General Gaming Article

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• No BS Podcast #224: Surface Pro III, Alienware's Steam Machines, Xbox One & Kinect, FCC on ISPs, and Self Driving Cars
• Rig of the Month Roundup
• Rig of the Month: Black Gold
• Google Gives Netflix Free Access to Fiber Fast Lane, Calls It a "Win-Win" Situation
• Cox Plans to Offer All Residential Customers 1Gbps Service by 2016
• Marvell Unveils New PCI Express Solid State Drive Controller
• Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 4930K Ivy Bridge-E, Western Digital RE 4TB Hard Drive, and More!

No BS Podcast #224: Surface Pro III, Alienware's Steam Machines, Xbox One & Kinect, FCC on ISPs, and Self Driving Cars Posted: 23 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Fresh hardware, recent legislation and a signature rant  There has been a lot happening in the world of tech this week, so we assembled in the podcast room to bring you episode 224 of the No BS Podcast! On this jam packed episode, we begin by sharing our thoughts on the Surface Pro III and argue about whether it can stand up to Ultrabooks and tablets. We then address Alienware's prediction that its Steam Machines will be its least profitable system yet, and speculate as to what may be Alienware's long-term strategy with Valve. Next up, Alaina gives us the scoop on Microsoft's announcement regarding the fact that the Xbox One will no longer require the Kinect to function. We follow that up with Tom's breakdown of the FCC's take on Net Neutrality. Afterwards, Clark discusses autonomous vehicle legislation, including the news that the DMV recently approved a set of rules and regulations governing the use of these cars. Finally, we answer your questions, give you our picks, and Gordon delivers another signature rant.    Editors' Picks Tom McNamara: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Jimmy Thang: Howlongtobeat.com Clark Crisp: 2048 Puzzle Alaina Yee: Child of Light, Classic Theme Restorer for Firefox 29 Stalk us on the following networks: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Become a fan on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in print or on Google Play, iTunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Rig of the Month Roundup Posted: 23 May 2014 10:21 AM PDT We're looking for the coolest custom computer cases and we want your submissions! It's been a long time since we've deemed a case mod worthy of our Rig of the Month title. In fact, it's been over three years since we've featured a particularly badass project—see the 8-bit Black Mage. Fortunately, we've come to our senses and we're reviving the series, but we need your help! We know you guys have got some interesting case mods out there and we want to see them! We're also sure lots of other readers would like to gawk and drool over them as well so let us help you share your cool custom computer case with the world! If you're a case modder with something that deserves the Rig of the Month title, let us know by dropping us an email at mpcrigofthemonth@gmail.com. Make sure to include your name, a 300-word description of why your PC is amazing along with specs (and how it was modified), and no fewer than three high-resolution JPEGs of the build. Please try and use a high-quality camera with good lighting and make sure to bust out your photography skills! We will not accept any blurry, low-res camera-phone grade images because we'd like readers to see your awesome rig in the best light possible! Here are some specific case-shooting photography tips:  Try to avoid using flash and opt for existing natural light. In addition, use things like white curtains to diffuse the bright sun. Make sure your case is in focus! Nothing ruins a picture of a nice-looking case than a blurry shot. Clean your case before you shoot it. No one wants to see all that nasty dust all over the place! Experimenting with shooting from multiple angles. Select the right backdrop. Your system could look cooler with a nice/clean background as opposed to on your messy floor with cables strewn about.  When shooting, use a tripod or if you can't get one, shoot from a stable surface such as a box or even a pillow. If your camera has exposure compensation, try playing around with under-exposing or over exposing until you get the effects you want. In addition to requiring pretty photos, we'll be judging the rigs based on creativity and craftsmanship. To kick things off, we've gathered up some of our favorite Rig of the Month winners in the gallery below. Click the gallery image for the full shot and feel free to get more detail on each custom case by clicking on their individual respective links in the descriptions.

