Thursday, November 29, 2007

First Panfilo, then Karjalanien, who's next?

Remember, this is only a theory and not official info. I will not be responsible for any wild speculations about any official upcoming character from IMC Games and Hanbitsoft. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Panfilo uses the Flame Guard stance, which uses a sword and a fire bracelet. This stance includes skills from Middle Guard (Assassinate), High Guard (Slash Down), Possession Fire (Burning Hands, Fireball) and Evocation Fire (Hell Breath). That's a nice hybrid there, a combo of melee and elemental attacks. For your info, Panfilo de Narvaez is a chef from Reboldoeux. Next, we have Karjalanien. She's at Auch selling magical goods. She's also one of the new RNPCs of version 2.4 coming to the Singaporean servers. Instead of swords and fire, she uses rapiers and ice bracelets. Since the rapier has two stances, Karjalanien also possess two stances using a rapier and an ice bracelet. Like Flame Guard, Epee Glacier and Sabre Glacier shares skills from Epee Guard, Sabre Guard, Possession Ice and Evocation Ice, based from this info. Knowing this, I dubbed Panfilo and Karjalanien's stances as "Melee Elemental", because it involves a melee weapon and an elemental bracelet. Since there are three elemental bracelets (not counting the Lord of Elemental Bracelets), it seems there's only one more character to fill in the Melee Lightning Element stance. I have decided to do some research* on Paniflo and Karjalanien's stances to see what skills are used for their "Melee Elemental" stances.

It seems that they have a Possession Element skill that provides an elemental boost (Burning Hands and Chilling Touch). So the next chracter will definitely have Electric Charger in his/her Melee Elemental stance. Next, we need an available 1-handed melee weapon out there. Surely we can't use swords, sabres and rapiers so how about... Knives? Why not? It's the only 1-handed melee weapon left to choose. I also took the liberty of setting up the stance skills already.

Lightning Dagger/Relámpago Escrima





Skill 1
Rajar en Recta
Skill 2
Electric Charger
Skill 3
Lightning
Skill 4
Thunderstorm or Chain Lightning
Skill 5
Ilimitada Sierra

I also must take into consideration the stats of this character who will use this proposed "Lightning Dagger" stance.




































StatPanfiloKarjalanienProposed Character
STR665
AGI577
HP655
DEX444
INT676
CHA333


Well, this is as far as I can come up. I based these stats on Lisa Lynway since I want to give the dagger class a touch of speed. Of course, this proposed character with the proposed "Lightning Dagger" should have Escrima to help max out all skills.

Yeah, I decided to "publish" this theory out of extreme boredom. Don't send me threats all because of this theory! :P What do you have to say? Apologies if I didn't use the Japanese Wiki. It's hard for me to search what I want there. :P

Oh yeah, good thing I posted this in Blogger since Multiply went down of hardware upgrades! :D

*This site may contain inaccurate or old information. Visit at your own risk. Sorry about the blog. I don't seem to understand what's causing the appearance to look off with a couple of tables.

90 days later...

Well, my 90 days are over now. Does this mean I'll quit? Heck no! I already made some commitment to this game already! Why do you think I have more than 9 characters in my barracks? How did I finish the first part of Irawan's quest? You should know the answer already. Plus, this is one MMO experience I have never felt in my entire life. Let's list down my best experiences so far...
  • Reaching my highest level cap (level 59)
  • Maxing at least one (1) set of skills
  • Good community and earned friends with better knowledge than me (who were willing to share and help)
  • A fresh look from the usual fantasy worlds (elves, medieval, etc.) of the Baroque-esque/16th century setting
  • Unique feature: Multi Character Control (MCC), allows control of three characters
  • Having a multitude of characters and able to try them out
  • Magic-based character's standard attack hits well (unlike the usual low damage melee attack)
  • Interesting storyline and plot
  • A win-win scenario for the business model
Okay, thee are people who quit the game because of the pay-to-play business model but I'd say it's a good (if not, a decent) investment. It's cheaper than World of Warcraft (approximately PHP 880.00 per month) and I get to load 5, 10 or 30 days at my will. Also, I don't need to pay N to have access to the game and then pay X to buy premium items! A top up would consist of game time and G Points already (although you can opt for G Points only). This feels very rewarding to loyal players and eventually claim some nifty premiums in the future.

Whew! I'm glad to get that off my chest! I hope to see you guys in the future! Wait, I just topped-up last night for five days! :D


I'll take back what I said because GE is going free to play! :P

Sunday, November 25, 2007

My thanks to those who helped get me a Catherine

I couldn't have finished my Catherine Quest without the help of three families namely Fiksdotter, xxxKENSHINSxxx and Mitzu.

