General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


New Version of Fraps Fixes Micro Stutter and Other Annoying Bugs

Posted: 28 May 2012 06:57 AM PDT

The code monkeys at Beepa have been going bananas with updates to the company's Fraps real-time video capture and benchmarking utility, having rolled out four new versions of the popular app in the past month. Prior to this recent flurry of activity, it wasn't unusual for six months or more to pass without an update, the last of which was released on October 22, 2011 before kicking off a string of updates starting on April 26, 2012.

Beepa's April 2012 update to Fraps brought the program up to version 3.5.0 and introduced support for large AVI movie files greater than 4GB on NTFS drives, along with a handful of bug fixes. It also ushered in new minimium system requirements that call for a CPU with SSE2 and dropping support for Windows 2000.

Three more updates would follow, including version 3.5.3 introduced on Sunday. Like the one before it, version 3.5.3 doesn't add any new features, but fixes a spattering of bugs, including:

  • Fixed micro-stutter in recorded video after temporary framerate drop
  • Fixed missing video frames in some games after rendering paused
  • Fixed bug causing error message on startup for some users

You can download the free version of Fraps here, or pony up $37 for the paid version here.

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ViewSonic Tips 22-inch Android Tablet with Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted: 28 May 2012 06:41 AM PDT

If the motto to live by is 'Go big or go home,' don't bother putting out a dinner plate for ViewSonic. The company has chosen to go big in the tablet market, teasing a ginormous 22-inch Android powered slate rocking what looks to be Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system, at least until Jelly Bean (Android 5.0) comes out later this year.

Our friends at Engadget got their mitts on a Computex invitation from ViewSonic, which teases the 22-inch "smart business tablet monitor" as part of its Touch and Connect series. Other than the screen size and partial shot of ICS, ViewSonic is keeping tight lipped, choosing not to reveal any other hardware specs or special features.

Still, we can ponder whether a 22-inch tablet is simply too big, or an awesome display of where technology is headed. On one hand, the trend has been towards smaller sized tablets in the 7-inch category, though part of that has been out of necessity in terms of lower costs. At the same time, a 22-inch screen size opens up new possibilities on the business side for presentations and notebook-like productivity, provided you supply a Bluetooth keyboard.

What are your thoughts on a 22-inch tablet form factor?

Image Credit: ViewSonic via Engadget

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GameStop Stocks Over 1,600 Locations with Android Tablets, Google Nods Approvingly

Posted: 28 May 2012 06:14 AM PDT

GameStop is best known for selling used games, oftentimes much to the chagrin of game publishers and developers who have had to get creative in order to cash in on aftermarket game sales. But GameStop is also trying to get in on the ground floor of the whole tablet movement, announcing that it now carries a selection of Android slates in more than 1,600 U.S. stores.

"Android tablets purchased at GameStop come loaded with valuable extras including a hand-picked selection of free games, like Sonic CD and Riptide, the Kongregate Arcade gaming app and a free issue of Game Informer Digital," GameStop points out. " As with all products sold by GameStop, these items can be purchased with trades of games, consoles and even an old iPod, iPhone or iPad."

With a million and one different Android tablets in the wild, GameStop can't possibly stock them all, though it does carry slates from Asus (Transformer, Transformer Prime, and Transformer Pad 300 Series), Acer (Iconia), Samsung (Galaxy), Toshiba (Excite), and ViewSonic (VPad7) with prices starting at $230 (Acer Iconia 7-inch).

GameStop also stocks and sells pre-owned iPad devices, starting at $285. You can view GameStop's entire collection of tablets here.

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Facebook Eyes Browser Acquisition, Wants to Throw an Opera Party

Posted: 28 May 2012 05:51 AM PDT

Fresh off Facebook's acquisition of Instagram for a whopping $1.17 billion and following a lackluster initial public offering punctuated by more fizzle than sizzle, Mark Zuckerberg and company are reportedly interested in scooping up Opera Software, the Norwegian outfit behind the semi-popular Opera browser, and the only browser maker that puts out entertaining press releases.

