General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

BitTorrent Announces P2P-Based File-Sharing App

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:50 PM PST

btA new service from BitTorrent Inc. is looking to challenge established cloud storage and sharing services like Dropbox. Share is a p2p-based system that uses the BitTorrent protocol to share files of any size with an unlimited number of contacts. Share will leverage Amazon's EC2 and S3 infrastructure to cache files so users don't even have to online at the same time to share files.

The problem with file sharing services is that bandwidth and hosting costs tend to eat up the budget. With Share, files will be taken off the cloud as soon as they are cached by a sufficient number of peers. Essentially, the network becomes its own cloud that costs BitTorrent nothing in the way of storage. 

The Share app will initially only be available on Windows, but a beta of uTorrent for Mac will have the functionality built in soon. The plan is to have the Share service integrated with the Windows version of uTorrent at some point as well. The service is expected to be free when it launches. Users will just have to share a little hard drive space to keep the cloud alive.

New Chrome Beta Pre-Loads Web Pages

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:31 PM PST

chromeGoogle's Chrome browser has had a feature for the last few months that pre-loads web pages when you are searching on Google. Now that feature has been expanded in the new Chrome beta to include pages typed into the omnibox. Sites that Chrome auto-completes will load in the background before you press enter. The result is what appears to be blisteringly-fast page loads.

Pages are not actually loading faster, of course. It's just a subtle psychological trick that hides most of the loading from the user until they are expecting to see the browser spring into action. Google and users have the same interests in the ever increasing speed of Chrome. Google wants us to see more pages, and thus more ads. Users just don't want to wait around for pages to load. It's a go, go world these days.

The new Chrome beta also added a new security measure that will scan downloaded EXE and MSI files to determine if they are known threats. Users will be alerted if things seem fishy. Faster and more secure; can't argue with that. The new beta should be installed automatically for those on the beta channel. 

Majority of Photos Flagged on Facebook are Not Offensive, Just Unflattering

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:18 PM PST

dislikeFacebook has revealed much about the human condition, and now it's reminding us how vain we humans can be sometimes. According to a recent interview with Facebook's engineering director Arturo Bejar, the majority of photos flagged by users as inappropriate are actually just unflattering images of the user that reported it.

Facebook has a whole raft of content that it does not allow. Nudity, drug use, harassment, and spam are all reasons to report a photo on Facebook. After noticing the trend of unflattering photos in the filter, Facebook engineers added an option in Spetember to the reporting dialog that simply states, "I don't like this photo of me." The social network does not remove images in this case, but will message the user who posted it to give them the opportunity to remove it voluntarily. 

This isn't just a blip in the data; Facebook gets over 250 million photo uploads per-day. There's no mistaking people's narcissism in this case. Perhaps a more logical course of action than flagging images that don't catch you at the right angle could be to just disable tagging. 

Future Tense: Life With Kindle

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:02 PM PST

Before it shipped, a friend of mine expressed a great deal of skepticism—even hostility—about the Kindle Fire. This was right after HP had dropped their remaining stock of Touchpads onto the market for $200 each.

My buddy failed to understand two things—first, HP was abandoning the Touchpad and cleaning out their warehouses. And second, the Kindle Fire is not a tablet—it's a low-cost content-delivery system. This is critical to understanding what the Kindle can and can't do.

I'd had the previous model Kindle for just about a year when the Kindle Fire was announced. As much as I loved the convenience of the device, I have to admit that I had also been experiencing Nook-envy. The Barnes & Noble Nook had a color touch screen. Color makes a big difference—especially for magazines. And a touch screen is essential for any tablet device.

But as tempting as the Nook might have been, I have enough content purchased for the Kindle that I just didn't want to switch to a new platform. So the announcement of the Kindle Fire was a welcome surprise. I studied the specs for a few days, decided I liked what I read, then placed my order.

My Kindle Fire arrived a day early and the out-of-box-experience was exceptional. The device is handsome and rugged. It's simple and it's scratch resistant. On the downside, the on-off button is on the bottom and that's inconvenient for holding it or propping it up on your lap, because you can accidentally turn the device off while you're reading. Fortunately, you can flip it over and use it upside down, but not every application reorients to how you're holding it.

The Kindle Fire is about as heavy as a hardcover book, so you're either going to lay it flat or prop it up against something or purchase a stand for it. It simply is not convenient for holding unsupported for long periods of time. The same is true of every other tablet I've looked at. I expect that at some point in the future, these devices will be a lot lighter and slimmer, but we're not there yet.

Now, my buddy was right that the Kindle is not a complete tablet, but it was never meant to be. But as a content-delivery system, it's exceptionally convenient. I can't tell you if Amazon's Silk browser is faster than browsers on other tablets because I don't have another tablet handy to compare.

Unlike my previous Kindle, the Kindle Fire does not have 3G, so access to the internet or even to Amazon's "whispernet" delivery system requires a wi-fi connection. This means sitting in Starbucks or McDonalds or tethering your Kindle Fire to your phone.

