General Gaming Article

---

• This Week's Hottest Reviews on TechRadar
• AMD Catalyst 13.4 Update Addresses Latency Performance in Several Games
• External Hard Drive Head-to-Head
• Leap Motion Controller Delayed Until June 22, Drats!
• Intel Atom-based Android Notebooks to Cost $200
• Electronic Arts Announces Another Round of Layoffs
• Newegg Daily Deals: Case Overload

This Week's Hottest Reviews on TechRadar Posted: 26 Apr 2013 04:02 PM PDT The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a phone that we really, really like. The combination of powerful innards, the market's best screen and a clever design ethos all combine to make a really strong contender for the handset you should be buying when you wander into your local phone emporium. It's slick, it's fast and it wipes the floor with the competition in so many ways. The 13MP camera is one of the best we've seen on a phone for getting that picture, with rich colors and texture the way forward. That's not to say Samsung couldn't do better with design on the S4 - there's a lot more to wish for here - but it's a much more solid version of the S3. Samsung Galaxy S4 review The Razer Hydra is the PC's answer to motion controllers, popularised by the Nintendo Wii. With the Xbox 360's Kinect and the PlayStation Move, motion controllers are certainly popular among casual games. But hardcore gamers, especially on PC - which is Razer's usual customer base - have proven more resistant to the charms of waving around your arms when playing games. Can the Razer Hyrda change all that? Razer Hydra review Budget phones are a dime a dozen, but how about one that can be fully submergerd in water and still make a call? That's what you get with the Kyocera Torque. New to Sprint's somewhat limited 4G LTE network, it's an Ice Cream Sandwich phone swaddled in a thick layer of durable rubber. Is it what construction workers and lifeguards everywhere need, or should they just grab an Otterbox? Kyocera Torque Review review Panasonic TX-L55ET60 review Looking at the TX-L55ET60, it's hard to believe it only sits in the middle of Panasonic's new TV range. Thanks to its gloriously slim metallic silver and glass frame, it looks every inch a flagship TV. A 55-inch TV with an eye-catchingly slim metal and glass design, friendly interface, extensive multimedia/online support and decent all-round picture performance. Other reviews on TechRadar this week: Cameras Samsung NX300 review Hands on: Panasonic G6 review Hands on: Panasonic LF1 review Mobile accessories It's Mine Bluetooth Bracelet review Fitbug Air review Wireless adapters and accesories Edimax EW-7822UAC Wireless AC Adaptor review Logitech Harmony Touch review Removable storage LaCie XtremKey review

AMD Catalyst 13.4 Update Addresses Latency Performance in Several Games Posted: 26 Apr 2013 11:43 AM PDT AMD promises a significant reduction in latency in titles like Skyrim and Tomb Raider. A new driver package is available for AMD Radeon, Mobility Radeon, and PowerXpress GPUs. It's AMD's Catalyst 13.4 update and it's supposed to "significantly" improve latency performance in Skyrim, Borderlands 2, Guild Wars 2, Tomb Raider, and Hitman Absolution, according to the release notes. it also offers performance gains in several titles across the entire range of Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics cards. Specifically, Radeon HD 7000 Series card owners can expect the following: Batman Arkham City (1920x1200): Performance improvements up to 5 percent Borderlands 2 (2560x1600): Performance improvements up to 10 percent Quake Wars (1920x1200): Performance improvements up to 13 percent Hitman Absolution (2560x1600): Performance improvements up to 11 percent Wolfenstein MP (1920x1080): Performance improvements up to 11 percent Civilization V (2560x1600): Performance improvements up to 5 percent In addition to all the above, AMD resolved a bunch of known issues, but the latency claim is the one gamers are likely to pay the most attention to. The latency issue is something we noticed when benchmarking AMD's Radeon HD 7990 graphics card, which can best be described as micro-stutter. Are you planning to install the new driver package? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

