General Gaming Article

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• First Purported Photos of Amazon's Rumored Smartphone in Prototype Form Hit the Web
• Broadcom and Quantenna in Arms Race to Speed Up Wi-Fi Data Rates
• Reminder: Google Glass Available to General Public Today
• Toshiba Satellite P55t Wields a 4K Ultra HD Display, Technicolor Certification
• iFixIt Announces $100 'Refurbisher's Toolkit' for DIY Gadget Repair
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus Maximus VI Hero Motherboard, ViewSonic 24-inch LCD, and More!

First Purported Photos of Amazon's Rumored Smartphone in Prototype Form Hit the Web Posted: 15 Apr 2014 12:37 PM PDT This is what Amazon's smartphone could look like Amazon hasn't yet announced plans to launch a smartphone, so what you're looking at could in fact be a fake. However, if you're a believer that where there's smoke there's fire, the leaked photos purporting to show a prototype version of Amazon's smartphone might actually be the real thing. Certainly the rumors and speculation have kicked up a notch in recent weeks, some of which suggest Amazon's handset will sport 3D functionality. First things first -- the boys and girls at BGR.com obtained what they claim are exclusive photos of the unreleased device. They've also spoken with "multiple trusted sources" to confirm existing information and learn new details surrounding Amazon's smartphone. If you're thinking, "Who cares, that's one fugly smartphone!," bear in mind that it's sporting a protective case specifically intended to keep the actual overall design a mystery from those who lack the authorization to see it (you, us, the web at large). Moving on, you can see a series of cameras on the handset. Rumor has it the thing is toting around six cameras in all, including a 13-megapixel lens on back and five cameras on the front. Apparently Amazon is messing around with not only a heavily customized version of Android, but some kind of funky glasses-free 3D interface unlike anything we've ever seen before. Color us intrigued, albeit skeptical that this won't turn out gimmicky. One of BGR's sources says the handset will feature a 4.7-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and 2GB of RAM. There's also chatter of a second, lower end handset. In any event, there you have it -- a possible first look at what may end up being Amazon's first smartphone, covered in fugly case. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Broadcom and Quantenna in Arms Race to Speed Up Wi-Fi Data Rates Posted: 15 Apr 2014 11:53 AM PDT Both Broadcom and Quantenna are working on chips to dramatically increase 802.11ac Wi-Fi speeds We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but in the true sense of the term, there's simply no such thing as "future proofing." Take for example the draft 802.11ac standard. You can go out and buy the fastest consumer router avaiable today (a tossup between the Asus RT-AC66U/AC68U and Netgear R7000) and by this time next year, we'll likely have a new speed king. In fact, the efforts of two competing companies -- Broadcom and Quantenna -- all but ensure it. Both companies recently announced new chipsets that will make today's routers look pokey by comparison. Let's start with Broadcom, which today introduced the industry's first six stream 802.11ac MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple Output) platform for home networks. Othewise known as "5G WiFi XStream," Broadcom is promising data rates of up to 3.2Gbps, a 50 percent improvement over Multi-User (MU) MIMO routers. To fully understand what's taking place here, we have to back up a moment. Today's wireless chipsets aimed at the consumer crowd send and receive three spatial data streams at the same time. You might see this marketed as 3x3 MIMO. The fastest routers built around these chipsets deliver data on the 5GHz Wireless-AC band at up 1.3Gbps (1,300Mbps). Broadcom's solution for home routers includes six 802.11ac streams and three 802.11n streams that run simultaneously. It also employs channel bonding technology to combine multiple channels on the 5GHz band to effectively create a single channel with 160MHz of bandwidth (today's 802.11ac routers use channel bonding for 80MHz of bandwidth). Technical details aside, you're looking at faster Wi-Fi speeds over your home network, though Quantenna is promising even faster throughput. Quantenna said this week it's developing the world's first 10Gbps Wi-Fi chipset using 8x8 MIMO, compared to its existing 4x4 MIMO chipset, which has yet to be fully utilized by router makers. Asus is current tapping into Quantenna's 4x4 MIMO chipset to build what Quantenna claims will be the world's fastest consumer router (1.7Gbps), so don't expect the 8x8 MIMO chipset to make any waves just yet. Instead, Quantenna is looking at making the first 10G Wi-Fi 8x8 MIMO chipsets available in 2015. Image Credit: Broadcom Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Reminder: Google Glass Available to General Public Today Posted: 15 Apr 2014 09:42 AM PDT Today's your chance to become a Glass Explorer Google today will get its first real test of consumer interest towards its wearable Glass device. To date, there are about 10,000 Glass devices in the wild, the vast majority of which include hand selected journalists, developers, and celebrities. Google decided to make Glass available to the general public today for one day only, and if you're interested in becoming a Explorer, there are still units available at the time of this writing. There are some caveats. You must be a U.S. resident who is at least 18 years old, and you must use a U.S. shipping address. Assuming you meet these requirements, your reward is that you're eligible to become an Explorer for $1,500 plus tax. This is the first time Google has opened up the Explorer program (which is a nice way of saying early adopter) to the general public. It's not known how many units have been set aside for the one-day run of sales, though we do know they're available on a first come, first served basis. Google gives buyers a bit of customization. To begin with, you select from one of five colors, including Charcoal, Tangerine, Cotton, Shale, or Sky. You then choose a complimentary style of frames or shades, of which there are a total of seven. From there, you can either checkout or browse add-on accessories, such as stereo earbuds, clear shades, and a few other items. If you're game, head here to make your purchase. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Toshiba Satellite P55t Wields a 4K Ultra HD Display, Technicolor Certification Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:35 AM PDT The world's first laptop with Technicolor Color Certification Toshiba was quick to embrace Intel's Ultrabook form factor during its infancy, and now that 4K displays are gaining traction, here comes Toshiba once again. The Toshiba Satellite P55t is a 15.6-inch laptop with a 4K Ultra HD In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel, which offers up four times more pixels than a Full HD 1080p display. It's also supposedly the first notebook in the world to earn Technicolor Color Certification. According to Toshiba, each Ultra HD display is individually calibrated by Chroma Tune and is Technicolor Certified during production for a more natural color expression and accurate color gamut. The end game here is to eliminate mismatches when viewing photos or other imagery. "Our color certification team worked closely with the engineering team at Toshiba to ensure the highest levels of color calibration on this laptop's display," said Manuele Wahl, senior vice president, Licensing at Technicolor. "We applied the same rigor of testing and calibration used on major motion pictures to ensure not only that photographers and videographers now see what they shot in perfect color, but consumers can also experience 4K film and videos as Hollywood directors intended." In addition to a 4K Ultra HD display, the Satellite P55t also boasts a 4th Generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, up to 16GB of dual-channel DDR3L-1600 RAM, AMD Radeon R9 M265X graphics, 1TB hard drive, four USB 3.0 ports, UHS-II SD card slot, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, HDMI output, Harman Kardon speakers, and an optical drive (Blu-ray burner optional). The Toshiba Satellite P55t will be available on April 22 for $1,500 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

