DizzyPW got a chance to speak with Dean “Rocket” Hall about his zombie survival mod DayZ!
Monthly Archives: June 2012
Elsword Unlockis Brand-New Continent with Hamel Update
Elsword Unlocks Brand-New Continent and Unleashes a Whole New World
Unveiling new content, award-winning manga-inspired MMORPG, Elsword is now offering players the chance to explore an entirely new continent, gear up with enviable new weapons and face the most challenging foes to date. Starting off in Hamel, The City of Water, gamers can explore two new dungeons, combat fearsome bosses at the end of each stage and hone their melee combat proficiency to achieve the increased level cap and claim the newest titles. A new trailer offers a taste of things to come so check it out!
A series of natural disasters has split the continent of Elrios in half, resulting in the formation of two distinct areas: northern Rulensia and southern Fluone. Players levels 45 and above can travel to the city of Hamel and discover the area’s lush landscapes and abundant resources, but they will soon learn that all is not right in the territory. Devastated by spirits of darkness, the outskirts dungeon will challenge players to overcome the manipulative Shadow Monster, a fiend capable of controlling their actions. In the Sunken Resiam dungeon, players must plan their attacks strategically, employing new underwater gameplay mechanics while battling the undersea denizens.
In Elsword, gamers can choose from five specialized and customizable characters as they explore an immersive world and battle rivals to complete dynamic quests. As players progress through the game, they can evolve their fighting styles by upgrading to new job classes, learn deadly new abilities and master combo attacks. With intuitive and straightforward controls, Elsword offers players of all skill levels the chance to experience the thrill of victory in combat, either on solo missions or cooperatively in a party of up to four players. For those who welcome a challenge, Elsword also delivers action-packed PvP combat.
Meta’s Verse: Issue 23 and the Retro SciFi Pack
Meta’s Verse: Issue 23 and the Retro Scifi Pack
By Meticulous Meta, OnRPG Paragon Reporter
I started playing just after Issue 8 went live. Since then I’ve witnessed 15 issues. They’ve had their share of ups and downs. More ups than downs. Issue 14 nearly broke the game with the Architect Entertainment system. Issue 16 brought about a change to the character creation which gave players even more customization of characters. But in all my time, I have never had so many mixed feelings as I did with Issue 23.
Now, I’m never one to say no to new things, especially new costumes. But it was what the issue was taking away from the game that cast a shadow over it. During the hours leading up to the ultimate removal of Statesman, I stood by his side with torch in hand. At the end I wasn’t alone, a member of the Circle of Jerks joined me and we watched Statesman stand his ground despite the warnings that his doom was only 30 minutes away. Statesman and Psyche’s removal from the game weren’t the only things that made me sad to see this issue. The end of language support for French and German also came about.
Once I got past the depressing changes Issue 23 brought about I still saw a shadow over the game. Why is that? Well because I was standing in Night Ward, the new level 30-35 zone which is a spirit realm copy of First Ward. There are new spooky enemies scattered throughout Night Ward, and if you try to walk close to any of the citizens walking the streets they simply vanish. This is not a realm for the faint of heart.
For those incarnates amongst us there is new lore, a new story arc, an incarnate trial and the hybrid incarnate slot. Don’t worry, I won’t give anything away. But if lore is your thing and you’re incarnate be sure to stop by Ouroboros and talk to Prometheus, the big blue guy. He has quite the story to tell. Belladonna Vetrano, who we were first introduced to in the early days of Praetoria, asks for your help in a big task which ultimately brings in some very big and important NPCs.
And then, there is The Magesterium. To take part in it you must have the Destiny and Lore slots unlocked. This is reported to be the final incarnate story to take place in Praetoria. More importantly it is currently the only way to get Advanced Psychic Incarnate Experience which is required for unlocking the Hybrid incarnate slot. Hybrid is all about focusing on what the core archetypes are lacking, or boosting the abilities you already have. The choice is yours to either become better rounded or even more specialized.
One of my favorite features in Issue 23 is something I’ve felt the game has been lacking for years. NPCs taunting player characters. There isn’t really a whole lot to say about it but it is a fantastic little quality of life change that I welcome wholeheartedly.
