Yearly Archives: 2009

Vanilla Gate

In Vanilla Gate, which is another planet you landed on by accident, you have to help those in need during your great adventure while exploring ancient mysteries. Gather artefacts and gain skill in order to discover a portal that might send you home!

Wolfteam: New Features

Wolfteam, developed and serviced by Softnyx Co., Inc. has created eight new wolves for players’ enjoyment and strategy.
What is Wolfteam?
Wolfteam is an online FPS game developed and published by Softnyx. Its unique features allow a player’s character to transform into a wolf and use supernatural powers to defeat the opponent. From the first launch of the game, Softnyx has created more kinds of wolves for with different abilities for use in-game.
What are the wolves?
 
Guardian Wolf
The Guardian Wolf has the highest HP and defense of all the wolves. Bullets bounce off its body due to the hard shell of its skin. This wolf is best used as a tank when faced with more enemies than allies.
 
Smart Wolf
The Smart Wolf is the fastest and has the ability to suck the life out of its opponents. He can convert the blood he takes from opponents and heal himself.
 
Ghost Wolf 
The Ghost Wolf has the ability to turn invisible when not in motion. This is the perfect wolf to use for ambush.
 
Ice Wolf
As its name suggests, the Ice Wolf can freeze opponents for a few seconds by throwing balls of ice at them. This move can buy teammates time to regroup or stop the opponents’ momentum.
 
Psycho Wolf
The Psycho Wolf can throw balls of psychic energy at opponents to affect and confuse their movements.
 
Berserker Wolf
The Berserker Wolf is capable of self-destruction when cornered or in more urgent situations.
 
Power Wolf
The Power Wolf can kill enemies in as little as one or two slashes from its powerful claws.
 
Ghost2 Wolf
Unlike the Ghost Wolf before it, the Ghost2 Wolf is never fully visible. Its permanent semi-invisibility allows it to sneak up on opponents when they least expect it.
 
New Weapons
The humans’ munitions have also been strengthened. New weapons and grenades have been created for the humans to be able to survive against these new wolves.
 
MK-6G
When thrown over a cluster of opponents, the MK-6G will create a force field that sucks everyone in, before it explodes. While its explosive radius is more limited than a regular grenade, its explosive power more than makes up for the lack of distance.
 
MK-6 EG
The incendiary power of the MK-6 EG allows it to burn enemies for a longer length of time than regular grenades. Enemies receive additional damage over time from the MK-6 EG.
 
MK-6 E
The MK-6 E creates a wide fiery area on the ground it lands on, burning anything and everything it touches. An advantage that this grenade has over others is that it can be equipped as a secondary weapon.
 
New Maps
With the advent of wolves come new maps for more scrimmages.
 
Junk Field
Map size: Mid-sized, 8vs8
 
Street
Map size: Small, 8vs8

AdventureQuest Worlds Reaches 6 Million Players!

Launched just over six months ago, the popular web-based MMORPG AdventureQuest Worlds is proud to announce that it has exceeded 6 million registered players. Created by the home grown team at Artix Entertainment, LLC, this anything-goes fantasy MMORPG features chat, real-time-combat, wars, and live events, and has had more than one brand new release per week since launch.
 

To celebrate, AdventureQuest Worlds is preparing to release its first world boss (or Chaos Lord). This is the exciting conclusion of their first storyline which takes place along an M.C. Escher inspired valley featuring original and creative 2D game art.

Zero: New Server on May 22!

We are happy to announce that the new server, Orion, will be open for all soldiers on May 22, 2009 at 00:01 PDT (GMT-7). In the new Orion sector, all pilots will start from the very beginning. It is time for you to create your legend of heroes and glory, and do your part for the fate of the universe!
 
Besides the fair challenge and great opportunities available on a new server, all pilots can receive 7 days’ military badge when they first login to the new world. Make good use of this badge to level up your units very quickly! Once you meet the level requirements, you also have a chance to win up to 1,470 free ZPs, and a full set of Elite equipment (8 pieces)!
 
Want to start a fresh adventure in a brand new world? Orion would be the first choice for you! We hope you enjoy yourselves in this brand new arena!

Ace Online trailer

Ace Online is a free-to-play MMORPG, 3D shooter. Ace Online is largely PvP oriented with various type of combat systems available such as Raids, Mothership Battles and more. Watch the video to learn more!