Rig of the Month: Black Gold Posted: 23 May 2014 10:14 AM PDT It's not black and yellow, but we think we know what it is Some rigs are built to stand out. Others are purely functional with little to no attention given to aesthetics or design. Adam Birli's Black Gold stands somewhere in between the two extremes. It's sexy, but understated; flashy, and stealthy at the same time. It's no Orogenesis, but it's beautiful in its own way. Beautiful enough, that it's worthy of being this month's Rig of the Month. For some, the inspiration behind Black Gold will be obvious. Adam even admits that the idea for his rig came from Charles Hardwood's Murderbox MK II Gold. The resemblance is undeniable, but we think that Adam has done a great job of imitating and innovating in his own way. Adam says that his overarching goal for the "build was to make a computer so clean that people would stop and think it came from the factory that way." His initial instinct was to keep the gold highlights to a minimum, but in the end, he was inspired by the splashes of gold in the Asus Z87-DELUXE motherboard and went all-out. Adam painted fans, grills, and PCI brackets gold to match the theme. The attention to detail is obvious; every single cable in the build is sleeved in alternating black and gold and it's all housed in a Corsair Air 540 case.  Under the hood, Black Gold is no slouch. In fact, it's a well-powered machine with an Intel i5-4670K and two Titans. It's intended to be a showpiece, but Adam says that he wanted to make sure it was fast enough to run a triple monitor setup for racing sims.   Have a case mod of your own that you would like to submit to our monthly feature? Make sure to read the rules/tips here and email us at mpcrigofthemonth@gmail.com with your submissions. Follow Ben on Twitter and Google+.

Google Gives Netflix Free Access to Fiber Fast Lane, Calls It a "Win-Win" Situation Posted: 23 May 2014 09:34 AM PDT Google Fiber's approach is the exact opposite of Comcast's Net neutrality is one of the biggest topics on the web right now, and lest anyone thing it's being overstated, see the spat between Netflix and Comcast. In short, Netflix inked a multi-year agreement with Comcast to ensure that its traffic is pumped into homes at the fastest speed possible to avoid buffering, low quality video, dropouts, and other undesirable effects of slowed connections. Not long after, Netlfix announced it was increasing its subscription by $1 for new subscribers. In other words, it's the customers that ultimately foot the bill when big companies fight, which is why it's refreshing to see Google take a different approach. In a blog post this week, Google talked about the behind-the-scenes efforts at Google Fiber and how it's working with, not against, content providers to minimize buffering. Whereas Comcast took a hard line approach to the situation and essentially told Netflix to pay up or shut up, Google said it isn't charging for unfettered access into Google Fiber homes. "We give companies like Netflix and Akamai free access to space and power in our facilities and they provide their own content servers," Google explains. "We don't make money from peering or colocation; since people usually only stream one video at a time, video traffic doesn't bog down or change the way we manage our network in any meaningful way — so why not help enable it? "But we also don't charge because it's really a win-win-win situation. It's good for content providers because they can deliver really high-quality streaming video to their customers," Google added. Having Google as your ally is a pretty big deal, but will it be enough to sway other ISPs to follow suit? Don't hold your breath. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Cox Plans to Offer All Residential Customers 1Gbps Service by 2016 Posted: 23 May 2014 08:42 AM PDT Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Omaha will be the first to receive 1Gbps service from Cox Maybe by the end of the decade we'll all be rocking 1Gbps Internet connections. There seems to be an increased interest on the part of broadband Internet providers to keep pace with Google and its Google Fiber service, so it's not a matter of "if" but "when" we'll see gigabit speeds. If you're a Cox Communications customers, expect to see 1Gbps broadband Internet service available by the end of 2016. Cox is planning to roll out gigabit service across all of its markets within the next couple of years, starting with Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Omaha. "We are excited about our road map to offer gigabit speeds to all of our residential customers," said Cox Communications President Pat Esser. "Starting today, we will begin deploying new technology and infrastructure that will give customers the choice of gigabit speeds in all markets we serve." As gigabit service is being rolled out to new areas, Cox said it will double the speeds on its most popular tiers from 25Mbps to 50Mbps. Meanwhile, Cox High Speed Internet Premier will jump from 50Mbps to 100Mbps. Between the two, they represent 70 percent of Cox's high-speed customers. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Marvell Unveils New PCI Express Solid State Drive Controller Posted: 23 May 2014 08:24 AM PDT New SSD controller supports SATA Express Marvell this week announced the launch of its new 88SS1083 PCI Express solid state drive controller, a two-lane PCIe Gen2 SSD controller supporting SATA Express. According to Marvell, the new controller will enable a simple migration from SATA to PCIe with high-performance transfer rates up to 1GB/s. It's supposedly the world's first controller to be fully compliant with SATA Express. "Improving performance while maintaining low power becomes more important than ever, especially for today's ultrathin notebooks and tablets," said Rajan Pai, Vice President, Sales and Field Applications Engineering at Marvell. "The new 88SS1083 allows SSD OEMs to offer higher performance, PCIe-based SSD solutions at similar prices to SATA and is quickly becoming the controller of choice for global OEMs. Marvell is proudly pioneering a new generation of high-performance and low-power silicon solutions that is driving our industry forward." Marvell says its 88SS1083 controller also supports Separate RefClock with Independent SSC (SRIS), which is a feature that eliminates the need for a pricey shielded cable to minimize noise, using instead a cost-effective SATA Express cable. The 88SS1083 was designed on a 28nm low power manufacturing process technology. According to Marvell, it can scale to support 15nm NAND flash. Image Credit: Flickr (Doug Kline) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 4930K Ivy Bridge-E, Western Digital RE 4TB Hard Drive, and More! Posted: 23 May 2014 06:25 AM PDT Top Deal: Sometimes you have to send a message, that message being, "Goodbye budget parts, hello high end!" Different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. However, that doesn't need you need to be careless with your Skrilla. For example, check out today's top deal for an Intel Core i7 4930K Ive Bridge-E processor for $550 with free shipping (normally $580 - use coupon code: [EMCPEHH53]). This 22nm chip is rocking 6 cores, a dozen threads, and 12MB of L3 cache. Other Deals: Crucial M500 240GB SATA 2.5-inch Internal Solid State Drive for $110 with free shipping (normally $115 - use coupon code: [EMCPEHH22]) Western Digital RE  4TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Enterprise Internal Hard for $300 with free shipping (normally $320 - use coupon code: [EMCPEHH28]) Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive for $60 with free shipping (normally $70 - use coupon code: [EMCPEHH32]) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory for $75 with free shipping (normally $83 - use coupon code: [EMCPEHH33])

