| Today's online video games (MMORPG's) are | | | | players in many games are almost always |
| extraordinarily complex worlds that take a | | | | either guild leaders or in a leadership |
| lot of time to master. Whether you play a | | | | position. You can even assign other people to |
| couple of hours a week or a couple of hours | | | | gather information and keep notes for you and |
| every day there are some fundamental rules | | | | for your guild. This is a great savings of |
| you should follow to maximize what you | | | | your time.Kingdom Key 3: Keeping track of the |
| achieve within these online worlds.Kingdom | | | | enormous amount of information. You are |
| Key 1: Tracking and managing your time spent | | | | playing a game that is enormously complex. It |
| This is the most important key. Regardless of | | | | is probably more complex than the city you |
| how much time you play you have to make the | | | | live in. There are more people, more tasks, |
| maximum of your time. This means keeping | | | | more quests, more locations and more |
| track of what is going on and what you learn | | | | opportunities. Do you know every location and |
| in the game then applying a simple rule: Do | | | | every street in your city? Probably not, and |
| what makes the most use of your limited time. | | | | when you need to find something where do you |
| Let me give you an example of what I mean. | | | | look? In the Yellow pages or on map quest! |
| Often times you will embark on a quest or | | | | You need to create your own yellow pages for |
| harvest and mine raw materials. Let's say you | | | | the game you play. Get a brand new empty |
| do a specific task that takes you 1 hour to | | | | notebook and take extensive notes. Where are |
| complete and your reward is 1,000 gold. This | | | | the interesting things? Run into something |
| is great. You now understand that for this | | | | unusual and don't know what it is all about? |
| particular task one hour is worth 1,000 gold. | | | | Write a note about it in your book. I |
| But this isn't the end of your learning. | | | | guarantee you that at some point in the |
| There are many other tasks that you can do. | | | | future you will need that note! Draw small |
| Maybe there is a simple harvesting task that | | | | sketches and take down all sorts of |
| reaps you 100 gold every five minutes. Well | | | | information you discover. Did you find an |
| if you do the math on this task you will see | | | | interesting mine or a nice plant that you can |
| that in one hour you can actually earn 1,200 | | | | harvest? Did you find a den of goblins and |
| gold. This is a 20% improvement of your time. | | | | can't fight them yet? Having all this down in |
| By doing this you will actually be squeezing | | | | a notebook will make you so much better as |
| in an extra hour of game time every five | | | | you progress through the game. This step is |
| hours. See how this can be significant? This | | | | hard for some people to do because it means |
| careful tracking of your time also works in | | | | actually taking your hand off the mouse and |
| the other direction. There may be a complex | | | | not playing the game for a minute but it is |
| task that takes you a five full hours to | | | | well worth the effort. It is also a very good |
| complete. But this task rewards you with | | | | idea to make notes about other players in the |
| 10,000 gold. If you were to do the original | | | | game. Did you meet somebody that is an expert |
| one-hour task for five hours you would have | | | | on a certain topic or quest? Write that |
| earned 5,000 gold. This more complex task has | | | | person's character name down and a quick note |
| earned you twice as much gold.The simple rule | | | | about them. You will be able to look them up |
| here is to keep notes on the various tasks | | | | in the future when you need that type of |
| you do and to record how much of a reward | | | | information.Kingdom Key 4: Do your Out of |
| these tasks earn you. You will quickly see | | | | Game ResearchBut Don't Cheat! Every popular |
| which tasks earn you more money for the time | | | | online game has lots of websites, forums, and |
| you spend. I will often do a very specific | | | | chat rooms affiliated with it. People are |
| task for one full hour and include all the | | | | very passionate about these games and many |
| ancillary necessities in the task, which | | | | people give lots of tips, hints, and ideas |
| might mean trips to the shop, repair of | | | | about the games. Spend the time out of the |
| equipment, buying, selling or anything else | | | | game surfing the Internet for good |
| that the task entails. At the end of one hour | | | | information that will help you solve quests, |
| I have an exact count of what I earned. This | | | | find resources, and make more money faster. |
| gives me accurate data that I can compare to | | | | But, never do anything unethical, don't use |
| other tasks.Kingdom Key 2: Harnessing the | | | | cheat programs, automated programs, or any |
| Power of other People This key is also very | | | | other type of software or information that |
| important whether you are new to an online | | | | the developers of the game would consider a |
| game or a seasoned player. There are people | | | | violation. And always avoid any website that |
| in the game that know things about it that | | | | offers these kinds of cheats. If a website |
| you don't know. This is plain and simple, and | | | | will help you cheat the game company they |
| you have to get them to help you to get | | | | will have no problem cheating you too. Some |
| better faster. There are three things that | | | | of these websites lure you to them then |
| you can do to maximize your benefit from | | | | secretly load programs, viruses and worms on |
| other people. The first thing you should do | | | | your computer so they can steal your game |
| is join a guild or clan as soon as possible. | | | | password and login information. Trying to |
| It should be a medium to large clan because | | | | cheat is just not worth this risk. At the |
| this will give you access to a wider variety | | | | minimum you will get caught by the game |
| of people, and it should be a clan that is in | | | | company and banned and at the worst your |
| alignment with your goals for the game. If | | | | account could be hijacked by an unscrupulous |
| you really like PK (Player-killer) action | | | | webmaster and you could log in to your |
| then you should join this type of guild. If | | | | character one day to find all your stuff |
| you really like magic or a certain type of | | | | missing and your account emptied out.Kingdom |
| character you should join a guild that | | | | Key 5: Remember to have fun!It is after all |
| focuses on that. The second thing you should | | | | just a game and that's the whole point. If |
| do is join online forums that are devoted to | | | | keeping track of all this stuff becomes a |
| the game. Forums have an absolute wealth of | | | | chore to you then scale it back a bit and |
| knowledge about games and they give you a | | | | spend time just enjoying the game and |
| quick understanding of the people that are | | | | chatting with other characters. Acquiring the |
| knowledgeable. You can quickly form a | | | | skills I have outlined here takes time. They |
| friendship with an experienced player after | | | | are habits you will get into over time. Just |
| just a few friendly forum comments and posts. | | | | don't give up on them. Do them a little at a |
| The third thing you can do, and this is the | | | | time and before you know it you will have a |
| most difficult, is to start your own guild or | | | | great compilation of information about the |
| clan. If you have the people skills and | | | | game and you will gain a reputation as one of |
| leadership ability this can be the absolute | | | | the best players in the game.Will Kalif has |
| best thing you can do because you can guide | | | | been a guild leader in three different online |
| groups of people toward tasks that benefit | | | | games and has attained a respectable rank in |
| your guild and you can achieve your personal | | | | several others. |
| goals at the same time. The wealthiest | | | | |