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Trickster Online

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Trickster Online
File:Tonline.JPG
Developer(s)Ntreev Soft
Publisher(s)GCrest, Gamigo, ChineseGamer, NetMarble, and Game&game
Platform(s)Windows (2K/XP)
ReleaseSouth Korea April 2003
Japan 2004
China 2004
Taiwan 2004
Hong Kong 2004
(Global) August 4, 2006(Closed Beta)
Mode(s)MMO

Trickster (also known as "Links to Fantasy: Trickster") (Korean: 트릭스터AD) (Japanese:トリックスター＋) (Chinese: 卡巴拉島 or 星钻物语) is a free, 2D isometric MMORPG developed by the Korean company Ntreev Soft.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Trickster is mostly point-and-click based; movement, combat, and many other commands are all controlled by mouse. Gameplay also includes a few non-combat "systems". First, there is the Drill System, in which a player drills in certain types of terrain for items and EXP. Second, there is the Card Battling System, which sets two characters against each other in a game of cards, played with card items found by various means during normal gameplay. The game is currently released under all its versions as a free-to-play MMORPG but with a Cash Shop feature, also known in game as MyShop, that allows purchase of in-game items (mostly for aesthetic purposes) through real cash/credit charging.

Leveling Up

Leveling up in Trickster is quite unique than with other games; it has two leveling systems-base leveling and TM leveling. Base leveling percentage is shown at the very top of the screen as a long yellow bar. When one levels up, he/she attains four points that they can allocate into 12 different stats (see below) in the "MyView" window. Base level is not only important for becoming more skilled in the 12 different stats but also in acquiring more powerful items. TM level percentage is displayed near the top of the "Skills" window. When one levels up in this system, he/she gets one point that he/she can allocate into a skill, buy a skill with, master a skill, or simply save for later.

Party

There is a special party system that exists within the game. The main benefit of the partying system is to multiply the Experience Points you receive up to 2.5 times. There are four types of parties. A normal party with six people (the most people one party can have) is a negligible 1.5 times your normal EXP. A type party consists of one type of class (i.e power, magic, sense, charm) and maxes out at 2.0 times the normal experience attained. The final two parties max out at a 2.5 EXP multiplier. The first of the two is a royal party. A royal party consists of one of each class (i.e one power, one magic, one sense, one charm) with another character of any job. The final type of party is a special party which consists of all one gender (i.e male or female) with the exception of 2 opposite genders. Parties can only make their maximum EXP multiplier if everyone in the party is on the same map (ex. if there are six people in a royal party, it'd normally have a 2.5x multiplier, but if someone was on a different map, it'd only be a 2.0x multiplier until that person came back). The party leader can decide on the party settings how the EXP will be distributed and if items will be shared. (S)he can select if the EXP will not be shared, if it'll be equally shared, if higher leveled players will get more EXP, or if it'll be decided manually by the leader. (S)he can also decide if items can be picked up by anyone in the party if killed by anyone in the party or if people can pick up only the items they kill for. The latter of the two is much more popular, so there aren't any disputes over party members. There is a bulletin board in-game where people can ask for members to join their party or ask to join a party. Partying makes leveling up much easier and much more enjoyable. People get to meet others and make friends, too.

Characters

There are 4 classes of characters differentiated by their primary statistics. These classes are then divided into 8 playable characters, 2 under each type of statistic and one of each gender. Each character is associated with an animal and a profession, the former being reflected by a set of ears and a tail that are equipped by default on character creation. Male and female characters of the same type will have skills that are exactly alike. However, after the second advancement, the skills of the male and female character will branch off and differ from one another.

  • Power Type: This type focuses on physical combat. It includes Bunny (female) and Buffalo (male) characters. On the second advancement, the Bunny will become a Boxer and will have skills that do focused damage on one target. While the Buffalo will advance to the Soldier and focus on doing damage to multiple targets at once.
  • Magic Type: This type focuses on casting spells, both for combat and recovery. It includes Sheep (female) and Dragon (male) characters. On the second advancement, the Sheep will become a Minstrel and have access to elemental spells. The Dragon will become a Taoist and will obtain magic spells that deal light and dark-based damage.
  • Sense Type: This type uses long-range attacks, as well as having bonuses with drilling. It includes Fox (female) and Lion (male) characters. On the second advancement, The Fox will become an Adventurer, being able to throw certain items from afar and have skills which enable even more drilling bonuses. The Lion becomes an Inventor, who will have most skills associated with guns.
  • Charm Type: This type gets special bonuses to evasion and defense. It includes Cat (female) and Raccoon (male) characters. The Cat will become an Idol after the second advancement, being even more specialized with skills that increases her endurance. The Racoon will become a Magician, and have several skills that deal with cards after the advancement.

Stats

Character statistics and attributes in Trickster can be viewed through the "MyView" window during normal gameplay. There are a total of 12 different attributes that are grouped, 3 each, under the 4 broader headings of Power, Magic, Sense and Charm. These attributes and a short explanation of each are as follows:

Power

  • Attack Power: Determines the amount of damage done to enemies.
  • Hit Rate: Determines accuracy of attacks. Determines gun damage for Sense Types and critcal hit rate of magic attacks.
  • Delay: Time between attacks. Lower delay means faster attack speed.

