Colony Wars: there's a bug in the system! Plus more fashions and fantazzies

The results of this Sunday's Colony Wars session.

Congratulations to Dominion, Fenrir, Vradical, Anonymous, Orb and CARNAGE factions on acquiring / defending their colonies!

[Apologies to Orb faction! Sorry I forgot to include you...there are no excuses, mea maxima culpa *deep bow*]

***

During the CW session, a few members of some factions PM'ed me with a complaint about the "Declaration of War" feature. Apparently this week the mechanic that allows factions to go into combat against each other had some kind of trouble or another.

Since that mechanic is more or less integral to the entire Colony Wars experience, I wonder what IAH is going to do about it?

Are we going to get a statement or some kind of ruling from them on this one, do you think?

***

Another bit of fun with my main Granado Espada team:



Family status at present:

Members: Aurana, First Aid / Fortitudo scout [both stances maxed]; Chimal, The Illusionist wizard; Tuon, Sabre Guard fighter.
Levels: 56 / 56 / 56
Costumes: Aurana is wearing an Original Scout costume; Chimal is wearing only her Justocorps soft armor; Tuon is wearing a School Uniform costume.

Makes for something quite unique to see, doesn't it? ^^

***

WTS > Recipe for Elite Chassepot [Grace Bernelli exclusive; Level 52]. PM me for offers on Cervantes server.

Birthday team pics!

The girls on Cervantes pose for me, and make jokes at my expense, on my 25th birthday.


Let's get the popcorn and wait for her quarter-life crisis~!


[in sarcastic voices]As we go on, we remember, all the time we spent together....

[Not really a fan of Vitamin C, hurr.]

More pics later, if I can get them.

*goes back to scarfing Cheetos and drinking shandy*

[CONTEST] RNPCs Are Love - we have a WINNER!

Congratulations to the winner of the Divine Angel Wings: THORAINE!

I'll be emailing the code to you in a few minutes so please watch your inbox!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this contest and I hope you'll all come back for the next one!

Quick update while I wait to draw the contest winners

...and also to say that yes, it's my birthday tomorrow. If you read DeSanggria's latest post you would know that already.

And, thanks to Arcleaumont - not only does his latest post show off his elementalist in her School Uniform, but it was also he who reminded me that I should probably purchase my own School Uniform costume for one of my girls.

I took the fighter costume on his advice and here's what it looks like on my Tuon:


High-Guard Tuon, after classes at Fighter School.

OMG she looks HAWT!

After a few moments of incoherent gushing and thanks at Arc he promptly asked for a photoshoot of my fighter and his elementalist - here's the best shot we got:


School friends Tuon NineMoons and Amelina Arcleaumont.

Also in this picture are two members of the Oraif family, friends of Arc's from CARNAGE faction.

***

Now if you'll excuse me - I'm going to stare at my fighter some more ^^

[CONTEST] Running tally of the RNPCs Are Love entries

Share the love for your favorite RNPCs! Go read these entries and, should you find yourself so inspired, please write up your own entries and join the blog contest!

Who knows, you might soon be the proud owner of a pair of Divine Angel Wings! Remember, it's a non-tradeable and non-droppable item that grants the character who wears it bonuses of +5% to Movement Speed and +5% to Attack Speed. You can't get this item anywhere else but from the community-based contests, so what are you waiting for?

Entries so far include:
Thoraine's comment on Emilia the Sage, Comment #1 at the original contest announcement
Gyl of Granadosource's comment on Andre Janzur, Comment #6 at the original contest announcement
Craeon of Granado Espada: Not Merely A Hobby. More Of A Passion's entry on Grace Bernelli, My Online Goddess: GRACE BERNELLI
Fiksdotter of Granado Espada: Fiksdotter's Box's screenshot-comics on Claude Baudez, Fiksdotter's love for Claude
Sinborn/Futanari of Sinborn.everything's entry on Catherine of Strength, RNPCs Are Love - Catherine of Strength
Jadoel's comment on Catherine the Summoner, Comment #12 at the original contest announcement
ellipsis's comment on Andre Janzur, Comment #14 at the original contest announcement
PaNeRaI's comment on Grace Bernelli, Comment #1 in this roundup entry

***

The contest is still open so please send in your entries! The contest closes at midnight tonight Singapore time! This is your last chance to send in your entries!

I'll be announcing the winner of the Divine Angel Wings tomorrow!

CONTEST is CLOSED! See above for the winner!

Starting to think I shouldn't reveal my nationality any more....

The following post has elements of indignation, irony, sarcasm, and frustration.

Granado Espada, Cervantes server, anywhere from 2am-onwards. It is past midnight in the Philippines and the lonely roosters warm up their crows in order to start waking people up for school and work.

If you're still awake, then you're likely to be quietly leveling somewhere, hoping to get a chance at some good drops and some serious EXP.

And then, the outrage begins to assault your eyes.

Server broadcasts full of capslock!of!rage and the word "ASA" scroll up on your user interface; people abuse the "@" in order to type out insults; too much Filipino appears on the broadcasts, and by God I'm not talking about polite language at all.

Certain members of certain factions in Cervantes are starting to take their toll on my nerves.

It's these people who make me sick, and violently apprehensive to reveal that I, too, am from the Philippines, out of fears that other people will lump me in with the tiny-minded griefers simply because of my nationality.

I could name names here, but let me just say it involves certain loud-mouthed players from a few all-Pinoy factions. They seem to spend an inordinate amount of time calling each other out with reams of [uncreative] insults, a never-ending game of the [dreary] dozens that you can almost set your clock by.

There's this guy who seems to be actively competing for the title of "biggest griefer" in all of Cervantes, and his nearest competition are actually the members of his own faction. They PK people left, right and center and then boast to the server of such claimed kills, taking even more pleasure out of deriding others.

Anyone who makes the mistake of responding to them on their own terms - i.e. in the same boorish language - is in turn targeted for repeated PK.

Anyone who makes the even larger mistake of winning - and then calling them out on losing - becomes the target of concentrated verbal abuse all over the server, often in the form of the above-mentioned server broadcasts.

Given it's 2,000 vis a pop, these guys apparently like to waste their money playing these silly little verbal games of one-upmanship, taunting each other all over the Cervantes airwaves, recycling the same old insults over and over again.

