A long time ago I made my first foray into the Ustiur jungles, meeting distinguished base camp leaders Grandice, Queen of Pioneers, and Romina, leader of the Rescue Knights. I only made it as far as Ustiur Zona Dos in Cervantes, though, and had never even had a chance to take out the Tyrannosaurus lurking between Zona Dos and Zona Tres. [Got killed the only time I tried it, and never did it again.]
Not any more! Finally achieving the required levels on Carracci, I powered through Zona Uno and Zona Dos - and took out the mighty Tyrannosaurus on the very first attempt! I'm sorry there were no screenshots, as I was too nervous and too focused on the boss. I can go and try it again sometime, though....
But lest you think I'm just boasting, check out this screenshot:
That is, of course, my NineMoons team in Caracci taking on a Hydradon - and that means I've made it as far as Zona Tres! This shot was taken en route to the Skull Dungeon. Next time I log into the game, I will try to see if I can survive that famous place.
This week will see several major announcements on the blog, so please do stay tuned. I promise I'll really make it worth your while to see what changes are in store!
As promised, the pics from yesterday's event. I've made the pics load in smaller versions so those on dial-up won't have that long to wait before seeing them. Thanks to our unofficial photographer, who helped take the group shots. [You know who you are ♥]
After I got sneaked in past the long lines by Veya, here she is in the very left of the picture as the tech team installs Granado Espada on the bank of PCs reserved for the game.
The very nearest PC in the foreground is connected to the IAH test server, and not to the regular game servers; it was one of the PCs used for the day's PvP tournaments.
Once the event was open, I took advantage of the GE freeplay to both level and to sit down. That didn't stop me from taking pictures! Here's the crowd early in the morning, around the Dance Battle Audition segment. Farther on in the picture are the segments for O2 Jam and Ran Online.
Veya on stage, during her [unfortunately] error-filled presentation.
When talking about a game, you're required to pitch it to people who might become interested enough to play it. Such a pitch means you have to be both interesting and accurate.
Besides, the presence of inaccuracies in your pitch will not only make you look very badly informed, a disaster if you're a product and community manager; but you'll also be panned / snarked about / criticized by your actual, current players. What kind of product manager doesn't know even the basics of the product he/she manages?
My dear, fighters in GE carry much more than just swords, shields, and pistols; musketeers cannot use shotguns; and wizards are not purely offensive characters - that's the elementalist you're describing - wizards are both offensive hitters and defensive buffers/debuffers.
Never mention the B-word - "bot" - in a presentation, and especially not anywhere near the AFK-leveling mechanic, lest you give anyone the wrong impression. Associating the B-word with a perfectly legal game mechanic is a major misstep. Don't we have enough trouble fighting off the bots already?
Above all, you might want to throw out some props to your community, which really does the bulk of your work for you [witness that sudden spike of broads in Carracci about the event, to which people were responding with there's an event?!], instead of just saying "balance your real life and your gaming life"!
[Corrections to that error-filled presentation are here, if you're interested.]
Caracci faction sandwich! NineMoons and Mitchin of Takhisis flank Blacksword of Covenant.
GE players and curious onlookers mob one of the PvP tournaments that took place at the event.
Another Takhisis + Covenant faction group shot! From left to right: Zoldyak [is this the right spelling? corrected, thanks Blacksword ^^], Rivendel, Mitchin, Nate Reclusion, NineMoons, Blacksword, Kincaid, and Darrick Reclusion.
...I really just went to the event for the EB in the last picture, the free play, my Bellem card, and the Version 2.6 previews - but unfortunately, I never experienced that last one......
Today I went to the Manila leg, and final installment, of the Globe Summer Gimik Games 2008, at which telecoms company Globe partnered with IP e-Games to showcase and promote the game publisher's range of online games.
Since IP e-Games publishes Granado Espada, there were GE merchandise items to buy, PCs to play GE on, tournaments for current and new players, and a presentation from the country community manager.
[They promised a sneak peek of The Requiem, but all we saw were video snippets. I'm not sure if anyone actually got there. However, I left early, so I might've missed it.]
I was determined to have fun because I went to the event primarily to meet up with friends from Takhisis and Covenant factions. [Pictures will be up tomorrow, kids.]
However, the aforementioned presentation really, really got my goat.
I don't want to waste time dwelling on how full of fail and inaccuracies it was, specially when it came to describing the basic classes. So I will instead assuage my hurt feelings by trying to do that presentation right: shorter, more informative, more concise, more user-friendly, and more accurate by far.
What is Granado Espada? It's the first Triple-A MMORPG ever distributed in the Philippines. This critically acclaimed game, designed by Kim Hakkyu, has earned accolades for its unique Multi-Character Control and Xtreme Artificial Intelligence mechanics.
GE tells the tale of the conquest of a New World by courageous pioneers. GE is also the tale of the conflict between the Royalists and the Republicans. It is a game set in lush landscapes,with a setting that resembles our own Baroque Period and the Age of Exploration.
What is Multi-Character Control (MCC)? Among MMORPGs, GE stands out for its MCC mechanic, which allows players to control up to three characters at the same time.
What is Xtreme Artificial Intelligence (XAI)? XAI is a more efficient and balanced game mechanic. Players can choose a mode in which their characters can remain active and gain levels, without always having to stay in front of their gaming PC. XAI's primary component is its Away From Keyboard (AFK) leveling mode, in which players can choose a spot for their characters and press the Space bar, and the XAI keeps the characters killing monsters, therefore leveling even without the player's minute-by-minute attention.
