Between Pen and Paper

Apparently not, according to Bioware.

On the forum of their upcoming MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, there have been threads discussing the posibility of homosexual characters. Most of these have been closed now. However, the issue came to a head when a filter was put in place on the site, banning the use of words such as "gay", "lesbian", and "homosexual". The poster had this to say:

"Just wanted to point out that disallowing the usage of the words G-A-Y and L-E-S-B-I-A-N in this forum is something we (the GLBT community) cringe at witnessing. I understand where it comes from, but my advise to Bioware is to rethink this. Blizzard got some really bad press when they tried to forbid the usage of these words, and it would be really disappointing if Bioware would follow such a conservative policy in their forum - and their game."

In response to this, a few pages later into the thread, Bioware Community Manager Sean Dahlberg stated this before locking the topic:

"As I have stated before, these are terms that do not exist in Star Wars. Thread closed."

Coming from Bioware, this seems an odd move as they have given players the option to follow diverse romantic options in their previous games. In Jade Empire, female player characters could choose between seducing a male or female companion, whereas a male player character had even more choice - being able to choose between a male, female or even two female companions. In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, there was lesbian subtext between the female player character and Juhani, a female jedi.

Whilst their reasoning may work if they want to exclude the restrictions of specific sexuality from the Star Wars universe, why not restrict use of all terms related to the subject, such as 'heterosexuality'? At the moment, this seems like needless conservative censorship and added explanation is required on their part to avoid further conflict with the LGBT community.

Even if everyone was in agreement that these terms weren't used in Star Wars mythos, the need for players to identify themselves and build their character is still present. I can see the point of restricting these words in-game but it makes little sense to censor such things on a public forum.

Japanese developer and publisher Square Enix have acquired the UK company, Eidos for £84.3 million. Although franchises such as Tomb Raider and Hitman now belong to Square Enix, the Eidos logo will still be used when distributing them. Eidos has been allowed to remain independent and work on their own games.

Square Enix also released their sales figures for long-running games series, such as Final Fantasy, which has sold over 85 million units and Dragon Quest, which has shifted 47 million units. In comparison Tomb Raider has sold 30 million and Hitman only 8 million units. Other games of note from Eidos are Deus Ex and Just Cause.

Bethesda Softworks has upgraded their scrolls for books, taking their successful series of games to the literary stage. Elder Scrolls will be getting the treatment of bestselling author Greg Keyes as he creates two novels, the first due to be released in Autumn this year.

For more information, here's the press release:

"US, April 27, 2009 - Rockville, MD - Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, and Del Rey, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, are pleased to announce that Del Rey Books will publish two novels based on Bethesda Softworks' award-winning, high-fantasy video game series, The Elder Scrolls. The best-selling game series is known for giving the player the ability to choose how their story will play out and unfold, and for the incredible amount of lore and depth found in these rich game worlds.

Penned by New York Times bestselling author Greg Keyes, the novels will be all-new, original stories based in The Elder Scrolls universe. The first novel – The Infernal City – is set to be published in Fall 2009. Among Keyes' prior works are the Age of Unreason tetrology (for which he won the prestigious "Le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire" award), and three New York Times bestselling Star Wars novels in the New Jedi Order series.

"We've been big fans of Greg's work for a long time, and we're thrilled he agreed to bring his talents to The Elder Scrolls," said Pete Hines, vice president of public relations and marketing for Bethesda Softworks. "We see these books as a natural extension of the franchise and think fans will love the stories and characters Greg has created."

The Infernal City is set after the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, the latest game in the video game series, and finds the citizens of Tamriel once again facing an uncertain future. Floating high above the land is a strange and mysterious city that is casting a horrifying shadow – wherever it falls, people die and rise again as undead. It is up to an unlikely duo – a seventeen-year-old girl named Annaig and the Emperor's young son, Prince Attrebus – to rescue the kingdom from doom. Annaig and Attrebus' quest will take them through the Elder Scrolls universe and their adventure is sure to add to the series' already magnificent mythology."

