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Lineage II's High Five update coming to PTS
Big changes are in store for NCsoft's long-running Lineage II MMORPG, and the game's official website has updated with details of the new High Five patch that's on its way to the public test server. The patch is so substantial that it's being brought to the live game in several parts, with the first four scheduled to appear on the PTS on February 2nd. High Five features a reduced XP requirement for characters at level 78 or above, and clan levels 6, 7, and 8 will see a similar adjustment in terms of reputation points and member number requirements. The update is also bringing a ton of new character skills to Aden, as well as an extensive list of changes to existing skills. New quests and hunting zone revamps are also in the works (specifically Antharas' Lair and Dragon Valley), and numerous weapons, armor, and jewelry can now be purchased at the Giran Luxury Shop with Adena instead of crystals. Finally, NCsoft has made significant adjustments to the Grand Olympiad system, including revamping the arenas to instanced zones (allowing for 160 simultaneous stadium matches), as well as various tweaks to both participatory and spectator aspects of the system. You can check out the preliminary patch notes on the official forums, and don't forget to read up on the particulars of this week's test server implementation. [Thanks to Justin for the tip!]
Community Detective Issue #16: Lineage II
Welcome to a new year of Community Detective. To kick things off, I'm going back in time -- way back in time, to 2004 to be exact -- as this was the year NCsoft's Lineage II debuted in America. Why profile the community and customer service of a game that's almost seven years old? Well, Lineage II is still going strong and drawing players from all over the world. NCsoft also continues to pour money and developer resources into the game (the latest example being the new Goddess of Destruction expansion) despite the existence of newer, similarly themed fantasy projects like Aion and Blade & Soul. Clearly, then, Lineage II is still relevant in some quarters, and in light of that fact, I've spent the past couple of weeks toodling around the kingdom of Aden.
The Daily Grind: Do you rage quit?
Our favorite games provoke a range of emotions, and whether it's love, hate, fear, amusement, or simple relaxation, we usually keep coming back for more. Anger is an emotional response that is pretty common for some folks, so common in fact that the catch phrase "rage quit" is circulated several times daily on many message boards and in-game chat channels. While most emotions make us want to play more, anger often leads to a quick disconnect, and depending on your personality, either a string of expletives or a weary sigh. Whether it's due to failure in the team-based combat scenarios common to Global Agenda, losing your loot (and everything else) in FFA corpse-defiling contests like Lineage II and Darkfall, or dying at the hands of AI in one of the thousands of PvE-focused titles littering the landscape, we're constantly confronted with digital mortality and its emotional effects. The question of the day, Massively folk, is have you, do you, or did you used to rage quit? Why and in what game(s)?
New Lineage II project in the works
Korean imports are all the rage these days, what with TERA inching closer to open beta and release, Aion maintaining a small but faithful North American playerbase, and ArcheAge beginning to turn heads in the West. Not to be outdone by all the young whippersnappers is Lineage II, NCsoft's stalwart PvP-focused title that's been lopping off heads and parading around in skimpy armor since 2004. The official Lineage II website brings word of a new, untitled expansion in the works, complete with a lengthy lore entry -- focused on the goddess Shilen -- and a brief bit of video footage. We don't have many details on the expansion content, but we'll keep our eyes peeled, as Lineage II has always provided significant bang for the buck with its meaty (and free) chronicle updates. In the meantime, check out the video after the break.
NCsoft details Lineage 2 Trick or Treat event
Just when you thought we'd brought you all the news that's fit to print about Halloween-themed events in your favorite MMORPGs, NCsoft checks in with their Trick or Treat GM Event for Lineage 2. Kicking off today and running through October 28th, the event requires you to go hunting between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm Pacific time. If you see an elpy appear next to you, you'll have 20 seconds to /say or /shout "trick or treat." If successful, a GM will transform you into a werewolf and teleport you to a special instance featuring a ton of loot-bearing elpies waiting to fall on your blade (or your claws). You'll be hauling in a ton of goodies, so you might want to consider clearing your inventory ahead of time. Read up on all the details at the official Lineage 2 website.
