Monthly Archives: April 2013

Age of Wushu Launch Interview

Age of Wushu Launch Interview

Questions by Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF), OnRPG Journalist

Answers by Hao Han, Age of Wushu Project Lead

Age of Wushu‘s North American launch has finally arrived! And OnRPG’s ApocaRUFF, a dedicated closed beta player of the game, took the opportunity to speak to Snail Games about the various improvements the game is undergoing as well as to address some of the questions his guild members had during CB. Thankfully Hao Han, Project Leader at Snail Games took the time to answer our questions in great detail.

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Can you tell us a bit about who you are and what you do at Snail Games?

I’m Hao Han, Age of Wushu Project Leader at Snail Games. I’m glad that our title is popular in North America. We’ll try our best to create a balanced, intuitive, and fun Wuxia world for players.

My favorite school is Shaolin, I’ve played it since the first closed beta and still love it. How about you, do you have a preferred school? Do you guys over at Snail Games tend to lean toward a certain school?

Shaolin is a “tough” school. To me, the unavailable new school “New Force” is my favorite. North American players will experience it soon. Our game team’s aim is to create a balanced and entertaining gaming experience for players, so we cannot bring too many subjective aspects to it. Of course, our team members play Age of Wushu and compete with each other in their spare time. In the annual Snail Games meeting, we held an Age of Wushu competition. Each school had its own supporters and experts. The champion of the Age of Wushu competition at the annual meeting 2013 was a supporter of Emei.

I personally love the fact that characters stay in the game when players log off, I feel it makes the game feel so much more alive. What would you say is the most unique feature that Age of Wushu offers?

The offline system is one of the most featured aspects of Age of Wushu. When players log off, the system will randomly select some characters to engage in offline activities. They may become a tavern servant, street performer, or even a school patrolling disciple after players log off. Players can gain some experience or currency by joining offline activities, however, there is also a chance of being kidnapped and sold. All of these make for more varied gameplay. Beyond that, having no classes or levels is another feature of gameplay in Age of Wushu. In general, our title restores the real Wuxia world to the greatest extent.

I see that the game has five separate versions for different regions of the world in the works. Do they all rely on a single development team for updates, or does each version of the game get its own team?

Age of Wushu already operates in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russian, Malaysia, and North America.  We have a single development team for updates to guarantee the integrity of all versions in the whole structure. Of course, we also pay close attention to localization. We have individual development teams for it in each region. For example, based on regional gaming habits, we produce a distinct single-player gameplay, opened a single-player instance, and optimized UI to meet these tastes.

I notice a lot of Chinese-speaking players in the game, probably old players from the original Chinese version. Are there any plans to make Age of Wushu blocked to certain regions of the world?

Age of Wushu is a globally unified game. We will offer version service to users in many regions. We know networks have regional variation, while Age of Wushu requires high bandwidth for its real-time combat, complex calculations, etc. Thus, we suggest users to select servers in their own region to get a better gaming experience.

I’ve seen some complaints about spammers on the forums. And I’ve seen them a bit while I was in-game as well, but not so often lately I have to admit. How are you guys dealing with gold selling spammers?

Our apologies about that – we always place priority in creating a healthy gaming environment. Our team has increased monitoring efforts and taken defense measures, you will see less spammers now. However, we still need a collective effort from players in creating a healthy gaming environment. Please contact us at if you receive spam. We’ll deal with it immediately.

Some players have expressed that they feel the money-to-gold exchange rate is too high, do you have any plans to adjust or experiment with this in the future?

We don’t have any plans regarding that right now.

Many people are afraid that Age of Wushu will become pay-to-win. What is your definition of “pay-to-win”, and what will Snail Games do to avoid it?

The monetization mode of Age of Wushu is “F2P + Membership + Shop,” which is a proven effective method. F2P makes more people have a chance to experience Chinese Wuxia culture brought by Age of Wushu, while Memberships and the Shop meet players’ personalized demands. Compared with time-based and item-based charging, we believe Age of Wushu’s charging mode is more reasonable.

Payment items in Age of Wushu give no attribute bonuses at all, which will never break the balance of the game. It’s the essential difference between Age of Wushu and other item-based charging games. In our mind, game quality is more important than short-term revenue.

