Yearly Archives: 2010

Project Torque Closing Down

Project Torque Closing Down

With sadness in their tone Aeria Games has announced that Project Torque will shut down its servers on the 2nd of August.

“We (Invictus & Aeria Games) had ultimately put a lot of faith in the Julia build to help us grow the community back to what it used to be. Although we had seen some improvements (some older and newer players returning to the game!), it is simply not happening as fast as we had hoped.

Sadly to say, despite our best of efforts we are no longer able to support the game. We have put together a schedule for the remainder of the month that will lead into the server final shut down.”

Rest In Pieces, Project Torque
The shutdown schedule, ironically named “The final burnout schedule” is as such:
 
July 15th 2010: Shut down of both the in game and web item malls from making purchases of AP Items. RP currency will still be usable during this time. During this time Aeria will be unlocking just about all unreleased items and running nonstop events in the game for prizes. This includes the unreleased cars that have yet to make it into the game.
July 17th through August 2nd: Daily events will be run that give out numerous prizes and locked items that have not yet been released in PT.

August 2nd 2010: Complete shutdown of the game servers.

August 3rd 2010: Closing down of PT Forums.

That doesn’t leave a lot of time left for Project Torque but Aeria won’t leave Torque players hanging, they have prepared the following compensation package:

“We do plan on creating special promotional offers during this time frame as compensation to the few and proud users left in our great community. Some include a 100% AP refund for users who have spent in the last 90 days. A 200 AP gift for all current Active PT players (most likely a email with key redemption process) and possible setup of special packages from our current lineup of games that may include items from each title. We know a few play our other titles like Wolf Team and we will let you know as soon as information is available on these packages. We will be posting a separate thread up once we complete all the details of these offers. Rest assured we will take care of you all as best we can!”

At the end of the message GM_1Fastcrx has his personal note as well:

“As most of you know I have been a GM for this great game for over 2 years now and I loved every minute of it! Yes some of you were a pain! But it didn’t matter we all had a blast together and respected one another throughout the thick and thin, the ups and downs, and the flat out just terrible times.

We all had nothing but hope for Project Torque here at Aeria Games, and to this day still believe that Invictus has a great game and that it will get the recognition it deserves one day. Again you are all aware of the hardships that we have endured throughout the past 2 years. There are a strong few that are still here and have stuck to it since the beginning. I really must say that even in the darkness that has shadowed PT in the last two years there is still light in the end of it all. We have all gained new friendships, memories, and overall exciting experiences.

I could not have asked for a better community to be a part of and a better game to be a GM for. I thank each and every one of you for your continued support! You ultimately were the ones responsible for this games success and progress. The game will now be back in Invictus’s hands, in the hopes that they will excel Project Torque to new heights and continue to progress the game.”

There are some Project Torque players that are trying to convince Aeria to keep the game going via a petition, if you are one of them you can go sign it, although it is probably a good idea to not get your hopes up.

Level R Will Keep driving in Europe



So the silver lining of this story is that Invictus might bring back Project Torque. The original name of the game is Level R, which European and Asian players can still connect to!

COH: Paragon Releases Information on Nova Praetoria and the Underground

COH: Paragon Releases Information on Nova Praetoria and the Underground

 

Today Paragon Studios reveals details of two of the new areas in City of Heroes Going Rogue. Nova Praetoria is the most exclusive district in all of Praetoria, housing the elite of Praetorian society who have been given the special privilege to live and work next to humankind’s savior, Emperor Marcus Cole. Beneath Nova Praetoria lies the Underground, a network of tunnels that were created to hide the ugly side of life from the world above.

 

Nova Praetoria 

This city ward, considered to be the most exclusive district in all of Praetoria, houses the elite of Praetorian society: Cole’s trusted Praetors and the myriad state employees and officials who have been given the special privilege to live and work next to humankind’s savior, Emperor Marcus Cole. From Cole Tower, the tallest building and most dominant landmark in all of Nova Praetoria, Emperor Cole can survey all that he has fought hard to protect. In the Magisterium below, his Praetors gather for the day-to-day business in Praetoria, capital of the Empire. Surrounding the Magisterium courtyard are the five most influential structures in Praetorian government: the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Technology, the Civic Center, the Praetoria Police Headquarters, and the Cole Transport Authority.

