General Gaming Article

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• Major Flaw in Wi-Fi Protected Setup Discovered
• HP Wanted $1.2 Billion for Palm Assets
• Verizon Experiencing Third Nationwide Outage This Month
• The Top 50 Tech Stories of 2011
• Soft Drink Vending Machines Offering Free Unlimited Wi-Fi Coming To Japan
• comScore: U.S. Online Holiday Spending Tops $35 Billion
• Rumor: Ivy Bridge On April 8
• Hard Drive Vendors Pushing for Long Term Contracts with PC Makers
• AMD Radeon HD 7990 Shipping in March 2012, Start Saving Your Pennies
• U.S. Consumers Losing Interest in 3D TV; Western Europe, China Totally Enamored

Major Flaw in Wi-Fi Protected Setup Discovered Posted: 28 Dec 2011 03:05 PM PST The now widely used Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) standard is apparently not as protected as router makers had hoped. According to a new study, the PIN codes used to lock down the system can be brute forced on many devices by inputting incorrect PIN codes. Millions of routers and access points could be affected. When a remote client attempts to access the device with a PIN, incorrect entries are met with a EAP-NACK message. This snippet of code can actually reveal the first half of the PIN, and the last digit is always the checksum of the PIN, so the number of possible PINs drops from 10^8 to just 11,000. With an automated system, it's not impossible to try all the possible permutations in order to gain access. Also troubling is the fact that many routers do not implement any sort of lockout policy for repeated incorrect PINs. That would allow an attacker to hit the device with a new PIN every second or two until it was cracked. Expect updated firmware on your router to at least patch this last problem.

HP Wanted $1.2 Billion for Palm Assets Posted: 28 Dec 2011 02:42 PM PST A new report from VentureBeat sheds some light on the HP decision making process that ended with webOS being open sourced a few weeks ago. Sources within HP say that the company was asking for a whopping $1.2 billion for its Palm and webOS assets. For those of you keeping score, that is exactly what HP paid for Palm back in April of 2010. HP wanted desperately not to take a direct financial hit on Palm as negations were on-going in late 2011. Multiple potential suitors were rumored including Amazon, Facebook, and HTC. Perhaps the laughable price is the reason none of those deals got very far. HP seemed oblivious to the fact that Palm lost value since it was purchased, and in the wake of the aborted TouchPad launch.  Unable to find a company willing to pay the obscene asking price, HP now hopes to use webOS, while investing fewer resources in the newly open project. What do you think would have been a fair price for HP's Palm assets?

Verizon Experiencing Third Nationwide Outage This Month Posted: 28 Dec 2011 02:24 PM PST Verizon Wireless has made a name for itself by being rock-solid and having a huge 3G network. Things have been a bit more rocky since its 4G LTE network started taking off. Today, Big Red is having its third nationwide data outage in the month of December. Customers across the U.S. are reporting no 4G, and often no 3G data either. It took Verizon a little bit to respond to the avalanche of customer complaints, but it has now started handing out a standard bit of PR. "We are investigating reports of some customers experiencing trouble accessing the 4GLTE network. The network itself continues to operate and all customers continue to be able to make calls, send text messages and utilize data services. 3G devices are operating normally," the statement reads. We can personally dispute that data services remain accessible.  Verizon has been working on a big push to get users to upgrade to the 4G network, but perhaps the carrier has over-estimated its back-end capacity. Some users have speculated that the issue is with authentication of devices. In the meantime, sound off in the comments and let us know how your 4G is working.

The Top 50 Tech Stories of 2011 Posted: 28 Dec 2011 10:53 AM PST If we built a time machine, we wouldn't have to travel back a great distance to find a far different tech world than the one we live in today. Why would we even want to? To retire richer than Bill Gates and Warren Buffett combined, of course! Think about it. If you could go back to 2010, imagine the money you could make by placing seemingly absurd bets on the near future. There's not a single person in 2010 who thinks Duke Nukem Forever will ever see the light of day, let alone actually ship in 2011. And who in 2010 would believe Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest PC maker, would seriously consider severing its PC arm, own the best selling tablet (for a period of time) and open source webOS barely more than a year after acquiring Palm for $1.2 billion? That's a parlay even a priest would take. Alas, our get rich quick scheme is wishful thinking, because plutonium is both expensive and hard to come by. And even if we did get our hands on some, we'd still need a DeLorean. Bummer. The bigger point here is that 2011 has been a crazy year with plenty of wild headlines and plot twists (or par for course, as it were). As we all get ready to kick off a new year, we've gone and assembled a gallery of the top 50 news stories of 2011. Flip through them and be sure to let us know in the comments section which tech events stand out to you the most, including ones we might have missed.

