Monthly Archives: February 2010

Dekaron Announces Two Valentine’s Day Event

Dekaron Announces Two Valentine’s Day Event

 

First event: get your chocolate at Dekaron
Even the strongest warrior has a sweet tooth. Celebrate this year’s Valentine with a treat from Dekaron!
 
To obtain chocolate and various you need to hunt monsters out on the field during the event period (February 4 – February 25). The chocolate will increase your Attack and Defense stats, as well as increase your maximum HP/MP pools.
 
Chocolate can only be obtained in the field, and is not dropped in instanced dungeons. So stuff yourself up, because all the chocolate will expire after the weekly maintenance of February 25th (Thursday).
 
 
Second event: Valentine’s Day limited edition items
Everyone who purchases Valentine’s Day limited edition ‘random box’ will receive a bonus treasure chest! Of course you will find various goodies inside. The event also lasts from February 4 until February 25!

Valentine Day Limited Edition Item Chest Reward

Bounty Hounds Online

Based on the third-person shooter Bounty Hounds for PSP, Bounty Hounds Online is a science fiction MMO. Players represent a human Mercenary, and may choose one of five classes: trooper, a frontline fighter; bioengineer, a tactical and healing support specialist; scientist, a melee and device-using fighter; agent, focused on powerful single-target attacks; and artillery, ranged-focused combatants. Players are also assisted by the CTU (Combat Tactical Unit), a pet that can specialize as tank, melee, or ranged, and may join one of four unique factions. The game focuses on high-level PvP, including open-world combat.

Features:

Five Classes: Agent, Bio Soldier, Striker, Blaster and Engineer..

Combat Tactical Units: Robotic pets will be available to each class. These pets will be able to transform from beast to humanoid mode, and even evolve with new looks through various upgrading. These pets can buff players, debuff enemies, learn an array of skills and attacks with the owner.

No Role Limits: Every class will have the ability to equip and engage in both melee and ranged combat.

 

Funcom reveals first in-game footage from ‘The Secret World’

Funcom reveals first in-game footage from ‘The Secret World’

 

Mysterious in-game footage reveals a glimpse into horrific fate of Kingsmouth – First full color in-game footage to be revealed at GDC in March
 
Funcom is proud to reveal the first ever in-game footage from the highly anticipated modern-day massively multiplayer game ‘The Secret World’. The location footage consists of grainy and distorted black and white shots that give a unique and mysterious glimpse into the town of Kingsmouth – one of the many locations from all over the real world to be featured ‘The Secret World’. In the game, as the video shows, horrific events have befallen the sleepy New England town.
 
“There are darker and far more terrifying things in Kingsmouth than the walking dead,” says Senior Producer and Director Ragnar Tørnquist. “The video simply scratches the surface and reveals only a tiny glimpse of what this location is all about. Kingsmouth harbors ancient secrets and dark conspiracies that players have to work together to uncover – along with a menagerie of evil, including creatures from myth and legend, and horrors from the sea. A mysterious mist has enshrouded the entire Solomon Island, and it will be up to the players to figure out what’s happened and to stop this terror from spreading further.”
 
Earlier this month Funcom executed an elaborate ARG (alternate reality game) initiative where the 250.000 members strong community surrounding the game were given clues that helped them discover the kingsmouth website – the online presence for the New England town. This provided them with a unique insight into the location that is featured in the game. Blood covered postcards featuring a ‘Greetings from Kingsmouth’ message were also mailed out to journalists all over the world. This initiative is now reaching its climax with the release of the Kingsmouth location video footage.

Ingame Footage The Secret World

Revealed Ingame Footage for the Secret World

 

“The video consists entirely of in-game footage, except for the obvious color modifications and distortion effects,” says Erling Ellingsen, Director of Communications at Funcom. “One of the reasons why we have chosen to reveal the footage in this unique way is because we are saving the undistorted, full color in-game footage for the Game Developer Conference in March. Our plan right now is to showcase actual gameplay for the first time ever to the media at GDC, as well as releasing all-new footage to the public at the same time. Of course, much can happen before March and some of the gamers out there might want to keep their tin foil hats on and their eyes keenly open for more mysterious clues to appear.”
 