Lineage II becomes one with the servers
We haven't heard a lot of news from Lineage II since their recent Freya expansion, but apparently the game has hit a rocky patch. Associate producer "Moxie" informed the players on Wednesday that the NA and EU servers would be merging to just one per region. This merge is being done "in order to promote a healthy and competitive environment, as well as to offer a better overall experience." Currently, Lineage II has five North American and three European servers, which will be boiled down to only two by the end of this month. The team is accepting nominations for the new server names until September 14th and will hold a vote thereafter to determine the winners. As merges always create an organizational headache, NCsoft is still figuring out the details of exactly how and when this will happen. However, Moxie said that the team will be deleting any character under level 20 that has not logged into the game in more than one year, and if a player has more than seven characters across all of the servers, he or she will only be allowed to keep the seven highest in terms of experience. [Thanks Riz!]
The Lawbringer: This MMO is too addictive! I'm suing!
Welcome to The Lawbringer, WoW.com's weekly guide to the intersection between law and the World of Warcraft. I'm Amy Schley, newly graduated law student and your tour guide through the quirky world of copyrights, contracts and crazy lawsuits. One of the many joys of going to law school is that you know every lawyer joke known to man, and your friends and family feel a need to inform you of the latest crazy lawsuit. While nothing will ever top Mayo v. Satan and His Staff for sheer silliness (by both plaintiff and judge), a new case making the rounds comes close. Someone is suing an MMORPG for being addictive. That's right. A Mr. Craig Smallwood, former player of Lineage II, is suing NCsoft for negligently creating an addictive game, for failing to warn him that the game was addictive and for blocking him from the game, causing him to suffer severe withdrawal symptoms that prompted hospitalization and thrice-weekly counseling sessions. More facts and analysis after the break; all information comes from the judge's recent opinion.
Lineage II's Freya expansion hits today
Fans of NCsoft's long-running Lineage II title are no doubt aware of the game's free (and extensive) expansions, and the latest, Freya, is coming to a server near you today. The titular Ice Queen is now handing out presents to players who visit her in towns, including vitality maintenance potions designed to give your character a temporary kick. Additionally, heart-warming gifts found while hunting may be presented to Freya in exchange for gift boxes bearing a number of scrolls, potions, and gemstones. These Freya Celebration Items will only last through September 7th, so don't delay. As for the expansion proper, it adds a number of features to Lineage II's expansive game world, including new weapons, armor, abilities, and several new adventure areas including overland zones and dungeons. Take a look at the update notes on the official site for more details.
NCsoft sued for making Lineage II too darned addictive
reddit_url='http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/20/ncsoft-sued-for-making-lineage-ii-too-darned-addicting/'; reddit_target='gaming' Tweet var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/NCsoft_sued_for_making_Lineage_II_too_addicting'; Can a video game publisher be successfully sued for releasing a game that makes players want to play it compulsively? That's the question of the hour in the USA, as Lineage II player Craig Smallwood levied a $3 million negligence suit against NCsoft for making the game too addictive. Smallwood found himself playing the MMO for over 20,000 hours in the last five years, to the point where he is unable to function normally in real life -- and he claims it's NCsoft's fault for not warning him in advance. Smallwood's gameplay averaged around 11 hours per day during that period. Surprisingly, a federal judge has allowed the suit to proceed against the South Korean publisher, stating that "the court finds that plaintiff has stated a claim for both negligence and gross negligence." NCsoft has appealed and asked the judge to dismiss the case. The situation gets more interesting when you consider that Smallwood had his Lineage II accounts banned for alleged grey market RMT activity, although he claims that was a ploy by NCsoft to force players like himself to move over to Aion. Video game addiction is no new issue, to be sure, but it's interesting that this case seeks to shift the blame from the player to the game company itself. This raises a whole host of new questions. Should publishers be required to slap their products with warning labels? Is there no personal responsibility when it comes to playing MMORPGs? We will have to wait and see if Smallwood's suit succeeds, and what, if any, fallout may occur from the attempt.
Lineage II: Freya PTS open, launch date and patch notes released
The Lineage II Freya patch has been in the works for a while, and NCsoft let us know last week that it's nearing completion. The company promised more information soon, and it arrived today along with access to the Play Test Server. The official release date for the Freya patch was given today -- Freya will be available to everyone on August 24th. The full patch notes were released today as well, and if you want to read through them be prepared to spend some time. The list of bug fixes, new items, content additions, and so on is long enough to warrant 13 forum posts from the community manager. The notes may be long, but they're broken down into manageable sections this way, which helps quite a bit. Until the August 24th release date, feel free to download the Play Test Server to get a feel for the patch. For a bit more of a preview, follow along after the jump for a new video depicting some brand-new emotes.
