General Gaming Article

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• AMD's New Direction For 2012: Heterogenous Computing, Trinity, and Hondo
• Google Reveals "Bouncer" Malware Filter for Android Apps
• Peek Offering Leftover Devices to Hackers
• More Domain Seizures By Feds Just in Time for Super Bowl
• WD TV Live Vs. NetGear NeoTV: Streamer Showdown
• If You Have Comcast Email, You Could Be A Terrorist
• Arctic Cooling Announces New AMD Trinity APU-Powered HTPCs
• Vizio's CinemaWide 58-inch 21:9 HDTV Shipping in March for $3,500
• Cooler Master Celebrates 20th Anniversary By Slashing Price of CM Storm Trooper Case
• PlayStation Network Yanked Offline Again for More "Routine" Maintenance

AMD's New Direction For 2012: Heterogenous Computing, Trinity, and Hondo Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:35 PM PST   AMD emphasizes Trinity and introduces new "Hondo" ultra low power chip Despite major layoffs last year, AMD is stepping forward with an impressive portfolio of initiatives and products for the next few years. Perhaps the most exciting initiative is the company's Heterogeneous System Architecture plan. For an in-depth look at AMD's new roadmap, see the gallery at the bottom of this page HSA will eventually erase the line between the CPU and GPU and remove such painful tasks for programmers as juggling data between the CPU and GPU. That will happen by first allowing the GPU to access the CPU's main memory. Eventually the CPU and GPU will use the same address space for memory too, making it easier still. That's is the key promise behind HSA though—making it easier for programmers to access the parallel capabilities of a GPU. Another interesting aspect of HSA will be the ability to add third-party intellectual property or accelerators on an APU with HSA. AMD will try to garner industry support for HSA by making it an open standard and is inviting is competitors to adopt it as well. Fusion a hit AMD said its Brazos and Llano APUs were smash hits with 20 million Brazos chips and 10 million Llano chips shipping last year. The company says Brazos has been its most successful mobile processor to date.  As such, the company has high expectations for its Brazos 2.0 and Trinity chips. Brazos 2.0 will bring native USB 3.0 and improved performance-per-watt. E-series Brazos will come in at 18 TDP, C-series at 9 TDP and a new ultra low power chip called "Hondo" consuming 4.5 watts. Trinity will use the company's new Piledriver cores and is expected to increase performance 25 percent over an equivalent Llano processor with a new graphics core offering a 50 percent performance increase. AMD says Trinity will offer twice the performance-per-watt and promises "all day" use with more than 12 hours of battery life. It is a mobile versions of the Trinity that AMD is pushing for its Ultrathin initative – an alternative to Intel's Ultrabooks. AMD says Trinity will allow notebook makers to push out quad-core APUs with 50 percent better graphics and better battery life than even Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge processor in a notebook just 18mm thick. To do that, AMD is now introducing a ball grid array or BGA version, instead of the traditional socket and pin design. If you've wondered what AMD was doing pushing an alterantive to Intel and Apple's Thunderbolt, the company made it clear with a demonstration of Lightning bolt. A Trinity-equipped notebook will let you plug in multiple monitors using a single DisplayPort 1.2 interface and play a Blu-ray movie across the integrated USB 3.0 interface. Next year, AMD will introduce its "Sea Islands" GPU lineup. Fusion APU's will see "Kaveri" on the performance segment with new Steamroller cores. We'll also see low power "Kabini" using a new Jaguar core and a sequel to Hondo codenamed "TemasH' will also be introduced. All will be based on a 28nm process. All of APU's except Temash will feature HSA as well. Notably absent was any announcements over the traditional meat-and-potatoes performance desktop processors. Officials mostly ignored AM3+ chips but did casually add that performance desktops will be fulfilled by Opteron. That means performance AMD fans will likely see the Opteron's Piledriver, Steamroller and Excavator cores over time but it's clear where AMD is putting its focus these days: APUs.

Google Reveals "Bouncer" Malware Filter for Android Apps Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:08 PM PST Google's Android OS often takes a beating from security companies for it's occasional malware scares. Google has not been silent on the matter in the past, but the OS maker revealed today that it is taking action to combat Android malware. In fact, it has been taking action for the last few months without telling us. Google's Bouncer project is an automated security scanner that will apparently filter malware from the Market. Google allows anyone to pay the $25 to become a developer, and start uploading apps to the Android Market. Unlike Apple, Google does not review apps by hand. That has led to some embarrassing malware outbreaks, but that's what Bouncer is supposed to stop. Bouncer simulates the app in the cloud to look for suspicious behavior. It also looks for patterns in developer accounts to make sure that the bad guys can't keep signing up after being given the boot. The makers of antivirus software love to publicize malware outbreaks, and can sometimes get ahead of themselves. Case in point, Symantec had to retract its assertion last week that millions of Android devices had been infected with malware in the Market. Turns out the apps simply had aggressive ads. Google says that malicious apps in the Market have dropped 40% since Bouncer was deployed. Do you still find malware in the Market?

Peek Offering Leftover Devices to Hackers Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:51 PM PST The Peek was a bizarre device from the start. In an age when devices are converging and the smartphone rules the pocket, the Peek was a single use email device. Now that the Peek service has been killed, CEO Amol Sarva has let it be known that the company is planning to unload a few thousand of the devices on hardware modders and hackers. You just have to drop him a line. The Peek is a portrait QWERTY device with a small QVGA screen, sluggish ARMv7 processor, and a GSM cellular radio. By no means is this a super-device, but it might just be perfect for a determined hacker. Sarva said Peek might even throw in some development tools to help people make something cool out of the Peek. Apparently they will need all the help they can get, because even Sarva admits the OS "sucks."  Interested parties should email Sarva at amol@peek.ly to express interest. A developer will get in touch with you later. It's not clear if the company is looking to sell the units cheap, or just give them away. Anyone going to try getting one?

More Domain Seizures By Feds Just in Time for Super Bowl Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:37 PM PST The Department of Justice and Homeland Security ICE division are at it again, and have this time seized more than 300 domains in advance of the Super Bowl. The overwhelming majority of the domains shut down today were selling counterfeit NFL merchandise, but 16 were linking to copyrighted content or video streams. The proprietor of several of those sites had been arrested in Michigan. "We are grateful for Homeland Security Investigations' tireless efforts in combating intellectual property theft," said the NFL's VP of legal affairs. The streaming domains had names like firstrow.tv, and sports95.org. Now all that users will get when visiting those domains is the now familiar DOJ/ICE warning banner. These controversial seizures have thus far resulted in 669 domains disappearing from the net.  Several sites seem to have slipped past law enforcement, and have set up shop at other domain names. This is not the first time sports streamers and counterfeiters have been targeted at this time of year, and it probably won't be the last.

