DC Universe Can't Wait To Ditch The PS3

The PlayStation 4 is coming out soon and no one could be happier than the DC Universe Online team at Sony Online Entertainment. Don’t get them wrong, the current generation of Sony’s console hardware is nice enough, but with what is effectively a 220mb system the team is dealing with rather tight constraints. The unfortunate situation is that most of the players on DC Universe are playing via the console, so they are stuck with the limitations for the time being. In an interview with Shacknews, Executive Producer Larry Liberty explained that they can see the PS3 version being retired once a large portion moves over to the new hardware.

“I do expect that eventually, PS4 to come out, and probably be more successful than PS3 was as a platform. It wouldn’t surprise me if we do get a pretty quick migration, but we’ll keep servicing PS3 for a while.”

It will happen at some point, the question is simply when.

(Source: Shacknews)

DC Universe Can’t Wait To Ditch The PS3

“I do expect that eventually, PS4 to come out, and probably be more successful than PS3 was as a platform. It wouldn’t surprise me if we do get a pretty quick migration, but we’ll keep servicing PS3 for a while.”

It will happen at some point, the question is simply when.

(Source: Shacknews)

Everquest Next Is Voxel-Based And Dynamic

The big reveal is here! Sony Online Entertainment has finally unveiled Everquest Next in all of its juicy glory. So what are the fine points that have been revealed so far? Let’s run it down:

Everquest Next will be voxel-based, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the graphics. Everything in the world can be destroyed, although not necessarily by players.
Players choose a race and class, and as they progress they gain abilities from their own and other classes.
There are no levels.
Some skills and classes will only be available if you are chummy with certain factions.
Lower levels (which can be dug into) are procedurally generated.
Creatures can lie dormant in wait for players to spring them and begin new world-changing events.
Quests aren’t really quests in the traditional sense. More like tasks. For instance you may enter a battle between two sides and choose which to aid.
World-wide quests, called Rallying Calls, last several months, develop based on player action, and are permanent.
Storybricks is present in full force. NPCs and factions will remember your player character, either positively or negatively based on your actions.
NPCs are intelligent and will respond to their environments, going as far as moving their settlements to a safer place.
And much more to come.

Dragon’s Prophet Coming September 18th

dragons-prophet-black-dragon

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that the launch date for Dragon’s Prophet will be September 18th. The MMO developed by Runes of Magic developer Runewaker Entertainment and published by Sony Online Entertainment allows players to capture and train a wide variety of dragons, and then customize them to your style of play. Currently in Open Beta, Dragon’s Prophet sports an action-based combat system much like that found in TERA and RaiderZ.

When the game launches, we will deliver an additional zone as well as the long-awaited frontier system with its epic cross-server PvP battles. Gaming has never been this diverse and thrilling – and you’re experiencing it on the back of a mighty dragon!”

Players will also be able to attend massive cross-server PvP battles once the game goes live.

(Source: Sony Press Release)

Dragon's Prophet Coming September 18th

dragons-prophet-black-dragon

When the game launches, we will deliver an additional zone as well as the long-awaited frontier system with its epic cross-server PvP battles. Gaming has never been this diverse and thrilling – and you’re experiencing it on the back of a mighty dragon!”

Players will also be able to attend massive cross-server PvP battles once the game goes live.

(Source: Sony Press Release)

Planetside 2 Cancels Pay to Win Implants

If criticism had a physical manifestation, John Smedley would be coming home with a broken nose and a black eye after today’s ordeal. Planetside 2 was gearing up for Game Update 13, which was set to implement a form of the implant system that original Planetside players should be familiar with. Implants are consumable items that last just a few hours and are single-use. They are powerful in nature and allow for protection against grenades, increases range, regenerate health, reduce damage, and makes the wearer undetectable. Sounds great, right up until the point where SOE took a hard left in their truck, slammed through the guard rail, and landed in an orphanage.

The problem? The implants, at least from what players knew, seemed somewhere between overpowered and unbalanced. Factor in that they would be purchased with certs/station cash and not infantry resources gained through playing the game, and you have a nice setup to turn Planetside 2 into a game where only those willing to pony up some cash have a snowball’s chance in hell of living long enough to accomplish anything. The community responded to the announced update with a resounding “absolutely not,” and John Smedley later announced via Twitter that implants would be removed from GU13 and sent back to the drawing board.

