Right, 175 million "registered" users...  but how many "active" users, PCU, and CCU??

NCsoft rather have L2-SEA shutdown and lose their playerbase (new and old alike) than make L2 free-to-play.

Whatever Thailand did or whatever happened in their market, theirs is the only f2p L2.  NCsoft will not repeat that again, not in another 10 years of L2's life.

Lineage II?  Trust me, it will never happen.  L2-SEA was being pushed for F2P, NCsoft Korea gave a big, strong, emphasized, shouting NO, N-O, NO.

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Originally posted by Superwasbeer

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Originally posted by barezz

Sounds pretty good!  I like how they practically retcon the stupid thing they did with Data in the last Star Trek movie, lol.

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What does retcon mean? sorry, english is my second language..... I like the enthusiasm of the programmers of this game!

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It is my second language as well, so I do not know what exactly "retcon" means, but the definition/meaning, it means something of negating the past changes, making the past event or change unimportant and useless anymore, to the point that we can delete it from historical records as if it never existed.

If NCsoft Austin is impending closure, will DestinationGames (which is NC Austin itself) break-up from the NCsoft Family?

Remember? DG joined the NC family to form NC Austin. Help NC Korea to enter the American market. Help DG to enter the Korean market.

I wonder....

In any case, I say Richard Garriott should go back to making non-online games. Im thirsty and hungry for another "Ultima"-ness series.

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Originally posted by admriker4
so the billion dollar question....
sandbox or linear design ?
Oh and in case your reading cryptic, dont forget that some of us prefer non-combat class roles. This is Trek after all where life didnt revolve around killing things.
I want to run my own bar on a space station providing drink buffs and a sympathetic ear to passing traders.

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Hell man, yeah! This is best suited as a full-time Role-Playing Game, not as a Hack-n-Slash Game.

I agree with previous replies. This game will have a plenty of Instance because that's the best fit for the game.

However, they need to find a good balance. 50% Instance and 50% Persistent.
Example:
You are on an Away Mission on some newly discovered Planet. You left your #1 in the Bridge.

That Planet is an instance at that period of time. However, your ship and your player crews stays in the Open World. They could be fighting someone there already and you have to choose of going back or something.

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Example 2:
Or that planet and it's immediate sector is instanced.

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With my Example #1: it is obvious that there is a factor of "Time Period". As introduced by LotRO.

Again, they need to find a good balance. They can't just introduce "Time Period" like LotRO did - it is too much. They can't introduce too much instance like GW did. And too much Persistent world won't work either.

1st: A good balance between Instance and Persistent World
2nd: A good balance between "Time Period" and "Real-Time" flow.

If they can do that (and I believe they can), then STO will be "The" Sci-Fi MMORPG of the century - hands down.

And then they can claim: "Where no MMO has gone before"

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Originally posted by vidiotking
Aion will be the next "great" mmorgp for me, that's for sure.
im sold on the grafix. some may say that grafix are not that big of a deal. i disagree. ive found most mmo's to be very(very) similar. so assuming that this game is like most mmo's, it is the grafix that set it apart. IMO conan and warhammer look lack luster. Aion looks awsome!!!!

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You're obviously new to the game ;)
For the 1st to 3rd generation of electronic gamers, gfx are nothing. For one, check out Ultima Online, the longest running MMOG in the world. Then second to that is Lineage 1, the 2nd longest running MMOG in the world.

Now third, check our the list of mudconnector.com, all online games that doesn't have any graphics (save for some text-graphics). There are still many MUD players today.

For us, your *ehemm* elders (tho I'm only 26), we don't look at gfx but rather we look at the features and the fun factor and the overall gameplay. It may have the best graphics, it may have to graphics technology of Year 3000, but if its features, fun factor, and overall gameplay sucks, it is a useless game or online game.

BUT, the 4th generation to the current generation of gamers, all they care about is the graphics. For these younger generations, it is all about eye-candy. A game or online game with graphics from the future will receive high ratings from these generations even though the game sucks in every factor and overall.

