Aion

NCSoft Announces The Aion Holiday Ascension Pack!

DoranM — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:09:57 GMT

NCsoft has sent us a recent update regarding some of the holiday gift-giver gaming packages they've put together for the holiday season!

Here's more in the official announcement from NCsoft:

Aion, the biggest MMORPG of the year, is bound to appear on several wish lists this holiday season thanks to its blend of rich storylines, state of the art graphics and robust community. At a time when entertainment costs are still rising, the value of an MMORPG gift this season can't be denied. For the price of one videogame, Aion delivers hundreds of hours of entertainment to players who will work side-by-side with thousands of others in a quest to save Atreia - a world that has literally sundered in half from centuries of brutal conflict.

In celebration of the game's success this year, NCsoft is rewarding those who purchase Aion this holiday season from participating retailers with the Aion Holiday Ascension Pack - a variety of exclusive in-game character enhancements that are perfect holiday gifts for players of all ages.

The Aion Holiday Ascension Pack, available at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Wal-Mart includes these exclusive in-game characters items:

Special Dyes for customizing your character's appearance
- Amazon - Hot Orange Dye
- Best Buy - Mustard Dye
- Game Stop - True Black Dye
- Target - True Red Dye
- Wal-Mart - True White Dye
Lesser Life Potions (20)
Lodas's Amulet (15)
Lesser Running Scroll (15)

AionSource.com Interviews Lani Blazier!

DoranM — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:39:26 GMT

AionSource.com was recently given the opportunity to send in questions related to the announced 1.5.1 patch for Aion and our good friend Lani Blazier (aka Liv) was kind enough to answer them for us.

Be aware that this interview only covered questions about the first part of the 1.5.1 patch notes. We are expecting NCsoft to reveal details about the rest of the patch notes very soon and if more questions arise, we will see if we are able to shed some light on those as well.

Here's a look at the first few questions:

1) We've been told that 24/7 customer support is on the way and the new filter has really cut down spam in chat channels, but we are still seeing goldsellers sitting for days and days in personal shops in major cities (where they cannot be autoreported) with nothing being done to them. Can you elaborate if/when we will see in-game GMs on all servers taking care of these advertisements and, hopefully, bots as well?

Our CS team is always hard at work providing a lot of support to different areas of the game. Because of their increased efforts, many players have already seen the results you’re talking about from RMT spamming in chat. We are also fighting other forms of exploitation (hacks, bots, etc) and while they aren’t visible, GMs are actively fighting against bots, and gold sellers.

2) The community has been working to help NCsoft find a fix for the memory leaks and crashing during fortress raids. Have there been any advancements with this issue? Is there a fix on the way in the near future?

We have been actively communicating with the development team on fixes for this memory leak and are especially grateful to the community for the data they’ve been able to submit. The dev team is working on solutions and we hope to have something to announce soon.

For the rest of the invective checkout the AionSource Interview of Liv!

Aion Community Address Feedback At AionSource.com!

DoranM — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:25:38 GMT

A discussion has kicked off on AionSource.com about the most recent Aion community address posted yesterday! For feedback and comments from the community visit the October Community Address on AionSource.com.

Here's the official address from www.AionOnline.com:

It’s been a month now since Aion opened its doors to players in North America and Europe. In that month, the growth of the game’s community has signaled Aion’s success. We’ve received an amazing amount of feedback, both positive and negative. We’d like to reiterate that we’ve been listening. We have been working around the clock toward solutions to the problems many of you have experienced.

You’ve told us that it’s difficult to advance within certain level ranges. To address this issue, we’re planning to raise quest experience, in addition to reevaluating the experience rewards characters gain for individual kills. We understand how frustrating it can be to repetitively kill enemies. Our goal is to limit the need to mindlessly “grind.”

