Earth Eternal Coming Back, Open Beta in North America Soon


Earth Eternal has been in the pipeline for a long time, since it shut down rather unsurprisingly last August, and it was revealed that the game was indeed sold at an auction but to an unknown buyer. Since then we’ve been speculating on who the buyer is, ultimately turning out to be a rather unknown Japanese developer Sankando. Just recently, Sankando rebooted Eartheternal.com:

Welcome back to the Earth Eternal universe! It’s been a long time since we last explored the exciting world of Earth Eternal but we are proud to announce the return of the US Earth Eternal service this Summer! Currently we are putting the finishing touches on the US server and we plan to open the game into Open Beta very soon. Please visit our forums and meet the fantastic community and dev team and check back often for the latest Earth Eternal updates.

Some information has been revealed already pertaining to the relaunch. Unlike the previous version, the new Earth Eternal will not play through the browser but rather its own client. The open beta is expected to start “very quickly,” so keep tuning in to find more.

How About An Authenticator In The Standard Edition?


Dear developers,

You cannot say that you are in tune with player security and then only include one of the best security options available (authenticator) as an exclusive item with the collector’s edition. When Final Fantasy XIV was released, Square only allowed players to obtain the authenticator through the $79.99 collector’s edition. With the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic, the details of which were just confirmed today, the authenticator will only be released with the $150 collector’s edition.

Now, games like World of Warcraft allow you to buy the dongle separately, while games like Rift opt for digital versions (iOS and android devices). That isn’t to say Bioware won’t have the authenticator on sale at their store after the game launches, but given the standard edition already carries the premium-console price ($60), adding an authenticator could help justify that extra $10.

When Star Wars: The Old Republic launches, it will be one of the biggest launches since Aion, and that means every gold farmer and their brother is going to be phishing, hacking fan sites, and launching every attack they can to steal accounts. We see this in World of Warcraft, Aion, Lineage, and all of the big name MMOs: Where player activity is high, so is rampant account theft (the goal, for the unfamiliar, is to wipe the account clean and sell items for cash before the player can recover it). If Bioware wants to be known as the company that entered the MMO market swinging, they need to get serious about account security, as in starting yesterday. Otherwise they’ll be spending a lot of resources beefing up customer service to deal with all the incoming requests.

I say the same for Square Enix with Final Fantasy XIV, although the price of the game has dropped so dramatically, picking up the collector’s edition is a $25 investment at my local stores, so obtaining the authenticator is hardly out of one’s grasp like the $150 TOR edition.

Alganon Comic Book Coming This Year


I know what you’re thinking, and put your calendars away because we’re talking serious brass tacks here. Not too long ago, Derek Smart announced that Alganon would be receiving a comic book, with the first issue taking place before the upcoming expansion, revealing more about the third race coming to Alganon: The Ourobani. In a press release today, Quest Online revealed that the comic will make its premiere at San Diego Comic-Con at the DC Comics booth.

“Alganon – Fall of the Ourobani”, tells the story of Bana’serit, a young leader of the Ourobani. Under assault from rival factions, Bana’serit seeks out a mythical weapon in a desperate attempt to secure the safety of her people. This limited edition comic reveals the series of events that lead into the upcoming Alganon expansion pack, Rise of the Ourobani.

The comic will only be available at San Diego Comic Con and at New York Comic Con, and will be available in a few weeks as a digital comic via PC, iPad, and iPhone on Comixology and the DC comics store.

Until then, you can read the preview pages here.

Star Wars Galaxies: Week 3


*Note: I finished writing this before the double exp update, this does not include any gameplay spent after today’s update*

Hallelujah! Week 3 of Star Wars Galaxies is over and done with, and I am finally off of Tatooine. Although my time working for Jabba was just grand (A little run in left me with -450 standing with the Hutts, but 3305 with Jabba, if that makes sense), I was finally able to get the droid head I’d been looking for and get my fully functional R2 droid from Watto. I was quite surprised as to how long that particular quest series took me, and by the end of it I was still level 21, still working my way towards end-game.

