Yearly Archives: 2009

2029 Online: An InsiderÂ’s Look into the Game

2029 Online is a massive online sci-fi based multiplayer experience set in a world ravaged by hatred throughout the Helen Continent, and never-ending conflicts between races and rebel forces. Players from across the globe come together online, and combat to uphold their faith and glory. As the game heats up, they will soon break away from killing mobs to level them and play the game with a PvP element.
 
What can expect from 2029
Players’ exploits in the Helen Continent will give them access to a huge variety of class-specific skills. This game brings visualized flamboyance back to MMO fans’ game experience, featuring stunning 3D graphics and variable game modes. Sometimes, the game will go full screen, blending intense game play and fantasy appeal together into one work of art. It allows players to create their own rooms on the purpose of forging lasting bonds of friendship with heroes who share a dream and fight to turn sword and sorcery tales into a reality. The moment-to-moment interaction with the game and players will help increase the role playing fun during periods of increased tension. Its quest system offers assorted quests with a story element. Some of them are branched out and composed of many addictive branching quests. The interaction between NPCs and players has been intensified. The game based on a solid idea for its design guarantees a smooth control while players are slashing enemies.
 
Background Music
Its background music is adaptive, which means it changes between different scenes or parts of game play. People will combat against evil with their hearts set afire by its vivid inspirational sound effects. Not all tracks in the game are fast paced. There are also some soul soothing melodies. Listening to them will lift spirits and give minds a relaxed sensation.
 
Multiple Cultures
2029 Online puts players right in the middle of a clash of civilizations. The planet Earth was destroyed by nuclear weapons and homeless human beings piloted a huge spaceship through space in search for a new planet to thrive and survive. They settled on Helen Continent and found a world shattered and plagued by fights between the races living here. These alien races were intelligent and had highly developed forms of culture. But their hatred toward each other was such that they wanted nothing but to hack each other into pieces and see their enemies’ blood spill everywhere. The planet was under the constant threat of war. Humans quickly grabbed a keen advantage in the struggles, striving to become the dominant species and forging new alliances of cultures. After many years passed, only a few outstanding and resilient species have remained: Humans, Dryads, Electronic Elves, Ice Energy and Mechanicals. Since then, Helen Continent has gradually built a world of peace and co existence.

Dragonica: PvP system unveiled

Dragonica, the free-to-play 3D side-scrolling MMORPG, will be available this Spring in English, French and German from the Gpotato.eu portal. While the gPotato team prepares for the launch, we are proud to announce information about the PvP system which will be available to all players once they reach Level 20.

Dragonica’s PvP features frantic arcade-style action, a straightforward and easy to use interface and epic battles allowing up to ten players to battle head-to-head. Players have the choice of a variety of options to play alone or as part of a team, with free for all, team death matches and last-man-standing modes available. There are also plenty more modes to come including capture the flag and dedicated Guild War modes.
These can be played in a variety of locations from across the land of Dragotaka. Battle on a narrow strip of land in a magma chamber deep underground or elude your foes in the mysterious labyrinth. Bring the fight to a mushroom village hidden deep in a forest or descent into the crater of an active volcano. Regular players can earn special achievements, while Combat Points earned in PvP mode can be cashed in with an in-game character for a unique set of armour to assist you in the main quest and identify as a top PvP player to the rest of the Dragonica community.

Whether you are a hardcore or casual player, you can quickly jump between the main quest and battle modes. Starting or joining a multiplayer game in Dragonica is simple, easy to understand, and allows you to quickly get straight into the action with a click on the PvP button. From the matchmaking screen you can view your friends list to see who is online and join them, or browse through the games and join the match that best suits your mood and skill level.

Pirate Galaxy

A galaxy in turmoil. The Mantis have gained supremacy over the mining colonies and are exploiting the only remaining cryonite deposits.

Board your starship and fight alongside other outlaw pilots to hunt down the alien transports, loot their valuable cargo, and reclaim the colonies!

