General Gaming Article

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• Build It: Mini Dream Machine
• DARPA-Sponsored Website Lets Gamers Test Software
• Mionix Naos 7000 Gaming Mouse Uses Lift Calibration to Optimize Tracking
• MSI Details Mini ITX Gaming Motherboard and Graphics Card
• NAND Flash Makers Reducing Production to Prevent Further Price Drops
• Finally, USB 3.1 Will Feature Reversible Connectors
• AMD Catalyst 13.11 Beta 9.5 Resolves Flickering Issue, Brings Back Overdrive
• Newegg Daily Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3-1600, Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H Mobo, and More!

Build It: Mini Dream Machine Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:16 PM PST Not everyone can afford to build their very own Dream Machine, so we also created a scaled-down version that's half the size, but still packs one hell of a punch Note: This article was originally featured in the September 2013 issue of the magazine A while back, we made the decision to use Corsair's towering 900D case for this year's Dream Machine, and we knew we wanted to complement it with a Build It article. When the 900D's little bro, the Corsair 350D, arrived in our offices a few weeks later, a plan started to form. About the same time as the case arrived, we also received Nvidia's GeForce GTX 700-series cards. With those, plus a Haswell CPU already in the Lab, the plan became fully realized: We'd just make a smaller version of the Dream Machine. The 350D wouldn't take a full-size motherboard, but we could still pack it with full-size badassery like dual Nvidia GTX 780 cards, an unlocked Intel Core i7 CPU, a primo mATX motherboard (they do exist), a jumbo radiator, and other tasty accoutrements. Our goal was to build a rig that can game to the hilt just like the Dream Machine—only scaled back so it's easier to assemble and a lot easier on your credit line.   Not the Size of the Boat You're not hallucinating. We really did get a custom beige paint job for the 350D that mirrors the 900D used in our Dream Machine. It's not just some plastic shroud either, but very high-quality automotive-grade work, courtesy of Smooth Creations. The caliber of the work doesn't show up that well in these photos, but trust us, it's impressive in the flesh. Possibly even more impressive is the fact that even though it's a microATX tower, the case has a combination of features that we're used to seeing in much larger cases, like space for a 280mm radiator, removable drive cages, a 14cm intake fan, rubber grommets for cable routing, and a dust filter under the power-supply mount. On the mobo side of things, we needed one that was just like our case—smaller than normal but able to hold a ton of hardware, so we called in Gigabyte's G1.Sniper M5. It's a microATX board, but able to handle three GPUs, liquid cooling, and plenty of storage. Since the Dream Machine is rocking GTX Titans, its bambino got the next-best thing: a pair of EVGA GTX 780 GPUs with the non-reference "ACX" coolers. We finished it off by strapping a massive 280mm NZXT Kraken X60 water cooler to the Core i7-4770K to see how much we could overclock it. Powering the whole shebang is an 800W Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold, to which we've also hooked up a 512GB OCZ Vector solid-state drive, a 2TB WD Caviar Black, and two Noctua case fans. For RAM, we went to Mushkin for a pair of 8GB "Ridgeback" sticks that are rated for 2,133MHz. INGREDIENTS PART Price Case Corsair Obsidian 350D $100 PSU Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800W $160 (street) Mobo Gigabyte G1.Sniper M5 $210 (street) CPU Intel Core i7-4770K $335 Cooler NZXT Kraken X60 $110 (street) GPU 2x EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB w/ACX $1,320 RAM 2x 8GB Mushkin Ridgeback 2,133Mhz $150 (street) SSD 512GB OCZ Vector $550 (street) Hard Drive 2TB WD Caviar Black $135 OS Windows 8 64-bit $100 Total   $3,185 1. The Seven Seas We recently snagged an Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell CPU, but this "mini Dream" rig called for the upgraded Core i7-4770K, which has Hyper-Threading (HT), a larger L3 cache, and slightly higher clock speeds. Games don't make much use of HT, but it's handy for encoding HD video, streaming live video from your PC, or running virtual machines. Haswell uses the new LGA1150 motherboard socket, which is incompatible with the LGA1155 CPUs used in the previous generation, but the insertion holes in the motherboard are exactly the same, so older CPU coolers will bolt right on with no problems. The Kraken X60's support ring didn't line up totally square on our motherboard, so the slightly rotated look is normal. Click the next page to read more about how we assembled the mini Dream Machine! 2. The Engine Room When writing down our wish list for this project's mobo, we scrawled the following: a Z87 chipset, microATX form factor, full SLI support with 8x PCIe lanes for each slot, and respectable overclocking. That made our list pretty short, and right at the top was the Gigabyte G1.Sniper M5. The Sniper series has been around for several years, and the "M" in the name designates the microATX version, since there's an ATX version, too. The Sniper series in general has built a reputation for stability, features, and high performance, and is one of the most popular boards for overclockers who like to build small, tidy rigs. Despite its smaller dimensions, the M5 doesn't lose much in the way of features, as it still offers Creative Labs sound with isolated circuitry to reduce background noise, a headphone amp, three PCI Express slots for two-way SLI and CrossFire, power and reset buttons on the board itself (pictured), fat heatsinks, six SATA 6Gb/s ports, eight-phase voltage regulator modules, five fan headers, and four digital display outputs. 