Purple Up!

I was at the Bonifacio Global City Open Field this afternoon with some friends. It was actually the Level Up! event that made me go, and not the Yahoo! Purple Hunt Finale. I’m really not a fan of contests.

The Open Field was so big the five tents in color purple occupied not even 1/4 of the area LOL!

This is the Level Up! booth called Purple Up.
 

The Purple Lounge where there were laptops for free use.

It was so hot in the “open field” that only the participants of The Purple Hunt Finale were at the stage area.


Then Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga with his daughter arrived.


The daughter flagged off the start of the race.
  

It (the Honda Jazz) was eventually won by Calvin Galgana from Caloocan.


It was really scorching hot especially when we decided to line-up for the freebies at the Level Up! booth.
 

By the time we got the freebies, a Calvin Galgana was announced the winner.

We wanted to watch the Level Up! events which was just about to start after we received the freebies. But it was really so hot, Ryan was feeling chest pains I was afraid he’d suffer heat stroke. We went to Market Market instead.

Ran Online D3D9 Application Error

Due to a friend's request, I downloaded Ran Online again last night. I was surprised to find the full client chopped into 9 parts, with two extra files named the "latest patch" and the "current patch" (huh? I first thought the two are just the same files but no, they're two different ones). From what I can remember, the full client used to be just one file. Now, you have to bear with the clutter of 9 zip files (plus 2 exes - namely current and latest) in the directory wherever you download your stuff, in my case, the desktop (lol).

So I installed it this morning hoping to play with my friend who has just been introduced to the game and is currently super enjoying it. But then this D3D9 Application error (pictured above) pops up. Description says: "Generic application error. Enable debug output for detailed information."

I got so confused cuz according to Google, D3D9 is video related. And confused I was cuz I was using a 1 Gig video card. What could possibly go wrong?! Is my 1 Gig video card suddenly behind Ran Online's platform?

The Ran Online forum shows threads regarding D3D9 Application errors but I was so disappointed to find no real answer to the problem. Replies also come from Ran Online players who, just like the thread starter (and me) do not know what could have possibly caused the problem. So the threads are full of guesses and hunches and maybes. Some of the threads even have no reply at all, to think that those threads are in the forum's "technical" section. I wonder where all their techies have gone.

After hours of tinkering with my video card's control panel, trying out different resolution settings, reinstalling the game, downloading a new d3d9.dll, scanning my registry, etc... I decided to reinstall the game without running the "latest patch" and the "current patch." I decided to just patch it through their autopatcher... and lo and behold! Darn it! It worked!

It was a long wait, give or take 45 minutes, but I did it because I can't think of anything else to do to make it work. Like if autopatching still didn't work, I would've given up on it.

But then, spending all day trying to make Ran Online work was irritating. So irritating it conjured up old irritations with the game - disconnections, heavy lag, frequent emergency maintenance, lost premium items, wasted premium items due to emergency maintenance, bullying in-game, bad customer support, etc, etc...

By lunch time, I was already decided I wouldn't play anymore. I just tried to make the game work on my PC for personal satisfaction. I really don't like giving up on anything.

So to those who are having the D3D9 Application errors, just don't download the two manual patches and just let the client auto patch itself.

Latest patch... current patch... redundancy = error!

I Want To Play

I love Rohan Online. Even though I can't play as much for the past days, I still dream of becoming a "mamaw" someday.

I even have the June Rohan calendar as my desktop wallpaper.



How I wish I could turn back the time to the days when I could play online games all day.

Mind Control

Target Shooting

Sometimes, we get really mad that we feel like throwing the nearest thing we can grasp at someone. And thanks to the Iraqi reporter who taught us that if we can't find anything to throw, we can use our shoes to hit someone.

Special Force slash Soldier Front

Up to now, I'm still getting hits about the Soldier Front (locally known as Special Force) error message "cannot run multiple instances of soldier front" and I can't believe I haven't blogged yet about my analysis on the problem (I kind of did, but it's chopped into multiple posts).