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MMO Updates

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• Working As Intended: Dabbling in indie sandbox Villagers and Heroes
• RIFT's Unicornalia event runs through May 29
• Forsaken World's Blood Harvest expansion is here
• See MapleStory 2's bubbly 3-D in action
• The Daily Grind: How would you balance MMO PvP factions?
• May SMITE's odds be doubled in your favor this weekend
• Learn to fly ground attack aircraft in World of Warplanes
• The Think Tank: The best MMORPG character naming systems
• Transformers Universe offers a peek under the hood
• Crytek reveals quirky new MOBA Arena of Fate
• Why F2P won't eliminate paid games
• Exclusive: Grand Chase unveils Season 5 update trailer
• Diablo III keeping legendary drop rate increase
• Shroud of the Avatar announces Release 6 access for this weekend

Working As Intended: Dabbling in indie sandbox Villagers and Heroes Posted: 23 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Casual, Sandbox, Crafting, Housing, Working As Intended Villagers and Heroes is not the sort of sandbox that gets a lot of coverage in the gaming press. You can't gank in the game. No one will murder you for your ore or your logs. There are no petty internet crime lords generating scandals or developers being ousted for cheating. Clichéd zombies are not waiting to slaughter you come nightfall. You cannot fall off a cliff or treetop pathway to your death. You never have to walk 10 miles uphill in the snow both ways to get to your house. You don't have to wait in line for an instance. You don't really have to fight at all. In fact, the worst thing that might happen to you is that you'll run out of energy. Continue reading Working As Intended: Dabbling in indie sandbox Villagers and Heroes Working As Intended: Dabbling in indie sandbox Villagers and Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT's Unicornalia event runs through May 29 Posted: 23 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT "They're here, they're horned, and they need your help," according to a RIFT' website update. Trion's latest in-game event features unicorn refugees from the Plane of Life, who of course require plenty of assistance from RIFT's ascended players. Trion also wants you to know that you can acquire onyx unicorn mounts as rare drops from the Hooves and Horns zone event in Moonshade Highlands or by completing the Rainbow in the Dark achievement. Alternatively, you can buy them in the game's cash shop. Opal unicorn mounts can be similarly purchased or acquired through daily quests in Sanctum and Meridian. The event runs through May 29th. RIFT's Unicornalia event runs through May 29 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Unicornalia

