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Global Agenda takes aim at bots, aimbots specifically

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, MMORTS, Global Agenda

There are beasts out there that are far worse than a simple macro auto-pilot program, a la Glider. In the FPS community, beasts like the notorious aim bot, capable of auto-targeting your enemies in a game of shooting skill, exist to ruin everyone's fun. And when you cross your MMORTS with the battles of an FPS... well you start getting people using the latter program.

Global Agenda finally has one such program out for it, and yes, it does work. Snipers are accurately killing people from across the map, assaults are using chainguns that never miss, and all other types of havoc are being let loose. However, we don't recommend that you use any of these programs, unless you want to be targeted by Hi-Rez Studios.

Continue reading Global Agenda takes aim at bots, aimbots specifically

Global Agenda takes aim at bots, aimbots specifically originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Launches, New titles, Free-to-play

Perfect World Entertainment's new flagship game, Jade Dynasty, has pulled itself out of closed beta right on time and has jumped into open beta, swords and magic at the ready.

If you're looking to check out this new free-to-play MMO, or at least judge some of the controversial game options for yourself, you can head right on over to the Jade Dynasty website, sign up for Perfect World Entertainment's portal, and jump into the game with no beta key required.

With the release of the open beta client comes a new trailer, and we here at Massively have cleverly embedded the video after the break. If you want to see some high flying combat, just hit continue reading and enjoy the video!

Continue reading Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer

Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty pt. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Free-to-play, Anti-Aliased

So that's why it's called AFK Dynasty...

When I finally found a new area to level in as my awesome level 30 self, I actually found that the quests had surprisingly become more tedious. Now it was kill 30 of a monster, or collect 10 to 15 of an item that would only drop once every 7 monsters. This is when I began to make crazy use of the invigorate feature, where I'd press the "kill stuff" button and my character would go off killing whatever she pleased.

Was I worried about dying? Pfft, no! Using my wonderous cash shop gold I got a health and mana battery! These two items carried 700,000 HP and 700,000 SP inside of them, and would use enough of their charges to bring my character back up to full HP and SP when I dropped below 10% in a category. I had absolutely nothing to fear now all because my character was basically on a potion IV drip. Everything in my path was easily slaughtered, and I didn't have to be present for any of it.

It scared me.

Is this what an MMO is?

Other games try to hide it with cutscenes, story, diversions, and other tactics. Jade Dynasty is the full, unabashed version of what a MMO is -- grindy grindy grind. But when the game becomes so advanced that it can play itself, then I need to ask an important question What the heck is the point?

"Jade Dynasty is the full, unabashed version of what a MMO is -- grindy grindy grind."

A better designer than I once said, "Making video games for a living comes down to one cold, hard truth -- you're making pushing buttons fun. Your job is making an extremely mundane task into an experience with impact." The fact that a game like Jade Dynasty exists is a scary proposition for our industry as a whole. It means we're walking the path of making timesinks, not games. It's like one of those old addages -- "How can we have fun playing a game when we're not playing the game?"

I sound like a broken record, but this is a very strong reason why I preach about the necessity of storyline and impact in a game. While gameplay is very, very important, any repetitive activity will become boring unless it is spiced up with enough change to keep it engaging. We use to have a strong grasp of making worlds with engaging content. That grasp, however, has diminished since the dawn of the EverQuest and the rise of "kill X to level" quests.

How do I know that we've lost our path regarding storyline? Well because Bioware is touting storyline as a new feature in The Old Republic. When we've gotten to the point that storyline is a "on-the-box" feature for a game, then we've done something horribly wrong in our designing.

Our original designs focused on the adventure in the world, not the quick grind sessions to max level and the repetition of raids. I wish we could re-find those designs.

My final note to you all for this week: if you want to play a game of numbers without playing the game, I have a recommendation for you. It's a "game" that runs on anyone's computer thanks to low graphical requirements and provides all of the same action and features that Jade Dynasty provides. It's called Progress Quest, it's equivolent to Jade Dynasty, and it's 100% free. Try it, you'll love it.

Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who is totally level 45 in Jade Dynasty by only playing it for an hour. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through Massively, or through his personal feed.

Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Free-to-play, Anti-Aliased

So I learned a few things since last week. One, writing an opinion column on how much I like Final Fantasy XIV can push people into a frothing internet rage, and two, people apparently forgot that I write an opinion column.

