Author: Admin

Looking Back, Moving Forward: November 2010


It's funny because it bashes WoW...

Small change in the LBMF structure. Now that November is done, companies are going to have to ramp up work if they’re going to get their game out and hit that 2010 release date. According to the MMORPG.com game list, there are more MMOs apparently slated for release this month than I can care to count.

My biggest disappointment with November was probably that there won’t be a 2011 MMO calendar. The 2010 MMO calendar on my wall, many of the months having various autographs, came out last year to benefit St. Jude Childre’s Research Center, and apparently is not coming back for 2011. I may just buy a Guild Wars 2 calendar, or perhaps just use my Nintendo 2011 calendar I received as part of the Nintendo Club.

The Good:

  • Star Trek Online Free To Play: Sure, Cryptic may be bribing us by saying “play Champions Online free to play and perhaps spend some cash, and maybe we’ll consider throwing you a bone in Star Trek Online,” but who cares? Star Trek Online may be going free to play! Although it will be limited, a free to play transition for Star Trek Online should be just what the game needs to get some big traffic, especially with the changes in response to player gripes, and the introduction of user generated content.
  • K2 Networks Picks Up APB: K2Networks, also known as GamersFirst, picked up the rights to All Points Bulletin and plans on reviving the game early next year, after an extensive patching to make the game suitable for its new free to play environment.
  • PvP In Alganon: Well, technically to have player vs player combat you need more than one player, but we can work on that at a later date. In the November patch, Quest Online added a system for flagging for PvP, as well as dueling. In future patches, Alganon players will see a keep/siege system similar to Warhammer Online, as well as a renown system that players will level up for gear.
  • Pirates of the Burning Sea now Free: Flying Lab Software released the free to play transition to Pirates of the Burning Sea this month.

The Bad:

  • No City? I’m On Break: A company royally breaking their game in a patch is not all too uncommon, in fact I can name at least one game (rhymes with ShroomTape) where such an event occurs every other week. When Mortal Online released a patch that inadvertently removed a city, killing its occupants and creating a gigantic void for players who came anywhere near it, much of the angry response came not because of the glitch itself, but because of the response. The players were told that the missing city could not be replaced for a few days, because the developers were off for the weekend.
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Not Satisfactory: It isn’t often a company comes right out and says “our game isn’t satisfactory,” but Square Enix did with Final Fantasy XIV, and after bad news on the financial grounds, they are committed to keeping their current subscribers (who haven’t paid a dime in subscription fees three months after release) and bringing in new players. To top off this need for players, I found that stores in the US, and possibly other countries, are pulling Final Fantasy XIV from shelves. Target and WalMart are now only selling the title online.
  • Star Gate: No More Resistance: Square Enix isn’t the only group getting a double whammy this month, as Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment announced that they had won the lawsuit against Fresh Start Studios, gaining their assets back for Stargate Worlds. Unfortunately, MGM terminated the agreement with Cheyenne over the Stargate license, meaning for right now the MMO is dead. Later on in November, Fresh Start announced that Stargate Resistance would be shutting down early next year.
  • Aion Million Man March: Later on in November, mmosite reported on a protest in Aion China against the rampant botting in the game. An estimated thirty thousand players appeared to congest cities in a number of servers in protest, shutting down four servers in the process.

The “What’s Happening in December?”:

  • Earth…Something or Other: Earth Eternal shut down back in August after the developers stopped paying the bills, and I think it’s safe to assume that Sparkplay Media’s CEO is now unemployed. We still don’t know who purchased the game, although all signs point to Time Warner, and there is no indication when the game will be brought back online. Guess we’re in for another month of waiting.
  • Anarchy In The Cash Shop: Anarchy Online last month launched the game’s brand new cash shop, offering everything from level packs, stims, and more for a nominal fee. I’ll be watching to see if there are any financial reports gloating on the success of the cash shop, or if its existence is merely pushed to the back as something of an embarrassment.
  • Cataclysm Shakes WoW: Oh look, a mention of World of Warcraft on MMO Fallout! Although the damage to the World of Warcraft has already been done, for the most part, in the Shattering event, Cataclysm launches in just a few days bringing new races, new areas, and generally a whole lot of new to the World of Warcraft.
  • And More!
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/stereoty.h

Everquest II: Cataclysm May Be On Its Way


Cataclysm

John Smedley acknowledges that Everquest II players are not World of Warcraft players, as reflected in moves by Sony Online Entertainment to not jump on the bandwagon by introducing a $25 mount to…To be fair, I’m sure that the Everquest II Prowlers were being developed years before World of Warcraft did it, more likely around a time when Sony was allowing sandbox title Star Wars Galaxies remain unique rather than dramatically shifting gameplay, say, right after a major expansion, overly simplifying the gameplay in order to compete with WoW. That’s just crazy talk.

