igg posts

How scammers plunder your Tales of Pirates booty

by James Egan Jul 4th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Tales of Pirates, Free-to-play, Kids

For the first time in a long while, we've come across a tale of digital wrong-doing that doesn't involve internet spaceships and is definitely not allowed by the developers. The game in question is Tales of Pirates published by IGG. Apparently a number of the game's players have fallen victim to a trick, and IGG wants to publicize this to make people aware of the scam. There's a brief warning on the official Tales of Pirates site about account security, but they just put out a press release that's far more detailed.

IGG writes: "As with any popular game, IGG's Tales of Pirates has attracted its share of scammers. Even the most careful pirate can sometimes be fooled by a well-executed scam. The best way to avoid becoming a victim is to learn the common tricks scammers use. To help players, the ToP would like to highlight one particularly popular method used recently." We can only hope they emailed the full info to their playerbase, but we'll keep our own take on it short and sweet here -- five steps to violating the Tales of Pirates EULA and getting banned (and of course, what to watch out for.):

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Tags: f2p, fantasy, free-to-play, igg, impersonation, kids, mmo-industry, phishing, scam, scams, tales-of-pirates

2029 enters alpha testing phase

by Kyle Horner May 25th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS

Post-apocalyptic fans rejoice! Yet another game in your favorite science fiction genre is moving ahead with development, as free-to-play title 2029 goes into alpha testing as of Monday, May 25th. Unsure of how the game plays? You can find a newbie guide here that'll give you a pretty thorough rundown of all the MMORTS features designed into the game.

It looks to be an interesting blend of sci-fi and real-time strategy, with a dash of fantasy as well. We also saw some screenshots with a definite hint of Halo and StarCraft. So if you enjoy those settings, it couldn't hurt to give this a look even if you're vaguely interested. After registering an account for the game, you can go for a direct download or a torrent version of the game client -- always a nice option to have.

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Tags: 2029, alpha, blizzard, bungie, free-to-play, halo, igg, mmo, mmorts, post-apocalyptic, rts, starcraft

Wonderland Online patches up to version 4.0 with The Cursed Palace

by Colin Brennan May 5th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Launches, Patches, News items, PvE, Free-to-play

Free to play 2-D fantasy MMO Wonderland Online has recently update with a brand new version, adding in new quests, a drastic change to the current storyline, and the ability to hold instances in their game. With all of these additions comes their new 13 dungeons, the wings of the Cursed Palace.

The former Hell Generals of the evil King Howert (now deceased as of this patch) have captured Apollo, the Sun God, forcing the world into eternal darkness. Players will have to pass the tests of the Cursed Palace, a place that only Hercules had survived before, to reclaim Apollo and bring light back to the world. If you haven't noticed, this entire patch has a very Greek theme to it, introducing the Greek Polis area, which is a combination of all of the old Greek city-states, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in addition to the Cursed Palace.

For the full look at the 2-D MMO's large patch, check out their dedicated site to the update on the main Wonderland Online home page.

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Tags: 2-d, apollo, athena, free-to-play, greek, igg, instance, the-cursed-palace, version-4.0, wonderland-online

Wonderland Online announces Memorial Day events

by Shawn Schuster May 25th 2008 at 9:30AM

Filed under: Contests, Events, in-game, Forums, Free-to-play

Wonderland Online, one of the many free-to-play MMOs at the Internet Gaming Gate, has announced its exciting array of Memorial Day events happening this weekend.

One of these is an interesting take on the original Memorial Day theme as a military holiday or remembrance. The event is called Saving Private Ryan and it will be a play on the movie of the same name. Three GMs will play the part of injured veterans who are on their way home from the front. They will be attacked by monsters along the way, and it's up to the players to defend them until they reach home. Plus, as an added bonus, from May 23rd to May 26th, players who post replies to discuss Wonderland Online in its forum will have a chance to win valuable rewards.

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Tags: contests, forum, free-to-play, igg, wonderland-online

Tales of Pirates announces return of triple XP

by Adrian Bott May 23rd 2008 at 9:00PM

Filed under: Events, in-game, Tales of Pirates, Free-to-play

Tales of Pirates, the 3D cartoon-style free-to-play piratical MMORPG from igg.com, is holding Triple Exp Carnival again this weekend across all servers. There's no particular seasonal or event-based reason for this; the motive is simply 'more fun this weekend', and it's hard to argue with that.

Tales of Pirates is a popular MMO with a laid-back atmosphere, and recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. It's based upon an intricate background history and large campaign world, with a particular emphasis (not surprisingly) on oceanic exploration. ToP has also earned particular acclaim for its fighting system and ship-to-ship combat.

