Monthly Archives: December 2011

CivWorld

CivWorld takes Sid Meier’s Civlization series, inplants it into a Facebook browser engine, and reorganizes it to make you feel like part of a community rather than an all powerful leader. Players unite with a larger empire and manage their plot of land for the greater good of the kingdom (and destruction of all others).

 

Features:

Pledge Allegiance: Ally with one of eight nation groups and fight for the dominance of your country through the eras.

 

Ages: Go from the stone age to the galactic age and learn new technologies, economic procedures, and military technology along the way.

 

Live Chat: Chat with other Facebook players in real time to plan the tactics of your nation to achieve victory.

 

Invasions: Build an army and take the fight to other Facebook members, then pillage their wonders and steal their technological secrets.

 

All good things come to an end: After completing all the ages, you will be judged based on fame points which add to your overall profile. Then you can start over again with new people and try to improve history once more!

MonsterMMORPG: Fight to the Top

MonsterMMORPG: Fight to the Top

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

Co-Written by Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-in-Chief

 


Any of you who are reading this and are active on OnRPG’s Free MMO and MMORPG forums might have seen a thread about this game before.  One of the developers advertised MonsterMMORPG in a thread and it caught the eye of a lot of people. I as well saw the game and decided to try it out. These are my thoughts on this uniquely made Pokemon-based browser game.

 

 

When I made my account and selected my character and starting Monster I felt right at home. I was able to select my avatar and choose from one of 13 starting Monsters. Anyone who has played Pokemon will be able to jump right in since the concept is so familiar, with trainers exploring various maps and encountering monsters randomly within the tall grass.

 

 

Once your initial selections are made you get teleported into the middle of nowhere with a lot of other players around you. Unfortunately there was no NPC or anything to greet me or I simply missed it because it was quite crowded and confusing.

 

 

As you can see your character is always in the middle and I chose for an old man as my avatar since I love the thought of old men battling young ones and winning money from them. So I started to walk into the bushes and battle my first Monster to try and catch it! I started with the fire themed Monster, Scortorch and went up against Duseep which is a really weird looking Monster. In the battle menu you get to see the statistics of both Monsters such as HP, Attack and Defense and even more important factors in a matchup. It also shows the opponent’s Monster’s Nature, which in the case of Duseep was “Potential.” I had no clue whatsoever at the time what this meant but I figured anything with Potential is ideal to add to my collection via the MonsterBox.

 

 

I decided I wanted to catch the Monster but because my starting Monster started off at level 10 it didn’t really go as planned. I instantly one hit killed my opponent and I couldn’t catch it anymore. After the battle I got to a screen that told me how much money I received and how many experience points my Monster received. It also shows a recap of the battle and the status of my active Monster which is very useful in continuous battles so you can make decisions on switching monsters or not before the next round.

 

 

The mechanics in the game are really easy to learn. I found using the arrow keys instead of clicking the onscreen arrows is far more effective to move around the map. Unfortunately I didn’t realize this right away because there isn’t a proper FAQ or in-game tutorial to show you the more subtle controls and features. There is however a lengthy youtube video to watch which explain the basics of the game if you really want to be shown everything prior to jumping into the game. I’d love to see a reference page within the game listing the controls and other functions since it’s a pain to have to open youtube in another tab just to get refreshers on how to use some of the features.

 

 

The Market is a really useful shop that you can visit in Monster MMORPG, if you need any items or simply have waaaay to much money you can spend it all at the shops and even at the bazaar. If you have captured a Monster that you don’t like or simply want to get rid of you can sell them on the Bazaar. And if you have saved up some money you can easily buy some of the Monsters eluding your collection. This system is really familiar if you are known with MMORPGs and in Monster MMORPG there are a lot of choices you can make if you want to buy or sell something which is really helpful.

 

 

Of course the most important aspect of this game comes into play with the multiplayer aspect of it. How cool is it to experience all the frantic Pokemon style action from your childhood in an interactive online browser game? Other players will move in close to real time on your map and you can approach them to do battle at any time simply by clicking on them. You can also check out their player profile to learn a bit about them and what Monsters they are packing so you don’t go rushing into a fight that’s way over your head.

 

 

The game keeps a great global ranking system so players have something to aim for besides just Monster collection. With the ease of access to PvP and a system that shows you progress (or lack there of) I feel like this game really does take browser gaming a step beyond the normal sphere of browser games.

 

 

Also there is a heavy emphasis on growing your monster and customizing it to your liking. Like Pokemon, monsters are able to learn up to four skills total, but have a much larger variety of skills they can learn. Not only do they naturally learn skills, but you can force teach them more unique skills with MT items.

