Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Legal, Miscellaneous
The court recently upheld a ruling of a criminal case in which teens attacked another youth and forced him at knifepoint to relinquish his possessions in RuneScape, including an in-game amulet and knife.
The incident happened in 2007, and a lower court convicted the two thieves in 2009. One of the defendants then appealed to the country's supreme court on the grounds that the stolen goods "were neither tangible nor material and, unlike for example electricity, had no economic value."
However, the judges declared that these virtual items had value because they represented "time and energy invested" to acquire. The thieves were sentenced to 144 hours of community service.
Dutch Supreme Court declares RuneScape theft a real-world crime originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, MMO industry, News items, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser
[Thanks to Sean for the tip!]
RuneScape increasing subscription prices on February 1st originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Age of Conan, Darkfall, Final Fantasy XI, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Wurm Online, RuneScape, Humor, Mabinogi, Wizard101, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Blade & Soul, Perfect Ten
So for the next two Perfect Tens, I scoured all the MMO theme songs that I could get ahold of in an attempt to formulate a list of the very best. It was originally slated to be just one list, but after an hour or so of listening to tracks and having friends and fellow staffers weigh in on the subject, I knew it was impossible to keep it there.
Two important things to note for this list. First, I wanted to keep to just the title/login screen tracks so that I wouldn't be working on this for the next 2.5 years. Second, unlike most past Perfect Tens where there's no significance to the order of the list, in this case we're going to have a genuine countdown to the best MMO theme song of all time. And I expect to take no flak about it, do you hear me? Good. Let's begin.
Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Best MMO theme songs (part one)
The Perfect Ten: Best MMO theme songs (part one) originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Interviews, MMO industry, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Stellar Dawn, Transformers Universe
Because the deal was made earlier last year, Gerhard sees this as old news and stressed that the company was trucking on much the same as it ever was. "The insinuation that this is a company that somehow now is run by bankers in the US again couldn't be further from the truth," he said. "Sure we therefore have some American shareholders, but the management and the culture and the ethos and everything else is the same people, in the same hands, and staunchly British."
He also clarified why the studio's profits were reported to be down: "If you look at our company's house filings, revenues are up but profits are down, and those aren't because we're doing a crap job, that's because we're consciously taking those profits and ploughing them back into the business."
Gerhard said that the company was "very, very selective" when it came to investors, and that it feels completely comfortable with the current board of directors. He said that the new investors were not interfering with the day-to-day development and operations of Jagex's ever-expanding library of titles: "I'm very excited for the year ahead and everyone in the studio is very focused on, not just making RuneScape and 8Realms a financial success, but our work on Stellar Dawn and even Transformers coming together to make truly great games for this year."
'Staunchly British' Jagex sets the record straight about its new ownership originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: MMO industry, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Legal, Miscellaneous, Transformers Universe
Insight Venture Partners, a venture capital firm from the US, completed a deal last year to increase its ownership to 55% of the UK-based company. Previously, the firm had 35% interest in Jagex. Now that the scales have tipped to the new ownership, this technically makes Jagex a US-controlled company and has US investors leading its board of directors.
While revenues were up 2% for Jagex in 2011, both operating and net profits were significantly down from the previous financial year. Jagex is a major player in the MMO free-to-play market, with RuneScape, Transformers Universe, and 8Realms as part of its project portfilio.
Develop reports that the controlling interest was made possible by Jagex co-founder Andrew Gower selling off his ownership claims to the firm for $115.65 million. As part of the deal, Jagex paid $3.85 million in expenses. The studio will remain in Cambridge while its controlling firm is in NYC.
God save the green: Deal makes Jagex a US company originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Super-hero, Aion, Anarchy Online, City of Heroes, Darkfall, Dofus, EVE Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Final Fantasy XI, Flyff, Lord of the Rings Online, PlanetSide, Ryzom, Wurm Online, Opinion, Second Life, Star Trek Online, Ultima Online, Vanguard, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Virtual worlds, Mabinogi, Mortal Online, Wizard101, Runes of Magic, DC Universe Online, RIFT, Xsyon, Family, Post-Apocalyptic, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox
With the loss of one of the best sandbox games just last month, some players may be feeling a void. Others still are looking/hoping for the "ultimate" sandbox that contains nearly every virtual world feature. Certainly, there are some upcoming games that make some drool-worthy promises, but what about playing something now? There are actually games out on the market that have at least one aspect of the genre, if not more.
