RMT is now LEGAL in Korea!

Image by LotusMonger via Flickr

When you deal with Real Money Trading (RMT) within an MMO, you're likely to get a permanent ban (permaban) from the game, unless you play in South Korea.

The MMO world has been abuzz with the news that a court in South Korea has just ruled that converting in-game money to real money has been deemed legal after two Lineage players did some business and got caught:

The two allegedly purchased “Aden,” cyber money in an online multiplayer role-playing game “Lineage,” worth 234 million won ($207,558), which was lower than market price, through game item-trading Web sites.

Then they allegedly resold those purchased items to some 2,000 other players and earned about 20 million won.

However there are some details that the RMTers should follow before dealing business:

• Players cannot cash in if they used bots or macros (good luck detecting that!).
• The article also notes that Korea passed a law that the government will collect a VAT of 10 percent on these types of transactions... given the alleged trading volume of $1 Billion or more per year, that is real money in these fiscal hard times. This may have even more impact on game companies in terms of record keeping and reporting.

As expected a lot of people (players and non-players alike) have had negative reactions to the ruling:

Parents' associations and anti-gambling activists criticized the decision, arguing it may set a bad precedent for the younger generation. Others said it will provide fresh impetus to the online game business.

However, some are embracing the thought that game developers/publishers will be earning more:

"The ruling has brightened the future of the Korean game market," said Prof. Chung Hae-sang at Dankuk University. "So far, the industry's growth has been interrupted by tough regulations."

The global scene is worried because most of the MMORPGs (like NCSoft games: Lineage 2, Aion, Guild Wars, etc.) comes from South Korea. Does that mean gameplay changes in the international versions will be in order? Will this improve in-game economies? How will this affect the booming Free-to-Play market (F2P)?

The face of MMORPGs surely has changed...

Korea Supreme Court rules virtual currency convertible
Ruling to Boost Sale of 'Cyber Money'
Supreme Court acquits two in cyber money game case

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Aika Global to show why it's better than Aika NA

With Aika NA closing its doors to new international accounts, Aika Global has received most of the players turned away. I think this is more of a plus for T3 Entertainment, the game publisher for Hanbitsoft's game. It's a bit late I know, but I think this game is worth trying, even just to experience the "1000 vs. 1000 player" sieges.

Korea to MMO underaged players: Good night!

"What? I have to sleep now?"

Most of the people I know who are hooked on MMOs know that South Korea is Nirvana on Earth. It's the place where most of the following happens:

• The place where the biggest MMOs were created
• Where online gamers are treated like freaking rock stars
• The government has a separate budget for online gaming
• The fastest Internet connection on the planet

And now add the following:

• The place where kids can't play MMOs after midnight

Yep, you heard that right, Korea just announced two policies that will help parents wean their kids off MMO bit by bit.

According to the ministry, underaged users will be forced out of gaming sessions when online access automatically shuts down as soon as the clock strikes midnight.

The policy also includes a "slowdown" system in which internet connection speeds will be stifled dramatically if underaged users are logged on for a lengthy period of time.

As a father, I think this is a great idea if implemented well. However, like all ideas, it has its Pros and Cons.

Pros:

• Online MMO population will go down past midnight, resulting to better latency and world chat (I hope)
• Kids would be able to sleep longer hours and be able to study better
• Adult players will be able to find more mature parties

Cons:

• Some kids may find a way to forge their identities as adults, and if caught will be banned from games and probably have some discussion with the police.
• Kid's characters will have a harder time in levelling up their characters.
• A chance that in order to level up fast before the midnight ban, may use hacks, powerlevelling services, and exploit bugs to get ahead in the game.

In the end, it's up to the parents to ensure that the kids cooperate with the ban.

Source

Korea: Game geek Nirvana

Korea is a place where most gamer geeks like me would want to be reincarnated in when we die.

"The government will invest W350 billion in the computer game industry until 2012 and expand exports to W5 trillion a year."

Ugh....I'm dying now.....Aion save mehh........

Source

Will This Enable Voice Chat in Lineage 2 SEA?

In the old forums, I remember someone asking for a survey whether they wanted to have voice chat in-game. Of course, a lot of people agreed to it and even suggested Ventrillo or Teamspeak. However, nothing came of it and it died a natural death.

Now with news on the partnering of NCSoft and Vivox (one of the world's best providers of voice chat for online games like World of Warcraft, and Second Life), looks like that reality may come in the near future.

Through this partnership, the NCsoft player community will enjoy market-leading voice chat from Vivox. Players will have the ability to communicate with scalable, full featured voice within and across NCsoft games via an NCsoft branded game communication portal. Vivox will also deliver advanced features such as voice fonts, voice mail and in-and-out of game communication via regular phones and text messages.

However, the question will be, is that, will this be implemented in Lineage 2 SEA or will it be included in future NCSoft games like Aion? I'm hoping that it will come here soon, but most likely, they'll try it out at the NA and Korea servers first. It'll be up to AMDG and iPlayAsia to push the envelope and request that we be included as soon as possible.
Technorati Tags: Lineage 2 SEA, Lineage 2, Vivox, Ventrillo, Teamspeak, Aion, AMDG, iPlayAsia

Aika Roars into October with Two Events

Aika roars into October with two in-game events that will require players to run around the map and probably get into a scuffle or two. Check them out below.

