General Gaming Article

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• 26 Awesome, Unusual and Interactive Online Maps
• Cool Site of the Week: Gojee
• Those ChromeBooks? People Are Buying Them
• French Copyright Cops Feeling Overwhelmed
• University Researchers Whip Up Mushy, Jello-Like Memory Device
• Oops! Microsoft Lets Possible Social Media Plans Slip
• Pentagon Unveils New Cyber Strategy After Hackers Pilfer 24,000 Files
• DHK Storage PopDrive POP-500 Review
• Thermaltake Launches Three New Liquid Cooling Products
• Survey: IT Night Shift Workers Overweight and Undersexed

26 Awesome, Unusual and Interactive Online Maps Posted: 15 Jul 2011 04:42 PM PDT What did we do before the widespread adaptation of Google Maps and GPS? Well, if you're anything like me, you probably got lost. A lot. But maps are good for a lot more than finding your way around - especially if they're online, where they can also be a way to track trends and crimes, help find you a new apartment, search the night sky and test your knowledge of world geography. The integration with maps and photography can help to tell a story, or create art. In honor of a long standing appreciation for cartrography in its many forms, we present to you twenty-six awesome (and mostly interactive) maps. Enjoy - and be sure to share your favorite maps in the comments!

Cool Site of the Week: Gojee Posted: 15 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT Deciding on what to make for dinner can be as daunting a task as actually cooking it. Every day, we stand in front of our refrigerators, freezers and cupboards, waiting for inspiration, and in the end, typically end up making the same meals over and over again--provided the right ingredients for our favorite dishes are all in the house at the same time. When they're not, many of us would just as soon head out to a restaurant for an expensive meal than sit down to noodle out a new home cooked recipe with the ingredients we have on hand.  Fortunately, our Cool site of Site of the week has your gastronomical back. It's called Gojee and it's here to make sure we never go hungry again. While there are thousands of recipe sites floating around the internet, Gojee stands apart in that it suggests recipes to you based on the ingredients you have on hand. Just enter what food you've got left in the house and Gojee will tell you what sorts of dishes you can whip up with it and what you might need to complete the recipe. If you've got a food allergy or despise a particular ingredient, you can add it to a list of disliked foods and Gojee will adjust its list of ingredients and subsequent list of recipes accordingly. Gojee even allows you to mark your favorite recipes so that you can return to them time after time. What could be better? Be sure to check back every Friday for another addition of Maximum PC's Cool Site of the Week.

Those ChromeBooks? People Are Buying Them Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:34 PM PDT Despite predictions of doom and gloom, consumers seem to be optimistic about the prospects for Google's ChromeOS in its current form. The ChromeBooks from Acer and Samsung are selling briskly on Amazon, Cnet reports. The cheapest model, the $349 Wi-Fi only Acer is currently number 4 in the laptop category.  Even more expensive models like the $499 Samsung version has a place in the top 10, but just barely. All these devices run the first official release of Google's ChromeOS, and will be updated over the air. One DisplaySearch analyst called ChromeBooks, "what a Netbook should have been." These 12-inch Atom-based machines aren't without their issues, though. ChromeOS is mostly useless without an Internet connection. Additionally, some tasks like photo and video editing are difficult. Still, a few years ago would we have ever considered the possibility that people would be buying computers in sizable numbers that didn't run Windows or OSX?

French Copyright Cops Feeling Overwhelmed Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:13 PM PDT France instituted a controversial "three-strikes" law earlier this year and according to some numbers release by Hadopi, the agency that implements the system, they're getting swamped.  More than 18 million copyright complaints have been filed since the system was opened up to content owners.  With that huge volume of work, the ISPs have only managed to get about 470,000 notices sent out to users. 20,000 or so of those are second notices, and just about 10 users have gotten their third strike. After the third strike, a user can experience serious penalties under the law, including disconnection from the Internet, and prosecution.  Part of the issue is that ISPs have to sort out who was assigned an IP address during a particular time the infringement was noted. Hadopi has only passed the IPs for 1 million complaints to ISPs, though. Of the processed notices, 7% of users responded to the first notice, and 15% to the second. Reportedly, most users didn't understand the software they were using was p2p. American ISPs might want to take some notes on this mess before the US "graduated response" system kicks in.

University Researchers Whip Up Mushy, Jello-Like Memory Device Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:47 AM PDT What do you think about when the term "memory device" gets tossed around? Kingston DRAM and Corsair's 16GB DDR3/1600 Vengeance kit in the 2011 Dream Machine pops into our head. Now, sadly, we're going to have pictures of Bill Cosby's wrinkled, funny face dancing around in our skulls whenever memory springs to mind. Curse you, NC State researchers! A team from the University created a new type of memory designed to work in soggy situations, and the chip's reminiscent of everybody's favorite animal-based desert. "We've created a memory device with the physical properties of Jell-O," Dr. Michael Dickey said. How'd they do that? By using "a liquid alloy of gallium and indium metals set into water-based gels." Rather than being hard and brittle like standard electronic components, the new memory devices are soft, mushy and perfect for use in wet environments. If you want to learn the hard details of how it works, be sure to check out the press release. What does the team hope to achieve with the new technology? Something that would fit into Bioshock? Not quite. "These properties may be used for biological sensors or for medical monitoring," Dickey said. The researchers envision the mushy memory eventually being used in the human body, acting as an interface for electronics to communicate with cells or tissues. And since the Jell-O memory device doesn't mind moist environments, it could more easily be inserted into the moist lump of organics known as the human brain. Image credit: NC State University. Thanks to Engadget for pointing this out!

