After being launched in the market on October, 2003, Lineage 2:The Chaotic Chronicles have gained massive popularity, reporting 1.5 million subscribers worldwide in September 2004. In the advent of yet another expansion, MMORPG.com sat down with Lineage 2 producer Adam Davidson and got some info about Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood.

Although Davidson claims that Chronicle 4 remains their largest Chronicle, the new expansion boasts of better features like class balancing (Mana Burn type spells are primarily intended for use in PvP) and clan improvements. Also, a revitalized multiple systems and an addition of new lands, new castles (Rune and Schuttgart), new contestable clan halls, and new monsters that appeal not only to new players but also to veterans of the game.

Oath of Blood is focused more on clan systems. Clan reputation can now be earned through Clan Academy, Clan Warfare, Clan Hall Battles and Clan Quests. New and low level players will benefit more from the Clan Academy as it improves solo playability in lower level areas. The expansion also features changes in the environment and brand new weather effects such as snow.

Also, players will be up against each other finding the magnificent yet elusive Demon Sword Zariche as there's only one per server.  On the issue of someone "camping" the weapon and logging out indefinitely, the developers have solved this problem by putting a timer on the Zariche that continues even when the player is logged off. So, once the timer runs out, the player loses the Demon Sword Zariche and is put back, up for grabs in the circulation.

With all these exciting features, we can't wait to get our hands on Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood.

WoW is one game that's making a lot of people happy. For its 6 million subscribers, it's definitely a source of joy. The guys at Vivendi love this game, too, as it's bringing them a lot of moolah.

But how much, you ask? Well, for the first half of the year (as compared to the same period last year), WoW helped ushered in a 24% increase in the company's gaming division, which is equal to a whopping 296 million euros. Convert that into dollars and you get a cool $377.6 million. As the year progressed, revenues continued to shoot upward. For the second quarter of the year, sales rose by 30% year over year, which is equal to 162 million euros ($206.7 million).

According to Vivendi, Wow is the primary sales driver for the period. Games such as Ice Age 2, 50 Cent: Bulletproof and Crash Tag Team Racing also helped the company do well.

Vivendi games is a conglomerate based in France, with Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Radical Entertainment, Massive Entertainment, Swordfish Studios and High Moon Studios under its wing.

I think no one will disagree if I say that Final Fantasy is one of the most successful franchises ever made. To date, there are now 12 titles to the Final Fantasy numbered series, one successful MMO, a couple of games for mobile phones, three anime productions, and two full-length CGI films. Surely, such massive success is a collaboration of a few smart minds. 1UP gives us a good look at one of those minds - Yoshitaka Amano, character designer of the first six FF games.

Of course, this 53-year old (54 by July 28 - a few days from now) Japanese was not a FF designer all his life. He first spent 15 years at Tatsunoko Productions, which is famous for Speed Racer, Gatchaman, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. He landed a spot designing characters for Final Fantasy when, after leaving Tatsunoko, his exhibits in New York City, Los Angeles, Germany, and Switzerland displayed a unique, delicate, and ethereal distinction.

His talents were not limited to the Final Fantasy series though. He also worked with Neil Gaiman on some Sandman title and also did some work for Marvel and DC Comics. Yet even though he's considered one of the most talented and in demand artists nowadays, he remains a humble and generous person as reflected in this documentation of a day spent by 1UP's James Mielke with the famed Japanese artist.

Read Mielke's interview and view the three installment videos of the "A Day in the Life of Yoshitaka Amano" docu by clicking on the link below.

It started with shop signs, hung out by tradesmen in ancient times. From there, it went to print ads, then billboards that multiplied like locusts, blighting the land. From there, it went to radio, aircraft, TV,  blimps, movie theatres, the Web...is there no escaping the relentless, unending hucksterism?

Toyota has become the first company to utilize interactive ads in an MMORPG with its interactive "dynamic billboard advertisement" in Anarchy Online. New technology allows players to interact with these "dynamic billboards" in the game, which proponents claim makes for a "more memorable and interactive advertisement experience."  Toyota's campaign allows players of the free version to walk up to in-game billboards and interact with them to unveil the product. AO publisher Funcom expects this will pave the way for more of the same.

Mitch Davis of Massive, Inc. is delighted, calling it  "a tremendous step forward in terms of giving advertisers what they want- the ability to target the elusive male 18-34 range and allowing them to interact with the products for a more memorable experience.” He goes on to say  “This is just the beginning of interactive ads in games, and we are very pleased to unveil this new technology together with Funcom and Toyota."  Davis was quick to mention that  "...we are not adding this to distract from the game experience itself. Our company always has the best interest of the gamers and the game experience in mind."

Massive Inc., which was recently acquired by Microsoft,  is a pioneer when it comes to in-game ad technology, and is currently advertising network in the gaming industry.