 

City of Heroes Going Rogue

 

Statues of the Praetors stand like sentinels over the Magisterium, reminding all who visit that Cole’s trusted advisors watch over the city with constant vigilance. But these statues pale in comparison to the glory of Emperor Cole’s likeness, which stands before his tower, hand outstretched in greeting to all who visit here. Before this colossus stands the statue of Praetor White, Praetoria’s enforcer and head of the Powers Division, Praetoria’s super-powered police force.

 

The Underground

The Underground is a network of tunnels that traverse the soft underbelly of Praetoria. It was created to keep the appearance of the aboveground portion of the city unspoiled and uncluttered while the day-to-day maintenance and transportation tasks were carried out away from public view. Using the Lethe as its main artery, the tunnels follow a winding path through Nova Praetoria to Neutropolis and beyond.

 

The utopian Praetoria is the mirror universe featured in City of Heroes Going Rogue, the first City of Heroes expansion since the launch of City of Villains. The bright utopian façade hides dark secrets. As players investigate this brave new world, searching for the truth behind Emperor Cole and his Praetorian Guard, brutal foes and fierce allies emerge, turning this illusory paradise into an urban battlefield.

 

Take a look at more screenshots of Going Rogue in the City of Heroes Screenshot Gallery.

League of Legends Season One Opens Today

League of Legends Season One Opens Today

 

Riot Games, the developer and publisher of the acclaimed PC game League of Legends, is proud to announce the largest content update and the first major competitive season for the highly-acclaimed online game League of Legends: Season One, is now live. Players that log in today will find many new game features including Draft Mode, Ranked Games, Ladders, a new user interface and a brand new Champion, Xin Zhao, Seneschal of Demacia.

 

League of Legends Yi Fight 

 

But as if all the new content and a whole new level of competitive play wasn’t enough to get League of Legends fans excited about Season One, Riot Games has announced they will be putting up a $100,000 prize purse for the Season One finals tournament which will mark the end of the season. Timing of this tournament will be announced later this year.

 

League of Legends Trynd

 

“We are very excited to be offering up $100,000 in cash prizes for the Season One finals, not only because it’s one of the biggest cash purses for a PC video game tournament, but it reflects our growth over the last year thanks to the support we’ve received from sponsors, partners and our loyal Community,” said Marc Merrill, co-founder and president of Riot Games. “Season One is just one of many major content updates and competitive seasons that our fans can expect. As we maintain growth and the game continues to evolve, we will continue to support our fans by providing the best gaming experience possible.”

 

To celebrate the launch of League of Legends: Season One, Riot Games also released a brand new trailer for the award-winning game.

 

League of Legends Teemo

Cabal Europe Content Update: Secrets of Radiant Hall

Cabal Europe Content Update: Secrets of Radiant Hall

 

Games-masters are pleased to announce the latest CABAL Online update: Secrets of Radiant Hall. Introducing a whole host of key changes and improvements, the update includes:

 

NEW Solo Quest Dungeon! Set in the icy region of Bloody Ice, this dungeon sets heroes the mission of saving a lost and helpless girl. As with the other quest dungeons there are three levels of difficulty to select from, affecting the strength of the monsters and the quality of the drops.

 

Cabal Online Radiant Hall 

 

NEW Raiding Dungeon. Continuing the storyline of the Illusion Castle dungeon (released with the previous update), Radiant Hall includes 9 new boss monsters to defeat, countless quests to overcome and new loot to earn!

 

NEW Daily Quest system – receive up to six quests daily from the newly designated Daily Quest NPCs. Rewards include experience point, AXP (a higher level form of exp used for certain items), Guild Points and Dungeon entries.

 

REVAMP of the user interface. Designed to optimise the user experience!

 

NEW Party Registration and search system – an easy to use matching tool, enabling parties to find group members and for players to find groups!

 

NEW Key Binding Options. Players will now be able to set their own short cut keys and create personalised chat macros.

 

NEW Faces & Hair Styles! Six new faces and hair styles, ranging from the festival goer to the more traditional, providing even more variety and customisation.

