General Gaming Article

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• Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step
• Dell's Looking For A Few Good Cosmonauts To Test The Ubuntu-Powered "Sputnik" XPS 13
• File Sharers Easily Skirt European EffortsTo Blockade Pirate Bay
• NZXT's "Hue" LED Controller Offers Custom Case Lighting with Minimum Fuss
• Intel Isn't Ready to Scrap Sandy Bridge, Preps Two New Core i3 Chips for Q3
• Solid State Drives to Become Mainstream in 3-5 Years
• Microsoft Reveals Windows Server 2012 Prices
• Amazon Collecting Patents as Part of Smartphone Strategy
• July Patch Tuesday Expected to Include Fix for XML Zero-Day Flaw
• Microsoft Reportedly Ending Support for Desktop Gadgets in Windows 8

Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step Posted: 06 Jul 2012 12:37 PM PDT Note: This build-it originally ran in the July issue of Maximum PC--some pricing info may have changed. THE MISSION Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs (and the corresponding Z77 Panther Point chipset) finally dropped in late April, and Ivy Bridge brings more than just the expected thermal and power improvements over Sandy Bridge. You can read an in-depth report on Ivy Bridge if you're interested, but for our purposes, it's enough to know that the Ivy Bridge Core i7-3770K is the successor to the Sandy Bridge Core i7-2600K. It has a slightly faster clock speed than the 2600K, but it requires less power and delivers more performance per clock than its predecessor. It doesn't make sense to upgrade from a Sandy Bridge to an Ivy Bridge processor or motherboard, but if you're building a new PC, Ivy Bridge is the way to go. This month's project, then, is simple: Build a new gaming PC with an Ivy Bridge motherboard and CPU. I'll also be using Nvidia's GTX 680 GPU and Western Digital's new 1TB VelociRaptor, just for kicks. CHOOSING THE HARDWARE THIS IS A MACHINE built from the CPU out. The CPU, of course, is Intel's new Core i7-3770K, the successor to the 2600K. The 3770K is a quad-core 3.5GHz CPU with Hyper-Threading and 8MB of L3 cache, not to mention Intel's new HD 4000 integrated graphics (which we won't be using). And with a TDP of just 77W, it's a power sipper. The 3770K gets a brand-new motherboard to go with it. Asus's P8Z77-V Pro gives the perfect mix of price and performance—it supports up to 32GB of RAM and it has two x16 PCIe 3.0 slots, two native Intel USB 3.0 ports as well as some Asmedia ones, and both native Intel and Asmedia 6Gb/s SATA ports. It also includes a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth dongle, which is cute and potentially useful. Because of the CPU's low TDP, Xigmatek's Gaia cooler will be sufficient even with a moderate overclock. It can cool an overclocked Core-i7 3960X; it can handle this. The PSU is a bit overkill, but it gives me breathing room if I want to add a second GPU later. Nvidia's GTX 680 is the new 900-pound gorilla; it's faster than AMD's Radeon HD 7970 in most benchmarks and it's just $500. It also consumes less power than the 7970 during use. With RAM so cheap, it's tempting to get 16GB, but 8GB is plenty for a gaming machine, so I'll stick with that for now. Western Digital's latest VelociRaptor is 1TB of 10,000rpm mechanical storage. It's not as speedy as an SSD, but it averages 160MB/s read and writes with random-access times that are twice as fast as a standard mechanical drive. I normally prefer an SSD/HDD combo, but this is my chance to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and see what the VelociRaptor can do. I'm also stepping out of my comfort zone with the case. Enermax's Fulmo is a mid‑tower with plenty of stock air cooling, striking blue LED fans, and a look that's reminiscent of Cooler Master's 690 II Advanced, but with a far more interesting interior.  INGREDIANTS PART URL PRICE Case Enermax Fulmo Advance www.enermaxusa.com $99 PSU Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 850W www.thermaltakeusa.com $190 Mobo Asus P8Z77-V Pro www.asus.com $225 CPU Intel Core i7-3770K www.intel.com $315 Cooler Xigmatek Gaia www.xigmatek.com $30 GPU Nvidia GTX 680 www.nvidia.com $500 RAM 8GB Corsair Vengeance www.corsair.com $50 Optical Drive Samsung SH-222AB CD/DVD burner www.samsung.com $20 Hard Drive 1TB WD VelociRaptor www.wdc.com $320 OS Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (OEM) www.microsoft.com $139 Total     $1,888 We tested both boards with a 3.3GHz Core i7-3960X, 16GB of DDR3/1600, a 150GB Western Digital Raptor, a GeForce GTX 580, and 64-bit Windows 7 Professional SP1. Performance scores for the SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0 were attained using CrystalDiskMark 3 run against an OCZ Enyo USB 3.0 drive and an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD.  1.COOL IT, MAN INSTALL the CPU, RAM, and cooler onto the motherboard before installing the mobo into the case, because the Xigmatek Gaia's rubber fan mounts are friggin' annoying. The i7-3770K is a standard LGA1155 CPU, so you'll just need to open the lift arm, align the CPU into the socket, place it down gently, and re-secure it by closing the socket gate and lift arm. The Gaia uses a backplate with four tall mounting posts that poke through the motherboard to surround the socket; secure it to the motherboard with the knurled nuts. Apply a smallish dot of thermal paste to the center of the CPU heat spreader, then slide the Gaia heatsink down the posts to rest on the CPU and secure with the mounting nuts. Secure the fan to the RAM side of the heatsink using the rubber mounting posts and plug the fan into the CPU_FAN header. Install the RAM into the two blue RAM slots. 2.STAND BY, FAN CONTROL THE FULMO includes front-panel fan speed and LED control, but in order for it to work the three controllable fans (two 12cm front panel fans and one 18cm side intake fan) have to be wired to specific controller boards inside the case, and I learned from experience that it's easier to do this before any of the parts are in the case.     There are two 2-pin leads from the top of the case: The shorter one goes to the first connector in the LED control panel at the center-right of the motherboard tray, and the other goes to the fan‑speed control at the lower right of the mobo tray. Plug the 2-pin leads from the front fans into the LED control panel and the 3-pin leads to the lower two 3-pin connectors on the speed‑control panel. Each panel will have an extra connector; those are for the 18cm fan on the side panel. 3.THE MOTHER OF ALL BOARDS  NOW THAT THE FANS are configured and the CPU, RAM, and cooler are mounted to the motherboard, it's time to place the motherboard into the case. Make sure all nine ATX motherboard standoffs are installed, and then place the I/O shield into its opening. Mount the motherboard into the case, making sure all nine mounting holes are used. Connect the HD_Audio, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and front-panel connectors to the motherboard.  4.GIMME POWER  CABLE ROUTING IS my least favorite part of the Enermax Fulmo case, so it's best to be scientific about it. Install the PSU into the bottom of the case (with the fan pointing down), then connect only the cables you'll need: two 6-pin PCIe cables, one 4-pin Molex strand, and one strand of SATA power connectors. Route all but the 24-pin motherboard power cable through the grommeted hole right next to the PSU, and run the 24-pin through the non-grommeted hole on the far side of the fan controller. Bring the 8-pin ATX power cable through the hole at the top left of the mobo tray and connect it to the mobo; then bring the 24-pin cable through the mobo tray next to its connector and plug that in, too. 5.GETTING GRAPHIC ANOTHER JOY of the Fulmo: It uses plastic PCIe slot retention brackets that are absolutely useless if you have a dual-slot card like the GTX 680—or indeed most modern videocards. Install the GPU into the top 16x PCIe slot and secure it using two screws, then shake your fists at the gods of plastic PCIe retention clips. Bring the two 6-pin PCIe power cables through a hole in the mobo tray and connect them to the GPU. 6.DRIVE IN THE FULMO has two standard 3.5-inch hard drive mounts and several odd ones. I mounted the VelociRaptor into one of the standards using the screws provided for that purpose, but if you have more than two drives (or you want to use a 2.5-inch drive), you get to mount them vertically on flip-down mounting panels. You can see one flipped down in the foreground, and one in the upright position in the background. Connect SATA power and data to the drive, then install the optical drive in the topmost 5.25-inch slot and connect power and data to that drive, as well (not pictured). 7.BEHIND THE SCENES BEFORE YOU TURN on the machine, don't forget to connect a 4-pin Molex power connector to the fan‑speed controller and to the 4-pin connector coming from the case's front panel. If you've been careful, you'll now have a fine, somewhat cleanly wired gaming machine, but don't be surprised if the area behind the motherboard tray looks a little chaotic. The Fulmo isn't the best case for cable management, but it's workable. Now replace the left side panel. Plug the right-side panel fan into the LED and fan‑speed control panels, then put the right-side panel on, connect the PSU's power cable, and turn on your new Ivy Bridge machine! 1. These fold-down panels can accommodate several 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch hard drives mounted vertically. 2. Both 12cm front intake fans and the 18cm side-panel fan (not shown) have speed and light controls in the case's top panel. 3. This PSU-securing strap seems more decorative than functional, but why take chances? THE IVY BRIDGE DIFFERENCE IVY BRIDGE dOESN'T overclock as easily as Sandy Bridge or Sandy Bridge-E, but I was still able to get to an easy 4.2GHz by boosting the CPU's Turbo ratio in the BIOS, and I could have pushed it further if I had more time. Regardless, Intel's not joking about Ivy Bridge's prowess: This machine, with an Ivy Bridge i7-3770K at 4.2GHz, performed slightly better than our June 2012 Build It, which featured a Sandy Bridge-E i7-3820 at 4.4GHz. Clock for clock, Ivy Bridge wins. We used the exact same GPU in both the Ivy Bridge box and the Sandy Bridge-E machine, and they performed the same in gaming benchmarks. No shock there. BENCHMARKS ZERO POINT Vegas Pro (sec) 3049 2,418 $99 Lightroom 2.6 (sec) 356 258 $190 ProShow 4 (sec) 1,112 887 $225 MainConcept 1.6 (sec) 2,113 1,698 $315 stalker: CoP (fps) 42.0 62.6 $30 Far Cry 2 (fps) Nvidia GTX 680 151.3 $500 Optical Drive Samsung SH-222AB CD/DVD burner www.samsung.com $20 Hard Drive 1TB WD VelociRaptor www.wdc.com $320 OS Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (OEM) www.microsoft.com $139 Total     $1,888 Our current desktop test bed consists of a quad-core 2.66GHz Core i7-920 overclocked to 3.5GHz, 6GB of Corsair DDR3/1333 overclocked to 1,750MHz, on a Gigabyte X58 motherboard. We are running an ATI Radeon HD 5970 graphics card, a 160GB Intel X25-M SSD, and 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate. To my surprise, the lack of an SSD didn't hurt me in the benchmarks, except perhaps in Sony Vegas Pro 9, where my machine lagged slightly behind last month's build. Windows doesn't load quite as fast, nor do game levels, but despite its lack of an SSD, this month's rig feels very fast. Granted, the VelociRaptor is a $300 mechanical 1TB drive, and the fastest we've ever experienced. If you're building a gaming PC from scratch today, Ivy Bridge—specifically the Core i7-3770K—is the way to go, unless you think you'll want to upgrade to a six-core CPU down the line. But for $1,888 with a top-of-the-line graphics card, this Ivy Bridge machine is tough to beat on either price or performance.