To spread Chinese Wuxia culture, Age of Wushu also sells Kung Fu scripts in the Shop. However, these skills are not better than others. All the scripts sold in Shop are widely known in the Chinese Wuxia world. Players may buy them to experience gorgeous and unique skill effects. They will never break the balance of the game. Besides, Age of Wushu pays attention to operative skills. Each Kung Fu has its own features and restrictions between feint, overt, and block moves. Thus flexible operations and sharp observations are more important than kung fu learned. In Wulin Competition, the champion players didn’t use Kung Fu sold in the Shop at all – they used common school kung fu and won. This proves that Kung Fu sold in Shop will not break the balance of the game.

To be frank, I don’t think our game will become “pay-to-win.”

Age of Wushu has a bigger learning curve than most people realize. A few of the people I’ve talked to have said they quit the game soon after trying because the first few hours of the game were boring or confusing. Do you feel that this is true and if so, are you guys planning to make it easier to get into the game during the first few hours? Do you think some players just don’t have the right mindset for the game?

Admittedly, the Novice Guide is a complex process. Age of Wushu is a game set in the eastern Wuxia world, and offers a free Wuxia world to the greatest extent. Storyline tasks and move cultivation are just entry level skills. To have a better experience in the game, players need some interest in Chinese culture. We have found that cultural differences have lead to some North American player confusion. To solve this, we added some single-player gameplay and a new funny story that will allow North American players to better experience Chinese culture. We have also improved a lot in localization and UI interface. You’ll see our progress soon!

In games with a focus on PVP, balance is always a hot topic of discussion. How do you guys respond when the community claims that one school is over-powered?

We will handle this issue with care. Normally, we will not weaken any Schools directly. Age of Wushu involves many skills, and PVP combat will be better balanced with new skills.

When the first closed beta came around, the translation was not very good. Since then, it has become a lot better, but I feel it could still use some work. Now that the game has launched can players expect further improvements?

As an Eastern culture themed title, Age of Wushu contains many rich cultural elements. We met great difficulties and challenges in the localization process. We established localization teams in both China and North America to overcome these difficulties. We try our best to have North American players experience authentic Eastern culture. We have recorded all feedback on localization problems and our localization team is dealing with them now. Players will see a better localized version at the official launch.

Age of Wushu’s First World Champion Finalists. Just looking at them confirms why Team USA had no chance.

I got an in-game message telling me my character skill level qualified me to be considered for entering the “Age of Wushu Invitational Global Championship,” how often will tournaments occur?

The Age of Wushu Invitational Global Championship was a competition event held by Snail Games. The competition included an offline Arena Champion Competition, online Mount Hua Competition and a 1 Million Yuan Competition. It attracted players from many regions all around the world. Low thresholds and the 1 million Yuan reward led to many players’ interest and the game industry’s long-term attention. The aim of the competition was to restore a real sense of the Wuxia world and spread Chinese kung fu culture. The first Age of Wushu Invitational Global Championship ended recently and the 1 million Yuan reward was gained by a Chinese player. We are preparing the rules and participation methods of the next global competition and will release the details at an appropriate time.

Looking at your forums, I see that a lot of people who are interested in the game are refugees from City of Heroes/Villains. How do you guys feel about this and do you have any messages for other CoH/V vets who may be looking for a home, or just people looking for a new game in general?

Welcome to authentic Chinese Wuxia world! Hope you will find a better gaming experience here. If you like our game, please invite your friends and wander in Jianghu together.

With launch here at last do you have any special events planned?

We have prepared a big gift pack for players and partnered with OnRPG as well as MMOHuts to hand out the White Tiger pack. Players can also check the launch event page for info on various events happening now.

Again, thank you for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add?

To all Age of Wushu players, I would like to say thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Our team will improve the gaming experience to continuously create an intuitive, balanced and fun Wuxia world.

Prime World Announces Closed Beta Testing

Prime World Announces Closed Beta Testing

 

 

Nival has announced beta registrations for their role-playing strategy game Prime World, named Best Strategy Game of E3 2011 by IGN.com and Game of the Year for 2012 by three major Russian publications, including Igromania.

 

To get early access to Prime World, please visit http://playpw.com/en  and click “Join the beta” in the upper left.

 

 

Prime World merges MOBA battles, persistent RPG hero development and castle building. You can equip and train your hero between battles using collectible and upgradable talents, build a thriving economy in your city, and play together with your friends. You can even start your own clan and fight other clans!