Sadly, there's only a few of us compared to the 4th generation and onwards. So developers opt for gfx and less on ingenuity.

I can't believe someone really asked this:

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Q. The new Hybrid. I've got to ask... was this an April Fool's thing, or an actual addition? If it IS an actual addition, awesome! One thing I've noted myself and heard from others is the lack of variety. Would be an awesome change from just playing humans, or humans with a different head model as the other hybrids almost appear to be.

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If you read the lore of the "Skitterin Hybrids", it is obvious that it is an April Fools Joke.

The question should have been: "I know the Skitterin Hybrids is an April Fools Joke, but is there any chance it will become a reality?"

The answer to that is obviously a 'yes'. BUT not exactly as what the lore states "useless hybrid", no game company will spend time and effort on a "useless" patch... oh wait, Blizz always do that with their "bug fix" patches that doesn't really fixes the bugs written on that specific patch's patch note =))

Anyway, it is the same with WoW's two-headed ogres and Pandaren, they could add it if they so choose, but not exactly as how they presented it during it's April Fools time. Two-Headed ogre controlled by two players? (It's possible, but still.... huge problems ahead!)

Bard is also possible, but not as a Guitar Rockstar :p

I still can't believe people believed that hybrid is for real. hehehehe.....

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Originally posted by kitsunegirl
This was their april fools joke... right?

Right?

O.o;;

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By the 'way' the lore was written, yes, it's an April Fools Joke. But just like anybody else, a well done April Fools Joke can be turned into a reality.

No more FR! Too many FR games already.

Methinks we need a revival of DragonLance games!

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Originally posted by Madmozz
Um didnt they make a film in 2001 in America called "Evolution"? didnt see anyone wanting the name changed then

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I'm not from the US, but...... you fell for it friend :p
check your calendar ;)

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Originally posted by Typhyny
Loved reading all the posts on the WoW forums by those who didn't figure it out before they posted.
April fools "Gotcha" FTW :)

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What do you expect from the majority of those anyway?

I agree, 2008 April Fools is the funniest the gaming industry pulled. Theme: Funny Stuff

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Jack Emmert, being on my immediate left, answered first, and his answer took a number of people in the crowd by surprise. With great conviction, Jack declared that microtransactions were nonsense. He went on to say that we pay a number of our bills in the form of subscription, cable, internet, cell phone, etc.

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For Western Countries yes, but for us in the Eastern World, no. Cable, Internet, Cell Phone, etc. are all paid by pre-paid cards not subscription. Microtransactions and "free" promos is 2/3 of companies' source of revenue than those who are subscribers. In fact, even those people who can subscribe much preferred pre-paids and microtransactions than a post-paid/subscription model.

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The conversation went on to talk about the idea of a hybrid system, where microtransactions might be used for items that don’t have an effect on gameplay, most notably some cosmetic items. Quite honestly, my memory fails me beyond that in the fine details.

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If you want to know more about it, live here in the Philippines. The Philippines is currently the testing bed and hotbed for Online Games business model experiments. If I am not mistaken, the first hybrid model was launch here in the Philippines. The market here is very diverse and mixed.

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I guess the point that I’m trying to make is that while microtransactions may seem like a foreign concept to us old timers (yes, I use that tongue-in-cheek), the generation coming in behind us will be fully immersed in it. Microtransactions will simply be the way that they do things. Will that have an effect on the MMOs of the future… Honestly, I don’t see how it couldn’t.

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Umm, I'm an old timer but it isn't foreign to me :p I think you should have said instead that "for us Westerners, it is a foreign concept", coz that's what it is. I'm as hardcore as anyone here, I'm as an old timer as anyone here. But microtransactions, or as officially called in the East, the microtransaction region - "Virtual Asset Sales (VAS)" model (for online stuff of course) is part of our respective cultures.

We have subscription models on the right, we have microtransactions to the left. Nexon is right that this model has grown and subscription-followers do not give proper credits to its growth. At least for that interview, he did not mention the real figures, when I met with Nexon, they showed the real figures of microtransactions-vs-subscription (I don't have the liberty to tell the figures tho). 'Was able to confirm those figures after meeting with other game developers (by now you should have figured out my line-of-work).

