General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Bad News Comes in (Diablo) Threes: Mods “Expressly Prohibited”

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 08:37 PM PDT

We've seen quite a wide range of opinions concerning Diablo III's newly revealed auction house, but it came part-and-parcel with another dark cloud that completely lacks a silver lining. See, plenty of games get released sans official mod support, but Diablo's devil is in the details. Diablo III mods, says Blizzard, are "expressly prohibited."

"For a variety of gameplay and security reasons, we will not be supporting bots or mods in Diablo III, and they'll be expressly prohibited by our terms of use for the game," reads an official FAQ provided by the mega-developer.

It's a bit odd, too, seeing as this is the same Blizzard that took StarCraft II's title literally and gave players tools robust enough to craft actual, honest-to-goodness stars. That said, this whole online-only push seems incredibly misguided to us. Blizzard's flying the banner of "full player control" with its auction house (as opposed to developer-driven microtransactions), but snatching away standbys like modding and, well, single-player.   

To which you probably reply, "Activision!" To which we definitely reply, "Nope." Blizzard's got two of gaming's most mind-obliteratingly gigantic cash cows in its stable. Honestly, with its entire one remaining popular franchise (Call of Duty), Activision's not in any position to be making demands. For now, then, we're just going to keep watching Blizzard and making that face dogs use when they're confused.

Old School Monday: This Means War

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:29 PM PDT

For as far back as we can remember, the RTS has provided hours of skill-honing, leveling entertainment. Whether we found ourselves in the dungeons of Diablo 2, or more recently in the war-strapped boots of Jim Raynor, RTS games have long held a special spot in our hearts.

Bearing this sentiment in mind, we proudly present to you a look ahead at some of the more technically advanced RTS games--from 10 years ago, mind you. Hit the jump for a trip down memory lane!

 

this means one

 

this means two

 

this means three

 

this means four

 

this means five

Galaxy Beefs Up Graphics Card Warranty, How Does It Compare?

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:09 PM PDT

Failed hardware is just a part of life, simple as that. You can nudge the odds in your favor by ensuring adequate cooling and keeping that foot long energy drink away from the edge of your desk so that if it spills it won't ooze into your mid-tower chassis, but there's no foolproof way to guarantee your hardware won't give up the ghost. When that happens, your next line of defense is a warranty, and graphics card maker Galaxy just announced it's offering an "extended warranty" period on its videocards. Cards purchased on or after August 1, 2011 are now backed by a 3-year warranty.

"Galaxy has listened to the enthusiast market and we are glad to move from a 2-year warranty to a 3-year warranty by registration. We will continue to push the limits of performance through Galaxy internal engineering and high end quality with our own manufacturing lines, now we are backed with a 3-year warranty to further service Galaxy customers," said Ric Lewis, Galaxy US sales.

Hooray for Galaxy in throwing the enthusiast market a bone, just remember to register your card online within 30 days to be eligible for that extra year of coverage, good from the date of purchase. Saavy? Awesome, now let's take a look at how Galaxy's warranty compares to some of the other guys.


(Image Credit: flickr cibomahto)

EVGA

EVGA is one of Nvidia's biggest and most active graphics partners, and the GPU vendor champions that responsibility with one of the more flexible warranties in the business. Most EVGA videocards carry a limited lifetime warranty, provided you register your purchase within 30 days (if you don't, it drops to just 1 year). The lifetime backing applies to products with the following suffixes: -A1, -A2, -A3, -A4, -AR, -AX, -CR, -CX, -DX, -FR, -FX, -SG, and -SX. EVGA trusts its users with overclocking and using third-party heatsinks, the company just requires that you return the card in its original factory configuration and condition (slap the stock heatsink back on), and that there be no physical damage to the card.

EVGA Warranty Terms

XFX

XFX is another company that backs its graphics cards for life, and in fact these guys and gals offer 'Double Lifetime Protection.' That doesn't mean you can take your warranty with you into the afterlife, but it does allow you to transfer the warranty to a second owner, a great perk should you decide to sell or give your card away when it comes time to upgrade. Like several others, XFX requires its customers to register their card within 30 days of purchase, or the warranty will only last for 2 years. Like EVGA, XFX doesn't mind if you overclock (volt-modding is NOT covered) or swap out the cooling solution, you just have to return it to its original condition when requesting service.

