reimbursement
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Sony Online Entertainment changes benefits for subscriptions
It's a fairly common model for free-to-play games that offer a subscription -- subscribers get an allowance of cash-shop currency in addition to other benefits. It's how Sony Online Entertainment's games have worked for as long as they've had the model. But EverQuest II and PlanetSide 2 subscribers are seeing a new version of subscriber benefits, one that removes the usual Station Cash allowance and replaces it with an item worth the equivalent amount or more. Every month, players are given a choice between one of several items worth up to 2000 Station Cash. This item must be selected on a monthly basis, as benefits do not carry over from month to month. While the net amount of rewards should be functionally identical, it will mean fewer options about what you acquire on a monthly basis, especially as Player Studio items are listed as exclusions from the list. If you're unhappy with the change, you've got time to say so, as the change is not going into effect until February 3rd. [Thanks to Balsbigbrother for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: Do MMO studios owe us item restoration?
MMOs vary widely in their account and item restoration policies. In some games, like some of NCsoft's offerings, if you're hacked or you lose access to your account because your memory is toast, it's game over unless you happen to have your original account key. In games like Lord of the Rings Online, you're not guaranteed full reimbursement of your money or gear if a hacker strips you naked and leaves you dancing on a mailbox. BioWare won't refund guild bank items stolen by rogue guildies, either. In World of Warcraft, you'll almost always get your account back if you're hacked or you accidentally delete your favorite hat, but it might take an agonizingly long time. This week, Blizzard launched a new item restoration service that attempts to solve the second problem by simplifying the process of reclaiming lost trinkets (though not items stolen by hackers). I was surprised that Blizzard considers this a problem worthy of automation, but maybe it's more common than I thought. So now I'm wondering whether companies are actually obligated to restore items we've lost through our own goof-ups. Do you consider this a vital service of a support team, and would you quit a game if your items were truly gone for good? 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!
California out nearly $2 million on failed video game legislation
When California agreed to foot the Entertainment Software Association's $950,000 legal bill accrued during its deconstruction of Brown v. EMA, we estimated the state's cumulative payout to the ESA at around $1,327,000. Once you factor in the state's own legal costs, however, California's total payout for attempting to regulate the sale of violent games to minors rings up at a cool $1.8 million, according to The Sacramento Bee.Billable hours accrued by lawyers working for the state add an estimated $500,000 to the failed legislation's price tag, which has been slowly growing since the state decided to appeal the bill's initial injunction way back in 2007. Considering that California's budget deficit is projected to reach somewhere around $22 billion this year, two million bucks doesn't seem like all that much in comparison. It's like tossing a box of matches into a burning building: What are you gonna do, set it more on fire?
California to pay ESA $950,000 over failed game bill
The State of California has agreed to reimburse the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) $950,000 in legal fees for fighting Brown v. EMA up to the Supreme Court. The state must have brought in its top negotiators to get the original request for $1.1 million reduced. Including reimbursements for the 2008 case, which the state already paid, California has dished out more than $1,327,000 to ESA."Senator Yee and Governor Schwarzenegger wasted more than $1 million in taxpayer funds at a time when Californians could ill afford it," said Mike Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA. "However we feel strongly that some of these funds should be used to improve services for California's youth."The ESA stated it would donate a portion of the proceeds from the reimbursement to "develop after-school educational programs for underserved communities in Oakland and Sacramento." The trade association's new charitable education initiative will begin in the spring and will "harness young peoples' natural passion for playing and making video games and connect them to the development of critical 21st century job skills."States, seriously, stop it.
Wizard101 offers reimbursement for Sunday downtime
Wizard101 players may have noticed some unplanned downtime in their gameplay Sunday afternoon. J. Todd Coleman, aka Headmaster Ambrose, stopped by the forums today to clarify the issue. The technical problem that caused the downtime has since been fixed, but Coleman has said that some players may have experienced a loss of items acquired just prior to the downtime. But don't fret, Wizard101 players. The team keeps detailed logs of all acquired items, and any items acquired (or crowns spent) prior to the downtime will be reimbursed, even if the item was not actually lost. The team understands that erring on the side of caution such as this will result in some players receiving double the loot, but Coleman states that this outcome is "far preferable to running the risk of some players not recovering lost items. All items should be successfully reimbursed within the next 24 to 48 hours. For the full details on the problem and subsequent recovery, head on over to the game's official forums.