What is a Recruitable Non-Player Character (RNPC)? Another standout feature of GE is that players can actually recruit many of the game's NPCs into their team. This allows for many different combinations of characters, and allows players great flexibility in facing the various situations that crop up in GE.
What are stances and skills? In GE, all characters either already have or can learn a number of stances, which are essentially suites of skills that allow them to wield selected weapons (or none) and use those weapons in specific ways.
What are the game's basic classes? In GE, players begin their adventures by selecting a team of up to three characters from the game's five basic classes. Each of the five basic classes has a male version and a female one. They can later on expand the team by creating additional characters, whether RNPCs or the five original classes.
The five basic classes are the Fighter, the Musketeer, the Wizard, the Scout, and the Elementalist.
Here's a brief overview of the five basic classes.
The Fighter is the game's basic melee-offensive character. A fighter can serve as the main "tank", or damage-absorber, for his or her companions. Fighters are very versatile, as they can learn a wide range of stances, which allows them to use a wide range of weapons:
The Musketeer is GE's basic ranged-offensive character. He or she specializes in killing enemies before they even come close. They have a wide range of ballistic-type weapons to choose from. Being reliant on ballistics means they need to have a steady supply of ammunition.
The Wizard in GE is a magic-user with both offensive and defensive capabilities. As an offensive magic-user, a wizard can summon either his or her own psychic energies, or the powers of the earth itself, to deal damage to enemies. As a defensive magic-user, a wizard can use "light" magic to place helpful buffs on his or her allies, and "dark" magic to curse his or her enemies. At high levels, a wizard can even use his or her powers to fly, making them the only class capable of attack from on high.
rod, staff, special rod - Psychokinesis, Levitation rod - ESP, Incantation staff - The Illusionist, Anathema
The Scout is the main "supportive" character of the game, extremely useful whether equipped with weapons or without. Their major role, however, is when they have no weapons, thus they become the healer and buffer for a team. The scout uses an array of potions, plus his or her considerable knowledge of the healing arts, to keep his or her comrades alive and kicking. They can also set traps which can deal damage to any enemies who are lured into them. On the other hand, give a scout a dagger or two, and watch those same enemies fall in droves.
no weapons - First Aid, Fortitudo, Install Trap, Tactical Assistance dagger - Esgrima dagger + dagger - Dobalada Corte
The Elementalist, is the game's magic-user offensive specialist. As the name implies, an elementalist calls upon the forces of fire, ice, and lightning to kill his or her enemies. They have a few buffs that bestow elemental resistances and strengths upon their companions, but most of their skills are devoted to causing damage to enemies - and lots of damage at that.
fire bracelet - Possession Fire fire bracelet + fire bracelet - Evocation Fire, Domination Fire ice bracelet - Possession Ice ice bracelet + ice bracelet - Evocation Ice, Domination Ice lightning bracelet - Possession Lightning lightning bracelet + lightning bracelet - Evocation Lightning, Domination Lightning special bracelet - Lord of Elemental
What else makes GE special or different from other MMORPGs? From the very first Beta Testing period, one of the hallmarks of GE has been its active community. In particular, the community of GE players in the Philippines is responsible for two major streams of fan-contributed work: the player blogs, on which GE players show off their writing skills, and their knowledge of and love for the game; and the Fantazzztic Film Awards, in which players create films based on GE's graphics and mechanics [machinima]. In the Philippines, many of the player groupings, called factions in-game, schedule regular meet-ups in real life, and show the camaraderie and fellowship that Filipino groups are known for.
That's how you do it! No fuss or frills, nothing extra, and everything basic included!
So there we were in TK around midnight, happily leveling, when deputy faction leader Lecat began bopping around several fairly well-known maps, looking for trouble. As it turns out, trouble found him: Gerero in Gehenna Bridge, Channel 2!
I'd never even seen "Rero", the boss's nickname, before, so on a whim, I rushed to join Lecat and AlphaOmega there, and this is what we all got dropped into:
We were eventually joined by Mitchin, making for four families whacking at Rero. That meant we took a little while doing it, but in the end - it was done and ding dong the boss is dead! No one else was on the scene at that time, so all the spoils went to TK ^^
From our friends at the doratomo.jp GE fansite comes a new female fighter hairstyle: the Ponytail!
Front view
Side view
[What's the delivery mechanism? Karja Boxes? Premium Item Shop? And which version will this come out in? Can't read all the Japanese at that site.]
B-but I made a malefighter in Carracci, and I've no plans of making another fighter in the same server as of now T.T Dammit! I want one of these!
***
Yay Level 80 at last! Two more nights to 84 ^^
***
Heard yesterday that the July print edition of Game! is out on newsstands now. I wrote the feature article on Version 2.6 and the Version 3.0 sneak preview, under my usual "PJ 'NineMoons' Punla" byline. Since the articles were commissioned WAY back in May, a lot of the info in the Version 2.6 article is going to be slightly whacked-off. I couldn't even find all the information I needed to write the two articles properly!
I'll be taking August off from writing Game! articles; come September, I'll do a massive Version 2.6 re-update with all the corrected info from the release. [That's if the release goes through as planned, let's hope eh?]
***
Was very happy to hear from RCM Hrin about Granado Espada Hangaroo Version 1.0: she thinks it's "awesome" ^^ I asked her for some help with the updates for the game, and she gave it even though she's swamped at work - thank you so much!