XFX Warranty Terms

VisionTek

Yet another company that offers a lifetime warranty, VisionTek backs its videocards for life as long as you register online within 30 days, or it drops to just 1 year. VisionTek doesn't outright tell users whether or not they can overclock or use a third-party cooling solution, but does warn that any damage arising from tampering, user error, disaster, misuse, neglect, modification, and a bunch of other scenarios will not be covered.

VisionTek Warranty Terms

PNY

PNY's warranty depends on which graphics card you purchase. For regular cards, PNY says it will warrant purchases for 1 year, plus an additional 2 years upon completion of registration on PNY's website, so that's 3 years total (it adds up, trust us). PNY's XLR8 graphics cards, however, carry a lifetime backing, although the company "does not cover items out of production if the company no longer stocks them (Lifetime is defined as the lifetime of the product on the market)." Overclocking and/or using a third-party cooling solution is not implicitly covered. Whether or not you divulge that information, well, that's up to you.

PNY Warranty Terms

The Others

No other company we're aware of offers a lifetime warranty on graphics cards, though if we missed one, be sure to shout it in the comments section below. We also have to give credit to BFG, a fallen graphics partner that pioneered the idea of true lifetime warranties on videocards. Unfortunately, BFG's unexpected and untimely demise is also a reminder that even a lifetime backing is really only valid until the company goes belly-up, and then you're on your own.

Home Rental Startup Airbnb Seeks to End PR Nightmare with $50,000 Insurance Policy

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 02:49 PM PDT

airbnbYou might not have heard of Airbnb, a feisty young startup out of San Francisco that lets users book lodging in the vacant homes of other Airbnb users, and rent out their own homes while they are away. The entire process is handeled by Airbnb, not directly by the users. In recent weeks, a firestorm of bad PR has hit Airbnb as a woman, blogging under the pseudonym EJ told the tale of how an Airbnb guest robbed and vandalized her home. In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Airbnb has now offered an unconditional apology and a $50,000 insurance guarantee, but not after a few missteps.

There has been a significant amount of controversy as EJ and the Airbnb people traded barbs over just what happened. EJ claims that she was brushed off when she alerted Airbnb to the incident after returning home in late June. She found her home trashed, and many personal items (including IDs) missing. The police were involved, but Airbnb continued to bungle the PR nightmare. 

EJ updated her story, claiming that Airbnb's co-founder asked her to delete her blog. When all seemed darkest, the folks running the start up (which is funded to the tune of $100 million) have relented. Airbnb will offer a blanket $50,000 insurance policy to all users that rent out their empty house.The offer is retroactive so EJ should be able to get back on her feet. 

Although, the emotional damage from having your home essentially destroyed by a drug-addled stranger you were paired with by a service you trusted must be intense. EJ can at least take some small comfort in knowing that the police have a suspect in custody after working with Airbnb. Do you think this situation was resolved amicably? Would you ever use Airbnb?

Chrome Web App of the Week: PadMapper

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 02:14 PM PDT

Moving, we're certain you'll agree, sucks. Packing, organizing the logistics, paying a security deposit on your new digs, cleaning your old pad from top to bottom after you move out and--worst of all--unpacking, has been rated as one of the most stressful gauntlets of experience that life has to offer. For those of us who have moving to a new apartment in their cards, PadMapper, Our Chrome Web App of the Week, does what it can to make the whole process just a little less painful.

Using Google Maps to illustrate the locations of rental listings from popular services such as Apartments.com, Rent.com and Craigslist, PadMapper makes finding a new place to live almost bearable. In order to get started with the web app, users are invited to click on one of the hundreds of North American cities currently supported by PadMapper. Doing so zooms into a map of your selected location, detailing the rental properties currently available. Through the use of easy-to-apply filters such as minimum/maximum rent cost, number of bedrooms and whether or not the property is pet-friendly,  the application makes it possible to quickly whittle your rental options down to a manageable level.

