Yearly Archives: 2009

Voyage Century: New and Old Version Comparison

Many players have experienced the new version of Voyage Century since it’s release on January 16th. Today we have invited the folks at Voyage Century to talk to you about the differences between the new version and the old one.

Difference 1: New Professions VS Non Profession Directions
Compared to the old version, which doesn’t have the distinct directions of the profession development, the new version offers 5 specific professions for players to choose from, based on the most special skills of the old version. In doing so, not only is the powerful skill system maintained, but players also have a distinct direction in which to develop.

Difference 2: More mall items available in the game
In the past, we tried hard to but didn’t totally solve the contradiction between mall items and in-game items until the release of the new version. Players now have a much better chance to obtain those items which previously could only be purchased in the Item Mall. In doing so, the “Free to Play” promise is really being kept.

Difference 3: Merchant Alliance System VS Simply Guild System
The Merchant Alliance system is the highlight of the new version. Players will not only represent their guilds in fights, but also their Merchant Alliances. So wars are no longer just limited to guilds or individuals. You will be able to join in wars on a far larger scale. Fiercer, more cruel, and more involving.

Difference 4: More Instances
Many newly added instances will solve the problem of powerful guilds monopolizing the instances. Many precious and useful items can be obtained in these new instances, and most of the players will have the chance to obtain them. The differences between rich and poor, low-level and high-level will become less important.

Generally speaking, much of the original content of the game hasn’t been changed instead some new elements such as new professions, new skills, new items, new instances, and new maps have been added. In addition, the game-play environment has had many aspects improved.

The new adventure is waiting for you to explore.

Lord of the Rings Online: Welcome Back Week

The guys at Codemasters have announced a ‘welcome back week’ for their game Lords Of The Ring Online. Here’s the official announcement:

From 2nd February until 9th February, 2009 we’re inviting all players to come back and play LOTRO. The doors will be open for former players to enter the world of Middle-earth for a week of FREE game play.

If you’ve got a friend who used to play LOTRO and hasn’t logged in for a while then why not let them know about this great week too? Then everyone can take part!



All you have to do is download and patch up to the most recent version and log in starting 2nd February. Your account will already and will have been re-activated ready for you. If you do not wish to take part don’t worry, there’s no need to do anything, we will automatically re-close all Welcome Back Week accounts at the end of the promotion.

Recent LOTRO Game Updates & Enhancements:
An awful lot of great new content has been added since launch including huge new zones, new classes, hobbies, player housing, new raids, the bartering and reputation system, Critter Play, Legendary play and much, much more! To read the full list of all the additions and improvements, please visit our Patch Overview page.

Save Middle-earth and Win!
During the LOTRO welcome back week, many monsters throughout Middle-earth will drop rare items when defeated. Exchange these rare items for a special gift box that will reward you with a variety of in-game items to aid you in your adventures in Middle-earth.

Events
Keep an eye out for the following characters during this Welcome Back Week. Show off your musical skills to the Great Musician and you may be rewarded. Have a go at the Great Fishing Contest and of course the Fashion Maven will return to cast their discerning eye over your outfits.

Splash Fighters International Interview: Real Tournaments Great Fun

Questions by Ben Lamb, Onrpg writer

Answered by Hiroaki Ikeda, from Splash Fighters International

Hello avid readers! This month I have had the exceptional pleasure of chatting with Hiroaki Ikeda from the SplashFighters team. For any of you who have been living under a rock for the past few years, SplashFighters is one of the hottest action MMOs around, featuring real-time 8-player brawls with weekly updates and fully customisable player skins. With a huge fanbase in many eastern territories, it’s finally headed for the great US, and I was lucky enough to catch up with Mr Ikeda to pick his brains about his great takeover of America.

Onrpg: Hi Hiroaki, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. I guess I’ll start with your own experiences. What inspired you to make this style of game? What games would you say were your inspirations?

Hiroaki Ikeda: Well we all grew up in the generation of NES (the original Nintendo Entertainment System), and we wanted to create something real-time and also something interactive. We took NES, added the internet, and the result was what we call the “Action-Fighting Online” game.

Onrpg: SplashFighters is certainly a fairly unique game. Would you say it is just a blend of different ideas, or are there particular areas where you feel you have innovated into new territory?

Ikeda: We wanted to develop something new. Games, either online or consumer, allow you to do something you can’t usually do in real life, such as fighting with others. In addition, the internet was just starting to spread when this game was in development, so it is a blend of different ideas in that way.

Onrpg: Indeed. In fact the beat-em-up and MMO genres are not often associated at all. How difficult have you found it to bring these areas together?

