News Bullets 19 January 2011

There is so much going on with AQW that I have to make a bulleted list! Yay!

• Battle Under, Level 3, is coming this week.
• Unlimited bank space is getting closer to being released.
• With unlimited bank space comes the Limited Shops. Once the shop sells out of an item, it's gone forever.
• EpicDuel T-shirts are on their way to the Secret Underground Lab. Rare Delta V armors come with them.
• Artix is getting ready to release the AQW collectible card game! Hopefully a new class comes with it. Launched at Toys-r-Us in March.
• The AE team is focusing resources on AQW which is why HeroSmash is stalling. Looks like skills might come out in HS late-February.
• Cheese-themed items from the Black Market dealer!
• Finished my AQW potions (and scrolls and foods) page.
• Put finishing touches on the HeroSmash page. It's all done for now. No need to update it until next month.

HeroSmash Page

Gimme skills!

I created a new HeroSmash page that has all the information you need to play the game. Check it out and leave a comment if you like it, hate it, saw a mistake, or know of something I should add.

I added a poll to the page about what features you would like to see. One of the choices is

"Make your own comic book from your character." 

That is possible and would be freakin' awesome! I can see a flash page with empty panels. You pick your backgrounds, drag your character and villains/ heroes/ NPCs into the panels, add some special effects (POW! BAM! SOCKO!) and dialog, and then you have your own comic!

Artix, please do that! I wanna make my own comics in HeroSmash.

AQW Sandsea and Bupers Camel Release

Things are getting exciting in AQW! This week we'll finally see the opening of a new zone, the Sandsea. We also get to see for the first time ever Bupers Camel. This legendary mythical beast has been roaming the back woods of Greenguard Forest granting mod status to anyone who can find it.

Along with the new zone will come new shops and- this is exciting- consumable food! Get your bag space expanded because you'll be able to buy equippable food items that will give you buffs. A new element to the game! Yesh!

Here's something really exciting: Beleen mentioned one of my characters in the design notes! My second-favorite character, Loki Bloodstone, is mentioned along with a really bad picture I did of Bupers Camel on my AQW page. This is more exciting than when I won a DF screenie contest way back in March, 2007.

It looks like I have a lot of work to do in AQW because I have three armors I need to rank up. My Evolved Clawsuit is not even enhanced yet. My Shaman is rank five and my Chronomancer is rank six. Lots of work to do there!

Upcoming Events and Updates From Ninja Saga

Do you know about the Dragon Legacy Game? It's on close alpha so let us wait for the grand opening of the game. My friend said it is like an "improved Ninja Saga" with unique class system. If you are a premium user on Ninja Saga probably you know because only users with premium accounts are allowed to take the beta test of the game. The Ninja Saga Team is doing their best to improve the game. And

tips ninja saga

Ninja Saga is a Facebook game in which players can create their own Ninja and battle friends. In this Ninja Saga strategy guide, we’ll cover the basics like how to play Ninja Saga as well as more in-depth information such as how to win lots of money in the game, and killer Ninja Saga tips and tricks. We’ll be adding more content to our Ninja Saga guide as more features are released from the game developers. Please use the comment page link directly below to leave comments or inform us of any winning game strategies or Ninja Saga tips and we’ll incorporate them into the guide.

To submit your Ninja Saga tips and Ninja Saga strategy suggestions please leave us a comment here so everyone can see it. Once submitted it can be reviewed by other players and voted into the Ninja Saga guide.

Ninja Saga Beginners

Getting started – At the start of the game, you’ll need to create and customize your Ninja Saga character. Then you’ll be walked through a tutorial that shows you how to battle and explains some of the most important aspects of the game. Once you are finished with the tutorial, you can begin accepting missions towards leveling and upon reaching level five, you’ll be able to enter Ninja Saga battles.
Practicing your moves – In the beginning of Ninja Saga, you’ll have the option of practicing your moves and familiarizing yourself with various fighting techniques. When this option appears, accept it so you can learn how to fight correctly.
Gold versus Saga Tokens – Gold and Saga Tokens are used to purchase Ninja Saga items in the game. Gold is earned when you win battles, complete missions, exchange Saga Tokens, and participate in daily spins. Saga Tokens are only gained by completing offers or paying for them with real cash.
Understanding your map – On your map will be the different places you can visit and each represents a different aspect of the game. Below is an explanation of each location and the importance of each one.

