Tuesday, August 22nd, players of the hit MMORPG title EVE Online can expect quite a bit of server downtime and quite some technical changes as CCP deploys their updated code base, “Dragon” in anticipation of the upcoming Kali expansion. The patch will include numerous enhancements to security and encryption, as well as small improvements and optimizations, one of which includes the multiple-language framework, as localized version of EVE are beginning to be released. The trade off to these enhancements will be the dropping of OS support for Microsoft’s Windows 98 and ME operating systems, as Microsoft itself begins dropping extended support for the same out-dated systems. This basically means that after Tuesday, the minimum OS requirement in order to play EVE Online will be Windows 2000 SP2 (sorry SP1 fans) due to the encryption changes being implemented during the patch. Now where’s that OS X version CCP!?

CCP’s announcement after the jump:

On Tuesday, 22 August, we will deploy our latest code base, “Dragon”, to Tranquility. This codebase includes numerous improvements, optimizations, the multiple language framework, enhanced security and encryption.

As with any major update to older code, there are going to be some growing pains associated with it. Since this is the first big step in preparation for the Path to Kali, there are more growing pains with this update than there have been in the past. In this patch, we are going to be removing some obsolete code.

Due to the changes this update is going to bring to the server and client code, we are going to need more testing effort than before. If you have the opportunity, please take some time to log in to Singularity to assist the QA team with bug hunting. The more community support we have for testing, the fewer bugs the code will have upon deployment.

The “old” agent mission system will be disabled in lieu of the replacement missions in the new system deployed in the last patch. This is the reason some missions have two different types of encounters and this was done in an effort to ease the transition. New missions will be deployed in upcoming patches following the deployment of Dragon.

Microsoft has ended their extended support of Windows 98, Windows 98SE and Windows ME, which means we must follow their lead and cannot continue to support these OSes ourselves. Additionally, our new security and encryption require at least Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or Windows XP to work.

Patch deployment should take about 9 hours, from 08:00 to 17:00 GMT.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Read more: EVE Online | 14-day Free EVE Online trial

In a very interesting move, Linden Labs are starting a service-wide shutdown of their external user-forums, in order to transition communication and sharing of information in-world, through the use of in-world blogs, forums, and new communication channels being developed. Forums were already set to members-only, however, Linden Labs admitted that significant resources go into the maintenance of external forums and rightfully state that those resources should focus on the Second Life world, rather than external gossip and drama. The closures will occur over the coming months, so forum junkies won’t all be cut-off from their stuff at once.

Read more: Linden Labs starting shutdown of Second Life forums

As if anyone cares after I just posted a story about World of Warcraft, Acclaim has announced a new MMORPG titled 2Moons and directed by video game legend, Dave Perry (Shiny Entertainment). 2Moons is reported to be a brutal massive multiplayer for the 18+ market, bearing the tagline “No mercy for the weak, no pity for the dying, no tears for the slain”. Ewwwwwww, chilling! Based upon Dekaron, one of the most popular MMOs in Korea, the game features brutal PvP with narrative which highlights the player’s quest to reach a level 100+ warrior and an arcarde style fighting system, letting a player dive right in and go hand to hand with enemies. The most exciting information for the release is that the game will be free to play, though I’m not quite sure if it will be ad-supported, as I’d imagine a brutal fantasy M-rated massive multiplayer with ads for Coke might feel a bit odd for a player, no?

Read more: 2Moons homepage | 2Moons press release | Dave Perry @ MobyGames

“Breaking news” everyone, there are people addicted to World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs. Shocking, I know. Those of you with subscriptions to an MMORPG (especially you WoW players) could be suffereing from computer game addiction and not even be aware of it (although, most of the addicts I know happily admit to it). Orzack is a clinical pyschologist and also happens to run one of the few outpatient clinics in the US that provides specific treatment for video game addiction. Believing that over 40% of World of Warcraft players are addicted, Orzack goes on to say that there is little difference between drug use, excessive gambling and gaming addiction.

