General Gaming Article

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• Daily Deals 9/25/12: HP 20" Monitor $100, Dell U2713HM 27" UltraSharp, and More
• Best SSD: Corsair Neutron GTX 256GB vs. Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
• Cable Companies Want to Kick Consoles Out of the Living Room with Streaming Games
• Facebook Stock Falls Again, Moves Closer to Circling the Drain
• Barnes & Noble Banks on Upcoming Nook Video Service to Compete with Amazon
• DisplayMate: iPhone 5 Display is Best Ever (on a Smartphone), Superior to Samsung's Galaxy S III
• Shuttleworth Comes Out Swinging in Defense of Ubuntu 12.10 Amazon Integration

Daily Deals 9/25/12: HP 20" Monitor $100, Dell U2713HM 27" UltraSharp, and More Posted: 25 Sep 2012 12:37 PM PDT Top Deal: That six-panel gaming setup you've been planning just got one step closer to reality with today's top deal — an HP 20" panel for just $99 (normally $139.99). These LED-backlit beauties boast a decent 1600x900 resolution, have DVI and VGA inputs, and are available directly from HP.   Laptops: Toshiba Satellite U845-S402 14" Core i3 ULV Ultrabook for $549.99 with free shipping (normally $700 - use coupon code: ULTRA100). Computing Hardware & Peripherals: Dell U2713HM 27" UltraSharp 2560x1440 LED-backlit IPS LCD Monitor with 3-year advanced exchange warranty and free shipping for $719 (normally $799). Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB Internal 3.5" hard drive (ST1500DM003) for $69.99 with free shipping at TigerDirect (normally $80). Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N Wireless-N 300Mbps Router (DD-WRT Support) for $39.99 with free shipping at NewEgg (normally $55).