• Kage Room – This is where you go to view and complete missions.
• Pet Shop – This is where you go to purchase pets to use in battle. You cannot purchase pets until you have reached level 20.
• Style Shop – The style shop is where you would go to change your character’s appearance such as hair color, skin color, and hair style.
• Academy – This is where you go to train to obtain new skills.
• Shop – This is where you go to purchase weapons, items, and clothes.
• Arena – The Arena is where you go to battle other players or your Ninja Saga friends. You must attain Ninja Saga level five before you can enter the arena to battle.
• Recruit Friends – This is where you go to recruit Ninja Saga friends to join your team. Recruiting friends will help you earn more skills and win battles.
• Headquarters – This is where you go to trade gold, buy emblems, and train for bloodline.
• Battle – This is the entrance to the village. In this section, you can choose to practice, complete missions, and battle others.
• Clan – This is where you can create your own clan and join other Ninja Saga clans.

Changing your game options – To change your game options, click on the last icon at the bottom of your screen. When the window opens, you’ll see the options you’re allowed to change.
Buying items from the shop – When you’re ready to purchase items from the shop, return to the map and click the Shop village. Once it opens, click the Buy button at the top and select a category to see what it has to offer. When you find something to purchase, click the item and select the Buy button at the very bottom of the window.
Daily spin – Every day that you login to your game, you’ll be given the opportunity to spin a wheel to win free Ninja Saga items like gold and Saga Tokens. The only way to spin this wheel is to become a fan of the game. If you do not become a fan, you cannot spin and you cannot play the game.
Viewing your profile stats – To view your Ninja Saga stats, click the second icon in the bottom menu. When this window opens, you’ll be able to see how much gold, Saga Tokens, and experience points your character has. You’ll also be able to view other Ninja Saga statistics and assign points to the different attributes of your character. Every time you reach a new Ninja Saga level you’ll be given approximately one point that you can distribute to your character’s attributes.
Free versus premium – You can play the Ninja Saga game for free or you can upgrade and become a premium Ninja Saga user. Premium users have somewhat of an advantage as they are allowed to buy more items and create more Ninja Saga users. With a premium account, you can create up to six players but with a free account, you can only create one.
Ninja Saga elements – Listed below are the five elements available for you to use when completing missions and fighting in battles.

• Fire – This is the element that gives the ability damage ninjas the most. Each fire attribute point adds four-tenths of a percent damage, four-tenths of a percent potential to elevate thirty percent damage for the following turn as well as one percent fire Ninjutsu damage.
• Wind – This element will give you more speed. For each wind attribute point, you’ll receive four-tenths of a percent more dodge rate and one agility point as well as one percent more wind Ninjutsu damage.
• Lightening – An element that increases your ability to inflict critical strikes. Each lightening attribute point adds four-tenths of a percent critical chance, increases critical striking damage bonus by four-tenths of a percent and inflicts an additional one percent lightning Ninjutsu damage.
• Earth – The earth element represents defense and health. Each earth attribute point adds thirty maximum health points to your character, four-tenths of a percent chance to withstand a thirty percent damage attack, and one percent earth Ninjutsu damage.
• Water – This element represents cleansing and healing. Each water attribute point adds thirty maximum chakra points, four-tenths of a percent to alleviate the negative effect of a turn, and one percent water Ninjutsu damage.

Character attributes – You Ninja Saga character is given five basic attributes that affect their performance. These attributes are listed below with an explanation of their importance.

• Health Points (HP) – These points are reduced when you are attacked and are regained automatically following a mission or battle. Healing scrolls can be used to elevate your health points during battles. Health points are increased by 40 for each level attained and they may also be increased by 20 per Earth attribute point.
• Chakra Points (CP) – These points diminish as you use Jutsu during battles but they may be elevated by utilizing chakra scrolls or charging your character in battle. Chakra points are atomatically regained upon completing a mission or battle. Chakra points are increased by 40 points with each new level that is attained and they are also increased by 20 points per Water attribute point attained.
• Agility – This represents the speed by which your character can complete a given action. The larger the value, the faster the character can move. The agility attribute increases by one every time you reach a new Ninja Saga level and it may be also be increased another point for every Wind attribute point that’s obtained.
• Dodge Rate – These points represent the ability of your character to avoid an opponent’s strike. Dodge rate points may be increased by one-tenth of a percent for leveling up and one percent for every Wind attribute point gained.
• Critical Rate – These points represent the potential an opponent can inflict a powerful strike that is in excess of what is normal (a.k.a. critical strike). Such a strike inflicts twice the amount of damage to your character than a normal strike. Critical rate points are elevated by one-tenth of a percent for each new Ninja Saga level that is attained plus one percent for each Lightning attribute point that’s gathered in the game.

