General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Google Acquires Motion Control Software Flutter

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:35 PM PDT

Google tries its hand at motion control

The company behind motion control software Flutter has been acquired by Google. Company CEO Navneet Dalal announced the acquisition on the Flutter website, thanking users and promising the continued availability of the app.

Flutter large logo

If you're unfamiliar with the service, think of Flutter as a software-only implementation of the Leap Motion. Hold your hand in front of your webcam and Flutter gives you basic control over your computer. You can skip tracks in Pandora, pause videos on Netflix or YouTube, or just wave at your computer for fun.

Google's no stranger to acquisitions and many of its greatest products are the culmination of companies that have been absorbed by the search provider. Outgoing Microsoft Chief Steve Ballmer has even gone so far as to call Google a monopoly.

It's at least a tad ironic that Google's 2011 April Fool's joke was Gmail motion control because it looks like we might actually get to wave our hands in front of our computers to read email.

If you want to try your hand—literally—at Flutter, grab it here.

How do you think Google will use motion control moving forward? Let us know in the comments below!

Follow Ben on Twitter.

Zalman MS800 Plus Review

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 02:59 PM PDT

A budget case that's trying to escape

Zalman's MS800 Plus aspires to accomplish much for its super-inexpensive price of a cool $100. And on paper, it does.

However, a case is more than just its spec sheet, and the MS800 Plus is a perfect example of a chassis that looks a bit flashier on the printed page than underneath your desk. At its core, the MS800 Plus is a budget case; it suffers the same budget drawbacks you see in a number of cases in this price range, which lessens the impact—or "cool factor"—of the otherwise interesting elements that Zalman adds to the mix.

The MS800 features pricey  features on a budget.

The MS800 features pricey features on a budget.

Popping off the case's side panel (with its larger-than-expected window) is easy enough, thanks to the chassis's thumbscrews. The first fun bit you'll encounter is the case's large "VGA guide," which runs vertically over the top of the motherboard tray for all the case's 21 inches. It's there to support huge GPUs that can stress slots during movement, or it can be used to hold an extra 9.2cm fan (included). Such a feature on a budget case is questionable, though, as overly heavy GPUs tend to cost five to 10 times as much as this case. Nevertheless, you can still install a motherboard without issue.

Tabs located on the front bay covers mar the case's overall aesthetic a bit, but they make installing and removing up to six 5.25-inch devices a complete breeze. We appreciate that Zalman offers twist-lock devices instead of screws for installation, but these locks do feel flimsier than competing push-button mechanisms.

Unique to the MS800 Plus (versus its companion chassis, the plainer MS800) are the case's three hot-swap bays located at its very bottom-front. We love the addition, though we wish we had a wee bit more room for hard drives instead of 5.25-inch devices. In addition to the two 12cm fans, one on top and one in back, a single 9.2cm fan also sucks air in over the HDDs. We'd have preferred a 12cm on the drives, too, but space is already tight with the oddly placed 9.2cm fan. You could always connect the hard drive fan to one of the six available connections on the case's built-in fan controller. It joins the case's two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, along with audio jacks, on the top of the case's front. Our only complaint is that the controller uses a low-to-high decal to show you where the knob's dial corresponds with fan speeds (as if the noise alone wasn't enough). We would have liked a prettier light or visual indicator much more.

Two elements of the MS800 Plus that leave us a bit concerned are the case's cable management and water-cooling support. The right-most side panel runs perilously close to the rear of the motherboard tray, leaving little recourse for those used to mashing a spider's nest of cables against their side panel. You get a bit of a reprieve near the drive bays, but we wish we had that space all around. Additionally, the case needs a few more cable-routing holes cut closer to the power supply.

As for water cooling, the case comes with rubberized holes for tube routing. However, we could find no way to pop off the case's top panel that didn't make us feel as if we were going to break something important. This mars our dreams of top-mounting a radiator in the chassis.

Zalman's MS800 Plus offers some compelling features—namely, a fan controller and hot-swap bay—at a low cost. But we're not quite sure if some of the funkier elements, such as the out-of-place VGA guide, the case's screw-laden PCI covers, its (practically) bolted-on roof, or its tight cable management, are worth the trade-off.