Have you got what it takes to conquer a galaxy?
You can purchase new starships and customize them individually, choosing from hundreds of modifications and upgrades. To hunt down and destroy your enemies more effectively, you can team up with other players from around the globe. As you and your clan mates explore the galaxy and travel to distant planets, you will gain access to new technology and cooler ship enhancements. Prove yourself in tournaments and epic clan battles, and conquer entire planets. Can you unravel the secrets left behind by an ancient alien civlization and become the most renowned space pirate in the galaxy?

A Tale in the Desert Review: Thriving Community

By Vincent Haoson, Onrpg Writer

When we talk about MMOs, the first thing that comes to our minds are games where there are monsters to eliminate, quests that needs to be accomplished and characters that are battling against the forces of evil. A Tale in the Desert is a game that tackles the less RPG-ish feel of most MMOs in the market today by going into a more developmental approach of gaming.

Set in Ancient Egypt

A Tale in the Desert is a game where you are a character that is living in Ancient Egypt. Your main goal is to improve yourself as a citizen of Egypt through various quests that require you to learn and apply your knowledge from the different schools found in-game. Think of A Tale in the Desert as an MMO version of Sims minus the social complexities that Sims is famous for.

Simulation is the main theme of A Tale in the Desert. The game in fact is chock full of quests you need to accomplish to be successful in the game. The leveling system here is based not on the usual ‘how-may-exp-I-earned-by-killing-monsters’ but rather on the amount of skills and abilities you learn as you progress through the world of A Tale in the Desert.

Upon entering the game, you are already given your first quest, which is the ‘Principles of Citizenship’. This basically would be your introduction into the game. While doing your quest you would get acquainted with the controls and the game system that’s unique for A Tale in the Desert.

The first unique feature in A Tale in the Desert is the way you finish your quests. You would need to collect various minerals that are found along the environment. You would need to ‘gather’ said materials to progress through the game. Gathering and building are the only routes you have to take here in A Tale in the Desert if you want to improve your character unlike in most games where crafting only comes secondary and the only use you have for them is for better equipments.

Skills instead of Levels

The other unique system in A Tale in the Desert is the way you level up. Unlike in games where you need to gain experience to level up, in A Tale in the Desert, the only way you can level is through learning. School is cool in A Tale in the Desert and if you really want to progress through the game you would need to study a lot. You need to gather the necessary materials the school asks of you and viola! With just one click you immediately learn the skill! Now if real schools are like that, wouldn’t life be easier?

Besides the uniqueness of the leveling system in A Tale in the Desert, the game has the law making system. This game system sets A Tale in the Desert apart from other MMOs because players can take direct actions in helping or controlling the laws in-game. Of course the laws you can create in-game are limited to what the game has, still it adds flavor and fun that you can actually affect the game by the laws that you try to pass.

Weighing it Over

Right of the bat, A Tale in the Desert is not a game that is for everyone. The first reason is that A Tale in the Desert is totally unlike most MMOs found in the web. The game play itself is superbly unique but the uniqueness also comes with the price that not a lot of players are willing to try this one out.

The game pace is slow and a laborious process. This wouldn’t fare well for those who are used to wham bam type of actions especially on MMOs who are already established in the online gaming scene. The graphics is not that great too, especially for a game that requires a subscription after one day of free play.

Another quite disappointing factor for the game is that the game isn’t newbie user friendly. In my earlier experiences on the game I would need to ask people around to realize that I already passed a lot of mining areas where I need to gather for a quest. True the game doesn’t lack in icons where it’s user friendly, but the user friendliness of the icons are only useful when you know what it means.

A Tale in the Desert has a big learning curve plus the default controls need time to get used to. Another thing is that most of the in-game controls are point-and-click, this is kind of unnerving especially if you are used to games where there are icons that you can use to navigate through the game.

Still with the graphical limitations the game has, I’ve never seen a community as active in A Tale in the Desert. What practically helped me stop pressing the alt+f4 key from the frustration of trying to figure out what to do were the people who courteously helped me out with the barrage of questions I have about the game.

Amazing Community

The game has a following that you would never see in most games. Majority of the players you see in game are people who you can actually talk to. Unlike in some games where a lot of people doesn’t necessarily mean a “live community”. A Tale in the Desert is in fact a nice game to play if you are into games where basically what you do is collect, talk and be with people.

