Class Balance Changes

The team behind Tales of Pirates has released a large balance update today, their biggest yet. These changes should help bring lower tier classes, and overpowered classes towards the middle.

Details of the changes can be found below:

Tales of Pirates: Class Upgrades Provide Unique Balance

In Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com), balance among the classes is the most talked-about issue in the community. The ToP dev team has taken players’ suggestions to heart and will soon roll out upgrades to some of the most-maligned classes. Their goal is to give every class unique features while providing balance in-game.

Cleric Class

Clerics will be able to not only forge spirit gems to armor and weapons, but also to inlay them into gloves and shoes. As a result, they will be able to gain a greater spirit bonus and increase their attack power accordingly. The staff clerics use will be modified into a ranged weapon. It will deal damage with the same value as a bow, but without the Miss and Critical Rate.

Voyager Class

Since a Voyager’s Conch takes the place of a necklace but has no attribute bonus, Voyagers have fewer attribute points in comparison with other classes. After the upgrade, a Conch will become an inconsumable item. It will also have a certain amount of attribute points, giving it the same function as a necklace.

Seal Master Class

Two main Seal Master skills will be improved: Shadow Insignia and Seal Elder. The Shadow Insignia torturing effect will be increased, dealing damage to the target every 2 seconds. The Seal Elder HP-draining effect will also be increased, draining HP based on damage dealt every 2 seconds. The severity of damage dealt depends upon the Seal Master’s level and spirit points, so the higher the level, the greater the damage.

Sharpshooter Class

So far the upgrade plan for Sharpshooters is still in testing, but emphasis is being placed upon on increasing bow skills and the amount of damage dealt.

With these class upgrades, players will no longer feel they must avoid certain classes to remain competitive. With improved balance and unique features, there will come more choices for all players. Whether you stick with a favorite class or try them all, Tales of Pirates will never be the same again.

Visit http://top.igg.com to learn more about Tales of Pirates!

In addition to this announcement we have four new screenshots available here

Also, check out our full Tales of Pirates gallery

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Advanced Pack Giveaway

MMORPG.com and IGG have teamed up to give our community members some free gift keys which will grant you in-game items for Tales of Pirates – the swashbuckling MMORPG! All you need to get your key is your free MMORPG.com account. Get your key while supplies last!

Each key will give you:

• (3) Super Candy Stick (use to attend the event Hexathlon which will level you up very fast. The event NPC is named Passerby – Wowo is living in Shitan City (846,3499)
• (3) Pass to Sacred Snow Mountain (Teleports player to Sacred Mountain upon using)
• (3) Mini Amplifier of Strive (Grants double xp for a period of time. For players under lvl 40)
• (3) Fairy of Ration (Replenish Stamina of pet fairy by 50 upon feeding)
   

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE GIFT KEY!

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Marriage System Coming Soon

IGG has announced that that a new marriage system will be coming to Tales of Pirates within a week.

In the spotlight right now is the highly expected Marriage System in Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com). This brand new system has been much talked and is finally to be launched within next week! Yes, from now TOP players may get married in game and so enjoy special spouse functions designed only for couples. Worth noting is that included in the newest update, many improvements are actually based on players’ own ideas and suggestions. Now let’s take a quick glance at the new Wedding Ceremony IGG has brought to their players.

Following marriage traditions in most western cultures, TOP Marriage System features a romantic wedding ceremony in the luxurious church, as well as celebrations with fireworks and wedding gifts. As what people do in real life, o get married in game also require certain procedures. After whatever it takes to courtship and proposal, players in love must register, draw their wedding certificate and then hold the wedding ceremony.