No one can even get past the childish words to craft gems of insult; I've never even seen anything that approaches, at least, the amusement afforded by the classic

I fart in your general direction! Your father was a hamster and your mother smelt of elderberries!

[gratuitous Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference]

Given this ignominious situation, I feel much like this,



wonder where the "Facepalm" pose is, and feel very reluctant to say I'm from the Philippines.

These guys went to One Esplanade hoping for fistfights with rival factions, for chrissakes.

I'm starting to think I should find a way to take out the left-side information display on my user interface, so that when I turn off floating text as well, I will never have to watch this inanity ever again.

***

Just a reminder to all: the RNPCs Are Love blog contest will continue until midnight tomorrow, 27 September, and I'll draw and announce the winner on Friday, 28 September.

To join the blog contest, simply comment about your most favorite RNPC in all of Granado Espada here: ♥♥RNPCs Are Love♥♥.

Join now and stand a chance to win a pair of Divine Angel Wings.

New article at the Game! blog: launch weekend recap

Granado Espada Launch Weekend Events: Roundup and Recap

Sorry about the Ran Online tag in the URL - I filed the story under several headings because I mentioned the other e-Games titles in the main article ^^

Please check out the article!

***

And speaking of articles for Game! Magazine: watch this space for an announcement concerning the November issue! [Big shout-out to Welling!]

Colony Wars update, fashions and fantazzies, and a reminder!

Congratulations to Dominion, CARNAGE, TheRepKnights, Anonymous, and Fenrir factions for acquiring / defending their colonies!

***



Just a bit of showing-off, with my main team all in Original-type costumes! [Spent an arm and a leg for those three costumes but I'm not complaining ^^]

Five levels to go and my wizard is going to achieve a fairly serious milestone, woo hoo~!

Must...grind...!

***

Please DO NOT forget to join my current blog contest, and stand a chance to win a pair of Divine Angel Wings!

♥♥RNPCs Are Love♥♥

Remember, deadline for submission of entries is on 27 September!

[CONTEST] NineMoons is giving away a pair of Divine Angel Wings!

Want to win a pair of Divine Angel Wings? Sure you do!

All you need to do is join this all new contest on my blog!

***

One of the most unique features of Granado Espada is that not only can you interact with many colorful and interesting NPCs - but you can also recruit many of them to join your adventuring family in the New World! And they even bring new stances, weapons, and fighting styles with them!

Therefore, RNPCs are love and we all know it!

♥♥RNPCs ARE LOVE♥♥

The rules for this contest are really, really simple. Just comment and tell me who your favorite RNPC is, and why.

Be creative! Write a very short story. Post a poem you wrote about that RNPC whom you love so much. Put up a link to your fan art. Show a screenshot that you created that features him/her. The possibilities are endless!

This contest will run until midnight [Singapore time] of 27 September 2007 - Thursday next week. I will draw one lucky winner from all of the entries, and announce on 28 September, Friday!

So what are you waiting for? Get ready to tell the world who your favorite RNPC is, and stand a chance to win a pair of Divine Angel Wings for a lucky member of your adventuring family!

***

Got blogspotted again, this time for the first part of my coverage of the GE PH Commercial Launch events. Thanks to RCM Hrin for the wonderful prize!

[LAUNCH] The fifth post: NineMoons's shout-outs

The fifth in a series of posts documenting the Granado Espada launch events in the Philippines, taking place over the weekend of 15-16 September 2007.

Featuring smaller pictures for easier reading and navigation.

Previous posts:
Event Prep
Press Luncheon and Upcoming Patches
Liberty's Wrath Finals
GE at e-Games Evolution

Granado Espada is nothing without its community, and one of the major reasons why I covered the events was so that I could finally get to interact with many of the guys and gals whom I've met in-game or through their blogs!

Here are some massive shout-outs, and for those with blogs, a lot of link love!


Welling of AdeptasFraternas faction [thanks to Feitan at the forums for the correction], and the lovable boys from PasawayProphecy faction, all from Caravaggio server. Welling is one of my fellow GE bloggers and a friend of mine; he competed along with Team Cainta during the PvP tourney. The PP boys saved me a place in the registration line - maraming salamat, guys!


Alex Crosse and Nate of Casa Reclusion, in the flesh!


Sigrid and Stiles!

We - Crosse, Nate, Sigrid, Stiles, and me - all had fun with the many trivia questions thrown around during the 15 September Day Raid.


The mighty Arcleaumont, the linchpin of Team Cebu and a fellow blogger too!


From Anonymous faction in Cervantes, come all the way from Baguio to help cheer on their faction-mates during the tourney finals: Esteveste, Anima, and Prettylicious [the girl]!


DeSanggria, Ligaya [known in-game as Lucido], and NineMoons, at the close of the Day Raid! The two girls went on to party hard at the Night Raid!


Lord Darrick of Casa Reclusion, at the e-Games Evolution roadshow!


The Casa Reclusion boys sandwich NineMoons, with prizes in hand!

I hope to see everyone again at the next Granado Espada event, and the next, and the next....~!

***

This closes the coverage of the launch events for Granado Espada in the Philippines. Hope you enjoyed reading about it, as much as I did covering the events and blogging about them afterwards!

[LAUNCH] The fourth post: 16 September, SM North Edsa the Block - e-Games Evolution

The fourth in a series of posts documenting the Granado Espada launch events in the Philippines, taking place over the weekend of 15-16 September 2007.

Featuring smaller pictures for easier reading and navigation.

Previous posts:
Event Prep
Press Luncheon and Upcoming Patches
Liberty's Wrath Finals

Next post:
NineMoons's Shout-Outs

The day after the Granado Espada Commercial Launch Day/Night Raids at One Esplanade was marked by yet another GE-related feast: the kickoff program for the IP e-Games Evolution series of roadshows. This series of activities will take the redesigned e-Games logo and the consolidated roster of MMOs all over the country, from schools to malls to internet cafes.

By consolidated I mean that e-Games is now promoting Granado Espada along its other games: Ran Online, O2 Jam, Dance Battle Audition, Supreme Destiny, Battle Position, and Dreamville. Previously, GE was being promoted by e-Games's sister company IP-Interactive; now, one company promotes all of these popular games. And the roadshow was designed to call attention to that very fact.

