Turbine: Sorry We Directed You To Scams/Phishing


All he wanted was free Turbine points...

As some players point out to me in the numerous emails I receive each week, I apparently look like an idiot/hypocrite/uninformed child when I praise a company one day, and then crush them like a bug the next (literally) for doing something insanely inane. What these emails forget is that here at MMO Fallout, we shy away from sticking labels on a company, as long as that company is not Mythic entertainment and that label is not Mark Jacobs. But I digress: I feel that events should be taken as they come, and that there really isn’t some kind of point system you can keep to tell how good an MMO is in your graces. Oh well, Turbine gave us some free stuff so that gives them…five points? And the pay wall…You see my point.

Yesterday Turbine introduced the Dungeons and Dragons Online pay wall, where players could opt to complete offers to gain Turbine Points, not unlike MyPoints. The community, for lack of better words, exploded in response to this news. What originated as a shady new way to gain Turbine Points by taking an IQ test by some company in Malaysia quickly turned into controversy:

  1. Players discovered that the user’s username and email address were being transmitted, unencrypted, just by looking at the wall, to the survey providers.
  2. Forum users confirmed that one of the offerers, SuperRewards (or one of its affiliates) was harvesting emails for use in World of Warcraft phishing emails. A number of users, some of whom who have never played World of Warcraft, received similar looking phishing emails shortly after viewing the offer wall.
  3. Offers that require users to download software that secretly harvests information, cookies, and potentially passwords, credit cards, and social security numbers.
  4. Cell phone scams that require you to send a text to complete the offer.
  5. Offers that require you to partake in long surveys that then disqualify you.

Turbine has since completely removed the offer wall, temporarily, to address these issues, but the fact remains: For a few hours yesterday, Turbine was literally walking their players directly into a developer-backed trap. Players who were offered an alternate method to paying for Turbine Points were herded into a trap where they could have had their accounts compromised, or possibly even becoming victims of identity theft, depending on what some of the advertisers were sticking on player’s computers.

Players are, understandably, livid about this and Turbine has released a list of rules that offerers must adhere to. Hopefully this will calm down an inflamed situation.

Offer Wall Rules

Any offer to be published on the Offer Wall must meet the following criteria:

  1. 1No unapproved required downloads – ever. This includes toolbars, helper applications, plug-ins, and ActiveX Controls. Player security is our top priority.
  2. All offers must be certified spyware-clean and confirmed in internal testing against a cleanroom environment.
  3. Surveys must be legit. No lengthy prequalification surveys followed by a disqualification and no points. If the pre-qualification is more than 20 questions for our test cases, we won’t host the survey.
  4. Surveys must not ask for game account information or information which could be used to discover a player’s credentials.
  5. No deceptive offers – i.e. take this IQ test and get the results via SMS (free IQ test, SMS costs $).
  6. Partners must display a privacy policy in a public location that can be checked.
  7. Offers must pay out as expected. All offers must deliver the points promised in a clear and straightforward fashion.

More on Dungeons and Dragons as it appears, and no there is no news on the lawsuit.

Gala-Net + Astrum Nival: Clarification and Fear Of Death


The world shall look up and say "buff me"

And I shall whisper, no. Being the publisher of an MMO is hard work; your tasks are relegated to bug reporting, polishing upcoming versions, localization, and running events. You don’t fix bugs and you can’t add in any features, and you serve essentially as a franchise for the MMO in question. A lot of people don’t know this little gem, and the end result is that the publisher usually ends up taking flak for what the developer is doing (or not doing).

Gala-Net has seen your criticisms and feedback and wants you to know…It’s really not their fault. Gala-Net, or as you know them better, gPotato, is the publisher of both upcoming titles featured on MMO Fallout, Allods Online and Aika Online. In a development diary, Gala’s own Darren Allarde wants to let you know exactly what Gala-Net does in regards to Allods, mainly so you can be sure to direct your rage against Astrum Nival next time.

“We don’t fix bugs, we report them. We don’t program and work on new in-game features, we hear what you have to say, tally it up, and communicate to Astrum Nival the feedback that makes sense for the game in our region.”
-Darren Allarde, Gala-Net, on Allods Online

But you aren’t here to hear Gala-Net direct your complaints to the correct source, we’re here to talk about Astrum Nival who undoubtedly wants some of that old time loving back. You know, back when Allods Online wasn’t just that punching bag for punkish sarcastic twits who run MMO bl-diverting attention! and was still an MMO to give paid MMOs a run for their money in the form of seven thousand dollar runes.

