Yearly Archives: 2013

Chrono Tales Exclusive Super Coupon Pack Giveaway

OnRPG is partnering with GameDP to get you an exclusive pack containing 100 Coupons for Chrono Tales!

Chrono Tales Super Coupon Pack Giveaway

Traveling through the time rift, players can explore in the fantasy world of Chrono Tales and save the realm from the resurgent evil. You can challenge expansive quests, forge legendary gear, tame mythological pets and experience much more mainstream MMO features in Chrono Tales. Experience 5 job classes with various customization features, an immersive storyline, an epic pet system including multiple pets being active at once, and regions of open PvP and weekly siege wars to test your metal.

To get your key you have to follow these instructions:

  • If you are not 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 you close your browser!

 

To Redeem your key:

  • After getting the code, head to Chrono Tales’ official website to sign up/in, and then click on the “Play Now” button to log in Chrono Tales.
  • When you enter the game, find Gift Pack button on the right of the game interface, and choose “Privilege Code Gift Pack” then “MMOHuts gift pack”, input the code you obtain.
  • Click “Claim Gift Pack” button, there will be a tip pop-up saying that you claimed successfully.
  • Check your in game Bag, you will find “Coupon Pizza”. Right click to get 100 Coupons, which could be used to buy in game items.
  • Notice: One code per Chrono Tales account available.

Wargaming 1 Hour Stream Focuses on World of Tanks Update 8.5

In just a few moments Wargaming’s World of Warplanes Producer, Joshua Morris, and Community Manager, Major Rampage, will begin an hour long live stream showcasing World of Tanks 8.5 Update!

World of Tanks 8.5 Update Stream

The stream will include info on:

-German medium and light tanks

-USSR light tanks

-Pearl River Map

-After-battle Statistics screen

-UI Improvements

-New Premium consumables

-New player functions

 

The hosts will also be running Q&A so if you have something you want answered by sure to log into your Twitch.tv account and get ready! The stream begins at 4pm PST. Catch it on their official channel now!

Soldier Front 2 Dev Diary – Training Recruits

Attention recruits!

 Soldier Front 2 Car Cover

We’re rolling out the first of our dev blogs for Soldier Front 2! While Aeria gears up for the launch of the most intense free-to-play FPS to ever be unleashed on the gaming world, we want to give you peeks into what’s going on with the game and what to expect. The new player experience seemed like a perfect place to start!

 

Soldier Front 2 Make My Day

 

Since announcing the game, we’ve taken special care to point out that one of Soldier Front 2’s strengths is the game’s accessibility for new players. FPS games by their very nature tend to be very competitive and can be daunting for someone new to the genre. This is always a tricky challenge to deal with, since we think everyone will agree that a continually growing player base is the best thing for a game. It’s important that SF2 is easy for newcomers to jump into, while still providing a competitive and challenging battlefield for veterans.

 

Soldier Front 2 Neko Cat

 

To that end, SF2 includes the Free Training mode which allows players to hop into any of the maps in the game to explore various vantage points, grenade spots, and the general nooks, crannies, and nuances of each. Free Training also offers the ability to load up dummy targets to brush up on shooting skills.

 

Soldier Front 2 Trolley

 

The Night Raid obstacle course takes it a step further with a specialized training map that times your run and grants points based on your accuracy against the training targets. Each course is graded at the end of the run, allowing a player to continually measure their improvement (and also show off to their friends!).

 

Soldier Front 2 Urban Warfare

 

When you are ready to venture into the world of competitive play, we made sure to have beginner channels set up, matching you up with other users close to your level and skill. Playing against other users who are a higher level can be frustrating, so the system makes sure to create balanced matches. Again, our end goal is for the game to be easily approachable for new players while remaining highly competitive for expert soldiers.

 

Soldier Front 2 Dev Diary

 

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more info on the game at http://soldierfront2.aeriagames.com!

Microvolts Reveals Spring Loaded Update

Seasons come and go, but the Microvolts toy war always rages on. Now is the time for spring, when abandoned places thaw out from their frozen slumber to unearth new battlefields. This is where the spirit of competition is reborn, and water flies high.

FORGOTTEN JUNKYARD
Spring thaws have brought with them not only the warmth of new life – but also the excitement of a new adventure. Amidst the rusting remains of an abandoned Junk Yard a new and exciting map has been found. Microvolters, grab your gear and get ready to melt metal with the heat of battle in this all-new, once idle Junk Yard!