A Tale in the Desert is basically one of those games where the community is how it should be. It is an developmental kind of MMO where a live community is needed to make it thrive. So I say if you are the type of player who wants to socialize in a friendly environment and also have fun then you could try out A Tale in the Desert. I think a day’s worth of trying out of the game could in fact help you decide to actually spend on it or go to another game out there.

Conclusion

A Tale in the Desert is basically a simulation game where you need to build your character into a citizen that Egypt can be proud of. Even if the game lacks some of the elements that make other MMOs great and that the games play is totally different from what we are used to, A Tale in the Desert has its charms. A game like this wouldn’t last four evolutions and almost a decade of operation if there is nothing special about it.

Pros

– Thriving Community

– The game isn’t level dependent

– It’s like sims without the social complexities

Cons

– The game isn’t that graphically stunning

– The controls needs to get used to

– The game pace is slow and tedious

– The interface isn’t newbie friendly

Online gamer face $6000 bill!

The Australian Daily Telegraph reported the following news:


When Justin Cavanagh decided to play online games with his mates over the Christmas break he didn’t realise his actions would cost him thousands of dollars.

Mr Cavanagh, 29, connected three computers at his North Gosford home so his friends could go head-to-head on the popular online World War II strategy game Battleground Europe.

But he exceeded his Telstra Bigpond 60GB ADSL2+ plan by more than 38GB.

Telstra’s policy is to charge excess data at a rate of 15c per megabyte but, the company says, Bigpond customers are always sent email notification when they are nearing their download limit.

When Mr Cavanagh’s next Telstra bill arrived it said he owed them $6041. A distraught Mr Cavanagh contacted Telstra about the massive bill and was told to send an email.

Have you got examples of Telstra over-charging you online? Tell us below!

It was a bit hard to send an email because they cut off my connection, he said.

When The Daily Telegraph contacted Telstra a spokesman rang Mr Cavanagh immediately and said the bill would be waived as a gesture of good will.



(source:The Daily telegraph)

Fiesta: Instance Dungeons Now Available

Dragon’s Tomb, Fiesta’s first instance dungeon is now available.

A dark and mysterious force has revived the great dragon king Cornelius, and his phantom is now threatening to raise another dragon army and unleash destruction on the world of Isya once again!
It’s up to the world’s greatest heroes to band together and strike down Cornelius for good! High level players can team up with a party of fellow adventures to take on this exciting new instance dungeon.

Featuring four sub-bosses, a host of new traps and challenges, and a showdown with the dragon king Cornelius himself, Dragon’s Tomb will push Fiesta players to their limits and reward them with the most powerful weapons and armor available in the game.

WoW: is patch 3.0.8 a disaster?

Wowinsider.com issued an article claiming that the latest patch for World Of Warcraft ‘has been a disaster’. Here’s an extract:


Wintergrasp (one of the biggest promoted features of Wrath) shut down. Unbearable lag on the realms and in instances (and this patch was supposed to fix that). Blizzard even went live with the patch knowing that major bugs (the Warlock summoning and animation and clipping errors) were in there, and, perhaps worst of all, bugs that have been in the game so long they seem to belong there (we’re looking at you, Pet Cower bug) didn’t even bother showing up in the patch notes, and haven’t been fixed.

In short, patch 3.0.8 has been a disaster.

(…)

It’s broken more issues than it was even supposed to fix, and bugs that existed before the patch haven’t even gotten a mention, as Blizzard is scrambling to re-do all of the changes that were supposed to go live with 3.0.8.


(soucer: wowinsider.com)

Myth War II: Spring Festival Event

Chinese New Year is almost here and the inhabitants of Myth War are looking for a brand new start.
The Gods governing Rarus Continent have opened the Festal Treasury to see if any brave souls will pick up the gauntlet and fight without fear to grab these rare, divine treasures.

Event Duration

January 22 to January 31
Public access will be given during fixed time periods each day.

