Alright, so this isn’t the “official” trailer, so to speak, but it just about sums up our reaction when the real trailer comes out.
Derek Smart's New MMO: Line of Defense
It’s easy to forget that Derek Smart still has a vested interest in his 3000A.D series, although a quick look at his twitter profile will reveal that his non-Alganon games are still being patched. Looking at the above screenshot, if your first impression is the gameplay of Earthrise combined with the graphics of our favorite super hero MMOs, you might be closer than you think. According to Line of Defense’s website (which at the time is rather sparse with direct details), LoD will be “twitch-based” and the gameplay surrounding two factions fighting over bases:
In the game, you can play as either a GALCOM military marine or an Insurgent soldier. The primary objective is to gain control of each of the four bases. You do this by waging war as an infantry marine (first or third person), on land or naval vehicles and aircrafts (fighter, gunships etc). You will take over bases by either destroying or hacking into and disabling their defense systems, thus making them vulnerable. You will do this 24-7 and 365 days a year on the Lyrius planet or in the space region above it – and all within a 100% persistent universe.
Sounds like the mass scale ground combat over territory in Planetside, in a freemium system.
Hybrid business model which caters to both F2P and premium models; both with access to in-game monetization.
More information on Line of Defense as it appears. Hopefully the combat will be engaging, because there won’t be any crafting.
No pointless grind. No boring crafting. No inconsequential resource collection. Just pure war on a very large scale.
Derek Smart’s New MMO: Line of Defense
It’s easy to forget that Derek Smart still has a vested interest in his 3000A.D series, although a quick look at his twitter profile will reveal that his non-Alganon games are still being patched. Looking at the above screenshot, if your first impression is the gameplay of Earthrise combined with the graphics of our favorite super hero MMOs, you might be closer than you think. According to Line of Defense’s website (which at the time is rather sparse with direct details), LoD will be “twitch-based” and the gameplay surrounding two factions fighting over bases:
In the game, you can play as either a GALCOM military marine or an Insurgent soldier. The primary objective is to gain control of each of the four bases. You do this by waging war as an infantry marine (first or third person), on land or naval vehicles and aircrafts (fighter, gunships etc). You will take over bases by either destroying or hacking into and disabling their defense systems, thus making them vulnerable. You will do this 24-7 and 365 days a year on the Lyrius planet or in the space region above it – and all within a 100% persistent universe.
Sounds like the mass scale ground combat over territory in Planetside, in a freemium system.
Hybrid business model which caters to both F2P and premium models; both with access to in-game monetization.
More information on Line of Defense as it appears. Hopefully the combat will be engaging, because there won’t be any crafting.
No pointless grind. No boring crafting. No inconsequential resource collection. Just pure war on a very large scale.
No, Vanguard Isn't Top Priority…Or Middle…Or Low…
- As if we didn’t know…
“The monthly subscription fee means players can expect a lot of new content from us. And I say a lot — I really mean that. This is something that we feel obligated to the players, because they are paying a monthly sub fee.“
Sure, John Smedley was referring to DC Universe online when he said Sony Online Entertainment felt an obligation to churn out regular updates for their subscription based games. Sure, Vanguard is a subscription based game operated by Sony Online Entertainment. The question that has been hitting the blogosphere is quite simple: Why is it that Sony continues to charge a subscription despite there being no Vanguard-devoted developers left at Sony, and despite the latest official update coming out in Spring 2010.
A great pianist can only reach his full potential with a piano of equal quality, and Vanguard and Planetside are on the list of Sony Games that are not so much dumped in the trash as they are hooked up to life support machines until the population levels hit zero of their own accord. While the other games in SOE’s lineup receive regular updates, expansions (in the case of Everquest and Everquest II), and new content, assuredly players of Planetside and Vanguard would take issue with Smedley’s promise on their subscription based games.
In an interview at last year’s SyndCon, John Smedley said:
We’re thinking about specific next steps for Vangaurd, but we’re not shutting it down or anything like that. We want to add more stuff to it. Will we change the business model? That’s the question people keep asking me. Will it go free-to-play? I don’t know – we’ve discussed it. What we’ll decide? I’m not sure yet. We’re going to see where EverQuest II Extended goes. But certainly if we make a decision like that, it won’t be without deciding to add more content to the game.
