Monthly Archives: March 2009

Dragonica Europe: register for Closed Beta!

Dragonica is the brand new free arcade-style 3D side-scrolling MMORPG. It will be available to download across Europe this Spring from the gpotato.eu gaming portal. As the gPotato Europe team prepares for the game’s launch, we are proud to announce that we have opened pre-registration for the Closed Beta on Thursday 19th March 2009. Spaces on the CBT are limited, so register early to be in with the best chance of getting an invite!
From today, you can pre-register for the Closed Beta Test and CBT dates will be announced in the coming weeks by the gPotato Europe team. For two weeks, players will be able to participate in an exclusive first look at the world of Dragonica and all its features. The gPotato team will be actively taking player’s feedback during this time as we prepare to offer the gaming public the best gaming experience ever.

Having fun is important in the world of Dragotaka, so during the CBT the Dragonica team will be on hand to host a wide range of entertaining events for players. There is a packed schedule of events planned and organised by the Dragonica community managers, and players will have the opportunity to meet them in game. The events will also give players the opportunity to earn some fantastic rewards at the end of the test.

With these special CBT events, the gPotato team aim to entertain players and give them the opportunity to discover the wide variety of community features available in Dragonica.

Angels Online: Special Egg, Special Train

Angels Online team from IGG has prepared another funny event, offering their players abundant rewards and lots of fun. AO players are welcome to take part in this cool new event from now until the server maintenance on March 26th.
 
Event Content
1.      [Lad Jack], [Artist Nary] and [Profiteer Manny] will come to [Puqi Village] for the event.
 
2.      Players can obtain [Wheat Grass], [Sweet Corn] and [Fat Worm] by collecting materials and killing monsters.
 
3.      Players can give [Wheat Grass], [Sweet Corn] or [Fat Worm] to [Profiteer Manny] with 100 Gold and he will give you [Wheat Grass Feed], [Corn Feed] or [Worm Feed].
 
4.      After eating [Wheat Grass Feed], [Corn Feed] or [Worm Feed], Lad Jack’s hen can lay two [Nourishing Eggs], [Healthy Eggs] or [Energetic Eggs] according to the feed it’s eaten. Lad Jack will give every player one egg as reward.
 
5.      Items of the [Egg Series] can help players finish the event.
6.      [Profiteer Manny] may try to cheat you with his [Wonder Egg]. Angels can bring [Golden Spray-paint] and the [Egg] to [Artist Nary] and ask him to make a [Gold Egg] for you. Then you can exchange the [Wonder Egg] you got from [Profiteer Manny] with the [Gold Egg] and teach him a lesson.
 
7.      [Profiteer Manny] may see through the scheme when you try to cheat him. Then, he will not give you a Wonder Egg. Instead, he will ask some pirates to fight with you. After killing the pirates, you will obtain one part of the [Sea Manhood Set] at random. You can exchange the whole Sea Manhood Set for a [Giant Rose] or a [Giant Crusader’s Pick] from [Jack].
 
8.      The Giant Crusader’s Pick is a magic but heavily damaged tool obtained from a giant. It will become useless after the event ends. During the event, players have a chance to obtain [Top Pearls] by digging underwater materials on Puqi Island or in other ocean areas. (Giant Crusader’s Picks can be put away in the bag.)
 
9.      [Artist Nary] on Puqi Island has a crush on Teny and would like to chase after her. If players give Nary some [Giant Roses], they can obtain a [Nary’s Honoraria].
 
10.  [Artist Nary] loves [Teny] very much. He knows that [Top Pearls] are Teny’s favorite. In order to woo Teny, Nary wants to collect a lot of Top Pearls to make a beautiful pearl necklace for Teny. Players can exchange 200 [Top Pearls] for a [Top Pearl Card] from [Artist Nary].
For more information about this event please visit the official site at

Florensia Review: Great Sea Battles

By Jeffrey Kerkdijk (Hyarume), Onrpg writer

Florensia is a MMORPG released on July 21, 2008 for Europe and North America. Florensia allows players to explore lands and seas. On land it offers gameplay similar to most MMORPGs but at sea a different kind of gameplay unveils itself.

Adventures on the shore

When you log in for the first time you will be greeted by funky music and a character selection screen. From there you will begin to create a character. There are four classes to choose from in Florensia, each having their own unique look and style of battle. You have the Noble, a mage class, Mercenary, which is essentially the warrior, Saint, the healing class, and the Explorer who uses long ranged weaponry. You have several options to customize your character and personalize him/her. Once it’s created you can then enter the world.