WD TV Live Vs. NetGear NeoTV: Streamer Showdown Posted: 02 Feb 2012 01:23 PM PST One of these things is not like the other Media streamers like the Western Digital WD TV Live and Netgear NeoTV make just a little less sense than they did a couple of years ago. In those days, they were the perfect alternative to stuffing a home theater PC into your entertainment center. These days, you can get nearly all the same functionality from a new Blu-ray player or a Smart TV. On the other hand, the latest incarnations of these two products cost less than a new Blu-ray player, and they're several orders of magnitude cheaper than a new HDTV (or a home theater PC, for that matter). And while they do have some features in common, the NeoTV delivers far fewer features than the WD TV Live and is priced accordingly, so we're not making a direct head-to-head comparison between the two here. Western Digital WD TV Live For a company whose primary business is manufacturing hard drives, Western Digital sure knows a lot about digital media and how to stream it over a network. Each succeeding generation of the company's WD TV Live product has led the market in terms of features, price, and performance, and this one is no different. With this incarnation, WD adds several new services (including Hulu Plus and Spotify), a collection of simple online games, an integrated Wi-Fi adapter, and even the ability to decode Dolby TrueHD. Unlike the pricier WD TV Live Hub, which remains in Western Digital's lineup, this product does not include any local storage. But it is equipped with two USB 2.0 ports, so you can easily connect a portable drive. You can also connect a USB keyboard, which makes initial setup (entering Wi-Fi and network user IDs and passwords, for instance) considerably easier than hunting and pecking using the remote and the onscreen keyboard. The third-generation WD TV Live is thinner and more capable than previous models, and the remote is significantly better. Most people will connect the WD TV Live to their entertainment system using the HDMI 1.4 port (you'll need to provide your own cable), but the device will happily accommodate older equipment with its analog A/V and digital S/PDIF outputs. There's also an Ethernet port in the back panel, but the integrated 802.11b/g/n wireless client adapter proved plenty fast for streaming video at 720p—an impressive achievement, considering that we tested the box in a room-within-a-room home theater at Maximum PC Lab North. We needed a hardwired connection to stream video at 1080p. Image quality was excellent. The remote is easily the best that WD has come up with so far, with a molded grip that feels very natural in either hand. We needed to bend our thumb to reach the alpha-numeric keypad on the bottom half the device, but we seldom use those buttons, anyway. We used the home, arrow, mute, and transport (play/pause, stop, fast forward/rewind, and skip forward/back) buttons far more frequently, and those are all within easy reach. The remote also has four shortcut buttons—labeled A, B, C, and D—that can be custom programmed. Plenty of device support here, with both analog and digital audio and video outputs. Western Digital offers a strong collection of online movie and music services in addition to the new ones mentioned earlier. You'll find all the old standbys here, including Netflix, YouTube, and Pandora; but you'll also get CinemaNow, Blockbuster on Demand, Live365, and several others. Unfortunately, you won't be able to tap what we consider to be the best online, on-demand movie service of them all: Vudu. Western Digital does deserve praise for its broad media file and container file support, which includes the video standards AVI, MKV, MPEG-1/2/4, h.264, VOB, and M2TS (the container for Blu-ray movies); the audio formats AAC, FLAC, OGG, and MP3 (including 24-bit/48kHz FLAC); and the digital photo formats BMP, JPEG, and PNG. The device supports playlists and subtitles, too. The WD TV Live is the best full-featured media streamer you can buy today, but we'd like it even more if it included Vudu. Western Digital WD TV Live $120 street www.wdc.com Netgear NeoTV NTV200 Craving a spot at the commercial online media buffet, but not at all interested in ripping your own media? Netgear has just the right dish. The NeoTV taps your broadband connection to serve up Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, YouTube, Picasa, and plenty of other online services; but it can't tap media stored on your own network, and it doesn't have any USB ports to access local storage. We initially considered this to be a major disappointment: If you own a late-model Blu-ray player or a Smart TV, the NeoTV has very little to offer. But plenty of us haven't made such investments, and if online entertainment is all you're looking for, Netgear's device costs $40 less than Western Digital's. You're not getting as many features, but you're  also not being forced to pay for features you won't utilize. Anyone considering buying one of Roku's streaming boxes should take a long look at what Netgear has to offer with the NeoTV NTV200. The NeoTV's built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi adapter performed just as well as the one inside the WD TV Live—we had no problem streaming Netflix and Vudu movies without wires (although we were once again limited to 720p resolution; we needed to plug in a CAT5 cable to enjoy Vudu movies at 1080p). The only other connectivity features on the box are HDMI and S/PDIF—there's no support for analog audio or video devices at all. Netgear provides a very basic remote control with the NeoTV. We have no complaint with the button layout, and we like the clicky, tactile feel it provides much better than the mushy buttons on Western Digital's controller; but there's no alpha-numeric keypad for typing search queries (you must use the arrow buttons to navigate an onscreen keyboard), and there's no mute button. But Netgear redeems itself with a free app that will turn your iPhone or Android phone into a compatible remote. That's sure to come in handy when the regular remote's two coin batteries crap out late one evening. Netgear's app lets you use your smartphone as a remote. There's also a very good collection of streaming media services on tap. While Western Digital scores a big win with its support for Spotify, Netgear can deliver movies in HD and in surround sound on demand via Vudu. And if you're a Napster subscriber, you can listen to your tunes on the NeoTV, but not on the WD TV Live. There's a long list of other less interesting services, including a host of video podcasts (does anyone actually watch those?) and some very basic online games (the same ones that Western Digital offers, including Black Jack Royale, Kaboom, Sudoku, and Texas Hold 'Em). Enthusiasts will want more than what the NeoTV delivers, but this is a good product to recommend to friends and family who just want an easy way to stream media from the Internet to their entertainment center. Netgear NeoTV NTV200 $80 www.netgear.com

If You Have Comcast Email, You Could Be A Terrorist Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:23 AM PST Hey, are you "overly concerned about privacy" online or use anonymizers and Web portals? Do you like to check your ISP-provided email account on the road? How about talking to your cohorts in PC games? Yeah? Well, here's some bad news: according to the FBI and DoJ, there's a good chance that you're a terrorist if you do any of that in an Internet café -- and they encourage others to track your license plate, ethnicity, name  and more if you exhibit any of those "potential indicators." Slashdot pointed us towards the Public Intelligence website, which first reported on the issue. Public Intelligence hosts a copy of the cyber-terrorist flyer that the DoJ/FBI created (PDF) as part of their "Communities Against Terrorism" initiative. (We recommend hitting the flyer link and checking it out.) Checking Google Maps or paying in cash means you're probably a terrorist, too, by the way, so you might consider switching to plastic to keep The Man from breathing down your neck. Actually, even the FBI/DOJ admits that you might not be an full-blown terrorist if you check your AOL email at a cyber café, but it encourages readers to let the authorities make that call. "Some of the activities, taken individually, could be innocent and must be examined by law enforcement professionals in a larger context to determine whether there is a basis to investigate." Whew! At least us normal folks don't have to think for ourselves.

