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Yearly Archives: 2011
Under The Wire: Titan Quest
Under The Wire: Titan Quest
By Neil Kewn (Murxidon) – OnRPG Journalist
In a new column, Neil Kewn trawls the archives for the obscure, underrated and forgotten role-playing games from yesteryear.
Hate is a strong word, but one I end up using quite liberally these days. There are a lot of things to hate in the world, and whilst I love many things about gaming, there are just as many that I loathe. One of which is a video game deeply positioned in the annals of history, one that is widely regarded to be one of the best games of all time. Blizzard’s Diablo series is the cornerstone of dungeon crawling RPGs, but I hated it. I hated Diablo II, and I hated the games that try to emulate the endless repetition of monster killing and loot scrounging. I found it so boring.

I should be more specific, as what I just described applies to roughly 100% of role-playing games. I never did finish Blizzard’s isometric dungeon crawler, I didn’t sink an endless number of hours gathering virtual items, nor did I bother playing all of the classes. Was there another, different game ten hours in? Is it possible that I didn’t play enough to form a reasonable opinion? I don’t know – I just didn’t like it. I won’t use the hardware limitations of the time as an excuse, I don’t always need flashy cinematics to be drawn into a game, but I do expect some degree of variety. Several hours in I had some pretty impressive spells and largely decent gear, but I was bored out of my skull. Is this all I’m going to do in this game?
Getting With The Times
I first played Diablo in early 2009 – That might go some way in explaining my animosity towards it. These days I’m used to playing the biggest and boldest video games. I enjoy the grandeur of a 3D fantasy world and I appreciate the sense of freedom I get with them. Nevertheless, I can appreciate good video games and I realise that these come in many forms. There was just a feeling of tedium that I couldn’t shake whenever I launched the executable. Diablo does something, and it does it very well, it just isn’t something I particularly liked.
You can imagine my hesitation when I picked up Titan Quest. Bored out of my skull and looking for new co-operative games to play, Titan Quest was one of the names that popped up when I entered an overly specific Google search. Glancing quickly at YouTube videos, I realised what this game was and why I wasn’t keen on feeding it to my CD drive. I was willing to give Diablo, and the repetition that came with it, a second chance – This time I would have a friend to come along for the ride.

Titan Quest is what some consider a spiritual successor to Diablo, a Diablo 2.5 if you will. It was developed by Iron Lore Entertainment, a company formed by the man behind the hugely successful Age of Empires series. Instead of building cities and commanding armies, you design and create your own hero and set out on a mythological adventure in ancient lands.
Improving A Tried And Tested Formula
There are no immediate classes to choose from when creating your hero in Titan Quest. You are not “locked” into a specific playing style, but can choose from a range of “Masteries” which will in turn assign you a class. For example, if you choose the Earth mastery you become the Pyromancer. You have the option of adding a second Mastery to that. So Earth plus the Nature Masteries makes you a Summoner. There are a multitude of element-altering spells and abilities at your disposal depending on which talent trees you take, and making powerful combinations from the most unlikely skill sets is one of the most entertaining things about Titan Quest.
There’s something inherently more structured about the game than Diablo. I often found myself wandering aimlessly in Blizzard’s world, and the linearity of Iron Lore’s first (and last) game added some fluidity to the mix. It all depends on taste. The basic core elements of dungeon running are here, and anyone familiar with Diablo would feel right at home in Titan Quest. Your action bar lists your spells and abilities, and you set about town hitting and burning anything that moves until it drops items that said beings would never carry. Loot is what these games are all about, and those who enjoy slaving away for the rare and powerful weapons, armour and consumables will enjoy what Titan Quest has to offer.