NVIDIA's faulty GPU class action settlement challenged, but time's running out
Remember when NVIDIA was caught selling defective mobile graphics chips, and agreed to provide bargain-basement replacement laptops to make a class-action lawsuit go away? At least one gentleman wasn't happy with how that went down, and is suing to see that affected customers get a fair shake. Ted Frank of the Center for Class Action Fairness says that NVIDIA has no business passing off cheap laptops, and we think he might have a case -- after all, the judge ordered that NVIDIA provide "a replacement computer of like or similar kind and equal or similar value," and it doesn't take a lawyer to see that the $400 Compaq Presario CQ56-115DX that the company's offering doesn't come close to compensating owners of faulty machines. We joked that you might be better off selling your old laptop for parts on eBay, and that might not be far from the truth. The thing is, whether Ted Frank and company win or lose in court, defective laptop owners have only two weeks remaining to sign up for whatever NVIDIA ends up handing out, as March 14th is the final deadline to have settlement claims postmarked. Read the arguments at our more coverage link, and decide for yourself.
Turbine upgrades LotRO's compromised account reimbursement policy
Account security is a worrysome topic in Lord of the Rings Online these days, especially following a reported rise in hacks and thefts among the playerbase. A couple months ago Codemasters implemented a stronger policy to help players recover lost property, a direction that Turbine followed yesterday when it revised its compromised account reimbursement policy. Sapience announced on the LotRO forums that this policy is significantly updated and expanded from the old one. Now when a player's account is hacked, Turbine gives a seven-day window to report the issue, during which the company can restore "most" of the lost items and compensate players for items that cannot be replaced. This, however, is not a true rollback and does not cover accounts compromised before February 24th. Turbine also reassured players that the studio is making it much tougher for unauthorized intruders to delete or sell rare items like raid gear, which should add another layer of protection from losing one's goods.
NVIDIA's faulty laptop GPU settlement starts paying out, file your repair and reimbursement claims now
Got an old Dell, HP or Apple laptop sitting around with a defective NVIDIA GPU? The company's finally ready to compensate you. That proposed class-action settlement from late last year has been approved by a California court, and the company's taking claims for repairs, replacements and reimbursements at a specially-designated website until March 14th. If you've got an affected Dell or Apple MacBook Pro, you can get the faulty chips replaced free of charge, while HP owners get a whole new replacement computer, though considering the choices there are the budget Compaq Presario CQ50 or an ASUS Eee PC T101MT, you might be better off selling your old parts on eBay. Finally, if you've already paid to get your components replaced and have the docs to prove it, you might be able to get refunded -- NVIDIA's set up a $2 million pool to be divided among all such reimbursements. Find everything you need at the links below. [Thanks, Kalyan]
NVIDIA reaches settlement in class action suit affecting Apple, Dell, HP laptops
Some folks may have long forgotten about the issue by now, but anyone that was hit by those defective NVIDIA GPUs a couple of years back will likely want to take notice -- the company has finally reached a settlement in the class action lawsuit spurred on by the issue, and anyone with an affected Apple, Dell or HP laptop is eligible for some form of compensation. In the case of Apple and Dell laptops, that includes a replacement of the GPU or MCP, while users of an affected HP laptop will actually get a full replacement laptop "similar in kind and value." Anyone that has already paid to have their laptop repaired due to the GPU issue is also entitled to a full reimbursement provided they have the necessary documentation for the repairs. Even if you are covered, however, you'll still have to wait a bit longer to actually get any compensation -- a final hearing is scheduled for December 20th, and claims will only begin sometime after that. In the meantime, be sure to hit up the source link below for the complete details, including a list of all the models affected. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Insurers starting to reimburse for digital content
One of the main problems with the gradual transfer of content from physical media (CDs, DVDs, books) over to digital media (MP3s, movie downloads, e-books) is that when something happens to the devices storing your swag, you're basically out of luck -- most insurance companies will tell you to go take a hike. Well that's all about to change, according to a recent article in British newspaper The Independent, as insurers like Nationwide will now reimburse you for digital content stored on stolen or destroyed electronics as long as you can provide proof of purchase. Nationwide's even got your back for such seemingly trivial fare as games and ringtones downloaded to your cellphone, though its policies specifically state that if you lose your digital goods due to a wiped hard drive / memory card that's your own damn fault, and there'll be no reimbursement for you. Unfortunately some insurance companies -- like the cheapskates at esure -- seem dead set against the idea, claiming that owners of a stolen iPod still have the tracks on their PC and don't deserve digital coverage; well, while that may be true in cases of theft, esure's stance isn't very helpful for the unlucky individual whose house just burned down and whose DAPs and computers have all melted into the floorboards.[Via Techdirt]
