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The Daily Grind: Do special currencies in MMOs annoy you?
A reader discussion in a past Guild Wars 2 update article made me realize, once again, how much I loathe special event currencies. You know the type: It's patch day, and here's an event, and if you want the rewards, you have to grind a shiny new currency to get them! Never mind that you already have a pile of gold (and in Guild Wars 2's case, karma and gems) earned through your adventures up until now; those credits are mysteriously useless at the new reward vendors, who accept only some new currency. Commenters rightly pointed out that if modern devs did what old timey devs did, players would just rush in and buy everything on day one and not do the grind. But so what? Why should it bother us that people get to actually use the currency they've already earned and banked? That's the whole point of gathering money in MMOs in the first place. And if there's so much existing currency in the world that everyone could buy everything without additional grind, that's the studio's problem for providing insufficient sinks and a poor economy in the first place, not ours. In fact, special events themselves could be an awesome gold sink! Instead, event currencies signal to players that their existing achievements and savings matter not at all and that the event isn't really going to be much fun on its own merits. What do you think? Are you also sick of special currencies in MMOs? What would you prefer to see in their stead? 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!
World of Warcraft aims to restructure currencies in Warlords of Draenor
World of Warcraft has been running for a decade, and that means a lot of changes have taken place over the years. One of those changes was the addition of the special currencies like Justice and Valor points, designed to ensure that bad luck on raiding loot drops doesn't lock people out of getting upgrades. But according to lead encounter designer Ion Hazzikostas, this system may well be on the chopping block when Warlords of Draenor comes around. Hazzikostas explains that the bonus roll system can be expanded and refined to ensure that players wind up with appropriate loot from encounters, replacing the current currency system altogether. The developers are also hoping to simplify the game's PvP currencies, giving players fewer things to keep track of while providing a more organic system of rewards. While nothing has been finalized yet, it's a fair bet that by the time the expansion comes out, you'll have fewer currencies to track on your character sheet.
Champions Online, Star Trek Online converting to Perfect World Entertainment's currency
When Perfect World Entertainment first acquired Cryptic Studios, it was a rather unusual situation. Both Champions Online and Star Trek Online already had functional microtransaction system, complete with a unified currency for both. That currency is going away as of Thursday, when both games convert to using PWE's ZEN currency instead of unique systems. It's another step toward integrating both games into the same framework as Perfect World's other games, something that's been a steady process throughout this year. A small FAQ details the process of converting Cryptic Points to ZEN, which is fairly straightforward. The dollar value of Cryptic Points will be converted to the same dollar value in ZEN, both for pricing in stores and for player funding. This also means that players may see a slight increase in their wallets; existing Cryptic Points will be multiplied by 1.25 and converted to ZEN, and any fractional results will be rounded up. If you're playing CO or STO, it's probably a good idea to take a careful look at the whole guide to ensure that you know all there is to know about the game's new currency.
Cryptic answers Champions Online Questionite questions in latest dev blog
Unobtainium? Forget it. Vibranium? Old hat. Eludium? So passé. Champions Online's next update, Champions On Alert, will introduce a new element that will put the absurd naming convention of all these fictional substances to shame. The element in question is known as Questionite, and it will be the latest in-game currency available to CO players. The new currency will be used to procure "high level gear, Top Tier Costume Pieces and other special items like Travel Power Skins." The newest Champions Online dev blog addresses some common question(ite)s pertaining to the new currency. Questionite can be acquired through a variety of in-game methods, all of which are listed on the blog. The substance can also be bought from other players in exchange for Cryptic points (and of course, this also means that players can sell their Questionite to other players for Cryptic Points), which provides players who don't want to part with their hard-earned real-world cash an avenue through which to acquire C-Store exclusive items. It's certainly an interesting system, to say the least, so Champions players would do well to head on over to the official blog post and check out the full details.
