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Ask Massively: Christmas Eve eve eve edition
After years of railing against the idea that Christmas gets pushed back further every single year, with most major retailers now preparing for it in mid-May, I finally understand why it's necessary to turn the entire month of December into a martyr for one appropriated pagan holiday: It's because sometimes it's really hard to come up with anything else to talk about, so you just look to the next landmark on the calendar and go with it. Coming up next week: Freedom Day Eve edition! Moving on... this week's installment of Ask Massively is not all about Star Wars: The Old Republic, but as you probably expected around now, it's still poking its nose in. Also, last week's Lineage II questions continue. As always, further questions for future editions can be left in the comments or mailed along to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for grammar and/or clarity.
Choose My Adventure: Exploration week
From desert wastelands and salty shorelines to plateaus and ocean floors, I've been busy traveling in Aden, and I've seen but a glimpse of the entire continent. Last week, you voted for me to stray from the Path to Awakening and explore the world in Lineage II, and I've been having a blast doing just that. I discovered a monster racetrack, ran into raid bosses in the middle of nowhere, discovered a vast undersea temple, and so much more. I've also added 47 more screenshots to the gallery, uploaded a walkabout video, and have another livestream this week. We still aren't done yet. There are more chances for you to decide my fate in this week's Choose My Adventure.%Gallery-141708%
Ask Massively: Not everyone wants to be your friend edition
I don't dislike Lineage II, but my experiences with it sort of cemented my feelings on non-consensual PvP. Suffice it to say that it involved someone who had set herself up a little sniping-hole from which she would murder any and all low-level characters with an arrow through the neck. As she explained in the area chat, this wasn't for rewards or anything. She was doing it because she found it funny. Lots of of people do find that fun. But I'm personally not keen on that as a motivational technique. I don't want to level up so I can be one of the bullies instead of the bullied; I'd rather just opt out. Why did I tell you that story to lead off Ask Massively? As Bill Cosby would put it, I told you that story so I could tell you this one, or at least so I could answer one of this week's questions about Lineage II. Also, thermodynamics. If you've got a question for a future installment, you can leave it in the comment field or mail it along to ask@massively.com.
Choose My Adventure: Lineage II by a landslide
It was no contest from the get-go. Lineage II took an early lead in last week's poll and firmly held on to it. Color me shocked. I really thought that a few of the entries would be closely tied. Some contestants recently added some juicy content releases, but Lineage II crushed them, and all the others, by getting 1,320 votes. The runner-up, Black Prophecy, only managed to secure 299 votes. All its servers going F2P and the release of Age of Discovery weren't enough to put EverQuest II in the running. The F2P population boom in DC Universe Online's and its recent Lightning Strikes update weren't enough to create competition. Nope. The allure of Lineage II's F2P mode and the launch of the Goddess of Destruction expansion were just too much for voters to pass up. Now it's your turn to start steering my course in the lands of Lineage II. Race, class, gender and my first class-transfer are all on the table. I've tried to make voting as easy and clear as possible, but given how each race, and gender determine which classes you can choose from, you should make an effort to understand how all the choices work. Here's one example: Voting Dwarf and then Mystic is wasting a vote because Dwarves can only be Fighters, and it skews the results for those who are voting for a race that can be Mystics. You'll see what I mean.
Lineage Eternal trailer shows off drag-and-hold combat
Lineage fans have a lot to be excited about this week, as NCsoft has finally announced the third franchise entry at G-Star 2011. Lineage Eternal is shaping up to be a throwback to the original Lineage title due to its overhead camera, and it also sports a fairly unique "drag-and-hold" mechanic designed to make combat more immersive via drawn mouse patterns for various actions like spell-casting. We say fairly unique here because while the mechanic is new to AAA MMO franchises, a similar idea was employed earlier this year in the Shadow Cities iPhone game. You can get a look at the mechanics in action, as well as over 14 minutes of Lineage Eternal gameplay, in the trailer after the cut. [Thanks to John for the tip!]
Kim Jong-il has hackers farming MMOs for in-game coin (and, we assume, Aviators)
It all makes sense now -- North Korea's infamously deluded dictator, Kim Jong-il, wants to be king of the castle in NCsoft's MMO Lineage, completely explaining his fetishes for extravagance and naked discos. Kim has hired a team of hackers to farm Asian MMOs for in-game coin, which they sell online for cash IRL, according to South Korean officials. Kim's hackers hail from North and South Korea, and work with operatives in Northern China, four of which were arrested last week in Seoul for organizing a hacking squad of 30 people, authorities said. In less than two years, the organizers made $6 million, 55 percent of which went to the hackers, and some of that to Kim's agents in Pyongyang, Seoul police said. Officials believe the hackers report to a mysterious Communist Party agency named Office 39, which earns money for Kim through drug trafficking, arms sales and other illegal activities. Kim's slush fund is worth billions, American and South Korean officials said, and he uses it, in part, to fund a nuclear weapons program. This is truly upsetting, because the only thing more depressing than a nuclear attack is a nuclear attack funded by MMOs.
