MMO News

City of Steam Announces Closed Beta Dates
Chapter 6 Update Live for Dragon Nest
SOE Live 2012 Cosplay Recap
New Player-Designed Fellows Debut in Silkroad Online
Mafia Block

City of Steam Announces Closed Beta Dates

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 03:29 PM PDT

After having wrapped up Alpha testing in August of this year, the developers at Mechanist Games have been striving to get City of Steam ready for Beta testing before the end of the year. Today, they have announced the dates and plan for the closed Beta test as well as presented a new Beta teaser trailer, giving a tantalizing hint at things to come. City of Steam will undergo a series of 5-day test phases, beginning on November 16, 2012.

The schedule is as follows:

Springtide: Nov. 16 – 20
Summercrest: Nov. 30 – Dec. 4
Autumnwane: Dec. 14 – 18
Winter Festival: Dec. 23 – 28

Beta Collaborator Packs can also be picked up for a number of in-game extras, such as character name reservation, guaranteed Beta access and social currency, and also to support City of Steam development. Higher levels of these collaborator packs further include personally designing an item, getting one's name appear permanently as a city founder in-game, even a signed poster from the development team.

The developers have also given a set of goals they can strive to for extra Closed Beta content, through what they call Steam-o-meter. City of Steam fans are encouraged to support the game and spread the word on social networks to increase points on the meter, which will in turn push content previously planned for Open Beta to instead be made available in Closed Beta. They have included a handful of developer humiliations for extra motivation as well.

Chapter 6 Update Live for Dragon Nest

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 03:14 PM PDT

Nexon America has launched Dragon Nest’s latest update, Chapter 6: The Astral Coven.

Chapter 6 introduces the new town map, Lotus Marsh – a mossy zone where humans and the Dromaji live in a strained coexistence, and where the Astral Coven calls home. Players can access new dungeons through Lotus Marsh, including the Titan Nest and Arch Bishop Nest.

The update also increases the level cap to 50, and introduces new specializations and powers for every class. Dragon Nest will also be giving out free Scrolls of Unlimited Unlearnings for all players visiting the game at 4PM on Oct. 27 so that players can test out different skill trees for free for 24 hours.

Nexon also publishes Vindictus and MapleStory.

Dragon Nest Chapter 6: The Astral Coven Screenshots:

SOE Live 2012 Cosplay Recap

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 02:43 PM PDT

SOE Live Cosplay Recap

By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-in-Chief

Co-Written by James Hunt (JamesBl0nde), MMOHut Content Manager

It’s been quite a busy couple of weeks here at OnRPG and MMOHut but now that GDC Online, NYCC, the Elder Scrolls event, and SOE Live have come to a close we can finally readjust and get things back to normal. But not before our final and in some people’s opinion, the most important article of all. Of course we’re talking about the cosplayers so let’s take a look!

SOE Live’s brand of cosplayers are an interesting bunch, primarily because their line-up of titles are so diverse with no real connecting factor. You’ll find everything from dwarves…

To DC Heroes and Villians. And the guy on the right. He actually won an award for his incredibly unique costume.

This Everquest 2 fan showed off his dedication by lugging a 30lb Chainmail to the showroom floor!

This golden dragon set the record for construction with 17 rolls of duct tape filling out the costume!

This Warlock stands as a testament to the power of gaming. Diagnosed with a crippling illness in 2000 and expected to live a mere 3-5 years, she stands now at SOE Live demonstrating her love of the original Everquest in cosplay form.

Throwing stereotypes to the wind, this Pig Knight stands as a 5+ year military veteran. The red head to his right was so pumped for the Chains of Eternity expansion she came dressed as just that!

Back on the superhero front…

These girls made Planetside 2 and Everquest 2 look good!

While hanging out with the Planetside 2 team we stumbled across the green screen stand…

…so we of course took advantage to become comic book characters!

Yoda was cruising in style in this custom Star Wars sports car

This Everquest 2 vixen was all the rage at the pool party. Let it be a lesson to ladies everywhere, geeks in Vegas will treat you right if you dress like a video game character.

This full body Dragon Knight stole the show with a mask beneath a mask. Congrats to this incredibly skilled costume designer for winning the gold!

This concludes this year’s coverage of SOE Live. This was one of the most fun shows we’ve ever worked at and we suggest anyone true fan of Sony’s titles reserve their spot in next year’s show. You won’t regret it!

New Player-Designed Fellows Debut in Silkroad Online

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 02:43 PM PDT

Joymax has announced that three new player-designed Fellows have been added today to Silkroad Online.

The Fellows are mounts that also act as battle companions, and are rare and valuable. The new fellows, shown below, were all designed by players, adding a great community touch to the world. An earlier set of three was released in September.

“Earlier this spring, Silkroad Online took a creative step by allowing players to input their creative ideas into the game through this contest,” said Nam-Chul Kim, CEO of Joymax. “Hundreds of entries were submitted and players voted on six winning designs, and after months of preparation we are pleased to offer the final work of all six designs now available for purchase.”

Silkroad Online has also just wrapped up its player-designed Avatar contest, and will have more updates soon for players to enjoy before the end of the year.

Joymax also publishes Knight Age and Digimon Masters Online.

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New Silkroad Online Fellows

Mafia Block

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 05:27 AM PDT

Mafia Block is a browser-based adventure in which you play the role of a criminal mastermind. Go on crimes, train your body, explore the criminal underworld, and pay off the don on your rise to infamy. Join a gang, hunt down bounties, and manage your properties in this mafia simulation!

Publisher: Idle Media Inc.
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: Medium
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: ??
PvP: Yes
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +Easy to access. +Casual gameplay. +Plenty to do, including mini-games.

Cons: -Energy limitations limit more serious gamers. -Highly competitive. -Reliant on cash shop for perks.

Overview

Mafia Block Overview

Mafia Block is a crime-themed role-playing game with limited graphics and webpage navigation. Players design their own criminal, and build their bravery, will, and stats to go on crime sprees for experience and money, or simply explore randomly for extra bonuses. The game utilizes an energy system, and offers multiple perks through the Don, the game’s cash shop. In addition to building their character, players can also engage in PvP, even placing bounties on their enemies’ heads that others can collect (if they’re strong enough.)