Please watch this blog for the release of Granado Espada Hangaroo Version 1.2, sometime within the next few days ^^
Please click here to download the installer and first version of the Granado Espada Hangaroo game!
Update: am now working on the first major revision to the phrase file, a/k/a the puzzles, that were contained in the first version I released last week.
The original phrase file was about 200+ puzzles strong; by the time I finish this first update, I will have more than doubled its size, so you guys can have many more puzzles to solve. I will also be adding a few new categories.
If the first version has you stumped, I put together a quick strategy guide here.
...Yes, I'm taking notes while leveling, why do you ask? No one said you're not allowed to multitask while playing GE ^^
Tonight's Colony Wars: rather a non-starter, I'm afraid, despite faction leader Fiksdotter's best efforts.
So have some screenies while I'm grinding:
NineMoons on Carracci: Furyk, full-support scout [maxed First Aid / Fortitudo] Radhanon, grounded wizard [maxed Psychokinesis / ESP / The Illusionist] Shandre, twin-pistols Grace Bernelli [maxed Double-Gun Shot]
After getting several levels in at the Rion Hollow [special thanks to the FilouetCompany family for the boost], I'm now en route to Prison de Joaquin, to do the Grace Bernelli round of Pioneering Quests, plus finish up the pending tasks for Jean-Pierre Gascon. [Will likely do the Andre Cockatrice quest after 76, go figure.]
Have been trying to get in at least a level a day thanks to one of my Combat Manuals. Current goal: make 76 and then 84. Hope the EQ I have now will be helpful in that aspect.
I especially cannot wait to make 84, as I've made a considerable investment towards that level. If needs be, I'll stay up all night for the next month just to make Vet.
[I'll still be blogging, though! Fear not!]
Today's outstanding GE / SOTNW link: Check out Granado Espada Cosplay Toronto! They're a SOTNW cosplay group who intend to take the 2009 cosplay / con season by storm by dressing up in the various gorgeous costumes / armors of the New World. And they intend to begin with the Le Blanc series, plus the White School Uniform series! Serious pretty here, people!
I know, we've been on a kick about the presence / absence of Version 2.6 for a while now. Count me among those who were quite disappointed when the Server Party crashed and burned the way it did, and when 12 June came and went with Version 2.6 turning to bupkis.
Now, this announcement from IAHGames is making me wish I could go to their sponsored cybercafe just once.
I mean, I already know someone in the PH who has a test server account. I envy these people the chance to see the new everything in Version 2.6.
Not to mention, WTF, so they're pushing back the release of the patch a whole 'nother month [July 2008 is mentioned in the news article]. I'm not even sure I should get my hopes up. All I can do is wish that the patch goes live on the real servers before I celebrate my birthday in September.
On a side note: the article talks about GE, but the map posted with it is emblazoned with Hellgate: London. Kweh?
Their version of 2.6, Nocturnal Sonata, is scheduled for release on 25 June. Merriex is also planning for the three more major patches to be released this year - whoa! K2 Networks patch FAST! They're going to get Version 3.0 before us, and completely leave SEA / ANZ GE in the dust, if they keep this up!
Merriex also discusses the following:
- The same community-requested switch from P2P to F2P that SOTNW underwent
- Holiday patches that included their equivalent of a fire sale - 50% off on all cash shop items! Good lord! We've never had anything like THAT here!
- The introduction of Faction Wars [our Colony Wars, duh]
- "Andre's Ultimately Fabulous Competition". The article describes this as "a new-player-versus-player-versus-crazy-raid bosses tournament". Sounds like Super Fight to me.
- The new UPCs [our RNPCs] and stances
- "We have doubled the experience rate [!] and added hundreds of new quests to reduce the need to grind [double !!] to maximum level." If that's true....man!
Asked about the differences between North American players' interests and those of South Korean players, Merriex commented that Koreans tend to play together in PC bangs [Internet cafes and LAN shops to the rest of us], tend not to chat because they play together in groups in the aforementioned PC bangs, and tended to skew older in age - 35-40 years old. In contrast, he says Americans tend to play from home PCs, chat a lot (either in the chat windows or VoIP), and are skewed younger - 15-25 years old.
Future plans include:
- "Royal Rumble": clans [factions] battle each other, AND raid bosses, at the same time! That doesn't sound like anything we've ever had!
- Expansion of Andre's Ultimately Fabulous Competition to lower-level players.
Look at his parting shot, the best line of the interview:
That's the key to maintaining an MMORPG--offering new innovative content for existing players, while making things easy and fun for new players.
How the heck does K2 Networks do it? They seem to have a lot of freedom to tinker with the game and make it accessible to everyone. Granted, it's a PR interview, and they don't talk about any possible problems like RMT and bots, but Merriex sure paints a rosy picture of SOTNW right there.
[Afterthought: does IAHGames have the same leeway to do this stuff? Just a stray question there.]
So people have been "yelling" at me [virtually, anyway], saying that my Granado Espada-based version of Hangaroo is a wee bit difficult.
...Well, I'm not going to say that Hangaroo is easy. This is already a specialized version, and all you have to do is get your brain into GE gear to have a better chance at beating it.
[Try playing the ORIGINAL version, with over 200,000 phrases covering everything from movies to American history and culture to famous people and places all over the world, and know how difficult the game really is.]
Ever watch or play the American game show Wheel of Fortune? In the final round of that game, the final contestant is given about 30 seconds to guess a short word, usually 5-8 letters in length. The letters R S T L N E and an additional three consonants and one vowel, provided by the contestant, are revealed IF they are in the final puzzle.
