Monthly Archives: January 2011

City of Heroes MetaÂ’s Verse: Mission Architect

City of Heroes Meta’s Verse: Mission Architect

 

Its been a slow week in City of Heroes: They’ve extended the winter event until the end of January which is very exciting news. One of the communities favourite moderators is leaving us and everyone is still recovering from the holidays, getting life back to normal. Things are as expected a bit slow. Not that this is a bad thing at all. Everyone needs a break and a chance to catch up on things they missed because they were busy with things in the “real world”.

 

City of Heroes Meta Internal Building

 

I’ve been taking this time to get a mission arc written for a Super Group I’m involved with. It is far from easy work, very time consuming even for the most straight forward story arc. Through the years some amazing arcs have been created but there have been a lot of abuses too. So I found myself asking what exactly are the benefits and the downsides of having user created missions.

 

The biggest benefit to having user created content in City of heroes is the chance to do new things. People can create new enemies, new stories or just explore different aspects of a story. The arc I’m currently writing takes a small part of something that was mentioned in one of the new task forces about the group Malta getting their hands on Praetorian technology. Granted, maybe later it will be explored in greater detail but for the time being I saw it as something to expand from. So far the arc doesn’t include any new spectacular bad guys but I do have plans for making them for a later mission.

City of Heroes People Derezzing Tron Style

 

An important part of being a hero, and something I’m always asked about is how did you get your powers? What’s my origin? The Mission Architect lets me answer that question. Instead of just explaining how it happened you can go and live out exactly what happened as if you were really there. It is also a helpful tool for super groups who want to make special introduction arcs or use them to test and train their members. The possibilities here are endless!

 

Of course with any creative outlet there is the chance for things to go wrong. Since it was created, the mission architect system has gone through edit after edit when players find a way to abuse the system and use it for farming. Sometimes the official response to the exploit has been a bit slow and on some occasions the response has been immediate with missions being suddenly ended and a voice from above asking for everyone to leave the mission. In the end though all the exploits are removed and since the last round of changes a new farm hasn’t cropped up. So maybe we’ve seen the end of it? We can only hope.

City of Heroes Power Ups

 

During the height of the mission architect farming it seemed like finding a normal team was impossible. People had to start being less picky about who they invite to teams. Which I suppose is a bit of a plus. But it certainly doesn’t outweigh the abuse the game has taken because of people using the system. It also has bred an entire group of people who have no idea how to get around the city, people who speed to level 50 then find when they try to enter the rest of the game that they only know how to play their character in farms. These are the people who are most often heard complaining that the game is too hard. Which leads me to another problem with the user created content, something that can be expanded to much of the game and in fact any game. There is never enough. Someone will always want something more than has already been given. This of course isn’t the fault of the people who designed it. Its just a fact of life, you can’t please everyone.

 

City of Heroes MMORPG Custom Group Creator

 

Now don’t think just because I wrote a little bit more about the cons of the mission architect that I hate it. I quite enjoy the system. Its complicated enough that not everyone tries their hand at making an arc. But at the same time it makes the whole game, what took ages for the developers to create simple enough that any user can make an arc of their own. It gives people who have a story to tell a place to tell that story and share it with anyone who comes along. I’ve made several of my own arcs in the almost year that its been since the system went live with Issue 14. If you get the chance to explore the complexities that are the mission architect creation I highly suggest you do. It is time consuming but the end result is well worth the effort.

 

Finally I would like to add a message to The Ocho who recently announced he is leaving the City of Heroes crew. You may not have been with us long but you quickly won the hearts of fans all over community. Your presence will be greatly missed and we wish you the best of luck in the future.

 

Meta - City of Heroes MMORPG

Meta’s Verse is written by Meticulous Meta who lives in Atlas Park with her dog Snuflé

Storm Online

Slay monsters, complete quests and most importantly, engage in exciting PvP showdowns with the exhilarating Storm Online, the latest MMORPG to hit our shores! Prepare to hold battles in a dazzling variety of worlds, from the lush green forests, dark dangerous dungeons, to even the deep underwater. Backed by a smart auto pilot navigation system, moving around the maps is just so convenient!

Thanks to its rich background story, Storm Online embraces a comprehensive quest system which includes the main quests, lateral quests, realm quests, convoy quests, prestige quests, treasure quests, national quests, devil hunting quests and also spy quests. With so many different types of quests awaiting you, boredom is definitely not an option!