Best SSD: Corsair Neutron GTX 256GB vs. Samsung 840 Pro 256GB Posted: 25 Sep 2012 11:24 AM PDT SSD Flash Fight Corsair and Samsung debut new SSDs and controllers in a battle for SSD-ominance  The pace of development in the SSD world is staggeringly awesome, as each generation of SSD controllers has delivered substantial increases in performance and reliability, while at the same time we've seen flash prices drop like a stone. It's a great time to be storing and accessing data, for sure, but we've also seen the market dominated by a trio of SSD controllers from SandForce, Marvell, and Indilinx, with different vendors applying their own tweaks to the drives' firmware to differentiate them. Though these controllers are all pretty sweet, we were beyond stoked to see two brand-new drives from Samsung and Corsair arrive this month, both with all-new SSD controllers. Will either of them put a dent in the SandForce/Marvell juggernaut? Read on to find out! Corsair Neutron GTX 256GB  Corsair's Neutron GTX packs a punch via a new controller from Link A Media.  Corsair's Neutron GTX is the first solid-state drive to arrive in the Lab sporting a brand-new eight-channel controller from a company named Link A Media Devices (LAMD for short). The controller promises top-notch I/O performance, especially in a multitasking environment, making this a drive specifically targeted at hardcore enthusiasts—which is you, since you're reading this.  The Neutron GTX uses Toshiba 24nm MLC toggle-mode NAND flash memory and includes some enterprise-level technology designed to enhance reliability. It also supports the Windows Trim command and employs a routine of wear-leveling and garbage collection to help maintain performance over time. The LAMD controller uses a multicore ARM microcontroller, and hooks up via a SATA 6Gb/s interface.  The enclosure itself is a slim 7mm unit, so it will fit in any notebook or Ultrabook, and if you want to stick it in your PC, Corsair provides a 3.5-inch bay adapter. It also features a metal chassis, giving it a rigid feel while keeping it amazingly light at the same time.  During testing, the GTX posted impressive benchmark numbers across the board, making a remarkable debut appearance on our benchmark chart. In sequential read tests it averaged 435MB/s, which is decent but not earth-shattering. Its sequential write speeds, however, make it the second-fastest drive we've ever tested, losing only to the Samsung drive, and just by a hair.  When the workload increased to 32 commands in a queue, the GTX kept up relatively well but couldn't keep pace with the SandForce-equipped Patriot and Intel drives. In our simulated real-world test, PCMark Vantage, the GTX achieved the second-fastest score ever, behind the new Samsung. Overall the only area where it lagged in any significant way was in heavily queued 32-command workloads.  The GTX is an impressive drive, and we can't wait to see if other manufacturers jump on the LAMD train. Even though the Samsung 840 Pro steals its thunder a bit, Corsair's new solid state drive is still one of the fastest we have ever tested.   Corsair Neutron GTX 256GB TACO TRUCK Superfast; ultra-slim, five-year warranty. SUSHI TRUCK Not as fast as Samsung's 840 and some SandForce Drives. $250, www.corsair.com Samsung 840 Pro 256GB  We loved Samsung's 830 Series SSDs, and we love its new 840 Series even more.  Samsung brings considerable resources to bear as the world's largest manufacturer of flash memory, and it has quite a stellar track record in this market, as well. The 470 Series in early 2011 earned a verdict of 8 from us, and the 830 Series, which came out at the end of 2011, received not only a 9/Kick Ass but a spot on our vaunted Best of the Best list as the fastest solid state drive money can buy. That's a tough record to beat, but the company is trying to do just that with its all-new 840 Series SSDs, available in Pro and non-Pro versions. We focus on the Pro model in this review.  Unlike Corsair and other vendors that must purchase drive controllers from a third party and then tweak them to fit the flash memory that was also purchased from a third party, Samsung builds its own controllers from scratch. It also builds its own NAND flash. And its own DRAM. So the entire package is 100 percent made by Samsung. Don't get us wrong, we're not criticizing how Corsair, OCZ, and others assemble SSD drives from third-party vendors, but Samsung is uniquely capable of putting the whole drive together by itself, which it claims provides better performance. After testing the 840 Series drives, it looks like Samsung might be onto something here.  Like the Corsair Neutron GTX, the 840 Pro comes in a 7mm chassis and uses toggle-mode NAND flash, though it's built on a smaller 21nm process than Corsair's 24nm flash from Toshiba. Samsung uses a multicore controller as well, allowing for increased efficiency as the drive fills up. The drives are actually quite close in terms of build and specs, so their close performance isn't much of a surprise.  Even though the two drives were quite close in benchmark performance, the Samsung drive had a small edge in every single test we ran. In sequential read and write tests the 840 showed us the fastest scores we've ever seen, with its closest competitor being both the Neutron GTX and the SandForce Patriot Pyro SE. In our 32-command-queue tests, the Samsung also trumped the Neutron GTX but lost big-time to the SandForce-based drives, as they are simply head and shoulders above everyone right now. These were the only tests in which the Samsung failed to set a new record.  In the final tally, the Samsung 840 Pro took top honors in seven out of nine benchmarks, so it looks like it'll be taking its predecessor's place on our Best of the Best list. Samsung also claims this drive is energy-efficient and "robust," which is great news, but in the end, just icing on a very, very fast cake.   Samsung 840 Pro 256GB REAL DATES Very fast in all tests, semi-affordable. STATUS UPDATES Not as fast SandForce drives in queued workload. $270, www.samsung.com Benchmarks

Cable Companies Want to Kick Consoles Out of the Living Room with Streaming Games Posted: 25 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii might not be the best of friends, but together, the trio own the living room when it comes to gaming. The question is, for how long? Devices like Ouya, a $99 Android console, threaten to whittle away at the big three's userbase, though perhaps the biggest threat will come from cable companies. AT&T, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable are all reportedly getting ready to roll out cloud-based gaming service. According to Bloomberg, all three are on pace to test gaming services later this year, with widespread deployment to follow in early 2013. That could pose a problem for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, all three of which haven't had to worry too much about streaming competition up to this point. If you ask us, however, the more likely scenario is that cable companies will have some success in dishing up casual games, like Angry Birds and the like, but they're unlikely to pose a serious threat to hardcore -- or even medium-core -- gaming. The other challenge for cable companies is dealing with data caps, though they could get around that restriction by allowing subscribers to play streaming games without it counting against their monthly quota. What do you think -- do cable companies pose any real threat to console makers?