The world of MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online games); one of the fastest growing genres within the gaming world. There is never a shortage of new ones being released, but rarely do we see one rising to high popularity and longevity. World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, EVE Online, Guild Wars; these giants of the MMORPG world are a tough act to follow, but Age of Conan rises to the challenge and attempts to make something of itself, sword and axe at the ready.

Conan and the world of Hyboria are the creation of Robert E. Howard, an American author writing in the 1930s. Rather than being a world filled with races such as elves and dwarves, AoC is low-fantasy, focusing more on realism and the darker aspects of humanity. Moral ambiguity is rife in this genre and is one of the many things that make the game unique within MMOs. The inspiration for the game comes directly from Howard’s books, rather than the interpretations made since. The game setting takes place a year after the events of the book, The Hour of the Dragon. Those expecting to see Arnie look-alikes prancing around the wilderness, rescuing helpless virgins will be, thankfully, disappointed.

Age of Conan was developed by the Norwegian company, Funcom, and was released on May 17th 2008. Funcom have been responsible for such games as Anarchy Online and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.


The world of Hyboria is on the brink of war. King Conan’s lands are threatened on several fronts; on one side he has the savage Picts biting at his heels, on the other Thoth-Amon, a powerful Stygian sorceror, schemes to twist the lands to his will. Not only do the world’s warriors have to contend with savages and fanatical cultists but the land is plagued by the undead and vicious beasts.

Your character is thrown into the centre of it all when the ship you are enslaved upon is sunk and you wash up on the shores of the island of Tortage. With only your slave’s manacles, a rather unattractive loincloth and a mysterious mark branded upon your chest, you attempt to make your way in a very hostile world, guided occasionally by strangers with unknown motives.

This is the first noticeable aspect Age of Conan has going for it; the emphasis on storyline. Not only does the plot feature heavily in the start of your adventures, but your character is made important in the grand scheme of things. Something a lot of other MMORPGs lack. You could be forgiven for thinking that this is, in fact, a single player game as it focuses so heavily on solo play to begin with. Once you reach the first town, you are given the option to enter ‘night time’ play, where no other players may join you. This allows you to do your ‘destiny’ quests and further the main plot. You may switch back to daytime mode at any time in order to do normal quests with friends.

Each of the destiny quest NPCs (non-player characters) have voiceovers as well, making the game play even more immersive. Every quest on the island of Tortage is treated in the same way and it is only when you leave the area, usually after your 20th level, that the voice-overs cease in the normal quests. This might be disappointing to some, due to the quality of acting, but it’s likely to be time-consuming and costly to repeat this throughout the entire game.

But don’t let the heavy plot fool you, this game is as much about pounding your enemies as it is about listening to some old scholar blabbing on about a lurking doom. And the combat system is truly unique. Instead of merely pressing one button to activate a skill, you have a choice of three directions from which to hit your opponent. Skills require you to press these directional buttons in a specific order to activate them. It makes the combat both diverse and tactical, as your enemies can block certain directions too, making some skills less effective in one moment and powerful in the next.

Add to that the ability to dodge out of the way of any attack, making range very important to combat, and you have a system that requires thought rather than mere button bashing. This might also make it frustrating for newcomers or those with impaired digital dexterity. Although the game does ease you into the combat, PvP (player vs. player) can be extremely brutal.

The game does feature some intensive PvP aspects and if you create a character on a PvP server, then expect to get pounced upon at any time. There are specific areas where you are safe from being ambushed but the majority of locations on these servers allow for a free-for-all type of play. There are no factions, like in World of Warcraft, so it’s you against the world. If you’re new to the game, you can find yourself at the mercy of more experienced players quite often, making questing difficult.

If, however, you choose to play on a PvE (player vs. environment) realm, it will allow you to appreciate the surrounding locales a bit more. And the graphics are nicely done. Rather than the more cartoony feel of World of Warcraft, Age of Conan goes for realism and immersion. The character models are very detailed and highly customisable, and who doesn’t like spending hours making new characters, right? The architecture of each culture can be linked to our own past and is easily recognisable, for example the Stygians are quite obviously based upon the Ancient Egyptians. The music is equally fitting and well composed, adding to the atmosphere of the game. So much so, it’s hard to play without sound at all.


