Monthly Archives: September 2011

Allods Online Prepares Major October Update

Allods Online Prepares Huge Update in October

 

The next update for gPotato’s Allods Online will arrive this fall in both North America and Europe at the same time. Set to launch in October, the update will smooth out the leveling curve for new players and unravel further mysteries of the Allods universe.

 

The new content delves into the machinations of the Great Mage Tep, whose twisted experiments into immortality transformed a once vibrant and noble people into the withered mechanical constructs known as the Arisen. Now Tep’s oldest stronghold, long hidden in the vast expanse of the Astral, will be dragged into the light for the bravest heroes to explore.

 

 

Players hoping to conquer Tep’s mysteries can train for the challenge in the Kingdom of Elements, a new zone filled with aggressive elemental spirits that are more dangerous than anything the warriors of Sarnaut have ever faced. Additionally, they can sharpen their skills at the Arena of Death, now open for PvP battles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and upgraded with a new matchmaking system. Those who have mastered the Astral can now plunge their loot into customizing the interior of their own Astral ship, which can be decorated with everything from paintings to full suites of furniture.

 

 

The battle for the world’s future has intensified and Sarnaut needs more warriors to join the fight. New players will find Allods Online a more engaging experience thanks to extensive re-balancing of the content for levels 1-25. The fatigue system has been removed and bonus EXP has been added for killing monsters, making battles no less dangerous but much more rewarding. The addition of 2 new classes also gives players up to 30 character types to choose from as their journey into Sarnaut begins.

 

Be sure to check out this Preview Video of the upcoming Crypt Dungeon.

Crystal Saga

Crystal Saga is among a new wave of browser-based games pushing the envelope of what we knew browsers are capable of. Just as MMOs are moving into the next generation, so to are browser games.

Features

Classes: Crystal Saga features 5 classes including the Knight, Rogue, Priest, Ranger, and Mage. Knights act as tanks with a specialization in melee ranged AOE strikes. Rogues offer stealth and heavy single target melee dps. Priests specialize in healing, buffing, and reviving. On offense they use crowd control and DOT attacks to slowly weaken opponents. Rangers have strong resistance to the elements and utilize traps and long distance dps to destroy other ranged foes that dare challenge them. Mages are similar to priests but utilize much sharper damaging spells in addition to AOE crowd control.

Pets: Pets play an integral part of the game, growing up alongside your character and allowing deep customization to their skills.

Soul System: Separate from your skills and talents progression, the Soul System allows you to build your character’s inherent traits based on achievements and items you gain possession of. This not only gives your character a unique looking aura, it also gain bonuses that separate you from others of the same class.

Wings: Characters can obtain wings at lvl 20. These can be upgraded to give your character a look look and unique stats as well.

Daily Quests: 7 very unique daily quests exist including escort missions, item delivery, a teamwork survival gauntlet, and more.

Aerrevan – Great Ideas, Poor Execution

Aerrevan – Great Ideas Hampered by Poor Execution

By Neil Kewn (Murxidon) – OnRPG Journalist

 

 

 

I first said I would take on the task of reviewing Aerrevan a few months ago. MMORPGs don’t usually take that long to review, despite being huge games with often gigabytes of content, I just found Aerrevan an impossible game to give an opinion on. Not because of its complexity or depth, but because it just wasn’t finished. Technical issues plagued the game, with random crashes and strange texture issues coupled with some of the strangest animations I have ever seen in an MMO. Instead of dropping off Aerrevan at the nearest Recycle Bin, I did a little more research and discovered that this game actually has a few interesting ideas going for it. This is the kind of MMO I would actually like to play. With news that updates and improvements were hitting soon, I put the game on the virtual shelf for a while, adamant that I would give it another chance.

 



“There has never been a better time to try Aerrevan than now” proclaims an e-mail sent by the developer team just a couple weeks ago. Skimming through the patch notes, a raft of new updates and fixes had in fact hit the game in my absence. Aerrevan is beginning to take shape, with many of the features that we take for granted in most MMOs finally making their debut. It’s an ambitious game from unknown developers CubeForce Media, and one that doesn’t follow a mould. This isn’t a my-first-MMO. It’s a difficult game that requires patience and a willingness to think for yourself. You won’t receive help or guidance on your travels, and new players dropped into the world aren’t led by the hand.

 

MMOs that can be described as “unwelcoming” isolate new players; fortunately Aerrevan doesn’t fall into this trap. Your first order of business is getting to know townsfolk in the starting area. Conversing with NPCs is both drastically more important, and different, in Aerrevan than its peers. Citizens aren’t just placeholders, offering valuable knowledge about the game world, activities and quests. More interesting than that, you can actually speak to NPCs in plain English. Try asking a town guard how they are, or if they have any work for you. You can still click through conversation topics if this isn’t to your liking, but some pieces of information can only be unlocked by speaking to inhabitants.

