The One Where It's Time To Say Goodbye

"Today is the day! The day when an angel, Hrin has lost her wings, the day that immortal Hrin has lost her godlike powers, the day that this deity has fallen to earth and become nothing more than a mere mortal in order to pursue her dreams in Glasgow..." I announce theatrically to Kaioujin and Lorenza as they roll their eyes in disgust at my usual dramatic choice of words.

I don't know why, but as I am typing this final entry, I feel as though I am typing out a 'dear john' letter where I'm breaking up with you guys. I guess this is the part where I awkwardly say to you,"It's not you, it's me..."? LOL.

In any case, I think it's been a great 2.5 years with you guys. Like all relationships, we had our ups and downs, but we've come to learn to accept and respect each other in our own ways. Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and most of all, your love for our child, Granado Espada. Please continue to love her (yes, I firmly insist that if Granado Espada were a real human child, it would be a girl - cos only the female species can have that complicated a gameplay and I will firmly dispute the argument that it could be a boy 'because only males would love 3-somes i.e. MCC') and cherish her. Please continue to show kindness and support for the rest of Team GE and of course your new regional community manager, [CM] Lorenza.

Meanwhile I am truly touched and grateful to Desanggria for organizing an in-game event to bid me farewell on 6 September 2009. Thank you all for attending it and for giving your well wishes! Here were some of the screenshots of the event:


Yet another special thanks the Pinoy gaming community who got together and wrote me a very touching card and mailed it to me along with a necklace and earrings. As I looked at those simple accessories, the first thought that came to my mind was,'All the Tiffanys and Harry Winstons in the world could not be more valuable than this...'

Lastly, a big thank you to Bea who created this farewell video for me. Erm... but before you attempt to watch it, there is one thing you have to take note of. Children, stay away from alcohol as much as possible, for as you can see, excessive drinking can have very detrimental consequences like unflattering photos and abnormal poses...



For those of you who asked me for my Facebook account email address, here it is: hrinshire@hotmail.com. Some of you also asked me if you could have the URL of my personal blog in order to continue following my life's adventures. Well, I am truly flattered and I shall definitely make attempts to entertain as much as possible over at http://daniellehrin.xanga.com

Once things are more settled over in Glasgow, I'll start playing Granado Espada again with my family name reverted back to Hrin. Please don't get scammed by anyone else - I wouldn't ask for your passwords or 'items pl0x' you. Woot! I am pretty excited to revert back to normal player mode and do normal player stuff like join factions and raid bosses - something you guys have always been taking for granted!

From this moment forth, [CM] Hrin is now just... Hrin.

Goodbye my friends. :)

The One About GCA Merchandise!

Woot! The designs for the GCA Granado Espada merchandise are out!

Featuring... Hellena's Lucky Deck laptop skin!

... a DOTZ laptop skin!

...and a 'Masquerade' handphone wiper!

Just out of curiosity, which of the laptop skins do you guys prefer? The DOTZ one or the Hellena one? We're trying to nail down the production quantities and your input would be really valuable! Leave me your comments, ya?

The One About Games Convention Asia

Things are starting to get reallyyyyy hectic around here with preparations underway for Games Convention Asia. IAHGames is the official gaming partner for this major regional event - where all of the gaming industry's big players in the region fellowship together.

We are planning various stage events and a festival area which has quest stations to play mini games and win various Granado Espada merchandise. Currently, we are looking at Granado Espada Masquerade Logo handphone wipers and check this out - Granado Espada laptop skins! Yep that's right! We were totally inspired by our Malaysia partner (SMM) who created such fantazzztic GE laptop skins that we have been pushing for the same thing to be launched during GCA as well. Hopefully things will turn out well! I'll post up any sneak preview visuals as and when I receive them.

Moving on to the updates about V3.5, the localization text has been integrated and we are currently awaiting the final client build from IMC which should arrive mid September. Then we'll be doing the QA testing and if everything turns out well, then tentatively, we should be set to launch on 8 October 2009.

