Editorials – Page 132

Microsoft Retires Microsoft Points

Good news, friends on Xbox. If you own an Xbox360, you probably already knew about this update, but Microsoft has officially retired the Microsoft Point. Instead, players will be happy to see that their local currency will be displayed and used when adding to your account coffers and when determining prices of items on the Xbox Live store.

When you initiate a purchase or redeem a Points card or code with your Microsoft account after the next Xbox 360 system update, we’ll add to your account an amount of currency equal to or greater than the Marketplace value of your Microsoft Points, and your Microsoft Points will be retired. The currency we add to your account at the time of the transition will expire on June 1, 2015. However, the currency you purchase and add to your account after the transition will not expire.

One important piece to note is that apparently Microsoft Point cards (not the new cards) will expire one year after redemption, and the website only guarantees that Microsoft points will be redeemable “until further notice.”

Microsoft Points cards and codes that you purchased and redeem after the transition will expire one year from the date the Points are redeemed.

(Source: Xbox Live FAQ)

Listen To Eve’s Most Expensive Ship Blow Up

One time I accidentally broke a piece of equipment at my old job that was worth $200. I got yelled at by my boss. Factor that damage up to eight thousand dollars, and make the item rare to boot, and you’re going to have a very angry person on the other end. In the case of Eve Online, the object in question is a Revenant Supercarrier, a ship worth over $8,000 USD and so rare that only three are believed to exist in the game world. The ship was destroyed when the corporation Habitual Euthanasia took it out to respond to a distress call.

I may be oversimplifying the story, to which I will respond by simplifying it further: Big rare ship went boom. This isn’t the first time an event of this sort has happened in Eve Online and it certainly won’t be the worst, but have you ever sat back and wondered what was going on in the corporation’s chat in the aftermath?

Pretty much what you’d expect. A lot of blame to go around, a lot of strong language, and a lot of finger pointing. Check it out at the Soundcloud file above, if you think you can handle the raw anger. Then head down to the link below and read comments where people debate putting a real money value to ISK.

(Source: Gamebreaker.tv)

Darkfall Introducing Auction House

Auction houses are terrible, at least that’s what the hardcore sandbox community tells me, because it just isn’t a real sale unless you’ve walked a hundred miles uphill through the snow with everyone and their brother attacking you along the way to steal your goods. And who doesn’t want to put up with that on a daily basis? Alright, not all at once.

But that’s about hardcore MMOs, and we’re talking about Darkfall. In the latest blog post, Aventurine has detailed an upcoming market system for Darkfall Unholy Wars that will allow players to buy and sell items from one of several cities scattered around the world. Similar to games like Guild Wars 2, players will not only be able to place items up for sale, they will also be able to issue buy orders for specific items at specific prices. The article touts that this system will make the game “truly player driven,” with excesses and shortages dictating an overall market price.

You can read more about the market at the link below, as well as incoming changes to villages.

(Source: Epic Blog)

The Old Republic: Everyone Is A Bounty Hunter

Bounty Hunters have the life, don’t they? All that they do is hunt bounties and collect paychecks. In an upcoming update to The Old Republic, Bioware wants to make everyone a bounty hunter, at least for a short period of time. Starting in August, once per galactic month the Bounty Brokers Association will begin posting lists of contracts across the many planets for any and all players to fulfill.

Bounty contracts will take you far and wide in the search for your target, but the BBA Mission Terminal allows you to select the specific planet on which you wish to hunt. Each day, you may sign up for one standard contract and one Kingpin Contract, and each may take you to a separate planet. Completion of a contract requires the death or capture of your target, but you will also be rated on your investigative technique and your aptitude for handling BBA underworld resources.

Look for the contracts coming in August. If you need a Bounty before then, check your nearest department store for ongoing sales.

(Source: The Old Republic)

World of Warcraft Exploring Microtransactions

Astute World of Warcraft players noticed that the 5.4 patch brought with it an interesting new addition to the public test realm. A few players on the forum noted the sudden appearance of an XP buff item, which appears to be sold through the same cash shop as the mounts and pets currently available. The item, an Enduring Elixer of Wisdom, grants 100% exp bonus with no mention of how long it lasts.

Community Manager Zarhym chimed in later in the thread, confirming the item and explaining that Blizzard is exploring microtransactions.

We are currently exploring the possibility of adding a way for players in certain regions to make purchases directly within the game. As part of this process, elements related to this will be appearing on the PTR. We’ll provide additional updates on our plans as development progresses.

Whether or not Blizzard decides to go ahead with fully implementing a cash shop will have to be seen.

