Monthly Archives: December 2008

Earthrise Lead Game Designer Interview

Questions by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer
Answered by: Apostol Apostolov, Lead Game Designer

We at Onrpg were glad to hold an interview with Earthrise’s lead game designer, Apostol Apostolov. A game currently under development, Earthrise is sure to dazzle gamers with its unique crafting and player vs. player systems, with elements that render the game almost limitless. Get ready for an interesting gaming experience, as it is almost ready for the public: “…the [closed beta] sign up process starts at the end of December” explained Apostol.

Onrpg: Could you please briefly explain the setting of the game?

Apostol: Earthrise is set in the future, where the conflict for Earth’s remaining resources has led the most powerful ruling corporations into a self-destructive war that threatens civilization. Facing extinction of the human race, the western corporations funded the project Continoma, which was created to store human genome and memory matrix on the private Pacific island of Enterra. The Continoma project would make it possible to clone humans back to life when the conditions on the planet were habitable once again.

Centuries later, humans emerged from the depths of the cloning vaults to reclaim what once was lost, but are faced with the challenge of mutant threat that has taken over the island. As the survivors set foot firmly by pushing back against the mutants, they built the magnificent city of Sal Vitas and put all government control in the hands of the Continoma, a corporation bearing the name of the project that now promises to advance humanity and avoid the mistakes of the past.

Cloning became widespread and humanity met immortality. Fearing the government had been corrupted by the power it yielded, the opposition staged a coup that failed to achieve its goal but managed to unite the opposition together into a faction called Noir. Using guerilla tactics to weaken its opponent and sabotage its expansion across the island, Noir attempted to disrupt the actions of Continoma and weaken its grip on the citizens. Only after Noir achieved independence by stealing the secret of cloning, did they finally step up into the conflict.

Now, as the tension grows between the two sides, players emerge into the game world as newly cloned individuals, free to decide which side of the conflict to take on.

Onrpg: Could you please further explain the skill-based advancement system Earthrise will offer?

Apostol: Earthrise will allow players to freely develop their character the way they want, by giving them access to a range of combat, crafting and social skills. As players accumulate experience points through combat, manufacturing and maintenance of items and offline professions, they can use these points to unlock abilities, tactics, technologies and designs that allow them to become more a powerful warrior or influential crafter. No limitations exist to what skills players can invest their points in – given enough time and persistence players could theoretically unlock every skill in the game. Using every skill at once however is not possible, as their usage is highly dependent on the choice of armor and weaponry.

Onrpg: How strong is the PVP aspect of the game?

Apostol: Earthrise is built with Player vs Player as its core aspect. From the very start players will face the conflict between Continoma and Noir and will be given a chance to affiliate with either or neither side. That will not only provide him with a storyline and tasks to complete, but also encourage him to seek out and exterminate players of the opposing factions. This motivation will be represented not only with quest rewards but also the loot mechanic that allows players to partially or even fully loot their opponents that have failed to insure their property.

As characters group together into Guilds, they will enter a whole new level of PvP – the Concession Grounds, a vast portion of the island broken into contested territories that can be conquered, built up into profitable bases with many functions such as mining, manufacturing, and guild administration. Guilds will fight for control over these territories for many reasons, but the main being economic power – as some of the most powerful resources used to create the most wanted items originate from the Concession Grounds, Guilds in control of these territories will decide the fate of the world economy. With power comes rivalry as the more powerful guilds will face fierce opposition from everyone else not profiting from the production.

Onrpg: Character customization seems to be a priority in this title. What are the advantages of having no “class-restrictions” in the game?

Apostol: No class restrictions means that the player won’t need to start anew when he faces certain limitations of his character that hold him from enjoying fully the game experience. It makes no sense that a character cannot learn a new skill outside of his specialization the same way we do in real life – but he would be limited to using it depending on what gear and tools he has.
Learning most or even all the skills only allows a player to be more flexible and gives them more freedom to recreate any build he desires at any moment rather than create an unbeatable, ultimate killing machine that has no match. Players who keep learning more skills than they actually need for a single build are rewarded by the freedom to switch to another build in the future without having to restart and replay parts of the game that have already been done once.

Onrpg: A quite unique feature we have stumbled upon is the character progression feature. Player’s characters will continue to develop even when you aren’t logged in. How will this elaborate system function?