Event Description

Event One: Take the Festal Treasury The Festal Treasury is an 8-story building. Each floor is guarded by a Patron Saint. Players must team up and battle against them and the Treasury Guards. As players venture to each new floor, the combat will become more intense as the Patron Saints you face get much tougher. Players will win Honor Points and even God’s Chest after the death of the Patron Saints and Treasure Guards. If there are players below Level 30 in party, bonus Honor Points will be given to all teammates.

Event Two: Honor Points Exchange Players can go to Luna’s Palace to exchange their Honor Points for many fabulous prizes. High level pieces, Saint Pets or Deity Beasts are included in the prize list.

Event Three: New Year’s Wishes During the event period, the New Year’s Fairy will be available for everyone to send their Chinese New Year’s wishes. Each player has only one chance to send their New Year’s wishes every half hour. Prizes will be given for sending well wishes.

Zu Online: Little Sky Strategy

When travelling to Little Sky in Zu Online, you may doubt whether you are in a dangerous place, because it looks so peaceful. Do not let this beauty fool you into letting your guard down.

Little Sky was originally the place where the Boulder Immortal resided and cultivated his spirit, but then it became a forbidden area to imprison immortal beings.

So, what will you encounter while you are exploring Little Sky?

Water Goblin (Level 142)
They are gentle winged creatures that live in Little Sky. They like to fly over the water and look a bit like a horse. Some of them are extremely clever. Some of them can even speak to immortal beings and serve as a mount.

Tablet Trapper (Level 157)
They were talismans of Purple Mansion and originally the tablets used in the Trapping Formation to help trap immortal beings. When some immortal beings infused vigor into them, they became talented creatures. Many immortal beings then created Tablet Trappers to fight for them.

Impudent Taoist (Level 163)
They were originally uncommonly strong men who made great achievements and then got the third eye. By using the third eye, they can see the world more clearly than others and even attack their enemies with fire.

Skullcap Taoist (Level 179)
They seldom speak. They exude power. But actually, they have traded their spirit to a mystical, talented person in Purple Mansion for the power they posses. This terrible deal they made has caused them to lose not only their souls, but their minds as well.

Cheen (Level 190)
Cheen is one of the three talented masters of Purple Mansion. The weapon in his hand is amazingly powerful. He always acts arbitrarily. Rumor had it he fought against the Immortal Tansoo, but in his haste to kill his enemy, he went to Little Sky and was trapped there.

Danger lurks everywhere amidst the tranquility of Little Sky. Be careful and reap great rewards!

Rappelz Interview: New Content And New Events

Questions by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer
Answered by: Itoki, Rappelz GM
 
Rappelz is a popular MMORPG hosted by none other than Gpotato. We at Onrpg have had the opportunity to ask them some quick questions… and even got a sneak preview as to what will go on during Valentine’s Day in the game! "Our in game event will run from the 4 to the 17 and Monsters will be dropping heart candies in the game, which can then be exchanged for heart pets or buffs" said a member of the Rappelz. Read on to find out more about the event, and much much more!
 
Onrpg: What are some of the latest improvements to the game?
 
With the two part release of Epic V in the fall, Rappelz has seen a large influx of improvements in-game. Most notable, was the drop rate for all high level equipment and rare pets has increased significantly. We’ve also added armor sets to the high level dungeons which grant additional bonuses when all pieces of the set are equipped.
 
Epic V also brought two brand new dungeons and a time challenge dungeon where players try to kill as many bears as possible within a time limit to gain points which can be spent on potions, decorative equipment, and other prizes. The release included a rebalancing of character skills and the addition of new equipment and a new mount.
 
Onrpg: Rappelz Epic V is now very elaborate with part I and part II being fully released and available to the public. Congratulations on your release! What feedback have you received on this matter in the past few months?
 
Most of the changes have been well received. Players are more powerful now, and new high level dungeons have been added with additional difficulty to take advantage of that. Our new time challenge dungeon has been popular as well, with players of all levels taking part. Another feature that players enjoyed a lot is the addition of decorative pets that pick up loot for you.
 
Onrpg: An interesting feature we have discovered is the GM event. Could you please explain to us what a GM event is?
 
