About a week ago, I decided to take a look at Dungeons & Dragons now that it is completely free to play.  While it did take a little while to download this free mmorpg to my computer, it wasn’t nearly as long as the World of Warcraft updates!  Once I got it up and running, I gave it a go and here is what I have found so far.

The first thing that I noticed in Dungeons & Dragons online is the character creation.  I mean, this thing is a complete customization tool for your Dungeons & Dragons character that really goes above and beyond any other character creator that I’ve seen.  (The only one I can think of that comes close is City of Heroes.)  You start off with your race, class, and so on – which gives you a pretty good way to create a unique character just with these choices.  Then you move on to your Dungeons & Dragons character looks.  Here is where you can really get creative.  You can change their skin color, eye color, hair & color, and just about everything else that you can think of.  It actually took me about 30 minutes to create my Dungeons & Dragons character, and that was with me finally saying to myself “Stop or you’ll never get to play!”.  And, choosing a name isn’t quiet as easy as you’d think either.  You can choose a first and last name if you wish, or just one name.

Once I finally had my Dungeons & Dragons character looking how I wanted her, it was time to head off into the world.  One of the first things I noticed is that Dungeons & Dragons online is really well done.  I know that it used to be a paid to play MMORPG that turned over to a free online mmorpg – but wow.  I’m actually amazed that more people don’t play this one, as the detail is great, the movements are fluid, the looting is easy, and so forth.

Being a big fan of World of Warcraft, I sometimes have trouble playing other MMORPGs as I try to compare them all to WoW.  So, I am usually let down a bit because my standards were already too high.  But, with Dungeons & Dragons online, I have to admit that I have yet to be let down.  From the very start of getting off the beach, you have to learn everything quickly and when you enter the caverns with the NPCs that are there to help you, you’ll really find yourself up against some challenges.  This really impressed me.

While I have only gotten to play for a short bit of time, I really am impressed with Dungeons & Dragons online.  I’m going to give it a 10 so far, and I’ll make sure to tell you what all I find as I go through the game more.

So what is it that truly makes these Facebook mmo games so darn addictive?  The answer is simple my friend – they cater to your gaming “wants”.  For example, there are gamers out there who are just not into the World of Warcraft thing.  They don’t want to pay to play a game, yet they still want the mmo feel and ability to interact with other gamers.  Plus, they could care less about elves, orcs, and magic.  Throw out those things that they could care less about and give them something that they can get into – such as creating their own Mafia – and BAM!  Instant addiction.

Plus, these Facebook MMO games give you something that other mmo games don’t – the ability to get free stuff, free help – AND you don’t have to listen to all that annoying chat all the time… of course, that is great free entertainment.  Now you have an mmo game that everyone can play, yet they can get as deep into it as they want without drowning themselves in other people.  For me, this is great as it means that I can show off my gaming skills – yet not talk to anyone that day if I don’t feel like it.  I don’t even have to check my Facebook page if I don’t feel like “sharing” how I feel or what I’m doing.  But, if I feel the need, I can ask for goodies, send them to friends and so on.

Then you add in the fact that there are hundreds of different Facebook games out there that you can play, everything from fantasy games to building games to strategy games to goofy games, and you have at least one game that every single Facebook user will enjoy.  There is no shortage of things you can do with this.

Facebook games are easy to play, fun, and since they are played to your liking, in your own time frames, you can choose how well you do.  If you only want to play once a week, great.  Time your in-game items to only produce things that you can get when you login (such as using a two-day recipe in Cafe World or planting seeds that take 3 days to harvest).  It gives you so much freedom to be who you really want to be and still gives you the ability to chat it up with all of your friends.  You can’t beat that.

Plus, they are all browser-based mmo games, which means you can sneak them in at work and no one will know!  What could be better?!

So I can easily see why so many millions of people are addicted to Facebook games of all types.  I know that I surely am, and it’s much worse than any hold that World of Warcraft had on me.

