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mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 1

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for personal use only this ebook is available for download from the website mmobomb.com this ebook is protected by the creative commons attribution-noncommercial-no derivative works 3.0 unported license this means that you are free · to share distribute and transmit the work under the follow ing conditions · attribution you must attribute this work to mmobomb.com with a link to www.mmobomb.com · noncommercial you may not use this work for commercial purposes · no derivative works you may not alter transform or build upon this work if you have any questions about the copyright or uses of this ebook please send an email to contact@mmobomb.com disclaimer and/or legal notices by reading this ebook you have agreed to the following terms no part of this ebook should be sold copied or reproduced under no circumstances be a super hero on free online games and all its contents are protected by copyright law the author of this ebook cannot be held responsible for the actions you take as a result of viewing this report the author has explained these concepts to the best of his knowledge and ability and cannot and will not guarantee that you will achieve any specific results individual results are based on your ability to correctly comprehend and apply this information mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 2

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table of contents 1 introduction free to play games ready to dominate gaming market 4 2 6 reasons you should make the jump to free to play games 9 3 questions to ask yourself before starting a free to play game .13 4 brush up on your mmo etiquette before taking to the battlefield 18 5 do you have what it takes to run a successful guild 21 6 level up to gm in your favourite mmo game 24 7 make money playing free online games 27 8 finding love and relationships in mmo games 31 9 get your loved ones to game at your side 35 10 stay healthy through even the most gruelling mmo grind sessions 38 11 get the most out of your virtual life without sacrificing your real life 41 12 glossary 44 13 final thoughts 46 mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 3

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1 introduction free to play games ready to dominate gaming market when graphical mmorpg s massively multiplayer online roleplaying games first hit the scene way back in the early 1990 s the increased cost associated with running an online game from server maintenance to game updates presented developers with a new challenge how could they increase their revenue to overcome the added expenses from this dilemma the subscription model was born gamers would not only have to purchase the game they would then have to pay a fee for continued access to the servers to actually play the game and in fact one of the very first graphical mmorpg s neverwinter nights used a subscription model that was quite literal in its execution charging gamers per every hour spent slaying beasts we can thank the gods of insert random mmo fantasy world ruled over by a pantheon of gods which probably constitutes most that that model quickly went the way of final fantasy xiv s original staff members tip if you enjoy turn based combat like final fantasy you have to try atlantica online mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 4

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as the genre continued to grow and more and more games all using subscription models hit the market it became apparent that something was going to have to give the trouble with this model was that it bred players who were wholly devoted to just one game many games were struggling to find new paying players or pull them from the other subscription based games and this only intensified after world of warcraft s release and subsequent dominance of the subscription based market tip if you really like world of warcraft you have some cool free to play alternatives such as runes of magic allods online or 4story they are very similar from the game s interface to core gameplay mechanics free to play hits the ground limping it was around this time that free to play games first started appearing many of them coming from asia it s safe to say that early impressions of these games weren t overly positive for the most part and the payment model developed a poor reputation as a result with free to play games being seen as inferior in quality to most pay to play offerings yet despite this a funny thing happened free to play games were pulling in huge amounts of players and even better for developers mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 5

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they were actually making money you see contrary to what some people believed gamers were in fact willing to support the game and spend money on in-game items to help them level faster or new duds to make them look stylish in advance of their next raid as a result more and more developers entered the free to play market dungeons dragons online the lord of the rings online everquest ii extended alganon apb champions online and much more which led to a veritable flood of new offerings hitting in recent years the flood of new titles put even greater pressure on those clinging to the old subscription model forcing some of them to shut down altogether or switch from pay to play to free to play the future is free the mmo future at least this migration to free to play all but ensures that this payment model will thrive in the coming years and with the increased competition in this space should also ensure that the quality of new releases continues to grow with it we can already see the evidence of this in many of the most recent free to play offerings such as runes of magic league of legends vindictus need for speed world battlefield play4free and much more mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 6

