General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Valve Assures Anti-Cheat Program is Not Recording Browser History

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 01:04 PM PST

Valve LogoCompany tries to thwart cheat developers by making it financially unfeasible

In response to a Reddit thread claiming that the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) program records users' browsing history, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell replied that it isn't the case. Newell broached the subject on his own Reddit thread to provide an explanation of how VAC works in order to refute these claims.

Newell brought up the topic of cheat developers who, according to Newell, have difficulty in getting users to pay them. This has resulted in cheat developers programming DRM and anti-cheat codes for their product creations in order to get paid. To do this, however, the cheat program will send out a call to a DRM server in order to authenticate whether or not it was actually paid for. 

What VAC does, Newell said, is check "for the presence of such cheats." He explained, "If they were detected VAC then checked to see which cheat DRM server was being contacted. This second check was done by looking for a partial match to those (non-web) cheat DRM servers in the DNS cache. If found, then hashes of the matching DNS entries were sent to the VAC servers. The match was double checked on our servers and then that client was marked for a future ban. Less than a tenth of one percent of clients triggered the second check. 570 cheaters are being banned as a result."

CSGO

For Valve, trust is an important part of the multiplayer community and, according to Newell, "Cheat versus trust is an ongoing cat-and-mouse game. New cheats are created all the time, detected, banned, and tweaked. This specific VAC test for this specific round of cheats was effective for 13 days, which is fairly typical. It is now no longer active as the cheat providers have worked around it by manipulating the DNS cache of their customers' client machines."

Because kernel-level cheats are expensive to create, Valve's goal, Newell said, "is to make them (cheats) more expensive for cheaters and cheat creators than the economic benefits they can reasonably expect to gain."

Newell went on to explain that the accusations made against Valve are a form of attack from cheat developers hoping to cause mistrust between Valve and its consumers. He ended his post saying, "Our response is to make it clear what we were actually doing and why with enough transparency that people can make their own judgments as to whether or not we are trustworthy."

You can follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Asus Finally Rolls Out a Firmware Fix for Major Router Vulnerability

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 12:43 PM PST

Asus RT-N66UIt took Asus eight months to address a security flaw in some of its routers

If you own an Asus-brand router, do yourself a favor and check to see if there's a firmware update available. Depending on which model you own, you could be susceptible to an eight-month security flaw that could potentially allow a remote hacker to access your hard drives. A recent firmware release is supposed to plug up the security hole, it's just a shame it took Asus so long to address the issue. So, what happened?

Back in June of last year, security researcher John Lovett posted details of the vulnerability on his SecurityFocus website. What he found was that hackers were able to "traverse to any external storage plugged in through the USB ports on the back of" select routers. He was specifically referring to the popular RT-N66U, but the vulnerability is present on other models as well. Lovett only went public with the info after contacting Asus two weeks prior and receiving a response that "it was not an issue."

An Ars Technica reader recently found out the hard way that the vulnerability is an issue. As he was browsing the contents of his external hard drive, he came upon a text file with a warning message.

"This is an automated message being sent out to everyone affected. Your Asus router (and your documents) can be accessed by anyone in the world with an Internet connection. You need to protect yourself and learn more by reading the following news article: http://nullfluid.com/asusgate.txt," the message read.

In July of last year, Lovett posted additional details about the security flaw.

"The vulnerability is that on many, if not on almost all N66U units that have enabled https Web service access via the AiCloud feature, [they] are vulnerable to un-authenticated directory traversal and full sensitive file disclosure," Lovett explained. "Any of the AiCloud options 'Cloud Disk,' 'Smart Access,' and 'Smart Sync' (need another verification on this one) appear to enable this vulnerability."

According to Lovett, affected models include the RT-AC66R, RT-AC66U, RT-N66R, RT-AC56U, RT-N56R, RT-N14U, RT-N15, and RT-N16R. That's a lot of router models, though a recent firmware update is supposed to have fixed the issue. Better late than never, right?

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Intel's Xeon E7 v2 Family Targets Mission Critical Computing

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 12:12 PM PST

Intel Xeon E7 v2New workstation processor is a data hog

Intel today announced its Xeon E7 v2 line of processors featuring the industry's largest memory support (1.5TB per socket versus 1TB per socket delivered by alternative architectures), which enables the chips to rapidly analyze large data sets and deliver real-time insights based on a vast amount of diverse data. The processors are intended for mission critical computing chores.

"Organizations that leverage data to accelerate business insights will have a tremendous edge in this economy," said Diane Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Data Center Group. "The advanced performance, memory capacity and reliability of the Intel Xeon processor E7 v2 family enable IT organizations to deliver real-time analysis of large data sets to spot and capitalize on trends, create new services and deliver business efficiency."

A motivating factor for Intel in developing this new line of processors is the "immense amount of data" that's coming from a growing number of connected devices making up the "Internet of Things" (IOT). The Xeon E7 v2 line will make it possible for companies to analyze all that data and receive real-time results from large data sets. The embedded video below offers a look at how this can come in handy:

This is the first new version of Xeon in three years. It's designed to support up to 32-socket servers with configurations of up to 15 processing cores. Nearly two dozen hardware partners have already signed up to support the platform.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Ken Levine Disbands Irrational Games, Studio Behind BioShock

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 11:43 AM PST

BioShock InfiniteTurn out the lights, the party's over

Talk about a (Bio)shock to the system -- Irrational Games, the studio responsible for the BioShock series, is officially closing up shop after close to two decades of game development. Co-founder Ken Levine delivered the sad news to the gaming community in a blog post today, saying he's at a point where he needs to refocus his energy on a smaller team with a more direct relationship with gamers.

Irrational Games' parent company 2K Games, which is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, is disbanding the team, save for around 15 people. The original team's last effort will be a DLC pack for BioShock Infinite that's about to be rolled out. Beyond that, the future of the BioShock series will be in the hands of 2K Games.

