EverQuest Next Worldwide Debut!

Star Wars: The Old Republic – State of the Game #2

It has been an amazing couple of months since my last State of the Game blog. It feels like a good time to jump in again and give you a brief rundown on how we are doing, what is coming up next, and to tackle some issues head on. Let’s start with some comments about now and the future:
As you can probably imagine, the launch of the Free-to-Play option with our new Cartel Market has been an amazing event for our game. The game is incredibly healthy with an ever increasing number of players who are actively playing (the servers are rocking!). Having said that, we know we haven’t gotten everything perfect, and we are still working hard to make The Old Republic everything you guys desire. More than anything we wanted to get folks back in and playing the game, and bring back the excitement and camaraderie - we feel like we've made great strides over the last 6 months towards these goals. All signs point to a very bright future for our game!

Speaking of the future – we have two excellent updates coming your way in the upcoming months. In our Game Update 1.7 you should look forward to some interesting changes to a special PvP area that you have all been asking about (sorry for being cryptic, but this is technically not announced yet), as well as a visit from some old friends, The Gree Enclave (though maybe not in a way you would expect). And later in the spring, our Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel! The team has been working for a long time on this, and is very excited to get it out to you. We have greatly expanded on the original concept with several new systems, 5 new levels, a big new planet, new storylines, new skills and abilities and more beyond that. Keep your eyes open for more information over the next several months.

Now for everyone’s favorite section – Hot Topics. I will try to be as frank and open as possible.

Topic #1: Elder Game Content – What is our intent for keeping level 50’s occupied? Answer: Introducing new content and activities for the elder game is a top priority in the coming year. We’ve got new Operations, new Flashpoints, new difficulty modes, new PvP areas, and of course, the entire Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel (which is targeted at our high level players). We have a plan mapped out for the upcoming year that will keep the elder game fresh and interesting for players of all types. Overall, we’re aiming to introduce a more diverse array of activities – more stuff to do with your Companion, more challenges to tackle with groups, and more reasons for guilds to recruit. We’ll also be improving our itemization, introducing new incentives to revisit existing areas, and a lot of other exciting things that will be revealed as we move through the upcoming year.

Topic #2: World PvP – What happened to making Ilum better? What is going on with Open World PvP? Answer: We have not forgotten Ilum! I think you will see (fairly soon) the answer to this question in the game itself - something big is coming to the Western Ice Shelf, but it’s quite a departure from what was there before. As for pure Open World PvP…well, that’s a more difficult proposition. We are dedicated to providing excellent PvP experiences to our players, but we intend to focus our energy on PvP Seasons and new Warzones. We will be experimenting with a different approach to Open World PvP, something that encourages organic PvP in contested areas in a new and interesting way, but do not look for massive new Open World PvP this year (outside of what I mentioned above). It is still on our design wall, but is taking a back seat to other forms of PvP.

Topic #3: Character Copy to Public Test Server (PTS) – What is taking so long? Answer: As of the writing of this letter, we are in focused, internal testing on character copies for PTS. You should expect to see this come within the first part of this year. It will provide free character copies to PTS at any time (with possible restrictions dependent upon our testing needs at any given time). This will also lay the foundation for our new live character transfer system that will be coming later this year.

Topic #4: Same Gender Romance: Any news on this front would be great… Answer: First of all, I want to apologize that this is taking so long to get in the game. I realize that we promised SGR to you guys and that many of you believed that this would be with a companion character. Unfortunately, this will take a lot more work than we realized at the time and it (like some other pieces of content we talked about earlier in the year) has been delayed as we focused on the changes required to take the game Free-to-Play. As we have said in the past, allowing same gender romance is something we are very supportive of.
Secondly, I want to reveal today that we are adding SGR with some NPCs on Makeb and do intend on pursuing more SGR options in the future. More details to come!

Whew! I think we got through this State of the Game pretty well. The team and I will continue to scan the forums, read the boards, and listen to feedback. We’re dedicated to giving you the game that YOU want to play and are making changes and improvements at a rapid pace to keep up with your desires. Please keep posting and keep talking about The Old Republic. Together we will continue to care for and expand this fantastic game.

