Monthly Archives: November 2009

Neverland Online

Neverland Online is a free-to-play 2D fantasy MMORPG set in a mythical ancient Chinese world. In the role of Ranger, Assassin, Elementalist, or Taoist, you will venture beyond Moon Town, at times collaborating with other players, to defeat the Demon Army and protect world peace as you work toward finding the secret to immortality.

 

Over 200 million pieces of game equipment and a variety of pets are available to assist you in battle.

 

Neverland online can be played online (browser-based) or downloaded (Windows client) for a more complete game experience.

Megaten Interview: Game Sages and their Sages about Games

Questions by Mohammed Afzal (MageMoa), Onrpg Journalist.
Answered by Ryan Sandoval (tenkido), Game Sage.

It’s the dream of many veteran players; Becoming a Game Sage to help your fellow players and being recognized at the same time! It is all you could ask for! This dream became reality for Game Sage tenkido. After gaining a lot of knowledge about Aeriagames’ Megaten he decided to apply for the job and he was lucky enough to be chosen! Being a Game Sage brings a lot of questions up from people who are not familiar with the job and the exact meaning of being a Game Sage, so I decided to ask tenkido some questions about the whole meaning of being a Game Sage.


Onrpg: Could you introduce yourself, please?
My forum name is tenkido, but I prefer my nickname Jebus. I am a Game Sage on Aeriagames’ Megaten.


Onrpg: Why did you decide to become a Game Sage?
I’ve always liked helping people, whether it’s online or in person.


Onrpg: Would you be able to tell us a bit about how you became a Game Sage?
All I did was apply to become one and I was chosen due to how well known I was for being helpful around the community. That doesn’t mean someone with a reputable name has an advantage over someone who doesn’t, but it’s always good to be known so there’s a trust between you and the community already there.

SMT Community


Onrpg: What were your expectations of the job?
I expected to gain a little more trust from the community, and I gave trust back to them, due to my title. I feel that if I’m trusted more with the title, then there’s respect between them, me and Aeria.


Onrpg: Did these expectations become reality?
Of course they became a reality. I’m called upon a lot to help people with item transfers.


Onrpg: Could you tell us a bit about your daily routine in-game?
Mostly I log on in Channel 1 Shinjuku Babel, due to it having the most flow of traffic. Often times, I’m asked questions either regarding the game or about being a Game Sage. Once in a while I go to Home 3 and help around with the same thing I do in Shinjuku Babel. Sometimes I do a few dungeon/comp hack runs or help some people finish their Acts that are easier with a party.


Onrpg: What kind of things do you do outside of the game (ex. Forums, chat etc..) ?
I’m very active in the forums and in the Shout Box. I’m always lurking around the forums and am almost always ready to help people there. If I’m not in either the forums or the game, then I’m either busy with some school work or looking up something I may not know about the game.


Onrpg: Are there any kind of questions that you can’t help people with?
Only thing I can’t seem to help people with are the different class builds. I’m mainly familiar with my class (Mage) and haven’t really tampered with the others. Sorry.

SMT Character


Onrpg: Have you ever had players asking you quite.. unusual questions ?
I don’t know if I’ve ever been asked an unusual question, but I think the weirdest question was about the game mechanics for Last Chaos. Only thing I said to them was they were in the wrong game to ask that question. They stopped PM’ing (Tell) me after that.


Onrpg: I assume that you are not a full-time Game Sage and that you play the game from time to time. Could you tell us a bit about your character and what you do on a regular basis when not helping people?
My character is level 46 and I have most of my gear taroted. When I’m just hanging around doing nothing, I’m normally just talking to some friends and learning more about the game or I’m trying to sell some items/equipment to gain more money so I can host some random events for people.


Onrpg: What is your favorite part of the game and why?
My favorite part is the game itself. I played Digital Devil Saga a bit, so I knew about it a bit as well. Knowing a bit about it and how some things may/might be, so I fell in love with the game. Also, the way some Greek mythology and religion are in here, it makes me feel I’m learning more about these things, which I do enjoy.


