Most players of the current generation of massively multiplayer online role-playing games might view a return to Ragnarok Online as old school. Yes, Ragnarok Online may be that, really old in terms of online games, but it still manages to draw hundreds of players into its fold, especially in Asia, where the game was born.

What piqued my renewed interest in the game was Ragnarok Online Philippines’ Ultimate Game Guide, which features everything a player needs to know about the game, from characters to stat and skill builds to handy charts that clue you in on what monsters to hunt.

So with book in hand, I set off into the virtual world of Rune Midgard in search of more adventures for my swordie, TikaWaylan. In past incarnations, Tika, a name my wife and I borrowed from the popular fantasy adventure novel series Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, was always a merchant or blacksmith. That was way back in 2003, when Chaos had been the Philippines’ only server for Ragnarok Online, and in the following year, when publisher and operator Level Up! Games opened additional servers to accommodate the game’s growing population.

In Philippine Ragnarok Online’s free-to-play server Valkyrie, TikaWaylan is both merchant/blacksmith and swordie/knight. So with two TikaWaylans roaming the virtual world, a lot of players often mistake us as bots.

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You can spot them a mile away—fans of the classic tabletop role-playing game Advanced Dungeons and Dragons may be a rarity in the virtual worlds of MMORPGs, but if you’re one, you’ll know one.

Yes, as I’ve said countless times in the past, I’m a fan both of tabletop RPGs and massively multiplayer online RPGs. Despite spending hours upon hours of rolling dice, taking down notes, and pumping my mind to produce images and play out scenarios, I find the allure of playing tabletop role-playing games nearly irresistible. It’s too bad I don’t get to play anymore, since most of my AD&D buddies are living about 900 kilometer northwest of my residence.

That’s probably why I shifted much of my thirst for RPGs to MMORPGs, despite the lack of any real role-playing in online games. I managed to lure two of my AD&D friends into MMORPGs. Louie, who now lives in Shanghai, China, hacked his way through Rune Midgard until Ragnarok came in 2003. Relly joined me in exploring the mythical world of Pangu when Perfect World was launched in 2006.

Of course, being tabletop RPG players, we opted to name our avatars after AD&D characters, either pre-generated (or characters that appear in various AD&D novels or adventure modules) or rolled (yeah, as in using a dice). To date, I’ve used quite a number of AD&D character names, including Tika Waylan from the AD&D Dragonlance series for my wife’s blacksmith in Ragnarok Online and Storm Silverhand from the AD&D Forgotten Realms series for my hunter in Ragnarok Online, and for my wife’s ranger in Fly For Fun and her Half-Elf archer in Rohan: Blood Feud.

It’s disappointing that other players always beat me to Drizzt Do’Urden, the name of the famous Drow ranger in the AD&D Forgotten Realms setting. Sigh. Anyway, going back to the topic …

I spotted a familiar name and somewhat familiar, uhmm, face while playing Atlantica Online. Check out this screenshot:

Egad, it’s Tasslehoff! Wait, you say, who’s Tasslehoff? Let me clue you in:

Tasslehoff Burrfoot (often called Tas) is a fictional character of the kender race from the Dragonlance series of novels, written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. He was born in Kendermore. His parents are unknown and he has few known relatives. He has a sister, and also claims (like many other kender) to have an Uncle Trapspringer. He has three uncles, by the names of Remo Lockpick, Berties, and Wilfre. He also has a cousin, Latchlifter Furrfoot.

As you may have probably surmised from the brief background on Tasslehoff, the kender is a race of cutpur … uhmm, borrowers, meaning they are fond of borrowing things but tend to forget to return what they borrow.

Can’t relate? Watch this video:

Ahhh, that’s the beauty of publishing on the Internet as opposed to print and broadcast media—publicity works both ways. I am both surprised and honored that MMOtaku (yes, that’s the blog you’re reading now) has been featured on the website of Perfect World Philippines.

Here’s a(n edited) screenshot:

Of course, I have my friends up at Level Up! Games, local publisher of Perfect World, to thank for posting a nifty thumbnail, brief blog description, and a link to MMOtaku on the game’s website. I’d like to extend gratitude particularly to Chino Yray, the ineffable GM SamHok, the beautiful Marjo, also known as GM MeiShen, Mon Macutay, the irrepressible GM Tristan of Ragnarok Online, Carlo Ople, known better as The Waukster, and Kevin Codamon, my mentor, colleague, and confidante.

