Monday, August 29, 2011

Galaxy Online II: Super Commanders


Andrew

Initial Stats*
AccuracyDodgeSpeedElectron
51061
*Each stat will increase by +1 for every increase in star rank.

BallisticDirectionalMissileShip-based
Ballistic C icon.gifDirectional C icon.gifMissile B icon.gifShip Based B icon.gif
PlanetaryFrigateCruiserBattleship
Planetary C icon.gifFrigate A icon.gifCruiser A icon.gifBattleship A icon.gif
Skill
If Andrew's Dodge rating is higher than the enemy commander's Accuracy rating, Andrew's ships will not suffer any scattering damage. Affected by the Dodge and Accuracy attributes.
Biodata
Andrew's sense of humility is almost more powerful than his special ability. A down-to-earth farm boy, he joined the Alliance after a pirate attack destroyed everything he knew and loved. As reserved as he is, Andrew shot up through the ranks of the academy to graduate top of his class. His choice to live simply often results in enemy ships missing him altogether.

Anna

Initial Stats*
AccuracyDodgeSpeedElectron
98105
*Each stat will increase by +1 for every increase in star rank.

BallisticDirectionalMissileShip-based
Ballistic B icon.gifDirectional B icon.gifMissile B icon.gifShip Based B icon.gif
PlanetaryFrigateCruiserBattleship
Planetary B icon.gifFrigate B icon.gifCruiser B icon.gifBattleship B icon.gif
Skill
Attacks have a chance to deal an extra 40% Piercing damage. Affected by the Accuracy attribute.
Biodata
The elder of the Galaxy twins, she often fights alongside her sister, Linda. Her training in the art of piercing her targets enables her to deal additional damage. She loves her sister more than anything and would stop at nothing to ensure her safety.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Galaxy Online II: Skill Commanders


Alicia

Initial Stats*
AccuracyDodgeSpeedElectron
9375
*Each stat will increase by +1 for every increase in star rank.

BallisticDirectionalMissileShip-based
Ballistic C icon.gifDirectional C icon.gifMissile B icon.gifShip Based B icon.gif
PlanetaryFrigateCruiserBattleship
Planetary B icon.gifFrigate D icon.gifCruiser B icon.gifBattleship C icon.gif
Skill
Has a chance to increase the damage dealt by the ship in the next slot of the formation by 30%. Affected by the Accuracy attribute.
Biodata
One of the greatest commanders, Alicia has made a name as a no-nonsense, no-mistakes personality. Though many whisper that she received her promotions because her predecessors were removed, Alicia is respected as a person of strong convictions. Her experience with formations allows her to target enemy formation weaknesses, destroying them with ease.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

RIFT




RIFT is an MMORPG from Trion Worlds. It is set in a unique fantasy world, called Telara, that is being torn apart by mysterious rifts that appear out of nowhere. These rifts act as doorways for monsters residing in other planar dimensions to invade Telara.

Protecting Telara from these rifts are two factions, the Guardians and the Defiants.
However, due to their opposing views, they are enemies with each other and seek to undermine the other.

Players start in one of these two factions as an Ascended (a Telaran slain during the great Shade War) that is resurrected to combat the invading monsters. Each of the faction offers three playable races for players to choose.
Each race has its own characteristic look, unique racial ability, advantages and disadvantages.

In RIFT, the player's access to skills and powers comes in the form of the Soul Attunement System. Soul Attunement is the player’s ability to commune with the souls of Telara’s honored dead and gain their powers and abilities. During character creation, players get to choose an Ascended Soul from one of the four callings, Warrior, Cleric, Mage and Rogue. Each Calling has a unique selection of Ascended Souls that can be embraced by the player, thereby providing a nearly endless amount of combinations.
Each of these souls are flexible and have unique, well-rounded abilities that make them great for both soloing and partying. As the player reaches higher levels, more souls may be embraced (up to a maximum of three), however they must all be in the same calling.
Each attuned soul grants players access to a unique "Soul Tree", which contains all of the traits and abilities that the soul had mastered during its life. The "Soul Tree" is made up of two parts, the branches and the roots. As your character levels up, you earn soul points. These soul points are invested into the branches of the Soul Tree to improve the tree's soul level and unlock the more powerful traits and abilities higher up the tree.

As the tree's soul level increases, new abilities will automatically be unlocked down at the roots. These "root" abilities represents the core power of the soul that the player have embraced. They unlock quickly at first, but slows down as the tree’s soul level increases.

