Yearly Archives: 2013

SMITE Updated Look

By Mohammad Abubakr, OnRPG Journalist



While the MMORPG scene has been laying low for the past few months, MOBA or Dota style games have been popping up and taking up most of gamers’ time. While Smite is still in open beta, it has changed drastically since its appearance last year. Read on to learn more about Hi-Rez’s ever evolving game that is Smite.

Unlike the traditional Warcraft III top down play, Smite takes a new approach to this genre by letting players play gods from the third person perspective. The third person perspective helps to set apart Smite from others in the genre. It is not really a competitor to games such as Dota 2 and League of Legends due to its massive difference in gameplay but it is there to provide an alternative to those gamers that enjoy the tower and base assault gameplay. The game does take a lot of elements from both Dota 2 and League of Legends but provides enough of its own unique features such as the third person view to set it apart. It may be classified in the same MOBA genre but Smite is unlike other MOBA games.

I was skeptical on how Smite would play using the third person perspective but was surprised to see how well Hi-Rez pulled it off. The controls are very smooth and do not act as a turn off for the game. While it can take time to get used to having to aim all attacks and skills, the marked ranges and spell indicators make it very easy to pickup.

With the change of perspective, the pace and style of the entire game has been changed. It is difficult to simply focus on killing creeps for farm due to Smite’s action packed matches. There is always action going on across the map, quite a big change for myself coming from Dota 2.

This is due to many changes introduced by Hi-Rez such as low mana costs and gold gained, although less, without last hitting creeps. Even the jungle creeps focus on providing players with buffs such as movement boosts and mana regeneration to allow for constant action. However, this action tends to be limited by the strength of towers. Until players are powerful enough, they are forced to quickly back off from tower range unless they wish to die but this issue is balanced out by the relatively low health towers.

 

Skins completely change how the gods look

Aside from the traditional conquest mode featuring five on five battles across three lanes, Smite offers many additional game modes to both differentiate itself from other games and provide additional entertainment to its players. These game modes are the sole reason I would consider recommending Smite to fellow gamers. If I wanted the traditional game play, I would go to Dota 2 but these modes give me reason to play Smite.

Arena is the first of these additional casual game modes. In Arena mode, players fight five against five in a, you guessed it, arena. This is a very fast paced and short game mode with an average game time of just 15 minutes. You start the match at a higher level and with bonus gold to allow for players to quickly jump into the action. Each team is given a supply of tickets which decrease when a creep or enemy is killed. The team that loses all of its tickets will lose the match. Arena is a great way to pass time without committing yourself to a long game.

Domination is Smite’s take on the traditional control point game mode. Those familiar with any first person shooter will quickly pickup how this game mode is played. Teams fight to control up to three control points in hope of reducing the enemy’s ticket count. Similar to the Arena game mode, enemy kills also reduce ticket counts. You must control at least two of the three control points to begin reducing the enemy’s ticket count at a steady rate. Similar to Arena, this game mode is not very long with average games lasting 20 minutes.

Assault is similar the ARAM (all random all middle) game modes seen in other games of this genre. Your god is randomly selected and you must fight the enemy team within a single lane. There’s no returning to base for health so every hit you take and deliver can have impact.

Joust is simply a one versus one game mode where two players compete in a single lane racing to kill the enemy Minotaur. The Minotaur is the main structure in the base of each team.

Additionally, Hi-Rez offers daily game modes which include fun modes such as Hoarder where you begin with 100,000 gold. These modes provide additional entertainment for casual players to pass time in an enjoyable matter.

 

 

Arena is a great way to quickly get into the action

It is very difficult to go in depth with all these game modes especially with games in the MOBA/Dota style genre. You will only get the true feel of each game mode after trying them out.

While I see Smite to be a casual game, it does offer competitive game modes including drafting for those interested in competing at a higher level. I do not see Smite rising to popularity because of its competitiveness and eSports scene. Instead it will gain popularity as a casual game to pass time.

Having social features is necessary in all casual online games. Hi-Rez has fully integrated TwitchTV within the Smite client allowing for players to tune into all major Smite related streams. It also rewards players for streaming to TwitchTV. This could increase the eSports seen for Smite but I do not foresee it to join the giants that are Starcraft II, League of Legends and Dota 2.