Whew! What a year! Indeed, it’s been one hell of a ride for me and, hopefully, for MMOtaku’s loyal followers. What started out as a mote of light in fellow b5media Technology Channel blogger Jayvee Fernandez’s brilliant mind is now a good—not yet great (that has yet to come)—source of news for massively multiplayer online games in Asia and those made in Asia.

First off, I’d like to thank MMOtaku’s avid readers, those who visit the blog every day, those who come and go for a dose of MMORPG news, reviews and what-have-yous, and those who have dropped in just to take a gander at what we have to offer. Without your constant support, MMOtaku would have floundered a long time ago.

Second, I’d like the acknowledge the inputs and help of several key people in the life of MMOtaku. To Mike Leaño, former b5media Video Games Channel editor, for putting trust in my abilities to bring the blog to life; to PJ Punla, pioneer blogger and player of Granado Espada Southeast Asia, for showing me that love for video games extends beyond playing them; to Siege Malvar and Alcarcalimo, for keeping me on my toes, a constant reminder that MMOtaku does have readers who crave insights on MMOs available in the market today; and to Joyce, my wife, for being the rigid wall off of which I throw my ideas to see if they stick.

Third and last, I salute the growing online games industry in Asia for giving us topnotch games (yes, despite Mike Leaño’s opinion that MMOGs developed in Asia are, ehem, excrement. These games are getting better, and they’re grabbing the attention of MMOG players in different parts of the globe.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I give you the best of MMOtaku:

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Okay. Right after this I’m gonna stop writing about Level Up! Live because it’s making me a bit sick. Find out why here.

Anyway, overall, it’s been an amazing event, what with all the powerpacked competitions that occurred. Let’s count ‘em: Ragnarok World Championships, RF Online Novus Elite Squad, Perfect World Phoenix Council Wars, Fly For Fun Heroes of the Dragon Emblem, and Freestyle All Stars ‘08.

That’s five online games and five competitions, with the Ragnarok World Champions topping the list because it’s on a global scale, with a dozen teams from 20 different countries. Whew!

Sigh. To wrap up, I’m here to announce the winners in some of the competitions I’ve managed to catch on Level Up! Games’ live streaming of LU! Live 2008:

In the Ragnarok World Championships, Team Thailand took home the crown—again—after beating South Korea in an epic battle of heart, determination and strategy. Team Indonesia, on the other hand, bagged third place after defeating last year’s third placer, Team Philippines (known locally as The Bozanian Beast Fighters).

Here’s a better overview from Ragnarok Online Philippines overlord Carlo “Wauks” Ople:

Thailand pulled off a historic win over South Korea, making them back-to-back world champions for two years in a row. The defending champions literally bulldozed all of their opponents and showcased how good they were by constantly changing their tactics depending on their opponent. The finals between Thailand and Korea really proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were strong contenders deserving of slots in the finals. I don’t know if I’m calling this right but I think the main difference for the fight was when Thailand used the Gypsy. Apparently, Korea had low VIT characters and they almost often found key players stunned, which disrupted the overall flow of their teamwork.

Other Ragnarok World Championships participants include the United States, Russia, Japan, Brazil, France and Germany … at least, that’s all I can remember. For more information about Ragnarok Online, click here.

Ragnarok World Championships match: The Philippines versus Thailand

More Level Up! Live 2008 news and views after the jump.

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Yes, sad, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve been looking forward to attending—and covering, to a certain extent for both print and online media—the much-awaited online event in the Philippines, and when it finally starts, my butt’s stuck in a town 900 or so kilometers from the venue. Don’t you just hate budget constraints?

Fortunately, Level Up! Games, the local online games operator and publisher that first introduced massively multiplayer online games in the Philippines through Ragnarok Online and OzWorld, has prepared well for the event, encouraging players who know how to blog to write live from the Level Up! Live venue. Of course, the company is, even as I write this post, providing live streaming of the event.

At the moment, the Ragnarok Online team from France and China are preparing to duke it out in their elimination match in the 2008 Ragnarok World Championships. Earlier, the Philippine Ragnarok Online team trounced its counterpart from Germany. Check out the video:

I’ll post more news about LU! Live 2008 in the next few hours. Stay tuned!

