Yearly Archives: 2011

Planet Crashers

Planet Crashers is a 3D social network online game for Browser, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.  The cartoon, multiplatform, competitive game will feature humorous battles and collaborative play across multiple platforms, along with a unique GPS system that will give bonuses for teaming or battling with other users in their local area!  Planet Crashers makes it easy for players to jump in and start the fight with simple and intuitive controls. Players will be able to customize characters from head to toe, upgrade weapons and purchase consumables with just a few simple taps. 

OnRPG Exclusive: Realm of the Titans Interview

OnRPG Exclusive: Realm of the Titans Interview

Questions by Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist

Answers by Travis Hawk, Associate Producer at Aeria Games

 

OnRPG: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk to you guys. We know you have been busy in preparation for the game’s beta but before that your site has been scant with details on what Realm of Titans is about so can you give us a brief preview on what it is?

 

Realm of the Titans is strategic team PvP combat where scores of players clash in heated battles as they vie for control of the map. Teams begin warfare from opposite corners, and then must fight their way across the expansive terrain for ultimate control of the map. A key component to victory in is a cleverly balanced team. Choose many heroes, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Only through cooperative teamwork and strategic combat can players dominate the map in the Realm of the Titans.

Realm of the Titans Interview

 

OnRPG: Would it be safe to assume that Realm of the Titans is similar to Heroes of Newerth, DotA or even League of Legends?What can you say is the difference between the Realm of the Titans compared to the rest?

 

Realm of the Titans will feel familiar to players of Heroes of Newerth, DotA, and League of Legends, but it is not a copy of any of them. Some of the small differences are map layout changes, size of map, and new UI. Some of the larger differences include unique heroes, our Boss system, improved AI, and a utility skill system that lets players bolster their strategies and play styles throughout the game. We plan on taking the game in a different direction than HoN or LoL within the genre.

OnRPG: What features (aside from the ones posted on your site) does Realm of the Titans have?

 

Additional features include the popular DotA tactic known as “deny”, where players can deny experience and gold to enemies. Spacious inventories and a new “Recommended Items” feature enhance and streamline your shop experience. There will be more features in the future but this is all we can release at this time, but do believe we love to hear from the players in our forums and are almost always listening to what suggestions they have to offer.

Realm of the Titans Interview

OnRPG: What exclusive features does Realm of the Titans have that you can say can pique the interest of your players?

 

Just like we stated above there will be many features we plan to release in the future, but for now we are listening to what the players have to say. Just like Realm of the Titans was developed by gamers we feel that providing player mentality is essential in gameplay creation.

 

OnRPG: Is RotT a purely competitive arena-strategy game or will you provide back stories or even a semblance of any lore-creating features that other games have?

 

Realm of the Titans isn’t just a competitive arena-strategy game inside a vacuum. All of the characters in the game are unique and have a personality and back story to go with it. Gameplay is always our main focus, but we feel that having stories about each character help players connect and recognize those characters faster.

 

OnRPG: Will you be regularly updating the hero roster like LoL or HoN?

Yes, we will regularly be adding new heroes and items to Realm of the Titans.

 

Realm of the Titans Interview

OnRPG: How many Maps does the game have right now? 

So far we don’t have a set amount of maps and features to unveil at this time.

 

OnRPG: Will you guys be constantly tweaking and updating the maps?

Balance is very important to us and something we will be monitoring closely. This doesn’t just mean hero balance either. We will be monitoring the gameplay that player’s experience on our maps and see how fun it is and in what ways we can improve that gameplay.

 

OnRPG: You guys mentioned about “Bosses” that players may unlock, can you elaborate on that?

 

Games in this genre typically have one big monster that teams can engage that is in neutral territory. Realm of the Titans is changing it up. Each team will have two bosses on their sides. A team can release their boss by defeating the corresponding enemy boss. This is no easy feat as the enemy boss is behind enemy lines. If a team manages to pull off this feat they will release their team’s boss up their middle lane to help destroy the enemy base.

 

Realm of the Titans Interview

 

OnRPG: Will the game follow the usual route of players conquering the other side by eliminating the tower defenses and destroying the main base of the opponent? Or will you be adding more “battle features” that other similar games did not do?

 

The original map for Realm of the Titans features the standard 5v5 gameplay that players will be familiar with. We are looking to expand gameplay in new and fun ways. We feel that the genre is still in its fledgling state and there is a lot of room to grow.

