The rumors of our humble Greatest Platform in the World's death may have been greatly exaggerated, but the causes of its recent "resurrection" are a bit muddled. Typically, though, we get a repetitive song-and-dance composed of echoing praises for social gaming and a slide-to-jazz-hands flourish that's somehow supposed to represent casual titles and simpler interfaces. That's a double-edged sword if we've ever seen one. World of Warcraft lead developer Tom Chilton, however, isn't ready to let the Farmvilles of the world turn PC into their infinitely milkable cash cow just yet. Complexity, he says, is actually a selling point.
"In a lot of ways I see the PC as potentially a re-emerging sort of platform," Chilton told PC Gamer. "I think that the PC has always offered ways to approach games that you can't necessarily approach on console, even if it's just because of UI restraints."
"Keyboard and mouse opens up options that you can't get replicate as easily with a controller in RTS games like Starcraft 2. If you look at the way we do an MMO like World of Warcraft, our communication method and all that kind of stuff, it kind of implies a level of UI complexity that would be really hard to pull off on console. I think that combined with the digital distribution in a lot of ways has the potential to me to make the PC a really strong gaming platform going into the future," he concluded.
The man has a point. Say what you will about Blizzard, but its games work like a charm on PC and PC alone. Sadly, though, it's the exception – not the rule – in the big-budget sector. Console ports rule the roost, and then they venture beyond it and fight, like, a lion or something just 'cause. Here's hoping Chilton's right, and that trend turns around in a big way. Because seriously, if we can't obsessively hotkey every action in existence, what's even the point?
Back in 2006, Google began work on an internal project codenamed Platypus. The core of the program was to provide every Gmail user with a cloud-based hard drive akin to Microsoft Skydrive or Dropbox. It was later revealed as GDrive, but it never launched. The project was quietly killed in 2008. But some new code in the Chromium project makes it seem like the service might be making an unexpected comeback.
GDrive was axed by senior Googlers for fear that it did not fit with the simple cloud-centric direction of the company. They didn't want people storing physical files in the Google cloud, they wanted people to just use web apps. This seemed to be the final word on the topic until a ticket referencing drive.google.com was found in Chromium recently.
The URL appears to have been added to the high security transport protocol (HSTS) in Chromium along with Docs and other services. This leads many to believe the service is important, and not just a fragment of the past. Google isn't talking, but cloud storage has gotten big in recent years. Could Google have changed its mind on this?
That rumbling you hear off in the distance is not thunder. Rather, it's the sound of millions of Netflix users quietly cursing as the new higher rates kick in. It was mid-July when the disc and streaming supplier announced the updated plans, and this is the day it all goes down. Will there be fallout?
For the last few years, users enjoyed free streaming included with most Netflix disc plans. As the company shifts more toward streaming, it became apparent that they needed to extract more value from what was to become their core business. So starting today, there are separate streaming and dics plans. Streaming goes for $7.99 and the disc plans vary , but start at $7.99.
The obvious result is that the cheap single disc and streaming option jumped from $9.99 to $15.98. Many users have vowed to cancel the service, or at least ditch discs, which is just what Netflix wants. Are you planning to make a change before your next billing cycle starts?
Here at Maximum PC we appreciate quality. We love seeing top-notch products get the high scores and florid praises they've rightfully earned. It's not all smiles and sunshine in the testing labs, though. In fact, many of the products we've reviewed over the years are more Ass Kicked than Kick Ass. You know the Best of the Best? Well, these are the worst of the worst.
While we thankfully haven't had to deal with too many terrible products lately, we didn't have to dig all that deep into the archives to find a (not-so) healthy 50 photo sampling of some of the worst we've seen, from 2005 to July 2011.
What are some of the worst products you've ever used? Let us know!
Edit: Some readers have mentioned that it's difficult to read the text in some of the images. We appologize for the inconvenience--it's a limitation of the current gallery format that we're looking in to. In the mean time, you can view any picture at maximum size by right-clicking it in the gallery, and selecting to open the link in a new tab or a new window.
Linux end users may not have to worry about malware too often, but apparently, folks who like to roll their own code still draw the attention of hackers. Kernel.org, the online repository of the Linux kernel, is reporting that it fell victim to a security breach in August. Don't start screaming and unplugging your Ubuntu PCs just quite yet, though – the administrators believe the attack only compromised users who accessed the kernel.org site, and not the Linux source code itself.
Kernel.org discovered the breach on August 10th. The attacker gained root access on the website's Hera server, probably via a compromised user credential. According to the website's announcement, the attacker then modified ssh-related files, added a Trojan file to the system startup scripts, and logged the interactions of users who accessed the site. The exploit was discovered when developers began getting Xnest errors without Xnest installed.
The compromised systems have all been yanked offline and are currently being restored from pristine, Trojan-free backups. Every box on kernel.org will receive a full reinstall, and kernel.org is in the process of changing the credentials and ssh keys of the 448 users registered with the site.
Kernel.org is digging through the source code repositories with a fine-toothed comb to ensure that everything's kosher, but they feel it's unlikely that the attacker altered any of the 40,000 files in the Linux code, thanks to the git distributed revision control system that's in place. "A cryptographically secure SHA-1 hash is calculated to uniquely define the exact contents of (each) file," the site explains. The kernel system is designed to build upon the revisions before it, and thanks to that and the corresponding file hashes found on the hard drives of Linux developers across the world, it's virtually impossible to secretly change older versions.
Basically, the only Linux end users who may have something to worry about are people who were testing or compiling kernels in the past month, and that's only if the source code itself was infected, which don't seem likely at this point.
Are we going to have to petition Congress to change Thursday to Ultrabookday? If the flood of announcements keeps up like this, we might just have to take that drastic step. First, Lenovo unveiled three different Ultrabook models… Wait, did we say first? Actually, Toshiba managed to squeak in under the wire and yank the curtains off of its Ultrabook prior to Lenovo's announcement, making the Portégé Z830 series the first Intel-based MacBook Air clones out of the gate. Officially, at least.
