Monthly Archives: August 2009

Karos Online: CBT for First European F2P MMO

NHN announced today the launch of the official European website for Karos Online, its first free-to-play MMORPG to be published in Europe. At www.karosgame.com, players can now register and sign up for the closed beta test, which will be starting later this month. Discussion forums have also been opened to allow the community to chat about Karos Online, and additional information about the game will be posted there to help fans prepare for the closed beta. An English release is scheduled for early autumn 2009, with German and Turkish versions to follow.

NHN has also revealed details about the game’s dynamic dungeon system, which will be playable in closed beta. In addition to traditional MMORPG dungeons full of monsters and epic loot, two types of original dungeons will be available in Karos Online:

Event dungeons, instanced for parties of up to five players, will offer adventures marked by spectacular happenings: as a party progresses into the dungeon, the environment will evolve in response to their actions, with bridges collapsing, ceilings crashing to the ground and passages appearing to reveal the path ahead.

Maze dungeons, integrated in the open world with no party size limit, will surprise and bewilder players with walls that move and shift constantly to affect the party’s path, offering a dynamic, action-packed game experience.

Dungeons are arranged in progressively difficult stages, with the later levels — including battles against fearsome boss monsters — accessible only to those who have proven themselves worthy.

Each victory in the dungeons will grant the player a ticket, which can be used to advance to harder challenges.

 

Karos Online (http://www.karosgame.com) is a brand new free-to-play fantasy MMORPG developed by Galaxy Gate (lead developers of Laghaim and Last Chaos), to be published in Europe by NHN. An English release is scheduled for early autumn 2009, with German and Turkish versions to follow. In Karos Online, players take the role of a hero determined to defeat the curse of darkness falling over the world of Asmara and ascend to ultimate glory by becoming the mythical Karos warrior. Through questing, guild clashes and mass PvP, they enter the fight for domination over the world’s vital energy source, Fletta. Fletta gems provide the basis for the game’s unique and complex alternate progression system; alongside traditional leveling within the game, Fletta energy can be used to increase stats, give buffs, buy resources and enchant items.

With a strong RPG component, wide range of class skills and fantastic visual combat effects, Karos Online offers a rich player experience and an exciting end-game for guilds, including castle sieges and resource control points. There are a variety of dynamic dungeons to explore, with shifting paths and surprises to challenge players as they progress in level. The economy is well-developed, with mining, fishing and crafting elements, and a consignment system for storage and an auction house.

Karos Online offers rare graphical quality for its small client size, and will be accessible to a vast range of computers with minimal requirements. Videos demonstrating graphics and gameplay are now available on the official website at www.karosgame.com, and more features will be revealed as the closed beta test, scheduled to start in mid-August, gets underway.

 

 Karos Online features 

  • Breathtaking 3D graphics and combat action effects
  • 5 different races and 9 original classes, evolving into 36 different specialized classes
  • Dynamic, evolving dungeons with shifting paths and surprises
  • Guild wars, territory control and 500 vs 500 castle siege battles
  • Alternate Fletta level progression system
  • Elaborate mining, fishing and crafting system
  • Small client size (700MB) and low minimum PC requirements
  • Keyboard and mouse control both available

 

 

Cloud Nine

Cloud Nine is packed not only with a the variety of PvP features such as Nation Wars, Level Party Wars, and Guild Wars, but so much more, including a Monster Transformation system, the ability to collect and tame any monster as a pet, and a large variety of dungeons
.
Don’t miss out on the captivating experience that millions of users from around the world have already discovered in Cloud Nine!

Wowathon – Gaming for Charity

Playing your favorite MMORPG for charity?

As explained on the Official Wowathon Site:

“It all began when three college teenagers happened upon Mario Marathon, a group of three guys tag-teaming all seven Super Mario games in order to raise money for Child’s Play. Child’s Play, founded by the creators of the web-comic Penny Arcade, is a charity dedicated towards donating toys, movies, and video games to hospitals for kids during the holidays. After watching these three men (with the help of thousands of supporters) raise over $30,000, we decided that we needed to do our part to help young gamers through a difficult part of their life by tapping into another gamer demographic we know well: World of Warcraft.”

Of course, who wouldn’t play their favorite game for charity? But it takes a whole lot more organization than you would think. If you want to help out and donate, go to the Official Wowathon Website, and be sure to follow the Wowathon Twitter!

