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Notice
This is a premature review and may not accurately portray game play. Magic Duel has not been officially released yet and this review is based solely on information gained during Alpha Stage 3 and 4. Some content intended for the full release version will not be available during this stage. This review is not intended to forecast the final release of Magic Duel and is related to Alpha Version III & IV only.
Brief
Magic Duel (MD) features many of the traditional elements common in RPG's including character development, exploration, combat, PvP, quests, etc. Though these features are well known to us, how they are applied is often very different. For example, gaining power is the aim in MD and this is accomplished through PvP. However, whether than aiming to win 100% of the time, to grow powerful in MD one must balance their wins with their losses. This may prove more challenging than simply trying to win every fight. MD also offers a unique combat system: Players recruit creatures and employ them during combat. But calling these creatures pets would be a misnomer, they are more like captured souls chained to your own and their skills can be developed. During combat, players can control how much of their own skills to contribute thus meshing creature and players skills together to stack their total value. MD is a mysterious game that might appeal to thinkers more than other player types.
History
Led by Manu, MD has been in development since 2005. Beta was initially planned for Q4 2006 but delays attributed primarily to content changes and the recirculation of team members have pushed this date further back. Despite the delays, the game has progressed from 22,516 lines of code in late 2005 to 293,958 lines of code by oct 2007.
System architecture
The main navigation and combat pages are set in a flash environment.
Demographics
MD has a current reach of less than 2000[1] unique U.S. visitors per month. This is down from a rough estimated count of 6,277 U.S. monthly uniques during Alpha III with 60% of those being returning visitors. Like most PBBG's, MD appeals to a mostly male audience.
Staff / Management
Many of the staff members are active and can be found in-game. Though the Terms Of Service are not clear. It appear that some staff members are attempting to enforce undocumented rules, though players seem to receive liberal treatment regarding these rules. Several attempts have been made to get an official statement regarding privacy and terms of service including posting on the main forum and contacting live in-game help, in both cases no staff member replied to my request for a link that points to an official privacy statement and TOS.
References:
1. Quantcast
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