Yearly Archives: 2011

Majesty Online: A Noble Effort Worth While?

Majesty Online: A Noble Effort Worth Your While?

By Mitch Baylosis-Benesa (Syllica), OnRPG Journalist

 

You have to give props to the noble efforts of Chinese developer 77.net for introducing another possibility in real-time strategy games like they did with Majesty Online. They created a browser-based game that puts the player in the gray area when it comes to control. While most browser-based RTS games focus on making you build everything from scratch including your resources and military, Majesty Online seems to stand out by letting the player experience the combined elements of the typical RPG questing mode and the typical RTS building and upgrading features. But the question is, does the concept work?

 

Gofer Mode ON

 

Having played my fair share of browser-based RTS over the past couple of years, Majesty Online proved to be quite a surprise in terms of presentation and intensity. In this game, you are not someone who must establish a village and rise up the ranks to unite the kingdoms of the world. You are a character surrounded by well-known historical figures depending on which empire you chose at the beginning: the Empire of Charlemagne, the Empire of Alexander, and the Roman Empire.

 

Majesty Online Review

 

Unlike other browser RTS, you are much more dependent on quests to level your character and expand your army to aid the leader of your empire. How you strengthen your given resources and military (like upgrading horse stalls, collecting taxes, buffing tech and military components) will be your key to finishing quests quickly. However, don’t expect much substance from the quests. There isn’t much to read (and some even suffer from translation errors). Your quests are basically just an excuse for Aristotle or Leonidas to make a gofer out of you.

 

I Might As Well Marry My Character

 

Graphics-wise, the game employs the usual isometric view that most browser-based games are known for. What came as a surprise was the art for each character and the consistency of my character’s animation. I honestly think Alexander’s blond looks are quite fetching, and Leonidas eerily resembles that this-is-Sparta dude.

 

Majesty Online Review

 

My Alexandrian Empire character Syllica actually runs from the Babylon Palace to deliver Alexander’s orders to Themistocles of Thebes. She wields her sword in the Practicing Area and actually digs if left to collect resources, which is pretty cool since it helps tap down my impatience while waiting for my fort wall and army upgrades.

Majesty Online Review

Familiar, Yet So Different

 

Each town has a very unique feel to it. Different layouts and different styles make you feel like each place you go is really something new to explore compared to the templates repeatedly employed by other browser RTS games.

 

Majesty Online Review

 

Majesty Online plays like any familiar RTS-you fight for a higher cause, you constantly need to recruit and equip your heroes and upgrade resources, you do random battles with monsters and other players in turn-based combat, you siege other empires, etc. However, the questing component can be a double-edged sword in the game. While it makes sure that you have a certain direction or path in the game, it does take away your full control since the factors that you usually put first in regular RTS are a given already.

 

Majesty Online Review

 

Furthermore, the questing can feel repetitive when you are at the point when you want to do sieges, church war, PvP, or taking a chance at a Waterloo conquest instead. The sound is quite standard, but even this is a bonus in itself since sound effects like background music and fighting grunts are quite rare within the genre.

 

Majesty Online Review

 

How it is played is familiar, but it will definitely court a different kind of interest. Overall though, I believe Majesty Online delivered quite well in presenting something new and challenging.

 

Lineage 1 to Close North American Servers

Lineage 1 to Close North American Servers

 

After much deliberation, NCsoft has made the difficult decision to shut down the original Lineage servers in its Western markets. Unfortunately, after more than 10 years, the original Lineage franchise is no longer financially viable in the West. On June 29, 2011, at the normal maintenance time, all the original Lineage NA servers maintained by NCsoft will shut down permanently.

 

As of May 11th, no new accounts can be created on their servers. However all old accounts have been reactivated and everyone can play for free for until the servers are permanently closed on June 29th.

 

Lineage 1 Closes

 

For their faithful subscribers, fear not. NCsoft will be refunding any unused game time purchased.

 

Nyx, Jetzen, and Unicycle plan to go out with a bang. Though there will not be any additional content updates, a US Ruleset change and lots of great events are planned for the next two months. NCsoft wants to give its players every opportunity to make all of your remaining Lineage dreams come true. It’s a race against the clock so those interested had better get started now!

 

The Lineage Team had the following to say to its player base:

 

“We know that we have incredibly loyal fans that have stood by us for the past ten years. As painful as it was, as a business, we had to make a very difficult, but necessary, decision. We thank you for your continued support. We want you to know that we will be offering you a chance to try other NCsoft games for free to express our gratitude for your years of loyalty to Lineage. “

 

And so a legend among MMORPGs fades into history to pave way for a hopefully bright future of gaming.