Dell's Looking For A Few Good Cosmonauts To Test The Ubuntu-Powered "Sputnik" XPS 13 Posted: 06 Jul 2012 10:56 AM PDT Back in May, Canonical announced that shipments of PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed were expected to crack 5 percent of the overall PC market this year. Part of that figure comes from the company's collaboration with Dell on "Sputnik," a project that slaps a developer-friendly, Dell XPS 13-optimized version of Ubuntu on -- you guessed it -- a Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook, complete with all the driver kinks worked out. That project isn't quite ready for the mainstream yet, but Dell recently rolled out a sign-up sheet for developers who want to get in on Linux-licious Sputnik beta testing. The details about Dell's Sputnik Beta Cosmonaut program are actually pretty sparse; the company's only saying that it "A limited number of applicants will be selected to receive a discounted, beta version solution." There's no exact word on how much the laptop will cost or how many are available. Some things are certain, however. The Dell XPS 13 notebooks involved in Sputnik run a developer-friendly version of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS -- aka Precise Pangolin -- that's fairly bare-bones. Canonical and Dell hope to eventually include environment specific repositories so that, say, a Ruby developer can quickly nab an appropriate set of tools and utilities, while Android devs can snag a second prepackaged kit. You can read a lot more about Sputnik on the lead developer's blog. Interested in being a guinea pig? Hit that Cosmonaut link above and register with Dell to get your shot at pre-launching Sputnik. Via The Register

File Sharers Easily Skirt European EffortsTo Blockade Pirate Bay Posted: 06 Jul 2012 10:29 AM PDT Oh, those silly governments. Internet censorship won't withstand the onslaught of web-savvy geeks! Nevertheless, the British and Dutch governments recently ordered ISPs to bar users from accessing The Pirate Bay whatsoever. Despite claims from anti-piracy groups that the blockade is being effective, new reports show that simply isn't true, and one website even explains how you can bypass the ban using only a web browser. Yesterday, ExtremeTech studied data from XS4All, one of the largest ISPs in Europe. The graph below shows BitTorrent usage on the company's network, with the red line indicating the date that Dutch service providers were forced to blockade The Pirate Bay. As you can see, BitTorrent usage hasn't gone down, and if anything, it's gone up slightly. That coincides with data from the University of Amsterdam, whose research found the Pirate Bay blockade to be utterly useless, ExtremeTech reports. That's not surprising; anything you can find on the Pirate Bay can be found on dozens of other torrent sites, and as surely as haters are gonna hate, pirates are going to pirate -- if there aren't other affordable, easily accessed digital options available, that is. Accessing the Pirate Bay is incredibly simple even with the ban in place. TorrentFreak notes that would-be Pirates can simply boot up the Opera browser and activate Turbo mode. Turbo mode streams traffic through the Opera servers, compressing the data before dishing it up in-browser. It's made for users with low-speed connections, but since Opera's servers aren't behind the blockade, they pass on full TPB access quickly, easily and sans VPN trickery or DNS tweaks. No matter what you think of file sharing -- and I'm more of Netflix/Hulu/Spotify guy, myself -- it's been proven time and time again that criminalizing users and censoring BitTorrent-type download services simply doesn't work. Napster originally popped up more than a dozen years ago, after all, and we're still having these discussions today.

