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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy and free-to-play
Subscriptions are dying. There's no two ways about it. Star Wars: The Old Republic is switching over, and whether or not they liked the game, fans of Final Fantasy XIV have no room to throw stones about the game's success. That leaves a handful of holdouts in the normal subscription space, and that doesn't include the next major release on the horizon, as Guild Wars 2 is under the same buy-to-play model as its predecessor. Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI are two of the holdouts. And in a world increasingly dominated by games without subscription fees, that's pretty significant. So the question becomes whether or not the games will embrace the free-to-play option, whether or not they should, and how this sort of option could work in the game's favor rather than against it. After all, there are some roadblocks to making the system work quite right, but there's a lot of pressure on the market for a change.
EverQuest's Hero's Forge cosmetic system goes live
All you EverQuest players better put on your fiercest faces and get ready to hit the catwalk 'cause the game's cosmetic armor system is officially live. The new feature, known as the Hero's Forge, will provide players the means to craft and discover a number of new cosmetic armor pieces so that they can strut around Norrath in the finest fashions. But much like that Versace handbag you've had your eye on (don't deny it), haute couture in Norrath doesn't come cheap. The Hero's Forge will have to be unlocked separately for each individual character on a player's account, and the only way of doing this is via a real-money transaction in the SOE Marketplace at the slightly ridiculous price of 1200 Station Cash ($12 US) per character. Looks like you can put a price on beauty. Nonetheless, players eager to get a fashionista fix can head on over to the Marketplace to get hooked up. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
Enter at Your Own Rift: Wardrobe blues
One of the aspects of RIFT that I keep trumpeting to friends and strangers alike is just how wonderfully quick, responsive, and engaging Trion Worlds' updates have been. It's almost as if the dev team is engaging in a pillow fight with players, swinging away and trying to pummel us into submission with great content that's not always perfect but usually is great. In comparison, many other MMOs have become stodgy dinosaurs, creaking along with long-promised but never-arriving features. So while I praise Trion for the bounty of nine major updates since launch, there's one feature that I've felt discontented with every since its inclusion: the wardrobe. For me to say this is kind of a big thing; anyone who knows me knows that I adore it when MMOs give us the option to dress up our characters the way we like. An appearance system was a big wish list item for me, and when Trion casually tossed it in the game early on, I was ecstatic. Yet over the months, I've grown to dislike the system as a whole, especially in comparison to cosmetic gear systems in other titles that I play. It's a little difficult to put a finger on why, but I've got another 1000 words or so to make the attempt and then discuss solutions. Let's get to it!
The Daily Grind: Do you leave cloaks and hats toggled on or off?
I might just be thinking this because I recently watched Zoolander, but style is so very important to us gamers. We don't just want to kick butt; we want to kick butt and look incredible while we do it. And in my experience, style can be made and shattered depending on the accessories. Hats and cloaks are two visual options that many MMOs allow us to toggle on and off. Some folks like 'em; some detest them. For me, I almost never like cloaks (they hide the rest of the body and armor), and I'll wear a hat only if it completes an ensemble or doesn't fully cover up the hair. But that's just me, and I want to hear about you. Do you toggle your hats and cloaks on or off, and why? This is what we'll discuss over breakfast scones. Pass the jam, please. 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: Is looking cool more important than stats?
