Tag: Free to Play

Lineage 2 Heading Free To Play


NCsoft wants you to play Lineage II your way. Coming off the heels of City of Heroes taking the free to play route comes the announcement that NC is pairing up with Innova to bring free to play to Lineage II. The new model is being called “Play Your Way,” and is not being referred to as free to play, but rather a hybrid model, by NCsoft. So far the details are sparse, but user Pocket Medic of the Lineage II forums posted specifics from Innova’s other services:

Anyone can play for free. However, if you pay the monthly subscription, you get permanent 2x Exp, SP, Drops, Spoils.Item store includes items like Buff Milks, 30-day rent-a-Buffpet, 30 day rent-a-Mount, New Hair Accessories, etc.

More on this to come. Lineage II is one of NCsoft’s best performing games, and I think the dip this past quarter may have been the first indication that the west would go free to play or follow in Lineage’s footsteps and simply shut down.

Cryptic Rushed Star Trek Because Of Strict License Deadlines


Good news, fervent defenders of Star Trek Online. The guys over at the STOked podcast managed to snag an interview with Stephen D’angelo, Executive Producer of Star Trek Online at Cryptic Studios. In the interview, which you can view below (it starts at 11:20), D’angelo talks about the deadlines that Cryptic faced when developing the MMO, most notably the fact that when Cryptic acquired the license from Perpetual Entertainment (the previous developer that had gone under), they also inherited the game’s due date for completion. For Cryptic, this meant starting several years behind schedule.

So now when time someone tells you that Star Trek Online was rushed because Bill Roper loves money, you can strike them with facts.

City of Heroes Officially Free


Dust the cobwebs off of that old City of Heroes account, kids, because everyone’s favorite super hero MMO from that time only us old people remember is officially free. For new players, head on over to this website to get started with a new account. For prior subscribers, all you have to do is log in and away you go. As I pointed out last week, if you are still running the old standalone launcher, you’re going to have to upgrade to NCsoft’s in-house client.

New to City of Heroes? Check out the new user guide. Otherwise, get in there and get fighting for good…or evil.

Faxion: He’s Dead, Jim.


If Faxion left us any wiser, the MMO has parted us with yet another harsh reminder that the free to play market is not the safe haven that it was once thought to be. For every triple-A game that loses its subscription tag, from Lord of the Rings Online to DC Universe, City of Heroes and Everquest II, the competition only increases, while at the same time key titles releasing in various states of unfinished has taken its toll on public tolerance. Of course there is also a lesson to be had in the developer putting faith in the game despite a low launch, and not laying off the entire staff. UTV Ignition did not pay heed to that lesson.

Either way, another chapter in the long line of MMOs has ended, and the Faxion servers have shut down for good (or at least until someone buys the game and re-launches it).

Faxion: He's Dead, Jim.


If Faxion left us any wiser, the MMO has parted us with yet another harsh reminder that the free to play market is not the safe haven that it was once thought to be. For every triple-A game that loses its subscription tag, from Lord of the Rings Online to DC Universe, City of Heroes and Everquest II, the competition only increases, while at the same time key titles releasing in various states of unfinished has taken its toll on public tolerance. Of course there is also a lesson to be had in the developer putting faith in the game despite a low launch, and not laying off the entire staff. UTV Ignition did not pay heed to that lesson.

Either way, another chapter in the long line of MMOs has ended, and the Faxion servers have shut down for good (or at least until someone buys the game and re-launches it).

Help I Can’t Connect To City of Heroes!


The “Hellgate: Stuck At Waterloo Bridge” article went over very well, so I’m expanding the series. If you are like me, you woke up this morning and immediately checked your account on NCsoft’s website, and booted up that old City of Heroes client you hadn’t touched in about a year. Again, if you are like me you were met with a “cannot connect to server” error, in which case you missed the above warning at the verification page.

Earlier this year, NCsoft discontinued the separate client for City of Heroes. In order to play, you will need to have the NCsoft launcher and may or may not have to download the game over again. I had to download around three gigabytes of data. For those of you who would rather not jump on the horse before it’s born, so to speak, you can check your account info on NCsoft’s website. If your account has been activated, you will see your City of Heroes profile marked as a playable and free account.

Happy brawling.

Help I Can't Connect To City of Heroes!


The “Hellgate: Stuck At Waterloo Bridge” article went over very well, so I’m expanding the series. If you are like me, you woke up this morning and immediately checked your account on NCsoft’s website, and booted up that old City of Heroes client you hadn’t touched in about a year. Again, if you are like me you were met with a “cannot connect to server” error, in which case you missed the above warning at the verification page.

Earlier this year, NCsoft discontinued the separate client for City of Heroes. In order to play, you will need to have the NCsoft launcher and may or may not have to download the game over again. I had to download around three gigabytes of data. For those of you who would rather not jump on the horse before it’s born, so to speak, you can check your account info on NCsoft’s website. If your account has been activated, you will see your City of Heroes profile marked as a playable and free account.

Happy brawling.

City Of Heroes: Past Subscribers Come Back Early


City of Heroes: Freedom, the MMO’s foray into free to play, begins sometime this coming week. To entice past players back into the game, NCsoft is reactivating old accounts ahead of time with premium membership, a tier for those who had previously subscribed to the game.

It’s important to note the warning in NCsoft’s announcement that the account reactivation is rolling and not instantaneous, so you may not get in for the first day or so. You also won’t have access to any of the VIP features, including premium power sets. posting on the forums, and a few other restrictions you can find in the side-by-side comparison sheet.

More to come on City of Heroes: Freedom, very soon.

More Fallen Earth Free To Play Information


GamersFirst has a good year ahead for it, with the upcoming transition of Fallen Earth to a free to play medium. In a recent dev blog, G1 goes over some information regarding what free players, subscribers, and past customers can expect when the game makes its official move on October 12th, and there is a whole laundry list of items that will annoy free players and delight past customers alike.

Foremost, GamersFirst seems to have taken note of the community reaction to the free to play matrix released, including the surprise many felt that the developers would allow unfettered access to the mail system, auction house, and trading. While G1 hopes that the chip limit will do its job in holding back gold farming on a massive scale, they acknowledge that these freedoms may be taken away from free players at any time if the bots get out of control. The chip limit is ten red chips for free players.

But for now, some good news. Players who are subscribed to Fallen Earth when the transition goes into effect will find that their remaining time has been converted to Commander Premium level, the highest tier ($30 a month). Furthermore, G1 has also mentioned that anyone who has ever bought a Fallen Earth key in the past will be offered a premium discount to Commander tier, $20 a month, a thirty three percent saving and just a little more than the Wastelander cost.

More information as it appears.

DC Universe Heading Free to Play In October


DC Universe is something of a lone duck in the industry. With Champions Online free to play and City of Heroes making the transition later this year, I’ve speculated before that Sony following with a similar model was only a matter of time. Of course you could also look at John Smedley’s statement that freemium is the future, but we’re talking competition folks!

The free transition brings three tiers of benefits, from free players to past subscribers to current subscribers, with the usual change in access. Subscribers and past subscribers will have access to more inventory space, cash limits, and while free players have access to the base game, subscribers will gain access to the extra content (such as the Green Lantern pack) for free.

Smedley did reveal some interesting information regarding the shift, including that the feedback from console players was a large driving force in the decision, and that the PS3 population outnumbers the PC crowd three to one.

This can only spell good things for DC Universe, whose major criticism has been not warranting a $15 monthly subscription. When the game goes free in late October, players who enjoy the game in smaller bites will be able to do so without the commitment.