Author: Admin

Vanguard Free To Play Matrix Revealed


After a long hiatus of development, Sony Online Entertainment’s MMO Vanguard finally goes live this year. So what can free players expect to find when they log in? Today, SOE released the usual Free to Play Matrix, detailing exactly what will be available when the game makes its transition. Players can expect limited access to races, classes, character slots, and more. Additionally, free players do not have access to the housing system and limited access to the broker.

Unlike SOE’s other titles, Vanguard does not offer the “premium”  or middle-ground level of membership obtained for a single transaction. Generally other Sony MMOs offer a less restricted membership for returning subscribers or for a one time fee in the cash shop.

Vanguard Free to Play comes this summer.

(Source: Vanguard)

Sony Buys Gaikai For $380 Million


Gaikai is a revolutionary streaming service that allows players to demo popular games over their browser, without the wait or bandwidth of downloading the increasingly growing games. Currently demos are very limited both in time and size, with most games only offering a few levels and up to an hour of gameplay.

Games Industry is reporting that Sony has acquired Gaikai to the tune of $380 million. Sony Computer Entertainment President Andrew House had the following to say:

“By combining Gaikai’s resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE’s extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences,”

There are numerous competing developers currently using Gaikai’s services to stream their games. What does this mean for competing products on Gaikai? Only time will tell.

(Source: Gamesindustry.biz)

MMO Fallout Readers Respond: Who Should Publish Warhammer 40k?


Not that it matters anymore as Dark Millennium Online is no longer being made as an MMO, but back in February I published a poll asking who should publish the Warhammer 40k MMO as developer THQ was having difficulty finding one. The results were close, but more than a quarter of users chose Activision as the publisher. In a close second, Trion, followed by EA and NCSoft, then Sony Online Entertainment and Perfect World.

In other news, if you are one of the 53% who said that they saw TERA releasing in North America in “never,” you are wrong. The 27% who predicted 2012 can pat themselves on the back. In further MMO Fallout poll news, Guild Wars 2 was voted the most anticipated game of 2012 (no surprises there).

Raptr Rewards: Claim Mists of Pandaria Beta Keys


*Note: Since I’ve received numerous comments in regard to this and the other Raptr articles, I would like to point out that this is not a sponsored article. MMO Fallout does not accept offers for sponsored articles.*

We here at MMO Fallout love Raptr. If you haven’t heard of it, Raptr is a service similar to Xfire which tracks your games, achievements, time played, and more. As you play games and earn achievements, you rank up in comparison to your fellow gamers, and this is where Raptr leads the pack: Every so often, Raptr offers some great rewards for the simple act of ranking up. These range from in-game items to full games, and coupons to buy games. On the downside, the promotions are quantity and time limited, so you’ll need to be fast to earn them.

The latest deal to hit Raptr soon is a promotion for World of Warcraft. Starting later this week, players who are ranked “Experienced” (top 60%) or above in World of Warcraft will be able to claim a Mists of Pandaria beta key. There are only five thousand keys to be claimed, and they are guaranteed to be gone within just a few hours of the promotion starting.

On another fine note, this giveaway is available in all regions except for China and Korea. Sorry! Beta keys are redeemed through Battle.net.

MMO Fallout will be showcasing more Raptr rewards as they appear.

(Source: Raptr.com)

Funcom Carrying On The Torch, New Lego MMO


Developing an MMO for kids is a tough endeavor. On one hand, there are commercial failures like Lego Universe and Cartoon Network’s Fusion Fall who were unable to bring in enough paying customers and either shut down or went completely free to play respectively. On the other hand, you have major successes like Wizard 101, Roblox, Clone Wars Adventures, and Free Realms that manage to bring in a great deal of cash each month, one or two of them on forced subscriptions.

Funcom announced in a press email today that the developer is moving full steam ahead with their next MMO, based on the minifigures of Lego. Where Lego Universe was a traditional MMO with building aspects, Funcom’s Lego MMO prides itself on accessibility, and bringing a “broad and enhanced experience.”

Almost nothing is known about Funcom’s Lego MMO. MMO Falloug will continue reporting any new information we find.

