News – Page 384 – MMO Fallout

Trion Worlds Promises Bans For Cheaters, Even Tenured Players

(Editor’s Note: Trion World’s PR reps got in touch to clarify a few points to the story which have been noted below. A total of 983 accounts have been banned right away. In addition, they have stated that while money spent is taken into account to discern real players from throwaway/bot accounts, that it is only one factor and that time invested into the account also goes a long way to proving that the player is invested in the game. We thank them for getting in touch to clarify these points.)

ArcheAge’s new bot detection program has been enabled for a few weeks, with 983 accounts banned right off the bat and a number of other accounts put on notice. Trion Worlds has taken to the forums once again to claim that it will not tolerate anyone who cheats in ArcheAge…providing you don’t stop after this last warning. In addition, Trion Worlds will no longer take tenure (how much time and money has been invested) into account when banning for bots and hacks:

After this warning, anyone who continues to run the detected hack or bot programs will be subject to a permanent ban, regardless of their tenure in ArcheAge. Please note that we can also see when alternate accounts are associated with other main accounts, so making use of these tools on a throwaway account will lead to disciplinary action on your main.

Users who are casual botters will receive a warning by email.

Those players who appear to be mostly legitimate community members will receive an email warning them about this policy and informing them to stop immediately.

Trion’s previously light stance on casual bot usage stands in stark contrast to the company’s heavy handed punishment just a month ago when the company banned an entire raid of 53 accounts for using a glitch to defeat a world boss. It also contradicts the numerous times that the company has claimed to be taking a zero tolerance policy on botting in ArcheAge.

The good news is that the new software aims to increase the rate at which cheaters are caught and banned while simultaneously reducing the number of false positives.

(Source: ArcheAge)

38 Studios Lenders Hit With Fraud Charges

The Securities and Exchange Commission is now involving the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation and Wells Fargo Securities, levying fraud charges against both groups in relation to the bankruptcy of former game developer 38 Studios. In its complaint, the SEC is alleging that both groups knew that the $75 million loan that brought 38 Studios to the state would be insufficient to cover their costs and withheld that information. In addition, it is alleged that Wells Fargo had a conflict of interest with 38 Studios that it should have disclosed during the loan period.

“We allege that the RIEDC and Wells Fargo knew that 38 Studios needed an additional $25 million to fund the project yet failed to pass that material information along to bond investors, who were denied a complete financial picture.”
-SEC Enforcement Division Director Andrew Ceresney

The SEC joins the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation alleging fraudulent dealings in the $75 million loan given to 38 Studios for the now-defunct game Project Copernicus. 38 Studios went bankrupt in 2012 after releasing their game Kingdoms of Amalur, leaving state taxpayers on the hook for $115 million in unpaid principal, interest, and fees associated with the loan.

(Source: Providence Journal)

The Division Is Slamming Amazon’s Best Seller List

With The Division’s launch just a few days away, it shouldn’t be too surprising that the title is ranking high on Amazon’s best seller list. The Playstation 4 standard version is the second best selling game on the list so far, outranked only by the recently released Twilight Princess remake on Nintendo WiiU. The Xbox One version ranks in at #10 overall while also being the fourth best selling game under Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright on the Nintendo 3DS.

The gold versions of both games rank in at #33 and #56 on Playstation and Xbox respectively, with the PC version at #47. Naturally the list only covers sales through Amazon’s store and does not take into account other retailers. Overall mileage may vary. The Amazon best seller list is generally dominated by currency and subscription cards for Playstation, along with controllers and console bundles.

The Division launches March 8th on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

EA Origin Fraud Protection May Incur Delays

If you’re looking to make a purchase in the Origin store, you may find your order delayed by up to three days. In a post released today on the Dark Age of Camelot website, Broadsword Entertainment warns that new fraud detection tools may flag purchases depending on several variables including number of codes purchased, resulting in the buyer not receiving their code until the next day.

This timeframe is dependant on the number of codes purchased at once as well as other variables. Most players should still receive their codes within 24 hours, however, it would be a good idea to order any new game time codes 72 hours prior to your account subscription ending if you wish to guarantee no subscription downtime.

Any user whose code isn’t delivered after three days is asked to contact EA’s customer support with the phrase “I did not receive my code after making a purchase on the Origin store. My order# is #####.” The news post warns that any other message could cause the email to be diverted to the DAoC crew, who can’t help with such problems.

(Source: Dark Age of Camelot)

Learn About Guild Wars 2 Animations

Ever had any interest in what goes into animating your favorite characters and bosses? In the latest episode of Guild Chat, Arenanet’s game designers discuss concepts like reusing animation rigs, how to scale bosses up to a larger size, and dealing with animation speeds. The entire video is nearly an hour and has plenty of footage of in-game animations from start to finish.

DarkScape Throwing in the Towel: Shutting Down

Jagex today announced the sunsetting of DarkScape, a spinoff of RuneScape. Originally launched as a more combat-focused alternative, DarkScape allowed players to fight each other virtually everywhere in the game world. Unfortunately the game mode just didn’t gain enough traction and, as a result, can’t justify allocating development resources to its continued maintenance. The servers for DarkScape are set to come down on March 28th once and for all.

