Monthly Archives: December 2012

SOE to Announce Launch of Wizardry Open Beta in Podcast

SOE to Announce Launch of Wizardry Open Beta in Podcast

 

 

Sadly the Wizardry Online closed beta has come to a close but fans waiting to hear details of the open beta launch will want to tune into SOE’s podcast airing at 4pm PST. The open beta is set to go live on January 16th coinciding with OnRPG’s newest column, Wizardry Online: Tale of a Survivor, written by OnRPG’s editor-in-chief DizzyPW.

 

 

Although we’ll be tuning in to report on any major details revealed during the podcast, if you have some free time why not head to their Twitch.TV channel and see for yourself what all the fuss is about!

Dark Blood Releases New Thief Class

Dark Blood Releases New Thief Class

 

 

Outspark introduced a new Thief class to Dark Blood today, adding dozens of deadly skills, weapons, and armor to this already intense hack n slash side-scrolling action fighting RPG. Leading up to launch, Game Masters have been busy prepping the Dark Blood community with skill previews on Facebook, and now players will have a chance to test their mettle in a rock em sock em brawl with the All Thieves Field Duels this Friday, December 14, 5pm PT, and the Assassins v Outsiders Arena Battles next Friday, December 21, 5pm PT. Big-ticket prizes include a rare private training session with a GM in the Dark Blood PvP Academy. Check out the tournament details here. Other exciting launch events include a Catch That Bandit Leveling Race and a treasure-filled Monster Bash.

 

 

“This content update delivers something special for Dark Blood fans as Thief takes the game to the next level. It’s a particularly challenging class to defeat in combat. She’s stealthy, she’s fast, she’s a force to be reckoned with – catch her if you can!” dared Philip Yun, CEO of Outspark.

Uncharted Waters Online Expands Role of Colonies in New Update

Uncharted Waters Online Expands Role of Colonies in New Update

 

 

CJ Games Global is expanding the role of colonies with an update to Uncharted Waters Online, the historical massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) for the PC. The latest content, dubbed the Tierra American chapter, adds the West Indian Company along with several other buildings that boost profits, skills and experience from colonies. Merchant sailors and swashbucklers alike can try out the new quest lines and discover the frontier by visiting the game’s official site at http://uwo.netmarble.com/.

The colonies add a new gameplay element to Uncharted Waters Online, and CJ Games Global is adding additional features to make the journey to the frontier easier than ever.

 

These new features include:

1. Company Improvements – CJ Games Global made several changes to the company system to make it easy for sailors to find new friends and experience the perks of company life:

     a) Trial memberships easily allow new players to meet friends and get a head start in the game. Anyone who graduates from sailor’s school will have the opportunity to become a novice member.

     b) Open invitations are for the large companies with more than 100,000 fame points who want to grow and expand their power. Any player will have the option of joining the open company just by visiting the company   house NPC.

      c) Easy enrollment allows players that are part of a company to extend an invite to their friends without the aid of an NPC.

 

2. Oxford University Lectures – The wealth of knowledge at one of the oldest universities in the world will give sailors plenty of insight, experience and special skills when researching new professions. Each Monday at 11 a.m. PST, advanced lectures will commence for professions chosen at random. Even if the topic doesn’t match a character’s profession, players can still receive experience and rewards.

 

3. Free Ships for Graduates – Players that are trying Uncharted Waters Online for the first time will have the opportunity to commence sea-faring trips in no time at all. Sailor’s school covers all the nautical know-how a land-lubber needs and awards a ship tailored to the player’s specific professions upon completion of the course.

 

4. New Pets – Exploring the colonies alone is a scary proposition, so Uncharted Waters Online has four new pets to bring along, the regal Siamese cat, the protective coyote, the cuddly Calico cat and the dainty Persian cat.

 

5. Increased Auto-sail Distance – Navigating the seven seas is now easier than ever with the increased range of auto-sail mode. The Port Entry Permission map now will display destinations and players can engage auto-sail between previously discovered locations within range.

 

6. The last item in the newest content for Uncharted Waters Online brings changes to the battle campaigns. Adventurers, soldiers and merchants can now engage each other in 2-on-2 duels in addition to the previous 5-on-5 and 10-on-10 naval battles. The small battle size will require the utmost perfection in sailing and warfare tactics on the high seas.

 

 

Players can choose the path of an adventurer, soldier or merchant, with each path providing a distinct way to experience the game. With countless lands awaiting exploration and thousands of artifacts to discover, Uncharted Waters Online offers a level of content that can satisfy core and casual players alike.