Oops! Microsoft Lets Possible Social Media Plans Slip Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:58 AM PDT As far as social media is concerned, Microsoft's more of an awkward wallflower than the fun-loving center of the party. They've toed the waters before, sure – Bing Social, the "awesome" Skype announcement and the company's 1.6-percent stake in Facebook are all proof that Microsoft's at least eyeing the field. But a slip-up on the Microsoft-owned socl.com hints that the boys and girls from Redmond may be considering wading in the social network pool, if not quite jumping in head first. Fusible.com noticed that Microsoft owned the socl.com domain while researching the transaction history of social.com and decided to swing by the site. What they found surprised them – a landing page for what they call a "social search"-type site named Tulalip. "With Tulalip you can Find what you need and Share what you know easier than ever," the page boasted. Fusible reports there were sign-on buttons for both Facebook and Twitter, as well as some other links, but none of them worked. Want to check it out for yourself? It's too late. Microsoft pulled the page almost immediately, and now traveling to the socl.com website only nets you an apologetic message: "Thanks for stopping by. Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn't mean to, honest." So whaddaya think? Is Tulalip a design project markup, a ploy to make Google nervous, or could it actually be a glimpse at Microsoft's plans for the future? PS: While we're being Social, happy fifth birthday, Twitter! Image credit: Fusible.com

Pentagon Unveils New Cyber Strategy After Hackers Pilfer 24,000 Files Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:31 AM PDT The US's cyber strategy sucks – just ask the Pentagon. They're not shy about the problem, and in fact, just yesterday they were all too ready to provide an example; earlier this spring, "foreign intruders" managed to get hold of over 24,000 Pentagon files in one of the worst security breaches in US military history. Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn didn't go into details about the breach other than to say that foreign hackers got the information from a defense contractor that works with the Pentagon. Maybe it had something to do with duplicate SecurID electronic keys? The Guardian reports Lynn as saying that critical files "including plans for missile-tracking systems, satellite navigation, surveillance drones and even jet fighters have been stolen from systems" in the past year. The announcement wasn't a random burst of openness by the normally closed-lip organization, but rather part of a speech leading up to the unveiling of the Pentagon's new cyber strategy. The Pentagon wants to transition from its current reactionary plans and instead focus on "denying the benefit of an attack" by using a mixture of sensors, software and code to create a more active defense. The idea is to identify and halt attacks before they result in a critical breach. "Rather than rely on the threat of retaliation alone to deter attacks in cyberspace, we aim to change our adversaries' incentives in a more fundamental way," Deputy Secretary Lynn told the Washington Post. "If an attack will not have its intended effect, those who wish us harm will have less reason to target us through cyberspace in the first place." Image Credit: Daily Galaxy

DHK Storage PopDrive POP-500 Review Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:21 AM PDT A good idea hamstrung by complex softaware The basic idea behind the PopDrive is a good one: a sleek, portable external enclosure that holds two 2.5-inch drives in RAID 1, to protect against the risk of data loss due to drive failure. Add in support for user notification emails, hotswap drive bays, and a relatively speedy 3Gb/s eSATA port, and it sounds like you've got yourself a winner. And you might, eventually. The PopDrive includes a slim, aluminum dual-bay chassis, 5V AC adapter, and USB 2.0 and eSATA ports at the rear of the chassis. If the PopDrive's 1.2x3.9x6.4-inch aluminum chassis looks familiar, that's because it's the same casing as Silverstone's DS221 dual-bay RAID drive. Silverstone's device, though, uses a mechanical switch to change between RAID 0, RAID 1, and JBOD, while the PopDrive's configuration is all done via software. And what a joy that software is. Just kidding. Configuring the PopDrive is a pain in the booty. First you install the included SiliconImage 57xx SteelVine volume management tool. Then you restart your computer, slot the two included 2.5-inch drives (two 500GB WD Scorpio Blue drives, in our review model) into the PopDrive, and connect it to your computer via USB 2.0 or eSATA. If only the PopDrive's configuration software was as sleek as its aluminum chassis. At this point it's necessary to consult the 64-page user manual, as the SteelVine software isn't optimized or configured at all for the PopDrive. It gives many more options than the PopDrive actually supports, which you wouldn't know unless you've read the manual. Of the six configuration options—listed as JBOD, SAFE (RAID 1), BIG, SAFE33, SAFE50, and FAST (RAID 0)—the latter three are listed as "not recommended for the PopDrive" in the manual. From there, it's a simple matter of choosing RAID 1, saving the array configuration, applying the configuration, and then waiting a minute or so while the instructions percolate down to the device level and the software lets you know the array has begun to build. Then, for 10 or 12 hours, you play the waiting game. Once the array is configured, you can create and format a partition in Disk Management and assign a drive letter; thereafter the drive appears as a single volume, which can be used normally. When connected over eSATA, the PopDrive showed sequential read and write speeds of 76MB/s and 65MB/s, respectively—a little slower than the raw disk speeds of the 2.5-inch 500WD Scorpio Blue 5400rpm drives included with our PopDrive review unit, but certainly respectable. The one advantage provided by the PopDrive's use of the SteelVine software is that software's ability to send email notifications upon critical events. This is useful for the hypothetical IT consultant that DHK told us in an email is their ideal client—someone who sets up the PopDrive in a small business environment so they can rotate out drives for offsite backup. However, IT managers have many other speedier, easier-to-configure, and more robust backup systems at their disposal—NAS devices come to mind. For home users, the drive management software is much too complex. To its credit, DHK claims that a simpler software interface for the PopDrive is forthcoming this summer. That can't come soon enough. If DHK had waited to put its device on the market until a good software backend was in place, it would have scored higher. It also would have scored higher with a USB 3.0 interface instead of USB 2.0. Sure, eSATA is nice, but not everyone has an eSATA port, and using a USB 2.0 connection with this device removes the hotswap capability, drops the speed down to 30MB/s or so, and makes the disconnecting process much harder. As it is, the PopDrive's software is too complicated for home users and its hardware is too limited for most business users. Other eSATA RAID 1 bays aren't quite as slim and sleek, but are easier to configure, offer more storage space, and are more robust. $250, www.popdrive.com