Today, there’s a small, hardcore community that continues to play DarkScape. Unfortunately, it’s just not big enough to warrant ongoing development. The updates made along the way allowed us to experiment with RuneScape’s PvP gameplay systems, play around with changes to the game economy, and test out major changes to combat and equipment behaviour.

DarkScape was deeply flawed as a concept, despite what the few remaining players will tell you, that couldn’t hold a steady population as players flocked back to RuneScape 3 and Old School RuneScape modes. You can expect a followup on this later on this week.

(Source: DarkScape)

RuneScape Unveils Free To Play Extravaganza

If you’re a non-paying player in RuneScape, odds are you hear the words “members only” quite often. It isn’t so often that free players receive new content outside of holiday events, and even those have become rather restricted in the past. This month, however, Jagex has unveiled its Free to Play Extravaganza. Starting today, you don’t need to subscribe in order to access a wealth of content, including bosses and combat options.

For starters, the King Black Dragon and Giant Mole can be killed by free players to sell their sweet, sweet loot for extra gold. Keep in mind, however, you can look but you can’t touch. While free players can obtain members loot, their only use is essentially to sell to members who can bury/utilize them.

Free players can now take on the mighty King Black Dragon by getting to his lair via the Wilderness. Only the bravest and best-equipped need apply. The drops, dragon bones and black dragonhides, are now sellable by free players, but can only be buried and processed by members. Note that the Edgeville artefact cannot be used in free-to-play worlds to access to this boss.

Access to dual-wielding, previously a members-only feature, is now freely available as well alongside a number of combat abilities. Dungeoneering has also had an update, increasing the level of gear that players have access to both inside and out of the dungeon.

You can check out the entire update below.

(Source: RuneScape)

Get Free Zen By Using The Arc Client

Arc is Perfect World Entertainment’s answer to Steam, given that it houses their library in an easy to use package and also acts as a conduit through which money flows and goods are redeemed. With Arc 3.0, the next major update to the client, PWE is looking to change the way you log in and perhaps get their players to try some games that they might otherwise look the other way on.

MMO gamers will be no strangers to the concept of daily quests, an idea that is being thrust into the client in its next update. Daily quests will require the player to do things like log into a game, log in for a number of consecutive days, or play a certain game on two separate days. Completing quests gives experience which in turn gains levels, and in turn can be redeemed for free cash shop currency for PWE’s titles.

Completing quests will give you experience points to level up your Arc Quests level. Each level requires 600 XP and will reward you with 500 Arc Points that can be transitioned into ZEN or other in-game currencies available for games on the Arc platform. There is no level cap to your Arc profile, so you will continue to receive rewards as you complete your quests. These points will be redeemable via the Charge tab on the Arc website and client.

It’s an interesting concept, for sure. Cryptic Studios used to give away stuff for free on the Raptr client, so this may just be an extension of that campaign.

(Source: Arc)

Black Desert Online Reduces Costume Prices 10%

MMORPG.com is reporting that costume prices in Black Desert Online will be reduced by 10% in response to community criticism over high prices. Currently in beta, Daum Games has taken heavy backlash on its forums over the perception that its prices for cash shop items were too high, with costumes going for as much as $32. According to associate editor Suzie Ford, Daum has confirmed that prices will drop by 10%, with the publisher keeping an eye on community feedback in order to continue tweaking its pricing for the future.

The announcement has been met with mixed reception by the Black Desert Online community, with some praising the developer’s response as others decry prices as still being too high after the reduction. Whether or not the new prices will inspire customers to pony up for costumes and pets will have to be seen when the game goes live in the coming weeks.

(Source: MMORPG.com)

Leland Yee Sentenced To Five Years For Corruption

Gun control advocate Leland Yee was sentenced today to five years in prison during court proceedings Wednesday in a case that District Judge Charles Breyer referred to the defendant as “hypocritical.” Yee was elected to the position of Senator in California back in 2006 after his run as assemblyman of the state’s 12th district. Prosecutors charged Yee in 2014 after an undercover FBI sting revealed the Senator had not only promised votes and influential positions in return for campaign contributions, but also offered to introduce a client to an arms dealer who could illegally smuggle weapons into the country supplied by a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines, including shoulder-fired missiles.

In the months following his arrest, the California Senate adopted resolutions banning members from accepting contributions from fundraising during critical months, appointed an ethics ombudsman, and instituted new protocols protecting whistle-blowers.

During his time as an assemblyman for California’s 12th district, Yee sponsored the 2005 law AB 1179, banning the sale of violent games to minors and imposing strict fines on retailers for each violation. The law was challenged in district court and shut down by Judge Whyte, ruling that the law violated first amendment protections of free speech. The ruling was challenged in California’s 9th District Court of Appeals, who ruled against the law due to its obscure definition of “violent.” California challenged the 9th District’s ruling, taking the case up to the Supreme Court where in 2011, Supreme Court Justices ruled 7-2 against the state.

(Source: LA Times)

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