Facebook Stock Falls Again, Moves Closer to Circling the Drain Posted: 25 Sep 2012 10:22 AM PDT You don't need to pity Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire whiz kid who may have gotten himself in over his head when taking the world's largest social playground to the stock market. As in, way over his head. He'll be okay. But that $38 IPO price, which was supposed to be just the beginning of a much, much higher number? It seems like a distant memory just four short months later. For one reason or another, Facebook's share price keeps moving further away from its IPO price, having started the week off by dropping more than 9.1 percent to $20.79 on Monday. Today it's down slightly more, and some are saying it could fall to $15. Even at the reduced price, Barron's still considers Facebook shares to be "too pricey" based, in part, on "uncertainty about the outlook for its business grows." The problem, says Barron's, is that Facebook is trading at 47 times its projected profit for 2012. Google and Apple, meanwhile, both trade for around 16 times their estimated 2012 earnings. Perhaps Zuckerberg and company had a distorted perspective of just how much Facebook was worth in the first place, but that's not the only problem. The company continually shoots itself in the foot with bad publicity. On Monday, for example, it was reported Facebook was accidentally posting users' old direct messages on their Timeline. That wasn't actually the case. Instead, users were confused over the layout of the new Timeline feature, which led to the confusion over what they were seeing. Facebook wasn't in the wrong in any way, but it has insisted on making the Timeline feature mandatory. Despite the falling stock price, not everyone agrees that Facebook's IPO was a failure. Barry Diller, chairmain of IAC/Interactive, told CNBC that Facebook did what it was supposed to do, which is to get as high a price as it can the company's stock. "If you're going to sell stock and somebody wants to buy it at a price and that price is not a price you dictate, but demand dictates, sell it to them now," he said in reference to Facebook's IPO price. The problem is, as time goes on, demand dictates that Facebook is worth less and less. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Barnes & Noble Banks on Upcoming Nook Video Service to Compete with Amazon Posted: 25 Sep 2012 09:30 AM PDT At this point, Barnes & Noble isn't fashionably late to the streaming video party, it's just downright late. Better late than never, though, right? Along that line of thinking, B&N today announced its Nook Video service, which will premier sometime this fall. B&N already has movies and TV shows lined up from major studios, including HBO, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, STARZ, Viacom, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, to name a few. The service will also stream select Disney titles, the company said. "As one of the world's largest retailers of physical video discs and digital copyrighted content, our new Nook Video service will give our customers another way to be entertained with a vast and growing digital video collection, as part of our expansive Nook Store," said William J. Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. "The launch of our new digital video service with our long-time studio partners allows us to bring award-winning current and classic movies, TV shows, documentaries and more to millions of customers' screens, coming soon." Nook Video won't be an exclusive service to just Nook owners; it will also be available on TVs, tablets, and smartphones. Videos that are streamed, downloaded, or purchased from the Nook Store will be held in the Nook Cloud, allowing customers to access their content on devices that support the soon-to-launch (and free) Nook Video app. Some of the titles B&N specifically mentioned as being available include Brave, Toy Story 3, The Avengers, 21 Jump Street, Awkward, The ARtist, Breaking Bad, Dora the Explorer, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Spartacus, Magic City, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Game of Thrones, all Harry Potter movies, The Dark Night, The Hangover, and more. Cost of the Nook Video service has not yet been announced. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

