Yearly Archives: 2010

Legend of Edda to begin Closed Beta Testing September 30

Legend of Edda to begin Closed Beta Testing September 30

 

Leading online game publisher, GamesCampus.com, revealed today the closed beta testing dates for its upcoming free-to-play, massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), Legend of Edda. The game will enter into closed beta testing on September 30, 2010 and continue through October 11, 2010.  

 

Based on the Greek mythological conflict between the Gods of the Olympus and the Titans, Legend of Edda takes players on a journey through a dynamic storyline divided into five unique chapters based on the conflict of two opposing factions.  Players will pledge their allegiance to Olympus or Titan from the beginning — prior to character creation — which will play a large role in upcoming PVP and RVR battles. 

 

“Our thriving forum community is already wrestling for a chance to get their hands on this unique and exciting game,” said Uyen Uyen Ton Nu, head of marketing for GamesCampus. “With an enchanting world of myth and lore to explore, hardcore PVP, endless customization, an art style all its own and much more, it is truly a game that should be on every MMORPG players’ wish list.”

 

Legend of Edda 

 

Fast-paced PVP battles are the cornerstone of the game and will include intense personal battles, guild battles and player-killing (PK) where opposing factions can attack each other at any time. Additionally, Secret Treasure Wars take place in an RvR environment with the two factions where the winning team is rewarded with powerful skills by their gods. There are also numerous Demi-God quests that encompass obtaining Demi-God points, which later can be redeemed for powerful skills.                                                    

 

Legend of Edda will also offer a deep class system including six options: Warrior, Swordsman, Assassin, Archer, Cleric and Wizard.  Players will be able to choose their character’s first class during initial character creation and upgrade to subclasses by completing promotion quests and eventually upgrading to different classes while obtaining greater and more powerful skills.  A unique portal system will make transporting among maps and areas seamless and keeps the gameplay flow intense.  Players can also look forward to instanced dungeons, seemingly undefeatable monsters, a special pet system, and four varieties of quests!

 

Key Features in Legend of Edda:

– 4 Main Quests Types— including Standard, Main Story/Scenario, Class Specific and PVP and Faction
– An array of options for PVP— Including Personal duels, Guild battles, Free world player killing, Sacred Treasure Battle, 1v1 or Party vs. Party battles
– 6 base classes–Each with up to 7 possible upgrades
– Sacred Treasure Battle– Death-match PVP between 2 factions. Bonuses for winning faction, from items to buffs.
– Instanced Dungeons-Players can allow for personalized runs for their party with numerous difficulty settings, puzzles, traps for items and exp rewards
– Comprehensive Pet System-Pets offer assistive skills.
– Teleportation System–Easy world roaming to maintain a steady flow of gameplay
– Unique Monsters – Five ranks of monsters each with unique abilities and drops
– 5 grades of weapons-Each grade offers large amounts of customization through strengthening and enchanting
– God power skill system–skills of the gods as rewards from Faction vs. Faction battles (stronger than character skills)
– Hero Classes-Players have the ability to change their character into a hero. Upgraded appearance, weapons, skills, and abilities

 

Players interested in learning more about this MMO Developed by EYA Soft can go to the game’s official site to follow the latest updates and sign up for a closed beta key.   

Overnight Banning of MMOs

Overnight Banning of MMOs
By: Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Video Games serve as both passion and addiction. It’s sad that I have to write something negative about MMOs after watching the “Videogames Can Make the World a Better Place” video. I would be lying if I said that MMO gaming or video games in general have nothing but positive effects. Issues like insomnia, violence, and overall irresponsibility are said to be acquired through video games. In an attempt to cease this virtual outbreak, Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has devised a plan to lessen this particular or would be addiction by imposing an overnight or six-hour blackout on MMO gaming.

 

Why MMOs?