Toshiba's press release doesn't reveal many hard details. The Protégé Z830 series will sport a 128GB SSD and a second generation Intel core processor, and oh yeah, it'll start at under $1,000. It's plenty slim, too, ay 0.63-inches thick and 2.5 lbs. Those cursory specifications weren't enough for our tastes, though; fortunately, TechCrunch and Engadget were able to snoop out a few more facts. The publications report that you'll find the following components shoved into the Portégé Z830's skinny little case:
Intel Core i3, i5, i7 processors
Onboard Intel HD 3000 graphics
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi radio
Magnesium alloy chassis with "honeycomb structure" for rigidity
Backlit, spill-resistant keyboard
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, HDMI and VGA out
1.3-megapixel webcam
Fingerprint reader (optional, on B2B model)
1366x768 display
Up to 6GB of RAM
Eight cell 47Wh battery
Expect to find the Portégé Z830 series in stores in November, but don't rush out and preorder the notebook just yet. We expect other companies to unveil plenty of other Ultrabooks in the upcoming days, so keep reading to stay informed of all your options.
Don't fight it folks, Intel's Ultrabook revolution has already begun and is getting a boost today from Lenovo, which just unveiled three Ultrabook models. These include the IdeaPad U300s, U300, and U400. All three are luxury laptops that attempt to fuse style with performance in a new breed of notebook Intel envisions taking over the mobile computing scene.
"People will be wowed with the new U Series systems from Lenovo that combine incredible performance in beautiful and stylish designs," said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group. "Powered by our 2nd Gen Core processors, this system will deliver great capabilities with a wonderful user experience and long battery life that people increasingly want. We're particularly excited by Lenovo's innovation and as one of the leading time to market partners in the new Ultrabook category with the U300s device that combines a no-compromise, must-have mobile experience with performance, security, responsiveness and style."
The U300s Eden talks about is a 13.3-inch notebook featuring up to an Intel Core i7 processor, a bootup time in as little as 10 seconds with Enhanced Experience 2.0 RapidDrive SSD technology, 4GB DDR3 memory, up to a 256GB SSD, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, 1.3MP webcam, and a slim profile made from a single piece of aluminum that measures 0.6 inches thick.
Lenovo's U300 (13.3 inches) and U400 (14 inches) sport HD displays, second generation Core processors, bootup times of less than 17 seconds, AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to 1TB HDD (or up to 256GB SSD), and a slot-loading DVD burner (U400 only).
The U300 and U400 will go on sale in November starting at $1,200 and $850, respetively.
Gamers living in Germany are finally able to purchase (legally) Doom and Doom II, a pair of software titles previously placed in an index of banned titles by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (Bundesprufstelle), the same index reserved for pornography.
Pete Hines, VP of PR and Marketing for Betheseda Software, the publisher whose parent company scooped up id Software in 2009, explained to Joystiq.com that index appeals are permissible after 10 years. Both Doom (released in 1993) and Doom II (released in 1994) were placed in the index in 1994.
"We are obviously very pleased with their decision," Hines told Joystiq.com. "Can't give you details yet on when they will be available in Germany. We'll let everyone know as soon as we know."
Doom's graphics are no longer cutting edge like they were almost two decades ago, but according to a BBC report, the decision to remove both titles from the index wasn't based on graphic quality alone. As explained to the BBC, the panel looks for "drastic portrayals of violence directed against human or human-like beings. If the game does not contain any real alternative scenes which might on the whole 'neutralize' the violent parts, then the game is likely to be found to have a harmful effect on minors."
That's still an issue with Doom and Doom II, but the panel now considers those games "of historical interest" and less likely to fall into the hands of children, partially because it will only be available to gamers at least 16 years old.
We just received word from NEC that it's adding a new monitor to the its MultiSync EX-Series, the EX201W. This latest addition is a 20-inch ultra-slim widescreen display with a premium-grade PVA panel and LED backlighting. It has a bezel depth of around 0.65 inches, with an overall profile measuring 1.9 inches.
"The success of the MultiSync EX Series has been phenomenal, and we're excited to introduce a new size category into this series with the 20-inch, widescreen MultiSync EX201W," said Lynn Gu, Product Manager for NEC Display Solutions. "Most customers are finding the minimalist design and LED-backlight power efficiency to be beneficial. Smart technologies like the human sensor and ambient light sensor automatically detect human absence and ambient light intensity and brightness to save a significant amount of power for corporations with large rollouts."
Other specs include a 1600x900 resolution, 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, DisplayPort and DVI-I inputs, USB port, quick-release stand with height-adjust, tilt, swivel, and pivot, touch-sensitive OSD, ambient light and human sensors, and 21W power rating (typical).
The EX201W will ship later this month for $229 street.
A 70-year-old grandmother and retired widow from San Francisco accussed of illegally downloading and sharing a porn movie via BitTorrent had the case against her dropped. According to reports, the over-aggressive law firm that pursued the case admits they targeted the elderly woman by mistake and claims to have now found the real guilty party.
"It is such good news as this lawsuit has been hanging over my head," the unnamed woman said, according to SFGate.com. "But at the same time, there's a certain bitterness about the whole thing."
Steele Hansmeier PLLC, a law firm filing cases for the adult entertainment industry, turned their attention towards the 70-year-old woman back in July. She was one of thousands to receive a strongly worded letter encouraging her to settle out of court for a few thousand dollars, or risk having to pay attorney's fees and have her name made public in a court case involving pornography.
"They had an unwinnable case, and I called them on it," the woman said. "And I hope other people do, too."
SFGate.com reports there was no apology on behalf of the law firm, only a somewhat defiant letter that, as an aside, let the woman know it isn't swayed by defendants talking to newspapers, as it raises publicity about its efforts.
"Also, a movie producer hired our firm after reading the article and for that I thank you," the letter said.
