Yearly Archives: 2012

TERA Announces Details Behind Argon Queen Update

TERA Announces Details Behind Argon Queen Update

 

 

En Masse Entertainment, the company behind the highly-acclaimed action MMO TERA, is pleased to share early details surrounding the game’s biggest update yet, which will be available to players free of charge next month. A new game video outlines some of the upcoming features and is available now.

 

 

TERA is all about action-oriented combat, so this update will improve certain classes to make them more versatile on the battlefield. Warriors are now more effective as tanks, pulling threat from enemies while still dealing quick damage, and the burly lancer has increased agility to help avoid attacks. Players will be able to test these new skills against each other in Fraywind Canyon with the addition of the all-new battlegrounds, where users from different servers will clash in fierce 15-on-15 battles for in-game supremacy.

 

 

Players will also find new dungeons, including the dark and sinister Argon Corpus, the colorful and vibrant Sirjuka Gallery and the ultimate face-off against the argon queen herself in Manaya’s Core. Players will need to be at their best to fend off her relentless attacks. Players will also experience an expanded 10-person raid for the first time in the Nexus Traverse, with some of the biggest and baddest BAMs the world of TERA has ever seen. Look for more details surrounding this exciting update over the next month.

OnRPG Shotgun News 7/26: Warface, Zynga, RIFT, and More!

OnRPG Shotgun News 7/26: Warface, Zynga, RIFT, and more!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Trion and Crytek Team up to Bring Warface to the West

 

Trion Worlds and Crytek have announced they are joining forces to bring the award winning online first person shooter Warface to North America, Europe, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand. The game is currently live in Russia and has more than 2 million registered users.

 

 

Zynga Shares Down 40%

Social gaming giant Zynga has announced its second quarter fiscal results which reveal a net loss of $22.8 million. Revenues climbed 19% but stock is down nearly 40%. The company blames a quicker than expected drop off in several of its games.

 

 

BlackShot Europe Celebrates 2 Years and Content Pack

eFusion MMOG has announced a new content pack titled “The Search and Destroy” has been added to its tactical free to play FPS BlackShot Europe. It includes a new map called Aftermath. The update also has an improved first person view. There are also several new weapons included.

 

 

RIFT Free This Weekend to Former Players

 

This weekend RIFT is giving free, unrestricted access to all former players. This gives them the chance to play new content like Chronicle, the mentoring system, and many other things.

 

 

Legend Warrior Launches Closed Beta

The lastest game from developers Dovogame will officially launch closed beta today. The test will last for five days before closing again. This is Dovogame’s first side scrolling game.

Dark Blood Unleashes Massive Content Update

Dark Blood Unleashes Massive Content Update with Level Cap Raise

 

Dark Blood

 

Just one week after its wildly successful open beta launch, Outspark is making good on its promise of providing a steady stream of fresh, exciting content for its hit free-to-play fighting game, Dark Blood. Overnight, the level cap was raised to Level 30 and Act II content made its debut with new maps, mobs, quests, dungeons, customizations, a gem system. This next chapter in the Dark Blood story takes players to the town of Water Veil where they will join Liberators, through a winding quest chain, across challenging and vast terrain, until the Monarch of Darkness is found and defeated, and the path is cleared to the Fortress of Quern where the fate of all will be decided.

 

 

“Dark Blood is doing gangbusters! It’s fantastic to see the game packed with players having such a great time. From the start, average time in game has been impressive and the core elite have been progressing rapidly. We’re extremely happy to be delivering this accelerated content schedule to meet fan demand,” said Philip Yun, CEO, Outspark. “These are thrilling times for Outspark. We just blew past 10 million registered users, are heading toward a million Facebook fans, and were named a launch partner for Amazon Game Connect. We’re on a roll, blasting full speed ahead!”

 

 

Play Dark Blood for free and win valuable prizes by participating in live Game Master events including FRIDAY FIGHTS, Dark Blood’s PvP Tournaments, starting Friday, August 3.