Thermaltake Launches Three New Liquid Cooling Products Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:13 AM PDT Feeling wet behind the ears when it comes to liquid cooling? If so, Thermaltake's hoping to ease your trepidation with a new line of liquid cooling products that includes a special version of its Level 10 GT case and two additions to its Bigwater line. All three products are self-contained, all-in-one units that are purportedly easy to install. First up is the Level 10 GT LCS case. It's the Level 10 GT just as you know it, only with a built-in specialized liquid cooling system that consists of a new generation drive bay unit and interconnecting waterblock with a pure copper base. The Bigwater A80 is an all-in-device for those who already own a case. It's pre-filled with coolant and outfitted with a low evaporation tube so you needn't worry about refilling it, making it maintenance free. According to Thermaltake, it's also dead simple to install and works with all modern Intel and AMD sockets. Finally there's the Bigwater 760 Plus, which is a new 2U drive bay liquid cooling system. Thermaltake says it's intended for "advanced LCS lovers." It consists of a quiet pump that pushes 500L/H, 12cm blue LED fan (1600-2400RPM), and water reservoir. All three will be available in August. No word yet on price. Image Credit: Thermaltake

Survey: IT Night Shift Workers Overweight and Undersexed Posted: 15 Jul 2011 08:43 AM PDT A survey released this week by Men's Health Network reveals that male IT workers who burn the midnight oil through overnight shifts, as well as others who work non-traditional hours, feel their shift is having a direct impact on their poor health. Nearly half (47 respondents) complained of low energy levels, while 43 percent say their non-traditional shift has a negative impact on weight, and almost a third (30 percent) said work was screwing up their sex lives. Considering all this, it comes as no surprise that 51 percent reported feeling frustrated and drained in the last week. In addition, 42 percent reported being irritable in the last week, 36 percent anxious, and 32 percent downright angry. "While the physical and emotional toll that shift workers are reporting is certainly of great concern, to me the most alarming finding of the survey is that a great majority of shift worker respondents (72 percent) seem to think that being tired is 'just a part of the job' and do not consider speaking with their physician about their symptoms," said Jean J.E. Bonhomme, M.D., MPH, spokesperson for Men's Health Network and Cephalon. "What we know is that people who work non-traditional hours may be suffering from a real medical condition called shift work disorder. This can be diagnosed and the symptoms can be treated by a doctor, if only they mention issues caused by their work schedule during visits to their healthcare professional." The online survey was taken by 1,565 shift workers between May 25th and June 1st of this year.

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MMO News

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• League of Legends Gameplay Video #4
• Luvinia – Closed Beta Preview
• PlaySpan Partners with World of Tanks to Offer Tank Giveaway

League of Legends Gameplay Video #4 Posted: 15 Jul 2011 12:54 PM PDT To Learn More About the Game, Check out our League of Legends Page. League of Legends is a 3D multiplayer online battle arena MMO published by Riot Games. Gameplay wise it is remarkably similar to Warcraft III’s enormously popular custom game ‘Defense of the Ancients (DotA)’ as well as S2 Game’s Heroes of Newerth. Other free to play MOBA style games include Realm of the Titans, Avalon Heroes and Rise of Immortals. The video above is a full match with commentary (Heads up, it’s a cool 40+ mins). The game has an enormous amount of variety there are over 75 playable heroes with many more in development. In addition, players can further ‘customize’ their characters through the game’s ‘mastery’ system. Anyone who has played and enjoyed DotA will almost certainly love League of Legends, as the game offers much more than it’s Warcraft III counterpart. In the videos above, I simply joined a game and played through it. To learn more about League of Legends check out the official MMOHut League of Legends page, which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.

