Yearly Archives: 2010

Aika Online Preview: Looks Good Enough to Eat

Aika Online Preview: Looks Good Enough to Eat
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

When I first encountered Aika, I was still working for a game company here in this country. The game looked good and it probably was good, however, when I saw it, the game was still in Korean so it slipped off my radar.

 

I came across the game again recently. Now it’s in English so I can actually really check out Aika Online. Upon setting foot into the game, everything felt familiar.

 

First Impressions

Upon entering Lakia, the world that Aika takes place in, the first thing that blew me away was how the game looks. You can say that the game looks as good as say, Lineage or Granado Espada (Swords of the New World for other countries). You are sent into a world where everyone looks good, even the monsters you have to kill.

 

Character Creation
Character creation screen

 

The game’s backdrop seems like it was taken from high fantasy novels. Everything looks fresh and vibrant just like how things look in GE. I know with this first impression, you’d immediately jump at the similarities of GE and Aika Online. However, these “similarities” between Aika and GE are only based on its visuals and graphics.

 

After getting over my initial surprise, I finally understood why the game felt familiar. Aika had a lot of game systems taken from a certain mmo. It should come as no surprise though because the two games have the same developer. The mmo that I’m talking about is, With Your Destiny (WYD, or Supreme Destiny SD, to some countries).

 

Game System

Aika Online is the upgraded version of WYD. There are a lot of systems in Aika that are found in WYD. The thing is it seems that WYD was the first draft of the things you find in Aika. Let’s just say for now that Aika is WYD, but Aika has a better graphics engine and a more refined game system compared to WYD.

 

Prans

Prans in Aika Online are your partners and friends. They’re the white light or fairy that circles around your character in its lower levels and continues to evolve to become a child and teenager. The fairy Pran reminds me of the Naiads you find in WYD. They have the same visual characteristics and both the WYD Naiads and Aika’s Prans assist the player.

 

Aika City Pran
A warrior and his Pran

 

Assisting however is the only thing similar between the two because Prans as I’ve said evolve and develop a character of their own. Also, Prans can attack or heal you. The Naiads on the other hand only serve as a charm to protect you from dying.

 

PvP

Aika prides itself as a PvP centric MMO. No one can argue with that since there are a lot of game systems in Aika, which support such claim. The PvP systems in Aika Online seem to be the refined version of the PvP systems found in WYD because both games are in fact PvP centered.

 

Aika Online has three ways players can get involved with PvP. Players can create their own PvP instance called Battlegrounds where they can go fight against other players in PvP battles. The Battlegrounds system is like Aika’s version of PvP rooms where players can create specific instances solely for PvP-ing.

 

Aika also has a nation vs. nation PvP called Relic War. It’s basically a PvP system that pits the five nations against each other in a race to acquire “relics” that provide nationwide buffs for its citizens. You can say that Relic War is similar to RF’s chip war where the RF’s three races battle to acquire the chip and provide their race buffs that will span till the next scheduled war.

 

Aika Combat
Aika combat

 

The third biggest PvP system in Aika Online is the Castle Siege. This is more of a nation-wide guild battle where guilds can vie for power and control of their nation. The guild leader who takes control of the castle will be the one who controls the nation’s political, military and economic policy.

 

Political as well as PvP Centered

The Castle Siege system puts politics in Aika gameplay. Having control over your nation really puts emphasis on guild politics. Adding politics into the mix makes Aika more interesting because the game becomes more than just eye candy. The level of depth the game has will immerse a lot of players.

 

However, I think it will be hard to attract new players in the late stages of the game. There will come a time when an established rule is placed in Aika. When that happens, new players who have no affiliation whatsoever will find it hard to adjust or even be part of the nation’s politics. I think though this kind of problem will be easily remedied by participating in a few Relic Wars.

 

Aika Map
Control over different areas

 

Speaking of Eye Candy

Aika has a lot of eye candy aside from the beautiful landscapes and graphics. As expected from eastern style MMORPGS, the developers have put a lot of emphasis on female characters and their chests. You can actually see the physics engine at work when you’re creating your character. Believe me, I’ve had an eyeful.

 

The job classes in Aika are gender locked. Customization allows you to change the face, hairstyle and hair color of your character. You don’t specifically have a real “customized” character in Aika Online. This is the games limit but then the game prefers to concentrate on the gameplay rather than the personal touch.