You start off with a series of quests which act like short tutorials. Follow them if you like, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I found them very useful. Each class has its own pre-distributed stat points, for every level you gain you get three stat points which you can use to upgrade them. There are seven stats and you can distribute your points in any way you like. I personally love this system because it gives you the freedom to develop your character anyway you like and create a variety of different builds.

The skill system in the game is based on a skill tree, however if you want to unlock better skills you have to purchase a book which teaches you them. After techniques are learned you can spend skill points on the abilities to make them stronger, gaining one skill point for each level you gain.

The gameplay on land is like most MMORPGs; you get some fairly regular quests and hunt common monsters. Quests aren’t too rewarding, so most of the time you will just be grinding for levels. Luckily players in Florensia do like to party which makes leveling much easier.

There is an in-depth crafting system in the game, which means if you ever feel like your weapon isn’t strong enough you can always upgrade it and by doing this several times over the weapon will get a rather different look. Another cool feature of the game is that you can fish! Fishing is a nice way to gain some money on the side whilst you play.

The 100 Floors Tower, is a new feature in Florensia. Once you reach level 15 you can access one of the towers for a challenge. You will need a party. The idea is to kill mobs as fast as you can. The tower will only be opened for a limited time though, so if you are not fast enough with your party you will be kicked out. If you are fast enough and faster than the other parties (each opened tower can hold 15 parties) you can gain rare items along with the exp from the monsters that you killed. You can also get kill-quests for the tower from the manager in town which will give you rewards after you have completed them.

Let’s go, all aboard!

One of the most unique features of Florensia is the ability to battle not only on land but also on sea. You can build your own ship with parts that you have gained during quests or have brought from a local vendor. Once you’ve built/repaired your ship you can head out. You can level up your naval skills when you gain a naval level. I normally don’t like playing as a pirate and going on the seas with my own ship, I hated it in Voyage Century and Tales of Pirates, however in Florensia it has a faster pace and plays much better. If you’re into sea battles make sure to check Florensia out!

Graphics

Florensia adopts a cell shaded Anime style, which really suits the game. I like how the world looks, as it’s full with its own inimitable appearance. Character and Skill animations are fluid and generally look gorgeous. Whilst the textures may not be the best thing since sliced bread, the whole package you’re presented works with the title and provides a rather nice atmosphere. If you don’t like “cartoonish” graphics though, be warned as this may not be your cup of tea.

Music

The music fits Florensia perfectly and works with whatever situation you may find yourself in. On sea you hear a different kind of music from when you are at land which adds a nice touch to a fairly generic game. Towns usually have a happy tune, which surprisingly isn’t annoying to hear. If you’re allergic to happiness, be prepared to listen to perky tunes no matter where you travel to in the game.

Personal recommendation

For everyone who likes MMORPGs, here is a new one, which unfortunately has combat like so many others, but generally does everything right. Beware though you will need to grind to gain levels, however despite this combat on the sea is fun, and the in-depth crafting is a great feature of the game. I don’t have any real issues with the game.

If you are looking for a new MMORPG to play which has lots of charm and style, why not try Florensia? After all you could do much worse.

Pros

– Graphics

– Stat distribution system

– Land and sea combat

– In-depth crafting system

– Fishing

– 100 Floors Tower

Cons

– Quests are pretty useless

– The ever familiar grind

Alganon first trailer

Are you ready to discover the beautiful lands of Alganon? Enter the city of Asharan, explore the Sandshore or adventure inside Haggon Marsh, fight different type of creatures and… have fun! Alganon is an upcoming fantasy MMORPG and this is the first trailer released about it. Watch it now!

Puzzle Pirates

Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates is an online game in which you play a Pirate character in an ocean world. Hundreds of your fellow player Pirates swarm these Isles and Sea-lanes. For Pirates who love acronyms, Puzzle Pirates is an massively multi-player online roleplaying game, or mmoarrrrpg.

Pirates can wander around on land and sail the thirty-seven seas with their crew. When your Pirate sails, or swordfights, or navigates, the appropriate Puzzle game is launched. Good Puzzling thereby brings victories and accrues great fortunes to you and your fellow Pirates.

Thus Yohoho! brings you Puzzling fun in a social Piratical setting, where every Puzzle game contributes to the greater story of your Pirate, her Crew, and the Ocean world.

WAR: new classes now playable!