$100, www.zalman.com

No BS Podcast #211: IDF, Ivy Bridge-E, Surface II, AMD takes on the GK110, and SteamOS

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 11:53 AM PDT

Ivy Bridge-EIntel Developer Forum, Ivy Bridge-E, Microsoft's second generation Surface and more!

The Maximum PC Staff returns for episode #211 of the No BS Podcast to discuss September news highlights. Gordon starts off with his thoughts on the hardware presented at IDF including the new Quark and Ivy Bridge-E. Next, the staff tackles Microsoft's second attempt at the Surface tablet, AMD's new Hawaii chip and Valve's SteamOS. Your questions are answered, editors picks are given and Gordon finishes with his signature rant.

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Editor's Picks:

Gordon Ung: ModRight Extreme Super Large Anti-Static Mod-Mat

Tom McNamara: State of Decay

Josh Norem: Is It Down Right Now?, Seagate 4TB HDD

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Thanks for listening!

AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta 2 Driver Adds Single and CrossFire Game Profiles for Battlefield 4

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:41 AM PDT

Battlefield 4New beta drivers arrive just in time for the Battlefield 4 beta

For those of you eligible for early access, the beta for Battlefield 4 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC went live yesterday. If you're not eligible for early access, you only have to wait a couple more days until the open beta, which is scheduled for Friday, October 4th. Either way, AMD has a new set of beta drivers available for Radeon graphics card owners, and among the additions are game profiles for single GPU and CrossFire setups for BF4.

AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta 2 is the second set of beta drivers, and all the features and fixes found in the original are also included in this latest update. In addition, AMD updated its CrossFire profile for Total War: Rome 2, resolved some known issues, and updated its Enduro technology application profiles for Radeon HD notebook users.

The original Catalyst 13.10 Beta driver introduced performance improvements in a few titles as well as frame pacing improvements in Tomb Raider, Metro Last Light, Sniper Elite, World of Warcraft, Max Payne 3, and Hitman Absolution.

You can download the second set of beta drivers for Windows or Linux.

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Dell Debuts a Bunch of Venue Tablets and XPS Laptops Running Android and Windows 8.1

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:35 AM PDT

Dell XPS 11There's something here for almost everyone

While Michael Dell is celebrating the impending acquisition of the company he co-founded, which he'll take private once the deal is complete, it's still business as usual for Dell, the world's third largest PC maker. On tap from Dell are more than half a dozen portables designed for Android or Windows 8.1, including four Venue tablet products and three XPS laptops of various sizes and configurations.

Starting with the XPS line, Dell today announced refreshed XPS 11, XPS 13, and XPS 15 laptops built around Intel's 4th Generation Core processor (Haswell) line. These systems all have upgraded displays, including an 11.6-inch UltraSharp QHD (2560x1440) touch panel on the XPS 11, 13.3-inch Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) display with optional touch support on the XPS 13, and either a 15.6-inch Full HD 1080p panel or 15.6-inch UltraSharp QHD+ (3200x1800) display on the XPS 15, both with touch support.

The XPS 11 is billed as a 2-in-1 system with a display that twists and lays flat on the chassis, thereby transforming it into a tablet. Meanwhile, the XPS 13 and XPS 15 are slim systems like Apple's MacBook Air, only better equipped and running Windows 8.1, of course.

For the tablet crowd, Dell announced the Venue 7 with a 7-inch display (1280x800), Intel Atom Z2560 processor, 2GB of LP-DDR2 RAM, 16GB of eMMC storage, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi + GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G/HSPA+ (optional), VGA webcam, 3MP rear-facing camera, microSD card reader, micro USB 2.0 port, headphone/mic combo jack, and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

The other Android tablet is the Venue 8, a slightly larger slate with the same resolution and similar spec sheet, except that it runs an Atom Z2580 processor and has a 32GB eMMC option,

Dell Venue Tablets

On the Windows 8 side, Dell announced the Venue 8 Pro and Venue 11 Pro. The former ships with a 1280x800 resolution, Intel Atom Z3470D processor, 32GB or 64GB of storage, 2GB of DDR3L-RS 1600 RAM, dual-band 2x2 MIMO 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, HSPA+, 4G LTE, 1.2MP webcam, 5MP rear-facing camera, microSD card slot, and Windows 8.1.

