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The Daily Grind: Are cash-shop lotteries a black mark on MMOs?

Brianna Royce — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Western players gripe about random number generators, especially when it comes to cash shops. Many of us rebel against paying for lockboxes in Star Trek Online, TCG cards in the now-defunct Star Wars Galaxies, and super-packs in City of Heroes because we want to buy a thing, not a chance at a thing.

Apparently, the idea annoys at least one government too. Earlier this week, rumors began swirling that the Japanese government might crack down on social games that employ "konpu gacha" -- essentially a crafting mechanic that requires a succession of lottery-esque random rolls. To gather the random and rare items you need to craft the gizmo you really want, you wind up spending tons of real cash on a bunch of stuff you don't. Sound familiar?

I'm not a fan of legislative meddling in how fools and their money are parted, but I'm still wondering what you all think. Are these kinds of cash-shop tricks fair play, or do you think the genre would be better off without them?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Are cash-shop lotteries a black mark on MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Win Lottery > Design MMO > ??? > Profit!

Matt Daniel — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, News items, Miscellaneous

If you won $27 million in the lottery, what would you do with it? Buy a new car? A new house? Maybe invest in the stock market? Psh, yeah right. You'd make an MMO and you know it, you filthy liars. As it happens, that's the idea of Ellwood Bartlett, who recently hit the big time with a rather sizeable lottery jackpot. Now he's taking to Kickstarter to build interest for his ideas.

What ideas? Glad you asked. Bartlett wants to create an MMO where each server is its own unique world. For example, Bartlett says that "one will be a mostly water and all avatars will have underwater breathing. Another will be a volcanic world and your avatar will have a high resistance to fire." Players would be able to travel between servers in order to tackle "universal quests" and to participate in PvP.

The goals are lofty, but one question remains: Why would a multi-millionaire take his ideas to Kickstarter? In short, he wants to gauge interest before he commits to the huge investment of time and money that is the development of an MMO. So far, he says, he has gotten "tons of positive feedback as well as negative." One way or another, it should be interesting to see how this one pans out.

Win Lottery > Design MMO > ??? > Profit! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO struts the runway for Fashion Week

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Contests, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Free-to-play

Are you more into looking good in Lord of the Rings Online than defeating the very heart of evil? Then Turbine's got a special week planned just for you. Starting today and going through the 16th, Fashion Week will be blazing through LotRO.

LotRO's cosmetic system allows players to assemble their own outfit looks independent of slotted gear and has become a popular feature in the game ever since its inception. Through Fashion Week, Turbine will call on the best-dressed to strut their stuff in the hopes that in-game CMs will see them and award special titles.

Also included in the week will be fashion-themed lotteries and a screenshot contest in which the best entries will be voted upon by the community. To give players inspiration, Turbine links to three game outfit blogs -- Lotro Fashion, Lotro Stylist, and Cosmetic Lotro -- and has given each of the blogs special codes to hand out for free in-game dyes.

LotRO struts the runway for Fashion Week originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bigpoint teases Battlestar Galactica Online carrier ships

Jef Reahard — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Battlestar Galactica Online

Bigpoint has let us know that it's about to kick off what it calls "space trials" for some new carrier-class ships in Battlestar Galactica Online. The craft will be visible on the Kobol beta server today in both Colonial and Cylon variants.

Carriers function as support and supply vessels and can also serve as mobile outposts with repair and recharge capabilities.

What's that? You say you want to pilot one of these shiny new vessels? Well, this is Bigpoint, so you'll need to enter a lottery via the community forum for your chance to jump in the cockpit of BSGO's latest and greatest. If you're not up for that, the ships will be available to all players on all servers after the completion of the trial period at the end of this month. You'll need to be level 40 (and in possession of nearly 500,000 in-game cubits) to get one for yourself.

Bigpoint teases Battlestar Galactica Online carrier ships originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: My love-hate relationship with Legendary Items

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

Second to perhaps radiance, Legendary Items have become one of the most controversial, most debated, and most divisive game features in Lord of the Rings Online since their implementation in Mines of Moria. Since their inclusion, players have discussed -- loudly -- how the system could be fixed and improved, and Turbine's made a couple of attempts at refining the feature into something we can all enjoy.

