On July 14, Aion will merge over 30 servers from North America and Europe into a streamlined 13 servers. This week the community team released some details about the merger and its effect on the players’ mailboxes.

Essentially, affected Aion players have nothing to fear! The final word is that mail and Account Warehouse items will not be lost at any stage of the merger. Mail and attachments will be transferred over to the new combined server, as will Account Warehouses.

The Aion community team does recommend that concerned players read their mail and store any attached items before the merger for maximum protection from item loss.

Aion launched in Europe and North America in late 2009.

Aion 1.9 Patch is now live! After much anticipation and a lot of maintenance,  Aion’s 1.9 Patch has been released and is now operational for North American and European servers. Due to the massive amount of players that are streaming in to play Aion with its latest updates, the team at Aion expects the servers to be somewhat slow which was a common problem at the games launch and with subsequent updates.

The team at Aiononline.com have provided a PowerWiki entry to help players familiarize themselves with the new patch.

The official news release about the update mentions, “We’ve determined that clicking the ‘Force Launch’ button may cause your update progress to be lost. It can in some cases be the reason for your client update starting over from the beginning.” With an 8.5 GB download to get through, make sure to be careful and heed their warning. The team asks that you please be patient with downloading the patch and logging in.

Added to this, Aiononline.com has whipped up a funny trailer for the game called Goin’ Legit. The trailer has a few good laughs and deals with mobsters shaking down a goofy-faced kid to help with their power-leveling racket.

For the official announcement from Aiononline.com about their 1.9 Patch going live, click here.

Internet security company Symantec revealed this week that it had discovered a server containing the “credentials” – username, password and other information – of 44 million stolen game accounts. The credentials themselves were gathered by some sort of traditional malware botnet, but the new and terrifying twist on the story is that they were being validated by a distributed network of computers infected by a Trojan virus. What this means is that unsuspecting internet users were helping the hackers validate the account details of these 44 million accounts with their own computers, due to the presence of a Trojan in their system.

The theft appears to be targeted mainly at Chinese gaming company Wayi Entertainment, but around 2 million of the accounts were registered with PlayNC, a service that includes Lineage 2, City of Heroes and Guild Wars, among others. Around quarter of a million were also spread between Aion and World of Warcraft.

As always, make sure you keep antivirus protection and general internet security in mind on any computer that is online.

Those of you who can’t wait to get a jump on Aion’s 1.9 Patch are in luck. In a notice posted on their official website, the Aion team leaked some interesting info concerning the latest patch set for release on Wednesday, June 2, saying:

“You can already prepare for this by pre-loading the patch and have it ready for installation on launch day. Your NCSoft Launcher will now begin to incrementally download the update over the next couple of days leading up to launch.”

For a preview of the Aion 1.9 patch, you can log into the Aion Public Test Server.

Picking up an MMO is a life-changing event no matter what way you look at it. Not only will it become an integral part of your daily life depending on your level of dedication, it opens up a whole new world that’s just a username and password away.

An MMO can be so many things to a user but above all it serves as a catalyst to help feed any lingering social needs. It diminishes the requirement to approach a person face-to-face in order to find a common ground or spark a conversation. When logging on to a server you automatically have one thing in common with everyone: the game. Generally, in meeting a person outside of a game you can’t help but develop initial opinions based on visuals. But in an MMO, personality automatically becomes the deal breaker. You can log in to an MMO without heeding to real-life standards such as clothes, good self hygiene, and still be accepted. Race, class, ethnicity, and religion all become secondary aspects to a user. All walks of life delve into MMO’s from all over the world without feeling alienated based on any given set of social mores. 

Like any major decision, there are definite benefits and downfalls to developing an in-game relationship. Taking the next step can either do a world of good or create a bevy of problems depending on the circumstances.

The Benefits of an MMO Inspired Relationship

One of the large scale benefits of joining an MMO community is the social transformations that can take place. An introverted personality can pick-up on social skills that extroverted players display in order to develop their own skill set that can be exercised in and outside of the game. Not only can it help you develop personal skills, it can be the catalyst for meeting that special someone. This doesn’t mean that you should go into an MMO expecting to find your soul mate, but there is always the possibility of hitting it off with a person you commonly play with whether it be a friendship or something more. Developing in-game relationships can transcend the fantasy realm and become a long-lasting tie.