Ikeda: Since that was a challenge that only a few people tried before, everything was difficult. However, as we mentioned above, we wanted to create something new and we tried our best to achieve it. The result of that is what we have now, SplashFighters.

Onrpg: Traditionally, mastering a fighting game meant learning complex combos. With a fairly limited basic move-set is there still room for this level of expertise?

Ikeda: In SplashFighters, one of the hardest things is learning combos; however, it is not enough to survive. Since the battles are usually held with multiple players, you also need some strategy to survive. In fact, this game is developed for many people to play, so combos are not as hard as most fighting games.

Onrpg: I’m sure a lot of our readers will be glad to hear that. As with many free-to-play games, you sell additional content through your website. Due to the strong PvP nature of a fighting game, is there not a danger that the players who cannot (or will not) pay for items, will simply be outmatched by those who pay for strong weapons?

Ikeda: Players who have paid for weapons don’t have an advantage, they just have more varieties of ways to enjoy SplashFighters. Your skills and the way you play are the important factors in this game, so non-billing users can still enjoy it a lot once they get used to the game.

Onrpg: And to help them get used to the game, you include a large amount of single-player content. What made you include this element in what is very much a multi-player game? Do you find many players take advantage of it?

Ikeda: One of the single-player sections is for players to practice. Sometimes, however, players don’t know how to practice, so players can follow the story, working out how to clear those stages. After finishing the story, players will know how to fight, and they’ll know the joy of SplashFighters.

Onrpg: SplashFighter’s twin sister (GetAmped) has a very large international following but many English speaking users have reported severely underpopulated servers. Is this a widely reported problem and are you taking steps to avoid it?

Ikeda: Usually online games get the highest population at the start of their service and slowly decrease over time. GetAmped tended to increase the population slowly. GetAmped is now running in more than 10 territories and some of them are still growing.

Onrpg: Unlike most online games, SplashFighters has fully customisable character skins. Is this something you find many players make use of.

Ikeda: The character skins is one of the functions we want all players to try. Character skins allow you to increase the ways you enjoy SplashFighers with the number of skins you have.

Onrpg: In addition to the release of new content, the SplashFighters team are constantly running events and tournaments. Do you find there is a large uptake of these events? Do you think they are important in maintaining the community?

Ikeda: Yes, we think having events is quite important. One of the important events for fighting games is the battle tournament. Players practice their skills in single-player content or multi-player battles, but some people want to prove their skills officially. That’s why we keep holding the battle tournament.

In 2007 and 2008, GetAmped held the world battle tournament (GetAmped World Festival(GWF) 2007 and 2008) to determine the best player in the world, and that is something that all players can challenge.

Onrpg: Sounds exciting! You also release new items and stages on a weekly basis. Do you think that you can keep up this pace of new content indefinitely? Is there not a worry of ‘sameness’ with this pace of releases?

Ikeda: It is actually a very hard thing to keep updating every week without this “sameness”, but we never give up on creating new things and satisfying players because we want to see the players enjoying what we create.

Onrpg: Here at Onrpg, we bring together players from many different fields of MMOs. Are there any other major games that members of the SplashFighters team like to play? Anywhere our members might bump into one of you?

Ikeda: An MMORPG we’re making named HolyBeast Online is coming soon. It’s now in the stage of closed beta, so we mostly spend all our time there. You can check our HBO website (http://www.holybeast.com) or wait for open beta to come and join us.

Onrpg: I’ll be sure to check it out. For now though, can you offer us a sneak peek at any of the new items, stages or events that you have in the pipeline?

Ikeda: Right now, we are preparing for a new item called “Lucky Draw”. In addition, we keep improving our game itself, website, and everything that relates to the players comfort.

Onrpg: Apart from these regular updates of items and stages, do you see yourself ever branching out further or do you think that the core of the game will always stay with this winning formula?

Ikeda: Actually the core of the game will stay the same; however, we don’t want to let players feel too much “sameness”. We try everything we can to keep things fresh, and the players appreciate all the new things we bring to the game over time. This is the biggest reason why GetAmped is the one of the longest running online games in the world (since 2002).

Onrpg: Finally, what would you say to all those people out there who have never played a game like this and are now thinking of trying SplashFighters?

Ikeda: Maybe you feel some fear because the other people are already well trained, but there are Game Masters who can guide you and there are also many friendly players who can help you and play with you. There are so many ways to play this game, and there’s definitely a way to satisfy you!

Onrpg: Thank you very much for your time Mr Ikeda.

