For those of you who used to play RO and haven't in a while, the March Newsletter is out with the following information:
First off, they've got new forums, which look pretty standard and similar to many other websites out there. They've also got a WoE point system (War of...?), although I'm not sure what WoE stands for. It looks to be some sort of guild point system which is determined by territory held. Last, we have a walkthrough for the Quest of the Gaebolg for those who have yet to complete it.
I do have to say that it's odd that their March letter has come out two weeks into April...but who knows, right? I never really got into RO, but I do know that enough people did, especially in Asia, that it spawned its own anime. And no, I'm not kidding.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Age of Conan Beta Signups
As I reported here, the Age of Conan beta signups have begun.
Let me just say...I'd love to be in. Granted, past history tells me that press are one of the last groups to get in (which makes sense due to NDA issues and such), but I still have hope. I've been interested in this game pretty much since it was announced, and got to see some of it back at E3. If the combat holds up, this is going to be one of the most interesting MMOs out there, even including World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, and Warhammer.
As soon as I can get my hands on the specs and requirements, I'll let you guys know. Man, I can't wait to get my new system. Only $850 (and 4 parts) to go, then the OS.
Let me just say...I'd love to be in. Granted, past history tells me that press are one of the last groups to get in (which makes sense due to NDA issues and such), but I still have hope. I've been interested in this game pretty much since it was announced, and got to see some of it back at E3. If the combat holds up, this is going to be one of the most interesting MMOs out there, even including World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, and Warhammer.
As soon as I can get my hands on the specs and requirements, I'll let you guys know. Man, I can't wait to get my new system. Only $850 (and 4 parts) to go, then the OS.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Lord of the Rings Online Open Beta
Well, the open beta has started, at least for those of us who have preordered. Everyone else gets to wait until April 6, 2007.
For those of you who aren't quite sure what's going on, Open Beta lasts until sometime around April 24, 2007 (probably April 20th or so), and characters are capped at level 15. For those who preorder, all characters will be ported over to the live servers at launch, and Turbine is looking at handing out nearly a million CD keys for open beta, starting with seven servers to play in.
I created an Elven Champion on Landroval to play with some friends, and because I haven't played an elf yet. The intro for the elves is really nice, and takes place hundreds of years before the actual game does, showcasing a younger Elrond as you see the destruction of Edhelion. Once you go through the intro, which shows off the snow troll as well, you flash forward to 'present time' in the ruins of Edhelion for the newbie area. Apparently, this is the newbie area for elves, dwarves and hobbits, as I saw a number of all of them. While everyone clusters around the opening monsters for a level or two, it's easy to spread out after that, and even in the starting few feet, there's trainers, shops and a number of quests to work with. There's even an instance not far away, which has a very nice visual of another troll turned to stone with a shaft of sunlight shining upon it.
Response on the beta forums have been solidly in favor of this game. Queues are mentioned (although I haven't seen any yet), but that's really a reality now thanks to World of Warcraft. From what I've seen (on a low end machine), the game runs rather well at medium settings, although there's some definite lag here and there, which I attribute to my system. Personally, once I get my new system set up (hopefully sometime in May or so, still need to buy parts), I'll really be able to see this thing for how pretty it really is. After all, I'm currently running a system which BARELY beats minimum requirements.
Got anything you want me to check out? Lemme know!
For those of you who aren't quite sure what's going on, Open Beta lasts until sometime around April 24, 2007 (probably April 20th or so), and characters are capped at level 15. For those who preorder, all characters will be ported over to the live servers at launch, and Turbine is looking at handing out nearly a million CD keys for open beta, starting with seven servers to play in.
I created an Elven Champion on Landroval to play with some friends, and because I haven't played an elf yet. The intro for the elves is really nice, and takes place hundreds of years before the actual game does, showcasing a younger Elrond as you see the destruction of Edhelion. Once you go through the intro, which shows off the snow troll as well, you flash forward to 'present time' in the ruins of Edhelion for the newbie area. Apparently, this is the newbie area for elves, dwarves and hobbits, as I saw a number of all of them. While everyone clusters around the opening monsters for a level or two, it's easy to spread out after that, and even in the starting few feet, there's trainers, shops and a number of quests to work with. There's even an instance not far away, which has a very nice visual of another troll turned to stone with a shaft of sunlight shining upon it.
Response on the beta forums have been solidly in favor of this game. Queues are mentioned (although I haven't seen any yet), but that's really a reality now thanks to World of Warcraft. From what I've seen (on a low end machine), the game runs rather well at medium settings, although there's some definite lag here and there, which I attribute to my system. Personally, once I get my new system set up (hopefully sometime in May or so, still need to buy parts), I'll really be able to see this thing for how pretty it really is. After all, I'm currently running a system which BARELY beats minimum requirements.
Got anything you want me to check out? Lemme know!
