Monthly Archives: June 2013

Soldier Front 2 – CB Interview

Questions by Michael Sagoe (Mikedot), OnRPG Journalist

It’s time to return to the front… The soldier front, that is.

Released back in 2004 and 2006, Korean game developer ‘Dragonfly’ released a military style FPS title called “Soldier Front” (which is better known as “Special Force” in eastern territories). While the game strikes much resemblance to another popular military shooter at the time (Valve’s “Counter-Strike”), it contained unique features including character customization, unique weapons and more.  Years later, they released a highly anticipated sequel for South Korea in 2011. Using Unreal Engine 3 technology, the game boasted impressive graphics, high quality audio and faster paced gameplay over its predecessor.

Now in 2013, Aeria Games is hosting an English version of Soldier Front 2, which has now gone into closed beta. While the game may be a huge leap forward from the original, a lot has changed within those years, with the gaming market now knee deep in military-style FPS titles. Does Soldier Front 2 have something that will make it stand out from the pack? I sought out the lead producer of the game to find out more.

Soldier Front 2

OnRPG: Hello there! My name is Michael Sagoe, long-time contributor for OnRPG, but you can call me Mikedot. Before we begin, would you care to introduce yourselves to the readers?

Hi Michael, my name is Dylan Barnes, I’m an associate producer working on and happily playing Soldier Front 2.

OnRPG: What makes Soldier Front 2 stand out from all the hundreds of Military-style FPS titles already on the market?

The game has a lot to offer to players of all types; whether you’re looking for some quick action, competitive strategic play, or survival-oriented gameplay, there’s something for you.  There are also unique modes for players such Hero, a MOBA-style mode utilizing FPS elements. All in all there will be over 10 modes by or shortly after launch. There’s definitely something for everyone, especially if you like to switch things up while you play.

OnRPG: What aspects in Soldier Front 2 would you say stays true to its predecessor?

Picking just one that stood out to me is map design. Soldier Front did a great job with map design and creating a competitive environment that keeps players on their toes regardless of the style of map. Soldier Front 2 carries this on and you’ll find that the maps are very dynamic and allow people to stay unpredictable in their strategies.

Original Soldier Front players can also expect a lot of the same basics, such as carrying multiple loadouts of weapons into a game, earning in-game currency to purchase a variety of gear and weapons to customize their play style, and of course some familiar fan-favorite maps.

OnRPG: How many maps and game modes will be available in the upcoming beta test? How many will be available at launch?

The beta has 12 maps and 6 game modes available, with more coming at launch and soon after as well.

Soldier Front 2

OnRPG: Tell us a bit more about the game’s Party and Hero modes.

Hero mode is built like a MOBA wherein there are 3 lanes with automated turrets and Xanthids (AI monsters) that spawn regularly and push down the lane towards enemy territory. The players can kill other players, Xanthids, or turrets to earn experience and money which they can then spend on weapons and upgrades. The goal is to destroy the turrets to expose and destroy the enemy’s main building. It’s definitely been something fun and new for us at the Aeria office; we hope the players love it as well.

There are a few party modes coming soon, but what is available right now is the Shatter mode. Shatter is pure frenzied fun, featuring a few walls, three levels of glass floors, random power-ups, and a long drop to a pit of spikes. Players can kill each other with weapons, or more alternatively shoot the glass out from beneath them and drop them into the spike pit. This mode is a great source of laughter and a solid go-to for a quick bit of fun.

Another Party mode coming soon is Manhunt, where a team of humans faces off against a team of player-controlled Xanthids. The human side is standard play, but the Xanthid side features three options: a melee assassin that can cloak and regenerate its own health, a speedy self-sacrificing bomber, and a ranged acid spitter.

Soldier Front 2

OnRPG: How would you describe the game’s pacing?

On an individual basis the pacing will depend on what the player is looking for. For some quick and easy action a player can hop into a deathmatch on a small map or play a Party mode map. For more strategic and calculated action, a player can play a mode with objectives such as Seizure, Sabotage, and Hero mode.

The game itself is quick to get into but not so quick to master. Right away a player will get access to a great variety of weapons, but to really perfect their play they have to rank up and complete some challenges to find the perfect combination that works for their play style.

OnRPG: Does the game feature a matchmaking system that will balance out the newbies from the pros?