To start off the new year, Some Assembly Required looks at some of the top features of virtual worlds and lists games that incorporate these features. While this list isn't exhaustive (considering the sheer number of games when you include all of the smaller free-to-play titles, I'd run out of column space!), it is a comprehensive enough overview to point you toward some games worth playing that perhaps you hadn't considered before.
Continue reading Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup
Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Culture, Opinion, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Free for All, Miscellaneous
RuneScape might not seem like a prime spot for roleplay. I hardly even heard of roleplay in the community, but I knew that the playerbase was made up of individuals from all age ranges. I thought of trying to find a good roleplay clan or trying to attend a roleplay event or two, but I didn't find the time to investigate. It began to look like roleplay was not something that happened in the game.
That was until last night. I stumbled upon some sort of spontaneous roleplay session, and it was mostly thrilling. I even interviewed a few players to see how the whole thing worked. Click past the cut and I'll tell you what I found out!
Continue reading Free for All: A surprising evening of roleplay in RuneScape
Free for All: A surprising evening of roleplay in RuneScape originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Aion, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, News items, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Trek Online, RuneScape, Global Agenda, Champions Online, DC Universe Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous
So in my last Perfect Ten of 2011, I put together the 10 most significant MMO stories of the year. Ten seems like an awfully small number for such a great big field, so I had the rest of the staff members chime in with their nominations just to make sure I wasn't too off-base with any of these.
It was a whopper of a year, and Massively was there for all of it -- the ups, the downs, the queues, and the QQs. It's time to wrap it up with a pretty bow and dedicate it to the history museum!
Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Most significant MMO stories of 2011
The Perfect Ten: Most significant MMO stories of 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Humor
During New Year's Eve, players are encouraged to be on alert as the clock strikes midnight 39 times in each of the time zones across the world. Every time this happens, a special moderator's in-game location will be made known through Facebook, on Twitter and in RuneScape itself. Those who can hunt down and find this mod in time will be treated to a special celebration.
The first clock to strike midnight on New Year's Eve is in Tokelau on Saturday, December 31st, at 5:00 a.m. EST. RuneScape players may wish to note that not all 39 "midnights" occur on the hour (this helpful website lays out the precise order).
[Source: Jagex press release]
RuneScape rings in the new year with 39 manhunts originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Massively Interviews, Free for All
I wanted to know more, and Daniel Clough, VP of RuneScape, was nice enough to answer several of my questions about the event. Did the nuking work as well as the team hoped? Will the bots stay dead? It didn't work in the Terminator, so why now?
Click past the cut for all of the answers!
Continue reading Free for All: Jagex answers more questions about nuking bots
Free for All: Jagex answers more questions about nuking bots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Promotions
Until January 4th, 2012, RuneScape players can sign up for six months of membership for the price of four, which basically gives two free months of premium service. As if that wasn't enough, Jagex is also handing out spiffy reversible ice masks -- with angry and happy sides -- to those who snag this deal.
RuneScape's membership starts at $5.95 a month, and upgrades the free-to-play title with additional quests, landscape, minigames, player housing, and no advertisements.
RuneScape warms our hearts with subscription deal originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, A Tale in the Desert, Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxies, RuneScape, Free-to-play, The Game Archaeologist, Sandbox
In a way, I think these older MMOs get a free pass to escape the craziness of having to compete with more modern titles, and as such, they're more confident in their position and freer to pursue whatever is best for the game. You know, instead of trying to ape World of Warcraft (which probably aped them first in the great circle of apes).
So what's been going on with our favorite classic MMOs last month? Let's cast our UltraVision[TM] back on the events of November to see what's been up with four games and their communities.
Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Classic MMOs in November
The Game Archaeologist and the Classic MMOs in November originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, Dungeons
The new dungeon can be reached north of the Duel Arena bank, with most of its contents requiring a high level in various skills. The inhabitants are non-aggressive, however, allowing any and all members to take a look at the place freely. Other updates include an improvement to the Slayer interface and the UI option to switch bloom lighting on or off, which should help improve your overall experience whether or not you decide to go mushroom hunting.
