WAR: The Newbie Reimagining


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I’ve been struck by some of my viewers for giving WAR too much of a bad light on MMO Fallout. Apparently I am focusing too much on the negatives (Which is half of what this website was set up to do), but not enough on the positives. Low retention rate, massive server mergers, and the continuing issue of desolate areas, where doing certain RvR tiers or public quests is impossible due to the lack of other players present.

With the latest patch to hit the Warhammer Online public testing server, Mythic is looking to make the game easier not only for new players, but long time veterans as well. With this new patch, players will no longer start in the old starting areas. Instead, players will be thrown into a singular starting area, one for Chaos and one for Empire, allowing them to meet and greet, and to allow for easier group formation. New players will also notice that they have been automatically enrolled in a starting guild for each server, to allow them to meet other new players/alts, and form their own guilds off the bat. In addition, there is now a voice-over tutorial, and an improved in-game help manual.

Continue reading “WAR: The Newbie Reimagining”

Funcom Layoffs: Delays Imminent


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As September draws to a close, Funcom ends the month on a bad note: The developer of the MMO Age of Conan announced today that they are laying off 20% of their workforce. The developer is looking to reduce redundancies in its ongoing focus to move the company to Montreal, where they can enjoy more tax breaks and lower wages.

Funcom’s upcoming title (pictured above), The Secret World, has been officially delayed by “several months.” The title does not yet have an announced release date, and a release date of late 2010 to early 2011 is expected. It is unknown if this will affect Age of Conan’s upcoming expansion, Rise of the Godslayer.

Also unannounced is what effect, if any, will be had on Funcom’s current titles: Age of Conan and Anarchy Online.

Fallen Earth: Stumbling Launch and Today's Stroke


The Fallen Earth LLC Boardroom
Where GM's go to have a break...

Impatience is not a virtue in a recently launched MMO. In fact, hindrance is not a strong enough word to explain just how disappointed a player will be if they dive into a recently launched MMO with hopes of 100% stability, a lack of bugs and glitches, and a some residual issues that even the open beta or head start periods could not iron out before launch. Early World of Warcraft players will remember Blizzard being on hand with defibrilators day and night to revive the many servers from their often hourly heart attacks. Warhammer Online saw server queues, and more recently Aion saw total lockouts from certain servers, as well as the load of AFK shop owners bringing some parts  of the server to their knees.

Continue reading “Fallen Earth: Stumbling Launch and Today's Stroke”

Fallen Earth: Stumbling Launch and Today’s Stroke


The Fallen Earth LLC Boardroom
Where GM's go to have a break...

Impatience is not a virtue in a recently launched MMO. In fact, hindrance is not a strong enough word to explain just how disappointed a player will be if they dive into a recently launched MMO with hopes of 100% stability, a lack of bugs and glitches, and a some residual issues that even the open beta or head start periods could not iron out before launch. Early World of Warcraft players will remember Blizzard being on hand with defibrilators day and night to revive the many servers from their often hourly heart attacks. Warhammer Online saw server queues, and more recently Aion saw total lockouts from certain servers, as well as the load of AFK shop owners bringing some parts  of the server to their knees.

Continue reading “Fallen Earth: Stumbling Launch and Today’s Stroke”

Hello Planetside 2!


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That’s right! Although the original Planetside downsized to one server this year, it appears that Sony is not yet done with the intellectual property. Yesterday, Sony sent out a mass email to their subscribers telling them that a new game based on the Planetside universe is being planned, and that they would like input directly from the players as to what should be put in.

This is where I admit that I looked at Planetside all wrong. John Smedley had this to say about the (soon to be) series:

John Smedley: PlanetSide fans will be happy We have big things planned in the next 12 months. Were working on something new thats really cool.

Sony Online Entertainment, as I have said, is notorious for keeping MMOs online as long as humanly possible, even if it means cutting every cost except for the electricity required to keep the servers running, as long as the title remains profitable. Although Planetside was a pioneer of its time, one of the first MMOs to bridge the gap between first person shooters on a massive spectrum, the title has aged greatly since its launch. A brand new Planetside would do justice to the game that capitalized on massive battles involving hundreds of players.

It should be noted that Planetside 2 is technically unconfirmed at this point. There is the possibility that this new game may be a complete rework of the original Planetside, reminiscent of what Jagex did with the transition from Runescape to Runescape 2.

NCsoft Nukes Server Cloggers: New Servers!