3. Stowing Away Since our goal is maximum horsepower, we wanted a kick-ass SSD, but one that didn't appear in the DM itself. So, we went with an OCZ Vector 512GB since it's blazing fast and regularly does battle with the Samsung 840 Pro. We also went with a WD Caviar Black 2TB drive for data storage since we like its speed and long warranty. The 350D comes with one removable two-tray drive cage at the bottom, and a three-tray SSD cage tucked underneath the 5.25-inch bays. The SSD cage is tool-free—you just slide the SSD in from behind, and it clicks into place (pictured). The area between the drive cages is empty to leave room for extra-long GPUs. 4. Double Hulls The Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 is a junior version of the GTX Titan; it has two fewer SMX units, no double-precision compute, and 3GB of VRAM instead of 6GB. However, the EVGA version uses a dual-fan design instead of the stock cooler's single fan, which offers slightly better performance. Since this is a Mini Dream Machine, we put two of these cards in the system, and with a good overclock, they should get damn close to Titan-level performance. The G1 Sniper motherboard has three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, and it doesn't seem to care which ones you use for SLI. We went with the first slot and the third slot to provide some breathing room for the first card's intakes. The 350D's bottom drive cage is short enough to provide room for a two-slot video card in the motherboard's third PCIe slot. Finally, we added a blue SLI bridge to give the interior a little color. Click the next page to see how it scored in our benchmarks and more!     5. An Olympic GPU The Corsair 900D is a little over 27 inches high, a bit more than 25 inches long, and about 10 inches wide. The 350D is about 17 inches high, 17 inches long, and 8 inches wide, roughly one-third smaller overall. Despite the shrinkage, it will fit a 280mm radiator at the top, so we installed a Kraken X60. We also replaced the stock Corsair AF120L fans because we had two beige Noctua fans that mirrored the aesthetic of our custom paint job, and the Noctuas move a lot of air silently. We also added a chrome grill to the rear fan, to reinforce the retro look. Because of its smaller dimensions and reduced weight, the 350D was easy to lift and rotate during the build. You do that a lot when routing cables around a case. Unfortunately, the motherboard tray's cable grommets are surprisingly narrow, making it a tight squeeze for the 24-pin power supply cable, but we got it to fit just barely. The radiator also blocked the grommets above the motherboard tray, which hampered our cable-routing efforts somewhat, making the interior wiring a bit more messy than we would have liked it to be. 6. Naval Power We had to install the 280mm radiator with the tubes coming through the 5.25-inch drive cage, because going the other direction would not have left enough room to keep the rear fan, and we needed it to move some air around the CPU socket. We removed the rubber grommets that came pre-installed in the radiator's screw holes on the top of the case, because they made the X60's installation screws too short. Also, four of the eight mounting holes on top of the case allow for both 15mm and 20mm fan spacing for large radiators. We installed the fans between the radiator and the exterior of the case, in an exhaust/pull orientation. That's what NZXT recommends, and we've found that it works well in smaller cases. We went with an 800-watt Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold in this build because it's a high-caliber unit that offers more than enough wattage and would let us overclock. We did have to install the 8-pin CPU power cable before the radiator, otherwise the hole above the motherboard would have been blocked. The PSU has a second 8-pin CPU power cable that we didn't need, and it was a little tricky to tuck it away in a microATX case. Dream a Little Dream This system showed us that we're finally getting to the point where we can build a machine that challenges our zero-point system without taking out a bank loan or causing blackouts in the vicinity of the office. This is in part thanks to steadily improved drivers from Nvidia, but also because the GTX 780 is a relatively affordable card given its performance. The dual-GPU GTX 690 in the zero-point is still the fastest single-GPU card available, but this system's dual GTX 780s were a lot faster in all of our tests. We didn't have any trouble staying around 60fps at 2560x1600 in benchmarks like Hitman: Absolution, the new Tomb Raider, and Heaven 4.0, even with all settings totally maxed out. Also of interest this time around is that we saw Intel's new Haswell CPU architecture not only catch up to the Sandy Bridge-E used in the zero-point, but surpass it on occasion. However, the zero-point's Core i7-3930K is not overclocked, and we had cranked the Core i7-4770 up to 4.5GHz to get on the same playing field as a 12-core 3930K running at 3.2GHz. On the bright side, the Kraken X60 never got noticeably loud or hot, hitting just 70 C under full load at 4.5GHz. As far as the build itself goes, we'll admit that the reduced amount of room in a microATX case introduced some challenges, especially since we were packing in a full ATX tower's worth of hardware. Despite the one-inch gap between the two GPUs, the lower card was just a couple millimeters above the power supply, which was not ideal for air intake. Power and SATA cables coming out of the SSD cage are difficult to tuck out of the way since they have literally nowhere to go, and a lot of real estate behind the mobo is taken up by the 24-pin power cable and two PCIe cables. We also had to connect the front panel, internal USB headers, and SATA cables to the motherboard before installing the lower video card, because the GTX 780 hid all of those connections. But overall, we were pleased with the results. The 350D handled SLI and a 280mm radiator without too much trouble. If you build this system, we'd recommend a 240mm or even 120mm radiator though, just to give you room for cable routing and an optical drive if you're into that kind of thing. So yeah, it was a little tough, but this month we weren't going for the easy way out. We wanted dreamy performance. Benchmarks ZERO POINT Premiere Pro CS6 (sec) 2,000 2,280 (-12%)   Stitch.Efx 2.0 (sec) 831 763   ProShow Producer 5.0 (sec) 1,446 1,215 x264 HD 5.0 (fps) 21.1 19.6 (-12%) Batman: Arkham City (fps) 76 138  3DMark11 Extreme 5,847 9,568 The zero-point machine compared here consists of a 3.2GHz Core i7-3930K, 16GB of Corsair DDR3/1600 on an Asus P9X79 Deluxe motherboard. It has a GeForce GTX 690, a Corsair Neutron GTX SSD, and 64-bit Windows 7 Professional. Note: This article originally appeared in the September issue of the magazine.