My gaming philosophy is this: Looks matter. They're not all that matter in video games, but they're important. If I'm to spend hundreds of hours with the same avatar, then I want that avatar to look sleek, sophisticated, tough, or coordinated. I do not want to come off like I slathered glue all over my character's body, jumped into a Salvation Army discount bin, and started flopping around. How my character looks in an MMO is so important to me that often I'll choose a piece of gear based on its appearance rather than its stats. If I feel forced to be saddled with an ugly hat or a pair of trousers that were robbed from Bozo the Clown's wardrobe, then it grates and I go to bed that night with a headache. If I can assemble an outfit that I think makes me look cool to others I meet -- and myself especially -- then it almost doesn't matter to me whether I have that extra +5 stamina or not. So even though many MMOs offer both cosmetic appearances and adventuring outfits, the question remains: Is looking cool in MMO ultimately more important than stats? At the end of the day, would you rather look spectacular or fight spectacularly? 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: Digesting E3
Instead of being hit by one huge Lord of the Rings Online bombshell at E3, as some predicted, we were treated to a series of smaller yet gripping reveals that are sure to have a major impact on our gameplay in the future. We assumed that E3 would be all about Rise of Isengard for LotRO, and sure enough, it was. Weeks like this are what we live for as fans. It's crazy to get a glut of information that we're expected to digest all at once, and it's so much fun too. I think Turbine probably has a few more reveals tucked up its sleeve about the expansion -- we still have four months to go, after all -- but this is a good start to the ramping-up period before Isengard releases. So enough dilly-dallying; let's dig into it! What can we make out of all of these revelations? What does the pre-order mean for you? What were the highlights and what were the disappointments? Hit the jump and we'll take you on a legendary ride all the way to the gates of Orthanc itself!
Global Agenda video highlights the game's new flair
If there's one thing Hi-Rez Studios loves to do -- aside from actually developing Global Agenda, anyway -- it's making humorous videos centered around the game. And while the latest one pulls out a couple of memes whose days may have come and gone, it does serve a practical purpose as well -- showing off the new pieces of flair and several dyes that players can expect from the game with today's patch. Even if you're not on-board for the humor, you can still appreciate the new flair pieces, ranging from the somewhat silly (dinosaur heads) to some rather robotic appearances. Or you can take a look at the comparative dye animations at the end, which show exactly how the coloration affects armors in a uniform pattern. Or you can just enjoy a bit of Global Agenda humor. The video gives you a variety of options in that regard.
Enter at Your Own Rift: A look at Update 1.2
With a rowdy Dwarven "ha ha, YES!" (does anyone else think that cheer was voiced over by Ed McMahon?) and a flash of coin pouches, Update 1.2 arrived in RIFT this past week. It was a rather meaty update, with new content, some well-deserved zone improvements, and the much-discussed looking for group tool. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll take a look at a few notable changes that came along with the update -- for better or worse.
The Tattered Notebook: If we all look cool, how do we know who's really cool?
Last week, we looked at the amazing job that EverQuest II does with providing ways to make your character look unique. EQII is one of the best when it comes to making your character look special, cool, and fitting of who you are. But there's another side of this coin, and as one forum poster has rightfully pointed out, the best-looking items aren't always the best items in the game. As Rayven2 noted recently on the official forums: A good example is the Elemental War Sword. Sure it drops from an easy-mode mob, but it's a 4x raid and takes time and effort to beat (at least the first time you do it). The sword should look somewhat cool, but the graphic is just the same reused sword graphic painted gold. The chillborne sword is the one that has the particle effects for 200SC. So you bust your hump beating a mob that took 24 people to take down only to get a reward that looks worse than an appearance weapon anyone can acquire for little or no effort. None of the scout weapons look anywhere as cool as the SC daggers out there. Senior Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson replied, saying, "It's a fair point, although if we're not paying attention to that now, it's by oversight, not by intent. Everyone wants something cool looking (not just cool stats) when they overcome big challenges. That's natural." In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll take a closer look at "looking cool" and how the rise of cash shops has changed the way we view each other.
The Tattered Notebook: The value of vanity
I always knew Gnomes were evil, but a Gnomish pirate?! This was too much. As much as I wanted that new horse of a different color mount from Bristlebane Day, I could barely stand the thought of having to go toe-to-toe with the cabbage-scented Captain Gnoggin. In a lopsided battle, I emerged victorious, and as I did my turn-in for the new Bristlebane Day quest, I was reminded that EverQuest II offers an enormous variety of unique house items and appearance clothing. Cosmetic items might not offer any real advantage in progression, but they speak to the depth of content in the game and the quality of life that players enjoy. Being able to create an amazing home or make yourself stand out with a unique look is a real luxury for players. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look back at the evolution of vanity items in game and take a look at a few easy ways that players of all levels can add a little bling to their lives.
