Yearly Archives: 2011

ASDA Story 2 Closed Beta Starts Tomorrow

ASDA Story 2 Closed Beta Starts Tomorrow

 

GamesCampus announced today it will begin the closed beta test for Asda 2 tomorrow, May 5th for a very limited time ending Monday, May 9, 2011. The sequel to the popular fantasy anime-style MMORPG will feature endless variety, hardcore PvP action and numerous customization possibilities.

 

Players in closed beta will encounter the new “Avatar System” which will grant players extensive control over their character’s look and style. Players can also join forces with the revolutionary “Soul Mate” system to level faster and become far more powerful than when playing alone. They will also have the opportunity to gain access to unique Soul Mate abilities and skills, thus gaining bonus item rewards and in-game perks by playing together!

 

ASDA Story 2 Closed Beta

 

“There is already so much anticipation for Asda 2 that we are really looking forward to player feedback as we introduce them to this new title in the Asda franchise,” said said Uyen Uyen Ton Nu, Head of Marketing at GamesCampus. “With a dynamic weather system, new two-Faction PVP system, a unique Soul Mate and Marriage system, a slew of new content and limitless customization being just SOME of the features in Asda 2, players are in for an unmatched new experience.”

 

Asda 2 is the sequel to fantasy MMO Asda Story. Following the storyline of its predecessor, Asda 2 begins with an uneasy alliance between two of the Factions (“Light” and “Dark”) which is planned to use the Day and Night cycles of the sequel’s current ambient weather system to provide tactical factors altering the balance of power in real time, as the opposing sides’ individual capabilities rise and fall with the progression of the game clock.

 

ASDA Story 2 Closed Beta

 

Various PK modes will revolve around this Light vs Dark war. This will include conquering cities together to receive server-wide benefits, taking control of maps to gain access to more powerful items, arena PvP battles, and open world PK areas. Alongside hundreds of quests, players will be able to join together to tackle challenging raid dungeons with boss monsters dozens of times their character’s size for the best items, and form guilds that can level up through the efforts of their members to gain access to even more benefits and rewards.

 

Showcasing a whimsical design and animation style, Asda 2 boasts a “Sowel” system that allows players to customize their appearance by assigning stats to pieces of equipment they have previously unlocked. This puts the power in the players’ hands to be able to personalize their equipment to allow them to have the appearance they want with the specific stats they need. Combined with a deep skill customization featuring 100s of skills, and 8 total classes, players will have their hands full designing a character all of their own.

 

For more information, check out our game profile!

 

Asda Story 2

Asda Story is back and rebuilt from the ground up! In addition to improved graphics and a slicker control scheme, there is much to be found here.

 

Choose between 8 Classes to match your playing style!

Hundreds of skills and dozens of Job Classes to progress through! In-depth item alteration systems allow you to modify your equipment to extreme degrees! Look the way you want without sacrificing stats through the unique Sowel and Avatar Systems!

 

Hardcore Faction-based PvP!

Join either the Light or Darkness Faction and conquer cities to gain server-wide benefits! Earn PvP Ranks, powerful equipment, and some of the best items through the Faction PvP system! Multiple PvP modes and battlefields let you take control of entire maps! Faction Death Matches will allow you to settle grudges personally!

 

Revolutionary Soul Mate and Marriage Systems!

Join forces with your Soul Mate to level faster! Become far more powerful than when playing alone! Gain access to unique Soul Mate abilities and Guild Skills! Get bonus item rewards and in-game perks by playing together!

 

 

KARMA Online: Prisoners of the Dead Closed Beta Imminent

KARMA Online: Prisoners of the Dead Closed Beta Imminent

 

Joymax has revealed information on their teaser site that their newest First-Person-Shooter, KARMA Online will be entered closed beta as early as this month! The teaser site states May 24th as the exact release date. We have featured the teaser trailer as well.

 

KARMA Online initially looks like your standard FPS set in World War II, a setting that has been overdone many times in the last five years. However, they decided to push the envelope with action considered PVPVE or Player versus Player versus Environment. But instead of just going with a cookie cutter ‘environment’ like computer controlled enemy soldiers, KARMA takes a horrific twist.

 

Karma Online Closed Beta

 

The environment you will be forced to deal with is a wartorn Europe in which those who have fallen in battle are back. And they are hungry! Zombies have infested throughout Europe, and with the fate of the world resting on the outcome of the War, neither side is willing to back down. As a soldier on the ground, you will be met with hordes of zombies and ruthless enemy opposition as you battle for dominance. Multiple combat modes will be available including the usual favorites like free-for-all and team battles. A few special modes are included as well such as Escape Mode in which the Axis forces must escape to an extraction point while the Allies attempt to impede their progress.

 

KARMA Online Closed Beta

 

As a side note, signing up early has benefits! Those who register prior to the closed beta will be eligible for some special ‘founders supply’ gear. It’s free and easy so don’t miss out on the opportunity if you are considering testing this game out.

