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[1upmuffin]

^^
Everything he says in that article is pretty much spot on. I believe if WS was released around 2006/07 right before or after BC it would be a huge hit since the themepark sub genre was still fresh, not 10 years after WoW. Just look around at MMO's being announced most of them are going for the sandbox or sandpark feel, the traditional themepark is slow dying. It's all cyclical of course since prior to WoW, besides EQ we didn't see themepark mmo's, and now that's all there are, but slow coming back around.

I have been playing MMO's for a while and I have yet to see any sandbox MMO's that look fun. Mortal Online, Darkfall, Ryzom, or Wurm all seem hard to learn and cumbersome.

Maybe a sandbox MMO will come along and streamline the genre like WoW did for themepark MMO's, and maybe EQ Next will do this, who knows, but until then "themepark" mmo's remain a lot more fun and appealing to me. I like doing dungeons and leveling through different areas. What keeps me playing a sandbox mmo? I get bored of other sandbox/ directionless games like Minecraft or Planetside 2 (not a sandbox but you can go wherever you want and all content is unlocked from the start) because I don't feel like I'm progressing or accomplishing anything.

Am I missing something or is sandbox style MMO just not for me? Maybe sandpark would be a better fit than pure sandbox, but I'm not even quite sure what that means or if any games actually fall under that category yet.

Anyway, I know that Wildstar won't be the next WoW but it does seem good past the first 10-15 levels, and I hope it gets popular enough not to go f2p in a year or so, but judging by other attempts like Rift or TOR that doesn't seem likely.

 

[Frazley]

Played Anarchy Online, SWG and WoW! I am hesitant to pick up another MMO.

 

[Azzurri]

I have been playing MMO's for a while and I have yet to see any sandbox MMO's that look fun. Mortal Online, Darkfall, Ryzom, or Wurm all seem hard to learn and cumbersome.

Maybe a sandbox MMO will come along and streamline the genre like WoW did for themepark MMO's, and maybe EQ Next will do this, who knows, but until then "themepark" mmo's remain a lot more fun and appealing to me. I like doing dungeons and leveling through different areas. What keeps me playing a sandbox mmo? I get bored of other sandbox/ directionless games like Minecraft or Planetside 2 (not a sandbox but you can go wherever you want and all content is unlocked from the start) because I don't feel like I'm progressing or accomplishing anything.

Am I missing something or is sandbox style MMO just not for me? Maybe sandpark would be a better fit than pure sandbox, but I'm not even quite sure what that means or if any games actually fall under that category yet.

Anyway, I know that Wildstar won't be the next WoW but it does seem good past the first 10-15 levels, and I hope it gets popular enough not to go f2p in a year or so, but judging by other attempts like Rift or TOR that doesn't seem likely.

The problem is it's hard to get AAA funding for a sandbox because WoW was so successful that publishers put all their money into making a themepark for the past 10 years. That's why all these small sandbox games are so meh, because they don't have the financial backing of a WoW, TOR, or even a WildStar. But it's changing with EQN since SOE is behind it. I guess will see how it goes.

BTW, UO, SWG (RIP in peace) AC1, and EvE are all sandbox titles and they all are completely different from each other and more fun (to me) personally than your themepark MMO, not to say all themepark mmo's are boring.

 

[Authority]

Tree of Savior better be good. I was into Ragnarok Online back in the day (if you couldn't tell from my username) even though it was mediocre. It's saving grace was the community and the fantastic War of Emperium.

plz be good plz be good

You can also check out the following;

Tree of Savior MMORPG Features Preview | Hype Meter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD3bRy_8LQc

There is no way in hell this game will be bad.

 

[Khezu]

Can we also talk about dead MMO's we miss?

There was a neat MMO I really enjoyed when I played called Chronicles of Spellborn.
It seems like it wasn't very popular at all, my friend and I are like the only people I have seen on the internet that talk about it. I have never seen anyone talk about it, not even in the context of failed MMO's.

The game just came and went, and I sadly didn't get much chance to play it, I only found out about it a few months before it the servers were shutdown.

It was kind of an ugly game, but it had really fun combat. It had this skill deck system, which is basically like your hot bar would rotate when you used a skill, and you would have to chain moves together. There also was no tab targeting, you had to aim your attacks, for melee, ranged, and magic. It also had very good controls and movement, it wasn't very floaty like a lot of other low budget MMO's.

It also had a cool house system, where at some level you would just one of three houses as your faction for the sake of PVP. I think you could also not join any if you just wanted to kill everyone.

I'm only bringing it up to see if anyone else ever has played it. I was thinking about playing a free MMO yesterday for a bit, and remembered it existed, and then remember it's died and got sad.

Here is some starting gameplay of it.

 

[Authority]

Can we also talk about dead MMO's we miss?

There was a neat MMO I really enjoyed when I played called Chronicles of Spellborn.
It seems like it wasn't very popular at all, my friend and I are like the only people I have seen on the internet that talk about it. I have never seen anyone talk about it, not even in the context of failed MMO's.

The game just came and went, and I sadly didn't get much chance to play it, I only found out about it a few months before it the servers were shutdown.

It was kind of an ugly game, but it had really fun combat. It had this skill deck system, which is basically like your hot bar would rotate when you used a skill, and you would have to chain moves together. There also was no tab targeting, you had to aim your attacks, for melee, ranged, and magic. It also had very good controls and movement, it wasn't very floaty like a lot of other low budget MMO's.

It also had a cool house system, where at some level you would just one of three houses as your faction for the sake of PVP. I think you could also not join any if you just wanted to kill everyone.

I'm only bringing it up to see if anyone else ever has played it. I was thinking about playing a free MMO yesterday for a bit, and remembered it existed, and then remember it's died and got sad.

Here is some starting gameplay of it.

Of course. Feel free to talk about anything related to MMO.

Never knew its existence so thanks for sharing. Seemed like a great MMO reading from the comment sections. Why was it shutdown?

 

[Azzurri]

snip

I remember hearing about CoS way back when. I played it for a couple of days and just stopped, I remember it going through a bunch of crap and finally shut down.