Despite what tone my opening image may convey, I’m finding this game extremely addictive. Despite some issues with availability over the past week, I was able to get two levels, although I finished the Jabba The Hutt line (for now) and even managed to speak with the big guy himself. Walking around Jabba’s building adds to the atmosphere I talked about in earlier articles, because there are certain places you cannot go until you raise your faction rating with Jabba. I wasn’t even allowed to be in the same room as Jabba until I finished mission lines for two of his followers, and even then I had to complete missions for his assistant, Jabba himself, and then a torture droid to finally get the head I was looking for.

The Hutts are just as seedy and disgusting as you could hope for in a Star Wars game, and my missions involved sabotaging competing pod racers, killing their champions, murdering opposing traders, and just generally enforcing Jabba’s will wherever it need be enforced. At the end, however, I was forced in a mission to bring information to either a Rebel or Imperial messenger (this sets up your allegiance). I chose the Rebels over the Imperial scum, no offense to any Imperial scum reading this.

I can’t get away from the issues with context response in this game, however. As in the first image, there are problems with interconnecting rooms and being able to shoot through them, but not be within line of sight of the enemy. Having to step into the room just to shoot a guy through an open doorway takes away from the immersion, as do my attempts to move from target to target, even though the game tends to go completely off screen to someone who is out of range, rather than the guy standing two inches away from the person I just killed.

I only gained two levels, but I did accomplish a lot. From now until who-knows-when, my smuggler has been transferred to Naboo, where I am working for the Rebel Alliance, getting in good with the Royal Security Forces on Naboo, meaning I can look forward to missions involving killing thugs, gangs, and murderers rather than helping them along. Oddly enough, I still have a higher status with the Empire than the Rebel alliance, but that is because I started out at a disadvantage (missing that rebel checkpoint in an earlier article).

Leveling has slowed down, a lot, likely because of the insane amount of time spent traveling from spot to spot to finish quests. On Tatooine, having to travel five thousand kilometers or more just to get to one area, then kill ten mobs and have to travel three thousand kilometers to the next, is not uncommon. I can only hope Naboo will provide quicker leveling.

My house will stay on Tatooine. I have still yet to go back and put some of my new posters on the walls. This may just be my time playing, but I’ve yet to see any players since the prior week.

But still, if you haven’t played Star Wars Galaxies and want to check it out, I would suggest doing so. If you’re a “veteran,” even a disgruntled one, come back and give it a go. Create some new memories before the game goes offline for good.

Final Fantasy XIV: PS3 Coming "At All Costs"


I’m such an egg-head. Without regards to a certain outfit publishing a review of Final Fantasy XIV just before a major game-altering patch, hopeful fans of Square Enix’s baby may be giving up hope of ever seeing the game hit Playstation 3, which Square’s Yoshida has promised will only come as the defining moment where Square can release the game as a finished product. There is no timetable for release.

In an interview over at the Final Fantasy XIV boards, Yoshida and crew want to be very clear: Playstation 3 users will not be given the same indefinite delay shtick as 360 users were given last year. Rather, Yoshida says very clearly:

It’s not canceled. Development is underway, don’t worry! The PS3 version will be released at all costs.

There is a massive list of updates being planned and currently set for release in Final Fantasy XIV, everything from the major combat system changes in patch 1.18 to player owned housing, jumping (yes this is a notable addition, given Square), the scrapping of the fatigue system, the possible removal of physical levels, and more.

You can get a look at what is in development here. The page has had a facelift since we last posted it.

Final Fantasy XIV: PS3 Coming “At All Costs”


I’m such an egg-head. Without regards to a certain outfit publishing a review of Final Fantasy XIV just before a major game-altering patch, hopeful fans of Square Enix’s baby may be giving up hope of ever seeing the game hit Playstation 3, which Square’s Yoshida has promised will only come as the defining moment where Square can release the game as a finished product. There is no timetable for release.

In an interview over at the Final Fantasy XIV boards, Yoshida and crew want to be very clear: Playstation 3 users will not be given the same indefinite delay shtick as 360 users were given last year. Rather, Yoshida says very clearly:

It’s not canceled. Development is underway, don’t worry! The PS3 version will be released at all costs.

