Yearly Archives: 2009

Jade Dynasty Interview asks Product Manager about Ascension

Jade Dynasty Interview asks Product Manager about Ascension
Questions by Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist
Answered by Andrew Brown, Product Manager for Jade Dynasty

 

Jade Dynasty is one of the recently introduced eastern martial-arts themed MMOs this year. The game has recently released a new patch titled, The Spear of Ascension which adds a whole new twist to the gameplay.

 

OnRPG got a chance to talk to Andrew Brown, Product Manager for Jade Dynasty. He has given us the heads up on how the game has been faring since its start of operation six months ago and what doors has The Spear of Ascension patch opened for Jade Dynasty Players.

 

Game Updates

 

OnRPG: It has been about half a year since the game has been operating, how has the game fared?
Jade Dynasty is doing great. We’re continuing to grow everyday with new players, and we’re learning every week from players and our own internal testing how to improve the game. I mean, we’re just barely six months out and we have a packed full expansion with a new race, new classes, flying combat-that’s really cool!

 

OnRPG: Has there any major problems you had to fix within the span of Jade Dynasty’s operation? How did you handle the problem?
We have had items that didn’t originally work how intended. Once we identified the problem, we evaluated how it was affecting the players and the gameworld, and made changes accordingly.

 

Ascension the Latest Expansion

Ascension, the latest Expansion

 

The Spear of Ascension

 

OnRPG: You released a major patch called the Ascension recently, can you give the players a brief description of what it is?
In the original launch of Jade Dynasty, there were only humans and the five Factions. But through one man’s delving into the divine, he unlocked the secrets of immortality: ascension. Soon, humans of all Factions were exploring these secrets. The Immortal Gods were not happy about humans being in possession of this forbidden knowledge, so they have sent the demi-god race, the Athans, to put a stop to human ascension.

 

OnRPG: How can this patch affect a player’s experience in Jade Dynasty?
Well, we have the new race and two new Factions, so right away there is a whole new side of the story in Jade Dynasty to experience. How players interact with their world will also change, depending on whether they choose the human or Athan race. Since the Athans were sent to stop ascension by any means necessary, it has made the two races bitter enemies, and a human who wanders too far into an Athan area can be hunted and PK’d, even if they are on a PvE server. This racial tension adds a whole new layer to the JD experience.

 

OnRPG: What’s the overall in-game reaction to the new patch?
The response has been great! Our users had been hyped for the new race and factions for quite a while. 

 

New Race in Jade Dynasty

New Race in Jade Dynasty

 

OnRPG: Can you tell us a brief history of the development of this new patch?
This expansion was in development for about a year.  A lot has changed in the game from gameplay to story, so extra time was taken to ensure a quality expansion.  One great addition that is invisible for this expansion is the underlying architecture, which has been significantly enhanced to allow easier and faster content creation.  

 

OnRPG: What were the factors the development team thought to include into the new patch?
The largest focus was developing the climax of the story and communicating that climax through gameplay.  The story originally was about man trying to find the path to immortality.  The expansion reveals they did indeed find this new power, but of course this angered the Gods.  Now the Gods have sent the demigods down to the mortal realm to prevent man from accomplishing his goal.

 

OnRPG: Why did the development team decide to put the things that were included into the ascension patch?
Player feedback had a large impact.  Being able to look at our timeline with features we want to implement and then comparing that to player feedback to decide priority is always a fun position to be in.

 

OnRPG: Can you give us an idea on how hard was the implementation of the new system additions into Jade Dynasty?
Like I mentioned before, our engine went through a large architectural change.  The development team worked long days for a quite some time to put it all together under our time constraints.  I think I owe them a few fancy dinners.

 

OnRPG: What was the overall end-goal of the Ascension patch?
Our end goal was to expand and improve the current Jade Dynasty world to it. We’ve roughly doubled the area available for players to explore. We’ve implemented, in addition to the new race and factions, flying combat, a pet system and transformation system. We even overhauled our user interface because of the feedback we received from our initial launch.

 

OnRPG: Did it meet your team’s expectations? How?
Our expansion launch was a little bumpy-the game reopening was delayed a few hours-but Ascension definitely met the team’s expectations. There was a ton to do before, and now there’s basically double that. We hope it’s met the player’s expectations as well.

