Tag: Eve Online

Eve Online Heading To Japan Under Nexon


Despite what some may like you to believe, the cultural differences between the East and West are astronomical, and nothing showcases these differences better than our choice in consumer goods. In the MMO sector, grind-based cutesy free to play cash shop MMOs tend to do better in the east while the west prefers  less anime games, has a far higher tendency to reject pay-to-win cash shops, and isn’t afraid of paying a subscription or two.

CCP announced today that Eve Online is heading to Japan, partnering with Nexon who will take care of the localization. Japanese players will connect to Eve’s Tranquility server, unlike the Chinese market. The game hits Japan later this year, with Nexon also handling the release of DUST 514 in Japan.

It’ll be interesting to see how well received Eve becomes in Japan, given a major focus of the game is how corporations deal with one another, between players building up empires and stabbing each other in the back. More on Eve Online as it appears.

What Happened This Week: Macrotransaction Edition


I skipped This Week in Review last week because I only had three days worth of posts for the previous week. This week, I want to continue the Week in Review articles by starting out with a question, and it pertains to Star Wars Galaxies. It’s always a downer to hear that an MMO you play is shutting down. If you currently play the game. do you continue playing until the game shuts down, or do you consider any more invested money a waste? If you were an ex-player, do you rejoin to savor some memories or to see the game off, or do you stay away? If there is free time, do you take advantage of it?

But enough of that, what happened this week?

1. What Does Star Wars Say For Sony’s Other Titles?

This one is obvious: not much. It’s important to remember that Star Wars was canned because Sony and Lucas Arts decided it to be the best decision rather than renew the contract at the end of the year, likely partially because LA doesn’t want two full Star Wars MMOs on the market, even if they wouldn’t really compete (two completely different points in time).

Looking at Sony’s other lineup, it’s safe to say neither Everquest nor Everquest II are going anywhere, the two games just make too much money. Free Realms makes a lump of  cash, as does Pirates of the Burning Sea and Clone Wars Adventures. DC Universe is still trucking along with the server meld bringing the community closer together.

My only title of note is Vanguard. Although Sony has expressed interest in taking Vanguard free to play, doing so would require a good investment of capital, one that the company could deem not worth it ultimately. If I had to choose one game from the list, Vanguard would be high on the list, although likely not #1 as the game has barely any overhead left. Most likely, I would say Planetside, although I believe Sony will time Planetside shutting down with the release of Planetside Next.

2. Rift Shuts Down Servers…Subtly

Trion reminds me of Blake from Glengarry Glen Ross with his ability to tie “good news” and “you’re fired” in the same sentence. If you haven’t been paying attention, Trion recently announced that a few servers would be transferred over to “trial” status, where free trial players would be segregated off to. Of course players have the option, and you will be suggested to do so upon logging in, to transfer off of the server, free of charge.

Who says Trion doesn’t know innovation? This is probably one of the most subtle ways to merge servers I’ve seen in the history of MMO Fallout, nay, the history of the genre. Character creation has been disabled for non-trial users on those servers, and the restrictions for under level 15 characters are being removed in the near future so all of your currently made characters can leave the server. There are a lot of trial-tagged servers, too. Around twenty, from my understanding.

3. Eve Players Are Overloading Perpetuum

Perpetuum Online! That game I talked about that one time with the place and the thing. With all the talk of people leaving Eve (Over four thousand committed to unsubscribing so far, according to the Eve forums), their natural destination should be Perpetuum Online, right? The game is essentially Eve on the ground, and with mechs instead of space ships. If you said yes, you would be correct.

Over in the forums, Perpetuum has been hit with some good, healthy (for the wallet) overpopulation, resulting in queue lines to log in. I don’t normally laugh at MMO drama, but this is pretty funny. It’s like a picture of a concert, where the band is giving the middle finger to the audience who are, in turn, giving it back.

