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RuneScape general store makes its debut
RuneScape's latest update includes Solomon's General Store, an in-game shop that runs on the purchaseable virtual currency of RuneCoins. But don't start looking for ways to break the game with this store's items -- it sells vanity and aesthetic items like outfits, accessories, animations, and titles, but nothing that will upset the delicate balance of the game. Solomon's store can be accessed through your extras menu or customization interface. Within the store you'll be shown new items, a list of categories of items available, and a handy little button to let you purchase all the RuneCoins you want. Items and animations can be previewed, so you'll be able to see precisely how awesome whatever you're buying is. In order to display these items, titles, and animations, you'll have to go into the customization interface of your equipment panel, where you'll be able to fine-tune details like what item is controlling your stats, what item sets your appearance, what title is on display, what color your outfits are, and more. As a special treat, every RuneScape player can receive a one-time gift of 200 free RuneCoins through the store. [Thanks to David for the tip!]
ArenaNet president defends microtransactions and in-game RMT in Guild Wars 2
MMOs have to make money; that's a fact of life (and of business) ArenaNet President Mike O'Brien knows quite well. In an interview with VentureBeat, O'Brien explained how the studio is handling the monetization for Guild Wars 2 and blasts RMT companies for their practices. O'Brien addressed why Guild Wars 2 is being offered not as a straight free-to-play title but as a retail product with an up-front cost. "The answer is we're really focused on creating the highest-quality MMO, not the lowest-cost MMO," he replied. "I think Guild Wars 2 is one of the best values in gaming, period. Where else can you get this many hours of enjoyment, of content, of polish, of replayability, for $60?" He also took the opportunity to expand upon his own blog post covering microtransactions from a few weeks ago. "Creating a microtransaction system that doesn't upset or alienate your player base is straightforward, once you clearly define what's in-bounds and what's out-of-bounds," O'Brien stated. He says that ArenaNet wants to be "open and honest" with players regarding the in-game store options and promises that these will be "non-essential additions to the game and convenience services" only. O'Brien also had strong words about the shady practices of RMT companies, practices that ArenaNet is trying to combat by offering its own in-game RMT system. "Where there's a real profit incentive, someone out there in the world will lie, cheat, and steal to make that profit, " he said. "By letting players trade directly with each other, we take the power away from RMT companies and give it to the entire playerbase."
The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play shopping strategies
"Nothing is ever truly free," my grizzled Uncle Trigger once told me. "So you got to pay for that there air! Pony up, boy!" While Uncle Trigger was overlooking a few aspects of this philosophy, the sentiment is an important one to grasp, especially when it comes to the growing wave of free-to-play MMOs. Even though the first word is "free," it should be followed up with several paragraphs of tiny lawyer disclaimers that basically say, "Nevertheless, the studio is going to look for other ways to tempt you out of your hard-earned cash." F2P is often funded by microtransactions, which offer players some variety in how they customize their game experience at the expense of a subscription's simplicity. It's often not better or worse; it's just different. Because nothing is ever truly free, and because F2P is loaded with more shopping options than a Walmart supercenter, being a savvy customer is more vital than ever. Anyone who's waded into a F2P store probably has experienced buyer's regret due to a hasty or uninformed purchase, not to mention those who end up going broke because of poor impulse control. So today I'm going to get downright practical and offer up 10 strategies that will safeguard and strengthen your F2P shopping trips (also, random plug for Beau's Free For All column in the hopes that he doesn't get mad I'm treading on his territory here!).
Unraveling DDO's Web of Chaos: Turbine talks Update 13
The vanguard of the free-to-play MMO movement is bearing down on the industry this spring, as Dungeons and Dragons Online prepares for its sixth birthday, its 13th update, and its first expansion. We sat down with Turbine Executive Producer Fernando Paiz and Senior Producer Eric Boyer to talk about this coming Monday's Update 13 and what players have to look forward to once it goes live. Update 13 comes at what could be seen as a renaissance in the game's history. Following DDO's transition to F2P, Turbine saw an upsurge in players and profits that continues to this day. Paiz said that "the game is doing very well," and while he did not disclose numbers, he feels that DDO's status as one of the first F2P adaptations gave it a lead that others have yet to overtake. Even so, with only five updates in 2011, it's hard to deny that DDO has faded into the background somewhat as newer titles and more recent F2P transitions hogged the spotlight. Turbine means to rectify this: "I think it's safe to say that this year we're making some noise again," Paiz said confidently. He went on to share just why this Monday's patch will be one of the most pivitol in DDO's history.
