Level-up Yosi Break

This blog has really taken off, and I owe it to all of you Level-up gamers who read and check almost daily. I was talking with one player a while ago and he was asking about what people do in Level-up Games. What's the career path? Who are the movers and shakers of the industry? He asked a lot of very simple but interesting questions. After consulting with a few officemates, I've come to a decision to introduce to you guys a different side of Level-up. Over the next few days, I'll be having a new category called "Level-up Yosi Break". To my readers that who don't understand Filipino, "Yosi" is Cigarette. People usually call for a "Yosi Break" when they need a few minutes to regroup and relax. And that's exactly what I want to show everyone! It's time for you guys to see beyond the games and the company name. It's time to put a human face on Level-up Games :)Don't worry though, I will still regularly post about Ragnarok 2, Perfect World, and other MMOG titles.

I will also be talking with celebrity players of our various games. Players who are famous and I will try to get them to share their thoughts about the industry in general. I hope you guys enjoy the next series of interviews.

If we're lucky, I can start having this section up and running by tomorrow, March 1, 2007. I've already asked our Chief Technical Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and other department heads and executive officers if they're okay, and most of them have agreed.

Cheers!

P.S.

I comissioned an artist to work on the blog template. Hopefully he can finish it soon XD

MMOG: Audition Scandal II

OMFG. IT'S BACK.

Like what Britney (now bald, btw) likes to say...

"HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME!"



Hahaha! This is just insane. Great job darrick07 for putting this together. It's really funny to see stuff like this, especially when you've just went through a long and tiring day at work. Thanks to Goenitz for giving me the link. Does anyone here remember the RO GM Scandal? That was a sprite edit with a lady GM doing something to a Novice playing dead XD

Anway, I think this video is just hillarious! What do you think? Post a comment! :)

PS
I'm gonna try to get more stuff on Perfect World and RO2 tomorrow. Till then, ciao!

LU Elevation - Davao Segment

*Thanks to Doctor for this video

TO THE TOP WITH LEVEL-UP!

This was our battle cry when we went to Davao for the trade/media launch last February 23, 2007. Despite the schedule being tight and rather unforgiving, we were still able to have a good time. Just to show all of you how hellish our schedule was, check this out:

February 23, 2007
10:40AM - Flight: Manila to Davao
1:00PM - Arrival at Davao
1:00PM - 1:30PM: Lunch at Marco Polo Hotel
1:30PM - 4:30PM: Meeting with ICAD (Internet Cafe Association of Davao) Officers
4:30PM - 5:00PM: Rest and quick shower (@_@)
6:00PM - 12:00AM: Level-up ELEVATION Trade Launch @the Venue
12:00AM - 2:00AM: Very late dinner

February 24, 2007
10:00AM: Wake-up and go to airport (wah!)
10:40AM: Davao to Manila

Because of the schedule, you'd think Davao wasn't so far from Manila. Nevermind that they are at the opposite ends of the Philippines. I actually talked about this with our Sales Director, Apol Dionglay. When he was still working for other Multinational companies, he would go back and forth from Hong Kong or even Singapore on the same day. You can't help but admire dedication like that.

Anyway, more about the event. The actual launch was really jam-packed. More than 400 players and cafe owners went to the launch. Our venue was almost twice as large as the place we used back in Manila! The stage was awesome, and the production staff was also great. I felt sad for the band though. How can you expect a crowd dominated by 80% male to start dancing - especially since the girls in the crowd were also a bit old (cafe owners). Hehe.

After the event we were all hungry. We boarded the vans and went to Colasas which had OMG delicous BBQ and chicken. The entire team pigged out. Wahaha! I think we spent more than two hours there just savoring the food and finally getting a break from our day.

That's it for Davao. The next morning I overslept. Fortunately our Marketing Services Manager, Jake, woke me up (thanks man lol). We got into the van, went to the airport and went home.

Maraming Salamat Davao!

Ragnarok Event: Ragna Rally '07!

Ragna Rally ’07 is a major nationwide event that aims to gather Ragnarok players, old and new, under one roof. Inspired by the 2007 May elections, we’ve spiced it up a bit by adding a “Poring for President” flavor, making it more relevant to everyone. Don’t be surprised to find tarpaulins, posters, and even sample ballots promoting Poring for President at your nearest internet café!

So what is in it for players who attend the Ragna Rally? The main event is the BTA Mjolnir Cup Tournament! This isn’t your normal BTA because the national champion will win a godly item: a brand new Mejinguarde! Regional champions also stand to win rare and powerful in-game items like Vesper Cores.

We also have the Ragna Raffle! The GMs are going to give away dozens of premium items, merchandise, and in-game stuff for everyone who attends the event. We will also have a special raffle for players who buy top-up cards at the event.

Ragna Rally ’07 promises to be one of the biggest events this year! We will be having a Rally every weekend starting next Friday! However, before we go full blast, we’re going to have a tune-up rally on the following dates:

March 2, 2007
Netaphor Internet Café, Paranaque
5PM-11PM
BTA Registration 4PM-6PM

March 3, 2007
ESF Computer Center, Cavite
1PM-7PM
BTA Registration 12PM-2PM

(MAP to follow)

For the mechanics of the activities, please visit the Ragna Rally section of the Ragnaboards here.

Don’t forget to bring 100 PHP for entrance fee. You will get a 50 Top-up Card and a raffle stub for the Ragna Raffle. See you there! Rok On!

*Map and I-café address to follow

Ragna Blogging Competition

I was going through the fansite entrees just a few minutes ago when a great idea hit me. A lot of people were complaining that it took too much effort and time to build a fansite for Hugel. I agree with them 100%, since you'll have to learn how to do HTML and even get creative people to lay-out your site and make original art. It is simply too overwhelming for your average pinoy gamer.

Well, I'm not a web developer or creative genius but I'm maintaining a fansite of sorts using this blog. And that's when it suddenly dawned on me.

