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Final SWG producer's letter thanks community
Community was one of many things that set Star Wars: Galaxies apart from your average MMO, and Sony Online Entertainment's Tony "Teesquared" Tyson took a moment to thank the game's faithful in what serves as the final producer's letter for the shuttered sandbox title. Tyson touches on several highlights including housing, crafting, entertaining, and space-sim mechanics that were unique to SWG, and he ultimately concludes that the game "was, and will always be, a meaningful and memorable part of my life, an experience I'll treasure and share with anyone who wants to hear a good story." SOE launched SWG on June 26, 2003 and powered down the servers one final time early this morning.
Star Wars Galaxies updates players on the end
December 15th. That's not the end of the world -- it's the end of multiple worlds because it's the day that Star Wars Galaxies will have its last hurrah followed by silence. But there are still a couple of weeks left, and considering that one of the game's big pushes has been the Galactic Civil War, we think it's only fair for the ending of the game's service to be accompanied by the ending of the war with a decisive victory. On December 14th, at 9:00 p.m. PST (midnight EST), the Civil War scoreboards will close, with a final winner declared overall. This will be accompanied by server restarts, followed by a number of optional battles and skirmishes in the 15th. So spend the next two weeks getting ready for the last push to grab all the marbles because when the shutdown comes on December 15th, the war will be over... for good.
Hangame MMO accidentally deleted, shut down forever
There's a good chance you've never heard of M2, a small free-to-play MMO developed by Japanese company Sankando and operated by Hangame, and if it wasn't for a major misstep last month, your ignorance might've gone on indefinitely. Due to a recent accident, the MMO was deleted and won't be coming back. Ever. The story goes like this: On October 21st, M2 suffered a critical server issue and the game was taken offline to check it out. Unfortunately, the problem was widespread and the company could not restore the game's data from whatever backups it did or did not have. With no other option but to declare the title dead on arrival, Hangame posted an announcement that it somehow deleted an entire MMO and could not -- or would not -- restart it from scratch. Hangame has since apologized and is offering conditional refunds to affected players, who were undoubtedly miffed when the money they spent on M2's microtransactions went poof during one October night.
Alt1 Games shutting down Troy Online
After only three months of commercial operation, Troy Online is going to be discontinuing operations as of November 30th. According to the official notice, within the short span of time that the game has been available, Alt1 Games has noticed a level of bugs and errors that the developers considered unacceptable, leading to the decision to shut down service at the end of the month and re-launch the game at a later date. The obvious question for players, of course, becomes "what about the stuff that I bought out of the cash shop?" If you still have remaining coins for the in-game store or unused cash shop items in your character's inventory, you are eligible for a refund by contacting the customer support center by November 22nd, with refunds being credited between the 23rd and the 24th. It's a sad whimper for the game's operation to end on, but at least players won't be left out in the cold with any unused money.
Zediva ordered to permanently shut down operations, pay $1.8 million to MPAA
The last time we checked in with Zediva, the DVD streaming service was reeling from a court-ordered preliminary injunction that effectively brought its operations to a halt. At the time, the California-based company was still pinning its hopes on the promise of a forthcoming appeal, but those hopes were summarily quashed on Friday, when US District Judge John Walter rendered the injunction permanent. Zediva had previously exposed an apparent loophole in US copyright law, by allowing users to stream movies from physical DVDs located in Silicon Valley. This strategy allowed the firm to offer newly released movies well before other on-demand services, but according to Judge Walter, it was also illegal. Zediva will now have to cease all operations and pay $1.8 million in damages to the MPAA. The defendant has yet to comment on the decision, but MPAA Associate General Counsel Dan Robbins seemed understandably delighted: "This result sends a strong message to those who would exploit the studios' works in violation of copyright law, on the Internet or elsewhere, and it is an important victory for the more than 2 million American men and women whose livelihoods depend on a thriving film and television industry."