Well there you have it! For those of you previously unfamiliar with SplashFighters, I hope this has piqued your interest and I look forward to kicking all of your arses in this year’s international battle tourney!

Secret Of Solstice: New server!

Outspark is proud to announce the opening of the second Solstice server, which will offer all players a brand new place to start their adventure. The new server will be named Marian, after the twin sister of our heroine, Adeline. With the launch of the second server we want to welcome even more users to the growing Solstice family! The Marian server will be available to both new adventurers and old heroes looking for a fresh start beginning January 22, 2009, 4 PM PST.

Do you have what it takes to be the first player on this new server to hit the level cap? Do you want to be one of the first brave adventurers to set out across the continent of Xen? Get ready! To celebrate the launch of the new server, we will be giving away free Experience Boost Book that will last a full day! Players who create a character on the new server will be able to receive the special gift from the Solstice Trainer.

There will also be item sales that will help you in your adventurers. Players looking for an edge will have the option to obtain all sizes of health and mana potions, elixirs and kits from the Solstice Store. Those items will be on sale for 10% from January 22 until February 2. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Secret of the Solstice in a way few other players will.

Plain Sight

In Plain Sight your have to blow yourself up. No, it’s not a myserious game with an underlying message: it’s fun and simple-looking and extremely innovative.

Plain Sight is a 3D arcade game with robots, bombs, swords and messed up physics. You jump around and defeat opponents, upon which you blow yourself up and whoever gets killed in the blast adds to your banked points.

World of Kung Fu Celebrates the New Year with Special Gifts for Players

Just in time for the Chinese New Year, VestGame Entertainment has released an important upgrade to its popular MMORPG “World of Kung Fu”. The new version allows players to create and upgrade their own unique style of Kung Fu, debuts totally new armor sets for each class, and includes many new features and enhancements to gameplay.

VestGame Entertainment released the latest version of its popular 3D martial arts game “World of Kung Fu” this week to delight its many players and fans during this Chinese holiday season. World of Kung Fu (WoKF) is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) based on the traditional arts and mythology of ancient China.

One key new feature is the ability for players to create and upgrade their own style of Kung Fu with the new Meridian system. The Meridian system allows players using their own Kung Fu style to become even more powerful by making available new skills and strengthening character attributes. Players can now become Kung Fu legends using styles they have created themselves. The Rebirth system is also new. This allows players to get beyond the existing level cap and explore new realms with enhanced powers.

The new version also features brand new sets of armor for all classes. Each set can be crafted and refined. Many new and exciting additions have been made to the item mall for players to customize their characters. A new mount is available – the Giant Elephant. And all of the looting pets have been made more helpful and will now enhance player attributes.

In addition to the new systems, armor classes, and item mall items, there are also new quests and significant improvements to gameplay that will enhance the overall player experience. Reward ratios from Fortune Boxes and Chao Treasure Boxes have been readjusted to allow superior items. A new Shelter Charm will soon be added to prevent white name players from being killed by other players. Divine items can now be refined, and several old bugs have been fixed.

All in all, the newest version of World of Kung Fu represents a major upgrade from previous versions, and everyone is encouraged to try for themselves. More detailed information about the many new features and enhancements can be found on the World of Kung Fu website.

Warrior Epic: Full Character Class details revealed!

True Games Interactive,revealed today the exciting details and a new video of the six unique character classes in Warrior Epic. Developed by Austin-based studio Possibility Space, the game has already developed a growing community and will launch in Spring 2009.  See below for the full details of each of the six character classes which include Pit Fighters, Illusionists, Pangolans, Dungeon Archers, Devotresses and Assassins.  
 
PIT FIGHTER: Pit fighters are the most powerful melee warriors. Hailing from two different regions, each specializes in different areas of combat.  While the two vary in practice, both are adept in the base tactics taught by their masters.  Targets that stray from the herd are dominated by the sheer power of the Pit Fighter’s melee swings.  They are experts in hand-to-hand combat which allows for skills in AOE melee strikes.  Their instincts are to defeat enemies swiftly, while escaping danger when overwhelmed.  Pits have the ability to "Master" equipped weapons and items.  This skill allows Pit Fighters to have altered weapons unique to any other weapon in the Kingdom of Providence.
 
      Outcast – Outcast Pit Fighters are from the harsh Northern Wilderness.  Far from towns, cities, or any form of civilization, Outcasts from this region are used to fighting alone, and as a result have become highly skilled in survival tactics, making them an excellent tanking class.
 