It's so friggin easy to make a blog. All you have to do is to sign-up at blogger, ro-diary, wordpress, and God knows what else. For content - you can easily pick out RO videos in YOUTUBE and comment. You can tell what happened during siege and even make pot shots at Level-up for not doing a good job (I pray that this doesn't happen as much though LOL). You can be vocal about issues like botting, hack-delete, and other censored topics in the message boards.

I'm happy to say that the RO Team is currently working on the mechanics for the first ever Ragna Blogger Competition! We're going to ask everyone to start their own online journals about their RO life and we will give prizes to those who make excellent work! All valid entries will also be posted at the Level-up community website section.

Mechanics and other details will be posted in the official RO site soon.

Cheers!

P.S.

To non-bloggers out there, you might want to start learning how. You can start by making an account at http://www.blogger.com. Just let me know via YM or leave a comment on this post if you've made one and I'll gladly add you to my link list. Be sure to include the URL.

MMORPG: Perfect World City Battle System

CASTLE SIEGE: A NEED MORE THAN A WANT

We've seen the siege feature over and over again in various games. Siege popularity came to an all-time high when War of Emperium was introduced in Ragnarok. Suddenly it changed from being a want to a need. Because Ragnarok siege gave gamers a totally new experience in online warfare, gamers now expect this feature in any of the online games that they play. Who can blame them? After all, competition is one of the most compelling reasons to keep on playing MMORPGs.

Enter the multi-awarded MMORPG, Perfect World. This game takes the competitive aspect of gaming to the next level by introducing a complex and very enjoyable City Battle system. Unlike other games when you have just several castles to choose from, in PW, you there are 44 cities or states available for conquest! Yup, you heard me right... 44 states PER server.

STATE OWNERSHIP BENEFITS


If a guild is strong enough to own a city, they will be rewarded with fame and fortune. The guild name will be written on the state map, and they will regularly get taxes from any transaction done by non-guild members in their city. Guild members will also get 1 hour of double experience every week for every state that they own. I'm not yet 100% sure on this one but from what I heard a guild can own up to three states. The benefits are not insanely great, but they are just right. It shows that the developers really made an effort to ensure game balance.

DECLARING WAR

Every week, a guild can declare war on only one state. If a guild already owns a state, they can only declare war on an adjacent state (based on the map). To declare war, the guild leader must go to the war NPC and pay a fee of 500,000. If multiple guilds want to attack a certain state, they will undergo bidding system to determine who will be the one to invade for that week. After the bidding ends, there will be an announcement on the server that will say which guild will attack which state and their corresponding schedules. War only happens during the weekend, and the system will generate the schedule at anytime during Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

THE BATTLEFIELD

Yes, I know what you're thinking. The map really looks like DOTA. Three lanes and guard towers per lane! Anyway, guilds will start at their respective home base, which is located at the far ends of the map. Each base is protected by a fortress wall with three gates. In each gate, there are 2 guard towers for added security. The central building is also defended by 4 guard towers. The three roads leading out of each base can also have towers built at the middle (now that totally reminds me od DOTA). Now the question is... how does a guild win? Pretty simple. In order to win, a conquering guild must destroy the central building of their opponent. The host guild, in turn, must defend it for the time period (2-3 hours) or destroy the central building of their attacker.

There are two ways to damage the guard towers and the central building: player and catapult. The best way to go about it is of course to use the catapult. It is really hard to do this though as you will have to escort the catapult from your base all the way up to your opponent's base. You'll need to go through the guard towers and opposing enemy troops just to get the weapon in place.

In the event that a character dies, he can teleport to any of the guard towers or transfer columns situated in various areas in the map. These columns act as waypoints (WoW speak) or agitating points (RO speak). They can also be destroyed by other players or by catapult.

If there is one word to describe the City Battle system, that word is EPIC. Perfect World promises to be one of the biggest games in 2007, especially since most of the new games, except for Lineage II, will have minimal PVP content. This is something that Pinoy gamers crave for and Perfect World will definitely give them that at the highest level possible.

Despite the seemingly pvp-centric nature of the game, Perfect World also boasts of intricate community features. The most noticeable one is the Mount System. Two players can actually ride one mount, which is really cute and compelling for anime-fans and gamer couples. I also heard that if you're a werebeast, you can transform to a wolf/bear and your lady love can actually ride you.

That's it for now. I'll try to get more material on PW and other games coming out this 2007. Cheers! Many thanks to O'neil Buena, PW Brand Manager and Andro Baluyut, LU Game Operations Head for giving me materials to work on for this post.

MMOG: Pangya - Fast, fun, perfect.

Before we tackle Perfect World's City Battle system, I'd like to take a quick pause and discuss on of the casual games being published by Level-up, PANGYA! This was actually my second assignment in my online gaming career. After handling Fly for Fun and Khan, I was designated as the Senior Community Manager of Pangya sometime last year. In a nutshell, Pangya is an online fantasy golf game. However, don't let the boring nature of golf decieve you. This game is full of action and never-before-seen skills! Check this video out of Pangya Season 3:



*PANGYA PH is still on Season 2

Pangya is one of those games that expands the industry as a whole. As expected, Pangya gamers are a little bit more mature and sophisticated than your average internet cafe gamer. A lot of "Pangsters" are young professionals and college students who play just to recuperate from a long day of work or study. Marketing Pangya is totally different from marketing games like Ragnarok or RF. Led by previous Pangya Brand Manager Frances Fernandez (she works for HINGE now), we went on office tours, call center hook-ups, and we even partnered with SMART BRO's Bilis Kabit event which targetted high-end subdivisions like Corinthian Gardens.

That's it for now. Cheers!

MMORPG: Warhammer Online

I just got back from Davao. The people and the place was great, but our schedule was really unforgiving. We left Manila via Cebu Pacific on Friday at around 12. The flight was relatively okay since I was seated at the middle lane where the emergency doors were. Both the middle and front seats were the only places that had legroom. So I was really able to relax and even cross my legs while reading a book that I brought along with me. Anyway, as soon as we landed we immediately checked in to our hotel and met with the Internet Cafe Association of Davao (ICAD) officers at Marco Polo Hotel. The meeting lasted till 4:30 PM and we had 30 minutes to rest up before going to the main event, which was the trade launch. After a quick shower we went to the venue and the party lasted until 12. We went back to the hotel sometime past 2am and we woke up at 9am to go to the airport to fly home.

