Monthly Archives: September 2009

LotRO expansion release date set!

Turbine, Inc. announced today that The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood, the new digital expansion to the 2008 MMO of the Year will launch on December 1st in North America. 
 
Turbine also unveiled The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) Adventurer’s Pack which contains what every player needs to survive in the chaos of Mirkwood! 
 
Siege of Mirkwood and the LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack are scheduled to launch on December 1, 2009.
SIEGE OF MIRKWOOD PRE-LAUNCH OFFERS
Starting today, players can take can take advantage of several special pre-launch offers to celebrate the release of the second expansion to LOTRO:
– The LOTRO Lifetime Membership is now available for $199.
– Any current or former player who renews or upgrades their subscription to any multi-month plan by October 31st gets the Siege of Mirkwood digital expansion for FREE!
– All players can pre-order the new LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack which contains 2 character slots and one shared storage slot that allows players to share items with all of their characters on the same server for $19.99 and get the Harbinger’s Cloak which provides 8% speed boost and the Dusky Nimblefoot Goat mount for FREE!
– Starting today, existing Lifetime Members who pre-order the LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack get the Siege of Mirkwood digital expansion plus two in-game items (Harbinger’s Cloak which provides an 8% speed boost and a new mount) for FREE!
These special offers will be available for a limited time.

Lord of the Rings - Siege of Mirkwood launch date set for teh 1st of December

Cabal Online Europe: Siena The Queen Expansion Announced

Games-Masters.com, European publishers of the free-to-play title CABAL Online, today announced the launch of the second part of the latest CABAL Expansion: Siena The Queen.

Free to download, the expansion offers the most challenging encounters yet, with the update seeing the introduction of two new dungeons, improvements to the guild system, the addition of a series of new craftable stat-increasing items and much, much more.
 
The discovery of the Altar of Siena opens a new end-game raiding dungeon to explore, providing a series of encounters that require brains as well as brawn. Even with the new ‘blended runes’, a series of craftable stat-increasing items, which allow for greater character customisation, the dungeon will test the strongest and bravest of warriors.

Yet Siena The Queen is not only for those who have reached the heights of the game. The Panic Cave, an exhilarating fight against the clock, provides solo players with an exciting and rewarding challenge. Coming in three different levels – easy, medium and hard – it is not a task for the feint hearted, with the fast paced nature of this dungeon requiring a mastery of the character’s abilities (as well as an individual’s senses).
 
Furthermore with improvements to the Guild system, adding levels and guild storage function, the basics of the game continue to see improvement. This also includes the linking system, a method of showing a characters location and items, while ‘bind on equip’ drops allow for an increase to the drop rates of high-end equipment.

 

Cabal Online Europe - Siena the Queen Expansion

Shot Online launches Episode 1.5

Episode 1.5, a major update to the popular online golf game, is in part thanks to the loyal Shot-Online community.  Earlier this summer GamesCampus asked its community to give them input on what they would like to see in the update and the community responded with feedback, ideas and suggestions which have now been incorporated into the game.

“We asked the Shot-Online community what they wanted to see updated or expanded upon and we got some great feedback,” said David Chang, EVP of Marketing and Business Development at GamesCampus. “Some of the features are big additions and some are small–but each and every one is something that was an important part of maximizing our community’s enjoyment of their time spent playing Shot-Online.” 

The following is a complete list of the updates made with the launch of Shot-Online Episode 1.5.

Group Whisper / Notes
Players can now send whispers and notes to several users at once (Max 10 users a time) using a shortcut key (Alt+direction key).

New slot for equipment item
The game now has a slot for Odlelile, Elgin Marbles, and Stardust.

Cart Fee reduction
Shot-Online now has a decreased cart fee which has dropped from 10,000NG to 1,000NG and Gold/Gold plus members of Shot-Online can utilize carts for free.

Additional Menus and Options during rounding If a player clicks on a co-players character name, avatar face, or personal score, with the button of their mouse, the Right Click and the [Info/ whisper] menu will now come up. In addition, when a player closes the game, there will be an additional step to confirm the close to avoid any players accidentally closing a session of play. Also, players can now Change clubs with the [PageUp]/ [PageDown] key during a round.

Sound volume
Shot-Online now has added new options to adjust the sound volume (background, sound effects, etc.) in the Option Menu.