Armor and costumes – Armor and costumes may be purchased for your character but it does not help you when it comes to battling others. Buying these items will only help your ninja’s appearance.
Deleting characters – Obviously you can only do this if you have upgraded your account to a premium membership. After doing so, you can create up to six characters for which you can buy weapons and learn skills for these characters. The question many seem to ask is, whether or not you lose Saga Tokens when you delete a character. The answer to that is absolutely no. You’ll not lose any Saga Tokens that are assigned to your account. However, when you delete a character, you’ll lose everything you purchased for that character and all the skills that character owned. When you delete the character, it is as if it never existed but the Saga Tokens you earned in the game are yours to keep.
Starting a clan – To create a Ninja Saga clan, navigate to your map or village, whichever you prefer to call it, and click the Clan building. When the window opens, you’ll need to enter a name for your clan. Then click the Create button. To create a clan, you’ll have to pay 400 Saga Tokens. If you do not have enough Saga Tokens, you can purchase more before creating a new clan.
Joining a clan – There are three ways to join a clan in Ninja Saga. First, you can search for a clan to join by going to the ranking page and then sending a request to the clan master. Second, you can accept clan invitations that have been sent to you, and third, you can send a request to your friends. When someone sends you a request to join there Ninja Saga clan, the request will appear in your mailbox located at the bottom of the screen.
Managing your clan – To manage your clan, you’ll need to visit the Clan Hall. There you can do things like remove clan members, invite people to join your clan, and post clan announcements.
Sending clan invites – If you want to invite people to join your Ninja Saga clan, you have a couple options. You can either choose friends from your friends’ list to send clan invitations or you can ask players for their character id and send them an invitation that way.
Removing clan members – If you no longer wish to have certain members in your Ninja Saga clan, you can remove them quite easily. All you need to do is visit the Clan Hall to select the members from your list and click the Remove link next to the individual you want to remove.
Quitting a clan – If you no longer wish to be part of a clan, you can easily leave a clan by visiting the Clan Hall and clicking on the Quit Clan button. Upon doing so you’ll be removed from that clan and you’ll lose all reputation you might have gained while you were a member of that particular Ninja Saga clan.
Clan reputation – Clan reputation determines your rank in a specific clan. You should work on increasing this attribute as achieving the highest reputation after a tournament will earn you a nice reward. You can usually receive up to 25 clan reputation points per tournament.
Starting a clan battle – To get start a clan battle you’ll need to enter the clan district and choose an opponent. When you’re ready to fight click the Fight button to begin the battle.
Battle options – When it comes to battling, you essentially have four options. You can either complete missions, do practice battles, battle against your friends, or battle other Ninja Saga players. To see your choices of battles, click the Battle area on your map.

How To Play Ninja Saga

How to earn gold – Gold is earned in a couple of different ways. When you begin playing the game, you’ll have 100 gold. Once you complete the tutorial, you’ll be awarded an additional 250 gold. Below is a list of some of ways to earn Ninja Saga gold.

• Winning battles – When you win a battle, you’ll be rewarded with gold. The amount of gold varies and depends on who you are battling.
• Completing missions – When you complete missions that are given to you, you’ll be awarded with gold. Some of these missions may require that you repeat them a couple of times before they are fully completed.
• Exchange Saga Tokens for gold – You can always exchange your Saga Tokens for gold if you need more. One Saga Token will give you approximately 20 gold.
• Spinning the daily wheel – Every day when you login to Ninja Saga, you’ll be given the opportunity to spin the wheel and earn free gold or other Ninja Saga items.

