Monthly Archives: December 2008

Boy shot parents because of Halo3

Cleveland.com is reporting the following news:

ELYRIA – Daniel Petric shot his parents — killing his mother — because they wouldn’t allow him to play the violent video game Halo 3, prosecutors told a judge at the boy’s murder trial Monday.

The trial, on charges of murder and attempted murder, opened Monday for Petric, 17, of Brighton Township. He is being tried without a jury before Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty because of Petric’s age. In their opening state ments, prosecutors outlined this version of events surrounding the shooting:

In September 2007, Daniel, then 16, had sneaked out of his bedroom window to purchase the game at a store against his father’s orders. When he returned home, his parents caught him with the game and took it from him. His father, Mark, a minister at New Life Assembly of God in Wellington, put the game in a lockbox in a closet where he also kept a 9mm handgun, according to prosecutors.

About a month later, on Oct. 20, 2007, Daniel used his father’s key to open the lockbox and remove the gun and the game. The boy shot his parents, killing his mother and gravely wounding his father. As his father lay wounded, Daniel tried to place the gun in his father’s hand.

Daniel fled after his sister and her husband arrived at the house, taking the Halo 3 game with him.

Mark and Susan Petric
Also on Monday, a tearful Mark Petric testified that his son came up behind him as he sat on the couch and said, “Would you guys close your eyes? I have a surprise for you.”

Petric, 45, said he “expected a pleasant surprise” and closed his eyes. Then his head went numb. As the blood poured from a bullet wound in his head, he realized his wife, Susan Petric, 43, was lying dead on a nearby loveseat, shot in the head, arms and chest.

Petric said his son shoved the gun into his hand saying, “Hey Dad, here’s your gun. Take it.”

Mark Petric broke down on the witness stand as he said he believes he survived the shooting only because his daughter and husband arrived at the house to watch an Indians game. He heard his son telling them they couldn’t come inside.

“You guys shouldn’t come in,” Mark Petric recalled his son saying. “Mom and Dad had a big argument.”

The couple, Heidi and Andrew Archer, testified they heard a moan – possibly their names being groaned – from inside the house, pushed their way in and found the elder Petric wounded and his wife dead. The elder Petric, through his shattered jaw, managed to say his son had shot him, while Daniel tried to blame his father.

Heidi Archer called 9-1-1 and then realized that Daniel had picked up the handgun that had been lying on the couch. Her husband took the gun from the boy, who gave it up without resistance.
The boy ran out of the house and fled in the family van. He was caught by Wellington police a short time later, the Halo 3 game still on the front seat.

Daniel showed little emotion throughout the trial except when his mother’s autopsy photos were flashed on a large screen. He bowed his head and stared at his hands for about 20 minutes while the photos were discussed.

Petric was allowed to visit his son in jail over the past year. He said his son has apologized. “Dad, I’m so sorry for what I did to Mom, to you and to the family,” Daniel said, according to his father. “I’m so glad you are alive.”
“You’re my son,” Petric responded. “You’re my boy.”
He said his wife and their son had a very close relationship.
“He was always her little boy,” Petric told the judge.

Heidi Archer said the family has forgiven her brother and want him to come home because the family cannot heal until they are all together.

Daniel’s lawyer, James Kersey, gave a short opening statement. He said his client had been under great stress at the time of the shooting because of a snowboarding accident that resulted in a severe staph infection. It left Daniel with such severe spinal damage that the slightest injury could leave him paralyzed.

Daniel was homebound for a year with nothing to do but watch television and play video games, Kersey said. It was during that time that he became fascinated with the Halo series and would play them for hours at friends’ houses. His father forbade the games, saying that were too violent and sexually explicit.

(source: cleveland.com)

KaosWar

FPS and Action-style controls (1st and 3rd person) with real-time action allows players to control a blend of melee and ranged weapons, and mystic powers in combat.

Character customization and skill-based gameplay provide players a choice of gaming style, characters and character class. Using our skill-based system of gameplay, players may increase a specific statistic such as dexterity, strength or speed to build a unique character.

Game Features

  • Three completely different factions and races: the Deva, Al’gar and Humanity.
  • Open world with minimal restrictions on player behavior
  • Wide range of interiors and player housing, advanced guild functionalities and accommodations
  • Race vs. Race gameplay.

Kaos is a living world with frequent live events based on the state of the world and an evolving economy.

Luna Online Singapore

Click here to download the Luna Online Malaysia client
LUNA Online is developed by EYA Interactive from Korea; they have spent 3 years to develop this Cute Style Fantasy MMORPG. This game has already achieved great success in Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Japan. Now it will be launching the first English service.