Arctic Cooling Announces New AMD Trinity APU-Powered HTPCs Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:53 AM PST Arctic Cooling may have earned its reputation on the back of its cooling products -- hence its name -- but late last year, it introduced a line of home theater PCs based on Intel's Atom chip.  It must have been pretty well-received, because Arctic recently announced it was launching a new line of HTPCs. Why is that notable? Because the Arctic MC101 line will be powered by AMD's next-gen Trinity APU, combination CPU/GPU chips that haven't even hit the streets yet. Looking at the spec list below, it looks like the MC101 would be able to handle itself well as an everyday computer, much less a HTPC: options include 4GB to 8GB of 1600MHz RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium, the aforementioned Trinity A8/A10 processors and a 1TB HDD. Most of the expected connectivity options are onboard, too, including HDMI, SPDIF, USB 3.0, Mic and audio in/out jacks and both Ethernet and Wi-Fi support. One major thing missing from the advertised bills: an optical drive. Mac mini owners might not mind ditching physical discs, but a lot of HTPC freaks have extensive Blu-ray collections, dammit! Of course, Arctic's Atom-powered MC001 line includes DVD/Blu-ray-packing models, so maybe upgraded versions just haven't been announced yet. So when can you expect to see Arctic's MC101 line for sale? That's the tricky part about including an as-yet-unreleased APU. From the press release: "ARCTIC's MC101 Series will follow closely after the official release of the AMD APU Trinity so that you will never have to wait for something as wonderful as this!" Concrete, eh? Spec list image credit:TechPowerUp.com

Vizio's CinemaWide 58-inch 21:9 HDTV Shipping in March for $3,500 Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:39 AM PST Vizio will take a step towards ditching its reputation as strictly a value driven brand when it launches its upcoming CinemaWide 58-inch HDTV with Theater 3D technology next month. It's due in stores just in time for the NCAA's March Madness college basketball tournament and will set shoppers back a cool $3,500, about three times more expensive than some regular 55-inch HDTVs on the market. Unlike those sets, however, the CinemaWide will be the first to market with a 21:9 aspect ratio. That will inevitably lead to black bars, though Vizio promises to fill the 2560x1080 resolution by stretching the picture and letting viewers load up Internet apps to do things like check Facebook and Twitter while simultaneously watching TV. Other features include an edge lit LED, 120Hz refresh rate, 400 nits brightness, 5.5ms response time, 178-degree viewing angle, Picture-in-Picture (PIP), 802.11n dual-band Wi-Fi, and a pair of 15W built-in speakers. The set will also ship with four pairs of Theater 3D glasses. Image Credit: Vizio

Cooler Master Celebrates 20th Anniversary By Slashing Price of CM Storm Trooper Case Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:23 AM PST If Cooler Master was a person rather than a company that provides PC supplies, it'd almost be old enough to drink: this year marks its 20th anniversary of existence. And rather than just patting itself on its imaginary back and sending out press releases touting its own awesomeness, Cooler Master's tossing a little something back to the community. The company just announced that for a short time, it's shaving nearly a quarter off the price of LAN-friendly CM Storm Trooper full-tower case, bringing it down from $190 to $150. As we mentioned back when the case was first announced, the Storm Trooper was designed with portability in mind; it includes "extremely sturdy carrying handles" and a damage-resistant rubberized coating over its steel frame -- smart moves, seeing as how a packed full-tower gaming case can get pretty friggin' heavy. Reviews of the case have been pretty positive overall around the 'Net, including a 4-star review over at TechRadar. Check out the specs for yourself if you're interested in possibly picking one up while the getting's good. Sorry, overseas Cooler Master fans; this one's good for U.S. and Canadian customers only.

PlayStation Network Yanked Offline Again for More "Routine" Maintenance Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:11 AM PST Say what you want about the Titanic, at least it only went down once. Sony's PlayStation Network? At times it feels like that ship sinks more than it swims. That isn't actually the case, of course, but frequent maintenance following the high-profile hack job last year means more periods of downtime than gamers would like, including today. If all goes to schedule, PSN will turn back on at midnight PST. Sony pulled PSN offline at 6AM this morning for routine maintenance, and while "most online play will be unaffected," the following services are out of commission until late tonight: PlayStation Store on PS3, PSP, and Media Go PlayStation Network Account Management PlayStation Account Registration PlayStation HomeMusic Unlimited & Video Unlimited services You also won't be able to sign in to PSN from u.playstation.com or the PlayStation Blog, Sony says. As always, you'll still be able to collect in-game Trophies while PSN is offline.

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MMO News

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• Star Trek Online celebrates second anniversary
• Nexon launches Hat Trick promotion
• Mythos Global begins open beta
• Cross Fire introduces Hero Mode X
• Tribes Ascend previews major update
• Maestia relaunches on Alaplaya
• Evony: Interview with Darold Higa, Lead Producer

Star Trek Online celebrates second anniversary Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:05 PM PST Today marks the second anniversary of Star Trek Online, and to celebrate, Cryptic will hold an anniversary event until February 6. There are two activities players can participate in. A one-time flagship mission will grant a starship to players. There is also a daily Q mission (resets every 20 hours), which has you chase down some pests for Q at either Earth Spacedock or Qo’noS. The daily mission rewards either a Two Year Anniversary Part Popper, 500 Dilithium Ore, or a mystery box that may contain random green, blue, or purple quality items; high end consumables; a one hour skill point boost; or the One Year Anniversary Party Popper. Cryptic Studios also publishes Champions Online. Star Trek Online Gameplay Screenshot Source: Anniversary Event FAQ Q: So what are we celebrating? A: Star Trek Online first launched on February 2, 2010. This week marks the second anniversary of the game being live. We're also celebrating the recent shift of STO to a free-to-play game. Q: How long does the event run? A: From around 10:00am PST on Thursday, February 2, 2012 through around 10:00am PST on Monday, February 6, 2012. Q: What are the parts of the celebration? A: In addition to the fun activities planned by the community, there are two special activities that you can participate in. First is a daily Q mission and second is a one-time flagship mission. Q: What is the daily Q mission? A: Each day, you can talk to Q at Earth Spacedock or on Qo'noS. When you do, he will offer you a mission that has you go to Starfleet Academy or the KDF Academy. This mission involves chasing down some pests that got loose, then returning to Q. Remember that you can run faster by pressing the Shift key to sprint. Q: What are the rewards of this mission? A: When you complete the mission, Q will give you a choice of reward. There are three choices. 1) A "Two Year Anniversary Party Popper" item that does silly things when you use it. 2) A mystery box. 3) A box with 500 Dilithium Ore in it. If you choose the mystery box, opening it randomly awards one of four things. 1) A box that contains random Green, Blue, or Purple quality item. 2) A box that contains some high end consumables. 3) A 1 hour Skill Point boost. 4) The "One Year Anniversary Party Popper" item that does silly things when you use it. If you complete the mission multiple times and choose the mystery box multiple times, you may get the same reward more than once. The reward is random and there is no guarantee that you will get different rewards each time. Q: How often can I do the Q mission? A: Each time you do the mission, you cannot do it again for 20 hours. This makes it doable roughly once each day, which is why we call it a daily mission. If you go back to try and get the mission, it will show a countdown timer there of how long you need to wait before the mission is available again. Q: How does the flagship mission work for Federation characters? A: One time during the event, a Federation character of level 5 or higher can talk to Engineer Kani on Earth Spacedock to start the mission. The mission will ask you to take a brand new Odyssey class starship out on a shakedown cruise. At the completion of the mission, the character will receive a non-tradable inventory item that contains a starship. This item cannot be opened to actually get the starship until the character achieves the rank of Vice Admiral at level 50. Q: How does the flagship mission work for Klingon characters? A: One time during the event, a KDF character of level 21 or higher can talk to Engineer Tum'Era on Qo'noS. The mission will ask you to take a brand new Bortas class starship out on a shakedown cruise. At the completion of the mission, the character will receive a non-tradable inventory item that contains a starship. This item cannot be opened to actually get the starship until the character achieves the rank of Lt. General at level 50. Q: Is there any other way to get an Odyssey class or Bortas class starship? A: Not at this time. The ship is free to everyone who completes the mission during this event. After the event, there will be no way to obtain these ships for some time. We have not decided on when they will return to the game. You can expect that variations of these ships will show up in the C-Store next month. Q: Is there a fast way to get to the event location? A: There is a transwarp button in the mission journal that can speed your travel to Earth Spacedock or Qo'noS if you need it.