 

A Beautiful World

Beautiful new areas

 

Game Background

 

OnRPG: Can you give a little background about what Jade Dynasty is to players who have no idea what it is?
Jade Dynasty is a free-to-play MMO, set in a martial arts setting, and is the third title from Perfect World Entertainment.  The underlying story is about man’s lust for immortality.  You will adventure on a path trying to find this amazing power, or if you chose to play as a demigod, your goal is to prevent man from reaching his goal, restoring the balance.

 

OnRPG: How is this game different from the numerous MMORPGs out there right now?
We are the only game that we know of to have a legal bot in our game. Legal bot, you say, how is that possible? Every player in Jade Dynasty will come into possession of an item called an Esper very early on in the game. The Esper allows players to automate mob battles, and mitigate the grind that is present in every MMO.

 

OnRPG: What are the exclusive systems found in Jade Dynasty that you would never find in other MMOs?
Aside from our Esper system, we also have several other leveling tools for players that you won’t find anywhere else. There is Meditation, which allows players to rest and gain a small percentage of experience every minute he is meditating in a safe zone. It’s not a lot, but if you just want to take a break to chat with your guild-you’re still leveling. There is also Dreaming-this is an item that a player can use before they exit the game, and then have their character level while they are offline. Say you’re going out of town and won’t be able to log on for a week-your guild isn’t going to wait around for you. Dreaming keeps you leveling even when you can’t have your computer on.

 

New pets in Ascension

New Pets in Ascension

 

OnRPG: What can you say is the game’s mark in the MMO scene?
Jade Dynasty goes to show that MMOs don’t have to be just for causal or just for hardcore players. It’s easy to dive in and get your feet wet with our leveling tools, but they don’t play for you, nor do they let you really ramp up and experience PvP or instances. It’s game for everyone.

 

Game Future

 

OnRPG: After the Ascension patch what would be the next major patch the team is developing for Jade Dynasty?
I cannot reveal any information quite yet, but from what I’ve seen so far there are amazing things coming down the line!

 

OnRPG: What’s in store for Jade Dynasty in the remaining month of 2009?
We will be launching a new content update before Christmas which will include a fantastic Christmas event for all of our players to enjoy.  I’ve also heard rumors of Snowman attacking the major cities in the game…but that’s just crazy talk.

 

OnRPG: Thank you for your time!
Woohoo!  Thanks 😀 

DDO Unlimited Launches Second Major Update

DDO Unlimited Launches Second Major Update

 

Turbine, Inc. today released the second update to Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited), the premium free-to-play massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG).  DDO Unlimited’s newest update adds a new high-level adventure pack – Dreaming Dark – as well as dozens of new holiday and functional items to the DDO Store. Update 2 arrives during Festivult, a celebration running throughout the month of December that offers all players the chance to win fantastic in-game prizes. Turbine is also offering players 20% quest XP boost from Dec 18, 2009 to Jan 4, 2010.

 
“The launch of DDO Unlimited has been a huge success and has firmly established the game as the premium free to play MMO in the world,” said Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of DDO Unlimited.  “With the game experiencing unprecedented growth we are now executing on our long term strategy to deliver frequent updates that expand the world and gameplay for years to come.  Update 2 is our second update in the last six weeks and we have big plans for 2010!”
 
The second DDO Unlimited update introduces innovative new systems, mind-bending new dungeons and a lot more, including:
 
New Adventure Pack: Dreaming Dark 
For thousands of years the Dreaming Dark has watched and waited in our dreams. Now at long last it strikes.  Horrific creatures from the Plane of Nightmares threaten to overrun Xen’drik and it’s up to you to defeat them. Explore five new dungeons that will send you back in time, explain ancient mysteries of the Giants, and take you to the Plane of Nightmares itself. Dreaming Dark is free to all DDO VIPs and available immediately. It will be available for purchase in the DDO Store on Friday, December 18. 
 
Celebrate Festivult! 
Throughout the holiday season, every treasure chest in the game has a chance of dropping “festival coins” in addition to the usual treasure!  Whether the chest is in a free dungeon or an adventure pack, there is equal opportunity for coins! Coins are turned in to The Festivult Jester will exchange them for gifts crafted specially for the season from House Ghallanda and House Cannith!
 
DDO Store Catalog Expands
Players can now choose from a host of new items and improvements being added to the new DDO Store including increased stack sizes, special holiday deals and items like snowballs, +4 items and great specials on Turbine Point bundles.

