Devs Respond to Internal Newsletter LeakDevs Respond to Internal Newsletter Leak

 

A new post on the CCP blog from Zulu uses the title “Fearless, Virtual Goods, and Rage”. The post deals with players’ reactions to a leaked internal newsletter called’ Fearless’ that discussed developers’ opinions on the subject of virtual goods and pricing. The letter goes on to discuss the pricing structure in the NeX store.

The opinions and views expressed in Fearless are just that; opinions and views. They are not CCP policy nor are they a reliable source of CCP views as a company. The employees who submitted articles to that newsletter did exactly what they were asked to do, write about theories and opinions from an exaggerated stand.

While it‘s perfectly fine to disagree and attack CCP over policies or actions we take, we think it‘s not cool how individuals that work here have been called out and dragged through the mud due to something they wrote in the internal company newsletter. Seriously, these people were doing their jobs and do not deserve the hate and shitstorm being pointed at them. 

Developer Round Table Pt. 2Developer Round Table Pt. 2

Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is poised to be unleashed on the world in the very near future and the open beta has already commenced. On a recent trip to Heatwave Interactive, MMORPG.com writer Richard Cox participated in a round table discussion with CEO Anthony Castoro, Lead Designer Tim Schubert, Producer Phil Tittle, Community Manager Donna Prior and Product Manager Shannon Drake. We’re presenting this terrific interview in three parts to keep the channel tuned right here through Wednesday.

Speaking of crafting, any hints?

Phil Tittle: I’ve never enjoyed crafting in MMOs, but I tried our system and it just may make a crafter out of me. It involves some thinking. There’s no mindless mouse-clicking here. No setting up your automated mouse clicker program and going to another room to watch a movie. I really think the community is going to like it.

 

Revisiting Dome CityRevisiting Dome City

 

 MMORPG.com are committed to making sure that game we review not only are hit with the initial review on release but also to revisiting popular titles further down the road after patches and content updates or expansions have come into play. With that in mind, MMORPG.com’s Robert Fooks brings us a re-review of Global Agenda. Check out Robert’s thoughts about the game and then add a few of your own!

Returning veterans of Global Agenda will notice several new additions to the game as soon as they log in. First and foremost, they will most likely no longer have to surrender their credit card information prior to entering the game world. Yes, in the months since release, Global Agenda has entered the questionable world of free-to-play. In perhaps the most sweeping change to GA, Hi-Rez Studio has not only nixed the subscription based model, but they have also ceased charging for the game itself. Implemented in their place are several alternatives to sustain the game’s profitability. The available payment models can best be explained on 3 levels, Free account, Elite account and applying a booster to your account
 

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Thanking the CommunityThanking the Community

The team at SOE behind DCUO is rewarding their community for being patient during recent “issues that took us some time to resolve” by throwing a reward their way in a bid to help get everyone just a few steps closer to their Tier 2 armor in preparation of next month’s update. You may have noticed that we recently experienced issues that took us some time to resolve, we appreciate your understanding during this effort – and your patience with the time it took to resolve. As a thank you we would like to award everyone 7 Marks of Distinction. We hope this helps you along your way to earning your Tier 2 armor in preparation for next month’s assault on The Fortress of Solitude! Thank you again for playing DCUO – your dedication is our inspiration! Please check your Journal starting tomorrow June 18th for a Mission called Shock to the System to receive your reward.

 

Dungeon Running in The Secret WorldDungeon Running in The Secret World

 

MMORPG.com’s own Carolyn Koh was at the recent EA Summer Showcase out on the Left Coast, and during her time there she was treated to the first ever reveal of a dungeon in Funcom’s The Secret World.  Find out what Carolyn thought of the hotly anticipated game’s combat, classless system, and more.

The graphics are impressive, not only on the grand scale but on the intimate, personal scale as they made good use of the 3-D space. Unlike the gigantic architecture and towering landscapes of many fantasy games out there, Solomon Island seemed real, with levels that player characters could jump to or climb easily and foot bridges that weren’t scaled for tanks to trundle down side by side.
 
The game requires players to pay attention and learn. Situational analysis is required and in between encounters, players will be able to change out their skills. The earth is being invaded and Gaia is pushing back. Players will find anima wells at some point in a dungeon where they can change their skill sets, changing the seven active and seven passive skills that they brought into the encounter. 

Damion Schubert Explains Map DesignDamion Schubert Explains Map Design

 

Last week’s Friday Update to the official Star Wars: The Old Republic website consisted of a dev blog by BioWare’s Damion Schubert on the process of creating the game’s various in-game maps.Damion explains how BioWare’s technology can create maps automatically:

What we decided to do was to have a design process which generates maps based on the objects that exist inside of any zone in the game world. To start off, a designer draws a trigger box around part of the world, and then designates which map that trigger box belongs to. He then uses a tool which effectively renders only the objects that are inside of that particular trigger box. This gives us a basic map image. After this, he runs a Photoshop tool which applies a filter that makes the resulting image look techy, holographic and vaguely architectural (if indoors) or topographical (if outdoors). Finally, an artist does a cleanup pass, removing visual artifacts and other noise that might have crept into the process.

The end result is that we have maps that can show astonishing details about the game world. Chairs, crates, statues – all manner of items show up on the map from a birds-eye view, giving the player a real sense of where they are in the world. The resulting map was in fact so good that early on, we found unexpected obstacles were appearing on the map. After investigation, it turned out they were chandeliers and rafters rendered near the ceiling.