Revamped Auction house
The Shot-Online Auction house is totally revamped.  The look of the Auction House has changed and there is now a restriction on the amount of auctions per character with a maximum of 16 each for item registration and for bidding. Players can also block items with durability below 10% (Cannot be registered) and when bidding, a bidder can stay on the list to confirm purchase.

New Random courses
Shot-Online now has three new random courses at each difficulty level. When a player chooses a Random Course, they can choose course difficulty; easy, normal or hard.

Increase batting money in skins mode
Formerly, normal users skins money was1,000/2,000/3,000 NG  and is now10,000/20,000/30,000 NG.

Change tee-off order in foursome matches Players can now give the tee-off order alternatively in the same team, instead of it being random.

Temporary clubs provided if the club durability runs out during a round
When a player’s club durability runs out in a round, a Gridabor Club is now given to them to temporarily get them through the round. (Except the Repairable version)

Shot information is shown
After a swing, a player can see the remaining distance and the shot power. (Distance: xxx Yard, Power: 103%)

Albatross record
Players can now see the Albatross count in the personal record window.

Show the server time
If a player writes [/time] in the chatting window, they can check the current server time which will show as YEAR_MONTH/DAY_HOUR: MINUTE:
SECOND.

Add scales in the gauge bar
Players can now easily see how they made a shot though the bold scales in the gauge bar.

Widen the range of game entrance at the square The entrance of the game is now twice its current size at the square. 

Show the room info in course info
If a player puts their mouse on the course info located in the upper left side, they can see the room number, room title, and play mode like tool tip.

Change the order of the menu in Avatar/Friend window In the menu for the Avatar/Character/Friend list, players can now move the [add/delete friends] menu to the bottom.

Add Master name on the top of the lesson class list In a Class, the Master is now at the very top of the Class List

Shortcut functions to adjust Spin (shift + direction keys) New shortcut keys allow players to control spin

Invite friends to game room
In the waiting room, players can invite friends though their friends list.
(Only applicable to those that are friends and who are in the round list or in another Non-Ready waiting room)

 

Shot Online - Episode 1.5 Launched

Dragon Oath Interview: Insights from the Beta

Questions by Jeffrey Kerkdijk, Onrpg Journalist
Answered by Martin Tan (General Manager) 

Dragon Oath online is an upcoming MMORPG, and we have gotten the chance to interview Martin Tan from (General Manager of the game). We learned some interesting details about the features that the game has, and what it will do to become a great MMO.


Onrpg: What makes the community system in Dragon Oath online different from community systems found in other MMORPGs?
The community system in Dragon Oath is significantly more in-depth than that of most games. Dragon Oath players have the ability to keep a personal journal in-game that other users can view publicly to keep up with the lives of their friends. Additionally the guild features of Dragon Oath are extremely well developed.  As a guild grows in rank and reputation they will be given the opportunity to even take charge of their own town, setting rules, regulations and even taxes.  We feel that such features are great ways for players to connect with one another and build new relationships through common interests and ideas.


Onrpg: What sets Dragon Oath apart from the mainstream Free-to-Play MMORPGs, what is totally unique in your game?
From the style of leveling, to the life skills, to the community features, to the pet system, Dragon Oath is the culmination of all the things you love about MMORPGs.  This is what makes the Dragon Oath gaming experience so enjoyable and full of possibility.  This is what makes Dragon Oath a truly unique MMORPG that you will struggle to pull yourself away from to go eat dinner.


Onrpg: How do players make their way in the story of Dragon Oath? Is there a focus on the storyline when playing the game?
Dragon Oath is based on a famous Chinese novel, the storyline of which is embedded into the game. As players progress through the game, they will move through the story, running into political conflicts, love stories and warfare. It is a highly riveting story and some of the references in the storyline are, in fact, historically accurate. As players move from city to city in the game they’ll get small pieces of the storyline implemented into their quests.  By the time they reach level 70 they will have a good idea of what was really happening during this time in ancient China.


Onrpg: Will there be PvP facilities in Dragon Oath, for example, will we see things like capture the flag or other PvP games?
PvP is an important aspect of MMORPGs and Dragon Oath is no different.  There will be daily tournaments that players can participate in to see prove themselves as the ultimate fighter.  Additionally guilds will be allowed to take part in guild warfare which is a full-blown “guild vs. guild” battle. Furthermore, though not currently available in game, features such as “Capture the Flag” are definitely being considered for future updates.


