Yearly Archives: 2009

Darkspace Review: Space Battles Right at Home

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), Onrpg writer
 
When it comes to space battles, nothing can get more intense than seeing large battleships in deep space blowing each other to smithereens. The people from PaleStar brings their baby, DarkSpace up the table as an sci-fi intergalactic MMO.
 

What is DarkSpace

DarkSpace is a MMO that is set in the future where outer space has become the new area of interstellar warfare, political infighting and epic space battles.
 
You start off as a human midshipman where you are hurled into space as one of the pilots of one of the many ships the game has to offer. Your goal is to reach Grand Admiral Status within The faction that you choose.
 

The Factions

As you play DarkSpace you get to choose from three different factions. Each faction has its own strengths and weaknesses and that there’s each faction has its own specific ship technology tree.
The three factions include, The United Galactic Trade Organization, this faction’s ships are the well rounded types and would be the newbie friendly faction. Next is the Interstellar Cultural Confederation, this faction is the defensive faction among the three which puts most of the ships they have as sturdier and harder to take down. The third and last of the factions is the K’luth, this faction has ships that hit hard and can disappear making this faction tally as one of the favorites of a lot of players.
 
Being part of a faction also enables you to chat with those who belong to the same faction in-game. Inter-faction chat is not allowed by the system giving the game more of a faction and warfare feel than most space battle MMOs.
 
Multi-server goodness
DarkSpace has different server where players can choose to play. You get to choose from joining the Scenario servers or MetaVerse universe as the game aptly calls.
 
In the Scenario server, you get to play time-limited battles against one or all factions within the game. You are locked to the faction you choose until the end of the scenario or when you log out of the game. After every scenario the game wipes itself and the battle starts again.
 
Think of the scenario servers as temporary PVP-centric server where winners would get prestige on the amount of time you joined the scenario and of course your rank.
 
MetaVerse servers on the other hand are your usual servers. Think of it as the normal servers in most MMOs where you can totally customize your ship and even switch factions. There is no time limit in this servers and you can get to enjoy the game at your own pace and rhythm.
 

Conclusion

DarkSpace is a game where your mind is put to the test. Unlike in most games where you can easily grasp the game, you’d need a ton of patience if you want to play it in the long run. The game system is not as newbie friendly as it should be. Yes, there is a help box as you begin playing but it only tackles on the controls.
 
The game is more than just piloting a sleek scout or a hulking big space ship in a dark and vast area. It’s also planetary travel and warfare. The problem is, with a free account you don’t really get to enjoy the game. Up until recently, you’d need to subscribe to their service to enjoy ranking up and earning more prestige, but in the recent turn of events even paid accounts may now increase their rank, though this may seem only temporary.
 
The leveling system is linear and simple which helps lessen the difficulty of going through the game. Also, the reward of getting better ships as you raise your ranks adds to the military/adventure element further enhancing the game’s authentic sci-fi space battle feel.
 
The one thing that bugs me in the game is that you would need you to subscribe to be part of the experience wholly. The account subscription in exchange to raising your rank is the thing that can really turn you off if you are looking for a game that doesn’t need to make you spend money to enjoy.
 
Furthermore, with the graphics of this game I’d suggest that you give it a second thought. The ships are not that well crafted and that it’s sometimes hard to determine which structure is which. Also the tedious travel can be a pain, the game play is already in a strategic gameplay pace, and it doesn’t need long journeys to make the game slower.
 
If you are into epic space travel and intense, Star Trek-like battles then Dark Space is a game for you. That is if you can stomach the outdated graphics and even the lack of BGM. Frankly speaking though, these game details are not that noticeable except that after travelling in the vastness of space, having no BGM or that seeing only darkness for quite for overextended periods of time can really rack up on your nerves.
 
If you are the type of player who likes good graphics, fast paced action and adrenaline pumping space battle ship fights, I’d suggest you go for other games cause DarkSpace wouldn’t surely make you reconsider.
 
However, If you are not that much of a nitpick when it comes to your space battles, ship design planetary gameplay and what not and you just want to enjoy a game that reminds you of Star Trek in more ways than one,  I’d like to suggest this game to you. As a fan of Star Trek who wouldn’t love seeing sprites that remind you of how space warfare is done in that galaxy far, far away.
Pros
– The game gives of the authentic space battle feel
– Tons of ships to choose from
– The game is more than just battles
Cons
– The game is definitely a soloist game
– The graphics and look is outdated
– The game isn’t newbie friendly

Magic World Online Official Launch & New Server Opening

After one-year long operation and preparation, Ingle Games Ltd is glad to announce the end of Open Beta phase and the official launch for Magic World Online.
Meanwhile, to thank Magic World Online players’ enthusiastic support and celebrate Magic World Online’s official launch, we will also open a new server named Twilight at 7:00 pm on April 18th, 2009 (PDT Time).
By that time, there will be a large number of new events on the new server as well as the existing servers, aiming to return benefits to the players, such as expanding Mall Platinum’s discount.
To thank players’ constant support and attention, our company will continue to bring high quality services to the players in earnest.