 

 

The game presents all this in a well organized format, showing your stats, resistances to various skill types, evolution paths, happiness, and total skill list all in one page. It’s interesting that they even included a happiness function so that if you treat your Monster poorly and constantly lose battles, they will refuse to evolve into their full potential.

 

 

Conclusion

Monster MMORPG is a really nice game and probably the greatest online recreation of Pokemon to date. I had some fun playing this game and it can be a really nice time waster but personally I cannot see the game keeping my attention for long periods in its current state. Personally I feel this game is lacking direction due to a lack of NPCs. Jumping straight in against other trainers can be a bit much for some people and I wish there were NPC trainers between towns to hinder my progress and give me practice battling trainers. NPCs in towns that give quests, even if they were just delivery quests between towns, would be a cool feature that would add a lot to the game. I hear they are intending to come out with the equivalent of gym leaders in the near future, which is another feature much needed in MonsterMMORPG. One final gripe with the game is the system that forces  you to return to your nearest healing center should you surrender a battle you have started. The lack of ability to run after starting a fight seems like an overlooked feature that should be patched.

 

 

 

Nonetheless this game gives pleasure to the Pokémon lovers in somewhat a more unique way with creating its own Monsters and I do see the developers are putting time and money in their game. If you are a big fan of the Pokémon concept and love to battle other opponents with your own Monsters or you simply want to catch them all then I’d advise you to check out MonsterMMORPG because it will entertain as promised!

Firefall Hires Crytek Lead as Senior Graphics Programmer

Red 5 Studios Hires Crytek Lead as Senior Graphics Programmer

 

 

Red 5 Studios announces its newest addition to the “tribe”, former Crytek team lead, Ury Zhilinsky. As Senior Graphics Programmer for Firefall, Ury is the latest AAA developer to join the studio’s talented team – which includes former WoW, Tribes, and MAG developers.

 

 

Ury brings more than 10 years of experience, including leadership and development roles at Crytek, Germany, where he was Senior R&D Graphics Programmer and R&D Manager. He specializes in next-gen engine development, having worked on Crysis 2 and the world renowned, CryENGINE 3.

 

 

“We’re still a relatively small team here at Red 5 Studios because we’ve been very selective when choosing ‘tribe’ members,” said Red 5 CEO, Mark Kern. “It’s not just about talent, it’s about what happens when you put together a group that shares the same commitment to quality, community, and fun. Ury’s skill and experience make him an asset that any team would be happy to have, but it’s his development philosophy that makes him a fit for the ‘tribe’.”

 

 

Red 5 Studios is currently recruiting top programmers. It’s looking for the best and brightest to work on its first blockbuster undertaking, Firefall, and an unannounced new project based in cloud server technology, Stage 5.

Reclaim Atlantica Online From Riederan’s Invasion

Reclaim Atlantica Online from Riederan’s Invasion

 

 

Riederan and his minions are invading the once peaceful land in Atlantica Online, Nexon’s strategic turn-based MMORPG, and engulfing the towns of Atlantis with fire. The December content update will feature the first wave of the Monster Invasion event and the new sorceress mercenary, Mwindo. Brave souls can rise up to exterminate Riederan and his monsters every Sunday from Dec. 11 through Jan. 8.

 

 

“Riederan’s Invasion” event will challenge players to rescue Atlantis by wiping out Riederan’s troops. Players will be given 30 minutes to defeat 10,000 monsters in each town. The player must rush to defeat every monster before the town’s defense diminishes. Players of all skill levels are encouraged to join the war, as the auto-leveling system will balance the monsters’ levels to match the players’.

 

 

From equipment boxes to precious jewels, players can pocket an array of monster drops. In addition, successfully slaying a set of monsters will conjure up a bonus monster with even greater rewards. Victorious challengers who successfully defend their towns and defeat all of Riederan’s monsters will be rewarded with a horde of experience and a 15% Attack Power and Defense buff effect for three hours. Riederan’s Loot will be reserved for the top ten champions that acquire the highest amount of Monster Points.

 

 

A moment of hope and calm enters the storm in Atlantis. The mesmerizing Sorceress mercenary, Mwindo, has arrived in Africa with a mission. Abandoned by her father for her supernatural powers, Mwindo has trained all her life to become the leader of her tribe one day. Mwindo wields a staff and the command of Primal Monsoon Magic, which inflicts the highest damage among all magic skills. In addition, her Beating Sun skill vigorously damages and silences an opponent. The majestic Mwindo is ready for recruitment through Kinshasha in Africa.

Eudemons Announces Trumpet of the Legionnaire

Eudemons Announces Trumpet of the Legionnaire

 

 

It’s been a good year at TQ Digital, publisher of games like Conquer Online and Eudemons. However they aren’t finished yet and have one last bang to offer players later this month. On December 22nd, Eudemons will be releasing the Trumpet of the Legionnaire update, featuring a multi-person mount and a new slew of elemental eudemons.