Unlike other games, MMOs require a seriously huge amount of time in order for characters to make progress. It is also stated that kids often spend their money on virtual things rather than buying   necessities. I for one can relate to this issue as other countries (including mine) are suffering from MMO addiction. Lately, I have been seeing a lot of unemployed people or NEETs (Not Employed, on Education or Training) discard their future for a chance to shine on the virtual plane. It’s a very extreme move, seeing as videogames have become a major part of today’s culture. It may be the ideal cure for some, but is it a full-proof plan overall? Let’s see…

 

Banning Cow

 

Fighting For Curfew

It was stated that the primary concern is that children have become “OVEREXPOSED” to a world of fantasy and adventure, constantly spending countless hours and investing a gratuitous amount of money on something most people deem irrelevant to everyday life. It’s a drastic move, but a futile attempt nonetheless. The client will also kick under aged users who have been online for a lengthy amount of time, though it’s not like it’s hard to forge information online.  

 

The Blackout

Gamers are given 3 choices for the blackout time: Midnight – 6AM, 1AM – 7AM, or 2AM – 8AM. Sounds like a full proof plan yes? I’m sure those gamers are about to experience the cure for an all-nighter. As I understand it, only underaged users are affected by the said blackout (time to edit those profile kiddies!).

 

Banning MMOs 

 

Pros(?)

Other than restricting access to minors or under aged users, this new system could actually help them during the Green Movement, a program imposed to lessen the continuous consumption of electricity. This can also help gamers whose body clocks are no longer set properly. This perhaps is the most practical move they could think of at the moment, seeing as the video game addiction has gotten out of hand and out of their control. This new system can actually serve as something healthy for these gaming individuals.

 

Death through Gaming

I’m a bit confused really, seeing as most of these cases are rather extreme. According to some reports, there have been a series of fatalities caused by virtual gaming. The incidents were said to have been a result of players spending too much time in the virtual plane, eventually forgetting their real life bodies and its necessities. If you think that’s weird, a couple was also reported to have forgotten their responsibilities as parents, leaving their baby to die of starvation while they happily invested their time feeding an online infant. My God! That’s not gaming related right? More like stupidity. Almost the same as those parents blaming DOOM PC and Marilyn Manson for the Columbine Massacre. The insomnia I can understand, but this one is just plain pushing it. Gamers need to invest time in MMOs to progress further, but the cases mentioned above are a product of their own stupidity; however, this ban would most likely straighten them up.

 

Banning Death

 

Views on Youth Banning

Gamers aren’t really stupid (except for those mentioned above) and would eventually find a loophole in the system. If they can’t play overnight, they can easily do it in the morning. As an MMO gamer, I try to balance my online time with the real world. It had already occurred to me that they are not trying to lessen the addiction, but KILL the MMO gamers gaming life completely. They have removed the equilibrium or what serves as the thin line that separates their gaming life from their real ones. Now that both worlds have been mixed in one timeframe, I’m expecting unemployment and a lot of nasty school reports (cutting classes). It’s a bit exaggerated for now, but I know a lot of people who have worked their way around the system through this method (*remembers highschool days); still, I really hope this works out for them.

 

Banning MMOs

 

Overnight Banning For Other Countries?

Geez, I hope not. I wouldn’t want to miss all the raids and PVP, especially since my server’s set on western time. I’m not sure really. The system does have a lot of positive effects, but it also kills the gamers’ experience, which most non-gamers would NEVER understand. To them, it’s the same as snakes and ladders; to us, it’s a passion.

 

Overall Thoughts

It’s not really the games that are causing this. During my interview with Dr. Nicole Escutin, it was stated that the parents are the ones responsible for discipline. Having a strong family structure can break these horrible side effects. Maybe it’s a must for young players since drastic measures should be taken when things get out of hand. According to the good doctor, my claims on school issues are highly possible, seeing that he was with me during those curfew problems in our country. This is a harsh version of gaming moderation.  The cases mentioned above are actually quite surprising and should alert citizens into moderating what used to be a harmless hobby; however, it’s not the games that should be moderated, but the individuals who seem to have no idea what’s good for them. Much like the Ministry, gamers are also passionate about what they do and will eventually form up a countermeasure for the online blackouts. In other words, if they are seriously going to continue this campaign, they’re in for a lot of work. I’m sure they mean well, and I wish them the best of luck.