The Venue 11 Pro has a 10.8-inch display with a 1920x1080 resolution, various processor options up to an Intel Core i5 3400Y, up to 256GB of solid state storage, up to 8GB of DDR3 1600, stereo speakers with SRS premium audio, dual-band 2x2 MIMO 802.11n Wi-Fi, NFC support, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE, HSPA+, full-size USB 3.0 port, and various other odds and ends.

Pricing and release dates have not yet been announced.

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Grand Theft Auto Online Gets Stuck in Traffic

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:08 AM PDT

Grand Theft Auto OnlineIt takes patience to be a criminal

Rockstar Games issued an update yesterday morning that unlocked Grand Theft Auto V's online gameplay component, but rather than smooth sailing once it flipped the switch, the debut of Grand Theft Auto Online proved a rocky road for many gamers, myself included. It's a two-fold problem of technical issues on Rockstar's side, and an influx of traffic from scores of gamers who eagerly awaited the update.

"For those trying to get into GTA Online today, please bear with us on some day one technical connection issues that we're working to stabilize ASAP," Rockstar Games posted to its Twitter account yesterday.

Pretty much as soon as Rockstar Games granted access to online gameplay, users began reporting problems logging into the service and loading missions. In my case, the game got stuck loading after creating a character, which is an issue others have reported running into as well.

In a blog post last week, Rockstar Games warned that there would likely be "teething problems" at the outset, and given the game's popularity and record breaking sales, these kinds of issues are hardly surprising, albeit annoying.

The latest update to GTA V not only adds online gameplay to the mix, it also fixes a handful of issues, including one where vehicles saved in garages would go missing.

And no, there's still no word on when Rockstar Games will get around to porting GTA V to PC -- boo!

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Microsoft Now Accepting Pre-orders for Windows 8.1 (Full Version)

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 08:39 AM PDT

Windows 8.1 Full VersionDon't worry Windows 8 users, the update is still free

Anyone rocking a legal copy of Windows 8 is eligible to receive an update to Windows 8.1 free of charge when it's made available on October 17, 2013 (two weeks from this Thursday), though if you haven't made the leap to Microsoft's touch friendly operating system, you can jump straight to Windows 8.1 for $120. That's the cost of the full version of Windows 8.1, and it's now available to pre-order.

Bear in mind that Windows 8.1 is not intended for installation on machines running Windows XP or Windows Vista. If you're running one of those OSes, you can purchase a copy of Windows 8 and receive and the Windows 8.1 update free of charge when it's available.

For those of you running Windows 7, Microsoft promises your files will "easily transfer" when installing the full version of Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 brings several improvements to Windows 8, not the least of which is the return of the Start button (though not the Start menu). It also introduced an improved browser in Internet Explorer 11, more control over tiles, improved multitasking support, and more.

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Trendnet's Travel Router Keeps Everyone Connected on the Go

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 06:27 AM PDT

Trendnet Travel RouterTurned wired Internet into wireless with a wall socket

Trendnet announced the availability of its N150 Wireless Travel Router (TEW-714TRU), a compact device that makes it possible to share a single Internet connection with multiple users when away from home. It's an interesting concept considering that Wi-Fi is fairly ubiquitous these days, though you may run into an older hotel or visit a family member that's still rocking a wired connection. These are situations where the Travel Router would come into play.

To use it, you just plug the Travel Router into a wall socket (it comes with American, European, and British style electrical plugs), connect the Ethernet cable, and set it to Router Mode. To share a single wireless hotel (or other) Internet connection, you'd set the Travel Router to WISP Mode and enter the provided Username and Password.

As an added bonus, you can charge mobile gadgets on the Travel Router's USB port, as well as share content from those devices, so it's more than just a one-trick pony.

The N150 Wireless Travel Router will be available later this month for $60 MSRP.

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Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 4930K, Samsung 840 Evo 120GB SSD, and More!