With select cities, PadMapper also provides users with the ability to overlay crime statistics, locate nearby mass transit routes and even factor in their potential work commute time as variables for selecting a new home.

Be sure to check back every Monday for another edition of Maximum PC's Chrome Web App of the Week.

Contest Monday: Win a ThermalTake Shock One Gaming Headset!

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 01:11 PM PDT

We're starting this week off right - with a contest! What better way to console yourself through that wicked case of the Mondays than by getting a chance to win this sweet ThermalTake Shock One gaming headset?

shock one

If we've got your interest, then here are the details: just send us a photo of your favorite PC (or PC-related) purchase, with a sentence or two on why it gets the title of "Best PC thingy I ever spent my hard-earned cash on" to webmaster@maximumpc.com

If we use your photo/caption in Thursday's gallery, you're automatically entered to win! We'll pick a winner at random from the gallery and that lucky person will get to rock a set of headphones that our own Alex Castle has called "a solid all-rounder," featuring "solid construction and good all-around sound quality." The usual terms and conditions do, of course, apply (and are detailed below in the fine print). Now, get to submitting! We want to see your entries!

*And, if this headset prize or contest doesn't quite appeal to you, stick around - we'll have another contest on Friday!*

 

Rules

MaximumPC contest rules: Anyone who emails a photo of their favorite PC (or PC-related) purhcase with caption to webmaster@maximumpc.com will be entered to win theThermalTake Shock One gaming headset described in this article--one entry per accepted comment. Prizes will be awarded by random drawing. Submissions will be accepted until Wednesday the 3rd of August at 04:00 PM PST. By entering this contest, you agree that Future US, Inc. may use your name, likeness, website, and submission for promotional purposes without further payment. Employees of Sponsor, its respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and agents, and foregoing employees¹ household or immediate family members (defined as parent, spouse, child, sibling, or grandparent) are NOT eligible to enter Contest. All prizes will be awarded, and no minimum number of entries is required. Prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians. Future US, Inc. is not responsible for damages or expenses the winners might incur as a result of this contest or the receipt of a prize, and winners are responsible for income taxes based on the value of the prize received. A list of winners may also be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope toFuture US, Inc. c/o MaximumPC Contest, 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080. This contest is limited to residents of the United States. No purchase necessary; void in Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law.

Kingston Now Shipping The SandForce-Powered HyperX SSD

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:59 AM PDT

Hey, hardcore computer users; Kingston hasn't forgotten about you. After solidifying their base and getting their SSD feet wet in the low-end consumer market, Kingston has teamed up with SandForce for the first time in order to release a high-end SSD capable of pleasing gamers and hardware geeks alike. The company announced today that the super-fast Kingston HyperX SSD is finally shipping to US customers.

Like we mentioned when we first took a look at the HyperX SSD a couple of months ago, this is Kingston's first SATA 3 (6GB/s) SSD. It's capable of sequential read speeds up to 555MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 510MB/s, while its 4KB random performance tops out at 95,000 IOPS read, 70,000 IOPS write. It's powered by the same SandForce SF-2281 controller that's found in many high-end SSD drives.

Kingston's offering both a 120GB and 240GB version of the HyperX SSD. You can buy them standalone for $270 or $520, or as part of an install-ready "HyperX Upgrade Kit" that includes the Acronis True Image HD migration software, a desktop mounting plate, an external drive bay, a multi-head screwdriver and a SATA data cable. The 120GB bundle costs $285 while the 240GB bundle will set you back $540 smackers.

You can check out the press release at the Kingston website.

Giada i50 Review

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:44 AM PDT

A real Velcro PC at last

Perhaps you've heard about our concept for the Velcro PC: a computer so small, light, and unobtrusive that you could literally affix it to the back of your HDTV.

That concept might have finally arrived in Giada's i50 PC. Similar to the original Giada Ion-100, the i50 is a serious step up over the original box.

