPGs and asks Max Shaefer from Flagship Studios (bypassing the ubiquitous Bill Roper) and Gas Powered Games' Steve Bauman (formerly CGM's Editor-in-Chief) to talk about the genre.  Here's Max:

What is an RPG? Taken literally, it simply refers to a game in which you play the role of one or more characters. But in practice, I think the term means different things to different people, and from my experience in making them, it's a topic of considerable passion for many gamers. At times, it can resemble a religious war. I was fortunate enough to work on all the games in the Diablo series, a title that is today most commonly considered an action RPG. The arguments about how to classify it were strangely heated, with some people insisting that it was a full-fledged RPG, and others who refused to accept that it was an action RPG... or even that such a category was valid.

I'm one of two people on the internet ambivalent about the famous online comic strip Penny Arcade, so I haven't previously come across their game collaboration titled Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.  According to this interview with the strip's creators, their game will play like a classic RPG:

Jonric: For any readers unfamiliar with Penny Arcade, what are the comics about, and what's the full extent of the property? And what core strengths will differentiate the upcoming game?

Jerry Holkins: Penny Arcade is an online comic that mostly discusses videogames and game culture. It was started by Jerry Holkins (that is to say, me) and Mike Krahulik in '98, and it has gained much wider acclaim than it probably deserves. Nine years on, we also do our best to operate a charity (childsplaycharity.org) and a convention (pennyarcadeexpo.com), and to help create the occasional videogame.

Well, I hope people will discern that it *has* core strengths to differentiate it! I would be overjoyed if that were the case. Mechanically, it plays very much like an RPG classic, propelled by an adventure game-style dialogue system.

Let us know if this is something we should keep an eye on.

Developer allm Corp. shares some insight into what makes its arcade action MMO tick.

The day we decided to make the game
I still clearly remember that day. "Finally, we are going to make a game!" we shout and opened the door of our allm online service team. I will never forget our expectancy and excitement about the first step into the game industry that we all desired to take.

Jonric has kicked up a summary of the Leipzig GC, with a paragraph for a bunch of games.  Let's take Drakensang as an example:

Drakensang
Developer Radon Labs is working on this party-based title. Its foundation is a pen and paper property called The Dark Eye that has millions of fans in Germany, and that previously spawned the Realms of Arkania games. Combat will be pausable to allow plenty of time for planning, and the character system will make substantial use of statistics. The team is also promising a deep compelling story in the domain of Aventuria. Together with the other elements, this indicates the goal is to produce a classic-style RPG.

RPG Vault shares three exclusive screenshots from Infront Sports & Media's upcoming Empire of Sports.

Part #3 of RPG Vault's Leipzig developer roundup speaks to Jan Beuck (Legend), Brian Sullivan (Titan Quest), Big Huge Games, Akella and more.  From Big Huge Games' Tim Train:

I'm speaking at the Leipzig developers conference on Big Huge Games' experience developing the massively popular German board game Settlers of Catan for Xbox Live Arcade. I'm very excited to be talking about this to the audience there, since I won't have to do much explaining about the game's premise and rules. I'll also be meeting with many publishers - it seems Leipzig has taken up some of the slack for the old E3.

My dream for any free time is to visit J.S. Bach's grave and the museum there, since I grew up playing many of his works on the piano.

RPG Vault has the second of their Leipzig developer roundups but this time, the only non-MMO developer on the list is Ed Del Castillo from Liquid.  So, here's Ed's plan:

Ed Del Castillo
President, Liquid Entertainment
Rise of the Argonauts
I'll be showing our latest game, Rise of the Argonauts, and I hope to catch up on the status of other games like Assassin's Creed, Conan, and Mass Effect.

It's my first time there, so I'm hoping to catch up with the European folks who are marketing and selling the game... while they ply me with beer. :)

RPG Vault has one of their customary Leipzig GC roundups, asking a bunch of devs what they will be doing over the event.  Pete Hines represents Bethsoft, CDV says they are hoping to sign a "major Xbox360 / PC / PS3 RPG title for North America", Bill Roper will be selling statues and Clockstone (Avencast) and Ascaron (Sacred 2) are among the organisations in the article:

Pete Hines
VP of Public Relations and Marketing, Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3
I'll be going to Leipzig to show off the Fallout 3 demo to press folks in Europe that didn't get to come and see it at E3. Our setup is pretty much the same as there - small theater, couple demos a day, etc.

