General Gaming Article

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• Everything You Wanted to Know About AMD’s New TrueAudio Technology
• AVG, Avira Among Websites Defaced by Palestinian Hackers
• Smartphone Sales Headed to 1 Billion Units and Beyond in 2013
• Google Unveils HP Chromebook 11 with IPS Display, Exynos Processor for $279
• Gartner Forecasts IT Spending to Reach $3.8 Trillion in 2014
• Grab Futuremark's 3DMark Benchmark for $8.49 During Steam Sale
• Newegg Daily Deals: Toshiba 3TB Hard Drive, Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3-1600, and More!

Everything You Wanted to Know About AMD’s New TrueAudio Technology Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:43 PM PDT We interview AMD to get the lowdown on the company's new, 3D immersive sound technology Perhaps the biggest surprise—and the best kept secret of AMD's new R7 and R9 graphics chips--was the inclusion of a new advanced audio technology dubbed TrueAudio. That's right, a video card with audio support. With advanced PC audio considered a long forgotten technology, Maximum PC played 23 questions with AMD's Carl Wakeland. Wakeland is a Fellow Design Engineer and considered the "author" of TrueAudio. Maximum PC: In one sentence TrueAudio is: AMD: A programmable audio core built into the GPU, representing our effort to breathe life into game audio environments as the programmable graphics pipeline breathed life into the diversity of PC graphics. MPC: I didn't get to attend the briefing but if I get this; AMD has integrated Tensilica HiFi2 EP DSPs directly into the die or on the package or on the PCB? It says multiple but how many exactly? AMD: The entire AMD TrueAudio hardware block is built directly into the die of the AMD Radeon R9 290X, R9 290 and R7 260X GPUs. While I cannot disclose the quantity, I can say that the game developers we've been speaking to have been overjoyed by the hardware capabilities we're providing. (AMD has since disclosed to us that it has three Tensilica DSPs on the die). MPC: This is in addition to a separate Tensilica Xtensa SP is integrated directly onto the die or package or PCB?  AMD: Inclusive of the Xtensa HiFi EP core and multiple Xtensa HiFi2 EP cores, the AMD TrueAudio block is 100 percent integrated into the die of the graphics chip. MPC: I'm not up to speed with Tensilica hardware but why the need for the Xtensa SP? Isn't it an FPU? I thought the calculations were done in the GPU? AMD: The Tensilica Xtensa HiFi EP provides single and double precision floating point assistance for calculating accurate simulations of the intended audio environment. Compute resources from the GPU or CPU pipelines are not required, and that's the intention of AMD TrueAudio: 100 percent offloading to preserve or even improve system performance, even with superior audio. MPC: How much of the calculations are GPU-based, how much are host-based? AMD: Any calculation AMD TrueAudio is harnessed to perform is done entirely on the AMD TrueAudio silicon. MPC: Could TrueAudio be implemented in an APU-setup? AMD: AMD TrueAudio could be integrated into any Graphics Core Next-based graphics chip, but it's too early to discuss where the audio engine might appear next. MPC: Could TrueAudio be implemented with a discrete card with the right hardware (in other words, without the need for an AMD GPU?) AMD: AMD TrueAudio depends upon the greater GPU. TrueAudio leverages the significant bandwidth and low access latency of a Radeon's memory pools, and that bandwidth and latency is critically important when offloading audio tasks from the CPU to the TrueAudio engine. MPC: I'm guessing Xbox One will not have TrueAudio as Microsoft has its SHAPE audio engine but what about PS4? AMD: Sony and Microsoft would be in a better position to comment on the functionality of their audio hardware. I wouldn't want to answer on their behalf. MPC: Those who have followed PC audio for a long time have long heard that an X-Fi or EAX took so-and-so performance that the CPU can't do or that the reflections in A3D 2.0 are too much for the CPU, with most gamers running quad-core and up today, and most of the graphics calculations offloaded to the GPU today, is there really much work for a 4/6/8-core CPU to do? AMD: Oh gosh, there's plenty for a CPU to do. There's so much to do that today's PC gaming audio engines are capped to 8-10 percent (at best) of the average CPU's performance budget just so the more "important" bits like AI, physics or game simulations are able to function unhindered. More often than not, the CPU is so busy that audio engineers only have access to an uncertain amount of "leftover" CPU resources, rather than a fixed target. That encourages very conservative audio production, of course, which we hope to alleviate with AMD TrueAudio. CPUs are also responsible for feeding the beast—the graphics card—with all the data it requires. More powerful graphics cards require correspondingly more powerful CPUs. MPC: You guys are using GenAudio and McDSP. GenAudio's says AstoundSound modeling is based on how the brain reacts to