NZXT's "Hue" LED Controller Offers Custom Case Lighting with Minimum Fuss Posted: 06 Jul 2012 10:05 AM PDT Not everything in life is clear-cut. Take LED lighting in your PC for instance; some people love the look of colorful bulbs, while the same effect makes others want to claw their eyes out with a molex tool. If you fall into the former camp, NZXT's new "Hue" LED controller might just be up your alley. It's a premade lighting solution that seems flexible enough to satisfy DIYers who want custom rave club-like effects without worrying about inverters and grounding wires. The controller itself slips into a 5.25-inch drive bay and sports three controls, which let you manually tweak the RGB color settings, brightness and pulse speed of the unit's LED lights. Fading, flashing, color changing -- it's all there. The lighting itself comes in the form of a 2 meter-long sleeve with 24 LEDs peppered throughout; it's nice and bendy, so you're able to snake the lights through your rig any way you see fit. NZXT's $33 Hue controller uses a SATA connection and is already available; you can find more information on NZXT's website. Via Engadget

Intel Isn't Ready to Scrap Sandy Bridge, Preps Two New Core i3 Chips for Q3 Posted: 06 Jul 2012 07:15 AM PDT From desktops and all-in-one systems to notebooks and Ultraportable/ultrathin laptops, Intel's Ivy Bridge platform is leaving its mark everywhere you look. Is it time to say 'So long!' to Sandy Bridge? Not quite. Intel isn't gung-ho to send its Sandy Bridge platform to that CPU pie in the sky, and instead is planning to launch at least two new mobile chips based on last generation's architecture. One of those chips is the Core i3 2308M, a 2.1GHz dual-core part with a 650MHz Intel HD 3000 graphics core (1,100MHz Turbo), according to Fudzilla. It has 3MB of L3 cache, support for DDR3-1333 memory, Hyperthreading, VT-x virtualization, and a 35W TDP. The other chip is the Core i3 2365M, which is essentially a Core i3 2310M part without Intel Small Business Advantage (SBA). It boasts most of the same features, but is clocked at 1.4GHz with a GPU that runs at 350MHz (1000MHz Turbo).  It has a 17W TDP. No word on how much these CPUs will cost, but both should be available starting in September. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Solid State Drives to Become Mainstream in 3-5 Years Posted: 06 Jul 2012 06:49 AM PDT If you ever want to experience true elation, try swapping out a fragmented hard disk drive (HDD) that's bogging down performance from an otherwise well equipped PC for a performance oriented solid state drive (SSD). The difference can be night and day, depending on how slow your HDD is. It's also a costly upgrade that usually results in downgraded storage capacity, hence why HDDs are still the popular storage medium of choice. But for how long? Digitimes Research reckons we'll all be using SSDs in 3-5 years in place of HDDs. Everyone from enthusiasts to mainstream users will have made the leap, not necessarily through DIY upgrades, but via new systems. "Growth in total storage capacity for HDDs has been decreasing, while demand for SSDs has kept increasing due to fast growing use of smartphones, tablet PCs, and ultrathin notebooks," Digitimes Research notes. With regards to cost, Digitimes points out the fact that the average price of SSDs has been sliced in half in the first half of 2012, while prices of HDDs have gone up since Thailand was hit with flooding back in October 2011. There's still a significant divide in pricing between the two storage mediums -- SSDs average $0.80/gigabyte and HDDs average $0.09/gigabyte -- but within five years, we could be looking at a totally different landscape. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft Reveals Windows Server 2012 Prices Posted: 06 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system is receiving the lion's share of attention lately, but lest anyone forget, the Redmond outfit also builds server software, both for the home consumer and business clients. Windows Server 2012 is geared towards the latter, and according to Microsoft, one of the benefits is a "dramatically simplified licensing experience" with just three versions to choose from, plus an edition for OEM vendors. Here's how it breaks down: Datacenter: Processor + CAL licensing model, $4,809 Standard: Processor + CAL licensing model, $882 Essentials: Server licensing model (25 user account limit), $425 Foundation: Server licensing model (25 user account limit), OEM only (price not disclosed) Choosing an appropriate edition comes down to the size of an organization and requirements for virtualization and cloud computing. For example, the Datacenter edition offers unlimited virtual instances, the Standard edition allows two virtual editions, and both the Essentials and Foundation editions ship with no virtual rights. More details can be found on Microsoft's Server and Cloud Platform website. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Amazon Collecting Patents as Part of Smartphone Strategy Posted: 06 Jul 2012 06:02 AM PDT At a time when Apple has been successful in suing competing products right off of store shelves for allegedly copying the look and feel of the iPhone, Amazon fully understands what's at stake as it looks to enter the smartphone market. Oh, haven't you heard? Amazon is indeed looking to make a run at the iPhone with a mobile phone of its own, just as soon as it collects enough patents to fend off Apple's aggressive legal strategy. According to a Bloomberg report, Foxconn International Holdings Ltd. is collaborating with Amazon on the upcoming smartphone, though details are hard to come by since plans at this early stage are supposed to be kept private. The only sure thing is that it will be based on Google's Android platform. Amazon knows a thing or two about building and marketing mobile devices. The company's Kindle Fire is the world's second best selling tablet behind the iPad, though smartphones represent an entirely different ball game. It's not just the iPhone that Amazon will be competing against, but scores of low-priced Android devices, like HTC's Droid Incredible 2, which can be found for free on a two-year contract over at Wirefly. Still, Amazon believes it has a shot in the smartphone market, so long as it secures enough patents. Towards that end, the company recently hired Matt Gordon, former senior director at Intellectual Ventures Management LLC, according to Bloomberg. Gordon will oversea Amazon's patent acquisitions and help make sure the company is on solid footing to fend off infringement lawsuits. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

July Patch Tuesday Expected to Include Fix for XML Zero-Day Flaw Posted: 06 Jul 2012 12:27 AM PDT Microsoft today issued an advance notification of this month's "Patch Tuesday" security updates for Windows and other software developed by it. According to its security bulletin advance notification for July 2012, Microsoft will deliver three "critical" and twice as many "important" security updates next Tuesday. Hit the jump for more. The coming security updates will address a number of vulnerabilities across Windows, Office, Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft Developer Tools and Microsoft Server Software. A fix for the XML zero-day flaw (CVE-2012-1889) that Microsoft disclosed last month is widely expected to be among the updates scheduled for next week. Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of security firm Qualys, expects Bulletin 1 to address this flaw--a temporary fix was issued last month. "If Microsoft doesn't patch this bug it's going to cause some heartburn for IT security teams," feels Andrew Storm, nCircle's Director of Security Operations. "We've already seen reliable reports that the exploit for this bug has been included in several popular attack tool kits." According to Microsoft, this vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services could allow remote code execution if an Internet Explorer user visits a specially-crafted malicious website. "An attacker would have no way to force users to visit such a website," reads Microsoft's security advisory on the bug. "Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the website, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or Instant Messenger message that takes them to the attacker's website. The vulnerability affects all supported releases of Microsoft Windows, and all supported editions of Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Office 2007."

