steven on July 19th, 2007
Tuesday 17th July/…NCsoft? Europe and ArenaNet? announced today that the prerelease bonus pack for Guild Wars: Eye of the North? is set to arrive on retailers shelves on July 20th and will include a host of compelling features, including exclusive in-game items and access to the Guild Wars: Eye of the North Sneak Peek Weekend set for later this summer.
The Guild Wars: Eye of the North prerelease bonus pack will be available from retailers in North America and Europe as well as at the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com and via the Official Guild Wars online store.
Guild Wars: Eye of the North is the first ever expansion to the subscription-free Guild Wars franchise of fantasy online role playing games, which will be released to the public on August 31, 2007. This expansion will provide new content accessible to players who have any of the previously released Guild Wars campaigns (Guild Wars, Guild Wars: Factions?, or Guild Wars: Nightfall?).
Players who pre-order Guild Wars: Eye of the North will gain access to the Sneak Peek Weekend, August 24?¨C26, 2007, where they will be able to log into the game for a first look at Eye of the North. Players will be able to explore the Far Shiverpeaks region of the world, home of the barbaric Norn. Everything players obtain during the Sneak Peek Weekend, including items, XP, Heroes, and loot, will be permanent and available when the expansion goes live.
The Guild Wars: Eye of the North prerelease bonus pack also comes with exclusive weapons, including the Glacial Blade, the Hourglass Staff, and the Darksteel Longbow. These new weapons are based on the winning designs from the Guild Wars Design-a-Weapon Contest held earlier this year. In addition, the prerelease bonus pack includes a Guild Wars Trilogy Trial DVD that provides access to all three of the Guild Wars campaigns for a special trial promotion lasting 10 hours or 14 days, whichever comes first*.
“We believe this feature-packed prerelease delivers real value to our players,” said Mike OBrien, co-founder of ArenaNet. “From past experience, we expect the Sneak Peek Weekend alone to be hugely popular, and players won?t want to miss this chance to get a leg-up before the game goes live.”
For more information on the Guild Wars franchise, visit the Guild Wars website at http://www.guildwars.com. The award-winning Guild Wars series of games can be purchased from retailers or downloaded from the PlayNC store at https://secure.plaync.com/cgi-bin/Store.pl.
steven on July 19th, 2007
Legend I, Europe expansion is almost ready after a year of preparation.
We ask lots of your concerns and detailed schedule is guided below.
Apply date of Legend I, Europe Expansion: 7/24/2007 After Weekly Server Inspection
- Legend I, Europe Expansion can not be accessed by current client.??Patch apply can not be made due to the massive capacity of the Legend I, Europe Expansion so you must set up the Full Client to play the game.??Every players must download the Full Client again after the Weekly Server Inspection on July 24th, 2007
- Downloading Legend I, Europe Expansion Full Client speed will slow down due to the people downloading the client at the same time on the Legend I, Europe Expansion opening date so we recommend you to download the Legend I, Europe Expansion Full Client in advance.
- Legend I, Europe Expansion Full Client can be set up after the Weekly Server Inspection on 7/24/2007 and once you set up the client, you will experience the fun of Silkroad Online Europe and China simultaneously.
steven on July 19th, 2007
At a press conference in Tokyo’s Roppongi district, Gameon has announced the Japanese release of Silkroad Online. Developed by South Korean company Joymax, this MMORPG is themed after the famous trade route connecting Europe and China.Already available in South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China, Silkroad Online will enter its first closed beta testing phase in Japan on October 6th. A second, open beta test is also planned for later this year. Originally released as a title rated for audiences aged 18 and above, the game is now said to be suitable for audiences of all ages.
In the game players will set out from the ancient Chinese capital of Xian moving westward on the Silk Road. The version currently available in South Korea features China, Europe as well as a middle world known as Oasis Kingdom. For the future, the development team plans to separate Europe into various different areas. In the Japanese version this seperation however is only scheduled to be implemented by late 2006.
