Yearly Archives: 2010

Joymax Begins Hosting Daily In-Game Events for Silkroad Online

Joymax Begins Hosting Daily In-Game Events for Silkroad Online

 

Joymax today announced that they have begun hosting daily Game Master (GM) events in their fantasy MMORPG Silkroad Online.

 

Over the years, Joymax has run a wide variety of GM events in Silkroad Online. Past popular events include the “Finding GM” event, where players hunt down a GM hidden in a given zone with spoils promised for the winner, and “Rise of the Uniques,” an event that features a GM spawning a random creature at will for players to battle. These fan favorites are just two examples of some of the successful GM events Joymax has hosted and a testament to what players can now look forward to all year round. Joymax is also looking to continually support the avid SRO community by providing other fun and exciting events for its users.

 

Silkroad Online

 

“I love seeing the virtual smiles on players’ faces as they run up to me to start an event. I’m glad to help bring in some additional fun for the community,” said Tarky, a popular Game Master in Silkroad Online. “Admittedly, when I see a monster I’ve summoned beat up a whole group of players at once, it does bring a smile to my face as well.”

 

For more information about GM events, and other happenings in Silkroad Online, please visit the official website.

ASTA

ASTA is a free to play 3D fantasy MMORPG being developed by Polygon Games and is available for download on PC. In ASTA you can explore a world full of lore inspired by Asian myths and legends with your own customizable character. Characters can be customized from two different factions with multiple races and classes. As you progress your weapons will become even more legendary both in looks and in strength, letting you slash your way through even stronger enemies. Various gameplay options and exciting visuals will leave you both stunned and yearning for more in ASTA!

Features:

In-depth Mechanics: ASTA brings back some of the deeper MMORPG mechanics like talent trees and customizable attributes.

Aesthetics: Pets, costumes, and mounts will help set you apart from the crowd and give you an edge!

Various Gameplay Aspects: Dungeons, raids, PvP matches, guild battles, crafting and much more await!

Mech Hero Review: Robots in your browser!

Mech Hero Review: Robots in your Browser!
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Mech Hero is a future-themed MMO web browser game that immerses players in a world of robot fights and scientific geekery. The game is actually pretty simple though time consuming. You’ll be building structures, upgrading units, and researching weapons data while balancing your resources to increase productivity. The game is famous for its fully customizable robots that resemble those from Mechwarrior and despite its generic browser based elements; it has very interesting depth, with tons of options and robotic elements available for players to build their desired robot utopia. Well Supreme Commander, are you ready to take the plunge?

 

Initializing: Loading Start Up Mode

After filling in the necessary requirements, players are opted to choose their respective sectors (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta), allowing them to stay closer to their friends online. Once done with picking their sectors, players are catapulted to the in game world and on to the tutorial phase. The tutorials in the game are both helpful and newbie friendly. You will be given a sequenced list of structures to build with rewards that follow the completion of each task. Upon claiming your rewards, you will be given a brief explanation of the structure’s purpose, giving you a step-by-step guide on how the game is played. Tutorials are essential in my opinion, and a big read on the game’s website isn’t fun at all. At least this game had the grace to let us experience the game as we learn about it.

 

Faster!!!

One thing I disliked about the game is the slow progress. Even with the tutorials guiding you on which particular structure to build, the game makes you wait forever for each structure to finish. It would’ve been better if they allowed players to build multiple buildings upon logging in. It wouldn’t hurt to eliminate a chunk of the waiting time. I swear… I’ve been playing the game for nine friggin hours and I’m still on my sixth quest. Although the slow pacing is exhausting for some gamers, it’s also quite favorable for working ones, especially when their boss checks their screen regularly (guilty as charged :P). Not only is building a pain, waiting for resources to fill up takes ages as well. I would suggest opening this up while working to avoid grunting after each click -_-.

 

 

Mech Hero Faster!!

FINALLY MECHS!