iFixIt Announces $100 'Refurbisher's Toolkit' for DIY Gadget Repair Posted: 15 Apr 2014 07:26 AM PDT Specially designed to service game consoles, PCs, laptops, and other electronics gear The tech surgeons at iFixIt haven't met a gadget yet that they couldn't open up and dissect. Patience and a steady hand are needed to gut an electronic device without leaving a wake of broken parts, but like anything else, having the right tools makes a world of difference. We're not talking about hammers and duct tape -- essentials for DIY repair of another kind -- but plastic and metal spudgers. You'll find both plus a whole lot more in iFixIt's Refurbisher's Toolkit. It's a bit pricey for the casual hobbyist at $100, but if you're the go-to guy or gal in your neighborhood for repairing electronics, there are several tools in the kit that could make your life a bit easier. For example, there's an Xbox Opening Tool specifically designed to crack open the plastic case on the original Xbox 360. It's not a necessary part to get at the guts of Microsoft's previous generation console, but it should save you time from having to pry each of the clips holding the case together. The kit also includes ESD tweezers, a dust blower, anti-static wrist strap, 26-bit driver kit, surface detailing block, German detailing eraser with bruse, pencil sharpener, small ESD safe brush, large ESD safe brush, 1/4-inch driver handle (Philips #2, flathead 6mm, game bit 4.5mm, game bit 3.8mm), and a custom carrying case. We haven't sampled a Refurbisher's Toolkit so there's no hands-on experience from our end to relay, though we have used iFixIt's collection of spudgers, which do indeed come in handy for prying open things like smartphones and tablets. You can find more information and/or order a Refurbisher's Toolkit on iFixIt's website. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus Maximus VI Hero Motherboard, ViewSonic 24-inch LCD, and More! Posted: 15 Apr 2014 06:27 AM PDT Top Deal: Ever since the fatherboard packed up and left town, it's been up to the motherboard to raise up a family of add-in cards, tend to the RAM, and do everything else a motherboard is responsible for. Maintaining order is a thankless job, but a necessary one. In honor of Mother's Day being right around the corner, today's top deal is an Asus Maximus VI Hero Motherboard for $180 with free shipping (normally $200 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWP67]). This board features Intel's Z87 chipset is packed with high-end goodies. Other Deals: Western Digital Elements 1TB USB 3.0 Black External Hard Drive for $60 with free shipping (normally $70 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWP23]) G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2x4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 1600 Laptop Memory for $70 with free shipping (normally $77 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWP68]) ViewSonic VA2446M-LED Black 24-inch 5ms Backlight LCD Monitor w/ Built-in Speakers for $135 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWP27]) Seagate Hybrid Drive 4TB MLC/8GB NCQ 3.5-inch Desktop SSHD for $180 with free shipping (normally $218 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWP37])