Standard play does not feature a matchmaking system, but various channel restrictions will prevent pros from being able to dominate new players. Additionally, there will be a match making system specifically for clans to foster a competitive clan environment.

Soldier Front 2

OnRPG: What kind of customization options will be available?

Players can select their starting characters from different special forces, customize their gear, and of course customize their weapons. Weapon tags are also available to etch text into guns. Players can also customize their weapons beyond the basic model by unlocking altered versions of them, such as a different scope or adjustments to stats. For example, a player could opt to take a lower clip size in exchange for a lower gun weight.

OnRPG: During my play sessions, the maps I played on seemed to be very small, which allowed for some nice close quarters action, but is there a chance that maps with more wide open environments will be available?

You can definitely expect a large variation in map types, both in wide open maps as well as close-quarters combat. Our goal is to make sure that players of all types can find a favorite map/mode that works well for their play style.

OnRPG: Will players of the original Soldier Front earn any kind of special rewards for playing Soldier Front 2?

There will be some special events for Soldier Front players, and many of them were also hand selected for our early access phase in Soldier Front 2.

OnRPG: So the game will feature a VIP service. What kind of perks and benefits will players get from being a VIP member?

The VIP system is still being worked on, but some perks include access to exclusive skinned weapons and experience boosts for everyone playing in a VIP’s room.

Soldier Front 2 Car Cover

OnRPG: So when will the first beta test for Soldier Front 2 take place?

Closed beta just went live! Players can go to soldierfront2.aeriagames.com to download the client and play. (Editor’s Note: You can now snag an Elite Soldier Pack at our giveaway page!)

OnRPG: Any other comments that you would like to add?

Hope to see you in game – we’re always looking for new soldiers!

OnRPG: Thank you for your time!

Soldier Front 2 Closed Beta Elite Soldier Pack Giveaway

OnRPG is partnered with Aeria Games to celebrate the arrival of Soldier Front 2‘s Closed Beta testing phase with keys a plenty!

Soldier Front 2 seeks to build on its predecessor, Soldier Front, offering amazing graphics, a diversity of combat modes, realism, and an improved learning curve. Suit up and head out to war in competitive and cooperative scenarios, customize weapons, and earn achievements to prove your stuff on the battlefield.

Your key grants you the following Elite Soldier Pack:

SP and EXP Doubler
Color Code Name Change
Hot 3 Pack
Icejam Pack
Hunter Pack
Delta Scout

 

To get your key you have to follow these instructions:

  • If you are not yet a member of OnRPG please sign up here.
  • Enter your OnRPG username and password below to get your key.
  • The key will appear at the bottom of the page. Copy & paste it to a safe place as you may not be able to retrieve it once closing your browser!

To Redeem your Key:

E3 2013 Thursday MMO Recap

By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG/MMOHuts General Manager

Noei Girls E3 2013

By the final day of E3, all schedules have broken down and the show has turned into a free-for-all. Press and businessmen alike are rushing left and right in a mad panic to make all their meetings before the doors close at 5. Security begins to break down and you can pretty much muscle your way into any booth with enough confidence and smooth talking at your back. And it’s honestly a good thing because our promised coverage was only around 60% complete and I was determined to make sure we hit all the major titles we could before the doors closed.

Table of Contents

Nival – Prime World

InnoGames – The Mobile Revolution

Digital Extremes – Warframe

Square-Enix – Final Fantasy XIV

Skara Cosplay E3 2013

Continue to Prime World

 

E3 2013 Wednesday MMO Recap

By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG/MMOHuts General Manager

E3 2013 Wednesday MMO Recap

E3 is chaos. Between the South and West hall being a good 10 minute walk apart, countless hidden meeting rooms and escalators rivaling the confusion of Hogwarts, it’s almost expected to see people showing up late or not at all for meetings. So went Wednesday for us as I was delayed posting our Monday and Tuesday recap and had to send James and Garrett to meet up with Square for our look at Final Fantasy XIV. And they didn’t even get in! No worries we still got the coverage but that’s a little later in the tale of the hectic final two days of E3!