With the vast array of features the game has, such as mounted combat, guild cities, professions, and the mentoring system (which allows you to take a lower level friend and raise them to your own level so you may fight together), it appears as though this game has much to offer the tired MMORPGer.

In Funcom’s eagerness, however, it seems as though they’ve released the game a tad too soon. The servers are rather unstable and there are quite a few glitches within the world, graphical and mechanical alike. Had they taken more time on the game and ensured it was absolutely ready for release, then this would have been a perfect contender against the likes of World of Warcraft.

At the beginning of June, AoC had around 500,000 subscribers so it has a long way to go to match the 10 million of WoW. But it is an MMO in its’ infancy, and has time to get through the teething difficulties to become a truly great game.

Overall rating: 7/10

 DOFUS, created by the Ankama Group, is the leading MMO in France, having won several awards, and has recently reached a landmark 10 million players since release, currently boasting 1.5 million subscribers. Whilst 70% of its players are French speaking, it is played in 150 different countries and will soon be available in 10 different languages. With the sequel, Wakfu, in the works, this seemed like as good a time as any to give the phenomena a try.

The story is based around six mysterious eggs named DOFUS, which were discovered centuries previously in the entrails of a slain dragon. The wise men of Amakna, the land in which the game takes place and Ankama’s name reversed, discovered that when united the eggs contained great but unstable power. And so it was decided they would be scattered. Now, in present day Amakna, the DOFUS have disappeared from their secret hiding places and strange creatures have appeared, enticing adventurers and treasure hunters alike to hunt for the famed eggs.

When I first approached this game for review, I cleared my mind of any preconceived notions I had of both this game, and of the MMORPG genre, as I knew this was going to be different from anything I’d played before. For starters, it’s a Flash game, with only 150mb installation size, and a minimum required RAM of 256. Having never come across DOFUS before, I was surprised at how small it was, but this is one of the appeals it has to many of its players. It can be played from most computers so it is a truly mobile game.


It would be silly of me to try and compare DOFUS to other MMORPGs, such as World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online, as they can hardly be classed in the same bracket. Yes, they are of the same genre but there are just too many differences between them. So, that is the last time I shall mention those games.

With the quick installation gone, it was time for me to register an account, which was, again, quick and simple. Then it was on to one of the aspects of MMOs I always enjoy; character creation. Having tackled this game as a complete beginner, with no prior knowledge, it was easy to get confused at first glance of the classes. Whilst Ankama are to be commended for their originality of archetypes, some players may find the unique class names off putting.

There are a total of 12 different classes to choose from, with names such as Iop, which was inspired by the milkshake Yop, and Osamodas. These do come with a short explanation as to what each class is and some example spells, so under further investigation I was able to decipher which ones were warriors, which were mages, and which were rogues. Disappointingly, character customisation is rather limited, restricting the player to choosing the colour of only three aspects of their chosen character. No changes in face, hairstyle or body type is offered, although gender is selectable.

When your character first steps into the game world, you are presented with 2D isometric graphics, an informative user interface, and some pop-up messages to help you on your way. The backgrounds are fairly vibrant and eye-catching, keeping the player interested but they can get pretty repetitive from scene to scene. Character movement is typically Flash-based and detail is limited due to the size of the models. The artwork is reminiscent of a cute manga style, which is one of the main draws of the game.

Another major draw of the game is its humour, which is evident as soon as you step into the world; with several quips from nearby NPCs. Character designs also portray this humour, although I prefer mine to be a bit subtler. Since the game was originally released in French, I was impressed with the quality of the translation, having experienced many poor attempts from mainly Japanese and Korean MMOs.

Once through the quick tutorial, your character is exposed to the general starting area, where all young Amaknans must begin their adventures. A green exclamation mark, the symbol of choice among MMORPG developers, above the head of two NPCs denotes your first quests. These are generic MMO fare, telling you to kill a certain beast or speak to another NPC. Taking the orders to heart, I embarked upon my first real battle against an unsuspecting mosquito.