 

Cabal Online Europe Radiant Hall

Bloodline Champions

Bloodline Champions is a PVP game with short, intense matches for up to ten players divided into two teams. Every player plays one of several different bloodlines with 7 unique abilities each.

Different bloodlines in a set up complement eachother, different maps and gamemodes need different tactics, so good teamwork is a must for success.

Chance is not a factor, spells and abilities do a set amount of damage. Random elements such as critical hits and passive abilities do not exist.

Spells travel to where the player aims and can be avoided by enemy players, making every ability dependant on individual player skill.

Without mana and creeps, the game has almost zero downtime and is instead based on short cooldowns, this coupled with no grind or farming ensures that every match is full of action.

Heroes In The Sky Tour: An MMO With Real Wings

Heroes In The Sky Tour: An MMO With Real Wings
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Just when I started to think that MMO shooters were about to enter a generic slump, this game shows up. Heroes In The Sky is a plane-based shooter that allows players to relive the historic battles of World War II while riding in the comfort of their own plane. Honestly, I sort of judged the game even before I got to play it. I must say, I was wrong to have concluded so fast. Most plane games revolve around the isometric bird’s eye view 2D platform. As much as I would want to see a game that gives us the same flight combat experience as Ace Combat, all I got were lousy plane games that shared the same Windows 95 graphics and game play. I guess I was lucky to have been given the chance to take the tour, especially since I was able to play a plane game that didn’t have to copy the same generic experience most of its predecessors shared.

 

HIS, as they call it allows players to soar the war-themed skies in 3-Dimensional format. If I were to judge the whole thing, I’d say it’s the best of its kind, but don’t take my word for it. Let’s continue on with our tour and see what else they got.

 

Heroes in the Sky Battle Station

 

Man Your Battle Stations!

After logging in, players are opted to choose their desired faction. There are two factions in all: Ally and Axis. So what’s the difference between these two sides? To cut things short, each faction has their own unique set of planes to choose from (and by set, I mean a lot). You’ll have a nice array of German and Japanese planes over at the Axis side, while Ally players enjoy Soviet and US planes. It’s amazing to see these historic planes, not to mention being able to use them. Once you’ve picked your faction, you’ll be asked to play the in game tutorials. The lessons are fairly simple and easy to understand. Once you’ve finished your complementary training, you’ll be ready to soar the skies like a pro.

 

Planes, Planes, Planes!

Like I said, the game has tons of planes to choose from, each with their own set of compatible. One thing to take note of is the in depth plane customization interface, which allows players to fully customize their planes from their artillery to the body’s paintjob. These upgrades can be acquired either through rapid grinding or campus cash (real money).

 

Heroes in the Sky Planes Planes
Heroes in the Sky Planes

 

Funny enough, what makes the game totally unique is the incorporation of character classes through various planes (that’s right! Classes). Each plane has their own role to play in combat, especially since it’ll take forever if fighter planes take on a bombing mission with nothing but machine guns! LOL! Players can pick two skills for each plane, which are mapped to the X and Z keys. I guess it’s up to you whether you want something offensive or something that can help you evade incoming attacks. 

 

Prepare For Combat! GUNNERS! TO THE SKY!!!

Other than the average PVP death match, the game offers a nice variety of game modes to choose from. There’s the PVE experience, which basically teams you up with a bunch of other players to take out AI controlled opponents. There’s the mission mode which lets you relive historical moments like the bombing of Pearl Harbor. You can also pick the Attack vs Defense mode which (as the name implies) lets players battle against each other while bombing/defending a certain territory.

 

Prepare for Combat Heroes in the Sky
Combat

 

Other than the basic modes, HIS also offers a set of unique scenarios that increase the replayability of the game. Much like RF Online’s Chip Wars, HIS also has its trademark feature known as the Occupational War. The Occupational War is held once per day, letting players fight 16-on-16 (per room) battles for global domination. These dogfights are held in different locations, and winning those grants players bonuses that are essential for character growth. There’s also the upcoming Raid mode feature which lets players (level 40+) team up with each other while enduring an unforgiving barrage of AI planes ready to shoot them down at utmost precision.

