Monthly Archives: April 2010

Twelve Sky Review: Brutal Faction War

Twelve Sky Review: Brutal Faction War
By Mohammad Abubakr (Abubakr), OnRPG Writer

 

Twelve Sky is an MMORPG based around martial arts in an oriental fantasy theme of middle-age China. This game is for older gamers (17+) as it contains mature content (blood, alcohol reference…). You are however allowed to play the game if you have parental consent.

 

Factions

Twelve Sky offers you three different factions to choose from, which could be considered as classes if you’re used to other MMORPGs. These factions are constantly in conflict. Since these factions are enemies you are limited in character creation to one faction and if you want to create a character not of that faction you have to delete and start again. You can choose between the Guanyin, the Fujin, and the Jingong.

 

The Guanyin are a well balanced clan. They are balanced fighters, proficient in all weapons. They can wield a blade or just fight with their fists. If you aim for a character that is well balanced, then the Guanyin is for you.

 

The Fujin are the masters of the double-edged swords. The Fujin have the lowest defense, health, and chi (mana). To make up for this they are able to wear the most powerful armor. The Fujin are the fastest of all the factions. If you want to create a character that can attack very fast and wear heavy armor, Fujin is for you. I love to use dual blades, so I created a Fujin.

 

Lastly, you can join the Jingong faction. The Jingong are by far the strongest of all factions. To even out this power, the Jingong are slow. If you don’t mind coming late to a battle but dealing a lot of damage, I suggest you create a Jingong. Since Twelve Sky is based around martial arts, there is no mage class. Sorry! =[

 

 Three Factions 12 Twelve Sky

Choosing between the three factions

 

Building your character

Like most MMORPGs Twelve Sky features a stat system. If you have played an MMORPG before you probably know what each stat does. You can skip this part if you are familiar with the stat system, but for newer players you might want to carefully understand each stat. Each time you level up in Twelve Sky you are given five stat points. You can do whatever you like with these points. To make sure you build your character correctly, I’ll give you a quick guide on how each stat works. There are four different stats you can level up; Vitality, Chi, Strength, and Dexterity. Vitality increases the player’s health points. Chi, obviously, increases the player’s Chi points. Strength increases the player’s damage, and Dexterity increases your chance to dodge and hit. Read the complete guide on what each stat does for every faction.

 

Graphics

The graphics in Twelve Sky aim towards an oriental feel. This goal is easily achieved, but the graphics aren’t the best, although the weather, such as snow, really helps to improve the graphics. I’d say the graphics are alright, not the best. The main problem is that you are not able to change the resolution! You are stuck with the default.. The graphics look good, but since my monitor is 19′ it requires a larger resolution to prevent the game from getting stretched.

 

Community

Like many other games, Twelve Sky has gold sellers. The developers knew this could become a problem, so you are able to ignore people. It doesn’t have to be gold sellers; it can be anyone who is bugging you. Just type in /ignore [name] and you are good to go! If you are new to the game, you can ask any person with [GS] (Game Sage) in their name, and they will gladly help you out! The GMs also do a very nice job with the daily events. Every day of the week offers a new event. For example, there is 2x EXP on Saturdays!

 

Gameplay

Twelve Sky plays like most other MMORPGs. You left click on a spot to walk there, left click to target and attack an enemy. Right click to change camera… You know how it works. Unfortunately Twelve Sky does not offer WASD movement. I was very disappointed when I found this out. Sorry to everyone who prefers WASD over mouse. When I first started Twelve Sky, I looked around for a starting quest/helper. Unfortunately there is nothing to help you start out, besides the basic tips you get. You are expected to find out where to train by yourself. You get your first beginner quest at level 14. At least that is the level for Fujins.

 

The gameplay is very similar to other MMORPGs. You kill monsters, level up, add stats and learn skills. Keep leveling and hope you find rare items. One thing you might notice is that monsters don’t always drop items. The interface in Twelve Sky is done very well. It is simple, but displays all the information you require to play the game.

 

One, out of many, feature which makes Twelve Sky stand out from other F2P MMORPGs is that you do not have skills in your skill book when you start. Although other games include this feature, most of them give you the skills to level up once you job advance. In Twelve Sky however, you must go to your trainer and learn the skills. Kind of like World of Warcraft’s system, but you don’t need to pay and you can level them up! You do however need to use skill points to learn and level up the skills (obviously). I highly suggest you learn the running skill. This will help you a lot when you are traveling long distances to your training area. One thing I don’t like about the skill system is when you level up a skill, you must place the new upgraded skill onto the hotkey bar again, or you’ll keep using the lower level skill!

