Play Richard Garriot's MMO While It Is Developed…


There are a select few articles here on MMO Fallout that garner attention after, say, six months of their publishing. It’s been ten months since I published the article about Second Star Interactive, a new development studio formed out arguably the greater minds of Ultima Online, Warhammer, and Dark Age of Camelot, and that article is still on the traffic radar. The comments on the article are just a small portion of the attention that my article brought in, and my tease about three factions and full pvp cause more than one urinary incident among fans.

Daoc 2? OMG i got the shivers

I already have my 50 bucks buried in a coffee can, counting the seconds until this happens…

SO longing DAOC2 or summat like it. I almost started to cry

Richard Garriot is talking to Electronic Arts about a relationship to create a spiritual successor to Ultima Online, as mentioned in a Eurogamer article today. Whether or not that deal is struck will place little sway on the direction of this MMO, however, as Garriot points out:

“I actually think it’s time to move on from that regardless, so even if we were to have access to the properties of my historical work, I don’t think I would change my current plans. I’m very confident of the current plans as the right way to evolve my creation, regardless.”

The interview reveals a number of details regarding Ultimate RPG:

  • Fantasy setting, although likely intertwined with science fiction.
  • Will likely preserve Ultima’s isometric view.
  • Ultimate RPG will be free to play.
  • Plans to make the game accessible via browser, client, iOS, and Android.
  • Target release date is 2012, 2013 (one of those two, says Garriot).
  • Ultimate RPG will take advantage of social media.
  • There are 25 people working at Portalarium (Garriot’s company)

Tantalizing readers even further, Garriot goes on to reveal that the game will be released closer to a Minecraft style format, allowing people to play as the game is developed.

“As soon as we have a viable game, we will immediately get it into players’ hands so that they can be a part of that creation process.”

(Source: Eurogamer)

Play Richard Garriot’s MMO While It Is Developed…


There are a select few articles here on MMO Fallout that garner attention after, say, six months of their publishing. It’s been ten months since I published the article about Second Star Interactive, a new development studio formed out arguably the greater minds of Ultima Online, Warhammer, and Dark Age of Camelot, and that article is still on the traffic radar. The comments on the article are just a small portion of the attention that my article brought in, and my tease about three factions and full pvp cause more than one urinary incident among fans.

Daoc 2? OMG i got the shivers

I already have my 50 bucks buried in a coffee can, counting the seconds until this happens…

SO longing DAOC2 or summat like it. I almost started to cry

Richard Garriot is talking to Electronic Arts about a relationship to create a spiritual successor to Ultima Online, as mentioned in a Eurogamer article today. Whether or not that deal is struck will place little sway on the direction of this MMO, however, as Garriot points out:

“I actually think it’s time to move on from that regardless, so even if we were to have access to the properties of my historical work, I don’t think I would change my current plans. I’m very confident of the current plans as the right way to evolve my creation, regardless.”

The interview reveals a number of details regarding Ultimate RPG:

  • Fantasy setting, although likely intertwined with science fiction.
  • Will likely preserve Ultima’s isometric view.
  • Ultimate RPG will be free to play.
  • Plans to make the game accessible via browser, client, iOS, and Android.
  • Target release date is 2012, 2013 (one of those two, says Garriot).
  • Ultimate RPG will take advantage of social media.
  • There are 25 people working at Portalarium (Garriot’s company)

Tantalizing readers even further, Garriot goes on to reveal that the game will be released closer to a Minecraft style format, allowing people to play as the game is developed.

“As soon as we have a viable game, we will immediately get it into players’ hands so that they can be a part of that creation process.”

(Source: Eurogamer)

Veteran Rewards For Free Players? Sony Breaks The Rules


If 2011 is any indication, Sony Online Entertainment has been working hard to keep their players in good faith and put the old Sony (the one that would fundamentally alter a game years after release) behind them, even if it means busting the norms of free to play conversions. Everquest 2 players are already aware of Sony’s offer to activate any existing characters for free, refunding race/class packs that were purchased over the past two days.