DisplayMate: iPhone 5 Display is Best Ever (on a Smartphone), Superior to Samsung's Galaxy S III Posted: 25 Sep 2012 08:15 AM PDT In the smartphone arena, you win some and you lose some, as it is with everything in life. Is the iPhone 5 better than Samsung's Galaxy S III, or is the larger Android device the superior smartphone? Part of the answer is subjective is depends entirely on who you ask, but at least one round Apple manages to win against its chief competitor is the display. Our friends at DisplayMate conducted a head-to-head test between these two devices to see which one features the better panel, and not only did the iPhone 5 win, but "it's the best smartphone display we have tested to date," said Dr. Raymond Soneira, President of DisplayMate. "It [iPhone 5] is the brightest smartphone we have tested in the Shoot-Out series, it has one of the lowest screen reflectance values we have ever measured, it has the highest contrast rating for high ambient light for any mobile device we have ever tested, and it's color gamut and factory calibration are second only to the new iPad," Soniera added. On the negative side, Soniera said the iPhone 5 is still a little too blue, something that's common among smartphones, and at maximum brightness, the battery fizzles out quicker than the iPhone 4, which has a smaller display. As for the Galaxy S III, DisplayMate notes there are "a number of rough spots that show up clearly in our subjective testing," which is largely the result of Samsung going with its own OLED technology that hasn't yet been refined to the same degree as LCDs. "The brightness is about half of the iPhone 5 due to power limits from the lower power efficiency of OLEDs and concerns regarding premature OLED aging," Soniera noted. "The color gamut is not only much larger than the standard color gamut, which leads to distorted and exaggerated colors, but the color gamut is quite lopsided, with green being a lot more saturated than red or blue, which adds a green color caste to many images. Samsung has not bothered to correct or calibrate their display colors to bring them into closer agreement with the Standard sRGB / Rec.709 Color Gamut, so many images appear over saturated and gaudy." DisplayMate takes a more critical approach to display technology than the average user, and while it sounds like the Galaxy S III performed relatively poorly in its tests, it actually received an 'Overall Display Grade' of B+, just behind the iPhone 4, which received an A- and the iPhone 5, which got an A. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Shuttleworth Comes Out Swinging in Defense of Ubuntu 12.10 Amazon Integration Posted: 25 Sep 2012 05:50 AM PDT Barely a fortnight after Canonical's director of communications Gerry Carr openly lamented the shockingly "low number of pre-loads", his boss and the most important man in all of Ubuntudom, Mark Shuttleworth, made an extraordinarily implausible prediction in an interview he gave to Business Insider in early April. "We expect to ship close to 20 million PCs in the next year," he said, as if totally unaware of just how few people buy PCs pre-loaded with Ubuntu (0.1 percent of the total install base). If something like that does happen, it will be a huge financial shot in the arm for Canonical, but to bank on it would be foolish. Canonical isn't waiting for the proceeds from all those expected shipments to (pleasantly) inundate its coffers, though. In the meantime, it is going to rely on Amazon affiliate commissions to supplement its income. Last week, Canonical's Director of Technology Olli Ries revealed on the ubuntu-devel mailing list that Ubuntu 12.10, scheduled for release in October, will include Amazon search results in the Unity Dash lens. Needless to say, the company will be getting a commission every time a search result leads to an actual sale. Understandably, the announcement has angered many Ubuntu users, who see the feature as being a privacy and security concern. But Shuttleworth thinks otherwise. On Sunday, the Canonical head honcho wrote a lengthy post on his blog to address their concerns. "In 12.10 we'll take the first step of looking both online and locally for possible results," Shuttleworth wrote. "The Home lens will show you local things like apps and music, as it always has, as well as results from Amazon." He does not want people to think of these search results from Amazon as a form of advertisement: "We don't promote any product or service speculatively, these are not banners or spyware. These are results from underlying scopes, surfaced to the Home lens, because you didn't narrow the scope to a specific, well scope." For those who see this feature as a privacy concern, this is what he wrote: "We are not telling Amazon what you are searching for. Your anonymity is preserved because we handle the query on your behalf. Don't trust us? Erm, we have root. You do trust us with your data already. You trust us not to screw up on your machine with every update. You trust Debian, and you trust a large swathe of the open source community. And most importantly, you trust us to address it when, being human, we err." If you are still not convinced, Shuttleworth suggests that you try limiting your search to the scope you are most interested in by using the hotkey associated with that particular scope (for instance, Super+A for apps, or Super+F for files). Do you think Shuttleworth has done enough to address the concerns surrounding Amazon's imminent invasion of Ubuntu's Home lens, or is this far too big a PR disaster to be mitigated by anything less than a full retreat on Canonical's part?

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MMO and SEO News from Gameforumer.com

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Review: Dead or Alive 5 Posted: 25 Sep 2012 06:30 PM PDT Remember when Dead or Alive wasn’t just a fan-service, minigame-ridden, volleyball-infused, T&A bounce fest? These characters were actual fighters, who regularly beat the crap out of each other in a tournament instead of lazing on a beach in a strange pseudo dating sim. When are they going to go back to the series’ roots? When [...]