Microsoft Reportedly Ending Support for Desktop Gadgets in Windows 8 Posted: 06 Jul 2012 12:12 AM PDT Last October, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Windows desktop gadgets when Microsoft brought the curtain down on Windows Live Gallery in order to "focus on the exciting possibilities of the newest version of Windows." But even though Microsoft no longer supports the development and uploading of these HTML-based desktop widgets, they are supported in both Windows 8 Consumer and Release Preview builds. Does this mean Microsoft has decided to keep them alive? Well, according to Chinese site Win8china, there is no trace of desktop gadgets in the latest internal build of Windows 8. While this is still an unconfirmed rumor, there is every chance of it being true, especially considering the fact that the appeal of these desktop widgets, first introduced in Vista, has always been very limited. Now with Metro-style apps perfectly capable of providing similar functionality using only HTML5 and CSS3, there really isn't a strong case for keeping gadgets alive.

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MMO News

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• Digimon Masters Summer Events Begin
• MicroVolts Now On Steam
• Drakensang Unleashes Atlantis
• Conquer Online Unlocks Your Chi

Digimon Masters Summer Events Begin Posted: 06 Jul 2012 02:37 PM PDT Joymax has announced the start of summer fun in Digimon Masters Online. “Fruit of the Goddess” will reward players who obtain any of the newly released Digimon, while “I like Ice Flakes” will let players collect giant growth fruit, ice flakes, and strawberry ice flakes for rewards. A summer welcome back program will grant returning players a gift basket with 50 million gold, a Mercenary Egg, and an Evolutor.  GM events will also run throughout the summer festival. The events will last through July 17. Joymax also publishes Silkroad Online and Karma Online. Digimon Masters Online Gameplay Screenshot Source: DIGIMON MASTERS SUMMER FESTIVAL BEGINS Celebration Kicks Off With A Variety Of Cool Summer Events July 6, 2012 – Joymax, leading online game developer and publisher, announced today a variety of events surrounding its latest update for the popular online massive multiplayer title, Digimon Masters. A fantastic universe where our world and the Digital World are closer than anyone would have imagined is about to change in ways never expected! Digimon Masters continues the story and heightened sense of urgency found in the Digimon anime. These hot summer, and come-back player, events are sure to bring out the tamer in everyone. To join in the action players can visit the Joymax portal at http://www.joymax.com/dmo Through July 17th, Digimon Masters is hosting a variety of hot summer festivities sure to cool the summer heat. Kicking off the fun is the Fruit of the Goddess Event that allows players who acquired any of the newly released Digimon to enter! Don’t let summer boredom set-in instead stay connected and collect icy treats including giant growth fruit, ice flakes and strawberry ice flakes in this new “I like Ice Flakes” event. Once players have cooled off, they can participate in daily GM events including suppressing the Virus Icemons invading the real world. In addition, the summer welcome back program is ready for return players! Players can log back in for a special gift basket including 50 million gold, a Mercenary Egg, an Evoluter and so much more. Now is the perfect time for players to return to the Digital World and prove they’re a truly dedicated DATS team member. Digimon are well known all over the globe as part of the famous Japanese TV animation series. Digimon Masters is the first ever 3D online game based on the Digimon universe with more than 1,000 characters featured from seasons 1 through 5 of the series. Not only is it faithful to the art design, Digimon Masters closely follows the original story that will satisfy both loyal fans of the series as well as the average gamer. The game seamlessly combines pet training simulation with role-playing elements to deliver a one of a kind gaming experience. Featuring real-time combat, Gamers will be thrilled with the challenges brought forth by real-time combat which requires quick thinking and good reflexes. Players can also become one of 8 Royal Knights. Royal Knights are Digimon who are in charge of each area in the Digital World. Leaders of a guild that conquers one of these areas can become a Royal Knight who has the right to impose taxes along with other perks and obligations. To get the latest information and regular contests for amazing prizes, players are encouraged to follow the official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/digimonmasters Players can also check out more details at http://twitter.com/dmojoymax/

MicroVolts Now On Steam Posted: 06 Jul 2012 02:14 PM PDT Rock Hippo Productions has announced the launch of MicroVolts on Valve’s Steam platform. All new players who register by August 5 will get a redeem code for an exclusive “Y-U-NO” Rage Mask; new Steam players will also get an exclusive MicroVolts Starter pack that includes a Permanent Advanced Pepper Rifle, 500 Battery Recharge, 7-Day Bomb Keyring Accessory, and 7-Day Multi-Vitamin Accessory. MicroVolts is also preparing to relaunch its website with new features and easier navigation. Rock Hippo also publishes Brawl Busters. MicroVolts Gameplay Screenshot Source: MICROVOLTS LAUNCHES ON STEAM Exclusive Free Goodie Giveaway for New Players Markham, Canada – July 6, 2012 – Rock Hippo Productions Ltd. announced today its lead title, and popular free-to-play third-person online toy shooter, MicroVolts is now available for download and to play via Steam. Players can now enjoy all the perks of the Steam interface from in-game chatting to friends’ lists to automatic game updates and special offers! Players can visit Steam now to get started. Starting today through August 5th, every new player will receive a redeem code in their verification email for an exclusive “Y-U-NO” Rage Mask! Steam players that are new to MicroVolts can also take advantage of the exclusive-to-Steam MicroVolts Starter Pack that contains four essential MicroVolting items available now in the Steam Store. In this handy kit, players will get a MicroVolters favorite the Permanent Advanced Pepper Rifle and a 500 Battery Recharge item to upgrade their permanent weapons for a beneficial stat boost! The kit also includes a 7-Day Bomb Keyring Accessory to earn 50% more Micro Points in battle for added purchasing power and a 7-Day Multi-Vitamin Accessory to level up faster by gaining 50% more Experience points! “We’re thrilled to launch MicroVolts on Steam today,” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions. “Now Steam users can look forward to, not only an action-packed toy shooter that has players and reviewers worldwide raving, but also joining a great gaming community that hosts tons of events including tournaments and contests for every type of gamer.” Additionally, MicroVolters new and old can look forward to an upcoming revamped website. Players will have a new place to call home with new website features that will make it easier to navigate and a whole lot more! MicroVolters can stay tuned for more announcements. To view the latest screen shots, trailer or to download the game for free, visit www.MicroVolts.com

