MMO ☆ Culture

Squadflow (KR) - New PvP trailer

2012-06-03T00:46:00.000+08:00

First announced at G*Star 2010 and development starting way back in 2008, Hanbitsoft's futuristic online shooter, Squadflow, is finally ready for its first ever offline Focus Group Test (FGT). I am not sure what enhancements were made, but the latest trailer gave an insight of the intense PvP action which will be in the game.

Squadflow tells a story where a group of robots are out to protect humans (yeah you play as a robot). The game graphics are kind of unique, since the visual appearance of characters are a little blurred, giving that dreamy and floaty feeling. There are co-op PvE missions available as well. The FGT begins on 6th June this month.

Wizardry Online - English publisher confirmed

2012-06-02T03:01:00.001+08:00

[Game info] In what I see as a surprise move, Sony Online Entertainment has announced that it will be publishing Wizardry Online, the MMO reincarnation of the classic franchise. SOE will be having a demo of the game next week at E3 as well. Currently in the commercial phase (P2P) in Japan, Wizardry Online features several hardcore functions such as possible permanent death, tons of maze-like dungeons filled with ferocious creatures/ demons and death traps.

On hindsight, the deal looks like a match since Wizardry Online is developed in Japan by Gamepot, while I am suspecting some of Sony's bosses over at HQ took part in negotiating the deal. Whatever the case is, prepare for a really, really tough game ahead in terms of mechanics. I wonder if it will go P2P as well...

Eyedentity Games - A look at its new office building

2012-06-02T00:10:00.000+08:00

It has been a long time since I covered any articles which focus on visits to Korean online games developers. While browsing through older articles, I chance upon this particular one at Ruliweb for Eyedentity Games, developer of Dragon Nest and the upcoming Dungeon Striker (link). The company moved into its current location earlier this year in March to accommodate its fast-expanding workforce.

Ever since the global commercial success of Dragon Nest and the buyout from Chinese online gaming giant Shanda, Eyedentity Games was able to buy over a whole office building and did a total interior renovation. You will not believe it, but this is the first time I have seen an online developer having its own indoor swimming pool! Such a feature is not even found in the current buildings of Nexon and NCsoft, the top 2 companies in the industry.

Darkfall - From Greece to Asia

2012-06-01T12:57:00.000+08:00

[Game website] I normally post news about Asian games going to Western regions, but it is quite the opposite this time round. Darkfall, a sandbox MMORPG developed by Greek studio Aventurine, has signed a contract with Korean MMO developer/ publisher Mgame to operate the game in the Asia region.The exact countries were not mentioned (supposedly all of Asia), but I am guessing Korea is confirmed to be included.

Mgame is well-known in Korea and certain parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Indonesia, but this deal came as a surprise nonetheless, as P2P sandbox gamers are not really on the rise here. Whatever the case is, there must be potential seen. In Darkfall, players have the freedom to do almost anything, including killing other players for their loots, classless system, building cities and more.

Hounds (KR) - Shoot many aliens

2012-05-31T16:36:00.000+08:00

Developed in Korea by CJ GameLab, Hounds is coined as the "Role Playing Shooting (RPS)" genre by the company. Well, I would have preferred "Shooter" though. Hounds is an online co-op shooter at its core, which is still a rarity given almost all others out in the market are focused more on team PvP. In Hounds, there is a progressive storyline and character growth, hence the "Role Playing" element.

The core enemies in Hounds are... aliens. Yeap, this is pretty much "Shoot many aliens" in a sense. The zombies you see in the videos are actually infected "zombified" victims. Similar to other online shooters, there are many weapons for players to choose and customize, in fact CJ is boasting over 400 weapons currently.

Before I forget, there are 4 classes for players to choose from, with another support class (apparently the medic) missing from the initial lineup.

Hounds is scheduled to enter its first beta phase in July, with the list of successful participants to be announced on 1st June.

Diablo III (KR) - Government raided Blizzard offices

2012-05-30T22:18:00.000+08:00

[Source] Basically, the Asian server for Diablo III is located in South Korea, accommodating for regions such as Taiwan as well. However, due to the enormous amount of traffic, the bandwidth hit its maximum, with thousands of gamers from both countries unable to log in. This caused many, and I do mean many, unhappy customers asking for a refund from Blizzard. Of course, Blizzard refused.

