Forums > MobyGames > Free MMO games - the time is NOW
MZ per X (3017) on 8/26/2009 8:12 PM · Permalink · Report
I should have wondered why online-only games got their world's first trade show in my hometown of Leipzig / Germany, the Games Convention Online. Now I know.
It's not only commercial games sold in boxes, but the free-to-play massively multi-player online (MMO) games have reached a mass and magnitude that is astounding. Over the last week I did some light research in this gaming segment and easily came up with some 50 games that look cool and are missing from our database.
I added them to Mike's Missing Games Sheet under "MMO Games".
As these games die with their servers, the time is now to list them. If you wanna help out, then pick your poison from the above sheet and get crackin'. Or hunt down new games missing and add them to the sheet.
And whatever you do, please drop us a line in this thread here to avoid double effort.
Multimedia Mike (20664) on 8/27/2009 5:27 AM · Permalink · Report
Nice initiative. I have my hands plenty full right now with other forgotten games but still, nice initiative. :-)
MZ per X (3017) on 8/27/2009 1:02 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Multimedia Mike wrote--]I have my hands plenty full right now with other forgotten games...[/Q --end Multimedia Mike wrote--]Yeah, most of us do, I guess. But I'll try keeping MMO's up on the table. :)
57 games added to the sheet so far, currently mining publisher sites for more.
MZ per X (3017) on 9/27/2009 8:02 PM · Permalink · Report
Taking a shot at Dark Orbit, let's see what 24 million people registered for...
MZ per X (3017) on 10/12/2009 9:07 AM · Permalink · Report
With Dark Orbit pending approval, I am currently playing some funny Fantasy Tennis. This one has a good chance of staying on my hard drive after approval... :o)
Rola (8483) on 10/12/2009 11:15 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Add "Tanoth": www.tanoth.co.uk - fantasy "RPG" Basically it's best to start the search with publishers - usually this leads me to some German company that spits semi-free MMOs like fresh rolls...
add "Kolony Online": http://www.kolony.net - sci-fi colony builder, based on Polish Atari game of the same title (info on their site) - this game is truly free
MZ per X (3017) on 10/12/2009 7:52 PM · Permalink · Report
I added both games to Mike's sheet - thanks a bunch !
[Q --start Rola wrote--]Basically it's best to start the search with publishers - usually this leads me to some German company that spits semi-free MMOs like fresh rolls...[/Q --end Rola wrote--] Yeah - that's Bigpoint or GameForge. I already mined Bigpoint's site.
[Q --start Rola wrote--] add "Kolony Online": http://www.kolony.net - sci-fi colony builder, based on Polish Atari game of the same title (info on their site) - this game is truly free [/Q --end Rola wrote--] Kolony Online seems Polish language only, so we would need a Polish speaker to add the game to MobyGames. hint - hint - hint :-)
Rola (8483) on 10/13/2009 10:52 AM · Permalink · Report
Maybe'll do that, but ...I must admit I have love/hate relationship with that game. Gameplay is OK, if you like "Travian" style, but it'd be unfair to write about it without mentioning what game lead to it. And that game was made by my former business partner who is responsible for my project going belly-up... >:( It's like doing free good PR work for your enemy, LOL
MZ per X (3017) on 10/25/2009 7:49 PM · Permalink · Report
Fantasy Tennis pending approval, taking a look at Battle Knight.
MZ per X (3017) on 10/28/2009 8:40 PM · Permalink · Report
What a strange game BattleKnight is. Or does anyone else know of a knight simulation, or a knight management game? But nonetheless, it has some appeal and is pending approval.
I will take a short break from MMOs and add a few obscure German Amiga games. So well, you bunch of single players out there, please consider adding an MMO. It's free - it's fun. :o)
Rola (8483) on 10/28/2009 11:28 PM · Permalink · Report
Isn't Tanoth a bit similar? Or how about this free Flash game: My Pet Protector http://armorgames.com/play/4486/my-pet-protector
Rola (8483) on 10/29/2009 5:04 PM · Permalink · Report
And just how do we categorise such games? They're billed "free to play", but to get extra stuff, that is actually prerequisite to any successful gameplay (like basic repairs in Dark Orbit) you need to pay real money. If you look at the numbers, standard commercial games "in a box" may even be cheaper than those "free" ones!
