We need you! The QJ community has ventured into a new game, and has a new bid for galactic conquest through a web-based online strategy game called Ogame. You might have heard the name before, as the game itself has been going for a very long time. But now QJ.net forum members have ventured into this online strategy game in a bid to take over it, and we are already causing a stir. The so-called QJA (QJ Alliance) already has 32 members, and we are growing every day.

Start out with just one undeveloped world and turn that into a mighty empire able to defend your hard earned colonies. Create an economic and military infrastructure to support your quest for the next greatest technological achievements. Wage war against other empires as you struggle with other players to gain the materials. Negotiate with other emperors and create an alliance or trade for much needed resources. Build an armada to enforce your will throughout the universe.

That's the description of Ogame, and it can't be too far from the truth - as more QJ forum members are signing up to the RTS/In browser MMO hybrid each day.

Read the full article for more information, including how to sign up and how the QJ community are doing their part to dominate the universe that is Ogame.

 

Unscheduled off-world activation! Yes, that's right, we've received a message from Arizona-based developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment today giving us more details on the upcoming Stargate-based MMORPG, Stargate Worlds. This comes at just the right time, with the final episode of Stargate SG-1 airing as I write this article. And just so you know, when the amazing series ends, the show will be followed by feature-length films due to be released in Q4 of this year at around the same time as the Stargate Worlds beta.

Don't be expecting any Ori-beating action in this game though, as according to Cheyenne Mountain frontman Joe Ybarra, the game will take place across seasons three, four, five, six, seven, and eight of the TV show's run. It'll be authentic too, with the development team having full access to Stargate costumes, weapons and sets including the city of Atlantis. The map is going to be huuge (yes, with an extra "u"), with as many worlds as humanly possible being modeled to create the ultimate MMO experience.

However, the aim of this game isn't to be an amazingly-high-levelled player; according to Ybarra it will be relatively easy for players to level up and hit the level limit, and the focus will be on PvP and quests. Combat will take place in orbit, on planets, and using RTS-style command-and-conquer gameplay; but if you're not into all that you could chose to be a Scientist instead of a budding Teal'c and play mini games in order to develop new scientific methods and inventions.

If you are a Stargate fan then you'll be happy to hear that members of the SG-1 and Atlantis series are interested in helping out with development and appearing in the game at some point. Lets just hope that Jack O'Neil (Richard Dean Anderson) will be on hand to make a guest appearance!

Oh and by the way, I hope you've enjoyed reading this because I am in fact an avid Stargate fan and have taken the time to write this, in turn missing the worldwide premiere of last ever episode of Stargate SG-1. Luckily my HD-R has caught the episode for me! The things we writers put ourselves through...

  

We may have been posting quite a lot of new information on The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar lately, but the truth is the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) has recently been restricting the information flow a little bit. As of today though, you can expect a lot more information on the ins and outs of the game to be coming your way - thanks to Turbine and Midway Games finally deciding to lift the NDA from the preview agreement. The new preview agreement without the NDA will be displayed next time you log into LOTRO and can also be viewed at the official website.

This means that if you've participated in the beta version of the game, you're now free to discuss the experience with just about anyone without any legal repercussions. Patience, the community manager over at Turbine, would like to say thank you to everyone that has kept quiet during the closed beta period. With the great lands of Middle Earth to content with, it looks like World of Warcraft may finally have a challenger. Now, let the discussion commence!

Intense discussions have been going on over at the official Blizzard forums today after they released a "hotfix" for the Christmas season special in World of Warcraft, the Snowball. Many people have had fun throwing Snowballs at players on the same faction as they are in, particularly those hardpacked snowballs you can find over at Alterac Valley. (We've even gotten hold of some videos of their World of Warcraft festive fun.)

The festive hotfix took place today. Whilst it may spoil the festivities for some, slating Blizzard devs as a bunch of scrooges, it will certainly benefit those who are trying to earn honor points, reducing the amount of times they are reduced to the floor by a well-placed snowball.

Here's what the hotfix does:

• Regular snowballs will no longer knock down groupmates in a Battleground. This only applies to Battlegrounds. The reason for this is that grouping is forced in the Battlegrounds and players were using the mechanic to cause grief to their teammates.
• "Hardpacked Snowballs" - specific to Alterac Valley - can only be used against enemy targets. Again, the reason for this was due to negative player issues caused between teammates in Alterac Valley.

It will certainly lower the amount of team attacks with snowballs since you can no longer use them. This will come as a massive advantage to most users. For those of you who are sad about this hotfix, we advise a nice hot cup of coco as you think it over and realise that you can still throw snowballs at the enemy team! What's so bad about that?

Nethaera popped by the official World of Warcraft forums today just to tell everyone that "the LFG channel will not be making a reappearance." Of course, Blizzard did implement a new LFG system with their latest v2.0.1 patch for WoW, but many players have said that the good old-fashioned LFG channel, although messier, is more effective at finding groups and have complained about the new system.

Nethaera however did state that people should use the new LFG system so that Blizzard can continue to develop and enhance the interface and figure out any bugs or problems users have with the system.

She also said that users should not take part in protests or create petitions as this will not be effective in any way in bringing back the old LFG channel, but as many users will already know, if you log onto virtually any server and type in "/join lookingforgroup" you'll find a close approximation of the old LFG channel.

