Gameforge has sent out a new trailer featuring the new and updated features for Aion as it sits on the precipice of going F2P in Europe. Features that have been updated or improved since the game's original launch include the following: More quests and better rewards; New regions and solo instances; New PvP arena and instances. In addition, Gameforge is looking ahead to the addition of housing and weather effects.

Attempt to keep European gamers from going to TERA lol

NCsoft is in my blacklist now, I wish ArenaNet would leave them too like the employees that left and made Bluehole.

What a mess.

Gameforge announces its public takeover offer for Frogster AG and, by the end of the year, gains an 81,15% stake in Frogster AG.

So...Gameforge equals Frogster. TERA and AION are like half-sisters or what? So what's NCSOFT's got to do with it in Europe?

Originally posted by RedKatana

Attempt to keep European gamers from going to TERA lol

NCsoft is in my blacklist now, I wish ArenaNet would leave them too like the employees that left and made Bluehole.

Arena Net can't leave them.  NCSoft owns them completely.  Unlike the Bluehole pirates and corporate thieves, the people like Jeff Strain who have left ANet to pursue their own agenda did so with integrity.

I hope you don't speak for all Europeans and reflect their views on piracy and theft.

Anyway, I'll be watching how this works out for NCWest if they also move this direction.

NCSoft is clever. Block TERA in USA by suing their arses enough times

Block TERA in Europe by having your associates buy out the competition with what is most likely your money

aaand bluehole is a goner!

Aion started good untill one day took an arrow on the knee and went free 2 play and yet people say ncsoft is smart lmao

Tera is subscription based and there are no plans to go free to play.

AION didn't start good, the game was so poorly designed in so many ways, especially for the Western market which are who they were trying to impress to begin with. It was probably the most hyped game in a long while that people really had their eye on; they were expecting a far deeper game than what was delivered, NCsoft made it sound like a new-age WoW with a strong emphesis on story and deep quest mechanics, along with a really in depth and well designed PvP portion of the game. Both parts of the game came up short and were severely disappointing. PvE was atrociously designed, content was spread far too thin, they didn't have nearly enough quests to level with, and the rewards were horrendous. The combat system was the best thing it had going for it outside of the graphics. If they had delivered what they made it sound like, they would of had a massively successful MMORPG on their hands. They didn't, and so people left. Now they're F2P and it's the best decision they could of made for this game if they want to be able to rebuild their playerbase, and grow into a massive success.

Aion wasn't a success in the West, that's why it went F2P in Europe and it probably won't be long until it goes F2P in the states either. There were huge quest gaps in leveling, everything was heavily RNG-based and it was a huge grind. That's all with the Korean market in mind, which is why it's doing well over there. I'm told it's improved a bit since then but I'm good to avoid games so fixated on RNG.

Also as far as I know neither Gameforge or Frogster are partners of NCSoft. I could be wrong, but I've never heard that before.

Originally posted by kishe

NCSoft is clever. Block TERA in USA by suing their arses enough times

Block TERA in Europe by having your associates buy out the competition with what is most likely your money

aaand bluehole is a goner!

Bluehole got off easily, the pirates will still make a lot of money. Not like I am one to talk though as I will be supporting them by playing TERA at least for a few months. ;-p

One things for sure, after play testing TERA NCSoft should be worried, the graphics and art style are way better than aion (thanks to the unreal engine) and the combat is just that bit different. I'm not saying TERA is going to be the OMG NEXT BIG THING but its a solid mmo that is going to appeal to people that originally played Aion and NCSoft know this. 

Originally posted by RedKatana

Tera is subscription based and there are no plans to go free to play.

Give it a year and we'll talk about that one again.

First off, Aion is still a wanna be game.  NCSoft tried to make essentially a pvp game that only had two factions and we all know how badly that always works out.  The ganking got out of hand and they tried control it with rule changes, none of which really worked.  The grind for the equipment was incredible although they have lessoned that somewhat.  Just another has been game as far as many of us are concerned.