"I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it. I'll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two. That is going to mean parting ways with all but about fifteen members of the Irrational team," Levine said today. "There's no great way to lay people off, and our first concern is to make sure that the people who are leaving have as much support as we can give them during this transition."

Levine said he originally planned on going the "classical startup" route. However, Take-Two said it was willing to fund his venture and convinced him to stay within its walls.

"If we're lucky, we'll build something half as memorable as BioShock," Levine said.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Build a PC: Recommended Builds (February 2014)

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST

Budget, baseline, and performance PC builds!

What time is it? It's time to Build a PC with our Blueprints! This month, we've built three rigs at three approximate price points: Budget, Baseline, Performance. Budget is an entry-level rig with pep, Baseline gets you a powerful system for gaming and content creation at 1080p, and Performance beefs everything up across the board. These rigs are lab-tested and editor-approved. As an added bonus, we've also collected several of our Upgrades of the Month from past issues, for your shopping perusal.

We're also doing something a little different this month, with pretty tables with things you can click on and stuff. Prices listed here reflect print time and may not match the ones you find elsewhere online. In addition, Newegg has jumped on board to offer packaged deals for each of the builds below in an attempt to offer a better overall value. To see these bundle prices, click the "Buy-or-get-more-info-at-Newegg" button at the bottom of each build. Feedback is welcome. Tell us what you think!

Budget

NZXT Source 210 Elite

Ingredients
Part Component Price
Case NZXT Source 210 Elite $50
PSU Corsair CX500 500W $50
Mobo GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3P ATX $85
CPU AMD FX-6300 $120
Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO $40
GPU MSI N660 TF 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 2GB $210
RAM 2x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL $80
Optical Drive None  
SSD Kingston HyperX 120GB SH103S3/120G $130
HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003 $65
Total = $830
Click here to see the live bundle price:  buy online at newegg

 

AMD'S FX-6300 CPU retains a high price-to-performance value, so that part of our build does not change from our previous set of Blueprint builds. The Gigabyte motherboard is a solid performer. We did swap some other parts though, since RAM prices keep creeping up, and the Radeon HD 7850 video card has been officially retired. We switched our RAM to G.Skill 1333MHz sticks and ditched the HD 7850 for an MSI GTX 660; it's more expensive, but AMD's alternatives have been experiencing some price volatility lately. We also had to drop the optical drive to keep the price steady. The PC Power and Cooling PSU we used last time is no longer on sale, but this Corsair CX500 unit has a good rep.

 

Corsair Vengeance C70 case

Ingredients
Part Component Price
Case Corsair Vengeance C70 $110
PSU Thermaltake SP-750M 750W $90
Mobo Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 $175
CPU Intel Core i5-4670K $227
Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo $35
GPU EVGA GeForce GTX 760 02G-P4-2765-KR $250 
RAM 2x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL $70
Optical Drive Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD Burner $20
SSD Crucial M500 240GB $150
HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003 $65
TOTAL = $1192
Click here to see the live bundle price:  buy online at newegg

 

Intel reigns supreme at the enthusiast level, so we're sticking with the Core i5-4670K, which has a great balance of price and all-around performance. (The Core i7-4770K mostly just adds Hyper-Threading, so we couldn't justify the extra $100 or so.)  The Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H board we used before has gone up in price while the G1.Sniper Z87 has come down, so we switched since it has better onboard sound and is easier to overclock. (You can check out a build that uses the the Z77 version of the UD3H here.) We are still using a GTX 760, because it's in the sweet spot of price and performance, and great for 1080p gaming. We switched the PSU from the 750W NZXT HALE82 to shave off a few bucks, and Thermaltake's "Smart M" series power supplies are great, so we're happy to have one powering our baseline build.

 

Performance

NZXT Phantom 530 case

Ingredients
Part Component Price
Case NZXT Phantom 530 $130
PSU Seasonic M12II 850W $110
Mobo Asus Sabertooth X79 $320
CPU Intel Core i7-4820K $325
Cooler Corsair Hydro H100i $110
GPU EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 03G-P4-2884-KR $700
RAM 4x 4GB Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4X1600C9 $190
Optical Drive Asus BW-12B1ST $60
SSD Samsung 840 Evo 500GB MZ-7TE500BW $325
HDD Seagate Barracuda 3TB STBD3000100 $110
TOTAL = $2380
Click here to see the live bundle price:  buy online at newegg

 

We ordinarily reserve 240mm/280mm liquid-cooling for our Ultra build, but expandable loops like the Cooler Master Glacer 240L and the Swiftech H220X are starting to create an all-new super- high-end tier. So, we've upgraded from our 120mm Corsair Hydro H80i to the 240mm H100i. It's more appropriate for a $2,500-range PC, anyway. The difference in performance won't be huge, but the larger radiator of the H100i should allow for slower fan speeds and a quieter experience.

We could upgrade the CPU to a Core i7-4930K, which has two more cores than the i7-4820K we're using, but we can't justify the extra $250. You may feel differently if you regularly use workstation apps that benefit from a lot of CPU threads, like HD video encoding, and we may feel differently when Intel drops its eight-core Haswell-E CPUs toward the end of the year.

The Radeon R9 290X would be a great alternative to the GeForce GTX 780 Ti, since it's almost as fast and has a list price that's $150 lower. But the street price for the 290X has ended up much higher than expected, making the 780 Ti a better buy for the money. If you don't want to drop $700 on a video card, the regular GTX 780 at about $500 is a fine alternative.

Upgrades of the Month

Ingredients
Part Component Price
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Glacer 240L $140
Cables Silverstone CP11 Thin SATA Cables $10
Keyboard Corsair Vengeance K95 $150
Flash Drive Sandisk Extreme 64GB USB 3.0 $75
TOTAL:  $375

For the past several months, our Blueprints section at the back of each issue has included an Upgrade of the Month, which is kind of like our Best of the Best, but with less stringent requirements. It doesn't have to be a hardware component, or something that we've reviewed. The Sandisk Extreme flash drive, for example, is just an accessory. And we wouldn't review the Silverstone CP11 cables, as useful as they are. (And note that these are about 12 inches long, rather than the standard 18 inches). Corsair also makes a range of nice mechanical keyboards, in addition to the K95.