DARPA-Sponsored Website Lets Gamers Test Software Posted: 04 Dec 2013 02:05 PM PST Play online games to help improve software security The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recognizes the ubiquity of video games. The government agency's Crowd Sourced Formal Verification (CSFV) program is an attempt to crowdsource formal verification—a form of testing that aims to ensure that software is bug-free and isn't vulnerable to attack or misuse—with purpose-built games. The DARPA-backed Verigames is a site created explicitly for formal verification games. All of the games available on the site generate mathematical proofs used during the formal verification process. Potentially harmful code will be reported to software developers with "approved notification and mitigation procedures." To gamers, all of the titles should seem like ordinary online games. Graphics, story, and even leaderboards are a part of most of the games. Behind the scenes, automated processes generate new puzzles that correspond to the math problems the CSFV wants to review.  "We're seeing if we can take really hard math problems and map them onto interesting, attractive puzzle games that online players will solve for fun," said Drew Dean, DARPA program manager. "By leveraging players' intelligence and ingenuity on a broad scale, we hope to reduce security analysts' workloads and fundamentally improve the availability of formal verification." Formal verification is usually a time intensive process that requires specially trained engineers who review code line-by-line for potential flaws. It's a necessity that isn't always practical. Using formal verification games to crowdsource the task means that the open source software can be rigorously tested at a far larger scale than is currently possible. If you're 18 or over—government regulations require adult volunteers—head on over to Verigames and try your hand at some of the formal verification games.  Follow Ben on Twitter.

Mionix Naos 7000 Gaming Mouse Uses Lift Calibration to Optimize Tracking Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:52 AM PST This advanced mouse waves a 32-bit ARM processor and 7000 DPI sensor Mionix isn't a name you hear that all that often in the States, though I tend to perk up when they make an announcement. That's because I played with the company's Naos 8200 mouse a year ago and it quickly became my go-to rodent, at least until my puppy decided it would make a great chew toy. In any event, the Swedish manufacturer of gaming peripherals just another product, the Naos 7000 Gaming Mouse. The Naos 7000 is ergonomically designed for right-handed gamers with a shape that's molded for a full palm grip with support for all five fingers. I haven't played with the Naos 7000, but if it's anything like the Naos 8200 -- and the shape looks similar from the pics -- then it's one comfy rodent. Inside is a gaming grade optical sensor that tops out at 7000 DPI. To ensure quick responsiveness, it comes with a new lift off distance (LOD) calibration feature that when combined with Mionix's Surface Quality Analyzer Tool (S.Q.A.T.) will detect the lowest possible LOD with optimized tracking. Other features consist of 7 programmable buttons, mechanical micro-switches, customizable LED lighting system, four layers of soft touch rubber coating for maximum grip, and a 32-bit ARM processor clocked at 32MHz to support all those fancy tracking features. The Mionix Naos 7000 is available to pre-order today for $80; it will ship out later this month. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