OnRPG Shotgun News 12/13: Knight Age, NCSoft, SOE, and Ragnarok 2

OnRPG Shotgun News 12/13: Knight Age, NCSoft, SOE, and Ragnarok 2

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Elder Scribe

 

 

Knight Age Brings in New Character

 

 

 

Joymax has announced that fan favorite Mashimaro will be joining Knight Age. Mashimaro wields a plunger to hit enemies in the head with. Players can get the unique character on Knight Age’s Facebook page.

 

 

NCSoft To Sell All Shares of NC Interactive

It was revealed via Reuters that NCSoft is selling all of it’s 809 million shares of NC Interactive and creating a new subsidiary. The new company created will manage the North American and European subsidiaries. All of this is scheduled to take place on December 24th.

 

 

SOE’s First Player Studio Items Now Available

Since it was first announced players have been eager to start designing items for many of SOE’s MMOs. And now the first of the items from the Player Studio have hit the shops of EQ, EQII, and Free Realms. Players can buy the new items and those in the UScan make items of their own.

 

 

Ragnarok Online 2 Announces Open Beta

Ragnarok Online 2 has announced that it will begin open beta on December 27th. The cash shop will be introduced shortly after that. There will be events scheduled at a later date. More information about them will be on the official website in the future.

Guild Wars 2 December Event Spreads Holiday Cheer

Guild Wars 2 December Event Spreads Holiday Cheer

 

Guild Wars 2

 

NCSOFT® and ArenaNet™ are excited to host the third major event since the launch of Guild Wars 2, entitled Wintersday.  Starting on 14 December, Wintersday will bestow bundles of holiday joy in the form of gifts, unique mini-games, new events and presents upon all in Tyria.

 

 
The Wintersday event continues ArenaNet’s tradition of delivering regular content, compelling events and rewarding opportunities for players, all subscription-free. In this event, Tixx will be making his way to Lion’s Arch, stopping at every major city on the way to deliver Wintersday toys to all races. However, Tixx’s golem servant Toxx throws a wrench into the process by hatching some Wintersday plans of his own and the toys go haywire!

 

Guild Wars 2

 

At each stop, players will be able to access a new toy event and earn a new toy. After the Toymaster makes his rounds, his airship will hover in Lion’s Arch, where players can earn more rewards and take part in unique Wintersday events building up to hectic holiday Toypocalypse. Throughout all of Wintersday, players can also participate in a variety of mini-games including a Bell Choir mini-game, snowball fights, grabbing presents that drop from the sky and much more. For more information about this one-time event, please see the timing information below and visit the event site.

 

 

Timing of the Wintersday event is as follows:

-Friday, 14 December – Wintersday begins with a holiday-themed Lion’s Arch, numerous mini-games, presents falling from the sky and more.

-Saturday, 15 December 15, 10:00 AM PST (7:00 PM CET) – Tixx the Toymaker will make his first appearance at The Grove followed by stops at every capital for one day each.

-Thursday, 20 December, 10:00 AM PST (7:00 PM CET) – Tixx the Toymaker’s airship will hover over Lion’s Arch and remain there until Wintersday ends.

-Thursday, 3 January 3 10:00 AM PST (7:00 PM CET) – The Wintersday event ends.

LoL Reviews: Total Do-Nami-nation!

LoL Reviews: Total Do-Nami-nation!

By Jason Harper (Hhean), OnRPG League Reporter

 

 

Nami is an aggressive support, focused on area of effect crowd control, as well as a heal that works best during damage trades. She sits somewhere between Sona and Zyra on the support spectrum, with her combination of strong harass and the ability to lock down the enemy for kills. One of her big advantages is that different parts of her kit synergize better with different AD carries in the bot lane, so she has few weak lane partners.

 

Pros:

Overall utility is off the charts

3 crowd control abilities on a support, 2 of which are AoE

Has a heal

Long range initiation and area denial tool

Can come on top in most damage trades in the lane

Allows you to make no end of fish puns

 

(Credit to phseuh)

 

Cons:

Her Q and R are very easy to avoid

Has serious mana issues

Highly susceptible to burst damage

It’s a pain in the bass to constantly come up with new fish puns

If you’re not playing Nami, you have to endure her player’s fish puns

 

 

Ability Summary

 

Surging Tides [Passive]: When any of Nami’s spells hits an ally or herself, they get a short movement speed buff. This includes the spells that don’t affect her allies, Aqua Prison and Tidal Wave.

 

 

Aqua Prison [Q]: AoE stun with a slow projectile speed. While the visual looks like it knocks its targets airborne, it functions in the same way as a stun, and can be cleansed or removed by items.