Forsaken World's Blood Harvest expansion is here Posted: 23 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Expansions, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play Forsaken World's Blood Harvest expansion is now available. The update features the new Blood Reaper class, it increases the game's level cap to 90, and it introduces a new region called Freedom Islands. In addition to the new class, all existing classes now have two new skills, and Perfect World has tweaked the leveling and Soul Power systems in favor of a faster progression experience. Sound interesting? Why not watch the video after the cut! [Source: Perfect World press release] Continue reading Forsaken World's Blood Harvest expansion is here Forsaken World's Blood Harvest expansion is here originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

See MapleStory 2's bubbly 3-D in action Posted: 23 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MapleStory, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Kids, Family "Oh yeah," you think, looking at the headline. "They are working on a MapleStory 2. I forgot about that!" That's right, buckaroos: Nexon is charging ahead with a sequel (well, technically a prequel) to the colorful 2-D MMO, and today the publisher has a gameplay trailer to prove it. In the trailer, you can see the transition to chunky 3-D graphics as characters boogie, battle, and be Little Bo Peep to a flock of sheep. MapleStory 2 will be throwing a "Supporter's Day" for select fans in late June and should enter Korean closed beta later this year. We've got the new trailer for you after the break. [Source: Nexon press release] Continue reading See MapleStory 2's bubbly 3-D in action See MapleStory 2's bubbly 3-D in action originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How would you balance MMO PvP factions? Posted: 23 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Subscription Earlier this week, Blizzard announced voluntary free faction changes for a single World of Warcraft server, presumably as a test for fixing the factional imbalances on that server and the many other servers and server-amalgams that currently exist. As a player on a PvP cluster dominated heavily by the side I am not on, I do welcome the studio's attempt to fix the problem, but I can't help wishing there were a less kludgy way. I know a lot of players prefer three-way to two-way faction PvP in the belief that the two weaker sides at any given time will band together to defeat the larger one. I also remember older MMOs either locking overpopulated factions or offering huge bonuses to the losers to boost their abilities and morale. But maybe we can do better. What do you think -- how would you balance MMO factions? Are two-sided factional wars just doomed from the start? And would you use a carrot or a stick to incentivize player-driven balance? 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 would you balance MMO PvP factions? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

