Hakkyu Kim

Well, if this is true, we may be looking at the start of something big. Hakkyu Kim is, after all, undoubtedly one of the best online game designer out there, with Ragnarok Online and Granado Espada, or Sword of the New World, tucked in his wide belt.

Proof of the popularity and potency of Kim-designed games can be seen in the continuing adoration for Ragnarok Online. In my corner of the world, the game still retains a certain charm that pulls in gamers both old and new. I’ve quit playing the game several times, but I keep coming back for more.

Granado Espada is a different story. Although the game has depth, it’s three-character system doesn’t appeal to some MMORPG players. I for one am an off-again-on-again player. Hey, I haven’t uninstalled the game from my gaming rig yet. So there must be some merit to keeping it there.

So what else can Hakkyu Kim say about these upcoming titles? Let’s turn to Gamasutra for the answer:

“It will be more action-oriented, but still an MMORPG,” he said.

Post from: MMOtaku

So imagine my surprise—and excitement—when friend and fellow online games enthusiast PJ Punla informed me about the upcoming Cinemanila Machinima Film Festival, a new component of the highly successful Cinemanila International Film Festival.

Cinemanila Machinima Film Festival: Check out the entries!

This year marks the first Cinemanila Machinima Film Festival, which began accepting entries in July and closed the doors on October 11th, 2009. The organization’s mission is to unearth machinimators and machinima talents in the region and to recognize the growing filmmaking movement.

Better late than never, I always say. (There’s an annual machinima festival in the United States that’s being handled by the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences, a small volunteer-run non-profit organization established to promote, organize and advocate the growth of machinima filmmaking and filmmakers.)

Going back to the Cinemanila Machinima Film Festival, the video entries are already available for viewing. If you’re interested, go check out this year’s entries for short film and music video.

When I browsed the entries earlier today, I saw a few familiar machinima production outfits (from past runs on the Machinima portal), including Sleeping Dogs Productions, whose entry for this year’s Cinemanila Machinima Film Festival is titled “6 Days,” made using Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

What I’m rooting for, however, is Darrick Regondola’s “Nobody Dance,” using character sprites from the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Granado Espada (known in North America as Sword of the New World). The song performed by the sprites, “Nobody,” and the artists collectively known as the Wonder Girls are products of JYP Entertainment. To view and vote for the video, click on this link to the Nobody Dance.

Well, that’s it for now. Join me in checking out the other short machinima films and music videos.

Post from: MMOtaku

I’m really not in a hurry, especially after learning about new events shaping the New World in Granado Espada. One of these earth-shaking events is what IAHGames calls The Defense of the Zeia Battle, which runs from May 27 to June 11, 2009. In this contest, Granado Espada families duke it out arena-style for the top prize of 140,000 G-Points, a Constellation Weapon of choice, and a wing of choice.

Constellation weapons, by the way, are among the most powerful in the world of Granado Espada. The downside is that the wings are valid for only a year.

Anyway, here’s the gist of what the Granado Espada D.O.T.Z Battle is all about:

You’ve conquered the colony wars, you’ve earned a noble flag, you’ve voted in elections. Now take the next step in New World dominance and conquer the Team Arena, where skill, not strength, determines the winner.

Constellation items will go out to the top winners, but everyone completing at least one Team Arena event will get 30 Booty Searches.

Compete in the team arena during D.O.T.Z. Battle to win big prizes!

If you want to know more about the Granado Espada D.O.T.Z. Battle, check out the official announcement. Oh, and the leaderboard is up. You may want to check that out as well.

Post from: MMOtaku

This is, of course, due to a video trailer of Granado Espada Version 3.3 hitting the Internet through our favorite video broadcast site, YouTube.

I won’t expound anymore on what Granado Espada Version 3.3 will bring to the table. Instead, I’ll let you watch the video and see for yourself.

From the looks of it, Granado Espada is shaping up as a survivor. I think I’ll continue playing the game if only to find out its conclusion.

Post from: MMOtaku

Just like what I did on January 21, 2009 for Atlantica Online, I’m posting here on MMOtaku the patch notes (well, at least an excerpt) for Version 3.0 of Granado Espada in Southeast Asia:

