Yearly Archives: 2009

EVE Online: over 45,000 players in new eden

The guys at EVE Online have published this news today:


What a great way to start out 2009–a new PCU (Peak Concurrent User) record of 45,186! While we’ve made tremendous serverside changes in the EVE Online infrastructure with the EVE64 and StacklessIO initiatives, it is truly a testament to our loyal fans that 5 years into EVE’s existence we are still breaking records and more people are flying in New Eden than ever before.

We know we’ll be trying to find leftover champagne from New Year’s EVE to celebrate. When we do, we’ll toast to you!

GodsWar Online: 2nd Alpha Test Begins at Weekend

IGG today announce that they would be holding a second Alpha Test for GodsWar Online which starts on Jan 9th, 2009.

GodsWar Online, the first MMORPG that IGG developed, will launch its second Alpha Test at 9:00pm January 8th EST (GMT-5) and the new client will be available on January 7th. Soon after that, activation codes will be given out, and players who joined the last Alpha Test can enter the game directly.

We will release a server called Atlanta. This server will be the place where players can enjoy the new version and events in advance. After the test, players’ data will not be deleted.

However, as it is an Alpha Test, we will make a few adjustments to any problematic data in the game. With a host of brand-new content, game version 1.85 will be adopted in this test.

In this version, we have improved the guild system and guild quests, added a suit system and beautified the special gear effects. We are sure this new content will make your GodsWar gaming experience even better. More details will be published later.

For the sake of the safety of players’ data and the best performance of the game, officials have decided to release the second Alpha Test, which means the Closed Beta will be delayed. Also, please remember that all data will be preserved this time.

Chaos Online Interview: Closed Beta Details

Chaos Online interview for Onrpg

Questions by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer

Answered by: Engputer, Vice President, Ingle Games Ltd.

We at Onrpg were delighted to conduct an interview with Engputer, Vice President of Ingle games Ltd, on the subject of their newest release, Chaos Online. So far, this game has had a stunning reputation for their great in-game support and unique events. This is a game where players can contribute to making the game bug-and-hacker-free, and this works smoothly so far. That’s not all Chaos Online has to offer, and there is much more to come: “More and more interesting online/offline activities will be introduced into the game after we have passed the period of beta” said Engputer. Read this interview to find out their future plans and Engputer’s personal thoughts of the game!

Onrpg: Chaos Online has recently been released in the Closed Beta phase. What new features should players be able to experience that weren’t present in the Alpha phase?

Engputer: Hi Rick and all the onrpg.com members. Thanks for offering the chance to talk with you about Chaos Online. We are glad that Chaos Online has successfully entered the Closed Beta testing period. There are a lot of differences between CB version and Alpha version.

In previous version, the equipment can only be crafted. Now in CB version, equipment can be upgraded. For example, if you have a Lv.10 weapon, you can use a meteor to upgrade its level to 20 and the related attributes will increase. This will benefit players a lot since they can invest only on 1 weapon instead of different ones.

Most of Shopping Mall items are transferred to normal Gold Shop. This is our style of publishing games that we don’t want to sell those functions for money. We removed a lot of items from the shopping mall so that players can enjoy these functions for free. Such as costumes, backpack space etc. In game robot is totally free now which can help you to free your hands to chat and making new friends!

Another major change is that we have Credit Card System released. You don’t need to pay a single dollar to purchase Diamonds to buy valuable items. When you reach certain levels, you can get free Diamonds!

A lot of other things are added and I can’t list them all out here. For more details, you can read our official website.

Onrpg: It is known that some tweaking and rearranging has been done to the game’s rates (exp, drops). How have the rates changed in comparison with the Closed Beta phase?

Engputer: Actually we didn’t make changes to the game’s rates. We doubled them during the weekends since more players will log into the game and enjoy the game during weekends. But if this works great and players like it, we will try to make them double all the time. But we need to do some research first.

Onrpg: What feedback have you been receiving so far for this recent testing phase?

Engputer: As to feedback, most are related to game and players do give us a lot of useful information to make the game better. We also find that the community is very friendly and active. We thought we need to assign GMs in game to answer questions while those questions are answered by players immediately. They save us a lot of time and we can focus more on solving the bugs and other important issues.

Onrpg: A special gold farmer “bounty hunting” event is currently in place. Could you please explain this for us in detail, and offer us the rewards given if you happen to catch a gold farmer?

Engputer: We do not welcome Gold Farmers in our game. We want a fair and friendly community and drive those money driven guys out from our community. We will encourage players to exchange items on their own with real money. Later we will setup a trade center to help them to buy and sell items for real money among them.

Onrpg: Are there any rewards in-store for players who seek out bugs or malfunctions within the game?

Engputer: Yes we do. We have great rewards for those bug finders and we thank them for finding out bugs for the whole community! We will also grant them Bug Finder title in official forum as well.

Onrpg: During the Alpha phase, players were able to exchange forum gold (acquired from participating actively in the forums) for in-game gold. Is this feature still implemented in the game? How is this feature important to Chaos Online’s community development?