Now, the Korean government has officially stepped in after the complaints escalated beyond control, which led to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) "raided the firm’s Seoul office Monday and secured related documents and other evidence with which it will determine whether Blizzard broke the law." Although Blizzard announced that the capacity for the Asian server will be increased by 35%, frequent server down-times also led to a separate outcry for refunds to be made.

Personally, I am in the process of seeking a refund for my digital copy (Americas server), bought straight from Blizzard. Reasons which I provided include the unstable server, latency, server down time right after work hours, auction house down times and a couple more. I do not suppose explaining that the game mechanics sucks will aid my cause. Once again, DO NOT BUY DIABLO III, but I "might" be back for the expansion.

G*Star 2012 - Exhibition dates confirmed

2012-05-30T19:54:00.002+08:00

The biggest online gaming event in the world, G*Star, will be held from 8th November till the 11th later this year. And yes, it is still located at Busan, South Korea, and still the biggest gaming event there is Asia has to offer. MMO companies from all over the world, be it the Americas, Europe, China, Taiwan or Southeast Asia, will be showcasing their latest games there. Not forgetting the homegrown giants such as NCsoft, Nexon and many more with secret announcements to make.

I have had some ideas what new games are going to be announced, but since there are still a couple of months away, schedules are subjected to change. Some games I am expecting are The King of Fighters Online, Samurai Showdown Online, more information on MU 2, Lineage Eternal, Mabinogi 2 and MapleStory 2. What games are on your watch list?

Kritika (KR) - Closed Beta 1 videos

2012-05-29T00:39:00.004+08:00

Kritika, from the Korean developer of Lunia Online, ended its very first Closed Beta test a couple of days back. In Korea only of course. Touted as the fastest action combat MMORPG there is, the game has so far been announced for China outside of its homeland. What are the English publishers doing? Similar to most action games, customization is limited, while each of the 3 main classes has 2 advanced class to progress to.

I re-posted the introduction video above, and hopefully you guys get a sense of how the game works - just fight and more fight. Below are a couple of game footage taken from Closed Beta 1, circling around the Rogue/ Crimson Assassin (I presume) class. Kritika is not an open world action MMO, but hey, this is what "True Action Combat" means, not some crap P2P MMO which still requires players to stand still to attack.

Employees of 38 Studios hit with housing debt

2012-05-26T19:54:00.002+08:00

[Source] I guess most of you would have read about 38 Studios closing, and that Project Copernicus (screenshots) will probably never see the light again despite a scheduled June 2013 release date (unless someone buy over the IP) of course. If the company closing down, along with subsidiary Big Huge Games is not enough, 379 employees were left jobless and some with mortgage debts.

You see, when 38 Studios was offered by the Rhode Island committee to move to the area with a USD 75 million loan assured back in 2010, many then-existing employees have to relocate to the area. 39 Studios offered a service to sell off their old homes for them. It seem this wasn't done for some employees, and now they have 2 houses to pay mortgage for.Talk about rubbing salt on the wound.

I am not really sure how this works, but blame can be put on both 38 Studios' management team and the Rhode Island council. There has always got to be Plan B to be placed in the locker, seeing that the company is basically using state and taxpayer money. Did Curt Schilling, the head honcho, weighed in the risks of such a business plan? He might be a good guy and boss in the staffs' eyes, but that doesn't mean he is competent in running a business, especially in such a volatile gaming industry.

The Elder Scrolls Online - Combat explained

2012-05-26T13:22:00.000+08:00

[Source] Most of us should have known that The Elder Scrolls Online is coming, taking place much earlier before the events of Skyrim. The news of this long-running franchise going into the MMO realm faced much backlash from the fans and gamers alike, and I can feel their pain. This brought me back memories of how Warhammer: Age of Reckoning was screwed by EA.

Nixing various features which made games such as Marrowind and Skyrim unique, the combat system will not be the same as, from the developer's mouth, latency is an issue. What sort of excuse is this? Not that I am promoting TERA or Dragon Nest, action combat is around since 2 years ago. In this new interview with PC Gamer, the combat is further explained, which is a bucket of crap for me personally.

