NCsoft posts

One Shots: The hat needs work

by Krystalle Voecks Nov 8th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Aion, One Shots

When it comes to Aion, many players love just how highly detailed and cool-looking their armor and weapons are. However, when it comes to the recent holiday hats from the Aion Halloween event, those glowy pumpkin heads just don't really cut it in comparison. Even considering that, they're still fun to see. This recent image comes to us from our long-time One Shots contributor, Johanis, who writes in: Here is Metros...now almost level 25 Templar who just got his Halloween Hat. Lookin' good!

One Shots is all about reader contributions. MMOs from big to small are welcome. Just email them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post them out here and give you the love for sending 'em in.

Gallery: One Shots

Tags: aion, halloween-2009, johanis, ncsoft, one-shots, screenshot, screenshots

One Shots: A toast to your doom

by Krystalle Voecks Nov 7th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

Every year in Guild Wars, the Mad King Thorn invades, demanding that the residents there laugh -- or die. But for all that this may sound incredibly ominous, you can't help but appreciate just how utterly cool the ArenaNet team has made their game look. Today's spooky yet gorgeous screenshot comes to us from Thorband, who captured this image during the recent Guild Wars Halloween events. Add in those especially awesome wings, the grinning moon, and a ghoulish visage, and that's a hard Halloween image to beat!

Have you seen something really, really cool but unquestionably evil? We'd be thrilled if you'd share with the rest of us. Just email it to oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here and give you the credit. (Meanwhile, we'll be turning it into our desktop image for the day!)

Gallery: One Shots

Tags: arenanet, guild-wars, gw, halloween-2009, mad-king-thorn, ncsoft, one-shots, screenshot, screenshots, thorband

Aion grips top ten digital sales charts a month past release

by Kyle Horner Nov 7th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items

You'd be forgiven for thinking Aion would've fallen off the Steam and DIrect2Drive top ten sales charts, what with the fire hose blast of new PC releases. Fortunately for NCsoft, that isn't the case as the game is still clinging to said charts in the face of games like Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands, Torchlight and Left 4 Dead 2. Boldness!

Actually, the game is pretty darn good -- if you don't mind your peanut butter with extra grind -- so that's not a huge surprise all things considered. It's always a good sign when an MMO can stay on the top ten after its launch, moreso when it does so against high profile, high pedigree releases. So, rejoice Aion players, you've likely got a strong community! (We could've just told you that, but now numbers vindicate said observation.)

Tags: aion, borderlands, d2d, digital, direct2drive, dragon-age, dragon-age-origins, l4d2, nc-west, ncsoft, steam, top-ten, torchlight

The Daily Grind: Are you still playing a September MMO?

by Brooke Pilley Nov 6th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Aion, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Fallen Earth, New titles, The Daily Grind, Champions Online

September 2009 saw the release of Champions Online, Dungeons & Dragons: Eberron Unlimited (an older MMO going F2P), Fallen Earth, and Aion. This was easily the busiest month for MMOs in recent memory and we're sure many of you at least picked up one of them to try out. We're curious to know if you're still playing a September MMO just over a month later. If so or if not, why?

No MMO in the history of MMOs has experienced a perfectly smooth launch and these September titles were no exception. Did the action-packed combat of CO pull you in or did the lack of content push you away? Were you awed by DDO-EU's polished suite of tools or annoyed by the limitations put on free accounts? Was Fallen Earth's post-apocalyptic setting a breath of fresh air or did you choke on a mouthful of radioactive bugs? Did the beauty and smoothness of Aion make your heart beat faster or did its grind and bot infestation crush your soul? Just how impressed were you with September's crop of new MMOs?

Tags: aion, champions-online, cryptic, ddo, ddo-ebberon-unlimited, fallen-earth, icarus-studios, ncsoft, new-titles, the-daily-grind, turbine

NCsoft responds to City of Heroes speculation

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 5th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Business models, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Rumors

A couple days ago, we had a post detailing some speculation on what City of Heroes: Going Rogue meant for NCsoft West, City of Heroes, and the future of the entire branch of the company. Ryan James, director of corporate communications for NCsoft, took the time to issue a direct response to us regarding that post. We also got an opportunity to ask him a few questions regarding NCsoft's current and future direction, which helps provide some context and some behind-the-scenes information to offset the speculative nature of the aforementioned post.

