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Atlantica Online introduces new mercenary
Atlantica Online fans will be happy to see some new content in the form of "Empress Recruitment", a brand new quest that offers up a new Class B mercenary at the end. Empress Himiko is a valuable ally in battle, offering blessings for friends and curses to enemies as well as a damage buff to bow-wielding players. Empress' Blessing will protect allies from all magic cast by an opponent, and its counterpart Empress' Curse prevents enemies from using any magic for a certain period of time. Players using a bow will find that they do more damage to ranged enemies in PvP. The Atlantica Online team is looking forward to seeing how players take to this new addition to the game: "Empress Himiko is a formidable recruit for any Atlantica Online player looking to dominate," said Peter Kang, CEO, Ndoors Interactive. "We are excited to introduce her to the community and wait with bated breath to see the havoc she will wreak on her enemies with her powerful magic." To recruit Empress Himiko, visit Sumi in the Haunted Tatami Room to begin the quest.
Atlantica's Mercenary Madness contest
Ndoors Interactive has taken the wraps off their Mercenary Madness contest, which invites players to submit designs for a new Atlantica Online character. The contest winner will not only nab the thrill of seeing their design brought to life inside the strategic turn-based MMORPG, but also a nifty chunk of real world loot including artwork of their design autographed by Atlantica developers and as yet unnamed game merchandise. "Our community has always played an important part in shaping Atlantica Online," said Ndoors CEO Peter Kang. "We want to further their involvement with the game and show our appreciation for their feedback by literally letting them become part of the design process." Players have until March 22, 2010 to submit designs, which should include the following: Type of mercenary (existing classes only) Name of each mercenary upgrade (Initial Name, level 20, 50, and 80 Upgrade Names, and Hero Name) Back story of mercenary character Description of mercenary's appearance (images are encouraged) Mercenary skill names and descriptions All entries should be submitted to event at ndoorsinc dot com. Full event rules can be found here and you can download a submission template here.
Love Struck in Atlantica Online
It's that time of the year, and love is filling the air. Cupid's arrow hit Atlantica Online big time with the introduction of the Love Struck event, taking place Tuesday, Feb. 9 through Tuesday, Feb. 23. During the event, players can roam through Atlantica Online and purchase Cacao Beans from Wandering Merchants. These Cacao Beans, in addition to a few other ingredients, can in turn be crafted into sumptuous Valentine's Chocolate. Possible options and ingredients can be found in the Crafting Skill menu, under Food. Also, a player's food crafting rank must be at a level 1 or higher. Want to know more? Keep reading for specific info on available event items.
Massively's WonderKing Online launch day roundup
It's launch day for WonderKing Online and Massively, as usual, has you covered. But wait! What is WonderKing, you ask? WonderKing is NDOORS Interactive's newest free-to-play title, joining the ranks of Atlantica Online and Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu. WonderKing plays very much in the vein of MapleStory, offering a two-dimensional, action and platforming based experience rather than the traditional 3-D MMO targeting combat. However, unlike MapleStory, WonderKing goes a bit further with its MMO aspects in the form of crafting and cooking systems, an upcoming player housing system, and the upcoming ability to become a king by taking over a castle and defeating other players. We've been keeping up with WonderKing for you guys, so here's a roundup of our coverage on this new free-to-play title. Read, learn, and find out if WonderKing is right for you!
Atlantica Online unleashes content update
Atlantica Online has rolled out another content update to the game, giving every player what they've longed for: the chance to beat the stuffing out of an impressive number of crab people. That's really what everyone wants out of a game, so we should all just go home and kill crab people. Of course, there were a couple other elements improved or expanded in the game's update, but who cares about little things like new skills and improved competition ranks when faced with a dynamic new cluster of enemies? Leaving aside the awesomeness of getting to beat up homarids in Atlantica Online, the update is quite substantial, with a lengthy set of patch notes available on the official site. Players can enjoy augmented health points to extend the length of engagements, as well as the aforementioned new skills and competition ranks. The game has also streamlined its system of Mana Stones, combining and simplifying the Repair, Enhance, and Enchant stones to make life easier for players. If all that's still not appealing enough to you, the fishing system has been improved, which might wind up bringing you back to crab people yet again. Take a look at the full notes to see all the additions and updates with this latest patch.
