Monthly Archives: March 2013

Guild Wars 2 Culls the Culling from World vs World

Guild Wars 2 Culls the Culling from World vs World

 

Before

 

ArenaNet today announced they will be removing the process of culling (removing the highly detailed character art from enemy players to improve game performance) in their World vs. World PvP battlegrounds. This came not only as a result of looking to make these epic battles seem more epic, but also to resolve some bug issues involved with characters using actual stealth skills that gained additional benefit due to culling issues. The changes are set to take place on March 26th and those worried that their systems might not be able to handle the change can rest assured that various options will be available to cater to different levels of PC performance.

 

After

 

Read up on the full change details on their official site!

.Hack//Rant – “The World” Would NOT Make a Great Game

.Hack//Rant – “The World” Would NOT Make a Great Game

By Jordan Hallm (ApocaRUFF), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

And no, I do not mean the “real” world. I mean The World from the hit anime series .Hack//Sign and other .Hack// series. The World is the fictional MMORPG played by the characters in the anime. It is often depicted as being played with Virtual Reality headsets and a controller, though in later iterations is shown as being played with high tech glasses and a hand-held device.

 

 

Many fans of the .Hack// series gush over how much they wish The World was a real game. How amazing it would be. Unfortunately, I am here to rain on the parade. The World would not make a great game. Maybe a good game, but not great. From what I’ve seen in the animes and various single player games, it’s a very generic game. It has your typical class system, an action-combat system, the typical progress system; it basically has everything that MMOs nowadays already have.

 

 

The only thing it has that we do not have today in many MMOs is 1) The characters from the anime and 2) The Virtual Reality headsets. Number two is easy, as we are already on the path to achieving high quality virtual reality headsets that deliver high quality graphics with motion sensing thanks to the Oculus Rift.

 

The Future of Gaming

 

 

Number one is a different beast. We will never get a game that specifically gives us number one. Number one is something that only we, as players, can create for ourselves. If you want to experience the amazing adventures and relationships depicted in the anime, you need to accomplish that yourself.

 

 

And you definitely can. People have been doing it for over a decade now. The easiest way to do it is join a guild. A good guild will give you an environment where you can make close friends to have in-game adventures with that will stay with you in your memories for years to come.

 

You too can have many women surrounding you! Not all of them will really be women, though…

 

 

Literally any game can be turned in to the equivalent of The World if you want it to. Sure, some games are better at it than others – specifically sandbox games – but any game can be made amazing by having good friends to experience it with.

 

 

I’ve argued it in the past and I’ll argue it now, The World was a shitty generic game. The only thing that made it interesting were the characters from the games/anime/manga and the Virtual Reality-aspect. You might as well play Vindictus or PSO2, or any other MMO and you can get the experience. Just find a good, tight-knit group of friends rather than going from one crappy game to another and not making any meaningful contacts/friends.

 

Phantasy Star Online 2 is a great game to make interesting friendships in

 

 

Please, do yourselves a favor and stop succumbing to the hype of crappy games (real or fictional) and take a real look at what we have right now. There are many games that could act as vehicles for your own adventures comparable to those that you can watch in .Hack//. There are millions of gamers out there that can be your Ovan, Shino, Pi, Subaru, Bear, Rena, Black Rose, Orca, or any of the other incredible characters that inhabit the fictional universe of .Hack//. Don’t wish for what can’t be (A real The World MMORPG) and start looking at what already is or what is soon to be. Make your own destiny rather than waiting around for some fictional game to bring it to you.

Scarlet Blade – This Is What Happens When Looks Can Kill

Scarlet Blade – This Is What Happens When Looks Can Kill

By John Shadle (Sephorus), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Scarlet Blade is an upcoming free-to-play sci-fi MMO developed by LivePlex and published in North America by Aeria Games.  It’s billed as featuring “strong PvP elements, a uniquely detailed world, and an engaging, well-crafted story set in a dystopian future”; it’s also drawn some attention – for better or worse – as a ‘mature MMO’ featuring female-only player characters and a heavy emphasis on their particular assets.  I had a chance to take an early look at Scarlet Blade during a Closed Beta period – and admittedly, came away mildly surprised with what I saw.