Fiksdotter was kind enough to donate a set of parts in exchange for one Strange Clock I had. Since I'm kinda far away from getting Viki, I figure it would help my high-leveled friend in his quest to get a share of Viki. It was also the first time I met him in-game, although I met him at the Bloggers' Meeting. Plus, I was lucky to get a pelvis from a monster at the Reception Hall!

Beating up Victor was a challenge but a faction mate gave me a tip and it did help me win! I was able to get the Blue Otite Key for me to enter the Grand Library. After activating Kamen the Butler, I was able to meet Dr. Torsche (with a little surprise welcome). I eventually ended up at the point where I needed the necessary parts to get Catherine's card. That's where I started getting errr... impatient because I wanted my finish this quest. xxxKENSHINSxxx, a faction mate, heard my plea and gave me a left-arm for free. When I checked the parts, I was still missing a part: "Catherine's Left-hand."

This really ticked me off but I had no choice but to check the marketplace. They were selling it for 2.5 Million Vis! That is equal to the Vis I have in my pocket. I decided to broadcast a cheaper offer of 2 Million Vis, as the advice from a faction mate. Although I started a joke about Catherine's parts, I eventually got my desired offer from a family named Mitzu. Well, better than grinding endless at the mansion (not to mention spending 500,000 more or I'm dead broke!).

I had to be careful in making the decision because I wanted to get the Summoner Catherine. Dr. Torsche was surprised when I wanted to put a Refined Quartz as her heart. He eventually agreed and Catherine was revived, as the Marionette Summoner! I named her Alana, which is a feminine form of Alan. It's a name I tend to use when I play a female persona at times (and maybe from a female character from an old PlayStation video game called "Fighting Force"). I wanted to name her Alodia but that's crossing the line of fanboyism (I admit being a fanboy to Ms. Alodia).

Want a guide on the quest? Check this thread at Granado Espada International Fansite.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

I think I died and went to heaven...

I was able to play Granado Espada at my cousin's place and I felt like I died and went to heaven... because the graphic settings were maxed out and it played smoothly!

Before we see some screenies, let me list down the specs of both PCs:

Device My PC Cousin's PC
Motherboard ASROCK (AGP slot 4x) Probably PCIe
Processor Pentium 4 2.4 GHz Pentium Dual Core 2.13 Ghz
Graphics Card nVidia GeForce FX 5550 256 MB nVidia GeForce 7770 GT 256 MB
RAM 1 GB 2 GB
Controls Standard Keyboard and Mouse Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

And now, a sample comparison:

Thueringen Lakeside, my PC Thueringen Lakeside, my cousin's PC

I don't know what to say after seeing the BIG difference my PC and my cousin's PC. I have to say Granado Espada's graphics are totally superb and beyond my expectations. I'm already in engorged in amazement right now! Just a clarification, these screenies only serve on how I play on both PCs for the sake of performance issues. You can say my PC looks powerful but I seem to be lacking certain hardware to make it stable to work at the highest settings!

Well, that's all I have to share for now. Plus, I got my Catherine Card now! :D What to name her... Any suggestions?


Want peektures? Cleek peekture!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

This boredom is killing me!

What can I expect when there's else to do, aside from being my tita's secretary, during maitenance day? Absolutely nothing!


Bored as ...
Yep, that's me. In my fullest... boredom...

Ah, an important notice. Since I've hit my limit in my Flickr account, I transfered the pictures to my Multiply account. No more thumbnails but at least I can have a lot of space for the screenies in the future and embed the pics in my blog (with their own albums!). To tell you the truth, I'm writing this blog at my Multiply account. Yup! I allowed Multiply to cross-post to this blog! It's very convenient but I will visit my Blogger Dashboard for any edits and corrections I need to do. I'll post the link to my Multiply account for the pictures soon.

Come on, 5PM!!! I want to try GE using my cousin's rig! D:

Another day of maintenance...

I'm staying over at my tita's (that's "aunt" in Tagalog) place because I became her temporary secretary until Friday. I decided to install GE at my cousin's PC, although I know the fact that their connection is Smart BRO (is reputably sh-low!). The patching is done (I used the Open Beta installer) but I'll have to wait until 5PM before I can give it a try with my cousin's tricked out rig. I wish I can share some pics but my cousin doesn't allow photos of his rig. I can just show you the wireless keyboard and mouse, though...


A wireless keyboard and mouse. Cool, huh?