Battle Nations: Bring the Fight to the Crazies

Battle Nations: Bring the Fight to the Crazies

By: Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist

 

 

 

Sim-strat games are a dime a dozen these days especially with games crossing over to browser and mobile platforms.  With new platforms it would only mean that the number of games would increase but that also means the quality of the games that come out would suffer.

 

Battle Nations is not one of those titles, and I am happy to say that the game exceeded my expectations.

 

 

Gameplay

Battle Nation’s gameplay has two parts, simulation and strategy. For simulation, Battle Nations has the usual features you’d often get to see in simulation games. You need to establish your “outpost’s” military might while juggling with resource management. Aside from that you also need to establish your base’s military strength and perimeter defences.

 

 

 

On the other hand, the strategy part comes into play whenever you face NPCs or PvP against other players. The battles in Battle Nations are turn-based strategies set in a map grid. You have the option to pass or surrender if you think the battle is unfavourable to you.

 

 

Unit Types

Battle Nations has a diverse set of unit types for players to choose from.  You have the grunts with various specialties such as the electro trooper, sniper, flame trooper and some special units like the dragoon.

 

 

 

You also have the mech units such as tanks and APCs which at first glance would seem stronger than usual, but due to the levelling system in place there will be times when grunts can even take down the strongest of mech units.

 

 

Leveling

Aside from the variety of the units you can use in the game. The other factor you have to consider is your unit’s level. Similarly to any other strategy or RPGs, whenever your character levels the stats of said unit also increase. Also you can unlock skills and attacks as your unit levels up.

 

 

Resources

One of the features in Battle Nations that I’d like to elaborate is the resources system, a word that normally draws ire when discussing browser military titles due to the tacked on nature and limitations they usually bring with them. Unlike other sim-strat games, Battle Nation doesn’t hold back in the terms of the resources you have to manage. Under normal circumstances games would only give you about 3-4 resources to gather. But in Battle Nations you have to gather eight (8) resource types. This doesn’t include special drops required to build specialized units, a fun perk that adds a bit of randomization to the equation to keep things fresh.

 

 

Battle Nations well designed resource system really ups the ante in terms of game complexity, making it feel more like you’re making tactical decisions than ploughing through an uninteresting chore.

 

PvP-Social

The other game feature I’d like to shed some light on in Battle Nation’s is the PvP system. You have two options on how the game gets you to fight other people. The first PvP option would be through invasion. Invading would mean that you have to go into the unguarded areas of your “enemies”. You have the option to just enter and take resources or you can establish a “rally point” in the game where you can keep on getting resources till your enemy is able to repel your forces in their camp.

 

 

 

The other PvP option is the random battles you can enter. The game sets you up against other random players. Successfully defeating a player would earn you gold, exp. and victory points. After getting a certain amount of points you’d even get bonus gold as well.

 

 

Whenever you face enemies through the random battles, you can add them as a friend and even invade them again.

 

 

Real Life Currency

Aside from the resources you can gather, you can spend actual money to buy special units and even structures that boost resource gathering and the like. Nanobots can also increase unit production as well.

 

 

Conclusion

Battle Nations is one of those games that you can’t really stop playing. The game in fact harmoniously mixed simulation and strategy into one cohesive game experience. I personally liked the mental challenge the game presents to you in resource management and the battles themselves. There are moments when I thought I would come out unscathed in an NPC battle, but I end up having one remaining unit in the end.

 

 

The PvP is enjoyable too since there is more than one way in fighting against other people. It’s fun messing around with your friends especially when you invade their territory. The challenges during random battles are in fact enjoyable itself since you have to be on your toes since you don’t know what you’re facing. You have to be prepared for any number of unexpected event, such as the gunner you’re facing one-shoting your scout mech due to his level advantage (which happened to me more than once).