North Korea employing MMO hackers to fund government
What's a dictator to do when his third-world economy is wheezing along on its last legs? Hack some video games, of course! According to a report in the New York Times, North Korea's Kim Jong-il unleashed an army of young computer crackers on popular South Korean online gaming portals to find ways to make quick cash. South Korean authorities claim that a squad of approximately 30 hackers operated from a base in China and were given the mission of breaching online gaming servers (including those of the immensely popular Lineage) to set up bot factories and automated farming collectives. The digital booty was then sold to gamers for a reported $6 million over two years. Chung Kil-hwan, a senior officer at South Korea's International Crime Investigation Unit, says that the hacker group "reports to a shadowy Communist Party agency called Office 39, which gathers foreign hard currency for Mr. Kim through drug trafficking, counterfeiting, arms sales, and other illicit activities."
Looking for the hit formula: NCsoft's Jeremy Gaffney on creating successful MMOs
Jeremy Gaffney knows MMOs, having spent a great portion of his life working at Turbine and NCsoft, so when he speaks about building successful games, he's not just spitballing -- he's got experience in his back pocket and forward-thinking in the palm of his hand. Speaking with Develop, Gaffney gave clear, practical advice about how MMO studios can pull ahead and succeed in this cutthroat market. Like many gamers, Gaffney is concerned with the growing aversion to risk-taking that studios exhibit as MMO gaming's gone more mainstream. "I worry, for example, that mass market equals mass budget equals risk aversion equals conservative design. The great thing about the early MMOs – games like Asheron's Call, Ultima Online, EverQuest and Lineage – was the fact they experimented; they weren't afraid to take different directions," he says. Even so, Gaffney is excited for the possibilities in the industry, simply because there are so many of them. Whether studios choose to develop for the mainstream or niche, console or mobile markets, using free-to-play or subscription business models, he sees avenues for success in all of them: "The common denominator will always be the gamer. And with gamers comes diversity, especially now." Gaffney's Carbine Studios is hard at work on an as-of-yet unnamed MMO which will be revealed at Gamescom later this month.
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Ultima Worlds Online: Origin
Two months ago, we heard a rumor (which has since gone quiet) that a new Ultima Online sequel might be in the oven in Electronic Art's kitchen. As with any rumor, it was important to take it with a grain of disbelief, although a pinch of hope seems appropriate in this case as well. After all, Ultima Online's been begging for a sequel ever since the hit MMO started facing stiff competition in the form of 3-D worlds like EverQuest and Asheron's Call. For some of us gamers, word of a UO sequel feels like deja vu, and rightly so. This wouldn't be the first time that EA embarked on a project to make a more modern Ultima Online, nor would it be the second time. Indeed, the saga of Ultima Online's canceled sequels is as torrid as it is steamy and lusty. Ignore the words in the previous sentence, as those are just to up the hits on search engines. In our continuing series on the "what ifs?" of axed MMOs, we're going to head into a two-parter full of savage truth, dangerous decisions, and full-frontal nerdery. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the saga of Ultima Online 2.
The Game Archaeologist traces his Lineage: The highlights
If we judged MMOs by their numbers alone -- and I'm not suggesting we do so -- then Lineage would be the crowing rooster strutting about the hen house. It's also been one of those games that I've always intellectually acknowledged was a huge hit for some reason, but I never gave it much attention. I think it's because, contrary to many of the "big name" games we cover here, Lineage was and always will be an Asian phenomenon. That doesn't mean it should be shunned, of course, but just that it may be difficult to understand when you're on the outside of it. So let's back up the memory truck to September 1998, when a then-fledgling NCsoft rolled out a Diablo-esque isometric MMO and struck virtual gold in South Korea. At the time, gaming rooms were becoming a huge thing in the country; a recession had hit (giving people a lot of time with nothing to do), and the government was rapidly expanding the broadband network. In the face of this perfect storm, titles like StarCraft and Lineage became overnight household fixtures -- and the country hasn't looked back. Even if you haven't played Lineage and you don't know anyone who does, trust me: There are a lot of people playing this 13-year-old title, to the tune of millions and millions. As former Senior Producer Chris Mahnken said, "Lineage keeps going because it's just plain fun." This month we'll be looking back at the incredible legacy that Lineage has given the industry, starting with an overview of the highlights of these past 13 years. Hit the jump and mind the gap!