WonderKing goes open beta, offers panda pet
If you enjoy side-scrolling free-to-play MMOs that you and your kids can play together, then you'll be glad to hear this piece of news. Ndoors Interactive, the company that brought Atlantica Online to this side of the pond has opened up the doors on their newest MMO offering, WonderKing. Set in myriad worlds thanks to dimensional travel, this new game pits players against hordes of demons who seem to inhabit everything from particularly pernicious jackalopes and jello to testy tiki monsters. Returning players from WonderKing's closed beta who come back and play in open beta will be treated to a special secret gift. (Could be meat, could be cake!) If you haven't tried out WonderKing, don't worry -- they have something for you too. Between now and January 10th at 6PM Pacific, all players who log in will be given an adorable Black Panda pet as a way to help them test out their shiny new pet system. So, if you've been looking for a way to while away the winter hours with the family, or perhaps you're simply passionate about panda pets, head on over to the WonderKing site and take advantage of their shiny new open beta.%Gallery-82305%
Child's Play pulls out of Atlantica Online charity drive because of negative player feedback
On the list of all-time classic burns, "we don't want your money" is pretty far up there, especially when it's a charity saying it. Atlantica Online has been burned pretty badly. We reported recently on the company offering an in-game grab bag in the game's item mall that would result in donating an unstated amount to Child's Play. Unfortunately, due to negative feedback, Child's Play has requested that they be withdrawn from this charity drive. Why would players complain about donating to charity? Some facts have surfaced, chief among them the official statement that the donations would be 5% of gross revenue. For a $40 purchase, only two dollars actually wind up going to charity, which feels a bit duplicitous when one of the main selling points is a charitable donation. Atlantica Online's official announcement is almost petulant -- it boils down to the company stating that they wanted to just do something nice before complaining players ruined it for everyone. Although the announcement goes on to state that they will look for an alternative recipient of the donation, for the time being none is listed. It's sad news all around, even in light of the popular charity's record donations this year.
Atlantica Online dev diary: Visiting Santa's Villa
It's time for this newest installment of NDoors Interactive's bi-weekly developer journal for Atlantica Online here at Massively. We've covered so much already, but now we're treated to some detailed info on their winter holiday event. Here's what they had to say: This Christmas season we are proud to bring back Santa's Villa to our players. During this holiday season, players who are over level 20 and have been playing for at least an hour will receive Mistletoe. This item, when exchanged for a Santa Villa Ticket, will give players access to all the treasures that lay inside.
A sneak peek at Atlantica Online's new class and dungeon
It's time for this newest installment of NDoors Interactive's bi-weekly developer journal here at Massively. We've covered so much already, but now we're excited to see some news of a shiny new class, called the Druid Mercenary, and the Grand Canyon Dungeon. Here's what they had to say: Atlantica Online is proud to present our newest addition to our growing list of mercenaries, the Druid. In our next patch, players who have reached level 100 will be able to begin the recruitment quest for this axe wielding mercenary.
WonderKing Online enters into the final phase of closed beta
It's time for a fiesta in WonderKing Online! "Yippie, arriba, arriba!" as our friend Speedy Gonzalez would say. The fiesta is being thrown in celebration of the game entering into the fourth and final phase of closed beta, and players can take part in the celebration in a few pretty easy ways. Monday nights from here until the end of the phase are going to be double experience nights, which is absolutely perfect if you want to get to level 30 and qualify for a special gift that will be given to your character at launch. If you feel more creative, WonderKing is also offering a few contests involving Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. YouTube users can create WonderKing videos to try to win a special ring, MySpace users can comment on screenshots posted each day to win a special beanie or earmuff item, and Facebook users can write a paragraph about snow to attempt to win a Santa's Gift Bag wearable item. Or, lastly, you can always go the safe route and submit bugs, as there's even a contest for that! Five users each day who submit bugs will win three Gigantes' Blessing items from the GMs. So, WonderKing players, it's time to get cracking! Fiesta away!