External Hard Drive Head-to-Head Posted: 26 Apr 2013 11:01 AM PDT Three USB hard drives: WD My Passport vs Toshiba Canvio Plus vs Adata DashDrive Elite There are times when a USB key can't handle the action we're throwing at it and we need something bigger to step in and get the job done. Like a police officer calling for backup, it's at these times that we summon a USB 3.0 external hard drive. This latest batch of drives offers something for everyone, from WD's huge 2TB jobbie to Adata's super-thin, sexy little thang. Toshiba's 1.5TB drive is thrown into the mix, too, for folks looking for a basic, affordable, high-capacity solution. WD My Passport 2TB At 2TB, WD's My Passport is the largest-capacity USB hard drive we've ever tested, and its four chunky 500GB platters rotate at 5,400rpm. In the palm it feels about as thick as a huge English muffin with a piece of ham in the middle, or a water-logged deck of cards; it's the thickest drive in this roundup, but only by a tiny margin over the 1.5TB Toshiba. Though this drive is pudgier than the rest at 0.8-inch thick, it's noticeably shorter than the other two drives at just 4.2 inches long. It comes in a variety of pleasingly subtle, matte color finishes (red, blue, black, gray, white) and is available in sizes ranging from 500GB to 2TB. Hello, sexy. We're talking about its capacity, not its looks. The software package included with the My Passport is well-rounded, and includes backup software, an encryption utility, and a diagnostic tool. It should be noted that software for both Mac and PC are included, though obviously we're only testing the PC version. The backup software is called WD Smartware and is based on Memeo Backup—it backs up everything instantly without any user intervention, so you just tell it to keep an eye on "Documents," for example, and it automatically copies any files it sees that are documents. We learned the hard way, though, that "Documents" means .doc files, and not just any files placed into the Documents folder, which was confusing. Adding to the confusion was a lack of information about whether a backup had taken place once new files had been added to a monitored directory. You also can't create a backup image of your entire drive, which is another flaw. We rarely use bundled software, so this isn't that big of a deal for us, but it's a strike against WD nevertheless. The software does include a file-retrieval service in case you lose data, and it works well, letting you put files back into their original location or just dump them into a predetermined folder. Other bundled software includes a password-protection utility that requires a password to access the drive, and a drive-health monitor, which is useful. To test the drive's mettle we copied 30GB of media files to it from our desktop PC running a Samsung 830 SSD boot drive, and it took top honors by taking just eight minutes, 46 seconds to complete the job. This was the fastest speed in our roundup of these drives, even though all the drives have roughly the same specs, so kudos to WD for the victory. Its time was almost three minutes faster than the Adata drive and two minutes faster than the Toshiba, so the performance difference is significant. Overall, there's a lot to like about the WD drive, but we're dinging it pretty hard for having flaky backup software. The password-protection function is nice, but our favorite two things about it are that it's the biggest USB drive available, and of these three, it's also the fastest. WD My Passport 2TB Passport Huge capacity; great speed; full-featured software package Arrest Warrant Backup software is not reliable or good for advanced users; can't make backup images $150, www.wd.com Toshiba Canvio Plus 3.0 1.5TB   In this group, the Toshiba Canvio initially came across as the vanilla stepchild—nothing to get excited about, at least in this company, given its bland exterior and specs. We tested the 1.5TB version of the drive, which is the highest capacity offered by Toshiba. Surprisingly, it's almost as thick as the 2TB WD drive despite its 500GB capacity deficit, so the lesson here is that if you're going big on a USB drive, prepare to be toting around a Hot Pocket-size enclosure. The 1.5TB drive is only available in black, a decision we are just fine with since we don't need nor want fancy colors on our USB storage. If you favor a splash of color attached to your USB port, you'll have to get by with less capacity, as only the 500GB and 1TB models are available in red, blue, and gray (as well as black, natch).  The Toshiba drive wins the contest of lamest names for devices and software, but is still the best drive here. On the software front, the Canvio comes with a well-rounded package that includes backup software with encryption, drive utilities, a cloud storage option, and a movie-editing app called Muvee Reveal. The NTI Backup Now EZ backup software is for Windows only, though the drive includes an NTFS driver that lets you use it with both Macs and PCs. Despite the software's odd name, it's actually our favorite of this roundup, simply because it offers an intuitive interface and many options for configuring backups, whether you want to back up to the Canvio drive itself or to the cloud. You can also choose to back up categories of files, individually selected files and folders, or entire drive images. You just select the files you want to back up and let it run. You can also schedule backups, and see the status of the drive onscreen in the software, which is handy. It's also easy to password-protect the drive. The only problem we had in our tests was that the cloud option didn't work for us—you get a 30-day free trial of cloud storage with the drive but we couldn't activate ours. Note: The Basic model of this drive does not offer cloud storage as an option. In our file-copy test, whereby we hustle 30GB of data over its fat USB 3.0 pipe, the Toshiba took second place overall with a time of 10 minutes, 34 seconds, which was almost two minutes slower than the WD drive, but faster than the Adata unit. All in all, this is an excellent all-around backup drive. It's not the highest-capacity or the thinnest drive ever, but it has great software, decent capacity, and is affordable—we don't ask for much more in a USB storage device. Toshiba Canvio Plus 3.0 1.5TB A Robust challenge Sizable capacity; great software, affordable Anything named EZ Cloud storage trial didn't work, no specs stand out $110, www.toshiba.com Adata DashDrive Elite 500GB HE720 The Adata drive is one of the sexiest USB drives we have ever tested, and is certainly the thinnest USB drive too, at just 8.9mm thick. It might not sound like much in today's world of super-thin everything, but this puppy is thin. In fact, our research indicates it is the thinnest USB drive currently available. If this roundup were a beauty contest, the DashDrive would easily win. Since life isn't fair, there's a major downside to the drive's flatness, which is that its single-platter capacity is limited to 500GB. When compared to its 1.5TB and 2TB rivals here, 500GB is but a morsel, really, but that's the price you pay for its slim form factor. To that point, 500GB is the only capacity available for this model. Despite its HE720 model name, which to our eyes suggests a 7,200rpm hard drive, this puppy sports a 5,400rpm drive inside its stainless steel chassis. Its physical size is 4.6 inches long and 3.1 inches wide, and it's less than a half-inch tall. Its exterior shell is made with 9H stainless steel, which is resistant to scratches and looks slick but is too prone to fingerprints. The drive itself has only two mildly interesting features: a small, blue LED for activity and a tiny button located next to the USB 3.0 plug labeled "Backup." Tapping the button triggers the included syncing software to open so you can configure and run backup routines. It would be handy if the backup button were in a more easily accessible location, as putting it right next to the USB plug makes it hard to reach. The included Adata Sync software is PC-only and gets the job done for syncing, restoring, and backing up files, but it's easily the most unpolished software in this roundup. As an example, if you try to open the software when it's running in the background, you'll see a pop-up error that contains what we can only assume is either a foreign language or gibberish. The Window also looks like it was built for Windows 98 and lacks the ease-of-use and look-and-feel of modern software, as it just gives you a split-window with "Source" on the left and "Destination" on the right, and you have to check boxes in a Windows Explorer interface to get it configured. This is not software we'd want our parents to use, that's for sure. That said, we actually appreciate its unvarnished nature. You just tell it which folders you're interested in and choose Backup, Restore, or Sync. You can then either manually back up everything you want or just schedule the software to run. It's not glamorous or grandma-friendly, but we dig it. During testing, the drive was the slowest here by a small margin, taking 11 minutes and 31 seconds to move 30 gigs of data onto its lone platter. We know people don't buy these drives for speed, and they are all relatively slow compared to our desktop HDDs and SSDs, but we do take speed into consideration. The DashDrive is a decent package despite its flaws. We like its simple software, hard steel shell, and thin size a lot, making it a solid drive, both literally and figuratively. Adata DashDrive Elite 500GB HE720 Leaving a Big Tip Looks cool; rugged; amazingly thin; software is straight-forward Dine and Dash Software could confuse people; drive is slower than the others; small capacity; loves fingerprints $150, www.adata-group.com

