Author: Admin

Sorry Grandpa: Everquest Server Merges Coming


Teddy bears for all!

So it’s been a bad month or so for MMO servers. We know that Vanguard is on the verge of server mergers, and that Aion is to shut down several servers, and that Everquest 2 may be getting some servers shut down on the horizon. New word comes from Sony that beginning June 20th, Sony will begin consolidating servers. The result are that Everquest will end up with ten servers, the result of twenty being merged on a two to one basis (two servers merged into one, ten times over). There are four servers that are unaffected.

Characters will receive one free transfer for their characters that will only be valid for seven days after the transfer. Characters will be automatically transferred to the merged-server. If you play Everquest, you will want to read up on the information in the above link, as there are a lot of important notices you will need to take heed to, including what characters/items/banks/etc will be kept and what could be lost.

Inactive accounts with characters under level 10 will be purged from the system

It is not all bad news, however. Sony announced that they will be opening up a new server, which players will have the opportunity to name.

I’ve said that server mergers are not always a bad thing, and for a game as old as Everquest I am certain the population will enjoy the increased number of players in various areas (or not, we all hate overcrowding). If the new server is a regular rules server, then we might see some vested new interest in the title by new players, as the lower level areas will be populated for quite some time by players rolling alts.

More on Everquest as it appears.

Have You Revisited Your Old MMO Today?


We all have those MMOs that we’ve quit for various reasons: Lack of depth, that one annoying feature, lag, abundance of bugs. I, to set an example, recently started playing Fallen Earth again, which I had quit shortly before picking up Aion in late October. What I found was a much improved game, not to mention a whole abundance of features that were not in the title when I stopped playing. I’m looking forward to starting the construction skill, but most notably is the lack of lag. I’m actually disappointed that I dropped Fallen Earth so soon, although my reasoning was because of the intense rubber-banding.

On the other hand, I also started playing the Allods Online beta again, and was immediately reminded of why I quit. Allods is a fun game, but some of the quests I had in my journal made me want to set my computer on fire. Not to mention the fact that I quit Allods mainly for the same reason I quit World of Warcraft; because the game just got boring. The cinematic effects die off quickly after the tutorial, and the prospects of systems similar to, if not even more strict, than the Fear of Death mechanic or armor cursing make me hesitant to put any investment into the title.

So have you given your old MMO a chance? And what was the result?

More Free Time! Xsyon Pushed Back To August 15th


Word to your delays...

I’ve been playing Xsyon pretty much since the beta went live, and by playing of course I mean doing as much as I can to get the servers to crash and functions to break. Don’t worry, that’s what the developers want. So far, not much is implemented in Xsyon, as Notorious Games does their best to work on server stability and other bug fixes. Following the modular approach many people saw in Mortal Online, Xsyon hopes to implement each feature on a feature-by-feature basis.

Now for some bad news: Xsyon has been pushed back from the original prelude launch (this month) to August 15th.

The trolls are out in force, of course, scrambling to already call Xsyon a failure, despite many of them likely just hearing about it for the first time. Those of us with, as Derek Smart would put it, “two working braincells” would know that delays, and often large delays, at indie MMO studios are expected when a small team is working on something that arguably a large team should be.

More on Xsyon as it appears.

World of Evercraft 2: Now With A $25 Mount!


Now I know what you other MMO’ers are thinking right now: World of Warcraft got a mount that generated like a billion dollars for them. Why is it that WoW can pay $25 for a mount, and I can’t?

Well those of you who do not play Everquest 2, you’re out of luck (at least for now). Those who do play Everquest 2, however, can purchase Etheral, Sinister, and Ulteran Prowlers. What does each mount do, you ask? Aside from +65% run speed, each one comes in two version: Fierce and Arcane, each differs as follows:

  • Fierce: +5 slash, +5 aggression, +5 ranged, +5 piercing, +5 crushing
  • Arcane: +5 focus, +5 ordination, +5 disruption, +5 sujbugation, +5 ministration

Sony promises that these mounts will be available at least one month, so our paranoid mount-grabbers should act quickly, assuming this turns out to be a hint that the mounts will not be around forever.

I call dibs on the $250 Allods Online mount.

Aion: Server Merges Off The Port Bow!


If Only...

Aion launched in late September 2009, and by November I had reported that NCSoft’s report that the game had sold nearly one million copies in North America and Europe. Not only that, but very shortly after release NCsoft released a couple more servers to alleviate load. They did this, of course, with very public opposition to the idea. With any MMO, adding servers within the first month is generally a poor decision, as the iconic mass exodus that follows any MMO’s launch in the first few months is bound to alleviate those overpopulation woes.

