Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do you play the system in games to get more freebies?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/01/the-daily-grind-do-you-play-the-system-in-games-to-get-more-fre/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/01/the-daily-grind-do-you-play-the-system-in-games-to-get-more-fre/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/01/the-daily-grind-do-you-play-the-system-in-games-to-get-more-fre/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Teemo!
I was chatting with a friend recently about the referral system in League of Legends, debating the wisdom (or lack thereof) of a player creating multiple accounts and playing them to level five in order to get referral rewards. The ease of getting free email addresses makes this a snap -- as long as you don't mind playing levels 1-5 over and over.

The argument we've both heard is that this is just how it works -- the developers know that this goes on and they don't mind. It set me to thinking. Whether it's creating multiple characters on every server in Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online to rack up Turbine Points, creating multiple email addresses to take advantage of referral programs, or any of the many other ways out there to get more freebies or save some cash, is there a line to what's acceptable? Does it vary with each person's personal comfort zone and the devs' willingness to look the other way or is there a definite list of things that no player should do? Hit the comment button and let us know what you think!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you play the system in games to get more freebies? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ddodungeons-and-dragons-onlineleague-of-legendslollord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromultiple-accountsopinionrefer-a-friendtdgthe-daily-grindturbine-pointsTue, 01 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes invites you to invite a friend]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/24/city-of-heroes-invites-you-to-invite-a-friend/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/24/city-of-heroes-invites-you-to-invite-a-friend/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/24/city-of-heroes-invites-you-to-invite-a-friend/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

City of Heroes
It's a busy weekend over at City of Heroes, as not only is the Freedom program in full swing, but Paragon Studios is prepping a new replacement refer-a-friend program to rope in as many stray cattle players as possible.

Current City of Heroes VIP players will soon once again be able to send out invites to friends, family members, and unusually intelligent heifers who have either never played the game before or who are former players whose accounts have been inactive for over 90 days. If the recipient decides to become a VIP player (i.e., subscriber), then both the inviter and invitee will find themselves the proud possessors of 500 additional Paragon Points to spend in the in-game store.

Friends can either be invited through the NCsoft website or the Paragon Market. While the program is not yet operational, Paragon Studios promises to let us know the moment it goes live.

MassivelyCity of Heroes invites you to invite a friend originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cattlecity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcowgoing-rogueheiferncsoftparagonparagon-marketparagon-pointsparagon-studiospromotionrefer-a-friendreferralSat, 24 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes retires free trials, reopens Winter Chalet]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/city-of-heroes-retires-free-trials-reopens-winter-chalet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/city-of-heroes-retires-free-trials-reopens-winter-chalet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/city-of-heroes-retires-free-trials-reopens-winter-chalet/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

City of Heroes screenshot - Winter Chalet
Freedom is coming for City of Heroes fans, and that means the existing free trial for the superhero MMO will soon be redundant. As of August 17th, players will find they can no longer create free trial accounts nor make use of the game's refer-a-friend feature (although Paragon Studios promises to unveil a replacement buddy program in the next few weeks). Free trial accounts opened before the August 17th deadline will last their full duration, so if you want to check out the game before it officially goes free-to-play later this year, the time is now!

Current players will find even more reasons to appreciate their subscriptions: As of this morning, Paragon has toggled on a few elements of the game's winter event, including the Winter Chalet and ski slopes. It's more like sledding in August than Christmas in July, but now you have a reason to drag those cold-weather costumes out of storage.

MassivelyCity of Heroes retires free trials, reopens Winter Chalet originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buddy-programcity-of-heroesCity-of-Villainscohcovcoxfree-trialfree-trialsfreedomncsoftparagonparagon-studiosrefer-a-friendskiingsuperherowinter-chaletwinter-eventMon, 15 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Refer a friend to Aion, get free Abyss Points]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/17/refer-a-friend-to-aion-get-free-abyss-points/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/17/refer-a-friend-to-aion-get-free-abyss-points/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/17/refer-a-friend-to-aion-get-free-abyss-points/#commentsFiled under: , ,


NCsoft is dangling a few goodies in front of current Aion subscribers in the form of their revamped Refer A Friend program and its myriad incentives. If you've got an active account that's over six weeks old (and have paid for at least six weeks of game time), you can log into your NCsoft Master Account and click the Refer A Friend link in the Actions section to get started.

