General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


The Proof is in – The Switch From Fluxless Solder to Thermal Paste is the Cause of Poor Ivy Bridge Overclocking Temperatures

Posted: 13 May 2012 09:52 AM PDT

ChipAfter a ton of speculation, a bit of denial, and a ton of testing we finally have our answer. The thermal interface material change made by Intel when it went from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge is indeed the cause of the excessive temperatures we've observed while overclocking. The first accusation was made in late-April by Overclockers.com, however proving it wasn't easy. The Japanese division of PC Watch somehow managed to remove the integrated heat spreader from a Core i7 3770k, along with the stock binding and grease. They then proceed to replace it with aftermarket alternatives, and the results speak for themselves. 

The findings are undisputable. By swapping out the TIM with OCZ Freeze and Coolaboratory Liquid Pro, they were able to lower the temperatures by up to 18% off a stock clocked chip, and a whopping 23% when overclocked from 3.5GHz to 4GHz. Chips with the aftermarket TIM were also able to sustain higher core voltages, which of course will lead to better overclocking potential.

The report concludes that Intel's decision to move away from the fluxless solder used in Sandy Bridge has unfortunately crippled the overclocking potential of this generation of CPU's. Its possible Intel may eventually change the design back, however with AMD lagging pretty far behind these days they really don't have much incentive to do so. Enthusiasts really only have one place to shop for CPU's these days.     

Ivy Bridge is still an amazing push forward performance wise, it's just unfortunate that the potential for even more is there and we can't get at it.

(Image Credit = PC Watch)

Bing Scoops Up 30% of the US Search Market

Posted: 13 May 2012 09:04 AM PDT

bingThe geek community at large seems to be pretty loyal to the Google brand, however, out what seems like nowhere, Bing is finally picking up steam. According to a Hitwise report, Bing now accounts for 30% of all U.S. web searches, and most of their gains seem to have come at the expense of Google. 

Bing has managed to grow its US search quarries by an impressive 11% over the last twelve months, while Google in contrast has dropped by the exact same amount. They are still a distant second at this point, however it's hard to argue with this type of growth.  

Bing just recently started rolling out its new social search design to compete with Google's "Search Plus Your World", however it remains to be seen if this will accelerate their growth, or drive everyone off.

Dropbox’s Dropquest Scavenger Hunt Offers 1GB of Extra Storage

Posted: 13 May 2012 07:42 AM PDT

DropboxDropbox may have taken a temporary dip in the popularity polls with both Skydrive and Google Drive offering a better value proposition, so how do you keep your customers? Easy, change the subject. Yesterday the company took the lid off Dropquest 2012, its annual virtual scavenger hunt which awards those who manage to make it all the way to the end with an extra 1GB bump in their storage quota.

Dropquest is a series of puzzles that the company claims were inspired by MIT's mystery hunt, and it turns out to be more than a little challenging. It's by no means impossible, but it certainly will eat up more than a few hours. Asking for help on the company support forums will lead to instant disqualification, however if you find yourself stumped I don't think they can do much about the tons of great Google Doc answer sheets popping up.  

If you find yourself in desperate need of an extra gigabyte of online storage may we suggest you check out Skydrive or Google Drive? If on the otherhand you just get a kick out of puzzles, as least this one comes with a reward.  

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates


The Secret World

Posted: 12 May 2012 09:33 AM PDT



Before I begin, I must declare that this post is based on around 3-4 hours of gameplay, a first impression, not a review. Funcom’s The Secret World is currently holding its first Beta Weekend (key still needed) and thousands are flooding the server/s. Although I have been pissed by Funcom’s tactics in handling the community, I can assure you that this piece is written fairly.

The first piece of information seen upon entering the game is quite a lengthy cinematic with voice-overs, similar to The Old Republic. Here is beef #1 for me. Whenever it is my character’s turn to “speak”, he turns silent. In fact, he never spoke at all in cinematic, just staring into blank space for a few seconds, looking at the opposite person. Is this deliberate? God knows…

Entering the game, my first impression was “Woah, looks like World of The Sims Online”. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has been sometime, actually my first time, seeing so many MMO characters decked out in modern trendy clothing. Some may relish the modern twist, some may be unaccustomed after playing too many fantasy games. I am at odds here.

The environment, buildings and architectures are breathtaking. Seeing that there is really no other mainstream MMOs in modern day settings currently, I must say The Secret World team laid down an act which will be hard to follow. Yes, the game graphics itself is pretty not pretty, but zooming out, the game looks awesome.



Combat. I always hated games which makes the default attack as 1 of the hotkey-tied skills, and The Secret World makes it even more frustrating by having cooldowns for them. Imagine spamming the number 1 key just to attack… And there is no auto-attack function from what I see. A couple of people told me this game is “for adults” and “skilled MMO gamers” since players have got to time their attacks, even for normal attacks, perfectly. Seriously?

