The One About Vietnam GE CBT Activities

Ack! I've been wanting to post these photos up since last week, but oh well, better late than never I guess. In summary, it was an awesome party that I will live to regret not being at. The most beautiful people in HCM were all gathered there - from models, to TV celebrities. The DJ spinned Tiesto soundtracks from GE. Mr. Hakkyu Kim also visited a local university to give a talk to their students about Granado Espada's game development and for a Q&A session. Enjoy the slideshow:



We just received the V3.4 client and will be starting intensive testing pretty soon. IF all goes well, we will most likely be launching "V3.4 The Masquerade - Deception Takes Center Stage" on Friday, 19th June 2009.

Hellena is a very cool character. I've always liked magic and summons the most and I am absolutely loving it that IMC is creating Hellena who has both magical abilities and a summoning ability. Hellena is able to summon a Frost creature

Frost at Lvl : 100
Type: Human / Light Armor / No Attribute / Small
Max HP: 49764
ATK Rating: 50
Fire RES: 40
ATK: 2830
Ice RES: 40
DEF Rating: 50
Lightening RES: 40
DEF: 138
Mental RES: 40

To recruit her, however, you will need to have Emilia and Ania to activate the quest. (Ania will be out in V3.4 as well.) Ok, back to work work.

The One Where Meepoktah Cries Me A River...

(a.k.a The One About The Power of My Plantronics Headset Gamecom 777)

What can possibly bring a grown man to tears when listening to Aria De Coimbra?

Nope, it's not the failed enhancement of his +9 Constellation Weapon... it was the day I let him listen to that song on my newly acquired Plantronics Headset Gamecom 777.


It was hilarious seeing the various reactions on the faces of my colleagues as I placed the headset on them. It was such a unanimous response - They instantly stopped doing whatever they were doing and their eyes opened widely, as if they had just been enlightened to a new world of audio utopia. And then they have this dazed look in their eyes, as if hypnotized and drawn into a different dimension. Yup, I kid you not. That's just how powerful this headset is!

Serenade me from all angles~

Dramatics aside, what really sets this headset apart is first of all, its 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. In less technical terms, 5.1 surround actually means that sound seemingly comes from 5 'angles': Left, Center, Right, Left Surround, Right Surround. Of course, since a stereo headset is only capable of 2 channels, it doesn't actually make 5.1 sound. How it actually works is that it mixes the sounds so they seem like 5.1 channels. The integrated sound card makes it sound like you have 5 speakers and a subwoofer, even though you're just wearing a stereo headset.

This adds an incredible edge in gaming, especially when playing FPS type of games. It was like a dream come true when I could actually hear which direction my enemies were coming from and every beat of their pitter patter footsteps. It is simply too realistic and definitely not recommended for the faint-hearted or those on medication.

The headset comes with a USB 2.0 adaptor which produces the surround sound - so just simply plug and play to get it working (no drivers needed!). It comes with analog as well, which makes it compatible with your MP3 players or other devices that uses the usual 3.5mm plugs.

Talk to me, baby

When I first used it, I was totally oblivious to the fact that there was a well-concealed microphone attached to the inner frame of the headset, which could be easily flipped down. The microphone is even extendable to wherever your mouth is.

Its noise-cancelling feature helps to filter background noises significantly. When I was chatting with my friends in Ventrilo, they expressed gratitude that they finally didn't have to be subject to my usual TV drama serials playing loudly in the background. (Thanks a lot, guys...)

The mic-mute button cleverly positoned on the volume control knob is especially useful when you wanna get all mushy with your partner, without grossing the rest of your faction mates out on Ventrilo.

On that same note, you will still be able to give him/her your full attention when using your headset, since the headset's open-ear design allows you to hear background sounds and even your handphone ringing.

Built to last... in comfort

I always have a problem with the cables of my headsets since they wear and tear pretty easily, especially when I bring them overseas for travel. To me, one of the best plus points of this headset is that it is constructed to military-grade standards with extra-strength cables for rugged use.

Surprisingly, comfort isn't compromised with its durability factor. Any contact that my head could possibly have with the headset was cushioned totally - the earpods and the top frame have these non-allergenic cushions that rests comfortably on my ears and atop my head. Despite looking extremely bulky in appearance, the headset is unexpectedly lightweight, which is another critical factor for long hours of gaming or listening to music.

Some things to take note of, though. One is the uncomfortable amount of pressure on my ears after some time of using it. However, I noticed that after some days of using it, the headset 'adapts' to the size of my head and the pressure became significantly less. I guess it's just that initial 'teething' stage, much like getting used to a new pair of shoes, or in this case, the new shoes getting used to you.

The other issue is that some Vista users may not be able to hear anything after plugging in the adaptor. Not to worry - simply go to your Control Panel>Sound and Set Default to the Speakers - USB Audio Device to switch the sound output to the headset.


And voila! You're done!

On a really random note, here's a little trivia -Plantronics headset was used by Neil Armstrong when he first landed on the moon...

Currently, Plantronics Gamecom 777 is the very first Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound headset to be launched in Singapore and it's definitely the worth the buy. At the very least, try to get your hands on a headset to test-demo it and savor a taste of Audio Utopia, if only for a little while. It will be well worth your while!