The MMO Report: Lineage shutdown, Lion's Arch, and Sith Inquisitor trailer
Today's MMO Report, sadly, suffers from a distinct lack of Casey Schreiner. But all is well, as G4's Morgan Webb has stepped up to the plate to cover for Casey as he celebrates his 30th birthday. The first order of business is the announcement that NCSoft will be shutting down the North American Lineage servers on June 29th. All inactive accounts for the 13-year-old game have been reactivated, and the game will be free-to-play until the servers go dark. Secondly, we move on to the much-anticipated Guild Wars 2 and the confirmation that Lion's Arch, a social hub featured in the first game, would be making its return in Guild Wars 2. Be sure to check out our coverage of the unveiling of the fly-through video and some analytical commentary from our own Rubi Bayer. Next up is some screen-time for Minecraft. While the game is not strictly an MMO, there's no doubt that the indie title has gained immense popularity in the gaming community. Morgan reports that Minecraft creator Notch is contemplating holding a Las Vegas launch party... err, convention tentatively dated for November 11th. Star Wars: The Old Republic's Sith Inquisitor made its trailer debut earlier this week. Being described by Morgan as "the one player character you really don't want to meet in a dark alley," the class incorporates elements of both spellcasters and stealth classes into one mean, Force-fueled combination. Lastly, we have a fly-through video of the starting zones of Perfect World Entertainment's Ether Saga Odyssey. The free-to-play MMO launched late last month. For the full Casey-and-mailbag-deprived video, scuttle on past the cut.
The Perfect Ten: Sequelitis
As a long-time movie buff, I've always been fascinated by sequels. I know, they have a terrible reputation and everyone gets this face like he's digesting a porcupine when discussing them, but there's something fun about them as well. I think we always want a good story to continue, to see what happens next, and to answer the question, "What would the first film be like if it were put in the hands of a complete boob?" It would be an entertaining trainwreck, that's what. Even though the MMORPG genre is in its toddler stage, it's seen a number of sequels, prequels and spin-offs, just the same as other types of entertainment. Video game sequels for hit titles are safer financial investments than striking out into new territory, so it makes sense that MMO studios would follow this pattern as well. Right now there are loads of MMO sequels and spin-offs in the works -- including EverQuest Next, PlanetSide Next, Guild Wars 2, Mabinogi 2, MapleStory 2, Phantasy Star Online 2, Dust 514, and even a possible Ultima Online sequel -- so it's safe to say that the trend won't be dying down anytime soon. However, today I want to look at 10 sequels that already made it to release and briefly examine how they stacked up to their predecessors. Oh yes, there will be blood after the jump -- and I will drink your milkshake!
NCsoft profits decline, limited marketing blamed
MMORPG publisher NCSoft has reported a year-over-year decline in both revenue and profit during the first quarter of 2011. The company's revenues fell 7 percent from the same period a year ago to 155.4 billion Korean Won (about $143 million), despite increased sales from Lineage 2. Profits showed an even sharper decline, dropping 30 percent to 40.8 billion KRW ($37.5 million). The company chalked up the losses to "soft sales promotions" of its other two key games, the original Lineage and Aion -- or, as we like to call them, "the one with all the castles" and "the one with all the angels." That's ... about all we know about the two games. You know, ahem, because of their limited marketing budgets.
NCsoft increases profits, maintains revenues
It's a banner year over at the NCsoft household, as the company is showing a strong rise in net profits for the first quarter this year. Even though NCsoft's revenues have held relatively steady during Q1 2011, profits are up by 30% for a total of $37.5 million due to recent promotions in Lineage and Aion. The vast majority of NCsoft's money comes from Korea, with Chinese and Western markets trailing behind. According to Gamesindustry.biz, Aion is making the most bank for the company (accounting for 44% of revenues), followed by Lineage (28%) and Lineage 2 (22%). NCsoft's Sara Rogers sees nothing but good news in these numbers: "NCsoft consistently delivers strong figures in a way that most other games publishers can only dream of. These results prove that we have the MMO brands that people want to play and that we're able to grow and maintain customer loyalty, which is crucial in successful MMO publishing. This year, Gamescom will be very significant for us. We'll have a major presence and maybe even steal a headline or two."
