The One About IAHGames Upcoming Games!

It's gonna be a busy yet exciting year ahead for us. Some of you may have heard already - we will be launching FIFA 2 Online in the Quarter 3 of 2008. We are all very much excited about it!

As mentioned in the newspaper articles below, it's likely to be a Free to Play game, but gamers can purchase extras such as jerseys and improvements - like helping Liverpool's Peter Crouch shoot better.

But before we even hit Quarter 3 this year, the next game that we will be launching in Quarter 2 is Dragonica! It's a casual type MMORPG that is screaming with cuteness overload. I am aware that there are a lot of anime fans within the GE community so this might just be your cup of tea every Thursdays from 0900-1700hrs. (Yes! During GE maintenance time :p )

Dragonica's game developer is Barunson Interactive and their Korean publisher is NCSoft. Here's the promotional video:

MMOsite has done up a lovely feature section on it over here. Here are some of my fave screenshots from MMOsite:



We are currently undergoing Alpha testing with a select group of gamers and in the midst of completing localization. Closed Beta Testing will be launching pretty soon! Meanwhile, Dragonica website and forum are scheduled to be up by next month. I'll let you guys know when we have officially launched the website. In the meantime, you can also visit CM Kaye's Dragonica blog for more information and updates!

The One About Granado Espada Special Edition 2008 Diary

Well, I've got some pretty exciting news! My boss had gone to Korea recently to visit IMC and Hanbitsoft and he brought back some goodies! Amidst the V2.6 posters, GE stickers etc... there were 2 items I fell hopelessly in love with...

One) Jabra- Granado Espada Bluetooth Earpiece

I swear it was love at first sight. Or maybe lust at first sight... considering how I went into psycho mode, pounced on it ruthlessly and declared that it was mine! MINE! MINEEEEEE!!! Well, you would probably do the same too once you've laid eyes on this baby!


Two) Granado Espada Special Edition 2008 Diary!

Yeah, I do realize that Quarter 1 of Year 2008 is already over... But this diary is absolutely gorgeous!


Not to mention it is timeless - the weekly schedule doesn't have any dates on it. Thus, you can input the dates for that week instead.


The world map is the first thing you see when you open up the diary:


The last few pages have snippet scenes from GE.

My Best Friend, Leticia's Portrait

Gotta love Novia...

Baihu (White Tiger)! Very likely the most powerful martial artiste of 'em all

Calyce, the first crossbow user!

And... we are going to have a contest to give out 10 of these diaries to the community! As for what this contest is, we are still discussing it, so feel free to give your suggestions.

April Fools is coming up and there will be an in-game event programmed by IMC that is going to patched in pretty soon. We've received the documents and are in the midst of translation and localization. And of course, Dark Lord Returns Part 3 is coming up soon. There's going to be role playing for this event - both on the forums and in-game, something that I am really looking for to!

Well, it's late now. Gotta sleep soon. Goodnight folks! :)

P/S It's pretty obvious by the end of this blog entry that I am a terrible photographer. Sorry about that folks. The real diary looks a lot better in real life... >.<

The One About Bad News, Good News and Congratulatory News

Well, I'm finally back to work after being down with one of the worst flu bugs ever, which left me bed-ridden for more than a week.

And well, I hate to be the bringer of bad news but... Bahamas Swamp which was scheduled to be released on 20 March 2008 is now postponed to 17 April 2008 instead.

Nyuuu! Say it isn't so!

IMC has a certain set of requirements before they allow Bahamas Swamp to be opened up. I'm not allowed to reveal the exact statistics but in summary, it is a % combination of Expert Characters and equipment that give a good rating. Their concern is that by opening up Bahamas when the majority of the community is not yet ready will further widen the gap between the hardcore users and the casual gamers.

So guys, getting to veteran level is still not enough! Aim for Expert! And at the same time, do strive for better equipment. We're discussing with IMC about expanding the Weapon, Armor and Craftsman Toolboxes to include more Elite 84 Armor Recipes. Meanwhile, do strive to get your Elite 92 weapons from the old man at Los Toldos. I'll write another blog entry about the Los Toldos recipes, but there is already a very good guide on the GE forums done by KENZAI / FungForever from Vivaldi (Thanks KENZAI! ) here about Los Toldos Elite 92 Recipes and how to get the various spirit stones to craft these weapons.