MxO's Second Anniversary
News from SOE brings word that The Matrix Online has turned two. MxO is one of those titles that I played during beta, and while I enjoyed it, I also saw that it was going to have problems, mainly due to the fact that it wasn't really immersive enough compared to the movie, and felt like a letdown...even after the second two movies. However, news filtered out through the past year or soa bout a number of the changes that've happened, which may have given MxO an Anarchy Online-like rejuvination. It's definitely a title I plan on revisiting sometime soon for GT, probably for a review.
Anyway, the anniversary lasts until April 10, 2007, and shows off the new 'luggable' object type, and features a mission to visit the Oracle. Here's some more details:
You have to give SOE credit, they definitely are committed to numerous patches and updates. 50 updates in 2 years? Nice. More details are available here.
Anyway, the anniversary lasts until April 10, 2007, and shows off the new 'luggable' object type, and features a mission to visit the Oracle. Here's some more details:
Update 50: Chapter 7.1 Content and A Whole New Look for You
With the beginning of Chapter 7 a new cinematic trailer is released, you will be able to participate in the new 7.1 critical missions and, through archival missions, relive all the missions from the previous chapters, including Chapter 6.
Also, for the first time ever, players have the opportunity to change the look of their characters’ Residual Self Images. Update 50 introduced “RSI Pills”, which can be used to change everything from hair color to tattoos! Head to your nearest Exile hideout to acquire some of these consumables today!
You have to give SOE credit, they definitely are committed to numerous patches and updates. 50 updates in 2 years? Nice. More details are available here.
Friday, March 2, 2007
First Vanguard Game Update Coming Tuesday
For those of you playing Vanguard right now, Sony Online has announced that the first game update will go live this Tuesday. More information here:
I tell you what, if the Vanguard team provides game updates as solidly and quickly as the EQ2 team has, Vanguard could get really good.
- Dozens of new weapon models
- Six brand new NPC races to battle: Djinn, Mnalus, Mudmen, Sand Giants, Ichtakhta and Xennu
- Two new mid to high level adventuring areas:
- Nine dungeons with revamped art and/or lighting such as: Kalendra’s Coven, Nusibe Necropolis and Vol Tuniel
For the full update notes visit www.vgplayers.com
Double Adventuring Kill Experience will be awarded to players from Saturday, March 3rd, 5:00am PST (Friday, March 2nd, 8:00pm PST for Europeans) until Monday, March 5th, 5:00am PST (Sunday, March 4th, 8:00pm PST for Europeans)
I tell you what, if the Vanguard team provides game updates as solidly and quickly as the EQ2 team has, Vanguard could get really good.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Lord of the Rings Online Beta Impressions
Yes, I'm in the beta. Actually, I was in the beta just after it came out of Alpha, so was part of the second group to get in. Stepping back a few months, however....
When news came out that a Lord of the Rings MMO was in development, if you put a group of fantasy MMO fans in a room and told them that, you could have visually measured the excitement levels.
If you then told them that Turbine was doing the developing, you could almost watch them deflate with disappointment. After all, it was Turbine that had two MMOs go south in a hurry, with Asheron's Call 2 growing stagnant then dying less than two years after going live, and then the much-awaited Dungeons and Dragons Online opening to tepid reviews, especially as the power gamers hit max level (of 10) within a week of the game hitting shelves. No PVP (at the time, now fixed), no crafting, nothing to do but (for the most part) dungeon crawl over and over and over again..
Well, I have some good news for everyone. Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar is more of what Turbine was when Asheron's Call was new, as opposed to what they seemed when D&D Online went live. The game, quite simply, rocks.
You have four base races: Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit and Man (broken into I believe three different groups based on where in Middle Earth you're from (I recall Dalelands, Gondor and the Horselords off the top of my head). Each race has its own classes: Champion (DPS Deluxe), Captain (Alt tank / party buffs), Guardian (Main tank), Hunter (ranged attack / debuff), Minstrel (buff/debuff), Burgler (debuff and stealth, DoT), and Lore-Master (pet class / DD spells / stuns).
As with any post-WoW game, LOTR Online has a metric crapton of quests, both standard ones (denoted by a golden ring above the target's head) and Main Storyline quests (which have the One Ring above).
The game also features PvP, of a sort, as players can play as monsters (once they reach level 10). Granted, the monsters are rather limited as of yet, but generally are made to challenge higher level PCs. There's a lot of tradeskilling in the game, but each group of tradeskills is very heavily dependent upon the other groups in order to make their items.
The game also allows for player music, with the keyboard acting as the keys (or strings) of the instrument you play, with every class capable of learning at least one musical instrument. In the beta forums, there's a heavy thread on how to import actual songs into the game, which is really quite nice. The controls are complex enough that it allows for two-note chords, which is really nice.
Also one of the interesting things is Achievements, which is similar to EQ2's system, except it's quite a bit more advanced. You also have a Virtue system, which allows you to slot extra abilities that you can gain along the way.
Want more? How about Kinships, where you can actually adopt other characters as your children, as far down as 20 generations? Marriage, also, is in the game.