If you want a Corsair keyboard without the set of macro keys, the Vengeance K70 may be more your speed. Cooler Master also makes some nice mechanical keyboards, such as the CM Storm QuickFire Pro.

Boutique System Builders Quick to Pounce on Nvidia's New Graphics Cards

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 10:19 AM PST

Nvidia GeForce GTX 750Gaming PC builders get behind Nvidia's new GPU launches

If you were worried that Nvidia's newly announced graphics cards would amount to a paper launch, don't be. Boutique system builders have already armed themselves with the new GPUs -- GeForce GTX 750, GeForce GTX 750 Ti, and GeForce GTX Titan Black -- and are chomping (or "champing," if you prefer) at the bit to build your next gaming PC using Nvidia's newest hardware.

Going in alphabetical order, AVADirect announced it has all three GPUs on hand, which are options in several of the company's desktops, including its line of silent PCs. Systems range in price from under $1,000 to north of $3,000 (such as a liquid cooled gaming rig running a GeForce Titan Black), depending on configuration.

Next up is CyberPowerPC, which is offering the trio of Nvidia GPUs in a variety of gaming lines. Systems featuring the GeForce GTX 750 start at $649, while rigs equipped with a GeForce GTX 750 Ti or GeForce GTX Titan Black start out at $699 and $1,749, respectively.

Digital Storm is also on board with the new GPUs and is particularly excited about its Aventum II system, which can push 4K Ultra HD gaming and video with the GeForce GTX Titan Black.

"HD gaming is the new standard and Ultra HD is not far behind with 4K displays already available for $800," said Rajeev Kuruppu, Digital Storm's Director of Product Development. "This is an exciting time for gamers and we're thrilled to incorporate NVIDIA's new cards into our systems to deliver the stunning graphics and advanced gaming experience our customers demand."

You can also find these new GPUs in Digital Storm's Bolt II, a liquid-cooled "Steam Machine" hybrid running both Steam OS and Windows.

Moving along, Origin PC is offering Nvidia's three new graphics cards in its Chronos, Millennium, and Genesis desktops. If you want to take the 'money is no object' approach, you can configure a Genesis system with four GeForce Titan Black cards in quad-SLI. The cards alone will set you back over $4,500, but rest assured, it will run Crysis.

Finally, Velocity Micro dropped us a note to let us know it too has its hands on all three GPU options, which it's offering in select gaming and workstation desktops. Configurations with the GTX 750 start at $829 while systems with the GTX Titan Black start at $2,999.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Don't Bother Asus with Silly 'Death of the Desktop' Talk

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 09:41 AM PST

Asus DesktopAsus is doubling down its gamble on desktop PCs

If you trot into your local Best Buy store, you're likely to see way more tablets, laptops, and hybrid PCs than actual desktops even though the opposite was true not all that long ago. However, if you make a living writing obituaries, don't include desktop PCs in any upcoming columns, they're still very much relevant. One need only ask Asus, which is reportedly planning to ship twice as many desktops this year as it did in 2013.

Asus is far from the biggest desktop player in the world, however it's pretty interesting that it expects to ship 4 million desktop PCs in 2014, up from 2 million in 2013. Company president Jerry Shen said as much, noting that China will be a key target, along with focusing on enterprise clients, Digitimes reports.

This could be another sign that the PC market is beginning to stabilize. In November, Gartner said it expected combined desktop, notebook, and ultramobile shipments to remain flat in 2014 with 321.4 million unit shipments. Previously, double-digit declines were the norm.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Seasonic 760W 80 Plus Platinum Modular PSU, Seagate 4TB HDD, and More!

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 09:05 AM PST

Seasonic PSUnewegg logo

Top Deal:

Do you know what Aerosmith, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra all have in common? They've all gone Platinum! You can too, if you pick out the right power supply. If you want to be able to tell your family and friends you've finally gone Platinum, then check out today's top deal for a Seasonic 760W 80 Plus Platinum Modular Power Supply for $100 with free shipping (normally $155 - use coupon code: [EMCYTZT5732]). This is a fully modular unit with a silent fan control switch, durable Japanese Grade A capacitors, a single +12V rail (63A), and of course 80 Plus Platinum certification.

Other Deals:

Seagate 4TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Hard Drive for $150 with free shipping (normally $165 - use coupon code: [EMCYTZT5736])

Samsung 23-inch 5ms HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor for $130 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code: [EMCYTZT5729])

Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 for $80 with free shipping (normally $100; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

Antec Kuhler H2O 650 Water/Liquid CPU Cooler 120MM for $50 with free shipping (normally $70; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

Nvidia GTX 750 Ti Benchmarks

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 06:37 AM PST

Nvidia Unveils the Maxell-powered GTX 750 Ti

GTX 750 TiToday Nvidia is pulling the wraps off its all-new Maxwell architecture, which has one defining feature -- it's twice as efficient as Kepler. Instead of launching with a high-end $500 GPU like it's done in the past though, this time it's going the opposite direction by launching at the entry level with the promise that it will eventually release 200w+ TDP cards based on Maxwell. For now this is the new low-power king at the $150 price point with its rock-bottom TDP of just 60w and the ability to pull all the juice it needs from a PCIe connector, no six-pin power connector required. Let's take a look at what Maxwell is all about, and how the card fares against its rival from the red team.