 

Learning Skills 

Learning skills for my Fujin

 

Twelve Sky is mainly about the PvP. Although there will be much for all you PvE fans to do, the game is based around PvP. You can fight other players anywhere you like. You have the option to do a friendly fight, by challenging them to a duel. To keep things interesting during duels, no consumable items are allowed. This means you are not allowed to use potions, as this will result in the duel taking a very long time.

 

You can also just attack the player. Notice how I said player, and not enemy. Which means you can also kill your own faction! This is not recommended though, as you will get -1 honor per hit, and -100 honor per kill. Honor is only lost when you force attack someone in your own faction. You must be within 30 levels to force attack someone. This is to prevent all the high levels from owning the new players.

 

Another way you can PK (Player Kill) is by joining the various formations. Formations are level restricted PvP areas which open after a certain amount of time, depending on the level. The aim is like King of the Hill. You must capture the formation before the other factions. Once a player stays alive for five minutes in the middle of the formation, that player’s faction wins.

 

Not only do you feel proud, but the game rewards you by letting the winning faction into a secret cave. This cave lasts for one hour. In here you can find rare items. Once the one hour timer is done inside the cave, that formation will open up for another RvR fight after a certain amount of time. Your whole faction will also gain an additional EXP bonus if you win.

 

Dueling Combat Twelve 12 Sky 

Dueling a player

 

Conclusion

I would like to thank everyone in Twelve Sky who helped me learn about the game, so I could accurately review it. If you are looking for a game that has intense PvP, you don’t mind training until you are able to enter the first one (Level 30), and do not care much for graphics… This is the right game for you!

 

Pros:
– Intense PvP
– /ignore command
– EXP per hit
– Daily Events
– Able to trade time played for Mighty Rewards
– Weather

 

Cons:
– Minimap in cities can get confusing
– Gold sellers
– No WASD
– No choice of resolution
– 17 years of age/parents consent require (Con only for kids)

4Story, coliseum update revealed

4Story, coliseum update revealed

 

4Story announced that the brand new showdown system update has been introduced today which called “Tournament Update” where fascinating players can compete each other 1 vs 1 or Party(max. 7 player) vs Party in 32 different spectacular coliseums.

In addition to this, other players who failed to have a chance to show their strength and honor in a coliseum can be one of spectators. And they also join the event that enables them to achieve not a few game money when the player or the party that they voted wins after each matches end.

This has been designed to give an opportunity to users to be a hero or a spectator in a crucial warfare in a restricted area. Developer Zemi is fully confident that all MMO fans will love it.

Updated contents at a glance:

1. At a glance in 4story tournament (1 time a month)
– 3 types available : Party showdown / Unlimited Individual showdown / Classified Individual showdown
– Winners’ Rewords : Party showdown winner – 70,000 game point
Unlimited Individual showdown winner – 10,000 game point + Highest level item
  Classified Individual showdown winner – 5,000 game point + Highest level item
       (The item can be used only for 1 month. The item is gone when the next winners are decided)
(In addition to official monthly tournament, 4story GM teams can bring on additional tournaments regardless of numbers)

2. Application fee & Clearance for Showdown
     Application fee : 3 Rune to be paid (If the player fail to get appointed as a player, 2Rune 700Runa will be refunded. 300Runa is commission)
To get clearance : 1200 merit point to be paid (Merit point can get earned by winning daily territory warfare)

3. Requirement for participants
1st pick players: Highest ranked 16 players in the last month’s cumulated merit points will be chosen for the starter
2nd pick players: Allocated to the showdowns that lack the quorum after starting players determined. (Random selection)
Party players: Participants can choose his/hers companies for the showdown.

4. Tournament Schedule
    (1) 1st pick player selection: The first Monday in each month
    (2) 2nd pick player selection: The first Tuesday in each month
    (3) Party player selection: The first Wednesday in each month
    (4) List of showdown revealed: The first Thursday in each month (5 PM)
    (5) Admission: The first Thursday in each month (6 PM)
    (6) Showdown: 10mins for each Quarter final / Semi final / Final. Showdown will end at 8 PM

5. Coliseum Info.
– The total number of coliseums: 32
– Each coliseum has 4 different portals (1 for participants / 3 for spectators (S seat – 800Runa / A seat – 100Runa / B seat – 100 Cron))

6. Spectator Info.
      – Every users other than showdown participants can have a seat in the grandstands with paying portal fee.
– They also can enjoy the event to predict the winners on each showdowns and can get a certain amount of money from the cumulated portal fees when their prediction is right.
– They can buy and use cheering kit which is supposed to raise up their favorite player’s HP live. 10 HP point on each cheering kit.

      – To conclude, all users can cheer their favorite individual players with helping them directly and can get lucky reward as well.