I'll be doing a preview for Gaming Trend here in a few weeks, but really, the only thing that can really kill LOTR right now is the pre-order package, which allows players to get into the Open Beta, and keep their characters when the game goes live, as long as they pay for the retail game within 30 days of launch.
Specifically, the problem with this is that the uber guilds will all pre-order, be max level by the time the game comes out....and then that's that.
But....give it a shot when open beta comes around, you might just find something worth playing for a good while.
When news came out that a Lord of the Rings MMO was in development, if you put a group of fantasy MMO fans in a room and told them that, you could have visually measured the excitement levels.
If you then told them that Turbine was doing the developing, you could almost watch them deflate with disappointment. After all, it was Turbine that had two MMOs go south in a hurry, with Asheron's Call 2 growing stagnant then dying less than two years after going live, and then the much-awaited Dungeons and Dragons Online opening to tepid reviews, especially as the power gamers hit max level (of 10) within a week of the game hitting shelves. No PVP (at the time, now fixed), no crafting, nothing to do but (for the most part) dungeon crawl over and over and over again..
Well, I have some good news for everyone. Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar is more of what Turbine was when Asheron's Call was new, as opposed to what they seemed when D&D Online went live. The game, quite simply, rocks.
You have four base races: Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit and Man (broken into I believe three different groups based on where in Middle Earth you're from (I recall Dalelands, Gondor and the Horselords off the top of my head). Each race has its own classes: Champion (DPS Deluxe), Captain (Alt tank / party buffs), Guardian (Main tank), Hunter (ranged attack / debuff), Minstrel (buff/debuff), Burgler (debuff and stealth, DoT), and Lore-Master (pet class / DD spells / stuns).
As with any post-WoW game, LOTR Online has a metric crapton of quests, both standard ones (denoted by a golden ring above the target's head) and Main Storyline quests (which have the One Ring above).
The game also features PvP, of a sort, as players can play as monsters (once they reach level 10). Granted, the monsters are rather limited as of yet, but generally are made to challenge higher level PCs. There's a lot of tradeskilling in the game, but each group of tradeskills is very heavily dependent upon the other groups in order to make their items.
The game also allows for player music, with the keyboard acting as the keys (or strings) of the instrument you play, with every class capable of learning at least one musical instrument. In the beta forums, there's a heavy thread on how to import actual songs into the game, which is really quite nice. The controls are complex enough that it allows for two-note chords, which is really nice.
Also one of the interesting things is Achievements, which is similar to EQ2's system, except it's quite a bit more advanced. You also have a Virtue system, which allows you to slot extra abilities that you can gain along the way.
Want more? How about Kinships, where you can actually adopt other characters as your children, as far down as 20 generations? Marriage, also, is in the game.
I'll be doing a preview for Gaming Trend here in a few weeks, but really, the only thing that can really kill LOTR right now is the pre-order package, which allows players to get into the Open Beta, and keep their characters when the game goes live, as long as they pay for the retail game within 30 days of launch.
Specifically, the problem with this is that the uber guilds will all pre-order, be max level by the time the game comes out....and then that's that.
But....give it a shot when open beta comes around, you might just find something worth playing for a good while.
Everquest Online Adventures Turns Four
Proof that many MMOs just never seem to die.
Sony Online Entertainment celebrates the fourth anniversary of EQOA with treasured gifts and special in game quests for all adventurers! Rejoice in the fourth year of the EQOA adventure by claiming your anniversary present today. Characters, level 15 and over, can claim an Anniversary Certificate, which will allow a second reset of their path abilities. Satisfied with your current path? Find a seller for this rare and unique item on auction or give it as a gift because it’s tradable. For those that haven’t quite made it to level 15, other unique and exciting gifts will be granted during the celebration to aide you along the adventure!
This anniversary also presents the prospect of peace in the land of Norrath…almost!
Assistance is needed to fight against invading forces storming the gates of Freeport, Halas, Forkwatch, Klick`Anon, Hazinak, and Misty Thicket. Quest in the name of Norrath and help these cities! Join the battle and you will be handsomely rewarded!
Commemorate the anniversary, collect exciting new rewards and embark on the new fast-action questing adventures that you have come to love, waiting for you in EQOA!
Okay, does anyone still even play EQ:OA? I remember beta testing it, and finding it to be a very ugly game, and the reliance on using the PS2's memory card was really a pain, especially if you only had one memory card. The controls were clunky, the gameplay was average at best...and when the beta was over, I never looked back.
While one expansion was released (Everquest Online Adventures: Frontiers), neither the original nor the expansion are in stock at many stores.
Seriously. Anyone playing this? Drop me a line, and let me know how it's running now? Oh, and happy anniversary...
