Monthly Archives: January 2010

Dragon Oath asks players to name its first major expansion

Dragon Oath asks players to name its first major expansion


Dragon Oath will launch a major expansion in early February. This is the first big update for 2010, and it will include plenty of new content and features into which players can sink their teeth.

The Dragon Oath team is offering players a chance to name the expansion! Players are already expressing their excitement about this event. Once the event is finished, the Dragon Oath team will choose the best name from the nominations and use it as the official title for the expansion. The player with the winning name will receive some very cool prizes!

Players can think up some unique ideas for names and post them on the Dragon Oath Forum. One lucky person could change the face of Dragon Oath!

 

 

Dragon Oath - Name the New Expansion Yourself!

Final Fantasy XI Updates Notes

 

 

Final Fantasy XI Updates Notes
By Mary Garcia (Vil), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

A Shantotto Ascension– The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born

Shantotto AscensionWith the latest version update comes the final add-on scenario in the triolgy, “A Shantotto Ascention– The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born”. Fans of the popular character Shantotto will not want to miss out on this adventure filled with mishaps and mayhem– typical of anything involving Doctor Shantotto. For those unfamiliar with the character, this adventure nevertheless brings some great entertainment. The downside, much like the first two add-on scenarios, is the cumbersome fetch quests and traveling. The reward for completing the add-on scenario is an augmentable piece of leg armor. Players may select up to two augments to customize this piece to their liking.

 

As a bonus for purchasing all three add-on scenarios, players may now obtain a new cape which will teleport them to their party leader’s current position. The cape may be picked up at the same location as the other rewards from the add-on scenarios.

 

Wings of the Goddess: New Quests

As the chapters of the three nations come close to the end, players are treated to two new quests per nation. Players will be able to assist important characters such as Exenmillie, Lehko Habhoka, and Zeid in major battles that will leave players wondering what will happen next. The reward for completing these new quests is an enchanted staff, which will retrace a player to a nation in the past.

 

Synergy

SynergySynergy is a new form of synthesis, with up to six players being able to participate in a single synth. Synergy is independant of any crafting guild and does not require guild tests or points required by the traditional craft guilds. Synergy may be used to craft new and old recipies, and to etch slots onto items for Evolith (see below for more on Evolith). If a recipe fails, ingredients will not be lost.

 

To participate in Synergy, players must first undertake a quest to recieve a Synergy Crucible, for which will be used to synth. This item provides the “fewell”, or elemental fuel, required to perform synths. After this item is recieved, players must then prepare ingredients for the synth they wish to perform. After materials are gathered, claim to a Synergy Furnace must be made. Furnaces can be found in most nations, including Jeuno. The next step is to deposit the ingredients and operate the furnace. Players will then have a certain amount of time to feed fewell until the required element is achieved. A successfull synth will yield the item, and ponz, which can be redeemed at any synergy engineer.

 

Evolith

Evolith is a new system to modify existing gear and add extra little bonuses onto them. Most of the new armor sets added in the most recent updates are capable of taking evolith upgrades as well as the new “aern” weapons. The first step of using evoliths is to aquire one. To do this players must visit a Hunt Registry, red books spread around in every area. From them players can select from different pages of objectives to kill Notorious Monsters for a reward of Scylds. Higher level NM’s require Scylds to be used to select their page. Once players defeat the NM, returning to the Hunt Registry will net some Scylds and an evolith corosponding to that NM.

 

The next step of the Evolith system is their use. Players must obtain a piece of gear and etch a slot into it to accept an evolith. This is done through Synergy (explained above). As of now there are a very limited number of armors and weapons that can take an evolith enchantment. Once players obtain these armors, the next step is to acquire a bottle of Mordant that corrosponds with the equipment. Mordant may be purchased with Ponz recieved from completing synthesis recipies through Synergy. Once etched, evoliths can be added into the item as long as the elements match and the size is correct. More exact etchings allow larger more powerful evoliths to be added.

 

Job Adjustments: Summoner, Ranger, & Beastmaster

Wedding SupportSummoners recieve a new ability named “Avatar’s Favor”. Under this job ability, avatars summoned will have their power channeled into a beneficial status for the entire party. When Avatar’s Favor is active, the perpetuation cost is reduced. Each avatar provides its own unique beneficial effect.