Maxwell Debuts

Right off the bat let's clear up two things about Maxwell. First, it is using the same 28nm process that Nvidia used for Kepler instead of 22nm like everyone thought. Second, though there has been a lot of discussion online (and even from us) about how Maxwell would be the first GPU to have an embedded ARM CPU, that is not happening on the desktop cards as far as we can tell, so we were wrong about that, along with everyone else. It now appears that all that talk about Maxwell having an integrated ARM core was simply wrong, or maybe it was just the next-gen Tegra part named K1, which has a Kepler core and an ARM CPU.

Now that we know what Maxwell isn't, let's talk about what it is, which is a radically redesigned architecture that makes Kepler look like a fire breathing dragon. The chip inside the GTX 750 Ti is named GM107, and according to Nvidia it was designed, "for use in power-limited environments like notebooks and small form factor PCs." Nvidia is targeting very small Steam Machines with the GTX 750 Ti as well. Nvidia notes that the first-generation Maxwell products will be focused on low power operation, with "higher performing second generation Maxwell GPUs addressing the enthusiast graphics segments at a later date."

Nvidia claims as it transitioned Kepler into a mobile part it had to make a lot of changes to the architecture to save power, and that all that knowledge went into Maxwell. It has completely revamped the structure of the chip with specific attention paid to the arrangement and management of the CUDA cores. The SMX design from Kepler is gone, replaced by a new structure named SM for Streaming Multiprocessor. According to Nvidia, the improvements are mainly in "control logic partitioning, workload balancing, clock-gating granularity, compiler-based scheduling, and number of instructions issued per clock cycle" as well as other enhancements. These changes allow Nvidia to use more SM units in general but each of them have fewer CUDA cores (more on this in a bit). The result is that a chip like GM107 ships with five SMs compared to two in the GK107 chip used in the GTX 650 it replaces.

 

GM107

The GM107 compared to Kepler's GK107 - more power, with less power.

One other big change in Maxwell has a fat 2MB of L2 cache compared to just 256KB in GK107. Nvidia says the extra cache reduces the amount of requests sent to the graphics card memory, which conserves energy. Overall, the GM107 contains a single Graphics Processing Cluster (GPC), which includes five SM units for a total of 640 CUDA cores, and two 64-bit memory controllers for a 128-bit bus.

Maxwell SMs

The biggest change in Maxwell is of course the redesigned Streaming Multiprocessor units. Intead of having 192 CUDA cores per unit with one piece of control logic for all of them, the new design has each SM partitioned into four distinct processing blocks with each one having its own control logic. Each partitioned block hosts 32 CUDA cores, so with four blocks per unit the total CUDA cores is 128 per block, and Nvidia claims this approach allows for 35 percent more performance per CUDA core on workloads that are limited by shader performance. Pairs of these blocks share texture filtering units and cache, thereby saving space and power. Overall, the smaller blocks deliver 90 percent of a Kepler SMX unit while taking up much less space, allowing Nvidia to put more of them on the GPU. Since each block's control logic has to only deal with 32 CUDA cores instead of 192 in Kepler, it makes their job simpler and more efficient. As we noted previously, it has placed five of them in the GM107 compared with just two in the previous chip, allowing it to utilize 1.7 times more CUDA cores and thus over 200 percent more shader performance. It basically boils down to less cores being used equals less power consumed, but since the design is more efficient performance is also improved.

 

GM107 Block

Maxwell's SM units feature four "processing blocks" per unit, with four partitions of 32 CUDA cores each.

Continue reading for a closer look at the card, benchmarks, and closing thoughts.

 



 

The GTX 750 Ti

To recap briefly, the GPU at the heart of this card goes by the call-sign GM107 and it is a full implementation with 640 CUDA cores, dual 64-bit memory controllers for a 128-bit wide bus, and 1GB or 2GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 5.4GHz. The 750 Ti includes the same GPU Boost 2.0 technology found in the GTX 700 series of cards, so it'll automatically overclock itself under load despite having surprisingly high stock clocks of 1,020MHz base clock and a 1,085MHz boost clock. Nvidia says the card can easily do 1,250MHz as well. Nvidia's add-in-board partners will also be offering the usual overclocked versions of the card too. The card slides in right above the GTX 650 in Nvidia's product stack, replacing the GTX 650 Ti, and is one notch below the GTX 660.

 

GTX 750 Ti

Despite its entry-level nature, the GTX 750 Ti supports ShadowPlay and G-Sync.

The big "talking point" of this card is its lack of six-pin PCIe power connector, though the back of the board has solder points for such a connector in case an add-in-board partner wants to put one there, but the reference design is completely bereft of a connector. This translates to the ability to stick it into any PC on the market with a PCI Express slot. Nvidia points out in the press materials this card is meant to be wedged into almost any PC out there, including small form factor boxes, Steam Machines, and even older desktops that are using integrated graphics. The card's TDP is a mere 60w, which is easily the lowest of any GTX card we've ever seen. Nvidia's minimum power supply requirement for this card is just 300w, and it notes that the PCIe slot delivers 75w, so this card isn't even using all of the power the slot can provide. In general, the GTX 750 Ti's mission in life is to replace integrated graphics on older PCs, so it'll slide right into the millions of Dell, HP, and Lenovo desktops that ship with integrated graphics and provide very good 1080p gaming at a decent price.

