Yearly Archives: 2012

Riot Games Shares its Vision for the Future of eSports

Riot Games Shares Its Vision for the Future of eSports

 

League of Legends Championship Series

 

Riot Games, the company behind the most-played PC game in the world, League of Legends, today shared its vision for the future of eSports. Beginning in early 2013, the best players on the planet will compete in the League of Legends Championship Series – a new professional gaming league with teams from North America, Europe and Asia, multiple regular season matches each week, and HD streaming broadcasts available globally for free.

 

 

“Talking to players around the world, they repeatedly asked if we could kick League of Legends eSports into higher gear,” said Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games. “The new League of Legends Championship Series is our answer. Millions of fans tune in every time we support a major League of Legends tournament, so we’re broadening that support in an unprecedented way.”

 

 

League of Legends Championship Series key facts:

 

Global Operations: The top eight teams from both North America and Europe, plus top teams from Asia, will compete for regional and global dominance.

Millions of Dollars on the Line: Salaries, prize pools and other compensation for Championship Series teams will ensure League of Legends is a sustainable career choice for professional players.

Regular Season and Playoffs: eSports fans will get to see teams battling in the traditional format of organized sports – a regular season with several matches per week, culminating in regional playoffs and a World Championship, which will crown the world’s best League of Legends team.

Free, HD broadcast events: League of Legends fans will watch Championship Series matches live online with HD broadcast streaming that is always 100% free.

 

League of Legends Gameplay

 

The upcoming Season Two North American and European Regional competitions have momentous consequences for next season’s Championship Series: the top three teams from each region will pre-qualify for the league. The Regionals are:

 

European Season Two Regionals @ Gamescom in Cologne, Germany – Aug. 16 through Aug. 19


North American Season Two Regionals @ PAX Prime in Seattle, Washing – Aug. 30 through Sep. 2

 

 

While the Championship Series will represent the absolute highest level of competitive play in League of Legends Season 3, the competition will also be fierce in the Challenger Circuit, which consists of events hosted by Intel Extreme Masters, Major League Gaming, and the IGN Pro League. “IEM, MLG and IPL are invaluable partners, and we’ll continue to work closely with each of them in Season 3 as they foster the next generation of League of Legends competitors,” said Dustin Beck, vice president of eSports at Riot Games.

Black Prophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict Proxzor Impressions

Black Prophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict Proxzor Impressions

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Have you ever wanted to fly a spaceship? Well, what kind of question is that actually, of course you do! Who doesn’t want to fly their own ship in space and fight pirates and other criminal scum that roam the dark reaches of space? It’s all possible in Black Prophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict, a Sci-Fi title that takes place in the world of Black Prophecy, a space flight sim that was launched by gamigo in mid-2011. Now is your chance to become part of the war, fight for control of enemy controlled and neutral regions and defend them when needed. Since I played its predecessor I couldn’t wait to see what they learned from their previous success.

 

The Features

Even though the game is still in Closed Beta and subject to changes, the community seems to expect major improvements from its predecessor. Now don’t take me wrong, Black Prophecy is a brilliant game with top notch production value for free-to-play MMO. But it also had some mistakes and just lacked enough features and content to entertain me longer than a month. As soon as I glanced at the features list on the site I knew this would not be an issue the second time. There will be 18 different ship types ranging from small corvettes to gigantic carriers. Black Prophecy offered decent customization but 18 entirely unique ship types if a whole new level. There will also be 30 regions in Black Prophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict and 22 of those can be conquered.  PVP is also given a much heavier focus this time around.

 

 

Now before jumping into the game, I was skeptical about this new PvP focused direction. To succeed in this mission they would need a world that was enjoyable to fight over, as well as rpg elements that would keep players coming back for more. 30 regions initially didn’t seem like a lot of room to play with in an MMO but perhaps they were large regions? BP Tactics also promises 350 ship modules to allow comprehensive upgrades and individualized equipping of battleships. This sounded like a strong start to me as that many variations would hopefully prevent cookie cutter builds from dominating in PvP. There will also be some sort of skill system to increase the number of tactics at a player’s disposal in combat. And last but not least there will be tactical roles in a group. Now you might be thinking huh tactical roles, this isn’t World of Warcraft? Nope it’s not and that’s why I am really curious to see how this will work out. It’s hard to imagine rolling as a tank, healer, or damage dealer in space.

 

 

 

 

First Impressions

So let’s roll into the game, first off I got the choice between two Factions. The Geniden and the Tyi, The Geniden are the first of the new human species. They were bred on Sabiador and hardly require any sleep and also heal from wounds fairly quickly. They are also able to communicate telepathically, and most of them are resistant to plagues and diseases. They think quickly and are able to observe ultrasonic and infrasonic sound and have a long life expectancy.

