Aion goes free to play
NCsoft's Aion will be free to play from the 28th of February, but there's still plenty of opportunity for giving the company your cash.
Massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG) giant NCsoft has confirmed rumours that Aion: The Tower of Eternity is to switch from a subscription-based title to a free-to-play game later this month.
The move follows a beta of a modified version of the game which replaces the monthly subscription fee with a microtransaction stroke ‘freemium’ model, allowing gamers to get into the MMO for free while still providing income for the developers.
In Aion’s case, free players will be able to access most functions of the game but will find themselves at a distinct disadvantage compared to those who have shelled out real-world cash. Trading and chatting with both be limited, NCsoft has confirmed, while quest rewards will be lower and the cool-down period for instances will be increased.
Those who have held a paid subscription to the game in the past will be offered ‘Veteran Status,’ NCsoft has confirmed. This rewards loyalty by removing free play restrictions, boosting the character slots from two to eight and allowing unlimited chatting and trading.
For those looking to get the most out of the game, there’s still a subscription option available. Dubbed ‘Gold Status,’ the monthly fee grants players a drastic reduction on cooldown periods, increased medals and Courage Insignias and other premium features.
If you’ve still got some pre-paid time left on your subscription come the changeover on the 28th of February, don’t worry: NCsoft is converting remaining subscription days into six Aion Coins per day, which can be used in-game to purchase the new premium features.
The switchover will happen on the 28th of February for the European servers, with no announcement yet on when – or even if – the US servers are due to follow.
More information is available on the official Aion Free to Play website.
Bloodline Champions – The Headhunter is here
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DCUO: Will be Free to Play!
If the proposition of buying DC Universe Online and then paying a monthly fee has been keeping you away from Sony Online Entertainment’s MMO, prepare to enter Gotham City next month. In October, DC Universe Online goes free to play.
Both PlayStation 3 and PC players will be able to download and play the game for free. Three tiered levels will act as the game’s revenue source from there along with in-game microtransactions. Here’s the official breakdown from SOE.
Free
New players will now have access to the current gameplay in DC Universe Online (including Gotham City, Metropolis, and all current raids and alerts), with the ability to create two characters, join a league and many other benefits. Free level players will be able to purchase downloadable game packs/updates, additional character slots, powers and more through microtransactions.Premium
Any player who has spent at least $5 (including former paid subscribers and new players who have purchased $5 of in-game items) will qualify for the Premium access level. Premium level players will have more benefits available to them than the Free level player, including additional character slots, additional inventory slots, and higher cash limits. Downloadable adventure packs, additional character slots, and more can be purchased in-game.Legendary
Maximum features and benefits are included at this level. Loaded with enhanced additional features, Legendary access will be available for a $14.99 monthly fee and includes all DLC packs at no cost, more than 15 character slots, more than 80 inventory slots, the ability to form unrestricted-sized leagues, and many other benefits.Read the whole news here: IGN.com
PlanetSide 2 will be Free to Play!
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley had a chat about PlanetSide 2 with Chinese site 17173.com, which was then translated by MMOsite and picked up by PlanetSide Universe. Phew. Some of the comments were misinterpreted, but Smedley has since responded. On with the news:
He says the aim for the beta is late this year or early next, remarking that “It’s ready when it’s ready and we are proud of it.” In other not-totally-unexpected news, PlanetSide 2 will be a free-to-play title. The specifics aren’t finalized yet, although Smedley did drop a hint: “we like League of Legends a lot.”
Dungeons & Dragons Online
Dungeons & Dragons Online is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG based on the classic D&D tabletop role playing game. Originally released as a subscription based game, Dungeons & Dragons Online is now free-to-play! Chose your class, race, skills, and feats then head off into the legendary city of Stormreach where adventure awaits!
Bloodline Champions: September Dev Update
In this developer update we want to present some of the new content you will find in our upcoming major patch 2.0. The patch is planned to go live mid September and it’s our biggest content update since release!
Bloodgate
One of the things we’ve put a lot of energy into is to make the game more accessible and easier to get started with. We have therefore given the Bloodgate interface a big face lift; the main menus have been redesigned and a lot of menus have been updated with new graphics and sounds.
Standard Game
One of the changes in 2.0 is the new Standard Game menu. This new menu will largely replace the old Custom Game menu. Players will be using the enhanced matchmaking system to find suitable games, be it Arena, Conquest or Artifact. With the addition of the new Party system you can now also easily join up and play together with your friends!
An in-game video tutorial section has been added, where we’ll be hosting our own videos and guides and give the community the ability to contribute with their own content.
Rise of the Immortals launching September 12th
Ready for another MOBA title? Ready or not, there’s a new one on the way, and Petroglyph has just announced that Rise of the Immortals is set to launch on September 12th. The game is currently barreling through the final days of its open beta test, and as such you can still sign up and get a free preview as well as take home 1,000 Petroglyph coins and an exclusive immortal skin.
Rise of the Immortals will be free-to-play, and the dev team is looking to expand the MOBA genre by adding features like social hubs, emotes, persistent character progression, and collectible combat and vanity pets. That’s not all, either, and we’ll have more details soon.
CrimeCraft: Bleedout
CrimeCraft was originally released as a retail, subscription based MMOFPS but has since relaunched as largely a free to play game with a cash shop. A large, persistent city acts as the game’s lobby where players can form gangs, accept missions, buy new weapons and more. The actual gameplay elements of CrimeCraft are similar to many other MMO shooters available with some of the major differences being the third person camera angle and the inability to jump. CrimeCraft uses the Unreal 3 engine which help the game stand out in the free to play arena. The game currently supports 7+ game modes which are:
Free-to-play Super Monday Night Combat announced
One of the surprise hits of 2010, Monday Night Combat is getting a sequel that its creators don’t exactly call a sequel. They call it Super Monday Night Combat, an evolution of the third-person shooter they launched on Xbox Live Arcade in 2010.
Uber dropped the word on its forums, saying that they enjoyed the always-updating nature of Monday Night Combat on PC. Super MNC is building on that concept with the free-to-play model, and promises that the “vast majority” of items can be earned simply by playing the game. It’s also getting a visual overhaul for a “slightly more realistic look.”
The Pros will gain persistent levels that last between games, and power will be directly related to accumulated money. They each will have five skills, all of them upgradable three times. Weapon and skill damage has been given a downgrade to encourage more team play, and all of the skills have been rebalanced. Plus, since it’s FTP, Uber promises that they’ll be constantly working on new Pros and cosmetic changes for existing Pros. Three new Pros are set to hit at launch. AKotaku preview reveals that the game will switch to a 5v5 format, and the level cap will be set at 15.
The model seems like a mixture of Dota and the new F2P model of Team Fortress 2 – the latter of which already drew heavy comparisons to Monday Night Combat for its art style. The Xbox 360 is rumored to get free-to-play games in 2012, but creative director John Comes declined to comment if SMNC will hit the console.
A beta is set to launch shortly after PAX Prime, so we won’t have to wait too much longer to start firing up your Moneyballs.
The game has changed. It is intended, this time around, to be a PC gamer’s delight. Look out, League of Legends or DotA 2. This is supposed to be free DotA that packs heat.
