General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Microsoft SkyDrive Adds Desktop Clients And Paid Upgrade Options, Threatens Existing Users' 25GB Of Storage

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 10:51 AM PDT

The new SkyDrive features added late last week were, apparently, just the tip of the iceberg; today, Microsoft unleashed a new and improved preview version of its cloud-storage service that adds local SkyDrive clients, default Live Mesh-like functionality, the ability to pay for extra storage and more. Heads-up for existing users, though; your SkyDrive allotment could shrink from its current 25GB down to just 7GB if you don't act fast.

The stand-alone SkyDrive for Windows program is now available for Windows 7, 8 and Vista users; a Mac OS X client is also available for people who like to mix apples and oranges. Like Dropbox, SkyDrive will stay synced with Microsoft's servers and consist of a single folder that you can add sub-folders and files to. (Sorry, Live Mesh users; SkyDrive can't -- and won't -- sync arbitrary folders as that service can, though on the plus side, Microsoft hasn't killed Live Mesh off yet.)

Drag-and-drop functionality is enabled for the SkyDrive clients, and its users can use the stand-alone desktop app to add files up to 2GB in size to their SkyDrive. The Web-version and apps currently limit maximum file sizes to 300MB. Users with the desktop clients installed will also be able to use it to remotely access their PCs in case they forgot to plop an important file into the cloud.

Now, for the downside: Microsoft's dropping the amount of free SkyDrive storage down to 7GB. If you signed up for a 25GB SkyDrive prior to April 22, you can keep all those gigs by logging in to your SkyDrive and clicking the "SkyDrive's free storage is changing – claim your free 25GB" link at the top of the page (like I just did). It's a limited time offer, though. If you already had more than 4GB of crap in your SkyDrive, Microsoft upgraded you automatically.

You can (finally) pay for more SkyDrive space now, too. $10/year nets you an extra 20GB, $25/year nets you an extra 50GB, and $50/year will set up with 100GB worth of additional storage. Those prices ain't that shabby.

We'll need to spend some time playing around with the newly improved SkyDrive before we know whether or not it's evolved into a true Dropbox competitor. In the meantime, we recommend reading the Microsoft blog post outlining all the new SkyDrive features in detail.

Nvidia Clues Us In On When "It's Coming"

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 10:22 AM PDT

Last week, Nvidia teased us with a vague picture of a black cooler shroud with the words "It's coming" emblazoned underneath the Nvidia logo. We still may not know what "it" is, but now we know when it's coming: this Saturday, April 28th at 7:30 P.M. Pacific time. In a new article up on the Nvidia website, the company says it "will be making a special announcement at GeForce LAN / NVIDIA Gaming Festival (NGF) 2012 in Shanghai, China."

As we said before, Nvidia's keeping mum about the details, but the scuttlebutt -- supposedly verified by "independent sources" -- is that Big Green will be rolling out the dual-GPU GTX 690 at that point, presumably for approximately a gajillion dollars. Others expect the announcement will be for the single-GPU GTX 670 or 670 Ti, which makes a bit more sense, seeing as how Nvidia is having trouble keeping GTX 680s in stock already.

Unleashing a dual-GPU card would only lessen the already-lean availability of the new GeForce cards, while the appearance of the GTX 670 Ti could possibly allow Nvidia to start making money off of GPUs that couldn't quite make the grade as a GTX 680. (The GTX 670 Ti is rumored to be basically the same as the GTX 680, only with one of the eight streaming multiprocessors (SMX) disabled, thereby giving it fewer working CUDA cores.) Still, like we said, the rumor mill says the GTX 690 is "it."

But hey, we're just stabbing in the dark here. The answer to what "it" really is will be here in less than a week.

Nude Revenge Photos on Facebook Earns Ex-Boyfriend 6 Month Sentence

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 07:27 AM PDT

Different people handle breakups in different ways. Some might find it appropriate to stand outside their ex's home and blast Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" from an outstretched boombox. Others simply move on, perhaps glad the experience is over with. But there's always that one person who does something completely inappropriate like, say, posting nude photos of their ex on Facebook, a decision that earned a scorned Australian lover a six months sentence.

According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, Ravshan "Ronnie" Usmanov told police he posted unclothed photos of his ex-girlfriend because "she hurt me and it was the only thing [I had] to hurt her."

He allegedly posted half a dozen nude photos depicting his ex-girlfriend "in certain positions and clearly showing" her private bits, top and bottom. After posting the photos, Usmanov emailed his ex and told her what he did.

Usmanov pleaded guilty but is appealing the six month home detention sentence.

Asus Launches Lower Cost Transformer Pad TF300 for $379

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 07:02 AM PDT

Android tablet makers are finally responding to the memo that clearly states in order to compete in the tablet space, you have to lower your price points. Enter Asus and its just launched Transformer Pad TF300. Pricing starts at a comparatively affordable $379, a solid price point for a 10.1-inch Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) tablet with an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM.