Soft Drink Vending Machines Offering Free Unlimited Wi-Fi Coming To Japan Posted: 28 Dec 2011 10:30 AM PST If Japan ever decides to ditch the "Rising Sun" bit, "Land of the Awesome Vending Machines" would be an apt second slogan. A multitude of useful, weird and wacky vending machines litter the landscapes of the country's major cities, offering up goodies ranging from exotic drinks to delicious noodles and heck, even space gold and hotel rooms (as shown by Tom Edwards in his 24 hour vending machine survival stint in the heart of Tokyo).  Now, those ubiquitous Japanese vending machines are getting even more useful, as one company plans on rolling out units that double as free Wi-Fi hotspots in 2012. TechCrunch pointed us towards a recent press release by Asahi Soft Drinks, the maker of the Wi-Fi vending machines. Anyone with roughly 160 ft. will be able to tap into the Wi-Fi hotspot – no purchase necessary, no registration needed. Can't top that! Users will get 30 minutes of free browsing before they get das boot, but they can reconnect immediately if they so desire. Dozens of users can be connected at once. Once logged in, a welcome screen will display the contents of the Wi-Fi-sharing vending machine, along with the names and locations of local stores and interesting places. You also get that free high-speed Internet connection, though we'd recommend not doing any online banking or sensitive browsing through the open connection. Asahi expects to have 1,000 of this nifty vending machines deployed across five major Japanese cities by the end of 2012. They want to expand that number to 10,000 installed units within five years. Hopefully they decide to bring some of those Stateside!

comScore: U.S. Online Holiday Spending Tops $35 Billion Posted: 28 Dec 2011 10:05 AM PST A strong Christmas push helped propel U.S. online holiday spending to $35.3 billion this year, up 15 percent versus 2010, according to market research firm comScore. U.S. consumers hopped online and spent $2.8 billion in the week leading up to Christmas day, marking a 16 percent increase over the same week one year ago. "Holiday e-commerce spending has remained strong throughout the season, and we have now reached a record $35 billion in U.S. online sales for the season-to-date," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "We can now say with certainty that the $1.25 billion spent on Cyber Monday will rank it as the heaviest online spending day of the season for the second consecutive year, but we should also note that it was accompanied by nine other billion dollar spending days this year." Numbers were up across the board, culminating in a 26 percent increase in online spending on Black Friday, in which U.S. shoppers placed Web orders totaling $816 million, up from $648 million on the same day in 2010.

Rumor: Ivy Bridge On April 8 Posted: 28 Dec 2011 10:03 AM PST Jonesing for some performance improved, energy-efficient Ivy Bridge action? You're going to be waiting for a bit. Just how long is up in the air. Intel's been mum on release date details for the upcoming line of CPUs, but for the most part, sources have been saying that we'll see the 22nm chips in May. DigiTimes claims that date may a bit off, however; it points to April 8th as the launch date, and even names the names of models we can expect to see on that date.  Citing "PC makers in Taiwan," the publication says that the Core i7-3770 (with S,T, and K variants) and the Core i5-3570, Core i5-3550 and Core i5-3450 should all be available at launch. All sport four cores and are reportedly priced between $184 and $332. Laptop fans can look forward to the unveiling of the Core i7-3920QM ($1,096), Core i7-3820QM ($568) and Core i7-3720QM ($378) mobile processors at the same time, according to the report. More chips – both desktop and mobile, and including Ultrabook-specific models – are expected to still launch in May. So, can the report be trusted? Only time will tell. But the prospect of overclocked Core i7 Ivy Bridge chips as early as the beginning of Spring has our mouths watering.

Hard Drive Vendors Pushing for Long Term Contracts with PC Makers Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:48 AM PST Hard drive makers put most of their eggs in a single basket by building the bulk of their manufacturing facilities in a flood prone section of Thailand, and that strategy came back to bite them on the backside when severe floods earlier this year dismantled their operations. As hard drive makers look to get back on track, they're coming up with various strategies to ensure no more monetary losses. One of those strategies is having PC makers sign long term HDD supply contracts, DigiTimes reports. HDD vendors want PC OEMs to agree to one-year buying contracts that would lock them into specific prices and volumes for the next 12 months. PC makers are understandably hesitant and fear that once operations are fully restored, hard drive prices will take a nose dive. This isn't the only tactic HDD vendors have been toying with. Both Seagate and Western Digital recently reduced their hard drive warranties, in some cases down to just one year (Seagate Barracuda, Barracuda Green, and Momentus hard drives).

