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Aika introduces scaling instances for players
Irregular schedules are the bane of group content. When you can't know when you'll log in or how long you'll be online at a stretch, it's really hard to make plans that involve getting other people together, and that's assuming that the content in question isn't an hour of continuous play. So Aika's latest addition should be a welcome change to players -- the development team has changed all of the game's instances to scale according to group size. Scaled-down dungeons operate under a few restrictions, none of which are terribly restrictive -- players will have a slightly lowered drop rate for items when in a smaller group, to compensate for the lowered difficulty. Although some comments in response allege that the difficulty is still tuned a bit high or low in certain spots, it's a welcome change that's been requested in several games over the years. So if you can't get a half-dozen people together in Aika for a simple run, you don't have to keep looking -- you can just go.
Aika Online's Last Bastion expansion now live
The world of Aika Online just got a bit bigger, as Gala-Net and gPotato have announced that the game's second expansion is now live. The update, titled The Last Bastion, increases the level cap from 60 to 70 and allows players to explore the creature-covered swamplands of Termiz. The Last Bastion also features over 100 new quests through which players will uncover the story of Termiz and assist in preventing the Dark Legion from further damaging the region. Aika boasts six player classes, five nations fighting for territorial control via castle sieges, relic thefts, and custom battlegrounds, as well as considerable PvE options. You can learn more about the game, and the new expansion, at the official website. Also be sure and have a look through our expansion screenshot gallery below. %Gallery-108758%
Get ready for Halloween in Aika with our Pran costume giveaway!
Halloween is almost upon us, bringing tricks, treats, and costumes in most MMOs. Aika is no exception -- the game's charming little Pran sidekicks are just as anxious to enjoy the festivities as any player, so gPotato has made arrangements for them to do just that. We have 1,000 Pran Halloween costume packages to share with you guys. Each package contains a rare Spooky Mask, a set of Skeleton Wings and Headband, all of which will last for 20 days -- plenty of time for your Pran to celebrate the spooky season. To top it off, the package also includes an Enriched Rubicine Extract. You have until November 27th to get your code, so head to our giveaway page to get your Pran outfitted for Halloween! Pick up your Pran Halloween costume package!
Aika expands enemy loot list to include NVidia video cards [Updated]
If there are two things that MMO players love, those things would probably be killing enemies and getting prizes. (The third would be cheesecake of either variety.) Aika seems keen to capitalize on this, and the game is running a promotion for players through the 13th of the month allowing those two passions to combine into one. For the duration of the event, every time you kill a monster, you have a chance of winning a brand-new graphics card from NVidia. The system for entry is simple. Any enemy fought within your level range will drop a token, which can produce one of two items. The first is an NVidia box which includes useful in-game items and certainly is nothing to sneeze at. The second is a raffle ticket, which automatically puts you in the drawing for one of the graphics cards, with more tickets meaning a better chance of winning a card. Aika players are also given a special page to track their entries, something that will no doubt become quite frequent as the event marches on. [Update: We've changed up the graphic with the most current one per the folks at gPotato. Note, the event runs through the 13th, not the 18th!]
Massively.com and GameBreaker.TV: Coming to you live from GDC Online!
GDC Online (formerly GDC Austin) is rapidly approaching, and we here at Massively.com are making sure that we're on the front lines of coverage from the event. We have plenty of interviews lined up with a huge variety of companies, and we're teaming up with our friends at GameBreaker.TV to deliver live coverage of the event via GameBreaker's live show at the Vivox booth! To get you excited for the coming conference, we've provided the list of companies we're meeting with just after the break! The list isn't fully extensive, as we'll be covering a variety of panels as well, but it will give you an idea of whom we're meeting with. Plus, keep an eye out for a link to the live GameBreaker.TV broadcast on our right-hand sidebar! Their coverage of the event will be starting on Wednesday, October 6th at 12:00 p.m. EDT!
