Monthly Archives: April 2013

The Lost Titans Open Beta Preview

By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-in-Chief

 

 

 

With ZQGames’ browser based mythological fantasy MMORPG, The Lost Titans, a mere week away from open beta launch (yup, April 18th!), I was surprised to receive a request to visit their HQ again to get an updated look at the changes and new content planned for the game. But hey I was quite pleasantly surprised at my first visit to the office so why not give them the benefit of the doubt and hear what they have to say. So what inspired me to take some time out of my day to write about it? Well this Chinese developed title has taken a keen interest in the requests of their community and implemented quite a few features, and done quite a few balancing adjustments, to make their community feel like they’re actually an important part of the development team. And to be honest that’s a sentence I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of typing about many games that fall into this category.

So what exactly are they adopting that was requested by the community? For starters they’ve lowered the some of the gold (The Lost Titan’s cash shop currency) store items to much more reasonable prices to ensure most of the fun stuff players want to buy to support the game aren’t so far out of reach. In fact they’ve revamped their entire economy of silver, gold, and the pet/mount currency of warsouls to include better balance for non-cash shoppers while including enough silver sinks to keep inflation down in open beta comparatively to its state in closed beta. And for those looking to feel truly special, the VIP system has been expanded to offer some incredibly awesome cosmetic items including wings that will light up the darkest of nights, particularly at the 9+ rank. While a few of the perks previously stationed higher in the VIP rankings have been lowered to make the lower ranks a better value.

Another request being addressed is that the community digs the minigames in The Lost Titans, and I can agree with that as I want some nice diversions between grinding sessions. And while they didn’t reveal all their plans to me, they did show off the new Titan’s Pool, a lottery system in which players get to spin a wheel once a day to win one of ten various prizes including silver, gold, and faction points. Of course the gambling type can buy more spins if you have the itch or just live too far from Vegas and need your fix.

It would be amiss to say they were listening to the community and then not mention any new content being brought into the game but trust me… it’s coming and it’s a tidal wave. The drought of quests past level 30 will be a thing of the past with plenty more story to fill in the current holes and expand towards a yet unrevealed cyclone of a plot twist past level 75 that’s sure to to hit you like a salty flying fish to the mouth. Why am I including so many metaphors about the ocean? Surely a coincidence. I can confirm however that these updates offer new content all the way up to level 105 and include three never before seen locations to visit.

Don’t mind Poseidon. He’s just grumpy The City of Light coffee machine broke. Sure hope he doesn’t defect…

Another bright spot on the preview meeting was the revamp of the beginner zone to make the game much more visually pleasing while also making more sense from a lore stand point. The new starting zone will ease players into the game and explain everything they need to grow into powerful PvP warriors. Meanwhile the entire starting zone has been remodeled to look much more akin to the City of Light because after all, why would the followers of Hyperion train their newest recruits in a hallowed out volcano that looks much more like a suburb of Ophion’s Realm than anything near the City of Light?

And speaking of grand PvP warriors, you’re in serious luck! First off a dueling map is on the way to get you matched up against opponents 24 hours a day. In fact all their PvP events are being adjusted and/or duplicated to ensure that players logging in Internationally will find fun events to test their skill in at all hours of the day. But the real joy for PvP is likely going to come in the new PvPvE battleground, Zeus’ Fury. Located at the Arts Quarter, a horde of Punishers including Elite and Boss grade punishers have invaded and made themselves at home. And it’s up to the players to unite and take, but of course there is a catch. Only part of the monsters reside within the safe zone, meaning you can expect some brutal battles to take place for the valuable boss monsters residing in the PvP realm. With the boss level punishers possessing stupidly high amounts of HP, we’re sure to see the top tier factions fighting it out in epic battles to claim the rare loot as their own.

And before I ramble on too long, there was one last bit of info that caught my eye and made me realize just how close the relationship between the Chinese devs and US office is. The players requested it, and come open beta you’ll be able to get your hands on two new player picked pets including the Mini-Finny and Stormfell, both variations of mobs in the game and packing a hefty punch whether you’re in the market for a cute aquatic creature or just want a tall busty dirty blonde companion to follow you around.


Your Minifinny awaits!

 

Or your Stormfell. I won’t judge. Hopefully we get that Scorpian Girl as the next pet!

 

At that I just want to say that fans of this game should mark their calendars and keep an eye out on the official forums as ZQGames has plenty of GM run events coming both in-game and on the forums to celebrate the open beta launch. So be sure to say hi and tell them what you feel the game is missing still because turns out, for once the publisher actually seems to be listening!