Onrpg: Over the years botting became a serious issue in the MMORPG industry, many games have been facing issues with botters all over the world. How is Dragon Oath going to prevent players to bot?
We have taken a number of measures to ensure that botting does not become a major problem in Dragon Oath both inside and outside the game.  In addition to thoroughly training our GM/Customer Service team on how to spot and deal with botters, a number of unique features have been implemented in the game itself to stop botters in their tracks.  While we understand that we may never be able to catch all of the botters, they are going to have a hard time getting anywhere in Dragon Oath.

Dragon Oath Character


Onrpg: What can we expect from Dragon Oath in the future?
Dragon Oath will be a constantly changing and growing MMORPG.  As we receive feedback from our community, as well as observe what trends become popular in the video gaming industry, we will work to adapt Dragon Oath to the needs of the consumer.  New content will be created, old content may be revamped, and the players will always have something new to do, even if it is as simple as a new daily event.


Onrpg: Will there be PvP and PvE servers and are all of the servers equal in features?
As of right now we have no plans to create separate PvP servers.  The way that PvP works in Dragon Oath helps to prevent players from being unnecessarily being PK’d repeatedly.  When a player reaches a high enough level they gain the ability to tag their character with how they would like to engage in PvP.  Because of this there is no need for separate servers.   Players who do not enjoy PvP will be able to enjoy the game without the worry of getting “ganked” as they try and pick herbs or fight an elite mob.


Onrpg: What is your favorite feature in Dragon Oath?
While Dragon Oath has tons of great features, my favorite feature in Dragon Oath is the pet system. I’ve played a lot of MMORPGs over the years and none of them have had a pet system that was as fleshed out as this one. There are so many different pet types, skills and personality traits to experience that you feel a bit overwhelmed at first. Once you get the hang of the way the systems work, you realize that the possibilities are endless for pet customization. Utilizing the breeding function for your pets will also give you the ability to build up a huge arsenal of unique skills for each pet that you own. I could spend hours just toying around with pets in the game, it’s too much fun.


Onrpg: What methods of character customization can we find in Dragon Oath?
There are many ways to customize your character in the game. You can change your character’s hair style, hair color, face and of course clothing. Not all of the character customization items have to be purchased from the token shop either; you can gain customization items from certain life skills and daily events.


Onrpg: Could the implementation of a cash shop unbalance the economy Dragon Oath?
When implementing a cash shop into an MMORPG you must be careful and consider many different factors.  We have some great members on our team who have significant experience in creating and successfully implementing a cash shop.  The most important thing to remember when implementing a cash shop is that a player should never feel like they must purchase to enjoy the game and progress.  Once this happens the game is no longer Free-to-Play and is no different from a subscription based game.


Onrpg: Are there any dates set for the Dragon Oath Open Beta? And for the official release?
Currently we are completely focused on successfully launching Dragon Oath into Closed Beta, which will begin on September 24th.  Once we have rolled the game out into Closed Beta and start receiving feedback from the community, we will work towards an Open Beta and commercial release.  We are taking our time as we want to ensure the success of Dragon Oath and enjoyment of the game by all players.

Cabal Online Europe

Based in the devastated land of Nevareth, CABAL Online is a fast-paced, console style, free-to-play massively multiplayer online game. With a unique combo system, requiring more than the usual hack’n’slash, the game is full of action-packed and challenging content for all types of player to enjoy.
From the exhilarating time-based solo dungeons, to the PvP nation war arenas, the game has something for everyone – whether it be slowly taking part in the hundreds of lore based quests or quickly leveling to enter the daily war between the two nations.

Features

Intriguing Plot Tied into Quests: Unravel the mysteries of Cabal as you complete epic missions and quest lines.

 

Mission Wars: Compete for the honor of your nation in epic PvP battles.

 

6 Classes: Take up arms as a blader, wizard, warrior, force archer, force shielder, or force blader and fight your way to greatness with a level cap of 190!

 

Achievement and Title System: Recently added in the episode VII update, Cabal now offers a way to keep track of all your great adventures, as well as display titles showing off all you’ve accomplished.

 

Sienna, The Queen

Nevareth faces its greatest threat yet, as the Queen of the Monster Clan prepares to unleash a terrifying attack on the world and its inhabitants. Introducing Cabal Online: Siena The Queen, the second part of the latest Cabal expansion.

Mercenary Wars goes into Closed Beta!