Back to the problem: Soldier Front (or Special Force) will only run on monitors with the screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher. And higher means both horizontal (at least 1024) and vertical (at least 768). Like in my case, I used to play on a 17-inch widescreen Samsung with a maximum resolution of 1440 x 720 and I couldn't run Soldier Front on it. I believed it wasn't my CPU cuz it's still kinda new. So I searched the net for solutions and did what most of them said - install the latest video card driver. I did that despite the fact that my shop computers could run Soldier Front even on old video card driver. And just like what I expected, the "latest driver" thing didn't work.

Until instinct told me to test the game on an old 17-inch CRT monitor (AOC) which has a resolution of 1024 x 768. So I connected the old CRT to my cpu, adjusted the resolution to 1024 x 768 (since it's still trying to display via the 1440 x 720 resolution that my desktop was set to), and after restarting the PC, lo and behold! Soldier Front worked! Just to make sure, I changed the CRT's resolution to a lower one (800 x 600), and yes I was right, the game wouldn't work on a lower resolution.

Right now, I use a 19-inch widescreen LG with the max resolution of 1440 x 990. It cost me a new monitor to play the game, and somehow it is worth it. I don't just play SF, anyway. Cabal and Crazy Kart also looks great on the new LG.


PS: For Windows XP users, if your computer restarts itself upon entering SF, make sure to install a security update from the Microsoft website (or you can Google the file) called WindowsXP-KB926255-x86-ENU.exe...

Nearing Extinction

The very first online game to hit the country, and the very first online game I fell in love with, is going to have a major server merge this November 15. Ragnarok Online's three servers are going to be merged into one. Back in 2003, they started with just one server (Chaos). As the game became popular, they added a second server (Loki), then a third, and a fourth, and so on. But as competition arose (I think MU Online was their first competitor), players began to explore, and Ragnarok first merged their seven servers into three. They are (1)Chaos and Loki became BALDUR (2)Odin and Fenrir became TYR; and (3) Iris, Sarah and Lydia became FREYA. And since I don't think there are that much players of Ragnarok around, they are merging these three servers into one called NEW CHAOS. They started with one, and they are going back to just one. From Chaos to New Chaos. And oh yeah, they are cutting the cost of subscriptions. I heard a month will go down to 200php (from 350). Not bad. But I think it's the start of a phase-out.

Dota Allstars 6.56 Ai+ v1.52

The map isn't by IceFrog but by BuffMePlz. It's actually a modification of the map AI+ v1.52 of RGB.

Download it here.

Known bugs with AI:
-AI don’t properly react to -nb, -nm and -nt modes
-Some exploits that should have been fixed are still in the game…just don’t use them. If you really want to cheat against AI, just use -test

Some commands have yet to be implemented properly:
-ah
-afk
-kickafk
-rd (the new one in 6.53, -rd is in the game but done the same way pre-6.53)
-cm

Additionally, there are two Fun Taverns in the lower right corner. Currently includes nine legacy heroes: Old Invoker (6.12b), Old Lifestealer (6.48b), Old Silencer (6.12b), Gambler (6.06), Old Morphling (5.84b), Old Stealth Assassin (5.84b), Void Demon (3.0d), Rider (5.72), and God of Wind (6.01).

To access the fun taverns, type -fun within the first 15 seconds of the game.

When the Game Sucks

Been playing Special Force, Crazy Kart and Gunz Online as of late. "Little games" IMHO. Something I can easily log out when the need arises, and where I don't have to continually grind because the levels don't matter much. On the second thought it does matter, too, but not as much as with the games where skills depend on levels.

Crazy Kart is so fun, reminiscent of my PlayStation addiction. Crash Bandicoot, yeah baby!

And like most PC gamers, I started out with Counter Strike. CS is still loved by millions up until now but variety has sprouted and gamers now have choices. But still, I must admit that I play Special Force and Gunz Online because I love Counter Strike. They are CS with more spice. Like eating mangga with bagoong, but it's still the mangga you like and not really the bagoong.