Wah.Talk about having a hectic schedule! Anyway, more details and pictures sometime this week when I get the pictures from one of my officemates.

Anyway, I was surfing YOUTUBE and found a few trailers on Warhammer. I'm not a fan of the board game but it looks like I'll be playing the online MMORPG when it comes out. It's so brutal XD

Warhammer: Dawn of War


Warhammer: Mark of Chaos


Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning


Hope you guys enjoyed the videos! I'll be posting more details about Perfect World tomorrow. I was able to get my hands on the City Battle guide from the Perfect World Brand Manager, O'neil Buena (thanks man). I'll try to summarize it and post the details here.

MMORPG: Ragnarok Hugel Set Items

One of the Game Play Specialists here at Level-up sent me the image and stats of the new armor coming out on Hugel. All I can say is... WTF!? Seriously, the new armor set pawns and is so godly! ><;

Valkyrian Armor [1]
All stat +1
Indesctructable.
Add 50% more tolerance against Mute when worn by Mage, Archer and Acolyte classes.
Add 50% more tolerance against Stun when worn by Swordman, Merchant and Thief classes.

Valkyrian Manteau [1]
Indestructable.
Add perfect Dodge+5 when worn by Mage, Archer and Acolyte classes.
Increase Perfect Dodge points by the armor's upgrade level*2.
Add 5% chance of reflecting damage to its enemy when worn by Swordman, Merchant, Thief classes.
Increase the damage reflection amount by the armor's upgrade level*2.

Valkyrian Boots [1]
Indestructable.
Increase Max HP of Mage, Archer and Acolyte classes by their Base Level*5.
Increase Max SP of Swordman, Merchant and Thief classes by their Job Level*2.

Yeah you read it right... they're all slotted! Take a look at the Manteau! At max upgrade it can reflect by 25%! Anyway, just wanted to post this because I really find these items godly.

Off to Davao I go. Perfect World details when I get back. Cheers!

Taxi Cabs, Incompetence, and No Hack Compensation Policy

Okay, before I start ranting I'd like to share with everyone the latest poster for the Ragna Rally '07 Campaign. We're going to be putting this up on almost 10,000 internet cafes, nationwide. Hopefully people will respond to it and go to the Ragna Rally events which we are currently finalizing the schedules.

Okay, now to the rant. The top two things I hate are: Philippine taxi cabs and incompetence at work. Let me start with the cabs. I really don't have a problem giving a generous tip, especially if I'm taking a cab from Quezon City (where I live) to Makati. What annoys the hell out of me is how the cab drivers keep refusing to take on passengers. I mean, I'll only give the guy a tip if he lets me in the cab first. Just this morning, I flagged down a cab and was about to board. When I was about to go in, the driver asked me where I'm going and I said Makati City. I was about to say that I had no problem with adding to the fare but he cut me off and said that the traffic along EDSA was bad and he just closed the door and left. WTF???!!! Since I was so angry, I took down the plate number and company name as he was driving off. This will be the first time I actually file a complaint at the Land Transportation Office (LTO). You're going down evil taxi man -.-;

Anyway, next is INCOMPETENCE. Jesus Christ, I HATE people who keep saying that they did something and they actually just sat on their ass. It's amazing how people want you to think how good and how competent they are at work. However, when the smoke clears and the dust settles, you see them for who they really are: posers. Actually, this doesn't happen often these days at work. Eversince I got my new team life has been much easier here, and I would like to thank my Game Manager, Adrian and Community Manager, Blue, for always being coming in at 110%. I'm a bit sad though that like me, they are working their butts off to pay for the sins of the past.

Now that the ranting is done and over with let's go to semi-good news. Eversince I was a player there was one policy at Level-up that I really hated: The No Hack Compensation Policy. Marketing practitioners around the world know that it is cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one. I know a lot of players who quit Ragnarok because they got their characters deleted or their items hacked. Well, if you actually think about it, I was one of the people who raised hell at the Ragnaboards and in public when I got hack deleted two times. The good thing about being at Level-up now is that I can actually change things. Over the past few months, I've been actively arguing with other managers about the No Hack Compensation Policy. I'm very pleased to say that in a few days from this post, pRO players will be able to have somewhere to go when they get hacked. Just stay tuned for more official announcements about this one. :)

That's it for now. I'll be going to Davao tomorrow to represent Ragnarok and Ragnarok 2 for the Level-up Trade Launch. I'll try to get one more post in later about Perfect World if I can. Cheers and Rok On everyone!

The Memory of Ragnarok OST

Diwa and Daren, good friends of mine, messaged me the other day about a promotion currently running in iRO. They're selling the modified soundtrack called "The memory of RAGNAROK". The BGMs from Prontera, Payon, and other maps, were upgraded into a complete song with Lyrics and better instruments. The CD package also contains a stub that you can use to claim a unique in-game headgear. It's a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Anyway, as soon as I found out I talked via MSN with Zee, who works for the business development department of Gravity. It's a good thing that Diwa and Daren pointed this out to me because Gravity only had less than 500 CDs left in their inventory! After a few rounds of negotiation, I was able to reserve the last remaining CDs that we can sell here in the Philippines! Whew. Talk about a close call. If I didn't contact Zee within the day the 400 CDs would have probably been shipped to Japan or America. Speaking of those countries, in America they're being sold for 20$ while in Japan it's going at 35$. We will definitely sell it at a more affordable price here in the Philippines because of the difference of economies.

The pRO Team will start preparing to launch this and we will try to get them incorporated in the Ragna Rally event. I want to sell the CD packages during our EB parties. The sad thing is that we only have 400 copies so this CD will definitely be a collector's item!

Anyway, if you want more information on how iRO is doing this, just visit their site here.

That's it for now, cheers!