It's also an entry-level GTX card from Nvidia, so you get access to everything in the ecosystem including Gamestream for your Shield, GeForce Experience, Shadowplay, G-sync, and the GPU's ability to overclock care of GPU Boost 2.0. It does not support SLI, however. Its connectors include two dual-link DVI connectors and one HDMI connector, and like most GPUs it is a dual-slot card. Here are the full specs straight from the green horse's mouth:

 

GTX 750 Ti Specs

Full specs of the GTX 750 Ti

1080p Benchmarks

Before we show you the benchmarks, let us be clear about one thing, which is we only had time to test it against its direct competitor, which is the AMD R7 260X. In Nvidia's briefing documents this is/was the card they are/were targeting, and we use the past tense because last Thursday AMD announced the R7 265 in an offensive maneuver to fend off the attack from this very GPU. While doing so, AMD also dropped the price on the R7 260X down to just $120. Nvidia is also launching a non-Ti version of the GTX 750 with the same name for the exact same price of $120. It ships with the same clock speeds as the GTX 750 Ti but has less shader performance due to less CUDA cores via one less SM unit, and a slightly lower memory clock (5GHz vs. 5.4GHz on the Ti). We do not have the GTX 750 nor do we have the R7 265 for review, so we compared the GTX 750 Ti to its closest competitor. We are rounding up all these cards however for a mega-shootout in an upcoming issue, so stay tuned. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are the numbers:

1080p Benchmarks

GTX 750 Ti Benchmarks

Best scores are bolded. Our test bed is a 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition in an Asus Rampage Extreme IV motherboard with 16GB of DDR3/1600 memory and a Thermaltake ToughPower 1,050w PSU. The OS is Windows 8 64-bit Enterprise. All games run at 1920x1080 with maximum settings and 4X AA except for 3DMark.

 

Final Thoughts

Looking at the benchmark chart there's one piece of information that is missing which puts these numbers in a whole new light. The AMD R7 260X has a TDP of 115w, and the Maxwell card is just 60w. We know that "energy efficiency" isn't the most titillating spec or feature here at Maximum PC, but we give this card big props for being able to hold its own against a card with double the power rating. That is impressive. However, since AMD has launched a new GPU specifically to attack this card, and we don't have that card to benchmark yet (the R7 265), this battle is far from over. Also, the AMD card has a TDP of 150 watts, so it's more than double that of the Maxwell-based GTX 750 Ti.

Given their differences in power consumption it's almost fair to say these cards aren't even playing in the same league as Nvidia is targeting PCs without any PCIe power connectors, and AMD is targeting value-conscious gamers that are looking to upgrade from a much older 1080p GPU.

Now, as a reader of Maximum PC you might not be too stoked on a card designed for "low power environments," and we feel you. This is how Nvidia is handling it right now though, as the $100-$150 is the lion's share of the GPU market globally. Plus, it already has a handle on the high-end of the market with the GTX 780 Ti, and the all-new Titan Black. Also, AMD's pricing and supply issues are only strengthening its hand as well in both the high-end and the mid-range too. That leaves just one area for it to really sock it to AMD, and it's chosen the low-power route. It's tantalizing to consider what a flagship GM110 GPU might be capable of though, but sadly we won't see it until probably Q4 based on an estimate we have pulled from our nether regions.

All in all, the Maxwell-based GTX 750 Ti certainly delivers on the promise of being more efficient than Kepler, which is good news for gamers who like quiet machines and bad news for AMD and its power-hungry GCN architecture. Whether or not that will factor into peoples' purchasing decisions remains to be seen but Nvidia clearly has the performance-per-watt lead with Maxwell, and we can't wait to see it introduce more powerful GPUs using the same architecture. Also, it's worth noting that despite its power-sipping status we were able to overclock the card all the way up to 1,272MHz on stock voltage, and under load it ran at 67 C.

The GTX 750 Ti 2GB version will sell for $150, with the GTX 750 (we assume also with 2GB) selling for $120. Retailers will also be selling 1GB versions of the GTX 750 Ti for $140 later this month.

Nvidia is Ready to Rumble with GeForce GTX Titan Black Graphics Card

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 06:06 AM PST

Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan BlackNew graphics card from Nvidia wields a full GK110 GPU

What do you get if you take a GeForce GTX 780 Ti graphics card and give it a shot of adrenaline? You end up with Nvidia's GeForce GTX Titan Black, a new graphics card with full CUDA support and double precision floating-point compute performance. In other words, it comes out swinging with a fully equipped 28nm GK110 GPU without any arbitrary restrictions. Intrigued? Let's have a look at some other specs.

The GeForce GTX Titan Black is a beast with 2,880 single precision CUDA cores, 960 double-precision CUDA cores, 240 texture units, and 48 ROP units. It has a base clockspeed of 889MHz and a boost clockspeed of 980MHz, along with 6GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 7,000MHz (effective) on a 384-bit bus. This gives the Titan Black 336GB/s of total memory bandwidth and a texture filtering rate of 213.4GT/s.

Though the card is called Titan Black, it doesn't feature an all-black heatspreader as previously rumored. Instead, it looks similar to the standard Titan except that the alumimum fins and some accents around the fan have been painted black, as well as the Titan lettering. Here's a look at it with the heatsink shroud removed:

Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan Black Opened

Look for the GeForce GTX Titan Black to sell for around $999, a familiar price for a flagship GPU.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


A firsthand tour of a WildStar adventure

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST

Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Yes, not very friendly at all.
WildStar's beta test is ramping up further and further. It's ramping up enough that pretty much everyone who isn't in the beta already is looking for a way to get in on it. (You'd think that the development team would be providing people with some way to get in on that. Perhaps you should keep your eyes open later today...) And one of the things you'd be able to see within the beta, if you were in, are the Adventures that have been all the talk of press releases lately.

So what is an Adventure? Well, the DevSpeak video past the break will give you a nice top-level overview of that, so you could just go with that. Or you could ask me, because I got to make my way through one with the development team at Carbine Studios, getting a firsthand look at how the content is supposed to work and what's cool about it. That's also past the break.

Continue reading A firsthand tour of a WildStar adventure

MassivelyA firsthand tour of a WildStar adventure originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Flameseeker Chronicles: How Guild Wars 2's living world can liven up roleplay

    Posted: 18 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST

    Filed under: , , , , ,

    Lion's Arch fountain at dawn
    Scarlet Briar is planning an attack on Lion's Arch, the central hub city of Guild Wars 2. L.A. is the city where all of the playable races -- and plenty of individuals from others -- live together in one big, piracy-flavored metropolis; despite the theme of ruthless capitalism, it's also a place that symbolizes peace and camaraderie. Humans in Kryta may view diversity as an astonishing novelty, but the people of L.A. chortle at the hayseeds and go about their business.