 

Controls

The controls were laid out perfectly, allowing players to increase performance while gliding in the unforgiving skies. If you’re not happy with the keyboard layout, you can always turn on mouse support or better yet, calibrate your gamepad or flight stick for an immersive experience. I really liked the way the motion controls lag on purpose, allowing players to somehow feel the weight of the aircraft. It may be a bit troublesome for those who want to dodge the moment they yank the flight stick left, but at least you got the whole realistic feel working for you.

 

Graphics

When it comes to the graphics, HIS’s visuals are definitely something to look at. With all the Windows 95 looking flight simulators moving around, I guess it’s safe to assume that this game has one of the best visuals in its respective genre. The blur effect would probably be the first thing that complements the game’s graphics. I’m not sure why but the whole speedy blur feature makes games rather stylish don’t they? Kind of makes you feel like you’re about to break the sound barrier when activating your afterburners. The WWII era planes were also copied down to the finest details, personal eye candy for aircraft fans everywhere. So far, the only problem I’ve encountered with the game’s graphics is the unfortunate lack of screen resolutions. It’s still on its CBT phase, so I suppose they’ll be adding more resolutions (along with the minimize function) in due time.

 

Heroes in the Sky Graphics
Graphics

 

Expectations

Other than the lack of resolutions, which will probably change soon, HIS has everything there is to make a plane game work. The game has plane customization, item stores, 16-on-16 combat, and best of all, historical scenarios. The graphics are good and are quite nice to look at. Simply looking at screenshots doesn’t really express the full capability of the game, and the only way to see its blurry goodness is by playing it. There are tons of missions and quests to keep you busy, and finishing each feels kind of rewarding in terms of self-fulfillment. As far as I know, it’s the best MMO plane game around. Are you ready to shove those controls into a stylish nosedive? Hell I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Dragoon Quest Closed Beta Start on July 15th

Dragoon Quest closed beta starts on July 15th, hero introduction

 

Dragoon Quest online, the first and only java based browser SLG is entering closed beta on July 15th. Publisher 2NDMMO will start game registration on July 13th, the game registration will be closed when the register reaches 2000. The closed beta mainly focuses on game bug testing and localization adjustment. User data will be erased after the beta.

 

Hero system is a big feature for Dragoon Quest. Player need the hero to lead the troops to attack, ambush, defend city, do quests, explore game world etc. Heroes can forge equipments, learn skills and refresh talent to become stronger. One big difference from Dragoon Quest to other games is that player can see the heroes moving on the map or casting skill in the battle.

 

Each race has four heroes that can be recruited from the tavern. Each hero has different talent and is specialize in different skills. Heroes play an important role in battle; they sometimes will decide whether you can win.

– The Elf Race has four heroes: Wanderer, Militarist, Berserker and Moon Priestess
– The Human Race has four heroes: Assassin, Temple Guardian, Paladin and Palace Mage
– The Orc Race has four heroes: Warlock, Troll Warrior, Blademaster and Picara

 

The closed beta will only allow 2000 account registration. Please pay attention to the official website of Dragoon Quest.  

 

Dragoon Quest Map

La Tale Europe review: The Story of Admiration and Adoration

La Tale Europe review: The Story of Admiration and Adoration
By Mohammed Afzal (MageMoa), OnRPG Journalist.

 

 

”Ah, finally! A sidescroller with a lot of potential.” These words were probably my first thoughts when I saw OGPlanet’s announcement about releasing La Tale’s English version. La Tale, a 2D sidescroller MMORPG from Actoz Soft, seemed to be a cute MMO with easy controls and a lot of customization. However, when I started playing OGPlanet’s La Tale I noticed that the game had these annoying delays, especially for Europeans. The game was barely playable, a disappointment for many European players.  

 

When Aeria decided to host the European server of La Tale in 2009, I decided to give the game another try. That day, a new world opened to me: The world of La Tale.

 

 

‘Adorable’ is the best way to describe it

From the moment you enter the game you are captivated by the wonderful artwork and music of La Tale. The game offers you quite a lot of customization when creating a character and that is definitely not something you would expect from a 2D MMORPG. There are about ten hairstyles and five faces to choose from. Furthermore, you are able to pick a class from the start. La Tale used to offer four classes: Wizard, Explorer, Knight and Warrior. After a while a new class got added to the list: Engineer. The classes have several skill trees which you can mix to make your own, unique character. Anyway, back to the graphics:

 

The graphics of the game are unique and adorable. The colors are soft and smooth, which is great to look at. In addition, the character sprites seem to be drawn by hand, which makes the game stand out. On the other hand, the music really starts to work on your nerves if you stay in the same area for more than thirty minutes.