Microvolts Spring Loaded

SPRAY AND PRAY
The flowers are in bloom and war is in the air as you get ready to wash away your enemies with these new water themed weapons: Umbrella Melees, Blaze Shotguns, Tlaloc Grenades andApsu Rifle. Getting your friends soaked has never been so fun! And, to thwart your friends from soaking you back, don’t forget to get these all new waterproof parts – keep your colours bright and block the water as it flies high with: Mr. Pink Knox, Mr. Yellow Knox, Cursed C.H.I.P. orBlessed C.H.I.P.! For the first time ever, we are introducing permanent bundle parts in the RT shop –including Imber Naomi, Red Imber Naomi, Pluvia Pandora, and Pink Pluvia Pandora.

Microvolts Spring Loaded Update

DUNK THE KITTY
Rejoice fellow MicroVolters for the carnival has arrived! Celebrating the arrival of the carnival we will be introducing the all new Red Attendant Naomi, and Black Attendant Naomi costumes as well as Feline Pandora and Leopard Pandora! Cats might be afraid of the water, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a big splash with new Rabbit Grenades, Hunter Snipers and AC-ME Cannon Shotguns!

SPACE RACE CHALLENGE
The Space Race Challenge, MicroVolts biggest event of the year, is about to blast off and bring all the MicroVoltsers together. Join your fellow MicroVolters in uncovering the secrets of the event of the year HERE.

Navy Field 2 Review – Sleeping with the Fishes

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

Navy Field II Review @OnRPG

Behind the closed bars that try to fend off the masses of naval warfare fans, I was able to test the game out in one of the first closed beta sessions. I have never been a particularly big fan of naval-based titles, not that I don’t respect those that serve their countries on the open seas but I can’t see it ever translating into an engaging title. But when I caught my first glimpse of Navy Field 2’s gameplay I thought they might have found the approach to make it work.

The last few years we have seen the pendulum swing towards realism to create simulations of actual warfare to try and give people the same experience that the real heroes that fought in all the wars before witnessed. Navy Field 2 is a prime example of Massive Multiplayer Online Tactical Simulation that you can enjoy with other players in large scale battles with up to 64 players at once. I was ready to take control of my own fleet, and to achieve victory and wealth together with my chosen crew against this stiff competition.

Navy Field II Gameplay

Now before you take control of your first real ship, the game will teach you the most basic mechanics so you have a chance navigating your way through the game’s unique UI. Once you have a mastery of the dozens of menus, you are ready to man your first ship and have a go at one of the easiest missions in the game. Unfortunately for me, patience is the name of the game and my curiosity got the better of me while waiting for some action. My mission was to defend a base until the main fleet arrived to secure it. Instead I let my crew drift off exploring the coastline and before I knew it, I realized we had been heading the opposite way from the objective. Nonetheless, the mission wasn’t failed yet, and I had to turn my ships 180 degrees. Well that’s easier said than done turns out! That part about the realism? You’ll feel it trying to take a battleship through a u-turn. And turning around near land is also not a smart thing to do, unless you want to get stuck like I managed to do a couple of times.

The mechanics of operating your ship on the ocean are quite simple once you get the hang of it. You use the WASD to move and steer your ship, and you can also adjust each ship’s speed if you want to micromanage to outmaneuver a more skilled opponent. When you are done with your battle or mission, you are shown the information of how well you did and how much experience you earned. All the ships that are available in the game can be leveled up and equipped with some better tools to strengthen your vessel. The crew can also be upgraded and you should value combining the best men you can muster as your overpowered ship will be quite useless if you’re stuck with McHale’s Navy.

Shooting your cannons and other utilities that you have equipped on the ship can be done via a typical hotkey system. After you select the appropriate hotkey you’re just a targeting click away from shooting your weaponry at the designated area. From torpedos to depth charges, you can acquire just about any naval weaponry you can imagine to complement your arsenal and counter your enemies’ plans. Though even with the perfect strategy you’ll find timing and aim is vital to excelling at Navy Field II. This takes a lot of practice and experience and was incredibly hard for the first few hours I spent in the game.