OnRPG: on the site you mentioned that you guys are Pro DotA players, how do you think that assists in developing a game like RotT?

 

Having vast knowledge of the games genre helps us during development a lot. It allows us to understand the game from the players perspective and just like we stated above we do keep the players mentality in mind when working on the development of the title.

 

OnRPG: Thank you again for giving us the time to talk to you guys. Can you give our readers an idea when the Beta test will launch? And what’s in store for players who successfully become part of the beta test?

 

Players interested in the beta testing should keep an eye on the official website for further details!

Black Prophecy – Any More Space For Another Space MMO?

Black Prophecy – Any More Space For Another Space MMO?

By Mark Kamminga, OnRPG Space Game Specialist

 

So here’s a question: What would you think of an MMO that combines the features of modern-day MMO’s with components from titles like: Wing Commander, Freelancer and Tie-fighter? Sound good? We sure as hell think so! And it just so happens Gamigo’s newest flag-spaceship title (pun intended) “Black Prophecy” seems to deliver all of the above.

 

During the GDC in San Francisco, we met with Gamigo’s PR-manager Dennis Hartmann. Dennis gave us an exclusive first-look at the English version of this new title and from what we’ve seen in the 30 minute rundown, we can already say this game is VERY promising.With game mechanics similar to classics like Wing Commander (and more recently the Freelancer titles), Black Prophecy promises to deliver a vast explorative environment against a story driven backdrop.

 

Black Prophecy - Custom Ship

 

You start out by playing through a an extensive, 6 hour prologue that also acts as a tutorial. By the time you finish that, you’ll be fully familiar with most of the games core mechanics and are ready to set off on your own adventures.


Gameplay Mechanics

MMOs in an outerspace setting  are nothing new. EVE online has been around for quite some time and has proven very successful. But where Eve’s space battle can be somewhat static at times, Black Prophecy focuses more on all out dogfights and therefor plays more like an intense shooter. Keep in mind that shooting is the core component of Black Prophecy, so if you are looking to do some heavy trading during your space travels, you’ll be disappointed, because there is no trading system in place at the time of writing

Black Prophecy’s control scheme is very similar to those from Wing Commander and Freelancer You basically use your mouse to steer your spacecraft and control its to aim at targets. Gamigo already announced that there will be compatibility for gamepads in the near future.

Players are offered three different camera angles: a 3rd person view and both an in-cockpit and fully 1st person view. Our preference went to this last one, but seeing your space ship, while tied-up in a battle is still very thrilling (mainly due to some excellent graphics, but more on this later)

Customization

After starting the game, players can choose to join either the TYI or the Genides, Black Prohecy’s main factions. We had the feeling that choosing either of these factions, was more of an esthetic choice as both factions can eventually earn the same skills and weapons.

 

After choosing a faction, you’ll create your Avatar and there are quite a few options to create your own unique space-farer.

 

Black Prophecy - Clan Station

 

Of course, you can’t head out without a good rig to fly in. You start out with a basic ship and during the course of your travels you will acquire funds to build out your ship. The best thing here is that every new component directly affects the look of your ship and the further you level the more exotic and cooler these upgrades look. Suffice to say you won’t recognize your starting rig, when you reach endgame in Black Prophecy.

 

Your avatar will also learn new skills during the leveling process. Before you know it, you’ll be pulling off loopings and barrelrolls to dodge incoming missile barrages.

Social aspects

Black Prophecy is at heart an MMO and therefore you won’t be fighting alone in the vast emptiness of space. Both PVP and PVE will be available in the game and even some scenarios that combine elements of both.

Black Prophecy also tracks a lot of in game statistics and this results in many achievements for you to earn and show off to others, for instance your clan-buddies. Speaking of clans, Black Prophecy introduces a new cool twist to guild housing. You and your teammates can actually own your own space station and add usable compartments to it, like repair bays or vendors

Eye and Ear Candy

Black Prophecy sports a great musical soundtrack and Reakktor has used the voice work of more than 20 actors to give life to its world. Since the game is running on the Gamebryo engine, the graphics look exceptionally well and Dennis ensured us that even on older PCs the game will still run smoothly. The demo we saw ran on a 2 year old Dell XPS and still managed to have all details set to full and run like a charm, without presenting the player any ingame loading screens.

 

Black Prophecy - Blue Station

Needless to say we are looking forward to get our hands dirty on Black Prophecy and eagerly await the upcoming Open beta.