If your referral purchases either a retail box or digital copy of the game, you'll be gifted with three Major Ancient Crowns, currently valued at a whopping 6400 AP each. If your referral signs up for one month or more of Aion game time, you'll get a free paid month credited to NCsoft Master Account. Your friend isn't left out either, as NCsoft will email each referral a serial code that includes XP bonus items, running scrolls, courage scrolls, and recovery serums.

Check out the official site for all the details and regulations.

MassivelyRefer a friend to Aion, get free Abyss Points originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-the-tower-of-eternityfree-game-timencsoftprizesrefer-a-friendreferralThu, 17 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do you invite your friends?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/23/the-daily-grind-do-you-invite-your-friends/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/23/the-daily-grind-do-you-invite-your-friends/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/23/the-daily-grind-do-you-invite-your-friends/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Not every game has one, but several do -- the opportunity to invite a friend who hasn't played the game before, or try and entire someone back to the game again after a prolonged absence. After all, we have friends we know outside of our games that still enjoy flying around and smashing orcs (or alien horrors, or gang members, or anyone unlucky enough to wander into your space), and it's fun to bring people you interact with anyway into your favorite virtual world. You've got automatic leveling partners and people who know how you like to work, what could go wrong?

Well, they could not like it. Actually, they could get annoyed at you bugging them about the game and decide not to play based solely upon that. Or they could wind up going in a completely different field of the game than you enjoy, or they might bring a whole bunch of real-world drama into a world you had been using to avoid that drama. So there might be good reasons to let your friends just keep enjoying whatever they like and keep your MMO friends separate. What do you do? Do you invite your old buddies, or do you stick with the fresh start?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you invite your friends? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buddieschumscity-of-heroescohcompanionsdramafriendsinvitationsrecruitmentrefer-a-friendreferralstdgthe-daily-grindTue, 23 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Latest Aion news offers contests and free game time]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/21/latest-aion-news-offers-contests-and-free-game-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/21/latest-aion-news-offers-contests-and-free-game-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/21/latest-aion-news-offers-contests-and-free-game-time/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The latest news from the Aion team offers up lots of good things for people who love freebies. (You know, everyone.) To begin with, Aion is introducing a "Refer a Friend" program for veteran players. If you've had an account for 90 days, you should find a little "refer a friend' button on the Aion page of your NCsoft master account, which means you're eligible for the program. For every referred friend that subscribes to Aion, you'll receive a free month of game time.

The latest Eye on the Community had news on a few contests and giveaways as well. Zam.com is doing the Unidentified Flying Daevas Sweepstakes, and the big prize is an Alienware gaming rig. Quite a few copies of Aion are up for grabs as well, so be sure to check it out. Aion Source is also giving away copies of Aion -- Steelbook editions at that -- in a contest that will put your creative skills to the test, so be sure to check it out.

'Tis the season for gifts, so don't miss a shot at getting some from the Aion team and community!

MassivelyLatest Aion news offers contests and free game time originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-sourcecontestfree-game-timencsoftrefer-a-friendsweepstakesunidentified-flying-daevaszamMon, 21 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One Shots: On a pale zhevra]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/one-shots-on-a-pale-zhevra/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/one-shots-on-a-pale-zhevra/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/one-shots-on-a-pale-zhevra/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Today features a screenshot of a fierce Orc Warrior, alone, waiting for others to arrive. Regal, she waits atop her most awesome Refer-a-friend Zhevra mount, keeping an eye out for trouble. Today's One Shots comes to us from Veng, who sent in this great screenshot of her character, standing watch in Zangarmarsh in World of Warcraft. This particular mount is only obtained as a refer-a-friend bonus, but it's by no means the only reason to hook a friend in! There's also that sweet 3x experience multiplier and the ability to grant some of those levels to a completely different alt. As far as recruitment goes, it's a pretty sweet deal.

Have you got a mount to show off that you're particularly fond of? Perhaps you'd just like to show off your character in an area of your game world you fancy? Just email them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and whatever you'd like to tell us about it. We'll post it here and give you credit.

Gallery: One Shots

MassivelyOne Shots: On a pale zhevra originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardone-shotsrafrefer-a-friendscreenshotscreenshotsvengworld-of-warcraftwowzhevra-mountWed, 04 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[LotRO's Refer-a-Friend program rewards you with Amazon vouchers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/29/lotros-refer-a-friend-program-rewards-you-with-amazon-vouchers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/29/lotros-refer-a-friend-program-rewards-you-with-amazon-vouchers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/29/lotros-refer-a-friend-program-rewards-you-with-amazon-vouchers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


The Lord of the Rings Online promotions just keep flowing as Codemasters announces a new one involving Amazon gift vouchers. This Refer-a-Friend program rewards current players who can successfully sign up five friends with a £5 or 5 € Amazon voucher.

