JamesBl0nde and DizzyPW listen in and get questions answered on Trion and XLGames’ ArcheAge sandbox MMORPG.
Yearly Archives: 2013
E3 2013 Black Desert – Closer Look
By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG/MMOHuts General Manager
Last week I wrote up a brief overview of our E3 2013 interview with Brian Oh, Pearl Abyss’ CFO, on Black Desert. Well now that the rush of E3 is over I had a chance to upload a massive series of new screenshots (sorry Firefox viewable gallery only. We’re working on it!) along with a more in-depth look at the features that combine to make Black Desert one of the most unique looking worlds ever brought to the MMO sphere. By the time you’re done reading, you will understand just why Pearl Abyss is the developer with the vision to change everything!
Introduction to Pearl Abyss’ World Vision
For starters do you know anything about Black Desert? If not it’s key to know this game is aiming to be the definition of the often used yet almost always improperly labeled “Next-Gen” MMORPG. Console level graphics, smooth action gameplay, and huge castle raid PvP battles set the stage for a game that introduces elements such as real estate management, item manufacturing, dangerous transportation of goods, and plenty of other elements to make the world feel vibrant and realistic. However don’t confuse realism with tedious gameplay elements as many sandbox titles before it have failed to understand. Players will be able to hire NPCs to take care of some of the less enjoyable elements of crafting while they focus on the action and fun!
In terms of combat itself, it’s important to understand that quite a few members of the Pearl Abyss team were involved with developing C9. As such you can impact real impact to follow attacks with a physics engine capable of rendering these animations in real time in an open world setting, rather than C9’s instanced system. This action physics combat system is obviously very cutting edge and wasn’t even a possibility during C9’s development era.
Now if you’re worried that by the time Black Desert reaches the west (an understable concern since sometimes it takes up to four years after Korean launch for some MMOs to hit stateside and even longer in Europe), there’s a key element that will leave you waiting for Black Desert. This isn’t another Unreal 3 or CryEngine MMORPG pushing FPS engines into the MMO realm. Pearl Abyss built a custom engine from the ground up to allow for their large scale castle siege system to take place smoothly in a persistent world. Their current challenge now is scaling the engine to run smoothly on lower-end PCs without ruining the beautiful experience that high-end PCs can currently experience in the game.
One of the primary limitations so far seems to be limited to land-based combat only. Though Pearl Abyss won’t count out future water or air combat systems, they currently are focused on trial and error tests to get the core combat system up to the “Next-Gen” level before even considering it.
Roleplayers and those that prefer to know what kind of story exists for the setting can expect some rather typical elements such as ‘two nations’ and ‘endless war.’ This exists between the spiritually focused citizens of the Kingdom of Valencia against the materialistic Republic of Calpheon. These two nations have recently begun battling for control of the world’s most powerful resource, Black Stone, found within the expansive desert that separates the two nations. However where you would expect players of these two nations to be locked in endless faction war, Pearl Abyss seems to hint at plans that taking sides between the two nations might not be as black and white as one would expect. Yes Pkers that means open PvP is included with assuredly some limitations involved. Overall the focus on warfare between guilds will be the primary storyline of the game, created by the players – for the players.
Pearl Abyss is aiming to set their title in a world not unlike the period of transition from the middle-ages to renaissance in Europe and western Eurasia. This is well represented in the cultural differences driving the two nations apart as well as the technology, fashion, and siege weaponry you’re going to come across in your travels. The choice of placing the majority of the world within a vast desert was done for the purpose of capturing an atmosphere of harsh mystery and ancient ruins waiting to be discovered. Combined with the addition of magic and war over resources should strike the playerbase and send chills down your spine as great treasure or murderous foes might wait behind each sand dune.
Customization and Character Creation
While Brian Oh revealed to me during our E3 interview that various classes would be locked to set races, it’s good to know that this likely won’t be the case for gender. Beyond just aesthetics, they intend to have subtle differences between how male vs female versions of the same class play out, though it’s so early in testing that nothing definitive can be offered.