Bragging Rights: RunCore's Kylin III PCIe SSD Rated at 3,000,000 IOPS Posted: 25 Sep 2012 02:20 AM PDT It’s not really fair to pit an enterprise grade PCIe solid state drive (SSD) against a typical consumer grade model sporting a SATA interface, like Samsung’s 840 Series announced earlier today, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less impressed with the fact that RunCore’s new Kylin III SSD manages 3 million random read IOPS and [...]

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MMO Updates

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• Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 dungeons and dungeon talk
• Black Prophecy says good-bye today with parties
• Celebrate Luvinia Online's first anniversary with events
• Massively Interview: Bohemia's Matt Lightfoot on DayZ, modding, and zombie survival
• PlanetSide2 Command Center video highlights Engineer class, new livestream, and more
• World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria launch-day roundup
• Raph Koster reminisces about Ultima Online 15 years later
• The Daily Grind: Which band fits with your favorite MMO?
• Not So Massively: Torchlight II free demo, Diablo III's Ubers revealed
• Ultima Online celebrates 15 years with regicide
• Everything you wanted to know about Neverwinter's Foundry but haven't asked
• Mists of Pandaria is now live in Europe, Blizz posts a new video [Updated]
• Leaderboard: MMO most worthy of resurrection
• Former Meridian 59 dev pens essay on community management
• Blizzard has 'no particular fear' of Windows 8
• Captain's Log: The state of Star Trek Online
• Star Trek Online producer: Current game ratings don't do MMOs justice
• Black Desert's housing system detailed
• Rumor: DUST 514 launching in October

Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 dungeons and dungeon talk Posted: 25 Sep 2012 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Endgame, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Dungeons I finally had enough time set aside to head into a dungeon this weekend. We made it through the Ascalonian Catacombs story mode with considerable grace, and I'm hoping to progress through each story mode before doubling back to start on explorable versions. Having made more than 60 silver in coin and drops (and only losing a small handful to a single armor repair after the dungeon), I feel a bit better about the currency gain throughout the game. I've heard plenty about people giving up on certain explorable branches of certain dungeons because they were effectively losing gold due to armor repair costs, but I can't really speak to that yet. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 dungeons and dungeon talk Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 dungeons and dungeon talk originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Prophecy says good-bye today with parties Posted: 25 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Black Prophecy At the end of last month, Reakktor Media announced that the free-to-play space MMO Black Prophecy would be closing down for good on September 26th. Today, the studio posted a message on its Facebook page reminding players of the good-bye parties and invited them to join with devs during the game's final hours to send it off into the sunset. The parties will be held tonight, first on the two EU servers Shinava and Kemmura at 3:00 p.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. PM CEST), and then they will move to the US server Altair at 9:00 p.m. EDT. The servers are scheduled to shut down permanently in the morning. Black Prophecy says good-bye today with parties originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Black Prophesy Facebook

Celebrate Luvinia Online's first anniversary with events Posted: 25 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Endgame, News items, Free-to-play, Anniversary If age were determined by expansions, Luvinia Online would be four. In years, the free-to-play fantasy MMORPG is celebrating its first birthday. And from now through October 3rd, players can join in special in-game events and earn prizes during the celebration. Events include a scavenger hunt, slicing up a giant pastry, and new PvP guild wars; prizes include mounts, fashions, and gems. All players can also take advantage of a daily XP buff and new players will get a free fast-travel teleportation book for joining the game. To download and play Luvinia Online for free, visit the official site. [Source: Outspark press release] Celebrate Luvinia Online's first anniversary with events originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Interview: Bohemia's Matt Lightfoot on DayZ, modding, and zombie survival Posted: 25 Sep 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Interviews, MMO industry, Massively Interviews, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous, Sandbox Thanks to viral content, word-of-mouth praise, and a passionate, growing fan base, Arma II mod DayZ has become one of the most talked about games in the industry. We sat down with Bohemia Interactive's Matt Lightfoot to get an idea of how exactly this game came to be, why it has exploded in the way it has, and how he'd attempt to survive a real-life zombie apocalypse: Massively: Could you give us some idea as to how DayZ came to be? What was the inspiration for the game? Matt Lightfoot: DayZ was created by Dean Hall, a former soldier in the New Zealand Armed Forces. He originally came up with the inclination to make a survival game when he was doing survival training in Brunei. The zombies come from Dean's discussions with his brother Richard, who is a world expert on influenza. Dean created it in his spare time after moving to the Czech Republic to work for Bohemia. Continue reading Massively Interview: Bohemia's Matt Lightfoot on DayZ, modding, and zombie survival Massively Interview: Bohemia's Matt Lightfoot on DayZ, modding, and zombie survival originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PlanetSide2 Command Center video highlights Engineer class, new livestream, and more Posted: 25 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Classes, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, PlanetSide 2 In the fifth episode of Command Center, PlanetSide 2 devs Tramell Isaac (Senior Art Director) and Matt Higby (Creative Director) discuss various aspects of the upcoming MMOFPS. At over 22 minutes, the video is full of information, including a a beta update, a report on PAX 2012, information and a video on the Engineer, and a preview of SOE Live. They also highlighted fan-made movies and fan art. Maggie Krohn, game designer, also joined the show to explain the new weekly livestream special, Friday Night Ops, that will have interviews, community spotlights, and more every Friday from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. PS2 is currently in closed beta. Players who want to get in the beta can obtain guaranteed access by purchasing the Alpha Squad package for $39.99 USD, which also comes with 40 bucks worth of Station Cash, a six-month XP boost, a buddy key, and more. Continue reading PlanetSide2 Command Center video highlights Engineer class, new livestream, and more PlanetSide2 Command Center video highlights Engineer class, new livestream, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Command Center YouTube video