One of the first things you will notice about the game is how attractive it is. Great spell effects and ragdoll physics add weight to the combat, whilst the beautifully detailed locations make travelling from one area to the next a visual delight. The ancient architecture of the time is well represented here, and the monsters are varied enough to keep the core game of enemy bashing relatively fresh. The sound is also a highlight, with meaty sound effects and an excellent musical score to boot.
With A Little Help From My Friends
Adding more players into your game is seamless, and makes the trudge of mass murder a joint affair. Forming your own party and working co-operatively is an extremely fun experience, and remains challenging thanks to the difficulty scaling depending on how many players have gotten in on the action. Watching the screen fill with flashy spells and powerful abilities as you and your friends slaughter a path for yourself never really gets old.
Before Iron Lore Entertainment folded in 2008, Immortal Throne hit shelves as an expansion pack to Titan Quest. So what made it so much better than Diablo? The improved graphics, the solid voice acting, the great music and open class system all contribute towards making a great game, and one that Diablo fans should definitely check out. I went back to it after my time with Titan Quest, but I didn’t enjoy Blizzard’s acclaimed title as much as I did Iron Lore’s lesser-known game. Diablo might be regarded as the best dungeon runner ever made, but Titan Quest is a sadly overlooked spiritual successor that convinced even the most cynical video game player that clubbing monsters for hours doesn’t have to be boring.
Martial Empires
Are you prepared to explore the shattered continent of Neha? Ready to meet strange new people and uncover the continent’s secrets? Take destiny into your own hands and fight for the freedom of the people of Neha! Choose between three different classes. Avenge your mother’s murder as a ranger, prevent the destruction of Neha as a mighty mage or become a warrior and join the emperor’s troops on a secret mission.
Custom character development
Each class in Martial Empires has three different weapons available to them, each with its own skills and passive abilities. You can specialize your character for one weapon or use a combination of weapons to bring out the best in each weapon. You can switch between weapons in battle as you see fit. Each weapon has its own special merits. A sword, for example, increases a mage’s ability to improve his critical hits. A scythe, on the other hand, allows you to transfer your enemy’s health to yourself.
You’ll also receive skill points starting at level 25 that can be used to increase your strength, intelligence, defense or dexterity. What should your character be specialized in? Should your character have especially high endurance and loads of health points or are you banking on his ability to dodge attacks? The choice is yours!
Stories of epic heroic deeds have been collected for centuries in the Chronicle of Souls. You can earn special advantages in battle for your hero by researching these myths.
Guilds and guild warfare
In Martial Empires you can band together with friends to form a guild. Guild members can level up their guild together. Higher levels also mean more room for new members and access to a guild bank. Your guild also needs to have reached a set level in order to participate in guild warfare.
Guild warfare is not yet available. More information coming soon!
Titan Quest
Titan Quest: Immortal Throne is the action-packed expansion to the 2006 RPG hit, Titan Quest. The the epic story continues across the dark and sinister Underworld of Hades.
Martial Empires Review: Furiously Meditate
Martial Empires Review: Furiously Meditate
By Mohammad Abubakr, OnRPG Journalist
Martial Empires is a free to play MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) by Gamigo. Currently it has only been released to the EU region but it looks like a NA version is being worked on. The game plays like any other point and click MMORPG by using your mouse and keyboard. This makes it easy to pick up.
When I first started the game, I noticed how great it looks. Compared to other F2P MMORPGs, Martial Empires looks amazing. You do not get options such as Depth of Field in many F2P games. The detail on the characters and equipment is great and the environment also looks great.
The graphics combined with the great sound really immerse you into the game world. The background sound can get a bit annoying as it will keep looping many times if you stay in the same area to complete a task or level up.

Meditating to recover health and mana.
Gameplay
As I mentioned before, the game plays like the normal point and click MMORPG. You can move around using your keyboard’s WASD keys or simply clicking where you would like to go. Usually pointing and clicking makes the combat boring and slow. However, with the great graphics and skill effects the combat is not very slow paced. Your character will not continuously swing its weapon to hit the enemy once, at times your character can initiate combos where the enemy will be attacked twice. Even the beginner skills look good and are not bland so you can begin enjoying the combat right away!
As you kill enemies, your anger gauge will increase. The bar can be seen beside your character’s portrait. Once the bar is full, you can use all your anger to go into Fury Mode. While in this mode your character’s attack speed and damage will increase and your character’s appearance will change.

In Fury Mode
Unlike most MMOs, Martial Empires does not only have HP and Mana. Instead it has a separate stat called SP. This is used for common skills which all classes receive such as dash which allows you to move faster and death blow which has a chance to instantly kill the target (The chance increases as the enemy’s health decreases).
Martial Empires currently has three different classes the can be played. There is a fourth button that is disabled for now so a fourth class might be coming soon (was asked in our interview, look out for it). The three classes are the warrior, ranger and mage. They are gender locked so the warrior and mage must be males while the ranger must be a female. Additionally, each class may use different weapons that have special effects to offer a lot of variety.
The warrior can choose between a heavy sword which has a chance to deal additional damage, an axe which has a chance to steal HP and a spear which specializes in AoE (Area of Effect) and stun skills.
The ranger can choose between a dagger which allows her to stealth and attack fast, a bow which decreases an enemy’s movement speed and a claw which reduces the enemy’s damage.
Finally, the mage can choose between a scythe that can curse enemies to reduce their mobility and apply damage over time, a wheel which has a chance of restoring MP, and a sword which has a chance of restoring SP.