Leap Motion Controller Delayed Until June 22, Drats! Posted: 26 Apr 2013 08:01 AM PDT More testing is needed before shipping out the Leap Motion controller. The Leap Motion gesture-based controller has the potential to finally deliver Minority Report-style computing, but we won't find out for sure until at least the middle of July. Leap Motion pre-orders for the flash drive-sized device kicked off in February of this year, and at the time, it was promised the units would be begin shipping out on May 13. With that date fast approaching, Leap Motion's developers thought it best to put push back the release a couple of months so that they can put the controller through some additional testing. "This is not a decision we take lightly... The reality is we very likely could have hit the original ship date. But it wouldn't have left time for comprehensive testing," Leap Motion CEO, Michael Buckwald, stated in an open letter. "This will come in the form of a beta test that will start in June. We will give the 12k developers who currently have Leap Motion controllers access to the feature complete product including OS interaction (today developers only have access to the SDK). We will also invite some people who are not developers to join the beta test." In case you haven't yet read about it, the Leap Motion controller is supposed to be able to track all 10 fingers up to 1/100th of a millimeter, making it up to 200 times more sensitive than existing motion-control technology. There are a lot of applications for this kind of thing. For example, you could pretend to hold a pencil and draw a picture or jot down notes, sculpt and mold 3D objects, and of course play games, to name just a few. The technology caught the attention of HP, which is planning to embed the Leap Motion controller into select consumer PCs. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Intel Atom-based Android Notebooks to Cost $200 Posted: 26 Apr 2013 07:21 AM PDT Android will attack the low cost notebook market. Intel CEO Paul Otellini recently said that touchscreen PCs could start selling for as little as $200 sometime in the next few months, though it's tough to imagine a Windows 8-based machine carrying such a low price tag. That's because they probably won't. Instead of Windows 8, most of these affordable PCs will be laptop machines built around Google's open source Android platform. That information comes straight from Dadi Perlmutter, Intel executive vice president and chief product officer, who told CNET that the $200 Android laptops will run mobile Atom hardware inside. The question is, will Microsoft try to compete with Android in the $200 space? "We have a good technology that enables a very cost-effective price point," Perlmutter told CNET, adding that whether or not Windows 8 PCs will go that low ultimately "depends on how Microsoft prices Windows 8." Perlmutter's hunch is that they'll be slightly higher. As to the Android notebooks, details are nearly non-existent at this point, though it's likely they'll take advantage of the convertible form factor so they can be used as either a laptop or tablet, as user needs dictate. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Electronic Arts Announces Another Round of Layoffs Posted: 26 Apr 2013 06:32 AM PDT Actual count not confirmed, but could be as high as 10 percent of the publisher's global workforce Close on the heels of significant layoffs at its Montreal game studio, Electronic Arts once again wielded the axe on Thursday. Although EA was quick to confirm reports of the layoffs, their number remains a point of contention, with wildly different figures being thrown around in absence of an official announcement in this regard. "In recent weeks, EA has aligned all elements of its organizational structure behind priorities in new technologies and mobile.  This has led to some difficult decisions to reduce the workforce in some locations," the publisher said in a terse statement, which as it later turned out was actually an excerpt from an internal memo announcing the layoffs. There are varying reports about the size of this latest downsizing exercise at EA. If you ask our friends over at Kotaku, they will tell you the company has handed out pink slips to as much as 10 percent of its workforce. Meanwhile, other reports place the the number of those released in the hundreds. "The workforce reductions which we communicated in the last two weeks represent the majority of our planned personnel actions," interim CEO Larry Probst wrote in an internal memo. "We are extremely grateful for the contributions made by each of these individuals – they will be missed by their colleagues and friends at EA." He also announced some changes to the company's organizational structure. These include: the consolidation of core marketing functions under COO Peter Moore and the transfer of Origin to Frank Gibeau's Labels organization, where it will be headed by executive vice president Andrew Wilson. Follow Pulkit on Google+