I got to the venue, the Block at SM North Edsa, at around noon and saw that the preparations for the day's event were nearly complete. pCM Veya, fresh from the Night Raid and the previous day's activities, was helping set up the GE booth. She also gave a short welcoming message during the program.


pCM Veya and her sunglasses at the GE booth.

The GE booth, located directly at the entrance of the activity area, boasted eight PCs for use during the 3v3 PvP tournament and to help new users register within the game. Two standees flanked the booth opening:


The return of the hard-working male musketeer.


A new female elementalist standee, this one dressed in the Elementalist robes and already in battle.


The GE sign at the back of the booth, flanked by two columns.


The rules for the 3v3 PvP mini-tourney, on a banner next to the male musketeer.

Two GE-related cosplayers showed up at this event:


The winner of the GE cosplay at the Day Raid, the female elementalist.


Me and the model wearing a Le Blanc costume. [Thanks to Ms. Ivee for the correction!]

Once again, e-Games President and COO Steve Tsao made the opening remarks of the event.

I also got a quick interview with him at the venue. He said that the redesigned logo, arrived at after much trial and error and consultation with the constituent player communities, heralded a relaunch of the company to include celebrated titles such as Granado Espada and upcoming releases under its aegis. He emphasized that the free-to-play games would remain free-to-play forever, and that they would be bringing in more free-to-play games, as well as games with new business models, to cater to more segments of the gaming public.

Next month, he promised that there would be major statements regarding the acquisition/release of new game titles. Now there's something to look forward to!


Mr. Tsao gets interviewed by Hero TV.

GE Product Manager Ivee Feria reprised her Powerpoint presentation from the 15 September press launch, and even gave away some really cool prizes during the trivia questions: the coveted door hangers and postcards, and more pairs of Divine Angel Wings.


Ms. Feria during her presentation.

It seemed like a lot of fun was had by all at this kickoff event. And since it's a roadshow, expect these booths and activities, and a lot more fun, as they make their way around the country!

***

Final post: last but not the least, new friends and introductions~!

To view all the pictures from the event, please click on this Photobucket album: Granado Espada launches.

[LAUNCH] The third post: 15 September, One Esplanade - Liberty's Wrath finals

The third in a series of posts documenting the Granado Espada launch events in the Philippines, taking place over the weekend of 15-16 September 2007.

Featuring smaller pictures for easier reading and navigation.

Previous posts:
Event Prep
Press Luncheon and Upcoming Patches

Next posts:
GE at e-Games Evolution
NineMoons's Shout-Outs

One of the showcase events of the Day Raid of the Granado Espada Commercial Launch in the Philippines was the National Finals of the Liberty's Wrath 5v5 PvP Tournament. Qualifying tourneys were held in the different regions of the country in the weeks leading up to the launch, and the winners were to compete against each other in the finals during the launch itself.

The eight winning teams represented the following regions:
- National Capital Region [teams NCR-1 and NCR-2]
- Northern Luzon [Baguio]
- Central Luzon [Bulacan]
- Southern Luzon [Cainta]
- Visayas [Cebu]
- Northern Mindanao [Cagayan de Oro]
- Southern Mindanao [Davao]

The rules of the finals were the same as in the qualifiers except one:
- all matches 5v5
- players used pre-made accounts on the GE test server, containing the five stock characters and Emilia the Sage, all at Lv. 100 + Veteran status
- weapons and armor were provided
- no item trading or exchange between players
- no unsportsmanlike conduct, uncivil behavior, or rudeness
- the different mechanic involved potions and other consumables: many of the standard consumable items were already provided in the test server accounts, such as HP and SP potions, buff potions, resurrection potions, orbs, and bullets

Fantastic prizes were up for grabs to the 3rd placer, runner-up, and national champion:
3rd Place - 1 Chrysalis Box, 1 pair Divine Angel Wings for each member
2nd Place - 1 Pioneer's Kit Strategy Pack [15 days], 1 pair Divine Angel Wings for each member
1st Place - 1 Pioneer's Kit Strategy Pack [30 days], 10 Ring Boxes, 1 School Uniform Look costume of choice, 1 pair Divine Angel Wings, merchandise from sponsors for each member

All matches during the event were held as best-of-three rounds; on-site coordinators oversaw the teams and enforced the rules of the finals.

Here's how the event played out.

The Eliminations pitted the following teams against each other, in the following order. Winners are indicated in italics:
NCR-2 vs Cainta
Cagayan de Oro vs Cebu
Bulacan vs Davao
NCR-1 vs Baguio

The four winning teams immediately went to the Semifinals:
Cainta vs Cebu
Davao vs Baguio

The Cebu and Baguio teams made way for the 3rd Place match:
Cainta vs Davao

And finally, the event was capped by the Championship match:
Baguio vs Cebu


3rd Place - Team Davao [Carracci: Cabagnaughty, CaBankai, Cabagnoot, Cabagnut, CabagnotA]
Yes, there seemed to be a theme in the members' names.


2nd Place - Team Baguio [Cervantes: HeavensFence, DeathGod, Saints, oGTo, DeathAngels]
They came armed with a banner stating that they were all proud members of Anonymous faction.


1st Place - Team Cebu [Cervantes: Arcleaumont; Pachelbel: Gakitsu, Deathwolf, Encabo, Knightfall]
The only "mixed" team, and the team that went through the finals with a nearly unblemished record. They lost only one round, to Team Baguio during the Championship match.

Congratulations to all the winners!

***

Next post: details of the 16 September e-Games Evolution Roadshow at the Block, SM North Edsa, with special GE features~!

To view all the pictures from the event, please click on this Photobucket album: Granado Espada launches.

[LAUNCH] The second post: 15 September, Mall of Asia - press luncheon and upcoming patches

The second in a series of posts documenting the Granado Espada launch events in the Philippines, taking place over the weekend of 15-16 September 2007.

Featuring smaller pictures for easier reading and navigation.

Previous post:
Event Prep

Next posts:
Liberty's Wrath Finals
GE at e-Games Evolution
NineMoons's Shout-Outs


In the previous entry I talked about some of the event preparations for the Granado Espada Commercial Launch [Day and Night Raids] at One Esplanade, and featured some of the cosplayers, factions, and decorations.

