League of Legends: Make Like A Tree…

Patch v1.0.0.111, Maokai, EXP/IP changes and welcoming our robot overlords
By Jason (Hhean) Harper, OnRPG Journalist

 

Greetings fellow summoners! This is the patch v1.0.0.111 article for League of Legends, the game in which cases of electric shocks are on the Ryze (Okay, that was bad). This patch includes a rework to Ryze, the inclusion of the much anticipated co-op mode, reworks to how EXP and IP are gained from matches and Maokai, The Twisted Treant.

 

Maokai is a magical tank, designed around hunting mages, and punishing area of effect spam. If you’re familiar with characters like Malphite, Cho’Gath or Galio, you should feel right at home with him. He’s a more conventional champion than some of the ones released recently, with both an ultimate that is gained at level 6, and a fully functioning mana bar.

 

His passive, Sap Magic, empowers Maokai after five spells are cast near him, allowing his next attack to regain a percentage of his health. This allows him to keep his health topped up in the early game (this is especially true if you are partnered with a spam happy champion like Ryze or Ezreal) and also allows him to regain some surprisingly large amounts of health during team fights.

 

Arcane Smash [Q], is a short range skill shot that slows and damages everything it passes though, while also knocking any enemies next to Maokai airborne. This ability can be used for farming, though its better used for chasing people down using the slow or using the knock airborne effect to shut down an enemy mage or carry. This ability is fairly useless on its own, so you should only max it out after you have finished with levelling Twisted Advance. This will usually make it either your second or last pick in levelling order. Grab a level of it at level 4.

 

Twisted Advance [W], is a targeted ability that allows Maokai to be moved next to an enemy before dealing a bit of damage and rooting them in place. This is a great ability when used in conjunction with Arcane Smash, rooting vulnerable targets on the spot before knocking them into the air. Pick this up ate level two, and max it second. In some very select cases this can be levelled first, usually if you think team fights will begin very early in the game, or if you are under heavy pressure under your tower, and think the extra root time will help rack up some more damage by binding enemies inside its range.

 

Sapling Toss [E], really does what it says on the tin. Maokai throws a little gibbering sapling to a location of his choosing, causing damage on impact. The little guy then gets up and runs to the nearest enemy before exploding. This is, hands down, the most comical ability in the game, and I giggle a little every time I see a sapling running around, squealing as it goes. This is an incredibly versatile ability, in addition to being Maokai’s (second) most damaging attack.
This is a great farming and harassing tool, even more so due to the fact you can force the enemy into choosing to be hurt by it, or giving you gold. Most champions will try to position themselves just behind or inside the caster minion wave during the laning phase. This is great for Maokai, as you can throw the sapling between the enemy champion and the minions, either forcing them away from experience (allowing the resulting explosion to gain you gold) or let them stay still, and take significant amount of damage.

The Sapling gives Maokai line of sight, which can allow you to target his Twisted Advance through walls, or into bushes when you need to. It also hangs around for some time, allowing Maokai to scout ahead of himself as he advances, or check lane entrances to be aware of incoming ganks.
The only real drawback to this ability its high mana cost, so be conservative with it earlier on while mana is still an issue.

Pick it up at level 1, max it first.

 

His ultimate, Vengeful Maelstrom [R], is a great anti-ultimate. When a team fight is about to kick off, drop this baby down and everyone in the area will take reduced damage while you have it up. If you tap the R key again, every enemy in the blast will take damage equal to the amount absorbed. This heavily punishes large, area of effect ultimates, and teams that don’t correctly focus single targets.

This ultimate can be a game changer, and is the main reason Moakai should be on any team. Using him to counter pick against stun locking, AoE teams that are clearly intending to focus on team fights is going to be an important addition to any draft mode pre-game strategy. This ability also goes very well with a lot of soft crowd control, snares and slows especially, as they keep the enemy able to attack while still keeping them stuck in the area for as long as possible.
A note for those on a team against a Maokai. Do not fight inside this ultimate! This might sound obvious, but I’ve been seeing so many people leaping into the Maelstrom after its already up. Pull back and force the Maokai to either pop it early or waste a large chunk of his mana. The moment it comes on cooldown, attack without remorse. You have roughly 15 to 20 seconds before it comes up again, which is more than enough time for a team fight.

