General Gaming Article

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• GTX 760 Video Card Roundup
• Column: We're Not Living in a Post-PC Era
• July 4th Special: Get Digital Back Issues of Maximum PC for 99 Cents!
• Steve Ballmer Steps Into Don Mattrick's Shoes to Lead Xbox Division
• Yahoo Takes AltaVista Search Engine Off Life Support
• Hackers Infiltrate Ubisoft's Servers and Swipe User Data
• Razer Blade Review
• Newegg Daily Deals: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 Motherboard, AMD A10-5800K APU, and More!
• Rebuilt Opera Browser Now Available for Windows and Mac
• Microsoft's Don Mattrick Headed to Zynga, Stock Surges

GTX 760 Video Card Roundup Posted: 02 Jul 2013 05:46 PM PDT Video card vendors have an overclocking frenzy with Nvidia's newest GPU Nvidia dropped its new GTX 760 this week and gave gamers a cheaper 700-Series card in the process. MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, and EVGA have all recently announced overclocked $260 versions of the card as a result.  MSI MSI recently launched its GTX 760 Gaming edition video card and adorned it with its new aftermarket Twin Frozr IV cooler. The video card features a core clock of 1,085MHz and a boost clock of 1,150MHz, and sports 2GB of video RAM with a clock of 6,000MHz. MSI claims that the card tops out at 71C and 22 dB under load. MSI's Gaming GTX 760 gets the similar PCB and black and red color scheme that its Gaming GTX 770 has. Along with the release of the new video card, MSI also released a new version of its Gaming App, an overclocking tool designed to let gamers change the clock and fan speeds of its video cards. Gigabyte Gigabyte dispatched an overclocked GTX 760 outfitted with its Windforce cooler. The firm's new card features the same 1,085MHz and 1,150MHz core and boost clock that MSI's GTX 760 Gaming uses. Gigabyte's triple fan Windforce cooler, first seen on the GeForce GTX 770, also cools Gigabyte's GTX 760. Asus Asus decided to bring its Direct CU II cooler to the GTX 760 party and slightly overclocked the card to have a core clock of 1,006MHz and a boost clock of 1,072MHz. The video card also supports the newest version of GPU Tweak, Asus's overclocking software. Asus says that its GTX 760 delivers 20% better cooling, and is vastly quieter than the reference card. Asus's Direct CU II cooler attaches itself to another 7-Series GPU. EVGA EVGA released eight GTX 760s equipped with a variety of different cooling configurations and clock speeds. The most notable thing about EVGA is that it is the only OEM currently offering a GTX 760 card with 4GB of video RAM.  EVGA brings its newly designed ACX Cooler to the GTX 760. You can check out the rest new EVGA GTX 760's here on the EVGA website.  The performance of all of the cards should provide a boost in performance over the stock-clocked GTX 760. Look out for the reviews of these cards in the near future. Below is a chart showing the differences and similarities between the new GTX 760 cards.

Column: We're Not Living in a Post-PC Era Posted: 02 Jul 2013 04:50 PM PDT Take back the messaging As a close observer of politics and messaging, I've noticed that the politician who controls the terminology, controls the message. Thus inheritance tax becomes a "death tax" and a $1 trillion tax increase turns into "revenue enhancement." The PC has long been a victim of this. Years ago, when the "do everything on the server" crowd tried to fight back against the rising adoption rate of PCs in companies, they pointed to the higher cost of PCs, and started calling their products "thin clients" and PCs the "fat clients." No matter what your physical stature is, we can all admit that labeling something "fat" conjures up the image of some slovenly dude wearing a T-shirt stained by Taco Bell Fire Sauce. Rather than fight back with its own messaging by calling thin clients "weak clients," the PC industry shrugged its shoulders and sheepishly accepted the label. You can't even watch 4K videos on a tablet, let alone edit them. More recently, the industry, analysts, and media have embraced the phrase "post PC" as a way to describe the end of the PC. Rather than you sitting in an office all day under greenish fluorescent lighting processing TPS reports from a desktop, you'll be using your post-PC device while reclining in the grass under the warm sun of the Hobbit Shire. Because that's how we'll all work in the post-PC world. Hell, why go to the office at all? Why not just tell your boss you're working from a café today on your tablet? I'm sure she'll give you the thumbs up. Steve Jobs talking about the "post-PC era" I'm not going to let them control the messaging anymore. The "fat client"? That's actually a "fast client" or "productive client" now. Oh, you say you can't even view 4K video, let alone edit it, on your thin client or tablet? Perhaps you might want to use a productive client for it. Is anybody really ready to totally give up their physical keyboards in favor of digital ones? And just as the Mayan's predicted: On January 4, 2014 (1.4.14), a gravity wave will obliterate all of the major PC vendors and hardware suppliers, leading to a post-PC apocalyptic world. With no fast PCs left in the world, editing of 4K video or converting 12GB of RAW image files from a 36MP DSLR camera can only be done on a post-PC apocalyptic device, such as your dual-core tablet. Also, those really long essays? They'll have to be done by touch or on an exceedingly cramped and unreliable Bluetooth keyboard. I don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to living in a post-PC apocalyptic world.