Now I'm going to talk about the special luncheon hosted by IP e-Games on the same morning, around 12nn. This was for members of the press, including the gaming press, some of the mainstream media such as TV and newspapers, and especially for the online journalists. It was held in the function rooms of Highlands Chinese Palace, an upscale Chinese restaurant in the south wing of the mall.

My own badge at the press luncheon identified me as "GE Blogger/Writer"; the only person so designated.

The e-Games people came out in full force for the launch of their first triple-A title in the Philippines: President and COO Steve Tsao, VP for Marketing Ed Pasion, Corporate Communications head Sheila Rada, GE Product Manager Ivee Feria, and GE Media head Emir Samonte.

The special guests were Mr. Victor Ngo of Cyberworld Corporation in Vietnam, the GE licensee for that country; and three officials from IAH Games in Singapore: Deputy CEO David Ng, Marketing Manager [Marketing & Strategy] Wendy Lim, and Assistant Director for Product Management Jojo Angeles.


From left to right: Mr. Ngo, Mr. Tsao [standing, with mic] and Mr. Ng.

After their opening remarks came a special video presentation: a message from Granado Espada's creator, Kim Hakkyu. In the video he said he was sorry that he could not come to the launch events because of his tight schedule. He also said that he and his group would continue working to create better content for the game.


The subtitle reads: I want thank [sic] all of you again for supporting Granado Espada and giving us so much love.

After the video, Ms. Feria gave a Powerpoint presentation detailing not only what Granado Espada is and what the Philippine community has been up to, but also describing the current patch, v.2.1.18, Forgotten Territories.

Included in this portion of the talk were the Premium Item Shop, the new RNPC Irawan, new dungeons and monsters, the Mercenary Contract, and the Baron-related items.

There was also a brief flash on the Republicans/Royalists conflict, including the Party Elections. The slide that particularly caught my eye was the one that showed the costumes now available to the political party leaders. The Royalist Duke/Duchess can wear the Shield of Peace on his/her back; while the Republican President can wear the Sword of Freedom.

***

Ms. Feria's presentation also contained sneak peeks at the next two patches for GE: Tierra de Muertos and the much-awaited Tropical Island.

Tierra de Muertos ["land of the dead"] features:
- The new RNPCs Cut Lyndon and Eduardo Hingis, who both have the "Summon Grim Reaper" skill.
- A functional necklace, which packs an HP increase bonus.
- The ability to manufacture Lv. 92 Elite items.

Tropical Island features:
- Swimsuits and shades collections. The slide that showed the five stock classes wearing swimsuits brought a chorus of titters from the audience.
- The next-level status after Veteran: Expert status, again accompanied by the extra stat point which can be assigned to a chosen stat.
- Mini-games of chance and 15 new raid dungeons.
- The new RNPCs Selva Norte [rapier], Garcia Hingis [rapier], and Soso [Chapter of Frost/Ice].

***

Other upcoming features hinted at during the event: in-game anti-bot reporting system; pets; and weapon swapping/hotkeys.

***

Next post: a comprehensive wrap-up of the Liberty's Wrath National PvP Tournament~!

To view all pictures from the event, please click on this Photobucket album: Granado Espada launches.

[LAUNCH] The first post: 15 September, One Esplanade - event prep

The first in a series of posts documenting the Granado Espada launch events in the Philippines, taking place over the weekend of 15-16 September 2007.

Featuring smaller pictures for easier reading and navigation.

Next posts:
Press Luncheon and Upcoming Patches
Liberty's Wrath Finals
GE at e-Games Evolution
NineMoons's Shout-Outs




That's the sign on the wall of the building known as One Esplanade, the venue for the 15 September Commercial Launch Party of Granado Espada in the Philippines.

I was at the venue by 8am, the better to fall in line for the Divine Angel Wings that were to be given out to the first 100 registrants; and also to document the preparations being made for the Day Raid and Night Raid.

The first thing that caught my eyes at the venue were five full-size, beautiful standees depicting the five stock character classes of GE:


The male musketeer and his rifle.


The male fighter and his rapier.


The female wizard and her escort the male fighter.


The female scout and her potion at the ready.


The female fire elementalist. [Pay special attention to this standee; you might see it again soon.]

The event registration was supposed to begin at 2pm, but as early as 8:30am there were already a few people hanging around and watching the event staff and e-Games people set up.

As I understood it later, the Day Event was to take place outside, on the roofed pavilion; while the Night Raid was to be inside One Esplanade itself, which throughout the day was being set up for a first-class dance party.

Crowd pictures:


That's Welling in the red jacket and shades, surrounded by friends from PasawayProphecy faction from Caravaggio server.








A few members of Pinoy-AllStars faction from Pachelbel server. That banner shows their support and pride for their faction, which sent a team to the National Finals.

Also early at the venue were the cosplay marshals sent by Cosplay.ph, and with them came this cute little girl, cosplaying none other than Catherine the Summoner!


Look at those dolls! A Helena and a Sasha in this picture, as well as a Lloyd that followed later!

Applause from the appreciative crowd followed the successive appearances of the next GE-related cosplayers:


Two of the models in scout costumes.


A girl in a fire elementalist robe, next to the elementalist standee. She carried three sets of bracelets on her wrists: red, for fire; blue, for ice; and bronze, for lightning.


My and DeSanggria's friend Ligaya, cosplaying Brunie Etienne.


And the e-Games personnel were not to be outdone - here are DeSanggria herself as Idge Imbrulia [note the sword!], and pCM Veya as Emilia the Sage!

Idge/DeSanggria and Brunie/Ligaya were kind enough to let me borrow their weapons for pictures:


Me and Idge's greatsword.


Me and Brunie's twin pistols.

Preparations ran on until around 4pm, even with the crowd of players already milling around the venue.

***

Next post: my detour to the Mall of Asia for the special press luncheon, along with pictures of the special guests~!

To view all the pictures from the event, please click on this Photobucket album: Granado Espada launches.

Colony Wars update, and TEASER for coverage of 15-16 September launch events!

