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The Lawbringer: What World of Warcraft can learn from other microtransaction models, part 1
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? Microtransactions are here to stay. We were wary and scared in the beginning -- it was a brave new world, having the gall to ask consumers for a couple of bucks for horse armor. DLC (downloadable content) and microtransactions evolved over time to include better customization, new missions and levels, convenience purchases, and more. The industry began to shape itself around the growing need for better revenue models, as well as conforming to the needs and wants of players while remaining (hopefully) pure in motive. With the huge success of the free-to-play model in the United States and Europe, a feat which many said was not going to go over too well outside of the Asian markets, paying for your game over time instead of up front has become a staple, an afterthought, to gamers. World of Warcraft isn't going true free-to-play any time soon, of course. The subscription model works for WoW in a fairly unique way. The number of global subscriptions for WoW make up such a huge, defined income that removing that income from the table in favor of the "5-percenters," the people who presumably pay for items in-game, would be almost criminal in terms of corporate mismanagement -- unless, of course, you could make more money on those 5-percenters than you do on 11.4 million monthly subscriptions, which seems like a hefty move to make.
Lost Pages of Taborea: Comparing EVE's PLEX and PvP to RoM's
I was prepping for a Guild Wars 2 comparison with Runes of Magic, but in light of the current buzz in the air, I'm moving my EVE Online comparison up. A couple of interesting blocks fell into place this week that fit well with a look at how EVE and RoM allow money to circulate through the economies, and how PvP works in conjunction with it. While there's no contest as to which MMO has the more robust economy, there are still similarities that fit the pay-to-progress comment Mr. Simon Ludgate made in a recent Gamasutra article. Swarming around the above topics is the question of how much it costs to stay competitive in RoM, which I've also been working on. What does Gamasutra's article have to do with RoM, how much does it cost to be competitive and how are economies similar in these two MMOs? You can also read my memorandum to all EVE PvPers. Set your jump-point past the break to see.
EVE Evolved: The evolution of microtransactions
Two weeks ago, the escalating drama in EVE Online saw me drained of my normal enthusiasm as I contemplated the very real possibility that my time in the game I love was coming to an end. While the forums were filled with the most vocal and angry players, discussions with veteran players featured mainly disappointment and a distinct sadness. For those few days spent in limbo waiting for the results of the emergency CSM meeting, I and many of my in-game friends remained a hair's breadth from giving up on EVE entirely. It was a delicate situation based more on perception and poor communication than intent or fact, and I think CCP pulled things back well with formal statements from both itself and the CSM in addition to an in-depth follow-up press conference. One of the big points to come out of the press conference was that while CCP and the CSM are both confident that none of the future microtransaction plans are game-breaking, the company did not restrict itself to vanity goods such as Incarna clothing. While the CSM was convinced that CCP planned only to produce pure vanity goods, CCP Zulu was careful not to rule out gameplay-affecting microtransactions altogether. Both CCP and the CSM also talked about "game-breaking" sales rather than using a clearer term like "gameplay-affecting" or "non-vanity." It's reasonable then to assume that in the future we might eventually get non-vanity goods that do interact with gameplay but aren't game-breaking in terms of balance, mechanics or interaction with the in-game economy. In this week's EVE Evolved, I show exactly why options like selling ships would be game-breaking and then let my imagination run wild as I speculate on possible non-vanity microtransactions for the far future that shouldn't disrupt gameplay.
Controversy brewing over EVE Online microtransactions
When we first heard that EVE Online was planning to add microtransaction options, players were most concerned with the effect of microtransaction items on gameplay. CCP was quick to reassure players that microtransactions would focus on vanity items for Incarna and no gameplay-affecting items would be released. Fast-forward to today, when the first phase of Incarna finally went live along with the new Noble Exchange cash shop. As promised, the store contained only vanity items for Incarna, starting with a series of alternative clothing options. The one thing we didn't really think of while we worried about microtransactions affecting EVE's gameplay was price. The current prices on items in the Noble Exchange are far above typical microtransaction charges and an order of magnitude higher than expected. Items in the Noble Exchange are bought with a new currency called Aurum, 3500 of which can be created from one 30-day pilot's license (PLEX). With the price of PLEX set at around $19.95 US, players can expect to pay over $20 for a skirt, $25 for a blouse, and more than a whopping $68 for the much-desired ocular implant monocle. In a bizarre twist, many of the clothing options for sale at the Noble Exchange actually cost more than real clothes of the same type. As PLEX can be bought from other players for ISK, however, most players will not be spending their own cash on these items. PLEX prices have already spiked to over 400 million each, putting the price of the monocle at over 1.3 billion ISK. CCP could not provide any more information on the issue, but we expect an issue this hot will prompt an announcement.
