Rohan Online: The Biggest Threat to Cabal?

Rohan Online is about to rock the Philippine online gaming scene!

Ever experienced getting forcefully killed or PKed while you're happily mobbing?

I assume that's a yes.

Level-Up's upcoming game, Rohan Online features a very interesting Vengeance System. You may be laughing so hard and taunting someone as weak and eventually end up engaging in PVP or PK. You may have killed your opponent now and as you bask in your easy victory, you may have to cut the celebration short because of Rohan's innovation of giving the killed player the option of teleporting back to the killer. To make it all better (or maybe worse for the killer), one may have a party or an entire guild tagging along, all aiming to kill you for revenge.

Worry not, low level players, the ambush does not begin until you reach Level 30. As soon as you hit the big 30, be ready to kill and be killed.

I then advise Rohan players to be a guild member before you hit level 30, or at least be always in a party to avoid the endless ambush. This will prevent you from getting killed and have the secure feeling of having a band of gamers ready to defend you.

One may think that Rohan is just another MMORPG, perhaps even assuming it to be typical. Yet one look at their class lineup will definitely change your mind.

They have the common classes such as the knight, archer, healer and mage, but they have two soon-to-be-feared classes - the Dhan and Dekan.

These two classes have the ability to disguise themselves as monsters. Yes, they can transform into any monster in the map they are in and can (and will) attack you by surprise once you strike them, leaving you in disbelief.

Here are the classes in Rohan Online:

* Human (Knight) - Created by the God Hand, humans are perfectly suited for the role of knight. Being a tank by absorbing enemy damage to keep fellow players alive portrays the actions of a human in this game. These brute warriors seem to be in the center of battles due to their incredible defense and their determination to fight for what they believe in. This could be why humans are one of the races in the round table.
* Elf (Healer) - Proficient and gentle souled, elves are your center source of recovery, defense and vitality in Rohan. Especially in parties, elves assists party members with healing and protection. But don’t be fooled, a fury of ranged magic attacks can be unleashed when alone. These elves are one of the three races in the peace assured round table.
* Half Elf (Archer) - These masters of bow/crossbows are the offspring of both humans and elves. From being shunned by their forefathers, half elves or halflings, resorted in forests where they became the ultimate hunters. Able to be used in parties or solo, this race’s accuracy is unmatched. Using magic in some of their attacks, half elves eventually joined the peace assured round table and accepted by the humans and elves.
* Dhan (Assassin) - First lead by the prophet Haillok, Dhans, one of six races in the game, are a unique and special breed. They can choose to become anonymous killers who prey on other players for experience, this is called the assassination mode. However, they cannot party with others or join quests while in this mode, nor can they be identified by their victims for revenge. Dhans are renegade assassins that generally operate alone, and will kill at every opportunity.[6]
* Dekan (Dragon Fighter) - Originally stationed at the borders of the countries by Ohn to prevent any cultures from blending, the Dekans defy nature. Clashing with Dhans in the Bahran islands, made the Dekans mass their strength and increase their power. Usually fighting alone, the Dekan race may transform into a dragon, use a blood sucking ability or attack large area’s of land, Dekans are found to be a lone powerhouse.
* Dark Elf (Mage) - Mysterious and cautious about their self-defense, Dark Elves use a series of powerful magic attacks. Not much is known about the dark elves but their transportation and weakening powers are well known around Rohan. Excelling in group battles, Dark elves have the ability to kill an enemy before it reach’s them. Although not much is known, Dark elves have a strong despise for the human and elf race. This races main goal seems to be to drive the elves and humans out of their land.

Now, did Rohan catch your attention? Interesting enough? The next question now: Is your PC up to the challenge that this new game brings?

No, I am not speaking in the manner of its gameplay. Rohan is heavily loaded with high-end graphics that can definitely kill your PC unless you upgrade it before even thinking of downloading this game.

If you do not believe me, check out its system requirements, and you'll know what I mean:

MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 2000 SP 4, Windows 98 SE
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz, AMD Sempron 2.0 Ghz
Memory: 512 MB
Graphics: GeForce FX, Radeon 9600; 128 MB
Sound: AC ’97 compatible
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
Hard Disk: 6 GB

RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows XP SP 2, Windows 2003 SP 2
CPU: Intel Pentium D 915 (2.8 Ghz), AMD Athlon64-X2 3800 (2.0 Ghz)
Memory: 2 GB
Graphics: GEForce 6×00, Radeon x600; 256 MB
Sound: AC ’97 compatible
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
Hard Disk: 6 GB

Is this game enough to overthrow Cabal as the Philippines' leading online game?

Rohan has the potential to beat any game out in the Philippine online gaming market. With its supreme graphics, innovative gameplay, and interesting character classes, any gamer can get hooked. Unfortunately, its graphics is its double-edged sword. The system requirements are too high and I doubt your typical internet cafe owner will have enough money in him to spare for a decent upgrade in order to accommodate it.

But if the demand for this game increases, I don't think the shop owners will hesitate to upgrade all their computers.

