The Open Beta Testing of World of Lordcraft has already begun since Feb 6, 2010.  In World of Lordcraf, you can Choose your faction and build your kingdom and gather your allies.

Actually, if a game hit the open beta, that means the game will keep all data without any worries playing the game. However, according to official website’s post, World of Lordcraft ‘s open beta is a wipeout test. If i were in a position in charge, I will call this test as a closed beta, or limited giveaway testing.

The game test last 30 days said in the post, but the folks at WOL will send a gift pack to each lord.

As a matter of fact, WOL is only a browser strategy game, but some players prefer to link with the most famous MMORPG–WOW. I’d would rather call WOL a MMORTS like war of legends

Imagine a war-torn world where magic is commonplace and beings of great power walk the land. You are the ruler of a burgeoning city-state; the time has come now to build an army and wage war on neighboring states to earn power, wealth and status.

For those of you who have been following us on twitter, re-tweeting any of our messages can earn you some great prizes. Let your friends know that War of Legends has begun!  ”

That is a newsletter from war of legends

You may interest this story the third-party developer

Learn Previous press release

What’s more, it’s published by Cambridge-based Jagex Games Studio, creators of the world record-breaking online game Runescape.

All of which means War of Legends, which went live this week, is bound to be a major hit.

Based on Chinese myth law, War of Legends is a real-time multiplayer strategy game. Living out the ancient legend, players are invited to pledge allegiance to the incumbent king, an unscrupulous and merciless leader, or to his valiant, righteous but unproven rival.

Players will rule empires, manage resources and command vast armies, while defending their wealthy cities against invading forces vying for supremacy.

Jagex, now the UK’s largest independent games company, is promising regular updates and a continuously evolving storyline.

Like Runescape, it offers a persistent game world that continues even when players are offline, allowing armies to gain strength and resources that will await their return.

Players building empires will be encouraged to form alliances with others around the world.

War of Legends is the first third party title to be published by Jagex and the studio’s first Flash game. Like the company’s other 40 titles, you can play it in your browser, so no hard disk space or time-consuming downloads are necessary here.

Mark Gerhard, Jagex’s CEO, said: “”When we started to develop games in 2001 we were forced to self-publish as none of the ‘traditional publishers’ seemed interested in or even understood online game publishing.

“Nearly a decade and a great deal of success later, we want to leverage our experience and global reach to help other talented young developers bring their games to life.

“We were approached by the War of Legends development team last year. We played it and loved it – we believe our players would probably feel the same way so it’s only natural to add it to our growing catalogue of games on Jagex.com.

“We are actively recruiting to help scale up our publishing division throughout 2010 and we are confident that WarofLegends.com will be the first of many great third-party games to be published by Jagex.”

To play for free, register at www.waroflegends.com.

Having first appeared in free-to-play online games in China and Southeast Asia, virtual goods and game enhancements paid for in small purchases called microtransactions have become a billion-dollar boon for U.S. online game publishers.

The newest game with microtransactions is War of Legends, from the makers of online hit RuneScape. But unlike RuneScape, which is free but has subscriptions (starting at $5.95 a month) that give players access to premium areas, War of Legends is a free game that lets players buy virtual goods and upgrades to enhance their experiences.

The Web-based strategy game is based on Chinese myth and created by a Chinese game development studio for U.K. publisher Jagex. Players manage resources and forces to become powerful clan leaders. (You can sign up to join the testing that begins today at waroflegends.com.)

An example of the virtual goods available in War of Legends is the Enigma box, a multifaceted enhancement for faster building, restored health and base relocation, though at a cost of 300 “Jcredits” — about $30 — it might be a bit steep for a microtransaction. “It’s the usual time-vs.-money trade-off,” says Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard.

Last year, online players in the USA spent more than $1 billion on virtual goods, and they’re expected to spend $1.6 billion this year, according to market research firm Inside Network.

Virtual goods are spreading across online games, including social games on Facebook (you can buy coins in Farmville) and games on Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch (where $2.99 gets six Jackson 5 songs for free rhythm game Tap Tap Revenge 3), as well as systems such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, where virtual items start at about $1.

“You can pay a dollar here or there, and you’re not paying $60″ for an entire console or PC-based packaged game, says Inside Network founder Justin Smith.

Other recent developments:

•Online PC subscription game World of Warcraft began selling virtual pets last fall for $10 each, with half the proceeds going to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

•Xbox

Live offers virtual “clothes” and “pets” for players’ avatars (clothes start at $1; pets cost $3). The Game Room area, which makes its debut this spring, can be decorated with props and game icons to accompany the classic games (no prices set).

•Within the virtual world Home on Sony‘s PlayStation Network, a new space called Sodium One hosts online multiplayer games — the first is Salt Shooter— with virtual items and unlockable levels (99 cents to $4.99).

•Last month, Tapulous began offering its Tap Tap Revenge 3 iPhone game free (originally 99 cents) and began selling avatar items including clothing, backgrounds and badges (99 cents to $9.99); the latest items benefit the charity Oxfam Haitian Relief.

“The appeal of microtransactions is that (the low or free initial game price) allows anyone to play, so there is an inclusive mentality,” says analyst Wanda Meloni of M2 Research. “Once a player is vested in a game, there is an opportunity for the developer to build on that relationship.”

With War of Legends, Jagex is creating an online persistent virtual world in which “you can dip in and give your commands to your armies,” Gerhard says. “But I guarantee pretty much any time you log in, the landscape of the game will have changed.”

Microtransactions are just an option. “We don’t treat players differently. There’s a huge amount of pride” in offering a free game, he says. “One of our top three players has played for 17,000 hours and never paid for a day.”