Troubled kid kills mother over a game

In-game: when you kill others, they respawn.
In-real life: when you kill others they don't get up.

The boy, from Busan in Korea's south-east, got into an argument on Monday night with his mother when she "scolded" him for playing video games.

As tensions escalated, the boy strangled his mother to death before hanging himself.

Although the news above emphasized that the killer was a gamer, it doesn't mean that all gamers are violent. All this shows was that the kid needed help; too bad he didn't get it soon enough and both he and the mother perished because of it.

via Kotaku

New Level Up Ph Games! K.O.S. Secret Operations and Neosteam

Level Up Philippines have finally got their own First Person shooter (FPS) in the guise of  K.O.S. Secret Operations and a new MMORPG Neosteam. This was revealed today during Level Up Live 2009.

Gracia Update: Kamaloka

Since we're still waiting for AMDG to give us the Gracia update, we'll have to content ourselves in the meantime with what others in NA and Korea are going through now.

It's a treat then that Lineage 2 Fansite has a vid of Kamaloka, the new instanced hunting ground. Guys from Lineage 2 SEA, see the future here, now!

Gracia - nová hunting zone - Kamaloka from Lineage2.Fansite.cz on Vimeo.

Technorati Tags: Alcarcalimo, Lineage 2 SEA, Lineage 2, AMDG

Aika Global: Two New Dungeons and Top 3 Legions Spotlight!

While some Aika Global players maybe just trying the game out, here's more incentive for you to go hardcore on it:

Seoul, Korea - (October 12, 2010) — For players who have reached the level cap but are still hungry for more quests and excitement, this is for you. Thrill seekers will without a doubt be on their edge as AIKA Global opens the doors to these extreme locations. T3 Entertainment and Hanbitsoft Inc. together with Redbana Philippines continue to add special events in the world of AIKA not to mention this October’s new in-game events, “Dungeon Raiders” and “Happy Halpereen!”

Looking towards Gracia 2 and 3

After the success of Lineage 2 Gracia part 1, it's time to look forward to Garcia Part 2 and Final Gracia. I've been scouring the interwebz and so far, I was able to get information from reliable sources about the upcoming updates. Just a simple warning though, since this all still in CBT stages there will be changes once this hits the NA PTS or SEA servers(Cadmus by then?) so consider this post a hypothetical one.

Anyway, here we go!

Note: this post will be screenshot-heavy.

Gracia Part 2 Sneak Peeks

First up, the Gracia Part 2 teaser site is up!
If you have a slow connection, I suggest you view this in a shop with a high DSL rate as it really slowed my computer down LOLZ!!

Anyway, to save you time, I was able to get some screenshots off of the site.

Headgear galore

I'm really not sure why folks in NCSoft are crazy over weird headgears but, heck at least it gives us some respite and levity after castle sieges, eh?

Cat hats

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Skull Caps

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Hold your horses and servitors!

Finally! We get to see these horses in game! Almost all fantasy MMORPGs have horses and Lineage 2 have finally decided to make one.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Okay, I know there are a lot of girl gamers out there that want to spruce up their L2 lives. Well, here it is a cutie pet for you gals.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

For those who want their pets to be more than just ornaments, here's a treat for you. New pets in Lineage 2 will have skills! From what I've read they will have their own type as well, like a Tanker/Nuker/Buffer/Healer/Damage dealer type of class as well. Figure out which is which...

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

New Dungeon

There's supposed to be a new dungeon, I'm not sure what the name is or if this will be one of those instance dungeons. Anyway, if you guys have any info on this, please comment, the community awaits!

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Mini-game

As if the Monster Race Track and the almost non-existent lottery is not enough, NCSoft has decided to add another mini-game. It looks like bingo to me. What I'm wondering is whether this will give adena or "level up" a player.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Vitality Buffs!

For those who want to grind but are afraid of losing Vitality Points (VP) then wait for Gracia Part 2 as VP buffs and pots will be included as a monster drop. I think NCSoft has heard the cries of hardcore gamers wishing for more VPs.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

New Raid boss

Jeesh, we haven't even gotten Antharas nor gone through Hellbound yet and now there's going to be a new uber powerful boss for the whole server to take down.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

For more details you can go to this site and view the Lineage 2 Gracia Part 2 Update Notes.

Gracia Part 3 Sneak Peeks

First off, this is still in development and things may or may not change. For all we know this could be a red herring from NCSoft. LOLZ!!

...Looking out the window and watching the clouds go by

Remember the log-in screen with the airship docked in the sky? Well, looks like we'll be able to rise and pilot it. Yes! You no longer need to be a Clan Leader, owning a castle, and a Wyvern to fly the skies of ether.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Other mentionables

For those who were wondering whether capes would be included in the new update. Well, the answer is a YES! Based on the painting below, looks like it's going to be the in thing in ether. Sources also state that Kamaels will have a different set due to their wing.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Gracia Part 3 will be coming this winter to Korea, so most likely we'll get it by early next year.

Source for Gracia Part 2
L2 Vault
Pirate Ninja Hideout

Source for Gracia Part 3
L2guru.com forums
Playforum

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Technorati Tags: Gracia, Lineage 2, Lineage 2 SEA