The Secret World discusses freeform progression in this very informative Dev Diary.
Yearly Archives: 2012
Firefall SXSW Event Recap
Firefall got wild in Austin last weekend, premiering their cosplay duo for the first time!
C9 Monster Hunt Trailer
C9 reveals some of the higher level PvE content you can expect when the game launches later this year.
C9 PvP Championship Tournament Announced
‘C9’ PvP Championship Tournament Announced with Beta Test
WEBZEN announced their first PvP Championship Tournament for the Action RPG ‘C9’ (Continent of the Ninth Seal) to be held prior to the official global launch.
Last February, the first global VIP test for C9 had finished, and to take the next step, WEBZEN is preparing to receive registrations for the ‘2012 C9 Championship Tournament’ held this coming May. Users who wish to compete must enter through the registration page and accomplish a mission to participate. Those who join the tournament will receive various and unique benefits in future tests.
In preparation for the tournament, C9 will open the beta test that starts in April. At first, WEBZEN will prepare a media focused beta test exclusively for media that starts on April 12th. Afterwards, from the 15th, users will be able to join the beta test that continues until May 6th to complete the missions for the tournament participation in May. Also, more contents for both PvE and PvP that were not revealed in the first VIP test will be revealed during this beta test. Check out this new trailer for a taste of what’s to come!
Jihun Lee, Head of Global Publishing, said, “The localization for global c9 is underway, covering both official and non-official feedback as much as possible to meet the users’ needs.” Also he said, “We will focus on the localization and development to launch the official service this summer.”
Meanwhile, WEBZEN participated in GDC 2012 held at San Francisco from March 7th to the 9th with C9 and ARCTIC COMBAT which received positive responses from visitors and various game media.
Rumble Fighter: Still Packs a Punch
Rumble Fighter Re-Review: Still Packs a Punch
By Michael Sagoe (Mikedot), OnRPG Journalist
Rumble Fighter (RF) is a multiplayer online fighting game developed by Nimonix and hosted by OGPlanet. It features an anime visual style along with easy controls and tons of action. While it’s being marketed as a simple, kid friendly game, the combat has a lot more going for it beyond simple button bashing. As an old veteran player, I was more than eager to return to the world of RF and see if it still had some moves left in it.
Customization
When starting out: You can select between one of four different character classes (with the option to go either male or female.) There are no initial creation options to change the look of your starting character, as they are all pre-determined. This can be disappointing for those that are looking to distinguish themselves from the get-go, but later on you’ll have a truck load of customization options to work with… (MUCH later on)
The amount of customization options available from the item shop is huge, allowing for some heavy personalization. Unfortunately, customization requires players to pay up with Astros (OGP currency) or insane amounts of Carats (in-game currency.) The rate of earning Carats in RF feels way too slow and requires players to go through several matches for hours or even days before they can get a defining look. This could have easily been fixed by bumping up the Carat gain rate, and to an extent, the game DOES give out small rewards including redeemable Carat coupons, but they’re only small amounts ranging from 500C to 1000Cs, and that’s only if you’re lucky enough to get them from reward boxes regularly.

Protip: Until you get your first scroll and exocore, it’s going to be awhile before you can make your characters look as cool as these.
Another layer of customization comes from RF’s enchanting system, allowing players to increase the stats of their characters by placing gems on outfit items. This system, however, rides the line between breaking the importance of the player’s skill and player’s stats. While gems can be earned as rewards for completing adventure missions, they can also be bought from the item shop.
There are also lesser enchant cards that can be earned or purchased, but fair and master enchant cards can only be obtained from the shop. With these, players can increase their stats to very noticeable levels.
Not only that, but there’s also the “Rebirth” item that can only be purchased from the item shop, which can give players the option to perform instant recoveries or random critical hits in battle…
Yes, that’s right: You can BUY a gameplay mechanic from the item shop.
Rebirth “Saver” in action
While gameplay is still very skill based, players with skill, high stats and purchased mechanics will have a hefty advantage over players using skill alone.
Controls
Rumble Fighter uses a very simple control scheme for keyboards. By default: Arrow keys are used for movement, while the Z, X and C keys are used for punching, kicking, blocking, grabs and counter attacks. The game also supports gamepads, but keyboards are recommended since using a gamepad will make grabs, panic and counter moves more difficult. Controlling your character with different sacred scrolls (fighting styles which are mostly based off real martial arts) feels distinct, most of which do an excellent job of recreating their real world or fictional counterparts.
Gameplay
Rumble Fighter’s gameplay plays like a mix between Power Stone and Tekken, where combat emphasizes combos and juggling your opponents to rack up damage. You can also transform using the game’s exocore system, allowing you to become a more powerful killing machine. Sacred scrolls have many different attributes including base damage output, hit stun, attack range, invincibility frames and more. Hardcore players can wrap their heads around these mechanics, and along with their exocores, character classes and stats, they can fine tune their character to fit their playing style. Casual players, on the other hand, might get caught off guard by the amount of depth RF’s combat has to offer.
