Despite 80% of my time being consumed by summer reading lately, I’ve still found time to get some gaming time in. I recently bought a new graphics card (GeForce 6200 OC) which allowed me to play many, many games I’d been denied before (MapleStory used to be my graphical limit, I couldn’t even be in Orbis with anything besides the lowest graphical setting). As a result, I’ve redownloaded two of my favorite games: Ragnarok Online and Talesweaver.

This game, being the much more well known of the two games, will come first. I’m playing on a Mid/High server called SpiritusRO. It’s got many unique features that really make it stand out. For those who’ve played this game, I’m sure you’re all aware of the lack of things to do after you reach a certain level, generally 150-200. All the monsters become easy and all you do is either MVP (aka Bosses) or PVP. This server offers something more, namely, a subclass that can be accessed at level 500 (the max level). The subclass, known as the Hero subclass, requires a lengthy quest before you gain access to super-fine skills and equipment. If you’re a Hero, you basically pwn everyone else in the game who isn’t one. Going up against them in PVP is suicide as they’ll generally one hit you after letting you spam any attack you want on them for a solid five seconds.

Besides the Subclass, Spiritus also features working races (with unique benefits) and a Deathmatch version of PvP which is basically a big free-for-all. For Heroes, they have a time attack of sorts which sees how quickly you can get rid of a certain amount of really hard MVPs. Overall, the server is just great. I have a level 350 High Wizard and a level 200 Assassin Cross. In the first three pics, you’ll see them and their sick damage.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ragnarok (certainly a minority), it features a defense system totally unlike MS. Vitality is a stat which increases def and HP. High HP and a ton of def is actually a feasible way of surviving. HP recovery is based on total HP so pots are rarely a problem for “tanks” (They take the damage in a party). The other way to go is with agility. Once again, it’s much more useful thank luck is in MS for avoiding. Typically, the monsters you train on will miss you 90-95% (95% is the limit of miss rate). Speaking of luck, it’s much different than MS. It’s used mainly by Blacksmiths for making items (the more luck you have, the better chance of success). It also contributes to something called Perfect Dodge, which leads to a percent chance of dodging regardless of the monster’s hit, or accuracy. You don’t have to rely on pots. That’s what I really like about this game. You’ll also notice from the screens that the game has exceptional detail for sprite-based characters. The map and scenery is entirely 3D and isn’t too shabby.

I end any discussion of RO with this comment: GRAVITY GMs SUCK.

Honestly, I laugh at all the people who thought gMS GMs were that terrible.

Now for the game no one on this site has heard of. Talesweaver is an MMORPG by Nexon. No, you didn’t read that wrong; it’s made by Nexon. It has a humongous user base in Korea and even though it’s as old as RO, it’s still going strong. The first thing you’ll notice about this game is that there is no English version. It’s the one thing that really keeps English people from playing (well, that and the required KSSN). Once you learn a bit about the game and become familiar with everything, it really isn’t that bad.

The game is unique in many, many ways. First, it doesn’t feature the prototypical “classes.” Each type of class is represented by a character. There’s Boris Jineman (Two-Handed Swordsman), Lucian Kaltz (Sword + Shield), Maximin Liebkne (Int Swordsman), Sivelin Yu (Spearman), Ispin Charles (Fencer), Nayatrei (Dual Sword Wielding, Kunai and Shuriken Throwing NINJA), Mila Nebraska (Whiplady), Tichiel Juspian (Mage 1), Joshua von Arnim (Int Fencer), and Chloe Da Fontana (Mage 2). The whip class is really unique and is a rare site in MMOs. They do a great job of making each character completely unique. While Maximin and Lucian typically end up wielding the same weapons, their fighting style and damage are entirely different.

While Nayatrei is my favorite character, my friend’s already made one that I can use at my liking, so I currently play on a Lucian. It’s the fastest non-fencer sword character (besides the Ninja, who is THE fastest attacker in game) so I settled for him. Plus, he has some smexy skills later on in the game. Screenies of him can be found in SS’s number four and five (scratch that, five won’t seem to upload).

Unlike MapleStory, this game features an abundance of quests. While there are many “Get x amount of x item” quests (made interesting by having to answer dialogue without knowing what’s going on), the quest system goes far beyond that. Each character has a plethora of Chapter Quests which revolve around the game’s main plot. While you don’t get to enjoy the privilege of actually reading about them in game, the translations are quite interesting. Plus, you get to face lots of boss monsters and get really cool items.

Besides the quest system, the game is unique in its relationship between stats and skills. First, skills are gained, not just with leveling up, but with exp as well. You have to sacrifice x amount of exp to level up a certain skill. The exp needed generally increases with level and also with the skill’s potential. When you level up, though, is where things get interesting. When leveling up, you can get bonus points into two of the seven stats based upon your highest skill tree. The seven stats are actually quite unique: Hack, Stab, Intelligence, Magic Resistance, Defence, Dexterity, and Agility. The primary stat has a 100% chance of gaining a bonus point and the secondary a 50% chance. Skill trees are made up of skills utilizing certain stats like Hack, Stab, or Int. This can lead to various strategies, as the type of build you choose for your character at the beginning of the game influences how much each stat will cost to increase. You can choose to use your skill tree bonus points for the higher costing stats, or attempt to go all out on your main ones. It’s definitely the most creative skill/stat system I’ve ever seen.

The features don’t end there. The game also features a combo system which increase the speed of your attack rate using a rhythm system (I recommend spamming the left mouse button since the connection from US to Korea isn’t the best and it’s hard to time it right). As you increase in level, the amount of attacks in a combo increases from one to eventually six. The combo also greatly speeds up the speed of skills. It will become an essential part of playing as you progress through the game. Oh, and with each skill, you reset the combo counter, which can lead to combos of anywhere from 20 to 300 hits depending upon the size of the mob and the difficulty of the monster (my record is a 56 hit combo).

The game also features PVP, but I haven’t used it that much as I’ve never gotten a character high enough to compete. Oh, and it has both night and day, as well as sunny, snowy, and rainy conditions, each with their own effects upon gameplay.

No Nexon game would be complete without a Cash Shop! Yeah, that’s right. Check it out: link . Seem a tad familiar?

My final piece of information is one of my favorite parts about this game. What’s one of the biggest complaints about MS? I don’t know about you, but I absolutely DESPISE the music. It’s total crap. Talesweaver is the exact opposite. It’s got some of the best, if not THE best, in game music I’ve ever heard in an MMORPG. Suffice to say, it’s got its own soundtrack. I can’t emphasize it enough, the music is amazing. It felt so good to switch from MS to TW and not have to deal with Media Player and MS at the same time. I’ve made a playlist some great songs from the game: link (it requires you to register, but it takes like five seconds, please check it out). If you only want to quickly browse the songs, at least check out “Tales are about the be weaved” (login music), Apparition, dis-Apparition (semi-dungeon music), Groovin’ Tonight (night music), Dawn (sick piano piece), and Not Ended Fantasy. But, honestly, come on guys, just play it while you’re on MS, it’s not like there’s anything worth listening to in-game. -_-;

Okay, that’s it for this blog, hope you enjoyed my adventures in these two games.