Luvinia – Closed Beta Preview Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:06 AM PDT Luvinia – Closed Beta Preview The latest game to arrive from Outspark – publishers of Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice – is Luvinia. This free fantasy MMORPG with a multi-path class system promises to be a charming addition to their line up, and we had a chance to take a tour and get a personal introduction to the game. The Look Luvinia has anime-style graphics, and features a three-quarters (top-down) camera. The camera can be adjusted to look at the world from most angles, including a full top-down, but cannot be used to "look up" toward the sky. Fitting its whimsical style (silly costumes and weapons are not uncommon here), the color palette of the game is bright and colorful. The interface here is also pretty standard, and very easy to navigate. Areas can often be creative – in just the tutorial area alone, there’s an underwater area where characters swim about as they fight, and an area up in the stars where they fight celestial beings. Choosing a Nation Character creation in Luvinia is a simple starting process. Players must first select which faction they would like to join: the Empire, focused on central government, or the Federation, which believes in the freedom of the people. Both factions have three nations (for a total of six), each of which has its own starting city and special area maps, leading to most players spending time among their own nation while remaining connected to the rest of their faction. In addition to selecting gender, face style, hair style, and hair color, players must also choose a constellation. At this time in Luvinia, a player’s constellation has little bearing on their play; later on, constellations will add small special effects and stat bonuses. Outspark noted that when constellations gain this power, players will be allowed to select a constellation again to properly benefit their class choice and play style. It’s also interesting to note that character creation also requests the selection of a character voice – Outspark took the time to do voice overs for all the characters in the game, and players can select among a few voices to add a little more immersion to their gameplay. Geneway College The starting area for Luvinia takes players through Geneway College, where they will participate in their final exams. The college was founded after the end of a great war between the dwarves, elves, orcs, and humans, in order to train new recruits to help keep the peace among the nations. If you noticed classes were missing from character creation, don’t panic – Geneway College is where you choose your starting class (Warrior, Rogue, or Mage) so that you can get a feel for different fighting styles before you commit to a class at level 10 – but more on this system later. Geneway is where players will learn with guided tutorials how to get used to the game’s controls, all of which are really simple. Combat is a skill-bar based system, where players can use skills off their bar based on the class they choose, and once a combat ability is selected, it can remain automatically on, triggering each time it comes off cooldown – reducing the need to mash skill buttons along the way. Loot drops off the enemy onto the ground below, but can be picked up easily with space, and belongs to the person who killed the mob to avoid loot stealing. You’ve Got Class Warriors, Rogues, and Mages: these form the three basic archetypes players can pursue with classes, starting with their first official choice at level 10. These archetypes then begin to split out into subclasses, similiar in ways to the system seen in Ragnarok Online. At level 40, players can pick their secondary class, from among two options within each class (for a total of six secondary classes), each of which fills a specific role. At a later level (not yet unlocked), players can then unlock a third set of classes, again having a choice between two options based on their second class. A nice touch to this system is that players retain the skills of their previous classes as they level up, giving them a full range of skills from their early classes on until their final classes. Because of the class system, players will find that they level up in two different ways. The first way – through experience – gains players their regular levels, which lets them power up their character in more general ways. As players play their class, however, they will also add class experience, which can be used to upgrade skills within that class. Empire versus Federation We caught a little glimpse of PvP by battling a GM in the arena. While the game does have a two- faction system, players are offered a wide variety of PvP flags and protections, allowing them to control what situations they are willing to PvP in very precisely. Players will be able to participate in open world PvP if they allow themselves to be flagged and fight the opposing nation, but there will also be PvP maps at higher levels for players to battle it out on. There are also griefing penalties in place to punish players who prey on lower level targets. And The Other Stuff Luvinia features plenty of maps – over 50 – and each of these maps may feature one or more small instances. These instances are put in place to help reduce server load. There are also multiple channels available on a server to allow players to switch to less crowded areas. There’s a lot of other features to Luvinia we were shown. There are plenty of mounts, which can be upgraded among three grades to change their appearance (but not their speed); weapons can be crafted to add + modifiers and weapon glow; and there are plenty of costumes available on a temporary or permanent basis. The game will also offer daily quests, plus a daily calendar of events, for players to partake in and earn extra rewards while getting away from the grind. Final Impressions There’s a lot about Luvinia you’d expect from a fantasy MMORPG. That reliability will offer the game a stable platform to branch out in other areas. The game is definitely easy on the system, easy on the eyes, and forgiving to newer players with a simple control system. From what we hear about higher levels – with a working constellation system, creative game design, and a branched class system – Luvinia looks to be promising. By, Jaime Skelton Luvinia Beta Screenshots 12345►

PlaySpan Partners with World of Tanks to Offer Tank Giveaway Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:22 AM PDT PlaySpan, a Visa company specialized in monetization solutions for digital media, online games, and mobile apps, today announced that its UltimatePay engine will be partnered with World of Tanks to process transactions. World of Tanks Customization Screenshot “PlaySpan’s UltimatePay allows us to monetize World of Tanks, our first ever free-to-play online game, said Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming.net."With the recent announcement of World of Tanks’ availability to North American gamers, we feel we have made the decision taht will serve the most users in the most markets.” World of Tanks is celebrating this business partnership by offering a free M3 Stuart Tank for anyone who redeems their PlaySpan Ultimate Game Card between the dates of July 15th and August 31st! The Ultimate Game Card, the world's first pre-paid game card, makes it convenient for you to play over 1000 popular online games. The Ultimate Game Card is available in over 55,000 stores across North America and thousands more worldwide including Walmart and Target. World of Tanks Gameplay Screenshot For those unfamiliar with their World War II history, The M3 Stuart Tank was an extensively used United States light armor tank that turned the tides of many battles. Its 37MM guns fire quickly, accurately, and with little heating issues. Speed and stealth are the two key factors of survival as a light armored tank in World of Tanks and the M3 Stuart provides you with both.