That's a full $120 less than the Transformer Prime, and like it's pricier sibling, the TF300 sports an IPS panel with a 1280x800 resolution, albeit there have been reports that the image quality isn't quite on par. The TF300 also eschews the Transformer Prime's brushed aluminum chassis for a plastic case.

In other words, there are tradeoffs and concessions related to the lower price tag, but for 379 bones, Asus has put together a impressive looking tablet, at least on paper. In addition to the above mentioned features, the TF300 has a 1.2MP front-facing camera, 8MP rear-facing camera, built-in stereo speakers with Asus SonicMaster technology, microSD card slot, 16GB ($379) or 32GB ($399) eMMC flash memory, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, micro HDMI slot, 2-in-1 audio jack, and 22 W/h Li-polymer battery good for up to 10 hours of use.

The TF300 is available to purchase online now and in stores starting April 30, 2012.

Image Credit: Asus

FBI: Computers Infected with DNSChanger Trojan Will Lose Internet Access in July

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 06:41 AM PDT

Hundreds of thousands of infected PCs could be without Internet access beginning July 9, 2012, the day the FBI is planning to pull the plug on servers it seized that had been used to push ads to computers infected with a malware Trojan called DNSChanger. Systems infected with DNSChanger end up being redirected to the servers that were once under the control of the cybercriminals, but now belong to the FBI.

In cooperation with Estonian police, the FBI was able to take control of the servers, and the decision was made to keep them online so that the millions of infected PCs could still have Internet access. It's estimated that some 350,000 PCs are still infected with the DNSChanger Trojan, and if they're not cleaned up by July 9, they'll be unable to connect to the Internet. That's because the DNSChanger Trojan works its malicious mojo by intercepting DNS server requests sent by infected PCs whenever an Internet user clicks on a hyperlink or manually types in a URL. It's a fairly simple trick that resulted in about $14 million in illegal gains for the cybercrooks behind the scam.

If your PC is one of the 350,000 that are still infected, the Internet will essentially go dark beginning July 9. There a couple of different ways you can check. The first one is to visit DWCG's website and run through a quick (and free) diagnostic that simply entails clicking a URL. The second way is to manually check your system's DNS settings, directions for which can be found here (PDF).

Source: Forbes

Image Credit: DWCG

At Long Last, Intel Officially Launches 22nm Ivy Bridge with 3D Transistors, USB 3.0

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 06:06 AM PDT

Stop whatever it is you're doing and run through your office or down the street yelling, 'Ivy Bridge is here! Ivy Bridge is here!' Sure, you'll elicit funny stares as you lap the water cooler and blow by accounting's set of cubicles, but those 'in the know' will understand what all the fuss is about. They'll also be appreciative of the heads up that, finally, Intel's Ivy Bridge launch is official.

According to several online reports, Intel officially rolled out the 3D Transistor carpet today with a line of Ivy Bridge processors that total a baker's dozen. All 13 chips are flavored quad-core with a mix of Core i5 and i7 toppings, most of which are aimed at desktops. Intel will serve the lower end (and less expensive) dual-core i3 and i5 models in the Spring.

"This is the world's first 22nm product and we'll be delivering about 20 percent more processor performance using 20 percent less average power," Intel's Kirk Skaugen told BBC.

Skaugen says there are three factories kicking out Ivy Bridge processors and a fourth will go online sometime later this year. According to Skaugen, this is "Intel's fastest ramp ever." Demand could still end up outstripping supply, but to keep this from being an extended paper launch, Intel's Ivy Bridge production is 50 percent higher than it was for Sandy Bridge early on.

In addition to more processing performance and less power consumption, Ivy Bridge brings on-chip SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to the table. It also sports improved graphics and, for the first time, OpenCL 1.1 and DirectX 11.

MMO News

MMO News


Spirit Tales announces open beta delay

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:25 PM PDT

KoramGame has announced that the open beta launch for Spirit Tales has been postponed to May 10. The launch was previously scheduled for April 25.

Yann Wang, General Manager, stated that “problems have occurred that have made it difficult to incorporate certain features that are vital to the release of the game.” The team remains optimistic that the delay will offer a more polished game when open beta does start.

Spirit Tales will launch its open beta for a worldwide audience, including system and server upgrades, improved content, and exclusive events in addition to the game’s core content.

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Spirit Tales Gameplay Screenshot

 Source:

Spirit Tales Open Beta Postponed to May 10

Sunnyvale, Calif. — (April 23, 2012) — KoramGame Ltd., a leading developer and publisher of free-to-play online games, today announced that the launch of open beta for Spirit Tales, an upcoming cute 3D fantasy MMORPG, has been postponed to May 10, 2012. Open beta for Spirit Tales had previously been slated to start on April 25.