Here's how it works: enter your friends' details, they play the 14-day free trial and if they like it, they sign up for a full subscription. For each five who sign up, you'll get the voucher. Seems easy enough, but keep in mind that this promotion is through Codemasters, so it's not for the North American or Oceanic players at this time.

MassivelyLotRO's Refer-a-Friend program rewards you with Amazon vouchers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>14-day-trialamazon.comcodemastersgiftlotromines-of-moriarefer-a-friendvoucherThu, 29 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMOGology: WoW on easy mode]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/mmogology-wow-on-easy-mode/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/mmogology-wow-on-easy-mode/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/mmogology-wow-on-easy-mode/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

My buddy Rob and I play World of Warcraft frequently, but between the two of us he's got the most /played time. He's got a few 70s on a PvP server and a few 70s on the PvE server where we're spending most of our time. He's also an alt-a-holic and has tons of mid-level characters. He's played every class in the game; most of them thoroughly. After spending so much time leveling so many characters he recently resolved not to level another character until the release of Wrath of the Lich King.

His resolution didn't last long. When Blizzard announced their Recruit-a-Friend program a tiny seed was planted in the back of his mind. A seed that slowly germinated, wrapping its diminutive roots around his cerebral cortex until every thought in his head screamed, "MUST HAVE TRIPLE XP." And so, after a very small amount of convincing, I joined him to level up yet another alt. Our new goal was to level a couple of spacegoat shammies.

After about 12 hours of /played time we were level 26. I know that's not a record by any means, but for us it felt pretty amazing. In fact, it almost felt like we were cheating. In a way it was like paying for a power leveling service where you do all the work. Sure the XP flew by, but Rob had paid for the game and the expansion all over again, as well as paying for a second account. Still, watching a level 14 paladin run by us and knowing we were out pacing him so drastically, it made me wonder if the Recruit-a-Friend program had somehow cheapened the accomplishment of hitting 60. Remember when hitting 60 felt like it meant something?

Continue reading MMOGology: WoW on easy mode

MassivelyMMOGology: WoW on easy mode originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accomplishmentsBlizzardfeaturedjoystiqfeatureslevelingpower-levelingrefer-a-friendworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 29 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard unveils changes to WoW recruit-a-friend program]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/05/blizzard-unveils-changes-to-wow-recruit-a-friend-program/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/05/blizzard-unveils-changes-to-wow-recruit-a-friend-program/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/05/blizzard-unveils-changes-to-wow-recruit-a-friend-program/#commentsFiled under: ,

We first talked about this allll the way back in April, but it looks like the folks at WoW Insider had it right: Blizzard is making substantial changes to the World of Warcraft recruit-a-friend program. How substantial? Well, how about some hyper-fast leveling and a unique mount substantial? The brand new updated Blizzard Support FAQ offers the nitty gritty, but here are the highlights:
  • Recruited players are now 'linked' to the player account the invitation was sent from.
  • Grouping with a linked player allows both of you to level very quickly. As long as your character and the recruit character are relatively even level, you'll both recieve 3x the normal experience.
  • Recruiting players can summon their friends to them once an hour, via a spell, up to level 60.
  • For every two levels a recruited player earns, he can grant one level to a character played by the veteran. This character must be lower level than the recruit player's character.
  • If the recruit upgrades to a full account from the 10-day trial, these benefits last a full 90 days.
  • If the recruit buys a two month subscription as well as upgrading, the recruiting player is granted a unique Zhevra mount.
If these sound like fun, and you've been meaning to get a buddy into the game, you can jump into using the new program via the recruit-a-friend splash page.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyBlizzard unveils changes to WoW recruit-a-friend program originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardbreakinggrindingrecruit-a-friendrefer-a-friendworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 05 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard may be considering granting levels to recruit-a-friend users]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/blizzard-may-be-considering-granting-levels-to-recruit-a-friend/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/blizzard-may-be-considering-granting-levels-to-recruit-a-friend/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/blizzard-may-be-considering-granting-levels-to-recruit-a-friend/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

We've been wondering for months now what Blizzard is holding back. Wrath of the Lich King seems like a very competent, well-planned addition to World of Warcraft, but it's all so samey. More zones, more loot, more content, the usual. The addition of the Death Knight and a PvP-focused overland zone are interesting, but hardly revolutionary - Burning Crusade changed so much about the game that it's been hard not to be a little dissapointed. Now Massively's sister site WoW Insider offers a hint that perhaps there's more to the expansion than the company has let on. WI reports on a post to the MMO-Champion site, from a forum-goer who found something intriguing in the newest 2.4.2 patch notes.