‘The Secret World’ is Funcom’s third massively multiplayer game, having previously developed the award-winning ‘Anarchy Online’ and the best selling new MMO of 2008 ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’. The game features a modern-day, real world setting where every myth, conspiracy theory and urban legend is true, and where thousands of players from all over the world must join one of three secret societies in the fight against darkness – and each other. For more information visit the official website.

 

New Shadow Missions Added in Mabinogi’s Upcoming Alchemist Update

New Shadow Missions Added in Mabinogi’s Upcoming Alchemist Update

 

Mabinogi’s upcoming Alchemist content update will introduce new Shadow Missions for players to explore the expanding world of Mabinogi.  These Shadow Missions are scaled according to a player’s level, allowing all to participate.  Players can access Shadow Missions by accepting quests from the mission board and then visiting Stonehenge to enter.  Entrance to the Shadow Realm requires only a click on the altar.


Mabinogi Shadow Missions Board

Accept Missions from the Board

 

Shadow Mission party quests take place in dungeons and have several objectives that players can choose from.  The objectives are known as Defense, Assault, Seek and Destroy, and Hold the Line Missions.  Each different Shadow Mission has a unique objective and players can pick which one suits their play style best.  As a party quest, players can team up with their friends or recruit other adventurers by posting on the party board.


Mabinogi Shadow Mission Reward

Unique Quest Objectives

 

Adventurous players who take on a Shadow Mission are generously rewarded with EXP and gold.   Each mission rewards differently depending on the player’s level.  Additionally, after defeating the boss in the Search and Destroy Shadow Mission, players will be rewarded with an item cache.
  
Read up on the upcoming Alchemist update and the Shadow Missions being added to the world of Mabinogi.


Mabinogy Scary Shadow Mission


Dragon Oath Interview: Age of Destiny

What’s Special about the Most Anticipated Expansion of 2010?
Dragon Oath: Age of Destiny Interview

 

Dragon Oath, the free-to-play martial arts fantasy MMORPG, releases its major expansion of the year, titled Age of Destiny, on Tuesday. The expansion client has already been added to MMOSite’s download page. Players can log on to the Zion server to experience the wonder of the expansion starting 12 p.m. PST, Feb.2.

 

This new age in Dragon Oath adds a plethora of new content including new mounts, new weapons, new areas, new pets, new quests, and new skills, entirely free-to-play.

 

We recently talked with Martin Tan, the General Manager of Dragon Oath’s publisher ChangYou.com (US) Inc., about what makes this expansion special and the most anticipated.

 

Please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, I am Martin Tan, General Manager of ChangYou.com (US) Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of ChangYou.com Ltd., China’s leading online game developer and operator.

 

Dragon Oath Armor

Dragon Oath’s Great Graphics

 

You’re calling Age of Destiny the most anticipated expansion of 2010. What makes it so special?
We have over 75 million players worldwide, but that number alone doesn’t do the game or its expansion justice. The fact is our gamers are among the most dedicated in the world, and they love the universe in which they play. We first released this expansion in Asia and it soon became a hit. The number of concurrent players jumped from 300,000 to 500,000. So we started thinking we  definitely need to bring this incredibly sucessful expansion we had in Asia to the U.S. market to give U.S. players an even more exciting and joyful gameplay experience. What sets our game apart are the various social systems and ways in which our players interact with each other and build online communities and friendships. The expansion, Age of Destiny, is going to add even more social features to an already expansive list that includes Marriage, Kin/Family, Master and Apprentice, Guilds, and much more. In addition, players are rewarded for cooperative play, and some of these rewards are quite impressive, such as a new Dragon mount named Bladewind, available for dedicated Masters and their Disciples.