I hope to take some time to walk around during the show, but giving a really long demo four or five times a day for three days, with people asking lots of questions in between sessions, tends to get really tiring after a while. I went to Leipzig last year to show off Oblivion PS3 to some folks, and really didn't get to see much of anything, so I'm hoping for a bit more walking around time than before.

Head on over to RPG Vault for four exlusive Zu Online screenshots. 

Part two of RPG Vault's Twelve Sky interview is now online.

Jonric: Will weapons, armor and items in general comprise an important element in Twelve Sky, and can players expect a large assortment?

Bolton Seo: There are currently over 500 weapons and 3,500 wearables plus various disposable items and pets. Gold and items can be collected from slain creatures, and items can be bought from NPCs. Some items can be enhanced, and some are restricted by level or faction.

RPG Vault chats to Gigassoft about bringing its MMO Twelve Sky to the wider world market.

Jonric: Since many readers may be unfamiliar with Twelve Sky, what kind of massively multiplayer game is it? What's the main focus of play, and where does the name come from?

Bolton Seo: The genre of Twelve Sky is unique; it's neither fantasy nor oriental, but something in the middle of the two. The underlying concept is massive, speedy battles. Combat focuses on PvP and race vs. race, and you can do these at any time when you want.

RPG Vault has secured four exclusive Zu Online screenshots. 

RPG Vault talks to Tim Scheepers of Honor Games about the company's upcoming MMO, Immortals.

Jonric: To get going, what are the first things you'd like to say about Immortals in order to introduce it to our readers? What will set it apart?

Tim Scheepers: Immortals is set in authentic Chinese mythology, which is the backbone of the game. The players experience this from their humble beginnings as newbies to epic adventures as seasoned veterans. Each phase of a player's cycle will be deeply entangled in the game's lore and in turn, ancient China.

Part two of RPG Vault's interview with Yii Ting, the Producer of GodsWar Online, is now available.

Jonric: Will we meet many non-enemy NPCs in Gods War Online, what kinds of roles will they play, and how important will they be?

Yii Ting: There are, of course, a lot of neutral and friendly NPCs in the game. These include as many as dozens of well-known heroes from Greek mythology. Players can learn related skills and magic from them, of course. These heroes also serve as elements to help promote the progress of the in-game storyline.

RPG Vault has posted four exclusive screenshots of Onwind Digital's upcoming MMO, Zu Online. 

Colony Studios has provided RPG Vault with three exclusive videos from its upcoming title, Universe Online.

The videos show our current gameplay progress for Universe Online. As you can see, we are going with a far more dynamic and visceral form of combat than traditional MMO players are used to. The ship controls are similar to what players are used to if their character is swimming, if they have a flying mount, or if they play a first-person shooter in that the ship is controlled via a WASD format. W accelerates, S decelerates and A and D provide side thrust. The ship bank and direction are controlled by mouselook, so it's easy just to hop in and fly.

RPG Vault has three exclusive Zu Online screenshots available for viewing. 

RPG Vault chats to Yii Ting, Producer of GodsWar Online, a new MMO from IGG's Joyconnect Studio.

Jonric: As an introductory overview of GodsWar Online, what kind of game will it be, what is the underlying concept, and how did it come about?

Yii Ting: GodsWar Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Greek mythology. It is being developed by the Joyconnect Studio of IGG. It will be free of charge, which will allow more players to enjoy it.

RPG Vault has posted five exclusive screenshots and three videos of Colony Studios' upcoming Universe Online. 

Jonric at RPG Vault has a two part roundup of E3 with one-paragraph summaries of the RPGs he saw:

Mass Effect
BioWare's Xbox 360 title, which is projected as a fall release, looked very impressive, even when seen in the context of the high expectations attached to it. The company's strengths in story and character development are undeniable, and with top-notch visuals added to the mix, it's extremely difficult to envision see the game being anything other than a deserving hit. My only disappointment is that no PC version has been announced; since it's my preferred platform, I'm hoping to see one, and not too long after.

Part 1 and Part 2.

RPG Vault serves up another series of exclusive Zu Online screenshots. 

Part 2 of RPG Vault's latest RPG Roundtable is now online, with a new group of developers answering the same question on whether RPGs are as fun as they should be.  Larian's Martijn Holtkamp (Divinity 2), Jehanne Rousseau from Monte Cristo (Silverfall), Travis Baldree (FATE, Mythos) and Ascaron's Hans-Arno Wegner (Sacred 2) are in the hot-seats - let's take a bit from Holtkamp, because Divinity news is thin on the ground:

So then why did he just ask you to clear his cellar of giant chinchillas? Is he kidding?