Rohan Online Philippines' closed beta testing begins on February 28, 2009.

Credit to PinoyGaming.net for the classes and system requirements.

Cabal's Upcoming Patch: The Lost World

Cabal Korea has recently released the latest patch to the game, The Lost World. It will be released in the Philippines in the second quarter of 2009 according to CM Jay of E-Games.



Because of the "island theme" for Lost World, the new map's warp will be located in Port Lux (probably along the beach where the Dark Bladers are). The mobs for this new map are mutant fish, pirates and other sea creatures very reminiscent of the characters in the movie Pirates of the Carribean.

The following information is lifted from theCabal Online forum and Wakpo.com:

Requirements: 125 and above

Battle Style Lvl. 11 or above

Entry item: Compass to the Lost Island

New Introductory dungeon quest “Forbidden Island”

Time Limit: 60 Min.

New Force Shielder Skills

A. Might Wish (Buff skill that strengthens one’s attack )

Type: Sword Buff Skill

Effect: Attack +60(Lvl. 20)

B. Field of Provocation (Explanation: Debuff skill that attracts monsters to attack oneself)

Type: A wide range Debuff skill

Effect: Fix the target of the monsters to oneself

Cool Time: 90sec

Time required: 15sec

Attack range: 5

Max Target Number :7

New Items(SIG Metal Level Weapon) (Weapons Level : Between Redosmium and Mithril)



New Titles (About 800)

A. Addition of new title when field named monsters are killed

When killing the named monsters of the map above Forgotten Ruin .

After achieving the title, hints for the next title is opened.

B. Addition of Mission War Title

Title is given upon killing of Legacy Guardian and Sage’s Ensign

Title is given upon killing opponents

C. Addition of Crafting related Title

Title is given when Lvl.4 of Rare Epic weapons/Armors item is crafted and succeeded.

Title is given for every level of the crafting.

D. Addition of Chaos Arena Title
Earned upon clearing Chaos Arena

E. Addition of Dungeon related Title
Title is given upon clearing the dungeon

Dungeons: Lake In the Dusk, Ruina Station, Frozen Tower of Undead B1F, Volcanic Citadel, Frozen Tower of Undead B2F, Forgotten Temple B1F, Forgotten Temple B2F, Forbidden Island

F. Addition of Quest Group Completion Title
Title is given when a certain group of quests is completed

Quests: Tutorial Quest groups, Scenario Quest groups, “The Fighter Who Leads the Stars” quest

G. Addition of Hidden Helper T related Titles
Title is given when the Hidden Helper T quests from 1 to 82 are completed

H. Addition of BSLVL 100 Promotion Quest Title
When promotion quest of LV. 100 is completed, the title is given

I. Addition of PK/PvP Title

J. LVL 170 Title

Title is given when LVL. 170 is reached (Note: When the Max. level is changed to a higher level, the title is taken away and the requirement changes as well.)

K. Addition of Alz related Title

Title is given when 1 billion / 10 billion / 500 billion Alz is in possession in the inventory. (When the amount changes, the title changes as well)

Mission War

[Changes]

1. Personal score achieved by attacking structures and guardians is adjusted downward

A. Personal score achieved by attacking the Gate/Force Tower/Sage’s Ensign/Legacy Guardian in Tierra Gloriosa is decreased by half.

B. 25% of whole damage is achieved as personal score.

2. Personal score achieved in Lv 95 ~ 129, Lv 130 ~ 149 mission war is increased

A. The reason of adjustment is that it is hard to achieve basic score in mission war for low level range as the score achieved by destroying structures is decreased by half.

3. It is changed to that the issue of mission war with no attendance does not affect on war penalty.

Again, credit goes to theCabal Online forum and Wakpo.com.

Cabal Forgotten Temple B1F Solo

Here's a video guide to Cabal's Forgotten Temple B1F dungeon.

Credit goes to Chie aka deadmanschest from the E-Games forum. You may also go here if my links are not working properly.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Chie's note: after clearing all the mobs you could skip the remaining part of the video(1:40 onwards) and proceed to part 5 because the rest of the video contains only dancing to recover SP.
Part 4
Part 5



Blue key quest

Detailed guide to killing he 2nd boss, Chakris

I reiterate that these videos are not mine and that full credit goes to Chie aka deadmanschest.

Additional notes:
++ You only have to kill the last golem located at the end of the room to open the fire wall.
++ To defeat the fire wall, stay close to one of the fire walls and use your range skills.
++ The cycle of the snake respawn at the Nesbite room is clockwise. The first serpent is at the northwest which is at the left side of the fire wall.

Kudos to the Cabal E-Gamers, especially Chie, for their expertise.

better layout

I have finally found a more suitable layout for this site.

why be part of a guild?

Personally, I consider myself an anti-social. It takes me a great deal of effort to actually walk up to someone I've just met and start a conversation.

Since I started participating in a forum five years ago, I realized that being friends with people, even those that you don't think you'll ever see personally, is an amazing feat. You get to learn from them, without any prejudice, because you don't know them personally.