Ragnarok Stuff and A Long Day at Level-up

Sheesh. Today was a relatively long day. Came in early and we had a meeting with our Chief Operating Officer, Sheila Paul. It was basically an update on how things were going for all the brands this February. You know what sucks about February? Marketing people HATE it because it's just 28 days. That means you have 2 less days to hit your revenue targets... which is just so lame. I was actually trying to figure out a reason why the guy who made calendar we follow made February just 28 days. If anyone knows the reason (other than it being a leap year crap), please let me know. The meeting lasted until lunch time and we had to endure the painful process of realizing again and again how February sucks because of it having two less days.

Anyway, the day went on and I found myself in a meeting with my team and we were discussing the plans for Wednesday (Feb 21). I can assure everyone that you guys will find the announcements very pleasant :)

We spent most of the day preparing for the Ragna Rally '07. It's basically a series of parties mixed with BTA and side events that will go around nationwide! The main thrust of this event is to rally RO players, old and new. The centerpiece of the PR campaign is actually the PORING for PRESIDENT movement, which coincides with the May 2007 senatorial elections. We're going to go all-out with the election theme. You'll be seeing tarpaulins, posters, and flyers that will ask you to vote for Poring and join the Ragna Rally (cool eh?). Check this flyer out (looks like a sample ballot):

Like what Carlito from WWE says, "Now that? That's cool!"

To end, let me share something I found in one of my RO2 art folders. Not sure if anyone has this one yet. It's basically a 3D image of the cutest race in RO2, the Ellr!

More on Perfect World on my next post. Cheers and Rok On!

Pinoy Game Development

BAKBAKAN ONLINE.
BASAGULERO ONLINE.

These are some of the names that come to mind when I think of a Pinoy Online Game. Wouldn't it be cool if someday a Filipino was able to make an online game that would eventually become a huge hit here and in other countries? It's not really that far off... what we lack is organization and funding.

One of my good friends is studying 3D Animation and he made a trailer for a movie that he wanted to make later on. It's still rough but you have to give it up to him because he literally went beyond the call of duty by learning various applications and software to make this happen. Other Creative Arts graduates usually just make cheesy documentaries for their thesis.

SAGASET TRAILER


It's only a matter of time before we see Pinoy games out there. Especially with the recent formation of Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP). Btw, the person who made the video above is Rio Ortiz. Rok On Rio XD

Ragnarok 2: New Trailers and GM Atma for Philippine Idol

Ragnarok Online 2: Gate of the World, is going through their second Closed Beta this February. Before they go Open Beta, they will have 2 more CBs in addition to the one we're going to have right now. Damn, I hate the long wait. Hopefully this game will live up to all the hype its getting. Thanks to siamau of youtube who posted this video.

Emotes, Combat, and a few Features


Whatdaaaaa? Cute Movie


On other news -

I was chatting again with FlyFF Brand Manager Dino Tansioco on the popularity of Community Managers in the Online Gaming Industry. Who could ever forget King Tristan III of Ragnarok Online? Right now, Level-up has someone who can actually challenge Tristan for his throne in terms of popularity. Wudie, or "GM ATMA", as he is fondly called by the players, is one of the rising stars of Level-up Games. He was even awarded with the Employee of the Year plaque during our Christmas party for 2006. What's great about Wudie is his natural talent for getting involved with the community and his uncanny style of drowning himself in the local culture of the game he is handling. He can relate easily with players and when he speaks, you know that he really does represent the hundreds of thousands of FlyFFers in the country and that he only has their best interest in mind.

Which brought us to this funny idea. Philippine Idol is being aired annualy by ABC5. From what I heard, the winner needs just around 50,000-100,000 votes to win the Grand Finals. Imagine if all the FlyFFers voted for GM Atma... damn, that's more than half a million votes right there! We didn't even count FlyFFers who'd vote twice (LOL).

Anyway, that was just a random thought. Hope no one takes that idea seriously. XD

Fly for Fun: Version 7 Trailers

Fly for Fun, one of the hottest MMORPGs today, is going to have an update at the end of March 2007. This is a very good development seeing as the last major patch was sometime September. The new update is called Fly for Fun Version 7: Cloud Cruisin'.

Why Cloud Cruisin'? FlyFF Brand Manager Dino Tansioco actually had a discussion with me on that. We wanted to keep the "Flight" positioning for FlyFF but Dino wanted to add an easy-going and care-free attitude. "Version 6: Ascension" was actually a bit too serious, especially with the posters screaming PVP.

Anyway, version 7 will bring several new features to the game, namely: New High Level Monsters, Dungeon/Maps, Quests, Items, and Armor Sets. I searched in YOUTUBE and came up with two trailers. The first one is the FlyFF US trailer, while the second one is locally made by our favorite video producer/director/editor: ryvrdrgn14. Enjoy!

FlyFF US Trailer



FlyFF PH Trailer

FYI: If you haven't read it yet, check the previous post about my take on the competition here in the Philippines. Ciao peeps!

Bring it on :)

Thanks to everyone who voted on the poll! It looks like this post will be about Level-up's competitors (^^;). Anyway, for the sake of keeping my job and protecting myself from libel, I won't bother giving away names. Hopefully you guys will be able to figure out which one is which. Lastly, this is my personal take on it, and this is not the official stand of Level-up Games or ePLDT.

In all honesty, we should all welcome competition. This forces Level-up and other companies to provide better services and promotions. This is definitely a good thing for the Philippine community because they will get a better gaming experience than what they got before. Companies will have to innovate and re-invent themselves in order to keep a good share of the market. Not only does this benefit the existing community, it also grows the industry itself. New titles means new marketing budgets - more money to burn on raising awareness and converting people into gamers.

However, what bugs me is the audacity of some companies to claim that they are the leading local publisher and that they have the leading games in the country. The sad thing about the online gaming industry is that there is no third party entity that monitors the progress and growth of each company. With this in mind, no one can actually claim the mantle of leadership. Unfortunately we have to rely on PR - something that these companies feed the media. It all boils down to how loud each company is shouting that they are number 1 (which is kinda funny).

What is the basis for saying that you're number one? Concurrent users? Revenue? Unique Users? Registered Users? Number of cafes covered? Screen shares in cafes?