To Learn More About the Game Check out our Pokemon TCG Page. (Page not up yet)
Pokemon Online TCG is a 2D browser based trading card game MMO based on the actual pokemon trading card game. Like Urban Rivals and Eredan iTCG players can compete online against each other with the decks they make. Those familiar with the actual Pokemon trading card game should be able to enjoy the game without completing any tutorials but those new to the game can opt to play against an AI before playing against others online. To learn more about Pokemon TCG check out the official MMOHut Pokemon TCG page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.
Luvinia Online has announced that it will begin its open beta testing on September 7.
The open beta will feature improvements to localization and game performance, raises the level cap to 78, and will open the SparkCash shop for testing. Special events will be held including a raffle for all players who reach level 40, a special title at level 70, $1,000 travel credits for the #1 ranked player, and special graduation gowns for players who “Like” Luvinia’s page on Facebook.
Luvinia is published by Outspark, which also publishes Fiesta Online and Secret of the Solstice.
Luvinia Online Gameplay Screenshot
Source:
Luvinia Online Open Beta Q&A Released
Open Beta Begins September 7, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO – September 1, 2011 – A small Q&A of some commonly asked questions about closed beta and what's in store for Luvinia Online going into Open Beta:
What feature makes Luvinia Online different from other MMORPGs?
While Luvinia has all the draws of a traditional fantasy MMORPG –a large and diverse world, a variety of player classes, as well as rich and immersive questing and PvP systems, all expected from an Outspark MMO – it also has a number of unique features.
One big feature is the class system for Luvinia Online. Early in the game players can choose from the 3 base archetypes of magician, warrior, and rogue; however, things get even more enticing at level 40 where players can pick from six subclasses (two for each archetype) and then at level 80 the final 12 subclass become unlocked. This gives players a wide variety of classes to play from a cunning Watchman, to a divine Paladin, all the way to a treacherous Necromancer. Along with the specialized skills of each subclass, players always retain the base skills of the parent archetype class, allowing for support classes to still solo with the best of them and for DPS classes to retain a variety of combat styles and techniques.
Another big draw to the game is the robust equipment and enchanting system present in the game. There are a variety of ways to acquire equipment in game, from crafting, to questing, to monster drops, to raising your fame. Through and enhancing system, these items can be raised to even higher levels of power. Added to that are energy stones that imbue weapons with special abilities for a limited time. Along with all of that, a unique feature is the cards that can be slotted into equipment to specialize your stats. These cards are highly sought after and acquired by the bravest of heroes.
What features were players most excited to see in Closed Beta?
There were two big parts of the closed beta about which players really seemed to rave. The big one was the auto-questing system. The system makes finding NPCs and quest objectives much easier for players. By just clicking on an objective in your quest log, your character automatically moves to the area you need to be in to start on your quest. Finding the NPC in a town or to complete a quest is just as easy, making questing more about helping out the citizens of Luvinia than trying to read a map or remember who you talked to in the first place.
The other major sentiment we heard from players was how polished the game was for closed beta. The servers were able to handle the player load and stress testing done during the beta surprisingly well, and the vibrant and colorful surroundings and low latency were noted by many of the players trying the game out.
What classes were popular in Closed Beta? How far did players get?
The level cap for the closed beta was 69. While no one was able to reach the cap during the brief window that the closed beta was open, a Priest did reach the highest level at 52, showing that with the class system, even healing focused classes can level with ease. As far as class popularity goes, all 3 archetypes were played in large numbers during the beta with players slightly favoring Warriors over the Magicians and Rogues. We also saw a number of players testing out all six of the currently available subclasses in the game with Warlocks at the front of the pack.
What has changed for Open Beta?
From the feedback we got from players, we made sure to correct a number of the localization issues that they helped find during closed beta, which also included some tweaks to the font system used in the game. We also worked on a few items to help improve the backend operations of the game to ensure an even smoother open beta. Along with all these fixes, we also increased the level cap for open beta to 78 which opens up some new areas on the map for players to explore and plunder with plenty of new armor and weapons to acquire. We'll also be opening up the SparkCash shop with limited items for testing purposes during the closed beta.
Are there any big surprises in store for launch?
We are running a number of events for open beta to help get players accustomed to life in the world of Luvinia:
• Raffle of LUV – For every character that reaches level 40 in open beta, players will be entered in a raffle to win one of many fantastic prizes including an iPad 2, a Nintendo 3DS, or even 50,000 SparkCash to spend. The more characters at level 40, the more entries to win!
• Luvian Pride – It's a long way from Geneway College to level 70, but those that reach it during open beta will get a special in-game title. Plus, the #1 ranked player at the end of the open beta will win a $1,000 USD travel credit.
• Luv to Like Us! – With Luvinia Online close to launching, now is the time for players to start like'ing our Facebook page so that they can keep abreast of all the awesome activities happening no matter where they are. When the Facebook page gets more than 5000 Likes, all players will get a permanent graduation gown in game! Info on Luvinia Online can be found at: luvinia.outspark.com
The forums are at: http://www.outspark.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=424< BR> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/outsparkluvinia
To Learn More About the Game Check out our Troy Online Page. (Page not up yet)
Troy Online is a 3D fantasy themed MMOFPS published by ALT1Games and is set during the events of the Trojan War. Characters such as Hector, Achilles, and Deiphobos all appear in-game as NPCs. The game began its open beta on August 11, 2011 and went into full release on August 19, 2011. Playable classes include Warrior, Berserker, Guardian, Hunter, Assassin, Ranger, Mystic, Warlock, and Mage. To learn more about Troy Online check out the official MMOHut Troy Online page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.
Netmarble announced an expansion for Uncharted Waters Online, allowing players additional ship building choices. Players can choose materials for various parts of their ship, which further determines the ship’s capabilities and durability.
Players will also attain “Steering Proficiency” with their new ships, giving them more control while sailing, and opening up more options for customization. The update also promises to expand the chat system, so players may talk globally.
Netmarble also publishes Mini Fighter Online.