Nexon launches Hat Trick promotion Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:44 PM PST Nexon America is offering players a chance to win prizes in its newest multi-game contest, the Nexon Hat Trick. The event runs until March 15. Interested players must first join the event on its official page, and then obtain (or already have) level twenty characters in three Nexon games: Dragon Nest, Dungeon Fighter Online, and Vindictus. Players who enter and complete the Hat Trick by March 15 will earn about 20,000 NX worth of in-game goodies. Qualifying players will also be entered for a chance to win Karma Koin cards, an Alienware Aurora Desktop PC, and a “high-performance automobile.” Alienware Aurora Desktop PC Source: Nexon Invites Players to Score a Hat Trick in Its Action Games for Prizes Players who complete the Nexon Hat Trick* by March 15th may be eligible to win a new car Nexon America is challenging players to score a Nexon Hat Trick*, and players who do so can win prizes like Karma Koin cards, Alienware Aurora desktop PCs and perhaps even a new 2012 high-performance car. Nexon is awarding players with in-game rewards as well: every player who scores a Nexon Hat Trick by March 15 will receive approximately NX 20,000 worth of in-game goods for their characters in "Dragon Nest," "Dungeon Fighter Online," and "Vindictus." On March 15, three players who have scored the Nexon Hat Trick will be randomly selected to win an Alienware Aurora Desktop PC, and 30 players who have scored the Nexon Hat Trick will be chosen to receive a $50 Karma Koin card. In the event that 30,000 players achieve the Nexon Hat Trick by March 15, Nexon will then unlock the Grand Prize and select one lucky player who has scored the Nexon Hat Trick to win a new 2012 high-performance automobile. To enter the event, players must enter through the “Join Event” button at www.nexon.net/events/hattrick. Players who already have level 20 characters in all three games just need to join the event to qualify for the prizes and receive the in-game rewards. For more information about the Nexon Hat Trick event, including official rules and regulations and for eligibility information, visit www.nexon.net/events/hattrick.

Mythos Global begins open beta Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:16 PM PST Open beta testing has begun for Mythos Global, published by T3Fun. The release now allows European players, whose previous version of Mythos (published by Frogster) was shut down. Only players from the Russian Federation, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan remain IP blocked from the global version. Mythos features a Diablo-style gameplay, with four races (Cyclopes, Gremlins, Satyrs, and humans) and three classes (Bloodletter, Pyromancer, and Gadgeteer) to choose from. T3Fun also publishes Hellgate. Mythos Gameplay Screenshot Source: The open beta test for Mythos Global, Hanbitsoft and T3Fun's upcoming fantasy dungeon crawler, opens its doors to the public today. With this international OBT, Mythos Global will be available to thousands of new players. The nebula where planet Uld resides will offer players countless quests and adventures fit for any dungeon master. Mythos' fantasy universe is home to four different playable character races: the Cyclopes with their ox-like strength, the ever-diplomatic humans, the wily, energetic Gremlins and the mystical, sage-like Satyrs. There will also be three classes unique to Mythos: let the blood be your guide as a Bloodletter, may the flames contain your rage as a Pyromancer or arm traps, bombs and mysterious machinery as a Gadgeteer! Leading up to the launch of the OBT, T3Fun has launched several trailers to help players get to know each of the races and character class options. Watch the videos now to start getting acquainted: http://www.youtube.com/user/t3funmythos Register now at T3fun.com and help the world of Uld rise up from the savagery, magic and atrocities of the Dark Age. The Myth0s Global open beta is available now on the official website and is also downloadable via torrent.

Cross Fire introduces Hero Mode X Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:01 PM PST A new mode has arrived in Cross Fire, and it goes by “Hero Mode X.” The mode lets players control one of two new characters: Xeno, an electric alien, or Commando, who dual-wields kukris. This mode boasts three new ribbons for players to earn, and includes two maps – Mansion and Rooftops. The update also introduces six new weapons (Remington 870 shotgun, Rx4 Storm assault rifle, tiger-striped AWM sniper rifle, camo-skinned QBZ95, and alternate gold-skin MG3 machine gun), plus an assortment of other new equipment.  Through February 5, players can also earn weapons and items just by playing. Cross Fire is published by Z8 Games. Cross Fire Hero Mode X Screenshots: Source: CROSS FIRE GETS NEW “HERO MODE X” New Mode Pits Aliens against Commandos with Players Deciding the Outcome Toronto, CANADA – February 2nd, 2012 -G4BOX Inc., a North American publisher and distributor of interactive online entertainment media, released today an update for its free-to-play military shooter, Cross Fire. The free update features the new Hero Mode X, which puts players in control of one of two new playable characters: the electricity-equipped alien “Xeno”, or the dual kukri-wielding Commando. The update also packs 6 new weapons and 3 new ribbons to earn for your player profile, in addition to a variety of new equipment items. To mark the release of this exciting new mode, Z8Games will be hosting events through February 5th in which players can earn new weapons and items, just for playing. For current players, the update will download automatically upon launching Cross Fire. New players can download and play the game for free from: http://crossfire.z8games.com. The electricity-infused alien, Xeno, has landed. Under its leadership, Mutants everywhere are now united towards the goal of conquering Earth! To combat the alien threat, an elite squad of super Commandos armed with dual Kukri’s and a no fear attitude has risen up. Play as either Xeno or Commando in the new Hero Mode X and earn three new ribbons to show off on your profile as a symbol of your participation in Earth’s final battle! Hero Mode X debuts with two maps: the multi-level “Mansion”, and the gritty, suburban “Rooftops”. The Hero Mode X update also includes six new weapons: a Remington 870 shotgun, an RX4 Storm assault rifle, a tiger-striped AWM sniper rifle, a camo-skinned QBZ95, and an MG3 machine gun with an alternate gold-skin variant. These weapons are available via the in-game Store and Black Market. For a full rundown of the new Hero Mode X, including patch events and ribbons, visit the official update page here: http://crossfire.z8games.com/hero_mode_x_update.aspx.