Word of a possible acquisition comes from Pocket-Lint.com, which is getting its information from one of its "trusted sources." This "man in the know" tells Pocket-Lint that Facebook wants its own browser, one that would allow its users to interact with the site through baked-in plug-ins and special features on the menu bar.

This would be an interesting move for Facebook, which added more than $16 billion to its treasure chest since its IPO, and it would have implications in the browser wars, where Internet Explorer is the top dog (in terms of market share), followed by Chrome and Firefox. Opera barely registers a blip on the radar, despite having a staunch following of enthusiasts. However, Opera has a major mobile presence, which is something that's obviously attractive to Facebook. All told, Opera Software says it has 200 million users spread out on all of its platforms; Facebook boasts nearly a billion members.

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MMO Updates

MMO Updates


Embers of Caerus reaches Kickstarter funding goal with 22 days to go

Posted: 28 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT

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Embers of Caerus image
Just a few days ago we reported that Forsaken Studios was launching a Kickstarter campaign for Embers of Caerus and set a goal of $25,000. After hitting 92% of its goal in only five days (including one confirmed $10,000 donation), developers released a video update thanking all supporters, large and small.

The update also offers more tidbits of information, including the addition of a jobs page to the official site for those aspiring to work on Embers of Caerus and a reward matrix that better spells out what donors will receive for their contributions. Technical Directer Dave Belcher also gives some insights into why the game supports harsher death penalties and will not consider going free-to-play.

Now that the game has officially reached its Kickstarter goal this morning, we can't wait to see what else the Forsaken Studios team will offer up in the game's development as it still has over 22 days to go for its funding! Will it reach $100k? $300k? One meeeellion dollars? We'll certainly keep our eyes on its progress.

[Thanks to everyone for the tip!]

MassivelyEmbers of Caerus reaches Kickstarter funding goal with 22 days to go originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ArcheAge market expands to Japan, hopes rise for more globalization

Posted: 28 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT

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ArcheAge image
Although the publishing agreement with GameOn for the service of ArcheAge in Japan was actually signed in 2009 (according to February 25th's press release about Simplygon), details of the company's plans for the game just recently became clear: GameOn's parent company, NeoWiz, aims to distribute and support ArcheAge using a revived social gaming platform called Pmang combined with GameOn.

It's not exactly the announcement Western ArcheAge fans want to hear most, but the news that the game will be published in Japan is definitely a step in the right direction; adding yet another country gives hope that the market will continue to expand, perhaps finally to North America and Europe. Also fanning the flames of hope is talk that NeoWiz may take the platform worldwide. We have our fingers crossed!

[Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]

MassivelyArcheAge market expands to Japan, hopes rise for more globalization originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MV Guide: May 28 - June 3, 2012

Posted: 28 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT

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TERA
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV.

Every week, the Massively Stream Team logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises each week, so you'll find a variety of titles to watch. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, or simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)

Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule, and let us know if there's a specific game you'd like to see streamed next week!

Continue reading MV Guide: May 28 - June 3, 2012

MassivelyMV Guide: May 28 - June 3, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Does instant travel trivialize MMO worlds?

    Posted: 28 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT

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    Guild Wars
    Among hardcore MMO fans, there's a theory that instant-travel is a bad thing. If you can just click a map or teleport somewhere instantly, they say, you lose your sense of place in the world along with your appreciation for the setting. Everything feels close together when you didn't have to meander there by foot, and sooner or later, you won't bother exploring at all.

    But the opposite's been true for me in practice. I've done far more exploring in (and have a much deeper nostalgia for the landmasses of) titles like Ultima Online and Guild Wars, which boast Recall spells and map travel, respectively, than I have in less-travel-friendly titles, and I'm guessing it's because the ability to get to strange and out-of-the-way places quickly means you'll actually go there by choice -- because you can. If it takes me two hours to walk to that cool oasis hidden away in a secret corner of your map, I'm probably not going to bother going at all.

    What do you think -- does instant travel trivialize the MMO world experience?

    Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Does instant travel trivialize MMO worlds? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      MMO Week in Review: Is it over yet?

