http://www.zam.com/ ZAM gaming news rss feed http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20550 <p>Mythic's new Endless Trial essentially changes WAR's entire Tier 1 experience (Ranks 1 through 10) to a free-to-play MMO. We here at ZAM think it's an ambitious move, and a great way to offer potential subscribers the time they need to make an accurate, informed decision; a trial model that many other subscription-based MMOs could learn from. In an effort to learn a bit more about the details of the Endless Trial, ZAM held a Q&amp;A with Mythic producer Josh Drescher. Read on to learn more about the free-to-play trial, as well as the New User Journey that Mythic added to help new players.</p><br/><a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20550">View in full...</a> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20544 <p><span>You can read Skalski's full letter after the jump. What are your thoughts on the future of Warhammer Online?<br /></span></p><br/><a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20544">View in full...</a> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:32:04 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20480 <p>Poor <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/" target="_blank">Warhammer Online</a>; it just can't seem to catch the break it so desperately needs to get that real second chance it's been waiting for. Earlier today, Gamasutra <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25999" target="_blank">broke the news</a> that EA's latest round of layoffs hit Mythic Entertainment particularly hard; 80 of its employees were recently laid off, which consists of around a staggering 40 percent of its total workforce. Gamasutra claims Mythic is expected to make an official announcement in its quarterly report, although the website quotes several Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/Athryn/statuses/5565314202" target="_blank">postings</a> from former employees. What's all this mean for Warhammer Online? Nothing too positive, unfortunatley. The Gamasutra story quotes an industry analyst:</p> <blockquote> <p>Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said in an EA investor note on Monday, "Recent industry weakness will likely cause the company to lower its full year industry growth expectations to negative 'mid single digits' from 'flat' previously. In addition, we believe the company may take a more proactive role in additional cost cuts and may announce additional restructuring initiatives."</p> </blockquote> <p>While the MMO hasn't specifically been addressed in light of EA's newly-focused agenda, any long-time Warhammer fan should know that the game already needs all the help it can get from a publisher's resource pool―one wrong move could push WAR over the edge, doomed to another year of dwindling subscriptions. On the other hand, we can only hope that WAR's new <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=20375" target="_blank">Endless Trial</a> will attract both new and returning players, and that many of those players will stick around for the MMO's upcoming expansion, whenever it's released. In the mean time, let's hope Mythic keeps up the trend of continuing to <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=20453" target="_blank">patch and fix</a> WAR, as it's been doing. Praying couldn't hurt, either.</p> Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:34:30 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20453 <p>Lastly, Development Manager John Cox has written a diary entry explaining how Mythic <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=973" target="_blank">deals with hackers</a>. While it doesn't contain and earth-shattering news, it is an interesting read. "Believe it or not, any of you hackers out there, we&#8217;re members of your online communities, sometimes silently listening, sometimes actively participating. The best place to figure out what hackers are trying and what they&#8217;ve figured out about us is to hide among them," he said.</p><br/><a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20453">View in full...</a> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:51:59 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20375 <p>We all knew Mythic Entertainment was getting desperate for new and returning players in <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/" target="_blank">Warhammer Online</a>. All the signs were there; massive server merges, "re-enlistment" campaigns, even drastic retail price drops for the game client...but who could have ever imagined the MMO would <em>partially</em> turn free-to-play? That's right, as announced in the latest edition of the <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/newsletterarchive/2009/October2009.html" target="_blank">WAR newsletter</a> (a footnote in the Patch 1.3.2 article intro), Mythic will be extending its 10-day free trial to <em>unlimited</em> playtime as long as you're still in Tier 1 content, below Rank 11:</p> <blockquote> <p>"We&#8217;ll soon be lifting the 10-day restriction on our Free Trial! You'll be able to enjoy the trial experience and New User Journey for as long as you like!"</p> </blockquote> <p>This is a pretty drastic move to encourage new player retention, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. The new trial system will undoubtedly allow players to get a better sense of what WAR offers, at their own leisure, instead of trying to get the most informed opinion possible within a mere week and a half. Full details have yet to be announced, but it's safe to assume that some of the restrictions listed in the <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/faq/index.php?section=11#ans11_2" target="_blank">"Trial Accounts" section</a> of the official FAQ may carry over, such the inability to create auctions or send mail.</p> Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:05:43 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20325 <p>The Warhammer Mac client FAQ can be found after the jump. The Mac live client will be available in Europe soon, so keep on eye on the official <a href="http://www.war-europe.com/" target="_blank">WAR Europe</a> page for more information.</p><br/><a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20325">View in full...</a> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:27:41 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20312 <p>Levy feels this change should actually have a positive affect on game balance since it should increase the amount of time players can survive in RvR and makes AP efficiency a factor in ability decisions. You can read Levy's full <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=964" target="_blank">letter</a> after the jump.</p><br/><a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20312">View in full...</a> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:45:27 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20244 <p>The full Grab Bag Q&amp;A can be found after the jump. Enjoy the live event! Waaagh!</p><br/><a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20244">View in full...</a> Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:27:19 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20203 <p>Mythic implemented four <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=957" target="_blank">hotfixes</a> today on Warhammer Online servers that include bug fixes and a change to Realm vs. Realm scenario populations. The team has made sure that Action Points and Morale will regenerate at a consistent rate regardless of server load, and Summoning Stones can no longer be used to teleport players into areas they can't normally enter. This will stop trial players from using the stones to leave Tier 1.</p> <p>As for RvR scenarios, Mythic has listened to players and adjusted on scenario population minimums and maximums. This means players will see scenarios launch more frequently. Also, "players will once again be able to post item links to the Party and Guild chat channels."</p> Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:45:57 -0000 http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20192 <p>&#160;</p><br/><a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20192">View in full...</a> Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:23:17 -0000