Not only do MMO’s warrant the blossoming of in-game relationships, they help build upon pre-existing relationships. The leader of my guild, Brad, is a perfect example. He went to high school with his wife, Angie, but never really talked to her until after they both graduated. They added each other on MySpace as friends and she messaged him because he had World of Warcraft content on his profile. All of Angie’s Everquest friends had quit for WoW but she hadn’t yet decided if she wanted to play. Brad suggested she try it. It was the final push she needed to join the community and so she bought it. Angie needed all the patches and at the time dial-up was the only thing available so Brad offered to burn the patches to a CD for her. She met him at his work to pick it up and they ended up hitting it off. After that, they began playing WoW together on a constant basis. It gave them something to do with each other even if they couldn’t meet up face-to-face. They believe it helped to bring them closer together because they were in essence able to spend more time with each other whether it be a date online or off. Years later they married and still continue playing MMO’s together to strengthen their relationship.

The Downsides of an MMO Inspired Relationship

In joining a game server you instantly have access to thousands of people’s opinions. Although playing an MMO can help an introverted personality expand, it can also boost pre-existing frustrations. Many people sign up to an MMO only to find that they are unable to connect with other players. This can further feelings of social alienation you may already feel out of game and deepen a depression. Since you are exposed to what thousands of people think, you will soon find that not everyone has a strong moral compass. There are no repercussions to what people say or do in a game because behavior isn’t regulated. You are exposed to racism, prejudice, and sexism. The negativity felt in-game from one persons dialogue can boost any issues you may already be dealing with. Above all, it’s easy to be taken advantage of whether you are emotionally stable or not which can then lead to rash, life-changing decisions. For example, there have been multiple reports of players committing suicide because of failed in-game relationships.  

An MMO ripens your possibility of creating a long-lasting relationship but these relationships aren’t always necessarily healthy. I had a friend dating someone exclusively in-game. He was on cloud nine until things began to fall through the cracks. Towards the end of the relationship he developed control issues and a deep jealously for all other players she played with. After they broke it off, he went on to become severely depressed not eating or sleeping from that point on. Even if an in-game relationship you develop is strong, it can condone the neglecting of more pressing personal issues such as waning self-health and failing friendships. When you are attached to someone in-game it encourages you to play the game more and let everything else fall to the wayside.

As previously discussed, playing an MMO with a loved one can create a whole new level of connection but it can also form an insurmountable barrier based on game etiquette. A prime example is a real-life friend of mine had their partner begin an in-game relationship that escalated to flirting, endless hours of voice chatting, and hiding conversations. They then discovered the in-game relationship which lead to serious trust issues. Since the betrayal was in game, the cheating party didn’t realize the severity of the issue. Meanwhile, my friend questions their motives from therein and can no longer look at their partner in the same light.

Overall, MMO inspired relationships have their ups and downs just like any other tie. All it takes is good judgment and to realize that as much time as you spend on an MMO it is still just a game and you can’t let it consume your life.

Disclaimer: This article is filled with merely observations and does not serve as any final judgment.

In a recent press conference, NCSoft announced their Aion future plans – Aion 1.9 will hit live servers in March and Aion 2.0 will be available in May. In order to help players find groups or party members, a new “Looking for Group” feature will be added. The UI will also receive and overhaul, so now the skill bar can be moved anywhere on the screen. New skills will be added, as well as new stats – healing increase stat, magic critical hit defense stat, physical critical hit defense stat, etc.

To help players level up faster, “Energy of Salvation” will be added, as well as new daily quests, allowing players to undertake new quests every day, and new medals will be available as quest rewards. A two-handed weapon combining system will be implemented, and max socketing for items will be raised to 15+. A new name boutique will also be available, where players can purchase name brands.