    Among the GW2 roleplayers I know, several have characters who live in Lion's Arch. A few of them were born and raised there. After watching some of us chat about the massive upheaval the city's destruction will create in the lives of those characters, one of my favorite people ventured that this was probably a bad time for her to dip her toes into GW2's RP scene, right? Nope. In fact, there hasn't been a better time to jump in since, well, ever.

    Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: How Guild Wars 2's living world can liven up roleplay

    MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: How Guild Wars 2's living world can liven up roleplay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

      Black Gold shows off the Geomancer

      Posted: 18 Feb 2014 08:30 AM PST

      Filed under: , , , ,

      Apparently healing from the land means that you can't wear pants?  Not totally clear on the logic there.
      Do you like healing people? Do you like drawing strength from the land? Do you hate pants? Then Black Gold's Geomancer might just be for you. (You might have access to pants in the game, though.) The Geomancer is meant purely as a support class, focused on healing and supporting team members -- while the class is weak in one-on-one combat, it excels at supporting a group and healing injuries.

      Many Geomancer abilities serve as a double-edged sword, harming nearby enemies while healing and buffing nearby allies. In lore terms, the class was originally unknown to the Kosh despite their knowledge of magic, as working with Earth was problematic and required a great deal of practice. Only the great mage Damerhyn was successful, leading to the order of Geomancers that will be available to Yutonian and Kosh players in the game. For more details, take a look at the official preview page.

      MassivelyBlack Gold shows off the Geomancer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

      Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen outlines post-Kickstarter plans

      Posted: 18 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

      Filed under: , , ,

      Subscription models for websites are certainly innovative, that's undeniable.
      With 4 days to go and about $400,000 left to raise, it doesn't appear that Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is going to hit its goal on Kickstarter. Has this dissuaded Brad McQuaid and his team? Not in the slightest. The latest update posted to the campaign acknowledges that the project might not make it over the finish line, but there are plans in place for funding even if the game doesn't draw in quite enough before Saturday.

      Once the funding campaign wraps up, supporters will be able to pledge money directly to the game via PayPal, along with subscribing to the site at various tiers for more site functionality and features. No word on the costs of these subscriptions yet. So if you're deeply invested in supporting the game even if its first funding push doesn't go through, you should keep your eyes open for how to give the developers money directly after the end of the Kickstarter.

      MassivelyPantheon: Rise of the Fallen outlines post-Kickstarter plans originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

      Final Fantasy XIV arrives on Steam at half price

      Posted: 18 Feb 2014 07:45 AM PST

      Filed under: , , , , ,

      Kibbles!  (Not pictured: Bits.)
      If you're tempted to jump in on Final Fantasy XIV but don't want to pay the full box price, today brings good news for you. Not only is the game available on Steam, it's on sale for half price through February 25th to celebrate its arrival. That means you can pick up the game for the price of one month's subscription ($14.99), or the collector's edition for just a smidge more ($24.99).

      Players who already own the game won't need to do a thing, although the addition of a new platform may well encourage more players to join even before the game launches on the PlayStation 4 in two months. But if you've been looking for a sign to try the game out, this sale might just qualify for you.

      [Thanks to Balsbigbrother for the tip!]

      MassivelyFinal Fantasy XIV arrives on Steam at half price originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

      Wurm Online pushes update 1.2 live

      Posted: 18 Feb 2014 07:30 AM PST

      Filed under: , , , , , ,

      We got a great big convoy, riding through the night, we got a great big convoy, ain't she a beautiful sight! CONVOY.
      Are you ready for wagon time? Because that's what you'll be able to explore in Wurm Online's newest update. Patch 1.2 of the game is adding in plenty of wagons as well as boat carriers, giving players a variety of wheeled transport methods to bring stuff all over the self-made world. But that's only the smallest part of today's update.

      Players can also look forward to an improved crafting interface, new enemies, new rugs, a new invite function, and new crates. There's also a new system of maps that allow for personal annotations, making it that much easier to find your way around and move from village to village. The update notice promises that development will continue on the game, but players are going to have plenty to do with this update as it is. (Largely wagon-based things.)

      [Update: It seems that someone decided it would be fun to DDoS the game right at the launch of this update. So Wurm is currently offline until further notice.]

      [Thanks to Tom for the tip!]

      MassivelyWurm Online pushes update 1.2 live originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

      Massively Speaking Episode 285: Back to the future

      Posted: 18 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST

      Filed under: , , , ,

      DDO
      It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. With NDA lifts and layoffs, previews and promises, this past week-in-MMO didn't leave us speechless. On the contrary, Justin and Bree have many words to utter about all of the craziness going on in the industry -- almost an entire hour's worth. Can you believe it?

      Get all of our opinions and analysis on the most important stories of the past week right here on Massively Speaking, the industry's leading MMO podcast. And if you have a comment, question, or topic for the podcasters, send 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 Episode 285: Back to the future

      MassivelyMassively Speaking Episode 285: Back to the future originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 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

        Holy Blade Online begins open beta

        Posted: 18 Feb 2014 06:30 AM PST

        Filed under: , , ,

        HBO
        Holy Blade Online (best acronym ever!) might not be a game you're aware of until this very second, but despite your ignorance it has gone ahead and started its open beta.

        PopPace announced that its "first self-developed" MMO starts open beta today. Holy Blade Online is an isometric free-to-play fantasy title that includes battlefields, fashion, and an astrolabe system.

        As part of its open beta celebration, PopPace has prepared a series of fortunate events for participators. These include gifts for those who buy store currency, discounted "awesome packs," a daily invasion of demons, and a special "star soul" currency that drops from level-30-plus mobs which can be redeemed for gifts.