 

Bladewind Mount Dragon Oath

Fabulous Dragon Mounts

 

This expansion was named after a player’s suggestion. Did you get many suggestions and feel great involvement from the community?
We had an overwhelming number of responses from very enthusiastic players. It was just another example of how dedicated our player base is. In the end, we sorted through the hundreds of submissions and chose the name that best fit the idea of the expansion and all of its new content, content that will allow players to continue to fulfill their desired in-game destinies. We always value our community most, and that is the key element that sets our game apart from other MMOs. I understand players here get the impression that online games from Asia are usually about endless and pointless grinding. But Dragon Oath is certainly an exception. We emphasize players’ interaction more than anything else. We do everything we can to make players feel that they are playing with each other, not just with the computer. For example, we have an in-depth social networking platform, in which you can get married, build guilds, and form master/apprentice relationships. In addition, our unique and diverse pet system will also allow you to make friends with other pet owners and become truly connected if your pets create a bond.

 

Fun Dragon Oath

Become Connected in Dragon Oath

 

The new Dragon Mount “Bladewind” seems impressive. Tell us all about the Bladewind. How hard will it be to get and train it?
For people who have watched the movie Avatar and dreamed of owning a flying mount, here is your chance to make that dream come true: in Dragon Oath: Age of Destiny, our dragon mount Bladewind looks the same as the one in Avatar and is even more powerful. And as it is in the movie, only the stoutest and bravest warriors are qualified to tame one!

 

The dragon mount “Bladewind” is certainly one of the biggest (literally!) additions in the expansion. The Legendary Dragon is an enormous and extraordinary mount with razor sharp claws and a massive wingspan that produces dust storms in its wake while increasing the player’s speed by 70%. Players who obtain this creature will certainly get other players’ attention while flying across the map, and they can even take a companion along for the ride! It will drastically help players to level because of its incredible movement speed and the ability for it to carry two people. Another great thing about the dragon mount is that you don’t need to buy it! It’s available to players through Lucky Bingo and Master/Apprentice relationship points. The mighty Bladewind can be captured in only two ways…pure luck or pure determination. In order to catch this elusive beast, you must seek out these rare items: the Claws of Bladewind, the Wings of Bladewind, and the Teeth of Bladewind. This is no simple task. You will need your friends and unparalleled effort to do so. Or…you could be extraordinarily lucky, and Cissy Lau of Lou Yang may let you claim it from her game, Lucky Bingo.

 

Tell us about the Artifact Weapons. Will these new weapons be hard for players to get?
The Artifact Weapons in the game really give the players a newfound sense of power. There are 4 different Artifact Weapons available to players: Melting Falchion, Traceless Sword, Blue Silver Circle, and Windstone Fan, each with their own properties and special abilities. In order to obtain Artifacts, you need to gather other key materials and craft them into your desired level of Artifact. When questing in the game, you will come across items called “Flawed Pendants” and “Divine Fragments”. You can combine these 2 items to develop what’s known as a “Flawless Pendant”. With Flawless Pendants, you can create Artifact weapons. Though these weapons are not game-breaking, they make the game a lot more fun for players.

 

Classes

Different Classes and Abilities

 

The new weapons in the game aren’t too difficult to get. There are a number of different quests that players can take part in to obtain an Artifact Weapon for themselves. We’re not gonna make players strain themselves by running 5 hour instances – we want the prerequisites to be fun and engaging.

 

Can you give us a description of the new areas, and which one is your favorite?
The new areas in the expansion are flat-out amazing. Just to give you a couple of examples: Yan Tomb is a dark, evil dungeon that is 9 levels deep. Each level is protected by an army of minions and a sub boss. On the bottom level of the Tomb resides old King Yan, the demonic defender of the instance. Armed with his flaming sword, he destroys all who attempt to infiltrate the core of his tomb. If you somehow manage to defeat him, you’ll receive King Yan’s Pearls, which can be traded for very rare and powerful armor pieces. Swallow’s Dock is an event in the game that truly makes player’s feel like they’re part of a movie. Players get to trek through multiple stages of a large scale attack on the Song Dynasty. The presentation of the event is out of this world. The Ice Space zone is a place where players can go to gain experience in a calm environment. If you need to step away from the computer for a bit but still want to earn experience, this is the place for you. You don’t need to log out to gain your experience either; you can stay online and hang out with other players in the zone.