MSI Details Mini ITX Gaming Motherboard and Graphics Card Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:46 AM PST Finding out what's in a picture Just before the holiday weekend in November, MSI posted to its Facebook account a teaser shot showing off a pair of mini ITX gaming products. One was a graphics card and the other a motherboard, but beyond what you could make out in the picture, mum was the word from MSI at the time. Well, MSI is now ready to reveal the full monty. Those of you who guessed the graphics card was a mini ITX GeForce GTX 760, you're awarded 760 geek cred points. The miniature gaming card is 30 percent shorter than reference. MSI said the challenge it faced with such a short card was to provide "great and silent cooling." The company found its solution in its new RADAX fan, which is a hybrid radial/axial fan that's supposed to combine the best of both worlds while reducing temps by as much as 30 percent. As for the Z87I motherboard, it features five SATA 6Gbps ports, a single eSATA 6Gbps port, DisplayPort, HDMI, DL-DVI-I, a single PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot, half a dozen USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel audio, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, Intel WiDi, and Killer E2205 GbE LAN. No word yet on when these parts will be available to purchase or for how much. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

NAND Flash Makers Reducing Production to Prevent Further Price Drops Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:52 AM PST Oversupply of NAND flash memory has pushed prices down It's tough to get a pulse on the NAND flash memory market. On one hand, you have OCZ selling off all of its assets to Toshiba and filing for bankruptcy in part because a shortage of NAND chips put the company in a tough spot. Days later, we're finding out that NAND flash chip suppliers are stuck with an oversupply of parts and plan to cut production to try and stabilize prices. According to Digitimes, the oversupply situation is worse than suppliers expected and its causing chip prices to fall. The cost has been cut "irrationally" since the end of November, sources told the news and rumor site. As a result, prices for microSD memory cards notched double-digit declines in a single month. Strong demand for smartphones nad tablets helped NAND flash memory prices stay high during the first half of the year, but since then, sales have declined. On top of that, there's speculation in the memory industry that Apple slashed its orders for NAND flash from its Japan-based supplier, which only exacerbated the issue. In any event, if you spot a good deal on a NAND flash memory based product, you may want to pull the trigger. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Finally, USB 3.1 Will Feature Reversible Connectors Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:19 AM PST Thinner, sleeker, and always right-side up Statistics are crap when it comes to plugging in a USB peripheral. What we mean by that is, statistically speaking, you have a 50 percent chance of choosing the correct orientation as you fumble around the back of your desktop or try to plug in a USB flash drive into your notebook in the dark. Why then, does it always seem like it takes two tries to get it right? Such an annoyance will be a thing of the past when USB 3.1 arrives with USB Type-C connectors. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced (PDF) that it was adding the Type-C connector and cable solution to the official specification. Similar to Apple's Lightning connector, the Type-C connector on USB 3.1 devices will fit either way, making it far easier to plug in. It will also be smaller, measuring about the size of existing UBB 2.0 Micro-B connectors. By shrinking the connector, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group says it will lead to thinner and sleeker product designs. "Intel is excited to see the development of the new thin Type-C connector as it will enable an entirely new super thin class of devices from phones to tablets, to 2-in-1s, to laptops to desktops and a multitude of other more specific usage devices," said Alex Peleg, Vice President, Platform Engineering Group. "This new industry standards-based thin connector delivering data, power and video is the only connector one will need across all devices." The Type-C specification is due out the middle of 2014. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