 

[Khezu]

Of course. Feel free to talk about anything related to MMO.

Never knew its existence so thanks for sharing. Seemed like a great MMO reading from the comment sections. Why was it shutdown?

Devs went bankrupt, and the publisher Acclaim didn't want anything to do with it, so they just ignored it, then sold it to another company, and then they sold it to Disney.
Then Acclaim finally died, and when they did the servers went with them.

I don't think it would have ever been a popular game though, it didn't really have the regular MMO hooks of gear grinding, since all weapons and armor were just cosmetic. They did this because they designed the game around having balanced PVP, as I guess that was the focus of the game.

I never really got that high of level as I mostly jumped from class to class trying things out.

 

[Cow Mengde]

Kingdom under fire II

Release Date: Summer 2014
Platforms: PC, PS4
Gameplay: Kingdom Under Fire II Online G-Star 2013 English Promotion Trailer
Information:

• Kingdom Under Fire II Latest Trailers in English
• Battle System
• Everything you need to know

I'm praying to god this game's combat is gonna be good. This is the only MMO I'm looking forward to in the future. All other combat MMOs have disappointed me so far.

 

[Authority]

I'm praying to god this game's combat is gonna be good. This is the only MMO I'm looking forward to in the future. All other combat MMOs have disappointed me so far.

Well if you are interested check out the following combat videos;

• Kingdom Under Fire 2 (Free MMORPG): Lvl 20 Spellsword Shield Keep Gameplay (EBT)
• Kingdom Under Fire 2 (Free MMORPG): Lvl 10 Berserker

 

[Authority]

[Rumor]Civilization Online First Closed Beta Kicks off this April

Civilization Online in development by the Korean game company XL Games is rumored to enter the first closed beta test this April. The official has not confirmed this news yet, but Civilization Online's executive producer and XL Games CEO Jake Song revealed that this game is going to have a beta in the first half of 2014 in an earlier interview at the beginning of this year.

Civilization Online is a relatively casual MMORPG according to the official description on this game. Players don't have to spend a lot of time till they enjoy the fun of gameplay and they will play as a farmer, soldier or adventurer. The developer will reproduce many classic elements of the original Civilization series. Additionally, it is a sandbox game where players can create all kinds of contents freely.

Jake Song is a famous game producer in Korea and known as one of the four godfathers in Korean gaming industry who once worked at NCsoft, Nexon etc. and participated in the production of Lineage, The Kingdom of the Winds etc. His main project after he formed XL Games is ArcheAge.

Direct Source: http://2p.com/5454430_1/Rumor-Civilization-Online-First-Closed-Beta-Kicks-off-this-April-by-Victoria.htm

 

[Khezu]

There was one other thing I liked about Spellborn.

It had a weird way to handle death penalty.
There was a separate exp and level system that went up to level 5, and it gave you a good amount stat bonuses for reaching level 5.

If you died you would lose a good chunk of it, and I think you lost different amounts depending on what killed you, a npc or a player.

 

[Authority]

There was one other thing I liked about Spellborn.

It had a weird way to handle death penalty.
There was a separate exp and level system that went up to level 5, and it gave you a good amount stat bonuses for reaching level 5.

If you died you would lose a good chunk of it, and I think you lost different amounts depending on what killed you, a npc or a player.

I think death penalty restructuring is on the rise now with Dark Souls II, Archeage, Black Desert pushing the boundaries more and more as well as introducing "criminal justice systems".

I do hope in the future we get more and more complex systems where action(s) have consequences.

 

[Authority]

Breaking News!

Former Ultima Online developers working on MMO that offers 'unparalleled freedom'

Shards Online Teaser

Citadel Studios, a game company founded by three former Ultima Online developers, is currently working on a multiplayer role-playing game called Shards Online, which focuses on giving players power and freedom, according to co-founders Tim Cotten and Derek Brinkmann.

Speaking to Polygon, the developers said Shards Online is Citadel Studios' answer to letting players decide how they want to play. Brinkmann described the game as a player-run MMO, which means at the highest level they can run their own servers and change the settings of that world, altering how long nighttime lasts or how quickly players can gain skills.

On the next level down, server administrators can take the form of god characters, who can spawn monsters in the world, create items and launch live events. And in the level below that, players can modify the gameplay code.

"Shards Online is truly the first player-run MMO in the sense that we give the players the ability to run their own servers," Brinmann said. "They're no longer bound to the ideas that the game developers have about the game. When the game launches, you will have access to running your own server and you'll be able to customize that server on many different levels.

"This allows communities to really customize their experience the way they wish to play the game."

The game is set in a multiverse, where players can travel through different worlds. While all the worlds are unified by the same rule-set, Cotten told Polygon that they are each themed differently, and these themes will offer players a different experience. There's a world inspired by high fantasy. There's a world that is coming out of a steampunk industrial revolution. There's a world that consists of a colosseum in which players can fight each other in player-versus-player battles.

"All these worlds have their own stories," Cotten said. "It's a role-playing game, so it's a lot about character development. We have an open-ended system with lots of different skills you can learn, and what worlds you travel to determines what skills you have access to."

Cotten said the desire to create a highly customizable world that allows players to experience it the way they want was inspired by the team's time working on Ultima Online. The developers were able to create monthly events for players to enjoy, add new non-playable characters for the community to interact with, and they were able to burn entire in-game cities to the ground so that players could loot it as they wished.

"We did all sorts of fun things, and we came away from it thinking why can't we do this with modern tools? Why can't we do this with modern technology and give more stuff directly to the players? Why can't we give that same feeling of power and extraordinary fun to the players themselves if they want to have it?"

Shards Online is currently in development for Windows PC, with Linux and Mac versions being considered. The game is expected to reach alpha by the end of the year.

Direct Source: http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/29/5559608/shards-citadel-studios

 

[Azzurri]

Saw this earlier.

There are so many Sandbox MMO's coming out in the next few years!

 

[Authority]

Saw this earlier.

There are so many Sandbox MMO's coming out in the next few years!

Indeed and hopefully that will not stop.

