No doubt hoping to capitalize on the success of other "virtual items for real cash" enterprises (such as those seen in Nexon's Maple Story), Sony Online Entertainment has launched Station Cash -- a system through which Everquest players can fund their virtual exploits with tangible currency.

"For beginners getting started, veterans leveling up, players starting alts, or anyone trying to get more out of the game, using SC to purchase in-game items is for everyone," Sony's site claims. "The items available offer new and experienced players alike convenience, customization and fun while providing a unique gameplay experience."

As with the PlayStation Network Store found on the PlayStation 3, players simply add funds to a virtual wallet via credit card and are then able to peruse the virtual storefront's wares for items that will immediately be added to the inventory of their Everquest or Everquest II character.

Though currently restricted to the Everquest series, SOE's prior efforts to expand their various MMO universes most likely indicate that the Station Cash initiative will eventually include Star Wars Galaxies and the upcoming Free Realms.

Image courtesy Sony Online Entertainment

Station Cash [Station.com]

See Also:

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Update: Clip moved below to prevent autoplay annoyance.

The first footage from BioWare's upcoming Star Wars MMORPG has just hit the 'net, and though most of it features the firm's employees explaining the rationale behind creating the title, a few snippets of actual gameplay do appear.

Fans of the company's Knights of the Old Republic series will no doubt see similarities between the in-game action and that series, particularly in SW:TOR's combat.

I've got my fingers crossed that BioWare can deliver on the promise of action-packed gameplay, though after the less-than-stellar performance of Age of Conan -- an MMO that promised a similar level of action -- my hopes are tempered by the grim realities of developing accessible gameplay systems.

Plus, even if the combat doesn't live up to the hype generated by the clip, you can't deny that the in-game art easily lives up to the standard set by BioWare's previous titles.

Continue reading "Video: First Trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic" »

World of Warcraft might have a larger install base, but Warhammer Online always has the coolest ideas for in-game content. To wit, the game's upcoming statuary.

Far from simple aesthetic enhancements, each statue will represent one of the game's best players. As players are deemed worthy of being immortalized in stone, their likeness will appear within one of the game's key cities cast in virtual granite.

Since space is limited for these stone likenesses, expect them to change frequently as players jockey for a space among the top-ranked WAR gamers.

The statues are scheduled for release as part of this month's 1.1 patch, though we still don't have a firm release date for that particular upgrade.

Image courtesy Mythic Entertainment

Dev Diary: Player Statues [WAR Official Site]

See Also:

• Warhammer Online Tops 800000 Players
• Review: Warhammer Online Lives Up to the Hype
• Warhammer Online Q2 Release Window 'Set In Mud'
• Warhammer Online Collector's Edition, Delay Revealed
• Online Credits Coming to Warhammer Online
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• Banned Warhammer Gold Sellers Face Real Reckoning

Reserve a server for your massive EVE Online battles, and get a smoother ass-kicking experience.

EVE Online's chief claim to fame is it's "single-sharded" architecture: It houses tens of thousands of players, simultaneously. The potential for player-versus-player carnage is huge. But the idea isn't always as sound as it seems, especially when hundreds of players gather in a single location for a good old-fashioned fleet fight and the servers struggle to keep up.

To deal with some of the technical issues that arise, the developers at CCP are asking that players notify game masters at least 24 hours before an attack that is predicted to consist of more than 300 players, in order to reserve dedicated server hardware to ensure a smoother combat experience.

Advanced notification isn't mandatory -- it's simply an effort to prepare for server-chaos on the administrative end, so that all parties get a satisfying experience. (Except the losers.)

Continue reading "Planning a Big EVE Online Brawl? Reserve a Server, Prevent Lag" »

Vaguely good news for fans of Bullfrog Productions' Dungeon Keeper games: Chinese online game developer NetDragon Websoft has inked a deal with Electronic Arts to resurrect the series as an MMO.

The new game, cleverly dubbed Dungeon Keeper Online, marks the first time NetDragon has created a 3-D MMO. Once complete, the company will retain the rights to operate the online game in Asian territories.

Presumably, if the game is successful enough, Electronic Arts will have the option to bring Dungeon Keeper Online to The States. No specific release date or plans for a worldwide launch of the game are outlined in the company's official statement, though Jon Niermann, President of EA Asia Pacific, says that he has confidence that the game will see "remarkable success" throughout the world.