      Berserker – Berserker Pit Fighters are from the far reaches of the molten lands known as the Searing Plains.  As their name suggests, searing anger is what drives these Warriors; allowing them to channel berserker energy to decimate foes into oblivion. They excel at fighting masses of great hordes and are particularly deadly with hand-to-hand AOE attacks.
ILLUSIONIST: The Illusionist is a harbinger of torment and a master of illusion. She harvests stray souls and determines the fates of weak minds.  Her rumored ties with the underworld make her one of the most feared and persecuted warriors in the realm. Her sweet façade is a deception to the cold savagery she wields with indifference.
      
       Spellbinder – The Spellbinder Illusionist is a weaver of mental imagery and horrors specializing in skills that confuse her foes. She can plunder the minds of those foolish enough to stand in her path and has the capability to invade private thoughts in order to use the victim’s own fears and weaknesses  against them.
 
       Necromancer – Tales of the Necromancer Illusionist’s exploits are often told in legend alone as there are usually no survivors.  She is closely tied to the dark underworld lords, calling upon their minions to do her bidding.  The Necromancer specializes in skills that connect the underworld to the living.
PANGOLAN: The Pangolan ("people of the tree") come from regions where the Giant Trees grow.  They act as the custodians of nature. They live as one with the forest and are often seen working as guides or trackers. It would be foolish to mistake their gentle demeanor for weakness, for they can be as fierce as they are kind.  Pangolans are well educated in ancient healing practices; making them a welcome addition to any party.
 
        Shaman – Shaman Pangolans have been handed down the secrets of the "Golin Pa Uru" or "Magic of the Dark Forest" for thousands of generations and can call upon nature’s forces as well as its inhabitants. Shaman Pangolans specialize in utilizing elemental forces to defeat enemies and heal party members.
 
        Tamer – Tamer Pangolans come from the largest forest known as Evervale.  They are known for their extreme devotion to the forest, and their chosen lifestyle as guardians of the Tree Regions.  As the protectors of Evervale, they can call upon the assistance of the creatures that live among its lush forests.
 
DUNGEON ARCHER: The Dungeon Archer is a Master of Ranged attacks. He is also well versed in survival skills and trap making.  Although Archers come from all over the world, there are very few that can master the art of bow and arrow.  The Dungeon Archer has the ability to infuse elements into the arrows he shoots, allowing for ranged damage of all types.
 
        Stalker – The Dungeon Archer Stalker is a Ranger at heart and a true Master with the bow.  He has the ability to shoot from great range with high accuracy.  He can channel his energy into his attacks, often doubling the damage dealt from normal arrows.  He can also channel his concentration into his reflexes, boosting his agility and accuracy boosts.
 
        Warden – The Dungeon Archer Warden is often known as a musician.  He is able to influence others by playing mesmerizing notes with his bowstring.  These mysterious sounds can both inspire fellow warriors or confuse and demoralize the enemy.  He specializes in dealing mid-range damage and applying significant buffs to allies.
 
DEVOTRESS: From an ancient order of Guardians, Devotresses seek to protect civilians from harm.   After the Fall of the Great Kingdoms, many ranks of Devotress broke off into different Orders, each following their own core beliefs.  Many Devotresses are still hunted by those who seek to fully destroy any evidence of the old Kingdom. Masters of sword and shield, Devotresses fight using skills in melee attacks and block defenses.
 
        Sentinel – All Sentinel Devotresses share horrible memories from the great "Falling of Kings". They journey through life with sorrow that both focuses and fuels their need to help others. They aspire to restore the prosperity of the Old Kingdom.  Sentinel Devotresses will sacrifice themselves in order to help their allies.  She specializes in melee skills that will protect the party from any foe.
         Avenger – The Avenger Devotresses hold onto emotion and anger, seeking vengeance against those responsible for the Great Falling of Kings. Avenger Devotresses are well-seasoned fighters that emphasize their training in agility.  In order to put their restless minds to peace, Avengers have learned to channel their anger into their skills. As a result, she has the swiftest attacks that are fueled purely by her emotions.
ASSASSINS: The Assassins are mysterious nomads known for their adventurous nature and signature weaponry. Many take the trade of bounty hunter, privateer, or mercenary. All are known for their unmatched skill with firearms and tenacity in battle.
 
          Dead Shot – Dead Shot Assassin’s skills excel in ranged combat.  Using her firearms as extensions of herself she is a fearsome shooter. Dead Shot  Assassins are able to shoot with amazing accuracy and evade at the same time.  They are untraceable, deadly warriors.
 
          Trapper – The Trapper Assassin employs numerous trap and ambush techniques to slay her quarry. She takes personal joy in catching an unwary enemy off guard. In addition, Trapper Assassins can add extra firepower for her allies by mounting her guns. She specializes in burst-ranged damage.