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MMO Updates

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• Tamriel Infinium: Seriously, you should craft in Elder Scrolls Online
• Star Citizen tops $42 million, adds towels
• Take a look at Star Trek Online's Earth Spacedock revamp
• PAX East 2014: Guild Wars 2 on the Feature Pack and beyond
• The Daily Grind: What real-world lessons have you learned from MMOs?
• Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade's founder program detailed
• Not So Massively: Heroes of the Storm's new heroes, Dawngate's beta launch, and Diablo III's latest patch
• Face of Mankind starts open beta on April 18th
• World of Tanks Xbox 360 gets Update 1.1
• The new player experience in EverQuest Next and Landmark
• Get Trove alpha access for $20
• Elder Scrolls Online answers Craglorn questions
• PAX East 2014: Erin Roberts on Star Citizen's development
• PAX East 2014: Pre-launch words with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney
• Istaria revamps Island of Ice with new patch

Tamriel Infinium: Seriously, you should craft in Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 15 Apr 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Opinion, Mac, Guides, Crafting, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium I've come to the conclusion that Elder Scrolls Online is not a game you want run through quickly. If you fly past each town just running from quest marker to quest marker, you'll miss some of the most important things the game has to offer and burn-out comes that much faster. In the first day, we had a player reach max level in less than 18 hours. Of course, some players cry "exploit," but for me, that's not really the point. I would feel I was missing something if I rushed to the end. And because I didn't rush to the end, I can try out some parts of Elder Scrolls Online that I would not even think about trying in any other MMO, like crafting. I have a long-standing angst toward crafting in MMOs. I played Ultima Online, but I didn't really craft in that game. I didn't start to understand the importance of crafting until I played Star Wars Galaxies. As we know, crafting was central to the success of that game. But after ZeniMax announced that an auction house would not exist in ESO, I wrote off crafting as unimportant and ultimately a waste of my time. Then late in beta, a friend of mine crafted a set of armor for me. I was surprised. The armor she made was better than my looted armor. I had to find out more. I put this little primer together for those who want to get started making their own weapons and armor. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Seriously, you should craft in Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Infinium: Seriously, you should craft in Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Citizen tops $42 million, adds towels Posted: 15 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Humor, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play The Star Citizen money train is still chugging along, as Chris Roberts' latest chairman letter makes clear. What's the occasion? The crowdsourced space sim sandbox just passed $42 million in funding, which unlocked several "celebratory goals" including an updated observist guide, an explorer-class mobiGlas rig for backers, a new Squadron 42 fighter craft called the Gladius, and most crucially, a towel for your hangar that comes complete with its own damage state. Roberts says that the SC team is back at work on the dogfighting module after its PAX East hiatus, and he also provides a poll for choosing the next stretch goal reward. Star Citizen tops $42 million, adds towels originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Chairman letter