 

 

The Tyi is the other human species, their genetic alteration also originated on the planed of Sabiador but since they had reached a population of millions, the final frontier became their new home. The Tyi are striving for self-determination and traveled to the stars to found the new mighty colonies of Atebathos, Muma and Irata IV.

 

 

I chose to go with the Geniden because I felt going the route of a suicide bomber as a species with an incredibly long life expectancy was completely boss. All I lacked was a suitable name to match this philosophy. I finally settled on Bob123 and was ready to board my first vessel! Oh wow these buttons, these graphics… This style of interface seemed quite familiar. Oh that’s right, well I’m not going to name it but they certainly have had a good look over at another game that’s for sure. Even the controls, the name, the way your ship moves and flies and turns its… I have definitely seen this before. However despite enjoying the UI immensely, I was deeply disappointed in the look of my miserable startership. I seriously hoped at the time that the rest of the ships will look a ton better because well…  a 3 year old with Legos could make something better looking than my flying scrap metal.

 

 

Now when I first tried the original Black Prophecy, I was excited as the game was actually refreshing and new. By playing Black Prophecy you knew it was trying to muscle in on the audience EVE had built in the SciFi space flight genre, but in a way that was far separated from the foundations EVE was established on. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about Black Prophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict. Sure I mean this game is still in Closed Beta but I seriously have the feeling now that I am playing Eve Online from a much earlier build. I still play EVE Online regularly and as a Black Prophecy fan this really hurts to see.

 

 

Now I will admit not everything is just recycled features from EVE. The mini cam for instance allows you to see useful statistics while fighting off an enemy. You will see when his shields go down, when it’s low on health and when it’s exploding. But besides that the sounds, graphics, and overall interface just lacked the visceral power that a space flight title needs. When shooting my laser for the first time it felt like I was scanning my enemy instead of actually trying to hurt it.

 

 

Graphics

As stated above the graphics department is lacking compared to some competitors in this genre. I feel the excellent ship customization options are just lacking when the graphical representation is done so poorly.

 

 

Conclusion

Despite bearing the Black Prophecy name, I found this title to be nothing like its successor. While the successor breaks the mold in production value, story, and overall responsiveness of flight in an MMO, BP Tactics simply copies tried and true formulas but falls flat on the overall execution. The heavier focus on PvP content seems to be the strongest point of this title, and one they will have to rely heavily on to compete in this market. I look forward to seeing this title after its full launch to see if they can put together the rest of the pieces to make a complete and enjoyable title.

OnRPG Shotgun News 8/6: Vanguard, FireFall, City of Steam, and ChangYou!

OnRPG Shotgun News 8/6: Vanguard, FireFall, City of Steam, and ChangYou!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Vanguard Going Free to Play

 

SOE has announced that Vanguard is going free to play on August 14th. With the new free to play status are coming a few new features which include a new website and marketplace. The starting areas are also getting a revamp and class restrictions based on race have been removed.

 

 

ChangYou Profits Up

Just days after announcing the closure of Zentia the makers ChangYou have announced profits and revenues are up in the second quarter of 2012. The key to ChangYou’s success is the rise in the average revenue per user (ARPU).

 

 

First European Firefall Tournament at Gamescom

 

The first European Firefall Tournament will be held at Gamescom this year in partnership with the Electronic Sports League. The Tournament will be held over three days ending with the finals on Saturday August 18th.

 

 

City of Steam Wraps Up Alpha Weekend 3, Announces 4

After having a very successful third Alpha weekend Mechanist, the makers of City of Steam have announced they would be hosting a fourth weekend starting on August 17th. Those who have already taken part in Alpha weekends will be able to do so again on the next weekend. For those who haven’t taken part yet OnRPG has Alpha codes for you.

Black Phophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict

Set in the world of Black Prophecy, Black Prophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict is a browser based strategy game focused on commanding your own armada. After humans discover technology allowing them to travel beyond the speed of light, they discover a place called the Nexus, where universes collide. Begin your path to conquest with a simple, small ship, and rise through the ranks to own the stars with your mighty fleet!

Features

Choose your side: and become part of the war! Fight for control of enemy-controlled or neutral regions! Defend the regions under your control against enemy attacks.

Command individually equipped battleships in tactically challenging real-time battles in space

18 different ship types (from small corvettes to gigantic carriers)

30 regions, of which 22 can be conquered

More than 350 ship modules allow for comprehensive upgrades and individualized equipping of battleships

Skill system

Take on tactical roles in a group: tank, healer, damage dealer

High-quality 3D graphics thanks to the Unity engine

MEAD: Stormy Lore

MEAD: Stormy Lore

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

I was one of those annoying kids that always asked questions. The one I asked more often than not was “Why?” When I became a gamer it was never enough that I was shooting the bad guys. I needed to know why I was doing it. When it wasn’t clear I would make up a story of my own. As the games I enjoyed grew more complex the need for lore grew. These days my favorite games have a rich and unique back story. But they also leave themselves room to evolve and expand on that story as time goes back. RIFT is easily the best at this. Anyone who has played knows they’ve created a world with a long spanning history. And with the upcoming expansion there is a whole lot more history to learn about. This week we learned a little bit more about some of what we have to look forward to in the upcoming expansion, Storm Legion.