Warstory – Europe in Flames

WARSTORY – Europe in Flames is a free-to-play, massively multiplayer strategy game set during World War II. Players command their own allied companies, consisting of powerful combat units and individually specialized heroes. Dynamic real time battles demand quick and tactical thinking. But in the end the combined forces of thousands of players are needed to liberate Europe successfully: Berlin must fall!

Your Mission: Liberate Europe! Europe is aflame: Choose your faction, fight side by side with your friends and decide WW2! You want to make history? Then sign up now for WARSTORY – Europe in Flames and experience real time battles in your browser!

– MMO-Strategy with large scale cooperative gameplay 
– Play dynamic real time battles on 50 unique battlefields
– Specialize your heroes and execute powerful abilities
– Over 50 different units and thousands of equipment items
– Earn achievements and medals and become a living legend
– Experience large scale cooperative game play in a fully persistent world: Liberate Europe with thousands of fellow soldiers and comrades
– Play dynamic real time battles, using exciting combat tactics and powerful officer-abilities – like the devastating Airstrike or the aggressive Blitzkrieg
– World War II approached in a fresh stylistic presentation
– Choose your faction: US Army or Sovjet Forces
– Earn challenging achievements to build up your commander into a living legend – over multiple seasons!
– Build up your individual company of heroes with strong combat units and powerful equipment
– Complete special missions for your faction’s high command throughout Europe
– Recruit and level up officers to create powerful specialists
– Collect rewards and obtain new equipment from your supply depot
– Chat with your friends and allies in real time or use the messaging-system to drop them a note

Sword 2 Interview: A Hybrid Game

Sword 2 Interview: A Hybrid Game
Questions by Tully Ackland, OnRPG Journalist
Answered by Myra Widodo, Associate Producer

 

OnRPG: Firstly, congratulations on your recent launch and thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions, could you start by giving those who might not be familiar to the game a run down what Sword 2 is?
Sword 2 is our MMORTS/MMORPG hybrid title. The game’s RTS/RPG features, Political PvP System, and beautiful graphics set it apart from other titles within the MMO and Free2Play markets.  If someone were to ask me what the point of this game is, I would boil it down to the following; exploring the New World, uniting with your friends, and dominating control over the New World. 

 

OnRPG: Sword 2 isn’t entirely a sequel to Sword of the New World; could you describe what sets them apart?
We have completely revamped the first 20 levels and changed the new user experience.  Previously, we had you start your journey on a boat sailing for the New World.  For Sword 2, you are left shipwrecked and have to gather your basic armor and weapons.  There is a “Tutorial Help” window that informs you where you are, what resources are available to you in that location, or what you can do. We’ve made it really easy for new players to get through the general tutorial and learn how to play the game so they can get to the real meat of it.  In the end, after completing the tutorial players get awarded with a pet.  Pets are an added benefit to players as most pets offer some enhancement of game play – whether that benefit be buffing or looting.

 

Some of the major improvements we have made to the UI include a more robust Zone Map.  We make it really clear where NPCs with available quests are located and we have a “Move” feature within the Zone map which will allow you to quickly move to an area or character of interest. We also now list all NPCs in an area on your map for easy reference.

 

Sword2

 

We’ve added a new friend summoning feature that allows players to summon their friends and clan mates to their location from anywhere in the New World. This really makes it easy to get around without a lot of hassle. Players can start instances and raids very quickly instead of having to run everywhere.

 

We’ve revamped our entire leveling process to include more low level instances. Additionally, we’ve adjusted our raiding system to use instances as well. We still have open world raids (where clans fight for control over certain bosses) but now the majority of raiding happens in a private instance. In all we’ve added 4 new raid instances.

 

We’ve added a lot of new content including new costumes, stances (special set of skills that players develop for their characters), weapons, armor and more. Character face customizations, mailbox system where you can message letters to other players, and improved Secret Guard System are some of the other changes.

 

Secret Guard System is an in-game feature that allows advanced players to pair up with beginner players and have both parties benefit from playing together up until the beginner players have reached level 15.  Players can chat with each other prior to committing, so they may avoid any “bad roommate” situations. That isn’t even the tip of the iceberg; there are about 30 pages of changes. The only things we didn’t change was the core of the game. You control 3 characters and fight for ownership of the New World.