 

And speaking you will do, as quest givers aren’t labelled in Aerrevan. Gone are the days of skipping quest logs and filling your journal with twenty random tasks, you are encouraged to take part in the world and its lore. This isn’t at all surprising given the game’s target audience of role-players, tired of the more simplistic MMOs on the market. Naturally the lore and narrative of Lurris is one of the major attractions to role-players, and intelligent NPCs add depth to the story in a way you may not have experienced before.

 



If you’re not a huge role-player, you may find Aerrevan’s methods and mechanics an unnecessary extra step in achieving what is fundamentally the essence of any MMO – Experience. Like the quest system and NPCs, this concept game shakes things up by doing away with class selection. All of the skills are available to you and what you specialize in is your decision. This lack of structure has its advantages and disadvantages (most notably balancing), but it offers a lot of freedom with character progression.

 

Both traditional weapons and magic can be used in combat, combat which is hindered by poor hit detection and unresponsive controls. This isn’t aided by awkward and stifled animations, making battles against the admittedly well-detailed and varied enemies a chore. The inclusion of Aer, a mystical essence that plays a large part in the game’s narrative, is an interesting mechanic that can also have an effect on your character’s attributes. Aer can provide bonuses in combat but may also prove to be a serious ailment if exposed too heavily to the areas and enemies that are infected, resulting in mutations.

 

Player versus player combat isn’t primarily between the three races of Lurris (Humans, Orcs and Elves), but between which of the Great Mages players choose to align themselves with. Guilds fight to control contested points in the world, with rival factions battling to take leadership of them.

 



Aerrevan is developed using an entirely new engine known as AERCore, developed in-house by CubeForce Media themselves. It is very much a work in progress and this is reflected in-game. Stability has improved dramatically since launch, but technical issues are still a common occurrence and at times it can make Aerrevan a very frustrating game to play. This is never more apparent when walking up stairs. The good news is that patches are still being pushed out at startling regularity.

 

It’s easy to forget that Aerrevan is, all things considered, a released game. It went live in April of this year and is supported by premium accounts and an item store. A premium account unlocks more character slots (currently free players can only create one character) and a higher level cap, whilst the store offers in-game potions, equipment and some skills for a price.

 

Aerrevan is a game filled with good ideas but lacks a decent enough execution to realize them. It’s an awkward, unfinished game that puts a lot of its potential to waste. It’s easy to underappreciate exactly what has been achieved here though, given that the developers are a small independent company, and I’m glad they are determined to shape and mould this game into a title worthy of the great ideas they have.

 

CubeForce Media are working hard to improve things, and improvements are what Aerrevan needs to survive. It may be nowhere near as unplayable as it was at launch, but there is still a long way to go before this game can be considered anything other than a test release. It’s changing rapidly, but can it grow into that “quaint MMO that fills a niche in an increasingly overpopulated market” that it should be?

 

Graphics – 2

Controls – 3

Features – 4

Customization – 2

Community – 3

Eden Eternal Releases Anuran Race, New Crafting System

Eden Eternal Releases Anuran Race, New Crafting Content

 

 

Aeria Games today released its latest content patch to Eden Eternal, which introduced the frog-like race the Anuran.

 

Players now have the ability to play as the Anuran, the new frog race.  All races will be able to tap into their Racial Crafting abilities to gather materials from a wide array of established guild towns and create a multitude of items. The Humans will specialize in Gemcrafting, Zumi specialize in Engineering and the Anuran specialize in Alchemy.

 

 

Along with a new race and new crafting system, the introduction of Player Shops will allow users level 20 and above to vendor to fellow players in designated sections in the main town of Aven. There are also two new Aven NPC’s that will assist players with distributed EXP/CP boosts and “Fortune Bags” at various times throughout the day.

 

 

To get players pumped for the new race, Eden Eternal will be offering experience boosts for all new Anuran characters created this week as well as a leveling competition to see who can take the greatest advantage of this boost!

 

Aeria Games has hinted to OnRPG that there are far larger things on the horizon in the near future though. We will be going hands on in the test servers soon to bring back news on what lies in the future for Eden Eternal.