Drakensang Unleashes Atlantis Posted: 05 Jul 2012 05:56 PM PDT Once hidden beneath the Sea of Shards, Atlantis can now be discovered in Drakensang Online. The biggest update for Drakensang Online yet, the Atlantis update adds a brand new continent, over 100 new quests, and new enemies (and loot) to discover. Eight new areas of Atlantis may be uncovered, along with the ruins of a sunken city and the great snake Gorga, who has brought doom to this whole world. Drakensang is published by Bigpoint, which also publishes Battlestar Galactica Online and Kultan. Drakensang Online “Atlantis” Gameplay Screenshot Source: New Depths for Drakensang Online: Huge Atlantis Update Rises Up · Biggest update yet adds new continent, more than 100 new quests and hordes of new monsters · More than 8 million registered players now battling it out in Bigpoint's fantasy MMO Hamburg: July 5, 2012 – The glory that was Atlantis has been hidden beneath the swollen waters of the Sea of Shards, the century-long battle versus good and evil hidden below the surface of the seas. But now the heroes of Duria explore the depths to fight the rebel Gorgons in the name of the Atlanteans and to secure the blessings of the God of the Sea Oceanus. In the biggest ever update for Drakensang Online (www.drakensang.com), Bigpoint (www.bigpoint.com) introduces tons of new additions to the fantasy MMO, including a completely new continent, over 100 new quests, as well as hordes of new monsters. And with now more than 8 million registered users, the battles are sure to be action-packed!   "In Drakensang, we're always bringing new features and content to the table with our weekly updates. This Atlantis update is the biggest expansion we've taken on so far, ever since we started working on Drakensang Online over a year ago," said Bernd Beyreuther, Head of Game Production at Bigpoint Berlin.   Players will have the chance to test their might against mythical creatures and warriors of a bygone empire in over 100 quests found in eight new areas of Atlantis. Find out as much as you can about the ruins of the sunken city to defeat the colossal snake Gorga that has brought about destruction of an entire population. With a completely revamped world map, players can easily see an overview of their progress through the world of Drakensang Online.   Drakensang Online combines the best game elements of action role-playing games and MMOs so that players can battle hordes of despicable monsters, explore mysterious caverns and complete challenging quests with their friends. Whether it is as a Dragonknight, Spellweaver or Ranger, users can enter into the free-to-play world of Drakensang Online directly in their browser without having to download or install any additional software.   Drakensang Online is available to play in open beta in more than 20 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Polish at www.bigpoint.com/drakensang and on drakensang.com. Drakensang Online has been awarded "Best Browser Game" at the German Computer Game Awards 2012, as well as "Best Role Playing Game" and "Best Browser Game" at the 2011 German Game Developer Awards.

Conquer Online Unlocks Your Chi Posted: 05 Jul 2012 05:27 PM PDT TQ Digital has released a new Chi System in Conquer Online. The Chi System, based off the spiritual force known as Chi in Eastern philosophy, allows players to unlock power from the inside of their characters. Players must unlock four gates (Dragon, Phoenix, Tiger, and Turtle) by studying each gate after their rebirths. Unlocking Chi powers grants players four random Chi attributes (from thirteen total types), and these can also be refreshed by adding new Chi points to change them. As a celebration of the system, players who meet level requirements can gain weekly Chi packs and daily Chi to help them enjoy the new system. TQ Digital also publishes Eudemons Online and Zero Online. Conquer Online Gameplay Screenshot Source: NetDragon Digs Up Ancient Mystery In The Chi System! Hong Kong – July 5, 2012 – Today, NetDragon Websoft’s most successful title, Conquer Online, will bring out a new feature, the Chi System. This enigmatic philosophy from the East is derived from the ideas in ancient China where Chi was perceived as a mysterious spiritual force that is contained inside the human body and other living things. Unlike other equipment systems, Chi unleashes your power from the inside. Chi power is locked by 4 inner gates: the Dragon Gate, Phoenix Gate, Tiger Gate and Turtle Gate. Unlocking these will grant you additional attributes that provide you with incredible powers! Apart from the four inner gates and Chi power, there are 13 kinds of attributes that will bring you the untouched experience of this new system! Not only that, but the players who meet the level requirements will be able to receive weekly Chi packs worth $14 to enhance your Battle Power! To learn more, please follow us on http://www.facebook.com/ConquerOnline & http://co.91.com/guide/chi_system/ for the latest updates and activities!

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MMO and SEO News from Gameforumer.com

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• Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step
• Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step
• Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step
• Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step
• Review: Oniken
• Dell's Looking For A Few Good Cosmonauts To Test The Ubuntu-Powered Sputnik XPS 13
• What Namco Bandai characters should be in Smash Bros.?
• File Sharers Easily Skirt European EffortsTo Blockade Pirate Bay
• NZXT's Hue LED Controller Offers Custom Case Lighting with Minimum Fuss
• Fall Release Schedule Coming Into Shape

Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step Posted: 06 Jul 2012 01:02 PM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Note: This build-it originally ran in the July issue of Maximum PC--some pricing info may have changed. THE MISSION Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs (and the corresponding Z77 Panther Point chipset) finally dropped in late April, and Ivy Bridge brings more than just the expected thermal and power improvements over Sandy Bridge. You can read an in-depth report on Ivy Bridge if you're...

Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step Posted: 06 Jul 2012 01:02 PM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Note: This build-it originally ran in the July issue of Maximum PC--some pricing info may have changed. THE MISSION Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs (and the corresponding Z77 Panther Point chipset) finally dropped in late April, and Ivy Bridge brings more than just the expected thermal and power improvements over Sandy Bridge. You can read an in-depth report on Ivy Bridge if you're...

Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step Posted: 06 Jul 2012 01:02 PM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Note: This build-it originally ran in the July issue of Maximum PC--some pricing info may have changed. THE MISSION Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs (and the corresponding Z77 Panther Point chipset) finally dropped in late April, and Ivy Bridge brings more than just the expected thermal and power improvements over Sandy Bridge. You can read an in-depth report on Ivy Bridge if you're...

Build It: How to Build a Kick-Ass Ivy Bridge Gaming PC, Step by Step Posted: 06 Jul 2012 01:01 PM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Note: This build-it originally ran in the July issue of Maximum PC--some pricing info may have changed. THE MISSION Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs (and the corresponding Z77 Panther Point chipset) finally dropped in late April, and Ivy Bridge brings more than just the expected thermal and power improvements over Sandy Bridge. You can read an in-depth report on Ivy Bridge if you're...