First of all, lovers should team up and find the Priest (NPC) at the church, then apply to marry. Only those who wear the Lovers’ Rings and have enough marriage funds will receive approval. When the Priest has blessed the union, the system will announce the players’ wedding ceremony to everyone in game. The Bride and Groom’s friends can attend the wedding ceremony, and appreciate the Bride and Groom’s elegant wedding dresses. The new couple will then have their Lovers’ Rings bound by the Priest, which will activate the Wild Dragon Chase Function exclusively on the new couple. There are many other lovely wedding items for the celebration, including Fireworks, balloons, and I LOVE U heart shapes, etc. At last, the system will release the marriage notice signal the end of the ceremony.

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Sacred War Event Returns

IGG has announced the return of the popular Sacred War event in Tales of Pirates.

Tales of Pirates (http:// www.top.igg.com ) is proud to present the re-opening of one of their favorite events, Sacred War. It will be officially released at 4:00am EDT (GMT-4) April 27th.

TOP Sacred War originates from the “Challenging GM” that was launched March 29th, 2006. It was very popular among players, and with their support the TOP Team has decided to make the necessary adjustments needed to bring it back.

Rules
The game is open to two groups. The first is Level 45-Level 64, the second is Level 65+. In these groups, which can contain up to 90 players, players must take Life and Death Tokens to enter the map, which means they have signed the Life and Death Paper. Players can’t take Crystal Ore, Hard Tortoise Shell, Tortoise Shell Fragment, Repair Wood, Moon Tail Eel, Diving Clam, Squirting Fish, or Fish Bone. It is easy to enter Sacred War, if players meet the requirements, they will be teleported to the map. There, players must fight to survive, and they must finish quests to collect materials and fight with BOSSes to improve their strength.

Event Duration
The main feature of the new and improved Sacred War is that the maps entrance will stay open for only 10 minutes now. The navy and pirates will be sent to their Statues, and then PVP will begin. While PVP progresses, when one side’s statue is damaged, the game is over. If neither sides statues are damaged with the three hour limit, neither side will win any rewards. The Sacred War Map will last for 3 hours and then be closed for 1 hour.

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Easter Events

The folks at Tales of Pirates have announced their plans to hold Easter events in ToP.

In Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com) there is a special group of pets known as the pretty Fairyz. They are popular with our players not only because of their beauty and loveliness, but also because they are very important partners in battle. To celebrate Easter, the envoy has brought a mysterious pet egg for our players, which when born, will have supernatural abilities.

Event Duration
At 9:15p.m. From April 6th to 9th EDT (GMT-4)

Content
Players must go find the 3 required "stuffs" after the event starts. Then they must go to 3 different islands to do the required quests. Players must first go find GM A and redeem stuff A for Map Fragment A. Then GM A will inform players about the Easter Envoy’s city through the local channel. GM A has only 30 Map Fragments. Similarly, players must get stuff B and C.
Finally players must go find the mysterious Easter Envoy according to the information collected from the 3 Map Fragment. After finding the Easter Envoy, they can redeem the Map Fragments for an Easter pet egg and a PVP Item.

Event Rewards
Each player is allowed to redeem the Map Fragments for the Easter gifts once. You must stay in line to get the rewards. One Map Fragment can get 5 Fried Oyster Soup.
Two Map Fragments can get 5 Prawn Dumplings. Three Map Fragments can get 5 Ratfish Rice and a mysterious pet egg.

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Lunar New Year Event

IGG has published details of their Lunar New Year events in Tales of Pirates.

As the old saying goes, the early bird catches the worm! At the start of 2009 Tales of Pirates ( http://top.igg.com/ )will greet many new players in the launch of the new version 2.0. In order to let the newbie players do some preparation in advance, they have specially arranged the cool Leveling Contest throughout all of the servers. If the players can reach the required level, they will obtain the big rewards that IGG has prepared for them!

Event Duration:

12:00a.m. January, 25th — 12:00a.m.February, 9th EST (GMT-5)

Event Location:

All Servers

Event Description:

Entrants should create an account during the period between January, 25th and January 31st and strive to level up quickly. Until 12:00am EST (GMT-5) February, 9th the TOP official will check the players’ levels in a ranking list. Entrants who have reached Level 60 and level 69 will obtain a Chest of Enigma as reward and those who are level 70 or above will obtain a Chaos Chest.