4Story - Colloseum Update

Smash Online Review: Much More Than Tennis

Smash Online Review: Much More Than Tennis
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

We’ve had Basketball (Freestyle), we’ve had racing (Krazy Kart), hell it’s about time they featured tennis. Yes folks! Smash Online is a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Sports game that guarantees to satisfy your hunger for smashing and serving. One thing about this game is that it’s region locked and can be only be accessed by people in Europe. Not to worry though, there are tons playing this game so feel free to challenge them in order to get to the top.

 

There are various game modes to ponder on with cute cell-shaded anime graphics that’s sure to make you go “aww”. The game play is tad simple, making it easier for players to cope in terms of skill. Much as I would like to rate this game high (due to my personal bias) and end this review, let’s check out what else this game has to offer.

 

Creating your contender

Before embarking on your journey to become the best player out there, you first have to create your character. Most of the interface consists of premade elements that you can mix together to create your own unique character. Worry not though for the game has a bunch of stuff to help you personalize your characters when you visit the item mall. After creating/naming your character, it’s time to put him to the test.

 

Smash Online Court
Smash Online Court

 

Definitely an MMO: If only enhancing my skills were this easy

One generic MMO feature would be the leveling of characters. In this game, you’ll be playing against other players (1 on 1 or 2 on 2) in order to level your character’s skills and gain in game money. Character skills in this game are no different from traditional MMORPG ones. Some of them make you hit harder, some make you move faster, and some makes you more accurate. You’ll be given points to distribute every time you level up, optimizing your character’s performance in the court. In game gold can be acquired simply by competing against other players. You don’t really have to win in order to attain money but know that you’ll be getting much more if you do. This currency can be used via the item mall in order to buy new fashion items.

 

Slap that ball LOL

Yes Smash Online IS a Tennis game, but that doesn’t mean the game cannot add anything that gives the game some surreal extra kicks. Aside from hitting that ball back and forth, you’ll notice bullseye circles spawn randomly from the ground. These targets gives you extra boosts as well as points whenever you hit a ball while standing on them. This is a nice idea but quite confusing at times. Since your aim is to hit the ball, you might find yourself a bit off mark when chasing after spawning circles. My only advice would be to know your character’s limitations. Don’t step on them if you know that you’re bound to miss the incoming ball.

 

Smash Online Bullseye
Chasing spawning circles

 

You’re so cool! I think I’ll follow you around!

Remember those anime flicks with antagonists joining the main protagonist just cause he managed to beat them? This game is probably the best way to experience that kind of scenario. Aside from player vs player matches, you can also fight against AI opponents (Who are way better than some of the players out there). Once you beat an NPC, you’ll have the option of teaming up with them during 2 on 2 matches. It’s actually pretty fun especially if no one wants to play with you. These AI Players can also be leveled and customized to suit your preferences as you progress through the game. It’s a good feature, but why prefer an AI partner over a real one right?

 

Double Team Work Smash Online
Double Teams

 

Graphics and elements

When it comes to graphics, Smash Online is definitely blessed. The game has an intense set of cell shaded characters that blend well with their cell shaded surroundings. The game has a lot of diverse courts that give you great ambience as you continue to serve and smash that ball back and forth. The interface is easy to get used to and uses big kiddie-like buttons with simplistic terms such as “JOIN” and “START” to make it easier for newbies to know what they’re doing. The experience points are distributed through bars instead of numbers as well. Although it may seem like a kiddie game in terms of graphics and interface, you can’t deny the fact that the game is presented perfectly, with elements harmonizing in order to bring you the most awesome Tennis MMO game ever. The control scheme is simple as well. If I remember it correctly, aside from the movement controls, you’ll be trading swings using 2 distinct buttons: namely the smash button, and the light swing button.

 

Lag?

Although the game is basically perfect, there are certain issues concerning lag that’s flooding the community. I really hope they can fix it soon, cause I’m hell bent on smashing again LOL.

 

Winning Smash Online
Cute Characters in Smash Online

 

The Verdict

Smash Online is a good game, there’s no doubt about that. The game is simple yet presents an enjoyable form of gameplay. This is a good way to show that more technicalities do not make a game better than the rest. The game is visually blessed when it comes to graphics as well. It’s really fun to dress your character up, especially since the game doesn’t demand anything other than the money you earn in game. There are tons of diverse arenas, rackets, and clothes to make an MMO player drool. The installer isn’t hefty either, being a mere 58 mb file for easy downloads. The best part about this game would be the fact that it’s an ongoing project. New features like clubs (Guilds) and online tournaments will be implemented soon, so watch out. So far, the only thing I have to tell you regarding this game is “DL it, Install it, and play it”.

 

The good:
– Intense system
– Cute characters
– Diverse Arenas
– Item mall.

 

The bad:
– Can’t be enjoyed by hardcore players
– Lag issues (and tons of em)
– Lack of character customizations
– The smash bullseye is rather confusing.