Being a F2P game, gods are on a weekly rotation with the option to purchase or rent gods with either in game currency or real money. When I initially tried out Smite a few months ago, I did not enjoy it as much as I have the past week due to being locked out of certain god picks. This may just be myself being spoiled by Dota 2, but I do not think the game is completely enjoyable until all the gods are available. Fortunately, there is an option to purchase all gods, both present and future, for a base cost. However, this deal is only available for a limited time therefore I highly recommended making use of this deal before it is too late.

 

TwitchTV within Smite took up a lot of my time

The renting option tries to fix this issue by letting you play any god for a limited time at a cheap cost. This is an essential future as it ensures that players do not waste their hard earned favor (in game currency) towards gods they will never touch. Hi-Rez has done a good job providing alternatives to free players making the god purchasing system not completely terrible.

 

Skins may also be purchased to set yourself apart from the crowd.

 

I have enjoyed the time I spent playing Smite and do not see many flaws in its gameplay. In other areas such as grief protections, there is a lot of room for improvement. The actual gameplay is very fun and engaging but is ruined by what is surrounding it. Leavers can easily ruin an entire match and server lag can frustrate all players. Simple changes such as strict penalties for leavers and ability to select, not recommend, server locations can easily solve these problems.

 

The game is still in its beta stages so it is bound to change before its release as seen by its constant updates. If Hi-Rez can work on improving the presentation of Smite and efficiently combating griefers , I could see Smite being very successful towards casual gamers.

 

In conclusion, Smite is a very fun game. There are some issues surrounding the game but the actual gameplay is very well done. I would love to see how much more Smite will change as it nears release. Games such as Smite are very difficult to review without writing pages upon pages. You really need to play it yourself to fully understand the game. It is free, so why not give it a go? I would definitely recommend Smite to those looking for some casual fun on the side but I do not see it being a game that would take up the majority of my time.

Legend of Edda Vengeance Summer Beach Pack

OnRPG has partnered with Games Campus to share the sunshine with new beach themed Summer Packs for the recent relaunch of Legend of Edda: Vengeance!

Loev Giveaway

Legend of Edda: Vengeance (LOEV) is a hardcore PvP MMORPG based on the Mythological conflict between the Gods of Olympus and the Titans. Previously known simply as “Legend of Edda,” this reincarnated MMORPG keeps its deceivingly cute style and intense PVP and RVR game play, while introducing a host of new features, including achievements, fishing, and dynamic weather effects.

The Summer Beach Pack Includes:
Hang Ten Costume (7 Day expiration)
Blue Boat Mount (60% speed, 7 Day expiration)
20x Revival Stone
5x EXP Potion (20% extra EXP, 3 hours expiration)
Deep Sea Fishing Rod (3 hours expiration)

 

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:

  • Register or log into the GamesCampus website.
  • Click the “Coupon” on the drop down menu, on ‘My Account’.
  • In the Coupon Number box, paste your coupon code listed above. Click ‘use’
  • Choose the character you would like to give the package to.

City of Heroes: The Loss of a Hero

By Meticulous Meta, Former OnRPG Paragon City Reporter

Tre

For two years I wrote about City of Heroes on a weekly basis. I had the pleasure of interviewing everyone from Samuraiko to Warwitch. But there was always one man who I never got the chance to sit down with. Ascendant, better known in the real world as Tre Chipman. As City of Heroes came to an end I always hoped I would get the chance to interview Tre. Unfortunately it never worked out.

I woke yesterday to find out that Tre had died. Though I only had a few rare opportunities to chat with him, one time without even knowing it was him until we went our own ways, I was still moved by the loss to the City of Heroes community.

For anyone not familiar with Ascendant and his legacy I encourage you all to read what made him so famous in the CoH community. I could try to explain it here but it really wouldn’t be doing him justice. Needless to say he was a pillar of a community and the loss of him is being felt throughout the community by all.

aphoto

The first time I ever heard about Ascendant was shortly after I started really getting into City of Heroes. I got into CoH for the RP, and to me Ascendant was the pinnacle of a hero. A fantastic roleplayer with a legendary status, someone who made the community stronger just by being himself. I wanted to be Ascendant, I wanted to be Tre.

But because I didn’t know him as well as I would have liked to I feel it is only appropriate that I share some of the thoughts of people who were lucky enough to.

