lockbox
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Firefox Lockbox provides access to your passwords on Android
Mozilla's Firefox Lockbox has been helping iOS users keep tabs on their many passwords for a while, and now it's making that tool available on Android. Like its iOS counterpart, the app helps you fetch any password you already have stored in Firefox (and thus synced across your devices). It's not a traditional manager, then -- this is more for ensuring that you can sign into a streaming service on a friend's TV.
China forces game producers to reveal loot box odds
Using addictive animations and other psychological tricks, games like Overwatch and Hearthstone hook you on free loot boxes, then make you pay for the rush with real money. That sounds like gambling to China's Ministry of Culture, so it's instituting some new rules starting in May 2017. The government will force publishers to post the probability "of all virtual items, props and services" available in loot boxes, along with recent results, on the game's official website, according to the ruling.
Star Trek Online hypes a time-limited (but is it really?) lockbox
Cryptic's latest news post details a new promotion involving Star Trek Online's Xindi lockbox. What's inside the Xindi lockbox? How the heck should I know? And isn't that fun! The Xindi lockbox is time-limited because as of October 14, it will no longer be offered as a drop or a reward in STO, according to the blurb. Or will it? After hyping the Xindi, Cryptic uses the very next paragraph to explain how it is unretiring a bunch of supposedly retired lockboxes (including Cardassian, Ferengi, Tholian, Temporal, Dominion, and more). So, be sure and grind hard in order to get your hands on one of those time-limited Xindi lockboxes before they disappear! Or just wait for the next unretirement party, I guess.
Singapore gambling law may put MMO lockboxes at risk
A proposed remote gambling bill in Singapore may put MMOs that use lockbox systems, as well as players who purchase lockboxes with real-world money, in danger of being prosecuted or being run out of town. According to Games in Asia, the law's broad definitions of what consitutes remote gambling may impact freemium and free-to-play MMOs: "This, according to Stamford Law, will 'outlaw the freemium model where monetization is primarily via in-app purchases,' and does not specify from whom the purchases of virtual objects are made. This means that both game developers, who sell in-app purchases, and players, who make these in-app purchases, can be persecuted [sic]." The bill will come under additional scrutiny this week. If the language isn't changed, then even foreign developers can be charged for advertising or operating an MMO in the country with real money-infused "games of chance."
The Daily Grind: What's the best loot system in an MMO?
Massively commenters recently reminded me that one of the things that bug me about retro themeparks is the loot that drops in dungeons and raids -- or to be more specific, the lack thereof. You want me to pile how many people into a multi-hour raid and reward only one or two of them with a boss drop? Why we're so happy to bash lockboxes that abuse our money but not RNG lotteries that abuse our time stymies me. I'd love to see more games like City of Heroes that reward everyone with his or her own drops for making it through to the end of a mission -- no roll window required, no DKP necessary, no ninja-looters possible. You do a thing and you get a thing, not just a dim chance at a thing. What do you guys think is the best loot-drop system in an MMO, past or present? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The first chunk of Champions Online's Steel Crusade is live
As we previewed back in August, the first leg of Champions Online's Steel Crusade update went live last week. Your task in the update? Stop people from spontaneously bursting into flames. No, really. The Steel Crusade update begins in Millennium City, where things are really heating up as citizens are spontaneously bursting into flame. With the help of Professor Silverback, you'll need to help save citizens by shrinking down to microscopic size to enter the human brain and investigate the cause of the malady. The update introduces a new archetype for max level characters (Reawakened Automaton), new missions to combat Mechanon, and yeah, a new lockbox with a chance at new costumes and a vehicle. The second and final part of the update launches this Thursday with a "space-station showdown."
SMITE reworks Nu Wa, adds treasure boxes
SMITE got a bit of rework this week, with new skins, a new Zeus model, and a complete update of Nu Wa headlining the changes. Hi-Rez also added RNG treasure boxes to its fantasy/mythology MOBA as well as several tweaks to custom game functionality. View the complete update notes via the links below, and don't forget to have a look at the new skins video after the break. [Thanks Sorenthaz!]
The Daily Grind: Do you play the MMO lockbox game?