AMD Radeon HD 7990 Shipping in March 2012, Start Saving Your Pennies Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:32 AM PST On hindsight, one of the wisest decisions AMD ever made was acquiring ATI Technologies, a costly and controversial move at the time, but one in which the Santa Clara chip designer has been kicking ass with ever since. This point is underscored with AMD's Radeon HD 7000 series (see our Radeon HD 7970 preview here), a killer GPU family that will culminate with the Radeon HD 7990, a monster of a card with two 7970 GPUs and 6GB of total graphics memory. Unless something terribly unexpected happens, like a manufacturing defect of epic proportions, we have every reason to expect this dual-GPU card will tear it up in benchmarks. We won't know for sure until we get our hands on one, of course, nor will you be able to see for yourself until it ships. According to news and rumor site Fudzilla, the HD 7990 is slated for retail in March 2012. If plan to purchase this card, start saving now. Fudzilla says it will cost $849, not exactly chump change, but not egregious considering it's two Radeon 7970 cards, which sell for $549 each. There's also power considerations to contend with, and towards that end, an intriguing feature in the 7990 is AMD's ZeroCore Power Technology, which powers down the GPU to virtually a zero state when the monitor is idle.

U.S. Consumers Losing Interest in 3D TV; Western Europe, China Totally Enamored Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:11 AM PST It's tough to get a grasp on where the market stands for 3D viewing because different parts of the world have different attitudes towards 3D. According to market research firm DisplaySearch, Western Europe and China are the most enthusiastic regions for 3D consumption, whereas interest in the United States appears to be waning. "We were surprised to find that 3D appears to be a far more popular feature in China than North America, and the penetration rate was two times higher in the last quarter," said Paul Gray, Director of TV Electronics Research, NPD DisplaySearch. "Our report also indicates that North American and Japanese 3D penetration is lower than the Middle East." Here in the States, 3D TV penetration spiked at a little over 10 percent in the second quarter of 2011, up from less than 5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, but has dropped to around 7.5 percent in Q3 of this year. Western Europe, meanwhile, is far and away the most popular market for 3D TVs with a penetration rate of around 18 percent in the most recent quarter. What's also interesting to note is that of all the regions examined, including worldwide statistics, North America is the only one to show a decline in 3D TV penetration from Q2 2011 to Q3 2011. Image Credit: Philips

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MMO News

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• Army Rage Gameplay – First Look HD
• Army Rage
• Scarlet Legacy launches New Year’s update

Army Rage Gameplay – First Look HD Posted: 28 Dec 2011 04:45 PM PST To Learn More About the Game Check out our Army Rage Page. Army Rage is a 3D World War 2 themed MMOFPS published by the Chinese company Yacuba Games. The game aims to compete with titles such as Battlefield Heroes and Battlefield Play4Free as it features vehicles. The game began its closed beta testing phase on December 6, 2011 and launched with only a handful of maps and game modes, but has since steadily been adding more. The game is set during World War 2 and features realistic weapons and tanks. To learn more about Army Rage check out the official MMOHut Army Rage page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.

Army Rage Posted: 28 Dec 2011 04:38 PM PST Army Rage is a 3D World War 2 themed MMOFPS game by a Chinese developer. It features four playable “classes” which players can switch between in between re-spawns. The game supports up to 24 players in a single battlefield. Play as either the Axis or Allies and bring home the win for your team! Publisher: Yacuba Games Playerbase: ?? Graphics: Medium Type: MMO EXP Rate: Medium PvP: N/A Filesize: ?? Pros: +Four distinct playable classes (Each with multiple weapons). +Vehicles. +Up to 24 players in a single game. Cons: -No weapon customization. -Only a handful of maps. -Gameplay isn’t as fluid as it should be. Overview Army Rage Overview Army Rage is a 3D World War 2 MMOFPS game by the Chiense MMO publisher Yacuba Games. It’s their first title to launch in English and plays a bit like Battlefield Play4Free in that the game has four playable classes that players can switch between during re-spawns. The game’s four playable classes are: Classes: Assault - They use powerful assault rifles and grenades to demolish their enemies. They’re the basic infantry type character. Scout - As the name suggests, Scouts are the sniper class in Army Rage. They can kill their enemies from a distance using powerful sniper rifles. They’re vulnerable when enemies get too close though. Support - They’re the most versatile character in Army Rage. They can equip RPGs to destroy enemy tanks as well as machine guns to deal with enemy infantry. They can also lay down health kids to help their allies. They can also use flamethrowers. Engineer - They primarily use RPGs against tanks and sub machine guns against enemy infantry. They can also repair vehicles. Army Rage Screenshots Army Rage Featured Video Click here to view the embedded video. Full Review Army Rage Review Coming Soon… Screenshots Army Rage Screenshots Coming Soon… Videos Army Rage Videos Army Rage Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Army Rage Gameplay Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Links Army Rage Links Army Rage Official Site Army Rage Facebook Fan Page System Requirements Army Rage Requirements Minimum Requirements: OS: Windows XP / Vista CPU: Intel P4 2.0/AMD Athlon64 3200+ RAM: 1 GB HDD: 2 GB Free Graphics Card: Any 256MB Video Memory Video card Recommended Specification: OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7 CPU: CPU: Intel P4 3.0/AMD Athlon64 4800+ RAM: 2 GB or more HDD: 2 GB or more Graphics Card: Any 512MB Video Memory Video card

