William Dobson

Will blogs from the Land Down Under, and when he's not writing about games, or playing them, he works for a bank and gets closer to finishing his college education. Apart from MMOs, he is also an avid console gamer.

Articles by William Dobson

Sixth-year Veteran Rewards announced for EQII
If you've faithfully stayed with EverQuest II since launch, then you've got a handful of new Veteran Rewards to look forward to just around the corner. The sixth-year rewards have been announced on EQ2Players, and one of the bonus items in particular has the community cheering. Beginning with that most celebrated item, the rewards are: Call of the Veteran: A charm-slot item that can be used to teleport to a group-member, or summon them to your own location. This functionality was confirmed by EverQuest II lead programmer Rothgar on the forums; the EQ2Players page only mentions teleporting to someone else but leaves out the summoning part. It has a reuse time of 60 minutes. Hammer of Adept Hands: A charm-slot item that can be clicked to completely refill your tradeskill vitality. Its reuse time is 7 days. Destiny Accessory Bag, containing the Hood of Fate and Shroud of Fate: A hood and cloak to let those around you know that you're part of the six-year club. Rothgar also stated in another thread that up until some time this year, eligibility for veteran rewards was not being tallied correctly, with credit being given even while accounts were inactive. Going forward, an account must be actively subscribed to keep adding time towards veteran rewards. The rewards will be available when the Will of a Tyrant patch goes live on December 9th.
EQII's producer discusses the next update and scrapped features
The latest EverQuest II producer's letter has shed some light on what the next game update, Will of a Tyrant, is likely to contain when it is released on the 9th of December. Senior producer Alan Crosby freely admitted that the patch will not bring as much new content as players might be used to getting; instead, the focus for this round of updating has been to fix lots of little bugs, some of which have been mildly irritating folks since EverQuest II's launch. Crosby said that this approach was chosen to give the game a nice clean slate for the coming expansion, Sentinel's Fate. The letter goes on to discuss a couple of features (that may or may not have once been considered a part of the Will of a Tyrant update) that have been scrapped altogether. The Item Ratings system was abandoned, at least partially due to feedback from the player base, and the Fighter revamp that was in the works has been considerably scaled back. Both of these negatives do have a silver lining though -- the developers are looking at alternative ways to enhance gear, and Fighters will still see some tweaks, albeit "small changes, rather than sweeping revamps". Crusaders will be among the first Fighter classes to be looked at -- see the full letter for some early details. While the producer's letter makes Will of a Tyrant sound overwhelmingly lacklustre, keep in mind that it doesn't go into some previously announced events that should give players something new to do for at least a little while. Hopefully the decision to squash all those bugs pays off with a smooth launch for Sentinel's Fate in February.
See an Aion GM in action blowing up spammers
NCsoft has always been fairly vocal about about their assault on Aion's goldspammer and bot epidemic. They bolstered the game's spam filter a while ago and their Game Surveillance Unit reportedly banned over 27,000 botting accounts just last week. It's great to hear about these positive statistics, but if your game experience has been ruined in the past by some of these unsavory characters, you might be looking for something more visceral -- and thankfully, we've got that for you. Enter Youtube user MidoriPeanut, who managed to catch an Aion GM in the throes of a banning spree and recorded it all for the rest of us to enjoy. The movie features the GM blowing up a number of goldspammer ad stores, all set to the dramatic Syringe by Emilie Autumn. Sure, this could all take place behind the scenes and the offenders would quietly disappear from the world, but isn't it a lot more fun seeing them cast off to hell by a cutesy animal? Get out the popcorn and head past the break to see the banishing in action.
Nexon America's financials continue to impress in Q3
We reported back in August that Nexon America had begun the third Quarter of 2009 with a very solid July; their revenue for the month grew 35% over the numbers for July 2008. Now that Q3 is over, they are happily touting some additional (and still impressive) figures. August 2009 beat out last year's August revenues by 32%, and September hit a lofty 44% growth in revenues compared to the same time in 2008. Overall, Nexon America's third quarter revenue grew 36% compared to Q3 2008.Nexon America's CEO David Kim pointed out that this success comes without the bump that releasing a new game often brings: "Increasing our revenues without having added any new games to the company's portfolio for more than a year tells me that we are on the right track. Dungeon Fighter Online is just ramping up, so no revenues generated by that game are reflected in the outstanding third quarter we've had.Dungeon Fighter Online is still in open beta, but an item mall has just been launched for the game. We can only imagine that Nexon's growth will continue when these revenues begin to show up on future financial reports.