So depending on the success of Everquest II Extended, Vanguard could receive the free to play treatment priority over outright pulling the plug, however as John Smedley promises this will not happen without new content, which undoubtedly means pulling developers from other projects, and spending money for what Sony may determine too high of a risk.
So there we are. Vanguard will likely choose free-life over death, and Planetside may or may not bite the bullet when Planetside Next launches (John Smedley has stated that Planetside Next is being specifically designed so computers scaled back six years can play at minimum settings, which means Planetside players should be able to run it fine).
No, Vanguard Isn’t Top Priority…Or Middle…Or Low…
- As if we didn’t know…
“The monthly subscription fee means players can expect a lot of new content from us. And I say a lot — I really mean that. This is something that we feel obligated to the players, because they are paying a monthly sub fee.“
Sure, John Smedley was referring to DC Universe online when he said Sony Online Entertainment felt an obligation to churn out regular updates for their subscription based games. Sure, Vanguard is a subscription based game operated by Sony Online Entertainment. The question that has been hitting the blogosphere is quite simple: Why is it that Sony continues to charge a subscription despite there being no Vanguard-devoted developers left at Sony, and despite the latest official update coming out in Spring 2010.
A great pianist can only reach his full potential with a piano of equal quality, and Vanguard and Planetside are on the list of Sony Games that are not so much dumped in the trash as they are hooked up to life support machines until the population levels hit zero of their own accord. While the other games in SOE’s lineup receive regular updates, expansions (in the case of Everquest and Everquest II), and new content, assuredly players of Planetside and Vanguard would take issue with Smedley’s promise on their subscription based games.
In an interview at last year’s SyndCon, John Smedley said:
We’re thinking about specific next steps for Vangaurd, but we’re not shutting it down or anything like that. We want to add more stuff to it. Will we change the business model? That’s the question people keep asking me. Will it go free-to-play? I don’t know – we’ve discussed it. What we’ll decide? I’m not sure yet. We’re going to see where EverQuest II Extended goes. But certainly if we make a decision like that, it won’t be without deciding to add more content to the game.
So depending on the success of Everquest II Extended, Vanguard could receive the free to play treatment priority over outright pulling the plug, however as John Smedley promises this will not happen without new content, which undoubtedly means pulling developers from other projects, and spending money for what Sony may determine too high of a risk.
So there we are. Vanguard will likely choose free-life over death, and Planetside may or may not bite the bullet when Planetside Next launches (John Smedley has stated that Planetside Next is being specifically designed so computers scaled back six years can play at minimum settings, which means Planetside players should be able to run it fine).
Expect More Warhammer Server Mergers This Year
Ever since Warhammer Online went free to play, people like myself have been clamoring for Mythic to go full Turbine and just open the game up with a cash shop. Mythic, at least historically, has denied any plans to change Warhammer’s model, but has given side remarks about what they would have to do if they were planning on changing the model and opening a cash shop. Not an acknowledgement that the game will move to a free model, but I would be highly surprised if Warhammer dies before it at least dips a toe in the idea.
In the latest producer’s letter, Mythic is skirting around the idea of planned server mergers. They are “discussing” what to do with the low population servers. There are currently four North American servers and five European servers.
As part of an effort to ensure off-peak hours are as enjoyable as peak hours can be, we are actively discussing our plans for lower population servers. If you haven’t heard anything to this effect by the time this letter sees print, you should see something very soon. We are committed to ensuring that we do what is needed to make sure players enjoy their experience in WAR.
Unless Mythic is going to raise the population by taking the game free to play, I can probably surmise that the end result will be server mergers on low population servers. Unless Mythic wants to cryptically point us to their considerations:
“still working on WAR, but is looking at a different aspect of the game. This new focus will be revealed in due time.”
Say no more.
Darkfall Arena Promises Cataclysmic Events
Referring to the Darkfall 2010 expansion as Darkfall 2010 would just be silly at this point, being 2011. Instead, Aventurine has renamed the expansion Darkfall Arena, and has promised that the update will not only change Darkfall as a game, but change the world its players reside in.
