Yearly Archives: 2011

Eligium Reveals Elves and Pandas

Eligium Reveals Pandas and Elves

 

 

Berlin publisher Frogster released the official website of the fantasy MMO Eligium – The Chosen One earlier today. Fans will now find a forum as well as a growing library of in-depth information and videos on the game’s races and classes. To start off, the details of the pandas and the elves were revealed today.

The Pandas – Masters of Martial Arts

For years they train in the secluded monasteries of their homeland, tempering body and spirit with the aspiration of becoming a monk. Once they have achieved this status, they are able to harness the power of their chi – the energy that flows through every living being – and implement it in battle. Using this life force, they instil fear in their foes, both in close combat as well as long-range fighting. Like the other races, pandas are given the choice between two skill specialisations once they reach level 15.

 

One such specialization is that of the Fire Breather. Panda monks with this designation particularly excel at fortification spells and long-range magical attacks, for example Breath of Fire, which hurls a mighty blast of flame at unsuspecting opponents. In contrast, pandas who opt for the other specialization develop into terrifying close-combat fighters. Through their training, they can learn to create several clones of themselves for support in battle.

The Elves – Arcane Forest Dwellers

The elves are one of the oldest of the four races of Galgaron. These mysterious creatures have inhabited the dense forests since the dawn of time, and over the centuries they have become true masters of long-range combat. As hunters and trappers, they have mastered archery like no other race and always hit their mark, no matter how distant. Like the pandas, elves also have two specialization options. The first is that of the Scout, who is able to attack with deadly precision. The second specialization is of a more defensive nature. Elves who choose this path learn to become almost invisible, darting from one shadow to the next and expertly utilising every possible opportunity for concealment.

 

 

Looking to be one of the first to get into their closed beta? Head over to their forums and check out their pumpkin carving/drawing contest to enter for your chance to win early beta access!

Transformers Universe: NY ComicCon Sneak Peak

Transformers Universe – Sneak Peek and Booth gallery at NY Comic Con 2011!

By Michael Sagoe (mikedot), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

 

In the midst of all the craziness that happened over at NY Comic Con 2011, Jagex Games Studios and Hasbro was there to showcase their upcoming title: Transformers Universe. Powered by an advanced and evolved engine that powers Jagex’s ever popular “RuneScape”, Transformers Universe will continue Jagex’s trend of creating high quality MMO experiences straight in your internet browser.

 

 

Besides from that, very little is known about the game, so I took the time to check out the booth, ask some questions and possible grab some swag!

 

 

The booth for the new Transformers game was set right across from the Hasbro toy gallery, with a gigantic Optimus Prime watching over everything.

 

 

The outside of the booth, you could check out live demonstrations from the animators at Jagex, while getting a glimpse at the level of detail and quality of animation you can expect from the game.

 

 

Inside the booth, guests were treated to an exclusive new trailer which also uses the in-game engine.  Those that are really huge fans of Transformers will appreciate this: Guests got a chance to create their very own Autobot or Decepticon! Guests got to name their bots, select what they transform into and customize their appearances. To top it all off, guests got to take pictures of themselves next to their creations.

 

 

That’s all well and good, but enough about the booth… How about the game? I was able to chit-chat with Laura West to shed some light over all this:

 

 

OnRPG: Could you tell us a little bit more about the engine that will be used in Transformers Universe?

 

Laura: The engine is based on the Jagex’s proprietary engine, the same engine that powers Runescape and has been evolved and enhanced for this new title.

 

 

OnRPG: What “Universe” is Transformers Universe set in? Is it set in one of the Transformers comics or movies?

 

Laura: Transformers Universe is set in the Prime Continuum (based on the ongoing animated series.) The game will start on planet Earth, and as an ongoing MMO, we’ll update and develope it with new content, so where players will be able to go from there contains endless possibilities.

 

 

 

 

OnRPG: Between Autobots and Decepticons, what will be the differences in terms of how they affect gameplay?