Apostol: Offline Professions are jobs that characters do for a living when not involved in online adventuring. We created Offline Professions in order to not penalize players that do not play constantly and see their time offline as lost opportunity to advance in the game and as a new way of revenue for the character to support their adventuring even if they are looted dry in a PvP combat. Players can learn Social skills and seek out Offline Professions openings throughout the Enterra island in order to get hired and earn both steady income and random rewards based on the type and grade of the profession. As a character works offline on his profession, he will accumulate Career Points that are invested in unlocking Social Skills, prerequisites for even better paying and more rewarding jobs. Only one character per account can have an Offline Profession.

Onrpg: Crafting is another important aspect of this game. To what extent can you customize your own items?

Apostol: Crafters are given unprecedented freedom and influence over the world economy in Enterra, to a point where no other game on the market today comes even close. In many games players can customize their items on their own and crafters simply supply the ingredients without giving players say in what items they can have access to and for what price. In Earthrise players cannot customize their equipment – instead, crafters have the freedom to create any type of items using template Technologies and Design enhancements and then decide what items will be made available to other players in a fully player-run economy. Crafters can advance technologies they are best suited to do, seek out new niches and provide equipment for them or advertise new types of weapons and armor that players have yet to find useful. Few other games make crafters so important that players will go to any length to seek them out and pay for their services.

Onrpg: What payment methods are you considering for the title? Will it require a monthly subscription?

Apostol: Earthrise will have monthly subscriptions. The player experience in the game is based on this concept. We want to put everyone on equal grounds and let them have access to everything in the game.

Onrpg: With a short glance at the official Earthrise website it is easy to come to the conclusion that you focus a great amount of your attention on the community, even before release. Why do you think keeping a tight knit community is so important during the development phase of the game?

Apostol: Absolutely! Fans feedback has been incredible from the start and we have studied and taken into consideration player desired features, ideas and suggestions as we developed different mechanics for the game. It is very important for every developer to know their audience and our forums have really helped us to get close to our future players and do our best in creating an exciting, satisfying game.

Onrpg: What is your favorite aspect of the game currently?

Apostol: It probably has to be crafting, as this is the direction where Earthrise explores one very undeveloped direction for the MMO genre. The combinations possible are truly endless and designing a system that allows players to shift the economy in a direction based on their own demand, rather than the expectations of the developer, puts us both in the role of the creator. Earthrise will allow the player to explore the system’s capabilities and every day find new uses and new possibilities for a smart crafter to make a big name and profit.

Onrpg: When do you plan for your first test release?

Apostol: If you mean closed beta, the sign up process starts at the end of December. After that we will start inviting players according to the testing needs of Earthrise.

Wonderland Online: Fire Killer Strategy

Wonderland Online has released the new Rebirth System in version 3.0, which will mean lots of new powers and a lot more challenges ahead for our advanced players. Today the WLO team is providing a guide to creating that offensive force of nature known as the ‘Fire Killer’.

In the upcoming rebirth system, Fire Killers will be the class with the best killing power. Fire Killers are characters who feel that for PK, and life in general, the best defense is an great offense. Both the fire attribute and the killer’s abilities make their attack power imposing.

Basic Power for the Killer
ATK= (Level*2+STR*2)*110%
DEF=Level*2+CON*1.75
MATK=Level*1.6+INT*2
MDEF=Level*2+WIS*2.2
SPD=Level*1.6+AGI*1.8

Hidden Enchantment
Lethality and primary mana power both increased by approximately 30%. Target’s counterattack rate decreased slightly.

Special Gear
Killer Manteau (+ATK 10-80) is the reward given to the players when they are reborn as a killer. Additionally, the manteau level will go up when the player level’s up.
The following is an analysis for Fire Killers’ points distribution
Level 100 Fire Killer, Reborn

1. STR and CON Fire Killer
STR 330?
CON 140~200
INT 0
WIS 18?
AGI 30?

STR and CON Fire Killers are one of the basic types, but they have fixed HP, SP and high lethality which are useful for doing common quests. However, when players want to do some hard quests, the assistance of team members’ is a better choice.

2. STR and AGI Fire Killer
STR 320?
CON 110~150
INT 0
WIS 18?
AGI 50?

STR and AGI Fire Killers have better speed but less HP, so they are helpful in PK or Group PK as well as in common quests. But they aren’t very good for doing hard quests, even in group.

