Author: Admin

Blizzard: Will Not Up WoW's Free Trial


World of Warcraft may still be at the top of the game, but if the past few years are any indication, it is a title that may be lost in the foreseeable future. Since it hit its peak just a couple of years ago, World of Warcraft has seen a substantial loss of players, down to the current level of approximately nine million. Still, this figure doesn’t appear to have frightened the top brass at Blizzard Entertainment.

In an interview with Gamasutra, Blizzard stated that the developer has no plans to increase the current free to play limit. Producer John Lagrave commented that there are special parts of the game that he would rather reserve for paying customers.

“We looked at whether Level 20 would give you a good sense of what our game is, and we think it does. We’ve definitely slid some of the pay-for features into the first 20 Levels,”

Sorry, gamers who for one reason or another are still holding out.

Blizzard: Will Not Up WoW’s Free Trial


World of Warcraft may still be at the top of the game, but if the past few years are any indication, it is a title that may be lost in the foreseeable future. Since it hit its peak just a couple of years ago, World of Warcraft has seen a substantial loss of players, down to the current level of approximately nine million. Still, this figure doesn’t appear to have frightened the top brass at Blizzard Entertainment.

In an interview with Gamasutra, Blizzard stated that the developer has no plans to increase the current free to play limit. Producer John Lagrave commented that there are special parts of the game that he would rather reserve for paying customers.

“We looked at whether Level 20 would give you a good sense of what our game is, and we think it does. We’ve definitely slid some of the pay-for features into the first 20 Levels,”

Sorry, gamers who for one reason or another are still holding out.

International Sanctions Shut Down World of Warcraft in Iran


Iranian gamers may be waking up to find that access to a number of games will be going away in the coming weeks. According to the BBC, while the Iran government would like you to believe that the games are being banned as “western propaganda” used to “poison the minds of the youth population in Iran,” the real culprit appears to be international sanctions against the country. While many publishers already have no intention of releasing their games in Iran, this does mean that gamers in Iran will find their IP addresses blocked from accessing previously available services.

Blizzard responded to recent comments of Battle.net being blocked in Iran with the following:

We can’t speak to reports surrounding the Iranian government restricting games from its citizens. What we do know is that United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran. We’ve recently tightened up our procedures to ensure compliance with those laws, which means we must restrict access to our games by players in those nations.

Iranian youth may want to consider a proxy if they intend on continuing to poison their minds with western propaganda.

(Source: BBC)

And the Golden Joysticks Nominees Are…


Another year, another Golden Joystick award. Every year I bring up the nominees, and since MMO Fallout is all about MMOs (and gratuitous food analogies), I tend to focus on just the one category. Last year the Best MMO category housed six titles. This year, the list has been expanded to a whopping nine. Luckily for the contestants, the winning won’t entirely be a one-sided race, with titles like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 absent thanks to release timing. Nominated this year are: Eve Online, League of Legends, Lord of the Rings Online, Rift, RuneScape, Star Wars: The Old Republic, TERA, The Secret World, and World of Tanks. 

Our house favorite Tribes: Ascend has been nominated for Best Shooter, with Age of Empires Online vying for the position as Best Strategy. Diablo III (as if it needs any help) is looking for the trophy of Best RPG, while The Elder Scrolls Online is up for One to Watch. Finally, Diablo III and Star Wars: The Old Republic are up for Ultimate Game of the Year.

Best of luck to the nominees and I will see you when the winners are chosen.

(Source: Golden Joystick)

Everquest II's Goblin Games Seems Inspired By Squeal of Fortune


I have to imagine that somewhere out there, at least one person has stopped playing RuneScape because of Squeal of Fortune, and wound up playing Everquest II instead. The odds are low, incredibly so, but with time my mind seems to think that such a person must be, and gee, will this news stink. For the uninformed, Squeal of Fortune is a cash shop game on RuneScape where players receive spins either through in-game activities, purchased through the store, or daily as an allowance. The mini-game is hosted by a goblin and has the chance of winning gold, resources, and equipment.

Today, Everquest II revealed the latest update: The goblin games. In this mini-game, players are issued tickets on a monthly basis, depending on their membership status, with the option to purchase more on the cash shop. Those tickets can be used to play one of several mini-games, each of which ultimately ends up in the player receiving a loot box that offers a random item from the list.

So what are the differences? In RuneScape, spin tickets are given on a daily basis while in Everquest II free tickets are offered monthly. Both games offer one ticket to free players and three to members (in RuneScape it is normally two, three for the summer event). In RuneScape, spins cost approximately $5 per ten tickets ($.50 per ticket) with bonuses for higher quantities, while in Everquest they cost $1 per ticket with no option to purchase in bulk.

