Recent Headlines
FFXIV Benchmark Application Slips Out
Prior to the release of FFXI, Square Enix's first move in to the MMO space, they released a benchmark application that let you know how your system would run the game as well as showing off a bit of the technology behind the game.
Now it appears Nvidia is hosting a similar benchmark program for the game, likely intended for release some time during E3. Some intrepid FFXIV fanatics managed to find the program ahead of time however and we are happy to say we've tracked down the URL.
Check it out here.
E32010: Battlefield Bad Company 2 Expansion: Vietnam
The Battlefield franchise will revisit the familiar jungles of Vietnam this coming winter as EA today announced that the first expansion for Battlefield Bad Company 2 (which many of us have been enjoying immensely) will be set there.
Not much in the way of details yet but stay tuned...
E32010: SW:TOR Playerships and PVP Battlegrounds
The details are thin at this point but when Mary Bihr and Dr. Greg Zeschuk took the stage for Bioware at today's EA E3 presentation they announced that SW:TOR will feature both Playerships (which will act as housing and travel tools) as well as PvP Battlefields.
More details I am sure to come...
E32010: New SW:TOR Trailer
E3 brought a new a trailer for Star Wars the Old Republic from Bioware. The trailer is cinematic (that is to say it is CGI rendered not gameplay footage) but is a rather compelling piece of business and if this is indicative of the level of story telling we can look forward to I think we are in for a treat...
Here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure:
EQ Server Merges - June 22 through July 6
Between June 22nd and July 6th, SOE will begin merging the aging EverQuest servers in order to maintain reasonable player levels across it's worlds. The servers scheduled to merge are:
Stromm and Luclin
Drinal and Maelin Starpyre
Xegony and Druzzil Ro
The Tribunal and Bristlebane
Fennin Ro and Cazic Thule
Saryrn and Bertoxxulous
The Seventh Hammer and Tunare
Prexus and The Rathe
Quellious and Povar
Erollisi Marr and The Nameless
As part of the merge players will be offered free server transfers after your characters have been moved to their new home, allowing you to decide where they will finally end up. Likewise, SOE will be offering customer service items from the in-game Marketplace at a reduced cost, including Character Transfers for 1000 SC, character name change potions for 500 SC, gender change potions for 500 SC, character name and gender change potions for 700 SC and race change potions for 1500 SC.
It should be noted that characters below level 10 that haven't been logged into for 6 months or longer will be deleted (whelp, there goes all of mine!) and if you have more than 8 characters on post-merged server you will have to delete or move some of them to access the additional ones.
Shared banks should also be emptied out prior to the move to ensure you don't lose your loot.
SOE is also calling out for player input on the name of a new EQ server being launched in the months ahead. You can submit your ideas at [url]http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/[/url]
Big changes for the legendary MMO, but I think most will agree more players per server is always a good thing.