“It was a hard decision to make since we take our release schedule very seriously,” says Yann Wang, General Manager. “But problems have occurred that have made it difficult to incorporate certain features that are vital to the release of the game. Unfortunately, because of this, the game will not be ready on the date we had originally promised. However, the Spirit Tales team, and myself included, are optimistic that this short, but necessary delay, will ensure that we produce a much more complete and polished game.”

With this delay comes the full launch of the Spirit Tales open beta to a worldwide audience, and will include new system and server upgrades, as well as all the previously announced in-game features. There will also be better content to help guide users and events exclusive to the Spirit Tales name.

Divina Press Preview

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 12:46 PM PDT

Divina is the latest game to be reelased by Gamania (often known by the name of their gaming portal, beanfun!). Set in a world that blends Norse, Japanese, and a pinch of Chinese mythology, Divina promises the same colorful, cute experience that Gamania offers in Bright Shadow and Lucent Heart. MMOHut was escorted on a press tour to get an in-depth look at some of the surprising things that Divina has to offer.

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Change your Class in a Flash

One of Divina’s key systems is the Quick Change system, which allows you to switch freely between two classes. At level 30, after completing a series of quests, you’ll be able to choose your second class from among Divina’s five classes (including choosing your main class, if you simply want to play two different specializations of the same class). Your new secondary class starts at level 25 with a complete set of level-appropriate gear and all skills the class would have learned up to that level. Your second class also acts somewhat like its own character: it has its own health and mana (useful when swapping in battle), and it gains experience at a rate of half what your regular experience rate is, making it easy to keep your class levels even.

Once you have your second class, there’s no hassle in changing between it and your main class: all you have to do is use the quick change (or press “Z”) to swap instantly to your other class. There are a few restrictions, however: changing costs exchange points (EP), which are represented by a bar and three hearts on your character’s health frame. A change uses up one heart, but hearts are restored by fighting enemies and can be regained relatively easily. Another special note: quick change is not going to be limited in PvP arenas by the exchange point system, although each class will not regenerate health, making it harder to abuse for free health.

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Spin the Divine Wheel

Another unique aspect of Divina is the Divine Wheel. The Divine Wheel is a five-piece protection set that replaces the traditional “armor” of most MMORPGs. A wheel is made of a core and five additional pieces (each facing a cardinal direction). Each piece grants its own set of defensive and offensive stats, and some wheels offer set bonuses that grant additional boosts to their owner.

What the Divine Wheel system also means for players is that your appearance is not bounded by your equipment (except for your weapon). Instead, you’re free to dress in costume pieces as you please, freeing you up to look exactly as you’d like without the hassle of wearing some mis-matched armor from three zones. Better yet: costume pieces are found outside the cash shop, and they can also be dyed.

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Perforate My Heart

Divina also features a robust crafting and enchanting system. For players looking to better their gear, two major systems exist. The first is perforation, which allows holes to be drilled into weapons to add slots. These can then be used to embed stones into the weapons to boost their stats. The game also offers enchanting, which raises the item’s level by one if successful (up to a cap of 10). Failure is an option with enchanting, and with lower level stones, failure can mean dropping the item’s level back to one or destroying it completely. But for those who succeed in their gamble, better stats, a shiny appearance, and even a server-wide announcement await them.

Players can also craft in a simple, four-part system. Players can refine or gather materials from W-Card (weapon resources) or C-Card (armor resources) Resources found throughout the world, or send their sidekick out to do the job (more on that later). These materials can then be transformed into gear at crafting stations found in cities. The gear found through crafting is almost always better than gear from questing, so expect to spend some time harvesting and crafting if you want the best the game can offer.

Oh yes, and one more thing – there’s a potential orb system that lets you use orbs to learn permanent stat boosts just by killing monsters once it’s activated, giving you even more ways to build your character.

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Flattery and Imitation

Next up in Divina’s long list of interesting features is the Creature Tome. This additional feature, unlocked at an early level, allows you to research the many demons that inhabit Divina’s world. While not every demon is found in the Tome, there are dozens for you to research and collect. Working like a bestiary, the Tome will let you collect pages of demons from different areas. Pages come with additional bonuses when you complete research in rows and the entire page, which can include armor and more.

Underneath each creature is shown a progress bar, which grows as you kill demons of that specific type. When complete, you’re rewarded with two bonuses. The first is simply a nice bonus of concept art of that creature. The second is Mimicry, a skill with a 30 minute duration (and hour cooldown) that allows you to transform into that creature. Transformed, you retain all the skills you have, but you may also gain some additional skills from the creature (depending on the type). And, since Divina features open world PvP, you might just be able to hide among the wildlife and wait to strike.

