Monthly Archives: August 2013

World of Warplanes Pre-Launch Preview

By Mohammad Abubakr, OnRPG Journalist

While the focus of the majority of the online gaming community has been around the Action RTS/MOBA genre, other genres have continued to expand, improve and introduce new games. World of Warplanes is the latest project by Wargaming who has also brought us World of Tanks. The game is still in its open beta stage but has changed a lot over time. This past week when Wargaming invited press from around the world to Minsk, Belarus, for Wargaming HQ’s 15th anniversary party, we assumed it would be to announce the official launch of Warplanes. While that might not be the case, we learned there is plenty more on the way (catch our second article later today for more info) that will make this game even more “Legendary” when launch finally arrives.

I have always been a fan of flying. I’ve played with planes and helicopters since I was a child and still continue to do so. When Dizzy posted the opportunity to give the game a fresh look, I immediately took on the project. The idea of fighting other players using warplanes built around the specs of the actual real world models sounded very appealing.

Similar to World of Tanks putting the player in the shoes of a tank driver, World of Warplanes launches you into the sky to pilot various warplanes alongside allies working to defeat enemy players. Due to its controls, World of Warplanes plays very similar to a third person shooter although it does feel a lot slower paced. Rather than bunny hopping and run and gunning circles around foes, you’ll find yourself in methodical games of chess as you each alter speed and elevation in an attempt to shake the other.

The controls are very easy to get used to and allow easy maneuverability of your plane through the skies. With simple WASD maneuvering combined with mouse controls that function as your trigger, camera, and aiming, all gamers familiar with any shooters will catch-on after a game or two. At no point during my battles did I feel limited by the controls or ever think, “Why did it just do that?” With the very easy to use and natural controls, you are always in control of your warplane.

The HUD (heads up display) displays just the right amount of information to players without cluttering the screen. Only important information such as distance from targets, HP, engine + gun health, and so on are displayed. Little indicators such as highlighting areas where your warplane excels against the target’s strengths allows even those of us that know little about warplanes to enjoy the game. The HUD is very well done, is visually appealing, and does not distract players from their battles.

Only warplanes of similar tiers will be queued to enter matches with you.

The battles look amazing. As noted by Remko in his previous article during the closed beta, the graphics have evolved and drastically improved over time. If your computer has the specifications to back it up, you will be blown away by the graphics. They are truly amazing for a free to play game.

It is important to keep in mind that you will need a high end system to max out the game. To attain such beautiful graphics, WoWP works your system to its fullest. Don’t be surprised if your game hangs from time to time unless you have a high end system.

Graphics are not everything to a game; there are plenty of games that look amazing but are still very boring. World of Warplanes is not a victim of this problem as alongside looking great it is still a ton of fun. The most important requirement for a game to be enjoyable is that it must be smooth and responsive. WoWP does not disappoint in this department. Keeping the player focused on decision making with wonderful dynamic explosions and the crisp sounds of gunfire ripping through sheet metal will suck you in and have you believing you’re in a real war environment in no time. It may be just a game but it tries its best to deliver realistic dog fights without over complicating the situation.

Even in the open beta, WoWP offers a plethora of customization items when it comes to your warplane. Players may purchase various types of aircraft from USA, U.S.S.R, Germany and Japan. All of these countries offer different aircraft types with well tested pros and cons to make them deserving of being labeled as one of then tiers of planes. Depending on your play style, you may come to like one country’s aircraft over another’s. Unfortunately at this time the Japanese only offer one plane per tier and the British vehicles have not yet been implemented at all.

 

WoWP allows players to further improve their aircraft.

There are four types of aircraft in WoWP. The first type is the fighter class which is a low health warplane with high maneuverability. These warplanes work to eliminate other aircraft in the air making use of their mobility to avoid incoming fire and loop around slower aircraft. However, they are weak when it comes to fighting stationary ground targets. This is the recommended type for those looking for the most fast paced gameplay.