In an interview with Kotaku, Smedley admitted that it isn’t current Everquest players that Sony is afraid of losing to World of Warcraft, but rather the pool of new MMO players Sony is looking to grab away from Blizzard. Despite what one might think, Smedley apparently has deep respect for Blizzard and their behemoth of an MMO, noting:

“The reason I respect Blizzard so much is that they don’t make massive mistakes,” he said, talking about the risk of making massive changes to a massive game. “They have the goods and they know it. So why not take a risk like that?

Of course, Everquest II isn’t the only MMO looking at a Cataclysm. Maplestory is set to release the Big Bang patch, which is supposed to be a dramatic change to the game’s map and leveling curve. Crimecraft is set to launch Bleedout tomorrow, a PvE storyline system. Of course, more MMOs will follow with their own world shifting events.

More on Everquest II as it appears.

Crimecraft: Of Course There’s A Story!


A long time ago...

I love Crimecraft. Not as much as I should, and certainly not as much as the folks over at Vogster have shown love to me (my last article was featured on Crimecraft’s Twitter) making me feel like a neglectful spouse. One thing Crimecraft has always been somewhat light on is plot, other than the basics of the government has been replaced by gangs and we’re in a post apocalyptic system after a war over limited resources, minus the zombies (for now).

Vogster announced Bleedout, in which they hope to expand upon the storyline. Coming tomorrow, Saturday the 4th at around 4pm Eastern, Vogster is launching episode 1 of an episodic series that will explain the storyline behind the game. Not unlike a television series, each episode releases once a week, free to VIP and premium players, and at a pretty low cost to free players (40 gold bars, or around two dollars). The first episode is free to all players.

There are a few restrictions, if what I understand is correct. First off, you can only complete one episode a week, so if you come in halfway through the season you’ll be on a lag from other players. Of course, Crimecraft is a cash shop system after all, and you’ll be able to buy a fast forward ticket allowing you to skip the seven day limit, although of course you won’t be able to play unreleased episodes (which should be a given, don’t ask me why it was deemed necessary to note).

Here is the trailer for Episode 1. Vogster has hired some major talent for this series, and has even opened a second server in anticipation for the rush of players, and Bleedout looks to be the start of a major investment in the game’s lore. The campaign missions are 100% PvE, as far as we know.

Crimecraft: Of Course There's A Story!


A long time ago...

I love Crimecraft. Not as much as I should, and certainly not as much as the folks over at Vogster have shown love to me (my last article was featured on Crimecraft’s Twitter) making me feel like a neglectful spouse. One thing Crimecraft has always been somewhat light on is plot, other than the basics of the government has been replaced by gangs and we’re in a post apocalyptic system after a war over limited resources, minus the zombies (for now).

Vogster announced Bleedout, in which they hope to expand upon the storyline. Coming tomorrow, Saturday the 4th at around 4pm Eastern, Vogster is launching episode 1 of an episodic series that will explain the storyline behind the game. Not unlike a television series, each episode releases once a week, free to VIP and premium players, and at a pretty low cost to free players (40 gold bars, or around two dollars). The first episode is free to all players.

There are a few restrictions, if what I understand is correct. First off, you can only complete one episode a week, so if you come in halfway through the season you’ll be on a lag from other players. Of course, Crimecraft is a cash shop system after all, and you’ll be able to buy a fast forward ticket allowing you to skip the seven day limit, although of course you won’t be able to play unreleased episodes (which should be a given, don’t ask me why it was deemed necessary to note).

Here is the trailer for Episode 1. Vogster has hired some major talent for this series, and has even opened a second server in anticipation for the rush of players, and Bleedout looks to be the start of a major investment in the game’s lore. The campaign missions are 100% PvE, as far as we know.