Mir 2: Closed Beta started

Gamepot USA, Inc. a free to play online game publisher, announces it will start closed beta test of a new online game, “Mir 2” from 17:00 PST time, April 15. Mir 2 was a first generation MMORPG title, which was developed. This game provides various choices to players such as, friendly collaboration with allies, competition among players, and a trading system which will allow users to further their gaming options. Not only will there be the usual battles with monsters, this game require players to fight and communicate together in order to succeed. These features have already drawn over 200 Million users from all over the world. Mir2 closed beta test is available not only in North America, as well as the rest of the English speaking territories. So now, people can play together anywhere at any time through one game in common language: English.

Alganon: Ranger class presentation

Onrpg is proud to exclusively present the first class of the upcoming MMORPG Alganon: the Ranger!
Take a look at an exclusive wallpaper dedicated to this class by clicking here!
 
THE RANGER
Rangers are masters of ranged combat and field control. They rely on their companions, animals that can be tamed in the wild, to fight their enemies.
Rangers also possess tracking, traps, and speed enhancing abilities.
 
TRAITS
 
Companions
A ranger alone is a vulnerable target, but a Ranger is rarely alone as a Ranger is always accompanied by an animal companion. The Ranger uses her understanding of nature and instinct to transform this companion into a fighting force equal to any class in Alganon.
Toxins
Many rangers control the battlefield by use of toxins they can apply to arrows and other weapons. These toxins allow them to perform a large variety of actions, ranging from slows, to damage over time, to debuffs, and crowd control. A ranger may only apply one toxin per target, so a skilled Ranger plans her attacks in advance, choosing the right toxin for the right target.
Presence
As they learn to communicate with their animal companions, Rangers acquire skills in non-verbal communication. This ability to instill aggression, companionship, fear, confidence, and other emotions in their companions also comes in handy when interacting with more intelligent party members.
SPECIALIZATIONS
Core
The core of a Ranger lies in their ability to control her companions. By building up rapport with her bestial companions, a Ranger can incite the beast, transforming it into a powerful weapon of war. Although the Ranger is best suited for controlling an animal companions, the beasts of the forests are not the only creatures affected by a Ranger’s presence. Rangers can also enhance the skills of their human companions, making a Ranger a welcome addition to any party.
Survival
This tree specializes in using toxins to limit the abilities their opponents. With toxins that range from damage-over-time, to the complete shutdown of their opponent’s actions, Survival Rangers are effective at reducing their opponent’s effectiveness on the field.
Instinct
These specializations provide the Ranger with the ability to perform powerful attacks and do large amounts of damage to a single target. Rangers who follow their Instinct will become predators that no prey can escape.
Guardianship
These specializations enhance the defensive abilities of a Ranger’s companion, allowing the beast to stand its ground against wave-after-wave of attackers. Under the guidance of a Guardianship ranger, even the meekest of beasts becomes an unstoppable force.

LUNA Online Expansion: Rise of Spirit

Singapore LUNA Online announces new expansion, Rise of Spirit.  A 3rd Job change has open up and players have a choice of 12 different jobs to select. Other than that, 4 new maps are up for characters of higher level to explore.
During the launch of expansion, all players will get a chance to get a free skill reset, providing players an opportunity to rebuild their character.
LUNA Online is an MMORPG with many social interactive functions such as Match-Making, farms, couple instances and many more for players to explore.
To further provide a better gaming experience for players from around the world, LUNA Online will be upgrading their internet connection in May 2009. Players will be able to roam the Blueland with low latency and higher performance.