Rola (8483) on 10/30/2009 3:11 AM · Permalink · Report
Add Gladiatus (haven't found it on the list) gladiatus.com
Looks more interesting than Tanoth, but that darned thing could use a decent manual! It should be mandatory to provide one even with those "free" games... FAQ on a forum is not enough!
MZ per X (3017) on 10/30/2009 7:23 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rola wrote--]Add Gladiatus (haven't found it on the list) gladiatus.com[/Q --end Rola wrote--] Done, thanks. While at it, I added all the missing GameForge titles. We're up to some 130 games now.
[Q --start Rola wrote--] Looks more interesting than Tanoth, but that darned thing could use a decent manual! It should be mandatory to provide one even with those "free" games... FAQ on a forum is not enough! [/Q --end Rola wrote--] You name it. The manual of Battle Knight is a mess, too.
Rola (8483) on 10/31/2009 2:32 AM · Permalink · Report
..and the Polish translation for Tanoth sucks as well. Who did they hire, people from the street? And I'm out of work? At least I'd put some effort into proper translation of medieval weaponry. What's currently being offered is a joke. And later we will be wondering why the "Internet generation" can't speak properly...
Rola (8483) on 10/31/2009 9:09 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I don't think so. And the problems with weapon names I mentioned are also a sign of human error - computer would pick a word from the dictionary. Maybe a wrong one, but still one of associated options. Here I see guesswork. Kolczatka instead of kolczuga :D They take kiddies who maybe know a bit about foreign language, but didn't master their mother tongue yet.
I know this is just another stupid game, but I always believed in educational aspect of computer games. Back in 1990s all games I bought were still in English, I was lucky if the manual was translated. So this encouraged me to learn that language. Today kiddies have no such incentive. And poor translations not only prevent them from learning foreign language, but erode their skills in own language!
With games so rich in anitique items it's a huge waste not to give an opportunity to introduce old vocabulary to players. Even if it would be the single thing they learn from this game, then that game wouldn't be so stupid & worthless anymore.
As you can see I feel wasted here as well...
MZ per X (3017) on 11/20/2009 8:55 PM · Permalink · Report
With La Tale already approved, I added some more games to the missing games sheet. It contains over 150 MMOs now.
I will tackle Titans of Time next. This looks interesting somehow.
MZ per X (3017) on 11/20/2009 9:27 PM · Permalink · Report
Thanks. And yeah - it does, as these games tend to get quite complex. You need some serious hours of play time to get a glimpse of all the game's possibilities. And I'm quite sure that, sometimes, I'm missing out on some additional high-level features that would have been worth mentioning.
Or short: much to do and much to see, only 40 screen shots free. :o)
Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 11/20/2009 10:44 PM · Permalink · Report
A huge omission are some of the most popular games in the world right now -- those wretched Mafia Wars and FarmVille Facebook / Myspace applications. The tide is turning for Zynga since their CEO was caught on tape talking about his contempt for his players, so this might be the time to document them. (Beware, though, I'm told that the game makes itself difficult to extract from one's user account.)
Parf (7871) on 11/21/2009 6:31 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]The tide is turning for Zynga since their CEO was caught on tape talking about his contempt for his players... [/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]
Reminds me of what a Swedish artist said a couple a years ago about his own music actually. He said something like "When I stop making money from the music I'm producing now, I'll actually start making good music I like instead."
That gets my respect right there. :)
Zeppin (8407) on 11/21/2009 8:55 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]Reminds me of what a Swedish artist said a couple a years ago about his own music actually. He said something like "When I stop making money from the music I'm producing now, I'll actually start making good music I like instead."
That gets my respect right there. :) [/Q --end Parf wrote--] Which in turn reminds me of a popular French songwriter of two hundred years back "I only live to make my songs, if you rob me of my place, Monsigneur, I will make songs in order to live."