 

Conclusion

As far as I can tell, I like how Aika looks and feels. Everything set in place in Aika is well suited for a fun PvP centered gaming experience. There are still a lot of areas that are not accessible at the moment, (which I stumbled upon with my access) but it seems that the game will deliver an action-packed gaming experience for players.

 

However a lot of game systems rely on the game’s population. I’ve seen a lot of MMOs die because they haven’t been able to keep the population stable. Speaking of which, there will be balance issues especially in the nation vs. nation war. There are 5 nations that need to be filled. There will be a time when one nation won’t even be able to compete because the players who belong to that nation are either migrating to another nation or are too low level to even stand up against stronger nations.

 

Of course everything right now is just pure speculation. There’s a possibility that the game will get a population boom come OBT and commercial launch. The game has a lot of potential to be a hit; however the people running the game need to make sure they deliver the best possible gaming experience. I’ll have to hold off my judgment till I see the game past CBT.

Soul of the Ultimate Nation: Aiort Graveyard Update

Soul of the Ultimate Nation: Aiort Graveyard Update


– New field map: Aiort Graveyard
– Increased level-up limits and more than one hundred new quests
– New game system: group system, shield system
 
Webzen Inc. released the latest update plan for ‘Soul of the Ultimate Nation (S.U.N)’.
 
The plan includes SUN’s update schedule for the first quarter 2010 adding ‘Aiort Graveyard’, the new playing field for higher level characters. The district is very dark and lifeless. It includes a neglected graveyard and a deserted castle which has been abandoned for hundreds of years since the lord of Aiort had fallen. After the Roshufelt War, the emperor of Geist Empire, Schwartz Pramme took over the area. Only the dead exist in Aiort now to await the players who choose to take up the challenge. More than one hundred quests will be added to Aiort Graveyard and existing regions.
 
In addition, the character level cap will be raised to 115 from the previous maximum level of 100. Players can now pursue to gain higher abilities in the fantastic world of S.U.N.
 
WEBZEN also plans to introduce various add-on features:
– Personal Waypoint System to enable players to easily move one point to another for fast-paced game play.
– Group System for players help one another providing a family-like bonding structure and benefits.
– Shield Points to absorb more damages in certain situation.
 
It is expected the update will be available on March 29.
 
More details on Global Soul of the Ultimate Nation and the update are available at Webzen.
Soul of the Ultimate Nation

 

Craft of Gods annouces 3rd and last Beta Phase!

Craft of Gods annouces 3rd and last Beta Phase!

 

Kalicanthus Entertainment announces the next Open Beta event for Craft of Gods:  servers will be opened for all players from April 2nd, 2.30 PM CET, to April 6 th , 2.30 PM CET.
The Level cap will be set to 30 this time and new maps will be available. The novelties you’ll find in this new event cover a further improvement to both graphical and functional interface aspects, the ability for players to experience Housing, the introduction of bind points all over the Craft of Gods’ world, some changes related to the map in order to make it more easily usable, changes in duel system among players and correction of many bugs reported by players. Changes will also be provided as for the number and placement of resources scattered across the world maps.
This will be one of the last chances to try Craft of Gods in Open Beta so we invite all the players to try the game before it goes live!
Players who have already created their Character won’t need anything else than just enter the server during opening hours, otherwise you can create your account http://www.kalicanthus.com/signup_cog_nokey.php
Kalicanthus wishes to thank the many players who’re participating in Open Beta for their key contribution to the enhancement of Craft of Gods, which is heading towards the release, with a final date that will be announced soon.

Craft of Gods - Get Ready for Beta Phase 3!

Tank Ace: “Moar” Tanks for Your Tanking Needs!

Tank Ace: “Moar” Tanks for Your Tanking Needs!

 

Tank Ace announced today four all-new historically accurate WWII tanks for its upcoming free-to-play online tank warfare game.

Set on the realistic battlefields of WWII, Tank Ace takes players through action-packed battles allowing them to choose from multiple historically accurate WWII tanks.  Players can customize the tanks by adding additional armor, different styles of camouflage, body art, kill marks, and clan insignias.

“Offering this broad range of realistic WWII tanks takes Tank Ace to the next level of the warfare genre,” said David Chang, EVP of Marketing and Business Development  at GamesCampus. “Tank Ace gives players more historically accurate tanks and heavy artillery than any other online game, and these new tanks are really going to impress warfare enthusiasts.”