Lunia: New archer class

NHN USA’s popular anime-influenced MMORPG Lunia announces an exciting new upgrade to the game, now available on the renowned ijji.com portal.  The upgraded version features an intriguing new character, Arien, who is a member of an entirely new class to the game: the Elven Archer.
“Lunia’s colorful anime elements compliment the intensity of its arcade-style game play, and this new character further compliments that relationship, merging beauty and power,” said Philip Yun, CEO, NHN USA.  “As a strong figure in this fascinating adventure, Arien will be a character that both existing Lunia gamers and those experiencing the game for the first time are going to love.”
Generally peaceful until provoked, Arien embodies numerous qualities that attest to her strength and appeal.  With a desire to protect her native forest at all costs, she possesses several attack options, both long and short range.  This svelte archer has also befriended fairies of wind, fire and lightening to help her harness the elements to further protect her beloved home. 
Lunia revolves around a detailed plot and storyline comprising various episodes, meaning new content is always appearing.  The game has a very unique anime-influenced feel, with cell shaded animation in the style of Japanese Manga comics.  Players battle monsters and each other over the course of multiple, increasingly difficult episodes of the overall plot.  They often have to accomplish specific missions in order to advance to the next level.

Mir 3: Prelude To War

The Legend of Mir series is a MMORPG Game set in the Eastern fantasy realm. It has introduced Eastern style fantasy MMORPGs to the game market where Western style fantasy MMORPG dominated and has inspired many other games.

An Oriental based MMORPG Game
Legend of MIR 3 was released as an expansion to Legend of MIR 2. It inherits all the great features and storyline of its predecessor, but adds great features such as better graphics and improved quest systems. Other added features include new monsters, quests, items, zones and a class(Assassin).
Users will spend hours exploring new zones and dungeons. As users explore new areas they will encouter powerful and challenging monsters.

Zero Online Interview: Always Plenty Events

Questions by Jeffrey Kerkdijk (Hyarume), Onrpg writer
Answered by Wang Wei, Product Manager
 
Onrpg had the chance to interview Wang Wei chief game designer for TQ digital. Zero online is a sci-fi action MMORPG, with tons of features never seen in MMORPGs before! How is Zero online doing? Did I just hear something about a new expansion coming up?
 
 
Onrpg: Could you give us a small introduction about yourself and what you do for Zero online?

My name is Wang Wei, and I’m the chief game designer for TQ Digital. I’m responsible for overseeing the designs of all projects within the studio – to monitor those projects through development and ensure that they adhere to the vision and direction, while meeting the highest standard within the required timescale.
 
 
Onrpg: How is Zero Online doing at the moment?
Zero Online is currently doing very well. The players are really enjoying the game. Many game operators have offered to run this game, which is positive. For the moment, we have released several language versions, including English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Thai, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. More languages will be released in the near future.
 
 
Onrpg: What was the whole idea behind creating Zero Online?
Fantasy games currently dominate the MMORPG market, and more and more gamers are tiring of the fantasy genre and showing their interest in sci-fi. But the Sci-fi MMORPGs is one of the most under-developed genres, so players have few choices in sci-fi games to play. A lot of our designers and programmers are also big sci-fi fans, so we gave them a chance to bring their great ideas and abilities into full play.  The success of Zero Online proves that sci-fi MMOs DO have huge potential in the market right now.
 
 
Onrpg: What makes Zero Online “stand out” in the current MMORPG market?
Well, being free to play is a big stand out. All our servers have no IP restrictions, so people around the world can play together. This sci-fi themed game stands out because of its unique features, such as multiple units, transformation, core programs, spacecraft missions, satellite research, etc. We also hold all kinds of events and contests to give away fantastic prizes to our players. 
 
 
Onrpg: I noticed that when playing the game, once you reach a certain point there isn’t much to do. Are there any future content updates that will change this?
We have regular content updates every month. Players can expect new events or features almost every week. We will be adding 4 more events and some new features in April. The new expansion has been released in Chinese version, and it will be brought to the English version in May. A lot of new features and content is already under development, including new missions, features, skills, items… We are dedicated to giving our players a fresh and exciting experience in Zero Online.
 
 
Onrpg: Will there be new features released in the future?
Of course! We have the new expansion to be released this May.  By then, players can merge their main unit and ARMs into one super unit, many destructive new skills to give players the thrilling experience of utterly destroying their enemies, the Satellite Research Academy can offer the hard-working pilots an opportunity to research the combats and programs, and new regions for the pilots to explore.
 
Many other missions and new features are already under development, and will be released soon.
 
 
Onrpg: Could you give us a short description of how the PvP works in the game?
PKing is one of the biggest features in Zero Online. The new players are protected from being PKed, but once they grow up and become powerful enough, they can try their hand at PKing. Of course, in all the cities, PKing is prohibited. Players can also choose not to PK, and just explore the universe. To stop those ruthless PKers from killing the innocents, there are severe punishment rules for the PK abusers. If a player has killed too many people, he can be put into the PK jail, or if they’re killed, they might drop some of the items they’re currently wearing. There are also weekly and monthly PK tournaments for players to prove their prowess and gain recognition among the community. Players can also choose to duel with a rival, and not have to worry about losing any of their hard-earned items.
 
