Pierrot's Blade & Soul Experience Pt.3 : I'm Back!

My Blade & Soul adventures are back! I've been a bit busy with life, so finding time and motivation to play again or post was difficult. That's not what today's post is about, though! I've got good news. Really good news...I beat that strong guy who was difficult for me in Chapter 8: Pirates and Thieves and moved on all the way to chapter 13! There's also a new startup logo which looks pretty cool.

I was hoping I was done with the Everdusk area, but Chapter 9: Caught Off Guard was deeper into the Everdusk than where I was before. Not by much, but a little. The enemies were stronger of course, but for once, I didn't die during the chapter! That's really a major accomplishment for me since dying in-game is easy for me to do. This Chapter was pretty much similar to the last one, though I felt it was easier. After completing it, I decided to do the side quests. I figured it would help me level up as well as earn items and money. One quest I didn't like was called Say No to the Dress. The reason why is because I pretty much had to replay the chapter all over again just for a dress that I don't get to keep or even see. -__-;

I had some difficulty with the quest called The Source of the Bloody Jiangshi. I was wondering what was in the Defiled Tomb, so I was all for it. Plus, the reward was a new outfit so I couldn't refuse. It seemed easy and I figured being at level 9 was fine since I was successful with passing Chapter 9 twice. I learned after that Nekuro was NOT easy to kill, but he will kill me easily. I thought maybe I needed to be at 100% health before attacking, so I tried that...he still killed me.  I had stopped playing at that time because it was late, but that last time lasted weeks instead of days.

Fast-forward to last night, I decided to start Chapter 10: Anchor's Away! instead of picking up where I left off. I headed into the Blackram South Anchor hoping to continue the story, but it didn't work that way. I ended up being killed by four enemies at one time..I escaped and restored my health, but  when I tried again, they killed me. I ended up going back to Everdusk and decided to go hunt bears or any enemy I came across to level up. 

Eventually, I made it to 10 and realized I still had to beat Nekuro. I figured it would help make me stronger, so I headed back to the Defiled Tomb. This time, I was able to get him! He dropped a lot of good stuff, so I think it was worth it. I headed back to the Foshi Pyres to let the guy who gave me the quest know and got my new outfit. I was going to go with the red and black version of the outfit, but this one looked better.

Once I changed clothes, I went out to do other quests in the Everdusk and Bamboo Village to help with leveling before I attempted chapter 10 again. I learned that I could make my weapons stronger by combining items or adding stones which was very helpful. I also found out how to make faces or reactions as well as hide all the things on the screen like the chat and attack menu bar. I figured it would make my screenshots look better, but I realized that it's not very helpful when you need to know if you're close to dying. ^^;

After all the quests were done, I went back to the South Anchor. All I can say is someone got drugged and there were explosions...oh, and I didn't die! I almost did at the end, but that's only because the guy who was helping me decided he was going to windwalk away and leave me there to fight the guy I drugged who was obviously angry. Thankfully, help arrived from the Bamboo Guard as I was healing and we defeated Wungsam (the guy I drugged).  When I was heading out of South Anchor, there were about four or five characters that were all...fused somehow,

Drugging the bad guys!

Um...what's going on here..?

I was going to stop there, but I was having fun. Since it was my day off, I decided to keep playing and went into Chapter 11: Gone Fishing. It was located in Whalesong Cove which looks terrible. It's all gloomy and there's some dead people of to the side. One guy was still alive, so he tells you what happened to the village. Basically, some evil energy attacked the villagers and turned some into zombie-like beings. I made my way down to attack the 'corrupted villagers' only to find out they still somewhat looked like the normal ones. I ran up to three of them and ended up being chased until some Bamboo Guards killed them for me. I almost died, but got to the point in the chapter where I was supposed to go into the Tainted Grotto to find the Lady in Black who happens to be the person that killed Master Hong. I was pretty cautious when I went in because I already knew she could kill me, but thankfully that didn't happen. She ended up running away when Dochun came in and we made our escape with a flamethrower. Honestly, that was a little weird, but I didn't question it since it was keeping me alive.

When we made it out, Dochun headed to the Gloomdross Forest. That was where the next chapter was going to take place at, so I knew I had to head there eventually. I also got a letter from Brother Hajoon saying he was there, so I already knew I would be going in no matter what. But first, I did some quests of that area in case I needed to do things for them in the forest. When I got into Gloomdross, I noticed some mushroom creature that reminded me of the ones from Maple Story. They didn't attack me, so I left them alone. A little way's into the forest, I came across a man called Chung Unnam. I didn't really get why he was there, so I left and went to the group of Bamboo Guards across from him. One of the people there had a letter for him, so I went over and delivered it. It turns out he's a tailor and makes uniforms for the Bamboo Guard. I ended up getting a uniform from him for free and without much effort.