Atlantica Online dev journal: Thanksgiving festivities
It's time for this newest installment of NDoors Interactive's biweekly developer journal here at Massively. We've already covered the Stimulus Package event and the game's one-year anniversary, so now we turn to the upcoming Thanksgiving event. Here's what they had to say: Thanksgiving time in Atlantica Online has never been so festive, as we are introducing two new in-game event items this year. Players will be introduced to an NPC who will offer them a special Thanksgiving quest. The rewards for fulfilling that quest are new additions to your formation, as well as a new clothing item for your avatar.
Atlantica Online speeds up download with new Lite client
Atlantica Online just celebrated its first year in the US, but the free-to-play game apparently had another trick up its sleeve -- namely, allowing players interested in the game a chance to get in and start playing even faster. After all, it can be obnoxious to download a client and wait for it to patch through updates when you just want to dive in and get to playing. Ndoors Interactive has just launched the game's lite client, a way for a smaller initial download to let you start playing the game as fast as possible. The new client's trick is to only frontload the first twenty levels of play while downloading the rest via background processes. This allows new players to log in and start playing their character faster, but it can cause issues for existing players who might be at a higher level (and the press release specifically suggests avoiding the lite client if that's the case). For everyone who hasn't started the game, it's an interesting way to make the startup more accessible and significantly faster. Consider taking a look over the weekend, and possibly getting in on some of the one year celebration goodies Atlantica Online has to offer.
Atlantica Online dev journal: The Stimulus Package Event
The good folks at NDoors Interactive have begun a new bi-weekly Atlantica Online developer article here at Massively where they'll showcase the latest and greatest news they'd like to feature to the Massively readers. This week, it's all about a new event where the prize is a snazzy set of in-game wings as teased in the header image, and shown in its entirety with another exclusive image after the jump. Here's what they have to say about the event, the wings and their game:NDoors Interactive Inc. currently has an exciting opportunity for players to join the highly acclaimed MMO, Atlantica Online with their newly launched Stimulus Package Event. Atlantica Online delivers an RPG style battle system and a lush world that incorporates characters that players might find familiar, such as, Caesar, Charlie Chaplin, Beowulf, and many more. However, instead of controlling just one character, players have the opportunity to lead a party of nine unique mercenaries into battle, such as, the inventor, Da Vinci; the pirate, Anne Bonny; the minstrel, Paganini; the Spartan, Leonidas; and many more!The Stimulus Package Event is an opportunity for players to try out the game and have a chance to win 500 Gcoins by simply referring friends while exploring the world of Atlantica. As a special prize, the individual who has the most referred invites will receive a special item, the Blessed Argos' Wings. The next top five players with the most qualified referred invites will each receive normal Argos' Wings.
Atlantica Online opens Van Gogh's Gallery, adds the Minstrel Paganini to their mercenaries
When Atlantica Online adds a new update, you know it's going to be a unique tie in to the history of the world. This update is no different, as Atlantica adds a brand new, reality bending dungeon to their mix -- Vincent Van Gogh's Gallery.Van Gogh's paintings have been collected by his friends, and have been put on display together in a local church. But, when the paintings start to react with one another and open doors into other dimensions based on Van Gogh's work, it's up to the players to find out what's going on and what drove Van Gogh to madness before his death.Other aspects of this expansion include the addition of the Minstrel Paganini (the woman shown above), a brand new music wielding class based on the 17th century violinist Niccolo Paganini. The level cap is also being increased from 120 to 130, which also means that a few of your mercenaries will bet getting upgrades as well!All in all, this looks to be a trippy addition to an otherwise solid free-to-play title. We applaud the use of Van Gogh's paintings as the new dungeon because, quite frankly, it's a pretty unique concept. Enjoy your decent into madness, Atlantica players! Don't cut off your own ear!
WonderKing Closed Beta 2 key giveaway
If you didn't get a chance to grab a key from our first giveaway for WonderKing's Closed Beta Test 1, now's your chance to grab one for the second phase. We have 1,000 keys to give away this time, with no commenting or waiting required!To claim your code, we're doing things a bit differently than last time. Simply head on over to our giveaway page and grab a key from the button at the bottom of the page. From there, you'll need to redeem your key on their beta site and download the game. Good luck!
