

Fans of CloudNine waiting to get playing in the Beta Test have to be a bit more patient, the beta starts on September 27th. Beta keys are being distributed by OnRPG and two other MMO sites.

Questions by Vincent Haoson, Onrpg writer
Answered by Product Manager Kai
Kicks Online International is one of those MMOs which turns something done in real life into a cyber experience that people who are not gifted enough physically can enjoy. The game has enjoyed a year of operations and we here at Onrpg are given the chance to poke and see how the game has fared so far.
Onrpg: It’s been almost a year since the operation of Kicks Online How has the game faring?
The game has been improving tremendously with the introduction of new systems and competition.
Onrpg: The biggest problem games like this have is that he lag issue, how do you handle this problem?
As Kicks Online uses the p2p system, the lag issue is a very tough problem to solve. Even attempts to upgrade the server seem inefficient as players are not able to feel the difference. In order to reduce the lag within the game, Kicks Online developed a feature to detect player’s connection speed to the host in three different color, green for smooth connection, orange for average connection and red for bad connection. We also recommend players within the same region to play among themselves.

Onrpg: How is the in-game population?
The population on weekend compare to weekday is higher as there are competitions going on during this period.
Onrpg: What do you think is the defining feature for Kicks Online that attracts players to it? Why?
The defining feature for Kicks Online would definitely be the teamwork involved. Unlike other typical soccer games, players’ teamwork and coordination is put into test. Being a player with best skills and equipments does not make them a winner.
Onrpg: What were the problems you faced as the game operations continued?
The operation of Kicks Online is a smooth journey, other than un-controllable latency problem.
Onrpg: It would seem that the game controls are a big adjustment for beginners especially to those who are not used to that much choices in moves. What’s your say about the whole thing?
The game control is actually easy for new players to pick up. Kicks Online uses common controls such as the direction arrows and A, S, D, W.
Onrpg: Do player have access to the Goalie position? If not would it be accessible?
Players will not have access to the goalie position. This is to prevent “match-fixing”.
Onrpg: Where do you get the ideas for the items you can wear in Kicks Online?
Kicks Online item idea comes from the daily lifestyle. The aim is not to make the game too professional and stringent to the typical soccer games. Players can design their characters from a professional footballer jersey to beach style.

Onrpg: Where do you get the ideas on the skills players can have in Kicks Online?
The skills in Kicks Online range from real-life skills such as the famous side-step and Russian roulette to exaggerated comic style such as Lightning kick.
Onrpg: Do you plan on adding more skills for players to acquire in the future?
Definitely! As the game progresses and more updates coming out, more skills will be available for players to choose.
Onrpg: Would there be a chance you would create a live event?
Run Up Game had already organized a live event once. That will also not be the last. So do check out Kicks Online website often for updates on event.
Onrpg: How important would the clubs be in the games future?
Club function had always been important from the past, now, and the future. It is the key factor where players build up their friendship, teamwork and community. That is what keeps Kicks Online going. Before the club/competition function was released, unofficial clubs had already been organizing friendly matches and team training among themselves.
Onrpg: Where do you picture Kicks Online be in the future?
Kicks Online would probably be one of the best MMO soccer game. With the ability to compete against a team of 5 real players, if gives players a realistic online soccer environment whereby mistakes will be made, skills can be improved, strategies planned. It is one MMO that rushes your adrenaline in every matches played.

Onrpg: What’s in store for Kicks Online the succeeding months?
Kicks Online will be implementing more interesting maps and soccer balls for players to choose from, and also online and offline events for players to participate. Visit Kicks Online official website for the latest updates on events and new release features!

The release date of Alganon has been set: October 31st, 2009! Players will be able to pre-order Alganon before the end of September 2009 through the main website and other yet unannounced digital distribution networks, giving access to the exclusive beta and bonus features which will not be available after launch.
Quest Online (QOL) has been working on Alganon for nearly four years now, and has been in private beta since July.
“The vision of Alganon is finally coming to life as we approach our release date,” said David Allen, co-founder and President of QOL. “Players have been looking for a quality alternative MMORPG for years now and we’re finally in a position to provide it. Beyond the core game, we have also built a unique social and data infrastructure with the MyAlganon system, a feature that’s integrated directly into the game.” David continued, “in addition, the new study system will allow players to both plan and grow their characters over a period of years, both online and offline. We have built our own client, server, world building, support tools, installer, patching, and billing systems. We are truly a self-sufficient company and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
QOL is a privately financed and founder majority controlled company, operating a true virtual environment where their team of more than 40 work together to build the Alganon project and all its support systems remotely.
“QOL is not hosting a public beta for Alganon, instead all beta participants will be either via pre-sales or exclusive beta-key giveaways.” David continues, “we want to focus on the feedback of people who actually have a passion for the game. Public betas often cause this feedback to be drowned out by participants who have no vested interest.”

