All Posts by Szark

Runescape has been named the 5th most popular search term used in Yahoo according to their annual rundown of search data.

The multi-player role-playing game's international popularity rests on its cheap access, ability to run on older computers, and compelling play. Its underground success has even led to a real black market, trading actual cash for RuneScape gold—and controversial restrictions to stop it. A new boss, graphics, and touted player-versus-player combat release signal the company's power play to step up in the RPG battle...and take hold at No. 5.

Read more here.

Find out how they come with list here.

Game Power 7 has announced that they have launched the closed beta test for the Arabic version of Rappelz.

Yes! The time has come for the first MMO online game in Arabic to be published in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.

Game Power 7 (http://www.gamepower7.com) , the first online game publisher in the region, has successfully launched the Arabic version of Rappelz (http://rappelz.gamepower7.com) Closed Beta Test (CBT) on November 25th.

Rappelz, a famous MMORPG that is published in more than 10 regions and countries), is the first MMO game to be localized and culturalized to Arabic language and culture, and the first that is serviced and operated within the region.

The launch was highly welcomed by Arab gamers who had been looking for an Arabic MMO game for a long time.

The commercial release of the game is expected to start by the end of January 2009.

Read more here.

The folks at Wonderland Online have posted details of their planned events for the Christmas Season.

Wonderland Online (http://wl.igg.com/main.php) Team has announced that players will soon be able to get their hands on a Christmas Gift Box and enjoy Christmas a little bit early this year! Men and women will experience quite different effects when the wear a Christmas Cap and there is also another special Christmas item – the Christmas Suit! Players who wear it will become an adorable Santa Claus.

I. Christmas Gift Boxes I

Event Duration: December 1st—December 10th

Rewards: One Christmas Gift Box with one Christmas Cap and 3000 Gold in it

Event Rules: Players who purchase a card worth 1000 points or more can get it.

Read more here.

CCP has announced details of the sixth Alliance Tournament in EVE Online, filling players in on dates and times, organizational and rules changes, and the live broadcast.

It is with great pleasure that I announce that we are in the initial stages of organizing another Alliance PVP Tournament. There have been a few threads on the forums over the last few weeks while we have been finalizing this, and I have been itching to reply to each one with this news! As with previous tournaments, it's going to have excitement, explosions, extravagant setups, exotic dancers and plenty more (well maybe not exotic dancers; we will see how we go on that one!). This blog is the "early warning blog" to let you all know that it's on so you can plan accordingly.

Fancy a Date?

The tournament will consist of six days of competition - the same as previous tournaments. One key difference is that it will take place over three weekends and not two, which means that there will be no competition on Fridays - only Saturdays and Sundays (something our North American subscribers will appreciate I am sure).

These are the dates we have in mind:

* Tournament Signups - Dec 19th - Jan 9th
* Qualifying Round 1 - Jan 24th, Jan 25th
* Qualifying Round 2 - Jan 31st, Feb 1st
* Finals - Feb 7th, Feb 8th

Read more here.

Funcom has announced that they are holding a holiday give away contest where lucky participants can win a number of upgrades to their Age of Conan accounts.

Now is your chance to win an exclusive set of in-game items for your Age of Conan account including the brand new Snow Mammoth player mount!

Falling snow, chilling winds, icy plains and snow covered forests - Winter is upon us. To celebrate this special time of the year, Funcom is giving away tons of great prizes.

All you have to do is send an e-mail to contest@ageofconan.com with the subject "Season Give-away". Please provide the following information in your e-mail: your name, your address, your telephone number and your Age of Conan account name.

With a bit of luck you might win a whole set of in-game items for your Age of Conan account. Each set contains:

* The brand new Snow Mammoth
* The War Mammoth
* The Killer Rhino
* Ring of Acheron
* Drinking Cape
* Bag of Holding
* Amazon Bow
* Totem of Origins

Starting 1st of December 2008, we will randomly pick one lucky winner from all valid entries, every day until 31st of December 2008. The winners will be contacted via e-mail by Funcom.

Good luck!

Read more here.

With the new Ninja class coming soon to Conquer Online, the folks at Conquer Online have posted a number of brief videos displaying the ninja's various combat moves.

Ninja, the most appealing feature of Conquer Online's expansion, the ninja, is coming around this Christmas. Last time, we revealed the ninja's exotic gear. Now we will give you a brief introduction about this shadowy assassin's mighty skills.