• 100% More Levels!
• Still Free!
• Super meta!
• Tons of Puzzling Stages!
• Defy logic, gravity, and the space-time continuum!
• Two of Those Things are True!
• Space Out Staring at the Whirling Level Timer!
• Bounce into the Spikes and Watch Your Death Toll Skyrocket!
• Unlockable Velociraptor!
• Use All Four Arrow Keys!
• Hone Your Speedrun… at Work!

The original game has been played over 7 million times on Armor Games’ site alone. Check out the sequel, and take on the “Heroic Quest to Complete Another Level” in This is The Only Level TOO.

About Armor Games

Armor Games is the leading developer of casual Flash and iPhone games. Based in Irvine, California, the company was founded in 2005 by Daniel McNeely, and has developed and released such hit games as Crush the Castle, Sonny, Shift, IndestructoTank! AE and Upgrade Complete!

“By incorporating Social Gold, Miniclip will continue to provide an immersive, premium entertainment experience for our global community,” said Jeremy Wadia, COO of Miniclip. “Social Gold’s in-Flash solution removes all friction from the payments experience, allowing our players to make in-game purchases without ever leaving the game. This not only drives free to paid conversion, but also turns one-time purchasers into repeat purchasers.”

“This partnership brings together the highest quality Flash games and the most elegant virtual economy platform for Flash,” said Vikas Gupta, founder and CEO of Social Gold. “We are proud to deliver a superior user experience, a breadth of local payment methods and single-click purchase capabilities to the Miniclip community.”

Social Gold enables any publisher – whether in Flash or not – to create its own white-labeled virtual currency, provide an unparalleled payments experience to its users, and optimize its virtual economy using robust analytics. Social Gold is the first completely secure, completely in-Flash payments solution, where end users enjoy a seamless purchase experience by remaining within the game itself. With the integration into Miniclip’s catalog of games, Social Gold will enhance and extend Miniclip’s high production value and superior user experience.

To start integrating the Social Gold API, please register at http://getsocialgold.com.

About Social Gold™

Social Gold™ is an industry-leading virtual economy platform owned and operated by Jambool, Inc. The Social Gold platform enables developers to create and manage their own white-labeled virtual currency, provide an unparalleled payments experience to their users, and optimize their virtual economy using robust analytics. Through innovation in Flash-based payments solutions, a sophisticated fraud management system and an easy-to-integrate API, Social Gold has received recognition as an outstanding platform for powering virtual economies. Jambool, Inc. was co-founded by Amazon.com veterans Vikas Gupta and Reza Hussein and has offices in San Francisco, Seattle and Singapore. For more information, please visit http://getsocialgold.com.

© Jambool, Inc. All rights reserved. Jambool and Social Gold are the trademarks of Jambool, Inc. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Miniclip.com

Miniclip.com is the world’s largest online games website with over 57 million unique users per month. It has grown rapidly through organic, word of mouth marketing, without any paid advertising. The company was founded and funded in 2001 by, Robert Small. Miniclip has seen dramatic growth since inception and has been profitable for seven years. It now operates in 15 languages and has a truly global presence. Miniclip focuses on providing high quality online entertainment experiences. The games are fun, intuitive to play, and quick to load.

• Break the story with the help of the game’s intuitive point-and-click game play and helpful hints.
• Reveal hidden clues using the game’s unique scrolling perspective to inspect each crime scene.
• Investigate more than 10 different suspects and comb through 20 different locations offering amazing art and chillingly surreal environments.
• Solve the mystery of the mayor’s death and delve into Gabrielle’s own secrets by collecting evidence, finding dozens of items and conquering 10 different challenging mini-games.

Strange, captivating settings and a compelling story make Mind’s Eye: Secrets of the Forgotten a beguiling expose for young and old alike. Mind’s Eye: Secrets of the Forgotten is currently available exclusively at www.alawar.com and is coming to other major download portals soon.     Purchase and download the full version Download the trial version Follow Alawar Entertainment on Twitter
About Alawar Entertainment: Founded in 1999, Alawar Entertainment specializes in the development, publication and distribution of casual games, reaching audiences in over 60 countries worldwide. The company is the leading distributor of casual titles in Eastern Europe and has published more than 200 casual PC games globally, including some of the industry’s leading downloadable series like Farm Frenzy®, Craze® and The Treasures of Montezuma®. Alawar recently extended its offerings onto the iPhone™, PLAYSTATION®3, Nintendo DS™ and Mac® gaming platforms, and in 2010 plans to enter the social games and MMO markets as well as expand onto other leading-edge platforms. For more information, visit www.alawar.com.