Now, why R S T L N E? These are the most frequently-occuring consonants and vowel in the English language. I use those letters first whenever I'm answering the standard Hangaroo phrases, and usually I can get at least one of them to help me solve the phrase.
In GE phrases, however, the language, and thus the distribution of letters, is a little bit different. The more frequently appearing vowels seem to be A and I, instead of E - so I suggest you start with those. Once you've got the vowels, it gets easier to guess the letters that surround them in each word. As for consonants, R and S still seem to be the most frequent ones popping up, so use them as often as you can.
It also helps if you pay attention to the game itself when you're playing. Take a moment to check out the name of the mob you're killing, the item that dropped from it, the map you're in, and the stuff you carry in your inventory. Don't memorize, though! Just pay attention, and let the names sink into the back of your head, so you can quickly recall them for use with the GE version of Hangaroo.
2. The downloaded file should be called hangaroo_setup. When the download finishes, double-click hangaroo_setup to install the game.
3. Download my seaGE Hangaroo phrase file: click here. You'll download a text file named seaGE hangaroo.xml. Save it someplace convenient: your hard drive, flash drive, or whatever. Finally, delete the "seaGE" from the filename, so that it's called just hangaroo.xml.
4. Double-click the Hangaroo icon to run the game. Click the Menu button located at the top right of the Hangaroo window, under the Copyright and Legal button.
5. Choose Load Phrase File... and select the new hangaroo.xml that you downloaded. The game will automatically restart with the seaGE Hangaroo phrases.
6. To play Hangaroo, guess the hidden phrase to complete a level. Fill in the phrase with the correct letters to complete it. You can select the letters by either clicking on them with the mouse, or by inputting them in via the keyboard. But remember: you're allowed only FOUR wrong guesses per phrase. If you mess up, the kangaroo dies!
7. To save the kangaroo, complete ten puzzles.
8. Oh, did I mention that the kangaroo will comment on your correct and incorrect guesses? Don't be offended if he insults you - it's natural for him to get nervous, as it's his life on the line!
COPYRIGHT AND LEGAL STUFF
1. ORIGINAL Hangaroo Game: copyright NetCent Communications.
3. Granado Espada: copyright Kim Hakkyu, IMC Entertainment, IAHGames, etc.
4. Please give all credit where credit is due.
VERSION 1.0 NOTES
1. Version 1.0 of the SEA / ANZ GE version of Hangaroo currently has around 200+ phrases.
2. I intend to keep expanding the custom phrase file, so watch this blog for announcements of new versions.
3. Please feel free to email me your lists of phrases for the seaGE Hangaroo game! Send them to me at hisuifox@gmail.com and I will give you credit + copyright mention in the file.
And boy does she love us all. What better way to put the brakes on her hiatus mode than to unleash the secrets of Granado Espada Version 2.6.3: The Requiem?
Chaos Requiem revealed~! Defeat another version of the Great Hill Giant to enter this new map, located between the swamps of Bahamas and the jungles of Ustiur.
I know, I know, I haven't done one of these in yonks. I'm still willing to keep doing them, so if you'd like to be featured on this blog - just drop me a line in the comments to this post, or in my chatbox over there in the right-hand column, or email me: hisuifox@gmail.com.
While this blog has always been primarily aimed at the community and fans of the SEA / ANZ release of Granado Espada, I've never been one to exclude those who play on other versions - so this edition of the NineMoons Interviews features none other than Scarlette de Eszposito, girl gamer, blogger [click on her name to read her SOTNW blog!] and someone who loves both SEA / ANZ GE and the American version of the game, Sword of the New World: Granado Espada.
Take it away, Scarlette ^^
*** Can you tell us your in-game name, and/or your preferred nickname? "Scarlette de Eszposito" or "Scarlette."
What is your main server at present? There are three servers in Sword of the New World: Granado Espada (SotNW: GE) - Bristia (PvP), Opresia (Non-PvP) and Illier (Europe - PvP). Eszposito family is in Opresia, which is Non-PvP.
Who are the members of your current main team? And who else is in your Barracks at present? I have a lot of characters residing in the Eszposito Quarters (Barracks). However, I make a lot of them, but I only play some of them. My current main team includes Scarlette - Elementalist (72), Sionne - Rescue Knight (73), and Emilia - Emilia (72). Other characters in the quaters are - Catherine the Summoner named Rosemarie (34), Catherine of STR named Rosemaire (26), Brunie named Belladonna (54), Soso (Feng Ling) named Ling (34), Angie named Loisi (29), and a lot more.
Do you have a faction? If yes, what is its name? I currently don't have a faction, since i would like to keep myself "single" until I reach Veteran. However, i would join a Royalist faction just because i like Princess Gabriella.
How did you hear about SOTNW? I was always a Granado Espada lover. I once played on Thailand's GE server, but I am quite illiterate in the language, besides speaking it. So one of my friends kept bugging me to quit it and join her in SotNW, which is in full English. I was interested at first, but my internet was horrible, so I did not download it at the time.
What made you decide to start playing SOTNW? And what keeps you playing it now? First of all, the graphics. Granado Espada has one of the best model and textures ever seen online. The beautiful time period, the wonderful costumes, the hot male characters (Gavin is all mine!!) , the glamorous seas and a expanding world. Second, the community. The SotNW community is friendly, kind, and somehow, quite low in population. What keeps me playing now are the monthly updates, in-game friends (whee Liberata!), in-game goals, and the never-ending community support.