 

Ranger recieves adjustments to existing job abilities. Velocity shot duration has been increased to two hours from its original five minute duration. Unlimited Shot will now stay in effect until a ranger successfully lands a shot on an enemy. Camouflage, when active, will accumulate less emnity per ranged attack, with a chance of the ability to remain in effect after a ranged attack. In addition to these adjustments, ranged attacks in general have also been adjusted. Jobs that utilize ranged attacks will now see up to three different texts detailing the effectiveness of their shots.

 

A new ability for Beastmaster pets has been added with the latest update. The new command, called “Ready”, will be available after a pet is summoned via the “Call Beast” job ability. Ready will replace Sic while a pet is out. Ready allows a Beastmaster to select specific abilities for a pet to use. To do so, a pet’s TP must be 100% or above, and have enough charges.

 

Wedding Support Service

Officially launched November 18, 2009, the Wedding Support Service will now provide players with easier access to perform wedding ceremonies. After fulfilling certain conditions, a couple seeking to exchange vows may be issued wedding certificates by NPCs in Chateau d’Oraguille, Bastok Metalworks, and Heaven’s Tower. To enhance the ceremony, players may also purchase wedding related items from treasure caskets next to these same NPCs.

 

Similar to the Player Event Support Service, custom moogles may be placed in an area of their choice. Players can also set a dialogue and customize their appearance.

Heroes of Kung Fu

Heroes of Kung Fu is a browser based RPG set in Ancient China where kingdoms are constantly at war. Your role is a warrior coming from modern times to the ancient times to help your own country stand against invaders. Players can choose from three special professions in Heroes of Kung Fu: spear, sword and dagger. Each class is fully customizable to be unique towards the player’s preferences.

Heroes of Kung Fu combines the beauty of browser based games and RPGs together giving gamers a whole new experience.  You can choose your favorite weapon and learn relevant skills for your character, and excel by winning over others in the arena.

There are plenty of opportunities for adventuring, fighting players and NPCs, creating or joining a martial hall, and participating in the martial hall battles. Also, thousands of unique missions and challenging instances are waiting for you!

Conquer Online: January Preview – Refinery & Horse Racing

January Preview – Refinery & Horse Racing

 

2010 has arrived and at the beginning of Conquer’s 7th anniversary, 2 amazing new features, Refinery & Steed Tournament, will be soon released as the epilogue of the Raiding Clans expansion. Also, players will be able to join in various events in January to win bounteous rewards and vividly experience traditional Chinese culture.

For 2010, more fabulous new stuff is under development, aiming to provide CO’s vibrant community a refreshing gaming experience. Before unveiling those mysteries, let’s have a look at what we have in store for you this January.

Refinery
Powerful gear is always the ultimate pursuit of fighters who are aiming to dominate the continents of the Middle Kingdom. Now a long-lost craft has been rediscovered to grant common gear magical augmentations, the Refinery.

This ancient skill can utilize Refining items to grant equipment extra attributes. According to the Type and Quality of the Refining item, the effects of the Refinery will be varied. There are 9 types of Refinery effects in total, ranging from offensive effects which can help you cause tremendous damage in a flash, to defensive effects which can help you survive under the enemy fire.

Intensification – Increases Max HP.
Detoxication – Reduces damage from Poisonous attacks.
Critical Strike – hance to make a Physical Attack for 1.5x damage. Bonus Attack from Talismans won’t be increased.
Skill Critical Strike – Has a chance of doubling a Magical Attack. Bonus Attack from Talismans won’t be increased.
Penetratio – Reduces the target’s Magical Defense, which will increase Magical damage the target takes.
Immunity – Reduces the target’s chances of activating Critical Strike and Skill Critical Strike.
Block – Has a chance to reduce Physical Damage by half. Damage dealt by Talismans can’t be reduced.
Breakthrough – Has a chance to exceed Max Attack when the enemy has a higher BP.
Counteraction – Makes the target unable to exceed Max Attack.

Refining items have 5 quality levels (Normal, Refined, Unique, Elite and Super), and so there will be five levels of Refinery. A higher Refinery level guarantees a better buff. You can obtain such items in the Honor Store of the Arena and from several quests. After using a Refining item on a piece of equipment, the equipment has a buff for 7 days. Before the Temporary Refinery State expires, you can utilize Permanent Stones to make the effect permanent, a process called Stabilization.

Steed Tournament
Following the popular Texas Hold’em Poker, another mini game, Steed Tournament, will soon be opened. Skillful riders will be able to join in this exciting horse race for precious Refinery items.

