Author: Admin

Bethesda/Zenimax: What Is Going On Over There?


It is likely not Fallout

Zenimax Media is just one of the Area 51’s of the MMO world. Zenimax owns Bethesda, id Software, and several other studios. The studio has since become the MMO branch of Bethesda, and according to past rumors has been working on an upcoming title since at least 2007. Rumors had it that the MMO was going to be the oft-rumored Fallout MMO that Interplay had started but never gave information on.

In court documents recently discovered during the Bethesda Interplay lawsuit, details have come forward related to this secret MMO that Zenimax has been working on. Bethesda has funneled tens of millions of dollars into this project, that has been under development since 2006 (So the rumors were not far off). A team of approximately one hundred people are working on the game, and according to VG247, should have been announced last year.

In the legal documents, Bethesda has described the title as a “World of Warcraft” style MMO, and may be set 200 years after Oblivion (as revealed by the Elder Scrolls novel, that accidentally leaked the next game in the series). It is not currently clear what Bethesda means by a WoW-like MMO, in the creative sense or the mechanic sense (It’s an MMO).

So what does VG247’s source say about this MMO? It is based on the Elder Scrolls series. Even better, the title was supposed to be announced late 2009, but the announcement was somehow missed, potentially relating to the lawsuit between Bethesda and Interplay. VG247 appears to be very confident in their source.

There does seem to be some legitimacy in the claims, as Bethesda has reportedly moved to have any revealing legal documents censored to the public domain, even though the old analogy fits of closing the fence door once the horses have escaped. It is possible but unlikely that Zenimax is working on a Fallout MMO in expectation that Interplay will lose the lawsuit, and for all intense and purpose, they do know a lot more than we do as to how well the court case is going.

More on Bethesda’s MMO as it becomes apparent, and more on Fallout (The MMO) as it appears as well.

Jagex Dips Into Microtransactions…


Play War of Legends, free forever my lord!

Perhaps I shouldn’t have made the connection between Jagex and Evony several months ago, because I don’t think I’ll be able to play Jagex’s latest title to go into open beta, War of Legends, without thinking of microtransactions, gold farming companies, and breasts. War of Legends plays out much like Evony, and similar titles. Players start a city, they become more powerful, and they branch out into other areas of the world. Eventually player vs player combat is allowed and players can ransack each other’s cities, and build new cities, and trade, and pay for everything out the tooth with microtransactions.

War of Legends also happens to be Jagex’s first take on microtransactions in the form of Jcredits (The J presumably standing for Jagex), a move the company displayed interest in several years ago, but noted that doing so in Runescape would not be beneficial to the game’s economy. War of Legends does, of course, set up the possibility for future titles (IE: Stellar Dawn) to incorporate some form of payment system similar to this, however no word from Jagex has arrived.

And before the inevitable comparisons start, yes War of Legends looks suspiciously like Evony, minus being developed by a gold farming company, and advertising with breasts. Micro-payments are nothing new, and Jagex is just one of the many companies to dive into it this year, including Blizzard who many thought would never “sink so low” (their words, not mine.)

On second thought...

Why Not MMOFallout? Nodiatis


"Fluid and strategic combat."

Those of you who follow MMO Fallout know I like to go off of the paved path every now and then and have a little fun. I noticed the following advertisement for Nodiatis, a free to play browser based MMO. Being the kind of person who clicks on every ad I see, I naturally signed up for the game and started playing. What I found was quite an enjoyable game, but I’m not here to advertise for the game.

Of course I am kidding. What I noticed, however, is that the company used the community’s own spots for its advertising. The SomethingAwful forums and one of their very own players. Naturally, my first thought went to “why not an MMO Fallout spot?” I think we can make this work and who knows? Maybe you’ll see that MMO Fallout name while browsing through Wikia pages. This calls for some short, spiffy one liners.

Nodiatis stands out among its peers. Featuring fluid and strategic combat. 26 unique and engaging classes. Cheaters beware, your days are numbered.

All jokes aside, this is an enjoyable game, with a community small enough that cheaters can be named and shamed individually when they are banned. The game is regularly updated, with fixes and new content, and the developers are engaged with the community, and even reward people who successfully report bugs.

I actually did some more research on the title and found that they have an option to make your character a full murderer, allowing you to attack and kill players and steal their item at any time, with a limit: If you die, there is no resurrection. Want to play that way? You’d better bring all of your cards to the table. Although it did give me a final spot, one I hope Glitchless LLC has the humor to choose if they do go along with my master plan:

“More cajones than any other MMO.”
-Omali, MMO Fallout

And you can quote me on that.

Hello Kitty Online: No, THIS Is How You Charity


Gustav says: I may be an undead ex-hero turned villain, but even I donate some of the money I steal to charity.

Hello Kitty Online has a proposition: How would you like to donate money to charity by playing video games, and by video games I mean Hello Kitty Online? If you answered yes, then do I have the deal for you!

In Hello Kitty Online, a special drive is going up next week in the form of a guild game, called Food for Friends 2. Players needs to go to HKO’s version of London, and speak to an NPC named Cinnamaroll, who is collecting consumable items for charity. Players have to be in a guild for this event, and the more they donate, the more points their guild generates. The points are converted to donations that will be paid for by the sponsors of the event, and the players who donate consumables will also be able to receive points for the item mall.

You can find the announcement here, and this donation drive is perfect for people who have a couple extra hours next week, but don’t necessarily have extra cash to donate. Is helping disaster relief worth playing Hello Kitty Online? Do I really have to ask that?

