- Ivana Trump, on finishing her first novel
Updates
Jewish Settlers get dragged around
Abu Gharib prison photos reviewed
My super exciting trip to Chicago
hippie explodes in our basement
Governor Blagojevich puts teens to work
Presidential Hopeful Howard Dean exposed to gamma Radiation.
Left Lane Law Confusion is alleviated
Tetro-Phonic Instratrute Review uncovered!
2003 in 2003 heats up
Movies, YOU need to see
Bicycling: Remembering a weird guy from SIU
Asheron's Call: The best ten dollars a month you'll ever spend
Special Feature: Anatomy of a Cavity
For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about Asheron's Call ( here out to be known as AC) is a Massivly Multiplayer Online Game. Which means that there are hundreds of other players sometimes even thousands, playing the game at the same time you are. AC is a Fantasy Role Playing game, so you make a character that represents you in the game. Then you spend your time driving that character around socializing or killing monsters to gain experience to make your character better. Of course there are many other things to do but these are the most popular.
I guess since the developers of these games have to spend time after the game has been released maintaining servers and what not they feel obliged to charge a monthly fee, 10 or 12 dollars, for playing. Luckily when you buy a retail version you get a free month of play time. Often this is plenty of time to decide if you like the game or not, as it was in a game called Ultima Online. I did not enjoy my Ultima Online experience so I terminated my account exactly one month and one day after I bought it. Low and behold I had to pay for a month since I didn't close the account within the free month.
I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice so I wrote 1-25-03 on a piece of paper and left it directly below my monitor. But as I continued playing AC I found I was enjoying the game and I may actually not want to quit. 1-26-03 rolled around and I haven't closed my account yet.
Now by a strange turn of fate I've been able to play the recently released Asheron's Call 2. I have played for one day but I have a feeling that I am going to be playing it much more then AC1 so I am again taken by the monthly fee crooks.
Here's a quick comparison for you. AC1 has a more complex and interesting system for developing your character. AC2 has a simpler and more user friendly character development system. AC1 has thousands of well developed players all competing for friends with a dwindling player base so it's easier to get help leveling and playing. AC2 has a completely new player base so you can't get much help from players but you don't feel like the only newbie in the world. AC1 has a old and outdated graphics engine. AC2 has beautiful state of the art graphics. To my experience both games play pretty good on Dial-UP. The AC2 quest system is a much better system for managing questing.
If I was starting a MOG I would go with AC2 just to get in on the ground floor and see some great graphics. Of course you could wait out of the mother of MOGs to be released in April. Don't know what I'm talking about? I'll give you a hint one of the places you can hang out in this game will be Tattoonie