The challenge of the new map, the challenge of the new BOSSes, also the chance to make new friends in TOP version 2.0 ! We want to see what you can do!

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Second Rebirth System Preview

IGG has published a preview of the Second Rebirth System which will soon be implemented in Tales of Pirates.

Intense competition waits for no one. There are no breaks if you want to be the best. Tale of Pirates (http://top.igg.com/) will be launching the 2nd rebirth system on January 16, 2009 after this week’s scheduled maintenance. It provides veteran players the challenges and the edge that they need to compete with up and coming players. Not to mention the awesome rewards, like the gorgeous Dural Rebirth Wings, rich Rebirth EXP and much more…if you can complete the quests.

Revival I

When players reach the 1st Rebirth Level 6, and obtain 9880 Rebirth EXP, they must go find Shion the Holy Father to accept the Revival I quest. You are required to rescue Saint Saiyas from Abaddon 6 to Abaddon 11. After completing the quest you will obtain 6 different Saint Fighter’s Runes. The quest can’t be stopped or paused, so be brave! The Saint Fighter’s Runes can’t be traded, discarded, or deleted.

Revival II

After the quest Revival I is completed, players must return back to see Shion the Holy Father to take the next quest Revival II. You are also required to rescue Saint Saiyas from Abaddon 12 to Abaddon 17.You will obtain another 6 Saint Fighter’s Runes after finishing this quest. This quest can’t be stopped or paused either. These Saint Fighter’s Runes also can’t be traded, discarded, or deleted.

After collecting the Saint Fighters Runes, return back to Shion the Holy Father to submit the quest. He will give you a Revive Stone as reward. Bring the stone to the Little Angel, and then take Athene’s Blessing. You will obtain the gorgeous Dural Rebirth Wings, the Rebirth Level will increase to Level 7, and Rebirth EXP will rise to 10,000.

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Magical Lone Tower Tour

IGG gives us a tour of the Magical Lone Tower in Tales of Pirates.

It is said in Tales of Pirate (http://top.igg.com/ ) that the Magical Lone Tower symbolizes true love and the accompanying loneliness that separation from it, or not having it at all, brings. Whether you have found your true lover or are still alone, you can find the love code after visiting the magical tower, but it’s not easy to get close. It is guarded by various monsters. Now we are going to share the Lone Tower X file with all players.

The Lone Tower has a total of 6 floors. Each floor has different BOSSes. Players can access the Lone Tower by getting a Lone Tower Pass, available in the Item Mall now, or directly buying the Pass to the specified floor of the Lone Tower in game. Players can also run there themselves using Auto-trace. Players who want to challenge the Lone Tower should note before entering, that the critters inside are all senior rank BOSSes. The 1st floor BOSS is a powerful Level 69, and their levels gradually increase from the 2nd floor to the 6th floor. This place is recommended for players Level 70+ to challenge, and they’d better go in groups.

If you ever explore the depths of the Lone Tower, you may have seen the following BOSSes: the Mad Tribal Witchdoctor, the Frenzied Lizardman and the Feral White Bobcat. They all contain rich treasures. Want to obtain this treasure? Well, watch yourself, because they are not easy to fight with. Defeat them and obtain drops including the Bloodied Carcass , the Bloodied Bow , the Essence Dagger , the Arcane Lobster Muffs and the Big Health potion.

Players, if you want to test your limits, come to challenge the magical Lone Tower in Tales of Pirates! Remember to bring your friends to watch your back!

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

How to get to Prison Island

The folks at Tales of Pirates have provided an overview of a new map called Prison Island, a location where players can go to take part in "extreme PK."

A new map called Prison Island, a special place where you can enjoy extreme PK, is now available in Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com/). There is no beautiful scenery, only ferocious monsters everywhere. You are supposed to survive on this dark, desolate island, and fight against any potential enemies. 