 

Conquer online - Horce Racing

 

As long as you have a steed and have learned the mount skills, you can sign up for the tournament. However, owning a high lineage steed doesn’t guarantee you have a higher chance to win the match. In this hilarious event, you will find various types of items along the course; some can be used to boost your own mount while others can cause a disaster to slow down yourself and your opponents. So using these items correctly is the key to winning the race!

Rice Porridge Festival Quest
Laba Rice Porridge Festival is a traditional Chinese festival for people to give sacrifices to their ancestors, and to pray to heaven and earth for a good harvest and good luck for their family. The festival falls on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and for 2010, it will fall on January 22nd.

To practice the customs of this holiday, players will be able to make the symbolic food of this festival – Rice Porridge. You will collect the essential ingredients of the porridge, such as rice, beans, dried nuts and meat by slaughtering monsters through the world of Conquer Online. After the porridges are successfully cooked, you can choose to consume them yourself, or exchange for rewards from the NPC.

Weekend Quests
There will be 2 quests for the weekends of January, the Star Crystals Event and the Cake Making Event. The Star Crystals Event will be hosted on January 9th-10th and January 16th- 17th, during which players can kill monsters around the Altars in the 4 regions of CO to collect star crystals. The popular Cake Making Event will also return on January 30th-31st and February 6th-7th. This time you will find more special recipes for delicious cakes!

Labyrinth Permit Quest
The Labyrinth Permit Quest has been released on January 4. The emperor’s prince and princess were kidnapped by a group of Lapidating Mobs who are plotting to usurp the throne. To save the empire from this crisis, the Twin City Captor is recruiting brave adventurers to rescue the 2 royal hostages. In return for rescuing the prince and princess, you will be awarded the Labyrinth Permit, which will allow anyone to enter the Treasure Labyrinth Quest for free!

Apart from these in-game updates above, the TQ team has also prepared various offline events!

Lords Online

Lords Online is a strategic war game that utilizes the classic combat rules set down in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. The story is set in the mystical land of Mu. On this continent, several races live amid a constant struggle for supremacy. With intricately designed heroes, military bases and camps, as well as sharp graphics and landscape imagery, you will feel as though you’re there, giving the commands to engage in battle yourself!

High Quality Graphics
The exquisite graphics featured in Lords Online form a fantastic game world that you will spend countless hours roaming and conquering the land. Among other browser based games, Lords Online stands out as particularly good, with fine detail included in the verdant landscape.

Creative movable maps
Currently, most browser based games available are very static and do not allow for much movement or action. However, in Lord’s Online, players have many features that cannot be found anywhere else.
– Hero led troops can be seen on maps.
– Troops must navigate around various landforms and natural barriers, adding a sense of realism to army movement and strategy.
– Heroes can settle at any spot on the map.
– Heroes can attack one another.
These features provide the following advantages over other BBGs
– They intensify player interaction.
– They encourage hostile encounters such as siege war, and hero interception.
– Produces in game hostilities and actions that simulate reality. Such as befriending distant states and attacking unruly neighbors.

Strong Alliance system
The specially designed alliance system enables players to ally with others and fight against their enemies together, which enhances player interaction and fosters the growth of a passionate player community.

Governing isn’t as easy as it looks on CNN
Lords Online takes a realistic approach to governing, giving players the ability to deal with various political affairs, such as comforting citizens after attacks and disasters, collecting taxes, producing resources for military and economic use and so on. Can you manage the situation at home while also engaging in battles against foreign enemies.

Cultivate heroes to fight for your kingdom
Lords Online is a browser based strategic war game, but it also includes many aspects of RPGs, which is the leveling and cultivation of heroes. Heroes are a crucial part of an army, as they are on the front lines providing leadership and guidance to troops. For their part, heroes can earn experience, increase stat points to upgrade skills and be equipped with various kinds of armor, not to mention the special skills and magic that are available.

Rich array of military units means more intense strategies
Each of the three races in Lords Online has 10 military divisions. With 30 military divisions, the unique siege war system, legions of heroes, reinforcements, scouts, and plundering there are countless strategies to master and an almost limitless variety of choices for attacks. Fight with hand to hand, or with ranged and mana based spells or send an armada to wipe out the opposition. It’s all up to you.

Player controlled combat
Lords Online inherits all the qualities of a traditional SLG but breaks the mold of traditional browser based games. With features that include cultivation of heroes, equipped armor, legions of military units, plundering , alliance building, and governing functions, Lords Online provides players with a truly memorable experience that will keep them coming back for more. Experience the browser based game that plays like an MMO today!

Hockey Manager Review: Puck it up!