July 4th Special: Get Digital Back Issues of Maximum PC for 99 Cents! Posted: 02 Jul 2013 02:43 PM PDT Offer is valid now, ends July 5th In honor of July 4th, we thought we would allow you to get digital back issues of Maximum PC magazine for 99 cents! The offer is valid now and ends July 5th at midnight. You can pick up the these issues on iTunes, Google Play, or Zinio.

Steve Ballmer Steps Into Don Mattrick's Shoes to Lead Xbox Division Posted: 02 Jul 2013 12:36 PM PDT New Xbox One boss is Steve Ballmer Don Mattrick is out as Microsoft's President of Interactive Entertainment, and instead is headed to Zynga where he'll serve as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a social game maker in desperate need of guidance. That's all well and good for Zynga, but where does that leave Microsoft and its upcoming Xbox One launch? Squarely in the hands of Steve Ballmer, that's where, as confirmed by an open email from Ballmer to all of Microsoft's employees. "Zynga announced today that Don Mattrick would be its new CEO, effective July 8. This is a great opportunity for Don, and I wish him success. Don's directs will report to me and will continue to drive the day-to-day business as a team, particularly focused on shipping Xbox One this holiday," Ballmer stated in an email. Ballmer went on to talk about Mattrick's accomplishments at Microsoft, how excited he is about the Xbox brand, and then closed out his message by thanking Mattrick for his contributions to date. All that's missing is a shiny bow and an oversized smile to complete the picture. Does this seem a little bit suspect to anyone else? Just a few days ago, there were reports that Ballmer was spearheading a major restructuring effort within Microsoft, one in which very few top level executives were being consulted with, and suddenly Microsoft's Xbox boss is out the door, handing the reins to Ballmer on the way out. In any event, the future of Microsoft's Xbox brand is now squarely in Ballmer's hands without a middle man. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Yahoo Takes AltaVista Search Engine Off Life Support Posted: 02 Jul 2013 12:09 PM PDT Hasta la vista, AltaVista AltaVista is shutting down, and if you find that the least bit surprising, it's probably because you're shocked to discover it still exists. Well, it does, for a few more days anyway. On July 8, 2013, Yahoo will pull the plug on one of the web's earliest search engines, ending a run that spanned nearly two decades (AltaVista launched on December 15, 1995). How did it come to this? Google, of course. Back in the early days of the web, AltaVista was the go-to search engine. It was fast, had a multi-threaded crawler, and a rather large index that trumped the competition. Less than a year after it launched, Yahoo tapped AltaVista to provide its search results. Two things led to AltaVista's eventual demise. First, there was Google, a search engine everybody is familiar with today. And secondly, around the time Google came into existence, AltaVista began changing hands, starting with a sale to Compaq. It would eventually end up in Yahoo's portfolio as part of a larger transaction (Yahoo purchased Overture Services, Inc. in 2003, which owned AltaVista at the time). Fast forward to today and hardly anyone uses AltaVista anymore. It's understandable that Yahoo would shut AltaVista down, though one could argue that the once popular search engine deserved better than to be lumped into a blog post announcing several product closures. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Hackers Infiltrate Ubisoft's Servers and Swipe User Data Posted: 02 Jul 2013 11:43 AM PDT Time to change your password Game publisher Ubisoft today confirmed that one of its websites suffered a security breach and that the person or people responsible made off with usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords. Ubisoft stressed that it doesn't store any personal payment information, meaning no debit or credit card data was stolen as a result of this server hack. Nevertheless, Ubisoft recommends that you change your password right away. "Out of an abundance of caution, we also recommend that you change your password on any other website or service where you use the same or a similar password," Ubisoft said in a statement. Such is the risk of using a single password for multiple websites. If just one site is compromised, hackers can try logging into different portals with your login credentials, potentially gaining access to your email account or even your financial account. At minimum, it's recommend that you use separate passwords for bank logins than you do for forums and email, etc. As for Ubisoft's servers, the publishers said it instantly took action to close off access and is currently working with authorities to investigate the breach. In the meantime, Ubisoft's sites are temporarily down for "maintenance." Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Razer Blade Review Posted: 02 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Good gaming notebooks come in small packages Razer Blade review: With both Intel's Haswell and Nvidia's new 700M-series components shrinking and sipping less power, the super-portable, 14-inch, gaming laptop revolution is about to begin. Leading the charge is Razer with its ultra-sleek new Razer Blade gaming notebook, which is a smaller take on the 17-inch version (since rebranded as Razer Blade Pro) we reviewed last year.  The Razer Blade laptop may be the sexiest laptop we've ever seen (for more pictures, scroll down to the gallery at the bottom of the review). And it certainly looks the part with as it carries the same alluring green LED backlit keyboard and black matte aluminum chassis. Though the Switchblade's LCD trackpad has been replaced by a more traditional trackpad centered under the keyboard. Arguably, the biggest selling point of the new Blade is that it's ridiculously svelte with a chassis measuring 13.6x9.3x.66-inches. Razer claims it's the world's thinnest gaming laptop and it's certainly the slimmest we've tested. With the lid closed, the laptop is thinner than a standing dime. It's light too, weighing in at four pounds, 3.3 oz. The Razer Blade is clearly one highly portable gaming laptop, though some inputs were sacrificed, as it only has three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, and an analog 1/8-inch audio jack.  Another gripe we had is its matte TN panel instead of an IPS monitor which offers better viewing angles and more accurate color reproduction. We would have also preferred a 1080P resolution monitor, but 1600x900 is pretty par for 14-inch screens. We had no problems with the speakers, which were crisp and surprisingly loud for such a small laptop. The trackpad is more of a mixed bag. Although it's highly responsive, supports multi-touch gestures, and has dedicated buttons, rather than integrated into the trackpad, the buttons on both it and the keyboard feel very fragile, like they could pop off after a few thousand clicks. This is by far the thinnest gaming notebook we've ever tested (for more pics of the Razer Blade, check out our gallery at the bottom of the article). Beneath the keyboard, the Razer Blade is equipped with a quad-core Haswell Core i7-4702HQ, GeForce GTX 765M, and 8GB of DDR3. Disappointingly, the Blade's only means of storage is a 256GB mSATA SSD, but one can opt for the 512GB SSD configuration instead for an additional $300. With game installs eating up 25GB and more these days, that 256GB will go pretty quickly. Regardless, the Razer Blade was able to manhandle our much bulkier MSI GT60 zero point in our benchmarks. The gains weren't massive in our CPU tests, with the Blade stalemating our ZP's 2.3GHz Ivy Bridge part in ProShow and only being single digit percentages faster in Stitch and x264, but it is worth noting that the Blade's Haswell part is a lower 37-watt CPU compared to our ZP's 45-watt equivalent. The real advantage showed itself in our battery test where the Blade lasted nearly 30 percent longer.  Graphics-side, Nvidia's 765M GPU allowed the laptop to really hit its stride performing at least 30 percent better in 3DMark 11 and running 60 percent faster in STALKER: CoP. In our experiential  tests, we were able to play the graphically-demanding Far Cry 3 on high settings with average framerates in the mid 40s which is ridiculously good for such a small notebook. The laptop was also quick to boot, launching to Windows in under 14 seconds.  The Razer Blade isn't without its flaws, but the fact that it's half the size of many gaming laptops while offering much more power, all in a super sexy form factor, is crazy. It may not be cheap at $2,000, but Razer's new philosophy of squeezing the most power per cubic-inch is noble and should be applauded.   Razer Blade Benchmarks Our zero-point notebook is an MSI GT60 with a 2.3GHz IntelCorei7-3610QM, 12GB DDR3/1600, two 500GB Seagate 7,200rpm hard drives, a GeForce GTX 670M, and Windows 8 64-bit.STALKER: CoP tested at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, Tessellation, and contact hardening Razer Blade Specs Razer Blade Price: $2,000, http://www.razerzone.com/