Congratulations to the following factions: Dominion, CARNAGE, Fenrir, DarkCrusade, TheRepKnights, WrathOfGod, and XeNaTioN, for acquiring / defending colonies!

***

In other news, I've spent this entire weekend covering the series of events surrounding the Philippines launch of Granado Espada: a press luncheon and Day Raid [plus Night Raid] on Saturday, and a roadshow kickoff event today.

I'll be putting up the coverage and lots of photographs soon, and a lot of shout-outs to people as well!

***

In related news: who wants a Divine Angel Wings? I've got one up for grabs! Stay tuned for the how and why..... *evil laughter*

Yet another take on the "Power of Trinity" - just for laughs

Or, One of these things is not like the others!

I got my first GE badge, the "official" one on top, at the Closed Beta farewell party. The staff there were giving these away to the people who'd showed up, along with posters; I eventually won a shirt as well.

From time to time I would wear the badge whenever I went out - to university, on dates with my boyfriend, and even to the supermarket to pick up the weekly groceries.

After we bought ourselves the Adobe Photoshop software, I decided to experiment by making graphics for this blog - and you can see one of those up top. That blue banner was one of my first successes as I got to know the software better.

Another of those successes is the badge on the lower left side, the one that simply says "Granado Espada". I took the original graphic from the fansite kit, and just placed it on a plain black background so that it could stand out.

The most recent badge is the one that says "NineMoons Family" below the logo. I got inspired to make that one after realizing that yes, some people at the events did recognize me, but I also often got asked who I was in-game a lot. So I made myself an ID badge of sorts.

I'm planning to wear the NineMoons badge on Saturday - that should make it fairly easy for you to find me. If I decide to be funky and wear a hat as well, I'll likely put the other two on it.

[p.s. I only design the badge graphics, by the way. I take them to a graphics place at my local mall to have them printed and made up into badges. Each badge costs 50 PHP, or roughly US$1.00, and they make each badge in just five minutes.]

15 September-Commercial Launch; 16 September-e-Games Evolution

For all your information about the Philippines Commercial Launch Party on 15 September, click here!

And as a special service for all you GE PH fans reading this blog, here's the schedule for the events taking place at the event, in an easy-to-read graphic:



This schedule does not include the press conference slated for that same day. But I'll be covering that event and will also be putting up the photos I will be taking.

There's no word yet on who's going to be the guest of honor, but I'll get all that information for you and post it up as soon as I can!

See you all on the 15th, my friends!

[p.s. May I respectfully suggest you all try traveling to the MOA area early? That big mall is holding a three-day sale over the weekend and traffic is expected to be heavy. So come on down early, and not just for the Divine Angel Wings for the first 100 registrants....]

***

Oh, yes, we can't forget that there will be another event on 16 September, which will also have something to do with Granado Espada: the e-Games Evolution Roadshow.

That article also spotlights GE, as the Evolution shows will help promote the game all over the country.

The kickoff event will be at The Block, SM North Edsa - and yes, your faithful correspondent will, after the excesses of the Commercial Launch Party, be at the roadshow for more Granado Espada coverage.

[And then there's Colony Wars that same night!]

Mark your calendars for this weekend!

Colony Wars update: a fragile peace!

We now return you to your regularly-sized screenshots.
The second in today's series articles; previous was the Liberty's Wrath partial coverage.


The results of this week's Colony Wars session on Cervantes server; congratulations to Dominion, Carnage, Fenrir, XeNaTioN, Anonymous, and WrathOfGod factions!

This session started out on an odd note, though - there were a full five minutes or so of peace before the factions began declaring war on each other and attempting to wrest colonies! Some players even went so far as to broadcast messages that wondered if there had been a bug in the Declaration of War.

As odd as the beginning was, the ending was just as notable - with less than thirty minutes to go, members of Fenrir faction began to broadcast angry messages towards the members of CARNAGE. I'm not sure what set that round of name-calling off, but I hope that the leaders of the two factions can comment here to explain.

Anyway, Granado Espada launches in the Philippines this coming Saturday - and you bet I'll be there to bring you all the juicy details!

p.s. DeSanggria, where were you? Some members of SPARTANS faction were looking for you....

Liberty's Wrath! the Gamefrog edition

Featuring smaller pictures for a more readable entry.
The first in today's series of articles; next will be the weekly Colony Wars report from Cervantes server.

The date: 8 September 2007.
The time: 1pm-onwards.
The place: Gamefrog at Metrowalk in Ortigas, National Capital Region [NCR], the Philippines.

The event: one-half of the NCR leg of Liberty's Wrath, the Philippine National Granado Espada PvP Tournament.

I made it to Gamefrog a little past 1pm and found the placed all decorated for the occasion with lots of GE posters, and this really nice banner:



I had never intended to actually join the tournament, because I'm an absolute greenhorn when it comes to PvP combat - except for the duels with DeSanggria, I had never even *tried* PvP, much less done it in a competitive or tournament style.

But suddenly I found myself being drafted to join a team - the Council-Hampas Lupa group, composed of several members of Council faction from Carracci. A second team from Carracci called themselves Renaissance, while the third team was from Pachelbel server and fought under the name LXG.


Council-Hampas Lupa team.


Renaissance team.


LXG team.

The rules were laid out as follows.

Since there were only three teams at the venue, the organizers decided to expedite the tournament: one team would automatically get a bye and advance to the second round, while the other two would immediately engage in battle. The winner would advance to the second round and meet the team that drew the bye.

The team that won the second-round match would then be declared venue champion and go on to battle the champion of the other venue, Warzone2020 in Vito Cruz, Manila, to determine who would become the NCR representative to the Liberty's Wrath national finals during the Commercial Launch party on 15 September at One Esplanade.

For the gameplay itself: all contenders were provided with premade accounts on the GE Test Server. Each account contained six characters: the five stock classes, plus Emilia the Sage. All were at Veteran status. Teams were given a limited budget of 50,000 vis, refreshed after each match, to buy consumable items such as potions, buff items, bullets, and so on.

All accounts were provided with most of the gear needed to engage in battle, such as high-level armors and weapons.

I have to say "most" because when I logged in and looked at the arsenal, one type of weapon had been omitted: pistols. Which meant that Fighters could use neither Heaven or Hell or Advance Garde; and that Musketeers could use neither Freestyle Shot nor Double Gun Shot.

