Massively

Spiral Knights celebrates 3,000,000 registered accounts

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Culture, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions

Spiral Knights seems to be doing pretty well for itself. The latest official dispatch proudly states that the game currently has three million registered accounts in total, which is certainly a sign of good health. To celebrate, the development team is running a small promotion: all Elevators will cost no energy to use from now until Saturday at 5 p.m. EDT. Players under the effects of an Elevator Pass will see the two free days added on, so all players who want to take advantage of this will be able to.

The dispatch also reveals that the team is hard at work on developing new features for the next year, including new missions, more accessible DLC, and improvements to both combat and guild systems. All in all, if you're one of the three million account holders, it sounds like the game is going to provide you with more fun stuff to do in the future... and if not, well, you can always start the road toward four.

Spiral Knights celebrates 3,000,000 registered accounts originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Studios join forces to form Gamer Safety Alliance

Jef Reahard — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Miscellaneous

This week is Gamer Safety Week, and before you laugh at the thought of getting injured while playing your favorite MMO, we should point out that the safety has more to do with your accounts than your person.

Nine major game companies have joined forces to form the Gamer Safety Alliance, an organization that seeks "to break down traditional competitive barriers and share information and best practices within the computer and video game industry."

Participating firms include Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Turbine, NCsoft, Nexon, Square Enix, Sony Online Entertainment, MindCandy, and En Masse Entertainment. SOE leads things off with a lengthy article on how to protect yourself from account fraud.

Studios join forces to form Gamer Safety Alliance originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last chance to join Star Wars Galaxies sunset

Brianna Royce — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Star Wars Galaxies, Massively Meta, Trading card games, Sandbox

In June, we broke the sad news that Star Wars Galaxies would be shutting down this December. But if you were hoping to check out one of the best sandbox MMOs in existence before the final curtain falls, you're running out of time.

According to Sony Online Entertainment, only accounts that are active and in good standing on September 15th will be eligible for the sunset period and events, so if you want to play, you'll have to plan ahead and reactivate your account one last time to make sure your account is active on Thursday. After that, your account will remain active for free until December 15th, when the galaxies are closed down for the last time. Confused? Mepps on the official forums has an even more detailed explanation for all the caveats and what-ifs you can dream up.

Players meeting the criterion will also find that their accounts are flagged for free access to other SOE games (including EverQuest II and DC Universe Online) from October 15th to the end of the year, further sweetening the deal.

Finally, although the SWG TCG will remain in operation as long as the game does, loot cards cease being redeemable after September 15th, so grab your free loot cards while you still can!

Last chance to join Star Wars Galaxies sunset originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Far too much accountability

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Business models, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Sometimes, it's really hard to figure out what in the world Square-Enix is thinking.

I don't really make a habit of defending Square on principle; I defend stuff that's defensible in the first place. There are decisions that might seem odd, but they make logical sense and can actually be defended in the correct light. That's mostly a function of trying to see a reasonable set of decisions and reasonable motivations amidst what can sometimes seem baffling. It's not always an easy road.

And then there are times when I can't even start to decipher what in the world anyone in the management train was thinking. Even when I do decipher the thought process that led to the action, it's the sort of thing that leads to some mixture of bafflement and irritation at the overall lack of thinking. That's my reaction when I look at the whole Square-Enix Account merger fiasco for Final Fantasy XI -- something that could have been a great idea but wound up just being an overall terrible execution.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Far too much accountability

The Mog Log: Far too much accountability originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GamersFirst's Fallen Earth account transitions begin today

Jef Reahard — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic

Today's the big day for Fallen Earth and GamersFirst account integration, and the Icarus team has posted a brief how-to on the game's official website. Fallen Earth will go dark at approximately 5:00 p.m. EDT, and "the process is expected to take quite some time."

When the server comes back up, players will need a free GamersFirst account to log in, and they'll also be prompted to merge their old Icarus accounts with the new account before continuing. Credit card payment information will automatically transfer, but Paypal users will need to manually update their info on the account settings page.

Finally, ClickandBuy will no longer be an option for subscription accounts, and the Fallen Earth team is inviting former users to continue their subs via Paypal or traditional credit card payments. Icarus also points out that today's migration has nothing to do with either game content or the impending free-to-play conversion (i.e., subscriptions will still be required for game access after today's merge is complete).

GamersFirst's Fallen Earth account transitions begin today originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GamersFirst talks Fallen Earth account changes

Jef Reahard — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries

If you're a current Fallen Earth subscriber, you'll want to head over to the official Fallen Earth dev blog to get the skinny on the upcoming account shenanigans scheduled to take place on August 1st and beyond.