Onrpg: What do you enjoy the most about being a Game Sage?
The best thing I enjoy about being a Game Sage is being trusted more than I was before. Yes, I think I was trusted before, but this title brings more responsibility. The thought that people trust me just because of the title makes me feel a bit important to the community.


Onrpg: What are the positive/negative parts of being a Game Sage?
The positives of this position are what I enjoy about being a Game Sage. Alas, there are negatives. They are being hated because of all the controversy against us and being expected to answer every question we’re given within a seconds. Yes, I have met people like that.


Onrpg: Do you get anything in return from Aeria Games for helping them with the game?
GameSages only receive one thing: satisfaction. The thought and feeling of know that we helped someone is good enough for me. And, honestly, I don’t feel we really deserve to receive anything from Aeria due to this being a community volunteer position.

Players in SMT


Onrpg: Do you see yourself more as a regular player or as a part of Aeria’s staff? Why?
I see myself as a part of both. On the one hand, I’m a Game Sage that has to follow other rules so as to keep the title and to be respected by others. But, on the other hand, I talk and act as though I’m just a regular player because I am just a regular player, but with more responsibility.


Onrpg: Is there any other game you would like to be a Game Sage for?
There isn’t any other game because I prefer MegaTen over all.


Onrpg: What makes you stick to Megaten?
The community. Sadly, there is a lack of content for now and everyone can see that. But, if it wasn’t for how nice and amazing the community was here, I would probably move onto another game. The impression of the community of is always important.


Onrpg: A long, long time ago, you used to be a newbie. Could you tell us about how you developed and improved in Megaten?
I started talking to a lot of people, gained knowledge about the game and started to talk a hold of my character myself. Then, after getting to the point where I felt I knew what I was going to do later on in my levels, I started to gain more knowledge in other fields, such as expertise and technical issues.

Party


Onrpg: What kind of responsibilities does being a Game Sage have?
There is being a role model to others, making sure others are having a good time, and keeping the disorderly in order.


Onrpg: Is there anything else you would like to mention about being a Game Sage?
It’s not for everyone!


Onrpg: Thank you for your time!
It was a pleasure.

Trickster announces lots of changes

 

Ntreev USA, a leading online game developer and publisher, announced today it will launch a major content update for its popular fantasy MMORPG, Trickster Online: A New Discovery on November 4th.  The new features will include a new Surprise Spot, Card Identification, Guardians and Enlightenment!

 

“We communicate a great deal with our Trickster community and these new features are some of the things they have told us they would like to see,” said Chris Lee CEO of Ntreev USA.  “With this new update, players will get all kinds of new opportunities to unlock mysteries, increase skills.”

Surprise Spot

 

The new surprise spot system is a fun and useful daily quest that will give players access to special vendors and NPCs as well as drilling bonuses.  Every day players will have an opportunity to find map pieces that can be combined and used to find buried treasure. The spot where the buried treasure is hidden will either give players large amounts of items when excavated, or teleport the Trickster to a hidden map.

Card Identification

 

Cards are an integral part of the Trickster Lore and game system. The new Card Identification system will add another use for Cards that pushes them beyond fun flavor and into a game defining tool.  The new Card Identification system lets Tricksters use cards to create new items from their cards by playing a matching game.  More importantly, it gives Tricksters access to the Secret Cards of Caballa Island. When Tricksters find all 16 secret cards they will be granted access to the new and exciting Enlightenment.

Enlightenment

 

The path to becoming a true Trickster has been long and, thus far, unending.  Now players will be given a chance to become a true Trickster and unlock the Guardian that will protect them. Once Tricksters find all 16 cards they will be granted access to a special series of quests that will plant the Soul Seed within them.  The Soul Seed will carefully watch the actions of the Trickster and form a guardian inside it. When the Soul Seed is ready it will unlock the Trickster Guardian.  

Guardians

 

There are four guardians: Magic, Charm, Sense and Power. The nature of the Trickster will determine the guardian a Trickster receives. When the guardian is active, it will follow the Trickster and protect the Trickster with its life. Guardians are essentially combat pets that will attack and help the Trickster.