 

Start out with a Sapphire Crystal, a health potion and a mana potion. Build this into a Catalyst at the first opportunity, preferably picking up your level 1 boots in the process. This is the core of his early game.

From there, you can go three ways depending on how the match is going. If the enemy are heavy on physical or magical damage pick up either a Sunfire Cape or Banshee’s Veil respectively. The Veil is almost always a good choice as a later item, even if you choose not to rush it. If you’re doing well, and you want to press the attack, build to a Rod of Ages. That should be the first and last mage item Maokai should have on him though, as any more and his tankiness suffers greatly. Your items should emphasize resistances and health, though steer clear of Warmog’s on him. Unless you concentrate wholly on using Sapling toss for farming, he simply won’t get enough minion kills to make that item worthwhile early enough in the game for it to be useful. Rylai’s is a good late game item on him, giving his Sapling a slow, allowing him to be even more of a crowd controlling monster, and also giving him a nice health boost on the side.

 

Maokai is a very solid, well rounded champion. He’s the only champion since I’ve been writing these articles that feels like a character that will be seen often in games over the long term once people start to realise how insanely useful his Maelstrom and Saplings really are. I have a feeling he’s going to see some nerfs in the upcoming patch though, simply because he appears very powerful to teams who don’t understand how he works and who make poor decisions around his abilities.

 

The new EXP and IP gain changes are a net boon to the playerbase. There is now actually a reason to not just surrender at 25 minutes (Or, due to the changes on the surrender timer, at 20 minutes) when you’re trying to max out your IP gain. I can only see this as a win/win for Riot, since players get more IP to play with, and Riot get less IP farms hurting their server stability, which in turn means less screaming loonies on their forums.

 

At the time of writing, unfortunately the new co-op mode isn’t in yet. It looks like a fun playground to test out new builds though, great for putting theory crafted builds a test run before putting them ‘into the wild’. It will also act as another stepping stone for new players to use to get comfortable with the game before getting stomped down on by (only slightly more) experienced players in the usual matchmaker.

 

To discuss some of the changes yourselves, visit the League of Legends section of our forums, or post in the massive League of Legends thread in the free to play MMOs section. If you haven’t tried League of Legends yet. Now is the perfect time.

Shakes and Fidget First Impressions: Shake, Rattle and Roll the Dice

By Stephen Boyd, OnRPG Journalist

Shakes and Fidget is a curious beast. Firstly, I have absolutely no idea where the name of the game comes from OR what it means, but it is kinda fun. German developer Playa Games has crafted a quirky and addictive turn based combat browser game.

You create your character using either the random roll selection or can use the selection tools to create a unique look that comes in an appealing, almost Plants vs Zombies art style. As a lifelong cartoonophile, I really like the look of this game.

From here, you choose your class. You have the holy triumvirate of RPGs to choose from, Warrior, Mage or Archer. Once this has been done and you have chosen your name, it’s time to leap into the fray.

On entering the game world, you will see a sidebar of choices containing mission types and vendors. The Tavern is your one stop shop for picking up quests. The quest givers generally have three or four quests and each journey will reward you with a combination of money, XP or items in varying degrees. Money in Shakes and Fidget comes in two flavours; Gold and Mushrooms. Gold is used to buy armour and weapons, mushrooms are your special currency and are used for mounts and higher tier gear. The Mushrooms can be earned through questing or bought using the usual Micro transaction methods.

 

Each mission is also timed, meaning once you select it you must let the timer tick down before you can fight. You can skip the timer by using your Mushrooms, and that would be were those MTs come into play.