 

 

Scarlet Blade is set on a war-torn future Earth, where mankind is struggling to survive after decades of war against an invading alien race called the Narak.  After a failed all-out nuclear attack and use of biological weapons that ended up accelerating our own demise, humanity gambled on a carefully-hidden cloned supersoldier project that would be able to repel the Narak at some point in the future.  This process, as it turned out, responded far better to female chemical and neurological differences, which meant that our future saviors would be not mankind, but womankind.  These soldiers – called the Arkana – and the humans they protected were guided and controlled during their solitude underground by an artificial intelligence known as Mother; however, once the time came to try and reclaim the surface, the humans and Arkana split into two warring factions – the Royal Guard, who believed that the recolonization of humanity should continue as the humans of old had instructed, and the Free Knights, who believed that humanity had doomed itself with its failed weaponry and that the Arkana should claim Earth for themselves.  It’s a surprisingly good story, if a quick read on Scarlet Blade’s website.

 

 

Upon logging in for the first time, it was very apparent – and I stress very apparent – that LivePlex took the mature MMO label and ran with it.  Even during the first loading screen, before a server has even been selected, players are treated – put that in airquotes if you’d like – to an Arkana that’s not so much covered as she is hidden underneath her own hair and behind some machinery and cabling.  It’s continued… pretty much everywhere else in the game, with each of the Arkana archetypes – Scarlet Blade’s version of classes – sporting their own style of armor that’s skimpy enough to easily fit into the Chainmail Bikini trope (although tvtropes.org hasn’t mentioned it – yet), or most of the quest dialogue making some reference to various physical qualities of the Arkana.  It’s not so much a heavy-handed marketing strategy and theme as it is an uppercut straight to the jaw – it’s impossible to not notice and it’s got the potential to leave some players reeling; more on this later.

 

 

The archetype selection is vaguely familiar, although it’s got enough of a designed-by-men genetically-engineered feminine supersoldier vibe that establishes it in the rest of the game.  There’s the front-line Defender, the Arkana-supporting Medic, the rifle-wielding Punisher, the gunslinging Sentinel, the stealthy Shadow Walker, and the devastating Whipper.  For the purposes of the review, I went with the Defender and her impressively-massive greatsword – although I’ll admit to being very curious how the other five archetypes were handled here.  There’s a moderate amount of character customization available, from face types to hair styles/colors and a small selection of starter outfits.  It’s a bit small compared to other titles, although it serves its purpose adequately well without being overly detailed.

 

 

Aesthetically, Scarlet Blade’s presentation is a bit hit-and-miss, but fairly good overall.  The graphics – once I remembered to save the settings, anyway – were pretty good, with long-distance blur effects, flashy weapon strikes, and a fairly smooth frame rate.  Zone design does a good job with portraying different settings, from regrown alien forests to futuristic bases to remnants of a war-torn civilization.  The UI is surprisingly clean for what it presents, and while I can’t give it props for originality (who can these days?), it’s a pretty good appearance overall.  Animations felt a little rough and unrealistic at times, but it wasn’t so completely off that it was jarring.  Sound effects were a weak point here – mostly with the English voiceovers – and was about the only aesthetic thing that I had a hard time accepting; however, with the title still being in closed beta and a large number of fans asking for an option to hear the original voiceovers instead, this has the potential to get resolved before the floodgates open.  I’m hoping that this is the case as well, because the English versions are about the only thing holding the aesthetic presentation back.

 

 

Gameplay-wise, I feel like Scarlet Blade has the potential to come across as a huge letdown.  The main story seemed like a thinly-disguised attempt to have you hack some things apart before going on to some other area, and side missions or additional activities (at least early on) were horrendously sparse.  The lack of variety in gameplay, coupled with the fact that Scarlet Blade does include auto-pathing for quest objectives, made the early experience feel like I was playing a scantily-clad railroad car with no potential for switching to any other tracks.  Admittedly – or at least, according to their marketing snippet – Scarlet Blade’s major focus is on PvP for its later content; I just worry about players’ ability and/or willingness to get there with the early PvE mission offering as sparse as what was available.