 

 

Trickster Announces Exciting New Features

Mercenary Wars introduces 14 different types of firepower

 

Uforia, an online game publisher specializing in massively multiplayer online games, today announced its weaponry lineup for its highly anticipated online military FPS, Mercenary Wars.  The arsenal is made up of 14 different weapons including assault riffles, submachine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles and machine guns.  

 

 

“With this much variety of weaponry, Mercenary Wars is taking combat to a new level,” said JK Kim, CEO of Uforia.  “By offering this broad of a range of arms, we are providing players with the kind of non-stop, action-packed gameplay that they desire.”

 
The weapons:
 
 

– Assault Rifles

M4A1 – A fully automatic variant of the basic M4 carbine intended for special operations use Steyr AUG – The AUG is an Austrian bullpup 5.56mm rifle designed in the early 1970s and adopted by the Austrian Army G36K – A light machine gun variation of the G36, German 5.56mm assault rifle

 

AK5 – A Swedish version of the FN FNC with certain modifications

 

AK-47 – A selective fire, gas operated 7.62mm assault rifle developed in the Soviet Union

 
 

Submachine Guns

Steyr TMP – An Australian-designed select-fire 9x19mm Parabellum caliber machine pistol Mini UZI – An even further scaled down version of the Uzi, introduced in 1982 UMP – A submachine gun that has been adopted by numerous agencies worldwide including the French Gendarmerie Nationale and US Customs and Border Protection

 

MP5 SD – The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design developed in the 1960s Ingram MAC-10 – A highly compact blowback operated machine pistol

 

 

 

– Shotguns

Benelli M3 Super 90 – A semi automatic shotgun that holds seven rounds and uses the proprietary Benelli semi-automatic system Franchi SPAS-12 – A combat dual-mode shotgun that can be used as a semi-automatic or pump-action firearm

 

 
 

– Sniper Rifles

PSG1 – A German designed semi-automatic rifle

 
 

– Machine Guns

Minigun XM214 – A prototype 5.56mm rotary barreled machine gun designed to be man-portable

 

 

Unlike other first person shooter games available today, Mercenary Wars features a unique stat system that players can use to upgrade and customize their lifelike characters.  The combat in the game is designed to feel very realistic, while also allowing players to adjust their speed, accuracy, and health stats.  Mercenary Wars is set in the not so distant future in a world where order and society as we know them are a thing of the past.  The economies of the world have crashed and have been replaced with total chaos.  New alliances have been forged and the world is now controlled by well-trained groups of mercenaries.  Players must determine who to swear their allegiance to and fight side-by-side to the death, if necessary, in the quest to ensure becoming the new global powerhouse.

 

 

Mercenary Wars Introduces New Images

Magic the Gathering Tactics

Magic: The Gathering – Tactics will allow players to command forces of dramatic 3D figures and powerful spell cards pulled from the Magic: The Gathering Multiverse. Players can participate in single player scenarios or jump right into PVP action against other players worldwide, 24 hours per day.

Magic: The Gathering – Tactics is expected to feature regular content expansions, a robust tournament environment, an achievement and rankings program, and original stories of the Planeswalkers of Magic: The Gathering.

OnRPG Toolbar Review: A nifty tool to keep you on top of MMOs!

By Bryan King (Bryan), OnRPG Journalist


If you’re on this website, chances are… you like MMOs. Personally speaking, I dislike missing a beat in the MMO industry, whether it’s a game being released, rumors, or previews; I want to be on top of it! The OnRPG Toolbar allows you to be updated on all of the latest happenings in the MMO industry, check up on all of the latest posts on the OnRPG forum, and even check your local whether! How cool is that?

Reviews, News, and Interviews

 

Tired of having to Google your way around to find a decent review? Want to find the latest buzz on that MMO you’ve been waiting for? With the OnRPG toolbar, just clicking a couple times will fill you on all the latest reviews, news, and interviews posted on the OnRPG website. The toolbar also features a search page that allows you to search the entire website for info on any game you’re looking for!

