“To have Person vs. Person combat as our first live test phase is a great achievement by our development team. We're ensuring that we get it right from the start," said Ted Carron, producer of Dragon Empires. “The Player vs. Player combat system will be a revolution in MMORPGs. No longer will players simply be clicking attack and cycling through special moves. They will now have to constantly think both tactically and strategically in order to achieve dominance over their foes.”

Designed to overcome hindrances known to have plagued previous MMORPGs, the player’s intelligence and ability demonstrated during combat is certain to prove vital in deciding who is left standing in the end. Unlike previous MMORPG releases, players won’t be allowed to sit, watch and roll the dice as their character dukes it out with the opponent.

Rather than linear, co-operative combat against monsters and other challengers, the Dragon Empires’ Player vs. Player combat option will also serve as an ever-present choice for PC gamers. RPG roles (such as Outlaw and Bounty Hunter) have been specifically designed to make Player vs. Player combat an even more integral part of game play, as well as the ability to join various clans and fight remarkable Clans vs. Clan battles to declare virtual dominance of the gameworld’s 50 cities.

In addition to Player vs. Player and Clans vs. Clan modes of combat, Dragon Empires will strongly compel players to test personal skill on the battlefield as an individual entity. For instance, fighters will be responsible for managing their personal energy levels by selecting the correct combat actions at the appropriate time during battle. In doing so, players must choose the right weapons that coincide with both their skill level and the skill level of the opponent they are fighting. It is entirely possible to use a weapon far greater than the enemy’s ability, however the energy expunged will prove most costly.

As an alternative to blazing an enemy with weapon attacks from the start, a fighter has the option of absorbing blows with a shield and a low-energy weapon until the enemy becomes exhausted. Exhaust an opponent and an intelligent fighter can switch to a heavy-duty weapon and finish off their foe with little time spared. Careful strategy and positioning of players on the battlefield are also two key elements to consider. Using shields and drop traps to block challengers as well as fighting downhill as opposed to uphill are a few hints provided by the Codemasters’ development team.

Beta Testing for Dragon Empires will open for the general public later this year and has already attracted over 130,000 players who have signed up to take part. To help shape Dragon Empires, sign up online at: http://www.codemasters.com/dragonempires/beta_form.php. Fans can also follow the progress of the first live test phase on the game’s Web site at: http://www.codemasters.com/dragonempires.

ABOUT DRAGON EMPIRES

Dragon Empires promises to be a groundbreaking MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). The world will be filled with embattled clans, each striving to prove their superiority in head-to-head group combat, as they aim to take political and economic control of magnificent cities and, ultimately, empires. Dragon Empires is set in an age of sorcery, where magic is plentiful and the lives of humans and dragons intertwined. The world is made up of 100 lands spread over five empires, and is a world where player-to-player combat is always possible but its strongholds are guarded and policed by fiercely protective dragons.