What aspect of the game do you like best? The graphics. As i mentioned earlier, there are beautiful girls and hot, steamy, sexy male characters. The glamorous costumes, the detailed cities, the pretty effects and the feeling of the 16, 17, and 18th Centuries. What drives me crazy about GE is the lack of character customization. I was about to commit suicidal at the first time I saw that you need to look like the other ten thousands of other warriors, scouts, musketeers, wizards and elementalists. However, I forced myself to give it a try, and it worked. I became a Granado Espada addict. Due to mainly the male swimsuits (Male Musketeer please - wow, hot tattoos!) and my friends (yay Liberata!).
Thoughts on the differences between GE and SOTNW? I think Granado Espada has a laggier community, but has a lot more population. Total opposite of SotNW. However, GE has better translations and ideas, but SotNW is far more creative in including the community. I heard that GE's economy is more of a "Pay me, or I won't love you" type of economy. I don't know if this is true, but correct me if I'm wrong. That's all I have to say.
you know you love me xoxo gossip girl
***
Much love and thanks to Scarlette for her wonderful interview ^^
Oh my! Has NineMoons finally made that grammatical mistake? Why is she talking about only one video when the entry looks like it has two videos embedded???
Embedded in that post is the following English teaser, dated 12 June 2008:
[Note: Try to find Bai Hu in the trailer. He's near the lower-right corner of the screen during the part where a bunch of families charge that new, brown GHG-type monster.]
But wait, there's more! This English trailer is actually the translated version of this Korean teaser for GE version 2.6, and among the people who posted it to YouTube were the Reclusion brothers! Their upload was dated 9 January 2008:
Anyway, the important features in the videos include: Selva in action, the romantic rivalry between the Jameson brothers Edward and Gavin, the continuing war between the Republicans and the Royalists - is Sir Lyndon now caught between a rock and a hard place? - and, of course, the Giants' Land!
...Now, all we need is an announcement of when this patch is coming out!
...Or, at least, I was already able to buy a copy of it, from a magazine dealer in Greenhills.
Here's the cover, so you know what you're looking for:
Game! needs a lot more Granado Espada covers, Y/Y?
This month, my article is about the bots of Granado Espada. I've tried to balance out that article in its writing, but as always, I welcome constructive criticism and comments here on the blog.
I wrote an article called The Servers of Granado Espada for the online edition of Game! Magazine. I'm reposting it here, and adding pictures of the five servers' namesakes as well. All information from Wikipedia, except the Pachelbel sketch, which is from http://www.pachelbel.us/.
Enjoy reading ^^
*** The Servers of Granado Espada
Granado Espada is hosted on five servers. Cervantes and Carracci are the original two servers for POBT. After calls for additional servers due to latency issues, IAH Games opened two new servers on May 21, 2007; and the final server was added on 17 June.
Other than being the “realms” or “worlds” that the players of Granado Espada explore, the four servers also stand as monuments to honor five men who created great art during the Age of Exploration.
Cervantes: This is the very first server of Granado Espada, being the lone server in use during the Closed Beta Test. Now, it serves as the first of the three PK servers.
Don Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra (1547-1616), a Spanish novelist, poet and playwright, is best known for writing the classic satire / comic novel Don Quixote. Protagonist Alonso Quixano has read so many tales of chivalry that he begins to think that he is a knight as well. Taking up the name “Don Quixote de la Mancha,” he takes Sancho Panza as his “squire” and goes on such adventures as the attack on the windmills.
Carracci: The second server, and one of the two original POBT servers, along with Cervantes. It is the first of the two non-PK servers.
Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) was an Italian Baroque painter, known to have inspired a great revival and popularity for Baroque illusionism and energy. Working in the traditions begun by Raphael and Michelangelo, during the 17th century he was praised as the paragon of Italian painters.
Caravaggio: One of the two servers added on May 21 is a PK server.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), also an Italian Baroque painter and a contemporary of Carracci, is the more well-known of the two. Known for the vitality and energy he infused into his large body of religious work, and infamous for his insistence on painting only from life, Caravaggio has been credited as having been the forerunner of modern painting.
Pachelbel: The second of the two servers added on May 21 is a non-PK server.
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, perhaps best known for his Canon in D. While he also wrote chamber music and many choral pieces, the Canon has remained the piece of music for which he is best known, having been used in popular culture since its resurgence in the 1970s.
Vivaldi: The newest server, added on June 17, is a PK server.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), also known as Il Prete Rosso or “the Red Priest”, was a prolific composer perhaps best known in modern times for the series of four violin concertos known as The Four Seasons. These pieces depict natural scenes via the changing seasons and the movement of the music. They are called “La primavera” (Spring), “L’estate” (Summer), “L’autunno” (Autumn), and “L’inverno” (Winter).
....If this IGN article is any indication, this may well be the rare time that Sword of the New World gets an update earlier than seaGE.
Wow. Once in a lifetime?
The current installment of the Sword of the New World Developer Diary talks about storyline information and new maps, mobs, and bosses in the coming patch called Nocturnal Sonata, scheduled for release on their servers on 25 June. Here's the screenshot that accompanies that article:
The IGN article says that Nocturnal Sonata will feature a new land called Caebolan, a holy land rumored to be the location of the mysterious city El Dorado. Long hidden by its guardians the Titans, Caebolan became the target of the corrupted / evil / generally asshat-ish Montoro, and it, too, became a land of terrible perils. To safeguard the pioneers of the New World, an interdict was placed on the region and no one was allowed to travel there.