 

The scenery is a different story. There are so many different themes, from underwater maps to snowy areas, and so many different kinds of monsters that you will never be bored.

 

 

Smashing buttons and spectacular options

The combat of La Tale is anything but complex. Just as with other 2D games you basically have to face an opponent and spam your skills in order to kill it. This might sound very disappointing, but you will have so much fun seeing your enemies die that you actually forget that you are grinding, especially when you are partying with friends.

 

La Tale offers a huge variety of skills. All classes have their own skill trees, including at least two offensive and a few passive trees. There is so much to choose from, but you don’t have to worry about ruining your character, because of the cheap skill resets which can be bought in every town for only 100k, which is basically nothing at higher levels. Moreover, the game offers you a career advancement at level 80. Various new skills are available and your character can even change its appearance after advancing.

 

LaTale UI

Two Meisters in their MGs

 

As promised, I will give you a summary of the available classes:

Warriors are the offensive melee characters. They use spears or two-handed swords. At level 80, they have the option to choose between Blader and Warlord. Bladers do not have any offensive skills. However, their passives and buffs make them incredibly powerful. Furthermore, they use double blades and are incredibly fast. Warlords are much slower, but their offensive skills and high strength make up for that.

 

Knights are the defensive melee characters, better known as ‘tanks’. They use clubs and one-handed swords and they often wear a shield. They have the ability to advance into a Guardian or a Templar at level 80. They both excel at the ability to buff and defend their parties, but Templars are much more defensive. They are basically an advancement of a regular Knight. Guardians, however, use knuckles and they are both offensive and defensive.

 

Wizards are the magic class of the game. They specialize in using elemental skills. Each wizard has the option to specialize in one of the four elements: Water, earth, fire and wind.

 

Wizards advance into Sorcerers and Bards. Sorcerers are powerful elemental Wizards, while Bards have the ability to heal and protect their party.

 

Explorers are a mix of rogues and archers. They use bows, knuckles, daggers and crossbows. Their advancements are Treasure Hunter and Gunslinger. Treasure Hunters specialize in the four weapons I mentioned, while Gunslingers use guns.

 

Last but not least: The Engineers. They use toolboxes and their mechanic skills to fight. At level 80 they advance into Meisters. A Meister drives around in a robot (MG) and uses it to fight enemies.

 

Instances and mythical monsters

La Tale offers its players a good number of instances. There is basically an instance for every ten levels. These instances are really challenging and entertaining. They all have different themes: There is a spooky instance, a supernatural one, one based on Egypt and so forth. Moreover, there are monsters in many instances which drop powerful set equipment. These clothes and weapons are often better than what you can buy from a random store, which makes the instances much more fun.

 

There is a downside, though. The game has many mobs with the same appearance, but different colors. It seems like the developers did not bother to create more unique opponents, which is a disappointment.

 

Crafting, Guilds and PvP

The developers did spend a lot of time on the crafting system though. At level 10, you will have the option to pick one of the five crafting methods: Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Refine and Alchemist. You can basically craft anything in-game, even rare weapons, as long as you have the materials. One has the ability to upgrade his crafting abilities in order to make other items by crafting a lot. The only downside of this system is that you cannot freely change your crafting method, unless you are willing to spend money in the Cash Shop.

 

The Cash Shop, however, does not affect game play that much. Many Cash Shop items can be bought from other players and Aeria offers enough possibilities to obtain Aeria Points.

 

La Tale’s guild system is pretty outstanding. Guilds can only level if their members train and donate some of their EXP to the guild. With the arrival of Episode 4 the guild crop system will be made available, which makes it even more important to be part of a guild.

 

The PvP, however, is a bit generic. You sign up to fight and you wait until someone else does the same thing, which is quite annoying when you want to fight against a certain person. The PvP system is also very unbalanced. A level 5 player could easily kill my level 110 bard by using some knuckle skills.