Hellgate London: It’s Coming Back


People often ask me, Omali, why haven’t you done a “what happened” for Hellgate: London? The answer is simple: The game never died. Despite shutting down in Western areas, Hellgate London has continued to thrive in the Asian markets. Although the new publisher Hanbitsoft has given distinct interest in opening the game back up in Western markets, they have been impeded by Namco-Bandai, who still owned the rights to publish the software on this side of the hemisphere.

“We are pleased to participate in the revitalization of Hellgate through this agreement and are deeply gratified to allow HanbitSoft to take the lead on this franchise and bring this game to the people who seek it”
-Namco-Bandai

Sure it translates to “we had no plans to do anything with this franchise so we got some money off of it,” on Namco’s part, but who cares? Hellgate: London is coming back! Technically the first true resurrection in MMO history, in the same sense of having your arm reattached years after it was lopped off for financial reasons, plans are set to go in motion later this year to bring Hellgate back to the North American and European markets.

Looks like we will be seeing Hellgate: Tokyo and any other planned expansions after all. And that means, Hellgate: London? Back in the list of games you go! Hopefully Hanbitsoft will be willing to run the title somewhere other than directly into the ground (I’m looking at you, Flagship Studios)

Hellgate London: It's Coming Back


People often ask me, Omali, why haven’t you done a “what happened” for Hellgate: London? The answer is simple: The game never died. Despite shutting down in Western areas, Hellgate London has continued to thrive in the Asian markets. Although the new publisher Hanbitsoft has given distinct interest in opening the game back up in Western markets, they have been impeded by Namco-Bandai, who still owned the rights to publish the software on this side of the hemisphere.

“We are pleased to participate in the revitalization of Hellgate through this agreement and are deeply gratified to allow HanbitSoft to take the lead on this franchise and bring this game to the people who seek it”
-Namco-Bandai

Sure it translates to “we had no plans to do anything with this franchise so we got some money off of it,” on Namco’s part, but who cares? Hellgate: London is coming back! Technically the first true resurrection in MMO history, in the same sense of having your arm reattached years after it was lopped off for financial reasons, plans are set to go in motion later this year to bring Hellgate back to the North American and European markets.

Looks like we will be seeing Hellgate: Tokyo and any other planned expansions after all. And that means, Hellgate: London? Back in the list of games you go! Hopefully Hanbitsoft will be willing to run the title somewhere other than directly into the ground (I’m looking at you, Flagship Studios)

Rules: Why Do They Need To Be Repeated?


Shouldn't need to be said.

While logging into Lord of the Rings Online several days ago, I noticed the above warning on the main page. Turbine is banning anyone who exploits a bug with the skirmish system, without warning (no slap on the wrist) or appeal. They can tell who is doing it, and are watching for those who attempt to slip by.

This, alongside other examples I will get to, continues to make me ask: Why do MMOers need to be constantly reminded not to break the rules? Are we that exploitative, selfish, greedy, or ignorant that we have to be reminded that exploiting the system, cheating in some fashion, or otherwise break the rules is, in fact, against the rules and is punishable? Or does this small minority just have the mindset that they are invincible, that they won’t get caught. To me, this is akin to a police officer who greets with “now you know stealing is against the law, we will arrest you if we catch you doing it,” to everyone walking down the street, because a couple unruly teens in the neighborhood decided to ransack and beat the tar out of one of the older gentleman’s house down the street.

More after the break.

Continue reading “Rules: Why Do They Need To Be Repeated?”

Everquest to nDoors: This is How You Charity


Teddy bears for all!

“On January 12th, 2010, a massive earthquake devastated the island nation of Haiti. In an effort to show support and lend aid, SOE will be offering items priced at 500SC on the Station Marketplace through EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Free Realms.

From January 15th to January 18th at 11:59pm PST, redeem 500 station cash towards the purchase of one of these items and SOE will contribute $10 (up to $25,000) to aid in the relief efforts being sent to Haiti.”

People often ask me, Omali, are you ever going to stop berating South Korean developer nDoors and their game Atlantica Online for exploiting a charity cause, one that coincidentally had record donations to its name this past year, for their own profit after half-lying about the paltry two dollars of the forty dollar item, that actually went to charity? Well that’s an oddly specific question, but the answer can be summed up simply: Not as long as other companies offer me the whip to beat this horse with.

If you play Everquest, you now have the opportunity to redeem 500 station points towards a plush bear, with $10 going towards the relief effort in Haiti. Likewise, Everquest 2 players may buy a 500 station point armor crate, with $10 going towards the relief effort in Haiti. And finally, Free Realms players can buy Zando the Red Trex for, you guessed it, 500 station points, with $10 going towards the relief effort in Haiti.

You have until tomorrow night to purchase any of these items. The items themselves only cost $5, meaning Sony is matching every donation with a donation of their own. Sony joins Popcap, who yesterday held a charity drive where 100% of the day’s sales went to charity.

Everquest: Happy MLK Day, Have Some Bonus EXP


Everquest 2’s latest expansion, Sentinel’s Fate, is right around the corner. Being set in February, the expansion pack is right in the middle of a myriad of holiday events: Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Martin Luther King Junior Day, the whole kibosh. Yes, I said Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On the other side, Everquest players are currently throwing their way through the new zones brought in by Underfoot, the latest expansion.

In order to commemorate the weekend leading up to Monday’s day of celebration of civil rights and those who helped expand them, players will be encased in a magical experience increase that will gift them a bonus 50% of experience throughout the weekend. The bonus has already begun as of thsi writing, and will last until Tuesday, approximately 1pm eastern.

I think that ol’ MLK would be proud to see nerds of all race, creed, and archetype, be they human, elf, dwarf, or even halfling, come together under his name to slay the dragons of Norrath while /pizza’ing until their bellies are nice and full.

More on the not-so-mainstream and questionably exploitative Martin Luther King Junior MMO events as they appear.