Author: Admin

Waiting Official Announcement: Rift Server Mergers


The moment many dedicated trolls have been waiting for since Rift launched last year has finally arrived. According to Rift Junkies, players are being greeted in-game with a new Message of the Day detailing upcoming server mergers. According to the MotD, the last day to move yourself to a new server will be January 18th, when those servers will be marked “trial servers” and character creation will be locked. Otherwise, the Rift server transfer is still in effect, and players can choose to move to whatever server they please.

Last year I pointed out that Rift was performing a soft shut down of servers by calling them trial servers and suggesting that players move off of them. There has been no announcement by Trion on the forums or website, outside of the in-game MotD. The servers will be merged as follows, according to information gathered by Rift Junkies:

Transferring Shard: –> Receiving Shard:
PVE
Belmont –> Millrush
Galena –> Millrush
Atrophinius –> Greenscale
Crucia –> Greenscale
Alsbeth –> Shatterbone
PVE – RP
Estrael –> Faeblight
Shadefallen –> Faeblight
PVP
Sunrest(PVP-RP) –> Deepstrike
Freeholme –> Deepstrike
Dayblind –> Deepstrike
Faemist –> Briarcliff

Jagex: Profits And Investors, Not Doing A Crap Job


RuneScape’s roots go back ten years, to 2001 where the game was a simple at home project by Andrew Gower. With the Gowers now mostly absent (they resigned from the Board of Directors in December 2010), the torch has been passed to Mark Gerhard to keep the developer moving in its upward trend. Granted, Jagex has multiple MMOs in production (Stellar Dawn and Transformers Online, to name just the two slated for release this year), so the rise in revenue but dip in profits reported for 2010-2011 was to be expected at some extent.

But fret not, investors and gamers. To the former, Jagex isn’t some cheap floozy willing to take just anyone’s money. In an interview with Games Industry, Mark Gerhard wants to set the record straight that Jagex dates very, very selectively.

Nothing has changed as far as the company goes. It’s the same management team, we’ve obviously been at the helm for quite some time and to the best of our knowledge and expectation it will continue to be so. Sure we therefore have some American shareholders, but the management and the culture and the ethos and everything else is the same people, in the same hands, and staunchly British.

Gerhard attributes the dip in profits to Jagex investing more in the company instead of paying dividends, a move which apparently began around the time Insight Ventures attained 55% ownership in Jagex (end of 2010). He also paints a picture that, regardless of the shift in majority ownership, nothing has changed at Jagex since Insight Ventures took the majority vote.

Jagex has quite an interesting year ahead of it, what with continued investment in RuneScape, the recent launch of their HTML-based game 8Realms, and the upcoming launches of Transformers Online and Stellar Dawn.

(Source: Gamesindustry.biz) You’ll need to be registered to view the article.

Get Age of Empires Online: Skirmish Mode While It Is Free


Age of Empires Online has always had one major downside: You had to do some major grinding in order to unlock all of the units in the game’s standard leveling mode. What ever happened to a fun skirmish in Age of Empires with everything available? Well the team over at Gas Powered Games has heard your pleas, and has introduced the Skirmish booster pack, allowing for just what the doctor ordered: Massive battles without the need to grind out your units.

The pack is free, but only for a limited time. You’ll still need to go through the process of buying it from Games for Windows marketplace, however.

Falling Out #3: Don’t Wake The DPS


Some people take the game too seriously.

Special thanks to Ryker from the Spriter’s Resource message board for the enlarged Final Fantasy sprites. Tune in for new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Falling Out #3: Don't Wake The DPS


Some people take the game too seriously.

Special thanks to Ryker from the Spriter’s Resource message board for the enlarged Final Fantasy sprites. Tune in for new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The Second Month Of The Old Republic Approacheth.


Bioware early adopters, have you made your plans for the upcoming 20th of January? Odds are you are in the process of deciding whether or not you want to continue that Old Republic subscription past the first month. Was it as good for you as it was for them? Do you see yourself playing a few weeks down the line? There aren’t really any MMOs releasing in February, but is there a title you gave up calling your name? Perhaps you want to give the game a break, or maybe you’re enjoying it and haven’t even thought about quitting.

Either way, December 20th is when the PR boat hits the water (or the dock) and the legacy that will be Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals itself. Remember the prime directive of MMO launches: Longevity is not made in preorders, but rather in the first six months and beyond. Granted, we know enough to say with confidence that Bioware isn’t going to go bankrupt, and there likely won’t be an apocalypse next month so there is another scenario to cross off the list.

Barring some massive exodus, there is still some time left before The Old Republic’s viability can be confirmed. Electronic Arts has invested too much into this title to just let it die off.

DC Universe Introduces Crafting!


I love combat as much as the next person, but any MMO needs things to do in the off time between snapping Batman’s spine or turning The Joker into kebabs with your mighty blades of glory. So crafting in DC Universe has been a long time coming, oft talked about but not in much detail since the game launched last year. The update, going live today, allows players to gather blue prints and materials throughout the world, and use them to create new equipment mods and consumables.

(Source: DC Universe)

CrimeCraft Is Ridiculous #1: Bleedout


I told you I would one day start producing videos. The first MMO Fallout MMO video is for CrimeCraft, and it’s a doozy. I’ll let video me explain what the video is all about.

John Smedley’s Twitter: Everquest II Free To Play Statistics


John Smedley strikes me as a guy who likes to display his company’s achievements. After all, who can blame him? Sony Online Entertainment has one of the most dedicated group of jaded gamers than any other company, so the opportunity to throw your achievements in their face is one that should be taken at any opportunity. Everquest II went fully free to play in December, and John Smedley is ready to give some figures. Through Twitter!

We are seeing some amazing growth in EQ2. 40% increase in daily logins since going f2p. 300% increase in new players. And 200% increase in Item sales. Plus we have added a lot of new subs. All during the time that some really good competition hit the market.

The only thing this announcement is missing is Neil Patrick Harris.

John Smedley's Twitter: Everquest II Free To Play Statistics


John Smedley strikes me as a guy who likes to display his company’s achievements. After all, who can blame him? Sony Online Entertainment has one of the most dedicated group of jaded gamers than any other company, so the opportunity to throw your achievements in their face is one that should be taken at any opportunity. Everquest II went fully free to play in December, and John Smedley is ready to give some figures. Through Twitter!

We are seeing some amazing growth in EQ2. 40% increase in daily logins since going f2p. 300% increase in new players. And 200% increase in Item sales. Plus we have added a lot of new subs. All during the time that some really good competition hit the market.

The only thing this announcement is missing is Neil Patrick Harris.