Karos Online launches Friday April 9th

Karos Online launches Friday April 9th

 

The highly-anticipated commercial release of NHN Corporation’s free-to-play MMORPG Karos Online is just around the corner on April 9th, and NHN is kicking it off in style with celebratory events and goodies to drool over!

Following the grand server re-opening on April 9th, players will be able to loot Celebration Cakes while hunting in Asmara, which can be consumed for super speed buffs, traded to other players and used to complete a quest for one of three fantastic items: a 12-slot Leather Bag, a handy Job Specialization Certificate or a rare White Tiger mount!

There are also treasure-filled Gift Boxes waiting for those who fight to reclaim Tokens of Honor from the goblin hordes ravaging Lupinel, and that’s not all: throughout April, all characters on the new server will become eligible to win generous prize bundles containing potions, mounts and other items — just for leveling up!

Finally, all new characters will automatically receive a special Newbie Potion Pack to get them off to a great start in the game. These packs will also be available at OnRPG — details will be posted in early April.

April 9th also marks the opening of the shiny new Karos Online item shop, where players can choose from a selection of helpful items, including:
• Protection Stones which prevent the loss of weapons and armor from failed enchantment
• Protection Capsules which prevent the loss of items upon death
• Guardian Angels to reduce experience loss upon death
• Mortuary Tablets  for resurrecting on the spot
• ‘Lucky’ Fishing Rods and Mining Picks for increased chance of gaining multiple fish and ores
• A variety of Potions including Strength, Recovery, Rejuvenation and XP Boost

The Karos Online launch is sure to be a memorable event, so don’t forget to mark your calendars — that date again is April 9th!

 

 

Karos Online - Official Launch on April 9th

Lunia Online Interview: Myth 4 Expansion

Lunia Online Interview: Myth 4 Expansion
Questions by Rickee Charbonneau (Jammart), OnRPG Journalist
Answered by Game Operations, ijji

 

We here  at OnRPG were very glad to have the opportunity to interview Ijji about Lunia Online!  As an MMORPG that updates often with great content, our interview is mainly concerned with the Myth 4 expansion, and the addition of new maps, bosses, a market system, and  preparations for a new  character, Dark Eir.

 

OnRPG: In lieu of your latest major update, what has the Myth 4 expansions added to the content of the game?
Myth 4 update includes the following:
– Additional Characteristics and sizes of bosses and monsters, and challenging close-attack characters – further aiding fast-paced game play
– Surprises lurking in dark corners as hidden bosses emerge to seek the complete annihilation of player’s bright-eyed, yet feisty characters
– Hidden black holes that engulf unsuspecting player, stripping them of their mana – a blow difficult to overcome
– An improved and simplified market system where players can avoid the hassle and stress often associated with stocking up on supplies and novelty items in Town Square
– The addition of new, upgraded weaponry for characters to bash and slash adversaries like never before. See the reference.

 

Dark Eir
Dark Eir character

 

OnRPG: Does this update encourage more cooperative play (and less experience grinding) as opposed to the previous Myth installations of the game?
The early stages are trouble-free.  With the combination attacks players practiced in early stages, often players with enough skills it can solo hard stages, but in Lunia, in principle, you play together! Players perform together and take the opportunities of themselves and plan their strategy in order to finish the stages. Everyone in the party has a major role, and together – you should figure out the best team work and tactics for each stage…

 

OnRPG: Ralph is the newest character addition to your roaster. How is he played? Is he popular?
Ralph has fast and strong combat styles with skills that include powerful timed punches and swift and menacing kicks. He’s very popular among close-combat style-favored players.

 

OnRPG: How about the school-girl samurai Asuka? Has she lived up to her hype in your opinion?
Our one of the most adored, yet devious character, Asuka, has been endlessly popular among players of Lunia since the introduction of the new character due to her fierce and stunning skill performance despite the fact of her cute school girl look.  We predict she will be continuously “slashing and slicing her way into the hearts of Lunia players and ijji.com members alike.” See the source.

 

OnRPG: Lunia is a very interesting name for an MMO title. Why or how was this title chosen? Why did you decide to leave it unmodified in your version?
Lunia: the Record of Lunia Wars. Lunia takes place in continent of Rodesia, home to humans, elves, orcs, goblins, and a wide variety of other races. After centuries of conflict, bloodshed, and war, a tense truce was agreed upon.  The game Lunia contains this epical plots throughout each stages. Read the full description.

 

Inventory Lunia

 

OnRPG: Who is your favourite character in the game? Why is this character to your liking?
Each character stands out in his/her own way in their visualization and skills, what each character can bring out is very much varied that we cannot choose just one! ^.^

 

OnRPG: Could you please offer us a little information on the various stages the game has provides?
The stages are ordered as chapters, while every 10 chapters are considered as a one episode. The 10th one a summary and it’s most challenging. Then the stage continues with attacking mobs, dodging, helping each other, organizing team work, finding secrets, and the boss. In addition to these chapters of regular stages, there are ‘Side-Stages’… These Side Stages need to be unlocked and it’s done by clearing certain regular stages or quests. Side stages are not a real part of the plot in regular stages, and their reward boxes contain items that are not obtainable in regular stages.