Uncharted Waters Online Gameplay Screenshot
Source:
Man the Starboard! Uncharted Waters Online Is Experiencing A Sailing Revolution with the Release of A New Shipbuilding System
With New Ways to Improve Your Ship and Sailing, Players Have More Options to Become a Nautical Superpower
This Release’s Tags Action RPG, CJ Internet, MMO, MMOG, MMORPG, Mac, Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, Online Games, Online Multiplayer, Online RPG, PC, PC gaming, action, freemium, online gaming
Seoul, South Korea – August 31, 2011
CJ E&M announced today an expansion of ship building choices in the seafaring MMO Uncharted Waters Online, along with additional updates. In the nautical adventure, a stealthy and fast ship is a vital asset, but the previous shipbuilding options were limited and prevented customization. With the additional features to shipbuilding, players will be able to upgrade and customize their vessel to get the upper hand against other voyagers.
Players can choose the materials for the hull, sails and gunport to build their own unique ships. How you combine the materials and equipment will decide how durable and capable your ships are and contribute to success or failure for the expedition. Not only are players offered more options, as they become familiar with their ship they can attain 'Steering Proficiency,' which gives players more control while sailing and additional shipbuilding options. With all upgrades and customization, ships will attain higher resistance to the rough weather. If a player receives a 'Wave resistance' higher than 11, their ship will have the power to pass through a storm or blizzard, flying past opponents to victory!
Check the website for details on the Shipbuilding System: http://global.netmarble.com/uwo/guide/customShipbuilding.asp?mCode=4
These new changes will also update Premium Ticket. Premium Ticket consists of the most needed items of Uncharted Waters Online, and among them, one item is randomly given to the players to assist with gameplay. To celebrate the new shipbuilding update, the new Premium Ticket will consist of the items related to the new custom shipbuilding, such as 'Emergency Shipbuilding', 'Special Shipbuilding Improvement Permit', and 'Special Shipbuilding Dismantlement Techniques'. Additionally, CJ E&M is providing players with new ways to communicate and explore uncharted territory. Currently the chatting system limits communication to players within a certain distance. But with this update, the chatting system is open to the world, so players now can talk to others located anywhere in the Uncharted Waters Online!
These new updates provide continued ways for players to explore Uncharted Waters.
To start playing Uncharted Waters, visit the homepage: http://global.netmarble.com/uwo/
Frogster has released details for Region 4 of Mythos — The Fog Island of Horror. Several new areas are available to be explored on this zombie-filled island, including two castles of opposing forces. There are now 23 new dungeons to adventure in as well.
The level cap has also been increased to 55, and many changes in the skill system are being implemented. A tower defense style minigame called Aura Crystal Defense has also been implemented, promising various rewards the farther the player’s group gets in protecting the crystal.
Frogster also publishes Runes of Magic.
Mythos Gameplay Screenshot
Source:
The Foggy Horror Show
Pulling Back the Curtain on Region 4
It's time to sharpen those axes and cock those rifles, for there's monsters to be slain in the latest region to be added to MYTHOS; the Fog Island of Horror. As the name suggests, there's plenty of fog and just a little bit of horror to be found in this mysterious new area, so be sure that you're prepared before entering the fray. Adventurers can look forward to a slew of new dungeons and additional features including some novel twists to PvE.
Region 4 – The Fog Island of Horror As if an island isn't treacherous enough, what with all those cliffs to fall off, without having to deal with lots of fog to make matters worse and those falls all the more likely. But that's exactly what players will be dealing with when they set foot on the island. That wasn't quite horrifying enough though, especially for an island that's named as such, so not only is the island foggy, and full of horror, and lots of cliffs, but it's also ruled by zombies. Yes, you heard right, zombies. This is unlikely to become a family favourite holiday destination, but for the warriors of Uld, it should tick all the necessary boxes.
The castles of two opposing queens, Vyle and Neperta, can also be found on the island, perfect for some sightseeing in between the carnage, and the evil sovereign, Nerghaal, has sent in his army to subjugate the underworld and ensure there's enough of the aforementioned carnage to go around. The underworld ain't too happy though, so in-between the hack and slash fun please make sure to kill off Nerghall and free them from the dreadful conqueror once and for all.
There are also 23 brand-new dungeons waiting to be explored. Players will be rewarded for their valour with powerful new item sets, plenty of achievements and a level cap increase to 55. Numerous changes in the skill system will also assist them during their campaign against Nerghaal. For instance, the cooldown times of certain skills have been significantly reduced, and effects and damage values have been adjusted. There has been a massive overhaul of the crafting system as well. So from now on, Humans, Gremlins, Satyrs and Cyclopes will be able to put their best face forward – even if it is covered in blood.
The Aura Crystal is Your Friend… Those who have had their fill of the dark ruler don't need to sit around twiddling their thumbs. Instead, they can try their hand at the Aura Crystal Defence with up to five other fellow players. During this challenge, adventurers have to keep large waves of monsters from reaching the Aura Crystal. The principle is pretty simple: the more opponents that reach the crystal, the more damage it will receive – until it eventually bursts. If the players manage to protect the crystal for long enough, however, they will be able to get their hands on some rich rewards at the end of the challenge. So raise your swords, get set, go!
Gamania Digital Entertainment announced that Lucent Heart’s first expansion, Scaena, is now live. New features include choreography, new zones, world bosses and guild versus guild PvP. It is the first of many planned for the game.
With the choreography feature, players upload their own songs and choose from many different dance moves. Additionally, friends can join in at any time. Competitive players can also participate in “dance-offs.”
In addition to the guild versus guild PvP system, the expansion offers 13 new areas for players to explore, and 10 additional world bosses to conquer.
Gamania also publishes Hero:108 Online and Bright Shadow.