Sony Online Entertainment celebrates the fourth anniversary of EQOA with treasured gifts and special in game quests for all adventurers! Rejoice in the fourth year of the EQOA adventure by claiming your anniversary present today. Characters, level 15 and over, can claim an Anniversary Certificate, which will allow a second reset of their path abilities. Satisfied with your current path? Find a seller for this rare and unique item on auction or give it as a gift because it’s tradable. For those that haven’t quite made it to level 15, other unique and exciting gifts will be granted during the celebration to aide you along the adventure!
This anniversary also presents the prospect of peace in the land of Norrath…almost!
Assistance is needed to fight against invading forces storming the gates of Freeport, Halas, Forkwatch, Klick`Anon, Hazinak, and Misty Thicket. Quest in the name of Norrath and help these cities! Join the battle and you will be handsomely rewarded!
Commemorate the anniversary, collect exciting new rewards and embark on the new fast-action questing adventures that you have come to love, waiting for you in EQOA!
Okay, does anyone still even play EQ:OA? I remember beta testing it, and finding it to be a very ugly game, and the reliance on using the PS2's memory card was really a pain, especially if you only had one memory card. The controls were clunky, the gameplay was average at best...and when the beta was over, I never looked back.
While one expansion was released (Everquest Online Adventures: Frontiers), neither the original nor the expansion are in stock at many stores.
Seriously. Anyone playing this? Drop me a line, and let me know how it's running now? Oh, and happy anniversary...
Friday, February 2, 2007
Burning Crusade kills World of Warcraft. Loots [Your Life] x1
First off, go read this article over on CNet. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Okay, now that you've read it, let me point out exactly how stupid this 'news' article is, and how obviously slanted it is.
First off, the author wonders why Blizzard would tinker with the success of World of Warcraft, given that it's got over 8 million subscribers world wide. The reason? Well, the scads of players sitting at level 60, who have been doing nothing but running the same instances over and over for the past year or so while grinding the various Tier equipment. Actually, this is the same reason that any MMO developer has created an expansion for their game: give the players something more to do, that the catasses will plow through within a month of it coming out, no matter what the developers might think about how long it should take.
So what happens? The level 60s complain that it's "not the same thing" and it "ruined the original game". Maybe it has something to do with the green items dropping off level 62-65 mobs that are better than purple level 60 gear? Of course, this shouldn't be a surprise. As you level in WoW, you commonly replace more rare gear with higher level gear that has better stats, whether it's as rare or not. And it's only a vocal minority, although the news article buries that in one half-sentence, admitting that most are satisfied with the game.
One veteran player even claimed that Blizzard deliberately killed WoW, that the original game is dead. Um. Excuse me? Then why was I (a level 26 warrior) not out in Outland killing? Oh. Wait. Because the ORIGINAL GAME is where I'm SUPPOSED to be. What, did these people think that BC would be exactly the same as the last 12 months of their lives where they could go and do the same stuff over and over, and their level 60 gear would last them forever, and they would always be King Catass of Catass Mountain? Guess they never played any expansions before...like maybe Ruins of Kunark (which sucked the high levels out of Vox and Nagafen in EQ, letting the lower levels and non-catassing population get a crack at them eventually).
The main gripe is that the raiding guilds are having to put their raiding lives on hold while they level from 60 to 70. The horror! Isn't that, y'know, what the expansion was there for? Weren't these the same people who were complaining rather vocally about having nothing to do once they hit 60?
Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan basically just said the same thing I did above, but probably a lot nicer, in that BC was meant to ... oh.... expand World of Warcraft. After all, that's what expansions do. And Blizzard wouldn't try to kill off their game, since it's making them metric asstons of money by the month.
Another player complains that BC doesn't have 40-man raids, limiting things instead to 25. Um. Okay, so if you miss the 40-man raids so much...just stay level 60, don't buy Burning Crusade...and raid your little heart out. What? Your guild went without you? Oh well.
Here's a couple quotes from a catasser which really shows the mentality of the people involved here: "There is absolutely zero reason for players to ever go back to (the original game) because the rewards available in (BC) are better and, for the most part, easier to obtain."
"These days, Ironforge is a ghost town. Just about everyone is in Outland (a main region in the expansion), and I can't imagine that any of the old capitals will ever experience the bustle that they had pre-BC."
Riiiiiiiiight.
Absolutely zero reason for people to go back from BC to the original game? Wrong. What about the rather large amount of people that created Blood Elves and Draenai when BC came out? The original game is all about them. The newbie areas for them in BC are basically for levels 1-20. Not 1-60. Not 1-70. 1-20. From 20 on? They're right in the original game with the rest of us.
Ironforge is a ghost town? Maybe of the level 60s. The levels 1-57? No, they're right there, spamming the chat windows, auctioning everything they can, and tradeskilling their little hearts out.
See, here's the thing. It's been said before that WoW is essentially two games: Levels 1-59 or so, and Level 60. Now, it's Levels 1-57 and 58-70. If you're 58 and up? That's Burning Crusade. If you're.... the rest of the game's population, you've still got reason to play.
