N.E.O. Online Closed Beta Starts February 8th



N.E.O. Online Closed Beta Starts February 8th



4Story Unveils New Dungeons

Soldier, things are getting tough. You’re the next commander: give them Blitz!
Mafia Review: Role-Playing Is Not Dead
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist
Mafia is a text-based online game that is role-playing heavy. You are put into the shoes of a criminal starting off in the scene and it is through you efforts in doing crime that will skyrocket you from a lowly mugger into a respectable crime boss.
Mafia is like any other text-based game where you are given options on how to go around earning money and respect in the criminal community. The options you have range from doing petty crimes such as mugging, stealing, gambling and of course the occasional dirty job from some random big boss. The game has every staple action you would find in a game of this kind.
However, the things you can do in Mafia are limited, unlike other crime-based online games where you are given every criminal action done by man. At first glance the lack of criminal actions you can do would undermine the things you can do in the game, but the game is more than just your ordinary browser based game.
Though it is quite true that the game’s actions are limited to the basic crimes one can commit, this is not the game’s main draw. Mafia is not just a browser based game where you only point and click a button and viola! You’ve practically played the game, Mafia centers more using the creative juices of players in the form of role-playing.
Majority if not all of the loyal players of the game are into roleplaying rather than just being the “I’m the toughest Mafioso around!” To earn the respect of people in the game you’d have to make sure you have a great hand in writing rather than being a good money earner.

Mafia Gazette
As emphasis to the role-play as being the game’s major strength is the presence of a game newspaper which is named as The Mafia Gazette. The Maia Gazette serves as the game’s official in-game periodical. The paper reports in news style the various events that are happening in the game. This adds to the role-playing element the game already established by imprinting to its players that there is an alternate world where your character could eventually become a headline.
One of the biggest problems you will be facing in Mafia is that you will read a LOT of things as you play the game. Mafia is not just a game that you can pick up right off the bat. You really need to take your time trying to pick the game up and see how you can jive to the existing structures that are already in place. This would also mean that you would have to follow a strict set of rules when it comes to the overall gameplay. The rules act more like as a mediating measure for the whole experience, this could in term be translated as a stifling measure for those players who abhor rules and regulations. Of course if you have been role-playing before, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem, however, it is those who are new to the whole roleplaying bit that needs to be more patient to the whole process.
You do not become a good roleplayer overnight and that you would really need to stumble first to get around playing Mafia. The thing is, it is truly a reward for you to get the hang of role-playing in Mafia. It’s like earning the respect of the majority of the players in the game.
The game also emphasizes on the importance of players communicating with each other. Your profile is automatically your Mafia forum account therefore eliminating the inconvenient process of making a separate account just to join the forums. The game also has a chat system where you can get to talk to players in real-time, however as far as I’ve played the game there has yet to come to a time where you get to talk to a lot of players.
Even if the game is centered around role-play, you cannot forget that Mafia is a game too. The competitiveness of players in Mafia is quite high. There is no “no kill” period in Mafia therefore once you are sucked into the game, your character can be killed. Being a meal ticket for higher characters is a big probability for newbies, and it is part of the whole gameplay. You can cry to the admin about it but it would only fall to deaf ears. Dealing with the ruthlessness of the Mafia world is part of the gameplay, deal with it or you better chicken out.
If you disregard the role-playing elements the game has carefully fostered and nurtured, Mafia is just like any other browser based game out there, a game a lot worse than most of the new criminal themed games out there. However, the whole Mafia experience relies heavily on the role-playing aspect of the game, this serves as the replayability factor for most players and that if you really get hooked into the whole roleplaying bit it will serve as your main reason to stay.
Also, there is already a strong fanbase from Mafia veterans who would welcome you into the game. Though the welcome would be more like a trial by fire, the tough welcome serves as its endearing quality, because you worked that hard to get to that point. If you are the type of player that likes action and nothing else in your browser games then Mafia is not for you. However if you want more depth to your browser games and you want a really immersing experience Mafia is just for you.
Pros:
– The forum and the website is interconnected, you won’t need a different account to join the forums
– A chatroom is available for real-time interaction
– The Mafia Gazette enhances the role-playing feel of the game .
Cons:
– The game is visually bland
– The color contrast can really hurt the eyes especially for computers with old monitors
– The roleplaying rules can be quite hefty specially for players who are looking for a “I-join-I-click-I-win” game.
Browser Game Madness
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
Browser games have been around for quite some time now. Increasing its audience by launching several methods of gameplay that caters to different gamers. Back then, I sort of remember these games as dull and a total waste of time, probably because it featured nothing but boxes where you must input numbers to avoid bot spammage. Image details were crappy as well, with loads of characters drawn from Microsoft Paint (and my god that sucked).