HP's Todd Bradley refutes webOS shutdown rumors
HP's Todd Bradley showed up on Bloomberg last night for a quick round of webOS damage control. Following a report from The Guardian, saying the company would in fact kill the webOS division, Bradley referred to the report as an "unfounded rumor." He went on to say that "accolades for the operating system are broadly known" and that the company is focusing on how to "effectively utilize that phenomenal software." Of course, there's always a chance that the best way to utilize the troubled OS is to sell it to the highest bidder, but Bradley said HP will weigh all the "data and information" before making "the right decision." For now, the operating system's still kicking it in limbo. The full interview awaits you at the source link below.
The Guardian: HP shutdown of webOS division said to be 'imminent'
Could the writing have already been on the wall for webOS when former VP of worldwide developer relations Richard Kerris left HP for Nokia this week? While nothing is yet confirmed, The Guardian is now reporting that HP will indeed finally shut down its webOS division, which could affect up to 500 jobs (either through reassignment or layoffs -- we've previously heard that some layoffs had already begun). That word comes from some unnamed internal HP sources, who reportedly expect an "imminent closure," with one employee adding that "there's a 95% chance we all get laid off between now and November." For its part, HP remained noticeably mum on any news about webOS when it announced that it would hang onto its PC business this week, and its decision to use Windows 8 on tablets certainly didn't do much to inspire the webOS faithful.
SOE apologizes for delay of SWG customer loyalty free trials
Many Star Wars Galaxies players were disappointed to find that the free membership trials promised to them by October 15th had not been delivered. Well, Sony's sorry too, but don't worry: The company is making it up to players by... actually activating the free trials this time! An official post over at the Star Wars Galaxies forums apologizes for the delay and offers players free trials for five SOE titles: DC Universe Online, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Free Realms, EverQuest, and EverQuest II. While most of these games are technically free-to-play, Sony's offer will upgrade all prior SWG account-holders to paid membership status for each game until December 31st of this year. So if you had a SWG account in good standing prior to October 15th, head on over to the official forum thread for details on how to claim your free trials.
Mythos Europe shutting down October 27th
European Mythos fans should say their farewells, as Frogster has announced that the game's European servers will be shutting down on October 27th. According to the official forum post, while "MYTHOS enjoyed great popularity with the launch in April and the numerous registered users ensured a good start [...] The desired long-term success unfortunately did not follow," and for that reason, the game's service is being discontinued. In order to make the game's twilight hours enjoyable for players, the dev team is sending missing quest items to all players so that they can go into the great beyond with a clean quest log. Purchases from the cash shop are no longer possible, and all servers have the maximum experience and luck buffs. Players whose accounts have been registered and active in the past three months will also be given vouchers redeemable for diamonds and/or mounts in Runes of Magic, in hopes that players will find a new home in Frogster's other popular title. For the full server shutdown details, check out the forum post over on the Mythos official site.
The Game Archaeologist answers Asheron's Call 2: The fansite managers
Back when I covered Asheron's Call for The Game Archaeologist, I got an impassioned email from a former fansite operator who made me promise that I'd drop her a line when the time came to talk about Asheron's Call 2, as she was not only a huge fan of the title but still in contact with many former players who carry a torch for Turbine's long-departed MMO. One thing led to another, and I ended up talking to both her and a fellow AC2 fansite manager about the ups and downs of covering the second coming of Dereth... The Game Archaeologist: Please introduce yourself, your current job position, and how you got involved with Asheron's Call 2 back in the day? Kiersten Samwell: I'm Kiersten Samwell, Community Relations and Social Media Manager for KingsIsle Entertainment, the creator of Wizard101. I used to be the Site Manager for Warcry's Crossroads of Dereth/Asheron's Call site as Ellen Ripley, so it was natural to work with the site manager of their Asheron's Call 2 fansite as well. His name is Roberto, and he was just an incredible site manager. Of course, being an avid AC1 player, I enjoyed AC2 for both its similarities to and its differences from AC1. Robert Hackett: Hi, I'm Robert Hackett, the Managing MMO Editor of GamersInfo.net. I actually got invited to one of the betas along with a friend of mine. The lag was so bad (the day I logged in may have been a stress test; I can't remember) that I told my friend that there was no way my rig could handle that. Fast forward to the month after release and Ophelea from the old AC Crossroads site begged me to come over to AC2 and be an editor for the database she was trying to build. Logged in and the game was a million percent better. I stayed to work on the database and eventually fell in love with it beyond "work!"