 

Eden Eternal Closed Beta Launch Announced

Eden Eternal Closed Beta Launch Announced

 

Aeria Games today revealed that Closed Beta will begin for Eden Eternal on June 2. Interested players can sign up for a chance to receive an email invitation to Closed Beta at the Eden Eternal website.

 

Eden Eternal Closed Beta

 

Long ago, all the races of the world set sail from every corner of the horizon, each searching for a new life. One by one, they landed on a new continent in the center of the world. At first, the people co-existed in harmony until differing values eventually shattered their peaceful relations. War spread across the region for years, until recently. A new set of heroes has mysteriously appeared, promising to restore order to the troubled citizens. Join the Eternal Guardians as they fulfill their heroic destiny.

 

Eden Eternal Closed Beta

 

Eden Eternal features many details not normally included in your cookie cutter MMORPGs:

 

Freely Switch Classes – Players are not restricted to just one class per character. Instead, freely swap between up to 15 unique classes! Begin as a Warrior or Magician. As you progress, you’ll unlock the remaining classes. (12 available during Beta) We have a trailer video of many of these classes in action here.

 

Player Towns – Build a thriving center of commerce, complete with your own staff of NPC merchants. Visit others towns to take advantage of the full range buildings. Be sure to shop around – each town can charge a tax rate to visitors!

 

Epic Dungeons Designed for Large and Small Groups – Charge through a variety of solo, 3-man, 5-man instance and raid dungeons. Each dungeon contains unique challenges and treasures for dedicated players.

 

Eden Eternal Closed Beta

 

Aeria Games is hosting an avalanche of exciting events during CBT. OnRPG will keep up-to-date with the news surrounding all things Eden Eternal.

 

Fiesta Online’s Latest Update: Trickster Class

Fiesta Online’s Latest Update: Trickster Class

 

Outspark has launched the new Trickster class for Fiesta Online. The Trickster is an expert at dealing damage in a short amount of time with their dual swords or claws. They are trained assassins, taught to detect weaknesses and overpower their opponents.

 

Fiesta Trickster

 

With every slash of a claw or strike of a blade, the Trickster acquires a soul – a living essence used to unleash forceful attacks, powerful enough to bring even the toughest opponents to their knees. The Trickster’s main attributes are strength for damage, and dexterity for evading attacks. Reach level 20 and become a “Gambit,” maximizing skills and power. At level 60 they can upgrade once more to the ultimate “Renegade.”

 

This class brings a brutal but squishy melee dps class that was previously lacking in the Fiesta world. Through their poison damage over time attacks, they can get in, get out, and still ensure targets are fatally wounded before the enemy can react and counter them. Of course range is their greatest weakness but in the right situation, this class cuts through the competition.

 

Be sure to check out our video profiling this new class.

 

Dragon Fable Season Finale: Friday the 13th!

DragonFable’s biggest villain is preparing to launch an attack this Friday the 13th.

 

Artix Entertainment invites all its players this Friday, May 13th, at 8 PM EDT to participate in the grand finale of its longest-running storyline in the hit online RPG, DragonFable.

 

Dragon Fable Friday 13th

DragonFable is Artix Entertainment’s second oldest game. It was launched in the summer of 2005 and, just like AE’s five other games, it releases new content every Friday. One of the very first storylines introduced in the game was about a very powerful villain named Sepulchure trying to find and collect all eight of the game’s elemental orbs. Elemental orbs are very powerful objects that give whoever possesses the orbs great power over those elements (fire, water, earth, etc). Throughout the past six years, players have fought very difficult battles to find all of the orbs and keep them out of his evil hands. Sepulchure is a powerful enemy, and he controls three of the eight orbs. The next epic battle this Friday will be the most challenging confrontation yet – Sepulchure will attempt to take control of the remaining five orbs.

Darkness is strongest on every Friday the 13th, and this year, 2011, there is only one. Sepulchure has been waiting very patiently for the darkest day of the year to arrive and that day is Friday. Be part of this grand battle this Friday at 8 PM.

WHAT: The end of the longest running storyline in all of AE’s games.

WHEN: Friday, May 13th, 2011 @ 8 PM (EDT)

WHO: Sepulchure, the AE Team, & YOU!

WHY: To try to keep Sepulchure from getting the remaining five elemental orbs.

WHERE: In-game at www.DragonFable.com

Once this epic battle is over and the Chapter 1 storyline concludes, DragonFable will continue growing into new and exciting adventures and challenges. Stay tuned for upcoming news about the game’s Chapter 2… players will be surprised!