Blog: http://www.swtor.com/info/news/blog/20130102

Rise of the Hutt Cartel

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Rise of the Hutt Cartel

First Digital Expansion

Coming in Spring 2013!

• Experience 5 new levels, including story-driven missions, as the level cap increases to 55!
• Face-off against a frightening new enemy when you battle the nefarious Hutt Cartel.
• The fate of the new planet Makeb is at stake... and in your hands.
• Stay tuned for more information coming soon - Over the next few months we will reveal more exciting new features!

Announcement: http://www.swtor.com/rothc

STO - Klingons Unleashed

 Tomorrow (October 6), Klingon Defense Force play will be unlocked on Tribble for all accounts that have a Federation character at level 3 and higher.

New Klingon Defense Force officers will begin their career at Lt. Commander 7 (level 17). After they complete their initial training missions, they will generally be at Lt. Commander 9 (level 19). This is a big change from the current live game on Holodeck, where KDF officers begin their career at Lieutenant 6 (level 6).

We changed the starting level based on feedback from the community that KDF play did not include enough PvE content, and because leveling up a KDF officer was not as rewarding as doing the same with a Federation officer. By shifting the starting level upward, we are able to provide a more complete flow of content to players and tighten up the overall experience.

As with Federation play, the story episodes are now threaded into a sequence that makes it clear where you should be headed next. This addresses problems with players having to search for story content and gives the KDF player a clear and well-defined story to play through as they make their way to max level.

We're happy with the new KDF play and are looking forward to your feedback. We’d like to remind you, however, that this is only a temporary incarnation of the more full-fledged Klingon Faction that is in development for a future update. So, come on over to Tribble tomorrow and give it a try!

As a bonus, within the three weeks following when the F2P build is live, we will be giving out awards to your character on Holodeck based on what you accomplished on Tribble. If you get a Klingon Defense Force character from start (at level 17) to level 31, we'll give you a reasonably large chunk of dilithium (exactly how much depends a bit on how the economy tunes up in testing, but this will be a meaningful award.) If you get a character to level 51, we'll give you a bonus ship slot and a unique title that is different from the Federation's award title. This award applies only to KDF characters that start fresh on Tribble. It does not apply to characters that transfer onto Tribble from Holodeck once we activate character transfer. These awards are in addition to any awards granted for leveling a Federation character.

City of Heroes Freedom Goes Live

City of Heroes is not what it used to be as of today. It's something more, in fact, with the launch of City of Heroes Freedom. While the launch of the game's hybrid subscription model was announced some three months back, today is the day that the gates are open and players can begin enjoying the game's content as a paid subscriber or a free player. This comes on the heels of the head start program, bringing in new content, zones, and story arcs for players to enjoy.

If you're a returning veteran, you can enjoy all of the content for the game that you had previously purchased, as well as existing veteran rewards. Meanwhile, new players can just log in and start enjoying all of the game's seven years of content and updates. Whether you're an old or new player, however, you can take a look at the launch trailer just after the jump for a glimpse at what awaits everyone within City of Heroes Freedom at launch.

City of Heroes bringing early Freedom to lapsed subscribers

Do you remember your first time soaring through the skies above Paragon City or the rush of Superjumping over the streets of the Rogue Isles? Now you can experience the amazing features of City of Heroes Freedom™ for free...FOREVER! That's right; we're pleased to announce that as of this week we are beginning the process of reactivating all inactive City of Heroes/City of Villains accounts as Premium accounts for City of Heroes Freedom! Reintroduce yourself to the world's best Superheroic MMORPG experience and renew your friendships for free


Starting this weekend, we are gradually reactivating all inactive game accounts. Over the next several days, more and more former City of Heroes players will find their previously lapsed accounts have been re-enabled as Premium level accounts! We've saved your characters, so you can pick up where you left off, and returning Veterans can check out the all new Paragon Rewards™ Program for exclusive perks just for having been a previous COH/COV subscriber! Please note that not all accounts will be immediately enabled. If you can't log in; Just check back at a later time!
 