Anyone who has been reading Meta’s Verse for any amount of time knows two things. Statesman is/was the man, and I love costumes. Now I can finally happily report that I have reached Tier 9 VIP status! Just in time to get all the Celestial Armor before it was replaced by Mecha Armor. So far I only have the wings and weapons from the Mecha Armor set but I think they are by far the best parts. In addition, free for VIPs, the Chainmail and Leather costume sets were released. The chainmail comes in two varieties: shiny or dull. The shiny looks amazing, but I’ve noticed if I look at it a bit too long it starts to hurt my head. That can be put down to the constant movement of characters though as the dull acts fairly the same way, just takes a bit longer. I haven’t used chainmail yet in anything but I really can’t wait to. Especially since I bought two more costume slots while they were on sale.
In terms of the leather set, I quite like the pants. But, well, I’m all for equal treatment and against the sexual objectification of women still…I want something sexy. Both of these sets alone are a bit too plain to be used. But thankfully they make a wonderful base to start building costumes on and with so many options for layering clothes and symbols it goes a long ways towards helping characters get a unique look.
Beyond all of that a few other quality of life features have been introduced. The TUNNEL system for instance is an alternate way to travel in Paragon City, The Rogue Isles and to Praetoria even. This is the first system of its kind to have such a variety of options. It is open for everyone to use, except Praetorians who haven’t left Praetoria yet. Oh and TUNNEL actually stands for something and it’s a mouthful! Trans-Universal Networking Nexus and Extradimensional Link. I’ve found myself using this tool several times over the last week. But I think remembering to add it to my mental list of ways to get places easily is going to be hard. I barely remember the O-portal most of the time. Another great feature is the long awaited looking for group channel. On Virtue this has been an instant hit amongst most. There were some people who shut it off right away because it can be a bit spammy at times with so many people using it. But that isn’t really a bad thing is it? Oh noes! People are looking for teams and finding them!
Earlier I mentioned buying extra costume slots. And now they’re coming in very handy. That’s because the Retro Scifi Pack has been released! *Kermit flail* Wooo! This pack has a lot of exciting history as being the first time we, the players, got to design something that would be in the game, other than NPCs. The basics were first designed in November of 2011 at the first ever player summit. Then we waited, patiently until February to hear more. This came in the form of an online poll. The players got to vote on a selection of costume pieces which went on to become the set. By the end of the month Dink, everyone’s new favorite character artist, posted screenshots of the progress on the pack. It was a huge success. In April the second player summit was held and they expanded on the hugely successful player creation process. But still there was no sign of the Retro Scifi pack. All of that changed last week when a new addition of Intrepid Informer was released. It, much like this last paragraph, covered the history of the Retro Scifi pack but most importantly announced it would be released June 12th! And now here we are and the pack is out! I’ve been playing with it for several hours testing out the various points that are important to any costume whore.
Theme
The theme was of course selected by the players at the player summit. And every part of this pack fits the theme perfectly. With various rings, a short skirt, and of course the classic bubble helmet this pack to me screams both Jetsons and cheesy old school science fiction movies. My only regret about the theme is that there isn’t a black and white mode of the game.
On the theme of the set @KidA said, “Fun! This game needed something like that. Pulp/Golden Age type characters are really down played in the costume generator. I think at times the costumes focus too much on the grim/modern types or anime than fun superheroics or science fiction. Now if only we could have a moon base or space station set to go with it.”
Glowocity
Ok, so I made that word up. But Paragon Studios has had a thing for glowing costume pieces since they first started putting them in. And I’m not complaining one bit. All the rings on this pack glow, or not depending on what you want. As do a variety of accent parts of the costumes which make you a great target in caves. And handy to have on teams where people forget to bring flashlights.
Variety
They say variety is the spice of life. This set continues the fine tradition of giving us a set that is wildly different from anything else that’s ever been released. This I imagine isn’t an easy task when it comes to things like boots. You would think there are only so many ways to do boots. But every pack released comes with new boots. Usually, like in this pack, several varieties of boots.
Versatility
Finally we get to what is arguably the most important thing in a costume set, versatility. While costumes do come as a set most people prefer to mix and match pieces to make a unique costume. Some sets break apart easier than others. Some have huge problems with clipping or can’t be used with jackets or robes. On this point @Little Green Frog said, “Particular costume elements seem to be working rather well with other costume parts, which is nice.” I absolutely agree with this. The first costume I made was a pinup style swimsuit complete with a swimcap. I don’t have any characters who could use the set as a whole. But I’ve already found uses for most of the parts of the packs by incorporating them into costumes.