Wonderking trailer

Planned for release in the second half of 2009, WonderKing is an unconventional free MMORPG for gamers of all skill level. The beta is scheduled to launch early this summer. Watch the video to learn more!

Earth Eternal Enters Closed Beta

Sparkplay Media, Inc. today announced the upcoming beta of Earth Eternal, a top-tier free-to-play MMO. An indie fully 3D title that can be played within a browser or via a downloadable client, Earth Eternal is positioned to take free-to-play MMOs to the next level. Scheduled for release later this summer, players can check out this epic fantasy by taking part in the closed beta test beginning May 18th. Check out some EXCLUSIVE screenshots here!
 
Earth Eternal offers users an incredibly immersive gaming experience with a broad range of character customization options and diverse environments. Set in a world where mankind no longer exists, the game incorporates a blend of original fiction, mythologies from Norse to Egyptian, and classic fairy tales into an epic, sweeping story that provides the stage for users to create their own, personal stories.
 
“MMOs can be daunting for those who haven’t played them before, so we wanted to create a dynamic, yet approachable experience with Earth Eternal; something fun for any level of gamer,” said Matt Mihaly, CEO of Sparkplay Media. “And by combining compelling full-featured, immersive MMO game play with story written for a Western audience we’re sure that Earth Eternal will have a wide appeal. We’re particularly excited to be able to offer all this in a browser.”
 
Earth Eternal is truly free-to-play.  Everything that can be purchased can be earned through playing the game, but players have the option to purchase upgrades in the form of virtual items. Players choose from 22 (seriously!) unique races, ranging from the bear-like Ursine to the Faerie-born Cyclops to the hawk-like Atavians, and select from four classes – Knight, Rogue, Mage, and Druid. Unlike most MMOs however, players are not limited to skills and spells from their class – they can select many abilities from other classes as well, allowing players to either go deep or broad in their character builds. 
 
Interested players can go to http://www.eartheternal.com/ to learn more about Earth Eternal and sign up for the closed beta test today.

AdventureQuest Interview: Battles in Browsers?

Questions by Mohammed Afzal (MageMoa), Onrpg writer
Answered by Tony Deller, lead developer of AdventureQuest, Artix Entertainment
Adventure quest is a unique browser based RPG which has been created years ago. It is one of the oldest existing browser based RPGs. Adventure quest tells us the story about brave warriors that are trying to save their world and protect innocents (check Adventure quest’s site for the complete story) by fighting hundreds of unique, challenging monsters.
The game offers us many features, stunning turn based combat and thousands of weapons and colorful equipment without having to download anything! We of Onrpg had been given a chance to interview Tony Deller, lead developer of Adventure Quest.
 
Onrpg: Could you introduce yourself, please?
 
I am Tony Deller, creative lead for AdventureQuest for the past 5 years.
 
Onrpg: Adventure Quest is an online single-player browser game. Why is Adventure Quest browser based?
 
Being accessible from a web browser makes AQ available to anyone to play, anytime, from any computer in the world as long as one has access to the internet and, of course, a browser.  So accessibility is the main reason we went with the Flash format.
 
Onrpg: Will there ever be a downloadable version of the game?
 
At several points we considered a downloadable version, but we always come away with the same answer:  A large part of what makes AQ special, even after almost 7 years, is that it updates every single week of the year with new content.  Our other games (DragonFable, MechQuest and AQ Worlds) also update every single week.
 
Onrpg: Are there ways to have contact with other players?
 
We like to call AdventureQuest  a “massively single player game” because, even though players cannot see or chat with each other in-game, their actions can be counted together in wars, polls, votes, and other events and change the course of the game’s content and world in that way.  Players use our moderated, safe message boards to talk about our games.
 
Onrpg: Could you tell us more about the classes of the game?
 
Any player can train any number of classes they want to, and have access to those skills during every battle.  We began with what we saw as one of the most fun classes: DragonSlayer.  We soon added the likes of Paladin, Knight, Mage, Rogue, Wizard, Dracomancer, Berserker, Beast Master, Necromancer, Vampire Slayer, Ninja, Pirate, and others.  Every class has 10+ unlockable skills, unique animations, special items and unique armors/outfits to go with them.
 
Onrpg: What kind of (sub)races are there?
 
Players can become Vampires, Werewolves, and a hybrid called “Werepyres,” and level up their power in those subraces.  We have a unique hybrid subrace coming up called “Dracopyre” – which is part werewolf, part vampire, and part dragon.
AQ Dungeon
AQ Dungeon

Onrpg: Could you describe the combat of the game?
 