Toolbar

This is a handy way for you to stay updated on the MMO industry!

Forum Junkies, Unite!

 

The OnRPG Forum is a great source of news from the entire community that OnRPG has, and with the OnRPG Toolbar, you can now easily navigate the forums directly from it! Visit the latest threads, or the most popular sections of the OnRPG forum directly from the navigation menu!

Toolbar2

 

Email notification

 

Hate getting swamped by emails and not knowing to do with them? The toolbar features a unique notification menu where a new email will be alerted to you by a numerical amount of emails you have, and, by preference, a sound will tell you that a new email has arrived! Syndicating your email account is very simple, too, all you have to do is basically follow the same process you use when logging into your email. To access your email from the toolbar, all you have to do is click on the Email button, and bam, you’re email inbox will pop up in the same window, new tab, or different window, the choice is yours!

 

Toolbar3

Extra Goodies!

 

The OnRPG Toolbar is the jack of all trades. Want to know your local weather? You got it! The Weather portion of the toolbar gives you an automatic three day forecast (of course after automatically determining your location by IP address, or letting you choose one if it can’t) based on your location, the status (whether it’s raining, any haze, etc.) and more! It’s a great alternative to nit-picking search engines, looking to see whether or not that outdoor MMO convention you’re going to will be rained out. 

 

Toolbar4

Featured is also an online radio widget, which allows you to choose or add an online radio of your choice, so you can get down to some nice tunes while gaming, without any extra RAM usage!

 

Toolbar5

 

In conclusion, the OnRPG toolbar is a great way for you to stay ahead of the MMO industry, manage emails, and even listen to music! It offers features you won’t find in many other toolbars, and does it in a fashion that’s easy on the eyes, too!

 

 

If you like what you’ve seen so far you can download the OnRPG toolbar here.

“I’ll never play World of Warcraft”

By Joshua Temblett (Dontkillmydreams), OnRPG Journalist

There was always something stopping me from playing World of Warcraft.  It could have been the addiction I saw my friends spiral into, or it could have been that I didn’t want to Pay-to-Play.  Whatever the reason, I’ve never really been attracted to WoW.  That is, until now.  Earlier this month I decided to give the game a go and start one of their free trials.  I can say that the results were very surprising and that the game has certainly made a good impression on me.

Interlude #1

Although I hated WoW for what it had done to my friends, I never actually thought the game was bad.  In fact I always thought the opposite.  I thought the game featured some of the best game design around for MMORPGs, and certainly did enough to advance the genre from its hard core roots.  What did annoy me about the game was that the people playing, the casual gamers buying the game, weren’t purchasing it for its outstanding design. Instead they bought it because the game was all their friends talked about and, as is human nature, they just wanted to get in on the action and not be excluded from countless conversations.  That annoyed me for some odd reason, it aggravated me to see people just buying a game, and then getting addicted, because they felt so left out of conversations with their friends.  Peer pressure?

I went to worldofwarcraft.com and signed up for the free trial.  There were a few things I was amazed by.  The first being how quick and easy the signup was, the second that the trial downloaded as you played the game, which meant that within about five minutes of signing up I was playing. 

I decided to create an Undead Rogue as the premise for that class seemed pretty appealing.  I joined a PVP server, named Zuluhed, as I felt it would make the game slightly more interesting and exciting, and it turned out that was the case.  Throughout my play sessions a message popped every now and then informing all the Horde that we were being raided by the Alliance.  On one occasion I tried to find the raiders, as they were attacking near me, however I failed as I couldn’t find them whatsoever.  Instead what I did find was rows of corpses down the main pathways.  I assumed this damage was done by them; it was either that or just a bunch of players died all at once, right next to each other.

Interlude #2

I had always wanted to play WoW for the interesting raid system that my friends kept talking about.  The idea of a bunch of Alliance players going into enemy territory and killing loads of Horde seemed pretty cool.  It seemed even cooler when my friend talked about one particular time when the Alliance were attacking a Horde’s main city and the two warring sides lined up and charged towards each other and battled in a large style war.  With the newbies dying first, of course. 