I would say this is one of my favorite costume packs so far. They go a long way to put the gender issues of the Gunslinger pack behind them while still offering feminine costume parts. I’m going to be using this pack as part of my costumes for a long time to come. Only three things could make it better, black and white City of Heroes, a moonbase/space station and dual beam pistols. This pack is a must buy for anyone who enjoys making costumes. Issue 23 is full of fun and fantastic new things for us to explore. As I get more time to play through it I learn more about the story of Praetoria and see it to its end. The first part of Signature Story Arc 2: Pandora’s Box has gone live and is a fantastic beginning to a story. Though I highly recommend you do it solo so you can see the full variety of conversational options available. This is an exciting time for City of Heroes and I’m glad that I’m here to see it.
E3 2012 End of Nations Interview w/ Spunkify
Spunkify interviews the head of Petroglyph Games in this E3 exclusive video.
E3 2012 Closer Look: Age of Wushu Schools and Backstory
E3 2012 Closer Look: Age of Wushu Pt 1: Backstory and Martial Schools
By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-in-Chief
Snail Games USA is a company name not often mentioned on online gaming news and review sites, at least not on the western side of the world. They’ve launched a couple of successful titles like The Chosen Online but stayed mostly low key. This E3 they set out to change this and make a name for themselves in the western market with a title five years in the making. That title is Age of Wushu, a 3D martial arts masterpiece so epic, even Jet Lee signed up to be part of the team!
Do you know your Wushu? If not it’s good to know that Age of Wushu is built on the golden age of Kung Fu in China, the 15th century Ming Dynasty. Age of Wushu takes place in an alternate reality coinciding the Ming Dynasty in which the corrupt Emperor Ming Taizu attempted to kill off the martial arts masteries, and succeeded in bringing down many legendary heroes with his highly skilled Royal Guard Wu Ding Ji squadron. However his reign of chaos was ended through the deceit and cunning of Emperor Cheng-tsu who released the “Nine Yin Manual” and other Wushu guides to the public, bringing in a new era of Martial Arts mastery.
This eventually led to a revival of the way of the ancient 6 masters and the creation of two new western schools, making a grand total of eight schools of thought. Let’s go over these schools as they will play a vital part in your adventure.
8 Schools of Wushu
Shaolin: Anyone who knows anything about martial arts should hold Shaolin as among the highest forms of enlightened martial arts. Founded by a traveling Buddhist teacher and Dhyana Master on the legendary lotus flower shaped Mount Song, Shaolin has always sought to perfect their art form in order to maintain righteousness in the land. Those seeking to maintain order without the corrupt influence of magistrates or businessmen should look no further than the Shaolin School.
Master Xuanhuai is the man to see. Seek him out to learn the ways of the Dharma Stick, Buddha Palm, and multiple pressure point strikes designed to separate tendons and render opponents helpless but not fatally wounded.
Wudang: Those seeking an enlightened path in the southern kingdoms may be able to rival the soundness of mind that even Shaolin offers. The Wudang school was founded on Taoist principles and believe that through intense Taichi training, they can counter hardness with softness. Students of Wudang are not only training in martial arts but also agriculture, medicine, and other academic pursuits.
Those seeking to find Dao should look to Zhang Sanfeng, an ancient martial artist famed to have fought off the Mongolian hordes as a youth. He can teach you to channel your inner chi to unleash destructive attacks by channeling it into your fist… or even your chi blade.
Emei: This school stands as an all-female martial arts school hidden away in an unknown forest location, separated from the trials and cares of the outside world. Here Abbess Juechen trains young women to flow in combat like a river to unleash hidden needle attacks and feminine swordplay to overcome larger physically strong foes with finesse and grace.
If you are a female seeking to uphold justice and stand as one of the greatest swordwoman of all time, Juechen will take you under her wing. She holds strong ties with both Wudang and Shaolin as she stood side by side with their leaders during the Mongol invasion. The style taught here is diverse, offering hidden needle projectiles, swordsmanship, and devastating counter-strikes.
Beggars’ Sect: Despite the negative connotation and shoddy dress, the Beggars’ Sect is one of the most righteous and free schools of martial arts. By opening their doors to not only the poor but also military officers, scholars, and anyone who holds justice in their heart, they have diversified their martial arts style while infiltrating every level of society. If you are in need of accessing hidden information or controlling political affairs from behind the scenes, the Beggars’ Sect is the place to be.
Despite their carefree and wide range of membership, Xiao Tianfang maintains order and structure throughout the ranks with his Dog Beating Staff, made from bamboo and representing the strength and sway that the school reflects. Their martial arts range from the fight ending finishing move “Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms” to the defensive and diverse Dog Beating Staff and Yuyang Kung Fu.
