Tag: Sony

Planetside 2 Now Accepting Beta Applications


Planetside has always been a standout IP. When the original game launched way back in 2003, the idea of a shooter where hundreds of players could participate in a single battle, where instances were nonexistent and everyone fought on the same world, and your actions could determine the outcome of a war, was virtually nonexistent. Even now as 2011 comes to a close, the number of companies willing to take on such a task has barely budged at all, and several projects promising an updated version of what Planetside offers are either still in development or caught somewhere in limbo.

When Planetside 2 launches at some point between now and the apocalypse, you will be able to jump in free of charge. Before that point, why not sign up for the beta and have a chance at trying it out free of charge? All you need is a Station account and the ability to sign in and click the “I agree” box.

(Source: Planetside 2 Website)

Triple Station Cash, December 17th Only


Sony cash days have achieved almost holiday status for some, like the return of the McRib or when your bank fires that teller who asks you for identification every time you just want to deposit a check. While Sony has performed double cash weekends in the past, this is one of the few times that triple cash has been offered, least of all allowing players to use a form of payment outside of the Station Cash cards (which are not available everywhere). For today only, until midnight pacific standard time, players can either purchase cash using a credit card or redeem Station cash cards, and receive triple the amount.

Station cash is based on $1 = 100 points. You can read more at Sony’s website. Sony is currently running a “12 Days of Christmas” promotion, with new deals in various games every day.

(Source: Station Cash)

Star Wars Galaxies: Final Address To The Community


Looking back on Star Wars Galaxies and all these years I am so thankful for being able to be a part of the Star WarsGalaxies community both as the Producer and as a fan. It would not have been the incredible experience that it was without you, the players and fans, the dedicated team of people who worked on it over the years and the fantastic Star Wars® galaxy itself, which offered us a very unique and compelling place to explore, fight, play, make friends, and build our homes.

This is a book of memories, so let me start with a few of my own.

When I was a little boy, my father brought me to the movies to see a new science fiction film that he heard was pretty good. What I remembered most was the feeling of awe I had back then, and still feel to this day. Once I had experienced Star Wars, my life would never be the same again. In May of 2004, I walked into the office at Sony Online Entertainment to start a new job working on a game based on the very same story that had amazed me in my youth. Cool! I was very excited. All I wanted to do then was learn how this thing worked, and I spent the next seven years doing just that. I can say that not a day passed in the development of Star Wars Galaxies where I didn’t learn something new. Each day presented different challenges and solving them was always a rewarding accomplishment. It is everyone’s hope to find a job that you look forward to each and every day. Being a developer onStar Wars Galaxies was just that kind of job for me.

Star Wars means something different to each of us. That’s why we played Star Wars Galaxies. On June 26th, 2003, SOE and LucasArts released Star Wars Galaxies and, for the first time, you could play online with your friends in the Star Wars universe. I was amazed at how much there was to do in the game – player housing, crafting, entertaining, combat, and more. One of the most exciting times for all of us on the team was the launch of the Jump to Lightspeed expansion, which let players fly and battle it out in space in a true 3D simulation. Now we could all truly live out our Star Wars fantasies. It was like being a kid again.

Continue reading “Star Wars Galaxies: Final Address To The Community”

It All Ends Today: Star Wars Galaxies To Shut Down


Credit for this amazing piece of art goes to JakinIrali on the Star Wars Galaxies forums.

It’s been eight years since Star Wars Galaxies first came on to the scene and amazed us with an endless amount of content, a sprawling world to explore and allow our characters to live out their lives. Since then Galaxies has become one of the most controversial MMOs in history, and I don’t think I have to tell you why. If we learned anything from the New Game Experience, it is that MMO players are passionate and unforgiving, but mostly unforgiving. But at the same time, the most nostalgic. Not a day goes by (at least judging by my inbox) without players lamenting back to the old days of Galaxies, where they could set up camp and go hunting, to come back to the Mos Eisley bar and watch a Wookie dance to relieve their battle fatigue. Where playing doctor was a profession and not merely sexual innuendo.

