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The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best economy?
I'm an incurable trader and merchant, maybe even more than I'm a crafter, so I'm forever droning on about the good ol' days in long-gone sandboxes where players, not raid bosses, delivered all the objects used in the world. Making stuff is great, and lots of MMOs, even themeparks, have that, but I also I like setting up shops, trading on auction halls, finding great deals, and knowing just when to buy low to sell high, which isn't always the type of creative PvP gameplay that modern MMORPGs enable, let alone embrace. But you can't trade in long-gone sandboxes, either, so today I want to tap the collective wisdom of the Massively readers: Which MMO has the most vibrant crafting and trading economy, right now, in a legally playable and living MMO? Specifically, where's the best MMO to truly be a player merchant? 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!
Trader charged with wire fraud after trying to buy $1 billion worth of AAPL
A fraudulent US$1 billion purchase of Apple stock has resulted in the arrest of a Wall Street trader and the loss of US$5 million for his brokerage firm. According to the District Attorney's office in Connecticut, trader David Miller of Rochdale Securities hatched a plan to use the brokerage's money to buy 1.625 million shares of Apple stock on October 25. Miller was hoping to cash in big on a rise in Apple's stock after the company reported its Q4 2012 financials later that afternoon. Miller's plan went awry when the stock fell and the brokerage started losing money. Miller allegedly tried to cover his tracks by falsely claiming he wanted to buy 1,652 shares for a customer, and accidentally entered the wrong amount. The brokerage was left holding the bag on 1.6 million shares of Apple stock and lost $5 million when it traded out of this position. Leading up to this billion dollar trade, Miller allegedly defrauded another broker-dealer by claiming to represent a company that he had no affiliation with and one for which he was not authorized to trade. Miller surrendered to the FBI this week and faces up to 20 years in prison. [Via MarketWatch]
Traveller AR trailer promises the galaxy
Based on the long-running space-themed RPG, Traveller AR is coming soon to the iOS platform. The "AR" there stands for "augmented reality," as the title will use the much-ballyhooed AR feature to allow you to mingle the real and virtual world into one. Just as in EVE Online, players in Traveller AR will hop in a ship and fly out into the cosmos looking to make their fame and fortune. There will be three races and three classes (Scout, Spacer, Trader) to choose from at the start and well over 40,000 unique solar systems to explore and plunder. According to the game's trailer, Traveller AR space cadets can choose their own path to glory, including trading, missions, combat, and exploration. It looks like a crossbreed of a board game with a rudimentary space combat simulator, and the trailer gives a good overview of the UI and functionality in store for us. Hop past the break to see the future... today!
Mabinogi prepping Merchant of Venice, offers three new levels of premium service
It's a busy time for Mabinogi, which is still firmly in the grips of Shakespeare fever. The free-to-play title is preparing to launch its Merchant of Venice update on October 26th, and with it, a new commerce system. Mabinogi's commerce system offers players a way to experience the highs and lows of trading with a little danger thrown in for good measure. Players will start out with a limited amount of new currency, ducats, which can be used to buy and sell from trading posts. Newly minted traders will then have to transport the currency personally while coming under fire by bandits. Pull off enough successful trade routes, and awesome new weapons will become available to you! Nexon has also introduced a few new levels of premium service for players looking to enhance their Mabinogi experience. These optional services grant players additional inventory, free gifts, XP bonuses, and exclusive missions. As players wait for the launch of the update, Nexon is extending its free premium service for everyone to enjoy.
Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone
When SOE announced that Star Wars Galaxies would be sunsetted by the end of the year, many players despaired. They gave up. They saw their long years (eight years!) of play turn to dust. But others looked on the impending closure as incentive to do all those things they'd been putting off, all the activities they just hadn't gotten around to. There hadn't been time. The game is too big for anyone to do it all. And that's precisely why Star Wars Galaxies is a legend among sandbox fans despite the NGE disaster. It's a living museum of great MMO ideas from the past, of player-driven economies, of open-world housing, of high-end, game-supported roleplay, of roaming in a game that lets you dictate the terms of your play. It's a rare relic you should see in the flesh, today, right now, before it's gone. You can pick up a weapon and fight in any MMO (excepting A Tale in the Desert, that is), but there are so many things you can do in Star Wars Galaxies that you can't do anywhere else with the same level of immersion. And I'm going to tell you which 10 you should do first... before it's too late.
Wasteland Diaries: Playstyles
Most MMOs have three playstyles. Well, that's incorrect; they actually have any number of play-styles with varying degrees of three types of play. PvE (player vs. environment) is the style of play in which the antagonists are a part of the gameworld itself. PvP (player vs. player) pits the players against each other. And RP (roleplaying) has the players vying for... whatever they decide they need to vie for. Most players engage Fallen Earth (or any MMO, for that matter) with a mix of the three. Fallen Earth is a great setting for the RPers. Its vastness and its interesting-looking locales make for a variety of backdrops. The interesting locales usually make for some great locations for open world PvP. And there are hundreds and hundreds of PvE missions here, there, and everywhere. All three types of players can get a lot out of Fallen Earth if they approach the game properly. The purpose of this post is to help you along with getting what you can out of the game with your preferred playstyle. So without any further ado, click past the cut and read on.