Read more here.

The folks at Runs of Magic have posted an extensive look into the games crafting system.

In Taborea not everything is about battling monsters and conflicts between multiple factions. Many a hero have found that working at a forge, behind the cauldron or with thread and needle can be much (more) rewarding.

Gatherer and crafters can easily make a living without the need to spill blood or inflict pain - miners and gatherers can make a decent living off the land and provide valuable ressources for the crafters of Taborea, who in turn can produce weapons, potions, food and armour.

There is so much to learn about the arts and we have prepared a concise summary for the aspiring masters of the crafts so you can chose today what you will be mastering tomorrow!

Read more here.

Turbine has announced that they are holding another hireling preview weekend for Dungeons and Dragons Online which runs until this Monday. They also posted details of the next hireling preview in December.

We'd like to thank the community for all the feedback that's been provided during the recent Hireling previews! Your participation has been very helpful to the developers as they make revisions to the Hirelings! Curious about future Hireling changes? Here is a sneak peak at some of the changes coming to Hirelings in the next patch, thanks to the help of the player base! These changes will be part of the next Hireling event in December:

Remember that the below changes will not yet be available for this weekend's Hireling festivities.

* Hireling contracts will no longer work on a timer system. Instead, all Hireling contracts will be one-use, and you can carry the contract for as long as you want until you need it! Once summoned, your Hirleing will stay with you until you enter a public area. You will still only be able to summon one Hireling between rests, and if you dismiss your Hireling or enter a public space, you'll need to rest before you can summon the next one with another contract.
* Contract prices will also be significantly reduced. Hiring your Hireling will be more affordable than ever before!
* High level Hireling vendors will be available in more locations
* Hirelings will support a "Defensive" command, in addition to "Passive" and "Aggressive" commands. Defensive mode will be the new default for all Hirelings when they enter your party. In Defensive mode, Hirelings will remain Passive until enemies attack them or their master first, at which point they become active to heal (if applicable) and engage in the fight.
* Improvements have been made to Cleric Hirelings. They will be more concerned with healing both themselves and their master. They will also be more responsive to explicit Healing commands.
* Many bugs were able to be fixed related to Hirelings; the full list will be available in patch release notes.

Read more here.

The folks at The Chronicles of Spellborn have posted Q&A providing details of the game's launch as it launches in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and prepares to launch in other regions in the coming days and months.

1. Will it be necessary to uninstall the beta client of the game before installing the release client of the Chronicles of Spellborn? In any case, what measures have to be taken regarding the GameGuard?
No, it will be possible to update your beta client (either Closed Beta or Open Beta) of the game to the release client of The Chronicles of Spellborn.
There are no special measures to take concerning the Gameguard. Yet, we strongly recommend that you keep your computer clean of any spywares/malwares that might be identified as suspicious software while the game runs. You can use programs such as Ad-Aware or CCleaner and your favorite Anti-Virus program before installing the game in order to avoid any issue with spywares/malwares or viruses. Make sure no other processes are running when you launch the game client (there is a known issue with programs such as SETI@Home).

2. Will the beta accounts still be active for the release of the game and will it be possible to register as a subscriber with them?
No, all the beta accounts will be deleted. You’ll need to create a new account in order to be able to register as subscriber.

Read more here.

The folks at Mythic Entertainment have posted a promise to players that they will be taking a look at current issues with Tier 4 RvR in Warhammer Online, without giving specific details on what actions will be taken.

The WAR community has expressed concern with overall performance and server stability in Tier 4, particularly during large-scale fortress sieges. We want you to know that we’re listening and dedicated to resolving this issue as quickly as possible. Our Production team has been working hard to resolve this with both server-side fixes to resolve any crashing issues, as well as client-side fixes to improve frame rate and other graphic-related issues that can occur during large battles.

RvR is a core element to Warhammer Online, and we are committed to making it an enjoyable and exciting experience for all of our players. Our ultimate goal is to have our players focused on fighting their opponents and experiencing the thrill of RvR the way it should be. Thank you for your continued support and patience while we work to resolve these issues. We’ll keep you updated on our progress.

Read more here.

The people at Fiesta Online have posted the release notes from the game's latest patch which adds new PvP options, player divorce, a Thanksgiving event, and more.

The newest Fiesta patch is now available! Featuring a new PvP Kingdom Quest, exciting Thanksgiving content, and permanent versions of some of fan-favorite favorite premium items, the latest patch will download automatically the next time you play Fiesta.