[That did strike me as odd.]

Teams were not allowed to sell or trade their equipment or consumables, and any team caught doing so would be disqualified from the tournament.

Play would commence at the City of Auch, and once logged in to the PvP rooms there was only one map for the fight: the Liberty Colosseum. This map not only had lots of space for ten teams of three members each to duke it out; it also boasted several colonies. Taking possession of a colony would grant its owners special bonuses during combat.

GMs were on hand to oversee the matches.

We drew lots to see who would get the bye; team LXG got it, and the two Carracci teams, Council Hampas-Lupa and Renaissance, got ready to rumble.

I couldn't help it, I had to take this picture of my temporary team:


Woot for a Veteran team composed of Scout, Fighter and Wizard!

I was asked to be Squad Leader for my side. Unfortunately, our team was demolished rather quickly, and the only reason the combat lasted about 3 minutes was because one member, a Musketeer, managed to elude her pursuers for a minute or so. Still, team Renaissance had the victory, and would then go on to face team LXG in the second round of tournament play.

Once the second match rolled around, LXG, too, fell prey to the combined strength of the Renaissance members - and so Renaissance were proclaimed Gamefrog champions!


The triumphant team Renaissance, all wearing their new GE caps.

Under the rules of the tournament, they had to wait for the Warzone2020 champion to be decided - and when it was decided, Renaissance found themselves pitted against the Pachelbel team PinoyAllStars. In the end, it was Renaissance who fell, and PinoyAllStars were declared the NCR champions, as well as the regional representative to the National Finals.

***

During the lulls of the event, the organizers gave away GE pens, buttons, posters, and Open Beta installers.

A film crew from the soon-to-be-live cable show Pinoy Gamers were also at the venue to get footage for their pilot episode. They interviewed the organizers, the venue champion Renaissance after their second victory...and me, as an afterthought, haha. ^^

Once again I was sort of the odd person out: the only female GE player at Gamefrog, and the only representative from Cervantes server.

[DeSanggria later told me that 2 teams from CARNAGE faction had showed up at Warzone2020, and had been defeated by the PinoyAllStars.]

***

The regional legs of the tournament are to continue throughout the rest of the week, and on 15 September the regional champions are to face each other in the National Finals.

I'm looking forward to EVERYTHING that's going to happen on that Saturday!

***

For more photos from Gamefrog, please visit this Photobucket album: Liberty's Wrath NCR.

For DeSanggria's report from Warzone2020, please visit this entry: The tournament of surprises.

An informal picspam entry: what I did today

I paid a visit to DeSanggria and pCM Veya at their office today. They're in the thick of preparations for the 15 September launch - it's just a week away, woohoo!



I took a few pics of them having fun with some of the props that will be used during the event:


DeSanggria holds up the disembodied head of a female scout in Naranja e Preto clothes, while pCM Veya looks on in astonishment.


My turn with the scout head.


A mini-sized Diego standee.

***

Today I also received the code for the Divine Angel Wings that I won for being blogspotted, courtesy of RCM Hrin herself, and here's who I gave it to:


Chimal in her winged glory!

And so here are my winged girls, together in the shot:


***

I'll see you all at Gamefrog tomorrow for the tournament and for the in-game event! ^^

Another family milestone, and an interview!

The NineMoons family main team on Cervantes server makes Level 52~!

[Special thanks to Thoraine for helping me get the last percentage points in at Porto Bello!]

And here's the proof: pretty new armors, hats and weapons!



From left to right: Chimal, ESP wizard; Aurana, First Aid / Fortitudo scout [both now maxed out!] / and Tuon, High-Guard fighter [tanking days ahoy!].



Oh, they grow up so fast~

***

Over the past week I've had the privilege of speaking with many of the heroes and unique player personalities in Granado Espada, and one of them in particular now gets showcased in this post.

Everyone, meet Mardias, faction leader - and lone member - of the faction OneManArmy.

And without further ado: the interview I conducted with him!

1. your family name and server?
Mardias, Cervantes

2. where does your family name come from? / origin of the family name?
An old SNES RPG title "Romancing Saga". MY girlfriend is a fan of the series.

3. what is the name of your faction? and what is the origin of the faction name?
Refer to my blog for the origins raywing.livejournal.com

4. does your faction have a motto? what is it?
My own motto is "The Free Soul - Absolute Freedom!"
And also the Granado Espada spirit - "Freedom, Unity, Friendship"

5. what made you decide to create a faction with only one family in it?
Refer to my blog for the origins

6. please tell us about your experiences getting your faction to levels 51 and 52. how did you accomplish the missions that are needed to advance to those levels?
Basically, I decided that I would need help, but I didn't want to involve it as a faction issue. I made it a point to get helpers helping me at a "personal friend" level. I didn't broadcast to get help like some people do - I just picked from my own friendlist to see who are the strong players who are online at the time. Like I always said, it's not about how strong you are - it's about the relationship you built with others.

- what happened during the mission to get to faction level 51?
Nothing much to mention about GHG - it was pretty simple. I gathered people at Vegas Javier, summoned the GHG, and in a short while it was down. We have about 7 families in the event. We didn't even squad.
Chrysalis was tougher. We wanted to do it on Friday night, after helping Pacardo (Wildboys) and ULA (Calypso) achieve their lvl 52, but it ended up that some kind of a bug happened during the mission and it took longer than expected. The time almost ran out, until I discovered a path to break the bug. But the mission ended late into the wee hours, so I decided to put mine off till the next day.
The next day, as with GHG, I gathered some friends (some of which I just made the previous day, helping them with lvl 52 quest), and went on the mission. It wasn't too difficult, as we had experienced players tanking. Coordination went well, and the mission went on pretty smoothly, did it in one try.

- and what about the mission for faction level 52?
I returned home from my meeting with a client (I'm a financial consultant by the way), turned on my GE, and received a pm from Remington (Wildboys), asking me if I wanna do my faction lvl 52 mission. They already have a large group waiting, haha.
With the experience from the previous time doing the lvl 52 mission, and armed with the research I did from the Japanese wiki on GE, I led the team on the mission with relative ease. At one point, though, the party was nearly wiped out - but we struggled on, and eventually managed to turn the tide. And the rest is history.

