Monthly Archives: May 2011

Black Prophecy Unveils First of Many Big Patches

Black Prophecy Unveils First of Many Big Patches

 

The space action MMOG Black Prophecy has received new content with the release of its first monthly patch. The highlights of this patch are the ten new missions in open sectors, available to players on different levels. A number of other smaller improvements have also been made:

 

1. Performance in all sectors has been improved.

 

2. Bugs in the ship status display have been fixed.

 

3. Damage distribution has been changed slightly. Damage is now distributed evenly to all active ship parts. This is done proportionally to the part’s durability percentage in relation to the entire ship. The part that gets hit directly (unless it’s the cockpit) will receive slightly more damage than the other parts.

 

4. Repair kit durability is now distributed evenly to all active ship parts. This is done proportionally to the part’s durability percentage in relation to the entire ship.

 

5.The amount of points repaired by higher level repair kits has been increased.

 

Black Prophecy Patch

 

Gamigo promises that monthly patches to improve the game can be expected by players, and will continue working to ensure Black Prophecy becomes a premier leader in the frontier of MMO space flight games.

Sony Online Confirms Theft of Data from Systems

Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that their ongoing investigation of illegal intrusions into Sony Online Entertainment LLC systems revealed yesterday morning (May 2, Tokyo time) that hackers may have stolen SOE customer information on April 16th and 17th, 2011 (PDT). SOE is based in San Diego, California, U.S.A.

 

This information, which was discovered by engineers and security consultants reviewing SOE systems, showed that personal information from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts may have been stolen, as well as certain information from an outdated database from 2007. The information from the outdated database that may have been stolen includes approximately 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates (but not credit card security codes), and about 10,700 direct debit records of certain customers in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.

 

SONY Network Hacked

 

With the current outage of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services and the ongoing investigation into the recent attacks, SOE had also undertaken an intensive investigation into its system. Upon discovery of this additional information, the company promptly shut down all servers related to SOE services while continuing to review and upgrade all of its online security systems in the face of these unprecedented cyber-attacks.

 

On May 1, Sony apologized to its customers for the inconvenience caused by its network services outages. The company is working with the FBI and continuing its own full investigation while working to restore all services.

 

Sony is making this disclosure as quickly as possible after the discovery of the theft, and the company has posted information on its website and will send e-mails to all consumers whose data may have been stolen.

 

The personal information of the approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts that was illegally obtained, to the extent it had been provided to SOE, is as follows:

 

* name
* address
* e-mail address
* birthdate
* gender
* phone number
* login name
* hashed password.

 

In addition to the information above, the 10,700 direct debit records from accounts in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain, include:

 

* bank account number
* customer name
* account name
* customer address.

 

SOE will grant customers 30 days of additional time on their subscriptions, in addition to compensating them one day for each day the system is down. It is also in the process of outlining a “make good” plan for its PlayStation3 MMOs (DC Universe Online and Free Realms). More information will be released this week.

 

Additionally, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

League of Legends: Scrapbot to the Dangerzone

League of Legends: Scrapbot to the Dangerzone

By Jason Harper (Hhean), OnRPG Journalist
Patch v1.0.0.116, Champion Reworks, Rumble

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

Greetings fellow summoners! This is the patch v1.0.0.116 article for League of Legends, the game that makes good use of the things that it finds, things that everyday folk leave behind. This patch includes major reworks to a number of champions and introduces Rumble, the Mechanized Menace.

 

Rumble is a burly mage, having to weather a great deal of beating in order to get close enough to make use of most of his abilities. He plays like the sordid lovechild of Corki and Mundo, which is as bizarre as it sounds. He has so many unique and odd twists to his abilities though that it’s very hard to compare him to any existing champion in the game.

There are two lines of thought to playing Rumble – Either max out his ability to deal damage in close combat, (maximizing his Flamespitter [Q] and using Scrap Shield [W] to close distance while protecting him from any incoming damage) or he can stay back and treat his Electro Harpoon [E] in the same way as Mundo’s Cleaver, juking around and shooting at anyone the moment they expose their soft, harpoonable flesh.