Read more: Interview with Dr. Maressa Orzack (Via Joystiq)

The long-awaited and somewhat troubled MMORPG set in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth appears to finally be close to completion. Announced back in 1998 by Sierra, the game has had a troubled development history before Turbine signed-on to continue development, and eventually buying the publishing rights from Vivendi (the will co-publish this title actually). As of June 2006, Turbine has been accepting applications for their alpha testing phase, which has recently begun. The game will be based in the Lord of the Rings universe, which takes references from Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King and The hobbit, but unfortunately nothing from The Silmarillion. Gameplay is primarily PvE, with few details on the PvP features being announced. Will this be the WoW killer everyone has been waiting for? I have my doubts, but as is usual with the industry, there’s a surprise around every corner.

Watch the gameplay footage after the jump…

Read more: Lord of the Rings Online (Via Joystiq)

Arenanet, the ex-Blizzard developers who went on to create Guild Wars, arguably one of the few successful games NCsoft publishes, has announced the next game in the series, named Nightfall. Little information on what the game will actually feature is present, but Arenanet and NCsoft are planning an upcoming PvP event for current players to get a taste of the current beta-level features of the game July 28 — 30, 2006. From the few screenshots released from Nightfall, really only a few character renderings, nothing much seems to have changed, but I’ll be interested to see where Arenanet plans on taking the Guild Wars world.

[Guild Wars Nightfall press release]

NCsoft has announced an odd promotional event this weekend for both CoH and CoV players. This weekend (July 21-23) players of both titles will earn double the usual experience points for all acts that involve XP gains. This is giving players the opportunity to quickly level up their characters in order to reach the many new features for higher-level players recently introduced in the “Destiny Manifest” expansions. As dear as I hold CoH and CoV to my heart, NCsoft is having some major problems keeping players interested in the game as it ages and moves forward in it’s story lines. With some of the most recent news out of NCsoft, I hope they can pull things back together, I guess we’ll have to wait and see how Tabula Rasa performs (though I’m not holding my breath).

[Coh / CoV double XP weekend event] (via MMORPG.com)

Iceland-based MMORPG creator CCP has launched a new feature for members of Eve-Online, called, EVE TV, a scheduled video-cast featuring live coverage of in-game events, mixed with commentary and analysis from PVP experts. Broadcasts are all live, straight from CCP headquarters to your Windows Media Player and also feature exclusive interviews with Dev and GM teams, for a behind-the-scenes look into one of the largest and most visually stunning massive multiplayers out there. Coverage is between 1500 and 2100 GMT, June 14th, 15th and 16th wtih another set of shows happening on July 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.

[Eve TV | Eve-Online]

NCsoft has announced that all Auto Assault players, including EU players, will soon be merged onto one mega-server, known as Nexus and located within North America. According to NCsoft, this move is according to player’s wishes of having all players united on one major server in order to raise server population and give users a more diverse and satisfying game experience. The move will be occurring Thursday, July 13th and appears to indicate that the struggling MMORPG’s numbers are in fact disappointingly low and despite a huge marketing push, failed to really pull in a large enough userbase to justify multiple servers. This doesn’t bode well I’m afraid, both for NCsoft nor NetDevil, the Colorado-based developer behind Auto Assault. I personally am hoping that NCsoft implements their one-price, play-all strategy, which NCsoft reps have mentioned in several interviews over the past year. Lineage II, City of Heroes/Villains, Guild Wars and Auto Assault for one low monthly price, yes please.

[The Nexus is Coming: July 13, 2006]

CCP, the makers of online MMORPG Eve-Online, have opened their pre-order site for their upcoming collectable card game, Eve: The Second Genesis. Pre-orders are estimated to ship towards the end of July, meaning those placing their orders now will receive their card sets a full 8 weeks before they are released publically. The storyline of the game takes place in the current Eve timeline, with the player taking the role of the CEO of a new and aspiring corporation, struggling for market domination. A complete rulebook is also available in .PDF form directly from the site, for early-adopters to get into the mood as early as possible.

When the game begins, you control a single starbase, a steady income, and access to a market from which you
can buy anything in supply. The “ace up your sleeve” is the secret knowledge of valuable outer regions which can yield the fortune required to build up your corporate empire and defeat the opposition. Your greatest weapon is absolute control over your employees and other corporation assets. Plan the progress of your corporation well by constructing your deck of cards carefully. Rest assured that your opponents – the CEOs of rival corporations – have their strategy planned. In EVE, business is war, and the only thing that matters is winning.

[Eve: Second Genesis | Eve-Online]