The official response is as follows:

"We wanted to respond to your post from November 2 on City of Heroes and clarify a few points for you and your readers. In short, the piece offers a rather sensationalist view of NCsoft West and our success thus far.

We're very proud of what we've accomplished here in the West – we have several major MMO franchises, including City of Heroes, Lineage and Guild Wars. And our newest addition to the NCsoft portfolio, Aion, has just seen a very successful launch here in the West. As you point out, we have had to make some tough portfolio decisions, but this is very much par for the course for any major game publisher today. That being said, we remain extremely proud of the Paragon team's accomplishments with the City of Heroes franchise. City of Heroes is still the world's most popular super-powered hero MMO. Even with an increasingly crowded landscape, City of Heroes remains the gold standard for comic book-inspired MMOs – it has stood the test of time and we're excited to be bringing Going Rogue to players next year.

As you note, the author of Vicarious Existence is indeed 'alarmist' in his assessment of NCsoft West and our future. We couldn't agree more. On the contrary, we're optimistic about our future."

Following the statement, Mr. James took the opportunity to answer a few questions about the company's game portfolio and future plans. Take a look at the questions and responses after the break.

Tags: aion, aion-the-tower-of-eternity, business-models, city-of-heroes, city-of-heroes-going-rogue, city-of-villains, coh, cov, cox, dungeon-runners, going-rogue, guild-wars, gw, interviews, lineage-2, lineage-ii, ncsoft, ncsoft-west, opinion, rumors, ryan-james

How much is riding on City of Heroes: Going Rogue?

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 2nd 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Business models, Expansions, MMO industry, Opinion

At the six-year mark, City of Heroes is still moving forward, with City of Heroes: Going Rogue targeted for release in the second quarter of 2010. It's certainly not the oldest game to receive an expansion, but Vicarious Existence has an interesting point to be made: exactly how much is riding on the success of this expansion? In true heroic sense, it may well be the fate of NCsoft West and of NCsoft's entire western presence in the market.

It's no secret that NCsoft West has had a difficult time in the market, with the first rumbles having been made clear with the sad tale of Auto Assault. And it's hardly necessary to dredge up painful memories about the games that have also gone the way of the dodo. But as the post points out, there's not nearly as much revenue coming in from the western branch of the company as they'd like, even with the success Aion has been having in the marketplace. (If that sounds cynical or as if it's expecting too much money, Adam Martin has an excellent explanation of why NCsoft could and would be so draconic about profits.) To be fair, the post is a bit alarmist, but it does posit that there could be a great deal of trouble on the horizon for City of Heroes -- and perhaps the whole studio -- based on the performance of the expansion. And even if the idle speculation is wrong, it certainly does put you in the right mood for the expansion, doesn't it?

Tags: adam-martin, aion, auto-assault, business-models, city-of-heroes, city-of-villains, coh, cov, cox, expansions, going-rogue, ncsoft, ncsoft-west, paragon-studios

Massively interviews City of Heroes' newest architect

by Rubi Bayer Nov 2nd 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Interviews, MMO industry

Sean "Dr. Aeon" McCann is the newest member of the City of Heroes team, having wowed Paragon with his recent outstanding work on Mission Architect. We got a chance to congratulate Dr. Aeon directly, and took the opportunity to talk with him about his new position. He gives us a look at how he made the leap from player to team member, how he's settling in to his new role, and all about the fun of working on Mission Architect.

Follow along after the jump for a look into the "greatest mind the world has ever known."

Tags: city-of-heroes, coh, interview, Interviews, mission-architect, ncsoft, paragon-studios, sean-mccann

ArenaNet grants wish to heart transplant patient

by Rubi Bayer Nov 1st 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Culture, Events, real-world, Guild Wars 2

Emily is a high school junior diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, who is having a pretty good 2009 in spite of that. She received a heart transplant earlier this year, as well as a little pick-me-up from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Emily became a Guild Wars fan last year while waiting for her heart transplant and during her recovery afterward. She spent a lot of time in Tyria while living in the hospital.