Deciding on classes
There are many options for changing how your character looks so you won’t have to worry about looking the same as everyone else. You can change even change how your body looks with options such as height, eye positioning and head size.
If you chose a certain weapon at the beginning does not mean that you cannot use a different weapon for the same character. For example, you chose a sword for the mage and don’t like it anymore. You can buy a scythe to replace it and even level up scythe skills.
For every class, all of the weapons have different skills. This offers a lot of ways to build on class. You gain a skill point each time you level that can be used to train any skills as long as you meet the requirement. Common Skills do not need to be trained as you learn them when you meet the requirements.
This game offers a lot of quests that can be completed to receive EXP, Jackpot points (more on that later) and other rewards. The quests are nothing special from other MMORPGs. They simply tell you to go kill an X amount of that, gather this, talk to that person, etc. I find them worth doing because of the jackpot points.
The jackpot system is one of the unique features in Martial Empires. Jackpot points can be earned by killing monsters or completing quests. The minimum number that you must bet increases as you level up. When betting you can pick what prize types you would like to win. These are items, EXP, buffs, and gold. You may pick any combination of them and the amount required to bet will not change!

I won an HP Potion!
Another unique feature in Martial Empires is the battleground. There are two different types of missions that can be done in the battleground. In the Phantom War you must protect the Phantom Seal from enemies while in the Legion of Towers you must destroy the towers within the time limit. Battlegrounds are not accessible at all times.
Players may also collect herbs, go fishing and mine. This gives players something to do when they do not feel like grinding or even do while they are grinding.
Conclusion
To conclude, Martial Empires is definitely worth trying out. With great graphics and fun combat, it is not a bad choice when looking for an MMORPG. The game can get a bit repetitive when questing all the time but there are other things to do like fighting in the battlegrounds or go mining.
Unfortunately I will have to quit playing the game due to it being EU only. Sorry all non EU players!
Interview – Iris Online is Here to Reveal Your Fortune
Interview – Iris Online is Here to Reveal Your Fortune
Question by cinderboy, OnRPG Journalist
Answered by: Kenny Yan (Producer)
Iris Online is North American publishers, gPotato’s latest MMORPG to be added in its stable. Developed by Korean studio, Eyasoft, the game’s main selling point will be its unique tarot card system and diverse class advancement system. Iris Online will also be the 2nd time the 2 companies collaborate on a project, the first being Luna Online. Can Iris Online really reveal players’ futures?
Let’s find out.
ONRPG: Hello, can you please introduce yourself to our readers and you role in the Iris Online team?
It’s always a pleasure to meet the community. My name is Kenny Yan, and I come from a gaming industry background with nearly 10yrs of gaming experience in Console, Mobile, Casual (Facebook) and most importantly, Online MMOs. I’m currently the Producer of Iris Online North America and I look forward to creating a great game with a positive and active community.

ONRPG: Why the decision to bring Iris Online to the North American market amongst may other games?
Each region has its own demographic of gamers. We felt that Iris Online had such a large spectrum of features that the game will easily cater to the North American audience, and beyond. It has hardcore MMO mechanics such as PVP and Instance Dungeons as well as casual PVE mechanics for those who prefer casual gaming. Furthermore, the art style and gameplay provides a great mixture for those who love action and beautiful graphics as well as those who enjoy cute anime inspired characters.
ONRPG: The game’s title did not change from the Korean version’s. Can you tell us why the decision to stick to the original and what does “Iris” actually refer to in the game’s lore?
We decided to keep the name “Iris” because we felt it was a perfect blend of ancient Greek mythology with a twist of 21st century gaming. The name “Iris” in Greek mythology represents a goddess of rainbow, whom was also a messenger of the Gods. Within the game, we have a unique Tarot Card feature, which randomly generates random buffs with gorgeous auras. In order to activate this feature, players must collect all 28 Tarot Cards, and then have their fortune read. In a way, players are getting a message from the gods…delivered by Iris herself 🙂
ONRPG: Both Luna Online and Iris Online have the same anime-styled graphics and comes from the same developer.. Do you think it is a big risk?
Absolutely not. Both Iris Online and Luna Online are great games developed by the same brilliant developers. However, each game has its own unique features as well as gaming mechanics. Instead of viewing this as a potential of cannibalizing our own users/sales, we see it as an opportunity to further expand our branding in the anime themed MMORPG genre. Players will always have likes and dislikes in any game, and with both Iris and Luna catering to the same demographic, but with unique features in both games, we like to see it as providing more options for the gPotato fans rather than forcing them to choose either or.
ONRPG: Is there a fear that the cutesy design style of Iris Online will put off the more mature online gaming community?
I think it’s a matter of balance. This question is also applicable to other more mature games that will put off audiences who prefer more cutesy graphics; it goes both ways. It’s hard to satisfy everyone through graphics alone, but if we focus the entire visual design along with gaming mechanics, we have a much better chance of acquiring users of different demographics. Iris was able to integrate hardcore MMO features into a cutesy 3D anime design, I personally think it’s a great combination……kind of like peanut butter and jelly 🙂