Lord of the Rings Online offering PvMP players some Commendation
Lord of the Rings Online has always had an interesting system of PvP, with players facing off against a specially designated group of players in the guise of monsters. It's also a system that's historically had some problems, ones that the developers are hoping to alleviate the new Commendation system coming with Update 6. While it won't fix everything, the new system outlined in today's developer diary should ensure that players will be able to focus their PvMP efforts toward PvMP rewards, making rewards more straightforward without forcing players into PvE to advance. The diary explains how Destiny, the previously intended PvMP currency, wound up being bloated and failed to serve its proper purpose. Commendations will be hard-capped at 100,000, and spending this currency will allow players to advance Creeps and acquire new equipment. The preliminary numbers are also included with the diary, with the understanding that there will be some tweaking after the system goes live. While players might be a bit miffed at having to use their Destiny quickly before it goes away, the new reward system will hopefully make advancing via PvMP far more viable.
Lord of the Rings Online overhauling currencies into a single standard
The great thing about token-based currencies, such as those found in Lord of the Rings Online, is that they allow players to acquire rewards based on steady progress rather than on the whims of a random drop. The awful thing is that you can wind up with huge vaults covered in several dozen different currency types, which is also found in Lord of the Rings Online. Fortunately, as the newest developer diary outlines, the currency is being consolidated down and shifted to a very straightforward system with just three reward types: Marks, Medallions, and Seals. Marks are being used in a manner functionally similar to Skirmish Marks at the moment, while Medallions take the place of higher-end dungeon content and Seals are the best of the best. Players will have most of their currencies automatically converted based on the currency type, although Superior Fourth Marks will need to be manually exchanged for Medallions or Seals at the player's discretion. Players will ultimately have an easier time getting the rewards they need in a straightforward fashion with this update, and that's to the benefit of everyone.
Newest F2P blog for Star Trek Online talks about dilithium
Star Trek Online has always had a variety of currencies for players, each allowing access to different stocks of items. But another form of money is coming into the game, and much like gold-pressed latinum, it's something that has a long history in lore. The rare and valuable dilithium is being introduced as a new form of reward, and the latest entry in the Path to F2P series discusses just how the new form of money will work. The most important role that the ore will play will be in replacing the existing free ship tokens that had previously come when players achieved a new rank. Earning a new ship will now be a more difficult and involved task, with a discount coupon and a free offering of refined dilithium to make it easier to earn a ship on a rank increase, but it won't be automatic. The entry goes on to state that the current implementation on the test server is not quite right, and it includes more discussion about how much effort is meant to be involved in getting a brand-new ship.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Currencies
Currencies is one of my favorite iPhone apps, and Edovia released a version for OS X this week. It works the same way as its iOS sibling. Clicking on the currency symbol next to each lets you switch among US and Canadian dollars, yen, pounds and euros. Clicking back on the dollar amount brings up a keypad where you can enter the amount. Double-clicking on each number field will clear it. The preferences will let you set your preferred keyboard shortcut and a currency refresh rate, though you can also refresh at any time with a keyboard shortcut or through the app. There are a couple of drawbacks to desktop Currencies. The iPhone app has more than 130 currencies to choose from, but the desktop version has five at the moment. I suspect this will change very quickly. There also needs to be an option that allows Currencies to remain visible on the desktop until you dismiss it. Right now, the Currencies pane automatically hides until you select another window, and it's a pain to repeatedly call it up when you're trying to do several conversions at once. While there are dashboard widgets that will convert for you, it's nice to have Currencies sitting in the menu bar for quick access. It's US$2.99 on the Mac App Store, and while there are a couple of issues, I have no doubt the folks at Edovia will quickly make this app just as robust as the iOS version.