 

Laura: Well there are obvious differences between Autobots and Deceptions, as they have different agendas and different ways of doing things. We haven’t announced how they’ll play out yet, but if you could imagine what you could do as a 30 foot Deception, hopefully you’ll get the picture of what they can do in the game.

 

OnRPG: With the core gameplay: Will it be point & click, action based, or a little bit of both?

 

Laura: It’s very much an action based game.

 

 

OnRPG: With the bot customization that was showcased inside the booth: Would that be an example as to how deep the customization will be in the game?

 

Laura:  Yes, very much so. You could say it was a thin slice of what’s to come. After you decide to play as an Autobot or Deception, you’ll be able to select various character classes and determine what your bot will be able to transform into. You’ll be able to color select different parts of your bot, so if you want a giant pink robot, you’ll be able to do so. On top of that, there will be weapon customization as well.

 

 

OnRPG:  As Transformers Universe plans to be a Free-to-play game, what made Jagex decide to continue with that business model?

 

Laura: The free-to-play business model is something that Jagex has worked for the last ten years, and our flagship game Runescape turns ten years old and remains the biggest Free-to-play MMO in the world.  It’s a business model that Jagex is most comfortable with and really trail blazes in the industry.

 

 

OnRPG: With Free-to-play, I assume there will be some sort of item mall. What kind of items will be available?

 

Laura: We haven’t announced the monetization model as such, but the way we like to pitch it is that we are planning to make this game as open to as many players as possible, from hardcore MMO fans to Transformers fans and to people that aren’t necessarily gamers. We want our model to be accessible to all. You can imagine that you could pay a certain amount of money to get an exclusive package, or pay a small amount of money here and there to get a more general package.

 

OnRPG: What kind of learning curve are we looking at?


Laura: Along the lines of what was previously mentioned, the hardcore MMO fans that want to play to the extreme will have all that, but at the same time, we want to make it nice and accessible for casual players that just want to customize their bot to run around smashing stuff.

 

 

OnRPG: So when can we expect a beta test?

 

Laura: We haven’t announced a date yet, but with the launch date set for 2012, it should be fairly soon.

 

OnRPG: Personal question time: Autobot or Deception?

 

Laura: I’m a Decepticon! (laughs) I’m basically evil… I work in PR, after all!

 

OnRPG: Thank you for your time!

League of Legends Spectator Mode Enters Beta

League of Legends Spectator Mode Enters Beta

 

 

Tired of sitting around bored waiting for your buddies to finish a League of Legends match? Well soon you’ll have a new option to pass the time in Riot Games’ acclaimed MOBA, League of Legends. Spectator Mode has entered limited beta and will soon be making its way onto the live servers for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

Spectator Mode allows you to be an invisible 6th member of a team, panning around the map, adding or removing various features like fog of war to make watch the game the way you choose to. With this mode you will now be able to tune in to your favorite player during breakfast, or see your friends trolling the enemy with only a slight delay. No longer will you have to take your friend’s word for granted when discussing their League of Legends accomplishments.

 

 

In addition, Riot President Marc Merrill released a new video discussing the launch of season 2. Professional teams can once again do battle at high-profile tournaments around the world including Major League Gaming, the Electronic Sports League, and the IGN Pro League to rack up points and compete in next year’s Season 2 championship. Combined with spectator mode, these matches will offer players interactivity never before realized in League of Legends tournaments.

 

 

For more information, check out the video announcement here!

Global Agenda Battles Doom Commander This Halloween

Global Agenda Battles Doom Commander this Halloween

 

 

This Halloween level 30 players in Global Agenda can return once more to the Haunted Recursive Colony to wage war against Doom Commander and his minions of evil.

 

 

Doom Commander is launching an all out assault at the Oasis Checkpoint and level 30 agents must stand against this fiend to protect the cage of souls. This defensive raid mission offers tons of Halloween items and a special reward for anyone who manages to complete it! Rewards include various costumes including a brain in a jar, butcher knife, goat skull, devil horns, grimm hood, hockey mask, pirate outfit, pointy witch hat, pumpkin, shattered skull, and more. Of course famous heroes of the Global Agenda universe may be joining in for your battle against Doom Commander so hop into game and see what the action is all about before it comes to a crashing end on October 31st!