For the record, though, I don't even own Burning Crusade, because I simply refuse to pay $40 for an expansion that, beyond the new races, I have no use for for quite a while.
C'mon, CNet. Try talking to everyone instead of going, "OMG, WoW ARE DOOMED AND BLIZZARD TOO!!!!!111!!!!!1!"
And to the catassers, I say this: quit yer bitchin'. You got exactly what you wanted in the first place, and within six months to a year, you'll all be level 70 and doing exactly what you did before BC came out: raiding your little catasses off, PVPing other level 70s, and twinking your alts.
Until then, suck it up and play like everyone else.
Okay, now that you've read it, let me point out exactly how stupid this 'news' article is, and how obviously slanted it is.
First off, the author wonders why Blizzard would tinker with the success of World of Warcraft, given that it's got over 8 million subscribers world wide. The reason? Well, the scads of players sitting at level 60, who have been doing nothing but running the same instances over and over for the past year or so while grinding the various Tier equipment. Actually, this is the same reason that any MMO developer has created an expansion for their game: give the players something more to do, that the catasses will plow through within a month of it coming out, no matter what the developers might think about how long it should take.
So what happens? The level 60s complain that it's "not the same thing" and it "ruined the original game". Maybe it has something to do with the green items dropping off level 62-65 mobs that are better than purple level 60 gear? Of course, this shouldn't be a surprise. As you level in WoW, you commonly replace more rare gear with higher level gear that has better stats, whether it's as rare or not. And it's only a vocal minority, although the news article buries that in one half-sentence, admitting that most are satisfied with the game.
One veteran player even claimed that Blizzard deliberately killed WoW, that the original game is dead. Um. Excuse me? Then why was I (a level 26 warrior) not out in Outland killing? Oh. Wait. Because the ORIGINAL GAME is where I'm SUPPOSED to be. What, did these people think that BC would be exactly the same as the last 12 months of their lives where they could go and do the same stuff over and over, and their level 60 gear would last them forever, and they would always be King Catass of Catass Mountain? Guess they never played any expansions before...like maybe Ruins of Kunark (which sucked the high levels out of Vox and Nagafen in EQ, letting the lower levels and non-catassing population get a crack at them eventually).
The main gripe is that the raiding guilds are having to put their raiding lives on hold while they level from 60 to 70. The horror! Isn't that, y'know, what the expansion was there for? Weren't these the same people who were complaining rather vocally about having nothing to do once they hit 60?
Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan basically just said the same thing I did above, but probably a lot nicer, in that BC was meant to ... oh.... expand World of Warcraft. After all, that's what expansions do. And Blizzard wouldn't try to kill off their game, since it's making them metric asstons of money by the month.
Another player complains that BC doesn't have 40-man raids, limiting things instead to 25. Um. Okay, so if you miss the 40-man raids so much...just stay level 60, don't buy Burning Crusade...and raid your little heart out. What? Your guild went without you? Oh well.
Here's a couple quotes from a catasser which really shows the mentality of the people involved here: "There is absolutely zero reason for players to ever go back to (the original game) because the rewards available in (BC) are better and, for the most part, easier to obtain."
"These days, Ironforge is a ghost town. Just about everyone is in Outland (a main region in the expansion), and I can't imagine that any of the old capitals will ever experience the bustle that they had pre-BC."
Riiiiiiiiight.
Absolutely zero reason for people to go back from BC to the original game? Wrong. What about the rather large amount of people that created Blood Elves and Draenai when BC came out? The original game is all about them. The newbie areas for them in BC are basically for levels 1-20. Not 1-60. Not 1-70. 1-20. From 20 on? They're right in the original game with the rest of us.
Ironforge is a ghost town? Maybe of the level 60s. The levels 1-57? No, they're right there, spamming the chat windows, auctioning everything they can, and tradeskilling their little hearts out.
See, here's the thing. It's been said before that WoW is essentially two games: Levels 1-59 or so, and Level 60. Now, it's Levels 1-57 and 58-70. If you're 58 and up? That's Burning Crusade. If you're.... the rest of the game's population, you've still got reason to play.
For the record, though, I don't even own Burning Crusade, because I simply refuse to pay $40 for an expansion that, beyond the new races, I have no use for for quite a while.
C'mon, CNet. Try talking to everyone instead of going, "OMG, WoW ARE DOOMED AND BLIZZARD TOO!!!!!111!!!!!1!"
And to the catassers, I say this: quit yer bitchin'. You got exactly what you wanted in the first place, and within six months to a year, you'll all be level 70 and doing exactly what you did before BC came out: raiding your little catasses off, PVPing other level 70s, and twinking your alts.
Until then, suck it up and play like everyone else.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Everquest II Live Update #31
The new update for Everquest II is out, and it's a pretty snazzy one, from the look at it. You've got class hats for Furies, Necromancers, Wardens and Warlocks, a fair number of tweaks and zone modifications, and a slew of PVP and tradeskill changes.