Part of the challenge in playing the game is to try and figure out which souls combine well together and find out what traits in each soul to put your points in. Depending on how you build your character, it may come out almighty or it may be a wimp.

The PVP aspect of the game comes in the form of the Guardians and the Defiants fighting for control over Telara and its resources. The fighting is done in instanced battlefields called "Warfronts". There are currently four warfronts available in RIFT, "Black Garden", "The Codex", "Whitefall Steppes" and "Port Scion". Each of these warfronts have their own requirements and victory conditions.

Black Garden
Maximum team size: 10
Minimum player level: 10
Victory condition: Collect 500 points (by holding the Fang of Regulos or killing players) within 20 minutes.

The Codex
Maximum team size: 15
Minimum player level: 20
Victory condition: Collect 1,000 points by holding vital positions, OR the most points in 20 minutes.

Whitefall Steppes
Maximum team size: 15
Minimum player level: 30
Victory condition: Capture 3 sourcestone, OR the most enemy sourcestone within 20 minutes.

Port Scion
Maximum team size: 20
Minimum player level: 50
Victory condition: Accrue 1,000 points, OR the most points in 45 minutes, OR slay the enemy commander.

The maps are well-designed and provide places for players to attack, defend and even ambush the enemies. Participating in these PVP instances rewards the player with money, loot and upgrades.
Questing and exploring dungeons in RIFT are more or less the same as other MMORPGs available out in the market, though the number of kills and items to collect are less punishing. However, unique to RIFT is the chance that players can stumble upon rifts opening while questing around Telara. This adds a whole new dimension to danger while playing in RIFT as you don't know where and when you will be invaded.
There are six planes of existence which interact with Telara via the rifts, the Plane of Life, Death, Fire, Water, Air and Earth. These rifts vary in level from 8 to 50 and in difficulties from minor rifts, major rifts, expert rifts to raid rifts.
When left alone, rifts can spawn Invaders, a marauding group of monsters that will roam through the zones and head towards wardstones. If they take over a wardstone, they will congregate there and spawn even more invaders.
Occasionally, there are zone-wide events that occur in RIFT. These events usually spawn an amazing amount of rifts and invaders. And if the wardstones are defended long enough, epic bosses will spawn out. These bosses require a very large group and a long time to take down.



Comments from Professional Reviewers:
Class flexibility, a solid infrastructure, and an element of unpredictability keep Rift from feeling like just another online fantasy game.
-Kevin VanOrd, GameSpot

Absolutely colossal, Rift aims high and hits its mark, proving that there’s room to grow within the traditional MMO format.
-Jonathan H. Cooper, PC Gamer

Quality compensates for a lack of originality.
-Nick Kolan, IGN PC

Comments from the Gamers:
So basically I can recommend the game if you care more about PvE and want something fresh, different, aka more exciting than the boring grind/yawn WoW has become in the lvling department. But I can't recommend it at all if you care more about the PvP part of a game like I do and want to focus on...
-DrainBlut

I played WoW for 5 years, and got burnt out, Rift has a great feel to it, the rifts are a great touch as well. Try it for yourself.
-C0LT4d5

RIFT has open world events, something we haven't seen since Anarchy Online, neutral monsters can take over cities, thing that can change the whole world, because people can't go in that town to lvl or quest, it has endless combinations of classes, and its NOT a sandbox game where everything is controlled. Rifts make players get more involved with the world, feeling like they are a part of something.
-Rhecon

Does this sound like the game your looking for? Click here to buy RIFT.



Saturday, August 20, 2011

Galaxy Online II: Commanders (Growth & Experience)



Commander
Type
StarMin Growing ValueMax Growing ValueShip ClassEffective Fleet Size
Increase per Slot
CommonN.A.12Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+0
+0
+0
Skill112Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+24
+22
+20
Skill234Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+74
+68
+61
Skill356Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+153
+139
+125
Skill478Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+264
+240
+216
Skill5910Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+416
+378
+340
Skill61112Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+618
+562
+505
Skill71314Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+885
+804
+724
Skill81516Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1238
+1125
+1013
Skill91718Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1705
+1550
+1395
Super145Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+26
+23
+21
Super267Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+78
+71
+64
Super389Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+160
+146
+131
Super41011Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+277
+252
+227
Super51213Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+437
+398
+358
Super61415Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+652
+593
+533
Super71617Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+937
+852
+767
Super81819Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1316
+1197
+1077
Super92021Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1822
+1656
+1491
Legendary178Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+27
+24
+22
Legendary2910Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+82
+74
+67
Legendary31112Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+168
+153
+138
Legendary41314Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+292
+265
+239
Legendary51516Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+462
+420
+378
Legendary61718Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+690
+628
+565
Legendary71920Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+996
+905
+815
Legendary82122Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1405
+1277
+1149
Legendary92324Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1900
+1777
+1599
Divine11213Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+27
+24
+22
Divine21415Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+82
+74
+67
Divine31617Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+168
+153
+138
Divine41819Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+292
+265
+239
Divine52021Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+462
+420
+378
Divine62223Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+690
+628
+565
Divine72425Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+996
+905
+815
Divine82627Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1405
+1277
+1149
Divine92829Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
+1900
+1777
+1599