Incidentally, I used to prefer playing alone. It was still the Ragnarok Online hype in the Philippines then, and I didn't really care much about my character dying almost every minute and I had to walk from the town I've resurrected at back to the spot where I'm completing my quest or simply trying to gain experience points in. I told myself I don't need a guild, because I can very well buy all the potions I need.

Eventually, Ran Online became the "in" thing. That's the game that changed my perspective about MMORPGs forever.

In Ran, you desperately need a Shaman to keep you company, because your HP potions are definitely not enough to let you stand a chance against the mobs. It also means that you constantly have to be in a party, to ensure you will not lose the experience points you have just gained because you keep dying. Another reason why you shouldn't die is that there is a 50% chance that you will drop an item which is usually your most prized one (I dropped a lot of +7 swords).

That was when I appreciated I was in a guild.

I joined one accidentally. I mistook it for a party invitation.

Being in a guild is like being in a huge group of friends in an instant. As a player, your guildmates will teach you the ins and outs of the game, especially when you need assistance in finishing a quest or task. They are your personal walkthroughs and game guides, without you having to exert so much effort because you get your answers immediately. As a friend, they will be accommodating enough to chat with you when you don't feel like leveling your character. In the process, you get to know each other better as fellow players and in-game friends.

Like in any other case, it is inevitable that you get into arguments with your guildmates. It may lead to either of you leaving the guild if the problem cannot be settled. Nevertheless, it is beneficial in the way that you learn how to deal with people you do not agree with and hopefully make up for it.

Rest assured, your guildmates are there not just to assist you and be your best friends in-game but also to make your gaming life fun. Oftentimes, you'll find yourself realizing that you're playing because of your guild.

Gamer DNA

I was looking for a new thread to post at while exploring theE-Games Forum, and I ended up in this topic. It is about the MMORPG Psychological Test, specifically the Bartle Test.

The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology is a series of questions and an accompanying scoring formula that classifies players of multiplayer online games (including MUDs and MMORPGs) into categories based on their gaming preferences. The test is based on the research of Richard Bartle and was organized into its first electronic form by Erwin Andreasen. Although the test has met with some criticism for the dichotomous nature of its question-asking methodology, the test has been taken by a large number of computer game players. As of September 2008, the test had been taken by over 500,000 game players.

The result of the Bartle Test is the "Bartle Quotient," which is calculated based on the answers to a series of 30 random questions in the test, and totals 200% across all categories, with no single category exceeding 100%. For example, a person may score "100% Killer, 50% Socializer, 50% Achiever, 0% Explorer," which indicates a player who prefers fighting other players relative to any other area of interest. Scores are typically abbreviated by the first letter of each category, in order of the quotient. In the previous example, this result would be described as a "KSAE" result. (Taken from the E-Games Forum topic)

Here's the result I got:


The Socializer motto: "No friend undiscovered!"

Description:

It's not what you do, but who you know, how you are known and who loves you. People with high Socializer scores enjoy interacting with other people, forming bonds and finding cooperative solutions to the challenges within the virtual world.

Secondary influences

• Socializer Killers loyally love and fiercely hate. Groups an SK bonds with in game are often deemed heroic, while the opposition is reviled. SKs appreciate teamwork and cooperation in PvP. They may become vicious predators while enjoying the thrill of hunt within in a pack, but they are not likely to seek out targets by themselves. They enjoy forming groups and alliances that will pit themselves against other players--and they gain the most satisfaction when they defeat organized groups of other players.
• Socializer Explorers love the the 'total experience' of a virtual world--meeting new people and finding the unique places. They don't care much for PVP or leveling, but meeting up with online friends to see new parts of the world is considered fun and exciting. SEs make great group members, because they often know everything there is to know about a game and are enjoy sharing that knowledge freely.
• Socializer Achievers value reputation. They want to be known and appreciated for what they accomplish bother for themselves and their group. If city or base building are available in a game, they enjoy creating these and inviting other people to come and see. SAs enjoy the increased social status that comes with defeating a powerful foe or finding a unique treasure more than the act of gaining or possessing the achievement itself. SAs endeavor to be associated with leaders and teams that are renown for great deeds, often finding as much satisfaction in the success of the group as with oneself.

I think my result is correct in the matter that I'd rather type away and chat with my guildmates and other in-game friends that press the potions hotkey while trying to gain experience for my character. Yes, I'm a constant victim of chat kill, and I don't really mind.

Another point here is that I couldn't care less about spending hours and hours just leaving my character in a town as I, again, talk with people I know. For me, its the gamers I meet that make me want to continue playing the game, no matter how lousy it might be.

Here I go!

I'll be having all my gaming updates here, such as how my online characters are, my personal views on the gaming community here in the Philippines, and how it is to maintain a gaming life despite a rough schedule as a medical student.

I'll try to include game guides and walkthroughs whenever I can.

Questions, comments, and suggestions are more than welcome.