After countless hours of building factories and gas chambers, players will finally be able to create their own mechs. One thing that differentiates this game from other army browser games is the player’s option to carry out individual tasks for each mech. This is sort of exhausting but at the same time satisfying for gamers who want a few more options when playing the game. Micromanaging FTW!

Mechs are cared for in a variety of ways, and you’ll soon learn that each of the buildings you have upgraded have their own specific functions. You can pimp up your robot in various ways, and the game provides an array of awesome weapons for you to arm your mech with. Whether it’s guns, lasers, or missiles you’d like in your arsenal, Mech Hero’s list of weapons is sure to impress.

Mech Hero Loadout

Repair And Research


Mechs are powerful units, but they also need their mechanical doctors after experiencing a brutal conflict. The mech hangar is where damaged mechs go. A bit of a hassle since clicking on something often makes you wait, but it’s better than making new mechs (not to mention cheaper -_-).

If you want to win, you’ll need than just your average missiles. Accessing the Tech Lab will allow players to upgrade and strengthen your army of steel giants. I would say that it’s a must for players to upgrade their mechs as soon as possible to avoid too many casualties. Finished research is then taken to the academy where players can access and earn their expected results.

Creating mechs canbe a lot of fun with all the research involved. Kind of makes you feel like you’re really a supreme commander executing orders. The work involved is quite hefty, especially with all the waiting, but it does pay off once you see your awesome mechs launch.

 

Graphics And Interface

I can’t say I’m too impressed with the game’s visuals. Some of them are just plain drab, with a linear set of landscapes that refuses to change whether you’re at the world map or in the comforts of your own city. I know they’re trying to go for the futuristic ruined world approach, but would it hurt to add a bit more variety to the locations? The interface looks plain as well, but the good part is that everything is in order and easy to comprehend. The features are conveniently located on the top portion of your screen, giving users an easily accessible interface. The buildings are well detailed but stay as is from the moment you build them. It would’ve been great to see them change when you upgrade structures, but the game only shows its current level next to its unchanging form.

Mech Hero Graphics and Interface

Persistency

Like most army based browser games, players are free to attack everyone on the map. It’s really hard for newbie players to keep up with veteran players, especially when their mechs are armed to theteeth. My advice would be to join an alliance for extra protection, at least until your units are ready for all out combat. You don’t want hefty repair fees at the end of each battle, so keep your cool and work hard (more like wait hard).

Verdict

Mech Hero is nothing special. Aside from the customizable mechs and individual missions, I’d say it’s close to being utterly generic. It does have its good points when it comes to the immersion of research and weapon development, but it’s not like it’s something we haven’t seen before. The interface is drab, and the world map lacks texture. So far, the only thing worth looking at is the mech interface.  The waiting time is a pain, especially since you’re only allowed to build/upgrade one building at a time. I think it would be better if they allowed players to build two buildings simultaneously from the start to speed up the process (at least by a few hours). Although the game lacks on some aspects, mech fans are sure to love it. If you like hefty research and are into detailed mech development, this is the game for you.

 

Pros
-Mechs
-Tons of weapons and upgrades to choose from
-Alliances
-High population


Cons

-Waiting time
-Gets boring
-Visuals need some tweaking
-Words fail to bring satisfaction to mech combat

Pirate Galaxy Interview: Avast Improvement?

Pirate Galaxy Interview: Avast Improvement?
Questions by Neil Kewn (Murxidon) – OnRPG Journalist
Answered by Gustaf Stechmann (Producer & CEO)

Pirate Galaxy is a free-to-play MMORPG from German developers Splitscreen Studios. Placing you into the space boots of an elite pilot, you’re tasked with the retrieval of rare and precious metals scattered across a multitude of planets and star systems. Unfortunately for you, the human race is locked in an intense war with the Mantis, a terrifying alien breed hell bent on keeping the goods for themselves. The struggle for the prized resources promises to be an intense conflict, and with a whole host of impressive visual effects and high production values, a pretty one too.

 

OnRPG: Last year OnRPG probed you guys with our tracer beams just before Pirate Galaxy entered Open Beta, what changes have been made since the game’s launch just over a year ago?

