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Civony, the 2D isometric MMO
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Yes, Mistress!
So, I was checking my link list in hopes of finding something, ANYTHING interesting enough to post for you. The Darkfall patch notes were sort of interesting, in that they appear to have fixed a major exploit so well that the server is now divided between those who cheated, and those who did not.
But then I noticed the ad. Come with me down the rabbit hole!
The ads on this page are targeted as well as possible, with game ads being shown on game Examiner pages. Being a female gamer means that no ad is ever, ever targeted at me unless it's an ad for one of the abominations on the Lifetime website. And then such an ad is only targeting me if I've had a head injury followed by a lobotomy and an entire box of wine. Games women play, my Aunt Fanny. Gah.
So, anyway, this ad was pretty typical, but the "come on" was a little stronger than I'm used to. "Start your journey NOW, my lord!" Well, my saucy minx! How can I resist such a commanding tone?
It's on my Examiner page, so it must be an MMO, right?
How crazy is it?
I clicked it.
No expense was spared running the original Chinese through Babelfish.
I didn't click the registration. Instead I went directly to their website.
I don't know about you, but I can't resist anything called "Crazy expansion." Also, as a veteran of multiple overhyped overwhelmed MMO launches, I have a certain appreciation for anyone who opens a second server and calls it crazy expansion.
Unfortunately, I can't find much about the actual game on this website. The tour is just a handful of screenshots. It certainly looks more "Civ-ish" than usual, and between that and the name, I'm wondering how long Sid Meier's peeps are going to let this alone. Actually, strike that. Sid Meier may have to get in line. Many of the art assets appear to be borrowed from other games.
Castle art from where?
Wait, there's a FAQ! Don't bother reading it unless you're the sort of person who loves to read so much that in the mornings you'll read the cereal box. The Beginner Guidance material is similarly useless, consisting of a bunch of screenshots demonstrating interface elements, not how you might use them.
Certainly it's not apparent from the site that if you want to participate in "world chat" channels, you have to pay. Roughly 30 cents an outburst, as far as I can tell.
Anyone who has endured WoW's open chat for ten minutes will find this an intriguing concept.
Attempts to find out more about the company take you to a press release, the which features a large button reading "Add Fund. Pay Now!" It does not inspire confidence, though the FAQ does assure me it's Paypal and probably as safe as you're going to get online. At the bottom of the page is a notice that the content of the site is copyright "reganmerc.com" - which does not exist at all. Neither do the websites for their other two games.
What is kind of awesome is the community around the game. The message board is surprisingly active with lots of friendly people. The players are largely aware that this game is violating tons of copyright laws, and that the developers of the game are strangely detached from the product. Players who bitch about any aspect of the support, organization, or communication are told to be constructive. The freaky thing is that players so chastised usually come back with... something constructive? What? Is this the internet I've always known?
Anyway. What have we found at the bottom of this rabbit hole? A free to play browser based microtransaction strategy Chinese MMO that charges a dollar for a penny of in game currency. It will be shut down for massive copyright infringement as soon as someone with a legal department gets around to caring. But in the meantime, it seems to have gathered a little community that is worth checking out.
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