Not sure if you read this;

Shards Online: Q&A With Citadel Studios

Stratics has a long history with Tim “Draconi” Cotten and Derek “Supreem” Brinkmann as current Stratics VIP forum members and co-founders of Citadel Studios, the studio behind the exciting development of Shards Online. The Ultima Online community will always have fond memories of their contributions with past expansions and publishes that added years of content they enjoy to this day. Who could ever forget the, “burning in effigy” stakes of dropped houses, highlighting another cheater gone from game? Or the Halloween pvp events on Shard of the Undead? As a former staff member of Stratics, Draconi has a long history of supporting us and it is our honor to show support of Shards Online.

We know who Tim and Derek are to us from times past, but who are they now? What have they been up to? Let’s ask them!

What made you decide to create a new studio?

Tim: It all began back at the “UO Frat House” in San Francisco where a bunch of us Ultima Online developers roomed together. We had a lot of late night game design discussions, and okay, sure… some nights we’d debate the merits of setting cheaters’ houses on fire, but mostly we talked about how lucky we were with UO – we could do things that other games just couldn’t do.

We could burn entire cities to the ground and let players loot the rubble in real time. At one point, we created an alternate dimension where players could even freeze time. The feeling of power was absolutely unreal – and we loved every minute of it.

We promised ourselves back then that, no matter what, we would eventually build a game ourselves that captured the same feeling UO gave us.

When Derek and I moved cross-country to Virginia to join the Mythic team, we met our rockstar artist Chris. It wasn’t long before we knew we were all on the same wavelength. The three of us got together and hit on the big idea for Shards Online: give players the power that we had with UO.

Did you start with this concept or did it evolve from something else?

Derek: Shards has evolved rather organically over the project’s lifetime.

One of the things we heard over and over while working on Ultima Online was “I wish there were more games like UO.” So the project initially started with that goal in mind. We wanted to bring back that old school feeling in a modern online game.

We aren’t aiming to create a spiritual successor to the Ultima franchise; we believe that right belongs to its once and future king, Lord British himself Richard Garriott. We have no doubt he’s going to hit it out of the park with Shroud of the Avatar.

Instead, we wanted to take the years of inspirations and insight we gained from working on UO and apply it towards something that could be totally new and different.

The concept of allowing players to run their own servers emerged as we attempted to solve the problems associated with maintaining a traditional MMO on an indie budget. We fell in love with the idea of allowing the players to customize and moderate their own game worlds as a supported feature, so we ran with it.

What is your team like and how did they bring their own experiences into the development of Shards?

Derek: For starters, there are the three founders (Tim, Chris and I) who worked together in the past at the big studios. Then we have our awesome project contributors, who vary in experience and the time they can commit, but are all extremely passionate about what we are doing.

We’re proud to have former Ultima Online devs, great artists from Warhammer Online, and new talent from George Mason University’s game design program. Some of you might recognize a few names on our team like Supreem, Draconi, Logrus, and Phoenix!

The team is still growing and evolving. We’re focused on making the game right now, but will definitely start sharing more about the development team in the coming weeks – what they’ve done in the past, what they’re doing now, and what they’re bringing to the table to make Shards something special.

You can learn a little bit more about us on the Citadel Studios Team page.

Will Shards develop with community input along the way or do you have a set progression in mind?

Tim: As a company, even outside of Shards, we’re focused on our community first and foremost. Our mission is to build a community of dedicated players around the next generation of multiplayer sandbox role-playing games. But how do we build a great community? More importantly, how do we help players build their own great communities?

Our answer is Shards.

At launch, we’re binding several completely different shards together (from swords and sorcery to steampunk) in the game’s official cluster. Every shard will have live events that involve – and evolve with – the community. They’ll feature branching storylines, shard-altering consequences, and unique items and rewards that can take back home with you.

The best part is we’re also giving players the ability to mod our existing content and create their own. You can run private or public clusters with your own rulesets, and choose how and with whom you interact. In your shard you can be a king, a god, or even a humble street sweeper. Be careful playing the grim reaper though, you might not keep players for long!

We’re making the power to build incredible communities accessible to every player.

The game will run in Unity? Does this mean browser based, standalone client, both? What platforms can we expect to find the game on?

Tim: Unity has been an amazing partner for us, and we’re targeting a standalone client running Shards on PC/Windows at launch. We also happen to be fluent Linux developers and some of us rely heavily on Macs, so rest assured we’re looking at both Mac and Linux as platforms as well.

Do you have any sort of timeframe for alpha/beta testing, or is it still to early to think about that?

Derek: It’s still a bit too early for specific dates. We’ve been running closed internal playtests on a weekly basis, and we expect to start inviting more and more testers as we finalize more features. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list on the Shards Online website for opportunities to participate.

Can you share anything about the business model? Your website seems to hint at buy/free to play?

Tim: We plan to sell the client and standalone server as a bundle. That’s all you need to play the game. We’re also planning some premium services in addition to the base game. We’ll get into details about those as we get closer to launch.

We’re definitely not exploring a freemium model; we’d rather give players as much as we can up front instead of nickel-and-diming our community.

Tell us one of your favorite moments from your time as developers on Ultima Online.

Derek: I always had the most fun interacting with players on Test Center where we could use our god powers without worrying about upsetting the GMs. We used to do all sorts of crazy things – unleashing immortal fire breathing purple llamas on the players at Yew moongate, for example.

One time, I found a player AFK all alone in the woods and decided to have some fun with him. I created a dinner table with chairs and a nice feast and sat him down at the head of the table. I replaced his weapon with a feather duster and placed NPCs in all the other chairs. I still don’t know what that player thought when he came back to his keyboard!

Tim: My favorite moment isn’t even something I did or someone I set on fire! Wilki was working hard on some Valentine’s Day content and accidentally used the wrong Object ID for a ‘rose in a vase’. It was instead a ‘slice of bacon’, and it appeared in every player’s holiday gift box.

Stratics U.Hall lit up the moment the update hit Test Center. There was a lot of good natured ribbing both inside and outside the team, but it became a beloved inside joke overnight. We made the decision to keep the bug as-is and roll it out to the production servers, because the community loved how we could make very human and very amusing mistakes.