      Posted: 27 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT

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      Week in Review - Copernicus screenshot
      At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

      The MMO industry has had better weeks, and as much as we'd like to put all the layoffs, PR spin, and doom-and-gloom behind us, it wouldn't be much of a Week in Review if we did so.

      The big news was, of course, the messy implosion of 38 Studios, which not only put a lot of developers out of work and tarnished Curt Schilling's reputation, but also led to the closure of 38's Big Huge Games subsidiary. Not to be outdone was BioWare, which laid off an undisclosed amount of its Star Wars: The Old Republic workforce and attempted to downplay the cuts as standard operating procedure.

      Thankfully the rest of the week's news wasn't so dire. See for yourself after the break.

      Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Is it over yet?

      MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Is it over yet? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Skyrim Online MMO-ish mod gaining momentum

        Posted: 27 May 2012 05:00 PM PDT

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        Skyrim Online - The Harbinger and Aela
        Skyrim Online isn't really an MMO. Heck, it's not even a fully functioning mod yet, nor will it ever be officially supported. It's pretty cool, though, particularly given that its aim is to enable co-op play within the sprawling world of Bethesda's latest Elder Scrolls epic.

        When we first heard of the mod last winter, it was pretty rough, with other players displaying as inanimate prisoner NPCs sans any clothing or armor. Now, though, the devs have managed to add some armor, basic run and walk animations, and general chat. There's still a lot left to do, including a party system, trading, AI synchronization, and PvP, but you can see a video clip of the recent progress after the break.

        [Thanks Sandboxer for the tip!]

        Continue reading Skyrim Online MMO-ish mod gaining momentum

        MassivelySkyrim Online MMO-ish mod gaining momentum originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        EVE Evolved: Lessons from 38 Studios

        Posted: 27 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT

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        EVE Evolved title image
        This week we heard the news that Kingdoms of Amalur developer 38 Studios shut down and let go all 379 full-time staff. It's always a tragedy when good developers are made jobless, especially if the job losses come out of nowhere and hit people who have only recently been hired. 38 Studios was still hiring people shortly before it collapsed, and some of those recent hires were ex-CCP developers who were part of the 20% of staff fired at the end of last year.

        The shutdown of 38 Studios is a sobering reminder of the problems in EVE Online's development that led to monoclegate. Both studios were mismanaged, with the jobs of hundreds of developers gambled on the outcome of poorly researched business decisions. EVE Online thankfully survived CCP's failed microtransaction gamble, but 38 Studios' Project Copernicus may never see the light of day.

        In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I look into the similar circumstances that forced CCP Games and 38 Studios to fire staff, and draw some lessons from them for which I believe the industry should take heed.

        Continue reading EVE Evolved: Lessons from 38 Studios

        MassivelyEVE Evolved: Lessons from 38 Studios originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          One Shots: Bamboo Kat's

          Posted: 27 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT

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          One Shots
          If you followed MJ's Choose My Adventure in City of Heroes throughout the month of May, you know that veterans constantly recommended that she do one thing: roll blueside. More people play superheroes than villains, and if you want to group, Paragon City is the place. But I say the villains of the Rogue Isles surely have the best scenery. Massively reader Jeromai chipped in two gorgeous shots of the grimy skyscrapers of redside with this note:
          One of my favorite spots villain-side is the Jackpot area of St. Martial, especially when it gets dark and the building lights are a stark contrast to the gloom of all the other previous zones. Sure, it's still a soulless Las Vegas-style strip wannabe, but I love super-jumping down the street as the music changes. This is my normal view of things when super-jumping. But if you get down to street-level, it's also surprisingly immersive. Notice the Marcone or Family gangster leaning nonchalantly against one building as the cars and pedestrians cruise through.
          Both shots (and a few others) are tucked behind the break!