How to get in the “Prison” 

• Buy a Arrest Warrant in the Item Mall
• Choose a target and use the Arrest Warrant.
• After verification, the target character will be sent to the prison.
• Your spawn place will be arranged on Prison Island

 Requirements 

• Your character should not have any effects that forbid you from being sent to the prison.
• Your backpack should contain a Good Guy Card or a The Running of Time.

How to get out of the “Prison”

• You should ask the warden to give you a prison record card, and put it in the third slot of your backpack. After you’ve stayed in the prison for 1 hour, you use the card to have the warden send you out.
• You will have a chance to obtain a Release Warrant after defeating small and big bosses.
• You can buy a Release Warrant in the Item Mall.
• After you get out of the Prison, your spawn place will be arranged at one of the 3 main cities
• After you get out of the prison, you will not be allowed to go back to the prison for 1 hour.

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Christmas Events

IGG has announced a series of Christmas events to be held in Tales of Pirates.

The Christmas is quickly approaching as well as the coming of New Year, so Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com) will be providing a grand Christmas Carnival to give something back to their warmhearted players.

Event I: Daily Christmas Fun

Marriam, the Innkeeper in Argent City, has a flourishing business during the holiday season. She is busy preparing gifts for guests, but she is all alone in the inn. Players who can help her to collect the required materials will obtain generous rewards, 100,000 gold and 2 Level 3 Sand Bags!

Event II: Summoning Santa

This being season of giving, Wynne at Icicle Castle has kept herself busy delivering Christmas presents for Santa Claus, but she’s been so busy that she forgot to set one aside for herself. She is a girl as kind as Santa Claus who always brings us joy and happiness. Players, who want to help her, can go to find Wynne at Icicle Castle and take the quest. You will obtain 8000 EXP and a Santa Clause summoning scroll as rewards.

Event III: Christmas Wishing Tree

It is said that Adam and Eve erected a beautiful tree in the Eden long time ago. The tree has a magic that when kind people make a wish under the tree, their wishes may come true. It only appears at Christmas holiday every year. If you come across the magic tree, don’t miss your chance to make a wish for yourself!

Players can buy the Christmas Greeting Card in the Item Mall and go to find NPC at Deep Blue (1220, 550) to take the quest. Click the Christmas tree to send out the wishes in the system announcements, also they will see the Xmas Carnival Fireworks above the tree. Players who are Level 40+ will also have a chance to choose one wish from among the wish list.

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Version 1.38 Overview

IGG has published details about the version 1.38 patch for tales of Pirates which adds a new head-gear forging system, rebirth quests, a new map, and more.

The Tales of Pirates ( http://top.igg.com/ ) team is proud to announce that the latest version of the hit game, version 1.38, has been released on December 11, 2008. Version 1.38 has many new features, apparel, and quests to keep you entertained. With some players having previewed the new version, they’re reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. There are some most popular features as below:

Feature 1: The brand-new Head-gear Forging System, included the Hear-gear NPC, cool new caps and the Head-gear Forging and Refining functions.

Feature 2: Introduces the 2nd Rebirth, including the “Gorgeous Rebirth” quest.

Feature 3: Launches the “Honorary Treasure Chest” to reward the bravest warriors who prove themselves in guild wars. Members of the winning guild will receive this precious prize as well as the honor owed to true pirates.

Feature 4: A new map called “Island Prison”, which includes PVP, and fun items like the Good Guy Card, Arrest Warrant and much more.

This updated version is available through the client auto-update function. (Game Client: http://us-ca-d1.iggcn.com/top/20081210/top_setup_1.37.exe ) If players aren’t able to get their client updated automatically, please download the new patch at http://us-ca-d1.iggcn.com/top/20081210/top_all_patch_1.37.exe .

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Get Your Gift Key For Tales of Pirates!

MMORPG.com and IGG have teamed up to bring you exlcusive gifts for Tales of Pirates. We have a limited number of unique gift keys that will get you an in game "advanced pack" full of goodies!  All you need to get your free gift code is your MMORPG.com account, then go to the event page linked below.

