Category: News

Turbine's Billing Server Explodes, Issuing Refunds


helms_deep_en

Turbine is in the process of issuing refunds after a major glitch caused a number of players to be charged multiple times for their subscriptions. The number of charges varies widely from player to player and bank to bank, with some reporting as little as a couple of extra charges and others reporting into the hundreds. The unfortunate collateral damage is that the multiple charges also seem to be setting off fraud alerts, resulting in the banks automatically freezing said accounts, while many customers whose banks did allow the charges were forced to watch their funds drop to zero or below. To make matters worse, this issue occurred on a Friday, meaning anyone whose bank account was drained/frozen will not have access to their money over the weekend and into midway through next week.

Turbine has posted a notice with a phone number, asking anyone who is hit by penalties or fees due to the charges to call them. The developer is in the middle of processing refunds for the erroneous charges.

If you do not see the refund on your statement after a few days, if you incurred any penalties due to the charges, or if you need further assistance with your account or billing, our Customer Service Agents will be happy to take care of you. You can get in touch with Account Support by going to support.turbine.com, then clicking on “Support Center” and “Submit a Ticket.” Players can also contact Account Support toll-free at 1-855-WBGAMES (Account Support Hours: 10am – 7pm Eastern Time 7 days a week (GMT -5).)

MMO Fallout recommends that any players who were affected immediately contact their banks, as well as any companies who will be expecting a payment from you over the next week to explain the situation and hopefully come to an agreement. Be proactive, it isn’t a guarantee but you’ll come out a lot better than if you just wait for them to contact you. Customers who feel that they have been severely damaged (and I emphasize severely) by this billing error, whether it be damage to your credit score, heavy late fees or interest rate hikes due to late payments, etc, should take a look at the following guides on filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Reserve, the IC3, and check the following list on how to contact your state’s Attorney General.

(Source: Turbine)

Did Anyone Notice That FusionFall Shut Down?


fusion_fall_2

That is a rhetorical question. Cartoon Network’s FusionFall originally launched in 2009 with an awesome premise: An MMO set in the Cartoon Network multiverse with well known characters, a rather simple combat and quest system, and the ability to summon nano versions of said cartoon characters. FusionFall originally launched with a subscription, but eventually converted into a free to play game the following April 2010.

In those three years, FusionFall has faded into relative obscurity outside of the Cartoon Network community. Earlier this year, Cartoon Network ceased all development on the title and moved on to FusionFall Heroes, a game set in the same story line but with players taking control of the characters rather than creating their own avatar. To put the icing on the cake, finally, FusionFall shut down on August 29th with all the attention that you would expect from a small flash game, ie: none at all.

And that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Disney Shutting Down Its Less Popular MMOs


bg_atgCattle

Disney appears to be cleaning house with some of their less popular MMOs. The company announced today that both Toontown and Pirates of the Caribbean Online will be shutting down on September 19th, just a month away. Both games have already stopped accepting payments and have opened their doors to be played for free until the servers shut down. There wasn’t much of a reason given other than the usual shifting development focus, although the obvious answer is that few people still play Toontown or Pirates Online.

“The Walt Disney Company is committed to offering high-quality, entertaining play experiences in both online virtual worlds and mobile apps. At this time, we are shifting our development focus towards other online and mobile play experiences, such as Club Penguin and a growing selection of Disney mobile apps.”

(Source: Toontown, Pirates)

Have You Seen Arctic Combat's Reimbursement Plan?


420711_10150672225649600_653914599_9199607_748338037_n

Okay, I will admit. I came into the announced shuttering of Arctic Combat with my usual schtick: Another low quality renaming of another failed game imported from Asia shuts down in the west, blah blah blah you already know how I feel about those games and the whales that keep them healthy just long enough to call it a launch and get away with the profits without having to put in any long term support. Or did I just say that again? Anywho…

Arctic Combat is Webzen’s first person shooter, better known as the previously shut down Battery Online. Arctic Battery Combat Online is a lobby based first person shooter that is free to play with a cash shop, it is shutting down in September likely because the popularity and revenue weren’t meeting expectations. What caught my eye was the compensation. I assumed that a game like Arctic Battery Combat, at best players could expect a stipend of cash and some items for other games.