Scarlet Legacy launches New Year’s update Posted: 28 Dec 2011 10:14 AM PST A New Year’s update is now live for players of Scarlet Legacy. The update raises the level cap to 60 (from 55), adding 70 new skills, 40 new stances, and dozens of item drops and crafting recipes. A new map, Country Border, awaits players in their new found levels, along with three dungeons (Altar of Mirror Lake, Mumbling Temple, and Soul Trapping Matrix), plus the Mirror Lake Maze Challenge. Players can partake in the new Daily Profiteer quests, offering bonus experience; take on a Legacy quest for an epic mount; visit Treasure Island for a challenge; or get a new Daily Instance Buff and run dungeon solo. A new 5v5 PvP arena has also been introduced. For New Year’s, players can also find Ambassador Yiyi in Yang City to assist him for a chance at New Year’s themed rewards, including mounts and costumes. Scarlet Legacy is published by GamesCampus, which also publishes Asda 2 and Heroes in the Sky. Scarlet Legacy Gameplay Screenshot Source: NEW YEAR, NEW CONTENT, NEW CONFLICTS FOR SCARLET LEGACY Scarlet Legacy Rings in 2012 With Special Events, Increased Level Cap And 5v5 PVP Action Sunnyvale, Calif. (December 28, 2011) – Leading online game publisher, GamesCampus.com (www.GamesCampus.com), today announced the start of the New Year’s Events and a massive update for its highly touted fantasy MMORPG, Scarlet Legacy. With the level cap now raised to 60, and a slew of new game content and special events to ring in the new year, players will have plenty to celebrate! Amateur and veteran martial artists alike can register for an account at www.ScarletLegacy.com and jump straight into the furious action. “We’re thrilled to be able to provide some of the most challenging content to date to coincide with our New Year’s Celebration alongside the richest in-game experiences the game has ever offered,” said Uyen Uyen Ton Nu, Head of Marketing at GamesCampus. “With the new level 60 content cap, multiple new and addicting questing systems, and the start of 5v5 player versus player arena combat, we think finding time to log out will be the biggest hurdle for players to overcome!” With Scarlet Legacy’s New Year’s Celebration, players may visit the new Treasure Island NPC’s to be sent to one of the most challenging maps ever created. With increased danger comes the opportunity for increased reward, so players will find it well worth it to visit the new zone every day for higher drop rates, currency and exp rewards and last but not least, some of the most rare and coveted items and crafting materials in the game. Players will also be able to help out New Year’s Ambassador Yiyi located in the main town of Yang City. His shipment of fireworks has been stolen and only the most dedicated players who return daily will reap the rewards including special New Year’s costumes, mounts and many other items. Martial artists will be pleased to discover that with the level cap raised from 55 to 60 they can jump into the new map, County Border, balanced for both individuals and parties between 56 and 60. Alternatively, players can climb the Practice Tower and take on the Mirror Lake Maze challenge. Three new dungeons have also been released: Altar of Mirror Lake (levels 56-60), Mumbling Temple (Heroic, level 60), and Soul Trapping Matrix (Heroic, level 60). For those who prefer the feeling of taking on other players, the new 5v5 PVP arena has been opened! Represent your guild, compete for glory, pride and special in-game item rewards. Want something new to ring in the New Year? The update also includes 70 new skills, over 40 new martial arts stances, more than 100 new drop items, 55 new crafting recipes and full level 60 Epic Equipment sets! Take on a different challenge via the new questing systems: Daily Profiteer quests give players bonus experience allowing for faster levelling; Daily Instance Buffs allow players to run group dungeons solo; and Legacy quests grant players exclusive epic mounts as they progress through the game! Scarlet Legacy offers tactical combat with stylishly cinematic animation, plenty of character customization options and numerous PvP modes and battlefields. There are four classes to choose from at the beginning, but each has access to multiple unique talent trees, bonus granting Martial Arts combat Stances, and evolving skills which allow for far more personalized progression. Scarlet Legacy is a complete MMORPG with crafting profession skills, mounts, pet customization and mutation systems, and dozens of in-world mini-games. For more information about GamesCampus.com or Scarlet Legacy, please visit www.GamesCampus.com or www.ScarletLegacy.com