The most noticeable upgrade is in the brains department: The original Ion-100 sported an Nvidia Ion 2 chip coupled with a 1.3GHz Atom 330; this new model features a 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM processor. It's not wickedly fast, mind you, but despite its 100MHz lower clock, it's several times faster than the weak-sauce Atom 330 part.

 
The Giada i50 sports a Core i5 CPU and is small enough to be hidden behind your HDTV.

In graphics performance, however, the Arrandale-based Core i5 falls short. The older Giada with its Ion 2 walks all over the i50 in anything graphics-related. In fact, the Giada is the slowest we've ever seen in an HTPC. Some of that is the fault of the older graphics core in the Core i5, and some is the fault of the single-channel DDR3 RAM running at a leisurely 800MHz. For integrated-graphics folks, system RAM speed matters.

But does gaming performance really matter in a box that's meant to be an HTPC machine? We don't believe so. The Giada is more likely going to be used to stream content from various websites. The original Giada, despite its faster 3D performance, wasn't up to that task given its slow Atom chip. The Giada i50 is. We had no issues playing HD video from YouTube, Vimeo, or Netflix. Granted, much of Atom's performance issues have been mitigated by Adobe's addition of GPU acceleration to Flash, but unoptimized players such as QuickTime will still trip up Atom systems. We expected the i50 to sail through our QuickTime test—playing a 1080p Iron Man 2 trailer from the hard drive—but were surprised that the 1.2GHz Core i5 didn't have the chops for it. Is it the machine's fault or Apple's, though? The trailer played perfectly fine from Windows Media Player and also from the VideoLAN player. We were originally prepared to hold it against the Giada but ultimately decided that it's probably better to blame the QuickTime Player, which is an even bigger pile of poo than we had suspected.


Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, and four USB ports adorn the back of the Giada i50.

Is the Giada i50 the best HTPC we've ever tested? No, our heart still belongs to Asrock's Vision 3D with its 2.4GHz Core i3 and discrete GeForce GT 425M part. But then again, the Asrock tips the scales at $800 to $1,000—without the OS. The Giada isn't cheap at $650 with Windows 7 Home Premium installed, but we've seen it for $500 on the street with the OS. The Giada is also quite a bit smaller than the Asrock machine and therefore truly suitable for those who want to mount it behind their HDTV Velcro-style. The i50 even comes with a VESA mount, too. It's not the fastest HTPC, but it's the smallest, most-capable-for-its-size machine we've encountered to date.

$650, www.giadapc.com

Build It: A $340 Ultra-Budget Box

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:20 AM PDT

Can we build a serviceable rig for just $340? With AMD's Fusion APU, we're gonna try

In past months, we've shown you how to build rigs for less than $1,000, and we even built a surprisingly speedy $667 PC Value Meal. But what do you do when your budget is half that? Let's face it, not everyone has half a grand or more to spend on a new computer, and not every build has to be a tricked-out gaming rig. Sometimes you just need a second computer for the family, or an HTPC that doesn't break the bank. Heck, sometimes you just need a cheap first computer. That doesn't mean you have to head to big-boxville and pick a prebuilt off the rack. Indeed, we're betting that with a little elbow grease we can put together a machine for less than $350 that'll perform basic tasks, if not with a surplus of power, at least without smoking and dying.

How do you build a PC for less than $350? Combine, combine, combine. AMD's Brazos Fusion APU is great for that; for $110 we got an Asrock E350M1 Mini-ITX motherboard with a 1.6GHz dual-core Hudson M1 APU and integrated Radeon HD 6310 GPU. Bam! That's motherboard, CPU, GPU, and onboard cooler taken care of. The E350M1 has two slots for DDR3 DIMMs; we'll use just one 2GB DDR3/1333 DIMM for now.