4. Maybe CCP Just Bit Off Too Much

Thinking back, perhaps CCP is in the same situation as Cryptic Studios. Sure, the game they run is raking in the cash, but that profit may be dwarfed by the development costs of their other games. CCP has DUST 514 in development for the PS3, and we all know how expensive PS3 development is, as well as World of Darkness. The cash shop may be a way to supplement their income and get the games out faster, but it’s a prescription that is not fitting well with the community.

But as many Eve players have noted, the price of the cash shop items barely factors in. Where the players are getting angry isn’t in CCP’s initial action, but in the response given to the controversy. You can read the events in the Eve Online category on this blog but for a quicker image, just go back to my concert analogy.

Down to brass tacks, if as many players are leaving as committed (over four thousand and growing) and stay gone, this could put a serious damper in CCP’s development of DUST 514 and World of Darkness.

5. Funny Fifth Thing.

CCP: For The Love Of God, Stop Digging!


One of the biggest elephants in the room these days, not just for EVE but for the gaming industry as a whole, is virtual goods sales and microtransactions.

You could call it that, but let’s start at the beginning of this fiasco. Eve Online recently launched Incarna, an expansion pack that both CCP and the community have been waiting for, many for years. Countless times has CCP referred to it as a technological and artistic achievement, and boy did it go down with a whimper rather than a bang. You see, when Incarna launched, the attention was not on the technology nor the artistic value. Instead, players had a bone to pick with CCP’s pricing for the cash shop.

Utilizing a new currency, the cash shop items were priced far above player expectations, up to nearly $70 for the ocular implant. To make matters even more interesting, these are all avatar clothing pieces, so not only will you be the only person who will see your $70 implant, but you’ll only see it at certain points in the game.

Not interested in just leaving a turd on the carpet, almost no time had passed before an internal memo was leaked, and then confirmed to be real. The memo, bearing a distinctly memorable “Greed is Good?” catch phrase, discussed the possibility of adding in more cash shop items, including ships and bullets and guns and more, in direct opposite to CCP’s previous promise of only selling vanity items on the cash shop. It’s worth noting that the memo was asking for employee’s opinions, and not stating a determined corporate policy. Regardless, the forums exploded.

Then CCP put out this press release, and stated the following:

People have been shocked by the price range in the NeX store, but you should remember that we are talking about clothes. Look at the clothes you are currently wearing in real life. Do you have any specific brands? Did you choose it because it was better quality than a no-name brand? Assume for a short while that you are wearing a pair of $1,000 jeans from some exclusive Japanese boutique shop. Why would you want to wear a pair of $1,000 jeans when you can get perfectly similar jeans for under $50? What do other people think about you when they see you wearing them? For some you will look like the sad culmination of vainness while others will admire you and think you are the coolest thing since sliced bread. Whichever it is, it is clear that by wearing clothes you are expressing yourself and that the price is one of the many dimensions that clothes possess to do that in addition to style and fit. You don’t need to buy expensive clothes. In fact you don’t need to buy any clothes. Whatever you choose to do reflects what you are and what you want others to think you are.

Did CCP just relate a $70 ocular implant, which likely took a whole two or three hours to develop, to a $1,000 pair of jeans that are likely individually hand crafted? You bet they did. Personally, I think the better analogy would be to compare it to $1,000 pajamas. If you spend $1,000 on pajamas, you are indeed a sad culmination of vainness (I don’t think that is a word) and no one is going to look at you like the coolest thing since sliced bread, given no one will see you wearing them.

This is a super shovel we’re dealing with, and it wasn’t long before yet another CCP email was leaked. Now, Eve News 24 states that this is not completely confirmed true, but their sources close to CCP say that it is. Aside from noting that 52 monocles had sold in 40 hours, this was also dropped:

 I can tell you that this is one of the moments where we look at what our players do and less of what they say.

I 100% agree with the above statement. I love a good fight, and if the Eve Community is truly firing out of all cylinders (and not just aesthetically on the forums), the missiles will be directed right at CCP’s pockets. I’m sure my fellow writers (the ones getting paid with actual careers) will slash my tires for saying this, but the only effective way of cancelling is cutting your subscription. Not buying the items won’t work because so little work goes into them that CCP could stick at the 52 monocles and still come out making an enormous profit off of them.