 

 

The most iconic image to come from Storm Legion so far features an army with a massive gate floating behind them. This is the Infinity Gate. It was opened long ago by the Brevane, an empire which has long been lost. The gate was meant to allow the people of Brevane to travel the planes to colonize them. Unfortunately it attracted the attention of the Dragons. But while most of them were interested in fighting over the sourcestone scattered through the world there was one who saw the value of the Infinity Gate and the technology used to create it. That was Crucia. She used her forces to overwhelm the Brevanic people, scattering those that survived. Some sought shelter in the Eternal City while others fled to what is now known as Mathosia. And now, Crucia’s Storm Legion has spent ages preparing for the battle to come. It is a force which even Regulos himself fears. From inside her icy prison in Iron Pine Peak, Crucia has been scheming, preparing for a day which comes soon, the day she is free. There is but one flaw in her plan. To use the Infinity Gate, to bring war to Telara and the planes she needs the Nexus Key. Regulos is all too aware of what would happen should she get her claws on that key and so he has sent his minions to retrieve the Nexus Key leaving the Storm Legion and Endless Court locked in neverending battle.

 

 

This has made me even more excited for Storm Legion than I already was. Which is pretty amazing because I honestly cannot wait. And that is why I was so excited to learn that on Friday, August 10th (that is this coming Friday for anyone keeping track), Trion will be revealing one of the four new souls coming in Storm Legion. This week they will be revealing the new Mage soul. Not only is this exciting because Mages are awesome, it has also been promised that in the coming weeks we would see love for Warriors, Clerics, and Rogues as well.

 

 

And if that little bit of lore hasn’t been enough for you, Elrar has invited the community to ask any lore questions there are out there. They will be compiled and answered in a Lore Q&A which will be coming in the near future. Of course I’m not sure if they really thought this through when they opened the invitation. The forum post where questions are to be left is over 50 pages long. I haven’t had the chance to read through it all yet but I hope there are questions in there about the new lore and even more about Storm Legion in general. So far there hasn’t been a date set for when we can expect this Q&A to be released but when it is I will be sure to feature it.

 

 

I cannot wait for the day they announce Storm Legion going on sale. Even more so I am eager for the day I can get my hands on it. Hopefully this ramp up in information and community involvement can be taken as a sign. Or maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part. Either way I will keep my eyes on the forums and social media sites ever hopeful for more from our wonderful family in Trion.

DK Online Sorceress Spotlight

DK Online Sorceress Spotlight

By PM Anex, Aeria Representative

 

 

Hey aspiring knights,

 

We’re really excited that we can give out some concrete details at long last about DK Online! We’re proud to release the full website for the game, which has an avalanche of information about the lore, gameplay, and—what we’re focusing on for the next few weeks—the playable classes.

 

 

Today we’re talking about the Sorceress class, to go along with our first official spotlight video highlighting the master magic users. Sorceresses are elves born with particularly special gifts. Being descendants of the ancient dragons, their power to manipulate the arcane energies of the world comes from the remnants of dragon blood that still flows in their veins. There was once a time that only the dragons themselves could wield such power, but the clever Sorceresses have since learned how to harness it for themselves.

 

 

Sorceresses in general favor elemental magic to devastate foes. Their repertoire of spells relies heavily on staples like Fireball and Ice Lance, but you can also see them controlling the powers of earth and wind with spells such as Quake, Whirlwind, and Lightning Storm. The class video highlights all of these different types of elemental spells and shows the range of destruction that the Sorceress can rain down.

 

A spell in the making

 

It’s not all fire and brimstone, though. While a Sorceress is mostly offensive (as you might expect) she also has many tools for supporting and defending both herself and allies. These include shields such as Water Aegis, Mana Shield, and Frost Shield, as well as buffs like Celerity (which increases MP regeneration) and Zephyr (which increases movement speed).

 

 

Our Favorite: We love the feeling of raw power you get from all of the Sorceress’s spells, but we’re particularly fond of the Firestorm spell. You can think of it as her “big bang”, with a heavy cost that results in incredible amounts of damage. Not only that, it looks pretty damn cool as well, with a swirling tornado of flames engulfing the hapless target.

 

That's gotta burn.

 

We hope you’re excited to try your hand at these graceful spellcasters too! You can find more information on the full website on the Sorceress and the rest of the classes as well. Keep an eye out for other spotlights as they come down the pipeline!