 

 

A floating continent has been discovered by the mages guild, once controlled by a long extinct civilization known as the Alphas. The Alphas had made amazing progress in science and magic, and learned how to utilize the elements to forge powerful ancient Eudemons made of pure energy. Though advised against such forbidden magic, the returning mages forged the Door of Time with raw elemental essence and summoned the once mighty Elemental Eudemons to the present day.

 

 

However their great tower and Door of Time was flawed by design, and the summoned Eudemons were mere shells of their former glory. Now the mage guild is recruiting brave adventurers to recover the elemental essence needed to restore these Eudemon to their ultimate power, and aid players in battle like never before!

 

 

In addition to these five new elemental eudemons, the Legion’s Battle Mammoth will also become available in this update. The Battle Mammoth is not only gigantic, but can carry up to four players on its back for the ultimate convenience!

 

 

There will be a new mount, the Battle Mammoth, join in Eudemons world on the upcoming expansion on Dec. 22nd, 2011. Let’s check out what makes it so distinctive.

 

 

 

Converge with Legion Members

The attractive part of this Mammoth is that it can converge with the Legion members to add extra attack and defense power, and take damage in battle. This mount is going to be your final killing weapon. So are you ready to take the revenge?

 

 

All the new Eudemons and Mounts will be available from the Legion Tower, so there is no need to buy any of them. The only challenge is that you need to build up your Legion and grow the pets wisely. Be among the first to harness their power to become the new king of the Legion War!

Brawl Busters Announces Commercial Launch

Brawl Busters Announces Commercial Launch

 

 

Rock Hippo Productions announced that Brawl Busters, the F2P online multiplayer action game, will officially launch December 15th.  In anticipation of the impending launch, Rock Hippo Productions has released the official launch trailer and new screenshots highlighting all of the cool new features and exciting gameplay in store for fans on December 15th.

 

 

“We are thrilled to announce our official launch date and invite fans to check out our latest trailer to get a real feel for the action that awaits them,” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions.  “We have had so much fun getting to know our ever-growing Brawl Busters community since it went into beta and we think fans are going to like what they see when it all becomes official come December 15th.”

 

 

Rock Hippo has also partnered with Xfire to bring free in-game voice chat, messaging, screenshot and video sharing, live broadcasting, and much more to Brawl Busters players. To kick-off the partnership, Xfire will be broadcasting a live stream event on December 14th where players can get a sneak preview of the Official Release. Join the Xfire Community to get more details on this event.

 

 

The exciting new content coming next week for players includes a new mode, tons of cool new accessories and delightful holiday themed items.  A new district will also make its debut: City Hall Station will test player’s fear of the dark and keep them on their toes as they delve into this all-new nighttime map!

Atlantica Online: Through the Ages

Atlantica Online: Through the Ages

By Jerrico Tan (JetSet), OnRPG Journalist

 



Atlantica Online is a full-fledged online game that goes back to the roots of RPG gaming through turn-based combat. Developed by Ndoors and purchased by Nexon, we now take a closer look at the innovations, new features and updates to see how 2008’s Best MMORPG has fared throughout the years.

 

 

First Impressions



The usual character creation system greets the players as they log in the game for the first time. Facial/gender features are of little importance, as the relevant armors will eventually cover these up. After the character selection, 7 classes are made available for players to choose from and these classes vary in terms of weapon proficiency and skill.

 

 

After choosing the right avatar and preferred class, players start their journey with tutorial quests concerning its story and game mechanics. Finishing a couple of those starter quests teaches you how the turn-based battles work and also unlocks your very first pair of mercenary slots. An auto-path feature is also added in the game so players won’t have to endure the pain of finding and walking their ways to the NPCs that they need to interact with for the quest.

 



Another thing that left me in awe is the world that players are left with to explore. With a hint of fantasy, the setting of the game begins in the ancient days of civilization. As you progress further, you’ll come across several historic sites such as the Yellow River and even the Great Wall of China. Some places are mere towns that you can seek for shelter while others are monster-infested dungeons, great for farming EXPs. To the joy of many players, the most recent patch has just spread its world even farther out across the western regions including the Alcatraz prisons and New York.

 

 

Iconic people in history (such as Muramasa, Marco Polo and even William Shakespere) carry out the quests that players must take. The stories of the quests are also based on historic events so this game would probably give you better grades in your History class (assuming you pry yourself away long enough to do homework).

 

 

Gameplay



The combat system is the game’s main selling point and it is superbly impressive. Comparatively, the closest game that I can think of it resembling is the Persona game for the PlayStation. Each side of the combat area has 3×3 grids where the characters could move around, marked by a 30 second time limit for each side’s turn and thus making this game strategic yet fast paced.