Rusty Hearts Releases Natasha the Gunslinger

Rusty Hearts Releases Natasha the Gunslinger

 

 

Perfect World Entertainment is pleased to announce that their action hack N slash title, Rusty Hearts, just became a little more explosive. Natasha the gunslinger brings much needed firepower to ranged combat that was previously lacking with the three melee intensive characters currently implemented in the game.

 

 

Although a swindler by nature, her aims change when her brother dies to the hands of the vampire army. Now she joins Frantz in seeking revenge on Vlad, armed with either twin revolvers or a powerful rifle. The pistols provide excellent crowd control and aoe combinations while the rifle sacrifices defense for pure range firepower. Let’s take a look at the various weapons available to her so your theory crafting can begin!

 

Revolvers:

Holy Peacemakers: Have you made your peace with Vlad? Peace was never an option, but you can pull out these gats and settle your score! Peacemakers can be acquired when you hit level 15, but they’ll serve you well as you embark on your journey through Baramunez. Think of these guns as a stepping stone to domination. Every man– sorry, woman– needs to start somewhere and the Peacemaker is your gateway to greatness. Sporting slightly less durability than the Stinger but similar power, it’s should prove useful in the field.

 

 

Stinger Pistol: Lose your Peacemakers and step your game up with a pair of Stingers. Once leveled to 20 you’ll be able to equip these compact, but deadly pistols. Besides looking like they were forged by Death himself, they’re extremely nimble and quick. Natasha pulls off moves swiftly and efficiently while dual wielding them. In addition to being speedy, these pistols are also one of the most durable pieces in Natasha’s arsenal.

 

 

Engraved Pistols: Ready to “man-up” from those Stingers to something for “big boys?” The Engraved pistols are highly decorated handguns that are meant for business. While they may not be as durable as the Stingers they pack a bit more of a punch by dealing out substantially more damage. Suit up or shut up; it’s time to decide whether you want durability or power.

 

 

Rifles:

Sentient Sonic Boom: This is Natasha’s Boom Stick! It’s a level 25, 400+ Magic and Physical damage Musket. Golden Seal Team top of the line. That’s right, this sweet baby was made in Bramunez! Don’t let minions overwhelm you, strap on your Sonic Boom and let everyone hear who’s comin’. This hefty piece is no joke and will come in handy no matter what the occasion.

 

 

Eraser: Pick up your Eraser and shout to your fallen enemies, “You’ve just been erased!” Look no further for a musket fit for a boss; this golden studded blaster is set to destroy everything in its path. Along with firing like a mad man, you’ll also throw incendiaries to thwart off hoards. Once upgraded from a Sonic Boom, you’ll notice a substantial increase in durability and damage.

 

 

Liberator: Be greeted as a liberator and go ballistic with this single-barrel wrapped around Natasha’s slender fingers. This heater will pummel enemies in to submission, or death, with ease. With monstrous magic and physical damage abilities, it’s difficult to resist. While it’s extremely powerful, it isn’t the toughest gun. You’ll need to keep your distance and play it safe with this musket equipped.

 

 

Still not satisfied but stuck at work and unable to play? Well here’s the Developer’s Diary Video 6 featuring a look at Natasha and her many sexy outfits!

Fallen Earth: F2P Apocalypse

Fallen Earth: F2P Apocalypse

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

 


‘I heard a strange voice telling me that I needed to escape the Hoover Dam and I had to listen to her to succeed. I didn’t have any other information so I quickly did immediately what she said. After accomplishing my first objective, I was got told that I was a clone and that’s why I couldn’t remember anything from my previous life. A bunch of mutations are attacking the facility of LifeNet and the Technician Elena Winters is leading me to safety. After briefly questioning her about what in the world was happening in the LifeNet facility I had to find myself a weapon to defend myself with. I found an axe in a corpse’s head and decided to take that to have at least some sort of protection. After helping other survivors and killing rebels I had to do the most important task that only a clone could’ve done easily. I had to take a suicide drive on an ATV with a bomb into a vault so the facility wouldn’t be completely destroyed. I successfully drove the ATV into the vault and that is the last thing that I remember.’