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria launch-day roundup Posted: 25 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, News items World of Warcraft's long-awaited fourth expansion is finally here, and whether you're looking to see through the Mists of Pandaria for yourself or poke fun at your panda-playing friends, WoW Insider has everything you need to know. Our sister site has been busy interviewing Blizzard devs, testing new five-man dungeons, and parsing the class and mechanical changes and adjusting guides accordingly. Join us after the break for the best expansion coverage on the internet. Continue reading World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria launch-day roundup World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria launch-day roundup originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Raph Koster reminisces about Ultima Online 15 years later Posted: 25 Sep 2012 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, Anniversary Fifteen years of any MMO is a legitimate enough excuse to wax nostalgic, so we can't blame original Ultima Online developer Raph Koster for writing down a few thoughts about the game's 15th anniversary. His article is a collection of early behind-the-scenes vignettes, including how a player from one of his previous MUDs followed him to UO to sue the game, how the architecture presented challenges, and the pain of cutting unfinished content prior to launch. Koster is bluntly honest about the middling reception of the game at the time of its launch, although he said he reveled in the positive press: "The EA lawyers were very unhappy with me over a quote from that newspaper article in the pic. I ended by saying Ultima Online was 'a grand experiment.' They said, 'Don't you realize that's the sort of thing they will use in court against us?' But it was. Grand." Raph Koster reminisces about Ultima Online 15 years later originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Raph's Website