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Your Loyal Sidekick

Of course, we also can’t forget the Sidekick. Players get their own sidekick buddy – a bunny or a mouse, although others will be available via the cash shop – to join them in their travels in game. These sidekicks have quite a bit of depth to them, and plenty of ways to build out. To start with, sidekicks have a “favor” system which can be built through talking to them. Each time you talk to them, you can choose from several topics, some of which are favorites of your particular, unique sidekick. The more the sidekick likes the topic, the more favor they will have with you; this in turn affects their mood, stats, and the efficiency of their skills.

Sidekicks can also learn stats, allowing you to assign the stats you’re most interested in building with them. Doing so helps the sidekick specialize into new classes (for instance, focusing in intelligence might end up sending your Sidekick into Magician mode). Sidekicks can also be taught skills, which will help them both in battle and outside of battle. Work skills can be taught to your sidekick to send them out for an hour (or longer) to go treasure hunting or refining, and sidekicks can also fuse stones together to make better one to socket into your weapons. There are some exclusive benefits to having a sidekick, and they become a loyal and essential pet in your travels.

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Owning Your Domain

Finally on our tour, we were exposed to the guild domain system. This system, exclusively for guilds and guilded players, is like a small cooperative MMORTS within the game. At first glance, the system allows you to build a personal domain (resources and other stations), while your guild builds its own. These systems interplay with incredible depth, and include a third area: the guild hinterland.

Both the guild and private domain allow players to build and collect resources to empower their guild. The guild domain places an upper level on each member’s personal domain based on its level, and the guild domain can also place a 1-8% tax on its members to help it grow. The guild can set buffs to help players build their own domains as a guild policy, which can be changed once per day. Guilds can eventually build structures that allow them to create essential skill books.

Meanwhile, in the guild hinterlands, the guild can expand its territory into the corresponding game zones. Guilds can maintain special bases in these areas, which offer passive buffs in certain zones in the game, and instance bases, which unlock trial ground instances exclusively for guild members to practice and challenge themselves in. In this way, guilds can expand and progress their influence through zones in a similar fashion to the way players continue to level and venture further in the world. These bonuses make guilds a key community feature.

 

What we saw of Divina in our short time there tells us one thing: Divina isn’t just a cutesy casual MMO. With multiple, in-depth systems, players are promised a rewarding experience as they work for real, tangible benefits from crafting to sidekicks and guilds. Divina’s special 72 hour beta may now be closed, but we can look forward to the first PvP beta as it rounds the corner soon. To see more of Divina, check out our First Look video!

 

More Divina Tour Screenshots:

Divina Closed Beta Gameplay – First Look HD

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 11:08 AM PDT

 

To Learn More About the Game Check out our Divina Page.

Divina is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG published by Beanfun – the same company behind Lucent Heart. Divina puts you in the role of an adventurer that goes back in time in order to prevent the end of the world. Along the way, players can customize their very own sidekick, easily change between two classes (even in combat!), and even transform into the monsters they face. To learn more about Divina check out the official MMOHut Divina page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.

Mad May announced for RuneScape players

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 10:40 AM PDT

Jagex has announced plans for next month’s events in RuneScape.

“Mad May” will feature several events for players throughout the month. Players will get bonus spins on the Squeal of Fortune, and players who remain a member for the month of May will gain 5,000 Loyalty points. These points can be used to spend on several new rewards including costumes, titles, emotes, and gameplay-enhancements. Eligible players will also receive up to a quarter of a million bonus experience on June 1. The team will also host “Wild Weekends” throughout May, with details posted on the website.

Jagex also publishes 8Realms and War of Legends.

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RuneScape Gameplay Screenshot

 Source:

Runescape announces Mad May
Jagex reveal first details of a month of craziness including competition, extra loyalty points, Bonus XP and additional Squeal of Fortune spins

Monday 23rd April 2012, Cambridge, UK – Jagex, makers of RuneScape, the World's most popular and multi-award winning free-to-play massively multiplayer online adventure game, today announced their plans for Mad May, a month long series of community events, offers and competitions.

Starting today, RuneScape players old and new will be able to benefit from a host of Mad May offers for everyone who remains a member throughout May. These promotions include additional bonus spins for the Squeal of Fortune, the new light-hearted game of chance which was introduced to RuneScape last month, offering players even more chances to win from a wide variety of in-game prizes.

As an additional bonus, all those players who remain a member for the whole of May, will also receive 5,000 Loyalty Points to spend on numerous rewards including a vast array of new costumes, titles of nobility, exclusive emotes and perhaps most exciting of all, an arsenal of gameplay-enhancing auras. What's more, all eligible players will receive up to a quarter of a million bonus XP on the 1st June.