 

Additionally Raids are offered throughout different episodes. Raids require combinational skills and a lot more of team work.  Usually Raids can contain up to 8 players. The Items that can be acquired in Raid Stages are Rare and hard to find. 

 

Combat Lunia
Dungeons in Lunia

 

OnRPG: What are some of the special events going on currently?
In the month of February, we had Valentine’s Screenshot Event, Daily Quest Event. For March:  St. Patrick’s day Fashionista Event, Bonus 50% Experience Event, Free Kingdom of Ancient Guardian Shoe event. We plan to have Events, making Lunia lively and fun every week!

 

OnRPG: What makes Lunia Online’s PvP so interesting? Are all characters equally capable of fighting versus other players? Is there a class that dominates PvP?
Lunia, in contrast to many MMORPGs currently on the market, is played like an action arcade game.  Players are free to move around in-game using the ARROW KEYS (keyboard) rather than a mouse cursor.  Instead of pointing-n-clicking an enemy to attack, varying attacks are launched by pressing combinations of two attack buttons and the space bar. There is not a particular class that dominates PvP.  It all depends on player’s skills of creatively combining attacks.

 

We offer Player vs Player arenas that allow 1 on 1 to 8 on 8 combat. Some PvP arenas have been offered seasonally such as Snowman Fight which allowed players to fight each other with snowballs of various sizes and special effects.

 

OnRPG: What is the learning curve for Lunia?
The early stages are where players practice and create free-style combination attacks. 
Lvl 1 – 50: *
Lvl 1 – 60:  **
Lvl 61 -70:  ***
Lvl 71 – 80:  ****
Lvl 81 – 90:  *****
Lvl 91 – 99:  ******
Easy to lvl up *  to ****** hard to lvl up.

Furthermore, Lunia offers Rebirth for players who want to learn special Rebirth skills and obtain physical wings for more stats and extra skills. (What I am trying to say here is that it’s easy to lvl up in the beginning in Lunia but it really depends all later on player’s combo-skills and attacking strategies. 

 

OnRPG: With raid stages allowing a maximum of 8 characters playing at once, as opposed to the default 4 per stage, do you think the future will allow for even larger parties of greater than 8 players?
Yes, currently we have stages allowing parties of 12 to play at once.  It is available  for lvl 58 and up and is very popular among the same guild members.

 

OnRPG: It is known that some character classes have less clothing variety options in the game than the majority. That being said, how customizable are the characters in the game?
It is true that some characters come with more options for clothing.  However, there are still so many various stylish costumes with Stats/no stats for all the characters in Lunia such as Kimono costumes, School Unicorn Sets, Angel Sets, Devildom Sets, we aren’t getting any complaints.  ^^

 

Market Lunia
Inventory and Items

 

OnRPG: What are your plans for future updates of the game? Any characters planned for release this year?
We actually have a new addition to Lunia Characters!  Dark Eir, the Princess of Darkness, was be released on the 25th of March.  We are very excited about her release and many of our users have been talking about her for months! In addition to Dark Eir, we have Arta, a cute and smart, female engineer character will soon be released as well as various NEW stage-maps.

Dragon’s Call: Easter Dragon Eggs Event Live Now!

Dragon’s Call: Easter Dragon Eggs Event Live Now!

 

We got this very… eh… let’s call it ‘enthusiastic’ message from the good folks over at Dragon’s Call:

Guys! Get ready for Easter now! No, not only prepare an empty belly, but also clean your gaming finger! Because after you enjoy a heavy meal and share the happy time with your families, lock yourself in your room immediately! Yep, lock it, ignore your yelling mum. We have heaps of fabulous events awaiting you in Dragon’s Call.

 
The event will last for one week:
From EST April.1st to April.8th 11:00 PM, 2010

1. In-game Event – Easter Eggs Item Drop

During the event time, you will get Easter Eggs when you kill monsters in the wild.
After that, combine three same color eggs together to create certain gems you need.

Item Drop — Gems — Level of Monster

White Eggs — Splinter of Lucky Gem — 1 – 20
Green Eggs — Lesser Lucky Gem — 21 – 40
Yellow Eggs — Lucky Gem — 41 – 60
Red Eggs — Greater Lucky Gem — 61 – 80
Purple Eggs — Regal Lucky Gem — higher than 81
Note: The Easter Eggs and Gems will be bound with the players automatically.