Take a look at Star Trek Online's Earth Spacedock revamp Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Star Trek Online's main hub is about to get a massive facelift, and Cryptic wants to give you a preview of the new design of Earth Spacedock as well as a tour through it. In a dev blog posted yesterday, the studio went through the process of coming up with the ideas for a much improved Spacedock, including how it would be structured and what players would see: "A few solid points were decided. 1. It was all going to be on one floor. 2. We had to have a view both of Earth AND of the Shipyard. Point two meant that there was only one place for it. It had to be within the outer wall of the docking bay." The blog also contains a link to an animated graphic showing a time-lapsed construction of one of the new areas. The Earth Spacedock revamp will come with Season 9's release on April 22nd. Take a look at Star Trek Online's Earth Spacedock revamp originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Season 9 Dev Blog #13

PAX East 2014: Guild Wars 2 on the Feature Pack and beyond Posted: 15 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Events (Massively's Coverage), Buy-to-Play If you're a Guild Wars 2 fan, we all know what you're excited about today. After a year(ish) of small incremental patches and living story, the game is rolling out a big patch full of features appropriately dubbed the Feature Pack. It's not new content, but it's a lot of big bonuses and improvements to the ways that players already play the game's existing content. And we got to see a bit of it in action at PAX East. Some of the information about how these features will work has already been discussed, but not everything, and seeing all of the improvements in action definitely gave a sense of tangible change not visible in development blogs. It's part of a shift in ethos for the development team, as well; rather than trying to roll out changes along with Living Story updates, ArenaNet is implementing a big set of improvements at once to make the whole update feel meatier. Continue reading PAX East 2014: Guild Wars 2 on the Feature Pack and beyond PAX East 2014: Guild Wars 2 on the Feature Pack and beyond originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What real-world lessons have you learned from MMOs? Posted: 15 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Back in January, a Lifehacker op-ed chronicled six things the writer had learned from playing World of Warcraft -- useful, real-world things, not just how to spec out a frost Mage. For example, he learned that things you like can feel like a grind, and he learned how to quit something wonderful with grace. I've learned even more practical things than that from my years in MMOs. I've learned leadership skills, honed math and spreadsheet skills, and worked on mastering the art of patience -- OK, so I'm still working on that one. I've also watched ESL guildies perfect their language and writing skills and seen still others parlay this hobby of ours into careers in gaming and coding and journalism. What about you? What real-world lessons or skills have you learned thanks to MMOs? 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: What real-world lessons have you learned from MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade's founder program detailed Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, News Items, Warhammer 40k, Crowdfunding In a newsletter sent to fans today, the Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade team fleshed out its previously mentioned plans for its founder program. Within the next few months you will be able to buy a Founder's Pack for Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade. Buying a Founder's Pack will give you full access to the full game at launch, and all four races. You'll also get to select unique rewards from the following categories: ► Identity - Enhance your character's core identity with unique Founders-only squad emblems, Heroes, and background-related titles, biographies, and cosmetics ► Weapon Skins - Unique cosmetics for each race ► Armor Skins - Unique cosmetics for each race ► Space Ship Decorations - Unique cosmetics to dress up your Squad or Strike Force Cruiser's interior the way you want ► Miscellaneous - Unique execution animations and pets, both utility and non-combat ► Vehicles - Unique Founders-only vehicles ► Consumables - Extra ammunition, grenades, and other convenience items ► Accessories - Unique equipment pieces The developers promise updates to each category over time and also note that playable modules will become available much earlier to founders than to everyone else. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade's founder program detailed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Email blast

Not So Massively: Heroes of the Storm's new heroes, Dawngate's beta launch, and Diablo III's latest patch Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Interviews, Launches, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Hands-On, MMOFPS, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, Diablo III, Hearthstone Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs. Star Citizen's Erin Roberts chatted with us at PAX East and confirmed Linux support. Heroes of the Storm revealed four new heroes -- Brightwing, Zagara, Li li and Murky -- along with a dev blog on hero lethality, wipe news, and a brand-new trailer, embedded below. Dawngate went into a community open beta, complete with a new trailer, also embedded below. SMITE unveiled two new playable gods, Bastet and Kumbhakarna. Diablo III patched crafting material drops and resplendent treasure in its 2.0.4 update. We got our hands on Infinite Crisis at PAX East. Continue reading Not So Massively: Heroes of the Storm's new heroes, Dawngate's beta launch, and Diablo III's latest patch Not So Massively: Heroes of the Storm's new heroes, Dawngate's beta launch, and Diablo III's latest patch originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Face of Mankind starts open beta on April 18th Posted: 14 Apr 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Sandbox If you've been interested in giving Face of Mankind a spin, you'll be able to do so as early as Friday. Nexeon Technologies announced today that the MMO will be going into open beta on April 18th for anyone who would like to play it. Face of Mankind will be have its closed beta wiped on the 16th, and the open beta client is available right now to anyone who would like to preload in preparation for Friday. "It is only thanks to all of you that the game lives on and has the opportunity to become something far greater than ever imagined," the studio said. Face of Mankind starts open beta on April 18th originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Open beta announcement