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MMO Updates

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• Allods Online's Rise of the Gods patch now live
• Mythos set to break the speed barrier with its new update
• NCsoft turns the tables by giving awards to MMO journalists
• EverQuest II Freeport and Beyond panel video released
• Clone Wars Adventures' Update goes live -- the Producers discuss collaborative project
• Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes to share currency with World of Tanks
• The Daily Grind: Are MMOs your main hobby?
• Prime: Battle for Dominus releases new game info, dev chat coming tomorrow
• The MMO Report: The no-class edition
• Final Fantasy XIV removing old penalties and adding a couple new ones
• Rusty Hearts reveals Frantz, releases new dev diary
• APB shoots down rumors of retail releases
• Behind the Mask: Welcome to my lair, do not touch my radio
• The Guild Counsel: A chat with Linda "The Brasse" Carlson
• One Shots: Her interests include cooking, shopping, and stabbing
• EverQuest displays new screenshots for the Veil of Alaris expansion
• RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated]
• Dragon Oath offering real-world prizes for virtual contest
• NCsoft announces Aion patch 2.6
• Firefall's Mark Kern changes the perception of free-to-play
• Kitsu Saga closing down

Allods Online's Rise of the Gods patch now live Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online It's patch day for Allods Online, and gPotato's free-to-play fantasy epic is sporting quite a few revisions. The Rise of the Gods release (version 2.0.04.49 if you're counting at home) includes new high-level zones, increased challenge via the third Astral layer (as well as some ship navigation tweaks), more vanity items, and a new reincarnation system. This last bit caught our interest as it allows high-level Allods players to create a second character that shares all of the original character's item shop goodies. Both toons also have access to the same Astral ships, gold, and a few other trinkets according to gPotato's latest press release, and the mechanic offers a new spin on the traditional alt-creation pastime. Read all about it via the 2.0.04.49 patch notes. Allods Online's Rise of the Gods patch now live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mythos set to break the speed barrier with its new update Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, Mythos, Free-to-play Life in Hack-n-Slashville too slow for you these days? Well buckle up and keep your arms and legs inside of Mythos at all times -- the game is set to get a tad faster. An upcoming content update for Mythos is set to include a new feature that encourages players to cut their way through dungeons at a record pace. Using the Dungeon Master feature, adventurers who beat dungeons and accomplish other challenges under a set time limit will be showered with gifts and glory. If you choose to play in this mode, a timer will start the second you enter a dungeon and will go until you vanquish every foe in the place. If you make a new record or beat an old one -- you'll be competing against other players in this -- you'll get a nice package of rewards including in-game currency and rare items. The update is set to increase the level cap and add more PvP content as well. Mythos set to break the speed barrier with its new update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