(Source: World of Warcraft)

Guild Wars 2 Unlikely To See Expansions

Guild Wars 2 was originally envisioned to follow in the footsteps of Guild Wars: A buy to play game supported through microtransactions and through the sale of expansion packs. With production steadily increasing on the sequel’s ongoing living story, ArenaNet quickly changed its focus to providing world-changing content on a regular basis for its players. Nowadays, the Living Story has four teams rotating and keeping content churning out at a regular pace. As a result of the focus on the living story, the odds of an expansion are becoming slimmer according to Mark Zadorojny, Lead Content Designer at ArenaNet, talking to Eurogamer.

“It’s something that’s on the table but it’s not something we’re focused on, because what we want to do is – our idea here is that with Living World, we can do what expansions would have done but do it on a more regular basis.”

You can read the entirety of Eurogamer’s article down below, where ArenaNet assures us that the box sales and gem sales are more than enough to sustain Guild Wars 2.

(Source: Eurogamer)

Xbox One Locks Griefers In Personal Hell

Official Xbox Magazine has a new article out detailing new, notably harsher stance on griefing. With the new Xbox One coming out, Microsoft wants to encourage good behavior while putting a damper on players shouting down their mic or sending obscenity-laced messages filled with questions about one’s own sexuality, or the promiscuity of their mother, among other topics. Rather than outright banning the player, Microsoft is working on placing them in their own personal hell, filled with the other griefers and microphone screamers. Players of low reputation will find themselves matched up with others of similarly low reputation.

“There are industry best practices we’ve looked at, about giving kudos and props to people who behave well. We’ve learned from everything we’ve seen, and we’re trying to take it to the next level. So there’ll be very good things that happen to people that just play their games and are good participants. And you’ll start to see some effects if you continue to play bad or, or harass other people en masse. You’ll probably end up starting to play more with other people that are more similar to you.”

Now, Senior Product Manager Mike Lavin has refused to call this an Xbox Hell, noting that some players might enjoy playing with other trolls. There are still a lot of kinks to be worked out, specifics to flesh out, and cobwebs to be dusted. Hopefully this will put a damper on Xbox Live’s notoriously, shall we say, talkative community.

(Source: OXM)

RuneScape 3 Arrives July 22nd

RuneScape 3 is here! Well, almost, anyhow. In an announcement released today, Jagex has revealed that July 22nd is the official launch date of the next major upgrade to RuneScape. Dubbed RuneScape 3, the update brings the full release of the game’s HTML5 client, with improved performance, graphics (seen above), lighting, and more. RuneScape’s audio engine is also receiving a boost, allowing for high fidelity music written by BAFTA award winner James Hannigan. Players will also be able to utilize the new customizable interface, along with an upgraded camera, seasonal high scores, and more.

But it wouldn’t be a major RuneScape update without something going on with the story. Following the events of The World Wakes, the world of Gielinor is once again in danger. The god who once protected the world from intervention is now dead, and the other gods are returning to reclaim their land. Entrusted as the world’s guardians, the players must ultimately decide who may stay and who may leave. RuneScape 3 will introduce the Battle of Lumbridge, a weekly event where player choices will determine the fate of many. RuneScape 3 also ushers in the first of two skills planned for this year, Divination, which will arrive a few weeks after launch.

RuneScape’s HTML5 requires Google Chrome to run.

(Source: RuneScape)

Ubisoft Compromised, Change Your Passwords

This is one of those “if you’ve been affected then you likely already know about it” sort of articles. Those of you who have accounts with Ubisoft were no doubt delighted to see the following email in your inbox:

We recently found that one of our Web sites was exploited to gain unauthorized access to some of our online systems. We instantly took steps to close off this access, investigate the incident and begin restoring the integrity of any compromised systems. During this process, we learned that data had been illegally accessed from our account database, including user names, email addresses and encrypted passwords. Please note that no personal payment information is stored with Ubisoft, meaning your debit/credit card information was safe from this intrusion.

If you have an Ubisoft account, either through uPlay or their other services, and you haven’t received an email, make sure to check your spam folder. Some users are reporting that the email was shelved as a suspected phishing attempt by Gmail and a couple other services. You can find out more at the link below.

(Source: FAQ)

Funcom Director Letter Details TSW Anniversary

Boy, The Secret World, has it really been one year since you graced us with your launch? Despite some hardship along the way, our good friend Joel over at Funcom is proud of what the team has accomplished over the past year. July 3rd marks the beginning of the Guardians of Gaia event, for The Secret World’s first anniversary. The event will task players with defeating the Guardians, the second line of defense for the planet against the Filth. Why are players fighting the guardians of the planet? That depends on your faction, but it primarily has to do with the Guardians breaking the secrecy of The Secret World, that they consider human casualties as an acceptable collateral to stopping The Filth, and that they aren’t very good at their job.

The event will bring in bonuses, gifts, and discounts to all players. Additionally, anyone who has ever played a Funcom game will be able to access The Secret World for a week. The event will kick off Issue #7: A Dream To Kill, where players will uncover a dark force that threatens the entire world.

Check out the whole letter at the link below.

(Source: TSW Director Letter)

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