To this day I believe Valentine’s Day gift boxes in UO contain ‘a slice of bacon’ in tribute to Wilki. It really cemented for me the kind of relationship I wanted to have with players and set a great example for what we want for Shards Online, too.

Direct Source: http://stratics.com/interviews/shards-online-qa-with-citadel-studios/

 

[erragal]

ArcheAge and Black Desert look very interesting. By the way, if Destiny can be considered an MMO, Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen should be there too.

Lot of english streams of ArcheAge since the russian release. It's a very beautiful game and technically impressive but the gameplay is barely an iteration on the standard hotkey mmo formula.

Wildstar is going to be an incredible gameplay experience. Very heavy limitations on the powerful amps/skill tier bonuses gives everyone a way to build a uniquely powerful character. Limitations of versatility breed specialization and results in a healthy pve meta. The free aiming could turn off some of the hardline traditionalists.

Most importantly is the theme/ip will open up a fresh take on encounter, enemy and environments that will reinvigorate the desire to explore. It's certainly still a diku mud at its breathing mechanical heart...but the trappings are modern and exciting.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Breaking News!



Direct Source: http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/29/5559608/shards-citadel-studios

I like the old veterans sloughing off the piled up drama, expectations, and legacy of their old duties and restarting the clock anew. Maybe it ends up in the same direction, maybe at the same speed, but it's another opportunity, another chance at perspective.

Lot of english streams of ArcheAge since the russian release. It's a very beautiful game and technically impressive but the gameplay is barely an iteration on the standard hotkey mmo formula.

Wildstar is going to be an incredible gameplay experience. Very heavy limitations on the powerful amps/skill tier bonuses gives everyone a way to build a uniquely powerful character. Limitations of versatility breed specialization and results in a healthy pve meta. The free aiming could turn off some of the hardline traditionalists.

Most importantly is the theme/ip will open up a fresh take on encounter, enemy and environments that will reinvigorate the desire to explore. It's certainly still a diku mud at its breathing mechanical heart...but the trappings are modern and exciting.

I like you.

 

[Cow Mengde]

You know, what I really want is another brawler/action combat game like Vindictus. What every other action combat MMO doesn't do right are the skills. See, Vindictus doesn't have hotkey skills. Ok, there are a few, but those are either super moves or buffs. There's only like 4 for each character. All moves are executed rather than tapping on a hotkey and waiting for it to cool down. That's why I feel like I put more of my attention of the hotkey cool downs than watching the moves and paying to attention to the hit boxes. Regular console brawlers are also like that. This is something Vindictus does sooooo well that no other game has managed to do.

 

[1upmuffin]

You know, what I really want is another brawler/action combat game like Vindictus. What every other action combat MMO doesn't do right are the skills. See, Vindictus doesn't have hotkey skills. Ok, there are a few, but those are either super moves or buffs. There's only like 4 for each character. All moves are executed rather than tapping on a hotkey and waiting for it to cool down. That's why I feel like I put more of my attention of the hotkey cool downs than watching the moves and paying to attention to the hit boxes. Regular console brawlers are also like that. This is something Vindictus does sooooo well that no other game has managed to do.

Vindictus also didn't feel like an MMO, and it got boring really fast for me.

Dragon's Nest combat was similar to Vindictus, though I don't remember any specifics now (also barely an MMO).

Also Tera online does action combat pretty well.

 

[Authority]

What the fuck?

Blizzard Shows off New Title Called Blizzard Outcasts: Vengeance of the Vanquish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iim--3_NggU
Today, Blizzard released a new official announcement for its new title called Blizzard Outcasts: Vengeance of the Vanquished, a Mortal Kombat style game featuring all your favorite Blizzard heroes and a brand new controller with a dedicated credit card slot. You can take a look at the latest trailer for this brand new title below.

Q: Are you guys for real?
A: I have no idea why you would doubt us, but yes, we are indeed making this game. For realsies.

Q: Well, I was just surprised, because a fighting game doesn’t really sound like something Blizzard would do.
A: Okay, first of all, that’s not a question. Secondly, a fighting game is so totally what we would do. Ever hear of a little side-scrolling brawler called “The Death and Return of Superman”? Yeah, we made that. “Justice League Task Force?” Oh yeah, that was us too.

Q: Okay, that is an awfully big controller. Will this be required to play the game?
A: The controller is not mandatory, but we’ve found that using this peripheral significantly enhances the gameplay experience. It also makes a great stocking stuffer (provided you find a stocking of sufficient capacity).

Q: Is that roster complete or do you plan on adding any more fighters to the game?
A: We consider this roster only the first chapter in the Blizzard Outcasts heptalogy, with each subsequent release exploring a different facet of the rich pantheon of our games’ unsung co-stars.

Q: When is this game coming out and what platforms will I be able to play it on?
A: Blizzard Outcasts™: Vengeance of the Vanquished will be released on PC, Mac, and special order arcade cabinets this holiday season.

Q: Any plans to release this game on next generation consoles?
A: ...oh. That probably would have made more sense than arcade cabinets.

Direct Source: http://2p.com/5490203_6/Blizzard-Shows-off-New-Title-Called-Blizzard-Outcasts-Vengeance-of-the-Vanquish-by-Wow.htm

 

[shysaursoft]

What the fuck?

There's a dedicated thread for April Fool stuff.

 

[Authority]

There's a dedicated thread for April Fool stuff.

Oh right I see. Thanks.

Anyhow I would like to introduce the following game. Didn't sit on me too well when I saw it but I must include it for the sake of including it; apparently Tera players would be keen on playing it.

Icarus

Background
WeMade Entertainment just released a brand new trailer for their upcoming Closed Beta that is scheduled start next week. Icarus is one of the more popular upcoming MMORPG's in South Korea because it offers a lot of unique features such as flying mounts with aerial battles, mounted action combat, and etc. The latest trailer featured below shows off a little bit of aerial combat, dragon slaying, mounted combat, and a lot of awesome stuff. I'm definitely excited for this upcoming CBT, you'll find out after watching the trailer below.