If you buy a tablet from one of the cellphone companies and you want web access, then you have to buy a contract so your device can connect via cellphone towers. This averages around $40 a month. On the other hand, if you have a newer model smartphone—I have a Galaxy SII—then you can tether multiple devices to your phone. My carrier provides tethering ability for only $15 extra per month. Tethering does use up battery life in the phone, but for the most part, I keep my phone in a powered stand, and I always carry a spare battery with me.

When the Kindle Fire is tethered, web access is fast enough to be useful. Downloading books or magazines is near-instantaneous. Web-surfing is almost as fast, but it depends on the connection. If I'm too far away from my phone or if I'm logged onto a public source, web pages will slow down a bit. Not enough to be impractical, but enough to be noticeable.

The Kindle Fire's speakers aren't loud enough for listening except in a very quiet environment. Headphones or earbuds are a necessity. Watching a video on the Kindle Fire is a lot better than trying to watch it on a Zune or a smartphone. You can actually see what's happening on the screen. But due to the Kindle Fire's limited—8gb—memory, you're not going to store a lot of your own videos on the device.

And this is why the Kindle Fire isn't a tablet, it's a content-delivery system. Most of your books and magazines, music and videos, are going to remain in the cloud and Amazon will stream them as you desire. This is practical if you're sitting in Starbucks. It's impractical if your 30,000 feet over Kansas and want to catch up on back episodes of Dexter. Unless you've previously downloaded them, you're out of luck. Unless you're flying on a plane with internet access.

The Kindle Fire does not have a slot for a memory card. I consider this to be the device's biggest flaw. An SD-slot would allow users to add as much as 128gb of memory—yes, there really are cards that big, Lexar sells them. That's multiple libraries of music and videos.

The Kindle Fire does not have a camera, it cannot be used for Skype or video chat. It does not have GPS, so you cannot use it for real-time guidance. You can access Mapquest, but as of this writing, there's no app for Google Maps. I wish it had all these capabilities.

I wish it had all the capabilities of my Android smartphone so I could use it for taking stills and videos and making video calls via Skype. I wish it had GPS for real-time traffic alerts and 4G for fast internet access. I wish it had the Swype keyboard that makes texting a lot faster on my phone. And I wish it had a built-in kickstand on the back so it could stand up by itself. (You know those cheap picture frames that can be propped up portrait or landscape? The Kindle should do that too.)

But the Kindle Fire is not a phone and it's not a full tablet—not yet. I expect that eventually the Kindle will evolve to include all those other features. And I expect that Amazon will keep the price as low as possible so that they can own the market for content-delivery. I expect Amazon to eat Apple's lunch—and probably everyone else's too.

Despite its current limitations, I remain enthusiastic about the Kindle Fire. I bought it for reading books and magazines and watching the occasional video. It has a very readable screen for books. Magazines look great. Videos are clear and crisp. Music sounds great on good headphones. Web pages are clearly readable—much more accessible than on the 4.3 inch screen of even the best smartphone. You can magnify pages if you need to.

There are a number of exceptional applications available for the Kindle Fire, including IMDB, Netflix, WiFi Analyzer, HuffingtonPost, Evernote, Angry Birds (of course), Pandora, and QuickOffice Pro, an office suite that can access Microsoft Office files. You can download documents, spreadsheets, and powerpoint presentations to the device and have important files easily available and even do some quick editing.

I take the Kindle Fire with me almost everywhere, because I never know when I'm going to be stuck in line or waiting for someone. I've also downloaded the .pdf manuals of all my various electronics onto the Kindle so I have those references always available. This is especially handy when I'm away from home and need to check some feature on my camera or other piece of gear.

My buddy was right that the Kindle Fire is not a full tablet. We're still a few generations away from that. But when I showed him what it was capable of today, he admitted he was impressed enough to consider getting one for himself.

Now it's your turn. What features would you like to see in a 7-inch form factor device?

 

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David Gerrold is a Hugo and Nebula award-winning author. He has written more than 50 books, including "The Man Who Folded Himself" and "When HARLIE Was One," as well as hundreds of short stories and articles. His autobiographical story "The Martian Child" was the basis of the 2007 movie starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. He has also written for television, including episodes of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Twilight Zone, and Land Of The Lost. He is best known for creating tribbles, sleestaks, and Chtorrans. In his spare time, he redesigns his website, www.gerrold.com

Western Digital's My Book Live Duo NAS Supports RAID 1 And Lives In The Cloud

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:37 AM PST

If someone asked us what the most important aspect of computing was, we'd answer: back up your data! But unless you have an automated system, backing up your data is likely one of the first things to get dropped by the wayside when your schedule fills up. Western Digital's got your back: its newly announced My Book Live Duo NAS features dual hard drives that can be placed in RAID 1 for redundancy, so your precious data lives on if one of the drives goes kaput.