Mythic Entertainment today announced that the eagerly anticipated Dwarf Slayer and Orc Choppa careers are now playable in its award-winning MMORPG, Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning® (WAR). Introduced as part of an ongoing live expansion arc entitled Call to Arms, the new careers are examples of the massive content additions being made available as a part of your subscription to WAR.


“The Call to Arms has sounded, and the realms of Order and Destruction have welcomed two new combatants to the frontlines of WAR ” the head-bashin’ Orc Choppa and oath-sworn Dwarf Slayer,”
said Mark Jacobs, VP and General Manager of Mythic Entertainment. “These new careers are brutal, unrelenting fighters who will stop at nothing to claim victory over their opponents on the Realm vs. Realm battlefields.”

The ornery and savage Choppa is an offensive juggernaut that embodies the love of a good fight found in every Orc. He has a one-track mind that is dead set on wreaking havoc on enemy lines and bashin’ heads! Driven by an inexplicably strong bloodlust, the Choppa is a whirlwind of destruction on the battlefield with a… debatable sense of self-preservation.

The tattooed Slayer is the manifestation of the Dwarfs’ obsession with honor, seeking only a heroic and honorable death in combat. However, dying quietly is simply not in his nature. In WAR, the Slayer is a ruthless and terrifying fighter, throwing himself into battle with no regard for his own well-being. He is a force to be reckoned with and relies on his ever-escalating rage to power each swing of his dual axes.

Ether Saga: Open Beta launched!

Perfect World Entertainment Inc today announced that the beta for its popular new online game Ether Saga Online is now open to all gamers.  As the closed beta comes to an end, new and existing gamers will be provided open access to Ether Saga Online where they can fully immerse themselves in the expansive world and create permanent characters that will remain in the game through launch and beyond.
 
 
"The initial response to Ether Saga Online has been very enthusiastic and we are excited to officially open the game world to an even larger audience of gamers," said Dr. Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc.  "We are encouraged by the growing popularity of our free-to-play model and the greater level of customization it offers for both traditional MMORPG gamers and for those players that are new to the genre."
 
Based on the Chinese literary classic, Journey to the West, Ether Saga Online combines a robust feature set with lavish graphics and a youthful anime style.  The game’s intuitive game play systems and large variety of unique features create a truly one of a kind experience for gamers of all skill sets.  Unlike other MMORPG games that charge subscription fees, Ether Saga Online allows players to immerse themselves in the expansive game world free of charge.  Once inside, players can earn and spend in-game currency to upgrade their character and an assortment of items in real-time to enhance and personalize their game play experience.

Wonderland Online: Speed Leveling Strategies

Do you try very hard to level up in Wonderland Online? Danger and uncertainty rise dramatically as you move above Level 25. This strategy guide details 5 best places to help players of levels between 25 and 40 who feel pressured to catch their fellows up.
 
1. Chicken Farm
Happiness: *****     Safety: ****    Effect: **
(* represents the level of satisfaction. The more * the higher the satisfaction)
 
Chicken farm is one safe and pleasant place. Here players can fight with chicken to gain EXP, more importantly, it is a fantastic place to collect many items for food synthesis, such as seeds, rice, barley, drumsticks etc. If you often feel your HP/SP food is far from what you need, remember high valued juice can be obtained by compounding mushroom and rice.
 
2. South Island-Frogs and Beetles
Happiness: **      Safety: ****     Effect: ****
The amount of EXP rewarded by defeating them is desirable. However, be careful when dealing with both of them, and make sure you have enough HP. If you choose to use a remoter, you’d better sit down to restore HP after battles.
 
3.  South Island-Squirrels
Happiness: ***     Safety: **       Effect: *****
Before going after the squirrels in South Island, players should equip some decent weapons or gear, because these squirrels are really aggressive. Players may lose up to 100+ HP if they are hit. However, as you can see from the Effect Rank, it is worthy.
 
4. Shayii Hill
Happiness: ****    Safety: ***       Effect: ****
After leaving the Island, players can embark on an exciting journey. In Shayii Hill, players will encounter cute monsters which aren’t too tough. It’s a great place to spend some time leveling.
 
5.  Oslya-Pterosaur
Happiness: *****   Safety: *        Effect: *****
 
The experience of defeating the Pterosaur in Oslya can be absolutely exciting and dangerous. The Pterosaur’s level is higher than 50, and also watch out for other dinosaurs, like the Stegosaurus, They can be fatal if you are not careful enough.