Luna online is a MMORPG where Elfs and Humans must bond together to fight the evil that invades their Blue land. Game characters are super cute style, with very manga-like (cartoon-like) facial expression. The game also provides the unique “Friendship system” and “Family system”, and it has a very convenient trading, dating, family and community system for everyone. You can also build up your farm, plant, business, train and feed your own lovely mounts and pets.

 

FusionFall

An unstoppable force has traveled the galaxy for millennia, consuming countless planets and civilizations. Its next target is Earth and…

You are the last line of defense!

Dive into the Cartoon Network Universe

From futuristic skyscrapers to mystical ruins, enter an enormous action-packed universe unlike anything you’ve seen. Mix it up with stars of Cartoon Network like Ben 10 and Billy and Mandy – but expect a surprise when you do.

Show off your inner hero

Planet Fusion is invading the Cartoon Network Universe, but we won’t go down without a fight. Create your avatar. Grab your gear. Then get your friends and kick some Fusion butt! The universe is counting on you – no pressure.

Experience nonstop MMORPG action

Only here will you find tons of console game action smack-dab inside a massive online world. You and your friends can jump, slide, bounce and fight your way through dynamic environments that’ll keep you on your toes. Think you can keep up?

Rappelz: Lots of frosty gifts and special items

Rappelz, the dark and fantasy MMORPG from the www.gpotato.eu gaming portal put it’s Christmas colours on with plenty of events planned for the community kicking off with special events from 16th to 31st of December 2008. Tons of activities, decorations and gifts await players who can come together around the Christmas tree allocated in each city of Rappelz.

From the 16th of December, players will have the opportunity to collect special items during their encounters against monsters. From snowballs that can be used during fights to freeze your opponents, to special items you can redeem against Santa or Reindeer outfits, many special items will be available.

During Christmas Eve, a Hidden Village Passport will be offered to each connected character and will allow people free travel to this mythical destination. A countdown will also be put in place for New Year’s Eve, and every player will get a “special” bottle in order to celebrate the New Year. This item will grant different bonuses to players, such as an attack and magical improvement to their abilities.

In organising events on Rappelz, the gPotato team’s purpose is to unify the community around regular in-game activities, and meet the expectation of players who are looking for events and a lively community. Many other activities are planned for the next few months.

Tales of Pirates: New Server “Burning Sea”

Tales of Pirates has been a hit since the day it was released. Since then it has grown explosively; almost too fast for IGG to keep up with demand. So, without further ado, the TOP team is proud to announce that another new server called Burning Sea will be opened on December 18th after this week’s scheduled maintenance.

A new world and a new start await those who want to experience it, as well as new friends. IGG (http://www.igg.com/) will also be holding the standard events accompanying the new server launch, including:

Event I – Double Exp Carnival
Event II – You Play, We Pay
Event III- Leveling Contest

For a smooth game-playing experience, the TOP team recommends new players choose the new server. It is possible that you will even emerge as one of the top players in this new world.

Aeria Games Gives $5 Million Dollars To Its Gaming Community

‘Tis the season for giving and this is exactly what Aeria Games is doing. Starting on December 12th, Aeria Games will be gifting more than $5 million dollars to its valued community.

The Aeria Games community will be receiving special codes via e-mail to redeem Aeria Points – the virtual currency of the Aeria Games portal. Every community member will receive a surprise amount of Aeria Points which can be utilized to purchase unique virtual items within any of the unique Free to Play MMO games provided by Aeria Games.

The Aeria Games portfolio boasts 10 MMO titles covering the fantasy, social, and action genres with a minimum of 10 more to be launched in 2009 for North America and Europe. The Aeria community is one of the fastest growing Free-to-Play communities with over 5 million members to date.

Aurora Blade Interview

Questions prepared By: Roxane, Onrpg editor
Answered by: Wayne Wang, Product Manager

With a turn-based battle system, Aurora Blade is the first browser-based 2D RPG released by IGG. It is the licensed English version of the Chinese game Miuworld. The Aurora Blade Closed Beta was released on December 5th. At the very beginning, this fantasy game will take players to the Aurora Seaport which used to be a nearly deserted ferry terminal. It became busy again when large groups of adventurers began arriving. Nobody knows where the evil has returned from, though there are hundreds of stories about the evil being passed along from battle-hardened heroes.

Onrpg: Aurora Blade has been playable in Chinese as Miuworld. Are you planning to change game features in Aurora Blade?

Aurora Blade: Not now, at least not for the Closed Beta version. But we do try to combine our ideas with players’ suggestions and put them into our further actions.

Onrpg: What responses do you expect to receive from the Closed Beta players? Which features require a lot of testing, and what do you think players will find extra appealing?

Aurora Blade: We’re kind of hoping that we can get some feedback from participating players on bugs we haven’t yet found in game. What’s more, we also want to know what they think of the game in general. It will help us a lot when making some adjustments or adding more things into the game later.