Navy Field II Weapons

How it works is your cursor offers a crosshair of where your shots will land, but it’ll also show little dots of where you are shooting. It’s not readily apparent what these two crosshairs represent and even now I believe only one of these represents the real area of impact while the other one tries to confuse the heck out of you. And as you can imagine, the combination of moving your ship around and shooting the enemy is a hard and tricky thing to do. And then the random element of having some maniacs in your team steer in front of your guns while lining up your shot makes Navy Field II even more challenging since friendly fire is enabled, and is not too kind to Leeroy Jenkins shipmates that get in your way. On that note, sailing up close to an enemy ship is also not advised. One well-placed cannon shot can bring down your lovely ship with its crew, and you don’t want to sleep with the fishes now do you? Well some people do, and some just want to see the world, or rather, ships burn.

I must admit that Navy Field 2’s biggest weakness is on the visual front, and as a simulation it’s rather disappointing. I honestly expected to see higher quality animations when you are bringing down enemy ships, but I guess I just came in with too much hype of what the game had to offer. Though in their defense, it can be a challenge creating a graphical masterpiece when your only factors on hand are metal cruisers and the open seas.

 Navy Field II Conclusion

Conclusion

During closed beta I can say I enjoyed myself more than I expected to. This game certainly has some problems but with Nexon backing it I have hopes that it will receive the proper funding to up its quality as time goes on. Unfortunately there are plenty of buy to play PC and Console simulations in this field that offer a much more sophisticated game, though perhaps not quite as massive in scale as Navy Field II. Sure the game goes in-depth with customization features, but I found the gameplay itself and the graphics just to be quite plain.  It’s saving grace is that there is so little competition in the free market for this niche, but with companies like Wargaming and Gaijin Entertainment eyeing the western market, that might not be the case for much longer.

 

For more info on Navy Field 2 be sure to check out our sister site MMOHut’s First Look Video.

9 Things You Don’t Miss Until They’re Gone, MMO Style

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Journalist 

 

We haven’t had a good list on OnRPG in a while, a severe oversight in my eyes. So I decided to change that. I got to thinking, what would make for an interesting read? I didn’t want to go with something simple like the top 10 villains in MMOs, though I may do that in the future. This time around I wanted to do something really thought provoking. So it got me thinking about things that have been going on with me recently. I’ve been trying a lot of new games, a lot of new games have been coming out, and there are a lot of older games I’m finally getting around to trying. As I tried out each game I slowly started finding myself missing features other MMOs had. Some of them it took me a while to miss, some of them in the list I think will shock people.

 

9. Walk

The first time I ever experienced /walk was in City of Heroes when it came out in 2009. And in just 4 short years it has become somewhat of a necessity for me. Most MMOs I’ve been in these days have the walk function, except TERA. Not having the ability to walk was so crippling to me as a role player that I actually stopped playing. I just couldn’t do it. And what a huge oversight it is not having it! Who doesn’t want to see a Castanic shake her hips as she walks? I’m a woman and I want to see that!

Castanic

8. Looting

This is another one of those that happens a lot going from newer MMOs to older ones. Or maybe I’m just unlucky. My first experience with this was making the transition back and forth between Rift and City of Heroes. In Rift, I’d loot religiously. Then I’d go back to City of Heroes and suddenly I’m stopping at every corpse trying to get my sweet loot and getting annoyed when I get nothing until I remember there is no looting in this game. Amazingly though I never had the problem going the other way around.

 MMORPG Pugs

7. PUGs

Yeah, you read that right. I actually miss PUGs. I actually can’t think of any game where they’re completely gone, but Guild Wars 2 comes pretty close. The only time you have to team up with people is for dungeons. And because of the way the rest of the game works, added with how difficult dungeons can be, no one talks! You might as well be playing by yourself. Once more it comes back again to City of Heroes. What better way to meet new people than to go up against evil (or do evil) with them? I made so many friends through PUGs. Now sure, there is always going to be an asshat, they come with dealing with people. But I miss those days of sewer runs all the way to Kings Row with random lowbies all looking for quick levels, the days where if you were really lucky you actually could find a group of 8 roleplayers on a PUG together. Oh those were the days.