I think we have made more changes than there are stars in the galaxy. 😉 But honestly – when we first launched, the game wasn’t much more than an alpha version I would say. Since then we have added lots of starsystems, redone the user interface, tweaked the balancing, and massively improved server stability. The biggest improvement is probably the storyline and missions that we created. These offer a lot of variety and depth and go far beyond what you have seen in other browser-based games.

 

 

Pirate Galaxy Land

 

OnRPG: How satisfied are you with the reaction to the game, both from critics and players?

Actually, we were quite overwhelmed with the feedback. The response has been very positive, especially the comments people post on YouTube are very encouraging. Of course, PG is an indie game and doesn’t offer the production values of EVE or WoW. This has led to some criticism as well. But most people seem to appreciate the simplicity and straightforwardness of the game.

OnRPG: Could you briefly outline the gameplay mechanics players can expect from Pirate Galaxy? What are the goals for a novice pilot?

You begin your career as a rookie space pirate smuggling ore in the outer rim of the galaxy. Your home planet, an arid mining world called Kalabesh, is threatened by evil extraterrestrials called the Mantis. This race of insectoid aliens has already been plundering other colony worlds, and now they are after you! Their technology is a lot more powerful than yours, so in order to fight them you must utilize Guerilla tactics. After all, who would be better qualified to loot a Mantis ore transporter than a troupe of hard-boiled, lawless space pirates?

The conflict on Kalabesh soon expands into a pan-galactic epic. Stealing more and more technology from the alien aggressors and looting their cargo of valuable Cryonite crystals, you proceed to enhance your starship with various upgrades and new gadgetry. One by one, you also learn about stargates and thus can progress to the more dangerous planets and on towards new adventures.

Your ultimate goal in the game is to build the most powerful starship and become the most fearsome space pirate in the universe.

The gameplay in PG centers around planetary combat. You play in teams against alien ships which behave quite intelligently, thanks to our advanced AI technology. You must use your ships on-board equipment with tactical finesse in order to defeat the aliens and solve a variety of missions, some of which are quite challenging. The game focuses on the usage of different items and combinations thereof, not so much on actually maneuvering the ships. There is not a lot of hand-eye coordination required in order to be successful. We believe this makes the game a lot easier to get into, especially for less experienced players.

OnRPG: A lot has been made of Pirate Galaxy’s visual presentation and graphical quality. Personally, I am extremely impressed with the level of detail and visual effects that are present within the game. Nevertheless, It isn’t uncommon for gamers to judge a book by its cover, and browser-based MMOs aren’t particularly renowned for their graphical capabilities, so was the visual quality of Pirate Galaxy an integral part of the game’s development?

Absolutely. I think that players by and large are beginning to expect more and more quality from browser based games. If you’ve seen a current PC or PS3 game in action, you will expect a similar visual quality from an on-line game as well. People don’t really care if its browser-based, download-based or disc-based – if they invest their valuable time into a game, they expect to get the maximum entertainment value out of it. That’s what we’re aiming to deliver.

OnRPG: What did it take to create such a vivid 3D world in Java, whilst maintaining maximum compatibility and frame rates?

Two years of development time, a truckload of pizzas, and a really really awesome team. 🙂

Pirate Galaxy Orbit

OnRPG: Whilst primarily being a browser based game, what brought you to the decision to release a stand-alone client that can be launched from the desktop? Not many browser MMOs offer this, are there any significant differences between the two?

The main reason to use the downloadable client is that you can play in full-screen mode and change the screen resolution at will. This is technically not possible when running inside a web browser. Another benefit of the client is that you always have it sitting in your Windows Start menu, making it swifter to fire up the game if you feel like blasting away a few Mantis during your lunch break.

OnRPG: Pirate Galaxy enforces a strong narrative throughout the game, more so with new players. Where did the tale about humanities desperate struggle against the MANTIS come about, and how big of a role does the story have within the game?

The story is dominant mostly in the early phase of the game. It provides guidance and allows you to familiarize yourself with the game features one by one. The game changes into a more open-world, free-roaming experience as you progress further.