As for actual facial and body customization to differentiate your appearance, Pearl Abyss is willing to give players as much freedom as possible without distorting their vision of Black Desert. That means you can count oblong heads, distended arms, and other unnatural oddities out. It’s worth noting that until they lock in regional publishers in the west, they won’t know for certain if the character creation will remain the same as its intended version in Korea.
PvE, Progression, and Mounted Combat
In terms of party balance, you can expect a similar philosophy to C9 in that the dedicated Trinity is off the table. They believe all players should be focused on dealing some sort of damage while using skill and smart placement to survive long enough to overcome their foes. They’re also not fans of stealth mechanics in a siege focused PvP title like this but are listening to player feedback and might consider testing it if demand is high enough. Though its hinted that some classes will be superior at blocking or have more skills related to dodging, so that may play some part in considering who is on the frontline vs hiding in the shadows when it comes to fighting major monsters in the game.
Surprisingly for a title pushing the envelope in so many areas, Pearl Abyss seems to be taking a more modest approach in actual character building options. Players will progress and learn more about the endless war through a series of questlines that will level them up while opening up various class-based skill trees to learn new abilities from.
Beyond standard quests, you will be able to stumble across plenty of challenging instanced dungeons as well as open ‘field dungeons’ more commonly referred to in the west as public quests since they’re essentially dungeons with no loading time or player number limitations when gaining access. It should be noted that a variety of dungeon styles will exist from the simplistic kill and conquer dungeons to escort missions and even some totally off the wall concepts like saving cats stuck in trees or catching fleeing bandits. Through these means and other undisclosed options, players will eventually hit the soft level cap of 50 (ETA 1-2 months). Dedicated players can continue to obtain new skills beyond this but at a more exponential experience curve.
When transitioning these skills into actual gameplay, they believe in avoiding an overly tiresome Action system akin to fighting games since an MMORPG will likely require longer hours of gameplay compared to a title like C9 where you just need to jump in for a quick scenario. As such dodge/defensive skills are mapped to Q, E, and R by default and have a much more forgiving window of dodge/invulnerability compared to C9. Stamina limiters will be rare on these defensive skills (I’m assuming this means you’ll be more concerned about cool-downs than needing to choose between offensive vs defensive skill use), in an attempt to keep the action combat system less complex for users. Fighting game style combo systems will be toned down versus C9 as well to prevent ridiculous 50+ juggling systems in exchange for more blunt and powerful hit vs miss skill shots.
In our recap article I mentioned that mounted combat would be a huge part of the game that could be individually leveled up and mastered given enough practice. Now it seems that bonuses to your standard abilities can even be attained from higher levels of mastery such as knock-downs/stuns. Given castle siege will involve breaking through enemy barricades and defensive fortifications, it will be vital for members of your guild to master high speed mounted combat to utilize hit and run tactics to break these barricades down with minimal casualties. Though due to the high mobility these mounts offer, the hit box measured on ranged attacks will be more forgiving than some other titles in the action MMO genre. Granted with enough numbers you can just pull ladders up to your enemy’s walls and scale right into the archers’ sniping spots.
Housing and Guild Systems
Being a sandbox title, it makes sense community will play a huge part of your experience in Black Desert. This comes primarily from the housing and guild system.
Guilds come in three formats, namely Militaristic, Religious, and Trading. While details on the religious faction are still pretty scarce, the militaristic factions will focus their resources on improved castle siege mechanics while trading factions will be involved in delivering goods for the auction system and producing more efficient crafting stations.
And yes you read that right. Large material purchases must actually be delivered by caravans that can be intercepted by less scrupulous players looking to make a quick buck. This is likely where having a few good mounted combat specialists is going to make the difference between a happy customer and a negative complaint on your trading company!
In terms of guild housing, this ties directly into the housing auction system. Every 3 months players can bid to own property in one of the many cities of the world. With this housing site you can choose to establish a guild hall, or outfit the building into one of various merchanting shops with specialized equipment to produce finer crafts. This will combine with a player’s personal crafting mastery to decide success and processing speed of building various items. Players can also choose to circumvent caravan transports by hiring NPCs to sell goods within their shop directly to visitors. And when you log-off just lock up your shop’s doors to keep your wares safe till you return.