Aika's latest dungeon is for the birds
It's been fairly quiet in terms of Aika news following the game's first major expansion, but the free-to-play game has just received a major update in the form of the Kynari Aviary. Concluding the story from the expansion of the Kynari civil war, the Aviary is the lynchpin of several story seeds and quests that lead players to challenge the malefactor of the Kynari people, Darkrane. He awaits within the dungeon, complete with new rewards and items for players of all skill levels. The dungeon features three difficulties -- Normal, Hard, and Elite, with the higher difficulties offering better spoils from the battle. It's also filled with high-end crafting materials, with Normal difficulty dropping a large amount of needed materials and Elite difficulty dropping one-of-a-kind recipes for some of the most powerful items in the game. Aika players can begin heading through the dungeon now, assuming that they've hit the level cap and have five friends willing to brave the Aviary.
Log into Aika, win fantastic prizes
If you're one of the lucky souls who doesn't need to work over the summer, or just a discerning player with an eye toward conserving your online time, there are a lot of games clamoring for your attention. Aika's newest event is hoping to entice players with a fairly routine but no less efficient approach: the team is offering players prizes. And all you have to do as a player to earn them is to show up for at least an hour a day. From August 5th until September 8th, players will be automatically granted rewards after logging in for at least one hour. Tears of Aika are the most common reward, with special prizes coming at each five-day interval. Players who manage to log in for an hour a day over the full run of the event will also be entered into a drawing for several powerful in-game rewards. It's not a bad spread for just showing up, so take a look at the full list of rewards, check the FAQ, and start setting aside some time for your Aika characters.
Aika's lead nation system kicks in without warning
With all of the major updates in Aika's first free expansion, Ashes of Betrayal, it might have been easy to miss the inclusion of an underdog system designed to help the lowest-ranked nation in the game's overarching PvP system. What the development team didn't discuss at the time was the other half of the system -- a mechanic to ensure that the lead nation wouldn't have nearly as much dominance over its opponents. That system was rather forcibly demonstrated to players over the weekend, with a post going live explaining exactly what the system is and how it works. The short version is that when a nation is determined (via automatic processes) to be in the lead, it is no longer capable of forming alliances and is kicked out of any existing alliances. This has met with some resistance from Aika's players both in the news post and in threads on the official forums, as it essentially broke an alliance without warning or any explanation at the time. Some players are viewing the penalties to an arbitrarily determined "lead nation" as crippling a nation while splitting friendly nations apart forcibly. Even if the system itself provides an interesting balance mechanic, it's still leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the game's players, especially in light of earlier incidents when information wasn't immediately available.
Ashes of Betrayal goes live for Aika
After having run previews quite steadily, the first Aika expansion, Ashes of Betrayal, has been released today. As could be expected with a free-to-play game, the expansion itself is free, and it contains a large amount of new content to keep players engaged. Whether you look forward to pushing to level 60, expanding your PvP gameplay, or exploring the story of the Kynari civil war, players will get their hands on all the improvements today. If the simple addition of the expansion isn't enough to get you excited about playing Aika, the community team is running a number of events to get people involved with the expansion, ranging from a race to the new level cap to an actual footrace. Really. A naked level 1 character footrace to one of the new areas. We've also been gifted with a few more screenshots of the expansion in action, so take a look at the gallery and go enjoy the new content. %Gallery-95585%
Tell us what you like about Aika Online, and win a video card courtesy of Massively and Gala-Net!
This video card is an uncivilized beast. Minutes within entering my home, it had the audacity not only to spill packing peanuts everywhere from the box it came in, but also to steal my Aika Online snuggie! It's a good thing we're giving this video card away in celebration of Aika's latest expansion, Ashes of Betrayal! Otherwise, it would be a bitter battle to retrieve my Aika snuggie. Darn video card already bit me twice with its two nasty fans! So, please, help a Sera out and win this video card. I'd like it out of my house before it realizes where my secret stash of cookies is. Details are after the break, so please, come along and enter this contest! No! Bad video card! Stop biting the futon!