May SMITE's odds be doubled in your favor this weekend Posted: 22 May 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Promotions, MOBA SMITE's odds may not be ever in your favor, but at least they are this weekend thanks to a double favor event. Hi-Rez is also gifting players with 10 free cash shop gems for every first win of the day. The promotion, when paired with SMITE's numerous game modes, means that "there are tons of gems to be earned this weekend" on top of the double favor for each game played. [Thanks Soren!] May SMITE's odds be doubled in your favor this weekend originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Learn to fly ground attack aircraft in World of Warplanes Posted: 22 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Video, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Guides, Miscellaneous, World of Warplanes Wargaming.net today released another in its "Flight School" series of tutorial videos for World of Warplanes, this one intended to teach novice players how to fly ground attack aircraft. Says the studio, This detailed tutorial tells about ground attack aircraft, the most controversial type of warfare in World of Warplanes, and explains how many advantage points pilots can get by hitting different types of targets, while focusing on the most effective ways to score those points in order to reach air dominance. The guide also delves into the ins-and-outs of concealment tactics and the mechanics that will affect the supremacy meter, which can make a difference in the midst of battle. Massively's aviation MMO expert (it's totally a thing now) Jef Reahard took a deep-dive into the game when it launched last December. Enjoy the new video below. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading Learn to fly ground attack aircraft in World of Warplanes Learn to fly ground attack aircraft in World of Warplanes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Think Tank: The best MMORPG character naming systems Posted: 22 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank My first MMO was Ultima Online, where character naming rules were so unrestricted that it wasn't uncommon for people to copy names from others to pass themselves off as other players, usually for espionage and infiltration purposes. My guild even lost a guild base that way once to a particularly savvy spy with the same name as one of our officers! Subsequent MMOs, all the way into the present day, usually curtail such exploits with harsh naming conventions, including WildStar, which made recently headlines with a botched reservation system for its unique names (in fact, the registration ends tomorrow!). But players don't seem any happier with unique names than with copycat names. I polled the Massively writers about their opinions on the best naming systems in MMOs and how they'd like to see naming systems improved in general. Continue reading The Think Tank: The best MMORPG character naming systems The Think Tank: The best MMORPG character naming systems originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Transformers Universe offers a peek under the hood Posted: 22 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, Transformers Universe It's taken a long time for it to approach launch, but Transformers Universe is closer to being ready for public consumption than ever before. It's got pre-launch bonus sales in effect, it's revealing Autobots and Decepticons alike, and it's showing off its gameplay. If you're excited to see more of what's going on behind the scenes, you'll be happy to learn that the development team has offered a peek into the development with a new series dubbed "Under the Hood." So what's in the first episode? Aside from a text-only Q&A with vice president David Nicholson, the episode looks at the Founders program, a peek at voices, and a detailed discussion of what the game will play like and where it's going in the future. That includes plenty of footage of robots turning into cars and beating the tar out of one another, for the record. Check out the video and the Q&A just past the break. Continue reading Transformers Universe offers a peek under the hood Transformers Universe offers a peek under the hood originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Crytek reveals quirky new MOBA Arena of Fate Posted: 22 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Consoles, MOBA Good news, everyone! Crytek heard that the world needed another MOBA and is here to provide one in Arena of Fate. At least it's got a unique IP; players will be slipping into the shoes of characters from history and legend as varied as Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper, and Baron Münchhausen. "Imagine Joan of Arc and Robin Hood cooperating to hunt down Little Red Riding Hood. Wouldn't that be terrific?" asks Game Director Vesselin Handjiev. "But besides the game's iconic heroes, which everyone in the team really loves, we are also challenging ourselves to carefully craft a streamlined player experience that allows for both greater accessibility, and rich, deep, action-packed gameplay." The game will be playable on both PC and consoles and at this year's E3. PC players can already sign up for this summer's planned early access beta test. We've got the announcement trailer below! [Source: Crytek press release] Continue reading Crytek reveals quirky new MOBA Arena of Fate Crytek reveals quirky new MOBA Arena of Fate originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Why F2P won't eliminate paid games Posted: 22 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion Champions RPG co-creator and former EA and Capcom marketer Steve Peterson has published a lengthy rebuke of conventional F2P-is-the-future wisdom. "The reality is that many game designs don't lend themselves to free-to-play monetization," Peterson writes. "Virtual items in story-centered games like Telltale's Walking Dead series would be ridiculous. Balance is a difficult issue for virtual items in many games, particularly as the variations of items multiply. Blizzard's massive problems with the Auction House in Diablo III show that." He goes on to cite DIII's premium buy-the-client price point as an example of how pay-up-front PC games remain a hugely profitable market, to say nothing of the fact that F2P has made little headway on consoles. "While free-to-play is a very successful business model, it's not the only business model that's succeeding these days," he explains. "Not all games lend themselves to the business model, and not all developers are prepared to deal with the issues involved. Some platforms are less suited to free-to-play games, and there's evidence to suggest that paid games are making a comeback on mobile. Some developers have complained about the model in very public ways. Free-to-play is a fine hammer, but not every game is a nail." Why F2P won't eliminate paid games originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GI.biz

Exclusive: Grand Chase unveils Season 5 update trailer Posted: 22 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play Grand Chase is kicking off its fifth season, and it's doing so via a series of big updates. There's a lot to the update, too, enough that it's got a trailer just past the break showing off all sorts of new features like dodging, new maps, and dungeon records. The game is also introducing the new Character Separation feature to kick things off, which sounds a bit painful but isn't meant to be at all. In essence, players who had unlocked and equipped all of the game's 19 characters would have to cart around a lot of gear in a single shared inventory based on who was being played at any given time. This new update divides up characters and allows you to store their items and equipment separately, a real boon for any prolific players. Check out the trailer and the full release just past the break. Continue reading Exclusive: Grand Chase unveils Season 5 update trailer Exclusive: Grand Chase unveils Season 5 update trailer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III keeping legendary drop rate increase Posted: 22 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play Blizzard game designer Travis Day brought some welcome news to Diablo III fans on the game's official forums last night. "Due to the overwhelming popularity of our anniversary buff we have decided to keep the increased legendary drop rate once the anniversary celebration ends," Day wrote. "Once the buff is disabled tomorrow morning, you will find that the new base line drop rates for legendary items will be the same as those you have all enjoyed for the last week." Diablo III keeping legendary drop rate increase originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: D3 forums