World of Tanks Xbox 360 gets Update 1.1 Posted: 14 Apr 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, Patches, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks, MOBA World of Tanks' console drivers have a reason to rejoice: Update 1.1 has arrived for the Xbox 360. The update has a slew of goodies for players to dig through, including recruitable crews for tanks, the map of Himmelsdorf, and five British vehicles. Crews earn experience through battles, level up, and add perks and abilities to the tank commander. We've got the new trailer for World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition and its 1.1 update after the break. Continue reading World of Tanks Xbox 360 gets Update 1.1 World of Tanks Xbox 360 gets Update 1.1 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Update 1.1 notes

The new player experience in EverQuest Next and Landmark Posted: 14 Apr 2014 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Community Q&A, EverQuest Next, Sandbox, Landmark In this week's EverQuest Next roundtable video, Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani and Lead Designer Darrin McPherson tackle the new user experience in Landmark and EQN. The pair say they recognize that developers don't always see the game the same way players do and that players need to be caught early by the game, especially a free-to-play game, or they'll leave. "In both games, we won't have a lock-step approach to a tutorial... we definitely want to have something more free," McPherson explained. Learning the game will be a set of achievements. For example, when you equip an axe, the game will tell you you can chop wood with it, and when you chop wood, the game will tell you how to craft, granting achievements along the way without forcing players to complete any one element of gameplay to proceed. Enjoy the full dev video after the break. Continue reading The new player experience in EverQuest Next and Landmark The new player experience in EverQuest Next and Landmark originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube video

Get Trove alpha access for $20 Posted: 14 Apr 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, Free-to-Play, Sandbox Brick by brick, Trove's world has been shaped by both its alpha community and dev team. Now, Trion Worlds has announced that the alpha program is about to get even bigger. Starting now, Trove has expanded the benefits of its Adventurer supporter tier to include instant access to the game's alpha. The Adventurer tier, which costs $20, also includes a few thousand in-game credits, an inventory upgrade, and other goodies in addition to alpha access. Get Trove alpha access for $20 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Adventurers receive instant alpha access Via: ZAM

Elder Scrolls Online answers Craglorn questions Posted: 14 Apr 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, Patches, Previews, Community Q&A, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription If you were intrigued by the reveal of Elder Scrolls Online's upcoming Craglorn zone expansion but felt as though there were gaps in your formal education, prepare to get schooled. ZeniMax posted a new community Q&A today about Craglorn. The studio said that there will be rewards for everyone, not just those who make the leaderboards. Players can expect to spend between a half-hour to 1.5 hours per trial with 60 resurrections allowed for the group as a whole, and they will need to be at least veteran rank 11 to participate. Some players had asked what these Celestials are, to which ZeniMax responded, "The Celestials are a new concept based on the existing lore of the constellations in The Elder Scrolls games. There's quite a bit of lore in Craglorn that will be interesting for fans to discover." Elder Scrolls Online answers Craglorn questions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Craglorn Q&A