Newegg Daily Deals: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 Motherboard, AMD A10-5800K APU, and More! Posted: 02 Jul 2013 09:15 AM PDT Top Deal: Building a new system around Intel's Haswell architecture? We like the way you think, and we'd like to help. That's why today's top deal is for an ASRock Z87 Extreme6 LGA 1150 motherboard for $175 with free shipping (normally $190). This ASRock board is the real deal with HDMI input, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi support, USB 3.0, and more. Heck, it's even waterproof (to an extent) thanks to a special layer of Conformal Coating! Other Deals: AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 7660D for $130 with free shipping ($20 Newegg promotional gift card with purchase) Asus VS239H-P 23" Widescreen LED Monitor IPS Panel for $170 with free shipping (normally $200; additional $10 mail-in rebate and $15 Newegg promotional gift card with purchase) AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor for $200 with shipping for $1 ($20 Newegg promotional gift card with purchase) Toshiba Canvio Connect 2TB USB 3.0 Blue External Hard Drive HDTC720XL3C1 for $130 with free shipping (normally $150)

Rebuilt Opera Browser Now Available for Windows and Mac Posted: 02 Jul 2013 09:02 AM PDT Meet the new Opera It's the dawn of a new era for Opera Software. The Scandinavian browser maker just finalized its Opera 15.0 browser, but more than just a version upgrade, this latest release is packing a brand new engine underneath the hood. Pop the top and you'll no longer find Presto working its magic, as Opera Software decided to switch to Google's Chromium-based Blink rendering engine, which is a fork of WebKit. Chromium is an open-source browser that serves as the foundation for Chrome. After struggling to compete for market share, Opera Software may have ultimately decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and that's essentially what the company did. The result is an Opera browser with a fresh look and new features. For example, Opera now combines the address bar and search bar. Opera 15 also introduces a feature called Stash, which records the location, meta data, and a screenshot of a page. That information is then placed into a collapsible list entry on the browser's Start Page, which you can search by keyword or scan visually by screenshot. The biggest benefit, however, is speed. It feels faster than previous Opera builds and certainly looks "lighter" thanks to its streamlined interface. You can download Opera 15 now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft's Don Mattrick Headed to Zynga, Stock Surges Posted: 02 Jul 2013 08:26 AM PDT Zynga's getting a new chief Usually it takes some time before Internet rumors are either confirmed or debunked. Not so with the news that Microsoft's Don Mattrick would be jumping ship and swimming over to Zynga to assume a high level position with the social game maker. Following unofficial reports of Mattrick's move, Zynga has now confirmed that the former president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment division is joining Zynga as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mattrick replaces Zynga founder Mark Pincus as the company's new chief, news of which sent Zynga's stock surging. Company stock rose more than 12 percent after it was rumored Mattrick would be stepping in, and is up around 23 percent since he was officially named CEO. "Don is unique in the game business," Pincus said in a statement. "He can execute in multiple domains – hardware, software and network, and he's been the person responsible for game franchises like 'Need for Speed,' 'FIFA' and 'The Sims.' He's one of the top executives in the overall entertainment business and he's a great coach who has inspired people to do their best work and build strong, productive teams. He deeply understands the value of a network and the importance of creating lifelong consumer relationships. He turned Xbox into the world's largest console-gaming network, growing its installed base from 10 to 80 million and transformed that business from deep losses to substantial profits. And he has grown the Xbox Live player network from 6 to 50 million active members in 41 countries." Pincus added that going forward, he'll continue in his role as Chairman and Chief Product Officer, but is more than happy to concede his position as CEO to Mattrick, who spent the last six years at Microsoft. His challenge will be to turn around a company that was once on top of the social game world but has had trouble maintaining its success. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMO Updates

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• Age of Wushu's first expansion coming August 8th
• Wurm Online releases first video dev diary for version 1.1
• Explore the Cyclops Depths on Planet Calypso
• World of Warplanes takes to the skies in open beta
• Final Fantasy XIV surpasses 1M beta registrations
• 'Everything in the world is fair game': Chris Whiteside on Guild Wars 2's living world
• CCP taps EA's Sean Decker as new VP of product development
• The Daily Grind: How organized is your inventory?