Tribes Ascend previews major update Posted: 02 Feb 2012 01:27 PM PST Hi-Rez Studios has revealed plans for the next major update for Tribes Ascend. The update will reduce the number of playable classes from twelve to nine, while increasing the number of available classes for starting characters to three (one Light, one Medium, one Heavy). Class customization and weapon customization will be improved to allow players to better tweak their loadouts, and the user interface will also be more polished. The goal of the update is to improve customization and retain game balance. Hi-Rez Studios also publishes Global Agenda. Tribes Ascend: New Class Selection Tribes Ascend: New Weapon Upgrades Tribes Ascend: New Modify Class Source: Upcoming Tribes: Ascend Update includes Class Customization, More Free Classes and New UI Hi-Rez adds players’ most-requested changes to multiplayer shooter Beta ATLANTA — February 2, 2012 — Today, Hi-Rez Studios (www.hirezstudios.com) released screenshots previewing enhancements coming to the fast-action multiplayer shooter Tribes: Ascend. The game, currently in Beta, has been receiving regular updates since early November. This next planned patch delivers the most significant changes to date. "We feel very good about the fast and fluid combat we've been playing and refining with the community over the past few months," explains Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios Chief Operating Officer. "We are now excited to announce new features that have been among those most requested by our Beta group.” The next update will include additional class customization and a much more polished user interface that really showcases the sci-fi, high resolution graphics of Tribes: Ascend. Hi-Rez will be collapsing the total number of playable classes from 12 to 9, but adding the ability for players to unlock new weapons for each class and further customize their loadout. Three of the nine classes will be available right away so a new player will have access to a Light, Medium, and Heavy class in his or her first match. "We believe this system preserves class-based combat while also offering additional flexibility for players to customize classes around individual play style. It continues to provide a balanced and level playing field for all players." Tribes: Ascend is a free-to-play shooter for PC with servers currently located across North America, Europe, and Australia. In addition to unlockable classes, weapons, skills and perks, the Beta version includes 3 drivable vehicles, 3 game modes, and 9 playable maps. Hi-Rez Studios is also planning to support Ranked Servers and Custom Servers. Players interested in joining the Tribes: Ascend Closed Beta can register for an invitation at http://www.tribesascend.com. 49030

Maestia relaunches on Alaplaya Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:45 AM PST Alaplaya has officially relaunched Maestia, a fantasy MMORPG originally published by BigPoint. The relaunch included a launch of a new update, “Rise of Keledus.” The update revises all maps, dungeons, monsters, item drops, and some character models. New features include set effects for rare and expert dungeon equipment, new HDR graphics options, major skill readjustments for mages and rangers, improvements to group experience and options, increased hitpoints, new crafting and Maestones, and much more. Alaplaya also publishes ARGO Online and Florensia. Maestia Gameplay Screenshot Source: But that’s not it yet! For its launch on alaplaya.net Maestia is getting a massive update: With “Rise of Keledus” a completely new chapter will be opened up. All players who confide in the power of the Maestones will be delighted about the 3 times higher drop-rate. Moreover the functions of the Maestones are going to be categorized by player-level to ensure a higher possibility of individualizing your class skills. Besides you can indulge in your gathering-passion with hundreds of new items. Enjoy the numerable enhancements of the party-play as well as the upcoming raid-content for level 100 players and guilds. But Maestia isn’t just getting a content-wise refurbishment. Also technically the game is going to reach the next level! The graphics of all weapons, armors, characters, monsters and maps have been edited. And besides the general performance improvement you can enjoy new graphic-effects such as High Dynamic Range as option for high-contrast imaging. Please post your comments here. More information about the launch of Maestia will follow soon. Your Maestia Team

Evony: Interview with Darold Higa, Lead Producer Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:13 AM PST Evony has seen a large amount of success in the years since its launch, and has also faced a hefty amount of criticism. MMOHut spoke with Evony’s Lead Producer, Darold Higa, to get further insight into the history and future of this well known strategy MMO. It’s been a few years since Evony’s release – what are some of the major changes and updates that have taken place since gamers first set eyes on Evony? Since we launched Evony: Age I a few years ago, we have launched Evony: Age II which introduced a number of new elements of strategy to the game. Age II also launched to enhancements and additions to the gameplay, including Historic Heroes, Historical Cities, Achievements, Stratagems, new Quests and enhanced graphics. We support both Evony: Age I and Evony: Age II through game tweaks and new items. We also released a toolbar so that you can keep playing the game and keep a watchful eye on your cities even when you are not actually on Evony.com. What do you think Evony has succeeded the best at since its release? I think Evony has had two big successes.  First, our gameplay has been an important reason why so many people play Evony, and why we have players that have been playing this game since launch.  Having a game that has the depth and complexity to engage players for years is one of the defining characteristics of the Evony game experience.  The second and perhaps the most important aspect has been our passionate, tight-knit player community of Ladies and Lords.  Evony is a game where the players create the story through acts of heroism and deception, friendship and treachery.  Our player community is literally the driving force behind the game, and the community that has built up around the game makes the game experience what it is. Why did Evony decide to make Age II, and what makes it so different? Age II was an opportunity to expand our existing game experience, adding a number of new features and new ideas to the already complex gameplay of Age I.  By putting the complex combat system of Age I into the hands of so many players we learned a number of things.  Information warfare, which was already quite complicated, could be made even more exciting by adding a wildcard element to the game in the form of Stratagems.  Stratagems are very similar to special cards from a collectible card game, allowing players to add deception and intrigue to tip the tide of battle.  A new class of city, known as Historical Cities were added to give Alliances a focal point for their struggle to control regions.  We also added new Quests and Achievements, to give players tangible goals to aim for, helping to guide them beyond the early stages of gameplay and prepare them for "endgame" battles. Historical Heroes are another big feature we've added to the game, featuring real world historical figures as new and powerful units to lead your forces.  Overall, the goal of Age II was to enhance the core Age I gameplay experience without changing the core mechanics.  The result is a similar game with a very different feel. How well has Evony adapted to Facebook? Will it continue to reach to new platforms like the iPhone? Players continue to be more social than ever, and we've added special bonuses that players can give to their friends when they play via Facebook. Facebook has made it even easier for us to connect with players and get more feedback. The great thing about the browser is that it brings us that much closer to truly ubiquitous gaming.  Our game client is very complex, and it pushes the limits for what is possible in a browser game client.  We're really excited in improvements in mobile technology, and we're hoping that our brand of browser based gaming will find its way into the hands of mobile users in the future. Where do you think Evony still needs to improve? Like any persistent online game, we're always looking to streamline the experience for players and minimize any downtime or technical issues. We've made great improvements here but are definitely looking to do more. Is Evony prepared to make an Age III, updating again in the future to adapt to new playerbases? We currently reach and cater to quite a variety of strategy fans with Age I and II. We've been able to make the game enjoyable for both the hardcore and casual player. We have quite a few ideas churning for things we can add to the game, but we haven't announced any plans regarding an Age III. Evony’s early advertising campaigns drew a lot of publicity, much of it negative. Do you think Evony has since “cleared the air”? Have you added new strategies to draw in new players? The ad campaign you're talking about was run two years ago by our affiliate network.  The method used the same kind of advertising gimmicks that products outside of gaming use.  I really feel like that was a turning point in the game industry, because prior to that game advertising was directed at the core gaming community (licensed properties excepted).  That being said, for the past two years we have run advertising that is very gameplay focused.  Browser based gaming has really required a different kind of advertising from traditional retail gaming.  In retail gaming the goal was to get players to purchase the product, and the advertising stopped there.  That meant that advertising was brief, intense and very flashy.  For free to play browser based games, advertising is there to get your product noticed so that a player spends some of their precious time to try your game.  The real advertising comes from the quality of gameplay.  If a player tries our game and gives up on it, then we haven't succeeded.  I think the quality of our gameplay and the rich game experiences that players get has been our most powerful advertising strategy, and it is something we will never deviate from. What work is Evony doing to address concerns about botting? We've unleashed what we like to call Operation Cerberus, our frontline attack on players that we've identified to be using third-party tools or cheats to play the game. We take botting very seriously at Evony, and while I can't divulge our secrets to discovering a player abusing the rules like this, we work very hard to identify and take action against these players. Evony has been a leader in the browser-based strategy game arena, leading to many similar games or “clones” in the market. What do you think makes the Evony game model so popular? I really take a lot of pride that so many studios have worked so hard to emulate the success we've had with Evony: Age I and Evony: Age II.  I honestly believe the most important aspect of our game model is that we didn't limit ourselves to making a browser game.  There are so many companies, some rather large ones in fact, that approached browser gaming by simplifying games for the masses through limiting player interaction and limiting player options.  We took the opposite approach. The browser wasn't a limitation; it was just a platform to deliver the game vision we had.  We pushed the limits on what a multiplayer browser game is all about.  We made a massive, multiplayer, real-time game with full symmetrical gameplay, player communication and organization tools.  Massive real-time battles?  Cut-throat player versus player dynamics?  Alliance tools?  Sure!  Our success and the success of our clones just prove that you don't have to "dumb down" games for the masses. What message would you like to pass on to players who haven't yet played Evony? I've played a lot of online games, but to date, some of my most memorable gaming experiences have come from hand wringing online battles with dozens of cities and millions of troops all on the move in real-time.  The early phase of the game is engaging as you build your cities, research technology and build up your economy and military, but the game really shines once you have built up your forces and engage in large-scale conflict. Most important is to join an alliance!  Friendships (and even a marriage, we've been told) grow from the close bonds you forge battling it out with alliances.  All I can say is give the game a try! Make sure to also check out our exclusive developer tips from Evony!