Massively catches up with the Atlantica Online team
Atlantica Online is truly a unique F2P game that has enjoyed a fair bit of success since its launch late last year. We showcased the game in February of this year and figured it was about time to see how the game is doing six months later. In fact, we often get emails from readers asking for more Atlantica Online coverage, so the interest is certainly there from your end. Now knee-deep in a pretty remarkable competition, the NDOORS devs also explain a bit about how this contest has fared and how close they are to awarding that new car to a lucky winner.So follow along after the jump to read the brief interview and be sure to check out our complete coverage of the game for more information.
Massively's hands-on with WonderKing
Last week, the folks at NDOORS were kind enough to give us a bit of an introductory tour through their newest 2D side-scrolling MMO entitled WonderKing, currently in the closed beta stage. You may remember a recent interview we had with the WonderKing devs, as well as a closed beta key giveaway last month. Our coverage now continues through a series of screenshots we took during the tour, complete with captions that explain major features of the game.So if you're not in the beta, or are just curious about this game, follow along through our visual tour of WonderKing to find out more.%Gallery-68025%
Ijji.com users can now access Atlantica Online
Users of ijji.com will be happy to know that as of today their ijji accounts can now be used in tandem with Atlantica Online, letting them jump into the game without any new signups or or registration processes. Any current ijji.com member can simply jump on over to Ndoors and grab the game's client and sign in with their ijji.com account, no strings attached.Well, there are strings attached, actually. Good strings. This opening also marks the start of the "A New Recruit" event, which awards new players with bonus mercenaries in their party when starting out and item bonuses for every new mercenary they get.While we realize that this may not be a story of earth shattering importance, it is interesting to note that the publisher, Ndoors, is letting another website enter the game's servers without actually creating a brand new version of the game. This isn't a group of stand alone servers, meaning ijji.com users will be entering into the already vibrant North American Atlantica community. Not a bad way to add more people to your servers, if you ask us.
Massively's WonderKing beta key giveaway
It's Friday, and you know what that means! Well, lately it's meant that we at Massively are giving something away, and today is no exception. Today's key code giveaway will get you into the WonderKing closed beta, and we have a metric ton of these things to give away, courtesy of the fine folks at NDOORS. Of course you remember WonderKing from our recent interview with the game's developers, but now you'll have your chance to actually play the game.To claim your code, simply leave a comment on this post telling us why you'd like to get into the closed beta. From there you'll get an email with the key code and instructions on how to redeem the code (so make sure your registered email is correct!). All comment entries must be in by Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 9am EST when eligibility will close. Only one prize per person. Good luck![Update: We've just been told that the WonderKing closed beta will begin on July 16th, not the 9th as previously announced.]
Win a new car playing Atlantica Online
NDOORS Interactive has issued a press release announcing the launch of a "Mega-Event" for Atlantica Online, offering a variety of prizes, not the least of which is a car -- the Scion tC 2010. Apart from being a Mega-Event, the contest also has a specific name: "Unlock Your Way to Atlantica". Players get a key for each hour spent in-game, and the keys are then used at this webpage to unlock in-game items and chances to be in the raffle for real-world prizes. These include:• 1 – Grand Prize: 2010 Scion tC sports coupe• 5 – Alienware 750i*• 5 – BFG Tech GeForce GTX 295• 5 – Playstation 3 80GB• 5 – XBOX 360 Pro• 5 – Acer H233H bmid 23" LCD Monitor• 5 – Nintendo DSi SystemsReading the fine print reveals a few other caveats to winning any of these. Players must be at least level 20 in order to win the out-of-game prizes, and level 50 to win the car. Turning in a key will also provide a 200% experience boost, which should help those trying to hit the minimum level requirements for their swag. Once 2,000,000 keys have been entered the contest will be over and someone will drive away in a Scion (contestants from overseas will have to accept cash instead. It looks like the other prizes are still fair game for international players).