 



Just like in any old-school turn-based RPGs, players will never fight alone thanks to its mercenary system. As you progress in the game you’ll be able to unlock up to 9 mercenary slots that will accompany you to battle and these slots could be filled by hiring any number of mercs from the 7 available character classes in the game that would suit your tactical style. This feat gives endless combinations for combat, making this game even more interesting and addicting. Note however that no matter how powerful your mercs are, you’ll still lose the game should your main hero fall so the formation of your party must also be considered to achieve an impregnable team of champions.

 

 

Also considerable improvements in the game were made throughout the years. The much despised stamina system – which limits the battles that you can do in a day, has been removed from the game. They also added a daily task system that rewards players with a considerable amount of EXP once they have completed it. And lastly, an LDP (long distance party) exp sharing system has been implemented, much to the delight and benefit of the game’s loyal citizens.

 

 

Customization



Like I’ve said earlier, the facial features of your character don’t really matter. Crafting and forging for upgrades are of more importance as they determine your character’s performance in the game and items that are required for crafting/forging can be traded in the marketplace. Trends of the commodities change daily as the players themselves price the items in the marketplace.

 

 

Even if the equipment sets available for your hero’s level are limited to three types only, there are also ways to stand out from the pack. Forging better equipment to better grades gives you an intimidating demonic aura. And if you got the cash for it, you can cough up 10 bucks worth of NX credits to buy mounts that range from pandas to war mammoths and even a motorcycle. Of course the mounts also give bonus stats and faster movement speed when traveling the different continents in the game.

 

 

Graphics



The graphics in the game are impressive and competitive with their rival MMORPGs. The rendered Wonders of the World are pretty much identical to the real ones, blended with fog effects and shadows that give contrast to the environment. The combat presentation in the game has commendable and fluid character motions and spell effects as well.

 

 

This game could run on ultra settings if your PC has a Pentium 4 2.0 GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and a 256MB Video Card. With several improvements and expansions made, it has increased its hardware requirements but if your rig was made around 2008 then you shouldn’t have problems with it.

 

 

Community



One noticeable fact is that Atlantica has a very rich and active online community. During my first hours in the game, a dozen players gave me heaps of gold, much to my confusion. Later on, I discovered that giving away gifts to 10 newbie players is one of the daily tasks that players should accomplish in order to claim bonus EXPs. In this way, newbies are given a warm and exciting welcome, while regular players level up and just want to keep on playing. Online friendships and future game camaraderie among players can be established through this manner as well.

 

 

The chatbox in the game is always active and filled with requests for LDP team ups. Partying up is also essential for there are several dungeons in the game that require a full party before being able to gain entrance, while some guild dungeons can only be accessed once you have joined a guild. Every town in the game can be housed and controlled by guilds, thus giving them a percentage of gold based on the town’s daily income. They could also help in guild crafting by adding contribution to the workload.

 



There are also apprentice features in the game where the master receives gold when its apprentice has reached the max beginner level cap (lvl30). Players could also share their knowledge in craftsmanship so low level players could learn and grow their craftsmanship level faster. But if you don’t feel like helping out new players, you can always try your merc combinations in an arena in Rome where PvP tournaments are held three times a day.

 

 

Lastly, an FAQ support where newbies could post questions about the game and wait for a veteran to reply and answer it has been made available.

 

 

The Dawn of a New Age

The latest patch called “The Rise of Riederan”, which added some major content in the game was launched a week ago. Aside from having a new storyline that veterans could tackle, this expansion also widened the max level cap (now up to lvl150) and a new armor set called Pegasus Gear is available for crafting for end game players. It also implemented several system revamps and several class balances for the convenience of all players. There is also a brand new hero talent tree system that would certainly give diversity in each player’s play-style. A cross server market was also employed so players could get better deals and supply in the market’s demands. With regular updates such as this one, loyal players of the game would definitely stick to Atlantica like a second home.

 

 

Conclusion

If I were to judge this game I say that it is still getting even better. The additional character classes and several game improvements give solid proof that the developers truly care about their consumers, which is highly important in all MMORPGs. The game’s innovative gameplay, frequently fresh updates and fun and clever community features build up a game that would truly last for a very long time. And best of all, it’s free-to-play! So along with other Nexon titles, Atlantica gets my two raving thumbs up.

 

 

The Good:

*Wide range of character classes

*Action packed turn-based combat

*Endless combat combinations

*Familiar World Map

*Regularly updated content

*Great PvP and community features (long distance partying)

 

The Bad:

*Turn-based combat is not for everyone

*Limited character customization

 

 

Graphics 4/5

Controls 4/5

Features 4/5

Customization 3/5

Community 3.5/5