In this week’s Eye on Community, we answered a question that a player had about client instability. In the reply, we noted that most of the claims stem from the infamous “Crysystem.dll error.” We’ve been working with members of the community to identify the cause of the problem in order to find a permanent solution. Our development team is currently investigating, and will be testing a variety of different short- and long-term solutions. These include adding additional and improved display options to the Aion client, as well as system and memory optimizations.

We’ve heard your unhappiness about the chat spam and bots in Aion and recognize it as an annoying problem. We’ve taken measures to reduce the amount of chat spam you’ll be subjected to and have already seen substantial improvements in this area. We’ve been expanding our GM customer service staff, and we have also assembled a special team dedicated to hunting down and eliminating botting operations. It’s obvious these activities erode your gameplay experience far too much to be acceptable. They also harm us from a business standpoint due to the RMT organizations’ frequent use of stolen credit cards.

Many of you have asked us why we haven’t spent more time communicating the specifics of our plans. The unfortunate truth is that the same people spamming chat channels and setting up bots are also reading our announcements. In order to keep the enemy in the dark, we cannot be too vocal about our plans to fight back.

We want you to know, though, that we’re more dedicated than ever to eliminate chat spam and the use of bots. The good news is that you can help. If you see any suspicious player activity, report it. To quickly report these players, use the /AutoReportHunting feature by typing /AutoReportHunting while a suspicious character is targeted. It’s important to note that this system will actually begin to penalize players after they’ve been reported multiple times. The more of you that use this system—the more effective it will become.

To add more specificity to what we’re discussing here, early next week we’re going to be releasing details about a game update that will go into further detail about how we’ll be fixing some of these issues, in addition to others.

It’s been an exciting month, and the future of Aion is full of promise. Please continue to send us your feedback and never forget that patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

-The Aion Community Team

Aion Breaks Preorder Records, Biggest MMO Of 2009

Kody — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:24:06 GMT

This shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the game since its Korean release late last year, or those of you who frequent AionSource -- the leading English-speaking Aion fansite in the world -- but Aion has broken records for preorders, and now looks to be the biggest MMO release in North America and Europe of 2009.

With more than 400,000 preorders so far, the game kicks off its headstart for all of those eager players with tomorrow's server pre-selection, and then opening up the game itself on September 20th -- just 3 short days from now -- for a 2-day headstart. Are you as excited as we are for the release of this game? Check out the press release below, or head over to AionSource and AionArmory to get acquainted with the game in preparation for release!

It’s official – Aion is the biggest MMO launch of the year and is one of the must-have games this holiday season. NCsoft today revealed the latest preorder figures for its newest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Aion, which is nearing 400,000 preorders and outpacing other major MMO launches this year.

Already topping preorder sales charts, securing accolades from major media outlets, garnering event awards, including gamescom 2009’s “Best Online Game” and PAX’s “Best MMO” by Inside Gaming, and receiving rave reviews from players in the game’s beta testing, Aion has steadily built its reputation as the biggest MMO release in recent years. And unlike many Eastern MMO imports, Aion has been uniquely designed to appeal to Western audiences. Along with a completely rewritten storyline spanning more than two-million words, players will experience enhanced character customization with a host of Western styles, new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing.

As a bonus to the nearly 400,000 players who have preordered their copy of Aion, they will be treated to server Pre-Selection (beginning tomorrow September 18) and a two-day Headstart period (beginning September 20) allowing them to get a jump start on their exploration and progression prior to the official launch on September 22. Players can still participate in Aion’s Pre-Selection and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including the NCsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape – it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

File Planet Hosts Aion V1.5 Client!

DoranM — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:26:27 GMT

The Aion 1.5 Client has been placed on FilePlanet!

Just to clarify, you need to be a FilePlanet member in order to download from their servers but you do not need to be a PAID subscriber.
Here is the FULL 1.5 CLIENT on FilePlanet for those anxiously awaiting open beta or who need to upgrade their CBT clients! Aion's Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place September 6 - 13 and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion's innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements.

Aion's coming out Sept 22nd, and if you want to get a Collectors Edition you should orders soon! They're sold out at several retailers!