Aika previews two more class evolutions
With the June 17th date now firmly set, Aika fans can look forward to the full experience of the game's first expansion in less than a week. But there's still more to preview, and while we heard some of the details in our recent interview with the team, they've still got more up their sleeve. The most recent preview on the official site details the new evolutions for the Arcanist and Saint classes, which are receiving notable upgrades along with their fellow classes under the expanded level cap. The Arcanist will be receiving Calamity, a damage-over-time spell that has a long range and a movement-slowing effect to help snare and finish targets in both PvP and PvE. With a five-minute cooldown, however, the spell needs to be used carefully for maximum effectiveness.. The Saint, on the other hand, will be giving massive benefits to allies via Aika's Grace, restoring a large amount of HP and MP while making the target temporarily invulnerable. Read all about the new evolutions, as well as a recap on the nation balance mechanics discussed in yesterday's interview, on the official site.
Exclusive: Aika's Ashes of Betrayal interview
We're sure we're not alone in counting the days until Aika's impending expansion is finally upon us. The Ashes of Betrayal expansion is due out in North America on June 17th and promises to be packed with goodies like new class evolutions, new armor, new questing zones, new level caps, and new hotspots for relic wars. We were fortunate to land an interview with the Aika team at gPotato, who tackled such topics as Aika's perpetual beta status, the cash shop, the new Ashwood zone, the recently released Aitan Arena, the upcoming mega-dungeon, and the future of the adorably creepy fairy familiar Prans. The team even mentioned a few of their planned promotional contests -- do you want to win an iPad for playing Aika? Yes, yes you do. Join Massively past the cut as gPotato previews what's in store for us in Ashes of Betrayal -- and beyond!
New temple and class evolutions previewed for Aika's expansion
The countdown to Aika's first expansion is growing shorter and shorter, so it's only fitting that we're getting more information coming about the upcoming changes to the game. We've heard about Darkrane Forest, but not about the adjacent region, Ashwood. That forest contains something very special in the game's PvP-centric equation: a fourth temple to be fought over for control, guarded by the vicious Kynari under Darkrane's command. Considering that struggles over the three current temples form the basis for the nation wars, the addition of a fourth should be quite a change in the strategic face of the game. We've also gotten a preview of the next evolution of the Dual Gunner and Rifleman classes, dubbed the Pistoleer and the Sniper respectively. Snipers will gain the new Predator ability, allowing them to return to stealth after attacking to help them plan new ambushes and avoid counterattacks. Pistoleers, on the other hand, will gain the new Bloody Rose skill that allows them to turn all of their pistol attacks into splash-damage area abilities -- just the thing for being surrounded by enemies. Check out the new armor and some images of the new temple area in our gallery below, and get ready for Aika's first expansion on June 17th! %Gallery-94238%
Aika previews Ashes of Betrayal and announces launch date
The turnaround on Aika's upcoming expansion has been more than acceptable. The announcement of Ashes of Betrayal came very recently, and already we have a target date of June 17th for release. But if that weren't enough, the development team has been hard at work with the new region of Darkrane Forest, creating both new lore and new art for the region. Home to the half-bird, half-human Kynari, the forest was peaceful until the recent coup performed by the Kynari Darkrane, killing High Castor Isaiah and throwing the region into turmoil. Players will take on the sizable task of restoring order with the help of Isaiah's son Hakks, as well as uncovering the dark forces behind Darkrane's rise to power, including a new instanced dungeon. There will also be new equipment and skill improvements, starting at level 51. We have screenshots of the new armor available to the Conqueror and Templar, the highest tier of growth for the Warrior and Paladin classes, as well as some of the enemies you'll face in the forest and a map of the region. Take a look at our gallery, and get ready for Aika's expansion due in less than a month. %Gallery-93694%
Aika teases their upcoming expansion
If you're a fan of Aika, times have been kind. The unfortunate business with the cash shop has been resolved equitably, and there's a new large-scale arena in town to help strengthen the game's focus on epic PvP. All that would be enough to keep players content for some time, but rather than resting on their laurels, the development team is planning a brand-new expansion. And it promises to be large... if the screenshot above is to be believed, it may even be dinosauric. Titled Ashes of Betrayal, the expansion promises to include a large amount of new content as well as an increase in the level cap. While there aren't many details available at this point on the specifics, the team is shooting for a mid-June release. Like Aika itself, the expansion promises to be free, so keep your eyes peeled for more news on what's coming down the pipe. Considering how quickly the expansion is coming and how recently the game was released, the future looks bright.