About the New Tanks:
T34/85 Mod 1944 — Beginning in March 1944, this tank, which was created in the Malishev factory in Kharkov, was at the time during WWII possibly the best tank in the world because of its excellent armor, fire power, and mobility.  During WWII this tank was assessed to be the most effective and efficient and hugely impacted tank design.

TankAce - New Tanks - T34 85

Additionally, it is also the tank that was produced second most in the world.

Panzer III J/1 — This vehicle has a main battle tank equipped with antitank artillery and 2-rifle machine guns and was scheduled as the “Critical Commanding Vehicle”. Beginning in June 1941, Panzer III J/1 was mounted with a 50mm KwK 39 L/60 cannon, the defense was increased, and it had stronger firepower than the original 3rd issue tank.

TankAce - New Tanks - Panzer-III J1

M24 Chaffee — Developed by the U.S. Army during WWII, it was the last tank put into practice. It was first produced in March 1944, and though it was a small tank, the weapons were light and its mobility and maneuverability were excellent.  Starting from the end of 1994, it was placed in each unit, and was first inputted into the Ardennes Civil War.  Nevertheless, WWII ended before the tank was implemented into each unit and thus was not used in many battles.

SU-100 — When the SU-76 armament could not effectively destroy the German tanks Panzer III, Panzer IV, Panzer V, and Panzer VI, a new gun was developed, which was the SU-85, and the enhanced firepower model was the SU-100 assault guns.  The SU-100 assault guns used the T-34/85 tank’s frame and were the last product from the derived tanks. It was produced in September 1944 and until the end of 1944, 500 tanks were produced with 1145 tanks produced by 1945.

TankAce - New Tanks - SU 100


Tank Ace is packed with engaging battles and accurate specifications like realistic recoil action and tank tactics.  This action-packed tactical-shooter features realistic World War II battlefields and vehicle stats based on actual historical facts. 

Players will create their own clans and devise winning strategies as they utilize terrain features, coordinate assaults by using historically accurate tactics and more!  Just some of the other gripping features include World War II Factions including Russia, Germany and the U.S.A, easy to pick-up controls and an Area Specific Damage System. 

In the game, players will lay an ambush, outflank the enemy divisions and charge across the battlefield in the mightiest war machine ever created!

Grand Chase: New Character Unveiled

Grand Chase: New Character Unveiled

 

 

Ntreev USA, a leading online game developer and publisher, announced today an all new character in its online action-brawler MMO, Grand Chase.  This new character holds the job as Rune Caster and is available starting today. 

“We are thrilled to introduce this brand-new character, Mari, to our Grand Chase community,” said Chris Lee, CEO at Ntreev USA.  “Players are going to really enjoy the combination of her characteristics and new skills attacks.”

Mari wields both magic and machinery with great skill.  She is also very skilled in defending and evading as she dislikes direct combat with her foes.  Utilizing machines fueled by her specially produced Magic Stone, Mari showcases new battle tactics that have been previously unheard of.  While coolly assessing the situation on the battlefield, Mari strategically sets up her machines driving enemies into a corner and exposing their position.

The new skill attacks for Mari’s job, Rune Caster, include 1st grade attacks that send close quarter enemies flying her with her magic, 2nd grade attacks that summons a Tesla coil creating a shock field over a set area, and finally the 3rd grade destructive skills that summons a powerful laser that zaps enemies in its path.

About Mari Ming Onette
Mari is the last remaining survivor of an ancient kingdom once known as “Kounat.” Having lost her memory, Mari no longer knows who she is or where she came from.  Immensely curious about the unknown and fascinated by subjects new to her, Mari also possesses rune casting skills and magical abilities previously unheard of in this area of the world.  While satiating her curiosity by researching the monsters inside the Temple of Destruction, Mari found herself face to face with the Grand Chase. Finding her curiosity piqued by the Highlander skills of Sieghart, Mari decides to join them.

 

 

Grand Chase - New Class Joins the Fray!

Cash is King: The New Rulers of MMOs

Cash is King: The new rulers of MMOs
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Poor King Varian-although one formidable king has also been beaten by the power of cold, hard cash. This is one of the biggest problems in the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) scene today. Games like World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online and Lord of the Rings Online are still trying to fight it, but most MMOs have come to accept that it is inevitable crime and will continue to be practiced regardless of legalities.