With Bahamas Swamp being postponed, the original release of pretty boy Gavin Jameson would have to be delayed as well since his questline involves the Bahamas Swamp. We haven't yet decided the release date, most likely 24 April 2008, Thursday.

With all the bad news out of the way, I do have some good news as well! We are currently discussing with IMC about preparations for the release of V2.6! V2.6 will likely see the release of bard-type RNPC Vincente Rio, crossbow-type RNPC Calyce and taekwondo-type RNPC Bai Hu (White Tiger). Their names haven't been decided on yet though - I will need to discuss with the localization manager regarding this. Once again, likely to be released on a monthly basis.

Some pretty interesting features about V2.6 include an in-game bulletin board (Think: in-game forum), new items like belts and earrings and a new chat tab which allows you to add up to 50 people in a chatroom. This would definitely spice up colony war faction alliances! We are hoping to launch V2.6 some time in late May-early June.

More exciting news is that IMC is currently working on V3.0, which is likely to be named "Third Civilization". From what I understand, there will also be a third currency, in addition to vis and gpoints. As for what this currency is for... let's wait and see. Meanwhile, the pet function is undergoing development stage and from what I hear (assuming nothing gets lost in translation), this pet function might even have harvesting abilities!

Alright, enough excitement for one day already. Before I end off, I would like to wish the very first sGE blogger, Ninemoons Family from Cervantes, for her blog's one year anniversary! Kudos to you, dear & faithful Ninemoons! I'm truly touched that your love for Granado Espada has withstood the test of time and overcome all trials. It takes a tremendous amount of perseverance to write as faithfully as you have done. (Not to mention, they were interesting and well-thought-out blog entries!) And it only serves to reflect your strength and character. I truly admire you for that, Lady Ninemoons! Thank you for your continued support through good and bad times and may you never lose that spirit and innate strength that far and few possess. :)

Love, Hrin.

The One About Airforce Three

Someone emailed me the other day asking me why was it that a Level 100 Elite La Ventisca Recipe will produce a Elite Level 92 La Ventisca and not an Elite 100 type armor.

I think there's a slight misconception here. Ok, you see, an Elite La Ventisca Recipe says this:


Thus, one might assume that it is an Elite Level 100, but this is not the case. Now let's look at the finished armor:


From the description, it shows that it is Level 92, yet exclusively for Veteran.

Thus, it has the stats of an Elite 92 armor, but can only be worn at Level 100 (Veteran). Hope this helps clear up the confusion - of whether such similar recipes are Elite 92 or Elite 100.

Since we are on the topic of elite 92s, from what I understand so far, Elite 92 armor recipes drop from normal mobs at Katovic Snowfield. I haven't explored enough to know if there are any other mini bosses that drop them. The old man over in Los Toldos (will be unlocked when you do the Baron Quests) sells only Elite 92 weapon recipes, and not Elite 92 armor recipes. Rafflesia and Chaos Boneless at the Secret Temple Super Fight do drop Elite 92 armor, but since they are raid bosses with a rare drop rate for these armor, thus, the hunt for Elite 92 armor recipes will still need to be at Katovic Snowfields.

"But Katovic Snowfield mobs are painful and I don't have good armor!"

Not to fear! There is always the Airforce Three way to go. Some of you probably already know this, but this little tip is more for the casual gamer who wishes to conquer Katovic region.

What is Airforce Three?

Airforce Three means to have 3 levitating characters like wizards, Emilia The Sage or M'Boma.

With levitating characters, most of the Katovic Mobs will be unable to target and hit you 80-90% of the time.

Hurrah for levitation! Time to start training them wizards! ;)

The One About Adelina's Booty Mechanics

Adelina's Booty will be launched at 6pm today. In the meantime, here's how it works:

How do I play the game?

1.To play, log in at the main page using your IAHGames Passport account.

2.Once you’ve logged in, the search counter will display the amount of searches you have on this account.

3.You can now search. To search manually, click any of the ‘X’ on the map.

4.For a faster search, you can click the 1, 3, and 5 numbers on Adelina’s Compass. These buttons will execute an auto search for one, three, or five items.

5.The compass will spin and an icon will show what item you have found.

6.For a longer description of that item, you can click the “Booty List” button and see everything you have won.