Loadout – Custom Made Mayhem!

Loadout – Custom Made Mayhem!

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Loadout is a Third-Person Shooter (TPS) brought to us by Edge of Reality. With OnRPG running a CB key giveaway this week I decided now was as good as any to take a look. They have truly out-done themselves with this masterpiece of customization. Design and forge your weapon of death and reign destruction down on your foes. You can create a rocket launcher that will home in on your enemies, or a gun that will inject your friends with healing drugs. You have full control over your weapon.

 

 

 

Customization

Customization might as well be the name of the game when it comes to Loadout. I have no doubt that Loadout will go down in gaming history with its intricate weapon development system, where you can choose exactly how your weapon works. There are many, many combinations currently possible in the game, and who knows how many will be available later down the line. Rockets, bullets, lasers and more are at your disposal when building your weapons. And that’s just the surface; you can choose the butt of your rifle, the trigger, the sights, what types of damage your weapon will inflict, and much more.

 

 

I’ve never come across a game that let me have so much control over my weapon. There have been some options available in other games, but in the vein of realism these options were not many in number. Thankfully, Edge of Reality threw realism out the window with Loadout and we are able to have fun creating the most insane, outlandish guns we can possibly dream up. It’s hard to explain just how awesome this feature of the game is. The crazy weapons fit perfectly with the art style chosen for the game, too.

 

 

And it’s not just gun customization, either. You are given a bunch of options to customize the looks of your character too. You can choose a hair style, accessories, and even taunts which range from Gangnam Style dances to tea bagging. The taunts especially got my interest, as there were a lot to choose from and they all seemed to be very well done. I can’t wait to see what new ones come out in the future.

 

 

There is a cost to get extra parts to customize your gun, though there are ways to get parts without having to pay. You can buy the currency using real money, so if you have a bit of extra money you can dump it into the game to have more parts available to you for more combinations. Thankfully, the costs for customizing a weapon aren’t too expensive, at least not at first. If you want to customize the looks of your character, you will either have to break out your wallet or play a lot of games, as it can get quite expensive with each piece of customization costing thousands of currency. I’m not too worried about this though, as I understand the game needs a source of income and it definitely deserves to have money spent on it.

 

 

 

Graphics

Loadout is filled with explosions and gore, kind of like our favorite over-the-top action movies from the 70’s and 80’s. If you land a missile on someone’s leg, their character will begin running around with their leg missing and blood spewing from the wound before they eventually fall to the ground and die. If your weapon does electric damage, you will see your enemy jump in the air where his skeleton will show through his skin, just like in the old cartoons. The art style chosen is cartoony with unrealistic body proportions. The explosions, gore and weapons effects, and textures are done extremely well.

 

Just chilling with my head blown off

 

I can’t really say I have a gripe to mention about the graphics. It won’t get full score, as I feel that there could be more done to make it more exciting and interesting to look at, while still retaining the cartoony look. It will, however, get the next best thing because everything I saw was superb. Edge of Reality has an amazing art team they should really be proud of. Thanks for the mind blowing visual experience, guys.

 

 

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Controls

Another thing that Loadout does well is the controls. Most games in this genre have one or two issues with the controls that take a while to get used to. I didn’t find any of that here and I was able to jump into the game and immediately start doling out destruction. The game offers a familiar control scheme, that you will know if you’ve ever played a TPS before, and controlling your character is as smooth as can be. I am glad that developers are beginning to put more effort in making sure their controls are as good as they can be, it makes the experience so much better.

 

 

Community

I probably shouldn’t even include this part of reviews anymore when it comes to shooters. Maybe just place a single bold sentence at the top of the review that states, “Typical shooter community, filled with hate, insults and accusations.” But, like a majority of games, Loadout has some gold stars that stick out and make the community bearable. Thankfully, most people do not chat while in the game. To busy blowing someone’s head off to insult someone’s mother or sexual preference, I expect.

 

He seems angry for some reason

 

One thing I liked when I visited the Loadout website was a very nice forum. It was nice and functional and filled with discussion. The general discussion forum has, at the time of writing, well over five-thousand posts. I really liked when I saw just how many posts were in the suggestions forum; I like a community that is filled with ideas. A cursory glance at a few threads tells me that the community on the forums is quite mature and it’s nice to see that devs have posted in a lot of the threads. Kudos to Edge of Reality for cultivating such a nice forum community.

 

 

Gameplay

Loadout is all about fast-action and being over the top. Big explosions will be a frequent sight, and you will most likely die a lot. But, that’s OK as you have near instant respawn and will be back in the fray in no time. In other games, something like that may have made the experience less enjoyable, but in Loadout it’s all about having fun and no one has fun while they wait for a respawn timer. Also, be prepared to laugh a lot as you or someone else die in some absurd way.