"In Funcom we are always trying to push the envelope in innovation and technology, and this recent move with Funcom, Massive and Toyota is a perfect example,” says Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. “Our primary goal is always to deliver the best possible entertainment, but to offset the high development costs in today’s gaming landscape we need to look at additional forms of income. What Massive is offering us is exactly that, and we are therefore very pleased to continue working with them to introduce new technologies that give us a competitive edge."

In a move that could be seen as a further testament to how commercialized gaming has been, Massive Incorporated and WEBZEN have inked a deal sealing plans to the latter's upcoming games to have in-game advertising. It's a first for both companies, with Massive deflowering the Asian market and WEBZEN a noobie in providing services to in-game advertising.

Frontlining the duo of WEBZEN production included in this tie-up is the much anticipated Huxley. The MMORPG title takes full advantage of the recently developed UNREAL3 engine to create unique gaming experience with up to 5,000 players converging in the same world.

The game's setting is an alternative future where humans have mutated and are divided into two opposing races - Sapiens and Alternative. The mutants are vying for the power Lunarities, in the process slaughtering the enemies they run against. This game is also coming out on Xbox 360.

All Points Bulletin, Huxley's brother, is a game dubbed as "Cops and Robbers MMO". Showing a glowing resemblance to the highly-successful (and controversial) Grand Theft Auto series (game was designed by GTA creators, so I guess that explains it), All Points Bulletin combines nearly limitless customization with intense urban action in a virtual city aka battleground. APB is planned for a 2008 release.

Recently acquired by Microsoft, Massive Incorporated is set to integrate real-world ad campaigns that are timely and enhance the game environment with more realism - let's just hope that happens. Imagine seeing flashing ads while you're deeply engrossed in slaying mutants or other enemies, that's just a turnoff.

Erik 'Nann-E' 't Sas, busy working on the development of The Chronicles of Spellborn has written an open letter to all fans still eagerly anticipating the final release. The subject is where the project stands currently; if you don't have time to read the entire missive, here are some highlights.

" Hello all,

"Summer has hit Holland. While I am writing this letter, the beach outside my window is flooded with people enjoying the thirty plus degrees. Around me a large group of very dedicated people is hard at work at finalizing what must be one of the most amazing projects I have ever been part of. When we set out to create The Chronicles of Spellborn many years ago, none of us ever expected that we would actually end up creating a game that will potentially cause quite a revolution within the MMO genre."

Since the initial beta testing ended in April, they've been busy ironing out a few glitches. They have also entered into a partnership that will ultimately enable the release of a new, "full-blown open beta" before the final release. What folks are wondering most is "what's new?" Erik's answer:

"Not much. The ideas we had when we started are all still in there. Some have been slightly altered, and most have actually been expanded upon; The crafting system, for example, has been slightly redesigned to offer exciting crafting possibilities for those that enjoy the more intricate side of crafting; While weapons and armour are still designed to create a unique preferred look, we added a whole layer of sigil slotting that enables players to define a statistic build to specialize their play style; We have designed over 1400 quests that together bring the world and its history alive in a way never before experienced in any MMORPG."

Of course...if it ain't broke, don't fix it!! (A good rule for ALL programmers and code warriors...)

The most exciting addition, apparently, is the addition of the musical score by Jasper Kyd. In conjunction with what promises to be a massive marketing campaign, the European rock group "Within Temptation" is recording some tracks to support the upcoming Beta version, with one song to be released as a single, complete with video clip.

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO) players are in for a treat as the solo play setting goes live. This new feature helps players to navigate through the game's content on their own, giving them all the time and space needed to learn about their characters, try out strategies, and face monsters. Going solo has never been this fun.

Together with the solo play option, the DDO team adjusted the experience required to get from level 1 to 3. Instead of the 10,000 experience points, players will only need 5,000 points to advance to level 2. Advancing to level 3 requires 20,000 total experience points instead of 30,000. This makes it easier for players to visit the trainers even earlier.

With the new solo play settings, the developers also made some improvements in general game performance by fixing some bugs, enhancing UI, correcting typos, and redesigning character feature systems.

Click on the "Read" link to get a massive dose of game-enhancing modifications.

The creators of Anarchy Online want your opinion - and they're willing to pay some good money for it.

Working with their advertising partners at Massive, Inc., the people at Funcom have come up with an online survey that will give them some ideas on what players like and dislike about their MMO. Filling out the survey will assist the developers in improving their game, and it give you the opportunity to win $1,200.

Anarchy Online is an MMO that takes place in a futuristic, science-fiction world. The first three expansion packs, Notum Wars, Shadowlands and Alien Invasion have won 20 awards internationally.

For your shot at the $1,200 prize, see below for the survey.