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what we re seeing now are pay to play quality games aaa titles being released free to play and this trend will only continue it s not really a surprise that this is now the case with developers now confident they can make money and develop a sustainable revenue stream for the long term they re able to commit more resources to new free to play projects and the quality of these games is increasing as a result this whole trend will only continue to make it that much more difficult for subscription based games to find loyal paying customers quit paying and start playing one of the great benefits to gamers with the free to play model is the ease with which they can test out and jump between different games all without having to worry about fees you can read game reviews and lists of game features until you re blue in the face but until you ve actually tested out a game for a decent amount of time yourself you really don t know for certain whether it will be up your alley or not while many subscription based games do have free trials you often have to jump through hoops to gain access to them and then the limited nature of the trials forces you to cram large gaming sessions into a short amount of time if you hope to be able to make an accurate judgment on the game before the trial expires mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 7

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free to play games also allow you to freely return to former stomping grounds and hook up with old adventuring buddies whenever you want you don t have to feel obligated to just one game because of a subscription fee that you want to get the most out of and you don t have to cling to playing that game until the bitter end knowing that once you drop it you ll likely be dropping it for good instead you ll be free to jump around and play whichever games you want whenever you want so what are you waiting for a whole host of exciting new worlds are out there waiting to be explored with new friends to meet new guilds to join new battles to be fought and new loot to be found get out there and enjoy the journey the free journey mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 8

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2 six reasons you should make the jump to free to play games as if being free wasn t enough and no as obvious as it is that s not one of the reasons listed the current crop of free to play games on the market offers many other distinct advantages over those games of the free to play variety join us on our epic journey as we divulge the 6 reasons you should consider switching to free to play games 1 more diversity ­ this is perhaps the area where free to play games most clearly trounce pay to play offerings while most pay to play games have an undeniable level of polish to them they re all very much of the same mmo massively multiplayer online ilk with few exceptions free to play games on the other hand come in all shapes sizes and styles there are action role-playing games 2d mmo s 3d mmo´s shooter mmo´s anime mmo´s sports mmo s racing mmo´s strategy mmo´s casual mmo´s social mmo´s and much more even on the traditional mmorpg front you have a much better chance of finding a game setting and combat style that mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 9

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suits you perfectly whether it s an asian themed game a game set on the high seas or one set in the modern world and with combat systems ranging from real time to turn based sure beats paying money to trudge through generic fantasy mmorpg #24 2 casual friendly ­ unlike pay to play games which tend to attract more hardcore and driven players free to play games have all sorts of gamers that love to mix gaming and socializing together if you have just as much fun sitting around the central square chatting and gossiping with your fellow players as you do delving the depths of dungeons for the newest gear than free to play games are most certainly for you 3 newb friendly most pay to play games offer complex and daunting experiences which can tend to overwhelm new players especially those fully new to mmo s many free to play games avoid this hazard by offering simpler gameplay systems and slowly introducing new features or adding on to existing features over time with free to play games you also have more flexibility to try out different character builds and archetypes as most games offer skill and/or stat resetting potions for sale that can reset your character build whenever you want for a fee of course with most pay to play games you re stuck with whichever character you built up so if you decided you wanted an intelligent warrior who could philosophize about the meaning of life and death but can barely pick up his iron sword as a result you are unfortunately stuck with him or her 4 no need to marry your game ­ when you pay a monthly fee for a game it tends to make you more prone to playing it for excessive amounts of time so you feel like you re getting your money s worth out of the subscription you avoid any mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 10