But now, after rumors of what Montoro found there have surfaced, Caebolan's borders are again open to any explorers who are brave and strong enough to actually dare to go there.
Bet that screenshot looked awfully familiar to you guys.
According to our favorite sneak previews site doratomo.jp, this screenshot is of Sedekuremu, a map that is scheduled to be released in seaGE version 2.6, which IAHGames has christened The Requiem. Yup, it's the same patch that should have been released last 12 June, but has been delayed.
...Lack of Experts again? I'm thinking that the maps in this place, could be perhaps ten times more difficult than the Bahamas Swamps. Just an idea.
EDITED TO ADD: Oh, I found RCM Hrin's ultra-brief introduction of the version 2.6 maps in this forums thread. She says the new area is to be called Chaos Requiem. Apparently, "The Giants' Land" [...Tierra del Gigantes or something? We've heard that one before, too!] used to be a gorgeous place, but it was corrupted, and now all living creatures there have been turned into eerie purple crystals.
Aethelia's post also talks some about how to get to Chaos Requiem. Go read that post ^^ Props to that person ^^
The Requiem is also supposed to include RNPCs Vicente Rio the Bard, Bai Hu the Martial Artist of Mind, Calyce the Crossbow Huntress, and in future, Clare the greatsword-user / cannonneer / summoner. [She's a handful, that one!]
Right now, we've no idea when The Requiem will be released. Until then, I might have to keep an eye on Sword of the New World to find out what secrets the land of Caebolan / Sedekuremu / Chaos Requiem holds.
The old piece was a column / editorial-type essay about my feelings over the blog and its appeal; the current piece, The Long Road to Justice?, recently published, is a technology-section feature pointing up the legal aspects of being a blogger, as well as the problems with jurisprudence regarding the online world in the Philippines and in Asia.
Once again, Gorrell has posted this tech feature as a guest post on his blog: Lock Him Up!
This is what happens when you can't log in because you're at your day job....
One of Carracci server's Pinoy players has been banned from making server broadcasts for expressing his feelings over the actions of local partner IP e-Games.
I quote the relevant broads from Blacksword / Reimaru, whose own blog post on this matter is linked below.
Broad 1: Pwede bang ayusin yun card at poster dito sa Region 12? Translation: Can someone fix the problem with the distribution / availability of GVCs and GE posters here in Region 12?
Broad 2: Pwede ayusin yun Cards and Poster sa South Cotabato? Translation: Can someone fix the problem with the distribution / availability of GVCs and GE posters in South Cotabato?
Broad 3: Diba Work ng CM mag Distribute ng cards at poster bakit kami Wala? Translation: Isn't it part of the Community Manager's work to distribute GVCs and GE posters? How come we don't have any?
The information is that after that third broad, the player was banned from using broads / server chat. This player alleges that there is only one person who was responsible for this banning: Philippines Community Manager Veya.
I am now opening this blog to comments and ALL responses on this matter from EVERYONE concerned.
As the regular commenters will have noticed, I am no longer moderating the comments. So please feel free to use this entry as your means of responding to this issue.
I will refrain from making my own comments until I complete my investigation into this matter. But I WILL be deleting abusive comments and statements - after I record who said what, of course.
I encourage everyone involved / affected by this matter to come forward and make your sentiments known.
PS: I would really prefer it if commenters signed their comments, even if they comment anonymously. If you have something to say, be honest enough to leave your name. We're all in this together, and I'm not going to shoot anyone, except for the trolls.
Well, I'm happy to announce that the completed Version 1.0 of seaGE Hangaroo will soon be up and running - and downloadable - from this blog! Watch out for that announcement, coming real soon!
The seed for this column came from a slightly panicky email I received from a good friend of mine, who is a writer attached to the Creative Writing department at the university where we both studied:
I’ve been asked ... to write an article about online communities, and in looking around the web I realized that MMORPGs [Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games] have their own community of players called guilds.
Now, since you’re the only hard-core player I know, I was wondering if you could help explain to me how a guild is set-up and how having a guild affects game-play.
The comment on my gaming habits notwithstanding, haha, I gave him what help I could. Afterwards, I found myself continually returning to the topic and the answers I gave him:
Most MMORPGs encourage players to form a group, commonly called a “party” – as in adventuring party – in order to help each other reach desired goals within the game: to kill monsters, to find items that are either tedious to collect or extremely rare to find, to venture into new areas, etc. However, on the whole parties tend to be a temporary arrangement, and once the group’s goals are accomplished, the former party members often go their separate ways.
What happens when players want to have a more permanent grouping? That’s where the “guild” system comes in.
In the Philippines’s online gaming communities, the word “guild” is commonly used to refer to permanent player groupings. This is partly because that was the term used for that particular game mechanic by the first MMORPG introduced in the country, Ragnarok Online (RO). Other MMORPGs have different names for this permanent player grouping, such as “faction” in Granado Espada (GE), or “clan” in Perfect World (PW).
Overall, though, the word “guild” seems to be more commonly used, as is the case with World of Warcraft (WoW), currently the world’s biggest MMORPG with over 10 million players worldwide.
Many games also allow guilds to enter into treaties or alliances with other guilds, making the permanent player groupings even bigger!
There are any number of reasons to band together in a guild: your barkada gets together in a single online game to keep up the friendship. A group of the strongest players in a game band together in order to stay at the top. Crafting / merchant characters band together to share resources and discuss the prices of the items they create and sell.