The One About Searching For Adelina's Booty

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

I'm so glad that I finally have a few days off during this holiday to clear up my backlog of work, blog, spend some quality time with loved ones and to finally do some catching up with my dear community crew and player mods. I've always felt a little sad innately that due to the nature of my job, I am constantly fire-fighting and always having to give my attention to those who scream the loudest rather than those who have been quietly supportive and encouraging all this time. Nonetheless, do know that you are in my heart and at the back of my mind constantly. =]

Wow come to think of it, I remember greeting Happy Chinese New Year on the GE website to everyone as well last year. Has it been one year already?! One year since CBT (Closed Beta Testing), that is.

I'm really looking forward to "Searching for Adelina's Booty" flash game that will be coming out next week! The poor creative team had to work through Chinese New Year, weekends and overnights in order to get the system up before Valentines Day. The flash game itself is not at all complex - I'm not exactly sure if you can classify it as a game per se. It's a 'point and click' type of game where you guess where Adelina's treasure might be buried. Sometimes you might get really good stuff, other times you might well.. find a watermelon skin or a patch of dress left by Torsche's servants.

Here's a look at some of the loot that you could possibly find. We'll be reviewing and updating the booty loot every month to keep up with current trends:

Top 20 Booty Loot (February)

Pirate Adelina Esperanza Character Card

Grandice Character Card

Gavin Jameson Character Card

LeBlanc (Fighter)

LeBlanc (Musketeer)

LeBlanc (Scout)

LeBlanc (Wizard)

LeBlanc (Elementalist)

Assassin Dagger

The Black Dragon

Bracelet of the Three Kings

Carbon Gaiters

Carbon Knuckle

Daemon Slayer

Desert Storm

The Grim-Shout

Marionette Ring

The Rod of Armageddon

Elite Staff of Gnosis

Vampiric Edge

Top 5 'Hmm... I think I can live with that' Loot
Forgotten Territory Pass (1 day)
Key [Room of the Dead, Skull Dungeon]
Master Level Valkyrie Crasher
Grim Reaper Spinelle
Enchantment Chip Level 84

Top 5 OMGWTFBBQ?! Booty Loot
Coconut
Watermelon Skin
Pose Guide Volume 2 (No doubt hidden by Monsieur Janzur!)
Level 10 EXP card
Queen's Dagger

It's still a work in progress, but here's a sneak peek of the interface:


The Booty List at the bottom right hand corner will also show what were the last few loot that someone else had obtained. This could possibly help in some form of strategy as to when you want to conduct your own searches for Adelina's Booty.

Meanwhile, there are a few events and contests still running currently:

Ecard Challenge contest ongoing till 15 February 2008.

Love, Me Contest ongoing till 13 February 2008! Last few days! Quickly submit your entries!

Win a date with a [GM] event is ongoing as the various [GM]s go around campaigning to get votes. The Final Showdown Session is held on 13 February 2008, Wednesday

Time:

Vivaldi 1700 SGT - 1800 SGT (GMT +8)

Cervantes 1800 SGT - 1900 SGT (GMT +8)

Carracci 1900 SGT - 2000 SGT (GMT +8)

Caravaggio 2000 SGT - 2100 SGT (GMT +8)

Pachelbel 2100 SGT - 2200 SGT (GMT +8)

Here's a short intro about each of them, if you haven't been keeping up with what's happening:

Evil has a name and it's known as [GM] Selva, or better known as Empress Selva among her dark force followers. If you are into villains or cold jokes, Click here to interact with [GM] Selva on the forums or visit her not-so-secret-diary at http://diaryofselva.wordpress.com/

Vote for [GM] Aimee if you are into the strong, silent, ice-queen type. Click here to interact with [GM] Aimee on the forums.

[GM] Eulaile is a true poet at heart, melancholic and sentimental, always searching and seeking out the finer things in life. Think Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson. Click here to interact with [GM] Eulalie on the forums.

[GM] Eciney is all cotton-candy, sweet and idealistic with romantic notions about life. Your typical anime girl-next-door type. Click here to interact with [GM] Eciney on the forums.

[GM] Lorenza is a little of everything, all rolled into one! If you like a well-balanced mix of qualities, Click here to interact with [GM] Lorenza on the forums.

Well, here's wishing all the [GM]s and their various supporters good luck for the final showdown!