Newegg Daily Deals: Case Overload Posted: 26 Apr 2013 05:24 AM PDT Top Deal: Casing out a chassis for your next PC build? You've come to the right place. Today's top deal is for a Corsair Carbide Series 500R Arctic White Gaming Case for $100 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code TECH4LESS10; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). It has a 200mm fan on the side panel to keep your GPU nice and cool and plenty of cable cutouts for a tidy interior. Other Deals: Cooler Master Elite 430 Computer Case for $40 with free shipping (normally $60 - use coupon code: EMCXSVT35) Raidmax Aeolus Mid-Tower Computer Case for $50 with free shipping (normally $70 - use coupon code: TECH4LESS9; additional $15 mail-in rebate) Thermaltake Armor Reveo Mid Tower Computer Case for $104 with shipping for $6 (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCXSVR239) Rosewill Thor V2-White Edition Full Tower Computer Case for $120 with free shipping (normally $170 - use coupon code: EMCXSVR46; additional $20 mail-in rebate)

You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMO Updates

---

• Second Wind: All Points Bulletin Reloaded
• City of Steam open beta early admission starts May 10
• WildStar's Crimson Isle detailed
• World of Darkness development shown at EVE Fanfest 2013
• The Daily Grind: Has an MMO ever implemented your idea?
• What to expect from EVE Fanfest today: World of Darkness, EVE Keynote, and an interview with Jon lander
• EVE Fanfest 2013 day one: DUST 514, wormholes, and lowsec PvP
• The Summoner's Guidebook: Support in League of Legends doesn't mean healing
• Trion responds to Defiance cheating reports
• The Guild Counsel: Guild leadership isn't a job
• Icarus Online preps for closed beta, releases trailer
• New Earthrise: First Impact screenshots unveiled
• Paladin and Warrior go mano-a-mano in new Hearthstone video
• Snail to show off Black Gold steampunk MMO at E3
• How to tame your Dragon's Prophet
• EA suffers additional layoffs
• SOE Live registrations open, offer early bird specials
• Darkfall Unholy Wars hits Steam as Valve introduces new subscription service
• The Perfect Ten: Final moments of MMOs, part 2