Just last week Make-A-Wish arranged for Emily to travel to Seattle and visit the ArenaNet offices, making her the envy of a few million fans. She spent her morning touring the offices, meeting the staff, learning about what they do, and even meeting with the section heads to discuss her likes and dislikes about Guild Wars. After lunch, time to spend a few hours playing Guild Wars 2 with the ArenaNet team. That's right, Emily got an up close and personal look at the game, giving feedback and making suggestions from a fan's point of view. The best part came at the end: "They pulled us aside and asked if she could stay a couple of extra hours. They convened a group of their eight senior designers and Emily, and they asked Emily to help them design an "Event" for the game."

So when we finally get our hands on GW2, there will be a little something from Emily in there. Congratulations from Massively, Emily, and we wish you continued health.

Tags: arenanet, guild-wars, Guild-Wars-2, Make-A-Wish, ncsoft

Details for Aion's new Veteran Rewards Program

by Brooke Pilley Oct 31st 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items

We probably don't need to point out the glaring congruity that each month you play Aion will soon be rewarded with four XP boost amulets; but we will. NCsoft just spilled the beans on their new Veteran Rewards Program. This seems slightly ironic because the game has only been out for a month. We suppose it's probably a good strategy to entice players to stick around; especially after an MMO's first month, which is arguably the rockiest.

Players will now receive special items for each month they remain subscribed to Aion. Months one to six award four Lodas Amulets (20% bonus XP for one hour) and four Revival Stones (self/player resurrection). Additionally, month one gives a cube expansion ticket (+1 free row) and a special Michael Jackson dance emote. Month three grants an extra title (Adept of Aion ) and another Forbidden Dance emote. Month six gives players special level 40 Black Cloud wings.

The disclaimer states that NCsoft can expand, revise, or end the Veteran Rewards Program at any time. With the first six months plotted out, it seems likely they will continue as the game soars ahead. Check out the official description page for full details on how to qualify.

Tags: aion, lodas-amulet, michael-jackson, nc-west, ncsoft, revival-stone, veteran-rewards, veteran-rewards-program

Guild Wars PvP henchmen have arrived

by Rubi Bayer Oct 30th 2009 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Patches, PvP, Free-to-play

Back at the beginning of the month, ArenaNet announced the winners of the Guild Wars henchman skill bar contest, promising that the AI would be tweaked to make the winning bars work well. Since then we've been anxiously awaiting the new henchmen to see how well they work and more importantly, what they look like.

They arrived with last night's update, along with a bug fix for Devona, who really wanted to keep "Charge!" on her bar. While it will take some time to get a feel for them in battle, the Live Team clearly had a great time putting them together. The models look great -- a nice variety of looks and styles, and talking to them gives a brief dialogue that says a bit about their personality. In a fun little touch, many of their idle emotes fit their personalities as well. Talking to them will also reveal their skill bars, allowing you to make your selections without resorting to memory or the wiki.

Heroes have been removed for the time being, but don't worry just yet if you want them back. Community manager Regina Buenaobra says, "After yesterday's update our programmer is looking into enabling Heroes in the Guild Hall. He is optimistic that it's possible."

The new henchmen are available in Heroes' Ascent and in guild halls, and while it's a bit disappointing that we didn't actually get henchmen named Hi Captain Obvious or Noodle Legs, we are optimistic that they'll live up to expectations on the battlefield.

Tags: arenanet, devona, guild-wars, gw, henchmen, henchmen-skill-bar-contest, ncsoft, pvp

Aion releases tentative patch notes for 1.5.1

by Rubi Bayer Oct 30th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches, News items

In last week's community address, Aion promised some changes on the way in the next update. Today they released some tentative notes for that update as a preview of things to come. Of course the patch is still in testing and things are open to change, but it's a look at where things are headed.

Thankfully, it looks like the issue of EXP is being addressed pretty extensively. There are new repeatable quests that focus on crafting, increased EXP for gathering and crafting, increased EXP rewards for many quests in both regions, and a slight reduction in EXP penalties when you're in a group. We're anxious to see how this plays out when the patch is implemented -- a decrease in the grind will undoubtedly be welcomed by the Aion community. Rewards will be getting a little boost too, in the form of increased drop rates in several areas and new rewards here and there to make the grind a bit more rewarding.