And sometimes it’s just plain better to be in a guild. Many games include mechanics that not only allow but require guilds to engage each other in wars over disputed territories, or to meet each other in designated battle arenas. In some games, both happen at the same time! So you better believe there’s competition between guilds in a game, both to gain new recruits and to further improve / strengthen themselves.
And then, of course, this being the Philippines, here’s the best part of being in a guild: meeting up! Eye-Balls, or EBs, are practically de rigeur for all-Pinoy guilds and gaming groups, and they often get together, not only to meet the new members, but also – and more importantly – to have offline fun.
Here’s my story as a gamer who prefers to play in a guild, and I’m sure that if you play computer or console games, you may have experiences similar to mine.
I’ve been part of a barkada that became a guild; and I’ve also experienced the opposite, joining a guild that took me in as part of the real-life barkada. This is where all the pictures come in!
Ragnarok Online: the Vikings These guys were originally friends of my boyfriend. I’d been hanging out with them for a short time before signing up for Ragnarok Online, and becoming a member of their guild. Initially, there were about two or three other girls who were also in the group, but eventually they drifted away from the game and from the group, leaving me as the lone female.
And after a night of boss hunting we’d go out to have breakfast together and kill a few more hours, just shooting the breeze and having fun out in the real world.
I still remember all the jokes we cracked about me having a posse of bodyguards: it’d be way too early in the morning, I’d be the only girl, and I’d be walking along with eight or nine guys surrounding me!
The group has since left RO and gone their separate ways in the world – our leader now works in Hungary, dear God – but we all still consider ourselves a barkada, and the remaining members still go out on the weekends from time to time to play computer games, although they’ve all switched over to Defense of the Ancients (DotA) now. Doesn’t matter – we still play together!
Granado Espada: From Æphemeral to WrathOfGod to Takhisis After quitting RO, I bounced around from online game to online game, but never found reason to stick with anything until Granado Espada came along. The game’s unique mechanics and lush visuals made me stick around; and eventually a friend invited me into his faction.
I rose to become the vice-leader of Æphemeral, helping to lead and manage an international membership. But some time after I joined, the faction leader faded out of the game, and eventually the members were dispersed.
In order to fulfill a task I was doing in the game community at the time, I joined one of the strongest and most renowned factions in Cervantes server, WrathOfGod. Their specialties included both boss raids and the Colony Wars, GE’s version of the territorial conflicts mechanic. I spent many Sunday nights online with the members, doing what I could to help advance the faction, even though I was pretty low-level at the time.
I left WrathOfGod and Cervantes, and eventually settled in Carracci server with the dominantly Pinoy faction Takhisis. At the time that I joined, the members included many fellow GE bloggers. As Takhisis had been established for quite a long time (the faction recently marked its first anniversary), they were already a close-knit group, and I was honored to have become part of that group.
Special Case: Gaming Journalists A special subset of online gaming communities in the Philippines is comprised of the growing number of bloggers and journalists who report all the news that’s fit to print from the online game companies. There is already an organization of such gaming journalists, called the Asian Gaming Journalists Association.
It could be said that this group is a guild in the medieval sense: a group of professionals who work together to define their work and set standards for it.
I always found it slightly funny that I became a recognized part of this group at a press event for RO’s first free-to-play server, Valkyrie.
Special Case: Gamer Girls This is sort of a mini-advocacy of mine: the recognition of Pinoy girls as gamers. Until recently, popular culture held that “there are no girls on the Internet”, and certainly none to be found in online games; but maybe we girls are now gaining ground and respect as gamers on par with the overwhelmingly male demographic.
Some games have begun to bestow the recognition that is due upon the female segments of their communities.
In RO one of the most famous guilds was the Shadow Maidens, who actually did have a rigid screening process that required applicants to be female in real life – and to prove it to the guild membership. The popular dancing MMO Dance Battle Audition counts the all-female Dream Girls Club as one of its biggest organizations of players.
And GE hosted a Tribute to the Ladies at the end of March this year, as a fitting send-off to International Women’s Month.
I hope to return to the topic of gamer girls again in this column, perhaps in the near future.
***
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this mostly personal account of life lived as much online as offline, and almost always in the company of fellow gamers. If you’ve any feedback or comments, please feel free to email me at pj.punla@mediatrade.com.ph. Hope to hear from you soon!
NineMoons family of Takhisis Faction in Carracci server Wizard Radhanon + Scout Furyk + Bernelli Shandre Level 66 Levitation + Full Support [maxed First Aid and Fortitudo] + Double-Gun Shot
Big plans for their future! I CANNOT WAIT to finally get to Veteran with this team, especially with all the stuff I've got stocked up for them!
***
Takhisis went to Colony Wars tonight and for one brief shining moment, there was THIS:
And then we got ejected by Eminence about ten minutes afterwards.
Oh well. We'll just have to try harder and harder every week till we get a more permanent colony!
***
For anyone interested in learning a personal take on Pinoy communities in MMOs, check this out:
It's my latest column at ScoutAreaOnline.com, and serves as a meditation on my experiences as an online gamer and often member of in-game and real-life friendship groups.
I hope you like that column. Send me feedback here, or at pj.punla@mediatrade.com.ph ^^
This game is guaranteed Safe for Work - but don't look at me if you get addicted!
Ever played the game Hangman as a kid? You had X number of chances to correctly guess a phrase, name, object, or whatever before the poor about-to-be-hanged guy got the drop.