2. Online Lottery

During the event time, GM will draw out 5 lucky winners randomly every day. The winner list will be announced in the forum thread on the second day. The prize will be delivered to the winners’ accounts directly in 72 hours. So everyone has a chance to win!

Lucky Prizes:
3 Soul Stone & 3 Prismatic Dragonshard

3. Recharge to Get Extra Dragon Stones for Free
Players who recharge $10 or more will receive additional Dragon Stones!

The ratios are as follows:

Recharge Amount               Get Additional DS
$9.99 – $19.99                      5%
$19.99 – $49.99                     10%
$49.99 – $99.99                     15%
$99.99 – $299.99                    25%
$299.99 – $499.99                   35%
More than $499.99                   50%

E.g. recharge 9.99 dollars = 200 Dragon Gold + 10 Dragon Stones
E.g. recharge 99.99 dollars = 2000 Dragon Gold + 300 Dragon Stones
E.g. recharge 499.99 dollars = 10000 Dragon Gold + 5000 Dragon Stones


Dragon's Call - Easter Event - Do Dragons Lay Eggs?

Angels Online Dev Diary: Birth of Assassins

Angels Online Dev Diary: Birth of Assassins

 

Floating Island, the new expansion for Angels Online, was launched nearly two months ago, introducing tons of fantastic new content like the Crown Jewel. Since the release, the new Assassin class has been quietly gathering player’s attention. Here, the Angels Online Dev team shares their excitement about how and why they designed this new class.

Assassins are a paradox between secrecy and wide-ranging notoriety. Everyone seems to know of them, but no one knows anything about them. Most picture them in black masks and robes, clutching a dagger or wielding some mysterious weapon. But where do they come from? Where do they acquire their skills and training? Nobody seems to know. The Assassin’s powerful explosive force makes this class one of the most exciting and challenging to play in Angels Online, and the release of this class takes the in-game PVP system to a whole new level of challenge.

Players may wonder why the Angels Online Dev team didn’t release this fantastic class at the very beginning of the game. When it was first released, the game introduced the wars between Heaven and the Evil Lyceum as the main storyline. Each character class possesses a main attack skill and five assistant skills to help wage war against evil. As the game has progressed, players have become quite creative. They’ve learned how to mix various skills and various classes together more effectively. Now, even common classes can hold myriad possibilities for clever players. The unique classes and battle skills combined and created by players surpassed even the Dev team’s expectations. Players were so excellent at creating effective combinations that it inspired the Dev team to design a brand new class.

In Angels Online, Assassins differ from other classes which can train a battle skill and five assistant skills. Assassins are free to learn three battle skills including Shadow Blade, Avatar, and Assault, and three assistant skills. In addition to the necessary attributes that are obtained after the character levels up, each battle skill also grants players the ability to learn three different battle stances. Shadow Blade is the most basic, but it’s an indispensable skill for Assassin class players. The Avatar skill grants players the ability to summon several assistants who assist the player, and the Assault skill offers players various additional buffs. All three of these skills work in conjunction with each other to make Assassins a feared and respected class. The Dev team considered the in-game battle system and carefully balanced Assassins with other classes. The choice was made to decrease Assassin’s natural health points (HP). Now, when players encounter an Assassin who possesses striking attack power but relatively lower HP, anything might happen! Be warned, though: players using the Assassin class go to battle believing that “One shall stand, one shall fall!”

There is no doubt that Agility is an essential attribute to help pull off daring and danger missions and quests. The Assassin class excels in this attribute. It features the highest Agility rating in Angels Online, which allows them to master quick attacks and fast movement. A player facing an Assassin may not have much time to, say, critique the Assassin’s outfit. What’s more, the Dev team also forged a series of new and unique weapons for Assassins. Inside a player’s inventory, the new weapons might appear as typical swords used by Swordsmen. However, when Assassin class players clutch that same weapon in hand, everything changes. Players won’t be able to see the details of the weapon because of the Assassin’s incredible speed. Stealth is another unique skill for Assassin players. It grants them the ability to hid within any environment, completely invisible to others. This allows them to operate competently and effectively on the battlefield.

With the release of the Floating Island expansion, the competition between Heaven and the Evil Lyceum is becoming more and more complex. The Dev team for Angels Online feels that now that the system design and detailed game adjustments have been made, it’s time to launch the new Assassin class. Now it’s in the hands of the players to explore the Assassin class’s potential powers and the possibilities it holds. Who knows how the battles will now unfold? Will this new class turn the tide of war? How will players integrate Assassins into their goals? Only time will tell!

Coming soon, the Angels Online Dev team will reveal even more high-level skills and equipment for Assassins. If you want to experience the exciting battles of any class, from Swordsman to Priest to Archer to Assassin and more, join the fun now!