• Not So Massively: LoL comes to Australia, D3 bans botters, and Star Citizen's 24-hour livestream
• Trion adds new Volge Incursion content to Defiance
• Captain's Log: The Scimitar arrives in Star Trek Online
• The Repopulation's June recap talks revamped tutorial
• EVE Online event encourages players to channel their inner photographers
• Director's letter for Age of Conan talks loot, merges, and dungeons
• The Nexus Telegraph: Points of interest in WildStar's latest beta patch
• SOE drop-pods two new battleground videos into the PlanetSide 2 fray
• Massively Exclusive: Episode 1 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria

Age of Wushu's first expansion coming August 8th Posted: 02 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Age of Wushu If you were just thinking that all your summer needed to be perfect was to lose yourself in Age of Wushu's first expansion, you're in luck! Snail Games has announced that Legends of Mount Hua will be released in just a little over a month on August 8th. This expansion brings a number of new features to the martial arts sandbox, including a battle arena, a new story and instance, and the PvP Mount Hua Competition. Players will also have access to a new gratitude and revenge system, a treasure system, the Martial Brother System, and a Jianghu Status System to enhance their gameplay. The Martial Brother System allows lower-level players to increase their power quickly and offers discounts on skills. Using the Jianghu Status System, players can measure their standing with the world's NPCs and various factions, and improving or worsening their relationship with NPCs and successfully completing faction challenges will build Jianghu experience, which in turn can earn various rewards like items, titles, even quests and special battlefields. [Source: Snail Games press release] Age of Wushu's first expansion coming August 8th originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wurm Online releases first video dev diary for version 1.1 Posted: 02 Jul 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, Wurm Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Sandbox On June 19, Code Club AB released the long-awaited patch 1.1 for Wurm Online, essentially taking the game into a whole new world of content, improvements, graphics, and playability. To help celebrate that new update, the team has released its first developer diary video, giving players a chance to see a bit more of the behind-the-scenes with the developers themselves, and more highlights from the game's recent improvements. You can watch the video just after the cut, and be sure to check out our own recent revisit to the classic sandbox. [Source: Code Club AB press release] Continue reading Wurm Online releases first video dev diary for version 1.1 Wurm Online releases first video dev diary for version 1.1 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Explore the Cyclops Depths on Planet Calypso Posted: 02 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Entropia Universe, Patches, Endgame, News Items, Free-to-Play, Planet Calypso, Dungeons At times it might seem that Planet Calypso is all about massive cash transactions, but that's not the case. There's also a planet to explore, a planet that's gotten a little bigger with the introduction of the new Cyclops Depths. Located beneath the eponymous Cyclops Volcano, the Depths are home to a variety of creatures including the species that originally inhabited the planet... a species that's not entirely happy to find out that an entirely new species has decided to colonize its home. The Mind Reavers had locked themselves away to wait out ecological disaster, but now they're coming back up. So high-level groups of players will need to go down there and negotiate, which means fighting through a large number of mutants and Mind Reavers. New players are welcome to enter as well, but the area is primarily meant for veterans well-equipped for the process of clearing out the depths. [Source: Entropia Universe press release] Explore the Cyclops Depths on Planet Calypso originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warplanes takes to the skies in open beta Posted: 02 Jul 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Galleries, Screenshots, New Titles, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Warplanes Virtual pilots who've been waiting for their chance to climb in the cockpit of historical warbirds for some aerial acrobatics and dogfights will find the hanger door opened wide now. Wargaming announced that World of Warplanes launched into open beta today in North America and Russia and will launch in Europe tomorrow, July 4th. Pilots can choose from 1930s to 1950s era planes from Japan, the Soviet Union, Germany, and the United States to engage in 15v15 PvP matches. The open beta brings some new additions to the game, including a new tutorial, a real-time tactical feedback system, consumables, crew and crew skills, and various types of ammunition. Players who participated in closed beta will receive special prizes. The Unified Premium Account, which allows players from either World of Tanks or World of Warplanes to purchase one premium account for both titles, will launch in the later stages of open beta. [Source: Wargaming press release] Gallery: World of Warplanes