7. does your faction have a political party affiliation?
- if yes, then why pick that party?
- if no, why remain neutral?
Nope. I'd always like to remain neutral. That's my nature. There is actually a third party affiliation - the Mercenary - but it seems that it was not implemented yet. I might just go for that.

8. are you planning to join faction-based events such as Colony Wars in the future? what will your faction be doing in Granado Espada?
I have some plans, but for now it shall... remain a secret. Hehe.
Once I achieve what I want to achieve, I might just retire the faction when my girlfriend can't stand the Swimming Float Aura anymore, hahaha.

***

p.s. How did you all like the fanfiction I put up? Let me know if I should continue with the other sisters! ^^

At Blade Point: A tale of the NineMoons Family

Night fell all too soon over the city of Auch and its restless inhabitants. Behind closed doors, many adventurers stayed up long after the sun had set, discussing strategy for the return of the Dark Lord.

In their quarters at the inn called the Golden Apple, the NineMoons sisters rested after a long day of training; one by one, each said good night to the others and retired to her room.

All but one; Tuon watched them go - her youngest sister Aurana, the fraternal twins Ravashi and Chimal - and wished them sweet dreams, yet she herself remained in the sitting room as the fire died down in the soot-stained fireplace.

When only the light from the stars and the street lamps remained, Tuon crossed the room to the windows that opened out onto the city, and sat upon one of the sills.

A slight breeze flirted with the curtains and blew fine blonde hair across the eldest NineMoons girl's face, and as she brushed away the stray strands, she closed her eyes, and remembered the last time someone else's hands had made the gesture for her, back in their adopted home country of Illier.

~flashback: 10 months ago~

"En garde!"

Boots clicking on the practice court, the clash of swords. Tuon danced back several steps and raked her hair out of her eyes, all the while she pointed her blade at her opponent and waited for him to move once again.

Oliver lunged, his sword pointed straight to her heart; she riposted and pushed him back with all her strength, but found herself on the defensive yet again as he recovered - seemingly without any effort - and attacked yet again.

"No!" she cried, and spun in place to lock her sword-hilt with his.

Their blades clashed together, and now they were standing so close that as they breathed harshly, they could each feel the other's breath upon their cheeks.

Their eyes met, Tuon's green-gray and Oliver's blue. "Never...be afraid...to trust your heart," they said together, and as one, they stepped apart, circling each other at ten paces as they planned their final moves.

Tuon closed her eyes and raised her sword to vertical - she took a deep breath - she threw herself at her opponent, and opened her eyes to dodge away from his blow and swing her blade at the unprotected skin of his throat.

Oliver smiled, and turned his blade point down. "And now, you have me."

The laugh escaped Tuon before she could stop it, and she stepped away from him. She had been so precise in her final thrust that her blade had been resting on his skin, but left it unmarked as it moved away.

"I don't think there's anything else I can teach you now," Oliver said as he sheathed his sword and moved toward a low table, on which stood a pitcher and two pewter goblets. He poured a deep red wine into the goblets and brought them over to Tuon. "You've developed your own style, and that's the best that I can hope for with any student I take on." He drained his goblet. "And you've certainly been the best student I have ever taken."

"If I am the best, it is because I have been taught by the best." Tuon accepted the proffered goblet and sipped at it, glad to stand near him but also grateful for the chance to hide her face.

Silence for a few moments, and then...

"You're leaving on the Jaclina."

Tuon sighed, and crossed to the table to put down her drink. "Yes. My sisters have spoken of nothing else but the trip to the New World."

Oliver walked over to her, putting one arm around her shoulders and drawing her in close. "Can you not stay another week? I would spend those days not in sparring with you. I would simply stay by your side. Please, just a week longer."

"I...I must follow Mother's wishes." Tuon turned her face in towards him, her hair now falling to hide her face completely.

The same callused hands that had taught her how to wield a blade now brushed the offending tresses away with astonishing gentleness. "And what of your heart, my Tuon? What do you wish for?"

Tuon embraced him. "That week with you. And after, to have you let me go."

She felt him freeze for a moment; then, a long, drawn-out sigh. "You know my heart has always known this was coming," Oliver said quietly. "Knowing your family, and the troubles you have all lived through. You're of Oporutan royal blood, and Wartime Nobility as well. When the Reconquista Policy took effect I knew that sooner or later you would leave."

He held her at arm's length with one arm, and with the other, brushed at her hair once more.

Tuon felt in her pocket for the only gift she had to give him: a silver ring engraved with her name. "Give me your hand, Oliver," she murmured, and in the proffered palm she gently placed the ring. "I cannot ask you to wear that on your hand - you need them unencumbered for the fight. But I ask you to carry that with you wherever you may go. Think of it as the piece of me that I shall leave behind in the Old World as I sail to the New."

Wordlessly, Oliver placed the ring in the pocket over his heart.

~flashback ends~

Tuon touched the pocket over her own heart now, and felt for the ring she had received, the ring that bore Oliver Jarjayes's name - the part of him that had sailed to the New World.

Blogspotting double event: NineMoons+DeSanggria on role-playing

NineMoons Family & DeSanggria Family Have Been Blog-spotted!

My entry on role-play during the Claude's Angels event, plus DeSanggria's fanfiction about her family, got us both the nod! ^^

To everyone who drops in as a result of the blog-spotting: welcome and I hope you enjoy your visit here. ^^

And, no matter whether you join Sacha's Big Boys Army, Doriane's Aspiring Army, or Amethy's Volunteer Army - we'll be seeing you on Saturday, 8 September, to help fight off Vergo the Cursed!

***

Thanks to my faction leader Harbin for this warm post!

Putting the RP in MMORPG: the Claude's Angels event

Now here's something different, Granado Espada-style:

Return of the Dark Lord 2: Claude's Angels

Read the FAQ here.

Not only can players take on an appropriately-leveled Dark Lord, they can also role-play their hearts out while doing it!

Essentially, it's a two-pronged event: a pure role-play on the forums as moderated by Sacha, Doriane and Amethy; plus the big monster-kill-fest that is the actual spawning of the Dark Lord.