Storm Online also offers the mount system, where speed enhancing mounts will be given upon completion of quests. There are many varieties of mounts available, such as Tigers, Wolves, Panthers and even an Oriental Unicorn!

Last but not least, what sets this game apart from the rest is its interactive and exhaustive PvP system! From a simple duel in Martial Arts Competition or Convoy Hijack, to bigger battles like Fort Battle, Clan Battle, Nation War and even Kingship War, this game has them all!

Priston Tale II Interview – Ever Expanding Onwards

Priston Tale II Interview – Ever Expanding Onwards

Questions by Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist

 

OnRPG: Priston Tale II has been operating for a few months now, how is the game faring thus far?

The game is in a great place right now. Admittedly, it was difficult taking the reins of Priston Tale 2 from its former publisher, but we have made great strides with the game since its absence from the market. We released a major update to the game almost immediately following launch that has improved many of the game’s systems, helping us to amass a global community of diverse players who are all very passionate about the Priston Tale universe.

 

Priston Tale II

OnRPG: What are the differences between Priston Tale and Priston Tale 2?

The differences between Priston Tale 2 and the original Priston Tale are quite substantial. In many ways, Priston Tale 2 is geared more towards the hardcore MMORPG player than the original. For example, skills in the original Priston Tale progressed down a linear path. In Priston Tale 2, player skills are assigned to a skill tree with many branching paths. This creates a higher degree of customization and variation across different characters and demands some strategy on the player’s part when upgrading their character. That being said, some systems from the original game, like the popular Aging and Specializing systems, carry over to Priston Tale 2. Overall, Priston Tale 2 maintains many of the signature elements of the original, such as its story and locations, while updating the game’s graphics and gameplay elements for a modern MMORPG audience.

 

OnRPG: How does Pristontale II’s story tie-in to Pristontale?

Priston Tale 2 takes place many years after the First Enigma from the original game has reached the end of its power. Without the seal of Enigma to hold him at bay, the evil god Midranda begins to regain his power. He quickly sends his dark minions to terrorize Priston, in preparation for his return…

 

OnRPG: Why did you guys go with Priston Tale 2 instead of just updating Priston Tale?

The original Priston Tale was among the first MMORPGs to be widely played worldwide. Given its age, many aspects of the game, particularly the graphics, are now somewhat dated.

 

In many ways, Priston Tale 2 represents the evolution of the original game, so in that sense it is an “update”. It takes the gameplay mechanics and lore of the first game and expands on it to deliver a more modern take on the classic MMORPG.

 

Priston Tale II Electrical Storm

OnRPG: You guys mentioned that Priston Tale 2 runs on the Unreal engine. What does this mean for users who have low-end desktops?

Priston Tale 2 actually runs on the Unreal Engine 2.5, which is less demanding in terms of system requirements than the current Unreal Engine 3.0, while still packing a powerful graphical punch.

 

Priston Tale 2’s graphics are among the best in the free-to-play market. In particular, the character, enemy, and NPC models are often cited as some of the best and most original designs currently out there.

 

OnRPG: Are there any significant gameplay changes in Pristontale 2?

In comparison to the original Priston Tale, Priston Tale 2 introduces many important changes and additions to the principle gameplay systems. Chief among these is an emphasis on equipped skills and co-operative party play while in combat. First, Priston Tale 2 also allows for a much higher degree of character customization. Players can customize and equip their characters with a vast selection of skills, resulting in highly-personalized and variable character specs from player-to-player. Where players may have relied heavily on their stats and level in the original Priston Tale, victory is much more dependent on the skills players possess and how they employ them in the sequel. This focus on combat has also placed a greater emphasis on PvP – including warfare zones that are scattered across the world and Clan Arena matches which are held 4 times a week, with the top clan decided weekly every Saturday. Instances in Priston Tale 2 take the form of dungeons, which pit players against challenging boss monsters that will often require highly coordinated parties consisting of complementary classes to defeat.

 

In addition to the new combat and character skill systems, Priston Tale 2 also sets itself apart from the original in the sheer number of quests players can take on and the massive size and scope of the Priston continent this time around.  Mounts are absolutely essential now, since the world is so big!

 

Priston Tale II Duel Wield Character

OnRPG: What are the things from Priston Tale that were carried over to Priston Tale II? Why were they carried over?

A few of the beloved upgrade systems from the original Priston Tale, like Aging and Specializing, have made a return this time around, in addition to new upgrade systems like “Seal & Circle”.

