Gaming Etiquette at its Best

As I headed to kill another quest mob in lineage 2 the other day I witnessed a surprising display of online gaming etiquette (if there is such a thing) that I'd never seen before.

Watch it on YouTube

After 37 levels of  almost constant free for all / kill-stealing when it came to quest mobs, this was the absolute last thing I expected to see in this game. After all, from past experience in MMOs I'd learned to expect the free for all attitude, especially when a game has just been launched and everyone is leveling up at the same time. In this case the game obviously wasn't new but the fact that it had just become free to play and this was on one of the new servers, Shilien, made for a near exact replica of a new mmo's environment.

Before I started recording my exact thoughts were "What the line?! What is going on?".  Even after lagging and accidentally running out of the line the dwarf behind me actually moved back to let me back in. Honestly I thought this whole situation was both hilarious and awesome. Of course there are always going to be the players that will take advantage of the anonymity of being behind a computer screen, but in this particular situation there were very few that did. And about a minute after I'd finished my recording everyone was rewarded when the GMs mass-spawned the quest mob right next to us. Good thing too, because as much as I'd like to believe everyone would've waited patiently, to me, it was already a miracle that people had waited as long as they did.

See what happened shortly after the GM mass spawning... (sorry it's so short, but you still get the picture)

or watch it on YouTube

Epic? Bizarre? Funny? I'm voting for all of the above...

As always, thanks for reading : )

Lineage II F2P Date Announced

Following up on my previous post, Lineage II: Goddess of Destruction Goes F2P, Lineage 2 is going to be free to play with the upcoming patch on November 30th.

Get all the details here.

*Edit* - Lineage II is 'truly' free as of 11/24/11

Lineage II: Goddess of Destruction goes F2P

With the upcoming release of its Goddess of Destruction update, Lineage II has announced it will going 'truly free'. In other words, Lineage II is moving from its very long-standing monthly subscription fee to the micro-transaction business plan (the game itself will be entirely free but item packs etc., will all be available for purchase from the L2 Store, much like in PWE's games).

Q: What is Lineage® II: Goddess of Destruction™?
A: Goddess of Destruction is the largest content update in the history of the Lineage II fantasy MMORPG. Now you can play Lineage II—with its deep story, rich gameplay, and diverse and intense action—truly free. 

Q: What does "truly free" mean?
A: Goddess of Destruction gives you truly free access to the largest Lineage II content update ever. You will receive free packs at key milestones in the game that supplement your game progression. You can also accelerate and enhance gameplay with items or packs from the L2 Store. "Truly free" means you can enjoy Lineage II in a way that suits your play style and budget.

Q: Can I really play Lineage II for free?
A: Yes, you can! Goddess of Destruction content (character creation, races, classes, skills, zones, bosses, quests, clans, crafting, warehouse, auction house, chat, mail, forums, customer support, and so on) is absolutely free. While we will offer some gameplay acceleration or vanity items for purchase in the L2 Store that we hope you'll enjoy, buying them is completely optional. 

Q: Are there any incentives for me to maintain or reactivate my subscription before Goddess of Destruction launches?
A: Yes. If you continue to progress to maximum level, you will be one of the first to experience the Awakening process and the new suspenseful and action-packed high-level content in Goddess of Destruction. At launch, any remaining game time is converted to NCoin, so you'll have prepaid funds ready to spend on L2 Store items. 

Q: I used to play Lineage II, but I'm not currently a subscriber. Can I access my previous characters?
A: In most cases, your previous characters are still available and you can play them for free when you reactivate your account. Depending on how long you've been away and whether you remember your credentials, you may need to go through additional steps to gain access to your characters.

Q: Now that the game is free, will there be future content updates and expansions?
A: Yes, Lineage II continues to evolve! There are already multiple chapters planned for Goddess of Destruction, and the game will offer additional expansions for as long as players continue to support it. 

Q: Will current, former, and new players play together on the same servers?
A: Yes. When Goddess of Destruction launches, current players will remain on their current servers. Additional servers will be added to accommodate the influx of new players and returning former players. After launch, if you decide to resettle your character to another server, you will be able to purchase a character transfer.

See the details and full FAQ on the L2 site here.

High Quality, No Cost: PWE's Free Games

These games are completely free to play and offered me a quality gameplay experience.

Perfect World International (PWI) is an MMO that boasts an enormous world and an unheard of level cap of 105
- My personal experience: After leveling a wizard to somewhere in the mid 40s I was discouraged enough by the advantage given to players that spent money through the game's micro-transaction system to call it quits. Because my priority was PvP I knew from reading a lot of forum posts that it would be nearly impossible for me to compete without spending a fair amount of money, which I wasn't willing to do
- Although I stopped playing, I have to clarify that this game has a ton of potential and can be a lot of fun, unfortunately the same can not be said for most players whose main focus is PvP

Rusty Hearts is a game (hack & slash MMO) I've talked about a lot and for good reason (see below)
- For being in a beta testing period this game is looking very polished
- PvP is minimally affected by items available through micro-transactions, at least in the current beta stage
- Latest patch, Awakening, offers loads of new content
- In-game events are a daily occurrence in the Rusty Hearts world that offer incentive to both casual and hard-core players alike
- Natasha is now playable as of October 25th*


Of all of PWEs games, which are free, I've only played these 2, but be sure to check out their full game list by clicking here.

Riot Games' League of Legends - Downloading the DotA inspired game as we speak (as instructed by a friend), I'll be sure to update this after I've fiddled with it some.
- Turns out DotA inspired is very much the case, despite being a DotA remake I've quickly become addicted to its co-op and pvp gameplay

Also, see NCsoft's Lineage II: Goddess of Destruction goes F2P

As of November 1st DC Universe Online is F2P as well!