MMORPG News

MMORPG News

TERA: Enchanting Guide

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 12:31 PM PDT

Enchanting Guide

Enchanting items in TERA is going to be a big factor for many players and, at the same time, a daunting task. We've got a beginner's guide to enchanting to share with you today. Check it out!

Runes of Magic: Browser Version Officially Launched

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:33 AM PDT

Browser Version Officially Launched

Frogster and Kalydo have announced that the browser-based version of Runes of Magic is now in official release. The browser version of RoM is the same version that desktop players enjoy but can be played on any browser, any time, anywhere.

Final Fantasy XIV: Garuda, The Primal of Wind

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:26 AM PDT

Garuda, The Primal of Wind

The Final Fantasy XIV site has been updated with a new video featuring Garuda, the primal of wind. When patch v1.22 goes live, players will be able to take on Garuda in a pair of encounters. Check out the video.

Lord of the Rings Online: Fifth Anniversary Video Dev Diary Released

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:12 AM PDT

Fifth Anniversary Video Dev Diary Released

Turbine and the Lord of the Rings Online team have released a new video developer diary in celebration of the game's fifth anniversary. The video takes a look back at the last five years and how the groundbreaking game came to be. Check it out!

End of Nations: RTSGuru.com | The MMORTS Dilemma, Part 2: Persistence

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:08 AM PDT

RTSGuru.com | The MMORTS Dilemma, Part 2: Persistence

In the latest installment of the MMORTS Dilemma, the RTSGuru.com editorial team takes a look at the notion of persistence and how End of Nations devs can implement player progression, a persistent world, and social/clan features. This week, RTSG looks at End of Nations' persistent world, with some help from senior producer Chris Lena. Check it out at RTSGuru.com.

Star Legends: Our Official Star Legends Review

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:21 PM PDT

Our Official Star Legends Review

One of the growing trends in MMO development these days is the increasing presence of mobile MMOs. In our latest review, we take a look at Spacetime Studios' Star Legends: The Black Chronicles from every conceivable angle. Check it out and then let us know what you think in the comments.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Erickson Denies Declining Sub Numbers

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:01 AM PDT

Erickson Denies Declining Sub Numbers

BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic Lead Writer Daniel Erickson has denied recent claims that the number of subscribers to SWTOR are in decline. Last week, financial analyst Cowen & Company projected that SWTOR's subscriber base would likely be reduced by the end of fiscal March 2013. Erickson, however, says that this is not true.

Guild Wars 2: Progress You Can See

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT

Progress You Can See

During recent beta events, a troubling lag issue cropped up for testers worried that their systems just might not be up to Guild Wars 2. That has been largely laid to rest. Check out what we discovered in our latest Guild Wars 2 column. Leave us your thoughts in the comments.

MapleStory: Alliance Update Complete

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 11:54 AM PDT

Alliance Update Complete

Nexon has announced that the final piece of the Alliance Update to MapleStory has been deployed that balances all classes and skills in the game. More specifically, Cygnus Knights and Explorers, including Warriors, Magicians, and Bowmen have been shown the love.

Spirit Tales: Open Beta Postponed

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 10:11 AM PDT

Open Beta Postponed

The Spirit Tales team has announced that the open beta is being delayed until May 1st due to difficulties ensuring all features could correctly be incorporated into the game.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Best of SWTOR Update 1.2

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:49 AM PDT

The Best of SWTOR Update 1.2

Update 1.2: Legacy has turned out to be a massive update for Star Wars: The Old Republic and frankly there are too many awesome things in the update to list them all. Instead, we're picking five of our favorite additions and changes from 'Legacy' to highlight as part of The List this week.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria: The War Back in Warcraft

Posted: 21 Apr 2012 07:56 PM PDT

The War Back in Warcraft

Possibly the most exciting aspect of World Warcraft's next expansion is currently overshadowed by Pandaren Monks. War is coming back to Azeroth, and in this week's WoW Factor, we wonder how it will affect the game and whether it will be enough to draw in those who gave up on WoW long ago.
Posted by Shri Krishna