The Fabric of Reality is at Risk in DC Universe Online: Origin Crisis

The Fabric of Reality is at Risk in DC Universe Online: Origin Crisis

 

 

 

Sony Online Entertainment, LLC (SOE) today announced the next chapter in the DC Universe™ Online (DCUO) story – Origin Crisis. DCUO’s seventh downloadable content (DLC) pack will offer new high-level multiplayer and solo adventures, and send players battling through time and alternate realities with Batman or Lex Luthor as they attempt to save or alter the origins of important Heroes and Villains. Origin Crisis will also introduce DCUO’s newest power set – Quantum! The new DLC will be available in May for download on the PC and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

 

“It is really interesting to explore ‘what if’ scenarios, and we cannot wait for our players to experience the twists Origin Crisis will introduce to the story in DCUO,” said Jens Andersen, Creative Director, DC Universe Online. “In this DLC, players will travel through time to play out alternate histories and futures. What would happen to Metropolis if Superman worked for Lex Luthor? What if Bruce Wayne became an evil assassin instead of a vigilante? These are the stories and realities that the players will experience and influence.”

 

 

 

 

Origin Crisis offers players a fresh narrative with increased thrills and dangers. Brainiac has been defeated, but the war is not over. This new chapter will offer Heroes and Villains an array of adventures through new Raids and Operations as Future Lex Luthor and Future Batman wage a war through time and the very fabric of reality. The two will muster their forces in an attempt to change foundational events in the lives of iconic characters and alter their futures. As the story unfolds, players will have access to an assortment of new multiplayer adventures and solo simulations.

 

 

Origin Crisis will feature:

New Quantum Controller Power Set – Manipulate time, control gravity and twist the very fabric of space itself!

Two challenging new Raids

Two new Hero Origin Operations

Two new Villain Origin Operations

Iconic Anomalies – Two new Solo Simulation Challenges

New Gear, including Tier 5 PvE Gear and new Iconic-inspired Gear

New Feats, Collections and Trophies

 

 

DCUO’s Origin Crisis DLC pack will be a free download for the game’s Legendary members and will be available for purchase to Free and Premium players via the PlayStation®Network, the in-game Marketplace, or for PC players via the DCUniverseOnline.com website.

OnRPG Shotgun News 4/10: Age of Wushu, DCUO, DotA2, and Much More!

OnRPG Shotgun News 4/10: Age of Wushu, DCUO, DotA2, and Much More!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Elder Scribe

Age of Wushu Launches

Today marks the long awaited North American launch of the martial arts MMORPG Age of Wushu. But if you’re willing to hold out for a little while longer, on April 23rd a special retail edition will be available. For $19.99 players will have access to a special single player area where you can train with the martial arts star Jet Li while also getting 2 months of VIP access, $20 of in game currency, as well as a unique mount and fashion set. There are three servers available and time spent in beta will not be wiped, so you can take advantage of that little head start. OnRPG also has White Tiger Packs up for grabs on our giveaway page!

EA Named Worst Company in America, Again

For a second year in a row Electronic Arts (EA) has been named the worst company in America. In the final round they went up against Bank of America, but with 77% of the online votes being for EA it was clear who the “winner” was. Reasons for votes ranged from “MMO” SimCity’s always online tragedy to in-game ads and poor customer support. Consumerist writer Chris Morran asked EA to reflect on the following question, “When we live in an era marked by massive oil spills, faulty foreclosures by bad banks, and rampant consolidation in the airline and telecom industry, what does it say about EA’s business practices that so many people have — for the second year in a row — come out to hand it the title of Worst Company In America?” The full write-up can be found HERE.

EQ II To Give Cobalt Scar a Face Lift

The developers behind Everquest 2 sat down to give a preview to the new look for the zone Cobalt Scar. It is a quick 2 minute and 20 second video. It features lots of awesome looking video from the zone while talking about what the development team had in mind for the zone. Cobalt Scar will be available with update 66, Scars of the Awakened.

Dota 2 Passes LoL in the West

A new report from the DFC Game Meter service shows that Valve’s Dota 2 has surpassed both World of Warcraft and League of Legends as the most played game in the West. The report covers PC Gaming in North America and Europe but excludes casual and browser based games.

DCUO Announces Next DLC Pack, Origin Crisis

Travel time and dimensions with Batman, or Lex Luthor to see what could have been. The DLC will feature the new Quantum Controller powerset, two new raids, new operations, gear, and much, much more. And best of all it will be free to all players.