If the free spins, loyalty points and XP weren't enough, the RuneScape team will also be hosting Wild Weekends throughout May.  Full details of each Wild Weekend will be posted in advance on the RuneScape website.

For more information about the game and to take advantage of RuneScape's May Madness, simply visit www.RuneScape.com and create your account today.

Eternal Blade classes make Facebook debut

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:30 PM PDT

gPotato has revealed the six character classes of Eternal Blade through their Facebook page.

In order to introduce the classes, Eternal Blade has described the classes in their own words, as follows:

The Soul Summoner:

We Soul Summoners have more power than you imagine, so don’t mess with us! We summon souls through our dark magic, turning them directly against our enemies or absorbing them to fuel devastating spells. Don’t you wish you were a Soul Summoner?

 

The Knight:

Knights are the only class with a shield to block enemy attacks, and that’s why we’re the best! We have the courage to charge into the heart of battle but the good sense to bring some defense along. Who wouldn’t want to be a Knight?

 

The Mage:

Getting in touch with the elements, and then using them to destroy enemies – now that’s the way to live! Mages like me are masters of the arcane arts who have learned how to channel fire, ice, earth, and thunder. How would you like to taste the power of a Mage?

 

The Archer:

When you’re an Archer, you never let your foes get close! We know how to position ourselves in battle to gain environmental buffs and we can pin bad guys to the ground with long range traps. Why risk your neck when you can use your brains like an Archer?

 

The Thief:

You might think being a Thief is just about being sneaky, but you're wrong! We know hundreds of ways to stun, confuse, silence, paralyze, and disable our enemies for the killing strike. Is there anyone you'd be more afraid of fighting than a Thief?

 

The Berserker:

Berserkers live by a simple code: when we see an enemy, we charge it head on! With each attack from our mighty Great Swords, we become further fueled by the very rage that drives us. Think you got what it takes to be a Berserker?

More information about the game is released each Friday on its Facebook page.

gPotato also publishes Rappelz and Allods Online.

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Eternal Blade Gameplay Screenshot

 Source:

Eternal Blade Introduces Final Class Line-Up

Six Characters Prepare to Leap off the Page in 2012

 

Sunnyvale, Calif. – April 20, 2012 Not ready to wait until Eternal Blade's 2012 release, the upcoming action MMORPG's six characters have stepped out of their fairytale world and into Facebook. From the arrogant Soul Summoner to the reckless Berserker, the new classes have begun recruiting in their own unique style. Take it from the classes themselves!

 

The Soul Summoner: We Soul Summoners have more power than you imagine, so don’t mess with us! We summon souls through our dark magic, turning them directly against our enemies or absorbing them to fuel devastating spells. Don’t you wish you were a Soul Summoner?

 

The Knight: Knights are the only class with a shield to block enemy attacks, and that’s why we’re the best! We have the courage to charge into the heart of battle but the good sense to bring some defense along. Who wouldn’t want to be a Knight?

 

The Mage: Getting in touch with the elements, and then using them to destroy enemies – now that’s the way to live! Mages like me are masters of the arcane arts who have learned how to channel fire, ice, earth, and thunder. How would you like to taste the power of a Mage?

 

The Archer: When you’re an Archer, you never let your foes get close! We know how to position ourselves in battle to gain environmental buffs and we can pin bad guys to the ground with long range traps. Why risk your neck when you can use your brains like an Archer?

 

The Thief: You might think being a Thief is just about being sneaky, but you're wrong! We know hundreds of ways to stun, confuse, silence, paralyze, and disable our enemies for the killing strike. Is there anyone you'd be more afraid of fighting than a Thief?

 

The Berserker: Berserkers live by a simple code: when we see an enemy, we charge it head on! With each attack from our mighty Great Swords, we become further fueled by the very rage that drives us. Think you got what it takes to be a Berserker?

 

Eternal Blade releases more information every week during its Fairytale Friday event, so follow the game's official Eternal Blade Facebook page or check out the character pages to see the latest news, screenshots, videos, and more!

DOTA 2 to be free-to-play*

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 02:51 PM PDT

According to Polygon, DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) 2 will be free-to-play with a twist.

Reported in a podcast, Gabe Newell stated that the free-to-play model will be different than other models, indicating that they hope to reward players who are valuable to the community. Some possible rewarded behavior includes training other people. This should mean that we can expect players will earn some form of currency or reward value for their in-game contributions, and not just for play time or cash.

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DOTA 2 Gameplay Screenshot


Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates


ArcheAge (KR)

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 07:10 AM PDT


To cause further mental damage among players who aren’t able to play the upcoming 80 days Closed Beta 4, XLGAMES released a new trailer today to signal the phase’s impending arrival. In the trailer, various groups can be seen sailing towards the Continent of Origin, and right till the landing part I thought it was One Piece.