Lucent Heart Gameplay Screenshot
Source:
LUCENT HEART'S FIRST EXPANSION RELEASED
Dance Battles, Guild versus Guild, and Epic Bosses
08.30.2011– IRVINE, Calif. – August 31st, 2011 – Gamania Digital Entertainment announced today that Lucent Heart's "Scaena" expansion is now live. Offering an impressive array of additional content, players will get to choreograph dance moves to their favorite tracks, explore new zones with challenging world bosses, and have huge Guild versus Guild wars with friends and enemies.
"The Scaena expansion is the first of many free updates planned for Lucent Heart," said David Wong, COO of Gamania. "We want to continue to expand and transform the game with fresh and exciting content so our fans will always have something on the horizon to look forward to."
Dance System: The dance system in Lucent Heart is the next evolution in its social gameplay. Using the "dance creator", players can upload their own songs and choose from hundreds of dance steps to recreate their favorite music video or unique dance – with the option for friends to join on-the-fly. And the more competitive dancers can face off against each other in "dance duels", where only the fastest and best timed fingers prevail.
Guild versus Guild: Let the Guild rivalries begin! Gamania is introducing its largest PvP feature yet, the Guild versus Guild battle. These grueling matches consist of three 75 minute games (one per day) that will test players' skill and teamwork. Each team must prove their worth during two 35 minute rounds consisting of strategic points that must be attacked and defended.
New Areas and Bosses: Not leaving PvE lovers out of the fun, Gamania has included 13 additional areas for players to tackle, such as the scorched land of Edea and frozen continent of Aislan. High level explorers will find challenging surprises in each of these new zones, including 10 exceedingly difficult bosses.
Players can get in-depth info on all of the new content found in the expansion over at the Scaena micro-site: http://lucentheart.com/updates/scaena/default.aspx.
Also, fans are encouraged to get in touch with Lucent Heart's ever growing community at the official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/lucentheart?sk=wall.
You are subscribed to email updates from MMO Hut To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.
Hello, computer (and players)! Welcome to Captain's Log and the second installment in a three-part series focusing on the classes within Star Trek Online. After exploring some of the amazing powers available to those who roll a Science captain, we shift our focus away from support and healing this week to dive into the realm of DPS. While this realm can be filled with members of all three classes, Tactical captains, if specced correctly, take the trophy each and every time.
Ever since the game launched early last year, my main toon has always been a Tactical captain. During the time I leveled up, I tested out different types of ships at each rank. While flying a science ship as a Tactical captain was fun during the early stages of leveling, I would definitely suggest flying an escort, or if you must, a cruiser, when you first make it to Rear Admiral. I am sure there are some Tacticals out there flying Science classes, but I feel that the Bridge Officer stations equipped on escorts allow the best Tactical abilities to come into play. But enough about telling you what to do -- let's move onto talking about some of the best attack powers in the game.
Ensign, warp 10! It's time to help our reads unload some DPS on their next enemy...
Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond has been in the news a lot lately, but just who are the folks behind the educational MMO from NASA and Project Whitecard? A new piece at Gamasutra sheds a bit of light on that, as well as a few more details about the project as a whole.
"I'm originally a developer," says Project Whitecard CEO Khal Shariff. "I thought, 'oh, I could be a developer for the rest of my life, or I could start my own company.'" That company has some pretty lofty goals for its first MMO, including reaching out to millions of kids worldwide and getting them interested in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
"We are dedicated to using game technology to do things that, when somebody interacts with the game, it maybe leaves the world better or leaves somebody smarter," Shariff says.
Blade & Soul's closed beta phases are a tough ticket for American game journalists, but luckily many of the Korean testers have been capturing their experiences and uploading the videos to YouTube.
MMO Culture has collected a few of these choice morsels, and there is a range of gameplay on display including more Assassin class combos and abilities (this time in a game context instead of a promotional clip), as well as quite a bit of dungeon-crawling footage.
The videos, which you can view after the cut, show a mixture of solo and group play in a couple of different environments. While most of the clips are around 10 minutes in length (or under), there's quite a lot to take in if you're unfamiliar with the martial arts MMO. Blade & Soul is being developed by NCsoft and is currently undergoing its second Korean closed beta test. The company has yet to announce plans to market the title in Europe or America.
Ready for another MOBA title? Ready or not, there's a new one on the way, and Petroglyph has just announced that Rise of the Immortals is set to launch on September 12th. The game is currently barreling through the final days of its open beta test, and as such you can still sign up and get a free preview as well as take home 1,000 Petroglyph coins and an exclusive immortal skin.
Rise of the Immortals is free-to-play, and the dev team is looking to expand the MOBA genre by adding features like social hubs, emotes, persistent character progression, and collectible combat and vanity pets. That's not all, either, and we'll have more details for you in next week's edition of Not So Massively!
It's official, you can now purchase World of Tanks in a retail store near you. Wargaming.net has shipped boxes of its free-to-play World War II heavy armor MMO to stores including GameStop, Wal-Mart, Fry's, and others, and the retail package comes loaded with $30 worth of in-game items.
Players will receive a T2 light tank, one week's worth of premium account access, 1,050,000 credits, and 1,800 gold -- all for $19.99. If you can't make it out to your local games dealer, you'll find the World of Tanks retail box for sale at many online stores as well, including Best Buy.com, New Egg, and Amazon.
While we're still awaiting official details on the recent announcement of Star Trek Online's free-to-play transition, Executive Producer Daniel Stahl leaped into the forums to help dispel some of the more troubling fears and to shed some light on what is happening.
"There has been a method to all the madness, but first and foremost on my mind has been ensuring that Star Trek Online has a big future ahead of it," Stahl writes. "That has led to some tough decisions and deep analysis of what was critically wrong in STO. The next several months are going to be exciting for STO as you begin to see everything that we've been working on (finally)."
The good news is that the F2P switch will not impact current subscribers (if anything, Stahl says they'll see more benefits), nor will it restrict content access. Cryptic may be lowering prices on some items in the C-store, and Star Trek Online will be playable to the level cap without requiring money spent on it. Stahl also confirmed that more hardware is on the way for the game's foundation.