PAX East 2014: Erin Roberts on Star Citizen's development Posted: 14 Apr 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Interviews, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen Star Citizen's backers have been waiting to see the game's dogfighting module in action for quite some time now, and it finally happened just before PAX East 2014. Unfortunately, it also wound up having some technical difficulties right at the beginning, which wasn't exactly what anyone had in mind when showing off the whole thing in action. It wasn't quite as bad as having the computer running the module burst into flames and die, but it was bad. Do the developers regret it? Not a chance. We got a chance to sit down and talk to Squadron 42 producer Erin Roberts and were told, in no uncertain terms, that even hitting technical hiccups like that don't make a more private development cycle feel better. In a way, having the development cycle be so public actually makes technical hurdles less problematic for the company when they're encountered because the language is in place to keep a meaningful dialogue going with the fans. Continue reading PAX East 2014: Erin Roberts on Star Citizen's development PAX East 2014: Erin Roberts on Star Citizen's development originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX East 2014: Pre-launch words with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Economy, Interviews, Launches, Endgame, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play WildStar is being released in about a month and a half. It feels as if it's been forever since the game first revealed its announcement trailer. Now we've finally got a release date in sight, and the last few features for the game are being revealed to the public. It's one of the last chances that we'll have to talk about the game before it releases. On the last day of this year's PAX East, I had a chance to sit down with executive producer Jeremy Gaffney to chat a little bit more about the game before it launches. While the game has gone gold and the discs are being manufactured, the team is still refining and improving the game and plans to do so up until the day of launch. That meant talking about the endgame, the development process, and the changes that have been made already in the most recent stages of beta. Continue reading PAX East 2014: Pre-launch words with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney PAX East 2014: Pre-launch words with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Istaria revamps Island of Ice with new patch Posted: 14 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Dev Diaries A new update named A Bitter Wind came to Istaria this past week, and with it we see a revamped region, the return of the Spring Festival, bug fixes, and much more. The Island of Ice is the revamped region, with changes including a new quest hub called the Expedition Camp, a new set of ruins protected by the dead, renamed mobs, and "more reasons for players to actually visit and enjoy the region," according to the patch notes. Check out the notes in their entirety for more on how busy the Virtrium team has been this last week. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Istaria revamps Island of Ice with new patch originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: A Bitter Wind patch notes

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MMORPG News

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• Darkfall: Unholy Wars: Recommitting to a Political & Economic Sandbox
• Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen: The Post-Kickstarter Campaign
• Guild Wars 2: Feature Pack, Largest Ever Game Update, Finally Arrives
• Guild Wars 2: The Improvements We've Been Waiting For
• Age of Wushu: The Rootless Clan Revealed
• War Thunder: v1.39 Adds User Generated Content Support
• Borderlands 2: Final DLC Pack, Headhunter 5, Arrives Today
• Trove: Instant Access Begins At $20
• Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: Founder's Program Detailed
• Child of Light: Exploring the World of Lemuria
• Elder Scrolls Online: Latest Ask Us Anything Focuses on Craglorn
• General: Transistor: A Beautiful, Story-Driven Experience
• World of Darkness: Development Stops, 50+ Atlanta Studio Employees Released
• Black Desert: Party Game Play Shines in New Video
• Guild Wars 2: Experience Tyria All Over Again
• Monkey King Online: Heading Straight to Open Beta
• Lord of the Rings Online: Shape-Shifting Beorning Revealed As New Class
• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: PlayStation 4 Officially Launched

Darkfall: Unholy Wars: Recommitting to a Political & Economic Sandbox Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:04 AM PDT The Darkfall: Unholy Wars Facebook page has been updated with a new developer blog post that lays out the team's commitment to its original vision for a sandbox game that is driven by politics and economics. To further that goal, the post outlines several big changes to DF:UW including custom "mix and match" roles, a reworked economy, siege engines and much, much more.

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen: The Post-Kickstarter Campaign Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:56 AM PDT I've made it no secret that to me, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes represents some of the best raw potential that MMOs have to offer, even if the game's initial execution left a lot to be desired. That's why I've been excited by Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, the new MMORPG in development from Visionary Realms (VR), whose pedigree features the minds that brought us EverQuest 1 & 2, Vanguard, PlanetSide 1 & 2, Star Wars: Galaxies, and a whole lot more.

Guild Wars 2: Feature Pack, Largest Ever Game Update, Finally Arrives Posted: 13 Apr 2014 06:59 PM PDT The much-anticipated Feature Pack update for Guild Wars 2 has finally arrived. The pack brings overhauled systems, new features and several amazing quality of life enhancements into the game. This first feature pack begins a cycle of updates that will be specifically tailored to game systems and features. It is completely separate from the Living Story updates that will also continue as before.

Guild Wars 2: The Improvements We've Been Waiting For Posted: 15 Apr 2014 06:46 AM PDT Today the first mammoth Feature Pack goes live in-game ANet gives us a Living Story break before season 2 begins (presumably next month when the game launches in China, I'd say). We had a great interview and demo of the new pack on the dev server with Colin Johanson and Jon Peters, which we've pasted past the break.