          Continue reading One Shots: Bamboo Kat's

          MassivelyOne Shots: Bamboo Kat's originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Rise and Shiny: Threshold RPG

            Posted: 27 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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            Threshold RPG screenshot
            It's the third week in a row I have decided to spend with a MUD, or multi-user-dungeon. I've explained it before, but in case you are not familiar, a MUD is a text-based MMO. That's right: you play by typing commands and exploring environments, all in text form. I started this exploration with Gemstone IV, an amazing MUD that seems to be the gold standard for MUDs. I am still playing it and finding out how amazing it is. I moved on to BatMUD, a slightly more basic MUD that offered a great client but frustrated me. Honestly though, my time with BatMUD was a little unfair and I need to revisit the game. It really has some wonderful elements.

            Now that I have moved on to Threshold RPG, another ancient MUD from before the time of mostly graphical MMOs, I feel as though I have finally reached an understanding as to how MUDs work and what makes them incredible adventures still to this day.

            Threshold is more basic than all of them so far, but that's a good thing in many ways. There's also a lot that is lacking, and several tweaks that need to be made.

            Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Threshold RPG

            MassivelyRise and Shiny: Threshold RPG originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Darkfall update brings new clan permissions system

              Posted: 27 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT

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              Darkfall screenshot
              The folks at Aventurine are still working hard on a number of improvements for Darkfall such as new weapons styles, performance optimization, and UI modifications, but in the meantime they've decided to roll out a new feature that should be a great boon to clan leaders and officers. Currently, clan leaders are only allowed to grant clan-related permissions to their members based on clan rank. With the new system, clan leaders will be able to assign permissions to individual players, regardless of their ranks within the clan.

              In addition, each clan permission will have an associated title that any member with that permission can choose to display if they so desire. For instance, a clan member with permission to recruit members can choose to show the "recruiter" title. Military ranks will remain in the game, but they are now governed by PvP performance and each new military rank is granted automatically upon the completion of specific goals. These ranks have no bearing on clan permissions. The full details on the new system are available for perusal over at the Darkfall official site.

              [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]

              MassivelyDarkfall update brings new clan permissions system originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

              Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates


              Brawl Busters MMO Review

              Posted: 28 May 2012 04:02 AM PDT

              Brawl Busters is a 3D action fighting MMO that has the same graphic style  as the popular shooter Team Fortress 2. Brawl Busters is a streamlined game with a small client size, and the ability to quickly jump into matches, yet it still manages to offer high quality graphics and plenty of customization options.

               

               

               

              Publisher: Rock Hippo Productions & Weezor
              Playerbase: Low
              Graphics: High Quality
              Type: MMO
              EXP Rate: Low
              PvP: N/A
              Filesize: 243 MB

              Website: http://planbaction.com/main/index.aspx

              Pros: +Stylish animated graphics. +Fast paced gameplay. +Switch between 5 classes. +Streamlined registration and lobby, start playing right away.

              Cons: -Limited map choices. -Suffers from technical issues; bugs and lag. -Repetitive gameplay

               

              Brawl Busters is a fast paced fighting game that plays a lot like a third person shooter. The graphic style resembles Team Fortress 2, but is even more goofy. With a strong emphasis on pick up & play gameplay, anyone can start playing Brawl Busters within minutes. The client size is very small, and there's no need to register on the website. Players simply enter a username and password after launching the game and are good to go! All players have access to five classes in Brawl Busters and can switch between them either prior to starting a game or each time they die. The only game mode available is Team Deathmatch, and matches only last a few minutes each.

              Classes:

              SluggerSmack opponents with your bat, or send three baseballs their way with one swing. Special Attack charges up and sends one powerful baseball.

              Firefighter – Spray nearby opponents with flames, or shoot out grenades. Special attack creates a temporary barrier in front of the Firefighter.

              Rocker - Slap opponents with your electric guitar, or shoot out lighting from its tip. Special Attack is point blank area of effect burst.

              Boxer - Punch opponents or charge at them first-first. Special Attack shoots out 5 rays, hitting everything in front of the Boxer in a large arc.

              Blitzer - Pummel opponents with your fists, or strike the ground immediately in front of you for heavy damage. Special Attack launches the Blitzer forward a fair distance where he strikes the ground dealing area of effect damage.