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such feelings when playing free to play games if you don t feel like playing one day or simply want to do something else you won t have a nagging voice in the back of your head telling you to play anyway it really does make a huge difference in the level of freedom you feel in your life and that shouldn t be underestimated gaming should never be a burden when it starts feeling more like work than play and that it s dictating your choices in life it s time to step away and find something more suitable to play and free to play games should be the tonic to what ails you 5 bring your friends ­ community is always what makes or breaks a multiplayer game no matter how good the game is it s the other players that keep someone in the game it s much easier to join your friends in a free to play game than a subscription based one since the free to play games are readily available for download to anyone without fees or obligations easing those who have never played this kind of games 6 flexibility and control ­ the free to play model is not just about playing without spending money but instead giving players the flexibility and control to choose where to spend when and how they want to do it obviously a game needs to be profitable to live and evolve but unlike the paid subscription games in which we are forced to pay a fee the free to play model allows you to enter the game immediately enjoy it for free and if you want you have the option to buy virtual goods or upgrade to a subscription package that opens additional playing content and if you re going to pay to play a game you may as well do so in a free to play game where doing so will often give you at least a slight advantage over your fellow players and at the mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 11

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same time help the publisher to further improve the game and even fund more ambitious free to play games you ll be able to ride around on the coolest looking mounts in the game which many players won t have access to buy crafting potions to help build the ultimate weapon and get the sickest furniture imaginable to deck out your virtual pad with so if you have money burning a hole in your pocket don t spend it where you ll be on a level playing field with everyone else spend it where it will have the greatest effect which is undoubtedly in a free to play conclusion these are just a few of the many reasons why free to play games offer big perks over pay to play games the fact that they re free is just icing on the cake or more accurately money in your pocket mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 12

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3 questions to ask yourself before starting a free to play game when you first search out new games there s probably a few key things you look for in that game graphics would probably be one of the first things that entices us and compels us to look deeper whether it s the game s graphical style or the actual technical quality of the graphics tip check out the graphics of vindictus alliance of valiant arms apb or battlefield play4free the combat system is another facet of the game design that would probably have a huge influence on whether we decide to try the game out or not for some we want a combat system that is simple and relatively straightforward perfect for mindless grinding and socializing others want the combat system to be the star of the show offering challenge interactivity and complexity no matter whether you re fighting a rabid dog or a raging dragon but beyond these obvious questions what else should you be looking for when starting out on a brand new adventure we ve gone ahead and compiled a list of some of the questions you should ask yourself in an effort to ensure you re embarking on an mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 13

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adventure suited to you to get the answers to these and other questions you should check out the game s official site and forums what classes are available and is my preferred class well balanced in relation to the others a lot of us like variety and are willing to try out new things but it s also true that many of us have a preferred class when it comes to mmo s there tend to be 6 major class archetypes in most mmo s and these are the fighter melee specialist/dps the guardian tank the rogue debuffer/dps the cleric healer the mage aoe/dps and the archer distance dps/traps while many players love to try out different classes and even level multiple characters to the level cap others simply don t have the time or inclination to do so and plan to play through the game with just one character as such it s important you research the classes and make sure your class of choice is well balanced with the others there s nothing worse than playing through a game for days or weeks only to slowly come to the realization that your class stinks in this particular game if you like grouping with others party a group of characters adventuring together in a role-playing game and especially if you like pvp ing player versus player where players compete against other players you ll also need to make sure your class is sought mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 14

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after by parties or at least not outright reviled or too overly populated and that your class can put up a decent fight in pvp against the other classes choosing the right class could make all the difference in your enjoyment of the game so research well and choose wisely what items are for sale in the cash shop when playing a free to play game this is a question that should be looked into and answered whether you re willing to spend money on the game or not if you re not going to be spending money on the game then you probably want to avoid free to play games that place too much of an emphasis on the item shop and especially if you need to spend real money to unlock areas of the world or quests if you can t experience all of the game s content without spending money you should probably avoid it as you re bound to hit a wall eventually that will limit your continued enjoyment of the game on the other hand if you are willing to spend money you probably want to seek out a game where the item shop offers items of real value which could give you an advantage over other players or make the game that much more enjoyable for you like free players you may still want to avoid games with premium areas but this is up to you what you should be looking for though are games where you can purchase unique items to make you stand out from the crowd or games with crafting systems that give a big advantage to cash shoppers mmobomb.com © 2011 be a super hero on free online games 15

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