PvP Kingdom Quest - The Warrior's Code
The rulers of Isya have come together and created the ultimate challenge to test the heroes of of the world and determine the land's most valiant champion - The Warriors Code!
- Wield the powerful new weapons and power-ups: The Invincible Toy Hammer and Freezing Ice.
- Participate in different level brackets and show off your skills:
-- Amateur Fighter - level 35-49
-- Brave Warrior - level 55-69
-- Valiant Warrior - level 75-89
- 15 players in 15 minutes of action.
- Win EXP and Set Items.

Thanksgiving in Isya
- New Quest: Roumen's Thanksgiving Feast.
- Visit Town Chief Roumenus in Roumen and help him collect 150 turkey legs and save Thanksgiving in Isya.
- Earn a 7-day version of the Thomas the Turkey mount.

Read more here.

CCP has poisted patch notes for Quantum Rise 1.0.2, the latest patch for EVE Online.

EVE Online: Quantum Rise 1.0.2 will be deployed this Thursday, 27th November. Tranquility will be down from 11:00 GMT to 15:15 GMT for this patch deployment.

Quantum Rise 1.0.2 mainly consists of changes and fixes to weapon grouping, graphics and the user interface. Patch Notes are available; updates to the notes may be added should any further items be cleared through the Quality Assurance process. These updates will be highlighted with green text.

Read the patch notes here.

IGG has announced that the closed Beta for Aurora Blade, their upcoming browser MMO, will begin on December 5th.

IGG announced that the Aurora Blade Closed Beta will be available for all players at 00:15am on December 5th EST (GMT-5). Players can activate the game on a special page released later.

On the other hand, the Aurora Blade official website (http://ab.igg.com/main.php) is now operational. It includes many wonderful parts such as Game Features, a Newbie Guide, Quests Information, Spell Information, and other details.

Read more here.

The folks at Wonderland Online have posted tips and suggestions on how to use the games Rebirth System.

The Wonderland Online (http://wl.igg.com/main.php) Rebirth System was released with WL 3.0, and players can be reborn once their level reaches 100+. Here are a few suggestions regarding rebirth.

Rebirth Rules

STR > INT, reborn to be Fighter (Killer, Warrior and Knight)

STR < INT, reborn to be Mage (Wit, Priest and Seer)

Rebirth Suggestion

There are 2 main ways to be reborn: One is to strengthen your original advantages, for example, a Fire Fighter with high attack power can be reborn as Killer. Another is to make up some skill shortfall, for example, assistant Earth or Water classes could be reborn as a Mage or Knight.

Advantage for Different Classes

Killer: High attack power

Warrior: High melee defense, good class skills

Knight: High speed, good class skills, good at using saddle (Even equip Magic Saddle or Bash Saddle can get the knight’s bonus)

Wit: High magic attack power, high sealing rate, high anti-sealing skills, good class skills

Priest: Hidden attribute (related to WIS), deduce damage by 30%, anti-sealing skills

Seer: High sealing rate, good speed

Analyses for Class and Attribute

Fire: Suitable for all classes. Suggestion: Gives priority to attack and others to be assistant. But the Knight is an exception.

Water: Suitable for many classes. Suggestion: Water Priest and Wit are the best choices. A Water Killer is not as good as the others.

Earth: Suitable for many classes. Suggestion: Earth Priest, Wit, Seer and Warrior are better choices. The Earth Knight is not as good as the others.

Wind: Best for Knight. Wind Knight’s speed can be 800+ even when the AGI is less than 20 when equipping the SPD Ring. Thanks to its high speed, the Wind Knight’s attack is so powerful that they become very strong in PK. What’s more, the Wind Knight has amazing class skills.

Read more here.

TQ Games has announced a holiday promotion where purchasing TQ Point Cards can earn players a Thanksgiving Gift Pack.

Purchase at least 1 TQ Point Card A or TQ Point Card B and claim your Zero Points in the game.

Rules:
From November 24th to December 24th, you will be awarded a Thanksgiving Gift Pack if you buy any TQ Point Cards.
1. The server that you choose to claim the Thanksgiving Gift Pack must be the one you claim your Zero Points.
2. No matter how many cards you have purchased, each account can bring you a Thanksgiving Gift Pack for ONCE only throughout the event (1 pack/account).
3. Each TQ Point Card will give you a lottery chance in SPIN AND WIN, which may bring you 5000 ZPs free.