MUD: Multi-User Dungeon
I for one never understood what made these games special. One thing would probably be the fact that they don’t demand much from your PC and doesn’t require any form of installation for people to play. It’s basically a portable yet not so portable game that you can only play on your PC (or laptop). Browser games have been around long before MMORPGs (the application ones) were even born. If you think about it, these games are perhaps the grandfathers of MMOs as we know them.
Browser games actually started as huge role-playing adventure chat rooms called MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons) which let players play at the same time, in the same world. You can interact with everyone in the game just as you can read up on item and area descriptions like table-top RPGs.
This idea was similar to Dungeons & Dragons, an old school tabletop storytelling game made by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974. The game lets players create a world using their imagination through a story telling puppeteer known as the Dungeon Master. Much like the tabletop role-playing games, MUD players are entitled to read up scenarios as well as interact with PCs (player characters) and NPCs (non-player characters) throughout the game. Commands were issued by simply tapping the “/” sign followed by the method of action. Characters sheets were provided as well to help players see their level and stats. Modifiers were also displayed in this interface although the interface was similar to a mere Notepad application.
If you’re familiar with oldschool RPGs, then you’re probably familiar with the dice. The game uses its own virtual dice that takes a player’s action in the hands of the random dice. Whatever the dice rolls, it is final and cannot be undone unless specified by special modifiers. People can also purchase virtual items through the shop to optimize their character’s performance. This made the game more interactive as well as innovative for gamers back then. Now, these features are cherished by MMOs everywhere (ever saw an MMO without a shop? LOL). Awesome huh?

Dungeons & Dragons, the first tabletop RPG
Games like World of Warcraft and other RPGs seem to date back to this primordial spawning pit, so I guess we now know whom to thank for our MMOS!
Soon after the first browser game was launched, more and more web browser games were formed, constantly hooking players into their mindnumbing realms. I remember my days in the office when my coworkers would attend to their accounts once every 2 hours. Unlike today’s MMOs that demand more of your life than your time, these games were practically work-safe, allowing you to enjoy while at the same time not taking advantage of your life.
Today, browser games have reached a wide variety of players by launching new sub-categories like RockFree, the browser game clone of Guitar Hero. The game pretty much has everything that the console game had to offer: Online play, modifiers, a wide set of songs, and even a track market. Aside from the next-gen graphics, the game pretty much respects the same gameplay as its console predecessor.
Browser games have been evolving throughout time, giving birth to countless forms of upgrades thus evolving for the better. I was actually surprised how these games managed to create a spot inside social networks like Facebook. I remember being constantly spammed with invitations to games like FarmVille and Restaurant city. It was annoying at times, but it shows to prove how famous these games are in this era.