               

               

              Minimum Requirements:
              OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
              CPU: Pentium Duel Core
              RAM: 512MB
              HDD: 1GB
              Graphics Card:  Geforce 6 series
              DirectX: 9.0c

              Recommended Specification:
              OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
              CPU: Pentium Duel Core or better
              RAM: 1024 MB or more
              HDD: 2 GB free
              Graphics Card: GeForce 7 series of better
              DirectX: 9.0c or better

              Bloodline Champions MMO Review

              Posted: 27 May 2012 04:01 PM PDT

              Bloodline Champions is a 2D fantasy arena based MMO where up to ten players per match can battle it out. Work together and defeat the opposing team in one of three game modes. Bloodline Champions is a fast paced, PvP oriented game that promises plenty of bonus features like a map editor.

               

               

              Publisher: Funcom
              Playerbase: Medium
              Graphics: Medium
              Type: MMO
              EXP Rate: Medium
              PvP: Arena / CTF / Conquest
              Filesize: ~ 230 mb

              Website: http://www.bloodlinechampions.com/

              Pros: + Over 16 unique heroes. +Three game modes. +Fast paced, team oriented combat. +Original gameplay style. +Low system requirements and small client size.

              Cons: -Repetitive gameplay. -Access to full range of heroes and features requires payments & subscription.

               

              Bloodline Champions is a team based PvP MMO where two teams of up to five players on each side battle it out on various arenas. Gameplay in Bloodline Champions is fast paced and the controls are very similar to those found in a FPS. Besides being team oriented, the game is also highly skill based. There are no critical hits, minimum/maximum damage ranges, or other random elements. Each hero (called a champion) has its unique set of skills and victory is determined by proper teamwork and execution. While the game will be free to play, free users will only have access to 4 heroes at a time. Access to the full set of features and hero roster will require one-time purchases and a premium subscription.

              Healing Champions - Alchemist, Psychopomp, Herald, Astronomer

              Ranged Champions - Igniter, Gunner, Nomad, Engineer

              Tank Champions - Glutton, Vanguard, Inhibitor, Thorn

              Melee Champions - Harbinger, Spear Master, Ranid Assassin, Ravener

               

               

               

              Bloodline Champions Requirements

              Minimum:

              Intel Pentium 3.2 GHz CPU (or AMD equivalent)

              Nvidia or AMD/ATI video card with 128MB RAM and Shader Model 3 support (GeForce 6000 series or ATI HD2000 series)

              1GB RAM on Windows XP, 2GB of RAM on Windows Vista/7

              Windows XP Service Pack 3, Windows Vista or 7

              Direct Sound audio device

              *ATI X1000 series has limited support

              Recommended:

              Dual Core CPU

              Nvidia or AMD/ATI video card with 256MB RAM and Shader Model 4 support (GeForce 8000 series or ATI HD2000 series)2GB RAM

              Windows XP, Vista, or 7 (with full service packs and updates)

              Direct Sound audio device

              Warlock Skill Animations and Challenge Mode Armor, MoP Music, Blue Posts, MMO Report

              Posted: 27 May 2012 11:03 AM PDT

              Diablo 3 - Development Post Monday, Info on Hacking, Diminishing Returns on Armor, Blue Posts, and Farming Spot

              Warlock Skill Animations Preview
              Today we continue looking at the new skill animations with the new Warlock animations!



              Warlock Challenge Mode Armor Preview
              Warlocks also got a nice challenge mode set to go along with those new spell animations.





              Mists of Pandaria Music Update
              One of the recent beta builds added several new pieces of music. Make sure you have annotations enabled if you want to skip through the different songs!



              Diablo III Blue Posts
              Many of the points brought up here are relevant to WoW Account security as well. Keep your plugins up to date and use an authenticator! You can get one for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7 or even the physical one.

              Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
              Account Compromises
              The "hacking" ("compromising" is probably a better word, since no real "hacking" is going on) being seen in D3 is no different than what World of Warcraft players have been seeing for five years or so. The sad thing is, if no one bought game currency (gold, credits, whatever) from these third-party companies, then essentially no account compromises would be occurring. Compromises not done by gold selling companies are very rare indeed. They strip one player to sell to another, because it's much more efficient than "farming" gold. They still farm some of course, but they do it purely with compromised accounts.