Ether Saga Online: Closed Beta launch announced!

Perfect World Entertainment Inc. today announced the Closed Beta program for its newest MMORPG, Ether Saga Online will begin on February 10, 2009.



Beginning today, gamers are invited to visit: eso.perfectworld.com, for a chance to receive beta keys that will provide early access to the Ether Saga Online game world prior to its official launch this spring.

Based on the Chinese literary classic, Journey to the West, Ether Saga Online combines lavish graphics with a youthful anime style and features a variety of unique features and systems for a truly one of a kind experience. Unlike other MMORPG games that charge subscription fees, Ether Saga Online will be free-to-play. Once inside the game world, players can earn and spend money to upgrade a large variety of items in real-time to enhance and personalize their game play experience.


“We are excited to provide gamers with early access to Ether Saga Online as we’re confident they’ll find its robust feature set, expansive game play world, and free-to-play model offers a greater level of player immersion and overall customization than traditional MMORPG games,”
said Dr. Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc.

GodsWar Online: Forging System Preview

There are now three methods of item creation: Forge Equipment, Material Compound and Equipment Compound. Below are the details about these three methods:

1. Material Compound
At present, only event items are usable for Material Compound. It is very easy to perform material compounding. Just start the compound after filling in enough materials, then wait for the process to finish.

Six Level 1 gems can be compounded into a Level 2 gem; six Level 2 gems can be compounded into a Level 3 gem… Gems include rubies, emeralds and sapphires. However, crystals cannot be compounded.

Forge Equipment
By using the “Forge Equipment” function, the player may increase the stats or level of gear by using gems. Gems can be gained from monsters, quests and the Item Mall.

Each type of gem is classified into three levels. Higher level gems grant a better chance to forge the equipment successfully. For example, a Level 1 Sapphire may increase the success rate of equipment forging to 25%. But a Level 2 Sapphire may make the success rate of equipment forging 50%. Additionally, the same gem grants a lower success rate when it is used to forge better equipment.

Crystals can be used to increase the change to forge equipment successfully. At most 25 crystals can be used at one time.
Rubies can be used to increase a gear’s level. For example, level 46 gear can be upgraded to level 58 when it is forged successfully using rubies.

Sapphires are used to augment gear stats displayed in white. By using Sapphires to forge equipment, players may improve a piece of Common gear into a piece of Solid, Delicate, Excellent or even Perfect gear.

Emeralds are used to augment the gear stats displayed in green. By using emeralds to forge equipment, the player may augment the gear’s stats displayed in green and increase the gear’s star level.

As shown in the picture above, all the related items should be placed in their specific slots to start performing equipment forging. Gems should be placed in the left slot. Crystals can be placed in the bottom slot to increase the success rate of the equipment forging. If the success rate is not 100%, the equipment forging has a chance to fail. If equipment forging fails, the source gear will remain but the gem and crystals for forging the equipment will vanish. If equipment forging succeeds, a piece of new gear will appear in the middle slot.

2. Equipment Compound
By contrast with the equipment forging, equipment compounding seems to be a bit more fun because the result of equipment compounding is much more difficult to predict. By using the equipment compounding function, players may gain cool equipable items just by using some poor items.



The source equipment used for equipment compounding should be placed in the top slot. The equipable items to be compounded should be placed in the other three slots. The source equipment in the top slot determines the type of equipment yielded after the equipment has compounded. For example, if the source equipment is a head slot item, then the yielded equipment will be a head slot item too. The item to be compounded cannot be more than -5 levels compared with the source equipment, otherwise the equipment compound cannot be performed.

Better items will yield even better items after equipment compounding. For example, if you compound four Common items, then you will be likely to gain a Common item. If you compound four Solid items, then you will gain a Solid item or even a Delicate one.

The stats displayed in green will be changed completely at random after equipment compounding. If you compound four Common items that all possess three types of Green stats, you may gain a Solid item that possesses three types of Green stats or even a Common item that possesses no Green stats. In a word, you will understand the phrase that “risks always comes with benefits” more deeply after trying equipment compounding.

Archlord: Four City Tournament

Enter the Four City Tournament and compete against your fellow players to win the coveted prizes each day as your combat prowess is put to the test and ranked for all to see.

All players who enter the Battle Square and engage in Player versus Player (PvP) combat will be automatically entered into the tournament and ranked based on their points scored.

Running from Friday 23rd January to Sunday 1st February, the tournament will have thousands of fantastic prizes up for grabs!