Last year news broke at the rumored confirmation of an MMO based on the Twilight books, leading to shock, horror, and utter bedazzling of many MMO websites until it was revealed that the project was a student project by a couple of people who didn’t even have the license for the IP. It was only a matter of time before a company picked up on the coattails of a vampire MMO, and that company is IGG. IGG has decided to dust off their cookie cutter and bake up MoonLight Online.
IGG is the publishing portal of 2029 Online, Angels Online, Galaxy Online, Tales of Pirates Online, Wonderland Online, Freesky Online, Godswar Online, Myth War II Online, Tales of Pirates II, Voyage Century Online, and Zu Online, with Dreamland Online, Lords Online, Tales of Fantasy, and Altis Online on the way. Take a breather before you continue. IGG is a (surprise!) Hong Kong based publisher with a line of games that pushes a new definition on the phrase “cookie cutter Asian MMO.”
MoonLight Online is advertised as players taking part in a vampire vs werewolf war, and being able to build and take down empires across the world. If IGG’s past games are any indication of the quality of MoonLight, I’ll be packing my bags and camping outside of the student dorm waiting for their Twilight MMO to launch, because in the fight between vampires that sparkle and Asian MMOs, throwing on that extra glitter may end up being the smaller step down in dignity.
MoonLight Online will no doubt be sprinting its way to the lowest rung of the MMO market, as soon as the developers finish re-skinning 2029 Online.
Searching “free” on MMO Fallout will net you 97 hits, 98 after this article publishes. Now, MMO Fallout is not just about making sarcastic comments towards developers, talking about Bill Roper, or nagging on Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. I like to think I do my job well of confusing people by one minute talking down a company, while at the next minute advocating for everyone to try out their MMO.
Free trials are the best trials (I’m looking at you, EA Games), and Global Agenda is now offering up the best of the best trials, unlimited free trials. Now, the restrictions for the Global Agenda trial will not do much to deter you if you are truly interested in trying the game out. They are as follows:
Level cap of 15
Unable to filter match types.
Barred from auction house, craft, mail.
Cannot join an Agency.
Cannot use voice chat.
Cannot participate in AvA
The restrictions are pretty standard methods to keep bots from taking the trial system for a ride, and most MMOs, although the lack of AvA, even in a small dose, is disappointing, and is likely one of the big reasons someone would be interested in such a trial. Even a simple segregated AvA system that only includes trial users, but has no effect on the character or account, would be nice.
I told you this weekend that Henrik Nystrom would be giving a special announcement on Monday in regards to the status of the game. Yes, it is fifteen minutes to Tuesday, but you can blame my busy schedule for this late news. Long story short, Mortal Online is not being shipped this month, in order to upgrade the issues with networking and desync.
As of now there is no release date for Mortal Online, which means don’t hold your breath for an April release either.
Dear community,
As you know we have been working hard to solve our desync issue within the game to have a proper release of Mortal Online. We have made some progress but we think we have hit the limits on the current version of the network solution we are using. We believed we had the solution before end of March but we now see that this is not possible at the moment therefore we have to postpone the release for another month. We have been working very hard day and night now for some years and finally started to see the goal and release, we just have to put another gear in before we are going to release Mortal Online. Thank you for your feedback and support that helped us to take this important decision.
Both the community and we here at Star Vault agree that we need to have the desync issue solved before we can release Mortal Online. We have decided to upgrade our network solution with Epic Games to improve the overall network structure.
We have already started the merge a week ago which means we are converting all our current features and content into the new structure, this will take some time for us to finish before we can test the result of this with your help in the open beta. We will also fly some of our programmers to the US where Epic Games are located to work within their team to get their fully support on our game and update of the network structure in an efficient way other than distance cooperation. This will improve the speed and quality of us going into the latest build of Unreal Engine and the network solution which should eliminate most of our current issues, both in performance and network wise. While our programmers work directly on the merge and some bug fixing our artists will continue to work on the world, and bring us a few new interest points to Nave. This also means we get the latest build of Unreal Engine which gives us the opportunity to evaluate SpeedTree 5.1 and some other interesting tools.
We will announce a final release date at a later time.
Mortal Online is reaching the final days to make its launch date of September 09 November ’09 December ’09 January ’10 February ’10 March 2010, and depending on who you ask, the game is either ready to go gold, spinning in its grave, dead in its grave, or pre-alpha build (thanks to the random internet trolls specialists who have never regularly see pre-closed beta builds of MMOs.). Either way, Mortal Online is quickly falling into a desperate situation. The longer Star Vault goes without launching the title, the less funding the company receives, and money does not come easily for indie companies of any caliber.