Review: Oniken Posted: 06 Jul 2012 12:13 PM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Sometimes you just want to slash people in half and use no more than a couple buttons to do it. Reminiscent of games like Strider, Ninja Gaiden, and Shatterhand, Oniken is a brutal and brutally difficult 8-bit platformer that isn’t for the meek. Games of its style have been common as of late, but none feel as authentic as Oniken. For better and worse, one could...

Dell's Looking For A Few Good Cosmonauts To Test The Ubuntu-Powered Sputnik XPS 13 Posted: 06 Jul 2012 11:37 AM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Back in May, Canonical announced that shipments of PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed were expected to crack 5 percent of the overall PC market this year. Part of that figure comes from the company's collaboration with Dell on "Sputnik," a project that slaps a developer-friendly, Dell XPS 13-optimized version of Ubuntu on -- you guessed it -- a Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook,...

What Namco Bandai characters should be in Smash Bros.? Posted: 06 Jul 2012 11:08 AM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli The news that Namco Bandai would be teaming up with Project Sora to develop the next game in the beloved Smash Bros. series was strange, but very exciting. Namco Bandai is a talented developer responsible for some pretty memorable videogames. Even though Sakurai recently admitted they would not expand the roster for the new Smash. Bros. on the Wii U and 3DS, I don't...

File Sharers Easily Skirt European EffortsTo Blockade Pirate Bay Posted: 06 Jul 2012 11:01 AM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Oh, those silly governments. Internet censorship won't withstand the onslaught of web-savvy geeks! Nevertheless, the British and Dutch governments recently ordered ISPs to bar users from accessing The Pirate Bay whatsoever. Despite claims from anti-piracy groups that the blockade is being effective, new reports show that simply isn't true, and one website even explains how...

NZXT's Hue LED Controller Offers Custom Case Lighting with Minimum Fuss Posted: 06 Jul 2012 10:25 AM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Not everything in life is clear-cut. Take LED lighting in your PC for instance; some people love the look of colorful bulbs, while the same effect makes others want to claw their eyes out with a molex tool. If you fall into the former camp, NZXT's new "Hue" LED controller might just be up your alley. It's a premade lighting solution that seems flexible enough to satisfy...

Fall Release Schedule Coming Into Shape Posted: 06 Jul 2012 09:40 AM PDT FG_AUTHORS: Amit Teli Check out this murderers' row of highly anticipated games scheduled to ship in the second half of the year. Ladies and gentlemen, start your saving. If you want to play the biggest games of the year, your wallet warning level will be at Defcon 1 come the autumn months. Here are the confirmed dates we have so far: 2012 Darksiders II – August 14 Sleeping Dogs –...

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MMO Updates

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• MMObility: Developments in Gaikai, OnLive shine light on streaming future
• MMO Blender: Larry's Firefly Effect
• League of Legends summer arena qualifiers kick off July 10th
• Taikodom prepares for August closed beta
• The Daily Grind: How long do you wait before looking up a puzzle's solution online?
• Guild Wars 2 shirt designs up for voting
• The Summoner's Guidebook: Balancing League of Legends' offense and defense items
• Ask Massively: I hope you enjoyed your explosions edition
• Vanguard welcomes the return of Brad McQuaid
• The Perfect Ten: Amazing amateur MMO cosplay
• The MMO Report: Marvel Heroes edition
• Allods Online announces patch 3.0.4, new North American server
• Drakensang raises Atlantis update from the deeps
• APB's Reloaded Games merges with parent company
• Marvel Heroes outlined in debut dev diary
• Transfer your SWTOR character, get an in-game pet
• Club Penguin gets $4.7 million online safety campaign
• New LotRO Riders of Rohan video explores Rohan, soundtrack

MMObility: Developments in Gaikai, OnLive shine light on streaming future Posted: 06 Jul 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, MMObility Video game streaming software and systems is a hot topic. I've mentioned more than once that I think browser-based gaming (specifically MMOs) will be the main way we get our MMO fix within five years. Browser-based gaming is already responsible for a massive chunk of our MMO gaming. All it takes is one look at the number of players of games like RuneScape, Club Penguin, Travian, Spacetime Studio's collection, War of Dragons, Glitch, Evony (and its "nearly 30 million customers worldwide"), Grepolis, Bigpoint's stable, and many, many others to see that the number of us who play MMOs through our browsers is pretty staggering. Streaming content is next. TERA recently invited players to try out the game using a streaming client that is hosted by Gaikai, a streaming service that was recently bought out by Sony for a cool $380 million. While it does not yet stream MMOs, OnLive has been adding games to its collection for quite a while, embedding itself into televisions, tablets, and PCs and now offering a mobile desktop that gives iPad users access to a virtual PC desktop. I have successfully played many browser-based MMOs through that virtual desktop's browser. Big Fish games, a non-MMO developer that produces "a new game ever day," announced that it too will offer a streaming service this summer. I squealed out loud when I heard that one. Does this mean streaming content is closer to mainstream than I previously thought? Continue reading MMObility: Developments in Gaikai, OnLive shine light on streaming future MMObility: Developments in Gaikai, OnLive shine light on streaming future originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Blender: Larry's Firefly Effect Posted: 06 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Economy, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Trek Online, Guild Wars 2, DC Universe Online, Sandbox, MMO Blender Many MMOs suffer from not actually having immersive worlds. As a player, I always find a separation between what I am doing and what the rest of the playerbase sees. My personal gameplay has little to no effect on anyone else. MMO communities need to have more interdependency -- positive and negative. I also believe that player choice also plays a major part in making a believable world, and I don't just mean just in some arbitrary dialogue choice, although that can be part of it. Actions in the world should play a part, too. Many MMOs have the pieces already in place to make wonderful, immersing worlds, but for some reason, no one has ever put all the pieces together. What does it take to make a believable, fun world for a player to not only live in but feel that he is a part of the greater universe? Continue reading MMO Blender: Larry's Firefly Effect MMO Blender: Larry's Firefly Effect originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

League of Legends summer arena qualifiers kick off July 10th Posted: 06 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends Some people are competitive in their gaming, and then there is competitive gaming. For League of Legends players, the competition can also have a huge payout. This summer, LoL will hold an arena competition in New York City with a $10,000 reward for the winning team. Interested in showing off your mad skills? Then hurry and sign up; teams who want to compete in this live event must participate in the qualifying events that begin Tuesday, July 10th. The qualifier is split into NA and EU regions. Registration is $50 per team and players can only register in their home region. The first-place team from each region will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to compete in the live arena August 3rd through 5th. For a full schedule of the qualifying events, check out the announcement at Major League Gaming. League of Legends summer arena qualifiers kick off July 10th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Major League Gaming