The infamous marketing phenomenon known as the lockbox has been the subject of much disdain since F2P took over the MMO market because lockboxes are perceived by players to be an annoying lottery mechanic, but they don't seem to be going away. Studios like Cryptic have gone on record as saying they're incredibly profitable, and that means lots of players do buy them (or the keys to open them, as the case may be). Or do they? The top-supplied item on the Guild Wars 2 auction house is the locked Black Lion Chest. As of this screencap last week, almost 7,000,000 lockboxes are sitting on the market unbought, waiting for someone with a purchased or looted key to come along and crack them open. Add to that number the 50 or so sitting idle in my bank! That's a lot of dropped lockboxes that failed to entice someone to whip out his wallet and pay for a key. Are you among the resistant players, or do you play the MMO lockbox game? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Flameseeker Chronicles: How to get your Halloween on in Guild Wars 2
It's the most wonderful time of the year. Halloween has returned to Guild Wars 2, and ArenaNet has introduced a new member of Mad King Thorn's family to cause mayhem all around Tyria. While this year's Blood and Madness event isn't quite as involved as last year's Shadow of the Mad King, there's still lots to do and some new rewards to earn. It helps that the content will be hanging around GW2 until November 11th, giving us quite a bit of time to soak in the jack-o'-lantern-lit atmosphere and get sick on candy -- not that any of us would do that (much). You've also got plenty of opportunity to finish up the storyline and the associated achievements, but it's probably more fun to get it done while it's fresh. With that in mind, I've written up a guide to help you chase off that whiny Thorn kid before the trick-or-treaters come knocking.
The Soapbox: Game companies exist to make money
I'm going to start this article off with a statement, and it's going to be divisive, but not for the reasons you might expect. A good chunk of you reading this are going to read the line, roll your eyes, and immediately think that I've just written the most obvious thing ever. Some of you might even take to the comments to start calling for my termination just from this line alone. Ready for this? Game companies exist to make money. All right, so it was probably all of you rolling your eyes. This is pretty basic stuff, right? Except I'm willing to bet that some of you who rolled your eyes at that sentence still don't really get it. You understand that companies are trying to make money, but you don't really grasp what that means in a larger sense. So let's just accept that some of you are going to read this article and nod along the whole time without learning a whole lot. The rest of you will head to the comments and start demanding my head.
Star Trek Online's latest lockbox brings unexpected visitors
You can be forgiven for not expecting the Elachi to show up in Star Trek Online no matter how dedicated you are to the franchise. They were a one-off race in an episode of Enterprise that never even got referred to by name, after all. But as it turns out, this mysterious opponent is working with the Tal Shiar, and as often happens that means the Elachi are the centerpiece of the game's latest lockbox. Players can uncover a variety of prizes within the new lockboxes, including new ships belonging to the race. If you don't want a new ship, you can still utilize some Elachi consoles that allow you to fog the sensors of nearby ships. There are also new crescent weapon systems based off of Elachi technology and some special mirror universe ships to spice things up a bit more. Players eager for more details on what can be scavenged from these silent enemies can take a glance at the full rundown of lockbox prizes.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Getting what you pay for in Guild Wars 2
Despite a number of unfortunate sword-clipping issues, it seems that Ellen Kiel is our lead candidate so far in Guild Wars 2's player-decided election! It's close though, and Evon Gnashblade's supporters still have plenty of time to make the push to victory. The playerbase is mired in furious controversy over a number of very pressing concerns: Can the fall of Abaddon possibly live up to our expectations, given that it would take place in a short Fractal? What kind of secrets could the Thaumanova Reactor meltdown hold? Why can Kiel wear her spiffy-lookin' town clothes in combat while we can't? A more serious problem is how ArenaNet's handling of Aetherized weapon skins has reignited dissatisfaction over the gem store. Granted, it's mostly settled into dark mutterings at this point, but the issue has still been cropping up with nearly every major event. Changes are made to Black Lion chests and event boxes; players give the boxes another chance, hoping to get their money's worth; disappointment follows when that doesn't happen. This is a cycle that's going to keep occurring if we don't acknowledge the reason for its existence.
Champions unleashes new lockbox-powered story arc
The prelude to Champions Online's latest story arc kicked off yesterday with the release of the SOCRATES Data Cache lockbox. The game's latest dev blog has all the details, and it mentions something about "a desperate race to save Millennium City." Lockboxes apparently factor into the arc quite heavily, as they'll drop from monsters but will require a 100 Zen Cosmic Key of Cash Shop Power to open. The arc features five new digitally themed costume pieces.
Ultima Forever adjusts store prices based on player feedback
Mythic's been field testing Ultima Forever in the Canadian iOS market, and the studio now says that it's making significant changes to the in-app pricing based on feedback from players. Most of the changes will swing in the players' favor, including lowered repair costs and cheaper storage space increases. The studio is also considering a one-time buyout fee to get rid of all freemium aspects, although this is not a given. One factor did increase in price, however. The studio raised the cost to loot high-quality chests, as the devs found that once players nabbed the good gear inside, they had less incentive to keep on looting. Producer Carrie Gouskos said that the changes were necessary to keep from souring players' experiences. "You've got to get people to love your game first," she said, going on to remark that when player loyalty is established, revenue will follow. [Thanks to Space Cobra for the tip!]