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Aion is one of the few MMOs to incorporate private shops in addition to an Auction House. Players are able to set up shop wherever they go, allowing their character to set up a little table for other player to browse. Current Aion players that I talked to on the subject prefer the private shops to the auction house, noting that in the auction house there are “too many instances of players doing everything to undercut each other in price.” Setting up a shop also removes the automatic logout feature for players who are away from keyboard.

Continue reading “NCsoft Nukes Server Cloggers: New Servers!”

Aion: Pick A Less Popular Server


aionqueue

If you rushed to create a character in the head start for Aion, on the more populated server before it closed down, you are most likely seeing something like this. Reports from the battlefield indicate that the server queue’s are reaching six, seven, and climbing over eight hours in some instances during higher traffic hours. The question that remains on many minds is: When NCsoft was gloating over their four hundred thousand preorders, how did they expect to cram everyone into little over twenty servers (12 for NA, 12 for EU)?

The question is whether NCsoft will take an “ends justify the means” approach, and stay committed to keeping the servers balanced. An easy way to accomplish this would be to open more servers, and allow transfers from the more populated to the less. If current player nature is any indicator, it is likely that the Asmodian side will forever overpopulate the Elyos, to the fullest extent NCsoft will allow.

The issue appears to be stemming from players who are joining the overpopulated faction, overwhelmingly in fact. Further reports from the battlefield make claim that the Elyos side of these multi-hour servers, are giving little to no waiting time. If you don’t have any obligations to join friends or a clan on a selected server, I suggest you join the Elyos faction. Judging by trends on the server status, the Asmodians are always going to be facing queues until the community starts balancing itself out.

By the time you read this, Aion will have gone live (alongside Fallen Earth). Here’s hoping NCsoft finds a way to quell the rage.

Remembering the Classic: Everquest "Ancient Heroes"


tss22

An MMO is unique in its own world in the sense that, despite what some people think, you truly do live in the world. Think back to titles you’ve played for years, and you’re bound to have nostalgic moments of times that are long past. Many of us longtime players expect the company to recognize their earlier game in some fashion. Jagex, for example, continued running the original Runescape, and continues looking for new ways to publicize the, albeit currently closed to all but a few, title to players who never experienced it.

In a recent update to Everquest, Sony Online Entertainment inserted an old man who will transform you into the classic Everquest experience: A level 50 with the normal gear of the time, before even the Ruins of Kunark expansion. The only alteration comes in the form of brand new drops.

Everquest has come a long way, possibly longer than any other MMO on the market (apart from maybe Star Wars Galaxies). Sixteen expansion packs later, and the Everquest of now is day and night to the Everquest of old. Everquest Underfoot launches on its newly delayed date in December. Everquest’s target demographic is their current and previous players, a fact they have begrudgingly admitted.

Now if only Sony would bring some pre-NGE Galaxy servers up.

Remembering the Classic: Everquest “Ancient Heroes”


tss22

An MMO is unique in its own world in the sense that, despite what some people think, you truly do live in the world. Think back to titles you’ve played for years, and you’re bound to have nostalgic moments of times that are long past. Many of us longtime players expect the company to recognize their earlier game in some fashion. Jagex, for example, continued running the original Runescape, and continues looking for new ways to publicize the, albeit currently closed to all but a few, title to players who never experienced it.

In a recent update to Everquest, Sony Online Entertainment inserted an old man who will transform you into the classic Everquest experience: A level 50 with the normal gear of the time, before even the Ruins of Kunark expansion. The only alteration comes in the form of brand new drops.

Everquest has come a long way, possibly longer than any other MMO on the market (apart from maybe Star Wars Galaxies). Sixteen expansion packs later, and the Everquest of now is day and night to the Everquest of old. Everquest Underfoot launches on its newly delayed date in December. Everquest’s target demographic is their current and previous players, a fact they have begrudgingly admitted.

Now if only Sony would bring some pre-NGE Galaxy servers up.

Direct 2 Drive: Good Stuff Cheap


d2drive

Been thinking about picking up that MMO title, but don’t want to run the risk that your initial investment will be a dud? Direct 2 Drive has the answer for you. As part of their 5th year anniversary, you can pick up a few select MMO titles for just $5 USD. This week (Running from the 20th to the 26th), the following titles are only $5 (USD)

For those of you not looking to pick up any new MMO titles, there is a plethora of old and new titles on sale for five dollars, with a new range of titles every week. If you’ve been holding off buying Eve, Age of Conan, or Planetside, you have until this Saturday ends to snatch up a copy and get your free month.

If you have five dollars handy, you can choose between one of these titles and a foot long Subway sandwich. In my discredited opinion, the MMO might last longer.