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Choose My Adventure: No more lightsabers!
As most of readers of my column realize, I love the Star Wars franchise, and I will pretty much play any game if it has that label on it. However, I am not just a Star Wars fan, I am also a big MMO fan. Well, at least I like the idea of MMOs. Ultima Online blew my mind when it came out over a decade ago. I had been glued to my TV and Nintendo until I saw that I could play a game that simulated living in the Ultima universe. Since then I have tried out nearly every major MMO to hit the web since then -- which brings us to today. Choose My Adventure is a chance for Massively readers to guide one member of the writing staff on an adventure in a game of the readers' choosing. For the next six weeks, I want you to choose my adventure for me. As I mentioned, I have tried nearly every major title in the last decade, but I haven't necessarily spent a lot of time in all of them. After the break, I will describe some of the games that I believe will be great for this task, and you can choose one for me via poll. Then, as a special bonus, on Friday at 6 p.m. EDT I will introduce you to each of the games on Massively's Livestream channel.
Massively Exclusive: Referee Ruby shows off Free Realms' housing
All right, Free Realms fanatics, it's time for another visit from the fabulous Referee Ruby. Today she's focused on Free Realms' housing options. After giving viewers a small sampling of the housing lots available to players (as well as a... toilet theme park?), she shows us how a player can take their creative masterpiece -- such as, Ruby suggests, a theme park dedicated to a certain referee -- and share it with the rest of the world. To watch the full video, and maybe get some ideas for your own Free Realms lot, jump on past the cut!
MV Guide: August 8-14, 2011
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During livestream events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's scheduled for this week!
The Tattered Notebook: You've got some DCUO/EQ/CWA/VG in my EQII!
As excited as I am to see some of the changes coming to EverQuest II, I have to admit that some of it felt slightly familiar. I've been doing a bit of an MMO walkabout recently, and I've re-upped my Station Access so I could sample some of SOE's other titles, and also revisit some that I haven't played in a while. As I played, I came across features and gameplay that tended to look similar. The Aether races in EQII look a lot like the race tracks from DCUO. The upcoming house database, with a ranking system, sounds a lot like what's in Free Realms. I'd wager that the Mercenary system will be modeled on the one that's already in EverQuest. And the on-again-off-again gifting system in EQII resembles the one already in Clone Wars Adventures. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll take a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at a few other features from SOE games that would be great to see in EverQuest II.
The Perfect Ten: MMO mascots
Everyone knows that a good mascot can make a difference between a video game's death and rabid popularity. Mario, Master Chief, Duke Nuke 'Em, Pac-Man, Samus Aran, Pyramid Head -- each one of these mascots isn't merely an aspect of the game, they are the virtual spokesperson (or spokesthing) which represents the game itself. Yet when you think about it, MMOs have had a tougher time producing mascots than other video game genres, partially because unlike other games, you don't play as the mascots, and partially because when you have a cast of thousands of NPCs, picking out one to elevate above the rest is a difficult job. Difficult, that is, but not impossible. Today we're going to look at ten MMO mascots (MMOscots?) that studios have tried to promote as the face of these games, to varying degrees of success.
Free for All: So what else can you get for 150 dollars?
Recently, fans of the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic had the pleasure of plopping down 150 clams to pre-order a special collectors edition of their favorite game they have never played. I've seen this before, and have even pre-ordered a few in my day (I'm looking at you, giant Warhammer Online box.) Pre-orders are the oldest form of virtual goods...they were cash-shops before cash-shops appeared in every game. The funnest part is seeing hardcore cash-shop haters gladly paying huge sums of money for a robot pet or a cool looking cape. Somehow, they see it as a different thing altogether than buying a shiny mount or pink dress from in-game. Still, I understand the impulse. I get it every time I am in the check-out lane and the new flavors of gum have been released. Even worse is when one of my favorite games releases new items in their cash shop. New mounts, housing goods, heck even new weapons or stat-increasing potions...they make me drool. So, I decided to take a 150 dollar budget and see what I could get for it. Click past the cut and let's look at the list!
