I've noticed lately, and you may have too, that over the last couple of years F2P (Free to Play) games have begun to evolve. It wasn't long ago that the mere mention of a game with no cost or monthly fee would have people literally running in fear, and with good reason too because let's face it, F2P games had never really been all that good. But how could they be? These games receive no income whatsoever, how are they supposed compete with games like World of Warcraft that boast annual profits in the billions? Well, nowadays they are competing; by using in game advertising and charging real money for in-game items these games are turning a very large profit, without initially charging the player at all.

Now, they have begun to evolve again, higher quality game developers have begun to notice that this method of development can in some cases turn an even higher profit than games that require purchase, and as such higher quality F2P games are on the rise. Warrior Epic is one of these games.

Developed by Possibility Space, Warrior Epic is not only taking huge steps in a graphical sense, but they are also adding completely new features never before seen in the MMO scene, and in turn are creating a completely new style of MMORPG all together. Instead of an open world, requiring massive downloads and hundreds of hours to navigate, Warrior Epic favours the room based game style, but has taken it to a whole new level. Recently I had the pleasure of an Interview with Community Manager of Possibility space Brice Lucas, he shed some light on just exactly what Warrior Epic is, and what it intends to do with the MMO scene.

I am the Community Manager at Possibility Space. My responsibilities include interacting with and managing all forward facing company elements such as developing and managing game websites, PR, Game Site Interaction, and (my personal favourite) keeping in contact with our players.

Working with an independent developer has also afforded me the opportunity to deviate a bit from my primary role within the company. Other roles that I am playing include Operations Management, Quality Assurance, and Problem Solving. I love the challenge and satisfaction of solving problems.

Warrior Epic has taken great leaps and bounds in game innovation, what were some of the reasons behind this?
We want to create a game that is, more than anything else, fun to play. In a market that has stagnated a bit with game clones and a lack of innovation, there is a strong desire to try new things. So we wiped the table clean and started development on Warrior Epic.

Warrior Epic is a game that will be easy to get, fun to play, beautiful, it will run well on just about anything, and it will be free to download and play.

Right now, what is your favourite feature of the game?
The emphasis on strategy and team play that is surfacing in our game is by far my favorite feature. As stats are implemented and warrior classes are balanced, players are really going to have to use their heads in order to get through a quest.

Possibility Space has really taken advantage of the Closed Beta period, allowing the testers to have a solid impact on the outcome of the game. Being a key part of this system yourself, how do you feel it's coming along?
Keeping in personal contact with the community has proven to be an excellent decision in the management of the closed beta. Our users are playing an integral part in the development of Warrior Epic. From well formed bug reports to awesome game play suggestions, everyone is doing their part to ensure that Warrior Epic is a badass game.

Warrior Epic clearly has high production value, what were some of the reason and challenges you faced when making such a high quality game F2P?
The F2P market does not have an entry which can easily compete with AAA title production values. We are changing that by offering an F2P game that really stands out. There are inherent challenges to creating a high production value F2P, but having amazing people like Feng , Gage, and a staff of incredibly talented and dedicated developers has helped us realize our goals.

Finally, what do you think makes Warrior Epic stand out from the rest?
I love this question… here are some of the main features that make Warrior Epic stand out as an innovative F2P game:

Strategy in the Gameplay:
There will be a hard line between classes that will force groups of players to
co-operate with one another in a quest. An emphasis on strategic play is
also realized in the "limited resources" mentality that we have executed.
By not being a recharge game, and by limiting skills, potions, and spirit
summons... the players is forced to use these things wisely.

Managing a Warrior Hall:
In Warrior Epic, not only are you leveling your Warriors... but you are
actually playing a "leadership" role by managing a hall that houses your
classes. This hall is leveled and built upon, which also directly affects
the effectiveness of your warriors.

Warrior Spirits:
When your warrior dies, they actually have a spirit that can be equipped
onto another Warrior and used in battle. The type and strength of the
spirit summon directly correlates with the class-type and strength of the
Warrior at their time of death.

Players may also, of course, resurrect their Warrior Spirits into back their
living forms and continue fighting with them.