League of Legends Releases Riven

League of Legends Releases Riven, The Exile

 

 

Today marks another champion release in League of Legends and the second among a new Noxian themed series known as the Crimson Elite. Riven is a tough infighter complete with the usual stuns, ranged abilities, and high AD scaling expected out of any real melee DPS character released in the current League of Legends meta. She carries an intense backstory of loyalty to the warlike nation of Noxus and Noxus’ inevitable betrayal once she no longer held value. Her signature Runic Blade, a symbol of Noxian technological power, has since been smashed as a symbol of her newfound freedom from Noxian control and pursuit of what she believes is the true ideals of her nation.

 

 

Abilities:

 

Passive – Runic Blade: Riven’s abilities charge her blade, causing her to do bonus damage on her next autoattack. Riven can store up to 3 charges, but only expend one at a time.

 

Broken Wings: Riven steps forward and lashes out in a series of powerful sword slashes. This ability can be reactivated up to 3 times in a short period.

 

~1st Use/2nd Use: Deals damage to a small area in front of her.

 

~3rd Use: Jumps into the air and slams downward, causing a larger impact nova that deals damage and knocks nearby enemies back.

 

Ki Burst: Riven damages and stuns nearby enemies.

 

Valor: Riven dashes forward and gains a shield for a short duration.

 

Blade of the Exile (Ultimate): Riven’s sword reforms, giving her a percentage multiplier on her total attack damage, extended range on her damaging abilities and basic attacks and the ability to use Wind Slash once.

 

`Wind Slash: While Blade of the Exile is active, Riven can reactivate the ability to emit a large shockwave that deals damage to all units hit based on their missing life.

 

 

A large number of reworks come along this patch. The sustain meta changes seem to still be in flux as Sona’s heal was powered up early game, and Taric was heavily reworked. For a detailed report on all changes and how they impact gameplay, stay tuned for Jason Harper’s Riven Review. Haven’t tested the waters yet? The current meta is one of the best ever so give it a try.

Rusty Hearts Enters Open Beta

Rusty Hearts Enters Open Beta Release

 

 

After a successful closed beta testing period, Rusty Hearts is finally live in open beta! Now anyone can download the free-to-play, hack and slash dungeon crawler and begin playing immediately.

 

Level Cap Increase– Level cap has been upped to level 25.

 

New Quests- Over 150 new quests to complete and immerse yourself in the Rusty Hearts Universe

 

Story Quests- 50 additional story quests to complete that will further expand on the Rusty Hearts storyline.

 

New Village- Entire new village will be added to Rusty Hearts labeled ‘The Church.’

 

 

New Dungeons- 16 all new dungeons to raid with new monsters and incredibly challenging bosses.

 

New Items- Over 500 new non-cash shop items will be added to Rusty Hearts.


New Skills- 19 new skills to learn and master

 

 

Tude: Physical Defense, Poison Claw, Low Attack, Power Stomp

 

Angela: Tornado, Ice Blade, Ice Crystal, Fire Damage

 

Frantz: Dark Storm Charge, Spiral Stinger Air, Stab of Darkness, Magic Barrier X, Bleeding Air Attack, Divine Drive, Divine Drive Axe, Piercing Lance Air, Vampire, Explosion, Aura of Strength

 

 

Also be sure to check out the new Release Trailer featuring some of the newly released cinematics awaiting you in the latest dungeons!

D&D Heroes of Neverwinter Beta Impressions

D&D: Heroes of Neverwinter Beta Impressions

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter, made by Atari, brings the beloved lore, ruleset and legacy of Dungeons & Dragons to the Facebook platform. This engaging mix of bite-sized play sessions, top notch RPG gameplay, viral dynamics, and extended features promises to deliver the deepest RPG experience ever seen on the platform.

 

Town

The town is a hub in which everything in Heroes of Neverwinter begins. Learning your way around the town is vital to playing the game.

 


Adventure Board

The adventure board is the place to be if you are ready to go on an Adventure and take up a mission. On this Adventure Board you can find several areas you can visit in order to gain experience to level up your character and earn money. If you have not already invited friends of people to bring along your journey you get a message that you can recruit and bring along Party Members. Instead of going alone, bringing along other people is a really big help to complete your mission. Currently there are several locations you can go to with your party, these locations all have different areas and monsters guarding the final objective and chest.

 

 

Dungeon Workshop

In the Dungeon Workshop you can create your own dungeons to test the mettle of others adventurers. Friends and other people can visit your own created dungeon to test their skills, for each hero that decides to visit your dungeon you will earn gold. This place is available when you have reached level 10.