Henrik Nystrom has an announcement to make, and he is making it on Monday, when MMO Fallout will certainly be ready to hear what he has to say. According to a forum post, Mortal Online’s status, update, release, and more will be discussed. What do you think he will talk about? Is there another delay coming or will Star Vault go cold turkey on not making people pay to play, and launch?
I would also like to respond to someone who emailed in asking me to comment on which title will fall first, Alganon or Mortal Online, and my answer is: For shame. This is MMO Fallout, where the question is not “who will fail” but “whose stories will get Omali more hits,” and I am afraid to say that that rank goes to Conan’s breasts and, for some odd reason, people looking to hack Aion accounts (I can see your search terms, people).
More on Mortal Online as it appears…more specifically, this Monday.
Gary Whiting? Who is Dale Grobois? Why is CME getting evicted? A company with no employees, no game, and massive debt, the Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment saga continues on MMO Fallout.
/Just like two fully loaded buses.
I don’t want to say that Stargate Worlds is a lost cause, but I’ve seen this before, many times. Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment is not so much on the path to reinvention as much as it is at the fork in the road that can only be crossed under certain conditions. One of the following will happen:
Hitting the pavement without a parachute: Stargate Resistance is either delayed to oblivion or launches to a less than stellar performance. Considering these losses, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment either closes for good, is acquired by another company, or continues the same path it has been on for the past two years: perpetual delay.
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment posted a letter to their shareholders today, which is likely to cause the same reaction as picking up your phone and seeing “Mercy Hospital” on the Caller-ID, that managed to take a bleak situation, murder it, and replace it with an even more depressing painting. In the ongoing in-company battle between Whiting vs just about everyone else, it appears Gary Whiting has decided to appoint a new president to Cheyenne Mountain, Dale Grobois. CME would like to remind everyone that Mr. Grobois does not speak on behalf of the company, and should not be spoken to over financial matters.
Speaking of finances, Cheyenne has managed to appoint a receiver, a person who keeps watch on the company’s finances to make sure certain people (why do you keep pointing in Mr. Whiting’s direction?) don’t get access to the company coffers. It is also important to note that Gary Whiting is the individual, allegedly, who filed the Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The receiver is currently evaluating whether or not CME should go ahead with bankruptcy procedures.
Meanwhile, everyone loves statistics. Here are a few from the open letter:
creditor debt: $2.0 million with possibly more.
Payroll owed: $1.1 million.
Federal and state taxes owed: $3.0 million.
Total cost of complaints: $10.1 million
Total in bank account to pay off the above: $10 thousand
So what does this mean, other than that I have 3/5ths the cash of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment (technically I beat them out by 14.2 million, but who seriously counts debt?)?
With regard to actual operations, game development has ceased.
Currently, neither CME nor CMG have any employees.
Hmm…In order to keep Stargate Resistance from shutting down barely a month after launch, CME was forced to enter into a joint venture agreement with Fresh Start Studios (ironically), where the game has been operating since, funded by CME.
Meanwhile, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment is set to be evicted from their building come March 31st, due to an inability to pay rent. I think it’s safe to say now that we’ve reached option 3 in my three options of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, to a point where they are not coming back, ever. What does baffle me about this is the tolerance or low expectations of MGM, owners of the Stargate license. Either MGM is not paying attention, at all, or they firmly believe that Cheyenne, in all of their continuing downward spiral, is somehow the only choice for a Stargate MMO. Or they don’t care anymore.
Warhammer Online is one of the games I have berated for…signs of desperation in bringing in new players, we’ll call it. One of the first of the mainstream titles to switch to an unlimited beta, players can enjoy all that Warhammer has to offer, that is up until level 10, completely free forever. With the client now at a paltry $15, there is no reason to not give Warhammer Online a try and see what all the fuss (or lack thereof) is about.
One thought you may be having is, “Fifteen dollars? That’s the price of a month’s subscription, and you get a month with the client. Why not just upgrade from the trial?” which would make you both a great marketeer, and a psychic. Since the client is now only $15, it is possible to upgrade your account from a trial to a subscription plan, without going through the process of purchasing a client. Just drop the fifteen bucks down, and you are all set. Even though the game itself is fifteen bucks, this still technically counts as a free client.
So if you’re already trying out Warhammer Online and wish to throw your money at Mythic, the opportunity just became that much easier.
Seeing as this is MMO Fallout, with an emphasis on the MMO, I try to keep topics related to the MMO business. That being said, I always have a special place open on MMO Fallout for Valve and any Valve related news pieces of note (not Valve exclusively, but you get the point). Most of you know who Robert Culp is, even if you can’t bring up a name. The actor starred in I Spy, Golden Girl, and more.
More notably to many of the MMO Fallout readers, he also played Doctor Breen in the video game Half Life 2.
Breen’s speech in song:
In Pace Requiescat. I’m going to go play Half Life 2.