        MassivelyHoly Blade Online begins open beta originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

        Permalink | Email this | Comments

        A requiem for Guild Wars 2's iconic city of Lion's Arch in today's content release

        Posted: 18 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST

        Filed under: , , , , , ,

        Good night, sweet prince.
        The great city of Lion's Arch is under a devastating attack today with the release of Guild Wars 2's latest content update, Escape From Lion's Arch. Sylvari supervillain Scarlet Briar has unleashed her armies and terrible weaponry on the city as her massive, drill-tipped airship begins to churn the waters of Sanctum Harbor. Whatever her purpose might be, she's willing to literally rip Lion's Arch apart to accomplish it.

        Players will join forces with the living world's iconic characters to evacuate civilians, but you'll have to contend with Scarlet's forces and the threat of a creeping poison rendering parts of the city uninhabitable. As refugee camps form in safer areas, Vigil Keep in Gendarran Fields will act as an impromptu base of operations for the time being. You'll need to stand fast if you want to save Lion's Arch -- but by the time Scarlet is done, there may not be anything left to save.

        MassivelyA requiem for Guild Wars 2's iconic city of Lion's Arch in today's content release originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

        Permalink | Email this | Comments

          World of Warcraft patch heralds 15th PvP season

          Posted: 18 Feb 2014 05:30 AM PST

          Filed under: , , , ,

          WoW
          Today's new patch from World of Warcraft has a few significant updates for the PvP population of the game as well as a myriad of other improvements.

          Patch 5.4.7 marks the end of season 14 for PvP and the beginning of season 15. PvPers will also see a buff to level 90 players' resiliance and some terrain and NPC changes to the Alterac Valley battleground. Other additions with the patch include an upgrade of Timeless Isle weapons to a higher item level, an improvement to Honor gear, and a few tweaks to Warriors and Druids.

          Our sister site WoW Insider is speculating that following patch 5.4.7, Blizzard will start putting out pre-orders for Warlords of Draenor and offering the option to purchase a level 90 character in the store.

          MassivelyWorld of Warcraft patch heralds 15th PvP season originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

          Permalink | Email this | Comments

          The Daily Grind: Do you roleplay?

          Posted: 18 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST

          Filed under: , , , ,

          The aftermath.
          I'm aware, on some level, that not everyone plays an MMO with an eye toward roleplaying. But roleplaying is the key experience I want from a game. A big part of my investment in Final Fantasy XIV has to do with my long-term roleplaying experience with other players, years of friendships and rivalries and bitter feuds and romances that have been extremely moving. I can't really imagine playing a game without roleplaying.

          But not only is that not universal, it's really the minority. So today I ask you, good readers of Massively: Do you roleplay? Are you generally playing your game of choice with a focus on character motivations, or do you mostly just like the looks and don't fret over things like characterization or whatever?

          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: Do you roleplay? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

          Permalink | Email this | Comments

            Not So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal

            Posted: 17 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST

            Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

            Not So Massively title image
            A bizarre experiment is currently taking place on Twitch.tv as thousands of gamers have tuned into a stream of Pokemon Red/Blue that puts the viewer in control. Almost five million people have tuned into the stream so far, with hundreds competing to control the game via chat. League of Legends revealed plans for its upcoming Hexakill featured game mode that turns Summoner's Rift into a 6v6 battle. Leaked screenshots of the Heroes of the Storm client surfaced this week, giving previously unknown details on unrevealed characters that will be in the upcoming MOBA. Infinite Crisis expanded its roster of super-heroes with the addition of Star Sapphire, and turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes has now been released for Android devices.

            Blizzard's Wyatt Cheng told fans of Diablo III's Wizard class that he's been experimenting with decreasing the Arcane power on Crit stat to better balance resource generation. Changes will not apply retroactively but will apply to all gear dropped after the Loot 2.0 patch. Path of Exile's Sacrifice of the Vall mini-expansion was revealed in a teaser ahead of the March 5th release date. And Star Citizen sent five more players through to the second round of the Next Great Starship contest; Chris Roberts answered 10 fan questions in another Ten for the Chairman video.

            Continue reading Not So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal

            MassivelyNot So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

            Permalink | Email this | Comments

              The Stream Team: Lots to do in Guild Wars 2

              Posted: 17 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST

              Filed under: , , , , , , , , ,

              Guild Wars 2
              One of the beautiful things about Guild Wars 2 is that there's always plenty to do in its vast open world. Whether it's helping a farmer fight off centaurs, fighting giant spiders in a mysterious cave, or cleaning up a few bandit camps for a nearby township, heroic activities abound. Tonight, Massively's Mike Foster continues his quest through Guild Wars 2's ever-changing content. Tag along with him on the Blackgate server or tune in live to watch all the sword-swinging action.

              The fun starts at 7:00 p.m. EST.

              Game: Guild Wars 2
              Host: Mike Foster
              Date: Monday, February 17, 2014
              Time: 7:00 p.m. EST

              Enjoy our Stream Team video below.

              Continue reading The Stream Team: Lots to do in Guild Wars 2

              MassivelyThe Stream Team: Lots to do in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

              Permalink | Email this | Comments

                Wakfu announces plans for crafting revamp

                Posted: 17 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

                Filed under: , , , ,

                Wakfu crafting system WIP art
                Ankama Games' quirky, cel-shaded, turn-based title Wakfu is tearing down its old crafting system and rebuilding it into something totally new. While the dev blog on the topic makes it clear that the final version of the crafting revamp is still subject to many changes, the basic idea behind it is to recreate crafting as a time-based system in which players assign crafting tasks to their (NPC) workers, with each task taking a variable amount of time to complete. Players can continue their adventures as usual while their workers complete a task, so there's no need to park your character and go make a sandwich while he crafts.