VAS (Hybrid is VAS type 2) caters to a different market, a market where there are people who think short-term, a market where there are people who use 'feeling' instead of 'logic'. Here in the Philippines alone, more than two-thirds of the market are in-favor of VAS, generally VAS type 1 (free-to-play + item mall). These gamers "think" that they can save more this way, when in reality, they are spending more than if it's purely subscription. For businesses, they care less, VAS is quick money. If you are lucky and your game becomes a huge hit, then its life will be longer, for example, SilkRoad, Gunbound, and MapleStory. If you are not lucky, then time to get a new VAS type game before the other dies out.

Companies in Korea were able to generate huge revenue because of VAS, many experts and think tanks never believed this model because they think differently. These people were proven wrong and are now joining the bandwagon. For VAS type games, it all comes down to your game. Unlike for subscription type games, the game itself is not that important but that community. As long as there are subscribers, you have the money. For VAS games, you have to keep the game interesting, you have to make ways for them to spend that money, you can not just sit and do nothing. The community is only secondary, to some even tertiary.

Microtransactions are here to stay. The non-believers are testing the waters. Huge companies are seeing its potential. They are joining and creating their own VAS games.

My personal opinion? If I want to play with my family and relatives, I will play a VAS type 1 online game, a game where being a 'casual' player will not put you to the losing side. But if I will play a serious game, like World of Warcraft, Ultima Online, and Tabula Rasa to mention a few, then I will choose a subscription-based game, where my being hardcore will put me to the advantage.

For casual players, free-to-play microtransactions (VAS-1) is the right model for them. For hardcore players, subscription is the model (with the exception of Guild Wars of course).

Take it to the next level, it really is about the difference between the West and the East. RPG-vs-PvP. Time-consuming vs Get-famouse-and-strong-quick. Enjoyment through community building-vs-Enjoyment through competition. Read Richard Garriott's comparison of the West and the East. That's the root of all these.

Hybrid deserves another discussion ;) It is VAS-2, subscription-based with item mall (items that doesn't affect the game to the point of making it chaotic and unenjoyable).

ROFLOL!! Can't wait...

Especially sociologists... and critics... and bloggers... and the people who has nothing to say but be anti-everything for-the-fun-of-being-anti...

ROFLOL!

Wee!! Lineage II! I think the Press Release meant "Lineage II South-East Asia" ;)

Btw, I found their Pre-CBT webste here http://www.asianmedia.ph/lineage2/ They even have a forum already. It is interesting to note that the Australians and New Zealand players are interested with the new regional server, they are saying they are better off playing on a server where the timezone difference is only a few hours.

Oh, they are already accepting applications for their Closed Beta! Already signed-up myself.

I'm not a gurl, I'm a straight guy, but I don't agree with the #3 point. Real gurl players will say "fine", "okay", or just change the subject (if she knows you) or ignore you (if she doesn't know you). Why? Simple, to a gurl, why should she tell you what happened on her day unless you're one of her "circle" of friends or best friend?

If the gurl "talked" about her day after being asked out-of-the-blue, that is a guy.

Then this: 2. She's violent because it's "that time of the month"

Gurls are not "violent every day of the month", they are not beasts to be violent everyday. But I see your point, I think the examples you gave doesn't fit the point you are trying to make. Camping? KS'ing? A gurl on "that time of the month" is more likely to do just that because she is not feeling well. She is online either because she has to or because she wants to put her mind on something else via an MMO. If it isn't her "time of the month", she will take that effort to go out, quest, and be patient enough not to KS.

And I really don't know why it is #2, I haven't encountered any faker or even a real gurl giving that reason... "it's that time of the month".

Another: 5. She has to go and "wash her hair," "do her nails," etc.
You mixed a gurl activity to a general activity. Real gurls do say she's going to wash her hair, take a shower, and other general-type activities. What they do not "usually" say is "do her nails" and the like, "usually" because there are gurls who still tell those reasons, sometimes it isn't even true, just giving out a reason to log-off.

