free-to-play-conversion
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Chaos Theory: Top reasons to check out The Secret World today
A league of its own. No, I'm not talking about a 1992 baseball movie; I'm talking about Funcom's most recent addition to the MMO-verse, The Secret World (which ironically launched exactly 20 years and a day after the release of the movie. Coincidence? You never know when this game's involved!). In a landscape awash with clones, The Secret World brings something unique to the table. Instead of the standard fantasy or sci-fi flavored whack-a-mole themepark, TSW is a horror- and conspiracy-laden game set right in our own real world. It's not just that the game's mold-breaking gene that sets it apart, either. The fact is there are a number of reasons you should load in and experience this game if you haven't already, and there are plenty of reasons to come back if you have drifted away. From unique features to a distinctive level of immersion to an unprecedented update schedule, TSW is definitely a keeper. In short, it's well worth the time to check out. And now that it is possible for anyone to continue her adventures without a monthly commitment, what are you waiting for?
The Secret World officially abolishes subscriptions [Updated]
Joel Bylos' first End of Days video log hinted at it (if you call busting into a conference room hinting!), and now it is official: The Secret World is permanently removing subscriptions from the equation. Some of you are undoubtedly exclaiming, "I knew it!" but all of you may be wondering what that means for you. Here's the scoop. Funcom's new payment model for TSW is buy-to-play with three membership tiers: free, member, and grand master. After purchasing the game itself, folks can play indefinitely without any additional fees, or they can opt to purchase monthly memberships that provide special bonuses. Players who already have or purchase the grandmaster package maintain their lifetime membership and receive additional bonuses. Gamers will be glad to know that the conversion will not introduce any restrictions to the game's current content; free players will have full access to every aspect of issues #1 - 4, including weapons, dungeons, and missions. But what of future content? TSW will continue to receive regular patches of free content, just not at the volume of previous issues. More content will be also available periodically through downloadable content packs (DLCs) in the in-game store. Issue #5 DLC, coming soon, will be free to all accounts registered as of the end of December. Players opting to maintain a membership will get an XP bonus item, 1,200 bonus points monthly, a special monthly gift, and a 10% discount in the in-game store. Grand masters will receive all that plus another 10% off store purchases. Both members and grand masters can use their free monthly bonus points to purchase DLC. Folks who purchased the initiate pack previously will be reimbursed 1800 bonus points, and all remaining subscription time will be converted to membership time. For more information, you can check out the official FAQ. And catch the new trailer after the break! [Updated with Pay Once, Play Forever trailer] [Source: Funcom press release]
New SWTOR dev diary explores Section X and HK-51
Although fans' attention has been turned toward Star Wars: The Old Republic's impending free-to-play conversion tomorrow, developers have continued their work on upcoming game updates. Today's developer blog goes more in-depth on two aspects of the 1.5 update: Section X and HK-51 missions. The blog also includes spoilers for certain in-game storylines, but those can be avoided by the spoiler-free crowd; in order to see them, folks will have to specifically log in. Section X beefs up the offerings of daily repeatable quests for both the Republic and Imperial factions, including two new heroics with more rewards, more commendations, and more credits than ever before. Daily Commendation vendors will also have plenty of new goods to trade in for, and new campaign armoring mods will allow for even more customization. Obtaining HK-51, the new player companion joining SWTOR, is touted as a memorable moment for players. Future HK-51 owners must first run epic mission chain that involves a massive derelict Czerka ship deserted for a century. As an aside, the devs also noted that The Fatality wreck is definitely not located on Hoth. For more details on that tidbit, head on over to the dev blog.
EverQuest II's 8th anniversary: Celebrating a pivotal year
What a difference a day makes. And what a difference 365 days make! Every EverQuest II anniversary retrospective notes a number of changes, tweaks, and additions to the lands of Norrath, but none can boast the depth and breadth of changes that have happened over the previous 12 months. Between adding brand-new systems and altering the very landscape itself, Sony Online Entertainment has changed how players relate to -- and even access -- the game in fundamental ways. What's new? For starters, new lands, new sandbox features, a new payment model, and a new class have all appeared over the course of this past year. But that's not all; no one can accuse SOE of just sitting on its laurels because the changes keep a-comin' at seemingly ever increasing speeds. Not only does this anniversary sit literally on the cusp of even more major dramatic alterations (the dust's hardly settled from SOE Live and the ninth expansion, with all of its content, launches in just five days), but two innovations have slid in right under the wire! Whether you've been away or you just want to reminisce, let's take a moment to look over the past year in EverQuest II before we lose ourselves in Chains of Eternity.
Free-to-play details for Vanguard released
Vanguard is drawing steadily nearer to its free-to-play conversion, which means it's time for some facts and some FAQs. To that end, a set of answers to common questions has been posted, along with a handy chart outlining the differences that will exist between free and premium accounts once the switch to F2P is complete. Premium membership will cost $14.99 a month, which will buy you such perks as access to all of the races and classes (as opposed to only six and seven, respectively), extra character and bag slots, unlimited gold, full item access, and more. Along with the ability to create guilds (instead of only joining them) and full access to unlimited banking slots, fishing, and in-game mail, premium customers will also receive full customer support and no in-game pop-up advertising. Players with ongoing Vanguard subscriptions will find those accounts automatically converted to premium status; these accounts will become free once that subscription runs out. As a special thank-you to loyal players, anyone with a past or present Vanguard subscription will be able to play all of his or her characters (even if that character would normally be blocked from a free account) and will have 12 available character slots (even though free accounts normally have only four).