The big content addition though is Erollisi Day which is EQ2's version of Valentines. Much as they did for Christmas, it'll open up a new instance with new quests, tradeskill stuff and quite a bit of fun.
Keep an eye out, I'll work on some screenshots soon. Also, my review should be ready soon as well, once I finish the other two reviews for next week.
Here are the full patch notes.
The big content addition though is Erollisi Day which is EQ2's version of Valentines. Much as they did for Christmas, it'll open up a new instance with new quests, tradeskill stuff and quite a bit of fun.
Keep an eye out, I'll work on some screenshots soon. Also, my review should be ready soon as well, once I finish the other two reviews for next week.
Here are the full patch notes.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Ebay Bans RMT?
Thanks to my daily scan of Lum the Mad's blog, we have word (albeit somewhat rumored yet) that Ebay is going to be banning RMT (or sales of MMO items/characters/money) wholesale, with the MMO in question being Ultima Online (which does allow RMT).
For those of you who haven't been paying attention, RMT is one of the hot button topics in MMOs. In fact, at the 2005 Austin Game Conference, it spawned its own panel, which I attended. Many people are against it, quite a few people (especially IGE) are for it, and some people just don't care.
Personally, my opinion is that if RMT is going to survive, it's going to have to be internal to the game, much as SOE has done with Everquest 2 and their Station Exchange program. And let's be honest. If anyone's going to be making money off of what's in the MMOs, it should be the MMO developers themselves. I mean, heck, I'd rather pay Blizzard $5 for a Sword of Glowy Smashings than pay some Chinese gold farmer for one. Same goes for any MMO, for that matter.
And let's be honest again, it's not like you're ever going to successfully ban the practice. When (and if) Ebay bans RMT (which won't be 100% successful, just look at their bans of bootleg music and other media), that'll just push people more towards IGE and various other gold and power leveling services. Historically, any time that you attempt to outlaw something, it just goes underground. RMT going underground will do nothing but make the possibility of fraud and other shady activities become much more common. If the MMO developers enfold RMT into their games, then at least then there's some accountability.
For those of you who haven't been paying attention, RMT is one of the hot button topics in MMOs. In fact, at the 2005 Austin Game Conference, it spawned its own panel, which I attended. Many people are against it, quite a few people (especially IGE) are for it, and some people just don't care.
Personally, my opinion is that if RMT is going to survive, it's going to have to be internal to the game, much as SOE has done with Everquest 2 and their Station Exchange program. And let's be honest. If anyone's going to be making money off of what's in the MMOs, it should be the MMO developers themselves. I mean, heck, I'd rather pay Blizzard $5 for a Sword of Glowy Smashings than pay some Chinese gold farmer for one. Same goes for any MMO, for that matter.
And let's be honest again, it's not like you're ever going to successfully ban the practice. When (and if) Ebay bans RMT (which won't be 100% successful, just look at their bans of bootleg music and other media), that'll just push people more towards IGE and various other gold and power leveling services. Historically, any time that you attempt to outlaw something, it just goes underground. RMT going underground will do nothing but make the possibility of fraud and other shady activities become much more common. If the MMO developers enfold RMT into their games, then at least then there's some accountability.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Lord of the Rings Online Pre-Orders
Well, as we just posted over on Gaming Trend, Midway and Turbine have just announed their pre-order program. The press release is on the main site, but I wanted to talk about a few of the things I'm thinking on reading this.
First off, I'm in the beta (and have been since they went from alpha to beta), but haven't been in much lately due to other things. This'll change, and soon, especially when the NDA drops. Speaking of, also, I've got a key still for this weekend's stress test. No one's emailed. So...is no one reading, or does no one want it? :)
Anyway, here's the list of what you get for pre-ordering:
It really makes you wonder if either Turbine is having money issues, or if Midway is seriously pushing for this game to Hurry Up And Get Out. Not that the game looks bad (which is all I'm saying right now, understand), it's just what jumped into my head on reading the press release. Still, locking in a $10 subscription rate for what's aiming to be a AAA title....isn't a bad deal. And the $200, if LOTRO goes for 5-7 years, that's a sweet deal, but if it only lasts a year....ow.
The Open Beta and Character Rollover really catch the attention. For those not paying attention, this means that if you pre-order and purchase the game (within 30 days of launch), you effectively get a month's head start. You can believe that the UBAR guilds will be all over this one, since it lets them grind grind grind to their hearts content and unlock as many things as possible before the game even launches. Look for a large number of strategy websites and such to hit pre-launch. Also, look for a crapload of patching and nerfing to happen Launch Day.
Honestly, though, if you're even remotely interested in LOTRO, it's worth the pre-order (which many places is only like $5) just to get into the open beta, and then if you like what you see, buy the game and get the $10 subscription fee and keep your same character.
More on LOTRO when the NDA drops, which will probably be within the next few weeks.