Astrum’s been running a poll on what the players would like to see removed, and topping out the list on both English and Russian localizations was easily the removal of Fear of Death, the debuff upon death that can only be fixed by waiting, paying out the wazoo with gold, or buying expensive cash shop perfumes.

Well seeing as how Russia has at least 8 hours on the rest of us, the patch notes for the Russian Allods have already been released, with the following line poorly translated in Google:

  • According to the summarization of voting canceled “The fear of death.”

You heard it poorly translated here first, MMO Fallouters! It’s good to see that the word has finally reached Astrum Nival, even with all the Western Allod’ers whose “Russian friends” claim that the Russian version is now “a barren wasteland” and are not trolling at all I swear. There are a number of people angry over the replacement for fear of death: armor curses that can only be removed by cash shop items, but that is another story for another day.

More on Allods Online and its return to grace after these messages from our sponsors (grab a sandwich, this might take a while…actually grab me one too).

As It Turns Out: MMOs ARE Expensive


Project: World of Halocraft

This should be obvious by now, but it’s not just the world that is massive in an MMO, the budget is as well. Virtually every mainstream title (sans Runescape) has sucked up millions of dollars in the process of being developed. Not too long ago, it was revealed that Ensemble Studios was working on Project Titan, the fabled Halo MMO, that was canceled under unspecific circumstances. In a recent comment by ex-Ensemble programmer Dusty Monk, the title was canned because of its enormous budget: 90 million. The publisher (Microsoft) decided to pull the plug on the project due to the long distance the MMO still had to go before it was anywhere near completion, and the already high cost.

One only has to look at EA’s upcoming The Old Republic, as well as Age of Conan and Warhammer Online to see just how big budgets can get. So yes, Microsoft, MMOs are expensive, but did you really think that a Halo MMO would do that badly?

Dungeons and Dragons Online!


I Need a New DDO Image

I don’t talk about Dungeons and Dragons nearly enough, but the game is the poster child for the typical crazy success story. Game launches, game goes partially free to play with a subscription and cash shop, game explodes in popularity. Not to say Dungeons and Dragons was hurting, just that not nearly enough people were giving the game the attention it warranted.

Needless to say, the move was a huge success. Turbine announced earlier this year that the initiative had brought in over one million new players, and more than doubled the number of subscribers, while the cash shop saw a huge boost in purchases. Since then, Turbine has done everything they can to accommodate free players, including the removal of leveling sigils, allowing anyone to make it to level 20, and introduced “casual” difficulty, for solo players. Two enormous updates (Update 3 and 4) have launched, with more updates along the way.

So what’s coming in DDO’s future? Guild airships! Players will be able to build bankers, auctioneers, vendors, and other bits in their guild housing, which will serve as transportation and quick teleportation to many dungeons and raids. The guild itself will have a leveling system by which players can access better airships. Even more stunning, the airships will be viewable in in-game airspace! Half-Orcs will become a playable race at some point this year as well, alongside a bevy of new adventure packs and other items hitting the Turbine store.

More on Turbine and Dungeons and Dragons Online as it appears. To those who have asked, no I do not have any new information on the lawsuit between Turbine and Atari.

Aika Online Restrictions And Cash Shop Woes


With breasts like these, who needs cash?

My Lord of the Rings account can’t be used in Germany, nor will my World of Warcraft account work in China. My Archlord account may now work in Europe, but my Chronicles of Spellborn account will certainly not work in the Philippines. My Allods Online account might work in Australia, but my Tabula Rasa account will not work at all.

A lot of people are not aware of this, but there are a lot of developers that outsource their MMOs in foreign countries to where it was produced originally. gPotato, for example, is not actually a developer for most of their games, but actually a portal through which North American players can enjoy something directly out of Korea. gPotato hosts the servers and rakes in some cash from the cash shop, but ultimately must pay the developing body for the rights to host the title. Occasionally you will hear about MMOs switching hands, such as Codemasters losing Archlord and Cabal not shutting down in the west but actually moving over to ESTsoft.

As is the case with most publishers, gPotato only has the rights to publish Aika Online in one region: This region being North America. Due to legal restrictions, namely gPotato only having the rights to publish in North America it was only a matter of time before they acted upon that restriction, and started blocking IP addresses from outside of North America. Technically that happened three days ago, but who’s counting?

The important matter of all of this is that the cash shop was open for a full week before the announced shut down, leaving non-North American players with plenty of time to fill up on gPotato Chips (that’s what they call it, right?), the currency for Aika’s cash shop.

Players are, understandably angered at this “bull doodoo” (Not my words, from the Aika forums, also not censored.), reports are already coming in of players who had spent several hundreds of dollars worth of gpots to buff themselves in Aika, only to be barred from their accounts.