“Though we are a rookie team of fundraisers/marathon gamers, we hope to raise at least $1000 by the time we reach level 60 (ETA: 6-7 days). We’re going to be gaming around the clock (rotating 8 hour sleeping shifts) until we hit level 60. We’re going to be broadcasting live from our dining room in the hopes of inspiring you to donate as well. If we reach our quota, we’ll raise our targeted donation cap and game until we hit 70 (and so forth with level 80). We’ve started a small pot, but we’re depending on you to help us reach our goal of $1000 (and beyond!).”

Currently they’ve reached around 5,600 US Dollars and they will need to reach $10.000! Would you join the cause?

4Story Interview: Inside Information

Questions by Bryan King (Bryan), OnRPG Journalist
Answered by David Choi, Zemi Interactive business development manager
 

After introducing their latest content patch, OnRPG has conducted an interview with Zemi Interactive’s business development manager, David Choi.


OnRPG:  First, introduce us to the developing story behind 4Story’s world.
David Choi: 4Story’s project team had a vision with 4Story. They truly wanted a game for everyone to enjoy. It is not easy to target the entire world’s users because tastes and cultures are different everywhere. Some desire hardcore PvP powered by a Hack N Slash system. Some desire party play, some like to play alone. Some like to collect unique items. Some like their characters look fierce, yet some prefer it to be cute. The 4Story team worked days and nights to match the different tastes. With 4story users increasing rapidly from all over the world, 4Story project team is more vibrant than ever. 4Story is a progressively developing game. As long as the 4Story project team is happy, they go over a whole lot more to show!


OnRPG:  What type of things have you guys devised to better market the game to the US?
DC: I was actually surprised to see that many gamers from US have already joined our global service. It is amazing because we have not actually done any marketing for North America. With 4 Story being a big hit in 7 European countries, I suppose viral marketing has brought some positive results. We have an aggressive marketing campaign scheduled for North America this summer. We have our fingers crossed that many US users will enjoy 4Story. 

4Story Combat Move


OnRPG: What FUTURE events do you guys have planned? 4Story is known to have an extremely active community, with events strengthening that bond. What do you guys have up your sleeve?
DC: We have launched many successful events so far. And we are planning to keep up the good vibe. I wouldn’t want to spoil you by telling what upcoming events are. However, I can assure you that, all our events are planned to provide more fun. Of course we also know there are those few events always welcomed. 4Story users never say no to cool rewards such as cash items.


OnRPG:  Speaking as an administrator, what has honestly been the FUNNEST thing that you’ve done with the community?
DC: One of the funniest moments was during the event we prepared for loyal users last Christmas. There was a big Christmas tree located in the center of the town. With single click of my command, it started to snow everywhere in the world of 4 Story. Trust me… users went berserk! Players picked up snowballs from ground and snowball fights were on everywhere. Monsters were not an exception. They were also popular targets.


OnRPG:  What has been something that aggravated you… maybe a pesky player… a bad hacker? What happened?
DC: I guess many GMs of other online games must feel my pain. There are always those level 1 hardcore players specialized in adverting flooding the chat box. These spammers have improved along with the history of MMORPGs. Using macro programs to copy and paste their advertisement at a speed of light, left no chance for innocent users to communicate. I battled all night to ban, but they came back strong making new characters and accounts again and again. After a continuous battle which lasted a full 18 hours, it was glorious victory for GM team. After all, it is a whole lot easier to ban than create new accounts.

Great Battles

OnRPG:  What situations warrant a GM or another Administrator actually appearing in the game world?
DC: GMs don’t usually appear in the game. However, there are a few exceptions. There could be an event which requires GM’s assistant. There could be some unexpected bug that needs to be solved by a GM. Finally, the one I enjoy the most. GMs appear in game to ban all users using illegal methods to obtain excessive profits and ruin the community. When I catch them on site, it’s funny to how they all try to run or use “Teleport”, but come on, don’t forget GMs can summon you right back to where you started.  


OnRPG:  Are there secrets in the game that players haven’t figured out yet?
DC: There should be no secrets unless there are secrets that even GMs are unaware of. There could be some first class secrets sealed tight by our programming team. Who knows?


OnRPG:  Do you get any special perks for being a GM/Administrator?
DC: GMs get some special items. Full Set Armor and Weapon with the maximum upgrade rate, and 2 GM Rings.


OnRPG:  How many offensive players do you and the rest of the team deal with daily?
DC: Fortunately, there are not very many offensive players in 4STORY. And even when there are, most of the situations are controlled by players themselves.

4Story Game Content

OnRPG:  Describe why new players should give 4Story a try.
DC: 4STORY is a progressive developing game, and a variety-pursuing game, which is why you should give a try. Enormous quests, boss monster raids, PvP, RvR, Instant dungeons, unique items, mounts. RSCS, and so much more to come… I say why not!