3. Assistant STR and CON Fire Killer
STR 300?
CON 140~200
INT 0
WIS 42
AGI 30?

For difficult quests in the middle or later periods, endurance is significant. So more and more assistant STR and CON concerned Fire Killers will appear since their most powerful skill, “Fervidity”, costs so much SP. They may have less power to attack and kill, but they can improve their endurance for the fight and will end up being just as lethal in the long run.

4. Assistant STR and AGI Fire Killer
STR 300?
CON 110~150
INT 0
WIS 42
AGI 50?

Assistant STR and AGI Fire Killers have both high SP and good speed. What’s more, their Mess Spell gives them a better shot rate so they are useful in PK. They also have a lot of SP to increase their endurance for the fight.

5. STR Fire Killer
STR 400?
CON 150?
INT 0
WIS 11?
AGI 10?

The STR Fire Killers are the characters who have the most powerful attack. In PK they are peerless, they can deal fatal damage to a high level character or use Arrow Rain to kill targets. However, these advantages are useless in group PK. Also, they have such powerful attacks, that they’re defense suffers greatly. They must depend on either high level gear with good defense or teammates’ assistance, especially when doing hard quests.

6. Assistant STR Fire Killer
STR 370?
CON 150?
INT 0
WIS 18~42
AGI 10?

To deal with the problem of endurance, this kind of Assistant Fire Killer decreases their attack but increases their SP. Their endurance is quite good but their speed is low, so they must depend on teammates at times.

Fire Killers have high kill rate and are easy to begin with. They are useful if players take advantage of their strengths and prepare for their weaknesses.

Priston Tale celebrates the festive season with non-stop events

Wicked Interactive, a North American MMO publisher, today announced that it will launch a huge holiday celebration for Yedang Online’s popular MMORPG, PristonTale. Players of Priston Tale can participate in the Holiday Events beginning this week and running until January 5, 2009.

The Priston Tale Holiday Celebration will begin with the town decorations.Players will know Christmas is coming when Ricarten decorates their town with holiday spirit leading up to the Santa Goblins Event that begins on December 18th. These goblins know the spirit of Christmas better than any other monster. Be careful though!

They don’t really like offering their gifts without first beating you up with their bag of toys! And, if you’re naughty, they might just become meaner!

Even those who bring chaos to the continent of Priston like giving out presents! The Gift Box Event begins on December 23rd when all monsters in the game will have a chance to drop a Gift Box. Gift Boxes, when activated by the player, can change into random items including mana potions and cash shop items. In addition to those exciting events, players will also receive 10 firecrackers two days before Christmas (December 23).

“We are looking forward to our first holiday season with our the Priston Tale players,” said Stanley Yu, CEO of Wicked Interactive.
“Priston Tale continues to be a unique and entertaining game that keeps players coming back for more. We are sure our players will really enjoy the exciting holiday events we have planned for them this holiday season”.

A fantasy-style MMORPG for the PC, Priston Tale was developed by Yedang Online. The game was first launched in Korea in 2001. In October 2008, Wicked Interactive took over the International servers for the game, providing technical updates and all-new customer support features for both the loyal,existing and new players alike. Priston Tale boasts a community of over one million players and continues to grow.

Zu Online: Fashion Improvement System

Feeling defenseless every time you put on something nice? Well, you are able to attach attributes to your fashionable sets from Fashion Improvement System in Zu Online now. So these high fashion items, including Q Head for each clan, Bridegroom-Q Head, Bride-Q Head and Metamorphic fashions, can be worn for more than cocktail parties in Desert City.

Items usable in improving fashions
Players can gain items used for improving fashions from monsters. Below are details of the two types of items used to attach attributes to fashions:

Gem of Quickness: Usable on a fashion to accelerate mounting a pet.

Gem of Stability: Usable on a fashion to reduce the chance to be dismounted when attacked.

Fashion Improvement Process
First of all, you should have a fashion and the required items for improving fashions.

To improve a fashion, simply right click on the required item from the inventory and then click a fashion to improve it.
The Potential of a fashion determines how many types of attributes can be attached to it.

Each fashion can only be attached the same type of attributes once. So, remember to improve your fashion using the best items.

Notes of Fashion Improvement
The Potential of fashions available in the Item Mall is a random numerical value. So, if you only get a fashion with 1+ Potential, you can still attach attributes to it.

Myth War II : Superheroes Rebirth

Myth War II Online is a tactical, highly involved fantasy-themed MMORPG that gives its gamers three chances to be reborn and continue the challenges of life on Rarus.