There are a lot of factors and definitely a lot of views and arguements. However, it is with firm conviction that I say that Level-up Games remains to be the King of the Hill. Obviously I can't disclose exact numbers but I've managed games that are subscription and free-to-play. Right now I'm even handling a Hybrid (Ragnarok). From all the experience I have... I can pretty much say that you will always get a lot of players with a free-to-play business model but you will never make as much as subscription or hybrid models. If the day comes that a third party entity steps in and allows us to disclose numbers, you will know what I mean.

I know there will always be people who hold different views - and I respect all of your opinons. It is a challenge for myself and Level-up to assure and prove without a shadow of a doubt that we are still the market leader. That's why I keep saying 2007 will be a big year. Because this year everyone will bring out the big guns.

I've been at both ends - being the player who hated the company and being the company trying to reach out to the player. I feel like I've been put in a position that I have to heal old wounds and keep on reaching out. You know what's comforting? I look around now at Level-up and I see people just like me. People who share a passion for gaming, for improving service and protecting the community. A lot of managers that I worked with in netGames are here now because of the merger. These people have the same vision and conviction as I have.

People ask me a lot these days what I think about the new games and companies coming in. How will this affect Level-up? How will this affect Ragnarok Online? How will this affect the gaming community at-large? What will happen this 2007? I just have three words - BRING IT ON.

Before I end this post, let me thank you the Philippine gaming community for making the industry grow. Cheers to a wonderful 2007!

:)

Ragnarok: The Next Level!

A friend of mine forwarded me several URLs of insane YOUTUBE videos made by okonono. If Ragnarok was this dynamic and explosive, I'm sure it would get hordes of players wanting to try it out. If you ever tried playing Ragnarok Online, please do not ignore okonono's masterpieces! Watch the videos below and pass it on to your friends.You will be missing half your life if you do not watch 'em.

jRO GM vs ALICE



RAGNAROK: THE NEXT LEVEL!



RAGNAROK: SHINOBI BATTLE



By the way, based on how the poll is doing, I'll probably right something about our competitors (local) on my next post. I'm going out tonight to watch GhostRider but I'll definitely post as promised when I get back.

Lastly, I was thinking of increasing the number of my contacts on Friendster for no particular reason. So if you have an account, please add me: my e-mail is chronorancher@yahoo.com (Please don't e-mail me spam XD)

Ragnarok Online: HUGEL the Movie

As promised -

Ragnarok Online: HUGEL the Movie. This doesn't just showcase the new game features but it also has a kick-ass story. Definitely one of the best works by Ryvrdrgn. Thank you to Ryvrdrgn14 and the rest of the playtesters of Sakray for putting together this masterpiece!

Ragnarok Episode 14: Hugel comes out on March 14, 2007. Other than the 2 new job classes (Ninja and Gunslinger), there will also be new maps, dungeons, monsters, and items. Rok On!

FYI, this is the YOUTUBE URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIL34dW8x60

Btw, for the next topic of my blog I decided to be a little more community-centric (lol). In the 7-8 days that this blog existed, it has garnered more than 2400+ hits. So as a tribute to everyone who reads, I've made a poll at the sidebar. You decide what I'm going to write about next. Poll closes Sunday afternoon.

Thanks and Ciao~!

Audition PH: Scandal!!!

OH. EM. GEE.

OMG!

Who would have thought only DLSU would have popular scandal videos? Even online games have scandals now! If you guys check my earlier posts there was a FlyFF Lawolf Scandal. However, that was comic and it would fit better into the cattegory of pranks and jokes. That video was a bit more tame than what you are about to see! Please take note that you need parental guidance if you are under 18 and that the following video will have *adult* content (haha).

I'll be posting another video made by ryvrdrgn about Ragnarok HUGEL soon, so watch out for that one! According to him, it will have a complete story line and it will be 8-9 minutes long complete with action-packed scenes.

Rok On!

Ragnarok versus ROSE

Watch Level Up! daily on Cube iTV Channel 25 Home and Sky Cable, starting this February at 7:00pm on Channel 25! Get an exclusive sneak preview of the latest and hottest Level Up! games, news, and updates. Join Level Up! forums in Cube iTV Ch25 where you can be part of closed beta-testings of the newest online games from Level Up! Plus, you may also get a chance to win instant prizes by joining the Level Up! and Cube iTV Ch25 promo. Register to Cube iTV Ch25 via Cube Channel 25 on Sky and Home Cable (if you are already a Level Up! member) or register at the Level Up! website (if you are already a Cube iTV member).

Source

This is one of the good things that happen when your company being backed up by a corporate giant like PLDT. Fortunately for Level-up, the thrust of PLDT is convergence. They want all of their companies to start working together so that they can grow their own respective industries. This is a good thing for both the consumer and the corporation because the level of service is taken to a whole new level. At the same time, the market of the company grows because they are able to tap into the customers of their sister companies. Since the merger, Level-up has been working with SMART (GAME ON promo), PLDT DSL, and now even CUBE iTV. Like what I keep saying in my previous posts... 2007 is going to be a big year for the industry!

Anyway, there will be alot of segments in CUBE iTV. There's the usual GM Chat and we also have cross-game promotions like the Versus segment. Check the video below and watch Ragnarok duke it out with ROSE Online! By the way, thanks to ryvrdrgn14 for uploading and working on this video for Level-up. If you guys don't know him, he's the player who made the RF Video - Black MAU Down and the RO Item Mall video.

pRO GUNSLINGER vs pROSE Magician



That's it for now! Ciao :)

Silkroad Online: Now in the Philippines!

Level Up! offers Payment System for Silkroad Online
Date: 2/6/2007

Level Up! Inc. in cooperation with Joymax Co. Ltd. brings to the Philippines an easier way to purchase Silk, the online currency used in Silkroad Online to buy items. Through your netGames account, you can now purchase Silkroad E-pins. Top-up P250 and this entitles you to 50 Silk while P500 gives you 100 Silk. Getting those cool premium items is now as smooth as silk!