• The Ancient Shelter has been introduced to the game. This is a non-PK version of the Ancient Territory. There are two Ancient Shelter dungeons—Shelter of the Ancient Skeleton in Ustiur and Ancient Underground Shelter in the Bahamas.
• Occulta Fortress has been added to the game. This dungeon comprises of a free dungeon and a mission-based boss raid.
• Hrin’s Treasure Mission has been added to the Treasure Hunter minigame.
• Necro Shaman boss has been added to the game. He is found in Occulta Fortress.
• Grade 28 armor recipe drop chance has been greatly increased for the following bosses: King of Greed, Swamp Frogfish, Sekhmet, Merman Eater, Bribantra, Argus, Montoro, Garim, Betelgeuse, General Guard, Undertaker, Necro Shaman.
• Constellation Symbols added to drop list of raid bosses.
• Chancellor Delegation quest added to Reboldoeux Culverts.
• Reboldoeux Culverts quest added to Emilia and Brunie.
• Return sheets and special warp scrolls can be used in town now.
• All EXP cards reward 150 percent more experience now.
• Experience points awarded by quests have been increased.
• Arnis stance added for Scout, Soho, and Lisa Lynway.
• Equites stance added for Fighter, Reboldoeux Soldier, Coimbra Trooper and Romina.
• Hanging Guard added for Fighter, Idge, Ramiro, Tiburon, Grandice and Claire.
• Rapiere stance added for Andre Janzur, Karjalainen, Kurt Lyndon, Edward Jameson and Gavin Jameson.
• Rapiere of Grim stance added for Kurt Lyndon and Edward Jameson.
• Flintlock stance added for Musketeer, Grace Bernelli, Najib Sharif, Rescue Knight, Romina and Auch Infantry.
• New user interface has been introduced to the game.
• Agility stat has been modified to increase ATK damage for Melee and Ranged characters if it is above 6 points.

Well, there it is. If you want to know more, check out the entire list.

Post from: MMOtaku

Okay, I’m not here to gripe about the tragic state of the Internet in this little tropical country I call home. This post is about The Zeia, the latest patch of Granado Espada in Southeast Asia. To veterans of the online game, the patch is called Version 3.0.

Let’s make this short as I don’t want to again end up trying to post articles only to find out later that the Internet connection has conked out on me.

Here is what’s in store for Granado Espada pioneering families in the new patch:

New Areas: Zeian City and Occulta Fortress

The hidden Zeian Civilization has emerged beneath the Reboldoeux Culverts, unleashing a new conflict in Granado Espada. Explore the massive pyramids of the Zeians and test your might in the new dungeon deep within.

New Recruitable Non-Player Characters

At the moment, we only know of three new RNPCs—Ania, the queen’s protector who’s fueled by revenge; Nar, a powerful warrior with a mysterious past; and Selva, the mysterious fighter.

More to Come

According to IAH Games, publisher of Granado Espada in the Southeast Asian region, there’s a whole bunch of updates coming, including new Constellation Weapons, Quests and Monsters experience points modification, and five new Expert Stances.

Here’s the Granado Espada: The Zeia trailer:

Post from: MMOtaku

I haven’t been playing Granado Espada lately simply because the servers are too laggy, giving mobs enough time to kill off members of my family one by one with nary a sword swing or fireball. Couple this nasty tidbit with the long wait for family members to revive or having to journey back to the point where they fell, then you’ve got a recipe for getting turned off.

No, I’m not giving up on Granado Espada. I’m just laying off it for a while, at least until the guys up at IAH Games resolve the problem. Yes, I know they’ve resolved it, but I hate going into the game only to find out a few minutes later that the problem persists. I think it’s better to give it a few more days despite the loss in valuable grind experience points.

Oh, in case you missed the official announcement regarding the problem in Granado Espada, here’s a copy:

[Resolved] Network Issues causing intermittent disconnections

Dear Gamers,

We are aware of the current intermittent disconnections and latency issue in the servers, please refrain from activating premium items until this issue has been resolved.

An official announcement has been made, any premium items activated from 9 January 2009, 1900 hours (GMT+8) onwards will not be entertained for compensation.

All premium items activated during 4 January 2009 1000 hours – 9 January 2009 1900 hours (GMT+8) will be compensated until the server is stabilized. Meanwhile, players do not have to drop a ticket in regards to the compensation issue.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.

This issue has been resolved, the premium items will be compensated by 15 January 2009 19 January 2009. Meanwhile, players do not have to drop a ticket in regards to this issue.

Post from: MMOtaku

By the gaming gods! Is it true? Have five days already passed since I last posted? Apparently, yes. Whew! Time flies so fast when you’re having fun. Unfortunately, my five-day hiatus had not been even remotely fun.

Yes, you guessed it. The flu—at least I think it’s the flu—hit me right after New Year’s Eve, right in the middle of writing a Top Ten Asian MMORPGs of 2008 post. Don’t worry, I’ll finish the story … soon.

Right now, I’m just starting to recover. Of course, as a fanatic of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, there’s only one way for me to get back to tip-top shape—that’s by playing my favorite games.

At the moment, I’m playing two MMORPGs more than I’m supposed to (meaning game time is eating up some of my spending-quality-time-with-the-family time and my need-to-post-something-on-MMOtaku time). These two MMORPGs are Perfect World (yeah, it’s still great despite the rise and fall of great Philippine Tiger server clans Guardians and Legacy) and Granado Espada.

What? You mean to say, Joel, that you’ve taken a liking to Granado Espada? Yes … and no. I’m giving the game a chance to redeem itself in my eyes (notice that I said “my eyes,” meaning “in my humble opinion,” etc.). Perhaps PJ Punla of Granado Espada: Dispatches from the New World fame is right. Yes, playing on a new server and reaching new heights with the family and characters I’ve made are great.