World of Warplanes takes to the skies in open beta originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XIV surpasses 1M beta registrations Posted: 02 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Final Fantasy XIV Square Enix sure is working hard to rejuvenate Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in the eyes of fans. After a promising showing at E3 this year and plenty of revamped content for the upcoming rebirth, Square says that over one million people have registered for the MMO's beta. The August 27th launch date is right around the corner, and these beta numbers could mean that the desired trust has been regained after the original launch failure in 2010. "In the 25-year history of the Final Fantasy series, there hasn't been a Final Fantasy that has failed. We can't -- we just can't -- let this game end in failure," game director Naoki Yoshida said last year in an interview with Eurogamer. If you'd like to find out more about the FFXIV beta and our impressions so far, check out Eliot's continuing coverage. Final Fantasy XIV surpasses 1M beta registrations originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Eurogamer

'Everything in the world is fair game': Chris Whiteside on Guild Wars 2's living world Posted: 02 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Interviews, Previews, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Family, Buy-to-Play Someday playing MMOs will be like visiting that virtual-reality club in Minority Report or stepping onto a holodeck that conveniently sits between your fridge and bathroom. Today, however, we're still playing on screens and in worlds that don't quite feel alive. That goat-herding NPC you once helped do his job? Yeah, he's still there doing the same thing he was last week. ArenaNet has tried to push Guild Wars 2 in the right direction with its "living world" philosophy -- the idea that events can come and go, experiences can change year to year, and perhaps players can even change the landscape of Tyria itself. Last week, Chris Whiteside, Studio Design Director at ArenaNet, chatted with us about how this living world, even in its infancy, is already starting to change what it means to be an MMO. Continue reading 'Everything in the world is fair game': Chris Whiteside on Guild Wars 2's living world 'Everything in the world is fair game': Chris Whiteside on Guild Wars 2's living world originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

CCP taps EA's Sean Decker as new VP of product development Posted: 02 Jul 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, World of Darkness, DUST 514, MMORPG Big changes from Iceland today, as CCP announced that it has brought on Sean Decker as senior vice president of product development. Decker is a 12-year EA veteran and recently headed the publisher's free-to-play focused games group, along with previously overseeing DICE and EA Los Angeles. EVE Online, as crazy as it sounds, is entering its second decade of being a game about internet spaceships, and CCP is looking toward the future. The company referenced Decker's extensive industry experience as a valuable asset in helping guide EVE Online through its next 10 years and in ensuring growth through the eventually-maybe launch of World of Darkness and the expansion of DUST 514. Decker will be based out of CCP's Atlanta studio. Massively's Brendan Drain spoke with Decker and EVE's Hilmar Petursson at a press event yesterday. We'll have more information on how the new hire will impact EVE this afternoon! [Source: CCP press release] CCP taps EA's Sean Decker as new VP of product development originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How organized is your inventory? Posted: 02 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Actually looking through my inventory in most games is a bit like opening up a hoarder den. I don't know why I thought a level 37 blue chestpiece was worth saving in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but for some reason it's there, and it's brought a dozen friends. My inventory in Final Fantasy XIV could be mistaken for a random test dump of inventory items, not to mention that one of my retainers has so much raw meat sitting in his inventory that he may be legally classified as a slaughterhouse. I don't think we're as good as we should be about keeping our inventories nice and organized. But maybe I'm just a horrible example. So I ask you, dear readers -- how organized is your inventory? Is it a marvel of cleanliness and efficiency, or do you have an entire wing of bank storage dedicated to a purpose you no longer remember, one that involved seemingly random items? 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: How organized is your inventory? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jul 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: LoL comes to Australia, D3 bans botters, and Star Citizen's 24-hour livestream Posted: 01 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Casual, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Firefall, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Sunsets Australian League of Legends players have been celebrating the opening of a new Oceanic server, and developers outlined the path European and North American players can take to get into the competitive scene. The prize pool on Dota 2's world championship tournament has now risen to over $2.4 million US with a month still to go until the event. And indie MOBA Rise of Immortals officially closed its doors and shut down this week. Mobile MOBA Heroes of Order and Chaos released a new update with a steampunk 5v5 map and two new heroes. SMITE revealed its next big update, which includes new consumable teleport items, Conquest map overhauls, and cosmetic upgrades for several characters. And if you've ever had a hard time picking from Heroes of Newerth's massive roster of characters, a new filter system introduced in the latest patch will let you filter our characters by role or even pick random characters from your favourites. Star Citizen became the most popular crowdfunded project of all time during its 24-hour livestream event, reaching almost $12 million US. Blizzard released a blog post reminding Diablo III players that it issues bans for botting, exploiting, and using any third-party software to modify how the game plays. And Firefall's Mark Kern sparked an intense debate by stating that he thinks World of Warcraft has "killed a genre." Continue reading Not So Massively: LoL comes to Australia, D3 bans botters, and Star Citizen's 24-hour livestream Not So Massively: LoL comes to Australia, D3 bans botters, and Star Citizen's 24-hour livestream originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Trion adds new Volge Incursion content to Defiance Posted: 01 Jul 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Defiance, Buy-to-Play If you've ever reckoned that what Defiance really needs is an infusion of super tough mobs, well, maybe you work for Trion. Or maybe you watched the Defiance TV episode featuring the Volge and thought to yourself, hmm, those would be fun to kill. Or maybe you're just a Defiance player who is waiting for me to get to the point of this news post. The point is that Trion has indeed added the Volge to its sci-fi shooter MMO. You'll find all the details about the new content on the game's official website. [Thanks Gaius!] Trion adds new Volge Incursion content to Defiance originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Captain's Log: The Scimitar arrives in Star Trek Online Posted: 01 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Expansions, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Captain's Log I'm back from a great trip to Northern California, during which I took the opportunity to drop in on Cryptic Studios and specifically the Star Trek Online team to see what they had up their sleeves following their success with the Legacy of Romulus expansion. While I was able to interview numerous people while I was there, so much new stuff is coming out that I just can't not go over it here. The new summer event on Risa has already begun, and a big new ship is making her debut in the game. I got a great close-up look at her and her sisters and the inside scoop of what she'll be capable of! So join me past the break as I investigate Star Trek Online's new predator of a ship: the Scimitar! Continue reading Captain's Log: The Scimitar arrives in Star Trek Online Captain's Log: The Scimitar arrives in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Repopulation's June recap talks revamped tutorial Posted: 01 Jul 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, The Repopulation Above & Beyond Technologies has posted its monthly Repopulation development recap. The list of changes, additions, and fixes is typically lengthy, and June of 2013 was especially noteworthy due to the introduction of a new tutorial system for the sci-fi sandbox. The new system is designed for higher interactivity as opposed to the massive info dump that was the previous incarnation. The devs also improved some of The Repopulation's cinematic camera options and added ability-based goals for missions as well as a command alias system. The full list of June accomplishments can be found on the game's website. The Repopulation's June recap talks revamped tutorial originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: June recap

EVE Online event encourages players to channel their inner photographers Posted: 01 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (In-Game), News Items, Sandbox, Subscription There are some beautiful vistas in EVE Online. You can be forgiven for not noticing when you're trying to sneak your way through dangerous space without getting blown up, but the stellar landscape is gorgeous. So the newest in-game event isn't focused on shooting other players; it's focused on giving everyone a reason to fly around and take pictures of the scenery. Successfully taking these pictures means the requisite fantastic prizes, and you won't even have to stab anyone in the back to do so! For the duration of the event, a forum thread will be used to post existing screenshots in three groups of 10. Players who successfully find the listed locations and recreate the screenshots will be rewarded, as will a lucky winner who takes all of the screenshots correctly. All prizes are in-game, with the grand prize including a special monument and 10 PLEX. For more lore on the event and the official rules, you can take a look at the official posting. EVE Online event encourages players to channel their inner photographers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: New live event for July