In a nutshell, Fallen Earth's acquisition by GamersFirst has necessitated that all users acquire a GamersFirst account to log into the game. Never fear, though, it's a free account, and it's just another step in the changeover process. In fact, GamersFirst's Joseph "Linus" Willmon writes that the account gymnastics are part of "phase two, where we fully integrate Fallen Earth into the GamersFirst publishing platform." Phase one has already been completed, and it involved a lot of behind-the-scenes hardware moves and the like.

This week's Fallen Earth dev blog contains a complete rundown of the rest of the changes scheduled to occur in phase two, including payment and subscription tweaks.

GamersFirst talks Fallen Earth account changes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: The highlights

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, The Game Archaeologist

The Game Archaeologist is a lazy adventurer-slash-professor who dons his trademark cap for a weekly expedition through some of the most famous MMOs of the past few decades. Each month he chooses a different title to examine its highlights, talk with its developers, and invite its fans to share their experiences.

I don't know about you, but when I first heard of RuneScape a few years back, it was sold to me as "the poor person's World of Warcraft." In fact, I knew several teens who couldn't afford a monthly WoW subscription and had to "make do" with RuneScape as an alternative, and so I mentally filtered the title as being outside of my sphere of interest and moved on with my life.

That was when I started to crochet. All adventurers should know how to crochet as a survival trait.

In retrospect, I should've ignored the stigma and checked it out for myself, because while the above may be true for some, RuneScape deserved a lot better than to be blown off by a dismissive comment. No matter how some have pigeon-holed it as being less than worthy of proper MMO status, RuneScape is a behemoth of a game in both size, features and playerbase. In fact, as of right now, RuneScape holds the #2 spot for players, boasting a population well into the eight digits.

So as of this month, we shall endeavor to put away any ignorant stances as we explore one of the most popular and longest-running MMOs of our time. Join me after the jump as I share RuneScape's greatest highlights -- and exactly why none of us should underestimate this game again.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: The highlights

The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: The highlights originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Locked out

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

You don't really know the value of account security until it fails you. Or, more accurately, you don't think at all about entering your password until that day when you type it in... and it doesn't work. You double-check it, and it still doesn't work. You don't know if you somehow forgot it, or if you've gotten hacked, or what the issue is... but suddenly playing the game becomes impossible. And suddenly, something as trivial as going in and doing your obnoxious dailies seems like it's an urgent matter.

In the best-case scenario, you just forgot the correct password and it can be fixed fairly easily. In the worst-case scenario, you look and find that the recovery e-mail is an address you haven't used in years that no longer functions, and all of your contact information is completely wrong. Because who needs all of that, right? Except that you do now, and you're left kicking yourself for not thinking it through at the time.

Have you ever found yourself on the wrong end of getting locked out of an account? What happened? Were you angry, upset, or just ambivalent? Tell us your story, because for better or worse, we've all had to wrestle with security at some point.

The Daily Grind: Locked out originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall's US server to launch today

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Business models, Launches, News items

Darkfall's first North American server, NA1, is due to launch today. The stage is set for the new server with the release of Darkfall's expansion, and July 13th is the date declared by both the website and the game's associate producer, Tasos Flambouras.

However, beyond a single thread regarding how to download the new US client, the launch has been very quiet. The account page is now online, ~~ready to take your payments of 49.98 for the brand new NA client.~~ Edit: While the account management is working and you can create an account, ~~the shop is currently offline and unable to take new purchases of the game.~~

EU users interested in playing on the NA servers with their EU characters will still have to wait, however, as EU players will only be able to transfer to NA three months after the launch. Even then, EU characters will not be allowed to bring their possessions with them, transferring onto the server as a naked player. However, on the bright side, those who wait will not have to pay for a brand new account to play on the NA server.

Update: The shop is now online. Have fun!

Darkfall's US server to launch today originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ijji.com users can now access Atlantica Online

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Business models, Launches, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Atlantica Online

Users of ijji.com will be happy to know that as of today their ijji accounts can now be used in tandem with Atlantica Online, letting them jump into the game without any new signups or or registration processes. Any current ijji.com member can simply jump on over to Ndoors and grab the game's client and sign in with their ijji.com account, no strings attached.

Well, there are strings attached, actually. Good strings. This opening also marks the start of the "A New Recruit" event, which awards new players with bonus mercenaries in their party when starting out and item bonuses for every new mercenary they get.

While we realize that this may not be a story of earth shattering importance, it is interesting to note that the publisher, Ndoors, is letting another website enter the game's servers without actually creating a brand new version of the game. This isn't a group of stand alone servers, meaning ijji.com users will be entering into the already vibrant North American Atlantica community. Not a bad way to add more people to your servers, if you ask us.

