I spent yesterday in a state of confusion after learning the dark secrets of a friend. My nights are still plagued with nightmares. But now I know that as long as I keep my cheerful goldfish close to hand, I will remain this side of sanity.

This is part of the learning curve for the residents of Fallen London. This is an everyday occurrence in Echo Bazaar.

Echo Bazaar is a web-based card game set in the heart of Fallen London, “a short boat-ride from Hell”. As soon as you log in, there is an otherwordly feeling, despite the almost familiar descriptions of London. You are surrounded by the neutral dark colors of the ‘Neath with the simple words at the top of your screen: Welcome, delicious friend.

On the surface, it is a simple turn-based role-playing game with quirky text. But that doesn’t begin to describe Echo Bazaar. [More...]

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Serious Quitters’ Arcade is a gaming website aimed at "Serious Quitters" – people who are serious about giving up cigarettes. I’m not quite sure of the connection but I have to admit that when I quit smoking, I was certainly looking for distractions to keep me from thinking about lighting up. Fun flash games seem as good a way to keep your hands busy as anything else.

Sponsored by Pfizer, Quitter’s Arcade has three video games for you to choose from, which have been modified to reinforce negative messages about smoking so you may even find they help to keep you focused on your goal.

There are three simple games based on video arcade classics. You have to give your name and email address to save your highscore on the scoreboard (and you can share your score on Facebook) but you can opt out of the newsletter. I tested this with a custom email address and I can confirm that as yet, I have not received any unwanted emails.

[More...]

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

There’s a new game in town that’s caught my attention but it’s not something I’m sure I should be admitting publicly.

You see, it’s not a new MMO or some great new console game or even an exciting new web application combining clever AJAX scripting with edgy graphics.

It’s a Facebook app. Worse, it’s a Facebook app based very closely on the runaway success known as Farmville.

I suppose I might as well say it outright: Island Life launched as a beta application on Facebook last week and I’ve been playing it ever since.

I have to be honest, I have not been paying a lot of attention to the games on Facebook. I added a couple of applications to give my friends bonuses until I realised it was a never-ending proposition and covered my “profile” with spam. Then I removed and/or blocked most of them and went on my merry way. Tiny Adventures caught my eye as a text-based offering by Wizards of the Coast and it was fun for a short while but ultimately lacking in depth. I presumed that this was a general issue with Facebook applications and redirected my attention to PC and web-based games.

Metaplace was one of the most interesting Web-based projects that I had seen, a new launch by Raph Koster, well known for his work as lead designer on Ultima Online and creative director of Star Wars Galaxies. [More...]

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

I wrote a long post about Need vs Greed over a year ago. The problem hasn’t gone away and no one has come up with a better system.

However, the issue has resulted in this great song by EmberIsolte with an amusing video by Raven Sylphe Machinima Productions:

You can hear more songs by EmberIsolte on YouTube – EmberIsolte’s Channel.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

On Steelhead Studio there’s a fun little webpage for gamers to test their knowledge. It must have taken forever to design this great set of cupcakes with a challenge:

“Every year, we throw a big, game party to ring in the new year. This year (2010) is our house’s 100-year birthday, so we celebrated with cupcakes…

…and the cupcakes were a game.
Here they are in random order – see how many you can guess! Mouse over the question mark to reveal the answer.”

Every cupcake is designed with the reference to a well-known game. How many can you name on the spot? Head on over to 100 cupcakes and try them all.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

The closed beta for Sentinel’s Fate continues and more people have reported receiving invites. Hopefully the expansion is getting thorough testing so that it’s all smooth and slick when it launches in February.

There was a competition to write a haiku about Sentinel’s Fate and/or the continent of Odus and Sixes the Magnificent Webgnome posted an entry:

I want to play golf

In Ruins of Old Paneel

Get The Hole in one.

He’s not the only one thinking about the old haunts from Everquest – The Hole was probably the dungeon I spent the most time in and one of the locations I’m most looking forward to seeing when Sentinel’s Fate goes live. I think it is probably the most discussed zone from Odus and I can’t wait to see how they’ve renovated it for EQ2.

And just to whet my appetite, I received this exclusive screenshot of the dungeon today!

Click on the image to see it in full-size, high-rez glory! You can also see the previous screenshots of the The Sundered Frontier.

You’ll find more images of the zone scattered around the gaming blogs and I have it on good authority that a preview of the zone will be appearing on EverQuest II Players very soon. There’s already some great quotes and screenshots about the two overland zones: The Sundered Frontier and Stonebrunt Highlands.

At least I can stop talking about “next year’s” expansion – it’s going to be on the live servers next month! Headstart access starts February 16th for those who pre-order the retail box and presumably February 23rd for the rest of us.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

The first City Festival is now on the live servers, with lots of fun for all the family!

Head on over to Kelethin and you’ll find the traveling caravans down the ramp from Kelethin on the grassy knoll at 584,45, 41. It’s an easy stroll from the Butcherblock entrance or just climb up the tree and a short hike from the druid ring. As it is outside of the city, evil-aligned citizens of Norrath do not have to worry about guards.

You’ll see The Far Seas Trading Company has brought their finest wares and are bartering for tokens – now all you need are some tokens.

You can earn these by doing city writs all month long but during the festival there are additional opportunities to collect them in return for running errands for Kella Swampfoot, the Far Seas Quartermaster at 547,45,18. You can craft a few items, gather fresh harvests or travel to the Village of Shin to chase late deliveries.

You can trade your tokens for fine food and drink, general goods, and temporary clothing rental: special outfits which disappear after a set amount of time. You should also make sure to check the local specialties from Chris Weathers . As the festival won’t be back in Kelethin for 6 months, you may wish to stock up on the special items.

There is also a collection on the platforms of Kelethin, the Kelethin Postage Collection. This live event collection is marked as level 50 and requires six items and will only be available while the festival is in town so make sure to collect all the pieces.

The festival will remain in Kelethin until the 7th of January, at which point the traders will hit the road until the 1st of February when they will pause for celebration in another Norrathian city with all new local delights!

A token exchange merchant is in the works so if you have leftover tokens from previous live events, hang onto them, they may come in useful yet!

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.