bonuses
Latest
Amazon will give its US frontline workers a $300 holiday bonus
The company will give full-time US employees who work December 1st through to December 31st an extra $300 at the end of the year.
Pokémon Go expands 'Nearby' test areas, rolls out daily bonuses
Every time there's a Pokémon Go update, the number one thing its remaining players ask about is access to a tracker to help locate the little critters. This weekend Niantic Labs announced it's expanding the test area of its Nearby Pokémon feature from San Francisco to parts of Arizona, Seattle and the rest of the Bay Area. While we wait for that to roll out nation and world-wide, an update that adds the previously-announced daily bonus/streak bonus scheme is about to arrive on Android and iOS.
Lawsuit accuses Lyft of stiffing new drivers on bonuses
Uber isn't the only ridesharing outfit running into legal trouble these days -- Lyft is now facing a lawsuit over claims that it deprived new drivers of promised bonuses. The transportation company allegedly committed fraud by offering $1,000 to drivers who completed their first ride by March 5th, only to renege for many of them because it couldn't finish background checks on time. Lyft isn't offering a formal response to the suit just yet, but the company tells the AP that thousands of would-be drivers made it under the wire. However, lawyers maintain that hundreds of others didn't -- there could be at least $5 million up for grabs, according to the attorneys. It's too soon to declare a victor, but it won't be shocking if the pink mustache company is more cautious about handing out cash in the future.
Age of Conan is selling instant level-80s until January 2nd
Getting a high-level character in Age of Conan now requires you only to break out your wallet and plunk down a few bills. Funcom announced today that players can purchase an instant level 80 character on the cash shop for $40 (or $30 if that player already has another level 80 toon). These new level 80s will come equipped with a set of rare gear, a fast mount, the riding skill, a 56-slot bag, 79 expertise points, and other goodies. If you're planning on picking up one of these "go straight to buff" packages, you'll need to do so before the promotion ends on January 2nd. Age of Conan is also offering bonus free months of subscription and other goods when you sign up or extend your membership by at least three additional months.
World of Warcraft addresses upgrading to the Warlords of Draenor CE
Were you one of the people who pre-purchased Warlords of Draenor as soon as the digital option was open? Do you have a mighty need to pick up the physical collector's edition but no clear process for upgrading from the digital copy? The good news is that Blizzard Entertainment has World of Warcraft fans covered with a new post detailing how you can upgrade to a physical collector's edition. Just buy another copy, contact Blizzard's customer support, and then give a friend the code from the digital upgrade that you no longer need! Yes, that's what it says. Just buy another one. Which is a system that works out pretty well for your friend, at least. If you were hoping for a simpler way to use the level 90 character boost and still get the physical doodads, however, you are apparently out of luck. The Collector's Edition is priced at $89.99 and includes both digital items and physical bonuses.
WildStar offering a free mount to players with 2-step verification
Do you have 2-step verification on your WildStar account already? The team at Carbine Studios really wants you to, since the added layer of security helps ensure that no one steals your stuff. So you're getting a little added incentive starting on July 10th -- a free bike! The Retroblade mount is free to all accounts with 2-step verification starting tomorrow, while everyone without 2-step verification will simply have to stare at your new ride with envy. Or, you know, get verified. This bonus is in addition to the existing benefits offered by the verification process, which includes a cosmetic headpiece, a title, and a 2% experience boost on all characters. Plus confidence that your account won't get stolen, which is also fun. The announcement has more details about the process if you haven't already gotten in on the verification train; all you'll need is a smartphone and a few moments to log in.
Black Gold opens up character creation before open beta
Are you looking to start playing Black Gold Online's open beta? The servers open up completely on June 20th, but veteran players will be able to access the character creator starting today at 5:00 p.m. EDT. That means that you can just jump right in on the 20th, and you can earn a few extra prizes along the way for starting early. All players who make a character early will have access to a special gift pack to help jump-start their adventures in the game. They can also take part in a contest to create the most attractive character, the best likeness of a celebrity or other real individual, and the most hideously ugly character possible. Everyone who's not a veteran will have to wait until the 20th and won't be eligible for these special rewards; if you've been involved in the game's testing up until now, you'd best get in and start creating today.
WildStar compensating players with bonus loot
The saga of WildStar's name reservation system appears to have come to a close. According to a forum post today from community manager Tony Rey, the system should be working properly now with no further issues. And while Carbine Studios can't turn back time, the studio is at least trying to offer up an olive branch to players and fans affected by the system's instabilities. Players who have pre-ordered will automatically be granted five Boom Boxes, little bonus packs of items being awarded for logging into beta that contain mounts, mount customizations, costumes, and so forth. (There's a short video past the break showing these off.) These boxes will also be awarded to any players who pre-order before 8 p.m. EDT on Friday. There's also a full technical breakdown of the issues encountered on the way for those curious about what went wrong from a technical standpoint. So you might not have gotten your first name choice reserved, but you do get an apology.