The Daily Grind: Which band fits with your favorite MMO? Posted: 25 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous I'm a big fan of MMO soundtracks -- heck, of game soundtracks in general, really. It's rare that I turn off the in-game tunes in favor of my own playlist, but I've been doing just that recently when it comes to The Secret World. No disrespect meant to composers Marc Canham and Simon Poole, of course; I bought the soundtrack, and I love that creepy main title riff. A modern setting goes well with modern music, though, or in my case, the sonic stylings of Pink Floyd. I can't put my finger on why David Gilmour's soulful guitar solos and Roger Waters shrieking vocals go so well with the TSW, but they do. What about you, early risers? Assuming you play your own music while playing your favorite MMO, which artist fits your game best? 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: Which band fits with your favorite MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: Torchlight II free demo, Diablo III's Ubers revealed Posted: 24 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Firefall It's been a long time coming, but Torchlight II is finally here, and you can play a demo version of it completely free. Diablo III fansite Diablofans has been digging around in the test realm patch files to find out how the game's new Uber bosses works and what awesome rewards can be found by fighting them. Path of Exile celebrates its fourth successful public stress test weekend and looks at an interesting character build that lets players kills monsters by setting themselves on fire. League of Legends released details of its next champion this week, the stealthy insectoid Kha'Zix, who can evolve his abilities in the middle of a game. Dota 2 officially released classic champion Meepo The Geomancer this week, and upcoming MOBA Prime World announced an odd new "PvEvP" game mode. Upcoming FPS Firefall came under fire from some beta testers this week for the unpolished state of its current beta client, and Blacklight: Retribution released the winning video of its bolt-action rifle montage contest. Continue reading Not So Massively: Torchlight II free demo, Diablo III's Ubers revealed Not So Massively: Torchlight II free demo, Diablo III's Ubers revealed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ultima Online celebrates 15 years with regicide Posted: 24 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events, in-game, News items, Ultima Online, Livestream, Anniversary Ultima Online has a big anniversary today, one that you can only really celebrate if you're the first graphical MMO on the market. This marks the game's 15th anniversary, and that's definitely the sort of thing that merits a celebration. So the staff has decided to celebrate by deposing the current ruler and ushering in a new king. (We admit that the plot may not actually involve regicide, but kings are not usually known for their calm and peaceful surrender of power.) The changing of the king is the culmination of a seven-month plot arc, with the actual coronation of the new ruler sparking a major in-game event. If you're a former player, it's well worth jumping back in to check out what happens when power changes hands. You can also jump on past the break to see our own Beau Hindman livestreaming with the Ultima Online development team in celebration of the 15-year anniversary. [Source: Electronic Arts press release] Continue reading Ultima Online celebrates 15 years with regicide Ultima Online celebrates 15 years with regicide originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Everything you wanted to know about Neverwinter's Foundry but haven't asked Posted: 24 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Neverwinter Neverwinter has some pretty big shoes to fill. More accurately, it has some pretty elaborate shoe-making tools that it needs to allow players to fill. After all, it's part of a franchise that's legendary for its player-created content. The Foundry system is aimed at giving players all of the user-generated content they could ask for, all of the tools necessary to make great missions, and all of the possible options to get players into player-made content quickly. How will all of this happen? Why, it's outlined in this new development blog! Players will be able to incorporate missions into the overall game world seamlessly or place them in instanced areas depending on the creator's intent. The system will also give players several means of getting into these missions, both from a UI feature showing off popular player-made missions and NPCs highlighting player-made content in any given area. Creators, meanwhile, will receive all the necessary tools to create new maps and new missions even with a minimum of experience. Time will tell how successful the system is in implementation, but it's certainly aiming in the right direction. Everything you wanted to know about Neverwinter's Foundry but haven't asked originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Foundry development blog

Mists of Pandaria is now live in Europe, Blizz posts a new video [Updated] Posted: 24 Sep 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Previews, News items Are you still on the fence about purchasing Mists of Pandaria? Really, the game comes out tomorrow; you should have made up your mind by now. But if you're still conflicted about buying World of Warcraft's fourth expansion, you can take a look at the newest development video that shows off everything players can expect from the update. And it's not just a quick list of updates. If you have any lingering questions about what the expansion will contain or any features that you've missed hearing about, this video will put all of that to rest. Previews of the new zones, previews of new scenarios, previews of the new Monk class in action -- you can get a full rundown of the expansion's features in seven minutes. So click on past the break to see everything that's in store for players tomorrow, whether or not you've decided to jump in. [Update: Pandaria is now live in Europe! Check out the parade Blizzard threw for the game in London, and as always, visit WoW Insider for the full scoop on the expansion.] Continue reading Mists of Pandaria is now live in Europe, Blizz posts a new video [Updated] Mists of Pandaria is now live in Europe, Blizz posts a new video [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Leaderboard: MMO most worthy of resurrection Posted: 24 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Polls, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard I had an interesting revelation this past week. While it seems that we've had so many MMOs shutting down over the year, when I look at the big picture of all of the major titles that have been released, the vast majority of them are still in operation. It made me realize just how resilient and strong this industry is. Yet there are those games that have seen their final days and exist now only in our memories and dusty screenshot folders. Some might be good riddance to us; others are still painful wounds. We've all harbored fantasies of MMOs coming back from the great beyond for a second lease on life, but if you had to choose just one, what would it be? That's the topic for today's poll, so look at the following list and think long and hard about your choice. Resurrection isn't something that happens every day in MMOs, after all. Continue reading Leaderboard: MMO most worthy of resurrection Leaderboard: MMO most worthy of resurrection originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Former Meridian 59 dev pens essay on community management Posted: 24 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Miscellaneous Have you ever been curious what, exactly, a community manager does from an insider perspective? Here to help you with that is Brian Green, who's developed for both Meridian 59 and Storybricks. Green wrote an essay on how community management is often misunderstood and how it can be both effectively and ineffectively handled. Green went through the daily process of a CM's job to provide information for both developers and players, citing the difficult balance in handling that two-way street. He said it's important to keep PR as divorced from community management as possible, otherwise it damages the communication "loop" between CMs, players, and developers. He finishes by examining the recent instance of ArenaNet's CM team using Reddit to discuss players' behavior and names. "The problem is that this was quite obviously a PR exercise and not really proper community management," he noted, going on to say that this might have set the wrong tone for the community's in-game behavior and caused a "toxic allowance" to build up for later on down the road. Former Meridian 59 dev pens essay on community management originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Psychochild's Blog

