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Entropia Universe raises a glass to its 10th anniversary
Entropia Universe, the "massively multiplayer online real cash economy," typically has been best known for its ludicrously expensive sales of virtual property and structure. Now it has another reason to be in the spotlight: The MMO(sigh)RCE has made it to its 10th anniversary. The title launched on February 1st, 2003, and has generated loads of money through the creation, sale, and purchase of its online worlds. According to MindArk, Entropia Universe is a favorite of the Guinness Book of World Records when it comes to the most valuable virtual items ever sold. MindArk recently released a mobile app for Entropia Universe and outlined a 2013 roadmap through the anniversary and beyond. [Source: MindArk press release]
Entropia lays out a roadmap for development in 2013
Did you know that Entropia Universe will be 10 years old next year? Possibly not, but if you did, you probably also know how much the team at MindArk has done to improve the game over the past year. That team is looking to make 2013 even better, and to that end they've put out a roadmap for 2013's development. Aside from the obvious anniversary celebration, the developers are hard at work fixing up areas for veteran players, trying to improve the return on several activities and making the game easier to get started with. There are also plans for new server infrastructure and an entirely new taming system, both of which should make existing players happier with the game as a whole. Beyond even that, the team has plans for shoring up the game's financial transactions in several ways. New functionality with PayPal and improved starter packs are in the works. Players can also expect to see a full rollout of the Calypso Land Deed system and accompanying political mechanics within the next year. So here's to a decade of development, and let's hope the team can manage another one. [Source: MindArk press release]
Chris Cao: DCUO's Update 2 is all about "chance"
We heard some tantalizing details of what Sony Online Entertainment has planned for DC Universe Online's March patch a few weeks ago when Game Director Chris Cao and Art Director and Mark Anderson sat down on the Stickam chat to offer a teaser of what players could expect. Following up, we had a chat with Cao to find out some more specific details on what exactly our superheroes can expect coming in March. According to Cao, the primary theme for this update is "chance," which is reflected both in our chance to face off against The Penguin as boss and in the addition of Two-Face/Harvey Dent in Legends PvP play and as an instance character. That fifth-dimensional trickster Mister Mxyzptlk is likewise being introduced to the game as part of a holiday event themed around St. Patrick's Day. We knew most of this from the Stickam chat; that's why we went digging deeper for the scoop on DC Universe Online's development. Check it out behind the break! %Gallery-50201%
Avatar Creations lays out plans for Perpetuum's future
While there are some still players steaming about the recent insurance fraud situation in Perpetuum, many others are excited about the plans that Avatar Creations has revealed in its most recent dev blog. After receiving player feedback indicating that the company wasn't doing as good a job of communicating its plans for the game as many players would like, the team decided to lay out its development goals well into the latter half of this year in a new dev blog -- and those goals look pretty awesome! Starting off, players will be glad to hear that the upcoming PvE content that the devs were hinting at isn't just more missions and mob grinding. Instead, players are going to be treated to a new system: artifact scanning and discovery. By scanning down hidden spots, players can net basic goodies like salvage containers all the way up to special alien intel revealing special missions or new Mk2 robots. What's better, the devs intend to add more things into the artifacting system as things develop, offering a plethora of possibilities for everyone from the solo carebears to the largest groups. Among the other plans are a new energy-credit system (which will give players the chance to pick up even more new modules and components), changes to the Assignments currently offered in-game, help for corporations seeking to recruit new players, area-of-effect explosions for your PvP fiends, new lands, terraforming, and much more. So if you've been curious about the plans for this fascinating indie sci-fi sandbox, then head over to the Perpetuum site and check out all the details in this wide-ranging devblog.
Nexon MMOs not coming to Mac or consoles any time soon
There's been quite a bit of talk coming out of Nexon from the time of the GDC -- revealing two games, more news on the venerable MapleStory, and even a developer initiative announced shortly before the conference. But if you were waiting for the other shoe to drop, there is one after a fashion, because the company still has no plans to develop anything for the Mac or for consoles. Both Vindictus and Dragon Nest are apparently popular choices for players to request on consoles, but according to Nexon America vice president Min Kim, neither one is planned for development for the console platform. Kim went on to explain that his company's base of operations in Korea meant that Mac support was a distant afterthought at best -- the market for non-PC games in Korea is minimal. Of course, in both cases he said that the support is something they would like to expand to eventually, but for now there's just not enough reason to expand. Which is sad news if you're one of the many users who prefer a fruit-based computer, especially with more and more games expanding to be playable on any platform. [Thanks Tracey!]