Turbine responds to LotRO store armor controversy
Following the community uproar over the selling of premium armor with stats in the Lord of the Rings Online store, Turbine has posted an official response to the matter in the form of a Q&A post on the forums. Community Manager Sapience says that Turbine is "very aware of the controversy" and wanted to address specific points of concern. According to the post, Turbine said it never intended to promise that it would abstain from selling statted gear to give low-level players a boost, but the studio promised that this would not happen with endgame armor. The company admits to being "too generous" with the stats in question, and may adjust the item's power levels or possibly remove them from the store after further observation. The studio took the opportunity to clarify its "convenience not advantage" stance. "Anything that's compulsory to be competitive in ranked play or achieves something by degrading another player's experience. We have not and will not make that part of our F2P offering," Sapience writes. He concludes by promising more transparency going forward: "We'll take this as a sign that we need to do a better job in clear and open communication. In the future we will take more time to explain why -- not just what we're doing." Massively previously reached out to Turbine for an interview on the subject but the studio declined to participate. [Thanks to Whitewolf for the tip!]
The Road to Mordor: Convenience, not advantage
Prior to Lord of the Rings Online's free-to-play implementation, players were raising concerns of potential abuse of the F2P model and the LotRO store in particular. The CM at the time, Patience, posted a now-infamous response stated that Turbine was about selling "convenience, not advantage" in the store. I thought it was a terrific stance to take (and still is, for any F2P MMO dabbling in microtransactions). It wasn't long, however, before the thread was purged from the forums entirely, although the playerbase has held on to those three words to this day. That phrase has echoed in my head over the past week, ever since we heard that statted armor was coming to the in-game store. I've been among those who have championed Turbine's F2P model as the way to do things right -- to offer fluff, a la carte content and convenience without straying into so-called "pay to win" territory that has plagued cheaper games. But now I wonder if the new motto is "convenience and advantage," especially in light of several other questionable store selections that have been pushed through despite player resistance. But let's concentrate on one topic today, that being the stat armor that's now available in the store. Is this strictly a "convenience" item that is meant to aid struggling lowbies, or does it represent the sale of a clear advantage for those who are OK with letting their money game for them? Are we making a mountain out of a molehill by discussing this, or is it far past time that something like this needs to be brought into the public discourse?
LotRO reverses policy, plans to sell PvE stat gear through the store [Updated]
In July 2010, Massively was told by Turbine that the then-coming LotRO store "would not sell any gear with stats attached." And while the studio has so far kept to the letter of the law, it has fudged the spirit of it with the sales of stat tomes (which boost stats independently of gear) and the addition of statted gear to PvMP (monster play). Consider the law cast aside today, then, as Turbine's announced the coming sale of statted gear in the LotRO store to normal PvE play as well. Light, medium, and heavy armor pieces will soon be available for purchase in the cash shop, and will come with beneficial stats attached. In addition to the typical stats, the store boots will come with a 8% run out-of-combat run speed boost attached. While the gear in question has reasonable stats, it certainly raises the specter of the game's heading toward pay-to-win territory by having it for sale at all. Massively has reached out to Turbine for an official comment. [Update: On the official forums Sapience commented about the sale saying, "It's lower level gear. Many players have given us feedback that there is a sparsity of gear on the AH at these levels and they wanted an alternative. We're trying to accomodate that."]
The Road to Mordor: Getting the most out of your F2P account
We're going to step waaay back from Rise of Isengard today (screenshots notwithstanding) to address a question that I've seen pop up time and again. The question comes from players on the free-to-play side of the game who are wondering "What do I need to do or buy to get the most out of my LotRO gaming experience?" In my opinion, the lovely aspect of Lord of the Rings Online's hybrid model is that you, the player, have a wide range of choices when it comes to how you want to fund your gameplay. If you decide not to go the subscription/VIP route, it can get a little confusing, especially in light of just how much there is in the LotRO store. Do you need to buy anything at all? What are the essentials? How should you go about earning some free Turbine Points to finance these purchases? Unlike many other recent MMO F2P conversions, LotRO's offers you more flexibility than "just suffer with F2P restrictions or subscribe," which should give you hope that you can tailor the game to your exact needs. In today's Road to Mordor, I'm going to put myself in the shoes of a F2P player and tell you exactly what I'd do to get the most out of my account.
