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Final Fantasy XIV explains changes to money and items
A lot of changes are coming to Final Fantasy XIV when the relaunch finally comes around. Changes to currency and item properties are among the less interesting of those changes, but they're certainly going to have a big impact on the game. A new update from the development team explains in depth what will be changing, what items will be removed, and what will happen to currency values. The currency one is what's going to throw the largest number of players for a loop, as the game is reducing all money values to a tenth of what they once were. To reduce numbers, all money is getting the ones digit removed, meaning that players will be 10% as wealthy as they are now, but all vendor prices will be 10% of their current values. Net purchasing power should be identical. There will also be a number of items removed from the game, altered, or otherwise changed with the new version. Players will lose several key items and ammunition, and other items will be bound to a player to prevent trading. Take a look at the full rundown for all the particulars on graphics, money, and other mechanical shifts to inventory management.
MasterCard denies BitCoin card rumors, BitInstant says it's still on track
Well, BitInstant is insistent that it will launch a BitCoin debit card, but MasterCard is claiming it will not be part of the plans. After a mock up of the plastic made the rounds featuring the company's logo, the financial powerhouse felt it necessary to reach out to us, clarifying its non-involvement. "MasterCard has no relationship with BitInstant. There are issuers who allow the conversion of Bitcoins to US dollars and other currencies, delivered on prepaid cards. However, we're not aware of this particular programme from BitInstant." Of course, if you read the transcript of Charlie Shrem's chat announcing the plans, he never actually names MasterCard. The logo was likely meant as a placeholder -- one that some outlets took a little too literally. Interestingly, this doesn't actually mean that MasterCard won't be involved... just that the company isn't at this point in the process. BitInstant released its own statement, just hours after the card house contacted us, saying that it has been working with MasterCard affiliates, but had yet to submit to the financial firm directly. "The card program is moving forward and the arrangement with MasterCard will be handled in due time at the proper stage of the process by the partners who work directly with that company." So, what have we learned today? Not a whole heck of a lot actually, other than the fact that putting out a debit card is a complicated business. You'll just have to stay tuned to see how this shakes out.
BitInstant founder says BitCoin debit card to launch within next two months
A BitCoin debit card could be in your very near future thanks to the efforts of trader-backed BitInstant. That fund transfer outfit, dedicated solely to the digital currency, has partnered with an undisclosed international bank to launch a branded debit card within six to eight weeks. News of the development first surfaced yesterday during an online chat with company co-founder, Charlie Shrem, in which he confirmed the cards would cost users $10 apiece to purchase and carry a 1% bitcoin transfer fee, as well as $1.50 ATM withdrawal fee. To further streamline the exchange process, users will be able to make quick transfers under $1000 by scanning a QR code overlay on front or by accessing the personal BitCoin address listed on back -- all possible with a single confirmation. Initially, the cards will be denominated solely for USD, GBP and EUR, but more foreign currencies could soon be added in the lead up to its official debut. For now, those are the only bits Shrem was willing to share, as further details on this plastic alternative will be forthcoming prior to official launch. Until then, there's always AMEX.
Champions Online, Star Trek Online converting to Perfect World Entertainment's currency
When Perfect World Entertainment first acquired Cryptic Studios, it was a rather unusual situation. Both Champions Online and Star Trek Online already had functional microtransaction system, complete with a unified currency for both. That currency is going away as of Thursday, when both games convert to using PWE's ZEN currency instead of unique systems. It's another step toward integrating both games into the same framework as Perfect World's other games, something that's been a steady process throughout this year. A small FAQ details the process of converting Cryptic Points to ZEN, which is fairly straightforward. The dollar value of Cryptic Points will be converted to the same dollar value in ZEN, both for pricing in stores and for player funding. This also means that players may see a slight increase in their wallets; existing Cryptic Points will be multiplied by 1.25 and converted to ZEN, and any fractional results will be rounded up. If you're playing CO or STO, it's probably a good idea to take a careful look at the whole guide to ensure that you know all there is to know about the game's new currency.
TERA rolls out the Chronoscroll system and an upcoming event
Maybe you're a poor college student with plenty of time to play TERA but not a lot of cash to spend out of the game. Or maybe you're a man of means with plenty of cash to spend but little time to farm gold. Whichever category is closer to you, you'll find something to like in TERA's new Chronoscrolls system, which allows players to buy scrolls of subscription time and trade them for in-game gold. The system works fairly transparently: Chronoscrolls can be purchased for real-world cash and then placed on the auction block, and a scroll thus purchased can be redeemed for extra subscription time. That means that players with piles of in-game gold can get plenty of free time to play the game. And if you're wondering why you'd like to spend that money, there is an event taking place starting on Friday, June 29th, in which players will hunt down reptilian egg thieves for special rewards. So you've got some motivation. [Thanks to Dengar for the tips!]