Tangmen: There’s two spicy art forms that come out of Sichuan province. One is their world famous hot pots that use spices capable of rendering the tongue numb. The other is the hidden sect of Martial Arts ran by the Tangmen family from their secluded castle. It is said that Tangmen rarely becomes involved with the affairs of Jianghu. However it may just be that the recent increase in political poisonings may be Tangmen working in the shadows.
Tang Tianxing is the current head of the family and the man you will need to see to learn the hidden poison needle arts of the Tang family. They can unleash hidden needles from scrolls and even make it rain needles on their hapless foes from 64 different directions using the master art of “Storm Needle.”
Scholars: One of the newest of the eight schools, Xiao Bieqing founded the Scholars Sect as a means of cultivating the mind in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. From intense internal training in these art forms, the advanced members of the school can even bend the wavelength of music to inflict internal damage on their enemies without ever spilling a drop of blood, ensuring assassinations with no proof of murder.
When meeting Xiao Beiqing for the first time, it would be wise to mention your disgust for government politics and the current power plays happening in the world. He may come off as haughty and arrogant but once you’re among the ranks your sense of enlightenment may do the same to you. As a skilled member of the Scholars, a lute is all you will need to unleash the full force of the Anran Melody, Phoenix Sky, Mingyu Kung Fu, and Bagua Array.
Royal Guards: The Ming Dynasty established an elite intelligence agency known as the Royal Guards in order to supervise the court and report directly to the Emperor on major happenings in his lands. While the intentions were initially good, Huangfu Yao, a rumored follower of the ancient “Evil Blade Master,” corrupted the sect with Evil Kung Fu. Now he uses the guards as his own personal tool of destruction, cutting down anyone who opposes him and trusting no one.
The Royal Guards is a great place to join if morality has no implications on you and you seek nothing but power and position. They offer the diverse teachings of Tianmo and Xiuluo Kung Fu as well as the Shiyue Liuhe Array.
Wanderer’s Valley: Established by an unpredictable and temperamental fortune teller, Wanderer’s Valley carries no official political power or prestige in Jianghu. Instead they seek merely to master the martial arts most practical for winning combat, no matter if others call them out as underhanded or sly for their style. It’s difficult to trace where their arts originate from, but everything from poisoned blades to insects to traps are all canon among their followers.
Shan Tianming is the current secretive leader of the sect. He will gladly teach any of the Duoming sword and Blissful Fist, so long as you agree to join his hidden agendas.
Stay tuned as I’ve only begun my Age of Wushu coverage! We’ll be going over gameplay and features in-depth in an upcoming article.
Renaissance Heroes CBT Impressions
Renaissance Heroes CBT Impressions – Old School FPS with a New Groove
By Michael Sagoe (Mikedot), OnRPG Journalist
In a sea of modern war shooters, old fashion arena style FPS games have taken a backseat in both popularity and general appeal, but ChangYou’s latest title is set to bring back classic FPS action while mixing the old in with the new.
Renaissance Heroes is a multiplayer online first person shooter developed by Bridea, which is set in a fictional 16th century Renaissance where warriors, scientists, thieves and other combatants are on the hunt for the blueprints of the Da Vinci Machine.
Fun fact: Bridea is the same development group behind the now indefinitely suspended Huxley, a previously planned futuristic MMOFPS. It’s a bit disappointing that they decided to scrap their first original game in favor of something less ambitious, but hey: at least this game isn’t stuck in development hell like Huxley was.
Closed beta for Renaissance Heroes began recently with their servers now available 24/7 (was previously available from 4 to 6 PM PST only). With my schedule all over the place, now was the perfect time to jump in.
Upon logging in for the first time: There didn’t seem to be any kind of tutorial for players to get their feet wet. The only way for new players to learn how to play was to either play against bots in AI mode, or join a live match at random. Fortunately for me, I had plenty of experience with these kinds of shooters, so I was more than ready.
Renaissance Heroes features four different characters to choose from, each with their own special attributes, such as Rossi, an apprentice of Leonardo Da Vinci who has an increased damage buff for rifles and increased max ammo perk, or Aisha, a gypsy assassin with increased crossbow damage and increased max HP.

Game modes available in the Renaissance Heroes CBT had a variety of options, such as deathmatch, duels, hyper speed mode, single weapon only, etc. I was hoping to get a few good deathmatch rounds going, but the only rooms I could find were either team deathmatches and bot battles, so I tried starting my own deathmatch room, but no one would join.