Plantronics Gamecom 777 retails at SG$169 and can be purchased from the following locations:

- IAHGames iCafe (Funan DigiLife Mall)
- The Software Boutique, #05-42 Funan DigiLife Mall
- Tec-Drome, #05-78 Sim Lim Square
- Game Haven, 29 Carpenter St
- E2Max, #04-18 The Cathay

So now, are you ready for a taste of Utopia?

The One About Helena's Voiceover

Just like I promised, this blog entry is all about the new RNPC in V3.4, Helena. This time round, Runner managed to get a gorgeous French singer to do the voiceovers. Check out Helena's voiceovers:



This has simply got to be Runner's best work ever! The flavored text and singing bits were really good. After listening to the clips, I turned to him and declared,"RUNNER! THAT WAS A MASTERPIECE!!!!! YOUR BEST WORK EVERRRR!!!! I WANNA HAVE YOUR BABIES!!!!!"

I then proceeded to force the rest of Team GE to give him a standing ovation and a round of applause. The next thing I'm gonna do is to force them to use some of the clips as their SMS ringtones. You guys can do the same by downloading the files over here.

Well, what can I say?

There's magic in the air~

The One About Vietnam Granado Espada CBT

In about 20 hours' time, Vietnam Granado Espada will be officially introduced to the rest of the world via a major press conference hosted by FPT Online, followed by the commencement of their CBT.

Their press conference is truly going to be an exciting one! A famous Vietnamese architect will be giving a talk about the baroque architecture of Granado Espada. They even invited the most famous fashion designer in Vietnam to design some costumes based on Granado Espada and to showcase them in a fashion show during the press conference. (And no, the fashion designer isn't anything like Andre Janzur, just in case you were wondering!)

Here's some exclusive photos of their pre-event setup:

Vietnam Granado Espada's Project Runway?

Gorgeous setup ain't it? Too bad I wouldn't be able to be there for the actual event. :_(

Nevertheless, I'll post up some photos as soon as I get them from Jon. More updates about V3.4 coming up in my next entry - here's a teaser: it's gonna be the new RNPC Helena's voiceover!

The One About Cooking

Just back from Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) and still feeling a little fuzzy. Had the privilege to meet up with some of the Vietnamese gamers during their focused group discussion about some of the changes in the vGE build. The vGE client that IMC built is vastly different from the other versions and the changes made to the build were to stem out potential economic problems of inflation and to allow the user to get through the lower levels faster (e.g. Some RNPC cards start out at higher levels rather than Level 1) so as to reach veteran/expert content more quickly.

This is essential due to vGE going into V2.9 in their first build whereby most of the content is already starting to focus on veteran/expert content. One of the more interesting changes to their build is that skill points are reduced, so the user will not be able to max all his/her skills. This makes it pretty interesting since more thought will be required in choosing the kind of character to build - DPS? Tanker? Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none? Raids could potentially be more strategic with organizing of the various build types.

The focused group discussion was a pretty formal one, with some Vietnamese gaming reporters present:

There was even a video conference with gamers in Hanoi:

Work aside, we managed to have a few fun filled days of relaxation as well. Jon recently bought a DSLR camera and I was playing around with it during the Vietnam trip. Photography with a DSLR camera feels so different. It enlivens the soul and overwhelms you with a desire to capture and immortalize an unforgettable moment. For myself, I enjoy capturing emotions and human dynamics on film, such as these:

And this is my all-time personal fave:


Anyway, coming back to my blog post title... about cooking, IMC is currently in the midst of developing a farming and cooking system for V3.6. Not sure about the exact mechanics of what it will be like yet since it's still in development stage but I can't help but feel excited by it! It would be funny though, if it was something like Facebook's Restaurant City, otherwise known as the only reason I have been actively logging into Facebook these days. And hey, Restaurant City has an AFK function, just like GE! Falkenhausen (Reclusion) Family gave me a pretty maid costume which even looks like the one worn by the wizard in GE. The downside about wearing it was that I noticed a lot of other GE players on Restaurant City started hiring me as their restaurant cleaner!?

On the topic of Facebook, Desanggria and Reimaru also created some pretty awesome Granado Espada quizzes on Facebook. Check them out:

Which Granado Esapada character are you?
Which Granado Espada RNPC are you?

There has to be some truth in it, since my quiz results reflects my personal favorite characters:

You are a Elementalist

You are haphazard and unforgiving, most of the time over the top and excessive, all for the sake of showy and senseless glamour. In this journey called life, it doesn't matter whatever road you take, because the only thing that is important for you is doing it in style.

You are Selva Norte!

Revenge is your middle name. You want retribution from the girly man who messed up with your boyfriend's brain. You can't accept the fact that he forgot all about you when you literally sacrificed your limb just for him. Ungrateful SOB.

Meanwhile, if you still don't have a Facebook account, go get one! And join IAHGames page! And get Restaurant City! And trade me lemons, lobsters and butters! And don't make me your cleaner! Like now (when it's still maintenance)!