The second type is the attack aircraft. These aircraft are the opposite of fighters as they have low maneuverability while possessing high durability. For this reason, these aircraft should focus on destroying stationary ground targets and should avoid dog fights. Attack aircraft can destroy fighters that make the mistake of playing a game of chicken. Instead, fighters hoping to destroy attack aircraft should aim to out maneuver these aircraft to come out on top.

The next type is the heavy fighter. These have higher durability, firepower, and speed than the regular light fighters. However, these heavy fighters are not as maneuverable and can be taken down by skilled light fighter pilots. Once again, these aircraft will come out on top if light fighters make the mistake of fighting head on. These aircraft can be seen as similar to a sniper as they pick a target and take them out with a quick burst of automatic machine gun death.

The final type is the carrier based fighter. These aircraft are all different based on the country they were manufactured in. Some might be similar to light fighters while others may be similar to heavy fighters. The main advantage of carrier based fighters is the ability to change your gameplay style. This is due to the option to add in additional weapons such as bombs and rockets instead of the typical machine guns found in other planes, making them great when customized for a given team composition.

Even with so many choices between various aircraft, WoWP allows players to further customize their planes and crew by purchasing parts and gaining experience. New parts such as more powerful engines and stronger guns may be attached to improve all aircraft. Crews can be trained to provide additional skills such as increased vision. This is primarily done through a tech tree with some planes having some pretty advanced and diverse options that may require quite a bit of dedication in order to unlock their full potential.

 

It is important to not get taken out as you cannot respawn. Your plane will be out of commission until the match ends, even though you can begin a new round with a different aircraft.

WoWP provides many options for customizing your warplane and crew to fit your play style. Unfortunately there is not as many variants on battle objectives. At the moment you are only able to queue for one game mode which requires players to seek out and destroy enemy stationary ground targets or eliminate the enemy team’s warplanes.

This mode is by no means boring but one does expect shooter type games to offer additional game modes. The game is still in open beta and additional game modes are bound to pop up as development progresses. Though I wouldn’t get my hopes too high as World of Tanks already seems to indicate Wargaming’s priority of polished gameplay and improved physics over new game modes.

While the game is very well made and easy to play, it has a much slower pace than other shooter games. The limitations of your vehicle are quite real as you may find yourself receiving stall warnings if you climb in elevation too fast in an older fighter. Dog fights occassionally amount to minute long turning competition as you slowly gain and lose distance on your foe before having to take evasive maneuvers when one of the many sneaky mountains juts into your path. Other objects including surface to air turrets and stationary boats make add tactical flair to help veteran players set themselves apart from a green rookie. Plenty of other control types like joysticks and gamepads also exist to ensure the most familiar playstyle one could ask for.

In conclusion, WoWP is definitely a game to be checked out if you are even remotely interested in air planes. It may not be as fast paced as other shooter games but the customization options and tactical team gameplay rival anything on the market. The warplane combat is very well done and is bound to impress and please any fans of the air shooter genre. If you are comfortable with a slightly slower paced methodical shooter, WoWP should not be overlooked.

Guild Wars 2 Queen’s Jubilee Launches Today

Guild Wars 2

 

Continuing its commitment to delivering players new Guild Wars 2 content every two weeks, NCSOFT® and ArenaNet are delighted to announce the Queen’s Jubilee going live today, 6th August. The update is the third since ArenaNet officially adopted a two-week update schedule for Guild Wars 2, setting a pace unmatched by any Western studio and enhancing the game’s Living World through new and exciting content for players of all abilities.

In Queen’s Jubilee, players will celebrate 10 years of Queen Jennah’s rule by opting to take a hot air balloon to Divinity’s Reach, the capital of the human nation of Kryta, and home to the opening ceremony. Once there, players can join the festivities and compete in ceremonial combat in the Crown Pavilion, a new gladiatorial arena Queen Jennah has commissioned for the occasion.