It seems I'm making posts that are big and graphic intensive. I better ease myself down and try to organize my thoughts to make them complete but convenient to read. Sorry about that guys! It seems to make my blog a pain to read (for slow connections).

In other news, GE will have a booth at Hataw Hanep Hero! Can't make it to the first day but I hope I can make it to the second day, though...

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Plans for a welcoming celebration for new members

I was informed about new members joining us in a few days time. It seems that the members are coming from another faction (though I don't know what the faction is). I was so excited when I found out than more than ten (10) families will join us. Since it was a big number (for me), I decided to plan for a welcoming celebration for the new members.

I decided to "practice" pyrotechnics since we have the firecracker item in GE. It seems impossible for me to achieve a perfect synchronized launching of the firecrackers but it sure is a pretty sight. The place of venue will be at Auch. The exact location? The statue near the Master Room and Leonardo Expreso waypoint. Although I will be one of the (so far, the only) members performing pyrotechnics, I need the cooperation for those who will attend this event. Outsiders are welcomed to watch the festivities as well!

location_for_welcoming
Location of Welcoming Celebration

Instructions for fireworks presentation:

firecracker_item
The firecracker will only cost 100 Vis per piece and I'd recommend stocking up to 40 pieces.

step_1_for_welcoming
Then, equip the firecracker in the item slot to each of your characters (yes, bring the whole family!).

step_2_for_welcoming
I will assign available members their positions for the fireworks presentation and when I give the signal...

step_3_for_welcoming
Fire away!

I will give further instructions on the day of the welcoming celebration. We will all meet at November 28, 2007, Sunday, 7PM (GMT +8). Fireworks presentation volunteers should arrive earlier. Let's hope we make this welcoming celebration one to remember! Oh dear... I seem to have hit my limit in my Flickr account for 200 photos... I can upload more but the older ones will not be available for viewing. Do you guys know where I can upload photos with unlimited storage for free (in terms of number, not Megabytes)? I can deal with limited upload and at least 25MB of storage space! :D

Family Update!

ファミリウプダテ! Don't worry! The Japanese fan in me is saying the title a la Japanese! :D Anyhoo, let me introduce to you my ever-growing family!

main_team
The main team: Sabrina (Scout), Marvin (Fighter) and Stephanie (Elementalist)

From here on (actually, days ago!), I'll be using them to progress to higher levels and new worlds. I want to thank my faction mate for making me consider to have a main team if I ever want to catch up on level progression and to properly participate in the Colony Wars (believe me, I never survived a battle at the Colony Wars). Marvin (my real name as well!) here is currently using Epee Garde, switching from High-Guard (and learned the last skill for Plow Guard). Stephanie continues to practice her Evocation Fire stance, although she used Evocation Lightning against the monsters of the Desolate Cliff of Porto Bello. Sabrina has finally mastered the First Aid stance (which Fortitudo was her first mastery) and continues to use it, although she misses using daggers and trying out the Install Trap stance.

family_1
Joanne (Emilia), Refilwe (M'Boma) and Sandra (Wizard)

However, let's not forget the other members! Here is Joanne, Refilwe and Sandra. Joanne still serves as a medic but occasionally getting a hand on a magic rod when she feels bored in helping the new members get stronger. Refilwe still focuses in practicing his Evocation Fire stance from the last time he ever went to the battlefield. Sandra just recently learned (and immediately mastered) Invisible Stalker. Sandra's last field experience was hunting down Steel Armed Tortoises for Lorch (in favor of Marvin, of course!).

family_2
Syeri (Idge), Miriam (Lisa) and Jacki (Adelina)

Surely, I had Lisa during the Pre-Open Beta test (named her Miriam) and she was really good in handling knives. She just learned Doblada Corte through a stance book and her last known field exposure was at Thueringenwald. For our first-timers, she's the owner of the Sea Elephant Cafe located at Coimbra. Now, I introduce to you Syeri (as Idge) and Jacki (as Adelina). As always, I always give an explanation on where I got the names for my character. For my Idge, I named her after Syeri Lee Baet, known for her "Carpool" comic works. Plus, she's a friend of mine as well. Idge really reminds me of Syeri, so that's why I named my Idge after her! :D As for my Adelina, I decided on using a random pirate name generator. After a few clicks, I ended with Jacki. Adelina's quest involved revenge and I can't believe she'd go through with it all the way! I finished it and it was really enjoyable.

family_3
Freyja (Brunie), Samantha (Musketeer) and Lauryn (Grace)