 

I find the former of the two methods great if you’re trying to become a split lane pusher later on in the game. It requires having someone with a strong harass as his lane partner though, and seemingly impossible to do against a half competent player in a solo lane. Personally I prefer a duo lane, as it seems to give him a far stronger harass and ganking potential, while also having good synergy with his ultimate.

 

That ultimate is The Equalizer [R], an ability so sickeningly good, and so utterly terrifying, it’s truly fascinating to use. Since it uses vector targeting Rumble can create a line of missiles in any direction within range, making it an insanely versatile ability. The Equalizer is a tool that allows you to not only slow the enemy, but control their movement completely. The usual use for it will be to wait for the enemy to move somewhere stupid, and then drop down the missiles in the direction opposite to their movement in order to maximize damage, and use the opponents’ natural instinct to flee against them. With a little practice you can use this to control and trap your opponent as they attempt to flee. It’s at this point you start nailing them with harpoons before closing in and burning their face off.

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

The amount of space this ability covers makes it great in teamfights. Bonus points if you have an Amumu pal who can hold them in the missiles until they all burn to death. This can also be done even if you’re completely out of position, or if the enemy are grouped under a tower, since the range of the ability only counts for the first missile fired, not the whole line, allowing it to be fired from well over a screen away onto unsuspecting victims.

 

Rumble’s passive, Junkyard Titan is tied to his unique resource mechanic, Heat. Much like Renekton’s Fury, Heat builds up with every ability used and increases the effectiveness of his abilities. Unlike Fury though, his abilities don’t consume heat after a certain point, and instead it keeps building until the heat gauge maxes out, and Rumble overheats. When his heat gauge is half full, he enters the Danger Zone, increasing the effectiveness of his abilities.

 

Mastering Rumble’s passive and heat mechanics really are the steepest hurdles when picking him up for the first time. Starting a fight in the Danger Zone is an easy trick to learn, you simply spam his abilities over and over while walking across the map to build heat before engaging the enemy. The most effective way to use this is to get to the Danger Zone, then use Scrap Shield’s enhanced movement speed to zip Rumble across the map, while also keeping him in the Danger Zone. It’s worth noting that one full 3 ability cycle will put him in the Danger zone, and a second cycle will overheat, silencing you while increasing your auto attack damage. I find this to be an easier way of keeping track of Rumble’s heat rather than constantly checking his resource bar.

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

The problem with being in the Danger Zone before you even start fighting is that while it increases Rumble’s damage output greatly right from the start, it also limits the number of abilities he can use before overheating. Before moving into a fight you have to prepare the Yordle for what sort of fight you think is coming up – a prolonged skirmishing period is better suited to having low heat, whereas a quick gank is aided more by the Danger Zone.

 

Overheating is a really useful mechanic when used properly. One useful thing to remember about Rumble’s abilities is they all persist for a while after they’re used, so you can still be making use of a spell even while silenced. The order I usually go with before overheating is firing off my first Harpoon, then Flamespitter, getting the shield up (Which triggers the overheat), then running forwards before firing the second harpoon and beating someone to death while spewing fire at them. Also, throwing in his ultimate somewhere during that combo doesn’t hurt either.

 

At level 1, I go straight for Electro Harpoon. This is terrible for farming, and your lane will get pushed back while you harass. Pick up Flamespitter at 2 will help you get the minions off your tower, and begin building heat. Level 4 is Scrap Shield time. My skill order is The Equaliser > Electro Harpoon > Scrap Shield > Flamespitter.

 

If you’re going for a more close range Rumble, then swap around how you level Flamepsitter and Electro harpoon, and pick up shield earlier, at level 3. Your skill order becomes The Equalizer > Flamespitter > Scrap Shield > Electro Harpoon.

 

Start out with a Doran’s Shield. If things are going badly, stack up three of them and tank your way to victory. Otherwise, Rylai’s is pretty much a core item on him due to it working so well with his ability spam during fights, and stacking with his already excellent slows. From there, any other tanky/mage item works well on him – Zonya’s Hourglass (though the active costs you heat) and Abyssal Scepter are good picks on him. Just avoid mana based stuff for obvious reasons. Mercury Treads or Sorcerer’s Shoes are his two boots options that I recommend.