 

Talk about the new quests in the game. How will they benefit players the most?
The new quests in the game benefit players by giving them a more in-depth look into the Dragon Oath story. These new quests continue plot developments begun in other quests, and characters from other areas of the game make new appearances. All of the quests are incredibly rewarding in terms of weapons and armor sets and are extremely important to the player’s progression. The quests themselves all lead towards tons of weapons or pieces of armor, so nothing is pointless in this expansion. Everything is catered towards helping the players get fully-equipped with new items.

 

Icey Zones

In Depth Environment and Quests

 

With Age of Destiny, do you feel like you’ve included everything you wanted in an expansion to Dragon Oath? What other plans do you have for Dragon Oath in 2010?
This expansion is huge! Several great new areas, new pets, new quests, new weapons, new events, new mounts, an upgraded social networking platform…  I am sure every player will be captivated. Of course, we always strive to boost players’ satisfaction as much as we can. Age of Destiny is our first major expansion this year. We will launch another major expansion in August and will keep doing numerous in-game events for each festival through the year. The first one you can expect after our major expansion is the Valentine’s Day Event. Keep your eyes peeled for these great new features.

 

When is the expansion expected to go live?
Dragon Oath: Age of Destiny will go live on Feb.2, 2010. 

Conquer Online: Patch 5212 for Refinery & Horse Racing

Conquer Online: Patch 5212 for Refinery & Horse Racing

Conquer Online has announced that Patch 5212 has been released on Feb 1.
 
Note: Before you install the patch, please make sure that you have completely exited the client, or you will fail to update the client successfully.
 
Highlights of Patch 5212
Refinery: the Refinery System has been released to both CO 2.0 and Classic CO servers. Players are able to obtain various types of Refinery Items from the Arena Honor Store, PK Tournaments and other quests. Click here to check how you can get Refinery Items.
Stabilization: to make a Temporary Refinery Sate permanent, find the Refinery Stabilizer in Market (211,195) and bring some Permanent Stones. You can purchase Permanent Stones from the Shopping Mall.
Note: Stabilization only applies to CO 2.0 servers.
Horse Racing Tournament: the tournament starts at 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, 19:30, 21:30, 23:30 daily. After the match, you can swap points for refinery packs of different quality at the Horse Race Manager (Market 178,198). Check here for the detailed Horse Racing Guide.
Meanwhile, a special sale is ongoing for players to prepare their spirited mounts.
 
 
Take a Refinery item from the Honor Store
 

Other Modifications
– Arena Honor Store now is opened for players to swap Refinery Items.
– In the Dis City Quest, players will obtain Refinery Item as rewards for passing each level. The bosses of each level will drop 3 random Refinery Items ranked from Unique to Super.
– The competitors of Weekly/Monthly PK Wars will be re-divided into 4 tiers: level 1- 69; level 70-99; level 100-114; level 115 and above. Refinery Items have been added to the prize list for Weekly/Monthly PK Wars.
– The chat window now can be detached from the main GUI.
– Players can give their characters a First Name and Last Name during the new character creation process.
– The Shopping Mall is updated with a new category interface.
– Artisan Ou (Bird Island 756,545) has been removed. Now players can find Blacksmith Lee (Market 212,211) to put socket(s) on your gear.
– The bug blocking Deputy Leader nominations has been fixed.
– The bug with Archer’s Alternative Equipment has been fixed.
To manually download the patch, please click here.

GodsWar Online: Client Update Brings Class Transition System

GodsWar Online: Client Update Brings Class Transition System

The GodsWar Online team has announced that a new system called Class Transition System is available now. Along with that, the GodsWar client has been updated to V1.0.297!