Burn The Sea For Free: PotBS Is Now Free To Play


Generally piracy gets you imprisoned by the RIAA...

Legally speaking, Flying Lab is required to give players 30 days notice before making changes to the subscription and payment system for Pirates of the Burning Sea, which they surpassed with flying colors thanks to the presence of some game busting bugs, not to mention the Thanksgiving weekend. After a long wait, players can finally play Pirates of the Burning Sea for free…partially.

As far as content goes, free players are restricted from premium missions, which can be purchased at the shop. Otherwise, the system is pretty traditional. Character slots, dockyard slots, ship storage slots, economy slots, ship insurance, and a few other things must be purchased from the item store. Premium accounts get a bump in the restrictions, and premium is automatically applied to those who subscribed in the past (with good account standing) and those who subscribe for even just a month. Captain’s Club members (the $15 a month crowd), gain full access to the game, with added bonuses of a 20% discount to everything in the cash shop, automatic access to the premium missions, and a 10% bonus to loot, experience, and faction standing.

You can read the differences here: http://www.burningsea.com/page/f2p

If you’ve been holding off playing Pirates of the Burning Sea, now is the best time to get in. You can’t go much lower than free.

Mortal Online: Even If The “Leak” Is True…


This bird will kill you.

Rumors suck, no question about it, especially when you’re in a system where verifiability is absolutely naught. IRC logs can be forged, pictures can be photoshopped, and ex-employees always have a bone to pick with their employers. For this reason, I decided a long time ago that I wouldn’t even humor unsubstantiated claims. If I did, you’d be seeing a lot more articles on how this company or that company is going bankrupt, and Warhammer would have shut down at least thirty times since last year.

There’s an odd sense of gratification that people, some of them journalists, get when a company does badly or (god forbid) goes under. Even when The Matrix Online shut down last year, after four years and countless updates and events, people still called the game a massive failure. There are people who not only believe that behemoths like Sony Online Entertainment or NCsoft will go bankrupt because of an update they didn’t like, they regularly reinforce that they hope it happens. From jaded Star Wars Galaxies fans, to people who were dissatisfied with Mortal Online, to World of Warcraft haters, and everyone in between. You name any MMO on the market, and odds are someone is expressing their volatile rage through claims that the game is shutting down, and the company is going bankrupt.

Of course, even a broken clock is right twice a day, and eventually one of these trolls will become a prophet. Warhammer Online is still online two years after launch, although when the game does one day shut down someone will be there to say “See? I told you it’d shut down but no one believed me,” and even more to stand there and talk about how Mythic deserved it for one reason or another. Forget the fact that the doomsayers have been calling death for years, yet always being wrong, the one time they happen to be right and suddenly their insider information is legit.

Over at the Mortal Online troll community (located on the Mortal Online section of the mmorpg.com forums), the tribesmen have been worshiping a supposedly leaked IRC log where a Star Vault employee claims that Mortal Online will shut down next month, likely leapfrogging the latest troll fodder that Star Vault is in the red, money-wise. If the rumor is true, however, it won’t spell the complete death of Mortal Online, as according to the text log the game will be rebuilt ala All Points Bulletin and rereleased, possibly under a new engine.

But this isn’t about whether Mortal Online will be with us in January, because even if Star Vault were to say tomorrow that they were shutting down, it wouldn’t make this report any more credible. Something leaks every other month on Mortal Online shutting down, and to give credit to this one because happened to hit the mark would just offer validation to those who should not be validated.

So those of you currently playing Mortal Online and enjoying it, keep doing what you do. To those of you looking to buy the game, wait a month if it makes you feel better. I don’t pretend to be an expert prophet on which MMOs are going to live or die, but as to the claims that Mortal Online will shut down next month: I’m going to say no.

Mortal Online: Even If The "Leak" Is True…


This bird will kill you.

Rumors suck, no question about it, especially when you’re in a system where verifiability is absolutely naught. IRC logs can be forged, pictures can be photoshopped, and ex-employees always have a bone to pick with their employers. For this reason, I decided a long time ago that I wouldn’t even humor unsubstantiated claims. If I did, you’d be seeing a lot more articles on how this company or that company is going bankrupt, and Warhammer would have shut down at least thirty times since last year.