Unfortunately, I’m terrible at eulogizing. Despite the absolute loathing many Galaxies fans hold (and will hold for a long time) for Sony and Lucas Arts, I think Galaxies will go down in history as one of the most determined and resilient MMOs in the industry. There is so much to learn from this game that allowing it to fade into history would be a disservice to the work the developers put into it.

And speaking of history, what better to send this game off than the original Xplay review?

Sony: So Much For A Final Warning


Cheaters have a high rate of recidivism, especially when punishment is lax and not at all intimidating. Earlier this month, Sony unveiled a final warning on their forums, for cheaters to give up and play legitimately, or pack up and go home. Today, the developer announced that 700 accounts have been suspended as a first warning.

Remember that these suspensions are merely the first wave, and further action is on the horizon. We will not rest, but will instead continue to gather data and take action as necessary on behalf of the entire player base.

An unspecified number of players were discovered to have been flagged mistakenly and had their suspension removed with a small time credit to their account (one week according to a couple of users on the forums). Hopefully the suspension will be taken seriously by those involved.

(Source: Everquest forums)

Splitting Everquest 2 Services Bad Idea, Merging In December


Let’s be honest, who among us did not see this service merger coming? Back when Sony announced Everquest 2 Extended, and how the game would be its own product split from Everquest 2, I questioned how long it would be before the Everquest 2 community either filtered into the service or filtered out completely, and Sony merged the two. Dave Georgeson states that this is due to Sony reviewing their other free to play games, but the factor of developing two separate versions of the same game must have had some factor.

As a result, EQ2X will be updated to bring gold subscription in line with what live players expect, losing restrictions on classes and races. Silver is being reduced to $5 from $10. Platinum, the $200 yearly membership, will be discontinued while anyone still with time left will live out the rest of their paid time without automatic renewal. In a surprising move, Georgeson revealed that power items will be removed from the cash shop. Potions, Rez scrolls, mastercrafted gear, etc, and a vote will be taken with the community as to how, or rather if, these items will be reintroduced.

This is great for people who have allowed their Everquest 2 subscriptions to lapse, but didn’t want to pay the money to transfer to Freeport and did not want to create a new character and start new. Everquest 2 changes to free to play in early December.

Important: Sony Was Not Hacked, 93K Accounts Compromised


A title certain to cause confusion among my readers, but I did so to force the few of you who only read the title to read the article itself as well. Despite how some of my fellow MMO journalists have been wording their writing, the Sony database has not been hacked. Rather, Sony announced on the Everquest forums that they’ve detected an attempt to test username/password combinations for a massive amount of accounts ranging from the Playstation Network (PSN) to Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). RadarX, otherwise known as Sony’s Chief Information Security Officer, posted that

“these attempts appear to include a large amount of data obtained from one or more compromised lists from other companies, sites or other sources. In this case, given that the data tested against our network consisted of sign-in ID-password pairs, and that the overwhelming majority of the pairs resulted in failed matching attempts, it is likely the data came from another source and not from our Networks.  We have taken steps to mitigate the activity.”

Approximately 93,000 accounts passed the “test,” and Sony has subsequently locked them down to prevent further intrusion. Players will have been emailed if they are affected, and will need to unlock their accounts and change their passwords. Since now would be the best time to be preachy, one of the most efficient measures you can take to protect your account is to not use the same password on fan sites.

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.

Sony’s “Back To School” Sale: Double Station Cash


Sony’s “Back to School Bonanza” sale strikes me as odd, given spending more on MMOs isn’t even on my list of priorities once I go back to school in September. Either way, put down your Ramen and tell your homework exactly where to shove itself, because between September 2nd and 5th, Sony is holding a double Station cash event. You can redeem a cash card on the above dates and receive twice as much cash.

Check it out here. Certain games will be having specials during the above period including cash shop sales and double experience.

Sony's "Back To School" Sale: Double Station Cash


Sony’s “Back to School Bonanza” sale strikes me as odd, given spending more on MMOs isn’t even on my list of priorities once I go back to school in September. Either way, put down your Ramen and tell your homework exactly where to shove itself, because between September 2nd and 5th, Sony is holding a double Station cash event. You can redeem a cash card on the above dates and receive twice as much cash.

Check it out here. Certain games will be having specials during the above period including cash shop sales and double experience.