 

OnRPG: What drove the idea to revamp the first 20 levels of the game instead of laterally continuing the end game?
Our goal with the revamp of the first 20 levels of the game were focused mainly on allowing new players to grasp the basics of the game quickly to expedite getting them to the meat of the game – which includes high level instances, raids, Faction Wars, and Elections.  In this respect, we didn’t exactly compromise working on laterally continuing the end game.  We are ingraining new players with the end game in fact.

 

OnRPG: The game features RPG strategy elements, the feature of controlling up to three characters at a time is a huge selling point for Sword 2, so could you tell us what advantages this gives the player?
The Multi-Character Control mechanic where players can control and develop up to 3 characters at the same time reinforces the RTS aspect of the game more so than the RPG aspect.  Since different characters have different skill sets, players can create a multitude of combinations out of those 3 characters to do different things.  One big thing we never really liked about other games was the requirement that players had to find another player that was a healer or a tank to succeed. In Sword 2 everyone has a tank and a healer. But with the ability to create up to 63 characters players can create a balanced 3 person “team” with a Tank, Damage Dealer and a Healer or they can be a focused team of 3 Healers or 3 Damage Dealers or even 3 Tanks or any combination thereof.  It adds a real level of detail to PvP and PvE game play that you won’t find in any other game.

 

One advantage the Multi-Character Control mechanic gives players, in the RPG aspect, is that it maximizes their time in developing their characters.  Players do not have to grind to level and develop one character at a time because they are able to play with up to 3 characters at the same time.  As mentioned earlier players also get a variety of the type of characters they want to experience playing with.  They don’t have to commit to choosing a specific Class and then find out half way to max level that they prefer another Class.

 

 Sword2

 

OnRPG: Political Player vs Player is another major feature for Sword 2, could you give those unfamiliar a brief explanation as to what it is?
Political PvP is definitely a huge selling point because ultimately ruling the New World is the end game.  I would go as far to say that this is even more significant than the Multi-Character Control.  Political PvP comes down to two major features – Elections and Faction Wars. Players can run for office and lead one of two Factions – the Republicans or the Royalists.  While all players can vote for elected Faction Leaders, only Clans (a group of Families) can ally themselves to a Faction and only Clan leaders can run for office.  When a Clan leader joins a Faction, all players in that Clan are immediately apart of the selected Faction.  The elected leader of the Royalist Faction is called the Duke and the elected leader of the Republican Faction is called the President. 

In Faction Wars, individual clans fight to obtain and retain Colonies located all around the New World.  At the end of Faction Wars, the Faction with the most Colonies is named the Dominate Faction.  The “Dominate Faction” gets a large payment of in-game currency at the end of every month paid directly to the Faction’s elected Leader.  That Faction leader of the Dominate Faction, (be it the Duke or the President), will become the Premier.  It is expected for the Premiere to divide the winnings out to all players in the Faction.  However, there is nothing stopping them from keeping them, so it’s extremely important to pick a leader you trust!

 

OnRPG: What major features have players got their hands on recently after you just unleashed the last huge patch?
The instanced raids are a big deal in terms of the new content we released.   As mentioned earlier, we’ve adjusted our raiding system to use instances as well so now the majority of raiding happens in a private instance. This solves the problems of kill stealing and boss camping which are prevalent in many other MMOs. So certain areas in game don’t become overcrowded with different parties all fighting for the same goal. As many of us know it stink to have kills taken away from you after you’ve spent all the time and effort.

 

OnRPG: Sword 2 is developed in Korea, have you made any choices to Westernize the title?
Sword 2 was in developed in Korea, by IMC Games.  Hakkyu Kim, the famed creator of Ragnarok Online, is the lead designer of the game and was inspired to create the Sword 2 universe after visiting several countries in Europe and learning about the history which carried over to the Americas.  In one sense, the content of the game is Western as it was inspired by Western History.

 

Upon seeing the game, this inspiration is apparent in the design of diverse environments and ornate details of in-game items and costumes.  Using Europe and colonial America for the world design, allowed Hakkyu Kim’s art team the leisure to survey some of the most iconic sights in North America and incorporate them into the game.  From a re-creation of the Grand Canyon to the frozen Canadian tundra, players will discover and experience breath-taking environments.