LG LW5600 3D LCD HDTV review
Much like the format war that once divided us between HD DVD and Blu-ray, a battle between two different types of 3D-capable HDTVs rages on while customers wait to be convinced that any of the new tech is worth the trouble. One of the first to enter the battlefield for the passive glasses side from LG is the LW5600, a slim edge-LED lit LCD model that is most notable for its extras. Besides featuring a Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) screen that plays back 3D viewable with the same RealD glasses you use at the movie theater, it's a connected TV packing apps, Plex media streaming software and a "magic motion" gesture control remote. After perusing the spec list we couldn't wait to see if more features actually made for a better HDTV experience and if passive 3D is a competitive option for home viewing, so check after the break to see how we felt about it after a few hours on the couch.
CCP bringing vanity item store, new currency to EVE
If you've ever dreamed of a stripper pole for your captain's quarters or a monocle for your captain, CCP's latest dev blog aims to make your wildest wishes come true. And no, we're not kidding. CCP Zulu breaks the news about the forthcoming EVE Online vanity item store, which will sell a wide variety of incidentals ranging from clothing to accessories to custom ship paint jobs. Of particular interest is the creation of a new EVE currency, Aurum, which Zulu says is acquired when you break up PLEX. "Each PLEX gives you a bunch of Aurum that you can spend in the virtual goods store. If you don't want to spend Aurum on these vanity items, you can always wait for someone else to do so and then buy it off them for ISK. [...] Items bought in the virtual goods store will be transferable between characters, just like PLEX is today," he explains. Zulu also points out that the item shop is for vanity gear only, and you'll want to head to the official EVE Online website for all the details.
Plex Media Server launches client for Roku
Plex has been serving up streaming video for more than a minute, bringing content to Macs, iDevices, and even jailbroken Apple TVs (not to mention apps for all sizes of Android). For those who are neither Apple aficionados nor dedicated 'droid users, the company has rolled out a client that runs on Rokus. It's currently in beta and only supports video, but Plex plans to provide picture and music management in the future. Plex's XBMC secret sauce paired with Roku's ample streaming content buffet? Sounds delicious. [Thanks, James]
CCP converting EVE PLEX to currency for storm relief
CCP has a long history of lending a helping hand during times of crisis. Whether it's the Haiti earthquake, the Japan tsunami, flooding in Pakistan, or most recently, the severe storms in the southeastern United States, the developer of EVE Online and World of Darkness is usually at the forefront of gamemaker disaster relief efforts. Today, CCP Fallout outlines the latest such drive on the EVE Insider dev blog. Plex for Good: Storm Relief is designed to provide aid to those devastated by the tornados that ripped through portions of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee last week. The drive starts today and runs through May 16th, and each player-made PLEX donation "will be converted into cash currency and donated to the Red Cross." Players should contract their PLEX to the "CCP PLEX for Good" character, and because it's EVE, the dev blog mentions that any scams relating to the relief effort will be met with swift and harsh punishments. Head to official EVE website to learn more.