I get the feeling that, if you want to think of Star Trek Online and Champions Online as brothers, Star Trek Online is the more successful younger brother who got all the love from mom and dad, while Champions Online was forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs when his room was emptied to make room for the new baby.
In a recent interview with Jack Emmert, Jack announced that Star Trek Online has “well over 100 thousand subscribers,” an announcement that is great…until you look at the lack of announcement of Champions Online’s subscriber numbers. I don’t want to suggest that Champions Online is doing poorly, but I have always said that what someone doesn’t say speaks a lot more than what they do say, and this lack of information in regards to Champions Online may suggest that the game is not going as great as Cryptic had hoped. Champions Online today launched Revelation, the latest expansion pack that brings new villains, new areas, and new perks/costumes/etc.
One bit that caught my eye, at the end, was when Emmert was asked which properties he would like to work with, his answer being “Godzilla and Neverwinter Nights.” Godzilla aside, this will likely reignite longstanding rumors of a Cryptic-run Neverwinter Nights MMO, the same title that is actually part of the Turbine Vs Atari lawsuit (If you recall, Turbine is alleging that Atari hoped to crush Dungeons and Dragons Online in favor of a rumored Neverwinter Nights MMO).
“It has always been, and still remains our intent to release on consoles, and as soon as we’re able to share more information about it, we will.”
-Daeke, Community Manager, Cryptic Studios, on Champions Online on consoles.
One downside to the internet is that anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of “hey, you said this.” I don’t think I need to remind Mythic of Mark Jacob’s now famous quote regarding the health of MMOs being tied to how many servers are opened post-launch, but I digress. Back when Champions Online was still in closed beta, Cryptic still had high hopes to get the title out on the Xbox360, as one of the few console MMOs on the market. I even commented on Champions Online in 2010: A Blue Moon Year.
“Will we ever see a new 360 MMO? Champions Online and Age of Conan are just two titles slated to release on the Xbox360, and we learned earlier this year that it is Microsoft’s doing that is delaying these titles. With the cancellation of the planned BBC streaming, alongside another year of no MMOs on the 360, Microsoft continues to make an ass of itself in regards to its live service.”
Since I’ve already revealed the spoiler in the title, there’s no point delaying this any longer: According to a Cryptic Studios developer, the console version of Champions Online has been canned, with no plans to revive the project. In a post on the official forums, Jackalope had this to say:
“100% of our focus is on making the current PC product the best it can be. There are no current plans for a console version of Champions.”
-Jackalope, Cryptic Studios, on Champions Online on the 360.
I’m sure Microsoft’s well touted ability to turn developers away from putting MMOs on their consoles had something to do with this decision, but the less-than-stellar reception to Champions Online since release may have been the final straw that broke the console’s back, in a manner of speaking. I’m sure the community will find some way to spin this news in a million different directions.
For those of you still waiting for a console MMO that is not Final Fantasy XI, or Massive Action Game, you are still out of luck. Age of Conan is still allegedly making its way to the Xbox360 this year, with The Agency, All Points Bulletin, and Free Realms bounding in next to an unnamed Turbine game, as well as possibly a Blizzard MMO.
MMOs on the consoles have historically had less of a chance of not only surviving to completion on the console platforms, but actually making it out the door to warm welcome. Searching deep enough, you can find a substantial list of MMOs dating back to the Xbox/PS2 console generation of console MMOs that were canned. So far Final Fantasy XI is the only console MMO to gain and keep a large number of subscribers, and even at that Square Enix has announced no plans to place Final Fantasy XIV on the Xbox360, although it will make its way to the Playstation 3.
More on console MMOs, and Champions Online, as it appears.
While I don’t receive a substantial number of emails in regards to MMO Fallout, I have had people asking the same question lately: What happened to the Champions In Court subsection? The entire section is gone! That is true. In fact, the latest Champions In Court was released sometime in September 2009. Champions In Court quickly ran into a brick wall of no-content, as Cryptic quickly flew to the scene to start removing infringing characters. The same could be said for the idea that, as players became situated with the game, they settled on real characters rather than superhero lookalikes, and those who did settle on superhero lookalikes generally moved towards some form of parody hero, such as The Shark Knight. Oh and I was notified by someone I won’t name that making regular articles about lookalikes in Champions Online would probably inflame the situation further.
If he stops fighting crime, he'll drown.
With the upcoming free weekend, there will likely be new players creating their own Hulk/Goku lookalikes, and I may do a new Champions In Court special episode. If you want to “conveniently” find your way on to my screen, you can always stalk @Omali when the free weekend begins. I’ll be flying around Millennium City looking for lawsuits waiting to happen.
The free weekend starts on the 26th, players can download the client now over at Champions Online dot com.
MMO Fallout 