Special Force is locally published by MyGame. It's actually called Soldier Front in other countries (that's why you get "cannot run multiple instances of soldier front" error messages). And the game sucks most of the time because of the glitches and bugs. It totally messed up today after their maintenance. Computer restarts while patching or during gameplay. Mine restarted 15 times before I called it quits for the day. It's not my PC. I know mine's still on the high end. I even bought a new 19-inch widescreen LCD just because it wouldn't run on my 17-inch widescreen Samsung. That's why I know it's their new patch, and their forums are actually smoking with threads about restarting computers LOL.

So what do you do if the local publisher of the game you wanna play sucks? Download another country's publisher's client! LOL! I'm currently downloading the North American client (ijji.com).

And yeah same goes with Gunz. I stopped playing on the international server because of heavy lag. I also play the North American client through ijji.com.

Hayssss a gamer will always be a gamer, indeed! But hey, I don't play as heavily as before. I now just play whenever I'm free.

Diablo III

Diablo was one of the first games I played before the MMORPGs hit the country and before PLDT had internet. My friend Jay and I would even use our telephone lines and modems just so we could party, resulting into havoc when my mom and sis found out that they weren't able to receive their calls cuz I was using the telephone for playing.

Now I am willing to rekindle my Diablo days with this new Diablo version they're preparing to release (no exact date yet).

Diablo 3 Game Features:
Explore fully realized realms of Sanctuary – the living, breathing gothic fantasy world of Diablo III – rendered in gorgeous 3D.

Battle the unholy forces of the Burning Hells with all-new character classes such as the otherworldly Witch Doctor, or with re-imagined warriors from Diablo’s past, like the powerful Barbarian.

Rain Hell on your enemies and use the interactive environment as a weapon: lay cunning traps, turn destructible objects against your foes, and use environmental obstacles to your advantage - all powered by the Havok physics system.

Experience the intensity of multiplayer Diablo III over an all-new, wickedly enhanced Battle.net platform with numerous enhancements to make connecting with your friends easier, and cooperative gameplay more fun.

*The old Necromancer will be unavailable on Diablo III but they added the Wizard class.

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne 1.22 Patch: No More CD

My PC got a virus from Angel's flash disk (which she used in their school's lab) that I had to format the drive and start clean. It's always cool to have a clean drive but it definitely is not cool to loose files. Good thing I have my most important files stored in a cd, but still I lost my bookmarks in Firefox and some pictures I recently took that I haven't burned yet.

I now use Avira antivirus (goodbye Nod32). Avira is free (Nod32 only offers trial periods), and Avira detects more viruses than Nod32. Plus, the umbrella icon is cool =)

One of the first things I installed was Warcraft. And even if I own an original CD from Blizzard, I always use a crack file. Inserting CD's in the drive everytime I want to play is irritating. So a no-CD crack is the way to go. Avira, though, reads my crack files as virus so I went searching in the net for another crack. I found some on GamerBurnWorld but Avira still read them as viruses.

Until I came across this blog that says the latest update (1.22a) makes the game "no-cd." I immediately connected to Battlenet and lo and behold! Warcraft now runs without the CD. They should actually have done that long ago. CDs are not immortal. They get damaged. Does it mean you have to buy a new orig cd again if your cd got damaged? But still, it's good that they have thought of that even this late.

Battlenet is the easiest way to patch your game but for those who want to download and install the patch manually, click this.

Warcraft III v1.22 Patch Notes

FEATURES

- There is now a replay auto-save feature in the options menu. Replays are automatically saved to the "replay" folder.
- The game is now automatically saved in the event of a potential disconnect. These saved games are placed in the "save" folder.
- Player color selection can now be limited by the number of players in the game using an option in the "Advanced Options" screen during game
creation.
- Added an option to always show unit and building health bars.
- You can now enable and disable the display of minimap signals from players and other observers using chat commands:
/showminimapsignals and /hideminimapsignals.
- Added a new in-game cheat "maxfps" to limit the maximum frame rate to the given number. Example: "maxfps 30" will set the maximum frame rate to 30 FPS.

BALANCE CHANGES

HUMAN
- Scout Tower repair rate changed from 12 to 20.
- Knight damage increased: Attack cooldown changed from 1.50 to 1.40 and base damage increased from 25 to 28 (Average damage is 34).