Battles are turn-based.  A player can change equipment, including armors and classes, during combat.  All monsters and enemies have at least some basic AI, and many of them have some very special abilities and AI that lead to some surprising effects on Players.  Players, for their part, have access to literally thousands of pieces of equipment: pets, armors, shields, spells, weapons, helms, treasure and magical items, spoof and plain old wacky items, and more.
 
Onrpg: Are there any wars or PvP which allow you to fight with/against your friends?
 
All of our war events involve all players joining forces against armies of bad guys.  All victories and defeats are tallied together.  Some wars involve Players choosing sides.  In the past we’ve had Ninjas vs. Pirates, Werewolves vs. Vampires, DragonSlayers vs. Dracomancer, and Paladins vs. Necromancers.
 
Onrpg: What makes Adventure Quest an appealing game?
 
AQ features a very mixed visual look, combining the work of half a dozen artists over the course of as many years, with an overall anime feel.  The original art was quite primitive, but after the game rose in popularity we wasted no time in finding very talented artists and animators.  So the look of AQ is unique, and always surprising.  It also updates every single week of the year, and features a huge variety of equipment, thousands of unique monsters, and hundreds of quests, wars and events.
 
Onrpg: What are the extra features if you purchase a membership?
 
Our memberships in AQ are a one-time fee—not a subscription.  We call it the “Guardian Upgrade.” For the small fee of $19.95 US, a Player unlocks hundreds of special items (featuring all types of equipment, armors, pets, and spells), and gains access to dozens of Guardian-only areas and quests.  A Guardian, for paying that one single fee, will also get all future Guardian bonuses and perks.
 
Onrpg: Why is there no music ingame?
 
Being a browser-based game, music introduces a larger bandwidth cost.  Aside from that, a majority of Players often play at school or work where sounds coming from your computer are often frowned upon.  We do, however, offer some special items which can play background music in the game when you activate them, and we have sound effects which the Player can turn on or off.
 
Onrpg: Adventure Quest has a wide variety of monsters and spells which are element based. Could  you tell us more about this feature?
 
There are a wide range of damage types in AQ.  They are all a combination of elements (earth, air, fire, water, energy, wind, ice, light and darkness), weapon type (melee, ranged, magic), and effects (poison, paralyze, burn, freeze, etc.).  Every Player armor/ class and monster has different defenses against these attacks, so Players have a choice to use strategy in battles or just brute force.
 
Onrpg: What are the other unique features of Adventure Quest?
 
Aside from weekly updates, a variety of items and enemies that rivals the biggest games ever made, and a robust, though simple, combat system, AQ offers a very safe environment for Gamers of all ages, a supportive community and community staff, a team of developers that listens to what Players like and don’t like – working every day to make the game better, and a very broad mix of parody, puns, satire, and pop culture humor.
 
Onrpg: What can we expect in the future?
 
AQ has gone through many major story arcs in the past 6+ years, and there is much more yet to come.  Every storyline delves into a different and compelling part of the world and introduces interesting characters, items, monsters and events.  A Player can follow the stories closely or just enjoy the gameplay and collecting items and rewards.  
 
Onrpg: Is there anything else you would like to mention?
 
I would like to sign off with a hearty “Battle On!” and invite all of your readers to try playing AQ!
 
Onrpg: Thank you for your time!
Thank you!

Rappelz Review: The Dragonic Age

By Kei Beneza (Dividelife), Onrpg writer
 
Since most f2p games generalize on level grinding, Rappelz wouldn’t disappoint you one bit. The visuals are stunning and would probably be one of the first things to catch your attention. Grinding is what makes this game go since you pretty much have to grind for everything. Now this may seem like a total let down, but do know that a majority of people prefer this style of MMO gaming. The characters all look good (and I’m not referring to the graphics), with their radical hairdo and divine looking armor. Rappelz has been catering its MMO goodness for quite some time now. It would seem that this game is quite popular and it’s not about to die any time soon. So… let us take a closer look shall we?
 

Races and Classes

“Deva Kn–” “Oh don’t worry man… we know :))”
 
Unlike other MMOs, races in the game have a rather ‘pinpointed’ role. Everyone in a particular race starts out with the race’s default class. This is pretty much referred to as the newbie class. Your role in the game can only be defined by which race you choose. It’s not really about a certain race having their own specialty, but rather their own unique features. Deva, for example are the only ones who can have a tanking class while the Asura gets to have rogue-ish abilities like “deep evasion” and offensive damage. It’s a bit messed up although it doesn’t serve as a problem whatsoever. More classes are revealed as you progress throughout the game, giving you more options for your character to mold into.
 