Divine Souls is taking a time out
It's not you; it's them. Specifically, it's the development team behind Divine Souls. The game has been out for only a little while, but the team is apparently unhappy with the reception thus far, not to mention the game's bugs and other instabilities. So without any major notice, the game has been essentially put on hiatus, going offline so that the team can put it back on the drawing board for more refinements and adjustments. While the game has already been taken down, there's no set timeframe for when it will come back online; the closure notice acknowledges that it may be some time before the bug fixes and refinements are complete. Players will receive a partial refund for any in-game currency purchase since the game's launch, with the amount refunded dependent on how close to the closure it was purchased. It's not an ending, just a pause, but it's still sad news for the game. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
Pour one out for the Tevatron particle accelerator, because it's shutting down today
The eyes of the physics community are collectively fixed upon Illinois today, where, later this afternoon, researchers at Fermilab will shut down the Tevatron particle accelerator... for good. That's right -- the world's second-largest collider is being laid to rest, after a remarkable 25-year run that was recently halted due to budgetary constraints. Earlier this year, Fermilab's scientists and a group of prominent physicists pleaded with the government to keep the Tevatron running until 2014, but the Energy Department ultimately determined that the lab's $100 million price tag was too steep, effectively driving a nail through the accelerator's subterranean, four-mile-long coffin. First activated in 1985, the Tevatron scored a series of subatomic breakthroughs over the course of its lifespan, including, most notably, the discovery of the so-called top quark in 1995. Its groundbreaking technology, meanwhile, helped pave the way for CERN's Large Hadron Collider, which will now pursue the one jewel missing from the Tevatron's resume -- the Higgs boson. Many experts contend that the collider could've gone on to achieve much more, but its ride will nonetheless come to an inglorious end at 2PM today, when Fermilab director Pier Oddone oversees the Tevatron's last rites. "That will be it," physicist Gregorio Bernardi told the Washington Post. "Then we'll have a big party."
The Daily Grind: How do you deal with extended downtimes?
Sometimes, games go down for maintenance, or your power goes out, or there's an internet hiccup. You have to deal with a bit of time out of the game, and it's no big deal. But other times, you have to deal with an extended hiatus from your game of choice due to massive natural disasters or other catastrophic circumstances. You might have bigger problems than just not logging in to Star Trek Online, but it doesn't change the fact that you're going to be out of circulation for a bit. If you've been messing around exclusively with low-level characters that have nothing time-related on their plates, naturally, you won't be affected. But if you're in the midst of endgame work in RIFT or long-term roleplaying in Lord of the Rings Online, being out for a long stretch of time can cause some issues. So how do you work around it? And equally importantly, how do you manage your time when you're taking an unwanted hiatus from one of your hobbies for a while? 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!
Star Wars Galaxies puts the end of the saga in the hands of the players
This is how the galaxy ends: not with a wimper, but with a mighty bang. At least, that's what SOE hopes as Star Wars Galaxies' devs map out the final few months for this sunsetting MMO. Instead of weeping into a glass of strange blue milk, the team is issuing a challenge to the Imperials or Rebels. The stakes? The fate of the galaxy, once and for all. SOE is ramping up the Galactic Civil War in the game, by adding new events and opportunities to win points for your respective side. The Civil War got a little bigger with the recent GU20 update that put the war footing on an interplanetary scale. At some point before the December 15th shutdown, the game will tally up the score and determine who won -- for all time. Depending on which side comes out victorious, the ending of the game itself will change. If you're a neutral party, don't worry; SOE is making sure that you can participate in shutdown events as well. Take note, as only players that subscribe or have an account in good standing prior to September 15th can participate in this final battle, since registration -- and game charges -- will cease after that date.