Free Realms producer letter talks new farming content
Free Realms has a new producer, and Sony Online Entertainment's Harvey "Flametalon" Burgess recently dropped by the game's official website to pen a brief letter to fans. SOE has updated the game's farming system, and in addition to a new locale (Briarwood Farm), players will find new seeds to grow, a boom box "to make your plants dance," new farming items, and new quests and recipes specific to Briarwood. Burgess also drops a hint about future Free Realms updates (including ranching), and promises a quick turnaround on June, July, and August membership packs. The producer assignment marks Burgess' second go-round with Free Realms, as he also served as a designer on the title at an earlier point in his 10-year SOE career.
SOE Fan Faire 2011: A look at Free Realms with Sr. Producer Harvey Burgess
During this weekend's SOE Fan Faire, Massively had the opportunity to talk with Senior Producer Harvey Burgess about the future of Free Realms. Burgess has been with the team since launch, and has recently taken the helm to bring lots of new content and items to the world of Free Realms. Read on for all the details, including Ranching, sports jerseys, Sunset Valley, and a new mount!
SOE Fan Faire 2011: Community address highlights
As the lights dimmed and a certain familiar bearded dwarf took the stage, SOE's Fan Faire officially got underway. After a hearty welcome from SOE Community Manager Linda "The Brasse" Carlson, fans were treated to some highlights of what to expect from the panels and events of the coming weekend through a keynote address by SOE President John Smedley. But before all the fancy trailers and big announcements, Smedley made a personal apology to fans for the security breach this past spring. In addition, he unveiled a new tool to protect player accounts -- the Vasco Data Security key fob. He said it's an extra layer of security that will protect against hacking, and it will go live in all SOE games as of tomorrow. All Fan Faire participants get a free key fob, and there will be iPhone and Android versions on the way as well. Read on for a look at all of the highlights from the community address!
The Tattered Notebook: Looking back at RMT through a futuristic monocle
As I logged into EverQuest II this past week, I was greeted with a promo to redeem my free festive sparker. Sorry, make that my FREE festive sparkler. Anyway, as part of the promotion, I could visit the Marketplace, scoop up my sparkler, and then use it to participate in the lighting of fireworks at the major cities in Norrath to receive place-able fireworks for my house or guild hall. I have to say, it was an odd moment. First off, I had to pause to make sure I hadn't accidentally logged into my Free Realms account that I play with the kids because sparklers and fireworks seem more appropriate there. Second, I was trying to recall a time in EverQuest II when an in-game quest, tied to a live event no less, actually required possession of an item from the Marketplace. In EQII, we've come a long way when it comes to cash shops and microtransactions, and EVE Online's recent controversy surrounding the Noble Exchange really puts things into perspective. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look back on EQII's RMT evolution -- through EVE's ill-fated monocle.
SOE All Access pass goes live
Sony Online Entertainment has finally lowered its monthly all-you-can-eat MMORPG subscription plan. All Access (formerly known as the Station Pass) grants you unlimited time with all of SOE's titles for a single monthly fee of $19.99. Games include DC Universe (sorry PS3 users, this is for the PC version only), EverQuest, EverQuest II, Vanguard, and Star Wars Galaxies. You also get premium access to free-to-play titles like EQ2X, Free Realms, and Pirates of the Burning Sea. The All Access service, which previously set you back $29.99 per month, returns to the price point enjoyed by SOE customers prior to the April 2007 rate hike. The reduction follows the announcement that SWG will terminate services on December 15th and will be freely playable to recent subscribers beginning in the fall.
MMObility: Fifty games for the mobile lifestyle
I like lists. Lists help keep my candy-coated brain functioning. I see so many games, devices, and developers that I need to write things down periodically or become lost. Not so long ago I made a list of 25 games for your shiny new laptop, but I wanted to update it with other devices as well. I'd like to clarify the devices I have, though, especially since it was brought to my attention that a lot of players use laptops as their primary gaming machines. When I refer to a laptop, it is far from a gaming machine and could not run games like EverQuest II or Age of Conan. So here are some stats: I have an HTC Inspire, an iPhone 3GS, an iPad, a Phenom Triple-core PC desktop with an Nvidia 9800 card, six gigs of ram and onboard sound. My laptop is an HP G62 with an AMD Athlon II P340 dual core processor, three gigs of ram and an AMD graphics chip built in. I also have a more powerful gaming PC, but that is often referred to as "the wife's machine" around here, and it is so packed with her items that I rarely touch it. So most of these games can be run on their native devices, and if they are meant for PC, probably on netbooks as well. When I'm playing on netbooks, resolution is often the major issue. Some games just will not fit on the tiny screens without some slight modding. Anyway, click past the cut to see the list. The first 11 are my favorites, the ones that I play often, if not every day. The rest are in no particular order, so keep that in mind as well. Remember that this year is going to be an incredible one for mobile, thanks to the new games I found at E3. So this list will change!