It’s expected that three changes will take place after the patch 1.9 is implemented:

Firstly, it will be easier for players to level up. The existing Energy of Repose can boost players’ EXP gain in monster grinding. Through the added Energy of Salvation, players will obtain more bonus EXP. Furthermore, the cost of soul healing will be greatly decreased and more soul healing places will be added in different areas.

Secondly, the battle system in Aion will be changed. Currently, players will fall to the ground for one to two seconds if they are attacked by monsters and fall into stunned state. But in the future version, two skills that can be used to remove the debuff state will be added for each class at lvl 40 and lvl 48 respectively.

Thirdly, the updates will facilitate players’ operations. In Aion 1.9, if players press on a wrong key and thus sell any item mistakenly, they can use the buy-back function to buy their sold items back. Moreover, the movable quickbar will make players’ operations easier.

A secret link of “Aion Community Team” was found at the end page of Eye on Community 02.26.2010 which revealed(intentionally or not) some details on the upcoming Aion Patch 1.9. The information also notes that a larger update will release in late 2010. Ever since the info leaked, players have been speculating about whether this is the grand Aion 2.0 update or not. There have also been speculations about the level cap raising in version 2.0.

During this meeting hosted by the development team, we’ll finalize the plans for the upcoming Aion update. In addition, we’ll be discussing the larger update of late 2010 that follows the v1.9 content update. Communnity Managers have been invited and their attendance is mandatory. As usual, the information we discuss is confidential and should not be disclosed outside the company. This is especially important to all Community Managers that have been recently requesting the immediate release of information. We will be discussing new content for the entire player base, but this meeting will also address some of the upcoming content that will affect our higher level players. Some of those topics will include:

-Daily Quests for level 50 and below
-New abilities
-Stun attack defense system
-Two-handed weapon transformation
-Dark Poeta drop rate increases.

We’ll be serving light lunch featuring the usual Tutty ‘n’ Beans.
Please discuss any vegetarian needs with the office manager. Please do not come wearing one of the transformed shapes from the Solarius items–we want attendees to be able to readily recognize each other. Review the attached PowerPoint slides and come prepared with your company-issues Shugo personal assistant and translator.

NCSoft has announced Aion Magazine, the brand new digital magazine to their latest MMORPG, Aion. Each issue will contain an exclusive in-game item and will cost you 3,99$, although there will be discounts for when buying either 6(10% off) or a 12(20% off) issue package, either of which will also include an array of in-game items. Details:

The Official Aion Magazine offers the high-quality design and editorial of a printed magazine together with the interactive content only offered by a digital magazine. Issue 1 is a massive 100 page issue, but each issue you can look forward to…
- Over 60 pages of editorial in the digital magazine every month
- Exclusive interviews getting you behind the scenes of the game
- Guild of the Month and Players of the Month features
- Getting Started section, helping you understand your class, the game, and key areas throughout Aion
- Expert Guides to key content to help you hone your Aion skills
- Bonus unique in-game item with every issue, exclusive to magazine subscribers

Preorders to the first issue, which will be released on March 26th, are being taken as we speak. If you are interested in ordering one for yourself, you can do so here.

Plenty of games on the market are geared towards females, but it’s no secret that not every female wants to play Cake Mania and Imagine: Fashion Designer. Women who aren’t just into fashion, makeup, and cooking are left with few games that speak to them personally. Until recently, women and gaming have hardly been mentioned in the same sentence, let alone acknowledged. Although women obviously have a base in the gaming community, they are generally recognized as casual players, but the recently released MMO Aion has surprisingly captured the attention of many female gamers, and I count myself among them.

An MMORPG by NCsoft, Aion combines Player vs Player and Player vs Environment gameplay, expanding a fantasy environment broken into three different worlds. I’ve been playing Aion since its release in September and since then, I have discovered that I’m not the only woman playing the game. In fact, women make up a large majority of Aion’s players, but the reason for what is special about Aion that attracts such a strong female base is a little more difficult to nail down.