AMD Catalyst 13.11 Beta 9.5 Resolves Flickering Issue, Brings Back Overdrive Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:37 AM PST Latest beta stomps out more bugs AMD has released yet another beta version of its Catalyst 13.11 driver for Windows, the latest of which is mostly intended to fix unwanted behavior such as intermittent flickering seen on some Radeon R9 270X graphics cards. Catalyst 13.11 beta 9.5 also includes all the performance enhancements and bug fixes of every release that came before it, including up to 35 percent better performance in Batman: Arkham Origins with MSAA 8x enabled (introduced in beta 6). The Sunnyvale chip designer didn't focus a whole lot on bumping framerates with this latest release, though the Release Notes do indicate improved frame pacing in quad CrossFireX configurations for Hitman: Absolution and Total War: Rome 2. Otherwise, here are the highlights: Resolves the issue of AMD Overdrive missing in the AMD Catalyst Control Center for Radeon R9 290 Series graphics cards Resolves graphics corruption seen in Starcraft In other words, it's a minor bump, albeit one that some users will find useful. If you think you can benefit from anything being offered in this release, you can download the driver direct from AMD. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3-1600, Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H Mobo, and More! Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:04 AM PST Top Deal: If you're new to the DIY PC scene, congratulations, you got to skip right over the era of expensive parts. Need an example? In 2006, the going rate for 1GB kit (2x512MB) of performance DDR2-1066 RAM was around $250. Egads, right? This hobby is much more accessible now, as evidenced by today's top deal for an 8GB kit (2x4GB) of G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 for $50 with free shipping (normally $75). At that rate, you might as well pick up two kits. These modules come timed at 9-9-9-24 and sport custom heatspreaders. Other Deals: Intel Pentium G3220 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 54W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646G3220 for $60 with free shipping (normally $70; use coupon code: [EMCWVXT23]) AMD A10 6790K 4.0GHz Socket FM2 100W Desktop Processor AD679KWOHLBOX for $110 with free shipping (normally $130; use coupon code: [EMCWVXT22]) XFX Core Edition FX-785A-ZNL4 Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card for $120 with free shipping (normally $170; additional $30 Mail-in rebate) Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $160 with free shipping (normally $190; use coupon code: [EMCWVXT24])

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MMO Updates

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• Choose My Adventure: Neverending Neverwinter story
• Wintersday livestream to offer sneak peek into Guild Wars 2's new content
• Leaderboard: What's the silliest game name in the MMO genre?
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Superhero games across November
• The Daily Grind: Are dragons, zombies, or pirates the most overused?
• The Steam Team: Channeling some XP in EverQuest II
• RuneScape opens 2013 Premier Club, donates $90K to charity
• The Stream Team: Escape from The Secret World's Dreaming Prison
• EVE dev blog explores balancing player load
• World of Warplanes Flight School #4 explains ammo and consumables
• Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack
• Path of Exile going strong a month after launch
• Hyperspace Beacon: Should you subscribe for SWTOR Galactic Starfighter?
• Dungeons & Dragons Online looks back at 2013 and forward to 2014
• The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs
• The Secret World offers special membership deals
• Flameseeker Chronicles: November is controversy month in Guild Wars 2
• The Elder Scrolls Online shows off the process of building a character in a new video
• Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Galactic Starfighter for subscribers