WoW Wednesday – Horde Versus Alliance

WoW Wednesday – Horde Versus Alliance

By Meredith Watson, OnRPG’s Azeroth Reporter

 

 

We all know there are two factions in the World of Warcraft – the Horde and the Alliance. At first glance an outsider could think that the WoW is nothing more than a race war. Given that each side is made up of several distinct races this would be an easy assumption to make. However, it would be wrong. At character creation you choose your faction but do you know why the Horde is considered the enemy and the Alliance the good guys?  In this case, it isn’t a matter of perception depending on which side you are on. The horde really are the bad guys and the Alliance their unwitting victims.

 

 

The Horde

Long, long ago on the peaceful world of Draenor the Orcs lived in relative harmony with their neighbours the Draenei. However, this peace wasn’t to last. The Burning Legion, an army of demons and a multitude of other corrupted creatures, had very different plans for the idyllic world of Draenor. The Burning Legion would, and at this point already had, destroyed many worlds across the universe in their lust for arcane power. The Orcs who were an intelligent shamanistic society would be, through the efforts of an Orc leader called Gul’dan, corrupted. Gul’dan wanted power and so made a terrible pact with Mannroth who was a general of the Burning Legion. The Orc’s shamanistic ways would be abandoned for those of the dark magic of the warlock. Enslaved and demonically corrupted the Orcs took to destroying Draenor under the command of the dreadlord Kil’jadeen. The horde was born and Gul’dan its de facto leader.

 

 

Eventually Gul’dan with the help of the crazed mage Medhiv would open the dark portal allowing the horde into Azeroth resulting in the first war.  The horde’s only goal was conquest and destruction.  Soon after coming through the dark portal the trolls would join in the fray on the side of the horde.  It wouldn’t be until the third war that the Tauren under command of Cairne Bloodhoof would join forces with Thrall and his new horde.  The Tauren with their shamanistic ways had much in common with the Orcs. Thrall had been bringing back the Orc’s old ways of shamanism and the new horde is no longer the mindless juggernaut it once was. The Forsaken would join as a matter of convenience after the third war under the leadership of Sylvanas Windrunner.

 

 

The Alliance

The Alliance also known as the Grand Alliance included the seven human kingdoms of Arathor, Alterac, Azeroth, Dalaran, Gilneas, Kul Tiras and Lordaeron.  The seven human kingdoms were formed some 1200 years before the first war. Also included in this alliance were the Khaz Modan and Aerie Peak Dwarves, the Gnomes of Gnomergen, and the High Elves of Quel’Thalas. After the destruction of the Kingdom of Azeroth during the first war by the horde, the survivors fled to Lordaeron. They would make their home in Southshore.  The refugee leader Anduin Lothar was able to convince the Dwarves and Gnomes whose homes were under attack by the horde to join the humans against the Orcs. After the seven human kingdoms banded together and with the help of the Dwarves, Elves and Gnomes the Alliance would be victorious in the second war. Before this banding together the human kingdoms worked autonomously and would often squabble amongst themselves.  After the third war, Night Elves, Draenei and Ironforge Dwarves would join the Alliance.

 

 

There is much more to the story than what is here but to write it all would be to write a novel. Blizzard has given a depth to the Warcraft series that is rarely matched.  While lore is all well and good, how does it play out in the game world with real players?  Many players are staunchly horde or Alliance. If you were to ask people why they play horde, for instance, they might say because horde is the more “mature” faction.  What is meant is that the horde is seen as the faction with fewer kids and more adults playing it. While this may or may not be true, it certainly did seem this was the case during vanilla and to a lesser degree The Burning Crusade. When Blood Elves were introduced as the “pretty” race for the horde, the quality of new horde player did seem to be somewhat lacking.

 

 

Others will say they play horde because they are the underdog. Huld of Shadowsong says, “I wanted to play Horde as everyone has the misconception about them being the “bad guys”. After playing them, you find it is more of a misunderstanding.” Maybe later in the storyline it could be said that the horde were, in a way, the underdogs and somehow misunderstood but initially that was far from the case.  The horde was very much the bad guys. Other players seem to know this and aren’t bothered by it as Ian on Twitter explains when asked why he chose Horde, “It had to be Horde – the villains and the server population underdogs, both appealing propositions”.

 

 

 It seems also that more players prefer the horde’s lore to the Alliance though there has always been contention that the Horde quest lines are harder than Alliance or that Alliance didn’t have to grind, or Alliance had better rewards. When asked why he plays Alliance, Petter on Twitter controversially replied, “Gnomes are the only way to go”. Others seemingly play Alliance because they don’t like the “ugly” races of the Horde.  This forum poster, in response to the Horde versus Alliance question stated, “Because I hate the Horde’s wishy-washy cry-baby persecution complex. Wah wah, we’re savage yet noble. Why don’t you understand me?”