 

6. No Quest Logs

Most MMOs have that list, the list of quests for you to do. Sometimes you have to sift through 30 quests just to find the one you want. The rare few that don’t though? Such a relief. Is it because they’re less complex games? Nah. And they aren’t limited to old ones either. Guild Wars 2 is a perfect example of that. Sure, on the side of the screen there is a tracker for your personal story and world wide things going on. But its more of a reminder of your options than a to do list. And when you’re going between games that have them and games that don’t you eventually find yourself longing for a game that gave you the freedom that came with the lack of quest logs.

 

5. Complex Chat Systems

I’m talking about what basically boils down to chatrooms in game and the ability to talk to friends playing on other servers. Every game I’ve ever played had a different chat system. And every time I find myself wishing that the game I was in had a certain chat ability from another game I’d played before. And once again, I hold City of Heroes as the shining example. In Rift’s early days there were plenty of level specific chats and player made channels, but you couldn’t talk to anyone who happened to be on another server. Thankfully they’ve since fixed this and Rift’s chat system is at the moment the best out there, though I do give props to The Secret World’s as well. It wasn’t until I started playing Guild Wars 2 heavily that I really got to missing those really good chat systems. Sure, I can send private messages to anyone. And the zone wide chat is quite active in Queensdale and Wayfarer’s Foothills on Piken Square. Plus of course the ability to chat with your friends in your guilds. But what it lacks is the ability for the player to make channels. I can’t just log in like I would with City of Heroes and play City of Chat. And this takes away from the game in a small way. Or perhaps it is the basis of something even bigger which I’ll talk about further in.

 

4. Casting While Moving

This one seems to come up a lot when you move from a newer MMO back to an older one. The ability to use your abilities while moving. This is especially an issue for Mages or any other spell casting class. You’re able to run all over the place in one game, flinging magic and fireballs at the enemy. Then you go to another where you get stuck in an animation or worse, if you make the mistake of moving mid cast and interrupt it. Nothing is more annoying than those moments, especially when they end in your death.

 

3. Flying

Flying

Fantasy and flying just don’t seem to go together very often. And no one can say that the MMO industry isn’t filled with fantasy MMOs. So I think it is safe to say MMOs with flying in them are somewhat rare. For this I’m excluding any space based games like EVE or Star Trek because that is just a whole different thing all together. And I’m not talking about flying mounts either. I mean the ability for you, the player to leap into the air and fly. Be it through jet pack, wings, or the ability to give gravity the finger. It all goes back to City of Heroes for me again. I loved to fly. It may have been slower than all the other travel powers but it gave you such freedom. It opened up the world, made it feel like there really was something more above your head. There are games out there that have fly: Champions Online, DCUO, and Aion just to name a few. But it isn’t until you spend time in a game where you’re stuck on the ground that you really start to appreciate and long for the ability to go into the sky.

 

2. Instantaneous Travel

This one might sound a bit lazy, and it absolutely is. And amusingly you will actually hear me be the first one to complain about such abilities when I come across them in a game. Instantaneous travel. I’m talking about teleporting. Be it on a small, personal scale across a zone or huge world crossing leaps. Guild Wars 2 is the shining example this time around. Between Waypoints and Asura Gates you don’t really ever have to travel more than a minute or two to get somewhere. So what happens when you go to a game that doesn’t have any teleportation? Suddenly the first thing you want to do is go to a quest on the other side of the world. And your only option is your own two legs. Thankfully most games these days have some way of making travel shorter. Though you’ll still hear me complain about it.

 

1. Community

 

 

Several times now I’ve talked about things I would talk about later on in the article. Well here it is. The sense of community. The lack of PUGs, the chat systems that don’t allow for making more personalized channels and talking to friends in other servers, instantaneous travel itself…all of this combined plus many other things leads to a lack of community. I log into Piken Square on GW2 nearly every day. And except for a small group of friends no one knows who I am. The same is true the other way around. I’ll see a few familiar names, but no one I’d call a friend. In most MMOs these days there is less of a feeling of a community and more a bunch of individuals playing in the same place. That sense of community is lost in newer MMOs. Everquest, a 14 year old MMO is still going strong during an era when some MMOs don’t even make it a year. Why? The community is strong and keeps people coming back for more. City of Heroes showed how amazing a community it had when the closure was announced and a campaign was started to fight that fate. It was then the community came together and showed how much of a family they really were. A community so strong that even now, months after the closure, the fight goes on.