sound rather than the older model of putting microphones into head dummies to create the algorithms. GenAudio calls it HRBF. How is HRBF an improvement on Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs)? AMD: A key point I want to make here is that we are working to integrate AMD TrueAudio technology into game audio libraries. The very libraries that game developers would license to incorporate an audio engine in their game—that's where AudioKinetic's Wwise and Firelight Technologies' FMOD come into the equation. GenAudio and McDSP are an even earlier stage in that process, creating plugins that interface with Wwise or FMOD to provide diverse audio effects that are compatible with the AMD TrueAudio chip. Now, the library guys themselves could adopt these plugins, or the game developers could go get the GenAudio (or McDSP) plugin and snap it into the library they have. The latter approach is what Xaviant Games has done. Their game, Lichdom, runs on the Wwise audio engine, which they've augmented by utilizing the Wwise-compatible GenAudio AstoundSound plugin. To answer the second part of your question, GenAudio's BRTF is based on the way the brain actually interprets audio, as analyzed through EEG-fMRI and MEG data. Traditional HRTFs assume, as you implied, that your head is the same size and shape as the dummy head used to create the psychoacoustic model. But the critical failing of an HRTF is that nobody's head is the same size or shape as the binaural dummy head, so you have to go deeper. Right into the brain. Learn how the brain itself receives and processes a 3D soundfield, and then you work back from there to create the algorithms that work on that level. The GenAudio team has done that, and I've not met one person who hasn't been blown away by the quality of their methods as demonstrated in Lichdom. Jerry and his team at GenAudio are a team of mad audio geniuses, and I'm sure they would love the opportunity to give you the full breakdown of how they are different. MPC: Even in the 1990s HRTF's were pretty impressive for headphone users, but the results were often mixed depending on a person's lumpy potato head. HRTF'ed audio always seemed particular week at placing audio behind you with headphones, will TrueAudio offer an improved performance? AMD: Remember that AMD TrueAudio technology is ultimately a programmable DSP core, so the quality of the simulation will depend on the game developer and their chosen combination of libraries and plugins. I'm 100% confident, however, that AMD TrueAudio already provides a significantly better behind-the-head spatialization than any two-channel positional audio solution I've previously encountered (primarily EAX and A3D, as with most gamers). MPC: AstoundSound offers enhanced positional such as Distance and elevation/azimuth? Does it offer occlusion and reflections or wave tracing capability that Aureal 2.0 offered?  AMD: Distance and elevation are certainly within AstoundSound's purview. For the other effects, you would have to reach out to them for clarification.   MPC: Is there room to add other advanced audio techniques or is there just too much licensing involved to get it? AMD: That's the beauty of having a programmable DSP core: we can accommodate plugins and libraries that utilize whatever IP the industry has on tap. We're unveiling a blank canvas and inviting the audio artists to come play, but it's up to them to bring the right palette. We see this as the same opportunity presented to graphics artists at the advent of the programmable graphics pipeline. MPC: I understand you guys are also working with McDSP too? Most of their IP seems centered around professional plugins. Where do they fit into the TrueAudio picture? AMD: As an audio plugin provider, they're one of many solutions a library vendor or game developer can call on to achieve AMD TrueAudio-accelerated environmental effects. Their "mastering limiter" plugin is especially well-suited for gaming audio as it allows for a greater number of sounds to be dynamically mixed at high volume without "clipping" artifacts in the audio stream. This is a great example of a pro audio plugin finding a relevant niche within the realm of gaming audio. MPC: Didn't Microsoft pretty much put a stake through the heart of advanced audio with Microsoft Vista when DirectSound was demoted and games could no longer directly access the hardware audio layer? How does TrueAudio get around this limitation? AMD: Ah, this is some of the real magic behind AMD TrueAudio. By operating through the graphics driver, we aren't held accountable to the limitations imposed on the hardware audio layer. We do not touch the Windows audio stack at all. TrueAudio offloads directly from the game via Wwise or FMOD, right at the point of conception, before the audio is sent through the rest of the audio pipeline to the user's endpoint device (e.g. headsets).  