Learn more about Aion with our:

Guides and Analysis forums

Aion Q&A Forums

Aion Discussion Forums

Class Guides Forums

Aion Open Beta Dates and Pre-Select Headstart Program Details!

DoranM — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:36:53 GMT

AionSource.com has posted the recently announced dates for Aion's Open Beta and the Pre-Select headstart programs! Players who have preordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch.

Here's more about the Aion Open Beta Dates and Headstart Program:

Players are now one step closer to the release of the year's biggest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Aion.

Within the next four weeks, NCsoft will treat North American and European gamers to two opportunities to jump into the world of Aion and explore Atreia as Asmodian or Elyos characters ahead of its release in North America on September 22 and Europe September 25. Aion's Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place September 6 - 13 and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion's innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements. Open Beta will retain a level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians characters at 30 allowing players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together, as well as the Abyss.

Players who have preordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch. Pre-Select will take place on September 18, while Aion's Headstart will begin September 20. Players can still participate in the Aion's Pre-Select and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry's Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape - it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com.

NCsoft Announces an Exclusive Cross-Game Promotion between the Aion and Guild Wars

DoranM — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:26:19 GMT

In anticipation of the launch of this year’s biggest MMORPG release, Aion, NCsoft announced an exclusive cross promotion today giving players the ability to call upon the Aion wings emote within the Guild Wars family of games. Players can use a special emote in Guild Wars that will display their Aion wings!

Here's more information on how exactly this will work and how you can get it:

Designed as an added value and a way to say thanks to our biggest fans of the Guild Wars and Aion franchises, players that purchase an Aion Collector’s Edition or a first run Aion Steelbook Edition will be rewarded with a Guild Wars emote that displays the wings that have become synonymous with Aion.

While the Aion wings emote will stay active in a players account forever, the promotion has a limited run. In order to guarantee a Guild Wars Aion wings emote code, players are encouraged to pre-order Aion at several participating retailers, including GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics and EB Games.

For more information on the Guild Wars Aion Wings promotion, please visit www.guildwars.com/aion.

Recent Aion Press Release and New Wallpapers!

DoranM — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:21:43 GMT

AionSource.com has picked up new wallpapers for Aion and a recent press release detailing the number of hours logged for NA and EU players so far, information about Aion at GamesCom and PAX, and the limited availability as Aion continues to sell extremely well!

Here's a look at the official press release:

The wait is almost over for the year's biggest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Aion.

Today, NCsoft, the world's premier publisher and developer of MMOs, confirmed that Aion has been released to manufacturing. Aion is the highly anticipated game that has already taken Asia by storm and has quickly become one of the world?s largest MMO franchises ahead of its release in North America on September 22nd.

In advance of the game's launch, Aion will be showcased at both GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany, as well as the Penny Arcade Expo 2009 in Seattle, Washington. Both events will feature exclusive hands-on access to the 1.5 version of the game, which has yet to be unveiled to Western audiences. This version of the game introduces numerous enhancements, including continued improvements to Aion's innovative character customization that will now include a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements.

Aion has already built major momentum among gamers across Europe and North America, with more than three million hours of gameplay logged in the game's closed best testing alone. Additionally, the Limited Collector's Edition version of the game is nearly sold out in retailers, and Aion is currently on the best-seller lists for PC games weeks ahead of the game's launch. Aion is available for pre-order from several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry's Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape - it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com.

Here's a look at the new wallpapers which can also be found at AionSource.com:

NCSoft Profits Increase 450 Percent In Q2!

DoranM — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:04:31 GMT

NCSoft's second quarter profits have increased over 450% after the successful launch of Aion and the continued strength of Lineage II. The release of Aion last November in Korea and July in Japan and Taiwan brought in nearly 40 Billion Korean Won (About $37 Million).

The company has had such strong performances the first few quarters they've raised their outlook for the year to around $470 million in sales and around $150 million in operating profits.