MZ per X (3017) on 11/21/2009 1:32 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]A huge omission are some of the most popular games in the world right now -- those wretched Mafia Wars and FarmVille Facebook / Myspace applications. [/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--] Hmm, seems like it's time to create my first account there.
sgtcook (1318) on 1/2/2010 3:14 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]A huge omission are some of the most popular games in the world right now -- those wretched Mafia Wars and FarmVille Facebook / Myspace applications. The tide is turning for Zynga since their CEO was caught on tape talking about his contempt for his players, so this might be the time to document them. (Beware, though, I'm told that the game makes itself difficult to extract from one's user account.) [/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]
I could give Farmville a go, as well as Fishville and Cafe World. Always a time to make your first game submission. And i kinda play Cybernations (log on, collect taxes, pay bills, log off), so i'll do that one as well.
MZ per X (3017) on 1/2/2010 7:50 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start sgtcook wrote--] I could give Farmville a go, as well as Fishville and Cafe World. Always a time to make your first game submission. And i kinda play Cybernations (log on, collect taxes, pay bills, log off), so i'll do that one as well. [/Q --end sgtcook wrote--] Awesome, please go ahead. :o) I will add the games to the spreadsheet, and/or your nick beside it.
And please don't forget to take some screenshots, you can submit up to 40 per game. And if you'll encounter any questions or problems, don't hesitate to discuss them here.
sgtcook (1318) on 1/2/2010 9:48 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Could i block out my/my friends names/pics out of the screens?(for FarmVille and stuff, as they have pictures of your friends at the bottom)
Done most of FarmVille, except Screens and date (twittered FarmVille about the release date, all i know is 2009)
MZ per X (3017) on 1/2/2010 10:20 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start sgtcook wrote--]Done most of FarmVille, except Screens and date (twittered FarmVille about the release date, all i know is 2009) [/Q --end sgtcook wrote--] Release date for FarmVille can be found here.
Some basic tips from my experience so far:
1) Register a throw-away account under the name of "MobyGamer" or something like that. Then, you won't have problems with private data on screenshots.
2) Crop the screenshots to remove all unnecessary crap from them (like browser interface). Only the playing field should be visible after that.
3) The resolution of the shots doesn't really matter, as it's different from game to game. But try to stick with one resolution for all shots, if possible. Exceptions you will encounter, like for instance Dark Orbit that uses different browser windows for gameplay.
4) In order to compose a good game description describing the game in its entirety, you will need to play the game for quite a while, thus getting a glimpse of the higher level features, and maybe even taking some advanced screenshots on the way.
sgtcook (1318) on 1/2/2010 11:02 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
As far as i'm aware, the higher level features are just new crops, animals and objects, so i'm ok in that department. I'll make a Mobygamer Facebook then, and use that. Only thing you can't get is machines.
I already have Screenhunter, which lets me just get the area i want. I'm level 21, so i think that's high enough for now.
EDIT: Submitted without screens, as i need time for my Moby Games account to grow.
EDIT 2: Found a way to use my farm without my friends names appearing, i just scroll the friend bar across. I'll use the Moby Gamer and MobyGamer Gamer account to show that. But it's midnight so i'll do it tomoz.
MZ per X (3017) on 1/3/2010 1:00 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start sgtcook wrote--]But it's midnight so i'll do it tomoz. [/Q --end sgtcook wrote--] Just take your time for composing a quality contribution. :o) And as your first new game submission is likely to come back several times for improvement/clarification, please have the patience necessary to learn and work with the approvers.
The tips I gave were not FarmVille-specific, but general good practices for adding MMOs, because I hope you won't stop after the four games you mentioned. The list of missing games is long, as you already saw.
MZ per X (3017) on 12/4/2009 9:51 PM · Permalink · Report
Titans of Time is pending approval, and this game had me kill so many animals that I somehow feel the need to give back to nature and do some MMO gardening next. :o)
MZ per X (3017) on 12/10/2009 9:00 PM · Permalink · Report
Molehill Empire is ready for consumption by an approver, a funny little gardening game that will have me come back from time to time to plant and harvest for a while. :o)
Wonderland Online is up next, another cute Manga RPG that looks colorful and childish, but still complex. Let' see.
vedder (70927) on 1/10/2010 5:11 PM · Permalink · Report
I wanted to make an entry for the MMO browser game Funnypigs, but I had a question about browser game screenshots.