  

activition-blizzard subscription declinedactivition-blizzard subscription declined

 

Lazard Capital Markets has downgraded Activision-Blizzard stock from “buy” to “neutral” in light of World of Warcraft’s declining subscription numbers.

Lazard analyst Atul Bagga does not believe Activision-Blizzard can stop the hemorrhaging of World of Warcraft subscriber numbers due to age and increased competition in the

space.  The downgrade was mainly motivated by data coming out of a recent survery of 381 online gamers conducted by Lazard Capital Markets (along with Peanut Labs) . The survey

results have Lazard Capital projecting a potential 900,000-1.6million player drop due to the the imminent launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic alone. 50% of those who were

actively subscribed to World of Warcraft during the time of the survey stated they would be purchasing The Old Republic, while 38% said they may pick up the title.

Bagga wasn’t entirely pessimistic, however, noting that half of former WoW subscribers polled during the survey stated they may return to World of Warcraft if Blizzard put on a

special promotion, and that 33% of former subscribers would return to the game with the launch of Mists of Pandaria, the game’s next expansion 

Double XP Weekend & Black Friday SaleDouble XP Weekend & Black Friday Sale

 

The Everquest 2 team has announced that players will be able to take advantage of a double XP weekend beginning on Thursday, November 24th. In addition, the Marketplace will be giving players some hot deals for Black Friday.

We know you’ll probably be stuffing your face with Turkey over the next few days, so why not also stuff your experience bars? That’s right – we’re having a Double XP weekend! This weekend, from 12:01 am PST on Thursday, November 24th, until 11:59 pm PST on November 27th, we will be running a true Double XP (+100% XP) promotion. The bonus applies toAA, tradeskill and adventure experience this weekend. Our French, German, Japanese, and Test Servers will also be enjoying the increase in XP gain. Huzzah! So have a very Happy Thanksgiving and when you’re done eating with the family, we’ll see you in Norrath!

Indie developer, Redbedlam, has announced the creation of a new MMO called “The Missing Ink”. Calling their game a “mostly traditional MMO”, the team has revealed that some of the world’s most enduring stories live in The Missing Ink but with a twist: “Each of the stories are strangely corrupted.”

Players are treated to very traditional MMO elements such as questing, dungeoneering and “quite literally saving the world” but are also given the tools necessary to create and share their own adventures and stories.

Kerry Fraser-Robinson, RedBedlam’s Managing Director commented, “leave me alone – I’m busy.”  Later, he somewhat more constructively added, “Oh for the press release? Right.  Let me see.  Tell them it’s funny.  Ground-breaking.  Innovation oozing from every pixel.  A showcase for our artistic talent and technical expertise.  And it’s free.”The Missing Ink is slated to begin beta testing in early 2012 and will kick off for multiple platforms in Q3 2012. 

3 Million Registered Users3 Million Registered Users

 

 

GamersFirst has announced that over three million players have registered to play APB: Reloaded. According to the press release, the milestone was passed after APB:R was released on Steam. GamersFirst anticipates that the number will rise when a special boxed version hits store shelves that sells with pretty amazing incentives.

“We recognized the potential for APB Reloaded to be a true breakout hit in the Free2Play category all through beta testing,” said Rahul Sandil, SVP of marketing and business development for GamersFirst. “We quickly amassed a vocal, dedicated community, and they’ve been instrumental in growing the game and helping better the experience. We also attracted a partner in [a]list games, a digital game market maker who launched a worldwide campaign to raise the game’s visibility and help it appeal to a broader audience. Ultimately, players who discover a new free game decide if there’s enough value and quality to keep playing, and APB Reloaded’s trajectory tells us a growing number are being blown away by what they’re getting.”

Innova has announced that it will officially swing open the F2P doors of the European iteration of Lineage II in English. Friday’s update will feature the Goddess of Destruction update, premium accounts and the item shop will go live.

A brand new item shop will be opened at launch, and the range of items on offer will include runes to speed levelling, scrolls for fast travelling and stylish wardrobe pieces – these are intended to maximize enjoyment of the game, and do not affect game balance. Players will also have the option to purchase Premium Accounts, which provide perks such as accelerated character progression, energy-boosting items and priority server access. Premium Accounts are not required for success in the game, but may be helpful to players with busy lives who wish to make the most of their game time in Lineage II. 

Intrusion 2.0 Content Expansion Intrusion 2.0 Content Expansion

 

Avatar Creations has announced that Perpetuum Online will be expanding content-wise on December 1st. Called “Intrusion 2.0”, the new content expansion will allow player corporations to fight for and gain control of outposts in the Beta region. In addition, a new freighter robot is coming into the game and new level 3 missions are incoming. Infact, according to Perpetuum devs, the entire mission system has been reworked.

The team also announced that visual enhancements will be included in the update. The lighting system has been overhauled to give more realistic looks to environments including sky and water.

Lastly, Perpetuum is about to turn one year old and developers have in game events planned to celebrate.

Recently the rumour mill went into full swing with regards to the apparent oncoming death of Morsus Mihi. I can’t say I have any vested interest in whichever way this pendulum of fate swings. On one hand Morsus Mihi are historical figures in EVE Online. They kept the north in good stead for many years and were always reliable and stable. However as their lives in the North came to an end and the technetium wells dried up they found themselves in a strange position, an unfamiliar position, and a downright alien position. Ancient as they were, they hadn’t felt the pain of eviction in many years and the events that followed left many of the remaining power blocks feeling the same sort of sympathy you’d feel for an old man who has truly lost his mind, yet in his youth was a sharp, well-kept gent.