Transition System Introduction:
The Transition System gives players the chance for a brand new start, but not a blank slate. The Exp and Level in your original class are transferred to your new class, where new fancy titles, skills and spells await exploration.
The best time to take advantage of this system is below Level 100, as those that are over require some special items. So if you’re lower than 100, then take your time and decide which class seems best for you, and if it doesn’t work out, then move on to another.

After successful transition you would obtain:
Skills: Your old class skills will be frozen when you embark on your adventures in your new class, so don’t expect to bring them with you. For your new class skills, you may need to visit the Skill Merchant to purchase skill books, so be prepared for this.

 

Talent: Skills from your old class will be returned to you as talent points to be spent on your new class skills as you like. If all of the skills in your old class have been maxed out at Level 40, then we will give you a set of new Level 40 skills, and our respect for your devotion.
Equipment: You must visit the corresponding NPCs to have your equipment switched and fitted to your new class, with the same level, grade and added attributes.

Mabinogi Interview: Now Featuring Dragons!

Mabinogi Interview: Now Featuring Dragons!
By Joshua Piercy (elazulblack), OnRPG Journalist

 

Mabinogi is an MMORPG published by Nexon. The game takes place in a fantasy celtic setting, where players can craft, farm, raise pets, explore dungeons, compose their own music, and just have fun.

 

We here at OnRPG were lucky enough to speak to with the assistant producer of Mabinogi about the “Dragon” updates, which were released in October and December 2009. These new updates added many features to the game, including a new landmass for players to explore in the Mabinogi world. Read on as we ask for more details  about these new features.

 

OnRPG: Hello! We appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions about Mabinogi’s recent update. First, would you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Matthew McCullough. I’m the assistant producer for the Mabinogi team.

 

OnRPG: Zardine, the land opened with this recent update, introduces a massive amount of content to Mabinogi. How long has the Mabinogi team been working on bringing this update to the English version?
We decided to split the content of the “Dragon” update into two major releases, one which came out in October of 2009 and then the remaining Dragon content was released in December of 2009. The scope of the time we spent working on the updates was actually quite long, around five months total of preparation, localization, and testing.

 

Mabinogi Tower

The World of Mabinogi

 

OnRPG: The Dragon Update features, as the name implies, several races of dragons. How do these races interact with and effect one another?
The dragon factions are separated by obvious color differences, red, blue, and gold. Although the red and blue factions are constantly at war, the powerful golden dragon, Adniel, stays out of the conflict, in hibernation. The red and blue factions are fighting to control Adniel’s immense power.

 

OnRPG: There is one dragon which does not fall into the “blue” or “red” stereotypes: Adniel, the Gold Dragon. What is Adniel’s purpose in the game?
Because Adniel is such a powerful creature, the red and blue dragons are constantly at odds with each other to establish control over Adniel. The only catch is that no dragon can control Adniel, but a Human, Elf or Giant can. This is where the story starts to take off when players get involved.

 

OnRPG: Hot air balloons are a large part of this update. What are players able to do with said hot air balloons?
Part leisurely travel method, part mini game, the hot air balloons are first used to progress through the Dragon story. Players may continue to purchase hot air balloon kits from vendors to participate in a mini game for a chance at some cool items. When it comes to mastering the mini game, it takes coordination of skills and smart operation of the balloon.

 

Mining in Mabinogi

Gather Material for Crafting

 

OnRPG: What kinds of new equipment or items have become available with the recent update? Is there new “dragon” themed equipment available to players?
New items show up in just about every one of our updates for Mabinogi. Specific armors are battle-hardened “vintage” items, which come from hard mode dungeons. Other new items included are Giant shields, the Colin armor set, the Turban Shell armor set, the famous Lava Cat Robe, and lots more!

 

OnRPG: Is the content found in this new update accessible to low leveled or new players?
The content in the Dragon update is available for players level 5 and up. Players must first start the Secrets of Irinid story, but this is can be skipped by speaking to Kousai in the town of Cor. However, because of the intensity of the encounters in Dragon, we strongly recommend new players get a feel for the game before embarking on dragon-hunting!