 

Guild Wars 2

Among the many other new events, rewards and features included in Queen’s Jubilee are the following:

New Events

  • Hot Air Balloons: Queen Jennah’s court has sent hot air balloons to transport the inhabitants of Tyria to the celebration. Players can find the hot air balloons in the open world and hop on for a fun, quick and stylish ride to the party.
  • The Opening Ceremony: Players can attend the dedication of the Crown Pavilion, a new gladiatorial arena the queen has commissioned for the celebration, and watch its inaugural contest.
  • Enter the Crown Pavilion: Players will be tested in this new mini-zone that feature mighty representations of humanity’s enemies. Representing various cities of Tyria, players can be named champion of a nation and gain access to unique reward vendors.
  • Fight in the Queen’s Gauntlet: In single combat, players can attempt to defeat increasingly difficult challenges against unique bosses. Taking risks with special gambit conditions will earn more prestigious rewards.

 

Guild Wars 2

 

New Rewards

  • Watchwork Mechanisms: Watchwork technology – the latest and greatest innovation in Tyria – becomes more important as players can use watchwork parts in new crafting recipes or as currency to buy items like new rune and sigil recipes, Watchknight tonics and the new Sovereign Weapon Set.
  • Watchknight Mini: Completing the Queen’s Jubilee meta-achievement will earn players a miniature Watchknight modelled after the queen’s new mechanical sentinels.

 

Guild Wars 2

 

New Features

  • Account Wallet for Currency: Players can now keep all of their currencies in one wallet that makes dungeon tokens, coins, karma, laurels, Guild Commendations, Fractal Relics, Badges of Honour, gems and glory accessible to any of the characters on their account.
  • PvP Solo Arena: With new Solo Arena, players can join PvP matches in a competitive environment without having to gather a full team or fight against a pre-formed group. The Solo Arena also features its own leaderboard, so that players can earn rank without affecting their Team Arena standings.
  • New Dungeons Bonus Rewards: Now, there’s even more incentive for braving the dungeons of Tyria. Each day, when finishing a unique path for any explorable or story dungeon, players will receive a bonus reward for completion, improving upon the existing system.
  • Mini-Game Rotation System: Players can take part in the new, daily mini-game rotation that was promised by both of the Captain’s Council candidates in the previous update. The initial rotation includes Sanctum Sprint, Keg Brawl, Southsun Survival and Crab Toss.

In Control: The Razer Naga 2014

By Jonathan Doyle (Ardua), OnRPG War Correspondent

Some parts of being a gamer sound perfectly normal to other gamers. You have a keyboard with your macros programmed in? I get it. You have a keypad for your favourite FPS? Yeah that’s fine.

When Razer contacted us and asked us to review the Razer Naga 2014 mmo gaming mouse, of course we were more than happy to. Part of doing that is actually getting your hands on the product and well, sometimes shipping is a pain.
How do you explain a gaming mouse to someone who isn’t “one of us”?
As I said to the lovely lady in DHL …. “well…. it has 17 buttons.”
You can imagine the reaction.
Naga2014_02
Hands On
 
After the dealings and disbelief on the part of the shipper, I finally got my hand(s) on the first gaming mouse I personally have ever used. It was just a little daunting truth be told. I know how I play my games. I have already practiced the muscle memory and know where I should be flailing on the keyboard when a pull goes bad. Here on my desk there was a subtly curved faintly glowing new mouse that promised to do all that for me.
For anyone with oh, I’d say medium hands, the feel is fantastic. I’ve oddly huge hands given my day job as an large human but I still found it very comfortable to rest on and use. The top of the mouse is covered in a special anti fingerprint and anti slip grip material that now feels right. I don’t think my brain will ever happily take a step backwards in how my mouse feels, which is an odd thing to say in any venue.
Left handed gamers, it comes in lefty mode if you want. Razer have gone ahead and put those together for you. Feel free to swap everything else I say around.
The 12 button grid on the right hand side sits directly under the thumb and with the keys ever so slightly tilted and raised, it’s a quick matter to tell them apart by feel. Speaking of feel, I’ve not used any of the older Naga mice but the mechanical buttons on the 2014 model give a satisfying sense of feedback. I know when I have hit one of the buttons. It’s the little tactile touch with the ever so slight click sound that sets you at ease.
Naga2014_04
New Dog New Tricks
 