Though be warned housing is not for everyone. They’re looking to provide between 1k and 2k total houses per server which they estimate will only be 25% to 30% of a server’s population. Those looking for extra storage will need to set up mobile campsites. Again, details limited and still being tested on said mobile campsites.
Needless to say, Pearl Abyss is pushing the boundaries of what most MMO gamers considered possible. Can they pull it off? What would you like to see included? Feel free to visit our community forums and ring up a conversation with others on this fascinating upcoming MMO.
Dragon Nest Resurrection Trailer
Dragon Nest is upping its level cap to 60, adding 5 new dungeons, 2 major storyline bosses, and plenty of new skills in the Resurrection update on June 19th!
OnRPG Shotgun News 6/17: Salem, E3, and The Division
By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG News Watcher
Paradox Handing Over Ownership of Salem
The permadeath, crafting MMO is exchanging hands as Paradox wipes its hand clean of the game and suggests that it needs a bit of time to mature. It will enter the hands of the two man development team that is the developers Seatribe. Paradox is offering free silver and a discount on the Paradox web shop to existing users. Seatribe will take over on July 8th.
E3 Updates
Be on the lookout every day this week as we get video from E3 prettied up just for you. And if you’re a bit behind in our coverage of E3 be sure to check out the E3 Coverage post on the forums with a complete list of all OnRPG’s E3 work so far.
Petition to Bring The Division to PC
Impressed by Ubisoft’s announcement of The Division at E3? Depressed because it is set to be console only? Well you aren’t alone. As of now nearly 60,000 people have signed a rather simple petition to Ubisoft to get The Division ported over PC. And rumors are floating around the internet that Ubisoft themselves are encouraging people to sign it. So what’s the harm? You might even get to see an awesome new MMO on PC in the future if it goes well. https://www.change.org/petitions/ubisoft-release-tom-clancy-s-the-division-for-pc
Age of Wushu Expansion Trailer Revealed: Become Legends
Information from E3 is coming in at full force for the new Age of Wushu expansion, Legends of Mount Hua, including a brand new trailer. Check out the video and more expansion details below:
Mount Hua Competition
The top players on each server fight amongst each other for special titles, costumes, and the famed Heavenly Sword. Let the world of Jianghu know of your name and have them tremble at your might.
Yanmen Pass
A new instance takes players all over China through 5 different story lines, each with significantly different gameplay. Includes the Wulin Line, Village Line, Defender Line, and 2 other unannounced.
Sixteen Prefectures Battle Arena
Experience huge 80+ player battles in this new Battle Arena. With multiple ways to gain victory, different tasks to accomplish for each player, and various difficulties, use your own power to make a difference.
Ultimate Scroll Skills
Add new and deadly skills to your arsenal. Available only from each school’s instance, these skills are guarded by powerful bosses, but defeat them and your domination of Jianghu will be that much closer.
Marriage
Marriage in Age of Wushu is a grand occasion that is celebrated by lavish parties, parades, and fanfare. It’s more than just a simple bonding between characters though, as players can receive new skills, titles, mounts, and more.
Age of Wushu Legends of Mount Hua Expansion Trailer
Snail Games revealed the first major expansion to Age of Wushu at this year’s E3!
Wakfu Dev Diary – Haven Worlds
Ankama presents a new dynamic to up the ante in competitive guild play for Wakfu players.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Log in or create an Aeria account
- Download the Soldier Front 2 client and make your first character
- Enter your code HERE
- Check the armory in-game and your item pack should be in the gift tab!
Final Fantasy XIV E3 2013 Ifrit Demo
DizzyPW goes hands-on with the Ifrit elemental battle in Final Fantasy XIV as he can barely take a breath while explaining the intense pressure this boss puts on players attempting to harness his power.

