 

 

The weapons are as devastating as they come. With everyone having custom-made their weapon, you probably won’t find many people using the same weapon in a match. Sure, there will always be people that use Flavor of the Month builds that might give them a bit of an edge, but a majority of people just build whatever they think would be cool. Lasers, pulse, rockets, and bullets are currently available to choose from. On top of choosing the projectile type, you can also choose what type of damage it does – such as healing or explosion, special effects, trigger types, or even weapon butts that effect things like recoil.

 

 

For game modes, there is Blitz – which is a form of King of the Hill, Death Snatch – where you try to capture the enemies ‘Blutonium’ while protecting your own, Extraction – Blutonium is once again the goal of this mode as each team gets a designated ‘extractor’ who collects and stores the Blutonium until he dies and the baton is passed on to the next poor sap, and finally there is Jack Hammer – which is like capture the flag, where the flag is a powerful melee weapon. A lot of the time, you will find people just trying to kill each other rather than actually going after objectives.

 

 

Getting into a match is quick and easy, from what I’ve experienced. It’s usually just a matter of seconds before you’re thrown into a game. If the match hasn’t already started, you will get to vote on a map and talk with the other players. Once it actually starts, everyone is spawned right next to each other, friend or foe, and the first few seconds are a chaotic slaughter. At the end, you are given experience and get a chance at some extra rewards with the bonus prize wheel, which can be more experience or maybe some space currency.

 

 

As with all things, there are a few negatives. As I mentioned, people will sometimes use Flavor of the Month Builds, which can make you frustrated. This game will probably never have a competitive scene, but who knows – I’ve seen competitive play for less serious games. If you are looking for a hard-core game to get into, you may not like Loadout as it seems to be designed for casual play. At the most you will play this game and instantly fall in love with it, at the least you will play it and admit that it will be a good game to play on those rare blue moons when you need some gore-induced laughs.

 

 

Conclusion

Loadout has set the bar high with its weapon customization, amazing casual AND hardcore experience, and just the overall near-perfect blend of its features. I can’t wait to see what the other developers do to try and top it. Sometimes I get lucky and I get to review a game that I have almost nothing but good things to say about, and this is one of those times. I would like to thank all those that worked on Loadout for a great gaming experience. Needless to say at this point, but play this game if you want a great Third-Person Shooter.

 

 

Features: 4/5 – Almost everything you could want.

Customization: 5/5 – It’s got a ton of options for not just your weapons, but your character as well.

Graphics: 4/5 – They were superb but I felt more could be done.

Controls: 5/5 – Perfect for the game.

Community: 3/5 – A healthy forum community saves the day.

 

 

Overall: 4/5 – Get it and play it, nothing else to say.

 

Get into the Loadout beta now! Grab a CB key at OnRPG’s Event Section!

Loadout

Loadout is a free to play third-person shooter developed by Edge of Reality. Featuring a groundbreaking weaponcrafting system, customizable characters, agile maneuvers, and multiple game modes, Loadout aims to let players take control and play their way.

Features:

Multiple Game Modes: Loadout launches with five game modes: Control Point Blitz, Death Snatch, Extraction, Jack Hammer, and Annihilation.

Customizable Characters: Play as Axl, T-Bone, or Helga and accessorize with head gear, shirts, pants, shoes, tattoos, and more.

Extensive Weaponcrafting: Define your own class through the weapons you create! Billions of combinations are available through a modular weaponcrafting system that lets you earn more powerful parts as you play.

Emphasis on Mobility: Designed to be an agile shooter, Loadout lets you complete platform-style moves like Ramp Jumps and Power Rolls.

Gravity Interactive Launches Ragnarok Online as a Free iOS MMO

Gravity Interactive Launches Ragnarok Online as a Free iOS MMO

Gravity Interactive, Inc. is proud to announce the release of their most popular MMORPG as a free, multiplayer iOS application Ragnarok Online: Valkyrie Uprising which can be found on the Play Store(Android) and App Store (iOS) starting April 10th, 2013.

With our launch, there will be several tie in events found on the Official Facebook page and a special event for all players of the Classic Ragnarok Online PC MMORPG!

-For all players of the Classic MMORPG who register to play Ragnarok Online: Valkyrie Uprising, and sign up here will receive free ingame items on the PC version of Ragnarok Online.

Facebook page will be hosting several events that will earn players free ingame prizes and free “Rubys” to use toward shop items!