Silkroad Online will feature a total of 26 different character types. Each will come with a different storyline, for instance looking for a missing husband or trying to reach India. While the majority of the characters will be humans, players will also have the chance to play as mythical creatures. The development team also plans to add playable characters with European or Islamic backgrounds in the future. A character’s stature, physique, equipment and weaponry can be freely customized by the player.
The monsters the players will face on their westward journey will be based on Chinese legends and folk tales like Saiyuki (Journey to the West). Furthermore, users will have to face Giant Monsters several times the size of a playable character. To deal with those foes, the game offers a so-called Fighting God mode. As the players defeats monsters, he will obtain certain spirits which, when released, will temporarily increase the character’s power by 50% to 100%.
Silkroad Online will also feature a trade system centering around PvP. Upon reaching level 20, players can choose one of the following three professions: merchant, thief and hunter. As merchants they will have to transport goods to a certain city on horseback. If they succeed, they will be able to reap a huge profit. Thieves on the other hand try to obtain those pack horses by attacking the merchants. Meanwhile hunters are employed by the merchants to fight off potential attackers. Reaching level 20 should take about 30-40 hours.
Silkroad Online will be available in Japan later this year. It will join the growing number of MMORPGs that are financed by a virtual economy where players have to pay real world cash for in-game items.
steven on July 19th, 2007
Life in the world of Lineage II can be a dangerous and exciting experience. Although towns and villages are safe havens, the vast wilderness of Aden can transform into a battlefield at any moment. With skirmishes with random bandits, violent territorial disputes, and all out clan and alliance wars, there is always a chance that a regular day will turn into rigorous Player vs. Player (PvP) experience.
The only law in this chaotic landscape is the rule of Karma. Two players that are fighting with one another will both be marked as aggressive, at which point only regular death penalties will apply. However, if someone kills another that is not aggressive, they will gain Karma and become chaotic, marked in red to everyone that can see their name. Chaotic players can be attacked or killed without penalty. If a chaotic player has killed more than five innocents, there is a chance they will drop some of their hard-earned equipment upon death.
Despite the penalties, there may be times when gaining Karma is the only option, especially for revenge or to administer frontier justice. In this case, Karma can be removed slowly by killing monsters or by dying at the hand of another player.
The first rule in any PvP encounter is to constantly stay in motion, using speed and terrain to the best advantage. Every race and class has a different running speed, and there are certain skills that can increase overall speed as well. Bow users and wizards have the best chance when fighting opponents at a distance, but even melee classes can carry a bow to weaken a target before closing in or to prevent someone from escaping. Some skills can slow an enemy down to make them easier targets, while there are a few spells that completely immobilize an enemy for a short period of time, making them a sitting duck. Using the terrain effectively is also a great tactic, as hiding behind trees or ducking behind corners can disrupt an attack and force an opponent to close in for better line of sight.
The second rule is to not hold back, especially in a one-on-one encounter. Running out of magic points is always better than dying! Attack skills and spells always do more damage than regular attacks and often have special effects. Skills that cause damage over time, skills that steal health from an opponent, and other skills that cause exceptional damage at the cost of magic are great for wearing down an opponent. Short breaks in battle can be used to recover health using healing spells.
There are also many self buff skills that are vital to victory if used properly, as many of them can be used quickly in battle. Skills that increase the chance to inflict critical damage can turn the tide of battle, while other skills boost health to increase survivability. Other defensive skills can increase armor or evasion significantly, greatly reducing the amount of damage taken throughout the battle. Although a strong offense can lead to victory, proper use of defensive powers is a major advantage.
Lastly, when all else fails, remember that friends, allies, and clan mates are the best weapon and resource for waging war and maintaining peace, especially when dealing with multiple opponents. With an understanding of your skills, the opponent, and the terrain, you can turn any battle into a victory. PvP is fast-paced and is often over as quickly as it begins, but a prepared player can often come out on top.