So it is not too surprising when Aion announces that they are merging servers:

“I don’t relish the idea of mergers, however, once it is complete you should notice improvements in each of the new server economies, an abundance of players to group and run instances with, a number of great Legions to join or people to form new ones with, and a more tightly knit community.When all is said and done, Aion will be a better game because of the server merge. We’re in the planning stages, and will have more information on the timing and execution in the coming weeks.”

Chris Hager is right! Seriously, he is. Server mergers are not always a bad thing, and can do a world of good to the game’s economies and servers, and often even incite people into resubscribing who may have left due to low population on their server, but an unwillingness to transfer and create a new character.

In the recent NCsoft Q1 report, Aion is down in the West, with the conference call noting:

“As for the Aion performance in the Western market, I should have mentioned that the number of active users has declined since the launch of the retail package in September and October last year. But I’m also very confident that at this point EU/US is able to maintain the current level of active users and since we’re expecting the 1.9 update soon, and also 2.0 in the third quarter.”

More on Aion and the server mergers as it appears.

NIDA Online: What Happened


NIDA Online shut down late last night, after approximately eight months in service, so last night I decided to take a plunge into the game and see just why the title fell short of its one year anniversary.

What I found was a game that wasn’t all that terrible, but nothing special. In terms of cookie-cutter MMOs, this cookie was that plate of Christmas cookies you get from relatives and neighbors that eerily look identical. They are home cooked, but have the strong sensation that the person simply unwrapped store bought items, arranged them on a plate, and called them their own.

I created an Artificier, a tech-based character, who did all of his fighting through guns, not unlike my character in Aika Online. My starter pistol was replaced at level ten with a shotgun, and buying ammo was quick and easy (click on a button on the HUD, no need to be in town or at a vendor). At level fifteen, however, I purchased myself a machine gun that tore through enemies like a hail of knives through air.

By the time I logged off for the night (the game shut down at approximately 3am my time), I hit level 20 and felt like I had accomplished absolutely nothing. I had finished a total of five quests, each one having me kill dozens, if not hundreds, of the same two or three mobs for the sake of finding three or five of whatever item they dropped. Sayries, for example, dropped shells that I needed for a level five quest. I leveled from eight to fifteen before I retrieved all five shells, which I turned in to find my next quest? Get three Sayrie shells. These are non-repeatable quests.

I wanted to get the essence of what new players see when coming into the game, and what I found was an uninviting world filled with monsters who, should you partake in the game’s quest system, you will be slaughtering by the hundred until they no longer give you a viable source of exp, only to finish one quest and then be sent right back for the next. It isn’t a test of patience, or tolerance of grind like in most other Asian MMOs, but instead you get to a point while questing where you simply ask yourself “where is the challenge?”

Moving around is a chore, with the WASD system broken, and the point/click system shoddily put together (I had regular moments where clicking yielded no movement). The combat system is a combat system, there isn’t much more to say about it. Nothing special, but nothing horrible about it either.

I’m sure I will be berated for not giving the title more of a chance, but the focus of my play time over the course of the day yesterday was to experience the game as a new player would, and judging by the dearth of posts on the forums pre-shutdown, and the lack of people in-game, I get the feeling I was one of the few remaining who cared to even take a peek.

NIDA Online is a reminder that for all we rag on mainstream Korean MMOs, there is in fact a level of quality that borderlines on comatose, and I for one feel bad that Gamekiss put so much of their own support and funding into a title that the developers obviously couldn’t care less about.

My videos below:

Fun Facts From NCSoft’s Q1 2010 Report


I love earnings reports, more so because I am a huge number crunching nerd, but because it gives us an occasional glimpse into how MMO developers are doing. NCsoft finally got around to filing their Q1 reports, and there is plenty of information to be found, namely in what game is doing better than others.

I often hear complaints about NCsoft pushing North American and European players to the side, and quite frankly they might have good reason. The breakdown of NCsoft’s income paints a picture as to why NA and EU may take a back seat to other regions.

  1. Korea: 65%
  2. Japan: 11%
  3. N. America: 8%
  4. Europe: 7%
  5. Taiwan: 4%

Korea is still NCsoft’s biggest market by far, with NCsoft making almost as much from royalties (the remaining 6%) as they do from N. America or Europe.

As far as game sales themselves go, NCsoft pointed out at the top of the page that Lineage is continuing its growth momentum, which is quite impressive for a game hitting its twelfth birthday this September.

  1. Aion: 71,235
  2. Lineage: 47,507
  3. Lineage 2: 29,662
  4. City of Heroes: 3,348
  5. Others: 3,255
  6. Guild Wars: 2,382

Sales are down 5% from the last quarter, however the trend is continuing upward on a year over year scale. Profits have also increased due to what NCsoft referred to as cost cutting programs to improve efficiency. Arenanet looks like they are in some hot water, as their quarterly sales are down 33% from last quarter, and are plummeting on a year-by-year basis of 47%, making it the lowest operating NCsoft at this point. NCEurope did the worst this quarter with a 50% drop a sales, but is still riding a 180% year on year growth.