Choose My Adventure: Neverending Neverwinter story Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Choose My Adventure, Neverwinter, Player-Generated Content Of all the things this trip to Neverwinter has shown me, the ability to continue a character's story beyond the quest that Cryptic provides stands as the greatest thing I think any online game can give us. Although I don't believe that Neverwinter (or any other game, for that matter) gives me everything that I ever hoped for, the Foundry does allow those who enjoy dungeon mastering in the classic Dungeons and Dragons sense a chance to test out their skills at creating a story within a realistic development environment. Most writers would love to have a blank slate, a platform to do whatever they want to do, but realistically, that never happens. Every development environment contains its own limits and challenges content creators have to overcome. Sometimes the engine doesn't allow writers to do what they would like. Sometimes budgetary limits constrain the creative process. Sometimes writers forget that they are making a game and not a novel, so "fun" adds its own limits. As a writer and a gamer, I have been given a taste of what it takes to make an enjoyable quest for a gaming community. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Neverending Neverwinter story Choose My Adventure: Neverending Neverwinter story originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wintersday livestream to offer sneak peek into Guild Wars 2's new content Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events (In-Game), News Items, Guild Wars 2, Livestream, Buy-to-Play Just as winter returned this year, so, too, will Guild Wars 2's Wintersday holiday! The six-week celebration, dubbed A Very Merry Wintersday, brings with it some seasonal content for players to enjoy. Kicking off on December 10th, the festival features plenty of events and activities, from Toymaker Tixx's workshop to Toypocalype to the Bell Choir. The whimsical Winter Wonderland jumping puzzle also returns. And as befitting any good winter holiday, players will be able to belt one another with snowballs! Besides all the holiday cheer, this Wintersday release also includes new healing skills (one for each profession) and Ascended armorcrafting (which allows those plying the armormaking trade to raise their skill to 500). Why wait until the 10th to get into the Wintersday spirit? Check out the Wintersday video and screenshots below, and tune in to the devs' livestream preview on Monday, December 9th at 3:00 p.m. EST. [Source: ArenaNet press release] Continue reading Wintersday livestream to offer sneak peek into Guild Wars 2's new content Wintersday livestream to offer sneak peek into Guild Wars 2's new content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Leaderboard: What's the silliest game name in the MMO genre? Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, Humor, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard Today I'd like to highlight some of the goofiest game names in the MMO genre. I'm not out to be mean or anything, but seriously, sometimes you just have to stop and ask what were they thinking, amirite? Take Ever, Jane, for example. I get it, it's a play on both EverQuest and Jane Austen, but still. That comma is problematic because I don't want to pause and scratch my head when I'm reading a game title. Awkward! There are plenty of other examples, too, so vote for your (least) favorite after the cut. Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard! Continue reading Leaderboard: What's the silliest game name in the MMO genre? Leaderboard: What's the silliest game name in the MMO genre? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Superhero games across November Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Champions Online, A Mild-Mannered Reporter, Promotions, Infinite Crisis After a couple of very active months, November was a bit calmer for superheroic games as a whole. It makes sense, of course, since pretty much every game is calmer during November and December aside from sales and holiday events. But there were few big Kickstarter campaigns, a lot of updates that everyone knew were coming, and of course a very poignant anniversary for pretty much everyone reading this column today. That having been said, the entire month was not a slow funeral dirge for the loss of City of Heroes. In fact, one game apparently decided that the otherwise quiet month was a great time to make some big changes right off the bat, so that's pretty cool. Venture on past the cut with me and we'll take a look at the superhero news from November in review... and possibly bow our heads briefly in respect for the departed. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Superhero games across November A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Superhero games across November originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Are dragons, zombies, or pirates the most overused? Posted: 04 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous In every fantasy MMO (and many of the other ones, too), you'll be assured to encounter three types of enemies. There will be dragons. There will be zombies. And because game developers are 12-year-old kids at heart, there will be pirates. The question is, which of these three is the most overused? Which have worn out their welcome the most to you? My vote is for dragons. Yes, they're huge, ferocious creatures that are often raid end bosses, but when every game has them as their ultimate threat, it dilutes one's proper respect of them. It's like every MMO has a Death Star. More of a big bad doesn't increase fear in the same ratio; it kind of has the opposite effect. But maybe you disagree. Pirates, zombies, or dragons -- which make you roll your eyes the most? Which would you banish to the land of well-worn tropes? 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: Are dragons, zombies, or pirates the most overused? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Steam Team: Channeling some XP in EverQuest II Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest II, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Livestream, The Stream Team Can a young Ratonga Channeler make a difference in the war against Kerafrym and his dragon minions in EverQuest II? Yes, but a few more levels and skills would make a difference! So would a nice leaping mount, but those are only available at level 30. That means Massively's MJ has her work cut out for her, and she's seeking XP by the bucket loads (or quiver-full, if you prefer). Join us live in chat and in game at 9:00 p.m. for a chance to hop on the XP train. All aboard! Game: EverQuest II Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Steam Team: Channeling some XP in EverQuest II The Steam Team: Channeling some XP in EverQuest II originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RuneScape opens 2013 Premier Club, donates $90K to charity Posted: 03 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Promotions If you've got the cash and interest to spare, then RuneScape would like to convince you to invest in one of its 2013 Premier Club packages. Jagex has unveiled its new limited-time Premier Club membership tiers, which offer extra goodies in exchange for committing to a multi-month subscription. The bronze package is $23.50 for three months, the silver is $44.50 for six months, and the gold is $86.50 for a full year. Extras include exclusive pets, bonus spins on the squeal of fortune, and access to a VIP server. Jagex congratulated the community on donating in-game wealth via the Well of Goodwill that was translated into a real-world donation by Jagex to several charities. The studio split $90,838 between seven charities. RuneScape also just added a level 92 slayer, the Airut, for players to defeat. RuneScape opens 2013 Premier Club, donates $90K to charity originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 2013 Premier Club, Slayer update, Well of Goodwill