Me and the guys have always been big fans of Science Fiction. The Mantis story was influenced by some of our favorite Science-Fiction classics – Battlestar Galactica, Starwars, Dune, and the writings of Isaac Asimov primarily. It’s maybe not the most groundbreaking literary work, but it does offer a tasty cocktail of ideas that set it apart from most other stuff that’s out there. There’s no other game that has done a space pirates story of this magnitude, I think. We’ve put a lot of heartblood into it and are quite satisfied with the unique atmosphere that the story adds to the game.

OnRPG: Pirate Mode is the term given to Pirate Galaxy’s PvP element. When turned on, players can freely attack other player ships which have Pirate Mode enabled. This isn’t dissimilar to other MMORPGs, but how important was it to bring a competitive and dangerous PvP component to the game?

Well, pirates, in a typical sense, are known to be ruthless, unpredictable vigilantes who won’t give a second thought to robbing your poor starship blind. So this was something we wanted to have in the game from the beginning. Note that participating in PVP is entirely optional.

We actually plan to emphasize this feature a lot more in future version of the game. We are working on a overhaul that we believe will be even more fun as it will allow player to actually put bounties on other people’s heads. So you better look out who you steal your next load of Cryonite from, as he may put a swarm of bounty hunters on your trail to get his revenge!

OnRPG: Further adhering to all things pirate-like, Ladders can be viewed directly from within the game, listing each player’s ranking. Competitive gameplay is clearly encouraged in the game. How can one lowly star vessel climb the rungs of pirate domination and get their name on the leader board?

The leader board is based on points, and there are many ways to accumulate these. Fighting Mantis and solving missions is one, participating in PVP is another, completing certain aspects of the game to get achievements is a third. We’ve tried to balance it out so that people with different tastes and play styles (PVE, PVP etc) all have an equal chance of advancing up the ladder.

 

Pirate Galaxy Space Flight


OnRPG: Whilst living up to the pirate moniker is one thing, are there plans to bring more structured PvP-based scenarios into the game? Perhaps in the form of smaller, team based games?

Yes, we are playing around with some ideas but haven’t decided on our exact roadmap yet. There is one cool new feature that is a little bit in that direction, but I can’t talk about it yet because we want it to be a surprise for our players. We will be rolling out at the end of the year, so stay tuned.

OnRPG: Guilds in Pirate Galaxy are known as Fleets, and have the ability to partake in the planet invading game mode known as Conquest. Could you explain what Conquest is, and what benefits it can bring to a Fleet?

Conquest is about gaining dominance over a certain planet. Successful Clans will score points and advance up the Clan ladder. To participate in Conquest, your Clan must build and equip their own Clanship. Getting a really good Clanship together is a collective effort and requires clan leaders to coordinate their Clan’s activities carefully.

OnRPG: Pirate Galaxy offers a number of different ways to group up with different players, whether it be through fleets, or smaller squadrons. Does cooperation between players play a big part in the game?

Team play is of massive importance. The Mantis are an insect race; they function as a collective – if you’ve ever seen a colony of ants going about their daily business then you know what I mean. You can only defeat the more dangerous Mantis attack formations if you, too, work closely with your friends and allies.

OnRPG: Roughly how many star systems and planets are there in Pirate Galaxy? Are more added on a regular basis to keep things fresh?

We have Vega, Antares, Gemini, Mizar, the Sol system including all its planets, and the Draconis system which is the stronghold of the Mantis. We are adding new content on a regular basis and will continue to do so until the twin suns of Gemini fade. And yes – we still count Pluto as a planet. 🙂

 

Pirate Galaxy Star System

OnRPG: With the number of F2P MMORPGs available almost as large as space itself, what differentiates Pirate Galaxy from other browser-based MMOs?

Well, the 3D graphics are one thing that certainly sets it apart from other browser games. The space pirates scenario is pretty unique as well. And I haven’t seen the Diablo-style Action RPG gameplay and controls in combination with spaceships and monumental 3D planet scapes anywhere else, either.