With the Launch of the Closed Beta, Mercenary Wars Has An All-New Website With Exclusive Screens, Videos, A Game Guide And More.

Uforia, an online game publisher specializing in massively multiplayer online games, today launched the first closed beta and the full website for its upcoming Online Military FPS, Mercenary Wars.  The new website and sign-ups for the closed beta can now be found at: http://mercenarywars.uforia.com where fans of the game can sign up to be in the beta, check out exclusive videos and screen shots, download the game guide, read about the game’s full features and details and more. The closed beta is now live and will run through 5 PM Pacific time on September, 30th.

“It is an exciting time for Mercenary Wars as we give our fans the first opportunity to join in a closed beta for the game and also check out the newly launched Mercenary Wars website,” said JK Kim, CEO of Uforia.  “A strong community is a big part of an online game’s success and with the launch of the closed beta, the community can now start to gather and get to know more about Mercenary Wars.”

With the start of the closed beta Uforia has also kicked off several events.  The first event, “Bug Squashers” runs today through October 1st and allows players to post the bugs they find during the beta in the forums.  The three players who post the most confirmed bugs will win a Logitech G7 Gaming mouse.

Unlike other first person shooter games available today, Mercenary Wars features a unique stat system that players can use to upgrade and customize their lifelike characters.  The combat in the game is designed to feel very realistic, while also allowing players to adjust their speed, accuracy, and health stats.  Mercenary Wars is set in the not so distant future in a world where order and society as we know them are a thing of the past.  The economies of the world have crashed and have been replaced with total chaos.  New alliances have been forged and the world is now controlled by well-trained groups of mercenaries.  Players must determine who to swear their allegiance to and fight side-by-side to the death, if necessary, in the quest to ensure becoming the new global powerhouse.
 
Mercenary Wars will also feature an innovative Artificial Intelligence system where computer controlled “bots” can be used in several ways ranging from practice to enhancing game play.  Via four difficulty modes, players can select their desired skill level no matter what their previous FPS experience might be.  Other features include multiple gameplay modes, a variety of character types and races, extensive ranking system including more than 50 different character ranks and title, an expansive number of weapons and equipment available for character customization and a built-in player-to-player audio communication tool for enhanced real-world combat simulation.

 

Mercenary Wars - Closed Beta Starts

Project Torque Review: Better Than Most Racing Games

Project Torque Review: Better Than Most Racing Games
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), Onrpg Journalist

 

If you’re looking for a good online racing game, then you should definitely add this to your list. Project Torque is a free Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Racing Game that allows you to race against other players and customize your car. If you liked Need for Speed, then this game would definitely appeal to you as it caters the same features in an online aspect. As a new racer, your goal is to beat everyone and be the best there is (much like any other MMO today). Online matchmaking has always been good for these types of games. Although the outcome of each race is the only nonlinear part of any racing game, let’s see what else this game has to offer shall we?

The road to becoming a professional race car driver

As a newbie racer, you’ll be given two cars that will serve as your archetypes. Once you manage to fill up your online racer’s information, you’re ready to join the fun. Joining is as easy as entering a room while waiting for the other players to start the race. Each race grants you RP or Race Points that will help you develop your car’s looks and performance. The amount of points gained depends on how well you do in each race. It doesn’t really matter if you end up at the bottom of the list as long as you cross the finish line.

 

Drivers are separated by class through the licensing system. If you’re familiar with Gran Turismo then you won’t have any problems understanding this feature. For those of you who haven’t, classes are leveled through your car’s performance in every race as well as fulfilling stunts that are laid down for you to accomplish. As you continue to satisfy these conditions, your rank goes up— allowing you to challenge higher beings and attain better cars that belong in a specific class. Though the game revolves around street racing, dirt tracks and other maps are featured in the game. You could say that the game has enough diversity for any racing fan out there.

 

Your Car

Say goodbye to lag

Since lag has become quite an issue in most of today’s online games, Project Torque came up with a remedy that will further enhance your gaming experience without the worries of sudden jerks caused by lag. You can choose to turn off car collision (or turn on Ghost car mode) to decrease any disadvantages caused by lag. With this feature, you can run through the course while racing with enemy players as though you were playing an offline racing game. Since lag may be the cause of sudden collisions between cars, might I say that the game did come up with a good trick to fix this annoying problem. Although you get more RP when you have the collision system on, it’d be better to earn less cash than kick your PC due to lag rage (or in my opinion at least).