A few of the titles are disappointing, yet not all that unsurprising. Guild Wars, considering its age, is getting to the point where most of the people who will purchase it have already purchased it. Not to mention Guild Wars doesn’t exactly have a subscription to ride on for cash. City of Heroes is getting on in its age, although the game and its community are still going very strong. Lineage and Lineage 2 are still big sellers in Korea, no surprises there.

NCsoft is looking at a lot of potential in the next few years, what with their upcoming titles. Aion still appears to be selling strong, although the recent announcement of server mergers…well that’s for another story.

Fun Facts From NCSoft's Q1 2010 Report


I love earnings reports, more so because I am a huge number crunching nerd, but because it gives us an occasional glimpse into how MMO developers are doing. NCsoft finally got around to filing their Q1 reports, and there is plenty of information to be found, namely in what game is doing better than others.

I often hear complaints about NCsoft pushing North American and European players to the side, and quite frankly they might have good reason. The breakdown of NCsoft’s income paints a picture as to why NA and EU may take a back seat to other regions.

  1. Korea: 65%
  2. Japan: 11%
  3. N. America: 8%
  4. Europe: 7%
  5. Taiwan: 4%

Korea is still NCsoft’s biggest market by far, with NCsoft making almost as much from royalties (the remaining 6%) as they do from N. America or Europe.

As far as game sales themselves go, NCsoft pointed out at the top of the page that Lineage is continuing its growth momentum, which is quite impressive for a game hitting its twelfth birthday this September.

  1. Aion: 71,235
  2. Lineage: 47,507
  3. Lineage 2: 29,662
  4. City of Heroes: 3,348
  5. Others: 3,255
  6. Guild Wars: 2,382

Sales are down 5% from the last quarter, however the trend is continuing upward on a year over year scale. Profits have also increased due to what NCsoft referred to as cost cutting programs to improve efficiency. Arenanet looks like they are in some hot water, as their quarterly sales are down 33% from last quarter, and are plummeting on a year-by-year basis of 47%, making it the lowest operating NCsoft at this point. NCEurope did the worst this quarter with a 50% drop a sales, but is still riding a 180% year on year growth.

A few of the titles are disappointing, yet not all that unsurprising. Guild Wars, considering its age, is getting to the point where most of the people who will purchase it have already purchased it. Not to mention Guild Wars doesn’t exactly have a subscription to ride on for cash. City of Heroes is getting on in its age, although the game and its community are still going very strong. Lineage and Lineage 2 are still big sellers in Korea, no surprises there.

NCsoft is looking at a lot of potential in the next few years, what with their upcoming titles. Aion still appears to be selling strong, although the recent announcement of server mergers…well that’s for another story.

True Games Vs Petroglyph: Development Continues


Petroglyph Has Cajones

As I mentioned earlier this week, the Fates (mortals) in Mytheon are having quite a hard time. Not only do they have their original task of attempting to bring down the gods, but now they must take down an even greater foe: The publisher. Citing consistent delays and unreasonable requests for funding, True Games Interactive, a company still in its toddler stage (founded January 2008) and has been publishing Warrior Epic. Now, in my normal fashion, I won’t be bashing Warrior Epic, but I will point out that my trek to the WE forums found that only five out of the sixteen forum categories have had a post in the past week, with six having no posts since April. Apart from that, my only company were forum bots from Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Baidu.

Petroglyph Games, noted defendant and developer, is being accused of not patching the title, and holding the source code hostage. True Games announced that they are moving full steam ahead with the title’s current beta process.

“Mytheon will proceed through Open Beta and launch officially in the near future. We cannot provide more details at this time. Players and fans of Mytheon will not be affected in any way. We are committed to delivering a fun and unique game play experience with the release of Mytheon.”

Best of luck to Mytheon in the future. It’s time to slay some gods!

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online Trailer: D’awww


Hmm...

I’m writing this next sentence not only because it’s true, but because I know at least one hardcore Marvel fan is going to have a stroke after reading it: Who’s a cute little alcoholic? You are, little Tony Stark, yes you are.

The trailer I mentioned earlier this week for Marvel Universe Online, I mean Super Hero Squad Online, has arrived.

What we know of the game so far is that it likely follows the television show closely. The heroes are fighting the villains, both sides searching for the shards of an ancient and powerful sword. Throw in some jokes about Wolverine slicing bread, toasted over The Flame’s fiery body, and Dr. Doom throwing a temper tantrum, and voila! You have something.

And if the medics have arrived and are in need of assistance, you can mention to the gentleman/lady that this is not the Marvel Universe MMO. Whatever it is, expect more news in the coming months.

Super Hero Squad is being developed by Gazillion Entertainment, who you may know from the upcoming Lego Universe, Jumpgate MMO, and the defunct Auto Assault.