              Unfortunately, these compromisers make a lot of money off of the practice (because players buy gold) and so they have a lot of resources to use to try to get your password from you directly, or through your computer. Some of their poorly translated phishing e-mails may be laughable, but their trojans, infected websites, etc. are not funny at all.

              If you have the physical or mobile authenticator (both of which major banks use and charge $30+ for) the chances of you being compromised are very, very small. I've personally examined the MSInfo files of nearly all of the handful of WoW players who have actually been compromised through an authenticator, and the sheer number of backdoor programs and other malware on their systems has been mind boggling. Probably not coincidentally, these same people were also running a disturbing number of file-sharing and download programs, including ones which are commonly known to not be safe.

              Again, compromising game accounts is a big business in some countries. They have people on their payroll who spread false rumors of "hacked through my authenticator" just to try to discourage people from using them. We charge $6.50 for the physical authenticator, because that's exactly what it costs us to make them. The mobile one is free because we don't have to pay a factory to build them. Use them, and enjoy your gaming without someone mucking with your stuff.

              What is the concrete cause of the hackings?
              Well, the cause is people desiring a shortcut in their games by buying gold. If you mean the technical cause, as I mentioned previously the gold selling companies use a vast array of methods. A good friend of mine is a long time network admin (and a very good one at that), who had decided to not use an authenticator because he'd never had any security issues with his computer over the years. Well, an Adobe Flash vulnerability popped up a couple years ago, and he procrastinated applying the update by a whole week. As you can probably guess by the fact that I'm relating this anecdote, his WoW account was compromised and stripped because of that one week window.

              There's absolutely nothing shameful about getting compromised, these companies are good at what they do. Heck, the former head of Blizzard Customer Service had his account compromised. It's because of how devious and high-tech the gold-selling companies have gotten that we implemented the physical and mobile authenticators. We can't physically go to everyone's computer and make it safe, so we've provided a tool that does it for you.

              I've been a computer tech for a long time, and I've never had a single malicious security breach on any of my computers that I'm aware of, but I attached one of the very first batches of physical authenticators to my account. Why? Because no matter how good I am, sooner or later they were going to get me. But now, they can't.

              Are you claiming that I did not have both the dial in auth and the SMS auth?
              No, you had those. But neither of those are the physical or mobile authenticator, the main line of protection that is being referred to. The Dial-In and SMS are just nice additional layers of security to add to the physical or mobile.

              It's becoming pretty apparent that our naming scheme might be causing some confusion, and I apologize for that. I'll bring the subject up with my management, so can we review both how the devices are named and how they are presented. If you have only one authenticator on your account, you want it to be the physical or mobile, not the dial-in or SMS. (Official Forums)

              Auction House
              Is this intended (To gear up solely through the AH) or will the drops at the end of Hell be better adjusted to help gear up for Inferno Act 1 and so on.
              The auction house obviously provides an incredible service to allow for very easy trades between characters, and essentially blows out the wide range of items you could have available to you at any one time. So, in fact, the AH has to be a factor in how we drop items. On one hand you have a huge benefit because you can buy and sell items very easily, as opposed to having to post up WTS threads in the old USEast trading forums, but on the other end it does impact the item pool economy with the inherent ease at which you can trade items. If the AH existed but wasn't a factor at all into how items dropped/rolled, the economy would be completely tanked within a matter of weeks. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

              MMO-Report
              The MMO-Report is here with information about The Elder Scrolls Online factions, Defiance, and PlanetSide 2.

              BioShock Vita Still Very Early, Development Could be Handled Externally

              Posted: 27 May 2012 04:01 AM PDT

              BioShock Infinite

              Irrational Games’ Ken Levine had two surprises to share when he took to the stage during Sony’s E3 press conference in June. BioShock Infinite will support PlayStation Move and a new BioShock game is being developed for Vita. Although several months have passed since then, development on the Vita game hasn’t progressed far, and it’s not a guarantee that Irrational will even develop the entire game internally.