In the meantime, here're a few other events to look out for in the upcoming 2 months:

The Andre Challenge - Costume Design

1 Sept to 30 Sept

That’s right, you heard him! Andre is out to recruit talented artists in Granado Espada! Do you have what it takes to design a FANTAAAZZZTIC costume? So pick up your drawing tools today! Who knows, you might be the one!

The City Defenders - Reboldoeux

24 Sept to 22 October

Are you an avid RNPC collector? Then this event is definitely for you! Recruit and level up all RNPCs in City of Reboldoeux and you may stand to walk away with attractive in-game prizes!

It’s Holidays! Time to play GE!

4 Sept to 1 October

We’re giving you free items just for playing more in the New World! Login every week to get complimentary gifts! Plus, if you hit perfect attendance, we’ll throw in even more goodies!

The One About Shooot Awards - Machinima Contest

Just a heads up - we're collaborating with Shooot who will be hosting an international machinima contest. Winner gets a fully sponsored trip to Japan to attend Siggraph Asia 2009! The deadline for all submissions is on 25 October 2009.

Here's the bonus of creating a Granado Espada Machinima film - unlike other participants who have to pay USD30~50 for each submission, you guys get to submit your videos for free! More details will be out shortly on the website. But for now, you can start preparing your script/storyboard etc!

Source: http://www.shooot.com/pages/fiesta

SHOOOT Awards - Submission NOW OPEN!

SHOOOT to stardom and be rewarded when you submit your Machinima film for SHOOOT Awards 2009. The Grand prize of the SHOOOT Awards is a fully sponsored trip to attend SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 in Yokohama, Japan! You will also stand a chance to win attractive prizes from our sponsors! All you need to do is to create your own movies* from either your favourite 3D game or virtual world and submit your work to us! It's simple, and you could just be our lucky star!

*Rules and regulations apply.

Submission Deadline

All entries must reach us by midnight 25 October 2009 (Singapore Time, GMT +08:00)

Submission Categories

A total of 15 Award titles to be given away in all!

Main Categories

INTERNATIONAL
- Open to submission entries from all over the world.
SINGAPORE OPEN
- Open to all submission entries from Singapore, including professionals and instituitions.
SCHOOLS
- Open to submission entries from Singapore schools only, including IHLs.

Sub-Categories

1. BEST SHORT MACHINIMA
- Honors the best short format film under 1 minute in length.
2. BEST LONG MACHINIMA
- Honors the best short format film under 5 minutes (at 1 minute) in length.
3. BEST 30 SECOND TVC MACHINIMA
- Honors the best film featuring a branded service or product.
4. BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC
- Honors the best original music in a machinima film.
5. BEST GAMES MACHINIMA
- Honors the best machinima created from any 3D game.

Winners would be announced during the SHOOOT Awards Ceremony at the SHOOOT Fiesta on 6 December 2009.

*Judges reserve the rights to confer, or otherwise, the Grand prize to the best Machinima entry from any Award category. The Judges' decision is final. The organizer reserves the rights to amend the Awards rules and prizes without prior notice.

How To Submit

You can submit your entry to us through either one of the following methods:

1. Email us the URL of your Machinima film via awards@shooot.com
2. Upload your Machinima film to our SHOOOT Members Portal and send us your username via awards@shooot.com
3. Post us your Machinima film in a DVD-ROM at 291A South Bridge Road, Singapore 058836 and attach a copy of the form below:

• Download SHOOOT MGM Awards Submission form (for Individual submission)
• Download SHOOOT MGM Awards Submission form (for Group submission)

For more enquiries about the submission method, please email us at awards@shooot.com.

Submission Fees

Submission fees are WAIVED for all entries for the School Category. (Submission fees will also be waived for IAHGamers submitting Granado Espada films.)

For International Category, a submission fee of USD50 applies per sub-category submission.
For Singapore Open Category, a submission fee of SGD30 applies per sub-category submission.