This happens a lot in these games; the great hero is given trivial quests. These ruin his sense of being a great hero. Trivial tasks are okay at the beginning of the game, but quests should become increasingly bigger and more heroic as the game progresses. This is a great challenge, and is not always successfully met.

And why should the hero always do as he is asked? In many games, the only way to progress is to follow instructions; complete your quests to the letter, or you won't get a reward. And without that reward, you could never survive the next cellar, which features even larger chinchillas.

These roundtables are RPG Vault's best feature, in my opinion.  Number 7 asks various developers "Are RPGs as much fun as they could or should be?" Jeff Vogel, Ed Del Castillo (Liquid - Rise of the Argonauts) and Michal Madej (CD Projekt - The Witcher) are among the respondents.  Here's a bit from Ed Del Castillo, because we haven't heard him speak on the genre before:

My first rule is that I get to do cool stuff. Things I've never done before, would never think to do, that I've seen in my favorite movies... you know, cool stuff. I don't want to be looting dead bodies (unless I'm a villain), fiddling with my inventory, counting my coppers, or dare I say it... fishing! I want to kill two guys at once using a maneuver only Jet Li and a jungle of wires could pull off, not the oh so fun I hit you, you hit me combat we have today. My laser rifle should burn holes through starships, and my deeds should be etched into the temple walls.

My second rule is that I want to look cool. I want my armor to gleam, my gun to sound like a howitzer, my ship to look like it can do the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. Most importantly, I want it all to look good together. If I'm a thief, I want to look like one at every level. If I'm a knight, I don't want to carry around a rinky-dink shield just because it has better buffs. I'm tired of looking like a medieval dumpster diver when I play these games. I can't form a cohesive vision for my hero when I look like the sidekick.

RPG Vault has three exclusive screenshots of Onwind Digital's MMO, Zu Online. 

An article called From Tabletop to Online: How did We Get Here? is up at RPG Vault, written by Octopi's Tom George:

Nearly all of today's computer and video games were inspired by, or are extensions of traditional tabletop games. Board games, pencil and paper role-playing games, collectible card games (CCGs), and collectible miniature games (CMGs) are universal in their appeal. And they all have counterparts in the world of video games, some of which capture the appeal of one particular tabletop gaming genre, while others mix them to create something familiar, yet new. For example, PoxNora is our online game that uses the flexibility of technology to incorporate many of the aspects of popular tabletop games into its design and play.

Phil White of MMOGData.com talks about his work in collating online gaming statistics.

Well, I am surprised to be asked to write this article by Jonric, and I have also been very surprised by the reaction and exposure to MMOGData.com since I released the first batch of data earlier this month.

I have been asked by a few people why have I done this and, unfortunately, accused by some of using it as a poor marketing ploy for my own company - which I can assure you it is not -, but perhaps understanding my background in the industry will help me explain my motivation for opening the site.

Part two of RPG Vault's interview with the Phylon crew is online.

Jonric: How significant will quests or missions be in Phylon, and what are the key things we should be aware of with respect to this element?

DJ Cassel: Quests are a pathway to gaining levels, acquiring new equipment and exploring the world. They are optional, but to get the full experience of what Phylon has to offer, quests are quite important. One thing that our game has over many other competitors is our questing system. All of our quest bots are dynamic, and can be added, changed, altered or removed from the game at any time, with no patching required. As the game grows, the world will change, and the quests will be in a constant state of change to match it.

The second half of RPG Vault's Red Stone interview is online.

Jonric: What should our readers know about weapons, armor and other items in Red Stone? Will there be a wide variety? Will there be limitations on using them? How will they be acquired?

Marvic Ambata: The game offers lots of exciting weapons, armor and items. The itemization aspect of Red Stone plays a very important role in the game. While gameplay will remain competitive at all levels, having that rare or unique item may give you the edge you need to achieve victory over all who oppose you.

Lockpick Entertainment offers some insight into the development of its strategy-based MMO, Dreamlords.

Looking back now, I am a little uncertain which of our initial design ideas actually survived. I am torn between saying everything and nothing. Most of the concepts and the gameplay modes are in some form present in the released version of Dreamlords, but none of them look or play like we first had thought. Some major features were re-designed and re-implemented five or six times before we got them right. We used to dread informing the producer and the programmers we intended to change a design element, and I am not sure if they have forgiven us to this day... but that comes with the territory.