If you’re looking for the next “EVE Online” with complex trade and corporation management, I doubt that PG is for you. But if you enjoy a pick-up-and-play swashbuckling experience in outer space, you should give it a try.

OnRPG: What’s next for Pirate Galaxy? Are there any major updates in the pipeline that players can look forward to?

We are on the brink of opening up the new, long-anticipated Draconis star system. Along with Draconis, our new Achievements system will also go live. And we are making some important changes to the leaderboards and Conquest system that integrate those features more tightly with the rest of the game. On top of that, we’re including half a million smaller changes that were suggested by the community over the last months.

OnRPG: Thank you for your time! Pirate Galaxy is free to play at PirateGalaxy.com.

A Very Super Proposal in City of Heroes

A Very Super Proposal in City of Heroes

 

Two days ago, heroes passing through Atlas Park in City of Heroes were suddenly threatened by Rularuu! 

 

Rularuu City of Heroes

 

Dwarfing the heroes Rularuu towered above City Hall and taunted those gathered. How could simple players be expected to stand against the next best thing to a god? Fortunately War Witch, Melissa Bianco, came to peoples aid. She rallied the heroes and called for the ultimate weapon against such a being. Love!

 

Two days ago I happened to be in Atlas Park and I witnessed two fantastic things. First was of course, Rularuu himself.

 

The Ocho City of Heroes

 

Rularuu was being played by The Ocho for a specific purpose. The Ocho and War Witch using the almighty [Admin] chat channel were here to help out a player. 

 

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: Fear Me Mortals!

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: My power is legendary and I am here to make

you feel pain!

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: I cannot be stopped, this is my time to destroy you all!

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: I cannot stand this human world, with it’s

feeble pretensions of love…

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: Emotions are like acid to me… They burn my very soul!

[Admin] War Witch: Oh man….

[Admin] War Witch: Heartless soulless pig!

[Admin] War Witch: Look….I got a plan….

[Admin] War Witch: But…I need some help….

[Admin] War Witch: Guys….this heartless wretch needs some love… We

got some love in this place???

[Admin] War Witch: I have just the guy….

[Admin] War Witch: Strongwall….

[Admin] War Witch: We need YOU!

[Admin] War Witch: STRONGWALL proposed to Gaia Stormwind and she said, “YES!”

[Admin] War Witch: Congratulations, you two!!!!!

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: What is this… the emotion pouring forth from

these is too strong

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: I cannot stand this love that surrounds me!

[Admin] War Witch: We got love, people! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: Stop it! You can’t!

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: My defenses weaken

[Admin] War Witch: Let’s get Rularuu!

[Admin] NCsoft_Rularuu: What have you done!!!!!!!

[Admin] War Witch: That’ll learn him! Heartless beast.

 

With the help of two caring staff members of Paragon Studios, a high traffic zone of City of Heroes was treated to a miniature event to help two players seal the deal. 

 

To commemorate the proposal there were even temporary unique yellow titles given to everyone in the zone. (“He Popped the Question” and “She said YES!”)

 

City of Heroes GM Appearance!

 

People play MMOs for many many reasons. I myself often play for the sense of community. Can’t get closer to your community as a developer than helping one person propose to another can you?

 

Congratulations Strongwall and Gaia Stormwind!

Terra Militaris Review: A Bit of Civilization, A Dash of Casvian!

Terra Militaris Review:  A Bit of Civilization, A Dash of Casvian!

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

Terra Militaris is a browser based game from developer Snail Game and is distributed by Gpotato. The game puts you in the shoes of a ruler of one of the great civilizations (namely: Rome, Egypt, China or Persia) to dominate and conquer the land around you.

 

Terra-Militaris Advisors

 

First Impressions

When I started playing Terra Militaris, I assumed that the game would follow another browser based game by Snail Game, namely, Casvian. I was expecting Snail Game to copy  Casvian gameplay and just add one or two “new” features like so many game developers do these days. However, I was surprised that Snail Game did one better by keeping what worked for Casvian and adding more features that sets Terra Militaris apart from the usual browser MMOG.