Blizzard has 'no particular fear' of Windows 8 Posted: 24 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous Blizzard might be coming around to Windows 8, if only for practical business reasons. Blizzard Senior Software Engineer Darren Williams told CVG that the studio will support Windows 8 and expand to the OS in the future. "We put our games on platforms our players are already on, so yeah, it will be available on Windows 8," Williams said. "There's no particular fear we have of Windows 8." This past July, Blizzard Executive Vice President Rob Pardo said that Microsoft's upcoming operating system and its features were "not awesome" for the company. Blizzard has 'no particular fear' of Windows 8 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: CVG

Captain's Log: The state of Star Trek Online Posted: 24 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Captain's Log, Dev Diaries, Neverwinter This week saw the release of a new State of the Game blog from Star Trek Online Executive Producer Daniel Stahl. Much of what he said gave players hope for the future of Star Trek Online, including remarks that the game is "thriving at a time when many MMOs have kicked or are about to kick the bucket." The blog also featured some additional comments about the future of the game and how the company planning for 2013 and beyond. Join me as I discuss his blog post and the poll results that were generated over the past couple of weeks. I'll also take a look at the future of the game, the expanding STO team, The Foundry, and the Klingon Empire. Continue reading Captain's Log: The state of Star Trek Online Captain's Log: The state of Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online producer: Current game ratings don't do MMOs justice Posted: 24 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Trek Online Are launch-day reviews of MMOs accurate over time? Dan Stahl, producer of Star Trek Online, doesn't think so. In a recent interview, Stahl stated that the current method of reviewing MMOs only at initial launch is not truly reflective of a genre that, by design, continually evolves. Stahl would like to see something that takes a title's major releases into account, stating, "There are plenty of MMOs that have made huge strides since days one and some that have even gotten worse." Until more progressive reviews come along that give players an up-to-date view of games, Stahl's recommendation to players is to try a game out and decide for themselves. Star Trek Online producer: Current game ratings don't do MMOs justice originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: [a]listdaily Via: Gamesindustry.biz

Black Desert's housing system detailed Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox, Housing Curious about Black Desert's sandbox pedigree? We are too, and it looks as if the newly announced Korean import from Pearl Abyss isn't skimping when it comes to player housing. The game's Facebook fanpage revealed that players will be able to purchase all of the houses in the game's cities and towns. That's not all, as you can also turn part of your humble abode into a shop or a crafting area as well as create furniture and cabinets to store your valuables. Pearl Abyss seems to be aiming for lively cities and towns, as it will not allow players to build houses anywhere in the open world, though temporary tents are an option. Black Desert's housing system detailed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Facebook Via: Steparu

Rumor: DUST 514 launching in October Posted: 24 Sep 2012 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Rumors, DUST 514 Sony Computer Entertainment America President and CEO Jack Tretton may have given away DUST 514's launch window. The EVE Online shooter sidequel has been slated for a 2012 release for some time now, but developer CCP has remained coy regarding the details. During a recent FOX Business interview, Tretton said the sci-fi title is "coming out next month." DUST 514 is a free-to-play PlayStation 3 exclusive that allows its users to interact directly with pilots in EVE. Check out our first impressions of the DUST beta, and stay tuned for more info as launch day draws near. Rumor: DUST 514 launching in October originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Strategy Informer Via: PSX Extreme

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