NCsoft turns the tables by giving awards to MMO journalists Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Humor, Miscellaneous First of all, we'd like to say that if we don't get the "Most Eminently Cheery Journalist" award, we may have to convert to the dark side and start throttling Jawas or something. What's this all about? In order to raise money for GamesAid, a UK-based charity, NCsoft has decided to host the first Golden Chippies Awards to celebrate the best and brightest MMO journalists in the British Empire. These wink-wink, nudge-nudge awards will be handed out on Wednesday, July 20th, and are a lead-up to the real Develop Awards ceremony. Among the awards are "GM Award for Appearing to Know More than the Developers" and the "Twink Award for the Strongest Introduction to MMO Journalism." NCsoft's Cat Channon introduced the event with sentiment that we at Massively would like to echo: "MMO journalism is a labour of love for those involved. A niche but growing subset of traditional gaming media, these guys really are doing it through devotion to the genre." NCsoft turns the tables by giving awards to MMO journalists originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest II Freeport and Beyond panel video released Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Earlier this week our own Karen Bryan brought you the details on all the EverQuest II happenings from last week's Fan Faire 2011. Today, EQ2Wire has added some lengthy video coverage to the mix in the form of an hour-long recording of the initial EQII dev panel entitled Freeport and Beyond. The proceedings are captained by producer Dave Georgeson, and the panel features more info than one news post can adequately cover. The highlights include Game Update 61 (to be launched in late August), the new dungeon creator functionality, itemization and AA revamps, the addition of AA functionality to the crafting game, the Age of Discovery expansion, and of course, the Freeport revamp. That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, so grab your favorite beverage and click past the cut to view the hour-long video. EverQuest II Freeport and Beyond panel video released originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Clone Wars Adventures' Update goes live -- the Producers discuss collaborative project Posted: 15 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Family, Clone Wars Adventures At Fan Faire last week, we brought news of the upcoming story-based update to Clone Wars Adventures, which will bridge the gap between Season Three and Season Four. That update goes live today, and we talked a bit more about the process at a round-table with Senior Producer Todd Carson, Game Designer Justin Dazet, and Dave Filoni, Supervising Producer for the TV show. This is a first for both the MMO and the show, and they shared some insight into what went into the project. For highlights from the round-table, read below the cut! Continue reading Clone Wars Adventures' Update goes live -- the Producers discuss collaborative project Clone Wars Adventures' Update goes live -- the Producers discuss collaborative project originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes to share currency with World of Tanks Posted: 15 Jul 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Economy, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks Whether you feel more comfortable on the ground or in the skies, Wargaming.net has you covered. The studio announced today some new details on the economic system for its upcoming title World of Warplanes. According to the press release, it will follow the model of its predecessor World of Tanks with gold, credits, and experience as the primary forms of currency. With the addition of World of Warplanes to its stable, however, Wargaming.net plans to allow "global interaction" between the two titles. This means, in case you couldn't guess, that all of those different forms of currency will be shared between the two games. This, in turn, means that any player that has racked up an obscene amount of gold/credits/experience in World of Tanks can put their excess currencies toward their advancement in World of Warplanes. If you want to get a jump on the competition before World of Warplanes' launch, you can sign up for World of Tanks at the official site. Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes to share currency with World of Tanks originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Are MMOs your main hobby? Posted: 15 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind This week is a big one for fantasy fans, as the fifth volume of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire cycle has finally arrived in bookstores (six years after its predecessor, no less). Since there's quite a bit of overlap between fans of fantasy literature and MMORPGs, and since most MMOs are fairly time-consuming, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that a few of you may be seeing less of your favorite game than normal this week. Whether you're making a long-awaited return to the world of Westeros, or you're feverishly turning the pages of the first four volumes in an effort to catch up, today's Daily Grind is all about budgeting your hobby time. Specifically, do you play MMOs at the expense of other hobbies or do you occasionally set the games aside? 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: Are MMOs your main hobby? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Prime: Battle for Dominus releases new game info, dev chat coming tomorrow Posted: 14 Jul 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Livestream Yay, sci-fi MMO news! If that doesn't twirl your beanie, how about this: Three-faction sci-fi MMO news! Yes, Pitchblack Games has sent out a new press release, and we're here to tell you that it features some pretty spiffy stuff. First up is a bunch of website updates for Prime: Battle for Dominus, including backstory and info on the game's 11 explorable worlds. Pitchblack has also put together a combat update, and juicy details include info on the game's death penalty, looting, targeting, and more. Last but not least is the first official Prime dev chat, and the shindig is scheduled for this Friday, July 15th, at 3:00 p.m. EST. The chat will be available via live stream and will feature co-designers Warren Weems and John Kennison. Head to the official Prime website for more. Prime: Battle for Dominus releases new game info, dev chat coming tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The MMO Report: The no-class edition Posted: 14 Jul 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Video, EVE Online, New titles, The Secret World, Humor, Champions Online, The MMO Report This week the MMO Report was shot at 12 o'clock Tyrian Standard Time, which most likely means that you were fast asleep or eating lunch. To help you catch up on what you may have missed, we will give you a quick overview of what Casey Schreiner had to say about this week's MMO news. First off, the host extraordinaire mentions Massively by name when regarding the new hide-outs in the Champions Online. It appears he is most fond of the Mother's Basement venue. However, the Moon Base may have caught his eye, too. Secondly, Casey reaffirms his love for EVE Online, or not... maybe it is just his enthralling voice that keeps us glued to our computer monitors as he discusses the trailer that tells us why we should love EVE. Next, our intrepid host stealthily guides us through all the non-American names associated with the surreal MMO Glitch. Lastly, he breezes over the new The Secret World trailer before reaching into his glorious mail bag and pulling out some memes. Jump past the cut to witness the full splendor of this week's MMO Report, and don't miss next week's Fan Faire edition that is all about SOE's event in Los Vegas. Continue reading The MMO Report: The no-class edition The MMO Report: The no-class edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XIV removing old penalties and adding a couple new ones Posted: 14 Jul 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV The Fatigue system was one of the most hated features of Final Fantasy XIV before the game had even hit release. Even though it was almost impossible to hit the mythical point where you started getting less experience, nobody liked the idea of having your gains cut when you were having fun. So there will be few tears shed when the entire system is removed in patch 1.18, which has already promised a number of sweeping changes to the game's functionality. Of course, it's not all about making life easier for players, as both the death penalty and Return option are seeing their functionality tweaked. Previously, players would sometimes die and use Return to avoid an anima cost while still making a fast trip somewhere. As of the newest patch, using Return to revive will incur a small durability penalty, offset slightly by the improvement of the Raise spell. Final Fantasy XIV players can check the official release for details on the slight rearrangement of penalties, aimed at keeping gameplay more dynamic and active. Final Fantasy XIV removing old penalties and adding a couple new ones originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rusty Hearts reveals Frantz, releases new dev diary Posted: 14 Jul 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous Perfect World Entertainment is treating Rusty Hearts fans to a bevy of new information today, with the release of a new dev diary and some new information about Rusty Hearts character Frantz. Poor, poor Mr. Frantz. As if getting bitten by a vampire wasn't enough, his fiancée ended up in a tragic accident, forcing Frantz to turn her into a vampire as well in order to save her life. Unlike Frantz, who apparently had the willpower to only go half-vampire (you never go full-vampire), his fiancée seems not to have taken it quite so well and has disappeared, leaving Frantz desperately searching for her. Next up is the new developer diary, which is short but sweet. In the video, Product Manager Mark Hill talks a bit about Rusty Hearts and what players can expect from it. None of the information revealed is terribly new, but there is some flashy gameplay footage, as well as some talk about the two of the game's characters who aren't half-vampires. For some new pictures of Frantz, check out the gallery below, and then jump on past the cut for the full dev diary video. And remember, Rusty Hearts' closed beta gears up later this month, so head on over to the official site to sign up. Gallery: Rusty Hearts Frantz character reveal Continue reading Rusty Hearts reveals Frantz, releases new dev diary Rusty Hearts reveals Frantz, releases new dev diary originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