Star Trek Online's free-to-play starships prepare to leave spacedock
As Star Trek Online's free-to-play final frontier approaches, the Cryptic team is fast at work trying to strike the right balance between the standard-issue starships that come with the game and the C-Store options available for purchase. In a new dev blog, Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo says that each rank of gameplay is being shuffled around to offer a regular and premium starship for each class. Because not every tier had enough for six starships, Cryptic is adding a number of spiffy C-Store versions for Federation players, including the new Exeter cruiser, the Sao Paulo escort, and the Bellerophon science vessel. The Klingon Defense Force is receiving a similar restructuring, with new ships like the Norgh Refit and Orion Dacoit Flight Deck Cruiser making their way into the store. D'Angelo admits that C-Store starships are slightly stronger and carry a special piece of gear that can be transferred from ship to ship as the player levels up. D'Angelo also stresses that any C-Store starships are purchased for an entire account, not a single character. Cryptic is also planning to re-instate the free starship token at Lt. Commander and Commander ranks for everyone.
LotRO introduces Mithril Edition, Dwarves swarm local retailers
Every Hobbit and Dwarf knows that, ounce for ounce, Mithril is far more valuable than gold or silver. With a new Mithril Edition of Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine is hoping that players will value this deal just as much. Coming soon to an online or brick-and-mortar retailer near you, LotRO's Mithril Edition is designed to give new players a leg up in the game while perhaps tempting current free players into spending a little something and getting a well-rounded experience in return. Priced at $29.99, the Mithril Edition includes the game discs, starter guide, keyboard map, 2,000 Turbine Points to spend in the in-game store, an exclusive Steed of the Horse-lords mount, and a bundled quest pack covering the Trollshaws, Eregion, Moria and Lothlorien. Turbine claims that this is a $50 value, so it might be worth taking a close look. At the very least, you can keep it tucked inside your shirt for the next time a troll throws a spear your way, as it could save your life!
Prius Online changes up servers, entices players with contests
Big changes are in store for Prius Online this month, particularly in regard to the fledgling game's servers. The dev team announced that the two existing PvP servers -- Requiem and Aurora -- will be merged into a single PvP server called Raven and that players will have their Karma reset. In addition, gPotato is launching a PvE-only server for the game: Primus. The team hopes that this move will accommodate both types of players in what they're seeking. To celebrate the server restructuring, gPotato is throwing a few fun events for Prius players. On the Raven server, players who hit level 50 by October 4th will be entered into a special raffle for spiffy prizes. Other prize packages are avilable for those who amass the most Karma points and teams that succeed in the Coliseum Tournament. Over on Primus, gPotato is rewarding the first player who tames 11 specific Pero with a Special Event Pero. More rewards are in store for adventurers who complete specific dungeon quests and take screenshots to prove it (remember kids: screenshots or it didn't happen!), players who cultivate certain items, and outfitters who complete the Yellow Tulip set for their Anima. All players can benefit from a bonus event in the in-game store, where spending $10 or $50 will net the purchaser additional items. This promotion will continue until October 4th.