My major concern when first trying out the mouse was muscle memory. It was a little effort to get used to the fact that for my chosen game of Guild Wars 2 everything I could want was on the mouse. All of my abilities were sitting pretty under my thumb. Need to swap weapons? A gentle tap on the scroll wheel to the left. Start running? Click the wheel to the right.
Using the Synapse 2.0 software I could remap everything except the left click (presumably to stop you from accidentally screwing up having a mouse at all) to do whatever I wanted. Did I want the two mouse buttons hiding below the scroll wheel to launch a program? That’s an option. Do I want them to swap my profile for another game? I could do that. Easy to assign and set up, out of the box the Naga gave me plenty of customization options.
What happens though if you skipped past those to play a game?
Out of the box and right into the game it was working for me. The thumb grid acts like your number keys and the base profile installed on the mouse does pretty much what you’d expect. Lets say I wanted something more, the in game configurator comes to the rescue. No need to log out, just bring up the program to remap the thumb grid however I might want.
In Game Configurator (1)
2014 The Year of the Naga
 
I can say with absolute assurance that I have a new mouse in my life. Will I use it as hard as some might? Probably not. I’ve never personally been a person who uses macros in his MMOs. Even without going that far I’ve learned the new motions. Being able to rest my hand on my movement keys and the other on my mouse and need nothing else is just… right.
I needed to find the mouse before I could review it, back then I had to describe it as a mouse with 17 buttons. All the lady could say in response was “that’s a lot of buttons.”
I think now, anything less is insufficient for my purposes.

Marvel Heroes Adds Human Torch And More in Game Update 1.11

Marvel Heroes OnlineGazillion Entertainment have launched a mighty game update for Marvel Heroes, the free-to-play action-MMORPG set in the Marvel Universe!

 

 

Marvel Heroes Patch 1.11 includes:

· Human Torch – Marvel Heroes players can now FLAME ON! as the Human Torch. He includes 25 unique powers and multiple build options.
· Eternity Splinters – Use Eternity Splinters to unlock any hero in any order you chose. Eternity Splinters drop from any enemy in the game.
· New Zone: Midtown Patrol – Enter Manhattan to protect civilians, clean up the streets and deal with attacking groups of super-villains working together.
· And much more – Many heroes upgraded with more build options, performance improvements, many UI enhancements, and experience rates increased.

To view a full list of changes ushered in with Marvel Heroes Patch 1.11, please click here.

Dragon’s Prophet Official Release Date Announced

Dragon's Prophet

 

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) and Infernum Productions AG announced last night at the annual SOE Live fan event that the free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Dragon’s Prophet, will launch in North America and Europe on Sept. 18, 2013. Developed by Runewaker Entertainment, Dragon’s Prophet allows players the opportunity to capture, train, ride and fight hundreds of unique dragons while unlocking their unique skills and abilities. Currently in Open Beta, players have journeyed through the beautiful, vast realm of Auratia to see if they have what it takes to become the next Dragon’s Prophet. At launch, players will also be able to participate in intense player-versus-player (PvP) siege matches with the introduction of the Frontier System.

“Dragon’s Prophet has brought together what every fantasy-MMO player looks for in a new game: intense, action-based combat, a compelling end-game siege system, and more dragons than any other MMO to play and interact with like never before,” said John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment. “Open Beta continues to provide us with valuable player feedback, and working closely with Runewaker and Infernum, we have already made major strides in improving the game’s performance. We will continue to integrate feedback and make refinements to the game to ensure that Dragon’s Prophet delivers a high-quality, meaningful online experience at launch and beyond.”

 

Dragon's Prophet

 

“Thanks to the help of thousands of passionate beta testers and the tireless efforts of everyone involved, we are now close to the next milestone in Dragon’s Prophet,” said Andreas Weidenhaupt, CEO at Infernum Productions. “Almost three months after the open beta started, we have already made huge progress! After we revisited the existing gameplay systems on a huge scale and delivered new content to Dragon’s Prophet, we will now continuously improve the performance, address balancing issues and rework all zones as well as the 30 dungeons we already released. When the game launches, we will deliver an additional zone as well as the long-awaited Frontier System with its epic cross-server PvP battles. Gaming has never been this diverse and thrilling — and you’re experiencing it on the back of a mighty dragon!”