It's real-time, it's an earnest revival of advanced gaming audio, and it sounds bloody wonderful. MPC: One of the problems with gaming today is a lot of gamers run USB headsets. The DSP's are external to the PC – but with TrueAudio, you're saying you're getting to the audio before it even gets pushed out to the audio devices? How does this work if you have an existing sound card already such as an X-Fi, Xonar or advanced onboard audio already? AMD: AMD TrueAudio comes into the audio chain at the application level, long before sound ever reaches the user's audio chip or audio endpoint. Whether you have integrated audio on the motherboard, a discrete sound card, or a standalone USB headset, AMD TrueAudio is already part and parcel of the audio stream that's being fed to these devices by the game's audio engine. That's the beauty of operating at the level of the audio library: it's the first stop in the audio process! And because it's the first stop, only AMD TrueAudio is fully aware of the game's positional and environmental data. We are alone in our ability to provide audio data that fully reflects the game's goings on. MPC: So a person could keep their existing discrete X-Fi/Xonar/Recon for the superior DACs/ADC, and switch off their effects to use TrueAudio but then switch them back for games that use OpenAL or don't support TrueAudio? AMD: That's 100 percent correct. We designed AMD TrueAudio in the manner that we did precisely because we know users have great audio hardware with high-quality OPAMPS that they don't want or need to forfeit. Whatever audio device(s) a user has right now, that hardware is ready to go with AMD TrueAudio. MPC: For TrueAudio to work, developers must use and support TrueAudio's API correct? AMD: The game developers themselves don't necessarily have to use or support the TrueAudio API. Because we're working with library and plugin developers directly, game developers only have to choose between a software-accelerated plugin or the TrueAudio-enabled plugin when they're working with their library of choice. Devs are making plugin/SFX choices for their games anyhow, so TrueAudio just becomes another choice on the menu, meaning it's very simple and unchallenging to implement. MPC: Isn't that the classic uphill battle that Aureal and Creative Labs faced time and time again? Or in a less polite way, isn't this just in ability to get anyone to actually adopt Advanced EAX and A3D 2.0 all over again? AMD: I would start by saying that AMD TrueAudio is genuinely different from the audio algorithms that have come before. For starters, we're totally programmable. You're not getting an audio environment the way AMD thinks you should get an audio environment; you're getting an audio environment designed by a professional sound engineer, specifically tasked with breathing life into the soundscape of a game. For the first time, his or her game can sound exactly like they dreamed of, which was not the case with the canned audio algorithms of previous generations.  This way was paved by the growth of middleware audio libraries like AudioKinetic and FMOD, which abstract audio APIs like TrueAudio. Game developers no longer have to work directly at the API layer, and can instead get on with picking or programming the right effects from the menu provided by the audio library. MPC: Why do you guys think developers will really adopt the TrueAudio API in any meaningful number beyond a handful of showcase titles? AMD: Based on the initial reactions of the developers we've communicated the technology to, we're very optimistic. MPC: Getting back to the USB headset thing, since many USB headsets feature faux 3D that often can't be turned off, will there be a problem with audio that is has already been processed to have the effect ruined by being processed again? AMD: I've not yet seen a USB headset whose inline DSP can't be disabled. It doesn't mean they don't exist, and the plural of anecdote is not data, but I'd say they're probably the exception rather than the rule. That said, AMD TrueAudio does have the basic expectation that another DSP-driven audio effect isn't being inserted into the audio pipe. MPC: So the cards that will get TrueAudio are: R9 290X, R9 280X and R9 270X and R7 260X? Why not implement TrueAudio across the lineup and why only on the R7 260X? AMD: The AMD Radeon R9 290 Series and the R7 260X are the flagship models of the R9 and R7 Series, respectively. We wanted to enable the very best features on our very best products. MPC: TrueAudio is fully implemented and ready to go in games already so people can expect to be playing TrueAudio-enabled games by this Christmas?  AMD: Lichdom and Thief are 2014 games, whereas Murdered: Soul Suspect doesn't yet have a release date. Further out, Chris Roberts of Cloud Imperium announced that Star Citizen would eventually support AMD TrueAudio as well. While none of these games are imminent in 2013, there is a clear cadence of supporting titles, with even more in the wings that we can't yet announce. MPC: Can we possibly build a PC that support's Intel's QuickSync, Nvidia Physx and AMD TrueAudio? AMD: Not until it's possible to simultaneously run multiple brands of GPUs in one system without your operating system of choice having a meltdown.