FarmVille on Facebook
Although hard to believe, these web applications have a heftier community than those installed on your PC. After playing Vampire Wars in Facebook, I was shocked upon seeing my hit list. Again, this list was huge and contained more people than Orgrimmar (big city in World of Warcraft) on a hot summer day. Yes, I did specify Orgrimmar, but do know that the some browser games only limit you to seeing people whom you can take down (that’s a lot of players).
Almost everyone who owns a social networking account is familiar with browser games without even knowing it.
What was then a chat room full of description, has now evolved into fully rendered elements that let players see everything without having to rely on the outdated power of imagination. After getting a hold of the Flash and Shockwave technology, its visuals were taken to a colossal extent, appealing to those who are craving for better graphics.
The same could be said for sounds as MUDs barely had “TWACKS! And BAMS!” to completely describe the impact of a certain hit. Most Browser games may offer you nothing but the epic sound of your MOUSE clicking (LOL) so I guess that’s something that needs improving.
Even now browser based games are mass producing like never before. What was then just a small role playing chatroom has now branched out into different categories, most of which have nothing to do with its original genre but hell it’s not like you’re not enjoying it right? After seeing the new ones, I was thoroughly impressed at how much this type of game managed to LEVEL UP further. With a big healthy community supporting each game, you’re bound to experience MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER like never before. If you think that browser games are just another crappy genre for people who don’t have good PCs, daeeeem! You don’t know what you’re missing.
NCsoft’s GSU Team Speaks About Account Security
Heroes of Newerth: Sure To Get Your Adrenaline Pumping!
By Nick Chua (Raiyne), OnRPG Moderator and Journalist
Hot on the heels of the popular Warcraft III custom map, Defense of the Ancients (DotA), is Heroes of Newerth. S2 Games has taken on the addictive DotA formula of a fast paced, action packed team death match with a light hint of RPG. With the green light from DotA creator, Icefrog, Heroes of Newerth has proven itself to be an intense gaming experience.
Great, now how do we get down to smashing faces?
First off, you enter a Battle.net styled screen with a chatroom and a list of games. Searchng for games is hassle free and players can join games within a minute of starting the client.
Due to the different options and modes of gameplay available, filters can also be set to find the game type you want to play. There are 3 tiers of games at the moment, which basically acts as a filter for different classes of players. These tiers are Noobs Only, Noobs Allowed and Pros Only. The labelling is a little bit blunt, in my opinion.
When you join a game, you get to choose which side you join, either Legion or Hellbourne. The faction you choose will limit your choice of hero (the character you will control), as they are divided between the two factions, however, most games play out in the ‘All Hero’ mode, where every hero is up for grabs for players of both teams.
The game lobby screen can be rather confusing for a fresh face, with plenty of numbers all over the place. This is mainly due to the implemented PSR (Pub Skill Rating), but we shall get to that later.

The Hero Selection Screen
Once the game is started by the host, everyone goes to the character selection screen. There are currently only 49 heroes in total, paling in comparison to the 93 hero selection in DotA. However, this number is definitely growing and the Heroes of Newerth team intends on slowly adding more heroes (a planned roster of 60 at release), as a measure of balance. A few custom heroes not found in DotA have also been added. They are neatly categorised by faction and their primary statistic. Every hero is plays differently and has a unique set of skills, althoug players commonly classify them into different roles. Ultimately, it is up to the strategy of the team and each member’s skills that will lead the team to victory.
The gameplay in Heroes of Newerth is fast, hectic and stays true to the nature of DotA. For those of us unfamiliar with DotA, everyone starts out in their base at level 1. There are three lanes where the cannon fodder units (more commonly referred to as creeps) of both teams will spawn and advance towards the enemy’s base. Killing these creeps garners gold and experience, which is used to buy items and improve your hero’s skills, respectively. The map is evenly divided and towers of the respective team guard each lane. The goal is to destroy the enemy’s key structure.