 

OnRPG: Skills are very important to Mabinogi, whether they be crafting or combat skills. What new skills have been made available in this update?
The second part of the Dragon update, which occurred in December, contained several new, cool skills for many races. Taunt, a giant-only skill, causes enemy monsters to attack the user. Another Giant-only skill is Wind Guard, a sort of Defend and Counter Attack hybrid skill that causes the Giant to retaliate against attacks made on him or her. Elves received an awesome new skill called Final Shot. Similar to Final Hit, Final Shot allows the Elf to teleport a distance and then fire their bow at an enemy. Available to all races is the Mana Shield ability. Mana Shield is a defensive ability that substitutes Mana in lieu of Health when a player is hit by a monster.

 

OnRPG: A new system for finding and restoring fossils can be found in Zardine. What are the perks for finding fossils?
Players who excel at restoring the fossils in this mini game will be privy to several new cool items, including the coveted Lava Cat Robe!

 

OnRPG: There is a hot spring in the Zardine region which has several “spa treatments” available. What sort of spa treatments are they, and what are their effects on characters?
The hot springs in Zardine function similarly to food. If a player spends enough time in a particular pool, they can increase or decrease their body size.

 

Pool Pond Mabinogi

Various Pools in Mabinogi

 

OnRPG: Mabinogi has a cash shop system which allows players to purchase in-game items with real money. What new items or pets have been made available with this patch?
We’ve recently implemented broom pets with the Dragon update. Broom pets are fantastic travel companions: they function as flying mounts and normal ground mounts. Whereas a flying mount such as an eagle or pelican cannot move very quickly on the ground, a broom will move much quicker. On the other hand, horses and ostriches cannot fly, but the broom pets can.

 

Additionally, character cards are often released with limited-time only clothing. This is a way for players to really differentiate themselves when interacting with others in-game.

 

OnRPG: Do you have any particularly special items that you plan on releasing for the cash shop in the near future, or is that a secret?
We like to hold future releases in the cash shop close to the chest, but here’s a hint: the next pet we’re releasing has wings.

 

OnRPG: Weapons can now be adorned with gemstones to increase their power. In what ways are these stones able to enhance weapons’ power?
Gem modifications work in a similar way to how weapon modifications currently work. It’s just another thing you can do to your prized weapon to make it even more powerful. You can increase minimum/maximum damage, critical rate, and other weapon statistics.

 

Combat Weapons Mabinogi

Pick up your weapons and fight!

 

OnRPG: Now adventurers can enter the “hard mode” of various dungeons. What kind of rewards are available for completing said dungeons?
As mentioned before, “Vintage” items are rewarded for hard mode dungeons. These items are battle-hardened and show that an adventurer has gone through the wringer in order to obtain such items.

 

OnRPG: Two-Handed weapons are being improved in the update. What kind of improvements are being made? Why did you decide to update Two-Handed weapons, specifically?
The main thing that was changed with two-handed weapons was how they interacted with certain skills and introduced more two-handed enchants. The reasoning behind this was the constant use of dual wielding one-handed swords over using a two-hander. We wanted there to be a variety in weapon usage.

 

OnRPG: As of now, are there plans on releasing any unique content for the North American version of Mabinogi, such as the content which can only be found in the Japanese version?
In January, Mabinogi will see its first storyline, Advent of the Goddess, revisited. It has been revamped in order to make it friendlier to players new and old alike. We are working with the development team in order to receive more content that the North American player base gets to see first.

 

OnRPG: When can we expect to see future updates, such as Alchemist?
Lalala, I can’t hear you, lalala. Soon.

 

OnRPG: Do you have anything else that you would like to tell the readers?
Thank you for your continued support of Mabinogi and we hope that you enjoy playing the game as much as we enjoy supporting it.  We know you’re going to love everything that’s coming this year, so keep your eyes peeled.

 

OnRPG: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions!
It’s been my pleasure!