AVG, Avira Among Websites Defaced by Palestinian Hackers Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:10 PM PDT Why are hackers hating on free AVG? If you're in the business of offering free antivirus protection, beware of hackers mucking up your website. The Palestinian hacker group known as KDSM Team recently targeted several well known companies, including AVG and Avira, makers of popular free (and paid) security solutions, and defaced their homepages (sort of). Whatsapp, a cross-platform messaging app for mobile devices, was also tagged. Avira provided a statement to SoftPedia confirming that the several of its websites as well as other companies have been compromised by the hacking group, but said it occurred at the DNS level. "The websites of Avira have not been hacked, the attack happened at our Internet Service Provider 'Network Solutions'," Avira Security Expert and Product Manager Sorin Mustaca told SoftPedia. The group changed DNS records of the affected websites so that they would point to arbitrary domains. Network Solutions is aware of the screwup and is in the process of sorting things out. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Smartphone Sales Headed to 1 Billion Units and Beyond in 2013 Posted: 08 Oct 2013 08:30 AM PDT Smartphone shipments zoom past feature phones Smartphones are prevalent no matter where you go, and the reason for that is because there are so many of them in the wild. According to CCS Insight, global smartphone sales will surpass 1 billion units by the end of the year even though overall growth in the mobile phone sector has been slowing down as of late. By the end of 2013, smartphones will account for 55 percent of total mobile phone shipments, leaving plenty of room for growth as feature phone holdouts upgrade their handsets. By 2017, CCS Insight believes smartphones will account for more than three-fourths -- 78 percent -- of a total of 2.19 billion mobile phones sold around the globe. "The insatiable demand for smartphones keeps growing, with over one billion smartphones expected to be sold in 2013. This explosive growth is occurring despite the overall market for mobile phones slowing down, as the mix of new sales is firmly shifting to more-capable smart devices," said Marina Koytcheva (PDF), CCS Insight's Director of Forecasting. Another reason why feature-phone shipments are yielding to smartphones is because profit margins are being squeezed hard, CCS Insight says. It's now led by just three companies, including Nokia, Samsung, and TCL Alcatel OneTouch. CCS Insight says it's a cutthroat business, adding a bit of intrigue as to whether Microsoft will opt to compete following its acquisition of Nokia. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Google Unveils HP Chromebook 11 with IPS Display, Exynos Processor for $279 Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:18 AM PDT Are Chromebooks more than a fad? It may have taken some time for consumers to warm up to the idea of Chromebooks, basic laptops that serve as physical gateways to the cloud, but now that they have, demand doesn't appear to be waning. To wit, the best selling laptop on Amazon is still a Samsung Chromebook with a 4/5 star rating from 3,259 user reviews. In addition, new models keep coming out, such as the one announced today. The newest model is the HP Chromebook 11 for $279. Google's pitching this thing as a "Chromebook for everyone," part of which entails allowing the customer to choose between several color accents. There's an all-black version, otherwise the Chromebook 11 is white with choice between blue, green, yellow, or red accents. As for the specs, the Chromebook 11 boasts an 11.6-inch IPS display with a 1366x768 resolution, Exynos 5250 processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, 16GB solid state drive, VGA webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, microSIM slot, micro USB for 15.75W charging and SlimPort video outupt, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and various other tidbits. Google's bundling in 100GB of Google Drive storage free for two years, a 60-day trial of Google Play Music All Access ($9.99 pricing thereafter), and 12 free sessions of GoGo Inflight Internet. The real highlight, however, might be the display. It uses a high-quality IPS panel (like the Chromebook Pixel, but with a lower resolution) with 60 percent color gamut, 300 nit brightness, and a wide viewing angle (176 degrees). It also shares the Pixel's light bar on the lid. The HP Chromebook 11 is available now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Gartner Forecasts IT Spending to Reach $3.8 Trillion in 2014 Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:30 AM PDT "The beginning of a new era," Gartner says Market research firm Gartner forecasts that worldwide IT spending will climb to $3.8 trillion in 2014, a 3.6 percent increase from 2013, though it's not just the numbers that have IT leaders excited, it's also the "opportunities of a digital world." Gartner's calling it a new era, one that it's dubbed the "Digital Industrial Economy" to reflect the growing number of connected devices, and on a broader scale, the people and businesses using them. "The Digital Industrial Economy will be built on the foundations of the Nexus of Forces (which includes a confluence and integration of cloud, social collaboration, mobile and information) and the Internet of Everything by combining the physical world and the virtual," said Peter Sondergaard, senior vice president at Gartner and global head of Research. "Digitalization exposes every part of your business and its operations to these forces. It is how you reach customers and constituents; how you run your physical plant; and how you generate revenue or deliver services. Enterprises doing this today are setting themselves apart and will collectively lead the new Digital Industrial Economy," Sondergaard added. One could argue that this new era has already begun, though things are going to kick up several notches within the next several years. For example, there were 2.5 billion connected devices with unique IP addresses to the Internet in 2009, most of which were cell phones and PCs. In 2020, Gartner believes that number will balloon to 30 billion devices, most of which will be products. All these new devices are what make up the new economy, and with it, billions of dollars for the taking in products and services. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Grab Futuremark's 3DMark Benchmark for $8.49 During Steam Sale Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Save 66 percent off this popular benchmark Valve is serving up something a little different via Steam, its digital distribution platform for games. The "Daily Deal" on Steam is for the latest version of Futuremark's 3DMark benchmark, which you can snag for $8.49. That's a 66 percent discount over its normal selling price of $24.95. The cool thing about the latest 3DMark release is that it's a cross-platform benchmark for Windows, Android, iOS, and Windows RT (coming soon), allowing you to compare scores from two totally different devices. It includes three tests for DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and DirectX 11 hardware from different categories. The three benchmark tests include Fire Strike (intended for high performance gaming PCs), Cloud Gate (for notebooks and home PCs), and Ice Storm (for tablets and entry-level PCs). By purchasing 3DMark Advanced Edition, you can run each test individually, unlock the Fire Strike Extreme preset for ultra high-end setups, play around with custom settings, use benchmark looping for stability testing, and get in-depth insights with interactive performance graphs. If you're interested, just head over to Steam before time expires on the Daily Deal. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Toshiba 3TB Hard Drive, Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3-1600, and More! Posted: 08 Oct 2013 05:30 AM PDT Top Deal: The death of the mechanical hard drive has been greatly exaggerated. Don't get us wrong, we're big fans of solid state drives just like every other power user, but for the price, HDDs still offer the best bang for your buck when mass storage is the name of the game. Underscoring that point is today's top deal for a Toshiba 3TB Internal Hard Drive for $110 with free shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code AFNJ2657). This isn't a slow spinning drive, either. It features a 7200 RPM spindle speed, 64MB of cache, and a SATA 6Gbps interface. Other Deals: Hanns-G HE245DPB Black 23.6" 5ms LCD Monitor w/ Speakers for $130 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [WRTHDMNY07]) Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $145 with free shipping (normally $155) Seagate 2TB 3.5" USB 3.0 Desktop Drive Backup Plus for Mac & PC for $85 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code [AFNJ2648]) SteelSeries Flux 3.5mm Connector Supra-aural Gaming Headset for $46 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code [AFNJ2639])

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MMO Updates

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• The Soapbox: Stop hurting the people that love you
• Flameseeker Chronicles: The Guild Wars 2 expansion blues
• Massively Speaking 267: The night MJ went crazy
• Darkfall Unholy Wars updates the balance of power
• The son also rises in Guild Wars 2's Blood and Madness content update
• Heva Clonia Online moves into open beta on October 17th
• The Daily Grind: How much do mounts matter to you?
• EB Expo 2013 - The EBX-Perience!
• EB Expo 2013 - Psykopig's video impressions
• Not So Massively: Elite dev diary, Garen revamp, and SMITE adds Mercury
• Chaos Theory: Exciting times in The Secret World
• Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks weapons, dev diaries, and more
• Captain's Log: More Star Trek Online new user tips - bridge officers
• Final Fantasy XIV sums up its Tokyo Game Show letters
• The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Mechari of WildStar
• City of Titans reaches its Kickstarter goal after five days
• The Elder Scrolls Online opens a grab bag of questions

The Soapbox: Stop hurting the people that love you Posted: 08 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Business Models, Launches, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding, MMORPG Over the last few years, we have been witness to dramatic shifts in the way the video game business does its...erm...business. Crowdfunding appeared out of nowhere and turned people like Chris Roberts into money tornadoes. Digital distribution created an environment in which anyone with an internet connection and a laptop can create and release a game. Here in the MMO niche, early access, paid betas, founders packages, and extended soft launches became the norm. My opinion on soft launching and paid betas has been well established on this site. I dislike the idea that players must jump in to aid a flailing development team while it buys time on a project the team clearly should have reigned in. I also hate the environment soft launching creates in which studios are not accountable for their mistakes; a game like Firefall can have its entire PvP system wiped while its developers say, "Oops, our bad, beta! But thanks for all the money." However, there is another enormous problem with the prevalence of the soft launch system. Namely, it kills fans. Continue reading The Soapbox: Stop hurting the people that love you The Soapbox: Stop hurting the people that love you originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flameseeker Chronicles: The Guild Wars 2 expansion blues Posted: 08 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play It's the beginning of autumn at last. In the past few months, Guild Wars 2 fans have cleaned some clocks, gone back to school, and beat up on Tequatl the Sunless. At the moment, we're trying to kick Scarlet Briar out of Twilight Arbor. We've been busy! ArenaNet has continued to toss content our way at lightning speed, and unlike many of the previous releases, much of the content in the past month has been in the form of permanent adjustments to the game. It might seem nuts to complain about lacking an expansion for a game where content releases happen every two weeks, but for some reason the GW2 community seems to be feelin' that vibe lately. Popular YouTube personality and lore expert WoodenPotatoes created a video about it. Threads criticizing the living story and arguing for expansions are common on the official forums. Admittedly, I'm feeling a little restless for a change in the air myself. But what's so important about an expansion, and what isn't the living story offering? Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: The Guild Wars 2 expansion blues Flameseeker Chronicles: The Guild Wars 2 expansion blues originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Oct 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Speaking 267: The night MJ went crazy Posted: 08 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous Astute listeners might notice that there's a 43-minute gap in the middle of today's episode. That's because MJ, having stayed up a record 98 hours, decided that we were all pod people and the only solution was to gas the studio. Fortunately, she used Lysol, so we merely had to evacuate while everything got much better smelling. And then we went back to talking about the news, because that's what kind of pros we are. Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [iTunes] Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. [Stitcher] Follow the podcast on Stitcher Radio. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking 267: The night MJ went crazy Massively Speaking 267: The night MJ went crazy originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Darkfall Unholy Wars updates the balance of power Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Classes, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items It was a couple of weeks ago that the development team behind Darkfall Unholy Wars first discussed the issue. Warriors in the game were just too good, meaning that the class meant as the easiest to first pick up was also the easiest to absolutely crush your enemies with. So the team stepped back, examined the problem, and put together a comprehensive set of changes meant to make all of the game's roles more appealing. The three major changes put into effect were an increase to damage mitigation for non-Warrior armors, more normalized stats for every role, and a slight reduction in Warrior armor against the relevant damage from specialized damage types. The net effect should be that weaker classes now stay up longer and can deal more damage to Warriors, allowing more skilled players to pull ahead in battle. For more details including revamps to the wobble mechanics and individual ability tweaks, take a look at the full list of balance changes. [Thanks to Jane for the tip!] Darkfall Unholy Wars updates the balance of power originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Oct 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Combat gameplay update

The son also rises in Guild Wars 2's Blood and Madness content update Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Guild Wars 2, Events (Massively's Coverage), Buy-to-Play Remember when the citizens of Tyria thought Mad King Thorn was just a goofy old legend, and he rose up from the Underworld through a portal beneath the Lion's Arch fountain to prove us wrong? Good times! On October 15th, the Thorn family will be returning to wreak havoc in Guild Wars 2's Halloween content update, bringing their uniquely psychopathic touch to our holiday festivities. King Thorn's son, Bloody Prince Edrick Thorn, has taken over part of his father's realm -- and he's following in his footsteps by being scary and evil. We thought kids were supposed to rebel. Couldn't he have grown up to be a veterinarian or something? Players will see several popular activities returning as well, such as Lunatic Inquisition, haunted door trick-or-treating, the legendary Mad King's Clock Tower jumping puzzle, and the proud tradition of doing whatever an undead tyrant tells you to so he'll give you a hat. In addition to the new and improved Halloween content and spooky rewards, this release will contain a number of highly anticipated profession balance changes and quality of life improvements. ArenaNet will be offering a preview livestream on Monday, the 14th at 3 p.m. EDT (noon PT). The son also rises in Guild Wars 2's Blood and Madness content update originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Oct 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Heva Clonia Online moves into open beta on October 17th Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News Items, Free-to-Play The first Heva Clonia Online beta test went well. Quite well, in fact. So well that the team has decided that it's time to move straight into open beta. It's a bit like having a good date and then volunteering to move into the other person's home at the end of the evening. On October 17th, the game opens up to everyone who signs up for another round of testing, with no date announced for the close of testing. If you've been holding off for the usual fear of having none of your progress matter, you can take heart that no further progress will be wiped between now and the conclusion of testing. Whether or not this will be the final test phase or an interim step is not announced. But test away, knowing that the only difference between now and launch will be the addition of the cash shop. And presumably some bugfixes along the way. [Source: OGPlanet press release] Heva Clonia Online moves into open beta on October 17th originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Oct 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How much do mounts matter to you? Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Do you know how much mounts matter in Star Wars: The Old Republic? Here's a hint: they do not. They are mounts. They make you go faster. There is no reason to spend hours agonizing over which character has which sort of mount. There is definitely no reason to try and ensure that no two characters have the same style of mount except when one character is directly related to another. And there's really no reason to construct elaborate in-character reasons for a given character using one mount over another. Do you know what I have done? All of that. For some players, mounts are just a tool in MMOs to make your characters go faster. For others, mounts are unexpectedly serious business that require a lot of consideration. In some games, specific mounts do matter, like the various modes of transport in Fallen Earth. So how much do mounts matter to you? Are mounts just a tool to you, or are they serious business? Do you spend time and effort getting just the right mount or do you just ride whatever is either cheapest or offers the most bragging rights? 