Age of Empires Online adopts a truly free business model
Last month, the Age of Empires Online developers announced an aim to take the game away from its "free-to-try" business model and move to truly free. With the latest update, the real-time strategy game will not only convert to a truly free-to-play model but also offer new content to players in the form of Alliance Wars (a team-based competition for level-40 players) along with new purchasable vanity items and consumables. In the move to make all premium content available through gameplay, the game's currency -- Empire Points -- can now be earned through conventional play or purchased through Steam. Chris Taylor, founder and CEO of Gas Powered Games, explains, "With Empire Points and this true free-to-play business model, we are giving players what they have repeatedly asked for... fewer pay walls and more ways for players to experience this legendary franchise." As the game transitions to this new model, all current players will receive a gift of 500 Empire Points automatically, while new accounts will receive 100. Current players who had Empire Points previously will see them converted into in-game coin. [Source: Gas Powered Games press release]
Captain's Log: Old reruns, a new currency, and time-gates frustrate STO players
Recently Cryptic Studios' Star Trek Online team has pressed forward with a mix of new releases and old reruns in an effort to entertain the playerbase while we await the anticipated release of Season 6 in June. Some of the recent releases, such as Spotlight on the Foundry, a new Klingon mission titled Alpha, the new Caitian Atrox carrier for the Federation faction, and a duty officer commendation XP bonus weekend, have all been fairly well-received. We have also seen the return of the Ask Cryptic blogs, and apparently we will also be seeing the return of the fan-favorite Engineering Reports at the end of this month. The question remains, however, whether or not the those relative successes can overcome the controversies that seem to surround the game's other recent releases -- namely, the introduction of what is arguably a new currency and the infusion of yet another time-gated mission.
Cryptic answers Champions Online Questionite questions in latest dev blog
Unobtainium? Forget it. Vibranium? Old hat. Eludium? So passé. Champions Online's next update, Champions On Alert, will introduce a new element that will put the absurd naming convention of all these fictional substances to shame. The element in question is known as Questionite, and it will be the latest in-game currency available to CO players. The new currency will be used to procure "high level gear, Top Tier Costume Pieces and other special items like Travel Power Skins." The newest Champions Online dev blog addresses some common question(ite)s pertaining to the new currency. Questionite can be acquired through a variety of in-game methods, all of which are listed on the blog. The substance can also be bought from other players in exchange for Cryptic points (and of course, this also means that players can sell their Questionite to other players for Cryptic Points), which provides players who don't want to part with their hard-earned real-world cash an avenue through which to acquire C-Store exclusive items. It's certainly an interesting system, to say the least, so Champions players would do well to head on over to the official blog post and check out the full details.
Royal Canadian Mint aims to kickstart digital currency with MintChip developer challenge
Bitcoin may not have yet grown much beyond a relatively small base of enthusiasts, but it looks like the Royal Canadian Mint is hoping that its backing will help its own new digital currency catch on in a bigger way. While less decentralized and different than BitCoin in a number of other respects, it is similarly an all-digital currency, and one that requires no personal data to be shared during transactions. Those transactions can be both large and very small (with an emphasis on the latter), and handled in a variety of ways, including over the web or directly between two devices with the necessary hardware (a MintChip-enabled microSD card is one proposed option). While a more formal unveiling is apparently coming later this month, the Mint has already kicked off a challenge where it's inviting developers to create applications that use MintChip technology -- something that, for the near future, will only be available to said developers. Complete details on it can be found at the link below.
EVE Online players can use in-game currency to pay for real-life graphics cards
Play vidyagames, get real stuff for vidyagames: That's how the EVE Online PLEX-for-graphics-cards thing works. Good night, everyone!OK, fine, in more detail this time: CCP Games, the developer behind EVE Online, has struck a deal with Nvidia for players to use in-game currency -- PLEX -- to purchase GeForce 560 GTX graphics cards, which run almost $200 at retail. That's fake money for real items, folks. Nvidia and CCP will start by selling 100 graphics cards (limit one per EVE account) to test the demand. After CCP announced its Nvidia deal, the in-game price of PLEX jumped "significantly," CCP said.PLEX (Pilot License Extension) is an in-game currency that can be used to pay for 30-day EVE subscriptions. PLEX can be purchased with ISK, EVE's main currency that can be earned throughout the game, meaning some dedicated players end up with a free subscription each month. Now they may end up with a "free" graphics card as well.