Team deathmatch it is, then.
The first couple of matches I played were set in a public fountain and bath called Haman, a very small map built for instant close quarters combat.
Those first matches with Rossi were a complete and total steamroll, mostly because my mad skills carried the team, and I schooled my opponent oh-so badly. Just how badly did I school those players?
Well let’s just say I sat these kids down, I forced them to pay for their text books AND I overcharged on their tuition!
I know I shouldn’t be bragging, but in all seriousness, I was completely on fire just nailing headshot after headshot and kill after kill, and it was more or less the same afterwards when I switched over to playing as Aisha.
Later on, my string of victories started to run out as I was paired up against more experienced opponents. These players were bunny hopping, circle strafing like mad all over the place. They knew the importance of leading your shots, keeping your momentum going, juking crosshairs and controlling the power ups on the map. They really gave me a run for my money.
The weapons you’d find in Renaissance Heroes aren’t the kind you would actually find in the 16th century, so if you were expecting pistols that would take 2 minutes to reload, you’ll be disappointed. Here, you’ll find a semi-traditional arena FPS loadout: Rifles, Crossbows, Cannonball Launchers and Battle Hammers. The amount of weapon types available seems to be lacking, but each weapon has different stats and firing styles, such as the Vulcan Rifle that fires like a machine gun, and another rifle called the Zephyr that fires burst shots.
Crossbows are very much like rail guns found in Quake 3 Arena. Killing enemies with a crossbow shot from long distances is very tough, but satisfying when pulled off. Combine crossbows with a damage upgrade while playing as the gypsy assassin and you’ll be able to one-shot anyone that doesn’t have extra HP or armor on hand. Melee weapons are also quick and easy death dealers with attack swings that have huge hitboxes, give players double movement speed, and to top it off: You can also lob grenades with it. The last weapon type available is the cannonball launcher that can only be picked up as a power up on certain maps. They work much like rocket launchers with huge splash damage and can 1-HIT KO any opponent on a direct hit. The default cannon launcher only gives players three shots, so players will have to make each shot count.
The weapons in Renaissance Heroes (especially the crossbow and the hammer) may seem a bit overpowered, but once players start to get a grip on the game’s potential pacing, it won’t seem like it. Besides: it just wouldn’t feel like a classic FPS shooter without those insta-kill weapons.
While the game sticks its roots in classic FPS gameplay, it also had several features found in modern FPS games such as leveling up to unlock new weapons and items, weapon upgrade systems, achievement systems and more.
Overall, I’d have to say that I enjoyed Renaissance Heroes mostly due to the fact that I haven’t played a twitch-based shooter of this fashion in quite some time, so this was a refreshing change of pace for me. The gameplay is top notch and stays true to classic FPS gameplay, but I’m not quite sure it’s going to be enough to keep players interested in the long run, since it doesn’t have any other mechanics that differentiates itself from other similar titles. Time will tell if things change and improve, of course.
We still have plenty of CBT keys left, so be sure to grab one before its too late!
Renaissance Heroes
Discover the mysteries of Renaissance Heroes, where players enter the world of Leonardo da Vinci. Each of the eight available maps is based on historical locations such as Venice and Constantinople. This MMOFPS offers three different modes, and four different playable characters, each with their own stories and motivations. Each of these modes also offers a variety of styles of play, making battles a unique encounter!
Features
Eight maps: Each of the game’s maps is based on a real world location. Explore da Vinci’s Workshop, wander the streets and canals of Venice, and experience the city of Constantinople.
Three game modes: Free-for-all, team battle, and one-on-one battles are available in the game. Tune them to your fancy with modes like hyper speed, melee only, or rifle only for added challenge.
Quests and achievements: Every day grants a different quest. Unlock over 100 achievements through gameplay as well!
Four different characters: Each character has their own storyline, and their own combat specialization. Learn them all to truly show your skills.
E3 2012 Age of Wushu Schools and Skills Demo
Age of Wushu demonstrates the variety of schools and skills in PvP combat in this exciting E3 2012 trailer.
E3 2012 Age of Wushu Rock Paper Scissors Skill System
Age of Wushu demonstrates how you assign skills and the different types of attacks.
E3 2012 Age of Wushu City Tour
Check out the various locales from the E3 2012 Age of Wushu Demo City.


