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 much do mounts matter to you? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EB Expo 2013 - The EBX-Perience! Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Events (Massively's Coverage) David "Psykopig" Desi is coming to you not-live from 2013's EB Expo in Sydney, Australia! Check out the EBX-Perience video after the break to get a guided tour around the show floor. Continue reading EB Expo 2013 - The EBX-Perience! EB Expo 2013 - The EBX-Perience! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EB Expo 2013 - Psykopig's video impressions Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Humor, Events (Massively's Coverage) When gaming conventions happen down under, you can count on Psykopig being there with camera and microphone in hand. Massively's David "Psykopig" Desi descended on Sydney's EB Expo last weekend to check out The Elder Scrolls Online as well as all the usual cosplay con shenanigans. Check out the video after the break for a taste of the show floor and some fan reactions. Continue reading EB Expo 2013 - Psykopig's video impressions EB Expo 2013 - Psykopig's video impressions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: Elite dev diary, Garen revamp, and SMITE adds Mercury Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, Launches, Patches, News Items, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Giveaways, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile David Braben talked us through the impressive Elite: Dangerous trailer and showed how putting the trailer together has helped development considerably. Star Citizen showed concept art for its in-station MobiGlas user interface, and the game's crowdfunding total is about to cross the $21m mark. Blizzard responded to reports of item duplication and hacking on the console versions of Diablo III and admitted that it is working on a way to let players move from one act to another via the waypoint system. And Path of Exile announced that it will officially launch on October 23rd in a large update that includes a new Steam release. Competitive League of Legends team SK Telecom 1 battled its way to the million-dollar top prize at this year's League of Legends World Championship, and the tournament's end signals the release of Patch 3.12. Third-person MOBA SMITE added new speed-based assassin character Mercury, Messenger of The Gods, to its growing pantheon. And Russian MOBA Prime World officially launched on Steam this week and released a spotlight on its new blood-drinking characters Vampire and Dahaka. Continue reading Not So Massively: Elite dev diary, Garen revamp, and SMITE adds Mercury Not So Massively: Elite dev diary, Garen revamp, and SMITE adds Mercury originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chaos Theory: Exciting times in The Secret World Posted: 07 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Events (In-Game), Lore, Opinion, The Secret World, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play Do you feel it? That electric buzzing in the air of The Secret World (not to be confused with the sounds of buzzing heard by the bee-blessed)? I don't know about you, but I sure can. It's a very exciting time to be a fan of this Lovecraftian-horror-conspiracy-flavored game. Why, you ask? I am more than happy to share my reasons with you. It's exciting because things that had been slowly building up have kicked into higher gear and are gathering speed; long-anticipated things are just barely out of reach but will soon be within our grasp. We are also this close to getting Issue #8 with its scenarios, augment systems, and Venice. And there's a new issue cover with a name and date to prove it! We are also inching ever closer to getting -- for the very first time ever -- a whole new region in the game, replete with new missions, new nooks and crannies to explore, and new foes to face. Oh, and new lore! But that's not even all. We have a long-term event going on now as well as the return of a favorite very soon. So if you haven't been in The Secret World lately, now would surely be a good time to jump back in. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Exciting times in The Secret World Chaos Theory: Exciting times in The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks weapons, dev diaries, and more Posted: 07 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous Still haven't signed up for Frontier's Elite: Dangerous newsletter? That's OK, because we have and we're happy to share our perusal of it with you, dear space sim fans. This is issue number 12, and there's a fair bit of ground to cover including last week's dev diary video (which you can see after the break) as well as bits of fiction and bobs relating to both planetary and weapon design. This last one gets a fair amount of virtual ink, as Frontier has plenty to say on customizable rail guns, gimbal-mounted tracking and targeting systems, and more. Continue reading Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks weapons, dev diaries, and more Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks weapons, dev diaries, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Issue 12