And yet Legendary Items remain in that category that I like to call "love-hate," where there's almost as much to love about them as there is to loathe. I've waited a long time to write this article because the timing never felt right; either I was too new to the system to speak with any authority on it or changes were "right around the corner" or I was lazy. Take your pick.

Perhaps talking about this today is beating somewhat of a dead horse in the LotRO community, but I wanted to get my thoughts out why LIs haven't quite gotten to where they need to, how they've failed, where they've succeeded, and why I pray every evening for cosmetic weapons so I can get rid of that ugly glow effect.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: My love-hate relationship with Legendary Items

The Road to Mordor: My love-hate relationship with Legendary Items originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Luck be a lady tonight! LotRO lotteries returning

Matt Daniel — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play

You feelin' lucky, punk? You... You are? Oh, OK then. Well, that may just be for the best because from the looks of things, Lord of the Rings Online's lotteries will be making a return very soon.

Over the next few days, Turbine will be running some "small, short, unannounced lotteries" to stress-test the feature, and if all goes as planned, players should expect the lottery to make a triumphant return by this weekend. So if you want to try your luck for some fabulous prizes, just head on over to my.lotro.com, click the lottery button, and cross your fingers. Good luck, ladies and gents!

Luck be a lady tonight! LotRO lotteries returning originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Emergence in the sandbox

Brendan Drain — Sun, 15 May 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, Professions, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

We often hear about the amazing things players get up to in EVE Online, from full-scale political wars and massive heists to collaborative business ventures and high-profile kills. While we can all enjoy these tales of high-powered exploits from afar, they can be difficult to relate to the actual game experience. Most of us will never be the puppet master pulling the strings of alliance warfare or the mastermind of some great theft, but we don't have to be. Smaller examples of emergent and opportunistic gameplay exist all over EVE in the daily play of thousands of individuals.

I've always thought of EVE less as a game and more as a giant social sandbox with spaceships -- a story about what people do when left alone in each other's company. Players naturally take on roles for which they have a strong aptitude, crafting completely new gameplay styles for themselves in the process. The entrepreneurs among us spy opportunities never imagined by the game's developers, tech-savvy individuals sell web-services, and artists craft propaganda for recruitment or a war on their enemy's morale. Countless players carve their own game out of the EVE universe, and there's no reason you can't be one of them.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at some of the unique gameplay experiences players have engineered for themselves over the years and the community that makes EVE what it is.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Emergence in the sandbox

EVE Evolved: Emergence in the sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE anniversary lottery offers over 40 billion ISK in prizes

Brendan Drain — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Economy, Events, in-game, Lore, News items

Since the beginning of time, or at least the beginning of the EVE Online universe, players have gambled their ISK for a chance to win it big in the BIG lottery. First launching on May 13th 2003, the BIG lottery has sold over 48,000 tickets worth a total of over 613 billion ISK. Each year, a special bumper edition of the game is launched to commemorate the birthday of both EVE Online and the BIG lottery, with CCP donating some awesome prizes.

Last year's seventh anniversary lottery included billions of ISK in prizes, including a free year of game time, a battleship model from the EVE store, and more donated by CCP. This year's eighth anniversary lottery has a similarly massive prize fund, with official prizes of 25 billion ISK and 10 billion ISK for the first and second place winners respectively. The EVE Online Hold'em poker league has sponsored two additional prizes of 5 billion ISK and a full year of EVE game time. To top things off, CCP will be giving each of the four winners a $50 gift certificate to be used in the EVE store.

Head over to the official forum thread or website for details on how to enter the contest. Tickets must be purchased before Sunday 15th May, and the drawing will occur on Monday the 16th at 2:00 p.m. EDT (18:00 EVE time) in the "BIG Games" in-game chat channel. Good luck to all those who enter!