Walmart closing down its digital music store
Walmart is shuttering its digital music store on August 29, the company announced this week. The store was introduced to the public on March 23, 2004, and made a valiant effort at competing with iTunes, often offering up songs for even cheaper than Jobs and Apple were able to make them on iTunes. Unfortunately, Walmart stubbornly clung to the Windows market, offering songs as WMA files laden with Microsoft's DRM, unplayable on the iPod even as that music player saw astronomic growth. Walmart's always been a huge player in terms of music sales, but with digital music growth higher than ever and physical media at an all-time low, the company's influence has waned quite a bit. And closing down the digital store means they're more or less surrendering to iTunes' superiority. Not that Walmart itself is in trouble at all -- we hear they still sell a lot more than music.
The Soapbox: Be here now
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Games die. It's an unpleasant reality but a reality just the same, with the highest-profile death on the horizon being Star Wars Galaxies. Business decisions get made, and unfortunately, sometimes those decisions boil down to "this game is no longer worth the money to keep it running." If you're lucky, the announcement comes with a great deal of time for you to wrap up what you've always wanted to do in the game; if you're unlucky, you might have a couple of weeks before the servers go dark. So what do you do as a player? How do you cope with the fact that the game is shutting down? There are a lot of approaches, but I think it's unfortunate that most of the reactions seem to center around some last-ditch effort to save the game from oblivion. It's entirely missing the point to try and pull the game back from the brink of death, and it does a disservice to both the game and the players when you spend your last days desperately fighting a foregone conclusion.
ReplayTV escapes the executioner's blade, guide data to continue flowing
We don't know why you're still using a ReplayTV, but if you are then we say congratulations, since you can just keep right on going. Tomorrow was supposed to be the last day guide data would be provided but as shown in this picture from satpro on AVSForum its parent company has reversed course and decided to continue EPG services. As ZatznotFunny points out, there's probably a few TiVo Series 1 owners in the UK hoping for a similar change of fortune, but wile we admire their steadfastness we're still wondering why they won't just switch to something HD.
Broadband claims another: France Telecom putting the kibosh on Minitel
'Tis a sad, sad day for fans of all things retro. In a developed nation dominated by high-speed connections, near-ubiquitous 3G and sub-$€300 computers, it's more than a little astounding that the Minitel is just now being axed by France Télécom. Originally, the aforesaid machine was ordered by the French government in the 1970s "as part of an initiative to get people to share information and, eventually, reduce the consumption of paper." In a bid to rapidly increase adoption, the terminals -- complete with a monochrome screen and bantam keyboard -- were actually doled out to denizens free of charge, with access billed on a per-minute basis. It obviously required a phone line, and things were kept understandably simple; users rarely did more than shop for train tickets, check the occasional bank account and peruse the phone directory. Astonishingly, France's precursor to the internet still raked in €30 million in revenue last year, but the time has finally come to push existing users onto more sophisticated solutions. As of June 30, 2012, "the Minitel will die." 'Course, the service itself will be the only thing shuttered -- those memories are bound to last a lifetime.
Kitsu Saga closing down
It's never a fun day when an MMO gives up the ghost, and unfortunately today marks just such an occasion for Kitsu Saga. Aeria Games is shutting down the game for good, and a somber announcement on the official website marks the beginning of the end. "This was a very difficult decision for us and has only been made after much deliberation. We'd like to thank those who played Kitsu Saga and especially those who stuck with it through the more difficult times," the news blurb states. Aeria also offers up a bit of info regarding AP Spender compensation, and the long and short of it is that refunds may take a while to process due to the large number pending (Aeria estimates seven to 10 business days after July 14th). Head to the official Kitsu Saga website for the details.
Zune Originals shut down, humans revert to being average and uncreative
Hard to believe that Microsoft's been offering consumers the ability to customize their Zune purchases for the better part of four years now, but as they say, all unbelievable things must one day face reality. Er, something to that effect. Without so much as a heads-up, the designers in Redmond have apparently decided to shutter the Zune Originals storefront. As of this weekend, no new orders for highly personalized Zunes are being taken, with interested Earthlings encouraged to throw creativity to the wind and opt for a mass produced alternative within Best Buy or Walmart. So, you're looking at two tidbits of import: if you placed your Originals order at 5PM PT on July 1st, you likely have quite the coveted device headed your way, and if you ever needed evidence that Microsoft was making WP7 its next Zune, well... you're welcome. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