 

In terms of the deliberate choices we have made to Westernize the game, most of it falls within translations of texts and community run events and contests.  While we try to user more colloquial terms when translating dialogue of NPCs or descriptions for items, we still maintain the style of language that matches the world of Sword 2.  Often times when we come up with ideas for promotions or events we’ll make certain cultural references that could otherwise be considered Western.  For example, we had a Lolcats Weekend event a couple weeks back that many of the players from our markets enjoyed. 

 

OnRPG: Sword 2 is back on retail store shelves, what drove this decision instead of opting for what much of the competition is doing with digital distribution?
Sword 2 is actually not back in the retail stores yet.  We are working out some plans for that so I would say just keep your eye out in the near future.  We do a lot of digital distribution mainly because that’s what our market has kind of pushed us to go that route.  Especially, with Free2Play there is a lot of opportunities with digital distribution.  Those opportunities are included in some of the “pros” for digital distribution, however, some of the “cons” include certain regions having bandwidth limitations or slower connections. 

 

Overall, our idea behind a future retail box is based off of what our players want.  Our game is Free2Play, so the purpose of a retail box isn’t so much selling the game client.  With retail boxes we would sell rare packages of items, in-game currency, and exclusive digital content.  There’s something that players still enjoy about going to a physical store, picking up a box and game guide that you can hold in your hand.  It is especially enjoyable when on top of holding that box in your hand you get items and content that you can’t get any other way.

 

OnRPG: Your next expansion Revelations is coming this fall; can you tell us what players can expect to see in this?
Actually, we have decided that instead of releasing two expansions – Revelations and Renaissance – we are combining two expansions and releasing one MEGA expansion! 

 

Usually, with any expansion we’ll have new items available for players in the in-game Bazaar. That may include costumes, weapons, etc.  The two major things that we think our players are going to go crazy for are the new Unique Playing Characters and our World-Cross PvP Arena.

 

For Sword 2: Renaissance, we will have three new characters – Sorceress Emilia, Catherine Torche, and Asoka.  Sorceress Emilia has been seen in many of the associated imagery we have released with Sword 2’s launch.  For example, at E3 Los Angeles we decided to have a larger-than life-size wall panel at our booth.  I know players will be excited about Catherine Torche and Asoka.  I personally love the design of Asoka and can’t wait for her to be in game!

 

Now the World-Cross PvP Arena is the other major gem players will get with Renaissance. This feature will allow players from different worlds to play each other.  Currently, players can only play with other players on their particular world, so now we have opened up doors to the community even further.

 

OnRPG: Can you tell us your timeline for the future regarding content?
As we mentioned with Renaissance, we are looking towards releasing this expansion this Fall. We also have a web browser game that should be coming out around that time frame as well.

 

OnRPG: You have a Flash browser based game coming out for Sword 2 “in the near future” can you tell us what this is about?
Our web browser game we created for additional content for our community.  The game gives players the opportunity to win some crazy in game items, and it gives us an opportunity to create some crazy promotions and events with this added content. 

 

To give you a general overview, the web game highlights and emulates Colony Wars, a major aspect of Sword 2.  We’re starting off with releasing a variety of two types of mini-games. One is a memory card game and the other is a jigsaw puzzle.  Both games are timed so players must complete the mini-games within that allotted time.  Players with the highest scores for those games will have their name appear in the leader board. 

 

Now the leader board is where we got a little creative and tried to emulate the meat of the game.   The leader board is designed similar to the in-game World Map for Sword 2.  There are seven Colonies highlighted on the leader board.  Each of those seven Colonies has some mini-games associated with them.  If a player obtains the highest score for a particular Colony their name will appear over that city on the map.  This is similar to how in Sword 2, when Clans take control over a certain Colony the Clan name will appear on the map.  High Scores will get more substantial prizes for having their name appear on the map.

 

However, if players don’t just have to have the highest score in order to win prizes.  If they successfully complete or beat a mini-game they get a prize.  There is also a spinning Level Selector in the web game that directs players to the mini-games associated with one of the seven Colonies.  On that spinning Level Selector there is also a chance to win prizes.