Read more here.

EVE players have elected the second Council of Stellar Management and CCP has posted a breakdown of the election's statistics and demographics, as well as a schedule of CSM meetings.

Demographics and Statistics

The format of the following information is identical to the analysis of the first election, to allow for an easy comparison - we will focus on the results from the second election here, while allowing for a seperate blog to compare the two later.

There were 20112 votes cast out of a pool of 233541 eligible voters, amassing a turnout of 8,61%. Of the total votes cast, 1149 voters (5,7%) chose to abstain.

The gender difference between voters closely follow the gender difference in the subscription base, with male voters being 97.1% and female voters being 2.9% of the total voting population compared to 95.4% versus 4.6% male - female ratio of the player base.

The average age of accounts voting is 1.94 years, meaning that most votes were cast by veteran players. 41.5% of the voting accounts are veterans of two years or more whilst those veterans constitute 29% of the eligible voters.

Read more here.

The folks at Aion have posted a third chapter of Aion Lore, looking at history from the point of view of both the Elyos or Asmodians.

Today we've added the third chapter of our series on Aion lore, dealing with "The Millennium War", the initial struggle against the Balaur and the creation of the Empyrean Lords. You can read about this or other portions of Aion's rich history from the perspective of either the Elyos or Asmodians.

Read more here.

Mythic Entertainment has announced that they have opened up the 7 remaining events from their Heavy Metal event, allowing players to complete the tasks and unlock the Black Guard and Knight of the Blazing Sun classes early.

You may have already noticed that we have opened up the last 7 events for the Heavy Metal Event so you can take part in them all, at your leisure, over the extended Thanksgiving Holiday. We want everyone to have a chance to unlock the Black Guard and Knight of the Blazing Sun. You can now finish the event and redeem the Heavy Metal Chest from a Herald. When you redeem the chest, it is important that you open (right click) the chest so that you become eligible to play the classes a week earlier than everyone else. If you qualify through the Heavy Metal event, the Black Guard and Knight of the Blazing Sun will become playable next week when we do the 1.0.6 patch.

Read more here.

IGG has posted an introduction to the new Coral Reef areas in the Lost Atlantis expansion for Angels Online.

Today, the Angels Online team (http://ao.igg.com) is giving a brief introduction to the amazing Colorful Coral Reefs.

There is a mysterious sea area called the Colorful Coral Reefs at the headstream of the Atlantic Ocean. It is located to the southeast of Puqi Island. Players will arrive at the Colorful Coral Reefs first after they learn the diving skill from the NPC “Surfer Veifu” at Puqi Island.

Because of its favorable geographical position, a warm ocean current passes through here each summer bringing a sense of vitality everywhere. Underwater materials are in abundance here. Locals from Puqi Island always fish here because the best fish gather here each year. That is one of the most important sources of income for them.

Due to the natural form of the land, coral stretches far out under the water. The water here is not very deep because the Colorful Coral Reefs are the entry to the sea and keep the sandy bottom from eroding. Under the sunshine at noon, the coral shimmers with a beauty that’s breath-taking. Players who are skilled at diving can feast their eyes on the beautiful shifting coral.

Read more here.

IGG has posted an overview of the Crusader and their skills in Tales of Pirates.

Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com) attaches a lot of importance to group cooperation and grants high EXP for killing monsters when different classes coordinate well in a team. Crusader is an excellent class featuring quick movement, strong damage dealing, and magic spells to aid in assassin-like kills. They play a very important role in group cooperation especially in group PVP, target detection and BOSS quests because they have gorgeous skills and satisfactory damage-dealing.

Crusader’s Skill Description:

Concentration?Increase hit rate of character.

Sword Mastery?Increase attack when using sword.

Illusion Slash?Use energy of sword to damage enemy at a distance.

Berserk?Increase hit rate and attack speed for short duration

Deftness?Increase dodge rate of character.

Shadow Slash?Continuous melee attack and knock out a single target.

Poison Dart: Shoot a dart and put enemy in poison status.

Blood Frenzy: Reduce attack time cooldown using dual weapon.

Dual Sword Mastery: Increase attack when using two weapons.

Stealth: Make character invisible to other unit.

From among all skills the Illusion Slash is a distance skill which grants Crusader’s their highest killing power. Its da