Ready to get your free gift key?

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE TALES OF PIRATES GIFT KEY!

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Naval Bases Exploration Guide

IGG has posted a guide to exploring Naval Bases in Tales of Pirates.

In Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com/) the Naval Base was a place which used to stand for justice, but it has since become a dangerous place filled with evil spirits. It functions as important transfer station to Heaven and Abaddon, as well as connecting to the Underground Dock and Research Shelter. It is a popular place where players love to challenge each other because of its vital geography.

There are many valuable places for players to explore, like the beach competition, the Deathsoul Commander Passes and much more. Players can’t get the various treasures of the Naval Base unless they get through all the layers of firepower and finally arrive at the depths of the map.

Beach Competition

The mysterious Naval Base beach is almost completely covered with Canon Powers which have a lot of power and a long firing range. If players want to arrive at the base, they have to get through all of this intense firepower. Also there is a spirit army that cruises around the island forming layers of defense. Players must possess great wisdom and courage to get to the base. There are lots of high-level monsters on the Naval Base just waiting for those that are skilled, or lucky enough to get through. In the water there are Deathsoul Gunboats (Level 70), and Deathsoul Speed Boats (Level 70), while on land the Deathsoul Soldiers (Level 70) and the Cannon Towers (Level 70) make life interesting to say the least. It is accessible by players who are Level 40+ and going in a group is suggested.

To meet the Deathsoul Commander

At the base, there are many other things to do besides the Beach Competition and fighting, players can also collect the passwords needed to enter the Research Shelter. With these passwords players will be able to get through the 3 passes after fighting the guardian monsters in the mysterious chambers. At the end of the passes you will see the top spirit official, the Deathsoul Commander, who is always hidden in the secret Research Shelter. If you can defeat him you will obtain lots of gold, treasure as well as enviable honors.

Player’s who are Level 40+, brave and have enough confidence, can challenge themselves and test their limits at the Naval Base!

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

A Look at the Crusader

IGG has posted an overview of the Crusader and their skills in Tales of Pirates.

Tales of Pirates (http://top.igg.com) attaches a lot of importance to group cooperation and grants high EXP for killing monsters when different classes coordinate well in a team. Crusader is an excellent class featuring quick movement, strong damage dealing, and magic spells to aid in assassin-like kills. They play a very important role in group cooperation especially in group PVP, target detection and BOSS quests because they have gorgeous skills and satisfactory damage-dealing.

Crusader’s Skill Description:

Concentration:Increase hit rate of character.

Sword Mastery:Increase attack when using sword.

Illusion Slash:Use energy of sword to damage enemy at a distance.

Berserk:Increase hit rate and attack speed for short duration

Deftness:Increase dodge rate of character.

Shadow Slash:Continuous melee attack and knock out a single target.

Poison Dart: Shoot a dart and put enemy in poison status.

Blood Frenzy: Reduce attack time cooldown using dual weapon.

Dual Sword Mastery: Increase attack when using two weapons.

Stealth: Make character invisible to other unit.

From among all skills the Illusion Slash is a distance skill which grants Crusader’s their highest killing power. Its damage will be maxed when Attack speed goes up to 210.

Swordsmen planning on advancing to Crusaders better improve their Concentration to Rank 2, Swordsmanship to Rank 3, Berserk to Rank 5 and max out Illusion Slash before Level 40. Also, reserve about 10 skill points for future use.

After finishing the advancement quest, Swordsman will move up to Crusader when they use the remaining skill points to pump up their Dual Sword Mastery. This will increase their attack power greatly. Then, as they progress in level, all additional skill points should be distributed to their senior spells and abilities, like immediately pumping Blood Frenzy to Rank 5, and Shadow Slash to Rank 1, then gradually filling Blood Frenzy and learning Level 1 Stealth.