The patch notes also include the standard tweaks -- bug fixes, skill balances, and changes to items and NPCs. Check out the full notes for all the current details, and we'll keep an eye out for a release date.

Tags: aion, ncsoft, patch, patch-1.5.1

Gracia Epilogue launches on Lineage II's test server today

by Seraphina Brennan Oct 29th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Lineage 2, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches, News items

Just when we thought Gracia, the 2nd throne, was done and over with in Gracia Final, we get a tasty surprise in the form of Gracia Epilogue, the next patch coming out for Lineage II.

Gracia Epilogue is hiding many a tasty treat for Lineage II fans, with teasers pointing towards a new mail system, enhanced skill updates, and new hunting areas for high level players. However, these teasers are exactly that -- teasers. The official patch notes have not been released yet, leaving many to speculate what exactly will be in this patch.

However, if you're looking to get some hands on the Epilogue, you can cruise on over to NCsoft's test server for L2 today and try it out! See if you can track down some of these elusive changes in the test environment!

Tags: endgame, expansion, gracia, gracia-epilogue, gracia-final, l2, lineage-2, mail-system, ncsoft, patch, skill-update

City of Heroes: Going Rogue information revealed at Hero-Con

by Rubi Bayer Oct 29th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Events, real-world, Expansions

City of Heroes teased fans for most of October, promising big information on Going Rogue for those attending HeroCon, and they didn't disappoint. The welcome address last Saturday lived up to expectations in a big way. The community relations team presented nearly an hour of information, screenshots, and video covering the high points of Going Rogue.

They began with the all-important process of transforming your hero to a villain, or vice versa. Rather than pushing a button or purchasing the transformation from the store, players will be able to stay in character and experience the fall from grace or redemption of their character as they work through a series of moral missions.

New powersets (Demon Summoning and Dual Pistols), signature characters and enemy groups were introduced to the crowd, as well as some cool new costume pieces. An extensive look at Praetoria came in the form of a first look at the eye-popping graphics upgrade as well.

All of the exciting new information begs the big question: When? Going Rogue is aiming for a release in Q2 2010, with beta coming in five waves in early 2010. After seeing the information from Hero-Con, we're as excited as you are for this expansion and will be letting you know as soon as more specific information is available. For the time being, check out the City of Heroes forums for an extensive (and impressive) rundown of all the current Going Rogue information.

Tags: city-of-heroes, COH, going-rogue, herocon, ncsoft, paragon-studios

Last chance to upgrade Aion from standard to collector's edition

by Brooke Pilley Oct 28th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, New titles, News items

If you've been holding off on upgrading your standard edition version of Aion to the full-fledged collector's edition, now's your last chance. NCsoft is extending the upgrade window by only 48 more hours from Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. PDT to Friday, October 30, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. (Check the time in your area.) Here are the in-game goodies you'll receive for a $10 USD upgrade fee:

Black Cloud Wings (gives 40 seconds of additional flight time)
Black Cloud Earring (gives an HP and an MP boost)
Special character title (Settler of Aion) with stat boost
Rich purple dye to tint 10 in-game items
Two character emotes

The original upgrade period ended a bit earlier than NCsoft intended due to an interneal error, which is why they are extending it until this Friday (or Saturday depending on where you live). Keep your eye on the NCsoft store if you don't want to miss out on this limited time offer. It's actually a pretty good deal because the price difference between the pre-launch standard and collector's editions was up to $20 USD depending on the merchant.

Tags: aion, black cloud, collectors-edition, emotes, nc-west, ncsoft, standard-edition, upgrade

Massively interview with Aion's new community manager

by Kyle Horner Oct 28th 2009 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items, Massively Interviews

Aion is easily one of the biggest MMOs of the year, so when a new North American community manager took over recently we decided it was the perfect time for an interview with the new team member, Andrew Beegle -- known as Tamat to community members.

We asked Tamat about new methods of community interaction, the hotly anticipated experience boost patch and even some personal questions about our new community manager. You can never really know enough about the person serving as the conduit to your main MMO -- at least that's what we tell them!

Tags: aion, community, experience, experience-boost, experience-patch, featured, interview, korea, korean, massively-interviews, nc-west, ncsoft, north-america, north-american, patch, server, tamat, translation