We chose the Rosewill RS-MI-01 BK chassis for several reasons. First, although it's small, it's roomy enough to accommodate one full-size optical drive and two 3.5-inch hard drives. Other Mini-ITX cases are smaller, but require slimline optical drives and 2.5-inch hard drives—too pricy for our budget. The case also comes with a 250W integrated PSU that's more than enough to power our rig. The case also has one PCI expansion slot, just in case we want to upgrade to a single-slot discrete GPU sometime in the future—the motherboard features one PCIe x16 slot.

For our drives, we picked a DVD burner with solid performance and a low, low price of $20. We also snagged a 320GB hard drive for $40. We know you can get 1TB for less than twice that, but every penny counts.

Ingredients

Step 1: Mount the Motherboard

The first step is to prep the case. The Rosewill case we're using is pretty simple; to remove the top and side panels, just remove four screws on the rear panel, then lift the panel up and out. Remove the front bezel (but leave it close by) by detaching the clips at the sides and bottom of the bezel.

Before you install the motherboard, insert the RAM into the slot closest to the APU.

Install the motherboard I/O shield, then slide the mobo onto the four raised standoffs at the back of the case, aligning the I/O ports with the holes in the shield. Secure the mobo (above) with four screws (they'll look like the ones you just removed from the rear panel), then, while you're at it, connect the 24-pin ATX power cable, as well as the front-panel HD Audio and USB 2.0 connectors. It's not going to get any less cramped inside the case later.

You should also attach the front-panel power, reset, and LED connectors (above), as the optical drive will soon make access to that part of the motherboard difficult.

Step 2: Install the Optical Drive

Now it's time to install the optical drive. Slide it into the 5.25-inch drive tray at the front of the case until the mounting holes on the side of the drive line up with the rearmost sets of holes on the sides of the bay (below). Secure with four to eight optical drive screws.

Tuck the remaining length of the ATX power cable underneath the optical drive, and attach the SATA power and data cables. We suggest using the SATA power connector that's closest to the PSU for the optical drive, leaving the terminating connector for the hard drive. Replace the front bezel.


 

Step 3: Install the Hard Drive

There are two 3.5-inch drive mounts in the case we're using: one at the front, which can be used for an external 3.5-inch drive, and a mounting point at the rear, to the right of the motherboard. We'll use the latter.

   

Attach the drive rails to the hard drive as shown (above, left), using the same style of screw that you used for the motherboard. Insert the drive perpendicular to the optical drive at the front of the case (above, right), then slide it back into place, making sure the SATA ports point toward the front of the case and the mounting holes on the case frame line up with the holes in the top drive rail. Secure with the pointed-ended screws.

Step 4: Attach the Connectors

Connect the remaining SATA power connector to the drive (below), then use the black 6Gb/s SATA data cable to connect the hard drive to the motherboard's SATA3_0 port. The hard drive doesn't have a SATA 6Gb/s connector, but both port and cable are backward-compatible; besides, the motherboard only comes with one SATA 3Gb/s cable, which we've used for the optical drive.

At this point, you're ready to go! Check that the 24-pin power cable is connected to the motherboard, double-check your drives' SATA power and data connections, and make sure the front-panel connectors are all in place, then replace the top cover and secure it. Now all you have to do is install your OS and you're ready to go!

Benchmarking the Budget Build

Don't expect miracles from a budget this small. Our mini rig is more than capable of basic computing tasks, and it's a lot more powerful than a netbook of about the same price, but it can't hold a candle to even our $667 budget rig from last month—but then again, it's half the price. Thanks to the integrated Radeon HD 6310 graphics chip, the mini rig handily trumps much more expensive mini PCs like the Giada i50—at least in gaming and other GPU-limited tests. It can't compete with the Giada's Core i5-430UM, despite our rig's higher clock speeds, in our Photoshop benchmark, or in MainConcept Reference, both of which might benefit from the Giada's 4GB of RAM (our rig has only 2GB) and faster Core i5 microarchitecture.

Though a Blu-ray drive wasn't in our budget for this build, we were able to play back 1080p video (the Iron Man 2 trailer we usually use for this test) with no issues using Window Media Player. And though this isn't a gaming powerhouse—averaging around 18fps in Left 4 Dead 2 at 1280x800—it still has oomph enough for older games, which is where a gamer with a $340 hardware budget should be looking anyway. We don't mean that in a snobby way; there are dozens of gaming classics available on sites like Gog.com for very little money that will run great on our budget build, and keep you happy and gaming for hundreds of hours.