Webzen is refunding W Coins/gPotato currency spent based on tiers, starting at $50 and moving up to $100, $300, and $500. Your reimbursement is the lowest end of your tier, so if you spent $75 your reimbursement is $50. If you spend $450 you will receive $300. It might be fake currency, but Webzen is dropping some serious cash to keep their players in good graces. It isn’t as good as a real-money refund, but it is a welcome change when you consider the number of recent games to shut down without giving their players much more than a goodbye and a suggestion to buy their next product.

On the other hand, one guy on the comments section mentioned that Arctic Combat is being shut down because it is too successful and Webzen apparently can’t handle all of the money. Either way, you don’t see the possibility of 1:1 compensation all that much, so kudos to Webzen.

(Source: Webzen)

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)

Ubisoft's MMO Is The Division


TheDivision

We’ve suspected an incoming Ubisoft MMO for quite a while, ever since the developer/publisher posted that they were hiring for an unnamed online RPG. At Ubisoft’s conference at this year’s E3, Ubisoft’s David Polfeldt revealed that the game is a massive online shooter named The Division. Not a whole lot is known about the game, other than that it is a third person, massive online shooter set in the United States approximately 72 hours after a biological terrorist attack sends the country into panic. The player is part of a group tasked with maintaining order.

The title has been confirmed for PS4 and XB1 with no PC version planned. The game is planned for release in 2014.

(Source: Game Informer)

Face of Mankind's Successful Kickstarter


7d7544114010e47a28b3449038659294_large

Face of Mankind is a game of player interaction, an open faction system and player-driven economy in a completely dynamic universe. Fall of the Dominion is a restructuring of Face of Mankind, transforming the MMO and bringing it into a new decade with player-created factions, improved combat capabilities, crafting, exploration, progression, and more. Nexeon Technologies launched the Kickstarter for Fall of the Dominion back in early May, and the project is hitting its final days with successful funding just out of reach. With three days to go, the team needs a little over five hundred dollars to complete the funding effort, which will likely be achieved by the time you read this.

Perhaps what is most impressive is the dedication of the community. With three hundred twelve backers donating forty nine thousand dollars, the average donation comes out to nearly one hundred sixty dollars per person, a figure swayed by the few pledges in the multiple thousands (including one six thousand dollar pledge). If you haven’t had a chance to check out Fall of the Dominion, I highly recommend checking out the Kickstarter video below.

(Source: Kickstarter)


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nexeon/face-of-mankind-fall-of-the-dominion

Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep Announced


helms_deep_en

Hold on to your Hobbits, folks, because Turbine is going to take you to Hel(m’s deep) and back. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced today that the fifth expansion to Lord of the Rings Online, titled “Helm’s Deep,” will be hitting the long running MMO in Autumn 2013. The content offered in the expansion fits its name, taking players to the battle for Helm’s Deep, continuing the epic storyline and raising the level cap to 95.

“With Helm’s Deep, we’re bringing the War of the Ring to players on a monumental scale,” said Kate Paiz, Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine. “Our team is thrilled to create another iconic moment in Middle-earth, and put players in the center of the action.”

Players will be able to take part in the Battle for Helm’s Deep starting at level 10, winning rewards for their contribution whether they win or lose. The expansion also opens up more locations in Westermnet of Rohan, as well as the capital city of Edoras, Dunharrow, and the fortress of Hornburg. Continue the epic storyline and level from 85 to 95.

Helm’s Deep launches this Autumn. More details as they appear.

NCSoft Ignored Potential Buyers, Says Report


One of the luxuries of being a reporter is that I can always fall back on the ability to say “well it is a press release, so we have to give the benefit of the doubt.” The same way in which we automatically trust what comes out of a developer’s financial statements on the grounds that just because ENRON lied, doesn’t make all companies suspicious. But with NCSoft, even a simple notice on the Main page is suspect, thanks to the precedent set just a couple years back with the forging of Richard Garriot’s resignation. Sorry, fool me once shame on you.

So when NCSoft published the notice that all options had been exhausted when selling City of Heroes, the game’s fans were understandably suspicious. In a report over at Addicting Info, it appears that NCSoft may have been toying with what constitutes “all options.”

Within short order, two different investment groups (speaking while protected by anonymity) claimed that NCSoft had refused to even discuss a sale, and ignored any and all offers. A company which engages in this kind of behavior is not a good steward of its shareholders’ investment.

Only Addicting Info knows who these developers are, but if NCSoft did ignore even the idea of a sale, this news is just fuel on the growing fire that is NCSoft’s community relations following the surprise closure announcement. For now, however, the SaveCOH movement is not giving up hope.

(Source: Addicting Info)