Aion is due to release late September in North America and is expected one of the best MMORPG releases of 2009.

Here's the original story from IndustryGamers.com about NCSoft's Q2 Profits Jump 451%:

NCsoft just lost two key people in the West, but its business overall is going strong. Today the Korean MMO publisher announced its second-quarter and first-half earnings, noting that net income was up a whopping 451% in Q2, totaling 33.75 billion Korean won (US$27.3 million). Sales were up 70% to 137.77 billion Korean won. Operating profit was also way up, climbing 353% to 47.5 billion won

Aion, which launched last November in Korea and this July in Japan and Taiwan, brought in 40.6 billion Korean won. Lineage II wasn't far behind, generating 37.36 billion Korean won, followed by the first Lineage at 27.48 billion Korean won. City of Heroes, City of Villains, Guild Wars and others made up the remaining sales.

Thanks to the company's strong performances in the first couple quarters, NCsoft also raised its outlook for the full year to 586 billion Korean won ($470 million) in sales and 180 billion won ($144 million) in operating profit.

Aion Enters Final Closed Beta Test Weekend!

DoranM — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:28:05 GMT

After five successful closed beta events, Aion is announcing the sixth and final closed beta that will take place this weekend. The final beta will begin Friday, August 14th at noon PDT, and go through Monday August 17th.

The final closed beta test will conclude with several story driven in-game events which will also give players an insight into upcoming content changes when the game is released. The events will highlight the transition between the world of Atreia from patch 1.0 to 1.5. The level cap will remain at 30 to keep players within the same level range and playing together.

More details we be posted when Aion enters open beta, and AionSource.com will post the information as soon as it's available!

Here's the official announcement about the final Aion closed beta test dates:

Following five successful and productive beta events, we now have in front of us the pinnacle of closed beta mountain. We now cast our eyes toward the promising horizon, revealing the approaching open beta and the much-anticipated release of Aion.

This upcoming sixth and final closed beta event marks the end of an era. As such, we have decided to make the most out of it. We will not be raising the level limit from that of the previous event. The maximum level will be level 30 for Elyos and Asmodians alike, encouraging you to spend some time to catch up with your friends or explore the vast lands of Atreia.

We want to conclude closed beta testing on a high note, so we are arranging a series of story-driven in-game events, in part hinting at some of the much-anticipated content forthcoming in with our massive release day patch. Keep that F5 key handy, since more information on these live events is headed your way later this week!

Closed beta 6 is primed to rocket onto the servers on Friday, August 14, 2009, noon PT (8 p.m. BST, 9 p.m. CEST). Our beta forums open their gates two hours earlier, and access to them will be ongoing throughout the weekend until Monday.

Keep in mind that you will need either an exclusive Aion closed beta 6 access key, a full-access key acquired through fansite program competitions, or have preordered the game in order to partake in the event. A limited number of closed beta 6 access keys will be given away by a few selected gaming web sites over the coming week, so keep those eagle eyes open if you are looking to grab one.

Look for more information on this upcoming sixth closed beta event shortly. Until then, fly safe!

The events in the game will showcase the transition the world of Atreia and the players will experience from 1.0 to 1.5. We are retaining the level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians at 30 in order to allow players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together.

Aion New Cinematic Introduction Video Posted!

DoranM — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:05:27 GMT

Aion Online has released a new cinematic intro and AionSource.com has picked it up from youtube and supplied it for us to take a peak at!

Here's the video and announcement from AionSource.com:

Few things make your heart beat with anticipation and excitement than a good CGI trailer for a game. Aion is certainly holding true with theirs. This video is amazing. Thanks to strayfe for posting this and Killer 842 for the heads up

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Discuss this video and find out more about Aion at AionSource.com!

Aion Releases Asmodian and Elyos Prologue Videos

DoranM — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:53:41 GMT

Aion has recently supplied us with two new Prologues for the game; one for the Elyos and one for the Asmodians. Aion will be releasing in September and has currently been running beta tests during the weekends. To find out more about scheduled beta tests, beta key giveaways, and other information for Aion visit our fansite AionSource.com.