Age of Wushu: The Rootless Clan Revealed Posted: 15 Apr 2014 06:29 AM PDT The Rootless Clan is the latest class reveal for the upcoming Age of Wushu expansion, Tempest of Storms. Members of the Rootless Clan are a network of eunuchs and murders who specialize in both melee and ranged combat using the power of speed to dominate and dispatch their enemies.

War Thunder: v1.39 Adds User Generated Content Support Posted: 15 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT The latest War Thunder patch has been deployed that adds user generated content support, new missions and aircraft, an overhauled progression system and much more. Check out the video below for a full list of the major components of today's patch.

Borderlands 2: Final DLC Pack, Headhunter 5, Arrives Today Posted: 15 Apr 2014 06:15 AM PDT The final DLC for Borderlands 2 is available beginning today for $2.99. The team sets off for Wam Bam Island for a relaxing vacation in Headhunter 5: Sir Hammerlock Versus the Son of Crawmerax. The DLC will end with an encounter with the son of Crawmerax, a familiar Borderlands character from the original game.

Trove: Instant Access Begins At $20 Posted: 14 Apr 2014 04:57 PM PDT Trion Worlds has announced that Trove is ready for the wider public to join the game. Players supporting the game at the $20 or higher level will receive instant access to the game. Other packages include the $5 (no instant access), $50 and $100 levels.

Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: Founder's Program Detailed Posted: 14 Apr 2014 04:53 PM PDT The latest newsletter from the Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade has arrived fresh in our mailbox. This month, the team details the creation of the Great Devourer and the team reveals the plan for the forthcoming Founder's Program.

Child of Light: Exploring the World of Lemuria Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:55 PM PDT As the April 30th release date for Child of Light nears, Ubisoft entices fans and potential players with a brand new video that centers around the game's world, Lemuria.

Elder Scrolls Online: Latest Ask Us Anything Focuses on Craglorn Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:49 PM PDT The latest Ask Us Anything feature has been posted on the Elder Scrolls Online site. This time the team tackles player questions that specifically deal with the game's first adventure zone, Craglorn.

General: Transistor: A Beautiful, Story-Driven Experience Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:38 AM PDT You wake up on the floor after a chaotic event, get up and go grab the huge JRPG-esque sword that's somehow....talking to you? Last year, at PAX East, one of my favorite things on the floor was Supergiant Games' Transistor. At that point, recently announced. The game blends genres, most prominently action RPG with strategy combat.This past weekend at PAX East I got the chance to demo the game, which will be released on May 20th.

World of Darkness: Development Stops, 50+ Atlanta Studio Employees Released Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:24 AM PDT CCP Games has announced the cessation of production on World of Darkness. As a result of the stoppage, over fifty employees in CCP's Atlanta-based studio have lost their jobs. Remaining staff will be assigned to other positions on existing titles.

Black Desert: Party Game Play Shines in New Video Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT One of the more compelling features coming in Black Desert is party formation combat. The team has released a new video from the second closed beta phase that shows how this will work. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Guild Wars 2: Experience Tyria All Over Again Posted: 12 Apr 2014 08:17 PM PDT I remember playing the Guild Wars 2 Beta, and entering my first event. Eight other players were in the area, and without needing to say a single word to each other, we grouped up and brought some justice in a small part of Tyria. I recently started a new character, and was in that same area, and the very same event popped up. I couldn't find a single other player near me. I wish things were like the early days, where exploring a new area was exciting. My wish may be granted!

Monkey King Online: Heading Straight to Open Beta Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:06 AM PDT After three weeks of alpha testing, R2Games has announced that its Asian MMO, Monkey King Online, will head straight to open beta with players able to immediately head to the new OBT server to make characters. According to the team, over the course of the alpha, the team has focused more on PvP, core elements and a more advanced UI.

Lord of the Rings Online: Shape-Shifting Beorning Revealed As New Class Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:52 AM PDT One of the things Lord of the Rings Online players are most looking forward to as 2014 wears on is the introduction of the first new playable class since Mines of Moira. In the latest LOTRO producer's letter, all is revealed with the announcement that the shape-shifting Beorning is coming soon. The rest of the letter details 2014's assertive schedule of meaty updates.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: PlayStation 4 Officially Launched Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:47 AM PDT Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has officially launched. To celebrate the big day, the team has released a new game play trailer. Check it out!

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