RPG Vault chats with Rapid Reality's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Spaight and Creative Director DJ Cassel about their upcoming MMO, Phylon.

Jonric: To begin with the basics, what kind of game will Phylon be, what is it about, and where does the name originate?

Tracy Spaight: Phylon is a massively multiplayer online third-person shooter, with a targeting system that allows players to zoom in for a first-person perspective. Players can choose from one of three species and eight competing factions, all of which are locked in struggle for control of the planet Anura.

RPG Vault talks to Marvic Ambata, Operations Producer for Red Stone, a new MMO offering from L & K Logic and K2 Network.

Jonric: What would you like to say to as an introduction to Red Stone? What are its underlying premise and the derivation of its name? Who is the developer, L&K Logic?

Marvic Ambata: Red Stone is an amazing 2D MMORPG with an original, compelling story and outstanding game design features. It is also a remarkably entertaining and downright fun title to play... something MMORPG players just don't see enough of these days. But that doesn't mean it lacks drama or conflict. The online world players will enter is one torn apart by strife and overrun by aggressive monsters. The only way to bring peace back to this world is to find the missing pieces of the titular jewel.

RPG Vault talks to Icarus Studios about its recently launched MMO middleware and platform.

Jonric: Please introduce the middleware tools and platform you officially launched today. How do they differ from other products on the market? And how does Fallen Earth fit in the picture?

David Gardner: Icarus Studios was created to design and build the next generation MMO / virtual world platform and rapid application development tools. We invested in Fallen Earth, as a separate company, to be our first technology licensee in order to showcase and demonstrate the power of the Icarus platform.

The second part of RPG Vault's interview with the Nexxon team (makers of MapleStory) is now available.  This installment focuses mainly on KartRider, but we offer it here for the sake of completeness.

Christina Song: My main responsibilities at Nexon are planning events and cash shop items for MapleStory. I plan in-game, website and cash shop events. I also analyze sales to foresee which types of items will be popular amongst the users and which won't. The sales data helps me determine what I need to plan for MapelStory.

Part two of RPG Vault's CroNous interview with Yei-Seock Kim, Vice President of Lizard Interactive, is online. Part one is available here .

Jonric: How does magic function in CroNous? Are there different types? How are spells learned and cast? Are magical items very significant?

Yei-Seock Kim: CroNous' magic system can be broadly classified as attack and support (buff) magic. The entire system is too vast for me to describe it in full, as each skill has different types like healing and teleport. However, to put it simply, the basic categories are healer, warrior, and magician-warrior, and there are further divisions according to the attributes of each class. Each class has about 30 kinds of skills for now.

RPG Vault speaks to N-LOG Soft about its online RPG/strategy hybrid, Darkness and Light.

Jonric: To introduce Darkness And Light, what kind of game is it, and how did the concept come about? As well, what other titles has your company created?

N-LOG Soft: Darkness and Light is an online real-time strategy game based on the conflict between two powers, Darkness and Light, and the war of the heroes who stand in the middle. We were influenced in our view of the world by the World Of Darkness tabletop RPG while we were considering an RTS. As a result of integrating character advancement and battle elements from existing MMORPGs, we were able to find a way enjoy RTS and RPG play at the same time. We believe players will be interested in the PvP, strategy, party play and advancing their characters.

The second part of RPG Vault's Tales of Pirates interview is now online.

Jonric: How does owning ships work in Tales of Pirates? What types are there, and how can they be equipped and upgraded?

Daniel Lin: Players can own ships, which they can name themselves, by simply purchasing them. They can then upgrade their vessels by killing monsters or questing. The ships differ in terms of speed, defense and attack power according to what is emphasized.

Also at RPG Vault, an interview with the Nexxon team responsible for titles such as Audition and MapleStory.

Jonric: How much do you play MapleStory? What kind of main character do you have, and why do you find this type to be fun? What about your alts, if any?

Joe Wreggelsworth: Up until recently, I have been running a pretty hectic schedule, so I have only been getting in a few hours a day. I play a real dark and mysterious Ice / Lightning Mage. I really enjoy the raw power I have at my fingertips; I don't have any alts, just for that reason alone. I am just that happy with my Mage... he and I are gonna rule the world... 

RPG Vault talks to Yei-Seock Kim, Vice President of Lizard Interactive, about the company's MMO CroNous.