(Source: Press email)

Is FFXI Going To Start Phasing Out The PS2? No Expansion Outside Japan


The recent announcement of a new boxed expansions for Final Fantasy XI brought a swell of joy from the aging MMO’s community. Except for the Playstation 2 community, because earlier today Square Enix clarified on the announcement to point out that Seekers of Adoulin will not be releasing on the Playstation 2 outside of Japan, hence the ominous absence of the PS2 on the trailer we posted.

Is Square Enix greasing the wheels to start phasing out support for the Playstation 2? It is absolutely possible, as Sony Online Entertainment did with Everquest Online Adventures earlier this year. It is absolutely possible, considering the ripe old age of the Playstation. The full statement is below:

“I’d like to take a moment to clarify which platform Seekers of Adoulin will be available on for those that have been asking. We will continue to support North American FINAL FANTASY XI players on the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and PC (Windows) platforms. However, FINAL FANTASY XI: Seekers of Adoulin will only be available on the Xbox 360 and Windows platforms in North America when it is released in 2013.”

TERA Introducing Chronoscrolls


What are Chronoscrolls, I can hear you asking. In Eve Online, CCP allows players to buy Pilot License Extensions, or PLEX, which act as one subscription. These are physical items that are traded in-game, making it possible for another player to play Eve completely free as long as they are able to generate enough income to buy PLEX off of other players, while the player selling the PLEX is technically buying gold but in a safe environment, and of course CCP gets paid all the same.

Chronoscrolls are essentially the same thing. On June 28th, players will be able to buy and trade Chronoscrolls through the game’s market. They cost $14.99 (naturally) and are available to purchase on the EME store. You cannot trade directly with another player, destroy them, put them in your bank, or sell them to a vendor. They can only be traded through the broker house.

Chronoscrolls represent a potentially large increase in revenue for En Masse Entertainment as long as a lot of players are buying them.

(Source: TERA Website)

Buy $20 Mercenary Pack, Get DUST 514 Beta Access


Earlier this year, CCP announced that the initial cover charge for DUST 514 would be removed in favor of simply making the game free with a cash shop. Now, if you are like me and bought a $20 Playstation Network card in advance, you are not entirely out of luck. In a CCP press release today, the company has announced the release of a $19.99 Mercenary Pack.

The pack contains a number of goodies: guns, grenades, xp boosters, etc, but what it also includes is guaranteed beta access to DUST 514. While regular key holders will only be able to play during beta weekends, Mercenary Pack holders will have more opportunities to get in and start shooting.

The Mercenary Pack is $20 on the Playstation Store.

(Source: Massively)

Falling Out #10: True Story


I often receive advertising offers from gold farming websites. Yes, because nothing says a website worth working with to a developer than advertising for criminals.

Squeal of Fortune Isn't Pay To Win, But It Is A Waste Of Money


Back in April, Jagex started selling spins for Squeal of Fortune, igniting a heavy discussion on the company’s changing position on microtransactions and real world trading. After all, Jagex has lead us to believe for years that buying an advantage is the most evil thing a person could do, next to punching an orphan with one hand while drowning his puppy with the other. How much does Jagex hate real world trading? Enough to neuter the game for years at the expense of their subscriber numbers and the good will of their community. So far Jagex’s response to criticism has been to change the rules to allow Squeal of Fortune.

Now that Squeal of Fortune has been out for a few months and players have so graciously invested their own money for the sake of science, we can finally get a consensus on whether or not the mini-game does indeed offer an advantage. And the answer is absolutely not. Through many thousands thrown at Jagex, the general consensus that I have seen is that Squeal of Fortune does indeed offer a good amount of gold and experience, at incredibly expensive prices. Compared to gold farmer prices, the equivalent at $200 in spins offering just a couple million gold and a few hundred thousand experience is worth maybe $10.

It would be unfair to compare Squeal of Fortune to a pay to win model. A pay to win model would offer an advantage, like flying a plane because it is faster and often more cost effective than driving. Using Squeal of Fortune to replace playing the game is more like making the same trip by hand-pulled cart. A longer, less comfortable trip that will take far more time and cost more than any sane person should pay.

You’re going to need deep pockets if you want Squeal of Fortune to take you anywhere, to the point where your money could be better spent on upgrading your computer several times a month. Or at the casino.