*Making Sense of Min & Max Growing Values*
Before I start to explain, there is something I want to clarify first. That is about growth rates.
As you hover your mouse over each stat of the commander, you can see its growth rate. If you total up the growth rates of all 4 stats, you will see that it sums up to 10.

The growth rate of each stat has a range of 0 to 5.0. It cannot go below or beyond this range obviously.

So what does all these have to do with Min & Max Growing Value? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The min & max growing value is just the total amount of stats your commander gets for each level he gains. A 9-star legendary will get 23 to 24 "stat points" per level he gains.

(Now this is where the growth rates come in)
These "stat points" will be allocated to the 4 stats ACCORDING to the growth rates.

*Making Sense of Effective Fleet Size Increase per Slot*
As you will know, the effective fleet size per slot is by default 1100 ships for frigates, 1000 ships for cruisers and 900 ships for battleships.

If you stack beyond this amount, the amount of damage you can deal using the ships in that slot will be limited to the attack power of that amount of ships only. That is the effective fleet size cap.

However, stacking beyond this amount is still recommended as your attack power will not be reduced when you lose ships.

As you use skill, super or legendary commanders of increasing star rank, the effective fleet size cap will increase. This is one of the reasons why they are in such high demand.

Commander's LevelRequired EXP to Level Up
1180
2540
31080
41800
52700
63780
75040
86480
98100
109900
1111880
1214040
1316380
1418900
1521600
1624480
1727540
1830780
1934200
2037800
2141580
2245540
2349680
2454000
2558500
2663180
2768040
2873080
2978300
3083700
3189280
3295040
33100980
34107100
35113400
36119880
37126540
38133380
39140400
40147600
41154980
42162540
43170280
44178200
45186300
46194580
47203040
48211680
49220500



Monday, August 15, 2011

Galaxy Online II (Part Three)




Combat
Instances
Restricted instances
League
You can access the instances or league matches by clicking on your space station and then the respective options. Passports are required to enter restricted instances, however you will be given 2 free passports a day. Any additional passports will have to be bought in the web mall at 30 vouchers/mall points each. To enter in league matches, you must pay a certain amount of gold. Each player is able to take part in a maximum of 3 league matches a day. Players are then rewarded with honor points which can be used to buy items in the web mall.

When fleets are fighting in instances & restricted instances, they consume He3 and if any loss of ships occur, they will be permanent. Losses in the league matches, however, is not permanent and there will be no consumption of He3.












To start a combat, click on an instance and then the "increase fleet" button. Select the fleets that will enter the instance and click "OK". You can hover your cursor over the instance to check the maximum number of fleets that you can bring to that instance. If the instance has more than 1 checkpoint, you will be required to click a button to proceed to the next checkpoint after a battle. Now click the "GO" button to start the instance.
Rounds
Fleet battle












The battle proceeds in rounds and in each round, the fleets will move in turns until every fleet has done so. If a target fleet falls within attack range, the fleet battle will commence. Everything is done automatically and the players cannot do anything at all until the battle is over and one side is exterminated. When the instance is cleared, all commanders that participated in the battle will gain experience and the corresponding treasure box for that instance will be sent to your mail box. For restricted instances, badges will be given and a chance to loot the corresponding treasure box for that restricted instance.

Players can stop the battles in instances at any time by clicking the "Stop" button located above the navigation buttons. Use it if you feel that the battle is against you to minimize your losses.

Remember to click the "Syncronize Transition" button to ensure all your fleets arrive at the same time
To attack hostile neighbours, go to "galaxy" view and click on their planet. Click the "Send" button to select the fleets to send to their planet. Note that there is a time indicated underneath each fleet shown. This time represents how long the fleet will take before it arrives at the targeted planet. Depending on ship types in the fleet and distance to the planet, this time will change. Click on the "Attack" button to start. If you are sending fleets to protect the planet, click on the "Defend" button instead.