Taikodom prepares for August closed beta Posted: 06 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Free-to-play, Browser Earlier this year we were wondering what had happened to Brazilian sci-fi shooter Taikodom -- and if we'd ever see it at all. Happily, things are looking up in this department: Reloaded Games announced that the title is now on the verge of closed beta testing. CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson said that beta signups will commence shortly and the title will go into closed beta in August. If you're wondering what Taikodom is all about, Book-Larsson attempts to sum it up as thus: "The game is a cross between EVE Online, Risk, and a shooter/action game, and has some incredible first-person space vehicle battles, combined with the capability to build large strategic battleships. Players will be able to not only engage in some incredible head-to-head combat in space, but also control vast territory and engage in interstellar politics." Taikodom has taken so long in getting to beta because the team switched to the Unity3D engine halfway through its development. The title is slated to launch this year on the PC and Mac, with tablet and console versions to follow in 2013. Taikodom prepares for August closed beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: VentureBeat

The Daily Grind: How long do you wait before looking up a puzzle's solution online? Posted: 06 Jul 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous When I was much younger, I spent hours and hours solving puzzle games without ever thinking about running to an online source for the answers. OK, so there was no World Wide Web when I was younger, but you get my point. While growing up, I found that the less free time I had, the more I would turn to online guides to find the answer after only a handful of attempts. Strangely enough, The Secret World has reignited my love for solving puzzles the old-fashioned way. But what about you? Do you run to online puzzle solutions from the start, wait a bit to see whether you can solve them yourself, or swear off cheat sheets completely? Let us know! 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! The Daily Grind: How long do you wait before looking up a puzzle's solution online? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 shirt designs up for voting Posted: 05 Jul 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Events, real-world, News items, Guild Wars 2 Guild Wars 2 fans have been clamoring for a few things over the years. The first repeated request, a release date, was granted just last week. Two other things -- a way to turn into walking billboards for ArenaNet and a way to give the company more money -- are soon to be realized as well. Until now, Guild Wars 2 clothing has been reserved only for the lucky and dedicated few who can get themselves to conventions. Soon shirts branded with the awesome art associated with Guild Wars 2 will be available for the masses. Better still, you can have a say in what shirts get made. There's a small gallery of possible designs hosted on the Guild Wars 2 Facebook page. Check it out, pick your three favorites, and vote for those favorites. The poll is only open until 3:00 p.m. EDT on July 6th, so don't deliberate too long. Guild Wars 2 shirt designs up for voting originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Guild Wars 2 t-shirt poll

The Summoner's Guidebook: Balancing League of Legends' offense and defense items Posted: 05 Jul 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: PvP, Free-to-play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Last week, we talked specifically about building League of Legends' attack damage champions and the multiplicative effects the various bonuses have on these heroes. Building attack items is fairly cut and dried. The good attack damage items (IE, BT, PD, LW) are common to most pure AD builds, and there's not a lot of reason to heavily deviate from building them. Defense is another story, however. In Dominion, defense is more heavily itemized than in Summoner's Rift simply because irregular engagements happen constantly. On Summoners' Rift, there is more structure to specific engagements, and a single champion getting spotted out of place either results in an epic bait or a brutal gank. In those situations, defense doesn't help much. However, it's important to itemize defense in any game mode, and in Dominion, it is outright critical. Building only damage items will cause your champion to get melted by enemy attacks very early on, while building defense allows you to play more aggressively and capitalize on damage opportunities with less risk. Building defense is also important for bruisers who must close the gap to melee range, which inevitably means taking more damage than normal. Want to know all about the best time to start building tank? Read on! Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Balancing League of Legends' offense and defense items The Summoner's Guidebook: Balancing League of Legends' offense and defense items originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ask Massively: I hope you enjoyed your explosions edition Posted: 05 Jul 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous For Americans, yesterday was July 4th, also known as the one time of the year when it is considered perfectly acceptable to detonate small explosives in your yard. Why is that how we celebrate the birthday of our nation? I don't know. I just know that explosions are pretty fun, and so I look forward to the annual detonation of cheap boxes filled with gunpowder and other chemicals, creating a visually pleasing shower of sparks and flames. I'm also not clear on why we dress up like movie characters to celebrate the end of October, for the record. Whether or not you enjoyed yesterday's round of explosions, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively, in which we tackle the big questions. Specifically, we tackle two big questions about the pace of major news releases and the boxed retail model for MMOs. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, leave it in the comments below or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for brevity and/or clarity. Continue reading Ask Massively: I hope you enjoyed your explosions edition Ask Massively: I hope you enjoyed your explosions edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vanguard welcomes the return of Brad McQuaid Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:15 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Vanguard, Free-to-play If you're a fan of Vanguard, you know full well who Brad McQuaid is. If you're a fan of EverQuest, you're probably also familiar with the name. And now, the man behind both games has returned to Vanguard after a lengthy hiatus to rejoin the development team. Considering the game is heading toward a free-to-play conversion in the not-too-distant future, it can certainly be seen as an auspicious event. McQuaid is the focus of the game's newest Developer Spotlight, where he discusses his role in starting the game and in its early development. He confesses that he took a long break from playing the game, but he seems quite happy with how it's developed in his absence. Looking to the future, McQuaid also talks about making loot drops and quest rewards more viable throughout the game, encouraging players to explore a variety of zones instead of just a few old standards. The interview is remarkably low-key considering that the man in question was one of the driving forces behind the game's original launch. Players can draw their own conclusions about what McQuaid's return will mean for the game in the long run. [Thanks to Ryan for the tip!] Vanguard welcomes the return of Brad McQuaid originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Developer Spotlight

The Perfect Ten: Amazing amateur MMO cosplay Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Aion, Asheron's Call, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Guild Wars, Culture, Warhammer Online, The Secret World, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, Diablo III I find the whole cosplay subculture at conventions to be both foreign and fascinating. On one hand, I deeply admire the dedication and time it takes to put together a complex outfit and then spend all day wearing this custom-made sweatsuit. On the other hand, it does tend to bring out some folks' narcissism and unnecessary cleavage. While many facets of geek and video game culture are adequately represented by those crazy cosplayers, I don't see as much when it comes to MMORPGs. Was it truly underrepresented, I wondered, or have I just never looked? Consider the following 10 costumes the result of an afternoon or two combing through so much amateur cosplay that it vastly exceeded the recommended amount as set by the American Medical Association. I'm glad to make the sacrifice for you, and besides, you just know those doctors are the ones in these outfits, anyway. (Please note that if you're looking for more skin than skill, this will not be the list for you!) Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Amazing amateur MMO cosplay The Perfect Ten: Amazing amateur MMO cosplay originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The MMO Report: Marvel Heroes edition Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Marvel Heroes, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous The title of this week's installment of The MMO Report isn't meant to be catchy; it's meant to make it clear that the show is exactly what it says on the tin. Host Casey Schreiner is joined by Gazillion Entertainment president David Brevik to talk about the upcoming Marvel Heroes for the entirety of the show as well as show off a bit of footage from the game's various trailers. If that sounds interesting to you, then you're in for a treat. Brevik explains that while players will be forced to choose from an existing roster of heroes, the game does offer several ways to differentiate between them through different costumes and different power selections. He also explains that he wants the game to feel similar to Diablo II in gameplay, with the MMO aspects changing the play environment rather than the core gameplay. Check out the episode just past the cut, and stay tuned each week for a new installment of The MMO Report from G4TV and Massively. Continue reading The MMO Report: Marvel Heroes edition The MMO Report: Marvel Heroes edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: G4TV