With a $400 budget, we could have added another 2GB DIMM and replaced the hard drive with a 7,200rpm 750GB hard drive. Hell, with $1,000, we could build a truly kick-ass rig. But that wasn't our goal. Our goal was to create a functional PC at as low a price as we could manage, and in that we succeeded, creating a device that outperforms many mini PCs and set-top rigs that are twice its price. If you need a machine for the kids, or for basic computing tasks, you don't have to spend more than this to get something serviceable. And if you come into some money later on, you can smack some more RAM in there, add a discrete videocard, and further extend the life of your PC.

Benchmarks: $340 Budget Box vs. Giada PC
Giada i50 $340 Budget Box
Premiere Pro CS3 (sec) 272 448 (-39.3%)
MainConcept (sec) 4,736 8,925 (-46.9%)
3DMark03 (3DMarks) 1,189 6,548 (450.7%)
Quake III (fps) 87 179.6 (106.4%)
Quake 4 (fps) 9 43.7 (385.6%)

See our review of the Giada i50 here.

Time Warner Cable Bemoans Lack Of Porn Sales, Could Internet Be To Blame?

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:17 AM PDT

People say "You have your mind in the gutter" like it's a bad thing, but the adult video industry has actually spurred on a lot of the technology we now take for granted in the mainstream. Online payment systems? Thanks, porn! Streaming content? Internet users were streaming nude flix a long time before they began streaming Netflix. A lot of modern-day traffic optimization techniques also owe their origins to the skin trade. Soon, we may have something else to thank porn for: higher cable bills.

Sound crazy? That bastion of journalistic integrity, the New York Post, reports that Time Warner Cable saw video-on-demand revenue drop by 13.5 percent over the past year. That adds up to about $14 million. Here's the interesting part: Time Warner Cable prez Robert Marcus told analysts that more than a third of that number came from reduced adult content sales. Congrats, Time Warner Cable customers! You saved at least $5 million on skin flicks last year.

The Consumerist theorizes that people are wising up about paying cash for cable porn rentals and simply tapping into the loads of free porn that you can find on approximately 95 percent of the Internet. While saving that $10 may seem like a great idea in the short term, the Consumerist thinks cable companies may fight back against the lost revenue the only way they can. No, they won't begin offering free adult content of their own (Get your mind out of the gutter!), they'll just raise everybody's bill. What do you think?

(PS. If you're interested in seeing more about how adult video has shaped mainstream technology, check out this excellent PC World article.)

Image credit: missingremote.com

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


Rumor: TERA's Korean development director resigns

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , ,

If the rumors are true (and we'd like to stress that these are simply rumors as of press time), Bluehole Studio is undergoing something of a shakeup following the less-than-stellar showing of its TERA MMORPG in Korea.

Hyun-Kyu Park, TERA's executive director, has reportedly left the development firm due to an as-yet undetermined internal conflict. Our sources in Korea tell us that Park locked horns with other senior Bluehole executives due to his desire to postpone the game's open beta earlier this year. At the time, Park stepped down from his role as TERA's chief producer to become a producer on a forthcoming Bluehole title but is now rumored to have left the firm entirely.

TERA launched in Korea on January 25th and Bluehole began merging servers earlier this summer. Massively has contacted En Masse Entertainment, TERA's North American publisher, and is awaiting a response.

MassivelyRumor: TERA's Korean development director resigns originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wargaming.net to sponsor European Games Awards

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 09:30 AM PDT

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Cologne, Germany is figuring heavily in Wargaming.net's plans this summer. The studio is unveiling its new World of Warplanes MMORPG at the city's Gamescom event on August 17th, and has also signed on to be the primary sponsor of the 2011 European Games Awards (EGA) that will be given out aboard the "event ship" Pure Liner 1 which cruises the Rhine river.