Your first two slots are derived from your weapon. If I pick up a bow they’re bow attacks and if I pick up a sword then they’re sword attacks. If I continue to use that weapon over a period of time, I will get better with it, which will give me a wider variety of things that I can potentially do with my weapon attacks. So I can gain mastery of it by virtue of having it equipped, but I can still pick up any weapon in the game and be good with it. And that’s true of anyone.

On top of that, if I continue to use that weapon over a period of time I will get better with it which will give me a wider variety of things that I can potentially do with my weapon attacks. So I can gain mastery of it by virtue of having it equipped, but I can still pick up any weapon in the game and be good with it and that’s true of anyone. I think that’s an essential part of it

Your next three slots are derived from your class. You will have over the course of your progression many abilities and spells that you will get, more than three. But you want to pick the three that you think will support your weapon loadout in an interesting way.

So if I picked bow as my sort of principle weapon attack I might pick three abilities that are sort of snares. And that sort of creates a character that you might understand, like: ‘Okay, cool, I want to slow up a guy and pick him off and continue to kite him, cause I feel like that’s the gameplay I want to do.

And your sixth ability is your ultimate. It’s also a class ability and I will have more than one available to me through my overall progression but I can only ever put one on my bar because it’s really powerful. And you’re going to want to pick the one that supports that overall.

So I might just pick Summon Frost Atronach. And a Frost Atronach’s going to fall out of the sky and smash anyone he lands on, and then hang around and start beating on people. Yeah, that totally supports by rangery bow metaphor from earlier. That’s the character I wanted to play.

PvP designer Brian Wheeler interjects. “People also scream ‘Oh my god that is awesome’ when a Frost Atronach comes down.” (seriously? Who are they trying to impress?)

The key is that those abilities, like the weapon, I can start with and use effectively initially, but in order to master I must play with over a long period of time. Which is very much like the Elder Scrolls games, and is our own way of interpreting that. (this is no way similar to the TES games)

And then I think the sort of depth of the system in a lot of ways comes from the fact that you are allowed to swap out those abilities in whatever way you want, as long as you’re not currently in a fight.

So if I’m finding that this build just isn’t working and I’m getting countered over and over by sneaky rogues or fireballs, I can take the ability that I feel is going to help me in this scenario, and build a new character and try it out, and have this sort of deck building game… I’ll have varying levels of expertise with them, but by trying out various builds and various decks I’m going to become a master of all of them eventually.

Diablo III - Giving Blizzard the thumbs down

2012-05-24T13:14:00.000+08:00

I still remember around 11 to 12 years ago, me in my school uniform, skipping my choir lesson just to queue up for a box of Diablo II. Man, I had so much fun with the game, the items, the challenging buy possible Hell mode... Well, that was the past. Fast forward till today, the much anticipated sequel left a really bad taste in my mouth. Diablo III itself is a 7/10 for me, but let us look at the problems besieging the game which frustrated gamers from all over the world. This is a borderline rant post, and definitely not a "professional" paid-to-write article, so spare me your criticisms.

1. Server capacity, Error 37

Yes, Blizzard, with 10 years of experience hosting World of Warcraft, couldn't predict "near" accurately the number of gamers logging in on launch day. Seriously? The last I know, they ought to have numbers of how many physical copies were shipped out to stores and how many digital copies were already paid for. I am no analyst expert myself, but as a multimillion company with the resources, how could Error 37 even happen in the first place, and for a few days at that. Although I did not apply for annual leave, various of my gaming buddies did.

Over at the Asian server, the same thing happened. With Taiwan and Korea supposed to be under the Asian region, queues begun to form after the server capacity reached its limits. And Blizzard's comment? The maximum bandwidth has been hit, and players are encouraged to switch to either to The Americas or the Europe server, although characters are not able to go cross-servers. I mean, seriously? The good folks spent money, most probably just wanted to play LAN with their friends and offline single player modes, why must they, or rather, we, agree to this crap? Before you go "Blizzard did stated that the game was online only", people bought the game assuming the servers are stable and safe, which Blizzard touted.