Not enough for you? WD's pushing the rig as a "personal cloud storage system" that can be accessed anywhere there's an Internet connection. Remote access is achieved either via www.WD2go.com or with the various WD mobile apps for iOS/Android.  In the here-and-now, the My Book Live Duo includes an Ethernet port, an undisclosed 800 MHz CPU, DLNA capabilities and full support for both Windows PCs and Macs. There's a 4TB option for $400 that sports a pair of 2TB drives, or a $500 model that includes a pair of 3TB HDDs.  By default, RAID 1 is turned off and you have access to the full storage capabilities of the My Book Live Duo; the box supports both WD SmartWare and Apple's Timeline automatic backup in case you want to leave RAID 1 off.

Check out the product page for the full details and marketing schpiel.

Crucial's Newly Announced Drive Aims To Mix SSD Speeds With HDD Storage Capabilities

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:08 AM PST

There's no denying that SSDs are blazing fast and an all-around pleasure to have in your system, but for many folks, being limited to 128GB or 256GB just isn't going to cut it. Enter Crucial: today, the memory maker announced the "Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution," which hopes to solve that problem (as the name implies). It could've been called the "SSD Band-Aid;" it's basically an itty-bitty SSD that teams up with your HDD to deliver quick access speeds while keeping the high storage capabilities of traditional drives intact.

The Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution is a 50GB Crucial m4 SSD that ships with a 3.5-inch adapter bracket and some cache software. Setup sounds pretty easy: connect the SSD to your mobo with a SATA cable, then install the software and get to work. The clever-sounding software tricks your computer into thinking both drives are a single storage system and automatically drops your most-used files onto the SSD. The things you use most often get the full SSD speed boosting treatment, while everything else stays sitting on your HDD, still fully accessible.

Robert Wheadon, Crucial's worldwide product manager, calls the product "a compelling and affordable upgrade solution." We'd be inclined to agree, except, um, Crucial left pricing details out of its press release. The Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution is expected to start shipping sometime in the first quarter.

At first glance, it certainly seems like an intriguing little product for those who can't abide the abysmally small storage space found in current SSDs and don't want to swap out their current HDD for a pricey hybrid drive. Is this something you would pick up assuming the price is right?

Browser Extension of the Week: Lazarus

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:45 AM PST

lazarusWhether you're making a purchase from an online store, signing up for a new service or renewing an old one, when online forms work, they work very well... until your web browser crashes and the burning rage of one thousand suns eats all that was once good in your life as a result. Fortunately, for Chrome and Firefox users, the days of form-related hissy fits may soon be nothing more than an ugly memory, thanks to Lazarus, our Browser Extension of the Week.

Designed to save your form-related bacon in the event of a browser crash, error message or network time out, Lazarus preserves the data you've entered into a given form, encrypts and saves it to your rig just in case you wind up needing it. What's more, Lazarus can even be tweaked to suit your particular needs with options such as the ability to decide how many days form data is preserved by the extension, password protection and the ability to disable form preservation on selected sites. 

For all that Lazarus can do, it's worth mentioning that there are some things still doesn't handle very well: Chiefly, preserving the information entered into WYSIWYG editors of the sort employed by many popular Content Management Systems. That said, the extension's developer is hard at work trying to solve this issue.

 

 

Tobii's Gaze Interface Lets You Navigate Windows 8 With Your Peepers

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:35 AM PST

Microsoft may be pushing touchscreen control as the wave of the future with Windows 8's tiled Metro interface, but Tobii Technology thinks just swiping and pointing your way around an operating system is so, like, 2011. Tobii says its novel new "Tobii Gaze" control scheme, which mixes eye-tracking technology with a touchpad and is being shown off at CES next week, delivers superior control compared to both mice and touchscreens. Big words indeed!

Check out the video above to see Gaze in action. Basically, Tobii's eye-tracking technology takes control of the on-screen cursor; it points to whatever you look at. Clicking the Gaze's touchpad operates like your standard left-click. Tobii claims that its scheme feels much more natural than traditional touchscreen methods – especially when the touchscreen in question is vertical – and the interface leaves no question as to what's being clicked, unlike touchscreens, which can have troubles navigating tightly-packed links when controlled by fat fingered individuals (like myself).

Quote time: "Pointing at something by looking at it is intuitive, natural and immediate. Using a mouse to do the same thing is less so, as it involves an intermediate step of moving a mouse-pointer around," Henrik Eskilsson, CEO, said in Tobii's press release. "Gaze is as natural and intuitive as touch, as precise as the mouse and more ergonomic and effortless than both. Once you have experienced Gaze, a laptop without it feels just as ancient as a laptop without a touch pad."

It's nifty, and Tobii has plenty of experience with eye-tracking tech. But can they pull this off cheaply enough for Joe and Jill Consumer to care? What are your first impressions of the Gaze?