I guess all game features require a lot of testing, especially the Class system, PK system, and Competition system. The PK system in Aurora Blade is designed to offer players more fun and excitement through fair competition. To this end we have developed a set of detailed rules and regulations to guarantee fairness in the bouts. We also have a firm set of rules regarding any actions that have been deemed to be malicious in any way.

Competing is quite different from PK and more like a friendly duel. Players can discover new strategies to becoming a competition leader by equipping different gear sets, using different skill combos, exploiting class weaknesses and more, all through competition. When you compete, you get a chance to earn the mutual respect of your opponents and you can even make friends with them. However, one of the main attractions of this competition has to be the fantastic rewards!

Onrpg: What makes Aurora Blade unique and fun to play? What plans do you have for further enhancing this factor?

Aurora Blade: In accordance with our goals from the very beginning, Aurora Blade features all the best characteristics and advantages of PC games, MMORPGs and browser-based games in one slick package. We will also try to improve the game graphics and perfect the in-game systems in the near future.

Onrpg: As a browser-based MMO, how do you think this will change the game play habits of gamers interested in this genre?

Aurora Blade: Just like “Diablo” and “Command and Conquer”, it was a simple click of the mouse and all problems were solved. As for Aurora Blade, less keyboard-play means players will have more chances to talk with others in game. This fits with our close knit community approach to gaming. What’s more, players can play while browsing the internet, so they don’t need to wait for the client to open or kill time waiting for the client to download or update.

Onrpg: Could you please offer some information on the feature system and how this contributes to the game play experience?

Aurora Blade: Let’s talk a little about the Class Transfer System and the Rebirth System. As long as players have at least 30 basic skill points, they can choose to transfer classes. Each class in Aurora Blade contains four basic sub classes and enables each one to possess its own strong abilities. After reaching level 60, players can be reborn by completing certain quests. After rebirth a character will possess more stats points than before and will be able to use specially designed, more powerful gear. If players finish all the main quests before Level 60, they can accept the rebirth quest. After defeating the Nirvana Area Guardian, the rebirth quest is done! This system gives characters a second chance at life without the weakness of starting over!

Onrpg: Will there be an option to buy items to use in the game, and how will this benefit the gameplay?

Aurora Blade: Yes, the in-game Item Mall will be released later. There will be lots of options and players will be able to find the items they like to use in game with no problem. For example, some potions will allow players to recover during battle while some magic stones will help them refine/enchant their gear. There are even diamond rings if they’re ready to propose to their game lover.

Onrpg: What’s your response with regard to the expectant players that compare the artwork from Aurora Blade to the artwork used in some other MMOs (like Ragnarok Online)?

Aurora Blade: Players do have a keen sense of art, definitely better than us. In fact, there was a bit of a shock in the first place. As many people know, Aurora Blade had already been run as Miuworld on mainland China and in Taiwan. During this time there were no copyright issues raised concerning this title. We feel now that this was a careless mistake on our part, which should not have been allowed to happen under any circumstances. IGG is strongly against any form of copyright infringement, so we contacted the Aurora Blade developer to start an investigation into this issue as soon as it was brought to our attention.

Onrpg: What kind of environments and areas will players be able to explore and battle in?

Aurora Blade: We tried to provide a fun, healthy, positive and fair gaming environment for our players. Therefore, we added various maps and scenes according to the storyline. It is easy for players to have fun exploring these maps or fighting with others.

Onrpg: Will there be special in-game events for the Aurora Blade player community? Are you planning something special for the release?

Aurora Blade: Definitely. We always enjoy holding many different kinds of in-game events for our player. Recently, we’ve been holding a series of events for the closed beta players, and more special ones will be released very soon. Please stay tuned to the Aurora Blade official website, for more information.

Onrpg: What are some of your plans for future releases for Aurora Blade?

Aurora Blade: We are redesigning some graphic elements, and are always seeking new ways of improving existing in-game systems. On the other hand, we get suggestions day-by-day from the closed beta players and constantly seek input from players on ways to make Aurora Blade an even better game.

Last but not the least, we want to say thank you to all of our supporters, without you all these would be meaningless. And thanks to Onrpg.com for the coverage.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: End Game And You

By Darth Kraze, GameZig Writer

Hello everyone my name is Darth Kraze and I’m from California, and an avid MMO enthusiast. This is my first article and I want it to be what got me noticed here. Hope you enjoy!

For me, the real game starts when I hit the level cap, and can begin raiding. I love the difficulty, skill and coordination required to raid. I love that not every single person you run into is able to pull it off. I love being in that elite group of players who are known server wide.

How do you spend your time once you reach that max level? How do you see raiding implemented into The Old Republic?