To add salt to the wound, Taiwanese gamers found out that once they change their own IP to a Korean one, they can log into the Asian server, located in South Korea, with ease. What kind of gamers does Blizzard think the modern day ones are? Tech green horns? Subsequently, Blizzard blocked Taiwanese IPs from the Asian server, although I am not sure of the situation now. All in all, this situation should never have had happened in the first place if proper estimations were made. Or did Blizzard even kept track of how many copies of Diablo III they sold?

Finally, this just happened a few minutes ago. I got banned for 24 hours from the Blizzard forums for "advertising". Let me get this straight, everyone is so pissed about the auction house errors, the hacking and whatsoever, I thought posting something which I feel is a novelty might perhaps bring a smile to those wry faces. It is actually an image of a shirt from an online T-shirt store, which I mentioned the shop's name.

The shop is actually a partner of IGN, a games website where Diablo III is heavily advertised. I would be happy if I get a warning, but no, the easy way out, like how Funcom almost got my YouTube account banned, is to just swing the axe. No wonder the community and customer service folks are always on the chopping block first when there is a retrenchment exercise.

2. Items and equipments

I will have to admit, I was expecting a much improved Diablo II, something like a true sequel and not a total remake. Remake is fine, only if the changes are really convincing. What I got was instead a pile of ego lumped together in a much beloved franchise. Hear me out.

First, set items. When I was playing Diablo II, me and my friends actually took the initiative to collect all the set items, equip them and took screenshots signalling our successful "farming". That took place even before we hit level 99, had tons of fun. Now, set items in Diablo III are so rare, I have only seen 2 or 3 different sets before the level 60 ones. There is a serious lack of set items in the game, why so? Is it another easy way out?

End-act bosses, such as Azmodan and Diablo, will not drop as many yellow, rare goodies after the first time. It means the end of boss farming for drops. Blizzard argued that this is to prevent, well, boss farming continuously. So, at level 60, players who kill elite monsters and group mobs (which are often stronger than the final act bosses) will gain 1 buff, improving magic/rare items' drop rate. It can be stacked up 5 times. So now, players will have to run around maps finding these mobs to kill before teleporting straight to the final boss.

From the looks of it, it sound pretty novel. But in actual game implementation, it makes no sense to me at all. While Blizzard touted there will be many builds players can switch to according to different situation, the buff actually cancels when players change skills. Certain gamers have a set of skills for mass mobs, another set for single target bosses, so where the hell is the link to what Blizzard said?

Final note about the drop rate buff. Blizzard implemented this system to make sure players enjoy the full game content without traveling straight to the boss. If you happen to meet elite mobs which you are geared to kill, good for you. If you happen to meet those which are impossible to solo, such as enchanted with insane arcane lasers, walls, invulnerability minions etc, you will have to spend time finding others (buff ends in 30minutes, resets every time an elite mob is killed) or log out, which will cancel all buffs gathered.

I understand this new system is implemented as a time sink in order not for players to rush through the game. But let's face it, this is 2012, gamers' mentality has changed, they want some fast, engaging action without having to repeat procedures too often. This only happens mainly in MMOs, yet Blizzard claim Diablo III is just an online game, not a MMO. What?

3. Game was not fully tested before shipping, game design based on "assumption"

I was directed to this thread by another overseas Diablo fan, and was amazed to even read what was posted by Blizzard's community manager. He claimed that they, Blizzard, "purposely launched the game with Inferno being far more difficult than what we were able to progress in ourselves, assuming people would find it as difficult but with a few skilled players able to pull it off". In other words, the team was not able to clear the original Inferno difficulty themselves, yet shipped the game out with Inferno even harder and hope some skilled players are able to do so. What kind of excuse is this?

I understand that Blizzard wanted Inferno to be hard, but the least they could do is to ensure the right equipments drop time to time. I, having farmed Hell mode's Azmodan and Diablo a couple of nights with the drop rate buff at full, only found a couple of equipments which are a little better than what we were wearing, but no where near to ensure we will not be "1 hit KO" in Inferno's Act 2.The item stats are so random, we could be farming for the next 2 years to get something useful for Inferno. Yeah, the auction house. Don;t even get me started on that game breaking feature.

The thing is, gamers do want something challenging, not near impossible. I am looking at gradual scaling in terms of difficulty, not just bump up the mobs to ridiculous stats and say "go ahead and try it, even though we as developers couldn't complete it ourselves". What kind of game design philosophy is this? Based on assumption?

