Tag: SOE

Vanguard Merging Down To One Server


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Generally when an MMO hits that point where it has merged down to its last server, you can bet that the game is either one step away from the chopping block at worst, or will remain in maintenance mode for the rest of its life at best. Sadly this is exactly what Vanguard players are experiencing as Sony has announced that the Halgar and Telon servers will be merging as of April 4th. The servers will be down for twenty four hours, after which the Halgar server will remain online until the end of business on April 9th. All characters above level 10, plus those below level 10 which have logged in since October 3rd, 2012, and before the April 3rd transfer, will be moved over to Telon.

Halgar characters will also be reimbursed for the cost of their houses, however they will have to find new housing when their characters transfer over. For more details, click the link below to see the transfer FAQ.

(Source: Vanguard)

Wizardry Online Compensates For Issues


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Wizardry Online is live and, for some at least, kicking. For others, however, their experience has been hampered by technical issues. Sony Online Entertainment has posted a notice that players will be compensated for downtime.

At SOE, we strive to provide the best possible service at all times. Our engineers have been working tirelessly to address the issues and we’re confident that you will have a better experience now. To thank you for your patience, we are applying a 300 Station Cash credit to accounts which have logged in prior to March 7, 2013.

In addition to the 300 Station Cash, subscribers will enjoy an extra seven days of membership, and a 7-Day Dimento Medal, an item which offers several bonuses including 25% exp gain.

(Source: Wizardry Online)

Wizardry Online Pulled From Steam To Address Issues


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Wizardry Online has officially launched, and the problems appear to be stacking against Sony Online Entertainment. Players are reporting issues including being unable to create characters, rampant server instability, a mass of gold farmer spam in chat, disconnections and other bugs resulting in item loss and permanent death, and more. While Sony runs around performing maintenance on the servers and releasing patch after patch in an attempt to fix the issues, several keen players on the forums noted that Wizardry Online has been removed from Steam.

SOE Community Manager Piestro posted to confirm that Wizardry has been removed, but that the removal was voluntary and performed by Sony itself, not Valve.

It wasn’t steam, we’ve removed the download for the time being as we resolve the current issues.

Wizardry Online will presumably be added back to the Steam library once the issues are ironed out.

(Source: Wizardry Forums)

Planetside 2 Roadmap Outlines Six Months


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I know what you’re thinking. Given the MMO industry is addicted to launch delays like they are crack, what could possibly be interesting about yet another roadmap being released? Well, Planetside 2’s roadmap (assuming you can convince it to load) is a bit different than those you’ve seen in the past. Released just recently by Sony Online Entertainment, the roadmap reveals the next six months of Planetside 2’s development schedule. The list includes a new continent, adjustments to various skills, new weapons and features to be implemented, and more.

But you’ll also see that the roadmap isn’t just a list of things that are on their way. Rather, they are a list of suggestions by Sony Online Entertainment being proposed to the community. Players are able to vote various features up and down, and while that doesn’t guarantee that they will be included or excluded, it is a way to gauge interest in a feature before the development team goes through all the hard work of actually implementing it. Players are also able to leave comments and suggestions for the developers to read.

Planetside 2 isn’t perfect, but Sony Online Entertainment is dedicated to fixing it up as well as they can.

(Source: Roadmap)

Come Back To DC Universe Until January 16th


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Sony Online Entertainment has an early Christmas/Holiday present for you, well as long as you are an ex-subscriber. Over the past year, DC Universe Online has added in three DLC packs, 14 game updates, with another DLC pack (Home Turf, containing player housing) on the way. So to celebrate the holidays, Sony is offering a free month of Legendary membership to anyone who has had an active subscription between January 11, 2011 and December 10, 2012.

The offer does not extend to current subscribers.

(Source: DC Universe)

Pirates of the Burning Sea Leaving Sony Online Entertainment


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File this one under “didn’t see that coming.” Pirates of the Burning Sea will soon be leaving Sony Online Entertainment’s list of MMOs, and thankfully not because it is shutting down. After much review and consideration on at least one of the two party’s behalf, the two developers have agreed to part ways, and Pirates of the Burning Sea will migrate to a new host. Starting January 31st, PotBS will be hosted through Portalus Games, a new studio made up of ex-Flying Lab employes.