The One About Premium Toolboxes

Edited Post: Release date of toolboxes changed to 4 Feb 2008. Removed repeat of "Recipe - Elite Bracelet of Sylphide" and replaced it with "Hilt of an Ancient Sword". Release of Tierra De Los Muertos has been shifted to 21 Feb 2008.

Originally we had planned to release Tierra De Los Muertos on 31 January 2008 but a large bulk of the community would have difficulty taking on this map since Tierra De Los Muertos' mobs have an AR/DR which ranges from 50~55.

In light of this, IMC proposed to us 3 boxes they were developing. These boxes would drop random elite recipes and ingredients, much like Andre costume type boxes.

Tentatively, these boxes are scheduled to be released on 4 February 2008, while Tierra De Los Muertos is scheduled to be released on 21 February 2008, alongside the Baron RNPCs - Kurt Lyndon & Edward Jameson and Premium item releases - Los Toldos Package, Otite perfume & Wheel of Destiny.

Enjoy a sneak preview of the contents that could potentially drop from these boxes:

1) Weapon Toolbox

Content Qty

Recipe - Elite Arondight	1
Recipe - Elite Finisher	1
Recipe - Elite Calabrone	1
Recipe - Elite Bracelet of Sylphide	1
Recipe - Elite Mystic Knife	1
Recipe - Elite Mantis Rod	1
Recipe - Spear of Jiz	1
Hilt of an Ancient Sword	1
Enchantment Chip Level 40	3
Enchantment Chip Level 84	1
Enchantment Chip Level 88	1
High Quality Wood	8
Piece of Sapphire	3
Piece of Emerald	3
Piece of Ruby	3
Red Jewel Fragment	3
Composite Steel	30
Solvent	5

1 Weapon Toolboxes : 900 GPoints

10 Weapon Toolboxes : 8000 GPoints

2) Armorsmith Toolbox

Content Qty

Recipe - Elite Plate Mail	1
Recipe - Elite Robe of Neptune	1
Recipe - Elite Striform	1
Recipe - Elite Studded-leather Armor	1
Recipe - Elite Robe of the Yeti	1
Recipe - Elite Robe of the Salamander	1
Recipe - Elite Chain Mail	1
Enchantment Chip Level 40	3
Enchantment Chip Level 84	1
Piece of Sapphire	3
Piece of Emerald	3
Piece of Ruby	3
Red Jewel Fragment	3
High Quality Cloth	10
Red Dye	1
Blue Dye	1
Yellow Dye	1
Mustard Dye	1

1 Armorsmith Toolbox: 900 GPoints

10 Armorsmith Toolboxes : 8000 GPoints

3) Craftsman Toolbox

Content Qty

High Quality Wood	10
Composite Steel	30
Soft Leather	10
High Quality Cloth	10
Recipe - High Quality Emerald	1
Recipe - High Quality Sapphire	1
Recipe - High Quality Ruby	1
High Quality Emerald	1
High Quality Sapphire	1
High Quality Ruby	1
Mega Ionium	5
Mega Aidanium	5
Mega Etretanium	5
Piece of Sapphire	3
Piece of Emeral	3
Piece of Ruby	3
Solvent	5
Mana Stone	5

1 Craftsman Toolbox: 700 GPoints

10 Craftsman Toolboxes : 5000 GPoints

*Disclaimer: The above information is accurate at this point in time, though it may be subject to changes.

The One About Rewind Mode

Was clearing out some of my old December 2007 emails and came across an email that one of the GE community, vonUtteresk Family of Cervantes, sent to me. It was regarding the EOY 2007 cosplay. He had caught sight of some Granado Espada cosplayer and sent me some of the photos he had taken. I must say a lot of effort went into the details of the costumes!

And of course, what would life be like without Catherine the Summoner:

Photo Source: http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/vonUtteresk

As I was browsing his online album, I caught sight of an article he posted up on the forums last year in December which I thought was very endearing - Capybaras in the zoo! For the non forumers, enjoy:

So now we know that if we do not take care of the environment - years down the road, Capybaras will back with a vengeance:

And now, for the last rewind moment of the day - last year we produced some Granado Espada Chinese New Year Red Packets (Ang Paos) that was exclusive only to the internal staff of IAHGames:


This year, we decided we will give some of these away for a contest. Details will be out tomorrow!

P/S Tierra De Los Muertos has been postponed to 21 February 2008, Thursday instead. I'll explain why in a few days' time, once other details have been more firmed up.