 

 

 

The other thing that I like about the game is that Z2live updates the game regularly. You can see that Z2live is not afraid to add gameplay elements that change your experience from the last time you’ve logged in. In the span I’ve played the game, there have been two major changes that took place in Battle Nations. The first one is the unit levelling system and the other one would be the Exp Bar interface, new units and even the addition of structure upgrades.

 

 

In a nut shell, Battle Nations is a game that I’d keep a shortcut to on my ipad for a long while. Aside from the challenges and the PvP modes, I liked the social element in the game that provides a motivation as to why you’re putting so much TLC into your troop management. Plus who doesn’t like messing with their friend’s base formation and taunting them about it later?

 

 

Pros

–          Constant and consistent updates mean that the developers care enough to keep the game running

–          Challenge is high and enjoyable

 

Cons

–          Sudden gameplay changes can disorient those who have been gone from the game  for a long while

 

 

Graphics – 4/5

Controls – 5/5

Features – 4.5/5

Customization – 0/5

Community – 2.5./5

Battle Nations

Take command of the elite Imperial Army as you expand and secure the empire. Gather precious resources and build a thriving nation to power your machine of war. Train your troops and battle the attacking rebel forces for dominance of the land.

 

Features

 

Story Driven: Experience an epic storyline spanning over 270 missions

 

Take Control: Command dozens of unique troops and vehicles in strategic turn-based combat


International PvP: Queue up and battle other Battle Nations players from around the world

 

Community Play: Fight with Friends and invade their empire or help a friend in need and repel an attack

 

 

Face of Mankind Partners with Overwolf

Face of Mankind Partners with Overwolf

 

 

Nexeon Technologies, a free-to-play online game publisher and the developer of the MMO Face of Mankind, today announced the launch of the “Face of Mankind Multicom” in collaboration with Overwolf, a software company specializing in adding a rich layer of social functionality to games. The Face of Mankind Multicom (powered by Overwolf) includes various gaming features accessible to users while playing their games, as well as an in-game Appstore, for which developers are able to develop and publish in-game apps. The Face of Mankind Multicom will help players communicate, record, and share their game play – without ever leaving the game.

 

 

“We have been following Overwolf’s development for some time and we believe it’s a unique solution that will help boost Face of Mankind’s in-game activity” said Jesse Asklund, VP of Operations at Nexeon Technologies, Inc. “Current players know that the forums and other various online resources are a critical requirement of the game; the Face of Mankind Multicom will allow them to stay in full-screen and access all of their favorite applications.”

 

 

“Face of Mankind is a boutique MMO, with game design elements that are hard to find in the world of traditional MMOs” said Uri Marchand, CEO of Overwolf. “We hope the Face of Mankind Multicom will improve the overall gaming experience, and offer an easy way for gamers to share their great moments of changing the Face of Mankind”.

 

 

To see the client in action, please download at: http://download.overwolf.com/FoMMulticomInstaller.exe.

Meta’s Verse: CoH Zone Events

Meta’s Verse: CoH Zone Events

By Meticulous Meta, OnRPG Paragon Reporter

 

 

I love zone events. They happen all over the place all time of the day. They are the spice of the game. And with Zwillinger’s announcement of a Rikti invasion weekend coming up I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about my favorite zone events. For the purposes of this countdown I’m including invasions, monsters, and anything else you might get an alert for.

 

 

10. Seed of Hamidon

 

I’m starting off with the only zone event I haven’t done yet. This giant monster flies around the skies of First Ward and can be seen from everywhere in the zone. It surrounds itself in a cloud of spores and has seedlings which buff it. Defeating the Seed of Hamidon takes a lot of coordination with a lot of people. But when you defeat it you get rewarded the Germinator Terminator. So why is it on my list if I’ve never taken it down? Because it looks awesome and one of these days I’ll do it!

 

 

9. Croatoa War

 

This event has multiple parts that build up to a fight between the giant Jack in Irons and the giant pumpkin Eochai. And that is when the heroes come in. In the early days of the game if you weren’t fast enough one of the monsters could kill the other. Jack in Irons is an ugly beast, but Eochai is adorable, even if he throws flaming pumpkins at you. I won’t go out of my way to do this event but if I happen to be in Croatoa then I’m happy to take them down.

