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The Daily Grind: Do you keep MMO accounts on for veteran rewards?
I've got a guildie who's a bit insane. He is notorious for staying subscribed to MMOs he's not playing, sinking tons and tons of money into these games but not logging in. Is he doing it to support developers? Nope. He does it for the veteran rewards. Seriously. He once told me he stayed subbed to City of Heroes because he really, really wanted a veteran minipet. When I consider what that minipet must have cost him in subscription fees, all I can do is think how many brand-new games he could have picked up on Steam for all that dough! And yet here I am looking at my Ultima Online account the same way. The account is 16.5 years old with nine years of vet rewards on it. I left it on a few extra months last year to get to the ridable ethereal polar bear mount reward because hello, ridable ethereal polar bear mount, right? What about you -- do you leave your subscription MMO accounts on to collect vet rewards? 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: Should MMOs put an end to veteran rewards?
In previous Daily Grinds, we've asked you whether you sub for veteran rewards, whether they should be recycled, and whether they should be more awesome, but we've never asked you whether they should exist in the first place. Massively reader The_Grand_Nagus wrote to us pointing out that while old-school gamers, accustomed to playing a single game for years, take for granted veteran rewards and expect them from studios as something they "deserve" as compensation for their loyalty, other players consider that attitude to be selfish and entitled, believing that what vets got for their loyalty and money was the game they paid for and that they deserve nothing more, certainly not rewards that future players or new players can't realistically earn. The Ultima Online community, for just one example, spent the summer storming over whether new players should even be allowed to use veteran rewards purchased from actual veterans. Some players genuinely believe that all new players should wait another 16 years to erect a garden shed in their yards. Garden sheds are serious business. It all starts to seem a little silly in the context of our modern, free-to-play, game-hopping MMO culture, where veteran rewards teeter on becoming an outright waste of developer resources since few people stick around long enough to become vets (and games seldom stick around long enough to accrue such devotion). What's your take? Are veteran rewards a product of a bygone era of subscriptions and loyal communities? Should studios do away with them? Or should modern MMOs use veteran rewards to encourage loyalty in a market that seems to provide fewer and fewer reasons to stay faithful? 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!
Happy 16th birthday, Ultima Online
I've taken my share of ribbing from the youngins on the Massively staff (as well as the readers!) about my continuing obsession with Ultima Online, but I can't help it: It's hard not to love the game that effectively started it all, especially in an age when MMORPGs have veered so dramatically from the standards set for them by the earliest titles. Next week, Ultima Online turns 16, and you'd better believe we'll be at the party. To honor the game, of course -- not just to gobble free cake. Earlier in the summer, we took a deep dive into the current state of the game (as well as its music!), but since that article ran, Mythic has been ratcheting up the update machine. It's bringing out new veteran rewards, an anniversary event complete with the usual round of anniversary festivities, and a new patch that includes tweaks to the Clean Up Britannia rewards and turn-in system, new Halloween content, and new character titles. Oh, and did I mention players will be embarking on the first part of a new dynamic story arc? With any luck, this one won't end with the brick-by-brick destruction of a beloved NPC town (but hey, at least actions in the game have permanence!). The big party is happening this Saturday, September 21st, on the test server so that everyone can attend no matter his home server. Expect a hedge-maze scavenger hunt, design contest, and storytelling event, complete with some pretty pricey prizes. See you there, and happy birthday, UO!
Ultima Online producer's letter talks vendor search, vet rewards, and more
Ultima Online producer Bonnie Armstrong has penned a new producer's letter designed to do two things. One is to disseminate some of the ideas in the pipeline for 2013, and the other is to quell any community uncertainty stemming from the recent EA layoff announcement. Some of the coming updates include a second house on Siege, more accessible veteran rewards, and vendor search functionality that should eliminate the need to use third-party script sites to find who's selling what. Read all about that stuff and more at the official UO website.
Wings Over Atreia: Aion's 2012 naughty and nice list
The end is near! No, not of the world -- the end of 2012. And as is customary at the conclusion of a year, we look back over the past 12 months to assess the damage... er, I mean, review the highlights. This year, however, I'm not going to just ruminate on the top stories in Wings Over Atreia; I'm going to spice things up a bit with a naughty and nice list! That's right, folks; we are delving into both the great and the not-so-great things that have transpired in Aion since January. So bust out the spiced mela cider, grab a plate of gingerbread shugos, and join me as I make a list and check it twice to see how NCsoft has been naughty and nice.