The EGA ceremony goes down on August 13th, and is notable for the fact that players nominate games and companies as well as choose the award winners.

Wargaming.net released its free-to-play World of Tanks MMO earlier this year, and has been developing strategy warfare titles since 1998.

MassivelyWargaming.net to sponsor European Games Awards originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tales of Fantasy expansion brings new PvP and dungeon content

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 09:00 AM PDT

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Tales of Fantasy has a new expansion on the way, and Veil of Darkness is all about the PvP. A new IGG press release has given us a bit of a heads-up on the new content which centers around an area known as Coiling Hollow.

The hollow is basically a PvP-enabled zone where players can engage in wanton slaughter without fear of a death penalty (and rack up a bunch of honor points for disposing of members of the opposing faction).

That's not all, as Coiling Hollow also features something of a mother lode when it comes to loot. IGG tells us that the Serpent Shrine adventure area is "filled with the discarded treasure of a thousand warriors who dropped everything and ran for the exit," presumably due to the unimaginable horrors contained within. While there's no definitive release date for the Veil of Darkness content as of yet, you can keep an eye on the official Tales of Fantasy website, and Massively, for all the latest details.

MassivelyTales of Fantasy expansion brings new PvP and dungeon content originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legend of Edda going dark until 2012 due to revamp

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT

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Legend of Edda, the free-to-play title from GamesCampus, is temporarily closing its doors to the gaming public on August 26th until early next year. This isn't because of a dying population or financial difficulty, but rather to overhaul and relaunch the game with a much-improved version.

According to a letter left on the website, EU's EYASoft developed a superior version of the game that went into open beta in Europe. Apparently this version was both so good and so incompatible with the North American version that GamesCampus decided to halt progress on the current edition of Legend of Edda in favor for the new and improved one. "Unfortunately," the letter says, "because of the extreme differences between the US version and the new version, it is impossible to update the US servers to the new game."

To compensate Legend of Edda fans, GamesCampus is creating compensation packages to refund in-game currency and encourage players to try out on of the studio's other titles. We covered Legend of Edda earlier this year in our Rise and Shiny column.

MassivelyLegend of Edda going dark until 2012 due to revamp originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MV Guide: August 1-7, 2011

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 07:00 AM PDT

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MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel.

Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During livestream events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)

Follow along after the jump to see what's scheduled for this week!

Continue reading MV Guide: August 1-7, 2011

MassivelyMV Guide: August 1-7, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What was your favorite experience as a damage dealer?

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT

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Out of the three roles of the holy trinity, damage dealers (or DPS, depending on personal preference) are usually seen as the most superfluous. After all, you just have to pound something into the ground, right? But that's neglecting all of the work that damage dealers actually do, and it's neglecting the fact that you notice when your resident monster-pounder isn't up to snuff. Just because there are an awful lot of damage-dealing players in certain games (World of Warcraft springs to mind) doesn't mean there aren't some noteworthy members of the role.

From EverQuest to RIFT, pretty much every game has some way of allowing players to just rack up huge numbers and lay waste to the opposition. So what has your favorite experience been when piling on the damage? Was there a time that you broke numbers you didn't even think you were capable of hitting? A time when you showed your entire party just how good you were at what you did? Or was it a game where you got to combine your love of breaking things with a more party-oriented utility approach?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What was your favorite experience as a damage dealer? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Week in Review: Gamescom prep

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 06:00 PM PDT

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At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. Miss a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week? You've come to the right post.

We're still a few weeks away from Gamescom, but MMO studios are already trumpeting all of the goods that should prove to make this the most MMO-centric Gamescom ever. Whether it be the debut of World of Warplanes, the reveal of Guild Wars 2's PvP, or the unveiling of NCsoft's super-secret project, gamers are in a tizzy thinking about the possible news that could come out of the trade show.

Of course, that's not all the news that took place over the past week -- hit the jump and make sure you're up to date with the latest and greatest in our favorite hobby!