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

For his Masteries the 9/21/0 build shown in the spotlight was the strongest build I found for him. The only downside is that cooldown reduction is next to useless on him due to how short his cooldowns are anyway, so Sorcery is a bit of a waste, but Archaic Knowledge is so good that it makes up for it.

 

For his runes I use Magic Penetration Marks, Armour Seals, Magic Resist Glyphs and Flat Health Quintessences. I’m hearing rumors that Health Regeneration Quintessences are now more effective for survivability, so I may get that tested (if I have the IP for it) before my next article.

 

Rumble has an incredible damage output, strong lane presence, good sustainability due to his resource mechanic and his ultimate has in my opinion, a simply broken range. His only real downside is a lack of hard crowd control, but he spews out so many slows that you’ll hardly notice this as being a problem.

 

This patch has had some significant changes to how Alistar, Gangplank and Fiddlesticks work, along with some tweaking to Xin Zhao. The changes to Alistar look to be designed to make roaming as him less useful, while at the same time making his laning a good deal stronger. Gangplank’s changes allow his sustained damage to be increased, while removing the last remnant of denying from LoL. His changes overall though seem to hurt his spike damage output dramatically, which was really the only thing the character had going for him. Fiddlestick’s changes look to have crippled Junglesticks, a loss I’m not going to mourn anytime soon, but it is a real blow to those who enjoyed that style of play. His laning now allows him to be a bit more aggressive, while also getting rid of his infuriating ‘I get full health in four seconds’ drain in the early game.

 

To discuss some of the changes yourselves, 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.

 

 

King of Kings 3 Dragon God Ressurection Launches

King of Kings 3 Brings The Dragon God to Life

 

The first big expansion for Gamigo’s MMORPG “King of Kings 3“, released today, opening the doors to the Dragon Realm and thus also a wealth of new content and features. Fans of PvP will especially enjoy everything the expansion has to offer – battles can be fought in each of the 22 new areas.

 

King of Kings 3 Expansion

 

 

The soul of the expansion lies in the search for “Souls of Original Sin”. These are seven rare artifacts which are looted from boss monsters known as “Sinful Souls”. One of these artifacts will pave the path to the best weapons in the game and unlock the gates to special instances. But having one can also turn the hunter into the hunted. The reason for this: Name and position are broadcast via server message in every realm. Others can attack the player and if the battle is lost, the artifact is as well.

 

Even more fun is added in the higher levels by the new specialization level, which boosts the number of character classes available to choose from to 27. Characters can also undergo a transformation that will give them additional powers and a new appearance including dragon wings and glowing eyes.

 

Marvel Universe Details Revealed!

Marvel Universe Details Revealed!

 

Last week Gazillion held an event in San Francisco to introduce a famous comic writer, Brian Bendis, as being an integral part of the story telling and game design for Marvel Universe. However, this was only the tip of the iceberg revealed.

 

What we know now is that Marvel Universe will be a free-to-play superhero action game and was always intended to be that way. Thus the cash shop will be well thought out and not just included last minute. The game is also being developed by a sub-division of Gazillion, Secret Identity, which was established specifically for the production of this game.

 

Marvel Universe Preview

 

The playable heroes will all be recognizable figures from the Marvel Universe rather than custom made characters as seen in most other superhero MMORPGs. We have also been reassured that you will not be stuck playing the role of a single superhero but may be able to switch between them ala League of Legends champions. The game will feature Doctor Doom as the primary villian in the initial launch arch.

 

Comic book geeks around the world can rejoice that this game’s storyline will take place within the canon Marvel Universe, not a side dimension; storyline will follow actual scripts straight from popular comic books currently published! You can rest easy knowing that said scripts won’t be sensored down either as Gazillion is developing Marve Universe with an adult audience as the target audience.

 

We will bring you more information as this exciting game moves further along in the development cycle!

Dragona Interview: The Age of Dragons Descends

Dragona Interview – The Age of Dragons descends

Questions by Robert Chen (Cinderboy), OnRPG Journalist
Answers by Dale Aguirre, Assistant Project Manager, Gameclub.com, Inc.