UNDEAD
- Increased Ziggurat base armor from 1 to 5.
- Reduced the build time of the Necropolis from 120 to 100.

NIGHT ELF
- Reduce the Orb of venom poison duration from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
- Increase the experience gain from Dryads from Level 2 (40xp) to Level 3 (60 xp).

FIXES

- The cooldown on unlimited usable items (example: the staff of preservation) now persists after the item is dropped or traded.
- A cooldown exploit with potions has been fixed.
- When you unburrow a Crypt Fiend, its auto-cast will no longer be toggled off.
- An exploit bug in which items could lose their cooldowns when transferred between heroes has been fixed.
- Fixed DotA-specific sound effects on Intel Macs.
- Fixed sound falloff on Intel Macs. Distant sounds should now still be
audible.

MAPS

- New maps from contest winners:
- (2)MeltingValley
- (2)RoadToStratholme
- (4)CentaurGrove
- (4)TidewaterGlades
I forgot the blog url where I read it from. But then it made me realize the importance of blogging, and the importance of spreading what you know.

OMG Cabal/Globe Event

The Cabal Online guild activities happens this Saturday.

CM Jay writes:

There will be Guild 6 vs. 6 Tournaments, Guild Attendance Contests and special Item Vouchers will be given away to event attendees who will be able to win and participate in the different live activities.

In line with this, e-Games will also have activities for Dance Battle Audition, Top Speed, and Granado Espada- as they celebrate their anniversary.

HOW to JOIN the e-Games TOURNAMENTS during the EVENT?
1. For Globe Subscribers
-Not yet registered to G-cash: Register to G-cash (for P1) to be able to get a “Tournament Coupon” from G-cash promodizers during the event.
-Already registered to G-cash: Show the G-cash balance inquiry to the promodizers to get a “Tournament Coupon”
-Gamers to show the “Tournament Coupon” to E-games staff at the Tournament registration table to be able to sign up with the game tournament they want to compete in.

2. For non-Globe Subscribers
-Buy a Globe SIM at P45 (bundled with a free P20 e-pin) from the GLOBE Booth
-Register to G-cash to be able to get a “Tournament Coupon” from G-cash promodizers
-Gamers to show the “Tournament Coupon” to E-games staff at the registration table to be able to sign up with the game tournament they want to compete in.

Grand Chase's CBT Coming Soon

Grand Chase, Level Up!'s newest online game, is accepting applications for the Closed Beta Testing which is scheduled to start on the second or third week of October. Sign up now to be among the firsts to get a feel of this new game! I have just signed up myself =) I actually find the site very cool.

WoW: Wrath of the Lich King

Coming November 13, 2008. I just hope they release it here in the Philippines the same date. The expansion comes in two packages:

the standard package:


and the collector's edition package:


I wonder if the boxes are also frosty when you get them =)

Anyway, the features of this expansion:

* Master the necromantic powers of the Death Knight - World of Warcraft's first Hero class.
* Quest to level 80, gaining potent new abilities and talents along the way.
* Learn the craft of spell augmentation with the new Inscription profession.
* Brave the harsh new continent of Northrend, the icy domain of the Lich King.
* Engage in epic siege warfare, deploying mighty siege engines to lay waste to destructible buildings in your path.
* Transform your hero's look with new character-customization options, including new hairstyles and dances.
* Explore perilous new dungeons filled with some of the deadliest creatures -- and greatest treasures -- on Azeroth.
* And much, much more...

The last line sounds so promising... much, much more... more...

Grand Chase Philippines

Level Up! is bringing Grand Chase to the Philippines, a 2.5D game developed by KOG Studios which was first released in Korea in 2003. Grand Chase is known as Three Young Heroes in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Japan also published the game in 2005 but lasted only 22 months. Thailand's Asiasoft Online also published the game for Southeast Asia release for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Grand Chase was also released early this year in the US.