A new version, called Hangaroo [click to go to the official site], burst onto the net quite a few years ago, and now the new version's come out. It's free and it's safe for work, and it's challenging out the wazoo - and not just because the kangaroo, who replaces the man-about-to-be-hanged, insults you for your wrong guesses!
So what is Hangaroo doing on a Granado Espada blog? Simple: the new version of Hangaroo now allows people to create custom games.
Enter: Project Granado Espada Hangaroo!
Watch out for this ALL NEW GE-based Flash game to be hitting this blog very soon!
[In the meantime, try counting the ways in which the Hangaroo escapes - or not!]
And once again I commit the n00bie mistake of turning my back on my mobile phone. Result: swish and someone's light-fingered hands have snatched it away.
So please do me the favor of sending in your mobile phone numbers for my new address book. My new mobile number is
+63 919 321 1713
Let me know who you are, of course. And if you're a guy what's secretly hoping to make contact with a real live gamer girl: my BF is on this blog too. ^^ Don't say I didn't warn you.
I could use a vacation, it's been a damn stressful week and it's not even over yet. [I work over the weekends. My only real days off are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the better to avoid crowds.]
I wonder how long it'll take me to scrape up the money for a vacation. I'll take even Budget Hotels in the Philippines, I'm just looking to get away from it all a bit.
[But I'm still going to try and support seaGE while I'm away, if I ever do get away.]
- Buy A TON of GVCs and have my friendly neighborhood shop sell them.
- Do a full Technology Feature write-up on the Pinoy gamer girls phenomenon + the all-Pinoy gaming group experience.
- Write that Boss Raids article for the August print edition of Game! Magazine.
- Make level 64 or 65 make that 68 so I can use all the nifty armor I stockpiled already dammit.
- Begin Project GRANADO ESPADA HANGAROO.
My off-hours life is nothing but seaGE, even when I'm being tempted on all sides to try some other game. How some people can ever interpret that as being nothing but shameless self-promotion, lack of responsibility, or reckless and destructive action that goes against the game, I have NO idea at all.
[Excuse the mini-rant. It's just that I had to wait until my head was sufficiently cool before I could even attempt to get it off my chest.]
WARNING Lots of pictures! But please do wait for them to load - they're fun and worth the wait.
Bonus points to you if you get the reference in the post title ^^
And so Takhisis Faction found itself marooned in a sea ofhumanity the day the members went out to celebrate its first anniversary. Sure, we're like a week and a half late, but you know how the old saying goes....
Words cannot express how the entire National Capital Region must've heard that it was our anniv EB and showed up in droves and schools and herds and I'mrunningoutofcollectivewordsherehalp at the Mall of Asia yesterday. Okay, there was supposed to be the final night of this year's World Pyro Olympics [super fireworks festival and boom-off], and since it was 31 May all the school kids wanted to get their shopping done, and it was the weekend after salaries were given out, and ... after that, I got nothin'.
But here's the intrepid group of Luzon TK members who did manage to meet up:
Hail hail the gang's all here. Standing, left to right: Rosso [my partner and a special guest ^^], Whiteships [our resident Feng Ling cosplayer], Lecat [the head XD], Fiksdotter, Nicotina, and RoseChavez. Sitting, left to right: Winterlake, NineMoons, Romanovna [yes, I know that's Nate Reclusion XD], and AlphaOmega.
There was also a simultaneous TK EB for the members in Mindanao, and I'll be adding the pics and details as soon as I get them. [Plz send me pics, VargasII!]
After a fair amount of time waiting for everyone to arrive - during which we ran into members of Outcasts faction, also out for a meet-up - we managed to draw up our plans for the day: food, fireworks, and ... KARAOKE! My partner Rosso and I took the gang out for freshly cooked meals at one of our favorite places to eat at the Mall of Asia, Taste Asia. It was only after all the food got to our L-shaped table that we realized two things: 1) we were all ravenous by then and 2) we had all practically ordered the same things - we should have just done a collective meal, hahahaha.
When we tried to go and find a spot to watch the fireworks festival finale for free [w00t alliteration FTW], though, not only were practically all the people in the mall already jockeying for positions, but also it started to drizzle periodically. As TK is not big on getting wet and/or getting sick, we repaired to a TimeZone for games and karaoke.
Picking songs to sing for TK is serious business. Left to right: AlphaOmega, Mitchin, Lecat, NineMoons, and RoseChavez. TK getting ready for fun with karaoke. These are two things that, in retrospect, should NEVER NEVER NEVER have been allowed to meet - but hey! A lot of fun was had by all! And hell I nearly ruptured something several times I was laughing so hard and having so much fun.
Takhisis Big Boss Fiksdotter gets the party started with Livin' La Vida Loca! [Seriously!]
Mitchin takes his singing to the next level.
NineMoons and Fiksdotter, with Romanovna under his cap.
Lecat sings his heart out.
Who knew Feng Ling could kick ass at karaoke too? Whiteships FTW ^^
Yes, TK had special guests at our EB. Sandwiched between Whiteships and the singing RoseChavez is none other than Kincaid of OC. And that's Lecat making the scene ^^
Fiksdotter clowns around with our guest from Covenant, Rivendel.
Romanovna and Kincaid duet on, believe it or not, When You Believe.
AlphaOmega brings the house down with Pare Ko! Fiksdotter looks REAL happy, doesn't he?
Rivendel: sign the man up for the next season ofPinoy Idol!
Romanovna's show-stopping performance ends the karaoke night!
I will update this post with links and further pictures as I was far from the only person there with a digicam.
