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Massively introduces premium membership services
If you're reading this now, chances are, you're a fan of Massively.com. We want to make sure your experience here is as deep and customizable as possible. For this reason, some important changes will be coming to Massively starting tomorrow. With more advertising space and less post text on the front page, your eyes won't be bogged down with confusing layout issues. And with our new Premium Services shop, you get to choose the features you want on the site. Custom content for the next generation of gaming journalism! These changes promise to bring more exclusive content, more hard-hitting interviews and more chances for you to express yourself through the Massively community. Follow along after the jump for more information on the new Massively.com!
Virtual sales boom, will top $3 billion in five years
Gamasutra reports on a new study from research firm DFC Intelligence that concludes that sales of virtual goods are on the rise. The study surveyed 5,000 gamers from Europe and North America for a two-month period in early 2010, and also sampled seven years of Live Gamer historical data. Live Gamer, a virtual world monetization company with clients that include Sony Online Entertainment and Funcom, partnered with DFC for the study. DFC reports that 88 percent of their survey base purchased virtual content, a label that includes everything from MMO microtransactions, to music, to movies and games. Sixty percent of this group said their digital purchases were in-game items. DFC says the growing trend of virtual item sales paints a bright future for MMORPGs as well as social networking platforms, predicting that total item sales for "MMOG Lite" titles will exceed $3 billion by 2015. Head on over to Gamasutra for the full article.
The Daily Grind: What's your free-to-play breaking point?
The entire concept of free-to-play is becoming more and more prevalent in MMOs lately, particularly in the past year. It's a great concept, but unless the game in question is being produced by someone wealthy and altruistic, the companies presenting these games are still out to profit. That's where item shops come in: from the "pay for shortcuts" model of Dungeons and Dragons Online to the now-infamous perfumes in Allods Online, every free-to-play game will offer premium items or things that would otherwise take some time to get in exchange for a little quality time with your credit card. So the question is, what's your breaking point? At what point do you look at the cash shop and decide "this is not free-to-play because that item is a necessity and/or the time required to get it free is unreasonable?" It's entirely a matter of opinion, depending in large part on your style of play. If you don't mind spending a certain amount of time to earn whatever item or in-game currency you need, it's not going to bother you as much. If you just want to play the game without worrying about special items or working through some sort of point system to get things in the cash shop, you're going to feel differently. So hit the little button at the bottom and tell us what you think!
GDC10: Land of Chaos Online interview
MMOs are a strange genre without many of the clearly-defined borders for something that is or isn't a part of the field. Not surprisingly, there's a lot of innovation in the field that's confined strictly to the absolute edges of what could be considered an MMO. Games such as MAG and Global Agenda feature several shooter conventions mixed with several MMO conventions, and it's an interesting formula. Land of Chaos Online is pushing the formula as well, by adding in third-person shooter elements to a Defense of the Ancients-style match format. The game is on the outer edge of the genre, but it draws much of its gameplay and feel from MMOs, with a strong emphasis on coupled character persistence and more shooter-style elements. We caught up with Achim Kaspers, managing director of Burda:ic, during GDC to talk about what the game would play like and get an idea of what we could expect. More information on this unique game after the cut.
Anti-Aliased: "Cash shop" shouldn't be a dirty phrase
A not so long time ago in an interview located not too far away, one of our intrepid readers asked Alganon's David Allen if they ever considered a free-to-play model for their game. His response was the following: "Right now, the industry standard is to squeeze as much money as they can out of players by introducing cash shops, and forcing them to pay for things that ought to have been part of the game. We don't want to do that. We want Alganon to be a service. You pay us a subscription so we can continue to develop and run a game that you enjoy playing. It's not a product where you hand us money and we hand you a vanity pet, or mount, or epic sword and then walk away. " So, David... not to be "that girl" but... um... how's that cash shop working out for ya? So, now that I've said what pretty much everyone was thinking when they heard that announcement from Quest Online, let's talk about cash shops this week and how we seem to royally keep screwing them up in our culture. Because, as the title says, "cash shop" just shouldn't be a dirty phrase in our industry.