 

In terms of lore, the two original races from Priston Tale, Tempskron and Morion, return in Priston Tale 2, along with the new Sophetio race. Fans will also recognize some returning creatures like Rabies, Bargons, and Decoys (to name a few)! Watch out though, they’re much more fearsome this time around.

 

OnRPG: What’s the story behind the Sophetio class? How does the new class tie-in to Priston Tale 2’s story?

The Sophetio race were originally created and born of the dark god Midranda, the antagonist of the Priston Tale 2 story. Over time, the Sophetio race grew to develop their own unique culture and customs, casting aside their evil origins to gain independence from Midranda. This explains their demon-like appearances.

 

OnRPG:  Can you explain how extensive is the game’s guild and party-play? What can players expect from it?

As mentioned previously, Priston Tale 2 emphasizes guild and party-play highly, urging players to take on many tasks co-operatively in a group. For example, when entering restriction fields (dungeons or instances in PT2), players will need to band together into a party of complementary classes in order to be successful.

 

Guilds can also take part in weekly battles within the game’s Clan Arena. The clan that comes out on top not only earns the right to call themselves the number one clan in all of Priston (for that week anyway), but they’ll also receive a hefty Eon prize.

 

OnRPG: What are restriction fields and how are they connected to Pristontale 2’s gameplay?

Restriction fields are the name of Priston Tale 2’s instanced dungeons. For the most part they are highly-challenging and filled with high-level monsters that require a party of players to defeat. Conquering a restriction field will often award valuable items and Eons (the game’s currency), giving players a reason to challenge them multiple times.

 

OnRPG: Can you elaborate on the competitive PvPvE combat experience players can expect from the game? How is it different from other MMORPGs that are already out?

Like other MMORPGs, sections of the world in Priston Tale 2 are designated to player-versus-player combat. When players enter these zones, they are not only susceptible to the attacks of nearby monsters, but also nearby players. In this way, PvP offers a unique challenge to players, because not only do they need to keep track of other player characters, but also powerful monsters that roam about these PvP zones. While some quests require the player to enter the PvP zones, they are entirely optional. Players who do not wish to engage in PvP are not required to and there are vast portions of the world that are PvE only.

 

OnRPG: How vast are the maps in Pristontale 2? How much freedom does the game provide for customization of the characters?

 

The world of Priston Tale 2 is quite large and new zones are being added. The most recent new area, the Damned Burial Ground, added a number of new quests to complete, items to collect, and monsters to defeat. The game features a teleportation system that allows players to fast-travel easily between zones. If you’re travelling by foot though, acquiring a mount is highly recommended, as the world takes some time to travel across. 

 

Priston Tale Duo

In terms of customization, players can choose the look of their character’s hair, face, eye colour, and skin colour when initially creating their character. Beyond that, players will acquire new armor pieces along their journey that further alter the appearance of their character. The armor they find is tied to the player’s chosen race and class, leading to a high degree of differentiation between characters.

 

OnRPG: Can you give us a head’s up on the pet system in the game? How useful will they be for players and how will they complete the Priston Tale 2 experience?

 

Pets aid in item collection. As players battle and defeat monsters, they will drop Eons and other items. When battling huge mobs, collecting the dropped items can be tedious. Pets help with this by collecting the dropped items automatically. The speed, search range, and inventory size of a player’s pet can also be upgraded.

 

OnRPG: What’s in store for Priston Tale 2 players in the succeeding months ahead?

 

We’re currently working closely with the developers to further balance the game classes and improve on some of the existing features. In the new year, we hope to introduce many more items into the game, including new armors and hopefully new zones and quests, along with a couple surprises. Stay tuned!

 

 

Priston Tale 2: The Second Enigma is a free fantasy MMORPG for Windows PCs supporting Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Players venture across the vast and wondrous continent of Priston, currently under siege from the forces of the evil god Midranda, in a race to locate the only worldly power capable of ending his evil reign: the mythical Second Enigma.

 

Download Priston Tale 2 for free here.

PWE Announces Rusty Hearts

PWE Announces Rusty Hearts

Perfect World Entertainment announced today that it has signed a licensing agreement with WindySoft to operate “Rusty Hearts” in North America. “Rusty Hearts” is a visual action MORPG developed by Stairway Games, and WindySoft possesses the global publishing right.