Release Date: TBC
Gameplay:

• Icarus Online - GSTAR 2012 Gameplay!
• Icarus Online Ground & Air mount battle

Information: Icarus Online Preview

 

[Authority]

Regarding Phantasy Star Online 2,

Phantasy Star Online 2 still out of sight for North America

Here's a question for the audience: Why isn't Phantasy Star Online 2 released in North America yet? The game is fully translated into English, it's going to be released in Southeast Asia in that language very shortly. It's been out in Japan for two years. About a year ago, Sega announced that the game's release in North America would be delayed with no further elaboration; as it stands, the company is still offering no rationale or explanation for the delay.

The most obvious culprit would be legal issues, but Sega hasn't made any statements to indicate that there might be some sort of legal barrier to launching the game here. All that fans know is that the game is still unavailable, despite now having every sign of being ready for launch. So what's holding it back? We haven't the slightest idea.

Kotaku talks about disrespect (the irony),

Sega's Long Silence On Missing Game Disrespects Their Biggest Fans

In July of 2012, Sega announced plans to bring the popular multiplayer RPG Phantasy Star Online 2 to the west in "early 2013." But that still hasn't happened, much to fans' consternation—and Sega won't explain a thing.

In the world of gaming, it's common to see big companies staying quiet about their products until the marketing schedule dictates that it's OK to talk, but it's not often we see a company announce something, promote it, and then never talk about it again.

Yet any attempts to ask Sega what's up with the game are just met by the same answer: "The game is delayed." In March of 2013, that was their answer. In July of 2013, that was their answer. Three months into 2014? Here's part of the e-mail conversation I had with a Sega representative last week.

Sega: Regarding the below, nothing has changed. The game is still delayed and we will update everyone as soon as we know more.P

Schreier: Surely at this point it's more than just a simple delay, no? I know more than a few readers have been waiting patiently for the game to come here, and they expected the release window to be "early 2013" - you guys really can't help clarify things for them?

Sega: The game is delayed and we will share more info as soon as we know more.P

Adding further insult for those who have been waiting, Sega will soon release Phantasy Star Online 2 in Southeast Asia. In English. Fans aren't psyched about this.23P

While Sega isn't the only company that has announced a game and then stayed quiet about it for years—Rockstar's Agent and Sony's The Last Guardian are just two examples of video games gone MIA—this is an unusual case. This isn't a half-baked idea or an ambitious game stuck in development hell; Phantasy Star Online 2 is already complete. It's been out in Japan for two years. Millions of people have played it.P

So maybe Sega plans to quietly shelve the game here. Maybe they're not saying anything because they've decided that it was a mistake to announce a western release, and they're hoping this whole thing will just go away. (They should probably start by taking down the US website.)P

Or maybe it really is delayed, and it'll come out eventually, in which case Sega owes it to fans—many of whom have held off on playing the Japanese version of PSO2 because they thought it was coming here—to explain what's going on. Two years after the announcement, Phantasy Star Online fans deserve more than "The game is delayed."

Direct Source: http://kotaku.com/segas-long-silence-on-missing-game-disrespects-their-b-1555363407

Anyway,

It is ironical to hold an english website for that MMO and be silent about its release date; http://pso2.playpark.com/en/. It will definitely be 2014 because I am pretty sure Sega does not want to compete with the MMO monsters that are coming out in 2015.

 

[Blinck]

The problem with current MMO's is that they are all a step back from World of Warcraft.

It's pretty fucking insane how 90% of high profile MMO's nowadays are not even open world, and are all divided into fucking instances... it's just shameful and embarassing.

Even Guild Wars 2, which is an extremely good game, takes a lot of steps back from WoW, which was released like 8 years ago or so... I just don't get it..

 

[Azzurri]

The problem with current MMO's is that they are all a step back from World of Warcraft.

It's pretty fucking insane how 90% of high profile MMO's nowadays are not even open world, and are all divided into fucking instances... it's just shameful and embarassing.

Even Guild Wars 2, which is an extremely good game, takes a lot of steps back from WoW, which was released like 8 years ago or so... I just don't get it..

The problem with mmo's is that they tried to copy WoW and the themepark style making them really boring since they all play the same basically at end game with Raid or instance PvP.

 

[Lashley]

Pre-ordered both FF: A realm reborn and Elder Scrolls Online for PS4. Beta for FF is available on Friday so if I LOVE that I'll keep my FF pre order and cancel the ESO one but if it doesnt wow me I'll probably cancel my FF pre order and wait for ESO.

 

[Grief.exe]

Kingdom under fire II

Release Date: Summer 2014
Platforms: PC, PS4
Gameplay: Kingdom Under Fire II Online G-Star 2013 English Promotion Trailer
Information:

• Kingdom Under Fire II Latest Trailers in English
• Battle System
• Everything you need to know

Whoa, I didn't know KUFII was an MMO. I'll have to look into that.

You know what isn't an MMO? Destiny. Bungie has even shied away from using that connotation as it isn't what they are delivering.

EDIT: From a certain perspective there are many elements that are very similar to Tera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHBsoqTFCzU

 

[system11]

I really miss Phantasy Star Universe, it was a shame how Sega treated it in the west. In fact they handled it so poorly that they killed their own fanbase.

 

[Mugaaz]

I really miss Phantasy Star Universe, it was a shame how Sega treated it in the west. In fact they handled it so poorly that they killed their own fanbase.

I LOVED PSO, and I thought PSU was the biggest steaming pile ever. The only game to ever disappoint me more was Hellgate:London. Honestly, PSU was like someone took PSO and asked "I wonder how I could make this exactly the same, but worse in every way imaginable".

 

[Authority]

Whoa, I didn't know KUFII was an MMO. I'll have to look into that.

You know what isn't an MMO? Destiny. Bungie has even shied away from using that connotation as it isn't what they are delivering.

EDIT: From a certain perspective there are many elements that are very similar to Tera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHBsoqTFCzU

Why is Destiny not an MMO?

MMO means Massive Multiplayer Online. MMO isn't a genre. MMOFPS is a genre.

Is Destiny massive? Yes.
Is Destiny multiplayer? Yes.
Is Destiny online? Yes.