“As online worlds become the gold standard for engaging experiences, HeroEngine’s applications grow far beyond their MMO roots,” said Neil Harris. “More than 20 years worth of experience has been incorporated into HeroEngine, and the result is unmatched agility and speed for anyone looking to bring their online world to life.”

HeroEngine revolutionizes online world development by enabling teams around the world to collaborate in real-time. The engine has recently been licensed for a broad array of projects including a multi-title deal with a US publisher, virtual worlds with government and non-profit applications for a European organization, and stealth-mode projects from startups and major studios in China, Europe and the US. Details on these projects will be announced in the coming months.

Previously announced HeroEngine licensees include BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic game and a stealth project from ZeniMax Online Studios.

As a result of the growth in new HeroEngine licenses, the company is undergoing rapid expansion of its development teams located near Washington, DC and St. Louis, MO. Said Herb Marselas, “We are expanding our team by hiring even more world-class engineering talent. This is an exciting opportunity to help develop the next generation of technology for a global audience.”

As President, Simutronics Games, David Whatley will focus on the development of new games for social networks and iPhone. “From our early days pioneering some of the first immersive online gaming experiences, Simutronics has been focused on two things: developing great technologies, and making great games,” said David Whatley. “I’ve always had a passion for creating games, and our new corporate structure lets us take what we’ve learned over the past two decades and focus exclusively on applying it to new gaming platforms.”

D.I.C.E. Summit attendees can learn more about how HeroEngine supports agile, collaborative 3D online development in the D.I.C.E. Lounge, located on Veranda C at the Red Rocks Casino Resort & Spa, February 16-19, 2010.

About Simutronics

Simutronics Corp. has 20 years of expertise in the business of multiplayer online games, developing innovative original entertainment and technology solutions. The company’s two divisions, HeroEngine and Simutronics Games, focus on technology development and licensing and the creation of original games, respectively.

HeroEngine is the world’s only 3D online agile development platform that supports real-time development and collaboration, reducing time and cost to market for virtual worlds and MMO (massively-multiplayer online) games. Licensees include BioWare (Star Wars: The Old Republic), ZeniMax Online, and many more around the world who demand a better process for developing and maintaining online worlds.

Simutronics Games created pioneering titles like GemStone, DragonRealms, and CyberStrike, which were best-selling games on AOL and other online services during the 1990’s. The games division now applies this expertise to titles for social and mobile gaming platforms.

Simutronics has offices in St. Charles, MO and Gaithersburg, MD. Additional information is available at www.play.net and www.heroengine.com.

An All-New Bounty Bestowed by Casual Gaming God Alawar Entertainment Available Now

• Challenge both your mind and your powers of perception as you gather 7,000+ hidden items and play over 50 mini-games.
• Discover 30 different types of life-saving resources, along with special tools, charms and magical items that will help your settlers thrive.
• Explore 62 lush and gorgeous locations, accompanied by the game’s beguiling soundtrack and ambient effects.
• Research, invent and advance your civilization with more than 100 upgrades, optimizing the allocation of resources.
• Collect 14 trophies by completing various challenges and become a true champion of the people.

“FooMojo has worked very hard to make FooPets one of the world’s largest and most active virtual pet communities,” said Scott Sorochak, FooMojo co-founder and CRO. “Now, with PlaySpan’s help, those owners without access to credit cards will be able to enhance their enjoyment of the most realistic virtual pet experience on social networks.”

Accessible through MySpace, Cyworld, and Facebook, FooPets is currently home to over eight million virtual pets. The game has shown sustainable popularity with members spending an average of 22 minutes per session feeding, petting and playing with their pets, and socializing with other members.