The amount of available game modes in RF is incredibly vast (for a fighting game), including King of the Hill, Zombie Survival, Duels and even an adventure mode that turns RF into an arcade style beat ‘em up. There’s plenty of variety here, but getting others to experience that variety with you can be a problem, as most players tend to play on specific maps (mostly ones with heavy knock out points) and game modes such as Moving Screen for fast Carats. It can be frustrating to see a player earn their room master powers and then want to switch up a few maps and modes, only to see players leaving in droves.
Graphics and Presentation
RF presents itself with a clean and colorful cartoon style. Characters with huge heads and huge hands give RF a pseudo-chibi anime vibe. Environments include various stages such as rooftops, pirate ships, live volcanoes, haunted houses and more. Visual detail on character models look solid, but environmental textures tend to look bland and muddy.
RF’s sound work is fairly average. Sound effects for attacks and throwing out specials seem ordinary but appropriate, and the in-game music is also fairly average, only offering generic battle themes.
Community
RF features a small amount of community features, including buddy lists and the long awaited guild function. Players can now also chat with others in a global lobby instead of having to join active rooms. Those that like to socialize will have tons of emotes available for players to express themselves. While these features aren’t mind-blowing, they are certainly nice and much needed additions.
While the community features have changed, the community itself sure hasn’t. Many of the players you’ll find in RF tend to act cocky in victory and bitter in defeat. It’s best to find some friends to play with, and if you don’t have any, the “chat off” function still works great.
OGP has been stepping up their support for RF by having Nimonix shift nearly all of their focus towards updating the game. There’s always at least one event happening in-game where players can earn extra items and prizes including Astros and Astro-only items from the in-game shop, which helps to soothe the Pay-2-Win stigma that freebie players may get from playing later on.
Overall
Rumble Fighter still packs a punch as a fun fighting game, but the heavy amount of dedication required to reap rewards may throw casual players off, along with stat tweaking and special item shop only features that can make freebie players turn away in disgust. Those that do put in time, effort (and a few bucks) to play will find plenty of content to enjoy, with much more being added on a regular basis. Rumble Fighter is looking stronger than ever, but could still use a bit more training…
Customization – 3
Gameplay – 4
Controls – 4
Graphics and Presentation – 3
Community – 3
Blacklight Retribution By the Numbers Trailer
Check out what’s been going on all these months inside the Blacklight Retribution beta in this new trailer.
Uncharted Waters Online Vinland Coliseum
Uncharted Waters Online is proud to reveal its Vinland update.
Lime Odyssey Highlights the Warrior Class
Lime Odyssey Highlights the Warrior Class
Aeria Games revealed new screenshots of the Warrior battle class from Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Orta. Featuring four playable battle classes, Aeria’s highly-anticipated 3D MMORPG is currently in production and will be published in North America later this year.
The vast continent of Orta is home to a diverse collection of races and classes and Lime Odyssey’s dual-class system allows players to pick both a battle class and a trade class. One of four battle classes is the mighty Warrior, playable by the Human, Turga, and Muris races and able to wield an array of brute strength weapons including swords, great-swords, battle axes, and maces. The undisputed masters of straightforward battle, Warriors are tanks with a tendency to charge headfirst into a fight. Their abilities are equally balanced between offense and defense.
All Warriors begin their adventure for the sacred Lime with one skill point to unlock a new ability of their choice, as well as the skill, “Wild Charge,” a basic attack that inflicts melee damage on enemies. As players level up, they can work their way along Attack and Defense skill trees to learn more new skills and abilities.
Players can utilize the Attack tree if they wish to crush enemies with large blunt objects or cleave them with gleaming blades. Aside from hack and slash abilities, the Attack tree offers a variety of power increasing abilities for both players and their parties. These abilities are best used to maximize damage per second during grueling boss fights.
The Defense tree’s primary focus is to absorb all the damage while dishing a little in return. When utilizing this tree, players will wield a shield to protect against the onslaught of arrows, slashes, mashes, crashes, bites, and stings. Aside from buffs that increase physical defense, the Defense tree also adds plenty of useful abilities such as malice-increasing shouts and short duration stuns.
Uncharted Waters Online Receives Major Update, New Lands
Uncharted Waters Online Receives Major Update, New Lands
CJ E&M, the leading global entertainment company, today announced the Vinland expansion, a major update to their seafaring MMO Uncharted Waters Online. Known for its historical content and methodical, strategic gameplay, Uncharted Waters lets players command a naval fleet as they sail the globe, exploring, trading and conquering. The expansion features two new areas, introduces a convenient new money-saving feature and brings new ships to the harbor, ready to set sail for North America. Following upon the Tierra Americana Update, players will now be able to travel to Vinland, a land of legend thought to be developed by Vikings, as well as Rome, where players can test their ground battle skills on a revamped fighting system in the Coliseum. A revised banking system will help sailors keep hard earned plunder safe.