Also and I quote,

"Like an MMO, our game will compel you to explore"

"Unlike an MMO, the entire experience is built around heart-pounding action"

KUFII will rock.

 

[Authority]

ESO's sub model was a 'mutual decision' between Bethesda and ZeniMax

Elder Scrolls Online's subscription model wasn't handed down from on high by parent company ZeniMax. It was instead a "mutual decision" between ZeniMax and Bethesda, according to company PR guru Pete Hines.

"It wasn't like they decided it, and we didn't mandate it. There was a lot of conversation around it," he told Games.On.Net.

Hines also explained that the future of ESO's business model will depend entirely on whether customers see the game as a fair value, and not on prevailing industry trends. "What's going to determine whether or not it succeeds or fails is not really tied to what anyone else has done, it's tied to 'do we make a strong enough argument for the value that you get for your fifteen dollars,'" Hines said. "If we're providing the kind of content people want to see where they're like 'this is awesome, I'm having a blast, this new stuff is totally worth it and I'm having fun,' then the subscription totally works."

Direct Source: http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/01/esos-sub-model-mutual-decision-between-bethesda-zenimax/

 

[Authority]

Ex-Red 5 staffers blast Mark Kern's 'destructive' behavior

If you wondered what was going on behind the scenes of Red 5 Studios turbulent past year, then a new exposé on Game Front might illuminate you.

Anonymous former employees of the Firefall studio allegedly came forward to spill the beans about mass layoffs, questionable decisions, and ex-CEO Mark Kern's erratic behavior. One person said that Kern's constantly shifting decisions caused severe stress on the team: "Months of work would be thrown out simply because he would change his mind, or he would have another 'revolutionary' idea."

Another anonymous ex-staffer said that Kern was worse than that: "When he did get involved in the production of the game itself he was simply destructive. He would swoop in one afternoon and berate a series of features several teams had spent months on, declaring they begin again and LISTEN to what he told them to do. He'd be back in a few days to see if it was done. This crushed morale, and forced people into spontaneous, isolated crunch mode. He would shout and scream his perspectives.

Direct Source: The trouble history of Firefall

Additional Information:

No-Win Situation: The Troubled History of Firefall, Part 1
No-Win Situation: The Troubled History of Firefall, Part 2

 

[Authority]

Let the hype fucking begin.

Emman Agbayani - last week of april? or first week?

MMOG Kingdom Under Fire II - 'like' us and get notification for the latest update for the game release date. Start recruiting your friends and prepare for the BIG war!

Let’s start with the most asked questions to date:
Q : We know that the game will be release in APRIL 2014, but what is the exact date and is it still under TEST BETA phase?
A : We are unable to reveal the final launch date of KUF2; this is due to work on the final stages of polishing game. We will announce the date when everything is ready. Our Test Beta phase ended in Jan 2014 and will continue with CBT followed by OBT phase.

Direct Source: https://www.facebook.com/mmogasiakuf2

 

[Exploratory]

Hello all I just joined and I had a question...

Has anyone played an MMO that had better combat than Tera? An action MMO. It seems to me that such a game doesn't exist. Is there a reason we can't have an MMO that has a combat system in the vein of something like Ninja Gaiden or Kingdoms of Amalur (best combat system I've ever seen)? It doesn't seem to be latency since there are so many action MMOs nowadays.

 

[Azzurri]

Hello all I just joined and I had a question...

Has anyone played an MMO that had better combat than Tera? An action MMO. It seems to me that such a game doesn't exist. Is there a reason we can't have an MMO that has a combat system in the vein of something like Ninja Gaiden or Kingdoms of Amalur (best combat system I've ever seen)? It doesn't seem to be latency since there are so many action MMOs nowadays.

WildStar's combat is pretty good, I'd give that a shot.

 

[Exploratory]

WildStar's combat is pretty good, I'd give that a shot.

Ive seen Windstars combat system. Its nice but its more an evolution of WoW or Guild Wars than that total control I'm looking for.

 

[AzureSkies]

Albion Online looks like Ultima Online but in 2014, and it seems to play the same too.

That's exactly why I want it.

 

[Authority]

Hello all I just joined and I had a question...

Has anyone played an MMO that had better combat than Tera? An action MMO. It seems to me that such a game doesn't exist. Is there a reason we can't have an MMO that has a combat system in the vein of something like Ninja Gaiden or Kingdoms of Amalur (best combat system I've ever seen)? It doesn't seem to be latency since there are so many action MMOs nowadays.

For combat you have to play GWII/WildStar/Eso or go to a more medieval theme;

The Deadliest War - Chivalry vs. War of the Roses

For those of you that do not know,

Kingdoms of Amalur

Background
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a single-player action role-playing game for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was created as MMO, but it eventually turned into a RPG. Ken Rolston, the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, acts as the game's exclusive designer. Additionally, noted fantasy author R.A. Salvatore created the game universe and lore, with Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, working on the artwork. It was developed by 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. The game was released on February 7th, 2012, in North America and February 10th, 2012, in Europe. The first public demonstration was at Penny Arcade Expo East 2011, held in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on March 11, 2011.

Release Date: February 9, 2012
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C43RMBx9wQ
Information:

• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
• Why Didn’t Everyone Play Kingdoms Of Amalur?!

 

[Authority]

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta - My Conclusion
Let's Talk About Wildstar! -- Livestream VOD

Warning: The content above is meant for mature MMO veterans. It is basically a "hardtalk" session in which MMOs are stripped away from hype and fanboyism and are looked at what exactly they are and how different they are from other MMOs.

 

[Authority]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is now official.

Register for beta key over here - http://kuf2.ph/

Matthias Peter does a beta come also to euro or thus them(her) on in English is gameplay?
Like · 3 hours ago

Kingdom Under Fire II Philippines the game is exclusively in the Philippines, yes the game is translated into English - Mod Lorcan

 

[Z3M0G]

Kingdom under fire II

Release Date: Summer 2014
Platforms: PC, PS4
Gameplay: Kingdom Under Fire II Online G-Star 2013 English Promotion Trailer
Information:

• Kingdom Under Fire II Latest Trailers in English
• Battle System
• Everything you need to know

Been waiting for this for soooooo manyyyyy yearssssss....