 

 

8. Ghost of Scrapyard

 

In Sharkhead Isle when the local miners go on strike they are lead by the Ghost of Scrapyard. He was once a champion of miner rights until Captain Mako was hired to eliminate him. But even in death he leads the miners. To this day he hates all villains and any who stray too close to him and his protesting miners feel his wrath. I do actually feel bad about defeating him. But at the same time it is so much fun I don’t care!

 

 

7. Rikti Invasion

 

There is a familiar haunting sound when the Warwalls go down and the sky gets a light green glow. Citizens run for cover because the Rikti invasion ships are just moments away. The first wave is a bombing from the ships. Not all the bombs explode right away though and it is your job to destroy them before they explode. After a few minutes of bombing the troops land. In the old days when my computer was much worse this experience was painful but wonderful. You have an entire zone full of heroes all standing in one place. You pray that your computer won’t freeze while you spam whatever AoEs you have. These days it isn’t quite so bad. But it is still just as fun as ever.

 

 

6. The Protest Event

 

This is my favorite of all the Praetorian events. It is very roleplay friendly so long as you arrive at the right time and are on the right side. You get the choice of taking out the protesters or supporting them by taking out the PPD who show up. This event also has one of my favorite rewards, a Molotov Cocktail.

 

 

5. Troll Rave

 

A troll rave at a warehouse in Skyway City has gone out of control. An upgraded type of Superadine is creating Supa Trolls who are completely out of control and have to be stopped. I love this event because the massively pumped up glowing green trolls amuse me.

 

 

4. Hellion Arson

 

A classic in hero culture is saving the cat/child/old lady from a burning building. And Steel Canyon has City of Heroes’ burning building. Hellions are setting it on fire. They have to be stopped and the fires have to be put out. This event is fantastic because it isn’t just about fighting. You also get a temporary fire extinguisher power to put out the fires with. When the fire is successfully put out the Fire Chief does a little dance before going back to the station.

 

 

3. Zombie Invasion

 

I have a soft spot for zombies. This invasion is somewhat similar to the Rikti invasion in that the sky changes color, this time its red and citizens run for safety. I’ve even gone so far as to name some of the zombies. This event is one I will travel to any zone for as soon as I see the alert. It is the only one that I will do no matter who I’m on.

 

 

2. Ghost Ship

 

The Ghost Ship Moraine travels through the harbor zones of Paragon City dropping off its ghost crew who are angry. More than anything I love following the ship through Talos when I see it. I don’t even know why I do it anymore. It has become a tradition through the years. And it is another great roleplaying element.

 

 

1. Sally

 

And finally there is my absolute favorite, Sally, the lake monster and school mascot of Salamanca. She is generally considered a myth by citizens but heroes are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this shy creature. Sally doesn’t have any powers, she doesn’t attack. She only swims and looks adorable doing it. Defeating her takes only one hit. And even brawl can do it since she only has a few health points. But this isn’t killing her, why would anyone kill such a gentle creature? This just scares her and she dives under the water not to be seen on the surface again for a little while.

 

 

So there you have it! My top 10 favorite zone events in City of Heroes. Obviously I play heroside far more than I do villain or Praetorian. And one of these days I will find enough people to help me take down the Seed of Hamidon. Hopefully with each new zone will come new events to enjoy. They really are the spice of City of Heroes, something to look forward to and add into your schedule if you see the alert for one of them pop up.

WoW Wednesday: Patch 5.0.4

WoW Wednesday: Patch 5.0.4

By MerryQuiteContrary, OnRPG Journalist

 

 

In true World of Warcraft style the last big patch before the expansion release is on the PTR (public test realm).  The final content patch before an expansion is released can be confusing to some and there will be the inevitable questions in various chats such as “how can I get to panda lands?” “Why can’t I create a panda?” “Can someone play my game for me because I am a complete idiot?” Okay, I made that last one up.  Players won’t actually ask that but there will be name calling. Mark my words. The word noob, nab or nub will be flung about faster than Chuck Norris’ fists.   With that in mind, let’s have a look at what is actually on the PTR.