DDO Unlimited Game Update

 

 

Rising Tide Expansion Hits Perfect World International

Rising Tide Expansion Hits Perfect World International

 

Perfect World Entertainment has launched its largest expansion, ‘Rising Tide,’ for flagship MMORPG title Perfect World International.
 
This chapter adds a plethora of new content including a new race, classes and quests, entirely free-to-play. Due to the exploding popularity of Perfect World International, a sixth, new PvE server, Raging Tide, will be introduced alongside the expansion.
 
“’Rising Tide’ is a major milestone for Perfect World International,” said Dr. Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment. “In just little over a year, we already have a third expansion which continues to prove our commitment to providing new and amazing content our players and a superb gaming experience.”
 
The ‘Rising Tide’ expansion focuses on the appearance of the Tideborn—an aquatic race that has only recently surfaced, revealing themselves to the rest of the world. Unraveling the mystery behind the Tideborn will be up to the player as they journey into new zones and undertake all new quests.
 
‘Rising Tide’ will introduce a range of new and updated features including:
– New Race – “Tideborn”
– Two New Classes – the stealth “Assassin” and support caster “Psychic” 
– New Quests – more than 200 new adventures to complete
–  Faction Warfare – Additional territories to conquer
– Cooperative Questing – A new public quest system
– New Dungeons – Over 100 new monster types to discover
– New “Recasting” equipment system
– Daily Quests added just for Married Players
– New Fashion Slot—for the hair/hat option
– Newly implemented shared stash system for player accounts
 
“Perfect World International” is the English-based, international version of Perfect World II with millions of players worldwide. “Perfect World International” offers an immersive online world and now offers four unique races and eight different classes, as well as one of the most extensive character creation interfaces to date.

Rising Tide Expansion Tideborn Race

 

 

Learn more about the ‘Rising Tides’ expansion.

 

Dragon Oath: Holiday In-Game Extravaganza Announced!

Dragon Oath: Holiday In-Game Extravaganza Announced!

 

Dragon Oath, the Free-to-Play Martial Arts Fantasy MMORPG, is getting into the holiday spirit as the game’s publisher ChangYou.com (US) Inc. kicks off the holiday celebrations in style.
 
The game, which is in Open Beta, will release a Christmas Patch on Thursday, with 5 new in-game events, a new zone, plenty of crazy gifts and many cool items available with the grand opening of the game’s Token Shop!

Here is a look at the newest Dragon Oath updates

Active Blizzard
the game’s central city Luo Yang will be getting hit with a huge snowstorm! Everything in the city will be blanketed with a thick layer of snow to kick off the annual Christmas events in Dragon Oath!

Blizzard in Luo Yang

 

Holiday In-Game Events:

Snowman Chess Event
If players participate in the Chess Challenge, they may see chess pieces that have been transformed into snowmen!

Snowball Event

 

 

Monster Diary Event
If players travel to the new game zone Silver Snowfield, they will soon find themselves surrounded by tons of penguins running around the zone, which can be claimed as new pets during Christmas time. Also, the monsters in the area have a chance to drop monster diaries which can be traded for a new Class Outfit.

Penguins on Silver Snowfield

 

 

Snowman Event
In the heart of the game’s central city, there’s a giant Christmas snowman that gets larger if players throw snowballs at him. With each snowball that hits him, there’s a chance he will drop treasure boxes!

 

Funny Snowman Event

New Years Bell Event
Players can help ring in the New Year by striking the central city’s “Bell of Happiness” and players can expect a generous boost to their EXP every time they strike the bell.

Exp Bonus for Ringing the Bells

 

 

Crazy Gifts:

Christmas Gift 
A Christmas snowman will appear in the central city and give out presents for all of the players online!
 
Mysterious Pet
Every player above Level 30 will get a mysterious pet egg as gift. Raise it with love and devotion and take it to breed. Its Next Generation may bring a big surprise!

Featured Token Shop Additions:

Mount 
Sleigh; Reindeer; Snow Wings
 
City Building Order 
For creating a guild city, which players can use as the operation base to start dominating the Kung Fu world.
 

 

 

 

Christmas specials deck the halls of Neverland Online starting Dec. 17

Christmas specials deck the halls of Neverland Online starting Dec. 17

 

Christmas festivities begin December 17 at Neverland Online (neverland.hithere.com) and both new and current players are invited to take part in the fun.
 
Players can enjoy 30 days of VIP status by taking advantage of the restructured VIP service, available now at the low rate of US$2.00. Also, through December 31, five exciting Christmas specials await.
 