Funnypigs is mostly a HTML website, with some scripts. Most of the game's interface is so long (vertically) that I can't fit it on my screen (Full 1080 HD resolution). Thus when I take a screenshot a part of the interface always gets cut off.
Also do I crop off all irrelevant info (tiling background) or do I capture my entire browser screen?
Sciere (930910) on 1/10/2010 6:41 PM · Permalink · Report
No, in those cases a portion of the gameplay area is sufficient, just make sure to leave out the browser buttons and such. Same for repeated background and such. I generally just hit F11 to get the largest area possible and then capture the relevant gameplay part.
Havoc Crow (29904) on 1/10/2010 8:03 PM · Permalink · Report
I just found a free MMO bonanza:
Sure, it's in Polish, but finding the MMO list on the left, figuring out what the categories mean ("Inne Gry MMO" = Other MMO Games, the rest is pretty self-explanatory) and finding the home page links on each MMO's page shouldn't pose many problems...
MZ per X (3017) on 1/10/2010 8:38 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start JudgeDeadd wrote--]I just found a free MMO bonanza: [/Q --end JudgeDeadd wrote--] Thanks, this looks very convenient to mine.
But, of course, finding free MMOs to add isn't the problem, getting the Moby people to add one or two MMOs per year is. :o) But if I continue babbling about my efforts there will be progress, I suppose.
vedder (70927) on 1/10/2010 8:58 PM · Permalink · Report
Funnypigs is pending.
I want to add Restaurant City, but it's technically "beta", but with 10 million weekly users I'd say it should be allowed in (just like farmville should!) Obviously there should be an exception for MMO game, which always maintain a beta state, just so the developers can have an excuse whenever they need one.
MZ per X (3017) on 1/10/2010 10:17 PM · Permalink · Report
Please keep complaining in this thread. :o)
MZ per X (3017) on 1/23/2010 10:24 PM · Permalink · Report
Pheww, Wonderland Online is pending approval. This one took longer than expected because it's somehow so tedious to play and so confusing to research. The automatic healing system has you watch the resting character for minutes while the amount of grinding needed is insane. And they give it a new subtitle for every major upgrade. Yikes.
I need a bit of change. =) Will add some titles to the missing MMOs list, or do some maintenance in the browser platform and the "Persistent Universe" genre.
Okay, this isn't real change, but I also downloaded an Amiga TOSEC and Amiga GameBase 1.6 snapshot which is over 50 GB (unpacked) data of games/applications/covers/screenshots of everything Amiga. Cool. :o)
Rola (8483) on 1/23/2010 11:05 PM · Permalink · Report
I say this thing deserves a mention: Elements elementsthegame.com
Rola (8483) on 1/25/2010 3:09 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
If only 'playing' could count as working, then... ;-)
No, I hate (with passion) writing descriptions for new games. I'd gladly submit, say, few shots for Elements if there was already a database entry. Maybe we should convince someone from the Elements forum?
Speaking of the card games, this one is quite good as well: Kongai http://www.kongregate.com/games/Kongregate/kongai
I don't have a google account, so could you please add this to Amiga list:
'Allo 'Allo! Cartoon Fun!
http://hol.abime.net/3250
MZ per X (3017) on 1/25/2010 8:59 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rola wrote--]If only 'playing' could count as working, then... ;-)[/Q --end Rola wrote--] :o) Yeah, if playing would be enough, we'd all contribute much much more.
[Q --start Rola wrote--]
I don't have a google account, so could you please add this to Amiga list:
'Allo 'Allo! Cartoon Fun!
http://hol.abime.net/3250
[/Q --end Rola wrote--]
Done. I didn't dare to touch the Amiga list of missing games before, because I could easily come up with a thousand games/compilations missing. :-\
MZ per X (3017) on 3/15/2010 9:39 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rola wrote--]Well, now I have a google account, but I still need editing rights for the list...[/Q --end Rola wrote--]
Please send PM to Multimedia Mike.
[Q --start Rola wrote--] BTW: I doubt it's possible with the current structure, but this list should somehow be incoporated with mobygames... [/Q --end Rola wrote--] sigh :o)