PvP:
We are working hard to make our PvP awesome. The system mixes
arena-type PvP with an RTS flare. Players attack their opponent's base
with a horde of monsters that they summon from their spawn portal.
While these monsters spawn, the players attempt to capture and hold
strategic points on the map. Players receive gold as they kill their
opponent's monsters and hold the strategic points. As their gold
accumulates, they are able to purchase items from the three separate shops
within their own base.

One shop offers monster spawn upgrades such as increasing the number of
monsters, increasing the speed at which they spawn, increasing the type and
strength of the monsters, and more.

Another shop offers healing and defense potions. Players can purchase up to
five potions for use in the field. These potions enable them to survive
longer while in combat with their opponent.

The last shop offers Warrior Spirit summons. Again, the players can
purchase up to 5 Warrior Spirits and use them against their opponents. Only
1 Warrior Spirit can be active at a time, per player.

Unique Classes:
Because our classes will be so specialized once the stats implementation and
balancing is completed, we will be able to create some very unique and
custom warriors that will be a blast to play with.

DoD (Download on Demand) Digital Distribution System:
We have engineered our own distribution system that is working
quite well. You can download our setup.exe from anywhere and be in game
within minutes of downloading.

No Registry Writing Required and A Very Small HDD Footprint:
You can literally copy your Warrior Epic folder onto a Thumb Drive and take
it with you. Not only that, the game will actually RUN from the drive!
That's pretty portable if you ask me.

Original, In-House Graphics Engine that runs on almost anything WITHOUT 3D
Acceleration... and it's Beautiful:
We have people playing Warrior Epic on 5 year old laptops with integrated
graphics and they are running at 60FPS solid. Our in-house graphics engine
utilizes hand painted assets and does not depend on any 3D acceleration to
render special effects. This cuts the fat out of system overhead
requirements, enabling Warrior Epic to run extremely well on almost any
machine.

Not only that, it also makes it possible for us to port the game very easily
to consoles such as the PSP or the Wii.

Oh yeah, and Warrior Epic is free.
Warrior Epic will hold its ground with AAA titles in terms of game play, graphics, sound,
and fun... and it's FREE! People can play Warrior Epic without ever
spending a dime and still be completely happy. We are not locking progress,
forcing people to enter subscriptions, or allowing paying users to purchase
power in our game. The playing field is level for all users.

So as you can see Warrior Epic has some big plans, and they are plans that I am personally very exited about. Many of the games I've played recently really are carbon copies of other games before them, and playing them is becoming somewhat of a chore. If Warrior Epic turns out to be even half the game it intends to be, then I believe it's something I'll be playing for a very long time.

Currently in Closed Beta, Warrior Epic is not without it's flaws. As it stands WE isn't a complete game, but more a skeleton with many parts yet to be added, and that's where we come in. This is a real Beta here, and they are looking for real testers. That's not to say that it isn't already a blast to play, but there are still many features of the game that aren't working properly. The good news is, that by playing and testing the game now, we have a chance to really make a difference on the end result of the game, something that I believe it will be all the better for.
It seems that monthly competitions are always being held in the world of Warrior Epic, one of them currently will allow you to get your very own Tester account and begin playing. Here are a few below:

Write Something Funny, Get Into the Closed Beta Contest
Lets have some fun with this one. Get creative and write something funny, funky, or just incredibly stupid. I dont care how long (or how short) the post is... but I am hoping that you have fun with this contest! Feel free to use a line from your favorite movie, book, game, comic, or (insert anything here).

CB Video Contest
Players are making videos of the CB and posting them on the web. The best video will be featured on the site and the community member that posted it will receive a $25 Cash Shop credit in the official, public build of Warrior Epic.

CB Screenshot Contest
We are looking for the perfect screenshot of the closed beta. The chosen screenshot will be featured on our official site and used by our marketing staff. The community member, who submits the screenshot, as well as all players in the screenshot, will receive a $10 Cash Shop credit in the official, public build of Warrior Epic.

So there you have it, just about all the information out there, and a hundred reasons to get on over to www.warriorepic.com, get your own Tester account, and join in the fun! Looking forward to seeing you all in game, I'm off to try out some of these new levels I've been hearing about!