To sweeten the deal even more, Sony announces their next treat with a question: Why should veteran rewards be available only for subscribers? After all, players may not subscribe but they might spend money in the cash shop as a silver member. So beginning December 9th, all Everquest II players will enjoy veteran rewards based on the date of their account creation.

(source: EQ2 Forums)

Warhammer Online: Too Far Gone For Free To Play?


Back in October, VP of Bioware Mythic Eugene Evans told us that Warhammer Online is alive and kicking and, much like the Christmas cookies in the closet in July, remains an undiscovered treat. In fact, Evans was confident enough in Warhammer’s future to announce that subscription numbers had risen since the announcement of WAR’s free to play half-brother Wrath of Heroes, and that Mythic has absolutely no plans to take the game free.

In a move to increase server population, Mythic announced that players on the Gorfang and Karak Azgal servers will need to transfer to Badlands and Karak Norn respectively. Starting December 14th, the transition will be optional for three weeks before the aforementioned servers (Gorfant/Azgal) are marked as legacy servers and shut down.

The game play experience of our customers is something we highly value.  We don’t make changes like this lightly.  A lot of metrics and analysis accompanies this type of decision. We feel that these changes will help to ensure that server options continue to facilitate that best RvR experience out there.  Thanks for playing and see you on the battlefield!

This move leaves North America and UK players with one server to choose from each, and at least this writer wondering: Is Warhammer too far gone to go free to play? Playing devil’s advocate, an easy comparison can be made to Lineage II, of which I personally anticipated the game to shut down around the time NCWest had shuttered all but a single remaining server in North America.

We know from past interviews with Derek Smart and Stephen Calender that the process of moving an MMO to a free to play model is immensely time consuming and expensive for the developer, and occasionally a better business option to just shut down rather than invest the money without a clear indication of what revenue can be brought in.

One thing I can say for certain is that Electronic Arts is going to drag Warhammer Online until the product is no longer financially viable, and then probably continue running the game after that. The early bankruptcy of Realtime Worlds and the performance of Warhammer Online has dealt a great deal of damage to Electronic Arts’ relations with their investors, so much so that Gamasutra ran an article that investors were turning down The Old Republic out of fears of similar performance and support.

As for shutting down, Warhammer Online will not be shut down until The Old Republic is in the clear and bringing in so much money that the investors don’t even notice WAR die in the corner as its once loving parents now spend their time fawning over their new baby that looks a bit like the old one, but with cuter dimples.

Sony Grandfathers In Existing Everquest II Characters


Good news, everyone! Back when Sony Online Entertainment announced that the two Everquest II services would be merged, players were left wondering how extra characters would be dealt with once the slot restriction went into effect. For players with accounts on both services, which characters would be available and which would be locked? What if a player stopped subscribing? If your character is created after December 6th, you’re out of luck. However, Dave Georgesson announced that existing characters (created before 12/6) will not be subject to race/class locks, even if the account is silver.

*Every* character that was created before 12/06/2011 at 12:01 am will be grandfathered in without race or class restriction. This means that regardless of your membership level, you will be able to play any character created before 12/6 without paying for race- or class-pack unlocks.

A welcome announcement for returning Everquest II players. In addition, if you spent Station Cash on race/class packs after the free to play transition, but before the announcement above (12/8), Sony will be offering refunds for your purchase.

(Source: EQII Forums)

Everquest II's Free To Play Meets Minor Delay


Everquest II: Age of Discovery is the eight expansion in a growing list for Everquest II, and also marks a rather substantial undertaking for Sony Online Entertainment. Yesterday, servers for both Everquest II and Everquest II Extended were brought down in preparation for a merger of the two games into one free to play service, to coincide with the release of a brand new expansion pack and a fully revitalized city of Freeport. Needless to say, the twelve hour window offered by Sony was not enough, and technical difficulties have delayed implementation well past the twenty four hour mark.