Second Wind: All Points Bulletin Reloaded Posted: 26 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Races, All Points Bulletin, Crime, MMOFPS, Humor, Livestream, Second Wind, Player-Generated Content I could make this a very short piece by saying that APB: Reloaded is simply as fun now as it has ever been. The game is a blast in more ways than one. Heck, I could close it right now by telling you that not only was my return to the game well worth the effort but also that it also served to slap me on the side of the head to say, "Hey, dummy, remember how fun it is to run over people?" I'd rather give you more details, though, especially for those of you who might not have played the game or haven't played it in a long time. APB: Reloaded is essentially a lobby-based shooter. The lobby -- or social district, as it is called -- and the instanced battle arenas are massive places. While I livestreamed the game last week (you can watch the embedded video after the cut), someone accurately commented that watching it was like watching "GTA Online." I agree, but it's also so much more than that. Join me past the cut and I promise not to run you over. Continue reading Second Wind: All Points Bulletin Reloaded Second Wind: All Points Bulletin Reloaded originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

City of Steam open beta early admission starts May 10 Posted: 26 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, City of Steam, Steampunk Want an early look at steampunk browser MMO City of Steam? Mark May 10th on your calendar, because that's the day that Mechanist is launching an "early admission" ramp up to its forthcoming open beta test. The testing phase will be continuous (as opposed to that trendy weekend-only tomfoolery), and Mechanist will start with three classes and four races with more to come as the process matures. If you don't have a key already, you can get one by subscribing to the City of Steam newsletter on the official site. City of Steam open beta early admission starts May 10 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

WildStar's Crimson Isle detailed Posted: 26 Apr 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Lore, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, WildStar Carbine has released a few info nuggets on Crimson Isle, one of the locales players will visit in its upcoming WildStar sci-fantasy MMO. The Isle is far off the beaten path and boasts rocky terrain as well as deadly wildlife. In other words, it's shaping up to be an adventurer's paradise. The news blurb gives us a general overview of the location as well as intel on enemies (unidentified humans, designation Species CI36) and allies (the Crimson Isle Strike Team). Read all about it at the WildStar website. WildStar's Crimson Isle detailed originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Crimson Isle intel

World of Darkness development shown at EVE Fanfest 2013 Posted: 26 Apr 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, Previews, News Items, Opinion, Events (Massively's Coverage), World of Darkness, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crafting When the World of Darkness MMO was first announced in November 2006, it was just an idea and we knew that it wouldn't be released any time soon. The chance to play a sandbox game set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe nevertheless made fans of the series go nuts, but now over six years later we haven't seen much progress on the game. At EVE Fanfest 2013 today, CCP laid the current state of development bare for all to see and showed some plans for the coming year. There are now 70 people on the WoD team, and they've spent the past week working on everything from art tools and server infrastructure to vampire powers and social options. "You're a powerful, immortal lord of the night. You don't want to stitch a shirt." Development plans for 2013 include working on out-of-game web-based social tools, clothing systems, and PvE game environments. There are also plans to work on item creation, but direct crafting is probably not on the cards. As the presenter put it, "You're a powerful, immortal lord of the night. You don't want to stitch a shirt." Though the game is still in the pre-production stage, CCP was keen to show off the tools it's made to speed up the development process. "Some of these videos are a bit dry and technical," joked the presenter, but it came across as more real and honest than another trailer or musings on theoretical gameplay. CCP showed some interesting tools that it will use to rapidly develop procedural content like buildings and cityscapes. It's not the gameplay fans were eager to see, but it was an honest look at the state of the game and it shows that development really is still ongoing. We saw a building going through the entire development system from basic block shapes to the graphically impressive final results, with plenty of eye candy to go around. As an indie game developer who specialises in shader programming, I can say that the video they showed of shader tech was genuinely impressive. Whenever World of Darkness finally does release, it's going to look amazing. Developers also showed video footage of their own internal visual targets running in the WoD engine but were adamant that we not film it since it's not actual gameplay footage and may give a false impression of how far along development is. The animations were clearly unfinished and much of the graphical detail was added in post-processing, but the video clearly showed the direction the game is heading and it looks like it'll be worth the wait. Whether you're a die-hard fan of internet spaceships or just a gawker on the sidelines, EVE Fanfest is the EVE Online event of the year (and the key source of new DUST 514 and World of Darkness scoops!). Follow Massively's Brendan Drain as he reports back on this year's Fanfest starpower, scheming, and spoilers from exotic Reykjavik, Iceland. World of Darkness development shown at EVE Fanfest 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Has an MMO ever implemented your idea? Posted: 26 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Player-Generated Content Earlier this month, Massively's MJ sat down with the City of Steam devs and discovered that you, the Massively readers, had actually influenced one of the game mechanics. Wrote MJ, There is one new feature that was put into game specifically because of Massively fans: jumping! That's right. You made it clear you wanted jumping in game, and the devs listened. Who says you don't have the power to change things? Leaving aside the implication that we spent one of our precious wishes on jumping, I thought this was really cool, and I tried to think of other examples of players coming up with amazing (or not) design ideas that were subsequently implemented in a game. I can think of certain demands that were met in classic MMOs. World of Warcraft is infamous for implementing the most popular player mods as official features, and in more recent news, there are Guild Wars 2's efforts to split reset times for different continents after much player protest. How about you? Has an MMO ever implemented your idea or the ideas of a fellow player? 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: Has an MMO ever implemented your idea? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

