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Trove Forces Cash Shop, Trion Worlds “It’s Just Business”

Trion Worlds has announced that upcoming updates to Trove will increase focus on the cash shop and reduce the ability to obtain certain things through gameplay. The announcement focuses on three aspects of Trove life: Cubits, classes, and patron. For starters, users will obtain cubits at a slower initial pace, with prices on the store going up and repeatable items heading into the store at some point. In addition, it will no longer be possible to buy classes with cubits.

Patron is Trove’s subscription program. To better advertise the feature going forward, players will begin seeing more promotions on the HUD and in the store,

We want to align the business of Trove with the game of Trove as much as possible. Some of you guys here on the forums even called us out this month on how our focus seemed to be trending towards the Chaos Chest rewards and not gameplay focused rewards. That’s a case where the balance has been getting away from us, and we want to make sure we are doing the most we can to both support Trove as a game and a business in a way that is aligned, not at odds.

The post also mentions requiring patron in order to access certain features. What those features are is unknown, Trion does not go into further detail. Later on in the same thread, it is revealed that those details have not been finalized.

Right now we’re looking for the right balance, once we have a final plan for exactly what Patron will unlock I’ll be sure to post it. While we work on that I wanted to get you guys advanced word that it was something we are planning.

(Source: Trove)

Divergence Online Pulled From Steam By Developer

Divergence Online is no longer available for purchase from Steam, with developer Ethan Casner pointing to harassment from Steam users as well as displeasure with how Valve is handling said reviews/comments. Casner points specifically to user reviews using offensive slurs, as well as attempts to dox the developer through the review/comment system. While the comments had been reported to Valve for further evaluation, only for the user to be banned and then reinstated with Casner put on the defensive over allegations of stolen assets.

The post on Facebook reveals that the game is not in any jeopardy and will simply be off of Steam for the time being.

So i’m sorry, truly I am, but the $100/week we make on steam just isn’t worth the constant abuse that we feel we’re almost single-handedly responsible for dealing with. We make ten times that on our old paypal store and don’t have to suffer constant abuse to get it, so if it isn’t to make the game distribution process more simple and less of a headache, I’m really not sure what we’re even paying Steam for.

Divergence Online has been the target of heavy criticism, including allegations that assets in the game are stolen from Star Wars Galaxies.

(Source: Facebook)

Less Massive: Valve Bans CSGO Servers That Falsify Inventories

Valve has issued a warning to server owners in Counter Strike: Global Offensive that modifications that falsify player inventories are not allowed and must be removed before “further action is taken.” Since Valve’s games are heavily modifiable, players in the community quickly figured out methods to alter servers in order to provide players with weapon skins, items, and other goodies normally only accessible through random drops, lockboxes, and through the paid campaign modes.

Allowing players to claim temporary ownership of CS:GO items that are not in their inventory (Weapon skins, knives, etc.).
Providing a falsified competitive skill group and/or profile rank status or scoreboard coin (e.g., Operation Challenge Coins).
Interfering with systems that allow players to correctly access their own CS:GO inventories, items, or profile.
[To clarify: it is also not acceptable to provide players with custom models and/or weapon skins that do not exist in the CS:GO ecosystem]

The blog post warns that further action will be taken to servers that do not comply with these rules.

We will continue to monitor the players experience on community servers, and may reevaluate if further actions need to be taken to ensure that server operators comply with the request above.

A few servers are already reporting bans via their Game Server Login Token with lengths of two decades. For the unaware, Counter Strike requires game servers to register a GSLT via a persistent account in order to accept players that aren’t on the same network. A new Steam account with a new qualifying phone number is required to open a new GSLT account.

(Source: Counter Strike: GO)

Funcom’s Next Game Is A Conan Open World Survival Title

Funcom has revealed their next title, Conan Exiles, will be released into early access this summer with full launch on PC and consoles to come after. Exiles is set to be an open world survival game where players must survive the harsh lands of Hyboria by hunting, fighting, and taking shelter. The game is played similarly to other survival titles, giving players the option to use public and private servers, alongside a single player mode.

Creative director Joel Bylos points to the setting of Conan as the perfect suitor for a survival game, noting:

“Hyboria is a harsh and unforgiving land where only the strongest can survive while the weak are swiftly cut down. Whether it is hunting animals for food, fighting monsters and other players, or building entire settlements, we want to make sure players feel like they are really fighting to survive and prosper in the most brutal fantasy world ever.”

We learned back in August that Funcom had begun work on multiple smaller, more experimental titles such as The Park. Last month, the company announced that it was a preferred partner of Conan Properties, all but ensuring that there would be more titles coming in the future. More information can be found at the main website.

(Source: Funcom press release)

Elder Scrolls Online Introduces You To The Thieves Guild

The third DLC pack for The Elder Scrolls Online introduces players to the Thieve’s Guild, an organization that the player finds in shambles. Players travel to Abah’s Landing in southern Hammerfell to join the guild, and must work to rebuild it back to its former glory. Membership in the guild has many benefits, including a new passive skill line, access to repeatable heist quests, re-acquisition quests, and guild jobs.

Purchasing the DLC, free for subscribers and 2000 crowns for everyone else, will also grant access to other new features, from new zones, new world bosses, gear, a new crafting style, and non-combat servants that can perform certain tasks. Everyone regardless of their purchase status will have access to the new 64-bit client on Windows and Mac, combat and gameplay balances, Cyrodil updates, new crafting styles, and more.

You can read the entire list of details at the following link, and check out the trailer below.

