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The Daily Grind: Are we witnessing the bursting of a gaming bubble?
The last few weeks have cast a dark shadow over the MMO gaming industry. At a time when MMOs release seemingly every other day and big blockbusters are just over the horizon, MMO companies are canceling titles, shelving games, cutting back, changing models, and laying off staff. CCP Games dropped employees and slowed its development pace; NCsoft and GamersFirst followed suit, though with assurances that their games would proceed as usual. In the last few days alone, we saw Gameforge let go both developers and titles, TurnOut halt development on Earth Eternal, and both LEGO Universe and Troy Online announce impending shutdowns. What do you think? Are we dealing with a "gaming bubble" on the verge of bursting? Did MMOs become too popular too fast, such that the industry is now bloated and unsustainable? Is a culling of the MMO herd a necessary evil to improve the overall quality of MMOs? Or is this flurry of layoffs and closures merely a coincidence, a temporary downsizing due to end soon? 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!
Alt1 Games shutting down Troy Online
After only three months of commercial operation, Troy Online is going to be discontinuing operations as of November 30th. According to the official notice, within the short span of time that the game has been available, Alt1 Games has noticed a level of bugs and errors that the developers considered unacceptable, leading to the decision to shut down service at the end of the month and re-launch the game at a later date. The obvious question for players, of course, becomes "what about the stuff that I bought out of the cash shop?" If you still have remaining coins for the in-game store or unused cash shop items in your character's inventory, you are eligible for a refund by contacting the customer support center by November 22nd, with refunds being credited between the 23rd and the 24th. It's a sad whimper for the game's operation to end on, but at least players won't be left out in the cold with any unused money.
New war system coming to Troy Online this week
A new "large-scale" war system is coming to Troy Online this week, and the October 15th update is the biggest yet for ALT1 Games' free-to-play fantasy title. The latest company PR blast touts the Invasion War system, which allow players to sack an opponent's capital city. The new mechanics include the ability for "all users to join the war at the time through the Island of Dispute," and players may then attack various holy relics stored in the opposing capital. The victors will receive both increased experience buffs and improved item drop rates. ALT1 intends to release new Troy content updates on a weekly basis, and the company says that this latest patch will enable players to "enjoy a truly brutal MMORPG" experience. [ALT1 Games press release]
Troy Online opens new battlefield, announces another big update
Significant changes are coming to Troy Online over the next few weeks, and a new press release from ALT1Games has the details. A "big scale update will include a balance optimization [...] and new content for higher level users on October 13th," according to the news blurb. Prior to that, a new battlefield will open up and bring with it a number of tweaks relative to the existing battlefields. First and foremost, any player of any level can participate. The victors will receive a reward buff that affects their entire faction; conquering the battlefield involves holding the capture point for five minutes if you're on the attacking team. The defenders, on the other hand, have to stand their ground for 20 minutes. ALT1 remains mum on the new October content for now, but the battlefield updates went live yesterday. We'll keep you updated with fresh information as it's released. [Source: ALT1Games press release]
Troy Online launching tomorrow
ALT1Games has just issued a press release regarding Troy Online's official release date (it's tomorrow, August 19th, if you're curious). The free-to-play fantasy MMO has been in open beta testing since August 12th, and aside from a little login server switcheroo, players will be getting the same game experience when they join at release. The devs have simplified the registration process in an attempt to make the game accessible to more users, and you can now connect and play without signing up for a full membership. All it takes is your registration on the Troy Online homepage and you'll be free to enjoy the wholesale fantasy bloodletting on display as well as the title's traditional MMO classes and mythology-inspired setting. ALT1Games is also running a few "final test events," and more information on these -- as well as how to sign up and download the game -- is available at the official Troy Online website.
Troy Online releases official open beta schedule
A few weeks ago we brought you Troy Online's open beta announcement. Today ALT1 Games has released the free-to-play fantasy title's official beta schedule, and new players can get their hands on the game for the first time on August 12th at 11:00 a.m. PDT. The testing period will last for one week, culminating in Troy's launch on August 19th. If you're an existing beta tester, you'll need to download the new open beta client due to the substantial graphical tweaks as well as changes to class balance and PvP battlefields. Troy is based on traditional Trojan War mythology, with some creative license involving the god Apollo and a second round of conflict thrown into the mix. The official Troy website is your gateway to acquiring the game client, and you might also want to stop by the beta announcement page as well as the technical forum (particularly if you're a previous tester looking for manual uninstall info).
Troy Online announces open beta
We may be smack dab in the middle of the dog days of summer, but there's plenty of cool stuff to do inside if you're into MMORPGs. The latest diversion takes the form of Troy Online's open beta. While there's a conspicuous absence of Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom, there are three traditional fantasy classes, 49 levels, and plenty of excuses to engage in free-to-play PvE and PvP. ALT1 Games is kicking off Troy's open beta phase on August 12th, and the testing period will be used primarily to finalize features, balance, and latency issues. The open beta will also see all quests and quest arcs, the maximum level cap, and all available zones introduced to the live game in order to get ready for the impending commercial release. You can read more about Troy, as well as register for an account and a beta slot, at the game's official website.