Grand Chase is much like GetAmped. If you like GetAmped, you'll like this one, too. Beta release is dated October 2008. It's likely that they'll launch it in the Level Up! Live event on October 18-19 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

24Ever 2Gder

So it's not just Ran Online that's having an event at the SMX. Cabal Online (another MMORPG from E-Games) will be having this "Guild Activities" thing this coming September 27th, a few days ahead of the Ran Global Tournament on October 4. The said event is in connection with the launch of Globe's newest mobile service, 24Ever.

Tagged as "24EVER 2GDER," there will be Guild Attendance Contests, Cabal Trivia, and Cabal Merchandise Selling. Item vouchers will also be given away to those who will win in live activities.

And yeah, Audition and Granado Espada will also celebrate their anniversaries on the said event. I don't know but I have a feeling this one's going to be more exciting than the October 4th event.

Ran Online Goes Global

Things are heating up in the local scene as the Philippines will play host to the Ran Online Global Tournament 2008, with the finals to be held on October 4, 2008, at the SMX Convention Center. A lot of fun and excitement await gamers as teams from Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam will fly to the Philippines to challenge our own Pinoy team to a grueling PK fest.

The Philippine team is composed of the following from Havoc Server:

Vincent Van Amado (Team Leader)
Carlo Angelo Magcalas
Kevin Medina
Martin Joseph Buday

Battle Mechanics
Each team will have four players, each representing a character class from RAN. Characters will be pre-generated with the following:

50,000 gold
40 pcs HP,MP,SP 50% potions
Level 180
180 Skill Points
Senior Armor Set (Defense 25, Resistance 0)

and with the following statistics (before stat and skill point allocation):

Brawler: HP 1602; MP 77; SP 560
Swordsman: HP 1478; MP 76; SP 698
Archer: HP 1314; MP 106; SP 436
Shaman: HP 1271; MP 221; SP 499

Swordsmen using a blade will not be allowed to use the Blood Lust skill, and Shamans will be unable to use Resurrection.

Arrows, charms, and potions are also available from the different NPCs. Unlimited bus tickets will also be available, to ensure that the competitors can move from the Ready Zone to the Battle Zone. The Chief Instructor will also be there to allow the combatants to create gangs.

After the character has been customized with skills, weapons, and statistics, and necessary purchases have been made, the teams are to create their gangs, from their parties, and prepare for battle. At this point in time, the teams will be notified that they will be transferred to the Battle Zone, with the Bus Terminal waiting to take them to their destination.

Once the teams enter the Battle Zone and confirm they are ready, the Bus Terminal will be removed from the map, and the battle will start.

The Battle Zone is similar to a wrestling ring, a square arena in the middle of the map where the teams will duke it out. The red zone indicated on the map, with borders marked with warning signs, indicates the death zone. Characters that move to the death zone will die, as the zone is similar to the bomb zones in the Ran Battle Royale. Last team standing wins. Once the winner is announced, the teams will then move back to the Ready Zone, using the Bus Machine that has once again been summoned, and await their next match. The teams will battle it out ladder style, with the order of matches to be announced at a later date.

Extreme Beauty

The Global Tournament not only marks the matching of wit and skill, since the Ran Global Tournament Site is in search for this year's Global Ran Boy and Girl. Ranatics from all over have sent in their pictures for the preliminary judging, and one male-female pair will represent each country to vie for being the next Global Ran Boy and Girl.

Winners of Extreme Beauty will win various real-life and in-game items, which include this exclusive and permanent in-game costume.

In Game
In game, everyone is hyped up about the recently released Hover Boards, which not only look cool, but provide people with a much faster way to move around a map as well. Everyone knows the scene in the game - you need to level up, even if the leveling spot is so far away from your location. None of your buddies is in the area, and there are simply no bus stops after Middle Hole. Instetad of risking your life and walking slowly to the spot to start your grinding, the Hover Board brings you there faster. It's like having a Shaman cast Massive Haste on you, only on a smaller scale.

boards

There are four boards available. Both the Sable board and the Sable Mark II board do not have a level requirement, but the Skylock and the SkyLock Quad boards require users to be above level 50. Of the four boards, the SkyLock Quad is the fastest.

