Monthly Archives: May 2013

Mortal Bacon: The Dragon Pig, New Ultimate Boss in WAKFU on May 21st

Dragon Pig

On May 21st, high-level players will get the chance to chop up a new Ultimate Boss: the legendary Dragon Pig, who reveals himself in a special teaser.

What are Ultimate Bosses?
Ultimate Bosses are WAKFU’s hardcore PvE (player vs environment) content. They are instanced bosses, accessible once per week. They require players to develop a team strategy for several weeks before confronting them and being able to beat them and obtain very rare items.

 

 

The Dragon Pig: a crossmedia character welcomed in WAKFU
The Dragon Pig is a huge creature, as fearsome as he is stinky… and surprisingly swift! He appeared for the first time in a DOFUS dungeon, a story that was told in a one-shot DOFUS Monster manga which bears the Dragon Pig’s name. But he also appears twice in the WAKFU series.

 

The Dragon Pig is a real tactical challenge that is aimed at very-high-level players (120-125). Those players’ behavior will influence the monster’s aggressiveness and the outcome of the battle!
To learn more about his behavior and characteristics and to see examples of the rewards players have the chance to receive for fighting him, read the official devblog.

GunCraft Review – Minecraft Meets Counter Strike

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

GunCraft is a new addition to the emerging genre of Minecraft-like shooters that started with Brick-Force and Ace of Spades. It gives you the fast-paced action you’ve come to love from an FPS, and combines it with the creativity involved with playing Minecraft. This creates an interesting gameplay experience where the map can always be different and changed. Don’t like that wall? Destroy it. This new layer of strategy should make for a very exciting game.

 

Customization

Customization is pretty nice in GunCraft. There’s a pretty extensive class editor where you can come up with your own classes to play in the game, or just modify existing ones. You are given the ability to choose your skin, your weapons, your special abilities and other useful things that you’ll need to go on a killing rampage. There is also the scene editor where you can create maps by stacking blocks, just like Minecraft. The one thing I didn’t find, which I would have liked, was an in-game skin creator, but it’s not too much of an issue as you’re given a wide variety of pre-sets to work with.

 

Guncraft Customization

 

Graphics

Think of Minecraft. Well GunCraft’s graphics are a tad bit worse, in my opinion. But they’re still in the same style. Its downfall is the textures, which are very bland, even compared to other block-based games. For all that it accomplishes, however, I don’t find the lack of texture quality a negative. Overall, I am happy with the graphics in GunCraft.

 

Guncraft Graphics

 

Controls

GunCraft uses the controls that you would expect from a shooter. WASD movement with left click to shoot, right click to zoom. The one thing that threw me off was that, at least not by default, you cannot use the 1-9 keys or the mouse wheel to change weapon. Other than that, it was quite easy to pick-up. If you’ve played a shooter in the past, you will feel right at home playing GunCraft.

 

Community

It’s a shooter community, so there is a bit of rough language. For the most part, however, the players are helpful and nice. I’ve had no issue finding active games, even at 3:00AM in the morning. However, I’ve got to say that the community is not very large. Definitely not as large as similar games, such as Ace of Spades. But, as I didn’t have an issue finding a game, I won’t give the community aspect of the game a bad score.

 

Gameplay

GunCraft plays a lot like your average FPS. You spawn, you kill, you die, you spawn, you kill, rinse and repeat. There is just about every kind of weapon you could want. There are special abilities you can activate to give you a slight advantage, too. On top of that, there are the creative aspects where you can build or destroy the map as you please. Basically, it’s Black Ops meets Minecraft.

 

Guncraft Gameplay

 

The FPS aspect is, as I said, very similar to other FPS games. I get the feeling they were trying to emulate the Call of Duty: Black Ops style, though. This means it’s very fast paced and filled with interesting things, such as drones, kill streaks, and no scopes. It’s not a very tactical game, but there is some room for it. You will be rewarded for taking your time and letting people come to you, rather than running around like you have no idea what you’re doing.

 

Guncraft Aiming

 

I really didn’t see much of the in-game block-placement while I played. It just didn’t seem like a major part of the gameplay. It seemed that everyone either did not know how to make use of it, or just chose not to. Perhaps in some game modes or maps it will play a larger part. But other than that, it worked pretty well when it was used.

 

Guncraft Block Options

 

The map creator is nice. I really enjoyed spending time creating the maps (despite knowing that no one would ever use my creations). It was almost like creative mode in Minecraft, but the selection of blocks wasn’t as diverse. It would be great if they could one day allow for some of the great stuff you can do in Minecraft with redstone and such. But, there are some neat traps and such you can put in your map, such as gravity lifts.