Too many negatives overshadowing an otherwise great game

I could just go on and on and on, but still, Diablo III is a good game, minus the non-stop technical hiccups since launch and flawed game design mechanics. The combat is fun, I love the fact Diablo is back, graphics is looking awesome and certainly unique classes such as the Witch Doctor. There are many issues to be solved right now, including a buggy auction house and accounts being hacked left and right. Given the promises of the game being safer, more stable etc in an online-only environment, it is not too much to say the game is a major letdown as well.

Firefall - Level system removed for good

2012-05-23T10:22:00.000+08:00

[Game website] In the latest developer diary, it was announced that the level system in Red 5 Studio's Firefall will officially be discarded. This is apparently to accommodate a "much more organic system for player growth". Experience points now earned will be directed towards upgrading other aspects of the character at the players' discretion.

So, my personal opinion on this. While I know majority of the gamers will want to see the level system turned off for most MMOs due to grinding, I will seriously have to veto against this. How many of the gamers actually tried a MMO without a level system and enjoyed it?

After years of "grinding" in online games myself, the gradual step I hoped to see is the step of making the "grind" enjoyable, not just throwing the whole system out. It just makes me think the developers are using the easy way out. Leveling characters give players a sense of achievement, whether you like it or not. Once again, this is just my personal opinion, feel free to sound out against it.

Defiance - The link between the MMO and TV

2012-05-23T03:20:00.000+08:00

[Game website] I never really fully understood the concept of Trion Worlds' upcoming online shooter, Defiance, but after watching this new video, I really got a 100% clearer picture of the whole project. After being hugely successful with RIFT, developer Trion has teamed up with American TV channel, SyFy, to develop a MMO and TV series based on Defiance's storyline.

As mentioned in the video, whatever happens to the online game world, it will affect the direction of the TV series, and of course vice versa. I am intrigued to see how this worked out in the long long, but seeing Bill Murray's daughter in the cast made me even more interested *___* She was quite the charmer in another UK TV series, Hustle. Before I forget, Defiance will be on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Marvel Heroes - Debut trailer revealed

2012-05-23T02:52:00.000+08:00

[Press release] Gazillion Entertainment, a leading developer, publisher and operator of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, has revealed the first glimpse of the eagerly anticipated free-to-play online game Marvel Heroes. Taking the MMO category to a completely new level of excitement and engagement, Marvel Heroes combines the energy of action role-playing games with the breadth and immersion of the MMO genre.

Drawing upon the 8,000-plus heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe, Marvel Heroes allows players to become their favorite Marvel Super Heroes – from the popular Iron Man, Thor, Storm and Black Widow to the lesser known Squirrel Girl and Cable. Fans will be able to completely customize their characters by constructing costumes taken from each hero’s rich history, choosing from a huge array of super powers for each character, and finding thousands of other items. There are countless ways for players to tailor their experience.

In the game’s social areas, including Midtown Manhattan and the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, players can meet up with other players, discover missions, and buy items from legendary Marvel characters. While pursuing missions, players will explore such famous Marvel landscapes as the Savage Land, Hell’s Kitchen and Mutant Town.

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, author of Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers, Secret Invasion and countless other successes, Marvel Heroes is inspired by some of the most popular tales and events in Marvel Comics history.

David Brevik, President of Gazillion Entertainment and creator of the massive hit games Diablo and Diablo II says: “I’ve been a big Marvel fan for all of my life. Marvel Heroes represents the combination of Marvel IP with all of the knowledge and experience I gained creating Diablo. It is a dream come true. I’m excited to unveil Marvel Heroes and share this revolutionary MMO with both gamers and Marvel fans.”

“Marvel Heroes marks a new era in gaming for us,” stated TQ Jefferson, Vice President of Games at Marvel. “For fans to actually become their favorite heroes in an original storyline, explore iconic Marvel landscapes and combat some of the most dangerous villains in a shared experience is unbelievably compelling.”

For more information on Marvel Heroes, follow @MMMSociety and @SecretIDStudios on Twitter, and go to www.marvelheroes.com

Bioware lays off staff from SW:TOR team

2012-05-23T01:38:00.000+08:00

[Source] In a pretty gutsy move, Bioware's founders have officially admitted that employees involved in Star Wars: The Old Republic have been laid off. This comes after a vague "restructuring" explanation, without any information which departments are affected. As usual, Bioware promised that Star Wars: The Old Republic will still be worked on for the long term. I just can't see how layoffs can be a good thing.