All around racing package

Unlike other online racing games, Project Torque features more than your average racing experience. Other game modes such as capture the flag (done by bumping into one another), drift mode, and drag races have also been implemented to further immerse players into the heart of racing.

Upgrades galore

Among race car fanatics, who can resist upgrading their car just so it could roar better than the others? Yeah, the game provides a wide variety of upgrading methods much like Need for Speed. An arcade style game that has simulation elements? What more could you ask for?

Shiny and sparkly

If you would compare the game’s graphics to some of the most up to date offline racing games, it is rather obvious that this game would suck bad. However, if you were to compare it with other Racing MMOs, there is no doubt that this one would definitely stand out. The game’s visuals are really impressive for an online game, let alone a free to play one. The tracks are nicely rendered, making it quite easy to build your visual relationship with the in game aesthetics. The cars don’t look half bad and is a lot better than any last generation racing game. The game lets you switch to your desired race view mode to compliment your playstyle, whether it’s first person, driver’s view or third person.

 

No matter how you look at it, the game does look pretty polished; however, despite the game’s awesome visuals, it can still run well on low-end PCs. This, by far is one of the best features an online game has to offer. Not only does it cater good graphics but the ability to be unit-friendly as well.

 

Designing your car is one of the best features of any racing game. Seeing how it turns out or how it is displayed is another thing. The cars do have a bit of shine in them. Whenever I upgrade my car, I would normally just let it spin so I can see each and every corner of my newly designed automobile. Seeing them through the game’s graphic engine does bring a bit of satisfaction to my eyes. This game has the best graphics among its kin bar none.

Project Torque Players

Yo check out mah boom box!

Rev-ing engines would normally be the only thing you can hear in the game. Though you may think that you’ll be driving in silence all the time, the game lets you put your music inside the music folder. This lets you stream your music while racing (Initial D Eurobeat music anyone?). Even up to now I still can’t find this feature useful since It’s the same as streaming your music through your media player. Who knows? Maybe the feeling of having their tunes as a part of the game actually works better for most players. 

Verdict

If I were to judge this game, I would say that the game is a lot better than most of the racing games out there. Not only does it provide a wider variety of game modes, it’s diverse upgrading system makes up for those who are interested in hardcore racing games. The graphics are really good, especially for something that runs on low-end PCs. The tracks themselves justify how good the graphics are, especially for a free to play game. The sounds effects are really good (I guess they mastered how to synthesize VROOOM sound effects by now). If you’re a fan of racing games, Project Torque is definitely a must play.

 

The Good:
– Graphics are awesome
– Can run on low end PCs
– Broad upgrading system
– Lag remedy.

 

The Bad:
-It needs a bunch of music… not from your PC but from the game itself
-Lag remedy? At the cost of earning less money? Seriously.

Teaser Trailer

An early look at Altis Gates, IGG’s upcoming 2.5D, turn-based fantasy MMORPG. The game is set in the land of Altis, a world that takes design cues from European classical architecture with a modern twist.

Myth War II: Halloween Prep Event Series

Here at OnRPG we are ready to post a slew of Halloween event newsposts all throughout October. It’s an ancient tradition that we are happy to honor every single year. But this year IGG takes the early bird worm!

According to them however it’s never too soon to be thinking about spooky Halloween fun. In Myth War II Online, the event staff is ready to make you scream in delight with a special series of events designed to get you into the spooktacular spirit of All Hallows Eve.

The Halloween Prep will last for one week from September 28th to October 4th. For the duration of the event, some truly hair-raisingly ferocious monsters will be continually respawning.

Event 1: A Lost Family Member
Some dastardly Robbers, who have been hiding out in the nearby fields, have cast a spooky shadow over your family. They plan to kidnap one of your family members. You must take the initiative and defeat them to win prizes. To be eligible for this event, players must be Level 30+ and have a team of at least three players.

Event 2: Boss’s Attack
Every hour a ferocious mob of Bosses will be spawned in the nearby fields. It’s up to you and your fellow teammates to show them who the real boss is! The minimum team size is three players. The winning team will load up on tons of EXP, gold and other prizes.

Event 3: Genuine Cuisine
Collect or purchase various +5 gems and give them to the Chef, and he will cook something yummy especially for you. Does AOD gear sound tasty enough?

 

Myth War II - Halloween Prep Events Announced