My Granado Espada highlights, at least for the moment, include defeating Grace Bernelli in a match (although I did lose about nine times before I figured out how to beat her), taking her character card and creating her in my family barracks, and beating the crap out of Claude Baudez and Andre Janzur. Yes, Granado Espada veterans, I’m a noob when it comes to these events, but I’m happy to be experiencing what you’ve experienced in the past year.

As for Perfect World, I’ve encountered virtual life-changing events, too. First, my character Calumet’s current clan, Intensity, managed to take over Biting-Cold Land from Heroes clan in a great territorial battle. A week later, we also successfully blocked the bid of new clan Hyperion for the right to attack our territory. Why block the attack? Well, it’s like this: Hyperion is composed mostly of characters Level 90 to 101, while Intensity is made up of characters with levels between 75 and 99, with more than 50 percent of the members falling within the 75 to 88 bracket. See the discrepancy? So here’s a word of advice to Hyperion from me: Go find some other clan to screw if you value your integrity. Bullies!

Well, that’s it for now. It’s time to get the juices flowing again.

Screenshot taken by Joel from the online game Perfect World, developed by Beijing-based Perfect World Co. Ltd. and operated in the Philippines by Level Up! Games.

Post from: MMOtaku

Here’s an excerpt from GM Tristan’s article:

We always thought that MMORPGs were dominated by male players. That “fact” is now being challenged. Well, according to a recent study by BBC, 40 percent of MMO players are female, and that it’s the girls that are dead serious on their characters and the games.

The study discovered that “most hard-core players are female, that gamers are healthier than average, and that game playing is an increasingly social activity.”

Lead researcher Scott Caplan of the University of Delaware said the result demonstrated how out-of-date stereotypes can be.

Of course, the study might only be true in the United Kingdom, where the study was conducted, or North America. There’s nothing in the story that points to the same trend happening in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.

Fortunately, I have the pleasure of knowing quite a number of female gamers, and they are, as the BBC study points out, dead serious about leveling their characters, pushing their avatars to the limit with good equipment and stat and skill distribution, and making a killing in their chosen online game’s economy by dictating the prices of weapons and other equipment.

Take my wife Joyce, for example. If not for a family emergency, she might still be playing today. Her Perfect World character, Cesky (named after our daughter), is known by a majority of players, is almost at the peak of her online life at Level 98, has good equipment (like four slot armors with Level 9 hitpoint soul stones that adds 62 HP per stone and makes the armor light up like a Tesla coil), and holds her own in guild/clan wars and player-versus-player matches.

There’s also PJ Punla, a former Granado Espada Southeast Asia pioneer and blogger, and writes for one of the Philippines’ leading online gaming magazines. Oh, she’s been around, I assure you. PJ’s been playing online games longer than I’ve been writing about them, and she makes it a point to share whatever she learns about a game both to friends and strangers. One of my biggest frustrations is not being able to adventure with her in Granado Espada. Her Granado Espada family, NineMoons, would have been a great ally in eliminating the terrors in the New World.

Granado Espada girl gamers (from right): NineMoons, Lucido, and DeSanggria.

Finally, we have Trinity Divine, one of the most well-known female gamers in the world. Heck, she is The Female Gamer. Here’s an excerpt from the About Me entry on her blog:

“Trinity Divine” was the pseudonym I used when I first started contributing articles to a Matrix Online fansite. I have since then moved on to other games and other sites, but the name has stuck and I’ve grown rather fond of it.

I have been into video games for longer than I care to remember. In recent years, my interest shifted from console adventure and RPG games to online RPGs. I still play single player games once in a while but for the most part, my playtime is spent in virtual fantasy worlds with millions of other gamers from all over the world. Exciting, isn’t it?

Over the years I have met many other women gamers online and some of them have become my dearest friends. In spite of the fact that women have become more and more drawn into video games, the vast majority of gamers are still male and it’s not everyday that I get to meet a fellow female gamer. Through this website, I hope to meet more people—male and female alike—who share my interests.

Very interesting people, eh? Why don’t you take the time to comment, share your thoughts on why girl gamers rock, and tell us about the female gamers you know.

First image, that of Perfect World Philippines character Cesky, is from a screenshot in the online game Perfect World, developed by China-based Perfect World Co. Ltd. and published in the Philippines by Level Up! Games. Second image is from Joy Haruka’s Flickr photostream.

Post from: MMOtaku

A few minutes ago, members of my fledgling family, the Estrangheros, turned Level 14. Although not exactly waning, my interest in the game isn’t really growing as well. I find the AFK leveling option, also known as Keep Mode (which you can activate by pressing the space bar), is convenient, but not necessarily recommended.

Take my characters, for example. Yes, they’ve leveled to 14 without any hitches (read: getting themselves killed) but their equipment sucks. Keep Mode, you see, orders your Granado Espada characters to attack all nearby enemy monsters but disregard all dropped loot. This ensures a balance of sorts, making sure that characters that level up through this fashion don’t become overly rich or strong. It’s also handy for distinguishing characters that are AFK leveling from bots. Oh, don’t get me started on bots. Moving on …

Here are some screenshots of my first day on Granado Espada Southeast Asia’s Giovanni server:

More screenshots after the jump.

Post from: MMOtaku