The One About Chinese New Year & Valentines Day

It's that busy time of the year again where Christmas leads to New Year which leads to Chinese New Year and Valentines Day. There's been so much to plan for and lots of events in the lineup. To make matters worse, my personal assistant (otherwise known within the office as "GE Guru" or "The living, walking, breathing GE Wikipedia") just left in order to pursue other things in life, which left me in an relatively foul mood.

With 3 magazine articles due for submission today (amidst other project deadlines) and having not even started typing a single word, it came as no surprise to find myself waking up, stressed to the core at 4am, unable to continue sleeping and in the office at 6+ am to try to get some peace and quiet to start work before other distractions and interruptions came into play.

They always say that blogging is a form of escapism.

I concur.

Well, in any case, it helps me to de-stress and serves as a pleasant distraction from unpleasant deadlines.

So, here's me in escapism mode, bringing you teasers for a few of the Chinese New Year and Valentines Day Events that are upcoming!

First off, say 'Hello' to a new 'friend' who will be coming to Granado Espada to celebrate Chinese New Year with us:
You got that right. We are most likely going to have an early server maintenance on 4 February 2008, Monday, in order not to conflict with the Chinese New Year holidays and Feng Ling has given word that she will be gracing us with her presence!

Then of course, with every festive occasion is the IAHGames trademark Ecards! Here's the Chinese New Year Ecard featuring who-else-but-FengLing:


Likely there will be 2 Chinese New Year in-game events: one which is system generated (like the Christmas Event) and one which is [GM]-run. We are still awaiting approval from IMC regarding the system-generated event, thus I can't confirm it right now. But the [GM]-run will most prolly take place on 9 February 2008, Saturday.

On a side note, official elections are likely to be postponed to the beginning of March instead due to the system still being heavily bugged. Official announcements would be out at a later time.

Next up, Valentines Day Ecards! For the happy couples out there:

For those who miss that special someone:

And lastly for the friends who have been there for you through thick and thin:

And new costumes for "Valentines Day Dress Up Week"!

We had originally planned to open up Tierra De Los Muertos (Land of the Dead) during the first week of February but due to the inauspicious implications it had to be opened during Chinese New Year, the opening of Tierra De Los Muertos has been postponed. From what I understand, it is scheduled to be opened on *21 February 2008, Thursday, instead. At the same time, Otite Perfume, Wheel of Destiny and Los Toldos Package.

Los Toldos Package consists of:

1 Wheel of Destiny (1 day)

1 Otite perfume

90 Mystery powder

1 Ancient Territory Pass (1 day)

10 Soul Crystal

10 Triumph Filler

Cost of Los Toldos Package: 22,000 G-Points

Cost of Wheel of Destiny: 1,100 G-Points

Cost of Otite Perfume: 1,100 G-Points

Sigh. Ok. Escapism time has come to an end.

Now I just gotta generate some serious mojo for 3 inspiring 1,200 worded magazine articles.

THE TIME IS NOW!!!

Disclaimer: Above events might be subject to change.

*EDITED on 17 Jan 2008. Thursday: Tierra De Los Muertos and the item mall releases hasve been postponed to 21 February 2008, Thursday instead

The One About Christmas Recollection

I've procrastinated blogging this entry for a bit since I haven't had the inspiration to blog a really good entry. But I figured that if I procrastinated any further, it might come out only by next Christmas 2008.

... Recollections.

Finally had some free time to play Granado Espada intensively for 2 days over the Christmas break. I had been stuck at 8X forever on Cervantes. And so I was very happy to finally get my chracters up to veteran at 3am on Boxing Day! What made the experience even more pleasurable was that I was visiting WrathOfGod faction who were some of the most fun people I have ever hung out with in GE. Amidst the jokes and laughter, I was able to feel like an ordinary player once more. A feeling I haven't had in a long, long while, ever since Closed Beta Testing.

a) Squad Chat

It was such a wonderful feeling. Squadding up with some of them to train. I had the most interesting conversation with Sandman, a medical student in university (NUS), who taught me how to estimate your future child's height:

1. Girls are always disadvantaged by 13cm. So if you are female, add 13cm to your height.

2. Future height of child = (Height. of spouse + your height) / 2


So well... if it turns out to be totally off the mark, then Mr. Sandman is a scammer. ;p

b) Random 'Q&A Sessions'

Bumped into random people and had some of the most amusing 'Q&A' sessions.

