returning-players
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Warlords of Draenor: New info from PAX East
PAX East 2014 has come and gone, but we at WoW Insider have come away from the weekend with juicy new information to share with you about Warlords of Draenor. During the expo, I sat down for a chat with senior game designers Steve Burke and Brian Holinka, lead class designer Kris Zierhut, and other developers. In our brief time together, they told me some exciting info about garrisons, raiding, transmog, and the expansion's starting experience. They also provided insight into what a boosted level 90 will experience after the expansion launches. Please note that mild spoilers about the early story of Warlords of Draenor will follow. Join me after the break for all the new info!
Scroll of Resurrection retired
The Scroll of Resurrection, a longstanding incentive for current WoW plays to bring lapsed players back into the fold, is reaching the end of its tenure. On February 18th, one week from today, the Scroll will be removed from the game and no longer available to send. Players who have received Scrolls by that point will have up to 30 days from the day it was sent to activate it. If you or someone you know has been considering returning to the game, now might be the time to make the jump. The Scroll's perks include a fancy Spectral Gryphon or Windrider for the sender, and 7 free days' of game play for the recipient.
Ask Massively: Vanguard's CE, Pandaria, and region-locked servers
It can be easy to forget how awesome MMO players are when we're knee-deep in troll-infested comment threads, but a note from a reader named Joshua this week served as the perfect perspective-reorientation: I was helping my brother demo and clean his father-in-law's home today and stumbled upon what appears to be a mint-condition Vanguard limited edition (collectors edition?). It looks to have all the goods, so I was wondering whether anyone at Massively would like to have it. Knowing how easy it is to get attached to these games, I figured someone would want it for sentimental reasons (I still have my DAOC boxes and books!). I don't know whether our staff will take you up on it, but just the fact that you thought of offering it to our bereaved fans instead of making a beeline for eBay warmed my heart.
The Daily Grind: Should World of Warcraft go free-to-play?
There's only one Western subscription MMO that can stand to lose 1.3 million subs in three months and shrug it off: World of Warcraft. But shrug it off doesn't appear to what Activision-Blizzard is doing. During the investor call that revealed the heavy sub losses, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick acknowledged the changing market and his plans to adapt with speedier content. "It's important to note that the nature of online games has changed," he said, "and [that] the environment [is] becoming far more competitive, especially with free-to-play games." And Blizzard president Mike Morhaime suggested the company is "studying" the comings and goings of players and how to entice former players to return. Well, we don't have to look much further than Star Wars: The Old Republic's recent rejuvenation to figure out that free-to-play is one of the better ways to entice gamers to return (and open their wallets). Surely, Blizzard has to be wondering whether F2P might be a huge boost to the game as it's approaching its ninth birthday later this year. What do you think -- will World of Warcraft eventually go free-to-play, and more importantly, should it? 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: Do you start over when you return to an old game?
So you've decided to return to a game that you played in the past. A fine choice, really. But that leaves you with an interesting dilemma. You could log in on your existing character, but that would mean re-learning things, trying to figure out where you had left off, and all of that. Or you could just wipe the slate clean and start over, kicking yourself back into the earliest stages to re-learn the game from the ground up. On the one hand, your high-level character in Star Trek Online or Guild Wars or whatever game you're returning to might very well have benefits that are difficult to replicate. On the other hand, it's possible that a lot has changed since the last time you played, and it might be easiest to restart from the ground level. So which do you generally prefer? Do you like to restart after a long absence, or do you pick up where you left off and muddle through anything you might have forgotten? 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: Are you returning to World of Warcraft for the expansion?
If you're at all interested in MMOs, it's been nigh-impossible not to learn about the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion through osmosis if nothing else. If you're currently playing the game, of course, buying the expansion and logging in is a no-brainer. But if you're like many people with an old account and some mixed memories about the game, buying the expansion isn't a given. It all comes down to the expansion's features and how satisfied you are with your current games. Maybe the promise of Pandaren, new levels, new systems, and a new talent system has lured you back into the fold. Or perhaps those same changes have turned you off from Mists of Pandaria. Perhaps it's even deeper than that -- perhaps one of the previous expansions killed your interest in the game to the point that this expansion can't revive it. So today we want to know: Are you returning for Mists of Pandaria, or are you staying on the sidelines? 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!
Mortal Online welcomes back all former players for a free week
MMOs change at a breakneck pace, but you don't always have time to check back in and see what changes have taken place. Mortal Online has just recently released its second major expansion, and the community staffers want everyone to check in and see how the game has grown, so they're giving you the chance to do just that. Starting today you can hop into the game and experience all of the improvements in Awakening for free if you previously subscribed to Mortal Online. If you've played in the past but haven't been following the game recently, you might have missed all of the features added by Awakening, including new AI mechanics and a variety of new combat abilities. The free play period will last for the next week, more than enough time to patch the client and take a look at the latest update to the game. [Thanks to Chris for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: What does it take for you to go back to a game you enjoyed?