First trailer for Mercenary Wars shows that it has a lot of potential!
By Rickee Charbonneau (Jammart), OnRPG Journalist
Lunia Online is an action packed adventure MMORPG that is bound to keep you entertained for months. The storyline is great, the missions even greater, but the community has changed a great deal since its official launch years ago. Nowadays, the in-game experience is mostly aimed at end game players, and thus you will rarely find other players taking on the many stages of the game. Most players reserve themselves for myth dungeons (larger scaled instances), and undoubtedly…PvP (which seems to be the main focus of this game currently). However, I ventured on in-game as an average new player and had a ball. My only concern was that there were not many players helping me out in stages, but rather in boss fights-which I most definitely took advantage of.
During my quest to complete the Lunia story-line stages on history mode (in other words, normal mode), I set out to try all of the characters the game has to offer, as my goal was to give a quick rundown of each of them to give players a little input on how they are used and what the fuss is all about!
This particular issue will present some of the newest character additions to Lunia Online: Yuki the Snow Girl, Krieg the templar, and Arien the archer. They all have very particular strengths and faults, spells and abilities, and, well… fashion attire. The following characters are obtainable through pretty tedious quests, involving rarely dropping items, though they are also purchasable via the item mall, at 89 gcoins a piece (roughly 9 American dollars).
Yuki is a character based on the Snow Girl NPCS you meet in episode 2 of Lunia’s storyline. She is characterized as a very quiet and reserved character, which may be the reason why she has no voice when speaking out voice emotes, as the other characters do. She wears a fashionable kimono-styled dress and ties her lengthy blue hair up so it runs smoothly down her back. Furthermore, she wields three little ice spirits that she uses to execute simple melee attacks and short combos-yep…she uses them to hit things.
Simply put, Yuki is a damage powerhouse. She plays much like Dainn, one of the default three characters you do not need to unlock, though Yuki has some very special traits of her own. With the limit of only ice magic at her disposal, Yuki often has a hard time defeating monsters that are resistant to the ice/water attribute. Otherwise, she kills with no mercy, as she has a ton of very powerful spells in her arsenal with very little cool-down time. As a bonus, she can meditate to regain MP (mana points) with the S key.
Yuki is strictly ranged and has a pretty decent variety of homing and AoE attacks. I really enjoyed playing my Yuki character, even though they are a little difficult to keep alive with their minimal hit points. She is, in fact, my favorite character thus far. They have really great damage even at lower levels. She easily slows down enemies with her powerful frost magic, and makes for a very fun character to play.
Introduced as a character yearning for the revenge of his murdered parents, Krieg has one fierce personality. Krieg is the character I found the most useful to be partied with. Not only do Kriegs have a great deal of high-damaging attacks and decent melee damage, but they can heal as well. He is not quite as efficient in healing as Eir the healer, but considering his strengths the ability is extremely useful; he can heal on top of being so bulky and combat oriented (very quickly and effectively at that), thus he has well deserved the attention he has been receiving.
Krieg dual wields huge mallet-like hammers, which allow a pretty decent amount of range in his attacks. He also has a great deal of combos, which is rare with most of the newer characters in the game. He wears minimal clothing to start, but his equipment usually make him look gigantic (especially the plated armor). The one downside to him I have experienced is that he is a little slow when it comes to spell cool-downs. I have to say that I did not really enjoy playing Krieg, as tanking is not my style, but I did find him a very effective partner in stages (especially during boss battles). He is not the most popular character of the bunch but I do see more of them lugging around day by day.
Arien was an extremely anticipated character in ijji’s version of Lunia. Many players had been waiting impatiently for a ranged class, and this is it. Of course, Ryan was soon released after… but he does not play at all like this Arien character. Arien is at harmony with nature and normally refuses to engage in combat. However, with the forest in danger, she will do anything to protect her homeland, and it very well seems that the forest is in fact, in danger. Time for some orc slaying!
Arien is your typical elven archer: tall and slim stature, luscious blonde hair, long ears, you name it. Of course, she sports a somewhat skimpy faerie-like dress. She was a difficult character to start off with, but she begins to get very powerful as she gets access to more skills. She is purely ranged with the exception of melee bow slashes and a few kicking skills. Arien also has access to some spells with beautiful flashy effects like the phoenix summon spell. She also has access to some lightning, fire, and ice spells, which makes her a very versatile character. These spells are also wonderful for crowd control. This character is very well known to be wonderful at skill spam. Be sure to be very alert when playing this character! She has a very low pool of mana and hit points, and so she is vulnerable if monsters get near her. Make sure to stay afar, and kick some butt from a distance.

The Dragon Oath team announced their plans for the next couple of weeks with respects to the much anticipated Beta of Dragon Oath:
– Pre-Closed Beta sever will close on: 9/22
– Closed Beta will begin on: 9/24
– The official Closed Beta Landing Page will open on: 9/17
– The official Closed Beta Website will open on: 9/21
– The Closed Beta Key Giveaway and Activation will begin on: 9/17
Please note:
1. Pre-Closed Beta participants are not required to have another Closed Beta Keys to join the Closed Beta, they should already have access.
2. Unused Pre-Closed Beta Keys will function as Closed Beta Keys.
So there is much interesting stuff happening for Dragon Oath fans in the next couple of weeks!