Allods Out Of Beta & COMPLETELY Free To Play!

Allods Out Of Beta & COMPLETELY Free To Play!

Free to Play game portal gPotato is proud to announce that Allods Online will be leaving Open Beta with their next patch! Allods Patch 2.0 will usher in the Official Live Release and a whole new era of Astral exploration. To gear up for the official release, Allods has decided to make Holy Charms completely FREE, forever!

 

By taking this step gPotato has effectively made Allods totally free to play. After the debacle with the “Fear of Death” debuff and the associated community outrage this is a great gesture from gPotato to show that they are committed to the trully Free to Play model. Allods is a fantastic game and the Cursed Item System (which replaced Fear of Death) was the last big issue holding it back. If any of you have given Allods a try in the past year I would strongly suggest that right now is a great time to give it another chance!

 

Allods FREE TO PLAY!

 

Official Live Release of Allods Patch Note Highlights:

– An increased level cap and new spells and abilities! The level cap will be raised to 47, and new spells and abilities will be available for every single class. This means expanded talent trees and talent grids and a plethora of new ways to spend talent points and rubies!
– New zones for high level players! Two new zones have been added for players to level in beyond level 42 – Kirah and the Isle of Revelation!
– Improvements in the Astral! New regions of the Astral have been unlocked, and new allods have been added to both old and new regions for adventurers to discover.
Stay tuned for more information on this patch, upcoming events, and community activity, by visiting the Official Allods Website.

Announcing Hailan Rising A Fully Featured Unity3D MMORPG

Announcing Hailan Rising A Fully Featured Unity3D MMORPG

 

We met the GamersFirst team in a hotel room just outside GDC and we got an ultra early peek at Hailan Rising.

Hailan Rising will be the industry’s first full scale PVP-based Fantasy MMORPG developed in Unity 3D and using the Mixamo.com animation system. Although the game will be Unity3D don’t mistake this game for “just” a browser game. It will come out as a standalone client first and will introduce browser based features down the line.

Players will find themselves as survivors in the post-apocalyptic fantasy world of Hailan, just as the massive flood waters that destroyed the world are receding. Players must choose to play as one of eight character classes and choose a nation to which they will pledge their allegiance. Battle between the nations force players to defend their realm in a PvP packed MMORPG played out on land, at sea and in the air.

Hailan Rising removes the traditional ‘leveling’ system and replaces it with an FPS style system of advancement. Players must power up individual combat abilities while learning new abilities from other classes.

Main features of the title include:

– The Etherea System – Players can learn any ability from classes that are foreign to their own.

– No Item Limitations – Any player may equip themselves with any item or weapon, regardless of which of the eight classes they choose to play.

– Large-Scale PVP – Open World PVP between hundreds of players can take place at any moment.

“This is an MMORPG like no other we have seen in the market,” says Bjorn Book-Larsson, COO & CTO of GamersFirst and the head of GamersFirst studio subsidiary Reloaded Productions. “We have created a title that combines the best features from several MMO genres, added new technologies from Mixamo and Unity, at the same time we have worked to eliminate some of the most criticized components of MMORPGs to come up with what we believe is a great new game experience.”

“I have always dreamt of creating a game that can balance grinding with instant action, in a game system that preserves both long-term leveling while letting players enjoy instant balanced PvP combat at every turn,”
says Adam ‘CaliMaestro’ Smith, Producer for Hailan Rising. “We hope that with Hailan Rising we have created something truly unique for the avid PvP and trading-focused MMO-RPG fan.”

Hailan Rising

Hailan Rising will be the industry’s first full scale PVP-based Fantasy MMORPG developed in Unity 3D and using the Mixamo.com animation system.

GDC 2011 was too early for GamersFirst to show us the client but they promised us that at E3 we’re going to get a first glimpse of this Unity3D MMO!

The team told us that players will find themselves as survivors in the post-apocalyptic fantasy world of Hailan, just as the massive flood waters that destroyed the world are receding. Players must choose to play as one of eight character classes and choose a nation to which they will pledge their allegiance. Battle between the nations force players to defend their realm in a PvP packed MMORPG played out on land, at sea and in the air.

Hailan Rising removes the traditional ‘leveling’ system and replaces it with an FPS style system of advancement. Players must power up individual combat abilities while learning new abilities from other classes.