 

 

There are a few other tidbits along the way to make Scarlet Blade more interesting as it progresses.  Robotic pets can be collected and leveled up to fight alongside you.  Bigger and better mounts – motorcycles, in this case – can be earned over the course of the game.  Cards can be found from enemies (or snagged on the trading house) to gamble for in-game items.  Giant mech suits are available to temporarily boost your Arkana’s capability.  Items can be enhanced and upgraded to become more potent.  Tiled pictured – something the game erroneously calls ‘puzzles’ – can be revealed as you level up to uncover something far more, well… revealing.  There’s also the potential to collect a number of different costumes for yourself, which might be awesome if you’re into having a Bunny Girl Tuxedo dance-off with several of your closest friends.

 

 

Truthfully, I wanted to hate this game before even punching in my login information for the first time, mainly because I’ve never been a huge fan of the woman-as-sex-objects marketing ploy and I felt that LivePlex took it as far as they possibly could go.  Once I tried to sit down and review the game as just another game, though, Scarlet Blade actually wasn’t half bad.  It’s not the greatest game I’ve ever played – far from it, really – but I feel that it gets more right than it gets wrong.  Whether you’ll enjoy this game depends on a few things, though.  If you’re looking for a serious and thoroughly-engaging storyline, vast amount of PvE content, or are at all bothered with pixelated depictions of scantily-clad woman, then I encourage you to look elsewhere.  If you want something you don’t need to take seriously, want something different from the many available fantasy titles, or if you’ve just got a thing for giant robots and panty shots, then Scarlet Blade might be worth checking out once the title officially opens its doors.

 

 

And feel free to grab a Devastating Diva item pack from our event page while you’re at it.

OnRPG Shotgun News 3/13: The Secret World, Neverwinter, C9 and so Much More!

OnRPG Shotgun News 3/13: The Secret World, Neverwinter, C9 and so Much More!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Elder Scribe

 

 

The Secret World Issue 6 Arrives Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day TSW fans have been waiting for! The Last Train to Cairo, Issue 6, takes players back in time to Ancient Egypt. And it means an all new auxiliary weapon, The Whip. And there’s an all new trailer that Henry Jones Jr. himself would be proud of.

 

 

DCUO Releases PvP Roadmap for 2013

Creative Director Jens Anderson posted a PvP roadmap yesterday talking about the upcoming changes that are going to happen in DCUO throughout the rest of 2013. It includes; Arranged Matchmaking, PvP Gear Progression, and Map Rotation. Best of all they’re encouraging players to ask developers questions about everything announced on the DCUO forums.

 

 

PlanetSide 2 March Preview

A new video has emerged from the depths of the never ending war that is PlanetSide 2. It discusses the biggest highlights from the next update. Everything from new subscribers rewards to rocket launchers.

 

 

Stats Released for First Month of TERA: Rising

New Statistics have been released after the first month of TERA’s movement to free to play. It includes 1.4 million characters made, 1,010 years of gameplay and over half a million new players which resulted in new servers being opened.

 

 

Neverwinter Releases New Control Wizard Trailer

A new montage video has been released showing off the Control Wizard in action. It was a playable class for the first time last weekend and universally loved by all. Even Rocky had a montage.

 

 

 

Last Defiance Beta Event Announced

Trion has announced the dates of the last beta weekend for Defiance. It begins March 22nd and runs to March 25th. Best of all this will be the first time players will be able to access the game on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 as well as PC. There will be no NDA for this event as Defiance is due to go live on April 2nd.

 

 

C9 Gunslinger Class Revealed

The fifth advancement in the Hunter class of C9 has been named Gunslinger. They specialize in both long and close ranged attacks, knock back, and most importantly use dual pistols and shotguns. Along with it the fifth Continent Survival Mode will be released, becoming one of the most challenging features in C9.