First off, I'm in the beta (and have been since they went from alpha to beta), but haven't been in much lately due to other things. This'll change, and soon, especially when the NDA drops. Speaking of, also, I've got a key still for this weekend's stress test. No one's emailed. So...is no one reading, or does no one want it? :)
Anyway, here's the list of what you get for pre-ordering:
So. The big thing here is the pricing. $14.99 (presumably) for subscription, or, if you pre-order, either $9.99 or a one-time fee of $199.99. There is a catch on the $9.99, which is if you cancel, presumably it knocks you to $14.99 or whatever. It's interesting to see a flat fee for a lifetime subscription. On one hand, it's aimed at getting as many boxes in the hands of players Day One as possible for that quick influx of money. On the other hand, the $200 lifetime membership gives the same message, but much, much more strongly.The Lord of the Rings Online Founder's Program(a) offers players two different membership options:
Only $9.99 per month subscription price! OR
Just $199 for a Lifetime Membership! In addition to these special pricing options, The Lord of the Rings Online Founders receive:
- Open Beta: Guaranteed access provides Founders the first opportunity to create a character and enter Middle-earth currently planned for March 30, 2007
- Character Roll-Over: Moves the character that you created during the Open Beta into the live service --along with the stats, levels, items, and experience that character earned prior to launch!
- Bonus Items: Two special in-game items that are only available to those who pre-order:
-- Enchanted Cloak of Regeneration
-- Ring of Agility
It really makes you wonder if either Turbine is having money issues, or if Midway is seriously pushing for this game to Hurry Up And Get Out. Not that the game looks bad (which is all I'm saying right now, understand), it's just what jumped into my head on reading the press release. Still, locking in a $10 subscription rate for what's aiming to be a AAA title....isn't a bad deal. And the $200, if LOTRO goes for 5-7 years, that's a sweet deal, but if it only lasts a year....ow.
The Open Beta and Character Rollover really catch the attention. For those not paying attention, this means that if you pre-order and purchase the game (within 30 days of launch), you effectively get a month's head start. You can believe that the UBAR guilds will be all over this one, since it lets them grind grind grind to their hearts content and unlock as many things as possible before the game even launches. Look for a large number of strategy websites and such to hit pre-launch. Also, look for a crapload of patching and nerfing to happen Launch Day.
Honestly, though, if you're even remotely interested in LOTRO, it's worth the pre-order (which many places is only like $5) just to get into the open beta, and then if you like what you see, buy the game and get the $10 subscription fee and keep your same character.
More on LOTRO when the NDA drops, which will probably be within the next few weeks.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Lord of the Rings Online Stress Test
I have word through various sources that a stress test scheduled this weekend for Lord of the Rings Online .
Me, I have a key for said stress test. (Not anymore!)
First person to email me at ballew@gamingtrend.com can have it with one condition: post impressions in a comment to this thread next week, please.
Enjoy!
Me, I have a key for said stress test. (Not anymore!)
First person to email me at ballew@gamingtrend.com can have it with one condition: post impressions in a comment to this thread next week, please.
Enjoy!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Everquest II: Echoes of Faydwer or How I Learned to Love The Fae
So, the impetus for us creating this blog was the fact that SOE sent me a copy of Everquest II: Echoes of Faydwer for review. I haven't played Everquest II since just after it launched. I wasn't all that happy with the game, mainly because of the confusion factor and the sheer amount of grind that was involved, especially in trade skills.
However, I knew that SOE had put a lot of work into changing and updating the game (30 updates and counting!) and that it was worth a second look, and a official GT review.
The first thing that pleasantly surprised me when I opened the package was that the game ships on 2 DVDs (pay attention here, Blizzard). The install was ten gigs and I wasn't sure how much patching I was going to have to do. Luckily, over a 3 megabit connection it only took about two hours to update, although I can imagine how excruciatingly painful a dialup connection would be with this.
Since I'm focusing on the new expansion, I decided to roll up a fae. The interesting thing here is that you create your character before you choose your server. It's a bit different, but it gives you a little bit of freedom here, since you don't have to spend an hour (or more) making up your character just to find out that you didn't choose the same server your friends did.
And yes, I said an hour or more in chargen earlier. The reason I said it is because there's a solid amount of detail in the character generation system. It's no CoX, but it still gives you a solid amount of options as far as coloration, facial features (and wings for the fae!) and even hairstyles (one of which, for the fae, is known as the Faerie Courtesean).
About thirty to forty minutes later (since I went a bit quickly through it), my little faerie monk looks like this:
Once I got into the game, I discovered pretty quickly that they aren't lying anymore when they call the game Everquest II. In my first six levels (which took only an hour or two), I only killed a random monster once or twice. Everything else was quest-related. I also spent a fair amount of time harvesting the numerous Tier I resource nodes that littered the newbie area in Greater Faydark.
While the NPC voices were nice, and some people will probably want to listen to them, I grew tired of waiting on the quest information, and found myself clicking 'next' each time just to get the information needed to go on my next quest. Then again, that's just my personal playstyle.