EverQuest's third Road to Underfoot event shakes Norrath
The ground in Norrath has literally begun to tremble with the introduction of the third and final "Road to Underfoot" event in EverQuest. "Breaking the Seal" completes the series of events, and participating in all three will allow players to gain access to the Underfoot expansion ahead of its official release date. This time the event involves the Cliknar -- from our Underfoot zone previews, we know that the Cliknar inhabit (or rather infest) many regions in the expansion. Now they've raised a significant army and are causing trouble on Norrath's surface.The Road to Underfoot mini-site has been updated with a section on Breaking the Seal, as well as a short video showing the enemy in action. The epicenter of the shaking seems to be coming from Odus, so those willing to fight should gather there. Remember that apart from the early access, there is also a beta for Underfoot that SOE is still taking applications for, so there's another way to see the expansion ahead of time too.
Meet EverQuest's mountain-makers in Underfoot zone "The Foundation"
It's time for another EverQuest: Underfoot zone preview, as the EverQuest Players community site is featuring a look at "The Foundation". Like many of the other areas in the Plane of Underfoot, The Foundation is used by Brell's servants to create things that will end up in the world -- however, we haven't previously seen any creations quite as massive as what is made here. If you've ever admired a scenic mountain located somewhere in Norrath, then you have the inhabitants of The Foundation to thank. The enormous Genari stone giants push up mountains from underground, and then tirelessly hold their positions to keep the mountains standing.Their job gets even worse. Sometimes a god might decide to raise a new mountain themselves, without thinking about the Genari underneath. When that happens, the Genari will most likely be crushed under the new weight. Don't fret though, because the Genari's broken form is often enough to keep the mountain up, and Brell can simply make another giant later on. Now that's cold. Screenshots for The Foundation have been added to our Underfoot gallery, and we're very pleased to have another handful of exclusive pictures to share. Check them out below, and learn more about The Foundation's lore at EQ Players.%Gallery-73586%
EverQuest patch switches up hot zones, nerfs some Ancient Heroes rewards
EverQuest has just been updated, and it's time to say goodbye to the ironically freezing set of hot zones that have provided icy experience bonuses for the past few months. This isn't a bad thing, as the new list of hot zones includes a number of popular areas for people to do their leveling in -- the full list can be found after the break, along with the rest of the patch notes. One of the hot zones, Howling Stones (also known as Charasis) has been altered to be more inviting for potential visitors:Apparently while performing some end-of-the-summer cleaning, the doors within Howling Stones were left unlocked. It may be some time before a maintenance crew can be sent there again to lock the doors up tight. Use this knowledge as you will. In addition, the spells protecting the entrance to Howling Stones have weakened, and adventurers of lesser skill and strength may find its halls now accessible.The other big change with this patch involves some tweaking of the Ancient Heroes missions from the previous update. The rewards from these missions have been the subject of much controversy ever since their introduction, and this patch has made many of them worthless (though they can still be refunded by handing them to the quest-giver). Having said that, some of the group-level rewards were actually improved. Hit the jump to see the patch notes in their entirety.
Latest LotRO dev diary details legendary weapon changes
From the last "Ask the Dev Team" session with the Lord of the Rings Online developers, we knew that some changes were coming to the game's Legendary Weapon system. The latest Developer Diary entry is devoted entirely to filling in some of the details on these changes, which should come into effect when the Siege of Mirkwood expansion launches in December. First and foremost (and definitely one of the best tweaks) is that you'll be able to tell if a legendary weapon will ever turn into something good before you pour time and money into improving it.There will also be a brand new item type, a series of "legendary item advancement scrolls". They will provide an alternative method of improving or altering legendary weapons, and will be found both as loot from enemies and from the deconstruction process. In addition, crafters are getting a significant nod with the introduction of a fourth relic slot that can only be filled by player-crafted relics. It gets better: every crafting profession can make a different kind of relic, providing a range of improvement options, and ensuring that no crafter is left out of the fun. To read up on all the details of the upcoming legendary item changes (including specifics on how experience will be altered) see the full dev diary at the official site.
Upcoming Champions Online dev chat to focus on the Hero Games
We do a lot of talking on this site (readers included) about things that could be changed or improved in the games we play, and Champions Online has been the subject of these discussions perhaps more than any other title in recent times. While some of our collective feedback must get back to the Cryptic Studios developers, one of the best ways to get through to them is by participating in their dev chats. There is one coming up at 4PM PDT this Thursday, October 8th, and the topic du jour will be the "Hero Games" PvP arenas.The main way that the devs will be taking questions is through this forum thread. They plan to go through as many of the questions posted there as they can, but the audience will get a chance to ask some follow-ups or extra questions at the end too. The IRC channel is #championsonline at irc.coldfront.net, or if you don't want to use an IRC client, there is a Java chat client available as well. So, if you think the Hero Games in Champions Online could be improved somehow, get a few questions ready (remember, the questions thread on the forums gives the highest chance of them being answered) and let your voice be heard this Thursday.