 

 

The first thing to point out is that if your account is flagged for Mists of Pandaria beta, then you will not be allowed to access the PTR.

 

 

One of my favourite features coming in 5.0.4 is the account wide achievements, mounts and pets.  It is exactly how it reads.  If you have an oozling on one character, for example, you will have it on all your characters on that account.  This isn’t a new concept as Blizzard has been using the account wide dynamic for a while now. However, now everyone benefits. There will be some restrictions and the system will evolve over time no doubt.

 

 

Overall, we never want you to play Character A instead of Character B because of achievement concerns. If Character A had the Violet Proto-Drake, then you might not play Character B. If Character A was only one holiday away from the Violet Proto-Drake, then you may not play Character B. If Character A had completed most of the raid achievements from Dragon Soul, you may not want to bring Character B for one fight and miss out on the achievement. Having alts is cool and working on achievements is cool, but we don’t want the two systems to work against each other.-Ghostcrawler

 


AoE looting is a bonus in any game and finally Blizzard has added it to the World of Warcraft. It works like any other game that has AoE looting so there is nothing special there other than it is a huge convenience. Think of the Herod fight in Scarlet Monastery.  After he is killed all his disciples come in. Now remember looting them all. One by one. Yes, AoE looting is welcomed.  Naturally, you will have to have loot rights and you will only be able to AoE loot your kills that are in close proximity.

 

 

As usual with the last patch all your characters’ talents will be reset. Why you ask? The new talent system, of course. I have been quite critical of this revamp in the past.  That hasn’t changed. My issue is not the talents themselves or how the characters play as they essentially play the same. My problem lies with the motivation.  If you are like me, you like to get that little reward of a talent point every other level. I believe it will hurt the levelling game and am curious to read player’s responses about this new revamp. I imagine a lot of players will be disappointed.  No matter what I think or anyone else, the new talent system is on the PTR and heading straight to you.

 

 

Along with the talent revamp some other class changes have been implemented. Druids will be interested to know they get a fourth specialization choice in the Guardian. The Guardian is essentially the tanking/bear specialization. Maybe now all the druid tanks will shut up.  Feral now means kitty DPS.

 

 

Spells are now learned automatically upon levelling.  Trainers are only needed for changing talents, specialization, glyphs and dual specialization.  This should be a nice feature and will save on trips to the trainer every couple of levels. Some talents have been converted to specialization abilities as well.

 

 

Fear not PvPers, you too will have something to whine about and that is that spell penetration has been changed to PvP power. Now every time I see PvP power on items I am going to think of Scrappy Doo and his battle cry of  “Puppy Power!” Thanks Blizzard. Why PvPers would whine about this I don’t know but if there is a will there is a way or in this case, a why.

 

 

Remember all that time you spent grinding rep for head enchants? You will be pleased to know that head enchants are no more.  Something that may confuse yet more of the population is that ranged, relics and thrown are now equipped in the weapon slot. Gone are the days of the “stat stick”. I suspect there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the hunter community as they will no longer be able to use melee weapons as well as ranged.

 

 

The user interface will also see some updates. Character creation has changed to be more streamlined and the loot box has changed to reflect who is rolling need, greed or ninja. Not really. Nobody rolls ninja. Ninja just happens.

 

 

The spellbook has been updated as well. It now gives an overview of the class and the changes. There is a new tab for mounts and companions, which will no doubt throw most of the community into a blind rage because they can’t find their mount of choice. Top Tip: It is the little horse head in your mini action bar.

 

 

And there we have it.  Patch 5.0.4. is on the PTR and it is bringing some of the best features of Mists of Pandaria with it. One other thing: No you will not be able to get to Panda lands and no, you will not be able to create a monk or a panda.