Category Archives: Game Industry News

MapleStory Launches 5th Job Advancement After an Almost Ten Year Long Wait

Flame Wizard
SINGAPORE: The wait is over. MapleStory, the free-to-play, 2D, side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game, has released the much-anticipated 5th Job Advancement that will entirely change the gameplay of MapleStory. The patch is  for download since 16 November 2016 and it is live since 23 November 2016.

The 5th Job Advancement promises to break down boundaries, bridge new connections and boldly change the way players experience the game. New 5th Job skills will be introduced to all 39 characters a week later on 23 November, opening up endless play possibilities, with countless permutations and combinations for players to create the perfect game strategy.
For the very first time in the game’s history, the damage cap limit will be removed. In addition, the levelling curve from level 60 to level 200 has also been altered. This means that the experience that players require for levelling up will be significantly reduced, allowing them to quickly level up to gain special skills and strength, and making it easier to reach the 200th level required to unlock the 5th Job.

Commenting on the new patch, Quang, Managing Director at Asiasoft, one of the biggest publishers of MapleStory SEA, says, “We are extremely excited to roll out the 5th Job Advancement which players have been waiting for, for almost ten years. With a new boss, Lucid, a new continent, Arcane River, a new area, Chew Chew Island, and various revamps, the game-changing patch is definitely worth the wait. The new patch demonstrates MapleStory’s commitment to creating unique gameplay experience for every player.”
As one of the biggest games in the region, MapleStory has a wide base of active players in Malaysia and Singapore, MapleStory is ranked even higher than the most talked about games that exist today. With its consistently strong presence in both countries, its impressive 2D graphics, limitless cosmetic options and a wide variety of skills really embodies the concept of crafting your own unique gameplay experience.

New skill system - V Matrix

New skill system – V Matrix

 Key features of the V Patch

This patch will include updates such as:

  • New 5th Job skills introduced to all 39 characters
  • Levelling curve from level 60 to level 200 is reduced. This means that the experience that players are required to gain for levelling up, is significantly reduced
  • No damage cap limit
  • New skill system (V Matrix)
  • New Arcane system and equipment and a new level 200 Arcaneshade equipment set
  • Greater content rewards – players will receive better rewards in Party Quests
  • New continent such as Arcade River, Road To Extinction, is released (1st gateway to Black Mage)
  • Revamp of the User Interface – wider and cooler screens and customized adjustable quickslots
  • Expansion of inventory – each tab now has the capacity to store 128 items. Previously, each tab could only store up to a maximum of 96 items.

You can of course get the upgrade now at http://www.maplesea.com/ today!

Win Huggable Pink Bean Plushie!

 

Win a Pink Bean!

Check out our facebook contest here! This huggable Pink Bean Plushie is up for grab! Just comment on the Facebook post in the link by 9th Dec 2016 to stand a chance to win this cute plushie.

STGCC 2016 – Something for everyone

This is not a concert in Akihabara, the mecca for Otaku. It actually took place right here in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. This year, Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention was a blast! GameTrader.SG was there to soak in the atmosphere. Check out our photos below:

Momo Celeb Cosplayer

Cutest Ruby Cosplay from Love Live Sunshine! You can follow Momo at WorldCosplay

Cosplayer Fan sign

 

Fans of Cosplayer can get their autograph poster at the event too!

 

Toy Story Transformer

 

Transformer, robot…erm toys in disguise!

The Force is strong...

 

 

Never meddle with a man with 2 light sabers…

 

Avengers Exhibition has a booth to promote the upcoming Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N, an interactive exhibition where you get to know more about the avengers. From now till 28 October, you can get an early bird discount of 15%.

DeadpoolsWhere else can you find two Deadpools dueling in Singapore?

Droids!Droids and Storm troopers galore!

 It’s Mario! It’s Deadpool! It’s Deadpool Mario!

Toys...

It bites!

Elsa and JackWho needs ice power when I can have Light Saber.

Life-size Tony StarkWe are not at Madame Tussauds. Life-size Tony Stark!

X-men fight!

Magic The Gathering

 

VR

PrincessesDisney Princesses need their shopping fix too.

Fancy a light saber?We heard it’s so dangerous they have to keep it in the glass case.

Retro Robot Everyone likes a bit of retro toys!

Posters

 

M Bison

 

 

M.Bison/Vega kenna photobomb…

 

Cute Storm Trooper

 

Spider Samurai

 

 

See you in 2017

And with that, we end our day at STGCC 2016! See you in 2017!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Made-in-Singapore Mini Retro Arcade

Yappy Arcade Console

Arcade gaming has evolved tremendously over the years. Today, golden age of arcade gaming maybe behind us with the proliferation of gaming consoles and PC games. But that does mean we have to give away that part of our memory.

OpenBuild SG, the affiliated local counterpart of  OpenBuild in US, has been working on a mini arcade machines running on Raspberry PI and Emulation Station. They have been refining the model for some time churning out prototype after prototype. They are now ready to put these awesome big boy toys in your home! Called the Yappy Arcade Console, the machines allow you to play games from the Nintendo classics all the way to PlayStation One games.

We went down to their OpenBuild workshop at Ubi to have a look at the entire building process. All these machines are handmade by Yap, who is one of the founder of OpenBuild SG. From purchasing of the parts to cutting of the wood and finally to the assembly of the machine, all these are done in this workshop. You can check out Yap’s blog post for more details on how he build the console.

Left: Yap, the man behind all these mini arcade machine. Right: Our victorious editor Jax who just beat Yap at a game of Street Fighter.

This mini arcade console has a 10.1″ screen and a joystick with 10 buttons. Sufficient inputs even for your PlayStation games. The machine can be plug straight to your wall plug. It comes with a pair of 4Ω 3W Speakers and the brain of the machine is a Raspberry Pi Ver. B+ rev 2.

The console feels authentic to me. It is amazing how technology enable us to shrink down the good old arcade machine into this mini form loaded with way more games than a single classic arcade console. Of course, the craftsmanship deserves praises as well. While I am no expert in this field, I wouldn’t have guessed that the Yappy Arcade Console is built by hand in a workshop. It seems like the real deal to me. However, given that it is a mini arcade console, we advise against inviting your friends over for a game of bishi bashi.

Inside the gut of the machine

OpenBuild SG is now having a promotion selling these machines in limited quantity at SGD 399. After which, the price will increase. OpenBuild is willing to sell to fellow GameTrader.SG members at SGD 399 for another additional 50 sets. Just tell them that you are a member of GameTrader.SG and they will honour the price. The price of SGD 399 maybe on the high side for the younger gamers out there especially if you compared with a PS4 console which costs around SGD500 plus. However, given the price of the parts which take up bulk of the costs, the price maybe justifiable especially for the craftsmanship. Even if you don’t play it, it does look like a good piece of art to display at your geek corner.

If you wish to purchase one, you can drop a SMS  to OpenBuild SG at +65 9113-1344. Yap is usually too busy in the workshop so a message will work best. You can also visit their workshop too at 65 Ubi Road 1, #01-87 Oxley Bizhub 1, Singapore 408729. Do check with them first before coming down.

Oh yes, there is also a two player version! You can contact them for more details. Happy to report that I beat Yap at Street Fighter. +1 for GameTrader! We will schedule a rematch soon.

The 2 player version of Yappy Arcade Console

PS: This is not an advertisement. Purely sharing this awesome machine with fellow GameTraders 🙂