Star Trek Online Heading Free To Play


Tell me you didn’t see that one coming? The blokes over at Seeking Alpha have posted an earning’s call with Perfect World Entertainment’s CEO, who has revealed that Star Trek Online will be heading free to play by the end of the year.

And also Star Trek Online, after the acquisition, in fact Cryptic is working on the free-to-play model for Star Trek Online. This is going to be launched by the end of this year as well. So I think free-to-play model we have a bigger potential in US market and also in China market. Thank you.

Kelvin Lau also dropped the release expectation for the Torchlight MMO:

Torchlight from Runic, as mentioned, I think the MMORPG version is going to be – is scheduled to be launched in late 2012 or early 2013, okay?

Yet another MMO going free to play, although it wasn’t like we didn’t see this coming long before Cryptic was ever acquired by Perfect World Entertainment.

Star Wars Galaxies: So This Is How The World Ends


Did you know that if you pay for a month of Star Wars Galaxies now, you never have to pay again? If your account is active and in good standing on September 15th, you will no longer have to pay for Star Wars Galaxies until the game shuts down on December 15th.

Starting in September, Sony Online Entertainment is laying the plans to take the game out in style. Similar to Tabula Rasa’s events or The Matrix Online, the factions in Star Wars Galaxies have decided that enough is enough: It is time for a decisive victory. Players will be able to acquire Galactic Civil War points at a faster pace, with more activities available to them. At a point prior to the December 15th shutdown, a victor will be decided and the game will update to match. For the victor bear the spoils. For the loser? SOE says at least you’ll be going down with a bang.

We’ll have more coverage on the Star Wars Galaxies shut down as it appears.

What Happened This Week: TOR Finally Killing WoW Edition


Did you know that the price of video games has actually come down over the years despite cost in production going up? If you’re like me, you will very clearly remember paying fifty dollars retail for new games all the way back even before the days of the Nintendo 64. Fifty dollars was the choice retail price for new games for years before the current generation (Playstation 3 and Xbox360) raised the prices to $60. But has the price really raised? Of course I have an answer for that.

Factoring inflation since 1995, $50 USD then would cost $73.52 now, meaning that while the numerical sum of the money has gone up, the value of the money being spent has gone down around 32% for new PC games.

1. There Because Someone Is Willing To Pay For It…

EA Games is my new hero, especially after their presentation earlier this year pointing out that those that complained the most about Battlefield Heroes carrying permanent weapons in the cash shop happened to spend, on average, ten times more than those that didn’t post on the forums at all, because it proves the odd discrepancy between the amount of people complaining about cash shops, and the success of the business model.

The market is decided based on what people want to pay for, and it appears those with the biggest voices also seem to have the most wide open wallets. Earlier this year, CCP said that they would be looking at what players did, rather than what they said, and the fact that the $70 monocle is still $70 says that enough people are willing to buy one, regardless of if you can see it or not.

2. TERA To Utilize PLEX-Like System

En Masse is taking the fight to the bots and gold farmers, much like CCP did with the Pilot License Extension. In TERA, players will be able to purchase items called Chronoscrolls, that are in-game representations of one month of subscription. Those scrolls can be traded with other players for currency, items, or whatever you please.

When accounts are used to “farm” gold, those accounts are doing harm to the game. This type of activity adds more gold to the game than normal play would produce, which leads to unwanted inflation. Gold farmers can also make it hard for regular players to find the creatures they need to complete quests or build reputation—an organized gold farming operation can clear areas as fast as the monsters respawn. And gold farmers aren’t really playing the game. They’re not interacting with other players and building a community. They’re not forming parties and guilds. They’re adding nothing at all to the shared experience of the game

Rather than try to pretend that they can stamp out gold farming, TERA has admitted its limitations and gone with the better plan: An alternative to potential identity thieves.