If you don't already have a City of Heroes account, never fear! Starting next week we'll be opening the doors to new free players! So everyone can take to the skies and join in all of the action available at no additional cost in City of Heroes Freedom!

Returning players can download the NCsoft Launcher and City of Heroes Freedom Game Client here!

Check out all of the details about City of Heroes Freedom here!

Fallen Earth free to play confirmed

Just how free-to-play will it be?

There will essentially be four tiers of this new business model: completely free, plus the Silver, Gold, and VIP subscription levels. The subscriptions will offer reward points, much as the game does now, but with even more items to purchase with those points. Keep in mind that these may not be the official names of the subscription tiers on release.

Free: This is to be considered an unlimited free trial, by which players will be allowed to play the game from end to end completely free if they'd like. They just won't earn any reward points.

Silver: This tier will cost less than the current sub price (which is currently $14.99 a month) and provide the same content. All subscriptions (Silver, Gold, and VIP) will also earn enhanced XP gain.

Gold: This will cost the same as the current sub fee but offer more reward points and bonuses each month, which can be spent in the item shop. So you'll be getting more for the same price.

VIP: With this top tier (which will most likely cost more than the current sub fee), players will have the ability to share their VIP bonuses with everyone in their party in the form of a VIP "aura." So if one person in your party is VIP but the rest are free players, everyone in the group will still reap the rewards of this aura. These rewards are also stackable, so if you have a full party of VIP members, you can expect some crazy boosts for everyone in the group.

Also, the game will be a free download from the GamersFirst site, but the company will not be removing either the current stock of boxed copies being sold in brick and mortar stores or the Steam digital download. If you do buy a boxed copy, you'll get some sort of subscription compensation to equal things out. Details on this haven't been finalized yet.

What will be offered in the item shop?

This is something that hasn't been set in stone yet, but some examples given were items that decrease crafting time and the possibility of more cosmetic content.

Many of the items in the item shop will be available to purchase for both GamersFirst credits (something used for all of its games) and Fallen Earth reward points. This allows you to pay through game means or just outright with cash.

When does this new business model start?

There's no definite date yet, but the developers say it should be within the next few months if all goes well.

Will the game's development change?

Marie says that the current development schedule is on target and will remain intact. Past Alpha County, the team hopes to introduce more player-driven content with long-term features. This is something it has discussed previously (especially with progress towns) and is still aiming to deliver. With the added resources from GamersFirst, the development goals should be easier to reach, but the design decisions themselves will not be dictated by GamersFirst.

Steam now offering F2P MMOs

June 14, 2011 - Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today introduced support for Free to Play (F2P) Games on Steam with the launch of five F2P games.

Available immediately, the launch titles are Spiral Knights, Forsaken Worlds, Champions Online: Free for All, Global Agenda: Free Agent, and Alliance of Valliant Arms (AVA).

Beginning tomorrow (Weds) with Spiral Knights and concluding Sunday with AVA, each of the five launch titles will offer exclusive in-game content to those who try the "F2P game of the day" on Steam. In game transactions in all of the titles will be supported by Steam's micro-transaction backend system that is available to Steamworks partners and currently used in Valve's Team Fortress 2.

"The introduction of Free to Play games is another example of the constant evolution of Steam," said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. "Free to Play games offer new game genres and game experiences for customers, while offering developers and publishers new revenue opportunities and the ability to reach customers in areas of the world where the traditional packaged goods model is less popular than F2P."

Specific details on the F2P games of the day and their exclusive in-game content will be made available in the coming days.

Steam is a leading platform for PC & Mac games and digital entertainment serving over 1,500 games to over 30 million active accounts worldwide. For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

Black Prophecy enters into open beta

That future is now for North American fans of Black Prophecy, and today marks the beginning of open beta for the title that launched in Europe last March.

GamersFirst talks Fallen Earth and F2P

Massively: So you're working with Fallen Earth -- what can you tell us about that?

Darek Connole: We're helping them by offloading some of the block-and-tackle, day-to-day operations so that their creative team can focus on getting things like Alpha County done.

