In Pockie Kingdom, players manage stunning kingdoms from their thrones as they seek to dominate the land, whether expanding through clever use of trade and politics, or taking on other players in thrilling battles for glory.
Yearly Archives: 2014
Pockie Kingdom
Pockie Kingdom is a free to play “horizontal strategy” game. Players manage their kingdoms and dominate the land through trade, politics, and battles.
Features:
Recruitable Heroes: Go to the pub and hire heroes from six classes – Cavalier, Swordsman, Lancer, Archer, Mage, and Assassin.
Dynamic Markets: Earn money for your kingdom through business and trade in a market that is always changing based on supply and demand.
Airship Battles: Airships are the caravans of trade, allowing players to transport goods above the fields of battle – but beware, for airships can also be plundered!
League of Legends Ascension Mode Review: it’s the Juggernaut!
By Jason Parker (Ragachak)
A Land Covered In Sand
Riot Games is presently making an effort to redo their already convoluted and tired lore; this is not particularly a bad thing. In the meantime we are given something to tide us over while we wait on relevant and interesting champions/reworks. Ascension Mode is one of those. Ascension, like all other “Game Modes” will likely only exist for a few weeks at the most, then it will disappear forever. In it, I feel that perhaps the developers are trying to make the Dominion/Crystal Scar noticeable again. There has been a fairly large outcry that Dominion is boring and it has no ranked gameplay so it likely does not appeal to the large amount of League players. So it is with that in mind that the sands of Shurima, home to a variety of characters (Nasus, Xerath, Renekton and Azir) is also the home of this mode.
Generally I am interested in these new game modes as they can offer something that could be seen in the future, such as DoomBots offering the idea of aggressive, intelligent bots. I do not see anything that is terribly intriguing about this mode which is unfortunate; I enjoy Juggernaut game modes where a player gets an amazing buff that gets tossed around all match. But taking a fairly uninteresting, simple map and tossing a new skin and fog of war onto it does not really make it fun. It is a nice try but all in all, I do not feel that it offers anything to the League community other than a smokescreen to tide them over until they finish something promising. I went into this mode with high hopes but sadly they were not fulfilled. However I’d like to take the time to thank Twerkette and her Twitch stream (http://twitch.tv/wetbunny) for playing this mode with me and streaming it, no matter how awful the games wound up being!
The Sand Calls
The way this mode operates is fairly simple; two teams of five ban three champions each, much like draft mode. However, it is still a “blind pick” mode where teams pick their champions at the same time, and mirror matches can appear. It is at least an interesting blend of the two match types. The game takes place on a small Dominion map, still labeled “The Crystal Scar” despite being the middle of the Shurima desert. This has no bearing on the game but it is still a nitpicky problem. Though the map is a circle, the layout is a pentagon, with two points for each team, and one “neutral” point at the top that both sides can travel to. Much like ARAM (All Random All Mid) mode, once you leave base you cannot return until you die; this is facilitated by an item in your trinket spot that will teleport you to one of these nodes that you choose. The first team that reaches 200 points wins the match and this is done with a very simple set of point allotments.
- Kills: 1 point (2 if Ascended)
- Capturing a Relic: 3 points
- Killing the Ascended: 5 points
Those are the only way to attain points. It is important to mention again that there is no going back to base short of dying, so there are no full heals at base to be had like on normal maps. There are health restoring items much like ARAM that respawn fortunately. The relics spawn in the same locations everytime, near the spawn nodes. They respawn at a fairly fast rate, but enemies can attack you during the channeling and steal them from you. Soon after the match begins, a Xerath bot will spawn in the middle of the arena, and that’s when the chaos begins. Anyone can get the kill, and whoever gets the last hit will Ascend, becoming larger, and receive an incredible buff that removes mana/energy requirements, adds attack damage/spell power, and lowers cooldowns. It’s a pretty terrifying buff in the right hands. Xerath will not spawn again until after the Ascended has died so in theory, if the first buffed character never dies, it will not come back.
Each time the Xerath bot respawns, it grows a little stronger, and has a little more health to match the flow of gameplay. It would not be very fun if he just got obliterated in one hit! Then there is the Fog of War to mention: The map is constantly covered in a sandy fog that limits vision more harshly than anyone else in League. The length of your screen on a typical resolution is about all you can see here, and sharing vision with allies is the only way to have any idea about your surroundings. It is also pertinent to note that if you have the Ascended Buff, you can always be seen, on the map or on the mini map. There is no hiding in bushes or in the sand if you have Ascended; true power need not hide!
What is the point?
I wanted to like this mode, I desperately did. Sadly the mode is too much of a jumble of other ideas thrown together haphazardly. The item tree is from Twisted Treeline, the map is Crystal Scar; it combines Blind Pick and Draft Pick together in one place which is just peculiar. One of my major gripes is yes, it is a mish-mash of other modes all dropped into one place, but it is this writer’s opinion that this mode does nothing but promote poor gameplay and bad decision-making skills. The mode is fun, sure; having a God buff and running around decimating people as a variety of champions can be a lot of fun. I think the entire map being covered in a sandy “Fog of War” is intriguing as it makes vision a lot harder, and there are no wards.