Angels Online - Dev Diary for April

April Fools in MMO Land

April Fools in MMO Land

April Fools, the returning day of jokes, has left many funny stories floating around the internet. As you’re on OnRPG to read about MMO’s we’ll have a look at a couple of MMO centric April Fool jokes!

WARNING: This article is full of spoilers. If you want to discover the jokes at your own pace just skip this one and come back tomorrow to see the ones you missed!

Runes of Magic – Rice of the Demon Lord
Runes of Magic is everywhere. They have boxes, T-shirts, mugs, mouse mats and – for the first time ever – they have started a cooperation with one of the largest food companies.

Now Runes of Magic makes its way off the computer screen and right into your kitchen!

According to Frogster, Rice of the Demon Lord contains only the finest varieties of medium grain rice. The smooth and clean grain is perfect for Japanese and Korean dishes. Sodium and fat free, non-allergenic and gluten free, Rice of the Demon Lord is the perfect choice for rice lovers!

April Fools in MMO land - Runes of Magic introduces Rice of the Demon Lord

 

Brilliant! Our very own OnRPG Demon Lord is proud of Frogster!
Blizzard – World of Warcraft
Blizzard has a long standing tradition of having very funny April Fool jokes. This year they seem to have tried to be more subtle. The first thing that drew our attention was the fact that our characters had apparently been changed to Tuskarr’s on the Armory!
 
April Fools in MMO land - WoW Armory has Tuskarr Chars

 
There is also the newly announced Battle.net Neural Interface. And we fully expect to see another couple of jokes pop up during the day!

April Fools in MMO land - Battle Net Neural Interface

Wurm Online – GM’s fooling around

The powers behind Wurm Online have pulled a lovely little April Fools joke on their players. The whole lot have been turned into creatures – mostly chicken, though we have reports of one or two other animals as well. The Head GM is a Rat, obviously!

This change comes complete with camera angle change – it is quite strange walking round Wurm just two feet off the ground. Even stranger to see a small white hen walk past brandishing a sword!
 
Blade And Soul – PC Version Canceled in Favour of Mobile Version
OnRPG Journalist Cinderboy picked up on a “rumor” that Blade and Soul for the PC has been canceled so that the developer can focus fully on a mobile phone version!

April Fools in MMO land - Blade & Soul Cancels PC version to focus on Mobile version

If you’re fluent in Korean you can read the original announcement here.

Semifinalist Fantasia – New MMO Announced
Our Japanese is too rusty to really determine if this is an April Fools Joke but honestly, with that name, we hope it is!

April Fools in MMO land - Final Fantasia

 

If you find any more fantastic MMO related April Fools jokes, be sure to share them with us on our forum!

ACE Online Interview: Bigger and Badder in 2010

ACE Online Interview: Bigger and Badder in 2010
Questions by Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist
Answered by [GM] EchoSaviour

 

Ace Online is a long time running space ship themed MMO from Subagames. The biggest update coming from this game was the release of its third episode, War of Pandea. Now with the first quarter of the year nearing its end we get to talk to the guys at Subagames again and ask what’s up with Ace Online.

 

OnRPG: It’s been three months since the start of the year how has the game been doing so far in 2010?
It has been a year to remember so far, lots of improvements in many areas of the game. More events, more interaction with the GM’s, and a lot more ways for a player to get from free stuff too! Basically we started the year with a bang and it hasn’t let up yet.

 

Ace Online Beams
Energy Beams

 

OnRPG: Are there any new major patches coming up for Ace Online? Why?
The upcoming Episode 3.3 patch would bring MASSIVE changes to the game over the course of the year. Plenty of new content and features are coming. Some of the content will breathe new life into the game as it opens up the endgame for the players. Actually we just launched a new patch for beginner players so basically it’s now a lot easier to reach that endgame now.

 

OnRPG: The latest major update for the game is Ace Online’s Episode 3, War of Pandea. Will you be releasing episode 4 anytime soon? 
Episode 4 is still in the very early stages. I do not have any information on it as the developers at Masangsoft are still working on the planning. Of course we’re not even done with Episode 3 yet so there’s still plenty of ACE Online for everyone until Ep4.

 

OnRPG: What are the things you are looking into adding into the game for 2010?
The upcoming Episode 3.3 patch will introduce the first stage of a raid instance system called the “Infinity Field”. There are multiple stages that will be added over the course of the year, and each one will have their own unique identity. The first one, the “Kreasia Holy Land” is pretty much a preview of what’s to come. It’s jet fighters versus dragons, so you can get the idea of how epic this content is.

 

OnRPG: There have been a lot of GM shifts during the game’s course, how has the company been handling those changes?
Although there were many shifts, the absolute core GM Team has not changed and so much of the knowledge and experience was kept so it can be handed down to the newer staff.