One of the many unique survival style modes present in-game

Conclusion

GunCraft is on the fast track to being a great game. The thing I love about modern game development is that even after the game is released, more features and content can be added in. I love this new melding of genres that are happening now, and this is a great example of what can be accomplished with a bit of innovation. I’ve got a few things I would like to see added to the game, but I have no real issues with what is already available. If you like shooters and Minecraft, I suggest you give this game a go and support their Steam Greenlight page as well.

 

 

Features: 3/5

Customization: 4/5

Graphics: 2/5

Controls: 5/5

Community: 4/5

 

Overall: 4/5

OnRPG Shotgun News 5/20: Neverwinter, Skyforge, and Skara

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG News Mistress

 

Neverwinter Rolls Back the Clocks

In case you missed it here is a little catch up of what happened over the weekend in Neverwinter. A huge exploit was discovered which basically broke the economy of the world. The game was shut down for a good portion of Sunday while they worked out the problem, how to deal with it and what to do about the people who took advantage of it. The game was then patched, the abusers banished, and they rolled Neverwinter back 7 hours to a time before the economy completely crashed. A lot of progress and items were lost in that 7 hour roll back and the folks at Perfect World know it. Which is why they’re putting together a little thank you package for everyone. It should be available by the end of the week.

 

Obsidian Entertainment Teaming with Allods Creators to make Skyforge

Skyforge was first announced way back in May 2012 by the Allods Online team but then faded from memory as nothing else was heard about it. Well that all changes today. Mail.ru announced at KRI 2013, the Russian Game Developers conference that Obsidian Entertainment would be teaming up with the Allods Team to make Skyforge. You can still check out the 9 minute video introduction to it, and fortunately if you don’t speak Russian you can at least look at the pretty images.

 

 

8 Bit Studios Launches Kickstarter for MOBA Skara

A new MOBA is entering the arena as 8 Bit Studios launches a Kickstarter event for Skara – The Blade Remains. It is described as a MOBA that allows live action fighting along the lines of Streetfighter and Call of Duty. 8 Bit is hoping to raise £150,000 in the next 40 days. Be sure to look out for more information about it later this week in the weekly Kickstarter column on OnRPG.

Warspear Online

Warspear Online is a cross-platform MMORPG. Create a character to explore the lands of Arinar, equip yourself with a variety of arms and armor, and face off against opponents in a real-time combat system. Communicate with your fellow players using smartphone technology like never before, and immerse yourself in a true roleplaying experience.

Features

Classic Fantasy Genre: Magic and mayhem about in Warspear Online. With colorful graphics and a unique game world, there’s plenty for new and old alike to enjoy.

Diverse Equipment Selection: Customize your character through the use of weapons and armor, and fine tune your look at your convenience.

Real Time Combat: Fight against various threats to your clan in real time combat, or face off against other players in intense PvP arenas!

Conquer Online Holds World Fighting League to Celebrate 10 Years

Conquer Online
 

Although you can find a heap of online games in the market nowadays, it is rare to see one that has been going steady for over 10 years! So to celebrate this marvelous milestone of the free to play Conquer Online, TQ Digital has prepared a host of exciting events for its faithful veterans and new players, such as the 1st ever World Fighting League contest, where players from over 10 versions of CO will fight to decide who is the supreme champion and earn their spot in the free trip to China!

 

Since it was launched in 2003, Conquer Online has attracted millions of players with its authentic kung-fu elements, oriental fantasy, diverse PvP-based activities, and addictive gameplay. By continuously adding new content, it has been staying lively and prosperous during the last 10 years, and its next decade also looks just as promising, with TQ Digital revealing several new expansions to be launched this year! These additions will bring in a new character, the mysterious Chinese “Kung Fu Master”, and a new massive cross-server PvP battle, the “Kingdom War”!

 

You can also see how a CO veteran reviews his past 10 years with CO, and take a sneak peak at what will be coming in game, by checking out the 10th Anniversary trailer:

 

 

CO’s 10th Anniversary celebration will last from May to mid-June. In addition to the WFL contest, there will be a number of other events, as well as generous bonuses and gifts to be had! To accommodate new players, Conquer Online has also opened two new servers, “Reminiscence” and “Reunion_EU”, giving away special Starter’s Packs to boost their journey into ancient China, while all returning veterans can receive a “Welcome Home” gift when logging into their original servers.

Lunaria Story

Lunaria Story is a 2D Platforming MMORPG in the same vein as Maple Story. You create your character, quest and adventure through the world, and grow more and more power. Several different features are also available to make sure your experience is entertaining, such as farms, crafting, and item upgrading. Various daily tasks are also available for players to complete.

Features

Three Classes: Each of the classes has a different feel and style to them. Be a mighty swordsman, and skillful hunter, or a wily magician!

2D Platforming action: Battle enemies on rich levels with platforming action. Climb robes and ladders, drop down heights, and defeat your foes!

Various Systems: Farm, gem synthesis, and daily events await. Complete them to grow even more powerful!