Further into the trailer, the territorial war is also teased, although no apparent combat took place. There is still no English publisher for ArcheAge announced, so my best bet would be to try the China server out next year. Sigh.

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2011/12/archeage-kr-on-course-for-closed-beta-4.html

TERA Taiwan reveals monthly fee

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:24 PM PDT



TERA will be hitting Taiwan next after Korea, Japan and North America, and at the publisher OMG’s company event, the CEO (pictured below) candidly talked about some details behind thrashing a deal with developer Bluehole Studio. Apparently, Bluehole Studio stood by a monthly fee of TWD 650 (USD 22) which OMG strongly opposed. As a final resolution, the monthly fee for TERA Taiwan will now be TWD 500 (USD 17) instead.



He also talked about various discounts for TERA Taiwan, including inviting friends to join and buying time cards which contains more game time. For example, buying the yearly time card will cut the monthly fee to just TWD 350 (USD 12). TERA Taiwan will also feature a cash item shop with cosmetic clothing, mounts and items which “will not affect game balance”. OMG plans to launch the game in Q3 later this year with the same version and content as the North American launch.

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/tera-taiwan-reveals-monthly-fee.html

Guild Wars 2 – Counting down to pre

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:24 PM PDT



[Pre-purchase website] It is 10th April over here, and I think in less than a day the pre-purchase for Guild Wars 2 will begin. Guild Wars was one of the rare 3D MMORPG which my brother enjoyed playing (he actually plays MapleStory primarily) and he really can’t wait to join Guild Wars 2′s beta. I am really wanting to try out the WvWvW and “public raids”, since I am still skeptical about the sharing of loots if players are helping with the side monsters rather than hitting the boss.

I personally think this is good and positive skepticism, since ArenaNet promised much over the year and I really want the system to be flawless. There really should be a countdown timer somewhere on the pre-purchase website though. Well then, see you all in the beta since all pre-purchases get players in! And who the heck actually bought The Secret World over Guild Wars 2?

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/guild-wars-2-counting-down-to-pre.html

Blue Tears (CN)

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:24 PM PDT



I do know cute, fast and action sounds like a weird mixture in an online game, but at least that was what I felt :) Originally published by NCsoft back in Korea under the title “Punch Monster”, the game was unceremoniously canceled by the company in just a few months. Personally, I blame NCsoft for not placing more efforts into marketing the game and getting the right team to manage this action + casual side-scroller. NCsoft failed with Dragonica Korea as well (now under Gravity Korea as Dragon Saga), hence I shall give the label of “King of Failed Casual Games” to NCsoft.



Luckily, Punch Monster’s development studio is not under NCsoft, hence the game continued to thrive in other countries, such as China where I had my fair share of fun. Weekday evenings and weekends are a chore though, with the server practically full 24/7 and proving near impossible to log into the channels with less than a 30 minutes wait… This happens even when certain level ranges will only get bonus EXP for entering selected channels.



Now called Blue Tears in other Asian countries, I must say that I was surprised at myself for lasting so long in the game given that I am a “retired” MMO player. Sort of anyway. While Dungeon Fighter Online is no doubt the king of action side-scroller, Blue Tears is not far behind in the speed category in terms of combat. That is what I really liked about the game (to hell with MapleStory) and the really cute design, which some comparing it with Paper Mario.

Class selection is pretty standard, with 3 basic ones branching out into 2 advanced ones. I chose to be a warrior, and then continued to being a Dragon Knight, which is essentially the tanker. To some extent, I never really felt like a tanker until I upgraded my equipments to +8, and even then I felt paper thin against some bosses in the special dungeons (mentioned below) while normal dungeons are a breeze for me. Giving up my shield recently, I reset my skill points (and taunts) and decided to go a 2-handed spear style… No one kicked me out of a party for that, yet. I am dealing decent damage with many defensive buffs, hence I am quite happy with it.



For skills, players get 1 point upon leveling. However, you don’t really just add a point to the skill. Instead, you add the points to enhance the skills. For example, a skill call Dragon Wave will come with 2 enhancement options, 1 which will increase damage, while the other increase the number of foes it hits. Each of this enhancement skills can be leveled up to a maximum of 9 from what I observed. If you added 3 points to the enhancements, the main skill will automatically be level 4 (level 1 to use) and have increased attributes. Though there are a couple of games using this system, it is no doubt still a rarity.



While there are open world maps for quests and bosses, there are the signature instance dungeons as well. Each dungeon will have up to 3 difficulties, requiring players to unlock them after completing an easier one. Unfortunately, there are limited times a players can enter dungeons each day given the 1000 dungeon points. But I am not complaining, since the points are really more than enough for me on a weekday. There will be special bonus objectives when entering the dungeons, such as “Get hit less than 50 times” or “Use less than 50 potions”, most of which are really easy to achieve.