Allods Online releases updated statement, solicits player input
You'd have to be hiding under a rock to not have noticed the brouhaha that's been going on with the Allods Online cash shop. Players have been in an uproar about the Fear of Death mechanic coupled with the $13.50 price-tag for perfumes; the $20 pricetag for an additional 6 bag slots; as well as the changes coming to the Russian version of the game on patch 0.7 with mounts requiring a cash shop item to go faster than walking. They gave us a public statement before, but many people felt that it was marketing double-speak that effectively said nothing at all -- at least if our comments section is any indication. When you add in the swirling rumors that the original developers had left the building and were no longer actively involved in helping to develop Allods Online, you can imagine the din. The forums were alight with people asking for some type of statement -- or just ragequitting. Last night, the folks at gPotato finally decided to respond to player concerns with a statement many in the player community seem to feel is a far better one than last time. This one not only answers the question as to whether or not the original developers are still on board (short answer: yes), but also addresses the cash shop pricing, and opens a thread where they're soliciting constructive player feedback. if you've been concerned about this, now's the time to head over there and have your say. Also, be sure to check out Massively Speaking tomorrow, when our Editor-in-Chief, Shawn, will be asking a representative from gPotato the hard questions about Allods Online. We're sure you won't want to miss that!
Perfect World Entertainment talks about delay on Battle of the Immortals
We recently brought you the news that the closed beta for Battle of the Immortals has been delayed until mid-April. Several reasons were cited, including details such as Windows 7 support, revising the item shop and the AI behavior, and so on. The Perfect World Entertainment team took some time to expand on those reasons for us this week.
Allods Online responds to player concern over cash shop
As we reported earlier this morning, the Allods Online item shop went live during open beta today, but the player feedback wasn't exactly positive. The main issue here being what fans felt were unusually high prices for in-game items. Tonight, gPotato officially responded to the outrage, literally apologizing for the communication breakdown that happened today. "We made a mistake by not letting you, our most passionate players know when the item shop was going to go live and we didn't make the effort to learn more about how all of you feel regarding the contents of the item shop." Later in the statement, they've clarified a major concern on the minds of those interested in making Allods their main MMO: "You can still enjoy the entire game without ever having to spend a single cent." When asked for a comment, Associate Producer Darren Allarde said to Massively, "We really appreciate the support from Massively.com and its readers. Again, we read every piece of feedback, so if there are comments anyone would like to make regarding Allods Online, please send it our way!" Be sure to take a look at the entire official response for more on how the Allods team hopes to rectify the situation, and how you can contact them with any concerns you may have.
Allods opens cash shop, prices drive players insane
The Allods Online's community isn't happy with the game's cash shop prices. Currently, the cost of increasing your bag slots from 18 to 24 is $20, which is considerably higher than pretty much every other free-to-play game on the market. It's not entirely clear whether this is some kind of back-end mistake on gPotato's part or an actual pricing change. And looking at the general section of Allods Online's official forums reveals that, in fact, a lot of players are pretty upset over the whole fiasco. Some are proclaiming rage-quits while others are considering boycotts but nobody is happy about the news. Of course, some more level-headed community members are attempting to communicate with gPotato in order to get the prices changed to more reasonable prices -- something which is apparently true of the Russian version of the game. We'll keep you updated as the story progresses.
The Daily Grind: Do item shop sales affect your purchases?
With more and more games adopting some form of the free-to-play model, item shops are becoming big business for many MMOs -- even some that aren't f2p are in on the act. Players can save a little (or a lot) of time by dropping a few dollars here or there to obtain an item that they don't have the time or inclination to work toward in game. Item shops are a bit of a controversial thing, with many people of the opinion that it gives an unfair advantage to anyone with access to a credit card. But differing opinions aside, these lucrative little stores seem to be here to stay. With the increasing number of these stores offering both vanity and more utilitarian items, the competition for your dollar goes way beyond game purchases and sub fees these days. To that end, most item shops offer some sort of sale. Be it daily specials, package deals, or holiday sales, you can find a little extra incentive for your purchase nearly everywhere you look. So the question is, do sales help you break out the credit card? Do you only buy if you were going to purchase that item anyway, or do you see a sale and think "Hmm, half price? Well, okay!"