Main features of the title include:

– The Etherea System – Players can learn any ability from classes that are foreign to their own.

– No Item Limitations – Any player may equip themselves with any item or weapon, regardless of which of the eight classes they choose to play.

– Large-Scale PVP – Open World PVP between hundreds of players can take place at any moment.

Breaking: Former APB Players Get Their Characters Back In APB: Reloaded!

Breaking: Former APB Players Get Their Characters Back In APB: Reloaded!

 

When the first version of All Points Bulletin went down after only three months most players assumed they’d never see their characters and perhaps more importantly: their designs back!

 

There was a small light at the end of the tunnel when rumors emerged that APB was going to get “rescued” and in November we were happy to report that the game had indeed been picked up by GamersFirst (K2 Network) who are currently working on improving the game greatly before relaunching it.

 

APB: Reloaded Offering an Olive Branch to New Players!

 

The most excited news we were able to pry away when we met the team at GDC was that the light at the end of the tunnel may be a lot brighter than most might expect.

 

We asked the GamersFirst team: What about the thousands of players that felt robbed the first time they invested in APB only to see it shut down a mere three months after it launched? Producer Jon-Enée Merriex smiled and answered:

“We are ready and committed to welcome these players back with open arms. There WILL be character transfers and players WILL get their names, avatars and designs back. Because cars and weapons have been completely overhauled we will not be restoring them but the essence of their characters WILL be restored to their former glory!”

And in addition to this Jon-Enée mentioned that they will soon announce an “olive branch” that will be offered to all former APB players, one that they are sure will excite them!

This was unfortunately as much as we could get them to say at this stage but all in all it’s a very satisfying answer further confirming that APB is in very good hands!

You can find more details on the game’s relaunch in our APB: Reloaded preview.

APB: Reloaded

APB: Reloaded brings back All Points Bulletin in a new, free-to-play format through GamersFirst. Choose to play as a vigilante or as a criminal in San Paro, a crime-riddled city where vandalism, robbery, and shoot-outs are every day. Prove yourself to your organization to earn fame, weapons, vehicles, and clothes. APB: Reloaded offers open-world PvP combat, dozens of unique vehicles, hundreds of stylish wardrobe options, a custom in-game music studio, and an ever-expanding weapons arsenal.

Features:

Strong character creation: APB Reloaded features one of the most powerful character creation tools ever, allowing players to create or re-create any human person, real or fictional.

Tons of customization: Create unique decals, tattoos, symbols and more in order to stand out from the crowd.

Improved visuals: Using an upgraded Unreal 3 Engine, APB:Reloaded gives off more spectacular visuals than its predecessor.

Open warfare: Jump into live servers with up to 100 players and engage in criminal activities or put a stop to them, resulting in mass warfare across the entire city.

First Look At Victory: Age Of Racing

First Look At Victory: Age Of Racing

By Nic van ‘t Schip, OnRPG Admin

 

The OnRPG team had the chance to get an early glimpse at GamersFirst’s Victory: Age of Racing at GDC and we have to say that we were happily surprised by this upcoming Free to Play Racing MMO.

The competitive nature of the game is sure to appeal to racing enthusiast around the world and the unique three tier (Rookie, Semi Pro, Pro) system that increases the reality of the driving physics as you go up the ranks will make sure the game is easy to learn while still being just challenging enough to master!

Due to some brilliant coding the client is very light (weighing in at around 500 megabytes compressed, and 1 Gigabyte installed) and the system specs are nice and low for such a graphically strong game. As the game engine uses shaders exclusively it isn’t slowed down by lots of textures on the cars and you can really tell.

 

Victory Age of Racing is a new racing MMORPG from GamersFirst!

 

And if customizing your ride is your thing, this game has your back as well. Where other games will let you use 10 or sometimes even 20 layers to create logos, decals and other designs Victory has opted for a nice round number of layers they allow: infinite. (Yes, infinite)

We’re working closely with GamersFirst on getting some of the OnRPG crew behind the wheel of the game for a more extensive test so check back here in a little while if you’re interested in learning more about Victory!

Global Agenda: An MMO Shooter

Global Agenda: An MMO Shooter

By Mohammad Abubakr (Abubakr), OnRPG Journalist


Global Agenda is a buy to play MMOTPS (massively multiplayer online third person shooter) by Hi-Rez studios. Players have the choice between PvP with various modes or PvE that is either instanced or open world. The game uses a queue system to match you up with a team for everything except the open world PvE. You can queue up with friends to improve chances of success.