We look forward to seeing how Sony will reintegrate implants, assuming the update doesn’t die in the workshop.

(Source: Twitter)

Free Stuff Plz Month #1 Reminder

Free Stuff Plz is off to a big start with the reveal of the first month’s contest: Sony Station Cash. Since Sony has such a large library of MMOs all tied to a single cash system, we figured why keep it to just one title? Between now and the end of July 2013, take a screenshot in any one of Sony Online Entertainment’s games and submit it to freestuff@mmofallout.com. There are no specific requirements as to the screenshot itself, so get crafty.

Capture and submit your best screenshot from Everquest, Everquest II, Free Realms, Clone Wars, Planetside, Planetside 2, DC Universe, Dragon’s Prophet, or Vanguard.

The contest will run from June 19th, 2013 through July 31st, 2013
It must be YOUR screenshot.
Only one attempt per email, please.
The prize is given as Station Cash. If your account does not use Station Cash (IE: Prosieben.Sat users), you will not be able to claim the prize.
You must be 13 or older to enter.

Grand Prize:

$45 Station Cash

Runner Up:

$15 Station Cash

DC Universe Online Coming To Asia

Good news, super people. Sony Online Entertainment has announced a partnership with AsiaSoft Corporation to bring DC Universe Online to eight Asian countries. Beginning later this year, gamers in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines will be able to suit up and jump in to enjoy their own dedicated servers, localized customer support, and payment gateways.

“Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the entire roster of DC Entertainment heroes and villains are among the most recognizable icons in the world. By bringing DC Universe Online to southeast Asia, more people than ever will be able to gear-up and fight alongside their favorite characters,” said Louis Figueroa, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Sony Online Entertainment.

The announcement only makes mention of the PC version of DC Universe Online, with no apparent plans for hosting on the PS3.

(Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release)

Everquest Next Avoiding Bad Design Decisions

For some reason I will never understand, members of the free to play sandbox community have taken Everquest Next to be Sony Online Entertainment’s answer to games like Mortal Online and Darkfall: free for all deathmatching with full loot and hardcore gameplay. Apparently I wasn’t the only one wondering why Sony would make such a poor decision to force full loot pvp. On Twitter, someone asked Lead Game Designer Darrin McPherson if pvp would be forced on players, to which McPherson stated that “we avoid bad design decisions.”

Although his words were vague, likelihood points toward Everquest Next at least offering players a choice similar to the options between PvP and PvE servers on almost every other MMO on the market. Whether or not Sony will experiment with a hardcore server is up for grabs. Back in the day, Sony opened up Rallos Zek on the original Everquest, a pvp server with full loot. Sony has a habit of rolling out experimental rule servers with the Everquest brand and seeing how they perform, so a hardcore pvp Everquest Next is an absolute possibility.

Free Stuff Plz Month #1: Station Cash

Free Stuff Plz is off to a big start with the reveal of the first month’s contest: Sony Station Cash. Since Sony has such a large library of MMOs all tied to a single cash system, we figured why keep it to just one title? Between now and the end of July 2013, take a screenshot in any one of Sony Online Entertainment’s games and submit it to freestuff[at]mmofallout[dot]com. There are no specific requirements as to the screenshot itself, so get crafty. Something dark, thoughtful, goofy, romantic, etc, it is your choice.

Capture and submit your best screenshot from Everquest, Everquest II, Free Realms, Clone Wars, Planetside, Planetside 2, DC Universe, Dragon’s Prophet, or Vanguard.

The contest will run from June 19th, 2013 through July 31st, 2013
It must be YOUR screenshot.
Only one attempt per email, please.
The prize is given as Station Cash. If your account does not use Station Cash (IE: Prosieben.Sat users), you will not be able to claim the prize.
You must be 13 or older to enter.

Grand Prize:

$45 Station Cash

Runner Up:

$15 Station Cash

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Runner Up:

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Runner Up:

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