Table of Contents

Pearl Abyss – Black Desert

Sony Online Entertainment – Dragon’s Prophet

8 Bit Studio – Skara: The Blade Remains

Kill3rCombo – Elsword

Trion Worlds – ArcheAge

 

Continue to Black Desert

Conquer Online Prepares To Enter The Age of Jiang Hu!

Conquer Online

As you may have seen from Chinese martial arts movies, Jiang Hu is all about the world of fighters. The rules of Jiang Hu are simple… there are no rules! Once you have decided to enter the life of Jiang Hu, you are facing two destinies: become a respected Kung-Fu master and carry your martial arts forward, or become a stepping stone for other martial arts hopefuls!

With CO’s next expansion coming in June, Conquer Online is going to enter the Jiang Hu Age and will bring a new taste of battle! A new open world PvP gameplay will be added, encouraging players to challenge opponents of similar strength. Once you defeat an opponent, you will not only upgrade your status in Jiang Hu, but you can also gather spiritual energy from them and use it to enhance your own inner strength training!

 

Conquer Online

According to the legends, inner strength was first obtained by Chi You, a powerful but cruel clan leader in ancient China, in his war to conquer nine tribes. He stole the ancient teachings of these tribes, becoming the most powerful warrior the land had seen, and was worshiped as the God of War. There were 9 forms of power that Chi You gathered: Principle, Braveness, Filial Piety, Kindheartedness, Loyalty, Faith, Wisdom, and Endurance, each representing a rule of power in life. When one truly understands one of these beliefs, they will gain inner strength from that force.

The most exciting part of CO’s Age of Jiang Hu is that players will be able to create their own Kung Fu. This means, instead of learning the preset skills, you will be able to give birth to your own skills, making them exclusive in CO, and even in the mmo world!

CO’s Age of Jiang Hu will arrive in late June and more information about this expansion will be revealed on the CO Homepage!

Netmarble Offers Dice Venture Players the Chance to Win Big

Dice Venture
Netmarble.com, a leading worldwide online game portal, is inviting players to experience the fun of its online casual board game, Dice Venture, and win big prizes in the process. Until Tuesday, July 9, players will have a chance to win prizes that include a Dell laptop, an iPad, a Galaxy S4 and even $1,000 cash. Interested dice rollers can visit www.DiceVenture.com to play the game.

In Dice Venture, players roll dice to move around the game board to acquire property, constructing houses and other structures on the properties. The landmark is the ultimate building type, and prevents other players from being able to purchase the property from the owner. For each landmark built during the event period, players will receive a special coin, the Landmark Token, which can be redeemed to play a special mini-game. Lucky winners who land on prizes will receive them instantly in game.  Additionally, players now can sync their Netmarble account to Facebook and share in-game achievements with friends.

 

Dice Venture

Dice Venture is an online casual board game where players can join friends and family in a classic game with new twists. Players take turns buying and selling properties while traveling around the world for a chance to become billionaire tycoons. Games can be played in either four-player head-to-head mode or in two-on-two team matches, and take about 25 minutes to finish.

Soldier Front 2 – First Look Preview

By Michael Sagoe (mikedot), OnRPG Journalist

 

Another year, another military FPS title hits the F2P market this week. But this is not just any military FPS… it’s a sequel to Dragonfly’s 2007 title: Solider Front! Now being backed by the ever popular Unreal 3 Engine, Solider Front 2 is looking to take everything you know about military shooters of the past and turn them on their sides.

Of course, with so many shooters already on the market, most of which play virtually the same from each, my initial reaction was “Do we REALLY need ANOTHER one?!”

After a two-day long preview event with some of the game masters, my final reaction was complete and total: “Sure, why not.”

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The event first started off as I met up with the GMs in an open lobby room. Although, the match was already in progress, so took a bit of time to get suited up. I wanted to get in as soon as possible, so I just grabbed the good ol’ M4A1 that was already sitting in my inventory and took off.  My first match was a “Seizure” mission, where two teams try to either kill all members of the enemy team or try to capture a target or defend the target within a time limit.  Of course, I didn’t realize what mode it was until it was all over, so I just ran around trying to kill enemies on sight while my teammates were busy trying to capture the objective.

I got a feel for the controls very quickly, since it was standard FPS shooter fare, and I was nailing headshots with ease. Feeling like an old pro already, things started to turn sour for me when the enemies started growing wise to my hit & run tactics, so I ended up getting taken out quickly during the last few rounds. Fortunately for me, my teammates were able to pick up my slack and won the match easily. One neat thing that I witnessed at the end of the match was a cut-scene showing off my team’s victory.