Crusaders should know their stats well and better distribute the skill points, so they will reap the benefits in the PVP. They not only know themselves, but also know about other classes, including their attacks, defenses, skills and cooldown times. They can choose different strategies for different challengers, thus they deserve the honor as “The King of PVP”.

Read more here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

New Events

IGG has posted an overview of of two new events in Tales of Pirates.

The officials at Tales of Pirates(http://top.igg.com/) have announced that they will be holding lots of cool events in November, like the brand new Fairy Chest event, the Everyday Surprises event, the new PVP arena event and much more. Among them the biggest ones are the Dream Wheel event and Bounty Hunter event. We will be taking a quick glance at these two featured events today.

Event I: Dream Wheel

The Dream Wheel event will debut November 14th with a 100% success rate. It is accessible for all Tales of Pirates users both by Point Card and credits. This cool event only costs 16 points or 95 credits, and guarantees you’ll win something from among all the valuable gear and items available.

Event II: Bounty Hunter

This event is exclusively designed for players who love to fight BOSSes. From November 14th to the 30th players can gather the event required items through monster drops and then redeem these items for the huge rewards IGG has prepared. The challenging monsters range from Level 55 to Level 85.

The rewards for redemption are Level 75 Magenta Weapons which can increase attributes by 10, including the Sword of Dawn, Venom Gun, Tooth of Fury, Soul Spring, Gold of Tears, Primal Axe of Rage and much more. Players can obtain any one of the high-level weapons listed above. The new server is not included in this event and will have other arrangements.

Read more about Dream Wheel here

Read more about Bounty Hunter here

 |  | Send To Friend | 

The Good, the Bad and The Dark Side

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online Correspondent Allen Richardson writes this list of the pros and cons of StarQuest Online.

The game has changed since my original review, I decided to review it again. This time, rather than give you long paragraphs describing the game in detail, I’m just going to tell you what I did and didn’t like about it.

What I liked about StarQuest Online

Open PvP/PvE

The only places safe from PvP are on the starting core worlds. These are the areas where new people first enter StarQuest, and where you immortrax if killed. PvE is possible to some extent in core worlds, it allows the new player to get a sense of how the combat works, before actually trying to fight something that might turn out to be a player who is much more experienced. Things like cows, butterflies, dinosaurs, the occasional demon cow with spikes, are there to try your hand at before venturing out into the "real" world.

Read The Good, the Bad and The Dark Side

 |  | Send To Friend | 

A Look at Squadrons

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online Correspondent Benjamin Buske writes this look at the different squadrons in the space-based MMO.

Devilray Squadron 

Devilray Squadron is a Squadron of the 2nd Fleet of the United Systems Alliance Starfleet. It is also the biggest Squadron of the 2nd Fleet with currently four ships in its roster. It is heavily role play orientated and military structure is enforced quickly. Devilray Squadron is offering players a wide range of possibilities, ranging from exploration and PvE up to PvP. The squadrons’ main responsibilities however are the exploration and PvE encounters. PvP encounters do happen once in a while, but however are not a regular occurrence. The squadron is best for players, who are looking for role play as well as for a healthy mix of action and exploration, PvP and PvE. Devilray Squadron has GMT players as well as American ones and thus covers both major time zones. This fact is opening Devilray Squadron for everyone, offering all players interested the chance to find others to play with.

Read A Look at Squadrons

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Icarus Class Cruiser

Allen Richardson writes this look at StarQuest Online’s Icarus Class Cruiser.

The Icarus class starship was at one time the backbone of the Terran fleet, built in response to fears that the Ryl’Atti in the nearby Beta Centauri system intended to invade Earth. The Icarus class was the first full sized Terran starship to have a hyperspace engine installed. The technology of the time required that the antimatter reactor and hyperdrive system be installed in the detachable pod beneath the main hull on the weapon sail. The last Icarus class ship in active military service, the U.A.S. Hood BCSS-9, was decommissioned in 2201. In 2202, the construction plans of the Icarus were declassified by the Alliance government and sold to several starship construction firms. The Icarus is now seen plying the spacelanes as a light freighter over a century after the first ship saw service. It has also gained notoriety as a civilian battle cruiser. Since they are much cheaper and easier to outfit than most other battle capable ships, they have become the mainstay of many of the pirate factions inhabiting the spacelanes.