New WAKFU dev diary highlights player freedom, sandbox features
If it's true that MMORPGs have become more linear as the genre has grown, it's also true that Ankama is setting out to do something different with WAKFU. The French development firm has released a new video dev diary titled Power to the Player, and it outlines how the free-to-play game is tackling some of the challenges inherent in sandbox design. "We really wanted to make WAKFU a game based on freedom, a game which puts the player in control," says Ankama designer Azael. "Most current MMOs create a game and then insert the player. With WAKFU we aimed to create the game around the players." WAKFU features very few NPCs (and no traditional vendor NPCs at all), and it also boasts mobs that don't drop money. Players create the game's currency themselves by harvesting ores and making use of minting machines, and players are also responsible for seeding the world with monsters since they don't respawn on their own. You can learn more about WAKFU by viewing the video after the break.
The Raid Finder, the Dungeon Finder, point caps and you
I have a theory that either our various caps for justice and valor points are too low, or the amount we get per activity is too high. I'll relate my thinking. I have several level 85 characters I'm running through the Dungeon Finder and Raid Finder tools. Clearing both halves of the Raid Finder Dragon Soul gets me 500 valor; I then run four random heroics, and I'm capped. This means that playing my main any further that week is effectively a waste of time. (I usually cap my valors out before I even raid for a week, which makes raiding just about the gear, but I'm OK with that.) My problem is, I like my main. I'd play him more if there was anything to do. As it is, I tend to cap out on justice points rather than run on one of my alts, and even then, they usually cap on valors as well. (At least two of them do.) I even sometimes cap on honor, and with the new conquest point gains for Random BGs, I could cap on conquest if I really set my mind to it. And while I understand why we have both weekly and total caps on points, it often feels like I'm being penalized for liking the game and wanting to play it.
SOE offers triple Station Cash for one day only
Are you hanging onto a Sony Online Entertainment game card? Then today's the day you want to register that baby! SOE announced that for today and today only it is running one of its rare Triple Station Cash days -- but the offer ends at 3:00 a.m. EST tomorrow morning. Triple Station Cash works much like you'd imagine: Any game card redeemed or Station Cash purchased will register as three times that amount. So that 1000 Station Cash code you've got lying around is now worth 3000 points. Station Cash is SOE's multi-game currency that's used to purchase premium benefits, in-game items, and game time. This promotion is part of SOE's "12 Days of Holidays," in which the company is offering a different promotion or activity every day through Christmas Eve.
Blizzard's Battle.net Balance boasts big business
Choo choo -- the Blizzard Micotransactrain is leaving the station! Whether or not you're aboard with Blizzard's increasing fixation on monetizing all aspects of its games, this train is certainly picking up steam. Its next station is called Battle.net Balance, and with it comes a whole new paradigm for the Blizzard empire. (Many apologies for using the word "paradigm.") In effect, Battle.net Balance is a virtual wallet where players can purchase -- or "charge up" according to Blizzard's parlance -- points to then spend on items and services in World of Warcraft, Diablo III, and elsewhere. Diablo III players who earn Battle.net currency in-game can save those points through the service to spend later. The system can also be used to pay for WoW gametime. However, the system comes with an important caveat: Once you've converted real-world money into Battle.net Balance, there's no getting it back as cash. So if you've got plans to make a living playing Diablo III, you might want to think again (although "certain regions" will be able to cash out via PayPal). Battle.net Balance is heading our way in the near future, and if this affects your game, you might be interested to read the informative FAQ that goes into more detail.
Star Trek Online hits warp factor Season 5 today
Hey Trekkers -- got your phasers charged to full? Have you stocked up on Romulan ale and plenty of Klingon qagh? Done all your homework by watching every Star Trek season ever made, including those weird 1970s animated episodes? Then you might, might just be ready for Star Trek Online's Season 5, which is going live today. Season 5 contains a cargo hold full of features and changes, starting with organizing what subscribers (now "Gold members") get as part of their service. The update also includes a duty officer system, an improved space skills system, a revamped tutorial, a currency consolidation, and several other events and activities. In honor of the launch, the team has put subscriptions on sale and is even offering $100 off the price of a lifetime sub. You can read up on all of Season 5's details in the release notes as Cryptic's space baby takes one more step toward its free-to-play conversion.