 

Each quest will also remove a portion of your ‘Thirst for Adventure’ meter. Once this meter runs out, you are done for the day. The meter can be topped up by purchasing a beer from the innkeeper in the tavern to allow you to keep questing.

In a half hour of playing the game I raised my character, the ace archer Shooty Steve to Level 6, so progression is quite quick, at least in the early stages of the game.
An alternative to questing is to enter the arena. Here you pit your character against other players to earn gold and XP. The combat is fairly evenly tiered and I did not face anyone more than two levels away from my character. One sorceress I battled two shotted me at the same level, but other than that the battles were fairly evenly matched although my Lucky Rabbit’s Foot Amulet allowed me to block a lot of incoming attacks, leaving me undefeated for the evening, which was nice!

 

Once your questing and arena fighting is done for the day, you can take a job from the City Guard. Working for them means you cannot quest or fight in the Arena, but they pay handsomely and that wage can be used to upgrade your gear in the morning.
Turn based combat normally turns me off, but something about this game made me want to come back for more. The art style is fun and the missions are rewarding. So why not give it a shake and see what you think?

Pocket Legends Review – The New Way To Sit Through Meetings

Neil Kewn (Murxidon) – OnRPG Journalist

 

Providing you haven’t been living under a rock for the past three years, you may have heard something about one company and their range of mobile devices. Whatever you may think about Apple’s minimalist approach to product design and somewhat random pricing decisions, there’s no denying that the iPhone, iPod Touch and now iPad have revolutionised mobile computing. The App Store has become a cash cow for thirsty developers to milk to their heart’s content. And with millions of people all around the world holding an iOS product in their pocket, it was only a matter of time before someone had a shot at replicating the resounding success of desktop MMORPGs on your Apple phone.

 

Pocket Legends is one of the first attempts at giving those people who have the unfortunate commitments of work, school or a social life a bit of 3D online gaming on the go. Developed by Spacetime Studios, Legends is free to download from the App Store and is compatible with any iOS device. Set in the world of Alterra, Legends offers a decently sized slice of online role playing from the comfort (or discomfort, depending on how you hold it) of your phone.

 

Starting Out

Upon first launch of Pocket Legends, you are tasked with the simple account registration process. Nothing too taxing here, and you don’t need to register a credit card to play. You must validate your account by way of a verification e-mail, otherwise it is deleted after 24 hours (it’s advisable to do this as soon as possible, as one reviewer woke up to find his pocket adventurer nowhere to be seen). From there, the realm selection screen displays the only available server, which usually has a population of around 250 to 500.

 

In Legends, there are three classes to choose from. A noble bird-like archer, the mystical elven enchantress and the Ursan warrior bears. And that’s it. Pick your class, type in your name and you’re done. If you were looking to kit out your character with flashy haircuts and face paint, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.

 

No cheekbone depth sliders here

 

Different, but it works

Now, you would probably expect to be taken to the world of Alterra, where you can begin your online adventure in a large world filled with a couple of hundred other players, right? Well, Pocket Legends takes a slightly different approach to the classic thesis adhered to by most desktop MMORPGs . The majority of the game is instanced. Players can create their own “games” that other players can jump in to at any time. Instead of a fully realised world brimming with pixelated pocket delights, Alterra is divided up into campaigns. Each campaign features a number of levels, which each take several minutes to complete. Currently, only the “Forest Haven” campaign is available for free players, with a healthy 15 levels to trudge through.

 

The Ye Olde Towne acts as the social hub of the game. A safe zone, where players can meet up, chat, trade and go about their daily business. The Towne is usually bursting with players, giving you plenty of opportunities to swap your spoils for gold.

 

 

 

 

Gameplay

Once you have entered a campaign, a short loading screen takes you to something quite striking. A fully 3D MMORPG on your iPhone. Most of what you would find on your desktop is now in your hand. A chat system, friends lists, trade, private messaging, parties, stores and even PvP have all found their way into Pocket Legends in one fashion or another. Like many other iOS games, movement is controlled via a virtual thumbstick situated on the bottom left of the screen. your current attack button is on the right. As you level your character, new abilities become available and are situated above your current attack button.