Attacking an Enemy Tower
Controlling your character is simple with just the use of the mouse and a couple of hotkeys and all this can be picked up within minutes, although there are more slightly challenging techniques to learn. The default key bindings are easily accessible and most players will be comfortable with them. For more demanding players, there is also an option to customise your controls.
The user interface is intuitive and gets the job done. Everything you need to know is just a quick glance away and there is no need to fumble with menus. However, for a new player, buying items might be rather overwhelming as there are many items and combinations to learn.
As with all online games, latency is important. With Heroes of Newerth’s infrastructure, the game runs on a server to client basis. With this, the player’s latency is reduced compared to the Battle.net or other peer to peer networking. Hence there is no need for the host to have extremely good bandwidth to host a lagless game. Other nifty features include the ability to rejoin a game when you have disconnected and should the need arise, voting to kick certain players or concede. I did not experience any lag in Heroes of Newerth, with around 100ms latency to their servers located in Japan. Even when playing with the occasional 200ms latency to a further server, the delay I had was very playable.
The graphics of Heroes of Newerth are a good step up from the dated textures and models of Warcraft III. With everything on the highest settings, with 8x Anti-Aliasing and 16x Anisotropic Filtering, the game looks shiny, sharp and very colourful. The effects are also wonderful, from the blood splatter of a trivial creep, to the dazzling magical spells of a hero, they are all very well rendered and certainly a treat to the eye. Everything is very well animated and runs as smooth as silk.
Of course, with better graphics comes higher requirements. The minimum requirements are not high at all and is easily met by the today’s average computer, however, much older machines, although capable of running Warcraft III, will definitely struggle with Heroes of Newerth.
Heroes of Newerth has a small but adequate soundtrack with appropriate sound effects. The sound of each unit striking its target in the battlefield coupled with other sounds of spells and skills being activated, it can create quite a chaotic aural experience. Also, in the tradition of old deathmatch styled games, an announcer boldly proclaims kills streaks and other significant events throughout the game, adding insult to injury, or boosting morale. It certainly feels good to hear some sort of acknowledgement say, if you get the killing blow on 3 people and I feel it adds more fun factor to the game, well if you are winning at least.

The Sinister Base of Hellbourne
Heroes of Newerth is a relatively skilled based game, which requires lots of communication and teamwork. A player must be aware of the game and keep up with the pace. Timing is also essential, for example, you have to deal the killing blow to a creep or else you will not earn money from its death, and this is the most basic technique which is applied throughout the game. One must also be adaptable to the various situations as there are many hero line-ups one might come across and no two games are the same experience.
As it is now, Heroes of Newerth is not a very newbie friendly game. There is no tutorial, although there is a practice mode where the map becomes a sandbox. Newer players might struggle with the learning curve of this game and fellow players will not make it much easier. As with a competitive game such as this, tensions will run high and most players are not very forgiving towards newbies. This happens in “Noob Only” games as well, as not all players new to Heroes of Newerth are new to the gameplay style of DotA.
It is a valiant effort by S2 to try and balance public games with its PSR and tier system, but it is just too flawed at the moment. PSR is a system meant to measure the skill of a player through statistics. It sounds good, but in effect, it really just causes a whole lot of prejudice and unneeded misunderstanding. You might often find games with PSR limits, where the host would kick you if you didn’t have a high enough rating. Sometimes a game might also take really long to start because there is a group of friends in one team and their high rating scares off other players. This is exacerbated by percentages above each team, showing their chance of winning. It is not an entertaining experience for your perceived skill to drop, if your team is just uncooperative and loses as a result. In such a teamwork heavy game, where there are so many factors, a player’s skill alone simply cannot be measured by such statistics.
All in all, as a DotA player myself, I find Heroes of Newerth to be a satisfying, well polished game, staying true to its origins. As it is built from scratch, it clearly shows up the potential in DotA and what can be expanded from this popular map. If you’re new and willing to brave the learning curve and potential flaming from team mates, or if you’re just looking for an alternative to DotA, Heroes of Newerth is a solid competitive game for you.
Pros:
– Sharp and vibrant graphics
– Adrenaline pumping gameplay true to the mechanics of DotA
– Well built engine and networking
– Dynamic gameplay gives a fresh new experience every game.
Cons:
– Steep learning curve
– Not newbie friendly
– Harsh community
– Lacklustre soundtrack
– Flawed PSR system.
Runes of Magic: Demon Lord Enters The Battlefield

Demon Lord Sirloth On His Throne

EVE Online Dominion 1.1 and EVE’s 2009