Hungry for Chinese yuan, Apple now accepts currency for App Store purchases
Apple made a fundamental change with its payment policy today in China, as the company now accepts the yuan for all purchases made on the App Store. Previously, customers were required to hold dual-currency credit cards -- merely to drop a couple dollars on Jet Car Stunts and the like -- which turned a significant portion of iOS users to the jailbreaking community. The higher-ups in Cupertino hope its newly pronounced love for the yuan will help drive millions of additional app sales while bringing customers back into the company's ecosystem. Currently, 20 Chinese banks are on board with Apple to help facilitate the shift, which certainly shouldn't mind adding a few more yuan to their coffers. [Chinese yuan photo via Shutterstock]
The Road to Mordor: Thoughts on Update 5
Update 5: Saruman's Obviously Not Compensating for Anything With That Tower will undoubtedly be the last hurrah of Lord of the Rings Online -- this year, that is. It's an interesting update that looks to patch in the rest of Rise of Isengard's content (namely, the instance cluster) and provide a little something-something for players who have already reached the end of the epic storyline and are looking for more. Earlier this week I took a dev tour through some of the main parts of the update, and while I wasn't able to see all of it (such as the non-raid instances), what I did preview certainly filled my head with opinions, analysis and further questions. Generally I came away pleased with what we're going to experience next month, although the comments section of the tour showed split feelings on what's in store for the patch. Is this a case of too little, too late for those dissatisfied with Rise of Isengard's release? Will it breathe new life into dungeon-running, especially for the many soloers out there? Is it what this game needs right here and now? Hit the jump and I'll give you my honest thoughts on it all, both the good and the bad.
Star Trek Online opens up testing for the dilithium exchange
The economy of free-to-play games can be a tricky business. Usually, they're managed by keeping a strict distinction between in-game currency and purchased currency, but Star Trek Online is taking a slightly different approach. The upcoming overarching currency dilithium can be traded for Cryptic Points via the new dilithium exchange service, which has just gone live on the Tribble server for players to test. But the trade isn't a straight one, instead working on an auction-type system. The newest Path to F2P blog outlines the means for players to use the exchange system, which works both ways -- players can look to buy dilithium or Cryptic Points and are able to browse the overall market and see what other players are offering or asking. It's not quite as simple as being able to swipe your credit card and then grab some in-game money, but it's certainly blurring the lines between real currency and game money.
Captain's Log: More on the economy
Captain's Log, Stardate 65303.9... Hello, computer (and players)! As I discussed last week, heated discussions surround Star Trek Online's change to a F2P hybrid model and planned game mechanics updates. While new updates are being pushed to the Tribble server for testing and feedback, many aspects are in a state of flux as such feedback is collected, evaluated, and implemented. The biggest area affected is the economy. While everyone has his own thoughts on the matter, Cryptic is leaving no feedback forum post unread -- the players will help shape these changes. Last week, we saw the push of another patch that seems to have made some giant strides toward solving some of the biggest concerns, including significant reductions in prices for most items and the return of free ship tokens for most ranks. Stephen D'Angelo, acting Executive Producer and Emergency Executive Producer Hologram (EEPH), explained: "Based on how rapidly we're getting data and revising the game, we're still probably two more weeks away from having the economy in a state that is close to good enough." Since he said a lot more in his recent dev blog post, I thought I should take some time to expound on it. Ensign, warp 10! Let's take a look at what else the EEPH had to say and break it down...
Star Trek Online dev blog clarifies free-to-play currency trades
Ever since Cryptic announced that Star Trek Online is going free to play, developers have published regular "Path to F2P" dev blogs discussing upcoming changes designed to restructure the game for its new payment scheme. In the latest dev blog in the series, STO Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo looks at the in-game economy and how going free-to-play will affect the various currencies in use. Energy credits will be used for practically everything encountered in normal gameplay, functioning like gold in most fantasy MMOs. Players can expect to use energy credits every time they play, and receive them as rewards. Dilithium will be used by hardcore players to get high-end gear, but the average casual player will never need it in significant quantities. Cryptic points will be reserved for cash shop items like new ships, but Cryptic aims to let players trade their cryptic points to other players for dilithium. When the system goes live, players will be able to grind for dilithium in order to buy cash shop items without paying cash. At the same time, hardcore players will be able to short-cut the dilithium grind and quickly obtain high-end equipment with an injection of cryptic points. This system mirrors the diamond trade in Runes of Magic and the PLEX trade in EVE Online, both systems that have proven highly effective at allowing cash-rich players to shortcut grind and letting time-rich players play their way to everything the game has to offer.