General gaming

General gaming

OP-ED: It's Too Soon for a PlayStation Vita Price Cut

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 04:43 PM PDT

Vita

PlayStation Vita has now been available for two months in North America and Europe, and twice as long in Japan. In that time it's failed to make any sort of significant splash as far as sales go -- in Japan, where we receive weekly updates courtesy of Media Create, the system sold less than 9,000 units in each of the first two weeks this month, and it wasn't as if it was doing gangbusters prior to that. Software has done poorly as well, rarely making the top 50 sales charts in Japan; in the U.S., only MLB 12 has been seen in the NPD's top 10, and that is with sales of the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions being combined. All of the Vita's games are also available through the PlayStation Store, so it is unfair to judge the performance of software purely on sales charts that only account for retail. The amount of hardware that has been moved so far, however, does feel like cause for concern.

Sony is in a less-than-desirable position right now, as outlined in a recent New York Times piece. Vita not exploding out of the gate is relatively low on the list of problems for the company, which hasn't turned a profit in years. But with new president and CEO Kaz Hirai recently pronouncing gaming as one of the pillars upon which Sony will turn things around, bigger things have to be expected from Vita. A middling success (if it can be called that) is not enough.

Republique and the Price of Bringing PlayStation's Spirit to iOS

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 04:09 PM PDT

République, the recently revealed debut title from ex-Kojima Productions and 343i designer Ryan Payton's new studio Camouflaj, takes a refreshingly different approach to game design than the usual iOS fare. Rather than going for an ersatz 8- or 16-bit spirit or trying to cram a complex genre like first-person shooters onto a platform with a buttonless interface, Republique instead takes a page from the PlayStation era to take advantage of the processing power inherent in Apple's iDevices while respecting the actual design of the machines it'll be running on. The graphical style at work here hearkens back to the likes of the 32-bit Resident Evils and Final Fantasies: Detailed polygonal characters and objects exist within pre-rendered environments, static despite having been animated to simulate liveliness, depth, and interactivity.

Prototype 2 Review: Why So Serious?

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 02:13 PM PDT

Prototype 2 allows you to indulge in the amazing fantasy of embodying a Superman-esque protagonist with a massive chip on his shoulder. Instead of protecting Metropolis from the forces of evil, you are the embodiment of chaos whose sole goal is to cause as much violence and destruction as possible, which would be great if the game didn't trap you within the confines of a boring and uninspired playground.

Anyone who played the original Prototype will utter an immediate groan when they realize that this game suffers from the ancient sequel flaw of stripping away all the abilities that the player earned throughout the first installment and forcing you to relearn everything piece by piece. There isn't a deus ex machina in the story a la Death in Symphony of the Night, but rather a new anti-hero who has to tread the same ground in learning the neat tricks and mutations that the player already knows. This time around you control James Heller, an Iraq War veteran who comes back home to find his family dead and New York City in the midst of biological warfare. Heller blames all of life's problems on Alex Mercer, the protagonist of the original installment, and spends the game navigating his way through various conspiracies in order to get his chance at revenge.

prototype 2

Finding an Edge Against Steam

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:03 PM PDT

Impulse

Steam is top dog when it comes to the digital distribution of PC games, and for many people it's the one and only way to purchase PC games. Although it was maligned by most everyone when it was first released and made playing Half-Life 2 at its launch a real hassle, Valve was smart to enter the market when it did: it's had the better part of a decade to figure out what does and doesn't work. And being as early as it was, it's become the definitive example of how digital computer games should be distributed.

That puts everyone else at a fairly significant disadvantage. Because it's not as if Steam was merely the first; it is, in many ways, the best option available as far as these sorts of services go -- as long as you can look past the inherent DRM of using something like Steam. As other companies launch competitors, they have to worry about getting the fundamentals right. While they're doing that, Valve is free to spend its time developing things like the Steam Workshop that make the competition look bush league by comparison.

The Hysterical History of Portable Consoles

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 11:04 AM PDT

Feature

Header

The Hysterical History of Portable Consoles

A recollection of the game industry's awesome yet baffling attempts to take home systems on the road.