Broadcom Unveils Next-Gen "5G Wi-Fi" Chips Capable Of Up To 1.3Gbps

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:03 AM PST

Most of the hot new products you hear about this early in a new year come out of the desert at the CES electronics convention – which takes place next week – but Broadcom decided to kick things off early and unveil its new line of "5G Wi-Fi" chips based on the still-in-development 802.11ac standard. Yes, they push Wi-Fi faster and farther than before, and no, "5G" has nothing to do with cellular networks. It's just Broadcom's catchphrase for the fifth generation of Wi-Fi. But hey, marketing tricks aside, how do up to 1.3Gbps wireless speeds sound?

Only one of the four new chips – the PCI-e supported, three-stream BCM4360 – actually reaches that ridiculously fast speed. Two dual-stream chips, the BCM4352 (PCI-e) and BCM43526 (USB) deliver up to 867Mbps, while the single-stream BCM43516 tops out at 433Mbps, which still ain't too shabby. All four work on the 80 MHz channel. The USB products are targeted more for consumer electronics, while the PCI-e powered models were obviously designed with PC-related uses in mind.

Broadcom's 5G chips use "beamforming" technology to target specific receivers with and increase the operational range of the signal. Plus, they're based on a new 40nm manufacturing process, which makes them more energy efficient to boot.

So what could you use those faster speeds for? Why not let Broadcom itself tell you? From the company's press release: "Broadcom's 5G WiFi dramatically improves the wireless range in the home, allowing consumers to watch HD-quality video from more devices, in more places, simultaneously. The increased speed enables consumers to download web content from a mobile device faster and quickly synch large files, such as videos, in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device."

Broadcom will be showing off its 5G chips to potential partners and OEMs at CES next week.

Samsung Prepares Super Stylish 27-inch Plane Line Switching Monitor

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:35 AM PST

Samsung, like almost everyone else, is tipping its hand ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week, or at least is willing to show some of the cards it's holding. Revealed today is the company's high-end SA27A950 monitor, the newest entry to its Series 9 LED-backlit LCD display line and featuring Plane Line Switching (PLS) technology.

The SA27A950 features a 2560x1440 resolution, edge-to-edge glass coated with anti-glare gunk, and an adjustable aluminum stand that will slip right into a modern art deco setup without skipping a beat. Connectivity options consist of USB, DisplayPort, dual-link DVI, and HDMI ports. Other features include a 1,000:1 typical contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, a pair of 7W built-in speakers, and Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) support.

Plane Line Switching, or Plane to Line Switching as it's sometimes called, is Samsung's take on IPS displays. It's supposed to offer stellar viewing angles, better brightness, and cost less to produce.

The Series 9 S27A970 will be available in March for $1,200.

Image Credit: Samsung
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO News

MMO News

World of Tanks releases French tanks

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:57 AM PST

Update 7.1 has arrived for World of Tanks, and with it comes the French tank line, the fourth nation of tanks to join the MMO.

The first line becomes available today, and includes light, medium, and heavy tanks, featuring unique modules. French tank fans can look forward to automatic loading systems and oscillating turrets, which will offer new tactics and strategies for all players to enjoy. Tank destroyers and SPGs for the French line will arrive later in the year.

World of Tanks is published by Wargaming.net.

world-of-tanks-ussr-tank

World of Tanks Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

The French Have Arrived!

The new line of vehicles rolls onto World of Tanks stage

London, UK, Paris, FR and San Francisco, CA (5th January, 2011) — Wargaming.net, the award-winning videogame publisher and developer, is proud to present the long-anticipated line of the French tanks available in the all-new Update 7.1 for its free-to-play action MMO World of Tanks.
French vehicles will invade World of Tanks in two steps, and their first line available as of today features light, medium, and heavy tanks. Just as their historical prototypes, the in-game machines will have unique features and modules, including automatic loading system and oscillating turrets that will enrich gameplay diversity and require different tactical approach from players.
“Our players already know how to play with the “big three” tank nations, but the French are all-different,” says Mike Zhivets, Lead Game Designer for World of Tanks. “You’ll have to reconsider the way you think tanks behave before they let you tame them. And that’s what we love them for!”
The second part of the French vehicles will appear later in 2012 and will include tank destroyers and SPGs.

Aeria Games acquires ijji

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:34 AM PST

Aeria Games announced today that it has acquired the gaming portal ijji from NHN Corporation.

The agreement expands Aeria Games’ portfolio to include active ijji titles, including Alliance of Valiant Arms and Soldier Front, along with preferential treatment and the first rights to publish NHN games outside of Asia. NHN also granted Aeria Games financial backing.

No details have been revealed yet as to whether the acquisition will require any special transitions for players of ijji games, or whether the transition between publishers will be seamless.