Allods Online announces patch 3.0.4, new North American server Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online Allods Online players are probably still busy playing with their new toys from the recent patches, such as the new Dead City raid and the Bard class, but gPotato has plenty more tricks up its sleeve. In a new post on the game's official site, the studio has announced Allods' next major update, patch 3.0.4. Information on the new update is scarce at the moment, but the post promises that "previews... of some of the new content and mechanics [players will] be able to experience in the new update" will be cropping up over the next few weeks on the official site. A few of these features include "changes to the mentor system and autorun, the Psionicist and Paladin reworks, new Allods to explore... and more." But that's not all that this new update is bringing with it. North American players are in for an extra treat in the form of a brand-new server. That's right, in addition to all the fancy new features that 3.0.4 is bringing to the game, NA players will be able to start on a fresh, clean server. This is somewhat odd, considering that the game recently merged two of its servers into one. The studio claims that it will "go into more details about the server and what to expect in the first preview which will arrive tomorrow." While you wait on more juicy information, though, just head on over to the Allods official site to give the full post a read. Allods Online announces patch 3.0.4, new North American server originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Allods Online -- New Update (3.0.4) Coming Soon!

Drakensang raises Atlantis update from the deeps Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-play, Browser Drakensang Online welcomes the citizens of Atlantis to its game world today. The hack-and-slash MMO pushed its largest update ever to the live servers, and it's so big that the ocean itself could not contain it. That's what we call "hyperbole" in the biz. The Atlantis update is a wonder to behold. It includes a new continent with eight areas, 100 additional quests, and plenty of challenges for experienced players to tackle. The city itself is in ruins following its downfall by the giant snake Gorga. The update also includes a revamped world map that should help adventurers find their way. In related news, Bigpoint claims that over eight million players have registered for Drakensang Online. [Source: Bigpoint press release] Drakensang raises Atlantis update from the deeps originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

APB's Reloaded Games merges with parent company Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fallen Earth, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Legal, All Points Bulletin, Crime Reloaded Games, the operator of the revived APB Reloaded, has merged with parent company K2 Network. The new company retained the Reloaded Games moniker and intends it to signify a move to running more cross-platform MMOs. This is a change from K2's old practice of merely importing Korean games. The new Reloaded Games covers both the GamersFirst platform (which includes, among other games, Fallen Earth) and Reloaded Productions studio. The studio will continue to be a subsidiary of the company. Reloaded Games CEO Bjorn Book-Larsson says that this is just the first sign of a bold new initiative by the company: "We have already signed contracts with independent developers to use our platform and portal for their free-to-play game distribution. We will announce those agreements in the next couple of weeks." APB's Reloaded Games merges with parent company originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Games Industry, Gamasutra

Marvel Heroes outlined in debut dev diary Posted: 05 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Video, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Marvel Heroes, Dev Diaries Gazillion Entertainment's President and COO, David Brevik, used Marvel Heroes' first dev diary to tout some features of the upcoming free-to-play title. Marvel Heroes claims to combine Diablo-esque action with an MMO world stocked with Marvel personalities and locations. Players will be able to choose from the best characters that Marvel has to offer, which Brevik pointed out means that characters will have backstories and relationships with other characters which will make them that much more engaging. These familiar heroes will be running through well-known Marvel environments, but Brevik says that there is an element of randomness that will keep the spirit of adventure and discovery alive. The game comes with all the best parts of the Marvel universe: Multiple suits for characters allow players to choose between iconic looks, the story itself is being shaped by comic book legend Brian Michael Bendis, and motion comics illustrated by Marvel artists bring the story to life. If you're the type that needs to see to believe, there's good news: Marvel Heroes will be playable at the Marvel Booth (#2329) at Comic-Con International: San Diego. According to a Gazillion press release, fans in attendance will be able to play as one of four Marvel heroes and wade into Mutant Town to face off against Magneto. Marvel will be holding other events during the con, with plans for contests, giveaways, and a games panel where new Marvel Heroes characters and content will be revealed. To hear the big man himself, head below the drop to check out the dev diary video. Continue reading Marvel Heroes outlined in debut dev diary Marvel Heroes outlined in debut dev diary originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Transfer your SWTOR character, get an in-game pet Posted: 05 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic BioWare's latest website update says that "hundreds of thousands of players have already taken advantage" of its free character transfer service for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Apparently that's not enough, though, as the company is now incentivizing the process. The firm is giving "all characters on qualifying servers (including all destination servers)" a Gannifari pet as well as 25 Black Hole Commendations with which to buy high-end gear. What's a qualifying server? You can find a full listing as well as further promotional details on the official SWTOR website. Transfer your SWTOR character, get an in-game pet originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Transfer rewards

Club Penguin gets $4.7 million online safety campaign Posted: 05 Jul 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Club Penguin, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Kids, Family Games for kids need to be safe for kids, and recent news about Habbo highlights the importance of this. In the aftermath of concerns raised in that community, Disney has decided to launch an expansive safety campaign for its popular Club Penguin title. The campaign will spend $4.7 million to target not only the children who who play the game but also parents through advertising on various media including websites, magazines, television, and in the game itself. Club Penguin co-founder and Executive VP of Disney Online Studios Lane Merrifield emphasizes the company's stance on the importance of online safety and that education is a key element. Merrifield states, "From the very start, our vision for Club Penguin was to create a safe place for my kids and their friends to play online. The scale may now be bigger than I could ever have imagined but that philosophy has not changed. As an industry I think we can help teach kids the lessons that they need to become responsible digital citizens." Club Penguin gets $4.7 million online safety campaign originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GamePolitics.com

New LotRO Riders of Rohan video explores Rohan, soundtrack Posted: 05 Jul 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Turbine has graced us with another behind-the-scenes video focused on Riders of Rohan's production process. This time around, the star is composer Chance Thomas, who says that penning Tolkien-inspired tunes is like "walking on sacred ground." Senior world designer Chris Pierson agrees, and he says that Turbine is aware of the lofty fan expectation surrounding Lord of the Rings Online's Rohan and the horse-culture Tolkien created. "Rohan is one of the strongest elements in the books, in my opinion, as far as stirring the emotions of the readers, captivating them, and creating a mental image of what people expect," Pierson explains. Thomas concurs, and he takes it a step further when discussing the audio work that's going into the expansion. "While the players are playing the game, I'm playing the player with some emotional knobs and sliders to bring their emotions into the experience," Thomas says. Check out the full video after the break. [Source: Turbine press release] Continue reading New LotRO Riders of Rohan video explores Rohan, soundtrack New LotRO Riders of Rohan video explores Rohan, soundtrack originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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