Maybe I’m just reading too far into this.

Everquest II’s Goblin Games Seems Inspired By Squeal of Fortune


I have to imagine that somewhere out there, at least one person has stopped playing RuneScape because of Squeal of Fortune, and wound up playing Everquest II instead. The odds are low, incredibly so, but with time my mind seems to think that such a person must be, and gee, will this news stink. For the uninformed, Squeal of Fortune is a cash shop game on RuneScape where players receive spins either through in-game activities, purchased through the store, or daily as an allowance. The mini-game is hosted by a goblin and has the chance of winning gold, resources, and equipment.

Today, Everquest II revealed the latest update: The goblin games. In this mini-game, players are issued tickets on a monthly basis, depending on their membership status, with the option to purchase more on the cash shop. Those tickets can be used to play one of several mini-games, each of which ultimately ends up in the player receiving a loot box that offers a random item from the list.

So what are the differences? In RuneScape, spin tickets are given on a daily basis while in Everquest II free tickets are offered monthly. Both games offer one ticket to free players and three to members (in RuneScape it is normally two, three for the summer event). In RuneScape, spins cost approximately $5 per ten tickets ($.50 per ticket) with bonuses for higher quantities, while in Everquest they cost $1 per ticket with no option to purchase in bulk.

Maybe I’m just reading too far into this.

Ultima Online Producer: Support Ultima For Ultima 2


It’s easy to forget sometimes that Ultima Online is still with us. After all, the game enjoys a healthy but quiet community, and the idea that Ultima Online 2 could be a reality was mostly given up on some time ago. Still, the reveal of Ultima Forever, the remake of Ultima 4 as a free to play game, has some fans worried about the future of the ancient MMO they love. In order to quell these thoughts, Jeff Skalski has posted a Letter From The Producer on the Ultima Herald. In the letter, he assures players that Ultima Online will remain stead in its tracks, and that neither Ultima Online or Ultima Forever have had an affect on the development of each other.

Finally, Skalski made a point of Ultima Online 2:

Lastly, for those interested in seeing a UO2.  No surprise announcements on that today, but what I will say by everyone continuing to support UO and Ultima Forever this is the kind of ammunition I need to convince the high level execs that the market is ready for more Ultima.

So fans of the much anticipated and oft-cancelled sequel can take solace in knowing that they aren’t they only ones who would like to see the franchise continue. If you want to see an Ultima Online 2, I suggest making your desires known to the executives at Electronic Arts.

(Source: Ultima Online)

World of Warcraft Mobile App Now Free For All


Good news, World of Warcrafters, your game just became a little bit freer. As a convenience service, Blizzard launched the World of Warcraft remote. This service allows players to connect to the auction house remotely, chat with their guild, review prices, and bid on items even if their character is not at an auction house. Up until now, this service cost about $3 a month on top of your regular Warcraft subscription. As announced today, Blizzard has made all of the features of WoW Remote available for free.

Starting today, all of the features that were previously part of the optional World of Warcraft Remote subscription service are now available for free to all World of Warcraft subscribers.

Players who had already been paying for WoW Remote have received a thank you note, as well as 7 free days of game time and a non-combat pet.

(Source: World of Warcraft)

Mortal Online Q2 2012: Sales Down, Profit Up Slightly


It is the end of August, and that means financial records aplenty. Star Vault has released their second quarter finances for 2012, and the results are mixed. The number of monthly payments during the second quarter decreased compared to the previous report, as well as the sale of licenses. In the release, Star Vault notes that the launch of the expansion Awakening aims to make Mortal Online appeal to a wider audience, and there is something for players to do constantly, even if they are not interested in conflict.

The launch of Awakening has also lead to the reactivation of accounts and an increase in sale of new licenses, according to Henrik. Star Vault now expects to break even at some point in September/October.

Bank of RuneScape: Coming Soon


Let me just say: MMO Fallout’s tagline for the past three years has been “cautious optimism.” The image above was leaked on RuneScape’s website for approximately fifteen minutes today, and it has set the community on fire. Understandably so, because as of late Jagex has used similar update teasers that lead into Squeal of Fortune and Solomon’s Shop updates. So the Bank of RuneScape could very well be yet another update to Jagex’s cash shop endeavor, we won’t know possibly until next week. It could just be an overhaul to the bank system, or some new quest or mini-game.

I would like to point out that the authenticity of this image is in question, for now at least. The link results in a 404 error, and because I wasn’t able to personally see it on the main website, I am treating it with a grain of salt.

Unless this does turn out to be real, in which case you all know the drill.