I’ll admit the reason I first picked up the title is purely based on aesthetics, like many other female gamers. Alynis, an in-game friend, claims that she too was “initially drawn in by Aion’s stunning visual imagery and in-depth customization.” Even Game Master Parallax admits the “intense customization aspect” attracted her but beauty can only go so far, so… what keeps us coming back? Associate Producer Lani Blazier believes Aion appeals so strongly to female gamers due to a “well thought-out and implemented game design.” Furthermore, she feels as though Aion tends to all the needs of both casual and veteran gamers. “If you love a deep, rich story, Aion has that. If you prefer PvP over PvE or you want a nice mix of both, Aion has that.”

GM Parallax is the first to attest that she plays Aion for reasons other than graphics. “I love the lore, the gameplay, and the diversity in the amount of things you can do such as questing, crafting, hunting, chatting, and running to the opposite faction’s zone for a little bit of sport.” Narrowing down one single element that sets Aion apart from its competitors, Lani Blazier believes that its “flight and all of its game implications and features” are what puts it over the top. Like most games, escapism also plays a large roll in why people play what they do. A fellow gamer, Aere, feels as though “Aion is a place to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”  I think that most people have their own getaway, whether it be exercise, watching TV, or video games. Aion works for me because it provides a challenges, friends to chat with, goals, and things to look forward to as I level up. Drawing from personal experience, I too find it as a nice vacation from the real world. Where else can you slice and dice people and have it be socially accepted?

Based on first-hand accounts we now know why women play Aion, but what defines their transition from casual to hardcore? Lani thinks the answer lies in the idea that it’s “more accessible to a casual gamer than many previous MMOs, while staying true to what veteran hardcore players love most.” Alynis is a perfect example of Lani’s theory. “Aion is actually the first MMO I’ve ever played and loved it from the first minute. The gameplay is challenging but intuitive, requiring some skill to adapt to while not alienating an MMO amateur like myself.” To further the theory, Parallax believes “it’s fair to say that we’re a bit on the hardcore side compared to a lot of MMOs. And not in the ‘you have to devote 80 hours a week to the game’ kind of way, but more in the ‘we expect you to have a basic grasp of gameplay mechanics and netiquette.” Drawing from first-hand experience, learning all the mechanics in order to be a successful MMO gamer takes a certain level of commitment. That commitment and growing drive to play as you level and meet people only attaches us more, slowly transforming the once casual gamer into a hardcore player.

All theories aside Parallax points out the fact that “the general public is coming to terms with the fact that games aren’t just for kids, and they aren’t just for boys.” As a female gamer it’s nice to see the rise in women finally blurring the boundary between casual and hardcore. Whether it be escaping from everyday life, broadening social networks, or killing monsters, everyone plays games for similar reason regardless of gender. “Most of the time, though, me being a woman online doesn’t mean anything different to the people I play with. Male or female, we’re all out to kill the boss, loot the epics, and beat the bad guys.” -Aere

Following a bit of routine maintenance on Aion’s Azphel server, a few players noticied that their characters had some extra money, or kinah as it is know in Aion.  To the sum of 30 trillion kinah!

The obvious mistake caused NCSoft to take the server down.  It ultimately forced the developer to rollback the game in an attempt to restore the economy that was devastated by the flock of overnight trillonaires.

NCSoft is still looking into the issue, and is actively watching the other servers to see if it was a localized issue.

Here’s the official line.

Earlier today we began to receive reports that a small number of players on the Azphel server had received over 30 trillion Kinah as part of a reward glitch. Since that time, we’ve brought down the Azphel server and have been working diligently to identify how to restore economic stability. We’ve made the decision to rollback the Azphel server data to 6:00am CST this morning and will continue to monitor all servers for related anomalies.

It’s important to understand that we saw the rollback as a last option and made every effort to avoid doing so. We’re currently performing the rollback and anticipate the server will be back online at 10:00pm CST. At that point, all character progression on Azphel will be restored to its state as of this morning.

As an apology for the downtime, we’ll be rewarding everyone on the Azphel server with five Lodas Amulets later this week. It’s our goal at NCsoft to provide the best possible service to our customers. Our apologies for the downtime and as always, thank you for your continued patience.

One of the craziest MMOG stories I’ve heard since WoW’s Martin Fury scandal.  At least they didn’t get banned.