Otherwise I think it’s fairly clear that the “we’re not selling non-vanity items” is about as genuine as John Smedley promising that Everquest II would not go free to play, fulfilling said promise by simply calling it something else.

But ultimately, I find myself asking a question a few others have asked me. Why am I covering this? Like I’ve said before, Eve Online’s community ranks pretty high on the loyalty scale. Where CCP will eventually throw themselves into the pit they just dug is when the community no longer trusts them, and departs for a new horizon, and if the scale is tipping against CCP’s favor, this is likely where it starts.

Eve Online: Nothing Micro About These Transactions…


In an interview with Eurogamer back in October, Eve Online’s Tori Frans Olafsson stated that CCP was looking to introduce a cash shop, noting that any items added would be purely cosmetic. Now in June, CCP released the first phase of Incarna, bringing with it the Captains Quarters update, offering players the ability to buy clothing and an ocular implant for their avatar. As many players have pointed out, these transactions are anything but micro.

I’ve asked this question before: At what point do micro-transactions simply become transactions? The prices on these items range from about twenty dollars to almost seventy for the ocular implant. The new real money currency can be purchased with PLEX, meaning players with enough ISK can indeed buy the items without spending any actual cash. The ocular implant, for example, work out to about 1.3 billion ISK, depending on the market price for PLEX.

As I’ve seen pointed out on the forums, this sounds more like a money sink than a serious cash shop. Given that only you can see your purchases, it stands that CCP is looking to get rid of some excess PLEX by corporations or players who have simply amassed a large quantity of the item. Remember, PLEX isn’t just created out of thin air, so the factor of “players will get the cash shop items for nothing” does not have any grounds in reality. Yes, the person buying the item with PLEX he purchased with ISK does not spend any real cash, however someone had to buy the PLEX to put on the market. The benefits of such a market sink come at a rather low cost. There is no cost to keep shelves stocked, the bandwidth amount is probably negligible, and the number of players who will actually quit (as opposed to threatening to do so) are microscopic in size.

If you don’t like the cash shop, let CCP know. The best thing you can do is to not buy the items, and encourage your friends not to either. If you feel strong enough about it, vote with your wallet, and end your subscription.

Eve Online: Running The $40k for Charity


Back in March, I talked about Eve Online’s PLEX for Good campaign, a long running series of events that has seen a sizable chunk donated to various charities over the past few years. In the latest, CCP had asked players to contract their PLEX to a specific character, who would then convert the PLEX into cash and donate it to the Red Cross.

In the latest CCP blog, the final tally for the charity has been released: $44,607.50 or 2549 PLEX. Since 2004, Eve Online has donated $155,000 to charity, according to CCP. The blog notes the following exceptional players.

  • Viaris has spent over 50 billion ISK on purchasing PLEX in-game and donating it to the drive.
  • Vehrokh’s RL Emergencies Charity was formed by Vaerah Vahrokha, who created her in-game charity foundation to aid players who wish to donate but do not have the means to purchase a full PLEX in-game.
  • EVE Radio deejay DJ Wiggles continues his support for the PLEX for Good program by holding drives during his radio show live on the air.

More on charity results as they appear.

April Fool's 2011 Roundup


April Fool’s is one of my favorite days of the year, because I love seeing what jokes companies will come up with, my personal favorite being Google’s yearly jokes. Today isn’t even over, and I think the award for the best joke goes to ArenaNet with Guild Wars, who not only created a trailer and page for the Commando class, but added in an entire mini-game to Guild Wars as a “preview.”

Here is an ongoing roundup of today’s jokes, good and bad.

April Fool’s 2011 Roundup


April Fool’s is one of my favorite days of the year, because I love seeing what jokes companies will come up with, my personal favorite being Google’s yearly jokes. Today isn’t even over, and I think the award for the best joke goes to ArenaNet with Guild Wars, who not only created a trailer and page for the Commando class, but added in an entire mini-game to Guild Wars as a “preview.”

Here is an ongoing roundup of today’s jokes, good and bad.