There is a massive list of updates being planned and currently set for release in Final Fantasy XIV, everything from the major combat system changes in patch 1.18 to player owned housing, jumping (yes this is a notable addition, given Square), the scrapping of the fatigue system, the possible removal of physical levels, and more.

You can get a look at what is in development here. The page has had a facelift since we last posted it.

Star Wars Galaxies Bonus Everything Begins Today


There are five months left until Star Wars Galaxies passes on, is no more, ceases to be, expires and goes to meet its maker, rests in peace, and all of that. Until then, however, Sony Online Entertainment is getting a jump on the usual funeral procession and enabling bonus everything starting today. The servers went down at 7am EST

Everyone logged in will earn Double XP, Double GCW Points, Double Heroic Tokens, Double GCW Tokens from Battlefields and City Invasions, Double Pet XP and Loyalty, Double Duty Mission Tokens, Double Chronicles XP, Double Chronicles Silver Tokens, increased chance to earn Gold Chronicles Tokens, increased RLS chance, increased chance to catch real fish (instead of junk loot and collection fish) and bonus Restuss Commendations!

Bonuses will stay on until the end (December 15th), meaning I might actually have a chance at hitting end-game with the Star Wars Galaxies articles.

Gods & Heroes: Pricing, Free To Play, Discussions:


Gods & Heroes launched by Heatwave Interactive to a surprisingly small audience, despite the game’s performance on the Steam sales charts. Heatwave, being a small company, came forth over a week ago with some surprisingly blunt admissions:

“We don’t need 500k users to be successful. However, our current growth rate isn’t good enough.”

An article today on Massively boasts an over 50% conversion rate (players who continue to subscribe), noting that although free-to-play is not on the books right now, the model is coming to Gods & Heroes at some point in the future.

“Again, obviously we want as many players playing the game as possible but, from our perspective, we need to get the game where it needs to be and have the right sized audience to go with that.”

The price of Gods & Heroes is seeing a reduction, down to $29.99. I’ll have more on the game as it appears.

Week In Review: Fueled By Mac and Cheese Edition


I hate limited edition goods, because they always leave me feeling like I need to hoard them before some indeterminate time where they go away to possibly never return. In this case, I’m referring to the awfully tasty caramel iced instant coffee by Starbucks, which they’ve described as “limited time.” What a tease, to bring out a new flavor only to say “enjoy it while it lasts.”

But I suppose I should make this topic relevant to MMOs. Whenever I unsubscribe from an MMO, reading about missing live events ultimately makes me less likely to resubscribe. Like a good number of my fellow gamers, I have a psychological addiction to vanity pets, and the knowledge that one is locked away because I didn’t play during the precise week makes my brain throw its arms up and say “well alright I’ll stop bugging you to resubscribe now.” This is why I made a big stink about Cryptic offering separate pre-order bonuses but then offering them on the cash shop. I distinctly remember Cryptic stating that, in order to obtain all of the sets of ships, uniforms, etc, players would need to buy multiple copies.

1. Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself, Darkfall.

Darkfall is one of MMO Fallout’s big names right now, likely because of the whole Darkfall 2.0 relaunch and the related hubbub over the possibility of a character wipe. If I may say so, this whole issue might have ended at article #1 and simply continued in August with more information, if it weren’t for Aventurine’s response, which was a complete disregard for why players might be upset at the news and a refusal to offer more information. The announcement was made far too soon, and now Aventurine is stuck between a very well updated rock and a hard place to auto-run against.

I think that Kimoshu on the Darkfall forums gives a very good explanation:

I think one of the biggest concerns players have is having to replay the same game with a few tweaks to it and fresh characters grinding out a lot of the same shit with the same powergap issues not addressed. AV often oversells their updates/expansions(Not that they are the only company to do this mind you…) and also with the rampant afk macroing on players and bugged out mobs as well as free afk stat gaining(swimming) that the majority of the community took part in(Guilty myself for several days of afk swimming in 2 years) I worry that AV will not enforce their ToS and we’ll be back to square one.