I'd been on a bit of a break from City of Heroes when the announcement came that it was shutting down. And I'm not alone; some of my friends had also been taking a break, but when it came to light that the game's days were numbered, they came back in a hurry. Everyone wants a chance to remember the best parts of the game before there's no part of the game left to remember, after all. But it doesn't just take a shutdown notice to revitalize your interest. Sometimes you might just be taking a few months off before you go back to a game, sometimes you're waiting for a content patch, sometimes there's an annoying system you want patched into oblivion, and sometimes it would take nothing less than a full reworking of the design team's philosophy to bring you back to a game. So what does it take for you to go back to a game you enjoyed but left? 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 Road to Mordor: A guide for returning players
Coming back to an MMO that you used to play is a whole different ball of wax than getting into it for the first time. While you have less to do and absorb than beginners, it can be just as overwhelming in its own way. What are all these skills again? Why do I owe some Hobbit mortgage company a zillion gold to unlock my house? Why is the screen throwing a fit with a non-stop parade of deed announcements? Recently, I returned to another MMO after a half-year or so absence (it's RIFT, if you must know), and I was almost frozen with apprehension over all the changes. Because the world I used to know had changed in so many ways, I didn't know how much to rely on my memories and where to go to figure out what these changes were. Fortunately, an enterprising member of the dev team created a wonderfully handy post that quickly outlined all of the changes over the past year so that returners could get caught up quickly. I like this idea so much that I decided to do the same for Lord of the Rings Online. Ever since free-to-play hit, it's become so much easier to drift in and out of this game, and as Turbine's been ramping up the changes, it's possible to feel the same apprehension upon reentry that I did with RIFT. Freak not, fair friend, for I am here to guide the way.
Mists of Pandaria: 'What has changed?' makes class changes more palatable
One of the sharpest double-edged swords in Blizzard's arsenal is the constant iteration to class and play design that comes with each World of Warcraft expansion. On the one hand, players like innovation and new mechanics and spells to keep their favorite class fresh. On the other hand, players could reject the changes as too severe or too different from the class they originally set out to play, as was the case with Alex Ziebart and myself with paladins in Cataclysm. It's a risky move to change up the core mechanics of a class, and the introduction of the "What's New" window helps streamline this occasionally daunting issue. New and old players alike will benefit greatly from the "What has changed?" tab. Simply open up your spellbook and click on the last tab at the bottom. You'll be greeted with a new screen giving you the run down on some of the biggest changes to your class coming in Mists of Pandaria.
Blizzard buffs the bejeezus out of WoW's Scroll of Resurrection
World of Warcraft's Scroll of Resurrection has received a rather considerable buff. The feature previously allowed currently subscribed players to invite a retired friend to come back to Azeroth for a time. Now, however, the resurrected player will be provided a treasure trove of freebies to further entice retired players back to the game. The returning player will be able to boost one character directly to level 80, which seems pretty amazing in and of itself, but there's more. Scroll of Resurrection will also supply its target with a free upgrade to Cataclysm, seven days of free game time, and free realm and faction transfers so that returning players can join their friend right away. So, retirees and recovering addicts, if you need a little more Azeroth in your life, now's the perfect time to jump back in.
Fallen Earth launching free-to-play conversion with a last chance at veteran rewards
As of October 12th, Fallen Earth will be the latest title to join the hybrid free-to-play business model. This also means that Wednesday marks the end of the road for players who want to be subscribed before that transition in order to be eligible for special veteran rewards. Returning and existing players will find waiting for them upon login a Spiked Chopper, a vehicle that will allow them to get from place to place while still looking as stylish as possible. Existing subscribers will be eligible for the veteran rewards package, which include monthly gifts, wardrobe spots, and a discount on the top subscription tier. But even if you're not subscribed when the change takes place, you can still benefit from the new world events being brought to the game with this update. Taking place randomly in any part of the wasteland, these spontaneous special quests will allow players to dynamically jump in and take part in the struggle to preserve the wasteland and society from the forces that threaten it. Special rewards are also available for players who take part, giving all the more reason for both free and paid players to jump back into the sandbox environment of the wasteland. [Source: GamersFirst press release]
The Anvil of Crom: Recessions, appearance tabs, and PvP for the returning player
Welcome to the Anvil of Crom, Conan fans. It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and all of the announcements, new content, business model changes, and general gameplay shenanigans are only going to generate more Age of Conan discussion as the summer wears on. This week I'd like to take a brief time out to highlight some worthwhile (and ongoing) community discussions. Every so often it's good to take a bit of a break from my rantings and ravings and hand the microphone to you guys, and what better way to do that than by examining a few of the more interesting forum discussions to be found on both the U.S. and EU boards. Without further ado, join me after the cut and add your two copper to the comment section.