At least from his perspective, Stahl sees STO's new owners as a boon to the game's future: "Perfect World has made it very clear that they want to invest in STO because they believe it has great POTENTIAL and they see an investment that can yield an even better game. That to me, is the golden path that this game deserves. It is Star Trek we are talking about!"
Along those lines, the letter discusses several exciting developments in store for the game's future, including the upcoming Haunted Mansion for the Halloween season, new Incarnate Trials, and more content for the Winter Event. The team is also focusing on delivering "more regular updates" than has been seen previously, so expect to see CoH upping the frequency of in-game goodies from here on out.
As part of the "content is king" philosophy, Paragon will be releasing a monthly Signature Story that will be free for VIP (subscribing) players. These will not only tell intriguing stories, but will reward superheroes with increased rewards. The team is also going to put new items into the in-game Paragon Market store on a weekly basis, including costume pieces and power sets.
City of Heroes is preparing to launch Freedom, its free-to-play version of the game, at an unspecified point in the future. Subscribers will be able to get a head start when Freedom arrives, and will enjoy spending the 400 points that their VIP status entitles them to each month.
MMOs may be intended for kids of all ages, but that doesn't mean kids of all ages are actually playing. While we've all read about that great-grandma guild leader and the eight-year-old boy who raids alongside his father, in practice those cases seem like outliers. The stereotype, at least, is that gamers can barely keep their older relatives on the cutting edge of technology, nevermind get their parents to indulge in online gaming. My mother may have pwned my kid brother and me at Seaquestback in the '80s, but nowadays I just can't convince her to look past FarmVille for her gaming fix.
So what about you, Massively readers? You seem to be an age-diverse group. Have you had any success getting your parents -- or any older relatives -- into your MMOs of choice? And how did you pull it off?
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!
File this one under "Stuff we Missed from Last Week": Thanks to the keen eye of reader The First Avenger, we've learned that Perfect World Entertainment plans to turn Star Trek Online free-to-play by the end of this year.
"And also Star Trek Online, after the acquisition, in fact Cryptic is working on the free-to-play model for Star Trek Online," Perfect World Entertainment's CEO, Kelvin Lau, said in a recent earnings call for Q2 2011. "This is going to be launched by the end of this year as well. So I think free-to-play model we have a bigger potential in US market and also in China market."
This news should be no surprise to anyone who knows that PWE's portfolio consists of F2P games, and it was inevitable that STO would follow in the footsteps of its older brother, Champions Online. We'll keep you posted on more details as they become available.
Whenever the subject of untapped RPG franchises that could make the jump to MMOs comes up, Bethesda'sElder Scrolls series is almost always mentioned. After all, if Blizzard and BioWare made the jump, why not the folks behind Oblivion?
In talking with our sister site Joystiq at PAX, Bethesda's Todd Howard fields the question with blunt honesty. "I like this kind of game better," he said. "You know, it's what most of us are into. I'm not really an MMO guy. I respect them, I look at them, but I don't play them. It feels more real to me when I'm the hero and it's crafted for that. A community aspect to it, I recognize a lot of people would want that in a game like this, but it changes the flavor for me.
Of course, one man's feelings toward the genre aren't always enough to stave off corporate demands, but Howard says that isn't the case: "We can just do our thing, and it's kind of grown with each game. So there was no pressure from anybody above me to say 'Hey, you need to change this.'"
That doesn't mean Bethesda will forever abstain from MMOs, however. Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, built an MMO customer support facility in Ireland earlier this year, an indication that online gaming may very well be in the company's future.
Hamidon is returning to City of HeroesFreedom in a big way. How can you get bigger than a gigantic gelatinous blob like the first Hamidon? In this latest dev diary, Jeff "Arbiter Hawk" Hamilton gives us all the slimy details.
The zone-wide encounter starts with a new monstrosity called the Seed of Hamidon, which drops seedlings throughout the Sunken City neighborhood of First Ward. These seedlings begin the spread of the Tellurian Plague. It is in the best interest of heroes, villains, loyalists, and resistance rebels alike to end the spread of this plague before it conquers everything, as it did on Praetorian Earth.
Arbiter Hawk suggests an eight-person group for this encounter, which takes place in two distinct phases. In the first phase, it's up to players to take out both the ground and air seedlings. Don't worry, non-flying characters, because as these ground-based seedlings are destroyed, they grant Buoyant Membranes that allow players and nearby allies to take flight. The Seed weakens as players defeat the seedlings until the Seed is forced to extinguish the remaining seedlings in order to regenerate power. This is when you attack and the second phase begins. Take out the Seed quickly before it is able to completely recharge -- or the cycle starts over again.
The dev diary contains many of the deadly details of the seedlings as well as more advice from Arbiter Hawk; be sure to read the entire thing before battling this globular fiend.
By now, we are all familiar with the sad story of All Points Bulletin by Realtime Worlds. RTW's closing down shop ended not just APB as it was but also the future plans for the game as well. According to GamersFirst, which picked up and relaunched the failed title, Realtime Worlds had ambitious plans for the future of the game that ultimately lead to design issues. As GamersFirst Public Relations Manager Darek Connole stated to VideoGamer.com:
I can't give you too much detail because I'm not a coder. But as I understand it they were looking to make APB the entry level to this whole series of games. So like you'd go into the APB district, and the social district would take you to other games and from my world you could take your APB car and drive it into my world and shoot things. They had all these crazy cool ideas that was just very ambitious.
But don't get excited just yet. Connole also stated that GamerFirst would not be pursuing that content. However, because APB: Reloaded does not have the extraneous code, the developers can make a smooth, more streamlined game.
It's hard to believe that Champions Online is about to celebrate its second anniversary, but it's true: Cryptic Studios just sent out the invitations to the game's anniversary party!
