This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(June 2023) |
Webosaurs | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Reel FX Entertainment |
Publisher(s) | Reel FX Entertainment |
Engine | Adobe Flash |
Platform(s) | Online |
Release | October 22, 2009 |
Genre(s) | MMORPG |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Webosaurs was a massively multiplayer online game developed by American studio Reel FX Entertainment. Players explored a virtual world using dinosaur avatars and could socialize with other players, play mini-games, and decorate their homes. Beta-testing started on June 25, 2009, with the game officially launching on October 22, 2009. In 2012, the Webosaurs servers were shut down. [1]
The Webosaurs domain was originally bought in 2007 by Webosaurs Director, Jacques Panis, after noticing a lack of a popular virtual world in which his two sons could safely interact with each other and others. He soon joined VFX company, Reel FX Creative Studios, who also saw the potential to create a unique online environment for others to interact in. [2] Reel FX hired the Metaverse Mod Squad to provide moderation services to the game, [3] and outsourced development to two other companies. After two years of development, Webosaurs released into closed-beta on June 25, 2009, and then proceeded with 4 months of beta testing. Webosaurs officially went into general availability on October 22, 2009.
On September 30, 2011, Reel FX released a major new update, Rise of Spike. The update added new missions where the player must explore the island to figure out why the game's antagonist, Spike, is attempting to take over the island. Also released was a multiplayer battle, where players battled a large monster who served Spike. Players could also level up and earn rewards for doing so.
Players could use the coins they collected from playing mini games to purchase various items from a variety of shops. There were shops for actions, armor, furniture, and virtual pets. Subscribed members could also make their own player cards and purchase dinosaur avatars.
Each player had a player card, used to store inventory such as player card backgrounds, downloads, clothing, and different avatars. Clothing could be worn by all players, however some of it was only available to subscribed-members. The same applied for furniture and for player homes (called "caves"). Subscribed members had the benefit of having a larger cave than non-subscribed members, and could play music in their cave. [1]
Subscribed members had the option to buy virtual pets. The pets available were a smilodon, a crocodile, a porcupine and a panda. [4]
Pets had a happiness bar that indicated their status. Pets that were not cared for would run away and had to be replaced. [4]
Scrolls could be found in-game that featured short comics of the main characters discovering and exploring the island. [1]
Players could collect and use "Fossil Magic" to cast spells on themselves and other players. The effects of the spells were purely cosmetic, like shrinking or growing an avatar. Players needed an energy called "Mojo" to use these spells, which would replenish on its own over time. Microtransactions were also available that would refill the Mojo bar instantly.
The website had educational videos available, featuring British TV presenter Nigel Marven as the host. In the videos, Marven would interact with and talk about wildlife and nature. [1]
Players could buy memberships, which allowed them access to more features than non-paying players. Memberships allowed access to more armor styles for their avatar, more furniture for their virtual homes, the ability to change into other avatar styles, the ability to own a pet in game, and the ability to buy cosmetic clothing items. Members also had a larger virtual home with extra features and a mini-game to play.
Length of membership | Price (USD) |
---|---|
1 month | $5.94 [5] |
6 months | $29.94 [5] |
1 year | $49.94 [5] |
Common Sense Media gave Webosaurs four out of five stars, and stated that the content was suitable for children aged eight and up. The review gave good marks for safety and educational value, but questioned the worth of paid subscriptions, summarizing: "Skip the subscription -- the free membership should keep kids entertained just fine." [6]
Dino Surf was a free iPhone game released on January 25, 2010. Players could choose from the four main Webosaurs characters to play as. The player races to the finish line while maneuvering through obstacles, jumping over ramps, and running over arrows to get a speed boost. The objective of the game is to finish each stage in the shortest amount of time possible. There were four levels, each consisting of 4 stages. After completing the game, the player received a promotional code that could be used in the online game to receive 1,000 coins of in-game currency.
Habbo is an online virtual world and chat room. It is owned and operated by Sulake. Habbo's main audience are teenagers and young adults. Founded in 2000, Habbo has expanded to nine online communities, with users from more than 150 countries. Since August 2012, more than 273 million avatars have been registered with an average of 500,000 visitors per month.
Gaia Online is an English-language, anime-themed social networking and forums-based website with Chibi-style animations. It was founded as go-gaia on February 18, 2003, by Derek Liu, Long Vo, Josh Gainsbrugh, and the name was changed to GaiaOnline.com in 2004 by its owner, Gaia Interactive. Gaia originally began as an anime linklist and eventually developed a small community, but following a statement by founder Derek Liu, the website moved towards social gaming and eventually became forum-based.
Virtual Magic Kingdom, also known as VMK, was a massively multiplayer online game developed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Sulake and published by The Walt Disney Company. It was a virtual representation of the Disneyland-style theme parks, containing areas and minigames which were based on real park scenery and attractions. The beta version opened publicly on May 23, 2005, with new lands opening up through 2007.
Webkinz is a stuffed animal and video game franchise by the Canadian toy company Ganz. Webkinz stuffed animals have online counterparts in the video games Webkinz Classic and Webkinz Next. It was originally released by Ganz on April 15, 2005.