“Currently, a decision has not been reached regarding the status of existing Aika accounts which were registered outside of North America. The issue is under intensive review by management. In the event that existing accounts are blocked from playing Aika as a result of this decision, those players whose accounts would be unable to access the game will be issued a full refund on a case-by-case basis of any gPotato purchases they have made specifically for or in Aika.“

Hopefully gPotato will be able to come to a resolution. Gpots can be used in any gPotato game, so international players may be stuck using them in Allods Online or other titles. The developer for Aika is Hanbitsoft, the same company bringing Hellgate London back to the West.

Global Agenda: Success Calls For More Servers!


In Singapore!

Although I’ve long since beaten and hogtied Mark Jacobs in my attic, his long over-quoted words still ring true to this day: If we’re not adding servers shortly after launch, we are not doing well.

Global Agenda, having launched two months ago, is doing quite well for itself. So well, in fact, that Hi-Rez Studios announced the opening of a new server, located in the Singapore region, to accomodate for the worldwide growth of the MMO shooter. An important note to make, however, is that the game still runs on a single shard. Players from Singapore will be able to play with players from the United States, as well as other countries, with what Hi-Rez promises to be the same fast paced, low-latency action they have come to expect from the title.

So raise your [insert what you are drinking] and a toast to Hi-Rez Studios. If you haven’t played Global Agenda, I highly recommend giving the new trial a look.

Let's Get Serious: Mythic Account Issues


And to think: I am free forever...my lord.

It’s fun to joke about issues such as your billing system imploding and taking a couple hundred dollars per person with it, but at the end of the day we really need to get down to brass tacks and remind ourselves of those who are being affected by this incident, to whom this is anything but funny. People who may miss payments on houses, credit cards, insurance, and more during the refund process. People who may be living paycheck to paycheck who needed that hundred dollars to buy groceries. People who were hit by major overdraft fees, who now have to explain the situation to their bank and, hopefully, get the fees reversed. Yes, it was the fault of the billing company, and no this was not Mythic’s doing, but Mythic will pay the price for it. When the inevitable lawsuits begin over players whose banks refused to refund overdraft fees, it will be Mythic they will target.

One thing I have always talked about with MMOs is that unlike other genres of video games, MMOs truly transcend the boundary between video games and “real life.” They are not only an investment of time and money, but our personalities. We put great care into creating and then molding our creation to meet our vision, and enter a world where many of us can feel safe from everyday life. When an event like this occurs, we lose our attachment, and our bond with our characters and the world is shaken to its knees.

Right now, Mythic should be operating under the impression that all trust is gone. When they step into the proverbial room, it is not their “friends” they are talking to, but an unruly gang of bikers swinging bats and wielding pistols, who are going to need a lot more than a Jack and a couple free games of pool before their nerves are calmed.

A lawsuit, at this point, is almost inevitable. A mass exodus? Absolutely in the cards, from both Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online players. The players who were affected are likely not going to stick around, and those who were not affected will likely not want to chance it happening again. Mythic’s response to this is going to be crucial to their current and future operations. A simple sorry and a free month is not going to put people at ease. Mythic is going to be obligated to pay back any overdraft fees that banks refuse to refund.

While we’re on the topic of off-color jokes, as an avid Mortal Online fan I had to laugh at this comment:

“If it had been Star Vault making the account error, they would have simply replied with “Your carebear bank account just can’t handle our hardcore billing system. Go back to WoW, noob!”
-Hypothetical, satirical view on what Star Vault might have said.

More on the Mythic self-nuking billing system as it appears.

Let’s Get Serious: Mythic Account Issues


And to think: I am free forever...my lord.

It’s fun to joke about issues such as your billing system imploding and taking a couple hundred dollars per person with it, but at the end of the day we really need to get down to brass tacks and remind ourselves of those who are being affected by this incident, to whom this is anything but funny. People who may miss payments on houses, credit cards, insurance, and more during the refund process. People who may be living paycheck to paycheck who needed that hundred dollars to buy groceries. People who were hit by major overdraft fees, who now have to explain the situation to their bank and, hopefully, get the fees reversed. Yes, it was the fault of the billing company, and no this was not Mythic’s doing, but Mythic will pay the price for it. When the inevitable lawsuits begin over players whose banks refused to refund overdraft fees, it will be Mythic they will target.

One thing I have always talked about with MMOs is that unlike other genres of video games, MMOs truly transcend the boundary between video games and “real life.” They are not only an investment of time and money, but our personalities. We put great care into creating and then molding our creation to meet our vision, and enter a world where many of us can feel safe from everyday life. When an event like this occurs, we lose our attachment, and our bond with our characters and the world is shaken to its knees.