By February, you will be able to enjoy more of Silkroad with the Premium Items within your grasp. For further announcements on the Level Up online payment system, keep on visiting www.silkroadonline.ph.

Have a great adventure in Silkroad!

Click here for the actual article.

This was actually announced a week or two ago. I've been getting alot of questions about this one so I'm writting this to clarify the entire thing. Level-up serves as a payment gateway for players who live in the Philippines. Gamers can use Level-up cards to buy silk in-game for the Silkroad Item Mall. Silkroad is free-to-play, and you can download the internation client at the Silkroad Website.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about the game! The story is rather simple. Basically the Romans wanted the silk from China because of its rarity and distinct beauty. Eventually one Chinese man named Janggeon found a route wherein Romans can eventually get their silk. This route was eventually called "Silkroad". Things were pretty much okay until Western Roma collapsed and the Islam war exploded. Suddenly the Silkroad was a place where bandits and other sects attacked one another to get the precious silk and treasures carried by the merchants from China to Roma.

That's where you step in. You can either be a Merchant and be the one travelling the roads in search of wealth and fortune. You can be a Hunter and protect the caravans or you can become a Thief and become the bandits that the townsfolk have come to fear.

Silkroad promises to be one of the biggest games for 2007, especially here in the Philippines. Take note that this game is FREE-TO-PLAY and you will be able to play with gamers outside of the Philippines. This is definitely a unique journey for those who dare step into the world of Silkroad Online.

To those who don't have fast internet to download the client - fear not because Level-up will be rolling out the CDs to internet cafes this March. We will also be giving away CDs in our events and you might even see it in certain magazines.

If you want to know more about the game, visit the site. Here's the official video:

Ragnarok Online 2: More Art and Interview

I was surfing the net yesterday when I found a really good fansite of Ragnarok Online 2. It's called "A Ragnarok Tale" or ART for short. It has alot of videos, interviews, and other materials for RO2. RO2 fans should join the forums there because their community is already growing (more than 1000 members). The following is taken from their site, an interview with Pak Zero. If you want to read more translated interviews, click here.

GameSpot: The wait for Ragnarok Online 2 information has been long, but finally news seemed to be close. It was believed that this showing would showcase the new parts of the game and might have given the possibility of seeing new features. Instead, it was a more informational showing. Can you comment?

Pak Zero: Although there was not much information on features, the showing spoke positively about Ragnarok Online 2. We have fixed an open beta test for December and also made it known of the various leaps in development. Currently it is ahead of (Requim maybe? I can't read it) and is preparing for the end of the prime development. All in all, it is about 85% completed to a point where it can be released for Open Beta.

GameSpot: In Ro1, when registering, the selecting of your gender would determine what gender you were for all characters on that account. Will this decision be the same in Ro2? (Simplified: If I choose female, my characters are female)

Pak Zero: Selecting the correct gender is something we want to have in Ro2, because it creates a more realistic community. In Ro1 this worked well, although it was eventually abused by some people and worked around it by faking their gender in the registration. With Ro2, we want to make the reliability of people having the correct gender very high. There has been talk of using your KSSN to determine your gender, even.

Based from the feedback I've been getting from various forums - the number one complaint is that the game looks too much like ROSE. I agree with a lot of you on that point, it kinda looks too cute. Thankfully though the developers decided to make a third race called the Dimago that's more mature and sezzy. Take a look below for the picture we got from Gravity (that's a playable character!):

That's it for now! More on Perfect World and Silkroad on my next posts. :)

MMOSITE Reader's Choice Awards

I was surfing the GAME! Magazine website when I discovered some very interesting news. MMOSITE.com, one of the international online gaming portals, recently conducted a votation on what games are the best for 2006. Ladies and gentlemen, the results are in and I am very happy to say that most of the games that took top honors are all under the portfolio of Level-up Games. This just goes to prove that the company is committed to deliver the best content for the gaming community in the Philippines.

MMOSITE 2006 READER'S CHOICE AWARDS

GAMES OF THE YEAR

1st Place: RAGNAROK ONLINE
2nd Place: SILKROAD ONLINE
3rd Place: RF ONLINE

Ragnarok Online also bagged "Best Gameplay", closely followed by Fly for Fun and Silkroad. You can view the complete results here.

MMOSITE was on the mark when it described the award:

Maybe it does not have the best graphics; maybe its storyline is not perfect.But you love it best cause’ it fits you well and you find happiness in it.

I agree with them 100%. The most compelling reason why gamers stay in RO is because of the community. They are among friends who share the same culture and habits. In all MMORPGs, there will always be bugs and RO is not an exception. But at the end of the day, gamers will decide to stay because the game is very condusive to community building, especially if they are happy.

In a way, that's the reply I use when I talk to media who ask me how RO will fare in light of new games coming this 2007. I reply by saying that we welcome competition, because it grows the industry. More games mean more happy gamers. However we are confident that RO and the rest of our games will stabilize and continue because of the communities behind them.

To end this post, let me share with you a video of one of the die-hard guilds in RO Chaos Server did. They compiled pictures and in-game footage to come up with a history of their guild. This is the true essence of online gaming - camaraderie and competition.

Lineage II: Coming this 2007!

AMDG, the company that is currently distributing Warcraft, Counterstrike, Starcraft, Diablo, and Guild Wars just bagged one of the most awarded and successful games in Korea: Lineage II.

MANILA, Philippines--After almost a year of courtship, South Korean game development giant NCsoft and Philippine publisher Asian Media Development Group have closed a $5.5-M deal to distribute Lineage II not just in the Philippines, but across Southeast Asia. - www.hackenslash.net

Talk about big bucks! $5.5M is almost 275M PHP! Personally, I believe AMDG has a good game on their hands but there are alot of threats that they should tackle if they really want to get their investment back. Namely:

Proliferation of Private Servers: Lineage II has an abundance of private servers wherein players can play for free. The current business model of LII in Korea is still pay-to-play, so it's safe to assume that it will be the same here.

High Computer Specs: LII has one of the highest required computer specs to play. If I'm not mistaken, it's a few notches above RF when it comes to video card and processor needs.

