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[Updated] On the eleventh day of giveaways, Funcom gave to me...
[UPDATE: All winners have been selected and contacted. Thanks to everyone who entered!] On the eleventh day of giveaways, Funcom gave to me... eleven prize packages! On the tenth day of giveaways, PerfectWorld gave to me... ten grab bag items! On the ninth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... nine SWG mementos! On the eighth day of giveaways, Enjin gave to me... eight guild-wide gifts! On the seventh day of giveaways, NCsoft gave to me... seven years of memories! On the sixth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... six retail packs! On the fifth day of giveaways, Trion gave to me... five subscription codes! On the fourth day of giveaways, Nexon gave to me... four pet items! On the third day of giveaways, Wargaming.net gave to me... three premium years! On the second day of giveaways, BioWare gave to me... two warring factions! On the first day of giveaways, Turbine gave to me... a lifetime VIP! We're almost finished with our 12 Days of Giveaways, but Funcom is making sure we approach the end in style with a series of prize packages guaranteed to excite both Age of Conan and Bloodline Champions fans. We have five gift packs each containing one year of premium account status for Age of Conan, a Bloodline Champions starter edition, and one thousand Funcom points. Five more packages contain a Bloodline Champions starter edition and one thousand Funcom points, while our final prize is a Titan edition of Bloodline Champions. Ready to enter? Read the contest rules for eligibility, then leave a comment letting us know why you love Funcom's games and should be one of our winners. The deadline is tomorrow, December 24th, at 7:00 p.m. EST, so be sure to enter before then. Good luck!
Massively's 2011 winter holiday event roundup
The winter holiday season is well underway, both in and out of game. Many schools, businesses, and communities are preparing to take a little time off to enjoy the holidays, and here at Massively, we want to make sure you don't miss a single in-game party. We've been rounding up all the details on celebrations happening in our favorite MMOs, combining them into a handy guide. Follow along after the jump for your map to all of the can't-miss MMO winter holiday events for 2011!
Anarchy Online's Colin Cragg steps down as producer and game director
Anarchy Online players know Colin "Means" Cragg quite well at this point, as Cragg has worked at Funcom since 2004 and handled the roles of both producer and game director in recent years. Sadly, Cragg announced that he will be leaving the company at the end of the month to "pursue another challenge" and be closer to his family in Sweden. "When I look at the passion this team and the community has for Anarchy Online it has always made me feel privileged just to get to be a part of it," Cragg wrote in his farewell letter. "It has been an incredible honor to get to spend the last eight years working with Anarchy Online and being a part of the Funcom family." Two Funcom employees will split his former duties. Dave "Ilaliya" Williams, who has worked on both Age of Conan and The Secret World, will take over as producer. Filling the game director shoes is Fia "Lindelu" Tjernberg, a long-time member of the Anarchy Online dev team.
Age of Conan dev update talks open-world PvP, House of Crom
Funcom game director Craig Morrison has released his monthly Age of Conan development update a couple of weeks early. Morrison usually closes each month with a summary of where the game has been and where it's going, and the December version is no different save for the mid-month release date. While there's a lot of info, the most interesting bits concern the projected live date of the long-awaited House of Crom dungeon. Morrison says that the new content will most likely debut on January 11th or 12th, and that the dungeon will be playable on AoC's test shard over the Christmas holidays. Also new this month is a detailed explanation of the game's upcoming open-world PvP content. When the new feature was first announced, the game's hardcore PvP community unleashed an epic tidal wave of tears due to suppositions about "PVE sheep trying to pass in PVP wolf's clothing," not to mention concerns about a possible rehash of the game's disastrous Shrines of Bori mechanic. Morrison spends several paragraphs of this month's update explaining what Funcom has learned since Bori, and how that knowledge is going to translate into a fun system that isn't exploitable via PvE mechanics. You can read the full update at the official AoC website.