 

So there we have it. 9 things you don’t miss until they’re gone. Or 9 things every MMO should have if you like. I didn’t mean for it to turn into a nostalgia for City of Heroes article but it ended up being a bit of one anyway. A special thanks to a few folks on G+ who helped me out with this list, you know who you are and you’re awesome. Do you disagree with my 9? What would be in yours?

OnRPG Shotgun News 4/25: Newwinter, EVE, Black Gold, and Much More!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG News Newb

Neverwinter Founder Early Access Begins

Today marks the day anyone who bought one of the Founders packs can access Neverwinter. This marks the soft launch of the the MMO and is only for those who bought the most expensive pack. If you bought one of the others have no fear, Saturday is your day. And if you haven’t bought any of the packs you only need to wait 5 days.

EVE Store Relaunches

001

CCP has teamed up with Musterbrand to bring all new merchandise to the new EVE store which relaunched today. The store may look a little bit empty at the moment but at the keynote speech during Fanfest more items are promised to be revealed.

Update 11 Hits LOTRO’s Public Test Server

Lord of the Rings Online players who are itching at a look at Update 11 need wait no longer. The patch notes were posted on the forums yesterday and they are lengthy. Some highlights include a mounted combat update, the new region of Wildermore, and a new bug reporting tool.

Snail Games USA Announces Fantasy Steampunk MMO Black Gold

Age of Wushu may have launched but that doesn’t mean Snail Games is slowing down any. They’ve announced Black Gold, a Fantasy MMO inspired by Northern European myths with a large helping of Steampunk thrown in. Dragon mounts, walking cities, and mechs, this game seems to have them all. Check it out in the extended trailer below. And be sure to look out for OnRPG’s coverage of Black Gold at E3.

Ragnarok 2 Launch Date Announced

Warp Portal has announced that Ragnarok 2 will be launching on May 1st. And they promise to have lots of launch day surprises and events as the commercial launch begins.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online Continues Expansion With New Update

Ghost Recon Online
 

Today, Ubisoft® announced the launch of the 0.11.0 patch for its free-to-play PC shooter, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online®. Continuing to listen to community feedback, the Ubisoft Singapore development team has crafted a patch containing a host of new content, features and game service improvements that will further enhance the Ghost Recon Online experience.

 

Attica Heights – Ghost Recon Online goes to Singapore
Leading the charge is the brand-new map: Attica Heights – a high security building set against the iconic skyline of Singapore’s business district. Attica Heights is the second map designed for the Holdout game mode and forces players to make quick tactical decisions in a unique split-level environment. The verticality of the map takes the fight on and directly above the vital capture point, splitting the teams’ focus between two floors and giving players alternate routes to the action.

 

Try Before You Buy – Firing Range and Field Testing
Players will be able to fully test any weapon in the Firing Range. Whether it be firing on the move or behind cover, assessing the weapon damage on virtual targets or getting a better feel of a weapon’s handling and recoil, the Firing Range will enable players to optimize the selection of weapons within their arsenal.
With new tiers of weapons unlocking as players level up within Ghost Recon Online, the Field Testing system will award temporary trial versions of the weapons as they become available. These trial versions can be taken into three standard matches and are a great way to test a weapon’s performance in real battlefield situations.

 

 

The OMEGA Pack – Armed to the teeth
Security for the mysterious Attica Heights facility is handled by the elite OMEGA Private Military – the poster boys for the OMEGA Pack. These urban-specialists use brand-new gear and weapon designs that are optimized for close quarters combat with short ready times and high rates of fire. And now players will be able to optimize their own equipment load-outs with new headgear and upgraded weapons sporting new camouflage, all from the OMEGA Pack.

 

Project TOPOS: Beta Map Testing
Project TOPOS: Beta Map Testing allows the community to play prototype maps with their clan mates and most importantly, help improve the design of the maps with their feedback on the forums. More feedback = Better maps.

 

Mystery Boxes and Bundles – New ways to gear up
0.11.0 also delivers more ways for players to get their hands on the right gear for the job. Four new bundles will ease the players’ progression as they level up, giving them all the essential equipment they could need. Players looking for vintage, limited-edition weapons can now find them in the new Mystery Boxes. Each box has a possibility of dropping rare and valuable items, adding a hint of chance to a game where luck don’t live.

 

Be sure to grab an Elite Bundle Pack if you plan to get back into the game this weekend to check it out!