If at any time during the transition, you wish to recall your fleets, click on the "Check Transition List" button found above the navigation buttons in "galaxy" view. Find the fleets in one of the tabs and hit the "Recall" button.

Some useful links related to the game
Galaxy II Guide Index
Corresponding Blueprints in Treasure Boxes
All About Commanders



Previous: Galaxy Online II (Part Two)

Galaxy Online II (Part Two)




Social
Corps
Friends












Auction
Rankings












To join a corps, go to the corps window, select the corps that you fancy and click the apply button. Once your application has been approved, use the "my corps" button to access the corps facilities. (You will need to have an alliance center built before you have access to the corps window.)
Corps facilities
Some of the benefits of being in a corp includes having access to the corps mall, bonus to resource production, bonus to research/ship production speed (if your corps owns resource planets) and bonus to success rate in merging of commander cards and gems.

You will need to donate via the "corps donations" button (shaped like an airplane) in order to gain contribution points. These contribution points are needed to have access to the corps mall and corps merging center (click on the facility management button (shaped like a wrench) to see how much contribution points are needed to access the facilities). Every 10k of resources or 1 mall point is equal to 1 contribution point.
Corps mall
Merging gems











If you do not have enough contribution points to use the corps merging center, you will lose the "bonus success rate" provided by the corps merging center when merging (contribution points are not used when merging they are merely needed to retain the bonus success rate). Contribution points are used in the corps mall to buy ships (they come in a bundle of 100 per purchase).

A trading center needs to be built in order to access the auction window. This is where you can buy and sell items for gold or mall points. If you are looking to buy a specific item, there is a search box provided for you. The items are sorted by lowest price first, however items selling for mall points will be listed before gold.
Auction selling
When listing an item for sale, click on the "Sell" tab and then the item you wish to sell. Enter the quantity under "Enter Amount", select whether you want to sell it for gold or mall points and then enter the price you want to sell the whole bulk for under "Total price". Finally select the amount of time the sale will last before it ends.
Example
In the above example, I am selling 3600 hawks for 10 million gold and the sale lasts for 48 hours. This means that I am selling the hawks for ~2777 gold each and the cost for listing this sale is 650,000 gold. I will need to pay the admin fee upfront first out of my own pocket.

An interested buyer will have to pay 10 million gold in one shot to buy my hawks (it is coded such that we have to buy all or buy none). Of course, if we lower the time the sales lasts, the admin fee we have to pay will be lower respectively. Note that if we sell the item for mall points instead, then the admin fee we have to pay will be in mall points (not GOLD!).

If an item has a "padlock" symbol at the top right hand corner, this item is bound to you and cannot be sold. It will not appear in the "Sell" tab for you to click.

My Tools
Subsidary territory
Quest (Click on the icon to claim)









Mail
Bag











The subsidary territory is where you can place metal or he3 comsats (small, medium, big or special). Depending on the size, the amount of resources you can collect differs and so does the time you need to wait before you can collect them. Initially, you will start out with only 2 slots to place your comsats. As you upgrade your space station, the number of slots increases up to a maximum of 12.

Comsats cannot be placed on any slots that is shown in red. This is because these slots overlap with your hostile neighbour's. The only way to recover these red slots is to attack and defeat your hostile neighbour. 

From the subsidary territory window, you can go to your friends' subsidary territories to help repair their celestial base or steal some of their unclaimed comsats' resources (do note that they can do the same to you as well). Once 8 of your friends have helped repaired your celestial base, you have to wait for 24 hours before you can click on it to claim 8 vouchers. These vouchers can be used to buy certain items from the web mall or used to speed up the upgrading of buildings and research tech.

The mail window is where you collect items that you have gained from instances or auction. This is also where you can send messages to other players in the game. However, there is no way of sending items to other players via the mail system.

Mall/Lucky Draw
Lucky draw
Web mall













The lucky draw window is where one claims the free spin that is given each day. If you are lucky enough, you might even manage to get commander cards from spinning.

The web mall is where you can buy items to aid your gameplay. There are 4 kinds of currencies that can be used in the web mall, namely badge, honor, mall and vouchers. Each type of currency is limited to buying certain kinds of items from the web mall.


Previous: Galaxy Online II (Part One)Next: Galaxy Online II (Part Three)