ONRPG: Are there any more new races or classes planned for development?
Absolutely! We have plenty of new contents currently in development. This includes, quests, maps, dungeons, bosses, and of course higher-level cap and new classes. Our first major update will take place in January-February.
ONRPG: The Divination System, perhaps one of the most enigmatic features i have come across so far. Can you briefly describe to us hoe the system works and how important a role it plays in Iris Online?
The Tarot Card system is definitely the most unique feature of the game! It is tied deeply to the lore and core mechanics of Iris.
From enhancing weapons, to fortune telling, to monster transformation, it is an extremely robust system that plays a pivotal role in questing and raiding! Monster transformation cards allow players to turn into more than 100 different monsters and while transformed, users gain special abilities, can sneak by high-level enemies undetected, and even give teammates monster buffs.
However one of the most-anticipated features of the game is the fortune telling system. It allows players to reveal the secrets of the mystic arts and give characters special buffs with auras that can take many forms, from ephemeral wings to bright halos.
ONRPG: Where can players gather these Tarot Cards from?
The Tarot Cards can be purchased from NPCs, acquired through random drops during monster hunting, or trading with other players. We try to keep a balance and not make it too easy.

ONRPG: Next, Let’s look into Player Vs Player (PvP). For a dueling match between 2 players, are there any level or location restrictions?
Nope! Dueling is purely for the enjoyment of players. A level 1 player can challenge a level 55 player if they choose to. During a duel, players will not receive any EXP penalties if they die. Players have been using this to check out other races skills and the visual effects that come along with it. It’s a great way to have some good old PVP fun while being able to check out other races/classes builds.
With this feature, it also provides players to duel with GMs….how epic is that!?
ONRPG: The main PvP feature will be the battlefield, where it will be an all-out war between players. How do players enter the battlefield and what rewards are there?
Players get prompted with an invitation to join the battlefield every 10 minutes. The invitation is split between levels i.e. 1-10 will be in their own battle while 11-20 will also have their own. In order to qualify for the battlefield invitation, players must complete an early quest and choose their force. The force you choose will be permanent, and is used to divide the teams in battlefield.
As for the rewards; BRAGGING RIGHTS! On top of that, we have exclusive mounts that can only be purchased through battlefield points. So if you see a player with an exclusive mount….you know he’s a war veteran.

ONRPG: What new content can players expect to see in the near future?
Players can expect new dungeon-such as the Wood Garden, playable in Normal and Hard Mode, a lot of new field bosses, new zones, major updates to game mechanics and more!
We are also pleased to announce that we will be removing the Force System, which players have voiced concerned about, seeing that it leads to imbalanced teams during battlefield matches. We’re listening to our players and we’re going to take action and remove this feature.
We will also be introducing a new Guild System, giving guilds the power to level and unionize. We are constantly updating and improving the game, so there is much to look forward to in the future!
ONRPG: Thank you for your time!
Torchlight MMO
The Torchlight MMO is currently in developement by Runic Games in partnership with Perfect World Entertainment. Details pending.
Maplestory: The Big Bang Update Feature Report
Maplestory: The Big Bang Update Feature Report
By Mohammad Abubakr, OnRPG Journalist.
The Big Bang update for Maplestory has brought a lot of new content. Almost everything in the game from maps to skills has been changed. This article will talk about some of the many changes to Maplestory.
The Big Bang update will come in three parts. The first part changes almost everything in the world. It has changed many, if not all, skills, maps and monsters. The second part is the release of the resistance classes (Battlemage and Wild Hunter). The final part will bring a new class to Maplestory, the Mechanic. The first two parts have been released on Global Maplestory.
If you have not played or heard of Maplestory before, check out our review here.
The Story
The story revolves around the Black Mage. He was a citizen of a peaceful town and had a family that loved him. The Black Mage saw the chaos in the Maple World and thought people could not be trusted to make their own decisions. He rose to power using ideals such as peace and freedom. People soon realized he did not actually offer peace and freedom.
The people of the Maple World fought against the Black Mage. He still thought he was helping the greater good and in time he was filled with madness. He wanted the world to be destroyed. Finally after many sacrifices, the Black Mage was defeated by heroes such as the Polearm-Wielder and the Dragon King.
Now the Black Mage is coming back!
In part two of the Big Bang update, the quiet mining town of Edelstein has become the home for the Black Wings, a secret cult dedicated to the resurrection of the Black Mage. The resistance is dedicated to free their town. In the day they are ordinary citizens of Edelstein, but at night they work to overthrow the Black Wings!
The Interface
The first thing you will notice once you login into Maplestory is that the UI has been completely revamped. The new user interface covers the screen as much as the old UI. Fortunately now you can play at 1024×768. This offers the UI to take up a lot less space and allows you to see much more of the map.
Overall, the new UI looks a lot better than the old one. It has more of a clean look to it and the colour choices are much better in my opinion.