 

OnRPG: Thank you very much for your time, would you run us out with a brief summary of what you believe makes Sword 2 great?
First thing that comes to mind would be that it’s Free2Play. Having the freedom to try something without having to commit to a subscription of said amount of days (unless you really want to), has always been appealing for our player base and it’s the reason why our games are Free2Play. Secondly, but more importantly I think that the world and lore behind it is great.  The struggle for power and the lore behind it is one of the major aspects of the game that attracted me to produce Sword 2 in the first place.  Here you have a long standing history of various Nations from the “Old World” battling over power.  That struggle for power, the politics, the drama, and the characters involved in that drama – all of those things carry over to the New World.  As a pioneer sent to the New World, you are caught in the middle of all of this! 

 

Within the game lore, we have two major Factions – Royalists (those loyal to the Queen and fighting to preserve their power) and Republicans (those fighting against the old establishment and trying to gain their own freedom.) Many of the characters you meet throughout the game and many of the quests you will complete slowly reveal some of the stories, mysteries, and conflicts existing in the New World.

 

Often times, in video games we find the “story” to be somewhat lacking because there is a focus on game mechanics.  I feel with Sword 2, that the story has not been compromised.  There is a good balance between game-play and immersing the players into the world of Sword 2.

Nadirim reveals further game features

Nadirim reveals further game features

 

After the successful premiere of Nadirim for the press at gamescom 2010, Digital Reality and Twisted Tribe will launch the official Nadirim forum on Wednesday, September 1st, to introduce the gaming community to the Empire of the Eternal Sun. Starting immediately and every week – even after the start of the closed beta in early October 2010 – further zones, character classes, game mechanics, and various mobs will be introduced in depth on the official website and in the new forum.

 

The first zone to be revealed is the Mountain of Bells: a mystical place which is the centre of many eerie tales and rumours. Only a brave few dare to enter this remote region. Legends say that during the War of 1001 Nights, the army of the caliph was frozen by a mighty spell of the evil Nadir into the stone formations which visually mark the region. The hollow, eerie sound of bells calls to mind their forgotten souls.

 

Nadirim reveals further game features

 

Along with experience points, the various zone quests can also earn players achievements, reputation, or special items and will teach them more about the background story of Nadirim. In the Mountain of Bells zone, which can be reached after around 30 hours of game play, players must find the source of the mysterious sound of bells, which holds an important revelation.

 

At the same time, the official website will also introduce the enigmatic nomads of the desert, one of the five playable character classes available in the game. When the mighty Nadir granted the former thief Anwar his wish for a kingdom full of riches and knowledge, a few desert tribes rejected the genie’s dark gift. Living in harmony with nature, the nomads can train animal companions for combat for other players and control up to three different pets in battle themselves. The nomad is a strong fighter, both in melee and with the bow. In a group, they serve as a supporter, but are also the first choice for solo players, thanks to their animal companions.

 

After the selection of a character class, an insane djinn is one of the first opponents standing in players’ way in the tutorial. Djinns are mystical beings, who have gone mad through the rule of Nadir and the loss of power, and who attack careless travellers.

Kitsu Saga

The Adventure Begins: an ancient evil has awoken and war looms on the horizon. Two great nations, once bitter enemies, must unite to stave off the approaching darkness. Rise to the challenge and make your mark on the world.

– Embark on a thrilling journey spanning countless towns and regions, with hundreds of quests and dangerous obstacles.
– Meet the Kitsu, mystical fox spirits that journey alongside you.
– From the developers that brought you Grand Fantasia.

Aerrevan: Second Wave of Beta Announced

Aerrevan: Second Wave of Beta Announced


CubeForce Media has announced today that the second wave of Aerrevan beta testing will begin on September 8th, 2010. The second beta wave will introduce more players to the Aerrevan game world as well as include a larger beta area. CubeForce Media has also released a number of new ingame screenshots showing the game UI, combat, locations, and more.