EQ's producer discusses new Legends of Norrath-gated instance after player concerns
Although the Legends of Norrath digital trading card game can be played completely separately from EverQuest, the two games have a lot of ties to each other beyond just lore. The former can be launched from within the latter game. There are also "loot cards" which not only function in LoN but can be redeemed in EverQuest for certain bonus items. Some people that play EQ but not LoN may have been upset in the past at missing out on a few of these loot card items, but it's doubtful that anything has caused as much of an outcry as is currently occurring over an upcoming loot card. The card in question is the Dragon Brood Crypt Key Card, and the resulting EQ reward will be the only way to access a brand new dungeon instance.
Bounty Bay Online's upcoming expansion to introduce PvP tournaments
Beyond the Horizon, the free expansion to Bounty Bay Online, has been confirmed by Frogster as on track for its intended Q4 2009 launch. Along with this good news, they also updated their expansion teaser site with details that are sure to please PvPers. Beyond the Horizon will introduce a new weekly PvP tournament system, offering 1v1, 2v2 and 5v5 battles, with both prizes and a highly detailed ranking system.But since Bounty Bay Online features sea and land combat, the question must be asked: which of these locations will the tournaments be held at? The answer is "both". Two new arenas will be added to the game, one for land and the other for sea combat. The player will get to choose which type of battle they want to register for, which is kind of too bad, from a comedy perspective -- imagine turning up for a sea battle without a boat.
See the mines of EQ: Underfoot zone "The Underquarry"
The next EverQuest: Underfoot zone preview is up at the EverQuest Players community site, this time giving us a sneak peek at an area called "The Underquarry". The Underquarry's main feature is two large sinkholes that were made by some intense waterflow. When the water stopped coming, the area's inhabitants (more servants of Brell) found that there was good mining to be had in the caverns. Similar to the creatures of Pellucid Grotto, the miners take the results of their work and seed them into Norrath, rather than hoarding them down in the Plane of Underfoot.As is expected from these expansion zones, there is some emerging conflict in the Underquarry to look into. Part of the problem is a group of stubborn Burynai (shown above) that are refusing to share parts of the mines, and there are also Cliknars that constantly invade and cause trouble. Our Underfoot gallery is now updated with screenshots from the Underquarry, including a few more Massively exclusive pics -- check it out below.%Gallery-73586%
The Daily Grind: Your longest MMO bender
We're not going to advocate spending a ridiculous amount of time playing an MMO non-stop, particularly due to some highly publicized unfortunate incidents. However, we can't turn our back on the fact that certain MMOs seem to inspire those extended play-sessions, and we bet there are a lot of you with a sizeable "high score" that you feel a healthy mixture of pride and shame about. Today, we're all about the pride! Unless your stint ended in a similar fashion to poor keyboard-face pictured here. Perhaps it was the launch of a new MMO that caused you to break your personal play-session record, or maybe you had some time off work and wanted nothing more than to log some serious hours into your favorite game. In the comments section, we want to hear about your most impressive MMO sessions, including the name of the game and what particular event sparked the bender.
Part one of LotRO's "Ask the Dev Team" feature now available
Recently, Turbine collected a batch of questions from the community for the Lord of the Rings Online developers to answer. Due to the amount of quality questions taken in, the devs decided to respond to more of them than they initially anticipated, and the answers will be given out over a number of weeks. We're now able to view the first installment, and we'll sum up a handful of the quicker questions and answers right here: On whether there are plans to open up the UI to customization and plug-ins: no, but there are more built-in customization options coming with the Siege of Mirkwood expansion. On the possibility of a shared bank slot for trading between one's own characters: yes! More details coming soon. (note: Turbine announced today that it is part of the LotRO Adventure Pack that can be purchased for $20 and will arrive at the same time as the Siege of Mirkwood expansion.) On future mail system enhancements, like multiple attachments: no to multiple attachments, but there will soon be an auto-complete for the "to:" field, for characters you have mailed in the past. On whether there are plans for a new PvMP zone: nope, no plans for it. These are but a few of the questions that the devs answered. Among the remaining ones, there is a particularly detailed entry regarding radiance gear and some upcoming changes. Check out the "Ask the Dev Team" feature at the official LotRO site for all the details.