There are even costumes available to match your spanking new board!

Ranny Bear

Ranny Bear is the latest addition to the RAN Online pet family. If you thought the Husky and the Turtle were cute, wait 'til you get a load of this awesome teddy bear. Ranny Bear can also be taught the same skills as those taught to other pets, and it eats the same food consumed by other pets. New costumes for this ursine companion include its Pilot box, Knight Box (where it looks like Puss in Boots from Shrek) and the Scuba Box.

Be sure you're not left behind! Get the latest RAN Online patch and hover off into the sunset with your cute and cuddly bear companion.-by Pepper Laforteza

Source: Game!

Cabal Online: Let the Pain Begin!

Cabal Online has become one of the biggest games in the Philippines, with more than 50,000 concurrent users online. With the Nation Wars coming, players are sure to grind more, level more, and basically be online more.

After the fall of the Sage Tower, the seven sages were disrupted. Among the fallen seven sages, Capella and Procyon decided to pursue their principles and established two different nations - named after themselves - with their followers in Nevareth. The nations come into conflict with each other because of their opposing principles. And now they choose war as the final resolution.

If you want to join in on the chaos that is Nation War, you will need to complete the Tower Of Sage Divide quest at Level 95. This quest can be done by talking to Captain Mark at the Group Camp in Fort Ruina. Once you accomplish this, you will be asked to choose a Nation.

Nation Wars are held in the Nation War Server - Tierra Gloriosa. One hundred players from each Nation Strive for dominance by overtaking outposts guarded by powerful guardians, killing the other nation's warriors, and ultimately taking control of the other Nation's capital. Entering the Nation War costs 1,000,000 Alz, which is non-refundable (even if you get disconnected). The War Lobby would be open 30 minutes before the War starts, giving time for the two nations to strategize and find their consumables from the grocer or from the item mall. Even though 250 people can enter the lobby, only 100 players at a time can go to war.

There are two types of Nation Wars: Personal and Mission. Personal Nation Wars are held every day except Saturday. Rewards for winning in Personal Nation Wars are dependent on the number of outposts overtaken and enemies killed. Mission Wars, on the other hand, occur only once a week (Saturdays) and, in some instances, during holidays. Rewards for Mission Wars are for everyone in the Nation, not just those who participate.

When in the War Channel, killing enemy monsters and characters of the opposing nation can earn you honor points. These honor points will vary, depending on the number of players of the opposing Nation online. However, if you do not have a nation, you earn a standard of one honor point per monster killed.

Killing players from the enemy nation (players with red, scrambled names) earns you an extra 50 points. However, killing neutral players (those who haven't chosen a Nation yet, and whose names are orange) will earn you the same amount of honor points as monsters.

The Nation War Update also comes with National Costumes for both Nations. Check the Cabal site and the e-Games community forums for details regarding the next Nation War. See you online! - by Pepper Laforteza

Source: Game!

Live '08

Cool picture, this is the back page of Game! magazine's September issue. They're really ready for the event, ads and all.

Ragnarok Online World Championships 2008

It's a fightfest as all guilds are scrambling to secure a spot for the Agit Lords. Baldur has Carnage and Sustainer of the Realm both gathering Siege Points while Coalescence is busy piling on Honor Points. †_M@cWorldCl@n_† and MayheM of Freya are also doing the same tactic of earning Siege Points, while Honor Points are being amassed by Frailty. The most controversial server, Tyr, has -Restricted- and Celestial Knights both earning Siege Points with Bitzbox and Cataclysm of Valhalla following suit. Meanwhile, Arméd n Loaded and Renegadesªª are fighting for the position of most Honor Points in the Tyr server, with Justice being the only running competitor for the Valhalla server. Finally, in Valkyrie Haràbas and illuminati™ are both grabbing as much Siege Points as they can, while Kingdom of Justice is busy hoarding Honor Points of their own.

For the Wild Card Nominations, BOZANIAN BEASTFIGHTER of Baldur has secured a tremendous lead over Vanquish of Valkyrie and Freya's Legion of Doom. Let's see what will happen during the final legs of the Ragnarok Philippine Championships!