For more enquiries about submission fees and payment, please email us at awards@shooot.com.

About SHOOOT Fiesta 2009

SHOOOT Fiesta is conceived as a medium which allows individuals to express their creativity and learn to be creative with digital platform through the creative showcase of others. It gives an accessible and instant opportunity to allow budding or serious film-makers, game makers, gamers, animators, virtual world lovers to showcase their creative works to a larger audience.

Advanced Programme

Start Time	End Time	Event/Activity
Day 1
16:00	17:00	Opening Ceremony of SHOOOT Fiesta 2009 by Guest-of-Honour Showcase of SHOOOT Awards Finalists' Works
17:00	17:15	Tea & Networking Session
17:15	19:15	Thought-leadership Talks by Industry Speakers on New Media and Learning (Target Audience: Industry professionals, educators and government agencies)
19:15	21:15	Live Virtual Music Performances
Full Day		SHOOOT Fiesta Exhibition (Public Walk-in)
Day 2
11.00	18:00	Full-day Master Classes on Machinima, Games and Metaverse (Target Audience: Academics, Educators, Students, Digital Artists, Gamers, Youths, etc.)
17:00	21:00	Cosplay Event
Full Day		SHOOOT Fiesta Exhibition (Public Walk-in)
Day 3
Full Day		SHOOOT Fiesta Exhibition (Public Walk-in)
19:00	20:00	Fashion Show : The Real and Virtual Live Virtual Music Performances
20:00	20:30	Presentations by SHOOOT Awards Finalists and Sponsors
20:30	21:00	SHOOOT Awards Ceremony : Celebration of Machinima, Games and Metaverse
21:00	22:00	Networking Party

For more news and updates about SHOOOT Fiesta, please click here.

The One About The Birthday Sword

Well... it's my birthday today! Woohoo! 1 year less young! (Argh!)

And soooo... I'm gonna share a little sneak peek of the in-game event coming up tomorrow, otherwise known as Hrin & Lorenza's birthday bash! More like belated birthday though. This event had been previously scheduled for the beginning of the month but due to some refining to the system, it had to be postponed till now.

The birthday bash is an enhancement type of contest where active users (mule/invalid accounts have been filtered out) will be given a birthday sword to enhance. Different level of enhancements will give you different rewards at the end of the event. Tentatively, the event is scheduled to end on 24 September 2009 and the birthday sword will be removed from your inventory.

More details will be out tomorrow on the website, but here's the chart of rewards that the birthday sword wields:

On top of that, to supplement this event, there will also be a 30% discount on imperviums and enhancement boosters during this period!

Item Name Current Price Promotion Price
Enhancement Booster 550 GP 385 GP
+5 Impervium: Normal 9,900 GP 6,930 GP
+6 Impervium: Normal 11,000 GP 7,700 GP
+5 Impervium: Veteran 13,200 GP 9,240 GP
+6 Impervium: Veteran 16,500 GP 11,550 GP
+5 Impervium: Expert 14,300 GP 10,010 GP
+6 Impervium: Expert 17,600 GP 12,320 GP

Birthdays aside, I have something else to announce as well. I will be leaving IAHGames this 11 September 2009 to pursue my Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) full-time in Glasgow, Scotland. It's gonna be pretty hectic since 11 Sept is my last day in Singapore as well - will be catching the night flight on that same last day of work!

With my departure, Lorenza will be taking over one of my roles - that of Granado Espada Regional Community Manager. The handover process is still in the works and once it's official, there will be a proper announcement etc. So stay tuned for that!

Frankly speaking, I've never been great at goodbyes. Despite being relatively articulate, I truly find myself at a loss of words as to what I will say in my last blog entry on Sept 11. So much to say, yet... some things are best left unsaid. Guess I will think about it over the next 2 weeks and try not to cry me a river when I type that last entry.