We have both large, monthly GM events and smaller, impromptu GM "mini-events" that occur several times a week on various servers. The large events are usually timed competitions between servers and often advance the storyline of Rappelz, a conflict with an evil Witch. For example, January’s event was about a pet that had witnessed the inner workings of the Witch’s cultists and had to be protected as it tried to flee to the safety of the city before the cultists killed it for what it knew.
 
The smaller GM events are just about interacting with the community – sometimes GMs will summon monsters for players to fight, or they will go to an arena and duel with the players, or simply hang out in town and answer players’ questions. The nature of these impromptu GM events is all about interaction with our community and building a rapport. Last month for the holidays we asked players to create Rappelz holiday-themed poems and artwork that we could post on our Community Center and granted holiday wishes to the ones we posted. One winner got armor and a weapon for his pet, for instance, and another got the GMs to shout "All Hail the Chicken!" every day until Christmas.
Onrpg: What is the Rappelz library? Why is it so significant?
 
The Rappelz Library is our official wiki, with information on character and pet skills, equipment, and more. It’s still under construction, but we hope that when it’s complete (or as complete as it can be in an evolving game!) it will be an excellent repository of knowledge about all things Rappelz.
Onrpg: The community center is an interesting section of your site that allows players to share videos, pictures, and stories with everyone who plays the game. How have you come up with the idea of creating such a creative page?
 
We’re continually looking for ways to get our community more involved with the game. They’re an intelligent, creative group, and we wanted to give them a highly visible place to express themselves. Just recently we’ve added even more incentive to the community center -players who submit cool stuff to the community center get $25 worth of Item Shop items when their work is showcased on the website.
Onrpg: How strong is the customization level of Rappelz? Will players be able to truly stand out?
 
Rappelz has a lot of options for customization. In addition to a wide variety of armor and weapons, players can also customize their equipment with enchantments and soul stones that increase their stats. Any class can use any weapon, so players have the option of customizing their look and gear to complement their play style. That’s not even touching on the decorative costumes available from the item shop, the branching skill trees, or the ability for anyone to tame and raise a pet.
Onrpg: Is partying necessary to advance in Rappelz? How party oriented is this MMORPG?
 
Partying isn’t necessary at all, but many players prefer it. The Rappelz world is built to accommodate both solo players and parties, and we see both styles of play at every level. We’re proud of the fact that any class can solo in Rappelz, but every class is also useful in a party.
Onrpg: Do you have any special activity or event coming up?
 
We will be having a special event for Valentine’s Day. Our in game event will run from the 4 to the 17 and Monsters will be dropping heart candies in the game, which can then be exchanged for heart pets or buffs. In celebration, every user who has played Rappelz recently will receive a 7 Day Hidden Village Pass. Heart pets and 9 Day Hidden Village Passes will also be on sale in our cash shop during this period at 50% off.
Onrpg: What is your favourite feature in Rappelz and why?
 
The pets in Rappelz are my favourite feature. All players can get a pet to help them in combat. There are different types of pets that have different combat specialties.  Some are healers; some are crowd control, tanks, direct damage, etc. And just like players pets have their own set of skills – you can customize their build just as you can customize a character’s build. You can equip them with weapons and armor to make them more effective.  The pets are extremely customizable and level with you, so you never have to abandon a favorite companion. However, if you do decide to pick up another pet-your old pet can still be useful. You can put the pet card in your belt slot and gain additional stats on your character.
 
Onrpg: If you could change one part of the game, what would it be and why?
 
We’ve added quite a bit of high level content to the game recently, but we can always use more. There are a couple of high level areas that could use a little more polish and a little more fleshing out, and that is one of our priorities going forward.
Onrpg: What kind of items can players purchase from your item mall? Can a player play the game without restriction if they do not make use of the item mall?
 
Players can purchase items that help them level faster, horseshoes that make their mounts travel faster, special cloaks and helmets, decorative pets and costumes, as well as many other items. Nothing in our item shop is required, and most of our players do not purchase anything from the item shop at all. Additionally, almost everything in the item shop is tradable between players, so free players have the opportunity to obtain nearly every item from our item shop without spending real money.