EVE anniversary lottery offers over 40 billion ISK in prizes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: A year in Middle-earth

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

What a difference a year makes, eh? One year ago, and you didn't have to put up with me yammering at you every Friday like a hyperactive badger with a personality disorder. One year ago, and we weren't free-to-play-anything, Turbine was its own company, the festivals were nowhere near as cool as they are today, and shrews freely roamed the land without fear of reprisal.

So in my last Road to Mordor (of the year, stop rejoicing over there!), I thought it'd be great to look back at the wild rollercoaster that was 2010 in Lord of the Rings Online. I also thought I'd get an easy column out of all this, but that was before I had to read through 1,337 posts and my eyeballs began to lose pressure.

January

Stuff happened. Let's move on.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: A year in Middle-earth

The Road to Mordor: A year in Middle-earth originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Luck be a lady tonight

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

During this past week in the wild world of Lord of the Rings Online, we were treated to a snippet of exceptionally good news: The LotRO lotteries are back.

Some of you might be indifferent to this news, some might be overjoyed, and some -- I'm guessing -- are totally puzzled about what this all means. Considering how many new players have immigrated to LotRO this year and how long the lottos have been out of commission (several months now), it wouldn't surprise me if a player hadn't even heard of these at all.

Simply put, the lotteries are a "for fun" bonus that Turbine implemented to give all players a chance to win some nifty in-game items. These winnings can include anything from beer to gold to housing items to mounts. It really depends on your luck and how generous the devs are feeling any given week. Some of the lottos have huge payouts, while others deliver prizes as silly and paltry as a single lump of coal.

So if you're new to the LotRO lotteries -- or just need a refresher course -- hit the jump and let's suss this thing out!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Luck be a lady tonight

The Road to Mordor: Luck be a lady tonight originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another Mog Bonanza coming to Final Fantasy XI

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, Events, in-game, Previews, News items, Consoles

The Mog Bonanza is coming back for another celebration of a new year in Final Fantasy XI, giving players the chance to earn insane prizes without doing anything more arduous than guessing a number correctly. Of course, it's a five-digit number that you only get one real shot at guessing right, so there's a good cause behind the quality of prizes -- mountains of gil, Empyrean weapons, and unique furnishings for your in-game home.

As with prior events, you get prizes as long as you guess the last number correctly, with better prizes awarded the more digits you get correct. Marbles go on sale for the price of 2000 gil starting on December 22nd, and with a grand total of 10 marbles per character, you can at least ensure that you wind up winning a statue -- or try to go for broke with maximum possible earnings. Take a look at the full list of prizes on the official site, and start guessing your numbers now, as it's a chance to earn fantastic Final Fantasy XI prizes for just a little bit of work.

Another Mog Bonanza coming to Final Fantasy XI originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Gambling away all your ISK

Brendan Drain — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Professions, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

EVE Online is said to be a game in which you can do literally anything you set your mind to. It doesn't matter whether your ambition is to climb the alliance ranks, become the scourge of low-security space or even just fly around space telling jokes. If you can conceive of an idea that can be carried out in-game, it's probably a perfectly viable way to play the game. Over the years, players have come up with a number of unique and unconventional gameplay styles. Most of them began as ways for the pilots involved to make ISK or gain notoriety, but some were created just to see if it could be done. I've seen everything from player-run graveyards for the victims of piracy to players renting kill-boards for ISK, and yet the EVE community never ceases to amaze me with the new ways people find to play the game.

The most recent development to blow me away is SOMER.blink, a website where players can gamble their ISK to win fabulous prizes. Gambling in EVE is nothing particularly new; players have been wagering ISK on everything from lotteries to hands of poker for a long time. What makes SOMER.blink special is its absolutely flawless execution. Almost everything is automated, from the transfer of ISK into your account balance to the prize lotteries themselves. The website itself is even accessible from outside EVE once ISK has been deposited in your wallet. I've spent hours so far blinking away on lotteries and losing quite a bit of ISK, but I'll be damned if it hasn't been fun.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look into the addictive phenomena of Somer.BLINK and try to explain where all my damn ISK went.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Gambling away all your ISK

EVE Evolved: Gambling away all your ISK originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exploring Eberron: Six things to do on your first day in game

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Free-to-play, Exploring Eberron, Guides

So you've given into temptation, downloaded DDO onto your hard drive, and decided to see what all the hubbub was about with Turbine's quirky MMO-that-could. Good for you -- personally, I think you're in for a terrific time. Of course, there's a small but steep learning curve at the start of the game, which I envision claims the lives of many gamers who run all willy-nilly into said wall screaming, "Where is the auto-attack keyyyyy?" You want to avoid that. You want your DDO experience to be face-smashing-wall free.