Tamriel Infinium: Fleecing Elder Scrolls Online fans with preorders
Are you as excited as I am about the Imperial Edition of the Elder Scrolls Online? When I introduced the announcement to my friends, I said something closer to, "Welp, this is a thing." Don't get me wrong; I am looking forward to the launch, and I will likely get the Imperial Edition because I want to play an Imperial. I played one in Skyrim and Oblivion; I want to play one in ESO, too. Some players are upset that if you get this collector's edition, the Imperial race is open to any faction. Even some of my friends are annoyed. Another issue that struck them hard -- probably harder than the Imperial race addition -- was the preorder bonuses. And I'm not talking about the five-day early access. No, the hate swelled over the preorder ability to play any race in any faction. I'm sure that some of them would say that I am being obtuse, but I really can't wrap my head around why they seemed more upset about this bonus more than previous bonuses given for MMORPG preorders.
Lightning Returns demo out today, Amazon pre-orders get bonus Yuna DLC
You've seen all the trailers - so many trailers - but you can can finally check out Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 for yourself today. The JRPG's demo is available on Xbox Live, and it should hit PSN in North America later today, and Europe tomorrow. If you need extra incentive beyond sheer curiousness, if you use the game's social media themed Outerworld service in the demo to submit a battle score, you'll unlock an outfit for Lightning based on Final Fantasy 6's Siegfried - the outfit transfers over to the full game. Meanwhile, PS3 players who just try the demo unlock an Utsusemi Samurai outfit for the main game too. As if the returning heroine's wardrobe isn't already fit to burst, there's also news today of bonus Yuna garb with Amazon US pre-orders, along with the FF10 summoner's staff and victory pose. That's in addition to the Cloud-based pre-order bonuses, by the way. Somewhere beneath the ever-burgeoning pile of outfits is the game itself, which is due on PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America on February 11, and on February 14 in Europe.
Final Fantasy XI celebrates 11 years 11 ways
Final Fantasy XI is 11 years old this year (11 years and six months at this point, but that's nitpicking). So it seems appropriate that the title is kicking off a big anniversary event on November 11th. Except that it's really kicking off not one big anniversary event but 11 smaller ones. You see the theme at work. Whether you've been around for all 11 years or just 11 days, there's plenty of rewards available for everyone. Seal drop rates are improved for all characters in a party during the anniversary timeframe, as are are double synthesis skill increase rates and several seal-based battlefield rewards. Players will also earn double experience, doubled Salvage drops, doubled Monstrosity experience, doubled Shining Stars in Mog Gardens... the list goes on. Almost anything you choose to do between now and November 25th will see a significant boost, so take a look at the full list of bonuses and get ready to enjoy 11 bonuses for the next 14 days. (They can't all line up perfectly.)
The Mog Log Extra: Unboxing the Final Fantasy XIV collector's editions
I barely ever buy the collector's edition of any game. That's not to say I don't like the idea, but it's hard to justify the increased cost for the same game, especially when the included bonuses aren't all that good in the first place (I don't know who decided that collector boxes should come with statues that add $100 onto the box price, but I don't like that person). The original Final Fantasy XIV collector's edition, however, was one of the games on which I spent the extra money. Not just for the heck of it, but because of early access, which was tied to the special edition back in the day. So when Square-Enix sent us a review copy of the new collector's edition, I knew that there was only one thing to be done: I needed to offer an unboxing review of this new edition.
The Daily Grind: Should big guilds have a mechanical advantage over smaller ones?
No matter how hard you try, you cannot defeat large-group endgame bosses with an awesome guitar solo. Big guilds offer you the people needed to tackle this sort of content. In some games, though, big guilds get even more. World of Warcraft guilds level faster with more people, and Star Wars: The Old Republic will be adding a bonus to guilds based on their overall sizes (although you'll easily get the bonus so long as no original members of the guild have left). In some places, size matters. Should it matter? Organizing and maintaining a guild with 50 members is a lot more work than one with 15 members, so mechanical bonuses certainly give some incentive. Those bonuses also lead to guilds wanting to be bigger without necessarily getting any better; more live bodies, no matter the quality. And bigger guilds can already have advantages over smaller guilds. So should big guilds have a mechanical advantage over smaller ones? Or should the size be its own reward? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Would you re-buy a game for bonuses?