OnRPG:  Thanks for letting us interview you, Mr. Choi!
DC: It is always a pleasure for us to have the great opportunity promote 4story. I am sure we will have another chance to be interviewed in the future. I hope to have more cool stories to tell!


OnRPG: Thanks again, Mr. Choi! 
 

The Secret World

Imagine if every myth, conspiracy theory and urban legend was true. Imagine if your worst nightmare came to life. Imagine a world where vampires hunt for mortal blood in dingy London nightclubs, where werewolves lurk in the sewers beneath Seoul, and where the undead prey on the living in the shadows of New York City. This is the premise for «The Secret World», Funcom’s upcoming massively multiplayer online game set in the modern day real world.

Urban environments – Throw yourself into the bustling urban environments of New York, London and Seoul. Shop for clothes, weapons and accessories. Stop by the local nightclub to socialize with your friends before heading out into the darkness that is slowly encroaching on the city streets.

Real-world locations – Discover real-world locations throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and America. From New England to Egypt, explore vast lands full of detail and story as you unravel the myths, legends and conspiracies of the world through a unique, story-driven gameplay experience.

Freeform gameplay – Experience a game that has no classes or levels. Truly freeform character customization allows you to create the alter-ego you want to play, and gameplay that goes beyond the usually rigid MMO structure allows you to play the game the way you want to play it.

Hundreds of powers – Wield fiery katana, gold-plated pistols, and deadly automatic rifles. Learn martial arts, black magic and voodoo. Choose from hundreds of powers to create a character completely customized to your liking.

Action-packed combat – Lose yourself in the most intense real-time action-packed combat system ever. Aim, strafe, shoot – movement is key as bullets fly past you and explosions threaten to tear you apart. Swords or firearms, magic and melee, each offering a similarly intense, reactive combat experience.

Secret societies – Join the Illuminati, the Templars or the Dragon – the three secret societies that pull the strings of our world. Work your way to the top, earn titles and rewards, and play a key role in the battle for world domination.

Player-made organisations – Create or join player-made organisations called cabals. Create your own headquarters, and decorate and furnish it to your liking. All cabals are ranked against each other, and a cabal’s success will bring fame, fortune and power to its members.

Track your progress – Earn points for everything you do – from combat and exploration, to trade skills and PvP – in order to rank high on both local and global scoreboards, gain titles and worldwide acclaim, and help make your secret society the most powerful and influential of them all.

Intense player vs. player combat – Take part in ferocious, non-stop player vs. player action in the Battle for Hollow Earth. Fight to control anima, a priceless resource deep within the bowels of our world that will bring unprecedented power to whichever cabal that collects it

Next-generation graphics – Featuring the latest in cutting-edge graphics technology, explore beautifully realized real-world locations that will truly set the standard for next-generation massively multiplayer online games. Prepare for an audiovisual experience unlike anything seen before.

 

This game may turn the whole MMO concept upside down, in a good way!

WoW Patch 3.2 Live This Week

Read the patch notes on the official site here.
 
The long awaited patch 3.2 brings many changes along with it. I’m not sure we should be all happy with these changes – such as all heroics now drop Emblems of Conquest and riding skills can be trained at much lower level (Journeyman Riding at level 20, Epic Riding at level 40 and yes, at level 60 we can already fly!). These changes will make leveling up from 60 to 70 ridiculously easy – if we remember not to fly over enemy cities of course.
 
Still some very interesting changes are taking place. New class changes, and the new druid forms are finally available. There’s a new battleground (Isle of Conquest) and I’m certain all the prices for Titanium will skyrocket for a few weeks, since we can gather epic gems from prospecting the ores.
 

Red War Review: Edem’s Curse

Red War: Edem’s Curse Review

Rickee Charbonneau

Red War: Edem’s Curse is an MMORPG very recently published by Uforia. This MMORPG is one of the few new online games that make use of the isometric point of view, taking gamers back to the classic days of gaming. It is backed up with a pretty interesting storyline, involving quarrels between the Meltya and the dark Quelian forces. Receiving tons of positive feedback, this revolutionized dungeon crawler attracts a great deal of players despite its severe lack in player customization. This game also features daily tournaments that are solely based on player skill and not equipment values and character levels. In the 2D game world, this is the equivalent in the MMORPG entitled Wind Slayer (which is reputed for its elaborate PVP systems).

General Gameplay

Unfortunately, I was not very captivated by this MMORPG. It was rather bland in my opinion, and I could not help but wonder how there were so many people online. That was far past my mind. As I entered the game, I was given a choice to create a character from one of three classes. Of course, there is absolutely no customization involved, so that basically states that there are three default characters running around the game x1000. That’s right: everybody looks the same!