Plex plays nice with your Honeycomb slate after app update
We've praised Plex in the past for delivering us box-free XBMC and for it's prodigious media streaming proficiency. Problem is, its app wasn't optimized for the Honeycomb OS and the upsized screen real estate of Android slates -- until now. With the updated code comes tablet-friendly layouts and fast-scrolling in all grid and list views so you can zip through your large local media library. It also includes direct play and internet streaming sans-transcoding (just like the recently revised iOS app) for sating those right now vid cravings. The improvements serve smaller Android devices as well, which makes the newly egalitarian app more enticing than ever before. Best of all, it's still only five bucks. [Thanks, Andrew]
Plex 1.1 for iOS improves streaming over 3G, pipes video to your TV
If you're not already running the Plex Media Server on one of the twenty-three beige boxes networked across your tiny domicile, you may be sorely tempted to install a copy this week, because the iOS app has just received a truly massive update. Where once the XBMC spinoff would have to transcode every video it delivered to your device across the ether, Plex claims it can now either bypass that CPU-intensive process or use an iOS-optimized technique, pumping H.264 video over the air far more efficiently. Second, it can deliver that content from iOS direct to your TV, via either a video-out cable or experimental support for AirPlay. Not bad, right? How's universal search sound -- the ability to type in a word and have the app reach out to local servers, remote servers, and online video services like YouTube and Vimeo too? Yeah, that $4.99 price tag is looking mighty affordable right about now, and there are plenty more improvements to peruse at the links below.
EVE Online players raise over $44,000 for Japan relief fund
Never let it be said that gamers don't have big hearts. When Japan was hit by an earthquake and the ensuing tsunami, people around the world stepped up to donate to disaster relief programs. Several MMO developers have made substantial donations using profits from their games. NCSoft made a huge donation of 500 million yen (6.3 million USD), and Sony Online Entertainment donated 300 million yen (3.6 million U.S. dollars). SOE, gPotato, Perfect World Entertainment and Hi-Rez studios have all been running schemes to help players donate, ranging from special once-only microtransaction items to just donating a percentage of all cash shop proceeds to charity. EVE Online's developer CCP Games has encouraged donations through their unique PLEX system. Players who couldn't afford to donate cash were encouraged to buy PLEX in-game using ISK and donate them to the relief fund. CCP would then scrap the PLEX items and donate their full purchase value to charity. The scheme has been very successful at raising money in previous disasters, raising over 40,000 USD for the Haitian earthquake fund and roughly a further 20,000 USD for the flooding in Pakistan. In a new devblog, CCP Fallout has released the final results of EVE's charity drive. A total of 2549 PLEX, each worth 17.5 USD, was donated to the scheme by players. CCP will be donating the full value of 44,607.50 USD to the Red Cross in the name the EVE Online community, and will be paying for all of the tax and management costs themselves. EVE players have now donated a total of 108,000 USD through the PLEX for Good scheme. Head over to the devblog for the details of the charity drive and some interesting information on three players who helped make it a success.
Donate EVE ISK to help disaster relief efforts in Japan
When it comes to collecting aid for disaster relief, EVE Online developer CCP Games has a unique way of helping players donate. While many MMOs ask for donations or release limited-edition cash shop items, CCP has managed to devise a way for players to donate in-game currency to help people in the real world. During the relief effort for last year's earthquake in Haiti, CCP began accepting donations of 30-day Pilot's License EXtensions (PLEX) for their full monetary value in game time. With the recent devestation in Japan, CCP has once again asked for the EVE community's help to raise money for relief aid. Each PLEX bought on the in-game market and donated to charity represents 30 days of game time that someone in the world originally paid for with cash but that won't be redeemed into game time. Because of this, CCP can donate the full cash value of that game time to a registered relief charity without taking a big loss. CCP absorbs all management and tax fees to ensure that 100% of the donated game time's value is passed on to registered charities (in this case, the Red Cross). To donate to the relief effort in Japan, EVE players are encouraged to buy PLEX on the open market and contract them to the character "CCP PLEX For Good" before March 31st. As usual, EVE Online's normally permissive rules on scamming have been suspended in relation to the charity drive. Anyone attempting to scam players out of ISK or PLEX using this charity drive will be dealt with harshly. With notable rich players and corporations able to potentially donate thousands of dollars' worth of PLEX, this charity drive is sure to raise a substantial amount of money for disaster-stricken Japan.