I know many of you had the opportunity to know Tre in-game, and some were fortunate enough to even be a friend out of game. I wish everyone out there could have had the chance to realize what a great person Tre was, and how he represents some of the best qualities that represent our industry. – Black Pebble

CoH Comic Ascendant

EVERY time after that, when we ran into each other in-game (either on Virtue or the test or beta servers), whoever spotted the other first would IMMEDIATELY run over and shoehorn our way into whatever was going on at the time. If he spotted me (unless it was very obvious I was in the middle of filming and didn’t want to be bothered), he’d run right in front of me, flex, then whip out his phone to tell Saul to call me so we could set up his next commercial spot. If I spotted him, I’d run over to him, pull out the camera, and shove a microphone in his face asking for his opinion on the latest gossip in-game, at which point Saul would call him to remind him not to say anything too stupid on-camera. – Samuraiko

 

A character named Psycho Ex-Girlfriend showed up. I don’t know if Ascendant was the original target, but he responded to the cry of “YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME!” and what ensued had me in stitches and tears. That was probably my favorite thing about Tre, how he could just instantly respond to RP anything and make it fit, and make it funny while generally being the straight man in the situation. I was always in awe of this talent. – One Hit Wonder

Cape Karaoke

I cannot empahsize enough how he represented the heroic spirit that binds our community (even the villains!) together.
One of my fondest memories was finally getting to meet Ascendant in virtual personduring the Unity Rally, and reading the script that he prepared for the event.  It was amazing, as was chatting with him, and I’m going to miss him dearly from our ranks. -TonyV

There are so many other wonderful things being said about Tre all over the City of Heroes facebook groups, the Titan Network forums and twitter. And from now until the end of time every time I join a new MMO community I will be on the lookout for someone like Tre. And even strive to be like him.

You will forever be missed Tre. Thank you for blessing our community with your presence.

Hero

OnRPG Shotgun News 6/21: Heva Clonia Online in NA and Skara

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Journalist

 

Heva Clonia Online Coming to North America

HevaClonia

OGPlanet has signed an agreement with WindySoft to bring the popular MMORPG Heva Clonia Online. Closed beta is expected to launch sometime this fall. Features of the MMO include dual player co op dungeons, cloning in game monsters to make pets, job evolution, human cannon transportation, mini games, and much more.

 

Skara Enters Agreement to use Unreal Engine 4

8 Bit studios has announced a formal agreement with Epic Games to use the Unreal Engine 4 to develop Skara. This will allow the development time to be shortened, giving a scheduled beta in December 2013. And it will be available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Tridek: Creatures of Galena

Tridek Creatures of Galena is a Digital Trading Card game developed for multiple platforms and online gameplay. This gives gamers the ability to experience true cross platform multiplayer matches and tournaments anywhere they are! By ridding the system of the limiting resource cards normally present in other titles, tactics are opened up at an earlier stage of the game and downtime is eliminated while waiting for “The Big Cards.”

 

Features:

Mobile Optimized: Tridek is free to download with a unique AI designed to make playing it on mobile devices a breeze.

Cross-Platform Gameplay: Challenge players across all compatible platforms and share a single ranking ladder to show who the top players are overall.

Deck Customizer: Utilize a powerful deck building tool complete with tips and hints to make the game accessible for newcomers and experienced trading card players alike.

Soundtrack and Animations: Experience the game with music to get your blood boiling and animations to keep things exciting.

Eden Eternal Enchants Players Anew with The Reawakening

Eden Eternal Reawakening_Updated Scenery

Awaken to a brand-new Eden Eternal! Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, has launched The Reawakening, the ambitious update to everyone’s favorite anime-style massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), coinciding with Eden Eternal’s two year anniversary.

 

Eden Eternal Reawakening_Abracapaca

The Reawakening features an eye-popping graphical update to the entire game. Character movement and casting animations are smoother and more detailed, improved lighting effects add additional depth to character models, and new art has been added for story quests. The user interface has also been updated to be more streamlined, intuitive, and easy to use for new and veteran players alike.

 

Eden Eternal Reawakening_Driven Snow Colt

Players can now visit the newly debuted Loyalty Shop, where they can spend hard-earned Loyalty Points (now obtainable through questing and defeating monsters) to get a wide variety of rewards. The Loyalty Shop offers helpful utility items such as crafting materials, blueprints, and stat boosts. Players interested in flaunting their style can choose to obtain vanity items such as costumes and mounts.

Make sure to also check out the new Eden Eternal Trailer!