Jonric: To begin the interview, what would you like to tell our readers about CroNous? What kind of game is it, what does the play focus on, and what does the title mean?

Yei-Seock Kim: CroNous is a traditional MMORPG with speedy game play and varied items. It has several unique systems such as siege warfare with an emphasis on strategic elements, and growth items that literally grows up with the player.

The MU Online team reveal some details on Battle Soccer at RPG Vault.

The event is held league-style and works like this. Starting on May 1st, Global MU players who are currently above level 50 in the game can register for the league. Once inside the official Battle Soccer league, they will face the other teams in their regional division for the league championship. This league is different than other events in that it will become a permanent fixture to the game. Much like a professional sport, gamers will play a regular season, and then the top teams will face off for the championship. 

RPG Vault talks to Mike Wallis of Colony Studios about putting together a development team of MMO veterans.

Jonric: When was Colony Studios formally founded, did you have an idea or a project in mind at the time, and where did you get your initial funding?

Mike Wallis: The studio was formally founded in September of 2005, mostly to lock in the name. We had been in negotiations with Universal to develop an MMO based on its hit TV series, Battlestar Galactica, but things eventually fell through due to a variety of factors beyond our control. The studio was originally named 13th Colony Studios, after the 13th Tribe, which, in the show was the one that supposedly journeyed to Earth. However, after further research into the name, 13th Tribe has some religious connections and we didn't want any implications there, so we dropped the 13 and left it as Colony Studios. The name has stuck.

RPG Vault speaks to the Trickster Online team.

Jonric: As an introductory overview, what kind of game is Trickster Online? What is its underlying concept? When and how did the idea come about?

Eugene Kim: Trickster Online was developed by Ntreev Soft in Korea, and released in 2003, 11 years after we began making PC RPGs. It was our first massively multiplayer game, created with three basic concepts in mind:
- Players are farming an island
- Monsters appear and attack the players
- Players gather together and defeat the monsters 

Not particularly RPG-specific but RPG Vault has a developer Soap Box editorial with PlayFirst's John Welch (Diner Dash, which has apparently sold 2M copies) discussing the tags of "casual" and "hardcore" gamer:

Interestingly, where casual gamers have been traditionally viewed as people who occasionally play solitaire on the computer, and core gamers are the select few who are really devoted to their games, we are now seeing these roles merge. Casual audiences are behaving like core gamers - playing longer, later, faster and demanding smarter games - and core gamers are enjoying less hardcore experiences, as demonstrated by the popularity of titles like Wii Sports and Guitar Hero. Our research suggests that casual gamers are starting to do what core gamers have done for years, adopt and grow communities around their favorite content experiences.

RPG Vault has five exclusive Sword of the New World screenshots on offer. 

Five exclusive Sword of the New World images are available at RPG Vault.

RPG Vault offers up a preview of imcGames' upcoming Sword of the New World with a peek behind the scenes and four exclusive screens .

The three hottest topics that will dominate initial conversations about Sword of the New World will be these:
- the unprecedented Multi-Character Control (MCC), which lets players command up to three characters simultaneously;
- the diverse combat stances, which give tremendous variety and depth to the gameplay; and
- the gorgeous, refreshingly original graphics, which make the game as exciting to look at as it is to play. 

The second of RPG Vault's Developers at GDC feature is up with a new bunch of devs explaining their GDC plans.  While the length and depth of each entry varies, Larian's Swen Vincke gets straight to the point:

I'm going to GDC to talk to industry partners, see new technology and learn a thing or two. Once I did that, I'm going to a couple of parties. A typical GDC.

It's heading into that time of the year and RPG Vault again has a piece that chats with various developers about their GDC plans.  The responses are mostly predictable, with paragraph-long answers from the likes of Cyanide (Loki) and several MMO developers.

Tim Harris from Seven Lights, makers of The Continuum, has penned a Soapbox article for RPG Vault on Digital Item Sales:

Much has been made of the changing business model for games in Asia. A proliferation of online access by PC or phone, coupled with a dearth of consoles in China, Korea and Taiwan, has resulted in that area becoming the hotbed of new gaming business models. In particular, the trend of digital goods sales has caused game companies everywhere to reconsider their business models. The power of digital goods sales is waxing while the "gym membership" mentality of the typical MMORPG world wanes.

RPG Vault talks with K2's Theresa Cho about War Rock, the company's MMOFPS that has recently gone live in North America.