One Shots: The prettiest orc on the block
While it may not be a game that many people have played over here in the states, NCsoft's long-running fantasy MMO, Lineage 2, continues to enchant players in its home market. What you may not know is that it also boasts some beautiful character art! Indeed, when you look at this attractive orcish lass, you can see where cousin Aion got its good looks. Nonetheless, today's lovely Lineage 2 image comes to us from Matt P., who tells us only that this is "a screenshot of my level 13 orc mystic from Lineage 2, in the orc village." Where that village is, we couldn't tell you -- but we're relatively certain there are some happy male orcs there. We are on the hunt for more screenshots, and you can help! Just email your MMO screenshots to us here at oneshots@massively.com. Be sure to include your name, the name of the game, and a description. Also, please make sure that your images are no smaller than 1024 pixels wide and have as few visible UI elements as possible in them.Yours could be the next one we feature! %Gallery-85937%
Lineage II readies Freya update
NCsoft's Aion and City of Heroes may get more press here in the States, but the workhorse of the Korean MMORPG maker's worldwide stable continues to be Lineage II. The long-running fantasy title is gearing up for yet another substantial update, with the much-anticipated Freya patch scheduled to hit the public test server on July 29th. Lineage II's updates have always been rather meaty (and free of charge, provided you have an active subscription) and Freya is no different. Included in the patch is everything from new weapons, armor, and abilities to entirely new overland and dungeon areas. Small touches aren't left out either, with new social emotes -- including partner dances -- scheduled for inclusion, as well as reduced teleportation fees and an increase in available quest journal space. The patch notes have yet to be released, but you can get a sneak peek at the projected additions on the Freya wiki page. Additionally, mark your calendar for the Freya reveal festivities and don't forget to read the official press release. Finally, check out some of the new armors after the cut. [Thanks Justin!]
Looking back at six years of Lineage II
Released in South Korea in 2003 and North America a year later, Lineage II came out as an old-school hardcore grind just as MMOs like City of Heroes, World of Warcraft and Guild Wars arrived on the scene and signaled a decisive shift toward more user-friendly, casual-accessible gameplay. Even so, Lineage II charged ahead to capture an impressive amount of players -- a reported 610,000 gamers were playing the title three years after launch -- and the game both endured and grew as time progressed. A six-year anniversary doesn't have quite the gravitas as a five- or ten-year one, yet it's still an accomplishment that many of Lineage II's contemporaries failed to achieve before closing their doors. Travel with us then as we step back in time to an era when MMOs were the equivalent of a dangerous playground, with players leaping about despite rusty swings, harsh death penalties and a never-ending monkey bar grind. Join us as we examine Lineage II's history and seek to understand the secrets of this game's popularity, and what it still has to offer for the contemporary gamer.
Massively Mobile: iPhone apps for your favorite MMOs part 2
Every two weeks, Massively Mobile brings you the latest news, guides and analysis about MMOs on mobile devices. Covering iPhone, iPad and Android platforms, we're on the lookout for the next generation of MMOs. In the last column, I covered a number of iPhone apps for MMOs. Some kept you connected to the game world, others offered you information at your fingertips, while still others were entire games unto themselves. Today I continue with the second half of the list starting with Final Fantasy XI all the way through Wizard101. In the next Massively Mobile column, I will focus specifically on World of Warcraft mobile apps for both the iPhone and the Android. I have to admit that in the process of researching this column, I became obsessed with one particular app, Warrior Epic: Sagas. I don't even play the MMO, but I found the app to be one I returned to again and again throughout the week. It's very addictive, has an engaging storyline and is a dream come true for equipment micromanagers like myself. Check it out along with the rest of the apps after the jump.
Lineage II's Subclass Separation Account Service has arrived
Lineage II is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, but the game still has a dedicated playerbase and still looks excellent. It's also feature-heavy in the way that only long-running games can be, complete with the fan-loved feature of sub-classes. Having an "extra" class on top of a character's main class is almost universally liked in every game that features it. Of course, it can feel a bit odd when you realize that the secondary class is more fun than the main class, leaving players with the question of what to do. Thanks to the newly-introduced Subclass Separation Service, the answer is now "play that class." Not only does the new service free the subclass from you old character, allowing you to potentially choose a different one, it creates a new character of that class at the same level the subclass had reached. That means that it's ready to go as a main class right away, and without the burden of low-level questing. While not for everyone, there are no doubt several Lineage II players who can find quite good use for this new feature. (Or this feature helpfully adapted from Tabula Rasa, whichever you prefer.)