Imagine you have your twenty men sitting in your guilds hangar organizing for the up-coming raid when time finally comes. You all jump into your guilds carrier/cruiser type ship and head off, your target? that Sith Destroyer cruiser that has been spotted around said planet. As you come out of hyperspace and begin to close in on the ship. Your best pilots jump into their respective ships in the hangar and head off to be greeted by a squad of Sith pilots. The rest of your men, man the turrets with your captain steering the ship.

After an epic battle and the sith fleet destroyed the real fun begins when you begin boarding.

Your raid of twenty splits off into squads of 5, and begin to spread out searching the ship looking for, prisoners/convicts/stolen plans/intelligence/some valuable object . But it’s not that simple, every corridor is filled with sith assassins and other military types, maybe a few sith tamed creatures if your lucky. As you travel through the halls you come to a sealed door that can’t be cut through with your handy dandy jedi. You call your commander and report your situation, he relays the command to all available squads to look for a security room to unlock the door.

Just clearing it though isn’t that simple, you have to have a skilled enough slicer with you, it’s not just a simple click and done task either, the slicer will have to work his way through a series of tasks through a lack of better words “mini-game”. Once completed though he will have the ability to open and lock doors, he’ll be able to go through the security cameras and find what you’re looking for, and have access to defense turrets and gas rooms, being able to disable or use them on the sith themselves.

Raiding would not just be “kill everything” there would be a multitude of non combat capabilities. As in my previous example you have “slicers” you have your diplomat who would try and settle the conflict without combat(for non sith raids) you would have your charismatic entertainer type profession(if they have one) trying to talk her way into getting maybe a passkey or maybe the location of whatever your looking for or even maybe you could convert him to your cause and he would join your group almost like a second companion character for the mission. There are a lot of other class possibilities as well.

So that there is some added pressure and excitement they would be timed so that you don’t have raids lasting hours to appeal of the casual gamer. Be it the ship activating it’s self destruct or your target jumping in an escape pod and leaving. I also thought it could have a really cool tie in with PvP, imagine you just board the ship and begin clearing, when you hear over the intercom “A second ship has boarded us! on the starboard side! be on alert!” then it becomes a race to the objective, and somewhat of a capture the flag mission, you getting to the target and escaping with it.

There would be a plethora of strategic options, would you try getting the objective? or would you try to get to their ship and ambushing them on the way out? would you rush to the security room and use the ships defenses against them? or would you just send your whole raid at them to try and drive them off?

There would be no more single giant raid bosses where you have 20-40 men whacking away at it for 30 minutes, instead you would have many smaller single group bosses, it would require coordination and movement, no more standing in one spot the whole time spamming a button. The single boss could run off through the halls leading you into a trap or just bring the fight into many rooms with different environmental layouts.

This wouldn’t just be restricted to space and ships either, it could easily be a land based raid as well delving into an opposing factions base, or maybe even some ancient ruins.

(Just to make it even longer, bounty hunters should be able to board the ship as well if he has a target on-board, it wouldn’t really inconvenience the whole raid unless the bounty hunter stealthed his way to the raid and waited for a boss engagement to ensue.)

If you read all of that I applaud and thank you.

Original source: GameZig.com.

Zu Online: Christmas Events Preview

Christmas is coming soon. In order to celebrate it with all Zu Online players, Zu Team will be holding several exciting Christmas events during December 15th, 2008 and January 4th, 2009 EST (GMT-5). Here below are the details on these events:

Event 1:Xmas Letter Cards

Content:
During the event, level 31+ monsters may drop cards with the letters “X”, “m”, “a” and “s” written on them. Players can exchange the letter cards for cool gifts, or collect all four cards together and exchange them for a special prize.

Rewards
Letter “m”, “a” or “s” can be exchanged for experience, Bones, scrolls and three Hearthstones (One among them at random). Getting letter “X”means getting Small Str. of Incarnate except for what can previous letters can exchange for. Intact Xmas Gift Package or Perfect Xmas Gift Package is equal to much more things, including Small Str. of Incarnate or Medium Str. of Incarnate, Far-sight Spirit, Great scrolls or Superior scrolls.

Event 2: Stuffed Stockings

Content:

When we were young, we always expected kind-hearted Santa Claus to fill our stockings with gifts on Christmas Eve. But do you still dream of stuffed stockings? In Zu World, your dreams may come true! Soon, at the Amusement Park, Santa Claus will arrive to give out stuffed stockings to lucky players!

Rewards:

Players can get Xmas Candle, Starlet, Sparkling Xmas Starlet, Velvet Toy, Santa Claus’ Hat, Sled or Christmas Tree, which can be exchanged for Bones, Fortune Casket, Moonlight Chest, Spirit Training Bolus, Compound Chest, etc.

Additionally, the player who ranks highest in using the above items will also win more handsome rewards, such as 50 Moonlight Chest, “Christmas Star” title, or several Pet Combination Bolus.