 

 

No doubt your decision to play Horde or Alliance will be a personal one be it aesthetics, lore or some other reason. I play both factions and always have. I love the haughty and proud Night Elves, the strength and fierceness of the Orcs, the story of Sylvanas Windrunner as well as the haunting quality of the Forsaken areas. As for maturity, over the years, it seems the balance has shifted. There are as many immature players on Horde as there are on Alliance.

 

 

Which faction do you prefer and why?

Webzen Launches Epic 4-Player Co-Op Mode for Arctic Combat

Webzen Launches Epic 4-Player Co-Op Mode for Arctic Combat

 

 

WEBZEN Inc., a global leader in next-generation free-to-play games, announces an epic new update for the first-person shooter, ARCTIC COMBAT. Beginning Thursday, April 18, 2013, players will be able to participate in a thrilling new 4-player co-op mode.

 

 

This exciting new mode marks the first major content update for ARCTIC COMBAT since its official launch in December 2012. The 4-player co-op mode will feature various levels of difficulty, all resulting in an assortment of rewards. The new feature will allow gamers from all different backgrounds, including more casual FPS-type players, to enjoy the game. The new update for ARCTIC COMBAT will also feature new weapons and maps, plus a challenging, upgraded Artificial Intelligence (AI) system.

 

 

To celebrate the long-awaited launch of the game’s new update, WEBZEN is partnering with MMO Hut and OnRPG to give away free AC Item Packs. Please visit OnRPG’s giveaway page for more information!

Character Development: A Return to GW2

Character Development: A Return to GW2

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Roleplay Master

 

 

In one of my first Character Development articles I wrote about Guild Wars 2. That was back in September, just a few days after I started playing. Now I’ve had a good six months in the game and I think I know it a bit better than I did before. I will admit though, while I do attend a lot of events on my home server Piken Square, I don’t think I’d consider myself a known face in the RP community. But there is a good reason for that. I’m not the bar type. In real life I don’t go to bars, they’re overpriced and I don’t drink alcohol. In MMOs its all about standing around and listening to drama all day. And while sure, that can be fun from time to time, real life, well…real adventuring life is out in the wilds. And so that is where I spend most of my time. While I’m not waiting for the Claw of Jormag event.

 

 

In my first RP article on GW2 I mentioned www.guildwars2roleplayers.com. Back then it looked like Piken Square was struggling a bit with the non bar roleplay. Sadly things haven’t changed all that much. Though things are getting much, much better. And GW2RP as they call themselves is an insanely useful tool. I log into the site nearly every day to check what is going on, read articles posted by the GW2RP journalist staff and chat a bit on the forums. This site is an absolute must for any roleplayer in Guild Wars 2.

 

 

My favorite reoccurring event right now is Moot Monday. I don’t go very often because I usually forget until after the event but the times I have gone have been awesome. It really is just a  bunch of Norn standing around being Norn. With the occasional other race making an appearance. There are a few other events I’m really looking forward to as well. In particular Magitech Expo 1326 sounds like it is going to be a ton of fun. Who doesn’t love Asura!? And yet events like the weekly in character questing on Tarnished Coast, the North American RP server, leave me jealous. I may need to do something about this.

 

 

I joined a guild for a short time which promised adventure but then every time I logged in I found half the guild standing in a bar. So I didn’t stick around there long. All the other guild research I’ve done has basically led me back to a bar. Now, maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places but for now I’m still hunting. Until I decide to do something else, like make my own adventure group.

 

 

I did run into one roleplayer randomly once. I was trying out an experiment in which I was walking North from Rata Sum for one hour to see how far I would get while still doing any random events that popped up. While in walk an Asura came across me and decided to follow me around for a while before we struck up a conversation. As it happened he is one of the main people behind The Busted Flagon in Divinity’s Reach. Since then I’ve stopped by a couple of times, though mostly I just watch people chat.

 

 

So there you have it, my experiences in Guild Wars 2 six months on. Every day I consider more and more making my own group. If that is something I do I’ll be sure to mention it in future editions of Character Development so all of you can join in. I also recently took over the OnRPG Weekly Guild Wars 2 article. So be sure to come back every week to see more about Guild Wars 2. And come back for more Character Development every other week. Future editions will include the new RP advice blog styled after Dear Abby, the perks and downfalls of bar based rp, and much more.