 “Rusty Hearts,” with its advanced action features and game-play design, has received great attention of players and publishers from North America and Asia even before its closed beta testing. With this first overseas licensing agreement before its open beta testing in Korea, “Rusty Hearts” has shown its high potential in the global market. “Rusty Hearts” is scheduled to be introduced to North American players by Perfect World Entertainment at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 (“E3 2011”).

 

Rusty Hearts Coming to the US and Europe via Perfect World Entertainment!

 
“We are very glad to announce this licensing deal with Perfect World Entertainment, one of the most successful publishers based in North America, at the beginning of the New Year,” said Chil Hyun Baek, CEO for WindySoft. “Perfect World Entertainment has the solid know-how of the industry and the North American market, and we will be providing them the best support to successfully launch ’Rusty Hearts’ to North American players.”

 

“It’s our great pleasure working with WindySoft on the ’Rusty Hearts’ title. As ’Rusty Hearts’ is an action-based MORPG, which differs from our existing game portfolio in genre, we believe it will help us extend our market penetration while also bringing new and unique online gaming experiences to our players,” said Alan Chen, CEO for Perfect World Entertainment Inc. “We will work closely with WindySoft on the localization to provide our North American players another high quality game with excellent service.”

DDO Releases Comprehensive MMO Glossary

DDO Releases Comprehensive MMO Glossary

 

Turbine, the creators of Dungeons & Dragons Online, has released a great overview of the most important MMO terms. While the full glossary is impressive and helpful it is also a little bit overwhelming. So here are the eight most important terms in MMO land in random order:

-CC: Used as shorthand for “Crowd Control” CC refers to a set of spells and abilities that can momentarily stun or paralyze mobs and players. Crowd control is essential when dealing with large groups of mobs, making a class that excels at CC a highly desirable addition to any group.

-Class: A “Class” represents a particular set of in-game abilities which determine the way a player interacts with the world, primarily during combat. The most common class types consist of melee (close-range) offense, melee defender, ranged offense, crowd control, healing and general support.

-NPC/Mob: A monster (or humanoid character) controlled by in-game AI, and never another actual player.

-AoE: An “Area of Effect” that generally refers to an area where an ability hits multiple targets.

Aggro can apply to a hostile mob that's noticed a player and is actively attempting to attack said player

 

-Aggro: This term can mean a couple things. It can apply to a hostile mob that’s noticed a player and is actively attempting to attack said player. However, it can also refer to the amount of “hostility” a player has generated on the mob. Most times, in combat, a defensive class will try to gather as much aggro as possible in order to keep mobs from attacking the more vulnerable group members.

-Buff: A temporary boost to a character, usually improving health or another core statistic that improves weapon or magical attack damage. Think of it like a magical injection of caffeinated beverage without any of the drawbacks.

-Crafting: A game system designed around the creation by players of in-game goods. Generally, crafted items include weapons, armor, rings, enchantments, and the like.

-DPS: “Damage per Second”. this term refers to how much damage is being dealt to a target. You’ll see its use for both player characters and non-player characters, such as mobs.

 

Check out the full glossary.

 

Welcome Back Event Goes Live in Dragon’s Call

Welcome Back Event Goes Live in Dragon’s Call

 

To ease the pain of sad dilemma and get the DC veterans back to the exciting battles with old alliance mates, EverDream is hosting a warm “Welcome Back Event” in Dragon’s Call now. Besides those enchanting in-game gifts, EverDream had also upgraded the server stability and provided many new servers with larger capacity. Furthermore, in case some veterans might not know, the new expansion, Sacred Wings, was launched a few weeks ago along with many new features and bug fixes.

Dragons Call FREE MMORPG, Welcome Back

The event document revealed that users who haven’t accessed their account from 25th Dec. to 3rd Jan. will be able to receive the Special Welcome Back Package from the in-game event NPC. Click here for more details.

 

Sacred Wings New Features List –

 

Badge  

Combine Magic Formation

Sky City Arena 

Wings 

Feathers 

Sky City Arena Guides

Creative WoW Wireless Headset Review: I’m Deaf – And Scary!

Creative WoW Wireless Headset Review: I’m Deaf – And Scary!
By Ditte (Jerelyn) Korsgård, OnRPG Journalist

I’m now deaf, and it’s the Creative Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headsets fault.

 

Creative Headset WoW Header

 

My dear boyfriend gave me this new headset for Christmas because the old one had died a horrible, horrible death. Something with the wheels of my office chair and the left side speaker not getting along quite as expected – it was ugly. Don’t ask.