EVE introduces "Hours for PLEX" reactivation scheme
In today's subscription MMO market, EVE Online is in the unique position of allowing players to pay for their game time with in-game currency. To help cash-poor players afford a subscription and to aid in CCP's ongoing war against RMT, the company introduced the 30 day Pilot's License EXtension (PLEX). Cash-rich players who want a little extra in-game ISK would ordinarily be tempted to buy from illicit sources that rely on destructive botting and hacking practices to obtain their currency. Instead of putting themselves at risk of being keylogged, banned or just outright ripped off, players can buy 60-day game time codes and convert each of them into two in-game pilot's licenses to sell on the in-game market. ISK-rich players can then buy those licenses from the in-game market and activate them to add 30 days of game time to their accounts. If an account is expired but has the funds to buy a PLEX, players can even ask for a temporary reactivation so that they can buy one and apply it to the account. Until now, reactivations have had to be processed manually, with players filing an in-game petition through the EVE website. In a devblog yesterday, GM Grimmi of CCP announced that a new automated reactivation scheme will give players access to the game for four hours to purchase PLEX and apply them to their accounts. In addition to reducing GM workload, this scheme will allow people who have previously quit the game to temporarily reactivate their accounts and attempt to pull together enough ISK for 30 days of essentially free game time. The service has been temporarily taken offline to resolve a conflict with the current CSM voting procedure, but once it's back online it will be accessible through the account management page on the EVE website.
Plex Media Center App comes to Android, Windows server available
Everyone's other favorite spinoff from the XBMC family tree has some major news this week, as Plex has released a Media Center app for Android that mirrors most of the functions already available for iOS devices. Available now on the Android Market for $4.99, it brings local and streaming media to the phone over WiFi, or 3G from a Mac (and now, Windows PC) running the server software, but users will have to wait a few weeks for an upgrade adding remote functions (or use any of the 3rd party apps already on the Market.) With plugins for apps like Netflix, Hulu and BBC iPlayer it's a formidable competitor in the media streamer market out of the gate; throw in support for PCs plus integration into LG's 2011 HDTVs and Blu-ray players and we're ready to pick Plex as the platform to keep an eye on this year. Check out the details in the press release after the break, we'll toss in a link to the Windows server once we find it / it's posted. Update: The link is down there but it's still delivering a dmg instead of an exe, we've been told it should be up later this afternoon. Thanks, Chris! Update 2: Looks like the Windows server is up now, you can grab an EXE at the link below. Thanks FreeSpeechFTW! %Gallery-116893%
Elgato and OWC hawk upgraded Mac Mini HTPC bundles: Blu-ray burner, 12TB, TV tuner
Simmer down, son -- neither Elgato nor Other World Computing are actually shoving 12TB of hard drive space within a 2010 Mac Mini, but if you order one of their new bundles, you'll definitely end up with as much. OWC is now selling pre-pimped Mac Mini machines, complete with bolstered storage options, an internal Blu-ray burner, Elgato's EyeTV Hybrid tuner (or HD DVR), more RAM than usual and an Apple Remote. The company plans to offer both the 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo systems, and it swears up and down that the machine will arrive preconfigured and ready to rock your home theater. The addition of a Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 4-bay storage solution enables you to keep even a vast library of digital content nearby, but there's no telling how much the outfit will charge for such a luxury. Hit the source link if you're scrounging for details, but don't expect pricing or an order button just yet. Update: So, it seems that OWC isn't actually selling new Mac Minis itself, but will upgrade your own if you send it in. We'd like to take this opportunity to now recommend that OWC actually sell upgraded Mac Minis itself.
An inside look at EVE Online's CSM: From June to December
Keith Neilson is a Massively guest-writer who's here to recount his experiences at the recent Council of Stellar Management summit in Reykjavik. He writes regularly about EVE Online and has been playing the game since early 2004. Tweet It is undeniable that EVE Online is unique among MMORPGs in many ways. One of these is its Council of Stellar Management, an elected committee of nine players who play an active role in the development of the game, bringing player concerns and proposals for the future direction of the game directly to CCP at biannual summits in Iceland. Until this year, the perception of the CSM among players was that the Council is a marketing tool that does not fulfill its stated role of representing the playerbase. But in June, all of that changed. This term of the CSM brought in some major changes to the way the Council is organised, specifically with the removal of term limits (previously delegates could only serve two terms on the CSM) and the extension of terms from six months to a year. In addition to this, the CSM has been given "stakeholder" status within CCP. This means that the Council members have an equal say in the planning of future development along with the internal teams at CCP. This has allowed the fifth CSM to have a significant influence on the future development of EVE.