Aika dates second stage of closed beta testing
There's been some buzz surrounding the upcoming free-to-play title Aika, a large-scale PvP game with some interesting features (which turn normally mature bloggers into immature children due to pronunciation, but that's not the point.) The game's first closed beta went fairly well, and as a result a second phase is planned, running from February 24th through March 2nd. It's not a long test phase, but it's going to bring several elements into the game that weren't available during the first phase. Full-scale castle sieges are one of the major additions to this part of testing, allowing players to take control of the heart of the game's five nations. Similar to the setup of Lineage II's sieges, the leader of the victorious guild will attain the title of Lord Marshal and be responsible for coordinating further attacks for dominance. The PvP isn't all that's being stirred up, however -- more solo areas and content will be added throughout the world, ranging from the crags of Mt. Hessian to the snake-filled Tabazra desert to the city of Cirrugor nestled high among the clouds. The game certainly seems on-track for its projected "official" launch in the spring. Aika fans will want to keep a close eye on the game as it prepares for the full opening, and definitely should get ready to register for their entry into the second closed beta test.
NCsoft shows record profits in latest quarterly report
NCsoft has released information on the latest fiscal quarter, and the numbers presumably made some happy faces at NCsoft according to a report at Gamasutra. Just a few short months after the September launch of Aion for North America and Europe, NCsoft reports record profits in its fiscal fourth quarter. Sales were up 99% year-on-year, thanks in large part to the hugely hyped Aion, which sold over 300,000 copies through pre-order alone. While Aion is responsible for 48% of the sales numbers, the Lineage IP held its own easily, with Lineage accounting for 27% of sales and Lineage 2 holding 20%. Lineage has been around and performing steadily since 1998, but the recently revitalized franchise was a big factor in NCsoft's success over the past year. The full report can be viewed here.
NCsoft 2009 financials get high on Aion
Generally speaking, when a company can post a year-over-year growth in the double digits, it's doing pretty well. We write up a lot of financial news here at the 'Stiq, and it's not often that we can report that a company managed a 623 percent increase in its income. And yet, here we are, as GameSpot reports that NCsoft has done exactly that -- thanks in no small part to its latest MMO, Aion. Specifically, NCsoft reported revenues of KRW634.7 billion ($546 million) for its fiscal 2009, an 83 percent increase over the previous year. Actual income (profit, in other words) reached KRW185.4 billion ($160 million), a 623 percent increase over 2008. Narrowing things down solely to the company's 4th quarter, income was actually up 1009 percent over the same period last year, with NCsoft reporting KRW72.1 billion ($62 million). Fourth quarter revenues, meanwhile were up 99 percent at KRW197.3 billion ($170 million). Again, all this is mostly on the fantastic back of Aion, which brought in 43 percent of the company's game revenue for 2009, followed by Lineage II with 26 percent, the original Lineage with 23, City of Heroes with 4, Guild Wars with 3 and other titles with 1 percent. [Via Edge]
Free trials ahoy for Lineage II
Has it been a while since you stepped into Aden? Or perhaps you were never formally introduced to the world of Lineage II but always wanted to give it a shot? Well thanks to NCsoft's newest trial program, you now have a chance. Lineage II's new 14-day free trial program is welcoming both new users and returning players back to experience the newest free expansion to the game, Gracia Epilogue. While returning players won't be able to use their old accounts, they can use the trial keys to create a brand new account that will let them play up to level 40 with three characters for the 14 days. So if you've been looking for a game to fill your need to spill blood and siege castles, this might be a good time to try out Lineage II to see if it's for you.
Korea rules that virtual currencies can be exchanged for real money
The odd thing about us gamers is that we seem to think of the various doodads in our games as being real -- even more to the point, as being ours. We think and act as if we're owed some compensation if we're deprived of them. Which is silly, really -- after all, that Monster Signa isn't a real staff, that Deputy Chain Coat isn't a real coat, and all that gold isn't real money. Except that now, in South Korea, it is. A ruling by the nation's supreme court has stated that virtual currency is the equivalent of real-world money. Even more sweeping are the details of the case that led to the ruling, in which two men were on trial for exchanging a large amount of Lineage II Adeena for cold, hard currency. For those of you who might not be drawing the link, the core there is that selling in-game currency for real money is essentially just an exchange of currency and perfectly legal in South Korea. This could have sweeping implications for RMT operations the world over, not to mention free-to-play games and... well, online games in general. The official story is available online from both the Korea Times and JoongAng Daily.