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:53 AM PDT

Intel Core i7 4930Knewegg logo

Top Deal:

So you took a page out of the handbook of Polly Prudence and avoided Intel's Haswell refresh until the early adopters had a chance to discover any niggling bugs, is that it? That's not a bad strategy, and your reward for your patience is that Ivy Bridge-E has come onto the scene, giving you yet another option to consider. Want bragging rights over your dual- and quad-core wielding buddies? Then have a look at today's top deal for an Intel Core i7 4930K processor for $580 with free shipping (extra savings with coupon code: DYMCPU20). This is a six-core Ivy Bridge-E processor clocked at 3.4GHz with a heaping 12MB of L3 cache.

Other Deals:

Samsung S24B150BL Black 23.6" 5ms LED Backlight LCD Monitor for $130 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [AFNJ2615])

G-Technology G-Drive 500GB 2.5-inch USB 3.0 Mobile Hard Drive
for $100 with free shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code: [GHH19])

MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB PCI Express 3.0x16 Video Card for $325 with free shipping (extra savings with coupon code: [DYMVGA18P]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

Samsung 840 Evo 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $110 with $3 shipping (extra savings with coupon code: [DYMCPU20])

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


A wounded land: The sights of LotRO's West Rohan

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , ,

A wounded land The regions of LotRO Helm's Deep
In past developer walkthroughs of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep, Turbine gave us a broad overview of the expansion as well as a look at the next portion of the epic story. For our third tour, we got to check out the vistas and landscapes of West Rohan.

One of our concerns was that after the expansiveness of East Rohan, the wast would be, well, more of the same. Lots of fields, horses galore, and so on. While the horses are still ever-present (this is Rohan, after all), West Rohan establishes a unique identity as a land that's more developed, more diverse, and more wounded. The theme of the region is simple: War is coming -- and is in fact already here.

In our tour through the five ridings of West Rohan, the developers stopped to point out how they crafted the region to do the country and its many fans justice. If you think you know it all from the movies or from base assumptions, you might want to open your mind to a richer experience that's coming soon to LotRO.

Continue reading A wounded land: The sights of LotRO's West Rohan

MassivelyA wounded land: The sights of LotRO's West Rohan originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Aura Kingdom offers its first installment of story

    Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT

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    Fantasy MacGuffins ahoy.
    Let's face it, every MMO's lore is fundamentally an explanation for why there's something to kill and what you hope to accomplish by killing it. But even in the games that only need the thinnest veneer of a plot anyway, there's still some lore, and someone's going to be happy to learn about it. Aura Kingdom is aiming at having a bit more than an excuse plot, evidenced by the fact that a large piece of lore has just been placed up on the main site prior to the game's beta test commencing.

    The crux of the game's history hinges around the Cube of Gaia, an immensely powerful artifact that was discovered roughly 1,000 years prior to the game's present. This first bit of lore covers the first empire to control the Cube, with a normadic warchief rising to worldwide domination through careful use of the Cube's power. Take a look at the lore, and if it appeals, go ahead and sign up for beta while you're there.

    MassivelyAura Kingdom offers its first installment of story originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Battle and usability being improved in The Repopulation

    Posted: 02 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , , ,

    All of human history has been figuring out ways to put us further from harm's way.  Someone in every game would rather get right into harm's way and punch it.  Great job, guys.
    Someone always wants to play a melee character. You could give everyone in an MMO the ability to shoot something dead from two zones over and there would be at least one player rushing into melee range to smack at it. Hence why The Repopulation has made a point of upping melee's viability by improving its ability to hit a moving target; if someone's going to do it anyway, it may as well be viable. Medical abilities have also been improved, and the game's crosshairs and aiming assistance have both received an upgrade.

    The other two major areas of improvement for the game's past month of development has been the addition of new content near Plymouth (including a truly massive cave network) and improvements to missions and mission templates to make the game easier to jump into. The inquiry system also allows players to collect data on the game world, and the Surveying skill allows players to figure out where harvestable resources are located. Take a look at the full patch notes for an in-depth look at how the game has changed as it moves ever closer to its beta test phase.

    MassivelyBattle and usability being improved in The Repopulation originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Phoenix Project dubs itself City of Titans and launches on Kickstarter

    Posted: 02 Oct 2013 07:30 AM PDT

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    A whole new (somewhat familiar) world!
    So how have you been doing since the closure of City of Heroes? If you haven't been doing so good, City of Titans is certainly meant to be your sort of game. If you've been fine... well, maybe you'll still want to check it out. One of the fan-made spiritual successors to City of Heroes, this game was previously known as The Phoenix Project but now has both a finished title and a Kickstarter project available.