The after screenshot was taken in the 1024×768 resolution. Those are not the only changes to the UI, everything from the inventory to dialog boxes has changed.
The Combat
Probably the biggest change I was looking forward to was the change in the EXP curve. Before the Big Bang update, leveling was not very enjoyable. It would take hours before you levelled up at the higher levels. The Big Bang update has lowered the required EXP to level and you receive more EXP per kill.

EXP required from levels 71 to 120.
Although monsters do give you more EXP per kill, they have gained a lot more HP. This means they do take longer to kill. To make up for this, the damage output for all skills has been increased. For example, Strafe now does 150% damage per arrow. This adds up to 600% total damage! Before the update, Strafe only hit 100% damage per arrow. In addition to the damage changes, many skills have improved animations!

Strafe looks so awesome!
HP is not the only thing that has changed about monsters. Almost all monsters have gotten their level and location changed. Areas that once used to be for levels 50-60 players are now for level 80-90 players.
An example of this change is the Straw Target Dummy. The day before the patch I was training on these monsters at level 50. At that time they only had 3000HP and gave 135 EXP. After the maintenance was complete, I logged in to test the game. It turned out I was missing the STDs because they got buffed and received 29,000 HP and gave out 786 EXP! With them being level 81 and the addition of the new accuracy system, there was no way I could hit them!
As hinted in the above paragraph, the accuracy system has been changed. This new system forces you to train on monsters around your level and does not allow rich Maplers to kill whatever they please. This system adds in an extra 5% chance to miss per level that the monster is above you. This means that a level 20 attacking a level 21 monster will have a 5% chance to miss, a level 20 attacking a level 22 monster will have a 10% chance to miss and so on. To make sure you will never miss a monster your level must be greater than or equal to the monster’s level that you are trying to kill. Of course stats still affect your accuracy. Accuracy for physical attacks comes from the dexterity and luck stats while accuracy for magical attacks comes from the intelligence and luck stats.
The actual combat has not changed. You still spam skills and potions to take done monsters. Some quests have been made easier to complete but do not award as much EXP as training. Many are still not worth doing.
Two New Classes
Part two of the Big Bang update comes with two new classes, the Battle Mage and the Wild Hunter. These classes are part of the resistance.

We’ll start off by talking about the Wild Hunter. The Wild Hunter is a crossbowman that rides a jaguar at all times. You can even fight without getting off the mount! He can use the same equipment as archers. Unlike other bowman, the Wild Hunter can attack while moving! He has skills very similar to the crossbowman and the bowman. The Wild Hunter has great mobility and damage and therefore many of my friends and guild mates find him to be overpowered at the moment. For a full list of skills check out the page here.
The Battle Mage is an interesting character. Although they are mages, they fight at a close range. They use staves to attack enemies. They can buff teammates through auras that stay on until the user logs off or when another aura is activated. They have spells such as Dark Chain which pulls enemies towards you and Quad Blow which attacks an enemy four times! For a full list of skills check out the page here.
The mechanic will release in part III of the Big Bang update.
The Maps
After the update it took a little getting used to where the NPCs were placed. The layout of almost all maps including cities has changed. To provide easy access to other islands the ships are now placed in the middle of Victoria Island. Therefore, the centre now acts as a six path crossway leading to all cities.
The world map has been changed a lot and now provides a lot more information. My favourite addition was viewing the monsters on each map. This allows players to find where they will be able to train at higher levels. This also helps out a lot as almost ever y monster was moved.

Conclusion
Overall, this update has done nothing but good to Maplestory. Leveling is so much easier and does not seem like a chore. Although I still hear people complaining about EXP! All classes are much balanced but the new classes could use some changes. There are so many more changes but only the major and my favourite ones were covered.

My friends and I having fun with the Christmas event
Kruimel0 has done a great job compiling a massive thread which includes all current and upcoming changes about Big Bang. The thread can be seen at: Looking forward to part III of the Big Bang update!