 

Dragona is an upcoming MMORPG based on the mythical dragons. Developed in Korea, Gameclub Philippines will be hosting the Global server for the English market. In an age where dragons occupy the lands, massive wars breaking loose and sinister conspiracies involving the Gods, what game features are there which will accompany the epic storyline? Let’s find out.

 

Dragonica Interview

 

Cinderboy: Hello, this is Robert (Cinderboy) from OnRPG. Can you please introduce yourself to the readers?

 

Dale: Hi Robert, it’s my first time to be interviewed and it’s always a pleasure to meet the community. Hi my name is Dale Aguirre. I am the Assistant Project Manager for the Global Service & Operations Division of Gameclub.com, Inc.

 

Cinderboy: Gameclub is still a pretty new name in the overseas English market. Can you tell us some details about the company?

 

Dale: Gameclub.com, Inc. is a subsidiary of LivePlex Corp. Korea. Dragona: Expedition of Bartan is our first game. We are currently based in Silicon Valley, California. Our current president is Sang Hyuk Hong.

 

Cinderboy: Is this the first time Gameclub Philippines will be running a global server? If so, why the decision to progress from being just a domestic publisher?

 

Dale: We are independent from Gameclub Philippines. Our company, Gameclub.com, Inc., will be handling games for the global market.

 

Dragonica Interview

 

Cinderboy: Before going into the game, would you mind clarifying if the Philippines and Global servers will be the same, or will there be 2 separate servers with different launch schedules?

 

Dale: They are two different servers. Pre-open beta for the Philippine server will launch this May. As for us, we will be launching the global version of the game 3rd quarter of this year.

 

Cinderboy: What makes Dragona different from other games currently in the market?

 

Dale: Dragona veers away from the typical MMORPGs currently in the market. The game offers a lot of new system features like the Dragon Transformation system, Auto notification system. We also have a variety of PVP options like the Battle Arena. The world of Dragona presents an eye-catching fantasy environment with high quality graphics and details.

 

Also, people who are fond of tales involving dragons will find the game story very interesting and appealing since it contains a lot of elements involving them.

 

Cinderboy: Can you briefly tell us what roles do the gamers play in the fantasy world of Dragona?

 

Dale: Dragona are the heroes in the story that was sent to the Continent of Bartan to stop the resurrection of the Evil Dragon Jurtan. These characters possessed the power of the dragon bestowed upon by the dragon spirits of the stars.

 

If the players will read the introduction story down to the chronology of events it revolves around the Goddess of Light Huanis, the 5 Great Dragon Lords (Juda Ysis, Yslan Amarantis, Xerion Notos, Titan Bracus and Seto Batroa) the Evil Dragon Jurtan and the ever intriguing historical record regarding the Book of Genesis and the Legendary Dragon Wars.

 

Players will slowly unveil the real truth behind Bartan and the legendary story between Huanis and Jurtan as they progress in the game.

 

Dragonica Interview

 

Cinderboy: Will all races and classes be available during Closed Beta and Open Beta?

 

Dale: The four races (Human, Kali, Eldin and Catcha) will be available in the Closed Beta phase. As for the classes the players will only be playing Sniper for the Human race, Guardian for the Kali Race, Magician and Ranger for the Eldin Race, and Shaman for the Catcha Race. The other classes will be revealed later.

 

Cinderboy: Going through the classes, there seems to be lacking the traditional tank class, one with a sword and holding a shield. Am I missing something here?

 

Dale: What I just said earlier Dragona is veering away from the traditional MMORPG wherein the Tank characters are the ones with the sword and shield. We wanted the players to experience a more different type of character classes and style of playing. For now we are introducing the Guardian as the main tanker and the Shaman as a secondary tank. Each has its own uniqueness from the style of battle down to strategy depending on the character usage.

 

Cinderboy: In Dragona, there are both open world fields and instance dungeons for players to slay mobs. How do the experience points and drops differ between these 2 places?