Special # 1: Christmas Chest
Players can obtain one item at random when they open the Christmas Chest. Items include various Equipment and Materials (used in equipment crafting), HP (MP) Crystals, Moneybag, Double (Triple)-Exp Remedy, Skill book, Wealth Chest, Nobility Chest and even the precious golden dragon egg.
 
Special # 2: New Christmas gifts every day
For the duration of the Christmas festivities, find Uncle Gift (35,65) in Prosper Square to claim a Christmas gift once a day. Players have the chance to get a Bouquet of 999 Roses, a Luck Moneybag (Large), which contains 1000000Wen silver credit, or a Bouquet of 99 Roses.
 
Special # 3: Baby Reindeer and Festival Sprite
Catch Baby Reindeer in all wild maps to keep as pets. The Festival Sprite will also appear randomly in wild maps, and any lucky player who defeats it will earn a Festival Gift-pack, which contains: New Year Bonus×1, Rose×1, Fruit Candy×1 and Toffee×1. Players also have the chance to get Stockings filled with gifts.
 
Special # 4: Free in-game marriage
Players can get hitched in-game once they reach character level 25 and have virtual wedding candy sent to friends in their buddy list.
 
Special # 5: Christmas Pack Sale
Choose from a wide range of special in-game packages available during the Christmas celebration only.

Neverland Online

 

 


Warriox Adventure

As you come along the bend in the path, you see the entrance to Old Towne Cottonwood.  Entering Old Towne Cottonwood, you see a fountain, which almost seems to be calling your name.  You decide to stop there for a rest and a refreshing drink.
A stranger walks up to you, and introduces himself as Dunkiltcha.  You realize from his bloody sword and tattered ancient armor, that he has been in many a fight, with all sorts of creatures of the lands.  Deciding it best to make good use of this great adventurer’s experience, you ask him about the local people, and for any friendly advice which he might care to share. Dunkiltcha happily obliges, and begins his wondrous story of fun adventure and awesome discoveries.
He tells of the Underground, full of hideous creatures of all types, and how they reach out with their razor sharp claws in an effort to gouge your flesh.  You listen intently as he describes all of the fallen heroes, which he has tripped over in the darkness of the Underground.
He tells you that only a fool would enter the Underground, without first going to the Supply Store in Old Towne Cottonwood, to purchase a Depth 1 Underground Map.  Some have tried, without the map, and starved to death, as they got lost and could not find their way to a town or Mystic Portal.
You are so intent on Dunkiltcha’s gory details of battles in the Underground, you don’t even notice Officer Fred walk up to the fountain for a drink.  Officer Fred scoops some water with his hands and takes a big gulp, as he waits for Dunkiltcha to finish his story.  As soon as Dunkiltcha has left, Officer Fred begins to tell you of all of the wonderful help his clan has to offer you, and asks you to join.   He tells you they can help you to obtain the best weapon and armor much faster than you might on your own, in exchange for your strength in battle against the other clans.  You let him know that you will gladly keep it in mind, and give it much thought.
Rerun comes upon the two of you, and invites everyone to join him in The Gathering Place for a chat.  You realize with the high amount of traffic this fountain gets, it might be best for you to gather more knowledge and wisdom from these fine adventurers.  You go to The Gathering Place and listen as everyone discusses the many lands of Warriox Adventure.
You hear of the High Priest at Cathedral Rock, who will give you clues of where to search for the Ring of Energy, once you have become faithful and strong enough.  You gain knowledge of the Ring of Energy’s ability to store excess energy, which can be used for prolonged battling, mining, or training with the Giant Dragonfly.  Grim joins into the conversation from The Hole In The Wall, and you hear of even more great things.  These adventurers tell you humorous stories of trying to balance on, dodge, and lift the Giant Dragonfly.  While the stories are funny, they also point out to you, that it is because of the magnificently trained Giant Dragonfly, that they are able to hold their own, against some of the fiercest creatures in these vast lands of Warriox Adventure.
 From adventurer Dreki, you learn of Prospector’s Frontier, where adventurer’s from all over, go to prospect rare mythril and nectar.  You hear the mythril and nectar can be great sources of income, as they are so highly cherished for their superb uses.  You also learn of the Pawn Shop there, where a set quantity of some of the lands beautiful gems are reserved just for you, and at a low cost.
You thank everyone for their wealth of knowledge, wisdom and experience, and as you turn to leave, the adventurers warn you to never, ever, ever enter the Rolling Hills, or the Deadly Desert, without a huge sack full of Elixirs of Life.  You heed their warnings, and begin your adventure…