RuneScape adds a new dungeon for mold time's sake originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, News items, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser
[Source: Jagex press release]
Jagex unveils new RuneScape website originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, Previews, RuneScape, Free-to-play
Speaking of the holiday, a turkey invasion led by the fearsome Captain Turkerton is imminent and only the players will be able to negotiate a truce before the gobblepocalypse arrives. As incentive for participating in the event, RuneScape is planning to award Thanksgiving crests and turkey pets for the diplomatically savvy.
Jagex has a lot more on its plate for November, including revamping elements of the interface, overhauling the website design, and introducing the Slayer-centric Polypore Dungeon. Additionally, the November quest, "One Piercing Note," is a first for the game: a fully voice-acted experience that will incorporate singing and dancing into the story!
Following Bot Nuking Day and the resulting dip in population, Jagex has consolidated several servers into new multi-country European worlds. The team is also hard at work addressing some current issues with players having problems logging in and experiencing lag. A fix is scheduled for later today.
RuneScape sings, gobbles, and slays its way through November originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Business models, Economy, Opinion, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, Free for All
The saddest thing is that cheaters honestly think that what they do cannot possibly result in much harm for the game they are botting in, cheating at, or hacking up. It's sad because the truth is that a cheater, as one person, might not have much of an impact on the game. Add up several thousands of these scam artists and the results are mindboggling. Drive by your local dump to see just how much trash can pile up, one person at a time.
I want to shine some light on just how damaging botting can be. Click past the cut.
Continue reading Free for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter
Free for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Patches, News items, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Casual, Dev Diaries
At this year's annual RuneFest event, Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard presented a fantastic insider panel on the facts and figures behind bot-nuking day. Mark explained the company's position -- that normal players botting to speed up gameplay was counter to the goals of RuneScape. "We don't want your computer to play with our computer," he told attendees, "we want you to have fun with our community." Before delving into facts and figures, Mark reminded attendees of the element of unfairness that bots create. "I want to know that if I'm putting in 30 minutes this evening, that that 30 minutes is equal to everyone else's 30 minutes."
Want to know how many million accounts were banned since bot-nuking day? Read on for a summary of the facts and figures from the talk and to watch the full video in HD.
Continue reading RuneScape dev panel highlights incredible success of bot bans
RuneScape dev panel highlights incredible success of bot bans originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Screenshots, Culture, Opinion, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Free for All
Other than the bots (who otherwise seem like charming individuals,) I enjoy myself in the game. In fact, I love the game. There are few titles that reside in that warm spot in my gut (I keep my heart there), but RuneScape is one of them. If you'd like to skip the article so you can post snarky comments about how horrible Jagex is and to claim I'm not actually having fun, you have my permission.
Otherwise, click past the cut!
Continue reading Free for All: Why RuneScape is almost perfect for me, not bots
Free for All: Why RuneScape is almost perfect for me, not bots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Legal
In the email, Jagex calls out the suspected behavior and offers the player a "one-time amnesty lifeline" to shape up. These players will be placed on a watch list and will be monitored for any further botting action. If the player persists in cheating, then Jagex promises to not only remove their account permanently but to include the player in a mass lawsuit.
"If you ignore our offer and instead continue use botting software, we reserve our rights to pursue statutory damages against you for between $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future botting," the letter states.
A Jagex mod on the RuneScape forums confirmed that these emails are real.
Jagex levies a lawsuit against RuneScape botters originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, Patches, RuneScape, Free-to-play
In a new community update this week, Jagex Chief Executive Officer Mark Gerhard announced the release of a new doomsday weapon in the war on bots. In an upcoming patch on October 25th, Jagex will be "launching our most formidable bot-busting weapon in our history, targeting what we believe to be 98% of the bots seen in game." This update permanently prevents reflection bots from working and the effects should be immediately visible in-game. To celebrate "bot-nuking day", Tuesday's patch brings four days of events and minigame bonuses for regular players.
[Thanks to David for the tip!]
RuneScape celebrates 'bot-nuking day' this Tuesday originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.