Aeria Games also publishes Eden Eternal and Repulse.

alliance-of-valiant-arms-ice-map

Alliance of Valiant Arms Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

AERIA GAMES Acquires ijji Games in Conjunction with INvestment Funding from NHN Corporation

Leading Free-to-play Online Multiplayer Publisher Expands Its Robust Portfolio, Adds New Users, and Receives Investment from Korean Internet Leader NHN to Fuel Further Expansion and Global Growth

SANTA CLARA – January 5, 2012 – Aeria Games, a leading destination for free-to-play online multiplayer games, today announced it has acquired ijji Games LLC, a popular free-to-play online gaming portal, from NHN Corporation as part of a strategic agreement that gives Aeria Games the first right with preferential treatment to publish NHN online games worldwide outside of Asia. Under the terms, Aeria Games also received a financial investment from NHN to further fuel growth as a global MMO market leader. The agreement boosts the company's fast growing player base to over 35 million unique users worldwide while adding complementary titles including the popular shooters Alliance of Valiant Arms (A.V.A.) and Soldier Front to Aeria Games' robust portfolio of free-to-play games for mid- to hard-core players.

Aeria Games is a global leader in producing high quality online free-to-play games in North America, Latin America, and Europe. The company publishes titles that cater to players looking for a deeper and more immersive multiplayer experience with active community support. Aeria Games' rapid growth comes from its expertise in delivering highly profitable freemium experiences to what it terms "power players"—hard-core and medium-core players whose average per day play sessions reflect four hours or more. Aeria Games hosts a diverse and rapidly growing portfolio of over 30 critically-acclaimed MMO titles spanning action, roleplaying, shooter, real time strategy, and racing games. The company is recognized for standout games including the MMO Eden Eternal, the popular MMORPG Shaiya, the supernatural MMOFPS Wolf Team, the expansive strategy game Golden Age and the upcoming action shooter Repulse.

"The acquisition of ijji Games further enhances our market leader position in the rapidly consolidating free-to-play sector of mid- and hard-core gaming," said Lan Hoang, Chief Executive Officer, Aeria Games. "In addition to outstanding new content such as the popular A.V.A. and Soldier Front games and other quality titles from NHN going forward, NHN's investment—which is our first external funding—will provide resources to facilitate our continuing growth and business expansion in multiple areas."

With 300 employees worldwide, the California-based company continues to invest in emerging markets such as Latin America, Eastern Europe and Russia while growing its active community in the US and Western Europe. With its focus on first-person shooters, ijji Games adds over 10 million hard-core gamers to Aeria Games' publishing platform for a combined user base consisting of over 35 million unique power players. Using advanced analytics and committed worldwide customer support, Aeria Games is able to bring quality games to market quickly with full local language support. In turn, Aeria Games' community fuels development with extended play sessions and in-game purchase levels that are much higher than those yielded by typical online and social network games.

With content partnerships from top game companies such as Electronic Arts and NHN, as well as a host of independent developers from around the world, Aeria Games continues to add high-quality content to its portfolio. The publishing organization offers developers all the necessary tools—from a large established player base, a single virtual currency, data warehouse and analytics, optimized payment options, to local marketing and customer service—to quickly and efficiently distribute games to key fast growing Western markets. As consolidation continues in the dynamic free-to-play sector, Aeria Games will utilize the additional resources from NHN to strengthen its position as a truly device-agnostic platform for mid- to hard-core gamers by expanding its content and platform offerings and growing its international footprint.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO Updates

MMO Updates

French tanks rumble into World of Tanks looking for payback

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST

Filed under: , , , , ,

World of Tanks
Wargaming.net is allowing players to participate in a little revisionist history by unleashing French designs into World of Tanks. Will the Germans finally get what's coming to them, or will the Panzers dominate as they did back in the 40s?

With today's Update 7.1, the French have arrived in the game with several new tanks available for players to drive. Light, medium, and heavy versions of French armor will present a new twist on the established gameplay, with choices like the AMX 13-90, AMX 40, AMX 50 B and Lorraine 40t that feature automatic loading systems and oscillating turrets. Later this year Wargaming.net will add French tank destroyers and SPGs as well.

Lead Game Designer Mike Zhivets believes this will present a unique challenge for players who think they have it all figured out: "Our players already know how to play with the 'big three' tank nations, but the French are all-different. You'll have to reconsider the way you think tanks behave before they let you tame them. And that's what we love them for!"

You can scope out these French beauties in the gallery below.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]

Gallery: World of Tanks

MassivelyFrench tanks rumble into World of Tanks looking for payback originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    New PlanetSide 2 gameplay footage spotted in the wild

    Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST

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    PlanetSide 2 artwork
    Sony Online Entertainment is building a little buzz around PlanetSide 2 lately. The upcoming MMOFPS revealed its beta signup process just before the Christmas holiday, and now fans at PlanetSide Universe have uncovered new gameplay footage courtesy of a couple of videos produced for Chinese publishing partner The9.

    The first clip serves as an intro to The9's PS2 website, and it features some quick glimpses of airborne combat, tank combat, and first-person infantry combat. The second clip is a mixture of similar gameplay footage along with some talking-head dev interview shots which you can view after the cut.