You will be able to transfer your character at the Portalus website, and you’ll need to do so before January 31st. None of your SOE account data will be transferred. You won’t, however, be able to access Pirates of the Burning Sea membership with your Station All Access Pass, however.

(Source: Portalus)

SOE Abolishes Gold Limits To Promote Krono


The Krono is an item similar to PLEX in that it is purchased on the cash shop and can be traded between players for in-game currency, and then redeemed for a month of subscription. The idea behind the item is to undercut gold farmers and (in the case of Everquest II) to allow for the safe trade of platinum for subscription time (players trade platinum for SOE codes, which is incredibly risky for the buyer). While some of the community disagree with the item as a concept, the introduction has prompted an unexpected, but hardly unwelcome change to the way Sony limits accounts.

Under the current system, Krono is kind of self-defeating. The item is selling for hundreds (seven or eight hundred, approximately) of platinum on the trade broker, and the item is impossible to buy for anyone who isn’t already a subscriber due to the hard cash limits placed on accounts. However, in the patch notes for the public test realm for Everquest II, the following note popped up:

Memberships: There will no longer be coin limits on any account types.

Since Krono is coming to other titles in SOE’s library, it’s probably safe to assume that those games will lose their cash limits as well, if for no other reason than to open a larger market for people to buy Krono.

(Source: EQ2 Forums)

Sony All Access Pass Gets Better Every Day


Sony Online Entertainment’s All Access Pass is one of the few services you will find these days where prices have gone down while benefits have increased, dramatically. Priced at $20 a month, Sony’s All Access pass only continues to add games to its library as the months continue . Currently, Access Pass offers premium services for all of the following games:

  • Bullet Run
  • Clone Wars Adventures
  • DC Universe
  • Everquest
  • Everquest II
  • Free Realms
  • Pirates of the Burning Sea
  • Planetside
  • Vanguard

All Access also grants $5 in Station Cash per month. Over the next year or so, Sony will also be adding benefits for their upcoming MMOFPS Planetside 2, hardcore fantasy MMO Wizardry Online, as well as Everquest Next, all without adding to the total cost of All Access. So as far as the idea of subscriptions in MMOs, Sony seems to have the right attitude on roping in players.

Sony Joins The PLEX Trade, Reveals Krono


PLEX is an item in Eve Online which allows pilots to purchase subscription time without spending a dime. In essence, one player purchases a PLEX for the cost of one month’s subscription. The PLEX is a real item that exists in the game world, and can be sold to other players for ISK, thus creating a sanctioned form of real money trading, without the negative effects of having gold farmers rolling over the server. Since then, the system has been adopted in other games, from the gems in Guild Wars 2 to a vanity pet in World of Warcraft. TERA introduced Chronoscrolls, and several other MMOs are coming along with their own special items as well. So it comes as little surprise that Sony Online Entertainment would eventually add this tactic to their arsenal.

At SOE Live 2012, John Smedley revealed that the Krono would soon be hitting Everquest II, on October 29th. The Krono can be traded between players, and offers one month of premium game access in whatever game it is redeemed in. Initially the Krono will only be available in Everquest II, however Sony hopes to implement the item in the rest of its library as time goes on. With Everquest at least, this should put a stop to one of the game’s black markets. On Everquest, currently, players regularly trade platinum (in-game currency) for game card codes, a similar but unregulated version of the Krono. As is common with such a market, scammers are always about with fake or used codes.

SOE Reveals Dragon's Prophet, Dragon MMO


Sony Online Entertainment’s library of games just seems to get bigger and bigger this year. With nine titles currently in operation and at least two coming in the near future (Wizardry and Planetside 2 with Everquest Next sometime away), one might be wondering: Can Sony pack any more titles into their arsenal? The answer is an obvious yes. At SOE Live 2012, Sony has revealed Dragon’s Prophet, an MMO from the creators of Runes of Magic. Dragon’s Prophet takes place in a fantasy world where dragons roam free, and you of course must capture, train, and ride them.

Dragon’s Prophet will sport SOE’s trademark “Free To Play, Your Way” payment model, and offer up a slice of action-based combat, extensive player housing, and allows guilds to build an extensive kingdom to their tastes. You can sign up for the beta at the website below, and check out the trailer.

(Source: Dragon’s Prophet)