PAX East 2011: Turbine makes the case for the free-to-play model
"Pioneers get the gold!" Turbine's Fernando Paiz is fond of saying. "And they get the arrows too..." Instead of the wild, wild west, Paiz was referring to the frontier of MMORPG business models, companies that have diverged from traditional subscriptions over the past 10 years. In a presentation at PAX East titled "The Game Monetization Revolution," he shared how this movement has come about, ways that it can fail, and how pioneers have grabbed the gold by getting it right. Of course, Paiz has a great perspective on this revolution, having helmed Dungeons & Dragons Online as it made the transition from a pure subscription game to a hybrid free-to-play/subscription title. Both DDO and Lord of the Rings Online have done tremendously well since moving to this business model, proving that AAA titles can thrive outside of the subscription-only checkout lane. Hit the jump as Fernando Paiz takes us down memory lane and addresses the biggest fear players have with F2P.
Alter-Ego: Building a better costume
In last week's Alter-Ego column, I went over some of the basics of creating a character as well as my own view on the costume creator. This, in turn, set off a small firestorm of remarks in the comments both for and against the way DC Universe Online's designers have handled costuming. One thing was made fairly clear to me -- there are lot of people out there who don't entirely understand just how costuming and stat-based gear in DC Universe Online actually work. While you do start off with a limited number of options in the creator for costuming choices, a great many open up once you actually start playing the game. As such, I wanted to take some time in this week's column to really dig into how gear and costuming works in the game. Hopefully, it will help to clear up some confusion for people who haven't had a chance to actually play the game as yet. So if you're curious about how to build your super costume choices or how the nuts and bolts of stat gear work for heroes and villains, then join me behind the break for this week's edition of Alter-Ego!
Samsung Galaxy S Femme bundles sexism in with your smartphone purchase
You know what really bugs us about this Samsung Galaxy S Femme handset? No, it's not that it once again trudges out the tired cliché that women must love pink -- it's that it presumes gents can't appreciate the benefits of Aveda's Damage Remedy and Hand Relief creams. We totally can! And we'd love to spend some quality time with the Aveda advisor app, which comes bundled on a 4GB MicroSD card, letting it identify for us the particular products we need to buy to keep our skin and hair looking their best. But, according to the packaging, this 4-inch, Gorilla Glass-bearing smartphone isn't for us. Sigh.
Match your makeup to your guild colors: Win fifteen dollars in makeup from Geek Chic!
Let me be straight with this: raiding unfashionably isn't really raiding. You need to make sure that your eyeshadow and foundation aren't running down your face like a bad wax sculpture because if you don't, you're going to look like an idiot in the newspaper. Then, instead of the peasants saying, "Oh, wow, you looked so cool! Thank you for saving us!" you'll only hear, "Hey, ugly, you looked like a clown in that newspaper picture!" Luckily we've partnered up with the experts of raid makeup: Geek Chic Cosmetics. Deborah and Chantel won't let you walk into any lair without the right touch, and they're gratefully offering a coupon for fifteen dollars in makeup to one of our lucky readers. Interested in winning some makeup or learning more about Geek Chic? Head on after the break for all of the pertinent details.
Win a 10-Man Raid eyeshadow set from Geek Chic Cosmetics!
If you've ever looked at your class's nameplate color and thought, "I sure wish I could decorate my face with this," then do we have a contest for you. We're proud to team up with Geek Chic Cosmetics (recently profiled in our 15 Minutes of Fame feature), purveyors of fine geek-themed makeup, to offer one lucky winner a full 10-Man Raid eyeshadow set (worth $49). To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post between now and Friday, Aug. 20 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. We'll randomly choose a winner once the contest ends. There are some official rules, though! For example: you can enter only once. The contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. Make sure your email address is up to date in your commenting profile, because that's how we'll be getting hold of you if you win. Also? It'd be really cool if you liked makeup. That's not a rule, though. More of a request.