What to expect from EVE Fanfest today: World of Darkness, EVE Keynote, and an interview with Jon lander Posted: 26 Apr 2013 05:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Events (Massively's Coverage), World of Darkness, DUST 514, Dev Diaries, Sandbox The second day of EVE Fanfest 2013 is now underway, and the schedule is packed! Today kicks off with a highly anticipated talk on World of Darkness at 7:00 a.m. EDT, and continues with the CSM Panel at 8:00 a.m. EDT, Alliance Panel at 9:00 a.m. EDT and Art Panel at 10:00 a.m. EDT. The CSM and Alliance panels are usually filled with hilarious banter, but this year the CSM Panel happens at the same time as the Faction Warfare roundtable and a talk on DUST 514 planet conquering in lowsec. The big event today is of course the EVE Online Keynote at 1:00 p.m. EDT, where we'll find out details of the upcoming Odyssey expansion. World of Darkness is still pretty early in development, so the presentation will be talking mostly about the tools being used to build it. We're unlikely to get a release schedule or any solid gameplay demos, but with developers raving about their internal play-tests I expect to see some serious progress compared to last year. Since the CSM panel is likely being streamed, I'll try to hit up the Faction Warfare roundtable and see what CCP's current thoughts are on how to improve this aging game system. The EVE Online keynote usually rounds up all the details from the previous days' talks, but so far most of the presentations have been on DUST 514. The lowsec changes and ship rebalancing plans will definitely make an appearance, but aside from a reveal at PAX East, CCP has played its Odyssey plans pretty close to its chest. The expansion is due to go live on June 4th, so its likely we'll see some solid details of the new exploration mechanics. Today, we also have a quick interview with EVE Online's Executive Producer Jon Lander who led the team through the Crucible, Inferno and Retribution expansions. If you have any burning questions on EVE for Jon, let me know in the comments and I'll be sure to ask him if there's time. Whether you're a die-hard fan of internet spaceships or just a gawker on the sidelines, EVE Fanfest is the EVE Online event of the year (and the key source of new DUST 514 and World of Darkness scoops!). Follow Massively's Brendan Drain as he reports back on this year's Fanfest starpower, scheming, and spoilers from exotic Reykjavik, Iceland. What to expect from EVE Fanfest today: World of Darkness, EVE Keynote, and an interview with Jon lander originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Fanfest 2013 day one: DUST 514, wormholes, and lowsec PvP Posted: 25 Apr 2013 09:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events (Real-World), Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, Opinion, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Events (Massively's Coverage), DUST 514, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Anniversaries, Subscription The 10th anniversary EVE Online Fanfest is beyond massive, with over 1,400 players piling into Reykjavik's Harpa building for three days of intense internet spaceshippery. Players fly from across the world to meet their corpmates and chat with other players as passionate about EVE as they are. CCP runs a packed schedule of game design presentations, reveals, and roundtable discussions with players, but for many attendees, the event is about being a part of a tight-knit community that usually exists only inside a game server. CCP made the bold statement to the press team this morning that its goal is "to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life," and with so many people flying across the world to meet other players face to face, I'd say the studio has succeeded. Today saw talks on EVE's hugely successful Retribution expansion, ship rebalancing, map generation in DUST 514, and lowsec PvP, and of course, we attended the DUST 514 keynote speech. There were also some hilarious shenanigans with the wormhole roundtable room filling to bursting and a guest science lecture on the possibility of faster than light travel in real life. Continue reading EVE Fanfest 2013 day one: DUST 514, wormholes, and lowsec PvP EVE Fanfest 2013 day one: DUST 514, wormholes, and lowsec PvP originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Summoner's Guidebook: Support in League of Legends doesn't mean healing Posted: 25 Apr 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Out of all the roles in League of Legends, support is the most misunderstood. People expect supports to be similar to healing classes in other games, the kinds of characters who knit sweaters and cook dinner while the real warriors go out and fight on the front lines. When people first learn about the metagame, they often have the mistaken impression that because the support doesn't farm, there are fewer expectations of the playstyle. However, supports are less like MMO healers and more like the shortstop in baseball. He's not a baseman, but that gives him flexibility to be where a baseman can't be. He's constantly in the thick of the action, and his team regularly relies on him to make plays. In League, the support's freedom from farming gives her the freedom to roam, to fish for aggressive opportunities and shut down the enemy. She can even wander into mid lane or the enemy jungle in search of these opportunities. Far from a shrinking violet, the support is one of the biggest playmakers on her team. I got my start in LoL playing support, and it's a role I inherently understand well. I'm not really happy making aggressive lane plays and would prefer to relax and let my mechanics win my games for me (hence why I like ADC), but when thrust into the role of playmaker, I do reasonably well. For team leaders or just people who like to make others play by their rules, support is the role of choice. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Support in League of Legends doesn't mean healing The Summoner's Guidebook: Support in League of Legends doesn't mean healing originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Trion responds to Defiance cheating reports Posted: 25 Apr 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Trion has responded to reports of cheating in its new Defiance MMO shooter. Community manager Mathew "Sledgehammer70" Everett says that the firm's "anti-cheat measures are both client-side and server-side" and that Trion is "beefing up on all aspects around this." He goes on to explain how the community cheat-reporting has been helpful to the developers, and that "in most cases these players are truly cheating." You can contact Trion's customer support if you want to report suspicious in-game activity, and be sure to check Sledgehammer's full post on Reddit. [Thanks Robert!] Trion responds to Defiance cheating reports originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit

The Guild Counsel: Guild leadership isn't a job Posted: 25 Apr 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous Guild leadership is challenging, but as I've written before, sometimes guild leaders shoulder the burden of extraneous responsibilities and make the role harder than it should be. You'll often hear players referring to the leadership role as a job, meaning that it's work rather than fun. But while running a guild can be tricky at times, it shouldn't be a job, and there are some important differences between the two that are helpful reminders for guild leaders. In this week's Guild Counsel, let's look why the role of guild leader should remain distinctly separate from that of an employer. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Guild leadership isn't a job The Guild Counsel: Guild leadership isn't a job originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Icarus Online preps for closed beta, releases trailer Posted: 25 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Free-to-Play We haven't talked about Icarus Online after its unfortunate journey to the sun last year, so it's definitely time to check in with this South Korean import. The flight-centric MMO is gearing up for closed beta next month, and players can sign up right the heck now if they want to participate in the beta. The first closed beta test is scheduled for May 2nd through 5th and will feature five classes and a level cap of 25. WeMade Entertainment has a new trailer showing off Icarus Online and its aerial combat, which your peepers may partake of after the jump. [Thanks to Steparu for the tip!] Continue reading Icarus Online preps for closed beta, releases trailer Icarus Online preps for closed beta, releases trailer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu.com

New Earthrise: First Impact screenshots unveiled Posted: 25 Apr 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Galleries, Screenshots, News Items, Free-to-Play, Earthrise, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox We're sure many sci-fi sandbox fans have been looking forward to the (re)launch of Earthrise: First Impact since German studio SilentFuture took the helm in May of last year. Unfortunately, those fans are going to have to wait a bit longer before they can get their hands on the game in earnest, but in the meantime, SilentFuture has released a new bevy of screenshots to help satiate their hunger. And we've gotta say, they look pretty darn spiffy. The screens include an arid desert outpost, mysterious ruins admist a lush, verdant jungle, and what appears to be an absurdly oversized artillery gun, amongst other things. It would certainly appear that the folks at SilentFuture have been hard at work, and although screenshots are no substitute for actual gameplay, they're still a feast for the eyes nonetheless. So how about checking them out in the gallery below? [Source: SilentFuture press release] Gallery: Earthrise: First Impact New Earthrise: First Impact screenshots unveiled originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Paladin and Warrior go mano-a-mano in new Hearthstone video Posted: 25 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Trading Card Games, Mac Blizzard's online World of Warcraft CCG, Hearthstone, is supposed to be heading into beta sometime soon[TM]. But to hold fans over until then, the studio has released a new video featuring a duel between the Warrior and Paladin classes, complete with play-by-play commentary. Whether you're looking to wrap your head around the basic rules of the game or trying to pick up on some more advanced strategies to get a leg-up on the competition, this video has something for you. So what are you waiting for? Click on past the cut for the full video; it's time to d-d-d-d-duel! Or something like that, anyway. Continue reading Paladin and Warrior go mano-a-mano in new Hearthstone video Paladin and Warrior go mano-a-mano in new Hearthstone video originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Snail to show off Black Gold steampunk MMO at E3 Posted: 25 Apr 2013 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Steampunk We've written about Black Gold Online in the past, but the upcoming MMO is decidedly more interesting on the heels of publisher Snail Games' successful Age of Wushu launch. The company will show off its Wushu follow-up at E3 2013. A new post on the firm's website says that players can look forward to 3000-plus dynamic events as well as "actions that can change the game world itself." Avatars can "change forms" in combat and and "drive giant armors," all while exploring a unique world blended from sci-fi, fantasy, and steampunk elements. Would you like to know more? There's a fresh trailer just after the break. Continue reading Snail to show off Black Gold steampunk MMO at E3 Snail to show off Black Gold steampunk MMO at E3 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