Hey folks, since you’re reading this you may likely have heard that we’ve done some restructuring here on the SWTOR team. Sadly, we are bidding farewell to some talented, passionate and exceptionally hard-working people who helped make SWTOR a reality. Impacting people’s lives this way is always very hard, but we’re ensuring the affected people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

Looking back at launch, we all came together and did something historic. We executed one of the largest, most successful and stable launches of any MMO yet in industry history. That is not an easy feat for any development team or company and we are humbled and honored by our fan community’s strong support both at launch and beyond.

Looking forward, the studio remains vibrant and passionate about our many upcoming initiatives for Star Wars: The Old Republic. We still have a very substantial development team working on supporting and growing the game, and we feel we are in a strong position, with your continued involvement and feedback, to continue to build Star Wars: The Old Republic as one of the most compelling and successful online experiences in the world today. There are many strong initiatives planned for cool new content and new features that we’re excited to tell you about in the upcoming weeks and months.

Rest assured that we remain dedicated to delivering a high quality service in SWTOR to you, our fans, and we will continue to support and grow Star Wars: The Old Republic over the weeks, months and years to come.

Thanks, Greg and Ray

Core Blaze - Preparing for E3 2012

2012-05-22T19:16:00.000+08:00

[More info] It has been quite a few months since anything substantial was announced for Gamania's upcoming action MMORPG, Core Blaze, but the time to unveil the latest game build is near. Over at E3 2012 early next month in Los Angeles and the upcoming Gamescom 2012 in Cologne, Germany, more details for the latest improvements made to Core Blaze will be shown.

Other than the teaser trailer, several new screenshots were revealed as well. Developed using Unreal Engine 3, Core Blaze looks ready to really define the term "action combat", hopefully not the type of "True Action Combat" which does not allow players to attack while moving around.

38 Studios begins staff layoffs

2012-05-22T17:54:00.000+08:00

[Source] The inevitable has happened, and I am certainly not surprised at all. 38 Studios, the developer of the EA-distributed RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and the upcoming MMO, Project Copernicus, has confirmed that layoffs has begun to ensure the rest of the employees were paid their salary. This comes after 38 Studios defaulted on their loan payment (although paid now) amidst severe financial constraints (link). Project Copernicus, a MMORPG based off Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, is scheduled to launch June 2013.

Aeria Games unveils Born to Fire

2012-05-22T00:23:00.000+08:00

[Press release] Load your guns, strap on your holster, and get ready to show off your best action movie one-liners. Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, announced today that closed beta registration has begun for Born to Fire, a gritty new massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS). Whether it’s a suave agent with a license to kill, a take-no-prisoners tough guy, or an elite Special Forces operative, Born to Fire’s character-driven gameplay is designed to suit any player’s style.

Following the Cold War, the Russian Federation has lost ground in an arms race with the United States and turned to more unconventional methods of warfare. As the rules of engagement are thrown out the window, Special Forces around the world are sucked into the fray of a chaotic, anything-goes political landscape. The fate of these elite troops, and the interests they represent, is in the players’ hands as they step into a global free-fire zone.

Players can choose to lock-and-load as a Duelist, Heavy-Hitter, Rifleman, Warden, or Ranger as they battle for domination. Each class comes with its own distinctive backstory, unique tactics, and a diverse arsenal that is fully customizable. Varied maps and modes encourage innovative team strategies in unique PvP warfare. Fast, one-click matchmaking offers players an optimized way to battle it out, while built-in replay tools enable players to improve their game by studying their own moves alongside those of fellow combatants.

“In Born to Fire, players step in the boots of five distinct classes of elite operatives engaged in a global firefight for domination,” said Tom Nichols, Director of Publishing at Aeria Games. “With the instant gratification of one-click matchmaking and the in-depth analysis provided by elaborate replay tools, Born to Fire represents a new class of character-driven, highly customizable MMOFPS that’s easy to get into but nearly impossible to fully master.”