APB shoots down rumors of retail releases Posted: 14 Jul 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Real life, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Rumors APB has not had an easy ride, launching and shutting down in record time. But the relaunch at the hands of GamersFirst has proven quite successful for the game, which gives rise to certain rumors. Case in point, the rumor that had swirled earlier today about the game seeing a retail re-release at the hands of IGS. It was certainly a nice rumor, but according to Rahul Sandil, it's nothing more than that. In a statement released earlier today by Mr. Sandil, GamersFirst has been approached by a number of potential retail partners due to the runaway success of APB Reloaded. However, the company is still evaluating its options, and as a result they are not yet ready to announce any partnerships. Mr. Sandil also stressed that any retail partnership would not change the fact that the company is committed to free-to-play as a business model, which is doubtlessly good news for fans now enjoying the urban shooter free-for-all. APB shoots down rumors of retail releases originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Behind the Mask: Welcome to my lair, do not touch my radio Posted: 14 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Culture, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Roleplaying, Champions Online, Behind the Mask Hideouts are the one of the most anticipated features in Champions Online. Players have wanted their own personal space for a while, especially because City of Heroes has had supergroup bases for a very long time. Ever since Champions launched, players have wanted space to call their own. Most roleplayers have made do with private mission instances, but this was a tenuous situation at best. Do Hideouts live up to the hype? What do they mean for roleplayers, or for the average player? Are they worth purchasing? After the jump, we'll cover the consequences related to hideouts and some of their implications in the CO roleplaying world. Continue reading Behind the Mask: Welcome to my lair, do not touch my radio Behind the Mask: Welcome to my lair, do not touch my radio originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: A chat with Linda "The Brasse" Carlson Posted: 14 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: EverQuest, EverQuest II, Interviews, MMO industry, The Guild Counsel By night, she's the impeccably-dressed, bearded dwarf that MCs Fan Faires and never turns down a good pint of ale. But by day, she's the Community Relations Director for SOE, and she dons several different caps as part of her job with the company. At Fan Faire, she took the time to speak with Massively about a variety of topics, including forum wars, social media, the future of SOE's Facebook games, and even a revamp of the popular Guide program in EQ and EQII. Read below the cut for highlights from the interview. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: A chat with Linda "The Brasse" Carlson The Guild Counsel: A chat with Linda "The Brasse" Carlson originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