Age of Conan dev update talks House of Crom, upcoming content patches
Craig Morrison has posted his latest monthly Age of Conan dev update. Funcom's game director is known for his interaction with fans and for his verbosity when it comes to all things AoC, and this month's letter is no exception. The lengthy read lays out current and future AoC updates in a linear fashion, beginning with yesterday's 3.1 patch (which Morrison says was slightly delayed and also slightly problematic due to the slew of behind-the-scenes tweaks that were performed on the game's Dreamworld engine). The extra time apparently benefited the upcoming 3.2 patch, though, because it gave Funcom artists even more time to add both beauty and detail to a patch that will add both Khitai raids and the huge House of Crom dungeon instances. Head to the official AoC website for a look into Morrison's Hyborian crystal ball.
Funcom releases Age of Conan 3.1 update, Dreamworld tweaks
In case you missed it (and we did, since it was 3:00 a.m. and we do occasionally sleep), Funcom posted the latest Age of Conan patch notes on the boards earlier today. Yep, the 3.1 update is here, and while the bulk of the new code is devoted to Dreamworld engine tweaks, there are also quite a few class-related changes to peruse. Players have also been reporting various issues due to running custom user interfaces, and various fixes and workarounds have also begun showing up in the official 3.1 feedback thread. As always, more info is available at the official AoC website.
The Anvil of Crom: Thanksgiving leftovers and what's new in Hyboria
What's up, Age of Conan fans? Hopefully all of you had an overindulgent Thanksgiving (I'm picturing clusters of barbarians hunched around roaring campfires, gnawing the blackened meat off the bones of whatever game animal happened to pass by). For my part, I spent the last couple of days avoiding work, gaining weight, and catching up on recent news from Funcom's Hyboria. I've been a bit distracted with various online shooters lately, but I always find myself coming back to AoC because of its unique fantasy world and rough-and-tumble themepark mechanics. Join me after the break for a few recent tidbits that piqued my interest.
The Anvil of Crom: Celebrating the selfless gamer
Oh sh... it's time for another installment of Massively's Anvil of Crom! If I sound a bit harried, it's because there's simply not enough time in the day for all the gaming goodness going on lately. Whether we're talking about the MMO space where I'm currently dabbling in AoC, DC Universe Online, EverQuest II, and Global Agenda, or the single-player smorgasbords of Arkham City, Uncharted 3, and Skyrim, sometimes it sucks to be an adult with responsibilities! Those "sometimes" are usually during the pre-Christmas release window when game publishers all get together and decide to make our entertainment lives miserable by releasing 35 badass titles at once. Hello geniuses, how's about we stagger the badassery throughout the year; you'll still be rolling in money and your customers won't be rushing through one title to get to the next. Anyway, I'm continually on the lookout for interesting tidbits from Funcom's Hyboria, and over the past couple of weeks I've been struck by a noticeable uptick in what I'm going to call the quality community. Since AoC's 2008 launch, the game's community has been alternately awful and tolerable, and whether that's because of the game's mature rating (and the immature people it attracts) or some other factor, it's been a rare occasion when I've had cause to highlight the nice folk.
Funcom highlights Age of Conan player numbers, offers in-game reward pack
DC Universe Online isn't the only MMO crowing about its freemium changeover this week. Age of Conan made the switch last summer and now Funcom is highlighting the fact that more than 600,000 players have tried the Unchained version of the fantasy title since July. As a token of appreciation, the company is presenting players with a little ditty called the King's Reward pack. Everyone who logs in prior to November 21st can grab the bundle via the special offers tab of the AoC item shop. The pack contains various potions designed to speed your way through Hyboria, but it's also limited to one character per account, so make sure you're on your main when you claim it.
The Perfect Ten: MMOs in movies and television
While 1982's Tron explored what virtual life might be like inside a massive video game, it wasn't until fairly recently that real MMOs have crossed the divide between niche and mainstream to be referenced in television and films. Depending on how you see it, this mainstream acceptance of geek culture can be a thing to be either celebrated or shunned. What's for certain, however, is that we've only started to see the beginning of such mentions. In today's Perfect Ten, I cobbled together a list of the first 10 MMO references that I know of from movies and TV shows. Some might be nothing more than a background detail or a throwaway line, while others are completely centered around the advertisement, er, massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. I tried hard not to use "cheats" such as fake MMOs featured in shows like The Guild, so this list is all about real-world titles with no sugar substitutes. Ready? Insert quarter and hit player one!