Knightingale: hi hrin, is that really you?
Hrin: hi~ yep.
Knightingale: I was wondering... do you use Hrin potions?
Hrin: Ya sometimes. why?
Knightingale: ...coz tt's just weird lol
Hrin: lol
Knightingale: it gives hrin's buff!
Knightingale: you should buff yourself!

... I don't know how to respond to that.

c) Raid Bosses

I even had time to raid a boss! Although I couldn't help very much except to play the role of Florence Nightingale.


d) Colony War

Didn't take any screenshots since it was a quiet colony war (just before the wipe) but you can read more about it on Ninemoon's blog.

I received something called '5 raid points' for attending this war! LOL! Unfortunately, there were no items up for grabs at the cost of 5 raid points. :(

Well, maybe just a Hrin's potion?

e) Raid Point System

Speaking of raid point system (which probably many of you already have in place), WoG has a pretty good and fair system on how they allocate points to members for each colony war and raid attended. What I liked was the transparency it had where everyone could see everyone else's points. One of the most common problems I often hear about is that faction leader would give loots only to those he/she was closest to.

Another aspect I really liked about WoG Raid Point System was that, at the end of the day, the members actually get to keep the Elite drops for themselves by using their points to bid for items. There is another school of thought that all drops belong to the faction and the faction loans them out to members who need these equipment.

I'll probably speak to alkayel again to ask him for permission to publish their raid point system on the website to open up for discussion. It would be interesting to see how other factions' raid point systems are as well!

f) Surprise Christmas Pressie from WoG

Of all the Christmas pressies I received in 2007, this has to be my all-time fave Christmas present. A Le Blanc for my elementalist. I was really moved because it was so unexpected. This faction had never asked or demanded anything from me and was always extremely protective of me during my stay there. They were constantly gently reminding others not to keep asking me questions or demanding for things since the only time I get to play GE was in my free time and ensured that I had peace. Which was really sweet. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy talking to players and answering their questions etc. But their protectiveness of me was just so heartfelt and sincere that I was so incredibly moved.


Many thanks WoG, for your warm hospitality and kindness during my stay there, for the gorgeous Le Blanc and most importantly, for bestowing upon me a long-lost feeling. :)

Although my stay with them is over, but my friendship will always be with them. :)

(Meanwhile, I'm currently in Pachelbel, visiting Osiris Faction.)

The One About V2.4 Countdown

We are less than 24 hours away from V2.4 launch!

Do take note that although Bahia Island and Island of Fire will be opened tomorrow, Tierra De Los Muertos and Bahamas Swamp will be out at a later time, tentatively in February and March 2008 respectively. Currently, only 2% of the entire GE population can take on the monsters in that map with their current AR/DR. With the Island of Fire, hopefully this 2% will increase to at least 50% by the time these two other maps are released.

RNPCs Angie and Karjalainen will be out tomorrow as well. Other RNPCs are planned to be released monthly. Lil' Viki and Feng Ling (Soso) is scheduled to be released next month, Jan 2008 while Edward Jameson & Kurt will probably be out in Feb 2008 and lastly, Gavin Jameson in March 2008. This is the tentative schedule and subject to change since this industry is so dynamic and changes might happen at anytime so please don't swear by my schedule.

V2.4 patch notes are still being tested on the servers and will be released fully only tomorrow morning. Lots of system changes and such. One of the more interesting system changes enables you to right click on a player's name (in faction/ squad/ private chats or even broadcasting) and a variety of options will appear:

Another relatively interesting system change that would prolly change the dynamics of the PK-ing is:

1) When logging out or exiting programs, user has to wait for 5 seconds now.
2) If the character moves, attack, uses skills or picks items, then the 5 seconds countdown will be cancelled.