    Continue reading New PlanetSide 2 gameplay footage spotted in the wild

    MassivelyNew PlanetSide 2 gameplay footage spotted in the wild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    SWTOR goes bug hunting with 1.0.2 and prognosticates PvP improvements

    Posted: 05 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST

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    SWTOR
    With the abundance of bugs and glitches in Star Wars: The Old Republic, fans are looking to James Ohlen's promise of weekly patches to shore up the faults. Yesterday we saw patch 1.0.2 go live with some -- but certainly not all -- of these fixes, as well as an increase in the PvP lockbox rewards and allowing players to emote while mounted.

    In addition to yesterday's patch, today BioWare plans to roll out an emergency fix to address a few important issues: players crashing to desktop at character select, a problem with the chat channels in which they would stop functioning for some people, and the now-infamous /getdown bug.

    PvP Lead Gabe Amatangelo also emerged from the BioWare fortress to chat about plans for the future of the game's PvP combat. According to Amatangelo, the team is working on level 50 brackets for warzones, vastly improving open world PvP on Ilum, a new same-faction vs. same-faction warzone, team vs. team queuing, ranked warzone matches, and more. He says that to date, over a million warzone matches have been played, with 39% of those matches played being Huttball and the Empire winning 53% of every match fought.

    MassivelySWTOR goes bug hunting with 1.0.2 and prognosticates PvP improvements originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Should max-level characters give account XP bonuses?

    Posted: 05 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST

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    EverQuest II - Tier'dal in Lavastorm
    I recently hit EverQuest II's adventuring cap for the first time (yay!), and aside from being surprised that it finally happened, I was also in for a bit of a shock when I logged into the character select screen the following day.

    You see, EQII gives each character on your account a 20% XP bonus per max-level character. So all my subsequent toons will enjoy an extra 20% XP across the board, and if I were to get another guy to 90, all my toons would then have a 40% bonus (up to a maximum of 200%). While this is fantastic for players like yours truly who despise the leveling process, it seems like an odd design decision given that a lot of people like to grind. Also, EQII has more leveling content than most MMOs put together, and it's crazy to think how much of it you'll miss if you get even more bonus XP.

    Sure, you can chronomage down a few levels and do zones that you blew by, or you can adjust your XP/AA ratio (or turn off XP altogether if you want), but the bonuses still speed up the curve significantly. What about you, Massively folk? Do you think max-level characters should grant bonuses to the rest of your toons?

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

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Should max-level characters give account XP bonuses? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Firefly MMO gets a possible second shot at the stars

      Posted: 04 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST

      Filed under: , ,

      Firefly
      While Multiverse, the development platform that was supposed to be the driving force for possible Buffy and Firefly MMOs, suffered a studio shutdown, the source code lives -- and has been snatched up by the newly formed Multiverse Foundation. Fortunately for those who were holding out hope for an online version of Joss Whedon's scifi western, it looks as though this new company wants to pick up where the previous team left off.

      Massively was contacted by Tristan Bacon, head of communications for Multiverse Foundation. He says that the company has acquired the source code and is "starting work full-time on the actual MMO creation platform." Bacon says that if there is still interest from fans, the team intends to use the platform to make a Firefly MMO.

      Don't get overexcited at the prospect of saddling up for the 'verse in your own ship, however, as this might be as long a shot as it ever was. There are substantial obstacles to overcome, including permission to use the IP. Bacon also says that the current team is just a small group of volunteers working on it in their spare time, and would appreciate more developers to sign on to the project.

      MassivelyFirefly MMO gets a possible second shot at the stars originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Choose My Adventure: How Lineage II feels to a Western newcomer

        Posted: 04 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST

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        Lineage 2 screenshot
        We're down to the wire for Lineage II's Choose My Adventure, with one more week to go. My Abyss Walker quickly rushed to the 40s, at which point leveling has slowed down considerably. I've talked about pets, explored (only a fraction of) the countryside, and touched on crafting and other features. What else could we possibly talk about?

        I haven't really shared a lot of my experiences with my character class or how the class-transfers and skills affect my overall enjoyment of Lineage II. My third class-transfer is set in stone thanks to your poll choices and the game mechanics; now that I'm an Abyss Walker, I'm locked-in to become a Ghost Hunter, which makes sense. Ghost Hunter is melee, like my Abyss Walker. I can't really jump ship at this point and go ranged. So let's look a little more at my character, what the future could hold for him in terms of more class-transfers, and my opinions on non-situational combat and how that makes the game feel to me.