How to earn Saga Tokens – You’re given 100 Saga Tokens when you first start the game but after that you’ll have to purchase more Saga Tokens or fill out Ninja Saga offers. To earn more Saga Tokens, you can click the Earn Saga Token tab at the top of your page and complete the offers. If you want to purchase more Saga Tokens, you can click the Buy Saga Tokens tab at the top of the page and purchase one of the packages.
Leveling up – As you play Ninja Saga, you’ll quickly discover that your opportunities are limited if you don’t level up. The higher your Ninja Saga level, the more you’ll be able to do in the game. For example, you can’t buy a pet until you reached level 20 and you can’t battle in the arena until you have reached level five. Thus, it is important for you to level up fast and the quickest way to level up is to complete missions.
Trading Saga Tokens for gold – If you have a lot of Saga Tokens and you’re in need of some gold, you can initiate a trade. To trade your Saga Tokens for gold, you’ll need to click on the Headquarters in your city. Once headquarters loads, you can click the Gold button on the left side and type how many Saga Tokens you want to trade and click the Exchange button to complete the trade.
Completing missions – Completing missions will benefit you in several ways. For one, it’s the quickest way to level up in the game and two, you’ll earn gold for doing so. Another added benefit of completing missions is that you’ll gain HP (Health Points), CP (Chakra Points), and Agility points. To view your missions, navigate to the Kage Room. When the window opens, you can select the mission you wish to complete. Once the mission has been completed, you’ll be able to see what you’ve earned.
How to gain experience points – Ninja Saga experience points (XP) are obtained by completing missions and winning battles.
Battling in missions – When you accept a mission and you’re placed in a town or something similar. If you see any ninjas standing around you’ll need to approach them to begin the battling them. To get your character to walk towards them, click on one of the ninjas. As you approach him, you’ll enter the battle stage of the game. As you battle you’ll need to utilize your attributes and weapons located at the bottom of your screen. If you defeat a ninja and have more waiting, you’ll be returned to the place you started. you’ll then have to click on another ninja to begin battling again. You’ll have to do repeat this step until you have defeated all of the ninjas around you.
Arena matches – If you’re looking for a quick match, run on over to the arena and select to battle players on your Ninja Saga level. These matches are suppose to be quick, but that’s not always the case. If for some reason the search engine can’t find someone on your level, it will find someone one level higher or lower than you.
Acquiring friend skills – To acquire friend skills, follow these steps. Locate your friends list at the bottom of the screen and click the visit button below the friend you want to acquire a skill from. When the game reloads, click the Learn Skill button and you’ll be added to your friend’s Jutsu list. Now select the skill you want to learn and click the Learn button. You must complete eight sessions (~32 hours) to acquire the skill before you can use it.
Recruiting friends – You can only recruit one to two friends at a time and it costs you Ninja Saga gold to do so. The amount of gold is determines by your friend’s current level multiplied by two. Thus if your friend has achieved level 20, you’d have to pay out 40 gold to recruit that individual. To recruit a friend, go to the recruiting location on your map and select the option for recruiting your friends. The window will then reload and you’ll see the friends that you can recruit. Keep in mind that you can only recruit friends whom are on the same level as you or lower. You cannot recruit friends that have attained a higher Ninja Saga level. Recruiting friends is in your best interest as it will help you while completing missions and fighting in battles. They cannot help you, however, when you fight other friends.
Inviting Ninja Saga friends – You can send up to 20 friend invitations per day in the Ninja Saga game. To send an invite to your friends, click the Invite Friends button at the top of your screen. Then select the friends that you want to invite and send request.
Inviting versus recruiting friends – When you invite friends to the Ninja Saga game, it means they are simply installing the game and they will be added to your friends list. You can battle these friends, recruit them, and send them invitations to join your clans as well. When you recruit them, however, you are asking them to help you in battle. They must be your Ninja Saga friend before you can recruit them.
Learning new skills – To learn new Ninja Saga moves, you’ll need to visit the Ninja Saga Academy. This is also known as training for new skills. Some of the skills are learned instantly while others take more time. Upon visiting the Academy, click on a skill you want to learn and hit the Buy button. That skill will then be added to your character profile. Doing this allows you to utilize that skill in various battles and missions. If you would like to see a preview of what the skill does before you purchase it, click the Preview button at the bottom of the window. Another window will open and you’ll see what the skill does.