Karma Online

KARMA Online exists in an alternate reality, one in which human kind is punished for its unabated destructive forces that rampaged across Europe during World War II. Take up arms as Axis or Allies, featuring characters representing Russia, America, Germany, Japan, and more. But there is a twist…

 

Not only must you fight for the dominance of your chosen side, you must fight to save mankind from a darker force. Zombies! Hordes and hordes of zombies have overrun the European battleground, fallen soldiers and civiliians seeking revenge.

 

The initial graphics in KARMA look crisp, fresh, and brutal all at once. We are promised great character customization potential as well. There seems to be enough difference between Allies and Axis weapons and tactics that you won’t feel like a clone of the opposition either.

 

In terms of pvp settings, Joymax has created a ranking system to ensure that players are matched against others of equal skill levels, ensuring as many competitive matches as possible. The main storyline will provide players plenty of training before hand to get them geared up for competitive play.

Eden Eternal Interview: More than Cute Looks?

Eden Eternal Interview – More than Cute Looks?

Questions by Robert Chen (Cinderboy), OnRPG Journalist
Answers by Stephanie Cox

 

Aeria Games, one of North America’s top MMO publishers, recently announced its latest MMO in its stable, Eden Eternal. Developed by the creators of Grand Fantasia and Kitsu Saga, Eden Eternal’s main feature is to allow each character to access over 10 classes at anytime. Other than the unique class system, is Eden Eternal simply just another cute-looking anime game? Or is there actually a mean bite beneath its sugar-coated surface? Let’s find out.

 

Eden Eternal Preview Interview

 

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

 

Hi, my name is Stephanie Cox and I’m a Release Associate for Aeria Games. Currently, my team is preparing Eden Eternal for its upcoming Closed Beta testing period.

 

Cinderboy: Aeria Games have worked with Taiwan developer, X-Legend for a few games now. Why the decision to continue publishing the company’s work?

 

As a company, we strive to bring the best online gaming experience available to our passionate community, who’ve come to expect top notch, free-to-play entertainment from Aeria Games. X-Legends has demonstrated their commitment to respecting our company values while thoroughly supporting our launch efforts, which has helped set the foundation for what’s become a successful partnership for both our companies.

 

Cinderboy: What makes Eden Eternal stand out from Grand Fantasia and Kitsu Saga?

 

When it comes to features and gameplay, Eden Eternal is actually quite different from KS and GF. Not only are the graphics a step up, but Eden Eternal also offers more in-depth combat, questing, and guild features. Eden Eternal is stocked with more maps, extra classes (and class switching system), player towns, a Need-or-Greed loot feature and an innovative dye system as well.

 

 

Cinderboy: The English MMO market is not short of cute, anime-styled games. What led Aeria Games into choosing Eden Eternal as the company’s latest title to release?

 

We were blown away by the depth of gameplay in Eden Eternal. Not only will anime fans love the rich, vibrant graphics, but hardcore gamers will be able to look beyond the cartoon exterior to discover a highly involved, innovative MMORPG. Other anime-style games might be appealing superficially, but we’re confident Eden Eternal has enough unique features to keep players coming back for more.

 

Eden Eternal Preview Interview

 

Cinderboy: Are there any worries that players will leave the other 2 games from X-Legend?

 

Not really. All of our games attract a unique audience of dedicated players. Eden Eternal’s focus on in-depth MMORPG elements will likely appeal to a different crowd than those games. Also, it’s not unusual for members of our community to enjoy multiple games simultaneously from our diverse catalog.

 

Cinderboy: Can you briefly describe to us the storyline of Eden Eternal and how players play a part in it?

 

Long ago, all the races set sail from various corners of the horizon, eventually landing one by one on a new continent. At first, each race co-existed in harmony, until differing values within the peoples fractured their once-peaceful relations. The players enter the story as part of a mysterious group of heroes, dubbed the Eternal Guardians, who have recently appeared in the land. Foretold in an ancient legend, these new supernatural beings are prophesied to bring ‘Eden Eternal’ to citizens of this war-torn world.

 

Cinderboy: How many races and classes will be available in the Closed Beta and Open Beta phases?

 

During Closed Beta and Open Beta, the human race and 12 classes are available to players. Beyond that, we will follow a schedule of content releases, including level cap increases, additional playable races, and more classes.

 

Cinderboy: How long a gap is Aeria Games planning before the next race and new classes are released after the initial launch?

 

Players won’t have to wait long for more races and classes. However, the specific dates are not yet available.

 

Eden Eternal Preview Interview

 

Cinderboy: The availability of a multitude of classes at once is a lot for players to take in. Are there any concerns that players might not get used to it?

 

The class swapping system is intuitive to learn and adds so much value to your gameplay experience that we think players will become very attached to it, and instead find it difficult to re-adjust to single class MMORPGs!