Therefore, because my column may induce emotional states similar to some drugs, I've been asked by the FDA to include a legible warning prior to each of my column topics.

The FDA would like me to tell you that reading Anti-Aliased can, in rare cases, cause extreme emotional upset, eye strain, monitor punching syndrome, a feeling of discomfort around Mithra, itchyness, nausea, resurrection sickness, paralysis of the eyelids, and carpal tunnel syndrome. You should stop reading Anti-Aliased and consult with a World of Warcraft priest should you develop any one of these symptoms while reading.

With that legalese out of the way, let's talk about Jade Dynasty -- dubbed by the illustrious James Egan as AFK Dynasty as it's the one MMO where you pay microtransactions to not play it. Yes, you heard me, it's more beneficial to not play Jade Dynasty than it is to play Jade Dynasty. EVE players, there is finally a game that puts your skill training system to shame.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty

Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC09: How to avoid new legal pitfalls in virtual world design and policy

Tateru Nino — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Second Life, Legal, Virtual worlds

At last week's Game Developers Conference 2009, we got the chance to sit in on Mark Methenitis' talk on How to avoid new legal pitfalls in virtual world design and policy. You may have noticed the sheer quantity of legal cases, rulings and issues surrounding virtual environments and MMOGs that have direct impacts on users and players lately.

We found the talk to be an engaging and interesting one, which certainly went a long way towards clarifying some of the past, present and future problems and we've got a tasty summary of the highlights for you.

Continue reading GDC09: How to avoid new legal pitfalls in virtual world design and policy

GDC09: How to avoid new legal pitfalls in virtual world design and policy originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Famed felon seeks to join MDY vs Blizzard

Tateru Nino — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, News items, Legal

If you've been keeping up, you already know of the court battle between Blizzard and MDY over the Glider automation software used with World of Warcraft. Another amicus brief has been filed in the case, and this one is a real attention-getter.

An amicus brief (often formally named amicus curiae -- friend of the court) is usually (but not always) where a concerned party submits additional information to the court, often to inform it of a wider impact or implication of certain outcomes beyond the fundamental interests of the direct parties to the case, or to provide other information which the court may be lacking. This isn't uncommon in particularly controversial, far-reaching or complex legal cases. That can go a little further, however, to what is called Intervention, where a third-party seeks to become a party to the case already in progress.

The filer of the Intervention is Jonathan Lee Riches, who is incontestably our favorite US Federal Prison inmate. Riches has previously sued "Adolf Hitler's National Socialist Party", "13 tribes of Israel", Plato, Nostradamus, Che Guevarra, Jimmy Hoffa, the Lincoln Memorial, the Eiffel Tower, the Garden of Eden, the Roman Empire, the Appalachian Trail, Three Mile Island (the island, not just the power-plant), Rockstar Games, George W Bush, Steve Jobs, Perez Hilton, Britney Spears, and hundreds more.

Now he's suing Blizzard because of World of Warcraft, and ... well, let's take a look at why ...

Continue reading Famed felon seeks to join MDY vs Blizzard

Famed felon seeks to join MDY vs Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard awarded large payout in 'WoW Glider' case

Michael Zenke — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Legal

The BBC is reporting that the WoW Glider case (MDY vs. Blizzard) is moving closer to resolution. If you'll recall, the court found in favor of Blizzard Entertainnment back in July, awarding them victory in their long-running feud with 'botting' software. WoW Glider is the best known 'bot software packages, allowing World of Warcraft players to automate their AFK play. Now a damages reward has been awarded to the software developer, to the tune of $US 6 million. The article notes that damages could have been even greater had MDY not won some legal arguments during the court battle.

The piece continues, "The damages award could be delayed if Blizzard appeals against the judgement which threw out its claim to double or triple the cash settlement. The case is due to go to court again in January 2009 when the remaining issues in the legal conflict look likely to be settled." Massively will continue to follow this case as it moves (slowly) towards conclusion.

Blizzard awarded large payout in 'WoW Glider' case originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard victorious in WoW Glider case

Michael Zenke — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, Legal

Virtually Blind is reporting that the WoW Glider case has been resolved in Blizzard's favor. The maker of the epic fantasy MMO has long contended that the MDY developers are infringing on the company's copyright. MDY makes the WoW Glider bot software, possibly the most popular of a series of options that allow an unattended computer to 'play" World of Warcraft. This case dealt with a number of meaty virtual world/legal issues. The most important decided this week was rights Blizzard gives to players of the game. The company is allowed, according to the decision, to defend those rights against individuals that would allow players additional privileges.