Triple Exp Carnival is set to run from 9.00 AM ET on May 24th through to 21.00 PM ET on the same day. Make the most of it while it lasts!

Tags: events, exp, igg, pirates, tales-of-pirates, triple-exp-carnival, triple-xp, xp

Zu Online gets a new look, new server

by James Egan May 22nd 2008 at 9:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Zu Online, News items, Free-to-play

IGG has just launched a new website for Zu Online, their cel-shaded martial arts MMO. The revamped site features an animated video introduction to the storyline with comic book panel transitions, fitting the anime style of the game itself. The free-to-play game is set in an ancient and mythical Sichuan and has an active community, perhaps even moreso in light of the situation facing its real-life locale.

Hot on the heels of the site revamp is Zu Online's new server launch, slated for June 6th. The new server coincides with the game's second anniversary. IGG announced that this new server is needed to accommodate the growing population of Zu Online, as well as to improve the game experience for fans of the title.

Via MMORPG

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Tags: anime, cel-shaded, china, fantasy, free-to-play, igg, zu-online

Wonderland Online furniture review

by Brenda Holloway May 21st 2008 at 10:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Crafting, Player Housing, Free-to-play, Casual, Virtual worlds

Aspiring carpenters in IGG's Wonderland Online may wonder, rightly, if they are as clean and fresh as they possibly could be. Is the bathtub that they picked out when they first started their fight against nature's foes still relevant to their faster-paced lifestyle? Is the tent just getting a little small, needing perhaps a second floor or a larger garage? It is these sorts of questions that the Wonderland Online developers answer in their list of furniture improvements that will turn your old tent into one that will be the envy of your friends and the inevitable gathering place for your guild. Learn the benefits a bookcase will bring, or how to decide between an ancient bathtub or air conditioning.

Wonderland Online is a free-to-play Asian import that combines standard RPG elements with interactive social spaces. In how many other games can you leave your rustic cabin in the middle of the forest primeval, climb into your robot and jet away into space? Darn few.

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Tags: casual, crafting, fantasy, free-to-play, igg, player-housing, virtual-worlds, wonderland-online

Zu Online community mourns earthquake victims

by Samuel Axon May 15th 2008 at 10:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Culture, Events, in-game, Zu Online, News items

As most people have heard by now, a massive earthquake struck the Sichuan province of China four days ago, killing 12,000 people and leaving as many as 18,000 more missing. The colossal tragedy shocked not only the Chinese, but all the people of the world.

Players of the Chinese MMO Zu Online were no exception. Without any prior planning, they collected together in the game's wuxia fantasy setting -- the mythic past of the the very region struck by this week's terrible disaster -- to mourn those lost in the earthquake, and to pray for their families.

A Zu player put together a tribute video, cross-cutting between footage from the in-game memorial service and photographs from the media coverage of the disaster, and posted it on the game's official forums. It's a noble tribute to the deceased. Watch it if you feel compelled.

[Via MMORPG]

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Tags: china, disaster, earthquake, igg, memorial, onwind-digital, prayer, service, sichuan, tragedy, video, wuxia, zu-online

Pirates need homes too

by James Egan Apr 25th 2008 at 8:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, News items, Voyage Century Online

Pirates of the Burning Sea gets a lot of love from Massively, but that doesn't mean we haven't noticed some of the other games in the pirate MMO genre. One such title is Voyage Century Online, a free-to-play game published by IGG, already popular in China, South Korea, and Germany. The game is set in the 17th century, and players can choose characters from among European Monarch, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or Pirate classes.

Voyage Century Online's game mechanics don't lock characters into a specific profession and, in time, a player can explore a number of different careers with a single character. Although Voyage Century Online already allows for exploration on the high seas and the seizing of ports, this freedom to choose your own career path runs counter to the ability to truly control your own destiny -- the most prosperous port cities have long since been under the control of the strongest guilds.

To balance this, major changes in territorial control are coming to the game through the new city-building system. Voyage Century Online is set to expand the game's horizons by allowing all guilds to build their own port cities, provided that they meet the new requirements.

[Via TenTonHammer]

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Tags: city-building, exploration, game-mechanics, guild, igg, pirate

First Impressions: Zu Online

by Adam Schumacher Jan 23rd 2008 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Zu Online, Free-to-play, First Impressions

Do you like anime? Do you crave Kung-fu? Do you salivate over anything with "Naruto" in the title? If so, Zu Online might be a game for you. Zu Online is the latest free-to-play game to come from the Internet Gaming Gate (IGG), a prolific MMOG developer. It seems this crew launches a new MMO every month. What does that mean for the masses of players out there? Well ... good and bad news.

I decided to take a little tour of Zu Online by giving it a few hours of my time. What I found might surprise you.