Age of Conan dev update talks new House of Crom dungeon
It's time for another month-ending Age of Conan development update, and the October version doesn't disappoint. Craig Morrison gives way to a gaggle of AoC developers who are more than eager to talk about the new House of Crom content coming in the 3.0.2 patch. The House of Crom is actually composed of two large dungeons. One is a social playfield that supports multiple simultaneous groups while the other is a six-man instance like those found in Khitai. The encounters take place in the bowels of the Eiglophian Mountains and are designed for endgame players. Lore-wise, the dungeon is an ancient Atlantean temple which has recently been unearthed (and defiled) by the Vanir raiders invading northern Cimmeria. That's all fine and dandy, but what about phat lewtz? "We will be bringing in new Atlantean-themed items. Power-wise, the rewards will be on par with those found in the more difficult instances, and there will be all the regular token and trophy rewards that you would expect to find," says system designer Knut Jagels. The 3.0.2 patch is currently slated for the end of 2011, and you should head to the official website to check out the full dev diary while you wait.
The Anvil of Crom: A four-month F2P report card
Greetings barbaric faithful, and welcome to another installment of the Anvil of Crom. In between bouts of getting frustrated with the Isle of the Iron Statues dungeon this week (I know, I know, it's sooooo easy, and how bad can I be if I have trouble with it?!), I've been giving a fair amount of thought to Age of Conan's free-to-play experiment. It's been nearly four months since the devs rolled out the freemium Unchained patch, and that's ample time for me to have formed a few opinions (and to have revised a few others). Join me after the cut for some discussion on what works, what doesn't, and what I hope to see going forward.
The Secret World lures half a million potential beta testers into the underworld
Funcom's The Secret World may be about underworld societies waging a "behind the curtains" war against forces of darkness, but the beta signup is anything but secret. Over 500,000 potential testers have signed up on the MMO's website since Funcom opened beta registrations a month ago. Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas says this is bigger than anything the studio has seen to date: "We are thrilled to see the amount of interest The Secret World is generating among gamers and the press, and exceeding half a million beta registrations six months before release is definitely something we are proud of. The gamer interest in The Secret World and the community size for the game is even greater than we experienced with Age of Conan at the same stage of development. We expect the community size to keep on expanding at an ever faster pace in the coming months as we approach open beta and launch." The Secret World is scheduled to launch April 2012 and will be subscription-based with optional microtransactions on top of that.
The Anvil of Crom: Can AoC survive The Old Republic?
Can Age of Conan survive the onrushing BioWare MMO apocalypse? That's a fair question, and if you've been playing AoC lately, or really any MMORPG, you've probably heard of a competing game called Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you haven't, well, I don't believe you. Anyway, you may or may not be aware that BioWare announced the official launch date for its MMO opus a while back, and barely a day goes by when I don't hear a guildmate, a groupmate, or someone in global chat talk about it. That's Age of Conan's global chat, in case you were wondering, and as a long-time fan of Funcom's barbaric fantasy MMO, I can't help but be a bit concerned about its future health after December 20th.
Funcom signs on for Extra Life charity event
Trion isn't the only MMO studio ponying up for charity on October 15th. Funcom is also partnering with Extra Life for a bleary-eyed 24-hour gaming marathon designed to raise money and awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Here's how it works: You'll need to register with Extra Life and collect pledges from friends, family, co-workers, and anyone else you come across. Then you can join either the Age of Conan or Anarchy Online in-game event and try to stay awake. What's in it for you? Well, aside from doing the right thing to help a bunch of kids in need, you might win beta access to The Secret World. While you're at it, don't forget to follow Massively's own Beau Hindman (and donate as much as you're able) as he embarks on his own Extra Life marathon.