                Each crafting task occupies a craft slot, with each character beginning their crafting career with a single slot. Players can unlock additional task slots (allowing more crafting tasks to be completed simultaneously) by completing crafting achievements, up to a maximum of nine slots. In addition to this new crafting system, the revamp will also introduce a contract system that will allow buyers to place orders with their crafters of choice, complete with the tools for price negotiation and the ability for buyers to supply the required materials to the crafters. When a contract is completed, the item is delivered directly to the buyer's inventory upon its completion, making for a hassle-free shopping experience. All the finer details on Wakfu's proposed crafting revamp can be found in the full dev blog on the game's official site.

                [Thanks to Avaera for the tip!]

                MassivelyWakfu announces plans for crafting revamp originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                Permalink | Email this | Comments

                Final Fantasy XI update introduces more missions, a new zone, and more

                Posted: 17 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

                Filed under: , , , ,

                Screenshot -- Final Fantasy XI
                Final Fantasy XI, despite being over a decade old, is receiving a rather substantial update today that will introduce a plethora of new content for players to enjoy, including new missions, quests, monsters, synthesis recipes, and even a new zone. Adventurers of Vana'diel will be able to put their skills to the test by participating in new Seekers of Adoulin missions and exploring the new zone of Outer Ra'Kaznar. Players who prefer to go it alone are also in for a treat, as the update also adds a selection of new alter egos to the Trust Initiative, providing a wider array of summonable NPCs with whom to adventure.

                In addition, Geomancers and Rune Fencers will now be able to undertake a series of quests that reward "relic-equivalent" equipment for those classes, and those already in possession of relic equipment can now reforge said relics to different item levels. On top of the new content, the update also brings a number of adjustments to existing game systems, including some rebalancing for the Puppetmaster, Dancer, and Rune Fencer classes and -- notably -- a major reduction in the amount of experience players lose upon death. That's only a small taste of the various additions and adjustments the latest update brings, but if you want every last detail, the full change log is available on the official FFXI forums at the link below.

                MassivelyFinal Fantasy XI update introduces more missions, a new zone, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                Permalink | Email this | Comments

                The Stream Team: Revisiting Stronghold Kingdoms

                Posted: 17 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST

                Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,

                Stronghold Kingdoms screenshot
                Beau is revisiting Stronghold Kingdoms, a game that he really liked before. Will he like it again, even with all of its changes? Come check out this stream if you like MMORTS games and strategy!

                Game: Stronghold Kingdoms
                Host: Beau Hindman
                Date: Monday, February 17th, 2014
                Time: 4:00 p.m. EST

                Enjoy our Stream Team video below.

                Continue reading The Stream Team: Revisiting Stronghold Kingdoms

                MassivelyThe Stream Team: Revisiting Stronghold Kingdoms originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                Permalink | Email this | Comments

                  Captain's Log: There's no space in Star Trek Online

                  Posted: 17 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST

                  Filed under: , , , , ,

                  STO Solar EV suit
                  Being away from a game you love can be both a curse and a blessing. The past couple of weeks I've been cursed with a flu that made it virtually impossible to play any game, let alone Star Trek Online. I've been back for a day or two now, and I've had the opportunity to check out some of the tech that has been pushed into the game since I fell ill. One of the new efforts is the ship-swapping system recently implemented into Star Trek Online, and I have to say, it's a great tool that might be the victim of the game's number one problem: lack of inventory space.

                  There's no space in space

                  The newest system to be injected into STO is the ship-swapping system. The tool allows players to switch ships on the fly as long as they are in a public zone like sector space or spacedock region. Essentially the player brings up his character screen and clicks on the "Switch Starship" button and moves into one of his other ships.

                  Continue reading Captain's Log: There's no space in Star Trek Online

                  MassivelyCaptain's Log: There's no space in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                  Permalink | Email this | Comments

                    Chaos Theory: Why TSW's quest art thrills me to no end

                    Posted: 17 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST

                    Filed under: , , , , , , , ,

                    TSW
                    Every Secret World fan has his or her own list of reasons why the game feels special and unique. Perhaps it's the investigation missions, the contemporary setting, the flexible character builds, the dark subject matter, the well-done voice acting, the creepy tone, the immense pile of lore, or the sheer fun that is the dressing room. Steadily climbing to the top of my own list is an aspect that I haven't seen mentioned much at all: the quest art.

                    Is that the best terminology for it? I don't know what else to call it. What I'm talking about here are the images that often pop up through quests, from photographs to journal entries. These pieces of art aren't just sprinkled in here or there; they are so dang prolific that I've devoted an entire screenshot folder to holding them. Once you start really noticing them, it's hard not to marvel at all of the work that was done to put them in the game.

                    So excuse me this week as I go on about why quest art is seriously terrific and terribly underrated. I may even share a favorite or 27 of them along the way.

                    Continue reading Chaos Theory: Why TSW's quest art thrills me to no end

                    MassivelyChaos Theory: Why TSW's quest art thrills me to no end originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                    Permalink | Email this | Comments

                      The Nexus Telegraph: Stuff the endgame needs in WildStar

                      Posted: 17 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST

                      Filed under: , , , , , , ,

                      There should be a wide-open space.
                      I'm going to go ahead and totally dispense with any vagueness here because we already know that WildStar will have a raiding endgame and a PvP endgame. That's great, that's valuable, that's absolutely nothing. That's exactly what lots of games launch with. It's what lots of games consider their bread and butter.

                      It's also not going to cut it. If WildStar sells itself on providing the exact same endgame that we've seen in every other game ever, I'm hesitant to say "it will fail," but it sure as heck won't be dazzling anyone three months out from release.

                      You can't make a game with the selling point of "play however you like" and then surreptitiously add "except when you get to endgame, and then you'd better raid, buddy." With that in mind, let's talk about what the game needs in terms of endgames that we don't see on a regular basis.

                      Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Stuff the endgame needs in WildStar

                      MassivelyThe Nexus Telegraph: Stuff the endgame needs in WildStar originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                      Permalink | Email this | Comments

                        Total Pageviews

                        statcounter

                        View My Stats