January 15, 2010 – MMO Fallout

Update: My Inactive Aion Account Logged In

Account stuff — In the latest episode of our continuing drama...

I’ve been keeping an eye on Aion since the whole issue of account theft came to light, with what could potentially turn out to be a major bombshell dropped on NCsoft if allegations of security breaches were true. Originally the story was confined to a lot of people having their accounts stolen, which NCsoft had placed the blame on an unnamed fansite being compromised.

Later, I reported on accounts of inactive accounts being stolen and looted, an act that should be technically impossible as inactive accounts should not be able to log into the game to begin with, much less walk around and trade. I’ve received all kinds of email since then, calls of support from the NCsoft community, wishes of good luck in the not-getting-my-tires-slashed department, and expressions of distrust and hate, and even several accusations that I was working for Blizzard, Funcom (yes), Sony Online Entertainment, and even Aventurine. If so, I’m missing several paychecks and will be contacting the aforementioned companies in the hopes of recuperating such salaries.

It isn’t often I get to drop a proverbial piece of cheese on my own, however, as I reported just yesterday that, while searching through my NCsoft master account, I noticed that my Aion account was still listed as “playable.” I canceled Aion back in November, with the account ultimately going dead in December (although I cannot confirm it actually went inactive). I did confirm through the card I used to purchase the title (I only have one, so figuring out which was not difficult) has not been charged, and the account listing (as shown above) displays no current subscriptions.

I intended upon logging in today and replacing the previous article with an “I’m sorry, I made a stupid mistake, the account is not active.” Instead, I went through the process of downloading and installing the game, only to find what is below the break. Please note: The following contains images of Aion. If you are allergic to Korean grinders, subscription based MMOs, or have a general dislike for blue women played by men, please avert your eyes.

Continue reading “Update: My Inactive Aion Account Logged In”

Darkfall 2010: Not Just A Year This Year!

Darkfall is coming upon its first anniversary, and two expansions out the door is already looking at expansion number three. Dubbed “Darkfall 2010” the expansion looks to focus on everything. Armor dying, tons of new craftable items, more impact with the dynamic lore system, death animations, more PvP and PvE opportunities, better drops, wandering mobs, scavenging, mounts, and of course user interface upgrades, among others.

Of course, thanks to games who may or may not be Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Runes of Magic, and Runescape, players are reasonably concerned by the idea of “sweeping changes,” and some have expressed concern about any less desirable surprises that may be in store for this update. Unfair ganking practices will be slightly more difficult with the changes, making it impossible for players to declare war on players simply to gank them inside normally safe cities. Granted, as the MMO community often does, likely the following will be taken far out of context:

Yes we’re always adding more things and we’ll keep adding elements to make the game friendlier to new players, solo players, and more casual players.

I’m not normally one to forward conspiracy theories (or stir the pot of an already paranoid community), but the planned updates I have seen are quite reasonable. Disallowing players invading a city to use the city’s guild bank, putting a stop to griefing by players declaring war to gang up and attack sole players in starter areas without fear of the town’s natural defenses.

Either way, hopefully these sweeping changes will continue the reported upward trend in Darkfall’s subscriber rate. More on Darkfall as it falls into our hands. You can read the entirety of the community Q&A here:

Star Trek Online/Global Agenda/Aion Tops Sale Charts

screenshot_2010-01-12-13-03-55 — You will be assimilated...with three packages to choose from.

MMOs sell better than you would think, but in the realm of hundreds of competing, non subscription based games, making it on to the best selling list at any medium is a feat taken almost exclusively by preorders and World of Warcraft.

So despite what people may be saying about the Star Trek Online open beta, the majority appears to disagree. Coming in at #3 on the Steam best seller list: Star Trek Online, digital deluxe package. On Direct 2 Drive, Star Trek Online is taking the #1 and #2 spot in terms of sales. Star Trek, which just recently went into open beta, and launches early January, offers players a large variety of pre order exclusives depending on which retailer they purchase from.

Coming in at #5 on the Steam sale list: Global Agenda. Global Agenda will feature a Crimecraft style subscription program (The new, not the old) from the get go, with the regular online game being free to play, with the persistent more MMO-esque parts of the game requiring a subscription fee.

Finally, at #9, the only title on the list that has already been released: Aion! Even though Aion is so 2009, it still makes its way onto the top sales charts.