For the carebear servers, this will probably affect you in the Island of Fire where everyone else is seen to be an enemy (except squadmates) and is PK-able (although you will not get baron points or drop items)

Stock class changes are:

Changes to the Wizard class
a. “Reflection” has been changed to “Energy Shield”
b. While using energy shield, the shield will protect the user from damage by consuming SP instead of HP
c. Decrease Levitation stance attack range
d. Increase cool down time for “Photon Splash” and “Hole of Darkness”
e. Uses one Magical Orb for “Photon Splash” and two Magical Orb for “Hole of Darkness”
f. Reduces Mental RES when using Magical Piercing
g. Does not decrease movement speed and DEF when using Invisible Stalker skill

Change to Elementalist class
a. “Activate Mana” has been changed to “Elemental Blessing”
b. After casting “Elemental Blessing”, you will be allowed to defend against any attack once. After blocking the attack, “Elemental Blessing” will be gone
c. Increases damage of “Meteor Strike”, “Firewall”, “Blazing Pillar” and “Volcanic Eruption”

The premium item mall preview is out as well in the web catalogue here. Enjoy!

The One About V2.4 World Map

Needless to say, it's been absolutely hectic with preparations for V2.4 and it's been a crazy balancing act between spending time with the community in-game, on the forums and working. Yup, I've missed out personal life. I'm taking a long vacation from that for the time being till V2.4 is successfully launched. On the bright side, my good friends have started trying out Granado Espada in order to spend time with me! Isn't that sweet?

The most divine thing is that one of my gal pals, Eva, got so absolutely hooked on it that she spent the entire weekend camping at my house to play GE on my desktop so that she could constantly ask me n0ob questions as I was working on my laptop. A big 'THANK YOU' goes out to Prancers from Cervantes who very kindly offered her help to Eva when she saw her struggling in Cite De Reboldoeux.

Speaking of which, it's time that everyone start saving their save point in Cite De Reboldoeux and show some loving to all the newbies who have just started playing Granado Espada. Cos after 15 December's in-game event: Nimrod Bridge Invasion, there's no guarantee if monsters will invade the town or not...

Anyway, here's the V2.4 world map:


Do take IMPORTANT note that there is a VERY high chance that some zones will not be opened immediately when V2.4 is launched. Bahia Island will be opened of course, but the other zones like Bahamas Swamp and Tierra De Los Muertos may be released on a monthly basis instead. The same goes for RNPCs which may be released on a monthly basis. Once again, we are still awaiting IMC reply. Will let you guys know once things are more firmed up.

The One About Super Fight

So most of you would have read the article on V2.4 Super Fight on the web. There were a few points I missed out since the article was getting too lengthy already.

1) 5 minute window of opportunity

The warp gate will only be opened for 5 minutes. A world-wide announcement will be made via system notice 10 minutes before the opening of the warp gate. Once the warp gate is closed, no one else can enter into the Super Fight map.

This makes a lot of difference in terms of survival. If you get killed after the warp gate closes, you will not be able to enter again if you relog or return to barracks... which is why stocking up of soul crystals or having a supportive squad who resurrects one another is crucial.

2) Random Warp Points

When you get warped in, you will spawn on a random location on the map - regardless of whether you are squad members or not. It would be ideal to meet up with your squad members at a fixed location, and try your best to avoid enemies - both players and boss monsters while you are at it.

3) Who said what?

In these Super Fights maps, you will be unable to tell who is talking in public. No names are displayed. So you never know who is around the corner. And you never know who is plotting against who.


4) ...Better late than never

Bosses don't all spawn at the same time. Every 15-30 minutes or so, there will be map-wide announcements that XXXX boss will make his grand appearance in 5 minutes etc.

...For some strange reason, I'm reminded of all those Royal Rumble wrestling matches that my brother used to force me to watch with him when we were younger. 2 wrestlers would start fighting first and try to throw each other out of the ring. Then after some time, a new contender would be announced and dynamics change as the initial 2 wrestlers now face some new dilemmas:

a) Ally each other to kick out the new enemy
b) Be so focused on kicking each other out of the ring that they take no notice of the 3rd party
c) One of them allies the new enemy to take down his initial rival

And I foresee these elements coming into play as well in Super Fights and I can't hardly wait to see how these elements will be brought out by the GE community.

Conclusion?

Form your squads wisely. You will need a tight team that watches out for one another. Make use of terrains. Within each of the Super Fight maps are all kinds of nooks and crevices, high landscapes and low lying areas. I've always fancied that the higher up you are, the safer you are. However, with different militant strategies, all kinds of landscapes have their own usages.

Super Fight adds an additional element of surprise with that random spawning feature and a 'I know what you did last summer' kind of feeling cos you never know who's round the corner out for your blood. ;)

Hi guys!

I’m back with more updates about what’s coming up next for Granado Espada.