Ragnarok Online: Valkyrie Uprising will be completely free to download and play! You can also enhance your game play with purchases from the “Shop” in the game through the App Store (iOS) and Play Store(Android).

City of Heroes: Back in the News

City of Heroes: Back in the News

By Meticulous Meta, OnRPG’s Unemployed Hero

 

 

Hello again heroes! It seems like forever since we last gathered here. Of course I know many of us can be found on the Titan Network. Which TonyV and his crew are awesome enough to run. But it is time for me to come out of my semi retirement to talk about our lost love, City of Heroes. Why? Well it has been getting quite a bit of attention since the now quite famous MMORPG panel at PAX East last month in which Jack Emmert expressed an interest in City of Heroes and several others, including Dave Georgeson from SOE said that City of Heroes didn’t deserve to die.

 

 

Since word got out about that panel the Titan Network have started all sorts of plans, which include mailing the MMO media to make sure they know what was said and that the good fight has not ended. Now, sadly in a forum post on the Champions Online’s forums, Community Manager Trailturtle talked about an email conversation with Jack, in which it was said that while Jack does have an emotional attachment to CoH (who doesn’t?) there are no plans for Cryptic or PWE to bring back City of Heroes. Sadface. It isn’t actually all that surprising. And I am as well as many others are so pleased that the Cryptic guys have taken notice of the comments and questions and faced them instead of just ignoring them.

 

 

But that isn’t the only reason City of Heroes has been in the news recently. Gamasutra recently posted a quite lengthy look behind the scenes at Paragon Studios which came thanks to Matt “Formerly Known As Positron” Miller and others. In it comes the astonishing news that at one point City of Heroes was just one signature away from being saved and that Issue 24 was just two weeks away from being pushed to the live servers. Matt goes on to talk about the anniversary plans which would be kicking into gear quite soon if City of Heroes were still running. They involved Battalion and eventually, a moonbase.

 

 

And that brings us to yesterday evening when Massively posted the article “Stop Digging Up The Grave.” In it Eliot Lefebvre called out the City of  Heroes community. Saying that hope was gone, and City of Heroes would never return. Fan reaction has been quite a lot more mellow than I think it would have been just a couple months ago. Many of the comments say that people accept Eliot’s views but they aren’t going to give up so easily. Others see the merit in getting over it and moving on, while a few see the CoH community as a group of fanatical fans who just won’t give up. But that isn’t to say Eliot doesn’t wish the game would come back. Though he admitted just after the closure was announced that he had been taking time off from the game he would love to see it make a return, even offering to buy TonyV confetti if he proves to be wrong.

 

 

As we quickly come up to what would be the ninth anniversary, a lot of emotions are going to be stirred up. You may not be able to log into the game anymore but the community is still going strong on Facebook and the Titan Network. And if you’re looking for a reason to get a bit teary have a look at the fan made replica of the City of Heroes website at cityofheroes.ca.

 

 

No matter which side you fall on this is a time for reflection for everyone in every MMO. Could yours be next? The City of Heroes community is still struggling with the loss. No matter how good a game may be it can’t fill that Paragon City shaped hole in our hearts. Farewell for now, I’ll see you all again for a special City of Heroes article on April 28th, what would have been the 9th anniversary of City of Heroes.

 

 

Keep up the good fight my friends.

OnRPG Shotgun News 4/11: WildStar, League of Legends, C9, and Much More!

OnRPG Shotgun News 4/11: WildStar, League of Legends, C9, and Much More!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Elder Scribe

Wildstar Surprises with Beta Start

Wildstar surprised everyone yesterday as they announced that beta was starting. Oh and you should check your inbox/spam. Thousands of players have already been invited with thousands more expected over the next couple of weeks during closed beta 1. If you haven’t signed up yet have no fear, you can still do so on the official website.

LoL Passes Dota 2 in the West?

Yesterday I reported on the news that a study had found Dota 2 was more popular than League of Legends in the west. Well today Riot has challenged this with some numbers of their own. As the story develops I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Webzen Announces Raid Mode and More for C9

Webzen has announced a new four player raid mode and a new dungeon for Continent of the Ninth Seal. This comes along with an extreme dungeon which brings more complicated bosses than ever.

Elsword Introduces Mission Dungeons

Kill3rCombo’s hit MMORPG Elsword has announced all new content in the form of mission dungeons. Six of the hardest obstacle based dungeons ever in Elsword will throw players at laser beams, low lights, icy chasms, and much more. And six new costumes will be available from the Design Your Favorite Elsword Costume contest.