 

[Authority]

Been waiting for this for soooooo manyyyyy yearssssss....

I hope they do reply to us in 24 hours after we register for the beta key.

Can't wait.

 

[Azzurri]

Let's Talk About Wildstar! -- Livestream VOD

Warning: The content above is meant for mature MMO veterans. It is basically a "hardtalk" session in which MMOs are stripped away from hype and fanboyism and are looked at what exactly they are and how different they are from other MMOs.

I could not agree more with him on his WS impressions. Everything he said is so true with MMO's today, and it's so sad.

 

[Authority]

I could not agree more with him on his WS impressions. Everything he said is so true with MMO's today, and it's so sad.

You can also check out the Great Debate Part 1. I recommend watching all parts.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta - My Conclusion
Let's Talk About Wildstar! -- Livestream VOD

Warning: The above is meant for mature MMO veterans. It is basically a "hardtalk" session in which MMOs are stripped away from hype and fanboyism and are looked at what exactly they are and how different they are from other MMOs.

You can also check out the Great Debate Part 1. I recommend watching all parts.

Gimme them raw ugly truths! I'll watch this this evening.

 

[Clockwork5]

Downloading FF:XIV beta for PS4 secretly hoping it is not that good so the temptation to jump in subsides. If I do end up liking it I will look forward to spending the upcoming months of my life picking flowers and mining rocks. Why does it have to be this way?

 

[Authority]

Downloading FF:XIV beta for PS4 secretly hoping it is not that good so the temptation to jump in subsides. If I do end up liking it I will look forward to spending the upcoming months of my life picking flowers and mining rocks. Why does it have to be this way?

The first time I read your post I got depressed. What the fuck.

 

[Authority]

Albion Online

Background
Albion Online is a free-to-play medieval sandbox MMO.
It is also the first true cross-platform MMO, running on different systems such as Windows, Mac, iOS and Android at the same time and in the same stunning world!

Release Date: TBC, Sign up for Alpha
Platforms: PC
Gameplay: Albion Online First Impressions
Information:

• http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/958/feature/8377/Albion-Online-Hands-On-the-Alpha-.html
• Albion Online Previews: Hands On the Alpha

 

[Authority]

Frequently Asked Questions about ArcheAge

While we prepare for ArcheAge to enter Alpha, the team has compiled the following list of frequently asked questions (or a FAQ as it’s commonly known) addressing a wide range of topics we’ve been seeing from fans on fansites and our own forums. Is there an important one we should add? Tell us about it in this article’s forum thread!

ArcheAge: Frequently Asked Questions (Alpha Edition)

ABOUT AND HOW TO PLAY

What is ArcheAge?

ArcheAge is an open-world sandbox game unlike any other available in the West today. In ArcheAge you can: raise your mount, fight your way through a dungeon, craft the best armor in the game, make your mark on the world with an open-world farm or house, sail your ship on the high seas to trade with foreign ports, swoop in on airships and fight other players for plunder, claim a piece of land for your guild then fight with them to defend your territory from rival guilds, and lots of other fun things. We’re thrilled to be able to bring ArcheAge to the West!

When can I play?

We are eager to bring ArcheAge to you as soon as possible! We’re about to start our Alpha test phase, then onward to Beta with launch coming in 2014. Sign up for Beta and for the latest ArcheAge news, keep an eye on our forums and follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

What is Alpha and Beta?

The 24/7 private Alpha test helps us validate both gameplay and technology while building up the initial community of experts who are willing to share their experiences with others. ArcheAge will have a series of Beta events before launch. These events will give you a chance to see the game and will also serve as a test of our servers and the service integrations that we’ve made between ArcheAge and our systems.

How do I get into Alpha?

The best way to get into Alpha is by participating positively in the Trion Worlds ArcheAge community and sharing the news that ArcheAge is coming this year! We’re always on the lookout for folks who demonstrate their willingness to help out their fellow players by turning their interest in the game into actual actions.

You don’t have to have a fansite or a Twitch account to contribute, either! The dedicated folks who make helpful posts on the forums or are willing to bring their game expertise to our wiki are important contributors to creating a constructive grassroots ArcheAge community. In addition, there will be opportunities for Alpha invitations on our livestreams, forums, and social media channels to make sure everyone gets a chance. For instance, we’ve randomly awarded invites to active viewers of our Twitch channel when ArcheAge is being demonstrated!

You’ll also want to make sure that you’re signed up for Beta and opted in for our ArcheAge emails as well to make sure you get the latest information and invitations.

How do I get into Beta?

We’re making sure that there are a number of different ways to get Beta access. If you’re in Alpha, you are automatically included in all Beta events. You can sign up for a chance to get into a Beta event at ArcheAge.TrionWorlds.com. We’ll also have contests on our forums, giveaways on our social media channels, and more! There will be lots of ways for people to get into Beta events. Don’t want to leave your Beta access to chance? We’ll also be offering founder packs that will grant access to Beta events in addition to other benefits for being an early ArcheAge fan!

Are there going to be founder packs?

Yes! We will be announcing details of our founder packs in the next few weeks. Founder packs will grant you access into the Beta events as well as grant some benefits and loot in the live game. Keep an eye on our website at ArcheAgeGame.com and your inbox for more details!

Is there going to be a Patron Program (VIP Subscriptions) like RIFT?

We have gotten great feedback from our RIFT players on the inclusion of the Patron Program. It’s important to us that, as much as possible, Patron benefits add to your fun but are not required to play the game. We are adopting the essence of RIFT’s “No Tricks, No Traps” approach, while balancing the unique concerns of an open-world sandbox game!

For players who want to get a little extra out of the game, or who wish to support Trion Worlds, the Patron Program will be available. For those who wish to gain VIP benefits while remaining free, we are also hoping to support earning Patron status via in-game methods similar to how REX works in RIFT. We’ll be announcing the details in the weeks to come!

REGIONAL CHANGES AND LOCALIZATION

How much control does Trion Worlds have over the development of Archeage for the West?