Luvinia Online leaps into launch
Following a short period in open beta, Outspark's Luvinia Online has ponied up and released to throngs of adoring fans today. If riding giant bunnies and beating up on steroid chickens in a colorful fantasy environment sounds up your alley, today might be a great day for your gaming schedule. Outspark's Philip Yun announced that the level cap has been increased to 78, and he welcomed all of the game's supporters: "We had a great open beta and everything is coming along as expected for this exceptional MMORPG. We thank all of the players that helped out with the closed and open betas and are happy that we can finally bring the full experience of Luvinia Online to our large and eager player base." Unlike many MMO launches, Luvinia's launch won't wipe players' beta characters but will instead roll them onto the live servers instead. With Luvinia's launch comes the opening of the in-game store, which will try to tempt players with costumes, mounts, and XP boosts in order to finance this free-to-play title. [Source: Outspark press release] %Gallery-126599%
Dragons gone wild: Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdom's third season reveals all
The browser-based strategy MMO Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdom (winner of the "We want to write that title in a completely different order" award) has cracked a peek into its third season, and soon the doors will be flung wide open for all to see. Season three launches on Thursday, September 15th, and will introduce a host of new challenges for both PvE and PvP players. It appears that the air dragon Ylath has aroused from his slumber looking for a good meal while those nasty Dark Elves are on the prowl for an unprepared hero or two. Runic fortresses also have appeared out of thin air, begging players to battle over these swanky summer homes. Finally, fans of the title should enjoy the enhanced character customization coming with the update. The free-to-play title will add an in-game store with this update to help monetize the game. You can check out what we thought of the title with our First Impressions series.
Dan Stahl addresses Star Trek Online F2P concerns
While we're still awaiting official details on the recent announcement of Star Trek Online's free-to-play transition, Executive Producer Daniel Stahl leaped into the forums to help dispel some of the more troubling fears and to shed some light on what is happening. "There has been a method to all the madness, but first and foremost on my mind has been ensuring that Star Trek Online has a big future ahead of it," Stahl writes. "That has led to some tough decisions and deep analysis of what was critically wrong in STO. The next several months are going to be exciting for STO as you begin to see everything that we've been working on (finally)." The good news is that the F2P switch will not impact current subscribers (if anything, Stahl says they'll see more benefits), nor will it restrict content access. Cryptic may be lowering prices on some items in the C-Store, and Star Trek Online will be playable to the level cap without requiring money spent on it. Stahl also confirmed that more hardware is on the way for the game's foundation. At least from his perspective, Stahl sees STO's new owners as a boon to the game's future: "Perfect World has made it very clear that they want to invest in STO because they believe it has great POTENTIAL and they see an investment that can yield an even better game. That to me, is the golden path that this game deserves. It is Star Trek we are talking about!"
City of Heroes pledges to pump out more frequent updates
As the Paragon Studios team puts a wrap on August, the latest City of Heroes producer's letter reiterates the studio's key philosophy: Content is king. Along those lines, the letter discusses several exciting developments in store for the game's future, including the upcoming Haunted Mansion for the Halloween season, new Incarnate Trials, and more content for the Winter Event. The team is also focusing on delivering "more regular updates" than has been seen previously, so expect to see CoH upping the frequency of in-game goodies from here on out. As part of the "content is king" philosophy, Paragon will be releasing a monthly Signature Story that will be free for VIP (subscribing) players. These will not only tell intriguing stories, but will reward superheroes with increased rewards. The team is also going to put new items into the in-game Paragon Market store on a weekly basis, including costume pieces and power sets. City of Heroes is preparing to launch Freedom, its free-to-play version of the game, at an unspecified point in the future. Subscribers will be able to get a head start when Freedom arrives, and they will enjoy spending the 400 points that their VIP status entitles them to each month.
Turbine sweetens the deal for DDO subscribers
Dungeons and Dragons Online's free-to-play model has been the belle of the F2P ball since it was released in 2009, but that doesn't mean that Turbine's given up on luring players into subscribing. Today, the studio announced a "summer gift" to those who sign up for VIP status: double bonus points per month from July 11th through September 11th. This means that every month a player is subscribed, he or she will receive 1,000 Turbine Points to spend in the DDO store instead of 500 TP. Turbine's also made sure that the price point for VIP subscriptions is attractive, as it's offered players the ability to sign up for three months at $29.97 (effectively $9.99 a month). By taking advantage of both deals, players can enjoy three months of VIP status and earn 3,000 Turbine Points for just $30. VIP status means that all of DDO's adventure modules are available to enjoy, including the new ones that came with Update 10.