8. Too much pink ??
I don't think so. Maybe there in the US, but in other cultures, pink is "cuteness", "pretty-ness", especially for us Asians, even gurls will choose Pink if given a choice - yes, all-pink. We Asians also take care of how our characters look, and most Asian gamers (who are not farmers) are playing MMOs just for the vanity of it.

Finally this: most girls will take it (and say thank you if she's a lady)
Now, you as a guy just admitted that guys don't know how to say thank you. I beg to differ, I say thank you to people who helped me without me asking at all. Yes, even while running, fighting a mob, or getting PK'ed, I take time to say thank you, win or lose, live or die. A thank you is a thank you. Saying 'thank you' is not a gurl thing, it is universal. Either you were not raised by your parents to be good and respectful of others, even to a stranger (trust and respecting a stranger are two different things), or you are just lazy (lazy in the sense that, say you are multi-tasking or talking to a bunch of people, it will be hard to take time to say thank you of course).

Hey, its a good read. Just sharing my opinions. Also I do not know your experiences with guys playing a gurl character, but I'm sure you won't be able to detect me :p I had four characters in the past that is so believable, until now they still don't believe I own those characters :p

It was part of my experiments and studies about virtual world and MMOG in general. Hmm... you know, you gave me an idea for an article :p

Good read. :)

Other than myself, I also know a couple of guys who people will never believe they own the popular gurl character on their online game :p Almost all of us are "Role-Playing" Gamers, that explains our secret of perfecting it :p But no, we don't take advantage of people, and are straight guys :p hahaha... It's fun, I even Role-Played with a male character who later turned out to be a gurl IRL :p

The developer is "Beijing Perfect World Co.," it's written on their Press Releases and official websites, not "Perfect Space".

Just a correction there. ;)

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Originally posted by Wart

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Originally posted by k2newb
The SG beta has actually already began, however they are planning on allowing about 15K players from around the world access begining on sometime this month (1.23 is definately a possibility)..

As I have said before, the company releasing this game in NA/EU/UK will be doing a completely different translation and localization for the game. There are major differences the game will have when compared with its sisters around the world. The biggest is its name (which has changed, but it will still carry Granado Espada as a tag line).

To my knowledge the new 'teaser' website for the game is done except for the new logo with the new name. They are anticipating releasing that information sometime this week as well as the NA/EU/UK launch date (Sometime in May for NA and in June for EU/UK).

As soon as the new website is up Ill post here.

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I'm curious too on how you get your info.

Anyways, hmm... hopefully they wont butcher it. lol
I like the game as it is already.

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I don't know how much I can vouch for him, but I did read something like that somewhere within the GE-SEA circles forming.

Also, "rebranding" a game is very common nowadays.

As someone who works in the gaming industry for a decade already, I've seen too many re-branding of games and online games when it's licensed to a different region.

Recently, there's "Super Dancer Online", developed by 9you.com, a Chinese developer and publishing house, was rebranded as "DANCE!" by Acclaim and is currently in closed beta.

They did not just rebranded it, but they changed everything.

Then there's With Your Destiny II which was rebranded as Supreme Destiny.

There is this.... and that.... the list goes on.

So I won't be surprised if they decided to rebrand "Granado Espada" in the US/UK regions.

You can trust the site. We post Press Releases when we received it, as long as it is not more than 6-months old.

Also, Granado Espada South-East Asia is also open for Australia and New Zealand players or rather, the scope of the GE-SEA server includes AU and NZ.

What I didn't quite understood is the OP's "ASEAN" comment. It sounds like our blog network is an ASEAN blog. No, we are not affiliated with the ASEAN, we're not politically attached to anyone.

Hi, if you don't mind ;) some corrections:

VitalSign is an online game, MMOFPS if you will (tho 3rd person), it isn't the 'company' ;)
The company is iGamesAsia Pte. Ltd. located in Singapore.

Additionally, VitalSign and A3 are Korean made online games, wasn't developed by iGamesAsia ;)

:)

gameshogun