Terra Nova, which has had several previous discussions about this case, notes that this may be the first time gold farming is referred to in a court's opinion. There is a 7-point test for impropriety in tortious interference. The overall message of that test, says the site, is that "enabling gold farming = not cool." Check out our previous discussions of this case, and you can catch every legal jot and feint in the official ruling from the court.

Blizzard victorious in WoW Glider case originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard responds to amicus brief in MDY bot suit

Brenda Holloway — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Legal

Last month, digital rights advocacy group Public Knowledge filed an amicus curaie -- "friend of the court" -- brief regarding Blizzard's argument that a user making a memory copy of the World of Warcraft software for purposed of using MDY's Glider program to bot violated their terms of use and their copyright. Public Knowledge noted that loading legally obtained software into the memory for purposes of running it is explicitly allowed by copyright law. The judge required Blizzard to respond to the argument last Friday, and Virtually Blind has Blizzard's response.

The basic argument that Blizzard makes is that the software is only rented and that they control and license every allowable use, and every non-allowed use (by their license) is copyright infringement. (Public Knowledge points out that this would mean using non-allowed names, or communicating in game with a member of the opposing alignment, is also copyright infringement).

Do you feel when you buy a game or other software that you are buying the software -- and can therefore do what you like with it, regardless what some EULA allows -- or do you feel the publisher of the software retains all rights to that box and the particular copy of the software you have licensed? This goes beyond WoW and beyond video games entirely.

Blizzard responds to amicus brief in MDY bot suit originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MDY and Blizzard continue to cross blades

Andrew Russo — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events, real-world, Exploits, MMO industry, Legal, Virtual worlds

World of Warcraft seems to be the focus of virtual law, lawsuits, angry gnomes, and all sorts of fun these days. Not only is a player suing IGE due to their gold selling practices, but Blizzard also took MDY, makers of the glider program, to court. Now, MDY and Blizzard are moving closer to getting this battle finished.

The arena of choice is the US District Court of Arizona and the two sides put forth their best efforts and finished their replies. Now we just have to wait for the federal justice system to make a decision on summary judgment. As Virtually Blind's Benjamin Duranske points out, that could take some time. Nonetheless, a few people are following such lawsuits closely since this is new territory for the courts and the MMO industry. Some fear the cases bring the federal government onto virtual turf, others think it is time for an end to cheating and want government help, and a few players are indifferent and just want to get their characters to level 70 before Wrath of the Lich King arrives.

MDY and Blizzard continue to cross blades originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 May 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Updated] Gliding through a nasty Blizzard

Andrew Russo — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Economy, Events, real-world, Exploits, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Legal

Blizzard recently announced the folks behind the creation and sale of the popular Glider program, MDY Industries, are the latest target in an ongoing campaign against bots, hackers, and gold farmers. Blizzard claims that Glider, a third party software program that turns your character into a bot, has caused them in excess of US$20 Million in revenue. In their motion against MDY they claim:

Since Glider levels players faster, Blizzard lost revenue from shortened subscriptions
Glider violates their EULA and TOU through bot-ting
Glider can be used for gold farming, damaging the in game experience of others
Blizzard must spend money and time tracking down Glider users

MDY claims innocence, of course, stating that nowhere in the EULA or TOU (at the time the motions was filed) was a violation dictated that covered the use of the Glider program. Glider does not modify any of the game files nor does it mine or hack data from any of the game servers and thus, they argue, is not a violation of any of the rules governing the use of WoW. MDY believes that Glider 'has actually increased WoW's subscription revenue' since players hit the critical level 70 faster, with less frustration, and often find themselves craving more and opening a second account.

As the creator of Glider, Michael Donnelly, makes clear, it all started as a noble desire to catch up to his friends and enjoy content together. The case has caused Blizzard some bad press over the method used to inform Mr. Donnelly of their desire to sue his company. An unidentified private investigator, a lawyer, and a nice little note at the door asking him to stop selling the product they believe hits them in the wallet. Has Blizzard gone too far? What defines cheating? Who is truly at a loss? All questions we have to find answers to amidst the approaching storm.

[Updated to fix links]

[Updated] Gliding through a nasty Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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