Director's letter for Age of Conan talks loot, merges, and dungeons Posted: 01 Jul 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game Mechanics, Endgame, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dungeons If you've not been happy with loot rewards in Age of Conan, you can take some succor in the fact that the designers aren't happy with them either. The latest director's letter discusses the problem of rewards in the first Dragon's Spine dungeon and explains that the team is trying to create interesting loot without creating a huge power imbalance between new and veteran characters at the cap. While the next few dungeons will fill out the loot sets that have been established, the team is actively working on long-term solutions. Beyond that, the game remains on-track for server merges in the summer, with older unplayed characters moving into "archival" status to make database merges less onerous. The tradeskill revamp and further dungeons are also in the works; Coils of Ubah Khan is nearing launch as the next dungeon. For more details on the updates and discussion of achievements, take a look at the full letter. Director's letter for Age of Conan talks loot, merges, and dungeons originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Game Director Letter - June 2013

The Nexus Telegraph: Points of interest in WildStar's latest beta patch Posted: 01 Jul 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, Opinion, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph I'm beginning to think that people not in the WildStar beta are spending more time reading the patch notes than the people actually playing. Sure, they need to skim and find out what's changed, but the rest of us have an entire week of analyzing and dissecting to do. Or I do, anyway. Maybe everyone else just glances over them and moves on. I'm kind of hoping that it's not just me, but it wouldn't be the first time. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in the new patch notes, and some of it makes sense only if you're playing the game. Still, there's plenty to dissect from the outside looking in, and that's where I'm coming from. So I'm going to be taking it one step at a time to pick out points of interest from within the deep confines of the patch notes, and of course, speculating wildly because that is also what I do here. Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Points of interest in WildStar's latest beta patch The Nexus Telegraph: Points of interest in WildStar's latest beta patch originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SOE drop-pods two new battleground videos into the PlanetSide 2 fray Posted: 01 Jul 2013 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 The primary conflict in PlanetSide 2 centers on three factions fighting for control of three enormous continents. And while Esamir, Indar, and Amerish offer players hundreds of square miles on which to drive, shoot, and die, there's nothing quite like the thrill of a balanced team fight in a tight, controlled environment. At least, that's what Sony Online Entertainment is banking on with its next round of updates. The company recently announced the addition of Battle Islands, small continents designed for combat between platoons. While details are still limited, Battle Island matches will be set up based on some sort of ranking/certification system, will feature teams of 48 players, and are intended for those looking for more competitive engagements. The first such Battle Island due for release is Nexus, which boasts rocky terrain, icy caves, and forest-y hills. You can get a closer look at it via two new videos, both of which are after the break. Continue reading SOE drop-pods two new battleground videos into the PlanetSide 2 fray SOE drop-pods two new battleground videos into the PlanetSide 2 fray originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Exclusive: Episode 1 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria Posted: 01 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mabinogi It's story time, boys and girls, and today your storyteller will be Mabinogi. Every Friday through September, the game is offering up a new installment of episodic content... but we've got an early look at the first episode in video form, embedded just past the cut. After the last two video segments on the official site set the stage, this one is where things start happening, and players can follow along in the game if they're so inclined. Things certainly don't start in a positive light, with the player stand-in winding up as the force behind a demonic attack on a small village. But things just go from bad to worse from there; a flurry of events surrounds a powerful young woman, and an old feud between a shaman and a dragon rears its head. Take a look at the full video just past the break if you're a regular Mabinogi player, as you'll probably want to see this. [Source: Nexon press release] Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Episode 1 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria Massively Exclusive: Episode 1 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jul 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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