We see the game and we see so much potential. It's such an awesome game, but there's just a niche that's playing it, so we're offering them cost-savings in their backend. We're also looking at putting a marketing machine behind it. They do great PR, but their marketing side is a little weak, and we're looking to bolster their advertising and get their name out there.

What we're getting out of that right now is we're looking at the way their microtransactions work, we're looking at the way their subscription model works, and we're looking at how we can get our take of that. Now, the relationship is still forming, so I would say for you and for your audience, keep your eyes peeled to see where it goes!

I have to ask about the business model. Is it going to go free-to-play?

Free-to-play is on the table. It's not something I can confirm; it's not something that I can deny. But we're talking about all kinds of options.

It's a consideration.

It's a huge consideration because the game does already lend itself. It has an in-game store, and it already has a subscription model that has more of a premium model than a typical subscription base, so it is something we're looking at. However, we also have to balance the current game and the current game systems.

The Fallen Earth fans are awesome. They're amazing. And they're technical people, even moreso than the All Points Bulletin fans. We did a screencast and 30 to 40 percent of the questions were about server sharding, lag time, where are they located, are we going to be making any changes to the packet software (because they didn't want to see drops in ping or anything like that). Hugely smart, hugely technically savvy -- that's a gamer who will be there, one who deserves to be taken care of.

The game deserves to be taken care of. It's a brilliant concept, the crafting system, kind of like APB's character creation system; it's fantastic. It takes some of the BS out of other crafting systems (like stopping everything you're doing to do it); they allow you to set stuff up and go. It's great. We want to be a part of that, and how that is going to go is still being determined.

As for other business models, we're looking at tiered sub models. We're looking at a lot of different things because the last thing we want to do is do something that doesn't fit the game. We care about our players. Our players and our player communities are the most important thing to us. Without them we have nothing since we don't have a box sale on that side.

And the team at Fallen Earth an amazing mentality. Marie Croall is amazing and passionate. When we first started to go down this road, there were certain things that she said were absolutely not going to happen, so we've come up with a company line on things like leased weapons and pay-to-win and things like that:

Frak that.

And you can quote me. We are not doing that. We're going to keep the game true to the game and to the people who like it. We're not there to impose our will on it; we're there to help because we see opportunity.

It's a brilliant game, and it's very deep, but nobody's playing it. And hopefully we can help that.

And it sounds like you're on board with keeping the current staff over there.

Well, we don't have any control over that. We're giving suggestions on things, but we don't have any direct control over development; it's all Marie and her team. She definitely tells us if we make a suggestion she doesn't like -- she's very vocal about it.

Age of Conan switching to F2P

Being a fan of Funcom games, I would like to give this a whirl this summer.

Free and Premium Content Overview


What are the differences between the free and the Premium offering?

Please consult the chart below for the main differences between the free to play option and the Premium subscribers option.

How do the character slots work after the hybrid model launches?

Free players can only make two characters by default, while Premium players get eight character slots. Returning customers get to keep the number of character slots they already had.

How many character slots can I have in total?

All accounts have a maximum limit of 18 slots.
Each account type starts with a basic number of slots (2 for free players, 8 for premium players). Any slots purchased in addition to this base will be added no matter what subscription type you currently use.

What happens if I go from Premium to free?

After downgrading from Premium to free, any characters in the slots beyond the two default ones can not be played, unless enough additional slots have been purchased from the item shop to compensate. Your characters will be there, but any beyond your two slots will be unplayable. You get to pick which characters will be your included slots once you downgrade to free.

What character classes are available to free players?

The following four classes are available for all players of ‘Age of Conan: Unrated’.

● Barbarian
● Demonologist
● Guardian
● Priest of Mitra

The following classes are only available to Premium subscribers:

● Assassin
● Bear Shaman
● Conqueror
● Dark Templar
● Herald of Xotli
● Necromancer
● Ranger
● Tempest of Set

How much of the game can I actually play for free?

All outdoor playfields in Aquilonia, Cimmeria, and Stygia are available to all players.

How do I get access to the expansion content?

Access to the Khitai content is available via an 'expansion pass' - granting access to all of the expansion areas and dungeons. Anyone who already bought the expansion has this enabled automatically. Subscribers who have not purchased the expansion before do not have access to this unless they buy the 'expansion pass'.