The Frontier System will allow players to partake in alliance siege matches featuring multiple guilds, as they fight for control of citadels in Auratia. Once they are in command, players will have to continuously upkeep their kingdom and defend the city walls from enemy guilds. In addition to the Frontier System and guild alliance battles, Dragon’s Prophet will introduce a host of fresh content and features at launch, including a new adventuring zone with four dungeons, increased level cap, and more.

 

Dragon's Prophet

 

“Since entering Open Beta earlier this year, SOE and Infernum have created a strong, engaging relationship with their respective Dragon’s Prophet player communities,” said Tony Tang, founder and vice president of business development, Runewaker Entertainment. “From their years of experience in delivering innovative, engrossing games, both companies have provided us with expert advice during the development of Dragon’s Prophet. We are confident that Dragon’s Prophet will see global success at launch.”

Rise of Mythos

Rise of Mythos is a card-based MMORPG that also features a kingdom building element to it. Players take the role of a ruler whose kingdom is being invaded by evil forces. You can build a deck full of creatures and heroes to drive them back, and use your kingdom’s resources to gain new, more powerful cards along the way. There are also three different arena modes for PvP play: 1v1, 2v2, and 4v4.

 

 

 

Features

Gripping Storyline: Rise of Mythos features an epic campaign, full of peril. Experience the storyline through gripping battles, as you seek to uncover the mystery behind the evil besieging your lands.

 

Customizable Decks: Choose from several different creatures and heroes to round out your forces. Equip your hero with various items to make them even more powerful!

 

Kingdom Development: Manage your resources carefully, and develop new and powerful cards. Form alliances with other players, and trade for goods and cards that way too!

 

PvP Arenas: Take a break from the quest, and challenge other players in arena combat. Face off in 1v1, 2v2, and 4v4 modes, taking down opponents for glory!

Soldiers Inc. Full Trailer

It’s 2019. You and your mercenaries have been recruited to claim as much of Zandia as possible. Foreign powers, multinational companies and shadowy underground criminal organizations are all after the biggest mineral find of the century. Your job is to shut out your competitors, and make your client rich. In this future, war is a business… and business is good.

Soldiers Inc.

The year is 2019, and the discovery of the largest deposit of mineral wealth in the world has turned the former Republic of Zandia into an all-out corporate war zone – a new kind of conflict waged by a new breed of mercenary.

Get Lost – Immerse yourself in deep MMORTS gameplay, AAA-quality artwork, voiceovers, and an original score by Jesper Kyd.

Dig In – Build up from a desolate outpost to a sprawling private military base. Fortify your position with automated turrets, tank traps, artillery, and more.

Take Command – Deploy the latest military hardware and tactical units from the world’s most elite private military contractors.

Pick Your Battle – Fight shadowy NPC enemies, rival teams, or go head-to-head in a massive community of live opponents.

Take It All – Use trade, treachery, teamwork, and firepower to rise from corporate pawn to rogue warlord.

Grab your kit, bring your friends, pack plenty of ammo, and trust no one. In Zandia, war is big business… and business is good.

Swordsman Online – A VERY Early Look

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

A while ago DizzyPW asked me to do a write-up on Swordsman Online. I had heard the game compared to Age of Wushu quite frequently and so I was interested in giving it ago. Of course, Swordsman Online is only available in China at the moment, so I had to call in a favor and get an account made for me by someone I knew from Age of Wushu. And then there was the whole issue with getting the client to work on my computer… But that’s not what you guys want to read about. Anyways, here is my write-up from my time playing Swordsman Online.

 

 

The Customization

Usually, one of the most important aspects to a gamer when he’s deciding to play a game or not is the customization options he gets for his character. Most often, this mostly pertains to the looks of the character, but also means the skills, stats, and other ways to make your character more unique and tailored to your play style. In Swordsman Online, you can certainly make your character look unique, but that is quickly hampered due to areas of the game that do not allow (or fail to promote) uniqueness. Seeing as the game is in Open Beta, though, I feel that these issues will probably be resolved before released (or at least shortly after).