(Source: Zenimax press release)

Jagex Devotes February To Old School QoL Updates

Old School RuneScape operates on player majority for content, requiring that 75% of the voting community agree to an update before the team is allowed to put it in. In a recent blog post, the Old School team has announced that February is being devoted to quality of life updates, with a new poll running each week to determine player interest in small tweaks that have been popularly suggested through the forums and various other avenues.

The current poll runs until February 1st and covers issues like skipping questions, increasing click areas to make certain objects easier to select, and boosting experience rates on two agility mini-games. Jagex evidently hit the mark on how popular these questions are, as every single option is currently beating the 75% margin by a mile except for the poll to add a spell allowing players to convert wine to wine of Zamorak.

(Source: Old School)

Rift Forces Cash Shop, Trion Worlds “It’s Just Business”

Is Rift having financial difficulties? It sounds like a loaded question, but it’s one that many are asking in regards to a recent update and Trion Worlds’ response to player criticism. Today’s update removed the ability to purchase earring slots and Planewalker: Water via runestones, a grindable currency, making them available only through purchases in the cash shop. While players are perfectly capable of grinding in-game currency to buy REX, many players have pointed out that the platinum limit on free accounts is lower than the cost of REX, making it impossible to obtain the items without first throwing some money down on your account.

Trion’s reason for the change has similarly been met with controversy, responding that “this is a business decision,” according to community manager Eric Cleaver.

Ultimately this is a business decision, to best support RIFT moving forward into the future. We’re on the cusp right now of RIFT’s 5th Anniversary, and we’ve got great stuff planned for 2016. But that stuff takes Engineers and Designers and CS and QA and a whole lot of other folks.

Having a large team producing amazing things is a benefit to everyone who loves RIFT, both those making it and those who play it. But making games like RIFT is expensive. and so we need to sell things in game to pay those folks. We try to offer a variety of services that appeal to a broad selection of folks. Sometimes we try one thing, sometimes we try another. But it’s always a learning experience.

Both Earring Slots and Planewalker: Water went through a number of iterations during development before release, and when Nightmare Tide did release we decided at that time to allow them to be acquired via either a substantial investment of time via Voidstones or with purchase of a Nightmare Tide Collectors Edition. It’s been over a year now since that release, and the team has decided to move in a slightly different direction with these unlocks.

Incidentally, the update comes alongside a change to Rift’s referral program, and no longer allows for players to use their referral points to purchase REX.

(Source: Rift)

Blade & Soul First Update Coming February 10th

Blade & Soul’s first major patch is hitting shores on February 10th. The update introduces new end-game dungeons like Bloodshade, available as a six or four man dungeon, and Nightshade, a 24-player version. Players are tasked with taking on the Blackram pirates, all the way up to Admiral Hae Mujin himself. Also included are the first seven floors of Mushin’s Tower, a single player heroic dungeon that will be expanded in future updates. Each floor introduces newer difficulties to overcome.

Hongmoon levels allow for players to continue progressing past the current level cap of 45. There are five Hongmoon levels.

(Source: Blade & Soul)

Hero’s Song Campaign Cancelled, Funded By Investors

Backers of Hero’s Song, all three thousand of you, were surprised this morning by the sudden news that the campaign was being cancelled. Backers were all sent an email explaining that the campaign would be closed due to predictions showing that the funding would not reach its necessary levels. The campaign had lasted for six days and had raised approximately $136 thousand of the intended $800 grand.

After looking at our funding levels and the reality that we aren’t going to reach our funding goals, we’ve decided that the best thing to do is to end the Kickstarter. We sincerely appreciate all of the support we got from the backers and the Kickstarter community.

The good news is that the game isn’t gone, in fact just the opposite. Pixelmage Games has been able to get the game fully funded by investors, without bringing publishers into the deal and hopefully allowing the developers the freedom to make their vision a reality. The Kickstarter campaign expected a delivery around October 2016, so we’ll have to see if the game continues on track.

Pixelmage Games is the new home of John Smedley, formerly of Daybreak Game Company, formerly Sony Online Entertainment.

(Source: Kickstarter)

Daewoo Securities Predicts Doom For Wildstar

Wildstar’s transition to free to play came on the heels of the game dipping down into virtually negligible revenues, $1.5 million as of the third quarter, and everyone wants to know how well free to play has treated the title. We won’t know the real figures until next month, but Daewoo Securities has issued a new forecast predicting that even a shift to free to play won’t be enough to save the sinking ship.

Daewoo predicts zero turnaround for Wildstar, with Q4 revenues remaining flat and continuing to decline over the following months. For the fourth quarter of 2016, the company either predicts a statistically negligible amount or that the game will no longer be in operation. In addition, they predict that Heart of Thorns, the Guild Wars 2 expansion, has sold less than expected.

We expect NCSOFT to report slightly disappointing earnings for 4Q15, due to 1) weaker-than-projected sales of the Guild Wars 2 expansion pack, 2) a lower-thanexpected increase in revenue from Lineage I microtransaction events, and 3) higher expenses related to marketing (G-Star trade show) and the company’s pro baseball team. We forecast 4Q15 revenue of W236.1bn (+0.4% YoY) and operating profit of W70.8bn (-19% YoY).

We’ll know how accurate this prediction is once NCSoft files their full report next month. Daewoo Securities correctly predicted that a Guild Wars 2 expansion would be released in Q3 2015 for $50 when neither a price nor even the existence of an expansion had been announced by Arenanet. Considering the accuracy of their predictions, I lean toward believing their sources.

(Source: Daewoo Securities)

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