Here's a look at the Elyos and Asmodian Prologues:

Elyos Prologue
(Please visit the site to view this media)

Asmodian Prologue
(Please visit the site to view this media)

Aion Korea Releases Several New Wallpapers!

DoranM — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:55:04 GMT

AionSource.com has tracked down several new screenshots from the Aion Korean website! On the original post at AionSource, Aion Wallpapers, you can comment on your favorites and easily navigate between them.

Here's a look at the new post and the amazing new wallpapers from Aion:

New Wallpapers from the Korean Site

Nothing majorly exciting in this news tidbit, but for those who were looking for a shiny new wallpaper for your desktop, the Official Aion Site for Korea delivers!

These were previously released but worth a look if you haven't seen them:

All these wallpapers are 1920x1200. You can also find clean versions in various resolutions here. Enjoy. :)

New LG Monitor Ad Excites Aion Fans!

DoranM — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:43:29 GMT

Fans are wondering if Aion might have started their massive North American Ad campaign this week as Aion popped up on a recent LG monitor advertisment! The LG monitor itself is a beautiful mix of features and quality, and Aion looks amazing on it. Head over to the original article on AionSource.com to see what fans have to say about the Aion LG ad.

Here's a look at the Aion LG Advertisement:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Aion Character Creator Challenge: Create a Celebrity!

DoranM — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:06:14 GMT

Aion online is having another successful closed beta test weekend and has asked participants to use the powerful Aion character creator to create a likeness of your favorite celebrity! If the creation is good enough your work will be distributed to popular partner websites for all to see! We look forward to seeing some of the pictures on the Curse Aion Fansite: AionSource.com!

Here's the official create a celebrity look-alike post from Aion:

Have you ever picked up a celebrity magazine in a shop, browsed through it and then placed it back onto the shelf afraid of being seen with it? Do you have to restrain yourself from swapping your newspaper with the tabloid that's lying on the seat in the bus next to you? Is the sport or entertainment section the first one you read?

Even if you can honestly deny all of the questions above you will still enjoy the latest feature we've secured for Aion. The ones of you lucky enough to have access to our upcoming CB4 (starting Friday, July 17) now have a tremendous opportunity to create a famous celebrity with Aion's powerful character creator and even get due credit for it, if it's particularly well done. All you need to do is to send us a screenshot of your creation (details further down). We will then pass the best contributions received along to a very popular video games partner web site where they'll get presented to a broader audience in a special feature.

Have you ever picked up a celebrity magazine in a shop, browsed through it and then placed it back onto the shelf afraid of being seen with it? Do you have to restrain yourself from swapping your newspaper with the tabloid that's lying on the seat in the bus next to you? Is the sport or entertainment section the first one you read?

While we can't tell you yet which website this is, we can hint the fact that they're very familiar with stars and will know how to present your character in the best light possible. Here is what you have to do if you want in:

Find a picture (headshot) of a celebrity of your choice on the web.
Create the celebrity with Aion's character creator - but don't hit the 'Create' button yet.
Zoom in to the head of the character and take a screenshot with the 'Print screen' button on your keyboard.
Paste the screenshot into a picture editing application of your choice (e.g. MS Paint).
Save the picture as a .jpg - keep the resolution at 1280*720 pixels or higher.
Send us your picture together with the picture of the real celebrity in an email with the subject line 'Celebrity feature: [celebrity's name]' to ayase@ncsoft.com.
Last entry date is Tuesday 21st of July (noon PDT, 8 PM BST, 9 PM CEST).

Once this feature hits the partner website in question, we'll be quick to inform you here on the official Aion website (www.aiononline.com). You can then scream loudly, shout wildly and collapse in star-struck tears when viewing the virtual walk of fame created by yourself and your fellow Aion comrades.