 

At least in the first twenty or so levels, progression seems to be very linear. I didn’t notice the ability to learn any new ability through my own choices. I only had to follow quests (which I will get to later) and I got what I needed. This isn’t necessarily bad, especially in the beginning of the game, but I am hoping that this isn’t foreshadowing how much choice we’ll have in our character development later on. I’ve honestly had enough of linear character progression from this industry.

 

Swordsman Online Skills

 

As for the character creation, there are a lot of options for customizing your face. You can either choose from a bunch of presets for each part of your face (nose, eyes, lips, etc…), or you can make use of sliders that will allow you to change just about every dimension you could want to. This means you can create a true beauty, or a horrible monster. This caused a dilemma for me because whenever I’m given this much freedom with character creation tools, I tend to lean heavily towards monster rather than beauty. Fortunately I was able to push off my urges and went with a female character and used presets for everything but the nose (it seemed like just about every nose preset was hooked, which I didn’t like).

 

Swordsman Online Character Creation

 

I didn’t notice any options for changing my body, but it’s very possible that I just missed them. However, needless to say, I was quite happy with my characters massive breasts that went very well with the physics engine. There’s no doubt in my mind that this game was designed to cater to the taste of young men. Oh, and the hair uses cloth simulation (as well as your clothes), which really brings the characters to life in ways that most MMOs just can’t. Which brings me to the graphics…

 

 

How Does the Game Look?

Pretty amazing, actually. The shadowing is decent, and the cloth/hair simulation makes everything feel more “real.” The art style is pretty bright with a slight lean towards cartoon-y, but still keeping a realistic overtone. Of course, as with all good things, this comes at a price. The optimization isn’t very good. You will probably have no issue with the game when you’re in a zone that doesn’t have to many people, but if you enter a major town during launch week (like I did), you will see an immediate FPS drop. Thankfully there are only a few places where this is an issue and I imagine that in the NA servers there won’t be so many people playing as there are on the Chinese servers. The other issue is that the maps are pretty small, which is a personal gripe and most people probably won’t mind it.

 

Swordsman Online Graphics

 

 

How About Questing?

Oh boy, I really do not want to discuss this part of the game. Why? Because I was so disappointed. I had high hopes for Swordsman Online when I started hearing people hyping about it. I was devastated when I found out it was just another quest grinder. If there’s one thing I hate about an MMO it’s crappy, generic quest to get experience and loot. It’s the bane of MMOs, as far as I am concerned. Unfortunately, at least for the first twenty levels (and it seems like there is no end in sight), you will be mindlessly grinding quest.

 

Swordsman Online AutoPathing

 

The devs did have the decency to implement extremely lazy questing, though. All you need to do is talk to NPCs and then click on the quest in the quest tracker and the quest will auto-path you there. It will even begin interacting with whatever NPC or object the quest requires. And, if it’s a kill quest, which most of them are, the game will even start killing the NPCs for you. It honestly would not be hard at all to create a macro or script that would play the game for you. You would only need to be there for the story-line quest that has mini-instanced boss fights or something along those lines. I didn’t want to say it, but I am severely disappointed in this aspect of the game.

 

Another gripe with the questing that I had was that it uses the archaic “first come first serve” system. That is, if you hit an NPC first, it’s your kill no matter what. However, if someone hits a mob before you, you can’t get credit for the kill even if you do most of the damage to kill it. This system promotes kill stealing and spawn hogging, something I ran into very frequently during my time in the game. With games like GW2 having come out, it has almost become the norm to promote cooperation among players by giving full credit to everyone that had a hand in a creature’s downfall. It’s sad to see such a good-looking game with a lot of potential go down this route and I hope they decide to change it before the open beta ends.

 

NPCClaiming

 

Even if the system used is one that has been with MMOs since the start of World of Warcraft and has been done to death, I have got to say that the quest can be pretty fun at times. The game world has a rich and detailed lore thanks to the several different series of books that have been written in the Wuxia setting. The game makes great use of this and has some incredible cinematics that it uses for cut-scenes, and just questing in general. When you go to a new zone, it’s very possible that you’ll go to a grey-scale flashback with some nostalgic music playing in the background while you explore, before coming back to reality to do quests. The familiar and deep story, combined with the creative use of cinematics, and the quest that have you interact with the world can make for a compelling questing experience.