 

“The second beta wave will allow us to put more stress on the game servers and make sure our architecture is prepared for our eventual gold release,” said Aerrevan Project Manager, Sean Oosterveen. “We are very excited to introduce more players to the world of Lurris and show them what we have achieved these past few months.”


The second beta wave will significantly increase the number of Aerrevan beta testers. Anyone who wishes to apply for the second wave of testing can do so by visiting the Aerrevan website and filling out the beta tester application form. A number of major gaming networks will also be giving away beta tester keys. Second wave applications will be accepted on September 7th with client access available on September 8th before 14:00 GMT-6.

 

Aerrevan Second Wave of Beta Announced

 

Aerrevan is a brand new MMORPG game, it takes place on the continent of Lurris in a world shattered by the onset of a magical force known as Aer. Aer has strong magical qualities, but is also highly toxic to the body. It has been four years since the Baehoman meteor struck Lurris, bringing with it this toxic element. When the meteor struck, Aer was unevenly dispersed around the world, many died as their very lifeforce was stripped from their bodies, and others became mutated, turning into horrible creatures. Everything from wildlife to the long since dead has felt the effects of Aer.

 

In the years before the meteor strike, Lurris was hardly in a state of peace, the three races of the world, Humans, Orcs, and Elves were held together with weak political arrangements made by their leaders. Today, a new level of alliance has formed. Two men have come forth with solutions to long term survival in an Aer-inflicted world. Great Mage Vastellyn, one of the oldest and wisest mages in the world, has devised a method to neutralize excess Aer and purge it from the world, ultimately ridding Lurris of Aer altogether.

 

On the other hand, Great Mage Kalam, a mysterious and very powerful mage, aims to harness the power of Aer and use it. Followers of these mages fight endlessly for their beliefs with no control from the racial leaders. These skirmishes are centered around the Baehoman meteor itself, resting now in a valley carved by its impact. The gameplay experience in Aerrevan is centralized around Aer and its effects on the world.

 

Ragnarok Online Review: How This Classic MMORPG Stands Today?

Ragnarok Online Review: How This Classic MMORPG Stands Today?
By Michael Sagoe (mikedot), OnRPG Journalist

 

Everyone that’s into MMORPGs has at least heard of International Ragnarok Online (iRO). It was one of the first MMORPGs of its time to serve up 2D and 3D visuals giving itself an old school J-RPG feel to it. iRO has been around since 2002 and many things have changed in order to keep up with the times and competition. Does iRO have what it takes to stay alive in this ever expanding MMO market or is this age old classic past its prime? Before I continue with the review, there is something I must point out: since commercial launch, RO has been a Pay-to-Play service. As of September 2008, Gravity introduced a Free-to-Play server named “Valkyrie” in an attempt to win back some of their player base who left due to “Private servers”. The shots and events in this review are all taken from the Valkyrie server.

 

Starting out

When creating your character, you’ll pick from a set number of hairstyles and colors,  then pick your starting stats for your character’s Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence, Dexterity and Luck which all must add up to 30.  You’ll get plopped right into the training center which brings you up to speed. You can skip the training session if you wish, but it is a good idea to complete it as you’ll receive lots of goodies that will come in handy for later.

 

Ragnarok International

 

Selecting your class

You’ll have lots of choices to make when deciding what class to play. Players can become Swordsmen, Archers, Mages, and more. New to iRO are the inclusion of “alternative” 1st classes” which are Taekwon fighters that use no weapons and fight with their bare hands, Gunslingers that use lots of modern ranged weaponry like pistols, and Ninjas that can do… well… ninja stuff. With the exception of Taekwon fighters, Gunslingers and Ninjas are very high maintenance classes to play as and cannot be supported on their own. It’s best that you should get some money and experience playing as other job classes before rolling a Gunslinger or Ninja.

 

After you level up your character’s class to 40, you can advance your character to become either one of two different subclasses. Swordsmen can be promoted to either Knights or Crusaders; Acolytes can be promoted to either Priests or Monks, and so on. Additionally, there are “Transcendent” classes you can advance to. The amount of choice iRO gives you with character classes is insane and even a bit absurd. But that’s ok since you do have nine character slots available.