Therefore, I have pulled myself out of a Fun Dip coma (soooo much sugar) to cobble together six vitally important tasks to perform on your first day in game in order to save the princess. Or make your life easier, I don't know. I'm assuming that you've already made your first character and are itching to test drive that bad boy or girl and see how quickly you can die.

Man, I bet you really wish Rubi were back already, huh? Wish harder, dude!

Continue reading Exploring Eberron: Six things to do on your first day in game

Exploring Eberron: Six things to do on your first day in game originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online turns 7 today, BIG corp runs huge anniversary lottery

Brendan Drain — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, MMO industry

On May 6th 2003, a little online space game by a relatively unknown independent Icelandic games company was officially released. Fast forward seven years down the line and that little company is a megalithic giant in the games industry. Spanning four countries and leveraging hundreds of staff, the company has begun to expand its portfolio with a console MMOFPS and a new MMO based in the World of Darkness setting. Under CCP's development, EVE Online has stood the test of time and enjoyed a steady increase in subscriptions. At EVE's sixth anniversary last year, they announced having reached 300,000 active subscriptions with a peak concurrent user total of 53,850. Some time in December of last year, the number of EVE subscriptions finally surpassed the number of citizens in CCP's home country of Iceland. That number rose to 330,000 active subscriptions by March of this year, with a peak concurrent total of 56,021. With the Tyrannis expansion around the corner, EVE is sure to see the same characteristic growth this year too.

CCP took the time to start a congratulatory thread on the EVE forums to mark the day. To celebrate, they're also donating massive prizes to EVE's oldest and most respected player-run lottery. The BIG lottery's anniversary draw is open now for entry and closes on Sunday, May 16th, with a live prize drawing the following day. The first place winner takes home a colossal 25 billion ISK prize, with the second place reeling in a huge 10 billion ISK. CCP is sponsoring prizes of a year's free game time, a battleship model from the EVE store, a copy of the new EVE: The Burning Life novel and an EVE T-Shirt. Not to be left out, E-ON Magazine is offering the latest four issues of the magazine plus a copy of their EVE Strategic Map booklet. Finally, EVE player "Ash Tre" is sponsoring the contest with a pack of faction cruisers. From all of us here at Massively, happy birthday EVE Online!

EVE Online turns 7 today, BIG corp runs huge anniversary lottery originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 May 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

EVE player run lottery offers some of game's rarest ships

James Egan — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Contests, Events, in-game

One of the things we really like about EVE Online is how the sandbox encourages all manner of player-run services and ventures. Sure, some of them can be risky, but others have been quite successful. A few of these projects are starting to become a mainstay of the game and some players have really made a name for themselves by establishing such ventures. A good example of this is EVE Online player T'Amber who is known for running lotteries. Big lotteries. The current (and fourth) "Ships of EVE" lottery that T'Amber is running is no exception and has tons of prizes, including some very rare ships in the game. Ticket prices are reasonable at 10 million ISK each, particularly in light of what can be won.

1st place is a whopping 228 ship collector's fleet, featuring one of virtually every Tech I, Tech II, and Tech III ship across the game's four races, along with their faction variants (including the pirate faction ships). The collective value of this prize fleet is many billions of ISK. Just as appealing to some players as winning first prize in this lottery is coming in second -- and getting a "Mimir". Blueprints for these rare cruisers were only given to members of Pandemic Legion for winning EVE Alliance Tournament VII this past September. Indeed, the "VII" is emblazoned on the ship's hull, commemorating the tournament victory. There are very few Mimirs in the game and Ships of EVE 4 might be the only chance most players will have of obtaining one.