Competitors: Alot of quality games will be coming in this year; including Ragnarok 2, Perfect World, Silkroad, and Granado Espada.

That's from the business point of view. However for the gaming community as a whole, this is a very good thing. Each time a new game comes out, the industry grows because it attracts more people and it converts more non-gamers. For example, alot of people were saying that Pangya, being a golf game, wouldn't make it big here. But Pangya was successful in doing something that even Ragnarok ocouldn't do - get alot of young professionals and older people to start online gaming. Like what I said in the previous RF post, 2007 will be a very big year for the online gaming industry!

To end this post, let me share with everyone a LII video I found on YOUTUBE:

PORING FOR PRESIDENT!

February 14, 2007
Reported by: Wauks
Photo by: GM Savant

A presidential candidate and his senatorial line-up were able to beat the filing of candidacy last February 12, 2007 just before midnight. COMELEC employees couldn’t restrain themselves as they quickly rushed to meet the candidates and they weren’t shy at all in asking for their autographs and taking pictures.

According to their spokesperson, GM Tristan III, the new contenders will be running under a solid platform. “We will be focusing on five values: Pinoy, Outstanding, Respect, Integrity, Nationalism, and Gwapo, or P.O.R.I.N.G. for short. It’s time that we give the youth a better alternative to the traditional politics that we keep seeing year-in and year-out.”

When asked how they will go about campaigning, GM Tristan III says that they will be on a nationwide tour starting March and it will last all the way to May. “Aside from the usual posters, streamers, tarpaulins, and sample ballots, we’re also going to be staging rallies in selected areas. We want to bring our platform and our ideas to the people that matter the most: the youth. However, it’s not going to be your traditional caucus. We will be throwing big parties across the nation simply called the Ragna Rally! We will be posting the venues and schedules soon, so please watch out for it.” Tristan explains.

*This will come out at the Ragnarok and Level-up websites within the day.

Fly for Fun: LaWolf Scandal

When I was still working at netGames (pre-merge), a bunch of my officemates decided to play a prank on one of the new hires. Seeing as we just bought a LaWolf (monster in FlyFF) mascot costume, my officemates decided to make full use of it. Many thanks to Shella and Wudie (a.k.a. GM Atma) for putting together this masterpiece!

*By the way, if you can't wait through the set-up part and you just want to see the best scenes, skip the slider over to past 0:55 time.

On a more serious note, Fly for Fun has certainly made a name for itself during the past few months. From holding a small share of the market, FlyFF PH has exploded into a phenomenon rivalled only by the success of Ragnarok Online. Atma and the team recently held an event at EGG (Glorieta 4), which has a capacity of just around 150. Guess what? More than 700 loyal FlyFF players trooped to the venue. Dino (FlyFF Brand Manager) told me that the mall security guards were asking for a rally/demonstration permit! Well, you really can't blame them since the line almost covered the entrance of G4.

The name of the game couldn't be more apt. FlyFF is literally all about fun. The care-free feeling of flying is the best emotion that I can use to describe this game. For more details, you can visit http://flyff.com.ph and check for yourselves what this game has to offer.

Congratulations to Atma, Dino, and the rest of the team for continue making the game one of the best in the country! Like what I used to say when I was still the Brand Manager of FlyFF...

Keep on reaching for the skies!

P.S.

I recently heard about this referral program from a friend and I'm going to give it a shot. If you have spare time on your hands and you want to make money by simply surfing the web (ya you heard me LOL), just click this link: www.agloco.com/r/BBBX2613

You'll learn more about the company's vision and how to make money there. Ciao!

Ragnarok Online: Item Mall Sale and Hugel

Hugel, the latest patch of Philippine Ragnarok Online, will go live on the commercial servers on March 14, 2007. I've attached the draft of the posters that you guys will start seeing in internet cafes soon! It's going to be a huge poster... 27x40! There are two desgins - the gunslinger and the ninja design. Hopefully your lucky neighborhood internet cafe will get to have both posters on their windows (hehe).

Just to give everyone who reads this blog a heads-up pRO will have a Chinese New Year Item Mall promo starting February 14 that will last until February 21. Enriched Eluniums will be on 50% sale (50 PHP per piece) and Neuralizers will be on 30% Sale (500 PHP). This is a limited offer only so better grab this chance to reset your skills or to try your luck on upgrading with bonuses. You can expect the official announcement to come out tomorrow on the game launcher, website, and forums.

By the way, I've been getting alot of text messages and YMs about the Server Merge. I just want to assure everyone that it will still happen, and we are doing everything humanly possible to make sure it launches sometime March - April. It will definitely be something to look forward to! To finish this simple post, let me share with everyone another image from RO2 - the new and improved Hollgren (the upgrader in pronts):

Till the next time! Rok On!

RF: Episode 2 Coming this Summer!

Rising Force Online, the only MMORPG set to a sci-fi setting, is gearing up for one of its biggest patches to date - Episode 2: Pioneers of Novus! Though there is no confirmed date yet, there are talks going around that it will come out sometime mid-summer (april) in the Philippine servers. Please see below for a video posted at youtube by ryvrdrg14:



Though the main plot is still sketchy, the story for episode II revolves mainly around an ancient race that is casting its shadow among the Bellato, Cora, and Accretia. This reminds me a lot of World of Warcraft, wherein you have the Scourge suddenly stepping in between of the Horde and the Alliance (hehe).

For the new features, players can expect the following upgrades to their game:

Level 50 Red Mau (Bellato)

• Goliath 150k hp, high defense, 1,000 SP
• Catapult 110k hp, high attack, 200 SP

Level 50 Siege Kit (Accretia)

• +40% damage, +10% defense, +20 Accuracy, +10% HP/FP, and 1000 shots
• 4m sold at Elan Plateau

Cora Summons

• They generally do better on what they do
• Hecate crits more, Isis deals more damage, etc.