Onrpg: How is the community involved with the game?
The strong community is one of the best features of Zero Online. Players can be guided and mentored by the high level veterans, well known traders can become trade partners to trade their items more freely, friends can share exp, married couples can cut damage taken in half, and eligible adventurers can team up to complete spacecraft missions. Players are encouraged to organize a Fleet and Squad to band together and face their challenges head on. The fleet and squad members can take part in the fleet and squad battles to win prizes. The weekly and monthly PK tournaments are also a good place for players to get to know each other.
 
One of the things I like in the game, is that each male pilots can receive a rose each day to give to a charming lady. We also constantly hold a lot of online and offline events to encourage players to communicate with each other.
 
Onrpg: What is your favorite feature from Zero Online?
Zero Online is popular for its exclusive features.  The favorite features are the transformation, spaceship missions, R&D center, multi-weapon system, ARMs, core system, unit overhaul, and of course, the community.
 
1) Transform. Players can learn different transformation skills to transform their units into all kinds of powerful forms.
2)  Spaceship missions. Players can team up to complete the varied missions, which require not only strength, but also teamwork and skill.
3) R&D Center. Here players can research and develop their programs and battle skills.
4) Multi-Weapon. Players are allowed to equip multiple weapons, which can offer the pilots the choices of just which way they want to destroy their foe.
5) ARMs. The pilots can command not only their primary unit, but also the ARMs. The main unit and ARMs can also be switched freely, to be used in just the right situation.
6) Core system. Players’ power is not only decided by their level and equipment, but also by the core programs they have installed. Different kinds of programs are integrated in a core, which can greatly affect the results of any battle if used correctly.
 
 
Onrpg: What motivates players when they are playing Zero Online?
In Zero Online, we provide opportunities for all of our players to experience success, by setting goals in both the short and long term. Players can receive recognition and honor in a variety of areas. Their efforts will bring them not only the Ultra quality equipment and powerful skills, but also the leadership, fortune, and glory.
When players become powerful enough, they can mentor and guide the lower level players, command the spaceship members to help complete all kinds of missions, donate their money to gain a title of nobility, conquer their rivals in the PK tournaments, lead their fleets and squads in the wars to dominate the territories, and to have their names shown in the Hall of Fame.
The pride and respect that arise from these successes can help players to develop self confidence, and the desire to try even harder.
 
 
Onrpg: Are there any new system features in development?
Currently we have quite a few new system features we’re developing, including the new expansion which is planned to be released this May. This expansion contains new units, transformation skills, missions, maps, and research that can be done.  We are also developing the sky missions, the PK tournament for transformed units, quiz contests, and some additions to the currently existing features.
 
 
Onrpg: What customization options are available?
In Zero Online, players have many choices for customizing their characters. For example, they can paint their units with their favorite colors, choose unique avatars, stamp their equipment with laser signatures, select their desired ARMs, decide to become a merchant or not, socket their equipment and cores with different gems, compose the cores with different programs, transform the units into a cooler form, and so on.
 
 
Onrpg: How do you deal with bots/gold sellers?
In order to protect the game and its players from the destructive influences of cheating, any illegal third-party programs and gold selling can result in a permanent ban of the involved accounts from Zero Online, as well as the other TQ games.
 
 
Onrpg: Zero online is set in a sci-fi themed world. How do you maintain that atmosphere?
Zero Online is a lush world full of high-tech equipment, programs, spaceships, and mutant aliens. In this futuristic world, the infantry and artillery pilots can command the ships to complete missions on far away planets, research and develop core programs in the Satellite Academy, control multiple weapons and units, transform and merge their units, and run fleets and squads of other pilots to achieve whatever goals they choose.
 
 
Onrpg: How does Zero online reward its players when they play the game?
Players can receive rich rewards from Zero Online. They are rewarded with free units and equipment once they meet certain requirements, and they can win fantastic prizes from the spacecraft missions, PK tournament, and Fleet and Squad Wars. The experienced players can also gain bonus exp from mentoring and guiding the lower level players. Also, Military Badge holders and VIP members can claim other benefits, like free cores every day.
 
In addition, we often hold all kinds of events to give away exclusive items for free, such as double exp, free Zero Points, Meteors, Military Badges, and many other prizes.