The only problem with all of this awesome content was that it just seemed so far away from the actual beginning of the game.  You had to get to a certain level to experience the really awesome selling points of the game.  After you had spent god knows how long to get to all this wonderful content, you’d probably find that in reality it was all really boring and not as utterly awesome that as your friend made it out to be.

My character began his journey in the Undead starter town of Deathknell.  There I was taught the basics and given a few simple quests.  These ranged from killing monsters to finding someone and talking to them.  I guess there wasn’t a lot of variety, however most of the quests were rewarding and didn’t take a lot of time to complete, which made them all the more enjoyable and enticing.  I decided to complete all the quests around the area before moving on to the next town of Brill.

Town of Brill

Brill happened to be a very long walk away; I did bump into some quest givers on my travels though and decided to take the time out of my journey to kill things.  Once I got to Brill, I was mildly over-whelmed by the amount of quests there were to do.  Knowing that I would probably do all of them before moving on again, I felt like I had no idea where to get started on what felt like it could be a chore.

After exploring the small town for a bit, I decided to just dive in and take the plunge by accepting all the quests in the area and complete them, and complete them I did and I’m happy I did.  I felt like my speedy levelling was because I did the quests, and also I felt much closer to Azeroth and the story surrounding it. 

Interlude #3

I ask people why they stopped playing World of Warcraft, and for most of them the answer is that they found out it was just a huge waste of their life.  After all we only get one, what’s the point of spending a year of it somewhere else in an imaginary land?  The only thing is, did you actually waste your time playing WoW?  In my opinion no, because even though you may look back on your memories and think about how sad you were, at the time you were surely having a lot of fun.  After all, if you weren’t you wouldn’t have kept on playing.

I guess I didn’t want to end up like one of them.  I didn’t want to end up getting sucked into the game.  You can get addicted to anything, yet World of Warcraft seemed very easy to get addicted to and this was because it was an excellently made product that appealed to a lot of human desires. 

After about five hours of gameplay I hit the level 10 marker and managed to duel wield (through achieving a passive skill).  I thought it would be really cool, however it seemed slightly less so.  I got two daggers and tried out my new skill.  It occurred to me that my attacks seemed to miss more wielding two weapons, and the damage didn’t seem to be much of an increase.  Maybe that’s just me.  I was sure that if I levelled up further, my character would get stronger and better at attacking.

After wrapping everything up in Brill I decided to head to the Undead Captial City, which is especially named “The Undercity”.  When first entering, I thought that it didn’t look so big and impressive as I thought it would be.  That was until I went underground.  My jaw dropped as I got off a lift and first saw the expansive and beautiful city.  At this point I realised just how well made World of Warcraft was and I felt like I understood how someone could get addicted to what was a fantastic, vast and carefully created world. 

If you haven’t taken a trip to Azeroth yet, I suggest you try out the free trial.  Even if you only play it for a couple of days, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was.  It’s a brilliant world, just try to make sure you don’t get too sucked in.

Orion’s Belt Review: Tactical Browser Gaming At Its Best

Orion’s Belt Review: Tactical Browser Gaming At Its Best
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

Orion’s Belt is a browser based game that mixes resource gathering strategic gaming into a cohesive online universe. The game carries the usual, earn resources and rule all goal set, but Orion’s Belt goes about it in a totally new and refreshing way.

Earn, and rule

Orion’s Belt follows the usual route in browser based gaming. You get yourself a piece in the game’s online universe and from there you have to upgrade, improve and practically make something out of the scarce resources you have. There’s nothing really surprising nor new in this area of the game because what you would be building from the five planets you have are the usual structures you would often get to upgrade in other browser based games. Though the names may be different, every single structure you have either belongs to the resource gathering sector or the military battle sector of the game.

 

I must say though that building takes longer in Orion’s Belt if you would compare it to other browser games. Normally, if you start out with other browser games you have a boost in building speed, but Orion’s Belt does not have that. However, I must say though that building and getting resources is only half of the fun in Orion’s Belt, as I would explain to you later on.