There’s an odd sense of gratification that people, some of them journalists, get when a company does badly or (god forbid) goes under. Even when The Matrix Online shut down last year, after four years and countless updates and events, people still called the game a massive failure. There are people who not only believe that behemoths like Sony Online Entertainment or NCsoft will go bankrupt because of an update they didn’t like, they regularly reinforce that they hope it happens. From jaded Star Wars Galaxies fans, to people who were dissatisfied with Mortal Online, to World of Warcraft haters, and everyone in between. You name any MMO on the market, and odds are someone is expressing their volatile rage through claims that the game is shutting down, and the company is going bankrupt.

Of course, even a broken clock is right twice a day, and eventually one of these trolls will become a prophet. Warhammer Online is still online two years after launch, although when the game does one day shut down someone will be there to say “See? I told you it’d shut down but no one believed me,” and even more to stand there and talk about how Mythic deserved it for one reason or another. Forget the fact that the doomsayers have been calling death for years, yet always being wrong, the one time they happen to be right and suddenly their insider information is legit.

Over at the Mortal Online troll community (located on the Mortal Online section of the mmorpg.com forums), the tribesmen have been worshiping a supposedly leaked IRC log where a Star Vault employee claims that Mortal Online will shut down next month, likely leapfrogging the latest troll fodder that Star Vault is in the red, money-wise. If the rumor is true, however, it won’t spell the complete death of Mortal Online, as according to the text log the game will be rebuilt ala All Points Bulletin and rereleased, possibly under a new engine.

But this isn’t about whether Mortal Online will be with us in January, because even if Star Vault were to say tomorrow that they were shutting down, it wouldn’t make this report any more credible. Something leaks every other month on Mortal Online shutting down, and to give credit to this one because happened to hit the mark would just offer validation to those who should not be validated.

So those of you currently playing Mortal Online and enjoying it, keep doing what you do. To those of you looking to buy the game, wait a month if it makes you feel better. I don’t pretend to be an expert prophet on which MMOs are going to live or die, but as to the claims that Mortal Online will shut down next month: I’m going to say no.

Global Agenda 50% Off


It could buy Hi-Rez?

Since launch, Global Agenda has seen a myriad of updates and content releases along with the transition to a free to play title with boosters in the cash shop. Those of you still on the edge for buying Hi-Rez’s game will be happy to hear that the game will be 50% off for the next four days, until November 29th.

Up to the 29th, you can find Global Agenda in the Global Agenda store for 50% off, so $14.99 USD. Meanwhile, those of you who already own the game will be happy to hear that boosters are on sale for 25% off. A ten day booster is now about six bucks, and so on.

More on Global Agenda as it appears.

Eve Online/Final Fantasy XI On Sale On Steam


Play forever...

With November coming to a close, the holiday deals are already beginning. For Steam, Eve Online and Final Fantasy XI: Ultimate Collection are now on sale, for the next 24 hours. As usual, all values are in USD. This sale lasts until Noon EST on November 26th.

The sale has ended.

Eve Online

  • Was $19.99, now $5.00 (75% off)
  • Will not work with existing Eve Online accounts.
  • All current, past, and future expansions are free.
  • Do well enough to play for free by paying for your subscription with in-game cash.

Final Fantasy XI: Ultimate Collection

  • Was $9.99, now $4.99 (50% off)
  • Includes 4 expansions and 3 add-on scenarios.
  • Requires verified VISA/Mastercard in order to subscribe.
  • North American codes do not work on Japanese PlayOnline accounts, and vice versa.

Learning Skills Get The Boot: Eve Online


Free stuff.

Stargate Resistance isn’t the only game to lower their stores. As of today in Eve Online, NPCs will no longer sell orders for the Learning Group, now known as Learning Skills. Why? All learning skills are being deleted, that’s why. Coming on December 14th, all learning skills will be removed from the game, with varying forms of reimbursement. Skillpoints invested in learning skills will be returned, while skill books will be exchanged with the vendor’s price. All new and existing characters will receive an additional 12 base points in each attribute. In addition, the 100% bonus up to 1.6m SP will be removed. Injected learning books will not be reimbursed.

You can read all about it in the latest developer blog, and stay tuned to the blog to find out the second half of December’s Santa patch.

Eve Players like graphs.

More on Eve Online as it appears.