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After the match, I was formerly introduced to the GM team before properly getting set up with some sweet preview equipment. I was given a VIP package that included special recolored weapons, SP boosters and unique player models such as Crimson Mamba.

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Nothing says “AMERICA!” more than babes and bullets.

However, I decided to go with the GROM solider skin for now, and saddled up with the SIG551 IronGun, a GLOCK 17 and one other special weapon: A composite bow!

 

The next match was a bombing mission at an abandon train yard, which reminded me of a particular map from Valve’s Counter-Strike. Regardless, bombing missions are pretty standard in military FPS games and they played out as one would expect: Lots of fire fights ensuing between two choke points near the two bomb sites, and rounds ending quickly with players dropping like flies. However, this was the perfect time for me to try out my composite bow. It threw me off at first, but using the bow requires you to hold the right mouse button down to pull back, and THEN press the left mouse button to release. It’s really hard to nail a target while fighting against enemies with automatic weapons, but when you do get a kill with it, it’s incredibly satisfying.

Moving on, after a few free-for-all and team deathmatches, the GMs insisted that we should try out their most valued game mode: HERO MODE!

Hero mode is unique MOBA style game mode where two teams attempt to destroy a target object in the enemy’s base with the assistance of creepy crawly aliens called Xanthids, which will serve as minions/creeps that attack enemy players, enemy turrets and enemy Xanthids. In true MOBA fashion, players will have to kill Xanthids and enemies to earn gold, which they can use to level up, boost stats, and buy new weapons or special items like Air-Strikes.

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Sounded like a neat idea, for sure, so we started the match up and got right to it. As expected, it played just like a MOBA game should, but only in a first person view. There were three different lanes to take and plenty of crossing paths between the lanes which included a cave with neutral Xanthids enemies to fight. There was also a lot of high grass to hide away in, making it easy to get the drop on enemy players. It took me awhile to get used to enemies having an excessive amount of HP, however. And while your weapons have unlimited ammo, they all felt fairly weak. After a couple of attack upgrades, however, my damage was a lot more noticeable.

While there wasn’t a lot of teamwork going on, I managed to take out the enemy turret in the middle lane, and tried to sneak up on enemy base. Sadly, there was another turret waiting for me that took me out fairly quickly. I had to use a combination of Xanthids and Air-Strikes to take the turret out, but the enemy team wasn’t having that. They sent a giant blue Xanthid after me, and I ended up taking a dirt nap.

The match ended with no destroyed base targets, but the enemy team won by getting just a teeny bit of damaged on my team’s base.

One game mode that was out of the ordinary was a party mode called “Shatter”. In this mode, two teams will try to destroy the glass under the enemy’s feet, causing them to drop to their death. It’s just as ridiculous as it sound.

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So both teams saddled up and started the match only using basic pistols. Me, being the fool that I was, I charged in, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly I found myself 6 feet under with the glass under my feet constantly being shot, and I was the first one to get taken out. Everyone else on my team, however were playing it cool by trying breaking all the glass on the opposite side of the room to limit the enemies’ movement, and they won the match with ease.

Now that I knew a little better, I decided to play it cool myself and instead tried to shoot glass spots from a corner of the map. Sadly, it wasn’t the best plan as well, with enemies being able to get a clear headshot on me, because apparently you can still defeat your opponent the old fashion way by making them eat lead.

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One of my teammates, on the other hand, got the glass shot under him and ended up falling down towards the spikes below, but lucky for him, a bounce pad came up under him, bouncing him back up and down for a good two minutes or so. Too bad my teammate couldn’t figure out how to get back up on the glass field, though. In the end, the enemy team finally picked him off.

Overall, the game ended with my team thrashing the enemy team by a pretty large amount of round wins. I would definitely have to say that Shatter was my favorite game mode. If Mario Party ever included a FPS mini game, it would probably be something like this.

Overall, my experience with Solider Front 2 was a good one. While it may not bring too many fresh ideas to the table, some of its unique game types like Party and Hero mode make it worthwhile. And at the very least: While it may look like many other military shooters out there, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

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