        Gallery: CMA: Lineage 2

        Continue reading Choose My Adventure: How Lineage II feels to a Western newcomer

        MassivelyChoose My Adventure: How Lineage II feels to a Western newcomer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What we need on the road ahead

          Posted: 04 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST

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          A Mild-Mannered Reporter header by A. Fienemann
          Here we are after the kick, and I have to say, thus far 2012 feels pretty much the same as 2011 but with fewer weather effects. But it also brings the opportunity to ask for a new round of features from City of Heroes, and as I think you've all learned by now, I'm always willing to ask for new stuff for the coming year. Just look at all my requests from last year and you'll see what I'm talking about.

          So did I get what I wanted? Well, we got a big new dump of improved content after all, which sort of fulfilled my first request. There's been no word on any new archetypes, and we only got two full issues last year, unless you count the little half-issues in between. Let's call it an even half. But those weren't predictions, after all; they were just wishes. So what do I think we should wish for over the next year?

          Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What we need on the road ahead

          MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: What we need on the road ahead originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            BioWare's James Ohlen: Bug fixes coming weekly

            Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:30 PM PST

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            Screenshot -- Star Wars: The Old Republic
            Any new MMO, even big-budget behemoths like BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, is often fraught with bugs and exploits that can keep the game from living up to its full potential. The Old Republic's game director, James Ohlen, recognizes this and has stopped by the official forums to let players know how the company will be handling the game's bugs, glitches, and exploits.

            Ohlen states that "almost every week [BioWare] will be releasing a new patch." These pseudo-weekly patches will be focused almost entirely on fixing bugs, exploits, and glaring balance issues within the game. Ohlen does remind players, however, that bug-fixing is not always a simple task. "There are issues that we will fix immediately," he says, with the caveat that "these are rare and not every issue can be fixed in this manner. We usually reserve these 'emergency fixes' for bugs that are stopping players from playing the game or to exploits that could unbalance the entire game if not corrected." I'm sure players have a few things in mind to which an emergency fix could be applied, but we'll just have to wait for the next patch to see what the devs have cooked up.

            MassivelyBioWare's James Ohlen: Bug fixes coming weekly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Brad McQuaid reminisces about the birth of EverQuest

            Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST

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            The advent of the Internet dragon.
            Maybe you're a big fan of EverQuest. Maybe you were at one point, but your ardor has cooled. Maybe you never liked it. Whatever your opinion on the game, you can't deny that it had a massive impact on the face of MMOs as a whole. In a new interview, Brad McQuaid talks about the genesis of EverQuest through development and what the game looked like from the other side, before it was a known fact that the game would be a success or even functional.

            And yes, according to McQuaid, there were several points at which the team was worried that the game wouldn't work at all. Between the issues of 3-D performance and network issues, it was far from a certainty that the game could be played and enjoyed by a large enough number of people. The difficulty level of the game wasn't on the list of worries -- from the design team's perspective, that was half of the enjoyment of the game. Read the full interview for more anecdotes and opinions about the early development of one of the first big MMO successes.

            MassivelyBrad McQuaid reminisces about the birth of EverQuest originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            DC Universe Online giving players a little more R&D

            Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:30 PM PST

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            If you're researching how purple you can make your costume before someone throws up, I think you've established an endpoint.
            There's nothing like a little crafting to spice up a game. In the wake of what appears by all accounts to be a successful free-to-play transition, DC Universe Online is giving players a new way to enjoy a little crafting in the form of the Research & Development system. A preview of the system has just arrived, showing off how to get started as well as what can be uncovered by patient research.

            Once a character hits level 10, he or she can begin to gather Exobits, which can in turn be forged together into Exobytes at R&D stations. Using plans either found in the world or bought from specialized vendors players can then combine Exobytes into equipment mods or consumables, both of which can help boost players beyond their current levels of power. The system is set to debut along with the other features of Game Update 8, so there's only a little more time until players can get their hands on the materials and see what develops.

            MassivelyDC Universe Online giving players a little more R&D originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Former subscribers get an early engagement to Star Trek Online's free-to-play model

            Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST

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            Money is really hard to maintain when you have replicators.
            In the universe of Star Trek Online, it's the 24th century and humans no longer make use of money. Here in the 21st century, however, you've still got a bit more time until you can play Star Trek Online without the use of said money. Or do you? Starting tomorrow, January 5th, the doors will open for players to start enjoying the game for free before the full free-to-play launch on January 17th.

            So what do you need to do to get this early access? Well, if you're asking now, you're a bit too late; the privilege is being extended to lapsed former subscribers, who can come back and play the game for free as Silver members. That means certain features will be restricted, but if you had played in the past and haven't had a chance to catch up with the newer features of the game, tomorrow will be your chance to log in and start trekking across the universe for free.

            MassivelyFormer subscribers get an early engagement to Star Trek Online's free-to-play model originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Enter at Your Own Rift: Of apps and patches

            Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST

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            Rift grotto
            On the surface, things have been relatively quiet in RIFT. The Fae Yule Event moved along merrily, but there hasn't been much revealed about update 1.7 yet. Fans are so used to the rapid pace of updates that they've made a minigame out of guessing what's coming and when it will arrive.