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MMO Updates

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• Massively Exclusive: Lime Odyssey premieres the Muris opening cinematic
• Frogster releases TERA Europe pre-order and beta info, new video
• Behind the Mask: The real state of the game
• Play the MMO that never dies with Mythos Global's open beta
• World of Tanks invades America in Update 7.2
• The Daily Grind: Could you make your own MMO for $30 million?
• The Firing Line Extra: Tribes' Todd Harris on class customization and base gameplay
• WildStar discusses the exotic and alien human race
• Free for All: Old Second Life documentary still highlights truths
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A critical year
• Pathfinder Online promises to let players stumble into adventure
• ArcheAge fan site features lots of CBT4 info
• EA reveals SWTOR subscription and sales numbers, beats financial predictions [Updated]
• Choose My Adventure: Atys refugee blues
• MechWarrior Online delves into the art of role warfare
• BioWare goes bounty hunting for great guild leaders
• TERA pre-orders available, closed beta access included
• Garriott talks riding rockets, Man on a Mission movie
• Allods Online: Game of Gods coming February 15th
• Aeria releases Repulse sci-fi shooter

Massively Exclusive: Lime Odyssey premieres the Muris opening cinematic Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Free-to-play, Races When trying to describe the Muris, one of three races for Aeria Games' Lime Odyssey, the phrase "cute as a button" pops into mind more than once. The Muris are a diminutive, "mischievous" people who spread chaos and giggles wherever they go. Players who choose a Muris character will have access to all four of the game's classes, and will begin their journey in the town of Pripet in the Shimmering Island. We have a treat for you today: the world-exclusive premiere of the Muris introductory cinematic as well as several new screenshots of these bite-sized troublemakers! Lime Odyssey is scheduled to release sometime in 2012. Gallery: Lime Odyssey Core Gallery Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Lime Odyssey premieres the Muris opening cinematic Massively Exclusive: Lime Odyssey premieres the Muris opening cinematic originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Frogster releases TERA Europe pre-order and beta info, new video Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA Yesterday we told you about TERA's North American pre-order program and the associated closed beta dates. Today Frogster has released similar info for the European version of Arborea. Various Euro media outlets will be distributing beta keys over the next couple of days, and lucky fans will get a sneak peek at the game between 3:00 p.m. CET and midnight this Saturday and Sunday. Euro closed beta tests begin on February 17th, and you can either take your chances by registering on the game's official website, or pre-order and get guaranteed access to all five events. Pre-ordering also gives you head-start access on May 3rd, name reservation privileges, and various special items depending on your retailer of choice. The retail collector's edition features the game soundtrack, a world map, an art book, and more, and you can learn all about it at TERA's European website. Note that En Masse and Frogster are redirecting traffic based on your IP address, so if you're in America and you click on the links below, you'll be taken to the En Masse site. Before you go, click past the cut and have a look at the spiffy new pre-order trailer. Continue reading Frogster releases TERA Europe pre-order and beta info, new video Frogster releases TERA Europe pre-order and beta info, new video originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Euro pre-order