1) The Sun. The Sand. The Surf.

Paradise awaits.

…in the new V2.4 Bahia Island patch which will be coming our way on 20 December 2007, Thursday! This is of course dependent on whether there are any major hiccups or obstacles that crop up last minute. However, the good news is that bugs discovered so far are relatively minor and mostly localization issues.

Anyway, there are tons of new features, maps, RNPCs and item mall additions that comes along with this but I’m sure what you guys are most interested in are the beach boys and bikini babes! Here’s a sneak peek into Bahia Island:

Meanwhile, we’ll be bringing web article updates every Friday, leading up to 20 December 2007, so do join in with the rest of the community on discussing these new features on the forums! Today marks the very first feature of our V2.4 Bahia Island web articles series. Check out Super Fight feature over here.

We would also like to know which RNPC you are most looking forward to in V2.4 Bahia Island so start voting here.

Discuss this news here.

2) Upcoming & Ongoing Events

[Singapore] V2.4 Hands-On Preview @ Granado Espada-Singtel Christmas Fair!

Want a sneak preview and hands on trial of V2.4? Head on down to the Granado Espada-Singtel Christmas Fair at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza on 24 and 25 November 2007, Saturday and Sunday!

V2.4 trials are on Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 2pm

More details here.

[Philippines] Granado Espada joins the Hataw Hanep Hero Event!

Here are some privileges that Granado Espada gamers in the Philippines can enjoy at this event:

• GE Cosplayers will receive additional special prizes from us!
• Freeplay
• Pick-a-Prize
• Raffles & Promos
• Movie-making workshop
• Merchandise sales
• New installer reservation

More details here.

[Community Crew Forum Challenge] Vis

Vis, unlike most currencies is unseen, there is no possible way to brag how much money you have by using methods such as money fans etc. The community crew has decided to put a stop to this and has called the loyal members of Granado Espada to help them.

Submit your entries here.

[CM Veya’s Forum Challenge] Best Faction/Group Portraits

Take out your best faction or group shots and edit them in a 'portrait' style that's based on your faction name.

Submit your entries here.

The One About Thinking Out Of The Box

It's been yet another hectic week since our V2.4.16 client just arrived from IMC.

Amidst the intensive testing and bug fixing sessions we've been having, KingKongJon, DG and I did our traditional 'patchly' thing with the localization team - that of Item Mallization.

Since the 3 of us were always stuck in our various meetings and differing schedules during the day, the only time all 3 of us actually have the time to really sit down together with the localization team to finalize the proper naming conventions of all the new items from the new patch is always at night, after office hours.

So we would do our traditional thing of ordering pizza as we brainstorm the night away for appropriate names for the items in the item mall. Usually, whenever we receive the newly updated list of items in the premium item mall, it is almost always a direct translation from Korean. Sometimes, the direct translation turns out fine - Like Lucifer's Wings were a direct translation. Other times, it turned out not-so-fine due to conflicts with local dialects.

For example the wizard costume below was originally named 'Rosa Canina'.

Which is actually a pretty name and in reality, the species of a rose. But in one of the S.E.A dialects, Hokkien, the Canina term would actually mean something along the lines of doing something really dettol-inducing to yo' mama.

We renamed it to 'The Scarlet Belle' instead, since it looked like a costume from 'Gone with the wind'.

We also wanted to use modern references where possible and so when we spotted this, DG, who was the ultimate Iron Maiden fan, had the perfect name for it - '2 Minutes To Midnight'!


More movie references came our way with The Sound of Music. Lorch's costume which reminded us of that of a yodeler, inspired the name 'The Lonely Goatherd':


As the night droned on, we started to set even higher standards for ourselves.

"Finally! We are down to the last package. This package gives 3 Lucifer Wings at the 14,300 G-Points. What shall we name it?" DG asked.

"Dante's Package?"

"Oh, how about Hellgate: Granado Espada?"

"Hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-scorned package?"

More suggestions bounced off the walls but none of them seemed to really 'click' into place.

"Wait guys, we are thinking too much of Lucifer and hell. Let's backtrack from that and try to think out of the box a bit. Now, let's think of it from a gamer's perspective. If you had 3 Lucifer Wings, what state of mind would you be in?"

Pause. Contemplative Silence.

"Pwnage!" I replied as we all burst out laughing.

And so. Pwnage Package, it is. ;)