How to tame your Dragon's Prophet Posted: 25 Apr 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Dragon's Prophet Wanna-be dragon tamers are probably all over Dragon's Prophet and the promise of making a magical lizard your willing servant. But if you're looking for more details about the whole Smaug slavery deal, then a new dev post on the official site should clear things up. Dragons come in many packages. First off, there are the three species in Dragon's Prophet: elder dragon, legendary dragon, and regular dragon. Only the last type are available to bond with, however. Dragons then come in four varieties: flying, aquatic, gliding, and land. To snag a dragon of her own, a player has to engage in a capture minigame to charm a beast. If successful, then the dragon joins forces and can use one of its many skills in combat. Dragons can also give players special skills as well. When players aren't using dragons, they can put them in a dragon lair or assign them to tasks such as gathering materials. How to tame your Dragon's Prophet originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Here there be dragons

EA suffers additional layoffs Posted: 25 Apr 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Mobile, Miscellaneous Citing a reorganization to focus on new technologies and mobile development, EA announced that it has let another round of its employees go. No firm numbers or estimates on how many were fired have been officially released, however. The publisher released the following statement on its blog: In recent weeks, EA has aligned all elements of its organizational structure behind priorities in new technologies and mobile. This has led to some difficult decisions to reduce the workforce in some locations. We are extremely grateful for the contributions made by each of our employees - those that are leaving EA will be missed by their colleagues and friends. These are hard but essential changes as we focus on delivering great games and showing players around the world why to spend their time with us. A Gamasutra source said that the EA Partners publishing label has been abolished in the reorganization, although the games it was handling are still in the works. EA suffers additional layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamasutra

SOE Live registrations open, offer early bird specials Posted: 25 Apr 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Events (Real-World), Promotions, Miscellaneous Thinking about heading to SOE Live this August? Then it's time to get your pass to the event! SOE has opened up registrations to the convention today and has a few special deals for folks who book in the next couple of weeks. Event attendees can purchase single-day passes, evening passes, or all-access passes. Through May 22nd, the single-day passes are $10 off and the all-access pass is $20 off the normal price. The day and all-access passes include special goodies such as a t-shirt, in-game items, future expansions to both EverQuest titles, and access to the showroom. Children 12 and under can attend for free, and players may elect to spring for a brunch with the developer team for an extra $59. SOE Live will take place from August 1st through August 4th at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. SOE Live registrations open, offer early bird specials originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: SOE Live pricing

Darkfall Unholy Wars hits Steam as Valve introduces new subscription service Posted: 25 Apr 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Business Models, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, Subscription In a press release issued on Steam today, Valve announced that it now offers something of particular value to MMOs on the platform: subscription plans. Gamers can now subscribe to MMOs on Steam and manage recurring payments to those games using Steam itself. With Subscription Plans, Steam offers gamers the ability to sign up and manage payments for subscription-based games on Steam. [...] Steam customers may now sign-up for, manage, cancel or renew game Subscription Plans at any time, online directly through Steam. On the front lines of this new Steam feature is none other than subscription-based sandbox MMO Darkfall Unholy Wars, which relaunched just last week. Valve promises that "additional subscription-based games [will] follow" and posted a lengthy FAQ to ward off the tinfoil hat crowd. Darkfall Unholy Wars hits Steam as Valve introduces new subscription service originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steam announcement

The Perfect Ten: Final moments of MMOs, part 2 Posted: 25 Apr 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Video, City of Heroes, Opinion, All Points Bulletin, Humor, LEGO Universe, Final Fantasy XIV, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, Sunsets LAST TIME ON THE PERFECT TEN: Games were shut down, tears were shed, memories were dragged unwillingly from long-term storage, and videos were shown. Also, Marty totally suckered Biff into driving into a truck full of manure and then got his parents to kiss at a dance so that he wouldn't be erased from the space-time continuum. AND NOW FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION! Is it completely morbid to want to revisit (or see for the first time) the final moments of MMOs? Yes, but also no. Really, it's just interesting to me, and I have no great agenda at play here. Sometimes seeing how a game goes out can tell you a lot about its community and dev team. So join us now as we hit the second half of 10 videos showing the last few minutes of these online RPGs. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Final moments of MMOs, part 2 The Perfect Ten: Final moments of MMOs, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610