 

 

Fallen Earth is a free-to-play MMO developed and self published by Icarus Studios, and later bought by GamersFirst who hired the new development team now known as Reloaded Productions Cary. It’s a game that takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland located around the Grand Canyon. Post-Apocalyptic games, along with zombie games, have been growing in popularity recently and Fallen Earth may very well be the pinnacle of that experience in the online market. The game was released on September 22 in the year 2009 and it recently went free-to-play with several different subscription possibilities. Everyone is freely able to play all of the in game content and the different subscriptions bring some more advantages to those willing to support the game.

 

 

Gameplay

When the player is done with the tutorial they are given a choice of starting location. Different villages specialize in various crafts as well as weaponry so your starting location is important for how you want to build your character to maximize your potential. I decided to start off in Zanesville and got introduced to the big wasteland that was lying ahead of me. I got my first feel for the new world killing salvagers and salvaging what they had salvaged. While this might be frowned upon in our society, in Fallen Earth there aren’t any pesky police to bother you with laws and regulations. In fact most of the quest line is spent with you taking up the role of sheriff and bringing your own kind of justice against various factions in order to gain respect and currency from the local populace.

 

 

Every player that has played Fallen Earth before or still plays cannot deny all the possibilities your character can choose from. The game has a truly rich crafting system that makes the game a real challenge and a lot more fun. I myself am a big fan of games with a crafting system and Fallen Earth is one of the top games using a crafty crafting system. Now I’m not talking about simple MMO crafting stereotypes like weapons and armor (though that’s included too!) You can go about crafting your own tools and even your own vehicles if you’re willing to put enough of a time investment into the game. Crafting is one of the main professions that will help you survive the post-apocalyptic wasteland and it will make traveling much easier. When the player starts off they are able to acquire a horse pretty fast; unfortunately the horse isn’t that fast and requires food to regain energy. The vehicles however only run on fuel but are more efficient than a horse. You are able to get weaponry on your vehicle and you can even upgrade the vehicle’s armor when you are ready to cause some real mayhem.

 

 

Graphics

Fallen Earth is a great looking game and the wasteland gives the game a unique feeling when you travel to different places and villages. You will find every village has a different story of how it survived the other factions and mutations. To play this beauty of game you need the following system requirements:

 

Minimum Hardware Requirements

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz or Athlon 64X2 2.4 GHz

RAM: 2 GB for XP, 3 GB for Vista, 2 GB for Windows 7

Video Card: nVidia GeForce 6600, ATI Radeon X1300

RAM (dedicated): 256 MB

Free hard-drive space: 10 GB

DVD Drive

Broadband Connection

 

Recommended Hardware Requirement

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.40 GHz or equivalent

RAM: 3 GB for XP, 4 GB for Vista, 3 GB for Windows 7

Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS, ATI Radeon 3870

RAM (dedicated): 512 MB

 

 

If you have no clue whatsoever about computer specifications and all that other stuff only tech geeks would know, I think everyone with a computer that has been purchased in the last four to five years is most likely able to run this game just fine.

 

 

Conclusion

Fallen Earth is a great title and it is a shame it didn’t work as a pay-to-play game. However since it turned to a free-to-play game the community has grown massively to the point that major server maintenance was required to handle the population load. The game world really shines and makes it feel like you’re experiencing something new in an MMO. Between the storyline and the in-depth crafting system you will feel truly engrossed in your character and his or her survival. The game gives you a wide variety of items and equipment that you are able to craft and this is really an experience changing factor of the game. There are a lot of different choices that you can make to impact your character’s style. I personally liked the game since I tested it before it came out in 2009 and it is great to see the game is really well supported and will have a bright future. If you are a big fan of post-apocalyptic games or just want a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon, then you should definitely spend a few hours in the world of Fallen Earth.