 

 

Ebb and Flow [W]: A targeted heal/nuke that bounces twice, alternating between friendly and enemy targets. The spell can never bounce to the same target twice. Targeting an enemy first will net you two nukes and a heal, whereas targeting an ally first will grant you two heals and a nuke in the laning phase it’s best used offensively, while in teamfights it’s usually better suited to being used defensively.

 

 

Tidecaller’s Blessing [E]: Targeted steroid that allows one ally to slow and deal additional magic damage from their auto attacks. Bear in mind that this doesn’t scale.

 

 

Tidal Wave[R]: Long range skillshot that knocks airborne any targets it passes through. Always try to use it from as far back as possible, so you can hit as many of your allies with her passive’s speed boost as possible, allowing them to close in for the kill.

 

[page]

 

Combos & Shenanigans

Dear awful Nami players,

 

Stop spamming Aqua Prison. It’s not a harassment tool, and you will burn all your mana hitting nothing at all. Instead, use Ebb and Flow to win trades even when being attacked by both your lane opponents. Also, make sure you’re the one being hit by the enemy by putting yourself ahead of your carry, so you can reliably control the direction that Ebb and Flow goes in, rather than relying on someone else knowing more about your character than you do. They’re too busy dealing with their own game of whack-a-minion to care about positioning themselves for your abilities. Also, don’t forget that you have a higher base attack damage than many AD carries, so don’t be afraid to throw an auto attack or two at them for good measure.

 

 

– The League Advice Bureau

 

Her standard combo is buffing yourself or an ally with Tidecaller’s Blessing, slowing someone, then letting rip with her main crowd control abilities, Tidal Wave and Aqua Prison, before pouring a good helping of Ebb and Flow onto anyone in need of healing/killing. While this does work on paper, Nami is rarely going to be fighting alone, so you need to be paying attention to what your allies are doing and adapt appropriately.

 

So let’s say you need to use Aqua Prison on a moving target, not as harass, but to gain a kill or help someone escape. How can you increase your odds of hitting, without any form of crowd control to help?

 

 

Always be aware of what gap closers the enemy possesses. The easiest ones to punish are leaps or teleports that require a target, like Katarina’s Shunpo. As they move into range, preemptively aim at your own teammate, granting them both the move speed bonus, and forcing the enemy into a bad situation. They can either jump into a stun, or are forced to let their target slip away with the movespeed boost you just granted them. When timed really well, they don’t even get the choice, and simply eat a stun.

 

 

Waiting for an enemy to begin an auto attack animation will improve your odds of hitting dramatically. Since you can’t both move and attack in LoL, any attacks will freeze them in place, granting them that little bit less time to get out of the way. Waiting for enemies to go into bottlenecks will also help for landing both her Aqua Prison and Tidal Wave.

 

 

Her Tidal Wave, while being a good long range initiation tool, is also a great displacement tool. The extremely slow projectile speed can often force enemy champions to scatter before a team fight, functioning in a similar way to a Gragas ultimate. Firing her wave slightly to the right or left of an enemy will also force them to move the opposite way, great for corralling your enemies into the hungry jaws of an incoming jungler.

 

 

Conclusions

I found myself liking Nami not based on who she is (A homesick mermaid), but instead because of who she wasn’t. She’s not yet another grimdark sex doll who wants to both kill and screw me at the same time. If LoL was a popularity contest, she wouldn’t be taking first prize, but she wouldn’t be thrown out by security either.

 

 

She has some of the best looking particle effects in the game. She’s really clearly been built around the water theme, as her particles are the most memorable part of her. Other than her outstandingly good kit, of course.

 

 

And what a kit it is. She’s rewarded in the lane for fighting her enemies every time her spells are off cooldown, constantly whittling the enemy carry down before she can set up for a kill. Every ability she has hits with a real sense of force behind it (except Tidecaller’s Blessing, which feels a bit limp despite being very strong), and it’s immediately apparent when a Nami is making a difference. She’s a support that actually feels like she’s making a genuine impact on the match, even outside the laning phase.

 

 

Final Verdict

There’s no need to be koi about it, Nami is a support player’s wet dream.

 

 

Nami’s one of the few characters I’ve played in this column I would have picked up even if I hadn’t needed to write about her, and not regretted the purchase. If you’re a support player, you likely already have her (The pickings are still as slim as always), and are likely realizing she has the potential to be one of the better supports in the game. If you’re looking to get a support as a side role, or have no idea how to land skillshots then please, for all our sake, avoid playing her.

 

 

To discuss Nami yourselves, post in the massive League of Legends thread in the free to play MMOs section, or post in the comments section below. If you haven’t tried League of Legends yet, you’re missing out.

 

 

Also get ready to get into the holiday spirit as Riot Games has just announced this year’s winter limited skins.