 

 

Terra Militaris Loading

I must say that Terra Militaris feels more like an online Civilization game rather than just the usual browser MMOG. Terra Militaris has a lot of game systems that remind you of standard RTS games which I never thought I would see in a browser game.

I was really impressed with my first try of the game, which to be frank I never expected.

 

Build, Create and Destroy

Terra Militaris follows the usual formula of browser based games in the sense that your primary concern is to stock up on resources, build armies and then fight monsters or players. While the gameplay is already tried, tested and over used by other browser based game developers, what sets Terra Militaris apart is the “small things” that help you do these tasks.

 

 

Terra Militaris Structure

 

In building structures, the game doesn’t follow the usual static images just popping out for completed buildings. Instead you are given a grid inside your city to work on. This creation process is reminiscent of structure building in  RTS games. I liked the fact that you are given the choice of  where you want your buildings built, and take note, they’re not limited to  certain spots like in Ikariam, but rather you are given the whole grid to work on.

 

 

Terra Militaris Develop

 

The grid structure is only limited to inside your city, resources on the other hand follow the usual path of being limited to certain parts of the map region. Terra Militaris uses the usual build path where the more you upgrade your resource structures the higher the output they provide. The only “added” feature in the regions section of the game is that there are monsters in your territory that you can send your hero to eliminate.

Heroes

Terra Militaris Skill

 

Speaking of heroes, Terra Militaris has a hero system in place. The heroes serve as your “commanders” in battle where they take part and provide the necessary morale boost and unit strength the normal grunts don’t have. Your heroes can level up and even be equipped with weapons, armor and accessories. You can even allot skill points to your hero’s stats when they level up. Your hero can also learn skills which you can use in battle.

 

Terra Militaris Hero

 

The hero system is similar to the character leveling system you often find in  MMORPGs. I liked how Terra Militaris applies this system to the game because it provides a familiar but fitting mechanic that players can easily use. This game system in fact provides a reason to go back and keep on playing especially if you’re the type of player who loves to PvP.

 

 

Terra Militaris Barracks

Heroes can participate in the arena where you are matched with another player.

 

Terra Militaris Stats

Battles

Battles in Terra Militaris occur in real time. Unlike in Casvian or other browser games where battles are done through turns, in Terra Militaris you have full control of your units in actual battle. You can direct where your units are placed and even activate hero skills at the crucial moments.

 

Terra Militatis Improvements

 

This game system is another variation Terra Militaris provides which keeps your gaming upbeat and less monotonous in the long run. I like the fact that the game also allows you to go “automatic” in your battles if you don’t want to waste time micromanaging your hero.

 

Terra Militaris Nations

Problem

The whole game itself is fun, however, my one gripe about  Terra Militaris are  the loading problems if you have a slow connection. There are moments when shifting from one area to another is a slow process because the game resources needs to “load” and even if the game has  already loaded there are still some sprites that don’t come out properly till after a certain period elapses.

 

Loading Problem Terra Militaris

 

This is very apparent whenever you switch from the normal window to the battles. I like what Snail Game did when your character sprite doesn’t load, a block image appears over the area where your character and units should be (which is a nice solution btw so props to you guys).

Missionaries

Among the myriad of characters you have in the game, I must say that the presence of Missionaries in Terra Militaris as another form of “conquering” lands makes me almost point at the game accusingly of lifting this system from console and pc games of the same genre.

Of course, that would be just plain biased so I stopped myself. This is even more forgivable because it works well with Terra Militari’s gameplay. In fact, this gives you another option in getting land without resorting to military force.

Conclusion

Being a browser based game I never expected much from Terra  Militaris and yet the game has exceeded my expectations and more. I liked how Snail Game made a whole new game instead of a rehash of one their other browser based games. This kept Terra Militaris from feeling a little too common while maintaining the image of a turn-based browser based game.