 

Unboxing this little beauty was nice and easy. Cut the little piece of tape at the bottom and lo and behold after opening the front flap, it was right there in its full battlesuit of “easy-to-remove” plastic covering. No fiddling with a scissors to unwrap it nor cutting my fingers on the hard plastic while swearing and getting increasingly frustrated. What is up with that kind of wrapping anyway? I’m happy that Creative thought of this, so I can get right down to business and start using my new headset immediately. Almost.

 

So, I picked up my new, fairly light headset and seeing it is wireless there should be a little Bluetooth USB pen that the headset connects with. I couldn’t find it at first, but rattling the carton I figured it must be in one of the side pockets. In one side was a small screwdriver and in the other, the USB pen and the detachable microphone. What.. a screwdriver…? Ah right! The headset comes with two sets of World of Warcraft faction lenses to attach to the sides of the speakers. One for the Horde.  And one for the Alliance. These can be changed around using the before mentioned screwdriver. There’s also an ordinary USB to Mini USB cable to charge the headset between uses or even while I use it.

Creative Headset Accessories

Included is also a very nice, good quality carry bag, with the World of Warcraft logo on the front and the Creative Sound Blaster logo on the back. Well, I guess that kind of depends how you turn it. Inside the carry case are two, small pouches attached to the sides, to hold the mic and the screwdriver. Nah just kidding! They’re for the USB pen and the screwdriver ;-).

 

Seeing this is my very first Wireless Headset, I figured that RTFM might be a good idea. This is very informative! For instance under “Removing the headset lenses” is says: “To remove the headset lenses from the headset, use the supplied mini flat screwdriver to gentry pry the lens off the cup as shown in the diagram”. I haven’t managed to “gently pry” anything without actually ruining it but I gave it a go, and the lenses are fairly easy to remove and reattach – without casualties. The manual gives useful links and a quick start guide to setup the bluetooth connection. Setting up the wireless is fairly easy.

 

I downloaded the Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset Pack for my OS from the Sound Blaster website, which quickly gave me the World of Warcraft Audio Control Panel. Now THAT is epic!  You can control and setup the THX TruStudio PC sound technology and speaker illumination as you please. Crank up the bass, it’s fantastic! However the best part is without a doubt the VoiceFX technology, with which I can change my voice into a variety of World of Warcraft voices like for instance Blood Elf Male and Mal’Ganis. But let’s be realistic, there’s no reason to use any other voice overlay than Mal’Ganis. It is genuinely scary! We played around with it a bit and it is hilarious!

 

Creative Headset THX

 

And now to the part you’ve all been waiting for. The headset is very comfortable and super light weight, considering how massive it looks. It sits nicely on your head and it is very easy to forget that I’m wearing a headset. Not having an additional wire crawling around your neck and desktop further enhances this. Also the large ear cups conveniently blocks out soft ambient noices like for instance boyfriends and pets, so I can concentrate on gamesounds and music.

 

The mic picked up every sound in the room until I changed the settings. My cats meowing as Mal’Ganis was – to put it frank – very scary! Now it only records my own voice and broadcasts it crispy clear. However not being able to move the mic into any another position annoys me a bit, but I’ll just detach it when it’s not in use. There’s a tiny little bit of interference on the sound, but this is mainly due to my system setup and nothing that bothers me at all. The Surround Sound is silky smooth regardless of what I’m listening to. The headset definitely deliver a fantastic sound, even though it is wireless.

 

So far the only downside is the volume up and down buttons on the side of the headset speaker. The buttons are easy to click, but hard to find. They do not stand out in any way and unfortunately that makes me search for them a bit too long for it to be worth it. I currently just use the master volume of the computer to turn the volume up and down. The on/off and mic mute/connect buttons are easier to locate and use. The Bluetooth USB connector could’ve had light at the top or at the minimum on both sides as it’s not very easy to see if it is turned away from me.

 

Creative Headset Big

All in all it’s a great headset and definitely worth the money for a World of Warcraft fangirl. Not only because of the awesome World of Warcraft branding but also because of the Wireless awesomeness. Now I just need the Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Tap ChatTM for the ultimate experience. Meanwhile I’ll abuse the Mal’Ganis voice overlay on my guildies. Do not underestimate the Mal’Ganis voice overlay!

 

“You hear the voice of the Dark Lord. He whispers to you through the blade you wield… What does he say, young human? What does the Dark Lord of the Dead tell you now?”