              Speaking with Joystiq, Levine described the game as being “in the paper design stage.” Confirming what he said in June, the idea is still to create a brand-new game for Vita as opposed to porting the original BioShock or Infinite to the handheld, although “things can change.”

              “I think for us, the idea we have is a really good expression on a platform like that [Vita],” he explained. “It’s a different goal. And it has to sort of have its own voice in the franchise. If it just feels like a quieter voice in the franchise, I don’t think that works. For us.”

              Because of the relatively small size of Irrational, it’s difficult to devote a large enough team to work on the new game with Infinite still in the works. It’s a possibility that Irrational could opt to allow a separate developer to handle development of the Vita game — discussions have taken place — but Levine wants to ensure the quality of the game is up to par with previous Irrational titles. In other words, don’t expect any decisions to be made that are, well, irrational.

              Incoming search terms:

              I Played Skyrim Wrong, but It Felt So Right

              Posted: 26 May 2012 04:01 PM PDT

              Once upon a time, getting about in a Zelda game was such a clear-cut process. You had your dungeons (anywhere from four to 12, depending) and you had the overworld that linked them all together. Aside from the occasional spin-off (Four Swords Adventures was broken into levels, and Majora’s Mask centered around the hub of Clock Town), that’s how it always worked. You’d wander around, maybe poke into a cave for a Heart Piece, clear away some scrub, fight some bad guys, and eventually work your way to the next subterranean puzzle labyrinth.

              The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is mixing things up, and — for the first eight hours of the game, at least — the results are pretty great. Skyward Sword’s design makes the distinction between overworld and underworld much muddier than in past games. Perhaps that’s appropriate, since this adventure divides its world into three layers rather than the usual two. Above the dungeons, you have the overworld; meanwhile, above it all is the realm of Skyloft, best described as an aerial take on Wind Waker’s sea. At the heart of Skyloft is a large city held aloft by (one assumes) ancient magic or technology or something, but the skies are littered with floating islands, and Link travels between them on the back of a huge red bird.

              NYCC: Fortune Street is More Than Just Mario Party

              Posted: 26 May 2012 04:01 PM PDT

              Once upon a time, getting about in a Zelda game was such a clear-cut process. You had your dungeons (anywhere from four to 12, depending) and you had the overworld that linked them all together. Aside from the occasional spin-off (Four Swords Adventures was broken into levels, and Majora’s Mask centered around the hub of Clock Town), that’s how it always worked. You’d wander around, maybe poke into a cave for a Heart Piece, clear away some scrub, fight some bad guys, and eventually work your way to the next subterranean puzzle labyrinth.

              The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is mixing things up, and — for the first eight hours of the game, at least — the results are pretty great. Skyward Sword’s design makes the distinction between overworld and underworld much muddier than in past games. Perhaps that’s appropriate, since this adventure divides its world into three layers rather than the usual two. Above the dungeons, you have the overworld; meanwhile, above it all is the realm of Skyloft, best described as an aerial take on Wind Waker’s sea. At the heart of Skyloft is a large city held aloft by (one assumes) ancient magic or technology or something, but the skies are littered with floating islands, and Link travels between them on the back of a huge red bird.

              The Secret World now launching in July

              Posted: 26 May 2012 03:21 PM PDT

              Funcom’s Conan follow-up, The Secret World, has been delayed by two weeks. Though not a great deal of insight is available as to the reason why, Funcom has said it’s for ‘market reasons’ and that the small delay will benefit the launch of the game.

              The 15th June will see a new beta weekend called ‘Hell Raised’ and the 29th June will be the date for early access for those that pre-ordered the game.

              In ‘Raised Hell’ players will experience the Illuminati and Dragon opening areas, as well as the Templar one.

              According to The Secret World official website: “Players will also get to leave Kingsmouth and venture into the massive region known as Savage Coast, where they will soon find that the very gates of hell itself have opened up! This will allow players to experience the epic ‘Hell Raised’ dungeon where you will have to battle the demons of hell itself!”

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