So Final Fantasy XIV has announced its relaunch date, along with another collector's edition for people to buy. I'd like to point out here that I still have the original collector's edition sitting on a shelf in my office, and it has been stated clearly that all of the digital gewgaws for the collector's edition will be awarded to people with the old version. Yet I still have to fight the urge to buy another CE anyway, because there's an art book and other physical trinkets. MMOs especially are games that you should never need to re-purchase. But sometimes you can find a game packaging something nice in with another purchase, and it almost becomes worth it to have another copy despite not needing a second account. So would you re-buy a game for new bonuses, either in-game or just bonus trinkets? Or does the very idea seem ridiculous to you? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Should alts get special bonuses?
I'm a big fan of the notion that when you hit the level cap in a game, the MMO should encourage you to roll alts by giving you bonus incentives. One of my favorite browser titles, Kingdom of Loathing, has a nifty ascension mechanic that bestows significant bonuses on subsequent characters if you decide to reroll. Since alts theoretically extend one's interest and time in a game, I think it's in the studio's best interest to make rolling them an attractive proposition. There are many ways that alts could receive special bonuses, such as faster leveling speeds, unique gear, legacy skills, and so on. The question is, should alts get these bonuses, and if so, what do you think they should be? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Turbine gives bonuses to welcome back players
It goes without saying that many Turbine players were disheartened by last week's excessive downtime. To make it up to the players, the studio announced that it's turning on the happy bonus switch in some of its games as a way to welcome fans back. Lord of the Rings Online players will get 100% more XP per monster kill and an increased drop rate for lootboxes until February 26th. These bonuses come on top of the 250 Turbine Points that will be given to established players as compensation for the downtime. Dungeons and Dragons Online players will see +2 quality loot in chests and receive +25% Heroic and Epic XP. These bonuses last through February 20th.
BioShock Infinite pre-orders in EU, AU, NZ can get Steelbook case
GameStop, EB Games and Micromania locations in Europe, Australia, and New Zeland will have a special, exclusive preorder item for the upcoming Bioshock Infinite. Players who pre-order the game at the specified retail chains in those regions will be rewarded with a special "Fink Manufacturing SteelBook case," emblazoned with the Fink Manufacturing logo.In America, GameStop already offers the "Industrial Revolution" pack with a preorder, as well as a special in-game weapon. But it looks like the SteelBook case is just for GameStop International customers. Bioshock Infinite is due on March 26.
Sharp further cuts bonuses and salaries to stay above water, save $180 million
Sharp is already in full-on belt-tightening mode, and it's not just cutting jobs to keep its staffing costs in line with shrinking finances. The sinking tech giant is doubling the size of executives' salary cuts to 10 percent for a year-long period, all the while slashing planned 2013 bonuses to half of what they were in June. Sadly, everyday workers will have to take some of the same medicine. They're facing similar bonus cuts and will have to take a 7 percent drop in salary for the same year. Between these steps and cuts to extras like travel allowances, Sharp hopes to save ¥14 billion in the current fiscal year, or about $180 million -- a small amount next to the $2 billion in credit the company just recently obtained, but also a sign of just how much penny-pinching is involved in keeping the corporate ship afloat. Let's hope the sacrifice pays off.
RIFT: Storm Legion targets November 13th, begins pre-orders
The last big unknown of the fall's releases has just set a date for destiny. Trion Worlds announced that it will be releasing RIFT's first expansion, Storm Legion, on November 13th. The expansion contains two new continents, four additional souls, player housing, and more. Along with the news of the release date comes the ability to pre-order the expansion. While those who sign up for a year's subscription to the game will get a complimentary copy of Storm Legion, players may elect to pre-order one of the two expansion editions separately. Both pre-order editions offer special bonuses, such as early access to one of the expansion's dungeons. It's interesting to note that players new to the game can pay an additional $10 on top of the expansion price to get the original game and 30 days of play time as well. Finally, Trion's released a new expansion trailer called Features of the Storm, which highlights Storm Legion's bullet-point attractions. Take a gander after the jump! [Thanks to Marc and Memphis for the tip!]
Battlestar Galactica Online inches toward 10M players, hands out swag for anniversary
Battlestar Galactica Online has quietly but surely expanded its reach across the cosmos, netting nearly 10 million registered players as the title hits its first anniversary. To celebrate the dual achievement, Bigpoint is dishing out goodies to all of its players over the next week. From today through May 6th, Bigpoint is handing out in-game gifts and bonuses to players. Players need to log in each day to grab these prizes, however. In addition to distributing freebies, BSGO is increasing the daily merit cap and offering special deals for its item shop. Bigpoint CEO Heiko Hubertz sees Battlestar Galactica Online's first year as both a success and the beginning of a great run: "We are thrilled with the tremendous growth of BSGO and how the game has performed over the past year. We're excited to move forward with this momentum, celebrate our achievements, and reward all of our players in the community who helped us get to this point." [Source: Bigpoint press release]