One Shots: Her interests include cooking, shopping, and stabbing Posted: 14 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Aion, One Shots Massively reader Yarr treats us to a gorgeous screenshot of one of his Aion characters for today's One Shots: While I don't really have a main in Aion, this gal is one of my favorites. Although she defends her home as an Assassin, she spends most of her time cooking, or wheeling and dealing on the broker with a fair amount of price manipulation when the opportunity arises. Stealth, stabbing, sauces, and selling - that is what keeps her happy! We've taken a look at all of your accessories over the past few weeks on One Shots: weapons, armor, mounts, and pets. But now it's time to turn the spotlight on the star of the show. We want to see you -- well, your character. Snap a screenshot of your favorite character in your favorite MMO. Let us know about him or her by sending the screenshot, your name, and some information about the character to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll feature it here on One Shots! One Shots: Her interests include cooking, shopping, and stabbing originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest displays new screenshots for the Veil of Alaris expansion Posted: 14 Jul 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest, Expansions In March of 1999, the upstart studio Verant Interactive created a little game called EverQuest. Who knew that 11 years later we would still see growth from the spearhead MMO of the company now called Sony Online Entertainment? Last week at SOE Fan Faire, the developers announced that EverQuest will see its 18th expansion, Veil of Alaris, sometime in November of this year. SOE promises to reveal more about this about this hidden continent of Norrath in the coming months, In a post on the official forums, the community manager reiterated that the level-cap increase and the guild-hall revamp will be added to the game with this expansion. However, the true reason behind the post was to show off the new screenshots from the land of Alaris. Keep in mind that this game is 11 years old when you gaze at these screenshots of the deadly Resplendent Temple, mysterious Windsong Oratory Crypt, and beautiful Rubak Oseka in the gallery below. Gallery: EverQuest: Veil of Alaris EverQuest displays new screenshots for the Veil of Alaris expansion originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated] Posted: 14 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, Massively Interviews, RIFT Trion Worlds has never been shy in talking about RIFT's upcoming content, especially considering how fast and furious said content's been flying down the pipe. However, the studio may have topped itself today as it gave its first State of the Game address, opening up about the title's history to date and both the near and far future of the team's plans. It's difficult to try to summarize all of this news in a brief paragraph -- so we're not even going to try! Instead, Massively joined a number of other news outlets for a conference call with the RIFT team and Scott Hartsman to clarify all of the exciting content, fixes and features mentioned in this address. So join us after the jump as we look at quality-of-life improvements, new types of rifts, vastly improved PvP experiences, solo dungeons, and something intriguing called "Instant Adventure." Continue reading RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated] RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dragon Oath offering real-world prizes for virtual contest Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-play The folks at ChangYou are introducing a new contest for their Dragon Oath players, and it's one that virtual pet fans are going to love. The contest is called "Pump up Your Pet," and it gives every entrant a free white fox pet along with a chance to win a Nintendo 3DS, a Tt eSports prize package, or one of three Amazon gift cards. To enter, you'll need to have a Dragon Oath character of level 10 or above, and "like" the Dragon Oath Facebook page. Click the "promotions" tab on the Facebook page to receive a code to add the pet to your account, and then the real fun begins! Your task is to level your new pet as much as you can by 1:00 p.m. EST on July 28th. When the deadline arrives, take a screenshot of your character and pet and send it to contests.dragonoath@gmail.com along with your character, account name, and the entry code you received to get your white fox pet. The top 10 players with the highest leveled White Foxes will be put in a raffle to win one of the prizes, and ChangYou will announce the winners on August 26th. Best of luck to all who enter! Dragon Oath offering real-world prizes for virtual contest originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

NCsoft announces Aion patch 2.6 Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Aion, Patches, News items NCSoft has announced that Aion will be seeing its newest content update early next month. Patch 2.6 will be hitting the test servers on July 28th for a short trial-by-fire before being released on the live servers on August 3rd. What will this patch entail, exactly? For starters, solo players will be treated to some new content in the form of the Crucible Challenge, which is a solo version of the Empyrean Crucible instance, now with a bonus round! A few instances are seeing some difficulty adjustments (namely Dark Poeta, Empyrean Crucible, and Beshmundir Temple), while these instances and more will be updated with an auto party-matching system. New conditioning stones will allow players to enhance their gear even further, and a new pet -- the Runaway Poppy -- will give its owners a chance at some extra Platinum Medals. And lastly, to whet your appetites while you wait for more information, we have a few new screenshots from the patch that can be seen in the gallery below! Gallery: Aion patch 2.6 NCsoft announces Aion patch 2.6 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Firefall's Mark Kern changes the perception of free-to-play Posted: 14 Jul 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Economy, MMO industry, New titles The third-person shooter Firefall has questioned nearly everything about what it means to be an MMO. In fact, CEO Mark Kern has mentioned to us at PAX East 2011 that the term MMO is not in the development vocabulary of his game: "If people want to call us an MMO, that's great. We aren't going to call ourselves an MMO, because we want you to think fresh thoughts along with us." These "fresh thoughts" extend not only to the game design, but they also extend to the game's subscription model. As a former team lead from Blizzard, one would think that Kern would totally support the monthly subscription model shared by Blizzard's flagship MMO, World of Warcraft. In the beginning, Kern admits that he was. He tells to the Escapist, "We felt that with a AAA quality game, a subscription was still the way to go. I was pretty skeptical of free-to-play five years ago." However, with the change in US economy and watching the success of F2P MMOs in other countries like China, the CEO changed his tune. "What I found surprised me; free-to-play wasn't just a successful model, it was an incredibly profitable one," Kern explains in the Escapist article. As the perception of F2P is changing in western culture, perhaps we will see more and more triple-A games beginning their life as free-to-play. The full interview with Firefall's Mark Kern can be found on the Escapist website. Let us know what you think of F2P for triple-A games in the comments below. Firefall's Mark Kern changes the perception of free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kitsu Saga closing down Posted: 14 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play It's never a fun day when an MMO gives up the ghost, and unfortunately today marks just such an occasion for Kitsu Saga. Aeria Games is shutting down the game for good, and a somber announcement on the official website marks the beginning of the end. "This was a very difficult decision for us and has only been made after much deliberation. We'd like to thank those who played Kitsu Saga and especially those who stuck with it through the more difficult times," the news blurb states. Aeria also offers up a bit of info regarding AP Spender compensation, and the long and short of it is that refunds may take a while to process due to the large number pending (Aeria estimates seven to 10 business days after July 14th). Head to the official Kitsu Saga website for the details. Kitsu Saga closing down originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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