Choose My Adventure: Should have played it by now edition
I admit it: I stick with my games for a long time. When I step into an MMO, I make it home for a while, and it takes a lot of effort for me to move along. That's part of the reason the games I'm actively playing are generally on the older side -- I've already got a history there. Unfortunately, it also means that there are a lot of games, new and old, that I just haven't had the time to play just yet. So to kick off my tenure on Choose My Adventure, I'm going to kick that straight to the curb with a poll I'd like to call the Should Have Played It By Now Edition. But which game I'll spend the next several weeks playing isn't up to me; that task lies in your hands, folks. So what's it going to be? Should I stop being the only person in the world who hasn't played RIFT? Will I dive into the free-to-play domain of Runes of Magic? Should I break my usual conventions and take a shot at Global Agenda or get some solid aggression out of my system with Warhammer Online? All of these are games I've only had a little playtime with at best, and in most cases, I haven't even touched them. So click on past the break and let me know what I'll be playing, and I'll see you back here in a week to find out more about my next destination. (But make sure to vote by 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 19th!)
E3 2011: Checking in with Free Realms
Representing Massively, WoW Insider's own Dan O'Halloran met up with the folks at Sony Online Entertainment at E3 today to talk about the newest features coming to the popular free-to-play MMO Free Realms. Apprentice Designer Eric Smith walked Dan through the time-honored art of Farming as presented in Free Realms, though the in-game version is much less tedious than its real-world counterpart. Players are given a plot of land, which they must clear of rocks and trees through a series of introductory quests. After that, all that's left is to lay down some topsoil, plant some seeds (bought with Station Cash or found from plants throughout the game world), water them, and wait for them to grow. Crops can take anywhere between 15 minutes and a whole day to come to bloom, which gives players extra incentive to log in daily and harvest the fruits of their labor. Eric was quick to note that it's absolutely possible to get the most out of your farming experience without dropping a dime in the Station Store, though fertilizer (which makes your crops grow faster) and miracle-grow (which brings withered crops back from the dead) are both available for those who want to enhance their farming prowess. The crops can be used either to initiate a Farmer's Market minigame or for Ranching. Farming is just the first stage of a planned three-stage process, the second of which will be Ranching, and the third of which is yet to be announced. Ranching will allow players to collect their own menagerie of wild animals, which they can feed the hard-grown crops from their farm. Your farm levels up with you, and as players reach higher Farming levels, they unlock the ability to grow more varied crops, which they can in turn feed to the animals on their ranches. There is currently no release date for the Ranching addition or the third to-be-announced stage of the process, but be sure to keep an eye on the official Free Realms site for future updates. Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!
SOE awarding triple Station Cash, offering special Memorial Day weekend items and events
Sony Online Entertainment is looking to move a bunch of its pre-paid Station Cash cards. As a result, all such cards (available at retailers including Wal-Mart and Best Buy) may be redeemed for triple the normal Station Cash points. The promotion is valid from May 27th through May 30th, and SOE is also making a few special items available in select games to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend. EverQuest features a number of paintings for sale, EverQuest II is giving away free time-limited flying mounts, and Free Realms is selling discounted Memorial day clothing packs for 400 Station Cash. Star Wars Galaxies is throwing a "bonus everything" weekend featuring double XP, double GCW, and double a-bunch-of-other-stuff, the details of which you can find on the official SOE forums.
Massively Exclusive: Free Realms' Referee Ruby goes collecting
Last week, we heard from Free Realms' Referee Ruby as she walked us through the serene joy of farming in Free Realms. This week, we're moving away from Farmer Ruby to something a bit more Rubyana Jones, so don your best explorin' clothes and let's go collect some stuff. Yes, the focus this week is on collections. The idea behind collections is fairly simple: As you'd expect, you gather things up and hoard them like a packrat. In the case of Free Realms, you're gathering keys that can be found scattered across the world in Robgoblin junk piles. There are eight keys in every collection. And what's your reward for gathering all of them, you ask? Another key! But this one is different. It's probably magic or something, because it unlocks one of many chests scattered around the world, chests which contains a plethora of stylish clothing rewards. To see the system in action, jump past the cut and spend some time with Referee Ruby as she takes you through it.