Shroud of the Avatar announces Release 6 access for this weekend Posted: 22 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), New Titles, Patches, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Shroud of the Avatar Shroud of the Avatar's Release 6 access has begun today at 11:30 a.m. EDT for all who backed the game's Kickstarter at the First Responder level and above. This game access period will end on Sunday, May 25 at 11:00 p.m. EDT and will be the first in a series of once-per-quarter releases that focuses on polish and iteration. You can read the complete patch notes from Executive Producer Starr Long at the official site. Shroud of the Avatar announces Release 6 access for this weekend originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch Notes

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MMORPG News

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• Rift: Examining the F2P Updates
• World of Warcraft: Azeroth Choppers #6 Released
• The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2: Released on Steam for $14.99
• Forsaken World: Blood Harvest Released
• WildStar: The Simple Power of a Tweet
• Transistor: Red is the New Black
• General: Games of Glory: An Ambitious Project with a Focus on Community
• Black Desert: Russian Version Nearing Completion, Publisher Announced
• Nether: Downright Enjoyable for Survival Fans

Rift: Examining the F2P Updates Posted: 21 May 2014 05:25 PM PDT Since Scott Hartsman rejoined the team as CEO in August 2013, Trion Worlds has set about returning RIFT to its prior glory with regular, meaty content updates. What's changed since then is the business model. How do RIFT's updates stack up since the free-to-play conversion? What do they tell us about the state of the game and where Trion's focus is at? Join us as we answer these questions in this week's Tripping the Rift.

World of Warcraft: Azeroth Choppers #6 Released Posted: 21 May 2014 07:30 PM PDT The sixth episode of the World of Warcraft-based we series, Azeroth Choppers, has hit the airwaves. "The Blizzard teams have seen their bikes, so it's time for paint and finishing touches! Meanwhile, back at Blizzard HQ, the teams meet with the art department to see what it'll take to the winning bike into the world of Azeroth."

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2: Released on Steam for $14.99 Posted: 22 May 2014 02:49 PM PDT The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2 is now available on Steam for $14.99. The release comes exactly one year after the original Van Helsing hit the airwaves in 2013. To celebrate the Van Helsing 2's arrival, the team has put together a brand new video. Check it out before heading to the Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2 Steam page.

Forsaken World: Blood Harvest Released Posted: 22 May 2014 01:02 PM PDT Perfect World Entertainment has announced that the latest content expansion for Forsaken World has been released. Called "Blood Harvest", players can check out a new class, a new adventure zone and a level cap increase to 90.

WildStar: The Simple Power of a Tweet Posted: 22 May 2014 11:15 AM PDT Last week, Carbine asked fans to 'tweet' how they would be getting ready for WildStar's debut. The chosen winner would receive a personal visit from members of the team. One user posted a very personal Tweet that left all others behind.

Transistor: Red is the New Black Posted: 22 May 2014 10:44 AM PDT Transistor, the visually and aurally arresting follow up to Supergiant Games' Bastion, is a perfect example of what an indie developer can do when not beholden to the whims of chairmen and stockholders. Transistor is a gorgeous, witty, emotionally resonant, and has one of the most unique and enticing combat systems we've played in years. Read on for our full review, and see why it trumps its predecessor in many ways.

General: Games of Glory: An Ambitious Project with a Focus on Community Posted: 22 May 2014 07:36 AM PDT Games of Glory is a MOBA-esque game currently in development that aims to make changes in the genre and to bring in unique influences from other game types. Anders Larsson tackled our questions about Games of Glory and had a lot to say. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Black Desert: Russian Version Nearing Completion, Publisher Announced Posted: 22 May 2014 09:08 AM PDT Localization of the Russian version of Black Desert is already underway according to a release from Gamenet.ru. The UI has been translated and new information has been released including the news that there will be no dungeons and that bosses will freely roam the game world. In addition, Gamenet.ru will feature both pay-to-play and free-to-play servers.

Nether: Downright Enjoyable for Survival Fans Posted: 21 May 2014 04:29 PM PDT Nether is a first-person shooter survival game set in a claustrophobic city with multiple levels of buildings, rooftops and subways, littered with detailed scenes of horror which tell a bit of the terrifying story of the world. Stumbling through the dark to come across a pile of bloody skeletons, the little details help put your mindset in the same place as the creators' and really manages to deliver the uneasy feeling that the nether brings.

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