The forum event is now open, and players can now role-play in the appropriate threads; the role-play continues all the way up to the actual event on 8 September, as Claude's Angels will continue monitoring the in-game chat to see who the best role-players are.

***

Role-playing in a nutshell: essentially, we're all being encouraged to post in the forums and chat during the event, as our Granado Espada citizen selves. Whatever story you have for your family - a member of the Wartime Nobility, a subject of Vespanola, a staunch Republican or Royalist, or anything else you've thought of - the event recommends that players speak and act in-game in the manner of their individual back stories.

My own NineMoons family on Cervantes as the example: in my characters' back story, they're members of the Wartime Nobility and have some Old World noble blood in them. On Doriane's thread and during the event itself, then, I'll be posting and chatting as though I were Tuon, the leader of the family, the eldest sister, and the dedicated believer in freedom and military might.

This is something I've not seen before and an event I'm really looking forward to - so look for me in Doriane's Aspiring Army! ^^

Update on the launch party, national PvP tournament, and a spotlight on female gamers

pCM Veya has posted on her blog the details of the Granado Espada commercial launch party on 15 September, and here are the most relevant notes:

Day Event
Venue: One Esplanade SM Central Business Park Seaside cor. Bay Blvd., Pasay City
Time: Registration @11AM - 12 Noon Program: 3PM - 7PM
- Liberty's Wrath Finals
- Offline Quest Challenge
- Band Performances
- Cosplay
- Lots more surprise activities!

Night Event
Venue: One Esplanade SM Central Business Park Seaside cor. Bay Blvd., Pasay City
Time: 10PM onwards
Tickets: 600 php

Free tickets must be claimed strictly before 10PM
GE Cosplayers and the 1st 100 e-Games Loyalty Card holders will have free tickets
Strictly only 18 and above are allowed to enter

Part of the reason for that ticket price can be found at this entry: world-famous DJs John Askew and Johnboy Lee will be working the turntables at the night party!

This party seems to indeed be the parallel to the Granado Espada Raid Party at Zouk last 16 June: day events, night events, and big-name DJs, oh my!

***

Also posted is the schedule for the Liberty's Wrath National PvP Tournament, so please be advised.

I'll be covering the event at Gamefrog in Ortigas on 8 September, so I'll see you all there!

***

And finally, a notice from the Shameless Self-Promotion Department:

A week or so ago, DeSanggria sent me a few questions about the experience of being a girl gamer. I answered the questions and then asked her what they were for.

She said that they were in aid of an article on female gamers that would soon be published in the Philippine Star daily newspaper some time in September.

Well, guess what - that article, Female gamers: A force to reckon with has come out! It's in the Networks sub-section of Business.

If you can't buy the broadsheet, you can read the article online here.

Read about other girl gamers: GM Amethy of Ran Online, O2 Jam player Charmaine Ferro, Kristel Eniego [leader of the Dance Battle Audition group Dream Girls Club], and Ran Online player Grapes Carandang - and me, too. ^^

Colony Wars update, and some random notes

The results of the first Colony Wars session of the commercial phase, not to mention after the departure of Yakisoba faction.

A relevant question raised during the course of the past week: Who will lead the Royalists in the absence of Yakisoba?

Further, I'm looking forward to how the ChocoPoring faction - led by former Yakisoba members including Crimzama - will do in succeeding CW sessions.

Congratulations to the factions that acquired colonies: CARNAGE, Dominion, Vradical, Anonymous, Fenrir, DarkCrusade, XeNaTioN, WrathOfGod - and good luck in defending them from now on!

***

Random notes:

- While squadding with my faction leader Harbin at El Lago de Tres Hermanas, we suddenly got Baroned by a wiz-Bernelli-scout team! Harbin and I both asked the other player why he PK'd us, and were astounded by the reply: our attacker thought that Harbin and I were *bots*!

[Thanks to Thoraine for helping us both out~!]

- B> Catherine's pelvis/hips - at a reasonable price, please!

- S> Lisa Lynway, Alejandro, Brunie Etienne character cards [original, NOT mercenary], please PM me!

The Game! September print issue is out...

...and I find myself having a few minor quibbles with it this time.

But first and foremost: my sincerest apologies to La Mer, Lionheartz, and Thoraine. You three gave most generously of your resources to help me write the article: La Mer and Lionheartz allowed me to refer to their excellent guides [on starting teams and complete RNPC information, respectively], while Thoraine allowed me to take a screenshot of some of his characters to help illustrate a point in the article.

I also tender my apologies to the maintainers of ge.iahgames.com, from whom I quoted the basic information on the stock character classes.

Unfortunately, as it turned out, my acknowledgements of their work did NOT appear in the article as it was printed.

Guys, I'm really sorry about the omission. I put my thanks and your names and URLs in a sidebar section, but it seems that section, which I wanted to have placed at the end of the article, was omitted. Please rest assured that I'm doing everything I can to fix this problem.

Again, my deepest apologies.

***

Anyway, here are the front cover and the first page of my Granado Espada article on MCC combinations for Game!'s September issue:





I wonder when they will have a Granado Espada front cover???

The point of no return

I have some mixed reactions regarding the latest milestone reached by my NineMoons main team in Cervantes server.

Here are the girls:



Right, so why are Aurana and Tuon saluting when Chimal is not?

Simple. My scout and my fighter have reached Level 51, or what I call the point of no return. No more auto-resurrection for those two - every time Tuon dies I have to hope Aurana can revive her in time, and every time Aurana dies they all have to go back to the barracks.

Chimal is within a hair's breadth of the same level, and doesn't seem to be looking forward to it.

True, the girls are itching to change into new armors, but there's the funny bit about no more auto-revive.....

[Note to self: stock up on resurrection potions and buff items.

Second note to self: Some bots bite back. >.>]

***

On the night that Yakisoba faction leader Tsubaki bid Cervantes server goodbye, he had quite a funny parting shot to deliver: he announced he was giving away his items in Auch Channel 1.

I was on the scene moments later and managed to capture this through the chuckles:



Hopefully you can make out the Baron red skulls over Tsubaki's characters - they're directly behind Tuon.

Not telling you what he gave me but I can say that he was not about to part with any of his costume items. When next we see him, he'll still be in those bear outfits.

See you around, dude.