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MMO Updates

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• TERA's Japanese beta test to shrink by 66%
• Star Legends adds new Crusade of Chaos campaign, Winter Festival
• Embers of Caerus dares you to go dungeon diving in the deep dark
• The Daily Grind: How frugal are you in F2P games?
• 2009 lawsuit against Final Fantasy XI dismissed
• Massively's MMO predictions for 2012
• Analyst claims that Star Wars: The Old Republic points to a healthy MMO market
• Newest patch notes Star Wars: The Old Republic highlight bug fixes
• Silkroad-R adding new server, gearing up for re-launch
• Hyperspace Beacon: Force reflection
• SWTOR's Reid hosting Reddit AMA tomorrow

TERA's Japanese beta test to shrink by 66% Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, TERA While highly anticipated in the West, not all is sunshine and rainbows for TERA overseas. Under assault by bots and bugs, NHN Japan announced that it will be reducing the number of open beta players currently in the game down to 33% by consolidating servers. Players in Japan shell out $38.50 per month to test the game. TERA's been testing in Japan for five months now and has shown promise, with over 48,000 concurrent players logging in at one point. Even though the beta test is shrinking in players, NHN is making tweaks to the game to improve the experience for those who remain. These improvements include doubling the amount of free time for new players and cutting the cooldown time of dungeons in half while increasing the amount of loot dropped. NHN Japan says that the population decrease will help to improve the game's performance as it progresses in testing: "Although the CCU has been decreased from the initial start, it is now more stable than we expected. The server consolidation is to promote better cooperative play." The Korean beta test of TERA conducted a similar server consolidation last May. TERA's Japanese beta test to shrink by 66% originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: TIG Global

Star Legends adds new Crusade of Chaos campaign, Winter Festival Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile If you're looking for some new mobile MMO content to fill out your holiday week, Spacetime Studios has added a new campaign to its Star Legends title. The Crusade of Chaos, Part I will send you adventuring to the planet Volaria in search of its missing governor. The update features new legendary gear, new bosses, and a bonus capture-the-flag map. Crusade of Chaos is intended for players between level 35 and 40. Star Legends' Winter Festival is also ongoing, and it boasts "holiday trees, snowflakes, a robo reindeer, and a new dungeon with some icy cool loot," according to the latest Spacetime email blast. Sound good? Then take a look at the Winter Festival preview video that we've embedded for you after the break. [Source: Spacetime press release] Continue reading Star Legends adds new Crusade of Chaos campaign, Winter Festival Star Legends adds new Crusade of Chaos campaign, Winter Festival originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Embers of Caerus dares you to go dungeon diving in the deep dark Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, Sandbox While the indie Embers of Caerus might not even be in alpha yet, the developers wanted to give fans and followers a Christmas present in the form of a special preview of one of the Forsaken World's dungeons. If you're expecting a brightly-lit funhouse full of dizzying sights, you may want to prepare for a shift in perspective. Once we enter the cave mouth, we're plunged into darkness with the occasional flickering torchlight -- and creepy cackle -- as our only points of reference. The video takes its time poking through the bowels of the earth, discovering more creepy sights and sounds the deeper it goes. And while it might not be packed wall-to-wall with mobs -- this is a very early glimpse into the game, after all -- there is a terrifying surprise laying in wait at the end. You may need to go get your security blanket in preparation, especially if you watch it with the lights off and headphones on. You can watch the full video after the jump! [Thanks to Ron for the tip!] Continue reading Embers of Caerus dares you to go dungeon diving in the deep dark Embers of Caerus dares you to go dungeon diving in the deep dark originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How frugal are you in F2P games? Posted: 28 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Those of you who shun free-to-play titles or are determined to never spend a single red cent in them are dismissed from today's discussion. But for those of you who do spend money in F2P MMOs -- and by all accounts, that's quite a few of you out there -- I'm curious just how frugal you are with the money you spend. I know that SOE players often hold back from registering Station Cash cards until the studio does a double- or triple-point day, and Turbine's frequently put its in-game stock on sale for both Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online. Around the holidays or during special anniversaries, players can also snag some good deals. So do you wait for certain items and unlocks to go on sale, or are you wealthy and/or impatient enough to simply go for it when you want them? Do you look for specials with an eagle eye? Jump on top of bonus in-game currency days? Clip coupons? Just how far do you stretch your gaming dollar? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! The Daily Grind: How frugal are you in F2P games? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