“FooMojo’s utilization of the Ultimate Game Card further demonstrates PlaySpan’s leadership in monetization solutions for the world’s best game developers and publishers,” said Karl Mehta, Founder & CEO of PlaySpan. “We’re delighted to add FooMojo to our growing list of clients and excited to see our business grow together.”

With current availability in about 45,000 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as thousands of locations worldwide, including Brazil, Taiwan, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, and Israel, The Ultimate Game Card™ is the leading stored value card payment option for today’s most popular online games, virtual worlds, and social networks.

# # #

About FooMojo, Inc.
FooMojo is the creator of FooPets, the world’s most realistic and emotionally engaging virtual pets. The 3D puppy and kitten FooPets are “real” in nearly every sense, growing, playing, learning tricks, developing personalities, and requiring regular feeding and care. As part of an entertaining social gaming application, users of all ages can adopt a FooPet on Facebook, MySpace, Cyworld, and the FooPets.com Web site, with more locations coming soon.

About PlaySpan Inc.
PlaySpan™ is the global leader in monetization solutions for over 1,000 online games, virtual worlds, and social networks. PlaySpan’s patent-pending in-game digital goods commerce and micropayment platform enables game publishers and developers to generate new revenues, acquire new users, and extend the loyalty of existing users.

PlaySpan also offers global payment solutions through its subsidiary PayByCash® with 85 payment methods in 180 countries. The ULTIMATE GAME CARD® is used by consumers to pay for 300 multiplayer games and around 700 games on popular social networking sites. It is available in about 45,000 retail locations across North America and growing rapidly worldwide.

Social network payment solutions are available through Spare Change©. Acquired by PlaySpan in April 2009, Spare Change is the first and leading payments platform designed specifically for social networks. Featured on over 700 applications, across Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo, Spare Change empowers developers to successfully monetize their applications through micro payments. The Spare Change platform enables users to make safe, convenient, and friendly 1-click purchases through a variety of funding sources.

PlaySpan is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Charlottesville, Virginia, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Mumbai. Investors include Easton Capital, Menlo Ventures, STIC and Novel TMT Ventures. The company won the 2009 OnHollywood Category Award for Best Gaming Company.

For more information about PlaySpan, visit: http://corp.playspan.com
For more information about Spare Change, visit: www.sparechangepayments.com

Anyone that has played Evony will be comfortable right off with Empire Craft.  The basic game play is the same – build your city up to defend yourself against other hostile cities.  You can build a wealth of different buildings, from your tavern to iron mines to stores to city walls.  While it is a simple game to play, as you progress through the levels it will take longer to build and longer to get resources that you need to build.  I personally like these type of strategy games, combines a sim city building game with military strategy.

One of the things I noticed right off the bat is that it has a World of Warcraft feel to it.  You get to choose your race when you start: Human, Dwarf (that look like the Night Elves from WoW) and Orcs.  Then, you choose your name and you’re ready to rock.  You’ll go through quests to gain rewards of experience, resources, and more, and the beginning quests will help you learn what you need to do to get further in the game and protect yourself.

Those that are looking for the RPG feel in this will find that there is a great RPG base here.  Take into account the fact that the whole game is based in a fantasy feel, then add in that the players that love this game and play it regularly are into the role-playing aspect of building their own fantasy city.  The graphics only play into the overall feel of the game.  The players also offer a great deal of the RPG feel as well, even if most don’t seem to be hard core role players – they still play their part.  And, you will easily find that there are a ton of players that do take the game seriously, and take their parts seriously as well.  They play in clans/guilds that take their positions, their cities, and more as serious role play, even if this is a casual Facebook game.

While I really like Evony, Empire Craft is more my style as it’s more of a fantasy based game instead of just medeval style.  Same principle behind the game style, just different graphics.  And, there are also wandering monsters that you can take out as well.  I do have to build up a bit more before I can head out with my armies and heroes and take out any wandering monsters or take over any resources that are close to my city, but I’m sure that I will.

Although I just started playing Empire Craft, I will probably continue to play it for a while as I really like the fact that it’s browser based (nothing to download) and it’s a completely free mmo game.  Those out there that are looking for a new free mmo game to try out might check Empire Craft out on Facebook when you get a chance.