In previous articles, we have talked about what kind of challenges to expect after the second rebirth. Today the official team happily announce that the reborn 2 mage avatar creation has been successfully completed.

In the beginning, your level will return to 1. The reincarnation will yield some special changes to your characters’ resistances and growth rates. After your second rebirth completed, being a hero will be your blood. Then what will you obtain after the rebirth?

1. Reborn 2 players will get a chance to make new choices for gender, class and avatar. Your characters’ names will also be displayed in eye catching purple.
2. Reborn 2 players will receive enough experience to upgrade their characters to Level 71.
3. If you take the step to be reborn a second time at level 120, you will receive 160 bonus stats points. After that, an additional 8 stats points will be granted as each level upgrades.
4. Reborn 2 will increase the number of inventory slots to 72.
5. Reborn 2 allows you to wear gear of any level and some gear only available for reborn 2 characters.
6. Reborn 2 characters are eligible to do plot quests.
7. Reborn 2 will add 700,000 talents to reborn 2 characters and increase their maximum skill levels to 95.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Video Documentary

This first developer video for Star Wars: The Old Republic is complete with new concepts, new screenshots, and real-time pre-production gameplay video. Hear about the approach to storytelling straight from The Old Republic’s Creative Director and Lead Designer James Ohlen and Principal Lead Writer Daniel Erickson, and watch Art Director Jeff Dobson discuss the aesthetic appeal of stylized realism.

Can playing WoW affect your job performance?

Raph Koster is reporting the following news through his website :

Spotted this on the f13 forums:

“I met with a recruiter recently (online media industry) and in conversation I happened to mention I’d spent way too much time in the early 2000s playing online games, which I described as “the ones before World of Warcraft” (I went nuts for EQ1, SWG and the start of WoW, but since 2006 I have only put a handful of days into MMOG playing – as opposed to discussing them – I’ve obsessed over bicycles and cycling instead).

He replied that employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players. He said there is a belief that WoW players cannot give 100% because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, etc. I mentioned that some people have written about MMOG leadership experience as a career positive or a way to learn project management skills, and he shook his head. He has been specifically asked to avoid WoW players.”

NDOORS secures the rights to publish Wonderking in North America

NDOORS Interactive has acquired the rights from SBSi to publish the casual MMO WonderKing in North America. This 2D side-scrolling MMO is also being launched in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The title’s playful visuals and gameplay is designed to appeal to teenagers and pre-teens — ages 12 to 15 — looking for a light, engaging online experience. Players will challenge the demonic forces of Valron in real-time combat as they strive to become the “Wonderking” that will bring light to the shadows of darkness. There is a wide variety of customization available from clothing to facial features and hairstyles. WonderKing will be free-to-play and offer players the ability to acquire tools, weapons and mounts from the item mall.

WonderKing is on its way to becoming a global phenomenon with the partnership between NDOORS Interactive and SBSi.

“We’re thrilled that WonderKing will be entering the North American market through NDOORS Interactive,” said Lim Changkwang, marketing executive, SBSi. “With NDOORS’s experience as a publisher, they have the know-how and experience to make WonderKing a success in North America. We look forward to reaching players beyond Asia.”

The addition of WonderKing expands the diversity to NDOORS Interactive’s portfolio. The company publishes the strategic turn-based MMORPG Atlantica Online as well as Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu, a MMO that incorporates real-world style economics and politics. NDOORS Interactive will also introduce a new online FPS sometime in the summer of 2009.

“WonderKing provides us the opportunity to become an even player in the U.S. market. Our variety of games will appeal to the wide assortment of people that are playing online,” said Peter Kang, NDOORS Interactive, CEO. “We can’t wait to transform Wonderking into a game that will excite players.”

WonderKing is expected to begin beta testing in the first half of 2009.

Turf Battles

Turf Battles is a free-to-play fantasy style Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). Create a character and enjoy constant battles with other players. Next join a tribe and try to capture turfs in order to farm for gems and other valuable items. Then work with your tribe to defend the land in order to retain control of it.

Game Features
Enter a world of conflict, where players may choose battles counting in hundreds of opponents, or seek out the honor of single combat.
Establish a tribe, work to capture new land and promote or demote recruits to different ranks within the tribe
Escape the horrors of war and delve into gripping party-only dungeons
Earn riches and grow more powerful. Once a certain level has been achieved, players can develop new skills which transform their very appearance and grant them powerful new moves.
Explore or conquer an expansive world with forests, deserts, islands, castles, lakes, and much more!