The Stream Team: Escape from The Secret World's Dreaming Prison Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Video, Massively Meta, The Secret World, Livestream, The Stream Team, Buy-to-Play There she was, moseying along through the first story mission in The Secret World just minding her own business when BAM! Massively's MJ got sucked into and trapped in the Dreaming Prison right as she reached for that sword of power. You'd think that she'd be celebrated for defeating that big baddy she's been chasing, right? Nope -- it's prison time for her. So now MJ needs to escape before she can get on with her TSW life. Join us live at 7:30 p.m. for her big prison break. Game: The Secret World Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013 Time: 7:30 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Escape from The Secret World's Dreaming Prison The Stream Team: Escape from The Secret World's Dreaming Prison originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE dev blog explores balancing player load Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, MMORPG CCP has posted yet another incredibly detailed and highly technical dev blog over on the official EVE Online community site, this one relating to how the studio balances the player load across the node-based single shard on which New Eden exists. The post begins by explaining that an increase in players with this year's Odyssey expansion led to extreme CPU load in empire space, which in turn created scenarios where EVE's time dilation technology had to kick in even for systems that weren't experiencing some sort of mass fleet battle. The blog walks through how CCP identified the problem and also explains the solution, which basically comes down to rebalancing which systems share nodes by performing multiple splits of the existing universe. If you're an EVE player or love exceptionally granular, detailed breakdowns of the though process behind server-side changes, the full post is worth a read. EVE dev blog explores balancing player load originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Building a Balanced Universe

World of Warplanes Flight School #4 explains ammo and consumables Posted: 03 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Real-Life, Video, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Warplanes Wargaming.net's latest World of Warplanes Flight School video dives deep into the ammunition and other consumables you can equip when preparing for battle in the high skies. The video breaks down important details of ammunition selection, such as understanding the difference between damage-per-second at maximum range and damage-per-second at optimal range or figuring out which ammo has the best chance of lighting your enemy's fuel tanks on fire. The video continues by breaking down various bomb and rocket types and even shows off how clever bombers can catch pursuers up in the explosion of a dropped bomb. Finally, it explains the benefits of using consumables such as fire extinguishers, restarters, and first aid kits. Check out the video after the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading World of Warplanes Flight School #4 explains ammo and consumables World of Warplanes Flight School #4 explains ammo and consumables originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack Posted: 03 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Jukebox Heroes, Music Ah, Star Wars Galaxies. Even almost two years after your demise, it doesn't seem possible to shake you loose from our thoughts. Maybe the NGE was a blessing in disguise, a never-depleting power source of rage that will forever give life to your memories. In any case, it's time to talk about the one aspect of the game that was there before SWG was created and will go on indefinitely afterward: the soundtrack. Talking about Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack puts me in an odd position because a great deal of the OST is lifted directly from John Williams' movie scores. And what hasn't been said about those classics, really? But there are a few tracks here and there that I could pick out as being unique to the game, although the actual composer who did the job escapes my Google Fu. So let's take one last trip to a Galaxies far, far away, shall we? Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Path of Exile going strong a month after launch Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, Patches, Free-to-Play, Promotions, Path of Exile Path of Exile is strutting its stuff a month after its official launch, boasting a huge community, a new patch, and strong sales of its new supporter packs. Grinding Gear Games announced that Path of Exile has topped four million registered users and sees over 250,000 players every day. Last Wednesday's 1.0.2 patch was the first post-launch update for the game, containing new items, recipes, achievements, and various fixes and balance tweaks. The studio sold nearly 5,000 purchases of its supporter pack bundles, which range from $50 to $900, over the Thanksgiving weekend. Grinding Gear says that these purchases "have funded a significant portion of the game's development." [Source: Grinding Gear press release] Path of Exile going strong a month after launch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Should you subscribe for SWTOR Galactic Starfighter? Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, Launches, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG If our comments are any judge, many gamers do not believe that Star Wars: The Old Republic lived up to its launch hype. These players have been wary about jumping back into the game despite the positive impressions of the latest expansion Galactic Starfighter. Is it worthwhile for them (or anyone else) to jump back in? BioWare launches its second expansion for SWTOR today. This addition to the game takes us into the thick of the centuries-long struggle between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Players take command of one of 12 different dog-fighting starships in two possible 12v12 skirmish maps. Far different than the on-rails shooter-minigames the MMO launched with, these maps are completely free-roaming and play more like a flight simulator than StarFox 64. Of course, that alone doesn't necessarily make the expansion worth it. Let's examine the features that could make this expansion worthy of your subscription. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Should you subscribe for SWTOR Galactic Starfighter? Hyperspace Beacon: Should you subscribe for SWTOR Galactic Starfighter? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dungeons & Dragons Online looks back at 2013 and forward to 2014 Posted: 03 Dec 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play December isn't just a month for frenzied consumerism; it's almost the end of the year and time to start reflecting on what went well, what went badly, and what needs to change. So it's appropriate that the latest producer's letter for Dungeons & Dragons Online focuses on precisely that, looking back at 2013 and counting up the game's big hits and misses. The team feels that Epic Reincarnation and the Storm Horn Mountains were big wins, while the bug-plagued Mabar Festival was definitely a nadir. But there's no point in looking back if you don't look forward, and the letter does that as well. Four major content updates are planned for next year, featuring a boost of the level cap to 30, two new raids in the dwarven ruins of Thunderholme, a new set of guild airship models, and more beyond that. Take a look at the letter for an exact schedule and more discussion about the year's highs and lows. Dungeons & Dragons Online looks back at 2013 and forward to 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Holiday Producer's Letter