In a recent blog post, Aventurine’s own Tasos Flambouras goes on to talk about streamlining the world, removing dead spaces, and moving points of interest closer together. The racial areas are set to receive a complete layout change, and clan cities will also have their layouts optimized. Each subcontinent is being revamped, with the addition of their own epic monsters to join the mobs already existing in-game. Current monsters will also be receiving a makeover from the art team, as well as player characters receiving their own graphical upgrade.
Aventurine is also focusing on the general atmosphere of the world of Darkfall, with ambient lighting, aesthetic upgrades, sounds, and more. More work is being done to keep the servers stable, offer options to clans, and bring in new upgrades for non-combat skills, including the much promised speedup in leveling.
You can read the entirety of the post above. It’s good to see the leaps and bounds Darkfall has improved since release, and hopefully the timely release of Darkfall 2011 will only add to that continued success.
What The Hell Happened This Week? Catching Up Edition
In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been out in North Carolina for the past week or so (hence the lack of updates) in a period of what I can only refer to as not having the internet, at all. But, now that I’m back, it’s time for a quick wrapup of what I should have written about at the time, but didn’t, so now the news is coming a few days too late. Just like getting a newspaper, right?
1. Enjoying the Rift Beta
I tweeted two RIFT VIP keys before I left, and hopefully those two people are enjoying the current beta event, which was extended to Saturday morning. I hope to have more of these giveaways in the future, so subscribe to my twitter in the right hand side, or follow @mmofallout so you can take part, and so that my internet ego my grow to epic proportions.
2. That Superhero MMO Is A Bestseller
DC Universe became Sony Online Entertainment’s best selling MMO to date, also topping Steam’s sales charts over the past week. In fact, DCU is selling so well that the title is having a hard time staying in stock in many retailers, I imagine partially due to people like myself who put down a few bucks to reserve the game, but went ahead and bought it somewhere else instead.
3. All Points Bulletin says “Two Strikes, and You’re Out”
At least according to Jagex, not having a no tolerance policy on cheating works to keep paying customers who may have gone out of line once, but are indeed salvageable by the great legitimate-promoting gods. So K2 Networks announced on their blog that they will be instituting a two-strike policy when APB goes live. Cheat once and you are temporarily banned, cheat twice and you are permanently banned. Of course, one could glance at Valve, whose previous policy of banning for five years was rescinded because the accounts went right back to cheating, but I wouldn’t want to distill the hope well.
4. That Other Superhero MMO Is Now Free
Champions Online may not be Cryptic’s first MMO, but it is their first AAA title to go partially free to play. Launching on the 25th, Cryptic is reporting large increases in population (most of them free players). Free players will find themselves with access to all of the game’s content, with restricted arche-types, with access to purchase the premium packs from the Cryptic Store. The premium packs are made up of the expansions that were released over the past year or so.
5. No Loving For EA’s MMOs, Say Investors
At least according to Gamasutra. With Star Wars: The Old Republic on its way, investors are a bit scared to support the giant corporation, looking back at the poor performance of Warhammer Online and especially after the two month lifespan that was All Points Bulletin. Bioware may have had successes in the past, but this is the company’s first dive into the MMO genre, and if Richard Garriot has taught us anything, even having a successful past in the field does not guarantee that your current project won’t go directly into the trash bin.
The Old Republic is being backed by a powerful company and developed by one with a name in the gaming business, both of which mean absolutely nothing in terms of whether or not the game will succeed, especially against the odds of its budget.
6. Codemasters Reveals Anti-Hacking Service
Codemasters hates account thieves, and for players of Lord of the Rings Online (in Europe), they are now offering a service for those of you who have had your accounts stolen. Players must be eligible to raise a support ticket, report the incident within seven days of it occurring, and the service also requires GM verification. Meeting these three requirements will reimburse the player and allow them to get back to where they were pre-account cleaning. A word of warning, however, abuse of the system may lead to a permanent ban.
I feel like I’ve been gone for a good month. Oh well, back to the old grind stone!
Just Ordered The Collector's Edition And Six Months!
- All that for a three hour tour…
This month sees the launch of DC Universe Online, with the launch dates of Rift and Xsyon confirmed for very early March, and Earthrise coming in February. Over on the MMORPG.com RIFT forums, I’ve noticed a number of posts from people who reported purchasing not only the collector’s edition of the game, but six or more months of membership in advance. As an afterthought, I decided to look through the post history of a few of these people, and found similar stories: Not much hope in the game, considering they are putting down so much money.