Behind the Mask: The real state of the game Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask Although Champions Online's most recent State of the Game has been out for a while, I sort of avoided talking about it in previous editions of Behind the Mask. The main reason was because I really wanted to cover the new powersets. However, that doesn't mean I don't have any comments on it. If you look at the history of the State of the Game and Ask Cryptic entries, they fluctuate quite a bit between good information and annoying PR. The January SOTG was full of annoying PR, and it bothered me greatly. It felt dishonest. I saw a lot of hype on little things that no one wanted and very little on what people really wanted. This week, I'm going to talk about the real state of the game: where CO is and where it needs to go. I'll also talk about some of the future stuff that Robobo mentioned in the SOTG. Is it good or bad? We'll see! Continue reading Behind the Mask: The real state of the game Behind the Mask: The real state of the game originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Play the MMO that never dies with Mythos Global's open beta Posted: 02 Feb 2012 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Mythos, Free-to-play, Dungeons Mythos is the MMO that almost wasn't, then was, then wasn't, and then was again. The free-to-play Diablo-esque MMO was in playable beta as far back as November 2007, but its release was plagued by problems you wouldn't wish on your worst enemies. Mythos has somehow survived its entire original development team being fired, legal battles over the intellectual property rights to the game, and being kicked from publisher to publisher. Now in its third incarnation as Mythos Global, the game will soon relaunch to excited fans, and to curious gamers who didn't play it while it was live. If you didn't snag one of Massively's keys for the closed beta back in December, your chance to play the game starts now! Mythos Global officially entered open beta today, with free registration available via its new publisher T3Fun. Play the MMO that never dies with Mythos Global's open beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Tanks invades America in Update 7.2 Posted: 02 Feb 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Trailers, Video, Patches, Previews, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks, MOBA Watch out America -- your soil is no longer safe from the rampaging treads of World of Tanks! Wargaming.net announced the forthcoming 7.2 update for the game which includes a US twist: an American map called Live Oaks, US tank destroyers, and updates to two of the top-tier American heavy tanks. Update 7.2 will be arriving in the first quarter of this year, and also contains an Italian map (Campania), an integrated tutorial to help newbies get a handle on the game, and 20 new crew skills. Lead Game Designer Mike Zhivets is all aglow over 7.2: "We are always happy to introduce new features and game content to our community. Many more new exciting features are on their way and will be introduced in the nearest updates." You can check out the diesel action in the trailer after the jump! Continue reading World of Tanks invades America in Update 7.2 World of Tanks invades America in Update 7.2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Could you make your own MMO for $30 million? Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Massively gets a certain amount of grief for writing news stories about Richard Garriott. While it's true that he hasn't made a major contribution to the MMO industry since the 1990s, it's also true that he's something of a touchstone when it comes to geekery and ambition. If a guy can go from being a young astronaut hopeful to having a spare $30 million to burn on a spaceflight, that's got to count for something, doesn't it? While we're on the subject of a spare $30 million, yesterday's Garriott piece got me to thinking about what I would do if I had that kind of pocket change. While spaceflight and a lifetime supply of Hershey's kisses are certainly high on the list, I'd use a good chunk of the money to make my own MMO. What about you, Massively crew? Would you self-finance an MMO if you could, and what would it be like? Would $30 million be enough? 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: Could you make your own MMO for $30 million? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Firing Line Extra: Tribes' Todd Harris on class customization and base gameplay Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, The Firing Line Today's a big day for fans of Tribes: Ascend, and it's also a big day for Hi-Rez Studios, the Atlanta-based indie firm behind the upcoming online shooter. You see, today is patch day, and while that's not terribly unusual (Hi-Rez has updated the Tribes beta client early and often since the start of closed testing last November), the latest tweak is a bit of fan service that will likely bring smiles to the faces of franchise die-hards waiting in the wings to see what becomes of their baby. Continue reading The Firing Line Extra: Tribes' Todd Harris on class customization and base gameplay The Firing Line Extra: Tribes' Todd Harris on class customization and base gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar discusses the exotic and alien human race Posted: 01 Feb 2012 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, Previews, News items, Races, WildStar Humans are the standard basis for comparison in games that feature non-human races, almost as if said games were being made by humans for other humans. But there's still a distinct flavor to the human race depending on the setting. Case in point, the latest WildStar "interview" with one of the three lore characters from the cinematic trailer gives players a peek at a typical human, and he's a bit different than what you might have been expecting. While the other major characters identify a specific world as "home," humans are portrayed as being a bit more free-forming, having roamed out in space for so long that they're really not bound to a location. The entry also discusses some of the lore behind being an Explorer and some of the perils associated with intentionally venturing into the unknown (it involves lots of things that try to eat you, if you need the short version). If you've been enjoying the flavor of the world Carbine Studios is slowly building, you'll probably enjoy this latest look as well. WildStar discusses the exotic and alien human race originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Meet the Human

Free for All: Old Second Life documentary still highlights truths Posted: 01 Feb 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Real life, Video, Business models, Culture, Opinion, Second Life, Free-to-play, Virtual worlds, Free for All, Sandbox So I was working on this week's Free for All last night when a buddy of mine asked me if I had seen a certain older Second Life documentary. I didn't think I had before, but it turns out that my usual record of consuming everything MMO still stands, and it was fun to re-watch the older documentary again for several reasons. One of the most important things I noticed about the film was just how universal to MMO gaming the documentary was. The issues it brought up are still issues, the problems with virtual worlds are still problems, and the fact that any technology older than six months looks laughable on film is still true. It was also encouraging to see how well Second Life has aged since 2007, but it's slightly depressing to see just how horrible MMO documentaries can be at showing the entire picture. Continue reading Free for All: Old Second Life documentary still highlights truths Free for All: Old Second Life documentary still highlights truths originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A critical year Posted: 01 Feb 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter It's been a little over two years now that I've been writing a regular column on City of Heroes, and in one sense that still feels very strange to me. I'm guessing that the novelty of doing this for a living is never going to entirely go away, for reasons that really have nothing to do with the topic of this column. But I'm not going to dwell on the more meta facts here; I'm going to focus instead on the past year of the column. This year was a try for something slightly different in both the tone and approach that I'd been taking with these columns. I finished off one major project, started another one, and along the way, I found that I gathered a very different attitude over time. In relationship terms, the first year of A Mild-Mannered Reporter was apparently still the "gushing" phase of a new relationship. This year has been much more about the flaws that City of Heroes has, both in structure and in design choices. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A critical year A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A critical year originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pathfinder Online promises to let players stumble into adventure Posted: 01 Feb 2012 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, PvE, Sandbox Pathfinder Online is still too early in the development process to do much more than talk about principles, but said principles are certainly of interest to fans. The most recent development blog about the project discusses that game's PvE arm, which is meant to be an important part of the game without being the sole driving force. Instead of the game being driven by players going, gathering quests, and then going out to kill monsters, the development team hopes to create an environment where players go out to do something and then find themselves in the midst of a quest. Four basic types of interconnection are outlined, ranging from wandering monsters to potential beasts attracted by overharvesting an area. (Cut down too much wood in an area and wood-dwelling creatures my start attacking lumberjacks... or some nasty flying monsters might decide the cleared area would make for an excellent nest.) It's certainly an interesting set of principles going into design, making the entry well worth a read for sandbox enthusiasts. Pathfinder Online promises to let players stumble into adventure originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Development Blog

ArcheAge fan site features lots of CBT4 info Posted: 01 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox There's still no word on an English-language version of ArcheAge, but that isn't stopping fan sites like ArcheAge Source from digging up lots of interesting stuff on the Korean sandpark title. The site has a wealth of information covering several aspects of ArcheAge's fourth closed beta phase, including multiple skill guides, lore, and various videos. If that's not enough for you, there's also the latest beta patch notes that are available via Google translate. Check them out to learn more about siege ladders, the game's family system, and importing your own graphics for cloaks and ship sails. [Thanks to Andrew for the tip!] ArcheAge fan site features lots of CBT4 info originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ArcheAge Source, Official site

EA reveals SWTOR subscription and sales numbers, beats financial predictions [Updated] Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic It looks like Star Wars: The Old Republic didn't let its daddy down, as EA has reported much better sales than expected for the December quarter, largely thanks to the runaway sales of the new MMO title (as well as many of EA's other heavy-hitters). The company ended up earning an adjusted $344 million for a total net loss of $205 million, which isn't too shabby if you consider how much money just went into the development and launch of The Old Republic. Perhaps most interestingly to players, however, is the fact that EA has reported sales of more than 2 million units of The Old Republic with about 1.7 million subscribers. Those are the highest (and the hardest) numbers we've heard so far. EA's Chief Financial Advisor, Eric Brown, stated in an interview that EA managed to pull in more SWTOR subscribers than the studio had initially anticipated. He added that at launch, the studio was able to add a great number of users per server courtesy of some technical improvements. If you're economically minded and want to get the full, dirty, stock market details, just click past the link below. [Thanks to Gabriel for the tip!] [Update: Darth Hater has compiled some additional TOR-related statistics and Q&A from today's EA earnings call: "2,000,000+ copies sold, 40% sold through Origin; 1,700,000+ active subscribers, 1 million concurrent." The company also notes that "Active subscribers means anyone paying OR in their trial period. MOST of those 1.7m are paying at this point."] EA reveals SWTOR subscription and sales numbers, beats financial predictions [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Market Watch