The Beached Leviathan

Like every town or city you have visited before, there is always one Tavern that stands out and makes it a special place. The Beached Leviathan is this Tavern in the world of Neverwinter. The coarsest of Neverwinter’s taverns offers Energy-restoring drinks and food. It’s also the best place to recruit adventurers to join your party. The Energy-restoring drinks and food however is bought with Astral Diamonds which is the real money currency in Heroes of Neverwinter. For around 18 Astral Diamonds you can have your full Energy bar refueled to play even more in the world of Neverwinter. It costs $5 USD Dollar to buy 50 Astral Diamonds, so that makes the cost to refuel all your energy around 90 cents per complete refuel. In the tavern you can also hire people to bring along on your adventure. These people are real characters made by people that play the game, all the level 1 characters in the tavern are free of costs to hire and you can bring up to 3 players in your adventure.

 

Mercenary Arms Depot

The Mercenary Arms Depot is like you would have probably guessed, the Merchant that sells equipment in the town. At this fine Merchant you can find weaponry, armor and shields for your character.

 

Tarmalune Trade House

The Tarmaluna Trade House is the place to be if you need adventuring wares, magical implements, trinkets and potions for your upcoming missions.

 

My House

In your house you can find all of your hard earned Achievements you have accomplished in Heroes of Neverwinter. If you have made your own dungeon via the Dungeon Workshop you can visit it through a hatch in your floor. In your house there is also a Chest of Wonders; with this chest you can select a treasure once in a while to earn extra items or money. You can also use a Potion of Luck to see one of the available cards first before choosing.

 

 

Gameplay

The gameplay can be very challenging and requires you to come up with a proper strategy before taking decisive actions. Before taking a move you have to think carefully for a plan, you can only walk an X amount of steps and every unique ability has a different range as well. You have to think what kind of approach you want to do with your party and use every class you have to its advantage. Currently there are four classes in the game including the Fighter, Wizard, Cleric and Rogue. These classes have all different abilities up their sleeves that will help you throughout the game.

 

Before taking up a mission you must formulate a strategy based on what characters you intend to bring. Do you want to fight at a range or do you want to engage in melee combat? I preferred to fight over a bigger ranger because most of the monsters in Heroes of Neverwinter that I have engaged are melee based units. This will give you a small advantage early in the game as the majority of the monsters have no counter to ranged damage and can be dispatched before they catch up to your group. Clerics in this game are incredible supports and I highly advise bringing one no matter what your tactic.

 

 

Conclusion

Heroes of Neverwinter is a fun Facebook game that brings the key element RPG to the biggest social website on the World Wide Web. I had fun playing this game while chatting off with my friends and checking their profiles but isn’t really a game you can play for long periods of time. The energy system limits you to about 30 minutes to an hour per day, which is about how long I’d prefer to play a Facebook game anyway. This game has a lot of potential and as they add more content throughout beta I’m sure it will only improve.

D&D: Heroes of Neverwinter

Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter brings the beloved lore, ruleset and legacy of Dungeons & Dragons to the Facebook platform. This engaging mix of bite-sized play sessions, top notch RPG gameplay, viral dynamics, and extended features promises to deliver the deepest RPG experience ever seen on the platform.

Features

Character Creation & Advancement

    -Character creation and growth based on Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition rules – choose skills, feats, powers and spells to build a character to fit your play style.

    –Your character’s looks and equipment will be visually represented both on the battlefield and on your character sheet to show off your custom appearance and equipment.

    –While adventuring, discover powerful items that increase player power as they level up.

Socialize

    –Meet up with friends in Fallcrest Town, buy equipment, chat in the tavern, swap stories and strategies, and invite players to join your roster.

    -Asynchronous multiplayer allows you to bring a friend’s character on adventures. You get to use their unique skills; they gain experience and loot!

    -When friends join your adventures LIVE in spectator mode, they can help with strategic choices, heal and buff your allies to improve your chances, and gain experience!

Adventure

    –Over 45 unique adventures available at launch, with many more to come in upcoming months.

    -Each adventure will vary in size, from simple 2-4 encounter challenges at early levels to sprawling multi-room dungeons full of side quests, hidden secrets, and even challenging boss fights.

    –A wide variety of monsters, traps, and puzzles will face adventurers.

Battle

    –Heroes of Neverwinter delivers deep yet accessible turn-based combat based on 4th Edition rules.

    -Command up to 4 party members in Tactical combat, using positioning and teamwork to protect your party and devastate your foes.

    -An intuitive “point and click” interface allows new players to quickly pick up and play, while allowing more experienced players to devise advanced strategies.

Become the Dungeon Master

    -Design adventures for friends and other players using the powerful dungeon creator toolset.

    -Unlock Achievements to add new traps and enemies to your dungeons.

    -Great dungeons will earn gold and other bonuses for their creators.