Dungeons & Dragons Goes Free-2-Play!

So earlier this week, Turbine announced that it’s three-year old MMORPG, Dungeons & Dragons: Online, would launch a new service named “Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited” which will introduce some new features that is sure to make a lot of people happy, including a Free-2-Play as well as a “Item Mall” of sorts, that will let players (Free or VIP) purchase additional adventures, special items, and more.

Read more on the new DDO experience here

Now, while I’m not old enough to have grown up with the original D&D, my dad was into it, and luckily for me, he still had the old AD&D manuals (which I now possess), and we had a nights of fun with it every so often, and it’s how I first heard of it. But that quickly faded, sad to say, and I moved on to PC gaming, but I got to participate in the original DDO beta back in 2005, which was a blast, but, as I am a lazy (and poor) geek, I didn’t continue playing the game after it was released. Well, looks like the city of Stormreach has opened is doors to me once again and I cannot wait until the new DDO is released this summer!

Free Realms Hits 2 Million in Under a Month

Earlier today, it was announced that Sony Online Entertainment’s recently-released casual MMO game, Free Realms, had hit the 2-million mark of number of players. All of which comes in not even a month into the launch of the game, which is pretty damn good, in my book. To help celebrate, all players will receive a “party pack” of in-game items. The packs are expected to roll out within a week or two. So, massive kudos to SOE for a succesful launch of a game and a swell pat on the back for the FR team, let’s see how far it’ll go.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to…level up my ninja…

[Two Million Registered Players] via Free Realms

Tabula Rasa, The Final Transmission

Well, it has been a little more than 5 months since it was announced Tabula Rasa would be closing down, and a little more than 3 months since it has gone Free-To-Play, but alas, all good things must come to an end. After a final invasion force large and powerful enough to decimate anyone or anything that got in its way, Tabula Rasa has closed its doors for good as of 12:01 AM, but it went with such flare and fanfare, and some lag, one cannot help but feel a little sad to see such a great Sci-Fi MMO simply die away. I know the ending was fun for me, aside from the lag spikes, of course, as I had the privilege to serve with the last, great clan in game, made up of new fans and old veterans, AFS Last Stand. It was an honor and great fun to squad up and enjoy the final moments of our exsistence in the game world of Tabula Rasa. A pity the developers couldn’t do more events as massive as this prior to the game’s closing, it could have saved them, a little…maybe. Who knows, maybe my hope for an awesome Sci-Fi MMO can be placed in better hands.

This is Master Grenadier, Nade Thepink, signing off.

HOORAH!

Happy News Year’s Eve, NCSoft Accused of Violating MMO Patent

Happy New Year’s Eve, NCSoft! Guess what? You’ve been sued for infringing on a patent of a system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space filed Aug 3, 2000 by Worlds.Com Inc. If you actually read the patent (as partially as I did) then you’ll realize this could be almost any 3D MMO. Now, that means, a lot of beloved games like Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, the dying Tabula Rasa, and a lot of others, are in danger, IF the patent is valid and enforceable.

So, why is NCSoft first in their attack? Well, they have a couple of MMOs that didn’t do so hot (Auto Assualt, Tabula Rasa) and their other MMOs are not as popular as say, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. But, again, if the patent is viable, I can only assume what will happen to other MMOs, especialy the 15 korean MMOs released yearly.

All that we can do is pray. Pray and somehow end the tirade through online petitions and flaming forum posts!

[Worlds.com Files Suit Against NCsoft... on Virtual Worlds News]