Continue reading EVE player run lottery offers some of game's rarest ships

EVE player run lottery offers some of game's rarest ships originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Trading: Tips and tricks, part 2

Brendan Drain — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Trading: Tips and tricks, part 2

EVE Evolved: Trading: Tips and tricks, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Trading: Tips and tricks

Brendan Drain — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, Guides, Professions, PvP, Making money, Tips and tricks, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

So far in this guide to trading in EVE Online, I've covered the jobs best suited to new players and some of the more advanced trading techniques like margin trading, market speculation and price manipulation. This is by no means the entirety of what can happen in EVE's marketplaces, but serves as a good foundation for those trying to break into the trading game. In the hyper-capitalistic world of New Eden, the markets are hugely competitive and any edge you can get will help. With that in mind, this final part of the guide will cover a few of the tips and tricks I've learned over the years that have given me an edge in the marketplace. Some are common sense rules that most traders will learn eventually and will be invaluable to newer players. Others are more closely-guarded secrets that I've gleaned from years of gameplay.

What is a cyclic product and what do you do when you spot a price manipulation? In this final part of the trading guide, I dish out some of my personal top tips for budding marketeers.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Trading: Tips and tricks

EVE Evolved: Trading: Tips and tricks originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lottery system in my.LOTRO updated

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Contests, News items

Turbine began the Lord of the Rings Online player lottery just over a month ago on my.LOTRO, and player response so far seems to have been very positive. After all, who doesn't like freebies? Turbine has used my.LOTRO's first month to gather player feedback, and now they are implementing some changes to streamline and improve the lottery system.

The first change is sure to be welcome for those who don't want to miss any opportunities: a regular lottery schedule. Gone are the sporadic start and stop times -- my.LOTRO now has a schedule that includes three lotteries for all levels, plus a welcome wagon lottery three times a week especially for level 1-15 characters.

The items you can win from the lottery remain a secret. They're random, but guaranteed to be useful to the specific character that you entered. However, lottery loot has undergone a little upgrade -- the site promises even better prizes from here on out.

The new changes are in effect now at my.LOTRO.com.

Lottery system in my.LOTRO updated originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XI plays the moogle lottery

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, Events, in-game, Making money, News items

1-2-3-4-5 might not be the combination on your luggage, but it could fetch you a tidy sum of gil or some rare items in Final Fantasy XI in the near future. The third iteration of the Mog Bonanza event is incoming, and those five digits might be the key to riches. Or to irritation at having thrown money away on a ridiculous gamble. Starting on December 24th, all characters who have been in existence for at least 45 days may purchase a Mog Bonanza marble, which then is inscribed with five digits of the player's choice. On January 29th, 2010, a set of winning numbers will be chosen.

Of course, you might argue that your odds of getting exactly the right five numbers are rather low (1 in 100,000 or so), which is true. But luckily for everyone involved, it's easier to win than matching the whole number. The best prizes go to those who match all five numbers, but even if just the last digit of your chosen numbers match the picked numbers, you win a reward. Your odds of that are about 1 in 10, which isn't a bad deal. For the full rules and the details of the rewards, take a look at the official page, and start dreaming of high-powered artifacts and buckets of gil in Final Fantasy XI. (We recommend 8-1-5-1-6, if you're so inclined.)

Final Fantasy XI plays the moogle lottery originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turbine begins LotRO Lottery on my.lotro

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Contests, Events, in-game, Giveaways

Turbine is encouraging North American Lord of the Rings Online players to give my.lotro a try if they haven't yet, by offering some in-game rewards in the form of a lottery. Players just need to log in to my.lotro to see what drawings they are eligible for, enter, then check back after the drawing to see if they won.

The lottery system is character based, which opens the door for more personalized prizes. While we all love in-game cash and items, things specific to your character are even more fun -- some lottery drawings will give "specific rewards based on a character's class, race, level, etc.," so take that into account when you choose which of your characters to enter with.

Because my.lotro is currently in beta and Turbine is anxious for players to test it out and give feedback, the current lottery system is a daily event through the end of the month, and winners will receive a level-appropriate amount of silver and two bundles of fireworks delivered via in-game mail. Good luck to all who enter!