SOE welcomes players back, Mark Anderson named DCUO's new game director
"It's good to be back!" Many Sony Online Entertainment customers have said this these past few days as the studio's titles came back online after a two-week absence. They're not the only ones, either; many of the leads to SOE's host of MMOs are saying the same thing today. Eight developers representing a large portion of SOE's library posted "Welcome back!" messages on the Station Blog, expressing a mixture of relief, happiness, and hopeful visions for their games' futures. Several of these developers have also used the opportunity to show that they were working hard during the break. "We're incredibly glad to have our worlds back online again," EverQuest II's David Georgeson said, "and we really appreciate you all being so patient with us while we strengthened the castle walls." There's certainly a lot of information to digest in these eight posts. Lorin Jameson dropped the news that Mark Anderson's been moved up to become DC Universe Online's latest game director, while Georgeson hinted at a "major new feature set" for EQII that's in the works. Several of the devs mentioned that the downtime will result in a delay of future patches and expansions so that they can be properly tested. You can read the full assortment of "Welcome back!" posts at the Station Blog.
Massively Exclusive: Free Realms' Referee Ruby goes farming
"This is my farm. It's not so great yet," Referee Ruby says wistfully. "Someday..." In the first of this exclusive video series, Free Realms' infamous in-game support character comes alive to show us the joys of the farming system. If you've ever liked FarmVille -- or even hoped there would be a better version of it out there -- then you're going to love working the soil here to bear the fruits of your efforts. And zucchinis. And eggplants. As in real life, Free Realms' farming takes an attentive hand and some hard work. Weeds must be pulled and boulders blown up to make room for tilling, and plants have to be watched so that you can harvest them when the time is ripe. The payoff is worth it, however; crops can be sold to the market for a fair bit of cash. Farms can be leveled up over time, opening access to more plants and tools so that you can shape the land to your whims. One of the best ways to do this is to talk to Farmer Chug, who has a few quests to speed you on your way. Bask in the full glory of Referee Ruby as she goes Green Acres on us in the video after the jump, and make sure to check out the new farming for yourself as the game is back up and running!
Sony Online Entertainment services also coming back online
Sony Online Entertainment has been an unfortunately named business these past two weeks, when its catalog of MMOs were taken offline following the PlayStation Network security breach. Fortunately, the servers of titles like Free Realms, EverQuest 2 and Clone Wars Adventures slowly but surely started to come back online this past weekend -- each including a little incentive to try and lure back their disconnected player bases. These incentives include XP bonuses, free rare items and special events, all of which are laid out on this handy chart. If you're an SOE account holder in "good standing," you'll also get 45 days of in-game time on-the-house. If you're a lifetime subscriber, though, you'll get just the extra super special in-game bonuses. Also, everyone gets 500 Station Cash, a currency players can use to purchase even more in-game items. This outage might just be the best thing to ever happen to your online adventurer's lootsack.
SOE reveals compensation plan for outage, says at least a few more days until services are restored
Sony Online Entertainment's broken its string of the now-standard "Our games won't be up today" message to deliver substantial news about the restoration of its services and how players will be compensated. "At least a few more days" is all the studio is willing to commit to a time frame before its MMOs come back online, but at least it provides hope to the anxious players waiting to click their Station Launcher icon. More definite, however, is the plan for how SOE will make good with its playerbase. All current SOE players will receive 30 days of game time added to their accounts plus one day for every day the system's been down. Depending on the game to which players are subscribed, SOE has a list of specific in-game items, currency, Station Cash, events and bonuses ready. This applies to both the studio's PC and PS3 titles. Finally, all Station Account holders will be enrolled in a complimentary identity theft protection program. U.S. players will be enrolled in Debix for a year, while residents in other countries will be set up with similar services. Codes will be sent out by email for these programs, and U.S. players will need to enroll by June 28th to get the coverage.