A brief overview of EVE Online's trade and industry
Every time a player in EVE Online loses a ship in a fiery explosion, along with its modules and cargo, they turn to the market or look through contracts to replace what they've lost and stock up for the next time. EVE Online's sandbox and the inevitable PvP conflict that results when players can do what they choose in that sandbox provides economic opportunities for some. Combat burns up ships, and players heavily into the manufacturing side of the game are happy to supply the endless demand for new equipment, be it an unassuming frigate or a massive dreadnaught. In EVE, items aren't supplied by NPCs, they're created by other players (or bought in quantity and resold at a markup by traders). Aside from certain items like skillbooks and blueprint originals, most of the items a player can possess in the game have been produced by other players. Thus, EVE's setting of New Eden has a true economy, providing a great amount of depth for those who are willing to learn its complexities.
A trader's mindset in EVE Online
In EVE Online, it's usually the harsher side of the game that gets the most attention and has the greatest allure. Piracy, large-scale alliance warfare, and in general the dark side of EVE are what most players find interesting. But still, there are many players who engage in non-violent gameplay and find it rewarding. While hardcore PvP-ers lambast them as carebears, some corporations and individuals have attained considerable wealth and influence in the game through their own form of PvP applied to finance -- market warfare. Among the player-created corporations and alliances in EVE Online that are devoted to helping newer players attain their goals in an often complex system, EVE University and Agony Unleashed are the most prominent. However, there are other corporations in the game that help their members along the way, which are more focused in their pursuits. One such corporation is Trader's Academy, corp ticker: [TRACE], formed in 2005 and devoted to helping pilots maximize profits from trading, mining, and mission running.
Sneak a peek at AoC's test server patch notes
Curse.com has posted a list of patch notes from Age of Conan's test server, which will likely go live in one of this coming week's scheduled downtime slots. You will notice that stat gains from equipment will finally be functioning correctly, and it's going to be interesting to see just how much of a difference this will make to the strength of each class.The patch notes also feature another round of class tweaks, notably some buffs for Dark Templars and damage changes for Priests of Mitra. Confusingly, Bear Shamans will be getting improved Wreck Armor combo visuals and sounds -- however, this is a Barbarian combo, so is this change actually for Barbs or did they mean the BS combo Crush Armor? Other really good things: lower level mobs will knock you off your mount a lot less (although higher mobs will do it more) and attackers at your sides will have half the chance of knocking you off -- attackers from the front will never knock you off. Finally, player cities will be able to get their Trader NPC at last. Take a look through the full patch notes for some other changes, including quest and item fixes, and perhaps start speculating on what changes will be left off the list this time.
Getting the colors right on Star Wars Galaxies' instruments
A recent developer diary on the official Star Wars Galaxies site offers a behind-the-scenes look at some tweaks included in the most recent live content update. The focus this time around was on the Entertainer and Medic classes. One (long-called for) addition to the Entertainer experience was custom-colored instruments. Bands can now color-coordinate outfits with instruments, making The Dancing Wookie Experience that much more powerful.Developer Jesse Benjamin walks us quickly through the process of adding a color palette to the craftables, as well as the new and interesting performance props dropped on a grateful dancing public. It's not the most important or extensive dev diary to come from the SOE-Austin studio, but it's always interesting to see what a community-focused team will do to deliver the goods.
Stock Trader Shun screens
DS fans have been following Capcom's Stock Trader Shun with interest, and let's be honest, it's not because we're all crazy about the stock market. Our interest in Stock Trader Shun stems entirely from the fact that it kinda sorta looks like a financial version of Phoenix Wright.We aren't sure that the game is going to appeal to the Phoenix Wright audience (i.e. us) because, while Phoenix Wright's lawyering relied on traditional adventure game skills like conversation trees and item collecting, Stock Trader Shun's main gameplay is closer to a simulation of stock trading than an adventure game model with a stock-trading veneer. When out of the courtroom in Phoenix Wright, you're still talking to people and presenting items; but the non-trading portions of Shun seem fundamentally different from the number-crunching.But just because it's not exactly Phoenix Wright doesn't mean this game can't be enjoyable. We'll find out sometime after the June 7th release date when importers' impressions start coming in.
Capcom hopes to repeat Phoenix Wright success with stock trading game
Capcom revealed they are working on a new adventure series in Kabu Trader Shun, which translates into Stock Trader Shun in English. This new series, which aims to repeat the success of Capcom's other adventure series in Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney. The game will focus on a young up-and-coming trader named Shun.With his father being a prosperous trader who earned his riches in the market, Shun is plagued by memories of the sudden bankruptcy and disappearance of his father five years ago. Entering the market, he is helped by veteran trader Tooru and one Hanako, who has a family-owned trading company.Currently, there are no plans to bring this game to the US, however we hope that changes once Justice For All releases.