Are subscription game item shops the third Trammel?
We like to keep our ear to the blogging (under)ground here at Massively because we often find interesting ideas and perspectives on the MMO industry. For instance, Green Armadillo of Player vs. Developer (PvD) just made a bold yet insightful statement about subscription game item shops being the third Trammel. For those unfamiliar, Trammel changed the way most people played Ultima Online and could be considered a paradigm shift in the industry from "harsh" PvP-enabled MMOs to safer PvE. It's no secret that the rise of microtransactions and MMO item shops (aka real money trading or RMT) are a big change in direction from traditional subscription based MMOs. However, it now seems we're seeing the line blur between the two. Dungeons & Dragons Online, Champions Online, and most recently World of Warcraft are all subscription-based MMOs with built-in RMT. Are we witnessing the birth of the third Trammel? As for the second Trammel, PvD calls out WoW's solo quest system. Never in any previous MMO did players enjoy such easy soloability and it seems that every triple-A MMO since WoW has relied heavily upon the solo quest system. We think PvD may be on to something here.
The Daily Grind: Game card or credit card?
Yesterday we ran a story on this new game card hitting the market called the ONE game card, a card that you can pick up at your local store to redeem for a wide variety of games. That story got us thinking however, about game cards at large. How much do people use them? Are they widely accepted? And why use a game time card over a credit card?How many of you Massively readers prefer going out and purchasing a time card / points card for your favorite online game instead of paying for it with your credit card? Why do you fine readers prefer your chosen method of payment? Do you find yourself buying more point cards for games that use cash shops while you pay subscription fees with a credit card, or do you really enjoy picking up time cards for your subscription games?Drop us your comments and let us know how you feel about your payment plans!
Runes of Magic introduces diamond cards at Target
Runes of Magic is expanding their diamond trade to a black market. A black market of diamond and goods trade so black that their red ring logo demands fear and respect. They call this place... Target.Odd movie introductions aside, Runes of Magic is offering their diamonds in new cash card form! For those of us who don't want to run out and throw a credit or debit card at the RoM website, we can now just visit Target and pick up some diamonds (the game's cash shop currency) in our next shopping run at the local strip mall.
Runes of Magic offers players wings, but only until tomorrow
We smell some Aion envy coming from Runewaker Entertainment, but we're not going to complain! We're being offered pretty wings in Runes of Magic!Starting right now and continuing until tomorrow, wings will be available for purchase in the Runes of Magic item shop. While it doesn't look like the wings do anything other than look really cool on your character, this is a very limited time item. Because of the limited window of purchase, these wings will most likely become a coveted item very quickly. (As long as they're not offered again later, of course.)If you're interested in grabbing a pair of these feathery wonders, you'll have to do it from inside the game's cash shop menu, under the "special offers" section of the store.