Continue reading Week in Review: Gamescom prep

MassivelyWeek in Review: Gamescom prep originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Gallente and Amarr

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT

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People come to EVE Online from many different gaming backgrounds, and for one reason or another, the game doesn't click with most people the first time they try it. Two weeks ago, I encouraged people who have tried EVE but never got it to click with them to approach the game from a new angle -- to grab a few friends and charge head-first into PvP with guns blazing from day one. In last week's EVE Evolved, I advised new players on getting into their first PvP frigate, preparing for PvP, and staying financially ahead of the inevitable ship losses. I also put together two frigate setups for each race that will fit and function well with only a few days worth of skills trained.

While frigates are fantastically cheap ships in which to learn the basics of PvP, their effectiveness on the battlefield is limited. Most tech 1 frigates struggle to deal anywhere near 100 damage per second, and if caught by enemy tacklers they die quickly. While the next step up is the destroyer class, I strongly advise PvP-oriented players to skip it and move straight on to cruisers. Although cruisers have less mobility than frigates and are easier for large ships to hit, they pack a big punch for a relatively low cost and can take a bit of a beating.

In this week's extra large EVE Evolved, I share effective and battle-tested setups for the Thorax, Vexor, Arbitrator, and Omen that new players can use with less than two weeks of skills trained. I also suggest skills to train and give a few tips for keeping costs down. If you're a fan of Minmatar or Caldari ships, tune in to next week's EVE Evolved for the continuation of this article.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Gallente and Amarr

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Gallente and Amarr originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: Rusty Hearts

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT

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Normally I don't like to take deeper looks at closed betas, especially because they can have missing features, broken text, or other things that make you wonder why you didn't wait until open beta or launch to try them out. I'm also pretty selfish and want to create a character once; I hate replaying those same early levels. So, generally, just give me my open beta invite and I'll have at it.

But this is Rusty Hearts. This is Perfect World, one of my favorite developers. While they have been made famous by making beautiful, yet really grindy, games like Perfect World, they have morphed over the years into a sophisticated, multi-faceted publisher. I even said that Rusty Hearts was one of my favorite things I saw at E3, so of course I jumped at the chance to take it for a test drive. I did find a few flaws in this otherwise gem of a game, so let's get started.

Click past the cut, would you?

Continue reading First Impressions: Rusty Hearts

MassivelyFirst Impressions: Rusty Hearts originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: A moment of rest

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT

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Age of Conan: It's all about the blood and gore and... well, bosoms, right? Funcom bills it as "The most savage online game ever," but there's peace to be found in Hyboria if you know where to look. Bronson was in the right place at the right time for just such a thing:
Here's my conqueror at the Ancient Ruins in Khitai watching the sunset.
That wraps it up for free-for-all week here on One Shots! Next week's theme is Some Assembly Required, and yes, it's a little nod to Massively's newest column. If you'd like to participate, send your best screenshot of content that you've created to us at oneshots@massively.com. It can be a house you built, an item you crafted, or anything you like as long as it came from your two (virtual) hands. Include your name, the game, and a little description of the image, and we'll feature it here on Massively!

MassivelyOne Shots: A moment of rest originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Castle Empire

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT

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Over the last week I have been enjoying some time in the so-new-it's-in-closed-beta Castle Empire. I have been struggling with how to describe exactly how the game makes me feel, since I am terrible at writing up exact details that end up making my article sound like the bland page of a wiki instead of a column based solely on this one dork's opinion. During my dog walks (I do my best thinking then), I try to come up with catchy arrangements of different words that would let you fair readers know the type of fun I had with the game, but more often than not, I would forget what I was thinking by the time I got back to the house. At one point I thought about wearing one of those goofy bluetooth headsets so I could dictate my thoughts while walking, but I feared getting my butt beaten in by the cooler elderly folks in the neighborhood.

Luckily, I finally stumbled upon a great example that, in all actuality, is not really a great example. It'll give you a good idea, I hope. So click past the cut and let's talk about this wonderful new MMORTS I found.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Castle Empire

MassivelyRise and Shiny recap: Castle Empire originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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