2009 lawsuit against Final Fantasy XI dismissed Posted: 27 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, MMO industry, News items, Consoles, Legal, Humor If you're a longtime player of Final Fantasy XI, you might have some problems with the way that the game's been handled over the years. Those problems are usually complaints about issues such as balance or the way that the game has handled updates, though, and they certainly don't extend to legal action. Yet back in 2009, Esther Leong filed suit against Square-Enix for fraudulent practices and deceptive advertising because of the game's monthly subscription fee. The claim was seeking over five million dollars in damages on behalf of all Final Fantasy XI players, which is probably a bit more than you seek when you feel your White Mage is underpowered. The 9th District Circuit Court of Appeals has officially dismissed the case, ending its progression for good and establishing a precedent that most likely won't find itself under heavy contest. A deputy general counsel for Square-Enix had called the suit "baseless" when it was first filed, due in no small part to the game's transparent statement that players would be required to pay a subscription fee. 2009 lawsuit against Final Fantasy XI dismissed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: FFX 2009 lawsuit dismissed

Massively's MMO predictions for 2012 Posted: 27 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous 2010 will be the year to change it all! No wait, I mean 2011 will be the year to change it all! Darnit. OK, 2012, help us! You're our only hope. While picking stocks or guessing baseball playoff scores is probably more lucrative, in our little corner of the world, we enjoy nothing more than predicting the rocky future for our favorite hobby. But between studio closures, surprise indie hits, and million-dollar investments, nothing is certain in entertainment trends, which is why we have so much fun throwing out educated guesses. Which game will topple World of Warcraft? Which studio will be shunned and ridiculed for a stupid decision? So this year, a few members of the Massively team got together to make their predictions for 2012. Follow along below for more on what each writer thinks 2012 will bring to the MMO space. Beau Hindman | Bree Royce | Brendan Drain | Eliot Lefebvre | Jef Reahard | Jeremy Stratton | Justin Olivetti | Shawn Schuster Massively's MMO predictions for 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Analyst claims that Star Wars: The Old Republic points to a healthy MMO market Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:45 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic The gaming industry is pretty morbid when you get right down to it. 2011 has seen several people predicting the death of the MMO market and the death of subscription games, often times in the same sentence. But according to analyst Colin Sebastian, the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic makes it clear that these reports of death have been greatly exaggerated. As Sebastian puts it, the unprecedented growth of SWTOR's player figures indicates that the market still possesses a demand for new games and still responds favorably. Sebastian goes on to predict that the game will likely move around three million units by March 2012, the end of the fiscal year, although he believes that staying power is a bit more questionable. He believes that predictions of up to two million paying users by the end of 2012 might be overly optimistic. That having been said, the game has certainly come out of the gate with real strength; it only remains to be seen if it can maintain that. Analyst claims that Star Wars: The Old Republic points to a healthy MMO market originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: TOR points to healthy market

Newest patch notes Star Wars: The Old Republic highlight bug fixes Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:25 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic Bugs are frustrating, and inevitably some of them seep through to launch with a new MMO. Star Wars: The Old Republic produced a fairly polished end product, but there were still issues, most notably certain memory problems with Taris and some harvesting nodes that couldn't be harvested. As a result, the game's first patch has been rolled out following this morning's maintenance, and the first set of patch notes have gone live detailing the bugfixes and minor updates provided. Aside from the two obvious changes, there has been a handful of balance adjustments. Slicing has seen a slight downgrade to bring its rewards more in line with those of other gathering professions, and the Mandalorian Raiders flashpoint has seen several enemies lose their immunity to crowd control. Players can look forward to more steady adjustments as the game continues, but some quick fixes to noteworthy issues are always good to see -- especially so close to the holidays. Newest patch notes Star Wars: The Old Republic highlight bug fixes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch 1.0.1 notes