Read about the Icarus Class Cruiser

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Intro to Science II

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online Correspondent Allen Richardson writes this new guide focusing on the science aspect of the sci-fi MMO.

Testing and Injecting Chemicals:

Here we start the experimental or administer phase. Usually a good scientist can identify the effects of a compound and know what the outcome may possibly be, but testing always help to ease the mind.

There are a few safety measures when testing chemicals, especially when giving it to a patient. Most test the chemical on themselves, but it is a good idea to have highly skilled medic available and about 4 bottles of tanga juice. When testing on a patient, make sure they are aware of the possible risk and that they volunteered willingly for this procedure. Some chemicals are known to have PERMANENT attribute changes, so keep them informed of such a possibility.

Read Intro to Science II

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Getting Your Feet Wet in StarQuest Onlin

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online Correspondent Benjamin Buske writes this article going over the early tutorial portion of the space-based game.

Last month the U.A.S. Yorktown was reactivated after an extended period of inactivity as the first official fleet training ship. The crew of the frigate U.A.S. Gagarin requested transfer to the Yorktown on its own, to help fleet in reactivation of this ship for training purposes, which means that the Yorktown is now manned by an experienced crew, which for sure has the ability to teach new players.

The need for a training ship comes mainly from the fact that the game is lacking a real tutorial at this time. Any new players joining the game will go through short simulator training and are then left alone on Terra, not knowing what to do next. This fact has caused fleet to lose several new players in the past, who got frustrated for being dropped on a planet with nothing else to do. I know how that feels myself, because when I came to the game for the first time, the same thing happened to me and not knowing what to do next, I quit the same day

Read Getting Your Feet Wet in StarQuest Online

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Intro to Science 1

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online Correspondent Allen Richardson writes this new guide focusing on the science aspect of the sci-fi MMO.

First, we will start with the equipment requirements. Every scientist needs the proper equipment and without it you can’t complete your job. This is what you will require:

Sampler Probe This is the most vital tool you can have and the most important. The probe allows you to gather samples form different rocks, trees, and plants. Probes can be bought at the ShopMarts located on most major core worlds, for about 5000 credits or 4700 Prestige at Fleet Headquarters. Also when you join a crew, like StarFleet, they may supply you with one.

Vials – Here I must stress the importance of these items. In terms of a scientist, they are VERY IMPORTANT! They are the equivalent of money in the science community and without them you can’t gather samples nor create chemical compounds. They can usually be found at the mart for 124 credits.

Read Intro to Science 1

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Ticonderoga Class Heavy Cruiser

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online expert Allen Richardson writes this look at the Ticonderoga Class Heavy Cruiser in the space-based MMO.

Following the victory of the United Systems Alliance in the war against the Klinshaya Empire in 2184 S.T.Y. , the newly formed Alliance Starfleet felt the need to both modernize and enlarge the fleet. Learning numerous lessons from Terra’s aging Icarus class battlecruisers before, during and after the war, a new starship design was envisioned incorporating the newest technologies of the Alliance worlds, a design as powerful as any in known space. The keel of the first of this class of starship was laid down in Mars Orbit in June of 2187, and would be christened U.A.S. Ticonderoga in honor of the starship that turned the tide of battle during the Klinshaya attack on Terra in 2180. Currently U.A.S. Ticonderoga serves a dual role as a fleet training vessel and is attached to the Sol System defense fleet.

Read about the Ticonderoga Class Heavy Cruiser

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Player Crews and an Interview

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online Correspondent Allen Richardson recently spoke with the developers of StarQuest Online, asking them about the game’s graphics, gameplay elements and more.