The Mog Log: Assembling the gestalt of Final Fantasy XIV
We've been treated to a veritable onslaught of new information about Final Fantasy XIV of late, and when I say "treated" I mean precisely that. After all, Square-Enix's information comes at a glacial pace, to the point where they're still releasing information about Final Fantasy VII to this day. (Or squeezing blood out of that stone for all it's worth, reader's choice. I think my way is funnier.) Of course, the problem is that the information is released without a great deal of context. My hat goes off to the brave folks in the testing, scurrying about and trying to reveal as much as possible, but I know from experience what happens when your goal is "find things out" rather than "assemble a coherent picture." We know a lot of facts about Final Fantasy XIV, but we don't have a real idea of the scope of the game. For some people, that's second nature. For others, it's a challenge. And for some people, they haven't seen the piece or two that would make everything fall into place. So today, The Mog Log is taking a tour back through what we've learned and trying to put it all into some sort of overarching framework.
Augmented reality mirror picks makeup for the ladies (video)
Ladies and rockers alike enjoy spending time testing different makeup, but their tag-along boyfriends? Not so much. Luckily for Japanese couples, cosmetic giant Shiseido has finally rolled out its Digital Cosmetic Mirrors in Tokyo malls to help speed things up. The machine is able to recommend products for the user's skin type, while allowing them to view it applied via an augmented reality effect. When all is done, the machine prints out a shopping list along with before and after mugshots to make you spend more money feel good about your selections. Good luck with matching the picture though -- the cosmetics aren't going to apply themselves. Video demonstration after the break.
Imobile phoneV588 makes calls, could hold your foundation
Not that we haven't seen compact-themed cellphones before, but we'd argue that the Imobile phoneV588 is about as suggestive as it gets. This dual-band GSM "handset" looks more like the next big thing from Cover Girl than your next mobile, with a circular form factor, pop-up lid, a built-in mirror and a design that would've totally worked in Princess Diaries. If you're curious about hard specs, you'll find a 2.6-inch LCD, an integrated MP3 / MP4 player, speakers and USB connectivity. Oh, and your guess is as good as ours on the whole "dialing / texting" aspect. Freshen up your social life for just $119.99.[Via PMP Today]
HD cosmetics bleeding into civilian realm
It was inevitable, really. Whatever the evening news anchor does, so must everyone else, right? Regardless of the answer to that inquiry, a new report has found that cosmetics once reserved for making on-screen celebrities look their best in high-definition are now finding their way into caboodles of everyday Earthlings. Even generic makeup outlets such as Sephora are now offering up a variety of HD makeup to folks who will never, ever see their face on the tube. HD makeup, which stands out by including particles that reflect light rather than absorb it, seems to be the latest trend in the highly volatile makeup industry, though some experts are questioning the need for Sam and Sally to go to such extremes. Pish-posh, we say -- they're just preparing for their big break on Super Hi-Vision.
Sega to make DS owners beautiful
Click for more screens. You with the face: listen up. As beings of supreme beauty, we're often asked how we maintain our flawless complexions and glossy, healthy hair. The truth is this: we have no idea. It could be our steady diet of Cheetos, pizza and cereal, combined with the sixteen hours a day we spend in front of our PC monitors, but it's probably all just natural.For those of you not blessed with such a becoming appearance, all is not lost. Sega has teamed up with Japanese cosmetics maker Shiseido to develop Project Beauty -- full translated name Shiseido Beauty Solution Supervised Exploration Center Project Beauty -- a non-game dedicated to the kind of over-the-counter tips and advice you'd expect to receive in any cosmetics department store.Project Beauty's most tantalizing hook, however, is that it will ship with the sleek camera add-on that came with Otona no DS Kao Training (Adults' DS Face Training) when it launches in Japan this November 27th. There's also a cheaper version sans camera, for all those people who bought Face Training and have had to wait for months for more software that supports the add-on.%Gallery-29064%[Via GAME Watch]