I also don't see TERA going anywhere.  It is a bit different when it comes to combat, but beyond that it is rather similar to everything else on the market.  It obviously did not do well in Korea since they had to merge servers, but hard to say how the western audience will take to it.

As to Bluehole being pirates, that still has not been decided, it is on appeal.  My personal opinion it is a lot of crying by NCSoft, mainly because of so many defections by employees to other development shops that their Lineage III game is way behind.  Perhaps they should focus on better working conditions and decent pay for their employees than trying to sue those that left.

Originally posted by NBlitz

What a mess.

Gameforge announces its public takeover offer for Frogster AG and, by the end of the year, gains an 81,15% stake in Frogster AG.

So...Gameforge equals Frogster. TERA and AION are like half-sisters or what? So what's NCSOFT's got to do with it in Europe?

well, the answer is... nothing except providing the code.

Game Forge's takeover of Frogster is a good thing IMO.

The Aion F2P beta has been ran excellently.

This is good news for me! Can't wait for it to go F2P in USA. I love the look and style of this game. Played the trial. I could just hang out in one of the forests enjoying the beautiful art and sceneries of this game even if everything else fail..... I really don't mind as long as it is F2P! :-)

Originally posted by RedKatana

Tera is subscription based and there are no plans to go free to play.

Yeah because as if companies plan to go F2P with their P2P games. If subs in Tera are not up to the mark it will go F2P, planned or not.

Originally posted by Volgore

Originally posted by RedKatana

Tera is subscription based and there are no plans to go free to play.

Give it a year and we'll talk about that one again.

 

Considering how BAD Tera is doing in japan and korea so far, I'd say less than a year.

In Korea, the server economy went to crap within the first month and server merges started within the first month too, now there are huge server merges in japanese version.

I am giving TERA-EU around three months till some sort of F2P plan is announced.

Originally posted by Valentina

AION didn't start good, the game was so poorly designed in so many ways, especially for the Western market which are who they were trying to impress to begin with. It was probably the most hyped game in a long while that people really had their eye on; they were expecting a far deeper game than what was delivered, NCsoft made it sound like a new-age WoW with a strong emphesis on story and deep quest mechanics, along with a really in depth and well designed PvP portion of the game. Both parts of the game came up short and were severely disappointing. PvE was atrociously designed, content was spread far too thin, they didn't have nearly enough quests to level with, and the rewards were horrendous. The combat system was the best thing it had going for it outside of the graphics. If they had delivered what they made it sound like, they would of had a massively successful MMORPG on their hands. They didn't, and so people left. Now they're F2P and it's the best decision they could of made for this game if they want to be able to rebuild their playerbase, and grow into a massive success.

OMG....paragraphs....please....../faints from eye strain

Heh , title made me "LOL" , any word from NCSoft if they are actually going to fight botting ?   No?   Figures. 

I got to admit by putting a MMO F2P , you don't give a damn if 75% of the population is botting , and by putting Aion F2P it's like raising the white flag and they don't need to awnser the critics about how badly their games have a botting problem. You either like the bots in our F2P MMO or go play something else.

Originally posted by Yuui

Originally posted by Volgore

Originally posted by RedKatana

 Tera is subscription based and there are no plans to go free to play.

Give it a year and we'll talk about that one again.

Considering how BAD Tera is doing in japan and korea so far, I'd say less than a year.

In Korea, the server economy went to crap within the first month and server merges started within the first month too, now there are huge server merges in japanese version.

I am giving TERA-EU around three months till some sort of F2P plan is announced.

They set up price plans and decide how to sell their product according to territories , how it does in Korea will be irrelevant to the West if it is making money there on the sub.

Having played the game for 20+ hours now I can actually see it doing quite well here once the reviews come out.

The questing is very standard, but the game itself (world, art direction, combat) is actually really good if you like what it is doing.

IMO, though ofc it won't happen, it deserves to sell more then SWTOR, because it is IMO over all a more fun and exciting game. Branding and hype will ensure that dosen't happen though.