Eve Online: PLEX For Japan


Since the 8.9 magnitude earthquake the hit Japan this month, the outpour of support has been intense not only from gamers, but from the not-so-soulless entities that operate them. Already, we’ve seen responses from Square Enix (who are shutting down servers to consolidate energy), and Sony Online Entertainment, both companies of which will not be billing Japanes players through April.

CCP is the next company to join the list, with the PLEX for Good initiative. Players are encouraged to donate PLEX, which will be converted into cash, and donated to the Red Cross. Players have until April 1st to make their donation.

To make your PLEX donation:

  • Contract your PLEX to the “CCP PLEX for Good” character, and please make sure the character is in the “C C P” corporation and that the name is spelled correctly to avoid scams.
  • Contracts will be accepted within 24 hours of submission, though usually sooner than that.

And I should point out for emphasis:

CCP regards any scamming attempts surrounding this effort to be morally reprehensible and they will be met with swiftest action.

Hulkageddon 4 Kicks Off In Eve Online


Hulkamania

Eve Online is a persistent world MMO where, short of exploiting bugs, a moral code is virtually nonexistent. Eve’s history has uncovered major ponzi schemes, illicit banks, corporate espionage on an enormous level, and more. The phrase to live by in Eve Online is “it may not be ethical, but it isn’t against the rules.” For some players, however, Eve Online is just a little too safe for AFK-miners and resource gatherers who sit in high security space. Thus, several years ago, Hulkageddon was born.

Hulkageddon is an event where players are encouraged to suicide-gank as many miners and gatherers in high-security space as possible, with points assigned to the best individual players and corporations that take part. Points are alloted based on several variables, including what type of ship was killed. This year, however, the victims are not just miners. As posted on the “about” page:

Since merely blowing up mining vessels is fun, this time around we are broadening the target spread to generate more tears of dismay! In Hulkageddon 4 all mining vessels, orcas, freighters, haulers, noctis and primae count towards your score! Yes, you read that right, all the vessels mentioned there count for the main prize. In addition to that some vessels have their own achievements linked to them, check the prizes page for all the details!

There are a ton of prizes in categories from most kills, to first kill, kills in certain regions, most expensive kills, and best hatemail generated. Yep, if you can manage to devolve your victim into the virtual equivalent of a child screaming in the WalMart parking lot, you can win wonderful prizes (Eve Online prizes).

I’m expecting to take some of the flak for supporting Hulkageddon from miners and “carebears” who attribute the enjoyment of this event to both the lack of a female partner of the opposite sex, as well as inadequacy in the groinal region. That being said, Hulkageddon is a reminder that Eve Online is first and foremost a PvP game where players team up or work solo to make their way up to the top, with success built on the dead bodies and ships of other players who stood in their way, or just were present at the wrong time. Crude? Yes, but Eve Online fills its spot, and a big spot at that with over three hundred thousand subscribers.

You can find the killboard here, and Hulkageddon’s website here. The event runs from February 19th to the 28th.

1,000 Eve Online Players Must Upgrade Their Processors


Upgrayeds

To some of us, plunking down a few hundred dollars every three or four years to upgrade our systems comes as naturally as filling our gas tanks, buying two dollar menu cheeseburgers instead of a $3 double cheeseburger because it saves money, and shielding our eyes when we go out in the sunlight. Then again, if you don’t have the money to upgrade, or you don’t have the means to upgrade, nothing is more painful than your favorite MMO announcing that you are being left behind due to the natural progression of updates. Your Pentium 3 processor may still play Half Life 2 just fine, but if your favorite MMO wants to continue progression, the lower tiers are going to be left behind.

For Eve Online, this equates to a little over 1,000 customers. Due to Eve Online’s upgrade to the SSE2 instruction set, incompatible processors are no longer being supported. This list includes Pentium 3 and older, and AMD Athlon XP and older. Athlon 64 CPUs are reportedly not affected. It is worth noting that these CPUs are from 2003 and beyond, making them older than Eve Online itself.

You can read more about it in the short dev blog here. More on Eve Online as it appears.