3. How Does Huttball Not Fit Into Star Wars?

I read a forum post by a player who was genuinely “personally offended” that Bioware would include what he referred to as “space football.” Taking a closer look at the preview video, Huttball can be easily summed up as such: In order to gain favor with Giradda the Hutt, players must indulge not only his thirst for violence but satiate his income by participating in the spectator sport that is Huttball. Players on two teams fight over a neutral ball, with the goal of getting it into enemy territory. As the announcer points out, not only is murder/name-calling/cheating/gratuitous violence legal, it is a recommended tactic. Huttball is a far more ruthless game than the critics are portraying it. The field itself is a death trap, with fire pits and acid traps and more littering the field.

And to the lore purists, the game does fit in. The two teams (Frog-Dogs and Rockworms) were formed following the very shaky Treaty of Coruscant between the Republic and Sith Empire that The Old Republic stands on.

4. When Does Microtransaction Become Macrotransaction?

Paypal defines microtransaction as anything under $12 USD, so for the sake of future MMO Fallout articles, that is the definition we will use. Anything above that is considered either an expansion pack or a Macrotransaction, if the developer refuses to label it an expansion. For instance, the $4 act 3 ticket for Hellgate Global? Microtransaction. The $70 monocle for Eve Online? Ridiculous. The $20 premium civilization for Age of Empires Online? Macrotransaction. Having to pay to remove the debuffs on Allods Online (outdated reference)? Microtransaction.

There’s no real difference between the two, but I consider it akin to a person who asks for a sip of your drink and then chugs the whole can down. Yes, food references.

5. Who Else Is Cutting Back On Their MMOs Because of School?

Tomorrow starts my two year set for a Bachelor’s degree in Communication. Will I be gaming less? Probably. I will make sure to keep this website updated as much as possible with the important news, and I do still plan on going forward with more features: videos, additions to the Why Aren’t You Playing” series, and more. Stay tuned.

Why Aren't You Playing: CrimeCraft


I’ve wanted to do a “Why Aren’t You Playing” on Crimecraft since I did the writeup on Gods & Heroes, and actually started writing this piece before Vogster decided to release the free version on Steam. As a result, I almost canned this article because odds are most of you have already given the game a go. Regardless, the show must go on.

Back in my day, Crimecraft required the purchase of a boxed copy and a monthly subscription fee. Since its small release, Vogster has rescinded the client purchase and relegated the subscription to an optional subscription that offers faster leveling at better chances at good loot, allowing anyone to get in for free. Aside from the single player story mode, all of the game modes are open to you as a free player. As far as offering content to free players, Vogster is one of the most giving. A player can, without making a single purchase, access almost all of what Crimecraft has to offer. You will find no restrictions on chat, experience gain, auction house use, gang membership/leadership, and you even have basic access to customer service and the daily tournaments.

Subscribing, which costs $4.99 or $9.99 based on your preferred tier, offers a faster method of leveling up, more loot and cash gained, a decreased cost to use the auction house/mail system, and expanded access to tournaments and customer service. You’ll also gain full access to the Bleedout campaign, a single-player story mode that offers little more than a back story to the game.

If you enjoy shooters, there’s really no reason not to at least give Crimecraft a try. The game features your basic vanilla game modes from deathmatch to team deathmatch, territory control, and a capture the flag style game where you have to steal money from your opponent’s vault and bring it back to your own. My favorite game mode involves two teams fighting over a single node that spawns randomly on the map. Once a team captures the node, they do not respawn until the other team destroys the node, making defense all the more difficult as your team slowly drops around you.

Adding to the strategy are a slew of abilities that you gain access to as you level up, ala Call of Duty, where you can take a very limited number of perks into a match, from health regeneration to limited cloaking, to proximity mines, and everything in between. You can also craft or purchase drugs that offer similar effects.

Why You Aren’t Playing CrimeCraft

If you aren’t playing right at the moment of this publishing, it may not be out of lack of trying. Ever since Crimecraft released for free on Steam, the game has undergone some heavy traffic resulting in server queues and downtime. Vogster have opened a second server, with more on the way.