Dale: The experience points and drop rate in these two areas are different. In the open world field players will gain high experience points and most of the quests are done here. Items that players will be retrieving from this area are normal and will just get magical items. But for the instance dungeon experience will be a little bit lower but players can obtain rare and unique items from their runs.

 

Cinderboy: I read about the forced PK system for characters of a certain level and above. Will the victim lose anything? Will there be a PvE channel where forced killing is not available?

 

Dale: PK system will be made available to a player upon reaching level 23. The PK system can be triggered by clicking on the PK button. The character will be able to do PK until the player disables the PK system. Victims of PK will lose a certain amount of experience and will have a very slim chance of dropping an item. The assaulter, on the other hand, will lose honor points. Roaming Guard NPCs will immediately attack players with low honor points. They also can’t use teleport stones and can’t buy anything from merchant NPCs unless they bring their honor points up. We will not be providing any PvE channel for this game.

 

 

Cinderboy: Let’s talk about the Dragon Transformation system, perhaps the main feature of the game. There is both the partial and full transformation, can you tell us what are the differences between these 2 modes?

 

Dale: For me, this is the coolest feature in the game and I think players will be interested on the concept. There are 2 types of Dragon Transformations: the partial transformation and the full transformation.

 

Full transformation is when the player transforms his character into something much stronger… a dragon mode that is different per class. In this state, you cannot use the weapons or skills that you normally have. You will be given a new set of passive and active skills which you can only use during this state.

 

Dragonica Interview

Partial transformation only transforms a certain part of the body. Once an item is worn on the head, upper body, lower body, or the arm its appearance change along with an additional stats are given when this are activated (added movement speed or HP regeneration). Unlike for the full transformation, players can still use weapons and skills.

 

Cinderboy: At what level can players access this feature and how long will these modes last?

 

Dale: A player will be given an option to choose the initial partial transformation upon character creation. Other parts of the partial transformation will be given to the player through quests as the character progress through the game. Mobs also drop partial transformation parts. Players will have the taste of the cool full transformation when they reach level 20 which is given upon completion of a quest.

 

Transformations whether full or partial consumes core energy. As long as a player can maintain their core energy they can stay at their desired state of transformation. Core energy can be acquired through killing mobs or by core potions.

Cinderboy: Will players in either of the 2 modes be able to use their normal character skills? If not, will the new skills exclusive to the Dragon mode affect how a player normally plays his or her characters?

 

Dale: As what I explained before when using partial transformations the player can use the normal character skills where in as for the full transformation a separate set of passive and active skills will be given.

 

Players should learn to strategize on when to activate their transformations since there would be different playing styles due to the difference in skills per mode.

 

Dragonica Interview

 

Q: Can you briefly describe to us how the Battle Arena system works? How will you persuade players who stay away from PvP to enter the arena?

 

The Dragona Battle Arena is held at a designated time every day and it is an instant siege battle where in anyone can participate wherever they are. The Battle Arena is solely divided into two parts: the Battle of Celebration and the Battle of Might, both usually held every 2 hours. The Battle of Celebration is held for 30 minutes in 100 on 100 matches, and the Battle of Might is carried out for 10 minutes in 3 on 3, 6 on 6, and 36 on 36 matches. Each match is held in 30 minute intervals. Once the player clicks on the Battle Arena Icons the character will be transported immediately to the arena. After the arena ends the player will be transported back.

 

Players can test their character build and skill against other players. We deliver a fast paced action type PvP experience. Also, the winning team will gain experience, special item and battle points that can be exchange for unique weapons and armors.

 

 

Dragonica Interview

 

Players can test their character build, skill against other players. We deliver a fast paced action type PvP experience which for the arena participants. Also, the winning team will gain experience, special item and battle points that can be exchange for unique weapons and armors.

 

 

Cinderboy: Any final words to the readers before the interview ends?

 

Dale: To all players we are looking forward to see you all in the game. We are hoping that our game Dragona will CHANGE the player’s view of MMORPG, EVOLVE their gaming preferences and TRANSORM their online gaming experience.

 

Cinderboy: Thank you for your time!

 

Dale: Thank you also for giving us the opportunity to answer your questions. Looking forward to meet the OnRPG community in Dragona.

 

Dragonica Interview