 

ACE Online Combat
Fighting Dragons

 

OnRPG: With the game strictly restricted to piloting ships and travelling in space how have you guys been keeping the players interested?
Well most of the time you’re flying around and shooting down what’s in your way but on the other side of the coin you can spend much of your time in town and just socializing with friends and allies online. Also another key factor to keeping the interest was all the crazy events we’re running. Events with new items, events with the GM Team, events through the forum and website, there are now many new ways to experience the game.

OnRPG: Has there been an increase in player participation in the nation wars? Why do you think there’s been more/less participation of players in these wars?
There have been many changes to the game since its release into Episode 3. One of these was a complete overhaul of the existing nation war system. Although the smaller scale fights don’t occur as much, the larger scale fights have become far bigger. It’s a virtual light show when you start fighting in these large battles, of course you have to see to believe.

 

OnRPG: Can’t the boss mobs in ACE online get any bigger than they are? Will you be adding bigger, badder monsters in the succeeding patches?
New bosses will be coming in the Episode 3.3 introduction of the “Infinity Field”. They are of a whole new breed of bosses that are far more deadly and capable than the previous. These new bosses are bigger, badder, and are capable of doing things that bosses before were unable to do. It is a challenge to beginners and veterans alike and move definitely will require teamwork.

 

OnRPG: Is there any possibility that you will include another faction aside from the Bygeniou and Arlington? Why or why not?
Although story-wise there are other factions, it is highly doubtful that another faction will appear. It would probably require a significant overhaul of the game overall.

 

OnRPG: Is there any possibility that you will be including a new gear type in the future? Why or why not?
We believe that 4 Gears is the magic number. Adding a 5th Gear would make people question on its specialty and may end up causing a bigger problem to integrate. The 4 gears seem to cover all possible fields in the game sufficiently.

 

Dragon Combat Ace Online
Combat in ACE Online

 

OnRPG: Among the four types (B-gear, A-gear, I-gear and M-gear) which is the most preferred ship used by players? Why do you think so?
The overwhelming majority of players like the B-Gear for its versatility and overwhelming bombing capabilities. However in the end a good player can still out-fly a bad one. If one takes the time to polish and hone their actual flying skills then you can become king of the skies regardless of your gear.

 

OnRPG: What’s the most populated map in terms of PVE for players? Why do you think so?
For the high level players, It would be a map called “Barren Lands”. Although it’s a neutral map and players from both nations can go there it is generally a map loved by all. Excellent drop and exp rates in that map allow the high level players to further perfect their characters.

 

OnRPG: Where do you get the ideas for the weapons and armor upgrades you provide players in Ace Online? 
Sometimes we dig up the game’s history and use ideas from there. Other times we try to research how best to relate various aspects of the game with mythology. For event items, we just go crazy with the actual feel and nature of the holiday the event takes place and just run away with the idea. Like Christmas tree missiles.

 

Kreasia ACE Online
Kreasia Holy Ground

 

OnRPG: Where do you base the updates you include in the patches?
Much of the ideas for patches are a collaboration of ideas from the various hosts of the game internationally. Since this game has an international audience, there is something for everyone as ideas come from different nations all over the world.

 

OnRPG: Are there any updates you’d like to share to us aside from the patch update for march?
There are a lot of changes coming for the game in 2010. Many of which I cannot tell at this time due to lack of information but I can say that the “Infinity Field” addition to the game will introduce many new aspects that will offer players more versatility in customization of their characters. There are still lots more to come and we want everyone to try it out when the new stuff comes.

 

OnRPG: Thank you for your time!
Glad to be of service!

Kunlun Online Enters Closed Beta

Kunlun Online Enters Closed Beta

Kunlun Online, a 2.5D Free-to-Play Chinese fantasy-themed MMORPG, enters closed beta testing today, at 6:00pm Pacific time.
The closed beta is by invitation only while a limited number of CB keys are being distributed at a few popular MMORPG web portals. Beta players may download the game client at the official game website. In order to allow players to experience the most content possible during the duration of the closed beta-test, one thousand Yuanbao, the in-game currency for optionally purchasing items from in-game item mall, will be given to each account every day. In addition, a reward program is set up to thank beta players for their effort and support.  
 
Based off stories from Chinese mythological classic Shan Hai Jing, Kunlun Online is the second MMORPG title from SmartCell and developed on proprietary 2.5D Lumina game engine. It has a Chinese version that has recently entered open beta, registering hundreds of thousands players.
 
The launch of Closed Beta in North America introduces an English based, international version of the game, with which the company aims to bring a gaming experience flavored with authentic ancient Chinese culture. Key features of the game include a beautiful divine world, an adrenaline-pumping PVP system, a dazzling equipment enhancement system, an intriguing pet system, and the ability to develop a unique character via assignment of attribute and skill points.
For more information on the closed beta, please visit the official Kunlun website.

Kunlun Online Beta Start