Buried in the code are several programming strings that hint at big changes to the WoW Recruit-A-Friend program. At the moment all the program offers is a few days of extra play time if your companion opens up a subscription. The strings, though, suggest that someday your referred friend may be tied much more closely to you. Hints are there that you'll be able to teleport your friend to you, that recruiting a friend may increase your reputation with certain in-game factions, and even that you may be able to grant levels to your friend's character. If these additions to the game are to be believed, this system will have limits; you won't be able to teleport your friend around beyond a certain level, and characters that have leveled past a certain point will no longer be able to have levels granted to them.

The notes also imply that your own character's level is somehow tied to the number of levels you can grant a friend; perhaps some sort of metacurrency. This is fascinating news, if true, and hints at the possibility of even more changes coming to World of Warcraft in coming months. Certainly here at Massively we've been talking enough about subjects related to this; it's wonderful to see Blizzard coming at the problem of the endless grind from such a unique angle.

MassivelyBlizzard may be considering granting levels to recruit-a-friend users originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autolevelingblizzardbreakinggrindinglevelsrefer-a-friendworld-of-warcraftwowwow-patch-2.4.2wrath-of-the-lich-kingMon, 28 Apr 2008 11:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa is Amazon's Deal of the Day]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/tabula-rasa-is-amazons-deal-of-the-day/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/tabula-rasa-is-amazons-deal-of-the-day/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/tabula-rasa-is-amazons-deal-of-the-day/#commentsFiled under: ,


A friendly heads-up for you MMO completionists among us. If you're one of the of the few who balked on the fantastic Tabula Rasa deal that GoGamer had going last month, consider this your chance at redemption. Amazon is currently offering the regular edition of Tabula Rasa for $9.99 as it's gaming Deal of the Day, with the Collector's Edition (which features a surprisingly beefy chunk of swag goodies) going for the low, low sum of $19.99. We have quite the affection for Tabula Rasa around the Massively offices, in spite of its flaws. Even if you ignore our positive opinions of the game wholesale, it'd be really difficult not to get at least $9.99-worth of enjoyment out of the title.

And for you Tabula Rasa regulars, this should be icing on the cake. As reader double9s pointed out to us, you can get double the mileage out of this deal by giving your new copy to a friend and then having her sign up using the recruit-a-rookie program. She gets a free game, you get another month for $10, and the Destination Games crew gets another warm body filling their servers, everybody wins!

[Thanks to everybody who sent this in!]

MassivelyTabula Rasa is Amazon's Deal of the Day originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazonamazon-deal-of-the-daycheapdealsdestination-gamesrecruit-a-rookierefer-a-friendtabula-rasatrTue, 25 Mar 2008 13:45:00 EST<![CDATA[SWG's "Buddy Program" is a win-win-win-win situation]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/27/swgs-buddy-program-is-a-win-win-win-win-situation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/27/swgs-buddy-program-is-a-win-win-win-win-situation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/27/swgs-buddy-program-is-a-win-win-win-win-situation/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If ever there was an optimistic expression of the seductive power of the MMO, it's in the trial program. All game makers have to do is offer a way for existing subscribers to give a taste of their product to their friends, and these new players will fall head over heels into the pile of paying customers. It's a sound marketing strategy really; who knows better which kinds of people will be weak to the siren song of an MMO better than their friends, co-workers, and family members? In politics, they call this micro-targeting.

According to Cameron Sorden over at Random Battle, the thing that sets SWG's Buddy Program apart from the competition is that instead of offering incentives in the form of free playtime (as with the popular Tabula Rasa Recruit a Rookie program), they offer in-game rewards to players. By Sorden's logic, most gamers already consider their subscription fees a sunk cost, so the greatest incentive is something that will enhance their in-game experience. He takes it a step forward and suggests that rewarding players for recruiting whole networks of new players, would provide the greatest return to all parties involved. It's an interesting perspective, though personally I would probably stop short of the whole pyramid scheme idea.