 

Your typical MMO, only… Squashed

 

Approaching any hostile being will draw up an orange line between you and the enemy, along with helpfully auto-focusing your attention to it. From there, it’s just a case of moving in and clubbing, shooting or casting the baddy around a bit. Campaigns will usually group you together with three or so other players, resulting in a senseless group slaughter that never fails to entertain. When a level ends (usually by killing everything in sight), you can continue the campaign or jump back into the main game selection screen.

 

Any respectable MMORPG features a competent PvP element. Legends is no exception. The PvP component is hardly the most exciting player-murdering blood fest you will ever see in an MMORPG, but it does provide a fun and entertaining respite from the constant campaign running and town visiting. Deathmatch arenas are available for 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 slaughter houses, with one arena being available to free players. 

 

Pocket Legends makes good use of the common controls found in Apple’s iOS device catalog. If you’ve ever picked up an iPhone before, you will immediately know how to navigate your way around the game. Most of the multi-touch gestures have been transitioned over, ensuring that a learning curve is pretty much non-existent. Pinching the screen zooms in, and the camera can be freely rotated by swiping your finger around your character in a general direction. Not only is it intuitive, it is responsive and comes naturally to most people. Buttons and actions are clear and suitably placed, with an inbuilt help system guiding new players through every aspect of the game’s play window, mechanics and menu screens.

The Chat system uses Apple’s own iOS keyboard

 

iPhone games are not renowned for their graphical quality, and Pocket Legends doesn’t impress on the graphical front by any means. With such a huge lack of character customisation, a lot of players will look almost identical. Enemies lack variety and the environments themselves look blocky and bland. One place where Legends does excel is with the player abilities, with special animations and effects protruding from your character as you activate devastating spells and abilities.

 

Casually costly

The developers have taken into account the fact that most players won’t be using their iPhone all day, at least not to play Pocket Legends. The game, and in fact the platform, are best suited to casual games. Whilst we have all become used to spending a good few hours in front of our mice and keyboards, not every Legends player will want to play for extended periods of time. As is the case, Spacetime Studios have gone out of their way to provide users with a quick and easy way to jump into MMO gaming whilst away from their computer. Some may perceive “casual” as “lacking in depth”, but Legends is certainly addicting enough to keep hardened players engrossed in the world and playing for hours, just don’t expect your battery to be very forgiving, or your credit card balance.

 

Spacetime Studios have opted to use Apple’s in-App micro-payment system to fund the game. Spending your hard earned cash on Platinum points unlocks a whole host of goodies. Available directly from inside the game, you can buy extra campaigns, ability enhancing potions, character re-specs and perhaps somewhat controversially, in-game gold. With a level cap of 13 for free players, there is a large incentive to pay up for one of the many other campaigns, and as the game grows in popularity, it is likely you will start to see more and more games on the selection screen be those that require a paid campaign to join.

 

Level 13 – Unlucky for all

Conclusion

If there is one word to describe Pocket Legends, it would be “harmless”. The game never takes itself too seriously, and offers a unique and hugely fun MMO romp.  It’s difficult to criticise Legends for lacking the depth of other MMORPGs, when what has been done on Apple’s platform is so spectacular. The transition from desktop to handheld has been a resounding success, with all of the fundamental components of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games popping up in a 40MB download. You’re going to need a credit card to get the most out of this game, but the absence a monthly fee and an ideology of casual, pick up and play gameplay, Pocket Legends is well worth the price of admission, even if you choose to pay nothing.

 

Pros

A 3D MMO in your pocket

Pick up and play – Jump into a game wherever and whenever

Chat, friends, trade, PvP – It’s all here

 

Cons

Free content is limited to one campaign with a level cap

Screen can become cluttered with text and abilities on an iPhone/iPod Touch

Lack of character customisation