You may also be wary of the element of “pay to win,” given Vogster sells weapons and armor on the cash shop. The easiest answer to that concern is that yes, there is an element of “pay to perform better,” but for a game that relies on fast reflexes, such a concept is lost on Crimecraft. You could have the best sniper in the game, but unless you can aim you won’t be getting any kills. So you do have access to some weapons that have better stats than those you can access in game, but those stats are rather meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Overall, Crimecraft has something for competitive players and those that simply want to massacre mindless AI. The writing isn’t going to knock your socks off, but the Bleedout campaign is definitely worth a look to gather more context on the world that you inhabit. This article is being published on August 28th, 2011, I suggest you wait until Vogster adds more servers before you sign up, otherwise you’ll wind up waiting in a long queue line.

Why Aren’t You Playing: CrimeCraft


I’ve wanted to do a “Why Aren’t You Playing” on Crimecraft since I did the writeup on Gods & Heroes, and actually started writing this piece before Vogster decided to release the free version on Steam. As a result, I almost canned this article because odds are most of you have already given the game a go. Regardless, the show must go on.

Back in my day, Crimecraft required the purchase of a boxed copy and a monthly subscription fee. Since its small release, Vogster has rescinded the client purchase and relegated the subscription to an optional subscription that offers faster leveling at better chances at good loot, allowing anyone to get in for free. Aside from the single player story mode, all of the game modes are open to you as a free player. As far as offering content to free players, Vogster is one of the most giving. A player can, without making a single purchase, access almost all of what Crimecraft has to offer. You will find no restrictions on chat, experience gain, auction house use, gang membership/leadership, and you even have basic access to customer service and the daily tournaments.

Subscribing, which costs $4.99 or $9.99 based on your preferred tier, offers a faster method of leveling up, more loot and cash gained, a decreased cost to use the auction house/mail system, and expanded access to tournaments and customer service. You’ll also gain full access to the Bleedout campaign, a single-player story mode that offers little more than a back story to the game.

If you enjoy shooters, there’s really no reason not to at least give Crimecraft a try. The game features your basic vanilla game modes from deathmatch to team deathmatch, territory control, and a capture the flag style game where you have to steal money from your opponent’s vault and bring it back to your own. My favorite game mode involves two teams fighting over a single node that spawns randomly on the map. Once a team captures the node, they do not respawn until the other team destroys the node, making defense all the more difficult as your team slowly drops around you.

Adding to the strategy are a slew of abilities that you gain access to as you level up, ala Call of Duty, where you can take a very limited number of perks into a match, from health regeneration to limited cloaking, to proximity mines, and everything in between. You can also craft or purchase drugs that offer similar effects.

Why You Aren’t Playing CrimeCraft

If you aren’t playing right at the moment of this publishing, it may not be out of lack of trying. Ever since Crimecraft released for free on Steam, the game has undergone some heavy traffic resulting in server queues and downtime. Vogster have opened a second server, with more on the way.

You may also be wary of the element of “pay to win,” given Vogster sells weapons and armor on the cash shop. The easiest answer to that concern is that yes, there is an element of “pay to perform better,” but for a game that relies on fast reflexes, such a concept is lost on Crimecraft. You could have the best sniper in the game, but unless you can aim you won’t be getting any kills. So you do have access to some weapons that have better stats than those you can access in game, but those stats are rather meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Overall, Crimecraft has something for competitive players and those that simply want to massacre mindless AI. The writing isn’t going to knock your socks off, but the Bleedout campaign is definitely worth a look to gather more context on the world that you inhabit. This article is being published on August 28th, 2011, I suggest you wait until Vogster adds more servers before you sign up, otherwise you’ll wind up waiting in a long queue line.

Sony's "Back To School" Sale: Double Station Cash


Sony’s “Back to School Bonanza” sale strikes me as odd, given spending more on MMOs isn’t even on my list of priorities once I go back to school in September. Either way, put down your Ramen and tell your homework exactly where to shove itself, because between September 2nd and 5th, Sony is holding a double Station cash event. You can redeem a cash card on the above dates and receive twice as much cash.