The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs Posted: 03 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Aion, City of Heroes, EVE Online, Fallen Earth, Lineage, MMO Industry, Opinion, Ultima Online, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, DC Universe Online, RIFT, World of Tanks, TERA, EverQuest Next, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, MOBA, Neverwinter, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea. We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore. It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring. Continue reading The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Secret World offers special membership deals Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi, News Items, The Secret World, Promotions, Subscription, Buy-to-Play You don't need us to tell you that Cyber Monday is over, seeing as it is currently Tuesday. But that doesn't mean that sales are over; The Secret World is just starting a special promotion for membership. So if you know you're going to spend the next few months joyously exploring various mysteries, why not get some extra time and some AP boosts while you're at it? Subscribing for a three-month stretch earns you an extra month (so four total) along with a timed AP boost. A six-month subscription nets you two extra months (eight total) along with two timed AP boosts, five XP potions, and five Venetian Exemptions to remove scenario cooldowns. Last but not least, a year earns you an extra four months (16 in all), three timed boosts, 15 XP potions, and 15 Venetian Exemptions. These deals will only be active until December 16th, so if you're going to lay down the bucks, you might as well get some extra bang. The Secret World offers special membership deals originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Exclusive deals on membership

Flameseeker Chronicles: November is controversy month in Guild Wars 2 Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Patches, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play November sucks. The only good things about it are food, my wife's birthday, and the birthdays of any other November babies (happy birthday). Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is at the end of the month, and Black Friday is a thing that still happens. Thank the Six it's December now. Get out of my face, November. We've had only two Novembers' worth of Guild Wars 2 so far, but historically it has been a dark time. Last year we had mixed reception of the Lost Shores karka invasion event and the implementation of Ascended gear. This year we have a baffling marketing campaign and extremely unfortunate gem store armor skins. At this rate I'm predicting that next November will bring an entire set of novelty weapon skins patterned on Scarlet Briar's hair and a kissing booth that awards precursors with Zhaitan's ugly mug as the main attraction. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: November is controversy month in Guild Wars 2 Flameseeker Chronicles: November is controversy month in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Elder Scrolls Online shows off the process of building a character in a new video Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Consoles, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription One of the key features of The Elder Scrolls Online is building a character the way you want to play. It's been stated time and again that the game will allow you to build the sort of character you want rather than force you into a predefined setup. But what does the process look like in action? Well, why don't you just jump past the break and watch a new video showing off exactly how characters develop over time? When you choose a race and class at character creation, you gain access to one racial skill line and three class-based skill lines, but you also have access to a plethora of other skill lines so that neither race nor class forces you into a certain role. As you level, you gain skill points and attribute points, allowing you to customize your abilities as well as your individual distribution among survivability, magical skill, and weapon-based resources. Not to mention all of the other skill lines you can find over the course of play. For a more detailed look, jump on past the break to take a look at the full video. Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online shows off the process of building a character in a new video The Elder Scrolls Online shows off the process of building a character in a new video originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Character Progression in TESO

Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Galactic Starfighter for subscribers Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Launches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Subscription Subscribers to Star Wars: The Old Republic don't have to wait another day to start fighting across the stars. Galactic Starfighter early access is now live for subscribers, with Preferred players getting access on January 14th, 2014, and free players allowed in on February 4th, 2014. Yes, if you want to blow up other ships today, subscribing right now will still let you start blasting away, and you won't even have to hit a certain level to be eligible. The goal with Galactic Starfighter as explained in one of two new development blogs was to allow all players access to the content even if they're not as interested in the story. Progressing through the leveling game will unlock companions, though, and the other development blog details how your crew members can help your overall performance. There's also a new trailer just past the cut showing off how you can customize your ship, perfect if you're deciding whether you want to subscribe or if you prefer to wait to start playing. Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Galactic Starfighter for subscribers Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Galactic Starfighter for subscribers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Dec 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Galactic Starfighter Development, Starfighter Crew Members

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