 

Story

Global Agenda takes place after a fictional world war III. Two thirds of the human race has been wiped and a new world government, the Commonwealth, has taken over. The Commonwealth relies on its robotic forces to make up most of its fighting force. There are not many areas that are habitable due to the use of nuclear warfare.

The game modes are based around the story.

 

Gameplay

Global Agenda is played as a third person shooter but has many features which you would normally only see in RPGs such as a skill system which can be used to customize your character.

Talent Trees

Leveling up my skills

The game is played like most shooters by using your mouse and keyboard. The WASD keys are used to move while the mouse is used to turn, aim and fire. The number keys can be used to use equipment or switch weapons. Many key bindings are customizable to suit your personal preference.

 

Classes

This game is class based like most MMORPGs. You have a character creation screen where you can customize your characters. There are four classes to choose between and each class allows the choice between male or female.

Global Agenda Class Select

Class selection

 

The first class you can create is the robotics class. This class relies on its machines which can be built by the player and can be repair. Most of their damage and utility comes from their machines but their weapons can also deal damage. They can be built play defensively or offensively. This class seemed to work a lot better defensively when I played it. They are very good at PvE as their machines can heal the whole team and kill enemies.

The second class is the medic class. Like the name hints, they are in charge of helping teammates and keeping them alive. They are great to have on your team for PvE and PvP missions as you will need them to stay alive. Medics can also be built offensively by using various poisons.

Next is the assault class which is the tank of this game. This class uses heavy weapons such as Gatling guns or rocket launchers and are very hard to kill if a medic is healing them. They have various skills to allow them to take a lot of damage.

Lastly, there is the recon which is the most popular class in Global Agenda. This is a very fun class to play as they can be played either as a long range sniper or a close range assassin. The bullets in this game have some flight time so you must aim a bit off if the target is moving. The recon has the ability to stealth which has many uses such as taking down robotics machines and getting out fast.

 

PvE

The PvE in GA is pretty fun. You must begin at a certain location and travel through the map until you reach the end while encountering many different enemies. Players must queue up for PvE and have the choice between various difficulties. The map layouts are randomly chosen.

Global Agenda Cave Diving

Start of a PvE mission

 

There is a unique PvE game mode in this game called double agent. In this mode two out of the six players are chosen to fight for the common wealth. The chosen players work with the NPCs to fight the remaining 4 players. The level of difficulty depends on the skill of the two double agents.

Raids are also present in this game. They open at certain times and players must defend key areas that are under attack from NPCs. Multiple waves of attackers come and at the end there is a boss.

PvE does tend to get repetitive and boring and starts to become a grind. What I liked about this game was the PvP so I continued doing PvE so I can farm up and get better equipment and gain levels.

 

PvP

The PvP is my favourite part about this game and is not like many shooters in the sense that you do not just aim to get kills. There are various modes with different objectives that must be met to win.

The first mode is called control. In control there are three points that either team can capture. If you control the map by controlling the majority of the points, you begin to gain points for your team. Once you reach the required number of points, you will win.

The second game mode is called breach. This is very similar to control but this time only one team attacks while the other must defend the points. If all points are captured, the attackers win.
Next there is the demolition game mode. This is very similar to the mode in other games where you must plant a bomb inside the enemy’s base but in GA it is a bit different. Instead of just carrying a bomb, one player must control a robot which has the bomb and take it to the enemy base. This robot is very strong and can be healed by the medics.

There is also the payload game mode where one team must transport a container to the end point. The container moves when players are near it and follows a set path. If all the attackers are killed, the defenders can push the container backwards.

Finally, there is the scramble game mode. This is also very similar to control but only one point is active at a given time. One of the three points randomly gets selected and both teams must race to capture that point. The team to capture the point receives a point and the first team to reach three points wins the game.

AvA or Agency vs. Agency is a special PvP mode where agencies (guilds) try to control parts of the map. The strike force leader must bid on a certain part of the map and the agency that wins the bid can battle the agency which currently owns that land.

 

Conclusion

Global Agenda is a game that is fun at the beginning but tends to get repetitive over time. The action does not feel very fast paced compared to other shooters but is definitely fun while it lasts. Hi-Rez seems to work with the community so the game might improve over time. Currently it does not offer enough to make me want to keep playing it.