Anti-Aliased: Microtransaction mayhem pt. 2
Plus, it's not like this has never happened before Many complaints about this format seem to stem from the notion that this is a new practice. However, keen observers of the industry will note that this practice is absolutely nothing new. The first introduction of this format is, amazingly enough, World of Warcraft. Name changes, server transfers, character re-customizations, and the eventual faction transfers are all a part of their suite of premium services. Perhaps you never thought about it because Blizz never used the dreaded terminology, but these are microtransactions. You're paying extra to take advantage of a service, even though you're paying for a subscription. Over in another superhero fun land, NCsoft has been selling character costume packs, extra character slots, and other goodies all for premium prices in City of Heroes. Oddly enough, no one has rioted over the sale of wedding outfits and mystical armors, even when the magic pack comes with a brand new power that you otherwise can't get in-game. "Microtransaction is a loaded word in our culture -- it makes people think of unfair item shops and poorly formatted 'free to play' games.'" Lastly, the original subscription/microtransaction model -- Xbox Live. XBL offers all subscribers some pretty nifty services, like cross-network friends lists, cross-game communication, massive yearly updates, and the ability to play games online. But, it also pushes the sale of videos, music, game add-ons, and original games via the Xbox Live Marketplace. It may not seem like it, but this is the definition of the microtransaction model. You're paying a subscription to purchase more content.So why all the angry? Why Cryptic? Why Champions? Why does everyone lash out now?First off, people are angry because microtransactions are coming with the game's launch, and that makes them visible. CoH added their microtransactions years after the launch. Xbox Live was originally just playing games online, adding in microtransactions after a few years of service. World of Warcraft followed the same trend, adding their "premium services" well after launch. Cryptic hasn't slipped them in later, under people's noses. Another reason people are angry -- Cryptic called them microtransactions. WoW offers "services," XBL offers "content," and CoH offers "packs." Microtransaction is a loaded word in our culture -- it makes people think of unfair item shops and poorly formatted "free to play" games. That word alone has put many people off simply because it exists. I'll put money down and say that some of the naysayers didn't go on to do their homework regarding what Cryptic was offering. But Cryptic isn't offering anything new. It's a shop of "services" like name changes, costume changes, and other account level data changers coupled with some silly cosmetic options. Plus, Cryptic has stated that anything that has an in-game effect can still be acquired in-game. Don't want to pay for the costume change token? Earn one in game. Stop saying the sky is falling It's not. You don't like it, then don't buy from it. This isn't anything extremely experimental or surprising. It's not price gouging if you don't actually pay for it. And it's not like Champions is going to ship with huge swaths of content missing, forcing you to buy items from the Cryptic Store to progress through the game. It's simply an option, nothing more. Take advantage of the beauty of the system -- if you don't want it, don't pay for it. Colin Seraphina Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who is paying for sparkling angel wings, if they're available. When she's not writing here for Massively, she's rambling on her personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message her, send her an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow her on Twitter through Massively, or through her personal feed, @sera_brennan.
Anti-Aliased: Microtransaction mayhem
You know, I would be quite amiss if I didn't take the time to weigh in on the microtransaction and subscription argument that has been going around town lately. It seems to be the buzz on everybody's lips.For those of you not in the know as to what I'm talking about, here's the deal. With the upcoming release of Champions Online, Cryptic is taking a double-edged approach to generating revenue. The game is going to run on a standard subscription package, but it will also let players have the option of buying extra "account options" and costume pieces via Cryptic Points.Now, some people feel as if this is a perfectly fine way to conduct business, while others find this system to be nothing more than price gouging and unnecessary. How do I feel? Well, jump the break and I'll give you my feelings on both sides of the argument.
Meet the Sparkplay Media team: Part Two
Yesterday we introduced you to the lead designer and concept artist from Sparkplay Media, the makers of the upcoming free-to-play MMO Earth Eternal. Today we have more behind the scenes action for you as we continue our "Meet the Sparkplay Media Team" feature and introduce you to the lead writer and one of the programmers that work so diligently on this new MMO.In today's feature we get the inside scoop on the microtransaction store and story from Sparkplay's CEO and lead writer of Earth Eternal, Matt Mihaly. Plus we're also getting a peek inside what goes on during the coding of Earth Eternal with Ryne Anderson, one of the programmers.