Take care, you guys. :)

The One About Nobody, Nobody But Choo

One of the Granado Espada gamers, Darrick, created this uber cool poster of the Wonder Girls in Granado Espada and posted it up on Facebook. From what we hear, he'll be creating an MTV using "Nobody" as the theme song this September! Really looking forward to seeing that one.


For those who have nooooo idea about who the Wonder Girls are and about the latest internet revival of their song,"Nobody", enjoy this video clip:

The One About 'From IMC to You' Episode 2

This is soooo long overdue, but as promised, here's the next batch of feedback given by Mr Pocket about some of your suggestions:

Suggestion: Pet Mercenary Card - Turn a pet to become a petbox again. This is good if you are short in vis and you want to sell your pet to have income or if you are bored with your pet.

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: Unfortunately, pets are not designed like NPCs i.e. (1) Can’t recruit the same type again (2) Can’t remove from system side.

The current condition is programmed very simply for the pet system. In this way, there will not be specific user bugs and issues like what some of the players encounter in their Quests, or Characters.

X X X X X

Suggestion: Recipe Box - Randomly gives you a recipe when opened (much like Andre's or Kaj's boxes or ring boxes)

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: The basic idea concept looks great. However, some recipes can be accepted for the list, while others can’t. The important thing is what will be the recipes in the box as we cannot allowed the very top tier recipes in there yet. Anyway I suggest that you guys discuss and design the contents “recipe box”.

(Hrin's Comments: Ok guys, you know what this means! Start coming up with your recipe box wishlist - BUT remember not to put in the top tier recipes. You can leave me comments here or even start a forum thread to discuss about this and compile the list. And of course, please manage your expectations. Not EVERY suggestion can be accepted as there will likely be things that could cost major imbalance in the game. IMC will know the situation the best so we must faith in their judgement.)

X X X X X

Suggestion: Mailboxes - These mailboxes can be located at most places for convenience, all mailboxes can receive and send. You may receive items when you are at the beach or even on Lava Plateau, any where, it doesn't matter.

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: Yes we’re actually making this MAIL system in GE! I am not sure about when it will be launched exactly but it is already in progress.

X X X X X

Suggestion: Show Vet/Expert/Master levels in the Barracks

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: I brought this issue up to our staff. We’re still in discussion about this.

X X X X X

Suggestion: Baby Back Costume

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: Whenever you make suggestions about costumes, do send me some images at the same time so there we can have some concept of how it should look like.

(Hrin's Comments: Good point. Whenever you guys make suggestions, do remember to include in the image of what you think it should look like. Now, whoever suggested the baby back costume, do send me an image or post the url in the comments section.)

X X X X X

Suggestion: The ability to walk in town for videos.

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: This suggestion has be given before by other users in other GE versions. However, ss this item is just for fun, so it is not on the top priority of items to be developed yet. There is a way to do this in a creative way though - some users use the “cursed stone” items so walk in the town.

X X X X X

Suggestion: New item effects, like Diablo 2. E.g. Great Sword of Armagedon: Atk would be lower than other normal same lvl weapon, but effect: 10% chance to cast Lv.5 Meteor Strikes on hit.

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: That’s an interesting idea… but I think it willl be hard to make it for now. I have brought this issue up to our staffs and we are in discussion.

X X X X X

Suggestion: Raid Boss Killer Announcement on the server. For example : "Novia has been killed by Family Name] Family.

IMC Mr Pocket Answer: We think that good idea that users can let their names be “announced” when they kill boss monsters. We will start making the “Raid Boss Killer Announcement” stuff. But before that, we will need the information below:

1. List of the boss monsters which you want to announce when they’re killed
2. The notice announcement. (Eg. AAA family of BB faction just killed the Novia of the Frozen Tower!)

(Hrin's Comments: Compiled wishlist, please! :D)

X X X X X

Phew ok, that's all for today. A lot to start thinking about and planning already. We are currently very occupied with preparations for V3.5, please bear with us and be patient.

Will someone be so kind as to help us out with the above? :(