Next, there are the special dungeons which players can only enter 2 times each day. These dungeons are much tougher, monsters have insane amount of health points and the bosses are really a pain in the @$$. I got mined kicked really hard when entering the mid-levels one for the first time. Other than quests, these special dungeons’ monsters drops items which allows you to trade for NPC set-item gears at the entrance. While it sounds easy, collecting them (up to hundreds of them) is really time consuming. Not that I am complaining, I think no one should since these are basically free gears requiring just patience.

I am really impressed with the abundance of quests found in Blue Tears, since they really never stop appearing after completing older ones. Yes, most of them are the classic “Kill X monsters” or “Collect X materials”, but somehow I never really got tired of repeating the same formula, at least for the past 2 weeks. The game is bright and the models, environment are all clear and vivid, and while emulating some sort of childishness in the design style, is not too over the bar.

Given that the game is developed in Korea and being published in cash-rich China, there is no doubt a couple of advantages using the cash shop. For example, I can boost my strength by 20% after equipping my pet with a skill bought from the cash shop. Granted, there is not really any guild battles except simple 1 on 1 PvP, I think it is really ok… Well, I spent a hundred on the game so far, I am enjoying it :p

There is actually a little bit “fairness” in terms of upgrading equipments, where items which boosts success rate by 10% and items which prevent destruction cannot be used at the same time. At certain intervals, for example from +4 to +5 and +7 to +8, there are no penalties other than failing and losing the gold. In fact, equipments will not break until from +10 and onwards. However, even equipments will fall down 1 level if the upgrade fails. From +2 to +1 is really… Argh…

There are various other features such as automated fishing (chance to get an ultra rare fish as ingredient), the various costumes and mounts, bounty system for bosses and also a card game which I never really tried. You might be thinking “Wait, ain’t this just another Korean grinder?”… Well, it really is. Sometimes, a generic game just has that strange alluring charm which attracts the naysayers to give it a try, which in this case, is me. I think I need to see a shrink soon.  A MMO shrink.


Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/blue-tears-cn-cute-and-fast-with-tons.html

Path of Exile

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:24 PM PDT



[Game website] Crowd-funding seems to be the hottest thing right now in the gaming industry, with developers trying to get the financials in order to operate and sell games themselves. Those pesky publishers like EA should really do some self-reflection. Back to the MMO, Path of Exile, developer Grinding Gear Games sent out a press release earlier to extend their thanks to the gamer who bought virtual points even before the game is out. USD 200,000 from 13,000 players is by no means a small amount seeing that it only took them 6 days. You can still contribute (link) and Open Beta is currently scheduled in June.

MEDIA RELEASE

Indie Action RPG Path of Exile crowd-funds $200,000 over Easter

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 11 April 2012 – Following a hugely popular
public test weekend, the makers of Indie Action RPG Path of Exile, New
Zealand-based Grinding Gear Games, have launched a 'crowd-funding'
campaign where players can pre-purchase game currency and receive
rewards such as Closed Beta Keys and exclusive in-game pets in return.

In first six days the free-to-play 'ethical microtransaction' funded
action RPG has sold over USD$200,000 worth of supporter packs to 13,000
fans.

The previous weekend 46,911 players stress tested the game. "We
literally had hundreds of people asking how they could support the game
to get to Open Beta sooner. We were blown away by the community
enthusiasm at the stress test weekend, so we moved quickly to open our
shop earlier than planned. We've been blown away again by the support
over Easter," says Grinding Gear Games' co-founder Chris Wilson.

13 people have bought the $1,000 Diamond Supporter package, which will
let them help design one of the game's Unique magic items.

Path of Exile features its own dark, gritty take on the Action RPG
genre, a unique skill gem system, a huge passive skill tree and PvP
combat in a persistent online world.

"The crowd-funding presales mean Path of Exile will enter Open Beta in
June with three acts of content. Although we plan to pile on the
content for years to come, further support will greatly accelerate it
and help pay for our US and European servers."

Grinding Gear Games have committed to never charge for content or power.
"Selling supporter packs and currency has also been a great test of our
'ethical microtransaction' philosophy. We hate the concept of
pay-to-win games, so it's great to see that players are willing to
support the game and to buy purely cosmetic items," says Wilson.

A range of supporter packs are available on Path of Exile's website.
The cheapest tier is $10 which includes Closed Beta access. Higher tiers
come with in-game Kiwi bird Pets, a collector's edition copy of the
game, t-shirts, soundtracks, signed posters, and the option to design a
Unique Item. All packs include game currency which can be used to buy
extra character slots and stash tabs for compulsive item hoarding. More
personalisation options and player services are planned for the Open
Beta.

Any purchases made now will continue into the Open Beta, although Closed
Beta characters and non-microtransaction items will be wiped upon
entering Open Beta in approximately June.