MassivelySWG's "Buddy Program" is a win-win-win-win situation originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>random battleRandomBattlerecruit-a-rookierefer-a-friendreferralsoestar-wars-galaxiesswgThu, 27 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa 'Recruit a Rookie' rundown]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/tabula-rasa-recruit-a-rookie-rundown/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/tabula-rasa-recruit-a-rookie-rundown/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/tabula-rasa-recruit-a-rookie-rundown/#commentsFiled under: , ,


We know that many gamers were finally seduced into Tabula Rasa's warm embrace with the recent deal that popped up on Amazon, where you could get the CE for half off the retail price, but we also know that MMO players as a whole are a jaded lot, and bargain prices alone aren't enough to to pull you away from your current games of choice. To this end, NCsoft is currently running a refer a friend promotion for Tabula Rasa that could net you a three day trial of the shooty sci-fi MMO. On the PlayNC site (under Account > Manage > Game Accounts > Tabula Rasa), subscribers can email a trial code to a buddy, which will allow them to download the client and give the game a spin.

For those who don't have friends who would be interested in receiving a trial, or who people looking for a code themselves, try one of the links below:
In the event that you do choose the purchase the game after using a trial, make sure to use your game code to upgrade your account, not make a new one. Every time somebody upgrades their account from a trial to a full account, the person who made the referral receives a free month of play time. There is a limit of four referrals per account, but that's a potential four free months for the cost of sending a few emails. So hop to it.

MassivelyTabula Rasa 'Recruit a Rookie' rundown originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>destination-gamesfreerecruit-a-rookierefer-a-friendtabula-rasatabula-rasa-trial-keytrtrialtrial-codeMon, 10 Dec 2007 13:10:00 EST<![CDATA[New program helps bribe your friends back into CoX]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/30/new-program-helps-bribe-your-friends-back-into-cox/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/30/new-program-helps-bribe-your-friends-back-into-cox/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/30/new-program-helps-bribe-your-friends-back-into-cox/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Got a buddy who used to be really into City of Heroes, and is on the fence about resubscribing to see the new Issue 11 content? The folks at NCsoft are here to help. They've announced an expansion of their referral program that will allow you to invite past subscribers to reactivate their accounts, and will split a free 30 days of game time between you. So for every buddy you successfully yank back into the game, you get an extra 15 days and they get 45 days for the price of 30. We'd stop short of calling it revolutionary, but it is a rather clever spin on the usual referral programs.

Speaking as somebody who just let their CoX account run out, I'm a little perturbed at NCsoft for offering such a great deal during a season when I'm already cash-strapped to begin with. Whoever came up with this idea must have their finger on the pulse of the community, because anybody whose had much experience in an MMO community likely knows that it's way easier to sucker in get older players back than it is to recruit new blood.

MassivelyNew program helps bribe your friends back into CoX originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscoxdealncsoftrefer-a-friendreferral-programFri, 30 Nov 2007 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Kieron Gillen on TR, betas, and free trials]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/25/kieron-gillen-on-tr-betas-and-free-trials/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/25/kieron-gillen-on-tr-betas-and-free-trials/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/25/kieron-gillen-on-tr-betas-and-free-trials/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Beam me up- WAIT! YOU'RE NOT SCOTTY!Kieron Gillen of Rock, Paper, Shotgun has a great retrospective up about Tabula Rasa, its launch, and where Destination Games should go from here.

Kieron talks about how he actually likes TR, but how the game has been damaged -- maybe ruined -- by an ill-advised Beta test. Which is spot on, really. Loads of serious MMO fans played the Beta at one time or another, and it was missing so many features that made it into the final game it's not even funny -- in fact, it's still missing some even now, hence the rush for patches and new content. The solution? Kieron recommends TR gets a free trial. Not the refer a friend scheme going around at present -- a real free trial so Beta testers can reevaluate the game as it stands.

The quality of a Beta influences how successfully a game sells much more than publishers seem to believe, and similarly, free trials. It's always struck me as foolish that every MMOG doesn't have a free trial to begin with. Whilst retail sales is something publishers will always hate to lose, surely if subscriptions are increased in the long-term it's a wise investment?

MassivelyKieron Gillen on TR, betas, and free trials originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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