The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons Online pt. 2
The cons of the whole switchover Item malls that offer players the ability to purchase items or item upgrades degrade the gaming experience. We've been over this before -- letting Mr. Moneybags deck out his character at level 1 so he's 10x more awesome than everybody else is a major downer to people who don't have the money. While I've pored over the text that Turbine is released, it doesn't appear that they will be offering items like weaponry or armor. They will be offering "items of convenience" to the players. My best guess is things like potions, perhaps portals, resurrection scrolls, things such as these. Even though these are low powered items, they can still annoy you when Moneybags can teleport all over the place and you're left walking and taking the slow route. This con is, however, offset by the fact that points can be earned by actually playing the game. It sounds like they are attempting to make the cash shop available for everyone, not just the Moneybags of the world. This will be interesting to watch, as no other developer as truly tried this in the American market. "I could easily see some players offering up items in the auction house above the amount that a free player's wallet could hold." The big con to this is the limited play that free players get. Limited auctions and limited mail are two nasty inconveniences in their own right, but limited gold storage and limited chat seem to be the features that take the cake. How would you like it if you couldn't chat in all of the chat channels, or were restricted to how much you can say in game? Even worse, limited gold storage may mean that you might not be able to purchase the best items from the auction house simply because your wallet just doesn't hold enough. I could easily see some players offering up items in the auction house above the amount that a free player's wallet could hold. This is going to inconvenience the player further because it's going to restrict how the player can interact with the auction house and interact with the vendors in the world. Another two bites out of the pro pile are the fact that free players rank lower than DDO VIP subscription players in the login queue and free players don't get access to customer support. This means that a constant influx of DDO VIP players could easily keep bumping free players back in the login queue, should the server become overpopulated. While I don't exactly see this happening, it could become problem should the lines really get backed up. I know I wouldn't like to see that my place in line as number 27 get jacked backward to 30 or 35 just because a few subscribers chose to log in. Lastly is the fact that free players are stuck with the online knowledge base and the forums as their source of aid should they encounter problems. I can foresee some free players attempting to play the game, getting stuck on some odd technical problem, and then becoming unable to solve it simply because the knowledge base doesn't have their problem on file. You're going to inevitably lose some people over this, just because they don't want to deal with the frustration of attempting to make a free game work. It's a free game, so if it doesn't work, just move onto the next game. The bottom line? The final thoughts for all of this is you should weigh it for yourself. If you want to save some cash and you like Dungeons and Dragons, then this might just be the experience for you. If you're looking for a second quality MMO to have as a side-game, then this might also be what you want to pick up. If you're someone who's easily frustrated by limitations, however, then you might not enjoy this experience. Some of the stuff, like decreased auctions, gold storage, and chatting capabilities might hamper gameplay just enough to turn off some people. But, don't take my word for it. Judge the game for yourself when it hits free to play status later this summer. Turbine has just announced that Dungeons and Dragons Online will be moving to a free-to-play business model, and we have the inside scoop. Be sure to read our complete coverage of the changeover, and look for more info as DDO Unlimited approaches launch.
The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons Online
Dungeons and Dragons Online going free to play is undoubtedly an awesome announcement. But exactly how awesome of an announcement is it?Yesterday we were all over the announcement, covering the basics of what can be expected with this changeover from subscription based to free to play. But now, I'd like to break that down even further, and really look at the changes in an in-depth manner.Certainly not everything about the new version of DDO has been defined by Turbine, but we're going to take a look at the basics of what this new version offers and compare the ups and downs of what's being offered. By the time we're done looking over the new system, you'll be able to answer that one burning question that's plaguing your mind.Is free to play DDO worth it for you?
Warrior Epic officially launches today
As was announced just recently, today is the day that Warrior Epic will officially launch -- by 5PM PDT if things go to schedule. The client can be obtained here ahead of time in preparation for the launch. Bob Drobish, CEO of the game's publisher True Games Interactive, made a statement to mark the occasion: "During the closed beta, we worked closely with the community to deliver an immersive and challenging game play experience. Now as we pull the trigger on the launch of the game, our development team is committed to continuing to deliver new and exciting content as our community continues to grow."The launch will feature a few things that weren't around during the betas. For one, the item shop will be ready for business, offering things like potions and vanity pieces. A guild system will be in place, and new introductory sequences will greet players. A new Random Map Generator also made it in for launch day, and will do exactly what it sounds like it should do and create differing dungeons for groups of players to explore. Warrior Epic is a free-to-play MMO, so giving it a try when it launches today won't cost you a dime. Let us know what you think if you do.