I came across this wonderful animated gif while browsing through the Ragnarok Online Philippines forums. It features two characters from the hit MMORPG, a novice and an acolyte, talking to each other. In the latter part of the animation, the female acolyte, in a puff of smoke, changes into a red spandex-clad superhero (heroine).

In my little corner of the globe, the heroine our little acolyte changes into is known as Darna, the local version of Wonder Woman and Supergirl rolled into one, with the help of a magical stone that Ding, the role being played by the male novice, hands her.

Fan fiction at its best.

Ha, told you I’d get in! Now, my problem isn’t trying to get in, it’s doing my best to stay in the game. Let me explain.

As you may have noticed, my wife also plays MMORPGs, and it’s been quite a while since she has taken a liking to any of the new games I’ve been laying my hands on these past four or five months.

First, we rekindled our passion for our first MMORPG, Ragnarok Online. It was shortlived. My wife decided to keep playing Perfect World, leaving me saddled with the responsibility of leveling our twin Tika Waylans on Ragnarok Online Philippines’ free-to-play server, Valkyrie.

Then I dipped my grubby hands in Rising Force Online. She hated it. Oh, yeah, my wife used to play the game with me back in 2006, but she didn’t like the gameplay this second time ’round. Fortunately, when RF Online came out with a patch, Crimson Dawn, the update bogged down, prompting me to seek an installer. I haven’t found a working installer. Sigh.

Next, I went for the internationally hosted MMORPG Requiem Bloodymare. She found it too bloody and gory. Scratch three for Joel and his MMORPGs. I still play Requiem, though. Leveling is tough.

Fly For Fun? Nah. The wife didn’t even lift a finger when I showed her old characters in all their glory. Dekaron and Granado Espada? Mere distractions, not enough to spark her interest.

When she saw me playing Florensia, however, her attitude changed … dramatically. Now, she couldn’t let go of the computer on which Florensia is installed. Double sigh.

Three days into the game, she’s still at it, while my character, Ginebra, named after a popular brand of gin in this little tropical paradise, is stuck at Level 10. Her character, Cesky, is now Level 14. Gawd!

Lost and confused

Screenshots taken by Joel from the online game Florensia, developed by NetTimeSoft and published by Burda:ic GmbH.

Something’s seriously amiss in these screenshots I took from the highly successful Ragnarok Online:

No, the names—Vanilla Cake, Mocha Cake and Pandan Cake—are not the only telltale signs that the three characters, thieves, are all bots. Movement and attack pattern also give them away. They all move in the same path and attack the same monsters.

Are bots really an integral part of today’s Ragnarok Online? If so, then what’s the use of having this annual Ragnarok World Championships? Might as well have a bunch of bots sit behind those consoles at the tournament.

First off, I’d like to apologize to the thousands upon thousands (yeah, right) followers of this space for the seemingly long lull this past week. Truth is, I’ve been slaving in front of the PC to bring you more Asian MMORPG goodness than you can handle.

Well, it has been both a very productive and unproductive week for me, depending on how you look at things. Productive because I’ve been playing non-stop, except for the repeated bathroom breaks due to cold weather and the body’s need to replenish energy by taking in food and getting short, energizing catnaps.

For the most part, I’ve been dipping my grubby fingers in five good MMORPGs, namely Perfect World, Ragnarok Online, Fly For Fun, Requiem: Bloodymare, and Dekaron. With the rig I’ve got, I can only play two games at a time—that is, if the hack-prevention program of the games don’t interfere with each other. (For example, I’ve found out that I can play Perfect World and Dekaron at the same time but not Fly For Fun and Requiem: Bloodymare. It’s also funny the way Ragnarok Online and Requiem: Bloodymare don’t get along well on your PC despite being developed by the same company, Gravity).

Ahh, wait! Did I say two games at the same time? No bots here, just a lot of micromanagement or time spent vending in one game and grinding in the other. There’s also the beauty known as craft leveling, which, to my knowledge, can only be done in Perfect World.

I was supposed to do a play for a few hours and post something about the experience thing. But the moments I spent playing these five games just gave me a lot of fun and stuff to waste time on that in the end I decided to gather as much data I could, collate them, and eventually come up with great articles for your reading pleasure. Let’s see how that turns out.