    The game is taking aim at a modest $320,000 goal (and is already $60,000 toward it as of this writing), with the funding paying for servers and necessary production software. Developers are promising that the game is meant to focus on character attitude rather than skills or classes; players choose how a hero wishes to do something and abilities changed based upon that. Whether you're an old friend of the movement or just like the idea of a different sort of superhero game, consider throwing a few dollars toward the campaign.

    [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

    MassivelyThe Phoenix Project dubs itself City of Titans and launches on Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    World of Warcraft movie to premiere in 2015

    Posted: 02 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT

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    Surprise, it's really just How to Train Your Dragon but with some models replaced.
    What's the plot of the World of Warcraft movie? We don't know. Who's starring in the film? We don't know that, either. When will we get to see the movie? That we do know. The official Twitter feed for the game announced last night that the World of Warcraft film will premiere on December 18th, 2015. So you've got a couple of years left before sitting in for opening night, or as is more likely the case before sitting at home and waiting until the film comes out on Blu-ray.

    It may seem a little early for a release date when so much about the film remains unknown, but considering the film has languished in development hell for seven years at this point most people involved are happy to kick things up a bit. Since 2015 is also the year that the new Star Wars movie is scheduled to hit theaters, you can at least enjoy the promise of some films to pique your interest in a couple of years.

    MassivelyWorld of Warcraft movie to premiere in 2015 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: What colors do you wear?

    Posted: 02 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT

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    The Daily Grind What colors do you wear
    You know what I look at a lot these days? Color combinations. I have an abundance of toddlers in my house, and with toddlers come brightly colored toys, clothes, and kitchenware. I've become fascinated with observing which color combinations are on display, mostly because I bring that newfound knowledge into MMOs when I'm trying to figure out how to dye my outfits.

    A good color scheme can make or break an outfit. Deep blue and bright yellow is one of my current favorite combos, although I will never say no to black-and-white simplicity. Even brown is kind of cool if paired with pink or a bright green.

    So for those of you who obsess with getting "just the right look" for your character when you're purchasing dyes, what colors do you end up wearing? What are your favorites?

    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: What colors do you wear? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      MMO bloggers band together to encourage new writers

      Posted: 01 Oct 2013 07:00 PM PDT

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      MMO bloggers band together to encourage writers
      Have you heard of the Newbie Blogger Initiative? It's only the latest and greatest craze to hit the MMO circuit. Basically, several experienced MMO bloggers decided to band together to encourage and support players in trying their hand at starting up a new blog.

      During the month of October, the NBI will be raging across blogs, on its website, and especially on its forums. Veteran MMO bloggers have gathered to offer advice through posts, mentoring, Q&A sessions, and promoting start-up blogs. Yours truly will be a part of this, as will Storybricks' Brian Green.

      If you've thought about starting up an MMO blog, then this is the perfect month to do so. Sign in, peruse the forums, get posting, and enjoy the resources that the blogging community is setting up to give you the best possible beginning! The NBI should interest all MMO players, as it's a great central location to find interesting and entertaining blogs both new and old.

      MassivelyMMO bloggers band together to encourage new writers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Jukebox Heroes: 14 MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud

      Posted: 01 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT

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      Jukebox Heroes X MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud
      I'm a pretty slow adopter of new technology and services, so I've only recently really started paying attention to the music-sharing service that is SoundCloud because I've started to see more and more MMO composers plopping down their work onto the site for the world to enjoy. Now that I've spent some time with SoundCloud, I've got to say just how impressed I am with what it can offer to the soundtrack community.

      Composers and studios can put their soundtracks up on the site for people to listen through without that annoying arbitrary 30-second limit that certain digital distribution platforms use. In addition to providing music for the ears, musicians have the option to show where these albums can be purchased -- and in some cases, offer the tracks as a free download. In return, listeners can tag portions of the songs and have back-and-forth discussions with the composers.

      I've done a lot of digging and have discovered quite a few MMO soundtracks that are available on SoundCloud, including some that you can legally download and enjoy today. Here are 14 to get you started, but if you see any more, please let us all know in the comments!

      Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: 14 MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud

      MassivelyJukebox Heroes: 14 MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's Dread War, part 1

        Posted: 01 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT

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        Hyperspace Beacon SWTOR's Dread War, part 1
        When I freed the Dread Masters on the prison world of Belsavis, little did I know that a year and a half after the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, I would not only be fighting against these amazing foes but trying to destroy them. As I mentioned the last couple of weeks, the Empire and the Republic found the secret base of the Dread Masters on the planet Oricon, where they have been hiding and experimenting on the local fauna while amassing their subjugated army.

        Eventually, a strike team will have to invade the Dread Master's fortress, and in the two new operations of Update 2.4: The Dread War, you will get to do just that. Although I'm still not sure where this falls on the fun scale when compared to other SWTOR operations, I can tell you that it is challenging and exciting. I'll break it down for you, and if you hadn't guessed already, there will be spoilers. That said, I will limit the story-related ones.

        Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's Dread War, part 1

        MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's Dread War, part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Wargaming releases new World of Warplanes flight school video

          Posted: 01 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT

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          Wargaming releases new World of Warplanes flight school video
          Need a video primer for turning and burning in World of Warplanes? Look no further than the clip Wargaming.net released this week. The six-minute shindig is part of the title's flight school series, and it focuses on various strategies for both air combat newbs and WoWP newbs.

          The video pays plenty of lip service to higher ground techniques, boom-and-zoom tactics, and making the most of the extensive info provided by the game's HUD. Have a look-see for yourself after the cut.

          [Source: Wargaming.net press release]

          Continue reading Wargaming releases new World of Warplanes flight school video

          MassivelyWargaming releases new World of Warplanes flight school video originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Pre-order Destiny and get beta early access

            Posted: 01 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT

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            Preorder Destiny and get beta early access
            Bungie is not-so-subtly nudging players in the direction of the Destiny pre-order by offering one tantalizing morsel: early access to the game's beta. By pre-ordering Destiny, players will get a code that will get them into the beta when it starts up in early 2014. Previous pre-orders will automatically receive beta codes as well.

            There's a bunch of fine print to this one, so keep on reading. First of all, you'll need to pre-order at a participating retailer: Amazon (US and UK), Best Buy (US), Gamestop (US), Walmart (US), Smyths (UK), Tesco (UK), or Blockbuster (UK). The studio further requires that you have either a PS4, PS3, Xbox One, or Xbox 360 as well as a bungie.net account.

            MassivelyPre-order Destiny and get beta early access originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.4: The Dread War is here

            Posted: 01 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT

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            Star Wars The Old Republic Update 24 The Dread War is here
            While it accidentally patched up yesterday, Update 2.4 is now live for Star Wars: The Old Republic. The update is called The Dread War and is apparently the biggest update since the game launched its expansion.

            Update 2.4 has a lot of "new" to it: a new planet (well, moon), new missions, new operations, new PvP options, new gear sets, new warzone maps, and new mounts. The update title refers to the Dread Masters who have taken up residence on the moon or Oricon, where a story mission series will allow players to further delve into the histories behind these happy-go-lucky folks. At the end of all this are challenging level-55 operations called the Dread Fortress and the Dread Palance.

            Will you be a part of the team tackling "the galaxy's greatest threat?" If so, you'll probably want to bone up on the patch notes before diving into the fray!

            MassivelyStar Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.4: The Dread War is here originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Age of Conan dev letter outlines new dungeons, tradeskill revamp progress

            Posted: 01 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT

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            Age of Conan dev letter outlines new dungeons, tradeskill revamp progress
            Age of Conan game director Joel Bylos has penned a new director's letter recapping the various happenings in Hyboria.

            Funcom is still hard work on AoC's long-awaited crafting revamp, and Bylos says that the "single most important part of the tradeskill system was completed earlier this week." Apparently there was plenty of work to be done converting old items and old tools into the new system -- some of the assets were originally created using Anarchy Online toolsets, for example. It sounds like there's still a long way to go, though, as Bylos mentions that UI work, content work, node placement, and tutorials still need doing.

            The letter also mentions Age of Conan's traditional Halloween event as well as three new dungeons that have made their way onto the game's test server. Click through the links below to read all about it!