Lets just hope that Blizzard listen to some of it's users concerns and bring back the old channel. Surely the LFG system and the LFG channel could live together in harmony?

We sort of knew that title would get your attention. And since you're already reading this, listen up. Now you can get a free cellphone with no minimum contract, no monthly charges, or huge bills in Second Life. Online mobile phone retailer YouNeverCall have expanded its business into Linden Lab's Second Life by offering a virtual phone for - guess what - absolutely nothing! By using the virtual phone, you can send and receive text messages, hold your new accessory to your ear, and view the exchange rate of the Linden dollar to US dollars all for free. Of course, if you are Second Life's first millionaire, then it doesn't matter much. For most people though, free is good!

You can get yourself a YouNeverCall Second Life handset by going to the Alston region at checking out coordinates 95, 58, 22, near a Lindex ATM, where you'll find a virtual kiosk. There you can get yourself a free phone without any downloads needed. Enter the above co-ordinates in Second Life to take you there or click on Read at the bottom of this article. No-one has an excuse not to catch up with their Second Life friends with this handy virtual device!

We all know how you guys love the Burning Crusade expansion pack and how you are dying to get your hands on one of those many beta keys floating around the internet right now. Well, it looks like your chances of catching a beta key are even better now as IGN has 250 keys to give away - free! To enter the competition all you have to do is own a legitimate version of World of Warcraft, which has been active since October 8.

If you're drooling right now and can't wait to get the chance to play as the Blood Elves or the Draenei, check out the IGN competition by clicking the link below. If you do get lucky, you can always come back here to get all the latest news on the expansion to be released on January 16th.

With the recent availability of even more Burning Crusade beta keys on the market we thought we'd give you a closer insight into the depths of the World of Warcraft expansion due for release on January 16 2007. One mode which most people find very fun is the PvP Battlegrounds, and with the addition of the new "Eye of the Storm Battleground in Burning Crusade, having fun killing players from the opposing team can only get better (whether players be Alliance or Horde).

The Eye of the Storm Battleground is located in the Outland zone of Netherstorm and has a combination of capture-and-hold style gameplay with capture-the-flag for players at the golden levels of 61-70.

The Alliance and Horde are separated on two floating landmasses which are connected by three bridges, with four towers overlooking the battlefield and a single flag to capture. One flag you say - how will this work? Teams will have to capture the single flag by taking it to a tower which they control. In order to achieve victory your team must accumulate 2,000 victory points to win the match, with players also earning points for their faction by capturing and returning a flag to a tower controlled by their faction.

Because the Eye of the Storm is in the Burning Crusade expansion, it does not have an actual entrance portal connecting it to the outside world. The only way to enter The Eye of the Storm Battleground is to speak with an Eye of the Storm Battlemaster in one of the major cities.

Check out the Eye of the Storm screenshots right here and wait for the battle in the Eye of the Storm to begin! Fight the enemy, capture towers and flags, and seize glory for your faction. An epic conflict in Outland awaits.

Check out the Eye of the Storm screenshots. Just click on the Full Article link below.

The free Korean MMORPG Rappelz is going live on November 3, and fans will be able to take full advantage of the Free 2 Play MMORPG loosely based on Hindu mythology in a basic deathmatch. If you're wondering why, it's because God of Extinction Asura and God of Creation Deva believe that humans (Gaia) are too ignorant for their own good, that's why they send their hordes to destroy them. Basically, all three races have a Warrior class, a Mage class, and a Summoner class who are all involved in immersive online battles.

Sounding like your kind of thing? Yeah, we probably lost you after the free to play part, but here's a bit of news that should keep the game in your list of games to play: This weekend publishers Gala-Net will be hosting a Halloween event this weekend along with the launch of Rappelz, so along with the excitement of the new game you can have a bit of fun trick or treating!

They haven't revealed what kind of Halloween treats will be in store for gamers yet though, so make sure you stay tuned to QJ for the latest news. Remember, if you want to get a sneak peek at Rappelz before it's launch you should download the beta version and try out Dungeon Siege system which allows you to compete with other guilds to conquer and rule your own dungeons. How cool is that?

  

You may have been enjoying Auto Assault for quite some time, and it has been quite a while since we've heard any news from the developers at NCSoft, so you'll welcome the new content coming to the raving mad car-bashing action game. The upcoming Update 3 will have four more instances; no matter what level you are, you'll be able to take advantage of it. The Four new instances in question are named The Tower, Scav Uprising, La Leche Madre, and Malachite Detention Center, with the first being for four level 80s, the others for level 18s.

Update 3 is set to be big, with not just the four new instances on the way. There's also two new loot sets looming from NCSoft, with those being Warmonger Set and The Tower Set. There's also a Ground Zero Token System, which is quite a large change to what system you're used to. Here's what NCSoft said:

"In this change to game play, Ground Zero tokens will no-longer be given out for capturing an Outpost. Instead, you'll receive tokens for PvP kills. Furthermore, your chance to receive a token is based on population. For example, if Humans are heavily outnumbered, they have a greater chance than their Mutant and Biomek opponents to receive a token."

If you want to go out and kill someone with a car, just make sure you stick to the virtual world of Auto Assault, and stick to the highway code on the real roads! Explosions aren't as fun in real life.