By: Ray Barnholt April 20, 2012

Not to sound like an old fogey, but -- oh, what the hell: kids these days are spoiled, what with their Nintendo 3DSes and their iPads. The best portable games are now only a notch or two below the quality of console and PC games, to the point where the average person probably couldn't tell them apart. In the '80s and '90s, though, handheld gaming was a luxurious novelty, on par with staying up late on weekends and birthday parties at Discovery Zone. While Nintendo's Game Boy was a somewhat affordable system that had plenty of good games and eventually dominated the market, some kids had to wrest them from their parents' hands. Many just didn't have one at all, and had no choice but to settle for cheap, dinky LCD games from Tiger Electronics and its contemporaries.

But those early days of portable gaming were also when a grand fantasy started to become real. Gamers with wild imaginations dreamt of portable systems that could play their console games -- NES, Super NES, Genesis, and whatever else -- and instantly leapfrog the Game Boy. Wild as it was, some manufacturers decided to give it a try, shrinking home consoles down into handheld units with color LCD screens that would, ostensibly, provide the same quality of entertainment, only on the go. Though they all failed in their own ways, the idea (and the technology) slowly advanced through to the present day, when games of the '90s are now "retro," and carry the same sense of novelty as portable-only games once did. This is the story of the utterly weird evolution of the so-called portable console.

Pardon the 'Express'ion

The Five Things Silent Hill Downpour Got Right

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 10:32 AM PDT

Feature

Header

The Five Things Silent Hill Downpour Got Right

The latest Silent Hill wasn't entirely bleak.

By: Whitney Chavis April 20, 2012

March 2012 became known as Konami's "Month of Horror", with three major Silent Hill entires set to spook series fans and newcomers alike: Silent Hill HD Collection and Silent Hill: Downpour on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, and Silent Hill: Book of Memories for the recently released Playstation Vita. Unfortunately, March turned into a "Month of Disappointment" for many fans with Book of Memories' release pushed back to a vague "Spring 2012" while the much anticipated HD Collection turned out to be a technical downgrade instead of the high-definition upgrade fans were promised. But some would say that being disappointed by a release isn't anything new for Silent Hill fans; for many, it's even expected.

These fans believe that the quality of the Silent Hill series has been in steep decline ever since development moved out of the hands of Konami's in-house, Japanese "Team Silent" and into the hands of American and European developers after Silent Hill 4: The Room. Many claim that the new developers don't "understand" what really makes a good Silent Hill title, pointing out that Silent Hill: Homecoming's horror was less cerebral and more "typical Hollywood," suggesting that the developers took too many cues from the 2006 Silent Hill movie. Couple that with the recent re-imagining of the original game in the series, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which many felt failed to provide even the most basic scares, and you begin to see many fans now feel the series has become a mockery of its former glory.
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews

New cinematic trailer of TorchLight 2

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 04:32 AM PDT

Perfect World Entertaintment in cooperation with Runic Games, are unveiling the new Torchlight 2 cinematic trailer. Discover the story between the end of Torchlight and the beginning of your hero’s quest in Torchlight II.

Golden Age has received new features

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 02:48 AM PDT

Aeria Games, has added new features to its popular browser-based MMORTS Golden Age. Along with this new feature update, Aeria Games has also launched a completely new server for Golden Age, called "Bloodlust." Additional features in this update to Golden Age include: · New Kingdom Chat: Players can now talk with their alliance members; global [...]

Eternal Blade has presented six new characters

Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:28 AM PDT

Gpotato has presented six new characters of the upcoming action MMORPG Eternal Blade. The game packs fast-paced action into the engaging world of an MMORPG to create a brand new social experience. The vibrant game features lush landscapes and colorful characters that come to life through a fairytale theme and colorful anime style that blends [...]
Posted by Shri Krishna


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.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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.

48655 420x310 spirit tales moonlight

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.

50916 420x310 divina class change

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.

50918 420x310 divina divine wheel

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.

50920 420x310 divina weapon stone

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.

50917 420x310 divina creature tome

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.

50921 420x310 divina with sidekick

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.

50919 420x310 divina domain

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.

49590 420x310 runescape squeal wheel

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.

50429 420x310 eternal blade 14

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.

45402 420x310 dota2

DOTA 2 Gameplay Screenshot
Posted by Shri Krishna
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Total Pageviews

statcounter

View My Stats