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.

Play Warhammer Online: Free Client!


Gustav Rancero says: Pay for a client? Bah!

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.

Warhammer Online: Here's What You Wanted


Your Feedback To Good Use

In the last edition of Checking Up On Mythic, I talked about the developer’s latest spat with players, this time over how to deal with the over-encumbered and bloated scenario system. Mythic’s original idea, which consisted of removing 75% of the scenario maps, did not digest well with the community. In fact, from a PR point of view, Mythic’s platter of an announcement was infected with E.Coli. So being the official Developer That Could, Mythic went to the boards and asked the community, what would you do?

Well we have our answer, and Mythic has an idea of where they want to go with the upcoming scenario streamline: Foremost, Mythic hopes to decrease the amount of time waiting in scenario queues, based off of several factors that the company has been watching. Part of the update sees “always active” scenarios, maps that are (just that) always active, no matter what the progression of the campaign on either side. The game’s weekly event, Weekly Warfronts, will now not only contribute to the campaign, but all Warfronts will be open, rather than picking and choosing just one.

So Mythic does indeed listen. The reaction from the community has been mixed, but overall positive, and it’s good to see Mythic taking the medicinal approach rather than amputating the scenario system from the neck down.

More on Mythic and Warhammer Online as it appears. Dark Age of Camelot’s host change should be going live in just two days.

Warhammer Online: Here’s What You Wanted


Your Feedback To Good Use

In the last edition of Checking Up On Mythic, I talked about the developer’s latest spat with players, this time over how to deal with the over-encumbered and bloated scenario system. Mythic’s original idea, which consisted of removing 75% of the scenario maps, did not digest well with the community. In fact, from a PR point of view, Mythic’s platter of an announcement was infected with E.Coli. So being the official Developer That Could, Mythic went to the boards and asked the community, what would you do?

Well we have our answer, and Mythic has an idea of where they want to go with the upcoming scenario streamline: Foremost, Mythic hopes to decrease the amount of time waiting in scenario queues, based off of several factors that the company has been watching. Part of the update sees “always active” scenarios, maps that are (just that) always active, no matter what the progression of the campaign on either side. The game’s weekly event, Weekly Warfronts, will now not only contribute to the campaign, but all Warfronts will be open, rather than picking and choosing just one.

So Mythic does indeed listen. The reaction from the community has been mixed, but overall positive, and it’s good to see Mythic taking the medicinal approach rather than amputating the scenario system from the neck down.

More on Mythic and Warhammer Online as it appears. Dark Age of Camelot’s host change should be going live in just two days.

Dark Age of Camelot Europe: Great (If You Speak English)


Give me Electronic Arts, or Give Me Death!

Maybe not death. Perhaps where you accidentally clip your nails to far and you catch your skin and it hurts really bad to touch anything for a couple days.

Back in early January, I reported on news that EA/Mythic would be reclaiming the European grounds of Dark Age of Camelot from their current host, GOA. Electronic Arts, who of course now own Mythic, have decided to take over the operation of the European servers. I did originally mention that the transfer was less marred with controversy than the Archlord transfer last year, and I now have plenty of Warhammer and Dark Age of Camelot players who were very kind (in the context of sending feedback) to explain their grief with GOA and the way they have handled Dark Age and Warhammer in Europe.

Electronic Arts is set to take back the European Dark Age servers in a week’s time, on the 17th, but there are several issues to be taken up. Other than these, the merger is great for Europeans, especially if you are Americans.

  1. All current players will be given a free month of game time.
    1. This free game time is partially due to the fact that billing services will be down during the transition period, during which time it will be impossible to subscribe for new/existing customers
    2. Players may find that their form of payment is no longer accepted under the North American billing system.
    3. Your login name/password may have to change.
  2. Your player will keep all stats, friends, and levels.
    1. Although you may have to change your name, granted this is to be expected.
    2. Initially all of your housing information will be preserved, however once the merger to the North American servers takes place, you are bound to the server transfer conditions. Vaults and property will transfer, as will the value of the house deed, but you will need to buy a new house.
    3. Transfers to Ywain, the North American server, will not be available immediately, as Mythic will be upgrading all accounts to match the current North American version of Dark Age.
  3. In-game Customer Support Representatives will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    1. However  customer support for all servers will only be available in English
    2. The Herald will only be published in English
    3. New servers are being prepared in German and French, however players on English (UK), Italian, and Spanish language servers will have to choose between Ywain (NA) and the German/French server.
    4. The new European server will be hosted in Germany.