Check it out here. Certain games will be having specials during the above period including cash shop sales and double experience.

Sony’s “Back To School” Sale: Double Station Cash


Sony’s “Back to School Bonanza” sale strikes me as odd, given spending more on MMOs isn’t even on my list of priorities once I go back to school in September. Either way, put down your Ramen and tell your homework exactly where to shove itself, because between September 2nd and 5th, Sony is holding a double Station cash event. You can redeem a cash card on the above dates and receive twice as much cash.

Check it out here. Certain games will be having specials during the above period including cash shop sales and double experience.

Funcom Q2 2011 Finances


It’s August, and that can only mean plenty of Q2 financial reports to read. Funcom has released its financial reports for the second quarter of 2011, with just enough time to factor in Age of Conan: Unchained. Here are some points of interest:

  • Age of Conan: Unchained has more than doubled revenue for the title, although we already knew that.
  • Bloodline Champions is being localized in Russia.
  • Funcom believes that the Secret World will be a less risky launch, given the stability of its engine (Dreamworld 2.0)
  • Age of Conan, Anarchy Online, and Bloodline Champions are all bringing positive cash flow, but the development costs for The Secret World, Pets Vs Monsters, Fashion Week, and My Kingdom are putting serious hurt on Funcom’s money.
  • Funcom sees The Secret World as selling more in its first year than Age of Conan did, as well as significantly better retention.
  • A “healthy retention” for The Secret World is considered 490,000 subscribers. “Conan-like scenario” is listed as 280,000 subscribers.
Unfortunately, unlike NCsoft, Funcom does not offer as detailed sales figures on a per-game basis or per-region. So Funcom is bleeding money, but such an outcome is expected with so many projects on the table.

Jagex Could Do Runescape on Consoles, But Microsoft…


Jagex’s CEO Mark Gerhard would like to see Runescape on consoles, but refuses to segregate the community by platform. In a comment to Develop Online, Gerhard has stated that Jagex is well-positioned to ship a console version of Runescape, but has been stopped at all corners by the big three: Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. The subject of free to play is one that Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata hates with a passion, Microsoft opposes (Gerhard comments that “one console” wanted them to charge five euros mandatory for use) and Sony is the only of the three that would like to add Runescape to its free to play initiative.

Where the three giants agree, however, is not allowing the community to interact with those on rival platforms.

“We’re not going to frame [as in, segregate] our community into boxes just for a few million more customers. Of course I’d love a few million more customers, but I just wouldn’t do it. Not at the expense of fracturing it, because you almost become the disease you’re trying to solve.”

And yes, Final Fantasy XI is an MMO on the 360 with cross-console play to Playstation 2 users. This is a title we consider grandfathered in, because it was developed long before Microsoft or Sony had the volatile stance that they do now. Don’t fret, however, as Gerhard is not giving up the goal, and expresses trust that the big three will open up their doors eventually.

“But we’re well placed to be on all devices soon,” he added, “so we can have a global community”.

Star Vault Publishes Q2 2011 Finances


Star Vault has published their results for the second quarter of 2011. You can read the report in its native Swedish, or poorly translated by Google. For the sake of convenience, I will post some of the more important information here:

  • Mortal Online has seen an increase in subscriptions and box purchases since Q1.
  • In order to reduce costs, the board of directors has cancelled the liquidity guarantee.
  • According to Henrik Nystrom, a rights issue resulted in enough income to pay off earlier loans.
  • Mortal Online needs 500 more subscribers to achieve “break-even.”
  • Star Vault has partnered with Lekool to publish Mortal Online in Asia (we already knew that)
Although Mortal Online is still not breaking even, Star Vault continues to inch toward that goal with what, despite what some people would like you to believe, appears to be growing in terms of sales and subscribers. Who knows? Mortal Online could be a real surprise comeback.