Automated systems: Travel to objectives easily, and fight monsters with an intuitive auto-system. Utilize it to the best of your ability to ensure your success!

Map of the Dead: Zombie Goodness At the Comfort of Your Home

By: Vincent Haosun, OnRPG Mobile Guru

 

Location based games are the type of games I avoid like the plague since I prefer gaming within the bounds of my comfort zone, (ie. my home). I did try Google’s Ingress for a bit, but since I haven’t a decent mobile internet for my phone I decided to delete the game after a week’s of test-playing.
And here we have Map of the Dead. I was actually stoked when I heard of it a year ago and now that I had the chance to try it out, my excitement was rewarded handsomely.

Location Based Gaming without Going Out

One of the first things that I loved about Map of the Dead is that it’s a location based game that doesn’t require you to go out and do things. The iOS exclusive game is powered by Foursquare and uses the foursquare technology in finding out notable areas within your vicinity that you can scavenge.

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You don’t have to go out and lounge around the nearest bar to see if you can score weapons, equipment or recovery items. As long as foursquare has them in your vicinity, it will appear in your map as an area ripe for the picking.

 

Gameplay

Map of the dead’s gameplay is simple. As part of the remaining humans left in a zombie infested world, your task is to survive the apocalypse by scavenging areas marked within your map. Each marked area has a risk level where it helps you determine if you’d be facing with a lone dead-person walking of a bunch of the ghastly undead.

 

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As you enter each area you have the option of either fighting the undead or sneaking past them. Attacking the walking corpses means you have to successfully go through a timing based mini-game before you can scavenge the area. Attacking is turn-based so don’t expect to get through an area unscathed unless you’re able to kill all the zombies at one go.
Sneaking on the other hand requires a little more finesse and a having a successful sneak would immediately let you scavenge the area without bashing heads in. Each area you scavenge will only be available once again after 6 hours, regardless if you fought, sneaked or ran away from the zombies that blocked your way.

Every player in Map of the Dead has their own one place that will serve as their base of operations. You have two storage devices in the game, the first one is the backpack while the other storage device is your base. You backpack is the limited storage space that you’ll be using mostly as you play MotD. The backpack space is limited and will serve as your mobile storage device when you travel outside your area to scavenge for more items and equipment.

 

Stockpiling

With the premise already painfully obvious. You’ll be basically stockpiling your resources at your base as you progress through each area. Scavenging randomly gives you either recovery items in the form of food, or weapons and equipments that vary from hammers, pen openers and even the usual guns such as pistols and assault rifles.

 

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Aside from getting them through random encounters, you can also purchase said items through the requisitions tab. Using the in-game currency (ammo), you can purchase and sell everything you’d need during the zombie apocalypse which you are playing through.

Random Elements

As I mentioned before, the game also gives you the option to sneak through the undead guardians of the area you plan to scavenge at. The game takes into consideration a lot of factors whenever you head out and scavenge the area around you. When you’re fighting against the zombies, there’s the random chance that the noise your weapon attracts other zombies and that you’d have to face another set of zombies before you can scavenge the area.

 

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The risk level of the game isn’t as reliable as you’d expect since there will be  moments when you enter a level 1 risk area and find yourself going against around 46 zombies. On the other hand, you’d also be experiencing level 2 or 3 risk areas that may contain only 1 zombie roadblock. So the unreliability of the risk factoring adds the random factor for scavenges and gives the game a little mix em up regardless of how low or high risk each area is.

 

Bugs

As of this post, the game has just been released and I expected the game to be buggy. And again I wasn’t disappointed. There have been moments where I would lose large tracks of items because the game suddenly bugs out.

 

It happened at my base when I was transferring the small first-aid kits from my backpack to my base stockpile, then the game suddenly crashes and when I log in, I lost all my small first-aid kit from my backpack AND my base stockpile. This also happened to my weapons and equipment as well.
The game also seems hard-pressed in keeping up with players who move through items/menus very quickly. I’ve had the experience of the game crashing when I moved through the menus faster than normal (since I’m impatient that way). So the only solution I can provide right now for that is to be patient or you’ll really regret it.

Thoughts

Map of the Dead is addictively simple that regardless of how basic the game’s premise is (kill, collect, survive) I find myself logging back in every after 6 hours. The game’s simplicity and the convenience of scavenging make the game such a convenient game to play that the game’s bugs are forgivable.

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I am excited on what’s in store in the future since there are a lot of game features that have yet to be used to it’s full potential. I’m referring to the in-game unit system since as of now what you only have is to add people as “friends” or units of your team. I would love to see how they would factor into gameplay changes in future updates.

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If you’re looking for a decent zombie game for the iOS, I’d highly recommend Map of the Dead. I mean sure, this is a location based zombie-themed survival game, at least you are not forced to go out just to scavenge so there’s a lesser chance of you looking like a doofus just to progress in the game.