Engputer: This is just one of the activities we have in our community. As you may know that most game forums are a bit isolated from the games. Only 1/10 players will participate in forums. We would like to have a try on this combining, that players are both active in forums and in games. As you may see in our forums, they are really helping each other, especially for the novices.

Onrpg: An item mall is currently planned for the release of Chaos Online. Could you please give us a short preview on what kinds of items will players be able to purchase in it?

Engputer: As to shopping mall, we have removed a lot of stuff from it, which means players can get most of items for in game gold, not from purchase. Now the items in shopping mall can all be found in the game, except some interesting clothes. So shopping mall now is really optional. If you want to save time, we welcome you to use shopping mall.

Onrpg: How strong is the customization aspect of the game? How can one be truly unique in Chaos online?

Engputer: Since our game is still in beta, to be honest we haven’t released much function on this aspect. But we have different costumes right now and they can be purchased easily in game. You can disguise yourself as a Mid-Century Knight and you can also disguise yourself a 21st century gentleman.

Onrpg: How party-oriented is this MMORPG? Will a player be able to solo all the way to end-game, or will partying up with others be necessary?

Engputer: Party will grant you at most 16% extra experience you have gained from mobs. Normally if you get power-levelled up by a pro player, you can easily reach to level 50 since the Power levelling is well adjusted in this game. If you want to solo, you can also quickly get yourself to high levels and then start your true journey. If you want to play Dungeons, you will sure need to party!

Onrpg: What can we players expect in terms of activities and events that will be held in the game in the future?

Engputer: More and more interesting online/offline activities will be introduced into the game after we have passed the period of beta. As you may know currently we must focus on the bug fixing and make the game more stable. Next period we will make the game more enjoyable.

Onrpg: Are there any plans for a special event during this holiday season?

Engputer: We will have Xmas events for Christmas and New Year. For more details, please visit official website and I am sure that web designers have put this big event in our main site. Happy New Year to you all!

Onrpg: What do you enjoy about the game the most so far in terms of gameplay?

Engputer: Personally I play a game part for the game play and part for the community. So far the game is interesting to me, especially hunting in dungeons, upgrading my equipments and riding on my super power mounts. I am also enjoying the game community since I can easily fit myself in the race channel – robot free my hands from hunting mobs so that I can enjoy the chat. I have made a lot of new friends as well.

Onrpg: How long will the Closed Beta phase last?

Engputer: This depends on the development progress and bug fixing speed. Our plan is less than 1.5 months and we hope we can bring the stable and 80% released open beta to our players soon.

Onrpg: When do you approximately plan on moving the game on to the Open Beta phase and/or the official release?

Engputer: We hope that Open Beta can start in January and we can official release the game in March or April.

Thanks very much and hopefully readers can give a try on this motorcycle thing.

Zu Online: Mascot System Overview

Zu Online is a 3D MMORPG based on immortal beings and kung fu. When creating a character, players need to select a mascot so they can get its blessings during certain periods of their epic journey through the world of Zu.

The Zu Online developers added the mascot system to the game in the beginning of the games development. The selectable mascots are the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The mascots give blessings in turn every 15 minutes. For example, during the period the Dog gives blessings, a player whose mascot is the Dog can get blessings from the Spirit Master in Holy City or Jamon in Desert City. With this blessing, their experience gained in combat will increase by 50% for certain duration.

The Zu Online developers have also added the Treasure Map system, flying mounts and more unique aspects to the game. These exciting features show players that they are not only in an original supernatural world but also gives them a lot of enjoyment.

Voyage Century: 3 New Instances II

The folks at Voyage Century recently introduced us to 3 of the 6 newly added instances in the new version. Well, today they are going to continue talking to you about the remaining 3 new instances.

As was mentioned before, the Cretan labyrinth, Mallorca Cave, and Madagascar are the instances suitable for medium and low level players. However, the Taj Mahal, the Beijing Emperor Mausoleum, and the Mayan Civilization are places for veteran players’.

Taj Mahal
The great Taj Mahal is testament to the brilliance of the ancient culture of India. Under the moonlight it’s white stone shines with unearthly brilliance. However, it is now being damaged by wild animals, robbers, and by the most unmerciful force of all, time. Some people have even seen ghosts prowling the grounds.

Beijing Emperor Mausoleum
Once, the governor of Jin Xi province and the rebels he was supposed to be fighting conspired to overthrow the government. They buried tons of treasure to finance their rebellion. However their plot was discovered before they were able to act and they were rounded up and executed. The treasure they hid was lost to the ages. Many people know the treasure exists somewhere, but so far no one has been able to find it.

Mayan Civilization
The Mayan Civilization, an ancient Native American culture that represented one of the greatest civilizations in the world. They thrived for more than 2,000 years. Building massive stone pyramids, temples, and sculptures; as well as developing a system of writing using hieroglyphs; and recording their achievements in mathematics and astronomy they were pioneers in many fields of study. Tomatoes, corn, and potatoes they first planted are have now spread all over the world.