Hockey Manager Review: Puck it up!
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

In Hockey Manager, you get to acquire your own Hockey Team. As your team’s manager, you have the control on almost every aspect of your Hockey club. Every little detail is given to you, from managing the arena where you team is based to being the one responsible in earning money for your team’s operation expenses. There is no detail that you cannot touch, well except maybe on your players’ personal lives that is.

 

You are the Manager

Being a Hockey Club manager is not just about being able to make sure your team has enough hot water in their showers, it’s all about earning money. The game does in fact stress this point as almost everything outside the matches is about finances. You are the manager therefore you handle how everything is run administratively just as the game explicitly shows. As usual in manager-like games you are given a starting sum of money for you to work on. The gameplay is not exactly revolutionary as most games in this genre basically have the same set of goals and game styles. The only different thing about Hockey Manager is that you have a hockey team to manage and control. 

 

 

Hockey Manager Lineup

Hockey Manager Team Lineup

 

Game Details

The level of detail the game has is really outstanding. I’m not privy to the inner workings of a team manager but you control everything even the arena where your team is based in. You are the one who calls the shots when it comes to expansion of the ticketing booths, the ice rink even the snacks that you sell on the arena. Aside from the income you earn from the arena you also handle the team’s stock market and even the team’s merchandising.

 

The Team Details

This is kind of a gray area for me because I personally think that managers should never really mess with how a team is coached. Managers basically just handle the contracts, salaries and even the trades of players not how the team is being coached. Hockey Manager gives you the reigns on the team as matches are done in real time. This is one of the things that I think goes outside the boundaries of being a team manager but is also included as the game’s system and idea of being a manager.

 

 

Training Hockey Players

Hockey Players Training Schedule

 

In the usual concept of managers, a manager does not coach a team because it is outside their responsibilities, but the game gives you the power to decide which training players should be concentrating on and even on the strategies that they should be using. This of course is the coach’s responsibility but apparently you are also the team’s coach.

 

Gameplay

It is expected that in a manager-centric game you don’t get to micro manage the players you have as in most sports games. Hockey Manager is no different. However, with the line between a coach and manager blurred by the game system, you get to be the team’s coach in matches themselves.

 

Enrolling in a Tournament

Enroll in Worldwide Trainingcamp Tournament

 

The matches are done in real time and in flash format. As the team’s coach you also have the capacity to shift and change your team’s strategy as the game is on-going. This may prove to be a little taxing especially if you are more of a person that prefers to let his players play and your team’s coach coach.

 

Matches

Supposedly everything in Hockey Manager reflects how Hockey in real life is. Therefore the game also incorporates the two kinds of matches in professional hockey which are the world cup and the exhibition matches. The matches in Hockey Manager are the thing players should be looking forward to, as of course this is the place where all the preparation for your team eventually shows. You are provided a big chunk of a Hockey rink in your interface and your players are represented by circles with their number and team color. Matches against other players are done in real time therefore it would seem that the game is like a running hockey match. This gives the game more pull and reason for players to stay on and play.

 

 

Hockey Arena

Ice Hockey Arena

 

Conclusion

If you are a hockey fan and you want to taste how it feels to be managers for a hockey club then by all means try the game. If you are the type of player that wants to micro manage almost every aspect of the team that is entrusted to you then the game is a good choice for you. The details are unbelievable and it really puts you in the seat of the team’s manager. I am still dubious that Hockey Managers actually get to call the shots even on the team’s arena, those little things make the game such a fun game to play. The idea of coach-manager lines being blurred in Hockey Manager can be confusing especially if you are expecting the game to be just being a “Hockey Club Manager”. Though this is a nice feature because you get to actually control how your team runs in matches.

 

All in all Hockey Manager is a game that has everything and anything you can be looking for in a game like this. Everything is also based on professional hockey though do not expect to have a fantasy draft that can be exactly like the Hockey team your rooting for in the professional scene. The game is good in itself and is a nice way to channel your Hockey addiction on. I say if you love the sport and want to know and taste how Hockey Club managers feel then the game is for you.

 

Pros:
– The game provides an in-depth experience on what happens behind a hockey club manager.
– You can also act as the team’s coach aside from being their manager.
– The matches are done live so you go against other people.

 

Cons:
– The game is about being a hockey manager that means you being a coach should not be part of the gameplay.
– Matches happen in real time that would mean you would have to adjust to your opponent’s time if you want to play.
– The line in-between a coach and a manager is blurred because you are also the team’s coach.