Aika allows players into the gates of the arena
In a game focused on PvP, arenas can be a tricky things. If everything is set up nicely then they show off the strengths of the game at their finest; if there are flaws, it's a bit like highlighting them with a magnifying glass. Aika has decided to take the plunge, but not on a small scale -- the Aitan Arena doesn't go halfway. The battles are geared to 100 players on each side, with each team duking it out until only one remains standing. Divided into four level brackets, the Aitan Arena pits two teams against one another with a maximum capacity of 200 players on a first-come first-served basis. While that might sound a bit limiting -- especially with only two windows open per day -- the wide brackets and rotating schedule should allow everyone a shot at the match. The real limitations will come once the match starts; with the competition heightened by the fact that there are no respawns within the arena. Once you drop, you're out of the match. Take a look at the full announcement on the official site, and get your blades sharpened for the newest PvP venue in Aika.
One Shots: Righting the wrongs
We have to admit, we love how cute this young lady is, poised with her hand out as if to say, "Stop, evildoers! I shall protect this city!" Perhaps she's just practicing her smack-talk for today's GM PvP event going on in Aika at 1pm Pacific. Alternately, it could be something a lot more innocent, as today's note from our regular contributor, Johanis, tells us: "Here is Miss Jackson, my newly created Cleric in Aika. She's still fairly new and often finds herself lost in the bigger city." We're sure a passing guard will give her some directions soon. From enormous MMOs to indie titles and everywhere in between -- we love to see/hear about your adventures! If you'd like your screenshot to be featured on an upcoming One Shots, it's really easy to do. Just email it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing in the image. We'll post it out here for everyone to look at and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Aika's service restriction problems have happy ending for existing players
When Aika's service restriction first hit, it was less an example of malice and more of poor timing working in all the worst ways. The game had always been meant for just North American players under gPotato's administration, but the European players who had spent money in the cash shop and subsequently gotten locked out of the game were... well, to say they were unhappy would be a thunderous understatement. But the team behind the game kept working on the issue, and they managed to come up with a compromise solution. An official announcement has just gone live restating that players outside North America will not be able to register to play Aika. However, players who had registered on or before April 7th will be able to continue playing, regardless of their location. That means that anyone affected by the sudden change in service restriction will be able to resume where they had left off, with all their cash shop purchases intact. It's an elegant and equitable solution, and our hats go off to the team for ensuring that players weren't completely shafted by an ex post facto ruling.
Aika service restricted with some unintended consequences
When Aika opened its item shop, a comparison or two to Allods Online was inevitable. After all, with gPotato managing both games, there were a few people that wondered if the same pricing issues might show up. Turns out that the cash shop has still caused problems... but it's not the prices, it's the fact that the game is only supposed to be operating in North America at the moment. A statement was posted earlier today that the game would be blocking IPs from outside of North America, as gPotato only had the rights to operate the game for that region. The problem is the number of international players who had been playing the game and had purchased items from the cash shop. As a result of the block, these players are obviously left out in the cold with no way to access Aika... and no real recourse for the items that they had already purchased from the item shop.
Aika item shop opens
Aika has been generating some buzz here on Massively as a new PvP-focused free-to-play game with some interesting gameplay mechanics. It's been in open beta for a little while now, and the game has taken the first cautious steps toward their business model: the item shop for the game has gone live. Considering what happened when the last gPotato free-to-play game launched its item shop, it's hard not to be a little... leery of what might ensue when the fans look at the pricing. Sure enough, there have been threads popping up in reaction, but the overall response has been fairly low-key. It would seem that the impact of what happened to Allods Online and its price model were taken to heart. The shop still isn't quite live on the official site, but it promises to make life at least mildly easier and offer several convenience features to players. So if you've been waiting to try Aika until you see how the cash shop plays out, you might want to go over and check the open beta out now.