Character customization is rather poor in terms of aesthetics since you don’t get that many options to choose from. The serious lack of clothing is also an issue although their default fashion sense and funky hairstyles look good enough for people to not mind it.
 
There’s also a serious lack of information in the character selection screen which makes it pretty hard to determine your character’s future. The small details on what they specialize on however makes up for it. It may be rather harsh for newbies to not know what they are getting to, although it’s nothing a bit of research wont fix (the class descriptions ARE featured in their website after all). 
 

Oooh! Shiny!

 
Another thing thats quite appealing would be the game’s dazzling skills. I don’t know about you but it IS quite hard for me to resist shiny spells, and this game pretty much shines with a lot of those. The damage display is also rather amusing, especially since it’s quite rare for people to be satisfied with how criticals or damage numbers would come up. Despite the low variety of character aesthetics, seeing them in combat removes makes them rather invigorating. It wont really matter if you look like everyone else, just as long as you hit HARDER(or spark more LOL) than everyone else.
 
Now aside from the sparkling characters, the background isn’t bad at all. Most of the wastelands look scrumptious enough to level on, with monsters that complement the area’s ambiance.
The essence of customization: Lets make our toons strongah!
 
Though leveling may seem fun especially when you get to kill monsters to achieve it, Rappelz also gives you something else to farm for aside from experience points and in-game cash. Job points (JP) can also be acquired by killing these unruly creatures, which are used to buy skills (as well as skill upgrades) throughout the game. What kinda hurts would be the fact that you have to spend JP on levelling your Job level is well, which is quite necessary for your characters to advance. This alone makes it hard to make mistakes when leveling your character, making you plan in advance to whether you’re going to get a skill or increase your job level.
 
One thing that separates a character from the others is his/her gear. Rappelz also has a bunch of upgrades that will help compliment your character’s playstyle. 
 
“Cubes” are used to increase your desired feature. It’s pretty much an item that optimizes your equipment as well as your skills depending on what type of cube your character is using. These cubes can also be combined in order to create better cubes. If you’re worried about not getting one, might I say that you’ll be killing monsters throughout the game so the chances of you getting one is rather high.
 

Character’s best friend?

 
The pet system makes your characters rather competent, letting them adjust to their surroundings as they tame beasts to fit that certain area. Getting a hard hitting pet will greatly compliment your hard hitting warrior, making it faster to kill monsters thus increasing the amount of exp and jp you gain over time.
 
Mounts are attained rather early in this game compared to other MMO. This is a big plus for players since running around with a mount makes it easier for them to reach certain places without having to cry about mobs killing them along the way.     
 

Monstrous Clones

 
If there’s something I would want to rant on, it would probably be the game’s lack of monster models. Looking like someone else is bad enough but being killed by a monster who looks like its low-leveled kin makes it darn annoying. I recall leveling around with my twins, constantly bashing everything in my way when suddenly I was struck down by the same monster I was farming on for a couple of hours. It didn’t take me long to realize that the monster who killed me was called ‘Paradise lost’, who was a lot stronger compared to the bone ‘thingies’ that I was farming on.
Interesting features?
 
Rappelz is by far the only game (I may be exaggerating) that players OWN a certain dungeon– yes thats right… you can OWN your very own dungeon!. If a guild beats the time attack record upon completing a certain dungeon (provided that they killed all the bosses and the guild who owns it), that guild will be crowned as the new owners of the once instanced (non-persistent) dungeon.
 
Owning a dungeon allows you to tax people who use it. It is pretty slick, especially if all the alpha players are in one guild… now that’s an age of tyranny! LOL
 

The Verdict

 
If I were to judge this game, I’d say its pretty good. Grinding is a total bore at times but this game really made me look at things through a whole new perspective. The game lacks a variety of stuff like character aesthetics and background music. Though this may seem like something to complain about, everything else pretty much justifies the problem. With a good community and a lot of possibilities, Rappelz is a must play MMO.
 
Pros
– Dungeon ownership
– Customizable guild emblems (fully customizable)
– Shiny spells
 
The Bad
– Utmost grinding for almost everything
– Lack of variety
– Lack of music