What made me enjoy Terra Militaris are the little things that we never notice or even see in old browser based games. In fact, I can go as far as saying that Terra Militaris can be called the online version of the first Civilization game. I highly suggest this game for anyone who’s looking into playing a browser game that can really take your time. With the game just entering its open beta stage the game has definitely more in store for you in the future.

 

GSTAR 2010 Underway – Updates!

GSTAR 2010 Underway – Updates!


We’re at GSTAR 2010 in South Korea, it’s an exciting time which will for sure harbor tons of new information on the upcoming eastern MMOs. We’ll be updating this page with new images and information as they come in!

 

Blade and Soul GSTAR 2010

 

Videos

 OnRPG Gstar Day 2   OnRPG Gstar Day 2  Ghost Watch GSTar Footage

Updates:

CJ Internet:

Uncharted Waters will get a big update with lots of fresh content next month, keep an eye on the Uncharted Profile for news on this next week.

 

Prius Online is now confirmed for a launch in 2011!


Estsoft

Cabal2 is in Alpha. The OnRPG team saw some really early footage from the game and we heard some of the ideas the team at Estsoft is putting into the game. We’re not yet allowed to disclose these features but trust us when we say that we were thoroughly impressed.

 

NHN

Asta is looking stunning and it’s interesting to see that NHN is so adamant about the fact that Asta will _not_ be “another standard Asian 3 Kingdoms MMO”. The game has the Buddhist religion as a red thread and although it will feature a (stunning) cartoony look. The Cry2 engine really shines in this game, the concept art and the real in game shots are practically identical!

The game will aim for Open Beta towards the end of 2010 so we’ll need quite a bit of patience before we can really play it.

 

World of Warcraft Booth GSTAR 2010

 

 

Astra OnRPG

 

Blade and Soul MMO

Aion Entices you to Level Up

Aion Entices you to Level Up

 

Do you play NCSofts Aion? If so, they are determined to give you things. It really must be that time of year.

 

Aion Entices you to Level Up

 

Aion has two different play related events scheduled. The first is sadly restricted only to residents of North America and Canada. Aion, NCSoft and Alienware have teamed up to offer those players a chance to win an Alienware M11x laptop all for gaining six or more levels on a registered character between 9 p.m. on Friday, November 19th and 9 p.m. on Sunday, November 21st. Gain those levels and you’ll be entered to win this!

 

For the rest of us, there is a double XP weekend coming at the beginning of December. To make life easier there is also 99% off the cost of Soul Healing. Want to schedule your snacks and gaming? Mark your calendars.

 

Double Experience:

December 3 (12:00 p.m. PST) – 6 (12:00 p.m. PST), 2010

December 10 (12:00 p.m. PST) – 13 (12:00 p.m. PST), 2010

 

99% Off Soul Healing:

December 4 (12:00 a.m. PST) – 5 (11:59 p.m. PST), 2010

December 11 (12:00 a.m. PST) – 12 (11:59 p.m. PST), 2010

 

Skaven Arrive in Warhammer Online: Patch Patch, Quick Quick

Skaven Arrive in Warhammer Online: Patch Patch, Quick Quick

 

Game Update 1.4 for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is now live!

 

Update 1.4, The Verminous Horde, brings a wave of new changes to the ongoing battle between Order and Destruction in the Warhammer world. For most players the biggest change will of course be the addition of the Skaven.

 

Skaven Arrive in Warhammer Online

 

The Skaven have long been a simultaneously entertaining and irritating faction in Warhammer, on the board, in the fiction and now in the game. 1.4 brings the chance for players to actually play as the Skaven, throwing all sorts of chaos into the mix of the open battles.  If sneaking along at speed as a Gutter Runner or attempting to smash in Keep doors as a Rat Ogre appeals, now is the time to join the battle and take control of the rat race.

 

Not to leave all the glory to the furry fiends, there are also new Open Realm V Realm mechanics allowing players to take the battle directly to keeps and doing away with the previous victory points system. Along with those changes there have been revamps to the Renown system and packs added to the EA Store. More on those RvR Packs soon.

 

Full Patch notes are available here.