Amid a flurry of almost non-existent hype, StarQuest Online launched on September 21, 2007. People had never heard of it, and comments of "This looks like something I could play on my Armstrad 464" were rampant. No one had ever heard of CastleThorn Software. Now, almost a year and four months later, the game is pretty much in the same boat. The graphics have improved drastically, but are still not DX10 material or even close. So what does the game have fully in its favor.

Read Player Crews and an Interview

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Starship Operations Guide

MMORPG.com Starquest Online Correspondent Allen Richardson writes this informative guide to starship operations in the space-based MMO.

The universe of StarQuest Online is highly realistic. It was built from real star data. It contains over 10,000 unique star systems and 100,000 unique planets. It is the biggest game universe in MMO’s. It is roughly 3 times bigger than the universe of EVE who was the previous holder of this record. The controls of the starships used to pilot this universe are no less immersive and real. I have compiled this documentation of six consoles. There are several more, but they are not necessary for the basic starship operation.

Read the Starship Operations Guide

 |  | Send To Friend | 

The Story of StarQuest Online

MMORPG.com StarQuest Online Correspondent Allen Richardson writes this introduction to the story and background of StarQuest Online.

This part of the galaxy was once civilized. It was ruled by one god-like race, the Alshaya. The Alshaya were the creators of all known things. They seeded the races among the stars. They created the artificial Quantum V layer of hyperspace. They were more technologically advanced than any known race has ever gotten. They have disappeared with hardly a trace. Caph is believed to have been their homeworld. The center of Quantum V hyperspace was found to be Caph. How or why the Alshaya disappeared we do not know. The Alshaya are not playable.

The Therataa claim to have been left behind by the Alshaya to be the protectors of this area of the galaxy. There is no data about the early days of the Therataa. They have been capable of space travel for as far back as their calender exists. They are either a very old race, or they were left by the Alshaya as they say. Therataa has the most advanced starships in game. Their ships seem to gather power from the vacuum of space itself. Their religious beliefs lead them to found a galactic law, that every underdeveloped race should be left alone to evolve at its own pace. It was this law that kept the early Terrans from being destroyed. Therataa are currently not playable, but the developers have hinted at them being so in the future.

Read The Story of StarQuest Online

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Getting Started, Part Two

Allen Richardson, our StarQuest Online Correspondent, writes this second installment of his "getting started" guide to the game.

While Fleet is great for getting started, teaching the ropes of the game, and having a lot of PvP action, sometimes you just want to build your own empire. The civilian side of StarQuest Online is much more complex than Fleet. You can do anything: exploration, colonization, bounty hunting, pirating, corporation, even empire building. Everything in the game is player owned, mainly by civilians, including the main game factions. This second part of the getting started guide will help you get your feet wet in the civilian side of the game.

Read Getting Started, Part Two

 |  | Send To Friend | 

Getting Started in SQO, Part One

Resident StarQuest Online expert Allen Richardon writes this handy guide to getting started in the sci-fi MMORPG StarQuest Online.

All right, so you read my original review of the game and registered for a trial. Now what? The game has a small player base, and a very steep learning curve. The UI seemed basic, and in some cases hard to use. I got a lot of comments on these issues, and so decided to help out where I could.

The admins over at StarQuest Online put upgrading the UI on the top of their list due to the new players’ complaints from my last review. On the 12th, they released the updated UI. They got so many different suggestions on how to upgrade the controls, that they decided to let you decide! The UI is now customizable from the Options menu. There are five different settings that you choose. You can turn on/off rotating the view by clicking and dragging with the mouse, turn on/off dragging items between inventories, choose one of three functions the mouse wheel can have (zoom, rotate view, rotate avatar), and switch the left and right mouse button functions. All of the hotkeys can be changed to whatever you want. They let me know that even more upgrades are on the way that will allow us to customize it even more!

Read Getting Started in SQO, Part One

 |  | Send To Friend |