When I bought my first four barrack expansions, Lauryn (as Grace) is one of my first new characters. Surely, Grace is a former Intelligence Officer of Brestia and she's investigating on how Vespanola won against Brestia's Invincible Fleet during the Three Year War. While doing her quest, her suspicions rose when she accompanied with me the Tetra Catacombs and discovered a mechanical creature known as the "Treasure Golem" with a Vespanolan Noble named "Cherlyn." It seems Vespanola is plotting something and this strengthened my cause for the Republicans. Of course, who could not forget my sister Samantha the Musketeer! She accompanied Sandra is hunting down Steel Armed Tortoises for Lorch's quest. She has completely mastered her Double Gun stance and now focusing on the Aimed Shot stance for pistols. Freyja here (as Brunie) is also a new addition to my family of pioneers. If you're familiar with Norse Mythology, Freya (Freyja is an older form) is the Norse goddess of love and beauty. Brings back memories of Valkyrie Profile... I actually wanted some sort of European name and I ended up with Freyja. Forgot which category I picked to get it...

family_4
Reenan (Reboldoeux Soldier), Benedito (Soho) and Celso (Gracielo)

Reenan (as Reboldoeux Solider) was added after three characters (Soho, Grace and Jack). I named him after my friend, Reenan M. Ferrer, a cadet of the Philippine Military Academy of Class 2008 Baghawi (Bagong Halaw ng Lahi, translates to "New Generation"). It's so sad though, because he died of illness before he could graduate PMA. I prepared two eulogies in honor of Reenan. He now lives on as a member of my family. I added Benedito (as Soho) because I needed another medic for some variety. However, he does better with Escrima. Looks like he can't heal well but can buff (which is dependent on the skill's effectiveness). Benedito is a Portuguese form of Benedict. Celso was my 9th character to be added during the Open Beta period. I was able to do his quest and it really changed him (not fully). If you ask me, he sounds like a "punked Mario" to me and is he ever so noisy (not to mention cocky)!

family_5
Cletus (Diego the Carpenter) and Clint (Jack the Engineer)

Clint (as Jack) was my first character to step into the second barracks. I really wanted to try out his construction skill and I find it really good, for a short time. I don't get to do much action after I wipe out a room or area full of monsters with the cannons he provide. Maybe I'll use it in the Forgotten Territories (if I can afford one!)... Cletus (as Diego) was my recent addition to the family, since Diego's "rotating blade" skill is a need for colony sieging/claiming thanks to "Hrin's Blender" technique. Since I was able to "peek" at the voice files of sGE, Jack sounded like a cowboy and Diego sounded like a redneck. This was a good reference in deciding names for these two. Although I tried to use a random cowboy name generator, I ended up with Clint from Clint Eastwood ("Feeling lucky, punk?"). As for Cletus, I ended up using a random country star generator (as it claims you can use it as your redneck name). I typed in Diego and I got "Cletus Brooks."

Yes, this means I bought more Barrack Slots and I achieved a maximum total of 18 slots! I didn't make an eighteenth character yet! I'm planning to save it for... Catherine the Summoner!

Wow! That's one heck of an update! I have to make another post because I'm planning a welcoming celebration of new members for the RedSign Faction!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Photos (and my take) of the Colony War last November 18, 2007

Help yourselves in these pics. I have to say these are quite embarrassing because RedSign's Colony of Pradera de Ceniza was (easily) overtaken by the GodLike Faction due to their sheer numbers. I think the Royalists are getting the upper hand... Well, that's just my opinion. Peekture first before talk!

Pradera de Ceniza shots:
cw20071118_pradera_01 cw20071118_pradera_02 cw20071118_pradera_03 cw20071118_pradera_04 cw20071118_pradera_05 cw20071118_pradera_06 cw20071118_pradera_07 cw20071118_pradera_08 cw20071118_pradera_09 cw20071118_pradera_10 cw20071118_pradera_11
As you can see from these photos, RedSign has done what they can to reclaim the colony but the sheer number of opponents was rather... too much to handle. Looks like the Royalists are gaining in numbers...

Ferruccio Junction shots:
cw20071118_junction_01 cw20071118_junction_02 cw20071118_junction_03 cw20071118_junction_04 cw20071118_junction_05 cw20071118_junction_06 cw20071118_junction_07 cw20071118_junction_08 cw20071118_junction_09 cw20071118_junction_10 cw20071118_junction_11
Woohoo! The RedSign Faction was able to obtain this colony when their Pradera de Ceniza colony was sieged by GodLike. However, our joyous claim was VERY SHORT LIVED. We tried getting it back but looks like someone beat us to it. There's also some shots of Hrin's Blender strategy at work as well. I think I better add a Diego in my barracks soon but what to name him...