On Thursday, September 1st, our favorite super-heroine Sapphire takes center stage at the Renaissance Center at 1 p.m. EDT to start the festivities. She'll perform her musical set once every hour until Monday, September 5th at 2:59 a.m. EDT. Between sets, the audio automaton DJ Madbot thumps his funky beats all night long. Look for party hosts all about the center for party favors, unlocks, and missions. The party doesn't end at the Ren Center, however: Each of the zone bosses drop anniversary gives as well.
What are these party gifts you ask? Developers at Cyptic tell us that favors consist of the standard gift boxes, party bombs, and boosters, but new this year is the Noise Visualizer Device. This device sparks visual effects like "Pow!" and "Bam!" Plus, Cryptic continues giving gifts with DJ Madbot costume and Glitter Heroic Wear unlocks.
The event is open to the whole Free-For-All community, so why not stop by? At least you can find out why it looks like that robot has a box for head and maybe get one for yourself.
If you're interested in learning more about the Game Programming Instructor position Shawn has mentioned on previous episodes, check out the job listing or contact Shawn for more info.
Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
Read below the cut for the full show notes.
Massively Speaking is the official podcast of Massively.com. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster and Community Manager Rubi Bayer, Massively Speaking takes on the week's biggest news and dev interviews with plenty of opinion, rants, and laughs thrown in for good measure. Join us every Wednesday afternoon to listen in and see what we'll say next!
The last time we profiled Mythos on Massively, it was in service of some new content. It's no surprise, then, that Frogster is once again expanding the free-to-play hack-and-slash MMO. This time the new bells and whistles can be found on the Fog Island of Horror, and in case the name didn't drive the point home, it's a pretty scary place.
The isle is home to a horde of ravenous zombies and is the base of operations for two opposing queens. Their majesties Vyle and Neperta make their home on the fog-shrouded island, as do the denizens of 23 new dungeons ripe for the plucking by adventurers from across the realm. Oh yeah, that level cap, previously stuck on a piddling 51? It's been bumped to 55, the better for you to get a handle on some changes to cooldowns and the skill system whilst you're grinding your way through packs of monsters.
Today's Mythos press release also alludes to a massive crafting system overhaul, but since it's a little light on the details where tradeskilling is concerned, you'll just have to log in and see for yourself. Alternatively, you could hit up the official website for more details.
My time was short this week in the world of Telara because of work and other obligations. However, I did several hours of RIFT-streaming this week; I hope you check out the stream at the end of this article. Although the video is kind of laggy, the inspiration for this article was captured in one of the streams. I die a lot, but thankfully, I'm an Ascended, right? So death means very little to me. I can be brought back many times over. I have a tendency, as you may see in that video, to get in over my head -- a lot.
This being my second week in the game, I'm getting used to what it's all about. I've been able to close multiple rifts, and I've leveled up to 13. (I told you I didn't get to play as much as I wanted.) There is much I love about the game, and there are many things that turn me off.
Most importantly, however, this week I encountered my first invasion of Freemarch. It took a bit for me to catch on to what was happening. I had thought it was just another rift opening up, but with a glance at my map, I quickly realized that this wasn't your everyday planar tear.
We're sensing a trend here on One Shots this week. It's not just the bugs-and-glitches theme, but uncooperative mounts. RIFT player Danielle shared this with us today:
Most stealthy Rogues need to go on foot to slip through the shadows unnoticed, but this particular evening, my horse decided to join in the fun. Who needs to sneak up and stab someone when you could just trample him from behind instead?
I suspected his hooves striking the cobblestones might still give his position away. I mentioned this to him, and he seemed so disheartened that he never did it again. Sorry Dusty!
We're revisiting an old favorite of One Shots this week: bug week. Whether it's unwanted guests in cutscenes, funny graphic glitches, or a prank you played on a buddy, we want to see. Send your screenshots in to oneshots@massively.com and we'll feature them in next week's One Shots!
As an MMO player, I'm generally behind the curve when it comes to leveling and cutting-edge content exploration. Pushing myself to level quickly is far less fun to me than taking my time and exploring all the nooks and crannies, and my available playtime is far less than it used to be. Ergo, while many of have been at the level cap for months and are either elite PvPers or Raiders of the Lost Hammerknell, I've just hit 50 this past week for the first time in RIFT.
In a way, being behind the curve is a blessing because others have gone before you and forged a path so that coming from behind is much easier. That said, I still felt overwhelmed when the final ding happened because my previously clear goals evaporated in a second. What do I do now? How do I gear up? What does one do at level 50, anyway?
Fortunately, I'm part of a guild that's full of seasoned 50s, not to mention that I'm friends with plenty of bloggers who were 50 when I was still in diapers. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Ahem. So for this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, I posited them this question: What do you and should you do when you hit 50 in the game? They came back to me with excellent responses that I'm now going to share with you.
In my ongoing journey to find my next laptop, I have begun to suffer from tunnel vision. After all, there are only so many ways to package a processor, some RAM and a graphics card or chip. Sure, sure, I can become an obsessed overclocker and work hard to squeeze the most power out of a PC possible, but instead I would rather pay for a good-quality, mid-range device. I use the heck out of the one I have now, and it was only $500.
One thing I am noticing is that I always snicker when I read websites that brag about included optical drives, which do me very little good but cost me more money. I rarely, if ever, use a CD or DVD burner. There's just no reason to. I can upload 20gb videos to my YouTube account and use services to send larger files. I rarely have a need even for that. Now that my wife and I have Pandora and Spotify, we don't even need to worry about physical libraries of music... it's streamed to us wirelessly.
What does this lack of physical media mean for the free-to-play gaming world? Well, a lot. click past the cut and we'll discuss it.
It's been anything but a quiet weekend in my neck of the woods. I'm currently writing this with no real ETA on when I'm going to have power back, which is a bit of an issue considering that my job sort of requires a functional internet connection and a computer to type and play things on. Also, there was a hurricane that sort of prompted that string of events, which made things all sorts of interesting and has led to a variety of interesting circumstances at home and abroad. In short, thank you, but I could really do without living in these particular interesting times.