Jonric: As an introduction to War Rock, what kind of game is it? What's distinctive about it, why might it be of interest to those who usually prefer massively multiplayer and role-playing titles?

Theresa Cho: What we have in War Rock is a constantly evolving modern military shooter. By evolving, I mean that the game will be regularly patched with new content, story, etc.

RPG Vault talks with imcGames' Hak Kyu Kim and regional publisher K2's Grantley Day about their upcoming MMO, Sword of the New World.

Jonric: What kind of online world is Sword of the New World, and what distinguishes it within the category? Why is the original title, Granado Espada, being changed for the West?

Grantley Day: Sword of the New World is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the vein of a traditional MMORPG... think Neverwinter Nights 2 or Dungeon Siege II in an MMO world. The reason I use those two titles in comparison is because of the key feature that sets SNW above every other MMORPG in the market and coming into the market in 2007. This key feature is the concept of multiple character control. In SNW, you don't control a single warrior, caster type or even healer. Instead, you are given the option to create a party of three characters to explore and conquer the world. That party can be any makeup you choose - fighter, caster, healer; caster, caster, healer; fighter, fighter, healer; etc. This design aspect is truly a breath of fresh air to see; in a market where so many me-too MMO products are coming out this year, SNW truly offers game players something new and exciting.

The title is being changed for the West to remove the steep entrance curve that exists in the game currently, and to change the flavor of the name to be more interesting to the western marketplace.

RPG Vault has posted part three of its latest Online Worlds Roundtable. The discussion this time: alternative revenue models.

Scott Brown
CEO and Co-Founder, NetDevil
Auto Assault, Jumpgate
The current model of selling a box and charging a monthly fee is certainly not going anywhere soon. It keeps the retailers happy while working well within the standard publishing business model. Box sales can help provide a quick ROI on increasing development costs, and remain a revenue stream many publishers are not willing to forfeit. This model will only weaken once sales begin to show that consumers are no longer interested in buying from retailers, and are more interested in downloading products directly.

Part 2 of RPG Vault's Online Worlds Roundtable #14 is now available.  The subject up for discussion this time is alternative revenue models.

In North America and Europe, the number of online worlds that don't use the "standard" revenue model involving initial game purchase plus a mandatory monthly fee is clearly increasing. A widely adopted alternative, although not as prevalent in the Far East, is the item-based "cash shop" one. However, this isn't the only possibility. Among others, a couple of examples are free play supported by advertising, and charging for access to special areas, events et al. For this Roundtable, we requested comments on this vital and increasingly important topic.

RPG Vault offers up eight exclusive screenshots of imcGames' newly announced Sword of the New World and an interview with Iron Realms' Matt Mihaly about the company's forthcoming online game, Earth Eternal.

Jonric: To get us going, what is Earth Eternal's underlying concept? What kind of gameplay will it offer, and what will be distinctive or innovative in this regard?

Matt Mihaly: The underlying concept of Earth Eternal is that it's a world combining the essence of various cultural legends and myths with our own ideas, based in an extremely loose interpretation of real-world geography. We're rarely literal, and we freely morph, mutate and otherwise mangle whatever we wish. The game comes before fidelity to history or canonical versions of a story or legend.

RPG Vault takes a look at three of K2 Network's current titles, War Rock, Knight Online and Global Mu Online.

Knight Online players experienced some epic, holiday fun by engaging in snowball wars, hunting down elusive Christmas tree monsters and receiving special gifts. Reappearing by popular demand was the Cursed Santa Boss. Santa's midnight run to deliver presents was been cut short, as evil wizards intercepted his sleigh and used powerful magic to turn him once again into giant snowman. Wielding tons of frost, the Cursed Santa appeared every five to eight hours to wreck havoc among the players. Would they rally in time to bring down Santa and prevent him from crushing the heroes of Adonis? The treasure he dropped was certainly worthy of the holiday season!

Part two of RPG Vault's Myth War Online interview is now available.

Jonric: Does Myth War include a large selection of computer-controlled opponents, or is it primarily a game where you fight other players?

Billy Ren: The PvP system is less significant in the earlier stages of Myth War because the players will focus more on upgrading their rankings and skill as well as collecting items and perfecting their equipment. In the later stages, PvP will become the main element in the game because the access to the Mine and the conquering of nations and cities will definitely increase the players' interests in the game. Therefore, they will become the most important goals for every player.