RF Online Novus Elite Squad Tournament

Gears are burning as the Novus Chip Assault Squad sees the leading reps for each respective server. Nexus has WARPATH and >DemonZ<, Altrax's current leaders are MAFIA and NoPity, and ¶DIVAS¶ will be representing Xenos. For the City Under Siege we have the following teams, representing their race and servers. Mastermind - Accretia/Nexus, Represent - Bellato/Nexus, Immortals - Bellato/Praxis, Pure-18 - Accretia/Nexus, TearHere - Bellato/Nexus and finally Armado CDO - BEllato/Nexus.

Stay tuned as the best of the best RF players will gather at Live '08 to determine who is king in Novus!

Flyff Heroes of the Dragon Emblem

The Heroes of the Dragon Emblem Tournament (HoDET) has recently concluded its run in Luzon and the Visayan Region. The representatives are: North Luzon - Sayote Republic, Central Luzon - Rekta, GMA - TPP and for South Luzon - ALLSTAROUTCAST. Finally, the winner for the Visayan Leg was LEGION. Now all that's left is for the Flyff team to head for Mindanao to find the last Regional representatives! Those who missed out need not worry, the Wild Card nominations are just beginning, so there is still a chance to be among those who will compete in the HoDET at LU! Live 2008.

FreeStyle All Stars '08

Hip hoppin' along... The Netopia qualifiers for GMA and Luzon 2 have recently concluded with ELITE TEAM. Lord Louise, and Blades emerging as champs. Furthermore, the GMA regional has also completed its run with Turbulence taking the top spot. Things are heating up as the regional for Luzon 1 & 2 will be taking place this month. Also adding to the excitement are the Netopia qualifiers for Visayas and Mindanao.

Defeated players need not worry. Slots are still available through the online ranking battle. There are still tickets up for grabs for the FS All-Stars 08; jist be the number 1 ranked player for July and August. Good luck!

Perfect World's Phoenix Quest

Dynasty Wars ravage the lands of Pangu. 6 of the 10 legs of the DWars are now complete with HolyOrder, Celestial, Method, Carnage, Salawayun Dream Team and Shadow making the cut for Dragon server. Representing the Tiger server are teams Exiled, Aether Main, Aether 4th Ext., Decima, Fidelis and Legacy. For the Wild Card, the current leading teams are: Method, Exiled and Doomsday for Dragon, Tiger and Serpent respectively. There is time left and guilds can stillmake the cut if they don't make it to the DWars.

For the server reps, bHadBoys, GUARDIANS and Dei are the current leading clans for Dragon, Tiger and Serpent respectively. See who gets to grab a ticket to Live 2008!

Cabal Online's Image Verification

Cabal Online had an extended server maintenance today. The game resumed 4pm-ish. They made something again to minimize (if not totally eradicate) the use of third party bots - that is, the BOT Checker Image Authentication feature. It made me laugh, really, but I admire their efforts to make the game bot-free. Bot-free game = fair game. And I'll only do pa-level when it's totally bot-free. So perhaps a word verification window will pop-up every once in a while... But then again, botters can simply time it so they'd be there in time for the verification. Or if it's done in random time gaps, it'd be better.

Well they've fought bots in Ran Online! I'm kinda sure they can do it in Cabal Online, too.

They also applied the Chaos Arena System (entry is in Bloody Ice). Schedules are 12am, 4am, 8am, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm daily on channels 3-10 of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter servers and channels 4-9 of Neptune.

Another good thing is that players on "old servers" can now create new characters!!! There goes inventory extensions hahaha. Then they fixed the bugs experienced when warping (or so they say). Let's just hope they have really fixed that. They also made the "trade channels" purely for vending. That's good. Less lag siguro. And yeah, there's no more monsters there also (that's why you can't do pa-level din).

The sad thing, though, is that you cannot use return stones anymore while on PVP. Haha. Too bad.

Other points I'm not so interested about are:
-Quick Slot registered skills can be used for the Auto-Attack function.
-Activated Force Change Skill purchasing from the different Town Trainers