You know what was remarkably quiet, however? PAX Prime.
OK, that's not true; there was a lot of interesting information to be seen on display over the course of the event, not the least of which being previews of WildStar, which only increased my enthusiasm for the title. But for me and my fellow City of Heroes fans, despite the game's staff's having a definite presence, there wasn't a whole lot to be said about the proceedings that I saw. (Admittedly, that may have something to do with the fact that, as mentioned, I'm kind of limited in my current ability to correspond with the outside world.) So what happened? When did City of Heroes fall off the radar?
MMO shipbuilding is a time-honored tradition that's shown up in titles as wide-ranging as Wurm Online, Vanguard, and even Star Wars Galaxies (hey, spaceships count!), to name but a few. The latest game to take the plunge is Uncharted Waters Online, and the free-to-play title from CJ E&M is looking to expand both building and customization options.
Players may choose materials for the hull, sails, and gunport, and how the ingredients are combined will determine how durable the ships are (and, of course, how they fare on subsequent expeditions). New mechanics like steering proficiency "give players more control while sailing," according to a new press release, and players can also work towards a high wave resistance stat that will enable a ship to power through a storm or blizzard. Check out all the details at the official UWO website.
A Casual Stroll to Mordor reports on how the improved skills function in play. These include the ability to stack up to three Burning Embers DoTs on a target, the combination of two Signs of Battle powers into one Wizard's Fire, a nice 10% buff to pet damage through Sign of the wild: Rage, and a much more versatile Improved Staff Sweep.
There's also word on the new Lore-master pet: a Limrafn. While Lore-masters were originally slated to receive an Auroch pet, apparently the common complaint about the pet's size ended up swaying Turbine's mind. The Limrafn is a floating ball of light that doesn't attack, but instead assists the Lore-master in the off-healing department.
Lore-masters will also see one of their lesser-utilized trait lines -- Keeper of Animals -- given much love in the form of tempting abilities and buffs.
It's the word on the street these days: World of Warcraft is no longer quite the king that it used to be. The massive title has lost around one million subscribers over the past year, even with Cataclysm releasing last December. Gamasutra sat down with Blizzard for a frank talk about why the title is in decline, and what the studio has planned to counter this trend.
While Blizzard is pleased with the tune-up that Cataclysm provided to the landscape and questing, some players cite the erosion of difficulty and challenge as a reason for their leaving. Lead Systems Designer Greg Street acknowledges this, but says that the WoW team is in uncharted territory: "We just don't have a lot of examples of games that have lasted this long and been this popular for so long to show the right way to do it. I think coming up with new mechanics and new systems is relatively easy, the problem is integrating it with what we already have. World of Warcraft today is so much more complicated than it was when it launched six or seven years ago."
Ultimately, it may come down to players becoming bored more quickly as Blizzard struggles to pump out content to keep their attention. UC Irvine's Thomas Debeauvais conducted a study of 2,865 WoW players across the world, and found that 75% of them had stopped playing the game for at least a month while still being subscribed to it. Blizzard says that it wants to provide faster content updates and continue to overhaul the game's mechanics and graphics to give the players a reason to stay.
It's no secret that I like my games with more of a skill-based flavor. I enjoy games that reward player skill above superior gear or higher levels. In light of that, I was quite excited to get some hands-on time with Firefall, the new massively multiplayer shooter coming from Red 5 Studios.
There has been much talk about the upcoming title, with its status as one of the few forays into the MMO shooter space since PlanetSide and Global Agenda. There's also the small detail that the studio is headed up by former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern alongside a number of former Tribes series devs. So how is the game shaping up in preparation for its December launch? Jetpack your way past the cut to find out.
The rumors of our humble Greatest Platform in the World's death may have been greatly exaggerated, but the causes of its recent "resurrection" are a bit muddled. Typically, though, we get a repetitive song-and-dance composed of echoing praises for social gaming and a slide-to-jazz-hands flourish that's somehow supposed to represent casual titles and simpler interfaces. That's a double-edged sword if we've ever seen one. World of Warcraft lead developer Tom Chilton, however, isn't ready to let the Farmvilles of the world turn PC into their infinitely milkable cash cow just yet. Complexity, he says, is actually a selling point.
Back in 2006, Google began work on an internal project codenamed Platypus. The core of the program was to provide every Gmail user with a cloud-based hard drive akin to Microsoft Skydrive or Dropbox. It was later revealed as GDrive, but it never launched. The project was quietly killed in 2008. But some new code in the Chromium project makes it seem like the service might be making an 
That rumbling you hear off in the distance is not thunder. Rather, it's the sound of millions of Netflix users quietly cursing as the new higher rates kick in. It was mid-July when the disc and streaming supplier announced the updated plans, and 
Linux end users may not have to worry about malware too often, but apparently, folks who like to roll their own code still draw the attention of hackers. Kernel.org, the online repository of the Linux kernel, is reporting that it fell victim to a security breach in August. Don't start screaming and unplugging your Ubuntu PCs just quite yet, though – the administrators believe the attack only compromised users who accessed the kernel.org site, and not the Linux source code itself.
Don't fight it folks, Intel's Ultrabook revolution has already begun and is getting a boost today from Lenovo, which just unveiled three Ultrabook models. These include the IdeaPad U300s, U300, and U400. All three are luxury laptops that attempt to fuse style with performance in a new breed of notebook Intel envisions taking over the mobile computing scene.
Gamers living in Germany are finally able to purchase (legally) Doom and Doom II, a pair of software titles previously placed in an index of banned titles by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (Bundesprufstelle), the same index reserved for pornography.
We just received word from NEC that it's adding a new monitor to the its MultiSync EX-Series, the EX201W. This latest addition is a 20-inch ultra-slim widescreen display with a premium-grade PVA panel and LED backlighting. It has a bezel depth of around 0.65 inches, with an overall profile measuring 1.9 inches.
A 70-year-old grandmother and retired widow from San Francisco 
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 