Silkroad-R adding new server, gearing up for re-launch Posted: 27 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Silkroad Online, Free-to-play When we heard about Silkroad-R, our first thought was buhwhat? Is Joymax getting into race cars or something? As it turns out, the "R" stands for rebirth, and the free-to-play fantasy MMO is being groomed for a new launch in 2012 (sans some of the problems that plagued it in its original run). A new Joymax press release describes the leaner, meaner Silkroad as "the all-new, light and easy- to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game that picks up where the original left off." The company is also touting a "bot-free and lag-free experience" that includes a new server to cope with the expected new-user demand. Open beta testing is going on now through January 17th, 2012, and you can learn more about the reboot at the official Silkroad website. [Source: Joymax press release] Silkroad-R adding new server, gearing up for re-launch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Force reflection Posted: 27 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon "Always in motion is the future," Yoda reflected to Luke Skywalker in the greatest of all Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back. Even for a Jedi master, the future is unpredictable and always fluid. Likewise, I made predictions about Star Wars: The Old Republic that were completely off base and some that were spot on. Of course, the ones I got wrong were part of the BioWare plot to subvert everything I do. That's right, I'm looking at you, Georg Zoeller. This week, I'm going to borrow a phrase from the SWTOR-RP website: Force Reflection. Every weekday, these roleplayers pose a question about SWTOR, Star Wars, or some sort of roleplay trope to get you to think about how you play you character. However, I'm going to use the phrase to think back on the predictions I made in this column, specifically the first article of this year. Which ideas did I get correct? Which ideas did I get totally wrong? I can't be one hundred percent correct all the time. I have to leave room for some errors or else I'd lose my secret job as a psychic-hotline operator. Jump past the break to judge for yourself. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Force reflection Hyperspace Beacon: Force reflection originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR's Reid hosting Reddit AMA tomorrow Posted: 27 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic Got a few burning questions for BioWare on the heels of Star Wars: The Old Republic's blockbuster launch? Get them ready, because community manager Stephen Reid is throwing himself to the wolves preparing a Reddit-based AMA event for this Wednesday. What's AMA? It stands for ask me anything, and it'll be interesting to see if Reid is able to answer the slew of questions sure to be forthcoming. The tomfoolery starts at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on December 28th, and the Reddit posting features a few preliminary notes. "The format is simple: ask Mr. Reid a question and he will do his best to respond to as many as possible within his area of expertise; he is not a game designer but still has many interesting things to share about the game," it explains. SWTOR's Reid hosting Reddit AMA tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit

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General gaming

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• The Best of 1UP 2011: Community
• Low Danger, High Intensity: When Little Moments Mean Everything
• Customer Service Email Turns Into Nightmarish Blunder for PR Company