I continued on to the Tanjay Kilns where Dochun was. I met another person who wanted me to check out corpse in a place called the Dreamdrift and tell Paso of the Char Coalition. I went out of the meeting house and saw there were some quests so I went to see what I could do. since some were in the areas I needed to go to. There was one in the Dreamdrift, so I headed in that direction first. I passed by some cute sprites that weren't really mean unless you attacked them first. I don't recommend doing that, by the way. They are very difficult to kill.

I went into the Dreamdrift and met someone who told me everything in there is made of wood, including the creatures. He then gave me a torch and I was able to light the monsters on fire. I had to do that 15 times before I was able to leave. I also found the corpse only to be attacked by some freaky-looking...thing. It was also flammable, so I torched it. It dropped a badge, so I took that back to Paso who told me it was his brother's. I felt bad, but we changed the subject. I asked about the lady in black whose name is Jinsoyun and he said she was in the North. I went to tell Wonhong, but the guy who made the bombs back in South Harbor and ditched me was with him. He was wanting some kind of powder to make mega bombs, but no one would give him any. You don't even have to play to know where this is going.

He told me to get him some. Unfortunately, I can't refuse if I want to progress the story, so I told him I'd do it...surprisingly, the Char Coalition people were willing to do it. I really wanted them to say no, but they're nice people. That was the end of Chapter 12, and I was surprised to see that I had made it to level 13! I'm really happy with the progress I've made so far, even though I think I'm still in the beginning of the game. Part four will be coming next week!

MMORPG Corner: Stepmania Online

We've all heard of Dance Dance Revolution right? DDR: that silly game sitting in the corner of Dave and Busters that is frequented by harcore dancers and small children lured by colorful lights and sounds. Well, let's consider for a second a DDR that allows the player to actually show skill without looking like a complete fool on the first messup. Well the open-source game "Stepmania" allows this! And what's more, there's an ONLINE version too!

Stepmania (Online)

Stepmania, like it's console counterpart, allows the player to play through songs they enjoy while tapping to the beat through cued arrow keys. Unfortunately for Konami, Stepmania takes it to an amazingly new, user-centric, open-sourcey level.

For starters you play with your fingers (mostly). Of course if you have a PS2 to USB cord you can play on a dance mat, but the main way to play Stepmania is with fingers on either the four arrow keys or "spread" across the keyboard (as if you're typing almost). This allows for much much more arrows and a more challenging game. And you'd be surprised how easy DDR becomes on a keyboard -- one mistake isn't the end in this game!

Next we have the best feature of Stepmania - Bemanistyle. Bemanistyle, among other things, is the source of everyone's songs. Yes, the songs are made by players! Depending on your tastes there are other places to find music, but Bemanistyle is the biggest collection I know of. Beware though, the songs vary in professional status.

If you're more skilled with programs, you can actually make just about anything for Stepmania, from songs to "notes" (arrow skins) to themes to announcers to even dancing characters! And of course if you can make them, you can also download them and customize your Stepmania player! One of my old favorite sites is Stepmaniathings. Check it out, there's so much free content!

Now that you get the point, let's talk about Stepmania Online. SMO is a part of the new Stepmania that allows you to play "against" other people. There is no real combatant gameplay involved, but you get to play the same songs together and compare scores. Gamplay takes place in "rooms" that also double as chat rooms in between matches. It is also somewhat hard to set up SMO's online play but once you set it up once you don't have to reconfigure a thing.

The Debate

Pros: Stepmania has never been a social game, but DDR has, and with the potential of using dance pads, Stepmania can be too. SMO allows players to interact while playing, a key aspect of MMOs, probably one of their driving forces. It may be interesting to play solo online, which may sound silly but SMO saves all your scores and weighs them against other people. You could "fight up the ranks" if you so wish, but beware people who "cheat." All-in-all it's all the fun of Stepmania but with friends! Who can hate that, for the low low price of $0?

Cons: SMO is in beta at best. A major and inevitable downfall is that all players must have the same songfile exactly. There's no "online database" of songs so you must plan things out with friends before playing, or happen on a room with the same music. There are also a few errors, for instance it says that one must set the difficulty to a certain level before playing, but there are ways to get around this. Also the interface is awkward (you can't see the difficulty chart when choosing, etc.) and there are no secret cool multiplayer things. It's just Stepmania so if your pals don't enjoy it as much as you it'll get boring fast.

example of online play

So if you've heard of Stepmania before try the online version! If not, get started! It's easy, go to www.stepmania.com and install the software. Then head to www.bemanistyle.com, create an account, and download some music! Just read the instructions carefully, it's a little tricky for beginners.

And of course there are plenty of Anime/J-pop songs to play, probably all your favorites. Give it a try! You might be able to dance like Miku (not guaranteed.)!

-chansu

MMORPG Corner: Dofus and Dofus 2.0

Hey ya'll, I'm here with one of my personal favorites of the MMORPG universe: Dofus. There is no debate revolving this game, because there is seriously no other game like it! Without further ado, let's begin!