One interesting thing about the controls is that everything defaults to a left click. You can right click, and then choose from a number of options for something, but a left-click is the default for looting a corpse, talking, buying/selling...and your icon will show you which action corresponds to the left click. While I spent the first twenty to thirty minutes right-clicking, I soon found that left-clicking was easier and faster.
What did I immediately miss from other MMOs (namely WoW) that isn't in EQ2? A minimap, or a scalable map. The default map is small, and it's really hard to pick a particular spot on the map with any accuracy. The UI is completely skinnable and there are a number of mods out there, but it doesn't seem that EQ2's ui has as much depth to the modability that WoW does, or if it is, I just haven't found the right mod...yet.
So far, I'm enjoying myself, but we'll see how things go when I get higher level, and see what else really annoys me about the game.
However, I knew that SOE had put a lot of work into changing and updating the game (30 updates and counting!) and that it was worth a second look, and a official GT review.
The first thing that pleasantly surprised me when I opened the package was that the game ships on 2 DVDs (pay attention here, Blizzard). The install was ten gigs and I wasn't sure how much patching I was going to have to do. Luckily, over a 3 megabit connection it only took about two hours to update, although I can imagine how excruciatingly painful a dialup connection would be with this.
Since I'm focusing on the new expansion, I decided to roll up a fae. The interesting thing here is that you create your character before you choose your server. It's a bit different, but it gives you a little bit of freedom here, since you don't have to spend an hour (or more) making up your character just to find out that you didn't choose the same server your friends did.
And yes, I said an hour or more in chargen earlier. The reason I said it is because there's a solid amount of detail in the character generation system. It's no CoX, but it still gives you a solid amount of options as far as coloration, facial features (and wings for the fae!) and even hairstyles (one of which, for the fae, is known as the Faerie Courtesean).
About thirty to forty minutes later (since I went a bit quickly through it), my little faerie monk looks like this:
Once I got into the game, I discovered pretty quickly that they aren't lying anymore when they call the game Everquest II. In my first six levels (which took only an hour or two), I only killed a random monster once or twice. Everything else was quest-related. I also spent a fair amount of time harvesting the numerous Tier I resource nodes that littered the newbie area in Greater Faydark.
While the NPC voices were nice, and some people will probably want to listen to them, I grew tired of waiting on the quest information, and found myself clicking 'next' each time just to get the information needed to go on my next quest. Then again, that's just my personal playstyle.
One interesting thing about the controls is that everything defaults to a left click. You can right click, and then choose from a number of options for something, but a left-click is the default for looting a corpse, talking, buying/selling...and your icon will show you which action corresponds to the left click. While I spent the first twenty to thirty minutes right-clicking, I soon found that left-clicking was easier and faster.
What did I immediately miss from other MMOs (namely WoW) that isn't in EQ2? A minimap, or a scalable map. The default map is small, and it's really hard to pick a particular spot on the map with any accuracy. The UI is completely skinnable and there are a number of mods out there, but it doesn't seem that EQ2's ui has as much depth to the modability that WoW does, or if it is, I just haven't found the right mod...yet.
So far, I'm enjoying myself, but we'll see how things go when I get higher level, and see what else really annoys me about the game.
Welcome to the Gaming Trend MMO Blog
Good afternoon, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the Gaming Trend MMO blog. Why a blog, you might ask? The point of this blog is more to talk about what MMOs we're playing, and our thought processes while playing them. We'll be talking about the games that we're reviewing as well as games in beta (when they're not under NDA, of course).
Mainly, it's to give us another outlet to bring you information that may not necessarily fit on the front page of Gaming Trend or something that we may not want to get lost in the forums.
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jason Ballew or Zarkon in the forums. I've been playing MMOs off and on since right around the time Asheron's Call came out. I've either played or beta tested every major MMO that's come out (and many of the minor ones). I've also written previews for two for GT (for RF Online and Dark and Light) and two reviews (Archlord and RYL: Path of the Emperor). I've been doing gaming in general since about 1982 (Atari 2600) and PC gaming since 1985 (Pool of Radiance), and internet gaming since 1991 (LPMuds and Mushes).
With all of that said, sit back and relax, and let the games begin!
Mainly, it's to give us another outlet to bring you information that may not necessarily fit on the front page of Gaming Trend or something that we may not want to get lost in the forums.
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jason Ballew or Zarkon in the forums. I've been playing MMOs off and on since right around the time Asheron's Call came out. I've either played or beta tested every major MMO that's come out (and many of the minor ones). I've also written previews for two for GT (for RF Online and Dark and Light) and two reviews (Archlord and RYL: Path of the Emperor). I've been doing gaming in general since about 1982 (Atari 2600) and PC gaming since 1985 (Pool of Radiance), and internet gaming since 1991 (LPMuds and Mushes).
With all of that said, sit back and relax, and let the games begin!
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