Will we be able to play through all of the dungeon content?

Some of the instanced dungeon content will be completely free, and other will be accessed through new passes or expansion purchases.

Free dungeons:

● Tortage Underhalls (solo)
● Acheronian Ruins (solo)
● Bubshur House (solo)
● Abandoned Smuggler Tunnels (solo)
● The Maze (solo)
● Spider Caverns (solo)
● Border Ranges (solo)
● Outflow Tunnels (solo)
● Ice Cave (solo)
● Cannibal Cave (solo)
● Catacombs (group)
● Toirdealbach’s Tomb (group)
● Prison Colony (group)
● Scorpion Cave (group)
● Caravan Raider Camp (group)
● Atzel’s Fortress (group)
● Onyx Chambers (group)

Premium dungeons:
Access to Premium dungeons will work in several ways. Some access passes are a once off purchase, some allow access for a set duration, and some are linked to expansion content.

● Pyramid of the Ancients (solo) –permanent-only purchase
● Treasury of the Ancients (solo) –permanent-only purchase
● Villa Camillus, Amiel, Verde, Paetus, Lentulus (solo) –permanent-only purchase
● Slaughterhouse Cellar (solo)
● Attilius Mansion (solo) – permanent-only purchase
● Black Castle (group) – permanent-only purchase
● The Cradle of Decay (group) – permanent-only purchase
● Sanctum of the Burning Souls (group) – permanent-only purchase
● The Cistern (group) – permanent-only purchase
● Main System (group) – permanent-only purchase
● Ampitheater of Karutonia (group) – permanent-only purchase
● Halls of Eternal Frost (group)
● Imirian Ravine, Oasis of Zaara, Frost Swamp (group ACG)
● Xibaluku (group)
● Crow’s Nest (group)
● Iron Tower (group)
● Khitai Dungeons - accessed through Rise of the Godslayer expansion purchase

Can a free player take part in all the raids?

Free players may access the beginnings of raids and the raid equipment ladder, but they can’t complete tier 1 without switching to Premium access or purchasing entry to more raids, which will be available in the item store.

Free raids:

● Kylikki’s Crypt
● Yakhmar’s Cave

Premium raids:

● Vistrix's Lair
● Black Ring Citadel (all wings)
● Thoth-Amon’s Stronghold
● All raids in Khitai

Can a free player take part in Sieges?

Free players may purchase time-limited passes to the zones related to sieges (Bori and Borderlands), while subscribers may participate in as many sieges as they like, whenever they like.

How much personal bank space does a free player get?

Free players get access to half of the bank slots that are available to Premium players. In the future, further bank and/or inventory slots will be available for purchase.

Do free players earn Guild Renown?

All players may contribute Valor, Glory, and Artistry to their guilds, regardless of their subscription status.

Do free players gain Alternative Advancement (AA) points?

Free players may not earn AA points, even if they are level 80. These are only available to Premium subscribers. Free players can however purchase items to enable AA point gain in the item shop.

Are there limits to which Mount Training can be done on a free account?

Free players may only ride the horses which require the Basic Riding skill by default. Premium players retain all their mount abilities and may learn to ride swift horses, armored horses, mammoths, rhinos, tigers and wolves as usual.

Read more with a FAQ here.

Black Prophecy patch 1.0.1

MISSIONS
Following new missions were implemented:

• "Cash for clunkers", Comadrome, Level 7, Tyi
• "Valuable freight", Caldeena Tyi Hub, Level 34, Tyi
• "Boosting morale", Caldeena Tyi Hub, Level 35, Tyi
• "The prototype", Col Esera, Level 14, Genide
• "Lost in the Badlands", Elysion, Level 18, Tyi + Genide
• "No response from Station FG-31", Elysion, Level 18, Tyi + Genide
• "Escort", Gyoda, Level 30, Tyi
• "Security loopholes", Gyoda, Level 30, Genide
• "There's always something waiting...", Geneera, Level 27, Tyi
• "Crafting Session", Apo Kata, Level 4, Sapiens