Captain's Log: More Star Trek Online new user tips - bridge officers Posted: 07 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Captain's Log Before I dive into the next installment of my new player tips, I'd like to let everyone know that the Star Trek Online site has issued a few new dev blogs hinting at some of the cool news about the upcoming Season Eight: The Sphere. There are some great new blogs featuring the concept art of the new Dyson Sphere space adventure zone, too. But back to the original topic. Last week's column that provided a basic outline to the Star Trek Online user interface proved to be surprisingly popular and generated far more emails from readers than I had anticipated. Many of the readers have asked that I continue on with the new user tips and I think it's a great idea. So if you've always wondered about the very basics of STO Bridge Officers, join me past the jump to learn more! Continue reading Captain's Log: More Star Trek Online new user tips - bridge officers Captain's Log: More Star Trek Online new user tips - bridge officers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XIV sums up its Tokyo Game Show letters Posted: 07 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Endgame, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Housing, Subscription Final Fantasy XIV has been playable for just about a month. Gamers being what we are, a lot of us are already asking about what comes next for the game, because there's slightly less unexplored content than there was before. But fear not; the official live letters from producer and director Naoki Yoshida have been translated and the highlights recapped on the official site, giving everyone a closer look at what's coming from housing, PvP, and the new Crystal Tower. Yoshida explains that Crystal Tower is meant to be easier than the Binding Coil of Bahamut currently accessible, although it is still inteded to be high-end content (he mentions the possibility of requiring relic weapons). Housing will be launched for Free Companies first, with the team closely examining the strain caused by these before putting in individual houses. Players can also expect every craft to be involved in providing decorations for housing rather than just a few, helping to make everyone's contributions relevant. Take a look at the full roundup for all the details, although the team remains mum on the price of houses. Final Fantasy XIV sums up its Tokyo Game Show letters originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Letter from the Producer LIVE at TGS

The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Mechari of WildStar Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Lore, Opinion, Races, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph, Subscription, Buy-to-Play Who's afraid of the big bad Mechari? As it turns out, a lot of people. Possibly for good reason. Of all the races in WildStar, the Mechari represent the biggest question mark. Part of that is by design; when you have a race of sapient machines controlling the information flow of an entire empire, you aren't supposed to know everything there is to be known about them. But there are a lot of questions that pose themselves based on what we do know. Starting with the fact that they don't exactly make sense. I've touched on this briefly before, but the fact is that the stated purpose of the Mechari is at odds with what we know of their creation and behavior. They're intelligence gatherers that don't actually have obvious tools for that role. They're left in the dark in ways that don't make sense, and they are altogether a race of contradictions if you accept everything at face value. Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Mechari of WildStar The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Mechari of WildStar originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

City of Titans reaches its Kickstarter goal after five days Posted: 07 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, City of Heroes, MMO Industry, Crowdfunding After launching its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign on October 2nd, City of Titans has met and exceeded its $320,000 funding goal. The self-proclaimed spiritual successor to City of Heroes still has 27 days left in its campaign as over 2,200 backers chipped in to see the project become a reality. Community Manager Lauren was thrilled at the news: "Well, that'll brighten up a Monday! As a special thank you to everyone for your support, your patience, and everything you've done for us, we've decided to unleash the beard! Everyone who backs us in the Kickstarter will be given a very, very special costume piece: The one, the only Nate 'Doctor Tyche's' beard, complete with animated eyes. Wear it with pride in Titan City. Thank you, guys. Watch this space for stretch goals and heartfelt thank yous from our developers. You are all amazing. Never let anyone tell you differently." Future stretch goals for the title include an Android port of the avatar builder at $350K, an iOS port of the avatar builder at $400K, and a MacOS version of the game for launch at $450K. [Thanks to Zjeven for the tip!] City of Titans reaches its Kickstarter goal after five days originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: City of Titans Kickstarter

The Elder Scrolls Online opens a grab bag of questions Posted: 07 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, News Items, Community Q&A, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription Sometimes questions don't fit together in a nice theme. The Elder Scrolls Online often bunches questions together with an overarching element, but the most recent round of questions is a real grab bag. It covers everything from resurrection and PvP environments to mixing and matching armor, from weapon styles to disguises. So there's plenty to unpack, in other words. The discussion of Veteran Points and the corresponding Veteran Ranks is probably the most meaty part, shedding light on a system that's only been discussed in brief elsewhere. In essence, Veteran Points serve as a new form of leveling after a character has reached max level, awarded for tasks completed rather than simply slaying enemies. While players still gain stat increases for improving Veteran Rank, the major benefit is the continued acquisition of skill points, allowing players to broaden their abilities even after reaching the apex of power. You can read the full set of answers on the official site. The Elder Scrolls Online opens a grab bag of questions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Oct 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: AMA Variety Pack

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