The Return of Pangya USA - Screenshots/Changes + 1st Impressions

Before The Shutdown

After The Revival

Today I was able to play one tournament game and test out the current Open Beta. The client is smooth, minimal errors, and everything looks clean and well done (No-half arsed Descriptions, etc.).

Probably the most memorable thing (Besides failing on Sepia Wind with a -18), everyone on the server became a Trap/Reverse Trap (Also Known As: "When I went to Ntreev, I became a girl"). Currently Ntreev USA is doing maintenance to fix these small things, but overall I am very happy with the transfer.

Mostly all the points that I highlighted in this post last month were covered, and for that I applaud them:

• Everyone's Pang was reset to the starting 3000 Pang.
• Every item previously owned was transferred completely intact.
• Course records were reset.

Some Notes:

• Scout is now named "Nuri".
• Phoenixes are now called "Comets" (To fit the "Swing for the Heavens")
• A18-Related Logos were all cleaned and changed to "Pangya" (Particularly the Guild Battle Winners Shirts)
  

From my experiences in Grand Chase, Ntreev knows how to run events, keep things balanced, and are very open to ideas/receptive to their community. It is with this hope I can see new events and a greater sense of community once more, and meet the people that I've lost, again on the greens.

Some Hopes:

• Custom Tourney Option Once Again (Been Waiting For These)
• Better Events/Non-Generic x2 XP/Pang Days
• Open-mindedness to Voice Clubs and Associated In-Game Items (JP voices, Special Clubs/Items from Other Servers)
  
• Season 4 Not Far From Arriving (Grand Chase is releasing characters at a standard rate, so I assume they will follow with their Pangya releases)
  

Some fun screenshots for your pleasure.

Various Random Photos with Old Vets/Players:


Extra: I find taking photos of my characters in different settings/outfits like a Photo Shoot entertaining. I actually took a lot of sad-face photos of the other couple of girls in the case nothing was transferred/server was gone forever. Seeing as we're in the good now, I present the "Sadface: Before the Shutdown" Arin and Hana pictures. It's nothing big, but I did put some effort into them. Too bad my username could not be removed....

Arin:Hana:

With that, I hope to see all of you on the greens, and look forward to having a wonderful time on Pangya USA.

~Chun

Preparing For Panels...(Fanime Con Preparation for Pangya/Vocaloid)

Wonder if Ntreev will be interested in coming by; OGPlanet in the past called me directly and we talked about what exactly my panel would consist of and what kind of ambiance Fanime Con has. I still have some old promo goods from them as well (Albiet just postcards). Anyway, consider this an advance notice, as either way I'm planning to again do my Pangya panel this year.

However, I'm also working on a Vocaloid Panel, so both will prove to be, at the very least, entertaining; I'd appreciate any input people may have as to what I could cover in such a panel.

Information again can be found at http://www.fanime.com for location, registration, etc.

~Chun

Dear JP Pangya, I Miss You, Call Me Back

Every year there's a birthday celebration for Kooh and various fun related events happen every year. I received notice of this through the newsletter I get from the game; just can't access the server.

...what I'd do to get my JP Pangya account back... the things I'd do...

...Hatsune Mikooh...
Koohgimiya Rie clubs...

~Chun

Pang Rice: A18 Is Pangya USA + Quick Speculation

Some people have already refered to me that Pangya is actually going to transfer data to NTREEV and now all is well in the world.

I did meet an employee from NTREEV during my panel at Fanime 2008 last year, and it was a nice experience (Though the turnout was small).

I think I'll give American Pangya another shot after the first week or so. It'll really be to gauge how NTREEV decides to handle the current BR etiquette situation and the lot of hacking (Which I hope for good things, since this is their precursor to the "Super Swing Golf" Franchise).

Frankly, I'm just glad Kooh will still be with me.

More info as this comes around, and current game excursions; also, I've been looking to scanlate something (Though the manga must have furigana; I'm not versed enough in Kanji). I would like it if it wasn't too shonen, or just something that has a slice of life feel to it. Though I am a one person team, so don't expect too much.

I've also got a better video solution to my youtube; so I can now take questions for A18 radio. Comment here or e-mail to: chunhiopangya at hotmail dot com.

Chin up.

~Chun

Empty Pang Rice: OGPlanet Announces Albatross18 Shutdown

"Albatross18 Players,

We are sorry to announce that Albatross18 will be closing its services. We have had some good times, but the servers will be going down. For the time being, you will still be able to play, and until the servers go down on March 10th, you can use your Astros to make purchases from the shop or from any other OGPlanet game.

In fact, we think you will love our other games so much, we will give you special prizes just for trying them out. If you create a new character in Rumble Fighter, CABAL Online, or La Tale between now and March 8th, we will give you a special item to help get you further in the games faster. Note that players will only receive special items for characters created during this period and only for games in which they did not previously already have a character.