            But if you're wondering whether the team took the holidays off and left behind its work, fear not! Just a few days ago, Trion Worlds revealed a new iPhone app called RIFT Mobile and held its first developer Q&A with the community, during which it provided lots of new tidbits of information for RIFT fans to look forward to. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll look at the highlights.

            Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Of apps and patches

            MassivelyEnter at Your Own Rift: Of apps and patches originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Conquer Online details upcoming Invasion of Pirates expansion

              Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST

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              Screenshot -- Conquer Online
              Conquer Online, NetDragon's free-to-play fantasy MMO, is getting a taste of the high seas come January 11th as the team launches the game's newest expansion, Invasion of Pirates. The expansion will introduce the new Pirate class, which will allow players to use new weapons and abilities while also finally letting them take sides in a real Pirates vs. Ninjas battle.

              The Pirate class itself can utilize pistols and rapiers, and its abilities rely on stamina, "with many of the skills requiring a cooldown period." As such, the key to winning a battle as a Pirate is, according to the press release, determined by how well a player can string the Pirate's attacks, buffs, and other abilities into an effective combo. The studio adds that while the Pirate will certainly have a steep learning curve, "with a little strategy and know-how, the new class can easily become the most deadly in PvP battles." For the full details on the new expansion, or to get in on the action yourself, head on over to Conquer Online's official site.

              MassivelyConquer Online details upcoming Invasion of Pirates expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              MechWarrior Online fights with knowledge as well as lasers

              Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST

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              MechWarrior Online
              In any combat situation it is key to be as well-informed as possible: to know where your enemy is (hopefully not right behind you), what resources you have on hand (dual Twinkies), what you're up against (spouse aggro), and so on. The makers of the upcoming MechWarrior Online have devoted their second dev blog to the importance of information -- or as they put it, "knowledge is power!"

              To aid with information warfare, the designers will provide to players a key tool called a BattleGrid, which will function like a pumped-up interactive map during in-game conflicts. Through the BattleGrid, players will be able to get a good idea of what's going on in the field quickly and what orders are coming through for the attack.

              The blog post also mentions the concept of "modules" that allow pilots to customize their 'Mechs, and it gives a brief overview of the line-of-sight targeting system and how players can work together to share battlefield information as well as how they can confuse the enemy. Hiding and seeking in the game will require a good combination of both detection and "spoofing" modules to keep your team alive while exposing the opposite one.

              [Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]

              MassivelyMechWarrior Online fights with knowledge as well as lasers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              The most popular Massively stories of 2011

              Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST

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              Popular picture
              When you consider the most popular debate subjects or recent conversational trends, you might think about politics or religion or even pop culture. So when the bloggers of Massively looked back on the previous year to take stock of which articles and categories were the most popular by pageview, we were surprised at the results. The year 2011 was unorthodox, and the list of the most popular posts reflects that.

              There are some obvious topics, the ones any loyal reader of Massively would expect to see, but others represent a dramatic shift in the subjects and games readers most enjoyed reading and responding to.

              So what were the most popular stories and categories of 2011? Onward!

              Continue reading The most popular Massively stories of 2011

              MassivelyThe most popular Massively stories of 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                EVE Templar One novel now available

                Posted: 04 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST

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                EVE Online - Templar One cover image
                Picture this. You're sitting in your internet spaceship, pounding space rocks or waiting for your fleet leader to assign you some hapless newb of a target. You've already caught up on the all the relevant EVE Online news courtesy of Massively, and you can't really spin your ship since you're not docked.

                What's a bored capsuleer to do?

                Read the latest EVE novel, of course. Tony Gonzales' new Templar One is now available pretty much everywhere books are sold, and in keeping with New Eden's high-tech trappings, you can pick it up in eBook form if you're loathe to consume story content the old-fashioned way. The official EVE website has more details, as does a pre-Christmas blog posting from the author himself.

                MassivelyEVE Templar One novel now available originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Hellgate reveals 2011 stats, hints at 2012 updates

                Posted: 04 Jan 2012 10:00 AM PST

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                Hellgate concept art
                T3Fun has released a few statistics designed to keep Hellgate Global in the public eye. Included in the data are interesting nuggets like the gender breakdown for characters created (60/40 in favor of the guys), the most-played class (Marksman), the least-played class (Guardian), and the class with the highest growth rate in terms of character creation (also the Guardian).

                We're not exactly sure what that last bit means, but we can tell you that Hellgate's devs have a few new wrinkles planned for 2012 (assuming the world doesn't end in a hail of apocalyptic demon fire first). Among the improvements slated for the new year are "improved services, deeper guild engagement [...] and greater challenges for the most motivated players [via] some of the biggest events yet."

                Hellgate Global is free-to-play, so there's really nothing stopping you from moseying over to the game's official website and downloading the client.

                [Source: T3Fun press release]

                MassivelyHellgate reveals 2011 stats, hints at 2012 updates originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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