League of Legends: Bringing The Vayne

League of Legends: Bringing the Vayne!

Patch v1.0.0.117, Tenacity, Vayne

By Jason Harper (Hhean), OnRPG Journalist

 

League of Legends Vayne Review

 

Greetings fellow summoners! This is the patch v1.0.0.117 article for League of Legends, the most tenacious of games. This patch includes the addition of the Tenacity stat, and Vayne, The Night Hunter.

 

Vayne is the result of splicing Batman and Bayonetta into one deadly killing machine. She’s a very strong skirmisher and ranged damage dealer, focusing on one target at a time. Anyone familiar with other ranged carries (Ashe, Tristana, Corki, Miss Fortune and so on) will find her a familiar champion to play.

 

The key to Vayne is her Tumble [Q], which is both an incredible defensive ability, and dramatically increases her damage output. Skillshots might as well not exist once you get familiar with timing it. Its low cooldown and mana cost means she can just roll her way around any fight that comes her way. The only downsides to the ability are that the cooldown only starts for the next Tumble once you have fired a single autoattack, so you have to keep this in mind when using it to flee, and that unlike many other dashes, it won’t go through walls.

 

Her standard harassment game during laning is sitting just outside an enemy’s reach, behind minions or in a bush, waiting for the enemy to blow an ability when they’re out of range, then Tumbling forwards to give them a shot to the face before retreating again. If the enemy gets too cocky, either shoot while rolling back to safety, or take the all or nothing bull charge offensive!

 

When you want something to die, and die very fast, her standard combo is Final Hour [R], attack, Tumble, attack, Condemn [E] (This will trigger Silver Bolts [W]), Tumble, attack, and so on. Really, if they aren’t dead by the initial combo though, you’re likely doing something wrong, or are grievously struggling for gold and experience. Her damage output on single targets is completely loco, able to easily down champions a number of levels above her due to her sheer wrecking ball potential.

 

League of Legends Vayne Review

 

Condemn can be used to buy you time when kiting an enemy around, but be careful with this trick, since firing it off too early may mean you don’t get a stun later on, which would buy more time to run for it than a simple knock back. On the offensive, it is really only something to use if you think you can pin someone to a wall with it, netting you a stun (and likely a kill) or knocking them back into your waiting friends. The latter is risky business though, because Vayne is the squishiest character I’ve played in a good long while, and will die if an enemy so much as breathes on her. A single 1.5 second stun is more than enough time for her to lose all her health, since all of her survivability comes from abusing Tumble.

 

One important thing about Vayne – Her farming potential is terrible. She’s great at last hitting in the lane, using her Tumble to reset her attack animations to net last hits in short order, but once the waves get larger later on she’s worthless. She has no way of hitting multiple targets at all, so once laning is done with, just concentrate on murdering people for your gold. Yeah, last hit from time to time the odd minion, but if you’re not chasing enemies to murder, and are farming in a lane by yourself, you’re not using her properly.

 

You may have noticed that I haven’t talked about her passive, her ultimate (Final Hour) or her Silver Bolts. This is because they are fairly self explanatory. Her passive lets you chase people down easier, her ultimate is a steroid that lets her damage go up while also enhancing her kiting and juking capabilities, and silver bolts helps you murder people after every third hit. They’re not really the primary parts of her game plan, but they certainly help.

 

League of Legends Vayne Review

 

At level 1, pick up Tumble. Grab Condemn at 2. You’re now ready to get all the kills. All of them. Level 4 is Silver Bolts. My skill order is Final Hour > Tumble > Condemn > Silver Bolts. I do change this though if I see the enemy team is very tank heavy, and will swap the order of Condemn and Bolts.

 

Start out with a Doran’s Blade. I’ve honestly been trying to find something I can pick up at the start that builds into something useful on her, so I can use some potions, but I keep turning up blank. The only item down that route I can come up with is a sapphire crystal, but its next to useless on her until it can be built into something later, as she barely consumes any mana at all.

 

After that, I’ve been hearing all sorts of interesting gimmick builds for her, but really, she’s fine if you just build her like any other ranged carry. Infinity Edge, Banshee’s Veil, Berzerker’s Greaves, Last Whisper are the stock standard loadout for any character of this sort, and it works very well on her. Sheen/Trinity Force are excellent items on her though, especially due to the combination of Sheen’s damage and Phage’s slow that increases her kiting abilities nicely. Madred’s is nice against tank heavy teams, or if you don’t have a strong jungler to help with downing Baron, due to the item’s synergy with Silver Bolts. I personally would recommend the new Cloak and Dagger on her against crowd control teams. It’s cheaper than a Brutalizer, and acts like some damage dealing Mercury Treads. Very nice if you’re getting caught out by crowd control a fair bit.