Cabal Online: CABALYMPICS 2010 Begins – Compete for 5000 Euros

Cabal Online: CABALYMPICS 2010 Begins – Compete for 5000 Euros worth of prizes

 

Games-Masters.com announced the launch of a brand new tournament server for their hit free-to-play MMORPG CABAL Online. Known as the ‘CABALYMPICS 2010’, the tournament will pit players from across Europe against one another in a series of in-game challenges for prizes totalling over 5000 Euros. The contest will last for a total of twelve weeks and will allow players to transfer their characters at the end of the tournament to one of the games other three servers.  
To enter the contest, and be eligible for the prizes, players will need to create a character on the newly created ‘CABALYMPICS’ server. Users will then be able to complete a number of pre-announced challenges, including achieving certain level goals and clearing listed dungeons, with points awarded to those who achieve the goals in the quickest time and in the lowest amount of total logged in game time. This use of ‘playtime’, which accurately records how long a person has been inside the game, will ensure that the contest remains competitive right until the final weeks and will allow those with only a few hours each day to challenge for the prizes. 
The first events are now live and users can register to take part at www.cabalonline.com. The majority will run until March 9th 2010 when the winners will have their points added to a league table. This league table will be used to determine the prize winners, including a 3000 Euros top prize, high-quality graphics cards, gaming keyboards, pre-paid payment cards and more.

Join the Cabalympics


Allods Online enters its second European Beta Test Phase

Allods Online enters its second European Beta Test Phase

 

After a successful first test period, the highly anticipated free MMORPG opens dedicated servers with fully localized game in French and German, as English players start over for a new beta-testing phase

 
Allods Online is the fantasy space opera MMORPG developed by Astrum Nival and published by Gala Networks Europe in English, French, and German. After the successful completion of the first phase of closed beta testing across Europe, the second phase begins today with the launch of French and German versions of the game.

Gibberlings Versus an Orc

 

 

As Allods Online enters its second closed-beta test today, two new European servers are available for players in addition to Isa, the English language server. The server Airin, named after the homeland of the Elven race, welcomes the French community with a fully localised game, while the shard Aro, named after the homeland of the Kanians, awaits the German community.
 
Beta Features
To celebrate the launch of this new phase of beta testing and the new lands that await conquering, beta access will be granted to thousands of new players who have pre-registered on the official website, or who have received beta keys through giveaways on partner sites. Today also sees the launch of the official Allods Online Guild Portal, where Guild Leaders can create their own page and forums to share photos, videos and much more.
 
Increased Leveling
For the second phase of closed beta testing, the maximum level will be 20. This will be gradually increased over the coming weeks as subsequent phases of beta testing commence. We can confirm that while a character wipe will take place now, characters created during this second phase of testing will not be wiped in the forthcoming phases of closed beta testing. The next and final character wipe will only occur when closed beta testing ends and the game is ready for official release.
 
Thanks to feedback from the first beta phase, many changes have been made to Allods Online. Those participating will be required to download new language specific versions of the game client which can be found at the official European Allods Online website.

Icy Arisen in Allods

 

 

 


Perfect World Entertainment takes Ether Saga to the Next Level

PWE takes Ether Saga to the Next Level

Perfect World International has released a major content update for Ether Saga Online. This update includes eight new advanced classes and a new zone for high level players, and a revamp of the beginning questline that refines the beginning player experience.

 
Features include:
• New Advanced Classes: Each class can specialize in one of two paths, complete with new skills
• New zone for level 90+ players
• New Level 1-50 Experience: Beginning quests revamped
• Enhanced crafting system allows players to create many new functional items beyond weapons and armor
• Transformation System Bonuses: Major upgrades and buffs added
• Improved Pet System: Better pet melding bonuses and new ways to preserve your pet’s appearance.
 
“We are always looking for ways to improve the gaming experience Ether Saga Online has to offer and this update delivers on that promise,” said Craig Beers, Product Manager for Ether Saga Online. “We’re delivering expansion quality features and content in this update that gamers can get right now.”
 
A prequel to Chinese literary classic, “Journey to the West”, Ether Saga Online features a bright, anime style graphics and an in-depth pet system for every player, entirely free of charge.
New Update for Ether Saga Online