DUST 514 may go true F2P in the future
While we've known that DUST 514 won't be as free as originally thought, there's still hope for a true free-to-play version to come. CCP's Hilmar Veigar Pétursson told GamesIndustry.biz that while PlayStation 3 owners will have to contend with a "cover charge" -- estimated to be between $10 and $20 -- before accessing the game for the first time, the company may drop it entirely in time. This fee is meant to help with the initial start-up costs for DUST 514, and will be refunded to players in the form of in-game currency that can be spent on unspecified in-game microtransactions. Pétursson isn't ruling out the possibility that the game might go completely free-to-play in the future, however: "You're really getting the game for free but you have to pre-buy credits in the beginning. We might go fully free-to-play down the line, but in the beginning we have a cover charge just to manage the initial launch of it. We have always been a big believer in growing up a social network behind the game in a slow and predictable way. Because we have seen that if you don't do that you can end up with a very unstructured experience, where there's no cohesion to the community. By growing it at the beginning we help to make a healthy environment initially." We first reported on this cover charge during last month's E3. Pétursson says that CCP will see how the cover charge plays out during the game's testing period. The company is just now recovering from a hotbed of controversy involving EVE Online's approach to in-game item sales.
Valve relaunching Team Fortress 2 as free-to-play title
Develop has posted an interview with Team Fortress 2 developer Robin Walker in which he says that the company has decided to make the popular class-based shooter completely free-to-play, supported only by microtransactions. Walker says the game has experimented with multiple price points over its long history (including allowing players to play for free during temporary periods) and that making this transition now "feels like a fairly straightforward next step along the 'Games as Services' path we've been walking down for a while now." Walker also says that this is a model that specifically fits the multiplayer game at this moment in the product's life, when Valve is trying to reach as many players as it possibly can. The permanent price drop won't affect development on the game at all, but monetization will only go through the game's item shop. You can read more in the interview, live now over at Develop. There's no official word on any of this from Valve yet, on either the Steam blog or the official Team Fortress 2 site. We are scheduled to hear about the next update today (and even see a "Meet the Medic" video) and the game was set to go free for just a week, but this is obviously a more permanent direction. We've contacted Valve and will post more here when we get it. Update: Valve's Doug Lombardi has responded to us with a simple confirmation: "Yep." Enjoy your free TF2, kids! Update: The site has been updated as well. The game's completely free to play, forever!
The Road to Mordor: Shopping at the LotRO Depot
About 99% of the time I'm in Lord of the Rings Online I never think about the LotRO Store. Ever since the store came online last year, it's been adventure as usual in the Olivetti household. Sure, I mock the "You got 5 Turbine Points! Now you can retire in the Caymans!" popups like everyone else, but I've always felt that Turbine does a good job balancing the store presence between the polar extremes of obnoxious and invisible. That isn't to say I haven't used the store at all; on the contrary, I've been a sporadic if loyal customer of sorts, trundling my shopping cart through the aisles of Shire-Mart looking for a good deal. Thus far I haven't dropped any additional cash into the game, choosing to subsist on my monthly allotment of TP with whatever I earn through deeds. Every once in a while I'll boot up the store and see what niceties I can give to my character as a reward for slaughtering his 5,000th Neeker-beeker. The LotRO Store has two categories of customers: the free-to-players and the upper class. Does that sound snooty? It's not intentional -- all I mean is that some folks use the store to provide basic necessities for gameplay (like quest packs, riding skills, class unlocks) while others are already well-off in the game and shop for luxury items. I'm in awe of the F2P gamers who can get a good chunk of their content by methodically knocking deeds out so they can purchase the next zone, but I'm fortunate enough not to have to do that. So today I wanted to give myself an audit of what I've spent in the store so far and analyze whether they were wise purchases, wasteful frivolities, or overpriced insanity.
LotRO players take on project to catalogue the in-game store
Ever since Lord of the Rings Online introduced its free-to-play model last fall, players have grappled with the new store interface and its many, many offerings. One of the biggest requests fans have had was for Turbine to post a list of the LotRO Store merchandise outside of the game, a request that has so far been ignored. However, a group of enterprising players on Lotro-Wiki decided to pick up the ball and run with it. According to A Casual Stroll to Mordor, this community-driven project is well underway on the wiki with a list of hundreds of items already. Of course, the store's prices aren't always fixed in stone -- especially with deals and sales being posted all the time -- so the list should be read with that fact in mind. Even though the LotRO Store catalogue is already lengthy, the creators of the project say that they have a ways to go and could use your help. If you have any interest in assisting, head on over to Lotro-Wiki and sign up!