My adventures were undertaken as an archer, one of my favourite class types, and I will admit that they did a pretty good job with this class. On the other hand, they are a little bit overpowered in comparison with the mages, as everyone must grind for skill books in order to cast spells and the like. I was pretty lucky in finding them, but it surely sounded like a hassle to me. The warrior class was of no interest to me, although for this genre of MMO, they averagely fit the part.

Starting off as a newbie was a piece of cake. I was expecting a tutorial or a quick intro, but I was left with the playfield and no guidance whatsoever. Luckily enough, all characters start off with a ton of newbie potions and some basic armor to keep you going. The learning curve is next to nothing, so you will get the hang of this game pretty instantly.

Red War has two unique features. Firstly is the PvP arena, “Red War”. Yes, I am completely aware that this is the most original title they could come by for their PvP arena. I suppose they really wanted to bring attention to this feature, which only makes sense to me as it is actually quite fun! This event happens three times daily, and anyone is able to join so long as they are level 20 or higher, and are able to pay the hefty 200,000 GP entrance fee. Once a player enters this arena, their character is levelled to 80, offering them access to the game’s most powerful spells and skills. Once that is covered, you are randomly placed into one of two teams. Your goal is to kill as many players on the opposing team. If the team you are placed on has the highest amount of kills once the timer is up, you are given the opportunity to fight the Chaotic Dragon, a powerful monster in the game. This is a fun way to conduct PVP matches, as everyone can participate equally so long as they’ve reached level 20. There is no unbalanced fighting; everything is fair. I am no fan of PVP, but I enjoyed the team aspect of this fighting. It felt like a huge war!

Red War Combat

The second feature I would like to explain is the clone feature. It is pretty simple: players are able to create a clone of their character (as if there are not enough clones of each character running around without this feature…) to do simple tasks while they are busy with quests and PVP. I have not tried this feature out for myself, but it seems like a very unique approach on gaming.

Graphics and Sound

I will have to admit that I was not impressed by either of these aspects of Red War. They are both extremely outdated and below average. We have seen so many great games so far this year, and this just puts that streak to shame. The background music is revolting (and can be easily replaced by one’s own music library), and the environments and maps are linear and bland. However, I did enjoy the classic style the game put on. I was able to look past the graphical disaster as it was acceptable for the “old” style of the game. If you are one to enjoy graphics, stick to Atlantica, Sword of the New World, or another hit from these past years. You will not be able to stand this game if you are the least bit judgmental on that aspect of things.

Personal Recommendation

I personally did not find this MMORPG enjoyable. I only really enjoyed the PVP aspect of Red War and for someone that generally dislikes PVP that means there was not much for me to do in this game. In fact, there was pretty much nothing. I will give Uforia the benefit of the doubt and hope for great future updates, but until then I will not be going anywhere near this game. There is a severe lack in content such as skills, monsters, maps to train on, quests, and all around features to tinker with.

There is something promising about this MMORPG, to look on the brighter side of things. The style is really action based and really requires some amount of skill to play. One could think of this game as a faster passed Red Stone or MU Online.

Coral Coast in Red War

Without a doubt, I would have to recommend this MMORPG to MMORPG gamers who like the isometric view, do not mind games with no customization and few character classes, and love PVP. I know this combination of interests may be rare, but if those things are in your list, you cannot miss with this game. Especially if they decide to update the game when the open beta is over! Happy Gaming

Pros
– Faster paced game
– No learning curve
– Pretty large community
– Great PVP!!

Cons
– Linear as a game can get
– No customization
– Bland sounds and outdated graphics.

Dragon Ball Online

 

This is Dragonball Online, the MMORPG based on the hit manga which sold millions of copies around the world, and considered to be the work which opened up Japanese manga to the world. The storyline in the game, however, differs that of the manga. It is now 250 years after the last events which took place, and the 3 races, Human, Namekian and Majin have since lived peacefully together as a community. There is no definite storyline or plot, players can choose to become either one of the 3 races and explore the world and even time travel back to the past for missions.
Why it is hot
Its hot because it’s Dragonball Online. Before it was announced,  no one would have ever thought any development studio will be bold enough to take a classic and make it into an online game. When  was the last time a Japanese manga was made into a MMORPG ? Plus, the series manga and anime have millions of loyal fans around the world, especially Asia, where teenagers literally grew up reading the series, including me. The MMORPG is also designed by the series’s creator, Akira Toriyama, for the past 5 years. Closed Beta applications for just a few thousand slots was swarmed with by almost 200 thousand requests.