RIFT beta 5 introduces public grouping, will be "twice as big" as beta 4
Ready for their fifth taste of RIFT this week, beta testers will find a host of changes and improvements waiting their assessment. Chief among these is a much-requested feature: public grouping. Because so much of RIFT's dynamic content revolves around spontaneous zone events, players have clamored for a way to quickly group up instead of spending precious time spamming the chat channels. Two UI additions now allow players to connect with public groups as efficiently and quickly as possible. This news comes from Scott Hartsman, who posted a lengthy preview of RIFT's beta 5 event on the official forums today. Announcing that beta 5 will be "twice as big" as the previous beta event, Hartsman revealed that the team is increasing the number of servers from 18 to 32, which should allow for up to double the amount of players. Other changes in store for players this week include a better organization of planar currencies, Rogue energy fixes, ranged sound improvements and "significant love" for invasion mechanics. Hartsman also revealed a few items that the team is working on for future updates, such as better racial abilities and master looting. You can read his full announcement here. %Gallery-111840%
Taiwanese Apple suppliers may be forced to raise prices
While the modern global economy has allowed companies in far-flung parts of the world to get into manufacturing, one of the many issues they face is exchange rate fluctuations. Electronics manufacturers in Taiwan are currently feeling the pinch as the Taiwan dollar has climbed more than other currencies in the region, jumping 2.5 percent in the past month and 7.2 percent in the past year. Each percentage point of exchange rate increase translates to 0.5 percent of profit margin according to Wintek, which produces touch panels for many Apple devices. Suppliers like Wintek rarely manage to achieve the sort of enormous profit margins that Apple does when selling to the consumer, and losing 3 percent off the top is tough to swallow. As a result, Taiwan-based companies may have to look at increasing the prices charged to Apple and other customers. Apple's premium pricing to end customers means that it has some flexibility to absorb price increases from suppliers in the short term. That will, of course, hurt its profits, which it won't tolerate for very long. Given the competitive marketplace, Apple will be reluctant to increase prices, but if the exchange rate situation doesn't improve soon, we'll probably see some decontenting or a slow-down in the spec increases. Instead of seeing next-gen MacBooks and iPhones getting more memory or better cameras, they will probably hold steady. [Via Electronista]
TUAW's Daily App: Expenditure
Expenditure is another great-looking app found via the excellent Well-Placed Pixels blog. It's an expense tracker -- you can add transactions into the app with just a few taps (and even attach a photo, note, or category to each debit or credit), and then browse your collected budget. Obviously, you could use it to just see how much you're spending each month, but it can also be used for things like traveling (the app will automatically calculate currencies for you) or keeping track of business expenses. It's not a super full-featured business application, but it will do the basics smoothly and beautifully. You can find it on the App Store for US$1.99, and as an iTunes commenter points out, using it will probably save you the $2 you spend on it. There is a lite version that only allows eight transactions (enough to see the app in action, though not enough to actually put it to use), so if you're not sure about spending a couple of bucks, you can check it out that way as well. Excellent app -- the functionality is a little limited (by design -- the developers just wanted a simple expense tracker), but the great aesthetic and design elements make up for the simplicity.
Warhammer Online brings 1.3.4 to test server
A test server patch isn't quite as good as live, but it means that the patch is only a couple of weeks away, barring unusual circumstances. We recently heard a bit about the upcoming 1.3.4 patch for Warhammer Online, and true to forecasting, the patch is scheduled to hit the test realm right about... well, now. That means that we're that much closer to live weapons obtainable via RvR, a welcome change for the people who came for PvP to begin with. Of course, patches on the test server invariably mean a set of patch notes, which helps to give more detail on what's en route for the game. As promised for buying weapons, there are new currencies awarded -- Emblems, which go in ascending ranks from Recruit to Officer. These can be traded for a variety of items and are rewarded for Scenario participation, which goes hand-in-hand with the extensive scenario restructuring also present. The emblems can also convert up and down, so characters taking part in low-level content can hold on to their rewards if they so desire. Mixed with extensive balance tweaks and bug fixes, this looks to be a good patch for Warhammer Online players, so head on over to Warpstone and get in on the testing.
Badge purchases now refundable for two hours
A previously unannounced relatively un-promoted feature is apparently going live in patch 3.1 today: buyback for "alternate currency" items. "Alternate currency" means any currency except gold - Emblems of Heroism, Arena Points, etc. According to Vaneras, when the patch goes live, you'll have two hours after buying an item with an alternate currency to sell it back and get a refund. I've never accidentally bought something with badges, but I know people who have, and it sucks; this is a nice fix. A few caveats: Stackable items (such as Frozen Orbs) are non-refundable. Items that grant achievements are non-refundable. Augments will not be returned - if you buy an item, enchant it, and then sell it back for badges, you don't get your enchant mats back. This only works one step back: If you buy a tier token for emblems, then exchange that tier token for a tier piece, you can trade the tier piece back for the token if you want. You can not, however, trade that token back for emblems after doing that. Even with these limitations, it's still good protection against accidental purchases. Thanks, Blizz!