Born to Fire will require a client download, and as with all Aeria Games titles, will be free-to-play. Interested players can learn more and sign up to participate in the upcoming closed beta test at http://borntofire.aeriagames.com. Players who ‘Like’ the Facebook page will stay informed of the latest news, updates, and contests as the game nears its official launch.

Diablo III - My Witch Doctor build

2012-05-21T01:16:00.000+08:00

How many of you are playing Diablo III? Well, I sure am for the past few days since launch, having hit the level cap a few hours ago. I am just halfway through Hell mode, and seeing that I will be busy from next week onwards at work, Inferno mode will just have to wait. Let's talk briefly about my Witch Doctor build, the rarely seen "summoner build" at higher levels.

One of the new classes in Diablo III, Witch Doctor is the spiritual reincarnation of Diablo II's Necromancer, but then again both have very different skill sets. One of the major complains about Witch Doctor is about the summoner build, especially Zombie Dogs, which are basically 1 hit-KO in Hell mode of the game. Well, my dogs certainly are not getting crushed.

The thing is, for the dogs to work properly in Hell mode, Witch Doctors MUST go into a mass life regeneration + thorns build. This is essentially making full use of the passive skill, Fierce Loyalty. With 950 life restored every second, my summons survive really well in Hell mode, minus those bosses such as Belia's poison slams (die within a few hits). Merging the Burning Dogs rune with thorns (physical damage dealt to melee attackers), they are dealing high damage as well.

That's all for a very short introduction. As you can see in those stats posted above, I am geared towards massive resistance as well, hopefully which will play their part in helping me survive the upcoming Inferno mode. Now, I am wondering what new content Blizzard will have for the upcoming expansion/s...

Glory Destiny Online (TW) - New Hunter class announced

2012-05-18T20:45:00.002+08:00

[English server] While the English server just went into Open Beta recently, the original Taiwan server announced major new content earlier today. Introducing the all new Hunter class for Spirit Tales (also known as Glory Destiny Online), which will be exclusive to the Gold Kirin Tribe. I am guessing new classes will be added subsequently to the other tribes as well.

Similar to the other classes, there are 2 advancements for the Hunter to choose from. Loosely translated, the Phoenix Sniper concentrates on pure damage, while the other focus on party buffs (sort of like a Bard). The Hunter class will offset the lack of ranged damage in the initial 2 classes of the Gold Kirin Tribe.

I played the Taiwan server a while back (link) and also the Media Preview client of Spirit Tales (link), and I must say the game really attracted me, despite the haters of cutesy designs condemning it without playing.

Eyedentity Games license Unreal Engine 3

2012-05-17T14:47:00.002+08:00

Dragon Nest developer, Eyedentity Games, revealed that it has licensed Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3. Without much guessing needed, it should be used for the company's 3rd online title, currently in its early planning stage. News of the mysterious game broke earlier in April (link). Dungeon Striker (link), its 2nd game, just started the Closed Beta phase a few weeks back.

Seeing how Eyedentity Games is action combat oriented in its 2 games so far, I wouldn't mind a competitor for Bluehole Studio's TERA, which I strongly disagree being labeled as "True Action Combat". Can't wait!

The King of Fighters Online (KR) - Set for late 2012

2012-05-17T01:38:00.000+08:00

[More info] In a week where the whole world is engulfed in the Diablo III frenzy, several Asian MMO companies took this period to announce their various financial reports for Q1 2012. While looking out for some juicy info in those reports, I spotted new information for KOF Online and another fighting game which was thought to be canned.

Korean developer Dragonfly, best known for MMOFPS Special Force, confirmed that The King of Fighters Online will finally meet the public later in the 2nd half of the year.I wonder how will the new build look like...

The deal between SNK Playmore and Dragonfly was announced in 2006, followed by the debut trailer in 2009. However, with the China version, The King of Fighters World being canned, there were rumors about KOF Online following suit as well. Well, it is coming out all right.

Also to be revealed later this year, my best bet at G*Star 2012, the mysterious Samurai Showdown Online will finally be shown. While KOF Online has to a trailer from 2009, absolutely nothing is available for Samurai Showdown Online so far.