Choose My Adventure: Atys refugee blues Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Culture, Game mechanics, Ryzom, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure Last week's polls were enough for me to get started in the world of Ryzom over the weekend, so I took my first steps back into the game that I haven't played for quite some time. I still remembered how some of it worked, thankfully, but there were a lot of elements that I'd almost completely forgotten. And while I'm still knee-deep in the starter area, I've played enough to at least get some starter impressions. But let's make this a full narrative, yes? When we left off, the group verdict was that I would be starting out as a Zorai with the Magic starter package based off of a female Shakespearean tragic character. And thus, with only a little extra effort, Corlede was born into the world of Ryzom. The character creator offers a variety of features, allowing you to select your character's build in fine detail but offering a strange lack of certain other options. There are also some odd constraints on character types -- you find yourself always locked within a certain general band of height, for instance, so there are no really tall Trykers. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Atys refugee blues Choose My Adventure: Atys refugee blues originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MechWarrior Online delves into the art of role warfare Posted: 01 Feb 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MechWarrior Online Last week, we got to take a look at MechWarrior Online's freshly introduced CN9-A Centurion BattleMech. This week, however, the folks at Piranha Games want to give you some insight on what to do once you're seated in the cockpit of your giant robot, so they've dropped a new blog post titled Role Warfare for fans' consumption. The post first introduces players to the various roles available to MechWarrior Online players: scouting, assault, defense, and command. The roles are exactly what they sound like. Scouts gather intel, while assault 'Mechs assault and defense 'Mechs defend. Command mechs, believe it or not, command their respective teams. But how do you customize your 'Mech to fill one of these roles? As players progress through their matches, the BattleMechs that they use in battle will gain XP according to their battle performance. This XP can be spent to unlock upgrades in the BattleMech's tech tree. Each BattleMech will have its own distinct tech tree, and therefore its own distinct upgrade options. At certain points within the Tech Tree, players will receive Pilot Points, which are assigned directly to the player's pilot avatar and are used to purchase pilot abilities in the Pilot Skill Tree. Finally, players can purchase BattleMech modules with their C-Bills, which allows for the final layer of specialization on the customization cake. For the full details on the game's customization and upgrade system, and to get a run down of some recommended loadouts for various roles, click on through to MWO's official site below. MechWarrior Online delves into the art of role warfare originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MechWarrior Online: Role Warfare

BioWare goes bounty hunting for great guild leaders Posted: 01 Feb 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Guilds, Star Wars: The Old Republic Aboard the Empire's great warship BioWare Austin, the Star Wars: The Old Republic community team has put a bounty on passionate leaders for the first SWTOR Guild Summit on March 4th through 6th. The summit is designed to facilitate direct communication between guild leaders and the developers as well as provide a lucky few with an advance sneak peek at some upcoming features. The best thing about the summit is that any qualifying guild leader interested in helping to shape the game's future can apply to be a part of the summit. The official website has an application form up, although those who want to be considered for the summit need to fill it out by February 10th. BioWare stated that it has already invited some guilds and that the remainder of the summit will be invite-only due to the limited size of the event. It's important to note that while the event itself is free, attending leaders have to assume the responsibility for transportation, room, and board. BioWare goes bounty hunting for great guild leaders originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: SWTOR

TERA pre-orders available, closed beta access included Posted: 01 Feb 2012 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA TERA news is coming fast and furious lately, and luckily for En Masse, today's blurb is a good one. The game is officially available for pre-order, and as you would expect, there are all kinds of options relating to various gifts and gadgets depending on where (and what version) you purchase. There's also a bit of beta bribery in the form of automatic access to all five of the closed testing phases that begin this month and continue through April. What about the editions? Well, you can choose between standard, digital collector's, and physical collector's version, and the latter two come with an in-game mount and a couple of unique necklace items. The physical collector's edition justifies its $79.99 price point with a cloth map, a soundtrack CD, a handbook, a compass, and a letter of marque. En Masse is also offering a couple of exclusives for purchasing directly through its online store. TERA pre-orders available, closed beta access included originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Garriott talks riding rockets, Man on a Mission movie Posted: 01 Feb 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous Richard Garriott may not be making the MMO sequel that many of his fans crave, but he is the subject of a new documentary film called Man on a Mission. VentureBeat.com recently corralled the elusive creator of the famous Ultima franchise for an extensive interview. The piece is mainly focused on the film, which is currently playing in select cities as well as various on-demand internet outlets. The documentary presents Garriott's career as an underdog triumph, and highlights the fact that he was rejected for NASA's astronaut program due to his poor eyesight. Garriott had the last laugh, however, as he bought his way to the international space station in 2008 and became the first second-generation astronaut in American history (and a noted supporter of private-sector space flight). While there's precious little info regarding Garriott's current and future gaming pursuits, the interview does offer up some geeky nuggets for those interested in rockets and rocketmen. "For example, launch you think of as this loud, shaky, scary moment," Garriott explains. "In fact, on a liquid-fueled rocket like the Soyuz, it's almost perfectly silent and smooth on the inside. It's much more cerebral, it feels much more like a ballet move, lifting you ever faster into the sky, than it does a sports car dropping the clutch at a green light." Garriott talks riding rockets, Man on a Mission movie originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: VentureBeat.com

Allods Online: Game of Gods coming February 15th Posted: 01 Feb 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online We knew that Allods' latest expansion was coming soon. We didn't know exactly when, though. Thanks to gPotato, we're now comfortable penciling in February 15th on our free-to-play fantasy calendar. Game of Gods is "the biggest expansion ever to hit Allods Online," and it will bring a new Bard class, objective-driven PvP arenas, and new raids to the table. New weapons and armor, new allods and astral layers, and some sort of loot-drop lottery card system are also on the way. That's not all, though, and the game's official website has a full listing of the patch's features and functionality. [Source: gPotato press release] Allods Online: Game of Gods coming February 15th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aeria releases Repulse sci-fi shooter Posted: 01 Feb 2012 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play Aeria Games has sent word that its Repulse sci-fi shooter has shed its beta tag and is ready for prime time. The company is celebrating release day with four new maps, an east coast server, and a high-ping safeguard feature designed to "provide a better experience for everyone." Repulse was previously known as Genesis A.D., and though Aeria refers to it as an MMOFPS in today's press release, it's actually more of an online shooter given that it features 16-player mayhem and the usual capture-the-flag and team deathmatch-flavored gameplay. It's free-to-play, and you can see it in action via the trailer after the break. [Source: Aeria Games press release] Continue reading Aeria releases Repulse sci-fi shooter Aeria releases Repulse sci-fi shooter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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