Ninja Saga Strategy

Complete missions often – It is important for you to level up quickly so you can start battling and unlocking Ninja Saga items that you’ll need later. The fastest way to reach new Ninja Saga levels is to complete missions.
Send informed invitations – Gaining more Ninja Saga friends is an important aspect of the game as it unlocks Ninja Saga items and weapons. When you attempt to invite other Facebook users to join you, make sure you include a short message explaining why you’re sending them an invite. This can be something as simple as including the words “Ninja Saga” or “Ninja Saga add” with your invite. Doing so will increase your friend request acceptance rate.
Recharge your CP – If your CP gets too low while you’re on a mission or battling someone, use the Charge option in your bottom menu to recharge your character. In most cases, you should be alright, but there are a few times when you’ll need to recharge quickly.
Become a fan of Ninja Saga – Spend some time joining Ninja Saga groups and fan pages on Facebook. These pages are great places to add more Ninja Saga friends. There you’ll be able to add other players and post your character ID for them to add you.
Invite your friends – Make sure you take advantage of the Invite Reward opportunity. Click on the round icon located on the left side of the screen at the bottom. This will give you special rewards in return for obtaining a certain amount of invites for the Ninja Saga game. These Ninja Saga items include rune scrolls, a kotetsu katana, 30,000 gold, a genjutsu, and a pet kame. Such Ninja Saga items are quite powerful and they can be of great help to you, especially if your a beginner.
Decrease page loading times – To speed up page loading in Ninja Saga, navigate to the game options page and reduce the graphic quality. This will considerably improve the speed at which Ninja Saga pages load in your browser. Another way to speed up page loading for the game is to change to a faster browser like Google Chrome or Opera.
Join or create a Ninja Saga clan – After you’ve become a member of a Ninja Saga clan, work on growing your clan size by inviting other Ninja Saga friends to join your clan. By participating in clan battles and clan tournaments you’ll gain more clan reputation. If you win a clan tournament all members of your clan will receive rewards.
Share occasionally – It seems like every time you accomplish something in the Ninja Saga game it asks you to share the accomplishment with your Facebook friends. While it’s tempting to show off your skills at the game, you shouldn’t do this very often because it can get you unfriended by those that don’t play the game. Save the sharing of your accomplishments in the game for times when you surpass large milestones. You may also want to consider disabling automatic postings for all games as well. If you don’t know how to do this, see our Facebook Guide.
Help your Ninja Saga clan – Once you’ve joined or created a Ninja Saga clan, make sure you take action to defend your clan in battle. Otherwise your clan will lose reputation points to the enemy clan that attacks yours.
Beware of battling level one players – Once you’ve attained Ninja Saga level 5 status, you’ll be able to enter the Arena and battle other players. While it may be tempting to pick on the little guys listed as level one players, this ranking can be quite deceiving. Many Ninja Saga players may juice up a level one character with powerful weapons to defeat you in a single strike.
Be an exceptional Ninja Saga clan master – If you choose to create your own clan you’ll become the clan master. This means you have many responsibilities to your fellow Ninja Saga clan members. You must manage the gold fund appropriately to reinvest in your clan to ensure it succeeds. One way of doing this is to build and upgrade clan buildings and other structures (i.e. Ramen, Hot Spring, Temple, Training Hall) to give your clan members proper training facilities that help them become better fighters. Doing such things increases clan attributes like stamina, maximum health points, chakra points, and attack damage.
Submit your tips – Got any killer Ninja Saga tips or strategies for success? If so, post your Ninja Saga tips here and we’ll add them to the Ninja Saga guide. These acts help other Ninja Saga players and it ensures that the guide remains up-to-date with the best Ninja Saga tips for you to utilize as well.
Share this Ninja Saga guide <=== Share the Ninja Saga guide with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to help us help you. That is, this guide provides a great opportunity to educate new Ninja Saga members that you invite and it encourages them to help members like you in the game.

HeroSmash Update

I got to play HeroSmash the second it was released and got the name I wanted! Here are some points in a super-bulleted list:

• The short-cut keys from AdventureQuest Worlds work in HS. V= display health, U= users, 1= attack, etc.
• The "/join" command also works. /join park, /join mainstreet, etc.
• There are some shops and quests to play around with.
• I haven't encountered any major bugs since las night. Makes me kind of nervous...

For more information, check the unofficial HeroSmash wiki, which is starting to be populated.

Check in with you later!

Holy schnit, Manbat! HeroSmash and Cataclysm on the same night!

I'm doing two things right now- reloading the HeroSmash page for updates from Artix and watching Cataclysm load on my PC. What to do? I guess World of Warcraft can wait for a while. I'm going to get my awesome super or villain name.

Come on come on!