Dofus and Dofus 2.0

Storyline: The story is a simple one if you don't go into the details (that actually exist!). You are an adventurer in the World of Twelve. You hear of the legendary dragon eggs that provide one with insane powers, called Dofus(es). One day the eggs are reported missing, and they are up for grabs! All you must do is chose from the 12 classes available, learn the ropes, gain power and a loyal team, then you're ready to head out and find the treasures of legend! Of course there is much more to the story, but it's an MMORPG. Who plays solely for the story? It is also worth noting that the quests are very involving at times, and also somewhat high on the difficulty meter. It's best to train above the quest level requirements first.

Music: The music of Dofus is very unique: flighty and witty, sometimes monotonous but always adheres to the tone of the area you are in. Each of the 12 classes has their own theme song, each area has it's own theme, and many other places and battles have their own specific music. You may not be into the whole folkish and light music, but then you really shouldn't be playing a game like Dofus.

Graphics: This game is done ENTIRELY in Flash. The graphics are, of course, in Flash as well. Every area (since the 2.0 addition) is lush and amazing to look at. The battle effects are amazing even after the 1,000,000th time you've casted the spell. The backgrounds sometimes hold amusing details that I won't spoil, and the 12 classes and monsters have a cartoony look. It appeals to those who don't want another "Dark-and-Dreary Online."

Playability: This is the substance of the game. Imagine a world where you didn't just point and click to attack monsters. Imagine a world where strategy and skill outweigh (most times) level and strength. Imagine Dofus' turn-based strategy battle system. In theory, a low level can use their brain to beat a high level character. All the monsters have unique AI and most times challenge the players to build a team with sufficient skills to trip them up. And did I mention the 12 classes? In my opinion, Dofus has the most playability in the MMO arena because of it's choice of classes. Everything from the Archer class (Cra), the beserker (Iop), the tanks (Feca and Sacrier), the drunken masters (Pandawa) and much more. It will take you a long time to get bored of what Dofus provides.

A look at the battle system of Dofus. This player is taking on a mid-level dungeon in a place called Otomai Island.

Dofus has recently been given an overhaul in the form of "Dofus 2.0", which in reality is a new version of Dofus. It stands alone from the previous version and allows players to begin anew in a redone World of Twelve, with all new EVERYTHING: character design, monster design, area design, interface, and animations. This shows Ankama's (the game company) dedication to it's players. Dofus has led me back to it more than 4 times. I just can't find a replacement. Ankama has made a game that cannot simply be lifted and repainted to look like the standard WoW clone. No one can make a game like Dofus because it has such unique attributes to it. It may not appeal to everyone, but it certainly appeals to me and it is worth a try.

-chansu

MMORPG Corner: Wonderking vs MapleStory

You are about to read a very biased, uninformed review of two MMORPGs. I may be way off-base, or you may strongly disagree with what I've got to say, but cut me some slack. You're free to comment, but let's keep it to a small ember at most over here.

Ahem... Okay kiddies, if you like playing social RPGs and enjoy an anime-inspired adventure, then you've probably hit a couple anime-styled MMORPGs. Sure there's the point-and-click clones of WoW all over the place, but I believe what makes online games shine is live action. And the closest we've gotten to that is summed up in side-scrolling MMORPGs.

The Challenger

Wonderking Online is a fairly new MMORPG that has begun testing it's waters with the North American audience late January. Extremely similar to MapleStory on first glance, Wonderking boasts many of the same features: basic character classes that branch out to specializations i.e. the two-hand sword wielding Warrior to the swift, stealthy ninja (whose weapon of choice is ninja stars). Players complete quests in luscious, intricate pixelated areas, killing cute-but-deadly monsters.

The Reigning Champion

MapleStory has run the side-scrolling MMORPG game forever. If you were adept these past few years you may have noticed various commercials, online ads, and even tons of memorabilia. You start off throwing snail shells, but if you put in the endless hours of killing monsters you can look as intense as the gigantic boss monsters (but of course much smaller). MapleStory has a huge fanbase and is arguably a figurehead in the MMORPG universe.


The Debate:

MapleStory has grown to somewhat epic proportions, but it had earnest beginnings like the rest of them. Including Wonderking. It has been adapted to the North American audience in an attempt to give MapleStory a run for it's money. Wonderking has even finessed ad placement onto Crunchyroll and MMORPG.com (where there's even a WonderKing dev blog for those who want to know more about the Mods and the game).

To be honest I haven't reached endgame in either game, but I've given each a chance. MapleStory obviously has more content, but that is only because Wonderking had a late(r) start. I would definitely bet on old Sea Bird (Wonderking) to pull into the lead in the future. Let's be honest folks: no matter how good MapleStory is, too much of a good thing will either put you off or rot your teeth. I'm not telling you to go delete (or sell, whatever you game is) your account and run over to play a game that needs expansion in many areas. I'm only saying that we shouldn't stubbornly stay with the old forever.

And if you've never played or heard of either games, or even MMORPGs for that matter, give them both a shot!

-chansu