Are women in MMO more hardcore and more ‘bisexual’?

A study reported by BBC website shows some curious stats about MMO players and genre prevalence:

Despite gaming being seen as a male activity, female players now make up about 40% of the gaming population.
The study looked at gender differences in more than 2,400 gamers playing EverQuest II.

The results showed that, although more of the players were male, it was the female players who were the most dedicated players, spending more time each day playing the game than their male counterparts.

The pressure to conform to traditional gender roles might mean that some women are put off activities seen as “masculine”, whereas women who reject traditional gender roles might be more likely to play MMOs such as EverQuest II. Perhaps in support of this the survey revealed an unusually high level of bisexuality among the women who took part in the study – over five times higher than the general population.

Another unexpected finding was that the online game players – particularly the women – were healthier than the general population, though this was drawn from self-reported levels of exercise and body mass index.

The study also found that men and women played computer games for different reasons, with men more likely to play to win and women more likely to play for social reasons.

Furthermore, a high proportion of women reported playing the game with their romantic partner, supporting the idea that game playing is becoming an increasingly sociable activity. The researchers say that this trend is reflected in patterns of general computer and internet use.

Tales of Pirates: Prison Island Now Open

A new map called Prison Island, a special place where you can enjoy extreme PK, is now available in Tales of Pirates. There is no beautiful scenery, only ferocious monsters everywhere. You are supposed to survive on this dark, desolate island, and fight against any potential enemies.

How to get in the “Prison”

  1. Buy a Arrest Warrant in the Item Mall
  2. Choose a target and use the Arrest Warrant.
  3. After verification, the target character will be sent to the prison.
  4. Your spawn place will be arranged on Prison Island

Requirements

  1. Your character should not have any effects that forbid you from being sent to the prison.
  2. Your backpack should contain a Good Guy Card or a The Running of Time.

How to get out of the “Prison”

  1. You should ask the warden to give you a prison record card, and put it in the third slot of your backpack. After you’ve stayed in the prison for 1 hour, you use the card to have the warden send you out.
  2. You will have a chance to obtain a Release Warrant after defeating small and big bosses.
  3. You can buy a Release Warrant in the Item Mall.
  4. After you get out of the Prison, your spawn place will be arranged at one of the 3 main cities
  5. After you get out of the prison, you will not be allowed to go back to the prison for 1 hour.

Richard Garriott back to MMO world?

In an interview for BBC, Richard Garriott, aka Lord British, the legendary game designer behind the Ultima series, admitted that he’s ready to get back to work on video games. Here’s the interview.

“For me, the high point – quite literally – was spending 12 days on the International Space Station. As a result, I’ve been somewhat outside the gaming scene; I was in quarantine for nearly three months in 2008.

That said, Halo’s sequel was a big deal. World of Warcraft continues to dominate the massive multiplayer arena – more power to them. If I had to pick a developer who has done a bang up job, it would be Blizzard [the development team behind World of Warcraft]. The number of people they have converted is just amazing. They have shown all of us what good game development is all about.

After 25 years at Origin, the last thing I wanted to make was yet another medieval fantasy game. Now, after a very interesting break, I’m keen to get back into the fray and work on a new game. Probably medieval fantasy and probably online; there’s something very powerful about getting people together.”

Richard Garriott announced his departure from NCSoft a few weeks ago (you can read the news here)

Angels Online: Guild System Introduction

The guild system in Angels Online is closely linked with in-game PVP battles. Only players in a guild are qualified to occupy a totem. Powerful guilds have more chances to grab the best territory, so guild improvement should always be a top priority for successful PVP. Today, the Angels Online team from IGG (http://www.igg.com) is happy to briefly introduce their guild system for all players.

There are four ranks for guilds in Angels Online. The higher the rank of the guild, the more guild members it can hold. The guild system plays a very important role in Totem Battles, which is basically a competition among guilds. Players can donate certain materials to enhance their guild’s reputation. When their guilds rank is enhanced, the guild can then recruit more guild members. What’s more, the Guild Coffer will be available to all guild members to assist with guild members needs. Only with more guild members and reasonable cooperation among different classes can a guild win the Totem Battle.

Players whose guild possesses a territory can claim an Angel’s Gift Box from the appointed NPC every day. Meanwhile, they can enhance their totem so that they have an even better chance to win battles. Players can enhance their guild’s reputation while they are building defense towers for their totem.

Pay attention! Production players become very important in the process of increasing the guild’s reputation because they can collect the materials which are necessary to level the guild up. The guild’s reputation can be enhanced quickly if there are many players who possess high-level collection skills in the guild. Apart from production players, fighting players and magic players are the main forces in the PVP battles because of their high damage output.

When players’ Angel Credit reaches level 3, players can go find the appointed NPC in the main cities and create a guild by paying a certain amount of in-game money.

The available Outpost Battlefield in Angels Online has proved how important guilds can be in game.