Ijji.com users can now access Atlantica Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Lapse of Loyalty

Tim Dale — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion

As they say, you never forget your first time, and to the brand new MMO player, it isn't immediately apparent that there is a substantial genre behind the acronym, spanning into the hundreds of titles. Indeed, the acronyms themselves are probably things that make little sense. For the true newbie, there is only The One Game, an unexpectedly deep and broad game, which swiftly becomes as much a place to be as a way to pass a few hours of an evening. Mine happened to be EverQuest, but it could be any of the increasingly broad list of MMOs available today.

Content with their choice, they might continue to be a steadfast participant to the exclusion of all other gaming, for many months or even years. Their depth of involvement brings the game to life for them, and in turn, that life becomes a significant part of their own. Such a player may not even be aware that there are other games out there; other worlds and other communities; what could any of that offer that they don't already have?

Others might have a different view. Driven by months and years of similar repeated experiences, the grass does indeed seem greener in these other games. Perhaps an urge for similar kind of gameplay but in a new and unexpected setting, or a craving for something entirely different, some game with completely different rules, skills and objectives. For these gamers, variety is the spice of life, and the more the merrier!

What makes one player a loyal mono-gamer happy with the game of choice, and another a flighty poly-gamer, playing many titles in quick succession or all at the same time?

Continue reading A Lapse of Loyalty

A Lapse of Loyalty originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runes of Magic reaches 100k characters created on first day of open beta

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, Runes of Magic

As we mentioned last week, the highly-anticipated Runes of Magic fantasy MMO from Frogster Interactive has just entered open beta on December 15th. Normally the news of a small free-to-play MMO would be mentioned, and then subsequently forgotten as the larger, big-budget games continue to hog the attention. Yet Runes of Magic has an announcement that they're quite proud of: 100,000 characters created in the first 24 hours of the open beta.

Not only that, but out of the total 220,000 registrations to date, 20,000 accounts were created on Monday alone with more than 2 million quests completed. Just to be clear, this is not 100k accounts created on the first day. It's 100k characters created by 20k accounts. Still, it's great news for Frogster Interactive and we expect those accounts to rise throughout beta and into launch, which is scheduled for release in Q1 of 2009. For the complete press release and more information on the game's features, continue reading after the cut below.

Continue reading Runes of Magic reaches 100k characters created on first day of open beta

Runes of Magic reaches 100k characters created on first day of open beta originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard Authenticator adds new layer of security, for a price

Chris Chester — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Exploits, MMO industry

When you play online games these days, you always have to be mindful that you don't leave yourself vulnerable to viruses, account fraud, and hacks. Something as seemingly simplistic as a hidden keylogger in a UI mod can open the floodgates to strangers to come on your computer and take your account information. Stories abound of players losing accounts they've dumped thousands of hours into because they didn't take the proper precautions. While some of the blame certainly lies with the players, there are some critics who have charge that the MMO industry doesn't do enough to prevent fraud.

Enter the Blizzard Authenticator. This new keychain SecurID device can be attached to your World of Warcraft account, making it impossible for anybody to access it without the Authenticator plugged into the computer They'll be debuting the device at the upcoming Blizzard Invitational, but it should be available on Blizzard's online store soon at the low, low price of $6.50. It's a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Blizzard Authenticator adds new layer of security, for a price originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Account thieves make mainstream news

Kyle Horner — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Exploits, News items

Some determined hackers have gone to great lengths to steal MMO accounts. So much so that they've managed to get noticed by the mainstream news outlets. We guess that's what happens when you hack over 10,000 websites just to get your hands on somebody else's MMO account.

Essentially, these guys hacked into thousands of websites and added a small amount of code that redirects users into an invisible attack from some China-based servers. Apparently if you've got your antivirus program of choice up-to-date you shouldn't worry. Although the article points out that some of these attacks are directed at ActiveX controls, so update that as well if you haven't recently.

We all know how terrible it would be to have our accounts hacked into and stolen. Many of us spend hundreds of hours in our favorite worlds, which many of us also pay for through our credit cards. Strangely enough, Lord of the Rings Online is mentioned as one of the games targeted by the hackers.

[via TenTonHammer]

Account thieves make mainstream news originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCSoft do the time warp, again

Louis McLaughlin — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: City of Heroes, Dungeon Runners, Events, real-world, Tabula Rasa

There's no reason stated, but NCSoft are changing their entire billing department's time zone from Eastern Standard Time (EST, -5 hours GMT) to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC, = GMT) starting tomorrow, a difference of about five hours.

As it's just a time zone swap, nobody will lose or gain any hours they've already paid for, but depending on when you opened your NCSoft account you may be billed a day later in future. It's very important that you don't think about why they'd make this change, how you can go five hours into the future and not gain any extra time, or why the acronym doesn't match the full phrase. Trust me.

NCSoft do the time warp, again originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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