Star Trek Blu-ray to include code for bonus STO costume
Trekkies should be getting a nice little extra in their box for the Blu-ray release of Star Trek - Season 3, according to TVShowsOnDVD.com. The box set's publishers CBS and Paramount have given retailers this sweetener to add to their product descriptions: "For a limited time, sets will include an exclusive free offering in Atari's Star Trek® on-line game. Each set will include an insert that includes a unique code that will allow game players to outfit their avatar in an exclusive Admiral's outfit available only with this offer."Is it worth it to go and pick up the the Blu-ray set when it releases on the 15th of December just for the Star Trek Online Admiral outfit? No, probably not. Then again, it sounds like the BR releases of the previous seasons have been crammed full of other bonuses and Easter eggs, so the next installment may well be an excellent purchase for fans anyway. [via Joystiq]
The Daily Grind: MMMerch
You'd be hard pressed these days to find a popular item that hasn't had its brand expanded with a bunch of new products for consumers to snatch up. Games certainly follow this trend; for example, games that were originally planned as standalone works might suddenly spawn sequels if sales are higher than expected. Then there is merchandise. If you fall in love with a game's world or its characters, you might feel tempted to buy figurines, posters and the like to demonstrate your fandom. To see the kind of items that are out there, just look to Square Enix, one of the biggest providers of game merch (due to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest in particular). That little slime is so darn cute.So, if you're an obsessive collector, now's your chance to brag about it. Do you have any MMO merchandise you're particularly proud of? Got a famous MMO mascot figurine on your desk keeping you company this very moment? How about non-MMO game merch? Or would you never, under any circumstance, pay for this stuff?
Mythic invites former Ultima Online players to "Return to Britannia"
Did you ever have an Ultima Online account? If you did, then Mythic's new "Return to Britannia" campaign is aimed at you. All closed accounts in good standing have been reactivated, and will remain open until the 16th of October. Content up to and including the seventh expansion (Mondain's Legacy) will be playable by old accounts, which puts this offer in line with the 14-day free trials, with the added bonus of being able to play your previous characters.The "Return to Britannia" campaign is part of the celebrations for Ultima Online's twelve-year anniversary, but keep in mind that the game's first expansion in years also launched earlier this month. Mythic Entertainment's Jeff Hickman made a statement about the offer: "UO was the first love of many MMORPG players, and it still holds a special place in their hearts after 12 glorious years. I think returning players will be pleasantly surprised to find a thriving and vibrant community from around the world ready to welcome back their former compatriots and include them in their ongoing adventures."If you're keen to get back into UO, the client can be downloaded here, and Mythic is encouraging folks who can't remember their old details to try EA customer support.
EverQuest II players now receiving bonus experience for the weekend
A few weeks ago, over the Labor Day weekend, players of EverQuest enjoyed a massive double experience bonus. Some folks wondered why EverQuest II wasn't included in the bonus celebration. Well, this weekend it's their turn, as all players of EverQuest II should be receiving a bonus to adventuring, tradeskill, and alternate advancement xp as of 1:00PM PDT today. It doesn't sound like it's a full 2x bonus like it was in EverQuest, but every little bit helps.The bonus weekend is a good opportunity for players to get into the brand new game update that was just pushed live this week -- although, the new Chronomagic system is all about going back in levels, not speeding forward. Players have until 10:00AM PDT on Monday to make use of the bonus, so if you've got some leveling to do, get cracking.
Preview the Pellucid Grotto zone from EverQuest Underfoot
Just recently, the EverQuest Players community site featured a preview of the zone Brell's Rest from EverQuest's next expansion Underfoot. Another preview is now up on the site, showing off the Pellucid Grotto zone. The Grotto is home to a race called the Crystalkin, and these hard workers spend all their time harvesting, refining and polishing gems. They aren't in it for personal gain though -- far from it. After the gems are ready, they go and scatter them throughout Norrath, where adventurers end up finding them and either selling them, using them as spell reagents, or combining them with things using tradeskills.However, if the players want this gravy-train to keep running, they might want to look into a new disturbance that the Pellucid Grotto is experiencing. We're pretty sure there are far worse consequences to the world at stake than just missing out on gems, but ... well, the gems are a pretty good reason anyway. We like gems. Below you'll find our gallery of screenshots from Underfoot, newly updated with Pellucid Grotto pictures, and two of them are exclusive to Massively! For more on the lore of this area, check out the EQ Players feature article.%Gallery-73586%
The Daily Grind: Favorite activity to do at the same time as MMOing?
Let's face it: there are times when playing MMOs that your full, undivided attention isn't really required. Maybe you're in a slow group or raid, or camping some rare spawn, or just online to keep an eye on the market. We're often left with enough mental capacity to start up a second activity. Here are some popular ones: Reading a book Watching television Getting paperwork done Browsing the internet Playing another game These are just some examples. Maybe you have something a little less common you like to do that you could share with the rest of us. Knitting? Making and flying paper planes around the room? Sorting M&M's by color? Let us know how you keep yourself occupied during the duller passages of gameplay.

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