EVE Evolved: The RMT problem
Of all the problems that plague MMOs, RMT (real money trading) is perhaps the most disruptive to normal gameplay. By design, almost every MMO has some form of tradable currency that can be collected through normal gameplay. The time it takes to collect that currency has an inherent value, which varies from player to player as not every player values his free time at the same level. It's inevitable that cash-rich players who value their time highly will often want to shortcut normal gameplay by buying the currency directly for cash. The negative impact of RMT and its associated problems is felt in every popular MMO, and EVE Online is no exception. The direct balance issues inherent in allowing players to buy ISK with cash are just the tip of a very unpleasant iceberg. Players who buy ISK from shady websites and services are the reason that the rest of us have to put up with spam-bots in popular chat channels, rampant account hacking, and macros taking up a disproportionately large cut of EVE's in-game resources and server load. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look into the problems caused by RMT, why macro-farming operations have become so wide-spread, and what CCP has done to combat this growing problem.
The Tattered Notebook: An Appeal for PLEX
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. There I was, sporting my Santa Glugg hat and all set to merrily report on all the Frostfell news, when the following two questions were posted on the official EverQuest II forums: Am I going to get banned for trading platinum in exchange for Station Cash items, and can we get platinum on the marketplace? Surprisingly, Senior Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson replied to both. Read on to see what he said and why I think it's time for EverQuest II to follow EVE Online's lead and add purchasable, tradable game time or PLEX.
EVE Online microtransactions won't impact gameplay
Some time ago, CCP Games announced its intention to add microtransactions options to its popular subscription MMO EVE Online. In an interview with EuroGamer, the game's Creative Director Torfi Frans Olafsson said that the industry has been moving toward additional microtransactions for the past few years, adding that CCP would "evolve just like everyone else" and would "certainly not become a dinosaur." The first and most controversial of those options to be announced was a paid neural remap. Neural remaps allow players to re-distribute their attributes so they can learn a particular set of skills faster. New players currently get several free remaps, and all players can do one remap per year for free. The plan was to allow players to buy a remap with PLEX, 30-day game time codes that can be bought and sold on the in-game market. It wasn't long until a fierce debate erupted. Players began complaining that neural remaps allowed players with more money to train skills at an accelerated rate by letting them switch between the optimum attributes for different skill types as often as they wanted. Further questions were raised on the future of microtransactions in EVE -- how long would it be, players thought, until skill points and in-game benefits start hitting the table and causing an upset? In a new devblog, CCP has allayed all of those fears. The previously announced PLEX for neural remap scheme has been scrapped, and the company has announced a clear vision for its microtransaction strategy. Much to the relief of players, CCP will not be offering anything that alters the rate of skill gain over time or any items that have a gameplay impact. Potential releases include Incarna clothing and furniture and the ability to apply a logo to your ships, both options which are sure to be popular if they materialise.
Fire Core teases aTV Flash for Apple TV 2G
The Apple TV jailbreaking scene is maturing at a significant pace. We've already seen our first third-party app following the greenp0ison jailbreak, which was quickly followed by a demo of the Plex media center and some experiments with making it work with Wiimotes. Now, respected hackers of the original model Apple TV Fire Core are showing off its modified software, aTV Flash, running on the Apple TV 2G. Our own TJ Luoma was impressed by aTV Flash when he tried it on an older model Apple TV; it adds support for streaming all sorts of media files that you can't normally play, some UI tweaks, an SSH server, and Boxee support. (Update: Fire Core's site has a blurb mentioning Boxee as an "extended feature" for aTV Flash, but the problem is, the way their site's laid out doesn't make it clear if that's talking about the old version of aTV Flash or the new version. A commenter on Fire Core's blog indicates Boxee support is dependent upon XBMC Core being ported to the ARM architecture powering the new Apple TV, and it's unclear if the XBMC development team will do so or not. Consequently, It turns out the state of Boxee support isn't 100% clear for the new Apple TV.) There is a big caveat though -- aTV Flash costs $50 for a license (which comes with one year of updates). Combined with the $100 cost of the Apple TV itself and you could almost have bought a Boxee Box, which would work without any modifications. Furthermore, it seems likely that other open source efforts will eventually bring most or all of these features to the Apple TV for free. Click through for videos demonstrating the new UI offered by aTV Flash and the new last.fm streaming support that is being added to the latest version of Fire Core's software.