Vinland, Viking Territory of the Past
Vinland has appeared in North America for players to explore and uncover new discoveries — much research is still being done to uncover facts about this unknown region. Vinland was once known as the “Land of Grapes” and was inhabited by the Vikings of Northern Europe before Admiral Columbus discovered the North American Continent. Adventuring into this uncharted territory can yield great rewards!
When in Rome…
Chapter One of the Tierra Americana expansion had players in Europe exploring Paris and Firenze; newly-discovered Rome will bring with it the legendary Coliseum where players can duke it out in a brand new PVE mode. This giant arena in the center of Rome introduces a newly renovated ground battle system where one to five players will battle the corresponding number of ferocious NPC’s. This video highlights the new battle features in Rome’s Coliseum.
New Banking System
Are you losing all your money due to plundering? With the new checking system, you’ll only have to pay a minor service charge to insure that your money is safe from ship wrecks and pirate attacks. Thanks to the new system, you can conveniently keep your treasures safe in the bank!
The Nina, The Pinta and The Santa Maria
New ships have arrived, ready to embark on the North American Sea. The Immigrant Bark, which is similar to the Mayflower design and carried pioneers from Plymouth, England to the new land, is just one of the many new options. Players can also choose from the long schooner or commercial long schooner, complete with six assistant sails. Whatever the vessel, Vinland is only a strong breeze away!
Set sail for Uncharted Waters today!
Divina Dev Blog: Meet Divina’s Sidekicks
Divina Dev Blog: Meet Divina’s Sidekicks
By Tiramisu, Beanfun Representative
Batman had Robin.
Brain had Pinky.
You’ve got Sweet Mouse or Gloomy Bunny.
In beanfun’s newest MMO, Divina, you don’t need secret headquarters or fancy technical wizardry to attract a Sidekick of your own – just reach level 10 and complete an easy quest! Then, before you’re whisked away to the game’s main city, you’ll become the proud owner of either a pink or aqua-colored gem, containing a Sweet Mouse or Gloomy Bunny Sidekick.
D’aaaawww, sho cuuuuuute!
Don’t be fooled by the gem’s glittery exterior! Beneath its shining surface lies a most formidable beast…
*headfloor*
Your Sidekick may start out snarky, but the more you get to know him by using the “Talk” function, the more he’ll come to appreciate having you for a master. Find out which topics interest your Sidekick and gain “Favor” faster. The greater the Favor (i.e. the level of love your Sidekick has for you), the better the outcome when he’s fighting, fusing, retrieving or refining for you!
But you can’t just nurture your Sidekick’s spirit; you’ve also got to expand his mind through the “Teach” function. For every lesson, your Sidekick will gain a level and one of his stats (your choice) will increase by one point.
Sweet and smart.
When your Sidekick reaches level 11, depending on the stats you’ve assigned, your “Beginner” class Sidekick can become either a “Magician” or a “Warrior”. This is the first of three class changes your Sidekick will undergo, with each milestone offering more possible classes. Your Sidekick will level quickly and can reach up to 10 levels above your own.
Each Sidekick also has its own action bar, which allows you to customize how they’ll react in and out of battle – which skills they should use, if they should follow or wait, and the option to have them fight aggressive foes automatically.
Surprise monster aggro? No problem!
…Which is especially helpful for those times when monsters decide to pop right on top of you.
Be careful of how you adjust your Sidekick’s settings. If you’re ambushed by a mob of aggressive monsters and your Sidekick is set to automatically take out anything that threatens you, but not to follow you, he’ll stay behind and defend your honor to the last tick of his HP!
Not only are Sidekicks willing to die for you, they’ll even do your dirty work! If properly trained, you can send your Sidekick off to discover rare treasures, including hard-to-find materials and items of clothing. Your Sidekick can also handle the tedious tasks of refining weapon and core cards – items that you can use to craft weapons and Divine Wheel pieces – or fusing ores into raw stones that can increase the stats of those weapons and Divine Wheel pieces.
…There was a shirt hidden in the desert?
With all of the functions they can perform – fighting, treasure-hunting, gathering cards or fusing ores – Sidekicks are one of the most valuable systems in Divina. Take good care of your Sidekick and become a part of your own dynamic duo!
(Minus the tights.)
Divina is a F2P, whimsical 3D MMORPG set in a vibrant and colorful fantasy world filled with Gods, Demons, and a mixture of mythologies. Players will go back in time to uncover the truth about the Gods and Demons in an epic quest to save Yggdrasil – the World Tree – and prevent Ragnarok – the end of the world. Divina offers a rich MMO experience containing thousands of quests, hundreds of unusual monsters, unique areas, and a wide variety of gameplay features that will captivate players for hours on end.




