 

Cinderboy: How does the class change system basically work? Will players be able to change into another class wherever they are, even during PvP?

 

The only restrictions are that a player cannot switch classes during combat, and there is a 20-second cool down period between transformations. Beyond that, players can freely transform between all unlocked classes, anytime, anywhere.

 

Cinderboy: There seems to be quite a number of things to level up, including character level and the class levels. Will leveling become a chore early on in the game?

 

Your character’s active class levels up whenever your character levels up, so it’s less work than it sounds to meet the prerequisites for additional classes. You’ll unlock the main classes early on, and then you can take a more focused approach.

 

Cinderboy: Each player is basically training various classes in one character, each with different weapons and armor. Is it a concern that players will get tired of hunting for so many equipments and get jaded?

 

Since many weapons and equipment are usable by more than one class, players aren’t forced to extensively deck out a class just to try it out. Beyond that, we expect players to choose a few of their favorite classes to customize and gear up. So many class and gear options add an extra element of personalization to the game, but are designed not to become a tedious requirement for players.

 

Cinderboy: Which method will provide more experience points and items: Killing open world monsters, clearing instances or from questing?

 

Hard to say, since there are various levels and sizes for all three gameplay elements. Speaking in general, for the overall game you’ll probably receive the most experience and items from questing, just because there are so many quests. Completing the entire story will keep players busy for a long time.

 

Cinderboy: I understand that other than a mutual duel, there will be an upcoming Battlefield feature which is currently without any information. Any teasers for our readers on how the system works?

 

We can tell you that players will not have to wait long before their PvP options are expanded. There will be multiple PvP battlefields, ranging from small team fights to larger scale wars, each with their own unique map and rules. We cannot give any specifics on unreleased features, but we encourage you to keep an eye on the website for upcoming news.

 

Eden Eternal Preview Interview

 

Cinderboy: Another feature which is missing details will be the guild and town building system. Are these 2 features linked together?

 

Towns are an extension to the Guild System. Established guild leaders can apply for a town building permit.

 

 

Cinderboy: To what scale and extent can these towns actually be built to and how do they benefit players?

 

Towns present the opportunity to house your own NPC staff of merchants, who play an integral part in upgrades, crafting, and quests in Eden Eternal. Many of these NPCs cannot be found outside of guild Towns. Also, there are only 5 slots for buildings per guild town, but there are a lot more than 5 possible buildings. Players are encouraged to visit other Towns to utilize the full range of Town buildings and merchants. Also, guilds earn money by charging a tax rate for Town visitors. But, likewise, you’ll have to pay a tax to any outside Towns you visit.

 

Eden Eternal Preview Interview

 

Cinderboy: Are there any words you would like to say to our readers before the interview ends?

 

We’ve posted a wealth of extra Eden Eternal info and other goodies on the Eden Eternal Official website. At the website, players can sign up for a chance to receive an invitation to Eden Eternal’s Closed Beta. Also, I’d like to take a moment to talk about Eden Eternal’s official forums, which are already bursting with a passionate, colorful community of players eagerly discussing all things Eden Eternal. We have a ready staff of GMs dedicated to running exclusive Eden Eternal events and contests.

 

Cinderboy: Thank you for your precious time!

 

My pleasure! I’m always happy to discuss Eden Eternal’s awesome features.

Eden Eternal

Eden Eternal is yet another high quality anime-styled game to be released by Aeria Games. Eden Eternal is differentiating itself from Aeria Games’ other titles by following the recent trend of freeing players from the typical locking of character classes.

In this game, you begin your quest as one of six starting classes. However, as you progress through the story you can free yourself from these basic roles by unlocking more classes in a variety of roles. You have the freedom to swap between these classes freely, eliminating the need for ‘alts’ as your ‘main’ can do it all!

 Eden Eternal is leaning towards a diverse set of mostly beastial based races such as a tribe of bear men. Currently five playable races are available, with more to possibly come.

We were also excited to hear that Eden Eternal will feature full guild towns! Not satisfied with your typical guild base, Eden Eternal went through great lengths to develop a system in which guild leaders can construct their own township, providing members of their guild access to rare resources that non-members will be lacking.

Despite its chibi-looks, Eden Eternal also promises fast-paced action combat that will leave slow lackadaisical players dead in the wake of the hoards of baddies you will encounter.

Black Prophecy Unveils First of Many Big Patches

Black Prophecy Unveils First of Many Big Patches

 

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

 

1. Performance in all sectors has been improved.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Black Prophecy Patch

 

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

Sony Online Confirms Theft of Data from Systems

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

 

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

 

SONY Network Hacked

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

League of Legends: Scrapbot to the Dangerzone

League of Legends: Scrapbot to the Dangerzone

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

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Leauge of Legends Rumble

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

To discuss some of the changes yourselves, post in the massive League of Legends thread in the free to play MMOs section. If you haven’t tried League of Legends yet, now is the perfect time.