It's a ship in a box in Star Trek Online
Just because you're playing a Romulan in Star Trek Online's first expansion doesn't mean every other Romulan is your friend. Empress Sela's Tal Shiar are a huge threat not just to the nascent Romulan Republic but to all sentient life throughout the galaxy, epitomized with their insectoid ships that fuse Romulan, Borg, and Elachi technology together. Needless to say, these ships are never good to see on the horizon. Unless you happen to open one in a lockbox, anyhow. Yes, the newest lockbox in the game will give players a chance to earn the strange ships of the Tal Shiar, giving all captains a chance to fly some of the strangest ships yet seen in the game. The ships perform similarly to Romulan crafts with their built-in cloaks, but they exchange some of the active Romulan cloaking power for tactical weapons like Shrapnel Torpedoes. For more details on what awaits in the upcoming lockboxes, take a look at the full rundown of potential prizes.
Wings Over Atreia: Aion adopts lockboxes
It was bound to happen. Rare is the free-to-play game that evades incorporating this quintessential cash-shop concoction. The good news is, if you entered a pool for when NCsoft would introduce lockboxes into Aion and your date was January 30th, congratulations -- you won! Of course, this may have been one pot that you were secretly hoping no one would ever claim; there are certainly those who have a deep-seated hatred for lockboxes and all they purportedly represent. Those who enjoy the random nature of that treasure, however, probably wondered what took so long. Love them or loathe them, lockboxes are a now permanent part of Atreia's landscape. But is that a good or a bad thing? Are lockboxes a fun feature or one step on that slippery slide toward nickel-and-diming players like a number of other F2P offerings? One of the best things Aion has going for it is the unique free-to-play mode that allows folks who choose not to pay to experience the same exact game as those who drop cash in the shop. Can Aion maintain its Truly Free philosophy while pushing lockboxes? I believe the answer is yes.
Captain's Log: Leveling up and new lockboxes in Star Trek Online
I've said it once and I'll say it over and over again: It can be hard to write about a game in the weeks leading up to a scheduled event or content release. This week is no different. Star Trek Online's team is nose down into the final touches of the new material being released next week for the game's third anniversary, and new information about any of it has slowed to a crawl. However, in the interim, we have been given the information on the contents of Star Trek Online's newest lockbox as well as the specs on the new ships either contained in the boxes or available in the Lobi store. I also had the opportunity to take part in the most recent Q XP Weekend event and actually found myself having a lot of fun.
Cryptic prepping new Champions 'mega-event'
Cryptic has tweaked its Champions Online website with news of a forthcoming in-game event. First up is a rather mysterious in-character blurb and an associated discussion thread. The shenanigans are scheduled to begin on January 11th, and Cryptic will be giving away free costume pieces to celebrate. The "mega-event" will feature new adventures released every couple of weeks that include new missions and new items, and the festivities will eventually culminate in a custom alert. Cryptic is also touting its Grav Bike Arsenal lockbox. You'll find more info on that at the official Champions website.
The Daily Grind: What do you consider a lockbox?
I've never been a fan of lockboxes in games, but it occurs to me that there are really two variants to the whole concept of annoying random item packs. The first variety, as seen in Star Wars: The Old Republic, is essentially like a pack of trading cards. You pay money and get a random pack of items. While I'm not thrilled with it, considering the fact that you can generally sell or trade the random items, it's not all that bad in the long run. The other variety, as found in Guild Wars 2, is what I find really irritating. The box is randomly dropped from enemies in the game; the part you have to buy is the key to open the box. In essence, your reward for killing a monster is the chance to give the company running the game more money. Of course, to some players both varieties are equally frustrating and worthy of the name "lockbox." So what about you? Do you consider one type or the other to be more of a lockbox than the other? Do you dislike both? Or do you not really care either way? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Vanguard expands F2P perks, introduces lockboxes
Vanguard has become even more accommodating to free players as today's update lifted the restriction against such players using uncommon items. SOE says that this now opens the door for free players to equip almost 20,000 additional items and weapons. It seems that Vanguard isn't able to escape all the trends of free-to-play, however. As the Festival of Gloriann rolls in next month, so do new lockboxes to the game. These lockboxes have a chance of containing a rare item like festive horses and cool pets, but are only openable by using cash shop-purchased keys. The patch also contains tweaks to the newly opened City of Brass, a resurrection gem in the marketplace, and performance tweaks.