Whirled is a virtual world website and video game created by Three Rings Design. Its Open Beta stage was announced at the Game Developers Conference in 2007. It makes use of Adobe Flash as an applet embedded into the website while also having pages of HTML and JavaScript in a sidebar to allow players to manage their friends list and browse various categories of user-generated content. The concept is comparable to the virtual worlds in the PlayStation 3 game Home and Second Life, while also incorporating aspects of feed-based social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. It pushes to make all content user-created, mainly with its approach to creative accessibility using Flash's affinity for 2D vector graphics and various web compatibilities to make it very simple for players to upload a wide variety of content using simple, conventional file formats. Some examples of this include uploading PNG files to create in-game objects, and MP3 files to create a music playlist for a player's room.
PlayStation Home was a virtual 3D social gaming platform developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) on the PlayStation Network (PSN). It was accessible from the PS3's XrossMediaBar (XMB). Membership was free but required a PSN account. Upon installation, users could choose how much hard disk space they wished to reserve for Home. Development of the service began in early 2005 and it launched as an open beta on 11 December 2008. Home remained as a perpetual beta until its closure on 31 March 2015.
Lego Universe is a massively multiplayer online game that was available from October 2010 to January 2012. The game was developed by NetDevil and released on October 26, 2010, with an early opening for the to-be Lego "Founders", which consisted of users who pre-ordered the game. It was globally distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Its release was delayed from original estimates of 2009, Teasers were released by Lego in 2007 and late November 2008 to promote the game, and also in 2009 for one last promotion. The game was available in English and German. The servers were shut down permanently on January 31, 2012, due to 'unsatisfactory revenue' from within the game's target audience.
Jurassic Park III: Danger Zone! is a 2001 video game developed and published by Knowledge Adventure for Microsoft Windows. It is based on the 2001 film Jurassic Park III. Gameplay consists of the player(s) going around on a virtual board game map. Knowledge Adventure also concurrently developed and published Jurassic Park III: Dino Defender. Certain aspects of Dino Defender were re-used for Danger Zone!.
Clone Wars Adventures was an online virtual world based on the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Players could create and customize in-world avatars and participate in a variety of Clone Wars-themed mini-games and activities, earning Republic credits to purchase new weapons, outfits, ships, and furniture. Clone Wars Adventures was free to download and play, but only those that had a paid membership got access to a majority of the game's features. Additionally, many outfits and premium items could only be purchased with Station Cash, a form of in game currency that players needed to purchase with real money instead of in-game credits. This massively multiplayer online game follows a similar business model to Free Realms. However, unlike Free Realms, the game was released at retail, though the game is free-to-play.
MyCoke was an online chat game used for marketing the Coca-Cola brand and products. It was created in January 2002 by VML Inc an Atlanta-based digital agency using core technology from Sulake Corporation, the company responsible for a similar popular online game called Habbo Hotel. Version 2 of the game was released in late 2004 on a new technology platform called Galapagos, created by Studiocom, and featuring new locations and a special double-reward 'Coca-Cola Red Room'.
Battle of the Immortals was a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Perfect World Entertainment. Beta began on April 14, 2010, and is open to all users with a Perfect World account. On April 30, 2010, the closed beta ended and the open beta began on May 4, 2010. The Guardians of Fate was released on February 22, 2012. Battle of the Immortals takes place in Western Europe, where the player takes the role of a hero to help revive Odin. Besides, Battle of the Immortals is published by Joygame in Turkey since July, 2012. The closed Beta started on September 18, ended on October 11. The open beta which started on October 25 is still on. The game closed all its servers on January 8, 2018.
Fantage was a MMORPG involving a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities, developed by Fantage Inc. The game featured a customizable cartoon avatar, called a "Fantagian", that users can customize with items ranging from hair to clothing and accessories. Fantage was released to the general public on March 17, 2008, and had since expanded into a large online community— the game had over 16 million registered users by January 2012 and over 30 million by December 2014.
Dead Frontier is a free-to-play, browser-based survival horror game which takes place in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested setting. It is operated by Creaky Corpse Ltd. Dead Frontier was released for open beta on April 21, 2008, and has over ten million registered accounts.
YoWorld is a browser-based virtual world game which was released on May 8, 2008. It is developed by Big Viking Games. The game operates on the freemium model, and is supported through microtransactions, as well as a voluntary in-game ad program. The game itself is free-to-play, however, players can purchase in-game currencies or enroll in special programs and offers to improve their game-play experience or help them progress faster, using real money.
ourWorld was a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities. It is developed by FlowPlay, and is aimed at the teen and tween demographic.
GoPets was a virtual pet site that involved raising a customized three-dimensional pet downloaded onto a user's computer. GoPets was launched on August 4, 2005 and closed on November 8, 2009.
Woozworld is a virtual gaming community and social network service founded in 2009 and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Woozworld allows users to connect with each other through customizable profiles and interactive activities.
Bin Weevils was a British MMORPG involving a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities.
Animal Jam Classic, formerly known as Animal Jam, is a massively multiplayer online game that is developed by WildWorks and recommended for kids up to the age of 12. It was launched in 2010, in collaboration with the National Geographic Society. As of late 2020, there were 3.3 million monthly active users and a lifetime total of 130 million registered players in 200 countries across both Animal Jam Classic and Animal Jam.
Sinespace is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online Unity 3D-based platform created and published by Sine Wave Entertainment. It enables users to create and sell 3D content and interact with others as 3D avatars. It was beta launched in November 2016 and teamed up with Unity to make its SDK available in the Unity Asset Store in March 2019. It supports Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, but is also accessible through PC, Mac, Linux, and Chrome web browsers.
§