 

LaTale Inventory

The Crafting System

 

Updates and server

With the arrival of Episode 4 and Abio Club on OGPlanet’s version, it seems as if they have a lot more content than the European server. However, Aeria Games’ version does not differ that much from OGPlanet’s. They are a few updates behind, but they have done an amazing job. In addition, there is basically no lag or delay for European players and Aeria’s support is amazing. Make sure you check La Tale’s forums in order to participate in one of the many events!

 

Last words

La Tale is a dynamic and diverse MMORPG. The graphics are adorable, the music is amazing and the different scenery is wonderful. There are also a lot of features, such as crafting and all the different instances. The game offers more than just grinding and doing quests and it seems as if Aeria is doing a great job as well.

 

There are definitely some flaws, like the unbalanced PvP, and it might take you some time to fully understand this game, but La Tale is exactly what you would expect from a sidescroller: Dynamic, cute and full of action.

 

APB Takes A Surprisingly Critical Look At Itself

APB Takes A Surprisingly Critical Look At Itself

 

You don’t see this very often, within weeks of its release the Community Officer of Realtimeworlds is playing open card about the state of All Points Bulletin.

The many negative reviews of All Points Bulletin have not fallen on deaf ears. Neil Castle, Community Officer at Realtimeworlds, has posted an in depth look at the current state of APB.

Neil Castle, Community Officer at Realtimeworlds“Over the last number of months, through closed beta and then KttC, we’ve collected a huge number of issues, complaints, suggestions and requests covering all aspects of the game. Because of the focus on getting the game stable and going through the process of launch, many of these (especially the ones requiring significant changes) may appear to have fallen through the cracks. But they didn’t – they’ve been sitting in our rather copious ‘to do’ list, waiting for us to have the time to begin to address them properly. We also wanted to get a chance to contrast the feedback from new live players with the feedback from the beta community to help us draw up our hit list for the first few months.”


The many negative reviews of All Points Bulletin have not fallen on deaf ears

Neil mentions the following topics that are up for improvement in the next couple of weeks:

Cheaters
Catching and removing cheaters from the game remains our top priority. Expect further news on this soon.

Vehicle Handling
We’re already underway on a major overhaul to vehicle handling to make cars more responsive and less slippy overall. You’ll still be able to power slide around corners in stylish fashion, but steering is more responsive overall and easier to get the hang of early on.

Combat
We’re looking at almost every aspect of combat – how it looks, feels and sounds, as well as weapon characteristics and tactics. Weapon changes will be put up on the Public Test World to get some feedback in due course.

Matchmaking
We’re taking a look at both the way in which player threat is calculated and how mission offers are distributed to players to try and improve the matchmaking experience overall.

Camping
We’ll be addressing a number of the worst camping spots in the game in an upcoming patch. We’ll be tackling the rest on an ongoing basis.

Missions
Investigations are already under way into ways to make mission objectives more interactive and to try and add a bit more strategy to the actual missions themselves, not just the combat surrounding them.

Rulesets
We’re currently looking at adding a ‘newbie’ ruleset to give players a safe place to learn the game against other new players, and of course we’re still progressing work on the ‘pure skill’ ruleset that was mentioned towards the end of closed beta. The Chaos ruleset hasn’t been forgotten about either.”

And to show that they are serious about this, the first in depth look at Matchmaking is already up:

“So, before we start talking about what the problems are with matchmaking and how we solve them, let’s talk about what it’s supposed to do.  At its core, the purpose of the matchmaking system is to find groups of players of as close to equivalent skill as possible and send them to oppose each other. Simples.

The system looks at the relative Threat level of each group or individual available to join a match, applies various modifiers such as whether it’s a single established group or a ‘metagroup’ of disparate individuals, and then goes through a series of passes, first of all looking for a straight match, then beginning to include metagroups, and finally considering the same opposition as the previous match as a last resort.

Eventually it comes up with what it considers the ‘best fit’ for the mission-owning team and sends out Dispatch invites to all concerned to come and join the party.  If it can’t find any matchup within the bounds of what is considered an acceptable match, it simply leaves the mission team unopposed and tries again 15 seconds later.”

Very impressive that Realtimeworlds have decided to be this upfront and direct about the flaws in their game. Let’s hope they make good on their promises!

[Source: APB: The Road Ahead & APB Matchmaking]