There is something I like though, which is the ability to choose from several weapons, and have a 2nd one as an alternative. Shotgun, assault rifle, pistols, claws, hammers etc… Players will be spoilt for choice. Given the combat buff in me, I can’t help but to imagine how the game will be like with an actual action combat system…

I shan’t talk too much about the skill system. One thing though, it is not easy for the newer group of MMO players to jump right in and fully understand how it works immediately. I guess the “for adults” part might be true. Take a look at the video below from GameSpot for a better sense of things.

Questing. Once again, something which frustrated me before I uninstalled the game. Some clues are not really visible, which once again brings us to the “for adults” comment. The final quest I did was to follow a raven. The minute it flew over my head, I turned around and my view was blocked by a tree and several houses. Charged towards the direction it flew, but never really got to find it. Before any of you tell me what I did wrong, this just justifies that The Secret World is not for everyone, especially those looking for quick progression.



Conclusion. I only managed to kill zombies so far, but there are several nice, ugly looking monsters and bosses as players advance further into the game. The Secret World is really something like the online child of TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural.

I absolutely love the spooky and eerie atmosphere, the overall look and design, but sadly, I am less than impressed with some of the game mechanics. At 49.99 Euros for the initial game and 1 month of game time, I will be saving up that amount for vanity stuff in Guild Wars 2 and Diablo III’s auction house. My prediction – Free to Play within a year.

Similar Article can be found at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/05/secret-world-beta-weekend-1-impression.html

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


Rise and Shiny: Dark Legends

Posted: 13 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT

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Dark Legends screenshot
Dark Legends, the new title from mobile MMO king Spacetime Studios, is already creating a buzz with its liberal use of an energy pool that is sapped as players go through standard gameplay. If this mechanic were packaged any differently and inside a sandbox, it's possible that people would call it "realistic" or "hardcore." Unfortunately, problems set in as soon as players realized that playing the game for hours on end would require some infusion of real-life funds or the ability to kill pretty large chunks of time in non-combat areas.

I would argue that the gameplay does not have to be designed for marathon gaming sessions. It's very possible that the "casual" part of the game's description actually means "casual." I still had issues with the mechanic; don't get me wrong. But if I was bothered by anything it would be Dark Legends' lack of borrowing features from Pocket Legends, Spacetime's flagship mobile MMO, which offers actual persistent areas and other MMO staples.

Of course, it's possible that Spacetime is simply trying something new. Heaven forbid it should attempt a new design!

Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Dark Legends

MassivelyRise and Shiny: Dark Legends originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Previously on MV TV: The week of May 5th

    Posted: 13 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , ,

    Previously On header image
    Ah, early summer. The air outside is crisp and clear, filled with possibilities. And pollen, lots and lots of pollen. Let's all just avoid that mess and stay inside watching videos all day, huh? In fact, let's start with a series of really cool videos hosted by your favorite MMO site staff! Luckily for you, I have quite a few nice streams to show you this week. Last week's were good -- don't get me wrong -- but this week? This week will live on in your memory until the day you die.

    We'll start with a bit of EVE Online and TERA gameplay hosted by Mike, then MJ takes over and shows us some EverQuest II, a chunk of Aion, and a batch of City of Heroes craziness. I square off things nice and neat with a visit to Glitch's new housing system. Be sure to bookmark our Livestream schedule page right here so you can follow what is happening in the world of Twitch.tv streaming each week.

    Now click past the cut and get to viewing!

    Continue reading Previously on MV TV: The week of May 5th

    MassivelyPreviously on MV TV: The week of May 5th originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: What areas feel the most overcrowded?

      Posted: 13 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT

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      Aetheryte camps certainly felt pretty stuffed when FFXIV launched.
      One of the realities of a multiplayer game is, you know, the fact that there are multiple players. That means that public areas can get very crowded in short order, leaving players to feel just a little claustrophobic. Newbie areas on launch day are generally filled to the brim, as are new zones on an expansion launch, central locations for farming valuable resources, and so on. But there's crowded and then there's overcrowded -- areas with so many players that it becomes difficult or impossible to get anything done.

      No developer wants to have parts of the game that are stuffed to the brim with players alongside completely empty regions, but it still happens. What areas in various games do you feel are the most overcrowded with other players? Are they high-level regions, starter points, or just areas that have such a spectacular set of rewards that everyone flocks to them?

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

      MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What areas feel the most overcrowded? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Aion rewarding decorating skills with contest

        Posted: 12 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT

        Filed under: , , , ,

        Aion screenshot
        As one of 3.0's most anticipated features, player housing brought a whole new facet of gaming to Aion. Along with the studios, houses, and estates, housing provided Daevas the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and decorating flair, and players have been taking full advantage of the system. Now, NCsoft wants to reward players for sprucing up their Atreian homes with a contest titled Decorate Your Space.