Granted, this phenomena isn’t new. This seems to happen every time a new MMO launches, where a small group of players who don’t have much faith in the game purchase the most expensive version, and are often the first to throw the words “fraud” or “scam” around when the game doesn’t turn out exactly as they hoped it would be, when they hoped it would be so. Take Final Fantasy XIV as a recent example. I’ve seen people post that they had purchased not only the collector’s edition of Final Fantasy XIV, but also added about a year’s subscription worth of Crysta to their account. Some of them admitted that they played the game during open beta, and didn’t like it, yet proceeded to not only purchase the most expensive version of the game, but invest a ton of cash right from the start. Why? Because they “had misguided faith.”
The example I gave above is actually mild compared to the more extreme section of players. Back when Mortal Online launched, I had quite a few people asking me why, despite a few of my articles here on MMO Fallout, I was so aggressive towards players gloating about their chargebacks from Star Vault. One player I got into a heated argument with was because he not only purchased the game one time, and reversed the charges because of the lag and how much he hated the developers, but he then proceeded to buy the game a second time, perform a chargeback, and then boast about it on third party forums. I came across a number of players who played the open beta, didn’t like certain core features (open PvP, sandbox title, stat-based) and still proceeded to purchase the full game, only to perform a chargeback because they believed they were lied to.
Obviously my writing this article isn’t going to magically change the way life works, but I just wish people would make more informed decisions about throwing their money around, or perhaps make an intelligent choice about purchasing a game you played and hate. Hell, that’s the major reason I started reporting on sales in the first place, to not only get people into the games, but to get them in at the best possible price. PC games were never able to be returned, no matter how high your buyer’s remorse, and the fact that you can call you bank and start crying like a child because you got ganked and quit doesn’t change the fact that the whole ordeal would have never happened if you thought with your mind rather than your wallet.
Unless I’m in the minority here…
Just Ordered The Collector’s Edition And Six Months!
- All that for a three hour tour…
This month sees the launch of DC Universe Online, with the launch dates of Rift and Xsyon confirmed for very early March, and Earthrise coming in February. Over on the MMORPG.com RIFT forums, I’ve noticed a number of posts from people who reported purchasing not only the collector’s edition of the game, but six or more months of membership in advance. As an afterthought, I decided to look through the post history of a few of these people, and found similar stories: Not much hope in the game, considering they are putting down so much money.
Granted, this phenomena isn’t new. This seems to happen every time a new MMO launches, where a small group of players who don’t have much faith in the game purchase the most expensive version, and are often the first to throw the words “fraud” or “scam” around when the game doesn’t turn out exactly as they hoped it would be, when they hoped it would be so. Take Final Fantasy XIV as a recent example. I’ve seen people post that they had purchased not only the collector’s edition of Final Fantasy XIV, but also added about a year’s subscription worth of Crysta to their account. Some of them admitted that they played the game during open beta, and didn’t like it, yet proceeded to not only purchase the most expensive version of the game, but invest a ton of cash right from the start. Why? Because they “had misguided faith.”
The example I gave above is actually mild compared to the more extreme section of players. Back when Mortal Online launched, I had quite a few people asking me why, despite a few of my articles here on MMO Fallout, I was so aggressive towards players gloating about their chargebacks from Star Vault. One player I got into a heated argument with was because he not only purchased the game one time, and reversed the charges because of the lag and how much he hated the developers, but he then proceeded to buy the game a second time, perform a chargeback, and then boast about it on third party forums. I came across a number of players who played the open beta, didn’t like certain core features (open PvP, sandbox title, stat-based) and still proceeded to purchase the full game, only to perform a chargeback because they believed they were lied to.
Obviously my writing this article isn’t going to magically change the way life works, but I just wish people would make more informed decisions about throwing their money around, or perhaps make an intelligent choice about purchasing a game you played and hate. Hell, that’s the major reason I started reporting on sales in the first place, to not only get people into the games, but to get them in at the best possible price. PC games were never able to be returned, no matter how high your buyer’s remorse, and the fact that you can call you bank and start crying like a child because you got ganked and quit doesn’t change the fact that the whole ordeal would have never happened if you thought with your mind rather than your wallet.
Unless I’m in the minority here…
MMO Fallout 