Orion's Belt Universe

Explore

Aside from resource farming, the other way to get resources in Orion’s Belt is to explore the area that was provided for you. You can use the free scout ship that is provided for you upon signing up or setup your fleet as soon as possible to get those ships off the ground and do what they do best, exploring space. Exploring in Orion’s Belt is easy because you are supported graphically by the game system. Also, everything is done via point and click making it more convenient for you to order your fleets around. Having convenient controls is one of the many reasons of Orion’s Belt. It makes exploring much more fun and easier. However, similar to the game’s building, moving also takes time, though it won’t take as long.

Interface

Orion’s Belt’s overall interface is interlaced with graphics making it very much a newbie friendly game. The corresponding image goes along with the in-game texts making it easier even for kids to understand what they see. This gives the game a wider scope in terms of the age group who can play the game.

 

Another good thing in the game’s interface is that even if it is graphically heavy, it doesn’t lag that much unlike a lot of the browser games that are similarly graphics heavy. However I must stress that Orion’s Belt does not have the most visually spectacular graphic-centered interface but the design and the look get things done. I must say though that the best feature of Orion’s Belt is not the interface nor the graphics but something else.

Orion's Belt Military

Battles

Orion’s Belt prides itself into having a very unique and addicting battle system, and they delivered. Battle’s in Orion’s Belt is not the usual text and turn based interplay of choices you would often find in browser games but something familiar and new. The game’s battles are set on a chess-like board where each player is given a limited amount of pieces they can put into play. Your units have restricted movements and each has its own attack pattern and strength. You take turns in attacking and using the pieces you have on board you would have to outwit your enemy and decimating their fleets before they finish of yours. On paper it seems that the game’s battle system is dull but things are really different when you’re the one playing it.

 

The unbelievable simplicity of the game is its strength. Winning battles in Orion’s Belt is not about who has the biggest guns, but who can use them more effectively. Not only is the battle system really enthralling but it also is the game’s main draw. You can watch battles as they happen or you can even backtrack some of the old battles which gives you the ability to learn from the pros and maybe find a way to beat them. The battles are not just very competitive but it also fosters a kind of online bond between players. This happens because the game encourages tournaments where players can pit their strategies against each other. Any gamer in their right mind wouldn’t miss that for anything.

 

The battles are the better half of Orion’s Belt and if I’m allowed to go even further I’d say that this is the actual heart of Orion’s Belt itself. The battle system is the one thing that separates Orion’s Belt among the numerous browser games that are out now. The mix of the chess-like familiarity and the competitiveness of strategic turn-based battles is this game’s recipe to success.

Fostering Camaraderie

Out of the numerous browser based games I’ve played before, I must say that the people behind Orion’s Belt is one of the most hands-on administrators I’ve experienced. Not only does the team constantly improve and update the game they also foster camaraderie and real player connections aside from encouraging a very competitive player atmosphere. This is the first time I’ve seen a browser game actually encourage and invite players to join the team on face to face meetings through the annual lunch the team spearheads. This shows that the people behind the team is not just into earning money but also giving the players something more than just a game.

Tournaments in Orion's Belt

 

It is very rare to see a team so involved with player interaction that it would seem the game is more of a community rather than a browser game. Through this it shows that the team behind Orion’s Belt really loves the game and the community that is why I can say that this is a good measure on how the game would carry on forward.

Conclusion

I must say that I am quite impressed with the game. Of course it still carried a lot of familiar game aspects in terms of the resource mining, the planet nurturing and invading. However, the game is really set apart by the game’s battle system. Orion’s Belt has something for everyone. For the players who are not into competitive battles, they can still enjoy the game by the usual route and battle against the AI. However, competitive battles are where the true Orion’s Belt fun is.

 

Pros:
– Graphics-centered interface
– Simple yet very addictive battle system
– Very accommodating community.

 

Cons:
Not joining the competitive battles takes out most of the fun
– Some game systems are too familiar and is better done by other browser games
– Moving and exploring takes a lot of time.