The wait is over: Aion's 3.0 and F2P conversion announced
Over the weekend, a dramatic change in the official website alerted astute Daevas that something was up. Well speculation be gone: All betting pools for the anticipated announcement of Aion going free-to-play in North America are closed! Today, NCsoft revealed not only a time frame for the much anticipated 3.0 patch -- dubbed Aion: Ascension -- but also the news that the title will convert to F2P in at the same time. Already free-to-play in Europe, the game will have a model that is "truly free," according to NCsoft, giving all Daevas the opportunity to experience all content, including lands, dungeons, quests, and levels. Ascension will bring with it the long-awaited housing and mount systems shown in the visions trailer many moons ago in addition to two new zones, six new instances, and an increased level cap (60) along with many tweaks, fixes, and other features. NCsoft will also be hosting a Rallying the Troops event to give new players a head start in experiencing the game. This event is an extended trial with an increased level cap of 40 and no time limit. Veterans will enjoy a head start as well with free reactivation for 14 days. Need an extra incentive to check the game out (again)? A permanent boost in XP will also be implemented to help Daevas prepare for the upcoming new lands that can only be accessed by levels 55+. Eager Daevas and Daevas-to-be can expect these changes this spring. We will keep you posted with more details as they become available! In the meantime, the full press release is behind the break.
EVE Evolved: The benefits of a subscription
In last week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I tackled the question of whether it would be possible to make EVE Online free-to-play and then devised a viable hybrid freemium business model based on other apparently successful free-to-play conversions. While this was largely a thought experiment exploring the viability of a conversion, the fact that other subscription games have made the change recently makes it more than just theoretical. The possibility that executives at CCP Games have investigated the same options makes this debate an important one to hash out in a public forum. We've established that a free-to-play EVE could potentially be viable, but this week I'd like to take the debate one step further and ask whether EVE is actually doing the right thing with its current subscription model. Subscriptions may no longer appear to be the dominant business model in the MMO landscape, but they have some major advantages that are rapidly becoming apparent as more and more games drop their monthly fees. The sale of cosmetic enhancements will only net so much money, and if a game expands into selling convenience items that circumvent grind, there's a strong financial incentive to develop grindy gameplay and then sell shortcuts. This produces a conflict of interest between developing fun games and making money that isn't present with the subscription model. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the benefits of the subscription model, the unique position CCP is in with its PLEX system, and the hidden dangers of convenience-based microtransactions.
Captain's Log: Will two cloud bursts cure a drought?
After the most tumultuous year in Star Trek Online's history, we stand on the cusp of the game's second anniversary and full-blown evolution to free-to-play. Early F2P entrance for former subscribers was opened last Thursday. And now, unfortunately, loyal subscribers have been informed that the anticipated flood of new story-based content might more accurately be described as a trickle. In his most recent Dev Diary #11, STO's acting Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo outlined his future hopes for the game in 2012. As players are wont to do, we read between the lines and noticed not what was contained in the blog but rather what was blatantly missing: a detailed outline of future playable content.
Wings Over Atreia: Free 2 pain
Say what?!? For the second time in less than a month, NCsoft has shown wanton disregard for my already-prepared comments for the week, derailing the scheduled Wings Over Atreia with some out-of-the-blue announcement. And not just any announcement, but one that can have a profound effect on Aion in the coming months. What is this announcement, you say? Shall I help you out from that rock you've been slumbering under? Why, last Wednesday's bold free-to-play announcement, of course! Now, before hyperventilation sets in -- either from glee or disgust -- note that there are set parameters to this specific conversion, including first and foremost that it is for the European market only. And while details aren't exactly pouring forth, there are a few tidbits to pass along, just enough to whet the appetite of future F2P Daevas or enrage current ones. Breathe into the paper bag and join me past the break for a look at the details that have been revealed and some thoughts on those that have not!
Pirates of the Burning Sea delays F2P conversion
We haven't heard much out of Flying Lab Software since its announcement of Pirates of the Burning Sea's impending free-to-play conversion. Early this morning, Flying Lab producer Michelle "Misha" Williams posted on the game's official forum, confirming that the transformation will be pushed back. In an email originally sent in late October, PotBS account holders were informed that the F2P switcheroo would occur "on or around November 22." Williams relates that both SOE and Flying Lab determined that a delay was in everyone's best interest. "While some of us had visions of tons of new players spending their entire Thanksgiving weekend doing their Christmas shopping in Pirates of the Burning Sea's Treasure Aisle, we've had to measure that against the risk of putting out a build with too many bugs on a short week when many folks crucial to responding to potential problems aren't available to do so," she writes. Williams goes on to outline a few of the reasons for the delay, including the account-level gymnastics that SOE will be performing apart from Flying Lab's game code. Check out the full report on the o-boards.