NCsoft shutting down Lineage in North America
Before Aion, before Guild Wars, before anything else for NCsoft, there was Lineage. Not the sequel (which actually takes place significantly before the first title) but the original game, released not too long after Ultima Online came on to the scene. While the game is old, it's long maintained a viable community within North America... but apparently not quite viable enough. Today, NCsoft announced that as of June 29th, the game's servers will be shutting down for good in North America. Players who had registered previously have had their accounts reactivated in good standing, and all recurring billing has been cancelled from this date onward. The community team for the game is also promising some live events to help memorialize the game and let it go out with a bang rather than a whimper. We can also expect to see a few new live server rule pushes. Still, it's a sad day for Lineage fans, who are well advised to look at the official announcement and the refund policy to see how the plans for the remaining time will affect them.
Lineage II's 7th anniversary kicks off with three weeks of events
It's sometimes hard to believe that the MMO genre is already over a decade old. Lineage II celebrates its 7th Anniversary this month, demonstrating an impressive longevity that not all MMOs can hope to match. To celebrate, NCSoft has three weeks full of events planned for current and ex-players of the game. Starting today and lasting until May 4th, all expired Lineage II accounts have been temporarily reactivated for free. During this time, any subscription purchases will be rewarded with special in-game anniversary rewards such as a chest full of gear or a pitch black version of the 7th anniversary cloak. During the first week of the celebrations, players will benefit from free teleports at gatekeepers and double experience and skill points from monster kills. Extending the celebrations for a third week, an anniversary letters event will run from April 27th until May 11th. Players will sometimes find letter blocks when hunting monsters. Special rewards will be available for players who collect enough letters to spell out the words "NCSoft" or "Lineage II." On April 27th and May 4th, the highest level characters on each account will be gifted with anniversary gift packs full of goodies. All characters above level 80 will also get an impressive-looking blood red endgame cloak on April 27th. For more details head over to the official announcement on the Lineage II website.
NCsoft's Lineage enjoys record year, Aion growth boosts total revenue
It's been an up and down year for NCsoft, literally. GamesIndustry.biz writes that the Korean MMO titan has reported increases in both its sales and operating profits but a drop in net income in the recently concluded fiscal 2010 period. Surprisingly, the company's total revenue was up two percent due to unprecedented sales of the 12-year-old Lineage MMORPG. Much to the chagrin of fail-trolls across the internet, NCsoft has also publicized the fact that Aion continues to be a financial success after "recording consecutive growth for the last three years." Taken together, NCsoft's big three (Lineage, Lineage 2, and Aion) have now accounted for $2.7 billion in lifetime sales. NCsoft's largest success came courtesy of the booming Korean market (which represented a $370 million cut of its $576 million total revenue). Next up was the Japanese market at $70 million, followed by North America at $43.4 million and Europe at $30.1 million.
The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The vets
We just had to start 2011 in style, didn't we? I knew that by invoking the sacred name of EverQuest, I'd be opening the door for thousands of collective years' worth of memories, opinions, frustrations, nostalgia, gushing and blocky screenshots. But the Game Archaeologist fears not even the greatest mountain in MMO legend; it had to be climbed sooner or later. And of course, who better to guide you up the mountain than a few EQ Sherpas who know the way? Sure, they might try to steal the idol and not throw me the whip in the end, but that was a very real risk I was willing to take to get the full story. So today I'd like to introduce you to three EverQuest veterans who are all now world-famous bloggers. If you sense a connection between these two facts, I will only hint at the possibility of a secret society in SOE's headquarters that bestows great blessings upon its faithful fans. Hit the jump to meet this EQ trio and hear what they had to say about the MMO that profoundly affected their playing careers!
G-Star 2010: From the show floor
With the booming popularity of Korean games in western culture, the G-Star convention in Busan, South Korea is quickly turning into an international event. We had an opportunity to attend the four-day convention to see the latest and greatest from Korean online gaming. Follow along after the jump as I describe my experiences on the first day of the convention, as well as take a look at what else you can expect as we go into days two, three and four.
Take a two-week MMOcation: Lineage reactivates lapsed accounts for new update
It may be an oldie, but Lineage shows no sign of slowing down in its middle age. In fact, NCsoft is on the verge of releasing a mega-update and is throwing open the doors to all previous Lineage players from the past decade-plus to give it a whirl. On Wednesday, November 10th, the new update will be released in conjunction with a two-week period of reactivated accounts. From the 10th through the 24th, all previous Lineage players will find their accounts dusted off and unlocked for their gaming pleasure. Getting back into the swing of things is fairly simple, too: All one needs to do is just log in. The succinctly named Tikal + Antharas update features a new dungeon (Tikal) as well as the first-ever raid dungeon for the game (Antharas). The patch notes show that there is plenty of content for everyone of all walks of play, as the update offers new pets, a revamped dungeon, plenty of additional items, and resting XP for higher levels. You can read the full announcement as well as an account reactivation FAQ over at the Lineage website.