Casual players who refuse to break the ToS to gain skills/stats AFK get fucked in DF massively. I hope in 2.0 this gets addressed so that either casual players can still compete without having to set up afk macros or find their spot at the public watering hole for the night.

If AV enforces their ToS this time around finally with real punishments for AFK macroing and DF 1.0 accounts get compensation of free game time and maybe some meditation points then I have no issue doing a full wipe and would accept it gladly. If they wipe, give no compensation AND don’t enforce their ToS I honestly don’t know if I’ll stick around. I probably will because I love the game but it’s going to seriously be a huge pain in the ass to spend 6-12 months leveling again to get a competitive high-end character while others spend a month to get there with programs playing the game for them when they aren’t even there.

2. Crimecraft Bleedout Comic Ships This Week?

You’ll remember last December marked the start of Crimecraft’s episodic single player campaign and effort to dramatically improve the storyline of the game. Since then, the first season of Bleedout has long since finished and Vogster announced that the art seen in each opening/closing cinematic would make its way into a comic book. Initially on sale on Amazon for a release back in April, the comic has been pushed back more and more, and finally is set to ship this week (July 15-19 according to Amazon).

Hopefully the comic will ship.

3. I Don’t Live In The UK, And NCSoft Wouldn’t Award Me A Turd

First off I want to thank those who offered their support when I wrote the article about NCsoft having journalist awards, but I don’t live in the UK and thus do not qualify. That being said, I hardly think I am a blip on NCSoft’s radar large enough to be considered even if the awards did include the United States.

4. Prime Invokes Thoughts of Star Wars Galaxies

5. Please Stop Asking Me To Report Every MMO Shut Down

Over one thousand MMOs launched last year in Asia. I’ll say that again: One thousand. Do you know how many titles worldwide shut down? I have no idea, but I know for certain that I only report on those that release in the west, first of all, and secondly those that have an actual presence. You may notice titles that gather a respectable following but still do not appear here on MMO Fallout because of a lack of what I call news-worthiness. That being said, I get saturated with requests to do similar articles to the “What Happened” series every time some random Korean-launched MMO with little to no presence in the west shuts down, or when a small group goes bankrupt because their only source of revenue is localizing Asian cash shop titles and maintaining the servers, yet the can’t manage to do that.

What They Can Do Vs What They Will Do


One of the most common tips sent to the MMO Fallout email address (mmofallout at gmail) relates to Terms of Service and End User License Agreements, and people (understandably) have a tendency to take the wording of said documents as an open door for the company to abuse its customers down the road, rather than its real intention: Covering the company’s collective asses.

The reason I’m writing this article today is because of a recent discovery in EA’s Origin download manager that states your account may be deleted for inactivity after two years of no action by the user. After many contacts to EA’s customer service, by myself and others, I can conclude that EA has no intent of following through and deactivating accounts for anyone with games. Doing so would cause irreparable harm to the company’s reputation among gamers.

Steam, EA, and virtually every company have clauses where your license can be terminated for any reason whatsoever, and in some agreements for no reason whatsoever. This doesn’t mean Valve or John Smedley are going to one day say “hey let’s ban ten thousand people and see how many buy their games back,” rather I can say from someone who has worked customer service in the gaming industry, that it’s an end-all beat-all for people who try to circumvent the wording of the Terms of Service to evade a ban. It’s similar to when you would try to get around your parents by saying “well you didn’t specifically say I couldn’t do this,” and they would respond with “well I’m the adult and what I say goes in this house.”

For the record, such a clause is indeed legal. It’s similar to how EA can shut down online services for various games each year but retailers can keep the games on shelf with their original box art, or how an MMO can shut down without legal repercussion (they do have to take the boxes down in that case, however). The biggest drawback to terms of service and EULA’s is that they always favor the company, no exceptions, and will always grant full control over the game to the company. In the case of MMOs, this translates to you own nothing regarding your account, your characters, your items, etc. What you, as a consumer, must take into consideration is how much trust you put in that company.

But as I have always maintained here at MMO Fallout: Vote with your wallet. If you still don’t trust Origin and want to buy The Old Republic or a similar game, buy the boxed copy. Or don’t buy it at all. It might also be productive to email EA to express your discontent for the service.