The servers won’t be up until 10am PST (estimated) or 1pm EST, but until then players can still make time by ensuring their launcher is updated and downloading the updates Sony has made available so far.

Everquest II’s Free To Play Meets Minor Delay


Everquest II: Age of Discovery is the eight expansion in a growing list for Everquest II, and also marks a rather substantial undertaking for Sony Online Entertainment. Yesterday, servers for both Everquest II and Everquest II Extended were brought down in preparation for a merger of the two games into one free to play service, to coincide with the release of a brand new expansion pack and a fully revitalized city of Freeport. Needless to say, the twelve hour window offered by Sony was not enough, and technical difficulties have delayed implementation well past the twenty four hour mark.

The servers won’t be up until 10am PST (estimated) or 1pm EST, but until then players can still make time by ensuring their launcher is updated and downloading the updates Sony has made available so far.

Final Fantasy XIV Billing Starts January 6th


We all knew this time would come eventually, when Square Enix would shake off the training wheels and Final Fantasy XIV would transition back to its intended subscription system. Last month, Square announced that billing would start around the time the much anticipated 2.0 update released, around November or December of this year. Today, in an article on Gamasutra, Square is ready to announce a final date: January 6th. According to Gamasutra, the 2.0 update, billed as a remade version of the game, is set to launch sometime in late 2012.

Until version 2.0 is released, players who opt to continue playing will enjoy reduced subscription rates, starting at $6.99 per month with the cost decreasing for 90 and 180 day subscriptions. The Playstation 3 version is expected in early 2013.

Everquest Channels Jagex: Sends Cheaters Final Warning


Players who partake in cheating are hereby put on notice: stop now. This isn’t an idle warning. We have quietly invested significant behind the scenes effort into detecting cheaters quickly and accurately. The vast majority of players enjoy the game on a fair and even playing field. Those who gain unfair advantage over others will not be tolerated.

Everquest is among the elders in our list of MMOs and while the game has seen updates over the years to allow for more a more casual friendly experience, the game still stands as one of the hardest on the market. Unfortunately, the engine and the systems in place have aged far in their years, and the Everquest team has a lot on their plates to deal with hackers (real hackers exploiting the engine, not your run of the mill bug abusers). Well, on the official forums, SOE Piestro has unsheathed his sword (pictured above) and issued a final warning to cheaters: Stop now, or face the +5 banhammer of troll smite.

Ten Ton Hammer published an incredibly in-depth article earlier this year discussing the epidemic that is hacking in Everquest, which you can read here. Scripts and bots that allow players to warp themselves and NPCs, despawn bosses, and more. At the end of the interview, we’re left with a tease that investigations into cheating would ramp up once Veil of Alaris was completed.

Best of luck to the Everquest team in fighting this never ending threat.

Darkfall 2.0 News: Aventurine Stalls On Wipe Announcement


Whenever the topic turns to Darkfall 2.0, I can’t help but think back to how Jagex moved Runescape to Runescape 2 (now just referred to as Runescape) and the huge amount of changes the game went under just during that initial transition. So seeing this quote from Aventurine, I can’t help but hold high hopes for this ambitious update:

After 3 expansions, 2 siege system revamps and 60 major content updates, we decided that we need to do things from scratch to satisfy the thousands of great ideas, suggestions, criticisms coming from the community, and to properly implement the lessons learned by us since Darkfall’s launch.

The Darkfall Epic Blog was updated to showcase a substantial list of functions Aventurine will be overhauling with this update, a reminder that Darkfall 2.0 is far closer to a brand new game than a simple expansion pack. As for the dreaded (or anticipated, depending on who you ask) wipe, Aventurine still has not come to a conclusion, once again noting:

We explained that whether we wipe or don’t wipe, the game is so different that it’s of little significance. You should not think in terms of the current version of Darkfall when it comes to Darkfall 2.0.

The current state of Darkfall 2.0 is nearing a playable version. More to come.

(Source: Darkfall Epic Blog)