During the stress test weekend, 46,911 people tried the game with the
servers successfully handling a peak load of 7310 players. "The stress
test was great – we learnt a lot about how people are playing and
enjoying the game. We've built Path of Exile as an online game with PvP
and support for various leagues and game modes from the ground up, and
we're really pleased with how the servers performed," says Wilson.

Path of Exile has been in development for five years by Grinding Gear
Games, an independent studio of hardcore RPG fans based in Auckland, New
Zealand.

Key features of 'Path of Exile':

- Completely free to download and play, but never 'pay-to-win'
- A persistent online world capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players
- A dark and gritty game world rendered from a fixed 3D perspective
- Randomly generated levels and items for extreme replayability
- Online ranking and ladders for every game mode
- Visceral combat with dozens of combinable skills
- Battle in PVP tournaments for worldwide recognition
- Dynamic skill system

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/path-of-exile-developer-thanks-easter.html

Dragon Blade (CN)

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:24 PM PDT



[More info] China’s number 2 MMO company, NetEase, is not shying away from naming Tencent’s upcoming Blade Soul China as its main competitor. First revealed late in March, Dragon Blade so far has garnered mixed reviews, some claiming it to be a Blade Soul clone while others managed to picked out small details which differentiate it from the NCsoft-developed title. Nevertheless, I personally feel it is always good the have strong competition. A new Dragon Blade gameplay trailer was revealed just around an hour ago, so do take a look.

The trailer left me with quite some thoughts. It seems like a mixture of Blade Soul in terms of design, TERA in open world non-target action combat, and perhaps even Aion at the ending sequence with the wings. And not forgetting the trademark loli race which is in almost all “big” 3D online titles now. Still, Dragon Blade looks promising, I am certainly not discounting it yet.

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/dragon-blade-cn-new-gameplay-trailer.html

Dungeon Hero (KR)

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:24 PM PDT



I know, Dragon Nest developer Eyedentity Games just announced Dungeon Striker (link) recently, which I think forced EyaSoft to reveal their rendition of a online dungeon crawler as well. EyaSoft, if you remember, developed some rather memorable titles including Luna Online, Legend of Edda and Iris Online.

After temporary ceasing all work on their previous games (link), EyaSoft is now back with its 2nd title, Dungeon Hero. The first title to be announced after the studio’s revival was the spiritual successor to Luna Online, Luna Story: ELs (link).



Unlike Dungeon Striker which is a real time action slasher, Dungeon Hero still adopts the classic targeting system, which will no doubt draw in a different crowd of gamers who are still not used to action games. Combat is not really that slow, which I can attest with my experience in Legend of Edda and Luna Online.



Featuring a “Heroes’ Arena” inspired by MOBA games such as Dota 2, Dungeon Hero is still very much focused on PvP despite EyaSoft’s trademark cute design. There is also a PvP map which accommodates guild wars, supporting 100 Vs 100 players at the same time. Dungeon Hero is expected to enter beta later this year.

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/dungeon-hero-kr-eyasofts-dungeon.html

Garena signs Club Mstar for Southeast Asia

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:19 PM PDT



Garena has always been known to be more of a company hosting PvP games such as Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends and most recently Firefall (link) in the Asia region, hence today’s news came as a surprise to me. The company has signed a contract with Korean developer Nurien and CJ Games for the English publishing rights of Mstar Online (or Club Mstar), an online dancing game for Southeast Asia including Taiwan as well for the Traditional Chinese version.

From what I remembered, developer Nurien was on the brink of closure when Club Mstar lasted just a few days in Korea before the servers went offline. The game was previously heavily touted since it was developed using Unreal Engine 3, perhaps the first dancing online game to ever do so. Apparently picked up by MMO giant CJ Games, Club MStar was subsequently drafted into its online portal Netmarble which prompted its massive revival. No exact date is set currently for the game’s release, although it is scheduled for Q3 later this year.

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/garena-signs-club-mstar-for-southeast.html

KnightAge heading to English shores

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 10:18 PM PDT



[More info] According to foreign reports, cute and anime-styled MMO, KnightAge, will be heading towards English shores soon. The publisher is reported to be Joymax (link), famed for Silkroad Online. Developed by Korean studio Sesisoft, KnightAge is also known as Carpe Diem 2, which is a sequel. The prequel featured “serious” game graphics and design, a far cry from the current colorful one.

I actually thought Aeria Games will be hosting it since Aeria Japan has is publishing the Japanese server now. Joymax will service regions including North America, Europe and the Middle East. Seen in this post are trailers from the Taiwanese server. There will be various strategic party formations for both PvP and PvE, the main selling point for the game. Strangely, there is currently no Korean server.

Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/knightage-heading-to-english-shores.html

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