The combat is fairly unique for this genre of game, using a tactical turn-based system, which piqued my interest. My character, an Iop - which is a melee class by default - is given the choice of several squares as her starting position, with her foe clearly visible. Depending on your Initiative, one of a character’s core statistics, you or your opponent will move and take actions first. With limited movement, in a square-by-square manner, battles aren’t always quick. Actions take up, you guessed it, action points and my Iop was only able to take one action per turn. I found the system to be a little clunky; with fights taking longer than necessary with the sheer amount of clicking you had to do to move on to the next turn. The potential for tactical play, especially within a group, are extremely good however, it is just a pity I wasn’t able to experience them in the time I played.

Another thing you come across when you enter the starting area is other players, who are fairly numerous, even on the UK server on which I played. There seemed to be a contingent of idle players merely standing around on nearly every scene I came across. Other players also have the ability to jump into your battles once you’ve initiated them, either aiding you or your enemy. I found, in my very first battle, that a level 41 player jumped in and started attacking me. I was a tad confused as to this tactic but merely got on with killing that poor mosquito and ignored his high-levelled rudeness. Thankfully, combat ended when the mosquito went to that little insect heaven in the sky.

Something I soon noticed in my travels around the starting area was the music, which was cheery but incredibly repetitive and it didn’t take me long to turn it off. The sound effects weren’t much better and they tended to annoy me rather than immerse me in the gameplay. It also seems that DOFUS hasn’t escaped the curse of MMOs that is the gold seller. Several chat channels were continually spammed by messages inviting players to buy their virtual currency but DOFUS does give you the option to leave these channels, much to my relief. From my conversations with players, I learned that the game does have quite a problem with bots; characters continually roaming maps and killing monsters to make that all-important money.

Another thing players complained of was the constant changes made to class dynamics with the intention of balancing them. Whilst this is a common complaint in MMORPGs, and I haven’t enough experience within the game to be able to tell for myself, enough people voiced their opinion on the matter to make me think Ankama have fallen into this trap as well.

DOFUS boasts several other features to keep players coming back for more, such as pets, guilds, PvP, and alignments. Among these are a variety of professions available for your character to learn. You are able to learn up to three professions after having levelled the previous one to 30. There is a wide range to choose from, such as farming, baking, armoursmithing, alchemy, carving, and much more. From my limited experience of the professions, I found the gathering of materials to be a slow, tedious slog and the crafting of items to be fairly hit-and-miss. For example, in the woodcutting profession, to make an ash plank it requires 20 pieces of ash wood. Each tree you chop down yields between one and three of the resource, with a gathering time of around 11 seconds. This seems rather unbalanced and levelling up each profession is very time-consuming.

I expect the professions aren’t the only time-consuming part of the game, as from the time spent playing, I foresee levelling to be just as bad, especially with the 200 level cap. Although levelling can be a pretty quick process in the beginning, the quests don’t seem to take up much of those levels, facilitating a grinding style of play. From what players have told me, it is estimated to take around two to three years to reach the maximum level. Add in the fact that certain monsters can be camped, especially the higher level ones in the starting area, grinding could become incredibly tedious. Personally, I don’t think the visuals are diverse enough to support such an approach.

DOFUS provides both limited free-to-play and pay-to-play options for gamers, with subscribed accounts enjoying such benefits as being able to challenge monsters over level 20, working on professions over level 30, and creating or joining guilds. On offer to subscribers is a rather novel idea - the heroic server. In this version of the game, you only live once. Character death means just that, you lose your character and any items you’d gained. As a benefit of this server, experience and item drops are increased.


Although I wouldn’t personally pay to play this game, I can see the attraction for a fair number of people. It’s not comparable to the big names in the genre but it is, indeed, a big name itself and I can’t think of a better example of a Flash game. It’s easy access and low specs somewhat balance the repetitive gameplay and I can only see its popularity growing.

Overall rating: 6/10