Porto Bello Deserted Quay shots:
cw20071118_quay_01 cw20071118_quay_02 cw20071118_quay_03 cw20071118_quay_04 cw20071118_quay_05
As a last resort, we tried waging war onto other factions to get a colony. We decided to target this colony at the Deserted Quay. Wasn't easy, both in terms of distance and possession. Another faction beaten us in getting this colony. We tried to get this for the second time but another faction took it as theirs.

Porto Bello Desolate Cliff shots:
cw20071118_deso_cliff_01 cw20071118_deso_cliff_02 cw20071118_deso_cliff_03
We also tried snagging this colony away from another faction. Although we were able to push the enemy away, another faction took the last blow. With all those Valkyrie Crashers, I don't think we stood a chance in snagging this colony.

Well, that ends my report of the colony war last November 18, 2007. It was very hectic and goodbye Colony Protection of +10% HP. We may have fallen against the Royalists but down to the Queen! We will fight for a free Granado Espada! Until then, I'm off...

In unrelated news, I must make an update on what's going with my family. I just have so many things to share but I hadn't gotten the time to post because I'm beginning to have no life. You heard me right: beginning to have no life.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Reenan Ferrer. Cadet, friend, rocker.

This my eulogy for the late Reenan M. Ferrer, a 1st Class/Fourth Year Cadet of the Philippine Military Academy who died of illness days ago. Today, he is buried at the "Libingan ng mga Bayani" at Fort Bonifacio, Makati City, Philippines. I have prepared a two eulogies. First, here is a written eulogy:

My mother started operating the Boodle Bar since March 2007. For the first few days of operation, that's where Cadet Reenan Ferrer (a Cow during that time) came in to the Boodle bar for the first time. I gained the habit of socializing with cadets and took the opportunity to get acquainted with him.

reenan_ferrer_1
The first day we met

Eventually, he'd come back often to enjoy the food we served while being a good conversation partner. He introduced Cadet Dolino to me as well. What started as a simple acquaintance turned into friendship in such a short period. Every time I get the chance to go to Baguio, I'd look forward to seeing Reenan every time I help my mother at the Boodle Bar. As long as he gets the word that I'm around, there's a guarantee that he'll show up even for a few minutes.

reenan_ferrer_2
Reenan asking my sister's cellphone number

One time, I was able to treat him for some merienda I prepared in such a short notice. Dolino joined us too as well. I recall the time he told about his history before being a cadet and by knowing this, I am glad that the Philippine Military Academy changed him to a better person. Of course, he's one of the many cadets who broke my stereotypical tourists' view of a cadet. He also got to knew and get along with my younger sisters, even bugging me (or making kulit) in asking for my sister's cellphone number.

reenan_ferrer_3
You wanted to be a pilot, right?

When I asked him about his preferred branch of service, he told me it was the Philippine Air Force. I bugged (or made kulit to) him that he shouldn't color blind if he wants to fly and be a pilot. He kept telling me he's not color blind and I looked forward to the day he becomes an Air Force pilot, to keep skies safer for all of us.

The last time I ever saw him was at the intrams held almost a month ago when he invited me to watch some boxing matches. He became a judge for some fights and helped out his fellow company mates when it’s Alfa's turn to participate. This was the first time I ever saw him dismayed because of an unexpected loss in one match. We parted ways when I needed to close Boodle Bar and leave PMA for the day around 5PM.

reenan_ferrer_4
The first time I ever broke into tears...

When I found out about his untimely departure, it was the first time I ever broke down into tears knowing a friend of mine died. It was just 6 months since we first met. But you know what? Every chance I’m in his company was very well spent. There was never a dull moment to be with him. In fact, I have to say he's very accommodating. I could have asked for more time to get to know him better but we have to accept how life goes on and live it to the fullest, even if it involves sorrow, pain and eventually a loss.

We will all miss Cadet 1st Class Reenan Ferrer of the Alfa Company of the PMA 2008 Baghawi Class. He is a testament that even as a cadet, he has a heart of gold and knew how to live his life. May he now fly higher than the skies that no pilot can.

reenan_ferrer_5
Reenan, we will really miss you.

My second eulogy is a Flash Presentation using screenshots from Granado Espada to convey my experiences of Reenan Ferrer. This link will take you to the Flash Presentation, so make sure you've installed Flash for your browser. The presentation will end with links concerning about this event. The RedSign Faction sends its condolences as well.

There you have it, my two eulogies for Cadet 1st Class Reenan M. Ferrer. That's all I have to say for now. Feel free give your condolences as well.

My family