        Think you have a pretty snazzy pad? Then show off those mad decorating skills! All Daevas over level 20 are eligible; just submit up to three unaltered screenshots of your living space via the contest thread or by email to community_aion_en@ncsoft.com by 12:59 a.m. EDT on May 19th. The top three homes judged best decorated will win special 60-day, two-drawer cabinets with an extra 18 slots of storage space.

        For full rules, conditions, and the winner release form, visit the official announcement.

        MassivelyAion rewarding decorating skills with contest originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Cryptic developer: Star Trek Online PvP is 'fail'

        Posted: 12 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT

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        Star Trek Online - This is not a PvP screenshot because no one PvPs in STO
        How many times have you read a forum post that says insert-random-MMO's PvP sucks? Well, in Star Trek Online PvP actually does suck, and that's straight from the mouth of a developer. It's so bad, in fact, that Dan "Gozer" Griffis makes no bones about the fact that it could even be removed from Cryptic's sci-fi MMO.
        "Right now because PVP is in such bad shape we (the developers) have to decide if we think we can turn this problem around. Participation in PVP-related activities is so low on an hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly basis that we could in fact just completely take it out of STO and it would not impact the overall number of people [who] log in to the game and play in any significant way."
        Griffis goes on to say that he is the only developer currently working on PvP, and as such he has to make some hard choices. He has a plan, and though he hasn't shared specifics on it yet, he says there are huge changes in store over the next year.

        [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

        MassivelyCryptic developer: Star Trek Online PvP is 'fail' originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Mog Log: A look forward to Final Fantasy XIV pets

        Posted: 12 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT

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        The Mog Log header by A. Fienemann
        Pet classes and I have an odd relationship. I don't generally like them, but I like having them there, and when they're done right, I'm very fond of the option. Final Fantasy XIV currently has a grand total of none of them; we have not even a summoner or beastmaster to call our own, but we've been told that this is all changing in version 2.0. And with November just half a year away, it's time to start thinking about what form these pets are going to take.

        Of course, this isn't virgin territory for the game series. Final Fantasy XI featured four different pet classes, which have had differing levels of success over time. And even though Final Fantasy XIV isn't meant to be Final Fantasy XI in a new skin, the game can certainly take some inspiration from its predecessor even while forging a unique legacy. And hey, we've got at least three of the four pets from the previous game in Eorzea at this point. So let's talk about the past set of pets, where we are in the present game, and how those systems might make it into the main game.

        Continue reading The Mog Log: A look forward to Final Fantasy XIV pets

        MassivelyThe Mog Log: A look forward to Final Fantasy XIV pets originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Tattered Notebook: Learning from EQII's free-to-play model

          Posted: 12 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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          EQII marketplace
          What a long way EverQuest II's come! If you had said back in 2004 that the game would not only go free-to-play but have microtransactions and emerge largely intact, I probably would have run to get my pitchfork. But here we are in 2012, and EQII's website has a huge green button that says "Play Free" in big letters, with a long list of special deals on station cash and Marketplace items.

          In this week's Tattered Notebook, I want to look back at the evolution of EQII to see how it successfully transitioned while gauging where it's headed down the road when it comes to its payment model. The official move to free-to-play might seem like the final hurdle, but I think we still have a few more around the bend.

          Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Learning from EQII's free-to-play model

          MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Learning from EQII's free-to-play model originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            MMOGaming News

            MMOGaming News


            Recommended MMOs in May 2012

            Posted:

            Recommended MMOs in May 2012


            Whatever, this month is going to be a crowded month but don't forget to spend sometime with your family. I hope you don't forget to do something in Mother's Day.

            Guild Wars 2 – Could Cost You More Than You Would Expect!

            Posted:

            Guild Wars 2 – Could Cost You More Than You Would Expect!


            Let's get straight to the heart of the matter; Guild Wars 1 is a buy to play MMORPG. You buy the disk, you never pay again unless you want the optional expansions.

            Dragon Nest (KR) Teaser Trailer for New Class, Kali

            Posted:

            Dragon Nest (KR) Teaser Trailer for New Class, Kali


            As the update for this new class approached the Korean server some time in June and July in apparently 2 separate updates, more news were released with a teaser trailer to boot.

            TERA: An Exciting World with Familiar Fundamentals

            Posted:

            TERA: An Exciting World with Familiar Fundamentals


            Your first few moments in TERA will likely be filled with confusion. The game's prologue, which aims to show you what your chosen character will be like at level 20, is a bit on the chaotic side. You're simply dropped into an intense battle with a wide collection of abilities and asked to fend for yourself.

            Earthrise Picked up by New Developer and Plans to Relaunch as F2P MMO

            Posted:

            Earthrise Picked up by New Developer and Plans to Relaunch as F2P MMO


            The plans are, according to SilentFuture, to revamp many of the systems used in Earthrise and to adjust the game world accordingly.

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