GENERAL

• General performance improvements in all sectors.
• Removed exploit possibility that allowed players to collect unlimited colors in "Paint Job".
• Fixed issues with performance and missing NPCs in Bara Kaitos sectors.
• Fixed ship health display inconsistencies.
• Damage distribution changed slightly: Damage is distributed evenly among active ship items, proportional to the items' durability percentage in relation to the entire ship. The item that is directly hit (unless it's the cockpit) receives slightly more percental damage than the other items.
• Repair kit durability is distributed evenly among all active ship items, proportional to the items' durability percentage in relation to the entire ship.
• Increased the amounts repaired by the higher level repair kits.
• Fixed heavy alien fighter item values. It can turn at decent speeds now.
• Implemented better spawn point variation for weapon transporters in the Nimbus, to prevent spawn point camping.
• Fixed a bug in the mission "Energy Reserves".
• Fixed an AI bug that caused NPCs to have steering problems when switching to sniper weapons.
• Fixed an AI bug that caused NPCs to not move when they should try to hide.
• Fixed an AI bug that caused NPCs to have steering problems when breaking off from a formation.
• Fixed an AI bug that caused NPCs to ignore new threats when purposefully attacking enemies.
• Fixed an AI bug that caused NPCs to ignore turrets on capital ships.
• Fixed an AI bug that caused NPCs to randomly experience steering problems during fights.

HUD

• Quickplay/instance button and sector/station name info no longer disappear when docked to a station and activating mouse mode.
• Premium items can no longer be moved to the ship inventory while a trade with a player or NPC is already active.
• Fixed kill-assist game messages if the player is killed by an NPC, but was damaged by other players before.
• Quickplay is now correctly being disabled when the client disconnects.
• More detailed information is now displayed when a player wants to request a clan sector.
• Removed warning message when players cancel their pending mission.
• Fixed a case where players could receive an error message "mission already starting" even after logging out and logging back in.
• Reserved names filter has been updated to allow some popular, previously blocked character names.

GFX

• Fixed colony ship texture flickering.
• Fixed engine exhaust effects for Tyi fighters.
• Fixed weapon attachment alignment for Tyi fighter wing module.
• Enhanced areas influenced by player color for Tyi fighter modules.
• Correct interior scene is now shown in the Gyoda Nebula for Tyi players.

The state of Black Prophecy

I recently picked up a closed beta key for upcoming sci-fi MMO, Black Prophecy. I haven't had the chance to play it yet, but here is a quick update on the game.

By Patrick Streppel, member of the executive board at gamigo AG

"Three weeks have gone by since the release of Black Prophecy in Europe and we would like to present a brief update as well as some insight into what you can expect from Black Prophecy in the future.

The current state
For an MMOG of Black Prophecy’s scale, the European launch went down very smoothly; no severe technical issues occurred and the servers were, and continue to be, stable. We were also able to start North American closed beta testing and are looking forward to giving the green light for release very soon (the current performance issues are hardware-related and solving them should not take long). The translation into French has begun and further language versions such as Spanish, Russian and even Chinese are already in discussion.

But, as with any MMOG, there can be difficulties with the performance of the starting sectors (the Open World Sectors), especially so soon after the game’s launch when many new players populate the same areas for the first time. These sectors have already been optimized during beta testing and the development team will continue to improve performance as time goes by. Please stay with us on this.

Upon the announcement of the game’s launch, certain voices in the community suggested that the game was not yet “finished” and that more development time was required. We take these concerns very seriously and are happy to discuss with you what you think is missing but ask you to keep the feedback constructive. I might be getting ahead of myself here but a lot of mission content, PvP elements and other features are already on the way to fulfill the promises we made.

Some have compared Black Prophecy with an unpolished diamond. This comparison gets closer to the heart of it. The decision to release Black Prophecy at this point in time was agreed upon by both Reakktor Media and gamigo. Many obstacles have been overcome in the past few years to get this far and we are extremely happy and proud of the result. No MMOG sees the light of day completely polished and perfectly working, but be assured that all involved parties are 100% dedicated not only to perfecting the current game but to bringing so much more to it."