Those are just a consolidated bullet point list, and I will admit deciphering the FAQ was slightly confusing. You can find the entire FAQ here and make of it what you will, but it appears that the Spanish, Italian, French, and German players will all be talking to each other on the same server, and UK players will have to sit through it or transfer over to the North American server.

More on Dark Age of Camelot as it appears. This transfer goes live one week from today, and Mythic expects up to 48 hours downtime, not including the previously mentioned delays with the North American transfer. I am interested in seeing if Warhammer Online will follow suit.

Let No One Say Mythic Ignores the Community


Get my sharpie of +4 Intellect!

There are many things you can, and likely do, say about Mythic Entertainment and the MMO Warhammer Online, but one aspect you cannot criticize the company for is effort and a desire to please their community, even if they don’t always get it right. Not too long ago, Mythic announced the the 1.3.4 patch for Warhammer Online would streamline the scenario system, that ended up with plans to remove almost three quarters of the scenario maps. Reaction to the news was, shall I say, negative.

But, Mythic announced that they are going back to the drawing board as to how scenarios will be streamlined, and would like your input into the matter. The company has been watching both the North American and European forums and in-game feedback systems, and is taking as many thoughts as they can on the matter. There will still be a few of the inactive scenarios removed from the game, but not nearly as much as before.

If you currently play WAR, leave your feedback here (not here, in the link. Mythic likely doesn’t know this website exists). Players looking to get into WAR are always welcome to try out the unlimited trial, level one to ten free forever!

Mythic Taking Back Dark Age of Camelot


...in Europe.

After eight years of publishing Dark Age of Camelot, European GOA will be handing the title back to its developers, Mythic Entertainment. Mythic will be handling the maintenance of the European servers starting in a couple of weeks. As for information on times, character transfers, and versions, localizations, and other details, Mythic had this to say:

“We are currently working with GOA to take over operation of the game and its European community, and will soon be providing details about pressing player questions such as existing subscriptions, character transfers, game versions, localization, and more.”
-Andy Belford on Dark Age of Camelot Europe

Luckily, unlike last year’s move of Archlord from Codemasters, this move isn’t marred with controversy (Unless you include the usual claims that this, much like any other news, is a sign of the game’s coming demise). I am interested in seeing how Mythic will be handling the transfers, although my guess is that players will have the option to transfer characters over.

As with anything, anything can happen. More on Dark Age of Camelot moving back in with its parents as it develops.

More Layoffs Hit Mythic


WAR_ss_may09-09

Eek! Mythic has been hit yet again by the downsizing hammer, as a massive downsizing at Electronic Arts (1,500 employees by April) hits the developer hard: 40% of their employees. According to twitter feeds from ex-employees, Mythic has laid off about 80 employees, approximately 40% of the Warhammer Online developer crew.

“Mythic Entertainment…just laid of [sic] 80 people, about 40% of it’s [sic] employees.”
-Katherine Pitta, Electronic Arts

This news is not going to do anything good for confidence in Mythic’s Warhammer Online, especially when another MMO is set to go under this January (Dungeon Runners) due to continuous cutbacks of staff leading to eventual cancellation.

Depending on who you ask, many will tell you that this is a sign that Warhammer is dying. To say this is a sign is to say the sky getting dimmer is a sign that the sun is going down. You are correct, but we already knew that. Warhammer Online has been spiraling since it launched last year, and to remind people of “imminent doom” is just to beat a dead horse.

So is this a bad sign for Mythic? Obviously, and MMO Fallout will be watching WAR’s development over the next several months to see what effect layoffs will have on the game, and whether or not the content will suffer.