Magic

  • Max MP: Total MP available for casting spells and using skills.
  • Magic Attack: Determines the damage done by spells.
  • Magic Defense: Increases resistance to enemy spells.

Sense

  • Weight: How much weight your character can carry.
  • Perception: Increases chance to verify item presence before digging. Affects customization success chance and critical damage. Also affects certain Sense skills such as Stone Strike.
  • Luck: Determines hit rate of spells, skill and gun attacks as well as evasion of spells and gun attacks. Also affects customization and chance to block attacks. Determines critical hit rate.

Charm

  • Max HP: The amount of total HP available to your character for taking damage.
  • Defense: Your character's resistance to physical attacks.
  • Evasion: How swift your character is at dodging and blocking physical attacks. Determines resistance against gun attacks.

Each attribute is assigned a level, indicating the proficiency of the character in that particular attribute. To gain a level in an attribute, the 4 "pips" under the respective attribute must be filled, only after which will you see an increase in the value for that attribute.

There are 2 ways to level attributes and stats. Firstly, upon gaining a character level, each of the 4 broader groups of statistics gain 1-4 pips automatically, depending on the stat build chosen during character creation. For example, a character with a Power, Magic, Sense, Charm distribution of 1234 upon creation (effectively representing a 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% distribution of pips under the respective headings) will gain 1 pip in all Power attributes, 2 in all Magic attributes, 3 in all Sense attributes and 4 in all Charm attributes each time he/she levels. Secondly, 4 pips are also gained upon each level for the character to distribute as "bonus points" in any chosen attribute, allowing a degree of customizability long after character creation and giving players the ability to complement deficiencies in the original build.

Skills

When one TM levels up he/she can use the point earned in one of the skills bought. To buy a skill, the player must go to a skill shrine to buy a skill card from a skill master. Skill cards can only be bought if the person has enough money to buy it. There is one skill master for each of the four classes. One a player has bought a skill card, he/she must use the card so that it may be learned. TM points (usually 1,2, or 3) must be used, and the person's TM level must be high enough to learn the skill. Once a skill reaches a certain level (usually 10) after TM points have been put into it, the skill must be mastered for it to be any further leveled. To master a skill, the player must go to a skill master who will tell how much of which item the player needs to get along with how many TM points needed. When the skill is mastered, no more points can be put into it, therefore, it cannot be further leveled up. When the player reaches base level 60, TM level 50, he/she can be promoted to the second job where he/she can access more skills. There are different skill builds for different characters on various websites.

Release

The English beta version of Trickster was originally meant to be be released on July 10, 2006 at 12:00 AM EDT. However, due to problems with Game&game's SSO they had to delay the release until July 24, 2006 at 12:00 AM EDT. Again, problems with the SSO have meant further delays. The official "Final Delay" was for July 28, 2006 at 5:00 AM EDT, but was delayed yet again.

Game&game announced an SSO "server test" for Trickster beginning July 30th at 8:00PM, and ending July 31st at 1:00AM EST. During this test, they announced that Trickster service would begin "after August 1st."

After extensive testing, Game&game finally set a release date of 5:00 AM EST, August 4th for Trickster and a number of its other SSO-based games. Trickster was, in fact, finally released on August 4th.

Closed Beta

Upon its release, Trickster was announced to be a "closed" beta test. By this, they meant three things: first, that players from a country with its own version of Trickster would not be allowed to participate. Second, that only select areas of the game would be available for play. Third, that only a certain number of players would be allowed to login to the game at the same time.

The latter restriction is the one that has caused the most problems for many players. While the servers were originally announced to have a 2500 player capacity, the game launched with a capacity of only 1000. Reportedly, only three minutes after launch, the servers were filled.[1] Later in the day, a Trickster GM announced that the servers had been adjusted to have a higher capacity[2]; however, it is unknown what the current player capacity is.

In order to compensate for the limited player capacity, Ntreev opened another channel on August 6, 2006.[3]This Channel Is called Ruby Island.

Issues and Criticism

Originally, the most common issue among players was the inability to log-in due to the servers being at full capacity. If the player limit was maxed upon attempting to log-in, the game gave no feedback to indicate what happened. Instead, the player would either be shown a "disconnected" message, or be left with a false "logging in" message that made buttons on the GUI unresponsive. Further adding to the problem was the large number of players who, upon being able to log-in, left their characters logged in to save their place on the server. However, the added channel has very much remedied this problem.

Another problem is the use of Engrish (broken English) in the English version. Haphazard translations from Korean to English with no apparent localizers have made understanding of the game's specifics perplexing. Such cases involve when a player attempts to drill in an area that cannot be drilled, it leaves the message: "You cannot be dug up here."

Trickster is perceived by some to be a derived hybrid or copy of other games, such as the MMORPG Ragnarok Online and Maplestory.

Currently, Trickster no longer upholds the third condition of it's closed beta status, player limitation. Even though an exact date can not be given, prospective players are no longer banned from creating a Trickster account due to the amount of players.

Official Websites

Informational Fansites

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