Turbine begins LotRO Lottery on my.lotro originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Only six days left to buy your Mog Bonanza marbles!

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, Events, in-game, Consoles

Adventurers of Vana'diel, you only have six more days to throw your gil at the popular virtual lottery, Mog Bonanza! Yes, that's right, the Mogs are once again offering up fabulous prizes for anyone willing to purchase a few lottery marbles!

This year's grand prize of gil has changed, however, from a flat rate prize to a percentage of the proceeds generated from marble sales. For example, rank 1's gil prize will be half of the proceeds from marble sales divided equally amongst all of the people who won the grand prize and chose gil as their payout.

Otherwise, the contest has remained pretty much as is, with items like the Kraken Club and Novio Earring making appearances once again on the grand prize list. Even if you don't match all six digits, there are still plenty of lucrative prizes to leap at, making purchasing marbles totally worth it.

Marbles are 2000 gil a pick and can be purchased from Bonanza Moogles stationed at all of the ports of the capital cities and the Chocobo Circuit.

Only six days left to buy your Mog Bonanza marbles! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 May 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And the winning Mog Bonanza numbers are...

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, Events, in-game, Consoles

That's right Vana'diel adventurers, the numbers you've been waiting for are finally here! The mogs, under the strict supervision of Square-Enix, have drawn the winning numbers for the first ever Mog Bonanza lottery in Final Fantasy XI!

If you want to check the numbers, just log in and check out the message of the day that will appear for your server. If you miss it for some reason, you can always type in /smes into the control panel to see it again. It's important to check your marbles though, because you can only redeem your prizes until August 1st. If you have a winning marble, simply take it to your nearest Bonanza Moogle at a city port (Port Bastok, Port San d'Oria, Port Windurst) or the Chocobo Circuit and they'll redeem your marble for your prize!

The good gentlemen over at Pet Food Alpha have put together exactly how many winners there have been for your viewing pleasure. Over 837,000 marbles have won the rank 5 prize, Miratete's Memoirs, alone! That's a lot of marbles, kupo!

[Thanks, Fusionx!]

And the winning Mog Bonanza numbers are... originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MogBonanza hits Final Fantasy XI, kupo!

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, Events, in-game, News items, Consoles

Our inside source with the Vana'diel moogle guild has revealed that the moogles are up to some fun for the adventurers! Moogle technology has recently improved to the point where they can now draw numbers carved on marbles out of a huge bin and reward prizes to those who hold the winning numbers. What does this mean for you? Massive cash!

To celebrate Final Fantasy XI's sixth anniversary, the moogles are giving out many great items with a top cash prize of 100,000,000 gil for the player who matches all 5 numbers. It should be noted that even 2 numbers matching gives you a chance to win 100,000 gil!

With Square-Enix's crack down on real-money trading and gilsellers in an attempt to stabilize the economy of FFXI, it seems really odd for them to be infusing a huge prize of 100,000,000 gil into the economy through a contest. But, hey, we're not going to be complaining. Would you want to turn down 100,000,000 gil? We think not.

[Thanks, FusionX!]

MogBonanza hits Final Fantasy XI, kupo! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 May 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Luna Oaks/Busy Ben lottery time

Tateru Nino — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Culture, Economy, Events, in-game, News items, Second Life

Twice each year Linden Lab holds a lottery for shop spaces in two prestigious Second Life simulators, where winners score a rent-free lot for a six month lease. The winners can use the store interiors to sell their products (though they are unable to change the exteriors - one of the factors that makes Luna a very popular destination).

The Luna Oaks boardwalk allows for a variety of non-mature product, while Busy Ben's Vehicle Lot in Oak Grove is restricted to vehicular sales only.

Winners of the last lottery draw have to clear out by Noon SLT (US Pacific) Tuesday, 25 March, and new winners can move in by 1PM SLT Tuesday, 15 April. Would-be entrants in the lottery should check the terms and conditions as they tend to vary slightly from draw to draw.

Luna Oaks/Busy Ben lottery time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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