Kingdoms of Amalur developer in financial trouble

2012-05-15T10:27:00.000+08:00

[Source] I am surprised EA is not helping a lending hand so far. The developer of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, 38 Studios, is apparently embroiled in a financial with the local authorities of Rhode Island. You see, the studio was promised a loan of USD 75 million back then to move to the area, which was criticized by then governor candidate Lincoln Chafee. Now that he is the governor, things will not be going as smoothly as planned.

38 Studios is currently developing "Project Copernicus", apparently the MMO version of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. With a AAA grade MMO requiring around USD 50 million in development costs, any possible deduction in the loan amount (I suspect a hefty one) will no doubt cast the game production in doubts. Talks are ongoing to make the studio "solvent", which no doubt means there is a bigger trouble than just funds for developing the MMO.

Diablo III - Understand the past, shape the future

2012-05-14T21:43:00.000+08:00

Less than 2 hours before the digital copies of Diablo III can be installed and less than 24 hours before the game servers open, I thought it would be nice to have a recap on a previously posted video which outlines the birth of the Diablo franchise. Seriously, you have got to appreciate the founding of Diablo which came as a coincidence since it was first a turn-based game.

Blizzard kindly uploaded a new video a few days back to talk about what Diablo III is, and it is worth a look as well. I did notice all the Asian game media outlets are very quiet on news today. Oh my, I can't wait to get started on the game!

The Secret World - Beta Weekend 1 impression

2012-05-12T19:28:00.001+08:00

Before I begin, I must declare that this post is based on around 3-4 hours of gameplay, a first impression, not a review. Funcom's The Secret World is currently holding its first Beta Weekend (key still needed) and thousands are flooding the server/s. Although I have been pissed by Funcom's tactics in handling the community, I can assure you that this piece is written fairly.

The first piece of information seen upon entering the game is quite a lengthy cinematic with voice-overs, similar to The Old Republic. Here is beef #1 for me. Whenever it is my character's turn to "speak", he turns silent. In fact, he never spoke at all in cinematic, just staring into blank space for a few seconds, looking at the opposite person. Is this deliberate? God knows...

Entering the game, my first impression was "Woah, looks like World of The Sims Online". This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has been sometime, actually my first time, seeing so many MMO characters decked out in modern trendy clothing. Some may relish the modern twist, some may be unaccustomed after playing too many fantasy games. I am at odds here.

The environment, buildings and architectures are breathtaking. Seeing that there is really no other mainstream MMOs in modern day settings currently, I must say The Secret World team laid down an act which will be hard to follow. Yes, the game graphics itself is pretty not pretty, but zooming out, the game looks awesome.

Combat. I always hated games which makes the default attack as 1 of the hotkey-tied skills, and The Secret World makes it even more frustrating by having cooldowns for them. Imagine spamming the number 1 key just to attack... And there is no auto-attack function from what I see. A couple of people told me this game is "for adults" and "skilled MMO gamers" since players have got to time their attacks, even for normal attacks, perfectly. Seriously?

There is something I like though, which is the ability to choose from several weapons, and have a 2nd one as an alternative. Shotgun, assault rifle, pistols, claws, hammers etc... Players will be spoilt for choice. Given the combat buff in me, I can't help but to imagine how the game will be like with an actual action combat system...

I shan't talk too much about the skill system. One thing though, it is not easy for the newer group of MMO players to jump right in and fully understand how it works immediately. I guess the "for adults" part might be true. Take a look at the video below from GameSpot for a better sense of things.

Questing. Once again, something which frustrated me before I uninstalled the game. Some clues are not really visible, which once again brings us to the "for adults" comment. The final quest I did was to follow a raven. The minute it flew over my head, I turned around and my view was blocked by a tree and several houses. Charged towards the direction it flew, but never really got to find it. Before any of you tell me what I did wrong, this just justifies that The Secret World is not for everyone, especially those looking for quick progression.

Conclusion. I only managed to kill zombies so far, but there are several nice, ugly looking monsters and bosses as players advance further into the game. The Secret World is really something like the online child of TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural.

I absolutely love the spooky and eerie atmosphere, the overall look and design, but sadly, I am less than impressed with some of the game mechanics. At 49.99 Euros for the initial game and 1 month of game time, I will be saving up that amount for vanity stuff in Guild Wars 2 and Diablo III's auction house. My prediction - Free to Play within a year.