So, for now, enjoy Albatross18 and remember to try our other games before March 8th to get your free gifts! We are currently working with the developer on the future of the game and we will make an announcement once we have more information. Until then, will keep Albatross18 running smoothly until the servers go down on March 10th. We are glad that we could share all of these good times with you and we hope to share more in the other OGPlanet games!"

...

To be honest, I could see this direction was coming, but now it's just sad seeing how everything is right now. What really hurts the most is that they think they can amend the situation by trying to buy us in to their other games from the previous. I'm really going to miss my friends that I met there (Of whom I don't have contact info), the memories of the records I have made and the hours I put into organizing events for them, and finally, as you all know, my Kooh.

My Halo X-Mas Gifted, Olympic Scratchcard Won, Many Cookies Spent, but most of all, cherished partner in Pangya. It's moments like this that really ruin my rhythm.

Currently OGPlanet talks are in progress with the developer so there is a possibility of data transfer/not all acquisitions lost, but until then, I'm screenshotting until no tomorrow before March 10th.

A big thanks to the hackers, disrespectful players, and overall horrible community for bringing this about. If we didn't have scum like you, we could still be playing with the courtesy of Season 1. Also thanks to OGP for not noticing buying multiple licenses causes stress on game quality and moderation.

I think I can, just this once, let out my inhibitions.

Fuck. You. OGP. I'm sorry I put any faith in you.

More updates as they come about, and messages later... I guess I'll focus on my KR account from now on (ChunandRice).

What to do about my Pangya Panel now...

~Chun

Giant Update: Miku Madness and A18's "WHAT IS THAT?!", Kooh Check! 1

I apologize for my absence; I've been quite busy working and studying so I haven't had much of a weekend lately. However, those bits have come to fruition. And with one paycheck comes happiness.

I think pictures speak a little louder than words, so here you have it. If you are here for Albatross18 only please scroll beyond the Miku-age.

Ani Rice: Miku Hatsune Madness

Above pictured: Miku Hatsune Figma (2nd Run), Hatsune Miku "MIX BOX" (CD, Artbook, and YUJIN Chibi Miku figure), and Miku Hatsune's first CD RE:Package.

Miku Madness 1: Re:package Music CD

First is the CD, and what a CD it is. Some of the best Miku Hatsune tracks you will listen too, along with a nice and shiny box, collected from a handful of great users. Besides the cover art being tasteful and wonderful, the general mix of tracks has a variety to them; from the easygoing pulse of Track 1: "Anthem", to the bright track 9 (Which was featured in Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Demo for PSP), and the heartfelt "Our Music", the whole CD is just so dang catchy you'll be listening to it every single week and not be tired of it. In fact, I have it on right now. I highly recommend fans of Miku to grab this when you first see it; for me it was Spiritsnare's influence at a Kinokuniya, and that worked out real well.

Price: Approx 30$
Verdict: Must Buy

Miku Madness 2: Hatsune Miku Mixing Box ~ Miku Hatsune Special Fan Book

I came across this box when I was again in a Kinokuniya. J-List sells this product for about the same price as when I picked it up. The above pictured is all that is in the box; a small fanbook with stats and random factoid checks about their designs, a Yujin figure that's way too cute for words, and a Premium DVD. The DVD, when placed into your laptop an autorun prompts for an internet window. After clicking such you are presented with four boxes with content. A track soon comes on in its fancy window. it contains music tracks mixed by the fan community (Playable only in-window), fanart from different regions of Japan (Viewed by clicking on the map presented), three not-as-impressive PVs in comparison to NicoNico top hitters that you've probably never seen before, and finally some character data. Overall, I was really hoping for something a bit more sustainable like some wallpaper goods and a Miku Hatsune desktop theme; I'm honestly dissapointed in how lacking it was.

Price: J-List $42
Verdict: Okay, but not for the casual Vocaloid fan.

Miku Madness 3: Miku Hatsune Figma from MAX FACTORY

This figma in its first print was rumored to have been sold out on pre-orders in a single 12 hour timeframe when it was first released. For good reason; this is good stuff. Though I can really speak too much about it as I don't really collect figmas, the paintwork is great and the overall accessories that you have make the grade. A good buy for sure.

Price: $40 from KidNemo

Verdict: A nice collector's item and an even better fan good.

That's all for Miku goods. Back on Albatross 18...

Pang Rice: A18 "WHAT IS THAT?!"