Tags: first-impression, free-to-play, hands-on, IGG, zu-online

IGG receives $4.5 mill in investment capital

by Chris Chester Jan 2nd 2008 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Myth War Online, Business models, MMO industry, Tales of Pirates, Zu Online

Internet Gaming Gate (IGG to its friends), who you may recognize as the company behind such free to play MMOs as Myth War Online, Zu Online, and Tales of Pirates, has announced that they have received a new chunk of funding to the tune of $4.5 million USD from an investment capital firm to expand their operations. Having only launched in 2006, IGG has already put out an impressive number of titles and boasts a user base of over 3.5 million. If we had any doubts about the efficacy of the free MMO business model, this vote of confidence has to quell those doubts at least a little.

The funding was provided by IDG Technology Venture Investments, a subsidiary of the International Data Group, a body whose primary goal is to link Silicon Valley to the burgeoning Chinese technology market through the use of venture capital.

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Tags: business, IGG, investment, myth-war-online, tales-of-pirates, venture-capital, zu-online

Open beta for Zu Online starts tonight

by Samuel Axon Dec 14th 2007 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Betas, New titles, Zu Online, News items

If you're looking for a game with a Chinese-wuxia-esque twist, you'll be interested to know that Zu Online will enter its open beta testing phase this evening at 8:00 PM EST. Poke around the official website for the client download (which can even be acquired via BitTorrent, if that's your sort of thing!) and for instructions for the actual launch when it comes. All the old alpha accounts are getting wiped just prior to the beginning of the new phase, so the servers will be a level playing field for new players.

If you're not familiar with the game: it's a Kung Fu MMO which features player flight and group-oriented story quests as major selling points. It also has a really neat, stylized cell-shaded look -- something that when you think about it seems like a really good match for the genre.

Animated, story-driven Wire Fu -- how can you possibly go wrong with that?

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Tags: beta, bittorrent, china, chinese, flight, igg, kung-fu, martial-arts, onwind-digital, open-beta, wuxia, zu-online

Zu Online showcases the Holy City

by Amanda Rivera Nov 19th 2007 at 7:00PM

Filed under: New titles, Zu Online, Free-to-play

With the alpha closed and lips zipped on IGG's Zu Online, the developers have released some info on one of the major focal points in the game, the Holy City. I think it's important that game makers give the public information like this, teasers if you will, about what they can expect in the game. Without these tantalizing morsels, how can we build anticipation for their product?

The Holy City is comprised of two main sections that seem to be divided geographically. Because the city is so massive, there are several Ride Guardians stationed throughout the city that will let you travel from place to place with speed and style. Judging from how pretty the map is, I can imagine this city will be breathtaking.

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Tags: Holy-City, IGG, Zu-Online

Zu Online end of alpha

by Amanda Rivera Nov 19th 2007 at 5:33PM

Filed under: New titles, Zu Online, Free-to-play

Development is chugging along for Onwind Digital's newest MMO offering, Zu Online. They recently closed their alpha testing to make way for bigger and better things. The players, it seems, are having a ball playing the game, and let the developers know that they particularly enjoy the game's unique storylines and responsive controls. Now that they have concluded their end of alpha event, "A Happy Ending to Alpha," we will eagerly await news about what is next to come from this beautiful MMO.

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Tags: alpha, end-of-alpha-event, IGG, Onwind-Digital, Zu-Online

Zu Online alpha test goes live with 'big rewards'

by Chris Chester Oct 26th 2007 at 2:02PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Zu Online

Zu Online, a new, free fantasy MMO being developed by Onwind Digital and brought to the 'states by IGG, has entered its alpha test. Sporting a unique and surprisingly stylistic hand-drawn style, Zu is heavily-steeped in Chinese mythology, shirking the typical elves and orcs fare for a focus on Buddhist monastic tradition.

Their website, which is curiously hard to navigate and chock full of good old fashioned engrish, claims that "hundreds of thousands" of people applied to be part of the alpha, and only five hundred made it in. Those lucky few will get an added treat from Onwind and crew this weekend, as all alpha testers will receive a princely 30 gold!

And hey, for a free game, it sure is pretty. If they work on localization a little bit more, Zu Online could very well be a hit . We'll see.

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Tags: alpha, china, chinese, engrish, free, freeware, hand-drawn, IGG, Onwind-Digital, test, zu-online

Massively Features

Featured Games

Events Calendar

Name	Date
Fallen Earth Launch	Q2 2009
Global Agenda Closed Beta	July 2009
CrimeCraft Launch	Aug 25 2009
Champions Online Launch	Sep 1 2009
Cities XL EU Launch	Sep 3 2009
Aion Launch	Sep 22 2009
Earth Eternal Open Beta	Q3 2009