Right now, Mythic should be operating under the impression that all trust is gone. When they step into the proverbial room, it is not their “friends” they are talking to, but an unruly gang of bikers swinging bats and wielding pistols, who are going to need a lot more than a Jack and a couple free games of pool before their nerves are calmed.

A lawsuit, at this point, is almost inevitable. A mass exodus? Absolutely in the cards, from both Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online players. The players who were affected are likely not going to stick around, and those who were not affected will likely not want to chance it happening again. Mythic’s response to this is going to be crucial to their current and future operations. A simple sorry and a free month is not going to put people at ease. Mythic is going to be obligated to pay back any overdraft fees that banks refuse to refund.

While we’re on the topic of off-color jokes, as an avid Mortal Online fan I had to laugh at this comment:

“If it had been Star Vault making the account error, they would have simply replied with “Your carebear bank account just can’t handle our hardcore billing system. Go back to WoW, noob!”
-Hypothetical, satirical view on what Star Vault might have said.

More on the Mythic self-nuking billing system as it appears.

Mythic Billing Explodes: Some Players Charged $500!


Mythic hit BAR on your bank account.

Computers are great, and are becoming more integrated into our lives with every passing day. Nowadays you can use a cell phone to do more than just talk to your friend in Thailand with your unlimited long distance and roaming plan. Now a phone can be used to play video games, update your Facebook pages, check your Pizza Hut order, send a picture, record a movie, and even cash a check! Luckily for us, the brilliant minds who invented computers did so in a way that computers act fairly bluntly, subtlety not being one of their strong traits. Don’t believe me? Just look at the Terminator movies and tell me they would be mistakable for human beings!

So when the Mythic database attempts to fund its upcoming attempt to take over the world and enslave humanity, it could have chosen a much less obvious route than charging members of Warhammer Online and Dark Age of Camelot (but not Asheron’s Call apparently. That’s cold.) up to five hundred dollars in monthly-fee increments.

Mythic is in the process of reimbursing players for the erroneous charges, and no doubt melting the server database in molten steel. You can read the full Herald announcement here, which includes contact details if the charges do not stop, or your bank does not reimburse any overdraft fees.

More on Judgement Day as it appears.

David Allen Suing Derek Smart For Defamation


The horse is a metaphor.

Mid-March, I covered a public spat between Derek Smart and several ex-employees that took place over the Gamasutra comments board (And yet no spats on MMO Fallout). I mentioned at the end that is might have been in Smart’s best interest to stop at “David Allen was fired,” as the public arguments over a website’s comment system would accomplish nothing except give a lower view of Mr. Smart.

What I didn’t mention in the post, but equally present in my mind: Where is David Allen in all of this? We haven’t heard much from him. Well, Allen has finally broken the silence, in this post on requnix.

“For the past two months, there have been changes taking place at Quest Online, L.L.C. (“QOL”) and, unfortunately, a great deal of false information has been publicized.

In an effort to enhance Alganon’s® market visibility and following the direction of certain investors, QOL hired Derek Smart as a consultant on December 3, 2009 to assist in the area of sales and marketing.  Soon thereafter, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, Mr. Smart began a smear campaign attacking my credibility, first privately among the investors, and then publicly.  As many have read on various Internet websites, Mr. Smart has made disparaging remarks concerning my professional work and comments that could lead others to question my loyalty, honesty, and ability to successfully create, build, run, and manage a multi-million dollar MMOG development company; something I have been doing successfully for over four years.  Please be aware that Mr. Smart’s comments are false and that I have filed a civil action against him in Maricopa County Superior Court for his defamatory conduct, among other things.  I have been advised by my legal counsel to offer no further comment at this time on this matter during the pendency of the litigation.

Alganon® is an amazing MMOG that my team and I were able to develop for a fraction of the cost when compared to similar MMOG’s.  This was due in part to a highly talented team of developers and their relentless efforts.  Alganon® has the foundation of a great MMOG with state-of-the-art and custom-built wholly-owned technology, and exclusive intellectual property.

I stand by my efforts in creating Alganon® and building QOL, and believe operating with honesty, integrity, and honor is the only way to conduct proper business.  I am confident that during the process of resolving this conflict, the truth will prevail and the factual account of the activities associated with the development of Alganon® will become known.”

The link in the comment leads to a .pdf of the lawsuit, where Allen is alleging: Breach of contract, breach of good faith and fair dealing, breach of fiduciary duty (as well as aiding and abetting), Defamation/libel, injurious falsehood, punitive damages, intentional experiences with business expectancies and contractual relationships, civil conspiracy.

I can see plenty of updates to come with this lawsuit.