 

League of Legends Vayne Review

 

For her Masteries I ran the standard 21/0/9 I tend to use on most ranged characters, though 9/0/21 is also effective for greater mobility. Grab the experience masteries if you’re solo laning with her, but otherwise they’re a waste in a duo.

 

For her runes I’ve been rolling out with Armour Penetration Marks and Quintessences, Armour Seals, and Magic Resist Glyphs. If I had any other attack speed runes except the Glyphs I use of jungling I might have tested out Phreak’s build, but putting attack speed in your Seals just seems a bit obscure to me, and a waste of IP for use only on one character. Her Seals and Glyphs are really up for choice though, and I could just have easily used some cooldown reduction for more tumbling, or gone for the standard ranged carry loadout of putting mana regeneration per level runes in Seals. She’s quite forgiving, and I’ve not really had problems with any loadout I’ve tried on her.

 

Vayne is exceptional at what she does – Skirmishing and damaging one person. She’s great fun to play simply because her positioning game is so interesting, and were a new player to pick her up, they could only learn good habits from the character. The problem with her though is her limited scope. Her ganking potential is good, but she won’t simply burst someone down instantly like a few other champions, so her role as an assassin isn’t great. Using her as a Carry also has severe drawbacks, because every good carry in the game has some form of area of effect abilities for team fights and general farming. Not having anything to hit multiple targets is a massive drawback on this sort of character, and while she’s great fun and not bad at all, she’s simply outclassed by her peers.

 

League of Legends Vayne Review

 

This patch has proven me to be full of changes long overdue! Oh look, a nerf to Catalyst the Protector. To be fair though, I was actually expecting something more severe than it simply taking a while to build up the mana and health from the item. This really only nerfs the baiting game that could be pulled by the catalyst to save you from incoming ganks before turning it around on people. So, not bad. The interesting part is that Rod of Ages gained this too, but Banshee’s Veil didn’t. A nice little knock from Riot there.

 

The greatest addition in this patch though has to be the new Tenacity stat, and its associated items. I’m sure I can’t have been alone in saying that the monopoly held by Mercury Treads as the only crowd control reducing item in the game limited builds severely, and placed much too much emphasis on a single item. Now we have much more options when dealing with a crowd control team, allowing carries to pack the Cloak and Dagger, mages to hold the Moonflair Spellblade, and support to pocket the Eleisa’s Miracle. My only criticism of the addition is that there is no new category for Tenacity under defense, so finding these things through their other derived stats can be a real pain.

 

Now all we need is greater variety in how we choose our spell shield items (Provided they didn’t stack, of course. That’d be silly). I’d really like to see Banshee’s Veil given the Zhonya’s Ring treatment and broken into different items to allow for more diversity.

 

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.

 

Project B Brought to Light. Brawl Busters is here!

Project B Brought to Light! Brawl Busters is Here!

 

Rock Hippo Productions announced today its upcoming online multiplayer action game, Brawl Busters. Co-published with Weezor and developed by SkeinGlobe, Brawl Busters (formerly known as Project Plan B), is a fast-paced, free-to-play third-person action game that promises competitive fun at its funkiest. Beta applications are now being accepted for the first go-around of the game.

 

Brawl Buster Preview

 

Brawl Busters is a dynamic new action brawler that features competitive and co-operative battle modes all in a unique third person view. With its simple and intuitive controls, this easy to pick up and play game makes team strategy a must as player’s battle against each other or team up against computer controlled enemies.

 

Players will find five unique character classes including the Slugger, the Firefighter, the Rocker, the Boxer and finally, the Blitzer. Withits signature funky visual style, the game will offer seven exciting maps and will also feature a huge variety of customization options including body type, gender, weapons, costumes and accessories along with the ability to upgrade weapons and costumes with new abilities. Brawl Busters will feature an intense Training Mode, Challenge Missions, leader boards and persistent stat tracking.

 

Brawl Buster Preview

 

“Brawl Busters was developed for a Western audience from its very inception and with Rock Hippo’s well established publishing background in North America and Europe, we expect yet another great success story,” said Seul Ki Lee, CEO of SkeinGlobe. “SkeinGlobe’s mission is to deliver the absolute best online gaming experience to players across the globe. We’d like to thank all the patient fans of project ‘Plan B’ as we take the game to its next phase with the upcoming release of Brawl Busters. We will work very closely with Rock Hippo to let players experience our vision for this game as soon as possible.”

 

Be sure to check out a slew of images and the class trailer at our game profile.