Trion Worlds is the publisher of ArcheAge in the West and we interact closely with XL Games, the developer of ArcheAge based in South Korea, to ensure that we publish a game that is true to the promise of the open-world sandbox we’ve all been waiting so patiently for.

We work with XL Games to understand and new features that are added to ArcheAge in the East to determine how well they will be accepted in our regions, and then offer feedback. XL Games has been fantastic in addressing that feedback as best as they can. In situations where a feature is added that we don’t think will be appropriate for our audiences, we work with XL Games to modify or remove that feature from our version.

What does “localization” mean in terms of ArcheAge?

ArcheAge’s localization involves more than just translation from Korean into English, French, and German! It’s also about tweaking the content to ensure that the lore and jokes are appropriate for Western audiences. Some of the jokes that make sense in Korea don’t translate that well for Western audiences, so we adjust them to keep the humor. One of the challenges with localizing from Korean is that the language structure is very different from English, French, or German. The game is localized into English first, and then the edited text is translated into French and German. It makes the whole process take a bit longer, but the result is so much better!

How does Trion Worlds select what’s on the in-game cash store?

We work closely with XL Games to understand the impacts of the different items that are on the store in Korea so we can ensure that we keep store items optional and fitting our “No Tricks, No Traps” vision of free-to-play. As the game is new, there will not be catch-up gear in the store at launch, as is seen in our other free-to-play games. It’s important to us that items sold on the store are not required to enjoy the game.

Is Trion Worlds going to include all the 1.0 patch changes from ArcheAge’s Korean version?

We are watching how the changes are being received in other regions, and are working with XL Games to ensure that we adopt changes that maintain the focus on the sandbox elements of ArcheAge. In our recent trip to Korea, we were happy to be able to talk with the heads of XL Games as well as some of the ArcheAge game designers about the recent changes that they have made. Some of those changes were made specifically for XL Games’ market.

I have a question about ArcheAge in another region or language! Can you help?

Each publisher manages the ArcheAge service in their territories according to their needs and the conversations between that publisher and XL Games. It is not appropriate for us to comment on other publishers’ actions. We do watch what other publishers are doing and how their communities react to help us understand the impact of their changes; we also understand that different communities have different needs and preferences. We continue to work with XL Games and leverage our experience to ensure that we have the best ArcheAge that we can for the Western audience.

GAMEPLAY

How is Trion Worlds planning on handling housing and farms?

The open world housing in ArcheAge is a compelling sandbox feature that we’re very glad to have in the game. Because the housing is non-instanced, there needs to be a balance between available land and players who wish to place farms and houses. ArcheAge will be free-to-play and, as such, will have a variety of players who are in direct competition for land.

As a protective measure against infinite free placeholder accounts claiming precious land, ownership of limited real estate is reserved for paid players at launch. Free players are encouraged to participate in the crafting and farming aspects of this game, and will also be able to both use public land and share farms and houses from friends who give them access. Remember, not all the housing areas are marked on the map, so explore a bit to find the best places for your farm and house!

Are there any limitations on my classes or equipment?

There are no limits on how you mix and match the skillsets; you can pick your skillsets by flavor, or to maximize a certain attack or defense type. By level ten, you will be able to select three different skillsets out of a list of ten options. If you want to be an assassin/warrior/mage who throws fireballs and then jumps out of range, only to throw another fireball – or sneak up on your enemy to stab them in the back – you can build your class that way!

With the mixing and matching of classes, you can also mix and match equipment. There’s nothing stopping a mage from wearing plate armor, or a warrior tank from wearing cloth! There are different stats for cloth, leather, and plate armor – and each armor type has different set bonuses – so pick the armor that best suits your play style.

How does Trion Worlds plan to handle bots in ArcheAge?

We plan on handling bots very similar to the way we handle them in our other games. We’ve built up an arsenal of tools to handle bots and other forms of negative or exploitative play. Our platform has the best analytics, alerts, and Customer Support processes to help make sure our games are as close to bot-free as possible. As a game integrated deeply with our platform, ArcheAge will benefit from all of the bot-stopping processes that you’ve seen in RIFT and Defiance.

For example, when these processes were implemented in RIFT, more than 50,000 bot accounts were banned in the initial wave after which botting rapidly decreased. Since then, we’ve removed hundreds of thousands of bot accounts over time, and continue to closely monitor for negative or exploitative play.

NEXT STEPS

I’m excited for ArcheAge! What should I do about it?

That’s great, we are too! If you haven’t yet, sign up for Beta and opt-in to ArcheAge news and announcements to keep up to date with the latest information, then join the official forums and introduce yourself to the ArcheAge community!

Direct Source: https://www.archeagegame.com/en/news/2014/04/frequently-asked-questions-archeage/

Seriously what is wrong with the west and MMOs?

Is Trion Worlds going to include all the 1.0 patch changes from ArcheAge’s Korean version?

We are watching how the changes are being received in other regions, and are working with XL Games to ensure that we adopt changes that maintain the focus on the sandbox elements of ArcheAge. In our recent trip to Korea, we were happy to be able to talk with the heads of XL Games as well as some of the ArcheAge game designers about the recent changes that they have made. Some of those changes were made specifically for XL Games’ market.

1.0 patch is detrimental. End of story. It is detrimental because it strips away the game's sandbox elements which are its selling points. Also we already know how other regions received your 1.0 patch because players left, others created a "riot" in Korea, your game went F2P and in Korea it dropped many ranks within two weeks since 1.0.

If you bring Archeage in the West in the state of a themepark with dailies and weeklies in which a player has to spend 3-7 hours doing them every day you might as well rename yourself Aion II.

Archeage was sold on the concept that it was a hardcore sandbox MMO and many players across the globe supported the idea of this sort of Lineage franchise revival because there is a market regardless of the West bullshit you hear now and again about the "PvP community being the minority".

Archeage is not Blade & Soul. It does not need to compete with Blade & Soul. MMOs do not need to compete with other MMOs. That is the exact reason Asia will always be ten years ahead of the West with MMOs; because there is literally there every type of MMO for every type of gamer; not because every new MMO wants to be the new World of Warcraft killer.