Choose My Adventure: What is this I don't even
Where am I? What's going on? How did I get here? I'm so confused! Oh, uh, hi there. I'm Matt, or as most of you probably know me, the new guy. It looks like I'm next on the chopping block for Choose My Adventure, and I am contractually obligated to say that I was in no way coerced, blackmailed, or threatened into doing this column. Now that that's out of the way, let's get on with it. A bit about my MMO history: I've played everything. All right, super. That being said, I don't always play everything a whole lot, and right now I'm what you call "between games." That's where y'all come in. Help me out of my MMO slump by forcing me at gunpoint to play a game of your choosing. It's that simple! My playstyles vary wildly, and I can easily go from carebear PvE to hardcore PvP to melodramatic RP depending on which game I'm unceremoniously thrust into. So do your worst, Massively readers. If you're interested in knowing the logic behind the games I chose for the poll, read on past the cut. Otherwise, skip straight to the voting bit and be sure to get your votes in by 11:59 p.m. EDT on October 14th. I'll see y'all again next week!
The Anvil of Crom: AA resets, tradeskills, and hardcore PvP stagnation
Welcome back to the Anvil of Crom, dear readers. After the content explosion of the past couple of months, it seems almost strange to be relatively relaxed when it comes to Age of Conan. I'd gotten so used to scrambling around re-writing columns at the last minute -- and polishing up interviews and impression pieces -- that I had almost forgotten what it feels like to settle into a comfortable gameplay groove. In looking around for interesting topics this week, I realized that it's been quite some time since I turned the column over to the community. So without further ado, join me after the cut to see what's on the minds of Hyborians at home and abroad as we power through the week's hot topics.
The Daily Grind: Should games be region-locked?
A reader named Sam recently wrote in to Massively with a concern: He's a U.S. expat who moved to South Korea only to find he cannot log in to his North American Age of Conan account. The reason? Funcom employs region-blocking. Customers in Korea simply cannot connect to the U.S. game servers. Many games make it obnoxiously difficult for players in one country to play with friends in another. At the dawn of every World of Warcraft expansion, my own guild sees a flurry of Americans fussing with PayPal and buying boxes for our European members. But at least that's possible -- at least Blizzard isn't blocking their logins altogether. And upcoming MMOs, like Star Wars: The Old Republic, seem to be reversing this trend, forsaking region-locking altogether and letting folks play together and deal with the lag in their own way (although the company's not exactly making it easy on its customers Down Under). What's your stance on region-locking (and -blocking)? Do you think companies should insist on keeping players neatly corralled by country and language for the sake of server stability and customer support? Or do you think that such policies undermine one of the best qualities of MMOs -- the chance to play with people from around the globe? 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!
Age of Conan long-term subs available, Funcom gifting weekly consumable packs
We've got more Age of Conan-related subscription news for you this morning. Yesterday we mentioned the lifetime sub sweepstakes currently ongoing at AoC's Facebook page. Today we came across some new time-limited sub offers on the game's forums as well as a blurb about free weekly login items. The sub offers come in three-, six-, and 12-month flavors, and each also features a bundle of in-game goods designed to make your Hyborian life a little easier. All three packs give you assorted potions and the basic riding skill, while the six- and 12-month varieties give you mounts to go with it. The weekly login items feature packs of consumables and are available via the special offers tab of the in-game store. This week's pack is labeled A Bountiful Harvest, while subsequent weeks will feature A Hearty Harvest, A Fine Harvest, and The Harvest Reward packs.
Win an Age of Conan lifetime sub in new Funcom sweepstakes
Feeling lucky? If so, you want might want to enter Funcom's new Age of Conan sweepstakes. One grand-prize winner will take home a lifetime premium sub to the fantasy MMORPG along with 6,000 cash shop points and the opportunity to have an in-game NPC named after one of your characters. Five first-prize winners will grab the ultimate Conan fan pack, which includes an in-game pleasure companion (nope, we're not kidding), 2,500 Funcom points, and three purebred mounts. Finally, second-prize winners will receive 1,000 Funcom points. The sweepstakes starts today, October 4th, and runs through November 22nd. Check out the details on the Age of Conan Facebook page, and don't forget to take a look at the official contest rules while you're at it.