            MassivelyAge of Conan dev letter outlines new dungeons, tradeskill revamp progress originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Cryptic eyeing single shard for Neverwinter, merge details 'coming soon'

            Posted: 01 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT

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            Cryptic eyeing single shard for Neverwinter, merge details 'coming soon'
            Cryptic has posted an interesting news blurb related to Neverwinter's server technology. It seems as if the company is getting ready to merge the fantasy MMO's three shards into a single uber-server. The firm says that "it's always been our goal to allow all players in Neverwinter to play together on one shard," and a forum post from late 2012 provides more details on the hows and whys.

            As for the merge date, specific info will be coming soon, Cryptic says.

            MassivelyCryptic eyeing single shard for Neverwinter, merge details 'coming soon' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            CCP still sees 'massive opportunity' on PS3 for DUST 514

            Posted: 01 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT

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            CCP still sees 'massive opportunity' on PS3 for DUST 514
            CCP is apparently content to keep DUST 514 on the PlayStation 3 for the time being, even though there's no exclusivity deal preventing it from appearing on other platforms. CEO Hilmar Petursson recently told Eurogamer that "there isn't anything preventing us from doing anything like that other than focus and prioritization."

            "It's easy to go and look at all the new shiny things that are coming but we don't want to be doing that. We want to stick to our guns," Petursson said. "There are 80 million PlayStation 3s and we have a free-to-play game; I think there is a massive opportunity in continuing to work on that throughout next year." If that sounds like CCP isn't quite sure whether or not it will bring DUST to the upcoming PlayStation 4, well, yes. "We just haven't decided," Petursson said. "It's just as simple as that. It can, technically, be [on the PS4]. There's nothing preventing it, it's just not what we're focusing on."

            MassivelyCCP still sees 'massive opportunity' on PS3 for DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            We interviewed SOE about today's EQII Heroic Characters patch

            Posted: 01 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT

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            Interview expounds on today's Heroic Characters patch in EverQuest II
            By now you have probably heard that EverQuest II is launching a little thing called Heroic Characters today; after all, this little thing is kind of a big deal. How often do players get the chance to jump in and experience a game as a permanent high-level character instead of just being teased with one during a brief tutorial? And for two weeks this possibility is completely free to each and every person, be they new players or veterans.

            Whether you are eagerly awaiting your chance to jump (back) into Norrath and see what things are like in the newest story arcs or you're eyeing the sudden influx of high level newbs with trepidation, there's no denying that EQ II is going through a fundamental shift today. This patch has the ability to change the landscape of play in the game more so than anything since the free-to-play conversion. When you couple these new Heroic Characters with the lifting of item restrictions, there are literally no more gates barring people from joining and experiencing most of what the game has to offer.

            In anticipation of this big change, I had the opportunity to sit down with Franchise Director Dave Georgeson and Producer Holly Longdale to talk Heroic Character shop, and they shed more light on this upcoming experience. They also revealed a little something extra coming for the raiders in Norrath.

            Continue reading We interviewed SOE about today's EQII Heroic Characters patch

            MassivelyWe interviewed SOE about today's EQII Heroic Characters patch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Player-owned customs offices coming to empire space in EVE Online

              Posted: 01 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT

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              If you don't play EVE, the appeal might be lost.
              Customs offices are pretty important in EVE Online. They're a link between planetside goods and the ships plying the spaceways, allowing for far more efficient transfers than shooting goods up and down while hoping for results. But in secure space, players aren't currently able to control these structures. That's changing with the Rubicon expansion, which will allow players to take out existing customs offices and build their own to control the flow of goods to and from a planet.

              At the start of Rubicon, all existing high-sec customs offices will be controlled by an NPC organization. Players can destroy these offices and then deploy a construction gantry. There are restrictions on transferring ownership and attacking offices owned by players, of course, but in most respects these offices function as their equivalents do in low-sec and nullsec. Players can control taxes, transfer rates, and even outright ban others from using the planet -- which can be circumvented with surface-side launches. It's another step in letting players control more of the game's infrastructure, something that should be welcomed by those looking to put a little more play into the more secure parts of the game.

              MassivelyPlayer-owned customs offices coming to empire space in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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