 

 

Everquest II Update 66 Coming April 30th

In a new forum post Producer of Everquest II Holly Longdale revealed that Update number 66, called Scars of the Awakened would be released on April 30th. The beta for it will begin on April 2nd and all EQII players are encouraged to take part. More information is planned to be released in the coming weeks.

 

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Kartuga Video Explains Skill Trees

A new video has been released by InnoGames that explains how skill trees work in Kartuga as well as showing some combat. The video is two and a half minutes long and also covers skills. OnRPG still has a few keys left for the closed beta so jump on them while you can. http://www.onrpg.com/MMO/event/Kartuga-Closed-Beta-Key-Giveaway

 

 

 

Age of Wushu Rage

A new post has appeared on the Age of Wushu website that explains the Rage meter and Rage skills. The meter itself is placed underneath the health bar and will fill as attacks are blocked in combat. When the rage meter fills players will be able to uge the rage skill. Rage skills vary depending on which school the skills belong to.

 

 

SMITE Reveals Aphrodite

An all new God, or should I say Goddess has been revealed in a video from SMITE. Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty is the highlight of the nearly 7 minute long video which you can watch below.

 

 

 

ESRB Relaxes Age Gate

The ESRB has informed publishers that the rules for age gating games and videos rated Mature have changed. Previously publishers had to ask people to input their ages before they could enter their sites or watch certain videos with a rating of M. This restriction has been removed but the ESRB must first pre-clear trailers.

 

 

Allods Online: Lords of Destiny Now Live

Allods Online fans can now enjoy the latest expansion Lords of Destiny. It is a huge update with new raids, a new level cap and so much more. For all the details have a look at the article we released about it almost a month ago. http://www.onrpg.com/MMO/Allods/news/Allods-Lords-of-Destiny-Teased And be sure to watch the trailer.

 

 

 

EVE Magazine EON Announces Closure

The magazine EON has announced they are closing down this month. It is one of the few print magazines dedicated to an MMORPG. The company will remain open through March 31st to process orders and clear out the remaining stock.

 

 

Game Marketing Awards Finalists Announced

The annual Game Marketing Awards have announced the nominations for their awards. Most of the games nominated are console games but there are a few MMOs in there too. And here they are, we wish them all the best luck.:

 

Outstanding Promotional Trailer: PlanetSide 2

Standout Print Advertisement: Guild Wars 2

Best Website For A Product: PlanetSide 2

Best Digital Advertising Campaign: PlanetSide 2, Guild Wars 2

Easter Brings A Basket Full of Exciting Events to Knight Age

Easter Brings A Basket Full of Exciting Events to Knight Age

 

Knight Age

 

Joymax, leading online game developer and publisher known for its popular MMORPG, Knight Age, today announced a variety of exciting events just in time for Easter in its mounted combat MMORPG, Knight Age. Through April 5th, players of Knight Age can engage in four great events including; a Riding Race, Easter Egg Dress Up, Bunny Capture and a Surprise Present delivery.

 

 

The Race has Begun! Run as fast as the wind for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind Rider’s Training Flag. This fast-paced event will test a player’s mount riding skills as they must race without any support from pupae, potions or formations. What’s more, Knight Age will give out special prizes for the more times a rider comes in first during this event. Additionally, every hour during the event period, surprise presents will appear in a player’s inventory. What will be inside . players must check every hour after play to find out!

 

 

The Bunnies and Pupae are coming! To welcome in Easter, Knight Age will reward 20 random players for reaching level 20, 30 or 40 with Easter Bunny or Pupa symbols. Players are invited to spend the Easter season capturing bunnies along with their favorite pupae!

 

 

Lastly, the Easter Egg Dress Up Facebook event will challenge players to create their very own Easter eggs using a pupa egg. Players will use a pupa egg image provided on Knight Age’s official Facebook page to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece! First, second and third place winners will be rewarded with unlimited Unique Kurion, Unique Taksha and Unique Red Eyes! Players can upload “My Own Easter Egg” and receive a Mashimaro Sack including Mashimaro pupa and 10 Magic Dusts. Players can visit the Knight Age Facebook for all the details and the latest tips, events and news.