Others

• Level 50 Guard Tower avialable at Elan
• Crag Mine Barracks
• Opposing Race Collision

Please take the information above with a grain of salt. Information was taken from the Game Play Specialist Team of Level-up, but they are still testing and confirming the features listed above. For RF players who read this blog, kindly ask GM Gaea to confirm :)

Having different generes of online games is very much welcome. With developments like this, we can expect to grow the gaming community even more; converting your usual average joe to a gamer simply because the game suits his personal taste (sci-fi, medieval, etc.). Until another Sci-Fi game comes along, RF will continue to reign supreme in this market segment, especially with the buzz going around that the next patch will bring in space battles.

More about RO2 and RO on my next post! Rok On!

Perfect World: Coming this Summer

Level-up Games acquired the license to publish the multi-awarded chinese game "Perfect World" a few months ago. The game is really intense, combining alot of advanced features from popular MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and City of Heroes/Villains. But everyone already knows that (hehe). This post is all about giving you a preview of what's to come when the game finally launches sometime this summer.

The game basically has three races: Humans, Wings (Elf-like with wings), and Werebeasts... yeah you heard me right. WEREBEASTS. w00t. Using the Werebeast race, you can actually look like a tiger, lion, or even a double hammer wielding, death dealing, destruction harbinger... cute and cuddly PANDA. If you're a fan of DOTA's Pandaren then you definitely know what race to pick. By the way, this game is not a race vs race conflict like RF Online. Your guild/team can be composed of any number of the various races available.

Perfect World has a ton of features, one of which is the mount system made famous by World of Warcraft. There are a lot of mounts to choose from, and there is even a cute new year pig right now that is available in the Taiwan PW Server. For more on the pig of death, just check out this screenshot:

Other than the mount system, another good feature is the multi-terrain system. You can walk, run, and swim. But most important of all - you can fly. The Wing race uses er... their wings to do that, while the Werebeasts call upon huge flying creatures. The Humans use enchanted weapons that they hop on just like Aladdin's trusty magic carpet.

However the most important feature for me is the City Battle. It's like castle siege but guilds will be vying for entire cities! There are a total of 38 cities per server so that means 38 guilds can hold 1 city at a time. That's definitely something to look forward to. For more information on Perfect World, visit www.levelupgames.ph/perfectworld. It's just a teaser site but you can expect the main site to be up soon.

It looks like 2007 will be a big year for the online gaming industry. With games like PW, Silkroad, and RO2 - there's no telling how big the gaming community will be when the year is over. Actually if you think about it - PW is going to launch with good timing. GMA 7 keeps airing chinese/korean stuff like JUMONG @_@

For my next post I'll discuss details about the latest patch of RF... Episode 2. Till then, Rok On!

LU! Elevation: Media and Trade Launch 2007

Level-up Games, the leading local online gaming company, launched their new content for the year during their media/trade launch show entitled "Elevation" last February 9, 2007 at C3 Events Place in Greenhills, San Juan City. The venue was jam-packed, with more than 500 Internet Cafe owners and media reporters trooping to the event. Top brass of Level-up and ePLDT, together with the Brand Managers for the new games were also on-hand to mingle with the crowd and to answer questions for the press.

The event was hosted by Level-up Darling, Iya. Rock-reggae band, Sidhi, tore the house down with their originals and cover songs of U2 and Bob Marley. The roof almost exploded later on in the evening when The Dawn took the stage and sang their immortal song "Salamat" and eventually did a cover of U2's "Elevation".
The new updates announced were the following: Ragnarok Online Hugel Patch - March, Fly for Fun V7: Cloud Crusin' - April, and Rising Force Episode 2 - Summer. The new games being released are: Perfect World - June, Silk Road - February, and the most anticipated game in Asia, Ragnarok Online 2 - Sometime this year.

The event was definitely a huge success! Thank you to everyone who went. For more pictures, just check below:

Level-up Babes dancing with Studio 23 Mascot

Moi being interviewed by Studio 23 Mascot

Moi getting pawned by one of the bouncers (LOL)


That's it for now. More posts about Perfect World tomorrow.

Rok On!

Ragnarok Online 2: Coming this 2007

Ragnarok 2 Announced at Level-up Trade/Press Launch!



Level-up just concluded "Elevation", which was a trade/media launch announcing the new content for 2007! More than 500 internet cafe owners and press people trooped to C3 Events Place in Greenhills, San Juan City, to be part of the momentous event! I'll post the pictures and a more detailed kwento sometime this weekend.

For now, let's focus on the beauty which is Ragnarok Online 2: Gate of the World. Though the launch date is not yet confirmed, only one thing is sure... and that is Level-up will bring the most anticipated game to the Philippines this 2007! I've posted the official RO2 trailer (See above.) The other video post below is the anime commercial for RO2. I'll post the details of this game soon (after the Elevation details).



Till then, this is Wauks reminding everyone to Rok On!

Ragnarok Online 2: Magnum Break Screenshots

Ragnarok Online 2: Gate of the World, comes out sometime this year. It will be published by Level-up Games in the Philippines and it will have the full support of the PLDT group of companies. Not only is it the most anticipated game, it also boasts of having the most in-depth community and game features. Gravity has been developing this game for years now, and I'm sure that it is worth the wait! The picture posted is actually the middle sequence of some skill used by the Swordsman. It reminds me of Magnum Break... (oh yeah the monster being killed is a chon-chon!)

I'm kinda itching to play this game already. When you think about it... its finally time for RO to get a much needed upgrade in terms of graphics. Based from the comments of beta testers, they have no complaints whatsoever about the landscape or the character/monster details. I just hope that the system requirements won't be too high (hehe). I'll research about RO2 more and start posting stuff about it in the days to come. For now, let's just enjoy the Magnum Break taken to a whole new level! :D



In the immortal words of true RO players... Rok On!

Welcome!

Hi!

Welcome to my first ever public blog. I'll be talking about bits and pieces of my life especially everything pertaining to online games. I've been a gamer since as far as I can remember and I think I'll still be one even if my hair starts turning gray. This addiction of mine eventually led me to pursue a career in marketing for online gaming, and that's where I am now.

Since I'm still in the process of fixing this... let's start with a shameless plug for the Philippine Ragnarok Online Item Mall (hehe). See the video below for what items are available.