 

Gold farmers are all around the world, but they are mostly found in China. Believe it or not, gold farming can be considered a real job and pays pretty well for minimal effort. Simply typing “gold” followed by the name of the game in Google will grant you a series of gold farming sites. From there you can pick between an array of gold packages depending on how much you want to pay. Believe it or not, some people pay more than $500 for gold, especially if the in game items they are interested in are priced high.

 

The workshop

Since players value MMO money enough to pay for it, gold farmers are being mass recruited to produce more in game items and currency to support the vast amount of demand worldwide. In this video, you will get a glimpse of what a Chinese gold farming workshop is really like. Just like regular players, these individuals play and enjoy the games they farm in, while saving their hard earned gold for their next customer. This is a good example of a gold farming website, and as you can see, they have managed to cover more games than just World of Warcraft.

 

Cash Is King

 

Other places to get gold?

Ebay has already become a gold trafficking service for Chinese gold farmers too, getting higher bids than the regular rate. Although the games involved are taking action against this activity, these companies always seem to find a way.

 

Exactly how do they do it so fast?

I managed to have a small chat with a Chinese gold farmer in our guild regarding their speedy gold farming strategies. Note that this player plays like everyone else. Raids, PVP, enjoying the game like most of us. It’s actually pretty hard to believe that someone who’s online helping Guild mates and doing raids is collecting more gold than we could possibly imagine. I mean, he was playing the game like everyone else, so what gives him the upper hand when getting gold? According to him, the best way to earn is to know just how high a certain item can be sold for. While other gold farmers still go for the traditional grind and hunt method, he says that selling crafted items during late hours lets him sell them at a higher price, giving him more time to play for himself instead of farming.

 

OnRPG: So, have you sold any gold to our Guild mates?
CGF (Chinese Gold Farmer): Nope…
OnRPG: No one’s interested?
CGF: Not really, I have to send the gold I’ve earned to my boss by depositing it to one of our Gold holders (Characters created to hold currency). After that, we’re free to play.
OnRPG: Are you still enjoying the game despite this heavy workload?
CGF: Of course! You see me online doing non-profitable deeds right?
OnRPG: Have you guys ever been caught?
CGF: No, not at all. The game bans our trial accounts that are used to promote our site, but that’s no biggie as we can just get a billion trial accounts to spam with LOL.
OnRPG: And you’re telling me that you have tons of farmers on every server?
CGF: Yeah, when I say it’s a workshop, I’m talking about a factory of gold farmers lol.

 

Gold Farmer

 

The bigger fish: ORLY?

If you think gold farmers are bad (in a legit point of view), I have something else that might make them look like saints after this next story. Meet Altair, a player who claims to have gained an advantage over other players by bribing GMs into giving them better items. Yes, that’s right, the GMs! GMs serve as the police of the MMO industry. Though they’re generally doing their jobs, you can’t deny that there’s a bit of dirt everywhere. Corruption is still there I suppose. I can understand if players bend the rules, but GMs? Another player who goes by the name of Del claims that some GMs groom players to win tournaments just to have a share of the prize money. A dastardly tactic if I may say so myself. Are they not being paid enough to do their jobs?

 

OnRPG: How much do you regularly pay the GM for gold and better upgrades?
Altair: It really depends, but it is definitely a lot cheaper than Gold farmers.
OnRPG: That’s a pretty shady tactic, getting a hold of higher power to achieve things. That’s cheating isn’t it?
Altair: It’s war! Everyone’s entitled to pull every gun from their arsenal. It’s fun, really.
OnRPG: Does it not ruin the experience? Personal guilt on cheating maybe?
Altair: It never really occurred to us, to be honest. We’re just playing the game. It’s not real life, so if they don’t have this power, sorry!
OnRPG: How did this GM bribery start?
Altair: GM *censored is a friend of my guild mate. After some planning, we managed to convince him to gear us up for the competition. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a sure win situation even with his help, but at least we’re there.

 

The Verdict

Apparently, crimes like gold farming aren’t the only thing that plaguing the MMO industry. Most MMOs have already given up on keeping up with the money business, giving birth to item malls to redirect the income to their respective games. In my opinion, this fad is impossible to stop as players will continue to find loopholes just as long as the possibilities are there. I for one think that gold and gear should be acquired the same way as everyone else (and I don’t mean through farmers lol). It’s not even something you can hold in real life… if it’s truly a game, then it should be treated like one. Go get your @55 on top the old fashioned way NOOB LOL.

 

 

Note by the editor in chief: The editorial opinions expressed in the articles published on the site do not necessarily match those of the administrators.