Now as far as poor gameplay decisions, players ultimately fight without regard to tactics or team roles in Ascension. Sure, your team having the Ascension buff is great, but wouldn’t it be better if you had it? Why should your carry have it, when the support can get it? That’s helpful, right? While on the surface you imagine your AP or AD carry would be ideal, there are no lanes or creeps to farm to buff them up to their godly levels. Jungling is out the window as well, leaving assassinations without proper planning as the ideal strategy of the day. Ultimately the mode feels like it is everyone for themselves, and I have seen more than my share of players just let their Ascended die because they were upset they did not get it.
Sure, teamwork happens but this mode feels cluttered and at the same time very barren. Instead of this, I would have rather seen something, anything else. Something relevant to the game instead of something to distract me. It is not bad, but certainly not the best temporary content that Riot has conjured up. There are of course champions that thrive on this map and are infinitely stronger than others. Ones who do not require resources, or have a renewable source of energy are strong in that they can constantly battle without worry. And once the buff is on them, they can just rampage across the map. Champions with a lot of burst also thrive here; I did not find a lot of fun to be had supporting on this map unless it was one that can deal a healthy amount of damage. All in all I think this mode is interesting, but I certainly was not as impressed as I thought I would be.
Trials of Ascension Pre-Alpha Basic Demo
Get an early look inside Trials of Ascension as core backers chop trees and attack floating shields.
Hex: Shards of Fate Frost Ring Arena
Hex reveals the first of many PvE experiences coming to their MMOiTCG.
Divinity: Original Sin Companions Reveal
A new Kickstarter video update reveals 2 new characters available to recruit in Divinity: Original Sin.
Minimun New Trailer
A new trailer offers feature breakdown for Minimum.
Divinity: Original Sin Gets Two New Companions
Larian Studios is delivering some great new content to Divinity: Original Sin players today in the form of a juicy update. “The Bear and the Burglar” DLC pack, available for free via Steam, not only improves co-op dialogue by streamlining lengthy discussions, but adds two brand new companions with unique story arcs who can join your party as you set off to save Rivellon.
Bairdotr, a curious and loyal ranger, has gotten herself into some trouble at the Legion barracks, while the silent rogue Wolgraff has found himself a nice hustle stealing coins from the wishing well in the Cyseal hinterlands (accessible through the graveyard tunnel).
Check out their concept art and a short description of each companion below:
Bairdotr
“You seem strong as mother, though your chest is not quite so hairy. Your sword may come in handy when we find who I seek.”
Armed with her bow on her back and her claws at the ready, Bairdotr refuses to fail: She must navigate your world — a world of wonder and mysteries both fantastic and terrible — if she’s to save Homeforest. The druid of the forest has been kidnapped, and Bairdotr must follow a scant trail of clues if she’s to bring him back — clues that take her to the very heart of Rivellon’s Source conspiracy.
Wolgraff
*Wolgraff gives you a knowing look. He seems to think the mayor is a few arrows short of a quiver.*
Dark Sourcery deprived Wolgraff of his voice when he was but a kid, and with it his dream of becoming a Source Hunter. Refused by the Order, he grew up to become a rogue, stealing from the rich and giving to… just himself actually. His is a world of silence, but if need be he lets his dagger do the talking for him.
To get “The Bear and the Burglar” DLC, just download it from Steam or update the game via GOG.com. You can find both companions in Cyseal when you start a new game, after you’ve downloaded the DLC. The DLC is also localized into German, French and Russian
There’s a lot more coming to Divinity: Original Sin in the coming months!
Microsoft to Acquire Minecraft
Minecraft development studio Mojang has been acquired by Microsoft. This video explains what the Xbox Live community can expect going forward.
Guardian Cross gets iOS update
Today, SQUARE ENIX Ltd., announces a major update to the iOS version of its card battle RPG – GUARDIAN CROSS®. The update, available now for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, brings with it major changes, introducing new abilities and guardians, and a renewed ‘Coliseum’ feature.
The update encourages new adventurers to join GUARDIAN CROSS, with newcomers to the iOS version of the game receiving a special gift. Upon completing the tutorial, new players can receive a ‘New Tamer Support Set’, and the UR Guardian appearance rate to double for the first 7 days after the creation of their account.
With a renewed Friend Point System, Friend points can be obtained by hunting a certain amount of guardians daily and can be exchanged for items – such as special hunt tickets. Players can add more friends to progress the game in their favour.
Aside from newcomer rewards, the update also brings “Aedengard” – a brand new hunting ground on the floating isle. In Aedengard, guardians with powerful abilities await. New abilities include;
- Veil of Deadening – Chance to dodge an attribute-based attack
- Nimble Jinx – An attribute-based initial attack
- Rendburst – When defeated, uses remaining MP to reduce enemy HP
Additionally, the iOS update renews the ‘Coliseum’ feature, and the all-new ‘Skyborne Coliseum’ will open, allowing players to enjoy online battles. Players will begin at the ground level and need to compete their way up. Floor masters await at the Coliseum, so form the best party and reach for the top!