I've got my fingers crossed that DKO can maintain the clever humor and addictive gameplay of its forebears, but as EA has only IP rights to cling to, I won't be holding my breath.

Image courtesy Bullfrog Productions

Today's update for Age of Conan brings with it a new mount for players to ride and use in combat: The Painted War Mammoth.

"The war painted Snow Mammoth is now available in-game at the NPC mount vendors and comes in three different looks," reads Funcom's official announcement. "Besides being a very stylish player mount, the Snow Mammoth -- like its brown brother the War Mammoth -- can be used in siege PvP-battles to attack enemies and destroy structures."

For all its flaws, I've always really dug Age of Conan's design aesthetic, and something about adding face paint to a hairy elephant really works for me. I still have a few fingers crossed that the game will someday live up to its pre-release promise, if only so that stuff like this mount can be used to its full potential.

Image courtesy Funcom

New Mount available - The Snow Mammoth [Age of Conan]

See Also:

• Impressions: Age of Conan
• Review: Age of Conan's Player-Versus-Player Combat a Blessing ...
• Age of Conan (Finally) Gets DirectX 10 in Next Patch
• Server Merge Coming to Age of Conan
• WhoreLore Parodies Age of Conan in XXX
• Age of Conan's Early Access Now Sold Out
• Age of Conan Tops 400000 Subscribers

The first major revamp of the World of Warcraft Armory since it was first launched brings a host of changes, most notably the addition of nearly real-time Achievement tracking.

The site, which offers a public, web-based inventory, statistic and skill tracking system for World of Warcraft, now offers the same for the Achievement system added to WoW with the recent 3.0.2 patch.

Additionally, the Armory now also features an RSS feed offering updates on various "firsts" throughout WoW's many servers. First character to reach the new level cap (both in-game and on each individual server), first player to reach the maximum level of a profession, and the first time certain high-level enemies are killed will be displayed here as they come to pass.

Adding the Achievement system was a blatant attempt by Blizzard to compound the game's addictive nature with a system aping the Xbox 360's Achievement system, and offering players a more public way to display their conquests only further enhances the irresistible pull of the whole thing.

Even if you despise World of Warcraft, you have to admire the marketing savvy in action here.

World of Warcraft Armory [Armory]

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Only 15 months after launch, Tabula Rasa will be closing its virtual doors.

"The fact is that the game hasn't performed as expected," reads a message posted on the game's official site. "The development team has worked hard to improve the game since launch, but the game never achieved the player population we hoped for."

"So it is with regret that we must announce that Tabula Rasa will end live service on February 28, 2009," the message adds.

On the upside, the development team plans to make the game free to play as of January 10, so if you want to risk becoming addicted to an MMO whose death warrant has already been signed, now's your chance.

It's also interesting to note that news of the closure comes only a week after we brought you word that Tabula Rasa creator Richard Garriott was leaving publisher NCsoft to pursue his interests in space exploration.

Image courtesy NCsoft

Message from the Tabula Rasa Team [Tabula Rasa Official Site]

See Also:

• Why Richard Garriott Can't Play Tabula Rasa in Space
• Video: Richard Garriott on Colbert Report
• Garriott Sends Coded Message From Space
• Richard Garriott Plans Flight Into Space

Age of Conan's next patch will include the long awaited DirectX 10 graphics engine upgrades fans have been promised since the game's launch half a year ago, according to creator Funcom.

"We are now preparing to take the DirectX 10 version of the game from our internal testing servers out to the public test servers, so you can see it for yourselves," wrote game director Craig Morrison in his latest community letter.

"The next major game update will include this version of the game and make it available for everyone with the appropriate hardware to enjoy," he added.

Continue reading "Age of Conan (Finally) Gets DirectX 10 in Next Patch" »

Following a 24-hour marathon gaming session in World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King expansion, a 15-year-old Swedish boy collapsed and went into convulsions, reports the Times Online.

"They played all day and all night. Maybe they got a few hours of sleep. They ate a little food and breakfast at their computers," the boy's father told newspapers in Sweden.

Doctors who examined the boy determined that he had an epileptic seizure brought on by lack of sleep, lack of proper food and prolonged exposure to the mental stress of playing Wrath of the Lich King.

Image courtesy Blizzard Entertainment

Boy collapses after playing World of Warcraft for 24 hours straight [Times Online]