Activision Blizzard: RIFT players will come back to WoW
During yesterday's Activision Blizzard conference call announcing the company's first quarter results, the massive publisher announced record profits. This was achieved despite a small decline in World of Warcraft subscriptions from the previous record of 12 million to March's 11.4 million players, a number that has barely changed since 2008. The call included not only discussions on the financial state of Activision Blizzard but also plans for Blizzard's ongoing MMO development. During the call, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment Michael Morhaime confidently answered questions from participants on what the future holds for its industry-dominating title. As the financial details and subscription numbers presented in the call were collected in March, the question of how RIFT's launch in early March had affected WoW's playerbase inevitably came up. Morhaime was quick to point out that while a percentage of players have historically left WoW to try out each new game released in the MMO market, a healthy proportion of them tend to return. Blizzard expects the same to occur with RIFT, pushing players to take a break from WoW but ultimately keeping them as long-term customers. "We knew that this year was going to be a year where we faced new competitors; this isn't the first time, though, that we've had strong competitors enter the MMO market. What we have seen in the past is we tend to see our players leave for some period of time, try out the new MMOs, and then a good percentage of them historically have come back to World of Warcraft. So far, I haven't seen anything to indicate this will be different."
City of Heroes gives players a grace period for anniversary rewards
Some time ago, City of Heroes announced the Vanguard Pack, a reward for players who maintained an unbroken subscription from the beginning of February until the anniversary in April. It's a fine offer and a chance for players to get some rewards without having to do anything extra. But if you meant to return and didn't quite get around to it, you probably assumed your chance had passed. Not so, as the team at Paragon Studios has extended the eligible time period until February 14th. All players maintaining an active subscription from February 14th until April 18th will receive the anniversary rewards for free, including the Vanguard Pack, a new emote, a special badge, and a new chest emblem. The rewards don't actually unlock until the 18th, but the 18th is the last day you have to maintain the subscription to be eligible. Former City of Heroes players who don't want to miss out or players enticed to try the game for the first time should be happy to know that there are still seven more days to meet the revised eligibility standards for the rewards -- after that, you're all out of grace.
The Daily Grind: Do you keep old account information?
Odds are good that you've played a fair number of MMOs over the years. Every single one comes with a code telling you that it's very important you hold on to that code, that you need to keep a log of all your account information so that nothing gets lost. And if you ever lose it, you know that's an excellent reminder, since if you'd paid attention then you wouldn't be sifting through your desk now desperately searching for the notebook paper where you'd written your password. Most players are fairly good about holding on to the important information for games that they're currently playing, but we can all get sloppier about former games. Have you ever wound up losing important information for your older games that forced you to buy a new copy or made resubscribing harder than it could have been? Or do you make sure to hold on to all of your information in a safe place, so that you can sign back up for any game at a moment's notice?
The Daily Grind: Will you play Rise of the Godslayer?
It's a time honored tradition with MMORPGs. First, you get all excited when a game based on your favorite franchise, or a game that just sounds really appealing, is announced. You sign up on the forums, you apply to beta test, and you're generally riding a wave of optimism and feel-good anticipation right on through release. Then reality sets in, maybe the game isn't all you hoped it would be, or the launch was extremely buggy, or real life just got in the way. So you hang up the greatsword, stow the spellbooks, and quest on for the ever elusive greener pastures until.....an expansion! Omg, maybe this will fix the game! Maybe it will be fun! Maybe there's just nothing else out there even remotely entertaining so I'm totally reaching in attempt to find a game I enjoy! Er, yeah, maybe that last bit is only for jaded old-timers like me. Whatever your reasons, now that Rise of the Godslayer has been announced and dated, will any of you Hyborian ex-patriots be returning to see what all the fuss is about?
The Daily Grind: Will you be heading back to WAR?
The call went out yesterday to all previous subscribers to come back and give Warhammer Online another try. As part of the offer, everyone who had an account in good standing that had been inactive for over 30 days was welcomed back for a 10-day free trial. If you decide it's not for you, just cancel within the 10 days. Of course, if you decide you like it, we're pretty sure they'll happily welcome you back. With the server merges that have happened, and the introduction of the Choppa and Slayer classes, there's certainly more to enjoy this time around - and a better chance of finding people to actually play with. All that said, this morning we wondered if this 10-day free trial might entice you into trying out Warhammer Online again? Are you going to wait a bit more for them to add in more content instead? Or is there pretty much nothing in the world that would entice you to come back to Warhammer Online, short of a pretty major overhaul of the game altogether?
Numbers support players returning to World of Warcraft
With the recent launch of World of Warcraft's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, industry watchers have been poring over the numbers, trying to see what can be gleaned from the data. With 2.8 million copies sold in the first 24 hours, Blizzard's 800-pound-gorilla continues to break records. Following the flood of numbers, our friends over at GamerDNA have just come out with their own Wrath reports, based on their member data from anywhere between a few days to a few months before Wrath's launch. As expected, there was an increase in the number of returning players, out to experience all that Wrath has to offer. We admit we're curious about potential skewing of the numbers, though. On the surface, it would be largely what one would expect - Wrath launches, the numbers went up. However, we'd note that they started running a World of Warcraft-themed contest for Razer gear on the 12th, and a SwagDog guild promotion on the 19th that may account for at least a small portion of the metric increase; how much of a difference remains to be seen. Also noted is the number of WoW pages created on their service after the launch of Warhammer Online, which is by itself, a fairly interesting point. Overall, if you're a numbers fan, they've certainly served up some interesting observations based on their member statistics. Definitely worth checking out if you're curious about how things are trending for Blizzard's MMO behemoth.