The Best of 1UP 2011: Community Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:55 PM PST Feature Share it: Tweet The Best of 1UP 2011: Community Check some of the best posts from our community in 2011. By: 1UP Staff December 26, 2011 1UP was conceived as a community-focused site from the beginning, and we're always grateful for our members' daily involvement. The 1UP community's excellence is perfectly embodied in the steady stream of blogs that populate the site, and throughout 2011 you've tackled topics ranging from how you've been personally affected by games to detailed photo blogs that chronicle some of the coolest events in the industry. Our members are dedicated individuals, and we're thrilled that you've chosen 1UP as a forum for voicing your thoughts and opinions on games. Listed below are 10 member blogs that stood out to us in 2011 as the best of the best. Check them out, and thanks for being a part of the site! We look forward to reading more of your work in 2012. Jump to: Best of News | Best of Podcasts | Best of Blogs | Best of Previews Best of Features | Best of Community | Best of Guides | Best of Video Best of Reviews | Best of Retrospectives Festivus Airing of Grievances We here at 1UP try to remain professional as often as possible. It wouldn't look good if we pulled a Network and walked to our windows yelling "We're as mad as hell, and we're not going to take this anymore!" That's why it's nice to see a user blog that bundles up so many of the rants we hold back into a neat little package that fits nicely under any Festivus Pole. Few companies manage to escape the wrath of Epic Greenman as he airs his grievances towards all of the ridiculous decisions that make you want to slap your forehead in disbelief. My Journey Through Hyrule While we all have some personal connections of gaming, 1UP user Jesse Miller's attachment to The Legend of Zelda runs very deep. His of story of tragedy, frustration, and rediscovery shows how deeply gaming memories can resonate within us. Those RPGs From Way Back Blogger Sam Torres takes a trip in the Wayback Machine (actually a 1994 Miata) to revisit the role-playing games of this youth. From big names like Final Fantasy to the obscure (does anyone remember Miracle Warriors?), this is a neat, compact survey of the console RPG landscape of the late '80s. Impaired Gamers Aim for the Head In one of the year's most inspirational blog posts, 1UP member Chris Abbott told the story of his friend Andrew L'Italien who plays games with one hand -- and in many games, does so better than Abbott himself. "I never get pissed off at my situation because I could have easily not been alive," said L'Italien. "So I really try to make the best of it? it adds more to my character. That being said, I do sometimes get discouraged and play the 'what if' game, but then I look and say 'this is who I am, I could live in sorrow or I can make the best of it' and try different approaches to things." Why Ico is More Important Than Ever 1UP user deep_search wrote a ton of great blogs this year (seriously, check them out), but none were as compelling as his analysis of Ico as a piece of minimalist art. In a season filled with AAA titles which he aptly describes as busy, this entry helps explain why games like Ico, even a decade after its launch, are more important than ever. Fumito Ueda's freshman title as a designer is one deserving of mature and articulate commentary, and deep_search's blog is about as good as they come. Naked Bob's 6th 1UP Anniversary Naked BoB joined 1UP six years ago, and in this post, he takes a look back at what changed in that time. He even wins the 1UP superfan crown for showing off his 6-year old 1UP user registration email. A PAX East 2011 Photoblog 1UP user and photoblogger extraordinaire David Ngo covers his second PAX East in this detailed post and takes you through the lively halls of the Boston Convention Center from top to bottom. The Fake Cary Woodham TV Show Long-time 1UP member Cary Woodham describes a surprisingly convincing fake game-oriented TV show (seriously, "Boxer the Unboxer" sounds like something we'd actually see on G4) in this April Fool's blog post. The hoax actually had a few people going in large part because everyone who reads 1UP knows Cary is so darned sincere that him pulling one over on everybody caught them all by surprise. Clever Difficulty Settings You, dear reader who actively reads and blogs on this site, are part of a clever bunch. That's why we like to have a featured user blog, to show off fellow games from the community who offer scintillating thoughts and insights. Here, Jostein "nipsen" Johnsen writes about the topic of interesting or clever difficulty settings -- with citations to specific examples from Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Shadow of the Colossus. We applaud you, fine sir, for writing this rather than another screed about cheating in Modern Warfare 3. Creative Culture, Final Part User BigMex set out "to remind the community of lessons long forgotten or simply overlooked in the pages of video game history." His five part series digs deep into the origins of Capcom characters both famous and obscure. In this final entry examines just why these characters look, act, and feel the way they do.

Low Danger, High Intensity: When Little Moments Mean Everything Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:35 PM PST Feature Share it: Tweet Low Danger, High Intensity: When Little Moments Mean Everything Why sometimes a paper cut is worse than a rocket to the face. By: Dennis Farrell December 27, 2011 Action tends to take center stage. For hours at a time, it gives us something to prod, explore, and hopefully conquer as we settle into comfortable gameplay rhythms which aren't disrupted by peaks and valleys in the mayhem. Aside from the occasional jump-scare or ridiculous moment of ultra-violence, action rarely leads us to feel much beyond a compulsion to place holes in the enemy before they can return the favor. Oddly enough, when games let up on the madness and place us in situations with little to no danger, we sometimes discover far more intense moments than what's found in the biggest set piece battles.

Customer Service Email Turns Into Nightmarish Blunder for PR Company Posted: 27 Dec 2011 11:26 AM PST In business, it's probably safe to universally say that treating your customers right is important. When they pay for a product or service, they expect to get what they paid for; if something goes wrong, they expect to be able to get reasonable answers. In other words, they expect the exact opposite of what Ocean Marketing has done in handling a complaint. As revealed in an email thread posted on Penny Arcade today, a customer named Dave placed an order for two PS3 Avenger controllers (pictured above) -- essentially a modified controller that would allow for disabled gamers to use the system's triggers. Despite being charged the entire amount upfront in early November, the "early December" release date came and went with Dave receiving no word on when the controllers would ship. After receiving a cryptic reply from Ocean Marketing's Paul Christoforo which simply read "Dec 17," Dave traded emails with the increasingly rude and unhelpful Christoforo.

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