 

Ragnarok International
Good old Prontera… You haven’t changed a bit

 

Gameplay

iRO’s combat is pseudo turn based, as with most MMORPGs today. You click with your mouse to move, click on enemies to attack, and use F1-F9 keys as shortcuts to use skills. There’s a good amount offensive, defensive, support and passive skills available for all classes, plus the option to earn more skills through quests. Speaking of quests, they seemed very scarce and almost non-existent in past versions of iRO. But now, tons of quests are available to help you earn rack up that EXP, and the new quest window is there to help you keep on track with your quests.

 

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Sniping from a safe distance

 

Presentation

The presentation of iRO hasn’t aged very well, or has aged very well, depending on your preference. iRO’s visuals maintain an old school JRPG style with highly detailed 2D sprites and animations, while blending in 3D environments, although the textures on the environments can seem a bit dull to look at occasionally. RO’s original soundtrack is still as amazing as it ever was with “SoundTemp’s” wonderfully arranged audio filled with many different genres of folk, jazz, techno, alternative, rock and orchestrated beats that just set the mood for adventure.

 

My thoughts

Back when, iRO was considered to be an unholy grindfest. Today, it still feels like an unholy grindfest. While there is more emphasis on quest completion then before, it all comes down to grinding out base and job levels before you can get to the “fun” parts of the game (which would be partaking in Player vs. Player, the “War of Emporium” and hunting MVP bosses.) Battling it out against other players comes down to how well your character’s stat build is, the equipment you’re packing, and the opponent you’re facing. While some classes arguably have many advantages over others, PvP feels decently balanced.

 

While it attempts to create an engaging experience for all, iRO’s overall gameplay is definitely not for everyone since knowing your character’s class, equipment and stat build is extremely important. You’ll also need to take some time to manually distribute your stats after each level up. If you don’t take great care in your stat distribution, you can find yourself not doing so well when trying to battle in higher level areas where you should be training in.

 

As I mentioned before, RO has been sectioned into two services: Pay-to-play (Ymir; formally Chaos, Iris and Loki servers merged together) & Free-to-play (Valkyrie). While the Pay-to-pay service does have some nice perks including increased EXP and drop rates, lower item prices and what not, the Free-to-play service seems like a total rip off in comparison. EXP and drop rates are at base level for the Valkyrie server, but prices on some very basic items are sky high, there’s no safe limits on upgrading equipment and some particular equipment cards have been removed (I assume it’s for PvP balance, but who knows? I don’t.) iRO fails to create much of an immersive world due to bots farming for gold and spamming active towns. So how does Gravity plan to deal with these botting players? Why by adding random spawning MVP like monsters to get rid of them, of course. It’s such a brilliant idea, right?

 

Ragnarok International
Oh geez…

 

Wrong. It’s an awful idea. Why Gravity can’t simply give iRO some hack protection or have active GMs patrolling for bots, I’ll never know. I seriously hope the Ymir server doesn’t have to deal with this. Besides bots being around to break any sense of immersion, iRO constantly reminds you that you’re playing a video game. Just about every Kafra NPC you meet will tell you that you’re in a game world. Even if you’re not worried about being immersed in the world of iRO, you’ll still have yourself a good time. I don’t know why, but there is something about chilling out under a shady tree with some buddies in iRO that just seems right.

 

Wrap up

 

Enjoying iRO is like having an acquired taste for particular foods. Those that have built up their taste for it in the past will most likely enjoy it today, but it may taste a bit weird for those that are trying it for the first time. Old fans of RO will love all the new features it has to offer, but may want to consider going back to the premium service (although if you like the idea of playing RO in “hard mode”, the free service might not seem so bad.) The community is excellent, War of Emporium is still amazing, and Gravity shows lots of love for their supporting players with tons of events. The pros outweigh the cons here: iRO remains a timely classic.

 

Ragnarok International

 

 

Pros:
Good use of 2D and 3D visuals
– Tons of classes to choose from
– Tons of new features such as quest logs and skill trees
– Good community
– Excellent original soundtrack
– Pay-to-play and Free-to-play services available

 

Cons:
– Excessive botting abuse
– Lots of required micromanagement of stats and skills
– Free-to-play service feels gimped