 

Swordsman Online Monkey

 

Well, How’s the Combat?

The combat is the one redeeming feature about Swordsman Online so far. While a majority of the game is a generic quest grinder with very few choices in your character’s progression, the combat is certainly action-packed and gives an epic feeling. While you may be one of a thousand dopplegangers that is dressed in the same exact outfit as the other guys that are leveling up, you can at least feel like a true badass as you unleash your Kung Fu onto your foes. And speaking of Kung Fu, there are currently ten different schools to choose from when you start the game. They ranged from the Shaolin Monk types, to the evil assassin types.

 

Swordsman Online Fighting

 

Combat can be done either using traditional point-and-click, or you can switch to an “Action” mode that uses an aiming reticle. Combat is smooth for the most part, but there are one or two things that took a bit to get used to. First was that whenever you use an ability, unless the ability itself moves you, you will stop wherever you are to attack. This was a bit annoying at first because the atmosphere of the game made you feel like you should be able to run around and jump, all while throwing epic punches, kicks and whatnot. But after a while you forget all about it and the combat becomes natural.

 

Swordsman Online Reticle

 

The fighting seems to have a lot of AOEs, leaps, and other epic moves. Similar to the Age of Wushu combat system (and this is about where the similarities end), there is a sort of “rage” bar that, once filled up, will allow you to do epic moves. By default you have the ability to do double jumps that can allow you to get pretty high. There is also a mechanic in place that gives you the chance to recover from a knock-up by quickly choosing a location to leap towards. Overall, I would say that the combat feels and looks more impressive than Age of Wushu, but it’s still too early for me to tell if the combat is more balanced, or even more fun, than skill-and-timing based Age of Wushu combat.

 

Swordsman Online Leap

 

Does it Compare?

It sucks having to compare this game against another one, but there is no denying that Age of Wushu will be a direct competitor of Swordsman Online. They are both set in the same Wuxia lore, and both will attract almost the same crowd of players. The main difference between the two are the ways they are meant to be played. Age of Wushu is a sandbox-themepark hybrid, the focuses on giving you freedom to create your own story while having a fairly weak story itself. Swordsman Online is almost purely themepark and strives for a deep and interesting story by using lots of cutscenes, voice acting and beautiful graphics. When it comes down to it, both games have something to offer people and when you are trying to decide which to play, you will need to ask yourself what it is you really want from a game.

 

Swordsman Online Wukong

 

Conclusion

I’ve got mixed feelings about Swordsman Online. It uses very linear character progression that makes you feel like just another cog in the machine. One that can be replaced at anytime by any number of other players. On the other hand, the game looks great and some of the clan features look very promising. Clan bases, with the choice of either becoming the good-guy cargo escorts or the evil bad-guy raiders, should help propel epic player driven tales. Though the concept itself is also linear and generic, with the awesome combat that I experienced, it should be pretty fun. Honestly, though, if I do end up playing the game, I will probably get bored of it fairly quickly unless PWE makes some major changes and content updates.

 

 

I livestreamed my first two hours of my time in Swordsman Online. If you need help figuring out if you want to look into the game or not, feel free to check it out here:

New World of Warplanes Tutorial Video Goes to Class

World of Warplanes

 

Wargaming, the leading free-to-play developer and publisher, today released the latest tutorial video for World of Warplanes, taking a deeper dive into the specific traits and combat objects of each specialized warbird class in the game.

Whether zipping through the skies in a nimble fighter, bombarding enemy ground targets in a ground-attack aircraft, or taking damage and dishing it out as a heavy fighter, newcomers to World of Warplanes will get further insight into strengths, weaknesses, and combat specifics of each of these classes.

 

 

The tutorial video also delves into the basics of cooperation within a flight unit, ensuring that no matter what class you choose, you’ll know the tactics necessary for success up in the clouds.