Chaos Theory: The Secret World's buy-to-play keeps getting better
12/12/12 While many folks (including Creative Director Joel Bylos) have been focusing on the slightly similar but transposed date, this triple sequence of 12s is actually the most pivotal one for The Secret World fans. You see, even though all the end-of-days hoopla and special events are pretty dang cool, what transpired on the 12th has the most lasting impact on everyone far and wide; it is, in fact, what allows more folks to be a part of said special events. It was on that wintry Wednesday that The Secret World tossed subscriptions out the window and switched to a buy-to-play model. Pay once; play forever. That's a pretty sweet deal in itself, right? But if you thought Funcom was stopping there, you'd be wrong. The company is continuing to refine the new model and proving it's listening to the concerns and desires of players at the same time. This weekend's announcement of three refinements to the buy-to-play model details how.
Wings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my!
OK, so maybe there aren't really any bears. Wait, I take that back -- there are maybe sorta bears... at least alluded to! Polar bears, to be exact. No really, work with me here: What Winter Festival, Atreian or otherwise, doesn't conjure up images of polar bears? We just won't get into the whole dancing bears thing. What we will get into this week in Wings Over Atreia, however, are musings about a few topics of interest that are swirling around lately, most notably Aion's upcoming conversion to free-to-play in Europe, the changes to the veteran reward system, and the aforementioned Winter Festival (sans dancing bears). Quick quiz now: Other than involving Aion, what else do these three subjects have in common? Give up? Time. While this column usually delves into single topics at a time, the fact that two of these are time-sensitive necessitates that they share face-time, else the news most relevant to Daevas would become obsolete. The third is less time-sensitive but more time-relevant.
Aion changing vet reward system
Oh NCsoft, you coy devil, you! Aion's veteran reward system is due for an extreme makeover, and we here at Massively would love to bring you the details. There's just one problem: NCsoft hasn't released any. A cryptic news blurb on the game's official website hints at the changes, and it also touches on the reasoning behind them (apparently the upcoming 3.0 patch is going to make some veteran items obsolete). Aion players may collect their 28-month vet rewards beginning on January 25th, and claims can also be made in the month of February. After that, though, you may not get another chance since the "current veteran reward system will be discontinued." We'll update you on the situation as we learn more.
SOE makes EQII veteran rewards available to F2P players
Sony Online Entertainment is pulling out all the stops when it comes to the courtship of EverQuest II's new free-to-play constituency. In a post on the game's official boards, producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson has announced that both free and silver-level players are now eligible for the fantasy title's extensive veteran rewards program. Georgeson's post is short and to the point as he briefly outlines SOE's approach. "There are a lot more [payment] options available to folks, and it just doesn't make sense that a free or silver player shouldn't be able to accumulate veteran rewards," he explains. You can view both the announcement post and a feedback thread on the official EQII forums.
RIFT veteran rewards coming with 1.5 update
It's somewhat wonky to think about veteran rewards for an MMORPG that's barely six months old, but nonetheless Trion is trotting out various incentives to keep players subscribing to RIFT and adventuring through the wilds of Telara with in-game shinies in tow. Beginning with the game's 1.5 update, "being a veteran Ascended means honor, respect, and awesome rewards," according to the informational blurb on RIFT's website. We'll leave the honor and respect bit to your fertile imaginations, but the awesome rewards are quite tangible. They include full Guardian and Defiant uniforms, personal vendors, and on-the-go mailboxes. You can also buy your way to full veteran status (and unlock the high tier rewards immediately) by purchasing a multi-month subscription. Look for more details in our upcoming interview with Trion. [Thanks to Ren54 for the tip!]
New City of Heroes veteran rewards announced
The City of Heroes crew have finally announced the Veteran Rewards for players who've been subscribed for 51 and 54 months. Those who've been around for 51 months get the Tried and True badge, along with all the City of Villains pre-order helms: Red Wolfspider, Wolfspider, Mu Mystic, and Crab Spider. At 54 months, along with the Allegiant badge, players can pick one of the permanent temporary powers they haven't already chosen: Sands of Mu, Ghost Slaying Axe, Nemesis Staff or Blackwand. The latter two of these can give a bonus dependent on your origin, so long as the appropriate one is chosen.More rewards are always good, but we can't help but notice the reuse of content here. CoX already recycles quite a lot of former content as well as keeping the new stuff coming, so there will be those who roll their eyes at this news. Still, Natural origin characters will be happy, since they're the one origin that can get a bonus from both the Blackwand and the Nemesis Staff. Two hefty ranged attacks from Level 1 onwards is nothing to sneer at.