I'll be honest here. When I first saw these items in Season 3, I really couldn't believe it. These items are the gamebreaker items, the items that turn any old game into a walk in the park for a seasoned player, AND were only released in Season 4 for other servers. For those of you that haven't logged on in ages here's a quick rundown:

Safety: The blue pin shaped item. Essentially, neutralizes your lie of the ball so that your shot is just like a tee shot; it won't curve a little because you're on a steep incline when you hit pangya, and gives you back all of your power penalty. In other words, use one of these and it's like you landed on the flat fairway.

Auto Caliper: Also known as "I can't cut my power accurately enough so this will set maximum for me" or "I don't know what 225yds is out of 250yds on my pangya bar". These look decievingly useless, but you're able to see exactly how much distance you'll be aiming with. Once you've memorized how far a pin is, there's easy pin distances without much resistance. For advanced players this item is essential to aiming for a high score.

Power Potion: The answer to chugging a power milk and double tomahawking, this item gives just enough distance that a regular old red potion couldn't do. Can't get any more straightforward than that.

My Thoughts
I recently was talking with Tomato (Season 1 and 2's top player) about playstyles and he told me that on Korean data-based play, these items are essential. I'm not going to deviate into what is "hacking" and "calcing", but essentially once you find the pattern of how the ball behaves, works in wind, knowing your aim, auto calipers are really useful for a beam impact chip-in. The same can be said with the Safety, also known as "Portable Tee". Same height? Perfect, let's chip it from this near-unplayable bunker at 70%! Power potions are, in my opinion, not necessary. Rank up and you won't suffer penalties to your distance.

These items bring up two hotly debated points: The price of these items and the future of Season 4.

Item Pricing: A point was brought up by rurichan (another high level player) that the Korean and Japanese servers price the items considerably lower (10 times lower) than the A18 list price. Though it sounds preposterous, my speculation is that perhaps the extra work needed to port them to be compatible with the season 3 client may have required a good amount of royalties from the main branch. It is not OGPlanet that does the main programming for faults and fixups; it is sent by the Ntreev company in Korea to OGP. Also, this high price may discourage heavy purchase of this item, as they are highly abusable. I honestly still cannot believe they are here.

Future of Season 4: This new item port has lead to rumors that OGP may not be re-licensing Pangya and instead OGP may stop at Season 3 for development and transfer data to another company (Possibly Tecmo with Super Swing Golf and Ntreev relations) or just end the client. Ending the client is highly unlikely as there is much interest from many other countries, but the relicensing may not be altogether false.

However, this is all conjecture; please do not take these statements too seriously!

In the end, I would not be worried too much for the future of Pangya, despite its recent rough hacking history and current difficulties in community; the outlook is still optimistic with OGP's recent upgrade to retail game cards and interface change.


And there's your update, sorry again for the absence, and I leave with this:

Kooh Check!

I personally use a 25 Power, 23 Control, 9 Spin configuration. This outfit is composed of Kat Mittens (Season 1 first Kooh release, Cookies), Blue Top and Hot Pants (Season 3, Astros), Ribbon Shoes (Season 3, Pang), Victoria Mask (A rare Black Papel item, Pang), Devil Wings (Recent Season 3, Astros), Kooh's trademark ribbons (First release, Pang), and the Cutlass (A rare Black Papel item, Pang). I think it really brings out the "Piratey tough" look in Kooh, what with the ominous tattoo and such. Though maybe the gloves could be altered a bit more... and I need better shoes that do the same stat.

So until next time, please leave a comment and happy pangya!

~Chun

Pang Rice: Season 4 Korean Trailer

High points include the possibility of a Lunar Tomb course, aka Kooh's Ship, new character, possible mini-game possibilities, more outfits, and a kicking sound track.

This is so epic. I am crying manly tears inside.

~Chun

Pang Rice: Pangya With Voices AKA Kooh is Perfectly Casted

If you didn't know already, I am the biggest Kooh fan in the USA for the Pangya world; PC system and Super Swing Golf. Recently, news of the Japan client adding additional voices has struck major interest; they've never talked before, and by purchase of a certain clubset or won by lottery, you can have all your lovely ladies (Or handsome men, excluding Uncle Bob and shota Scout) voice their motions.

Frankly all I care about is Kooh and I don't give a damn about anyone else (Except Hana).

PANGYA! YOOOSH... GANBARUZOU!

I can't identify the others in this video, but I know that voice anywhere; Kugimiya Rie voices Kooh (Shana of Shakugan no Shana, Louise of Zero no Tsukaima) . COMPLETE MATCH. I can't think of anyone else besides Chiwa Saito taking up the task. A little Tsundere and strong pirate.



Here is a profile cut from a friend's web blog, what I consider to be one of the best Pangya resources in general: Sweatdrop's Zoints

Well, I've got much school stuff to do, but do leave a comment with your thoughts.

Ahh.... I am so very happy right now.

~Chun