News – Page 416 – MMO Fallout

Storybricks Closing Down

Storybricks, the developer behind the AI platform created for Everquest Next, is no more. Last month we learned that Storybricks and Sony Online Entertainment were parting ways, a severance that CEO Rodolfo Rosini now states is of no fault of SOE’s.

It was our own decision and Sony Online Entertainment (now Daybreak Games) bears no fault for it. Sony Online Entertainment had been up for sale for a long time so our exit had no connection with the Columbus Nova acquisition.

Plans to sell the Storybricks tech went sour after a buyer was unable to be found and everyone involved is now working at other companies. Rosini still wants the AI platform to be widely available, and is planning on releasing a few side projects unrelated to Everquest Next in the hopes that those dreams can be realized.

At one point, Storybricks even attempted to buy Sony Online Entertainment, but the deal fell through with Sony Japan due to questionable terms.

Make no mistake the company needed cuts badly, and we would have cut and cut deeply. Possibly as deep as Columbus Nova did but maybe we would have cut more senior management and less game developers instead. It was our intention to try to acquire the 38 Studios assets and made them available to players in EQN. Moreover we would have probably changed the server infrastructure allowing people to run their own servers. It would not have been a very canonical EverQuest but we would have done the best to service our customers with the limited budget of an independent studio who wanted to punch above its weight.

(Source: Storybricks Email)

Blade & Soul Now F2P In Japan

MMO Culture is reporting that Blade & Soul has officially gone free to play in Japan. Players are able to play for free with an optional VIP membership, with details for that coming later this month.

The article notes that players in Korea are upset at NCSoft now that Korea is apparently the last remaining pay-to-play region for Blade & Soul

(Source: MMO Culture)

Might & Magic Online Tournament Coming

Might & Magic Online players have the chance to win a Playstation 4 in a month-long tournament that is already in progress.

The “Champions of Ashan” event starts today and lasts throughout the month. The tournament will allow players to prove their skills during fierce Player versus Player battles and compete to receive special rewards such as gift-cards and exclusive medals.

The press release did not specify exactly which gift cards players can obtain.

(Source: Press Release)

Jagex Is Working On Another MMO Again

Hot off the heels of Transformers Universe closing down, it appears Jagex is back on the horse with another MMO. A job listing popped up on the Jagex website looking for a lead programmer for an “undisclosed MMO.”

Given the exciting recent developments in online game engine technology and our historical success with the record breaking ‘Runescape’, we offer an amazing opportunity for a Lead Programmer to define the technological path of an undisclosed MMO.

Jagex’s most recent product, Transformers Universe, shut down in January mid-beta. Previous known works include Stellar Dawn, a science fiction MMO that was halted but not cancelled for Transformers, as well as an unnamed “ThirdScape” referenced several years ago.

(Source: Jagex)

PLEX Comes To World of Warcraft

It will soon be able to purchase WoW Tokens, items that can be traded in-game for subscription time. Tokens are purchased on the cash shop and sold on the auction house, allowing players who are short on gold to acquire it in a safer way and allowing those with extensive bank accounts to play World of Warcraft virtually free.

The WoW Token was created to give players with lots of extra gold the option to use it to help cover their subscription cost, and give those who want to purchase gold a way to do so from fellow players through a secure, easy-to-use system. The Token will be making its debut in an upcoming patch—in the meantime, check out the FAQ below for details on how it works.

Sneaky merchants should note that it is impossible to resell a token once you purchase it as they become soul-bound when purchased from the auction house.

(Source: World of Warcraft)

Jagex Surveying Buyable Levels For RuneScape

Jagex is polling users to determine interest in buyable levels, although denying that there are plans to introduce the feature in-game. The question popped up in an official survey, which quickly made the rounds on Reddit, prompting a response from Jagex Mod Balance. The purpose of the survey is apparently simply for data collection, with Mod Balance noting a heavily negative reaction to the idea of buying levels.

The benefit of running this survey is that we can now say “x% of players didn’t want this to happen”, instead of “players don’t want this to happen” if anyone was silly enough to seriously suggest this.

RuneScape, at least under current management, has no plans on introducing buyable levels.

(Source: Reddit)

Everquest Progression Server Voting Commences

Everquest is set to release a new progression server, and the team wants player feedback on how the game should transition into new expansions.

Our Progression Server player poll is now live in game and asks you to select from 4 options. Below is a summary of the options that the Designers put together. Mechanics within these can be refined or changed, like using player voting to progress, but in general this is how we see the options for a new Progression Server at the high level. (They are very complicated under the hood.)

Players can choose between existing rules, time-locked progression, slower progression, and seasonal challenges. The options, with their individual requirements, can be found at the link below.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

(Source: Everquest)

Shroud of the Avatar Update 15 Upgrades UNITY Engine

Shroud of the Avatar update 15 is here, and Portalarium has revealed that the Ultima-inspired MMO is now running on the latest UNITY engine. The update sets the stand for improving optimization and visual quality, however the patch notes that performance may drop on older machines until some of the new systems can be put into place.

As we have said before, our goal is to make sure Shroud is as visually compelling as we have time to make it. However, whenever we have to make a choice between simulation (turning lights on/off, picking up items from the world, NPC schedules, etc.) and visuals, we will ALWAYS choose the simulation.

The patch notes and announcements can be read at the link below.

(Source: Shroud of the Avatar)

Final Fantasy XIV Free Weekend Coming

Final Fantasy XIV is hosting a free weekend to celebrate four million registered accounts. The free weekend begins Friday February 27th at 3am EST and goes until March 9th at 4am EST. Eligible accounts include anyone who has previously purchased the game, with an account in good standing, whose subscription has lapsed.

Otherwise if you haven’t purchased FFXIV yet, you can take advantage of the game’s free trial at your leisure.

(Source: FFXIV)

H1Z1 “The Tears Of A Hacker” Video

The folks at H1Z1 have put together a video narrating the multitude of emails to customer support from players banned for cheating. While some try to plead, others feign ignorance or resort to a slurry of obscenities.

Either way, the end result is rather entertaining.

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